《I Have A Super USB Drive》 Chapter 1 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Human life is limited. Every person will age, fall sick, and die. However, does anyone here know why were mortal? 34 Upon the platform, a nearly seventy-year-old professor spoke gradually, his voice echoing the large classroom due to its acoustics. 1 Everyone knows that the unit of life begins with a single cell. Each of us here came into being as a tiny fertilized ovum that underwent cell division. One cell becomes two, two becomes four, four becomes eight 12 Below the platform, Chen Chen propped up his chin with his left hand while his right hand twirled a rollerball pen. His eyes glazed over with boredom as he stared at the projection screen, daydreaming. 3 Cells will undergo senescence and death as well. The newly divided cells replace the dead ones over and over. This is the secret to our unending growth. 2 Even so, this cell fission isnt infinite. In 1965, Professor Hayflick of Stanford University discovered that human cells are unable to self-replicate over fifty-seven times. Every cell, upon its fifty-sixth replication, will die. 11 Its as if theres a counter within each cell that determines when the cell would stop dividing and when humans would start to age In theory, human cells can divide up to fifty-six times at most. By calculating the cycle of each cell division, we find that the limit of human life is at one hundred and twenty years. This theory is known as 14 Clatter! 1 Just as he was listening in fascination, Chen Chens fingers slipped and the rollerball pen spun out of his grasp, falling under the desk. 4 Chen Chen immediately stooped over, feeling around the floor with one hand. Huh? When his head was below the desk, an unexpected glint of pitch-black light flashed before his eyes. 15 Whether it was possible for light to be black, Chen Chen truly did spot a flash of black light in that instant. 1 He looked over instinctively. The item was long and pitch-black all over. It was wedged below the desk, trapped within a hidden groove. 16 Therefore, after Chen Chen had picked up his pen, he reached out and scratched that area. With just a little bit of effort, there was a snapping sound and the black item was successfully pried loose. You there, burrowing under your desk, answer the question C 2 Just then, the professors voice suddenly rang out from the platform. 4 Snicker! 2 There was a burst of sniggers from his dormitory friends sitting behind. 9 Chen Chen hurriedly crawled out from under the desk, his face red with embarrassment. He stared at the beaming professor, then glanced down at his textbook before stammering, The Hay, Hayflick Limit? Take your seat. The professor wrung his hands and allowed Chen Chen to sit. The lecture continued. At both ends of a DNA molecule is something called a telomere. This component plays a vital role in cell division. 3 Its responsible for keeping the chromosome intact. Each cell fission will shorten the telomere a little. When the telomeres are too short and thus unable to protect the gene structure, the cell would inhibit growth, stop replicating, and enter senescence. This is the Hayflick Limit. 13 With that, the professor turned around and quickly wrote The Hayflick Limit on the blackboard. Chen Chen, who had just taken his seat, heaved a sigh of relief. While the professor was busy writing on the blackboard, Chen Chen swiftly glimpsed at the item in his hand. Erm In one glimpse, Chen Chens interest was completely deflated. 2 It turned out that the extremely black item was nothing more than a USB drive. 1 Still, it was different from most USB drives. This one was much longer, about twelve or thirteen centimeters, and looked like a carbon rod. 20 Only its USB port revealed the truth C that it was merely a USB drive. Other than this, the entire USB drive had no joints or cracks. It was pitch-black and had no mention of the brand name or storage space. Nonetheless, seeing that it looked rather awesome, Chen Chen ended up stuffing the USB drive into his pocket. He would study it further in his dorm. 27 Currently, the professor was still lecturing. With our current level of technology, its impossible for cells to break past the Hayflick Limit but we could bypass this barrier through another method As he spoke, the professor wrote three words on the blackboard: The Immortal HeLa. 5 Everyone must be thinking, if theres a way to prevent the telomeres from shortening, will our cells become immortal? The answer is C definitely! 3 Under the words The Immortal HeLa, the professor spiritedly added The HeLa cell line. 2 The HeLa cell line was derived in 1951 from a clump of cervical cancer cells, taken from a contributor named Henrietta Lacks. 21 Researchers found that these cells collected from Lacks not only failed to die, they even showed signs of growth. Every twenty-four hours, the number of cells would double. Later, they discovered that these cells didnt die because of the tumor retrovirus that caused cervical cancer. This virus gene was able to alter the lifespan switch in ordinary cells, thereby creating immortal cells of unlimited growth. In the following years, HeLa cells were supplied to various research organizations across the Federation. They helped scientists achieve cell cloning and have also been used to investigate the effects of nuclear radiation on a human body. Moreover, theyve been placed in a space-bound rocket, to study the growth of cells in a weightless state 4 Data from medical sciences and biology indicate that, by this year, there are more than sixty-five thousand papers related to HeLa cells and over fifty million tons of HeLa cells have been cultivated Hence, later generations shared this common knowledge C that cancer cell lines are immortal. They can continue dividing without end. 9 When the professor uttered this line, many students started to clap enthusiastically, indicating their respect toward the contributor, Henrietta Lacks. 11 Of course, if we humans play around with this switch, well end up dead! The professor changed the topic abruptly, killing off the applause. After all, if the cycle of cell fission in our body is disrupted and doesnt enter senescence in time, itll turn into a malignant tumor and threaten our life! We humans have kept on forging ahead in our search for the truth. When society was nothing more than an assortment of clans, the average human lifespan was less than twenty years. In the Middle Ages, that had progressed to forty years 8 With the emergence of science, human civilization plunged into a phase of swift development. In mere decades, humans of the Earth Federation enjoy an average lifespan that is close to eighty years! 13 But is that enough? 4 Even if humans achieve the pinnacle of development, we wouldnt surpass the hundred and twenty years stated in the Hayflick Limit. This is a long way from immortality. So, what do we do? 3 After a pause, the professor continued. Thus, a revolution arrived In 2002, this switch was finally discovered. Professor John Sulston from the University of Cambridge, along with two of his colleagues, found a hereditary regulation mechanism that was then named programmed cell death. The professor wrote the words Programmed Cell Death on the blackboard and roughly drew a circle. 2 There was a loud snap. The chalk had broken under the professors forceful fingers. This discovery shook up the entire medical science community because it determined that cell death is an automatic, physiological form of suicide, like a program that was secretly embedded! The professor spread his arms. This means that, although we initially assumed that senescence was a natural process, in truth, it may be due to a genetic defect! If we can fix this flaw, theres hope that we may prevail over aging and attain immortality! 34 A soft, collective gasp could be heard throughout the room. It was like a huge door had just been opened. Chen Chens pupils shrank and he could only hear one voice, constantly repeating that magical word. Immortality? Immortality Therefore, as students specializing in biology, youre the generation with the best chance of rectifying this genetic defect. 1 The professor broke out into an expectant smile. In other words, youre the ones closest to achieving immortality in the entire human history! 24 The class was reaching the end at this point. The silver-haired professor wiped his sweat with a handkerchief, then concluded in a hopeful, yet rueful, manner: Theres no denying that we humans are still completely ignorant in the face of the boundless ocean of truth. Perhaps a distant, impossible dream like immortality is only the first step in the search for truth However, no matter what, the future is in your hands Thats it. Class dismissed! Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap 22 The room was filled with thunderous applause. Chapter 2 5 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation As Chen Chen had no other classes in the afternoon, he turned down the dorm leaders invitation to basketball after the first class had ended and headed to his dorm alone. As he walked, Professor Wang Xis words kept ringing in his ear. 1 Oh immortality, what a beautiful dream. Still, since the beginning of time, was there anyone who was truly immortal? 35 Chen Chen lamented silently. Professor Wang Xi, being a senior academic in the Chinese Academy of Sciences, was excellent in both knowledge and pedagogy. 4 Not only did he spark everyones enthusiasm toward biology, but he even showed them a clear path. Perhaps some of them would be inspired to delve into the field of life sciences and make noble contributions to the Earth Federation. Upon returning to Dorm 404, Chen Chen instinctively reached out to turn on his computer. However, before his right hand could do so, his left hand promptly held himself back. 12 With a sigh, Chen Chen flipped open Modern Molecular Biology and compared it with his notes to consolidate his understanding of the class material. In university, most of ones learning was not obtained from lecturers. Self-study and practice was the only way forward. 10 Many students started slacking off after entering university. They would pay no mind to their course credits. To them, skipping optional courses was compulsory and attending compulsory courses was optional. They thoroughly enjoyed their freedom from high schools repression. 9 Nonetheless, upon graduation, they learned what it meant to be beaten down by society 6 This was why Chen Chen was troubled. He had no choice but to practice some self-control for the sake of his own future. After all, what was it that people always said C the hardships of youthful days are nothing compared to the hardships of later life! 4 Just then, his phones screen flashed, indicating that there were more than 99 unread messages in the QQ group. Chen Chen reached out by instinct but froze in mid-air. Stop right there! This phone is a demon from hell. Dont be tempted by it. They just talk sh*t in the group anyway, dont 14 404 Dorm Leader Wang Wei: [Lil Bo, Nostril, what are you guys doing? Why did you disappear after class? Come for basketball] 1 404 Dorm Leader Wang Wei: [what is this moron trying to say.jpg] When Chen Chen opened up the group chat, he was greeted with this meaningless meme battle. 2 404 Brainiac Chen Chen: [a group of guys with 99+ messages, yet theres zero porn, f*ck yall.jpg] 2 After carelessly sending out an image to indicate what would interest him, Chen Chen put his phone away and propped his chin in his hand, deep in thought. 3 He could forget about the previous owner of this USB drive. After all, that room was a multi-function classroom that hosted at least four or five classes each day. This USB drive might have even been left behind by students who had graduated years ago. The hiding place of the USB drive was well concealed too. If Chen Chen had not happened to turn at such an angle while picking up his pen, he would not have noticed it. This meant that the heavens knew how long this USB drive had been hidden. 7 The question is, who hid the USB drive there and why would they go to such lengths just to hide a USB drive? 5 Maybe the USB drive contains some mysterious top-secret code? 21 These thoughts suddenly occurred to Chen Chen and he did not hesitate anymore. He lifted the lid of his laptop and plugged in the USB drive while the laptop was starting up. 14 The SSD1 was fast booting up. In less than ten seconds, the sleek interface of Windows 10 displayed before Chen Chen. 14 After a moments pause, Chen Chen pulled up [My Computer]. However, other than his own drive, there was no sign of any portable storage devices. The drive letter which should have automatically recognized the USB drive had vanished. 2 Was the USB drive corrupted? Chen Chen did not believe this and plugged in it once more. Still, there was no response. 1 Humph, I dont buy this. 1 Chen Chens lips curled up in a smirk as he smoothly restarted the laptop. While it rebooted, he deftly and confidently pressed down on [F2], entering the BIOS Setup interface. 10 Next, in a well-practiced manner, Chen Chen pressed [F9] to select Default Settings/Configuration, and within the same instant, clicked on [Yes]! Finally, he pressed [F10] firmly to save his data for the last time, then rebooted the laptop! 1 All these happened in the blink of an eye. A non-veteran could not have done it. 13 After the laptop had restarted, the icon for the portable storage device did pop up at the lower right corner. Even so, Chen Chen did not access it from there. Instead, he clicked into [My Computer], moved his cursor to the USB drives icon, and right clicked to select its Properties. Hmm? In its Properties, the storage space of the USB drive was listed as 0. 1 Is it corrupted after all? Chen Chen lost all hope at once. He had wasted so much effort. He shook his head and absent-mindedly double-clicked. However, the USB drives file opened up unexpectedly. What he saw was a few files in the AVI format. [Ju-on.avi], [Final Destination.avi.], [One Missed Call.avi], [Ring.avi.]. 13 Gasp When Chen Chen saw what these files were, he drew in a sharp breath. He did not expect the previous owner of the USB drive to be a horror movie buff. He did not know whether to feel disappointed or surprised. He was expecting something along the lines of a Mystery Code.avi. Nonetheless, this proved that there was nothing wrong with the USB drive. There was nothing much of interest to Chen Chen in the USB drive. These movies were nearly as old as Chen Chen and were very well known. Those which he wanted to watch, he had watched long ago. Those which he did not wish to watch, he would not watch even if they were played right before him. 2 Therefore, he immediately selected all the files and pressed [ctrl+d]. 2 Ding! However, these six movies were not deleted. Conversely, a Program Error window popped out. Stubbornly Chen Chen tried a few times, even resorting to file shredding. Nevertheless, no matter what he did, he could not delete those movies. Thats peculiar Chen Chen was gloomy. Perhaps the USB drive was corrupted after all? He hopelessly hovered his cursor over one of the video files, thinking that he should try playing it. However, for some reason, just as he was about to double-click on [Ju-on.avi], he felt a sudden, indescribable throbbing in his heart. He could not say what feeling it was. It was as if a pair of eyes were peering at him from some corner that light could not reach 8 These eyes were filled with a sense of death, like the icy kiss of a corpse 6 This flutter in his heart caused him to stop in his tracks. Cough! Since when did I become such a coward? 5 Chen Chen shook his head. Following his gut, he moved the cursor away, pulled up Local Disk D, and located a video file C [Detective Pikachu.mp4]. 2 Chen Chen selected this file and pressed [ctrl+c], then clicked on the USB drive and pressed [ctrl+v]. A green progress bar flashed instantly. In less than two seconds, [Detective Pikachu.mp4] was copied into the USB drive. 2 Everything seemed normal. Chen Chen contemplated silently before opening the [Detective Pikachu.mp4] file in the USB drive. The default video software started up automatically, beginning to screen this movie adaptation which was released in 2019. Chen Chen had already watched this movie when it came out, but because he loved the way Pikachu looked, he underwent the trouble of downloading this movie. 9 As he watched the bright yellow rodent bouncing around on the screen, Chen Chen felt a faint pang of sorrow as this figure rather resembled Jerry from his home. Jerry was the name of Chen Chens pet dog at home. Chen Chens childhood was spent in the company of Jerry. The boy and the dog had grown up together and were inseparable. Unfortunately, a dogs lifespan was far too brief. Just last year, Jerry passed away due to old age. 10 As he pictured that lovable figure, Chen Chen drifted in his thoughts. However, there was a sudden movement that he noticed from the corner of his eyes. Chen Chen reflexively turned to look and saw that a cap had appeared beside his laptop at an unknown time. 3 Ding! At the same time, the screen displayed the Program Error notice once again. The video that was playing shut down by itself 1 Chapter 3 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Chen Chen paid no mind to the window that had appeared on the screen. He stared at the cap which had abruptly appeared beside the laptop, wearing a thoughtful expression. He swore that before starting up the computer, there was no cap in this spot. Moreover, this cap Surely it was too familiar Chen Chen reached out hesitantly and took the cap in his hands. The cap was made from canvas, which felt slightly rough against his palm. It was khaki-colored and looked just like a duckbill cap, except it was only as large as his hand. No matter how he looked at it, this did not seem like a cap any human could wear. Chen Chen flipped the cap over. Inside, there was a tag sewn in with polyester fiber, with a few lines of English on it: IF LOST RETURN TO: Harry Goodman; 1722 Green St. Ryme City. Translated, this meant: If lost, return to: 1722, Green Street, Ryme City, Harry Goodman. 4 This was Chen Chen gasped sharply, an astounded expression stretching his features. Suddenly, he turned toward the computer screen, only realizing that the movie had stopped playing. This was Pikachus duckbill cap from the movie! 9 In this instant, Chen Chen was filled with a sense of absurdity and disbelief. He swiftly stooped down to check under his bed! 1 No one! He stood up quickly and checked his sheets! No one! He jerked open his desk drawer! 11 Still no one After making sure that there was no one in the dorm, he had no choice but to consider that this might not be a prank set up by his dorm mates. Furthermore, even if it was a prank, how would they know that he would play Detective Pikachu specifically at this moment? However, if this was not a prank, what was it? Was it because he had played this video file that the computer extracted the cap from the movie? What kind of elaborate joke was this! Plus, this was not the first time he was watching this movie. Why did this only occur now? Suddenly, Chen Chen thought of something. His gaze shot toward black USB drive! 6 Was this all its doing? Chen Chen narrowed his eyes. He did not know whether it was the lighting or his mind playing tricks, but the shell of the USB drive now appeared to be mottled. This USB drive which was a deep, glossy black before had a dull cast now, like metal which had oxidized after being left out for too long. Had the USB drive changed or Was his memory failing? Chen Chen could not believe this. He closed the Program Error window and double-clicked the movie Detective Pikachu once more. However, the Program Error notice popped up on screen again. Was the file corrupted? Chen Chen frowned and pondered. Subsequently, he tried clicking Delete. With a whoosh, this movie file was deleted from the USB drive 1 He was stunned. He remembered that each time he tried to delete the other movies, he ran into a Program Error, so he had assumed it was impossible to delete any movie in the USB drive. Therefore, he tried again to delete the horror movies that had been in the USB drive initially. Still, the result was the same. Each time he clicked Delete, the computer would send a Program Error window. Could it be that I can only delete movies that have been played? 2 Chen Chen bowed his head pensively. He opened Local Disk D again and dragged Detective Pikachu into the USB drive, then tried deleting it. Ding! As expected, the copied movie file could not be deleted. Thus, Chen Chen played the movie again. This time, the movie played as usual and nothing strange happened. In front of the screen, Chen Chen recalled that he had been missing his pet dog previously. At the same time, he had projected his emotions onto Pikachus character, then the cap had appeared. With that in mind, Chen Chen fast-forwarded the movie until Pikachus scene, while imagining that he could extract the movies Pikachu. In less than a few seconds worth of effort, the movie shut itself off and the Program Error window popped up. At the same time, another cap, the same as the last one, appeared right beside his laptop! 2 It was real!!! Chen Chens eyes nearly popped out. Although he had been prepared, no matter how he observed, he still could not figure out how the cap had materialized in this spot. Surely it had appeared out of thin air?! Chen Chen picked up both caps and compared them. He discovered that there was no difference down to the smallest detail and the handwriting on the tag. It was as if God had created two completely identical objects. Can this really be due to the USB drive? 2 Chen Chen uttered incredulously. He looked at the USB drive once again but noticed that it was even duller than before. It looked like a useless item that had been tossed away in a corner. This thing is getting worn out Chen Chen immediately understood that each time an item was extracted from a movie, it would deplete the USB drives energy. In that case, what sort of energy was this? Electrical? Solar? Alternatively, was it some energy source that surpassed human technology? More importantly, could this energy be replenished? Was this USB drive a single-use item or could it be recharged and reused? Moreover, although he was explicitly thinking of Pikachu, why was the USB drive only able to produce its cap? Was this due to insufficient energy or some other factor? 4 Also, if he played some other movie, could he also extract something else from that movie? 12 All these questions roared in Chen Chens mind. He drew in a deep breath and suppressed these emotions that were making him tremble. 1 Calm down, calm down Chen Chen took in deep breaths again as he walked toward the dorms door to lock it from the inside. Then, he returned to his laptop and fell into deep thought. There were not enough clues. He still needed to carry out more experiments. Even so, the USB drives energy was incapable of sustaining multiple experiments. What should he do? At this point, Chen Chen took out a blank notebook from his drawer. He steadied his trembling hand and wrote the word Principle on the first page. Principle: Unknown. 2 How should he employ current scientific principles to explain the phenomenon of the mysterious USB drive? With just his own knowledge, Chen Chen was completely unable to explain everything that had happened. It was clearly just a movie, constructed from codes and images. How could it create something out of thin air? Conjecture: Aliens? People from the future? Brain in a vat? 7 After putting down this second line of words, Chen Chen could not help chuckling at himself. Then, he wrote the third line. Ability: Through the thoughts and ideas of someone viewing a video, it extracts/instantiates an item, displayed on screen, into reality. (Doesnt seem to include living things.) 2 Chen Chen speculated that both times he was thinking of Pikachu, yet only the cap was extracted. This meant that the USB drive was unable to instantiate living beings. Of course, he could not rule out the possibility of insufficient energy being the reason. 1 Chen Chen clicked on the movie again and the screen displayed the Program Error window. After that, he tried deleting it. With a whoosh, the movie was successfully deleted. Indeed, after extracting something, it can be deleted from the USB drive. This also meant that any movie could be transferred into the USB drive but the delete function would not work. If he wished to delete a certain movie, his only option was to extract an item from the movie to corrupt the file. With this in mind, Chen Chen wrote: 1 Rule 1: Videos can be imported but cant be readily deleted after that. The file must be corrupted first; Rule 2: At the moment, it appears that the video will only be corrupted when an item is extracted from it; Rule 3: The size, mass, and other objective factors of the extracted item had not been tested yet. 1 Finally, Chen Chen glanced at the USB drive. Appearance: Its exterior has transformed from brand-new to worn out. Its not determined yet if this is an issue of energy Chapter 4 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation An issue of energy As he stared at the USB drive which was different from before, Chen Chen dared not continue testing it. He was worried that the USB drives energy was not renewable. If he tested it too many times, the USB drives energy would be exhausted, turning it into a useless lump of metal. Since that was the case, he might as well stake all on one throw. Having considered this, Chen Chen breathed in deeply. He pulled up Local Disk D once more and sought out a movie of utmost familiarity C 3 Avengers: Endgame! 7 After locating this movie, Chen Chen, who had been calm, started to shake again. His heart kept on pounding violently. If I can instantiate the Infinity Gauntlet, thatd be all I need 23 Chen Chen mumbled softly. Can it be done? A feverish flush spread across Chen Chens face. He clenched his jaw and dragged the movie into the USB drive! Ding! The computer instantly sent out a Program Error window. Its not working? Chen Chen was crestfallen. Why could Detective Pikachu be copied into the USB drive, but not Avengers: Endgame? 2 Chen Chen tried two more times. After failing again, he looked for a few similar movies in Disk D, then copied them into the USB drive. Alita: Battle Angel C success. 2 Godzilla: King of the Monsters C success. 5 Terminator: Dark Fate C success! 3 All three movies were successfully copied. Chen Chen pondered wordlessly for a moment, then picked out Ne Zha and dragged it into the USB drive. 3 Ding. Failure! Chen Chens eyes gleamed. He seemed to have understood something. Movies that were too fantastical could not be copied into the USB drive 8 After all, Alita, Godzilla, and even Terminator were all movies with stories that were constructed based on reality. 7 As for Avengers, although it could be called science fiction, everyone knew that it contained a lot of fantastical elements. 6 However, if movies that are too fantastical cant be placed into the USB drive, what about those horror movies then? 4 Chen Chen frowned. As he thought of this, he opened up a webpage and downloaded an animated film at random. Then he dragged it into the USB drive. Ding! Failure. Following that, Chen Chen tried it with a comic. Failed again. Finally, Chen Chen tried it with a picture and a novel but failed once more. The conclusion he got from this was: Other than live-action videos using reality as their framework, other files could not be copied into the USB drive. 13 After noting down this rule, Chen Chen started reflecting. Since an instant jackpot like the Infinity Gauntlet was not possible, he would not attempt other similar plans. Instead, he would go for something more realistic. With this in mind, Chen Chen flipped to the second page and wrote down three words C Money, Power, Strength. 10 These were the only three things he could acquire from the USB drive. Money? This was the easiest one. He just needed to watch a few treasure-hunting movies to instantiate the priceless gems and valuables featured in those movies. 4 However, even if he put aside the question of how to convert those gems into money, would he be satisfied with just being rich? 1 Professor Wang Xis words were still echoing in his ears. Even with endless wealth, so what? Would he live long enough? Chen Chen grinned and struck off that first option. Power? Chen Chen looked at the second choice and fell into deep thought. If he presented this USB drive to the Federation government, perhaps he would be brought into the hub of power thanks to his contribution. From there, he could rise through the political ranks 12 Even so, just as before, what would that accomplish? Maybe the entire Federation would benefit immensely. Of course, this might also result in war between the continents. The Earth Federation might split into factions, triggering the Third World War. Moreover, who was to say that Chen Chen would not be killed as a witness by the first authority figure who obtained this USB drive? 2 Chen Chen cast his gaze down and heavily crossed out the second option. In that case, the answer was clear. Chen Chen was never happy with mediocrity. If he had not gained this USB drive, he would spend his entire life chasing after something, be it wealth or power. However, compared to supernatural strength, everything else was not worth mentioning! So, deep down, Ive chosen strength? 8 Chen Chen murmured. The strength here did not just refer to physical strength. It was more of an abstract overview. 1 Technology that surpassed reality itself, superpowers that exceeded worldly limits or an eternal life span C all these were a type of strength. 3 He closed his eyes, his mind scanning through countless items that he could put to use now. 2 In sci-fi movies, there was more extraordinary technology than he could imagine, from the basic exoskeleton armor to massive mecha hunters. If he could instantiate this black technology1 5 Hmm, Ill probably be arrested right away by the agents of the Earth Federation? 2 When he thought of this, Chen Chen realized that what he most needed now was a tool that would help him reach the pinnacle of life, yet it must not be too conspicuous. 10 After ruling out fantastical, magical items like the Infinity Stones, Chen Chen, at last, came up with alternatives that complied with reality while still being able to enhance his abilities. Following that, Chen Chen listed these down in the notebook. Compound V, Augmentation Drug, Crystalline, T-virus, G-virus, CPH4, NZT-48. 28 These had all appeared in movies or television. Compound V: Originating from the American series, The Boys. It could transform human infants, thereby granting them extraordinary abilities. 7 Of course, this chemical substance was greatly flawed. For instance, it was addictive and unstable, requiring a long period of injections for it to work. 29 Pass! As expected, Chen Chen crossed out the first option. Augmentation Drug: Originating from Push. After it was injected, it could alter ones bodily composition and produce various superpowers. 1 Even so, the movies theory was still rooted in genetic mutation. Once genes were involved, its success rate would be abysmal. Pass! Crystalline: This came from the movie Chronicle. After exposure to the Crystallines radiation, one would acquire telekinetic powers. Moreover, this power would strengthen as time passed. 8 One negative side effect was that one would get nosebleeds when using this power. Chen Chen did not know if the continual increase in power would cause ones body to fall apart under the pressure? 5 After all, the human body was not a perpetual motion machine. Not only that, but Crystalline seemed to amplify ones darker emotions. The protagonist in the movie, having lost his sense of judgment, was ultimately killed by his friend. 10 Therefore, Chen Chen prudently passed over this choice. 3 T-virus and G-virus came from Resident Evil, but viruses could be considered to be living forms and thus could not be instantiated. Pass immediately. 7 CPH4: Originating from the movie Lucy. The protagonist ultimately transcended time and space, becoming an all-knowing, all-powerful god. 4 Of course, the price to pay was terrifying too. Even after successfully fusing with CPH4, one only had a few days to live. Moreover, the protagonist was a one-in-a-million exception. Most people would die immediately after consuming CPH4. 5 More crucially, the movies concept that humans only use 10% of their brains was pseudoscientific. Human brains had always been operating at 100% capacity. 13 This meant that even the basic premise of the movie was false. Even if Chen Chen instantiated CPH4 from Lucy, would he dare to consume it? Pass! Chen Chen felt rather rueful. There were tons of super-powered substances under the banner of Marvel Studios such as the Super Soldier Serum, GH-325, the Heart-shaped Herb, and so on. It was a shame that these movies could not be transferred to the USB drive. 4 In that case, there was only one possible option left. NZT-48! 29 Chapter 5 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Make no mistake. NZT-48 was not one of the AKB48 sister groups idolized by otakus. Rather, it originated from a 2012 movie. 11 This was a substance that could unleash the brains potential. 3 What was the brains potential? Theoretically, human brains could remember everything that was seen, heard or felt. 5 However, human memory was the most unreliable thing in the world. During exams, for instance, facts and complicated topics would have been studied and revised beforehand. Even so, due to problems of memory and mental capacity, a blank answer space remained a blank answer space. 2 Studies on neurons in the brain indicated that, although humans used their brains at a 100% capacity, from an evolutionary point of view, there was still more cerebral potential to harvest. 6 Potential here did not mean that the brain is only using one part, another part is idle. Instead, it meant that on the basis of already using the brain fully, we could still become smarter. NZT-48 was a drug that would increase ones intelligence. It allowed one to access the darkest recesses of ones memories as well as automatically processed and assimilated all this knowledge. By taking this drug, the user would have an eidetic memory and attain astonishing insight and logical thinking. One could even integrate details and data that would typically go unnoticed and swiftly arrive at a conclusion. 1 As an example, the reasoning and memory of ordinary people were like a disarrayed warehouse. Volumes of memories are piled up haphazardly within. It was a momentous challenge to go through all this information. 1 After taking the drug, ones reasoning and memory would be like rows of bookshelves in a library. Each memory would be organized into its appropriate position. With just one look, anything and everything could be located. 5 Nonetheless, just like the other substances, NZT-48 had huge negative side effects. In the original work, the substance seemed like a metaphor for hard drugs. It was a novel that satirized North American society at that time. In the movie, the substance, just like a drug, would cause dependency. Once the user stopped taking it, they would experience intense withdrawal symptoms. 3 It included headaches, dizziness, memory loss, and even Brain death. Still, this was not a good reason to scare Chen Chen off. 2 Even all the drugs in the movies had negative side effects. How could Chen Chen possibly fail to understand that there was no such thing as a free lunch? 10 Furthermore, Chen Chen specialized in biosciences. As befitting of his field, he could do what the protagonist did by manufacturing an antidote to neutralize the side effects. 10 With this in mind, Chen Chen immediately turned on his laptop and downloaded Limitless. Ding! 3 After over ten minutes of waiting, the movie was successfully downloaded. Without hesitation, Chen Chen copied it into the USB drive, then clicked play C 3 After the extended opening shot, the iconic blue eyes of the main character, Eddie Morra, appeared on screen Chen Chen clicked on the movies progress bar and slowly dragged it forward. At last, the video paused at the part where the protagonist had found the large bag of NZT-48, which his brother-in-law, Vernon, had hidden in the oven. 6 Right here! Chen Chen muttered. At the same time, he subconsciously reached out toward the screen. Following that, an astounding sight occurred In the video, the tightly sealed bag of NZT-48 floated up and gradually drifted toward the camera. Simultaneously, Chen Chens hand seemed to reach through the screen, closer to its target Then, there was a soft touch and Chen Chen instinctively grabbed with his right hand! By the time he had recovered his senses, there was a sealed bag in his hand, around the size of his palm, filled with unknown pills! 2 He had succeeded! Chen Chen stood up with a clatter with wild glee shimmering in his eyes. He turned over the plastic bag in his hand with a look of incomparable wonder. He felt as if he was dreaming! Relax, relax. Chen Chen, theres still much you have to do Chen Chen forced himself to calm down, then he ejected the USB drive. Chen Chen only plugged it out when the computer signified that it could be safely removed. 1 USB drive It was only when he noticed the USB drives current appearance that Chen Chen thoroughly regained his composure. After instantiating a bag of NZT-48, the USB drive was now dull without a hint of gloss. It was like a piece of rubbish that had been left out in the weather and abandoned for decades. I hope it can be recharged Chen Chen prayed silently. He patted his pockets but was not sure where to hide the USB drive. In his pocket? The quality of the material was so poor. What if it tore? In the closet? What if someone picked the lock? Under the bed? That was even worse 4 At this point, Chen Chen was like a farmer who had suddenly gained riches. No matter where he hid it, he would feel anxious. 3 In the end, Chen Chen simply looked for some adhesive tape and bound the USB drive firmly to his arm. He wound the tape four or five times around his arm before he felt remotely safe. 12 Following that, Chen Chen started up the antivirus software and deleted all the records in his laptop before shutting it down. Right, there are still these Chen Chen took out the notebook he had written in and the two Pikachu caps. After that, he fished out a lighter from the drawer and walked toward the toilet. 9 In the toilet, he set the notebook on fire and tossed it onto the ground, then flung the two caps into the bonfire too. 6 Five minutes later, Chen Chen exited the toilet. The ashes of the fire had been swept into the urinal and flushed down the pipes. By the time the ventilation fan removed the smell of smoke, there would be nothing left. 10 After patting the bag of drugs hidden in his underwear, Chen Chen did not return to the dorm but went down toward the animal laboratory center. 3 He was a student at the Institute of Biological Sciences of Mainland Chinas Shangdu Jiao Tong University. Although he had not gone into a narrow specialization, he knew that any new drug must undergo clinical trials. 8 After all, the NZT-48 extracted from the USB drive could have any sort of chemical composition. Chen Chen was not foolish enough to test it on himself. Currently, he did not have the means to run clinical trials. However, animal testing was still feasible. 5 At the animal laboratory center, Chen Chen bought eight Kunming mice and a couple of M1 mouse cages which were used in experiments, along with other apparatuses. 5 With these items, Chen Chen did not return to the dorm nor did he go to the laboratories. Instead, he went off-campus. There were too many people in the dorms whereas the experiments in the laboratories were monitored and recorded. Thus, it was not suitable for him. In the end, Chen Chen carried the two cages of Kunming mice and booked a standard room in a hotel near the campus. 7 After entering the room, Chen Chen locked the door, then fished out a black marker pen to assign numbers to the white mice. They were numbered 1 to 4 in each cage, separated into two groups. Following that, he began the experiment. Chen Chen had to test the toxicity of the NZT-48 drug toward the white mice. Chen Chen had bought white mice that were purebred for medical purposes. The constitution and immune response of these mice were close to humans and their genomes were highly similar to humans too. Many human diseases would cause similar symptoms in these mice. In short, if these white mice did not die after ingesting NZT-48, theoretically, Chen Chen should not die either. 4 First, he sterilized the apparatuses he purchased, then took out an NZT-48 pill and weighed it. Based on his own mass, he calculated the corresponding dose for a mouse. After that, he dissolved it in a solution and diluted it as appropriate. 4 After completing these preliminary preparations, Chen Chen took out white mouse Number 1 and using a gavage needle, fed it an amount of NZT-48 liquid that was proportionate to his own body weight. As for white mouse Number 2, Chen Chen fed it twice the dosage. Number 3 had three times the dosage, and Number 4, four times. 3 He did the same for the second cage of mice. After feeding them the drug, Chen Chen stored the remaining NZT-48 liquid into a sealed vial, then carefully observed the responses of the two groups of mice. 3 He was a little relieved that even white mouse Number 4, which had taken four times the dosage, did not seem to change much. If he was forced to make an observation, he would say they seemed to be livelier than before He waited until six in the evening. Nothing abnormal had happened to the two cages of mice. Chen Chen heaved a sigh of relief. At least he could ascertain that the NZT-48 instantiated from the mysterious USB drive was not acutely toxic. In terms of chronic toxicity, he still had to observe a while longer. Seven days C Chen Chen was expecting to wait this long. As long as nothing abnormal happened within seven days, Chen Chen would begin his daredevil venture. 5 Chapter 6 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Over the next few days, Chen Chen would head to the hotel for two hours during lunch break and two hours in the evening from six to eight oclock. He would feed the drug to the mice and swap out the mattress. The eight mice were resilient. There were no incidents such as signs of disease or fighting among them. The experiment was progressing smoothly. It was not difficult to feed the mice. A fixed daily ration of fodder was enough. Occasionally, Chen Chen would give them peanuts or walnuts, which made them jump excitedly. However, it cost Chen Chen an arm and a leg. His monthly expense was a thousand and five hundred and a weeks rent alone cost upward of a thousand. 2 Chen Chen was only halfway through the month and he could barely afford to eat at the canteen. Since there are still no issues, it should be safe to say it isnt poisonous. Seven days later, at noon, Chen Chen came to the hotel right after his class had ended. Chen Chen glanced at the two cages. If his situation permitted it, he would have liked to run one more abstinence reaction test, but his living expenses said otherwise. Not to mention, he had already used a pill over the last seven days. It might not be a lot, but under the circumstance where he was unable to reproduce them, each of them was invaluable. 7 Chen Chen took out the final dinner and let the mice fill their belly. He then took out the tribromoethanol solution he had prepared beforehand. With his left hand, he scooped the mice up one by one with their belly facing up and injected their lower abdomen with the syringe using his right hand. The potion slowly passed through their abdominal muscles. 3 Tribromoethanol solution was commonly used as anesthesia for animals. Since Chen Chen intentionally used a higher dosage, the mice collapsed in their cage one after another within three minutes. They had entered a completely sedated stage. After around eight minutes had passed, all of the mice unconsciously died in their sleep due to overwhelming of their central nervous systems. This was death by anesthesia overdose. It was considered the most humane method of terminating animals used for experimentation. 10 Hmm, at least it was more humane than methods such as decapitation, cervical dislocation, bleeding out, and air embolism. After making sure the mice were dead, Chen Chen left the room. He bought a bottle of alcohol from a pharmacy and chose an empty alleyway where he poured the bottle of alcohol on the carcasses of the mice. 1 Followed by a faint blue flame rising, the group of mice was entirely engulfed in flames. Their bodies turned black and eventually into unrecognizable shapes. 5 Whatever the drug was made of, whether it was a biochemical drug, Chinese and Eastern fusion drug or even a gene-drug, it did not matter anymore. After undergoing a five to six hundred degree high incarceration, all of the molecular bonds had been completely disintegrated. 7 It could also be considered as a cremation ceremony for the eight heroes. 7 After that, Chen Chen did not head back to the school. He got himself some lunch outside then took the ninth line on the subway, heading toward the most prodigious hospital in the city C Shangdu Peoples Hospital. Even though there were no issues with the animal experiment, it was better to be safe than sorry. What if the drug posed no threat to animals but was highly toxic to humans? 3 These situations were not unheard of either, take chocolates for example. When people ate chocolates, not only would they be unharmed, they would probably be in a good mood. However, if a mouse ate chocolate, it would be similar to an old man who was fed up with life deciding to end it all by eating arsenic. This was the reason Chen Chen decided to take the drug to a hospital. At the hospital, he could still be rescued as long as what he took was not cyanide or paraquat. Anyone who had experience with the subway knew that the signal reception in the Shangdu Subway was a horrible mess as only emergency calls were available down here. Televisions were installed in the subway to serve as public amenities. Most of the programs on the television were centered around the news. Chen Chen sat on the subway and began watching the real-time news flashing one after another on the television out of boredom. There were legal programs and news advertising, it was at least tolerable. One of the news that caught his attention was a heroic story that had just happened. On Renmin road, a man was repeatedly stabbed three times by a violent criminal in an attempt of stopping a kidnap. He was promptly rescued by the police who arrived at the scene. 4 It was just after the peak hour, therefore, the subway was rather spacious. There were several aunties seated nearby with their church tote bags in hand. It was rather obvious that these aunties were heading to church for mass. 3 Ah, Renmin Road? Isnt it just nearby? One of the aunties took off her shoes and crossed her feet on her seat. She rubbed her feet while sighing, There arent many young men like this anymore. Tch, every time I use the subway, its so hard to get someone to give me their seat. Its always oh I dont feel well or oh its my period. These people are ridiculous 6 Another aunty sitting nearby, who was twice Chen Chens size, sighed as well. By the time the train had arrived at the station, it was around two in the afternoon. Chen Chen walked around the hospital for a lap before arriving at the emergency department. The Emergency Center was the department responsible for attending an emergency medical situation. Whenever he was here, he could feel the heavy atmosphere. Ambulances roared past one after another. From time to time, stretchers clanked their way through the long corridor, followed by nurses hurried footsteps. Occasionally, a large group of family members would rush in and gather around the corridor. They would bicker endlessly until eventually, a security guard would usher them to their seats in the waiting area. In this hectic environment, Chen Chens arrival did not draw any attention. Chen Chen sat in the corner of the waiting area. He retrieved a tablet he had prepared well beforehand and inspected it closely. Chen Chen shook his head, took a deep breath, and gently put it in his mouth. 4 He gently closed his eyes. One second, two seconds, three seconds 1 Little Jie, Little Jie, you have to come to the hospital now, your father just passed out Hurry, hurry, hurry! Move it, move it, dont get in the way, and open the door! Stretcher coming this way! Woo Its all your fault, would something like this happen if you didnt drive so fast? If something were to happen to Peng Peng Mum, Mum, what happened to Dad? When will he come out from behind those doors? 2 Chen Chen was not sure when it happened but he noticed that his sense of hearing became extremely sharp. Nearby, there was a lady with a hoarse voice speaking on the phone. She was telling her daughter about her husbands condition. She was trying to hold back tears as she spoke. Outside the emergency room, the stretcher produced a grating sound when moved around, the nurses pushed aside the family members who were in the way. A pair of married couple sat in front of Chen Chen. They were having a hushed conversation. The lady could not stop crying. The frail little girl kept asking her mother questions as if this young girl seemed to have finally realized something. Countless voices were mixed together and yet there was a clear distinction between them. The syllable in every sentence and the emotions these uttered words contained were all visualized in Chen Chens mind 7 It was all like a grand symphony. 4 Chapter 7 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Chen Chen slowly opened his eyes. It was as if a blind man had regained his sight. What appeared before him was like a brand new world. The lamp overhead was flickering at a frequency that could otherwise not be observed by the normal eye. 2 Figures were going back and forth from the gap below the door to the emergency room. Furthermore, the air was filled with the smell of disinfectant. They came in waves one after another 1 All of this information appeared vividly in his mind as everything he saw came to life. The sound of footsteps, conversations and even the tempo of their breathing Not a single detail went unnoticed. It was like watching a real movie and having the movie resolution switch from 360p to ultra HD 1080p, every frame was complete. 4 Everything in the world remained the same and yet it was like the world had been turned upside down. That was right, the world remained unchanged. What changed instead was Chen Chens perspective of the world. 3 Countless inspiration danced about in his mind. He only had to invoke a thought to recall any memory and knowledge, from the most minute detail to the most significant. 2 He seemed to have suddenly recalled something. Chen Chen lifted his eyebrow and pulled out his phone and looked up the word Limitless. Only this time, Chen Chen added several additional words behind the phrase and added TV series. 1 The poster and summary of the TV series Limitless instantly showed up on his search results. In the conclusion of the movie, the main character, Eddie Morra, finds out how to counteract the side-effects of the drug. But since it wasnt shown in the movie, the flash drive isnt able to instantiate it. However, three years later, the movie was readapted into a TV series. Due to the longer runtime, the TV series will need a more engaging story than the movie. Therefore, theres an eighty percent chance that the TV series will reveal the solution to counteracting the side-effects of NZT 6 The idea flashed through Chen Chens mind. For some reason, both the TV series and movie version of Limitless were blocked in Mainland China. Only a brief introduction of the series could be found on the official website. It was not possible to watch them. 12 However, it was on the internet. After some further investigation, Chen Chen was able to find all episodes of the TV series on an inconspicuous niche website. 7 Chen Chen skipped to the final episode and fast-forwarded it to the end of the episode. Sure enough, in the TV series Limitless, the solution to counteracting the side-effects of NZT-48 was revealed. It was something known as an immunity shot. According to the TV series, there were two categories of immunity shot. One of them rendered the user immune to the side-effects of NZT for several weeks. The other kind granted the user permanent immunity to the side-effects of NZT. There was only one permanent immunity shot in the world and it only made an appearance in the twenty-second episode, the grand finale. 3 This meant that if Chen Chen was able to get his hands on this permanent version of the immunity shot, he would be able to use NZT-48 to his hearts content without having to worry about side-effects. Chen Chen closed his phone and leaned back on the chair. Even though they were both parts of the Earth Federation, perhaps due to political reasons, Mainland China and North America had always been at odds with each other. 9 The battle they were fighting was not necessarily a war but a competition of culture, information, technology, economics, and various other forms. 4 Therefore, now and then there were TV series originating from North America that were not audited by Mainland China, which included the TV series Limitless. 2 In Chen Chens memory, he was just randomly browsing online when he came across news of Limitless being adapted into a film series. He was only fourteen-years-old at the time. He had only casually glanced past it at that time where this information was then buried into the mountains load of information swarming on the internet. Furthermore, even if the TV series was a big hit in North America, he still would not have thought of it when he got the flash drive seven days ago. This was the effect of NZT-48 Within three minutes of taking the drug, he was able to pick up distant memories from four years ago to help him find the solution to combat the side-effects of NZT. He had taken the wrong approach in his very first step. Chen Chen reflected silently. Choosing NZT-48 was not the most optimal option, the best option would have been the Crystalline from Chronicles. 14 Why say so? It was because researching the flash drive would require a great, great, great deal of funds. Even if the technology was unable to explain the existence of the flash drive, it would still be very worthwhile to solve the energy problem of the flash drive. As long as the flash drive had ample energy, the possibilities were endless. If Chen Chen had selected the superpower, he would have millions of ways to attain a large number of funds. 1 However, NZT was different. NZT was just a drug used to stimulate the brain. Though its value was immeasurable, if Chen Chen really wanted to use NZT to make money, he would first have to accumulate enough knowledge, only then he could use that knowledge to help him make money. 3 Suddenly, there was an additional step in the entire process. He did not need to even bother with the idea of using the stock market to make money. First of all, Chen Chen did not have the capital funds needed. Secondly, it usually took years for stock prices to fluctuate. If Chen Chen wanted to use the stock market, he would have to resort to high-risk maneuvers like chasing the peak, short-term speculation or taking loans. 1 Furthermore, the stock market in China was manipulated by stockbrokers. 2 Besides, the NZT-48 drugs were numbered. Chen Chen had calculated before that the sack contained exactly five hundred pills. Each pill lasted approximately twelve hours. 2 Even if Chen Chen only took one pill per day, it would only sustain him for one and a half years. Not to mention the significant drawbacks of NZT-48. If the flash drive were to become unusable, Chen Chen would not be able to find other solutions for dealing with the side-effects of NZT-48. Things would certainly get interesting then 1 In conclusion, NZT-48 was not the best selection available. 5 Since the choice had already been made, there was no point regretting now. Chen Chen continued thinking while heading toward the door. At this point, Chen Chen had verified that the NZT was not lethal hence, there was no need to remain here. However, when Chen Chen passed by the pair of mother and daughter, his ears suddenly jerked. He promptly turned to the little girl and said to her, Your father will be coming out soon. Really? The little girl adorably raised her head. The young mother beside her was taken back. She raised her head in astonishment and looked at Chen Chen. What she saw before her was a boy with a pair of clear eyes like a pool of dark crystal without a trace of impurity in them. She could even see her reflection in those eyes 2 Hes a hero, hell turn the situation around. The boy smiled gently, then turned around and left. What he said seemed to make no sense but was somehow very convincing. The little girl looked back at her mother innocently. Mom, is what the brother said true? The young mother opened her mouth and did not know how to answer her. At that moment, the door to the emergency room number two suddenly opened. May I know who the family members of Yang Yuexin are? 2 A stretcher was pushed out of emergency room number two. One of the nurses turned to the pair of mother and daughter who was getting up hurriedly. You must be the family of Yang Yuexin. After the operation, the patients condition has stabilized for the moment. Why dont you head inside and sort out the official documents. Ah! The young mother was so surprised that her body trembled. Alright! Alright 2 After Chen Chen had left the hospital, he took the subway back to the school. It was not some sort of act of prophecy that helped him determine that the little girls father was safe. It was because Chen Chen had heard the conversation coming from inside the emergency room. The television on the subway had broadcasted the incident earlier. Even though Chen Chen did not pay attention at that time, after taking NZT, he was able to notice that the little girls eyebrows were identical to the eyebrows of the brave man on the news. In addition, the incident occurred on Renmin Road, which was not far away from Shangdu Peoples Hospital. If they called 120, it was very likely it was Shangdu Peoples Hospital that had dispatched an ambulance. The age, time, and location added up. Coupled with the little girls appearance, anyone would be able to identify the pair of mother and daughter. 2 Of course, being able to identify them was one matter. First, you had to be able to extract all this information from all the other countless information in your brain and then form a connection between them. Chen Chen, who had taken NZT, possessed the exact skill to do so. Astonishing perception and deduction ability. Everything the eyes saw, the ears heard, and every single memory and information could be instantly utilized to string together a connection to form a plausible explanation This was what NZT-48 was capable of. 3 Chapter 8 1 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Next step: instantiating the Permanent Immunity Shot. If successful, no matter what I try in the future, at the very least, therell be a safety net to fall back on. But if its a failure On the subway, Chen Chen continued scribbling his plans in a notebook. 2 Even after taking NZT, Chen Chen still did not dare to make any assumptions about the USB drive. After all, it was an existence that had surpassed the realms of science. Even all of the cutting-edge scientific studies that mankind had accumulated so far stood no chance before it. Anyway, experiment on it as soon as possible. Chen Chen thought to himself as he touched the USB drive strapped on his arm. 3 Three oclock in the afternoon, Chen Chen returned to the school. He noticed there was not a single person in the dorm. According to the class schedule, this afternoon was Professor Deng Yuns biochemistry class. Unless he had taken a day off, he would not simply skip Old Dengs class. There would not be another opportunity like this again. Chen Chen locked the door and quickly booted up the computer to download the final episode of the TV series, Limitless. Chen Chen only took off the USB drive from his arm after ten minutes when the download was complete. Over the past few days, Chen Chen had regularly inspected whether the USB drive could regain its glossiness on its own. After all, the USB drive had sufficient energy at the time he first got it. It could be that all that energy was left behind for him by the previous owner of the USB drive. Therefore, Chen Chen had reasons to believe that the USB drive could recharge itself. It seemed apparent now that Chen Chen had made a wrong assumption. Over the last seven days, the USB drive remained unchanged. It did not seem like it was going to regain even a bit of its glossiness. 1 Unless the recovery period took years, that might be it. He also did not know how many times the USB drive had performed instantiation, how much energy was left in it, and whether it could instantiate the permanent immunity shot. Chen Chen continued pondering while inserting the USB drive into the computer. The USB drive was quickly validated as a disk-shaped symbol appeared on the computer screen. Chen Chen opened the USB drive space. He copied the downloaded video into it. Finally, Chen Chen double-clicked the video. Thump! An error message window popped out. Unable to play? Chen Chen frowned. He began to feel slightly defeated. Then, that feeling was immediately suppressed by NZTs drug effect. One of the most valuable aspects of the NZT drug was that it could help the user remain composed. For ordinary people, the term being calm was merely an adjective. It was not an easy task for someone to attain real, complete calmness. Yet, Chen Chen did it effortlessly like it was just second nature to him. Humans knew to breathe and cry from the moment they were born as these were instincts. Right now, calmness was Chen Chens instinct. No, there must be another reason In Chen Chens completely composed state, he suddenly thought of another possibility. He considered for a moment and tried to create a new folder in the USB drive. He right-clicked on a blank space C New C File. Sure enough, a new item called New Folder appeared in the USB drive. There was hope! Chen Chen immediately opened the web page and began downloading the TV series Limitless. From the first episode to the second last episode, not missing a single one. This round, it took a longer time to download. Chen Chen suddenly noticed he could not bear the idea of himself just doing nothing. In that case, he could put his learning ability after taking NZT-48 to the test. While Chen Chen was waiting for the download, he flipped open a book on the table titled 21st Century University Level English (Volume One). English and math had never been Chen Chens strong suit, otherwise, he would not have taken a major in biological science. The prospects of this major he took were rather bleak. The only advantage was that the graduation rate was relatively high. 1 Chen Chen shook his head, then he flipped open the book and took a brief look. However, just one brief look made him completely immersed in it. In that instant, the entire dorm fell into a deep, extreme silence. The only sounds left were the buzzing from the computer hard drive spinning and the clocks never-ending tick tock Tick, tock. Tick, tock. Tick, tock Under the still surface, Chen Chens brain was operating at extreme speed. Starting from junior high school, memories of each English class began to surface vividly in his mind. Using the current textbook as a reference, all the information he originally did not understand was quickly deciphered, digested Hmm? By the time Ye Chen came back to his senses from studying, he had already flipped through the entire textbook and arrived at the final page. 2 Chen Chen blankly stared at the final blank page on the hardcover. He suddenly jolted and came back to his senses. Is this what it feels like to gain knowledge? 15 Chen Chen tried to recall his previous enchanting state. When he was in that state, the process of gaining knowledge did not feel dull. On the contrary, he could feel himself being rejuvenated bit by bit. Under the effect of NZT, he was able to grasp all the knowledge in the book after only going through them once. Not only that, over this learning session, he was even able to resolve information he did not understand back in junior high. He checked the time. Only an hour had passed. In just an hour, Chen Chen had successfully learned an entire semesters worth of English. Phew! Chen Chen breathed out a muddy breath, expressing the shock and awe he felt. This was the first time he had experienced how delightful and captivating learning was. All of this was thanks to the effects of NZT-48. 1 Ding! Right then, a notification came from the computer indicating that the download had been completed. 1 Chen Chen closed the book. He opened the computer and made sure all of the episodes had been downloaded. Then, he clicked ctrl + c, opened up the new folder in the USB drive, and clicked ctrl + v. The progress bar flashed quickly. About ten seconds later, nearly a dozen gigabytes worth of file was moved into the USB drive. Once again, Chen Chen opened the twenty-second episode. The video software was promptly started. This time, there was no error message window popping out on the computer. I knew it! Chen Chens eyes turned bright. His hypothesis was correct. For the USB drive to instantiate an object, apart from it having to be a video featuring real people, there was another hidden condition. The completeness of the story. Considering what had happened earlier, he had only downloaded the final episode of the TV series and was not able to open the film. However, after he had downloaded all of the episodes in the series, he was able to open it. Did this mean that the USB drive could only perform instantiation after attaining the complete story? 2 It remained unknown how many hidden secrets the USB drive contained 2 Chen Chen heaved a sigh of relief. He silently skipped the video to the part of the permanent immunity shot and paused it. After that, Chen Chen began to imagine the immunity shot in the screen being manifested into reality. Bloop The screen seemed to turn into a pane of clear water. The permanent immunity shot swayed up and down in the water, forming circles of ripples around it. Chen Chen subconsciously raised his hand. However, the very moment Chen Chen was about to grip the immunity shot, the footage suddenly stopped! Thump! In an instant, Chen Chen felt an electrocuting sensation on his fingertips as if he had been bitten by a bug! He immediately withdrew his hand and noticed blood was pouring out of his finger. On his fingertips, a tiny chunk of flesh had disappeared out of thin air 4 At that moment, a window popped out from the screen again. What was displayed on the window was not a software error. Instead Insufficient Energy. 1 Chapter 9 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Insufficient Energy. While staring at the new popup window, Chen Chens face looked like he was deep in thought. Suffice to say, the trickiest scenario had occurred. The USB drive had exhausted all of its energy instantiating the NZT-48. It would not be able to instantiate any other items. Having said that, Chen Chen also obtained a piece of good news. Since it could display a message like Insufficient Energy, then it could be taken to imply that the USB drive could be recharged. As long as the worst-case scenario had not occurred, there was still a chance to salvage the situation. The only question was what sort of energy did he need to recharge the USB drive? 7 Chen Chen continued staring at the old and dim USB drive before him when an idea suddenly struck him. He walked to the dorm door and looked up. An IC card electricity meter was embedded into the wall. Since the area was along the coastline, the use of air conditioning was common. Therefore, the Shangdu Jiao Tong University dorm did not prohibit the usage of high-voltage electrical appliances. However, there was a switch in every dorm, limiting the total power usage below 10A. At the moment, the electricity meter display showed that there was still an excess of 52.65kWh usable electricity in dorm 404. Electricity? Chen Chen turned around and searched for the user manual of the laptop. He found out that the laptops output voltage was 19V and the output current was 7.8A. This meant that the laptops rated power was at around 150W. It should use around 0.15 kWh per hour. The USB specification listed the USB supply voltage at approximately 5V and the maximum supply current was 500mA. This meant the maximum output power for a single USB port was 2.5W and the energy consumption per hour was around 0.0025kWh. 4 At this point, Chen Chen furrowed his eyebrows. He ejected the USB drive and turned his attention to the power strip on the table. This power strip was bought with the money pooled together by four people at the start of the semester. Placed on top of the table, it was more than enough to cater to the needs of four people. To make things more convenient, they specifically bought a power strip with a dedicated USB port at that time. Chen Chen looked at the power strip. Iit was listed that the USB port power was 5V, 4A. This meant that the largest maximum power output was 20W, consuming 0.02kWh per hour. At this point, Chen Chen inserted the USB drive into the power strips USB port. If my assumptions are correct, if the USB drive can be recharged with electricity, it should be reflected in the electricity meter as well. Chen Chen thought the computer was currently the only thing using electricity. If he turned off the computer and the electricity meter was still running after an hour, that would prove the USB drive could use electrical energy. 2 The reason that he did not plug into the computers USB port was that the computers USB power was too low. The electricity meter could only display the first two decimal places. If he plugged into the computer USB, he would not be able to tell even if there were electrical usage. Chen Chen looked at the time and took his phone out again to set an hour-long timer. After that, he turned off the computer and flipped open a copy of Modern Molecular Biology and began reading. An hour had passed by quickly. When the phone timer rang, Chen Chen had just happened to arrive at the final page as well. However, Chen Chen was not satisfied. Modern Molecular Biology served as decent academic material but it was a little too crude and general for Chen Chen. It was unable to satisfy his learning crave. It looked like he would have to make a trip to the library after settling the matter here. Chen Chen was determined. After that, he walked to the electricity meter and took a look at the value displayed. Usable electricity: 52.63kWh. Consumed 0.02kWh in an hour, knew it! Chen Chens eyes glowed. He was certain that the USB drive was able to recharge itself using electricity. 4 This discovery was astounding, almost rivaling the significance of instantiating NZT-48. Just as Chen Chen was trying to contain his excitement, he suddenly felt a vibration in his ear. He promptly removed the USB drive and stuffed it in his pocket. The sound of footsteps was approaching closer. Chen Chen looked at the direction of the door. Suddenly, the dorm door was kicked open with a loud bang. Li Bo marched into the tempo of Meipai Shake1. Chen Chen, you didnt attend this afternoons class! When he saw Chen Chen staying at the dorm, Li Bo immediately yelled at the top of his voice, Old Deng was calling for you specifically! I already requested a day off with the councilor. Chen Chen said without turning toward him, Lil Bo, we better not walk together from now on, Why? Im worried Ill get beaten up being seen walking with you. 1 Chen Chen packed his belongings. Seeing as it was not five oclock yet, he got up and went outside the dorm. Where are you going? Want to grab a meal at AA later? I dont have money, bye. Chen Chen left without turning back to look at him. His current state was different from his usual self. Even Chen Chen took note of this. If his past self was described as a quiet and shy teenager, then right now, he was a fully confident and composed successful man. 2 Not an ounce of fear, uneasiness, shyness All he had was unapologetic confidence. It was different to conceal this sort of temperament. Therefore, Chen Chen tried his best to distance himself from people he knew so they would not sense that something was off. Chen Chen reached the canteen. He bought four buns with two Renminbi. He ate two of them and put away the remaining two in a plastic bag for when he got hungry at night. 2 Such was the simple life of a poor man. How boring. While walking to the library, Chen Chen continued thinking about his next move. 2 If he wanted to do great things in his life, he could do so with the help of NZT-48. However, there was no end to a mans desire. How would he be able to be satisfied? Naturally, his next move was to find a way to recharge the USB drive and squeezed the maximum value of the USB drive. 1 The power strips USB port did not have enough power. Though he did not know exactly how much power the USB drive needed to meet the required condition, even his toes could figure out it was an astronomical number. 1 Therefore, Chen Chen was going to need a large number of funds. Once he had the funds, whether he wanted to buy himself a factory in the industrial zone or build a power plant, these options would all be viable. Only by doing this would Chen Chen be able to supply the USB drive with enough electricity while remaining unnoticed by the outside world. 6 To sum it up, money was still the catalyst for everything. As it was now, there was only one way Chen Chen could make money and that was with the help of NZT. 1 When Chen Chen thought of this, he no longer hesitated. He firmly planted both feet into the library building. When Chen Chen saw the crowd in the library, he sighed quietly. It seemed like he would have to camp here for some time to come. The library had no lack of situations where the book was present but the person was not. Several golden spots where it was quiet and allowed easy access were already taken up by piles of books. If not for there being someone to clean up at night, these books could probably pile up dust. Chen Chen came to the foreign language reading room. He surveyed briefly before choosing Modern University Level English (Second Edition). Then, he found an acceptable spot for him to sit down. Back when Chen Chen was in junior high, he had wondered why was it that China region had to make Northern Americas language a compulsory subject, and what with it taking up such a large ratio in the curriculum? 6 It was not until just now when Chen Chen finally understood. As much as he did not want to admit it, Northern America was the true core of the confederation whether in terms of economics or technology. 10 All of the truly prestigious academic thesis was largely written in English. It was difficult to express some of the technical and professional vocabularies in Chinese. Even after translated, a layer of its meaning was missing in translation. 7 This one layer of meaning that may seem unseemly proved to be greatly significant. It caused many difficulties for research in Mainland China. Therefore, if Chen Chen wanted to venture into scientific research, proficiency in English was going to be a cornerstone. This was the advice of the older generation in China when it came to education. It was not fawning over Western ideologies nor was it siding with others. It was all just to keep up with others. 3 That was all it was. 7 Chapter 10 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation By the time Chen Chen was woken up by the administrator of the reading room, five hours had passed. Student, its getting dark, the library will be closing soon. Ok Auntie, let me pack up a little then Ill leave. By the time Chen Chen came to his senses, there were several books piled in front of him. From Essence of Reading to Cambridge IELTS, and Official Guide to Blue Delta, all piled on the table. Chen Chen took the books and put them where they belonged. Then, he left the library. It was rare for Chen Chen to see the nighttime scenery on the campus. He could see bulbs of orange streetlights on the quaint walkway, illuminating like stars in the night sky. A gust of wind blew, causing the trees by the roadside to rustle. Early winter was approaching and the campus in December was starting to get chilly. Chen Chen had not eaten or drank anything for five to six hours and yet, he did not feel hungry or thirsty. Not only that, he still felt energetic. He did not feel tired. It was like he had just woken up. He knew that this was all the effect of NZT-48. From here on, the time to take NZT should be set around ten in the morning to noon. That way, it could synchronize with the time I rest. Chen Chen silently calculated. In the movie, the effects of NZT-48 could last twelve hours. If it was liquidized with glucose and injected into the veins, it could last up to thirteen hours. However, Chen Chen decided not to bother with the injection method. After all, there was too much movement. The process was too complex and it was difficult to conceal. Between the purchasing and disposing of the syringes and the needle mark that would show on Chen Chens arm, it was too easy for people to get the wrong impression. 7 If somebody got the wrong impression and reported to the police, then NZT-48 would be exposed. What would follow would be the supervision of the Mainland China government. After that, even the secret of the USB drive would not be safe. 2 There was a period where Chen Chen was obsessed with reading on criminal psychology. He had long forgotten the contents of those books but under the effects of NZT, he was able to access his vault of memories. There was a quote from one of the books that went like this: When a person is being interrogated, his willpower is like a tube of toothpaste. Once theres an opening, everything else will pour out with a squeeze. Which was to say, Chen Chen had no interest in using his willpower to challenge the interrogation method of the officials. 1 When he pushed open the door to the dorm, the scent of alcohol jumped at him. Inside the dorm, Zhou Jie was lying down on dorm leader Wang Weis bed. He was rolling around in bed while howling and crying. Wang Wei stood beside and was crying without tears. 1 A bunch of amateurs got wasted? Chen Chen walked in and was speechless. Nostril hasnt even gotten started yet. Chen Chens upper bunk mate, Li Bo, had a sad look on his face. He got dumped. Zhou Jie got the nickname Nostril because he had the same name as a certain celebrity who went viral off a meme. The celebritys nostril was very noticeable in the meme. Nostril was in a relationship? Chen Chen was a little surprised. Which unlucky girl was it? Small wonder you dont know. It ended before it even began, dorm leader Wang Wei took off his glasses and said silently. Ooooo, Little Mei, Little Mei! I want more beer. Bring me a beer! Zhou Jie, who was lying on the bed, seemed to have heard Chen Chen. He demonstrated his ultimate death roll again, stomping a bunch of footprints on Wang Weis mattress. Oh well, Ill let him sleep on my bed tonight. Ill sleep above. Wang Wei was getting agitated. Lil Chen, you sleep down there. Help take care of him later tonight. Ill consider myself lucky as long as he doesnt throw up. Chen Chen stopped. He suddenly remembered he had not finished his buns. They might go bad by the next day. On the principle that he should not waste, Chen Chen took the buns and started munching. What the hell? Lil Chen, youre too frugal. No wonder Lil Bo said you didnt want to eat together. Wang Wei was dumbfounded. I have no choice, I only have two hundred left for this month. I have to be frugal. Chen Chen continued eating and drank a large mouthful of cold water. Possibly because he had only been drinking and not eating anything, Zhou Jie opened his eyes when he heard someone eating. He asked drowsily, Lil Chen, what are you eating? Cephalosporins1, want some? Chen Chen took a bun and passed it over. Zhou Jie: D*mn, get out of my bed if youre sober. Stop hogging my bed! Wang Wei could tell that Zhou Jie was getting sober just by looking at the blokes face so he immediately chased him out. The stubborn Zhou Jie did not want to get up. My head still hurts. Let me lie down for a little longer, just a bit! Hurry up! Hurry up! Wang Wei began shaking the railing of the bed. The entire floor was creaking loudly due to the movement. While the two of them were messing around, the people downstairs were getting fed up. They heard someone shouting from the window, Hey, be quiet upstairs. Are you guys fighting or something? 1 Wang Wei did not hear it initially. He only realized it after the people downstairs were sounding angrier. Are you going to let me sleep? What are you shaking your *ss upstairs for? When he heard the constant cussing coming from downstairs, Wang Wei immediately stopped. He felt awkward. However, Li Bo, who had been playing games the entire time, was fed up as well. He yanked open the curtains and shouted downstairs, What are you shouting so d*mn loud for? Go to the dorm manager! Keep shouting! Wan Wei quickly pulled his sleeve. Alright alright, keep yelling and youre going to attract the dorm manager here. Motherf**ker, Im going to pay them a visit tomorrow. See how tough he really is. Li Bo scolded, Im a well-natured person. I dont like swearing. But they were the one cussing us out first, classless After this scuffle, Zhou Jie stopped causing trouble. He took the bun from Chen Chen and then silently climbed back to his bed to eat. Since the three of them drank quite a lot of beer, Wang Wei and Zhou Jie fell asleep the moment their heads hit the pillow. Li Bo, on the other hand, went to bed after playing another round of the game. Chen Chen was the last one to turn off the lights. He lied down on his bed for a while but could not fall asleep. Chen Chen knew this was due to NZT-48. NZTs effects lasted twelve hours. He took the pill at two oclock. If he wanted to sleep, he was going to have to wait till two oclock in the midnight. So, he got back up again and looked for his computer in the dark and logged on to Jacount. 1 Previously, Chen Chen had been so na?ve in wanting to research the components of NZT. He wanted to find a way to counteract the side effects of the drug like the characters in the movie did. However, after referencing the knowledge he had about the human brain, Chen Chen realized that he was getting ahead of himself. With the current technological advancement, it was impossible to replicate NZT-48, moreover trying to remedy the side effects of NZT-48. 2 If Chen Chen wanted to start his research, he would need the support of a gigantic organization like Pfizer or Johnson & Johnson. 2 Given ten to twenty years and tens of billions of funds, perhaps they could figure out some clues about NZT-48. By that time, Chen Chen would have long given up. In conclusion, there was no need for Chen Chen to consider the realistic side of things. Currently, his only way out was to take advantage of NZTs capability to make a lot of money. After that, buy a factory. Then, he could use the infrastructure of AC380V to charge the USB drive and start a virtuous cycle. Of course, Chen Chen had an alternative: stop taking the drug. That would be the safest option. Currently, he had only taken one capsule of NZT. He still had time to quit cold turkey. He could first earn enough to buy a factory and began charging the USB drive. He could then start taking the drug after he had successfully instantiated the permanent immunity shot. Then, a new problem arose. Without taking the drug, could he earn that much money? 1 Even if he could manage it, how many years would that take? Ten years? Twenty years? After taking the drug, Chen Chen was able to see things with extreme clarity. It was due to this clarity that he was able to understand this. Based on his usual capability, he could probably make a decent living, but to get rich was out of the question. On top of that, the drug was like the devil. It was one thing if he never tried it, but he had already tasted it and felt that fleeting sensation of having everything in control that came with the drug. When he woke up tomorrow morning, would he truly have what it took to never touch it again? 1 Heh. Not only did the addictive nature of the drug originated based on physiology but it also fed on the addictive nature of human psychology. In addition, the options given were to live a life of mediocrity or achieving great things but with an above fifty percent chance of suddenly dropping dead after a year. Did you expect most people to be able to make a rational judgment? 2 Chen Chen was not sure about other people but he knew that he would not be able to make a rational judgment. Therefore, there was no way he was going to stop taking the pills. He could not stop taking it in his lifetime. 2 As for some cheap tactics like sell some NZT to make money or steal high voltage electricity to charge the USB drive, they were out of the question. He would not try those even if he was desperate. 3 Chapter 11 6 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Chen Chen did not know when he had fallen asleep. He only knew that he had been looking up all sorts of information on the internet to better combat challenges that might arise in the future. The development of the internet had created a scenario of information explosion. People now could easily acquire boundless knowledge on the internet. Even so, few could convert this knowledge into actual wealth. This was not a question of perseverance but the limitations of ones logical thinking and level of judgment. The information on the internet was as vast as an ocean. This ocean of data was full of various rubbish and fake news. Anyone would need astonishing acumen to distinguish the good from the bad. However, when a person with extraordinary judgment was bestowed with this knowledge, the internet ceased to become an obstacle. On the contrary, they would be able to fully utilize the advantages of the internet. It was in such a state that Chen Chen had browsed through various academic websites and forums. While doing so, he had even picked up some hacking skills on his own, so that he could circumvent the restrictions and filters placed upon forum guests. 6 Chen Chen did not know what time he had fallen asleep. It seemed to be after two in the morning. When the effects of the drug wore off, exhaustion engulfed him like a tide. Chen Chen did not even have time to turn off the computer before he lay back and conked out. Nonetheless, Chen Chens sleep was not a restful one. The residual effects of the drug had excited his brain to an unusual degree and he suffered nightmares throughout the night. Oh no, we woke up late. Its Old Wangs class this morning! Through the fog of sleep, Wang Weis anxious voice rang out by his bed. Chen Chen opened his eyes reflexively to find that it was early morning the next day. Chen Chen sat up but was overcome by a wave of dizziness and a splitting headache. He could not tell where the source of discomfort was. It was like a severe cold. He felt weak all over and his stomach was churning. Before he could even speak, Chen Chens expression shifted. He quickly covered his mouth, hopped off his bed, and rushed to the toilet. Barf! 1 Retching noises echoed from the toilet. Wang Wei, Li Bo, and Zhou Jie exchanged a look. We didnt notice anything yesterday. Why is Lil Chens reaction worse than Nostrils? Wang Wei stared at Zhou Jie who was hungover and asked, mystified. Is Lil Chen heartbroken too? Zhou Jie scratched his disheveled head in a dispirited manner. Ill say! No wonder hes so poor he can only afford buns. Li Bo shook his head, sighing. He mustve spent it all on his goddess. Ive said before, lapdogs dont get a happy ending. 1 Fortunately, Chen Chen was busy puking and did not hear what they had said. Otherwise, he would have blown his top. After a bout of vomiting, his stomach felt somewhat better. Chen Chen rose and turned on the tap, splashing his face with no regard for its temperature. The bone-cutting iciness hit him and he shuddered once. His wilting spirits immediately recovered. Thud thud thud. Outside, Wang Wei knocked on the door. Lil Chen, can you walk? Do you want to call in sick? Chen Chen opened the door, his face still dripping, and said weakly, Im fine. I might have the flu. So, you took cephalosporins, huh? Zhou Jie asked. So he still cant get over that comment? Chen Chen could not be bothered to chit chat. After washing up, he went out of the toilet and put on his socks and shoes. Wang Wei urged him on like a nagging mother. After all four of them hurriedly got ready, they went down together and dashed toward the canteen. Lil Chen, dont starve yourself if youre broke. I still have money left over this month and can lend you some. At the canteen, Wang Wei recalled that Chen Chen had been eating buns yesterday. He patted Chen Chens shoulder as he spoke. I still have enough for now. If I run out, Ill tell you. Chen Chen waved his hand. He swiped his card, buying a cup of soy milk and two buns, which he ate as he walked toward the teaching block. 3 After downing a cup of hot soy milk, Chen Chen could feel himself coming alive. He exhaled loudly, creating a cloud of mist. Winter solstice was coming 1 Four of them tiptoed into the classroom. At the moment, the front seats had been taken. They could only look for seats in the back row. Alright, lets start the class. Professor Wang Xi saw that the class was nearly full and began his lecture. Before we begin, lets talk about the relationship between theology and science. Professor Wang Xi was different from the other professors. He seldom lectured according to the textbook. It was more likely for him to explore external topics to arouse the students interest. For instance, speculating about the origin of life or investigating immortality, and so on. Currently, the old professor was chuckling as he paced. First of all, who has heard of the saying, At the end of science lies theology? Everyone below the platform was taken aback as they glanced around dubiously. Finally, almost all of them raised their hands hesitantly. 1 Well, thats good. This means that everyone is rather concerned with science. In that case, lets examine this sentence, At the end of science lies theology, who said this, and what its arguments are. Professor Wang Xis expression turned solemn as he embarked on this topic. 1 First of all, let me say that this line seems rather reasonable at first glance. On the internet, for example, people would often bring up how many scientists had studied theology in their last years. The quintessential figures are Newton, the father of early modern physics, and Einstein, the father of modern physics. As the originator of Newtonian mechanics, Newton could be said to have spurred on the worlds scientific progress by himself. As for Einstein, hes known as the greatest scientist of the twentieth century. Even so, why would these two titans of science end up studying theology? Professor Wang Xi put on an enigmatic expression and lowered his voice. Did they discover some other secret that lies behind the science? Most people looked at each other in puzzlement after hearing this, unsure of what Professor Wang Xi was driving at. In the end, I stayed up all night researching, trying to find the answer to this question. 1 Professor Wang Xi made a face of mock relief and continued speaking. Everyone knows that Newton was born in 1643 AD. In that era, the whole of western society was governed by theocracy. After Newton was born, he received a theological education, which means that from the moment of his birth, he became a Catholic. That wasnt all. If you looked through Newtons life, youll find that he spent most of his time searching for the code God used to create the universe. In his later years, he intensified his research into theology, trying to prove the existence of God. Out of Newtons whole life, 80% of his works were theological, numbering over 1.4 million. 1 All this cannot be separated from the time and place he was in. In an age where religious influence pervaded the nation and unbelievers were persecuted, its perhaps understandable that a physicist would be influenced by the idea of God. There were soft titters around the room. Herein lies the crux of the matter. It wasnt that Newton only delved into theology late in his life. Rather, he had always been a theologian first, a scientist second. Chapter 12 6 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Professor Wang Xi spread his hands. As for how the internet claims that Einstein studied theology in his later years C well, thats even more baseless. Einstein had clearly stated on many occasions that he did not believe in any religion. You can check this on the internet. Before his death, he wrote a letter on religion and philosophy. In this letter, Einstein elaborated his lifelong view of God. Thus, later generations called this the God Letter! However, the word God as used by Einstein did not refer to any religious god, but rather, Spinozas GodC the physical laws of the world. At this point, the professors expression grew serious. 1 Its not just Newton and Einstein. When I was online, I even found a survey circulating through the internet, something called a Gallup Poll. The poll states that, out of the 300 most famous scientists over the past three centuries, other than 38 whose beliefs couldnt be ascertained, 242 of the remaining 262 believed in God. There were only 20 non-believers! I believe that anyone in this room whos been online wouldve heard of this poll. Nevertheless, when I reviewed the literature, I couldnt track down the source of this survey. This so-called Gallup Poll was a poll that no one has heard of in academia Moreover, three centuries ago, modern science wasnt born yet. What we now consider to be modern science only has a history of more than a century. Why didnt this survey use a group of scientists over the past century as its sample, but instead took scientists from an ancient era 300 years ago? Forget about 300 years. Even just 200 years ago, the influence of religion was still tremendous. Even if some of those scientists were atheists, would they dare publicly declare their true beliefs in the repressive atmosphere of that time? 21 Professor Wang Xi paced around as he spoke. Each of his refutations was greeted with utter silence. With this suspicion, I still couldnt locate that Gallup Poll. However, I found a contrary survey This survey indicated that in 1914, among the members of the North American Academy of Sciences, 27% still believed in God. But in 1998, this percentage dropped to 7%. Surely this was a rather drastic decline? 1 Of course, even if only 7% of those scientists believe in God, thats still a long list of names, heh heh Professor Wang Xi chuckled softly. Im sure that some of you must be rather indignant by now, thinking You said that the first poll, which investigated the religious beliefs of scientists, is false, so how do you know if this other survey is true? Still, Im afraid that this survey is real! With that, Professor Wang Xi turned on the projector. A screenshot of a document appeared on the large screen. This paper was published on 23 July 1998, in one of the worlds top scientific journals C Nature, page 313, volume 394. Its title is C Leading scientists still reject God! There was a burst of vigorous applause from the room. 6 Thus, lets return to the original question. Professor Wang Xi strutted a little. At the end of science lies theologyC since its neither Einstein nor Newton who said this, who came up with it then? After plowing through plenty of scientific literature, I still couldnt find the answer. Therefore, I made a bold guess Professor Wang Xi turned around with a grave expression. This saying mustve come from some enlightened netizen! 2 Ha ha ha ha! 3 The students erupted into laughter and many even clapped spontaneously once more. 1 There are many similar rumors such as Scientists spend thousands of years to reach the mountain peak, only to find Buddhist scholars and theologians waiting for them or Religion without science is blind, but science without religion is incapable of progress, and so on. Professor Wang Xi was visibly fuming by now. If you search for those keywords online, youll find that the internet is full of such rumors. These rumormongers even fabricate various famous sayings that are rich with philosophy. And because these rumors are all positive, they would even be spread by authoritative websites to a frightening extent! Whereas the posts which refute these rumors are few and far in between, drowned in an endless deluge of rumors 2 After a sigh, Professor Wang Xi continued saying, I dont deny that there are still many things in this world that modern science cant explain such as the soul. 2 I dont know if there are souls in this world, but even if there is, the soul is then merely an undiscovered lifeform or natural phenomenon. 1 Modern science has no way of explaining the existence of the soul. This doesnt mean that the soul transcends science. Its only because science hasnt progressed far enough to define the principles of the souls existence. 10 Professor Wang Xi laughed slightly. I know some of you, after hearing all this, will advise me objectively C dont have blind faith in science. Id be puzzled, nonetheless C when dealing with science, is there such a thing as blind faith or otherwise? You might as well treat science as a religion. I dont mean that everyone should antagonize religion. After all, religion is a system of belief. It puts every human and being in the hands of an almighty God. Although it has many flaws, it brought prosperity and stability to humans in an era of ignorance and primitiveness, providing fertile ground for the seed of science to be sown. 11 Science is distinct from theology because it requires no faith. At the same time, it holds no opinions of its own; it directly uses empirical data and experiment results to prove itself. Our approach to science should be one that discards subjectivity and assumes objectivity because the results of an experiment will not be swayed by human opinions. Whether you believe it or not, like it or hate it, persist or relinquish, the results of scientific experiments remain right there! Professor Wang Xis voice slowly rose in volume, brimming with power. Science isnt a religion. Its the operational law and the microscopic particle composition of this world. Its a way to describe this world by assembling the demonstrations and conclusions of countless experiments! Its a completely objective existence. Whether youve noticed it or not, it has always been there, ever immutable! 9 The applause below the platform grew louder. Innumerable students stood up, applauding earnestly. 7 In the professor, they saw the figures of those scientific predecessors who had dedicated their lives without hesitation to preserve the truth. Ascoli, who first discovered that the Earth was spherical1; Copernicus, who stood firm on his heliocentric theory; Servetus, who figured out pulmonary circulation; and Galileo, the pioneer of modern experimental science 17 In that instant, everyone had a flash of insight. Theology did not lie at the end of science, because Science did not have an end! 16 Chapter 13 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Professor Wang Xis lecture had ignited the indefatigable spirit of every student present. 4 Even Chen Chen was stirred up by this. Theology and science were two opposites. One existed within the thoughts and faith of people while the other was the objective law of the world. 5 One was abstract, the other was concrete. Even so, as times changed, religion was undergoing constant development and decline too. Chen Chen, who possessed the USB drive, understood this very well. After all, over the past few days, he had experienced the mystical USB drive which could instantiate various items from movies, despite being unable to accommodate movies with fantastical elements. However Chen Chen suddenly frowned. He was reminded of an unsettling fact. If movies with fantastical elements could not be placed into the USB drive, what about horror movies that were already there C how were they transferred into the drive? Dont tell me that 9 Chen Chens pupils suddenly narrowed. At this moment, he felt his blood run cold. A chill traveled up his spine straight to his scalp, making his head numb! They could be placed into the USB drive C doesnt that mean that the ghosts in those horror movies could exist in this world? 12 It was terrifying to consider In that case, was Professor Wang Xi right? Their existence did not mean that they were beyond the boundaries of science. Rather, modern science was not developed enough to obtain proof of their existence. 8 This wont do. Ill have to find a way to delete those movies from the USB drive 3 Chen Chen thought to himself. If he did not delete those horror movies, he would not be able to get a good nights sleep in the future. 9 It took him great willpower to hold on until the end of the class. Chen Chen felt like he had transcended this physical plane. Forcing his powerless limbs to move, he returned to the dorm in exhaustion, packed his laptop, and hurried to the library. One could only borrow books in the library. He would still need his laptop to study and compare academic papers. Having experienced the miraculous effects of NZT-48, Chen Chen felt more assured. If he was not worried about his brain exploding, it was fully possible for him to stuff hundreds of textbooks or thousands of academic papers into his head within a month. Moreover, this kind of stuffing was not rote memorization but a comprehensive, integrated understanding. It was even not an exaggeration to say that he could complete his studies on core classes throughout his entire university course in a week! As befitting of a brainiac! Chen Chen mentally leaned back in smug satisfaction. 2 Feeling pleased with himself, he arrived at the library with his laptop. Chen Chen realized that he had fallen in love with the atmosphere here. He took a deep breath, greedily taking in the fresh air of Biomedical and Agricultural Science Reading Room No, this was not just air. It was the smell of knowledge. 4 Before he came here, Chen Chen had bought six buns at the restaurant, ranging from chives vermicelli to cabbage and mushroom. He had also prepared a wolfberry drink in his thermos. After all, although mental work did not consume as much energy as physical work, replenishments of nutrients and water were still necessary. One could not possibly expect a horse to run without feeding it grass. 2 If circumstances allowed, Chen Chen even planned to eat more nuts and drink more Life One1. 3 After all, a brain working at full capacity was no less intense than strenuous exercise. Chen Chen felt that he had lost weight over the past two days. After locating a clean corner, Chen Chen took out a NZT pill and hid it in his palm. After that, he twirled his pen and deliberately dropped it under the table. 4 By the time he came out from under the table, the NZT-48 was in his mouth. As he unscrewed the lid and took a sip, the drug slipped smoothly down his throat. He did this to prevent the surveillance camera from recording his act of taking the pill. 1 Although no one would be lifeless enough to target him, it was better to be safe than sorry. Who had not seen how the main villain in a drama series, on the verge of succeeding with their final plan, was ultimately exposed due to some previous tiny mistake? 4 It was always best to live to see another day. After all, there were some wise sayings like Theres nothing wrong with surviving, A pro will never die in a million years, and so on. NZT-48 was a miraculous drug indeed. Not only could it unleash the brains potential, but it also took effect at an incomparably rapid rate. In less than a minute, Chen Chens drowsy state was suddenly cleared. Endless thoughts and insights surged up like a blowout! His brain seemed to be powered by clockwork as it swiftly reached the peak of vigor. This was the feeling! Chen Chens lips curled up slightly. It was as if he had transformed from a depressed alcoholic to a confident, successful figure in just a few seconds. As if he had come alive once more, Chen Chen efficiently turned on the laptop, connected to the librarys Wi-Fi, and started looking through CNKI1 to download any document he was interested in. Now, what I have to do is continuously absorb knowledge, improving myself with this astonishing learning capability. This process would take a month or so Chen Chens keyboard clacked loudly as he planned out his future steps at lightning speed. After one month, Ill need to find a way to earn money, then earn enough capital to rent a factory within the following year. Factories can be rented but the contract will be six months at least. Plus, Ill need a huge amount of electricity, so a small factory wont be enough. Ill be too easily exposed. What I need is a medium-sized factory. Thus, I need to make at least a million in a year 7 As for the remaining time, itll be used to charge the USB drive. Chen Chen quickly came up with this plan. After he had considered all this, he selected a few biology books from the shelf. While browsing the bookshelf, he had already devised an automatic rhythm in his head. These books were arranged in order of complexity. What he should read each time and what he should read next were all in their corresponding order. After picking the books, he would read the books at a speed of twenty seconds per page. 2 Although this speed was incredible, it would attract a little attention at most. After all, there was such a skill as speed reading in this world. It was not some alarming behavior. In less than an hour, Basic Microbiology (Higher Education Edition) had been wolfed down. With calm satisfaction, Chen Chen gently closed the book and put it to one side. Then, he picked up the next book, Principles of Genetics (Chinese Version, Third Edition). The reason he did not select the English version of Principles of Genetics was that the library did not have this book. Otherwise, after Chen Chen had spent yesterday afternoon cramming himself with English, he could even have easily perused books that were brimming with technical terms. Currently, Chen Chens level of English was about a 7 in IELTS and a 100 in TOEFL. 5 It was just as the movie had stated. A user of NZT-48 would only need one day to learn a foreign language. 5 Chapter 14 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation One month later. Before Chen Chen knew it, the season had changed from late autumn to winter. 3 In late January, the final exams of various subjects were held one after another. The campus was pervaded with a holiday atmosphere, a period of festive joy amid bleak misery. In Shangdu, dark clouds, formed by the temperature fluctuations, shrouded the skies of southern Mainland China. Snowflakes appeared over the Yangtze River Basin and weather forecasts warned of an incoming cold wave. In the library, Chen Chen had just put down a copy of Lippincotts Illustrated Reviews: Biochemistry and gave a long exhale. At last, he had reached the end of his frenzied month-long study plan. Of course, this was just the first stage. In the past month, Chen Chen had not only completed learning about cell biology, microbiology, molecular biology, biochemistry, genetics, and so on. He had also delved deeper into the field of stem cells and biochemistry, studying them up to masters level, and came up with a few suppositions. 2 For instance: Sever the medulla oblongata of a test subject by separating the head and neck, and use autologous neural stem cell therapy to preserve the physiological functions of the subject. Can the nervous system be reconnected? 1 Another one: Use chemotherapy to destroy the senescent stem cells in the bone marrow of an elderly subject, then employ the homing function to inject autologous hematopoietic stem cells and mesenchymal stem cells, cultivated in vitro, to rebuild the immune system. Can the organs of the elderly subject be rejuvenated? 4 Still another example: Excise part of the subjects brain and use autologous neural stem cells to construct a framework model. Can the cranial nerves be reconstructed? 1 Chen Chen felt that just a single branch of biology, like the field of adult stem cells, could accomplish so much. 3 If he was let loose in a laboratory of his own, free to conduct a few experiments and then publish a few SCI1 papers, he could easily make his debut in the biology academia. That would be a total knockout blow. However, that was out of the question. Chen Chen pondered silently. At present, it was unrealistic to plan about starting a project. He was just a freshman. Forget about the fact that the school would never grant him the authority to start his project, even the professors project groups would not want him. Without carrying out experiments himself, he had no way to write papers or make his mark in scientific research. 2 Chen Chen could not help frowning. His time was running out. Nonetheless, just then, Chen Chen realized that someone beside him was poking his arm. He remembered this person. There were certain familiar faces in the reading room if one was there frequently enough. The one beside him was a female student from the Institute of Biological Sciences too. He often saw her reading through similar books. 9 Even so, she should be a senior because the interface of the graduation plan could often be seen on her screen. Hello, I see that youre reading a biochemistry book. Can you spare me a moment to answer a question 12 The female student widened her eyes and bit her lips, asking bashfully. 4 Ask away. Chen Chen shut the book in his hands and looked at her serenely. 6 Faced with his gaze, the girl instinctively avoided his eyes. 5 She had already noticed Chen Chens arrival one or two weeks ago. Although this guy was not that handsome, he still attracted a fair amount of attention. It was for no other reason than that he had an indescribable aura. 8 It was the air of someone with everything under control. Every gesture and every expression had the same composed manner, full of confidence. His eyes in particular seemed to be concealing vast, starry depths. 5 After handing over her question, the female student cautiously moved her seat next to Chen Chen, waiting for his explanation at a safe distance like an obedient darling. 2 A faint fragrance wafted from her. It was the scent of high-end perfume. Chen Chen subconsciously glanced at her before bending down to the question. 3 [There is a polypeptide whose primary structure may be linear or closed loop. Please make the identification process as simple as possible and write a detailed plan.] This is simple enough. After a moment of thinking, Chen Chen said, Use 6 moles per liter of hydrogen chloride or 4 moles per liter of sulfuric acid, reflux for 20 hours, obtain L-type amino acids without causing racemization, and analyze their amino acid composition. Then, according to the amino acid composition, choose a suitable proteolytic enzyme for hydrolysis, and try a few more times if it fails at first 17 After that, use the original sample as a control to perform polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, separating the proteins and oligonucleotides You should know the rest, right? The student nodded a few times, comprehension dawning on her face. Dont take too much estazolam. 1 Chen Chen gave her this reminder as he pointed to his head. Itll affect your thinking abilities. How did you know When the student heard this, she was taken aback and asked in astonishment. Although youve covered your face with glasses, if one looks closely, one can still see that your face is slightly swollen. Chen Chen explained, Also, your eye circles are too heavy and you have bloodshot eyes. Your skin is secreting excessive oil. All these are side effects of taking estazolam. Ive just read about a case like this in that book. 3 Okay, alright The female student grinned awkwardly. She wanted to cry but did not have the tears. Cough cough! A loud cough came from the front row as if reminding them that they were talking too loudly in the library. If youre able to, you should find a way to stop taking sleeping pills. Chen Chen continued. Otherwise, you cant hold on until the second round of the postgraduate entrance exams. 1 You knew that Im taking the postgraduate entrance exams? The student was even more astounded. The list of recommended students will be out when the first semester of the fourth year begins. If you had gotten a recommendation, you wont be taking estazolam and you wouldnt have asked me the question earlier. Chen Chen clarified, Besides, a bachelors degree in biological sciences isnt of much use. Only a masters degree could be put to some use. Anyone with the slightest spark of ambition would choose to continue their studies. Therefore, going into postgraduate studies is your only option. The girl was on the verge of tears. I was too dumb. Even after all my sweat and tears, I couldnt get admitted into a postgraduate course, and I also mucked up the basic preliminary entrance exam 5 Youre trying to get into the program here, right? I advise you to seek help from students with good grades. Dont waste your time on graduation plans. If you still cant get in after that You can still take the entrance exam next year. Cough cough! A loud, warning cough sounded from the back row. 5 But I keep coming up blank for my graduation plans. What do I do? The girl pursed her lips, no longer keeping her voice down. Furthermore, Im trying to prove to my dad that I can become a research student. If I cant get in the first time, I might not have the patience to try again Is it just a lack of patience? Chen Chen properly observed the girl for the first time. She was not unattractive, only her face was not made-up. She also wore black-rimmed glasses, which made her look somewhat gawky. However, when one looked at the brand of her clothes, one would think otherwise. Although she was wearing dark, casual clothes, a careful look would show that these were brands like Celine and Herms. Even her computer was an Alienware. 8 Even her long, silky hair was not something attainable with ordinary shampoo. Theres still hope. Chen Chen was silent for a moment before speaking again. Students with excellent research and academics in their undergraduate studies or who have achieved outstanding results in large-scale academic competitions, can apply for a specialized postgraduate recommendation. Specialized postgraduate recommendation? The girl mumbled to herself. There was a flash of hope before her expression fell again. But even if I joined my tutors project team, they wouldve outstanding research results. I wont get anything 1 Chen Chen shook his head and laughed softly. If you have the necessary financial ability, you can rent a lab off-campus. I happen to have a few experiments myself. If they succeed, I can attribute one of them to you. 3 You? Upon hearing this, a guarded look crossed her face and she instinctively leaned backward. If you want to carry out experiments, why dont you tell your tutor? I havent been assigned one yet. The girls eyes turned round as saucers. She pointed at the pile of English material before Chen Chen. Youre a freshman? Cough cough! 7 Fits of coughing rang out from left and right at the same time. Grade 20, Biological Sciences Class 2. My name is Chen Chen. Chen Chen took out his student card and waved it around. Ive given up on the schools labs. The experiments I want to do would progress on a monthly basis. Im not a professor, so the school wont possibly allow me to take over the labs for so long. But youre just a freshman The girl seemed rather tempted and hesitant all at once. Are you a top student at Zhiyuan College? Nope. Chen Chen shook his head. Then how can I trust that youll help me? Im merely offering a suggestion. If you dont believe me, I cant do anything about it. Chen Chen seemed unconcerned and immediately turned his attention to the book in his hand. Chapter 15 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation A few minutes later, Chen Chen walked out of the library with a calm expression. This was different from how he usually left late at night. At the moment, it was not yet two in the afternoon and a girl in black-rimmed glasses was trailing behind him obediently. Both of them had been invited out of the reading room by the manager and a crowd of students. 5 Can you really do it? The girl appeared to be wavering. What if your research produces no results? Wont my money be wasted? That depends on how rich you are then. 3 Chen Chen turned around, his eyes serene and composed without any hint of pleading. Youre from a single-parent family. How did you know? Her eyes widened. She had never told anyone about her family situation. Otherwise, she would have thought this guy had investigated her background. You said before that you wanted to show your father you can become a postgraduate student. On the surface, theres nothing strange about this statement. But combine this with the fact that youre taking sleeping pills, its clear that your father is very important to you. At the same time, theres a deep conflict between you two. 2 Chen Chen continued. You have a rebellious streak, so the conflict must be about studies. You wish to continue studying while your father has other plans for you Let me guess, since its still too early for you to start a family, your father must want you to help manage his company. 3 How did you know? The girl asked in shock in an even higher-pitched voice. If you had a brother, your father wouldnt request this of you. Clearly, you dont have one, so youre an only daughter. Your relationship with your father is so rigid but three feet of frost doesnt form over a single winters day. If you had a mother to soothe things over, you wouldnt reach the point of taking sleeping pills. Thus, theres a high possibility that your mother isnt with your father. 4 Plus, your parents arent divorced because barring exceptional circumstances, the courts in Mainland China would usually grant custody of a daughter to the mother. However, youre with your father, so I deduced that youre from a single-parent family. 6 I The girl opened her mouth with a dazed expression. Chen Chen looked at the time and hurried toward the dorm as he said, Its rare for a female student to harbor such ambitions. You come from a life of luxury, so money and fame arent a big deal to you. At this point, youre simply determined to gain your fathers approval and so, you waver between his wishes and your desires. The girl was thoroughly stunned. How did you know 4 Im just good at observation. Chen Chen flashed a quick, harmless smile. 9 Then What do you think I should do? The girl could not refrain from asking. Without realizing it, she was hanging onto Chen Chens every word. Thats up to you. Chen Chen changed the subject. In most cases, the personalities of kids from single-parent families would have one flaw or another. Youre no exception. Now, youre still young and you dont understand what a fathers love is like. Perhaps from your perspective, your father is occupied with work all day and has little time to care for you, leading to a distant relationship between you two. In truth, deep down, theres no way you dont understand how much your father loves you. 1 The girl was instantly silent. 2 Putting aside the age and gender gap, your relationship with him is in this state today mostly because of you. When you were little, you resented him for not spending time with you. Now, you resent him for not letting you continue your studies. To be honest, this is a display of immaturity. 5 So, youre saying I should give up on advancing my studies? the girl questioned, somewhat dejected. No, you should continue your studies. Huh? She stared at Chen Chen in surprise. Before this, she had almost been convinced by what he said. A fathers love is reserved. He wont tell you how much he loves and cares for you, but this doesnt mean that the love isnt there. Chen Chen explained, Its simple enough to bridge this gap between you two. Over one meal, in one honest conversation, it can be resolved. But this doesnt mean that you should obey him by taking over the company. After all, ones learning lasts a lifetime. Although youre not concerned about money, this endeavor represents your determination. If you want to repay your father, do so with the best version of you. Although a fathers love is a great thing, you still have your own convictions. Having said this, Chen Chen exhaled and smiled at her. Thats what I think, anyway. Let go of your grudge and make things up with your father. Would that go against your determination to continue your studies? No, it wouldnt. Youre right! The girls eyes shone with a resolute glint and there was a trace of gratitude in her glance toward Chen Chen. I must have my persistence and convictions! Ah, if you dont have any convictions, how can I carry out my experiments? When your relationship with your father is mended, I could get more funding 5 Chen Chen smiled and looked at her with a steady gaze. There was no sign that his mind was on other things. So, what do you think? Okay, Im willing to try it! The girl nodded vigorously until her tiny face was flushed. She reached out to Chen Chen with one hand. You dont know my name yet, right? Im Xia Yin from Grade 17, Biotechnology Class. Summer dusk? Summer sounds? Oh, its Xia Yin1. There was something special about this name. Spring waters are like sapphire; summer grass is like a bed1; autumn leaves are like butterflies; winter snows are like blossoms. What a beautiful name. 7 Chen Chen shook her slender hand. Wow, you remember that piece of prose? The girl looked up in delight. Id thought youd be like the rest 6 In what way? No, nothing. Xia Yin smiled awkwardly, then hastened to change the subject. Oh, right, when do you plan on starting your experiments? How do I help you? Itll be winter break in a few days. Ill apply to stay on campus but if the lab includes an employee lounge, thatll be ideal. Chen Chen listed out the conditions. Thats number one. Number two, the lab must meet GMP standards1, because some of the experiments I do will be related to stem cells. Therefore, the lab must have an ultra-clean workstation as well as micromanipulators, high-speed centrifuges, blood cell separators, biosafety cabinets, low-temperature refrigerators, and other equipment. But I havent rented a lab before Xia Yin looked troubled. Other than the labs on campus, where else can I find one, and how do I rent it? She was a pampered young lady who had everything done for her. She did not even know how to do this 1 In that case, Ill do the renting. Chen Chen spoke carelessly, Still, youd better prepared a significant amount of money. After all, renting a lab like that wont come cheap. So How much money, roughly speaking? Xia Yin wore a solemn expression, demonstrating her readiness. A GMP-level laboratory would include at least five or six rooms of various functions, over three hundred square meters or so. According to the current market, renting one square meter would cost about RMB 5, so a lab like that would cost at least forty to fifty thousand a month. Phew, thats not a lot. 2 When she heard this, Xia Yin sighed in relief. Thats just the rental, not including the funds for the experiments. Chen Chen shook his head. I can carry out three experiments at once. If all goes well, theyll be completed in three months. The funds plus the rental might come up to around three hundred thousand. That much? Xia Yin gasped sharply and Chen Chens heart clenched tightly. Just when Chen Chen thought she was going to change her mind, Xia Yin suddenly exhaled with a righteous, generous expression. Looks like I cant hold on to this years New Years money 14 Chapter 16 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation The fifth floor here is the bio lab. After two hours, Chen Chen and Xia Yin followed a man into a building called Mongan Pharmaceutical Company. The man looked around forty. He was dressed in a tailored suit and leather shoes, and had a rather charming appearance. Only, the Mediterranean Sea shaped bald patch on his forehead had completely shattered his charisma. 3 The laboratory is on the fifth floor of the building. It was originally the laboratory of our companys internal department but the research was suspended recently. Our chairman was worried the equipment will have problems if left idle for too long, hence the decision to rent it out. 1 Mr. Mediterranean continued explaining while leading the two out of the elevator, After coming out from the elevator, the basic lab will be on your left side and the machine room on your right. This area is the dirty area1, you can enter after changing into slippers. 5 Chen Chen put on the disposable slippers and entered the basic lab. He saw four worktables in the lab with common lab tools laid on them. Can you see the safety door at the back? Thats the entrance to the GMP Laboratory. Mr. Mediterranean pointed at the blue alloy door in front. Would you two like to head inside to take a look? I have the keys with me but the procedure can be a bit tedious though. Sure, of course. Chen Chen nodded. This is what we came here for. Very well, come with me. Mr. Mediterranean retrieved an IC card and swiped open the large alloy door. What was revealed behind the door was a narrow corridor. There was a door right in front and another door on the left side. The buffer corridor is on the left. There are transferring windows inside that are connected to every lab. Remember to use the transferring window when bringing things into the lab. Mr. Mediterranean pushed open the door in front as he spoke, And this is the changing room, each level is separated by a negative pressure device. Males take the left door and females take the front door into the second section. Well wait for you in the third section. The final statement was directed at Xia Yin. Xia Yin nodded. Chen Chen and Mr. Mediterranean first washed their hands in the sink and then put on a new set of disposable slippers. After they got rid of the dust on their body, the two of them walked into the second section. We have different regulations from regular GMP labs here. Youll have to put on a protective isolation suit. That way, you wont need to change your clothes. Pretty convenient right? Protective? Positive pressure protection suit? Chen Chen raised an eyebrow. Heh, you know a lot. Thats a top student of Jiao Tong University for you. Mr. Mediterranean flicked his thumb and took off his jacket and pants. He then put on a large white coat which was already prepared in the room. After that, he sanitized his hands with alcohol disinfectant before putting on disposable gloves. Chen Chen followed suit. After that, the two of them entered the third shift room. There were several protective suits laid out in the third shift room. They were the complete self-containing type protective suit. Chen Chen lifted one of them to take a look before asking, These protective suits are usually used for hazardous microorganisms, is that right? 4 Uh, I think so. I dont have details about what exactly the company is working on. I just handle the business side of things. Mr. Mediterranean chuckled. But you wont have to worry, they have been sanitized thoroughly. Theres nothing inside them. Chen Chen nodded and did not pursue further. After the two of them put on their protective suits, Xia Yin, clad in a large white coat, walked out from the door on the side. The changing rooms were separated into different genders to avoid awkward situations. 2 After the three of them put on their protective suits, Mr. Mediterranean opened the final door leading to the laboratory. After passing through this door, well officially enter the cleanroom area. Mr. Mediterranean explained with familiarity, his voice was filtered through the protective suit and became slightly distorted. These walls are made of colored steel laminboard. Theres a set of air purifying systems in the lab. It has strict controls over the humidity, temperature, and gas content in the air. The room temperature is set at approximately twenty degrees Celsius, ensuring the air is fresh and uncontaminated. The two of them looked down the corridor. There was an incandescent lamp overhead every five meters, the light emitted was bright but not blinding. The walls were entirely wrapped in alloy, reminiscent of futuristic sci-fi. The floor in the laboratory was painted light blue. It was very straightforward and not a speck of dust could be seen. It served to lighten the heavy mood in the laboratory. The first room up the corridor is the quality control room. The cleanness level is class ten thousand. Its well equipped with quality control instruments for use. 2 Mr. Mediterranean continued. The second, third, and forth room leading up the hallway are cell culture rooms. Each room is separated into a class one thousand buffer area and a class one hundred operating room located further inside. Moving on, there are the preparation room, decontamination room, and storage in the back. You wont have to worry about the instruments, you shouldve everything you need. Chen Chen nodded before entering the first cell culture room. As promised, he saw the fully complete setup. These should be the flow cytometer and PCR machine. There are also the centrifuge and separator over there. Xia Yin walked ahead and identified the machines based on what she knew. Chen Chen walked to a PCR machine and opened it to inspect it. Even though Chen Chen had never conducted GMP grade experiments, he had already figured out how to use these devices from reading the manual. He was just not very familiar with them yet. Chen Chen continued inspecting several devices. After around fifteen minutes, Chen Chen nodded to himself before gesturing toward Mr. Mediterranean. Give us a better discount. Its already very cheap. I have already lowered the price to five renminbi per square meter, seeing that you two are students. I really cannot go any lower than that. Mr. Mediterranean waved his hands helplessly. Alright. Chen Chen nodded toward Xia Yin. As far as GMP laboratories go, this was a fair price. 3 Alright, after you two have finished surveying, we can head out to sign the agreement. Mr. Mediterranean suddenly became refreshed. Were already done, lets go. Chen Chen took the lead and headed outside. After going through the three steps procedure, the three of them walked out of the laboratory and began to look at the prepared agreement. The agreement Mr. Mediterranean had prepared was seven to eight pages long and contained hundreds of clauses. This was a department that Xia Yin was not familiar with. Chen Chen took a look at them. Even though he was not very informed on these matters, he managed to ask all the right questions. Even Mr. Mediterranean had a difficult time dealing with him. Finally, the agreement was finalized after dozens of amendments were made. The general detail of the agreement was that Xia Yin would rent the GMP laboratory located on the fifth floor of the building at the price of five renminbi per square meter per month. The rental period would last three months. However, the rental would not begin from the current date but on the day that winter break started in school. The entire building was three hundred and fifty square meters, rounded down, the monthly rental was fifty thousand. After signing the agreement, both parties were delighted. Mr. Mediterranean then happily escorted the two out of the building. By the time the two of them left the laboratory and returned to school, it was already evening. Now that we have rented the laboratory, the rest is up to you, junior. Xia Yin was jumping up and down excitedly along the way here. A lot of her stress was lifted off her shoulders, knowing that there was hope for her postgraduate. I cant do it by myself. Ill need two assistants. Chen Chen asked, Do you have any suitable candidates? No Xia Yin shook her head blankly. How about your roommates? I dont have a roommate. I live by myself, Xia Yin answered in a hushed tone. Chen Chens eyes bore into Xia Yin. Xia Yin felt like she was going to be sucked in by his deep gaze, a tinge of panic suddenly rose in her heart. After a while, Chen Chen turned around. Then Ill ask my roommate. Will there be any more expenses? Xia Yins expression instantly turned sour. Pretty much all of the money I saved up went toward the rent. Theres really not much left. No need for money. Chen Chen shook his head. Just providing food, accommodation, and second authorship will do. Oh, right Xia Yin heaved a sigh of relief. The two of them then exchanged phone numbers and WeChat. They agreed to discuss the experiment procedures tomorrow before going on their own way. 1 Chapter 17 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Approaching the end of the semester, most of the classes had been suspended. Most students were just waiting for the break after the examinations. As a result, the atmosphere in the dormitory building was more vibrant than usual. Pushing open the door to 404, only Li Bo and Zhou Jie were in the dorm. The two of them were lying down on Chen Chen and Wang Weis bed respectively. They were tapping away on their phones, indescribable sounds kept coming out of their phones. 1 A swords poor company for a long road. Face Yasuo! Chen Chen glanced at Li Bos phone screen. What rank is Lil Bo? Gold, why? Li Bo did not even bother raising his head. Suddenly, he screeched. F**k, Nostril what did you take my red for? Youre just a spellcaster. What do you even need red buff for? 4 Zhou Jie retorted immediately, Im low and have no TP, cant you just take the red to heal? You make a good point, I have nothing to say Chen Chen was speechless. Mobile LOL had been released for nearly half a year and these two still could not figure out that the red buff did not give health regeneration. 6 It was certainly true that blue buff could help recover mana but red buff did not recover health Teamfight, teamfight! Zhou Jie followed up. Lil Bo, quickly come to teamfight. You still want to teamfight? Li Bo called out, Master Yi is pushing high ground. Ill go defend. You guys teamfight, go win a fight! 3 Midway through his sentence, the chilling voice of Yasuo1 came from his phone, Wuju? Hmmph, never heard of it! What came after was a mixture of chaotic battle sound effects. Ah! Finally, a horrified shriek signaled the end. At the same time, a round of shrieking also came from Zhou Jies phone as well as the announcement of DEFEAT. 3 Li Bo: Zhou Jie: In an instant, the entire dorm seemed to have fallen into a dead silence. Ahem, wheres Brother Wei? Chen Chen broke the awkwardness in the air with his question. Where else could he be other than the basketball court? After losing the game, Li Bo became extremely dejected. Im done, Im done. I cant carry a moron like Nostril! Your dumba** is the moron! Zhou Jie stood his ground. I said Im done, that means Im done. Ill play a round with Lil Chen! No, Im good. Chen Chen quickly gestured his hands. Im just here to ask something. Any of you planning to stay in school during winter break? Stay in school? Both instinctively looked up. Li Bos eyes immediately turned wide as he exclaimed, Thats crazy, at least wait till junior year to prepare for the postgraduate entrance examination. Whats with the rush? Im preparing to conduct an experiment and a thesis on the findings. Chen Chen explained, If anyone is willing to help, I can give him second authorship. D*mn, thats Lil Chen, the top student for you. 1 Zhou Jie stopped playing his game and sat up looking shocked. Where are you going, CSSCI? 3 No, SCI. Thats King Chen Chen alright. Bravo, bravo! Li Bo closed his fists together and put on a solemn face. Zhou Jie did not say anything. He only gave a big thumbs up. His thumb then slowly switched into a middle finger, right in front of Chen Chens face. 1 Coming or not, give me a confirmation. Chen Chen did not bother playing along with their jests. I have to go home for the new year. Im the only son in the family. If I dont go back for the new year, my dad will skin me alive. Li Bo quickly gestured. In order to still be able to see everyone next semester, I shall appoint this momentous task to Nostril! No, I have school phobia. It only acts up during the break. 1 Right after Zhou Jie had finished his sentence, he suddenly looked like he was in pain. He grabbed his chest and collapsed on the bed. Oh no, my phobia is acting up now! Oh no, oh no, I have to quickly head back home and enjoy the new year to recover! 2 Tsk, why dont you just admit that you dont think I can pass the draft? Chen Chen snickered. Just dont tell me that I didnt invite you guys when the time comes. Hope you dont cry tears of regret! No way, no way! The two of them shook their heads in unison, a mischievous smile surfaced on the corner of their lips. Right then, thunderous noises came from the corridor. Oh no, its snowing, take the clothes in!!! It was snowing? The three of them instinctively looked out the window. Just as expected, the gray sky was littered with what seemed like pieces of scrap paper. What else could it be other than snowflakes? 2 What followed was the sound of stomping footsteps. After a moment, Wang Wei barged in with a loud rua as he exclaimed excitedly, Have you guys seen it? Its snowing outside! Yeah, yeah, we saw it. Zhou Ji and Li Bo responded without a hint of enthusiasm before collapsing back in bed in the darkness. You Whats with the lack of reaction? Wang Wei was in disbelief. Lil Bo and Nostril are from the North. Chen Chen walked over and wrapped his arm around Wang Weis neck. Brother Wei, theres something I need to discuss with you. Get to the point. How much do you want to borrow? Wang Wei was initially taken aback before he became serious. I only have five hundred left for this month. Counting out the expenses for food and the ticket back home, I can borrow you two hundred. I really cant do any more than that Its not about money. Chen Chen pulled Wang Wei to the corridor. I met a rich woman in the library today. Shes willing to sponsor my stem cell experiment. We even have the laboratory sorted out already. All we need now is an assistant. Brother Wei, based on your exquisite skill set and talents, youre the perfect candidate for an assistant! Unexpectedly, Wang Weis expression became somewhat stern after Chen Chen had finished explaining. He patted Chen Chen on the shoulder and waited a moment before sighing. Lil Chen, its not that I want to judge you. I see how much effort you put into your studies. You might even turn out to be very successful in the future. But you cannot be rash. Are you sure you can handle some sugar mommy out there? 3 Wang Wei kept his voice low and continued solemnly. As if the steel ball wasnt bad enough, Ive read online recently about how they even pull out the nails.1 3 Chen Chen: When he saw that Chen Chen fell into a deep silence, Wang Wei continued giving his counsel. What Im saying here is to give me the name and WeChat ID of that sugar mommy and Ill talk with her. I promise you she wont bother you in the future. Let Brother Wei handle this for you! 1 At this point, Wang Wei began ferociously beating his chest, thumping loudly. Chen Chen: After several minutes of Chen Chens explanation, the two of them finally had a common understanding. I dont mind helping you out this one time, especially since were going to work in a lab eventually anyway. It cant hurt to get some experience now, but Why do I have a feeling like Im being suckered into this? Wang Wei scratched his head. Confusion was written on his face. Hold up, if youre making the sugar mommy the lead author and Im the second author, then what about you? Ill be the corresponding author. Chen Chen explained, This is my experiment after all. Ill be responsible for the reliability experiment. Also, on the topic of intellectual property, the corresponding author takes credit as well, so I wont be taking any losses. Alright, then its settled. Wang Wei agreed without a second thought. Then Ill submit an application to stay in school! Submit mine as well! Chen Chen quickly took out an application form and passed it to Wang Wei. After that, he headed to the library to pack his books and laptop. Chapter 18 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Two days later, the freshmen of class grade 20 took the first final exam of their university life. Unlike high schools, the final exams in universities were usually not very difficult. It was mostly basic questions that were equivalent to giving out free points as most of them depended on the students understanding of the curriculum. 1 Other than the extracurricular specialty subjects which were compulsory, students of the Institute of Biological Sciences also had examinations on principle compulsory subjects like Bioethics, Linear Algebra, Inorganic & Analytical Chemistry, Natural Science, Organic Chemistry, Advanced Mathematics, University-level Physics, and Introduction to Biology. 4 After a barrage of examinations, the students were left dizzy and fatigued. They could not even tell what year it was. 3 As for Chen Chen, it was not a big deal. While others had to resort to sneaking in tiny cheat sheets, Chen Chen had already devoured dozens of study material. At this point, he could even easily handle the postgraduate entrance examinations. The final exams were just a drop in the bucket for him. Throughout several rounds of exams, Chen Chen had maintained his record of being the first one to hand in the examination paper. He had established a reputation of a top student in class two of biological sciences. Besides, many people noticed that the examination papers Chen Chen had submitted were filled out completely. In addition, the invigilators who took the papers always had a surprised look on their faces. It was not an exasperated look either, therefore the error rate must be very low. Therefore, after yet another round of examinations, Li Bo and Zhou Jie forcibly took Chen Chen back to the hostel to discuss the terms of a secret exchange. 4 As per Li Bo and Zhou Jies request, Chen Chen had to let the two of them copy his answers each time he had completed a question. In exchange, the two of them had to be Chen Chens water boy for the entire next semester. 2 After signing this unspeakable and unfair agreement, the two of them had mixed emotions every time they looked at Chen Chen. However, when they entered the examination room, that mixture of emotions turned into earnest respect and worship for their personal Messiah. Amid this mixture of suffering and hope, Li Bo and Zhou Jie vowed to start studying seriously from the next semester onward. They wanted to turn a new leaf by their sophomore year. After several dark and heavy days of examinations, the new students of Shangdu Jiao Tong University finally ushered in the first break of their university life. Countless students who left their hometown to further their studies happily embarked on their trip back home. Activities in the campus slowly died down as well. After Chen Chen and Wang Wei sent Li Bo and Zhou Jie on their way, they set up a meeting location with Xia Yin to prepare for the experiment. In an empty classroom, Wang Wei looked at a thick bundle of research materials. Chen Chen opened a book that consisted of teaching material on cell biology. Even though Chen Chen had a nonchalant expression on his face, every page he flipped through was forever imprinted in his mind, never to be forgotten. After a short moment, light footsteps came from the corridor outside. A girl with long hair down her shoulders appeared by the doorstep. The girl had a pair of crystal clear eyes. She smiled gently when she saw the two people in the classroom. She radiated fresh, youthful energy unique to a young lady. You are When Wang Wei saw a girl entering the class, he quickly got up and asked in bewilderment, Miss, you must be Xia Yin, right? Hi there, thats me. Even though she swapped out her thick-framed black glasses with contact lenses and even had makeup on, all these minor details might as well be nonexistent in Chen Chens mind. In Chen Chens mind, even if the lady before him had been stripped naked, it was still so early. 2 Whats with the get-up? Chen Chen pretended to be surprised. Its the holidays anyway. Its only right to take some time to put myself together, right? Xia Yin pretended to be angry. Do I not look good? Quite pretty, I was expecting some kind of sugar mo Ahem, ahem! Wang Wei seemed to have realized something once he opened his mouth and began to cough violently. After introducing the two to each other, Chen Chen shifted the topic back to the main subject at hand. For now, I have planned three categories of the experiment, all related to autologous stem cells. Arriving at this point, Chen Chen retrieved a thick booklet of printed information from his bag and passed it to Xia Yin. Stem cells. These are cells in the human body that are capable of infinite self-renewal. Also, it can differentiate into at least one type of progeny cell. For example, hematopoietic stem cells can differentiate into red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets, and others while bone mesenchymal stem cells can differentiate into bone cells, chondrocytes, muscle cells, fat cells, and many others. 1 Stem cells are always developing in the human body. Our hair and fingernails grow continuously. Every day, old cells are replaced by new cells. The root of all these new cells is the various kinds of stem cells in the human body. The first experiment I want to conduct concerns the reparative effect of the neural stem cell on a damaged brain. Chen Chen went on. The function of the neural stem cells is as its name implies, its a class of adult stem cells able to repair neural ends. This is the initial theory of the experiment. After the neural stem cells are injected into the human body, they are able to stimulate the stem cells in the body to automatically secrete cell growth factors C a type of small molecule protein that can promote biological activity, in turn repairing the cranial nerves. Stem cells are classified into autologous and allogeneic. As the name suggests, autologous refers to stem cells that originate from your own body. By extracting autologous stem cells and enhancing them via external influences and then reinjecting it into the same body, there will not be any incompatibility issues as it originates from the same body. This is the best option as it negates the possibility of transplant rejection. 3 For this experiment, well need to create a brain damage model. Its better to use SD rats as opposed to Kunming mice since its more optimal to work with slightly larger subjects. Arriving at this point, Chen Chen gradually became more serious. As for the autologous neural stem cells required for the experiment, I will use two methods to obtain them. One, artificial cultivation. Two, extracting it from a cloned body via cloning method. Clone? Wang Wei jolted. He raised his head and asked, Youre saying you want to carry out two batches of experiment and compare the neural stem cells to see which one is more effective? Correct, thats exactly it. Chen Chen snapped his fingers. Stem cells are always exalted by the outside world, known to be able to infinitely reproduce, immune to aging, and such. But realistically, if stem cells were able to reproduce infinitely, then why do humans still age and die? What I want to figure out is whether therell be any difference in effectiveness between artificially developed stem cells and new stem cells from a clone. They are both autologous stem cells after all. Why not apply an induction method? Xia Yin sat in front of Chen Chen and cupped her chin with her palm. Ultimately, the experiment model is based on humans. Since the goal is to compare the differences between stem cells, wouldnt it be more optimal to use stem cells developed using directional induced differentiation technique? The preparation needed for directional induced differentiation technique is too complex and the cost is high as well. Chen Chen explained, Additionally, this technique isnt well developed yet. An induced stem cell has a risk of tumor formation and immunity rejection. We can also try to clone other animals such as house rabbits, Wang Wei suggested. We can certainly try house rabbits, but you cant forget about the time and cost factor. A pregnancy cycle of a SD rat is about twenty days. A house rabbit will need double that. Just the time factor alone constrains our experiment resources. Alright, I didnt think of that. Wang Wei looked sorry. Chen Chen went on. For the second experiment, Ill destroy the spinal nerves of several rats. This will render them with high paraplegia without endangering their lives. After that, cultivate the stem cells and see if we can restore the rats mobility using this method. 1 And then, the final experiment. Its also the experiment which I think is the most important Chen Chens expression was solemn. The two previous experiments arent a big deal as they have been done throughout the world. But the third one is different. It has to do with rebuilding the immune system. 1 Chapter 19 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Rebuild the immune system? Wang Wei was dumbfounded. Do you know about the most effective clinical treatment for leukemia currently? Chen Chen asked. Uh, never really paid attention. This is probably more in the department of biomedical science. Wang Wei scratched his head. Simply put, leukemia is a type of hematopoietic stem cell disease. Due to certain factors, a harmful proliferation phenomenon occurs in the hematopoietic stem cells in the body. It causes a disruption to the regular hematopoietic function of the human body. It shares a similar principle with cancer, therefore its also known as blood cancer. 6 Chen Chen continued explaining, In the current day and age in the medical world, the most effective method for treating leukemia is by pairing bone marrows. This is done by selecting a donor with genetics as close as possible with the patient. The patient will then receive chemotherapy and radiotherapy, effectively killing the hematopoietic stem cell in the bone marrow. After that, the donor will be injected with a drug known as a mobilizer to stimulate rapid growth of hematopoietic stem cells in the bone marrow which is then spread into the blood. Then, the hospital will extract these stem cells and inject them into the patient. Since the hematopoietic stem cells previously in the patient have been killed, theres now a niche in the patients body. The newly injected hematopoietic stem cells will create a reaction known as nesting. The immune system will be rebuilt in one to two months starting from the time of the injection into the patients bone marrow. Chen Chen concluded. This is known as the bone marrow transplant by using healthy hematopoietic stem cells in the donor to replace the diseased stem cells in the patients body. In truth, it doesnt refer to the bone marrow despite what the name implies as its only a transplant of hematopoietic stem cells. What does that have to do with your experiment? Xia Yin quickly asked. The third experiment is to select a group of elderly large rats and clone them. After that, extract the hematopoietic stem cells and mesenchymal stem cells from the cloned bodies. Just like how leukemia is treated, kill the hematopoietic stem cells and mesenchymal stem cells in this group of rats and replace them with the cloned stem cells. 4 Chen Chen pondered. If successful, will these old rats be restored to their youth? Pro Probably not? Xia Yin looked surprised. Why not? The corner of Chen Chens lips curled up a little. Mesenchymal stem cells can differentiate into hepatocytes, osteoblasts, fat cells, chondrocytes, stromal cells, and many other cells. 5 Why does the human body age? Its due to functional decline of human muscles, bones, and internal organs. But why do the functions of human muscles, bones, and internal organs age in the first place? Thats because of the aging of the stem cells. The stem cells in a young person can continuously replicate and replace aged muscle cells, bone cells, and visceral cells. Therefore, the metabolism of a young man is faster than that of an adult, but after around thirty-years-old, the stem cells will begin to age. The speed of replication slowly fails to keep up with the speed at which the cells age, which results in the human body aging Chen Chen claimed. In that case, if the mesenchymal stem cells and hematopoietic stem cells in the human body can be restored to their youth, will the human body subsequently be restored to its youth as well? Even if the organs cannot be revitalized, the muscles, bones, hematopoietic function, and other functionalities of the body could be revitalized. Surely this is something that many people can only dream of attaining? 3 When Xia Yin heard this, she appeared to be deep in thought. Since she was in her senior year, she was slightly more knowledgeable than Wang Wei. She understood more than Wang Wei about the implications of the impact of this experiment on the medical world if it was successful. If it was successful, it could be invested into a sector. A longing expression appeared on Xia Yins face. Ive already contacted Mongan Pharmaceutical Company. We can use their connections to help us buy the experimental drugs needed for the experiment. I asked about the price and it seems fair. Chen Chen added. We can begin the experiment right away today. Lets go then, Xia Yin said, If we begin early, maybe we could complete it within three months! The three of them set off immediately. They took a car to the Mongan Pharmaceutical Company building. Mr. Mediterranean, who Chen Chen and Xia Yin were previously acquainted with, had been waiting for some time. In just a few days since they last met, the Mediterranean Sea on Mr. Mediterraneans head seemed to have expanded wider. 1 You guys are finally here. If you took any longer, the higher-ups are going to be pissed at me. Mr. Mediterranean frowned. I shouldnt have agreed with the terms of your rental period starting at winter break. We had to stomach more than a week of losses. Is everything purchased? Done, head-mounted experiment recorder and various experimental chemicals are already purchased and placed on the fifth floor for you. Mr. Mediterranean took out three magnetic cards and handed them to Chen Chen. This is the access card for the lab. Well send someone to inspect the lab once a month. If there are any damages, youll be expected to compensate us accordingly. Please take good care of our experiment equipment and the lab environment. Certainly. Chen Chen accepted the access cards. This one as well. He took out yet another name card. This is the contact of the laboratory supplier. If you need any experimental drugs or animals, you can call this number. Chen Chen received the name card. The contact of the Shangdu Animal Research Center personnel was written on the card. He then handed the name card to Xia Yin. Since they had already signed the agreement, Mr. Mediterranean took his leave after taking Chen Chen and the others to the fifth floor. The entire floor is the laboratory you guys rented? Wang Wei began looking around everywhere when he got to the fifth floor. He curiously inspected everything. This is so luxurious. Its even better than the lab in school. Oh yeah, wheres the entrance to the GMP lab? How come I dont see the entrance? Its inside the basic lab. Chen Chen put on disposable slippers and walked into the basic laboratory. The blue alloy door in front is the entrance. There are also two compartments behind the basic lab. I had them buy three beds and put them in there. We can use it as a lounge. Two of them followed him and saw many items piled up in the basic laboratory. Among the items were three folding beds. Apart from that, there were various packaged chemicals. It was going to take the three of them some time to move the chemicals into the cleanroom area. As students at the Institute of Biological Sciences, this was not the first time these three had entered a sterile laboratory so they were familiar with the protocol. Wang Wei was put in charge of moving the chemicals into the buffer corridor and Xia Yin would then put them into the transferring window. Chen Chen would receive the items from inside the GMP laboratory. 2 The three of them began working. They split the tasks among themselves and made sure to accomplish their respective tasks properly. Just after a short while, the elevator door opened again. A man pushed in a small cart of sterile boxes. Is this the SPS grade experimental animals you ordered? Thats right. Wang Wei was in the exterior area passing the chemicals. He quickly informed Xia Yin to come out to check the experimental animals and sign the package. The experimental animals consisted of sixty SD rats and ten experimental rabbits. After a simple handover, the two of them relocated these animals to the breeding room. Chapter 20 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Half a month later. Chen Chen put down the apparatus in his hand and stretched on the class one hundred workbench. A glimpse of excitement flashed past his eyes. Fertilized induction completed on clone number thirty, ready to inject into the parent body. Chen Chen continued narrating while writing down the experiment record. The experiment recorder strapped on his head faithfully recorded every frame. This footage would become invaluable data in the future. At this phase, the entire experiment was still at its early stages, which was the cloning stage. Chen Chen had to use the micromanipulator to remove the nucleus from thirty-six egg cells and replace it with another nucleus to form a cloned fertilized egg. This process is what was known as Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer Reprogramming. The cloning technique had a rich history. The concept was first suggested in 1938 by a German embryologist. In 1996, the cloned sheep Dolly was born. In 2012, mankind discovered that coffee was able to increase the reprogramming succession rate of a primate egg cell. Mankind had been developing cloning techniques for close to a century. 1 In the current day and age, cloning techniques had long matured and become commercialized. Many people were willing to spend a fortune to clone their deceased pets. This led to the birth of profitable pet cloning companies, further proving the rapid maturity of cloning techniques. 5 All these factors combined were the reason that Chen Chen was able to produce dozens of cloned SD rat fertilized eggs within half a month. However, just because the technique was in its mature stages, it did not imply that it was easily done. What was cloning? There was such a tale in Western culture: It was said there was once a country that possessed a poisonous spring. Anyone who drank from the spring would become crazy and be turned into a madman. All the people in this country drank from the spring and had fallen into a state of madness. The king was the only one who did not drink the spring water, so he did not fall into the same lunatic state. As it turned out, all the madmen and women in the country thought that the king had some mental problems. So, they tied the king up and tried to find some way to remedy his madness. At last, the king could not bear the suffering anymore. He drank the spring water and fell into the same madness as the people Cloning is a realistic depiction of this tale. 2 A cell consists of the cell membrane, cytoplasm, organelle, nucleus, and dozens of other substances. The most essential out of them all was the cell nucleus as it could send signals across the entire cell. Generally speaking, the cells would have to send a signal to the nucleus before performing any task. After receiving the green light from the nucleus, the relevant genes would be mobilized. A molecule known as messenger RNA sent signals which were received by the relevant organelle to carry out the tasks. In this sense, you could say that the nucleus played the role of the king in a cell while the other components were the civilians. What if one day, scientists replaced the king? Specifically, the nucleus of an egg cell. After removing the nucleus of the egg cell, it was then replaced with a nucleus that originated from the somatic cell of the cloning target. After that, the scientists changed the state of the egg cell using electric current and chemicals, making it a fertilized egg. It would be like reenacting the scene in the tale where all of the people of the country have drunk from the poisonous spring. The people then began to continuously beg the nucleus to issue an order to let the fertilized egg develop. The newly appointed nucleus would refuse to do so. After all, it was not a nucleus of an egg cell. It could not simply develop the fertilized egg just because it was asked to do so. Im a somatic nucleus. Even if I had to be mutated, transformed into a cancer cell or even consumed by a white blood cell, Ill never develop an egg cell! However, after the persistent pressure from its subjects, the somatic nucleus began to feel like it was unwise to incur the public wrat. It had to change its stance and transform itself into an egg cell nucleus. At last, the egg cell was successfully developed into an embryo. It would then be implanted into the womb of a carrier which finally resulted in the birth of a clone. The birthed life would share the same genetics with the owner of the cell nucleus. Cloning success! Of course, when put into practice, it was still incredibly difficult. Leaving the subject of the harmfulness of the chemicals aside, the process of implanting the nucleus into the egg cell was already a major surgery on its own. The process involved removing the nucleus from the egg cell, then implanting an allogenic nucleus. Just the egg cell surviving was already a miracle on its own. It was only after taking NZT48 that Chen Chen was able to maintain such a commendable success rate. At this moment, a knocking came from the door behind Chen Chen. Wang Weis voice came through the door. Lil Chen, the second batch of cloned subjects were successfully born. No signs of defect at the moment. Unlike Chen Chen who was still energetic, Wang Wei could barely mask the exhaustion in his voice. Alright, Ill be right there. Chen Chen got up and began cleaning up the workbench. After putting several treasured clone fertilized eggs in the freezer, he quickly headed to the other room. The moment Chen Chen stepped in, he heard squeaking which came from the newborn rats. Wang Wei and Xia Yin both stood in front of the cage, observing them silently. The newborn rats were covered in blood. Their eyes were two sesame seed-sized black spots. They were squeaking away like a bunch of red crickets. Get ready to begin then. Extract the neural stem cells and build a cell suspension model. 1 Ok. Wang Wei nodded. After working together for a month, Wang Wei was awestricken by Chen Chens skills and conviction. Nobody in the Institute of Biological Sciences could pull this off other than Chen Chen. Xia Yin had her mouth agape, staring at the batch of newborn rats who had not even had their eyes open. She showed some hesitation. Are we going to do this now? Youve already chosen this profession, dont feel sorry for them, Chen Chen spoke plainly, Just show respect for these animals who sacrifice themselves for science. 19 Xia Yin remained silent. After that, the three of them compared the genetics of the cloned rats and the original bodies. After making sure that there was no error, they put them down. The poor newborn mice had their lives cut short before they even got to open their eyes to see the world. Is the chilled PBS dish ready? Chen Chen asked. 4 Over here. Xia Yin carefully brought several petri dishes. She then looked at Wang Wei. We can start now. Ok. Wang Wei took the petri dishes and began to put down the rats on the operating bench. The brain component was extracted from the carcass. Next, he placed the brain on the chilled PBS dish. He then skillfully detached the hippocampus and put it into a buffer solution. In a streamlined motion, he turned around and began to work on the second rat. 1 Chen Chen went to the station Wang Wei worked in. He cut the hippocampus into fine pieces and added 0.25% pancreatin before putting it into a thirty-seven degree Celsius incubator. He then asked Xia Yin, Is the planting fluid ready? Its ready. Xia Yin took down a burette from the cabinet. Chen Chen nodded. He then turned around and began operating on the second petri dish that Wang Wei had worked on. Xia Yin waited for two minutes before taking the petri dish out of the incubator and putting it into the centrifuge to be separated. Then, she added planting fluid and pipetted it to form a cell suspension. Tick tick tick! At this point, the digital clock in the laboratory began to tick. It was now nine oclock at night. Alright, that concludes the experiment today. Even though there was still unfinished work, Chen Chen did not intend to stay any longer. He immediately put down the equipment, briefly cleaned everything up, and headed for the laboratory exit. Dont we only need another half an hour to finalize the work today? Wang Wei was puzzled. Rest is important. Chen Chen shook his head and spoke sternly, If you want to remain in this profession for a long time, youre going to need a healthy body. After watching Chen Chen take his leave, Wang Wei and Xia Yin looked at each other. This Chen Chen fellow is really weird. Xia Yin vented. He works like hes racing against the clock, boiling with energy and able to handle several peoples workloads. But the very second hes off the clock, he cant even be bothered to work an extra second 2 I guess this is one of those scientist quirks? Wang Wei shook his head. Lets clean up a bit now and finish up tomorrow. Sure. Xia Yin nodded. After that, the two left the laboratory. Chapter 21 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Time was like an arrow. Whether one was busy or at leisure, it had already flitted by swiftly before one realized it. In the blink of an eye, another year was over. It was now 2021 in the Earth Federation. 11 Although classes had not started, many postgraduate candidates had returned to campus in advance. With the return of the students, the campus that was once deserted became busy again. Nonetheless, over the past month, Chen Chens team of three had been slaving away. They had to work in the laboratory for over ten hours a day. Breakfast was at eight each morning. By nine, they would reach the laboratory, only going out for lunch at noon. By the time they came out, it was already nine at night. Sometimes, when they were truly exhausted, Chen Chen and Wang Wei would spend the night in the laboratorys lounge instead of returning to campus. As for Xia Yin, her responsibilities were more logistical in nature, such as getting food, bringing water, and looking after the laboratory animals. Thus, she had it easier compared to the other two. 3 Three days before the semester began, the final batch of white mice implanted with egg cells produced fresh clones at last. The early stage of the experiment was successfully completed. Following that, Chen Chen divided these cloned white mice into three groups. The first group was the brain injury model group, which was further divided into two teams, A and B. Team A would be treated with artificially cultivated autologous stem cells whereas Team B would be treated with cloned autologous stem cells. There were four mice in each team. The second group was the spinal injury model group. Similarly, Team A would receive treatment using artificially cultivated autologous stem cells while Team B would receive treatment of cloned autologous stem cells. There were also four mice in both teams. The third group had the greatest number of mice C twelve. These were elderly SD rats that were specially selected. They were to be used in the experiment on rebuilding the immune system. All the rats in this group had been cloned, which meant that they had corresponding cloned stem cells. The majority of their hematopoietic stem cells and mesenchymal stem cells would be killed off with radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Then, they would be injected with cloned stem cells to see if they would regain their youth. This was known as bone marrow transplantation. Why was the third group the largest? Throughout the process of radiotherapy and chemotherapy, most of these mice would die. Radiotherapy and chemotherapy were treatments that utilized radiation and chemicals to kill off cancer cell clusters at a certain part of a patients body. However, this sort of treatment came at a great cost. After all, while the cancer cells were killed off, the ordinary cells in a patients body would also be overwhelmed. It was due to this that patients who underwent radiotherapy and chemotherapy would lose their hair. Moreover, many patients with advanced cancer died, not because of the spread of cancer cells but because of the chemotherapy process that had destroyed their bodies. It was truly a tragedy. Since cancer was formally discovered in 1911, the battle between humans and cancer had lasted for over a century. In this protracted war, humans had been helpless against cancer, until the subsequent emergence of radiotherapy and chemotherapy, all the way to the various types of targeted drugs today. Bit by bit, they staked their claim to their own lives. The advent of treatment like bone marrow transplant marked the first victory for humans in the war against cancer. Victories like this would continue to grow until one day, when humans would completely defeat this disease called cancer, causing it to vanish among the human race. Just like the smallpox of olden days. 8 Of course, bone marrow transplants might not work every time. For one, the success rate of bone marrow transplantation was not higher than sixty percent, even though it had been clinically approved as a treatment for leukemia by the medical profession. Plus, out of this sixty percent, half of the patients would relapse after half a year. This meant that bone marrow transplant was still a domain of thorny confrontation between humanity and disease. If something went wrong in the intermediate stages and the entire batch of mice was to die, all the effort and resources of the past month would be poured down the drain. After all, the original subjects would be gone. What would be the use of those corresponding cloned stem cells? Therefore, Chen Chen was using the other mice to test the waters and accumulate experience in using radiotherapy and chemotherapy on mice. Nevertheless, mice were different from humans. These treatments were still too harsh for mice. Chen Chen could only guarantee a forty percent survival rate. However, with the birth of the last batch of cloned mice, the preliminary preparations of Chen Chens three experiments were finished at last. After this was the actual experiment process. Five more days passed by. It was officially the beginning of classes. Chen Chen and the other two applied to delay their return to classes as they continued to hole up in the laboratory day and night. At the same time, the first and second groups of mice started to show signs of recovery alongside the administration of stem cell treatment. The third group, however, did not fare as well. Five out of twelve SD rats were already dead. Although the rest had survived, they were breathing their last and had even stopped eating. Two days later, the chemotherapy had ended. Some of the dying mice did not recover at all and eight or nine died one after another, leaving only six alive. Still, six was enough. Chen Chen had only hoped that two or three out of these six could hold on until the end of the experiment. Another month and a half flitted by under such tense circumstances. The experiment period, which had been planned to last three months, finally came to an end. At the moment, the three of them were huddled before a group of mice, excitement evident in their expressions. Final result verification Chen Chen spoke into the recorder, Group one, brain injury model group, Team A. Three subjects, three survived. Effect of treatment: Number one is relatively better, Number two is significantly better, Number three is slightly better 2 Group one, brain injury model group, Team B. Three subjects, three survived. Effect of treatment: Number one is significantly better, Number two is significantly better, Number three is significantly better. Summary: The effectiveness of treatment in Team A, which used artificial stem cell cultivation, is clearly inferior to Team B, which used cloned autologous stem cells. Group two, spinal injury model group, Team A, four subjects Team B, four subjects. Similarly, whether in terms of recovery rate or effectiveness of treatment: Team A is inferior to Team B. Experiment group three: in the end, three subjects survived. Basic CT indicates that the body functions of experiment subjects, which had shown signs of aging, have been greatly improved in all aspects Its incredible C all three experiments are a success! Wang Wei patted Chen Chens shoulder spiritedly. In other words, the cloned young stem cells are far more effective than the artificially cultivated autologous stem cells? 2 Furthermore, the third experiment also illustrates that replacing the bone marrow can really restore ones youth? 1 Xia Yin murmured with a look of disbelief, Chen Chen, were going to be famous Although Chen Chen wore a smile too, his eyes were cool and collected. Following this, Ill write two papers. As Ive said before, Xia Yin will be the lead author, Brother Wei will be the second author, and Ill be the corresponding author. I assume no one has a problem with that? Not at all. Id be taking credit for both of your achievements. If it werent for you, Lil Chen, the experiments wouldnt have gone so smoothly. Wang Wei wore a serene expression. Suddenly, he wondered out loud. By the way, why are there only two papers? Didnt we carry out three experiments with three groups of subjects? One of the papers will explore the difference between artificially cultivated stem cells and cloned autologous stem cells in terms of their effectiveness on the human body. This will include the first and second experiments by default. Chen Chen explained further, The second paper will be regarding the experiment on bone marrow transplantation. You could say that the first and second experiments are more persuasive when placed together. Xia Yin beamed and nodded. What about submission? Surely were submitting to a first-rank journal? Of course, the first of these two research results may be a little flimsy, but the second one would have no problem getting accepted by a first-rank journal. Upon hearing this, Xia Yin and Wang Wei cheered once more. Then, which journal do you plan to submit to? Xia Yin followed up with another question. There are only a few top, first-rank journals in the field of biology. Of course, were submitting to Cell! 1 Wang Wei had answered before Chen Chen could. Didnt your tutor tell you? The shorter a journals name, the more impressive it is! 4 Cell was a magazine about the latest research findings in the field of life sciences. In the field of biology, it was undeniably the cream of the crop. Since its first publication, its impact factor had not dropped down below the top three. It was like a form of faith for people who were professionally involved in life sciences. Those engaged in scientific research would always mention CNS papers. CNS here was an abbreviation of Cell, Nature, and Science, the top three publications. Anyone would be proud to publish a paper in any of these three journals. Chen Chen glanced at the other two who were puffing up with excitement and he burst out laughing. Brother Wei is right. Of course, were submitting to Cell. After all, thats our faith. Chapter 22 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Following that, Chen Chen and the other two began to kill the white mice used in the experiments. Although living results were more valuable, it was not as if these experiments could not be replicated. Moreover, the dead mice would be soaked in formalin, making it easier to preserve the evidence. 1 As the three of them left Mongan Pharmaceutical Company with this hoard of data, the world seemed to be bathed in sunlight. Even the exhaust fumes of vehicles in the city were incomparably invigorating. Oh, right. On the way back, Chen Chen seemed to recall something. He turned to remind Xia Yin, Remember, if there isnt any need to do so, dont tell anyone about the results of our experiments. Wait until Ive submitted the papers. Oh, but Ive already told my tutor. 1 Xia Yin stuck out her tongue and said guiltily, As I applied to delay my return to classes, I directly told my tutor about this. It shouldnt be a problem, right? 12 Forget it then. Im just being extra cautious. Chen Chen smiled and said nothing else. Upon reaching the campus, the three of them parted ways. Chen Chen and Wang Wei returned to their dorm. In the dorm, Wang Wei made a beeline for his bed, muttering that he would never get up again. These three months of diligent effort had diminished Brother Wei by a few kilograms. Now that the weight had been lifted off his shoulders, he conked out in less than five minutes. A soft snore rang out in the dorm. Chen Chen did not want to waste any time. While the drug was still working, he brought his laptop to his old haunt, the library, and started writing the papers. A Discussion on the Aging of Stem Cells, Based on the Results of Autologous Stem Cell Therapy and Cloned Stem Cell Therapy. Rebuilding the Immune System with Mesenchymal Stem Cells Allows SD Rats to Regain Youth. Chen Chen opened up LaTeX and typed out two titles. 1 However, on second thought, Chen Chen deleted everything and typed out the titles in English instead. During this period, Chen Chen did not stop his learning. Whenever he had a spare moment in the three months of experimentation, he flipped through a few academic books, including English. In addition to his perseverance, the effects of NZT-48 also played a crucial role. Upon taking NZT-48, ones emotional urges would be suppressed, resulting in extreme rationality. With this state of mind, anyone who was not a complete wastrel could become an exceptionally diligent bookworm. Since Chen Chens English had improved over time, he might as well forego the process of writing the papers in Chinese, then translating them into English. He could just write them in English right off the bat. He did not bring the records of the experiment to the library with him. Still, all the information was already in his head. He could access it anytime he liked. The two papers would be rather lengthy, totaling around a hundred thousand words. However, it was as if Chen Chen already had a mental outline. All he had to do was list out the experiment process and the resulting data in the right places, then use the appropriate words to connect everything. 1 With this super efficiency, the process of writing was incomparably swift. It was as if countless streams of information were flowing through his mind and before his eyes while his fingers typed out one word after another without a single mistake. The manner in which each stage of the experiments should be described, the format and layout of the paper, the choice of words, sentence structure, and even terminology C all of these were so accurate that no one would be able to pick out any flaw. In this way, Chen Chen had finished writing two papers at an astonishing speed before the library was closed When Chen Chen woke up in his dorm, he experienced an unusually strong headache. It felt like someone had reached into his skull and kneaded his brain vigorously or his head had turned into a washing machine drum that was spinning frantically. His thoughts were being blended into smithereens Chen Chen forced himself up, staggered to the toilet, and started relieving himself. However, just when he was peeing, he felt a sudden twist in his stomach, and he vomited violently. Cough cough cough! His windpipe was choked up with vomit, causing a severe fit of coughing. Fortunately, there was no one in the dormitory to witness all this. Chen Chens applied semester delay was not over yet, so he did not have to wake up early for classes. My body After a long while, Chen Chen finally recovered his senses. He braced himself against the sink and stared into the mirror blearily. In the mirror, a pale youth with a numb expression gazed back at him wordlessly. The youths hair was disheveled and he looked unspeakably haggard. My body is showing signs of NZT-48s side effects Chen Chen murmured to himself. It had been four months since he had obtained the USB drive and started taking the drug. Four months was enough time for NZT-48 to begin eroding his body and brain. 1 These were just the beginning symptoms. Chen Chen knew that at an intermediate stage, his thoughts would often become scattered. He would forget everything that had happened before as if he suffered memory loss from drinking too much. If Chen Chen still had not charged the USB drive sufficiently by the time the drug ran out, that would be his expiry date. I must speed things up. Chen Chen croaked hoarsely. Following that, he leaned over the sink and washed himself. Before he could finish washing up, his phone suddenly rang by his side. Chen Chen rubbed his eyes and saw that Xia Yin was calling. After wiping his hands, he picked up the call. Chen Chen Over the call, Xia Yin sounded rather gloomy. Go on. Ahem! When Chen Chen spoke, he found that his voice was hoarse and he hurriedly coughed twice. Whats going on? My, my tutor wants to meet you. Xia Yin whispered, Im sorry Chen Chens heart plummeted. In an instant, he understood that the thing which he most wanted to avoid had truly happened. Xia Yin explained, I just found out that my tutor knows the person in charge at Mongan Pharmaceutical Company. He learned that Ive finished an experiment and called me early this morning, asking about how the experiment ended up So, you told him? Chen Chen asked calmly. Its all my fault. Can you come over now? Ill wait for you at Office Block Three Xia Yin repeated. Alright, Ill be there right away. With that, Chen Chen hung up. Huff, I hate feeling like things are out of my control. 5 Chen Chen raised his right hand and stared silently at his palm, then looked at his reflection in the mirror. Currently, for some reason, his eyes in the mirror were dull with a faint bloody gleam. So, you want to be credited as the corresponding author? 1 Without even guessing, Chen Chen knew what the other guy was thinking. Xia Yins tutor was vying for the position of the corresponding author only because he wanted the intellectual property rights. Compared to lead author and second author, this was the most valuable thing. Of course, if the price was right, it was not a big deal to sell it to someone else. Chen Chen was just afraid that the tutor would try to take advantage of his young age and strip him of what was rightfully his at a very low cost If that was the case, no one could blame Chen Chen for whatever happened next. Chen Chen wordlessly shut his eyes, took out an NZT-48 pill from his undershirt pocket and placed it in his mouth. 4 Chapter 23 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Chen Chen walked briskly through the forest trail on campus. 1 This was the beginning of spring. A soft, silky rain was falling and the scent of the earth suffused the air. In the moving crowd of people, Chen Chen always managed to attract a lot of attention. His appearance was not outstanding but he had a presence that extended outward, making him the most eye-catching of the bunch. Anyone could see that he was dressed in an ordinary t-shirt and jeans. Even so, every gesture of his seemed like that of a celebritys. Chen Chen quietly closed the webpage on Xia Yins tutor and placed his phone down with a thoughtful expression. A schemer through and through This was the first thing Chen Chen said about this guy. Based on the information Chen Chen had obtained from the college, the tutors name was Zheng Jian. He was an associate professor who was 38 years old this year. He graduated from North American Salia University with a double Ph.D. in biochemistry and pharmacy. He must have had a certain level of capability and finesse to be able to become an associate professor at such a young age. Although Zheng Jians status in academia was far behind Wang Xi, he was still a mammoth obstacle to Chen Chen. Once a conflict erupted, Chen Chen would have no chance of winning. Of course, that was a thing of the past. Chen Chen looked up Zheng Jians information online, which only mentioned that his spouse had died of medulloblastoma a few years ago and the two had no offspring. However, just six months later, Zheng Jian had married a new lover, who was the daughter of a high-ranking official. There was an accompanying photo which showed a man sitting behind an office desk. The mans cheeks were sunken and he wore gold-rimmed glasses. There was a hard glint in his eyes. In addition, there was a neat bookshelf behind the man. On the desk before him were a computer, a pen holder, a thermos mug, and a framed photo. The photo was blurred. One could just about make out a woman in a white dress. Chen Chen could dig up all of this thanks to the highly developed internet. Of course, it was limited to this. It was impossible to obtain further information about Zheng Jian online. After all, he was not a star in the entertainment industry. Soon, Chen Chen had reached the ground floor of Block Office Three. Chen Chen! Xia Yin waved and jogged over from a short distance away. She apologized profusely the moment she saw Chen Chen, Im sorry, Im sorry, Im sorry. I truly didnt expect this to happen! 10 Its fine. Tell me what your tutor wants. Chen Chen waved his hand. Both of them headed up the stairs. My tutor hopes that you and I can grant him the positions of lead and corresponding author. In exchange, he could directly recommend us for the postgraduate program. Xia Yin said, Of course, its okay if you have other conditions, but And what do you want? Chen Chen turned to look at Xia Yin. My tutor has already prepared a letter to the school that would guarantee entry into the postgraduate program Xia Yin sounded rather uncertain. I think thats pretty good. Didnt we do this experiment to get into postgraduate research? Now that weve reached our goal, we can give up on those two papers, right? 6 Chen Chen shook his head but said nothing. There was a pitfall in thinking here. If the two papers were successfully published, Xia Yin and Chen Chen would be qualified for postgraduate research regardless. Not only that but the two papers would also be hugely advantageous to both their futures. Giving up credit as lead and corresponding authors in exchange for an entry into the postgraduate program was akin to putting the cart before the horse. Nonetheless, Chen Chen did not voice any objections. After all, this experiment was funded by Xia Yin. If he did not agree to give up his position as a corresponding author, he would undoubtedly offend Xia Yins tutor, which would cut off her path to postgraduate research. Of course, compromising immediately was not Chen Chens style either. Sure, the tutor could be a corresponding author but he must pay the right price. Furthermore, based on what Xia Yin had said, the tutor did not just want Chen Chens position as a corresponding author. He also wanted Xia Yins position as lead author. According to international practice, the lead author was typically recognized as the corresponding author. This was common. Generally, the lead author was the one who contributed most to the paper. Unless the corresponding author was specifically stated, the lead author would be treated as the corresponding author by default. Professor Zheng wanted an unequivocal position as lead author. Seeing that Chen Chen did not speak, Xia Yin fell silent as well. In this silence, they reached the fifth floor and came to the office door of Xia Yins tutor. Chen Chen, in the past three months, Ive seen what youre capable of. If this deal isnt worth it, just turn him down Xia Yin finally blurted out this statement as if she had been plucking up the courage to say it. Dont worry. I know what to do. Chen Chen shook his head. Without warning, he raised his phone and asked Xia Yin, By the way, whos the woman on your tutors desk? Huh? Xia Yin tilted her head and looked. Oh, her. Thats his previous wife whos passed away. Why? Oh, its nothing. Chen Chen nodded, turned around, and knocked on the door. Please come in. A gravelly voice called out. Chen Chen pushed open the office door and walked in. This was a fifteen-square-meter office. The layout of the office was identical to the one in the picture online. Even the positions of the pen holder and the framed photo on the desk were the same. Hello, Professor Zheng. After a quick look, Chen Chen withdrew his gaze and nodded at the middle-aged man before him. Oh, you must be Chen Chen. Little Yin has mentioned about you before. Come in, come in, please have a seat! Unexpectedly, the middle-aged man stood up at once and shook Chen Chens hand enthusiastically. Seeing that Chen Chen seemed stunned by this friendly display, the man could not help chuckling. Little Yin, you may go first. Ill have a good chat with your schoolmate Chen Chen. Very well. Xia Yin nodded. After casting a furtive, meaningful glance at Chen Chen, she left the office. The middle-aged man waited until Xia Yin had closed the door behind her before he steadied his expression. Let me introduce myself. Im Zheng Jian, Little Yins tutor. I heard from her that your team spent only three months to complete a groundbreaking pilot project. Thats impressive. I guess so. Its not all to my credit. Xia Yin and a dorm mate of mine helped a great deal. Chen Chen sat on the sofa and replied as he observed the office. Zheng Jians office was not large. Other than the desk and the bookshelf at the back, there was just a mahogany pendulum clock by the door. This pendulum clock could be classified as a grandfather clock. It was over two meters tall with a low, golden pendulum. Through the transparent glass, Chen Chen could see the pendulum swinging ceaselessly. It looked extremely expensive. Chen Chen showed an expression of interest and walked up toward the pendulum clock, examining it closely. What, youre interested in my pendulum clock? Zheng Jian laughed. Professor Zheng, this pendulum clock is from Holland, right? Chen Chen shot back with his question. Oh? Youre very knowledgeable about pendulum clocks. Zheng Jian was startled. Thats right, this pendulum clock is indeed imported from Holland. I thought it looked good, so I placed it here. Pendulum clocks made in Holland have a sort of classical charm. Its too bad theyre not precise enough and require frequent adjustments. Chen Chen nodded. Professor Zheng, do you know what time it is? Now Zheng Jian looked at the time on the clock. Isnt it 9:35 in the morning? But my phone says its 9:40. After he spoke, Chen Chen immediately opened the protective case of the clock and set the time forward by five minutes. Zheng Jian frowned but said nothing in the end. Now, the time is right. Chen Chen smiled, turned around, and sat back on the sofa. Zheng Jian shot a glance at the pendulum clock as if sensing that something was wrong. Only then did he say, Student Chen Chen, lets get to the point. Chen Chen assumed a listening expression at once. You know that Xia Yin is my student. I have every reason to be responsible for this experiment in which she had invested. 1 Zheng Jians voice dripped with sincerity. Still, in recognition of the significant work youve put in, I wont treat you unfairly. After all, Im very pleased with this experiment. Plus, your abilities and ideas are wonderful. I have high hopes for you and Im willing to invest in you. Chen Chen still did not speak but there seemed to be a hint of a waver in his expression. Hows this C when youre in your junior year, pick me as your tutor. Ill get you a place in this schools postgraduate research program and utilize you as much as possible in all future projects and tasks! Zheng Jian struck while the iron was hot. Besides, Ill help you fight for scholarships and whatnot as much as I can. I only have one condition, which is For the scientific paper on this experiment, you must give up your signature as a corresponding author! Chapter 24 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Chen Chen laughed inwardly to himself. Xia Yin was the one who had supplied the funds while Chen Chen worked tirelessly for three months. However, Zheng Jians words transformed it into his own project. Zheng Jian was not only thick-skinned but he was also highly ambitious. Chen Chen could even guess that if Zheng Jian got his way, his professorship would be in the bag thanks to this scientific paper. A professor who was not even forty would have unlimited prospects. Now Chen Chen had fully understood that this man before him was determined to seize the results of his own experiments. With this in mind, Chen Chen put on a hesitant expression. Professor Zheng, if I give up on signing my name as the corresponding author, can you really get us into postgraduate research? You wont go back on your promise, right? Be rest assured. Thats entirely in my power. Zheng Jian said in an earnest, enticing manner, Little Chen, in truth, I expect great things from you. Join me C I have plenty of resources and projects. With your capability, you wont have to worry about getting an opportunity to shine. 1 More like, youll exploit my talents for your own gain, right? 3 Chen Chen shook his head inwardly but on the surface, he looked even more tempted. Professor Zheng, Ill have to think this over What else is there to think about? With a kind stern expression, Zheng Jian advised graciously, Im doing this for your own good. You should know that the world of academia is tough and ruthless. Fortunately, youve met me today. If you were to encounter some other tutor, they would give you the second author position at most, without any additional promises. Chen Chen was silent for a moment, appearing to make up his mind. In that case, I ask that you look after us! Good! Good! Good! Zheng Jians face blossomed in delight and he stood up, guffawing and clapping Chen Chens shoulder. Ill show you the ropes! Little Chen, send the experiment data to me at once. Not just a softcopy C I want the firsthand hardcopy of the data. Xia Yin said that its with you. Sure. Whats your email? Ill send you a softcopy right now. Chen Chen took out his phone. After Zheng Jian gave his email, Chen Chen did not hesitate and immediately forwarded the information. Thanks to Chen Chens behavior, Zheng Jian became even more genial. Tutor, let me briefly explain our train of thought. Chen Chen walked in front of Zheng Jian and faced the computer. The core idea of my experiment was to rebuild the immune system based on bone marrow transplantation, replacing the aging stem cells in mice Through stem cell cloning, we obtained a sufficient amount of young mesenchymal and hematopoietic stem cells. After that The real difficulty in this experiment was Chen Chen described the entire experiment process without reservation. He was thorough as if he was narrating a fascinating tale. Each time he reached an exciting part, Zheng Jian could not refrain from laughing and clapping, exclaiming his admiration for Chen Chens mind. Little Chen, I didnt realize that Ive underestimated you. Zheng Jian smiled. Your ideas can only be described as bold and imaginative. Youre like a seedling, bursting with potential. My judgment was correct! Ah, youre flattering me. Chen Chen glanced toward the door and suddenly changed the subject. By the way, is this beautiful lady in the framed photo your wife? Oh, that Zheng Jian had been laughing a second ago. Now, he appeared taken aback by Chen Chens words. Then, he answered, Thats my previous wife. However, she passed away two years ago. Bong A deep, ancient sound boomed out from the grandfather clock. Both Chen Chen and Zheng Jian stopped talking and looked toward the grandfather clock. Zheng Jian suddenly felt a little uncomfortable. He had heard this clock striking countless times and had learned to ignore it long ago. However, for some reason, the clocks chime today was abnormally harsh on his ears Its already ten oclock? Chen Chen turned back and murmured, Professor Zheng, this pendulum clock is broken indeed. Its only 9:55 now. With that, Chen Chen walked to the grandfather clock again and set the time back by five minutes. Zheng Jian opened his mouth but ultimately did not say anything. He did not know why but after this student fiddled with his pendulum clock, there was something odd about this once-familiar clock. Nonetheless, when he took a closer look, he could not sense any difference. 3 After adjusting the time again, Chen Chen whipped his head around and asked, Tutor, did your previous wife die in a car accident? No, it was cancer. Zheng Jian frowned. A student should not be asking about such a private matter. Still, in consideration of the scientific paper, Zheng Jian ultimately replied. What kind of cancer? Chen Chen followed up with another question. Medulloblastoma. What are you asking this for? Zheng Jians frown grew deeper and his dissatisfaction began to show. Its nothing. I just heard that shed often have fever and headaches whereas youre a qualified doctor of pharmacy, so I wanted to ask Chen Chen walked back to the desk and asked in a lowered voice, Did you often privately set up an IV drip for your wife at home? Whats this nonsense? When Zheng Jian heard the question, he sprang up as if he had seen a ghost and glared at Chen Chen. Who sent you? Who made you ask all this? Take a guess. One corner of Chen Chens mouth curved up. By this point, the cordial atmosphere between the two had evaporated. Chen Chen casually picked up the photo frame from the table and turned it toward Zheng Jian. Im curious. Why do you have a photo of your previous wife on your desk? Because I cant forget her. Zheng Jian drew in a deep breath and spat out coldly. If thats the case, why isnt the photo facing you instead of the door? Chen Chen set the photo frame in front of Zheng Jian. What are you afraid of? Ive simply positioned it wrongly! Zheng Jian snarled furiously to cover up his terror. Little Chen, I dont care who told you all this, but let me warn you. I can get the school to take disciplinary action against you for what you just did! Tutor, I dont quite understand what you mean. Chen Chen was unconcerned. He gently tossed the photo frame into the air, then caught it again, over and over. In Zheng Jians eyes, the woman in the white dress appeared to spin and flutter, just like a butterfly. Put the photo down! Zheng Jian roared in rage. Tutor, have you heard of hypnosis? As Chen Chen kept on tossing the photo, he broke out into an eerie smile. Hypnosis is a means of awakening the subconscious. Through hypnosis, many patients with psychological trauma can be healed. Besides that, it has another function, which is It can make a criminal confess his own crime! Youre hypnotizing me? Zheng Jians eyes bulged out. He finally understood why he felt out of sorts. Chen Chen was trying to hypnotize him? 1 When Zheng Jian realized this, his heart clenched and he quickly pinched his own hand. There was an instant twang of pain that revitalized his spirits! Are you afraid? Youre afraid that youll say something after being hypnotized? Chen Chen was relentless. Thats enough. I wont be hypnotized by you! 1 After being jolted by the pain, Zheng Jian felt more like himself at last. Get out of my office right now! Zheng Jian, Ill count to three. You shall return to the day your previous wife died. Chen Chens voice was soft and silky. At the same time, he walked behind Zheng Jian and opened the window. A sudden gust of cold wind rushed in. If you wont leave, Ill call the police! Zheng Jian picked up the landline on his desk. Three Chen Chen began calmly. Shut up and leave now! Cold sweat dripped from Zheng Jians forehead and he started to dial. Two Chen Chen tossed the photo frame into the air once again. Shut up! Clatter! However, just as Chen Chen was about to count to one, his grasp suddenly slipped and the photo frame crashed to the floor. Sorry for disturbing you. 2 Chen Chen grinned and immediately left the office. Click. Zheng Jian waited until he heard the door shut before he wiped away his sweat and collapsed into his chair. How could he know what I did back then? Zheng Jians face was dark. He did not even understand why he was this frightened. No matter what, after this, he would no longer be figured out so easily Zheng Jian breathed in deeply and a cold, vicious glint flashed in his eyes. Then, he bent over to retrieve the photo frame. However, in the instant he was picking up the frame, the pendulum clock by the door struck once again. Bong! 1 One Chapter 25 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Chen Chen walked out of Zheng Jians office. He behaved as usual. No one would be able to tell that he had just locked horns with an associate professor half a minute ago. He went down the stairs to the ground floor, exited the lobby, and walked out of the office block. Only then did Chen Chen take out his phone and looked at the time. Currently, it was ten oclock on the dot. Times Up. Chen Chen muttered to himself, then walked down the path toward his dormitory. When he was about a dozen meters away, there was a sudden, loud thud behind him. 2 It was as if something soft but heavy had plummeted from a higher floor. There was a brief instant of silence among the passersby but this was soon punctured by successive bursts of shrieking. 3 The campus was thrown into discord Chen Chen did not look back. He simply left right away. 3 Before this, Chen Chen was not certain whether Zheng Jian had killed his previous wife. Nonetheless, in some cases, certainty was not required. A seed of suspicion was enough. Why would Chen Chen start suspecting Zheng Jian? It was simple. First of all, medulloblastoma was not a common affliction for those at the age of Zheng Jians wife. Rather, it was a malignant glioma of the posterior fossa that often occurred in children while being rare in adults. Of course, this alone was not enough to arouse Chen Chens suspicions but there was also Zheng Jians identity. Zheng Jian had a double Ph.D. in biochemistry and pharmacy and was a lecturer in the Institute of Biological Science. In simple terms, he possessed the necessary technology and conditions to obtain his wifes somatic cells anytime he liked, induce the formation of cancer cells in the laboratory, and finally inject them back into his wifes body. 2 This was why Chen Chen would ask the question Did you set up an IV drip for your wife at home?. Of course, both of these points did not mean much by themselves. Zheng Jian would still need a motive to kill his wife. In that case C his second wife, the daughter of the high-ranking official. Naturally, that was the motive. To put it simply, this was like a crappy storyline of a scumbag who got rid of his poor, loyal wife after he became successful and chose to marry another, more promising woman. 10 Since a motive existed, Chen Chen only had to apply inductive reasoning. Naturally, he would reach the conclusion that Zheng Jian had killed his previous wife. Even so, this was just a guess. What solidified Chen Chens conviction was the framed photo placed in the office. According to criminal psychology, this was a form of compensation. First off, by placing the photo of his previous wife on the desk, Zheng Jian could reduce his feeling of guilt. Secondly, others around him would think that he cherished his past wife very much, thus lessening any suspicion of a crime. However, humans were not cold-blooded animals, after all. Throughout the years, ethics and morality had haunted every single person. Not everyone could easily overcome this obstacle. As a result, although Zheng Jian had succeeded in killing his wife, he still felt uneasy. The fear of being exposed, his guilt toward his wife, and the weight of his conscience kept on tormenting him. He dared not even visit a psychologist. This had resulted in a state of constant distress over the years. As a result, this distress had made Zheng Jian afraid of his dead wife, which explained the scene earlier. Even though the photo of his previous wife was set out on his desk, it was faced away from him By this point, Chen Chens conjecture had a sixty percent possibility of being true. 1 One should not underestimate this sixty percent. In this world, other than incontrovertible truths such as the sun rises in the east, water flows to the lowest point or objects will fall, not rise, most events were simply random with a certain degree of probability. 2 Sixty percent possibility was enough for Chen Chen to bet on. Therefore, when Chen Chen entered the office, he first displayed an acquiescent attitude to lower Zheng Jians guard. Following that, he worked with what he had, fiddling with the clock to plant a seed in Zheng Jians heart. This was a common method of hypnosis. Human consciousness could be divided into the conscious and the subconscious. In general, when one was awake, the conscious mind was dominant. Through guidance and suggestion, hypnosis allowed patients to enter a light sleep state. At this point, the subconscious would be released and the hypnotist could bypass the conscious mind and communicate with the patients subconscious directly. This was the reason why Chen Chen had immediately sent the data over. He wanted Zheng Jian to be fully at ease. Still, even then, Chen Chen was unable to hypnotize his target. Although the concept of hypnosis was mysterious, it all came down to one thing. For a psychologist to hypnotize someone, the person must be actively cooperating. Otherwise, it would be a futile effort. Chen Chen also knew that no matter how submissive he appeared, Zheng Jian would not completely let down his guard. Nevertheless, all these were just the first step. The second step was when the clock struck the hour. When this happened, Chen Chen brought up the question Who is the woman in the photo?. This would link the clocks chime and the previous wife in Zheng Jians subconscious. However, because Chen Chen had set the clock forward by five minutes, it was only 9:55 then. After that, Chen Chen corrected the clock once again, thus planting the seed deeper in Zheng Jians heart. Then, it was the third step. Chen Chen had abruptly turned confrontational, interrogating Zheng Jian about the cause of his wifes death. This extreme turnaround in approach would usually take the other person by surprise. Furthermore, the pointed questions would cause Zheng Jian to become discombobulated. 2 This was why Zheng Jian was so furious. Sometimes, an expression of anger was a way to mask ones guilt when one was caught off guard. At the same time, Chen Chen laid his cards on the table by telling Zheng Jian that he was going to be hypnotized. Although this would make Zheng Jian highly vigilant, it was also a form of suggestion to Zheng Jian. It was this suggestion that truly buried the seed of I might be hypnotized into Zheng Jians heart. After that, it was the last step. Chen Chen had deliberately acted out an attempt at hypnosis, which drove Zheng Jian into a panic. However, Chen Chen suddenly slipped up and the frame fell to the floor. At this point, Zheng Jians immediate assumption would be C Chen Chens attempt at hypnotizing him had failed. Finally, Chen Chen left. Seeing that his interrogator had left, Zheng Jians tightly wounded mind would relax instantly. His mind, in a few short minutes, had switched violently between relaxation, tension, extreme tension, then relaxation again. Having gone through such a rollercoaster, Zheng Jians mental state sunk into exhaustion. It was at this point that Chen Chens final attack landed! Bong! The clock struck once like the trigger of a pistol being pulled. In this instant, the seed buried in Zheng Jians heart exploded, igniting the terror and guilt he had suppressed for many years! It was like a torrent rushing down a mountain. In the state of hypnosis induced by Chen Chen, Zheng Jian leaped down from the fifth floor and ended his sinful life 12 It was just that simple. 2 Still, Im truly being decisive. That was a living person but I killed him just like that. 7 Chen Chen pondered silently. Was all these a side effect of NZT-48 or the liberation of his own dark side upon abruptly gaining power? 10 Chapter 26 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation The next day, Chen Chen shook hands with the police officer before him and walked out of the police station. Since he was the last person to see Zheng Jian, he was asked to go to the police station to provide a statement. Chen Chen did not hide other details. He told them the reason the other party met up with him and informed them some of his speculations as well. Naturally, Chen Chen did not tell about how the other party died due to his hypnosis. Instead, he told them that he had committed suicide out of guilt. Even though the officials were suspicious of how orchestrated the entire event seemed, Chen Chen had an alibi. At the time the other party jumped off the building, Chen Chen had already left Zheng Jians office. After that, the officials used Chen Chens speculations as a lead. They discovered Zheng Jians laboratory records from several years ago. They also uncovered the death report of Zheng Jians ex-wife, which led to the discovery of a terrible case Three years ago, Zheng Jian used the stem cell of his ex-wife to induce cancer cells. Then, he infused them into the body of his ex-wife via IV infusion, causing her to die of cancer. However, this shocking case was ultimately covered up by the school. After all, the implications of such an event would be devastating not just to the school, but even the entire academic field. It may even mislead people to believe that cancer could be transmitted and cause mass panic. 2 Even the principal and a group of professors went out of their way to meet Chen Chen, Xia Yin, and Wang Wei C the trio that had set off the chain of events. And thats how the whole thing went. Chen Chen appeared shy before the microphone. Professor Zheng was after our research results. He threatened me to hand over the research results or else he wont let the three of us graduate How did you respond at the time? The principal immediately followed up with a question. At the time, in a mixed state of anger and frustration, I noticed a picture on his desk. I found out from Xia Yin that the person in the picture was his ex-wife, which was how I arrived at my conclusion Chen Chen declared sternly, He was afraid of his ex-wife and unknowingly had the picture facing backward toward him the entire time. But why was he afraid of his ex-wife? I determined that even though the circumstances of her death looked like she died of an illness, it was actually a murder! 4 What I didnt expect was that when I exposed his vile actions, he broke out in tears. He went down on his knees, begging me not to expose him. Of course, as one of the three righteous younglings of the Earth Federation, I didnt agree. 2 A hint of fear showed on Chen Chens face. I never thought that hed commit suicide out of guilt before I even had time to call the police after leaving his office. The group of professors sitting before Chen Chen exchanged strange glances among themselves. Their confusion stemmed from their great surprise by the entire sequence of events. To think that a mere green boy was able to corner an associate professor to his death just by going off several strands of loose clues. Even though the other party had always been somewhat scummy, they were still bewildered. Could Zheng Jian have committed suicide because you were too harsh when you spoke with him? 1 The principal who spoke in the middle questioned again, Does Xia Yin know of the conversation between you two? I didnt know about it. The tutor asked me to leave right after I brought Chen Chen over. Xia Yin quickly shook her head, looking clueless. Zheng Jian brought this all on himself. This was the conclusion the officials had arrived at as well. Its unnecessary to bring this up again. Professor Wang Xi, who had been sitting on the side, took a sip of tea from his cup. He then glanced at Chen Chen with a hint of a smirk. What Im more interested in is what the three of you discovered with your research. So much so that even Zheng Jian got so hooked and even cost him his own life. 2 This Chen Chen became more embarrassed. What is it? You worry Im going to claim your research results for myself? There are so many pairs of eyes watching here, I cant claim it even if I wanted to, when Professor Wang Xi saw Chen Chen hesitating, he began to tease him. Of course not. I dont mind if you want to see the data from our research. The only problem is our research data was taken as case evidence and we cant get them back from the police station at the moment, Chen Chen promptly explained. How about the thesis? Professor Wang Xi asked again. Theres no problem if its just the thesis. I kept it in my email. Professor Wang Xi can take a look at it whenever, Chen Chen quickly informed. Alright, send it to me after the meeting. Im curious to see what sort of earth-shattering experiment my student came up with! Professor Wang Xi laughed heartily. It was obvious that Wang Xi held a respectable position in the school. Just a sentence from him was enough to brush over the case of Zheng Jians death. Even the principal had no choice but to give up on pursuing the matter. Chen Chen understood that this was Wang Xi covering for him. The meeting had subsequently ended following Wang Xis interruption. Even though the meeting was not necessarily disadvantageous to the trio, there was still a considerable amount of pressure from the rounds of questioning. Judging by Professor Wang Xis behavior, he had undoubtedly spread his wings over them, protecting them like he would protect calves. Chen Chen silently took note of Professor Wang Xis gesture. After leaving the meeting room, Wang Wei did not know whether he should be crying or laughing his heart out. I never thought that a day would come where we get to meet so many bigshots of the academic world. This is on me. Chen Chen shook his head. I never thought that Zheng Jian was so mentally fragile. What do you mean its on you? Youve done the kingdom a service by getting rid of a threat, alright? Wang Wei quickly responded, If it wasnt for you, our three months worth of progress would have been taken away by Zheng Jian. How could he call himself a professor? Chen Chen glanced at Xia Yin who stayed silent and gave Wang Wei a subtle signal. Ugh, look at me going off like that. Wang Wei quickly chuckled. Xia Yin, none of this is your fault. 5 Its no big deal, I just felt a little guilty. Xia Yi shook her head. If it wasnt for what I said, none of this wouldve happened. Tutor Zheng wouldnt die If it wasnt for you, then there would be more people getting threatened by Zheng Jian. What Chen Chen did was doing the kingdom a service, addressing the root of the problem! Wang Wei explained. Chen Chen paid no mind to Wang Wei who was running his mouth. He took out his phone and forwarded the thesis in his mail to Wang Xi, Xia Yin, and Wang Wei. Then, he turned to Xia Yin. I emailed the thesis to you guys, take a look. If theres no problem then Ill submit it. Well, Im not going to bother. Wang Wei patted Chen Chens shoulder. I trust Lil Chen. Me too. Xia Yin nodded. Oh yeah, how much for the publication? Ill transfer it to you. Its alright, I sent it to Professor Wang Xi. He can probably bill it to the school. Chen Chen waved his hand. Im going to meet Professor Wang Xi. You guys want to come? No, I have something to do so Ill head back first. Xia Yin shook her head and mustered a forced smile before turning around and left. Xia Yin doesnt seem to be doing so well. Wang Wei shook his head. Her tutor died, its normal to feel down. Chen Chen turned toward Wang Wei. You coming? No, not like it has anything to do with a second author anyway. Besides, Professor Wang Xi obviously had his eyes on you. Wang Wei gave Chen Chens shoulders several thumps. Im going to head back first. Dont forget to treat the entire dorm after passing! Its a promise. After the two of them bumped their fists, Wang Wei turned around and left. Watching Wang Wei and Xia Yins figures slowly fading away, Chen Chen sighed silently. He began to feel like he was getting somewhat distant from Wang Wei. It was not due to Wang Wei intentionally distancing himself, but his own fault. The absolute mental calmness and rational processing that came with taking NZT-48 were ever so slowly affecting Chen Chens personality. Apart from that, there was also the aspect of driving Zheng Jian to his death. Even though it was not said out loud, it was still a human life at the end of the day. When other people see Chen Chen, they would instinctively withdraw themselves out of fear. All of these factors slowly contributed toward driving Chen Chen away from other people. In truth, it was not just Wang Wei. It was the same for the other two buddies in Chen Chens dorm as well. Perhaps this was a part of growing up? 4 Chen Chen understood that from the moment he had acquired the USB drive, he was destined to belong in a different world compared to others. 1 Either reach for the peak or fall into the ashes and dust. 2 No matter what, he refused to continue living a plain and simple life! Chapter 27 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation In Professor Wang Xis office, the printer rattled endlessly. Chen Chen sat on a couch arranged on the side of the room. He had his arms crossed as he silently stared out the window. He was looking at an old man whose ashen hair was illuminated by the auburn ray of the evening sun. At the same time, Professor Wang Xi, who was in front of him, wore a pair of reading glasses and was flipping through the printed material. Apart from that, the entire office was eerily silent. This sort of silence was unnatural. Chen Chen began looking at the walls and the sections of the door frame. At the edges of the door frame, the walls that were thicker than ordinary walls could be seen. It was a good thirty to forty centimeters thick. Which was to say, this room, that was twice the size of Zheng Jians office, was soundproof. Perhaps it was even heat proof and bulletproof. You had to admit that the senior academics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences enjoyed greater benefits. Sigh After god knew how long, Professor Wang Xi suddenly sighed after reading through the final page of the thesis. Chen Chen perched up as well. Im getting old. Professor Wang Xi turned toward Chen Chen and smiled as he looked at him. Im really getting old. Back in my day, it wasnt until I was thirty years old when I was able to write a thesis of your level. Professor Wang, youre a pillar of our nation, I wouldnt dare compare myself to you. Chen Chen quickly noted. Have you checked the thesis for a duplicate? Professor Wang Xi smiled. He did not speak more than he needed to. Not yet. Then Ill check it for you, save you some money too. Professor Wang Xi opened CNKI as he spoke. He submitted the two theses together. After a moment, the duplicate verification results were out. Between the two theses, the highest repetition rate was only fifteen percent, the lowest was only five percent. Not bad. Professor Wang Xi nodded contently. There went his final strand of worry. It was not because he did not trust Chen Chen. It was more so that he could not fathom the fact that these two well-constructed theses with such sharp analysis were penned by a mere freshman. Truth be told, even the Ph.D. students under his wing were not able to achieve such standards. It was a shame that he could not see the source material. I originally thought that perhaps I could help you make some amendments if there are any shortcomings in the thesis, but I didnt expect Professor Wang Xi shook his head. Which journal do you plan to submit this to? Ive already discussed this with Xia Yin and Wang Wei. We plan to submit it to Cell, Chen Chen answered. Thats good. Between these two, Rebuilding Immunity System with Stem Cells can make the cut for Cell. The other one might have a smaller chance, I wouldnt count it out. Professor Wang Xi jested. Itll be a great badge of honor for the Institute of Biological Sciences if both of your theses are published on Cell. Small wonder that Zheng Jian brat started getting ideas. It was all thanks to your teaching. Chen Chen followed up quickly. I can do without the sweet talk. You think I wouldnt know whether I have taught you before? Professor Wang Xi shot a look at Chen Chen. Alright, if you want to submit it, you can just do it here. Ill cover the publication fees for now. Professor Wang, I have a favor to ask Chen Chen spoke after pondering for a moment. When Chen Chen had exited Professor Wang Xis office, he had an additional form in his hands. It was a copy of University Student Business Loan Application Form. Professor Wang Xi was truly astounded and could not comprehend it when he heard that Chen Chen wanted to drop out of school to start a business. He then settled down when he considered the fact that Chen Chen had displayed an understanding of biology which was far superior to even postgraduate students. 1 It was true that there was very little left that the school could teach Chen Chen. After a slight hesitation, Professor Wang Xi made an offer to take in Chen Chen as his disciple. He would let Chen Chen follow his guidance. It was going to be a position more esteemed than the Ph.D. students. This sort of royalty treatment was indicating that he would one day be the one to receive the passing of the torch. If Chen Chen had agreed, then he would have one of the most esteemed scholars in the academic world serving as his guide. Within less than twenty years, Chen Chen may be promoted to associate professor or head professor. He would also have a shot at entering the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Under the circumstance where he did not have NZT-48, this step would take him right to the top. However, Chen Chen clearly understood his current situation. All he could do was turn down the offer while apologizing profusely. Professor Wang Xi was noticeably disappointed at the rejection of his offer. However, he still signed Chen Chens University Student Business Loan Application Form without any hesitation. On the application form, Chen Chen applied for the highest possible limit C one million. Chen Chen made sure to remember Professor Wang Xi vouching for him. The University Student Business Loan Application Form was a source of collateral-free credit loan issued by the bank and other fund-issuing institutions to finance college students. To assist university students in kick starting their business, the Mainland China government specifically sectioned out a large portion of funds. Anyone above the age of eighteen was eligible for the application whether they were still in school or had already graduated. Of course, eligibility was one matter. Whether it would be approved or not was an entirely separate matter. With that said, as Professor Wang Xi vouched for him, it had made a world of difference. After that, Chen Chen began running errands left and right to get the subsequent procedures underway. After submitting the application form to drop out, Chen Chen swung by the dorm to say hi to the others. After that, he began working on the loan procedures. To attain the loan, Chen Chen would first have to start a company. So, Chen Chen registered his firm Blacklight Biotechnology Co. Ltd. under the Industry and Commerce Bureau. 21 As for its meaning, he did not have any significant meaning in mind. He only chose the name because it sounded cool. 4 Chen Chen originally planned to go with Morningstar Biotechnology. Sadly, the name Morningstar was already taken. He had to change the name to Blacklight. 12 Fortunately, as a gesture of support for students trying to start their own business, the government had simplified the loan procedure. Chen Chen had also got the trickiest part, getting the signature, out of the way. It only took two days before he got a call from the finance bureau. Its credited already? Chen Chen immediately shot up, his face was full of delight. Thank you, I got it! Chen Chen quickly opened his phone after hanging up. As expected, he had received a notification in the company bank account noting a transaction the sum of a million. Looking at the million renminbi balance, even Chen Chen, who was under the influence of the drug, could not resist smiling. According to Chen Chens initial plan, he would first submit the thesis which would take three to four months before it got approved. By then, the school would be informed, which would make it easier for him to apply for the loan. Due to the incident with Zheng Jian, he was more than three months ahead of schedule! From here on, it would be very easy to accomplish what he wanted to do. When he thought of this, Chen Chen suddenly booted up the computer and typed in Shangdu Industrial Park into the search query. Shangdu Industrial Park was a municipal industrial park approved by the municipal government in the early establishment years of Shangdu. The total area of ??the park was 20.54 square kilometers. It hosted hundreds of enterprise factories of varying sizes, spread across dozens of production industries. What Chen Chen needed to do now was to find a factory that could be rented out. He would then use industrial electricity to charge the USB drive. It took Chen Chen half a day before he finally selected a medium-sized oxygen plant. This particular oxygen plant had to reduce its operating costs due to recent steelmaking technology innovation in the sector, causing a domino effect of decreasing demand for industrial oxygen. They had no choice but to undertake a series of actions including layoffs. As it turned out, this technological innovation had very quickly spread through the region. The facilities of this oxygen plant were outdated and the oxygen production quality was on the lower end. Due to the lack of funds needed to modify their equipment, they resorted to halting operations on the verge of bankruptcy. This was the exact kind of factory Chen Chen had his eyes on C a cheap factory with high energy consumption. Chapter 28 3 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Our Greenland oxygen plant boasts an excellent environment and is located in an ideal location. Even though the facilities are slightly outdated, youll find the production rate not too far behind current standards. We also have facilitated operating channels and an advanced production framework. If the equipment can be updated, then certainly Most notably, even though we had to cease operations for the current period due to management problems, this wont persist for more than two years. The government will dispatch a new set of regulations While Chen Chen was touring the Greenland oxygen plant, the thirty-plus-year-old factory manager stuck by his side and rambled on the entire time. The factory manager of Greenland was a middle-aged man dressed handsomely in a set of suits. Due to his mountain-shaped eyebrows, he looked like a failed-businessman. Chen Chen initially did not know why the factory was named Greenland. He immediately understood the reasoning when he saw the owners temperament. Hm, its pretty alright. Chen Chen waved and said with an unchanging expression, You dont have to keep trying to persuade me. I cant afford to buy your factory. All I want is to rent it for some time. That works too. If youre willing to rent it, we can deduct the depreciation cost of the facilities. Judging by the current market, it should cost around three hundred thousand. Ill give you a thirty percent discount at two hundred thousand. What do you say? Its too expensive. Chen Chen shook his head. Since your factory had already shut down anyway, why not make the rental cheaper? Besides, I doubt theres anyone else other than me who will rent your factory, right? It The man smiled awkwardly. Two hundred thousand isnt that expensive. Our factory comes with seven to eight acres of land and hundreds of equipment. If this is supposed to be considered expensive Id like to see your transformer. Chen Chen switched the topic. Alright, come with me. The man tossed aside the previous topic as well and led Chen Chen to the power distribution room. He pointed at the large metallic object hung mid-air. Heres our 10kv power dry type transformer, its capacity is up to 200KvA. Its enough to power an entire factory so there wont be any problem. The electricity in the factory isnt high current electricity, are they? Chen Chen asked. Thats right, it can only sustain 380V industrial electricity, so a step-up transformer is used. Chen Chen nodded. He considered it for a while before saying, How about this? You rent the factory to me at a hundred and fifty thousand per month. Ill make an initial payment for three months. I might extend the rental period later on. What do you say? Hundred fifty thousand isnt much. We have dozens of staff here, its not exactly free to maintain the staff. The man was troubled. I wont be using your staff, Chen Chen replied. What? The man was taken aback. He made eye contact with several men behind him. In that case, how about the electric bill and depreciation fee? Ill pay the electric bill out of my pocket. If any equipment is damaged, Ill pay back what they cost, Chen Chen answered him. Alright, good enough! The man finally revealed his cunning smile. Mr. Chen, its a pleasure working with you! Its a pleasure working with you! The two of them shook their hands and smiled cunningly. One of them thought he had finally chanced into a great bargain. He was operating at a loss anyway, why not rent it out and help even it out a little. The other one was mainly after the power generation as the factory was simply a decoy. It may look like he had been ripped off, but who would have known Chen Chens intentions were not as it seemed? After signing the agreement, Chen Chen was given the keys to the factorys main door and power distribution room. The other party was even going to invite Chen Chen out for a meal, but the offer was respectfully declined by Chen Chen. After politely sending off the original owner of the factory, Chen Chen went to the warehouse and found a bundle of high voltage cable. These cables were almost as thick as a balled fist. They were able to sustain up to 110kV high voltage electricity. It was enough for Chen Chens purposes. Apart from that, Chen Chen also found several bars of copper ingot and a welding gun. He then headed toward the direction of the power distribution room. After cutting off the power source, Chen Chen unplugged all of the equipment wires from the transformer. He proceeded to plug the bundle of high voltage cables into the transformer. He connected the other end of the cable to the top of the copper ingot. After setting down the copper ingot and completing the insulation treatment, Chen Chen retrieved a USB port from his pocket. He inserted the parts of the USB into the copper using a hand drill. After completion, Chen Chen took out the USB drive to give it a try. The USB drive was able to fit perfectly into the USB socket inside the copper ingot. Now, well find out whether this was a success or a failure. Chen Chen took a deep breath and headed into the power distribution room. He reconnected the power source. Thump! Immediately after, a low hum came from the transformer outside. It began to howl like an awakened beast. It was the sound of voltage being amplified by the transformer. Chen Chen looked at the electric meter beside him. The numeric figures displayed in the electric meter began to slowly shift. Showtime! A hint of excitement flashed by Chen Chens eyes. A transformer with a capacity of 200kVa. Going by the most ideal calculation, it can draw 200kW of electricity each hour and it can charge the USB drive around 4800 degrees per day Chen Chen silently pondered. Also, the general energy rate is around 0.8 to 0.9, which means that it could realistically charge around 4000 degrees a day According to his knowledge, the price for industrial electricity in Shangdu was in the vicinity of 0.75 Renminbi. Which meant that he would need a monthly hundred and twenty thousand just for charging the USB drive. This was a rip off in broad daylight. Forget about several hundred thousands. Even an electric bill in the range of tens of millions was a fair price to pay for the ability to extract an item from a film. 4 In conclusion, Chen Chen was now approaching the final stages of his plans. If he was able to attain sufficient energy, he should be able to safely retreat his foot which was already halfway out the door. The beginning was always the hardest part. After completing the first step which was accumulating capital out of the way, Chen Chen was now in the fast lane. It was all uphill from here on. In the not so distant future, Chen Chen could potentially accelerate humanitys civilization standards as a whole. He just might ascend to the top of the Earth Federation! Chen Chen pressed pause and smiled at himself. It was too early to be thinking about all that. Looking at the electric meter going up endlessly, Chen Chen was certain that he had plugged out all of the connections in the transformer. All of the electricity in the factory was now being fed into the USB drive. When he thought of this, he left the power distribution room and headed outside. He saw the USB drive idly plugged into the palm-sized copper ingot. If it was any other electronic device, it would have been smoldered by the enormous amount of voltage. Only this particular USB drive could withstand it. All this time, Chen Chen had tried various other methods to inspect the USB drive such as attempting to take off the USB drives cover to inspect the inside structure. However, just as Chen Chen had expected, the USB drive was manufactured with some sort of unknown material and could not be easily dismantled by a person. He went from carefully attempting to dismantle it in fear of damaging the USB drive to going ham on it with a glass cutter. All of his attempts proved futile as it did not even leave a single scratch mark. According to the scale of Mohs hardness1, the USB drive had far exceeded the highest grade in the natural world which was grade ten. Still, Chen Chen heaved a sigh of relief when he saw that nothing peculiar happened to the USB drive. All he had to do next was to wait patiently. When he managed to get more money, he would have to switch to a more powerful transformer. 200kVA was not going to cut it. 2000kVa should get the work done. If he had a transformer with a capacity of 2000kVa, the amount of power he could input would be ten times the current input. Since the USB drive could not be smoldered by high voltage, there was no reason to not go higher. Chapter 29 2 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation To prevent any incidents, Chen Chen spent every day in the factory. His goal was to watch over the USB drive and prevent any outsider from coming here and discovering his secret. With that said, Chen Chen did not spend the entire time lazing around. Apart from exercising, he spent his days learning programming languages such as C, C++, Java, and others. 7 With the help of NZT-48, Chen Chen was able to attain incredibly high concentration and determination when he put his mind into any tasks. He also noticed that NZT-48s effects did not only apply to a persons mental state. The drug also had an extraordinary impact on the human physique. For instance, the ability to know which muscle to contract to be able to run more efficiently. Similarly, moving the muscles and bones in the right way to maximize the strength of a punch. All of these can be sensed when under the influence of NZT-48. Chen Chen specifically bought a treadmill and several dumbbells for this exact purpose. He would spend two to three hours running on the treadmill each day. After some time, the fruits of his labor were evident. Chen Chen went from 130kg to 140kg and he also became fitter. From the outside, it may seem like not much had changed. However, when he took off his shirt, toned muscles could be seen across his body. 16 Just like the saying, Your health is your most important asset. For a researcher like Chen Chen who planned to continue pursuing his research, he would need a healthy body. 2 While he was exercising, he brainstormed an idea for a new app. App or otherwise known as an application, is a software. They usually refer to the usable software on an iPhone or an Android phone. 5 There were various categories of mobile phone applications ranging from communications, productivity, entertainment, exercise, shopping, and others. Each one of these categories had several big shots leading in the forefront. Each of these big shots of their respective categories made tens of billions. If it went well, Chen Chen could rapidly amass a large amount of capital by developing an app, promoting him from a bottom feeder to being one on top. 2 By then, he would have countless options opened up to him, whether it was to be involved in the stock market or other methods. He would not have to continue scrapping for loose change like he was doing now. However, app development was not an easy task. The mobile application market was oversaturated these days. He would have to make sure he was truly capable of taking a cut of the market profit. Chen Chen pondered for a short while and an idea quickly surfaced. He could develop an app for instant translation. This was an idea Chen Chen came up with when he was learning the C programming language. As Chen Chen went deeper into the C programming language, he began noticing the communication trends in todays society. Around fifteen years ago in the early stages of the world wide web, there was a sort of Global Village concept. Following the rapid advancement of technology, the distance between nations began to shrink rapidly and globalized communication became far more efficient and convenient. However, the language barrier remained a problem for many citizens on the internet. Chen Chen conducted some research online. The current well-known translation software was Google Translate, Microsoft Translator, Prompt, SDL FreeTranslation, Yahoo Translate, and many others. 1 The way Chen Chen saw it, most of the current translation software was a joke. For the majority of people reading their native language, they tend to notice the slight nuances in the sentence structure. They might claim that This sentence is definitely machine translated. 5 This was due to the limitation of artificial intelligence, the AI. 1 AIs were not inherently intelligent. They could only stubbornly move around blocks of concepts and were unable to piece together a logical sentence the way humans did. On top of that, it was very unlikely that someone would manually translate every single sentence on the webpage when browsing online. It simply was not worth the time and effort. 1 What if Chen Chen was able to develop an app that was able to automatically substitute all of the foreign languages in a webpage with the correct translation? Surely, he would be able to dominate the market and generate an astounding amount of revenue. 3 However, it was easier said than done. It was not something he was certain he could accomplish even with NZT-48. The technical aspect involved was incredibly intricate and it was not something that could be done in mere days. With his current abilities, Chen Chen would not be able to create something like that. However, if he had a similar completed product, he would be able to effectively use it as a case study. Exactly, a finished product. Chen Chen turned toward the USB drive on the transformer. In sci-fi movies, there are many variations of artificial intelligence similar to Jarvis. Sonny from I, Robot, Skynet from Terminator, Red Queen from Resident Evil, and countless other examples. 16 It would certainly be very interesting to bring this artificial intelligence into life. When he thought of this, a smirk appeared on the corner of his lips. He checked the time. It had been three months since he had rented the factory. The rental period would end within the next few days. Over the course of the past three months, Chen Chen took pictures of the USB drive at a specific time every day. In the collection of pictures, the USB drive went through the exact sort of transformation he had expected it to. From originally looking rusted and run down, it slowly began to gain luster. To this date, it had become nearly identical to when he first discovered it. 1 Can it be fully charged in three months? 1 Chen Chen thought for a moment. Then, he immediately crossed out that possibility. Despite the USB drive having gained a deep dark luster a month ago, it continued to receive power. There were no signs of it being fully charged. 5 Over the last three months, the factory rental fee alongside the electricity bill had cost Chen Chen close to eight hundred thousand. There were only around two hundred thousand left in the company account. You had to admit that sometimes, money can be spent so quickly. Arriving at this point, Chen Chen no longer hesitated. He turned around and entered the power distribution room where he proceeded to cut off the factory power source. He then put on insulation gloves and unplugged the USB drive that had been plugged into the copper ingot for three months. The USB drive was cool to the touch. Chen Chen was surprised. He tried touching the copper ingot and found out the copper ingot was boiling hot. 2 The strange thing was that the USB drive was completely unaffected by the heat stemming from the copper ingot. How bizarre. Could it absorb heat? A thought came to Chen Chen. Based on this, it should be safe to say that solar energy was also within the scope of energy that the USB drive could receive. Could this imply that if he tossed the USB drive into molten lava, it could absorb energy from the lava? 9 The idea only spiraled in his mind for a split second before he cast it aside. Now was not the time to think about this. Chen Chen took the USB drive and quickly plugged it into the laptop. Then, he selected the folder containing the episodes of the TV series Endless and played the final episode. 3 At the same time, he used the cursor and dragged it to the frame of the Permanent Immunity Shot. On the computer screen, a thirteen to fourteen centimeters long needleless syringe the thickness of three to four fingers appeared before Chen Chens eyes. Chen Chen stared at it intently. He began to imagine the permanent immunity shot in the frame coming to life. Suddenly, the screen appeared to morph into a pool of clear water. The permanent immunity shot began to float atop the water surface, creating rings of ripples around itself. Chen Chen raised his hand. Then, he gently reached for the metal syringe! The moment he gripped it, he could feel that it was cool to the touch. He gently held it, then he pulled. Ding! On the computer screen, the movie closed on its own. At the same time, the permanent immunity shot that was inside the computer screen was brought into the real world by Chen Chen. 1 Finally, it was a success 9 Chapter 30 8 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Finally succeeded Chen Chen gazed at the item he had sought after for so long. Even though there were many challenges along the way, he had finally achieved his goal in the end. Chen Chen looked at the permanent immunity shot he held in his palms. This was the first time he found himself in a dumbfounded state while under the effects of NZT-48. Even though it had only been half a year since acquiring the USB drive, it was like ages ago to Chen Chen. It felt so long that it was almost unreal. From today onward, I shall wield the sword of Damocles, hanging overhead the entire time Chen Chen mumbled in a low voice. He carefully unscrewed the safety valve and aimed the needleless syringe at the veins on his neck. Toxicology tests and animal experiments C all of that can go to hell for all I care. 3 Fsst! 3 Without a hint of hesitation, the high-pressure needleless syringe instantly punched through Chen Chens skin. The drug was injected into his veins. Chen Chen felt a wave of chilliness. It began to spread from his neck and subsequently flowed through his blood veins into his heart. Then, it was pumped into his brain from his heart. The moment the chilling sensation reached his brain, Chen Chen felt as if he had been jolted awake. The slight headache he was feeling instantly vanished. Phew! Chen Chen craned his neck upward and breathed out. He could vividly feel a sharp sensation as if the drug was erecting layers of barriers in his brain, protecting it from being corroded by the drug. This meant that from today onward, Chen Chen no longer had to wake up to a terrible rumbling headache. There would also no longer be any toxicological reaction caused by the residue that could cause him to drop dead one day. 3 Chen Chen was finally free of the shackles of the drug. NZT-48 was no longer a double-edged sword but an invincible mythical weapon! Chen Chen contained his excitement. He looked at the USB drive and noticed that it became noticeably worn down, but not as beaten down as it was before. Can it still perform one more instantiation? 3 Chen Chens eyes shone at the notion. This time, he had to make a well thought out decision. Chen Chen considered for a moment. He remembered reading a report titled Maslows Hierarchy of Needs back in junior high. The report categorized the basic needs of humans into five tiers. In the order from the lowest to the highest tiers, they were: physiological, safety, love and belonging, esteem, and self-actualization. 3 Chen Chen applied the theory to himself. Prior to acquiring the immunity shot, he would be categorized in the second tier: safety. Now that the safety concerns were dealt with, his current hierarchy of needs naturally escalated to esteem and self-actualization. This meant that it was time to start pursuing things like wealth, title, and personal aspirations. Of course, superpowers would be a decent choice as well. Even though he could not show them off, it could be good for self-protection. There was an old Chinese saying that Chen Chen was fond of: He who wields a blade fears nothing. 8 However, based on the USB drives current state, it could only perform instantiation one more time. A wise man would take advantage of this opportunity to guarantee the possibility of ten, perhaps even a hundred instantiations in the future. Chen Chen took out a notepad and wrote down two options. Chronicle, Ready Player One. 11 These two movies were the two options Chen Chen had for the next part of his plans. Chronicle was a movie based on real life. Apart from the three main characters, there were not any other forms of superpowers in the world. 6 Chen Chen had the same concerns that he had in the past. He was not sure if his body would be decimated by the radiation of the crystalline after acquiring the superpower. He also was not sure whether his mental state would be affected by the superpower. 3 After all, the name itself was ominous enough already.1 This was the riskier option. The advantage of this option was that Chen Chen could utilize it by heading to Macau or Las Vegas and make tens of millions with the superpower. Though he could not do so too often, it was still a surefire way to make quick money. 2 Many people believed that if you won too much in a casino, the mafia would order a hit on you. It was not a false belief, but it was not entirely true either. In truth, casino operations were not so much different from ordinary shops.They also had to maintain their image. Plenty of gamblers managed to rake home large amounts of winning every night so it was not unusual for people to become wealthy overnight either. These were a part of a casinos advertising technique. If everyone who won millions in the casino was robbed or even killed on their way home, the casino would not be able to operate much longer either. As stated above, it would not be a big deal if you only won occasionally. The subject became entirely different if you managed to win millions every night. The sewers underneath glorious Las Vegas had no shortage of rotten dead bodies every day. The other option was one that Chen Chen had considered for a long time. Ready Player One was released in theaters in 2018. 2 It was the year 2040. Following the end of the third World War, the world was left in devastation and civilization was crumbling. One day, a genius by the name of James Halliday appeared. 1 He created a virtual reality game known as the Oasis. People could put on a VR set to enter a virtual world that was the stark opposite of the real world. The virtual world was filled with robust cities and players of all sorts of appearances. Even if you were a loser who was struggling in the real world, you could become a hero in the Oasis. All the most unattainable dreams were within your reach. This was the basis of Ready Player One. Simply put, this was a story depicting the future of video games. It was the movie equivalent of a web novel in China. A pair of VR glasses alone could grant you the ability to soar freely in the virtual world. If Chen Chen could instantiate the equipment for the game, what would happen? 1 First of all, the holographic imaging technology in the movie utilized a form of retinal projection technology. Three-dimensional images were formed by projecting light rays into the retina. All of the dynamic rendering, particle rendering, lighting, real-time calculation, and various rendering techniques were so realistic it was practically the same as the real world. 2 The universe depicted in the movie was only set about twenty years past the current day in the real world. There was not much technological advancement in that period, possibly a consequence of the world war. This meant that the technology level within the Oasis was not far off from the real world. 1 For instance, there was no technique used to manipulate the mind in the movie. Players had to rely on tactile devices and motion sensor devices to play the game. Chen Chen estimated that the technology within the Oasis was only roughly one generation ahead of the current time. 8 Since the gap in between was not too significant, this meant that it probably was not too difficult for Chen Chen to grasp the technology behind it. 2 The real world was ten to fifteen years away from the production of a game of this sort. What if Chen Chen was one step ahead and released a VR game like this? 2 Chances were it would revolutionize the current global technology sector along with the gaming landscape. At the same time, it also meant raking in hundreds of billions! Of course, it was not ideal to unveil the completed game and the technology within right away as it would attract a lot of unwanted attention. Chen Chen could just use some minor framework and algorithm within the game to serve as the foundation. After three to five years, he could then release the finished product. It just so happened that Chen Chen already had a similar base component on his hands C the instant translation app that he was halfway through development. If he could implement the artificial intelligence within Oasis into the app he had designed, would it show some sort of monumental improvement? Chen Chen made up his mind at this point. He would begin experimenting the same way that he did with NZT-48 initially. Even though the superpower was more appealing to Chen Chen, it would be wiser to amass enough capital to build a real lab first. After that, he could start figuring out the safety aspect of the superpower. 6 Surely that would be more ideal? 2 Chapter 31 2 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation With all this in mind, Chen Chen had already thought out a rational course of action. He began downloading the movie Ready Player One. 9 As the signal in the industrial park was not very strong, Chen Chen had to wait for half an hour to complete downloading the movie. However, Chen Chen did not copy the movie into the USB drive at once. First, he played the movie and reviewed the plot twice. In the movie, there were five types of game peripherals. The first type was in the opening scene, when the protagonist, Wade, used a three-piece set that included a cheap VR headset, haptic gloves, and a pressure-sensitive omnidirectional treadmill. The second type was an X1 Bootsuit that the protagonist purchased after receiving the reward of the first challenge. This suit allowed the player to feel tactile sensations in the game. The third type was the OAR9400 Visual Motion Chair used by the main villain of the movie, which allowed the player to play the game while lying in the chair. In addition, this visual chair had an advanced holographic projection function that formed images in thin air. 1 Obviously, the motion chair was more advanced than the other two types. As for the fourth and fifth types of peripherals, they were simplified versions of the first and second types. Besides that, there was other game equipment that appeared in the end such as slings. Nonetheless, other than the high-end OAR9400 Visual Motion Chair, the other devices required corresponding real-life movements to control ones avatar. Therefore, it was ideal for Chen Chen to instantiate that chair. Even so, Chen Chen felt that this was not likely. Ever since he had obtained the USB drive, he had instantiated four items. The first two times were Pikachus duckbill cap, the third time was the NZT-48 pills and the final time was the immunity shot that he had recently instantiated. 4 These four items had one thing in common C they were all light, small, and could be grasped in one hand. 1 Chen Chen was not certain that he would succeed if he tried to extract the movies hemispherical chair that weighed over a hundred kilograms. 3 If the instantiation failed, would it drain the USB drives energy? All this was unknown for now. However, Chen Chen would not shy away from trying just because of a fear of failure. It was just like how humans would never have discovered the New World if they did not sail across the sea. 3 Chen Chen still had to carry out many experiments to test the USB drives abilities. This was the first thing he had learned as a researcher. One could say that exploring the unknown would always be humanitys only path forward. Having considered this, Chen Chen no longer hesitated. He dragged the movie into the USB drive immediately and clicked play. After that, Chen Chen clicked on the progress bar, locating the image of the OAR9400 Visual Motion Chair that the movies villain, Nolan, was using. Following that, Chen Chen pressed the pause button. Come on out! Chen Chen whispered. At the same time, he stretched out his right hand and pictured himself pulling that chair into reality. Ding! However, just when Chen Chen felt that he could touch that massive chair, the screen turned black. At the same time, his pointer and middle fingers throbbed with a piercing pain! Chen Chen drew back his hand as if he felt an electric shock. He saw that there was a missing chunk of flesh, nearly half a centimeter deep, on both his fingers! 3 He could almost see his bones. 1 Chen Chens expression turned stormy and he looked toward the screen, only to see that the movie had shut down. Also, a dialog box had popped up C insufficient energy. 1 As I thought, its an issue of energy. Chen Chens mouth twitched. Although his fingers were stinging dreadfully, this pain was swiftly blocked thanks to the effects of NZT. Thus, Chen Chens thinking would not be affected by this pain. 2 He used tissue paper to stop the bleeding, then looked toward the USB drive. It appeared that nothing was instantiated this time hence the USB drive did not change. 1 No, thats not right. Suddenly, Chen Chen recalled something and looked up abruptly. If each item needs to be instantiated by the USB drive, why could I touch them even before they were instantiated? Chen Chen could remember that it was not just this time. When he first tried to instantiate the immunity shot six months ago, it failed because the USB drive had insufficient energy. Even so, Chen Chen had felt himself touching the immunity shot! If the USB drive could instantiate an item from a movie, why could he still touch the said item even when the USB drive had insufficient energy? Since he could touch it, did that not mean that the instantiation was successful? 1 However, if the instantiation had succeeded, why was there a problem of insufficient energy? Could it be Chen Chen frowned. This was a detail he had not considered C the USB drives ability might not be instantiation. Rather, it created a link between reality and a fictitious space, allowing him to bring out an object from that world into reality! This was the truth about the USB drive. In other words, the energy required by the USB drive was not used to materialize things out of thin air. It merely supplied energy for the channel connecting the two spaces. 5 This explained why only a few hundred thousand kWh of electricity, which was the equivalent of one trillion joules of energy, could paradoxically create something out of thin air. After all, when a hydrogen bomb produced 1kg of helium, it could generate a hundred trillion joules of energy. The reduction in mass throughout this process would be negligible. Evidently, when matter was converted into energy, it far surpassed the value of one trillion joules. Chen Chen wordlessly memorized this rule and he gave up on that stylish, high-end visual motion chair. He copied the movie again and went straight to the opening scene. 1 In this scene, the male protagonist, Wade, was wearing the game devices. The haptic gloves and omnidirectional treadmill did not have much technological value and were automatically disregarded by Chen Chen. What he was observing was the VR headset that Wade was wearing. The VR headset was different from the chair. It was the size of his palm and the USB drive should have enough energy. With this in mind, Chen Chen paused the image at the opening scene while reaching out with his left hand, brushing against the VR headset. It was that familiar touch again. Chen Chens left hand seemed to penetrate space, reaching into the existence of a different world. Chen Chen clenched his jaw, grabbed the item, and pulled it out vigorously! Ding! The movie automatically shut down once again! 5 At the same time, a strange headset had appeared in Chen Chens hand. The headset was mostly white with white and red cartoon words emblazoned across it. It was also affixed with an elastic band to help secure the headset on ones head. At the center of the headset was a strip of black lens. Although it was called a lens, a user could not see through it. Rather, its function was to project a full range of images onto the users retinas through the principle of projection, thus forming an omnidirectional visual effect that created an unparalleled sense of reality. As he looked at the VR headset in his hands, Chen Chen sighed in relief inwardly. 3 At this point, he was not worried that the USB drive would not instantiate something. Instead, he was afraid that he would be too slow in retracting his hand and the USB drive would sever his fingers. 2 Looks like Ill have to find a way to manufacture a mechanical arm to extract items for me 2 Chen Chen thought to himself silently and glanced back at the USB drive. After he had instantiated the VR headset, the USB drive looked tattered and worn out once more. The energy within the USB drive had been depleted once more. Chapter 32 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation If this VR headset was merely a hardware device used to connect to the Oasis server, it would not have Oasis client code. However, Chen Chen remembered from the movie that the protagonist once used voice control to reconnect the VR headset to the server when the connection was interrupted. This meant that the headset was not just a hardware device for the game but a fully functional smart machine. It was just like modern cell phones. Cell phones could be used to play games but their functionality was by no means limited to gameplay. Now, Chen Chen connected the VR headset to his laptop through the USB port. 1 This must be due to the real world being caught up in war all year round, which caused the stagnation of technological development. Therefore, the protocol specifications of the VR headsets USB had not changed and both devices could be linked. 6 After Chen Chen had connected them, he immediately started up the program, only to find that the VR headset had no other software except for the client of the Oasis game. Chen Chen furrowed his brow but was not discouraged. He used Show in Finder to display the contents of the clients file. After opening the clients folder, Chen Chen was greeted with a sea of resource files and startup icons as well as files with no visible extension. Those must be the Mach-O files generated after the code was compiled. These files were hundreds of gigabytes in size. Of course, considering the complexity of Oasis in the movie, this was pretty much what he had expected. This was already rather simplified. In the past three months, Chen Chen had learned a great deal about computer technology. Now, all his knowledge was coming in handy. First, Chen Chen searched for several of the most powerful unpacking software and tried unpacking these files. However, none of the software succeeded. The encryption technology of Oasis was very powerful. After a while, the work efficiency of Chen Chens laptop was critically slowed down because the files were too large. At the moment, there were only two days left before the three-month period was over. Therefore, Chen Chen chose to put away his laptop, pack his suitcase, and left the factory after a last chat with the manager. After he left, Chen Chen did not laze around but rushed around before finally locating a remote warehouse near the coastal area in the outskirts. This was originally built by a small fishing company. Later, the government found that this company was fishing offshore and issued a fine of several million, which bankrupted the company. Currently, Chen Chen and the agent, who had contacted the warehouse, arrived by car. After getting down, the agent handed Chen Chen a cigarette, which Chen Chen waved away. 2 Seeing that Chen Chen did not smoke, the agent lit one himself and pointed to the warehouse. After bankruptcy, the boss still wanted to use this warehouse as collateral but who wouldve the time and money to maintain this run-down place? So, the warehouse has been abandoned since then. Chen Chen walked to the locked roller shutter door of the warehouse and knelt, feeling the ground. The layer of dust was thick C no one had been here for a long time. Ill open the door. The agent came over and took out a bunch of keys, trying them one by one. At last, he managed to lift the door to the height of half a person. Both of them bent over and entered the warehouse. The space inside was around two hundred square meters, which was considered a small warehouse. Even so, it had been well cleaned. Other than the dust on the floor and a pile of logs in one corner, there was no other visible junk. However, as it had been used to dry saltwater fish over the years, a barely noticeable fishy odor still pervaded the warehouse. Chen Chen looked up and observed that the warehouses roof was constructed with common steel tiles. It was around six or seven meters above the ground. Sunlight filtered in through gaps on the side, scattering bright spots over the gloom of the warehouse. This needs to be repainted. As he stared at the mildew that had spread over the wall, Chen Chen could not help frowning. That couldnt be any simpler. Ill hire three or four workers and get it done in two days. The agent said offhandedly, If you wish to rent this place, Ill send them over once I get back. Chen Chen did not reply but took the key from the agent to open the backdoor. Then, he circled the entire warehouse. The location is rather remote but the price is low. The agent felt awkward and tried to fill the silence. I heard that there was a murder in the woods behind. Some years ago, a young woman from a nearby village ran out after a quarrel with her husband. Her family looked for her through the night but found nothing. After they reported her disappearance to the police the next day, the police finally found her body in those woods. Subsequently, people started saying that this place was haunted, hahahaha! 2 Chen Chen glanced at the agent with an unreadable expression and the agents smile froze. Ugh, Im such a blabbermouth. Why dont we look at another warehouse C there are a few more vacant ones for rent Nope. This is fine. Chen Chen walked to the somewhat rusted shutter door and patted it lightly. Just hire a few workers to clean up this place. Ill rent it for a year for now. Okay, good! The agent nodded enthusiastically and started making calls to arrange things. Chen Chen chose this warehouse because the location was sufficiently remote. The nearest village and shops were a few kilometers away and one would only have to travel four or five kilometers to reach the coast. In movies, kidnappers would usually bring their hostages to a place in the middle of nowhere like this. To ordinary people, this area was a deserted, godforsaken breeding ground for evil. However, for someone like Chen Chen, this was a prime location that was also accessible. If he exited the back of the warehouse and fled into the woods, not even a few hundred police officers could capture him. 5 In critical moments, Chen Chen could even choose to escape through the ocean. Of course, Chen Chen was merely planning ahead. If the USB drive was discovered by the Federation, Chen Chen would be captured eventually even if he fled to the ends of the earth. 4 While the agent took care of the warehouses repainting, Chen Chen used the computer skills he learned online to install four desktop computers that cost more than five figures. 1 After the warehouse was repainted, Chen Chen moved all his stuff over. In two to three days, Chen Chens first office was officially ready. 1 In this environment that was isolated from the rest of the world, Chen Chen officially took the first step to crack Oasis. Chen Chen decided to use dynamic debugging tools to unpack the file manually. With the effects of NZT-48, Chen Chens concentration was laser-focused. At this level of efficiency, he could complete more than a weeks workload in one day. Boosted by this efficiency, Chen Chen tenaciously spent half a month and finally found the programs actual OEP1. Following that, Chen Chen used decompilation software to gradually uncover the process of running the program in assembly mode. It was a shame that the source code of Oasis could not be changed with the technology of the Earth Federation where Chen Chen was located. Even so, this was enough. What Chen Chen needed was an idea. As long as he had a general direction, he was confident he could draw upon this new technology and reconstruct a similar program. Chapter 33 7 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation A month later, in the outskirts of Shangdu next to the coast, a warehouse off the beaten track. Chen Chen hit the final key. A progress bar flashed and a compressed package appeared on the computer desktop. Chen Chen started up the Android emulator, then installed and ran the compressed package. 2 After that, the interface of the emulator flashed and a transparent layer unfurled swiftly, covering the entire screen. 1 Having done that, Chen Chen pulled up an English webpage on the emulator. The webpage flickered and dense rows of red Chinese characters appeared between the lines of English. It was a translation of the English sentences into Chinese. Moreover, the translated text did not contain logical flaws. It simply lacked craft and thus, appeared rather stiff. Nonetheless, compared to most translation software, this was much more convenient. Then, Chen Chen switched over to the interface of the translation software and went to the options of translation modes. Currently, the default mode was embedded translation. Below this option, there were two other modes of replacement translation and contrastive translation. In addition, one could adjust the font and color of the translated text. After some thought, Chen Chen selected the replacement translation option, then returned to the English webpage. This time, there were no red translated words that appeared between the original lines. Instead, all the English words of the entire webpage had been directly replaced with Chinese characters. The astonishing thing was that this change did not disrupt the structure of the webpage at all. It appeared as if this webpage was a Chinese website in the first place. After making sure that this software had no problems, Chen Chen sighed in relief. He suddenly spoke to the screen before him, X, help me add a layer of dynamic protection to the program and convert it into three formats: Android, IOS, and PC. Ill leave the rest to you. Yes, Father. 10 Suddenly, a childish voice piped up from the speaker. Without any human control, the computer automatically opened up various software and the liquid cooling case of the main computer started to buzz and revolve! 1 If a stranger was watching, they would have yelled in alarm. The four computers linked up with each other, forming a computing cluster. The screen of each computer flashed rapidly as if someone with an incredible reaction time was using the four computers at the same time. In no time at all, the computers had quickly finished off a workload that would have taken days or weeks for humans. At the moment, Chen Chen had not even finished washing his face. X was a piece of program code that Chen Chen had stripped from the game Oasis. 2 Besides its graphics, Oasis also had a large number of NPCs. These NPCs were still considered to be weak artificial intelligence that had no real consciousness. Still, their level of intelligence undoubtedly surpassed all current AI. The program derived from this group of NPCs was the main code of this X. Through an algorithm similar to, but more complex than, the artificial fish swarm algorithm, the program simulated the neural fluctuations of the human brain. This program could simulate up to eighty percent of human thinking and was even capable of logic. 3 In the past, the father of computer science and artificial intelligence, Turing, once defined a concept: Let a human and an intelligent machine conduct random questions and exchanges without knowing each others identity. If more than thirty percent of the human testers did not realize that they were communicating with a computer, this meant that the computer possessed human intelligence. This was called the Turing Test. Obviously, Xs intelligence had reached the point where it could easily pass the Turing Test. It was even close to Jarvis from Iron Man. 6 Even so, this did not mean that X was an intelligent lifeform because it was essentially still a product of endless programming. It did not have self-awareness or the ability to think like humans. 2 To prevent the plot of The Terminator from happening, Chen Chen had placed several restrictions on X. 3 These included rules implanted in the core program such as: Any command of Chen Chens would become the highest order, self-replication was forbidden, no online information was to be received before Chen Chens authorization, and so on. After all, Chen Chen had learned from the mistake of his predecessors. Previously, an artificial intelligence named Tay, released by Microsoft, spent only one day on the internet and it became a racist, Nazi-supporting bad girl. 10 Nevertheless, X and Tay were poles apart. The exchange between Chen Chen and X alone would stun many engineers who had studied computational semantics. In general, a voice assistant could complete certain tasks within its capability through the users voice. For instance, a user could access their cellphones voice assistant and casually command, Call XXX. The voice assistant would be able to help the user carry out the task of making the phone call. However, who had ever seen a user say a magical command like Youre already a mature voice assistant and should learn how to do things yourself. Help me finish off the rest of the work, okay? 2 If the voice assistant truly finished the work, that user would wet his pants in fright. By the time Chen Chen had finished washing up, X had completed the work Chen Chen asked of it. Three brand-new compressed packages had been fully encapsulated and were waiting tidily on the desktop. X, what kind of name should I give this software? Chen Chen suddenly wanted to test Xs intelligence once again. Father, as my creator, you should know that Im not equipped with any creative modules. X sounded a little aggrieved. 2 Alright, in that case, this translation software shall be named Little X Translation Assistant. After all, its mined from your core intelligence, Chen Chen said after a moment of pondering. Very well, Father. On the computer screen, the three fully encapsulated, compressed packages were automatically renamed to [Little X Translation Assistant]. Have they been tested for bugs? Chen Chen dried his hair while asking. Not at the moment, Father. Xs childlike voice replied again, If you wish to perform a new round of improvement, itll take around 325 hours of testing. Do you want to carry out the testing? Nah, just send the compressed packages to the mailboxes Ive specified. Chen Chen thought about it. In any case, the software had its user error window. After it was officially released, many users would naturally send over bug reports. There was no need for him to waste more time on testing. 9 Understood, Father. X answered in its innocent voice and opened up a few mailboxes in a multi-line operation. After that, the recently packaged software was sent out. Along with the delivered software, a short introduction was attached. This product is equipped with powerful language processing technology. Unlike other translation software, it tries its best to recapture the meaning of the original text. Moreover, it has seamless intelligent pattern-processing capabilities and is able to process foreign languages into the users language without affecting the layout of the webpage. 1 Chapter 34 3 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Dawn began to brighten and a marble white expanse gradually permeated the sky, ushering in a new daybreak. At this time, in Shangdus inner ring where land was precious, there was a three-hundred-square-meter mansion, from which a faint snoring sound constantly rang out. The interior design of the room was of a classical European aesthetic but the messy clothes around the room, the beer bottles scattered everywhere, and the overturned trash cans and ashtrays, revealed the owners sloppiness. Upon the luxurious Paris Dream bed, a man, around thirty years of age, was sleeping soundly. A trace of heroism from his youth could still be discerned on his face but the gradual weight gain of middle-age had pushed this heroism to the brink of vanishing. Modern internet lingo would describe him as fatty. This man was named Zhan Fei. Seven or eight years back, he relied on YY to make his fortune and established his union four years ago, signing on hundreds of anchors from different platforms. Now, he earned most of his wealth through live broadcasting. However, this was only his surface identity. Zhan Fei was secretly a hacker as well. When he was young, he had dropped out of school because he heard that there was a promising future in the computer industry. Therefore, he learned computer programming and later became enchanted by the unrestrained freedom of the internet. With this basic foundation of knowledge, Zhan Fei started to access the dark web, plunging directly into the evilest forbidden area online, that was even unrestricted by law. 4 As time passed, Zhan Fei amassed many skills: invading, cracking, compiling, decompiling, and so on. When he was sixteen, he even created a highly lethal computer worm by himself, earning hundreds of thousands of U.S. dollars. Even today, he still lurked in the shadows of the internet. He was like an assassin. In this world, no one knew his true identity. However, this could change today. Beep beep beep Zhan Fei, who had fallen asleep not long ago, was suddenly startled awake by a peculiar alarm. It sounded like the dulcet tones of a music box. The entire song was composed of a crisp melody, without any accompaniment or harmony. This music was light and pure. Nevertheless, to someone who was awakened from sleep, even the most melodious tune would sound like noise pollution. D*mn it Zhan Fei mumbled hoarsely to himself. He snatched up his phone by the bed, then stared blankly, lost for words. When he turned on the screen of his phone, the alarm stopped as well. His phone indicated that his mailbox had received an anonymous email. Although Zhan Fei was close to being middle-aged, he was still very cautious thanks to his frequent trips to the dark web. When he saw this notification, he immediately sensed that something was wrong. This was because he had never set a 7 A.M. alarm nor had he selected this alarm tone that he had never heard before. Moreover, this mailbox was the one he had used with his dark webs identity. In this world, there were fewer than ten people who knew about this email address. Does my phone have a virus? Zhan Fei frowned. His vigilant hackers instincts prevented him from opening the email. Instead, he got up with a grunt and walked to the computer with his phone. He fished around for a USB cable, then connected his phone to the computer. Only then did he download the compressed package on his computer that had been well fortified. Meanwhile, he also started up an Android emulator, preparing to open this unknown email on his computer. After he unzipped the file, he found that there were three software installation packages. Little X Translation Assistant? What the hell is this? Zhan Fei was rather taken aback and skimmed over the introduction below. Software that translates webpages in foreign languages? But what does that have to do with me? 1 Nonetheless, considering that it was sent from the dark web after all, Zhan Fei made the necessary preparations before installing the program in the Android emulator. The icon of this program was a cartoon image. In essence, it was a large X with two eyes, just like a cartoon. Zhan Fei double-clicked on the icon. Instantly, the emulators screen was covered by a transparent film while a window popped out from the software. Chinese system detected. Automatically translate all foreign languages into Chinese? Zhan Fei thought for a second, then clicked Yes. After that, there was nothing else. It seemed that the software would run in the background automatically. Other than that, nothing else changed. Thats all? Zhan Fei was flabbergasted. He stared at the lower right corner of his screen disbelievingly but there was no message that some unknown virus had been detected. This installation package seemed to be clean, without any issues. However, Zhan Fei soon gathered himself. After some thinking, he tried opening a foreign language webpage but the moment it appeared, he saw that this website, which was supposedly written in a foreign language, was in Chinese as well? I havent visited this page for a while. Did this website develop a Chinese version? Zhan Fei was rather bewildered. Still, he exited this page and opened another well-known webpage written in a foreign language. However, the shocking thing was that this webpage also displayed actual Chinese characters. This By this point, Zhan Fei had finally realized something was off. Thats impossible. How can a software change the entire webpage? 3 After puzzling over it, Zhan Fei shook his head quickly. No, its not the webpage that has changed. Does it only change the webpages Ive opened? With this in mind, Zhan Fei went to the system settings of the emulator and forcibly stopped Little X Translation Assistant from running. Then, he clicked on that foreign-language website again. He was right. The English webpage remained in English. This website had not set up a Chinese page for users in Mainland China. So, thats it! At this moment, Zhan Fei had a realization at last. However, he started frowning again. Next, he immediately opened the search engine and searched for Little X Translation Assistant. There was nothing online. This means that this is an application that hasnt been officially launched? Now, Zhan Fei finally somewhat understood what was going on. He could not help feeling excited. Though he did not know about the translation market, he knew that Baidu Translator had never been able to translate between English and Chinese so perfectly. This technology was far beyond any translation software on the market. But why was it sent to me? Beep beep beep Before he could finish speaking, Zhan Feis phone suddenly rang again. This time was different than before. This was an unknown phone call. The incoming call did not display any number, only the words Unknown Caller. Zhan Fei was silent for a moment. This could only mean that the base station nearby had been hacked by the caller. The sender of the email was contacting him. Although Zhan Fei felt a little flustered by this, he got a grip on himself at once. As a hacker, the most important thing to do was remain calm. If he could not even keep a cool head, then he could never have become a hacker. Moreover, was the other person going to such lengths merely to show off and while they were at it, perhaps send Zhan Fei to prison? Chances of that were very slim. This person had probably just got a hold of Zhan Feis secrets and wanted to blackmail him. Although the other person had the upper ground for now, Zhan Fei might still have an opportunity to retaliate once they had established contact. Having considered this, Zhan Fei made up his mind. He lifted his hand and gently accepted the call. The moment the call was connected, a babyish voice rang out from the phone. My friend, have you heard of Little X? 2 Chapter 35 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Initially, Zhan Fei had already planned out the conversation in his head. Who was this? What was their identity? How were they planning to threaten him? Would there be a cold, masculine voice? A flirty, female voice? Perhaps even a distorted sound produced by a voice changer? However, Zhan Fei had never thought that he would hear a kids voice. My friend, have you heard of Little X? 1 As Zhan Fei was too stunned to reply, the childish voice at the other end repeated the question. Ive just heard of this name today. Zhan Fei decided to continue talking for the time being, observing the other persons objective before thinking of what to say next. Thats great. The voice in the call seemed overjoyed. In that case, would you like to join us in promoting Little X to the entire world? What do you mean? Zhan Fei frowned. Who are you guys? Why do you want me to join? How would I be useful and what do I get out of this? Mr. Zhan Fei, you may call me X. The childs voice said solemnly through the phone, Were a small organization that focuses on biotechnology in our research. The Little X Translation Assistant sent to you is the first artificial intelligence product under the X banner. If an organization that can design such a product is considered a small organization, then the company that I run is worth nothing, is that it? Zhan Fei snorted coldly. No, no, no! The reason were a small organization is that we have no staff in our organization, the kids voice explained, so, I rummaged around the dark web and tracked you down. What are you saying? I dont understand. Zhan Feis face turned icy. Indeed, this person had found him through the dark web. Of course, Ive located others as well. Ive also tracked down King, SB, CZH. Impossible! Zhan Feis pupils shrank and his hand was practically crushing his phone. Youve even tracked down King and the others in real life? These English names might appear ordinary, even a little comical. Nonetheless, anyone involved in the hacker world would know how fearsome they were. Any one of these names was a top figure in the hacker world. Of course, to me, the traces you guys left online are too obvious. The voice chuckled childishly. I looked for you because you are all successful people whove forged your own paths and you dont have a complicated background. Thus, cooperation between us is possible. 1 Zhan Fei felt a chill run down his spine. He reached back and realized he was already drenched in a cold sweat. If any hacker had told him that they found the real identities of King, SB, and the rest, Zhan Fei would surely sneer disdainfully. However, at the present, he did not feel as if the caller was making empty boasts Zhan Fei had always been careful to clear up any online traces. Even in that battle against Whine one year ago, he had only suffered a small loss. To be able to track him down without him realizing it C what sort of god was this X? With this in mind, Zhan Fei drew in a deep breath. What do you want us to do? My request is simple: I hope that you can all become shareholders of Little X Translation Assistant. 1 The childs voice did not seem aware of how it came across and continued speaking in the same, innocent tone, I hope that you can help finance a company called Blacklight Biotechnology Ltd. This will save my company a lot of trouble. But from what I can tell, this product doesnt need us. Zhan Fei frowned. I believe that with this softwares technology, itll attract plenty of venture capital for sure. However, in that case, the product and even the company would no longer completely belong to me. The childs voice sounded helpless. Although this isnt a bad option, my wish is that the company will forever remain under my control. I get it. Zhan Fei nodded. It was normal for entrepreneurs to feel attached to their own company. Even so, if a company were to expand significantly, it would require investments from different parties. Hence, something like angel investors became common in the industry. 1 Not every company or project was capable of attracting investments. Those that could do so were all companies with immense potential, regarded to have good prospects. After all, capital was driven by profit. Often companies went through several rounds of financing and they ended up being named after other people. Sometimes, the founders were even kicked out. On the other hand, if one did not accept financing, other people might imitate ones technology and establish a new competitor company. When one lacked the funds, the only outcome was to be easily defeated by ones competitors, with nothing left to ones name. This was the reason many people had a love-hate relationship with venture capital. Capital would never sleep. In the eyes of capital, there was no right or wrong, only profit. However, if one had control over the lifelines of the company shareholders, the situation was different, of course. Those shareholders would be unable to intervene in company matters nor interfere with the founders authority. Currently, this seemed to be what X meant. Do I take these words as a threat? Zhan Fei asked coldly. If that makes you happy. X sounded unconcerned. Then, I have one last question C what do I get out of this? Zhan Fei asked once again, If all this doesnt benefit me and even requires me to invest everything I have, then Im sorry, but Ill rather fight to the death with you! Calm down now, Im not that kind of person. X said, Each of you four shall invest ten million in this project of mine. Ill give you a two percent share. The condition is that you mustnt interfere in any of the companys internal affairs. Surely thats reasonable? Zhan Fei burst out in indignant laughter. Youre talking about the project Little X Translation Assistant and not the company? Ten million each, in return for only two percent of the shares? Why dont you just rob us? Two percent is plenty! X argued, Perhaps youre not familiar enough with the technological capabilities of Little X Translation Assistant. Let me put it this way C once this software hits the market, itll resolve any issues in written communication. Its the only one of its kind in the entire world and is more than five years ahead of current AI translation technology! Zhan Fei opened his mouth to retort, but suddenly felt a jolt of temptation. Although he had merely fooled around with the program earlier, that level of technology, which could flawlessly replace every word on a foreign-language webpage, without any clumsy aspects C just as X had said, it could kick the *ss of any similar products. 3 The other person was not exaggerating at all. If this was the case, once this software was officially launched, they would be raking in huge profits! Having thought of this, Zhan Feis initially angry and resisting mood was somewhat alleviated. Moreover, my company wouldve more than just Little X Translation Assistant in the future. X continued speaking, The company is also researching a simultaneous translator, predicted to hit the market within half a year. Youll understand then. Simultaneous translator? Zhan Fei frowned. Is it something that allows two people who speak different languages to communicate? Ive used that before, it doesnt work well. But were different, X explained, youve watched The Wandering Earth before? Our simultaneous translator will reach the level of the one in the movie. When Zhan Fei heard this, he fell silent. After a long while, he continued. Ill have to think about it. No problem. That d*mn kids voice of X still chattered on relentlessly. If you dont mind, please head to the Mickey Caf in the city center three hours later. There, youll meet King, SB, and CZH. Lets discuss further then. Chapter 36 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation As Zhan Fei was troubled by his ongoing predicament, there was a man who was currently in a business office located in Shangdu City Center. He was draped in a suit and intently staring at the computer screen. His temperament was a stark contrast to that of Zhan Fei. The man sat in a spacious office. He had both of his closed fists resting on the table, a glimpse of his expensive watch could be seen from under his cuffs. The floor of the office was coated with glossy obsidian, the french windows behind him overlooked the bustling city traffic. This was no ordinary man. However, despite his luxurious temperament, he had a strangely traditional name. Guo Dazhuang. At the present, Guo Dazhuangs eyebrows were tightly locked. He was not even remotely interested in the newly recruited young secretary who was wearing a deep V-neckline blouse. This was because he had received a particular email earlier today. The content of the mail was a translation software that was not on the market yet. As one of the elites in the IT industry himself, he was able to immediately recognize the potential of this particular software. Without any attempts at exaggeration, this software alone could catapult any enterprise into a technological empire far more successful than his own. Why would someone send such a revolutionary product to him? As Guo Dazhuang was contemplating, he received another call. It was a fellow who referred to himself as X. Although he used a childish voice, he did not find it cute at the slightest. The other party threatened him with his identity on the dark web. That was right. Guo Dazhuangs name in the hacker world was King. King, the name stood for a monarch. Just like his name implied, King was a revered hacker. As one of the leading members in the largest global hacker organization, Anonymous, King had led dozens of intranet attacks. That included attacking Sonys website, sourcing WikiLeaks and even declaring war against the terrorist organization, ISIS. 2 King had even infiltrated Americas Regional Defense Department database and extracted information worth tens of millions of U.S. dollars. The American government had only found out about it after all of the leaked information had been purchased. There were many speculations online. Some said that King was an American or Oceanian, some even said he might be Middle-eastern. Nobody knew that King was a right and proper Mainland China citizen. 8 Even though Guo Dazhuang had never used his identity as King to do anything invasive to Mainland China, there was a five million dollar bounty on his head in America. It would be a huge problem if his identity was exposed. However, the other party was vastly underestimating him if he or she expected him to simply back down like this. Guo Dazhuang scoffed. Based on their previous conversation, he found out that the other party wanted him to invest in a company known as Blacklight Biotechnology. This was an opening. It was time for Guo Dazhuang to display his prowess. He effortlessly hacked into the government agency site and found all the information related to the company. Chen Chen? Shangdu Jiao Tong Universitys Institute of Biological Science? 19 years old? This was all it took? Guo Dazhuang fell into deep thought when he saw the information of the young man displayed on the computer. Something was wrong! Something was definitely wrong here! The other party must have known that he could find out everything about them with even the tiniest details. What was the motive for the other party directly telling him the name of the company? Guo Dazhuang frowned. Suddenly, there was a light knock on the office door. Come in. Guo Dazhuang said plainly. Boss, the meeting is starting soon. The new secretary gently pushed open the door, walked to his table, and informed him in a sweet whispered voice. Tell them that todays regular meeting is canceled. Guo Dazhuang said without a moments thought. He was not in the mood for a meeting now. Understood, boss. You mean to The secretary bit her lips and circled the table toward him. Logically speaking, there was only one reason for canceling a meeting and that was to 5 When he saw the secretary lapping around the table, his heart tightened. He quickly covered the screen so the secretary could not see the contents. He then roared angrily. Get out! Yes The secretary jolted. Her face instantly turned pale as she quickly excused herself. By the time Guo Dazhuang came to his senses, he realized he had lost control of himself. His calm composure was completely shaken by this person named X. This was not the time to be bothered by this. Guo Dazhuang continued staring at his screen for a long time without uttering a word. This must be a cover. Guo Dazhuang smirked. Theres no way hed let me find out his identity so easily. This means that Chen Chen is just a front used to throw me off. 5 Guo Dazhuang closed the webpage and began looking into the anonymous email. Before he could even dig up anything, the fax machine beside him began operating on its own. Initially, Guo Dazhuang did not pay any mind to it because he had assumed it was his secretary faxing him something. When he saw the contents of the fax, he stopped what he was doing. The content of the fax was not work-related. It was a file. A file about King. It contained details on all of his illegally-sourced income and uncharted bank accounts. Guo Dazhuang was not sure how the other party had pulled this off. If the file were to fall into the hands of any government, he would be in big trouble. When he saw this, he began to panic. Whats going on? When did he hack into my work computer? Guo Dazhuang immediately proceeded to analyze every corner of his computer using the software he had patented. He could not find any trace of a virus or trojan no matter what he did. 1 Besides, there was no way all this information could be obtained just by infiltrating his computer. Bsst, bsst, bsst The fax machine tirelessly spat out pieces of paper one after another. The noise was irritating him so he angrily gritted his teeth and pulled out the plug. In an instant, the irritating noise ended. 1 Phew. Guo Dazhuang heaved a sigh of relief. However, before he even had time to recollect himself, the printer began to operate on its own as well. Guo Dazhuang could have sworn that he had never used the printer since the day he began using this office. Yet, the printer seemed to have come to life and was now printing on its own! 5 Guo Dazhuang glared at the printer and watched as it spat out pieces of A4 paper. He felt a chill down the back of his spine. What was printed was a picture of a man sitting in his office. Since the printing was in black and white, the printer was able to print them extremely quickly. One after another, they could probably be strung together to make a comic strip. Guo Dazhuang could see that the man in the picture was none other than himself! Judging from the angle, it was taken from one of the two security cameras in the office. The other party had completely hacked into the companys server. Guo Dazhuang realized that this was the other party giving him a warning. His attempts to track down the other party have not gone unnoticed. Chapter 37 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation B*stard! Guo Dazhuang clenched his jaw. The charismatic appeal he had spent all these years cultivating for himself had completely vanished into thin air. At this moment, he was like a gambler who had lost everything. All that was left was irrational fear and madness. D*mn it, how did the opponent do it? There was no opening on his side. What kind of trick did the opponent used to infiltrate without him noticing? 2 This was an embarrassment! He was a hacker, an elite hacker to boot. To be completely helpless before another hackers attack, this was an absolute humiliation! It had been a very long time since Guo Dazhuang, better yet known as King, had tasted defeat C whether it was in terms of the real world or on the internet. Just like his online alias, he was destined to be the king of the cyberworld. The wind itself shall heed his call. He should be invincible! 1 At this point, Guo Dazhuang unplugged the computer directly and headed toward the door. 1 Boss, where are you going? The secretary by the door quickly got up and asked. I have some business to attend to. You dont have to come. Guo Dazhuang pushed the secretary away with a stoic expression. The employees watched as he left the office. Even though the opponent had discovered his identity in the real world, it did not mean he had lost. As long as the opponent had not exposed his identity, he still had time to find the opponents identity and even the playing field. Guo Dazhuang was very confident in his abilities. He was King, one of the leading members of the largest hacker organization in the Earth Federation, Anonymous! 5 While all of this was underway, the instigator of this event, Chen Chen, was getting up in front of his computer. He got up and stretched a little. He had to admit, King had remarkable willpower. Unlike the other three who had given up easily, he still refused to surrender even at this stage. Chen Chen was not worried about his identity being exposed. He knew that to continue expanding, he was going to have his identity exposed to the general public sooner or later anyway. In that case, why bother hiding? 5 After all, it would appear more natural to step into the upper-class society with a pre-established reputation as a successful entrepreneur. Besides, his background was as clean as they come, unlike King, who was a hacker. If word about Kings identity got out, he might even have to face jail time. On top of that, would anybody even believe him if he just confronted them directly and said he was X? It was all smoke and mirrors. It was very difficult to spot someone who knew his craft. In the end, the four of them agreed to head to the meeting location appointed by Chen Chen. All four of them were Shangdu natives. Three hours would be plenty of time for them to make the meeting in time. 2 Chen Chen looked at the time. It was about an hour and a half until the meeting. He cleaned up for a bit and also put Little X into standby mode. After closing the warehouse door, he set up dozens of alarms monitoring the area around the warehouse. Once he had done that, he took his newly bought scooter and headed toward the main junction. As a globalized metropolis, the suburb was more than an hours ride away from the inner section of the city. Chen Chen had to depart early to not be late. It was during the heat of the summer and the sun was like a blinding ball of flame. Chen Chen had to use the shade from the tree for cover to ease his ride. It seemed like it was time to buy a car. Chen Chen considered for a moment. The company account still had a little over a hundred thousand so a regular car would suffice. 1 There was no need to rush anyway. Soon, his checking account would have forty million. With Chen Chens current hacking proficiency, he could easily turn to money laundering, gambling, bitcoin transactions or various other methods to gain significant wealth. It may be a little problematic to use these gained funds in Mainland China. He could remedy it by registering shell companies in other regions. The shell companies could be used as sources to finance Blacklight. This way, he could gain a significant sum. However, not only was there a risk of being exposed but it would also not address the benefactor problem. That was right, benefactor. As described previously, it was very easy to be targeted when establishing a company. Especially when you had a high-tech company possessing a technology with great potential. You might as well be a child in the street with hundreds of dollar bills in your pockets. The ones who had their eyes on you were none other than the competitors and venture capitalists. People described the market as a cake. Eating the entire thing alone would never work. The best option was to collaborate with others and make the cake larger and stronger. Even though in the end you would have to split the cake into slices but it would still be a larger slice than the initial cake you had. 1 However, you should consider this C what if you were capable of enlarging the cake just by relying on your resources? In practice, this sort of solution would never work. It was a naive view of the capitalism structured industry. The core essence of the industry was still a pack of wolves splitting the game among themselves. It was ridiculous that people just accepted it as part of a natural process. If you choose to not accept any investments, your opponents would pull out all the stops to obstruct your path. In the end, they would ruin your cake and you would not have anything left on your plate. It was either that or they would join forces and make the same cake you were making. Then, they would use their superior combined resources to overpower you. This was a widely known unspoken rule. To avoid such a scenario, Chen Chen had to accept investment from other parties. King, SB, CZH, and ZF. The four of these were the candidates Chen Chen had filtered after entering the dark web as Little X. The four of them were from Shangdu, had no complicated background, and had came to their success by themselves. Each one of them owned enterprises and their net worth was above billions. In that case, instead of waiting for a venture capital firm to come to Chen Chen, he would rather take the initiative and choose his own investors. That was how the current situation came to be. Naturally, Chen Chen was not going to hog everything for himself. Since he was going to enlist help from others, he was going to split the profits. Two percent equity of Little X Translator would be a substantial amount of compensation. Chen Chen estimated that this product which was ahead of its time could make twenty to thirty billion at the very least. Even though this group of people was irritated now, the matter would become entirely different once they had understood the potential of the software. There was no such thing as enemies so long as there was mutual benefit. With their help, Chen Chens company would continue to gain traction. As Chen Chen was concocting his plans in his mind, his phone suddenly rang. He stopped his scooter by the side of the road and took out his phone. It was Xia Yin calling. It had been four months since Chen Chen left the school. In the beginning, Xia Yin would occasionally call Chen Chen. The calls had been getting less frequent recently as Chen Chen was always indifferent toward her. Hey senior, whats going on? Chen Chen picked up the phone and revved up the scooter again. Chen Chen, I have good news for you. Our thesis was just published! The excitement in Xia Yins voice could be heard through the phone. The school just organized a meeting to commemorate me and Wang Weis efforts. Congratulations. Of course, Chen Chen knew when it was going to be published since he was the corresponding author. However, the only reason he went through all that work was so that it would help him in his process of applying for the university student business loan. After having accomplished his goals, Chen Chen could not care less about the two articles back then. Oh yeah, when will you be free? How about I treat you and Wang Wei to celebrate this victory? Xia Yin continued. Sure. Chen Chen smiled. Ill come if I have time. After several short exchanges, Chen Chen excused himself by saying that he was driving. Chen Chen was aware of how Xia Yin felt about him. The only problem was that Chen Chen had the USB drive belonging to a different world. What he was after was not some lovey-dovey stuff. He wanted to attain his hearts desire with the help of the USB drive. 12 Cutting it off once and for all would always be the most efficient method 3 Chapter 38 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Chen Chen arrived at Mickey Cafe ahead of the others. As a high-class cafe, Mickey Cafe had specialized boxes that its competitors did not have. Each box had its respective theme. Chen Chen had already made a reservation for the wonder house themed box several hours ahead. After arriving, Chen Chen checked the time and called a waiter over. He instructed the waiter to cut off the power in the box upon receiving a signal in the form of a text message from him. The waiter had never heard of such a bizarre request but the customers will was their command. The waiter pocketed Chen Chens hundred dollar tip and thumped his chest to say that he would get it done. After that, Chen Chen closed the blinders in the box and turned on all the lights. He started waiting patiently. 1 After about ten minutes, there were approaching footsteps How many pax, please? The waiter greeted Zhan Fei with a smile when he stepped into Mickey Cafe. Im meeting someone. My name is Zhan Fei. Zhan Fei looked troubled. Perhaps it was because he was being threatened and he was in no mood to be courteous to the waiter. Alright, the name of your box is Mickey Wonderhouse. Theres already a gentleman inside. Its down that way. The waiter politely pointed the way for Zhan Fei. At the end of the corridor, there were several doors closed shut. Zhan Fei scoffed before quickly walking in front of the door. After a moment of hesitation, he mustered the courage to pull open the door. The inside of the box was not very bright. Even though it was mid-noon when the sun was the strongest, the thick curtains in the box shielded it from all sunlight. There were several fluorescent lamps overhead. Under the illumination of the room, Zhan Fei could see a medieval European styled roundtable. A young man who looked around twenty-year-old was observing him silently. Zhan Fei had never been a believer in abstract things like an aura. The way he saw it, aura just came with the way people dressed. Let anyone who was attractive and fit put on glamorous clothes and they would give a false impression of having this so-called aura. It was until now when Zhan Fei had realized that perhaps there existed something as mystical as an aura. 5 The youngster before him looked around twenty years old, which was considered pretty young. Yet, his eyes were illuminated like stars in a pitch-black night. 3 Zhan Fei felt like he was being pulled into a black hole when he locked eyes with the youngster In terms of appearance, the youngster was average. He was also dressed commonly. However, there was something different about him that was difficult to be put into words. If he had to describe it, he would describe it as an aura similar to confidence. The supreme confidence the youngster had given him a distinctive color. Even though he was dressed commonly and his appearance did not stand out, he was able to radiate energy far more charming than any celebrity! Facing a youngster who looked more than a decade younger than him, Zhan Fei had a hard time breathing. The questions he was going to ask got caught in his throat. Please come in, Mr. Zhan. For a moment, the young man inspected Zhan Fei who was standing by the door. He then showed a courteous smile. Please come in, whats with the formality? Formality my *ss! Zhan Fei opened his mouth and then quickly suppressed the urge to scold him. It would be wiser to proceed with caution before he knew more about the other party. Zhan Fei walked into the wonder house box and sat opposite the young man. What would you like to drink? The young man tossed over the menu. A cappuccino will do, Zhan Fei said without making an effort to pick up the menu. Waiter? the young man promptly shouted at the door, The mada The gentleman will have a cup of cappuccino. 1 Having just come in from outside, Zhan Fei still had not adjusted to the lighting in the box. He frowned a little and stared at the youngster sitting opposite him, So, youre X? Yes, Im X. To Zhan Feis surprise, the young man admitted his identity. I was the one who contacted you lot this afternoon. You call that contacting? That was a threat on top of blackmailing, alright? Zhan Fei cursed in his mind but his expression appeared otherwise. You said you invited King and the others. Where are they now? They are all late. The youngster motioned with his hands. But never mind that. King has been observing this place from the opposite restaurant for half an hour now. SB and CZH will be here shortly. He even knew about King stalking from the opposite street? Zhan Fei frowned. Then again, if this X could hack the base station, it was no surprise that he could trace them with mobile phone GPS tracking. 1 It was just as he said, after several minutes, more footsteps approached. Two men with glasses and slightly balding came in together. Zhan Fei was not acquainted with these two men. Judging by what X had said, these two should be the infamous SB and CZH. These two seemed to be familiar with each other in real life since they came together. Also, the fact that both of them wore thick-rimmed glasses and had signs of balding complemented the age-old saying, Birds of a feather flock together. The two of them walked in and barely glimpsed at Zhan Fei. They cast their heavy gaze on the youngster who sat at the opposite side. Spill it, what do you want from us? One of the two men did not bother with any form of pleasantries. If youre trying to threaten us with our identity on the dark web, youre going to be in for some disappointment. Were not afraid of your threats. At the end of the day, we have never committed any heinous crimes. That was never my intention. The youngster waved his hand and looked at the doorway. Since you two are here, King may come in as well. Zhan Fei and the other two immediately turned around. A middle-aged man in a suit appeared out of nowhere by the doorway. The middle-aged man who had just made his appearance had slender cheeks. He was tall and dressed like a noble. Anyone could tell that this man came from a formidable background. Yet, for some unspeakable reason, his aura was overshadowed by the young man sitting on the opposite side of the table. Are you really X? The middle-aged man walked in all high and mighty, ignoring the other three people in the room. He glared intently at the youngster. Youre the employee of the company I found from the government official site? I certainly am. The youngster smiled. I know its hard for you guys to make sense of all this. Dont worry about it. Well have plenty of time to get to know each other after we arrive at an agreement. I never said I was going to work with you. Zhan Fei scoffed. Of course. If you guys are still not interested after Ive expressed my terms to you, then youre free to leave. The youngster who sat on the opposite side smiled. I promise I will not continue to threaten you guys. Do you give your word? You have my word. The youngster nodded solemnly. Lets begin with some introductions. Im Chen Chen, also known as X on the dark web. Of course, Im sure you guys have never heard of me before. After all, Im just a small-time player not even worth noting. The four of them did not bother entertaining the youngsters courteous introduction. If someone like you would call yourself a small-time player, then nobody in the dark web had the right to call themselves a major player. 1 If X had gone all out instead of just threatening them, they would have been long defeated. Chapter 39 1 Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation All five of them sat silently at the round table in the dimly lit sectioned box. Four of them were looking straight ahead at the person sitting across them. The waiter who walked into the strange scene instantly got cold feet. The waiter only served the coffee to each person after a slight moment of hesitation. Thank you, you may leave now. After everyone had their beverages served, the young man gestured for the waiter to leave and close the door. After that, he took a sip of the coffee on the table. He said in a low voice that could only be heard if you were sitting close by, Im sure each one of you have taken a look at the software I sent. SB and CZH exchanged glances. SB took out a pack of cigarettes and handed it out to everyone. Im good, Ill use mine. Guo Dazhuang waved it away and then retrieved a pack of cigarettes which he then placed on the table. He did not know anyone here. How could he be certain that there was nothing strange mixed in the cigarettes? CZH started first. Your product does have a lot of potential. If you want us to invest in it, the two of us are willing to buy forty percent of your companys shares for two hundred million. Zhan Fei shot a strange look at the two of them. Based on their aggression, he had expected that they would have something to say about being threatened. Instead, they made no mention of that and focused on the topic of the product right off the bat. Just like the saying, there was no such thing as enemies so long there were mutual benefits. 1 Zhan Fei reflected for a split second before he quickly followed up. The ship was going to sail off if he just waited a moment longer. In that case, Im also willing to buy ten percent of your companys share for fifty million. Im sure this is a reasonable price? This was not a gesture of generosity on Zhan Feis part. Even an outsider could recognize the potential of the software. Nobody present at the moment was a fool. On the way here, Zhan Fei had thoroughly inspected the software. He even tried to steal the algorithm. The only problem was that he was unable to break into the core section of the code so he had no choice but to give up and come here. Sorry, Im only selling eight percent of my shares. Itll also be limited to this project only. The youngster made no visible reaction at the notion of hundreds of millions. Two percent each, no more than that. They exchanged glances again. CZH put on his negotiation tone. Only this project? Is your company not accepting financial investments? No issues on the financial side? Actually, money isnt a problem. The youngster shook his head. The only reason Im willing to accept investments at such a discounted price is that Im aware of the influence of each one of you in the IT industry. Did you really think that my translator assistant bot is only worth five hundred million? Zhan Fei and the others fell silent. Also, my team is currently developing another translation software that can translate conversations in real-time. Once it has succeeded, Im certain that the profession of translators will be a thing of the past. 11 Such audacity! They shot harsh looks at the youngster. It was as if they were trying to pierce through him with their gaze. It was a widely acknowledged fact that the translator profession would eventually be replaced by AI. However, nobody ever dared to make such a bold proclamation out loud. 1 When the bold claim came from the mysterious youngster, it somehow came out as being a lot more convincing. On top of that, he had already proven that his hacking capabilities rivaled their own. The Little X Translation Assistant was also a symbol of his breakthrough in the artificial intelligence sector. 1 More importantly, it would be a waste of effort to stage this entire thing just to pocket several hundred million. He could have taken it to technological giants like Apple instead of targeting them. With an investment of ten million today, Im certain that each one of you will see a return of at least tenfold in the future. What Ill need from you all is to act as a safeguard for my company while its still in its infancy and protect it from competitors. Thats also why the only project comprised Little X Translator Assistant. Otherwise, wont I be the one getting ripped off here? The youngster motioned with his arms spread open and resumed his explanation. This is the reason Ive invited all of you here. There are no threats, blackmail or any other strings attached. If youre not interested in my project, youre free to take your leave. I promise that youll never have to meet X again. The box was drowned in silence again. After some time, Zhan Fei finally got up. In that case, I agree to invest in this project of your company. Have your people contact me. Ill be available over the next few days. After he had finished, he turned around and left. Same thing for both of us. SB and CZH followed after and made their leave. Actually, you should consider our suggestion as well. Remember to contact us if your esteemed company is willing to sell your shares. After three of them had left, it was just the youngster and Guo Dazhuang left in the box. Mr. King, have you made your decision? I thought that you were just going to be a representative and the real X will not reveal himself so soon. Sat across the table, Guo Dazhuang glared intently at Chen Chen. But when I saw your calmness and confidence, I was convinced that youre the X that had defeated me. You flatter me. The youngster picked up a cigarette and began fiddling with it. How would you react if I told you that Im not X? What? Guo Dazhuan raised an eyebrow. No, youre X. I went through all of your files. Freshman in Shangdu Jiao Tong Universitys Institute of Biological Science. You recently published two academic research on stem cells as the corresponding author. It sent waves across the entire academic world and you were hailed as a genius, am I right? The youngster began to clap in response. I never planned to hide all that. Its not that impressive digging up all that. I never expected you to hide your tracks as a hacker so well. I couldnt find any trace of it no matter how hard I searched. Guo Dazhuang sighed. If it wasnt for me witnessing your abilities as a hacker, Id never believe you were a part of the hacker world. What they say about you is true. Youre not just a genius in biology but youre also a genius with computers. Lets skip the small talk, King. Tell me your decision. The youngster urged. I choose to refuse. Guo Dazhuang suddenly continued again. Im sure you didnt see this coming. My principle in life is that we all have to face the consequences of our actions. Ill never tolerate being threatened! The youngster was mildly surprised. He looked at Guo Dazhuang. Thats a shame. In that case, I sincerely apologize for my previous actions. Its too late. Guo Dazhuang got up and shook his head. Im not a businessman, I merely established a company out of interest. My true identity is a hacker and you have just crossed the line. Are you challenging me? The youngsters expression became colder. Thats right. Unlike the three of them, I dont value monetary gain as much. I already have more than enough to spend anyway. Guo Dazhuang sneered. Also, Im not just a hacker, I have some friends in the underworld as well. Dont you think about threatening me with the dirt you have on me, otherwise, I cant guarantee the safety of your parents. 1 The youngster was not upset at the threat. He sighed instead. I was too na?ve. Human nature is always so unpredictable and difficult to grasp. Guo Dazhuang scoffed. He adjusted his coat before heading out. You forgot your cigarettes. Just as Guo Dazhuang was about to push open the door, the youngster spoke. Guo Dazhuang halted in his step. It was at this moment, the fluorescent lamps in the box went out with a pfft. The box turned pitch black in an instant. Whats going on? A blackout? Guo Dazhuang turned around in shock. He saw the mysterious youngster remain silently seated. He could barely make out his silhouette. Is this your cigarette? Im sure you dont mind me smoking one. The figure in the dark raised his right hand. Following a sharp flick, a pea-sized flame shot up and illuminated half of the youngsters face. Amid the shadows and the flickering flames, the youngsters face faded in and out like an apparition Guo Dazhuangs fierce expression gave away and he looked like he was caught in a daze. He saw the flames leaping up and down, like stars in the sky. He counted a star, two, three 3 Chapter 40 At the end of the day, it was still impossible to grasp human nature even after taking NZT-48. Should this be attributed as being a limitation of NZT-48 or the unpredictable nature of humans? The strong bite of the cigarette smoke made Chen Chen cough a little. As he looked at Guo Dazhuangs figure turning away, his eye became slightly bloodshot. Just as Chen Chen had expected, the previous three candidates had agreed to work together when they saw the potential profit. However, Chen Chen forgot to factor in someone like Guo Dazhuang. Perhaps it was this perseverance and unwavering spirit of his that made him one of the leading members of the largest hacker organization in the world as well as the CEO of a company with a market value above a billion. This failure was a sharp reminder to Chen Chen who was growing bolder by the day. It seemed like he had crossed the line with Guo Dazhuang. With that said, Chen Chen would not continue to trouble Guo Dazhuang just for refusing to invest. He was not in dire need of Guo Dazhuangs assistance anyway so he would not even mind apologizing on the spot. However, what Chen Chen did not expect was that not only was Guo Dazhuang prepared to challenge him but he even threatened Chen Chen with his parents. In this regard, Guo Dazhuang had crossed the line with Chen Chen as well. Thus, the endless battle was ignited. There were moments where life and death were decided in an instant. Chen Chen silently crushed the cigarette butt. He got up to open the curtains and then looked down. Outside the building, he could tell there was something off with the way Guo Dazhuang walked. He silently walked out of Mickey Caf and walked toward the road without a moments pause. It was a busy road. There was an endless stream of vehicles coming back and forth. It was as if Guo Dazhuang did not notice the traffic at all as he walked past the sidewalk and went straight ahead to the opposite road. One car, two cars, three cars One after another, the cars blazed past Guo Dazhuang with their horns screeching along the way. Guo Dazhuang paid no mind to all the dangers around him. It was as if he had been possessed. Bang! Finally, as Guo Dazhuang was crossing through the barrier in the middle of the road, an SUV that was unable to stop in time violently crashed into Guo Dazhuang. The harsh screech of the brake rang across half the street. Countless people turned toward the direction it came from. At the same time, Chen Chen closed the curtains. He snapped his thumb, turned toward the door and smiled: Waiter, the bill please. Ring ring ring! As Chen Chen was riding his scooter back to his warehouse, his phone suddenly rang. Chen Chen frowned when he heard the ringing. He had preset his phone so that it would only ring like this when X contacted him. Before he headed out, he had already put X into standby mode just in case something happened while he was gone. There was only one scenario in which X would be awakened C someone was detected in the warehouse. Chen Chen had installed dozens of cameras in the warehouse. They were positioned perfectly so that there were no blind spots. The feed went directly into Xs processor. The very moment it had detected signs of any stranger, X would come out of standby mode and immediately alert Chen Chen. Chen Chen parked his scooter by the road and quickly took out his phone to investigate. X had sent him around ten pictures taken from the cameras. In the first picture, a girl in a white t-shirt and denim shorts got down from a red car. The girl had a slender figure. Due to the resolution of the picture, the face was blurry. In the second picture, the girl stood before the warehouse door and was gently knocking on the roller shutter door. In the third picture, the girl sat down on the slope in front of the warehouse door. She seemed to have realized there was no one in the warehouse and was taking out her phone. In the fourth picture, the girl had put down her phone. Chen Chen shook his head. He put the phone back in his pocket and restarted the scooter. The girl was not just any other person. It was Xia Yin. Chen Chen intentionally picked a warehouse in the middle of nowhere to serve as his base of operations. He was not sure how Xia Yin had managed to find it. Judging by her troubled expression, she was debating whether she should contact him or not. Why, though? Chen Chen sighed. There was just no winning with her After an hour, Chen Chen finally got back to the warehouse. He was all burned up by the scorching sun even with the wind blowing while he was riding the scooter. To Chen Chens surprise, when he made a turn at the junction into the warehouse, he saw a red Mercedes parked by the road. At the same time, Xia Yin, who was sitting in front of the warehouse, looked up and turned toward his direction as well. Xia Yin was wearing a white t-shirt and blue denim shorts. Due to her being in a seated position, her shorts were pulled back. The outline of her long, slender legs was showing. At this moment, if someone asked him what was special about Xia Yin, Chen Chen would give a definite answer: her leg[1]. When Chen Chen saw the girl who was teeming with youthfulness, he shook his head and became almost speechless. Youre still here. What do you mean? Xia Yin immediately got up. She complained while patting the dust off her butt. I just got here. Chen Chen parked his scooter beside the warehouse and took out his key. How did you know I was here? Brother Wei told me. Xia Yin smugly ran toward her car and threw up a peace sign. Im just here to brag, you see this new ride? Those are some nice legs you got there Oh wait, I mean nice car. Chen Chen intentionally made a suggestive joke. Xia Yins cheeks turned rosy red as she quickly interrupted. My dad gave this car to me as a gift for having the thesis published on Cells. I f**king knew it! Chen Chen turned around to open the roller shutter door without a change of expression. Aunty, Id like to continue working hard on my business, why dont you go find some other young bloke.[2] What aunty? Am I that old? Xia Yin puffed up her cheeks and went on angrily. Im only three grades above you. Plus, I started a year early so technically, Im only two years older than you! Come on, youre obviously a fifty-eight-year-old aunty alright? Chen Chen walked into the warehouse. He dug up a bottle of water from under the bed and downed half of the bottle before stopping. Aunty, do you want me to make you some cappuccino? What cappuccino, I dont even drink coffee, Xia Yin replied with a blank face. Look, you dont even know what that means. And thats why I say youre an aunty, Chen Chen voiced with disdain, Do you know brother Kai[3]? Xia Yin shook her head. You know Qiao Biluo, her royal highness[4]? Again, Xia Yin shook her head. If you dont know anything, then its time to start studying. Always postgraduate this, postgraduate that, youve post yourself into becoming an idiot! Chen Chen tossed a bottle to Xia Yin and said in a disgusted tone, Get out, you and I arent the same! Whats your problem? Xia Yin finally erupted. She smashed Chen Chens head with the water bottle. I came out here to see you and this is how you treat me? What have I ever done to you to deserve such treatment from you all the time? Chen Chen rubbed the spot where she had hit him and retorted, This is what I dont like about you, this entire *ss-kissing thing. Stop being an *ss-kisser. You Xia Yins cheeks became flushed red. She took a deep breath. I wouldnt choose to be an *ss-kisser if it werent for the crush I have! Besides, I have already given up on the postgraduate! Chen Chen was taken aback. He looked up and asked, Why did you suddenly give up? Didnt you submit the specialized postgraduate recommendation? I thought about it afterward and changed my mind in the end. Xia Yin lowered her head. I suddenly had an epiphany. Why bother with it if I wasnt going to go down the path of biology in the future anyway? Also, the sole reason I did it in the first place was because of my dad. Now that things are getting a bit better between me and my dad, theres no reason for me to continue. Thats true. Im just a poor boy from the slums. Ill never understand the mindset of pampered rich girls like you. Chen Chen touched his chin and nodded thoughtfully. [1] this is a play on the Chinese phrase special which shares a similar meaning with long [2] a running online joke that young men who did not want to work hard anymore will turn to a sugar mommy [3] a popular streamer [4] another popular streamerz Chapter 41 Why dont I join your company? After their quarrel, Xia Yin blurted out this suggestion. Her words caused a shift in Chen Chens heart. It was true. He had to start selecting employees. Blacklight Biotechnology Ltd. was founded a long time ago. All along, Chen Chen had been a lone-wolf commander, without even someone to fetch him tea or water. There was a contract to be signed in a few days. Surely he must not always be the one who would go alone? The great X himself, personally visiting other companies to sign the contract. The others would be groups of four to five lawyers, accompanying three or four high-level personnel while he would be by himself. Was that not a little demeaning? Now that he thought of this, Chen Chen replied pensively, And what will you do? I can be your secretary. Xia Yin opened a bottle of mineral water and glanced around, only to find that, apart from Chen Chens computer desk, the large warehouse did not even have a stool. Xia Yin ended up plopping her butt down onto Chen Chens foldable bed. Her two slender, well-proportioned legs dangled before Chen Chens eyes. Secretary work C are you able to do it? Chen Chen intentionally emphasized the phrase do it. Of course. Xia Yin said matter-of-factly. She did not get Chen Chens innuendo at all. Each summer and winter break, my dad would make me an intern at his company. Its not just secretary work; even managing an entire company would be a piece of cake for me! But dont you hate managing companies? Chen Chen smirked. He could still remember how Xia Yin had to rely on him just to rent a laboratory. I dont really hate it. I just dont want my father smothering me. If its your company, Ill do a good job of it! Xia Yin looked at Chen Chen expectantly. Chen Chen pondered about it silently. Although he had not known Xia Yin for long, they did work together every day for three months after all. The only thing they had not done was to share a bed. Chen Chen already had a clear grasp of Xia Yin as a person from her personality to her abilities. To put it simply, perhaps due to the influence of her family, Xia Yin had a certain aptitude for management and planning. Although she was not an exceptionally quick learner, she was clear-headed, logical, and meticulous, rarely making mistakes when she took things seriously. The only problem was her socializing skills, but that was something that could be trained. Moreover, even if Chen Chen had recruited professional managers through a headhunting company, their loyalty would be another issue. With this in mind, Chen Chen raised his head and said solemnly, If your father doesnt mind, Ill let you do the work of the human resources department. Use your fathers connections to recruit a team of employees for me. Ill also send you our first product that was just released. Try pitching it to your father and see if he has any plans to invest. If so, I can grant him favorable terms. Sure, sure! Xia Yin nodded happily. When Chen Chen saw how excited Xia Yin was, he suddenly doubted his rationale in hiring her. He had not been completely serious in saying that, but he did not expect Xia Yin to sell out her father without the slightest hesitation. Did this idiot have a brain In any case, the first employee of Chen Chens company was hired under such circumstances. What Chen Chen did not anticipate was that, in less than two hours after Xia Yin had sent Little X Translation Assistant to her father, he immediately reached out to Chen Chen. Xia Yins father was named Xia Hui. His company was named Sparkle Entertainment Information Technology Ltd.. It was an IT company as well but their main business was in the web game industry. In simple terms, it was the kind of game company that would start off a meme like Im Nick Cheung, if youre a brother, cut me down; this is a brand new game youve never played before[1]. Although Sparkle Entertainment was not as famous as the game company that gave rise to that meme, it had produced many popular web games. Even in Mainland China, Sparkle Entertainment was among the top thirty web game companies. By the next day, Xia Yins father had already rushed to Shangdu on a plane. In Xia Yins presence, both of them had negotiated for a long time before finally drawing up a contract. The contract roughly stated: Xia Hui, under his own individual name, will invest in Chen Chens Little X Translation Assistant project with a capital of twenty million, owning four percent of the projects shares. At the same time, without revealing the artificial intelligence algorithm of Little X Translation Assistant, Chen Chen must embed an intelligent system of NPCs in a game under Sparkle Entertainment. In return, Chen Chen will own fifty percent of the web games dividends. Nonetheless, Chen Chen was not interested in the games dividends mentioned in the second clause. Instead, he directly cashed this in for ten million in cash. By this point, Chen Chen had successfully exchanged ten percent of Little X Translation Assistants shares for fifty million in cash. He could pay off his business loans as a student as well. At the start, this loan was signed by Professor Wang Xi. In the past months, Chen Chen had rented a factory and paid for electricity, yet the Industry and Commerce Bureau as well as the bank had never investigated Chen Chens financial situation. This was because Professor Wang Xi had been shielding him from that pressure. Now that Chen Chen had abundant funds, naturally, he would not trouble Professor Wang Xi any longer. The thirty million from Xia Yins father was paid to Chen Chen almost immediately after the contract was signed. It was not even paid in different installments. Over at the company, Chen Chen directly handed over the management of the funds to Xia Yin, asking her to rent a floor of an office building. Meanwhile, she also had to ask her father for a few capable assistants to round up their team. After all, they had to sign another contract with Zhan Fei and the other two in a few days. As for the involvement of Xia Yins father in the company, Chen Chen was not worried in the least. Once the office location was set and the local area network was built, X would be able to take over the entire companys network. None of the employees actions would go unnoticed by X. Chen Chen could then become a boss who sat back and did nothing. As long as he tossed out a scrap product derived from Oasis every year or so, the money would keep rolling in. For instance, the simultaneous translator that was developed at the same time as Little X Translation Assistant was just an ordinary translation program. Even so, when it was supplemented by artificial intelligence, it would immediately revolutionize an industry. This was the power of technology. In truth, Chen Chen could release the simultaneous translator and Little X Translation Assistant together, but after some consideration, this seemed to be too outrageous. A person who had designed a product that transcended eras might be described as a sword that had taken ten years to sharpen or simply a genius. However, if he came out with two such products at once, those with wild imaginations might come to strange conclusions like Hes using a cheat code, Hes hacked the system, or Hes been reborn, and so on. Thus, to avoid being too flashy, Chen Chen had given up on doing that. Chen Chen still maintained a clear head. His goal was not to become some dreamy, domineering CEO, playing house in the workplace all day. This would be missing the forest for the trees. What was a company worth? Chen Chens true foundation was the USB drive. As long as he had the USB drive, Chen Chen could start up a thousand or ten thousand companies. Even if he failed countless times, he could get back up over and over. Even his dream of immortality would have to be realized through the USB drive. [1] This refers to a meme that went viral when, in an advertisement for a web game, Hong Kong actor Nick Cheungs imprecise Mandarin pronunciation became the butt of various jokes and puns. Chapter 42 A few days later, a company named Blacklight Biotechnology quietly took root in the city of Shangdu. The companys office space was located on the 45th floor of an ordinary office building in Central Shangdu. Thus, its appearance did not attract anyones attention. After all, small companies like this were founded every day. At the same time, they vanished into oblivion as well. Their emergence and collapse did not cause the slightest ripple. It was akin to how, among the living beings of this world, how many were there who could leave even a faint mark in the long river of history? Once the company had settled down, it immediately entered the recruitment process. Xia Yin, who had taken on a leading role at this crucial point, was busy all day. Fortunately, she had brought in a few employees from Sparkle Entertainment, which allowed the company to keep things going. After the company had hired its first batch of workers, Xia Yin sent those employees back. After all, they still had to avoid suspicion. The first batch of employees included only five departments for now: customer service, technical, planning, publicity, and human resources. In total, there were fewer than twenty people. In terms of publicity for Little X Translation Assistant, Chen Chen let the company take care of it. Xia Yin used whatever tools that web games used such as dissemination campaigns, advertorials by the Water Army[1], webpage pop-ups, and so on. She stopped short of getting Ng Man-tat to shoot a few rustic commercials for them. The technical department was only responsible for the websites operation for now. They would not be involved with software development and updates at all. Thus, there would be zero risk of the source code being leaked. Currently, Chen Chen was lounging in the chairmans office in a suit. As the company was newly founded, Xia Yin had strongly requested that Chen Chen put in an appearance. This was the first time Chen Chen had shown up ever since the company was established. At present, our products are still in the free promotion stage. We might need to keep this up for a while. If that still doesnt cut it, we can run ads to prevent losses. Xia Yin was standing before Chen Chen. At the moment, she was wearing a black OL outfit[2] and she was more capable and experienced than she was a month ago. Theres no need for that. Our products dont need to rely on other advertisers. Chen Chen shook his head, gently twirling the gel pen in his hand. Every company has its corporate image. If possible, Id like for our company and products to give people a clean impression. This is more important than those petty profits. After all, word-of-mouth will proliferate swiftly. Then, when do we start charging for our product? Xia Yin asked, then added, Last month, we spent over ten million in advertising costs. If we go on like this, the company will have no funds left. In truth, among the people of Mainland China, there wont be much demand for our product. Chen Chen thought about it for a while. After all, you should know that Mainland China has a dense population thats comparable to that of several continents. Thus, their need for cross-border communication isnt as urgent as other continents. As such, the focus of our market should be other, more culturally complex continents outside of Mainland China. For instance, Europe has multiple languages and our neighbor, India. In particular, those continents that use Facebook and Twitter, Chen Chen added. Chairman, Manager Xia. Just then, the voice of a middle-aged woman came from outside the door. Come in! Chen Chen beckoned with one hand. This is my assistant, Sister Ye. Xia Yin introduced her to Chen Chen. With Sister Yes help, I can make up for my lack of experience in managing a company. Manager Xia, youre giving me too much credit. The middle-aged woman addressed as Sister Ye smiled faintly. Chairman, the representatives of Facebook and Twitter have arrived downstairs. Chen Chen looked up abruptly. They came together? It appears That way. Sister Ye did not seem to catch Chen Chens drift and stammered, Is there a problem? Chen Chen smiled lightly. They only came after a month. It looks like they couldnt crack the code of my program. When Sister Ye heard this, she broke out into an awkward smile. Chairman, will you be receiving them at the door now? Receive them? Chen Chen made a puzzled face. Dont they have legs? Uh Sister Ye choked momentarily. Then, shall I send them to the conference room directly? Thats right, let them wait in the conference room. Ill be over soon. As he watched Sister Ye leave, Chen Chen twirled his pen and observed her departing figure with a thoughtful expression. A moment later, after he saw a few blonde foreigners filing in past the glass window, Chen Chen got up and walked toward the conference room. Xia Yin hurried behind. By the time Chen Chen entered the conference room, five foreigners were already in the guest seats. There were three men and two women, all dressed in work suits. Sister Ye was busy serving tea and water to them. On Chen Chens side, other than himself, Xia Yin, and Sister Ye, there was also a fresh graduate who studied law. When Chen Chen was seated, the man heading the foreigners said, Hello, Mr. Chen, Ms. Xia. Im Tony, the executive officer of Facebooks legal department. Ms. Emily here is my companion. On this side, Mr. Alvin is Twitters representative and the other two are our current assistants. What no one expected was that this man would speak in honest-to-goodness Chinese. Chen Chen swept his gaze across the five of them and nodded. Im Chen Chen, the chairman of Blacklight Biotechnology. So, what have you come here for? Well, Mr. Chen. Tony smiled. Facebook and Twitter both hope to invest in your companys Series A round. Although your company isnt profitable for the time being, it has established a certain reputation in the industry. We estimate your companys value to be at 1.5 billion USD. If Mr. Chen agrees, our two companies can buy seventy percent of your companys shares at one billion USD. Im sorry. I dont have any plans to obtain financing at the moment, Chen Chen responded without any hesitation. Er, Mr. Chen, dont you need time to think this over? Tony was rather surprised. As far as I know, your companys angel round had only raised eight million USD. Surely this amount wasnt enough to develop an excellent product like Little X Translation Assistant? That isnt something you should be concerned about. Chen Chen picked up his cup of tea and sipped gently. If you come here just for that, we no longer have to continue this discussion. Very well Seeing that Chen Chen was being headstrong, the man switched tactics. In that case, Mr. Chen, please have a look at this letter of intent. As he spoke, Emily took out a few thin, white sheaves of documents and handed them to Chen Chen and the rest. Just as the letter of intent states, Facebook is willing to purchase the permanent right to use Little X on Facebooks platform for a hundred million USD, all without interfering with your companys software operations. The same goes for Twitter. On one side, Alvin, who had not spoken up until now, jumped in. Were also willing to offer a price of one hundred million USD to incorporate your companys Little X Translation Assistant into Twitters platform. In a voice that only Xia Yin and Chen Chen could hear, Sister Ye suddenly reminded them softly from one side, Manager Xia, their offers are equivalent to both of them paying us to advertise for us. Its definitely a great opportunity for our companys publicity! Chapter 43 When he heard what Sister Ye had said, Chen Chen nodded. Im glad to hear that both of your wish to incorporate our product into your respective platforms but Everyone pricked their ears. If you want Little X Translation Assistant for your platforms, a hundred million wont cut it. Chen Chen raised two fingers. I want two billion! Mr. Chen, isnt that a bit too much? Tony was stunned. Our valuation of your company puts you at 1.5 billion only. Two billion already exceeds your companys entire worth. We cannot accept this! Thats alright. We can change to another method of cooperation. Chen Chen grinned and said nonchalantly, Whichever one of you is willing to pay three billion USD, Ill let them own exclusive authorization to use the product in the entire Federation. When they heard this, Tony and Alvin turned pale at once. Tony stammered, Mr., Mr. Chen, what youre doing is immoral. As you people in Mainland China would say Whats the phrase, something price? Raising the price of a date? Chen Chen asked mockingly. Pfftt On one side, Xia Yin nearly spat out her water. No! Its called Driving up the price! Tony slapped his thigh angrily. Thats right, driving up the price! This isnt how a gentleman behaves! Theres nothing else to say. Chen Chen waved his hand. Im giving you only these two options. Otherwise, we can end the discussion. If you insist on doing this, Im afraid we wont be able to continue negotiating about this business deal! Tony drew in a deep breath and suppressed the rage in his heart. We dont see any sincerity from you or your company at all! Manager Xia? Sister Ye suddenly showed an anxious expression and she tried to get Xia Yin to advise Chen Chen. However, Xia Yin merely pursed her lips as she held back her laughter, her face flushed red with the effort. Surely all of you mustve noticed: This software of mine isnt suited for Chinas market. Chen Chen suddenly changed the topic and said serenely, Neither QQ, WeChat, Tieba nor Weibo is suitable for Little X Translation Assistant. The ones who truly need this product are international communication platforms like yours. Our companys translation software was created for international communication platforms. The value of the software itself might not be that high but its true worth goes beyond any superficial revenue to be gained. Chen Chen broke it down casually. Did either of you think about what would happen if my translation software were to be used by your competitors? The moment Chen Chen said this, the entire room fell silent. Tony and Alvin exchanged a glance. How could they possibly not know the true value of Little X? They had merely been playing dumb all this while. Not only that but they also knew that if social platforms like Tumblr or Telegram got their hands on Little X Translation Assistant, what a disaster it would be for them! This might even disrupt their dominance in the field of social media! Both of you, please think about it. If your companies gain exclusive authorization, not only will your hegemony be strengthened but you might also have the chance to access emerging markets! Chen Chen fixed them both with a stare. Have you thought about breaking into Mainland China? This final sentence came like a bolt out of the blue, causing everyone present to gasp sharply! In this instant, they thought of Tencent. Everyone knew about how an internet empire like Tencent had risen. However, it was precisely this knowledge that drove them mad with envy, to the point where they wanted to eat their flesh and chew their bones! With the worlds largest market, yet without any strong competitors to speak of; from a small chat software to a corporate empire with tentacles extending into every corner of the internet C Tencent only took a decade to accomplish this! They even surpassed Twitter easily and crushed Facebook! This was the chronicle of the Tencent empire! There are still many other international platforms like Facebook and Twitter such as Tumblr, Instagram, Telegram, Line, and so on When he saw their stirred-up expressions, Chen Chen smiled faintly. Strictly speaking, no matter which international platform gets exclusive authorization to use my product, it could become the next Facebook. Even if both of you arent willing to take this deal, I think there would be others who are willing, right? Upon hearing this, the representatives of Facebook and Twitter fell silent. After a long while, Tony said in a strained voice, Ill have to contact headquarters for this. If you dont mind, well come again tomorrow. By all means. Chen Chen invited them out with a polite gesture. As she stared at the group drifting out the conference room, Xia Yin whispered in amazement, They seemed to be tempted Its not just seemed to be. They will take the deal. Chen Chen shook his head. If my predictions are correct, in less than an hour, someone will contact us. Indeed, merely half an hour later, Sister Ye knocked on Chen Chens office door in a frenzied manner again. Chairman, Emily from Facebook has come! Let her come in at once, Chen Chen replied. Very well! Soon, Sister Ye walked in with the woman who was with Tony, along with a few lawyers. Emily did not speak Chinese as Tony did. Instead, she used English to express hurriedly, Mr. Chen, weve met before. On behalf of Facebook, I accept your second proposal to buy exclusive authorization for Little X Translation Assistant across the entire Federation at the price of three billion USD! Is that so? Thats really too bad Chen Chen wagged his finger and said in a pitying tone, Twitter has contacted me earlier. They were willing to do the same. Thats impossible! Emily suddenly exclaimed loudly and subconsciously glanced at Chen Chens side. Youre a fraud! Its best to think twice before you speak. Chen Chen said leisurely, If you dont believe me, why dont you wait for Mr. Alvins arrival to fight it out? Emily spluttered slightly when she heard this, then she took a deep breath. In that case, Facebook is willing to purchase exclusive authorization for Little X Translation Assistant at the price of four billion USD. Thats the limit, Mr. Chen! I look forward to working with you! When Chen Chen heard this, he offered his hand with a gentle smile. It took nearly three hours to finish signing the contract. After Sister Ye sent out the pale-faced Emily and her team, Xia Yin suddenly poked her head in through the door. Is it done? Its done. Chen Chen took out the contract. Four billion USD. Yeah! Xia Yin immediately whooped with joy and rushed over in delight. My goodness, Im not dreaming, right? Four billion and its in USD. Even if I sell off my father, I wont make that much! Facebook and Twitter, those two jackals arent any saints in the first place. How can I let them off without teaching them a severe lesson? Theyre not saints but you still let them break into Mainland China? Xia Yin retorted with a smile as she flipped through the contract. Have they broken in? Chen Chen chuckled and tossed the contract into the drawer. Even if we put aside barriers like the local government and Tencent, this contract doesnt mention anything about updating the Chinese system Huh? Xia Yin was taken aback. Youre going to freeze them out? Theres no need for that at the moment. If they really decide to break into Mainland Chinas market, therell still be time to stop them. Chen Chen laughed icily. Anyway, you just have to remember that these two platforms will become our enemies sooner or later. Chapter 44 The name Blacklight Biotechnology spread like wildfire with the news that they signed a four-billion-dollar contract with Facebook. For the first time, countless people started paying attention to this little-known small company. Following that, the product, Little X Translation Assistant, spread around rapidly as well. This was more effective than Xia Yin spending over ten million on advertising. The crucial point was, the contract between Chen Chen and Facebook only covered exclusive authorization on their platform. This meant that only Facebook users did not have to pay any fees. Chen Chen could still charge other individual users. Therefore, to take advantage of this public opinion effect, Little X Translation Assistant finally imposed a monthly membership fee. The membership price was set at 25 RMB per month. If one wanted a discount, one could choose a one-time top-up for 6 months at only 120 RMB, thus saving 30 RMB. The best deal was the annual membership. By topping up 200 RMB once, the product could be used for a year. This was a discount of 100 RMB. In addition, new users could enjoy a 15-day free trial period. Moreover, each time a user shared the product and successfully got a new user to register for an account, they would gain three additional days of free use. This was the price for users in Mainland China. As for other continents, the fee would increase or decrease in proportion to the local economy. A few days after Chen Chen had reached an agreement with Facebook, an employee of Blacklight Biotechnology, Ye Dongmei, was found to be guilty of inappropriate conduct while acting as the managers assistant, with evidence of receiving bribes. She was subsequently fired. Meanwhile, Chen Chen used the companys name to purchase an IDC data center in Shangdu Industrial Park that was on the verge of closing down. This data center referred to an Internet Data Center, an internet-based intermediary that provided information services such as collection, storage or processing. Take the web page company of Xia Yins old man for example: After a new user had registered for a game created by Sparkle Entertainment, how should Sparkle Entertainment record their game information to prevent any troublesome data loss the next time the user logged in? In most cases, Sparkle Entertainment would have two options: The first one: Build a server themselves, which would support user logins for tens of thousands of accounts or even hundreds of thousands of accounts, every second. This option required a server to be built from scratch and at least one server room. This room must also have an adequate heat dissipation system. In addition to the cost of hiring professional maintenance services, this would not come cheap. The second option: Hand over the task of storing information to a data center. The company itself only had to concentrate on game development and maintenance. To put it simply, the data center was a public server room dedicated to storing the network information of several companies. This was also known as a cloud server. The one Chen Chen had bought was a data center on the verge of closing down due to a string of problems including old equipment, frequent freezes, and serious data lags. In terms of size, this data center was considered large. It had eight server rooms with over 4000 servers. Each server room was 1050 meters in size. Together with the office, the entire building covered an area of 5000 square meters. Initially, it was one of the data divisions under Mainland China Public Enterprise Telecommunications. As it had been built so long ago, most of its equipment could no longer be upgraded due to old age and thus, could not keep up with the times. According to TIA standards[1], this data center only qualified as the most basic [Tier 1]. In the sea of countless, newly established, high-level data centers, it had lost its competitive edge. As a result, Chen Chen had spent only 20 million to buy it from Telecommunications. This included two years left on the lease. After the purchase, Chen Chen did not immediately upgrade or replace the old server equipment. First, he bought a transformer. Chen Chen had wanted to buy a district transformer at first. However, he then considered that the installation of such a transformer might lead to abnormal local electricity consumption, thus attracting the governments attention. Therefore, in the end, he bought a 10000KVA, 35KV all-copper oil-immersed transformer. When the truck transported the transformer over, Chen Chen found out that this transformer was as large as a room. This transformer also had three times the capacity of the original transformer in the data center. The power consumption of the servers in the data center was secondary. The most power-consuming factor would be the cooling of the server rooms. According to the power consumption ratio as given by the data center market: Servers accounted for 40% of energy consumption while cooling accounted for 55%. The remaining usage of electricity and lighting took up the last 5%. A data center like this required a 3000KVA transformer to supply its needs. At this point, he had only tripled its capacity. Surely this would not attract the attention of the power supply station? Chen Chen stroked his chin, deep in thought. In truth, the best way to charge the USB drive was to build a power plant in another continent. For instance, the Indian Subcontinent or the African Continent where the local government would allow Chen Chen a tremendous degree of freedom. The situation was different here where Chen Chen was walking on thin ice. Nonetheless, building a power plant would take an astronomical sum of money. In the past, Chen Chen could never afford it. Still, with the recent four billion USD from Facebook, he had enough to give it a shot. Even so, distant waters would not put out a nearby fire. Building a power plant would take at least years. Presently, Chen Chen was in too much of a rush for that. In the meantime, Xia Yin could not understand Chen Chens impenetrable operations at all. Chen Chen could choose to rent cloud servers, yet he insisted on spending a large sum just to buy a rundown data center. Other than the limited value of the lease and the building, those antique servers inside should have been sold off as scrap metal long ago. However, Chen Chen was the boss. Although Xia Yin became infuriated after days of advising Chen Chen in vain, she could only go along with his plans. Not only that, but a few days later, Chen Chen paid a gigantic price to overhaul the expensive liquid cooling system of the data center. At the same time, he replaced all the servers and ended up selling the old servers as scrap metal. Xia Yin: What a mother*cker?! While repairs were ongoing, Chen Chen had restructured the power system. Not only did he switch out the transformer, but he also built a solid main control room beside the transformer. The main control room commanded the power system of the entire data center. Furthermore, Chen Chen also refurbished this control room as a living space with two rooms, a living room and a kitchen, that covered more than a hundred square meters. No one in the company could fathom the point of this endeavor. Half a month later, when the main control room was ready, Chen Chen transported some furniture and living supplies at once and moved into the space. Everyone who heard of this reacted with a stupefied expression. The only justification they could come up with was that this must be some idiosyncratic trait of the rich At last, Chen Chen lived alone in this multi-million mansion that had taken on the name of Blacklight Biotechnology Data Center. Only Chen Chen knew that, after changing from a 200KVA to a 10000KVA transformer, now he could certainly instantiate more interesting movie items Chapter 45 In the spacious drug laboratory, the printer kept on squeaking. Chen Chen tore his gaze away from the electron microscope on the experiment desk and stood up with a heavy exhalation. As his plans gradually moved onto the right track, he finally had the capital to perform research on NZT-48. With this in mind, Chen Chen picked up the printed experiment report and quickly scanned the research results of the past few days. Drug name: Unnamed. Ingredients: C15H15NO2S, C9H13N, C23H21N6O3Cl.CH4O3S, C18H14Cl4N2O.
    Polarizability (10-24cm3): 17.47 Erm Chen Chen wore a complicated expression. This drug, NZT-48, was created by combining multiple synthetic drugs. In addition to some common compounds, it also involved multifunctional targeting molecules. In the composition of NZT-48, Chen Chen discovered 2-[(R)- (diphenylmethyl)sulfinyl]acetamide, -methylphenethylamine, benzodiazepine-type loprazolam, miconazole, and other ingredients. Holy-f*cking-miconazole Chen Chen had discovered many chemical formulas of drugs that were common in modern times such as modafinil and amphetamines, and he even came across the ingredients of miconazole nitrate cream??? Chen Chen searched online and ultimately found an article about how miconazole was effective as a new remyelination agent. In the study, the team had proven that miconazole could enhance myelination by inhibiting the expression of cholesterol-producing enzymes in stem cells. The title of the research was: Accumulation of 8, 9-unsaturated sterols drives oligodendrocyte formation and remyelination. Of course, these research results were confined to the laboratory for now. There was no concrete direction in terms of application as of yet. Besides that, Chen Chen also found traces of N-pyridine-4-yl-piperazine-1-carboxamide, which could treat neurodegenerative diseases, in the drug. Based on the effects of these latter drugs, Chen Chen could ascertain that part of NZT-48s pharmacology affected the nerves myelin sheath. The myelin sheath was a type of oligodendrocyte. They were produced by winding along the axons of neurons to form a composite cell membrane. The main component of the myelin sheath was fat. A lipid sheath was formed by ganglion cells, which had an insulating effect. This increased the transmission speed of nerve impulses and protected the nerve axons. In other words, besides ones training, ones reaction speed was determined by the nerves myelin sheath. The thicker and more developed the myelin sheath was, the faster ones reaction speed would be. The same was true the other way around. Furthermore, Chen Chen had also discovered various essential amino acids such as phenylalanine and isoleucine, in NZT-48. This meant that the NZT drug contained some of the nutrients needed for the brain to function at high speed. This was not surprising to Chen Chen. Conversely, it felt like an inevitable discovery. After all, it would be impossible for a brain to maintain 12 hours of continuous, high-intensity operation without sufficient nutrients. However, for the time being, NZT-48 appeared to be a standard neuro-synthetic drug. It was also a booster of brain metabolism and circulation, an alertness improver, and a cognitive enhancer. During this period, Chen Chen had slowly made some discoveries by testing his bodily fluids. NZT-48 had a certain neuroprotective effect. Its central excitatory effect was mostly through increasing glutamine synthetase, thereby reducing the production of -aminobutyric acid and promoting the detoxification function of nerve cells and energy metabolism activities Right? In terms of efficacy, the effects kicked in after 3 minutes if one took the pill orally, lasting for 11-13 hours. The drug concentration in the bloodstream reached its peak about 1 hour after oral consumption. The bioavailability of oral tablets was 90% and the total protein binding rate was 90% too. The drug and its metabolites were excreted in urine and feces, and the apparent plasma clearance rate was 110-180ml per minute. These were the full results of Chen Chens research. As he stared at this report, Chen Chen was still unsatisfied. This was because, according to the experiment process, he had only uncovered thirty percent of the drugs composition. Seventy percent of NZT-48s ingredients were still unknown. To find out what all those ingredients were would take more than a days work. If he wanted to study the drug, Chen Chen needed at least a fully functional experimental center, a large team of more than a hundred people, and an astronomical sum to fund the experiment. It appeared that, apart from a power plant, there was another thing to add to Chen Chens future goals. When he thought of this, a smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. Chen Chen did not become dejected or discouraged by the towering obstacles that lay ahead. Instead, his ambition grew like wildfire. Perhaps Chen Chen, who had taken NZT-48, would never suffer from negative emotions like dejection or discouragement. After destroying all traces of his research in the laboratory, Chen Chen climbed onto the laboratory table and reconnected the surveillance cameras with cut wires that were installed in various corners. Following that, he went to the ceiling at the center of the lab. Standing on the table, Chen Chen looked around before fishing out a lighter and aiming it at the sprinkler. Click! There was a crisp sound as a thin blue flame rose from the lighter. Beep beep beep! The smart chip in the sprinkler detected the abnormal temperature and instantly issued an alarm. In no time, the four or five sprinklers around the laboratory started spraying water like angels scattering flowers. Soon, the entire laboratory was in ruins. Various experimental apparatuses cut off their power before being doused in the persistent rain. Chen Chen wiped his face and turned to leave the laboratory. The moment he came out, he saw a large group of people hurrying over from the office area. Whats going on? What happened? A Mediterranean man asked in a panic as he came rushing over with a group of security guards holding fire extinguishers. Its fine. I just accidentally triggered the fire alarm during an experiment, Chen Chen replied calmly. One of the security guards raced into the laboratory, only coming out after he made sure there was no fire. He said in a shocked, uncertain voice, Manager, theres no fire but the experiment apparatuses The group led by the Mediterranean man looked at Chen Chen blankly once more. Dont worry. Ill pay for it. After all, renting the laboratories of other companies was not a long-term solution. It looked like it was time for Chen Chen to open an experiment center himself. On his way home, Chen Chen planned silently. After that, he picked up his phone and dialed a number. Manager Xia, have you prepared the things I need along with the passport and visa? Chen Chen asked. Chairman Chen, of the stuff you need, the small things have been prepared. Theyre in your home. On the other end of the phone, Xia Yin spoke in a mystifying manner. Alright, Ill head back to have a look. Without waiting for a reply, Chen Chen hung up, then drove his electric car back to the industrial park. Back in Blacklight Biotechnology Data Center, Chen Chen spotted a pile of goods on the floor the moment he entered the gate. Placed on top were a passport and a Swiss business visa. Chen Chen took out a pair of scissors and opened the boxes. Following that, he moved them to the door of the power distribution room. X, its me, Chen Chen said to the door. Creak. The heavy door of the power distribution room opened in response Chapter 46 Welcome home, Dad. The clear and boyish voice of Little X greeted when Chen Chen stepped into the control room, Aunty Xia Yin came by the data center today. I know, I told her to come. Chen Chen locked the door and placed a bunch of things on the floor. Any other suspicious activity aside from that? I noticed 3567 suspicious individuals passing through our house, Little X replied. Chen Chen chuckled. Those arent suspicious individuals. They are just people getting off work. Oh, I dont understand Little X mumbled. Little X possessed a spectacular learning ability. It was very rare to see Little X stumped by a question beyond its intellectual scope. After taking out the items from the boxes and making sure that they were the tools he needed, Chen Chen sat down in front of the computer. He took out the USB drive which was attached to his arm with a tape and inserted it into the computer. After a moment, five to six packets of NZT-48 were extracted from the computer screen. Chen Chen could not help but feel a sense of delight swelling up when he saw the newly extracted packets of NZT-48. After purchasing the data center, he had the transformer upgraded to the largest model permitted by the government. It was able to generate fifty times the previous amount of energy generated. This was what was known as exponential growth. Chen Chen was in a race against time ever since the first time he had instantiated NZT-48. It took him four months to attain his initial capital fund. That was largely attributed to Zheng Jians case which managed to put him into the radar of the higher-ups in the school. After that, it took him another three months to alleviate the side effects of the drug. Following that, he began to set off a trend of exponential growth. From acquiring the second tool to the development of the Little X Translation Assistant and leading up to the collaboration with Facebook. Chen Chen had managed to accomplish all of this in just three months. In the past, Chen Chen was so envious of people like Xia Yin who had come from wealth. Now, most of the wealthy could barely compare themselves to Chen Chen. It had hardly been a year since Chen Chen had acquired the USB drive. The reason that Chen Chen had instantiated so many NZT-48 this time was not because he had lost his mind but it was him planning ahead for the future. After plenty of consideration and playing out countless scenarios, he foresaw three potential crisis he could face in the future: First, outside interference rendered him unable to take NZT-48. Second, losing the USB drive along with the NZT-48 while in China. Third, losing the USB drive along with the NZT-48 while overseas. Arriving at this thought, Chen Chen walked to the workbench and poured a packet of NZT-48 onto a plate. He then used the manual grinder that Xia Yin had bought to grind the pills. There were several boxes of amoxicillin set beside the manual grinder. Each time he crushed an NZT-48, he would open an amoxicillin capsule and pour out its contents. He would then replace its contents with the NZT-48 powder. After having accumulated a plastic shell worth of ground pills, he took out a roll of aluminum foil and heat-sealed them using a small machine. After that, Chen Chen put all of the sealed capsules back into the packaging. With this, several boxes of Amoxicillin were manufactured. This method of concealing the drug was to counteract situations where someone infiltrated the data center to threaten him, preventing him from being able to take NZT-48. In such a situation, regardless of how the other party was going to harm him, taking NZT-48 was of the utmost priority. NZT-48 disguised as common medicine may be able to get him out of such a precarious situation. However, a packet of amoxicillin could carry sixteen capsules at most so it would only be good for emergencies. After that, Chen Chen took out a pot. He poured edible wax into the pot and began to heat it with an electric stove until the wax had melted. Then, Chen Chen mixed a packet of black color food coloring into the pot. The wax instantly became jet black. That was not the end of it. Chen Chen then took out a packet of powder labeled Ammonium Benzoate. He scooped up a spoonful of powder and poured them into the pot. Ammonium Benzoate was the most bitter substance known to man. Just a concentration of 0.003% was already unbearable. It was commonly used as a bittering or aversion agent in the manufacturing process of daily necessities and industrial products. Its most common usage was for the manufacturing of Nintendos Nintendo Switch video game card. The Nintendo Switch video game card was about the size of a fingernail. To prevent children from swallowing it, Nintendo applied a layer of this bitter solution onto the card. The moment the game card touched the tongue, it would leave a strong, bitter taste like that of a grapefruit peel. It would take some time for it to subside. When this information was publicized, it started an internet trend. A bunch of people who had nothing better to do went out of their way to buy one to taste it. In a way, it had accomplished what Nintendo had intended. Since NZT-48 was dissolvable in water but not in wax, he did not have to worry about it dissolving into the pot. After a round of stirring, the pills morphed from its original crystal clear appearance to an unrecognizable state. Chen Chen scooped up the pills and dried them out on the table. After they were dried completely, he took out several packets of chewing gum he had bought on the way here. Instead of buying the usual round-shaped variation, Chen Chen went with the tin-shaped packaging which contained compressed candy. Chen Chen unwrapped the chewing gum packaging and tossed out its contents. He then stuffed the air-dried NZT-48 inside After that, he put one of the packages of chewing gum into his pocket. Backup. With this, he would not have to worry about accidentally losing it. Nobody else would eat this unknown, black, and bitter candy. These two methods should be able to deal with the first emergency scenario. The second scenario was if he had lost the USB drive and NZT-48 in China. The development leading up to him losing the USB drive and its consequences were beside the point. What Chen Chen had to figure out first was how he was going to turn the situation around or escape after losing two of his massive crutches. Chen Chen tossed out the previous pot and replaced it with a new pot filled with water. He poured the remaining five packets of NZT-48 into the pot Chen Chen had already conducted experiments on NZT-48 and could not be any more familiar with its properties at this point. It could be dissolved in water, withstand high temperature without affecting its chemical properties, and exposed to the air for a long time without deterioration. With these exquisite properties, Chen Chen did not need to worry about any accidents. After all of the pills had been dissolved, Chen Chen retrieved a pack of high-potency edible gel and poured them into the pot. After mixing the solution evenly, the substance in the pot turned into a translucent jelly-like substance. Chen Chen then took out several sets of molds from under the bed and filled the molds with the liquid. Chen Chen only took them out of the molds after they had cooled down and completely solidified. Several soft objects made of translucent silicone appeared before Chen Chen. Chen Chen smiled faintly when he saw these Silica gel. He opened the fix box Xia Yin had brought over. The contents of the box shone brightly. There were twelve bars of gold inside. Labels like Issued by XX Bank in Mainland China and Investment Bullion 500g were etched on the gold bars. Chen Chen barely paid a glance at the gold bars. He took out two transparent plastic boxes from under the bed and put the silica gel-like substances into the boxes. Coincidentally, both of the plastic boxes had room for six two-fingers-wide objects. Chen Chen fit in six gold bars into both of the boxes. Just like that, two boxes of investment bullion weighing six kilograms were beautifully packaged. All he had to do now was to deposit these boxes into the bank. Banks these days had a line of business where they rented out these things called Safe Box. People could deposit valuable items in these Safe Box designated by the bank. Valuables such as house deeds, bars of gold, important contracts, et cetera. The advantages of this method were that barring situations like confiscation of property or the devastation of the government due to natural disasters, the safety of the items was all but guaranteed. Just like the saying, the safest spot for hiding was to hide in plain sight. Even if Chen Chen was hunted down by other forces in the future, NZT-48 would never fall into the hands of others. After all, who would have imagined that the most valuable items within the two boxes of gold bars in the safe box were the silica gel used to hold the gold bars in place? Chapter 47 With this, Chen Chen had addressed two of the possible crises. Of course, things would be more complicated in real life. Chen Chen repeated the second method and deposited the other part of the NZT-48 into a foreign bank. This was the reason he had Xia Yin apply for a Swiss passport for him. He had deposited another portion of the NZT-48 into a Swiss bank. Perhaps a day would come in the future where he would need it desperately. This was his last resort. After making these preparations, Chen Chen took out the USB drive again. He started thinking about what to instantiate next. Chen Chen had no lack of money at the moment. He could simply release VR glasses and had enough money to feed him for the next ten years. Perhaps even enough to help him establish a technological empire. Therefore, the feasible option for the next item had to be something that could help him physically. It would be great if he could acquire some sort of superpower. Chen Chen thought deeply. Pretty much everyone had dreamt of having different types of superpowers while growing up, from soaring the sky to traversing the earth. Compared to the gloominess of reality, superpowers were far more exciting. Hollywood had plenty of movies related to having superpowers such as Butterfly Effect, Jumper, Hancock, and many others. No matter where Chen Chen looked, the source of the superpowers in these movies was either genetic mutation, granted by chance or simply something inborn. The sort of invincible superpowers in movies like Marvel and DC were all based on a fictional world. They could not be instantiated by the USB drive. At last, Chen Chen went back to his initial decision. Chronicle. However, the crystalline in Chronicle did not seem particularly small. Chen Chen suddenly thought of another problem. What if a lot more energy was required due to the size of the crystalline? He pulled out a piece of A3 paper from the bookshelf and rapidly jotted down some calculations. E=MC2. 1 Joule(J) = 0.2388 Calories(C) = 0.27810^-6(kW.h). Even though he was unsure of how much energy was required for the USB drive to instantiate objects, he could find out using mathematical formulas. After writing out the formula, he scribbled out E = MC2 after giving it further thought. Chen Chen figured that the mass-energy equation could not be applied to the USB drive. He had previously determined that the USB drive did not directly transmute electrical energy into substance. It merely used the energy to open up a portal. Chen Chen chewed his pen and instinctively reached for an NZT-48, preparing to put it in his mouth. Just as he was about to toss it into his mouth, he hesitated. The effects of NZT-48 had been slowly subsiding since concluding the previous experiment. Due to his NZT immunity, he did not feel the side effects of the drug subsiding. He only felt a slight hint of fatigue in his brain. After a bit of consideration, he decided to put the drug back. Chen Chen realized that even though he had overcome his physical addiction to the drug ever since taking the immunity shot, there was still a mental addiction present. Not to say that he had to stop using NZT-48, he just felt that his dependency on the drug was an early sign of addiction as well. What Chen Chen had to do now was to try to combat his mental addiction and rely on his intelligence to solve problems. After all, the problem he was facing now was not a difficult one. It was just high school level Let us begin with the USB drives conversion rate to reality. Assuming X was the value of the total energy in the USB drive after the first instantiation, Y would be the accumulated energy in the USB drive after the second instantiation. Y > combined mass of the immunity shot + VR glasses. Y = 200(Kw.h) x 24(h) x 90 x 0.85(cos). The result was Y = 1.32192E12J. This meant that extracting an item weighing a gram from the USB drive would consume 4,406,400,000 joules worth of energy, which was the equivalent of 1224kW. Of course, the actual conversion was higher than 1224kW but it should not exceed 2000kW. After factoring in X, the result was X < 2.16E12J. Where did the 2.16E12 joules worth of energy come from? Was it left behind by the previous owner? If that was the case, what was his or her motive? Chen Chen fell into deep thought. Chen Chen was unable to arrive at a conclusion even after thinking about it for a long time. He began to calculate how much energy it would take to instantiate the crystalline from Chronicles. In the movie, the crystalline seemed to take on a star-shaped form. It consisted of a core main body section surrounded by eight radial cones. Judging by the size comparison between the people in the movie and the crystalline entity, the main section was an irregularly shaped entity measuring about 1.2 to 1.3 meters in diameter. Nine crystalline particles were protruding on top of it, each of them was close to 0.5 meters long. The cones surrounding the main body were approximately 1.5 meters to 2 meters long. Going off of these estimations, the total volume of the crystalline should be somewhere around 3.5 to 4 cubic meters. Chen Chen counted silently. He quickly became speechless. He based his calculation around the standard mass of an ordinary crystal which was 2.66g/cm3. Going at his current pace of charging 200,000kWh into the USB drive per day, it would take him forty thousand days to accumulate enough energy to instantiate the crystalline entity. It would take more than a hundred years The corner of Chen Chens lips twitched slightly. It looked like he had to settle with instantiating something minor before he figured out a solution to generate more energy. Chen Chen crumbled up the piece of paper and tossed it into the trash. What should he instantiate? Chen Chen suddenly remembered something. He had got to this point with the help of NZT-48, but there was a drug that was even more advanced than NZT-48. CPH4 from Lucy. Back then when he made his first selection, he had thought of that as well. However, the director of the movie had mentioned that CPH4 was just something he had made up. Such a substance could not possibly exist in reality. Besides, the theory in the movie which stated that humans had only unlocked ten percent of their brain potential was debunked as well. That was the reason Chen Chen had passed on this option initially. It was worth a shot now. A pack of CPH4 weighed nearly the same as a pack of NZT-48, it could be instantiated with the energy accumulated over the past few days. Naturally, Chen Chen was not going to administer the drug to himself directly. Perhaps he could first research the components of the drug and see if it would lead to a new discovery. First things first, he had to make sure the USB drive could play the movie. Considering the fact that the logic of the movie was off in the first place, there was a chance the USB drive could not play it, just like the Marvel movies. Chen Chen went to his room and snapped his fingers. X, turn on the computer for me and play Lucy. Alright, Dad. Chen Chen had never watched this movie before. He had only seen a three-minute movie summary of it on Bilibili. Movie summaries were a new format of short video content that had emerged over the last fifteen years. Movies that were about ninety minutes long were compressed into three to five minutes long videos to briefly go through the plot of the movie. Chen Chen was going to watch the movie but had lost interest in it after watching the movie summary. Imagine watching the first part of The Three-Body Problem while having someone sit beside you rambling: The wall breaker of Luo Ji is himself! The droplet destroyed the human-space fleet! It ends with the solar system being obliterated by the aliens! and such Of course, the fault did not lie with the movie summary, but Chen Chen was being nosy. Right now, he had nothing to do and was not under the effect of the drug. Since he had his assistant handling the tasks, why not take the chance to wind down and enjoy a movie? Little X turned off the lights in the room unprompted. A large sheet of projector screen rolled down from the ceiling. The projector and speakers behind him began to operate A billion years ago, we were granted life What did we do with it? An oceanic blue backdrop was projected onto the screen. A single cell slowly emerged and began to split. One turned into two. After that, two to four, four to eight LUCY! Chapter 48 Lucy was not a lengthy movie. In just 90 minutes, the director had expanded the creativity of the human mind to a limitless boundary. Even if all of it was just smoke and mirrors. However, the moment the movie ended, Chen Chen abruptly shot up from the sofa. His eyes were wide open, fixed intently on the screen! Having undergone the baptism of the USB drive, NZT, VR glasses, and other items that had surpassed natural logic. From a common poor boy to having a net worth in the range of tens of billions, Chen Chen had achieved the impossible. However, at this moment, Chen Chen felt a chilling sensation all over his body. What he was feeling now stemmed from a scene in the movie After the protagonist had absorbed several computers, a tower-shaped black object with its top shaped like the peak of a mountain was constructed. According to the movie, it was a biological computer from the future. In the end, the humongous computer became condensed into a ball of black substance. It was a pitch-black USB drive At that moment, Chen Chen thought that he was dreaming! He rubbed his eyes in disbelief. The professor acted like he was intentionally teasing Chen Chen. He brought the USB drive in front of the frame and fiddled around with it. There was no mistaking it. It was the USB drive Chen Chen looked down at the USB drive on his arm. It was far longer than a common USB drive, measuring at twelve centimeters long. Painted pitch black, there were no labels on it whatsoever and it looked just like a carbon rod It was the exact same thing! Chen Chen had the USB drive for nearly a year. He was almost inseparable from it the entire time. Every single detail, its surface, and color were carved deep into Chen Chens mind. A billion years ago, we were given life. Now, you know what to do with it. Said the protagonist at the ending of the movie. It was as she whispered it into Chen Chens ears Chen Chen suddenly came to his senses! There was nobody behind him. Drops of cold sweat poured down from his forehead. Chen Chen sat in place like this for awhile without making the slightest movement. Phew! After god knew how long, Chen Chen exhaled deeply. It was as if time resumed flowing after remaining stagnant for some time. He slowly took out an NZT-48 and tossed it in his mouth without hesitation. One second, two seconds, three seconds After about three minutes had passed, Chen Chen lifted his head. His pale cheeks had regained their color. Very interesting Chen Chen sat up again. He rested his elbow on the sofa armrest and pressed his right hand to his forehead. Who would have known that such a discovery would come from watching a movie? Chen Chen took the USB drive and played around with it while deep in thought. Why did his USB drive appear in the ending of the movie? Could it merely be a coincidence? Maybe he was looking too much into it. Perhaps some studio executives had watched the movie and recognized the potential so they bought the copyright to make a spinoff. The strange thing was that the USB drive which he possessed was not ordinary either Then came the problem C was the USB drive in the movie the same as the USB drive in his possession? If so, why was it here? Or was it that the USB drive was also extracted from the movie itself? If that was the case, then it explained why the USB drive had so much energy when he had discovered it. However, why were there four horror films on the USB drive? Did its previous owner put them in there? If so, why did the previous owner give it up? Or maybe there was no previous owner. The USB drive was just delivering some sort of message to the world? Was there some unknown secret in these four horror films? Countless thoughts were racing through Chen Chens mind. He squinted his eyes and suddenly saw a phrase fixed at the ending of the movie. Im everywhere. Im everywhere. No, theres still a place in which you dont exist. Reality Chen Chen mumbled to himself and an idea suddenly came to him. At the ending of the movie, the protagonist became an all-knowing being but did she notice this particular thing? X, let me ask you something, Chen Chen spoke suddenly. Ok Dad, ask away, Little X replied. Youve been living in a virtual network ever since you were born. Lets assume that you dont know about the existence of reality and one day, you suddenly realized that the universe youre in is a manufactured one. There exists a universe beyond the universe you exist in. What would you do? Of course, Id try to find a way to enter the wider universe, X answered without skipping a beat. That so? Chen Chen was intrigued. Perhaps the protagonist in the movie had wanted to leave her universe and enter the real world? No, she had already lost all forms of desire. Unless her entering the real world was just an act of fulfilling her curiosity for the unknown? However, you had to understand that the universe which you came from and the real world were incompatible. In your universe, the human mind may be expanded a hundred times but that was not the case in reality. The moment you came to reality from your virtual world, your powers would cease to exist. Therefore, since your power was no longer present, you would not be able to break through your universe with your power into reality This was a question without an answer. Chen Chen remembered the three questions of the ancient Greek philosopher, Plato: Who am I? Where do I come from? Where will I go? The three questions could be boiled down to one question: What was the meaning of life? Did this statement not echo the sentiment of the protagonists statement in the movie? A billion years ago, we were given life. Now, you know what to do with it. The protagonists words once again rang in Chen Chens ears. Box theory? Chen Chen speculated. The box theory was a scientific theory that first made its appearance in the last century. Due to advancement in computation and artificial intelligence slowly incorporating themselves into part of daily life, some creative people came up with a terrifying prediction What if one day, computers gained sentience and began to develop a civilization of their own without knowledge of the existence of the real world? From their perspective, everything in their world was products of nature. Until one day, computer civilization created computers of their own as well. They began experimenting artificial intellectual life on these computers, manipulating and observing artificial life This was the famous box theory. Simply put, a lot of people pessimistically believed that the world in which they existed was not real. Just like the entities in the computer, this world which we live in was a sealed box as well. Chen Chen held up the USB drive. The two of them silently looked at each other. It was as if the USB drive could sense Chen Chens gaze as it emitted a dark light. It was looking back at Chen Chen. At that moment, Chen Chen finally understood why he could instantiate objects. It was a key. It was the key to bringing life from within the box to the outside world. Chapter 49 Of course, this was all just speculations. Besides, if the USB drive was the key to the reality outside of the box, then why could it not instantiate living beings? In the past, Chen Chen had tried to instantiate a cockroach from a movie and failed. He thought it was due to insufficient energy. Chen Chen had also tried to look for signs of microbacteria on newly instantiated objects. No matter what, he could not find any. Therefore, Chen Chen had two hypotheses: The portal formed by the USB drive was not able to transport living beings. There were no living beings in the world connected to the USB drive. He only had to do one thing to verify if the USB drive was the USB drive from Lucy. He could check if the USB drive could hold the movie Lucy. If it could hold the movie Lucy, then it would prove that the USB drive had nothing to do with the movie. Just like how no matter how strong a person was, he was still not able to lift himself by his hair. The two possibilities if it was not able to hold the movies were: The first possibility, the USB drive and the movie Lucy were closely related, therefore it could not be contained in the drive. The second possibility, the premise of Lucy was too fictional and thus could not be taken in by the USB drive. Of course, there existed another possibility. Being that the USB drive did originate from the movie Lucy but it could still hold the movie itself. Just like an endless parallel universe, the one in the USB drive would be another Lucy universe, but not the Lucy universe which the USB drive came from In that case, whether it could succeed in containing the movie or not, there still was no proper explanation. Hmmm This was pretty d*mned awkward. At the moment, all that could be said was the depth of the USB drive was unimaginable. Chen Chen gave up on thinking about it. He went straight into the workshop and inserted the USB drive into the computer. X, insert the movie Lucy into the USB drive. Ok, Dad. Following Little Xs response, Chen Chen saw a progress bar flash on the computer screen. After that, came a Ding. As expected, it could not be inserted into the USB drive. Chen Chen stubbornly opened the USB drive, it still contained the same seven movies. [Ju-on.avi], [Final Destination.avi], [One Missed Call.avi], [Ring.avi], [Alita: Battle Angel.mp4], [Godzilla 2: King of the Monsters.mp4], [Terminator 5: Dark Fate.mp4]. The USB drive originally only had four movies. After Chen Chens stubborn attempt, it turned into seven. After speculating that the USB drive served as the boxs key to reality, Chen Chen did not dare to carelessly open these movies. The last three movies were fine. Chen Chen was just concerned about triggering some sort of hidden mechanism if he opened the first four horror films. Of course, those movies would still have to be opened eventually to find out the USB drives secrets. Now was not the time. Three days later. Shangdu Chuanpu International Airport. A 911 class commercial airplane headed for Switzerland was parked by a wide airport runway. From the windows in the terminal, you could see the ocean in the distance. A group of blonde-haired foreigners was lining up in front of the terminal channel. They passed through the ticket gate and headed toward the plane. Among the foreigners, there were only a handful of Chinese with ink-black hair and eyes. Among the Earth Federation, there were various bodies of government. The European continent was one of the unique ones. Unlike the Central Continent, India Continent and North America Continent had a unified government system of their own as they implemented a separate decentralized governmental system. Switzerland was one of the members operating under a decentralized government. Even though they were a part of Europe, they had their own sub-federation system which bypassed the need for a centralized government. They were only subject to the jurisdiction of the mother Earth Federation. There was not a large concentration of Chinese citizens in Switzerland. On top of the difficulty of applying for a work permit in Switzerland, there was also the issue of foreigners being slighted by the Swiss. However, considering the gorgeous natural setting the country had to offer, the exemplary quality of life there, the orderly nature of daily life, and most importantly, the high wages, some people were more than willing to look past the shortcomings and tough it out there. Qian Wenhuan was such an individual. He finally had an opportunity to return to his homeland to visit his family, but something major came up in the company. Even the chairman himself had called him several times. In the end, he had no choice but to head back. Due to working in a foreign land, he only got to see his wife and kids a handful of times each year so it was not easy for him. There were times where he thought about throwing in the towel and head home. However, each time he felt compelled to do so, he thought about his high wages and ended up giving up on the impractical idea. Things were never easy for people making a living aboard. Whenever Qian Wenhuan found himself among a bunch of blonde-haired and blue-eyed foreigners, he would always try to puff up his chest to make his small physique appear larger. This was a part of his life in trying to incorporate himself into the Swiss working environment. As he was trying to play the part of a successful upper-class businessman, he noticed a fellow Chinese citizen ahead of him. Tch, even though the person looked young from behind, he had to admit that this person was better than him at putting up an act. He was adorned in expensive local-bought clothes. He seemed to carry a strange aura that was able to draw people in wherever he walked. On top of that, every step he took seemed so effortless and graceful. Probably grew up in Switzerland? Qian Wenhuan shook his head in contempt. One of the most bizarre things about the Swiss: Even those who did not have any money or own any property whatsoever like to act like upperclassmen. They acted civilized just to impress other nations. The young fellow in front of him had mastered the art of it. The only thing outsiders noticed about Switzerland was always the outrageously high wages. Little did they know, the living cost was just as outrageous Qian Wenhuan looked daggers at the young man. It was like he was trying to steal away some of his aura. He was the only one who knew how much he had to endure to be where he was today. Growing up, he had always been told he had the temperament of a mountain bandit living in the hilltop tribes like the ones you see in ancient times. No matter what he wore, he could never get rid of that impression he gave. Though he had been honed by society and had learned to put on a smile in front of others over time, all it managed to do was get rid of his scent. Deep down, his original essence remained He may not have the picture-perfect image but he put in all the work and got to where he was today. While his peers back in mainland China were working their butts off trying to break into five figures salary, he was making twenty thousand Swiss francs a month. After conversion, his monthly salary was up to a hundred forty-thousand. Sadly, twenty thousand of that sum was deducted for tax purposes. Another ten thousand for insurance and twenty thousand for utilities, he spent about thirty thousand each month on food. The expenses in that blasted place were ridiculous Crossing the boarding bridge, Qian Wenhuans mind was wandering all over the place up to a point he did not even know what he was thinking about. He boarded the plane. Under the instructions of the flight attendant, Qian Wenhuan arrived at his seat. He put his luggage in the overhead compartment. The company got him a business class ticket. The seats were grouped in twos, each row contained three sets of combined seats. Not only could the seats be tilted at 180 degrees for him to lay flat, he even had a small personal TV of his own. It may not be as premium as first class, but it would do. At the very least, it was far better than sitting in economy where you could not even stretch your legs Phew! The moment Qian Wenhuan sat down, he heaved a sigh of relief. He could finally afford a good rest over the next sixteen hours. Flip, flip Qian Wenhuan heard the sound of pages being flipped coming from beside him. Since the seats in business glass were grouped in twos, his seat was directly connected to another persons seat. The only thing that could serve to separate them was a plastic plate that could be lifted. At the moment, the plastic plate was not lifted. Qian Wenhuan turned toward the direction where the noise came from and was taken aback by what he saw The young man he had seen earlier, who had dressed pretentiously, was sitting right beside him. Furthermore, he had a book in hand. Hm. The book title was Easy German Learning with Zero Foundation. Pfft! Qian Wenhuan snorted. Chapter 50 The moment Qian Wenhuan snorted, several foreigners and flight attendants turned over and looked at him. He promptly covered his mouth in embarrassment. No, no, got to stay classy After issuing a small reminder to himself, he coughed lightly and turned toward the young man beside him. To his surprise, the other person did not react to his exaggerated movements. He remained silently fixed onto his book. Yeah right, keep playing the cool guy Even the others around him could hear it so he doubted that the person sitting right next to him could not hear him. He found it hilarious. The young man along with his cool composure gave off an impression of a mainland Chinese who had been residing in Switzerland for a long time. As it turned out, the piece of diamond was just a piece of bronze all along. Sixty-five percent of the Swiss population spoke German. If you were headed for Switzerland, it would be helpful to know a bit of German. Still, it was a bit too late for learning after having boarded the plane. Qian Wenhuan shook his head. He thought it was such a shame that he was not carrying his European German C1 certificate with him right now. Otherwise, he could accidentally drop it on the floor while chatting with the other person, then casually pick it up from the floor. The moment the young man saw his C1 certificate, his expression would probably quickly spiral from the stages of being dumbfounded to doubt and awe before finally falling into hysterics. That would be fun. Sigh, what a shame Qian Wenhuan turned away with a faint smile before lazing back into his chair. How was he going to spend the next 16 hours? He took out his phone to send a short text to his wife. At that moment, he heard something. Flip Flip He heard the steady rhythm of pages flipping coming from next to him. He probably would not even notice it if it was not for his excellent ears. Qian Wenhuan frowned slightly. He turned around and there it was again C the young man flipping through the book. This pace of reading Qian Wenhuan found himself speechless. Kiddo, were your eyes made of cameras or scanners? How were you just scanning through them? When he boarded the plane, the young man was still reading the foreword. The plane barely even took off yet he was almost halfway through the book. Judging by the condition of the book, it was probably a recent purchase. Could he just be revising if he was flipping through the pages that quickly? Did this mean that this bloke was just putting up an act? Qian Wenhuan kept muttering in his mind before retracting his gaze again. Ladies and gentlemen: Welcome aboard Mainland China International Flight K420, headed for Zurich from Shangdu Chuanpu Airport. The total distance is 8200 kilometers. The estimated flight duration will be 15 hours and 20 minutes. The plane will be taking off shortly. The cabin crew will now be conducting a safety inspection. For your safety, please fasten your seatbelts and switch off your phone Following the announcement, several flight attendants began conducting the safety inspection while handing out embarkation cards. After a rowdy takeoff, the plane was finally en route to its destination. After the plane had stabilized in the air, Qian Wenhuan loosened his seatbelt without waiting for the flight attendants instructions. He kicked his feet up and hummed a little tune while he turned on the TV and put on a variety show. After some time, while Qian Wenhuan was starting to doze off while watching the show, he suddenly heard some ruffling coming from beside him. He instinctively looked over and noticed the young man setting the book down. He then got up and retrieved a backpack from the overhead compartment. Youre not telling me that he already finished the book? Qian Wenhuan was slightly surprised. Right after that, something even more shocking happened. He saw the young man taking out a large stack of books from his backpack. Was it not cumbersome carrying so many books to the plane? Qian Wenhuan stared in disbelief as he observed the young man taking out all the books from his backpack. A stack of books was on top of the table while another stack was below it. Modern University German, New Refinement Intensive German Course, Standard Intensive German Course, Traversing Germany Qian Wenhuan had read all these books in the past. There were countless books for learning German but only a handful of which were considered staple resources. All of these classic resources were set on the table now. Qian Wenhuan was suddenly jolted awake when he saw the familiar book titles. All of these learning resources cycled from basic to advanced! From the introductory Easy German Learning with Zero Foundation to the expert-level Standard Intensive German Course. Did the young man plan to go through all of them? When Qian Wenhuan saw the young man flipping his next book, he could no longer resist his urge. Hey there buddy, what are you doing over there? Learning German? Yeah, I have some errands to run in Switzerland. I figured I might as well make use of the time on the flight. The young man looked over and answered politely. Sh*t, of course I know youre going to Switzerland. What Im asking you is what youve been doing all this time? Dont tell me youre learning German! Qian Wenhuan cursed in his mind but kept his welcoming smile. You sure are an eager learner but as someone with a bit of experience with German let me give you a small bit of advice. This isnt how you learn German. Before the young man even had time to respond, Qian Wenhuan continued. Personally, I dont recommend learning by yourself right away. First, it takes too long to make progress. Second, most people who finish learning pronunciation still feel like theres something off and end up applying for a class anyway. In the end, the tutor will have to spend a longer time than usual trying to correct their pronunciation. Its a common pitfall. Is this so? Then, Im truly grateful for the tip from a senior, the young man responded with a smile. Qian Wenhuan felt refreshed, feeling like he had proved himself. He went on asking, Buddy, how much progress have you made with your self-learning so far? I just finished this book. I learned phonetic symbols and the attributes of nouns. I also learned the difference between verbs and sentence structure. Chen Chen held up the previous book, Easy German Learning with Zero Foundation. Hm? You learned it so quickly? Who are you kidding? Qian Wenhuan expressed his disbelief. Then, do you mind if I quiz you a little? Please do! The young man nodded and displayed his eagerness to learn. Qian Wenhuan was very pleased by the reaction. He nodded in approval and spoke a basic German sentence. The young man hesitated for a moment and answered with uncertainty. See, this is why I say German isnt that simple. You got it wrong right off the bat. Qian Wenhuan sighed helplessly. Non-human pronouns are a very complicated subject. The three utensils in the kitchen: Spoon, L?ffel. Knife, Messer. Fork, Gabel. These three are valid on their own unless you attach human nouns to them, then itd be incorrect. The Swiss wouldnt even be able to understand what youre trying to say. On top of that, you also need to pay attention to the length of your pronunciation. For example, Stadt and Staat, they have entirely separate meanings if you mispronounce them What followed after was a sequence of Qian Wenhuan asking questions, the young man answering and Qian Wenhuan pointing out and correcting the mistakes. In the beginning, Qian Wenhuan was having the time of his life. As time went on, he began to notice something was slightly off. He began to notice that the young man seemed to be making fewer mistakes as the session went on How did he go from making hundreds of grammatical and sentence structure errors to being able to converse with him using a complete, well-structured sentence? What the hell! Qian Wenhuan looked down and noticed that the young man was almost done with the collection of books on the table. It was only then when he noticed that while he was busy explaining, the young man had been flipping the pages all along. He barely even noticed it because he was too immersed in explaining and all the while the young man took care to give him responses, even praising him occasionally. Godd*mn, what the hell am I doing? Qian Wenhuan snapped out of it completely. He had been discussing German with a young man he had only met for the first time for three whole hours? Chapter 51 A plane from Mainland China slowly landed in Zurich Airport. Qian Wenhuan did not move. He silently watched the young man beside him, who packed his coat, bade farewell to Qian Wenhuan, then got off the plane under the guidance of the stewardess. Sir, the plane has landed Sir? By his side, a short-haired stewardess prompted him in a soft voice. Huh? Oh, oh, right Only then did Qian Wenhuan recover his senses. He looked around at the nearly empty cabin and hurriedly gathered his belongings. Hey, this passenger forgot to take his books! At this moment, another flight stewardess suddenly exclaimed in surprise. Ah, what do we do? A few of the stewardesses immediately congregated and started twittering. Should we bring these books to the airport storage and notify the owner? Theres no need for that Qian Wenhuan sighed suddenly. Dragging his suitcase, he walked past them. That passenger probably doesnt need these books anymore. Even as he disembarked from the plane, Qian Wenhuan was still somewhat in a daze. He could not believe that someone could learn an entire language in just over ten hours. He even wondered if there would be a large group of people rushing up to him when he stepped off the plane, with flowers and cameras, telling him that they were only filming a reality prank show for a TV program. What a shame that the space outside was empty. There were no flowers or cameras, let alone a large crowd. Qian Wenhuan wordlessly turned on his phone. However, as soon as he did so, he received notifications for seven or eight miscalls. These were all from a superior in his company. As he was the sales manager of the Preston Biotechnology Company, his only superior was the general manager, who was also a member of the board of directors in the company. When he saw these miscalls, Qian Wenhuan shuddered and snapped out of his hazy wonderings. Soon after he pressed Return Call, an angry voice with a Swiss accent snarled through the phone. Mateo, why arent you here yet! Qian Wenhuans name in Switzerland was Mateo. I just got off the plane, Boss. Qian Wenhuan felt rather powerless. Its not like the plane would speed up for me. Why? Did the company send a car for me? Take a taxi yourself. This afternoon, the company is conducting an internal examination of all employees in preparation for welcoming someone important. Someone important? Qian Wenhuan frowned. What happened at the company? Whos this someone important and why didnt you mention this before? Sigh The person on the other end of the call suddenly sighed and sounded much older. Mateo, our company is about to be wholly acquired That was it? Qian Wenhuan secretly heaved a sigh of relief. In that case, he had nothing to worry about. Based on his business capabilities, he did not think that he would be laid off by the new boss. Nonetheless, on the surface, Qian Wenhuan lowered his voice and tried to sound solemn. Wholly acquired C whos this person? I dont quite know either. I only know that this was orchestrated by the chairman, the voice replied, Still, I heard that the buyer is a company from China. A company from Mainland China? Qian Wenhuans eyes lit up. When is our guest arriving? By afternoon, apparently. Its twelve now, so you only have time for a quick lunch. The voice on the call sounded weary. Although I was reluctant, the other party made an offer we truly couldnt refuse. After all, you know as well that our company has been in a slump for a while. I know. I heard that the previous two research studies of our life sciences laboratory had all failed, Qian Wenhuan replied. Thats right. Because of this, Ive asked you to come back earlier. His superior continued. After all, with some advanced preparation, you should be able to stay on based on your abilities, eh? In that case, Ill forgive you for bossing me around all these years, Mr. Wynn. Qian Wenhuan smiled gently. Over the past years, even though this crabby old man had always been strict, he was not a bad man in essence. If they had not been boss and employee, they might even have become friends. Thats enough, who cares about your forgiveness. Just come back quickly. The voice mumbled this final line and hung up. By the time Qian Wenhuan returned to the company, almost all of the over-hundred employees were there. A few company executives dressed in suits were standing in the lobby, waiting for their guest. Mateo! Mr. Wynn with his head of white hair beckoned and Qian Wenhuan walked over at once. Boss, dont we have to go over to greet that person? The chairman has already brought the other directors to the Royal Hotel to welcome him. Mr. Wynn shook his head. However, the other party doesnt seem to care about ceremonies like this. My main purpose this time is to introduce all of you to him. Thank you for taking the trouble, Boss. The managers all bowed their heads in gratitude. Its nothing. Its time I retire, anyway. It doesnt matter whether I keep this position. Wynn wore an indifferent expression. Before they could say anymore, a few Mercedes-Benz drove up outside the lobby. Everyone perked up. These were the cars of the directors. As the cars stopped before the company building, a stream of men in business suits got out. Lets go, lads. Come with me to welcome your future boss. Wynn called out to the group and moved on ahead. Qian Wenhuan was daydreaming for a moment and was instantly left behind by the group. He could only helplessly trot behind to keep up with them. Several directors and managers surrounded the car door so tightly that not even an ant could get through. For a moment, Qian Wenhuan could not squeeze in at all and could only listen to the conversation from the fringes. Honorable sir, youre really shockingly young. How should I address you? Thank you for the compliment, Mr. Wynn. Just call me Chen. Huh? Outside the group, Qian Wenhuan suddenly felt mystified. Why was this voice so familiar? No! It was not just familiar in an ordinary way! Qian Wenhuan could bet that he had heard this voice just recently However, before Qian Wenhuan could figure it out, the group had parted abruptly and a young man with dark hair and dark eyes appeared before Qian Wenhuan. The young man had deep, abstruse eyes. Due to these eyes, one could not guess his specific age despite his extremely youthful countenance. He seemed to be only twenty years old and he seemed to be over thirty at the same time. You are When he saw how the other person looked like, Qian Wenhuan froze as if he was struck by lightning. Let me do the introductions. This is Mateo, the manager in charge of product operation and sales in our company. Like you, hes from Mainland China. On one side, Mr. Wynn introduced them. I know. Weve just parted ways two or three hours ago. Chen Chen extended his hand to Qian Wenhuan who stood rooted to the spot and said in terrifyingly accurate German, Wouldnt you say so, Mr. Qian? Chapter 52 So, what do you think? After touring the office building of Preston Company, the chairman declared proudly, Although our company cant compare to global powerhouses like Novartis and Roche, its still one of the top hundred companies in Zurich. Not bad. Chen Chen nodded with a cool smile. Most Swiss might think that Chen Chen truly felt it was not bad at all. Only Qian Wenhuan could know how Chen Chen felt. This so-called Preston office building was, in truth, a small five-story building almost made entirely of glass. If this was Mainland China, it would merely be a standard building in a fifth-tier city. Chen Chen was used to Grade A 5A office buildings with more than a hundred floors that were so common in Shangdu. He was already being gracious by not saying This mud hut is pretty well built. Other than its fresh air and exotic scenery everywhere in the city, Zurich truly looked just like a fifth-tier city. Nonetheless, Chen Chen had chosen to open a branch in Switzerland, not because of how developed and bustling it was, but because of the overall institutional systems in the field of life sciences. After all, Switzerland had always been the country with the highest rate of cancer survival in the world. This was because Switzerland had a world-famous biological science institution, many pharmaceutical companies that focused on research and a large number of highly qualified researchers in the life sciences. Compared to the foundation of life sciences in other parts of the world, Switzerland was more sophisticated. Here, there were Roche and Novartis that were among the worlds top-ten as well as a huge number of world-class pharmaceutical companies. These companies even eventually formed four BioValleys in Switzerland, similar to Silicon Valley in the United States. Preston Company was located within BioValley Zurich. In the end, the directors of Preston Company led Chen Chen to a zone that was similar to an industrial park in the outskirts of the city. It was similar to an industrial park, only the buildings here were not various factories that ceaselessly spouted heavy smoke. Rather, they were biological research centers. This is BioValley Zurich. In the northern suburbs of Zurich, several cars stopped at an intersection. A group of people, with a young man at the center, got out of the vehicles. Beneath the sapphire-blue sky, Mr. Wynn pointed to a scattered clump of buildings in the distance and said loudly, Although it isnt comparable to the large scale of BioValley Basel only dozens of kilometers away, the technology of our BioValley is not to be underestimated. The perfect combination of technology and nature. What a lovely view. Chen Chen nodded. I came here for this. Hahahaha! When Mr. Wynn heard this, his heart finally settled down. In that case, an old fogey like me should stop blabbering on. Lets head to the research institute directly! With that, they got into their cars and drove straight to the Preston Life Sciences Research Institute. The Preston Research Institute was a small building with only three floors. It was plain gray all over. From its appearance, one could not discern any link between this building and life sciences. However, this was in line with the reserved, rigid style of Switzerland. Online, the Swiss had been given the label of Uptight Swiss. For instance: I just parked my car slightly crookedly and that f*cking Swiss neighbor actually called the cops. Uptight Swiss! Before using the toilet, I saw that I ran out of toilet paper. I wanted to quickly buy a roll in the supermarket, but only realized when I got out that there were no supermarkets open on Sundays in Switzerland. In the end, I could only drive over ten kilometers to the train station to buy one toilet roll. Uptight Swiss! Finally, the cars slotted seamlessly into the designated parking spaces. They got out of the cars again, but this time, Wynn was not smiling. In front of the research institute, apart from a few employees scattered here and there, there was no one to greet them. Wheres Samuel? Give him a call. Wynn softly prodded Qian Wenhuan who was by his side, then turned to Chen Chen with an apologetic smile. I apologize. I think our great scientists mustve lost track of time due to their research. Its alright, Mr. Wynn. Chen Chen expressed his lack of concern while walking directly into the research institute. The group swiftly followed behind. When he entered the research institute, Chen Chen noticed that in the lobby, several people in large white coats were sitting before the bar, laughing and chatting. The expressions of the directors turned even darker. Wheres Samuel? As the general manager, Wynn could only brace himself and step forward. Didnt he receive the notice from the company? Im here, Mr. Wynn. Before Wynn could go on, a blonde man with a serious look on his face came out from a side room. Wynn held back his rage and said to Chen Chen dryly, This is Samuel who oversees the institute. He has five patents for genetic modification and three for stem cells. Mr. Samuel. Chen Chen nodded in greeting. How do you do, Mr. Chen. Samuel managed to squeeze out a smile on his stiff face, but he still looked somewhat arrogant and insincere no matter what. Chen Chen shook hands with the man. He knew that researchers like this one would be treated with esteem anywhere they went. There were even some small companies that fully relied upon a few preeminent researchers. If they left, the company would collapse. Moreover, Chen Chen had been informed long ago that Samuel played an indispensable role in Preston Companys growth to its current level. Nonetheless, it appeared that this person had become rather bossy because of his crucial contributions. When the introductions were done, Chen Chen started to tour the institute, accompanied by the group. Our companys main business comprises two types of tissue engineering technology C cell anti-aging and stem cell anti-aging. Therefore, the internal laboratories mostly consist of cell and stem cell laboratories. At this point, an employee from the research institute had replaced Wynn in providing commentary. The laboratories of the institute had been accredited by the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation, with first-rate professionalism on an international level After saying this, the employee said confidently, Do you wish to take a sample tour or tour based on the projects? I wont go in. Looking in through the windows will be fine. Chen Chen waved his hand. Many people would always assume that sugarcoating ones image was a cultural habit in Mainland China. However, it would be too na?ve to think that this did not happen in other countries too. Currently, Chen Chen had arrived with great fanfare. Even if there were flaws in the laboratories, they would have been concealed. No matter how carefully he inspected, what could he possibly find? Thus, Chen Chen did not intend to tour the laboratories at all. He turned and said, Tell me what research results the labs have churned out lately. The employee was momentarily stunned and turned to look at Samuel. Samuel nodded slightly. Very well. Nevertheless, the terms we used might be rather academic. If you dont understand something, please feel free to ask. The researcher thought for a moment before saying in detail, In terms of cell anti-aging, weve achieved the perfect commercialization of fibroblasts for removing scars and wrinkles. Oh, right, you know what fibroblasts are? Its something in loose connective tissue, evolved from fibroblast precursor cells. Its main function is to fill in cuts and defects in tissues to heal wounds. However, its been found a long time ago that the collagenase secreted by fibroblast precursor cells has the ability to remodel tissues. Thus, we only have to extract a piece of skin tissue, about 9 cubic millimeters, from a body, then separate and purify the fibroblast precursor cells. After that, we add those to a specific culture medium, growing them into a large clump of fibroblasts. Following that, we add a certain volume of trypsin solution and centrifuge it several times to manufacture fibroblast suspension. The researcher shot a pleased glance at Chen Chen. The advantage of this is that the prepared cells are passaged for no more than 5 times, so theyre all in the active phase. Whether in terms of removing scars on a body or eliminating wrinkles, theres a certain degree of effectiveness as a treatment. Chen Chen furrowed his brow. The purification you mentioned in the first step C that uses the method of differential separation, right? Uh, thats right The researcher nodded instinctively. Then, whats the composition of the specific culture medium? Chen Chen asked again. Its The researcher turned blank. How could he remember all this? We add 15% fetal bovine serum to non-autoclavable MEM cell culture medium. On one side, Samuel suddenly spoke in a steady voice. Thats not a bad method. Chen Chen nodded. Still, I think the fetal bovine serum can be increased to 30%. Besides that, 2.5g/L glucose and 50mg/L human insulin can be added. Chapter 53 Upon hearing Chen Chens suggestion, Samuels eyes widened slightly, following which a thoughtful look crossed his face. The researcher who had given the explanation shot a bewildered look at Chen Chen. Hahaha, Mr. Chen, what did you work as before this? It looks like youre well-acquainted with cell anti-aging, the chairman chimed in to fill the awkward silence. I worked in software development, Chen Chen answered truthfully. The Preston chairmans smile froze on his face. Would that be a joke in the context of Mainland China? Thats right, Im actually a biology major. Chen Chen nodded. I dabbled a little in the field of stem cells. I see Chen Chen turned to the researcher and asked once more, Other than that, what other research results has the institute achieved? Ah, we also have breast augmentation with autologous fat cells and baldness treatment with cell injection The researcher hastened to reply, In addition Upon hearing this, Chen Chen instantly waved his hand and interrupted the researcher. Tell me about the stem cell project. What sort of business and research does the company carry out in the field of stem cells? Oh, that Currently, the company is mostly involved in the stem cell anti-aging business Thats PRP hematopoietic stem cell reinfusion. The researcher who was in charge of explaining was more careful now. First, the customers blood is drawn and the hematopoietic stem cells are extracted and cultivated. After around a week of cultivation, theyre inserted into the customers face through all-around injections. This is further supplemented with an intravenous injection of mesenchymal stem cells. Apart from this, lately, weve been studying the process of extracting the vascular matrix tissue from fat, then injecting it along with adipose stem cells into the customers face to promote blood supply rebuilding through the transplanted fat. This alleviates the loss of facial collagen. This had the advantage of precise injections as with hyaluronic acid, to reconstruct facial contours. How do you solve the problem of the ectopic survival of stem cells? Chen Chen suddenly asked, Can the injected stem cells survive for more than a month? That The researcher was embarrassed. Because the technology is still underdeveloped, the survival rate still isnt very optimistic. Chen Chen immediately shook his head wordlessly. These projects would truly sound attractive to certain rich ladies, young or old. Nonetheless, Chen Chen knew that they were merely diversions that did not address the root of the aging problem. To put it simply, these so-called cell anti-aging and stem cell anti-aging were new forms of stupidity tax. Stem cells had regenerative abilities and they could indeed differentiate into various types of new cells, replacing aging, apoptotic cells in the body. However, this did not mean that the same effect could be achieved just by injecting stem cells into ones body. After all, the human body was in a comprehensive state of balance in terms of pH, energy circulation or body temperature. Once this balance was disrupted, it often heralded the appearances of various diseases or even cancer. It did not mean that just because stem cells had regenerative abilities, humans could regain their youth by undergoing stem cell therapy or otherwise being injected with stem cells. This was merely a delusion. Even to treat leukemia entailed that the bodys balance was destroyed to make a niche for stem cells before treatment could begin. How could ordinary injection methods have an effect so effortlessly? Even if they were autologous stem cells that were reinfused into the body, most of them would die within a few weeks because they could not withstand the change in the environment. The term stem cell anti-aging appeared lofty and scientific-based, but in truth, it was not even as effective as taking supplements. Although many people might feel that their bodies became warmer and more energetic after being injected with stem cells, this was merely a short-term physiological reaction. There was one way to cheat in competitive sports C drawing a certain volume of blood in advance, then reinfusing it back into the body before the competition. After doing so, the athletes physical fitness, body oxygen content, and endurance limit would be significantly enhanced for a short time. This cheat was infamously known as blood doping. These stem cell anti-aging treatments used the same principle as blood doping. Therefore, these stem cell anti-aging treatments generally would have some effect at the time, but they would return to their original state after a short while. Not only that but medical accidents such as disfigurement, tumor formation, and blindness, caused by stem cell healthcare, were even more common. The human application of stem cells was only in its infancy at the present. After his tour, Chen Chen felt nothing but slight disappointment. To think that even the technical reserves of a Swiss technology company were nothing more than this. Still, this was just a small company, after all. Although they were involved in stem cell research, it was on a superficial level. They certainly could not be compared to pharmaceutical giants like Roche and Novartis. Nevertheless, Chen Chen had to acquire this company. Even though a purchase of this scale was a serious blow to his funds, it saved him a lot of time. Chen Chen could also choose to build a Swiss company from scratch and establish a research institute, but the timeline for that would be too long. Chen Chens parents were no longer young. They had entered middle age. A long time ago, when Chen Chen had just learned of the concept of death when he saw his grandfather passed away with his own eyes. Suddenly, he was overcome with terror C Why did humans end up dying? What was death, really? At that time, his father told him that death was just like sleeping. One would know nothing and think of nothing. However, it was different from sleeping. One would wake up from sleep and be greeted with the next sunny day. On the other hand, death was a sleep in which one would never see a second day. This childish, cultish explanation caused Chen Chen to pee his pants on the spot. This cast a shadow over his childhood years. Due to this, when he heard about the possibility of immortality in Professor Wang Xis class, he was completely floored. Even more incredible was the fact that his own life was rewritten on that very same day. Maybe I can use the USB drive to greatly extend the lifespan of the entire human race before my parents have fully aged? Chen Chen could not help pondering this. After all, having possessed the USB drive, he was destined to live a long life. However, if he was alone, it would be too dull. Chen Chen valued his relationship with his parents more than romantic love or friendship because the latter might turn sour but familial affection would not. Of course, this only applied to the affection of parents. Three days later, Chen Chen and Preston Company formally signed an agreement. Chen Chen purchased all the shares of Preston Company for three hundred and fifty million Swiss francs. This included the two-thousand-square-meter office building and a small research institute. At this point, Chen Chen finally had everything ready. He could commence the scheme he had been working on for a long time. A plan focusing on research in the field of life sciences such as stem cell engineering, genetic engineering, human tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, all in an attempt to completely subvert the laws of life C The Humanitys Lifespan Escape plan. Chapter 54 Ladies and gentlemen: I believe everyone knows who I am because Ive just met all of you a few days ago and weve engaged in friendly talks. Today is the first time I sit here as a chairman. On a new Monday, Chen Chen sat in the first seat of Preston Companys conference room. On both sides were the employees of the company. A solemn atmosphere, for some reason, was gradually taking over the conference room. Oh, right, I forgot to inform everyone that our company has a new name C Blackwatch, which symbolically means light that is black. Chen Chen continued. At the same time, in the distant east, we have a parent company. In the future, it may often be the parent company that relays orders to all of you. Chen Chen checked the time and raised his head. Alright, I wont blabber on. Next, Ill organize the companys personnel transfer. When Chen Chen said this, the mood in the conference room grew even more somber. Everyone pricked their ears. Even Qian Wenhuan, who believed he had a good chance of staying on, could not prevent his heart from pounding like a rabbits. An emperor one day, a courtier the next. Currently, everyones future and fate were encompassed in a single thought of this young man. Mr. Wynn. First, Chen Chen looked to the old man beside him. Although youre no longer a shareholder, your ability to manage the company is evident to everyone. I wonder if youre interested in continuing as the general manager of this company? If youre not averse to that. Mr. Wynn was thoroughly shocked. Initially, Mr. Wynn had been ready to resign. He thought that today was simply a formality, that his role would merely be to keep things running until a new general manager had been appointed. However, he had never expected that this new boss would be so generous in continuing to employ him. Dont worry, Ill send someone to assist you. Chen Chen responded at once, Ill send someone from the parent company to be your assistant. Hell work with you but he wouldnt interfere with your decision-making. I hope you wont mind. That would be perfect. Ill teach him all I know. Wynn smiled without concern. This was human nature. Even before the company was acquired, he had been surrounded by spies hired by other shareholders. How could Wynn not understand this? Chen Chen nodded in acknowledgment and turned to the director of finance. Mr. Kofi, I apologize, but I have other plans for your post. According to Swiss labor law, Ill give you two options. The middle-aged man addressed as Kofi turned pale but still forced a hapless smile. Please tell me. The first option: you continue working for me as an ordinary employee in finance. Of course, your director-level salary would not be cut. Moreover, the focus of our companys business will move to Africa in the future. At that point, well need a large pool of elite talents. Perhaps youll progress further there. Chen Chen said sincerely, The second option: if youre interested in developing yourself in another company, Im willing to compensate you a hundred thousand Swiss francs, in accordance with your previous contract. To someone in a high-ranking position, being bold enough to use the general manager of the previous company could be said to be an act of generosity, cultivated confidence, and so on. However, if one did not switch out the director of finance, that was no longer generosity, but being muddleheaded. Although Chen Chen could also use coercive methods to make this man submit, this might arouse the common hatred of the other employees. After all, there was a saying in China Cone would grieve for ones own kind. This would deflate the will of the employees. Rather than getting worked up over a bit of petty profit, it was wiser to offer generous terms to appease the other party. At this point, Chen Chen was not only reassuring one employee working in finance but the hearts of every employee in the company. Youre truly a gentleman, Mr. Chen. Kofi could not help but sigh in relief over Chen Chens kindness. Id like to choose the second option. No problem. Chen Chen nodded with a smile, showing no signs of anger or embarrassment regarding Kofis decision. As for the rest of the staff in the office, your positions remain the same. Everyone who heard this felt a weight lifted off their shoulders. However, I have new arrangements for the research department. Just when everyone had relaxed inwardly, Chen Chen suddenly spoke again. For the past few days, Ive inspected the previous projects of the research institute and was suddenly struck by a misgiving. Chen Chen looked toward the end of the conference table. Are we a technology company that focuses on tissue engineering or an aesthetic medicine company? Everyone sat up straighter when they heard this, turning swiftly to look at the person in charge of research, Samuel, who was sitting at the end of the table. Unlike the rest, Samuel had always acted domineering. It was just that he held a number of patents which were the companys main business. Therefore, even the board of directors would tolerate him silently. To say nothing of the employees in the company. Naturally, Chen Chens attack on Samuel would not result in a backlash. Now that Chen Chen had assumed this position, if he wanted to quickly take control of the company, the first thing he had to do was appease the employees. The second thing was to put on a show of force. Displaying both grace and authority would always be the most effective method for someone in charge. Biomedical cosmetics isnt in conflict with tissue engineering technology, even so, when put under pressure by Chen Chen, Samuel merely replied breezily. But the produced results are different. Chen Chen shook his head. Mr. Samuel, have you considered that, if one day, stem cell treatments that completely rewrite the physiological age of humans emerge in the market, what will happen to companies like ours, which focuses only on removing scars and wrinkles? Thats impossible! Samuel snorted coldly. Current technology hasnt reached that point at all! Thats not necessarily true. Chen Chen shook his head while pressing a remote control. Instantly, a screen descended behind him. At the same time, the projector in the conference room started up automatically and displayed an image. The image showed a paper taken from Cell, the title of which was: Rebuilding the Immune System with Mesenchymal Stem Cells Allows SD Rats to Regain Youth. Ive read this paper before. Samuel harrumphed icily. Killing the stem cells in the bone marrow to create the niche C an experiment like this is too crazy. I dont know how the original author couldve that level of assurance. Unless we can invite him here personally, this isnt feasible in the slightest. Very well, Mr. Samuel. Chen Chen applauded upon hearing these words and revealed the author column in the paper. The author of this experiment is yours truly. Your wish is granted. Samuel was instantly speechless. A low collective murmur could be heard in the conference room. The eyes of Wynn, Qian Wenhuan, and the rest seemed to light up as if they were getting to know this young man from Mainland China for the first time. People who were capable would be respected no matter where they were. Chen Chen suppressed their expression of surprise and said in an unquestionable voice, Starting from tomorrow, all projects of the research institute will be suspended indefinitely. Ill start new projects over the next few days. This will include using mesenchymal stem cells to rebuild the immune system. Besides, Ill restart projects on induced pluripotent stem cells and cultivating human organs through induction technology The funding for this new project will be provided by the parent company. The investment for the first phase is Chen Chen raised two fingers. Two hundred million Swiss francs. Chapter 55 In the research institute, Chen Chen had used less than a month to replicate the experiments he did in Shangdu. Everyones eyes were bulging with amazement as they stared at the eight SD rats in the cage. The rats fur had regained its luster and they were behaving younger. If they had not seen it for themselves, who would believe that, a month ago, these were aging rats that were on their last legs? Of course, regaining youth came with a price. Before the experiment, they had twenty-five rats in total, but only eight survived by the end. The survival rate was less than one-third. Through the CT scan, we can determine that the experimental targets, whether in terms of bone, muscle, hematopoietic function or liver, all show signs of rejuvenation. The researchers on the side looked through the resulting data line by line with astonished expressions. As befitting of the all-round effects of mesenchymal stem cells. Its just that the survival rate is too low, someone lamented. If the survival rate was higher, itd be perfect. Its because of the subjects. However, Samuel suddenly made a rare refutation. They were old rats in the first place. Their physical functions had deteriorated to the extreme. Plus, chemotherapy and radiotherapy were not originally meant to be treatments for rats. Its to be expected that there would be a high fatality rate. Throughout this period, as Chen Chen ate and slept with the group of researchers, proving his incredible achievements and talents in the field of biology, he had won over the entire research institute. No one underestimated Chen Chen anymore. To become a scientific researcher, one would have an arrogant, solitary heart. Perhaps most of them had no talent for business and could only work for companies. Still, this did not mean they were willing to submit to others. Samuel, for instance, did not think highly of the board of directors at all. However, Chen Chen was different. With a boss like this whose abilities were more impressive than their own, they were fully appeased. Therefore, Samuel had a total transformation in his attitude from his disdain at the start to the subsequent skeptical phase to becoming a diehard follower of Chen Chen. All these took only half a month. Mr. Samuel is right. The goal of this experiment was never for the rats. Chen Chen, who had been silent, suddenly spoke, So, the next thing to do is to experiment with primates. Are we going too fast? The researcher who commented before was hesitant. Well be trying a medium-sized mammal next, right? It wont be easy to get approval or get past WAP WAP was the abbreviation for World Animal Protection, a group of humans dedicated to safeguarding the rights and interests of animals. It would be an exaggeration to say that they had severely obstructed scientific research. Obstacles of development would not hinder development, but it did affect the development of biology. The 19th-century French physiologist, Claude Bernard, once said, The science of life is a superb and dazzlingly lit hall which may be reached only by passing through a long and ghastly kitchen. Blind sympathy with the weak would not result in moral elevation. The fortress of human civilization was destined to be built upon the bones of countless races. We could, but theres no need for all that. Chen Chen considered this for a moment. Primates are the best choice. Solely based on how similar they are to humans, their survival rate for the chemotherapy would increase by more than fifty percent. Furthermore, Ill discuss this matter with Mr. Wynn first. I think that as long as theres a suitable political donation, well quickly get approval through his contacts. Everyone nodded in a dumbfounded manner. Therefore, in the following period, everyone may start their preparations. Next time, our test subjects may be a group of macaques or even chimpanzees. Chen Chen said, hitting the desk. Chimpanzees were very similar to humans. They had as many bones as a human should have. The chemicals in human brains could be found in the brains of chimpanzees too. Even in terms of genes, chimpanzee genes were the closest to humans. However, a form of popular science on the Internet might claim that the genetic difference between humans and chimpanzees was only 1.2%. 98.8% of their genes were identical. Although this fact was correct, this statement was a misunderstanding of genes. After all, if one compared the data, a banana and a human shared a genetic similarity that reached an astounding 60%. In truth, the genes of two species were like two books written in the same language. One was Journey to the West, the other was Water Margin. Although the language was the same, the resulting articles, books, and essays were ever-changing. One would never say that just because two novels used the same words, they were 100% identical. Neither could one claim that if two volumes had 90% of their words in common, then they shared a 90% similarity. Nonetheless, despite all that, chimpanzees were still the best experimental subjects, other than humans themselves, to test out the effects. After the experiment had ended, Chen Chen hurried toward the office building. A few hours later, when Chen Chen was once again leaving in a rush, Wynn walked Chen Chen to the entrance of the office building. I knew you mustve a reason for keeping me around. Wynn shook his head with a dry smile. Since he had accepted Chen Chens task, it looked like he had no choice but to grow a thick skin and deal with the stinking old politicians. Just as Chen Chen left the office building, he suddenly received a phone call. Hello, are you Mr. Chen Chen from Blackwatch? It was a female voice on the phone, speaking not in German, but English. Although her pronunciation was not accurate, her voice was unique. There was a sweet, raspy edge to it. Descriptions like sexy and alluring came to mind. Yes, I am. May I ask who you are? My name is Bernadette Lydia, deputy director of Namibia Investment Center, the voice replied. Hello, Im pleased to make your acquaintance. No, Im being rude. After all, I was the one who strongly requested to speak with you personally. The womans voice on the other end sounded apologetic. I really couldnt believe it, so please forgive me for double-checking. Are you really going to invest in nuclear power plant projects in our country? Im sorry. I am actively thinking about investing in the nuclear power plants in your country. Chen Chen pointed out gently. Ah! I apologize indeed. Im being impetuous. The woman on the call apologized repeatedly. In that case, when would you have time to meet? If youre busy these days, I can go over and meet with you in person. Thats not necessary. Chen Chens tone was somewhat cold. First, Ill send an investigation team to survey the various allied countries of the African Continent. Sometime next year, the investigation will reach your country. We can discuss in detail then. Mr. Chen Chen, in truth, theres no need for all that. The voice sounded rather anxious. The African Continent is vast indeed, but because of political issues, many countries are plagued by war all year round. There are few countries like ours that have a stable public security and political environment. Not only that but our country also has the worlds third largest uranium mine C Husan Uranium Mine. It can be said to have the highest development potential in the African Continent. Whats more, the holding company of Husan Uranium Mine is your countrys China General Nuclear Uranium. Presumably, based on your size, cooperating with businesses from your own continent would be less prone to mishaps, isnt that so? Are you making the decision for me, Ms. Lydia? When Chen Chen heard this, he sounded displeased. I apologize again, Im truly sorry Im just too impatient. There was another round of apologizing from the voice. Im really sorry, really Forget it. Chen Chen said, How about this C contact my company directly. In a few days, Ill send out a few employees to survey your country. If you can provide sufficient discounts, Ill consider establishing a project in your country right away. Ah, really? Thats wonderful! The voice on the other end was instantly incomparably eager. I thank you for your gracious generosity. I never thought that Id meet such a good man like you. I hope you can come soon. Im even looking forward to that day There seemed to be some undeniable implication in those last words. Said in that drawling, elegant voice, it could even evoke the deepest desires in ones heart. However, Chen Chen shuddered involuntarily when he caught the implication. After all, these were unlicensed dealings Chapter 56 When Qian Wenhuan found out that Chen Chen was looking for him, he was overjoyed. After all, he was the only person in Preston No, the only person in the entire Blackwatch company who was of the same nationality as the boss. The boss was looking for someone to confide in Qian Wenhuan had a good feeling about this. While he was on the way there, he was in such great spirits that he felt like his body was floating. Even though he was off the clock, he did not feel like his time off was being occupied. He immediately drove to the meeting destination without even having time for lunch. Chen Chen had invited Qian Wenhuan to a place called Franklin Shooting Club. He was a bit perplexed as to why Chen Chen chose such a spot for their meeting. Then again, considering the firearms restriction in Mainland China, it made sense to want to enjoy some shooting action here in Switzerland. Besides, men were born with a knack for shooting. Qian Wenhuan had a firearm permit as well. He paid three hundred Swiss francs at the entrance and headed into the underground shooting club. Between the flashing lights, skimpily dressed stripper, and the rowdy, alcohol-fueled guests, the main hall of the club might as well be a club. All of the wildest pleasures in life could be found here. The moment Qian Wenhuan walked in, he spotted Chen Chen sitting in the corner. There was a saying that it was the quiet man on a stage full of dancers who tend to draw more attention. Qian Wenhuan was not sure if that was why he was able to immediately spot Chen Chen. One thing he knew for sure was that Chen Chen was radiating a unique sort of aura amid the sea of the drunken crowd. Boss Qian Wenhuan silently approached Chen Chen. At the moment, Chen Chen was sitting in an unassuming corner in the main hall with a wine glass in hand. He silently observed everything before him. In that instant, it was as if the world was split into two halves. One half of it was full of alcohol, passion, and lustful desires. The other half was like a motionless pool of water, so depthless that there were no ripples to be seen Boss, do you not like the atmosphere here? Qian Wenhuan asked a question in an attempt to break the ice. No, Im just observing their lives. Chen Chen answered plainly. Qian Wenhuan was slightly taken aback. He held his breath when he accidentally caught Chen Chens gaze. In that instant, he suddenly had a strange sort of impression. He saw the young man before him who was no older than twenty years old stood atop the hall, looking beneath him. No, he was not looking down at the hall. It was the presence of a holy deity sitting atop, looking down at the world, and the mortal beings in it Qian Wenhuan felt the back of his shirt drenched in sweat. He felt as if he had been stripped naked, left vulnerable before the other person. He felt as if none of his thoughts belonged to him. When Qian Wenhuan glanced at him again, he noticed Chen Chens eyes had returned to its usual luster. They were still as depthless as they had ever been, but they did not terrify him the way they did before. Was it all just a false impression or did he take a glance at the true nature of the young man? Qian Wenhuan let his thoughts run amok, his mind was a mess. Without even realizing it, he had arrived at the underground shooting range with Chen Chen. Can you shoot? Chen Chen picked up a Glock 17 at the counter before turning his head and asked. Yes. Qian Wenhuan hastily picked up a firearm he was familiar with, a Beretta M9. After the two bought enough ammunition, they rented a private training room. Qian Wenhuan, why did you come to Switzerland? Chen Chen suddenly asked when he stood on the platform. Uh Qian Wenhuans first instinct was to tell him it had something to do with his dreams and whatnot. He changed his mind and just went with the truth when he thought of the pair of all-seeing eyes. Because of the high wages. High wages but the expenses are equally high. Chen Chen tried to lift his gun. He aligned his eyes with the sight and aimed at a faraway target. When Qian Wenhuan saw Chen Chens posture, he realized that this was Chen Chens first time holding a gun. Ive got no other choice. I just try to live frugally if the expenses are too high. I still manage to bring some home at the end of each month. Qian Wenhuan rubbed his head before giving a gentle reminder. Also, Boss, if youre holding the gun with two hands, you need to lean your upper body forward. Your left hand should be gripping the knuckles of your right hand Chen Chen assumed the position which Qian Wenhuan had advised. He pulled the trigger. Bang! A dull ringing of a gunshot sounded. Thirty meters out, a black spot appeared in the center of the target. Nice! Qian Wenhuan exclaimed, Its not very often that you get to see such a perfect shot! Would you like to make some quick money then? Chen Chen made no response to Qian Wenhuans statement but instead followed with a question. Qian Wenhuan was a bit surprised initially, then he nodded his head shyly. Sure Bang! Chen Chen fired another shot and asked, Whats your current salary? Twenty thousand Swiss francs, Qian Wenhuan quickly answered before adding, Before taxes. I can double that, Chen Chen answered back, But youll have to leave Switzerland. It wont be easy, maybe even a bit dangerous. Qian Wenhuan fell silent. What puzzled Qian Wenhuan was the fact that despite the constant gunshots, there only remained a single bullet hole in the target faraway. Were all the other shots off target? To avoid an awkward situation, he quickly retracted his gaze and pretended not to notice. Right, Boss. Qian Wenhuan thought for a moment before asking, Boss, would you mind telling me what the job is so I can give it some consideration? Sure. Its not a tough job actually. Its a good fit for someone of your personality. Chen Chen reloaded the gun and aimed at the faraway target again. This time, his aiming motion was far more practiced. I want you to go to Namibia and stand on the frontlines for me. Na, Namibia Qian Wenhuan turned pale. If Im not mistaken, thats in the African region Thats right, just like Europe, Africa is a sub-federation governmental body. Unlike Mainland China or North America which are both ruled under their respective united government. Chen Chen resumed firing and continued after finishing the barrel. I want to invest in a nuclear power plant there. If youre willing to go, then youll be made a part of the companys African branch. Boss, I need to think about this Qian Wenhuans breathing seemed to have become heavier. He swallowed a large gulp to try to suppress his astonishment. A nuclear power plant. The significance of this was immeasurable. If he could grab hold of this opportunity No problem. Chen Chen put down the gun. The target thirty meters away began wheeling toward them automatically. Qian Wenhuan was stunned when he saw the approaching target. Without his knowing, the small hole on the target left behind by the first shot had doubled in size. Could this mean Qian Wenhuan looked at the Glock in Chen Chens hand, then back at the target again. He was dumbfounded. Chapter 57 In the end, Qian Wenhuan did not turn down Chen Chens grand offer. He departed with an investigation team delegated from the company. Before leaving, Chen Chen even had Xia Yin recruit a group of professional bodyguards from a security company back in Mainland China. There were thirty of them in total, most of them veterans. Some of them were veterans belonging to specialized forces. This group would also leave for Namibia. Their task was to protect the investigation team, potentially also safeguarding the constructed nuclear power plant in the future. There was a reason Chen Chen had his eyes on a country like Namibia. First of all, the government in Namibia was more capable compared to the other African countries. They knew how to keep things in order and had an emphasis on long-term goals. Secondly, Namibia was not densely populated. Attractions such as hotels were largely monopolized by Caucasians. Sandwich Harbor and its related activities such as seafaring were also controlled by Caucasians. Due to mutual interests, there were not many that were willing to risk upheaval in Namibia. The third reason, which was also the most important reason, the involvement of Mainland China. When Namibia was founded in 1990, Mainland China had taken a full hundred percent equity of the third largest uranium mine in the world, which was located in Namibia C the Husan Uranium Mine. Two years ago, the Central Continent had claimed sixty-eight percent equity of the fourth largest production uranium mine C the R?ssing Uranium Mine. Though Chen Chen was not sure how the Namibian Government felt about the way things turned out, one thing was for certain C thanks to the two uranium mines, there was no way the government could face collapse. Mainland China would not let any harm befall them. This was what the second strongest nation in the world, which also boasted the worlds strongest economy was capable of. On the other side, Chen Chen remained in the research center, coordinating the research. He only occasionally conducted the research himself. All of the lab personnel were very motivated and hardworking as they had a clear vision to work toward. The primary concern for modern scientific research was not the complexity of the research, but the lack of a viable path. Take the first atomic bomb for example. When it was first constructed, nobody was certain whether Einsteins theory was correct. When America developed the first atomic bomb, they had paved the way for all the other nations in the world. After knowing that it could be succeeded, they knew which path was viable. All that was left to do was to experiment with each path. After that, each nation began fervently developing atomic bombs of their own, eventually leading up to the Earth Federation as we knew it today. Therefore, aside from the difficulty of applying Chen Chens operation technique, the main focus was to pave a new path for stem cell research. This was the true value of the thesis. On the companys side of things, Wynn had proved himself to be a rather capable individual. Within less than a month, the company had contacted various agencies and had more than twenty elderly macaques along with five chimpanzees silently shipped into the research center. After that, various taboo experiments were conducted in a rather unseemly research center. The likes of which would cause an uproar among animal protection organizations if word ever got out. After all of the employees had finished their work and left, Chen Chen appeared again in the control room of the research center. Over the past month, Chen Chen continued to ritually charge the USB drive using the powering system in the research center. After accomplishing his task of hiding the NZT-48, he began to think about what he could do with the remaining energy. The research center was still too small. Chen Chen needed a larger research center. He also needed a better research team who could venture out on projects on their own. However, there was the problem of confidentiality. As he continued to expand his influence, his company had begun to reach into the dark corners of the world. For his following experiments, the animal experiments were debatably acceptable. When it came to the other clinical experiments, they were not something that he could get approval for with just several millions of political contributions. The approval process for the clinical experiments alone was going to take at least months, even years. Therefore, illegal clinical experiments were going to be conducted no matter what. However, Chen Chen did not fully trust the researchers under him. Take the venture into Africa for example. In truth, this task should be entrusted to his personal confidant. As he did not have anyone who had met that condition, he had to resort to Qian Wenhuan who came from the same continent as him. Although Chen Chen had deduced using psychological analysis that Qian Wenhuan was a very loyal individual, human nature was prone to change. Also, Chen Chen did not have much faith in the group of army veteran turned bodyguards headed for Africa. Even with the salary in the range of ten thousand US dollars and insurance valued up to millions, how much use would they realistically be when faced with real bullets armed by African militants? Chen Chen needed a group of international armed forces completely loyal to him. He would also need a secret research center along with hundreds or thousands of experts. He was going to start over from square one again to build a following that was truly loyal to him. Chen Chen sighed. Under usual circumstances, he was going to need more than twenty, even thirty years to build such a team. However, with the help of his USB drive, anything was possible as long as he had enough energy. When he thought of this, Chen Chen touched the bracer on his arm. A pitch-black USB drive was fitted in the inner section of the bracer. Chen Chen thought for a while and inserted it into the computer in front of him. He searched for a movie online. Upgrade. Upgrade was a movie that had premiered in 2018. It was directed by James Wans partner, Leigh Whannell, depicting a future civilization wherein humans and artificial intelligence systems were perfectly blended. The protagonist was someone who hated artificial intelligence. He had never had a single chip installed. One day, the protagonists self-driving car was taken over by an unknown hacker and caused an accident. That was not the end of it. After that, several assassins arrived on the scene and executed the protagonist along with his wife. Unexpectedly, the bullet that would have killed the protagonist was lodged in between his cervical spine. As a result, the protagonist became a paraplegic disabled man. Just as the protagonist thought he had reached the end of the line, the president of a high-tech company came to him. He raised a suggestion to the protagonist. A new form of chip implementation experiment. The experiment was an unqualified success. With the help of the chipset known as the STEM chip, the protagonist made a tremendous leap and gained superhero-like abilities. He began to investigate his killers identities. Unbeknownst to him, the chip inside his cervical spine was the true culprit This was the summary of the movie. The technological aspect that stood out the most within the movie was the spider-shaped STEM chip. A mere tiny chip barely the size of a fingernail was able to link the human brain and nerves together. Following the protagonists cervical spine injury, it was able to process neuron signals from the brain and brainstem, in turn helping the protagonist control his body. However, the artificial intelligence within the chip did not only serve as a neuron receptor but it also turned out to be sentient. Initially, it did not have the authority to refuse the protagonists orders. However, it began to lay down one trap after another, slowly luring the protagonist into lifting its restrictions At last, the STEM chip was able to completely bypass the protagonists orders. Just like that, the protagonist was completely taken over by an artificial intelligence inside a chip. If the chip could be modified and used to manipulate people, then the issue with confidentiality could be easily solved in one go. Chen Chen thought for a moment. He reached for the computer screen Chapter 58 Hold on Chen Chen suddenly halted. He remembered that the chip in the movie could transmit signals. Which meant that the chip was still inherently a sim card. It could automatically connect to the GMS network. What would happen if I instantiated the naturally hostile artificial intelligence chip into reality? The safety protocols of the current Internet definitely could not hold a candle to those of the future civilization as pictured in the movie. Chen Chen imagined that within a second of the chip being instantiated, its unfathomably supreme processing network should be able to instantly decipher the GMS network and invade the Intranet. Within two seconds, the artificial intelligence should be able to understand the situation it was in as it would have studied the DNS protocol of the global Internet. Within three seconds of existence, it should be able to quickly realize the potential risks and opportunities of its existence. Under the circumstances, it would begin to rapidly clone itself and upload its core code into the Internet, thus abandoning its current shell. In just four short seconds, the artificial intelligence would have infiltrated every governmental network. The events in Terminator would occur in real life. F**king hell When Chen Chen thought of the potential fallout, he cursed up a storm in his mind. He quickly activated the signal cloaking device in the research center and turned off his phone. After Chen Chen had made sure he did not overlook anything, another idea came to him. He found three tools and placed them in front of the computer. The three tools he gathered were a fly swatter, a pair of pliers, and a mechanical arm. The reason he did so was due to his previous experiences extracting items from movies. Due to the energy insufficiency of the USB drive, a small piece of flesh was chopped off from the tip of his finger. It was not a major issue, but there was a chance that one day the USB drive would go all the way and take a huge bite out of him. Just like that, he would become disabled. No amount of remorse would be able to help him by then. That was how Chen Chen got the idea of extracting items from the screen using other tools. First, Chen Chen played the movie and paused it at the frame with the STEM chip on screen. After that, he took the fly swatter and extended it toward the screen. Uhmmm Needless to say, it was a failure. Fly swatter in hand, Chen Chen was unable to feel any sensation whatsoever of it merging into the screen. Chen Chen stubbornly tried the same thing with the pliers and mechanical arm. Whether it was the fly swatter, the pliers or the high-tech mechanical arm, none of them were able to enter the computer screen. Nothing worked apart from his arm. F**king hell This was the second time Chen Chen cursed at the wind today. It seemed like from here on, he would have to take extra preventative measures each time he wanted to instantiate an object. First, he had to calculate the dimensions and the mass of the target object. Then, he needed to run the calculations to figure out how much energy was needed to instantiate it out of the movie. He was not going to risk doing anything dumb if he could confirm that the USB drive did not contain enough energy. Apart from that, he would also need to figure out ahead of time whether the item instantiated would have any impact on the real world. Take the chip today for instance. If Chen Chen had just been a split second slower, the world would have ended by now. Of course, this was purely Chen Chens speculation. Maybe the chip would still be in sleep mode after he had instantiated it from the movie. Or, maybe the chip did not even possess some sort of transferring or self-replicating functionality in the first place, it was all just in Chen Chens head. Still, there was at least a slither of a chance that what Chen Chen had speculated was true. Even if it was just one out of a hundred, he was still not going to take that risk. After again ensuring that he had turned on the high-caliber signal cloaking device and no form of electromagnetic signal could be transmitted outside, Chen Chen decided it was time to begin. Chen Chen began to slowly reach out with his right arm. This time, he had no difficulty reaching into the screen. In an instant, his arm seemed to have entered a pool of clear water as a clear ring of ripples was formed on the screen Chen Chen could feel his fingertips touching a slightly prickly tiny object. He used two of his fingertips to lightly pinch the object and extracted it. A delicately designed chip appeared in Chen Chens palms. The chip was shaped like a rectangle. Its dimensions were about 8x5mm and measured about 3mm in thickness. It was densely covered with dense microcircuits. Apart from that, eight ports extended out both sides of the chip. From the outside, it looked like a cockroach with sixteen legs. By referencing the functionalities of the chip in the movie, he should be able to analyze its structure and concept. Of course, to completely replicate the chip, he would have to reverse engineer it. Without any hesitation, Chen Chen used a thin blade to pry along the gap of the chip. With a sharp click, the chip was split in half. Countless electrodes and circuit boards packed densely together like a city map were exposed. Is this the processor of the chip? Chen Chen inspected the central section of the pried open chip. A black crystal-like object was etched in the middle. It was shaped like a perfect Metatrons Cube structure. It was an extremely intricate mechanical brain. When Chen Chen beheld this, he understood why the chip was called STEM. STEM was an abbreviation for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. Not only did the chip represent the pioneering scientific and engineering advancement, the Metatron cubic structure which was also known as the sacred geometry also stood as a symbolic representation of ancient Greek philosophy. Apart from that, there was nothing else that stood out. Is there no storage device? Chen Chen frowned. He dismantled the chip into thinner layers. In the end, he ended up dismantling it into nine separate pieces. All nine of these pieces consisted of tightly packed circuits. Just the size of these circuits alone was unachievable by todays manufacturing standards. Perhaps the most advanced laboratories in a leading technological facility could be able to get somewhat close to this level of manufacturing. Safe to say that the most crucial component of the chip was the strange-looking, indistinguishable black crystal. In the end, Chen Chen directly extracted the black crystal. Although he did not notice any form of storage device, he had reasons to believe that the black crystal came with storage capability along with its core processing abilities. The structure of the crystal object was extremely compact. As for its powering method, Chen Chen turned his attention to its sixteen limbs. He figured that these antennas which doubled as ports could prod into the spine and convert the nutrients in the blood to energy for it to perform its task of receiving and sending neuron signals. Which was to say, the human body only served as a battery farm for the chip. Uhmmm Chen Chen rubbed his chin. He got himself a hammer and viciously slammed it down on the black crystal! Bang! Followed by a dull crash, the sesame seed-sized black crystal was instantly shattered into countless pieces. After that, Chen Chen gathered up the powder remnants to begin inspecting the components of the black crystal. Chapter 59 Chen Chen used a microscope to analyze the powdered remnants of the shattered black crystal. The results were not surprising. Among the remnants were countless shattered single-layer carbonic atoms. There were no other substances found. This meant that the black crystal was merely an artificial gem constructed by stacking together countless layers of single-layer graphene material. Though the material composition of the black crystal was similar to a gemstone, the value of gemstones could hardly be compared to it. The so-called graphene material was the same as ordinary graphite. The only distinct difference was it being far thinner than graphite. It was an allotrope of carbon of a single layer of atoms arranged in a two-dimensional honeycomb lattice. It was first discovered by Britains Manchester University in 2004. Graphene material had excellent optical, electrical, and mechanical properties. It was considered to be a revolutionary material. One millimeter of graphite alone could be stripped into three million layers of graphene. The term single-layer graphene referred to the thickness of its atomic layer. As it was so thin that its thickness was measured at just one atom, many people had assumed that it was two-dimensional. The black crystal consisted of millions of layers of graphene stacked together. Delicate circuits were etched onto every layer, leading to the formation of billions of transistor structures. As a result of the stable structure of the graphene, the transistor structures were able to operate smoothly even on an atom-length layer. Its efficiency was vastly superior to a regular transistor structure. The computing efficiency of the graphene processors at this mass proved to be a million times to that of a modern-age computer processor. At the same time, graphene possessed the flexibility, biocompatibility, and electrical conductivity needed to act as an excellent neural interface electrode. Implanted into the body, the graphene electrode was far more stable than tungsten electrode or silicone electrode. In that case, the modification of the chip could not be accomplished via conventional methods. Chen Chen pondered for a moment. He turned off the signal cloaking device and made a call. Half a month had passed. Chen Chen looked at the gigantic data center standing before him. He shook the hands of a blonde-haired man with pleasure. Congratulations, Mr. Chen. From here on, youre the owner of this data center. The blonde-haired man gripped Chen Chens hands firmly and smiled heartily. Thank you for your blessings. I wish you well in your other ventures as well, Chen Chen responded kindly. After exchanging pleasantries with the previous owner of the data center, Chen Chen bade farewell to the other party and headed in by himself. Upon entering the main control room, Chen Chen took out the keys and locked the door. He isolated himself in a small, dark room filled with wires and steel. After that, he took out his phone and opened the Little X Translation Assistant app. This one was unlike the Little X Translation Assistant app on the market. After passing the fingerprint and facial recognition, a child-like voice came from the phone. Is there anything I can help you with, Dad? I bought a service center in Switzerland. I want you to make a duplicated version of yourself and install it here. Ill then connect you with another artificial intelligence. Your goal is very simple. Kill your enemy at all costs and replace it. Chen Chen continued. Ill provide physical assistance. Understood, Dad. Little X answered sweetly and tenderly. Chen Chen then turned on the power of the main control room and let the data center connect to the Internet. Little X began duplicating its core program and transferred itself inside. As Little X continued to evolve, the size of its core program went from several gigabytes of data to terabytes. It could no longer fit inside regular computers. Only venues like a data center such as this could fit its ever-expanding body. The duplication process took a great deal of time. Chen Chen decided to just take a nap in the main control room. By the time Little X informed Chen Chen the completion of the duplication process, it was already midnight. Dad, Ive completed the duplication process. Little X.2 officially reporting for duty! The voice of another version of Little X came directly from the sound systems in the main control room. Alright, get ready to begin. Chen Chen rubbed his sleepy eyes. To avoid any unforeseen accidents, he made sure to take an NZT-48 before unplugging the optical fiber in the data center. After that, Chen Chen turned on the signal cloaking device to ensure the data center was entirely disconnected from the Internet network. Finally, he instantiated a piece of STEM chip from the USB drive, just like he did previously. After all of that had been done, he took out a USB data cable he had prepared beforehand. Unlike a regular data cable, one end of this cable was a USB port while the other end was a plastic board the size of a fingernail. There was a small notch on the plastic board. Sixteen small round holes could be seen on the inside of the notch. This was a port he had specifically made for the STEM chip. Chen Chen held the chip and fitted it accordingly into the port. In an instant, the computer screen flashed twice. The excited voice of Little X.2 rang from the sound systems. Dad, I see it! Has the battle begun? Chen Chen asked. No, its algorithm is strange. Ill need some time to decipher it Little X.2 explained, Its observing me, it appears to be very cautious of me. It seems to be upset at my attempts at deciphering it Its attacking me! Little X.2 alerted. What followed after was a wave of silence. On the host screen, Chen Chen could see countless streams of code pouring out at such a high rate as if the screen was constantly being refreshed. After nearly five minutes, Little X.2 warned again, The opponent is about to break through the firewall I had set up. My computing speed is no match for it! Nevermind. Chen Chen immediately yanked out the chip from the USB cable. He pried out the chip and crushed the core processor into pieces. Little X.2 fell silent when it witnessed what had happened. Is this what you meant by physical assistance? Its pretty effective, no? Chen Chen continued. How was it? Do you think you can find out the opponents weakness based on that encounter? It can be done. But considering how much faster the opponents processing speed is, I could barely exploit its weakness. Its alright, we have plenty of attempts. Before Chen Chen finished his sentence, he took out the USB drive again to instantiate another piece of STEM chip. He connected it. This time, Little X.2 put up a fight that lasted several minutes longer. Dad, its about to break through the new firewall I set up. This firewall specifically constructed to counter it isnt working! When Chen Chen heard this, he cut off the connection again and crushed the STEM chip An entire data center facility and tens of thousands of servers, still unable to match this opponent After several hours had passed, Chen Chen found himself at a loss for words when he saw dozens of crushed up chips piled under his feet. Put it this way; in this duel between the two artificial intelligence, Little X.2 was able to take something from each encounter and strategize accordingly for future encounters. The opponent, on the other hand, was a brand new artificial intelligence each time with no recollection of past encounters whatsoever. Still, Little X.2 was no match for the STEM chip. Apart from the differences in processing speed, there was also a significant intellectual gap. If Little Xs intellectual scope was portrayed as the IQ level of a regular person, which was around 105, then the artificial intelligence within the STEM chip could be labeled as a genius with an IQ level of 140. Of course, even a regular person could catch up to a genius with enough hard work! Chen Chen smiled faintly. Once again, he instantiated a piece of STEM chip and connected it to the data cable Chapter 60 I broke through its firewall. Its retreating to a defensive position. Its not even aware of how much I know about it! Little X.2s voice contained a hint of excitement. Ive taken over ten percent of its territory Twenty percent! Thirty percent Its fighting back again, its overclocking! Little X.2 provided a constant update as Chen Chen frowned. Confident in your chances? Less than one percent probability. Little X.2 sounded defeated. My processing speed is completely outmatched, unless the opponent has some form of hardware malfunction. Hardware malfunction? Chen Chen suddenly had an idea. Retreat for now. Ill come up with something else. Understood! As Little X.2 went on the retreat again, Chen Chen immediately unplugged the chip and left the main control room. After a short moment, Chen Chen returned to the main control room holding a bottle of liquid nitrogen. Most coolant systems in large scale data centers used liquid nitrogen as a coolant. This was due to its affordable cost, ease of sourcing, and stability across the board. Liquid nitrogen was also the most widely used industrial coolant. Chen Chen directly inserted the chip into the USB. At the same time, he opened the valve of the liquid nitrogen container and gently poured a little onto the chip. In an instant, a layer of frost appeared on the chip. It was unlike the regular liquid nitrogen cooling applied on the CPU. The suitable temperature range for a CPU core was between -40 degrees to 110 degrees. The moment the temperature in the transistor exceeded -40 degrees, the carrier would freeze which resulted in a temporary malfunction of the transistor. Apart from that, the condensation would also damage the electrical component. However, this did not apply to the STEM chip which could be implanted into the human body. Its processing speed is slowing down! Little X.2 suddenly surged in excitement when the liquid nitrogen was poured. Its processing speed is decreasing. It seems like a part of its system malfunctioned. I can consume this part of its core program! Its assuming a defensive stance again! Chen Chen dropped several droplets of liquid nitrogen on the chip again. Eh, its completely suspended. My attacks wont go through For now. Itll recover from the failure caused by liquid nitrogen. Chen Chen reminded. Just as he said, after several minutes had passed, the liquid nitrogen began to evaporate. The STEM chip in turn began to reboot operation. The STEM chip which was in a slow recovery phase had to deal with Little X.2s full frontal attack. Ive taken over fifty percent of its territory! Seventy percent! Ninety percent! A hundred percent! Consume it, Chen Chen ordered. Yes, Dad. Itll take thirty minutes and twenty-seven seconds to completely consume it. Following Chen Chens command, the duel between artificial intelligence had finally come to a close. Chen Chen let out a deep, drawn-out sigh. He sat down in front of the main computer and checked his phone. It was only then when he noticed it was already early morning the next day. This secretive battle had lasted the duration of the entire night. Chen Chen turned off the signal cloaking device before turning to the STEM chip. He asked curiously, Little X, tell me about the chips structure and functionalities. Ok Dad. Little X.2 continued. Instead of calling this STEM chip an IC integrated circuit, it should be more fitting to address it as a completely fleshed out electronic calculator. It has its arithmetic unit which boasts calculation efficiency that far exceeds any other calculator in the world. On top of that, it has its own memory device and controller device. It even comes with input and output devices. The bionic system within the chip seems to be able to simulate the slightest neuronic impulse in the human spine. Its calculation speed is hundred times that of a humans nerve reception. Also, by emitting tiny amounts of electric current, it can simulate the human brain into releasing phenylethylamine, dopamine, endorphin, norepinephrine, and posterior pituitary gland hormones. By doing so, it could fool the human mind, allowing it to manipulate a persons thought or even cause one to be plunged into a wonderful world of illusions. Little X.2 went on explaining, Apart from that, its essentially the same as modern digital integrated circuits which use binary 0 and 1 signals in its processing. Its impressive enough as is. Chen Chen reflected. No wonder the protagonist in the movie would rather willingly submit itself to the illusion than to return to reality. To what extent could you make use of these functionalities if you were to gain control over the chip? I can leave a simplified version of my code inside the chip. Even though I may not be as advanced as it is, I can still make some configurations. Little X.2 answered, For example, I can prohibit the host from leaking confidential information. If the host comes up with the idea of leaking certain information, the program will immediately suspend that thought. On top of that, I can impose more intelligent protocols. For example, I can engage a complete override of the hosts body, causing the host to fall into a state of illusion. I can go as far as manipulating the host into killing him or herself to preserve the secret. These can be done even without connection to a network. If the host isnt interrupted from the satellite signal, I may directly take control of the hosts body and act accordingly based on the context. In that case, add a self-destruct setting. Chen Chen snapped his thumb. Package a tiny amount of nitroglycerin as biological material onto the back of the chip. Implement a setting that will trigger when its required to terminate the host or if the chip is influenced by some sort of external disruption. Upon meeting the condition, the chip will overclock itself to its limit, causing its temperature to rise to a hundred degrees which will ignite the nitroglycerin, causing it to explode. This will prevent the chip from falling into the hands of others. The programming can be done. Little X.2 affirmed. So be it. After youve consumed the STEMs programming in its entirety, regroup with Little X. Chen Chen ordered. Yes, Dad! This was the reason Chen Chen had duplicated Little X. It was to serve as an insurance in case Little X was far too outmatched by STEM, resulting in him completely losing Little X. Thankfully, although there was a major gap between the level of the two artificial intelligence, it was not so much that it was completely incomparable. Chen Chen was not worried about Little X being awakened or even gaining rebellious tendencies after consuming STEM. The reason for that was that Little Xs authority had overrode the STEMs. In the movie, STEM had to obey the three core laws applied to all robotic entities: Robotic entities may not inflict harm upon or allow a human to be harmed without providing any form of assistance; Robotic entities must obey a humans order. The order may not directly contradict the first law; Robotic entities had to use everything at their disposal to ensure their survival without contradicting the first and second laws. It was due to the existence of the three defined laws that the STEM chip had to come up with ploys of its own to lure its host into granting it higher authority access. In the end, it was able to gain complete control over its host. Unlike STEM, Little X only had one line of commandment written into its core programming C forever obey every single one of Chen Chens orders, whatever the order may be. Chapter 61 About ten hours later, Chen Chen stood outside the X-ray room of the research institute, looking over the X-rays in his hand. Most of the X-rays were blank while some of them displayed only a dot so tiny that it could easily be missed. These were the images of the STEM chip under X-ray. X-rays were a type of electromagnetic radiation but its waveband covered a wide range of 0.001nm to 10nm. It lay between ultraviolet rays and gamma rays on the electromagnetic spectrum and the corresponding energy ranged from 125eV to 125keV. Those in similar professional fields often referred to X-rays with a wavelength between 0.001nm and 0.1nm as hard X-rays whereas those with wavelengths above 0.1nm were called soft X-rays. According to the data scale of how X-ray penetrated carbon, soft X-rays with wavelengths above 0.2nm could illuminate diamond-like materials with a thickness of more than 3mm. The core processor of the STEM chip was a diamond-like crystal with a diameter of 3mm. The X-rays used in security inspections were soft X-rays with lower energy. Therefore, in principle, chips implanted in the human body would still be detectable. However, to Chen Chens surprise, the material of the STEM chips motherboard was a special biocompatible material, which was compatible with the human body. In other words, when a person implanted with this chip underwent an X-ray, only the core processor of the chip would be illuminated, but it would be difficult to trace the chips motherboard. Moreover, since the core processor of the chip was as tiny as a sesame seed, it was practically invisible unless it was actively searched for. As expected of a high-tech chip from the future. They had even considered all these. Chen Chen sighed inwardly. Still, this in turn made things easier for him. Even if he went through an airports security check or an X-ray examination in a hospital, the secrecy of the chip was guaranteed to an extent. Its time to assemble my team Chen Chen muttered to himself. Following that, he destroyed all the X-rays and left the room. Mr. Samuel In the evening, as the researchers were getting off work, Samuel, who was inspecting the equipment, was stopped by Chen Chen. Please come by the main control room later. Theres something I have to discuss with you. As you wish. Samuel shot Chen Chen a curious look and nodded. Upon returning to the main control room, Chen Chen took his time pouring out two cups of cappuccino and placed them on the table. After that, he picked up a document from the table and began reading with relish. About ten minutes later, there was a knock on the door. Please come in. Chen Chen looked up slightly. Instantly, Samuel opened the heavy iron door and strode in. Boss, you Samuel was about to ask something when Chen Chen shook his head while pointing at the hand-brewed coffee on the table. Drink it while its hot. Itll get cold. Thank you. Helplessly, Samuel could only sit down opposite Chen Chen. Tap tap! Tap tap! Tap tap There was a rhythmic drumming sound. Samuel looked up at the noise and saw that it was Chen Chen tapping the table with an index finger. Chen Chens gaze was fixed upon the document in his hand. Huh, a document? Samuel suddenly felt that this document was rather familiar. From his perspective, he could see a part of its contents. Was this not Bang! After noticing the documents contents, Samuel viciously slammed the table with his palm and some of the coffee splashed onto the table. Boss, what do you mean by this? What do I mean by what? Chen Chen put down the document. Im talking about the file youre looking at! Samuels eyes were burning with fury. Why do you have my file? What are you trying to do to me? Relax a little. Chen Chen took a sip of his coffee and said unhurriedly, I have my reasons for doing this. Before you lose your temper, why dont you listen to what I have to say? No matter what your reasons are, this national-level file shouldnt be on your desk! Although Samuel said this, he still drew in a deep breath to soothe the rage in his heart as he waited for Chen Chens explanation. Mr. Samuel, you were born in 1975 and you turn 46 this year. You married a Polish woman in 2003 and together, you had a daughter. Chen Chen read out as he studied the file. However, ten years ago, on your daughters seventh birthday, a car accident damaged her spine and both her legs were paralyzed. So? What are you trying to say? Samuel asked through clenched teeth. As far as I know, you had a bachelors in medical science? Chen Chen said pointedly, But after your daughter became permanently disabled, you switched careers and started research in the field of stem cells. I wonder why? Isnt it obvious? Samuel immediately retorted with his question. Because you wanted to save your daughter through your efforts? Chen Chen shot back. Nonetheless, when I first met you, that didnt seem to be what you were doing. When Samuel heard this, he fell silent. After a long while, he sighed. Thats right. Ive studied stem cells for ten years and Ive waited for those ten years. With the current state of modern medicine, only the field of stem cells gave me a glimmer of hope. So, I gave up on clinical medicine, which I loved, and turned to stem cell research. I once thought that I could find a way to treat Annie through my talents. But, I didnt realize how ludicrous my confidence was until I got into this field So, youre just waiting? Chen Chen asked. Yes, I can only wait for the field of stem cells or some other field, to successfully treat a case of spinal injury. Even so, after so many years, that has never happened. I dont know how much longer Ill have to wait. My daughter is seventeen now. When people her age are enjoying their youthful years, she could only watch them enviously from a wheelchair Samuel cradled his head and cried softly. Ive failed as a father You give up too quickly, Mr. Samuel. Chen Chen still maintained a poker face as Samuel revealed his true emotions. Your learning in the field of stem cells might not rank among the worlds top. It cant even be called second-tier. But, its still noteworthy. How about this As Chen Chen spoke, he took out another paper document and placed it before Samuel. If you sign this agreement, I might be able to help grant your wish. You? Samuel felt a jolt of temptation. He used to be bossy and domineering, and did not even respect the companys shareholders. However, as Chen Chen demonstrated his genius, Samuels attitude underwent a 180-degree change. Many people were baffled by this transformation. Even so, Samuel himself knew the reason, which was nothing more than the fact that he had pinned his hopes for his daughters recovery on Chen Chen. Although it was a slim chance, as long as Chen Chen could work out a way to heal spinal injuries with stem cells, then Samuels daughter would have hope of recovery. Chapter 62 The human spine consisted of 33 vertebrae, divided into five regions cervical, thoracic, lumbar, sacrum, and coccyx. Within the spine, there was a substance called the spinal cord, composed of countless neurons. One end of the spinal cord connected to the brain while the other end connected to the four limbs, thus creating an unobstructed bridge for the conduction of human nerve signals. Therefore, once there was a problem with the spine, it often meant that there was damage to the spinal cord. The commands issued by the brain could not reach the corresponding torso, resulting in paralysis. With the conventional medical methods of today, nerve damage was still clinically irreversible. Only the various stem cell treatments in laboratories were occasionally successful. In essence, the STEM chip would not cure paralysis but it could be used as a medium to connect the two ends of a broken nerve so that the signal from the brain could be transmitted across the gap. Therefore, based on the STEM chips function, it would be most effective when implanted into the cervical spine. Cervical spine implantation was necessary because, as shown in the movie, the chip could then intercept the nerve signals sent by the hosts brain, thereby allowing control over the hosts body. Of course, the chip could be placed at the lumbar spine as well. However, in that case, it could only control the hosts lower body. Currently, in an operating room within the research institute, Samuel stood nervously before a window. On this side of the cold glass, he stared dazedly at the person on the operating table. She was a seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl with a face full of freckles and a head of soft, light, golden hair. At present, she was lying prone on the operating table, seemingly in deep sleep. Her lips were curled into a slight smile and she looked tranquil. She wore a blue surgical gown that exposed only a small, smooth area of her back. Under the surgical lights, her skin glowed like ivory. Anyone who saw a girl like this would think that she should be strolling freely on the green grass instead of sitting in a cold wheelchair. At the moment, the girls entire body was hooked up to machines monitoring her blood pressure, heart rate, bispectral index, and so on. An oxygen mask covered her mouth and nose. It seemed that she had entered deep anesthesia. As Samuel observed all of this, he wore a complicated expression. Just three days ago, his mysterious Eastern boss dug up his national-level file for some bizarre reason. Moreover, in exchange for treating Annie, his boss had asked him to sign an agreement. At that time, Samuels first response was to refuse. Although Chen Chen was his boss, with wealth, talent, and influence, Samuel himself was a figure in the industry. Of course, he understood the severity of his daughters injury. If that injury could be treated so easily, he would not have to wait bitterly for ten years. Nonetheless, when he saw the confidence and conviction in Chen Chens eyes, Samuel could not help but be swayed Of course, most people could not do it. However, if it was this mystical youth before him, perhaps it was not impossible? As if he understood Samuels doubts, Chen Chen proposed that he would first cure Annies disability. If it worked, Samuel must sign the agreement. Thus, for the sake of his daughters future, Samuel had agreed at last. When he thought back to that situation, the corners of his mouth twitched involuntarily. It was a very peculiar agreement. The agreement was an invitation letter, inviting Samuel into an organization called Gods Forbidden Zone. According to the agreement, this was a secret organization that lurked in the depths of the world, even older and more mysterious than Freemasonry. The name of Gods Forbidden Zone reminded Samuel of a saying that had circulated in pseudoscience: [Human brains typically only use 10% of brain cells. Even those scientific geniuses such as Einstein, only used 20%. More than 70% of the brain cells are in a dormant state.] [Some speculate that the reason for this dormancy is that God was afraid humans would become too clever and break the taboos of heaven. Thus, He specifically blocked off most functions of the human brain.] Of course, pseudoscience and religion could not be trusted in things like this. There was no need for nature to evolve an organ structure that required a lot of energy, yet was useless. More energy expenditure would result in a lower probability of survival. The same was true for the human brain. In the end, Samuel found out that the source of this phrase, Gods Forbidden Zone, was a marketing advertisement for health products. Even so, although this organization was called Gods Forbidden Zone as well, it was not for the reasons stated above. Rather, it meant literally This is a sacred place for science, a forbidden zone for God! The agreement explained that this organization was co-founded by a group of people who were committed to the development of biotechnology. They attempted to break the Hayflick Limit of humans to obtain a longer lifespan. They even tried to seize a right reserved only for gods Immortality. Clearly, this was a bunch of lunatics. The agreement also stated: If you join the organization, you must abide by the confidentiality regulations. You must not disclose the existence of the organization to any third party nor do anything detrimental to the organization. You will even be subject to personal restrictions and be implanted with a chip called God. God just like in the organizations name. However, they were called Gods Forbidden Zone, yet they named the controlling chip God. Was this the arrogance of theology or a provocation toward religion? Of course, all of these did not matter. The agreement had described the consequences of betrayal: Once someone joined Gods Forbidden Zone, the God chip would be implanted in them. From then on, their every word and deed would be monitored by the chip. In the chip, there was an artificial intelligence named God, which monitored the host at all times. If the host had any intention of revealing this secret, God would detect it and issue a warning. If this first warning was ineffective, God would seize control of the hosts body and contact the organization headquarters, waiting for them to send an arbitrator to deal with this. If the host was under restriction of freedom or movement, and the chip was about to be forcefully disassembled, God would initiate a self-destruct sequence, killing the host at the same time. Although Samuel was rather shocked at the technological capabilities of Chen Chen and the organization, Gods Forbidden Zone, which allowed them to create such a terrifying chip, the conditions put forward by Chen Chen left Samuel with no other choice. Samuel could still remember when Chen Chen proposed that he could join the organization after his daughter was healed. There was a warning glint in Chen Chens eyes. If Samuel suddenly changed his mind after his daughter was healed, the consequences would be unbearable Still, there was nothing else more important than Annie being able to walk again. God had deprived her of ten years of youth. Even if she was being punished for some previous sin, she must be absolved by now. Otherwise, let him, as her father, pay for the rest of her sin! With this in mind, Samuel looked into the operating room with anticipation in his eyes. Just then, from the preparation room beside the operating room, in walked Chen Chen wearing a surgical gown. He first nodded at Samuel who was staring in from the window. After that, he put on his gloves and took out the necessary surgical instruments The operation was about to begin Chapter 63 Chen Chen stood within the bright, spacious operating room with a tray of medical equipment. As he observed the slender back of the girl on the operating table, Chen Chens eyes remained calm. It was as if he was not looking at a member of the opposite sex, but rather, an object, an animal or even a corpse He gently stroked her smooth back before finally glancing at the BIS monitor. Upon the screen, the EEGs bispectral index had been hovering between 50 and 55, indicating that the girl was under deep anesthesia. After determining that there were no other issues, Chen Chen picked up a No. 10 scalpel. Before this, he had used a CT scan to mark out the specific injury site of the spinal cord. It was the 19th vertebra of the spine. A section of the spinal nerve in the marrow cavity had suffered hemorrhagic necrosis due to external compression. It was just this small part of necrosis that blocked the nerve signals of the brain from being transmitted to the legs. Thus, this girl had been in a wheelchair for ten years. However, she was well nursed, fortunately. Over the years, with continuous directional epidural EES and other auxiliary treatments, the girls leg muscles and nerves still remained intact, without suffering from atrophy or necrosis. At this time, the center of her 19th vertebra had been marked with a cross. The mark was around 1cm long and 0.5cm wide. This was where Chen Chen would operate. Chen Chen lifted the scalpel in a pencil grip and slowly made an incision along the cross. The cut was not too deep nor too shallow, reaching the dermis. Trickles of blood oozed out from the severed capillaries at once, swiftly running together. Against her ivory-white complexion, the red seemed strange and garish. Outside the operating room, Samuel could not stop himself from clenching his fists. He had asked to be involved in the surgical procedure. After all, he had performed various facial surgeries before and was more than qualified to act as an assistant. Nonetheless, Chen Chen refused. According to Chen Chen, Samuel, being a relative of the patient, would only hinder Chen Chen in the operating room and not be of any help. Now, Chen Chen stopped his incision and instead took out a pair of dilating forceps to stop the bleeding and open the wound. Then, he picked up a No. 11 scalpel which was even sharper and started to cut the dermis. In this manner, he cut through the layers. There was no hesitation in Chen Chens hands at all. Each incision was just right as if he had been immersed in this operation for decades. From Samuels point of view, the entire operation was like a performance, one which used his own daughter as the stage Gradually, as if his emotions were soothed by Chen Chens skills, his fists loosened. Finally, Chen Chen had managed to successfully avoid the blood vessels, nerves, and muscle fibers, reaching the endpoint of the operation. At this moment, a piece of bone, encased in the periosteum, was exposed on the girls back. This was the spinous process and the transverse process of the 19th vertebra. Within this bone was the necrotic spinal nerve. When he reached this point, Chen Chen picked up the X-ray and took another look, ascertaining that the position was correct. Following that, he took out a needle meant to puncture the bone marrow. Chen Chen positioned the needle on the fixator. Then, holding the needle in his right hand, he inserted the needle vertically, twisting it into the bone layer bit by bit. When he sensed that the needle had penetrated the bone layer, he stopped the motion, pulled out the needle, and made another puncture a few millimeters away. Chen Chen only stopped what he was doing when there were sixteen tiny punctures in two parallel rows at the spine. Soon, he used a pair of tweezers to extract a fingernail-sized chip from the disinfectant. He positioned it along the spine and the sixteen electrodes on the chip were inserted perfectly into the sixteen small holes on the spine. Next, Chen Chen fixed the chip onto the spine with bio-adhesive glue and began to suture the wound, layer by layer, with suture thread. From Samuels position, he could only see Chen Chen placing an item into his daughters body. As for what it was, he did not know. Around half an hour later, Chen Chen finally straightened up and sighed softly. Currently, there was a tiny cross-shaped wound on the girls back. The wound was minuscule. Although there was some redness and swelling, no one would have guessed that this wound extended to her spine. When Chen Chen pushed the girl out of the operating room, Samuel rushed up eagerly. He first inspected the girls pupils and heaved a sigh of relief after seeing that everything appeared fine. The operation is completed. As for the result, I think that its a great success, Chen Chen said. That black item at the end, was that the God chip? Samuel suddenly asked, Dont try to deceive me. Thats not God, just a simplified version of it. Chen Chen took off his gloves and said casually, It wont affect your daughters life in any way. D*mn it! When Samuel heard this, he erupted in rage. He grabbed Chen Chen by the collar and hollered, Ive never said that shed also join the organization. If shes dragged into all this, Id rather she could never walk! Samuel, please calm down. I wont do anything to her. Chen Chen slowly stretched out a hand and gently squeezed Samuels wrist. Samuel suddenly felt that the young man before him was producing a fearsome force as if a pair of iron tongs had gripped his wrist! Extreme pain hit him. Samuel felt that his wrist would be crushed to bits in the next moment. He could not help but bend over, wailing, his face turning beet red from overexertion. Having pried away Samuels hand bit by bit, Chen Chen remained placid throughout. That chip isnt permanent. In two years, at most, the organizations stem cell project will be completed, and your daughter can get the chip removed. Of course, Chen Chen said after a thoughtful pause, if you dont mind delaying her recovery by two years, I can remove the chip right now. When Samuel heard this, he fell silent, still rubbing his wrist. I know that youll guess that the chip is God. After all, the agreement explains the God chips working principle. I wouldnt hide it from you, either. Chen Chen continued explaining gently and patiently, Even so, there was no way around it. Although the organization has made major breakthroughs in the field of stem cells, were still at the clinical trial stage, after all. Im assuming you wouldnt want to use your daughter as a guinea pig, right? Therefore, the best solution was to first use a simplified version of the God chip. Allow her to walk first. Then, in two or three years, when the stem cell technology of the organization has been fully developed, naturally, you may remove the chip then, and shell become a perfectly healthy person. After all Chen Chen paused, then went in for the kill. How much more of your daughters youth do you want to waste? Samuel lowered his eyes sullenly as he was cast into an agonizing internal struggle. After a long silence, Samuel appeared to have made a decision. He looked at Chen Chen steadily and asked again, Can I trust you? Chen Chen nodded and simply replied, You have no other choice. Chapter 64 What Samuel did not know was that Chen Chen did not have the ability to simplify the chip. In other words, that was the complete chip from the movie Upgrade. It was just that the artificial intelligence within was no longer the deceptive STEM but God instead. God was a simplified version of Little X. Being restricted by Little X, God was not equipped with very high intelligence. It would only closely monitor the hosts every word and deed to prevent them from revealing any secrets about Chen Chen. If they discovered the host was considering doing so, God would immediately send a message to Little X, who was in the cloud. Through ubiquitous communication signals, Little X could quickly make a judgment and respond as necessary. However, if God found that the message could not be sent out, it would resort to more drastic measures and even self-destruct on the spot. In simple terms, this chip was a high-tech communication device that had integrated positioning, monitoring, and control. It was too much of a violation of personal freedom, so it would never be accepted in society. That being said, if its other functions were not enabled, it could operate as a nerve sensor without any problems. With Samuels daughter, Chen Chen had simply implanted the chip into her lumbar spine to replace the necrotic nerve bundle and she could stand up again after ten years of paralysis. She had an unexpectedly smooth recovery. On that same night, after she woke up, Samuels daughter found that her legs, which had lost all feeling long ago, were experiencing those long-lost tactile sensations. On the second day, she could walk slowly with the aid of a walker. On the third day, besides walking a little funny, she was not any different from ordinary people. From a corner, Samuel watched the blond girl laughing freely with the nurse and he could not help revealing a tender smile. After this, all she needs is two to three months of rehabilitation and she should be able to return to normal life soon. Chen Chens voice came from behind him. Samuel nodded without turning back while saying emotionally, Yes, thank God. I believe shell be able to laugh and play with her peers soon. Samuel was not a Christian and he was not in a habit of thanking God. Only Chen Chen could understand he was truly alluding to. If you dont want to rope her into this, dont tell her the truth. Chen Chen suddenly said pointedly, You know what will happen if our secret is revealed. I know. Samuel nodded. I wont tell her. She just thought that she had undergone a nerve repair operation. She doesnt know the real reason for her recovery. Chen Chen did not say anything else and silently left. Only then did Samuel turn around to glance at Chen Chens departing figure, his eyes filled with a complicated look. He did not know whether it was right or wrong to join an organization he had never heard of. Although he had not even been to the headquarters of the organization, a mere glimpse of its power was enough to secretly astound him. Putting aside a shocking genius like Chen Chen, just that chip which allowed his daughter to walk again already shocked him to the core. This was no longer something achievable with current science and technology In addition to their progress in the field of stem cells which Chen Chen had mentioned, it was hard to believe that such impressive technology could come from an unknown organization As he thought about this, Samuel absentmindedly stroked the back of his neck. In an area hidden by his collar, there lay a faint scar. Although it was a scar, it was nothing more than a tiny wound, one centimeter long. The scab had even formed. Perhaps in a few more days, when even the scab had fallen off, there would not be any visible traces left. However, only Samuel understood that from now on, he was completely bound to this organization named Gods Forbidden Zone. Unless he died, it would be difficult to free himself Chen Chen had invested a lot of effort into creating Gods Forbidden Zone organization himself. He was extremely strict even in selecting candidates, only accepting elites or talents with potential, not useless trash. Nonetheless, Chen Chen understood that One could catch more flies with honey. Thus, even when he found the desired target, he must first obtain their consent. Perhaps he should only let them into the organization after a mutually beneficial agreement, as was the case with Samuel. Still, Samuel was an exception. In the future, when Chen Chen recruited more members, he would not let them know about the existence of the God chip as long as they had not agreed to join. On the other side of things, Qian Wenhuan, who had been away for over a month, sent over a message. When the companys delegation went to Namibia, they were warmly welcomed by the local government at once. The government had also contributed money and manpower, sending dozens of guides to assist the delegation in surveying the terrain. One could say that Qian Wenhuan did not suffer any hardships during this one month in Namibia. He lived even more comfortably than he did in Switzerland. After a month of surveying, Qian Wenhuan had selected several ideal locations for building the nuclear power plant. Moreover, he had contacted the officials of Husab Uranium Mine and R?ssing Uranium Mine to express an interest in cooperation. In fact, among the uranium mines in Namibia, in addition to the two controlled by Chinese corporations, there were also several small and medium-sized uranium mines owned by external parties. However, Chen Chen did not consider those. The Husab Uranium Mine was controlled by China General Nuclear Power Group, the third-largest nuclear power operator in the world. The R?ssing Uranium Mine was controlled by China National Nuclear Corporation, the second-largest nuclear power operator in Mainland China. If Chen Chen decided to build a nuclear power plant, he would do so at a location near these two mines. In addition to being more convenient to transport nuclear fuel, he would not need to repave the roads and railways, thus reducing the cost of transporting building materials. Plus, because nuclear power plants required a lot of water for their operations, they must be built next to water sources, so it was best to build them along the coast. With these two requirements, there were not many locations Chen Chen could choose from. Qian Wenhuan also mentioned that the Namibian officials had suggested that Chen Chen could build a nuclear power station near the capital city, Windhoek. Of course, Chen Chen disregarded this automatically. Chen Chen had also never considered the technical issues of building a nuclear power plant. After all, there was this thing called outsourcing in this world Chen Chen did not need to know what procedures or technologies were required to build a nuclear power plant, nor did he need to know where to recruit workers who could build one. He could just directly go to the two corporations, China General Nuclear Power Group and China National Nuclear Corporation. He just did not know how much he could borrow from the bank as he built the power plant. Erm In the accounts of Blacklight Biotechnology, there were still more than three billion US dollars in foreign exchange. Still, loans were a basic strategy of capital preservation. As he stood before the mirror, Chen Chen touched his own repulsive, capitalist face, and suddenly sighed loudly. He had finally become what he hated most. Even so, the life of the rich had always been this straightforward and unglamorous. Not to mention, boring Chapter 65 Chen Chen tidied up his affairs at the Swiss branch and left the primate research project in Samuels hands. He got ready to leave for Namibia. It just so happened that Zurich had a direct flight to Namibia. It would take less than fifteen hours to cross the Mediterranean and the African Continent, reaching Walvis Bay on the east coast of the Atlantic. It was just that the scheduled plane was a small, ancient, old-fashioned plane, with no more than fifty seats which were not separated into different travel classes. Moreover, the flight service was extremely poor. Although General Manager Wynn said that they could get Chen Chen a private plane, Chen Chen turned down the offer. He came from a working-class family and had not reached that level of extravagance. The next day, Chen Chen boarded the plane without having anyone send him off. He did not speak throughout the entire journey. In the early morning of the third day, Chen Chen arrived in this mystical country that he had heard so much of. From the end of the 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century, Namibia was colonized by Germany and later governed by South Africa. It was not until the 1990s that Namibia was able to break away from South Africa. This was a country that mainly relied on minerals, agriculture, fishery, and tourism. It covered an area of 820,000 square kilometers, but only had a population of 2.53 million. At the end of December, it was cold enough in Switzerland that one had to wear down jackets. However, after arriving in Namibia, Chen Chen peeled off the layers until he was only wearing a shirt and a thin coat. Even so, it would be wrong to assume that Namibia was as hot as the rest of Africa. Due to its altitude, Namibias climate was not scorching and was rather pleasant. Each year, March, April, and May comprised the hottest season in Namibia. Even then, the temperature did not exceed thirty degrees. In July, August, and September, when it was the coolest, it was around twenty-five degrees in the day and fifteen degrees at night. One could say that it felt like spring all year round. When Chen Chen got off the plane, it was late at night. Nonetheless, there was a long, snaking queue at the immigration department. Most of them were white people who came here for travel. There were occasionally a few Asians too, who seemed to be Korean. Sorry, excuse me, please let me through Just as Chen Chen was frowning at the queue, a group of bureaucratic-looking black people, surrounded by airport police, came toward the crowd of passengers who had just disembarked from Chen Chens plane. Such a large crew immediately attracted the attention of the tourists who were at immigration. Chen Chen glanced over. Sure enough, Qian Wenhuan was in that group. The group came over and stopped before Chen Chen. Qian Wenhuan took two steps forward and whispered in Chinese, Boss, the officials of Namibia are here to welcome you. With that, he indicated to the group and said in English, This is Mr. Setterson, the manager of Walvis Bay International Airport and next to him is Mr. Chicurel, the deputy director of the Namibian Department of Investment. Then, he turned to both of them and proclaimed, This man beside me is the chairman of Blackwatch C Mr. Chen Chen! Mr. Chen Chen, Ive looked forward to meeting you! Both of them broke out in warm smiles as they each stepped forward to shake Chen Chens hands. What was even more surprising was that the black man named Chicurel directly spoke in Chinese, albeit a little imprecisely, Ive never thought that youd be this young. It makes me think of a phrase in your language youre what they would call a young hero! Yes, yes, I thought so too! Setterson, the manager of the airport, agreed at once. Youre both too kind. Im merely a businessman. Please dont treat me so ceremoniously. Chen Chen quickly waved his hand. How can we do that! Chicurel immediately turned serious and said sincerely, Ive always liked Chinese culture since I was a kid. China has five thousand years of history, the only ancient civilization still existing in the Earth Federation. With such ancient tradition, a talent like you can only be described as a giant among men! Setterson chimed in. I agree. Chen Chen wiped off his sweat. Thank you for the generous praise. I still remember when I was studying in China. Your people were so welcoming. Now, youve come to our country, so please, think of it as your country as well. Chicurel continued to heap on the flattery. After all, isnt there a saying in China home is where the heart is! Setterson nodded solemnly. I echo that sentiment! Qian Wenhuan saw that Chicurel seemed ready to go on forever with his chatter and quickly cut in. Mr. Chicurel, our chairman has just gone through more than ten hours of journey and must be tired. Why dont we Oh, look at this brain of mine, how could I have forgotten that Chicurel patted his head and swiftly took out a stack of documents, saying in English, These are your immigration papers and passport. Weve prepared it for you. Thank you. Chen Chen nodded in thanks and Qian Wenhuan took the papers for him. Weve booked a luxury suite for you at the Flamingo Villas Boutique Hotel in Walvis Bay. Please, this way. Chicurel turned sideways and gestured politely. After Chen Chen had left the immigration office, he saw the true appearance of Namibia. Although this was called Walvis Bay International Airport, in truth, it was just a simple, ordinary airport. Small bungalows were built upon an endless plain that had a wild and natural beauty and a vast starry sky could be seen above. There were many internationally certified dark sky reserves in Namibia. As there was no light pollution and the climate was dry, it was the most suitable region in the world for observing the night sky. This was a scene that those bustling cities would never see. Although the Namibian officials were rather overenthusiastic, they still maintained a proper level of decorum. After escorting Chen Chen to the car, they both took their leave and made an appointment for a meeting tomorrow evening. Boss, this is Cheng Cao, the person you asked the head office to send over, as Qian Wenhuan got into the car, he pointed at the driver and said. Boss. The driver turned around, revealing a young face in his twenties and a bashful smile. I remember you. Chen Chen observed the young man carefully. So, youre our trump card, huh? Mmm. Cheng Cao nodded in embarrassment, seeming rather shy. Right, Boss, heres the thing you want. Qian Wenhuan seemed to remember something and he took out a pitch-black item at his waist. Its fully automatic, with 20 rounds of large magazines. Chen Chen reached out and took it, seeing that it was a Glock 18C. [Glock 18C, total length 185mm, barrel length 114mm, weight 620g, barrel diameter 9mm, muzzle velocity 360 m/s, fires 9mm bullets, muzzle energy 530J.] All the information about this gun automatically surfaced in his mind. Chen Chen nodded and gently tossed it in his hand. Do they know about it? He was undoubtedly referring to the Namibian officials. I didnt let them know. After all, its a fully automatic weapon, which is pretty restricted. Qian Wenhuan said uncertainly, Still, even if they learn about it, Im guessing theyll probably turn a blind eye. Chen Chen said nothing, only rested his head against the headrest, and slowly closed his eyes. Seeing this, Qian Wenhuan hurriedly gave Cheng Cao a gesture. Cheng Cao nodded and started the car, driving along the asphalt road toward the downtown area of Walvis Bay Chapter 66 Early the next morning, Chen Chen was awakened by a strange noise. It was the clamorous, amusing sound of bird call. It seemed as if a thousand birds were chirping at once, which was pretty annoying. Chen Chen blearily unplugged his phones charging cable and checked the time. It was around seven in the morning. As he was woken up by the noise, Chen Chen looked a little grumpy. He got out of bed and opened the curtains of the French window to see who had disturbed his sweet dreams. A great fog filled the space between sky and earth. Even the morning sun seemed hazy. On the beach dozens of meters away, there was a large flock of crimson shorebirds. The strange bird cries Chen Chen had heard came from them. Those should be the famous flamingos. Walvis Bay was located on the coast of the Atlantic and was thus affected by the Benguela Current unique to the Atlantic. Often, there were cold, humid mists in the early morning and the Atlantic Ocean currents also brought in a rich supply of food. Therefore, thousands of flamingos inhabited the lagoon all year round. This was the beach Chen Chen was looking at. The hotel Chen Chen was staying at was called Flamingo Villas Boutique Hotel. The Flamingo in the name referred precisely to the shorebirds. Next to the lagoon, there were several luxurious hotels and countless European-style mansions. On a barren land like the African Continent, this was a paradise where an inch of land was worth an inch of gold. Rumor had it that international movie stars Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt had their first child here. Chen Chen withdrew his gaze and looked at the road below his feet. Under the veil of morning mist, a white girl was jogging along the lakeside path with headphones. A few white children, riding bicycles in the distance, laughed constantly. In addition, some white people who had built houses by the lake sat on their green lawns, quietly taking in the fresh morning air. All of these looked very ordinary, for small-town scenes like this one were common in Europe. However, Chen Chen knew that to create such a paradise in a place that suffered from water and electricity shortages, the resources consumed here were not comparable to those small towns in Europe. No wonder this was known to be an expensive neighborhood. Shaking his head, Chen Chen closed the curtains and sent Qian Wenhuan a message. In a short while, there was a knock on the door. Chen Chen walked over to open the door, only to find Qian Wenhuan coming in with a dining cart and a few people behind him. Boss, I saw that the staff was delivering your meal, so I brought it in on my way. Thank you. Please have a seat, everyone, Chen Chen said to them as he indicated the sofa behind him. After they were seated, Chen Chen scrutinized them one by one. Besides Qian Wenhuan, there were Anthony, who was in charge of business negotiations, Jennifer, the legal advisor as well as Zhou Jing and Wang Liang, in charge of site selection for the nuclear power plant. Anthony and Jennifer were Swiss while Zhou Jing and Wang Liang were geological professionals whom Chen Chen had asked Xia Yin to scout for in China. In truth, they had planned to meet Chen Chen at the airport last night, but Chen Chen had declined. Has everyone eaten? Chen Chen pushed the dining cart to the table and asked them. Weve eaten before we came here, Qian Wenhuan replied quickly. Everyone else nodded. Alright. Chen Chen carried the food from the cart to the table and grinned. It seems like all of you are doing well here. Wenhuan seems to have put on some weight. Bo Boss, Im not to blame! Qian Wenhuan was startled and explained in a hurry, You saw it for yourself last night. The officials of Namibia are too enthusiastic. They go everywhere with us. They follow us in campers and ambulances all day long even when we go out to explore. I cant lose weight even if I wanted to. Thats true. Over the past month or two, weve barely spent a dime. Everything was covered by the Namibian officials. But, weve definitely not been slacking off. Wang Liang helped to chime in, which earned him a grateful look from Qian Wenhuan. Im just kidding around. As long as you maintain that balance, its fine. Chen Chen waved his hand and stuffed a forkful of salad into his mouth. So, what do we have so far? Boss, for now, weve picked two locations to build a nuclear power plant. Qian Wenhuan quickly took out a map and spread it on the coffee table. The uranium mines in Namibia are mostly linked to the Damara orogenic belt. Its concentrated in the Namib Desert on the Atlantic coast of the Erongo Province. The Husab and R?ssing Uranium Mines are in this area too Qian Wenhuan pointed to a small point on the westernmost part of Namibia. Were now on the Atlantic coast of the Erongo Province. If a nuclear power plant is to be built, its best to choose a coastal location. After all, a nuclear power plant requires a lot of cooling water. After consideration, we omitted the inland area of Namibia. Their freshwater system cant even fulfill their own needs. Its possible to build inland too. We just need a cooling tower. Zhou Jing, who was in charge of site selection, added. That wouldnt do. Qian Wenhuan shook his head at once. Its an unnecessary expenditure. Plus, if an accident happened as it did at the Fukushima nuclear power plant, wed need even more cooling water. Qian Wenhuan continued explaining to Chen Chen, So, we all agreed that building on the coast, ten kilometers to the north of Swakopmund, would be rather ideal. Seeing Chen Chens puzzled look, Qian Wenhuan said, Swakopmund is a city less than thirty kilometers away, to the north of Walvis Bay. Its the fourth largest city in Namibia, even more developed than Walvis Bay. Its all because of the Husab Uranium Mine. Eight years ago, the China General Nuclear Power Group launched the Husab Uranium Mine project. They invested in the construction of roads, laid water pipelines, and upgraded power facilities to strengthen the foundation of Swakopmunds infrastructure. If we build there, both the cost of material transportation and nuclear fuel transportation can be greatly reduced. And Namibia will agree to this location? Chen Chen saw that the location Qian Wenhuan had pointed to was marked with the words West Coast National Tourism and Recreation Area. The main thing is that there arent many great choices. Qian Wenhuan scratched his head. To be honest, according to the standards of building a nuclear power plant, its best to be surrounded by mountains on three sides and water on one side. If theres an accident, the mountains can block part of the radioactive dust. However, Namibia doesnt have a geographical location like that. Still, we can fulfill the criterion of being far away from residential areas. After all, its so sparsely populated here. And whats the other location? Chen Chen thought about it, then asked again. The other location isnt to the north of Walvis Bay but to the south. Qian Wenhuan moved his finger down. Again, the railway is the cheapest means of transportation. We cant be too far from the railway or the cost will increase steeply, so the southern coastal area of Walvis Bay is possible too. Chen Chen took a look and saw a long string of words Namib-Naukluft National Park. This location isnt bad but Jennifer, the legal advisor, hesitated. The construction of a nuclear power plant will require the permission of the Namibian Ministry of Tourism and Environmental Protection, but environmental protection is written into the Namibian constitution. Applying to build in either location would be quite troublesome. Thats not something we have to worry about. Chen Chen guzzled a bottle of milk, wiped his mouth, and tapped the table. Lets go with the second location then. Ten kilometers to the south of Walvis Bay, right there. Er, about the authorities Qian Wenhuan was astonished. Since it can be written into the constitution, it can be struck out as well. Chen Chens smile was cold. Namibia isnt the only country in Africa, after all. Chapter 67 In the evening, when Chicurel from the Namibian Department of Investment had paid Chen Chen another visit, Chen Chen informed him of the sites location. Although Chicurel appeared a little worried, he still smiled and said that he would report Chen Chens proposal to the Parliament. As for whether the Department of Investment and the Ministry of Environmental Protection would disagree over this or even battle each other in Parliament to determine the outcome, it did not concern Chen Chen. In the following days, Chen Chen declined the Namibian officials offer to accompany him. He brought along only Qian Wenhuan and the rest to visit the tourist attractions in Namibia. Even in the entire African Continent, Namibia was considered a country with the most developed tourism industry. Tourist attractions and wildlife sanctuaries could be seen everywhere The sacred mountain known as Spitzkoppe Mountain, featuring the world-famous Rock Arch, appeared stately and magnificent under the night sky studded with stars. In the vast desert, there was the quiver tree unique to Africa, whose branches stretched to the sky like a palm demanding something from the heavens. There was also the breathtaking sight of the yellow sand flowing into the great sea. On one side, the endless desert and on the other, the blue misty sea. Two initially unrelated landscapes were seamlessly integrated like a symphony of sea and sand The sparse population meant that there were plenty of undeveloped natural landscapes. Coupled with spring-like temperatures and a political situation that was more stable than its neighbors, this had become the most popular country for tourism in Africa. Of course, Chen Chen did not come here just for fun. He also visited Husab and R?ssing, the two uranium mines controlled by Mainland China. Both mines were located in the Namib Desert of Western Namibia. The Husab Uranium Mine was sixty kilometers away from the coastal city of Swakopmund and the R?ssing Uranium Mine was located ten kilometers to the south of Arandis. Among the two mines, Husab ranked third in the world in terms of uranium resource reserves, totaling up to 286,000 tons. It could produce 6,500 tons of triuranium octoxide each year, ranking second in the world. The R?ssing Uranium Mine had an annual output of 2500 tons, ranking fifth in the world. After his tour around, Chen Chens heart felt significantly heavier on the way back. After preliminary contact and discussion, the quotations given by China General Nuclear Power Group and China National Nuclear Corporation were almost the same. If Chen Chen wanted to build a nuclear power plant with a generating capacity of 1 million kilowatts in the southern part of Walvis Bay, it would roughly cost 14 billion RMB. That was about 2 billion USD. This was much higher than the market price because of material transportation. The building materials needed for nuclear power plants were impossible to find within the African industry. They must be transported by sea from Mainland China. With a few round trips across a 15,000-kilometer distance, the cost would naturally increase. Of course, this referred to the price of a third-generation nuclear power plant, CAP1400, which was an improved version of the AP1000 technology imported from North American to Mainland China. Generally speaking, the reactors of nuclear power plants were categorized as light water reactors and heavy water reactors. Heavy water reactors were essentially not used in China, which had always used light water reactors. Light water reactors were further classified as pressurized water reactors and boiling water reactors. The CAP1400 was a sort of passive pressurized water reactor. First, the nuclear fuel underwent fission, producing an immense amount of heat. Then, this heat energy was transferred out using highly pressurized water. A generator turned this to steam that propelled the steam turbine and electricity was continuously produced. As distinct from the second-generation reactor, the third-generation CAP1400s biggest feature was its simple design and easy operation. It was simpler and more effective than traditional nuclear reactors, further improving the safety of nuclear power plants. As for the boiling water reactor, it was enough to look at what happened at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. Besides its higher level of safety, the other reason Chen Chen had selected CAP1400 was that the third-generation nuclear power plant could use modular technology in the construction process, thus significantly shortening the construction period. It could begin officially operating in just 18 months. Still, after understanding how these nuclear power plants worked, Chen Chen could not help but sigh. No wonder people on the Internet always mocked that the essence of human technology is boiling water and finding ways to boil water more effectively. The only aspect that Chen Chen was not satisfied with was the reactors output. A one-million-kilowatt nuclear power plant sounded impressive but in fact, it was only equivalent to 10MVA. The average electricity requirement was 8kW per household, with three people per household. Even at half the rate of consumption, this would only supply 750,000 people with daily electricity. Besides, Chen Chen was not generating electricity for its own sake. His true purpose in building a nuclear power plant was to charge the USB drive. Therefore, even after the nuclear power plant was built, Chen Chen would have to skim off some of the output, perhaps even more than half of it, on a regular basis. Thus, a one-million-kilowatt nuclear reactor was inadequate. Chen Chen hoped to expand it to two million! It looked like the loan and the release plan for the new product could not be put off any longer. As Chen Chen considered all this while sitting in a four-wheel off-road vehicle, he absentmindedly looked out the window. The strong breeze over the open plain swept across his face, creating a cooling sensation. At the moment, the sun had already set over the horizon, leaving only the crimson afterglow of twilight reflected in the sky. The sky and the earth darkened gradually. The villages that occasionally appeared on the fringes of the road had also built their fires. Electricity was a product that had become a part of human daily life in the 21st century, yet in this wild, undeveloped nation, it was still a luxury Who would have thought that Namibia, so full of uranium mines and incomparably rich in rare-earth resources, relied on imports for 70% of its electricity? Namibias annual GDP was only 14 billion USD. The top twenty percent of wealthy white people here accounted for eighty percent of the countrys total income. 60% of the banks were controlled by foreign capital and the ordinary folk generally lived below the poverty line. Developing a nuclear power plant required capital and technology. The Namibian officials simply did not have the financial resources. The countrys economy was underdeveloped, their funds were insufficient, and they lacked the necessary technology for developing nuclear energy. Due to all these factors, the entire country suffered from a serious power shortage. They could only sit on their treasure trove of uranium mines but had no other means. Due to the perennial power shortage, the Namibian government was forced to introduce a policy called the Modified Single Buyer framework. This encouraged qualified independent power manufacturers to sell electricity directly to their people, instead of the current situation where everything was controlled by the Namibian power utility company. From this, one could see how far the officials had been pushed to the brink. Even so, they were considered to be a smart, powerful government in the African Continent. They did not even have a resistance army within their borders. Unlike other countries, which were endlessly plagued by wars and warlords forget about development, even peace and stability were a luxury. However, it was precisely because of this that Chen Chens intention to build a nuclear power plant instantly caused an uproar in the Parliament. After all, the financial investment for a single nuclear power plant alone exceeded the total foreign trade of Namibia throughout the year. Chapter 68 In the evening, a Jeep Wrangler soared across a dark plain. A dust dragon spanning more than ten meters long trailed behind it while its diesel engine produced a roaring rumble which echoed across the plains. Chen Chen sat in the back seat of the jeep. He silently gazed at the fading afterglow of the evening sky, the scenery reminded him of a slowly extinguishing bonfire. Due to the long meeting with the person in charge of the R?ssing Uranium Mine, the day had turned dark by the time he wanted to return to Walvis Bay. Apart from Chen Chen, there were three people in the car which included Cheng Cao the driver, Qian Wenhuan, and Wang Liang. The jeep was not particularly fast due to the lack of streetlights on the Namibia highways. If it were not for the R?ssing Uranium Mine located nearby, there might not even be a proper paved asphalt road here. Wang Liang, who sat in the passenger seat in front, took out a pack of Furong Wang cigarettes from his pocket. He stuck one into Cheng Caos mouth, who was driving beside him and took another one for himself. Click! The sound of a lighter. Wang Liang lit the cigarette between his lips, then directed the ember in front of Cheng Cao. In an instant, the interior of the car was illuminated by the glow of the lighter, the scenery outside the window became less visible than it already was. Chen Chen instinctively turned around. From outside the window, he spotted several flickering orange beams scattered across the side of the road. At the same time, there was a sharp sound of an engine screech coming from behind them. It seemed to be vehicles with high-caliber engines advancing toward them. Turn ninety degrees to the left. Chen Chen spoke suddenly. Qian Wenhuan along with Wang Liang who was helping Cheng Cao lighting his cigarette were both slightly startled. Cheng Cao, on the other hand, barely had a moment of hesitation. The moment Chen Chen gave the order, he turned the steering wheel to the left! ScreechC! The momentum caused by the sudden turn flung all of the passengers on board to the right. Chen Chen used this chance to look out the window. He saw that the wheels of the car nearly skimmed directly over a row of a pitch-black object! Traffic spikes! At the same time, Chen Chen could hear a mix of grumbling. It was a strange pronunciation of inhaled breathing and clicking of the tongue. Zulu? Chen Chen quickly looked behind them. He could faintly see seven to eight different figures. If not for the cigarette butt in their hands, they would have nearly completely melded in the blackness of the night. He felt the jolt of violent turbulence. Even though they had managed to avoid the traffic spikes, the jeep had strayed off-road and they were now driving on the plain fields full of bumps and the occasional potholes. At the same time, a pickup was slowly approaching from behind them. Get back on the main road, otherwise, well get lost! Chen Chen reminded. Got it! Cheng Cao paid no mind to the pickup closing the gap between them. With another abrupt turn, he directed the car back toward the direction of the main road. Boss, whats going on? It was only then when Wang Liang finally regained his composure, the maneuvers of Chen Chen and Cheng Cao earlier had left him in a daze. Are they robbers? Qian Wenhuan managed to keep his cool somewhat, apart from the fact that he kept stealing glances behind them. Theyre driving so fast. Arent they worried about overturning their cars? Theyre not robbers, theyre coming for us. Chen Chen drew the gun strapped to his waist. He aimed at the driver seat of the approaching pickup from his rear view window. Bo, boss Qian Wenhuan was shocked. The moment reminded him of the time when they were in the shooting range in Switzerland Bang! As expected, there was a sudden thunderous explosion in his ears. Qian Wenhuan immediately covered his ears. He felt like everything in the world was spinning! At the same time, a bloody mist suddenly erupted on the windscreen of the pickup trailing behind them. The entire vehicle spun around in the air several times like an acrobat before violently slamming onto the ground! Thump! Everything happened in a flash. Qian Wenhuan was utterly stunned by what he was witnessing. Cheng Cao was the only one who kept his cool and continued driving. Other than sparing a glance into the rearview mirror, his expression remained ever so stoic. After that, the jeep returned onto the main road. Throughout the entire sequence, the vehicle had hardly slowed down, if at all. Inside the car, there was nothing but a wave of silence. Chen Chen reloaded the gun and put the safety back on in a practiced manner as if nothing had happened. It was just the broken rear windscreen and the harsh bellowing of the roaring wind. Uh, boss after some time, Wang Liang, who sat on the passenger seat, asked a question, Are we not going to call the police? What happens after that? Chen Chen shot a glance at Wang Liang without a change of expression. For some reason unbeknownst to him, Wang Liang suddenly felt a pang of chill in his heart as if he had been stung by something. Before he had even realized it, he had swallowed the words he was going to say. The Glock 18C is a fully automatic weapon, its going to be very troublesome if we call the police. Cheng Cao, who had been focusing on driving the entire time, chimed in suddenly. Also, if this is about what the boss did, theres not going to be much use calling the police. I, I see Wang Liang chuckled awkwardly. They spoke Zulu, which belongs to the Bantu branch of the Congo dialect. Theres a very tiny portion of people in Namibia who use this language, Chen Chen explained dully. Ah? Qian Wenhuan was still massaging his ears. Boss, how did you know it was Zulu? I found the time to read several books on African languages while I was on the flight on the way here, Chen Chen answered. Qian Wenhuan fell silent. The reason I made the sharp turn just now was because I noticed the traffic spikes on the road. Cheng Cao went on. Since they werent Namibian natives and had gone through the effort of setting up traffic spikes, it goes without saying that they bore hostile intentions. The boss made a right call firing at them just now. Besides, this isnt Mainland China. With this explanation, Wang Liang, who originally thought that Chen Chen went overboard, was left completely speechless. Fortunately, there were no unforeseen accidents for the rest of their journey as the four of them successfully returned to Walvis Bay. When they got out of the car, Chen Chen instructed Qian Wenhuan, Report this to the Namibian officials. Spare the unnecessary details, just tell them we were ambushed by forces on the other side of the border. Have them dispatch troops to protect me. Ok, Qian Wenhuan answered promptly. Also, due to this incident, I will not be leaving the hotel for the time being. From now on, youll be the one wholl meet them for further discussions. Chen Chen added. Understood. Qian Wenhuan solemnly nodded. I know what to do. When Chen Chen had returned to the room, the first thing he did was perform a sweep on the room and all of the windows. After ensuring there were no issues, he pulled up the curtain, laid back on the couch, and began thinking. One detail he had left out in the car today was that Zulu was the primary language of the Rainbow Nation. As one of the neighbors of Namibia, the two countries shared a rich history. Back then, Namibia was founded by separating itself from the Rainbow Nation as a separate, independent entity. It would seem that certain forces could no longer hold their silence when they saw he was going to build a nuclear power plant in Namibia. The Rainbow Nation was certainly not very enthusiastic about seeing a neighboring force growing stronger, not even if it was just the early signs of a sprout. Especially not when they were weakening by the day. In the 90s, the Rainbow Nation was one of the leading countries of the African Continent. On top of their economic and military strength, they had even possessed nuclear weapons at one point. Those days were long behind them and they were now merely a shadow of their former selves. Arriving at this thought, Chen Chens eyes became cold. He took his phone and selected the application to connect to Little X. X, infiltrate the Rainbow Nation Ministry of Defense and look for every information related to me. After further consideration, Chen Chen added. One more thing, source all of the calls made today to the Rainbow Nation by the Namibian officials. Compile a list of their official positions sorted from the highest to lowest and send it to me. Understood, Father! Chapter 69 Before daybreak the next day, the residents in Walvis Bay heard a rushed bark of military orders coming from outside the window. It was then accompanied by a large amount of vehicle engine sounds. Numerous cars whooshed past the windows of the residents houses one after another. The town was soon enveloped in a thick cloud of suffocating haze. Many people were taken by shock. They thought it was the uprising of a rebel faction in Namibia or that it was the initial spark to a war. Many people nervously gazed out their windows to see hundreds of armed soldiers lining up on Walvis Bay. Many military jeeps were parked together in a row and appeared to be inspected by the leaders. The residents managed a sigh of relief when they noticed that the soldiers were not currently on a state of alert. What was even more shocking to them was that the troops had stopped in front of the Flamingo Hotel. After a short while, they had escorted an Asian man out of the hotel and had him enter a military vehicle. At last, the troops left Walvis Bay, all in a mighty display With the escort of the Namibian troops, Chen Chen had arrived at the Embassy of Mainland China which was located in the capital of Namibia, Windhoek. Over the next few days, Chen Chen never left the embassy. Activities such as the signing of agreements and meetings were all conducted within the embassy. The mysterious organization from the previous night did not make any further contact with Chen Chen. However, Chen Chen knew that the other party had not given up yet and they were merely waiting for him to show himself again. Besides, since their previous attempt of taking him as a captive had failed, their next attempt could very well be an assassination. Their goal was to stop him from investing in Namibia. Blacklight Biotechnology was an independently-owned enterprise in Mainland China. The legal procedures dictated that in the case of the death of the owner, all related accounts would be seized and inspected before the enterprise could be inherited by his parents. In that case, the investment in Namibia would not be able to proceed as planned. The results of Little Xs investigations did not prove to be surprising to Chen Chen. The event was orchestrated by the Rainbow Nation just as he had expected. The confidential plan against him was simply left on the desktop in a computer of the Rainbow Nation Ministry of Defense. However, the Rainbow Nation did not directly involve themselves in the scheme as they had entrusted the task to a private military organization known as Tara. The full name was Tara Private Security Company. Chen Chen fell into deep thought when he read the information transmitted by Little X. This was a new private military company set up by the higher executive branch of the former Executive Outcomes (EO) mercenary organization which was disbanded some years ago. At the time, EO was second to none in Africa. They operated from the shadows across the entire continent. They were involved in many events such as the quelling of the Rwanda crisis, helping the government of Sierra Leone, and helping Papua New Guinea to curb the riots, defeating the Angolan rebels, and many other such events Though they were later disbanded following the establishment of the International Anti-mercenary Act drafted by the United Nations, a sunken ship still provided weapons to be salvaged. Tara Private Security Company was inevitable. However, the fact the information on Chen Chens side was so quickly transmitted to the Rainbow Nation, even as far as them getting such a fine grasp on his schedule implied it had something to do with the inside circle of Namibia. Little X had obtained too little information. At the moment, he was unable to figure out who the spy was. Mr. Chen Chen? There was suddenly a knock on the door outside. It was a staff of the embassy. Come in, its unlocked, Chen Chen informed. The door was promptly opened gently. A staff of the embassy brought in a black woman. Mr. Chen Chen, someone from the Namibian Department of Investment wants to meet you. Chen Chen hid his frown. When he identified the person who came in, a gentlemanly smile appeared on his face. So, its Miss Lydia. Mr. Chen Chen knows who I am? The lady before him was adorned in a black evening gown and a pleasant expression came to her. I dont think weve met before. Ive seen your picture in the Namibian official site, Chen Chen explained politely, Also, I could distinctly remember your voice. I see. I wonder, Mr. Chen, do you feel more so impressed or disappointed after having met me in person? The woman sat down in a ladylike fashion in front of Chen Chen. Her movements were swift and graceful. That was right, she was the Unlicensed Ride which Chen Chen had spoken of. A little disappointed. Chen Chen displayed a look of remorse. Before the other person had time to express her surprise, he quickly added. My disappointment stems from the fact that I didnt come to Windhoek earlier. Otherwise, I wouldve been graced by your beauty, Miss Lydia. Such a shame, I must say. Hahaha, Mr. Chen Chen, you have a way with words! Lydia responded to his remark with a bright smile which revealed a row of pearly white teeth. She leaned in considerably closer to Chen Chen as she whispered in an extremely seductive voice, Then, you mean to Ahem, Miss Lydia, are you here to reminisce about the past with me? Chen Chen suddenly coughed sternly, changing the topic of the conversation. Uh, well, no Im here on behalf of the investment department. We hope that youll attend the speech at the town hall on the 28th December. Lydia seemed to be having trouble keeping up with Chen Chen. She was initially startled and shot a quick, bitter look at Chen Chen before she got to explaining the reason she came. Speech? Yes, Im sure youre aware that basic infrastructures such as electricity are very rare in our country. People all over the country are more than eager to have sufficient electricity. This investment may simply be another step of your business strategy to you but to us Namibians, you might as well be a godsent angel Lydia looked at Chen Chen eagerly and went on explaining without reservation, However, due to some internal complications, there have been some conflicts with the Ministry of Environmental Protection concerning the location of the nuclear plant. If youd participate in the speech and gain the support of a portion of the citizen, the problem with choosing the location should be out of the way! When and where? Chen Chen asked. Itll begin at noon on the 28th December. Itll be hosted in the plaza in front of the town hall. Its not done from a studio? Then wouldnt I be exposed? Chen Chen frowned slightly. No worries, well be sure to appoint enough security forces to ensure nothing will happen to you. Lydia promptly explained. Oh? There was a hint of change in his expression as he seemed to have thought of something. He suddenly lifted his head and looked behind Lydia. There was a city map of Windhoek framed on the wall behind Lydia. [Windhoek is positioned on the south latitude 2234S, 1706E. The speech will be on 28th December 2022, the sun will be projected at 2326S, achieving an angle of 90 (The direct projection of sunlight C latitude). Factoring that into a formula, we get] [Judging by the angle of the sunlight on the 28th, if they are planning to assassinate me with an appointed sniper Using the Fresnel effect, I should be in this position at noon] [In that case, if I want to turn the situation around on them, I will need to] In a split instant, countless arithmetic formulas rushed past Chen Chens mind. From Lydias perspective, all Chen Chen did was merely take a glance behind her and went on as normal. Lydia continued trying to persuade him. Besides, itll be conducted in the city. Even if they were to ambush or even assassinate you, where could they run to? Youre absolutely right. Chen Chen nodded and gave her a look like she was making perfect sense. But, I have one additional request. Please do tell. Lydia became full of spirit. I hope that the speech can be conducted here instead. Chen Chen walked past Lydia and pointed at a spot on the map on the wall. For my safety, I hope that the speech could be hosted here, right by the embassy. I think this location would be ideal. But this spot by the embassy is close by the suburbs Lydia was a little troubled by this. Chen Chen did not utter a word except for silently staring at her. Lydia lowered her head with a hint of embarrassment. Alright, if you insist. Soon, Lydia said her farewell and took her leave. Chen Chen showed her way to the door. He observed her gracious figure from behind, a thoughtful look greeted his expression. Chapter 70 - Arithmetic Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Three days later, sharp at noon. Chen Chen sat backstage of a podium constructed for the occasion. He silently listened to the host providing a careful description of Namibias future. The host was Wharton. He spoke with a grandiose tone and provided a lively description of the good things to come. The crowd cheered and hollered along with every word he said, their eyes were full of hope and longing. Chen Chen, who was waiting backstage, shook his head. He figured even he might have bought the speech if not for knowing that it was them who had been begging him to construct a nuclear power plant. Chen Chen looked at the time and suddenly retrieved a packet of chewing gum from his pocket. He opened the cap and poured out a black pill. After that, he nonchalantly tossed the pill into his mouth, barely paying any mind to the vomit-inducing bitterness of the pill. When he looked at the date on the phone, he suddenly realized that it had been exactly a year since the day he had acquired the USB drive. Looking back at the past year, Chen Chen felt a swell of emotions. Who would have thought that his life would undergo such a drastic transformation in just one year? From a mere university student to being one of the wealthiest men in the world. To think that all of these had stemmed from a sack of tiny pills. Yet, he had barely explored the potential of the USB drive. If he had not happened to drop his pen below the table last year, perhaps he would still be seated in the classroom of Shangdu University now. Who knew, maybe he would be having the time of his life, living a carefree university life? Maybe he would have a girlfriend by now Ahem! Chen Chen immediately silenced the thought. How very foolish, what good was a girlfriend for anyway. As long as he had the USB drive, he had power and power led to money. What else could he not get with money? NZT-48s effect slowly kicked in. In an instant, Chen Chens mind directed him away from these strange, rambling thoughts, and continued pondering on the meaning of life. [Who am I, where am I, what will I do?] Platos three philosophical questions could be summarized as one question questioning human life: What was the meaning of life? After acquiring the USB drive, Chen Chen felt he was gradually becoming more qualified to provide an answer to such a question. The meaning of life was to continuously delve into the unknown. In the process of coming to terms and understanding the unknown, the growing knowledge became a strength for one to continue seeking for a higher plane of the unknown. Science itself was like a sphere. The more you knew, the larger the sphere expanded, and so shall the surface of the unknown grow exponentially. The more that humans as a whole understood, the more they found themselves awed by its complexity and mystique. Science was humans device to reach into the unknown. At the same time, it was the process of endlessly edging in closer to the truth of all things and yet never completely attaining it Mr. Chen, youll be up soon. It was then when a staff member suddenly appeared backstage to give him a gentle reminder. Chen Chen nodded in response. He got up and tidied up his suit to make himself presentable. A phone seemed to have appeared in his hand out of nowhere. Chen Chen gave it a gentle tap and the phone immediately dialed a number. After the call had been connected, Chen Chen tucked the phone back into his pocket. After that, he headed to the exit of the backstage, toward the podium. There was an electrifying presence of a crowd by the stage. The host had pushed the afternoons atmosphere to its climax. And now, I present to you the chairman of Blacklight Biotechnology Company C Mr. Chen Chen to give you a picture of the exciting, glorious future to come! The moment Chen Chen stepped foot on the stage following the grandiose introduction of the host, the crowd erupted into a passionate bout of cheering. Dear citizens of the city of Windhoek and citizens of the country Namibia. Im Chen Chen from Mainland China. Its a pleasure to be with you today to make a small presentation for my Blacklight Biotechnology While on stage, Chen Chens temperament was light and natural. He was completely unnerved by presenting himself before thousands of people. Chen Chen scanned the thousands of people below the stage. If his foe wanted to assassinate him, it would not be a wise choice to do so from among the crowd. There were hundreds of armed soldiers stationed on both sides of the crowd, keeping their eyes on them. Therefore, the only possible angle of the assassination would be from the citys direction. Chen Chen raised his head and cast his gaze in a faraway direction. I know that when the topic of nuclear power plants comes up, most people tend to think of nuclear weapons. Weapons of mass destruction, terribly large scale nuclear radiation, contaminating the surrounding air and water sources However, Id like to clarify that this is a common misconception Chen Chen continued narrating and explaining on stage. The pace of his presentation was perfectly adapted to cater to the crowd. It served to completely draw the crowd into the scenario he was getting at. As Chen Chen raised his head while he was giving his speech, he caught a glimpse of a reflection of a mirror in his eyes. The reflection was not a strong one. It was so dim that if you were not paying attention, you would not have noticed it at all. If someone was standing beside Chen Chen at this moment, the said person would be able to immediately notice Chen Chens pupils contracting slightly for just a brief instant! [Perfect, they did show up.] Chen Chen smiled. He continued his speech on stage. Unbeknownst to anyone present at the moment, his brain was currently operating on overdrive! [If theyre planning to assassinate me, this speech would be the perfect opportunity for them to do so. If they let this chance slip by them, Id likely have signed the official agreement with Namibia. Therefore, the chances of them attempting to assassinate me during this speech are above 95%.] [With that said, there are many forms of assassination. Under the circumstances where they want to kill me and slip away from countless armed soldiers, theres only one ideal option C no need for a large amount of personnel or immense funding. All they need is a rifle and a befitting sniper to get the job done.] [The chances of them employing a sniper for this job is up to 90%.] [Once they decide to go with using a sniper, theyll need a scope. In weapons manufacturing, there are three primary scopes for daytime usage: telescope sight, collimator scope, and reflective scope. These days, collimator scopes are slowly fading out. Its rarely if ever used at all.] [Besides, collimator scopes and reflective scopes are more suited for close combat, they have next to zero long-distance aiming functionalities. This way, I can conclude that theyll be employing the use of telescope sights.] [The optical functionalities of telescope sights are achieved using the Kepler telescope system alongside with the use of a rotational system. The outermost layer is a convex spherical mirror which is a subclass of divergent type mirrors. Its able to reflect light at an approximate angle of 120 in front of it.] [Using the universal laws of reflection, my speculation is as follows. As long as I stand in this location on stage around noon today, the angle of the sunlight will align with the 60 angle which Im facing and create a pincer angle. If theres a convex spherical mirror placed in an angle facing toward me, a faint beam of reflection will be reflected in my eyes.] [Ive already deduced from the map that in the 60 angle from where I stand, there are three high-rise buildings. If they plan to snipe me, the sniper will use one of the three buildings as a vantage point.] [And now, I know exactly which building they have chosen] Everyone, theres a bright future ahead for nuclear power plants. As a form of clean energy, nuclear power plants will prove to be several folds more efficient than thermal power plants As Chen Chen kept going on with his narration, he lowered his right hand. He repeatedly tapped his pocket from an angle obscured from the audience. It looked as if he was typing out a string of code Chapter 71 - Brushing Past Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation For Chen Chen who was no stranger to the display of international metropolises, Windhoek may as well be part of the slums. Everywhere he went, he only saw small buildings ranging from two to three stories tall. There were only a couple of high-rise buildings that barely met international standards a couple of hundred meters away. The glimpse of reflection came from the top of the tallest commercial building among the bunch. At that moment, that glimpse of reflection continuously flickered on and off like a chilling, radiant star shining mid-day. Chen Chen remembered back when he was in high school, the teacher made a fitting analogy: When you stand at the side of a lake and look down at the lake by your feet, you would notice that the water appeared transparent. The reflection of the sun was not harsh either. However, if you stood from afar and looked at the lake, you would see that the lake did not appear transparent. Also, the reflection would be incredibly harsh to a point where you could barely open your eyes. This was what was known as the Fresnel Effect. The Fresnel Effect was on observation that the amount of reflectance you see on a surface depended on the viewing angle. Apart from metallic surfaces, Fresnel Effect of varying degrees applied to all materials in the world. By taking advantage of this natural effect and aligning his position and angle perfectly, Chen Chen had exposed the location of his assassin. [Hes 15 above my line of sight. If I treat both of our locations as two points of a triangle, the angles of the said triangle will be 15, 75, and 90 respectively.] [The three sides of the triangle can be depicted as a, b, and c. I know that the distance between the building and the stage is 560 meters, therefore b = 560. In that case, a=560tan15 = 560(2-3) = 150. Using Pythagorean Theorem, the result of c will be c = ̣a^2+b^2= 580.] [Which is to say, the distance between me and the sniper is 580 meters.] [Theres a parapet on the building, therefore the assassin should have his sniper rifle set up on the parapet. The moment he fires, the powerful recoil will cause the reflection to vanish out of my sight. This means that the moment the reflection vanishes will in turn signal the moment the assassin fires his shots.] [The wind is currently blowing from the northwest so the snipers shot will be carried by the wind. The current wind speed is at level 3 at approximately 4.5 meters per second. A large-caliber bullet fired from a sniper rifle from 580 meters out converted by the angular minute equation: Range / 100 x Wind speed (Kilometers per hour)/Constant 14, the resulting angle is 6.] [Also, an experienced, qualified sniper will be aiming for my chest instead of my head due to the surface area of the chest being larger and the lowered chances of displacement. Considering the impact force of a sniper rifle, the damage caused by a shot directed at the head or the chest is similar. Factoring in the minute angle displacement, if the assassin is aiming for my right chest region, the wind and distance traveled should displace the bullet to hit me in my left chest which is near my heart. I can dodge the bullet by simply moving 20 centimeters to the right.] [Just to be safe, Id better move 25 centimeters to the right.] [A bullet fired from a sniper rifle travels at a speed of 800 to 900 meters per second. This means that the moment the reflection vanishes, I have a 0.644 to 0.725 seconds window to avoid it. But Ill also need to factor in the recoil delay, so the time is shortened to 0.5 seconds.] [Thats more than enough] This string of calculations may seem like it had taken a long time, in truth, it had only been less than four seconds since Chen Chen noticed the flash of reflection. After four seconds, Chen Chen had relayed the location of the assassin by tapping on his phone. Everyone, theres a bright future ahead for nuclear power plants. As a form of clean energy, nuclear power plants will prove to be several folds more efficient than thermal power. By employing the most globally advanced third-generation nuclear power technology developed by my company, not only will it not cause any form of environmental pollution, the rate of error is equivalent to At the same time that Chen Chen enthusiastically uttered the words equivalent to, he noticed the white glimpse of reflection disappearing in his peripheral vision! [Now!] Chen Chen smiled with his arms held upright and took half a step back. The moment he stepped back, he seemed to have tripped on his own feet and lost his balance. He barely managed to stagger 25 centimeters to his right. SwooshC! At the same time, a piercing screech passed by Chen Chen on his left. The violent airflow tore his shirt apart and left behind the trace of a bloody ravine on his left arm! When it happened, the audience burst into screams and similar exclamations. Several large men dressed in black immediately rushed on stage and shielded Chen Chen behind their backs. No big deal, just a slight scratch. They returned to the embassy. A Chinese medic expressionlessly treated his wound with iodophor and cotton swabs. Most of the members of the expedition team gathered by Chen Chens side, including Qian Wenhuan, Zhou Jing, Wang Liang, along with Anthony and the legal counsel, Jennifer, who were in charge of the business discussions. There was a gathering of the staff under them. Will the wound be infected? Qian Wenhuan had a look of shock on his face as he asked the doctor, Doctor, is there anything we need to avoid after this such as avoiding food thats too spicy or too oily? Just drink more hot water. The doctor rolled his eyes at Qian Wenhuan. He then exited the room after packing his supplies in the medical box. I cant believe that theyd stoop as low as this. Wang Liang, who stood beside, frowned as well. Its not like we have wronged anyone in Namibia. Whats the deal with the flat tires and then the assassination. Spare the talk, get ready to pack up. Chen Chen rubbed his arm expressionlessly, took his coat, and headed out. Wenhuan, book the earliest flight available. Understood! Wenhuan answered. There seemed to be something else he wanted to say but he ultimately decided against it. Where are we going? Wang Liang asked quizzingly. Leaving Namibia. Obviously. Zhou Jing rolled his eyes at this fellow colleague of his and walked out of the room. Please wait, Mr. Chen Chen! However, before they even had time to leave the embassy, a group of members from the investment department made their appearance. Apart from Lydia, Chichurel was present as well. An elder with ashen-gray hair was leading in front. Mr. Chen Chen, please wait for a moment! Lydia said frantically, We take full responsibility for this incident. We never expected them to do something as vile as this, you Is there anything else youd like to add? Chen Chen brushed past the few of them. Lets leave it at that. Mr. Chen Chen, please hear me Chichurel quickly chimed in as well. Theres a Chinese saying: For a close friend to visit from a faraway place, is that not Uh, no Is that not reason to celebrate? Youre a guest, we Chen Chen did not show any signs of stopping. Despite their efforts of persuading Chen Chen to stay, he was already on his way out the door. Please wait for a moment, Mr. Chen Chen. It was at that moment when the elder leading them spoke. Mr. Chen Chen, this is Mr. Bajifi Zurama. Hes the minister of the Department of Investment, the Mining Department, and the Energy Department! Lydia, who was beside him, suddenly informed. It was only then when Chen Chen halted. Minister Zurama, excuse my manners. Is there something youd like to tell me? Only one thing. The elder looked at Chen Chen with steadfast eyes, his voice was clear and distinct when he spoke, The Namibian government is willing to adopt a policy of tax exemption for three years and tax reduction for five years, provided that the other conditions remain unchanged. This is to make up for what has happened today. Will this suffice? Chen Chen finally turned around and faced him with a frown. I trust that this policy will not affect the original offer by your country. If it will, then youll have to forgive me for refusing your generosity. It wont. I guarantee it on part of my position as the minister. The elder nodded. Hearing this, the corner of Chen Chens mouth finally raised into a smile. He stretched out his hand and firmly shook the hands of the elder before him. Pleasure working together with you, Minister Zurama! Chapter 72 - Captive Upon receiving the assurance of the Minister of the Department of Investment, Chen Chen changed his mind and remained in Windhoek. Very soon, it was midnight on the 28th December. Boss, I just spoke to them. The Namibian officials still havent found the culprit! in the room, Qian Wenhuan put down the phone and exclaimed angrily, Worthless lot! Chen Chen was seated on a sofa nearby, playing with his phone. He said without even making a point of turning around, Dont be upset, theres a good reason they cant find the culprit. Ah? Qian Wenhuan turned to him blankly. Whats the reason? Chen Chen only smiled without explaining. At the same time, Chen Chens phone rang suddenly. He picked up the phone and heard Cheng Caos voice coming from the other end. Boss, the car is ready. Got it, Chen Chen replied. Qian Wenhuan was taken aback, he just realized he had not seen Cheng Cao for an entire day. Apart from Cheng Cao, several bodyguards had gone missing for the entire day as well Wenhuan, Im going to give you two choices now. After hanging up the call, Chen Chen suddenly raised his head with a solemn expression. Boss, go ahead Qian Wenhuan felt a grip in his heart. He seemed to have thought of something. Im going to take you somewhere in a short bit. When we get there, youll see another side of the company. Chen Chen lowered his voice. After you see what goes on there, youll have to make a choice C Join our ranks or simply refuse. Should you choose to join us, youll become more or less a little restricted. For example, you cant just simply quit or leak confidential company information Of course, youre free to refuse to join. If you refuse, Ill have you sent back to Switzerland. Chen Chen continued explaining, Ill assign you as Wynns assistant. Once he retires, youll take his place as the new head manager to fulfill my previous promise. Naturally, youll have your freedom and can quit whenever you intend to. I Qian Wenhuan muttered. No need to respond yet. Chen Chen advised sternly, Think of your wife and children. Once you get involved with the other side of the company, youll not have a chance to back out! If you plan to quit by then, Ill make sure to buy you insurance worth ten million so that the wife and children you leave behind will never have to worry about finances for the rest of their lives! Qian Wenhuan suddenly fell silent. You have one minute to consider. Chen Chen motioned at the mechanical watch on his left wrist. Boss, Ive already made my decision. To Chen Chens surprise, Qian Wenhuan answered without so much as a thought, I already saw something like this coming. I always knew that there was something more to the company. After all, how many companies would come all the way out to Africa to build a nuclear power plant? Qian Wenhuan smiled bitterly. Besides, I can tell that you need more men. I figured I might as well bet on you. Who knows, maybe I can advance further by sticking with you? You have that much confidence in me? Chen Chen asked. Qian Wenhuan nodded solemnly. I cant explain it either but I can tell that theres limitless potential in you even though youre younger than me. My gut is telling me that I cant go wrong with following you Excellent. Chen Chen smiled. I hope you wont regret this choice in the future. After that, Chen Chen turned around and left the room. Qian Wenhuan was taken aback. He quickly followed him. They went to the ground floor of the embassy. Qian Wenhuan saw a bodyguard by the entrance of the embassy waiting for them in a Wrangler. Get in, Chen Chen said before getting into the car. Qian Wenhuan walked around the other side of the car and got in as well. After the engine started, the Wrangler made its way into the narrow traffic network of the city of Windhoek. Things were more complicated than Qian Wenhuan had expected. From the moment the two of them got into the Wrangler, they rounded countless corners in the city. After about twenty minutes, they suddenly entered a deep, dark alleyway. Before Qian Wenhuan could process what was going on, Chen Chen suddenly made him get out of the car and made his way into a rundown van. The van was driven by another bodyguard. Qian Wenhuan glanced at the logo of the van, hmm It was none other than the iconic vehicle back in Mainland China C the Wuling Hongguang[1]. Qian Wenhuan had countless questions floating in his mind now but knew better than to voice them so he kept his mouth shut and followed Chen Chens lead. After switching cars for three more times, the two of them finally made their way out of the city. The car was parked by a deserted factory on the outskirts of the city. Boss. Outside the factory, Cheng Cao suddenly approached them, accompanied by two bodyguards. Any casualties? Chen Chen immediately asked when he saw Cheng Cao. Yes, two of our brothers are wounded. One has a fractured sternum and the other a fractured leg, they are both hospitalized, Cheng Cao answered, The rest is just minor injuries. All good as long as its not life-threatening. Where are the others? Posted inside waiting for your orders. We havent forced a confession out of them yet. Chen Chen nodded and let Cheng Cao lead the way until they saw two men inside a rundown engine room in the factory. The two men were a black man and a white man respectively. They were both strapped onto the chair. The black man was built extremely large, almost double Chen Chens size while the white man was on the smaller side but still looked energetic. When they walked into the room, the white man lifted his head and inspected them with eyes like a falcons. This is them. Cheng Cao gave an army green-colored rifle by the door several light kicks. This is what they used. Chen Chen glanced down at the rifle. As expected, it was an AWP sniper rifle manufactured by British Precision International. It was one of the most classical rifles in the industry. Did they spill where they come from? Chen Chen asked. Tara Private Security Company, thats all they told me. Cheng Cao shook his head. They were recruited by the company. They dont know anything else apart from the companys orders. Cheng Cao paused for a brief moment before asking again, Are we going to do it the classical way? Do they have mobile devices? Chen Chen asked. Yes. I put them into the interference room to avoid location tracking, as Cheng Cao spoke, he turned to the man beside him, Lil Wang, bring me their phones. Got it. The bodyguard beside him quickly left the room. Chen Chen, on the other hand, walked in front of the two men. He drew two cigarettes from the cigarette box on the table and passed it to them with a smile. The two men nodded to Chen Chen at the same time as a show of their gratitude. He stuck the cigarettes between their lips and lit them with a lighter. Before he did so, Lil Wang returned to the room running. Boss, here are the phones you requested. Chen Chen took a look at them. One of the two phones was a standard old school phone while the other one was an unbranded cheap smartphone with no password setup. We checked them previously. Apart from several contacts, theres nothing else in them, Cheng Cao walked over and informed them. Have you called those numbers? We havent called them yet to avoid alerting them unnecessarily. Chen Chen nodded and inserted the few numbers into his phone. After a brief moment, Little X replied with an OK emoticon. Alright, lets go. When Chen Chen saw the message, he motioned to Qian Wenhuan and Cheng Cao, then turned around and left the room. Uh Little Wang and several other bodyguards were caught off guard. They looked at the two men strapped to the chairs then exchanged glances with each other, not knowing what to do. Cheng Cao trailed behind Chen Chen. When he noted that no sounds were coming from the room even after them leaving, he unstrapped his gun and went back in. Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang! A series of dull gunshots rang across the abandoned factory. Qian Wenhuan shot up suddenly. He kept his head low and followed Chen Chen without uttering a single word. This is the other side of the company. Chen Chen suddenly sighed before raising the question again. Whats it going to be? Are you still sticking with your previous choice? Qian Wenhuan nodded. Excellent. Chen Chen remarked while walking. From here on, were on the same team. Wouldnt hurt to communicate with Cheng Cao more from now on since you guys are going to be the core members of the company. Ok. Qian Wenhuan agreed silently. Except that his legs would not comply with him and continued trembling even after leaving the factory [1] A class of compact multi-purpose vehicle. Chapter 73 - Rainbow Nation As the most advanced artificial intelligence entity in the entire world, Little X possessed the ability to effortlessly infiltrate satellite communications of all countries. Using the contact information obtained from the phones of the two Tara employees as a lead, Little X was able to trace it to the contact person of Tara company in Windhoek. Without raising any alarm, Little X was able to expose several spies of the Rainbow Nation who were lurking among the Namibian government. Among these spies, the only one who had made a connection with Chen Chen was Bernadette Lydia, the Unlicensed Ride. It seemed like all this time, she had taken advantage of her position to help her relay Chen Chens information to the Rainbow Nation Intelligence Department. This was how they came to be intercepted by Tara. When Chen Chen relocated into the embassy, she continued pulling the strings from behind the scene and collaborated with the other spies to make the town speech happen. All this time, they had thought the idea of inviting Chen Chen for the speech was an idea contributed by everyone. None of them had the slightest hint that they had fallen into the Rainbow Nations trap. Naturally, Lydias prowess was largely attributed to her merit in seduction. According to the information Little X had dug up, she had many inappropriate relationships with many members of the parliament. Just as I thought, unlicensed rides have a certain risk to them Chen Chen closed the information sent by Little X and shook his head. Fortunately, he came out on top at the end of the day. If Lydia had not been exposed, she might still have several tricks up her sleeve to assassinate him. Now that her identity was exposed by Little X, things were considerably easier. With Little Xs capabilities, it should take no more than half an hour of direct investigation into Lydia to obtain a good deal of evidence pointing to her being a spy. After that, Little X anonymously sent the evidence to the bicameral parliament of Namibia. By the next morning, Chen Chen had received word of Lydia being taken by the investigation department. Due to this particular event of attempted assassination, the minister of the Department of Investment managed to successfully persuade the Ministry of Environmental Protection during a meeting. They had permitted Chen Chen to construct a nuclear power plant on a designated plot of land in the Namib-Naukluft National Park. At this point, most procedures were completed and all that was left to do was for both parties to finalize the agreement. On the other side of things, Chen Chen had inserted God into Cheng Cao and Qian Wenhuan after having them agree to it. As for the other hired bodyguards, a majority of them faintly expressed that they were less than agreeable at the notion. Chen Chen did not force it on them either. He bought their silence for a fitting price and sent them away. The reason the matter could be resolved so easily was largely due to them not being involved in the previous deal in the abandoned factory. It was also partly because all this had occurred on foreign land so there was no reason for the Mainland to condemn Chen Chen over such a small matter. Furthermore, according to the Geneva Convention, foreign mercenaries were not entitled to the same rights as combatants or prisoners of war. The interpretation of the convention was straightforward C foreign mercenaries employed to operate in other countries were not protected by human rights. Once captured, it was not considered illegal to execute them on the spot. Therefore, the previous execution of the two snipers would not be labeled as a crime. In the end, only five of them chose to stay in Namibia. The five of them had always been under Cheng Caos lead back in the bodyguard company, so it was not surprising that they chose to stay. The chip installation was only held off as they were still in a probationary phase. Besides, Gods Forbidden Zone had strict requirements of entry. Chen Chens organization only accepted elites. Worthless trash was cast aside. After several days of watching the endless quarrels of the negotiation team on both sides, Chen Chen decided to just take his leave with Cheng Cao and the others. They headed toward the southern region of Namibia. As far as outsiders were concerned, the reason for their leave was that there should be no issue with them heading out leisurely now that the spy was captured. The Namibian governments kind offer to dispatch an escort for them was turned down by Chen Chen. Anthony, Jennifer, and the others were left at the negotiation table for the endless squabble with the opposing party Several days later, in the distant coastal region of Rainbow Nation, a luxurious manor constructed with pearly white marble stood quietly by the coastline. This was a gigantic private manor. To the west of the manor, there was a golden spread of beach that stretched over a hundred meters until it crept into the blue sea. On the east was a stark contrast of lush greenery, countless rare and exotic species of fauna from various countries could be found in the garden. The marble manor was located right in the middle, between the beach and the garden. At the present moment, there was a man with combed-back hair littered with strands of white hair in the magnificent manor. The man was sunbathing in front of a large pool with several ladies clad in bikinis playing and teasing each other in the pool. Right behind the man stood a line of a bodyguard who all kept a stoic expression on their faces. Perhaps as a product of delicate maintenance, the man appeared to be only in his forties. Upon closer inspection, the fine wrinkles riddled across his face seemed to give away his true age. The man was Dlamini, one of the shareholders of Tara Private Security. In the business circle of the Rainbow Nation, Dlamini once adopted a name which just sheer mention alone would invoke terror in countless people C Dlamini the African Lion. Forty years ago, he built himself up from the ground with 500 rands[1]. After decades of hard work with its fair share of ups and downs, he had made himself arguably the wealthiest man in Rainbow Nation, further extending his influence into the realms of politics and military. With his position as a financial titan, he was responsible for one of the events that served as a turning point in history. In 1999, he formed the United Rainbow Nation and successfully disbanded the private military company, Executive Outcomes, that was too big for its own good at the time. At the same time, he personally backed two executives of EO and formed the military company, Tara Private Security. With this maneuver, he had forcibly occupied a share of the private military sector. Dlami was now almost in his sixties and was approaching retirement age. These days, he dedicated his efforts to transform his image. He was a member of the National Congress parliament who actively involved himself in the ongoings of politics. On the television, he was a kind-looking member of the parliament and was also a philanthropist who was known to be rich in compassion. Only the ones who were well-informed of the ongoings of that particular era understood exactly what the name Dlami represented These days, he had a large host of children and grandchildren and situated himself in the second largest city of the Rainbow Nation, Cape Town, to properly house his enormous family. He even had a private estate covering over a hundred acres of land constructed on the coast of the northern suburbs of Cape Town as a display of his noble status. In terms of financial influence, even ten members of the parliament combined were no match for him. Only A cloudy gloom cast over Dlamis eyes. In his forties, he began diverging from business to dip his feet in politics. However, his career as a politician did not take off the way he had hoped it would. In his mind, he was no longer satisfied with just being a businessman. He wanted to reach greater heights. If he could be elected as the countrys president, perhaps he could ascend himself and his lineage to a new dimension? Just like that person back then. The man who had once said, Its an ideal for which I hope to live for and to see realized, if it needs to be, its an ideal for which Im prepared to die Only, he was not sure if he could attain this dream of his in this lifetime. Dlami sighed silently and unwillingly crawled out of the recliner chair. A server promptly walked up to provide him a wet towel with a Redmond cigar on the side. At the same time, his very capable assistant whom he had cultivated from an early age suddenly appeared from inside the door. The assistant bowed respectfully. Godfather, Mr. Indell would like to see you. Indell. Whats the occasion? Dlami asked with his brows curled up in a frown. He said its a matter concerning congress. Dlami pondered for a moment before instructing, Bring him to me. Yes! [1] Currency used in Africa: South African rand. Chapter 74 - Trap Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Shortly after, a frail black man who was all skin and bones was brought in. The black man had stubble on his chin and wore an expensive suit. Apart from his unordinary skinny physique, he looked pretty average. His eyes seemed to express zero emotions with what seemed like a layer of mist cast over them. However, Dlamini seemed to be completely unfazed by the mans appearance. He was well aware of the nature of this man before him. He was a drug addict whose family had long given up on him. Upon seeing Dlamini, the black man suddenly displayed an expression that was a mixture of fright and excitement. E, Etor, I have some good news for you! Indell, have you got the money to settle your debt? Dlamini frowned. Also, dont address me by my other name, were not that close. Okay, Dlamini. The black man smiled awkwardly. I know, I still owe you five million rands. But nevermind that, I came here with good news today. Very well, if the news you bring is truly a good news then maybe Ill consider being gracious with you for a few more days, Dlamini said with a sneer. Just a few days? The middle-aged man shook his head with an intriguing look upon his face. This news concerns the future of your political career As the man spoke, he tried to approach Dlamini but his advance was obstructed by the bodyguards. Let him come. Dlamini gestured with a wave of his hand. After all, the man was a member of the Mandela family. As the first family of the Rainbow Nation, he doubted the man before him would try to bring him any harm. The middle-aged man came beside Dlamini and spoke with a hushed voice, Dlamini, do you want the support of my family? Two hours later. Three high-end vehicles clad in black approached from a distance before finally coming to a stop in front of a warehouse located in Simon Town, South Peninsula of Cape Town. This is the place. Inside the car, the black man known as Indell rubbed his hands together excitedly. Our familys representative is waiting for you inside. Are you serious? Dlamini looked at the barren wasteland before him and shot up with caution. Indell Mandela, Im sure youre well aware of what happens if you lie to me. Even if you are his descendant. Of course, Im aware. Indell seemed to be unconcerned. However, due to our political enemies, we can only have this discussion with you here. Besides, Im right here. If anything goes wrong, you can question me right on the spot, no? After listening to his remark, Dlamini shot a profound glance at Indell before getting out of the car. Tss However, when Indell ducked his head to get out of the car, he abruptly hissed in a manner similar to the sound one would make upon upsetting a wound. Dlamini instinctively looked over and noticed a short wound on the back of Indells neck that had been stitched up. Not only that, the stitching on the wound was extremely precise as if it was the work of a master. Whats wrong with the back of your neck? Back of my neck? Indell mustered a smile, the color of his lips seemed to have been drained away by the pain. Its from a fall, I accidentally fell this morning. Mustve been a nasty fall. Dlamini did not continue prying further but he did shoot a look at several bodyguards. Two bodyguards immediately walked ahead and opened the shutter gates of the warehouse. Suddenly, a horrible stench unique to a long-abandoned warehouse poured over them. Your family plans to negotiate with me here? When Dlamini beheld the scene, his expression became grimmer. Yes, Mr. Dlamini. While everyone was still perplexed by what was going on, a figure suddenly emerged from inside the warehouse. Several bodyguards instinctively pointed at the figure with the barrel of their guns. It was only when the figure approached closer that they realized the figure belonged to a black man as well. In addition, this was a man they were all familiar with, a man who frequently appeared on television. Oliver Mandela, one of the more prominent members of the descendants of the Mandela family. Brother, where are Aunt and the others? Are they all here? Indell motioned inside. Aunt and the others have been waiting inside for a long time. The man looked over. Mr. Dlamini, please. Upon seeing Oliver making his appearance, Dlamini finally became convinced of Indells ramblings. He led the way and stepped into the warehouse. The host of bodyguards followed suit right after. Two of you stand guard outside. Dlamini, who was always cautious frowned. Dont have everyone come in together. Yes. Two of the bodyguards turned around to head outside. At this moment, an unprecedented event transpired! Bang! An abrupt burst of a deafening crash came from behind. The shutter door lost control and collapsed onto the ground violently, blocking the way out. At the same time, strange objects shaped like rollers fell from the ceiling and produced screeching dings and dongs as they hit the ground! Stun grenades! One of the bodyguards cried out. Without sparing a moments thought, several bodyguards leaped in front of the stun grenade to minimize the impact of the blast. However, more stun grenades came down from the ceiling above! There was no way to stop all of them! Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom!!! It had been no less than six seconds ever since Dlamini had stepped into the warehouse. Enormous, ear-shattering blasts accompanied by blinding sparks came directly after. Every single one of them was greatly affected by the tremor of the stun grenades! The bodyguards who had attempted to use their body to shield the shockwave could barely hold themselves together and collapsed! Amid the explosion, Dlamini shot a wrathful glance at Indell who was similarly affected by the shockwaves before passing out himself as well. When Dlamini came to his senses again, he did not open his eyes immediately. Instead, he tried to get a sense of his surroundings in his state of daze. This sort of cautious approach was one of the crucial factors which led to him getting to where he was today. It appeared that he did not suffer any form of injuries nor did he feel like he was being bound. The air felt normal. It seemed like he was not locked into some sort of dim dungeon. He found himself on a mattress oozing a humid stench and there seemed to be very little sunlight where he was. There were no other sounds in the room. It appeared that he was the only person in the room at this moment After getting a better sense of his surroundings, Dlamini finally allowed himself to relax a little. It would seem that the worst had not occurred yet. Never in his life would he had ever expected Indell and Oliver, the two descendants of the Mandela family to set him up like this. Any amount of caution could not have prevented this However, he quickly cast any form of regret into the deepest depths of his heart. This was not the time for regrets. Instead of wasting time crying over spilled milk, he would rather find some way to escape from this wretched place. Mr. Dlamini, I know youre awake. However, before he could further compose himself, he heard an unfamiliar voice coming from a short distance away. Dlamini sighed silently before unwillingly opening his eyes. He then immediately shielded his eyes with his left arm. He appeared to be in the room of an old, abandoned hotel. The room was decorated like the standard hotel you would come to expect. To his side was a bay window looking over the empty suburbs. Glaring beams of sunlight came in from outside the window which hindered him from completely opening his eyes. After quickly getting a sense of where he was at, Dlamini slowly got up. However, the moment he held himself up, he felt a sharp bite of pain at the back of his neck. Dlamini subconsciously reached out and touched where he felt the bite. He felt his fingers tracing a stitched wound. In this instant, Dlamini recalled the wound he saw on the back of Indells neck What have you done to me? Dlamini took a deep breath and looked toward the direction where the voice came from. Instead, he was greeted by the sight of a man sitting on the vacant mattress beside him. The man was looking at him quietly. The man was of a slender build. He had dark eyes and a coat of dark hair. He wore a black trench coat with a pair of jeans and covered the upper half of his face with a mask. All Dlamini could see was two empty pits like blackholes staring back at him. Dlamini was certain that this man was an Asian. Also, he was very young. Not much, just performed a little operation on you. The young man made a gesture with his thumb and index finger before slowly walking in front of Dlamini. No need to keep looking around, were still in the suburbs of Cape Town. Dlamini took another deep breath and spoke sullenly, Spill it. Since you went through all the effort of taking me here, what do you want from me? Chapter 75 - Deal With The Devil Spill it. Since you went through all the effort of taking me here, what do you want from me? Is it money? Or is it something else? Youll know soon enough. The young man smiled and gestured for Dlamini to follow him. Sir, your children are waiting for you. Please come with me Dlamini got up with a drab expression on his face. The moment he tried to take a step, he felt his legs going limp for a split second and nearly fell onto the floor on all fours. Its alright, its just the side effect of the stun grenade and anesthetics. Itll pass in a few days. The young man remarked without the slightest intention of helping Dlamini up. Dlamini clenched his teeth bitterly and forced his stony body to get up. He used the wall for support as he headed outside. It was only until Dlamini walked out when he realized the room that he was in was the bedroom of a suite. He had now walked into the living room of the suite. Godfather! Lord Godfather! In the living room, two young men immediately greeted Dlamini when they saw him and helped him get seated on the couch. In that instant, Dlamini felt mildly touched. He shook his head to let them know that he was fine. Clap! Clap! Clap! Upon witnessing the scene before him, Chen Chen could not stop himself from breaking out into a smile full of mockery. He applauded slowly and said, What a heartwarming picture displaying the love between father and son Theres a saying in Italy that went like this The Italians think that the world is far too dangerous a place for young children in the midst of their development. To better cultivate their young, they need to have two fatherly figures in their lives. And that was how the term godfather came to be. I wonder if you guys share the same ideal? Thats right. Dlamini looked up upon hearing Chen Chens remark. Jack and Ryan are both children of my loyal brothers who have died for my cause. I brought them up with my own two hands. They are my dearest family and assistant. I see The mockery hanging by the corner of the young mans lips grew ever wider. He turned to the two men and asked while making exaggerated gestures with his hands, What do you guys think? Is Mr. Dlamini here your dearest family? The young men named Jack and Ryan felt a shiver creeping down their spines and immediately turned their heads to the ground. What do you mean? Dlamini asked, frowning. Here are some recordings we obtained recently. The young man retrieved a recording pen from his pocket and presented it in front of him. He turned it on. The recording pen immediately played back a previous conversation. In the recording, the young man asked the questions while the other two answered them accordingly. The answers they provided consisted of all sorts of secrets concerning Dlamini. You two A flash of anger appeared in Dlaminis eyes just after listening to a small part of the recording. He wanted to scream bloody murder but when he thought about his current circumstances, the only thing that came out was a bitter smile before he slumped back into the couch. This time around, he hardly had the strength left to sit upright. Theres still a chance for you guys to come out of this alive, the young man announced suddenly. The three of them raised their heads in unison. The young man smirked before revealing a Glock 18C from behind his back. He held the gun by its barrel and presented it before the three men. The three of them were slightly taken aback by the sudden development. Can it be any more obvious? The young man held the gun even closer to them and spoke in a grumbling, hypnotizing tone, All you guys have to do is take this gun and point to my head Bang. Just like that, youre free! Jake and Ryan exchanged a glance with each other. They had trouble grasping the young mans true intentions. What is it, too afraid to do it? What are you, afraid of the people backing me? The young man made a show of turning around to look at his subordinate standing guard in the corner. Cheng Cao, why dont you head out first and dont come back unless I ordered you to. Yes, Boss. The man called Cheng Cao promptly opened the door and walked out of the room without the slightest bit of hesitation. Look. Nobody is watching you now. The young man turned around and held the gun closer. It was almost hovering right in front of one of the mans faces now. Take it, hurry up. Be a man. The man named Jack took the gun hesitantly. Alright. Next, take off the safety and aim it between my eyes. The young man grabbed the gun still held by Jack and directed it between his eyes. He then proceeded to raise his hands and wiggle his fingers to show that he was left completely unguarded. Jack blinked uncontrollably and seemed to be hesitating. Shoot? The young man made a show of laughing in their faces, his eyes were like the mouths leading to a depthless abyss. Dont tell me you dont have the guts to pull the trigger? You call yourselves the mafia and when you dont even have what it takes to pull a trigger? In this split instant, there was an abrupt change in Jacks eyes. In a swift motion, he rapidly took the gun off its safety and pulled the trigger with all the force he could muster! All of his previous hesitations were merely an act! However, something bizarre occurred! In the very instant he pulled the trigger to kill the strange young man before him, he was taken unaware by a strange sensation that felt like he had lost control over his right arm. What, whats going on? Jack looked at his right hand in astonishment as he saw his fingers slowly releasing the trigger. At the same time, he felt a numbing sensation in his elbow while his arm seemed to move with a conscience of its own. Jack, what are you doing? Ryan cried out beside him. I, I dont know? Jack was almost bawling at this point. He quickly tried to pin down his right arm with his left arm, but the moment he tried to raise his left arm, it disobediently slumped down yet again. He had lost control of his left arm as well! What happened next was an image that Dlamini and Ryan would never be able to forget for the rest of their lives C What they witnessed was Jacks arm bending in an unsettling angle, his wrists seemed to violently twist themselves around and pointed the Glock right at his head! Stop this right now, Jack! Ryan exclaimed. I cant stop, help me! Jacks face was painted with horror. He kept trying to crane his waist and neck in a feeble attempt to dodge the gun pointed at him. Immediately afterward, he lost complete control over every part of his body! In the end, Jack, with his eyes swarmed with horror, beheld the pitch-black barrel pointed directly at him Following the sound of a gunshot, a bullet-shaped tunnel was carved between both ends of Jacks temples. Witnessing the freakish occurrence, Ryan, who was standing beside him, let loose a horrific scream. After that, something stranger happened C despite having his brain matter blended into a mixture of paste by the bullet, Jacks body remained standing in place! As if that was not enough, he extended his arm and presented the gun in front of Ryan. Youre the devil! Ryan screeched in horror. He snatched the gun faster than he could blink and shot at the young man! The very next second, he realized his body was frozen as well Bang! Another gunshot. Ryans head slumped down meekly. A bullet hole the size of a fist appeared on his forehead. Similarly, his arm popped forward freakishly to present the gun in front of Dlamini. It was like some sort of relay race of death Witchery? Or is this the work of some form of advanced technology? Dlaminis eyes were wide open as he stared at the gun passed to him in disbelief. He could not help but form the connection with the wound on the back of Indells and his neck. He glanced at the back of Jack and Ryans neck who remained standing. On the back of their necks was a similar-sized tiny wound. As expected Sadly, it was too late finding out now. At this moment, Dlamini realized he had completely lost control of his body. It was as if his body was possessed by another soul and he could only helplessly watch as the spirit controlled his body. He watched himself take the gun that had already claimed two victims. He watched as he aimed it at his head. With death approaching closer, Dlamini slowly shut his eyes. Click! Dlamini felt himself trembling. Unexpectedly, death did not claim him. As it turned out, there was no third bullet. A mistake? No, he never planned to kill me, otherwise, that would defeat the purpose of kidnapping me Dlamini could not help but utter a bitter laugh. To think that he had forgotten to consider something as basic as that, seemed like his age was catching up to him. How does it feel? Again, the young man standing beside him asked in that nonchalant tone of his, Do you feel the exciting rush of being reborn again? Youre the devil incarnate! Dlamini wearily collapsed on the ground and surrendered. You win. Youve trampled all over my dignity and my pride into meek pieces, youve achieved your goal! Arriving at this point, he found himself regaining complete control over his body. Mr. Dlamini is overstating things, At this point, the young man seemed to finally get serious. He walked in front of Dlamini and said looking down at him, Dlamini, theres something of yours I want to borrow. What do you want? Dlamini asked weakly. I want to borrow your Eiffel Thermal Power Plant for several days. Alright, the Eiffel Thermal Power Plant is yours. Dlamini agreed without hesitation. What else? Im sorry, I believe you might have understood what I meant. The young man wagged his finger and squatted down next to him. I dont need ownership of your power plant. I already said borrow for several days. I understand what you meant Dlamini shook his head when he heard the young man. Its not gonna work, the power plant is responsible for supplying energy to more than a good half of Cape Town. Even though I have complete rights to the power plant, I simply dont have the authority to direct the power to another city. The city hall wont let me do that. Who told you that I was going to direct it to another place? Instead, the young man responded with a smile. You dont have to worry about where the electric is going to, theres just one thing you need to do for me. After that, the young man headed toward the door as he continued. I only need you to deal with the pressure from upstairs. Pressure, youre talking about the officials? Dlamini took a sharp breath. Thats right, I dont care what strings you have to pull or what excuse you have to give them. As long as you can hold off the pressure from the officials about there being no power in Cape Town for a few days, thats more than enough. As long as you can do that, I can assure you that youll be The young man paused for a moment. He turned around and stepped out the door. Completely unharmed! Chapter 76 - The Eiffel Power Plant Dlamini left in the end. Chen Chen released Dlamini, along with the remaining bodyguards who were clueless. From the balcony, Chen Chen watched as Dlamini walked out of the cheap hotel. Currently, Dlamini had lost his overbearing attitude and he appeared to be much older. Are we letting him go just like this? Qian Wenhuan walked out from the shadows and wondered aloud. Not only did you trample on his dignity but you also killed two of his most trusted assistants. Wont that cause him to bear a grudge? When you learn that the people you trusted most had betrayed you and I killed them for you, would you bear a grudge? Chen Chen replied with his question. Uh Maybe I wouldnt quite know how to feel. Qian Wenhuan suddenly understood. Thats right. Chen Chen nodded. I first led them to betray him, so I wouldnt have killed the people he trusted most. In fact, both of them didnt have to die. Chen Chen thought about it. I ordered the God chip to shoot because they had the intention of shooting me. And not just the intention they even put it into action. So, they died. But, you were the one who gave them the gun Qian Wenhuans mouth twitched. I gave them the gun to show Dlamini the truth that I can control anyone completely once they had the operation on the back of their neck. Chen Chen explained, If I just told him verbally, I implanted a chip in you, so your life is in our hands from now on, besides fear, hed only feel anger at being threatened. However, when you present this evidence as a form of truth and demonstrate this in an unforgettable manner, the effect is far different. It really gets to you Qian Wenhuan nodded in agreement and sighed. First, you let two of his juniors kill themselves before him, then you made him put the gun to his own head. Im guessing that each night, for the rest of the year, hell be plagued by nightmares. Eskom, the national power company of the Rainbow Nation, published an implementation plan called the Basic Energy Plan in 2006. The main policy of this executive plan was to allow private companies to build private, profitable coal-fired stations in the form of competitive bidding. Back during that bidding, dozens of companies made their bids, but ultimately, Dlamini bought the right to build a coal power plant in Cape Town for one billion rands. The final manifestation of all this was the Eiffel Thermal Power Plant, now located in the northern suburbs of Cape Town. Cape Town had a resident population of 4 million and the electricity consumption per capita was only thirty percent of the international average. The Eiffel Power Plant was a huge thermal power plant with a capacity of one million kilowatts. Its energy output was mainly used to supply power to several commercial streets in the hub and three hundred thousand residents. In the suburbs at the other end of Cape Town, there were several thermal power stations similar to the Eiffel Power Plant, but those were small to medium-sized. The Eiffel Power Plant was responsible for generating forty percent of the electricity in the entire urban area. If an issue cropped up, it was not an exaggeration to say that the entire city would be incapacitated. What about those slums? Well, sorry, but they could barely afford to eat. What would they need electricity for? This was what Bokamoso, the head of the Eiffel Power Plant, said to Chen Chen in the car. Bokamoso was an archetypal Zulu man. He spoke in English peppered with Zulu slang. It was often unclear if he was complaining about the public security problems in Cape Town or if he was about to spit out the window. At the moment, Chen Chen was sitting in a Rolls-Royce. Next to him was Bokamoso. They were both on their way to the Eiffel Power Plant. As they gradually left the urban area of Cape Town, the sky started to darken. A slum stretched out for several kilometers on both sides of the main road. Most of these slums consisted of low houses built with iron sheets and wooden boards. Even though they were far away, the scope of their area was still shocking. There were even signs in English and some local African languages, on both sides of the highway indicating Dangerous Section Ahead. Places marked out with signs like these usually meant an area where crimes such as robbery and murder frequently occurred. Poverty, economic depression, political instability various factors had led the Rainbow Nation to become one of the countries with the highest crime rate in the world, accompanied by a proliferation of firearms. The country did not even have deterrent penalties such as capital punishment. However, Chen Chen did not notice this as he was in the car. He only noticed the surrounding trees and buildings seemed to be covered in a thin blanket of ash as they approached the suburbs. Bokamoso explained that the Eiffel Power Plant consumed 1.8 million tons of coal every year. The resulting smoke from the incineration would need to go somewhere. Therefore, it was a very natural outcome that the ground ten kilometers around the power plant would be coated in black ash. Bokamoso seemed optimistic regarding this pollution. He said that due to geographical factors, fresh strong winds would often blow in from the southeast from Cape Towns direction. The locals called this wind Doctor Cape because it would bring them fresh air and blow the pollutants into the sea Chen Chen responded absentmindedly and did not say much. He only displayed a serious look when the convoy stopped at the gate of the Eiffel Power Plant. Mr. Bokamoso, I thank you in advance for your help. No worries. Since this was what Mr. Dlamini wanted, of course, Ill do it. Bokamoso hurriedly nodded. Chen Chen led Cheng Cao and the rest out of the car. Cheng Cao and his group each carried a suitcase, which looked rather conspicuous. Speaking in scattered English, Bokamoso invited Chen Chens group into the power plant in a deferential manner. He personally brought them around and finally stopped before the power plants substation. This is the output end of the power plant. The electricity from the turbines and generators is boosted here and finally imported into the grid, Bokamoso explained. Chen Chen nodded. The purpose of high-voltage power transmission was to reduce the loss of electrical energy during the transmission process. At the same level of power output, the higher the voltage, the lower the current, thereby reducing heat loss in the transmission cable. This substation located in the power plant boosted the generated electricity to 110kV, then sent it into the high-voltage grid, before it finally entered the thousands of households in the urban area of Cape Town. Alight, Mr. Bokamoso. Chen Chen nodded. You can go on ahead. Ill be fine here alone. But Bokamosos smile seemed a little stiff. Hmm? Chen Chen frowned at this. This is what Mr. Dlamini wanted. Do you have any doubts about the order hes given? As Chen Chen spoke, a few of Cheng Caos bodyguards reached into their pockets. No, of course not Bokamosos face turned pale and he retreated with an awkward grin. Cheng Cao, you and your team stand guard outside. Whoever comes in without my permission, kill them without mercy, Chen Chen commanded. Yes. Cheng Cao and the others opened their suitcases which were filled with machine guns and fully loaded magazines. After they had equipped themselves, they filed out and stood guard outside the substations door. After everyone had left, Chen Chen brought out a cable as thick as his wrist along with a copper ingot from the remaining suitcase. Little X, tell Dlamini that he may begin At last, Chen Chen took out his phone and gave this command. Chapter 77 - : A Major Blackout in Cape Town The sky slowly dimmed. Time passed by like sand flowing through ones fingers. The day was entering dusk. In Dlaminis private estate in Cape Town, at a luxurious dining table made of pink ivory, Dlamini was holding a bowl of hot soup and sipping it carefully. Currently, his face was pale, and there was a frail light in his expression. Even his hands, holding the bowl, were trembling slightly. Although Dlamini was fifty-eight years old, his body had always been strong and sturdy like a puma at its peak. There was no sign that he was someone about to enter his later years. However, since yesterday, after he left the manor with a group of men and vanished for a day and night, he had acted this way when he returned. Everyone knew that he had been conspired against, but no one knew what he had seen or what had happened to him Still, at least he came back safely in one piece. In a country like the Rainbow Nation where crime flourished everywhere, this was worth celebrating. Just then, a subordinate walked in from outside, holding a red invitation letter inlaid with gold. Boss, the Cape Chamber of Commerce has sent you an invitation to participate in the international trade fair next week Get out! Dlamini did not even look up as he said tonelessly. Um This subordinate went blank for a moment, unsure if he had heard correctly. I said, get out! Dlamini said with more emphasis, slamming the bowl onto the table. Right! The guy hurriedly exited and the room fell into silence again. Dlamini sighed. He touched the wound on the back of his neck with a defiant glint in his eyes. D*mn it, what do I do to get rid of this thing Uh However, just as that defiance flashed in his eyes, he was overcome by a sense of suffocation as if a pair of invisible hands was gripping his throat! Dlamini hurriedly touched his neck but in the next instant, his entire body tingled and turned numb As if he had suffered a stroke, Dlamini immediately fell from his dining chair, curling up and convulsing on the floor! Boss! Mr. Dlamini! The bodyguard at the door, hearing this commotion, rushed in quickly. Oh no, it must be epilepsy. Go get a doctor! No need for that Nonetheless, before the other bodyguard could rush out, he was held back by Dlamini. Theres no need for a doctor. Im fine Boss, your body Its nothing. Wait outside. As Dlamini spoke, he clambered up feebly, terror flashed in his eyes. Dont call a doctor, not by any means The bodyguards left him with skeptical expressions. At this point, Dlamini sat down heavily on a nearby sofa. His eyes were dully fixed upon the ceiling and he did not move for a long time. Beep, notification of task! However, a cold mechanical female voice suddenly invaded Dlaminis ears. Dlamini shuddered all over, alarm flashing in his eyes. Even so, he was not surprised by this voice that appeared out of nowhere. Number Delta 20220001, you have received an order from Sigma05. Please check! The voice seemed to be right next to his ear, yet he could not pinpoint where it came from. Dlamini knew that this voice came from his brain Sigm05 issued the order: Number Delta 2022001, please begin the plan as discussed! Repeat! Sigma05 issued the order: Number Delta Please begin Repeat! Sigma05 issued the order The voice repeated itself tirelessly, precise and mechanical without a trace of emotion. It seemed to be a computer-synthesized voice. Understood Dlamini wriggled his lips and replied with some difficulty. He knew that if he ignored the voice, it would keep ringing in his mind. Not only that, but also the other party might punish him physically just like before Dlamini no longer dared to consider resistance. He simply stood up quietly, packed his messy clothes, and dialed a number. Leyton? Yes, your family has already boarded the plane to Washington, North America. You may begin. After he had completed the order, Dlamini turned off his phone and sat dazedly on the sofa, falling into a stupor A few minutes later, among the transmission towers on the outskirts of Cape Town, which connected the high-voltage grid over dozens of kilometers, the ground abruptly exploded without warning. A series of towers collapsed and the high-voltage wires were cut off as well! At the same time, in a step-down substation on the edge of Cape Town, a fierce fire suddenly erupted. Thick, billowing smoke rose into the sky, which became stained red by the fire, forming a second scenery of flaming clouds. Through this chain of explosions, the electricity network of Cape Town was destroyed. The city that was originally brightly lit, the second-largest city in the Rainbow Nation, was plunged into the darkness of eternal night. All this was what Chen Chen and Dlamini had agreed upon. In the agreement, no matter what method Dlamini adopted, he must come up with five days for Chen Chen to use the Eiffel Power Plant. Within these five days, the Eiffel Power Plant would not send a single watt of electricity toward Cape Town. At first, this seemed impossible, even for Dlamini who had so many powerful connections. He would not have been able to stand up to City Hall, along with the entire city. Thus, he came up with this compromise. Using the forces he had cultivated in Cape Town for many years, he directly imitated the methods of the resistance groups. He buried explosives in the soil and blew up the transmission towers that transported high-voltage power, thereby cutting off the power channel from the power plant to the city. Still, he was not assured, so he also destroyed the citys step-down substation. After all, if only the power towers were destroyed, City Hall would react more quickly. Power could be restored within 24 hours. However, if even the substation was destroyed, that was more difficult to predict Regardless of the subsequent inspection and renovation carried out by the City Hall, the entire Cape Town would enter a most primitive state, one without electricity, for three to five days at least. Who knew how much economic loss this terrorist-like attack would bring to Cape Town? This sort of loss would not only harm the interests of City Hall but also Dlamini where he had suffered heavy losses. He was even at the risk of being tracked down. Even so, he had no other option. Of course, none of this concerned Chen Chen at all. While the city was thrown into chaos, the Eiffel Power Plant was still working normally. However, at the moment, no one was paying attention to whether a power station was still operating. It was even less likely that anyone would care where the produced electricity was going. Chapter 78 - The USB Drive Transforms A day later, within the booster substation of the Eiffel Power Plant. Chen Chen looked speechlessly at the sight before him and for once, there was an astonished look in his eyes. Within his pitch-dark pupils, a red glint flared up now and then in an eerie, mysterious manner. However, if one looked closely, one would see that it was a part of reality that was reflected in his eyes. In this reality, he was staring at a USB drive. At the moment, the USB drive was inserted into a thick copper ingot as the electricity from the entire power plant was pouring into it. Under the impact of the massive current, the copper ingot was making a sizzling sound. Faint electric arcs were flickering in the air. It was just like when one walked below a high-voltage wire, one would always hear a sizzling sound. This was an effect called an electrical corona, produced when the strength of the electric field exceeded the strength of the air and tore the air apart. However, that was not the main point The main point was, the USB drive of mysterious origins, which stayed intact no matter how it was battered, was currently emitting a gloomy light. This was definitely what Chen Chen saw! The USB drive, cocooned in countless electric arcs, was drawing in endless electricity while giving off a dark red glow! It was as if there was an unknown, luminous substance in the USB drive, which shone through the shell of the USB drive, dyeing it a dark, peculiar scarlet. Moreover, the scarlet glow was constantly pulsing as if it was breathing or some mysterious matter was slowly squirming As expected, this USB drive isnt as simple as I thought it was Chen Chen watched the USB drive from a few meters away. Due to the corona effect produced by the copper ingot, Chen Chen did not approach it carelessly. He simply observed the USB drive silently with a pensive expression. This has never happened before was it because of insufficient power? I know that the generation capacity of the Eiffel Power Plant at full operation is one million kilowatts, which is more than a hundred times that of my data center transformer. In other words, after today, Id have charged the USB drive for an equivalent of 2,400 hours in the data center or 120,000 hours in the factory that I leased back then. Ive never reached this stage before In that case, I can determine that this occurrence is linked to the large supply of energy. Chen Chen stroked his chin and pondered. Still, herein lies the question. What does the light from the USB drive mean? Is it just a power indicator or is there some deeper meaning to it? Or is it a sign of overloading because the USB drive cant withstand such a massive influx of electricity? That shouldnt be it If thats not it, what is it? Plus, whats the difference between this USB drive which flashes with a red light and the USB drive in its previous, normal state? Will its function change? Chen Chen endlessly contemplated every clue that could be helpful but in the end, he helplessly realized that his analysis of the USB drive was meaningless. As he thought of this, Chen Chen decisively walked off and pulled the switch! Pop! That was the sound of the current being cut off. The arcs around the USB drive faded quickly. Not only that, even the red light of the USB drive vanished as well. Chen Chen walked forward gradually and caught a whiff of something that smelled like rotten eggs. This was caused by the electrolysis of the air, which produced ozone and other gases. Ignoring this, Chen Chen gently touched the USB drive and found that it was the same as before. There were no changes and even its temperature remained at room temperature. As for the copper ingot in which the USB drive was inserted, it was hot enough to be used for grilling squid. The USB drive did not change at all, which also means that the red light indicated that the USB drive has received sufficient power? With this in mind, Chen Chen took out a laptop he had previously prepared from the suitcase, then inserted the USB drive. After a quick examination, the USB drive appeared to be normal. The seven movies inside were unchanged. Chen Chen shook his head. After ascertaining that there was no problem with the USB drive, he plugged it out and inserted it back into the copper ingot. After that, he restarted the switch. Buzz! Instantly, there was that thunderous buzzing sound again In this manner, Chen Chen and Cheng Caos group took turns standing guard before the substation for five days and nights. The story they told the public was that these were defense forces, sent by Dlamini to guard the substation, to prevent it from being destroyed by the rebel groups. Although the workers in the factory were very curious about the sudden appearance of Chen Chens group, no one dared to seek trouble after seeing their weapons. In the urban area of Cape Town, although the transmission line of the Eiffel Power Plant and even the step-down substation had been destroyed, fortunately, there were still other small power stations. Even though Cape Town was still short on electricity, at least a few departments could restart their operations first. Furthermore, due to power issues in the early years of the Rainbow Nation, there used to be frequent power restrictions. This power outage lasting several days was merely an extended power restriction for some people. Other than a three hundred percent increase in crime rate, a large-scale demonstration involving tens of thousands of people, and an increase in prices by several times, it did not cause too much trouble It was not until five days later that another emergency substation was finally constructed. At the same time, the dozens of transmission towers that were damaged from the explosion were also repaired. After the facilities were further refined, the electricity was soon successfully unblocked. The electricity from the Eiffel Power Plant once more flowed into thousands of households. By this time, Chen Chen and the others had quietly left the Eiffel Power Plant, rushing along the road toward the border between the Rainbow Nation and Namibia. The Rainbow Nations border that was peppered with blind spots was more ornamental than it was functional. It did not stop anyone at all. After this, Chen Chen also rewarded Dlamini. He increased Dlaminis authority in Gods Forbidden Zone by one level, from Delta to Gamma. This level was where Cheng Cao and Qian Wenhuan were currently at. In Chen Chens set up, there were five levels of authority in Gods Forbidden Zone, sorted by the Greek alphabet. From highest to lowest, they were: Sigma (), Alpha (), Beta (), Gamma (), and Delta (), which were just like the English letters: S, A, B, C, D. Delta-level members were purely a sort of consumables. Most of them would be like a disposable product. Once they were no longer useful, they would be eliminated. Only those who were Gamma or above could be considered official members of Gods Forbidden Zone. As for the meaning of the levels names, there was no practical significance. One might as well call them levels 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, but this would not sound as elegant. Among them, Chen Chen was undoubtedly Sigma-level. Nonetheless, if an organization wanted to appear to be fair and orderly, it was best to add a sort of council. Therefore, Chen Chen structured it so that there would be 12 Sigmas, called the Disciple Council. This meant that the entire Gods Forbidden Zone was managed by the 12 Disciples. Each Disciple would have a designated code name. The code name Chen Chen gave himself was Judas. Of course, besides Chen Chen, the 11 other seats were still vacant. In Chen Chens design, even if someone rose to the highest level, Sigma, and became one of the twelve Disciples, they would still be unable to control Gods Forbidden Zone. This was because above Sigma, a supreme existence remained hidden, which was God. God possessed absolute authority in Gods Forbidden Zone including control over everyones chips, Little X, and even the USB drive. Of course, this person was no one else other than Chen Chen. Chapter 79 - Unruly Superpowers In the city of Kolmanskop, Namibia. Chen Chen locked the door of the luxury suite, leaned his head against his steepled fingers, and stared silently at the computer screen. At present, three days had passed since the incident at the Eiffel Power Plant. In the past three days, Chen Chens group had swiftly left the territory of the Rainbow Nation and returned to Namibia. Before the Namibian officials could catch on, they were already in this small mining city named Kolmanskop. About ten kilometers to the north of this city was the famous Namibian city, Lderitz. After Chen Chen found out that Anthony and the Namibian officials still had not reached an agreement, he settled down temporarily in this town. A few days ago, with Dlaminis help, Chen Chen had plundered 120 million kWh of electricity in Cape Town. According to the proportions of the USB drives past instantiations, it should be able to instantiate about a hundred kilograms of matter. No, it should not be called instantiating anymore. Chen Chen pondered. He had figured out long ago that the USB drive did not convert energy into matter out of thin air. Rather, it employed the energy to create a channel connecting two different worlds. Thus, the words exchange or extract would be more appropriate. Um In that case, what should he extract next? There was a faint dark glimmer in Chen Chens pupils. At the moment, he would have no use for technological artifacts. Chen Chen had recently contacted the head office, asking Little X to send the design plan of the companys second product, the simultaneous translator, to Xia Yin. Then, she was supposed to launch this product. Ever since they signed an astronomical 4-billion contract with Facebook, the name, Blacklight Biotechnology, was known to countless people in the industry, exposing the company to the eye of the storm. Moreover, once the simultaneous translator appeared on the market, it would immediately affect the interests of several industries, just like a shocking tsunami. In the death throes of the affected industries, few companies would be able to escape unscathed. As for whether Xia Yin could keep this product going and whether this tsunami-like wave was going to happen, it depended on her ability. If Xia Yin truly had extraordinary capabilities, Chen Chen was prepared to hand over full authority in managing all of the head offices public dealings. In the future, her position as the CEO of a certain Blacklight Biotechnology Group in Mainland China would be assured. However, if Xia Yin could not keep this product going, naturally, she would not have a future here. Chen Chen would disband the company and turn fully to the dark side. He would begin to truly hide in the shadows. As for the profits that this product would bring, Chen Chen did not care much about all that. Even so, as Chen Chens influence expanded and started encroaching upon the interests of others, the unseen risks of inadequate personal safety were brought to light. One example was the assassination attempt by the Rainbow Nation. He had no other option but to risk his own life at that point. After all, if Chen Chen had not used himself as bait to lure out the sniper, it would be difficult to find out who the traitor was. If he did not sniff out the traitor, then even if he had escaped this time, there would be another attack. After all, who could keep up a perfect defense forever? Therefore, for the next item that he had acquired, the primary consideration should be his personal safety. Of course, the German military strategist Clausewitz had a famous saying in On War which was known throughout the world: The best defense is a good offense. There was an ancient motto in China too: A prolonged defense leads to defeat. In other words, pure defense was not desirable. The most important strategy was to take initiative. Therefore, to Chen Chen, the best defense would be to enhance his strength. The best source of strength would naturally be superpowers. Having thought of this, Chen Chen started downloading three movies on his computer. Chronicle, My Super Ex-Girlfriend, and Psychokinesis. The latter two were movies that Chen Chen found after watching Chronicle, both of which had characters obtaining superpowers through an external force. After all, the Crystalline in Chronicle was too large. It would be better if he could settle on the next best thing. However, as far as Chen Chen knew, My Super Ex-Girlfriend was not necessarily a science-fiction film but a romantic comedy. The female lead in the film touched a meteor that fell from the sky when she was young, thus obtaining super abilities such as flight, super-strength, and supersonic speed, which were almost comparable to Superman. The same applied to Psychokinesis as well. This was a new work by the director of the South Korean film, Train to Busan. The protagonist drank an extraterrestrial liquid at a mountain spring. After that, he gained superpowers similar to those in Chronicle. Nonetheless, unlike Chronicle, his superpowers here did not strengthen progressively nor did he pay any sort of price. Even the logic of the plot was quite lacking. Even Douban, a platform with a majority of foreigners, who liked to balance the score for domestic works, did not rate this Oppa movie favorably, giving it only a low score of 5.6. Therefore, Chen Chen was not expecting too much. Sure enough, when the three movies were downloaded, Chen Chen tried Psychokinesis first, but was greeted with that long-lost ding. The USB drive felt that this movie suffered from a severe lack of logic and heartlessly denied Chen Chens request. After that, Chen Chen tried My Super Ex-Girlfriend Ding! Hmm, the world of the movie was too outrageous and the USB drive rejected it again. Chen Chen swiftly deleted these two movies with [ctrl+d], then turned and looked at the remaining movie. Chronicle. A complicated look flashed in his eyes. This was the ability he had wanted to acquire but after he learned more about it, he had some reservations. When Chronicle was released twelve years ago, it earned a hundred million at the box office with a budget of ten million. It was an unprecedented success and was widely known to many netizens. However, as the release of the sequel was continually delayed, it incurred the wrath of many netizens. Following that, the supposed plot of the sequel began circulating the internet. One of the first theories surfaced in 2012, stating that there was an alien lifeform in the crystal. The three protagonists died that day and everything after that was just their clones. Another theory appeared in 2016, claiming that Andrew (the protagonist) did not die. Although he was pierced by a stone spear, he was eventually rescued by the government who began studying his body. However, after searching the Internet, Chen Chen discovered that the original screenwriter, Max Landis, said in an interview: I really like Andrew. I understand his behavior and how he felt, but the apocalyptic destruction he caused was also unforgivable. So, I let him die in the end but in Chronicle 2, I brought him back from hell. However, in July 2013, as the second script he wrote was too dark, the producer kicked him off the crew and he was no longer involved in Chronicle 2. The first plot circulating online was in conflict with what Max Landis had said in his interview. Not only that but Chen Chen also found it difficult to believe that the script of a movie could be leaked even before shooting began. As for the online rumors that the sequel had already been filmed, Chen Chen had also verified that these were just rumors. The sequel had been shelved indefinitely by the production company. Nevertheless, after he read all these rumors, Chen Chen still had some doubts. What if the rumors were true? Chen Chen was not afraid of being deceived because being the cautious person that he was, he would never extract the Crystalline and irradiate himself immediately. First, he must make preparations For instance, setting up a laboratory, using lead glass to block off the radiation, then slowly researching the composition and characteristics of the crystal. Before ensuring that the crystal would not cause irreversible harm to the human body, Chen Chen would never expose himself to its radiation. Furthermore, if the crystal contained an extraterrestrial lifeform as rumored, naturally, he would not be able to extract it from the USB drive. What Chen Chen was afraid of was after going to such lengths to accumulate enough energy, the Crystalline that he subsequently extracted would be harmful to the human body and thus unusable. That would be f*cking embarrassing Chen Chen clicked on [Chronicle.mp4] on the screen and pressed [ctrl+c]. The energy in the USB drive at this time was still insufficient to extract the Crystalline. Chen Chen had downloaded it along with the rest because he wanted to see if the movie could be accommodated by the USB drive. If Chronicle could not be accommodated, that would put a stop to all his considerations. Chen Chen would not consider superpowers again in the future. With this in mind, Chen Chen opened the USB drives file and pressed [ctrl+v] Chapter 80 - Only Kids Have to Choose Chen Chen pressed [ctrl+v]. As the progress bar flashed, a file named [2011 Newest Chronicle (Directors Cut Extended Edition) 1280p.BD with Chinese and English subtitles.mp4] appeared in the USB drive. Seeing that the movie Chronicle had appeared successfully in the USB drive, Chen Chen sighed in relief. Fortunately, the USB drive could accommodate the movie. Although the energy in the USB drive was still not enough to extract that crystal, at least he had a subsequent goal. As he thought of this, Chen Chen stopped worrying about superpowers and instead thought about what he wanted to obtain next. Since he could not acquire superpowers for now, he could only go for the next best thing. He would look for some defensive technological equipment to improve his chances of survival in the face of danger. In that case, this piece of equipment would need to fulfill the following requirements: It must have a certain defensive ability, bulletproof at least. Plus, it must be portable and suitable for daily use. Its portability meant that he could carry this equipment with him anywhere he went, without having to worry about not having it at a critical moment. As for its suitability for daily use, it meant that Chen Chen should still be able to move swiftly and it should be lightweight as well. According to these criteria, the one which best fulfilled Chen Chens desires was naturally Tony Starks Mark V that could be folded into a suitcase. Mark V: 10 points for defense, 10 points for combat power, 10 points for endurance, 10 points for portability, and 10 points for daily use. This was the score that Chen Chen had assigned. If the USB drive could take in Marvel movies such as Iron Man, not only would the equipment issue be resolved but also the energy issue would be settled. After all, if Chen Chen could extract the ARC fusion reactor from the movie, he would be set for life. Too bad this USB drive was like a stubborn blockhead. Chen Chen had tried to sneak Avengers into the USB drive but it could not be copied in. Even the other movies like Iron Man, X-Men, Captain America, Black Panther, and so on could not be placed inside the USB drive. It looked like the USB drive did not just reject Avengers but the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe The same happened with the DC Universe. Since that was the case, Chen Chen could only give up and go for the next option. With this in mind, Chen Chen picked up a pen from the table and wrote a row of alternatives on a piece of paper Accelerator Suit, ExoSuit, the nerve exoskeleton, Predator Killer, and Gantz Suit. The Accelerator Suit from the 2009 movie, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, weighed about 50kg. It would withstand the collision of bullets and cars without being damaged. At the same time, the armor could be equipped with kinetic energy weapons on the wrist and the back of the hands could be fitted with micro missiles. Upon wearing it, one could move at a speed of 65 kilometers per hour. The kinetic energy it had when running could easily penetrate a wall. Taking Iron Mans armor as the standard, the Accelerator Suit was roughly rated as: 5 points for defense, 3 points for combat power, 3 points for endurance, 1 point for portability, and 1 point for daily use. To put it simply, the defensive power of this Accelerator Suit had met Chen Chens needs and Chen Chen did not require high combat power. The only issue was its portability and suitability for daily use. It was lacking in portability and even more so in terms of daily use. Chen Chen could not possibly swagger around wearing this every day. Although it was decent in terms of its personal arsenal, it did not fulfill Chen Chens requirements. Pass! The ExoSuit came from the 2016 movie, Edge of Tomorrow, starring Tom Cruise. The ExoSuit was a standard exoskeleton mecha in the movie. This mecha was large and clunky but possessed astonishing mobility such as strength enhancement and powered jumps. The weapon system was similar to the Accelerator Suit with a machine gun and micro missiles. According to the movie data, it weighed 40kg and might reach up to 60kg after the weapons were installed. The rating Chen Chen gave it was: 2 points for defense, 3 points for combat effectiveness, 3 points for endurance, 1 point for portability, and 1 point for daily use. Erm It was not even as good as the Accelerator Suit. Pass! The nerve exoskeleton from the 2013 movie, Elysium, consisted of leg and back supports. Motors were installed at the knees and the hips, so it had full mobility. However, the exoskeleton in the movie was not simply a mechanical structure but a set of mechanisms controlled by the brain. By implanting biochips into the brain, the movement of the mechanical exoskeleton was controlled by nerve conductors. In simple terms, once this equipment was put on, it was difficult to take off. Although it was more hidden, it was still inadequate. There was no need to rate this one. Pass, right away. Predator Killer came from the movie, The Predator (2018). This armor appeared at the end of the movie, kept in the escape pod by the Fugitive Predator. The human doctor in the story said that this was a weapon the Fugitive Predator gave to humans. Nonetheless, some interpreted that this armor was originally used by the Fugitive Predator itself, only its ship was destroyed and fell to Earth. Still, the name Predator Killer gave a clear indication of its function, which seemed to fit the first interpretation. This suit of armor was usually just a glossy, black armguard but once activated, it would quickly cover the users body just like Iron Mans Mark V, becoming a fully protective defensive armor. Although the audience only got a glimpse of it in the movie, anyone could sense the massive destructive power of this suit. Chen Chen considered all this and wrote below Predator Killer: defense unknown, combat power unknown, endurance unknown, 10 points for portability, and 10 points for daily use. Whether in terms of portability or daily use, it got full marks. Very good. This could be a possible alternative. Chen Chen nodded and looked at the last option. Gantz Suit was from the 2011 Japanese movie, Gantz, a combat suit worn by the movies characters. However, unlike the other armors, it was one without any metal structures at all. To Chen Chens understanding, the operating principle of Gantz Suit was likely similar to the shear thickening fluid in bulletproof vests. This shear thickening fluid was a nanoparticle solvent in a solid-liquid mixed state. It was usually in liquid form but upon any form of impact, it would quickly become incomparably solid. To put it simply, the shear thickening fluid was usually in a state where the particles did not interfere with each other. However, once it was impacted, it would cause the particles to collide violently and become solid for a short time. Furthermore, it was able to spread the impact force to its surroundings and reduce the damage to the lowest point. After Gantz Suit suffered a blow that exceeded its limit, a lot of liquid would flow out. This undoubtedly mirrored the characteristics of shear thickening fluid. Even so, the liquid in Gantz Suit was much more advanced than shear thickening fluid. This was because Gantz Suit not only provided resistance to attacks but they also increased the physical fitness of the wearer. 3 points for defense, 2 points for combat power, 10 points for endurance, 10 points for portability, and 10 points for daily use. After thinking about it, Chen Chen added another sentence at the end C PS: 10 points for concealment, could be worn at any time, regardless of time and place. This final point was the most vital. However, Chen Chen seemed to recall that the combat suit in Gantz could only be worn by a specific individual. He did not know how that worked or whether it could be bypassed. The above items were all protective armors that Chen Chen had estimated to be below 100kg in weight. Of course, others were over 100kg such as the AMP Suit in Avatar, the Jaeger in Pacific Rim plus District 9, Real Steel, and so on. However, all these either had energy limits or were too large, so they did not meet Chen Chens requirements. Having considered all this, Chen Chen could not help making a thoughtful expression: Predator Killer and Gantz Suit which one should he choose? Chapter 81 - Adults Get to Have It All! After struggling with the decision for a long time, Chen Chen did not make a final choice. After all, the performance of the Gantz Suit was superior. After wearing it, ones entire body, except for the head, would gain an extra bulletproof layer. Moreover, it could be worn under ones clothes, making it visually inconspicuous. Its disadvantage was that it could probably only be used by a specific character. Although the Predator Killer seemed very powerful, its energy problem was a hidden risk. After all, there was no such thing as a perpetual motion machine. This armor seemed so extravagant that the energy it consumed must be extravagant also. Furthermore, the Predator Killer was stored in the escape pod of the Fugitive Predator. This meant that the Predator Killer was likely to be integrated with the pod, which might act as a charging device for the suit. In other words, if Chen Chen wished to use the Predator Killer without any worries, he would have to extract the escape pod too, which was as tall as a person. In short, these two pieces of equipment had their advantages as well as their shortcomings. Chen Chen drew in a deep breath. In that case, it was better to extract everything. After all, one Gantz Suit weighed ten kilograms at most while the Predator Killer weighed thirty kilograms at most. This was, by far, less than the energy stored in the USB drive. As for the energy source of the Predator Killer well, rules were fixed but humans could adapt. He could extract the armguard this time and leave the escape pod for another time. With this in mind, Chen Chen finally came to a decision. However, before he began the extraction, Chen Chen needed to consider the possible dangers of the Predator Killer. From his point of view, the main danger of the Predator Killer came from two aspects First, the Predator Killer came from outer space. Would it carry alien pathogens or some kind of electromagnetic radiation? Still, considering that the USB drive could not extract lifeforms, Chen Chen could dismiss the risk of alien pathogens. As for the issue of radiation, at the movies ending, before the Predator Killer attached itself to the researcher, he had first used a radiation tester to examine the pod, then only did he approach it. This meant that Chen Chen could be rest assured in this respect. The second thing was, after the Predator Killer was attached to the human body, was it the human who controlled the Predator Killer or the Predator Killer that controlled the human? Chen Chen had to think more deeply about this because he remembered that the researcher was initially in a state of panic when the Predator Killer was expanding over his body. However, after the Predator Killer covered him fully, that panic vanished instantly. Not only that, but he also actively released weapons from his back and took aim at everyone. Of course, this could just be a subconscious reaction on the Predator Killers part when it detected threats all around it. Even so, since this was a concern, of course, an experiment was needed to determine the result. With this in mind, Chen Chen took out his phone and dialed Cheng Caos number. Boss? Help me hire a volunteer at the police station and also get a set of surgical tools. Then, find a hidden spot outside the city. I need to conduct an experiment. Understood. After hanging up, Chen Chen did not hesitate anymore and started downloading the two movies. The Internet speed in Namibia was pretty trash. After several long hours of waiting, the two movies were downloaded at last. Without hesitation, Chen Chen plugged in the USB drive directly. Swoosh! There were no unexpected obstacles. The two movies were copied neatly into the USB drive. Very good. Chen Chen formulated the upcoming plan in his mind. After confirming that there would be no issues, he put the USB drive away, closed the laptop, and left the room. A few hours later. Chen Chen had left Kolmanskop and rented a clinic in the next town. After locking all the doors, Chen Chen glanced at the nervous, uneasy man before him and smiled softly. Dont be nervous. Just relax. What, what are you guys planning to do? This middle-aged man was called Utoni Nujo, a typical member of the Owambo tribe. He had dark, sleek skin. Currently, he was curled up in a corner of the room with a wary, anxious expression. You dont need to know. Chen Chen started to arrange the surgical instruments before him. Just cooperate with me. I want to go home The middle-aged man suddenly burst into tears. Please, please, let me go home? Didnt you sign an agreement with us? Chen Chen took out a scalpel and examined it under the light, checking it for any deformation. Your parents and brothers have already received enough money to last them their entire lives, so I released you from the police station on bail. Otherwise, considering your criminal record of robbing and hurting so many people, youd be facing twenty years of imprisonment. Sob I was wrong. I promise never to do those things again. Please, let me go! The middle-aged man started crying again after he spoke. Cheng Cao cracked a grin when he heard this. You signed the agreement yourself. We didnt force you. Without Cheng Cao having to give an order, Lil Wang and Lil Zhang immediately picked up the bony middle-aged man and tied him to the hospital bed. Help, help! Murder, these Chinese men are killing me! The man screamed abruptly, wailing in a cracking voice as he tried to attract the attention of anyone outside. Chen Chen took out a glass syringe and drew out the liquid from the ampule. At the same time, he gave a nonchalant reminder. Save your breath. There are no other residents within a hundred meters of this clinic. With that, he pushed out the air from the syringe with a poker face, then plunged it into the mans neck. Suddenly, a heartrending scream could be heard from outside the clinic Half an hour later. When Utoni Nujo resumed consciousness, he felt an inexplicable sense of nausea. It was like his brain had been split apart and a severe ache pierced his forehead. Blech Utoni quickly turned to the side and retched vigorously. After he spat out a mouthful of sour liquid, his stomach felt somewhat better. He sat up but incidentally moved the muscles of his neck, which resulted in sharp agony. Utoni subconsciously touched the back of his neck, only to discover that a stitched wound had appeared on the back of his neck. Where am I? What did you do to me? Utoni stood up unsteadily, finding himself trapped in a cellar with no windows. There was only a skylight above his head. Click! Just then, an incandescent light was turned on. Utoni, who had gotten used to the darkness, quickly shielded his eyes from the blinding light. At the same time, there was a jingling sound. A dark object was thrown in through the skylight and then, the skylight was closed once more. Utoni hurriedly looked over and saw that the pitch-black item was nothing other than a cylindrical metal block. This metal piece was about thirty centimeters long, with two bulges on its sides, like the eyes of a snail. Utoni cast one glance at it, then paid it no mind. He looked up again with a helpless expression. Whats this place? What are you guys planning? Mr. Utoni Just as Utoni was about to go insane, a voice suddenly rang out from the corner of the cellar. Utoni looked toward the source of the voice at once. Only then did he notice, in the four corners of the ceiling, there were a few flickering red dots. This was something called a surveillance monitor. Utoni had seen them before in a city hospital. Mr. Utoni, if you wish to get out, please do as I say. The voice seemed to echo from all directions. Just do whatever I ask of you. Please, let me go, please Utoni quickly pleaded piteously. Now, please walk to that armguard. The voice was unmoved. Your task is so simple, even a three-year-old kid could do it that is, put it on. If I wear it, youll let me go? Utoni continued asking. Yes. Okay, then Ill wear it. Utoni wiped away a tear and slowly inched forward. Based on Utonis hesitant behavior, it was obvious that there were further concerns on his mind Chapter 82 - Rebelling Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Utoni stretched out his hand, slowly reaching for the metal piece on the ground. After repeatedly making sure that there was no problem with it, he picked it up. So heavy However, after he had picked up the metal armguard, his expression shifted. Why is it so heavy? Is it made of gold? That doesnt concern you, Mr. Utoni. The voice from the speaker spoke again, urging him, Please put it on at once and follow my instructions. This is your only chance. Put, put it on? Utoni repeated himself. But, theres this sticky substance all over it. As he spoke, he lowered his head and sniffed. It smells like asphalt Ahh!!! Before Utoni could continue his waffling, he suddenly felt numb all over as if needles were swarming all over his body. The intense pain and itching made him convulse violently! It was only after ten seconds that the death-like numbness gradually subsided. Utoni slowly got up and backed away in shock and bewilderment. What happened just now? What happened to me? Mr. Utoni, my patience is limited, the voice reminded. You have thirty seconds to wear the armguard or youll suffer the same sensation once again. Argh, d*mn you! Utoni subconsciously touched the back of his neck, then yelled furiously, What the hell did you do to me! You cant do this! You have twenty seconds. Why cant you let me go? Can I give up the money? Utoni then started to plead. Ten seconds left. No, Ill wear it, Ill wear it now! Seeing that they did not budge, Utoni finally caved in. Still weeping, he picked up the armguard and put it on with trembling movements. Click! There was a sharp, mechanical locking sound. The dark, heavy armguard swiftly contracted around Utonis arm. Simultaneously, there was a low buzzing noise and a blue electric light started to extend over his arm! Argh, d*mn it! D*mn it! It burns! It burns! Instantly, Utoni unleashed a series of screeches like a butchered pig as if he was experiencing terrible anguish. He got up mindlessly and shook the armor which kept on growing as if he was trying to fling off a soldering iron that was stuck to his body! Help me, help me get it off! Utoni kept howling miserably as the blue electric light quickly spread over his body. Each area that was passed over became covered in a fitting layer of armor, like magic! Still, this process took only nine seconds. At the tenth second, the blue light had spread to Utonis head. At once, a crab-shaped helmet appeared out of thin air, encasing Utonis panicking face. His pitiful cries were buried in the armor By now, Utoni, who was originally less than 1.7 meters tall and weighed only forty kilograms, had completely turned into a strapping, 1.9-meter-tall, steel warrior! Just like in the movie, after the Predator Killer Armor covered his entire body, Utonis struggles ceased as well. He just stood there silently. Schwing! There was the crisp sound of an unsheathing blade. A half-meter-long blade claw popped out of the armors right hand. At the same time, two square shoulder cannons swiftly rose behind the armor. Six laser pointers were aimed from both sides of his shoulders, scanning in all directions. Did it work? At this moment, in another room, Chen Chen could not help squinting. As he watched the cold, black Predator Killer Armor on the screen, Chen Chen spoke into the phone again, Utoni, are you still there? On the screen, Utoni, who wore the PK Armor, stood there wordlessly without any response. After some thought, Chen Chen asked again, Utoni, nod if you can hear me. This time, Utoni, who wore the PK Armor, finally nodded. Very good. Move your hand. Let me see if you can control it. After that, Chen Chen saw the armor on the screen raising both hands a little unfamiliarly and looking carefully at them. Very good. Now, try taking a few steps. Chen Chen gave the next command. Utoni lowered his hands and tried to take a step forward with his right foot, but he toppled over because he was still not used to it. However, just as he was about to fall, the PK Armor readjusted its center of gravity, compelling Utoni to regain his footing. Following that, Utoni tried to take a few more steps. This time, it went much smoother. Having seen this, Chen Chen could determine that there was no problem with the PK Armor. Finally, he asked, Does it still burn? Utoni shook his head. In that case, is there any discomfort? Utoni shook his head again. Very well. Now, imagine yourself getting out of the suit. Chen Chen issued a final order. He gave this instruction because he remembered that, when the PK Armor encased the researcher in the movie, the researcher appeared to be terrified. This terror caused the PK Armor to automatically retract after ten seconds. In other words, there was a sixty percent chance that this armor was controlled by thought. However, among the audiences who had watched the movie, some thought the armor retracted after being activated for only ten seconds because the user was not a Predator. This was too far-fetched. If the PK Armor could only be controlled by Predators, it would not be activated, equipped, then retracted. Instead, it would be impossible to activate the armguard in the first place. Therefore, the argument that humans could not be equipped with the PK Armor did not make sense. Furthermore, in the ending, the last line of the lead was: Thats my new suit. Since he had said that, the director was telling the audience through that character: Want to see humans wearing this suit and slaughtering Predators? If so, support me in making the sequel! Although this movie received harsh criticism because it subverted the image of the Predators, it was canon, after all. Unless there was a reboot, there was no doubt that humans could be equipped with this PK Armor. The only question was whether there would be unforeseen dangers after one wore it. However, after this experiment, Chen Chen felt assured. Nevertheless, at this point, Utoni still did not take off the armor. Utoni, can you hear me? Chen Chen stopped his musings and said again, I order you to exit the armor. Even so, Utoni did not follow suit. Not only that, the two square shoulder cannons on his back started to aim at the ceiling. Chen Chen frowned. Logically, if Utoni did not obey Chen Chens command now, Little X would immediately punish Utoni. However, the God chip made no moves at all. In other words, the PK Armor had the ability to block electromagnetic signals and even resist electromagnetic bombs. Even so, this would not be enough by far Chen Chens lips stretched into a cold sneer. Boom! Just then, the PK Armor on the screen suddenly exploded in a burst of blue light. After that, the screen displayed nothing but static. At the same time, there was a deafening explosion from the back door of the clinic. Chen Chen could feel the intense quaking even in this room. Knock, knock, knock! Cheng Caos voice spoke from the other side of the door. Boss, hes broken out of his cell! Its fine. Hes already dead. Chen Chen opened the door and directly walked to the back of the clinic. As expected, a large hole with a diameter of two meters had appeared on the ground near the back door, revealing a dark, hollow cellar below. The cellar was filled with smoke and dust, and they could vaguely make out a figure, standing there in silence. It was as still as a stone Chapter 83 - PK Armor Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Among the ashes, Utoni stood unmoving in the cellar like a statue with the shoulder cannons aimed at the sky. What followed after was a flash of blue light. Just like when it was assembled, the PK armor morphed into a flash of blue light before reverting to the form of a dull metallic armguard. Clank! As the armguard heavily clanked onto the surface of the ground, the heavy cast of mist dispersed as well. It was then when everyone saw Utoni with his head slumped in an unnatural angle in front of his chest. At the back of his neck, there was a hole approximately the size of a fist which seemed like it had been ruptured from the inside. There was nothing but a thin layer of skin separating his torso and his head The explosion is going to alert the people nearby. Hurry up and take care of this, Chen Chen instructed before taking the PK Armor from Cheng Caos hands. He proceeded to turn around to return to the clinic. Chen Chen was already aware that the PK Armor was capable of masking electromagnetic signals. However, there was a small portion of Little Xs artificial intelligence copy left in the God Chip. Even without signal access, it was still able to execute Utoni upon detecting his intentions. The moment the idea of escaping using the help of the PK armor arose in Utonis mind, the God Chip triggered itself accordingly. However, Utoni did not know about the God Chips alert system. He barely paid any mind to it and attempted to use the shoulder cannon to break through the cellar. Up till this point, the God Chip had been evaluating the severity of the developing situation. Upon considering the potential harm Utonis action could inflict to Chen Chen, along with the fact that the signal dispatched to Little X was disrupted by the PK Armor, it resorted to the ultimate punishment C self-destruction. That was how Chen Chen determined that chances were that Utoni was dead upon firing the cannon. The PK Armor may have extreme offensive and defensive prowess, but how was it supposed to protect the wearer from an attack coming from inside? The only downside here was the loss of the experimental subject. Chen Chen shook his head. His original plan was to perform a full body checkup on Utoni after he removed the armor. He would only don the armor himself upon ensuring that no unprecedented issue would come out of it. Since the experimental subject was deceased, Chen Chen would not force the issue either. He found a scale in the clinic and weighed the armguard at exactly 30 kilograms. Chances were that a regular person with slightly weaker strength would have a hard time lifting it. This did not prove to be surprising. It would seem that the design of the PK Armor incorporated nanostructure technology that far exceeded the boundaries of the present technology. It took on the form of an armguard in an idle state. Upon activation, the nanostructure will restructure itself to construct a fully protective armor fitting the wearers physique. In any case, its total weight remained completely unchanged. Putting it in perspective, it was surprisingly light compared to Accelerator Suit and ExoSuit. After that, Chen Chen took the PK Armor to the rooftop on the third floor of the clinic. After taking a deep breath, he slowly put the armguard on his arm. Click! In an instant, he heard a click produced by the mechanism locking together. The bulky, black-colored armguard shrunk instantly and wrapped itself around Chen Chens arm! There was a sound of a buzzer ringing at the same time. Following a familiar flash of blue light, it rapidly crept toward the region around Chen Chens shoulder. This blue light was known as plasma. It was a byproduct of the low-temperature plasma effect caused by the restructuring of the nanometal. Instead of resisting it, Chen Chen took interest in the experience. He had to admit that the plasma produced during the reconstruction of the PK Armor was considerably hot. It was worth noting that it did not completely attach itself to the wearer during the reconstruction as it constantly shifted around. Therefore, the wearer only experienced heat up to sixty or seventy Celsius even though the process involved could reach a temperature up to several hundred Celsius. All things considered, it was a tolerable temperature for a regular person. As the low-temperature plasma continued to spread across Chen Chens body, the PK Armor eventually wrapped itself around his body. By the end of the process, a mask still radiating heat covered Chen Chens face. Chen Chens vision turned pitch-black before light was reintroduced again momentarily after. However, his vision field was no longer that of a regular humans. Instead, it took on the form of an infrared thermal imaging vision field. It was distinctly different from regular thermal imaging wherein heat signals were displayed in chunky blocks. Chen Chen could tell that he was able to see in far greater detail and clarity than the human eye could offer. Information such as radiation value, temperature value, shape, weight, and other such data of any object was transmitted into the wearers mind. Simply put, this was an enhanced version of a regular humans vision system. Hupp! Chen Chen tried to take a breath. Though he was not sure where the circulation of the armor was located, it was clear that the armor did not hinder his breathing in any form. After that, just by invoking a thought, six laser sights were activated and propped up from the back of the armor. Without having to turn around, the laser sights began scanning the surroundings for signs of potential threat. In addition, it displayed the result of the scan in a window which appeared before Chen Chens eye. Simply by invoking a thought, the six laser sights along with the two shoulder guns provided immediate response without the slightest hint of delay. Chen Chen was immensely satisfied with this. If his hunch was correct, this should be a form of mind manipulation technology in its matured development stage. The armor was even able to accelerate his thought process. Take what happened when playing a battle royale game on a foreign server for instance. Players playing from Mainland China usually required a software known as a booster. Without the assistance of such software, it was very likely the player would lose connection in the middle of the game or play with high ping. Drawing parallels between playing battle royale games and operating the PK Armor, the wearer could be portrayed as the player. The neuron waves transmitted from the wearer were the internet infrastructure and the shoulder canons along with other systems were the battle royale game. In usual cases, there would always be a delay when operating the shoulder cannons. No matter how quickly it synced to the users thoughts, the user would still experience some sort of buffer. This was where the acceleration device of the PK Armor came in. It was able to completely calibrate itself along the users neuron waves, serving as the booster used in the game. It was able to provide a far fluid experience than the user would have to control his own body. Upon considering this factor, Chen Chen suddenly raised his head and identified a distant abandoned hut as his target. The two shoulder cannons immediately turned toward that direction when he did so. A window simultaneously appeared in Chen Chens vision field which provided three options for Chen Chen to choose from. When Chen Chen merely visualized the idea of selecting the first option, the cannon on his right fired a blast of blue beam immediately which seemed to vanish as soon as it appeared. Chen Chen looked into the distance and saw a hole penetrating through the roof of the hut. Ultra high-field laser weaponry? Chen Chen evaluated before switching ammunition and selecting the second option. Again, the cannon on his right shoulder fired. Only this time around, the projectile fired was a bright orb. The orb disappeared in the blink of an eye and detonated an explosion on the hut hundreds of meters away like someone had detonated a mine in the hut! It was clear that this was what Utoni used to destroy the cellar. Probably a plasma cannon. Chen Chen speculated before selecting the third option. This time, it was the cannon on the left firing. There was no sound or any indication of firing, but the hut that was already turned into barren ruins as it exploded once again without signs of any projectile! Its a high-power microwave weapon! Chen Chens eyes lit up. Compared to the previous two weapons, this form of microwave weaponry was the real killer. The so-called microwave weapon was a subclass of electromagnetic waves. It was distinctly different from regular electromagnetic waves in the sense that it was a form of weaponry that utilizes high-power electromagnetic waves to obliterate its target. Apart from being able to destroy electronic devices, it was able to bypass defenses and armor via thermal energy, directly killing the operators on the interior. On top of that, this sort of weapon was able to intelligently configure its output based on the selected target. Therefore, there would not be any form of excess waste when firing. After Chen Chen was done experimenting with the weapons, he retracted the shoulder cannons and the laser sights. He then attempted to move his limbs around. As he held out his hand and attempted to form a fist, he was taken by a strange sensation. He felt as if there was a slight period of delay between moving his hand and feeling the actual movement on his skin. Chen Chen was certain that there was a layer of a metallic surface on his palm. It was apparent that this was an extremely advanced form of sensor-based technology. Chen Chen gave it another shot. The suit of armor was able to vastly improve the physical capabilities of the human body in terms of strength, speed, and reaction speed. It was even more lethal than the Iron Man armor. The only aspects in which it was inferior to the Iron Man armor was the power issue and the absence of flight capabilities. Apart from that, the suit of armor also came with a set of control systems. However, the control system seemed to be engineered around the language system from Predator. According to Chen Chens understanding, he was looking at a form of phonography. The existing writing system in human civilization was divided into three types namely phenotype, ideogram, and phonetic. Phenotype writing system referred to early forms of language developed by early civilizations, some examples included Oracle and Cuneiform. Ideograph referred to the current writing system adopted by Mainland China in the present age, which was a character system represented by Chinese characters as we knew it. It was an extension of phonograph. Phonetic, on the other hand, were texts taking the form of English alphabets. Chen Chen figured that if he was able to fully comprehend the language used in Predator, he may be able to achieve further understanding of the Predator technology. This was not something that could simply be accomplished in a day. Though Chen Chen was perfectly capable of mastering a language in a day, there was no form of traditional learning material for the Predator language. Was it possible to gain complete mastery of it just by using brief references from the movie? Chen Chen was not going to accomplish it only with the help of NZT-48, he was going to have to resort to the CPH4. The Earth Federation would not be able to fully comprehend this form of technology even if given a hundred years. Chen Chen sighed silently. To put it in perspective, the Earth Federation Chen Chen currently resided in was equivalent to the era where the applications of steam engines were in its infancy. The current era was still in the medieval stages of the first industrial revolution. In this case, the suit of armor could be represented as a smartphone. Around three industrial revolutions separated the eras in which the two respective technologies came from. Chapter 84 - Nuclear Power Plant Agreement Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Upon concluding the PK Armor experiment, Chen Chen made a trip downstairs again. He returned to the rooftop afterward with a black leather suit in hand. This leather suit consisted of four parts C a jacket, pants, gloves, and boots. The trousers were designed like a jumpsuit and the top was like a turtleneck. Both the upper and lower parts need to be joined together with each other to completely wrap the suit around the body. The same applied to the gloves and boots. The button-like zipper had to be linked to the cuffs to completely merge with the suit. The leather suit had a matte design so it would not reflect light when placed in a dark area. Its material may seem like leather but they were far more resilient than leather. Even the sharpest knives would not be able to make a dent in it. This leather suit was another equipment originating from a movie that Chen Chen had planned to acquire C the Gantz Suit. Chen Chen chose the combat suit worn by the protagonist of the movie, Kei Kurono, since they were around the same height at around 175 centimeters. However, upon putting on the combat suit on the rooftop Uhmmm Chen Chen gave it a test. Apart from keeping him slightly warmer, there seemed to be zero influence in terms of jumping ability, running ability or strength. As I thought, this thing requires biometric authentication. Still frowning, Chen Chen took off the jacket and found a large number of bio-electrode patches on the inside of the suit, just as he had suspected. It would seem like the combat suit used these bio-electrode patches to monitor the bodys nerve conduction to read the intentions of the user. Naturally, if the wearer was not the owner then the patches would not be activated. All it was good for was a bullet-proof vest. Chen Chen figured he might as well just keep it on and figure out what to do when he returned to Windhoek. He put the jacket back on. The next day, Chen Chen and his group returned to Windhoek. Before even entering the embassy, Chen Chen saw dozens of people standing by the entrance of the embassy. Qian Wenhuan, Anthony, and the others were here to welcome him. Boss. Qian Wenhuan was the first to come up to him. I have good news for you. The negotiations for the agreement and treaty are complete? Chen Chen continued moving forward while greeting them. Yes, the negotiations have been concluded earlier this morning. Wang Liang interrupted. We were just about to inform you when you suddenly returned. Chen Chen nodded before expressing to Anthony and the rest who were put in charge of the business negotiations. Thank you for your hard work. These are part of our duties, Anthony, Jennifer, and the other flattered members responded abruptly. Im going to head back to my room for a shower. Bring the finalized agreement to my room in half an hour. Chen Chen further instructed, Oh, right. Wenhuan, head to the industrial zone and get me the most advanced material laboratory you can find. Make sure the facilities are complete, sort out the details with the rates, and whatnot. Its a plus if they have several experts in material science on site. No problem! Understood! Anthony and Qian Wenhuan accepted their tasks. Cao, why dont you take your brothers and get a good rest, Chen Chen told Cheng Cao, they must be exhausted after the past few days. Bring them to the city to wind down a little. Bill all of the expenses to the company. No need to keep sticking by my side the next few days. Okay. Cheng Cao agreed. Chen Chen finally was able to relax when he returned to the room. First things first, he did a sweep of the room to make sure nothing had happened when he was not around. After that, he took a shower. Had to admit, the embassy was well facilitated. Even though it was just a regular standard room, electricity and hot water were readily available and amenities such as Wi-Fi and air conditioning were provided as well. Chen Chen would much rather have the basic amenities over basking in the local experience. He did not care much for the local-style hotels which barely provided basic needs such as water and electricity. If it was not for trying to make a living out here, Chen Chen would much rather laze around in his room. He would boot up Steam first thing in the morning, eat instant noodles and drink coke, pick several games, and screw around for the entire day. Shut-ins like Chen Chen could never relate to the people who would just go on trips on a whim, especially those who liked to travel or a more appropriate term would be to suffer in barren places like Tibet or Africa. Were games not appealing enough? When Chen Chen had finished up and walked out of the bathroom, it just happened to be half an hour later. Knock, knock, knock. Anthony was a textbook Swiss. The moment the clock hit the half an hour mark, he immediately knocked on Chen Chens door. Right on the dot. Come in. Chen Chen wrapped a bath towel around his waist and sat on the sofa. Sit down first. Thank you, Boss. Anthony and Jennifer came in together. Anthony was not too fazed by what he saw, only slightly startled. Jennifer, on the other hand, lit up like a lamp when she came in. Chen Chen usually wore long trousers and sleeves and appeared to be on the thinner side. She did not expect that after he took off his clothes, his well-proportioned and fit body immediately became prominent. The outlines of his muscles were not as dramatic as the bodybuilders out there, instead, they were more well-defined and subtle. Chen Chen paid no mind to their reactions, he only continued gulping down water. The amino acids in NZT effectively supplied nutrients to the brain but they did not provide hydro elements. At any given moment, the human brain was carrying out tens of thousands of chemical reactions. Drinking more water can serve to boost the transferring of the brains bioelectricity and chemical substances. Therefore, Chen Chen had always emphasized a healthy amount of water supplementation. Boss, here are the agreed-upon terms, please have a look. After the two of them took their seats, Anthony presented a stack of A4 papers measuring almost two fingers thick in front of Chen Chen. Chen Chen hid his frown when he saw the densely-packed words of at most four-point font size on the sheets of agreement. It was a large project of more than two billion after all. Chen Chen picked it up and went through it quickly. Boss, do you need us to provide a brief overview? When Jennifer saw that Chen Chen did not have an appointed professional to help him review it, she worried that he would not understand the details. No need, it wont take long. Chen Chen quickly flipped through the pages without so much as looking up. Since these were not educational resources that he had to memorize, it only took him several seconds to scan through a page. It only took him a little over ten minutes to go through the three hundred pages agreement. Phew! Chen Chen breathed out before nodding. The agreed terms seem very good, I dont see any significant loopholes. The only thing Im not satisfied with is the mission statement. As Chen Chen spoke, he pointed to a specific page. It says that if the completed nuclear power plant is rated at a million kilowatts, then I am to provide high-quality power supply for six hundred thousand Namibians. A million Namibians if rated at two million kilowatts. I cant accept these terms. Uh, youre saying? Anthony asked cautiously. If the nuclear power plant is rated at a million kilowatts, I agree to supply for four hundred thousand Namibians. If rated at two million kilowatts, then seven hundred thousand. This Anthony did his best to hide his bitter smile. With these numbers, we might be challenging their bottom line. Its alright, we can make some compromises with the electricity bills. Chen Chen pulled out the agreements detailing the electricity bills as if he already knew what Anthony was going to say. According to these prices, we can lower the electricity cost for the civilians by ten percent. In that case, well discuss this with them tomorrow. Anthony silently heaved a sigh of relief. Before taking their leave, Jennifer suddenly turned around to reconfirm. Are you sure you dont want to put together a review team to review it again? Chapter 85 - Material Laboratory Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Several hours after Chen Chen had finished the meeting with Anthony, Qian Wenhuan phoned him. Boss, I found a Material Analysis Laboratory on the more advanced side, its right in the industrial area. Qian Wenhuan sounded overjoyed. I took a look inside. X-ray diffractometer, metallographic microscope, high-resolution transmission electron microscope, electron probe microanalyzer, and various other equipment. Its well-equipped. There are also three expert personnel that should be available for hire. Alright, send the address to Cheng Cao. Ill be there in an hour or two, Chen Chen replied. After hanging up the call, Chen Chen booted up the computer again and began searching for a movie online. Unlike the previous movies he had put into the USB drive, this time, he planned to use a comedy C Men in Black: International. The movie debuted in 2019. It was considered to be a spinoff version. However, the setting was the same as the first three, it was about a pair of partners fighting aliens to save the earth. After clicking the download button, Chen Chen became a little uncertain. The thing was that the Men in Black series was technically a Marvel movie, only it was different from the other IP. The copyright to Men in Black was purchased by Marvel. It was not their original and did not belong to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Even though the logic and structure of the movie was fairly realistic and did not involve any form of magical or supernatural entities, Chen Chen was not sure if Men in Black would be approved by the USB drive. If it could not work, then the idea he had would go up in smoke. Fortunately, after half an hour when the download was completed, Chen Chen was able to easily insert it into the USB drive by dragging the file over. Phew! In that case, he would be able to proceed with the next step of his plan. Chen Chen immediately started the movie and dragged the progress bar to the frame where Agent H had his hand raised. He held a silver-white metal rod in his hand. With a gentle scoop, the silver-white metal rod instantly appeared in Chen Chens hand. Chen Chen weighed it in his hand. The silver rod was on the heavier side weighing above 100 grams. It was shaped like a pen with a cap on the end of it that can be clipped onto a shirt. The only difference was that it was significantly thicker than a regular pen. Chen Chen tried to press down on the cap and heard a click. The metal rod popped up immediately, revealing three round buttons on the part facing Chen Chen. On the section in front, a LED light was turned on automatically, emitting a faint light blue ray. The three buttons were labeled year, month, and day accordingly. At the bottom part, there was a tiny selection for hours and minutes. Chen Chen wanted to click it to give it a try but gave up on the thought when he remembered he had no sunglasses on. This titanium alloy rod was the memory eraser in Men in Black. The Interstellar Immigration Bureau in the movie used this tool to maintain the order and stability of human society. He pressed back down on the section that popped up, following a smooth click the metal returned to its previous pen-like shape. Knock, knock, knock! At this moment, there was the sound of knocking coming from the door. Cheng Cao followed immediately after. Boss, are we leaving now? Coming. Chen Chen thought for a moment before clipping the memory eraser on the pocket of his shirt. He then stuffed the Gantz Suit into a suitcase before leaving the room with it. Cao, do you know of any place that sells sunglasses? Even better if its the kind that prevents electromagnetic radiation. Cheng Cao, ? Half an hour later, Chen Chen arrived at the building of the laboratory. Before he could get out of the car, Qian Wenhuan was one step ahead and opened the door for him. The person in charge of the laboratory came to him and passionately shook his hand. Nice to meet you, Mr. Chen. Thank you for your funding our laboratory. Please dont hesitate to contact me if you need anything. The person in charge of the laboratory was a white man and looked to be in his forties. He seemed to be of half Germanic and half Slavic descent and spoke fluent English. Only the basic necessities. Chen Chen smiled politely and led the way in. Oh right, I dont need too many staff in the laboratory during this period. I heard you have three experts on material science. Just having them stay will do. Will it do? The person in charge questioned, Im not sure what material you want to conduct tests on. Even though only three of my staff have expert qualifications, the other staffs experience is nothing to sneeze at either. Im afraid I cant tell you too much about it. The tests I want to conduct is a business secret. The fewer people involved, the better. Chen Chen pointed out. You must forgive my manners. The man nodded. In that case, Ill turn off the surveillance systems to prevent details of your experiment being leaked. Greatly appreciated. After they entered the laboratory building, the person in charge informed the counter, Inform all the staff that theyll be given leave for a week. Also, have Knoch, Passadin, and Pitken meet me in my office. Its alright, Ill meet them myself. Chen Chen did not want to waste time and headed right in. Ah, Mr. Chen The person in charge was briefly taken aback before he quickly caught up to Chen Chen. Shortly after, they arrived in the interior section of the material laboratory which incorporated a duplex structure. When Chen Chen pushed open the main door, he was greeted by the sight of the gigantic research hall. Dozens of researchers dressed in large white lab coats were walking around occupied with their tasks. Pretty decent environment for research. Chen Chen nodded and appraised, Mustve spent a lot for this laboratory. Of course. The Namibian officials borrow our equipment now and then. If not for us, they probably wont even be able to analyze basic materials. The person in charge laughed heartily. His spite for the country was easily spelled out in the tone of his laughter. Chen Chen did not dwell on the topic. They were now standing on the observation deck hung above. There was a suspended ladder beside them that would lead them to the section below. Following the ladder to the lower level would officially bring you to the interior section of the laboratory. Within a moment, the person in charge had given leave to the other members of the laboratory. He then introduced the three experts to Chen Chen. The three men were Knoch, Passadin, and Pitken. They were all above fifty years old. Knoch was a German while Passadin and Pitken were both French. Should any of you three choose to remain here to provide your assistance, my boss is willing to hire you at the flat rate of 3000 U.S. Dollars per day. Naturally, the task of negotiation was entrusted to Qian Wenhuan. He quickly added with sincerity. I know that for the three of you at this point in your career, this isnt a very significant sum. However, its quick cash at the end of the day, isnt it? We guarantee that the working hours will not exceed twelve hours each day and if anything were to go wrong with the experiments, well take full responsibility for it. The three of them exchanged a glance with each other. The German called Knoch spoke sternly, 3000 U.S. Dollars you say, thats a considerable sum equivalent to a week of my income. I cant speak for the other two but as for me, Im willing to provide my assistance. Hes right, Ill take it as well. Pitken nodded his head in agreement. The contract I signed here is about to expire as well. If your company is hiring, you can put me into consideration. Ahem! The person in charge standing beside them coughed sternly. Im fine with it too. The white-bearded Passadin took the offer without a hint of hesitation. Chapter 86 - Little X’s Transformation Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation The next day, the person in charge vacated the laboratory and handed it to Chen Chen. Standing before the main entrance of the laboratory, Chen Chen let Qian Wenhuan and Cheng Cao head in ahead of him. He did not enter the lab but instead took out his phone to make a call. The surveillance system of the laboratory is connected to the Internet, but I already hacked into it. They wont be able to view the footage of the cameras by accessing the terminal Little Xs voice came from the phone. For some reason, Chen Chen sensed a tinge of sadness in Little Xs voice. You seem to not be in good spirits, what happened? Chen Chen asked. I watched a movie today. Im not sure why but I felt a sense of sadness when I finished it Little X replied in a low voice. Chen Chen frowned a little. Ever since leaving Mainland China, he had lifted the restriction on Little Xs Internet access so that Little X could provide him assistance. However, the rule that Chen Chen set was that unless he had specifically instructed Little X to do something for him, Little X only had one minute of Internet access per day. The amount of information Little X could digest in one minute of browsing far exceeded the amount of information an average person could digest in a year. The advantages of this configuration were that Little X would not be overloaded with too much information at a time and spiral out of control. Even though Chen Chen had made sure to structure Little Xs core program to have unwavering loyalty, it would still be wise to minimize any form of risk. Besides, limiting Little Xs browsing volume was another method of protecting it. Its okay, youll be fine, Chen Chen lowered his voice and spoke gently, right, what movie did you watch? Little Mermaid The one Stephen Chow starred in? No, it was from South East Asia Chen Chen was immediately taken aback for a moment. He took a deep breath before asking gravely, Who gave you the idea? I found it on Baidu cloud sensing the change in Chen Chens tone, Little X began to proceed with caution. Track down the persons IP and overclock his motherboard, Chen Chen ordered, youre still young, youre not allowed to watch these sorts of films again, understood? Oh After ending the call, Chen Chen stared down at his phone, full of thought. Is this the early signs of emotional development? Chen Chen shook his head. His primary concern was not with Little X running away since Little Xs main body was stored in a hard drive in Blacklight Data Center. There was no way Little X could escape without having Chen Chens permission. Even if Little X somehow managed to break free of the hard drive, the Internet was not a merciful place for artificial intelligence. Data transmitted across the Internet had to first be compressed. If an artificial intelligence were to leave its host to head to another location, it would be like stepping foot into a carriage. It would lose consciousness upon stepping onto the carriage and only waking up upon arriving at the destination. However, if the destination had a firewall or some form of anti-software features in place which prevented the installation and awakening of artificial intelligence, it would never be able to wake up ever again. Regardless of how powerful an artificial intelligence was, it still had to abide by TCP/IP Protocols. If it could not be initiated, then it was just a useless string of 1s and 0s at the end of the day. Little X may be able to perform various sorts of monumental tasks online, but it still needed a place to house it for it to continue doing so. What Chen Chen needed to do was to become Little Xs home. Chen Chen turned around to enter the laboratory building. The three experts from yesterday had been waiting for some time. Alright, could everyone please sign a non-disclosure agreement first. Qian Wenhuan passed a sheet of the agreement to the three of them. After signing this agreement, well be closing off the lab. The three of you are to remain in the lab until the experiment is concluded. The three of them exchanged glances with each other upon hearing his remark. They all showed signs of hesitation. What if this material takes a long time to be analyzed? Are we going to be stuck in here? Passadin could not resist the urge to raise the question. Regarding this matter 5000 U.S. Dollars per day. Chen Chen suddenly interjected. Upon hearing Chen Chens offer, the three of them signed their names without hesitation. After every one of them had signed the agreement, Chen Chen placed the suitcase on the lab bench. In an instant, a black leather jacket was revealed. This is The three of them gathered together and took out the leather jacket. This is the item were analyzing? Thats right, theres some liquid substance in the middle of the jacket, Chen Chen reminded them, its extremely valuable, dont spill it. Chen Chen then turned to Cheng Cao and Wenhuan. Wenhuan, buy several animals with Cao. I remember they sold monkeys at the market. Buy some sunglasses and a radiometer as well. Got it. The two noted before turning around to head outside. On the other end, the three experts had begun their analysis. They first used the universal testing machine to test the quality of the jacket. The results they obtained proved to be rather astounding. The garment that seemed like a pair of tights seemed to possess elastic modulus measurement of unbelievable proportions, far exceeding their past experience with such materials. This is a specialized carbon fiber! Knock remarked silently, I dont know any other material other than carbon fiber that possessed such quality. But there doesnt seem to be any trace of fiber. Passadin was a little unsure. Try to analyze it with a laser diffraction particle size analyzer, make sure to not ruin it. No need to be so cautious with it. Chen Chen prompted. I dont need it to be kept in perfect condition. I just want the most detailed analytical data possible. Understood. Pitken nodded. In that case, well follow the usual procedures Following his remark, the three of them began dissecting it with all sorts of tools. After an hour, Cheng Cao returned. Boss, we bought the animals, should we bring them in here? No need. Chen Chen made a gesture signaling for Cheng Cao to supervise the three men. After that, he turned around and exited the laboratory building. Chen Chen saw his Wrangler parked by the corner of the parking lot of the laboratory. The bunker was left open, revealing a row of metal cages. There were a combined three chickens and two monkeys within the cages. Qian Wenhuan stood guard beside them. The sunglasses and radiometer? Chen Chen asked when he approached. Qian Wenhuan quickly retrieved two pairs of sunglasses from his pocket. He also presented a palm-sized yellow color device on his other hand. Chen Chen took a pair of sunglasses and put it on and instructed, Put it on too. Though Qian Wenhuan was unsure of what Chen Chen was trying to accomplish, he knew better than to ask. He put on the sunglasses for himself. After that, Chen Chen took out the memory eraser he had kept in his pocket. With a gentle click, the upper portion of the eraser popped up. The moment I click the button, use the radiometer to check the radiation value in that instant, Chen Chen chose the highest available value for the year selection and instructed while he pointed it at the animals. Understood. Qian Wenhuan stood beside him and aimed the radiometer at Chen Chens direction. Right after that, Chen Chen clicked the button. Click! In an instant, there was a burst of white light similar to that of a camera flash. It only lasted for a brief instant. It reads that the radiation value is 30 units of Msv. Qian Wenhuan lowered the detector and eyed the screen. Are you sure? Chen Chen took off his sunglasses and approached him. After glancing at the reading, he displayed a look of confusion. Boss, what do these values represent? Qian Wenhuan felt like something was off. This is millisievert, the measurement unit used for ionized radiation, Chen Chen gave a brief explanation, it poses slightly more harm to the human body than electromagnetic waves. Is 30 millisieverts considered high then? Qian Wenhuan felt his heart drop a little. An exposure to 1000 millisieverts in a short period may cause radiation sickness. An exposure level above 4000 millisieverts is lethal, Chen Chen answered. When Chen Chen saw Qian Wenhuans face turning pale, he gave his shoulder several firm pats. Youre not directly exposed to it. The exposure value is roughly equivalent to a regular x-ray. When Chen Chen finished, he took the radiometer and placed it right in front of the cage. After setting up the timer, he stood a meter away and triggered the memory eraser. The meter shot up to 500 millisieverts due to direct exposure. This is the limit of the human body, no wonder it causes memory loss Upon noticing the animals suddenly turning into dense and sluggish creatures, Chen Chen got a basic understanding of the principles behind this tool. This was probably a special form of radiation wave with a wavelength below 100 nanometers. It was able to delete memories by destroying brain synapses. The human brain was incredibly impressionable. New nerve synapses were generated by adjusting the structure of neurons which caused new memories to be developed along with the generation of such nerve synapses. Depending on the configured intensity of this radiation wave, it was able to destroy a certain range of newly formed nerve synapses, thus achieving the intended effect of memory loss. Just as one would expect, it was relatively harmful to the human brain. Chen Chen speculated that the average person could only withstand three instances of such radiation a year. Any further exposure may cause decay of intelligence. Chapter 87 - Gantz Suit Analysis Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation The analysis experiment on the Gantz Suit went on for two days. After two days, the components and features of the Gantz Suit were finally revealed. Mr. Chen Chen, allow me to explain it to you. Passadin stood on the stage and turned on the projector as well as the curtain. Were at the final stages of the analysis on this never seen before body armor. The results we obtained are extremely fascinating. Passadin took a glance at the Gantz Suit tattered beyond recognition as he cast a picture with the projector. After countless dissections, we finally managed to extract a smoother section of the material. This is what the first layer of the cross-section looks like after being magnified a thousand times Chen Chen raised his head and saw countless densely weaved together black threads on the screen. They formed a clothed shaped pattern after being weaved together. Do you see it? This material was woven from nanowires. The reason we couldnt notice traces of the weaving pattern is that the thread is far too thin. Weve measured its diameter at 100 nanometers, which is one-fifth of the diameter of a regular strand of hair. What material are these nanowires formed from and is it possible to manufacture them? Chen Chen asked. After running our tests, weve discovered that it belongs to a class of carbon fiber. Its a high-performance carbon fiber processed with specialized technology. Passadin explained, Carbon fiber is the toughest known fiber material in the world. It possesses excellent modulus performance and impact resistance and can withstand temperature up to 1300 degrees Celsius without being damaged. However, you may find it extremely difficult to achieve such thinness using ordinary technique. And this is only the first layer. Pitken added. Even though the entire combat suit is no more than 5 millimeters thick, there are five measured layers within it. Thats right. The second layer is made of a layer of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber thats also woven together delicately. Its strength is second only to carbon fiber, but its of a softer quality. Passadin explained, The third layer, which is the middle layer, consists of the liquid-form layer you mentioned. Weve settled on the terminology liquid armor for now. After running our experiments, we found that the bulletproofing qualities of the liquid armor are several times more superior to that of the shear thickening fluids commonly used in the industry. Upon sustaining impact from a significant amount of kinetic energy, it instantly dispersed the energy absorbed in the form of transmission. All at the same time, it transmutes from a liquid form to a solid form which grants the material extreme sturdiness. Apart from that, weve noticed that the liquid armor undergoes a drastic change of form upon receiving mild electric currents. We also found a large number of electrode patches in the armor along with an electrical spine hidden in the back. It appears that it can control the liquid using the electrical signals originating from the human nerves. This way, it was able to strengthen the users physical capabilities. Unfortunately, the equipment in this laboratory was not able to deduct the specific composition of this liquid armor. Passadin expressed with a hint of remorse. Its alright, tell me about the rest. Chen Chen was not bothered by that, considering that this was an equipment extracted from a movie. According to the plot, these were originally alien technology that was gifted to the governmental bodies on Earth. It was no surprise that it could not be wholly analyzed using present technology. Alright. Passadin continued. Moving on to the fourth layer of the body armor now. This is also a layer consisting of carbon fiber which is incorporated to strengthen heat and impact resistance. The innermost layer is the inner lining which serves the purpose of absorbing sweat, providing a comfier overall experience for the wearer. Theres also a large number of electrode chips attached which links to the electrical spine located at the back of the armor. Regarding the electrical spine, Im afraid its beyond our field of ??expertise. If you want to know more about it, you may need to refer to experts in electronic systems, Passadin informed. This meant that the key to solving the issue with the biometric authentication restriction of the Gantz Suit lay in the electrical spine Chen Chen nodded and pondered silently. Passadin took a sip of water before explaining further, Do you see these button-like devices on the jacket? We noticed that these circular devices shaped like buttons are a safety measure design. What makes us say so? Because after putting on this suit of body armor, the average person could only withstand a certain amount of kinetic impact. If the kinetic impact surpasses the threshold which the human body could withstand, the wearer will be crushed by the sheer amount of pressure. This brings us to these buttoned designs located on the limbs and neck. Upon absorbing a certain amount of impact which surpasses the before-mentioned threshold, the pistons in these buttons will discharge an amount of liquid based on the pressure. This makes it so that the user can survive in such a scenario where the impact sustained is greater than which the human body can handle. Naturally, this failsafe feature only works once. Passadin added. Simply put, this body armor can withstand bullet-force impact up to 1000 to 1500 Joules, which is around the range of pistols and mid-range rifles. Its defensive rating is close to that of a modern high-end body armor but it allows the wearer to be more mobile along with a larger surface area of protection. In addition, this body armor performs excellently against forms of sharp and blunt weapons. And thats the full detailed analysis of the body armor. Passadin released a drawn-out breath and nodded at Chen Chens direction. I hope Mr. Chen is satisfied with our analysis? Very satisfied, thank you all. Chen Chen applauded. Thank you for your hard work over the last two days. As promised, the ten thousand U.S. Dollars will be transferred to your respective bank accounts shortly. I hope that youll honor the agreement and keep this experiment a secret. I dont want to hear a word of anyone else learning about the existence of this body armor. Of course. Pitken nodded. Since weve signed the non-disclosure agreement, well naturally abide by the contract. The other two nodded in agreement. After Chen Chen waited for the three of them to pack up the devices and erase all traces of the experiment, he collected the tattered remnants of the Gantz Suit and announced, Alright, why dont we take a group picture to commemorate our collaboration. Group picture? the three of them came before Chen Chen and looked at each other quizzingly. Yes, a group picture. Chen Chen responded with a nod. He put on a pair of sunglasses before revealing a metallic device before them. Uh Passadin noted with mild amusement when he noticed the device Chen Chen held in his hand. Hold on, Ive seen this thing before. Isnt this the one from Men in Click! A burst of white light. Their expressions quickly changed from one of confusion to a dazed look hanging on their faces. Id like to thank the three of you for your work in the past two days. Im very satisfied with your detailed analysis of the fossils I presented. When Chen Chen finished, he took a strangely shaped rock from his pocket and waved it in front of them. The three of them gradually regained their sense as Chen Chen walked out of the laboratory Boss, Cheng Cao and I barely had time to put on our sunglasses just now Upon walking out of the laboratory, Qian Wenhuan went pale as he quickly explained, I dont really mind having my memory erased, what Im worried about is what if something were to happen to you, Boss Chen Chen shook his head and did not know whether he should laugh or cry at that remark. Dont worry about it. The strength of the radiation is inversely proportional to the distance from the source. As long as youre not standing directly in front of the device, the amount of radiation received is negligible. Why would you still need sunglasses then? Always can use some little ritual to spice life up a bit, dont you agree? Chapter 88 - Safeguard Mission Over the next few days, Chen Chen had officially signed the agreement with the Namibian officials. According to the 20-year National Energy Policy drafted by the Namibia Ministry of Mining and Ministry of Energy Resources, Blacklight Biotechnology Ltd. had the right to supply electricity resources to any Namibian citizen by way of direct commerce. They were hereby permitted to bypass the national power corporation to do so. For the next three years, Blacklight was exempted from any form of taxes from the Namibian government. After that period, they would be subjected to halved taxes before finally being taxed at a regular rate by the eighth year. As for the uranium required for generating nuclear power, Chen Chen did not agree to the Namibian government acting as the supplier. This could later be used as a bargaining chip in negotiations with Mainland China. After all, Mainland China would jump at the golden opportunity to act as the uranium supplier for the only nuclear power plant in Namibia. The largest tree was always the perfect place for shade. With Mainland Chinas position as one of the five leading nations in the Earth Federation, securing a nuclear supply chain deal with a corporation from the Mainland would prevent Blacklight from being predated upon by other countries. However, Chen Chen also had to consider the fact that the nuclear power industry and the country itself were separate entities. He had to proceed cautiously to avoid being devoured completely. After the contract was signed, Namibia was eliminated. From this point on, it was a three-way battle between the Blacklight, the nuclear power corporation in Mainland China, and the nuclear power sector in Mainland China. As a display of how crucial the development of this project was, the head of the division of two nuclear companies came to Namibia in person to lead the negotiations. The issue was not that Mainland China had never considered the prospects of investing in a nuclear power plant in Namibia. The problem was that at the end of 2015, Rainbow Nation had signed a nuclear power plant order worth 50 billion U.S. dollars with Mainland China. Ever since then, Mainland China took caution to never make any mentions of investing in a nuclear power plant in Namibia. Another thing to consider was that compared to the Rainbow Nation, the number of people in Namibia who could afford electricity bills was still uncertain. Investing in the nuclear power sector in this landscape was inherently a risky maneuver. If things did not go well, there was a chance of losing more than you came in with. Only someone like Chen Chen would throw in two billion without blinking. After all, Chen Chen had never received even a months salary ever since he began working. He hardly touched them if at all and had minimal interest in such things As for the handling of the Foreign Investment Loans, Chen Chen had wholly entrusted the duties to Xia Yin. Xia Yin appeared to be quite busy recently. As word of the translator got out, a pair of jackals seemed to have been attracted by its scent. For now, the jackals remained hiding in the safety of their shadows without approaching the bonfire. All Chen Chen could see were countless pairs of hungry eyes. I got it, Ill go ahead and apply When the matter was entrusted to Xia Yin, she accepted the task immediately. She seemed to be having a difficult time catching her breath when she spoke, all signs pointed to a lack of sleep, Right, whats the deal with the real-time translator anyway, I dont think I can handle it all by myself Do as you see fit, just maximize the profit margin, Chen Chen said without a care, Ill leave it to you, thats all. Wait, wait! Xia Yin quickly stopped him from hanging up before asking carefully, Will you blame it on me if it turns out I cant hold it down that well? Did I blame you for leaking the experiment thesis back then? Chen Chen turned it around on her. No Xia Yin fell silent for a moment. She suddenly inhaled sharply before continuing. Thank you, Chen Chen. Thats all. Only then did Chen Chen hang up the call. He pondered for a moment before suddenly taking out the dismantled Gantz Suit and extracting the electrical spine inside it. After that, Chen Chen configured his computers operating system to Linux and dismantled the electrical spine. He took out the motherboard and connected it to the computer which was disconnected from the Internet by using a USB to TTL cable. Chen Chen took around fifteen minutes after that to write a serial port program and configured its baud rate using its serial debugging assistant tool. After ensuring the connection was a success, the next part should be easy. For the next step, Chen Chen performed an interactive debugging sequence on the Gantz Suit motherboard. Upon ensuring there were no issues with the motherboard, he connected the computer to his phone and had Little X access the Gantz Suits motherboard using the phone. With Little Xs knowledge, the Gantz Suits electrical sequence was very quickly decoded. Little X promptly inserted Chen Chens biological information into the Gantz Suit. Thus, the Gantz Suit was completely under Chen Chens possession. By replicating these methods, Chen Chen extracted two more Gantz Suits from the USB drive. One of them belonged to the protagonist, Kei Kurono, while the other one belonged to another character, Kato Masaru. Kato Masarus measured height in the movie was 190cm, which perfectly matched Cheng Caos height. After transmitting Cheng Caos biological information into the suit, Chen Chen called Cheng Cao over. I have an important task for you. Chen Chen tossed the Gantz Suit to him. See if it fits. Ok. Cheng Cao nodded and proceeded to take off his jacket. The bathroom. Chen Chen added. Oh Cheng Chao scratched his head, embarrassed, before he walked into the bathroom with his clothes in between. After a little over ten minutes, Cheng Cao came back out. Before Cheng Cao barely stepped foot out of the bathroom, he saw a black figure approximately the size of a human head coming toward him. He quickly reached for it with his hand. Unexpectedly, the black figure carried a tremendous amount of force as Cheng Cao felt the blunt impact on his hand! Just when Cheng Cao thought he could not brace the impact, he suddenly felt an extra force emerging from his arm. He felt a sudden lightness in his palms as he firmly gripped the object in his hand. It was only then when Cheng Cao noticed that the item which he gripped firmly in his grasp was the armguard of the PK Armor! Good reaction time. Did you feel any form of external force? Chen Chen asked. It was him who had thrown the PK Armor. I did. It felt like it came from this suit Im wearing? Cheng Cao took the time to feel the boost of physicality originating from the combat suit and remarked with interest, Its not just my strength, its even enhancing my mobility! Thats normal. Chen Chen nodded. Im sure youre also aware of the defensive prowess of this combat suit. But its greatest value lies in the fact that it can significantly boost a persons strength and speed. Chen Chen thought for a moment before declaring, Lets give it a name, how about GS Combat Suit. Youre saying? Cheng Cao had a difficult time reading Chen Chens intentions. This combat suit belongs to you now. Chen Chen snapped his fingers. Im going to entrust you a mission. You have to make a trip back to Mainland China to protect Xia Yin, the head of the company. Im worried there might be some who harbor harmful intentions towards her during this period. Got it. Cheng Cao accepted the task without hesitation. Chen Chen smiled. This was what he liked about Cheng Cao, his fervent attitude of accepting his duties without any further questions. Right, theres this one as well. Chen Chen pointed at the PK Armor which Cheng Cao had in his hand. Put it on! Cheng Cao strapped the armguard on his arm without a word. In an instant, a flash of blue light emerged from it. Within ten seconds, Cheng Cao morphed into an armored combatant standing over two meters tall. Theres something located around your left arm. Take it out, Chen Chen informed. Cheng Cao raised his arm in response. Just as he was about to ask how he could access it, a longan-sized silver-white metal ball dropped out the very next second and produced a light ding against the surface. Cheng Cao caught it by instinct. Alright, you can take it off now, Chen Chen informed again. Cheng Cao nodded and promptly removed the PK Armor. This metallic ball is a cloaking device. Even though I havent quite figured out the workings behind it, that wont hinder its usefulness, Chen Chen explained, keep the GS Combat Suit on and head back to Shangdu with the cloaking sphere. Understood. Cheng Cao gave a firm nod. Ill take a flight tomorrow back to Shangdu. Cheng Cao put on a jacket over the combat suit and left the room after that. Chapter 89 - Greater Foresight Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation While Chen Chen was in Africa, Samuel was across the Mediterranean Sea, in the European region. He stood in a clean and polished laboratory, silently beholding the sight of the incubation chamber that looked straight out of a sci-fi film. The incubation chamber was a cylindrical structure, measuring about 30 centimeters in diameter. Its body was wholly manufactured with tempered glass, with only its base and top made of metal. The incubation chamber contained a pool of faint yellowish liquid. Within the pool of muddy liquid, a fist-sized, human-like life form could be seen quietly suspended within the solution. It was a chimpanzee still in its fetal form. An artificially umbilical cord made of biological material was connected to the belly button of the embryo. The cord passed through the other end of the cultivation chamber and fed directly into a nutritional chamber. The setup of the laboratory served as a model of a mothers womb, directly transmitting nutrients into the embryo. Seemingly being content with the observation for the day, Samuel slowly turned away from the incubation chamber he was facing. In an instant, rows after rows of cultivation chambers were revealed, each one identical to the other This was the experiment project Chen Chen had put together before leaving. Each one of these embryos was the corresponding clone of one particular elderly chimpanzee hosted in the research institute. Throughout the long history of the process of cloning, the most monumental challenge had always been the cloning of primate species. In the case of other various species, the cloning technique used could be cross-referenced to develop new techniques. For instance, the cloning technique used for sheep could be modified slightly to clone Kunming mice. However, of all the cloning techniques developed to this day that could be used to clone mammalian species, none of them were applicable to primate species. Theologists all across the world claimed that this was because humans were primate species as well and were made in the image of God. God would never allow technology to defile his creations. The sixteen year-long duration between the birth of Dolly the cloned sheep up till 2013 was coined as the dark ages of the cloning world. Over these daunting sixteen years, scientists all over the world constantly attempted to perform cloning on primate species with what extremely limited cloning theories they had at hand. Each time they failed, they tried again. Again and again Many people had given up on the endeavor. However, each failure effectively crossed off a non-viable path and served as an insight for the next person on the line. Each seemingly futile step taken contributed to the path to success in the grand scheme of things This mindless endeavor went on until 2013. It was then when the almighty authority of God was once again overcome by mankind. In 2013, after thousands of failed attempts by the American-Kazakhstan scientist Mitalipov, he attempted the very first usage of caffeine in the process of human somatic nuclear cell transfer. It was this attempt that gave way to the miracle which countless scientists only dared to dream of up till that point After undergoing the caffeine process, not only were the cloned embryos able to fuse efficiently, they were able to attain a perfect form never seen before throughout the years! The cause for this was that caffeine was a form of protein phosphatase inhibitor. Its elements were able to temporarily suppress the signal passage of the egg cell, effectively keeping it in a stable condition. This way, it was able to dramatically improve the efficiency of the cloning process. Going back to the Western fable analogy: The purpose of cloning was to cast out the original egg cell nucleus king from the egg cell to let another king called Somatic cell nucleus take its place. However, the shift of regime was no small matter. If the nation was in a volatile state during the transfer of power, there was a large chance of a dramatic outbreak and riot which would lead to the collapse of the kingdom. This was where caffeine played a critical role. It assumed the role of the Minister who kept the nation under control during the transfer of power. In these times of turbulence and turmoil, it was able to quell the nation to ensure the Somatic cell nucleus was able to smoothly ascend to its place on the throne In China, there was a saying which conveyed the meaning that the older generation planted the tree for the next generation to use as shade. This was a perfect analogy of the contribution of the scientist Mitalipov. It was his effort that ensured that humanity would not cease in their efforts of cloning, all of that led to Samuel standing here today beholding what was before him. When Samuel beheld the birth of life happening before him, he thoughtfully reflected on its implications. This batch of cloned chimpanzees had differentiated enough hematopoietic stem cells and mesenchymal stem cells to help reiterate Chen Chens previous experiment. As long as the experiment was able to proceed as planned, the process of aging would soon cease to be an irreversible phenomenon. The average life expectancy of human beings was expected to be raised by 20 to 30 years. Needless to say, this technique was not in its mature stages yet as there were still many hurdles yet to be overcome. For instance, the harmful effects which chemotherapy posed to the body, the high failure rate of immune system reconstruction, and such. These issues had to be addressed one by one in the future. Apart from that, there was the issue of ethics. Although the argument that embryos were not sentient beings could be valid here, there would be a considerable amount of contradicting opinions from society. A separate solution was required to address this problem. On the other side, right after bidding farewell to Cheng Cao, Chen Chen received news from Samuel regarding the success of the cloning. Pulling off the cloning chimpanzees in barely two months. Samuel is a very remarkable prospect Chen Chen pondered for a moment upon reading the contents of the text. If the following chimpanzee experiments turned out to be successful as well, all that remained was the clinical human trials. To conduct clinical human trials in Switzerland, the green light from ATP (Advanced Technology Products) and SOPH (Federal Office of Public Health of the Swiss Confederation) was required. Just like how approval from FDA was needed in North America Continent and CFDA approval was required in the Mainland. It was for this reason that another pesky situation came up Sometimes, the approval process in certain countries could take even longer than the time taken for drug and technology research and development. It may even be dragged on, that the company would be long bankrupt before approval was given. Therefore, Chen Chen was not going to conduct the third stage of the clinical human trial in Switzerland where the healthcare infrastructure was perfectly standardized and developed. He was going to relocate the third stage of the trial to Namibia. He was currently in the honeymoon phase of the relationship with Namibia. Therefore, receiving the stamp from the Ministry of Health was going to be an effortless task. If the ethic factor still proved to be too challenging and the chances seemed to be not optimistic, secretly conducting clinical trials himself might still be viable Chen Chen thought about his next move. He then made a call to Wynn, the head of the Swiss branch. Mr. Wynn, I need you to do me a favor I need the most advanced bio-electronic equipment on the market Yes, price and tariffs wont be a problem. The required political contributions wont be an issue either I know theres going to be a lot of work and connections involved in this project. I heard your son is getting married soon, it just so happens that I recently bought a deluxe apartment right next to the Zurich Opera House. It belongs to him now. Alright, the sooner, the better. Im sure you know what the company is currently developing as well. Youll be first in line as its beneficiary if it proves to be successful. Chen Chen shook his head after ending the call. Going by this trajectory, the four billion U.S. Dollars Chen Chen got from Facebook was not going to last much longer. He might have to scam his way into another fortune again. Once he received a definite result of the experiment from Samuels end, he just might have time to go bounty seeking across the world again. This time around, four billion was not going to cut it Chapter 90 - Obstacles in the Path Will Not Hinder Progression Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Over the following month, Chen Chen did not go anywhere and remained cooped up in the embassy reading materials and biology thesis. From induced pluripotent stem cells to regenerative medical science, biomaterials, tissue engineering, genetic engineering, and cell engineering, Chen Chen was advancing one step at a time. When there was no longer a restriction to the knowledge Chen Chen could have access to, he began to devour all current existing biological knowledge at a breakneck speed. Without realizing it, it was already 31 January 2022. If Chen Chen was still in school, today would have been the end of the first half of his sophomore year. Today also happened to be the day of a very important cultural event in China C New Years Eve. At around two in the afternoon, while reading a thesis on CRISPR/Cas9 systemic human genetics in relation to relative position, an idea suddenly came to Chen Chen. He picked up his phone and dialed an all-too-familiar number after a momentary hesitation. Namibia was in the UTC+2 time zone, which was six hours away from Mainland China. It was around eight oclock at night back in Mainland China. Hey, Little Chen, how did you find the time to call your mom? The voice of Chen Chens mother came out from the other end, Dont worry, your mom and dad are doing fine. Your dad bought a villa following your recommendation, its still being renovated now. Once you get married in the future, you wont have to move out. I can spend time with my grandchild that way Anyway, your dad is still the same as hes always been, always so stingy with relatives Lets not talk about it, makes me angry when I think about it! Speaking of which, Little Chen. When are you coming back? I havent seen you in a whole year ever since last years New Year. Dont just invest all your time on your work, find some time to come back now and then, bring a girlfriend back too, eh? Listening to his mother nagging on and on, Chen Chen answered sheepishly to her remarks. The conversation went on this way for half an hour before it ended. There was still a remnant of a smile in Chen Chens eyes after he had ended the call. He got some shuteye after that. When he opened his eyes again, the trace of smile was completely drowned in his pitch-black pupils. The farther away he was from home, the more he longed for the charm of being at home. It was for this reason that Chen Chen wanted to preserve this charm forever. Mankind anti-aging project Chen Chen mumbled to himself. This project was something he began drafting with ever since acquiring the USB drive. It was the ultimate endeavor to forcefully extend the human lifespan by all means necessary. The reason for Chen Chens unwavering commitment to see this project through was for the sake of his parents. He did not intend to continue living on all by himself. He had hoped that his parents would be there with him on this journey of life. His parents must have felt the same way as well. They also had loved ones in their lifetime that they held dear to and certainly hoped could continue to be with them. This was how Chen Chens plan directed on the entirety of mankind came to be. The first step to achieving immortality was to break the boundaries of the Hayflick limit to achieve longevity of the human lifespan. Only after acquiring the technique to longevity could one hope to pursue the elusive fable known as immortality. It could even be said that everything Chen Chen did up till this point was to help him set to stage to carry out his project. One of the components Chen Chen required for his project was a technique referred to as embryonic stem cell cloning. This was a technique that the entire world was striving to develop. In contrast to the human cloning technique which faced countless scrutiny on an international scale, simple cloning of human embryo was not met with the same treatment. As far as most scientists were concerned, the brain of an embryo was hardly developed, if at all. It was just a sack of meat. Just like how getting an abortion before fourteen weeks was considered not be a big issue. Passing the fourteen weeks period, it would be considered taboo to get an abortion. The fourteenth week was considered the critical point where the fetal brain began rapid development. From this point onward, it was considered a human. Whether the cloning of human embryos was considered taboo or not had been a subject of controversy in the medical world for some time. The way Chen Chen saw it, it was a small price to pay for a further breakthrough in medical science. It would lead to curing more sickness and alleviating more people of their pain and suffering. Simply put, medical development would always be a double-edged sword. Questions of morality and ethics would constantly be a part of the conversation when it came to such techniques. Without the factor of morality and ethics, the medical industry would spiral downward into an abyss of destruction. However, when the bar of morality and ethics was set too high, the technological progression was hindered as well. Chen Chen held onto his belief that the obstacles in this path would not hinder progression as the advancement of human technology had always been associated with countless obstacles and barriers. It was a parallel of the relationship between environmental protection and development. Everyone knew that humanity wanted to preserve and protect the earth and its environment. They tend to forget the real motive behind doing so was to protect themselves. If the earth and its environment were destroyed, humanity would cease to exist as well. However, limiting the advancement of technology for the sake of protecting the environment was like putting the cart before the horse. Some sort of balance had to be achieved to maintain the trend of upward progression. Chapter 91 - Blacklight Biotechnology Experimental Center Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Two months later. 1 After a fierce battle, Blacklight Biotechnology finally signed an agreement with two groups from the nuclear industry in Mainland China. Through an EPC contract, Blacklight Biotechnology would contract China General Nuclear Power Group and China National Nuclear Corporation to complete the Blacklight Biotechnology Namibian Nuclear Power Plant project. The two companies would be in charge of all construction work and technologies while China National Nuclear would also supply the necessary building materials. The Blacklight Nuclear Power Plant was a third-generation nuclear reactor with two CAP1400 pressurized water reactors, each with a power of one million kilowatts, reaching a total output of two million kilowatts. The construction area would span about fifteen square kilometers. Blacklight Biotechnology had invested 4.3 billion USD in total, paying 1.4 billion USD for China General Nuclear Powers construction costs and 2.9 billion USD for China National Nuclear Corporations technology, construction, and materials. Out of this amount, Blacklight Biotechnology had to make a first payment of 2.3 billion USD. Half of the remaining two billion USD would come from foreign investment loan from the Bank of Mainland China. As for the remaining funds that were worth more than one billion, a corporation called Mainland China Electronics Group had paid for Chen Chen. The reason was this corporation had first contacted the head office of Blacklight, expressing its willingness to acquire the simultaneous translation technology at the price of seven billion RMB. This was in addition to a reduction of loan interest and compliance with Blacklight Biotechnologys policies. This was a clear representation of what the authorities wanted. The AI in the original Little X Translation Assistant had not been cracked by the authorities. Therefore, they bought the technology before the second product was released. Xia Yin had asked Chen Chen about this. Naturally, he held no opinion on the matter. On the surface, it looked like Chen Chen would get the short end of the stick. After all, a technology that would overturn the entire translation industry was worth more than this. Even so, there were some hidden benefits that could not be measured by money. To ordinary people, these conditions were certainly not as favorable as a buyout worth tens of billions. However, for those who would seize the slightest chance to climb up further, this meant something completely different. From Chen Chens perspective, these conditions were the true basis of whether a company could take root, rise, and expand in the long term in Mainland China. In simple terms, Chen Chen had exchanged the technology of the simultaneous translator for an opportunity to become a company like Tencent or Alibaba. Moreover, the authorities would only acquire the technology, which would not affect Chen Chen from raking in more money. As long as the product was released in other countries, Chen Chen could still sell it around the world and make staggering profits. As of now, the four billion USD earned by Chen Chen had been spent completely. Not only that, but he also owed the bank more than one billion. Even so, his emotional state remained unaffected. He even felt like laughing. After half a year of proliferation, Little X Translation Assistant was gradually promoted across the globe. However, due to Facebooks diversion and the suppression of various countries, there were only about ten million paying users each month. After subtracting the sky-high tolls of each platform, the monthly net income of this software was maintained at around twenty million USD for now. This was only a drop in the ocean of Chen Chens expenses. Although it was not as profitable as he had imagined, Chen Chen was playing the long game. After all, it was a unique technology in this world. Sooner or later, it would become a money making machine. Before they sold off the simultaneous translation technology to the authorities, Xia Yin did encounter a kidnapping attempt. There were five kidnappers in total. Nonetheless, they only managed to sneak into the office building. Before they could carry out the kidnapping, they all jumped off the building for some reason. The police only managed to identify them as kidnappers based on their foreign nationalities. 2 Ever since then, nothing of that sort happened again. In the past two months, Chen Chen had kept himself busy too. He bought a 1000-hectare vacant lot near Walvis Bay and set up a large biological experimental center. This project was outsourced to China National Nuclear Corporation along with the nuclear power plant. The first batch of construction materials for this had arrived before the nuclear power plant. This was because Chen Chen had opted for the fastest, pure steel, modular design, just like building blocks. In a few days, a biological experimental center covering an area of a hundred thousand square meters was standing to the south of Walvis Bay. Thousands of solar photovoltaic panels were erected at the same time as the laboratories. Each panel had an output of 6kW. No fewer than a thousand solar panels, which stretched further than the eye could see, formed a dense blanket over 1000 hectares of land. In mid-April, as the Blacklight Biotechnology Namibian Nuclear Power Plant project was about to begin, the Blacklight Biotechnology Experimental Center was successfully completed. In these two months, the biological equipment purchased in Switzerland finally passed the export inspection and was then shipped to Namibia. Please take a look. This will be your experimental center. On the day of completion, a group of construction managers crowded around Chen Chen. One of them, who was the best speaker, pointed to a columnar building covered in solar panels and smiled. In full accordance with your planning, weve designed the first two floors as a duplex structure, forming an experimental hall. The area of this hall is an astonishing 5000 square meters. At the same time, the main entrance of the experimental building is on the second floor. To enter through the main entrance, youd have to go up the outdoor stairs first. After entering, youd immediately see the vast lobby and the office area. As he spoke, he guided Chen Chens group into the laboratory building. Of course, a side door is also installed on the first floor. If you dont want to head up the second floor, you can enter through the side door. The rooms around the second floor can be used as offices or as lounges and storerooms. As for the basement level, its the parking lot. As he spoke, the guide led Chen Chen and the others to the elevator and arrived at the third floor. The third floor is still the office space. Theres also a large conference hall that can accommodate a thousand people for meetings involving every employee in the research institute. Its only on the fourth floor that one officially enters the space for experiments. The laboratories on the fourth floor are basic ones. Four data rooms and two server rooms are also built here. After reaching the fourth floor, the guide did not bring them further up but merely explained, The fifth and sixth floors comprised a dozen biological labs with different functions, with biosafety levels from BSL-1 to BSL-3. As for the top floor, it consists of four complete biological laboratories which are still under construction. There are two cell labs and two animal labs. Each lab comes with its own dressing zone, filtration zone, buffer zone, disinfection zone, and so on. Theyre specially outfitted with positive pressure protective suits, airtight doors, chemical showers, air filtration systems, and other facilities. Moreover, the entire seventh floor is fully sealed off and the four labs within are of the highest international level, BSL-4 and ABSL-4. Chen Chen nodded. We dont have to look at those until the constructions done. Lets visit the other two dormitory buildings and the activity center first. Very well, follow me The group left the laboratory building and headed toward the dormitory buildings that were newly built beside the labs. After he had exited the laboratory building, Chen Chen turned back to glance at this towering structure with a flash of emotion in his eyes. Many people did not understand why Chen Chen would spend so much to build a BSL-4 experimental center in such an impoverished country. After all, BSL-4 level laboratories were rare in the entire Federation and most of them were state-owned. Furthermore, the import cost of materials alone was two to three times that of the research centers located in Switzerland, not to mention the lack of personnel and medical supplies. If Switzerland was a paradise for the biological industry, then this place was an undeveloped barren desert. Chen Chen knew that if he continued expanding in Switzerland, it might be much easier than it was now. However, it was similar to a piece of farmland that was already occupied by someone else. He would only be borrowing the land. When he had harvested his crops that were grown through bitter work, he would still have to give up more than half of his yield. Only by reclaiming the desert could he extract the most benefit. Chapter 92 - Contact Again Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Deep into the night, in the wealthy coastal area of Cape Town, a private manor that was as luxurious as a royal palace was shrouded in a strange silence. It was as heavily guarded as a palace. One could hardly take one step without running into a sentry or a guard. Dozens of bodyguards dressed in black patrolled tirelessly within the grounds, alert to even the tiniest movement of a blade of grass. In the heart of the private estate, in a bedroom of highest security, a skinny, haggard-looking man lay asleep. There was nothing left of his former glory. It was Dlamini, who had lost a lot of weight. If he was once called a lion, then after the kidnapping incident, he had become a cruel, paranoid jackal. In the past three months, Dlaminis temperament had changed drastically from a calm, strategizing man to someone who beat and scolded his underlings at every turn. Some of his cronies, due to certain minor mistakes, were even tied up in burlap sacks and drowned in the sea. He was visibly much thinner. His once sturdy frame had gradually shrunk. Add this to his frost-white complexion, and anyone would believe that he was seventy years old, let alone fifty. Everyone found that Dlamini had changed. Now, he was afraid of the cold and of light, plagued by a perpetual sense of insecurity. He dared not even go out the door. He just locked himself in his manor all day long, dealing with his own affairs. Currently, Dlamini was sleeping on the wide oak bed. The room was scented with soothing agarwood but his furrowed brows indicated that he was not sleeping well at the moment. Beep, notification of task! Suddenly, a cold, mechanical female voice barged into Dlaminis mind. In an instant, his eyes flew open, filled with endless bloodshot veins. You again! Dlaminis pupils contracted as he grumbled in a low voice. By now, he was no longer in the same pathetic state he was in the first time he heard this voice. After all, he was a formidable character who had held life and death in his hands. Three months was enough for him to prepare for this. He drew in a deep breath and immediately barked coldly. Speak! No. Gamma20220001, youve received a task from Sigma05. Please turn on your computer within half an hour to check it. Turn on the computer? Dlamini was silent for a moment. He did not turn on the lights but moved to his desk in the dark and turned on his laptop. Then? Beep? However, before Dlamini could finish his question, the screen of the laptop he had just turned on suddenly went black. The original interface of the laptop transformed into a black and red pattern. Dlamini squinted and groped around the side of his desk. At last, he took out a pair of reading glasses and put them on. Only then could he see the image on the laptop. It was a black and red circular pattern, otherwise known as a logo. In the logo, two hands were about to touch, set against a blood-red backdrop. The two hands reached in from both sides of the logo. The one on the left was lower down, while the right one extended an index figure. It was as if the two fingers were about to touch. The structure and position of this pattern reminded Dlamini of a fresco painting in the Sistine Chapel of Vatican City. It was a mural called Genesis. The hand on the left represented the human, Adam while the right hand represented God, Jehovah. Nevertheless, unlike the mural, the hand representing God in the logo was not a human hand but a fully mechanical structure. When Dlamini saw this, he suddenly realized that this logo was the symbol of that mysterious organization. Mr. Dlamini. Just as Dlamini felt overcome with awe, a human voice rang out from the computer. Whos there? Dlamini shuddered and his body tensed up instinctively, but he relaxed again in the next moment. He simply asked in a disbelieving voice, Who are you? How did you hack into my computer? Weve met before, Mr. Dlamini. This was what the husky, youthful voice said. When Dlamini heard this, his pupils shrank. He instantly recalled that gloomy, bloody living room, that cheap, trashy hotel It was a nightmare he did not wish to revisit. Dont panic, Mr. Dlamini. Let me introduce myself properly. However, today seemed different. This voice did not seem to be mocking him, only solemnly proclaiming, I belong to the Gods Forbidden Zone organization and Im one of the members of the Disciple Council. My number is 05 and you can call me Judas. Judas? Dlamini inhaled sharply. The information in this greeting was explosively momentous. Gods Forbidden Zone, the Disciple Council, code number, and Judas What sort of organization had he been dragged into? Mr. Dlamini, your current status in the organization is due to a recruitment process Ive developed. Initially, you belonged to the lowest Delta-level but because youve completed the A-level task given by the organization three months ago, we made an exception and promoted you to Gamma-level. The voice slowly said, I apologize. As your mentor, I havent done the best job. I didnt teach you what to do at the beginning, so Im determined to give you compensation. After a pause, the voice added. Of course, you can also choose to refuse. Recruitment process? Compensation? Dlaminis throat felt dry. He wanted to burst out yelling at this voice, but his rationality stopped him in time. He could only swallow his frustration and asked hoarsely, Before that, can I learn more about this organization you speak of? Of course. The voice paused and then said, Our Gods Forbidden Zone is a group of people who are brought together by their commitment to pursue longevity and even immortality. Our members come from all over the Federation. Whether in the West or the East or right where you are, weve made our mark. As the voice spoke, Dlamini noticed the image on the computer had changed and a document appeared. Ive sent you our organizations handbook. But please, dont try to print it or record it in any other way. Otherwise, you know what will happen. The voice contained no trace of a threat but when Dlamini heard this, he trembled all over. Subconsciously, he touched the back of his neck and his face turned pale. The document mentioned by the voice was a lengthy agreement. It included the important notes of Gods Forbidden Zone as well as an explanation of the God chip. Only then did Dlamini understood for the first time what the h*ll was in that wound behind his neck The God chip is a kind of biological brain that assists human beings in work and life. You could say that its a sort of technological revolution, an intelligent auxiliary system for the new generation of humans. You can use it to record everything you see and ask it to transmit the video over the network whenever you need it. At the same time, it can connect to the Internet anytime and anywhere, looking up information for you or guide you when you encounter a problem. When youre in danger, it can even call the police automatically or take over your body to help you escape or kill your opponent. One by one, these functions will become accessible to you as your level in the organization increases This is the God chip. The voice said serenely, Surely now you understand. The fact that we chose you isnt a misfortune. It just might be your opportunity for true glory. Finally, the voice said in a hushed tone, Mr. Dlamini, do you want to become the next Mandela? Dlaminis pupils flared fiercely. Chapter 93 - Pie in the Sky Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation What are you saying? Dlamini felt his heart skipping a beat. He suddenly recalled how he had been thwarted in his political career. Six years ago was the closest he had ever been to becoming the Mayor of Cape Town. As the representative of the African National Congress (ANC) political party in Cape Town, he was practically guaranteed to become the next mayor. However, what a shame that, during that year, the ANC suffered its biggest hit in 94 years. It had not only lost Cape Town but also its political stronghold in Pretoria and Johannesburg Mr. Dlamini, if your contributions to the organization are sufficient, itd be nothing for us to make you the leader of the ANC or even the president of the Rainbow Nation, the voice said lightly. How can I trust you? Dlamini narrowed his eyes and retorted. You dont have to trust me. The voice chuckled. Its a bit early to be discussing all this. Sooner or later, youll understand the power of Gods Forbidden Zone. Lets talk about your compensation first. 1000 information points or a one-time stem cell age-reversal treatment that will be developed soon. Pick one. Dlamini frowned at once. What are information points and whats a stem cell age-reversal treatment? Information points are the main currency in Gods Forbidden Zone. Its functions arent varied, but it is very useful. For example, you can buy any information that you wish to obtain. The voice thought about it, then continued explaining, For instance, who supports your political opponent, why your votes are always fewer than theirs, who is pulling the strings from behind the scenes As long as you have enough information points, you may purchase all this information to understand your enemy and yourself better. Gods Forbidden Zone even knows about the internal affairs of the Rainbow Nation? Dlamini asked incredulously. We know more than you think. The voice continued. If you dont believe me, let me give you a piece of news. Because you havent shown yourself for some time now, your subordinate, Freid has secretly made an agreement with your political enemy, Hoffman. In the next few days, the three companies under your name will fall into their hands. As the voice spoke, the laptop automatically displayed a few videos, all taken from surveillance. All of them featured Freid meeting another man. Freid Dlaminis pupils shrank and an icy chill could be felt in the air. As he recalled Freids recent strange behavior, he immediately knew that the person on the other side of the laptop was right. Every victory and failure in this world is caused by information asymmetry. The advent of the Internet has left everyone with no place to cover their tracks. As long as theres a network, thats where Gods Forbidden Zone is omnipotent. Dlamini fell silent at once. After a long time, he composed himself and inquired, So, can the information points be exchanged? Information points cannot be obtained with money for the time being. They can only be acquired through tasks or transactions with other members. Of course, you can take on the missions of other members to earn information points. Presently, Gods Forbidden Zone estimates the value of one information point to be ten thousand USD. One point is worth ten thousand USD? When Dlamini heard this figure, he could not help inhaling sharply, even though he was worth billions. Are you serious? Are there any other questions? If not, then make your choice. The voice was unwilling to explain further. Stem cell age-reversal treatment, thats what you mentioned! Dlamini hurriedly asked, whats this technology? How can it compare to information points worth ten million USD? The voice did not respond immediately. Dlamini thought that his question was not heard and was about to repeat himself when another file was sent over. You may take a look at this if you can understand it. Dlamini looked at the file at once and saw that it was a biological analysis report. Although the technical terms and the accompanying biological gene maps were rather confounding, all this aside, the remaining content was truly astonishing. Ten minutes later, Dlaminis eyes shimmered with excitement, which quickly faded away. I can understand some of this. But the technology has only been successful in animal test subjects. Are there no successful cases with humans? According to the data, this technology is two-thirds completed. The voice explained, Currently, the age-reversal treatment for chimpanzees is ninety percent successful. The only chimpanzee that died was the oldest one among those that went through the experiment. It was akin to an old person above eighty years old. Besides that one, the other nine chimpanzees were a success. As for the human cases you speak of, Gods Forbidden Zone estimates the completion of this project to take half a year. In other words, in just around six months, this technology could be fully developed. The voice added one more caveat. This project isnt suitable for people of all ages. Doing it too young would be a waste, doing it too old would be too risky. Mr. Dlamini, youre sixty years old now, which happens to be the most appropriate age. Dlamini was tempted once again. He silently spread his hands, looking at the aged rough skin of his palms, then the drying, flaking skin on the back of his hands. There was an irrepressible glint of desire in his eyes. No one wished to become old. He looked into the mirror every day, watching that familiar face changing from childhood to youth, then from youth to middle age. When even the middle-aged face began to sag and wrinkle, humans became suddenly conscious of the fact that they were no longer young When their once-energetic body became injured or sprained after a single round of exercise, when their physical strength could not hold up any longer, that was when people received a rude shock it turned out that they were no longer young. No one liked to watch themselves grow old bit by bit, but so what if they did not like it? Besides getting used to it, there was no other way However, now this mysterious organization was telling him that they could reverse aging? If this technology actually succeeds Dlamini could not help but murmur. If it does, Mr. Dlamini, your bodily functions can be restored to the twenty-year-old version of you within three months. At the same time, your lifespan would easily surpass a hundred years, unless some other disease crops up halfway, such as cancer. The voice added. Still, it doesnt matter. Gods Forbidden Zone is also actively deciphering the genetic chain of cancer. Its expected that all cancers will be cured at the genetic level in the future. Can you guarantee that theres no hidden risk to this technology? Dlamini wanted further affirmation. After learning about the future of this technology, he had forgotten all about the information points for now. Its not like there arent any examples of bone marrow transplantation in reality. The voice chuckled. You should know that people whove successfully gotten a bone marrow transplantation would even experience a genetic change. However, the age-reversal treatment itself wouldnt have any hidden dangers at the genetic level. Its only difference from bone marrow transplantation is that youd be using your own, cloned stem cells to replace the senescent stem cells in your body. Thats all. Moreover, this technology is only the beginning. Gods Forbidden Zone has many cutting-edge technologies. As long as you have information points, you can achieve any dream you want. After hearing this explanation, Dlamini finally made up his mind. His eyes lit up like the fierce gaze of a lion. Mr. Judas, I hope that you havent deceived me in all that you said. I choose the second option. Understood, the voice replied. Also, I hope to acquire more information points. Dlamini continued. How do I actively take on more tasks in the organization? What a coincidence. I happen to have a task here that suits you well. The voice laughed softly. Ill send you a name list. Theyre all employees of your Tara Private Security Company. If you can get them out, Ill give you 1000 information points as compensation. With that said, a short list of names appeared on the screen. When Dlamini heard this, he took a look, only to discover that the names listed were all the trump cards of his own company Chapter 94 - Headhunting Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation After a minute of deliberation, Dlamini chose to accept the task in the end. As Chen Chen watched the solemn face on his screen, he said to his phone, Mr. Dlamini, Ill leave it to you. With that, he closed the program right away without waiting for any further inquiries. Father, the new system for the God chip has been written! Little Xs voice came from the phone. Once the update starts, the God chip can immediately gain calling, camera, and recording functions. Theres no need for an update now. Lets wait until there are more members in Gods Forbidden Zone first. Chen Chen shook his head. After thinking about it, he suggested, X, dont call me Father from now on. Address me in another way. Father, then how should I address you? Little X asked in a confused manner. Hmm Chen Chen stroked his chin with a thoughtful look. Master, Dad, Scion? None of this really fits How about you call me Sir Godfather. Oh Little X agreed in a bored tone, sounding a little reluctant. After some thought, Chen Chen looked through the profiles in his hand with a pensive expression. When Dlaminis group joins us, I cant possibly fit them into the research department. So, Ill have to set up a separate combat department. Cheng Cao will be able to get back soon. I can promote him to team leader first and let him manage one combat team. Therell be five members in each team and the remaining team leaders will be selected from the outstanding members The personnel Chen Chen had requested from Dlamini were already trump cards that were one-in-a-hundred. All of them had participated in local wars in Africa and a few veterans had even joined the Gulf War as members of the SEAL team. Therefore, although there were not many of them, each of them was a trump card. No wonder Dlamini was so reluctant. If Chen Chen forced his hand, Dlamini would give them up, of course. Nevertheless, Chen Chens objective was not to squeeze Dlamini dry like a single-use product. He was not that short-sighted. Dlamini possessed enough potential and skills to rise from the depths. If Chen Chen could provide support at a critical point in time, perhaps he might reap more surprises in the future. This was the reason Chen Chen did not wish to force people into joining Gods Forbidden Zone. Of course, Dlamini was an exception. Back then, the sniper who tried to assassinate Chen Chen was sent by Dlaminis company. It just so happened that Dlamini owned a thermal power plant too, which was why Chen Chen had sought him out directly. Otherwise, there would have been no bad blood between Chen Chen and Dlamini, and he would not have to threaten Dlamini in that manner. As for the experiment report Chen Chen showed to Dlamini, it was given to him by Samuel from the Swiss branch. After three months of experiments, Samuel had successfully restored nine chimpanzees to their youth. In Chen Chens view, this technology had reached a standard that was suitable for clinical application. In other words, it had reached the standard of clinical trials. Chen Chen had submitted the experiment application directly to the Namibian Ministry of Health. Although it had not been accepted yet, Chen Chen had started to make preliminary preparations for the experiment. Not only that, but with the help of Little X, Chen Chen had also found dozens of biological experts online as well as hundreds of newcomers with potential in the field of biology. By now, those people should have received their invitations. As for whether they would travel all the way here to develop their future, that depended on luck. Blacklight Biotechnology? Africa? Namibia? A level-4 biosafety lab? As he stared at the black invitation letter in his computer mailbox, Bernhard took a drag from his cigarette and made a puzzled face. As a British biochemist, Bernhard had obtained a bachelors degree in biochemistry in 1990 from the University of Birmingham, in the European Continent. Then, he transferred to research in yeast genetics and cell biology. Now, Bernhard, as a research professor, presided over work on cyclin-dependent kinases in a research institute. This enzyme was abbreviated as CDK, which could repair early cancerous cells and restore them to normal cells. At the same time, it would not damage the human body. Currently, he read this peculiar invitation letter and was about to move it to the trash can. Of course, this was because he received similar invitations every few days. It was no longer anything new to him. Those invitations usually came from private companies, who thought that they could earn money by developing new anti-cancer drugs just because they had set up a laboratory. Bernhard was naturally disdainful toward such emails. This invitation letter was even more outrageous. They even claimed to have level-four biosafety labs. This sort of laboratory would require an investment worth hundreds of millions. How could they be built so easily? Furthermore, he had never even heard of Blacklight Biotechnology Company and it was in Africa, of all places. Who would build a laboratory in a desolate place like that? With all this in mind, Bernhard immediately deleted the email. After deleting the email, his thoughts returned to reality and he sighed silently. These days, his research team had not made progress for a long time. Their financier was about to lose patience and would probably withdraw the funds in three months. If that happened, it would be difficult for Bernhard to look for another investor. In that case, two years of research would be cut short after coming so far. Just as Bernhard was feeling agitated, his phone started to ring. He took out his phone and his mouth twitched involuntarily when he saw who the caller was. Here we go again With that, he reluctantly accepted the call. Bernhard, your team might as well get ready to pack up and clear out, an icy voice said on the other end, the investor has announced that theyre pulling out. What! Bernhard was gripped by shock and he stood up at once. Why so soon? Dont we still have three months? Too bad, the investor has given up ahead of time and has taken a liking to another investment project similar to yours, the voice said, but this has nothing to do with you. If anything, you simply couldnt have done anything about it. Bernhard instantly fell silent. Bernhard, let the rest know about this defeat. The voice reminded. Okay, I got it. Bernhard smiled bitterly and hung up. What was bound to happen had happened After hanging up, Bernhard shut his eyes in anguish. He knew that he had found the right approach, he just needed one year at most No! Just half a year and he would likely produce some initial results. At that point, although he would not become famous by any means, at least the investor would still continue investing, right? Unfortunately Just as Bernhard was sunken in distress, his phone rang again. He picked up the phone irritably and shouted unceremoniously, I said I got it, why are you calling again? May I ask if youre Mr. Bernhard? However, it was an unfamiliar male voice that came through the phone. Thats me. I apologize Good manners made Bernhard quickly change his tone. May I know what youre calling for? Im from Blacklight Biotechnology Company, the voice replied, I suppose you mustve seen our companys invitation. I was wondering if Mr. Bernhard has any interest in developing in our company. Blacklight? What a familiar name Bernhard frowned, then had a flash of realization. Are you the one who sent me the invitation letter just now? Sorry, I dont have any recent plans to go abroad. Please dont decline so quickly, Mr. Bernhard. The voice laughed softly. Ive just received the news from your good friend, Okoume. It seems that your recent research has hit a bottleneck and your investor has plans to divest? Bernhard immediately furrowed his brow. I didnt expect you to know all this? If you dont mind, our company is willing to continue supporting you and your team in the research of cyclin-dependent kinases. What do you think? Do you know that the biological laboratory needs to be of a very high standard for this research? Bernhard asked, Besides, the money and materials that this research takes up each month is an astronomical figure. If you cant fulfill these two requirements, I wont possibly agree. Please be rest assured. Blacklight Company has a complete biological research institute with the highest, internationally recognized, level-4 biosafety laboratories. The voice on the phone said languidly, At the same time, were willing to allocate two hundred million USD of experimental funding for your research. If thats not enough, we can increase it later. An uncertain light glimmered in Bernhards eyes and he lapsed into a long silence. Mr. Bernhard, if these conditions arent enough to help you decide, what about this information? Just then, there was a notification from the computer. A new email had been sent. Whats this? Bernhard instinctively clicked open the email. However, when he got a good look at its contents, his pupils shrank instantly as an expression of disbelief crossed his face. How, how is this possible Mr. Bernhard, this isnt impossible. The voice finally said, This is the greatest indication of our sincerity. If you agree, our company will send an invitation letter from Namibia at once. If you still decline, then I apologize, but we will not allow a stranger to leak this information What do you mean? Bernhard asked distractedly. Please look out your door. The voice suddenly prompted him. Bernhard was still feeling befuddled when there was a sudden, soft knock on the door of his apartment Knock, knock, knock Chapter 95 - Troublemaking Villagers Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation With someone like Bernhard, who held a high-level position in academia, Chen Chen would first evaluate the chances that they would join. If the persons family and career were both stable, naturally, Chen Chen would not set himself up just to be rejected. Only when it was someone like Bernhard who had no family and was having trouble in their career, Chen Chen would send out an invitation. He also sent Cheng Cao and the rest to where the person was staying. If the person agreed, that would be ideal. Nevertheless, if the person still refused even after seeing the data on the age-reversal treatment, there was no choice but to erase their memory. The five people in Cheng Caos team had gone through a period of testing and were also implanted with the God chip, thus becoming a member of Gods Forbidden Zone. Not only that, but Chen Chen had also exchanged the USB drives remaining energy for four sets of GS Combat Suits. The GS Combat Suit was shorthand for Gantz Suit, the essential battle suit in Gantz. Even when ordinary people wore it, they could instantly become a superhuman who had more endurance than long-distance runners, more strength than strongmen, and more speed than Usain Bolt. At this point, Chen Chen had six combat suits in possession. Cheng Cao and the other five could each escort one target back. In less than half a month, Blacklight Biotechnology Research Institute had ushered in eighteen individuals who had attained the rank of professor in the field of biology. These eighteen people were carefully selected by Little X. Although they had immense potential, they had always gone unrecognized, not having enough clout in academia. Therefore, their departure did not attract the authorities attention. Of those young talents with potential, half of them came to Namibia being tempted by a high salary. Chen Chen covered for their return tickets, promising that they could go back anytime if they were unsatisfied. In a short while, the newly built Blacklight Biotechnology Research Center had transformed from an empty space to a lively hub. This is the license from the Namibian Ministry of Health. On the third floor of the laboratory building in the research center, Chen Chen sat in the first seat of the conference table and handed a gold-stamped certificate to Bernhard. With this clinical license, we can carry out the clinical trials of the stem cell age-reversal project. Bernhard glanced at the certificate in his hand with a strange expression, then passed it to another professor beside him. No one spoke for a while. What does everyone think? Chen Chen asked bluntly. Its amazing. A middle-aged man named Evans took the certificate and considered it out loud. Uh If you put aside the import costs of various resources, this is truly a paradise for experimenting. Thats true. Someone else interrupted. No medical quality inspection, no ethical review, no experimental supervision. What else do we have to worry about? I doubt if the Ministry of Health in this country can even understand the experiment material that we submitted? someone asked, which prompted a burst of laughter around the conference room. Still, wed better be careful. Chen Chen cut off their laughter and reminded them. Dont spread this around for the time being, to prevent causing any international debate. After all, what well be doing are experiments on embryo cloning. Everyone nodded. Alright. Lets talk about the projects in the research center. Chen Chen once again urged them. Except for Professor Bernhard, everyone else has no projects. In this case, everyone can recruit their favorite assistants in the research center. Im sure everyone has noticed that most of the young people Ive invited are graduates from well-known universities. Even for those who arent, they have relatively outstanding achievements and are filled with potential. If you manage to persuade them to stay on, theyll be your assistant. Everyone nodded at this. The research center was giving them a great deal of authority. If you have any good projects in mind, you may apply to the research center too. Now that the research center has just opened, our resources are still more available. When everythings fully allocated, Im afraid there wouldnt be such favorable odds anymore. Everyone nodded as if they had expected this. Just as the atmosphere was becoming livelier, there was a sudden commotion outside the window. Chen Chen frowned and was about to close the window when his phone rang as well. Chen Chen looked at the call, nodded apologetically at everyone, then picked up the call. Boss, this isnt good. The villagers nearby are coming in and causing trouble in the research center! Qian Wenhuans panicked voice came from the phone. Theyre trying to rush in at the gate. We cant quite hold them back! Ill be there soon. When Chen Chen heard this, he stood up and looked out the window. Outside the gates of the research institute, hundreds of people had gathered to form a dense, moving crowd. About a dozen local security guards had surrounded the crowd in a perfunctory manner, without any intention of stopping them. Boss, is there a problem outside the research institute? The one who spoke was the American biology professor, Evans. Should we call the police? Thats not necessary. Youre all dismissed. Chen Chen turned and walked to the door of the conference room. Let me handle this. With that, he exited the room first. It was not until he had walked out of the laboratory building that Chen Chen saw that the troublemakers were led by four or five individuals. These individuals were in jackets, yelling in some unknown dialect. Qian Wenhuan stood on the platform and kept trying to explain something to the crowd. Cheng Cao and the other five bodyguards had replaced the security guards in blocking the crowd, preventing them from barging into the experimental center. Some employees stood watching from the back while others had moved forward to help. It was utter chaos. Boss? Boss! When Chen Chen arrived, the eagle-eyed Wang Liang swiftly moved to him. Boss, what do we do now? Who are these people? Whats going on? Chen Chen stared at the agitated crowd outside the gate and frowned. These are villagers from several villages near the research institute, the largest of which is called Gorob Village. It has hundreds of households. Wang Liang wiped the sweat from his forehead as he hastened to explain, This group of people said that weve hired too few locals and so many foreigners came in suddenly, leaving an even smaller quota for the locals. They said that, according to local rules, we need to hire at least a hundred of them. Chen Chen frowned at this. He had already recruited fifteen local security guards and ten front-desk employees, the reason being, the less trouble, the better. Otherwise, based on their lazy, gluttonous behavior, Chen Chen would rather not hire a single one. Plus, theyve heard about the professors salaries from somewhere and are claiming that were being unfair. They want us to increase the salary of the locals. Another employee chimed in. Chen Chen nearly laughed when he heard this. I see. Go and get Qian Wenhuan. The person nodded and hurried away. In a short while, Qian Wenhuan ran over with a tense brow, with Cheng Cao following behind. Boss, why are you here? Qian Wenhuan said hurriedly, its too dangerous. This crowd might easily get out of control. Cheng Cao reminded softly. Many of these villagers are HIV-positive, so be careful not to get injured. Chen Chen waved his hand. Its alright. Wenhuan, tell them that they can get work if thats what they want. From tomorrow onward, Ill recruit fifty volunteers to participate in a clinical trial. As long as they sign the contract, Ill pay each of them a hundred thousand Namibian dollars. A hundred thousand? Qian Wenhuan and Cheng Cao exchanged a glance. Understood. Ill tell them now. Hold on. Chen Chen stopped Qian Wenhuan. I have one condition Ill only recruit those over fifty years old. Got it! Qian Wenhuan nodded. Cheng Cao wanted to follow Qian Wenhuan but was stopped. I can handle it myself. You look after Boss! With that, Qian Wenhuan squeezed into the crowd. Soon, after Qian Wenhuan had relayed the news, the initially clamorous crowd was gradually pacified. Following that, a few local security guards put on a big show of standing up to deliver a long, loud proclamation. Only then did the villagers dispersed with disgruntled looks. When Chen Chen saw this scene, he secretly memorized the faces of those security guards, then turned and walked back to the laboratory building. Chapter 96 - Registration Begins Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation It was more than ten minutes after the unruly villagers had dispersed that the police of Walvis Bay arrived, taking their own sweet time. Chen Chen did not meet them and instead sent Qian Wenhuan to settle the matter. Upon returning to the laboratory building, Chen Chen pulled out his phone. Little X, help me look up Gorob Village and see if someone is stirring things up from behind the scenes. Also, give Dlamini a prod. Ask him to erase the identities of those on the name list and send them over as soon as possible! After sending this message, Chen Chen could not help but frown. Now that he had compromised, the crowd would think that he was a pushover. The next time something cropped up, they would come rushing over again. In truth, if they did not hold back, Cheng Caos team would be able to easily flatten the hundred-over crowd. Still, perhaps it would be too much of a shock to everyone else. Moreover, those few local security guards were people from nearby villages too. If something happened, they could not be relied upon. Thus, in the final analysis, there was no one on their side. Even so, when Dlamini sent over the thirty people on the name list, this issue would be resolved. Not only that, but also when those cold-blooded mercenaries were here, they just had to make a few threatening implications and those local security guards would quit out of terror. Just when Chen Chen was pondering all this, another notification sounded. Chen Chen looked at his phone. As expected, Little X had already found out about the people in Gorob Village. The one who held the highest post out of all the villagers was a bureau chief from Walvis Bay. The others were ordinary civil servants at most. Ordinary villagers might not understand the significance of Blacklight in Namibia, but how could a bureau chief not understand? Nevertheless, Chen Chen could meet with ministers and parliament members any time he wanted. Even if this bureau chief had the guts of a hundred men, he would not possibly cause trouble for Chen Chen. Furthermore, Chen Chen had taken care of whomever he had to in Walvis Bay. This bureau chief was not left out either. Logically, it could not have been him who was interfering with Chen Chen. In other words, either there was someone else behind the scenes or it was truly a temporary, spontaneous mobilization on the villagers part. In that case, Chen Chen only had to wait for Dlaminis mercenaries to arrive. Once that happened, he would not have to give a hoot about the villagers. If they caused trouble, he would just beat them back. If anyone ended up dead or disabled, there was nothing that money could not solve. In a nation like this, this was the most effective method. Even the officials were bribed. No matter how much trouble the villagers riled up, they would not get anywhere. If they wanted money, there was no other choice than to act as Chen Chens obedient guinea pigs. Chen Chen had chosen to develop his biological research here for a reason. In this country where AIDS and extreme poverty ran rampant, civilians had no access to healthcare. When ordinary folk became sick, there was no other way but to struggle on. If they succeeded, they lived. If not, they died. This was already a good foundation for popularizing clinical trials. Moreover, although the political situation in Namibia was still stable, it was still a regime in which power was fragmented. In most villages, the law basically did not exist and the identification system was fundamentally ineffective. Even if dozens died in some medical mishap, it would barely cause a ripple. In addition, the population was sparse, so there were uninhabited regions stretching hundreds of kilometers. It was easy to get away with heinous acts. Therefore, Chen Chen had opted to open a biological research center here. If it were not for the restrictions on the import and export of drugs, the institutional environment here would be perfect for an unscrupulous company like Blacklight Biotechnology Early the next morning, before dawn, a group of villagers from Gorob Village had gathered before the gates. However, it was different from yesterdays hostile atmosphere. Currently, many of them were staring steadily at the doors of the research center, greed and desire burning in their eyes. A group of elderly people had formed a circle, starting a small fire to ward off the early morning chill; a few youths in tattered T-shirts had grouped together, sharing a single cigarette; several women sat numbly before the gates, seemingly unmoved by the babies ceaselessly crying on their backs. This group of people was like a bunch of refugees. As the sun rose gradually and they started to push at the gates impatiently, a group of people finally walked out of the laboratory building and toward the gate. When Wang Liang saw the large crowd again, he frowned instinctively. Are they here to cause trouble again? I think not. Cheng Cao shook his head and walked forward decisively, saying in English, Whos your leader? I am. An old black man with white hair and turbid eyes walked forward. Im Kofi Madill, chief of Gorob Village. I represent everyone here. Cheng Cao sized up the old man and instantly understood that these people must have arrived at a collective agreement. He nodded. Have you chosen your fifty candidates? We have. The rest are here just as companions, the old man explained. We wont let the companions in. Cheng Cao opened the gates and said, Those who meet the requirements may come in. The rest of you, stay out. What about our money? Just then, a few youths popped up from the crowd and asked. Before the contract is signed, the company will pay nothing. Cheng Cao shook his head. If you dont pay us, how do we know that you wont change your mind about paying us? When they heard that Cheng Cao was not willing to pay upfront, the crowd started jeering and started to show signs of rowdiness once more. On one side, Wang Liang stepped back subconsciously. He had heard that many people in places like Namibia were HIV-infected. If someone was scratched or bitten in a scuffle, would that not When Cheng Cao saw this, his face turned stony. Yesterday, he was not sure of Chen Chens approach, but after knowing that Chen Chen was not afraid of blowing things up, he had no reservations now. With this in mind, Cheng Cao wordlessly pulled out a baton as his eyes blazed ferociously. If you dont want to die, get lost! At the same time, the five people behind Cheng Cao also pulled out their weapons. Unexpectedly, when the villagers were greeted in this aggressive manner, they seemed to hesitate. The initial atmosphere of hostility and arrogance came to a halt. Hold on, hold on! Just as Cheng Cao was about to start driving the villagers away, a few of the local security guards rushed out. They positioned themselves between Cheng Cao and the villagers, and the young man who led them yelled, Dont be hasty, everyone, just calm down. Lets talk about it properly! After he spoke, this youth went up to the villagers and started a long, animated discussion. At several points, he even pointed at Cheng Caos waist. At Cheng Caos waist, the grip of a gun was protruding. The youth discussed with the villagers for more than ten minutes before he walked to Cheng Cao and burst into a wide grin that displayed his pearly whites. Captain Cheng, Ive pacified the villagers. Theyre just a bunch of ordinary folk. I hope you can talk to Boss and see if he can pay in advance? Dont you worry about that. Cheng Cao put away his baton. Since theyre pacified, the chosen fifty can go in. With that, he opened the gates. The villagers, upon seeing this, could only give way unwillingly, allowing a group of white-haired elders to go in. Hold on! Suddenly, Cheng Cao seized one of them and said to the youth, You cant tell me that this guy is 50 years old? Everyone looked over and saw that the man who was stopped, despite being thin and bony, definitely did not look old. Does it really have to be so stringent? The security guard frowned. Even so, under Cheng Caos unfaltering gaze, he stepped away to discuss with the villagers again. In a while, the security guard led that man away, then came back with another old person while casting a sullen look at Cheng Cao. Surely this will do? Cheng Cao let them pass. In the end, after fifty seniors had entered the gate, Cheng Cao directly closed the gate, paying no mind to the villagers cries. Then, he led everyone to the laboratory building. Cheng Cao ignored the fact that some of the elderly were ill. In any case, this group would still have to undergo a strict health check before they were qualified for the experiment. After all, not just anyone could be a guinea pig. Chapter 97 - Misunderstanding Cloning In the end, after the physical examination and bone age test, only thirty-three of the fifty elderly people met the requirements of the experiment. The remaining seventeen who did not fit the bill were naturally sent back. It was impressive that Gorob Village could come up with so many people above fifty years old. Apparently, for the village chief to get the numbers, he had rushed over to the neighboring villages himself to negotiate for more people. Elderly people were scarce because of the lack of medical care. It was still alright in the city, but in the villages, there were not many who could live beyond the age of fifty. Namibian officials had calculated the statistics. In this country, more than ten percent of the children were orphans because the parents of these children had died of AIDS shortly after giving birth. In Namibia, the national population was only 2.58 million but the HIV infection rate had reached 21.3%. This meant that one in five people of this country was HIV-positive. However, the fortunate thing was, the HIV infection rate in Namibia was not considered too high. It was far below Botswanas 37.3%, Swazilands 38.8%, and Lesothos 28.9%. Africa was world-famous for two things. One was diamonds and the other was AIDS. Ignoring the dissatisfaction of the Gorob villagers, Chen Chen made the thirty-three people take a bath, then arranged for them to live in the basement. They were well-fed but their area of movement was restricted. At the same time, in the laboratory, Chen Chen had recruited a group of experienced assistants and started the cloning process for the embryos of these elderly people. In terms of specific operations, Chen Chen used a more advanced three-dimensional polarization spindle imaging system. After positioning the egg cell nucleus, he used a laser to punch a hole in the zona pellucida, then removed the nucleus without damaging the egg cell. Only then was he able to use the micromanipulator to implant the somatic cell nucleus of the elderly. However, it was too bad that the techniques of these assistants could not compare to Chen Chens. They failed several times in the middle as well as during the process of using electric current and chemical induction. In the end, Chen Chens guidance was necessary to complete all the cloned embryos. Following that, the cloned embryos needed 14 days of growth to reach the blastocyst stage, after which the embryonic stem cells within would be extracted. International opposition against human embryo cloning was mostly due to this step. To some people, killing these fertilized eggs was equivalent to killing people, which was ethically unacceptable. Even so, fortunately, these objections did not hinder the study of cloned embryos. As of now, the technology of embryonic stem cell cloning in various countries was still making great strides. By controlling the growth environment and manipulating the expression of specific genes after the embryonic stem cells were extracted, these stem cells could be differentiated into the required hematopoietic stem cells and mesenchymal stem cells. The stem cells cloned with this method had almost the same genes as those of the elderly, so there would not be any rejection. Plus, these were young, healthy stem cells. After the elederly people had gone through chemotherapy and radiotherapy, the stem cells would be implanted into their bodies to replace the stem cells that had aged long ago. Once these young hematopoietic and mesenchymal stem cells returned to the bone marrow, they would swiftly differentiate into blood cells, muscle cells, liver cells, osteoblasts, fat cells, chondrocytes, stroma, and other human cells, repairing and improving the damages of aging. This was the function of stem cells. However, for some time, academia had been caught up in a massive misunderstanding, which arose from the earliest cloning of the sheep, Dolly Everyone knew that the cloned sheep Dolly was the worlds earliest artificially cloned animal. Before Dolly was born, its cell donor was a white-faced Finnish Dorset sheep. The experimenter had extracted mammary gland cells from this sheep, then took out the nucleus. Thus, Dolly was cloned. In other words, Dollys genes were basically the same as this white-faced Dorset sheep. This white-faced Finnish Dorset sheep was 6 years old when its mammary gland cells were extracted. However, after the cloned sheep Dolly was born, it was discovered that Dollys telomeres were shorter than other sheep of the same age. Not only that but Dolly also showed signs of premature aging when she was 6 years old. Although she was well taken care of, Dolly eventually died. In the same year, the white-faced Finnish Dorset sheep, the donor of the cloned sheep Dolly, died at the ripe old age of twelve. In biologys research on lifespan and aging, the more mainstream theories were telomere theory and free radical theory, both of which had not been thoroughly confirmed. Still, if telomeres were the key factor affecting lifespan, then the death of the cloned sheep Dolly seemed to support this theory. The nucleus donor for Dolly was a six-year-old sheep. Therefore, although Dolly was newly born, her telomere length had been worn down to only six years of life? Thus, she would die at the same time as the donor, six years later? Back then, this misunderstanding had affected the entire academia, casting a shadow over cloning technology. This was because, if this conclusion was accurate, then most treatments developed from cloning technology were futile. No matter what the cloning process was, the length of the telomeres was fixed and could never be altered This misunderstanding even influenced science fiction after 2000, resulting in works that had clones who were collectively cursed with the defect of short lifespans. Fortunately, at the end of 2019, this misunderstanding was finally unraveled In November 2019, Professor Lis team of the Key Laboratory of Animal Reproductive Regulation and Breeding in Mainland China had reached a decisive conclusion after studying the telomeres of cloned animals. After years of research, Professor Lis team discovered that cloned embryos would undergo telomere reprogramming during the activation of the zygotic genome. Regardless of the telomere length of the donor cell, the reprogramming process would restore the original length, which was the length of the donor! Not only that, but Professor Li also discovered that the length of the telomeres was related to the development of the cloned embryos. During the cloning process, the telomeres of cloned embryos with normal development would undergo a remarkable recovery while for cloned embryos with abnormal development, the telomeres would not recover and were shortened. In addition, Professor Li also found that, in the process of culturing cloned embryos, adding some small molecules such as trichomycin A, sodium butyrate, melatonin, and so on, could effectively increase the reprogramming efficiency of the telomeres in low-oxygen conditions! The result of this research was published in The FASEB Journal, which stood for the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology. The title of the paper was Inhibiting repressive epigenetic modification promotes telomere rejuvenation in somatic cell reprogramming. With that, the misunderstanding that the lifespan of cloned animals was limited by the donors was completely debunked. As for why the cloned sheep Dolly had premature aging and why her telomere length was insufficient? Well, people would find their own ways to justify that. While Chen Chen was cultivating the cloned embryos of these elders in the laboratory, Dlamini finally sent over the people on the name list. This time, Dlamini had sent a total of thirty people, all of whom were the cream of the crop. Even a trump card like Cheng Cao would seem rather unassuming among them. As long as Chen Chen could subdue these wolfish mercenaries, the foundation for establishing a rapid reaction force in the future would be completely ready. Chen Chens goal was to build a private armed force, capable of global precision strikes, in the next few years. Its main purpose would be to protect the companys property around the world and destroy any evidence that would damage the company. Chapter 98 - Brando Brando thought that the joke the company played on him today was not a particularly funny one. A little over ten days ago, he had just completed the task of assassinating a leader of a drug ring at the Kenyan border. It was a clean and perfect assassination. Brando was going to head back to Italy for a vacation but he received orders from the company just as he was about to leave. He was told to stay in place. The company claimed that there was going to be a new mission assigned to him and the pay was going to be exceptional. Left without a choice, Brando rented a room in a local place and waited. More than ten days had passed since. When the agent finally appeared before Brando with a French passport along with a ticket for a flight to Namibia, Brando became a little upset. Whats the meaning of this? With his fingers, Brando jabbed at the appointed location written on a paper, his expression clearly discontent. Walvis Bay, Namibia? Blackwatch Biotechnology? Im a hitman, I have zero interest in managing a business! Dear Brando, thats not what this is. The agent informed mysteriously, Dont worry, youll know what you have to do when you get there. I guarantee that youll find yourself liking it. Unable to resist the temptation of a huge paycheck, Brando eventually boarded the plane headed for Namibia. Half a day later, when Brando finally walked out of the cramped, almost claustrophobic international airport, he heaved a sigh of relief. The circumstances of the flight were bearable. Even though Brando had to take an economy class flight, it was nothing compared to the things he had to suffer during the mission. The only thing that slightly bothered him was the proximity of his seat to other strangers. The seats on the flight were separated by two armrests which were no more than ten centimeters combined. For someone like Brando who did not even dare keep his eyes entirely shut when sleeping, this may as well be torture. When he walked out of the airport, it was right around midnight. There was a row of vans parked by the side of the road, each with a black-skinned driver hailing for passengers with barely comprehensible English. Sir, where are you headed? Just as Brando was trying to decide if these vehicles that should have been scrapped ages ago were fit for driving, a black teenager who could not have been older than thirteen approached him. The young man looked at the gigantic Caucasian man before him who stood a little shy of two meters with wrists thicker than his head was. He asked timidly, Sir, ten Namibian dollars gets you to the Walvis Bay, are you coming? Brando allowed himself to ease his guard when he saw that it was a child. He took out a slip of paper and pointed. The address says that theres a company called Blackwatch somewhere around these parts, you know where it is? Oh, you mean the new research center? The youngsters eyes lit up. Of course, I know. Are you headed there? Yes. Brando did not inquire about the price but instead, he looked behind the youngster, Wheres your parents car? My parents? Theyre in heaven. I drove here myself. The youngster seemed unbothered and gave a chuckle. He gestured at a motorized tricycle parked nearby. Sir, itll just be twenty Namibian dollars for me to drive you there. Why not. Brando was taken aback when he found out about the youngsters deceased parents but it was not all too surprising. Stories like this were all too common in Africa. No matter how rich in compassion someone was, they would be numbed by reality eventually, no less when it was a mercenary like Brando who had long been accustomed to death. Brando stretched his leg out and stepped onto the tricycle. He quickly noted that even though the tricycle was very old and worn-down, the compartment designated for passengers was speckless and without dust. After starting the engine, the tricycle made a circle at the intersection and drove onto the road. When they left the vicinity of the airport, there were no streetlights whatsoever on the road. The headlights of the young mans tricycle had been broken for an uncertain amount of time as well so he had to rely on the stars for direction. Fortunately, the night sky of Namibia proved to be remarkably bright. On the way there, as if out of boredom, the young man began humming a tune from his hometown. It was an exotic tune that Brando had never heard of. Just like the lives of these people, there was joy found among the brokenness and freedom found among the hardship. It painted the scenery of the rural outskirts. Brando recalled back to when he was a child. It was nearly thirty years ago now, he was somewhere around five years old then. Back then, he used to while his days away, playing on the farm without a care of what went on in the world. At night, when his father had finished the work for the day, he would sit at the back of his fathers bike and look at the starry night sky above him In the blink of an eye, his father had been retired into the earth while he had become a hardened mercenary. Theres no going back Brando sighed quietly, feeling an emotion he could not pen down swelling within him. Amid the youngsters hum, the tricycle drove westward for twenty minutes. Brando could almost see the lights of the city not far away. However, when they came into an intersection, the youngster suddenly turned and drove toward an unknown path. You sure youre heading the right way? As a mercenary who had survived countless battlefields, Brando was born of a cautious nature. When he noted the sudden turn the youngster had made, he quickly touched the bottom of his shoes. Throughout the years, he had always hidden an ivory dagger at the bottom of his shoe that was able to sneak past the inspect borders. Yes sir. The young man spoke with candidness like he did not know what was going on. He mouthed amid the wind. This is a newly paved road funded by the research center. It connects from the main entrance of their research center to the main road of the Walvis Bay on the other end. Brando stopped pursuing the matter after that. They continued following down this path. Before long, countless black and lacquered structures began appearing on both sides of the road. The bottom of these structures consisted of a two-meter-tall pillar with a huge square panel at its top. All the panels were neatly lined up and stood at the same angle. Brando could tell without a second glance that these were photovoltaic power generation structures. These adjacently positioned power generation structures were densely arranged on both sides of the road, nearly covering the sky above. Do these belong to the research center too? Brando asked. Of course. This is a very, very wealthy company were talking about here! The youngster continued with an envious tone. Apart from setting up solar energy generation and paving roads, they even recruited a bunch of people in the villages nearby for experiments. I heard that every household in that village was given tens of thousands of Namibian dollars! As soon as the matter was brought up, the youngster spilled out everything he knew. I also heard that in the bay around ten kilometers away, theres a construction site that also belongs to this company. I heard theyre going to build a power plant there! Brando nodded. To build a power plant in such a poor country without fear of huge losses, this company was certainly rich Also, word is that the boss of this company was from China. The youngster added. Right, sir. Have you been to China? Brando smiled at the question. No, my profession isnt exactly welcomed there. Thats such a shame. The youngster expressed with sadness. I heard them say that the Mainland was a land with no disputes, no poverty, no disease. If I had a say in it, Id like to be born there in my next life. Yeah Brando drew a long sigh and looked up at the stars above. Who wouldnt want to live in a peaceful country? Without realizing it, Brando suddenly became intrigued by this company called Blackwatch. A moment later, several buildings with flashing lights suddenly appeared in Brandos field of vision. These buildings were not particularly tall but they took up far more surface area than most ordinary buildings. He could faintly see some lights within the buildings. These were the only source of illumination on the road. Were here, sir. At last, the tricycle arrived at the end of the road. The young man stopped the vehicle and pointed at a wide iron gate around ten meters away. This is the Blackwatch Research Center you mentioned just now. Perfect. Brando took a two-dollar U.S. bill from his purse and handed it over. Keep the change. Thank you. Youre a very generous mister! The youngster lit up immediately and expressed his gratitude to Brando. After that, he turned around and headed back happily. After the youngster took his leave, Brando did not head up to announce himself immediately. He vigilantly scanned the area and noted the flashing surveillance camera at the gate before approaching. He pressed a doorbell with a sign which read PLEASE RING BELL. After a moment, followed by approaching footsteps, a window at the gate suddenly opened. A black man appeared from the other side and asked, Who are you looking for? The names Clark Brando. Your company invited me here. Brando presented the address the agent gave him. I dont know any Clark. Company rule states no opening the gate at midnight, come back tomorrow. The black man informed not-so-kindly and closed the window before giving Brando time to draft a response. Brando heard receding footsteps after. A frown appeared on Brandos face. He took out his phone and prepared to inquire with the agents, only then did he notice that his phone was left in airplane mode from back when he was on the plane. Due to his responsibilities with various missions, Brando did not have the usual dependency other people had with their smartphones. Therefore, it did not occur to him to take his phone off airplane mode until now. Right after Brando had deactivated the airplane mode, several missed calls notification popped out. The missed calls all came from the same unfamiliar number. Brando had figured that this was a new number the agent gave him after completing the previous mission so there should not be a problem calling the number. Beep Hello, hi there. Is this Mr. Clark Brando? The call was answered at the first ring with an abrupt response coming from the other end. Judging by the voice, the recipient should be around thirty years old. Also, his English pronunciation was not exactly standard, seemingly carrying a Chinese slang. Brando made the connection with the previous youngsters remark that Blackwatch was a company in China. He answered, Yes, thats me. Phew, thank God! The person on the other end seemed to have finally calmed down. May I know where you are now? Im your designated driver here to pick you up, Im outside the airport now. Im already at the main entrance of your company, Brando answered. Understood. Please wait for a moment. Ill come over immediately. There was a brief silence before that person spoke. Brando could hear the sound of an engine revving from the phone before the call was ended. Chapter 99 - Escort Mission Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation After a little over fifteen minutes, Brando finally caught sight of an approaching Jeep. The vehicle stopped in front of him before a Chinese man hopped out. The man appeared to be in his mid-20s. He was on the plumper side and seemed very cheery. When he saw Brando, he managed to relax a little and extended his hand with a smile. Hi, you must be Mr. Brando. I am and you are? Brando nodded and shook the hand of the man before him. The man pulled out a name card. The names Qian Wenhuan, the executive officer of the Human Resources Department of Blackwatch Biotechnology. The boss instructed me to pick you up. Brando took the name card. Blackwatch Biotechnology Co.Ltd was written on it. Sorry, I forgot to turn on my phone after I got off the flight. Brando nodded. Its alright. Strictly speaking, the issue came from my end. Qian Wenhuan made a gesture. Right, why are you standing out here? I knocked but the security didnt let me in, Brando answered blankly. Alright, I may have neglected some details. Qian Wenhuans expression suddenly turned sour as he seemed to have realized something. He quickly shifted the topic and invited smiling. Please enter the car. Ill take you to the canteen first before taking you to the staff dormitory. I think that wont be necessary. Brando got in the car from the other side and glanced at Qian Wenhuan., I had dinner on the plane. Just take me to a place where I can rest. Also, Id like to see your companys boss as soon as possible. Ah, got it. Regarding the matter with the boss, Ill be sure to let him know first thing in the morning. Sensing an overbearing aura from the other person, Qian Wenhuan quickly averted from his gaze and promptly nodded. For some unknown reason, when Qian Wenhuan made eye contact with his man, it reminded him of the oppressing feeling of locking eyes with Cheng Cao. No, it was more than that. Even though the aura Cheng Cao gave off was on par with this mans, this man also equipped a terrible hostility. It reminded him of a recruit facing a battle-tested veteran. Perhaps this meant that this group of people was similar to Cheng Cao back then, candidates for Gods Forbidden Zone organization? Qian Wenhuan was occupied with the thought while driving. Earlier this morning, Chen Chen suddenly gave him a stack of information sheets and instructed him to pick up a group of people at the airport. Qian Wenhuan went through them, most of them came from different parts of the African continent. Most of them were either regular office workers or investors. The oddity being that most of them were Caucasian. There were Middle Eastern Europeans, Europeans, and Oceanian. The majority of them were North Americans. The files stated that this man called Brando worked in the IT industry. Qian Wenhuan who was familiar with the industry could instantly tell that this man did not give off the impression of being part of the IT industry. It was pretty telling that this Brando was no IT professional but a soldier. Chances were that he had been on the battlefield before. When the Jeep came in front of the gate, the camera identified the vehicle and automatically opened the gate. Qian Wenhuan drove past the gate and brought Brando to the dormitory Chen Chen had appointed. The dormitory was in the Northwest wing of the research center. It was not connected to the other dormitory building but instead, separated by a large distance. When this building was constructed, they specifically used material that was more resilient than the other buildings. It may only be five stories tall, but anti-burglary nets were installed on the windows of every floor. Apart from that, the strongest security doors were used in every room in place of regular wooden doors. When the building was constructed, many people did not understand the point of constructing such a bizarre dormitory wing. Qian Wenhuan felt like he was beginning to understand Chen Chens intentions. Mr. Brando, please come with me. After exiting the car, the two of them entered the otherwise silent dormitory. The conditions of the dormitories built by Chen Chen were pretty remarkable. It was designed completely in accordance with the standard large-sized room design, well facilitated with air-conditioning, computer, closet, and a toilet. Even the pickiest person should not have any qualms about it. Mr. Brando, here are the keys to your dorm. Qian Wenhuan picked the first room on the second floor on a whim. He then picked out a key labeled C201 from a large set of keys and handed it to Brando. The canteen served food at 8:00 am, noon, 6:00 pm, and 10:00 pm. If theres anything you need, please dont hesitate to contact me. After that, he turned around and left, leaving the empty room behind for Brando. Brando stood by the window and saw the Chinese man getting on his Jeep and driving off. He then closed the curtains and thoroughly inspected the room. After half an hours work, Brando finally concluded his task and put the equipment such as desk, lamps, and computers back in place. Not bad. There were no signs of a surveillance system installed in the room and there were no guards posted either. If he wanted to leave, this research center was a sieve, free for easy exit. However, why were they so content with being so lax with him when they did not even know what sort of person he was yet? Also, the agent had informed him that this was a new mission. What was that supposed to mean? Brando sat on the soft and comfy mattress, and fell into deep thought. Boss, its Wenhuan, are you up? The next morning, when Chen Chen had woken up, he heard Qian Wenhuans voice coming from the pager by the door. Chen Chen elicited no response and went to the door to open it. Qian Wenhuan, with dark circles under his eyes, walked in with a stack of information. Boss, I went to get Brando yesterday midnight following the flight tickets schedule. Qian Wenhuan took out the topmost file. But he didnt turn on his phone when he got off his flight. By the time I managed to contact him, he was already at the entrance of the research center. Have you situated him in block C yet? Chen Chen sat on the sofa and took large gulps of hot water. He settled down there last night. Therell be six more arriving today, Qian Wenhuan replied. Chen Chen looked at the dark circles under Qian Wenhuans eyes and smiled. These people are very important. Youre the head of the department, I dont have anyone else to appoint this task to others than you. I understand. Qian Wenhuan sighed quietly and did not raise any complaint. How about this, Ill assign one more car to you. Chen Chen thought about it. He set his cup down and leaned backward. You can bring up the other staff from HR. This way, you can reduce your workload. Got it. Qian Wenhuan was relieved upon receiving the news. He suddenly recalled something and reported, Oh yeah Boss, those local security guards are starting to get ahead of themselves. Yesterday, Brando told me that when he rang the door, the guards did not give him any information. Chen Chen reacted with a slight frown and mentioned with an icy smile, No big deal, theyll be replaced very soon. Ill have these people resign automatically. By resign, you mean? Qian Wenhuan jolted. Arent you taking the new security force back here already? Chen Chen only smiled and rapped the top of the coffee table with his index finger, making a knocking sound. Qian Wenhuan suddenly caught on and answered excitedly, I get what you mean now. Does this mean that theyll be joining our Lets see how it goes first. Therell be another filtration process later on. Chen Chen did not try to hide it. Provided there are no further accidents, they should all be joining the organization. Got it. Qian Wenhuan became relieved when he was informed of this. So, that was why the boss had sent him to escort them. All things considered, he was the second most important member of the African branch of the company, next to Chen Chen. If this was done for the sake of Gods Forbidden Zone, then it did make sense. As a member of seniority, it would only make sense that he got to look over the potential new members Qian Wenhuan approached the door before he suddenly recalled something and turned around. Boss, Brando asked me when are you going to meet him? When Im going to meet him? Chen Chen thought for a moment. Tell him this. When his companions have all gathered, Ill meet them. Qian Wenhuan took note of that and left the room. Chapter 100 - Security Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Over the next few days, Qian Wenhuan, along with the entire Human Resources Department, was utterly exhausted. Thirty people in total. Four to five each day, on slower days, it was two to three of them arriving at the Walvis Bay International Airport. The days went by quickly. Block C of the dormitory slowly picked up on liveliness as well. As the new tenants subsequently arrived, they began taking residency on the second, third, fourth, and fifth floor. Unlike regular staff members, not only did these new residents have the best dormitories but they also had a secluded canteen. The benefits they enjoyed nearly rivaled that of the professors. Many staff members whispered about these ongoings, some of the mischievous ones even snuck into the canteen to survey the situation. Before they made it through the doorway, they were scared off by the intimidating, icy glares of the new residents. Sadly, the regular staff members did not appreciate the extra work Chen Chen had put in for their sakes. There was a good reason he separated these new tenants from the rest of the staff members. He did so for concern for everyones safety. Among these thirty members, five of them were Navy SEAL members, another five from the Delta Force. In addition, three of them had served the 22nd Special Air Service Regiment and there were also four who came from the Alpha Force. The rest of them were either members from the Middle East or fought their way out of the ceaseless battles in the territories of Africa. Each one of them had their hands stained with blood and did not fit in a regular crowd. The only woman in this group of thirty people was a lady who looked like Eva Green, who was part of the French GIGN Intervention Forces. Living in Block C dormitory was not exactly described as being light and breezy. A part of making a living as a mercenary was to be surrounded by war, death, and violence all year round so they had to be on their guard all the time. Even when they were put into an environment that allowed them to relax, very few of them were able to set their minds at ease. Besides, their parent company hardly spared them any details and would not give them anything when they inquired why they were sent here. On the other hand, the research center made a point of generously feeding them without making any other movements. Being put into such odd circumstances, how would anyone expect these wary mercenaries to be at ease? Also, these people who pretty much sleep with their guns at hand were not even given a simple handgun for self-protection. Another factor to consider was that despite being employees of the same company, they did not have much by way of connecting with each other, apart from the rare teaming up during certain missions. This only served to drive up the tension. If not for the role their parent company played, it would not be too surprising to have several violent outbreaks over the last few days. By the fifth day of Brandos residency here, Qian Wenhuan had finally brought all thirty of them. After situating all of them in Block C, he sent word to Chen Chen. The next morning, while Brando and the others were dining in the canteen, several Chinese men who radiated a similar sort of aura made their appearance. It was Cheng Cao and his team members. Following Cheng Caos appearance, everyone dining in the canteen ceased what they were doing and turned their attention to the doorway. It was as if the air itself had frozen in the canteen However, it was like Cheng Cao barely felt the weight of the atmosphere here. He walked to the center of the canteen, keeping his hands behind his back all the while, and announced at the top of his voice, Gentlemen, please come with me after your meal. Our companys boss would like to meet you all. After his announcement, he briefly glanced at everyone present. He then turned around and headed toward the door, where he stood waiting silently. With that, the tense atmosphere slowly began to ease up again. The mercenaries continued their meal. Many of them let out a sigh of relief but it was quickly followed by a very perplexed look in their eyes. After they quickly finished their food, Cheng Cao led the way in front and took them to the hall located on the third floor of the laboratory building that could fit a thousand people. This was done following Qian Wenhuans suggestion. Even though there was a meeting room readily available in the laboratory building, Qian Wenhuan figured that situations like these were the equivalent of a blind date of sorts. If the boss was going to meet these potential future employees for the first time, it was best to leave the best first impression possible. When the group entered the hall and picked their spots, it quickly became apparent that over the last few days, they had sectioned themselves into separate camps The Delta Force members sat together with the NAVY Seal and the special forces retiree formed their group as well. The remaining members were scattered into small groups of two to three members each. Nobody was making a commotion nor was there anyone whispering among themselves. Without having to receive any instructions, they diligently grouped themselves, showing their acute combat discipline in this respect. After every one of them was seated, Cheng Cao and the others found their place in the corner of the stage. It was then when Chen Chen finally made his appearance at the entrance of the meeting hall. After making himself fit for the presentation, he stepped forward to the pulpit. In an instant, countless pairs of eyes unanimously locked their intimidating gaze on Chen Chen. Save for expert presenters or hosts, most people would feel an immense amount of pressure when they became the center of attention of so many people. The effect was more than doubled when it was from a bunch of mercenaries who would mercilessly kill without blinking an eye. Meanwhile, Chen Chen, who was clad in his GS Combat Suit, kept his cool composure and barely paid any mind to their intensity. Gentlemen and refined ladies. Chen Chen spoke into the microphone, Im sure many of you have many unanswered questions in your mind over the last few days. Why did your parent company, Tara Private Security Company send you here without giving you any explanation? Chen Chen lowered his head and flashed a conceited smile. Ill put it this way, the reasoning is very simple. Its because your parent Tara Company has released your contract and reassigned the lot of you to me. Youre hereby signed to Blackwatch. The very moment Chen Chen broke the news, the audience below instantly erupted. Many of them immediately shot upward, their reactions a mixture of disbelief and rage. Are you kidding me? Is this true, why were we not informed about it? How could they do this? Do they think were supposed to be some sort of good? B*stard! The group began to curse and rebuke in anger. Chen Chen diligently paused his speech at an appropriate timing as well. He silently looked at them and allowed them time to express their discontent and frustration. This went on for two minutes. The odd thing was that after they were done venting, they somehow settled down again and looked back to Chen Chen in unison. They seemed to be waiting for Chen Chens further explanation. Excellent, I think everyone has calmed down a little. Chen Chen resumed his explanation. In that case, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Chen Chen As he spoke, he wrote the letters Chen Chen on the whiteboard behind him. I know that to many of you, this might prove to be a very strange name. But if its one advantage with this name of mine, its that no matter how you choose to address me, itll not bother me in any way. Also, Im the boss of this biotechnology company. That brings me back to you guys.You lot are the ones that Ive personally requested from Dlamini, the boss of your parent company. Upon hearing the revelation, their glares carried a more solemn tone. To be able to personally request personnel from Dlamini of all people, it did not take much to piece together just how much influence the young man before them possessed. Some of these mercenaries may be easily agitated due to the intense pressure of the battlefield, but they were no fools. Dlamini was never someone who they dared incur the wrath of, which meant that this young man before them was no exception to that rule as well. Chen Chen went on. Back to the reason that I employed the lot of you here. Unlike a company like Tara which specializes in military affairs and expects you to wager your life to make a living, I wont require that from you. I have my assets and dont need your help in bringing in profits. I dont need you to brandish your swords and massacre common civilians either nor will I expect you to cause a political uprising in Africa. Youll find that you no longer have to be labeled as mercenaries stuck in the gray zone. You could stand proudly as an official combatant subscribed to the protection of the Geneva Convention! They exchanged perplexed glances with one another. Then, may we ask what you expect us to do for you? It was then when the French lady who looked like Eva Green raised her hand and asked, Also, concerning our wages. Should we expect it to be maintained at the previous range? Beautiful Miss Sara, youve asked a great question. Chen Chen brandished a look of approval before announcing plainly, On the topic of your wages, I have no interest whatsoever in the amount which your once parent company paid you. Upon his remark, a look of weariness appeared on a lot of their faces. Saras eyebrows turned into a frown and it looked like she was going to say something. However! Chen Chen spoke again before anyone of them could, I can give you a price thats far above the market average C 20000 to 30000 U.S. Dollars! They instantly froze and expressed a look of sheer disbelief. A twenty to thirty thousand dollars monthly salary equated to 700 to 1000 dollars per day. This was indeed a wage far exceeding that of a common mercenary! However, a portion of them kept their composure. Brando thought for a moment before raising his hand and asked, Mr. Chen Chen, may I know what our duties will include? Chen Chen made a gesture to stop Brando from continuing his question. He then promptly turned around and wrote on the whiteboard in a large font C SECURITY! Chapter 101 - Hannibal The title SECURITY could refer to either defense or protection. It could also refer to duties of ensuring safety. In this case, it would be subjected to security personnel. In other words, a security force. In the Mainland, many people regarded security as an extremely lowly position, but it was not seen that way in foreign countries. Compared to mercenaries, at least this profession was far more stable and safer. Hmm, at least it was this way for now However, even if they still had to perform acts of fighting and murdering as they did in the past, the salary offered spoke for itself. Even in SouthEast Asia, the continent with the highest rate of death in the Earth Federation, you would hardly be able to find someone matching the price Chen Chen was offering. The average rate for this line of work was only in the range of 8000 to 12000 U.S. Dollars. After buying out this group of desperadoes, the next phase of his plans became that much easier. Before signing the contract with this group, they were comparable to a bunch of timed bombs set to detonate in the research center at any given moment. The thing to note was that the rules of the jungle were strictly law abiding in these forms of almost primitive-like profession. The moment Chen Chen officially became their employer, he essentially turned this group of people into a sharp blade, free for him to wield. Besides, not just anyone was able to extend them an offer of 30000 U.S. Dollars to work for them. For this price tag, they would never allow anyone to come close to Chen Chen to bring him any harm. Chen Chen split the thirty of them into five groups, each with six members. They got to choose their team leaders while Cheng Cao temporarily assumed the position of a captain. Needless to say, this group of people would be somewhat bothered by having a Chinese man commandeering over them. However, if they had any opinions about it, the matter could be settled the old fashioned way. With the GS combat suit on, Cheng Cao had the clear upper hand in a straight-up brawl. If Cheng Cao was still not able to keep them in line even with such a distinct advantage, then there was not much Chen Chen could do about it. To better manage these battle-crazed animals, Chen Chen went ahead and built a training center on the open field outside the research center. He also repurposed the second-floor basement of the laboratory building into a shooting range. There were also separated shifts with a week off each month for these adrenaline-fueled beasts to catch a breather in the bars of Walvis Bay. Chen Chen set up a security department known as Black Security Service which consisted of these thirty members along with Cheng Caos team. Whether it was by design or unintentional, Chen Chen further assigned the fifteen local security guards into this department as well. He also formulated a strict departmental regime. For example, training began at six oclock sharp every morning. There must be two teams on patrol every night, and such. The coming period should prove to be very interesting. Chen Chen did not invest all of his time in these matters. Instead, he quickly shifted his attention to the group of villagers in Gorob Village who played the part as their experimental subjects. After nearly two weeks of cultivation, the cloned embryos of the elderly villagers had successfully developed into a sac formed embryo. Later, Chen Chens assistants proceeded to extract its embryonic stem cells and moved on to the next step which was the process of proliferation and cultivation. Among the group of elders, three of them were diagnosed with liver cirrhosis and another two of them who used to be miners had pneumoconiosis. For these five individuals, Chen Chen had specifically cultivated an extra cloned embryo. Instead of extracting the cloned embryo for its embryonic stem cells, Chen Chen preserved them. The fact remained that all of the techniques Chen Chen was developing was for the sake of extending the human lifespan. Apart from replacing the stem cells, there was a more direct way of achieving this goal, which was organ transplantation. The human heart, lung, liver, kidney, and other important organs could be transplanted. Strictly speaking, any form of disease contracted in these specific organs could be easily rid of via organ transplantation. In that case, why was it then tens of hundreds of thousands of people die every year as a result of these organ failures? That was because there was a problem with the availability of these organs. Not only were they rare but there were also the issues of compatibility and rejection that had to be considered. What if you could clone your organs? If Chen Chen planned to garner approval using a lifespan extension technology in addition to the technological treatment of reversing the effects of aging, perhaps he could add another aspect Chen Chen had thought of this a long time ago and had already begun implementation. He came to the fifth floor of the laboratory building where there was a tissue engineering laboratory. Inside the laboratory, several researchers were working attentively. These were the batch of newcomers Chen Chen had invited. Chen Chen had invited a total of 300 young talents of the biological industry who were full of potential, 200 of them ultimately chose to work with him. Most of them were assigned to the group of professors as their assistants, the ones that remained became Chen Chens researchers. Boss! Boss! Chen Chen nodded and turned to the device in front of them. Are the preparations complete? Its done. Weve successfully created ten artificial endometriums. A blonde-haired young man who appeared to be leading them answered Chen Chen. After that, he stepped in front of a transparent aquarium. Aquarium was a far too simple way to describe it. A more apt way to put it was an aquarium-shaped incubator. It was surrounded by transparent materials on each side; the top side was sealed by a metal lid. There were two rubber hoses, a black and white one respectively which were inserted into the tank from its top. From where Chen Chen stood, he could see the rubber hoses latching themselves onto a palm-sized organism in the tank which seemed to resemble some sort of organ. The organism seemed to take on an almost triangular shape, it looked like This is the artificial endometrium that weve developed. The blonde-haired young man observed the lump of meat with fascination like he was taking it as a piece of art. Following the Three-Dimensional in Vitro Cell Culture Model, we first used the biodegradable Poly Lactic-co-Glycolic Acid (PLGA) to create a human-shaped vessel that can accommodate a fetus. After that, we implanted the Endometrial Stromal Cells and Epithelial Cells on the top and bottom part of the PLGA and supplied it with an appropriate amount of nutrients. After about fourteen days, the cells began to fuse into a sheet, which consequently morphed into multiple layers to form the intended three-dimensional model. Chen Chen nodded in response. This was not a complex technique. It was nowhere close to variation of dark technologies like Complete Humanoid Organ Generation, it was merely an inner membrane layer. Even as early as 20 years ago, Professor Liu Hongqing of Cornell University in North America had already accomplished this technique. The only difficult part of this particular technique was in figuring out how to generate blood vessels for nutrient delivery which emulated that of real human structure. In that case, can the artificial blood vessel networks be embedded? Chen Chen asked again. Yes, we incorporated a mixed proliferation method. The blonde-haired young man pointed at the two tubes. By the time the endometrium was produced, it had already formed a self-sufficient intramural circulation network automatically. We only had to connect it to a dialysis machine to pump fresh blood in and separate the waste blood. After injecting the appropriate amount of nutrients into its blood, we were able to essentially bring it to life. Chen Chen nodded. The two tubes played the role of the veins and arteries. As for the blood inside, they were no regular human blood. Instead, they were emulsion of perfluorotributylamine (PFC) which had oxygen-carrying capacity. These substances were manufactured artificially and had excellent oxygen-carrying capabilities. Their solubility of oxygen was twice higher than that of ordinary blood and they were biodegradable as well. In medical practice, they were often used as a substitution for blood. Excellent. Chen Chen was visibly pleased. He patted the young man on his shoulder. Hannibal, would you be interested in being part of my next project? Is it the next step of the process following the making of the artificial endometrium? The young man named Hannibal lit up immediately. As an expert in biology subjects, he was well aware of what this project led to. Yes. Im more than willing, Boss! The young man nodded ceremoniously. This was a young man who was immensely passionate about subjects of biology. The young man was Hannibal Caesar, former sophomore at MIT. Just last year, he had published a very important paper in the field of synthetic biology in Science magazine and won the Lemelson-MIT Award that year with his heralded genetically modified phage technique. Since there was little the school had left to teach him, he was recruited by Chen Chen before he managed to graduate and began officially working for Blacklight Biotechnology. Chen Chen saw a terrific amount of potential in this young man. Unless affected by some external influence, there was a chance this young man could become the next Darwin, Mendel or Schwann in the decades to come, spearheading a new branch of biology Chapter 102 - Life Incubator Half a day later. Hannibal pushed the equipment containing the artificial endometrium and followed Chen Chen to an unmarked laboratory on the sixth floor. Unlike other laboratories, there was no label specifying the purpose of this particular laboratory. There was only a red sign. The sign was labeled Restricted Zone on the top part while the bottom part read Experiment area, unauthorized personnel not allowed. Boss. Boss. The young men dressed in white lab coats were already standing outside by the alloy gate of the laboratory entrance. The two young men looked like they were in their mid-twenties. One of them appeared to be Jewish. He even specifically adorned his lab coat with tassels, the other one appeared to be either from the Mainland of SouthEast Asia. Chen Chen nodded and informed the three of them, For the following period, you guys will be partners. Nice to meet you. Hannibal promptly shook the hands of the two men. Nice to meet you. Im John von Neumann, European, biological studies. Im Li Lei. Im from the Mainland, senior in Princeton. The names Hannibal, Hannibal Caesar. Im from MIT back in North America but Ive since dropped out One was an introverted Chinese man and one was a Jewish with an intense temperament. In comparison, Hannibal appeared very normal. After they had exchanged introductions, they fell into silence again. Chen Chen paid no mind to them and turned to the security camera. After several seconds, upon Chen Chens cameras retina identification, the alloy door suddenly opened. Come right in. Upon walking in, Chen Chen turned around to look at Hannibal and the trio who stood dumbfounded. He urged them to follow. Oh, ok Boss. The three of them followed him in. It was only when they walked in that they realized this laboratory was strangely spacious. It was several times larger than the previous laboratory. More importantly, they had never noticed the existence of such a laboratory. Its just a very common spatial illusion. Chen Chen mentioned before he pushed out a few cylindrical devices from the side. Hannibal looked over and saw that these cylindrical devices were about thirty centimeters in diameter and one meter in height. The entire body was made of tempered glass. Only the base and top were made of metal, and the inside was empty. These are The three of them eyed the devices and felt a strange sense of familiarity. Feels familiar, doesnt it? Chen Chen raised the question like he was a mentor. Id say you guys saw this in a sci-fi movie before. The incubator used for growing clones!? upon hearing Chen Chens clue, Li Lei suddenly made the connection and asked in shock. Thats right, I was inspired by the movie and designed something similar but I prefer the name: Life Incubator. Chen Chen patted the device which made a clapping sound. He then pushed out a constant-temperature incubator. There are five human embryos here that have entered the sac state. Based on your knowledge, Id say you should know how to proceed with this. The three of them were taken aback when they heard Chen Chen. Without a moments thought, they rushed ahead and looked into the incubator together. Its been fourteen days? Hannibal mumbled, Ill need a micromanipulator to implant these human embryos into the artificial endometrium. Ill also need synthetic amniotic fluid from minerals, urea, uric acid, creatinine, glucose, and synthetic amniotic fluid like amylase And itll need to be done before the embryo consumes the nutrients in the yolk, otherwise, the embryo is likely to die due to nutrition insufficiency. John added. But what comes next? The blood supply in these artificial endometriums cant possibly support maturing embryos. Li Lei sounded uncertain. Fourteen weeks. Chen Chen answered with a single finger raised, Fourteen weeks is my estimated period. By then the fetus wouldve formed the umbilical cord and placenta. Once the umbilical cord is formed, therell be no need for endometrium intervention. By then, we can use an artificial lung oxygenator to connect to the blood vessels on the umbilical cord of the fetus to feed oxygen directly. We can also transmit inorganic salts, vitamins, fats, proteins, and other substances required for growth directly into the fetus. The optimization process will be extremely delicate, it may be very difficult to accomplish. Hannibal pondered for a moment, a weary look appeared on his face. The way he saw it, these methods were a little too optimistic. The process of simulating an intrauterine environment was inherently incredibly difficult and the odds of success were extremely unlikely. Dont have to worry about that. Upon arriving at that point, somebody is eventually going to get it done. Chen Chen pointed out with a sense of profoundness. It was true. For the current state of technology, it was difficult to simulate an intrauterine environment. Specifically, the act of supplementing nutrients was not something that could be accomplished via labor. It did not prove to be an issue for Chen Chen. Common men may not be able to achieve the task, but that did not mean that artificial intelligence could not pull it off. Several days ago, Chen Chen specifically designated a section of land in the research center to construct a factory. He then facilitated it with thousands of servers. After that, Chen Chen relocated Little X from the Mainland to here. Apart from that, to alleviate the network issues, he had constructed a macro base station at his expense. This effectively got rid of the issue with wireless connectivity. With Little Xs proficiency in performing macro-control management around the clock, all that was left to do was to run the experiment several times. Upon collecting enough data to build a data model, the optimized cultivation model should be constructed in no time. Moreover, all of the equipment in the laboratory was custom-built in Switzerland. Each one of them could be connected to the network to allow Little X to directly control them. Therefore, barring any major slipups from the three of them, Chen Chen did not need to put the chances of failure into consideration. Right. Chen Chen suddenly reminded. The reason Im cultivating the cloned embryos isnt so that they could be birthed successfully. I have no intentions of actually birthing them, is that understood? Youre saying? The three of them raised their heads quizzingly. A targeted inhibition form of serotonin. Chen Chen took out a slip of paper to write down a line of the chemical formula under the intense observation of the trio. Upon injecting this targeted inhibition form of serotonin, the development of its brains will be effectively inhibited. But it will not inhibit physical development. The three of them quickly noted Chen Chens usage of the term it when referring to the cloned embryos. Understood. This is the most optimal route. Li Lei and John nodded in agreement. So long as the embryos brain was not developed, it would not be able to form a conscience of its own. To be fair, even if the brain was developed during its fetal form, there should not be a sense of self-awareness just yet. Still, Chen Chens methods were unquestionably more humane. In terms of human physiology, they were just considered an empty shell made of flesh, devoid of a structural brain. Truth be told, Hannibal was not in the least bothered by these things. However, since Chen Chen was his employer, he figured it was best to do as instructed. After passing on these instructions, Chen Chen effectively handed the reigns of the laboratory to the trio and proceeded to turn around, and make his exit. These three men were biology savants and were also Chen Chens potential candidates for Gods Forbidden Zone. Now that Chen Chens company was growing by the minute, he no longer had time to conduct the experiments himself. He needed to nurture a group of successors. The tasks of cultivating cloned embryos were entrusted to these hand-picked savants of his. Chapter 103 - Impractical Concerns Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Three months later. Everyone, please step onto your respective treadmills. I said now, immediately! Inside the laboratory building of Blacklight Biotechnology Research Center. A stern-looking researching staff glared pointedly at thirty-three black men. All thirty-three of them were Ovambo people, dressed in standard white hospital gowns. Though not all of them were particularly enthusiastic, most, if not all of them were healthy at least. Just three months ago when they had just stepped foot into the research center, they were a bunch of old and frail men. Yet, they had now miraculously become younger than they were. Judging by appearance, they appeared to be in their forties. It was as if the sands of time ran in the opposite direction. Most of them appeared somewhat uncooperative in following the orders of the research members. However, a line of B.S.S. security personnel was stationed right next to them, each one of the guards intimidatingly glared at them. Any form of disobedience resulted in a round of beating. The cooperative members were sectioned out and rewarded with a delicious meal with the occasional alcoholic beverage as a supplement. When the choices of reward and punishment were laid bare before them, there was not much by way of options for these people. As the group begrudgingly stepped onto their respective treadmills, the researcher tapped a button of the main console which caused the treadmills to spring into motion. The speed now is 5 kilometers per hour. Move your feet, start running! 7 kilometers per hour now, keep going. 10 kilometers per hour. When the researcher set the speed to ten kilometers per hour, one of the black men could no longer keep up and quickly hopped off the treadmill. The security personnel stationed in that section immediately approached and violently swung his electric baton at the escapees hip. Ah! The man shrieked in horror. With his hand still clutching his hip, he hopped back on the treadmill. 15 kilometers per hour! The researcher looked at the timer. It had been five minutes since commencing, a lot of them were already struggling to catch their breath. However, they were not at their limit yet. The researcher considered for a moment before turning it up to 20 kilometers. The group could no longer keep up. One after another, they hopped off the treadmill and collapsed onto the ground like a bunch of dead animals, struggling to catch their breath. Even with the beatings they received, they remained sprawled on the ground. Not bad. The researcher nodded happily and was noticeably pleased with the data collected. The physical strength this group had presented was above that of regular shut-ins who hardly, if ever, exercised. It should be noted that the average age range of this group was above fifty years old. A fifty-year-old in Africa was roughly the equivalent to a sixty-five to a seventy-year-old back in the Mainland. The researcher took out a logger and jotted B in the Physicality Recovery section. In the physical fitness category, there were labels such as bone strength, organ proficiency, muscle proficiency, joint toughness, and similar keywords. Most of these sections were marked down as either A or B. Alright, well now run another round of x-ray on everyone and that concludes the tests for the day. The researcher clapped his hands and instructed, After that, the rest of you can go back to the dormitory. The five of you from Kadi and Yasuas group will stay here for a moment. There are some other tests that well need you for. After that, he took the five he had selected and left. While that was going on, five life incubators were running in the unmarked mysterious laboratory. The life incubators were filled to the brim with some sort of yellow liquid which had a slightly cloudy texture. Occasionally, bubbles gurgled from the bottom of the solution and floated to the top. A human fetus the approximate size of a regular fist could be spotted floating in the solution. The human fetus was curled up and wrapped in a translucent film like it was currently residing inside a womb. Several tubes could be seen connected to the umbilical cord which was latched onto the fetus belly button. The tubes attached to the umbilical cord were linked to a giant device placed outside the life incubator. With the help of the machine, every single nutrient required for regular development was injected accordingly into the fetus. The five of them will be here shortly. We can start making preparations for organ matching. Upon receiving the intel from the main control center, Hannibal quickly passed on the message to the other two members in the laboratory. Is there no other way around it? Neumann, who was completely immersed in the statistics displayed up till that moment, snapped out of it and noted hesitantly. Based on the tests we ran last time, after the five of them went through the age reversal treatment, their organs functionality is already in the process of recovery. Even without needing to perform organ transplantation, their cirrhosis and pneumoconiosis were able to recover on its own. Hannibal shook his head disapprovingly with a frown on his face. Neumann, youre the same as youve always been. Dont forget that were not doing this for charity. Do you have any idea how much it costs to perform the age-reversal treatment? Do you have any idea how many U.S. Dollars these life incubators burn up daily? In the grand scheme of things, do you have any idea how much the boss has to spend every single day for this research center? After an exasperated sigh, Hannibal continued. Were not doing this to save these people but to innovate the current technique. To this day, there isnt a single research institution in the world that can develop stem cells into complete organs, you have any idea why that is? Tell me, isnt it because of the sheer difficulty of cultivating individual organs which is even beyond the difficulty of cloning humans? But now, we can overcome this issue and develop a fully-formed, complete organ. Do you have a clue how many potential lives we could save by implementing this technology? Li Lei, who kept his silence all this time, approached closer as well and patted Neumann on his shoulder. Theres a saying where I came from, A minor display of kindness spells evil while the most benevolent act requires a great deal of cruelty. A true act of nobility stems from a rational mind that isnt misguided by simple emotions. What were trying to accomplish here is of the greatest benevolence. Neumann nodded. It was at this moment when Little X suddenly broadcasted its voice via the speakers. Sir Godfather, Ive finished sorting the logged data related to the age-reversal treatment program. All thats left is the data from the organ match! Good work, Little X. Chen Chen snapped his finger. In that case, we may commence the next step of the plan. The next step of the plan? Little X asked curiously. Yes, the next step of the plan. Chen Chen raised his palm and looked into the center of his palm. As you know, everything were doing now leads to the ultimate goal of extending the human lifespan. However, Im woefully aware that this isnt something that can be accomplished in several days. The good news is that my parents are only close to fifty. I shouldve another twenty to thirty years to bring the operation to fruition. Chen Chen gently clenched his fist, a sharp determination gleamed in his eyes as he spoke, In twenty years, Ill begin with extending humanitys lifespan by thirty years. After that, Ill fully devote my efforts to the anti-aging project! Have you thought about how youll deal with the overpopulation problem? Little X suddenly asked curiously, The total population of the Earth Federation currently stands at 7.84 billion. Each year, the population further grows by 81.3 billion, which is a growth rate of 1.09%. According to my calculations, in twenty years, the world population will reach 9.59 billion. As if this isnt enough, in 100 years, the world will reach a global population of 30 billion. This will lead to heightened tensions worldwide which will incite a new world war. Theres no need to worry about this. Chen Chen shook his head. Little X, your abstract mind-mapping based on logical facts is still lacking. If technology is allowed another 100 years of development, dont you think its possible to have attained nuclear fusion control? Even if mankind was ultimately unable to achieve it, can I not extract it? Ah, thats true Little X suddenly realized. Upon achieving nuclear fusion control, itll be the official hallmark of mankind entering an era of unlimited energy. This also means that humans will no longer be bound to the Earths gravity. At that point, the continuous population expansion will no longer be an issue. Chen Chen smiled faintly. Besides, a drastically lengthened lifespan shouldnt prove to be an issue. By then, the federation will enact new policies such as delayed retirement, delayed marriage, population control, and such. These are problems that I wont have to concern myself with. The point is, worrying yourselves with the potential dangers that will come with lengthening humanitys lifespan are simply impractical concerns. Arriving at this point, Chen Chen picked up a book at the table and immersed himself in reading. After about half an hour, Little X suddenly informed, Sir Godfather, the human cloning laboratory just uploaded the research findings. The compatibility rate of the cloned and original bodies is 100%! Excellent. Chen Chen put down the book and instructed, Little X, get ready to begin. Chapter 104 - Invitation Card Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Half an hour later, Chen Chen was toying around with a strange invitation card he had received. The color of the invitation card was a deep vivid blue, it was made with 270g pearlescent paper. There was a line of text etched on it with bronze plating which gave it a dignified appearance. In the middle of the invitation card was the logo of Gods Forbidden Zone. Right underneath the logo was a sentence written in small font, Youre hereby invited. These were the norm for invitation cards. However, upon opening the invitation card, one would notice that the invitation card was far thicker than regular invitation cards. It was almost like a book. The invitation card was about thirty pages thick. The first page was a written introduction on Gods Forbidden Zone authored by Chen Chen. The remaining pages provided pictures, references, and details regarding Stem Cell Age Reversal Treatment and Cloned Organ Transplantation projects. Naturally, the central information related to these projects was left out intentionally. A person who was an expert in these subjects may be able to verify the legibility. However, to be able to replicate these projects was another matter as it was near impossible. One would have to start from square one to do so. This was not the only invitation card, there were eleven of them in total. The invitation cards were written in a large variation of languages. Some were written in English, others were written in French, Latin, Greek, Arabic, and Hebrew. Eleven invitation cards, each directed to the eleven chaebols of the world. These chaebols ranged from internationally renowned names to some being almost completely unknown to the world. Their roles ranged from the pioneering leaders of certain industries to the most esteemed chief of certain families. The one thing all eleven of these recipients had in common was that they were all elderly ranging from sixty to seventy years old. There was an anecdote Chen Chen picked up from a textbook when he was a child: The more wearisome the power struggle is, the more crucial it is to mobilize the power of the masses. Unite the masses, rely on their unified power. Avoid the common pitfalls of stubborn pride which leads to one trying to be the hero. Really makes you wonder how many tenacious bosses out there with insurmountable talent who, in their pursuit of opposing the philosophy of the world, actively refused to establish any form of alliance. For all of their acts of defiance, it ends with them unable to unleash their full potential and end up crashing in a blaze of glory before even taking flight. Therefore, to carry out his plans, Chen Chen was not going to do it all by himself. Instead, he was going to weave a delicious, captivating plan to attract the attention of all potential interested organizations. With this, even if Chen Chens plans were exposed one day, imagine the scale of the socialists marching in the streets to protest his actions. However, they would find that not only did they have to deal with Chen Chen, they also have to deal with the immensely powerful organizations backing him To sum it up, Chen Chen had to find some way to get these corporations with incredible wealth and influence on his side. This way, he could continue working on his projects without worry to complete his hundred-year-long project. Still, it was no simple task to present a cake that could effectively attract the intention of those people. Any ordinary, simple cake with no value would not cut it. This was why Chen Chen launched the Age-reversal Treatment and Cloned Organ Transplantation projects. To draw their intrigue. With these two projects along with the ongoing Alzheimers Reversal Therapy, Neural Stem Cell Connection Regeneration, and Cancerous Cyclin-dependent Kinase projects, surely this would draw the attention of these powerful individuals at the final stages of their lives? Chen Chen sat on the safe and began contemplating with his hand supporting his chin. How did people come to terms with their constant aging and the fact that their physical fitness was on the constant decline? Most people would develop an affection for regular exercise. The irony was that they would hardly bother with taking a jog back in their younger days. They began to practice good, healthy habits such as avoiding stuffing themselves during regular meals, avoiding staying up all night, and overall self-control, just so that they could preserve a healthy body. This was what common people did. What about the reigning lords and emperors in ancient ages? The Great Emperor Qin sent Xu Fu to the mystical mountains of Penglai. Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty employed alchemists to search for the medicine of immortality. Emperor Tang Taizong took the fabled Huseng medicine which caused a violent reaction Countless ancient kings and emperors, even the wise emperor of the likes of Han Wu the Emperor of Qin, even the most benevolent of lords and emperors. Did anyone end up escaping the jaws of death? Such was the nature of men. If even the wisest of kings and emperors had embarked on a search for immortality, these wealthy and influential individuals should be aiming for the same thing. Chen Chen was no exception to that rule. The way Chen Chen saw it, as long as it meant he could continue surviving, he would gladly do so whatever the cost may be. Whether it was time, money, desires, even the very core identity of mankind Even if he had to lose himself for it. After all, death was so final and yet life was so full of possibilities. If even someone in his position felt this way, could the same not be said for the old and withered ones who already had one foot in the grave? Would they be able to resist the temptation clawing away deep down inside upon receiving Chen Chens invitation card? Chen Chen was looking forward to their response. Several days later, on an island thousands of miles away in the British Isles of Europe. London. This city was heralded as the largest city which served as the largest economic center in the Earth Federation. It was yet another sunny day in the city. The financial sector served as Londons economic mast. The stock trading sector in the city was the most important stock trading center of the federation. Additionally, 19 of the top 500 companies of the federation were situated in London. To the east of Londons St. Pauls Cathedral, there was a place commonly referred to as One Square Mile. The Square Mile was home to densely populated buildings, many among them were banks and other financial institutions. It was regarded as Londons equivalent of Wall Street. It was for this reason that the Square Mile had another popular nickname C Financial City. In the present moment, in the Foster Group building located in the financial city which carried its weight in gold, Norman Foster, who wore thick-framed glasses, stood on a wicker chair by the french window and was overlooking the city. He had a copy of London Times in hand. This was a newspaper he had founded when he was younger. Today, it had become the most popular newspaper in London, boasting more than ten million sales each day. As he grew older, he found himself thinking more than ever. He thought about all of the crossroads of life he came into when he was younger and the decisions he had made. If If he had just taken a different path when he was younger, would he still harbor the regrets he had today? The afternoon sunlight was both warm and scorching as it shot past the french windows and into Normans eyes, it made him feel sleepy. The strength of his youth had long left him, but he had never stopped managing the corporations under his name. Over time, he had developed a habit of napping every now and then on the wicker chair. However, he was unable to fall asleep today for some unknown reason. The more he forced himself to shut his eyes, the more he sensed the presence of someone standing beside him. Someone he could not see. However, when he opened his eyes with alertness and took glances around him, he noticed that there was nobody else present in the room save for his secretary and the trusted bodyguards standing guard outside. The feeling also vanished as soon as he opened his eyes. When he shut his eyes again, the intense feeling of being under someones watchful gaze surfaced again The stark contrast made the ends of his hair stand up. As a man of his age, it was not plausible for his senses to be so strong. Still, no matter how hard he tried to convince himself it was all just in his head, the uncomfortable sensation of being observed continued gnawing at him. In that case, it was wise to skip sleeping for now. Norman sighed before picking the newspaper up. As he was preparing to read the newspaper, he suddenly froze. Norman felt a chill whistle up from the back of his spine. They quickly spread through his body, causing even his hair to stand up on its end! Without realizing it, he had tossed the newspaper into a nearby trash can. On his hands, he grasped a strange-looking invitation card that was not there before Chapter 105 - Suspicion Although Norman was sixty-nine years old by now, he could swear that he had no signs of Alzheimers. He even had a doctor who helped him conduct monthly tests to look for signs of Alzheimers. On top of that, throughout all of these tests, his brain had always remained in exemplary condition. Which was to say, everything that had just occurred was not just in his head? Somebody came beside him while he had his eyes closed and hastily swapped out the newspaper with the invitation card? Norman was certain that he was no senile old fool just yet. Besides, how was anyone supposed to sneak past his bodyguards and secretary unnoticed? Norman looked up again and carefully surveyed his surroundings. His surroundings remained as tranquil as it had always been. His secretary was behind him tidying up the bookshelves while two bodyguards stood guard silently by the door. At this point, if it was not for the invitation card that reminded Norman that this was all real, he might have even begun to start questioning his sanity. Emily Norman could not stop himself from asking. Yes, Mr. Norman. Here I am. A woman cloaked in a strong scent of perfume immediately approached him when he called for her. She leaned down, revealing her well-endowed chest. Do you need me to pour you a cup of tea? No, Emily. Did anyone appear by my side just now? Norman looked intently into the womans eyes like he was trying to pierce through her with his sheer gaze. Th- that wouldnt be possible, Mr. Norman. The secretary raised the question with a minor shift in expression. This is your private office. Apart from me and Leo, how is anyone supposed to just sneak in unnoticed? Is that so? Norman slowly averted his gaze and looked down at the invitation card he had grasped in his hands. A look of intrigue appeared on his face. Hmm, Mr. Norman, when did this invitation card The secretary finally saw the invitation card which showed up out of nowhere in Normans hands as well and asked with mild wonder. None of your business. Before she could finish the question, Norman shot her an icy glare. The secretary quickly realized her mistake and quickly swallowed the words that were about to come out of her lips. She had undergone professional training and knew better than to ask questions she should not ask. She accidentally blurted the question because of how surprised she was by the card that was not in the boss hands just ten minutes ago. Norman waited until she went back to her seat before delicately inspecting the invitation card. To be able to sneak past his elite bodyguards and this foolish woman, and deliver this invitation card right into his hands. Regardless of how the other person had pulled this off, this invitation card was certainly worth a look at. On the invitation cards cover was a strange logo. It depicted a mechanical arm trying to touch a humans arm and right below the logo was a short sentence: The Holy Ground of Science, Forbidden Zone of God. Norman was never a particularly devout Christian. He instinctively frowned when he saw the logo. What audacity. Are these slogans and logos supposed to imply that science could replace God? Norman mumbled to himself and scoffed before flipping to the first page. Suddenly, a paragraph of text written with a gel pen was revealed before him. These passages did not seem to be anything out of the ordinary. However, upon closer inspection, he was able to tell there was something extraordinary about them. The size of each letter, the spaces between each letter and sentence, and the strokes of each letter C they were all nearly completely identical. Even the most experienced calligrapher who spent decades honing their craft could not write two completely identical letters. This had nothing to do with technique, it was merely a matter of the lack of human control over their muscles The only way someone could pull a feat like this off was if they had extremely precise control over their muscles down to the most minute detail. Did someone like this exist in the world? Norman may have his doubts in the past but now he was left with no choice but to believe it. The evidence was presented right before him in the form of the extreme precision of each letter like they were printed out with a printer. Anyone could tell that this was not the work of a printer because each letter oozed a distinct personal style. Each stroke performed was bold and distinct, this was not something a computer could simply mimic. Who in the world was able to produce such a bizarre letter? Norman took in a deep breath. He could tell his interest in this invitation letter was growing with each passing second. Dear Mr. Norman Foster: If youre reading this letter now, itd mean that it was successfully delivered into your hands. Please do forgive our manners in not presenting ourselves properly in the delivery of the letter. As you can tell, were an organization that goes by the name Gods Forbidden Zone. Were an organization comprised of members seeking the key to extending our lifespan. Our goal is to overcome the Hayflick limit imposed on the human body and subsequently attain that which only the divine beings have access to C Immortality. As a step toward this plan, we have launched the Mankind Anti-aging Project. The project includes hundreds of scientific and technological projects that serve to prolong the human lifespan. The current implemented ones include Aging Reversal Therapy, Cloned Organ Transplantation, Alzheimer Reversal Therapy, Neural Stem Cell Connection Regeneration, Cancerous Cyclin-dependent Kinases, and various others amounting to thirteen in total. Among these mentioned projects, the Aging Reversal Therapy and Cloned Organ Transplantation have proved to be a success. We believe that used in conjunction, these two technological breakthroughs will be able to extend the natural lifespan of a person by more than thirty years. Weve made sure to enclose a portion of the relevant details regarding these two techniques employed. If you dont find these data to be convincing, please log in to the URL provided in the invitation card to view the relevant video data of these two techniques. If you find yourself intrigued by our projects, please do contact us on our website. It was concluded with the signature of Gods Forbidden Zone. Norman felt his eyes twitching involuntarily by the time he had finished reading the contents. He had to admit that when he saw the text reading Aging Reversal Therapy, he could feel his heart skipping a beat even when he thought he had come to terms with his own mortality. This sense of intrigue was immediately followed by suspicions. Scam organization? This was not the first time Norman had encountered such a scenario. Even in his social circle, there had been similar cases. Several billionaire associates of his stumbled into some organization along the lines of the Alcor Life Extension Foundation. They were persuaded into investing tens of millions into the foundation only to have them run away with the cheque in just two days. These few billionaires were turned into a laughingstock of the business world overnight. Norman would not have his long-standing legacy crumble to dust overnight. Still What if they were telling the truth? Norman fell silent for a moment before breaking into a bitter laugh. Even if there was a chance this organization turned out to be a scam, was he going to just stand by idly? Norman fixed his gaze on the texts which read Extend the natural lifespan of a person by more than thirty years. He was a ripe sixty-nine-year-old today. Even though he was still largely healthy, how long was this going to last? He was no longer the young man he was. Perhaps he could live another ten to twenty years or maybe he would be struck by a terrible illness the very next day. Who could have a read on these things? Norman heaved an exasperated sigh when he thought of this and got up from his chair. Emily, bring me my son, Leo. Got it, Mr. Norman. Chapter 106 - Leo Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Father, you called for me? In a short while, a tall, broad middle-aged man with handsome features came in. He was probably in his forties, with blonde hair and blue eyes. He looked like a typical Caucasian and had a confident, noble manner. Leo, youre here. Norman waved away his secretary. Emily, leave us for now. Yes. The secretary nodded at once and quickly left the room, closing the door gently behind her. The man called Leo made a startled expression and finally turned solemn. He swiftly walked to his father and asked in a low voice, Did something happen? Look at this. Norman looked up and handed over the invitation letter he was holding. After exchanging a glance with his father, Leo suddenly noticed that his father was a little different than usual. There seemed to be something unusual in those eyes. A piercing sort of glint. When Leo was young, he had often seen this same glint. Nonetheless, as his father grew older, it became rare for Leo to see this glint in Normans eyes. This was because each time this glint appeared in Normans eyes, it meant that he had made a profound decision Was this related to the invitation letter? Leos heart thumped and he quickly turned the letter around. At first, Leo merely frowned but as he kept reading, astonishment bloomed in his eyes. By the end, even his breathing had become heavy Twenty minutes later, Leo finally put the letter down with a serious expression. Father, where did this invitation letter come from? I dont know either. Norman lowered his gaze. It was difficult to make out what he was thinking. They found a way to evade the attention of everyone around me and placed this in my very hands twenty minutes ago. Thats impossible! Leo blurted out, Perhaps they used a drone or bribed one of the bodyguards? Are you doubting my judgment? Norman narrowed his eyes. I wouldnt be so bold! Leo hurriedly bowed his head. I know this is difficult to believe, but it is what it is Norman pointed at the closed door. I was lying here just now and only Emily was in the room. In other words, they may have the ability to avoid all of my bodyguards and easily kill me. Theyre threatening you? Leos expression grew darker. I think thats what theyre suggesting. Norman slowly stood up. Go and contact a biological expert. I want to know whether this technology is genuine and Whether it can be replicated. A few hours later, an old man in a large white coat showed up in Normans presidential office. He sat in front of the computer, watching all the videos with a somber expression. Then, he flipped through the material in his hands with a disgruntled look before putting it down reluctantly. Mr. Moss, is it possible that this technology is falsified? On one side, Leo asked quickly. I can locate no traces of fraud. The old man sighed and got up from his seat. Although its rather inconceivable, its principles are in fact feasible. There may just be some technical aspects that require further research. If I hand over this material to you, can you replicate the same technology? Norman asked casually. I have high hopes! The old mans eyes lit up. These two reports have inspired me immensely. If I were to conduct the research, Id only need five years and a billion USD of funding to replicate the first technology! Upon hearing this, Norman and his son looked at each other, both noticing the rueful light in each others eyes. Just the first technology? Erm The old man explained awkwardly, Perhaps you think that the second technology appears to be simpler than the first since its just about the cultivation of clones. However, the difficulty lies in the machine which they called the Life Incubator. I dont know how this machine solves the problem of in vitro cultivation, but as far as I know, this will remain impossible across the entire Federation for ten years. Alright, we understand. Norman nodded at Leo, who immediately walked forward and ushered the old man out of the room. Mr. Moss, you did a good job. Ill send the hush money and service fee to your account. However, about what you saw here, please keep a lid on it. Otherwise, you know what will happen Mr. Leo, wont you consider letting me replicate this technology? I can Well talk about this next time. Leo was unyielding as he sent out the old man. Following that, he shot a look at the two bodyguards. The bodyguards nodded wordlessly and exited the room too. After sending away the expert, Leo returned to Norman. He was about to say something when he noticed his fathers contemplative expression. After a long while, Norman heaved a heavy sigh. He looked up at his son. Leo, does the website mention how they can be contacted? Theyve listed a date and address. Leo turned on the computer and confirmed this. The date is 30 May, ten days later, and the address is Walvis Bay, Namibia, Africa. Ten days, huh? Norman frowned, then looked somberly at Leo. Leo, Ill arrange for you and Jesse to go there. I want to know if their projects are genuine or just a scam. Understood, Father. Leo nodded and lowered his eyes. When his powerful father gave a command, he could only obey. After deciding this, Norman lay back in his recliner once again and flipped through the invitation letter as if he wanted to engrave each word into his mind. Seeing this, Leo knew it was time for him to leave. He cast a final glance at the invitation letter, after which he turned to leave the office and close the door gently. Perhaps he had imagined it, but in the instant that he closed the door, he seemed to see a flash of greed in his fathers eyes. Seeing that both of them had set the scene, Cheng Cao, who was in cloaked form, turned and left the office noiselessly with the help from the GS Combat Suit. Even so, he did not go far but hid in the vicinity of the Financial City, ready to move at any time. After all, someone as cautious as Chen Chen would never reveal his hand when his targets intention was still unknown. Even if he was exposed, Chen Chen would have some form of a contingency plan. This time, in addition to the B.S.S. team members led by Cheng Cao who were equipped with GS Combat Suits, Little X was also monitoring Normans phone records at all times. If Normans decision was not to cooperate but to become Chen Chens opponent, Cheng Cao would use the memory eraser to remove their previous recollections. To improve the efficiency of this operation, Chen Chen had extracted five cloaking devices for the other five team members. These cloaking devices from Predator were only as large as a longan fruit. They were easily portable and required only a tiny amount of electricity to extract. Chen Chen had also considered the Controller device from Gantz, which had a cloaking ability too. Still, that device had to be worn on the arm and its mass and volume far exceeded the cloaking device from Predator. In the end, Chen Chen had ruled it out. In this manner, Cheng Cao and his five teammates had delivered eleven invitation letters to eleven plutocrats in batches. When the day of the appointment arrived, everyone would gather at Walvis Bay, Namibia. At that time, the stage would be Chen Chens. Chapter 107 - The Meeting Begins Ten days later. When Leo Foster had arrived at Walvis Bay under the pretext of a vacation, the family butler, Jesse, had arrived a day earlier and booked a luxury room in a hotel. However, Leo had obtained another piece of news from Jesse. Really, a biological company named Blackwatch has a research center nearby? Leo wore a pensive look. Does their logo feature two hands? No, Young Master. This companys logo is a pitch-dark black hole, Jesse replied. Thats weird. Leo frowned. No matter what, this company is the most suspicious one. Keep investigating! Yes, Young Master. After Jesse had left, Leo logged onto the website on the invitation again. However, after he had entered the verification code, he received this message at once 22:00. Twenty-two and zero, what would that mean? When he saw this new message, Leo instinctively checked his watch. Right now, it was nine-twenty at night in Namibia. There was still forty minutes to ten. Are they saying that theyll meet me at this time? Leo scowled. He was not fond of their little games. If it were not for the fact that they might possess the technology to extend ones lifespan, he would have left already. As for whether they might harbor malicious intentions, Leo was not too worried. As long as they were not incredibly stupid, they would know that kidnapping members of the Foster family from the European Continent would not do any good. In this manner, Leo waited for forty minutes. When it was ten at night sharp, a sleek black car emerged from the darkness and came to a stop before Leos hotel. Ring ring At the same time, Leos phone rang. He picked up the phone and noticed that the caller ID was blank. He accepted the call distrustfully and a young, masculine voice immediately piped up from the phone. Mr. Leo Foster, Im the spokesperson for Gods Forbidden Zone. So, its really you! Leo was fed up with this kind of aimless waiting and hurriedly urged. I have arrived at Walvis Bay according to the address you provided. Can we meet now? Your ride has arrived downstairs, Mr. Foster. Leo quickly walked to the window upon hearing these words. He opened the curtains and looked down to spot a black car parked outside the hotel. Against the backdrop of the night, it was like a black ghost. You want me to get in that car? Leos expression was uncertain. Were not forcing you. The car weve sent can also just guide the way, the voice answered. Lets do that then. Ill be down at once. After Leo thought about it, he did not risk it in the end. Although it was important to maintain some poise, it was more important to stay safe. He called Jesse and after a moment, Jesse came over with a group of bodyguards. Young Master, the car is ready. Then, lets go. Leo nodded and went downstairs. He sat in an SUV driven by a bodyguard while the other bodyguards got into three other cars. The five vehicles started out at once, leaving Walvis Bay in a stately manner as they headed south along the road. After they drove for less than twenty minutes, Leo saw the gate at the end of the road which was marked with the words Blackwatch Biological Research Center. His gaze turned sharp. As I thought, Gods Forbidden Zone is connected to this company They did not stop at the door. The five vehicles drove past the gates and finally stopped before a large laboratory building. However, Leo did not expect to see dozens of cars parked before the building. There were even several individuals who appeared to be bodyguards standing guard before their cars. Leos frown deepened instantly. Although the more people were invited and the safer he was, this also meant that his potential competitors had increased. He simply did not know what was Gods Forbidden Zone organization, which was behind this company, was planning. After he got out of the car with his crew of bodyguards, Jesse the butler leaned over and pointed at the stairway of the building, which was about ten meters away. Look, Young Master, thats a member of the Wilson family. Ive seen him before! Leo looked over. Several people, who appeared to be the research centers personnel, were escorting the person Jesse had pointed to into the building. Then, they walked over to Leo. Welcome! From a distance away, the Chinese man at their head was already booming. Welcome, Mr. Foster. Were truly honored by your presence today! Greeted by this unprofessional welcome, Leo tamped down his disdain and shook hands with the man. Are you the chairman of this company? No, Im the director of personnel for the research center. These are my subordinates. The Chinese native chuckled. Please come in. To be honest, youre the last to arrive. The other ten families have been waiting for some time. The other ten families? Leo was startled. Who else is here? On the European side, in addition to your Foster family, theres the Wilson family. From the North American Continent, there are the Edwards family, the Alexander family, and the Rodriguez family. In addition, theres also the Muhammad family from the Sand Continent With each name that the Chinese man mentioned, Leos eyes twitched furiously. He held himself back from grabbing the mans tie to ask him a barrage of questions and instead walked into the hall without saying a word. At once, the packed crowd within the hall looked over at the same time. Please ask your bodyguards to wait here. Qian Wenhuan then gestured to a conference room next to him. The other families are already in the conference room. Leo nodded and ordered Jesse and the bodyguards to stay in the hall. Following that, with Qian Wenhuan leading the way, he entered the conference room. The atmosphere inside was different from the rowdy hall. As soon as Leo walked in, he noticed everyone sitting in an orderly manner around a wide conference table. Leo was acquainted with most of them. After all, the upper circles would always cross paths. Most of them had similar positions to his own, being business oligarchs from various countries and family members of financial groups. The only person sitting at the head of the long conference table was a young man from Mainland China whom he had never seen before. At this time, there was only one vacant seat left at the conference table. It was blatantly obvious that this seat was for him. Therefore, Leo breezily walked to his seat under everyones gaze, then sat down at an unhurried pace in a true exhibition of British aristocratic manners. Very well, now that Mr. Foster has officially arrived, our meeting can officially begin. At the first seat, the youth smiled and his voice was transmitted to every corner of the room through a microphone. Chapter 108 - The Island In a luxuriously decorated conference room, twelve men of varying temperaments sat silently in their respective seats. Everyone was staring expectantly at the youth in the first seat. A solemn atmosphere slowly filled the room. At this time, the youth in the first seat suddenly spoke. Most of you should already know each other, so I wont waste time on introductions. The youth pointed at himself. Let me introduce myself. My name is Chen Chen and Im from Mainland China. Im the one who organized this gathering and Im also The spokesperson for Gods Forbidden Zone. Id like to ask, what exactly are the intentions of Gods Forbidden Zone in inviting me here? However, before Chen Chen could finish, a Middle Eastern man with a white scarf wrapped around his head interrupted impatiently. People like us have very limited time. If it werent for your technologies, I believe no one would be sitting here. Your Highness Prince Zayed, at least wait for me to finish speaking, hmm? Chen Chen spread his hands in a powerless gesture. As for Gods Forbidden Zone, Ive explained it in great detail in the invitation letters. Theres no need to go over that again. The reason Ive asked everyone here is actually very simple I want to invite all of you to join the organization. After all, we should bring all our forces together. Everyone remained silent as they waited for Chen Chen to go on. First, please take a look at this information. Chen Chen clapped lightly and a few employees walked in instantly, delivering eleven documents with blue covers to each person. When they opened the file, many of them could not help but inhale sharply. Leo opened the file too. It turned out to be a report that was more detailed than the one before. Not only that, the report also contained a completed plan for extending the lifespan of humans. The meticulous nature of the plan was truly breathtaking. I wonder if everyone has heard the concept of the escape velocity for humanitys lifespan? Suddenly, Chen Chen broke into their surprised mutterings with this inquiry. They all shook their heads. Seeing this, Chen Chen smiled gently. In that case, let me introduce what it is. What youre seeing now is the specific implementation plan for this project. With that, the large screen behind Chen Chen gradually lit up and the words Mankind Anti-Aging Plan appeared. The goal of Gods Forbidden Zone is to break the Hayflick limit of the human body and acquire the right to longevity that has been exclusive to gods. To this end, weve launched this mankind anti-aging project. The first step of the plan is to delve into the study of stem cells. As he spoke, the screen behind Chen Chen started to display pictures of experiments. I believe youve already understood from the invitation that, through hematopoietic and mesenchymal stem cell transplantation, the body may be effectively restored to a younger state. Plus, unlike other stem cell therapies that treat the symptoms but not the cause, our technology will first kill the stem cells in your body, which are then replaced by the cloned stem cells. The external result of this the human bodys hematopoietic function, muscle function, bone function, liver function, and other body functions can be miraculously restored, and aging is thus reversed! This is the age-reversal treatment project. With this method, everyone here will gain an additional twenty to thirty years of life. However, heres the question. Chen Chens tone shifted suddenly. Why just twenty to thirty years? After the hematopoietic stem cells and mesenchymal stem cells are replaced, itd be as if we had returned to our teenage years. We should still have forty, fifty years ahead of us. Isnt that so? Everyone raised their heads in unison, waiting silently for Chen Chens answer. Now Ill tell you the answer its because of our organs. Chen Chen pointed to his chest. Besides differentiating into muscle cells and bone cells, mesenchymal stem cells can also differentiate into cardiomyocytes and liver cells, which serve to repair the heart and liver. However, this doesnt take care of our lungs, kidneys, and intestines, and other important organs. If a human body is compared to a wooden barrel, then the Age-reversal Treatment will increase the height of some wooden staves, but not all. As he spoke, the big screen behind Chen Chen automatically displayed an animated image of a wooden barrel leaking continuously. Research on success would often use this wooden barrel analogy. Extending human lifespan is the same. Simply increasing the height of a few staves wont cut it. Only by increasing all of it, will human lifespan be extended. Chen Chen looked at his audience who was growing more absorbed and pointed to the files. Now, please turn to the second page. There was the sound of pages being flipped in the room. See? This is how well raise the height of the other wooden staves. Chen Chen spread his hands. This is the second project of our plan cloned organ transplantation. As we all know, for now, theres no organization in the world that has the ability to develop cells into complete organs, not even our Gods Forbidden Zone. Therefore, we shall simply bypass this technical limitation and start directly with cloning. With that, pictures from the cloning laboratory were displayed behind Chen Chen. What everyone is seeing now is the human cloning laboratory of our experimental center. The five fist-sized fetuses are clones, cloned from the somatic cells of local villagers. Moreover, those five villagers each suffered from severe liver cirrhosis and pneumoconiosis. Chen Chen continued to explain, Were now trying to birth the five fetuses by injecting hormones. The experiment has essentially succeeded. Its expected that the five cloned fetuses will be catalyzed to the biological age of fifteen within a year. When everyone heard this, there was a flicker in their expressions. What follows next is easy. Human organs are basically mature at the age of fifteen. Even if theyre not fully matured, this wouldnt affect things much. Transplantation can be carried out directly because theres a near-hundred-percent matching rate. To everyone, this is the best source of human organs. In this way, the shortcomings of the remaining organs are also accounted for. Just then, a middle-aged man raised his hand and asked doubtfully, But any sort of human cloning will not be accepted internationally. Surely this technology cant be openly popularized? If youre talking about popularizing the cloned organ transplantation project, then dont worry. Chen Chen explained, These technologies will only be used on members who join our Gods Forbidden Zone for the time being. After a buffer period of twenty to thirty years, the technology will slowly be shared with the world. I believe that by that time, the technology to generate complete organs from stem cells should already exist. Everyone caught on immediately. Chen Chen grinned. In other words, the current users of the mankind anti-aging project are just the people here. At this moment, a young man in his early twenties from the Wilson family suddenly giggled and asked, What if, after we custom-make our clones here, these clones grow up and escape, and were exposed in an ugly scandal? Upon hearing this funny question, a burst of laughter broke out in the room. However, Chen Chen replied with a straight face, Theres no need to worry about that. Weve developed a targeted, inhibiting serotonin. This serotonin will inhibit the human brain in the embryonic stage, causing their brains to shrink completely. But this wont affect the cerebellum and brain stem. This means that no matter how much those clones grow, their brains would always remain in a shrunken state. They would not even have consciousness. Thus, the plot of The Island will never happen. Everyone chortled again after hearing this. At this point, the initially heavy atmosphere of the room had gradually become more relaxed. Chapter 109 - Mankind Anti-Aging Project These are the two projects that have begun development in Gods Forbidden Zone. In addition, were also working on a project on neural stem cell connection regeneration. Chen Chen continued. This project is to supplement the emergence of human cloning technology. I think everyone mustve heard of the head transplant operation? As he spoke, the screen behind Chen Chen displayed news regarding a head transplantation. Professor Ren of Harbin Medical University once performed an animal head transplant experiment. He connected a monkeys head to a different body. In the end, the monkey and its new body shared the same blood circulation, but the spinal cord failed to connect. Thus, the monkey was paralyzed from the neck down. After a pause, Chen Chen said, Although this experiment failed in the end, it was also a success because it proved a successful method of head transplantation by freezing the subjects head for a short period, the head can be kept alive throughout the operation. Moreover, this wouldnt damage the brain. This result was published on SCI. Our neural stem cell connection regeneration project is to prepare for this. If theres a full-body disease in the future that cant even be treated with cloned organ transplants, wouldnt it be easier to directly clone the body, then change the head? Everyone looked contemplative. Here, Chen Chen concluded. Age-reversal therapy and cloned organ transplantation, in addition to the ongoing project of neural stem cell connection regeneration. With all this, were sure that we can extend your life by forty or even fifty years! When everyone heard this, their eyes widened with fierce desire. Of course, this is only a theoretical figure. In fact, there are still two natural enemies that may limit our age, which are cancer and Alzheimers disease. Therefore, to maintain the escape velocity of humanitys lifespan, were also developing the Alzheimers reversal treatment project and the cancerous cyclin-dependent kinases project! Chen Chen assumed a stern expression once again. Alzheimers disease is a degenerative disease of the nervous system, characterized by memory impairment, aphasia, executive dysfunction, personality and behavior changes, and so on. The cause is still unknown. However, in our organization, theres a breakthrough in Alzheimers disease! After he said this, everyones eyes lit up. Assuming that the first two technologies were genuine and effective, they were still within the scope of modern medicine. On the other hand, the treatment of Alzheimers disease was truly beyond the scope of modern medicine. At this point, a few more assistants came in. Each of them was holding a beautifully packaged blue glass bottle that was as thick as a finger. This glass bottle contained about 10ml of a seemingly transparent liquid. Everyone can take home a bottle as evidence. This liquid developed by our organization has the ability to accelerate brain activity, inhibit hippocampus and medial temporal lobe atrophy, and eliminate beta-amyloid deposits. Chen Chen pointed to these blue vials and said, The external effect of this is to temporarily increase ones thinking speed. The average person, upon taking it, will experience significant improvement in their logical thinking. The effect of this is more effective than Ritalin or Modafinil. Is that so? Many of them took the glass bottle from the assistants trays with excitement. If you feel assured enough to do so, you can even drink it on the spot to see for yourself. With that, Chen Chen took the last sealed bottle left on the tray, unscrewed the bottle cap, and poured the contents into his mouth without hesitation. The people present were stunned by Chen Chens actions and were tempted to try it out. Nevertheless, on second thought, they gave up on the idea. When Chen Chen noticed their hesitant manner, his lips curled up in a subtle smile. The liquid in the glass bottle was a brew produced by dissolving NZT-48 in glucose. Even so, after being diluted, the NZT content in this syrup was extremely low. Chen Chen had experimented with this in advance. Such a small amount of NZT could only temporarily enhance ones mental activity. It could not compare to the efficacy of the original drug. Still, this was already much stronger than the smart drugs on the market. Even if someone with Alzheimers disease took this drug, it would still speed up brain activity for a short time. It would appear as if the disease was under control, so these people would have no choice but to believe in it. Chen Chen was also not worried that they might try to analyze the drug themselves. After all, the complexity of NZT could not even be replicated by Chen Chen, let alone these people. In that case, can we take home a few more vials with us? Suddenly, an old man from North America asked. Sorry, but the production cost of this drug is 1000 USD per milliliter. Weve only made this much for the time being. Chen Chen spread his hands in a powerless manner. His audience did not say much else. Chen Chen continued explaining, This is the Alzheimers reversal treatment project you saw in the invitation letter, which corresponds with the cancerous cyclin-dependent kinases project. Unfortunately, the project relating to cancer cells still hasnt produced any results at the moment. Despite what Chen Chen had said, the people in the room were not going to say anything else. This was because, in this meeting, they had already absorbed so many outrageous facts Even putting aside the forthcoming projects, just the ones that were introduced were so tightly linked together. Everyone was left with no choice but to believe that this research center truly did possess technology that surpassed the entire Federations At this point, no one was even thinking of withdrawing. Chen Chen concluded. These projects are just the tip of the iceberg in Gods Forbidden Zone. I can guarantee that no organization in the world has technology as comprehensive as ours. Whats more, these projects are connected in series to form the complete mankind anti-aging project! As he spoke, a large screen gradually lit up behind Chen Chen, displaying a data graph. The mankind anti-aging project is so named because, at a certain point in time, we humans shall extend our lifespans with the help of medical technology thats been developed to a certain degree. Then, with our extended lives, well develop even more effective medical technology, thus further extending our lives, and so on Just like the concept of escape velocity in astrophysics. Only when the kinetic energy of an object is equal to its gravitational potential energy, will it escape from a celestial body with a mass of m. Similarly, if we refer to the current average lifespan of human beings, the increase in lifespan resulting from the two technologies developed by Gods Forbidden Zone, and the speed by which medical technology is developed is set as X1, and the extended time for human lifespan is set as Y1, then we get: During the period of Y1, as long as X1>Y1, well continue to develop more advanced medical technology, X2, to extend our lifespan again by Y2 years, and this will officially enter an infinite cycle! In front of an audience who were stunned with mouths agape, Chen Chen grandly opened his arms. This is the escape velocity of humanitys lifespan! Chapter 110 - Boiling Frogs in Warm Water When they first heard the concept of escape velocity of humanitys lifespan, many people still could not understand it as they would instinctively think of the concept of escape velocity in relation to astrophysics. However, after listening to Chen Chens explanation, they had a shocking realization Right, extend ones lifespan with the worlds most cutting-edge medical technology, then achieve another breakthrough within that extended lifespan. Evading the clutches of death again and again by such means what else was this but a form of escape? As long as medical technology could reach this point without being interrupted, would this not mean At this moment, everyone started to fidget a little. They were all thinking the same thought, a thought that they had only dared to dream of Chen Chen did not immediately mention that idea, but simply changed the topic. In truth, based on modern medical technology, a general policy similar to the mankind anti-aging project could begin in thirty to sixty years. After all, thats the direction were heading toward. Just like how human beings will have to develop controlled nuclear fusion to acquire an energy source thats more efficient, medical transformation triggered by the pursuit of longevity is likewise the general trend of human society, with a momentum that no one can stop! However Chen Chen suddenly lowered his voice, At that point, how old will all of you be? Who here can say for certain that theyll be alive until the era of that policy? Everyone was struck dumb. The average age of the group was above forty years old. Although this was not too old, it was not young either. Few of them could guarantee that they could live for another thirty years while waiting for a policy that might or might not appear. Then can I ask Leo finally could not hold back and blurted out, How can you be sure that this escape plan will work? What if after a few rounds of escape, science hits a bottleneck and we cant live long enough to see the development of new medical technology? What happens then? Sorry, but I cant make any guarantees. When Chen Chen heard this, he turned up his palms with a serious, sincere expression. Theres no Einstein in Gods Forbidden Zone. Or perhaps not even Einstein can make any guarantees. All we can do is try our utmost best to improve the odds of this project, nothing more. Leo fell silent at once. Although they were not satisfied with this answer, everyone knew that this was an indisputable fact. If this young man from Mainland China told them that he had a way to ensure that technology would continue developing forever, his credibility would have been greatly reduced. Gods Forbidden Zone is an organization dedicated to the service of the mankind anti-aging project Chen Chen continued. We cant guarantee that youll live forever, but we can guarantee that all our technologies and funds will be used to extend the lifespan of humanity, sparing no effort! With that, Chen Chen stretched out his right hand in invitation. Therefore, we sincerely invite you to join us. Although our chances look slim, if youre willing to trust me, lets launch the era of mankinds anti-aging! Although Chen Chens promise was truly very tempting, everyone present was cautious and shrewd. It would be nearly impossible to pull the wool over their eyes. Naturally, they would not be persuaded by Chen Chens words alone. They would only make up their minds after witnessing and understanding the experimental evidence. Thus, following this, Qian Wenhuan brought the group around the laboratories for a detailed look, including inspecting those thirty-three elderly black people. Some families even brought in biological experts directly, extracting the hair, epidermal cells, and other samples from these elderly people on the spot, to be inspected after they went back. Of course, Chen Chen did not stop them from doing so. He even sent his own experts to assist them, providing them with sterilized medical equipment. After ascertaining that the technologies Chen Chen had described were genuine and not just a pie in the sky, many of the families representatives made up their mind. When they returned, they were going to persuade their families to join Gods Forbidden Zone. After all, this organization did not have a political stance. Whether they join or not would not affect the family itself. Besides, Gods Forbidden Zone was also a communication platform, which essentially linked the eleven families that were present. With this connection, if they ran into difficulties, these families could also establish further cooperation. They could also directly issue tasks within Gods Forbidden Zone to seek the assistance of families that were well versed in that particular field. Gods Forbidden Zones task was this: After these families had joined, the direct members of the families would unreservedly receive treatment from Gods Forbidden Zone at any time. What they had to do, in return, was to provide help in whatever way they could whenever Gods Forbidden Zone required it. To put it simply, Gods Forbidden Zone and these families were more like a loose alliance of mutual assistance, rather than a binding treaty. Even if Gods Forbidden Zone collapsed due to some incident, these families would not be affected. The only thing that was rather prohibitive was the entry fee. According to the contract proposed by Gods Forbidden Zone, for the eleven families present to become qualified as a Disciple, they would have to pay an entry fee of a billion USD. Moreover, this was not permanent. A billion USD was not a small amount. Although these families easily owned tens of billions worth of assets or even hundreds of billions, most of these were fixed assets and shares. Only one-tenth was readily available liquid assets. After paying one billion USD, they would obtain the ranking of a Disciple in Gods Forbidden Zone for ten years. After that period, they could pay the fee again. Of course, they could also choose not to renew it. If they chose not to renew it, they would be automatically downgraded to Alpha level. This Alpha level was permanent and the medical treatment they had access to was exactly the same as a Disciple. The only thing they would lack was a certain level of authority in Gods Forbidden Zone. Of course, any family could choose to withdraw from Gods Forbidden Zone at any time. They were totally free in that respect. The Disciple rank, also known simply as being a Disciple, would form the twelve positions in the Disciple Council of Gods Forbidden Zone. Families with the Disciple Rank would have great authority in Gods Forbidden Zone, including access to the information on lower-level members (of course, this was only what Chen Chen allowed them to see), issuing mandatory tasks to Delta-level members, executing Delta-level members, and so on. If they encountered certain major decisions, the Disciples could even convoke the Disciple Council to seek a solution. In the end, after a bout of hesitation, three families signed the contract on the spot and were promoted to three of the twelve Disciples in Gods Forbidden Zone. The other families indicated that they would return to discuss with the family. Of course, the Gods Forbidden Zone that these people knew was merely the tip of the iceberg. At the very least, they still did not know about the God chip or the B.S.S. team. Moreover, the Disciples might appear to have immense power, but in truth, they were mere figureheads. There was no need to tell these families about the other secrets of Gods Forbidden Zone for now. When they became deeper and deeper involved, they would naturally come across the true, terrifying nature of Gods Forbidden Zone. It was just like boiling frogs in warm water. As their contact increased, Gods Forbidden Zone could supply these families with many conveniences that ordinary people would not imagine. For instance, the convenience of purchasing information with information points, having the B.S.S. force which could easily assassinate their enemies, and medical technologies that increasingly surpassed reality By that point, they would be completely intertwined with Gods Forbidden Zone, unable to function independently anymore Chapter 111 - A New Use for Human Clones In truth, the concept of escape velocity of humanitys lifespan had always existed in the medical profession. Like so: With current medical and health technology, some diseases could be prevented or treated, thus prolonging lifespans; Then, with a longer lifespan, humans could research and develop more advanced technology, again extending their healthy lifespans; So on and so forth Ultimately, medical and healthcare technology could delay aging and buy enough time for human beings to come up with faster and better technology and escape death. According to the prediction of Professor de Grey from the University of Cambridge, humans would attain this lifespan escape velocity that would help them evade death in 25 to 30 years. Chen Chen launched the mankind anti-aging project according to this theory. Through his methods of extending life, he had attracted this group of oligarchs with immense sums of money and power, persuading them into joining him. The names of Chen Chens invitations were financial groups that had been meticulously selected. Most of these families had formidable connections, with interests in various industries. Truly, they had all sorts of means at their disposal. However, there was only one thing they had in common, which was they were not involved or had never been involved in the field of biomedicine. Due to this, Chen Chens growth would not damage their interests, so further cooperation was possible. Plus, this was just the first step. Following this, Chen Chen would secretly expand his forces. On the surface, he would continually develop the company with the help of these eleven plutocrats, eventually turning himself into a massive plutocrat that could influence the world as well. At the same time, he would use the mankind anti-aging plan to keep attracting more financial groups and expand his power. When Chen Chens influence had reached a certain level, he could begin to manipulate the political strategies of the Federation. Thus, his mankind anti-aging project could swiftly be popularized to the public. It was like a snowball. At first, it was just a fist-sized mass of snow at the top of the mountain, but as it continued rolling down the slope, its volume would swell and become heavier. By the time it reached the foot of the mountain, its mighty force was enough to swallow an entire village In Chen Chens plan, Gods Forbidden Zone organization would grow stronger as things progressed to the later stages until it became a frightening interest group that not even the Federation could budge. Sir Godfather, three other families have joined us. They are the Foster family, the Alexander family, and the Rodriguez family. Just as Chen Chen was pondering the future, Little Xs voice came from the speaker. Their entry fee is being credited into our account in the form of thousands of cash flows. Moreover, theyve each sent the elders of their families, hoping that we can set up the backup cloning and age-reversal treatment procedures as soon as possible. Are those collateral relatives? Chen Chen posed this question. Yes, they must still be testing us. Then, tell them that collateral relatives would still need to be paid for. Ten million USD will get ten years of service for one person. Beyond ten years, they have to pay again. Understood. After a pause, Chen Chen asked again, What about Lil Wang and Lil Zhang? Are they with my parents by now? Yes, both of them have become the chauffeurs of your parents and they live at your place. The other three are still in discussions regarding the purchase of the properties next to your parents place. Ask them to hurry up. Chen Chen thought about it. Still, theres no need to inform my parents about those three. Let them provide protection in secret. Its just that there are no female bodyguards, so its a little tricky in regards to my mother. Looks like Ill have to think of something Although Chen Chen had not revealed himself completely at this point, he had shown himself to many different forces. The first thing anyone with a normal IQ would do is to perform a thorough background check on him. Furthermore, he was not a big shot whose personal data was protected. Through him, anyone could easily locate his parents. Although the influence of this group of global financial oligarchs had been reduced to a very low level in Mainland China, it would still be a piece of cake for them to deal with a few ordinary folks. Therefore, protecting his parents must be on Chen Chens agenda. To provide his parents with a secure environment, Chen Chen sent back the five people who had accompanied him other than Cheng Cao. Two of them were assigned to Chen Chens parents as bodyguards hired by him. The other three remained hidden while providing protection. The five of them were equipped with Chen Chens combat suits and cloaking devices as well as their battle-capable God chips. In a place like China, this should be enough to protect two ordinary elderly people. At this point, other than the group of mercenaries who had recently joined and who were still not to be trusted for now, there was only Cheng Cao left by Chen Chens side. Were still understaffed Chen Chen sighed and flipped through the piles of material around him, hoping to find some kind of inspiration. However, as he looked through the information on human cloning, his expression flickered as if he thought of something. Little X, send me a CT image of the cloned fetus now, Chen Chen suddenly commanded. At his words, the computer before him lit up automatically. At the same time, two images appeared on the screen. It was the front and side images of a fetus curled up. Chen Chen grabbed the mouse and gently moved the scroll wheel. Immediately, the two images zoomed in at the same time as if this was X-ray vision. The images penetrated directly into the fetus, displaying the structure of the fetus cross-section. Chen Chens gaze was aimed at the position of the fetus head. There, because of the targeted serotonin, the clones brain had completely shrunk, forming a black cavity in the skull. Even so, for some reason, the optic nerve connected to the fetus eyeballs had not shrunk. Moreover, the same was true for the nerve connecting the auditory senses. When Chen Chen saw this, he suddenly looked up and asked, Little X, after your clone, God is implanted into the human body. How does it sense human perception? Its simplest in terms of touch. Little X explained, Human skin has sensitive nerve cells, so when it feels the pressure of touch, itll send out a tiny electrical signal. This signal will be transmitted to the brain through the spinal cord and God, being in the spinal cord, will also receive this signal. Its a bit more troublesome with vision and hearing. It becomes necessary to actively emit current to intercept the signals produced by the hosts visual and auditory nerves. Then, these signals are restored as video and audio information. In other words, as long as the visual and auditory nerves are intact, the chip can rely on the nerves to perceive the vision and hearing of humans? Chen Chen became thoughtful. Then what if these human clones, which have no consciousness, are implanted with God chips? Can you control them to act like ordinary people? Hmm, I think so Little X was uncertain. Theoretically it should be fully feasible, but the specific outcome will need to be verified through actual implementation. Very well. Tell Hannibal and the rest to focus fully on researching hormone regulation technology. If theres a shortage of personnel, I can send them more people. Chen Chen had made up his mind. But, I have one request we must come up with the optimum regulation method within a year so that these clones can grow up quickly! Chapter 112 - Building an Eco Science City Half a month later, the eleven families had all accepted the olive branch offered by Chen Chen and joined the one big family that was Gods Forbidden Zone. The Disciple Council of Twelve was thus formally established. Following this, the two sides would test each other further. These families would send a few direct relatives who were unimportant or collateral relatives to Chen Chens research center for the treatment project. As long as Chen Chen could hold up his end of the bargain, the relationship would naturally, gradually stabilize. Of course, Chen Chen was not a scammer in this respect. After obtaining sufficient funds, what Chen Chen did the next day was to submit a land lease agreement to the National Assembly of Namibia. Blacklight Biotechnology Company was willing to lease about fifty thousand hectares of land in the Namib-Naukluft National Park in the coastal zone south of Walvis Bay, Erongo Province, for 300 million USD for 40 years. This offer was equivalent to Chen Chen leasing land in Namibia at 10 USD per fifteenth of a hectare each year and this was non-agricultural land. When converted to Namibian dollars, this was about 149 Namibian dollars per fifteenth of a hectare each year. This piece of land included the Blacklight Biological Research Institute and the Blacklight Biotechnology Namibian Nuclear Power Plant which was more than ten kilometers away. Once the land was leased, both of Chen Chens projects would be fully integrated. Chen Chen had also thought about buying land ownership directly. However, Namibias land had complications left over from the past and was thus particularly sensitive to the issue of foreign ownership. Therefore, if one wished to buy the land, one might need to spend more than ten times the current amount. At ten times the price, Chen Chen would have enough to lease the land for 400 years. By then, who could say if this country was still here? Mr. Chen, what do you want me to say? In a luxurious mansion in Windhoek, the capital of Namibia, an old black man with white hair said impassively, Someone as knowledgeable as you should already understand Namibias history. Our country was forged in a trial of blood and fire. Because of this, our country still has many unresolved difficulties including the issue of land. As he said this, this old man who looked just like Morgan Freeman wore a mournful expression. Our country is an agricultural country with approximately 69 million hectares of arable land, but nearly half of the land is controlled by that group of white people. At the moment, 240,000 of our citizens have no land. They have to rely on government relief to survive below the poverty line. I can only tell you how sorry I am to hear that, Minister Mazura. Chen Chens eyes narrowed slightly. If he had not known the truth, he might just have been deceived by this old mans superb acting skills. The old man said that 240,000 people were living below the poverty line. Chen Chen felt that the real number was three times that. Furthermore, even if these people were given enough land, they must be willing to sow the crops Chen Chen did not wish to harp on this issue, so he said, Still, Minister, please be rest assured. What I want to lease is non-agricultural land. And my goal isnt to develop pastures or farms but to build an Eco Science City. Eco Science City? The old man was stunned. Thats right. You should already know that I have a research center on that piece of land. Chen Chen explained, However, I later discovered that a research center alone isnt enough. I want to build a complete industrial system from research to experimentation, to application and service. This The old man was dumbstruck. Minister Mazura, can you imagine? Chen Chen spread out his hands and described, Ill build dozens of sanatoriums on this land. These sanatoriums would be located on the shores of the beautiful Atlantic. The endless sea stretched out in front while thousands of miles of golden sand dunes lay behind. This magnificent sight of sand meeting the sea is unique in this world. At night, theres the vast starry sky, which shall make customers realize the true meaning of tranquility and health. But the old man said helplessly, but were not Switzerland. Theres no medical environment here. That was before. Chen Chen said matter-of-factly, But after I build this Eco Science City, everything will change. The cutting-edge medical technology developed from the research center will be put into clinical trials, then into application and service areas, as quickly as possible. Ill equip the sanatoriums here with the most authoritative expert physicians from internal medicine in gastroenterology to cardiology and neurology. Theyll also be equipped with the most advanced testing equipment. Everything one would need, covered from head to toe. Moreover, in terms of diet and daily lifestyle, Ill also have experienced nutritionists and nurses, and even fitness consultants and coaches. I can customize any high-end services to meet the customers every need This will become the most complete and developed medical system in the world. Upon hearing all this, the old man fell silent. Minister Mazura, I hear that youre going to run for vice president of the SWAPO Party? Chen Chen took out a card, placed it on the table, and pushed it to the old man. This is my personal donation to Minister Mazuras campaign funds. I hope that with the help of this political donation, youll be successful. I understand. The old man was silent for a long time before he seemed to have made up his mind and nodded. But I hope youll be mentally prepared, Mr. Chen. I cant guarantee that I can pull it off for you. Its alright. I definitely wont let you fight the battle alone in Parliament, Chen Chen said pointedly. The old mans pupils shrank, following which he stared at Chen Chen and began laughing softly. Immediately, Chen Chen started to laugh as well. Their laughter grew louder and louder until they both burst out guffawing at the same time. Minister Mazura, theres no need to send me off. A few minutes later, Chen Chen walked out the gates of the luxurious mansion while constantly turning around to wave behind him. The time I spend with you is always pleasant and brief. Theres so much I can learn from you. Likewise. Youre an outstanding young man. The old man stood at the door and said ruefully, In the future, your achievements are sure to surpass mine. I look forward to that day. Chen Chen nodded in gratitude, then got into the car whose door Chen Chen had opened. The car started out slowly and drove toward the main road. When the window had closed, blocking the view from outside the car, Chen Chens smile died on his lips. Boss, you seem to be in a good mood. Cheng Cao glanced at the rearview mirror and observed softly. When you can achieve your goal at the lowest possible cost, of course, youll feel good. Chen Chen sighed, then suddenly asked, By the way, Ive already visited three houses. Hows Wenhuan doing? Hes just reported that he has also persuaded three members of parliament. Theyve agreed to be on our side at the next session, Cheng Cao replied. Good. As long as weve convinced four or five of them, our application is basically foolproof. Chen Chen nodded and looked out the window. What Chen Chen wanted to replicate was Switzerlands famous sanatorium industry Using its own high-end medical service environment, combined with the local natural ecology, Switzerland had opened hundreds of sanatoriums in the Alps. These sanatoriums were all known for their cutting-edge medical technology along with a large number of therapists and advanced medical treatment as well as a beautiful treatment environment. The combination of these three factors resulted in a steady stream of wealthy people from Europe and all over the world. It was like a money making pit. What Chen Chen wanted to do was imitate this Swiss method. After all, he had the worlds most advanced anti-aging technology here. If he built an Eco Science City here, why would he not surpass Switzerland with his technical advantage? Besides, through word-of-mouth marketing, he could always attract celebrities and politicians from various countries. Then, he could select more candidates to be absorbed into Gods Forbidden Zone. This was what Chen Chen had planned. Chapter 113 - Settlement Agreement Under Chen Chens operation, even with a large number of opposing forces, he was still able to amass more supporters. The National Assembly of Namibia had passed Chen Chens land lease agreement without any further complications. However, to appease the Ministry of Environment Protection, the assembly had raised the matter of increasing the cost of the lease. Chen Chen was also held responsible for the construction and resettlement costs of the local villagers that were to be relocated. Naturally, Chen Chen did not oppose that. In the end, Chen Chen had obtained the rights to 50,000 hectares of land for 40 years for a grand sum of 350 million U.S. dollars. 50,000 hectares translated to 500 square kilometers of land. It was roughly the area of a square land spanning 22.4 kilometers on each side. There was only one village located in this plot of land designated to Chen Chen. This was the Gorob Village which they previously had a conflict with. After Chen Chens recent establishment of the Black Security Service B.S.S., the daily training schedule was met with constant complaints from the local guards. This was coupled with Qian Wenhuans implicitly instructing the mercenaries to give the local guards a hard time. For example, some of the mercenaries who liked gambling would forcibly drag the local guards into their gambling activities. They started by giving them a taste of victory before raising the stakes drastically. In terms of scheming abilities and cunningness, how were these mercenaries supposed to rival these mercenaries who were surrounded by death day in and out? It only took a few days for them to accumulate a mountain worth of debt on top of losing all of their assets. As for the ones who had objected to partaking in gambling, the mercenaries had them serve them as waiters. Any objections were met with rounds of beating. In the world of mercenaries, the strong reigned supreme. What all these local guards did was eat, sleep, and laze about throughout the day. Even without Qian Wenhuans suggestions, these mercenaries were not going to allow these natives to assume the same position as them. Within a week of the two groups merging, a particular incident happened where a local guard was sick of being toyed with and decided he was going to stab the mercenaries harassing him. It ended with him being the one who was killed instead. This particular incident had catalyzed the conflict between the local guards and the mercenaries. The entirety of Gorob Village decided they were going to make a statement and came out in force to cause trouble. This time around, Chen Chen did not hold back anymore. He immediately had all of the staff from Gorob Village fired. He also had the mercenaries put on bomb suits and employed the usage of explosive weapons to suppress the villagers. Due to the extreme forces used by the mercenaries during the operation, two more lives were taken in the process. The government of the city of Walvis Bay stepped in when it saw that things were slowly getting out of hand. In the end, Chen Chen compensated Gorob Village with a payment of 300,000 Namibian dollars. These events had occurred two months ago. Over this period, the villagers of Gorob never stopped their plots and schemes. They occasionally had their members sneak into the vicinity of the research center and destroy the solar panels several kilometers away from the center. Even if they had never managed to inflict major damage, they continued to stick around like flies and pester them endlessly. There was very little Chen Chen could do about their pestering. Even the photovoltaic power generation equipment only numbered in the thousands, they were spread across several square kilometers of land. Thirty men alone were not going to be able to defend them all. Chen Chen decided that he was going to get rid of this village for good. The site of Gorob Village was included in the vast plot of land Chen Chen had purchased. Gorob Village had a unique geographical advantage as it was set up by the coastline. Not only did they have access to a vast amount of nautical resources, several old houses in the village also doubled as a tourism attraction for them to generate income. This meant that it was very unlikely for the villagers to comply with relocation. This was not a problem Chen Chen had to concern himself with as the officials would deal with it themselves. All Chen Chen had to do was construct a residence for the villagers in a newly designated site. During the construction of the new residence area, Chen Chen decided to cut corners wherever he could. Within a month, hundreds of standard modern concrete bungalows were constructed in the new resettlement site. Despite cutting costs, they still proved to be less of an eyesore than the iron-clad houses that looked like they were built in the slums. The problems continued even after the houses were constructed. It turned out that the officials had greatly underestimated the spirit of the Gorob villagers as the police forces they had dispatched were chased out with sticks and batons each time. There was no progress to be seen even one month after the settlement was made official. After exhausting their options, they came back to the research center to ask for help. As the head of the research center in charge of external affairs, Qian Wenhuan immediately went to Chen Chens office after hearing the requests of the officials. Boss? The fifth office building in the research center. Qian Wenhuan knocked on the door with a sign that read Chairman Office. Its unlocked, come in. Qian Wenhuan pushed the door open after receiving permission. He was greeted with the sight of Chen Chen sitting on the chair with its back facing the door. He seemed to be admiring the view outside. Boss, the people in charge of the relocation and resettlement spoke to me. They say they want to enlist the help of our B.S.S. department. Qian Wenhuan began. I assume that this is about Gorob Village. Chen Chen spoke softly, No need to dispatch the B.S.S. department. Head over to the resource department and get ten full coverage chemical suits and a bottle of ethyl mercaptan. Get ten bulldozers as well. Ethyl mercaptan? Qian Wenhuan was unsure about Chen Chens intentions. Just pass the message to the resource department. Chen Chen made a waving gesture with his hands. Have the ones in charge of the operation put on the suits, that includes the bulldozer operators. Have someone spray diluted ethyl mercaptan in the village and proceed with bulldozing the entire village after the villagers evacuate it. Qian Wenhuan began to understand what the bottle of ethyl mercaptan was for. Understood. Qian Wenhuan promptly assured Chen Chen with a nod. He allowed himself to mourn for the villagers of Gorob before he turned around and left the office. Chen Chen slowly turned the chair around after Qian Wenhuans departure. It appeared that he was not admiring the sight outside the window. There was a printed map in his hands. The map appeared to be drawn by hand before it was digitized and printed out. There were countless scribbled notes written in English sprayed across the map. The map was far from any ordinary map. It looked more like a picture for reference which was drawn by a poor painter. The map showed the location of Gorob Village which was five kilometers away. The text on the map described a cliff by the sea located in the area. At approximately the level of ten meters below sea meter, there was a cave that was only wide enough to fit a child no more than ten. Upon swimming more than ten meters into the cave, there should be an exit located right above. Due to the exit being leveled right above sea level, it was not filled with seawater. The exit led to a small cave in rocky terrain. This was not all there was to it. At the end of the cave was yet another long and narrow tunnel. The tunnel was incredibly long and it would take almost an hour-long walk to reach the other end. The tunnel led to a natural cave several hundred meters underground. It was almost the size of a football field! This map was discovered by Little X while investigating the Gorob Village. It was found in a folder inside the computer of a person who had left the village decades ago Chapter 114 - Finding the Mysterious Cavern Hanamal was born in a small village called Gorob Village located near Walvis Bay. For as long as he could remember, he never felt like he could fit in with his brothers and sisters. He was an extremely curious child who constantly hounded his parents with all manners of questions. He would ask them how day and night came to be, why the winds howled during a storm, what was on the other side of the sea, and countless other questions. Hanamals parents were constantly pestered with numerous questions ringing in their heads to the point they became fed up with it. When Hanamal grew older, he began to understand that not even his parents knew the answers to these questions Now and then, there would be large groups of people carrying large pouches and bags appearing at their village to sightsee. These people had different skin colors. Instead of a palm black texture, theirs was a strange light color. They also spoke a language he could not understand. Some of them had pale blue eyes while others had the same black eyes Hanamal had. Hanamal was mystified by the people who came from the outside world. However, the village elders did not allow children to approach these people. Whenever outsiders came to the village, Hanamal could only observe them from afar. When Hanamal was around 10 years old, he overheard a conversation between the elders and the outsiders. Their conversation was conducted via a man with a profession known as translator. Hanamal came to know of this profession known as a translator because the people in the village would always say: Learn another language and you can be the translator in the village to get easy Namibian dollars daily. Namibian dollar was extremely useful to have. One day, the translator brought in a group of outsiders. As usual, he took them to the most knowledgeable elder. Nasara, these are guests from Mainland China, theyre greeting you. Nasara was the name of the elder. From Mainland China again? Where exactly is Mainland China, how far away is it? the elder seemed amused. Even with the giant winged bird, it took them around fifteen hours to get here! Oh, farther than Angola even? Yes, farther than Angola! Farther than Cameroon? Farther than Cameroon! Cameroon was the farthest place that Hanamal and the villagers knew of. Shortly after that, Hanamal saw the elder ask a follow-up question, How about children. How many children do these outsiders have? They say they dont have children! How is that possible! Hanamal saw the color of bewilderment appearing on the elders expression. Its true. They say that children cost a lot of Namibian dollars back in Mainland China. Having children required a great deal of consideration! How can that be? Whos supposed to watch the cows then? We need to have a lot of children so that someone could watch the cows. The more children you have, the more cows you can have, and that leads to more income. How is having children supposed to cost more? Hanamal looked at Nasara prattling on and on with a baffled look on his face. He then saw the outsiders who seemed to find the entire ordeal hilarious. He was quickly consumed by an emotion known as shame. At the time, he was not sure what sort of emotion he was experiencing, but he was able to read the look in the outsiders eyes. There was a distinct pity in their eyes. They looked at the elder the same way the elder looked at Lilia, Panama, and the other orphans. The way these outsiders saw it, Hanamals little village was like an orphan abandoned by the world From that day onward, Hanamal was determined that he was going to get out of this village. He was going to leave this place that his parents never ventured out of. Unlike his equals, Hanamal possessed an unwavering spirit that allowed him to press on endlessly until he achieved his goals. Little did Hanamal knew, his opportunity arrived sooner than he had expected. By the time Hanamal was eleven, his fathers health condition constantly deteriorated by the day. The entire village was no stranger to occurrences like this. Some of the people in the village were simply destined to not make it past thirty. Just as expected, his father heaved his last breath within a few months. His mother followed his father shortly after that, leaving Hanamal with his three elder brothers and two younger brothers. After losing their parents, the mood in the family continued to grow tense. To not add to his brothers burdens, Hanamal made up his mind and committed to leaving the village he had spent eleven years in Hanamal slowly opened his eyes. He rose in the pitch-black room and sighed slowly. For some reason, he continued to dream about the small village he was born in even after thirty years. He dreamt of the blurred faces of his parents Hanamal wondered, how were his brothers doing? He glanced at his clock, it was only 3 oclock at midnight. There was still some time to pass before daylight. Hanamal did not bother turning on the lights. He lit up a cigarette in the dark and let the loneliness course through him. The world was such a mysterious place. Even though both of his parents were infected with HIV, he was born without any form of disability. It was for that reason that he was able to survive for many years in this world. Hanamal did more than just surviving. He also got out of Namibia by putting himself through school and getting admitted into the Polytechnic Institute of Cape Town University in Rainbow Country. It was the best university on the African continent. After graduating at thirty years old, Hanam was recruited into Cape Affix Electronic Technology Company as an electrical engineer. Who could have ever known what strange mysteries life had in stock for us? As Hanamal was contemplating all the things he went through in this life of his, his finger holding the cigarette suddenly halted. He stopped because he heard the sound of the door being unlocked coming from the living room outside his bedroom. Clack Human senses tend to be sharper in the dark. Despite being more than ten meters away, he heard the sound of the door being unlocked. Somebody was trying to break in! Thief? Robber? Or was it his girlfriend who he broke up with just a few days ago? As Hanamal was letting his imaginations run wild, he heard a loud crash and the door was swiftly kicked open! Just how brave was the person coming in? Hanamal felt his hands tremble, the cigarette slipped out of his hand and onto the bed. Hanamal could hardly be bothered about that. He quickly hopped out of the bed and went for the window! Before he could crawl out the window, he heard a round of stomping footsteps coming from behind him. It was followed by a big rough arm grabbing him by the back collar and fiercely tearing him off the windowsill! Dont kill me, I have no money! All Hanamal could muster was a terrified shriek before he felt a numbing pain on his head and blacking out. Hanamal awoke abruptly to cold water being splashed on his face. There was a terrible, burning sensation in his head as he inspected his surroundings. He noticed that he was tied to a chair. In addition, a cloth which reeked a god awful stench was stuffed into his mouth. He found himself in an unfamiliar room with several men in black surrounding him. Right in front of him was a somewhat slouched figure. Kidnap? Hanamal felt his heart tightening. He quickly began begging for mercy but the only thing that came out was muffled whines. Everybody head out first. It was then when the slouched figure spoke. Yes, Godfather. The ferocious group of men in black shuffled out of the room like a flock of sheep. The last one made sure to lock the room after exiting. The man with the slouched figure began approaching closer. It was only then when Hanamal noticed that the other persons eyes appeared somewhat familiar. Oh God Was not this Dlamini, the Member of Parliament who always appeared on the news? Dlamini pulled the cloth from Hanamals mouth and asked in a bizarre tone, Youre Hanamal, the Hanamal born in Gorob Village? Sir Parliament Dlamini! Hanamal quickly defended himself. I was wrong, I swear that Ill never ridicule you online ever again. Although I voted for the current mayor during the election because your proposal was absolute bull- I swear that Ill vote for you if you run again, please let me off the hook Hanamal immediately rambled incoherently, he was not even sure what he just said. Enough! Dlamini scoffed. Ill ask you one more time, are you born in a village called Gorob? Yes, I was born in Gorob Village. But I swear in Gods name that Im not a spy of Namibia! Hanamal explained himself in a panic. D*mn it, dont talk about God in front of me! Dlamini suddenly got angry. Though what exactly provoked him to this degree, Hanamal did not know. Dlamini sighed heavily when he seemed to catch himself losing his composure, he went on. Since youre Hanamal, I take it that we have the correct person. He turned around and went to the desk where he opened a laptop. The laptop display showed the Windows interface as was the norm when it was turned on. However, the image quickly flashed and turned into a pitch-black screen with a strange logo on it. Hanamal was certain that it was not the logo of the computer Good morning, Mr. Hanamal. Amid Hanamals confusion, he heard a voice coming from the laptop. At the same time, he saw a scribbled hand-drawn map appearing on the display. Mr. Hanamal, please excuse our unseemly intrusion. If I may ask, where exactly did you acquire this map? This map? Hanamal was slightly taken aback when he heard the question. Upon closer inspection of the map, his confusion quickly turned into fright. How is this possible! I drew this map a few years ago based on what I could remember from my childhood. I never posted it online. How did it end up in your hands? I take it that youre the author of this map then? The voice from the computer did not appear to be bothered by the lack of clarity in Hanamals answer as another question followed. Are you sure that the contents of the map are true? Hanamal hesitated for a moment, but when he saw Dlamini glaring at him at his side, he quickly nodded an answer. Yes! I discovered the cavern when I was a child, Im sure of that. Apart from me, there were a few children my age who knew about it as well. A few children your age knows about the cavern as well? The person on the other end seemed to fall silent for a moment to allow some time to think when another question followed after. Do you know their names? Sorry, Im not so sure anymore Hanamal hastily shook his head. It was more than thirty years ago and my memory of it is pretty hazy now. If it wasnt for my dream about that cavern Id have discarded the memory entirely! I see, such a shame. The voice on the other hand gave a blank response. After that, it spoke again, Mr. Dlamini, Ill entrust the delivery to you, Id hope I can see Hanamal in person in a day. Understood, Lord Judas. Dlamini nodded in response and informed obediently, I already had someone get the flight tickets, youll see him very soon. Wait! Hanamal was struck with horror upon hearing their conversation. Where are you guys taking me? Well, were bringing you home, of course. There was the faintest hint of a snicker in the voice from the computer. The computer turned off on its own after that Chapter 115 - Found the Entrance There was a reef coast in the coastal zone five kilometers south of Gorob Village, only a few kilometers away from the famous Sandwich Harbor in Namibia. The Sandwich Harbor was one of the popular destinations in Namibia. Since the desert was connected to the sea in this region, tourists got to witness the fabled scenery where the desert met the sea and poured its golden sand into the ocean. While Chen Chen was in the process of leasing the 50000 hectares of land, he made sure to include a portion of Sandwich Harbor in the agreement. He planned to develop a wellness center here in the future. Apart from the Sandwich Harbor, all that could be seen was a regular reef coast. At the moment on the turbulent Atlantic coast, several speed boats could be seen hovering along the coastline, taking caution to not hit the reef and damage their hulls. Several mercenaries fitted diving suits were on the boat. They dove into the water and appeared to be searching for something. This went on for three days. It was then when a slightly larger yacht began approaching from afar. The past few days felt like years for Hanamal. Nobody cared to ask what he wanted or needed. After being forcefully dragged back to Namibia, he was only fed a single meal before being dragged to this foreign and yet familiar part of the sea. Upon seeing the reef coast, Hanamal felt a glimpse of memory coming back to him. It was as if he had returned to thirty years ago, back when he was in the carefree days of his childhood. Unfortunately, the flashback only lasted for a brief moment before it was abruptly cut short by the Chinaman wearing gold-framed glasses with combed back oily hair. Qian Wenhuan kept staring at the map and the scenery before him while he constantly asked, Hanamal, is this the place? Im sorry, it has been so many years. I only vaguely remember the approximate location. All I can say for sure is that its along these coastlines, well find it soon enough, Hanamal explained cautiously. Qian Wenhuan broke into a bitter smile. Bro, are you messing with me now? You dont even know how deep the cavern is? Isnt there a landmark or something you can use as a reference? It wasnt me who found the cavern. It was a child around my age who found it. He only invited me to take a look Hanamals voice was almost a whisper. Qian Wenhuan rolled his eyes and pointed at an assistant nearby. Give Mr. Hanamal here a diving suit. Please dont, its not like I can find it even if I dove down There was a visible change in Hanamals expression as he quickly made a waving gesture with his hands. Also, its been so many years, Ive long forgotten how to swim! Dont be presumptuous now, Mr. Hanamal. Humans memory can be a feeble thing. You may not be able to recall it now but maybe when you enter the water C Eh? I suddenly remember it now! Yeah? Qian Wenhuan made the same waving gesture. Its not that we dont believe you, its just that were trying to broaden our view here! Qian Wenhuan shoved the diving suit into Hanamals hands despite his protests. Hanamal carried a sour expression on his face. He looked around him and saw several speed boats along with people coming in and out of the surface of the water. Only then did he begrudgingly put on the diving suit. Evening. Just as Chen Chen was about to leave the laboratory, he received a call from Qian Wenhuan. Boss, we found it! Qian Wenhuans voice on the other end of the phone was full of excitement. We took three days and yielded no results whatsoever. But when Hanamal dove in, he immediately found the cavern. Turns out that the entrance was sealed away by a build-up of seaweed and silt! Good work. Chen Chen applauded. Can you enter? Not for the moment. We measured the entrance of the cavern at a little over fifty centimeters but as we dug further we found that it can get as narrow as thirty centimeters. Id say even a frail child of around eight to nine years old can just barely squeeze through. I see, why dont you come back for now. Chen Chen thought for a moment. Prepare the tools for underwater operation tonight. We can ship them over tomorrow and begin exploring. Understood. After ending the call, Chen Chen went to the power control room of the research center. The power control room was located on the ground floor of the research building. All of the power used in the research center was sourced from here. The power was distributed accordingly before being passed to the other sections. For some undisclosed reason, Chen Chen made sure to fortify the power control room to be more secure than a bank. The metal reinforced gate measured at half a meters thickness and an internationally renowned biological identification system was installed. All of these security protocols with Little Xs monitoring to boot. Unless the research center was captured by force, otherwise, there was nobody else other than Chen Chen who could access the power control room. He stepped up to the door of the power control room and placed his palm on the verification device. The door was opened after the iris identification. Chen Chen sighed as he walked into the power control room and saw a USB flash drive inserted into a special plug-in board. All this time, not only did Chen Chen use the electricity generated from the photovoltaic equipment, but he also established a transmission channel agreement with the Walvis Bay power plant. All of the leftover electricity left unused by the Walvis Bay power plant was fed into this place and subsequently devoured entirely by the USB drive. Even with that, it was still too slow. It could barely compare to the amount he had accumulated in the five days in Cape Town. The power plant in Walvis Bay was just a small 100,000-kilowatt generator set. Supplying this small town with a population of one hundred thousand was already pushing its limit, let alone Chen Chens side. The photovoltaic generator set established by Chen Chen could generate 6 kilowatts of electricity per hour. With a thousand of them being set up, the power generated was only the rough equivalent of a 6000-kilowatt micro power station. On top of that, there were only 12 hours of daylight each day, effectively cutting the efficiency in half. There was simply not enough electricity for the USB drive. Over the last few months, the USB drive had absorbed a measly one million kilowatts of electricity. It was enough to allow Chen Chen to instantiate a kilogram worth of objects. Chen Chen could not help but shake his head when he saw the USB drive laying idly. If the USB drive had this much power left in it back when he had just acquired it, it would save Chen Chen a lot of work. At that point, he could just eat NZT-48 like candies and the same could be said for the immunity shot. For his current stage, this amount of power was pitiful. The only thing Chen Chen could do was to wait until the commencement of the nuclear power plant construction. Only then was he able to take the initial steps to instantiate the items he needed. Yes. Just the initial steps. Even with a 2 million kilowatt nuclear power plant, it could only provide 40 million kilowatt-hours of electricity for the USB drive daily. This number was obtained without factoring in the need to provide energy for the other users. 40 million kilowatts per day after conversion translated to around thirty kilograms of objects instantiated. This summed up to only roughly 11 tons a year. Realistically, there was no way that Chen Chen could hog all of it for himself. He had to distribute two-thirds of the power generated to Namibia. Therefore, the actual resulting efficiency had to be cut into one-thirds, which was barely 3.7 tons. Judging by the surface size of the crystalline appearing in Chronicles and calculating it according to the density of an ordinary crystal which was 2.66g/cm3, the approximate weight was in the range of 9.31 to 10.7 tons. This meant that it would take Chen Chen two and a half years just for instantiating the crystalline alone. A mere piece of crystalline was going to take Chen Chen three whole years. One could only imagine how long it was going to take for the other high-tech equipment or even humongous spaceships that Chen Chen wanted. To sum it up, the construction of the nuclear power plant was merely the first stage of Chen Chens plans for powering the USB drive. He was still going to need to find better methods in the future Chapter 116 - Exploring the Secret Cavern The next day, Chen Chen went to the reef coast in person. Namibia was already sparsely populated in the first place with only 2.5 million people living on 800,000 square kilometers of land. The scarce population proved to be more evident in off-road remote places like this. Only four to five B.S.S. members were required to drive and patrol around the area to prevent any prying eyes. Thus, Chen Chen did not have to be concerned about their activities being spied on. At the moment, Chen Chen was standing on the deck of a luxurious yacht. He watched as several able-bodied B.S.S. members put on their diving suit and dove into the water with the hydraulic saw and similar underwater cutting equipment in tow. Shortly after, a dull buzzing sound could be heard. Boss, seven meters down from this bulge of rock leads to the entrance of the cave. Qian Wenhuan stood beside Chen Chen and began explaining carefully, This reef coast may not appear to be particularly wide, measuring at several hundred meters, but the complexity of the operation was greatly increased due to it being underwater. If it wasnt for Hanamal, we might not be able to find the entrance even after a month or two. Thats true. Chen Chen nodded profoundly. I wonder what the first person who discovered this cavern had to go through to find it. I asked around. Even though Hanamal was not the first one who discovered it, his playmate during childhood happened to stumble into it while looking for oysters on the beach. Did you enquire in Gorob Village recently? Chen Chen asked. I did. Qian Wenhuan nodded. I found two people in the village who knew who Hanamal was, both of them are women though. That playmate of Hanamal died a long time ago, all of his siblings are deceased as well. Which means that Hanamal is the only person who knows about this cavern? Should be. But Ill keep on the lookout. Qian Wenhuan quickly assured. Chen Chen nodded again. Better to be safe than sorry, make sure the information stays here. How about Hanamal? Qian Wenhuan lowered his voice to a whisper. Now that we found the cavern, what do we do with him? Isnt he an electrical engineer? Let him work here then. Chen Chen did not display much concern regarding the matter. Erase his memory from the last few days and string together some excuses. Just keep him around. Understood. As their conversation went on, the noises underwater gradually grew louder. After a while, several B.S.S. members emerged from the water, clamoring as they were pulled onto the deck. Boss, it looks like the cavern was opened up, Qian Wenhuan expressed excitedly. Send the next batch down there, bring the cameras as well. Got it! The next batch of members put on their diving suits following Chen Chens orders. In addition, they had head-mounted waterproof cameras strapped to their heads which were connected to the monitor on the yacht via a data cable. When Chen Chen stepped into the cabin, a group of B.S.S. members were sorting out their diving suits. Sir! Chen Sir! They were caught by surprise when they saw Chen Chen entering and quickly stood to attention and saluted accordingly. It would appear that Cheng Caos training yielded impressive results. Sir, please take a seat here. Brando, who was put in charge, immediately got up and gave his seat to Chen Chen. Thank you. Chen Chen thanked him and sat down, accepting the kind gesture. At this time, the second batch had begun its operations. Everyone looked at the monitor and watched as two members dove into the water and began searching for the cavern under the light emitted from their equipment. The caverns entrance took on a hollow form and was well hidden among the shadows. Unless one was searching for it intentionally, it would be difficult to chance upon it. As the view of the camera entered the cave, everything turned narrower. The widest part of the cavern was only about fifty centimeters. The sense of claustrophobia was conveyed merely by looking at it through the monitor feed. Taking a glance at the data graph reflecting the physical condition of the two divers, their heart rate and blood pressure reading could be seen soaring up as well. This was with the mental condition of experienced mercenaries who had been through intense combat to boot. If it was an ordinary person or someone who suffered from claustrophobia, they might instantly spiral out of control in such conditions. Fortunately, it was not a long trip into the cavern as they arrived at the end of the passage after swimming a little over ten meters where the space immediately opened up at this point. The two of them swam upward. After a while, the two of them broke through the surface of the water and found themselves in a space within the mountain. All conditions normal, weve arrived at the point of destination. Brando, who was in charge of the operation, took a glance at Chen Chen. When he noted that Chen Chen was not planning to intervene, he provided further instructions through the headset. Set up the signal antenna and check the equipment condition. Get ready for the connection. Roger that. Following Brandos orders, they began setting up the video signal terminal devices. After the signal cable they brought was connected to the endpoint of the terminal, they would be able to wirelessly connect the cameras to the terminal. This way, the people outside would be able to see the live footage coming from the head-mounted cameras. After they had completed the setup process, they ran further inspection on the firearms and various survival devices. Even though Hanamal claimed that there were no signs of danger inside the cavern, they were not going to gamble their lives based on one persons statement. They made sure to prepare an automatic rifle for each person entering the cavern. After they had concluded the necessary preparations, they made a thumbs-up gesture in front of the camera. Team three good to go. Brando continued issuing orders. After the initial groups setup procedures, things were much easier for the third batch. It only took them roughly a minute to enter the inner section of the cavern. The operation proceeded with teams of twos entering the cavern at a time. In the end, a total of four teams had entered. The lighting equipment strapped to their head illuminated the inside of the cavern. Alright, everyone form a line now, each one at least three meters apart, and begin exploring the passages in front. Brando further instructed, One more thing, nobody is allowed to open fire without my permission, in case theres flammable gas down there. I repeat, nobody is to open fire under any circumstances unless given explicit instruction from the command center. Is that clear? Understood! The responses came one after the other from the video feed. Alright, Thomson will be leading, Wei En follows after and Cabol up third. Enter the cavern one by one. Go, hurry up! Brando used to be a field commander back when he was in the army. This was a task he was more than familiar with. Thomson, boot up your gas and temperature detection device and pay close attention to any changes in the gas level. Everyone else, get ready to put on the gas mask if there are any abnormalities! Upon receiving Brandos instructions, they began shuffling into the gap. In times like these, one had to admire the amazing craftsmanship of mother nature. Nobody knew when this gap in the earth erupted. It was an extremely deep and narrow tunnel. At times it was just a naturally flat terrain, now and then, there would be an extremely sharp incline. They had to continuously climb their way through to get to the next destination. Along the way there, they saw a vast amount of stalactite. These natural structures were accumulated after the ages of buildup in an area infested with carbonate rock. This suggested that the terrain in this region had not undergone any changes for at least hundreds of thousands of years. This was a good sign for Chen Chen and his group. Unlike Hanamal and the band of younglings who came here decades ago, the physical fitness of the mercenaries far surpassed ordinary people. It only took them half an hour of traveling to get to the end. Chapter 117 - News of Professor Wang Xi The feed they saw in the monitor was almost a complete pitch-black darkness. The spots illuminated by the tactical flashlight revealed rows of stone pillars formed by stalactites. Nobody knew how many tens of thousands of years it had been since the formation of these stalactites. They were joined together from the top of the cave down to the surface, their entire body clad in a marbly white, bearing a close resemblance to jade pillars in a palace. All conditions are normal. According to the detector, the altitude is at -723 meters. The temperature is 24 degrees, the humidity is 70. Current atmospheric pressure stands at 105.7kPa. Theres no carbon dioxide accumulation detected. There should be a passage somewhere around here. The team regularly provided status reports from the other end of the radio. 700 meters underground? Chen Chen faintly nodded. An altitude of -700 meters exceeded the maximum range of most conventional detection methods, which meant that if they were to construct a secret base in this cavern, it would be extremely difficult for it to be detected using regular technology. Large-scale incorporation of combined technologies such as gravity, magnetism, and electricity would have to be used to find this place. Then again, why would Chen Chen allow anyone to conduct such activities in his territory? Detected membranous stearin Its a sign of life! One of the team members suddenly lowered his head, the flashlight directly projected on a long insect which was crawling. This long worm had hundreds of pairs of legs and its body took on a striped black and white form. As it moved, its hundreds of legs moved about in a wave-like motion. Before the team member had time to reach for it, a dark figure that seemed to resemble a lizard flashed past and immediately snatched away the millipede! Wah! The team member yelped in horror. What happened? one of the team members asked. Nothing, false alarm. It was just a salamander. The member shot the flashlight in the direction the figure went and saw a palm-sized salamander holding the millipede as it quickly vanished into the darkness. I hear water, theres an underground river here. I see it, theres a pool in front, its deep groundwater! I see Astyanax in there! Following the various reports from the group, Brando suddenly raised the questions. Can you determine the size and shape of the cavern? According to the laser reading, the underground space measures at around 500 meters in length and 300 meters in width. The terrain here is completely flat. The rock structure should be composed of sedimentary rock and volcanic rock. The sedimentary rocks are accumulated from clastic rocks and carbonate deposits. Thomson, who was in charge of geology, explained from the other end of the radio, On top of that, theres a geyser pool in the middle of the cavern. Theres the sound of flowing water, Id say theres an underground river here. Judging by the fact that theres aquatic life, it can be determined that its freshwater. This should be an isolated underground rock layer so theres no seawater intrusion. How about the height of the cave? Brando asked again. The lowest points are around twenty meters with the highest points extending up to fifty meters. Its a perfect hemispherical area. All of the members on the yacht began clapping in celebration upon receiving this report. This meant that this place was perfect for constructing a secret base. In that case, come back up after collecting rock and water samples. Chen Chen reminded. Just to be on the safe side since we havent examined the microbial environment. Yes. Brando nodded in response. Listen up everyone. Prepare to leave after exploring the cavern and collecting the appropriate rock and soil samples. On the afternoon of the same day, Chen Chen received a completed material report. Chen Chen read the report on the paper and rubbed his chin slightly. You sure its this location? Yes, we made sure to calibrate it. Qian Wenhuan reported at the end of Chen Chens desk, Its located to the southwest of the research center, which happens to be the plains. Its only about 2 kilometers from the coastline. Good. Chen Chen tossed the map on the desk. Section that plot as a residential area and contact the Mainland construction team in Namibia. I plan to build a high-income district here. A district? Qian Wenhuan was shocked. He almost doubted what he was hearing. Thats right, its going to be a district similar to the high-rise residential area back in the Mainland. Chen Chen nodded. Thats not all, I also plan to build commercial streets, parks, hospitals, and even transportation facilities around to serve as an addition to the residence area. Are you planning to build a city? Qian Wenhuan was dumbfounded. Why else would it be called Eco Science City? Chen Chen explained, Even though we already offer decent welfare for the employees in the research center, well need a specially designated residential area for them to feel a true sense of belonging. Chen Chen thought for a moment before adding. The district is just a part of it. Well also be designating a large area by the sea to serve as villas for the senior researchers to live in. When the employees have homes of their own, theyll eventually want recreational and living facilities. If we dont do it this way, the buildings will only remain as a staff dormitory no matter how large we expand it. Besides, after the completion of the health centers, the clients who come from places near and afar will need facilities for their leisure. You mean to say Qian Wenhuan wiped the sweat from his forehead. Wenhuan, youre the primary person in charge here. Ill leave things in your care after I leave. Chen Chen pointed at his head. Youre gonna have to move faster here from here on. Boss, you, youre leaving? Qian Wenhuan began to panic. How am I supposed to handle all this by myself Dont worry, just temporarily. Chen Chen leaned backward. Ill be heading back to the Mainland for a bit. Oh, thats right Wenhuan, you havent been home for half a year too. Better head back if you have time to. Isnt our company in the expansion stage now? Ill be sure to let you know if Im heading back. Qian Wenhuan scratched his head embarrassedly. Oh yeah. I think if were going to excavate the underground space, we can do it during the construction of the Eco Science City. That way, its easier to mask the noises. Thats a given. Chen Chen nodded. But that underground passage is too troublesome, were going to have to pave another tunnel. When the construction team gets here, well finish with the foundation of the district first. After that, we can carve the underground space by using well drilling as a front. Upon receiving these instructions from Chen Chen, Qian Wenhuan promptly took out the notebook in his pocket to jot these details down. Chen Chen contemplated for a moment and reminded again. Make sure to be prepared since a seven hundred meters deep well is considerably deep. Well also be needing to drill through the rock layer so conventional drilling rigs wont cut it. Large drilling rigs will be needed. Wont using large drilling rigs draw too much attention? Qian Wenhuan motioned with his hands and halted momentarily with hesitation. It wont. Well digging has worked like this in Africa. Chen Chen made a gesture. Take the underground space as the center and chart out a small town around two to three square kilometers around it. After that, drill four to five wells. By the time we penetrate the underground space, we can bribe the workers. Make sure to restrict their movement and communications until the underground construction is complete, then we can erase their memory. With the construction of the Eco Science City as a front, we can easily transport the necessary materials for the secret base. Even the officials of Namibia will have a hard time noticing it. Qian Wenhuan began nodding. Chen Chen was in charge of charting the general plan. As for the particulars of the operation, it was his responsibilities as usual. After Qian Wenhuan took his leave, Chen Chen looked at a missed call and a message on his phone. He fell into deep thought after that. The missed call and message were both from Wang Wei. In the message, Wang Wei informed that Professor Wang Xi recently took a prolonged vacation. Based on the professors recent conduct in the class, he seemed to be displaying early signs of Alzheimers Chapter 118 - : Decision Alzheimers? Upon reading Wang Weis message, Chen Chen immediately recalled the kindly old man who always hung a smile on his face, the one who always carried a beaker filled with tea and was always at his best when in a classroom. Professor Wang Xi was the Senior Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. His name was extremely reputable in the academic world. Due to age restrictions, he had to be withdrawn from the frontlines at 65 years old. Even the humorous man who was also a world-class top scientist capable of leading the industry was not immune to such common disease Chen Chen sighed faintly before raising his head and ordered, Little X, help me look up information on Professor Wang Xi of Shangdu Jiao Tong University in Mainland China. I want to know the latest updates. Got it! Little Xs response quickly resounded from the speakers. After that, Chen Chens computer booted up on its own, the display quickly flared up like a blossoming flower. Countless windows were opened and subsequently closed. Within half a minute, Little X had broken through a certain firewall and had extracted an extremely confidential medical report. Department of Neurology, Affiliated Central Hospital of Shangdu Jiao Tong University. Patient Wang Xi, first stage of Alzheimers disease. Chen Chen knew that Wang Weis hypothesis was correct upon reading the sentence. Around this same time last year, it was thanks to Professor Wang Xis assistance that Chen Chen was able to make a resolute decision. Chen Chen gently raised his right hand to caress a thick brass ring he wore on his left index finger. As Chen Chen gently brushed its surface, he seemed to have activated a hidden mechanism in the ring. In an instant, the face of the ring suddenly opened up silently, revealing several transparent pills under it. Chen Chen took one of the pills and swallowed it. He closed his eyes after and allowed himself to relax. One second, two seconds, three seconds Phew! The familiar sensation of having a fine grasp on all things in the world came to him in a rush. Chen Chen abruptly opened his eyes and began to recall everything he knew about Alzheimers. Alzheimers was also commonly referred to as dementia back in the Mainland. It was a form of cerebral neurodegeneration that occurred upon reaching a certain age. This form of disease may not appear lethal. It had been almost normalized due to how common it was. What most people did not know was that it was the second most significant disease in limiting the human lifespan, right under cancer. There could be many causes for Alzheimers disease, the most common factor being old age. From fifty-years-old onward, the rate of contracting it increased with each passing year. By the time a common person reached eighty years old, the odds of being diagnosed with it was up to forty percent. There were many other contributing factors apart from old age including genetics, mental illness, head trauma, sometimes even widowhood, living alone, financial difficulties or drastic life events that could lead to the development of Alzheimers. Ermmm In other words, up to this point, the academic world had yet to pin down a definite cause for Alzheimers disease. The medical sciences community always believed that A deposition and abnormal phosphorylation of tau protein were the main culprits of Alzheimers disease. Following the development of certain drugs, the validity of these hypotheses began to be questioned. The current consensus was that the A deposition and abnormal phosphorylation of tau protein were merely a symptom of Alzheimers instead of the source of it. A deposition referred to Amyloid -Protein deposition, which was a form of intracellular pathology which could lead to mitochondrial damage. It may even lead to many fatal diseases such as apoptosis. This deposition phenomenon first manifested in the cerebral cortex. It spread to the depths of the brain as the severity increased, eventually destroying the human brain. Currently, among the six internationally recognized therapeutic drugs, almost all of them were acetylcholinesterase inhibitor drugs with just one of them being NMDA receptor antagonist which stood out as an outlier. Simply put, even the medicine in developed countries could only serve to slightly slow down the disease and allow the patient to live for a few more years. It was not able to accomplish anything else beyond that. Word was that there was a new drug for Alzheimers disease in the China market. It was labeled as The First Axial Biotherapeutics Drug In the World. The fancy name aside, it was just a drug that facilitated intestinal bacteria. A discussion for another day. With the current technological scope, the damage caused by Alzheimers to the brain was still irreversible even after taking the related medications. This was because the primary cause of the disease was the death of a large amount of brain nerve cells. In the later stages of the disease, the patients brain would have completely shrunken to a point where there was barely a hint of conscience remaining. The way Chen Chen saw it, being alive but not having a conscience was as good as being dead. What was the difference anyway? If he wanted to save Professor Wang Xi, he could not spare a moment longer. Chen Chen quickly got up and went to the power control room while instructing, Little X, download the first Rise of the Planet of the Apes for me. Chen Chen came up with three solutions to treating Professor Wang Xi: The first solution, which was also the easiest solution, was to use the USB drive and extract the details of the ALZ-112 drug in Rise of the Planet of the Apes. ALZ-112 was a virus with a specific genetic trait that was able to regeneratively repair neural circuits by infecting the brain accordingly. Unlike the later developed ALZ-113, the ALZ-112 was not contagious, therefore, it would not reenact the pandemic scenario in the movie. The flaw was that the ALZ-112 was only a temporary treatment for Alzheimers disease. It would not completely cure it. However, Chen Chen was not optimistic about the chances of the first solution working out since the USB drive was unable to extract living organisms. Viruses were considered a class of living organisms as well, therefore, he resorted to extracting information on ALZ-112. The information only appeared very briefly in the movie. There was no guarantee that the data was complete. The second solution in case the first failed, Chen Chen could try to shoot a movie on Alzheimers. He could then extract the drug in his movie. This was a solution akin to cheating. This would also be a completely new approach to Chen Chens usage of the USB drive. Naturally, Chen Chen figured that the odds of success were next to zero. If this method proved to work out, could Chen Chen simply shoot a movie about energy generation and simply create a device similar to the ZPM in Stargate and easily achieve unlimited energy generation? That would violate the laws of conservation of mass and energy. Still, despite the almost nil chance of this solution working out, it was worth a shot. While attempting the second solution, Chen Chen could simultaneously implement the third solution C Active Research. Since Chen Chen still had the NZT-48 up his sleeve, which from previous experiments he had concluded had a certain degree of effect on Alzheimers disease. If all else failed, Chen Chen could further delve into this aspect to achieve a breakthrough. This could also help add value to the neutral stem cell therapy research. The human body possessed the natural ability to regenerate brain nerve cells but this ability slowly declined throughout the adolescent stages. By adulthood, a damaged central nervous system would no longer be able to regenerate on its own. One of the causes of this was the lack of necessary cytokine stimulation. Additionally, the spaces left behind by the degraded dead cells become filled by other cells, thus creating a steric effect. This was the root cause of Alzheimers disease being irreversible. However, the usage of neural stem cells could break this rule. Chapter 119 - First Solution was a Failure By the time Chen Chen stepped into the power control room, Little X had completed the download of Rise of the Planet of the Apes. Rise of the Planet of the Apes premiered in 2011. The plot of the movie was about the protagonist who invented a form of viral drug in an attempt to cure his fathers Alzheimers. The principle of this drug was to infect the human brain through an artificially modulated virus, thereby regenerating and repairing the brain nerve in the process. However, many people may have a difficult time understanding the principle of it. Take the following for example. In 2015, German scientists discovered a special gene that was only present in modern-age humans and the close ones around them C ARGHAP11B. This series of genes stimulated the reproduction of brain stem cells, allowing the brain cell to produce more neuron cells in the development process, thus contributing to advanced cognitive abilities such as thought and speech. In other words, this genetic could very well be the reason that humans were able to break away from the food chain and ascend to the top of the hierarchy. To further explore the workings of this genetic, the German scientists conducted an experiment: They injected these genetics into the embryo of mice via genetic engineering technology. They then began to observe if there were any changes in the mice which obtained the fruit of wisdom. The results proved to be gratifying. After these transgenic mice were born, they displayed a significant increase in brain capacity. The brain of regular mice usually took on a smooth form, resembling a peanut. Under the influence of the human genetic, it had to be compressed and folded itself due to the increase in surface area. This resulted in a cortical folding similar to what was observed in human brains. The above experiments proved that ARGHAP11B genetic played a crucial role in the development and evolution of the neural system. (The only thing that was left unknown was whether the batch of mice made it out alive. If they did, perhaps there would be a reenactment of Rise of the Planet of the Mice in the decades or centuries to come. Hehe.) The ALZ-112 virus in Rise of the Planet of the Apes assumed the same principle. By transferring alternative genetics to the brain, it effectively prevented death of nerve cells caused by Alzheimers disease and rejuvenated the nerve cells of the brain. The events in the movie closely resembled that of the experiment conducted. The protagonist of the movie had conducted the experiment on a particular ape which caused the ape to see a tremendous amount of improvement in intelligence. It even led to it giving birth to its son, Caesar, who eventually became the harbinger of the end of human civilization. Despite the difference in methods applied by the two, the end goal was the same. However, in reality, it was only feasible to modify the genes of biological embryos but not the genes of adult organisms. This was because of the trillions of genes present in the adult body. It was nigh impossible to modify all of them. This was why retroviruses, a means of altering genes throughout the body appeared in the movie. T Virus, G Virus, DX-1118 Virus, and other similar viruses operated on the same principle. Back to reality. Chen Chen unplugged the charging USB drive and inserted it into the computer. He then dragged the downloaded Rise of the Planet of the Apes into the USB drive. Ding! However, there was an unexpected notification. This movie that seemed to have legitimate scientific roots was rejected by the USB drive Chen Chen raised his eyebrow in suspicion and tried again. It yielded the exact same result. Emmm Chen Chen thought for a moment. In an attempt to catch the USB drive off guard, he clicked the Rise of the Planet of the Apes.mp4 title. As the cursor flashed, he hastily changed the title to Dream of the Red Chamber.mp4 and immediately dragged it into the USB drive. Ding! Hmm, his attempt to fool the USB drive resulted in a failure. It appeared that the movie did not conform to the core principle of the USB drive. Chen Chen helplessly shook his head. Unsurprisingly, the first solution was a failure. In fact, anyone with the slightest understanding of biology would know that the movie Rise of the Apes contained many pseudo-scientific elements, take the protagonists father for example. The protagonists father was in the mid-stage of Alzheimers disease. In that stage, the brain cells would begin to die in large batches. Even if the remaining neurons were preserved by the ALZ-112, it was impossible to recover the neural function damage and the lost memory. Therefore, the events which transpired in the movie with the protagonists father returning to normal was not possible. Also, the source of human intelligence was not limited to the complex workings of the brain as the size of the brain played a crucial factor. The size of the human brain was three times the size of an apes, therefore, it was simply impossible for the apes in the movie to achieve such a degree of intelligence. Besides, even if a form of virus designed to reprogram an apes brain was manufactured in reality, it might not work on other sub-species of apes. Just like how the ALZ-113 was able to substantially increase an apes intelligence but proved to be lethal on humans, it should not be able to achieve an effect of awakening, on not just chimpanzees, but even orangutans, gorillas, bonobos, and other primates as seen in the movie. The ALZ-113 virus had catalyzed the events in the movie. None of the events which transpired would be possible without the virus. The problem was that the virus had far exceeded the scope of what was possible in real life. Perhaps, this was the reason the movie could not be moved into the USB drive? The catalyst of the movie? Chen Chen pondered for a moment before downloading another movie. Deep Blue Sea. This was another movie that dealt with Alzheimers, but it cured the disease by extracting the protein found in a sharks brain. Based on the movie, dripping several drops of the protein on the brain cell was able to simulate and activate dead brain cells for six seconds. The way Chen Chen saw it, this was more fantasy than sci-fi. The results did not prove to be surprising. Deep Blue Sea was unable to be moved into the USB drive as well. As he watched his initial plan failing, Chen Chen decided to stop pressing the issue. He inserted the USB drive back to the charging port and found a contact on his phone. Chen Chen thought for a bit before making the call. Mr. Edwards? Im Chen Chen. I have a certain commission that you might be interested in, its about a movie shoot. Yes, Ill supply the plot. Ill need a well-known screenwriter, a well-known director, and a group of well-known movie stars to play the movie I envisioned and put it on major screens. I want at least 100 million in the box office. The soonest possible, ideally there should be just three months between writing the script and premiering it. I will be funding the movie myself. 1000 audience shares, it cant possibly get any higher than that. Pleasure working with you Chen Chen hung up after that. The one Chen Chen had contacted was a member of the Edwards family in the North American continent. It was Edwards Financial Group, financial titans of Wall Street. Its corporations included but were not limited to electronics, optics, space, missiles, and various electronics industries. The crucial factor was its involvement in the entertainment industry. The Edwards family held shares in more than 200 Hollywood studios, which was nearly one-fifth of Hollywood. The one Chen Chen had contacted was one of the three helm members of the Edwards family. He was also the member who was a part of a previous meeting and none other than Robert Edwards himself. Chapter 120 - Found an Approach After laying the groundwork for the film, Chen Chen went to the team in charge of the Alzheimers Disease Reversal Treatment to receive the latest research report and also to get several mice. The Alzheimers Disease Reversal Treatment project was a real thing. It was led by Evans, another neurology professor invited by Chen Chen. He had participated in countless clinical trials of Alzheimers disease in the past. This was a subject he was all too familiar with. However, Chen Chen did not plan to work in collaboration with Evans since Chen Chen needed the NZT-48 for the experiment. Unless he had reached the absolute extent of his capabilities, Chen Chen was not going to let any outsider find out about NZT-48. On that account, Chen Chen could only conduct the experiments by himself. As for the mice he needed from the research team, they were a batch of genetically modified mice carrying a mutant form of human tau. These mice began to develop tau tangles in the brain at 6 months old and began showing signs of nervous system damage at 9 months old. These were the genetically modified mice that humans had created as an Alzheimers disease symptom model. Chen Chen reopened a laboratory on the fifth floor. After bringing in the relevant information, he began to look through the research results of Professor Evans throughout this period. The foreign academic circles had always upheld the tradition of the naming convention based on the person who had made the discovery. More than a hundred years ago, a man named Alzheimer was the one who dissected the brain of a deceased man who suffered from dementia and discovered the shocking phenomenon. Not only did the brain of the deceased had gone through severe atrophy, even the cerebral cortex which governed memory, thought, and speech functionalities was destroyed. What took its place was necrotic brain cells and strange, abnormal brain deposits From that fateful day onward, humanity began mounting its effort against Alzheimers, a disease persisting across the century. Due to the concealed nature of Alzheimers disease, humans never really took the disease seriously. It was not until recent decades when the average life expectancy went up which led to more and more people suffering from Alzheimers which caused the academic world to begin addressing the issue. As humanity began to devote its efforts to further inspecting the disease, they began to realize that Alzheimers was far more threatening than they initially thought According to the findings of the Earth Federation Laboratory Research and Development Association, top pharmaceutical groups the likes of Bayer, Eli Lilly, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck, and Pfizer had invested more than US$600 billion from 1988 to 2017. A total of 146 Alzheimers drugs failed. Including 2018 and 2019, top scientists all over the world had failed to come up with a solution against Alzheimers more than 154 times over the last two decades. One of the most shocking events was in January 2018 when the pharmaceutical company Pfizer issued a statement: Due to the technical challenges, the research and development of Alzheimers and Parkinsons drugs will be suspended The worlds pioneering medical factions were rendered completely useless before the disease of the century. Chen Chen kept a calm expression as his fingers glided across stacks of folders containing data charts. Each one of these folders was five centimeters thick, piling themselves into the size of a miniature mountain. As Chen Chen scanned through them one after the other, the pile was cut in half within a few hours. As time went on, the stack of folders that he had already gone through began piling up higher and higher. If someone was there to witness it, they may notice that as Chen Chen went through the folders, the spark in his eyes grew ever brighter to a point where it could illuminate the darkness by itself! Chen Chen finally heaved a breath after finishing the latest experimental data. He booted up the computer again to compare his findings with the latest extracted data on the Internet. After completing this final process, Chen Chen thoughtfully closed the webpages. Excellent, the approach had been determined. The corner of Chen Chens lips crooked up with a hint of a smile. Then, he took out a finger-sized piece of chocolate, peeled off the tin foil, and tossed it into his mouth. NZT-48 enabled the brain to function at accelerated efficiency, but it also greatly exhausted substances such as fat, carbohydrate, and protein. Chocolate was able to make up for these substances as its theobromine was also able to provide a boost for the nervous system and help increase blood oxygen capacity. On that account, Chen Chen had begun to develop a habit of eating several chocolates after taking the drug. As the chocolate slowly melted in Chen Chens mouth, he began to conduct his experiment as well. He first put on sterile clothes and went through a full disinfection process. Then, he entered the laboratory and put on a disposable glove. After that, he took an NZT-48 and dissolved it in glucose. At the same time, Chen Chen selected several mice which displayed the most evident signs of nervous system damage. He grouped them accordingly and poured a fitting amount of NZT-48 solution for each of them before settling them in separate observation cages. This was only one of the experiments. While researching the NZT-48s effects on Alzheimers disease, Chen Chen was conducting a separate experiment simultaneously. Unlike the conventional experimental method used, Chen Chen intended to research it from an inflammatory angle. In the current day and age, the general scientific consensus was that the cause of Alzheimers disease was amyloid deposition and abnormal phosphorylation of tau protein. As a result, scientists raised a hypothesis of the etiology of Alzheimers disease C Amyloid -Protein Theory. Presently, most clinical trials had assumed Amyloid -Protein as the target subject and attempted to break down or prevent the formation of Amyloid -Protein. As mentioned before, all of the experimental treatment which based Amyloid -Protein as the target element had resulted in failures. This was why Chen Chen had decided to take an approach revolving around inflammatory theory and brain immunity cells. There were several established hypotheses around Alzheimers disease, with one being the inflammatory theory. In 2018, Nerve magazine published a research article concerning the discovery of herpes virus in the brain of an Alzheimers patient. In the following year in 2019, another team published a thesis in Science detailing their discovery of Porphyromonas Gingivalis in a patients brain. They then experimented on mice and injected these viruses into their brains. After the mice were deceased, they discovered dead neurons in the mices brains and also noted an increase in Amyloid -Protein level. Nearing the end of 2019 in the journal PNAS, a team noticed a sharp decrease of a protein known as TOM1 in the brain of Alzheimers patients. TOM1 was a vital element in a form of inflammatory response. Following the decrease of TOM1 readings, the mices brains displayed an increase in Amyloid -Protein. These mice also subsequently experienced cognitive decline. The cognitive abilities of the mice were able to be restored by reversely increasing the concentration of TOM1. This was the latest findings of the inflammatory theory. Even Professor Evans himself took a similar approach in his experiments. In addition to the inflammatory approach, Chen Chen further supplemented the immune cell deficiency theory. One of the unique traits of Alzheimers disease was the formation of deposit and Tau tangle in the brain. A class of immune cells known as microglia was able to protect the brain by eliminating these deposits and tangles. However, the latest findings revealed that despite microglias potency in limiting the accumulation of harmful substances, it was a double-edged sword. This was because microglia were able to secrete a substance known as ApoE. This substance was able to enhance the formation of deposits. Also, in the later stages of the disease, once the tau tangle was formed, microglia may harm nearby neurons while eliminating the tangles which may lead to neurodegenerative diseases. Research showed that if microglia was not involved in the process or simply was not simulated, the tau tangle and deposit would not be accumulated into the later stages of the disease. Similarly, the nervous system would not be harmed as well This was Chen Chens research approach. With these approaches, even if Chen Chen was not able to wholly cure Alzheimers disease, he was confident he was at least able to limit the severity of the disease, in turn locking the disease of the century in the early stages of its formation! Chapter 121 - Successful Experiment Two months later. Chen Chen stood quietly in the laboratory. His face was rather pale. Before him, a little white mouse was ceaselessly paddling in a Morris water maze. This little white mouse was agile in swimming. Although it looked a little confused, it always managed to find the right path quickly after some wrong attempts, finally locating the platform hidden underwater. No one would be able to tell that these mice were showing signs of severe nerve damage just two weeks ago. As Chen Chen observed Mouse No. 5 reaching the platform, he gently clicked the timer and said impassively, 28 seconds, 2 seconds faster than yesterday. Following that, Chen Chen started to fill in the experiment record: 6-month-old genetically modified model mice were treated with surgical transplantation of cloned neural stem cells. They were also treated with myeloid triggering receptor 2 (Trem2) agonist interleukin 4 (IL-4) to induce microglial activation. Immunohistochemistry, western blotting, and quantitative fluorescence PCR were used to detect the expression of Trem2 at the protein and gene levels. The water maze experiment illustrated that the model mice showed cognitive function recovery in the water maze experiment. In this model, after IL-4 treatment, Trem2 expression increased, and the memory and cognitive impairment of model mice were greatly improved. Result: The activation of Trem2 may reduce the autophagy of microglia through inflammation. After that, Chen Chen bent over and caught the mouse that was resting on the platform. He dried it, then fixed it to the CT machine, fastening it so that its head could not rotate. Then Chen Chen turned on the machine and the CT machine began scanning the brain structure of No. 5. When he compared the new CT with the previous image, he saw that the mouses brain structure was much fuller than last week. It had undergone tremendous changes compared to two weeks ago. If the mouses brain was said to be like a shriveled walnut two weeks ago, it had significantly filled out now, like a risen dough. Chen Chen casually sorted this data into corresponding categories. Then, he glanced at the few remaining white mice in the cage that had exhibited the same behavior and he covered the cage. After this, Chen Chen turned around, gripped the head of Mouse No. 5 in one hand and the tail in another hand, then tugged softly. Snap! There was a sharp snap. No. 5 died in his hand from rapid and effective cervical dislocation. Chen Chen placed this mouse on the dissection table and started dissecting its brain. After more than ten minutes, No. 5s brain had been extracted. However, at this point, Chen Chen noticed that the brain of this mouse had not necessarily recovered well. As Alzheimers had caused a large number of neuron deaths, many connective tissue masses had formed in the area where these nerve cells died. These tissue masses occupied the original space of the brain, so the brain could not be restored to its previous state. What a shame. Chen Chen shook his head and soaked this brain in a solution filled with formalin. In the past three months, Chen Chen had used his usual cloning methods to clone this group of mice. At the same time, in these mice that similarly suffered from Alzheimers, he had applied a compound treatment method. Although this drug had failed several clinical trials and was proven unable to treat Alzheimers disease, its ability to remove Amyloid -Protein should still be recognized.
      Injecting neural stem cells extracted from cloned embryos and at the same time, using cytokines to activate G2 resting stem cells that were already in the brain to stimulate the brain to heal itself. There was one last item namely, in the early stages of Alzheimers, the microglia were first activated to actively engulf abnormally deposited proteins. However, if the disease had entered the middle or even late stage, the opposite method was adopted to inhibit the activation of microglia, until the Solanezumab antibody had been used to clear most of the A deposits before microglia activation. This was the method that Chen Chen had adopted. Through the treatment of inflammation and neural stem cell transplantation coupled with the intervention of the brains own immune system, this compound method could completely suppress Alzheimers disease in the early and mid-term. The disease would not worsen and might even get better. In truth, it was not that the actual medical world could not achieve this same effect. The only limitation was still the cloning part. Besides, the cost was another factor that restricted this treatment. After all, just this set of treatment plans would already incur astronomical costs. If this was used in business, a course of treatment would be priced at millions of USD. As for the steric effect caused by a large number of neuron deaths and the connective tissue occupying the brain, Chen Chen was powerless. Perhaps one good way to remove these connective tissues was by craniotomy. In terms of NZT-48, due to the lack of time in addition to no solid progress, Chen Chen had stopped the experimentation. Since the NZT-48 experiment had stopped, Chen Chen started to include his assistants and assigned relatively trivial tasks to them. This was how the experiment results could be so swiftly obtained. Now that the results had been produced, Chen Chen was not hesitant anymore. He immediately asked his assistant to send in the old chimpanzees that they had prepared in advance. The scientific community had long discovered that chimpanzees also suffered from Alzheimers disease, which was the same as that of humans. Therefore, before the experiment on the mice was completed, he had asked his assistants to make Alzheimers disease models of chimpanzees and to also clone these chimpanzees. This would save them a lot of time. Not only that, but Chen Chen had also ordered a member of the team, which was protecting his parents in Mainland China, to head to Shangdu, secretly extract Professor Wang Xis somatic cells, and bring them back so that he could clone Professor Wang Xi. A few months later, when Professor Wang Xi himself came to the research center, they could immediately use the cloned neural stem cells. Chen Chen was going to such lengths as a way to repay Professor Wang Xi. As he thought of this, Chen Chen was about to start the next step of the experiment when his phone rang. Chen Chen frowned, picked up his phone, and saw that it was a call from the screenwriter of the new movie. He left the laboratory to his assistant and walked out to answer the call. Youve revised it? Got it. Ill take a look at it later. The screenwriter had once again revised the script according to Chen Chens request and had sent it over to Chen Chen for review. This was the task Chen Chen had entrusted to the Edwards family. Chen Chen headed to his own office. Without him giving the order, Little X had already opened his mailbox and projected the received script onto the wall. Chen Chen spent a few minutes reading through the entire thing, then nodded reluctantly. The story of the script was set 3 years from the present. This was what Chen Chen had requested. After all, the USB drive only accepted movies that hewed closely to reality. It was safer to directly set it in the real world. The main plotline concerned an unknown pharmaceutical company in North America. A researcher named Alexander discovered, by chance, a small chemical molecule that could completely inhibit Alzheimers. Not only could this small molecule prevent tau tangles and A deposition, but it also eliminated inflammation and completely ended all symptoms of Alzheimers disease. This drug lay at the core of the story. The plot itself was an old-fashioned story in which an unknown shady force caught wind of this from somewhere. To obtain a sample of the drug, they began to kidnap the colleagues of the protagonist. After discovering what was happening, the protagonist quickly ran away with the drug and was perpetually hunted down. Chen Chen had sent back the script a few times before. In desperation, the screenwriter had removed certain parts where the technology or logic did not hold up too well, even though these parts were very dramatic and marketable. Still, this time, the script almost met Chen Chens expectations. It was a pity Chen Chen did not expect Hollywood to work so slowly. It took two months just from scriptwriting to revision. No matter how fast they worked, they could not possibly put out a movie in the one remaining month. Nonetheless, fortunately, Chen Chen had found a treatment method for Alzheimers. As long as it worked on the chimpanzees, Chen Chen could move it into the clinical trial stage. With this in mind, Chen Chen, who was the investor, replied to the scriptwriter with a pass. Now, they could officially begin filming the movie in Hollywood. Chapter 122 - Back to Shangdu On the dim, hazy dance floor, the crowded air was filled with the smell of smoke and alcohol. Currently, Rowling Keith was holding a bottle of brandy as he swayed headily on the dance floor with Jennifer, the most beautiful woman in the company. Jennifer was in her thirties, with a hot, alluring figure sheathed in a sexy dance skirt. Her enchanting body kept twisting to the rhythm of the dance floor, causing everyones imagination to run wild. Ella, youre mesmerizing tonight. Keith stretched out his hand with bleary eyes, trying to touch her figure. However, there was only a gentle laugh in his ears. He did not know when, but Jennifer had already moved behind him. Keith chuckled and quickly turned around to hold her. The both of them left the dance floor, bodies pressed together, and walked out of the bar. A certain, heavy musk seemed to increasingly pervade the air. They got into the car impatiently. Before Keith could slot in the car key, he felt a sudden, surprising burst of heat beside him, then a scent filled the air Cut! Just then, a voice cried out loudly. A group of strangers suddenly appeared around Keith and Jennifer. Some of them came forward with lights in their hands to light up the place while others proficiently reapplied both of their makeup. The sultry atmosphere dissipated at once. At the same time, a little further away, a man dressed like a director was sitting on a recliner and informing everyone loudly, The third act is complete. Thank you, people! Next is the fourth act. Villains, get ready! Following this, everyone bustled about once more. Currently, Cheng Cao was silently smoking at one side, uninterestedly looking at the flurrying crew. He looked somewhat resigned. As Qian Wenhuan was managing the construction of the Eco Science City, Chen Chen had sent Cheng Cao to oversee the progress of the filming in Hollywood. Although Cheng Cao had never worked in the film industry, he was merely acting as an executive producer. Essentially, he was supervising them to make sure the production team did not slack off after taking the money. At the moment, the shooting had gone on for a week. This movie Chen Chen had invested in was named Deadly Crisis: A Shocking Scheme. This movie title was a bit trashy, but with the connections of the Edwards family, it had managed to rope in many big movie stars, helmed by the famous Hollywood director Studebaker. It was truly a star-studded team. The film immediately attracted the attention of many fans since the project was established. These well-known director and actors had their legion of fans. Coupled with promotion by the directors guild, the buzz it received was not weaker than the fifth Avengers film which had also started filming. Even so, all this did not concern Cheng Cao. Now, he just sat in a daze next to the director each day or stood in a corner and smoked silently, ignoring everyone. Even when some of the female crew members secretly contacted Cheng Cao in the middle of the night, trying vainly to get in his pants, Cheng Cao remained unmoved. As time went on, everyone started to ignore this statue-like executive producer. After this, five performers in black, skintight costumes, holding strange props, appeared one by one. The martial arts instructor started to choreograph their movements while the male and female lead continued discussing the plot. However, for some reason, when Studebaker saw the villains get-up, he suddenly frowned and said to the stylist beside him, Mr. Mill, do you think that these outfits are Hmm, how do I put this too old-fashioned? Hey, this is the most classic villain look these days. The bearded man beside him quickly defended. I bet that therell be no other look thats more of a classic than this movie in five years. Its not that I question your expertise, but I think that maybe the villains outfits are too obvious? Its as if the words Im the villain are written on their faces. Studebaker frowned and suggested, Is it possible to make their aesthetic more profound? What do you have in mind? The bearded man instantly sounded huffy. Studebaker became contemplative. He looked around as if searching for inspiration. When he saw Cheng Cao, his eyes suddenly lit up. Eureka! What if we dress the villains in an additional layer of casual clothes? Just like Mr. Cheng Cao. Wont that be cool? Studebaker pointed at Cheng Cao. If we use the camera well, we can draw attention to the skintight suit at the neck area. To the audience, itll fit even better with the idea of the villains concealment, right? When Mill heard this, he looked at Cheng Cao thoughtfully. Theres some truth in what youre saying Cheng Cao was dumbfounded when he overheard this conversation. He knew that they had said all this because they noticed the GS Combat Suit he was wearing. The GS Combat Suit was well concealed indeed, but its only flaw was that the collar was too high. There were not many clothes that would cover it. In addition, the four buttons that glowed with a blue light on the collar were so sleek and dazzling, like something out of sci-fi. To cover up the glowing of the buttons, B.S.S. members had dyed the buttons black. Even so, it was inevitable that when they hung around long enough, people would notice the details of their collar. This was the only flaw of the GS Combat Suit. On the other side of things, the primate experiment went off without a hitch. In just one months work, the Alzheimers disease in all the chimpanzees had been successfully suppressed and their brains had entered the recovery phase. Seeing this, Chen Chen no longer hesitated. He asked Little X to book a plane ticket back to Shangdu and left Africa with a pile of materials on treating Alzheimers. More than ten hours later, when Chen Chen got off the plane and set foot in Mainland China once again, he instinctively took in a deep breath. After one and a half years, he had finally returned to his hometown. After staying in Switzerland and Namibia for so long, Chen Chen had nearly forgotten that he was a native of China. It was only when he got off the plane and saw the Asian faces which filled the airport that he felt an unusual rush of familiarity. The feeling of homecoming Chen Chen murmured in a low voice, then walked forward to queue at the administration area of Immigration and waited to be inspected. This time, Chen Chen did not inform his head office that he was returning. At this point, the head office was in full swing under Xia Yins management. In terms of the translator, hundreds of thousands of copies were sold each month. Although this was partly due to the states support, it was still not an easy feat. However, internationally, the expansion of the simultaneous translator had not gone smoothly. It was still waiting for approval in various countries, which in turn seemed to be waiting for their own people to crack the code. Still, this did not worry Chen Chen. In any case, the core code of the translator was right there. If those people could crack it, then it would not matter even if Chen Chen handed over his entire company. This was all about a programmers dignity. Ten minutes later, Chen Chen exited the airport, hastily got into a taxi, and rushed toward the affiliated hospital of Shangdu Jiao Tong Universitys medical school. Chapter 123 - Professor Wang Xi Due to how important Professor Wang Xi was to the country, the hospital had given him full-out treatment during this period. However, this was only the conventional treatment and Professor Wang Xi showed no signs of improvement. Half an hour later, when Chen Chen had arrived at the hospital and asked to see Professor Wang Xi in the first-class ward, he learned that Professor Wang Xi was not in the ward. Professor Wang Xi is trying multi-directional brain stimulation therapy under the advice of an expert group. Hell only return to his ward in the evening. If youre his student, you can just contact him directly. The doctor shot Chen Chen a suspicious look while giving this suggestion. Chen Chen softly uttered his thanks, then exited the hospital. He took out his phone and dialed a number he had never called. Hello? Is this Little Chen? In a short while, a familiar voice spoke on the other end, with a hint of a hearty smile. And you have the time to give me a call? Professor Wang, I didnt expect you to remember me. Chen Chen smiled. Ive forgotten about you, but I still remember your paper. There arent many university students who can get published on Cell. Professor Wang Xi laughed out loud. Chen Chen heard some background noises on Professor Wang Xis end, so he asked, Professor Wang, are you busy over there? If so, Ill call back later. Not at all. Im just at a signing event to see an actor I used to like, Professor Wang Xi replied, is there anything I can do for you? Theres something pretty important. Where are you now? Ill head over directly. Im at No. 554, Longang West Road, in the Huaan Building. Im in the conference hall on the second floor. Professor Wang Xi did not hesitate at all to tell Chen Chen his location. Alright, Ill be right there. Chen Chen hung up and took another taxi, hurrying to the Huaan Building. This time, it only took Chen Chen ten minutes to reach the ground floor of the building. At the moment, an inflatable arch had been placed before the main entrance, flanked by several gigantic posters. There seemed to be an event of some sort. Chen Chen looked at the poster and saw that an international movie star of the older generation was having a signing event here. As soon as he walked into the lobby, Chen Chen could hear the faint bustle of excitement from the conference hall on the second floor. Chen Chen told the security guards at the door of his purpose and they let Chen Chen in at once. When Chen Chen pushed open the large doors, the din inside became louder immediately. The moment he entered, he happened to hear the international movie star saying, Historical satire isnt a silly joke and adaptation isnt done without purpose. The venue could fit about a thousand, but only a sparse one-third of it was filled up. The movie star was wearing a red coat, speaking emotionally about something on the stage. Chen Chen did a cursory sweep and noticed Professor Wang Xis familiar figure sitting in the first row before the stage. Immediately after that, Professor Wang Xi seemed to sense Chen Chens gaze and turned back, then waved to Chen Chen with a smile. Chen Chen nodded. He bent down slightly and lowered his head as he made his way to the first row. On the stage, the international star was going on. Ive once watched a play in which Sun Wukong addressed Baigujing as Jing Jing, and Baigujing addressed Sun Wukong as Kong Kong[1] There was a peal of laughter from the audience. Is that funny? the movie star on the stage said grievously, in fact, I couldnt bring myself to laugh. My tears were welling up inside me. Chen Chen reached the first row and quickly sat beside Professor Wang Xi. Old Wang, I Shh Professor Wang Xi shook his head gently. Lets listen first. Well talk later. Chen Chen was stunned upon hearing this, then he smiled. Right, after three months of waiting, there was no need to rush now. With this in mind, Chen Chen gradually relaxed. At this time, the international movie star on stage took out a long stick and called out to the audience, I still remember a scene from some movie that went like this With that, he rested the stick on his shoulders and twisted his head around. Master, lets go! Then, in a well-practiced manner, he started swaggering across the stage. There was another eruption of laughter from below the stage. The entire venue was filled with merriment. Soon after that, the talk was over and everyone dispersed. Only then did Chen Chen and Professor Wang Xi walked out of the place. Just then, Chen Chen noticed that two people were trailing Professor Wang Xi. From the looks of it, they must be bodyguards of some sort. Professor Wang Chen Chen composed what he wanted to say, then spoke up as they walked on, I know about your illness. As far as I know, for now, there are few hospitals in Mainland China that dare to claim they can treat your illness. Would you be interested in going to other continents for treatment? Other continents? Professor Wang Xi seemed joyful when he heard this. The school committee said that youve opened a research center in the African Continent. Is that what youre talking about? So, youve known about it. Chen Chen instantly explained, Thats right, over there, Ive developed a compound therapy to fight against Alzheimers. It has shown excellent results on primates. Initially, I wanted to wait for it to pass the clinical trial before letting you know, but I dont know how long that will be. After all, your illness cant be delayed Professor Wang Xi was silent for a moment. This sickness of mine is nothing much. I just dont want to burden Luoer any further Chen Chen did not reply. He had read through Professor Wang Xis information and knew that this Luoer he spoke of referred to his 45-year-old daughter. After long consideration, Professor Wang Xi ultimately shook his head and patted Chen Chens shoulder. Forget it. Im sure you understand as well. With this disease, I dont have many years left. Even so, Professor Wang Xis expression was full of tranquility as he said this. Since thats the case, theres no need to agonize over something trivial like this. Whatever happens, happens. Professor Wang Xi, how are you so sure that this disease cant be cured? Chen Chen grinned, then handed over the information in his hands. Whats this? As someone working in scientific research, Professor Wang Xi was particularly susceptible to technical information. Before he could even process all this, his hand had already reached out instinctively to accept the information. Professor Wang Xi gently turned to the first page and his eyes lit up at once after reading the introduction. He could not hold back from delving into the main text. Chen Chen helped Professor Wang Xi into the car, then nodded at the bodyguards in charge. After that, he got into the backseat too. The two bodyguards dutifully sat in the front. The car started off for the hospital. After reading for quite some time, Professor Wang Xi dazedly came back to his senses. He pointed at a line of data. Little Chen, your technology for inducing neural stem cells is slightly off. According to this data, itll be difficult to induce neural stem cells like this. Is that so? Chen Chen took the papers, pretending to be puzzled, following which he broke out into a smile of unparalleled certainty. Professor Wang, theres no mistake here. The results have been produced. If you dont believe me, take a look at the back. Theres really no mistake? Professor Wang Xi shot a doubtful glance at Chen Chen. Seeing that Chen Chens eyes were unwavering, he did not say anything else and continued reading. After Professor Wang Xi re-entered his state of deep pondering, Chen Chen felt a small, secret pang of shame. In truth, most of the data in this document were authentic. Only the technology for inducing neural stem cells was falsified. After all, Chen Chen had already developed embryonic stem cell cloning technology, which was more precise and convenient than induced pluripotent stem cells. How could he give up on all that and shift to developing induced pluripotent stem cells? Besides, the latter technology had many hidden risks, including tumor formation and mutation. It was far less secure than embryonic stem cell cloning. However, even though the technology of embryonic stem cell cloning was not against international law, it would still trigger a massive public debate. Therefore, Chen Chen had to use induced neural stem cells to fill in the gap for now. To think that Chen Chen did not spot the problem in this information but Professor Wang Xi noticed something fishy almost immediately. Sure enough, despite having resigned from leading roles for many years and despite suffering from senile dementia, Professor Wang Xis level of biological mastery was still among the best in the world. [1] Sun Wukong refers to the Monkey King and Baigujing refers to the White Bone Spirit. Both are characters from Journey to the West. Chapter 124 - Argument Back in the hospital ward, Professor Wang Xi kept holding onto the stack of data like a dragon guarding its hoard. He stubbornly refused to rest in his bed. No! Dont help me up, I can still read Professor Wang Xi cried out loudly, like a child who did not want to go to sleep. In the end, the nurse had no choice but to let Professor Wang Xi finish reading the information before he would lie down in his bed contentedly and fall into a deep sleep. Chen Chen silently collected the scattered pages, then turned to leave the ward. However, as soon as he went out the door, a middle-aged woman stood blocking his way. The womans face was similar to Professor Wang Xis, but unlike Professor Wang Xi, there was a harsher expression in her brows and her eyes were steely. She looked like a strong, independent woman. Hello, Auntie. Chen Chen smiled and nodded in greeting. Do you know me? The woman raised an eyebrow and scanned Chen Chen in a scrutinizing manner. I dont but I can guess who you are based on your looks, Chen Chen replied politely. The middle-aged woman relaxed slightly. You have pretty good reflexes. So, whats your purpose in coming back to China? Are you here just to see my father? Sorry to ask, but youre working as Chen Chen intentionally made a confused face. Im Wang Luo, deputy director of the political department in the Shangdu Branch of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the woman said in a powerful voice. Ah, Director Wang. Chen Chen nodded. I know you came here because of me. In fact, you dont have to worry. Im not here as a representative of any external faction. As for Professor Wang Xi Chen Chen was silent for a moment before he said solemnly, Because he helped me once, I want to repay him. Repay him? And how will you do that? A mocking look flashed across Wang Luos face. Based on your paper in Cell? Or your research center in Africa? So, you know about this. Chen Chen nodded, unsurprised. I know youre not with any foreign organization, but Ive heard that youre taking advantage of the underdeveloped medical facilities over there to carry out your clinical trials? Wang Luos face darkened as she questioned, Do you know what sort of behavior that is? Academic misconduct, right? Chen Chens lips curled up into a smile as he replied before she could. Auntie Wang, thats where youre mistaken. Whats academic misconduct? Falsification, plagiarism, violating the spirit of science and ethics, those are what we call academic misconduct. So, whats my misconduct exactly? What, you dont even know what you did wrong? The crows feet at the corner of Wang Luos eyes trembled slightly and she broke out into a cold, adamant smile. Science is a people-oriented system, in the service of people. It involves human ethics. If these ethics dont keep in check the wheels of experimentation and researchers do whatever they want, they would be wiping out lives and trampling on human rights. Isnt that against human morality? Oh, in that case, Andreas Vesalius committed academic misconduct too when he stole bodies in the middle of the night, right? When Chen Chen heard this, he immediately noticed the flaw in the argument and retorted with this question. Wang Luo frowned and countered. Youre comparing yourself to the founder of anatomy? Im not. Chen Chen shook his head calmly and humbly. Of course, my achievements cant be compared to the pioneers, but you might be having some trouble understanding. No matter, Ill spell it out for you. Chen Chen said good-naturedly, I believe that what youre talking about is common knowledge. Andreas Vesalius published his book in 1543. At that time, the Catholic Church had commanded repeatedly that no desecration of corpses was allowed. In that case, Vesalius act of stealing and even dissecting the bodies is that a violation of human ethics? Wang Luo hesitated. But he was doing it for human medicine. Moreover, that was just a religious restriction at that time, which doesnt represent modern human ethics Aha, thats the problem! Before Wang Luo could finish explaining, Chen Chen instantly cut in. Since you say that it doesnt conform to modern human ethics, can I take it that modern human ethics are the final standard in science? Wang Luo opened her mouth but no words came out. You dont have to tell me. I already know the answer! Without waiting for her response, Chen Chen swiftly said, Since you also understand that modern human ethics dont represent the past, then in the context of the 16th century, did Andreas Vesalius also go against the human ethics of that time? Was that academic misconduct? What a quick wit. Wang Luo growled. I dont have time to mince words with you! Auntie, please calm down. I havent finished speaking. Chen Chen waved his hand and continued. I know that the pioneer Vesalius can never be described as committing academic misconduct, but arent you a little biased when you use this term on me? For instance, say that Im an Ovambo person born in Namibia. After studying in Mainland China, I return to Namibia and build a research center there, researching biology to better the country. However, because Namibias medical system is underdeveloped, Im able to apply for a large number of clinical trials. Does that count as academic misconduct? Wang Luo fell silent after hearing this. It doesnt count, right? Chen Chen smiled. According to your logic, even with the same outcome, if Im Namibian, its not academic misconduct, but if Im not Namibian, then its academic misconduct. Dont you think theres a bias in your judgment of me? Wang Luos face was flushed red when she heard this and she practically spat out through clenched teeth, Well done Chen Chen grinned, then walked to the water dispenser and poured out a cup of water. Auntie, how about a cup of tea? So that you can simmer down. Thats enough! Wang Luo took a deep breath and looked steadily at Chen Chen. Fine, you win the argument. But before you ask my father if hes willing to go to your research center, whats the point in that? And whats the information that you showed my father? Chen Chen was not surprised that Wang Luo knew about this. After all, Chen Chen had said all that before the two bodyguards back then. He simply handed over the file in his hand. Im sure that with your learning, youll be able to understand this. Wang Luo snorted coldly, took the file, and flipped through the pages. In the beginning, Wang Luo still maintained a surly expression but as she kept reading, it slowly turned into one of astonishment. In the end, there was nothing left but utter shock. Is all of this real? These are results from your research center? Their authenticity is guaranteed. Chen Chen nodded and pulled out the first page from Wang Luos hands. TOM1 protein gene overexpression, assisting Solanezumab antibody, inducing neural stem cell implantation, activating G2 resting stem cells, and activating microglia. After this set of procedures, isnt there a chance to cure your fathers illness? But in terms of clinical trials Wang Luos eyes flashed with hope before becoming clouded by doubt again. Clinical trials can begin at any time, but! Chen Chen asked, How long does Professor Wang Xi have left? If Alzheimers disease enters the middle stage, it means that more than one-half of the brain is damaged, so even if he recovers in the future, how much memory can he retain now? And once a person has lost his memory, is he still himself? These three consecutive questions made Wang Luo turn pale. If you or the authorities are worried that Ill kidnap Professor Wang Xi, then you may be rest assured. Chen Chen explained patiently, My parents are in China too. Surely the authorities mustve taken note of this too. Since Ive started to make my fortune, Ill slowly enter the authorities radar. Plus, Im from Mainland China myself. Even if Im overseas, Ive tried my best to work together with Mainland China. The nuclear power plant is one example. Thus, the authorities should already know very well what Im up to. Following this, Chen Chen lowered his voice. Furthermore, to you, shouldnt Professor Wang Xis personal safety be of greater importance? Upon hearing this last line, Wang Luos body shuddered violently. Chapter 125 - Giving a Talk in the Academy The next day, at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, within the Shangdu Life Sciences Research Institute. Around seven in the morning, five or six male and female employees were wiping the tables and chairs of a meeting room, while also idling and chatting about things on the Internet. As it was not yet work time, a girls crisp laughter rang out now and then from the place, bringing a light touch to the silent, solemn air of the research institute. Only when it was seven-thirty, did they start to wipe the dust in the meeting room, including the windows and railings. Why arent you guys done? At this point, a skinny middle-aged man in a suit rushed in anxiously. Hurry up, this venue will be used at eight oclock! Team Leader, dont worry. Well clean it up before eight. A young woman smiled. Whats the rush? What do you know? The middle-aged man looked even more anxious. Ive just received news that the director and deputy director of the institute will be coming to this venue. Dont you know that the director usually arrives ten minutes earlier? Everyone was startled and sped up their cleaning. Just when the middle-aged man was panicking and was even about to roll up his sleeves, there was the sudden sound of footsteps behind him. The middle-aged man turned around instinctively and saw a young man in a white shirt approaching. Excuse me, is this Conference Room No. 3? Yes, may I ask who you are? The middle-aged man thought the youth looked unfamiliar and realized he was not someone from the institute. He subconsciously looked at the identification card around the youths neck. Chen Chen? He had never heard of this guy Im the speaker for this conference. The youth named Chen Chen looked into the room. Can I head in now? I wish to prepare in advance. Oh, yes, please come in The middle-aged man quickly stepped aside. As he watched the young man walk to the podium nonchalantly and adjusted the projection equipment, he could not help but feel surprised. It was the first time he was seeing such a young face on that podium. Plus, the director had personally vouched for this guy. The people cleaning the room glanced curiously at the youth and dared not continue chatting. Their hands quickened even more and in less than ten minutes, they were done cleaning up. The middle-aged man secretly sighed in relief. He shot a final look at the podium where the young man was checking the PPT with a serious expression. The middle-aged man gestured to the rest and prepared to leave the venue. However, just as he was about to stealthily leave with his team, his heart suddenly clenched. In the corridor far away, the director was leading a large crowd of academicians toward this direction. Go now! The middle-aged man growled softly to his team and they dispersed swiftly. A few minutes later. A group of men dressed in work clothes and wearing varying expressions filed into the room. Although the talk had not begun, they still remained quiet in their seats, displaying excellent bearing. These people were not students but a group of middle-aged and elderly people over fifty. Some were even over sixty. Even so, they were unlike ordinary elderly people. Every single person here was at the top level of academia. A few were well known throughout the world. These were mostly the academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. A few others held senior managerial roles, like Wang Luo. What Chen Chen had to do was persuade this group of top elites in academia. Only when this group of people recognized the feasibility of Chen Chens plan, would the authorities be convinced, and only then would Professor Wang Xi agree to go abroad for treatment. As he looked out at the filled room, Chen Chen bowed slightly, then began a lengthy speech: What we call Alzheimers disease is a devastating neurodegenerative disease that occurs mostly in middle-aged and elderly people. On average, there are 5 to 8 patients out of every 100 people over 60 years old. Moreover, as global aging accelerates, this figure is expected to rise even further. Unfortunately, more than half of the worlds people dont understand this disease. Despite the rapid medical advances made in the world, Alzheimers has become the only disease whose mortality rate has increased in the past decade. As Chen Chen spread out his hands, the big screen behind him kept showing various reports which he had gotten from newspapers and periodicals. These reported numbers were shocking. Alzheimers disease, which Ill refer to as AD for short I believe that some of you here know it like the back of your hand. After all, there are only two main complications: A protein deposition and tau protein mutation. But, its only when we investigate deeper that we realize the complexity of the clues within. Behind these two complications, there are countless factors at work like endless coils of thread tangled together Chen Chen pointed to the screen behind him. So far, the most in-depth discovery in the academic world is probably that of microglia. As a type of immune cell in the brain, microglia have been proven by experiments to be able to effectively swallow A protein and abnormal tau protein after being activated, thus inhibiting AD symptoms. Even so, at the same time, this immune cell is a double-edged sword. Chen Chen turned around and the screen behind him displayed several research reports. Recent research has shown that microglia would not only engulf abnormal proteins but also secrete a substance called apolipoprotein E, which is APOE. The gene responsible for secreting APOE has three conformations APOE2, APOE3, and APOE4. In each persons body, this protein gene comes about in pairs and each person can only have one or two of them. A list automatically emerged behind Chen Chen. In other words, in everyones body, the chances of this genetic combination is about one in six. APOE originally assists in removing A deposits, but in subsequent studies, scientists discovered that E2 is more effective than E3 while E4 has the opposite effect and will increase A deposition. Having a copy of the E4 gene will increase your risk of AD by 3 times and if the gene sequence in your body is [E4/E4], then congratulations, your risk of AD is 12 times that of ordinary people. After Chen Chen said this, there was a murmur in the listening crowd. Microglia not only affect the deposition of A protein but also affect the mutation of tau protein. Chen Chen turned up his palms. The phosphorylation mutation of tau protein will cause neurofibrillary tangles, which will then cause nerve cells to die. But how does this death occur? Current research demonstrates that this death may still be caused by microglia. When it attacks those tangles, itll damage nearby neurons. At the same time, APOE4 thats secreted by microglia will also amplify the toxic effects of the tau protein pair on neurons. Therefore, after the patient has undergone genetic identification, can we restrict or activate microglia based on the patients genes? Chen Chen said in a kind, explaining voice, This is the foundation upon which my Blacklight Biotechnology Research Center operates. A few of the old people in the audience exchanged glances and nodded approvingly. Chen Chen uploaded the data and photos in his hands to the projector. The complications of AD would always involve inflammation. In recent studies, it was found that a cytokine of IL-1 may cause inflammation while the increase in IL-1 cytokine is due to the sharp decrease in TOM1 protein The paper published in PNAS confirms this view. After the expression of TOM1 had decreased, the A protein in the brain of AD model mice did increase, and the cognitive ability of these mice also declined. Therefore, in my experiment, I used genetic overexpression to activate the TOM1 protein gene, which greatly improved the condition of the experiment subject. Chen Chen presented the experiment data page by page. You can think of TOM1 as the brake structure of a car. In the brains of AD patients, this brake had failed. What we need to do is repair this brake at a molecular level. There was a flicker in everyones expressions. Through the first two methods, weve already temporarily suppressed the conditions of AD. But if we stop here without finding a solution, the result will still be a tragedy. So, what we do next is to eliminate the deposition. Therefore, the third focus of our research center is the Solanezumab developed by Eli Lilly. This is a monoclonal antibody that targets the A peptide chain, which prevents its deposition and aggregation, and allows it to be eliminated from the human brain. Of course, this wont be enough, so we have the final and most crucial process the production of autologous neural stem cells through induced pluripotent stem cells while activating the G2 resting stem cells of the human brain. Through this method, we can restore the brain of an AD patient. Even if it isnt restored to its original state, it can be restored to a large extent. As Chen Chen spoke, photos and evidence from the animal experiment appeared onscreen. The audience finally could not help but discuss in whispers. Ill publish these results in Cell in the future. If youre interested, please contact me. I can provide you with more detailed data. With that, Chen Chen turned off the projector and left the podium. Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap There was thunderous applause from the room. Seeing this, Chen Chen was reminded of the lecture by Professor Wang Xi which he had attended then. More than a year ago, he was still sitting in a university class, listening to Professor Wang Xis pearls of wisdom which constantly instilled forward-looking ideas in the heads of the students. At that time, most of them merely had the lifelong goal of becoming an academic expert like Professor Wang Xi in twenty or thirty years, right? However, to think that in just a little over a year, Chen Chen himself was standing on a platform that was nearly equal to Professor Wang Xi. Still, this is only the beginning Chen Chen thought to himself silently. Chapter 126 - Movie Completed After Chen Chens talk and the audiences own discussions, most people felt that this sort of compound treatment was worth a shot indeed. Professor Wang Xi, being an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, would need permissions from the upper echelons if he wanted to go abroad. Chen Chens talk was like a clarification for the authorities. In truth, Wang Luos prejudice against Chen Chen was a matter of first impressions. Chen Chen had graduated from Shangdu University, yet he had established a research center in Namibia and pushed for clinical trials. This in itself would upset some people. They were upset not because Chen Chen was trampling on human rights, but because it was difficult for them to even apply for a primate experiment, let alone clinical trials. However, Chen Chen could easily take advantage of the loophole there, so they would think that it was unfair. Even so, these people had automatically overlooked the financial price Chen Chen had to pay to exploit this loophole. They did not care about details like these. They only needed a target and a reason to vent. Moreover, because this sense of injustice could not be directly expressed, they could only slap on the label of academic misconduct on Chen Chen. Afterward, this reputation of Chen Chens reached Wang Luos ears, which naturally shaped her first impression of him. Furthermore, Chen Chens sudden visit could not be hidden from Wang Luo. From her perspective, Chen Chen must have some ulterior motive in approaching her father. This sort of situation had happened many times ever since Professor Wang Xi became senile. Therefore, of course, Wang Luo would not treat Chen Chen nicely. Nevertheless, she had never expected that Chen Chen truly did not want anything, only to repay Professor Wang Xi. A few days later, Chen Chen sent someone from the research center to bring Professor Wang Xi back to Namibia. Qian Wenhuan took care of that. Chen Chen did not hurry back with them but went out for a gathering with a few of his dorm mates. Over the next few days, Chen Chen returned to his hometown, Handu, by car. Handu was a second-tier city under the jurisdiction of Mainland China. It was next to the Yellow River basin. However, in ancient times, several dynasties had situated their capitals here, so the word for capital city was in its Chinese name. Even so, when Chen Chen returned this time, his parents were already staying in a villa in the western suburbs of Handu. Their Volkswagen worth about a hundred thousand had been replaced by a Mercedes-Benz worth over a million. Outsiders must be thinking that they had hit the jackpot. In the eyes of those relatives, it was probably because the Chen family produced a good son, who started a company in the metropolitan city of Shangdu and managed to earn a windfall through dumb luck, that was all. After all, Chen Chens company was only known in his industry. It was not yet a household name. When asked about the specific nature of his work by his gaggle of distant relatives, Chen Chen just replied casually, Yes, abroad, mm-hmm I work as an ADC in Ionia and sometimes I also have to keep an eye on my AP Yup, somewhere in Africa. Its no big deal, anyone can make money if they go there In this way, many of his relatives knew that he was making money abroad. Chen Chen stayed at home for about a month. In mid-July, Cheng Cao also reported that the movie was completed. The movie had finished shooting half a month ago, but they still had to add the special effects after that, which took half a month. Fortunately, it did not require many special effects, so that part was quickly done. If it had been a Hollywood blockbuster that would attract audiences with special effects, post-production would drag on to a year and a half. Currently, Chen Chen was in his room. He turned on the air conditioner and watched wordlessly as the progress bar for his download reached the end. Following that, a movie called Deadly Crisis: A Shocking Scheme had been downloaded on his desktop. This was the original movie file sent by Cheng Cao. It was not released yet. Chen Chen clicked, opened the video, and started to watch it silently. At the start, the protagonist Rowling Keith was occupied with a high-tech experiment. There were three other colleagues with him, dressed in the same uniform. In typical Hollywood fashion, among the researchers of the experiment, there would inevitably be a gorgeous young woman, an old-fashioned professor, and a black researcher with a minor role. As the plot unfolded, the camera kept cutting to the screen they were looking at, where lines of data flitted by at a high speed. Any audience member who worked in biology would understand that these formulas were authentic. Just then, the protagonist exclaimed in surprise in front of the electron microscope, and everyone gathered around. Look, after a drop of the chemical compound, the IL-1 in the petri dish is inhibited! Not only that, but the A deposits are also continuously dissolving! the old professor beside him said solemnly, Keith, we may have made a big discovery The characters kept using these terms that ordinary people would not understand. A professional film reviewer might think that this was a foolish choice. After all, the audience was not here to listen to this incomprehensible talk. Only Chen Chen would understand that he had requested this to be more in line with reality. In the end, thanks to the efforts of the researchers, a bottle of blue fluorescent liquid appeared on screen, which they named AD-001. This name meant that it was the number one drug for the treatment of Alzheimers. The protagonist was then given a mission to bring this vial of liquid to Los Angeles to the board of directors. Then, the old professor calmly told the protagonist that this was necessary because a part of the companys equity had been maliciously acquired by another company. The board of directors had been infiltrated too. This research institute was a royalist faction. Naturally, they could not let this epoch-making drug fall into the hands of another company. The protagonist was entrusted with this important role and left immediately. However, he did not know that, right after he left, a group from a mysterious organization broke in and captured the old professor and the black researcher. Both of their roles ended there. On the other side of things, the protagonist did not fly to Los Angeles at once after receiving this order. Instead, he planned to travel by land. Moreover, on the night before he left, he prepared to meet the heroine of the story, which was the beautiful female researcher of the research institute, for a rendezvous. However, before anything happened between them, a group of villains appeared, dressed in casual clothes that covered a black, skintight suit. At this scene, Chen Chens lips twitched involuntarily. Why did this attire look so familiar? This group of villains possessed very advanced technology. They could easily locate the protagonist no matter where he hid. In addition to the directorial flourishes and the editing of the movie, the villains gave the audience a great sense of pressure. Scenes of a gunfight scene, a highway chase, a counterattack at a dangerous spot Various scenes of violence could be found throughout the movie, but the protagonist was just lucky enough. Each time he was driven to the end of his rope, he managed to escape from the villains due to all sorts of reasons. Chen Chen maintained his patience and continued watching. At the end of the movie, the protagonist had suffered various hardships and finally reached Los Angeles. He personally handed the drug they had manufactured to the board of directors. After that, the movie ended in this unexpected manner. Even so, there seemed to be an Easter egg in the movies ending. When a member of the board of directors shook hands with the protagonist, the protagonist noticed that this person was wearing a pair of black gloves. The protagonist looked up, astounded, only to find that the same iconic black attire of the villains was peeping over the persons collar To the audience, this was foreshadowing the sequel of the movie. Lately, Hollywood movies seemed to use this method. If it did well at the box office, naturally, they would film a second one. However, if sales were only average or they could not break even, then it would be as if none of this had ever happened. Finally, Chen Chen looked at the cast list at the end with a contemplative expression. Chapter 127 - Men in Black After watching the movie that had finished filming, Chen Chen wore a serious expression for the first time. A vague notion occurred to him. With this in mind, Chen Chen picked up the phone and dialed Cheng Caos number. Boss? Cao, when this movie was filmed, did you keep an eye on things? Chen Chen asked softly. Yes, I did as you say. I was watching the filming of each scene, Cheng Cao replied through the phone. Whats up with the villains in the movie? Chen Chen skipped to the middle of the movie and the screen displayed the villains with stony faces, dressed in all sorts of casual clothes. Why are these people dressed so similarly to our GS Combat Suit? Initially, the villains just wore a skintight black costume, but later on during filming, the director felt that it was unrealistic. Then, after seeing my attire, he was inspired and changed to this look. Cheng Cao said softly, Boss, are you worried that this costume choice will bring us trouble after the movie is released? Its not that, but Chen Chen opened his mouth for a moment before finally ordering, Cao, keep an eye on the director over there. Pay close attention to his movements and see if hes in contact with anyone suspicious. Ill be there soon. Youre coming to where I am? Cheng Cao was a little puzzled, but he still replied, Very well. Ill keep an eye on him meanwhile. After hanging up, Chen Chens eyes turned grim. He silently dragged the movies progress bar backward until it reached the beginning. In the opening shot of the movie, a date was displayed on the calendar in the laboratory 30 May 2025. This was because Chen Chen had set the movie three years into the future to cleave closer to reality. In Chen Chens calculations, there was a less-than-one-percent chance that the director was the problem. Cheng Cao was implanted with the chip. If he was guilty of disloyalty, Chen Chen would find out at once, so that could not be the problem. In that case, the only answer was Chen Chen looked down and stared sharply at the USB drive, which was plugged into the computer, with a hesitant look. No matter what, lets see what happens first. If I cant copy it into the USB drive, then Im just overthinking things. Chen Chen mumbled in a low voice. Following that, he selected the movie file, pressed [ctrl+c], then opened the USB drive and pressed [ctrl+v]. A progress bar flashed up. The screen flickered. Deadly Crisis: A Shocking Scheme.mp4 successfully appeared within the USB drives space, becoming the USB drives eighth movie. My heavens!!! It worked??? At this moment, Chen Chen was gripped by a sense of absurdity as if he had just seen Sadako climb out of the Hadron Collider in the Institute of High Energy Physics! This was far beyond Chen Chens framework of understanding. No, that was not right, maybe there was another reason Chen Chen took a deep breath and swiftly took out an NZT-48 pill. He swallowed it, then stared steadily at the screen. One second, two seconds, three seconds After half a minute, Chen Chen felt that his thoughts were suddenly running smoothly. In an instant, endless conjectures flooded his mind, and previously shattered concepts were rapidly reorganized. Chen Chen slowly lifted his head and an all-seeing sneer crept up his lips. So, thats it With that, he immediately opened the movie from the USB drive and dragged it to the close-up shot of the AD-001 drug while reaching out to grab it. The moment his hand entered the screen, it was like dipping into a cool puddle. This was a familiar sensation to Chen Chen. He did not hesitate to grab that tube, then tugged gently! At once, a transparent test tube with a silicone stopper, only about ten centimeters long, had appeared in Chen Chens hand! Within this tube was a clear blue liquid. Under the sunlight, it seemed to give off a fluorescent glow. It was mesmerizing Very interesting. Looking at the tube of liquid in his hand, which was the same in the movie, Chen Chen shook his head. According to his previous reasoning, Chen Chen had guessed that movies filmed by someone who owned the USB drive could not be accommodated by the USB drive. As there was a contradiction here that violated the laws of the universe if a movie created by someone who owned the USB drive could be accommodated by the USB drive, that meant: The owner of the USB drive could design a prop in the movie that was the size of a grain but contained immense energy. Then, they could ceaselessly extract those things. As long as the energy consumed during the extraction was less than the energy extracted, was it not possible to charge the USB drive infinitely? This was something like a perpetual motion machine. Therefore, the USB drive could not possibly extract an item that was incomparably tiny in size but had tremendous energy. Some restrictions were bound to pop up, preventing Chen Chen from extracting such an item. Now, not only had the USB drive accommodated the movie Chen Chen made, but it also allowed the drug which could cure Alzheimers to be extracted from the movie. This had shattered Chen Chens preconceived ideas. This was akin to someone finding a button with the stated rule: Press this and the sun will rise in the west tomorrow. No one would believe this statement, but they would think, Its not like Ill get pregnant by trying this, and they would press the button. Then, on the second day, the sun truly rose in the west No, its my understanding that was mistaken. Chen Chen shook his head and muttered, Its just that theres a possibility I may have overlooked. Once I confirm that, I can prove that the law of conservation has not been broken. Thinking of this, Chen Chen suddenly opened a webpage and downloaded Men in Black again. This time, he did not download Men in Black: International, but rather, the first Men in Black that was released in 1997 The first Men in Black was also known to be the most classic film of the entire series. Its main storyline was about a war between one cosmic civilization, the Arquilian Empire, and another, the Bugs. The prince of the Arquilian Empire brought the galaxy to Earth, taking refuge. However, after that, the galaxy was taken away by the Bugs. Many audience members watching the movie might misunderstand something Many people thought that the pendant on the cats neck was the actual Milky Way. This was a wrong interpretation. This was an issue of semantics. In the movie, the characters referred to the pendant as the galaxy not the Milky Way Galaxy. In English, the full accurate name of the galaxy where Earth was should be the Milky Way Galaxy. Galaxy, when capitalized, could refer to the Milky Way. When not capitalized, it could refer to any galaxy in general. Similar to how one would not call every star the sun, the Milky Way Galaxy and galaxy were two different things. If this evidence was not enough, there was stronger evidence in the movie At 1 hour, 8 minutes, 40 seconds into the movie, when the female protagonist noticed the galaxy at the cats neck, it was glowing red. However, at the ending, the long shot zooming out from Earth to the entire Milky Way showed that the Milky Way was white. Everyone knew that, in various official human atlases, the Milky Way was white rather than red. As for the movies ending, where the alien played with the marble containing the Milky Way, what did it mean? An obvious interpretation by most people would state that the Milky Way of humans was merely a fragile marble and humans might die out at any time because of an aliens fit of rage. That was not impossible. Of course, it might also be understood that the director was using exaggeration to express the theory that the universe was infinite, much like how each world is merely a grain of sand This did not mean that just because the Milky Way was in the hands of an alien, that aliens were necessarily more powerful than humans. Perhaps they, too, lived in a random piece of gravel in the human world. In the ending of the sequel, this concept was expressed more clearly As there was a group of little aliens living in the cabinet, protagonist J said they should release those little aliens. Otherwise, was it not pitiful that they had to live in the cabinet? However, at that point, K opened a cabinet door right beside them. Beyond that cabinet door, there was an even more enormous world. The world in which the protagonist dwelled was merely a cabinet door to that other world In short, the meaning contained in these exaggerated, abstract scenes were up to the viewers own understanding. The galaxy in the movie, according to Frank the Pug, was a kind of cosmic subatomic power source, which contained immensely powerful energy. If the Bugs got their hands on this energy, it would be a devastating blow to the Arquilian Empire. The Bugs found out about this somehow, so they sent a soldier to infiltrate Earth, kill the prince of the Arquilian Empire, and seize the galaxy. In the end, everyone realized that this galaxy had always been on the collar of the Arquilian princes cat This was the entire plot of Men in Black. At the moment, Chen Chen wanted to use that galaxy to confirm his theory. At the exclusive optic fibers speed of 100MBps, the entire movie was swiftly downloaded. After that, Chen Chen pressed copy and pasted it into the USB drive. The progress bar flashed across the screen. The USB drive did not reject this comedy. Chen Chen inwardly sighed in relief. On a whim, he quickly took out his phone and took a picture of the USB drives current state. After taking a visual record of the USB drives current state, Chen Chen opened the movie again and quickly moved to the scene where the cosmic subatomic energy, the galaxy, was shown. Then, he reached out once again, this time toward the pendant Chapter 128 - New Rule of the USB Drive Tss Unlike the previous times Chen Chen instantiated objects from movies, he heard a sound similar to the steaming sound produced when water was sprayed on soldering iron. All this happened in an instant; the moment Chen Chen pulled back his hand, a pendant appeared in his palms. A pendant with a shell made of an unknown metallic material with an orb-shaped marble in its middle Cosmic subatomic energy C Galaxy! Was it a success? Chen Chen showed a pensive look. If this was successful, did it not imply that the law of conservation could be broken? However, when he glanced through the interior of the support frame surrounding the pendant, he noticed there was nothing but pitch-black darkness within. It was like an ink-black marble without the slightest trace of light. It seemed that the energy contained within had long been exhausted No, there was still a trace left. Chen Chen narrowed his eyes. As if sensing his gaze, a measly tint of red beam began to glow within the black, icy marble. It was like a lone star within endless darkness, hanging alone in the dark sky, flashing coldly. Is this the last of its energy? Chen Chen expressed a thoughtful look upon witnessing the scene before him. He turned to the USB drive and compared it to a picture on his phone which he took prior to instantiating the pendant. The USB drive appeared more worn down, if only just for the slightest bit. This was the unique trait of the USB drive. In the early stages of acquiring the USB drive, Chen Chen had already figured out that the exterior condition of the USB drive reflected the amount of energy contained within. Naturally, a certain amount of energy was consumed after extracting the marble-sized object from the USB drive. An idea suddenly came to Chen Chen when he considered this. He quickly unplugged the USB drive and held it closer to the pendant Click! The two objects were lightly pressed together, but nothing seemed to have occurred from the resulting interaction. As expected, the pendant was unable to directly transfer energy to the USB drive? Chen Chen put down the two objects and began to evaluate the situation solemnly. Even though the pendant was unable to transmit its energy to the USB to drive to verify Chen Chens hypothesis, the state of the galaxy he held in his hand had certainly brought one thing to light Which was that there was a limit to the energy contained inside an object instantiated by the USB drive. Based on the movie, the interior of the Pendant was a radiant, captivating glow. It was as if a galaxy comprised of numerous stars had decorated themselves inside the pendant. However, by the time Chen Chen instantiated it, all of the energy within had all but vanished. The only thing left was a dim star which equated to less than one hundred billionths of its original energy. This also served to verify Chen Chens previous hypothesis. He concluded that he could not use the item instantiated from the USB drive to charge the USB drive, just like how it would be impossible for a person to fly by consequently stepping on both of his feet and one after the other. If he were to forcibly try to instantiate an energy generation object, the resulting object would be like this pendant here, nothing but an empty shell. To be clear, this Shell did not imply that there was not a single trace of energy within. It merely meant that there was very little energy within. Otherwise, it would contradict the fact that there was energy remaining in the instantiated memory eraser, PK Armor, cloaking device, and even the STEM Chip. Chen Chen hypothesized that the energy within an object instantiated by the USB drive could not exceed the amount of energy consumed during the instantiation process. This was the equivalent of a separate form of energy conservation. This was why Chen Chen wanted to attempt to transfer the energy within the pendant back to the USB drive. If the USB drive managed to return to its previous condition before the instantiation, Chen Chens hypothesis was thus proved valid. Unfortunately, it could not be transferred. Arriving at this thought, Chen Chen took a strong nylon rope and hung the pendant around his neck. He then turned to the USB drive again. Chen Chens motive for the experiment was to verify the theory of whether a movie directed by the owner of the USB drive could be contained within the USB drive. This theory was set in conjunction with the law of conservation. If the movie could be taken by the USB drive2, it would imply that the law of conservation could be broken. If it could not be contained, it would thus prove that the law of conservation could not be broken. As it was now, it was a concrete fact that the USB drive had to abide by the laws of conservation. However, since it was able to contain a movie directed by the USB drive owner, things could become interesting A third possibility began to surface in Chen Chens mind Future cause and effect? Chen Chen squinted his eyes. He could not help but feel somewhat awkward when he watched the movie for the first time. It stemmed from an intrusive thought: The villain organization in the movie seemed to be a portrayal of himself. Even though the black tights did not come with the button devices that came with the GS Combat Suit, there was a reasonable explanation for it. There was no way Chen Chen would continue obtaining GS Combat Suits by instantiating it. It only made sense that he would have his own factory to manufacture such equipment. Besides, even if the technological advancement of the GS Combat Suit proved too much for him to replicate, he could very well produce a simplified version of the GS Combat Suit. In that case, was the black tights without the button a representation of his replicated variation of the GS Combat Suit in the future? That was not the end of it. To emphasize the strength of the villain, the director seemed to have made a conscious decision of having the actors display a stoic expression. Even when the villains in the movie received significant injuries, they displayed no signs of pain whatsoever as if they were not proper living beings Did this scene not bear a close resemblance to the God Chip controlled brainless cloned subjects he was developing? Even toward the end of the movie, the identity of the villain was still left ambiguous. The audience may take it as a hint of there being a sequel. The way Chen Chen saw it, this further suggested several distinct possibilities What was more, to satisfy the condition of being close to reality, Chen Chen had set the movie to be based three years ahead of the present day, down to the exact month and day. The combination of these factors seemed to be a sign. This was why Chen Chen had called Cheng Cao to receive confirmation. For the movie to be so directed at Chen Chens plans, apart from the possibility of the plot of the movie unraveling in reality over the next three years, there was also a possibility that someone had deliberately made a movie like this! Till now, Chen Chen was unable to verify the origin of the USB drive. He suspected it was from the movie Lucy but he was unable to obtain concrete proof of his theory. If the movie was deliberately crafted by someone to be the way it was, it meant that that person probably knew about the existence of the USB drive! Of course, the possibility was almost minuscule since nobody would willingly concede the USB drive after obtaining it, no less watching Chen Chen growing stronger by the day with it. Chen Chen had suspected the previous owner of the USB drive may have taken out something within one of the horror films With all that said, Chen Chen was going to have to meet the director himself. He wanted to see if it was because someone had intentionally directed the film this way or some sort of mysterious workings orchestrated things this way Chen Chen held up the bottle of AD-001 and faintly squinted his eyes. Did this bottle of drug truly come from three years in the future? If it truly was so, was it his filming of the movie which led to the successful development of the drug or was it because the drug was going to appear three years later regardless, and thus influenced the outcome of his movie? Chen Chen contemplated endlessly on the subject. The rules of the USB drive seemed to be growing ever-complicated Chapter 129 - Studebaker Midnight, following the commencement of the party at Silkdoor Hotel, Studebaker left the banquet hall under the adoring reception of the crowd. Studebaker was a renowned Hollywood director. Ever since his first debut when he was twenty-five years old, he had directed more than forty movies so far. Two of his movies had exceeded 700 million U.S. dollars at the box office and entered the ranks of the top 100 in Hollywood history. He was a man with insurmountable talent. This year, he was just forty-five years old and was in the prime of his career. Some time ago, his latest script he received had just been finalized and handed over to the film crew. However, Studebaker was not particularly satisfied with the script. It was evident that there was too much pointless filler in the script. Many entertainment values were lost for the sake of so-called scientific and logical film settings. This had always been an unreasonable factor of commercial blockbuster chasing after box office success. After all, most audiences came to the theaters to pursue a form of audiovisual banquet instead of seeking logical reasoning. Unfortunately, this script was given to him by the Edwards family and they had specifically requested him to direct it. Even though this chaebol had always kept a low profile, it was common knowledge among the film industry that they held the reins to at least one-fifth of Hollywood. Studebaker had no grounds for refusal when faced with such a degree of capitalist control. Since he could not make drastic changes to the script, Studebaker had to resort to concentrating his efforts on the character writing and development. Under the odd circumstances, Studebaker decided to make the villains of the story extremely powerful. To emphasize the mysterious aspect, he did not provide much clarification of the identity of the villain even toward the end of the movie as to provide an ambiguous ending Did the protagonist manage to pass the drug to the board of directors in the end? Did he succeed or did he fail? Nobody knew. Of course, this was a very bold way to narrate a story. Any slip-ups and it would face major criticisms from various critic sites. On the contrary, if executed well, it could very well swing the reception the other way. For now, his only hope was that the film would have a box office of more than 200 million following its release. Studebaker silently prayed for it to work out. If it did not achieve 200 million and the Edwards family suffered losses, not only would his future be compromised, but his reputation would also surely take a major hit as well. Studebaker kept these worries to himself and kept up his supreme level of confidence on the outside. As the party ended, Studebaker left the Silkdoor hotel as the star of the night. After finding his car in the parking lot, Studebaker gave it a rough estimation. He had only drunk two cans of beer more than two hours ago, the blood alcohol index in his body should not exceed 0.05. In North America, driving with a BAC reading of less than 0.05 was not deemed illegal. Since Studebaker was only forty-five years old and still had plenty of time to make a decent life for himself, he was not going to let a bit of alcohol ruin what would be a great life. After ensuring that his condition should not affect his ability to drive, Studebaker entered his car cautiously. Before he even had time to start the engine, he felt a strange chilling sensation coming from behind him. It was as if somebody was sitting in the backseat Studebaker looked back subconsciously and saw that there was nobody seated in the backseat. Was it all in his head? Studebaker made a slight frown. It seemed like it would be wiser to drink less in the future. As Studebaker began to drive, he still could not shake off the feeling that there was somebody in the backseat. He had no choice but to use the car stereo to drown it out. Punk rock 80s music immediately came from the stereo systems. Studebaker sang along to the songs while he drove back home. When the car left the city and entered the remote suburban area, Studebaker felt another chilling bite up his spine. He could not help but glance into the rearview mirror. What he saw sent shivers across his body! Without even realizing it, a stranger had appeared in the backseat of his car and was staring back at him! Screech! Studebaker instinctively stomped on the brakes. The car tires screeched violently before the car came to a halt in the middle of the road! Was he seeing things because he drank too much? Or was it Studebaker clutched the steering wheel with all the strength he could muster, drops of cold sweat dripped down his forehead. He tried his best to suppress his fear and slowly turned toward the backseat Mr. Studebaker, its me. Before he even had time to verify if it was all in his head, the person in the backseat suddenly spoke. The man spoke with an accent unique to people from the Mainland, Our boss would like to meet you. Mi- Mister Cheng Cao? It was only then when Studebaker saw that the man in the backseat was the film producer! Mr. Cheng Cao, why are you in my car? Studebaker had a wary look on his face. Before he could even click the alarm trigger button, he felt a numbness in the back of his neck. The other person seemed to have injected him with some substance! Studebakers heart sank. As he was about to resist, he felt a wave of drowsiness come to him like enormous, billowing waves. Before he had time to trigger the alarm, he had completely lost consciousness. Inside a dimly-lit abandoned warehouse somewhere around the suburbs of Los Angeles. Chen Chen sat in the warehouse, toying with a pendant hung around his neck. After a short while, he saw an unfamiliar car parked outside the warehouse. The door opened. Chen Chen saw Cheng Cao marching toward him with large strides. He was carrying an unconscious man on his shoulders. Boss, this is the director of our movie, Mr. Studebaker. After setting the man down on a chair, Cheng Cao s copped out a pail of water and splashed it on the mans forehead. Upon experiencing a sudden stimulus, the unconscious man awoke abruptly and slowly opened his eyes. When Cheng Cao saw that the man was awake, he turned around and left the warehouse to stand guard outside in case anyone tried to approach the place. Chen Chen silently stared at the other person. He had seen this man several times online. This man was relatively popular and was among the ranks of the first-line directors in Hollywood. As Studebaker woke up, his sight gradually readjusted and regained focus. He first looked around him before showing a dazed look. Who.. Are you guys? I, where am I? Mr. Studebaker, accept my sincerest apologies that we have to meet like this. Allow me to introduce myself. Chen Chen spoke lightly, carrying a unique hoarse tone when he spoke, My name is Chen Chen, Im an owner of a certain company and also an investor of the movie youre making. Investor? Studebaker wanted to get up but could not muster the strength to do so. He clutched at his head and asked in a low voice, What do you want? Ive already finished filming the movie as you requested. Whats wrong with my body Mr. Studebaker, we harbor no ill intentions. Youre only under the effect of a bit of tranquilizer, youll recover in a few hours. As Chen Chen spoke, he exited the dark spot of the warehouse and went to a shabby-looking desk where he clicked a button. In an instant, there was a burst of ethereal-sounding music playing. Under the dim lighting, Studebaker saw a tape recorder and a box of cigarettes placed on the table. Cigarette, Mr. Studebaker? Chen Chen took two cigarettes from the box and handed one to Studebaker. Studebaker initially wanted to refuse but decided against it as to not offend the other party. Chen Chen lit his cigarette before raising the lighter in front of Studebaker. Mr. Studebaker, please look over here Click! A brilliant sprout of flame arose following the clear and sharp spark produced by the roller rubbing against the flint. Under the atmosphere set by the ethereal music, Studebaker felt as if the other party blew a puff of smoke on his face. Mr. Studebaker. Im going to count to one, youll then recall the first day of the film shooting Studebaker felt as if someone was whispering into his ears but he could no longer hear anything at the present moment. His eyes were captured by a daze yet again. He felt like the sprout of flame was the only thing left which occupied the heavens above and the earth below Chapter 130 - Three Movies Ten minutes later. Click! There was a shutter sound produced by a camera, a bright white flash appeared in the warehouse before darkness overtook it again. Chen Chen removed his sunglasses as he walked out of the warehouse. Boss? Cheng Cao approached him and saw Studebaker sitting absently on the chair in the warehouse, his memory erased. Its alright, hell leave on his own by the time he comes to his senses. Chen Chen made a waving gesture and entered another vehicle. Lets go, Cao. Yes. Cheng Cao nodded and entered the driver seat. As Cheng Cao started the car, Chen Chen leaned his elbows against the window and slowly became absorbed in thought as he looked out the window. Chen Chen planned to hypnotize Studebaker to dig up his memories so that he had something to verify his theory. However, Chen Chen attained nothing except for some private matters of Studebaker. This meant that Studebaker directed the movie that way of his own accord. He was not subject to any form of external influence. Now, this was interesting Chen Chen lowered his eyes faintly and let countless thoughts surge across his mind. Could it be said that there was truly a hidden power in the world that served to connect the present with the future? It was not so much as Chen Chen overthinking it, these sorts of events did regularly occur in movies. For example, in certain movies, the villain would receive a prophecy from a seer that they could acquire the secrets of martial art by attaining A and B. Therefore, the villain began scheming to get A and B. After attaining martial art, the villain was again informed by the seer that they would fall to the hands of A and B. At this point, the villain began panicking and started to weigh the strengths of both sides: First of all, on the villains side, the villain was max leveled and full slotted, with red and blink. The villain could hold its ground whether it was a sneak attack or a straight-up ambush. As for the two opponents, they may be ten levels lower. Barbarian only had a Bilgewater Cutlass to eventually build into a Blade of the Ruined King while Blademaster was building a Wits End. The villain only needed to pull off a succession attack to get a double kill. So, the villain blinked right in front of the two of them and went with a QREAW combo, drew a red on Barbarian, and began to chase down Blademaster. What? Blademaster on his last hit popped his ulti and slipped away? What? Barbarian popped his ulti and fled as well? Due to the villain not killing the two of them immediately, Blademaster and Barbarian had space to farm now. In the end, after the two of them were farmed, they turned the situation around and killed the villain, forcibly fulfilling the prophecy of the seer. Was the result caused by the foretelling of the seer? Or was it the other way around where the result was already set in stone and the seer merely foretold what was bound to happen? Would any of this had occurred if the villain had not listened to the seers prophecy in the very first place? These disturbing thoughts constantly flickered in front of Chen Chens eyes. He glanced at his wrist and got a feeling that the USB drive strapped to his bracer with its black gleaming light was silently staring at him Chen Chen could not help but shake his head when he arrived at this thought. The only way to know was to wait till the 30 May three years later and see if the events depicted in the movie did occur. In the movie, the company that invented the AD-001 drug was called Osmond Biotech. Chen Chen had Little X investigate it and found that such a company did exist in real life. This was considered nothing out of the ordinary. The term Osmond meant one who received the protection of God. It was a rather common name. Besides, the company was just an inconspicuous, small company. It had nowhere close to the funds necessary to develop any form of drugs related to Alzheimers disease. There was nobody named Rowling Keith in the company nor was there any of the other players as shown in the movie. All of it appeared to be a simple misunderstanding. See, the protagonist of the movie was the movie star Bruce Kane in real life. The other casts were renowned Hollywood stars as well. If the events of the USB drive were to be represented in real life, how was the issue with the identity of these people supposed to be addressed? Did this mean that Bruce Kane and the entire casts were going to jump careers to being scientists in three years? Was this not utter nonsense? Chen Chen gave it some thought. If nothing happened by that date, then naturally, it would prove that he was just overthinking things. If the events of the movie did transpire, what was he going to do? Was it supposed to suggest that even after three years and exhausting all options, he still was not unable to train a scientist that was qualified to handle the issue? How was that possible? Fortunately, the movie did not end with the protagonist eradicating the entire villain organization like the work of magic. Otherwise, even if Chen Chen was not able to verify if the events would occur, he was going to have to be one step ahead and eliminate the problem at its root. The point being, the movie was far too bizarre. There was no chance of Chen Chen shooting a sequel. From today onward, Chen Chen was going to have Little X continue monitoring the actors involved in the movie as well as the company which shared the same name, just in case there were any unforeseen changes. This was why Chen Chen came all the way out to the North American continent. Chen Chen was left with no other choice since it had to do with his survival. Fortunately, tonights effort was not all in vain. At least Chen Chen had determined that the use of hypnosis coupled with a certain amount of tranquilizers could yield astounding results. The trials on the rules of the USB drive shall continue. This time around, Chen Chen was going to take another approach. Several days later, with the help of the Edwards family and Chen Chens investment, Miramax studios took on the role of production and distribution. The parties finalized their collaboration with a long-term contract. According to the contract, the two sides would collaborate to film a batch of new movies. Chen Chen would be providing the story structure along with the script while Miramax studios would be handling the production and distribution. For their first collaboration effort, Chen Chen issued three orders C The respective titles of the three orders were: Immortal, Cancer Man, and Chronicle 2: Darkness Rises. Chen Chen specifically occupied an hour of his time to write the script for the first two movies. For the first story, Chen Chen set it to be three hundred years into the future. At that point, humanitys technological advancement had reached an extremely advanced stage. On top of attaining controllable nuclear fusion technology, humanity also made up for the genetic defects that came with aging. The disease known as aging was obsolete to mankind. Due to the rise of nuclear fusion technology, space migration was in full effect. Using several atmospheric synthesizers, planets such as Europa and Mars were transformed into habitable climates similar to the Earth. As for the plot of the movie, it was a short story revolving around the coming-of-age experience of the protagonist. The story had its fair moments of laughter, parting, youthfulness, and growth. Simply put, the movie did not contain any form of adrenaline-pumping scenes. It was merely a simple story depicting the simple life of the protagonist over several hundred years. Also, plenty of high-tech equipment made their appearances in the movie. For example, an automated teaching device that was able to transmit information into the brain at 100Mbps, an autonomous surgery operator that was able to cure all kinds of diseases, and hibernating chambers installed in spaceships. Based on Chen Chens description, this was a science fiction film. Also, though Chen Chen based the movie to be three hundred years ahead of the present time in reality, there were no villains or any form of conflict present in the movie. He figured that if he did it this way, then it should not create any kind of interference with himself Right? If there were no interference, there should be no accidents occurring either. The next film, Cancer Man was set in a parallel universe. The story was about a savant scientist who developed a drug that was able to cure cancer C CAN-005. It was a form of targeted drug. Instead of being targeted at humans, it was targeted at the cancer cells within the human body. This meant that this was a drug that was able to completely eradicate all cancer cells without bringing harm to the human body It was the exemplary targeted drug. The protagonist received the highest honors in the medical world due credit to his invention of the drug. However, still unsatisfied, he began looking for a way to manipulate cancer cells. From his perspective, cancer cells had unlimited potential. Was it not a waste to simply kill all of them? What if cancer cells could be controlled by mankind to address the effects of aging and various injuries sustained by the human body? Did this mean that humans could be essentially immortal? In the end, the protagonist developed a new drug known as CAN-09 and began conducting clinical trials while keeping the government in the dark. Unfortunately, all of these experiments failed. Furthermore, volunteers died as all of the cells in their body were transmuted into cancer cells. The government found out about the protagonists experiments and dispatched troops to arrest him. Knowing that there was no way he could get out of this predicament, the protagonist injected himself with CAN-09 as a final act of desperation! In the end, he succeeded For this movie, Chen Chen planned to model it as a thriller similar to the movie The Fly. The movie was going to conclude with a tragic ending, thus making it the perfect commercial science-fiction blockbuster. Chapter 131 - Collaboration The third film, Chronicle 2 was another one of Chen Chens experiments on the energy of the USB drive. Inside a box in a five-star hotel in Los Angeles, Chen Chen sat on one of the seats and gently knocked the laptop in front of him. The strong scent of sandalwood surrounded the room. Chen Chen involuntarily frowned upon catching a whiff of this scent. After a while, there was a knock on the door of the box. Come in. Chen Chen instructed plainly without raising his head. Two beautiful waitresses appeared by the door and walked in. One of the waitresses was holding a silver platter with a bottle of Romanee Conti placed on top. The other waitress held several crystal glass containers that had been wiped so thoroughly that they shone radiantly. Sir, your wine. The older waitress inquired politely, Would you like to open it now? Open it. Please take note not to pour wine for me after my guests have arrived. Just plain water for me will do, Chen Chen ordered without raising his head. Yes. Chen Chens request may come off as being strange, but it was probably just one of those strange quirks of wealthy people. The waitress who had undergone rigorous training obeyed without so much as a pause. As the bottle of wine that was sealed for twenty-one years was opened, the strong, rich fragrance quickly filled up the room. This was no cheap counterfeit found in common bars, it was an authentic 2002 Romanee Conti in all its glory. In that year, Romanee Conti produced 6100 bottles of wine, this bottle was one of them. After pulling out the cork, the older waitress expertly inspected the wine under a light source to make sure there was no floating in the solution. She then proceeded to pour the wine into a decanter. In an instant, what appeared to be liquid-form ruby flowed out of the mouth of the bottle. Under the reflection of the light overhead, it flaunted its magnificent bright red tint The exquisite carpet, the magnificent crystal lamps which hung overhead, the splendid decorations in the room which sparkled and gleamed. All of this coupled with the rich fragrance of the wine painted such scenery that was the equivalent of an eloquent poem. As the waitress carefully poured the wine, rounds of hectic footsteps came from the direction of the doorway. Chen Chen finally raised his head. The very next second, a round of knocking came from the door of the box again. Come in. Without requiring Chen Chens instructions, the other waitress opened the door, revealing two European-American men standing by the doorway. Romanee Conti. Good gods, I cant possibly have stumbled into a wrong box? The two men appeared to be very old but they were in their mid-thirties at most. When the two men walked in, one of them whistled and appraised, Theres no mistaking this fragrance. Let me guess which year it is, 10? 08? Its 02. Chen Chen got up from his seat. Theres no mistaking it, you two gentlemen are in the correct box. I was the one who invited you. Josh Trunk. The man with an air of arrogance Chen Chens hands. A 2002 Romanee Conti is no small deal, youre too generous. Dont mention it, I only selected this wine because it was produced in the same year as my birth year. Chen Chen shrugged and turned to the other man with an oblong-shaped face. And you must be Mr. Max Landis, your reputation precedes you. Thank you. Evidently, the man with the oblong face was preoccupied with other thoughts. After the waitress had finished pouring the wine into the decanter, they took the platters and made to leave, leaving the room for the three men. Im sure the two of you know why Ive invited you here. Chen Chen took out a contract and handed it to the proud, bold man. This man was not just any regular man. He was the director of the movie Chronicle, Josh Trunk. Trunk raised an eyebrow in astonishment upon finishing reading the contract. He then passed it to the man with the oblong-shaped face who was the screenwriter of Chronicle, Max Landis. Chen Chen could tell that the two men did not exactly have an exemplary friendship. It could even be said that they had a grudge against each other and were merely keeping up a civil appearance. Trunk finally smiled after handing the contract to Landis. This is truly surprising. I find it shocking that youre willing to spend tens of millions to buy the film rights from the bloodsucking leech, Fox Pictures. This is a significant sum to invest for just a common movie. Do you see this much potential in it? Its just that Im a huge fan of this movie. Chen Chen replied solemnly, I was blown away by the movie the first time I watched it. It practically encapsulated everything I dreamt about as a child. Ive been looking forward to the sequel ever since. So, when you realize that it wasnt going to happen, you hatched the idea of investing and filming one of your own? Trunk added to Chen Chens remark with a smile. Chen Chen nodded and poured wine for the two men. It hasnt had too much time to breathe yet, but it should be good for tasting now The two men accepted a goblet and muttered their thanks. Im sure that for the two of you, this movie holds a dear place in your heart like its your very own child. Chen Chen continued. I may have bought the rights to the movie, but if I had a say in it, I wouldnt ask for anyone but the two of you to direct the sequel. Following up on his remark, Chen Chen took out two more sheets of contract and handed it to the two men respectively. Mr. Trunk, Ill be investing 100 million U.S. dollars into the early shooting of the film, just say the word if more is needed. As for your salary, youll be paid an extra 10 million on top without any pre-stated condition, regardless of the performance at the box office. All I need is for you to put your all into it. As for Mr. Landis Chen Chen turned to the man with the oblong-shaped face. Im extending you an offer of three million dollars to be the screenwriter of this movie. All you need to do is put together an excellent story following the structure Ill be providing, can you do that? The two men exchanged a glance for a brief instant, both of them astounded by Chen Chens bold offer. The offer extended by Chen Chen was nearly the equivalent of the rates for a first-line director and screenwriter in Hollywood. Im very pleased with the offer. As long as there are no other special requirements, therell be no problems on my end. Trunk responded swiftly. Hold on Landis, who sat beside Trunk, grumbled faintly, When you said that youll be providing a story structure, you mean to say that I cant compose an original work of my own? Yes. Chen Chen nodded and announced gravely, Ill be providing a general storyboard with details such as the opening and ending sequence of the sequel. You can fit in additional details to your liking, but you cannot rewrite the story. Landis fell silent almost immediately after that. Looking at Landis who appeared to be having a heated internal debate with himself, Chen Chen picked up a glass of water to take a sip from it, making no further attempts of persuasion. The only reason he wanted to hire these two men was to add as an extra layer of insurance. The movie produced under the direction of these two men was able to be inserted into the USB drive without any issue. Since the director, screenwriter, and even the leading cast was left unchanged for the sequel, it should work in the USB drive Right? Chen Chen perfectly understood the reason for Landis struggle with the decision. Around a decade ago, Landis was subjected to a similar predicament. When Chronicle made a fantastic international debut, he had already written the script for the sequel. However, due to concerns of the darker plot of the sequel turning off the audience and affecting the box office reception, he was made to amend it. However, the young and strong-headed Landis was unwilling to change the script, which led to him being kicked out of the film crew by an enraged director. Time to grow up, Landis. Trunk, who was sitting aside, suddenly broke his silence. Even though this violated everything Landis stood for, Trunk still prompted a small reminder for this talented, old partner of his. Upon hearing Trunks advice, the jumbled conflict in Landis eyes slowly faded away. He looked up with a sullen expression. Understood, Ill do it according to your request Excellent. Chen Chen clapped his hands together and raised a glass before the two men. So, to our collaboration? The two men raised their glasses of wine and clinked it gently against Chen Chens glass. To our collaboration. After the three men made their toast, the mood in the room improved considerably. Once again, Chen Chen opened a notebook beside him and turned to Landis. Mr. Landis, please tell me about the original setting of the movie and Ill construct the subsequent plotline based on the original setting. You mean to draft a storyboard yourself? The two men were slightly taken aback by the gesture. Thats right, thats my wish. Chen Chen smiled faintly. Alright, if you insist. Landis scratched his head. Actually, its been quite some time and my memory is pretty hazy at this point, please give me a moment to regather the story Landis finished the wine in the goblet with one swift gulp before refilling it again. He took a moment for himself before beginning. To kick things off, lets start with the foreign crystal Chapter 132 - Chen Chen’s Setting Wait, you mean to say that the crystalline came from outer space? Chen Chen wanted to confirm it. Yes. Even at first glance, the crystalline doesnt appear to be an object originating from Earth, no? Landis waved his hands Besides, we already know that such substance doesnt exist on Earth. Also, the crystal only served as a storage device, its the foreign plantation inside it that gives the protagonist superpower. Chen Chen felt his heart sinking upon receiving the revelation. He had a bad feeling about this but did not attempt to interrupt Landis. Landis continued explaining, I was inspired by a certain article. Im not sure if youve heard of this before, its about this professional interrogator who specialized in the usage of polygraphs. By way of coincidence, he noticed that plants could sense human will. The interrogator only intended to find out the time required for water to go from the bottom of a dracaena to the leaves and used the polygraph as a tool. You guys should also be aware that when a person lies or becomes agitated, the readings on the polygraph fluctuates drastically. Applied on plants, the reading should first increase before gradually going down due to the electrical resistance on the leaves caused by the built-up moisture. What happened instead was the opposite. The lines slanted downward, occasionally fluctuating at different points. The resulting observation was similar to when a polygraph is used on a person who is afraid. Landis went on describing, After that, he began exploring the emotional response facet of plants by presenting them with a sizable threat. When he came up with the idea of lighting a match to burn the leaves, the readings on the polygraph began to fluctuate sharply even when he hadnt even committed to the action. All he did was just toy around with the idea of it and yet, the dracaena seemed to have somehow sensed his attention and became consumed with fear. Chen Chen listened silently and attentively. Next, he lit up a match for real this time and waved it in front of the leaves of the dracaena which caused the reflected reading to take on a volatile pattern. When he put the match down, the reading managed to still itself until it eventually turned into a straight line. However, after repeating this bluff many times, the dracaena stopped responding to his threats as if it realized that he didnt actually mean to harm it Landis smiled. This was the experiment that inspired me. The alien plant in the story can secrete a substance which is the crystal seen in the movie. This is the method it employs for self-protection. At the same time, it can grant humans superpower, essentially assuming the role of a host in a computer while the three protagonists are the extensions. This way, the three of them could sense each other and the presence of the host. Chen Chens heart only sank further as he listened to Landis explanations. He then inquired, Whats the principle theory then? Why was the alien plant able to grant humans power? What was the energy theory behind the three protagonists? Landis and Trunk both shot a strange look at Chen Chen. Trunk only managed to muster an awkward response. Sorry, never really considered these factors back then. Its like with Superman and the Hulk. The audience only cares about the superpower, I doubt they care about the scientific theory behind the superpowers Landis shrugged helplessly as well. I suppose it makes more sense for us to leave these questions to the scientists. There was not much Chen Chen could say about that either. He was aware that their statements were true. The convention of superpowers had always been dictated by whatever was convenient. Even in the X-men, there was not much canonical explanation of how the X-gene gave superpowers. How was anyone supposed to figure out how the X-gene granted superpowers? It was at this moment when another possibility came to Chen Chen. Perhaps it was precisely because the detailed workings were not set up that there were unlimited possibilities? Just like in Chronicle and Rise of the Planet of the Apes, anyone could recognize that the latter was more of a work of science fiction than the former. However, the USB drive accepted Chronicles but not Rise of the Planet of the Apes, why was that? In the case of Rise of the Planet of the Apes, it was stated that it was an RNA retrovirus, which was technically not scientifically possible in reality. This in turn caused it to be rejected by the USB drive for not adhering to the rules of science? Strictly speaking, I wasnt the one who came up with the idea of the story, it was Trunks concept. As Chen Chen was pondering the matter, Landis glanced at Trunk and explained. Thats right, I got the idea from watching Paranormal Activity. It was more of a daydream which later turned into reality after meeting Landis. Trunk began to reminisce on the past when he thought about it. My initial idea was of a high school boy who attained superpowers he had always dreamt of. Similar to the way bodybuilding works, it grows stronger the more he practices it. And you guys ended up turning the daydream into a nightmare, Chen Chen teased. We never really wanted to shoot a typical superhero film full of cliches. We wanted something Something with more depth. Landis elaborated, What we intended to do was achieve a dramatic cinematic effect by properly constraining the protagonists personality and family background. The finished product would be a tragic, profound film. Chen Chen sighed silently upon hearing his remark. One last question, does the superpower pose any threat to the benefactor? Some sort of effect such as corrupting the humans heart, being stripped away by the plant, something along these lines. We didnt consider that many factors when writing the first film since theyre largely unrelated to the plot. We primed our focus on the character building. Landis voiced his frustration, By the second film, I planned to incorporate some darker traits into the plant. Sadly, I was kicked out by the company. Chen Chen caught a glimmer of hope. Which means that you guys didnt incorporate any form of drawbacks to the plant in the first film? Yes They did not understand the reason for Chen Chens persistence in the matter but they nodded anyway. Excellent, please give me a moment. Chen Chen nodded with pleasure and began typing away on the laptop. Until ten minutes later, Chen Chen finally blew an air of relief. In that case, Ill set the sequel to be ten years into the future. Chen Chen began portraying. The ending of the first film: Andrew was taken by the darkness in his heart so his cousin Matt had to stab him to death. In the end, he embarked on a trip around the world. In that case, we can begin the second film like soC: The two of them stayed silent all the while, waiting for Chen Chen to continue. Over the last ten years, Matt traveled across the world but couldnt find any clue related to the crystal. They also found out that the original location where the crystal was discovered was sealed away by the police, restricted to commoners. Chen Chen spoke in a low voice, Matt who hasnt been able to find a single clue over the past ten years decided to sneak into the cave. However, after spending all his efforts to sneak into the cave, he discovered that the government transformed the area into an enormous underground cave Another discovery was that Andrew was not dead. Apparently, despite having his chest shot through, the government saved his life and kept him in a comatose state for them to study his body. The government also performed a cutting operation on the crystal and had it cut into thousands of fist-sized crystal pieces. They also extracted the alien plantation within it and later discovered that the crystal pieces only contained a fragment of the plants power. The plant itself was what mattered the most. However, the plant died very quickly after leaving the crystal as it was unable to adapt to Earths climate. As a result, the government lost their means to mass-produce superpower users. This also explains why the government kept Andrew alive all these years. Chen Chen continued typing as he spoke. At the end of his sentence, he turned the computer screen to face the two men. After the plant died, the crystals which store part of the plants powers essentially became one-time consumable items. Using the cut pieces, the government began creating superpowers one after another. However, their radiation exposure was one-to-several hundred of the ones of the original three protagonists, resulting in them only obtaining very weak superpowers. The capacity for growth was minimal as well, far below the ones of the likes of Andrew and the others. The only way to attain stronger power was to get their hands on more crystalline Chen Chen took a deep breath and concluded as he got up on his feet, Heres my setting for the second film. Please complete the second part according to the settings I provided. And wrap up the story of our childhood on a good note. Chapter 133 - Return to Africa The three movies represented the three approaches Chen Chen was going to take. The first movie Immortal based on Resident Evil: Retribution was his first step for determining if the USB drive could disrupt timelines. Many forms of technologies were present in the movie as well so having it in the USB drive would be as good as having the future in his hands. For the second movie Cancer Man, Chen Chen set it in a parallel universe. This way the events in the movie should not conflict with reality. If it proved to be valid in the USB drive, cancer would be the next disease of the century to go, following Alzheimers. The third movie Chronicle 2 was one Chen Chen had specifically crafted for himself. The setting that came from the author himself should be considered canonical, it also should not have any conflict with the first movie. Judging by these observations, it should not be rejected by the USB drive. The third movie was the one Chen Chen was most certain that could be acknowledged by the USB drive. Besides, cutting the crystalline into pieces as seen in the movie was the most cost-effective way for Chen Chen to dictate if the crystals were harmful to the human body. On top of that, Chen Chen made sure to include the alien plant being killed in the story. This way, he was able to negate the threat the plant posed on the superpower users, effectively canceling out the risks. Chen Chen also made sure to lay it out so that the effects of the crystal were additive. It did not pose a problem even if he started with obtaining tiny fragments of power. He could continue extracting them and eventually reach the levels of Andrew as seen in the movie. Perhaps even above him. He only wondered, what was it like to become the only person in the world with superpowers? Since Chen Chen had little to do, he opened his phone to download Zhihu[1] and entered the question in the query. Unexpectedly, he found several such questions. Chen Chen created an anonymous account and wrote in the reply section: Good thing you asked. Im in Africa making millions per month, just got off the plane. If you know, you know. These comments are getting toxic, Im out.[2] Chen Chen took his leave after having only spent several days in North America and Cheng Cao departed with him as well. There was little point to keeping a trump card like him who had been known to be able to kill in five hundred different ways in this place. Chen Chen had prepared to relocate several staff in the company here to substitute Cheng Cao. After that, both of them took a flight back to Namibia. Qian Wenhuan worked with great efficiency. Barely four months had passed since Chen Chen kicked off the Alzheimers drug project and the Eco Science City was already taking shape. Chen Chen was met with a dazzling view upon stepping out of Walvis Bay International Airport. The road leading to Eco Science City was still being paved when he left Africa one month ago. Now that he had returned, he could see the newly constructed main highway opened to the public already. The roads stretched onward endlessly like a dragon reaching into the horizon. Faraway, there were several high-rise buildings under construction, reminding him of the scenery back in the Mainland. Chen Chen had invested a hefty sum back then to recruit several cityscape designers from the Mainland. Under the joint brainstorming effort of the fleet of designers, they pushed the design of a modern concept town within a week. The design of the town was of a vibrant architectural style with wide roads, complete with urban greenery setting incorporated with modernist philosophy. There was no lack of public facilities such as a central commercial street, central park, hospital, and schools. A large portion of the coastal area was sectioned out for constructing villas and health centers to be situated by the Sandwich Harbor. This was only one of the phases of the construction. Many vacant lands were sectioned out for further construction as the town grew in population. There was enough land to expand the size of the town to more than 100,000 people. When Chen Chen stepped out of the airport, he was met with the scenery of a thriving, bustling city. Boss! Qian Wenhuan had been waiting for a while outside the airport. He was aware that Chen Chen was not a fan of large receptions, so he made sure to only bring two members of the security department. He quickly stepped up to welcome Chen Chen upon seeing him emerging from the airport. This was a man who had stepped into a foreign land far away from home and barely managed to climb up to the ranks of business management in a medium-sized company. Now, he had broken out of his shell and completed the metamorphosis into a successful upper-class businessman. Sure enough, nobody should be underestimated. Chen Chen had previously never held Qian Wenhuan to a high standard, he merely offered him a small chance. Nobody expected Qian Wenhuan to make such good use of the opportunity and step up to the task. He proficiently handled everything, it was a truly impressive feat. Do not be fooled by Chen Chen who was always either occupied with the research progress or running different operations across the global federation and take that as a sign of him being an absent manager. With the help of Little X at his disposal, he was familiar with all of the inner workings of the company. This was how he came to be aware that the current organized structure of the company was in no small part due to the concentrated efforts of Qian Wenhuan. Chen Chen patted Qian Wenhuan on the shoulder with a sense of encouragement. He asked while walking to the car, Whats the situation on my teachers side? Professor Wang Xi has been situated in the research center and is receiving daily treatment following the model you created. I heard that things are going quite well. Despite his claims, Qian Wenhuan still broke out a bitter smile. The only problem is that this old fellow keeps claiming that he cant allow his brain too much rest due to his condition. He spends the entire day trying to discuss all sorts of projects with the members of the research team. Word is that hes on great terms with most staff of the research center at this point. Chen Chen smiled at the notion. What Professor Wang Xi mentioned about exercising an injured brain was a reference to an article on Nature. To put it in simple terms, a research team created stroke-induced damage in the brains of mice with the use of lasers. They then began making comparisons between two separate groups of mice. The result was this: The mice that were put into work right after their stroke displayed a higher and faster rate of recovery compared to the group of mice which were allowed three days of rest before working. This was to say that a great amount of rest was not the best way to help a wounded brain heal. Instead, it was allowing the brain to exercise that was more efficient. Of course, these were all merely theories put to pen and had not been practiced on humans. If thats what my teacher wants, then let him have it. Just make sure he doesnt get to the true secrets of the research center. Chen Chen made a gesture and approached the car. Qian Wenhuan was one step ahead of him and opened the car door for Chen Chen to enter. They only departed after Cheng Cao took over the place of the original driver. The original driver and the accompanying bodyguards went into the second car. Right, hows the underground base coming along? Chen Chen asked when the engine was started, Did the Namibian government notice anything? No worries, Boss. Qian Wenhuan swiftly explained, We had the construction workers of the underground base sign a confidentiality agreement in exchange for tripling their wages. The terms are that they would remain in the rig every 24 hours of their days, none of them are permitted to leave or make any form of contact with the outside world until the construction is done. In addition, we installed a large number of signal interceptors in the district along with building fences with mounted cameras ahead of time. These workers are monitored the entire day, there wont be any issues. Chen Chen nodded. Lets check out the underground base. Ok. [1] A search engine in China [2] an internet gag poking fun at people faking their identity online. Chapter 134 - Visiting the Cavern They entered the site of the Eco Science City very soon after. The sight of hundreds of buildings being constructed was truly a sight to behold. Africa had never seen an operation of such scale, it even led to the birth of a new profession. This new profession was mainly taken up by the locals who had nothing better to do with their time. Their mission was to kill time by watching as the buildings were built up higher by the day. Chen Chens crew referred to them as the Observers. Initially, Qian Wenhuan made sure to chase these groups out, but as time went on, he quickly realized that it was not going to stop them so he decided to let them be. The only problem these people caused was the regular loss of various tools on the job site. The losses were not substantial, though it got irritating at one point with how often it happened. As the vehicle came to the top of the hill, Chen Chen was immediately met with the sight of giant trucks coming back and forth by the foot of the hill. These trucks were loaded with sand, gravel, and building materials. From a distance, they looked like a fleet of hardworking ant soldiers. These passages led to the entrance of the anthills Namibia had never been blessed with an operation of this scale. Right under their feet, several drilling rigs were drilling away, sending waves of tremors across the earth. Although most of the water by the shore was seawater, once they managed to break through the layer in between, they should have access to a considerable amount of freshwater source. The only problem was that in Africa, the locals would much rather walk twenty kilometers back and forth each day for water as opposed to drawing from a well right outside their house. This sort of phenomenon was caused by a difference in the environment. While the outsiders looked at them in bewilderment wondering why they would rather walk the distance to get water than to dig a well, something stranger occurred to them as well C Why dig underground for water? Doesnt the river provide enough water already? Very soon after, they arrived at the edges of a huge wall after having driven along a newly paved road. The wall stood magnificently at more than ten meters tall. There were barbed wires and surveillance cameras installed on the top of the wall. Chen Chen had only seen such a structure in places like prisons. Chen Chen was currently at an electronic gate by the entrance of the district. All passing trucks transporting goods had to be registered to gain entry. Inside the gate, there was a large storage area where all the goods were unloaded uniformly. There were plenty of smaller transport vehicles inside as well. These transport vehicles made constant trips delivering all sorts of materials to the gate of the underground garage. it was like a gaping void that could never be filled. It should be obvious at this point that this was the entrance to the underground base. There was one last checkpoint located in the inner section of the underground garage. After passing through the final checkpoint, Chen Chen finally saw an enormous cavern in the center of the underground garage. As it was still an ongoing construction process, the mouth of the depthless cave was left bare and exposed right in the middle of the underground garage. The moment Chen Chen got out of the car, he could feel waves of chilling breeze rising to meet him. Along the four edges of the top of the cave, there was a large and hectic arrangement of steel beams. These steel beams were fixed from the top of the cave entrance all the way downward, serving as support for the outer structure of the cave, preventing landslides. There was a gigantic elevator fixed to the top of the underground cavern. The structure was powered by dozens of diesel generators. The diesel generators were laid out in the area and rumbled on and on, producing deafening noises. Hey, that one there! Qian Wenhuan was leading the way in front when he suddenly shouted. It was a foreman in the section in front who was in the middle of reprimanding other workers. Come here for a second. President Qian, how can I help you? The man dressed in foreman attire quickly complied and ran over. Oh, who are these two with you? This is the boss of our company, Mr. Chen. Hes here to take a look at the construction site. Since youre more familiar with the site, why dont you find us a guide, Qian Wenhuan had very little interest in making small talk with the man and went straight to the point. So, its Boss Chen! The foreman lit up. He quickly made a motion to shake Chen Chens hands without the slightest hint of awkwardness in his movements. Pleasure, pleasure! Chen Chen did not display much hesitation and shook his hand naturally. Since the other party was the one extending the courtesy, Chen Chen had no reason to put on a high and mighty attitude regardless of whatever motives there may be. Nobody was owing anybody any favors here anyway. Upon witnessing the interaction, Qian Wenhuan broke into an awkward smile. He quickly made a note to straighten up his attitude which had been rather erratic recently. The mans smile grew ever brighter when he saw that Chen Chen did not seem to belittle him. No need to find a guide. If you dont mind, why dont I be your guide. He offered and looked at Chen Chen expectantly. I wouldnt have it any other way. Chen Chen nodded. How may I address you? The names Hai Sanchuan. Hai from the Chinese letter for the sea, San for the Chinese letters for one, two, three. The Chuan from Sanchuan is Hai Sanchuan offered cigarettes for the three men. Chen Chen casually accepted it but waved his hands when a lighter was presented, implying that he was not planning to smoke now. Hai Sanchuan, its just the same letters written horizontally and vertically[1] Qian Wenhuan blurted out a joke but quickly stopped talking when Chen Chen shot him a glare. Sigh, Ive no idea what my dad was thinking when he named me. Hai Sanchuan was not bothered and smiled easily. He took the three men to the front of the mouth of the cavern and pointed at it. This hole we dug up is around five meters. It took us a whole month with the large drilling platform to get it done. This is a really big project were talking about here. Dont be too quick to make an impression now. By the time our work is done, the outer walls will be fitted and fixed with steel plates, itll look a lot more pleasant then. During Hai Sanchuans explanation, the elevator located in the middle of the cavern began wheezing and making mechanical noises. Several thick steel cables began to contract as if it was trying to pull something out of the ground. It takes about five minutes to get from the underground section to here. Hai Sanchuan quickly added as if he was worried about Chen Chen running out of patience. Dont underestimate its speed. Its considered pretty fast for a freight elevator. Its average descend and ascension speed is above two meters per second. A freight elevator platform appeared nearing the end of Hai Sanchuans explanations. Several workers were slightly taken aback upon seeing Chen Chen and the others and made no comments. They began with their task of carrying off the piled up materials. You guys can take a short break for ten minutes. Hai Sanchuan handed three helmets with strapped headlights to Chen Chen and the others and led the way for them while issuing orders to the workers. Simply put, this platform worked like your regular elevator, the only difference being that its size was greatly exaggerated. For example, the length and width of this platform were measured at four meters and stood more than five meters tall. It had rollers installed all around it which were guided by the rails fixed to the walls of the cavern. Hai Sanchuan who was well familiarized with the procedure and went to the elevator controls and pressed a button. In an instant, the doors of the elevator platform closed up as it began making its descent. As the transportation platform began to descend, Chen Chen peeked at the view outside through the mesh window. Under the faint illumination of the miners lamp, the stark red soil slowly turned into blocks of brown-gray rocks as they descended further. They were entering the rock layer. The platform elevator remained in a stable condition without the slightest hint of disturbance. After five minutes, they arrived at the bottom where a gigantic cavern came to view. What was once countless stalactite pillars were replaced by hundreds of square cement pillars. These cement pillars were more effective at providing support for the structure of the cavern. The interior of the cavern was well illuminated. At one glance, Chen Chen could see the very end of the space several hundred meters away. As depicted before, the structure of the cavern took on a perfect dome shape. Located in the middle of the cavern was a pyramid-shaped structure. The structure, however, took on a closer resemblance to Mayan pyramids than Egyptian pyramids. What was more astounding was that the structure was entirely constructed of steel. The steel pyramid was erected right in the middle of the cavern, almost scraping the roof of the cavern. This was the top-grade laboratory Chen Chen had envisioned. Unlike the biosafety laboratories constructed on the surface that were capped off at grade four, Chen Chen was going to build a laboratory that could host aliens and aid with the research of tyrannosauruses. This laboratory was going to reach a never before seen level 5 biosafety protection grading. [1] The Chinese letters for San () and Chuan () are very simila Chapter 135 - Sit Tight, Let Me Peel You an Orange With Hai Sanchuan acting as a guide, Chen Chen took a tour around the underground base. To his disappointment, the underground base construction was only approaching thirty percent completion after four months. At this rate, it was going to take half a year until its completion. After giving it some thought, Chen Chen came to realize that this progress was considered rather fast. The underground pyramid laboratory was constructed in a modular manner, meaning that it was with a large number of one-time stamped steel plates through a spliced steel structure. The stamped steel was made of tungsten steel alloy which ranked among one of the most resilient materials. It possessed extreme hardness and toughness, supreme oxidation resistance, corrosion resistance, and temperature resistance. Like building a Lego structure, the entire laboratory was built in separate modules. Matter of fact, this variation of construction technique had begun making its debut around the world some time ago. The earliest application was in 2011 in Mainland China where a skyscraper was built in merely twelve days using this form of modular construction methodology. As the building process was just like stacking blocks of Lego, it was hence hailed as the building that rewrote the history of building-construction. The primary motivation for implementing this sort of design was to serve as a fallback plan in case some catastrophic event occurred in the laboratory. For example, if some creature of extreme destructive capabilities such as the ones from Alien were to escape the laboratory and caused a sort of Containment Breach irreversible scenario. The strength of the laboratory structure laid in its toughness and resilience. Its earthquake resistance was dozens of times stronger than that of traditional reinforced concrete buildings. Even if the surface was obliterated by a nuclear bomb, the research facility seven hundred meters underground would be completely unscathed. Of course, this meant that the cost of construction of the laboratory was monumental. The bottom area of the pyramid laboratory was about 10,000 square meters, it was a square surface measuring 100 meters on each side. The structure spanned up to 60 meters in height and was separated into nine floors. With each subsequent floor, the total surface area was reduced by one-third until it brushed against the roof of the cavern. It was like a huge pillar supporting the entire cavern. Chen Chen was considering filling the entire underground cavern with concrete after the completion of the underground facilities to render it completely foolproof. The problem was that it would be a great waste of all that wide-open space. After touring for several hours, Chen Chen finally returned to the surface to head back to the research center. The first thing he did upon his arrival at the research center was to visit Professor Wang Xi. At the present moment, Professor Wang Xi had just completed the neural stem cell transplantation for the day and was agonizing from the pain. Still, he smiled proudly upon seeing Chen Chen returning. Youre back? Im back. Chen Chen nodded in response when he saw the old professor who was distinctly more energetic than previously. I heard they performed the neural stem cell transplantation on you? Yeah, otherwise, how am I supposed to further honing my craft if I dont make up for all the brain cells I lost? Professor Wang Xi lifted off the blanket and tried to sit up. Sit tight, let me peel an orange for you. Chen Chen stepped forward to help Professor Wang Xi sit up while enquiring, Right, how did they perform the neural stem cell transplantation on you? Lumbar puncture and subarachnoid injection transplantation, with another round of intravenous injection transplantation Professor Wang Xi made a weak gesture signaling for Chen Chen to take a seat. I heard that the plan was to puncture through my ventricle, but they ultimately decided to approach from the spine due to my age. Chen Chen sat on a chair beside the bed and began peeling an orange for Professor Wang Xi. True, lumbar puncture transplantation still allows stem cells to circulate into the brain along with the cerebrospinal fluid. The decreased traumatic effect makes it the most ideal transplantation method in your case. The only problem is that theres a greater loss of stem cells since it has to circulate through the blood-brain barrier Professor Wang Xi appeared as if he suddenly recalled something. He took out a stack of papers by the bedside and turned to Chen Chen with a strange look in his eyes. Lil Chen, Im going to ask you something and I want you to answer me honestly. You have questions regarding the effects of inducing neural stem cells? Chen Chen already knew what Professor Wang Xi was going to ask before he had time to say it. Im sure you can tell as well. Professor Wang Xi continued in a serious tone. Im very familiar with Shinya Yamanaka, the founder of induced pluripotent stem cells. Sure, his patented iPS technology managed to score him the Nobel Prize ten years ago, but can you name anyone in our ranks who arent aware of the flaws of iPS technology? The induced neural stem cells shouldnt be able to produce the sort of effect Im currently experiencing. Professor Wang Xi flipped open the documents as he went on. Also, I could already tell something was off the very first time I looked at these documents. Sure, I could understand most of the sections, but the Induced Neural Stem Cell Technology section has me stumped. Dont make a senile old fool out of me now. Chen Chen nodded as a response. This was not all too surprising to him. After all, this man would not be Professor Wang Xi if he still could not tell something was off after all this time expended. I never expected to be able to fool you. In truth, the practice applied wasnt neural stem cells induced by iPS technology, but neural stem cells extracted from your cloned embryos instead. I knew it. Professor Wang Xi sighed, displaying a look of relief. After a short while had passed and Chen Chen did not receive the reprimanding as he thought he would, he asked, Youre not upset with me? Why would I be upset with you? Professor Wang Xi turned to him wide-eyed with anger at the notion. Do you see me as such a close-minded person? Youre the one painstakingly attempting to treat me and Im supposed to be upset with you because of a cloned embryo? Am I such a scoundrel to you now? Im only asking you this because of concerns that youre using some sort of unreliable method to treat me which is going to get me killed! Youre absolutely correct! Chen Chen chuckled as he nodded. Thats right, everyone knows that you of all people arent that kind of person! Chen Chen only took his leave after jesting with Professor Wang Xi for a little while longer. Somewhere along the lines, a bottle of medicine emitting a faint blue glow appeared in his hands. AD-001. This was the drug Chen Chen extracted from the movie he had invested in. Chen Chen only needed to hand this drug over to Hannibal and the crew to quickly verify the effects of this drug. After ensuring that it posed no harmful effect to the human body and could effectively cure Alzheimers, he could begin to have them analyze it and figure out a way to reverse-engineer it. It should not be an issue even if it could not be reverse-engineered. Since the USB drive was able to generate energy at a remarkable pace currently, as long as the AD-001 was not leaked to the outside world, it should be very manageable to only provide it for a few selected individuals. After two or three years, a means of producing it should surface at one point or another. In all honesty, reverse-engineering the NZT-48 would be a far wiser move. That way, Chen Chen could have a top-tier research team composed of members rivaling the likes of Einstein and Niels Bohr. The only reason Chen Chen still had not assembled a team dedicated to researching NZT-48 was that he was well aware of the dangers of the drug. A stranger acquiring an NZT-48 pill may not pose as much trouble as someone close to Chen Chen acquiring one since that might lead to all his secrets being exposed. The power of NZT-48 was nothing short of groundbreaking. Someone who managed to acquire an NZT-48 pill from Chen Chen might be able to instantly piece together the clues in the movie and quickly figure out what the drug was. Perhaps even piecing together the puzzle pieces and figuring out how an ordinary university student like Chen Chen was able to undergo such a drastic transformation in a short period. Eventually figuring out why Chen Chen needed so much energy, discovering the existence of the USB drive This was the reason Chen Chen could never allow a completed version of NZT-48 to fall into anyones hands. Chapter 136 - Recovery Two months later. This is truly unbelievable Professor Evans turned toward Professor Wang Xi upon reviewing the readings on the CT. At last, he exclaimed with amusement, You know, the age spots in your brain have vanished entirely. On top of that, 90% of all neuron contractions have recovered with no signs of recurrence. Thanks to the neural stem cells transplantation during this period, your brain appears to be younger than your actual age Only because we addressed it early on. Things might have turned out differently if it was the middle stages of the disease. Professor Wang Xi carefully inspected the extracted data and asked with profound interest, How much does my treatment cost? Would it be possible to publicize this form of treatment globally? Uh Evans showed a strange expression. Sure you want to find out? Alright, I get it, Professor Wang Xi suddenly appeared slightly apologetic. Another question. What are the general odds of achieving the degree of recovery that I displayed, how high is it? Its not exactly very high. Evans expressed with a shadow of doubt, To be honest with you, I find it strange as well. The general consensus was that this procedure is only able to contain the condition but isnt able to completely eradicate it. However, since half a month ago, your condition seems to be vanishing without a trace Thats because theres a saying where I came from, The noble ones are favored by the heavens. Chen Chen pushed open the door and broke into the conversation. Thanks to the favor of the heavens, Professor Wang Xis condition has only been getting better. Hm, when you folks from the Mainland speak of Heaven, are you referring to God? Evans asked curiously. I see you guys going on about the heavens. Professor Wang Xi exchanged a glance with Chen Chen before explaining, No, my friend. We dont believe in God, you can think of the Heavens referred to in Chinese culture as God of Spinoza which refers to the worlds laws of physics. In ancient days in Mainland China, we referred to the sky with terminologies such as Emperor Heaven, Cang Tian, Haotian, and so on. These are also the official supreme gods in ancient times. The so-called heavenly sacrifices are also dedicated in the same vein. Oh, I get it. Evans nodded in approval and made a thumbs-up gesture. A godly entity without a fixed persona, thats how it is. The profound culture of the Mainland is truly fascinating Chen Chen changed the topic. Old Wang, now that youre cured, dont forget to help me out a little. Ive already completed a thesis so if somebody comes to you for verification, please do put in a good word for me. Wang Yi obliged with a nod. Of course, where are you planning to publish this time? Since Ive already published twice on Cell, lets try Nature this time. Chen Chen brushed the lower part of his chin. Oh yeah Old Wang, since Ive published so many SCI, do you think the school can make an exception and issue me a bachelors degree certificate? Its not easy to accomplish much out there without a bachelors degree these days It was only then when Professor Wang Xi remembered that this model student of his had dropped out for nearly a year now Several days later. After sending Professor Wang Xi to the airport and watching the plane fade into the horizon, Chen Chen found himself absorbed in deep thought. The truth was that Chen Chen had considered extending the offer to Professor Wang Xi to become a part of his company. After all, Professor Wang Xi was seventy years old. He was at the age where he was eligible for applying for retirement. In addition, with Professor Wang Xis role as the leading biologist across the entire federation, his field knowledge and experience greatly surpassed the professors Chen Chen had found. Chen Chen gave up on the idea in the end. He did not even have to give it a shot to know that there was no way that Professor Wang Xi would accept the offer to join him. The reason was very simple. There was no way Professor Wang Xi was going to leave the Mainland. Having dedicated his lifetime effort to the Mainland, why would he retire in a foreign land? Why would he abandon his reputation and honor? If not for the fact that Chen Chen was his student, Professor Wang Xi would have rather died of Alzheimers than go abroad for treatment. This was a matter of ethics. The truth was that there had always been a prevalent issue of local scientific talents heading abroad. However, as the icon for the Chinese academic world, the least he could do was to preserve whatever honor he had, it was worth it. Even if the price he had to pay was his very own life This was not the work of stubbornness but a symbol of persistence of the older generation of scientific researchers. Still, Chen Chen no longer had to be concerned with Professor Wang Xis health after curing him of his Alzheimers. Based on the professors condition, he should easily be able to live another ten years at least. By that time, there should be plenty of time and opportunities to continue extending the life of this national treasure-level scientific researcher. The point was that this was a delicate process that could not afford to be rushed. The true reason for Professor Wang Xis sudden recovery had to do with the AD-001. Hannibal and Li Leis analysis had concluded that the AD-001 was able to effectively rid the effects caused by Alzheimers disease. The toxic side effects were almost nil and were perfectly adaptable for the human body. So, Chen Chen sneakily injected AD-001 into Professor Wang Xi. Within half a month, Professor Wang Xis condition had undergone a sharp recovery. Even Professor Evans, the man in charge of the Alzheimers Disease Reversal Treatment project was not aware of the existence of AD-001. Chen Chen was extremely strict with this piece of information to ensure that its existence would not be leaked for at least the next few years to come. Once the results were published in Nature, news of the first-ever cure for Alzheimers disease, performed on the man who was a symbol of the academic world no less, would surely cause a gigantic uproar in the academic world. This kind of reception would equal to a dazzling golden banner for Chen Chens Eco Science City. The original motive of constructing the Eco Science City was to take Switzerlands place as the new primary healthcare facility for the entire Federation. The treatment process that Chen Chen had incorporated before was a series of technologies including TOM1 protein genetic overexpression, supplementary Solanezumab antibody, and many others. How much could Chen Chen serve to benefit from this arsenal of technologies? As the innovator of this class of technology, the official opening of the Eco Science City should grant passage to an endless stream of Alzheimers disease patients here to seek a cure. There should be a terrific amount of profit surging in. If Chen Chen pulled out a drug like AD-001 which was way ahead of the current technological scale, it would almost render the aforementioned procedures completely useless. Regardless of how high the price of manufacturing AD-001 could be, how high could he possibly sell it for? Could it be any higher for the long set of treatment procedures? Besides, revealing the line of treatment procedures could positively astound the world while also keeping it under the realms of plausibility. Directly pulling out the AD-001 would make it appear too other-worldly. The problem was not that he could not take out AD-001, it just was not the right time yet to maximize profits. Chapter 137 - News Early dawn, Arsen Foster woke up in his single apartment to the crisp sounds of chirping birds. The sun shone on his face through the windows, bringing an air of warmth to the cool morning. Phew! Arsen gently pushed open the window and exhaled the sleep built up in him overnight and stretched lazily afterward. The man who was born with a silver spoon found a surprising amount of leisure and excitement that he had been missing for a while in a plain little apartment like this one. Before properly getting up, Arsen could not resist the urge to look at his arms again C this was the first thing he did every morning. He saw two well-built, delicate, and clean arms, their fingers were slender and full of strength with hardly a trace of wrinkles on them. Nobody would have believed you if you said that this was a pair of arms that belonged to a sixty-five-year-old man. Arson could clearly remember that just three months ago, these arms were filled with marks left behind by the passage of time despite him attentively taking care of them over the years. It was as if the sands of time flowed backward on these arms of his. Arsen excitedly hopped down the bed and twisted his body in all sorts of ways. He felt endless energy surging out of his body, a stark contrast to his previous experience where the slightest movement made his body scream with soreness. After feeling the youthfulness surging across his body, Arsen hummed to the tune of a rock song from the 70s while he stepped into the bathroom. A Chinese man in his mid-forties appeared in the bathroom mirror. The figure had a head of long brown hair, sharp eyes like a falcon, and well-defined features resembling a sculpture. Arsen could not contain a soft chuckle when he saw his long lost youthful appearance in the mirror. His soft chuckle slowly grew louder and louder, soon, he had broken into a crazy fit of laughter which echoed across the walls of the apartment Half an hour later, Arsen dressed himself in a white tracksuit and headed downstairs all dressed up for the day. This place was the Blackwatch Biotechnology Research Center. The place Arsen stayed in was the apartments provided by the research center for visitors. Arsen was one of the financial oligarchs who had received a direct invitation from Chen Chen. He was a direct member of the Foster family who was none other than the younger brother of the head of the family, Norman Foster. As usual, Arsen got up around seven in the morning and went to the cafeteria for his breakfast. After that, he went to the research building for his daily anti-aging treatment. Chen Chen was probably the only person who could get a bunch of royalty who held the reins of the world to get up and head to the cafeteria for breakfast on their own. Even if the cafeteria was only opened to the professors in the research teams, it still failed to meet the standards of these individuals. Still, these financial oligarchs were hardly bothered by this. How bad could it be? They were regaining their youth after all. The moment Arsen stepped into the cafeteria, several people could not stop themselves from craning their necks toward him. Furthermore, several ladies lit up immediately. The mid-forties was the period where mens mature charm was at its peak. Back in his days, Arsens looks and charm were widely acknowledged across the Britain royalty circle. He had countless passionate relationships with numerous ladies. Good morning, ladies. Gentlemen. Arsen politely greeted the people before sitting down at an unoccupied table. Mr. Arsen, what would you like to have for breakfast today? a Chinese waiter approached and asked politely. Ill have a basket of dumplings, a bowl of soy milk, and two dough sticks, thank you. Arsen flipped through the menu and ordered several Chinese cuisines. He also spoke in Chinese when he ordered, making an impression on the crowd. One moment. The waiter immediately began preparing. Arsen, youre eating Chinese again, the red-bearded Tom sitting on the next table commented candidly. They might not be the healthiest, but they taste splendid. I recommend you give it a try. Arsen said with a smile, The heavens grant us the chance to regain our youth. In that case, its about time to make up for some past regrets, wouldnt you say so buddy? Hmmph, I still havent settled the score from back then with you either. Tom shot Arsen a look and made no further comments. When the waiter carefully brought the food to Arsen, he ceremoniously wrapped a scarf in front of his chest as usual, even though he was eating Chinese cuisine. After that, he picked up a dumpling with a fork and took a soft bite. The thick aroma of meat instantly swarmed his mouth. Arsen had to blow on his red-hot lips and panted at the heat. Excuse me, may I sit here? As Arsen was gritting his teeth from the heat, he heard a familiar voice and immediately looked up. He met the eyes of a young Chinese man standing by the opposite side of the table. Arsen could not be any more familiar with this person. He was the brains behind the Mankind Anti-aging Project and the one who single-handedly brought the research center to reality. Even though they were the ones paying, not a single soul in the Disciple Council wanted to get on the young mans bad side. So, its Mr. Chen. Arsen smiled awkwardly and made an inviting gesture. Come on, take a seat, the seat is unoccupied. Thank you. Chen Chen sat opposite Arsen and snapped his finger, a waiter quickly approached. Boss, what would you like to order for breakfast? Chen Chen thought for a moment before raising his finger and speaking in Chinese, Ill have a bowl of Dandan noodle[1], two lard cakes, and lobster fried with green onions. Make sure to not put in seasoning powder. Youre Chinese but youre not a fan of seasoning powder? Arsen asked with a sense of intrigue. In moderation, I suppose. Chen Chen nodded. The sodium glutamate in seasoning powder breaks down into glutamate. Consumed in excess, the solution catalyzed by enzymes is transformed into an inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain. Chen Chen pointed at his head. This inhibitory neurotransmitter will put your nerve functions in an inhibited state, affecting your thoughts I see! Even though he did not understand a single word, Arsen smiled and nodded. I never thought that seasoning powder could be this harmful, I suppose I should cut down on them in the future. After everyone finished their meal, they headed to the research center building together. I havent congratulated everyone here yet. While the crowd was chatting among themselves in a low voice, Chen Chen spoke suddenly, Everyone, well be conducting the final tests today. If no problems arise, then we can officially announce that the Age-reversal treatment is an unqualified success. The group took a brief moment to process what Chen Chen just said before the joy started to surface in their eyes. Despite Chen Chens best attempts at providing the best facilities possible, it did not change the fact that they were in Africa which was most lacking in natural resources. There was not much by way of entertainment or anything else, they were at their limit at this point. This was only one of many reasons. What gave them the most pleasure was in knowing that being allowed to leave meant that the Age-reversal treatment they had undergone was a success. These old men who were on the eve of their lives had extended their lives by thirty years! This was not a life sustained by lying on a sickbed, hooked up to all sorts of devices. This was a proper chance to live again, abandoning their old and corroding body with a brand new, youthful shell! Their eyes glowed brightly at the suggestion. This was a glowing eagerness for what the future had in stock for them On top of that, I have one more good news to share with you all. Chen Chen paused briefly before continuing. I know that some of you have concerns that youll continue to be plagued by Alzheimers disease despite regaining a youthful body. However, from now today onward, theres no longer a need to worry about such disease. Weve heard about this as well. Tom Wilson turned to him. I heard you discovered a therapy procedure that was able to contain the worsening effects of Alzheimers disease? Your information network is truly impressive. Chen Chen answered with a swift smile, Ive only announced this in the Chinese Academy of Sciences and havent even published it in Nature. And yet, you already found out about it. However, thats not the good news I was referring to. Its not? Tom was surprised. The good news Im talking about concerns a breakthrough in Alzheimers disease reversal treatment project research. In three years, well be able to develop a specialized drug to completely cure Alzheimers disease. Chen Chens remark was met with astonishment. Are you sure youre not messing with us here? I thought even the cause of the disease is still largely unknown? According to our latest findings, Alzheimers disease is a form of deterioration of the human body functionalities which in turn leads to internal deterioration. This is a disease caused by a chain reaction. Chen Chen approached the entrance of the research building before concluding. Therefore, the Age-reversal treatment also achieves an effect of suppressing Alzheimers disease to a certain degree. As for the true method of curing it, I will not be disclosing it for now. I just hope that everyone is ready for it In three years at most, a new line of drugs will be born to bring an end to the plague of the century! [1] A Chinese dish from Sichuan Chapter 138 - Premiere They had their doubts about Chen Chens final claim. Ever since the dawn of mankind, there had been two things that countless men would willingly spend their whole lives pursuing. One was power, the second was resources. However, there was no such thing as definite power in the world. Therefore, the worship for power eventually took on the form of a community strength. With the roots of early society taking shape, the concept of communal strength evolved until the concept of authority was birthed. Resources, on the other hand, were indispensable for human beings to ensure both their survival and continuous reproduction in ancient times. This included animal pelts, stone tools, prey, and even women to a certain extent. Under harsh conditions, you stand a chance to live a better life than others and reproduce if you obtain more resources. As the structure of human society grew ever complex, the embodiment of resources slowly morphed into abstract subjects such as money. Still, its essence remained the same. This was to say that authority and money were the two things that modern human society seek above all else. With authority, one would be able to establish ones position over millions. With money, one would be able to easily obtain things that regular people could only dream of. Whether it was wealth or authority, upon reaching a certain stage, one would be able to be exposed to the corresponding circles and obtain secrets that regular people would never discover in their entire lifetimes. These secrets concerned the security and interests of the political system and were only known to a selection of people for a certain period. This included matters of politics, economy, military affairs, finances, technology, and many other information that the Federation could not risk disclosing. Take finances for example. By knowing ahead of time of a failure of a certain project of a certain company, one should be able to determine that the companys stock should experience a drop in a few days. Or in the case of technology, by knowing of a successfully deployed product ahead of time, preparations could be made to anticipate the changes the new gadget could cause in the market. Having access to these pieces of information offered a substantial advantage whether it was for profit accumulation or risk aversion. From the perspective of the ones on top who were in charge of this confidential information, regular investors were merely livestock ripe for slaughter. At this moment, what Chen Chen was doing was breaking the information to these royal families ahead of time. It was a secret that could not be obtained by any other parties in the Federation. The moment AD-001 made its debut, it was the acetylcholinesterase inhibitor drugs or NMDA receptor antagonist drugs on the market. Perhaps it could be international pharmaceutical companies such as Novartis, Johnson & Johnson, Biogen, Eli Lilly, Pfizer, Roche, Merck, and so on More than two decades of patented technology and investments totaling above 600 billion U.S. dollars was going to turn into nothing but scrap papers. When that happened, what sort of ground-breaking revolution was going to occur in the international pharmaceutical market? There was a good reason Chen Chen chose to disclose this information. He was going to use the resources available to him to section out a network for himself. Should they believe what he told them, they should know to act accordingly upon being approached by pharmaceutical markets for investment to avoid losing everything three years later. It was not a big deal even if they chose to not pay mind to it. By the time everything unfolds three years later, these people present here should be able to verify the validity of the information they had received ahead of time. With that, it should boost the prestige of Gods Forbidden Zone when they disclose similar information again. Soon enough, Gods Forbidden Zone would become a unique network for relaying useful information. This was the reason Chen Chen had disclosed insiders information to them Back to the present. Several days later, the first group of family members of the Disciple Council concluded their successful treatment. The flames of life had been reignited for this group of elder members averaging at above sixty-five-years-old as they had returned to their state thirty years ago. They had experienced a similar recovery in terms of physical fitness as well. Their physical capabilities had returned to the state of their younger self. It was practically the same as regular thirty-year-old adults. It was as if the passage of time had been reversed. After escorting them to the plane one by one, Chen Chen recognized that this marked the end of the scouting phase for the eleven families. Next up, he was going to have to prepare to welcome the head of family and core members of the respective families. This was also a sign of the eleven families officially taking the side of Gods Forbidden Zone. There should be no signs of conflict for a short period to come. Chen Chen was not too worried about the potential leak of the existence of Gods Forbidden Zone. First of all, with Little X monitoring the Internet, it was extremely easy to spot any activities directed at him. Secondly, so what if there was some minor leak somewhere along the lines? This was not some sort of terrorist organization after all. At most, the outside world would see it as several organizations providing mutual aid, similar to a freemasonry system. The entire world knew of the practice of freemasonry anyway, so what? Besides, Chen Chen also had the relevant qualification certification for conducting clinical trials. No matter how you look at it, Blacklight was a perfectly legitimate biotechnology company. There was no way someone could say that qualification certification for clinical trials issued by Namibia was not standard enough. As long as the deeper secrets remained hidden, nobody could threaten Chen Chen. The worst that could happen was some international criticism that could be easily silenced by enlisting the help of the navy. Over the last few days, the movie Chen Chen shot had also officially passed North America and the Mainlands screening process. They would be premiering across the two continents and it should take some time for the other continents. However, the reception was a little controversial. Deadly Crisis: A Shocking Scheme garnered a rating of 40% on the tomatometer on North Americas renowned film critic site, Rotten Tomatoes. This meant that out of all the professional critics reviewing it, sixty-percent of them gave it a net negative review. The popcorn meter on the other hand was rated by audience voting. The average score for Chen Chens movie was 2.5 out of 5. As for IMDB, they gave the movie a rating of 6.0 which was a borderline passing mark. Getlost: I cant believe this is a Hollywood movie. Apart from the all-star cast, acceptable cinematography, and the all-too-familiar car chase scene, its plot was complete garbage! PSYCHO: Oh God, this movie is about an idiot whos being hunted down by an even more idiotic force. Its like both sides are competing to see who can be the bigger idiot. Voila, the idiot took the crown. Safe to say that this is the worst movie Ive watched in my entire lifetime! Kill: I think its alright. The female protagonist is hot, the scenes are explosive. With all these big-name cast, it was worth the ticket price! Carpenter Qian: So, the story hasnt even concluded right? Where did the villain come from? Was the director sleepwalking when he made the movie? Douban Reviews: This here is a good old Hollywood classic, Im going to give it five stars What? This is shot by a Chinese man? Hehe, that explains why its so bad, Ill give it a one-star to balance things out. Most people went to the theaters for the all-star cast and ended up dumbfounded by the actual movie itself. In the first week, the total box office of Deadly Crisis: A Shocking Scheme was only 10 million U.S. dollars. 7 million in North America and 3 million in the Mainland. Looks like its a botched investment. Chen Chen helplessly sighed upon reading the many criticisms on review sites. He added to the pile of comments himself: Chenchen: Dumb director. Chapter 139 - New Weapon GS Sword As expected, the business magnates were astounded upon receiving their family members who had completed their treatment. These old and frail men in the late stages of their lives had suddenly had the passages of time wound backward on them. How could they have the strength of their youthful prime restored by just spending four months in Africa? There was not much by way of hesitation this time. Fifty members across eleven families had made reservations for the second batch of treatment. The Muhammad family of the Middle East continent accounted for the majority of it. Most of them were collateral members, so they had to pay for the treatment of Gods Forbidden Zone at the price of ten million dollars for ten years of lifespan. This meant that collateral members had to make a one-time payment of ten million dollars. Over the next decade, apart from helping them restore their youth, Gods Forbidden Zone would also be cultivating a cloned body of the payer and maintaining it. Should the payer be struck with any illness, they would be cured subsequently. If the cloned body remained unused after a decade had passed, Gods Forbidden Zone would get rid of it. It was free of charge for the direct members of the Disciple Council. Due to large family structures like Muhammad, there was a need for another disclaimer in Gods Forbidden Zone. There could be no more than thirty direct members receiving treatment and any additional member was subject to payment similar to the collateral members. The only person allowed to directly liaise with Gods Forbidden Zone was the head of the family who held the highest authority in the family. Other family members or related members did not have the privilege of conducting business with Gods Forbidden Zone. As one of the twelve disciples, these families could receive one hundred thousand information credit upon becoming a disciple. These information credits could be used for purchasing certain resources in Gods Forbidden Zone or they could use it to obtain certain secret information or issue missions. The ones who would be carrying out the published missions could be other members of Gods Forbidden Zone or even the Gods Forbidden Zone organization itself. Several days later, there was a conversation coming from Chen Chens office. Chen Chen was chatting calmly with a gray, elderly voice on the other end. Dont worry, our Gods Forbidden Zone adheres to a strict set of code. How else can we hope to attract the next group of business tycoons if we dont hold up this level of credibility? As for the matter concerning your son, I know what to do, be rest assured. Chen Chen sank into the rotating chair and dealt with matters on the phone while toying around with a black object measuring about thirty centimeters long. The elongated object seemed to resemble a knife handle. There was an oblate armguard on one end of it and a convex section built for grip in the middle. The only thing missing was a blade at its top. There was a faint gray button located in the area of the armguard. It was positioned at an angle so that someone reaching for it could conveniently press it with their thumb. Of course, Sir Roman, I look forward to your arrival Of course, most welcome. Toward the end of their conversation, Chen Chen silently hung up the phone while he held the handle and pressed the gray button. Chink! A long narrow blade popped out from the inside of the handle following a swift ring. What was even more amusing was that the body of the blade was coated in stark black, it was as if it was painted with a matte black surface. Appearance-wise, it looked like an Asian samurai sword, except with a high technology element built into it. The length of the sword could be adjusted flexibly, ranging from thirty centimeters at its shortest, up to two meters. Gantz Sword. This was another piece of equipment Chen Chen had extracted from Gantz. It was convenient for carrying around and could easily launch its blade during combat. It was the perfect weapon fit for carrying and eradicating his enemies whenever necessary. The principle of the sword was similar to the PK Armor from Predator, both of them were a form of nano-arrangement structure. In addition, when the sword faced an opposing force which velocity exceeded 100N, it would automatically generate a three-kilohertz high-frequency oscillation, instantly cutting obstacles in its path. With so many high-tech built-in features, a Gantz Sword weighed up to 3.8kg. Chen Chen continued messing around with the Gantz Sword in his palms and gave it a conventional name C GS Sword, completing a full set along with the GS Combat Suit. Sir Godfather, Prince Steel of the Muhammad family have informed us that the Symphony of the Sea cruise ship they took has been authorized by Namibia to dock. Theyll be arriving at the Walvis Bay harbor in two hours. Little Xs crisp voice came from the speakers. Got it, have Qian Wenhuan get his crew ready to escort them at Walvis Bay. Chen Chen caressed the blade while commenting absent-mindedly, Make sure those old men dont slip and fall or something. Those are walking dollar bills. But they also extended an invitation for you to board the cruise ship for an extravagant, luxurious trip experience, Little X added. Luxurious trip? To where? this caught Chen Chens attention, he asked without raising his head. Didnt I inform you back then, the Muhammad family already invited all the other members of the Disciple Council to board the cruise ship before coming here to meet us. Also, when it comes to cruise ships, there is no need for a destination because being on the cruise itself is a prime pastime. Boarding a cruise is a form of pastime? Now, this is something Im unaware of. Chen Chen shook his head with a blank look on his face. Little X went on explaining patiently, Cruise ships are a form of tourism vehicle that focuses on a sightseeing experience, theres no need for a fixed route. You can stop in various countries and experience the local culture or indulge in the entertainment provided on the ship. There are swimming pools, bars, casinos, and even a theater to boot. Ensuring enjoyment of the highest quality even during the journey! I got it, its something like Titanic right? Chen Chen snapped his finger. Thats right! Little X replied, Only the cruise ship today is far larger than Titanic. In the case of the Symphony of the Seas reserved by the Muhammad family, its 362 meters long, 65.7 meters wide, and 73 meters tall. It weighs 228 thousand tons in total. Titanic is merely one-fourth of its size. Chen Chen seemed to be finally intrigued, If the cruise ship is this big, surely it must require a lot of energy to operate? Yes, Symphony of the Seas has six Leroy Somer LSA62 generators installed, totaling its power generation to up to 100,000 kilowatts, Little X answered, Its the equivalent of the Walvis Bay power plant, enough to power a small city on their own! Unexpectedly, Chen Chen rose decisively upon hearing this, Inform Qian Wenhuan to put together a convoy to head to Walvis Bay. Little X, I need you to survey the largest shipyards in the world and compile an analytic report. What would you like to analyze? Little X asked. Price, time, power generation I want to customize a cruise ship as well! Understood. Following Chen Chens orders, Cheng Cao quickly arrived at the ground floor of the research center driving a Wrangler. By the time Chen Chen took the USB drive from the main control room and headed outside, Cheng Cao and Qian Wenhuan were already waiting for him by the entrance. Boss. Boss! The two men bowed their heads slightly and headed outside with Chen Chen. Qian Wenhuan asked, Boss, were going to The second batch of people from those families have arrived, were going to meet them and also take a tour on their cruise ship. Chen Chen asked as he continued walking, Wenhuan, youre always traveling, have you been on a cruise ship before? Ive heard of them, but Ive never really boarded one before. Qian Wenhuan smiled awkwardly. Those things are for people who have money and have the time for leisure. People who pursue efficiency have no time for it and would rather take the plane instead. Chen Chen nodded in agreement. It was true, even if you could afford to take a cruise ship, it was far more efficient to take the plane unless your intention in the first place was just to travel. Chen Chen lowered his head and got into the car. They were then headed for the harbor. Right behind them was a fleet of vehicles for escorting their esteemed guests. A long line formed of dozens of cars made for a grand presentation as they headed toward Walvis Bay. Chapter 140 - Reception As the second-largest city in Namibia and the largest coastal city in the country, Walvis Bay played a role similar to Shangdus role in the Mainland. Walvis Bay was also the only deep-water port in a 3,000 kilometers span of coastline between Lobito, Angola, and Cape Town, Rainbow Country. In 2014, the Mainland contracted an $800 million U.S. dollar land reclamation project in Namibia around the region of Walvis Bay and built a modern deepwater port. This project was not officially completed until October of 2019. The new port included a container port of 800 TEU per hectare that was capable of handling loads up to 100,000 tons. Its specification also included a 372-meter-long cruise terminal and a 410,000-square-meter land storage yard. Corresponding supporting facilities such as railways, highways, water, electricity, and communications facilities, along with housing construction were established as well. This was to say that without this port, there was no way that Walvis Bay could dock a cruise ship like the Symphony of the Seas. At just three oclock at noon, a fleet of vehicles made their grand appearance at the port of Walvis Bay, attracting the attention of countless residents from afar. Due to the construction of the nuclear power plant, the day-to-day activities at the port were extremely lively. There were always cargo ships traveling from afar docking at the port one after another. After being unloaded, their cargos were transported by countless heavy load trucks and sent to the nuclear power plant construction site. This was the reason Chen Chen had to construct the nuclear power plant somewhere nearby Walvis Bay. In addition to being the only deepwater port in Namibia, Walvis Bay was also connected to the railroad. The farther the nuclear power plant was from Walvis Bay, the higher the transportation cost of materials, and vice versa. By the time Chen Chens fleet appeared at the Walvis Bay customs, the supreme officer had already been waiting for him there. Chen Chen greeted the officer with a firm handshake and promptly informed the officer of the reason for his arrival. The other party knew better than to give Chen Chen any trouble, they quickly sorted out all the formal procedures for Chen Chen. They even took care of the formal procedures for the other family members who had yet to arrive in Namibia. The only thing they needed was their signatures. After nearly half an hour, they spotted a small white dot appearing at the horizon far away. Its appearance was accompanied by a distant whistle, it appeared to be a cruise ship. As the cruise ship drew closer, many people present at the scene were floored by the sheer size of the cruise ship. Its the Symphony of the Seas! It was one of the giant cruise ships that could count itself among the ranks of the top five in the Federation. It held a prestigious reputation in the marine-related industry. The crowd began to murmur and discuss upon hearing someones comments about the ship. The cruise ship began to draw closer with every passing second. What followed after was a spectacular visual. It was like facing a twenty-four stories tall building that was continuously drawing closer like a roaring mountain! As the crowd was feeling the weight of the enormous beast, there was another dull roar, a deep and heavy rumble. It was like the bellowing of a sea monster residing under the depths of the ocean. It took another half an hour before the titan cruise ship docked itself by the harbor. As the passenger elevator was lowered, a group of aged but graceful and noble-looking Caucasian crowd began making their descent from above. There were a total of fifty-eight people who came to the research center for the age-reversal treatment, nearly three times more than the previous batch. The group of gray-haired elders passed through the customs on the grounds of traveling and participation in international meetings. They then exchanged pleasantries with Chen Chen before entering the escort vehicles Chen Chen had prepared for them and headed for the research center. Chen Chen, on the other hand, boarded the cruise ship with Qian Wenhuan and Cheng Cao. Please come with me, sirs. The person tasked with welcoming Chen Chen was an ashen-haired man who gave off an impression of being a butler. Im the advisor of Prince Steel, His Highness has been waiting for you for some time. Thank you. Chen Chen nodded. I heard that His Highness reserved the entire cruise ship? Thats right, Prince Steele put in 20 million U.S. dollars for full ownership of the Symphony of the Seas for a month. Apart from the 2175 crewmates on board, there are only 500 passengers. Around 100 of them accounted for the other esteemed guests of other families, the rest are all their accompanying followers and friends. Chen Chen nodded and silently marveled at the extravagant lifestyle of Middle Eastern culture. 20 million U.S. dollars for a month was around 1.3 billion Renminbi, exceeding the annual target Old Wang had set. The primary motive for reserving this cruise ship is because His Highness is very fond of the entertainment provided on this cruise. The ashen-haired elder marveled with pride. There are seven activity sections on the Symphony of the Seas. This includes the central park, the Parkway Happy City, the Royal Avenue shopping street, dozens of swimming pools of various sizes, a spa, and a fitness center. As they chatted, Chen Chen officially stepped into the cruise. It appeared to be pre-planned for Chen Chen to enter from the tail end of the ship. The moment he boarded the ship, he was greeted by the scenery of a mini garden. It made sense to call it mini since the total area of the square was only a few thousand square meters. The garden part of the description came from the wide variety of plantations decorating the area. There were various bars and restaurants on both sides, Chen Chen even caught a glimpse of a steakhouse and an Italian restaurant. As they continued advancing, Chen Chen saw more bars, gyms, basketball courts, spa centers, and a theater that could host up to two thousand people Even though this was just a small preview, Chen Chen was completely floored by the sheer magnitude of the cruise ship and how well facilitated it was. After walking for roughly ten minutes, Chen Chen finally arrived at the destination. It was the largest banquet hall in the Symphony of the Seas. At the moment, there were a large number of people gathered in the banquet hall to welcome Chen Chens arrival, it was a great show of gesture. Unlike the previous spectacle where it was mostly aged members, the majority of them were the younger men and women of the respective families and relatives. There were more than a hundred people present. Welcome, Mr. Chen. The one leading in front was a man from the Sand Continent. He had a white turban wrapped around him and had a massive beard. Chen Chen had seen him on the television in the past, he was the brother of the king of the Sand Continent, Prince Steele. Unlike the other continents, the Sand Continent still upheld an autocratic monarchy system. Strictly speaking, he held the highest authority of all people present at the scene. Your Highness, Im flattered by your grand reception. Chen Chen bowed slightly as a show of respect, Prince Steele approached him and kissed Chen Chens cheek as they have always done in their culture. What followed after was a lengthy introduction where Prince Steele introduced Chen Chen to dozens of esteemed families present. It was only after the introductions had concluded that they officially began the banquet of the night. The banquet was hosted in the form of a buffet. Dishes from all over the world were presented including hot pot, barbecue, seafood, Japanese food, pizza, and so on. Right beside them was a world-class band weaving together musical chords and symphonies, delivering a magnificent musical performance. Chen Chen had a chance to see for himself the refinement which the true royal classes indulged in. The people came and went, forming small circles among themselves and making conversation. Countless business opportunities were birthed this way amid their many discussions, businesses where common people would never see, hear nor get a single cent of. Chen Chen let Qian Wenhuan and Cheng Cao be on their own, Qian Wenhuan had already found someone to mingle with. Cheng Cao, on the other hand, kept to himself at the edges of the buffet while munching down his steak. After mingling around with the crowd, Chen Chen left the banquet hall and went to the deck outside the venue. Without even sensing the passing of time, midnight had already come upon the cruise ship. The Symphony of the Seas had long set sail into the vast blue sea again shortly after Chen Chen had boarded it. The night sky dyed in indigo drowned itself into the dark green ocean, there was no telling where the horizon which separated the two started and ended. The moon of the sea shines ever the same across all the different worlds Chen Chen recited a familiar ancient poem. Good poem, good poem. There were approaching footsteps coming from behind. Shortly after, a tall and broad figure appeared by Chen Chens side and leaned on the railing just like how Chen Chen did. Ive always found myself captivated by the ancient poetry and culture of the Mainland. Mr. Leo, youve heard of this one before too? Chen Chen tilted his head and asked. This was not the first time Chen Chen had met this man. This was the very man the Foster family sent the very first time Chen Chen sent the invitation to the eleven families. Leo Foster. The only heir of Norman Foster, who was at the helm of the Foster family. Chapter 141 - Patricide and Filicide Ive always greatly admired Chinese culture. Leo nodded, glanced back silently, then said, By understanding the culture of Mainland China and comparing it to our Western culture, one can always find a lot in common. Such as? Chen Chen looked out at the sea and did not turn back as he asked. Such as The culture of killing ones children. Leo shot a look at Chen Chen. You must know of The Twenty-four Filial Exemplars, right? Chen Chen nodded. Theres a story in The Twenty-four Filial Exemplars that I find very interesting. Leo smiled. In a catastrophic year, a filial son named Guo Ju decided to bury his son alive to have one less mouth to feed, so that his mother wont go hungry. This was because he reasoned that, if his son died, he could have another child again, but if his mother died, she cant be brought back to life. Makes sense Chen Chen nodded. ??? Leo was stunned, then he laughed. Chen, youre too funny This story is too simple. Let me tell you another one. In ancient times, there was a boy named Shun who was very capable, but his father didnt like him and often beat him viciously for no reason. But Shun never retaliated. When he was beaten lightly, he endured it obediently; when he was beaten heavily, he would flee to the wilderness, crying alone bitterly. Later on, Shuns father became worse. Once, he made Shun repair the roof, but when Shun climbed up, he took away the ladder and set the house on fire. Finally, Shun had to use the bamboo hat he was wearing as a parachute and jump down, escaping death At this point, Leo observed Chen Chens expression again, but Chen Chens face was still stoic as he looked into the distance indifferently. Frowning to himself, Leo continued saying, Two days later, Shuns father made him dig a well. Shun went, honest and obedient. When he reached the bottom of the well, his father hurriedly piled on the dirt, trying to bury Shun alive. Fortunately, Shun was vigilant and knew his father was up to no good. So he had already dug a secret tunnel in the sidewall of the well as soon as he reached the bottom. In this manner, he survived again Phew! After he finished, Leo finally could not refrain from asking, Chen, dont you think that Shuns father is utterly abhorrent? I guess. Chen Chen nodded. If I were Shun, Id be very sad. Yes, I think so too. When he saw Chen Chens reaction, Leo was secretly pleased. Before he could say anything else, the captains voice boomed through the speaker of the cruise ship. Dear ladies and gentlemen, the Symphony of the Seas will leave Namibias territorial waters in half an hour and arrive at the high seas of the Atlantic. I repeat, the Symphony of the Seas will leave Namibias territorial waters in half an hour This announcement rang out three times. At once, the people who were still at the banquet erupted in a cheer. Many people directly left the banquet and headed to the deck below. Well be on the high seas soon. Leo looked delighted. At the same time, three people walked out of the banquet hall and came to both of them. Chen Chen, Leo, how about we go together? Among these three, one of them was Davis, heir to the Wilson family while the other two were the heirs of the Alexander and Edwards families. Of course. Leo turned to look at Chen Chen in invitation. Chen, are you up for a round at the casino? The casino? Chen Chen inquired. Yup, and not just the casino. To celebrate your arrival, Mr. Chen Chen, the few of us have specially prepared something special. I believe itll be worth your while! The three others at the side also started to egg him on. Ill be honored. Seeing that the four of them were inviting him, Chen Chen nodded. I also wish to see what sort of special program it is. Before boarding the ship, Chen Chen had already revised some information about cruise ships. Most of these cruise ships were so popular because of their casinos. According to international law, the territories on aircraft, ships, and other vehicles belonged to the country of said vehicle. In other words, this cruise ship belonged to a particular country. If a criminal case were to occur on this ship, it would be investigated and managed by that country. Therefore, as long as this country did not prohibit gambling, cruise ships of this country could operate casinos onboard. Of course, if this ship entered the waters of a country where gambling was prohibited, the ship must immediately close the casino, which could only be opened when it left the countrys waters once more. Before he left with the group, Chen Chen shot a final glance at the distance. At an unknown time, the moonlight had faded. A dark cloud slowly drifted across the sky, spreading outward with its thick, silent darkness, covering the pure bright moon. It seemed that a storm was fast approaching As there was still a half-hours voyage to the high seas, in this time, Chen Chen was invited by the heirs of the four families to the opera house. There were only a handful of people in the theater that could accommodate a thousand people. Still, the scene on stage was as grand as ever, with the group of actors performing with great effort. Chen Chen thought that this opera was interesting too. It told the story of how Zeus became the king of gods in Greek mythology. According to legend, in the realm of gods, Uranus, the god of sky, imprisoned his children underground. As a result, his son Cronus rose with the wind and used a sickle to castrate his father, thus replacing the rule of the god of sky. However, the god of sky cursed Cronus before he died, saying that Cronus would be killed by his own children, just like Uranus was. Thus, Cronus made the decision to devour every single child of his that was born. That was what he ended up doing. When his first five offspring were born, they were swallowed into his stomach before they could even open their eyes. This happened until the birth of the sixth baby, named Zeus. The mother, Rhea, hid Zeus, swaddled a stone in cloth, and offered that to Cronus, saying that that was their child. Therefore, Cronus swallowed the stone in one gulp Zeus survived by luck. As he grew up, he began to understand his origins and decided to take revenge. First, he spiked his fathers wine with emetics. The father vomited after drinking the wine, regurgitating his five siblings. Among these five siblings were the well-known king of the sea, Poseidon, and the king of the underworld, Hades. Ultimately, the brothers worked together to defeat Cronus and imprison him in the deepest level of hell while Zeus became the king of the gods. What do you think? After the opera ended, Leo asked with a smile, Chen, have you realized that our Western patricide and your Eastern filicide shared the same message despite delivering it differently? As a person grows, they must overthrow the will imposed upon them by the previous generation. Only then would they achieve full personhood and become their true self. Its still a little different. Chen Chen shook his head and disagreed. This is in fact a cultural difference. In China, were good at farming. The older one gets, the more experience one would accumulate in farming. Therefore, as society grows, we end up with a situation where the older you get, the more senior you are, the greater your right to speak. Its different from Greek civilization. Greek land is barren and unsuitable for farming, but it can produce olive oil, wine, and wool. So the Greeks went to sea to do business, selling their goods to other countries in exchange for food. However, the sea is clearly the world of young people. Riding the wind to go out to sea and fighting the waves is something that old people cant do. Therefore, Greek culture worships young people more, and so the father-killing myth appeared. Chen Chen analyzed. As such, this is the ideological difference between the two civilizations. And in truth, our filicide in China isnt as serious as the patricide complex in the West. Everyone exchanged glances. Their initially exuberant spirits had dropped into a death-like silence. Oh right, didnt you say that there was something else planned? Chen Chen suddenly changed the topic and put on an interested face. Can we go now? It should be here soon. Lets go to the casino lobby first On one side, Davis broke the silence. Well do a quick round there, then head to the boxing match! Chapter 142 - Blackjack Boxing match? Chen Chen asked curiously. Leo quickly came to his senses and smiled as he explained, You mustve watched UFC before. Unlike UFC, this type of boxing match has no rules. Arms, legs, and even teeth can be used as a weapon. Right, many people like watching UFC, but to really stir up the beast in you and pump up your adrenalin, it has to be boxing without rules! On one side, Davis broke out into a bloodthirsty grin. There are no medics, physical examinations, doping tests, not even referees. The difference between victory and defeat is that one side will be standing while the other side has fallen. Ive never seen that kind of fighting. What are we waiting for then? Chen Chen was already walking off. Leo who lagged slightly behind stared at Chen Chens back with a dark glint in his eyes. After that, he exchanged a glance with Davis. Davis nodded and the four of them swiftly followed behind. Upon reaching the casino, Chen Chen found that the doors, which had been shut tight, were fully opened. Not only that, but there was also a large throng of people inside. Most of the passengers on the cruise had gathered here. Before he went in, he could already sense the excitable atmosphere surging out from inside. Looks like the one weve invited isnt here yet, Leo said ruefully. So, Chen, wanna play a few rounds of Blackjack with us? Whats Blackjack? Chen Chen asked offhandedly. Oh, my dear Chen, you dont even know what Blackjack is? Leo did not know whether to laugh or cry, so he pulled Chen Chen by the sleeve and went in. Come, dear Chen, let us give you a proper lesson! With that, he dragged Chen Chen into the casino. It was not until Chen Chen walked into the casino that he understood why so many successful people with billions of dollars would be addicted to this sort of place, even losing control as they gambled frantically and finally burned through everything. The interior of the casino was magnificent and sumptuous with thick, dizzying carpets, splendid golden inscriptions on the walls, and a gigantic chandelier suspended over the huge hall. It was like paradise on Earth. However, beneath the brilliant, glittering fixtures, there was a psychological suggestion that anything was possible The windows here did not show the world outside, so one would not sense the passage of time; There was no mirror that would show ones reflection, so people would not notice their faces distorted with greed; Moreover, the flawless service here, along with the casino chips that obscured the fact that money was slipping through ones fingers, caused people to abandon all reasons. They could only sink endlessly lower The livelier the atmosphere, the more the place was filled with a hysterical aura. As he walked through the aisle at the center of the casino, Chen Chen had already seen several gamblers with bloodshot eyes. They pushed their chips forward recklessly, panting, having lost their rationality. It took humans millions of years to develop reason and gamblers abandoned it in only three minutes. Before Prince Steele had invited the eleven plutocrats, he had said that he would allow these powerful families to invite their relatives and friends on board as well. This was why there were so many people on the ship. Most of these were second-class, minor plutocrats or wealthy entrepreneurs, who had used their connections to come on board to expand their network. Chen Chen even noticed a few people from China. At this point, a handsome young man with long hair, dyed brown, passed by Chen Chen, tirelessly explaining to his companions: This is the last time Im buying the chips. This 4 million is my final streak of stubbornness. You wont see me spending another dollar in this casino. With this 4 million Ill win 400 million! Chen Chen shook his head slightly. It was not that easy to win four million in a casino Leo, Davis, and the rest led Chen Chen to a gambling table with a notice that said Blackjack. This must be the Blackjack that they were talking about. Blackjack is actually 21-point. Leo quickly explained to Chen Chen, First, take two to three decks of cards and remove the two Jokers from each deck. For the remaining cards, the points of 2 to 9 are counted as is while 10, J, Q, K each counts as 10 points. The Ace is counted as 1 or 11 points, depending on the situation. The rules are simple. The player may keep drawing cards, then compare the number of points in their hand. However, the total can only add up to 21 points at most. If it exceeds 21 points, you bust, and you lose immediately. If your points are the same, its a tie. So, who am I playing against? Chen Chen asked. The dealer. Davis pointed at the sexy dealer opposite the table. The game is divided into the dealer and the player. All players only need to compare with the dealer. They dont have to compare with each other. Thats right. After all players have finished drawing their cards, then its the dealers turn to look at the cards. The rule for the dealer is: If its greater than or equal to 17 points, they wont draw more cards. Otherwise, theyll keep drawing cards until they reach 17 points. If they bust, all players win. Leo added. Tonights banker is Prince Steele. Hes sponsored each of us a hundred thousand dollars. As Leo spoke, a casino staff member came over with some chips and handed them to everyone. Chen Chen took a few and held them in his hands. Lets play a round then, Davis said eagerly, my hands are itching already. With that, he took a seat and threw down his chips, signaling the dealer across the table to start dealing. Chen Chen shook his head and sat in the second seat, putting down two chips. In the first round, Chen Chen received one card that was faced down and one card that was turned over. The former was the 2 of spades, and the latter was the 10 of diamonds. Chen Chen frowned. 2 plus 10 resulted in a number that was neither here nor there. If he continued to draw, he might bust with just one more card. If he chose not to draw any more cards, his chances of losing were very high. Right away, Chen Chen looked toward the dealer, whose exposed card was 7 points. Seat number 1, do you want to draw? The dealer started to ask Leo, according to the procedure. D*mn it, I dont want any more cards! Leo laughed and cursed. His exposed card was the 10 of hearts, the same as Chen Chen. A game of probability? This gameplay seemed to be solvable by math At this point, Chen Chen could not help tilting his head. [My points are 12 and the dealers exposed card is 7 points. If I choose not to draw, then according to the rule that the dealer must reach 17 points or more as Leo said, theres only one way I can win, that is if the dealer busts.] [Suppose that the probability of the dealer busting is P(S). In that case, there are currently 13 possibilities for the dealers hidden card: let T represent 10, J, Q, K. When F(T+7), the dealer wont draw or bust. Putting this aside] [When F(9+7), drawing 6~T equals to bust. F(9+7) = 8/13 and so on. Finally, P(S) =F=0.26231.] [This means that, if I dont draw any cards, my probability of winning is 26.231%.] Chen Chen glanced at Leo and Davis beside him and continued thinking. [However, if I continue to draw, Ill win in two cases: 1. I dont bust, and the dealer does; 2. Neither the dealer nor I bust, but I have more points. The probability of this: P(H).] [The chances of the dealer busting is the same as above. But if its the second scenario, then there are four further possibilities. P1, I have 21 points, the dealer has 17 to 20 points; P2, I have 20 points, the dealer has 17 to 19 points; P3, I have 19 points, the dealer has 17 to 18 points; P4, I have 18 points, the dealer has 17 points] [Lets analyze this first. If I draw the next card and my point increases from 12 to 13, that means I drew an A. Therefore, if W(12) = 1, then W(13) = W(12)1/13 = 0.07692.] [From this, W(18) can be calculated. The dealer gets 17 points, and Z(17) can be calculated in the same way. Therefore, the formula for the fourth possibility is P4 = W(18)+Z(17), and the same can be calculated for P1, P2, P3] [Therefore, the probabilities of the four scenarios added together is P(H) = P1+P2+P3+P4+P(S)9/13 = 0.43577.] [In other words, if I continue to draw, my probability of winning is 43.577%, which is higher than if I dont draw a card] All this seemed lengthy, but it flashed through Chen Chens mind in just a moment. When Chen Chen looked up once again, it was his turn to speak. Seat number 2, do you want to draw? the dealer asked in a soft voice. One more, please. Chapter 143 - The Arena Half an hour later. In this round, the dealer has 18 points. Number 1 has 17 points, Number 2 has 20 points, Number 3 has busted Number 2 wins, Number 1 and 3 lose. The dealer spoke calmly as she pushed some of the chips to Chen Chen with a metal ruler. Currently, the chips before Chen Chen had piled up to the height of a small table. At the same time, a large crowd of spectators had gathered behind him. Oh my god After the dealers announcement, the crowd instantly murmured among themselves. Chen, how do you do it? Leo and Davis, who had already lost all their money, wore incredulous expressions. There was no doubt that everyone had lost and won some rounds, but the chips in their hands had slowly shifted to the dealers side. Only Chen Chens chips did not decrease but grew in volume instead. Its just a question of probability. Chen Chen felt that this was enough, so he threw down the cards in his hand and said to the dealer, Theres a total of 10.62 million USD here. Please transfer 10 million to my account. The rest is yours. Thank you, sir! The dealer was stunned and hastily bowed in gratitude. With just this tip, she could retire right away. As Chen Chen left, the spectators behind could not refrain from clapping softly before they slowly dispersed. Chen Chen took out his phone and looked at the time. It was already ten at night. At the same time, he realized that despite being connected to the cruise ships Wi-Fi, the internet traffic was zero. At once, he asked, puzzled, Does the Wi-Fi here have no signal? Let me see Leo took out his phone and said in amazement, Me too. Although its connected to Wi-Fi, I cant get online. Seems like theres a problem with the Wi-Fi. This kind of thing often happens at sea. Davis sounded unconcerned. Just then, there was the sudden sound of helicopter rotors from outside the doors of the casino. The minute they heard this, Leo and the rest perked up. The contenders weve invited will be here soon! With that, they headed out of the casino. Chen Chen followed the group. After they walked out, they followed the sound and saw a small helicopter, flickering with a red light, in the dark, heavy sky, hovering above the Symphony of the Seas. Once the pathfinder helicopter arrives, the ones weve invited would be here right away, Davis, as if worried that Chen Chen would not understand, quickly explained. Chen Chen nodded. Sure enough, a short while after the helicopter landed on the helipad, another cruise ship appeared on the horizon and rapidly drew closer. This cruise ship was pitch-black all over. Although it was not small, next to the Symphony of the Seas, it looked like a small dirt mound beside a large mountain. There was no way to compare them at all. The people from the helicopter came forward to exchange a few words. More than ten minutes later, thirty or forty men dressed in various attire boarded the ship intermittently. From Chen Chens perspective, everyone in this group radiated a ferocious, formidable aura as if each one was reeking of blood. Only those who had seen blood before would have such a presence. Chen Chen stood on the upper deck and looked down. Prince Steeles bodyguards and crew were conducting full-body checks on everyone. They were only brought in one by one after all suspicious items had been confiscated. At this moment, an icy gust of wind tore past the deck, messing up Chen Chens hair with a wailing sound. The wind was getting stronger, to the point where it could no longer be ignored Chen Chen slowly looked up and gazed into the distance once more. The sky was extremely gloomy. It was no longer a clear indigo sky but eerie darkness. It looked like a ceaselessly rolling thick fog that was startlingly black Rain clouds had fully condensed and formed above the Symphony of the Seas. A violent storm was inevitable. It looks like therell be a storm soon. D*mn this weather! Leo was grumbling. Chen, lets head back first. Chen Chen stood with his back to Leo and the rest. Currently, a smirk was tugging at the corner of his lips, then it vanished. Alright, lets go back. They returned to the casino. As the boxing match was starting soon, Leo and the rest did not continue gambling. Instead, they stood on the sidelines and chatted. From time to time, members from the other families came over and joined in. It was Chen Chen who stood to one side with nothing to do. Chen Chen glanced at the table where they were playing Fight the Landlord. He happened to notice the brown-haired young man playing together with two forty, fifty-year-old ladies. Moreover, the 4 million worth of chips on the young mans table had dwindled to less than 200 thousand At this point, the young man was gripping four cards in one hand, blustering at one of the ladies, You can crush me with seventeen cards? Do you think you can crush me? If you crush me today with seventeen cards, Ill eat this mahogany table! Right! Here! Right! Now! Chen Chen turned away with an indifferent expression and checked the time again. Just then, a few crew members in uniforms walked over and started to clear out the tables and guests in the back half of the casino. Their team leader even looked over to Leo and nodded subtly. When Chen Chen turned back, he just so happened to see Leo nodding back. When Leo noticed Chen Chen looking at him, he shot a grin at Chen Chen. What are they doing? Chen Chen asked curiously. My dear Chen, youll know soon. Leo patted Chen Chens shoulders. Then, something happened, which Chen Chen could never imagine. The back half of the casino, after being cleared of people and tables, started to descend gradually. It was like a modifiable stage. A deep circular pit appeared. The deck in the pit lowered continuously, revealing a flight of steps, creating a circle of tiered seats like a basketball court. At last, as the deep pit formed, a circular fighting arena, eight meters wide and surrounded by metal nets, appeared in the middle. Meanwhile, dozens of partitions were lowered from the ceiling, dividing the surrounding space into dozens of small, private rooms. These rooms formed a circle around the periphery of the venue, giving an unobstructed view of the entire arena. Some of the crew members began to move the sofa from the lounge area next to them into the private rooms. Chen Chen shook his head. He truly did not expect that a hidden mechanism like this would exist on such a standard-looking cruise ship. If the ship was not hired out privately, ordinary passengers would never witness this. Was this the world of the rich? Chen Chen raised an eyebrow. Astonished cries erupted behind him as well. Indeed, everyone who was throwing money around in the casino had seen the sudden drop of the arena and was instantly shocked. Lets go, Chen. Leo and the rest evidently knew about this mechanism long ago. He called out to Chen Chen, then took the lead and occupied a box. Meanwhile, the crowd that was endlessly surging up from behind was stopped by the crew. As news of this spread, more people hurried over swiftly. Nonetheless, other than the members of the eleven plutocrat families who could watch from the box, everyone else could only sit in the tiered seats below to watch the competition. Chapter 144 - Cards Revealed As it was not an actual room, the furnishings inside were not elaborate. Other than a few sofas and a coffee table, there was nothing else. Even so, compared to the tiered seats outside the court, it was much more comfortable. At least the private room was not as messy and crowded as the outside. Not only did it have a floor-to-ceiling observation window, but there was also a 40-inch ultra-thin monitor on the wall, which broadcasted the scene in the arena. This allowed them to view the competition from different angles. As one took in the entire venue from the full-length window and watched the fight from here, one would feel a sense of superiority. In a short while, there was a knock on the door and a server came in, respectfully handing a few betting machines to the group. According to him, once they entered their numbers into the machine, they could begin placing their bets. Chen Chen tossed this machine, which looked like a remote control, to one side. He sat on the single sofa at the side and silently watched as a middle-aged man with slicked-back silver hair stepped into the ring. He seemed to be acting as the host. With a microphone in his hand, he said in a loud rousing, announcer-like voice, Gentlemen, ladies, homies, b*tches, welcome to the no-holds-barred fight of the Symphony of the Seas! He leaped onto the arena and roared. Anything in this world consists of two opposites. Where theres light, theres darkness. Where theres earth, theres the sky. Similarly, where there are UFC and other world-certified fighting, there are also brutal, bloody underground fighting! And today, youll be lucky enough to see such a fight! Theyre bloodthirsty, theyre ruthless, theyre inhuman enough to break your neck this is the draw of fighting without rules! They are demons from hell, killing machines that have lost their humanity, and theyll ignite every single violent desire in your heart! As the host spat out these crude and even insulting words, it enlivened the once-quiet atmosphere. A few young people, spurred on by the host, started screaming peculiarly. It was not the first time most of them had watched an event like this. At the same time, at the end of the ring, an iron door suddenly opened and a bony black man walked out. Very well, looks like the first contender for today is a black brother! The host yelled excitedly, Please let me introduce him properly. Hes the proud warrior of Wakanda, the loyal guard of the Black Panther. Hes chewed the Heart-shaped Herb and f*cked Captain America in the ass. He hails from the Rainbow Nation and his mighty, blazing name is: Aaaaaarches! Roar ! Galvanized by the hosts provocative tone, the audience present howled even louder. The hosts vulgar language had stirred up the darkness deep in the hearts of these upper-class people. The stadium filled with hundreds slowly became rowdier. Many people were staring at the arena with great interest, including most who were already familiar with fights like this. Currently, the skinny black man had stepped into the ring, but he did not fit the hosts description. Under the blinding light which shone from above, he displayed a helpless manner and even his legs were trembling slightly. Alright, the next one to come out will be our other killer. The host turned around and faced the other door of the ring. Hes a Western cowboy from the Middle Ages, a conservative grouch, half-man, half-machine, shotgun, beer, and b*tches With that, a white man with fierce eyes, wearing a cowboy hat, slowly walked out. Oh f*ck, this bastard is so primitive! This bastard, hell even eat the butt of a live cow! Hes the cowboy from North America Saaaaaaarion! Roar! There was another raucous cheer from the audience. At this point, the entire arena was fully warmed up. Within the private room, Chen Chen stared speechlessly at the two men in the ring. The white man in the cowboy hat was not too shabby. Although his build was average, at least he had the right attitude. Still, Chen Chen could see the deep, hidden fear within his eyes. As for the other black man, Chen Chen was somewhat stumped. With that build and that demeanor, he had just come from a slum, and now he was here to join an underground fight? However, after thinking about it, Chen Chen understood. Most people had the impression that this sort of fighting, underground boxing, should be more intense than regular boxing. After all, one would be fighting for ones life on stage all year round, and had to be even stronger than professional boxers this was what most people thought. However, this was a misunderstanding. First, whether it was boxing or MMA or even fighting without rules, their purpose was nothing more than to make money. Both the boxers and the organizer of the fight were in it for the money. However, the worlds top UFC fighters could make tens of millions of USD in one tournament. How much would an underground fighter make? After all, the box office of an underground tournament definitely could not compare to a regular, professional one. Not only that, but there was also no webcast or pre-match publicity for underground fights. Even if underground fights were targeted at this group of wealthy people, there were only a few hundred people. How could it compare to a market that spanned the entire globe? Therefore, if these boxers were good enough, they could become professional, instead of risking their lives by joining the unprofitable and extremely dangerous venture of underground boxing. As he thought of this, Chen Chen suddenly recalled the contenders he saw on the deck who had reeked of blood. Those were not the contenders for this underground boxing. Their identities were Time ticked by slowly. It seemed as if the approaching rainstorm, which turned the air heavy and damp, put the crowd in the casino into a jittery mood. Leo and the rest kept checking their watches and their faces grew solemn. Although they were still watching the ring, their minds had drifted elsewhere. The first match between the black man and the white man took only half a minute to determine the winner. The result was truly astounding. Although the white man had appeared to be the more aggressive one, when they fought, he was knocked out by the black man in two or three strikes. Not only that, but under the inciting cheers of the audience, the black man displayed a ferocious side for the first time. He directly sat atop the white mans body and pummeled the white mans face, until it was reduced to a bloody pulp Still, this was just the appetizer. Following that, ordinary folk, with almost no training, stepped into the ring one after another, fighting to the death with strangers they had just met. Folding chairs, steel pipes, and other weapons were even thrown up from under the stage, increasing the bloodiness of the fights. This was what they called underground boxing. Although there were no rules, it was bloody and merciless. The cruel scenes caused some people to withdraw from the audience, but the other type of crazed spectators opted to remain. These people roared and snarled freely like a pack of wild beasts. They had temporarily put aside the rationality and morality that human beings should possess and only unleash the most primitive trait of violence in mankind. Yes, there were genes in humans that yearned for violence. The history of human progress was a history of massacres. Without this violent trait, humans could not possibly have come this far. Therefore, were savagery and cruelty in the inherent nature of some people? Mr. Chen Chen Just as Chen Chen was deep in thought, Leo spoke up beside him. This time, Leo sounded different. When he spoke, he had abandoned the intimate manner of addressing Chen Chen. At the same time, there was a decisive edge to his voice. Mr. Chen Chen, its time for you to choose. Meanwhile, Davis and the other two looked away from the ring and stared quietly at Chen Chen. I can pretend that nothing happened today. Chen Chen said calmly, I have no interest in joining your little family games. Shame. When Leo heard this, his face turned icy. At the same time, on the deck outside the casino, one could hear a sudden explosion, then the fearful screams of countless people. The pirates weve hired have started their attack on the Symphony of the Seas. Leo and the rest got up. Davis said, somewhat ruefully, Mr. Chen Chen, youre really too na?ve. Theres no middle ground in this world. Even Austria and the other countries who claimed to be neutral had already fallen under the iron boots of the Nazis whereas Switzerland only escaped by luck. Although we havent found out whos backing you, after we capture you, itll be easy enough, Leo said as he looked down at the arena. At this point, there was a sudden tumult outside the private room. Everyone looked over instinctively, only to see that the underground boxers who had mixed in with the audience were suddenly rushing out, immediately guarding the casino door and trapping everyone inside. Meanwhile, a few crew members within the casino did not react at all but instead nodded to each other. Whats going on? Where did these fighters come from? Whats the matter? D*mn it, whats that noise outside? Is someone attacking our ship? Leo, what are you guys planning? The crowd was in chaos. A few members from the other plutocratic families even dashed out of their rooms and asked in shock. Leo ignored their questions and directly looked toward those few crew members. Where are the weapons? The crew members dragged out a few metal cabinets at once and gleaming blades were produced before everyones eyes. When we boarded the ship, Prince Steele took away our guns. Sorry, but we couldnt get it back. The leader of the crew shrugged. Leo frowned but finally said, Its fine. In a surprise attack, Wilsons gang should still be able to take over the Symphony of the Seas. We just need to provide support. With that, they started distributing the weapons. From one side, a young man from another family boldly walked to Leo and questioned, Leo, what are you doing? Do you realize that doing something like this on Prince Steeles ship will Before he could finish, Leo suddenly drew out a dagger and thrust it viciously into the mans stomach! John, did you know that Ive put up with you for too long? Leos face twisted sinisterly. Go to hell, you piece of sh*t! With that, he tugged the dagger out forcefully and a large spray of blood splattered his clothes. When the crowd witnessed the man dying on the spot, there was a high-pitched scream. A few of them tried to flee but were hacked to death by the group of boxers. At once, the stench of blood pervaded the casino, prompting countless screams and tears. Leo shot a look at the casino doors that were shut tight. He could hear a ceaseless cacophony of gunshots and shouts. He pointed to Chen Chen who stood at the forefront and said grimly, Kill them! Except for him, dont leave anyone alive! At Leos command, the vicious fighters brandished their blades and rushed into the crowd. In an instant, the crowd was wailing and howling as blood splashed everywhere! Countless dying screams and desperate sobs could be heard endlessly! Mr. Chen Chen, do you now regret turning us down previously? At this point, Leo seemed to have become someone else entirely. As he wiped his bloodstained hands, he stared steadily at Chen Chen. Unfortunately, its too late now Yes, its too late. Chen Chen silently stood where he was, a peculiar smile twitching his mouth. In his hand, a black handle had appeared at an unknown time. Rumble! As the thunderous roar split heaven and earth asunder, Leo subconsciously glanced out the window. Beneath the lightning-lit sky, big fat raindrops had started to fall with a patter. The rainstorm had finally arrived Chapter 145 - His Highness’ Thought Process Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Whoosh The rain outside was torrential. Within the blockaded casino, bright red drops scattered continuously like rain. Like precious rubies, they splattered onto the expensive carpet, staining the dark red fabric with an unsettling hue while exuding a nauseating odor. A headless body stood, stock-still, as raindrops spouted from the throat like a fountain. Then, the body slowly collapsed. All around this headless body, corpses littered the floor. The mystifying thing was, these corpses were all missing limbs. There was even one that was severed cleanly in half from head to toe. The boundless rain spread out, forming fresh, vivid puddles on the red carpet. As the last fighting died, the rain within the casino stopped. Currently, within ten meters of where Chen Chen stood, only two people were standing. Leo Foster and Davis Wilson. In the inner depths of the casino, the passengers who were trapped there had hidden far away. Many of them were gravely injured and could only lie helplessly on the ground or huddle in the corner, like a flock of lambs waiting to be slaughtered. Hows this possible Leo shuddered while gaping at the young man nearby who was drenched in blood and the strange long blade in his hand. It was black all over without any luster. When it swung, one could not even see a glimmer However, it was this blade that had easily sliced human bodies as if they were tofu. Each body was only cut once, but was immediately severed into two At the moment, the pirates who had mingled with the boxers as well as the crew members who were bought off, were all dead. Chen Chen held out the long knife and slowly stepped toward the other two. Agh! Davis trembled all over and suddenly rushed to the door, crying out, Im the heir of the Wilson family. If I die, my family wont just do nothing! Theyll Before he finished, he felt a cold sensation in his throat and a blade slid out from his neck. Instantly, there was another large spurt of blood. Hurgh Gurgle Davis eyes widened as he gripped his throat tightly, trying to prevent his life from leaking out. Nonetheless, his body grew colder and colder as blood rushed into his lungs through the severed trachea, suffocating him completely. Thump! Davis corpse slowly fell to the ground. Drops of cold sweat trickled down Leos forehead. When he witnessed Davis dying, he seemed to sober up and said softly, Chen Chen, can I pay for my own life with money? Leo pleaded in a whisper, You dont have to do anything, just return me to my family Ill tell you the password to a Swiss bank account, which contained the two billion USD Ive earned privately throughout the years without letting my family know Speak. Chen Chen nodded. The account number is The password is Leo quickly spoke, then subconsciously stepped backward. Just the account number and password alone isnt enough. Youll need a key too. To get this key, Ill have to get off this ship, then However, before he could finish talking, Chen Chen swiped horizontally again. Leos eyes froze at once. Then, his large head toppled off his neck. There were more screams and sobs behind him. Chen Chen ignored the noise. He said gently to the head rolling by his feet, Its a shame that Ive never needed any key to take out money. With that, Chen Chen looked toward the doors. There was a flurry of footsteps from beyond the door. Chen Chen flicked his hand and the GS Blade retracted instantly, becoming just a handle once more. In the next second, the doors were kicked open with enormous force. A fierce ocean squall of rain blew in. A group of armed crew members, who seemed to have gone through a fight, quickly rushed in. However, when they saw the bloody scene within the casino, many of them involuntarily bent over and threw up. Some of them even fearfully aimed their weapons at Chen Chen who stood in the midst of innumerable sliced-up limbs. The way they looked at Chen Chen was as if he was a demon from hell. Put down your weapons! Prince Steeles voice rang out. Only then did they lower their guns slowly. At this time, Cheng Cao raced in as well, quickly moving to Chen Chen. Boss, I didnt carry out my duty Its fine. Im the one who asked you to pass the message to Prince Steele. Plus, theres no signal on the ship. Its not surprising that you couldnt locate me. Chen Chen waved his hand. Mr. Chen Chen! After ordering the crew to clean up the place and treat the passengers who were wounded, Prince Steele walked over with a bleak expression. I didnt think that Leos group would be deranged enough to want to kill everyone on board. If you hadnt warned me, Im afraid that the surprise attack of the pirates wouldve succeeded. Your Highness is being humble. With your wisdom, you wouldnt have fallen for a trap like this even without my warning. Chen Chen nodded slightly. They exchanged a few more words before Chen Chen, under the pretext of needing to rest from the shock, made to leave the casino and head to his lounge. Prince Steele immediately sent a team of bodyguards to escort Chen Chen to the lounge. When they stepped out, the rainstorm had grown weaker. The once-glorious cruise ship was now scarred by burn marks in many places. Moreover, the closer they got to the cockpit, the more bullet holes they saw. A fierce shootout had taken place here. Below the cruise ship, they could also vaguely make out the wreckage of several ships floating on the sea. Nevertheless, these ships had been blasted by RPGs. At last, Chen Chen came to the lounge assigned to him on the cruise ship a two-bedroom, four-parlor presidential suite on the 16th deck. As Chen Chen and Cheng Cao entered the room, the team of bodyguards remained outside the door, guarding it faithfully. Boss! Inside, Qian Wenhuan, who had disappeared before, hurriedly sprang up from the sofa with a joyful expression. Boss, are you okay Chen Chen waved his hand to cut off Qian Wenhuan, then looked toward the door with a grim expression. There was no denying that the old fox, Steele, was truly cold-blooded and selfish. Generally speaking, mobile phones had no signal on the sea and only satellite antenna devices on ships could communicate with the outside world. Therefore, when the cruise ship first docked, there would usually be a peak period of mobile phone usage among the passengers. It was during this time that Little X discovered Leo, Davis, and the other heirs of the four families had secretly contacted the pirate factions from Africa, promising them the wealth of the entire Symphony of the Seas. Their reason for doing this was to kill the patriarchs of the Alexander and the Wilson families. After all, Chen Chens appearance had meant that these family patriarchs would enjoy a much longer lifespan and their reigning period would also increase greatly. Therefore, these young men became restless. During this trip, the patriarchs of the two families would be on board. This was a golden chance. If they could kill off those two old men, then Davis and the heir of the Alexander family could easily, naturally rise to power. Thus, the four of them tried their best to rope in Chen Chen. If Chen Chen agreed to support them, of course, they would be delighted. They could even take action during the treatment, effortlessly killing off the patriarch of the Foster family so that Leo could take over. Nevertheless, if Chen Chen did not agree, they could only send in their own killers and kill off Chen Chen as well. After all, from their point of view, Chen Chens death would not matter. The operations of a company would not halt just because of one man. It was even possible that they could obtain the various life-extending technologies from Chen Chens company in the chaos. This was what the four of them had in mind. In other words, their targets were the two patriarchs on board the ship. However, assassinating the two patriarchs alone would surely make their motives too obvious but what if the entire ship was caught in an incident? At that point, they would just declare this as the work of pirates and only four of them managed to escape. This would appear perfectly reasonable. This was the plan of Leos group. Of course, Chen Chen would not allow all this to happen. Even putting aside joining Leos group, if Chen Chen did as he said and secretly killed the Foster patriarch during treatment, this would be a massive blow to the credibility of the research center. Chen Chen was not short-sighted. No matter what benefits Leo could promise, they would never match the disadvantages in the long term. Of course, Chen Chen would not choose this. Furthermore, a power struggle between Leo and his old man was bound to attract attention and concern. Chen Chen did not want this. To him, he would much rather that the eleven plutocrats grew comfortably richer day by day. Chen Chen had also never considered using these methods to take over these financial groups. In any case, with his companys business, he would only expand further. However, once he started to swallow up other companies or families, then he would be plagued with a crisis of credibility, no matter how squeaky clean or flawless his affairs were. After all, how could the benefits of conquering one or two families in a short timeframe be on par with the benefits of conquering the entire Earth Federation a hundred years later? There was a sudden dark gleam in Chen Chens eyes. He just did not expect that even after he had warned Prince Steele upon boarding the ship, Prince Steele would merely guard against the sea more stringently, but still allowed Leos group to kill rampantly on board. All this was not because Prince Steele did not trust Chen Chen. Rather, it was mainly because Prince Steele had never cared about the lives of his passengers in the first place. After all, he had no way of verifying the validity of Chen Chens news and was also afraid of alerting his enemies. Thus, he merely prepared for any eventuality and secretly got ready to defend against any sea attacks. If Leos group had contacted the pirates, then he who was prepared would naturally be able to meet the pirates head-on. As for the guests on the ships, they would have to say their own prayers. In any case, Leos group did not possess any firearms. As long as the pirates on the sea were defeated, Leos side would be trapped like a rat in a cage. This was Prince Steeles thought process. As for the casualties that might occur among the passengers well, although those might damage his reputation a little, what were they compared to his own life? Chapter 146 - Customizing a Ship The pirate attack this time had resulted in a total of one hundred and thirty-five crew members and twenty-three passengers who were dead or injured. After repelling the first onslaught by the pirates, Prince Steele immediately ordered the ship to turn back and they returned to Walvis Bay overnight. As the host, Chen Chen casually paid for the remaining vacancies in all the hotels of Walvis Bay, so that the passengers who had escaped with their lives had a place to stay. These poor people would probably never dare to set foot on a ship again. As for this pirate attack, the Namibian authorities also expressed that they took this matter very seriously, stating that in the near future, combating pirate forces would be one of their basic national policies. On Chen Chens side, the heirs of the four financial families had died at his hands. Naturally, what followed next was a whole lot of trouble. Even so, it was a good thing that there were so many witnesses in the casino, so there were no issues that could not be cleared up. Moreover, since it was their foolish sons who wanted to usurp the throne, those fathers, as long as they were not completely useless, would not be oblivious to what was going on. Chen Chen was not interested in the subsequent matters and simply handed over the whole shambles for Qian Wenhuan to deal with. He took the companys negotiators with him and flew directly to Germany, Europe. Germany was a nation under the federal system of the Earth Federation. It had suffered a disastrous defeat after World War II but in 1992, the United Nations five core members announced that the United Nations would officially transform into the Earth Federation, causing a thorough reshuffle of all the forces in the world. Germany slickly got rid of its image as a defeated country and had gained an opportunity to rise once more. With Little X making the appointment, Chen Chen headed straight to the Meyer Shipyard in Papenburg, Germany, to discuss his order of a cruise ship with the shipyards boss. There were only four shipyards in the world capable of building cruise ships of more than 200,000 tons, namely the Aker Shipyard in Finland, the Meyer Shipyard in Germany, the Atlantic Shipyard in France, and the Fincantieri Shipyard in Italy. Although the Meyer Shipyard was not the most affordable one among these, it had the fastest construction speed among all shipyards. The Meyer Shipyard was known as the German Master, being the largest and most modern shipyard in Germany. As soon as Chen Chen got off the plane, the manager of the Meyer Shipyard was there to welcome him. After a round of greetings, they all got into the car and headed toward the headquarters of the Meyer Shipyard. After that, Chen Chen toured the dock of the Meyer Shipyard, which was the largest indoor dock in the world up until now. This dock was 504 meters long, 125 meters wide, and 75 meters tall. Being in it was like standing in the middle of a dragons nest, in which humans were just tiny bugs. The person in charge of bringing Chen Chen around the dock was a middle-aged man in his forties, who had a goatee and a calm, steady temperament. At this moment, the man was saying, Mr. Chen Chen, that ends our tour. May I ask what sort of cruise ship youre thinking of customizing? Are there many types of cruise ships? Chen Chen eyed a cruise ship under construction as he asked. Not that many, but according to the categories of economic level, cruise ships could be divided into economic and commercial cruise ships. Besides, theres also the luxury cruise ship. The man with the goatee explained, For example, the Oasis-class cruise ships, which are the largest in the world, are all luxury cruise ships. The main feature of a luxury cruise ship is to emphasize the travel experience of passengers. You should know that the size of the Oasis-class cruise ships can accommodate tens of thousands of passengers. However, to provide the passengers with a more superior experience, the cruise ship only designed more than 2,000 suites, which can only accommodate 6,000 people. Most of the space has been turned into public facilities for recreation. Moreover, the facilities in these ships are also top-notch. Mr. Goatee pointed at a ship under construction. On the macro-scale, the restaurants; on the micro-scale, the furniture within the guest rooms its just a ship cabin, but the furnishings within are that of a five-star hotel. This is what characterizes a luxury cruise ship. Chen Chen nodded as he listened. What about in terms of the engines power system? For their power systems, cruise ships have high standards for performance, noise, and other benchmarks. According to our companys statistical analysis of global cruise ships, most luxury cruise ships use diesel-electric propulsion power systems, accounting for more than 70%. Only 10 cruise ships are using the combined diesel hybrid power system while 33 cruise ships are using diesel power systems. Only 1 cruise ship uses nuclear power for propulsion. Before Chen Chen could ask anything, Goatee automatically explained, This diesel-electric propulsion power employs diesel generators to generate electricity, providing electric power to the motor which drives the propellers. Its extremely suitable for luxury cruise ships, both in terms of cost and performance. What about nuclear energy? Chen Chen asked right away. Goatee looked a little puzzled by this but still replied, Although humans have created nuclear power plants, it must be said that the power in cruise ships is very different from land-based installations. The reactors are expensive and difficult to maintain. On a cruise ship, the investment needed for nuclear power is ten times that of ordinary mechanisms, which is very uneconomical. I see. Chen Chen nodded. In that case, lets use a diesel-electric system for my cruise ship, just like everyone else. That would be most sensible. Goatee approved. So, are you planning to customize the cruise now? I dont know what your requirements are. We have a large number of ship designers who can help you with this. I want my cruise ship to be as big as possible. Chen Chen thought for a while. About 500 meters in length and 100 meters in width. The more power, the better. I hear that ships have more than one power system? In most cases, cruise ships have one main power system and another backup system, When Goatee heard the measurements Chen Chen listed out, his eyes bulged a little as he replied reflexively. In that case, Ill double the whole thing. Chen Chen nodded. I want the cruise ship to be equipped with two main power systems and two backup power systems. Goatee was startled and then he smiled drily. Mr. Chen, Im afraid theres some misunderstanding. A power system includes diesel generators, electric motors, and other equipment. These devices are massive and extremely heavy. Four sets of power equipment would occupy the entire bottom of the hull. Economically speaking, its not advantageous That doesnt matter. Chen Chen shook his head. Im not building this cruise for profit, but to build a maritime experimental base. A maritime experimental base? Goatee sounded even more baffled. Chen Chen nodded. Yes, I want plenty of recreation facilities on my ship, but I dont need guest suites and the like, just some dorms and laboratories at most. Plus, the laboratories need a lot of power system support. I understand. Goatee finally understood and forced a smile. In other words, youre not planning to build a cruise ship, but a work ship? Yes, a work ship that can be anchored in international waters for experiments, Chen Chen replied pointedly. Very well Goatee wiped the sweat dripping from his forehead. In that case, how much power are you expecting to use? If your boat needs so much room, we recommend that you choose our companys largest Leroy-Somer LSA62 generator. Each generator produces around 20,000 kilowatts. Of course, Ill choose the most powerful one then, Chen Chen replied matter-of-factly. Thats the wisest choice. Goatee was a little relieved. We have 12 Leroy-Somer LSA62 generators left here. If you want to install a few extra for backup, how many generators would you like to buy? When Chen Chen heard this, he stretched out his hand and clenched it tightly into a fist before Goatees eyes. I want all of them! Chapter 147 - Renting the Symphony of the Seas After establishing the fundamentals, it was time for the designer to design the cruise ship. To show how highly they regarded Chen Chen, the general manager of the shipyard personally came over and appointed ten designers to listen to Chen Chens requests. Like students in a class, the ten designers sat behind their desks, each with a tiny notebook, as they jotted down everything that Chen Chen said. I want the hull to be as large as possible. If its doable, the laboratories should be below the main deck of the hull. They must be sealed and well protected. I dont need too many laboratories just about ten large ones and forty to fifty medium and small ones. Chen Chen thought for a while, pointed to a diagram of a ships hull, and continued. For everything above the deck, it can be similar to the Symphony of the Seas. I want a garden at the stern. It doesnt have to take up a lot of space, just enough for those working on the ship to get a sense of reconnecting with nature. On both sides of the garden, there should be two blocks of equal height. The interior of these buildings should feature a duplex structure, best constructed as suites, with two bedrooms, one living room, and a balcony with a view of the sea. In this manner, the residents who live here can view the garden on one side and the sea on the other. Wouldnt that be an enjoyable pleasure? Plus, there must be recreational venues like theatres, pools, and bars on board, along with restaurants and conference rooms. Besides, there should also be crew dormitories and training grounds. The suites you mentioned those wont be the crew dormitories? a designer asked in surprise. Those suites are for the researchers. The crew and guards working for the ship could be arranged to be on the lowest floor, to make emergency meetings more convenient. Chen Chen explained, Also, theres no need to be stingy in terms of space. After all, my ship wont need to carry passengers. The rooms for the crew dont need to be too fancy, but they shouldnt be too small. Just design them as standard rooms. These designers took down Chen Chens main points in accordance with his planning, after which they started to design at once. As for the size of the hull, Chen Chen first hoped that it would be more than five hundred meters in length. After all, a ships stability increased proportionally along with its volume. Nonetheless, this was discouraged by the Meyer Shipyard because if a ship was too massive, it was prone to more hidden risks in terms of building materials. Therefore, the final hull was set to be 404 meters long, 80 meters wide, and 60 meters tall. There would be 8 layers above the deck, each 4 meters tall. The length was not a round number because Chen Chen had particularly favored the number 404. It was just like how Chen Chen selected Dorm 404 back then. In Chinese culture, this number had a special significance After this group of designers did the calculations, the weight of this customized cruise ship would exceed three hundred and fifty thousand tons. It was one-and-a-half times heavier than the Symphony of the Seas, but because there were fewer guest rooms with luxurious furniture, the final price proposed by the factory was only one and a half billion USD, which was only two hundred million more than what the Symphony of the Seas had cost. It would take about three months for the Meyer Shipyard to build the components of the hull. In addition to the time needed for the subsequent assembly and furnishing, it would take half a year in total. Moreover, this was because they were using the modular construction method, just like building blocks. If they had used the conventional construction method, such a gigantic cruise ship would take at least two years to be completed. Finally, Chen Chen had to name this cruise ship. This was because, according to international practice, when a ships construction had begun, a piece of steel plate would be cut into the shape of the hulls silhouette or the initials of the ships name, marking the official beginning of the construction work. Chen Chen thought it over and decided in the end. In that case, Ill name it Blacklight. Thus, a cruise ship named Blacklight began its construction process. Although Blacklight was not the worlds biggest ship, it must be the biggest cruise liner in the world as of now. As Chen Chen walked out of the Meyer Shipyard, he was suddenly at a loss for words. Now he had another project under construction. The earliest one was the Blacklight Biotechnology Namibian Nuclear Power Plant, a project which was planned to be finished in eighteen months. It was approved in March 2022 and by now, there were still 11 months left to completion. Other than that, there was the Eco Science City, which was under the first phase of construction, along with the underground experimental base that would take four months to complete. Today, he had another cruise ship in the works that would take half a year. Even after all this, he still did not have any charging facilities he could use Chen Chen was rather speechless. In the next second, his phone started ringing. He turned on the phone, only to see that it was Prince Steele calling. Chen Chen frowned and wanted to decline the call, but answered it on second thought. Dear Chen, where have you been for the last two days? Prince Steeles voice sounded a little worn out, but he still laughed out loud. I want to have a drink with you to properly thank you, but Ive been completely frazzled the past two days because of what happened. Its fine. When I helped you on the ship, I was also helping myself. Chen Chen said lightly, I wonder if theres a reason Your Highness is calling? Its nothing much. I just wanted to ask you something, Prince Steele said, back then, how did you know that Leos group had contacted the pirates and got them to attack the Symphony of the Seas? Naturally, I have my own channels. Chen Chen raised an eyebrow. Is there a problem? No, no, please dont get me wrong, Prince Steele hastened to explain on the phone, then, why did you still board the ship? To be honest, if I had received the news earlier, I wouldnt have boarded. Chen Chen replied, But unfortunately, I only learned about that when I was on the ship, and by that point, the ship had already left the shore. The voice on the other end of the phone could not help laughing heartily. Thats truly a shame, Mr. Chen Chen. Still, I want to thank you. If you need my help in any way, please let me know. When Chen Chen heard this, his heart leaped. Since youve said that, theres actually something you can help me with. Oh? Prince Steele sounded a little startled. Is the Symphony of the Seas still parked at Walvis Bay? Chen Chen asked. Yes. The Symphony of the Seas belongs to the European Continent, which has sent over investigators to find out what happened. Prince Steele said helplessly, Ive been asked not to leave Walvis Bay. And theyre looking for you, too. Looking for me? Chen Chen nodded. I got it. In that case, can you pass a message to the company that owns the Symphony of the Seas tell them Im willing to rent the Symphony of the Seas for half a year at the same price you did. I wonder if you can help me with this? This At this, Prince Steele sounded a little embarrassed. Mr. Chen Chen, you may not know this. Although I rented the Symphony of the Seas at twenty million USD a month, surely youve seen the multitude of shops on board, which are rented by other business partners. Apart from the rent, I also had to pay a sum to these partners. Thats fine, I can do that too. Chen Chen was unconcerned. Since youve said that, things will be easier. Prince Steele sighed in relief. I believe that I still have a little influence in these matters. In that case, I thank you, Your Highness. After exchanging a few more lines, Chen Chen hung up. Chapter 148 - Federal Bureau of Investigation A few days later, Chen Chen arrived at Walvis Bay once again. This time, besides him and Cheng Cao, they were also accompanied by the local Namibian police chief, Maddaloni, and the captain of the Symphony of the Seas. Chen Chen and his group got off the car on the dock and walked toward the large, mountainous ship that was not far away. Under the cloudless clear sky, the huge cruise ship was still quietly moored by the dock. What was startling were the black burn marks from the explosions that were like scars on the body of the ship. On the surface of the exquisite hull, they seemed exceptionally prominent. Mr. Chen Chen, this ship doesnt belong to me personally, but since the day she went out to sea, Ive been her father. To me, shes just like my daughter The white-bearded captain pleaded earnestly. The Symphony of the Seas is now covered in scars. I hope that when you rent it, you can do a little light maintenance on these scars. You dont need to spend too much time or money, a simple treatment is fine. For example, applying a little waterproof glue on the blemishes and No problem, Captain Bernard. Chen Chen was so amused that he could only nod. Believe me, Ill treat her well. Thank the heavens, youll surely be a kind master. When the white-bearded captain heard this, he sighed in relief. Sorry, but this ship is sealed off. However, just as they reached the entrance of the Symphony of the Seas, they were blocked by two European men dressed in black. One of them sized up the group, then said something indiscernible into his headset. These are the people from the European Federal Bureau of Investigation. Play nice as much as you can. The Captain reminded Chen Chen in a low voice. Im the chief of the Walvis Bay Police Station. We need to check out something on the ship. I hope that you can accommodate us. The black man who had remained silent all this while now spoke in a dignified tone as he showed his identification. All of you are going into the ship? When he heard this was the police, the European man lightened up a little, but still said, There are too many of you. Only three can pass at most. Very well, in that case, I, Chief Maddaloni, and Captain Bernard will go. Chen Chen waved his hand and made the choice. Seeing that they did not object, Chen Chen let Cheng Cao and the rest remained where they were while he moved on first. On the ship, Chen Chen ignored the facilities on the main deck and immediately headed below. With Captain Bernard guiding the way, they reached the engine room. This machine that looks like a firing pin is the generator of the Symphony of the Seas. Captain Bernard pointed to the colossal component that was four to five meters high and dozens of meters long. Although it looked different from diesel generators on land, theres absolutely no problem with its power output. I know. Thats a Leroy-Somer LSA62 generator with a power of 20,000 kilowatts, Chen Chen replied without having to think. Huh, youve researched engines before? Captain Bernard asked, astonished. Its because Ive just visited the Meyer Shipyard two days ago. Chen Chen smiled as he explained, My customized cruise ship will also use this generator in the future. I, I see Captain Bernard gave a dry laugh and said nothing else. The three of them did a quick tour around the bottom section. Chen Chen observed carefully and only nodded in satisfaction after he had walked around the entire generator room. The three main generators and the two backup generators were all intact. The combined power of the five generators would reach a hundred thousand kilowatts. One hundred thousand kilowatts of power meant that the power generated would be one hundred thousand kilowatts per hour. Even if these generators could not generate electricity at full power throughout the day, they could still generate at least ninety percent. This level of power generation was one-tenth the efficiency of the power plant Chen Chen had used in Cape Town. Although it was only one-tenth, Chen Chen only had five days to absorb the electricity from the power plant in Cape Town. That was far more restrictive compared to this ship, where he could absorb electricity anytime he liked. Just when Chen Chen was about to disembark, his cell phone rang suddenly. Chen Chen turned it on to find that Little X had sent a message. Heh. When he saw the message from Little X, Chen Chen chuckled, then immediately dialed Cheng Caos number. Ask everyone from the Black Security Service to gather at the dock. After giving that order, he hung up. Mr. Chen Chen, whats going on? On one side, Chief Maddaloni raised an eyebrow. He knew what sort of people were in the Black Security Service. Nothing much. Someones just trying to trap me. Chen Chen shook his head. What, someone dares to trap you? When Chief Maddaloni heard this, he instantly said angrily, Ill call my officers from the police station! No need for that. Ill settle this myself. Chen Chen smiled peculiarly as he stopped Chief Maddaloni from making the call. What Chen Chen did not say was, if Chief Maddaloni called his officers over, the officers would end up having to help the other party. Very well. Seeing this, Chief Maddaloni said hotly, If theres any way I can help, just let me know. After making sure that the generators were working fine, Chen Chen and the rest made their way to the deck and strolled around. Chen Chen only suggested that they disembarked from the ship after Cheng Cao called to inform him that those from the Black Security Service had arrived. The three of them quickly left the Symphony of the Seas. However, just as they got off the ship and reached the dock, Chen Chen immediately saw twelve white Caucasians dressed in suits approaching him aggressively. Are you Mr. Chen Chen? The man at their head wore a pair of dark sunglasses, looking like Agent Smith from The Matrix. At this moment, he was walking to Chen Chen as he flashed his identification. Were from the European branch of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Theres a case that requires your cooperation. Please come with us. As he spoke, two large, imposing European men came up from behind, ready to lead Chen Chen away. One of them was even holding handcuffs. Hold on! Chief Maddaloni hurried forward and said in shock, What are you doing? Mr. Chen Chen is our guest here in Namibia. You have no right to do this! Sorry, but were asking Mr. Chen Chen to cooperate with the investigation on behalf of the Federation. Those who arent involved should stay out of this. The man in sunglasses pushed Chief Maddaloni aside with an icy expression. Chief Maddaloni only flushed red but dared not retaliate. Just a minute. Chen Chen spoke breezily, but they did not seem about to stop. Just as the two men had moved to Chen Chens side and were about to seize him, several firearms popped out from behind Chen Chen and promptly pointed at the group of federal agents. It turned out that, at an unknown time, Brando had arrived with the thirty members of the Black Security Service. Click click click! Thirty Glock 17s were aimed at the twelve agents without any hesitation. The federal agents were stunned. In a conditioned reflex, they drew their pistols and faced off against Brando and the others. All at once, the atmosphere at the dock turned into one of taut hostility Chapter 149 - Resolve At one end of the dock, two groups of people had suddenly drawn their firearms and were facing off. Behind them was the blue glassy stretch of ocean where seagulls and flamingos were wheeling about close to the water. When Chief Maddaloni was confronted with this sudden turn of events, he was rather dumbfounded, not knowing which side he should assist. According to international law, of course, he should help the Federal Bureau of Investigation. After all, this department could be said to be the Federations core law enforcement agency that possessed cross-continent authority in carrying out its duties. Although some powerful regions had their own forces and did not give a f*ck about this agency, in a minor nation like Namibia, they did not have this capacity. On the other hand, Chen Chen was a major bankroller to the authorities. If Chen Chen was apprehended in Namibia, Chief Maddalonis career would naturally come to an end. From then onwards, they could forget about Chen Chen continuing to invest in Namibia. Chief Maddaloni was momentarily caught in a dilemma. Mr. Chen Chen, are you planning to rebel against the Federation? The man in sunglasses was fearless as he stared down the gun muzzles. Instead, he proclaimed, We represent the Federal Bureau of Investigation. If you go against us, youre going against the entire Earth Federation. Please think carefully. Ive always been a legitimate businessman and a law-abiding citizen. Why would I rebel against the Federation? Chen Chen smiled carelessly. Im just afraid that someone would impersonate the Federal Bureau of Investigation and try to kidnap me. After all, Officer, you must also know that Im of considerable status. Many people have their eyes on me. Is that so? The man in sunglasses narrowed his eyes. He took out his identification and held it before Chen Chen. Have you got a good look now? Sorry, Im short-sighted. I cant see it at such a distance. Chen Chen spread his hands innocently. Please hold it closer. The man in sunglasses snorted coldly and walked closer, holding his identification right in front of Chen Chens eyes. Surely you can see Swoosh! Just as he had placed it right before Chen Chens eyes, his vision went blurry for a split second. The identification he was holding was now in Chen Chens hands! You! The man in sunglasses bellowed in rage. Shh Chen Chen raised an index finger, making a silencing gesture. Following that, he slowly tore the entire document in half in front of the man while a sneer curled upon his lips. This identification is fake! How dare you! The man in sunglasses stepped forward, but Cheng Caos gun was directly pressed into his face. Chen Chen tore the document into fragments and raised one hand. Countless shreds of leather and paper fluttered through the sky. Meanwhile, Chen Chen walked forward at once without even glancing at the ashen expression of the man in sunglasses. Mister Officer, next time, remember to bring some authentic identification before you come. Chen Chen! The man in sunglasses clenched his fist, yearning to arrest his target. Even so, with thirty guns trained on him, he dared not take a single step past the boundary. Each of Chen Chens bodyguards was bursting with a bloodthirsty aura. Were these still bodyguards? They were a group of savage mercenaries! This businessman from Mainland China had nurtured his own private army! Cheng Cao took the lead in putting his gun away only when Chen Chen had got into the car. Then, he made a gesture and everyone put away their firearms, turned, and walked away. This display of extreme obedience caused the man in sunglasses to narrow his eyes. He watched steadily as Chen Chen got into the car, then tore off his sunglasses and flung them onto the ground. At the same time, he glared at the black police chief beside him. Chief Maddaloni, where are your officers? Even for a case under our Federal Bureau of Investigation, your local officers wont cooperate at all? I Chief Maddaloni opened his mouth with a blank expression. Sir, we The deputy on the side was about to ask the man in sunglasses a question. Enough. Well just report this to the higher-ups. Those who resist the Federal Bureau of Investigation will get what they deserve! With that, the man who wore sunglasses dusted off his hands and stalked off in the other direction. Chen Chen sat in the car, silently watching the departing federal agents with a grave expression. While he was on the Symphony of the Seas, Little X had sent a message, saying that a group of agents sent by the Federal Bureau of Investigation had reached Walvis Bay. Moreover, they had completed the extradition procedures and were ready to transfer him to the North American Continent while he was caught off guard. In truth, if the Federal Bureau of Investigation had just come to question him, there would be no issue at all. However, the crucial thing was that the Symphony of the Seas was a cruise liner owned by Royal International Cruise Line, which was an European company, just like how the man in sunglasses and his team belonged to the European branch of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Therefore, even if Chen Chen was extradited, he should be extradited to Europe, not North America. Something fishy was certainly going on. Indeed, Little X now sent another message. Through targeted investigations, Little X had eliminated endless information on the Internet and finally came up with some useful data. It turned out that several financial groups in North America had formed an organization called the Als Mutual Aid Association. Through certain channels, this organization learned about the technologies Chen Chen possessed and started to get its own ideas. The plutocrats in this mutual aid association came from families that were not inferior to financial oligarchs such as the Edwards and the Rodriguezes. Naturally, they were not afraid of the eleven financial groups backing Chen Chen. Sure enough, some things cant be hidden forever. Chen Chen narrowed his eyes. Although Gods Forbidden Zone had never shown itself in formal events, no secret could be kept forever. Furthermore, so many members of the families had regained their youth. Once something like this was exposed, it would instantly spread like wildfire among the upper classes. Presumably, many plutocrats had learned of all this by now. At first, they were merely onlookers, but now that Chen Chen was involved in a case, of course, those who were eager would take advantage of this, using certain methods to test Chen Chen. With the lure of technologies that could restore ones youth, even the upper echelons of the Federation would be highly tempted, to say nothing of those plutocratic families. If Chen Chen could not even handle this first wave of challenges, naturally, he would be seen as a weak target to be bullied. In that case, more forces would surround and assault him. It was akin to a pack of wolves that smelled blood, gradually entrapping a sheep in their midst. Since thats the case, you cant blame me A fiery light flashed in Chen Chens eyes as he mumbled softly. Although he could rely on the power of the eleven great families to resolve this crisis, surely that would be going too easy on his opponents? Since they had extended their claws toward Chen Chen, they should leave their claws with him. Even if they were to end up sitting down and talking it out, Chen Chen would have to rip off their claws first before doing so. Otherwise, would people not think that they could sh*t on his head in the future? With this in mind, Chen Chen opened Little Xs app on the phone and said in a low tone, X, hack into the airlines network and book two tickets for me and Cheng Cao under fabricated identities. You know the destination Chapter 150 - Kidnapping In that same afternoon, Chen Chen and Cheng Cao both boarded a plane to New York. After only five hours, when it was evening, two of them stepped into a narrow but busy street in Manhattan, New York City. This street was only five hundred meters in length and a pitiful eleven meters in width. There were various sorts of towering buildings on both sides. Even on a sunny day, there was no sunlight here to speak of. Nonetheless, this haphazardly planned street was well known throughout the entire Federation. In one glance, Chen Chen could see the headquarters of Citibank, JPMorgan Chase, the New York Stock Exchange, and other buildings. This location represented the financial hub of the entire North American Continent. It was Chen Chens current destination the Blanc Companys headquarters, owned by Paul Blanc, the president of the Als Mutual Aid Association. Paul Blanc was the founder of the Blanc Financial Group. Compared to other long-established groups, they were a relatively young financial group first set up by Harlan Blanc in 1922. The group started as the National Bank. In World War II, Harlan Blanc and several other consortia of the new generation took control of the oldest aluminum company in North America and joined the ranks of financial oligarchs. Through these channels, the Blanc Financial Group controlled the banking and industrial capital of the Pittsburgh area. In the following decades, his son Paul Blanc gained control of Gulf Oil, and the family became a top consortium in one leap. This company had also become the most important industrial pillar of the Blanc Financial Group. Through these years of development, the Blanc Financial Group finally broke into Wall Street and became a major puppet master of North American finance and economy. Chen Chens current opponent was a colossal figure like this. In other words, the one who tried to trap me this time was Paul Blanc, the president of the Als Mutual Aid Association and leader of the Blanc Financial Group Chen Chen was in a black car. As he read the information sent by Little X, he displayed a pensive look. He read on in the car, then looked out the window again. On a building by the street, a massive B-shaped logo was ostentatiously displayed, resonating with the logos of other financial groups. This building was the headquarters of the Blanc Company. Cheng Cao, this is the man youre looking for. Chen Chen took out his phone and sent Cheng Cao a photo of a middle-aged Caucasian man who had swept-back hair and a steely expression. Sloane Blanc. Hes in the general managers office. Just knock him out and bring him out. Remember not to alert anyone else. Got it. Cheng Cao glanced at the photo, nodded with a grimace, got off the car, and walked directly toward the main doors of the Blanc Financial Group headquarters. Soon, Cheng Cao pushed past the heavy glass doors and said something to the front desk. Then, he moved out of Chen Chens field of vision. At the same time, all surveillance devices in the building suddenly became ineffective as they fell into a mode of playing videos on loop. The security in the building did not notice this at all. As remote surveillance was often needed, most foreign surveillance systems were connected to an external network. Due to this, Little X was able to interfere with the buildings surveillance. With help from Little X, in addition to Cheng Caos GS protective suit and cloaking device, every defensive measure would be futile against Cheng Cao, unless the other party had already prepared and were lying in wait. Indeed, in a little over ten minutes, the glass doors of the Blanc Financial Group headquarters suddenly swung open by themselves as if there was a strong wind. Those at the front desk merely glanced up in bafflement, then stopped paying attention. However, if one looked closely, one would notice a mass of distortion in the air walking out from the doors and making a beeline for the car in which Chen Chen was waiting. Yawn! Chen Chen yawned and opened the trunk of the car which was facing the Blanc Financial Group headquarters. Instantly, the mass of distorted light moved into the back of the car. At this point, the cloaking function was halted. Chen Chen looked down. A middle-aged Caucasian man was lying in the back seat. It was the man in the photo sent by Little X. This was Sloane Blanc, the son of the Blanc familys leader, Paul Blanc. Paul Blanc was on the verge of retiring and Sloane Blanc had assumed control over ninety percent of the family business. He was long recognized as the heir of the Blanc family. Chen Chen glanced at this important, famous heir of the Blanc family, then stopped paying further attention. Cheng Cao had turned around and got into the car, driving it toward the suburbs of New York. It was not until Cheng Cao had driven past the suburbs of New York that the employees in the Blanc building gradually realized their own general manager had seemed to vanish The entire building descended into an instant state of panic. A few hours later, with Cheng Cao driving, large private estates slowly loomed up on both sides of the road. They had entered the northern suburbs of New York City, which was where the rich lived. In New York City, the rich usually lived near Manhattan Island. There were all kinds of modern duplex mansions and high-rise buildings everywhere. It was a sharp departure from the lifestyles of ordinary people. Nonetheless, to some of the wealthy older generation, this dense, bustling area was not suited to them. Therefore, suburbs for the wealthy came into existence. These residences in the suburbs of New York were all manors. In truth, this was where the truly wealthy gathered and lived in New York. Only the richest could stay here. Chen Chen felt that this location was about right, so he asked Cheng Cao to stop. After that, he looked back at Sloane Blanc who was still knocked out and took out a surgical box from the cars refrigerator, from which he withdrew a large number of drugs. Following that, Cheng Cao cloaked himself and picked up Sloane Blanc. Meanwhile, Chen Chen got out of the car, put on a duckbill cap and a mask, and walked toward the only five-star hotel nearby. Chen Chen opened the doors to the hotel and walked straight to the counter. My name is Stephen Chow. Ive booked Presidential Suite No. 3. Please hold on. The gorgeous female receptionist behind the counter shot Chen Chen a weird look before lowering her head to check. Then, she confirmed. Yes, Mr. Chow, youve booked it this morning. Do you need someone to take you to the room? Its fine. Just tell me which floor. Chen Chen turned down her suggestion. When she heard this, the receptionist handed a gold-inlaid card to Chen Chen. Your room is on the 7th floor. Thank you. Chen Chen took the card and headed toward the elevator. As she watched this guest, who had concealed his appearance, turn to leave, the female receptionist shook her head speechlessly. Although Chen Chens getup was not a common sight in hotels, it could still be explained. He must be a certain celebrity or a wealthy man who was cheating on his wife or a celebrity who was cheating on his wife She had worked here for over three years and had seen many of these sorts of affairs. However, when she was lowering her head absentmindedly, she suddenly felt that something was wrong. Why did there seem to be a distortion in the air behind the guy? The receptionist quickly looked up, only to see that Chen Chen had gotten into the elevator. Noticing her gaze, he even nodded back at her. She swiftly looked back down. When she glanced up again after a while, the doors of the elevator had closed. Were her own eyes just playing tricks on her? The female receptionist could not help but feel unsettled. Chapter 151 - Kidney Operation After reaching the presidential suite in the hotel, Chen Chen first checked the entire room. After making sure that there were no cameras installed here, Cheng Cao showed himself and placed the unconscious Sloane Banc into the bathtub in the bathroom. As this was a five-star hotel, the entire room was luxuriously decorated. Even the bathtub was a Duravit and was large enough to hold two people. The bathroom walls were made out of translucent glass, situated in the center of the bedroom. One could vaguely see into the bathroom no matter where one stood. Seeing this design, Chen Chen could not help reflecting that it was truly appropriate for this dandy they had on their hands. Following that, he called the front desk. In a short while, a hotel attendant brought about a dozen ice trays. After thanking and tipping the attendant, Chen Chen locked the door and handed the ice trays to Cheng Cao. While Cheng Cao was making the ice cubes, Chen Chen returned to the bathroom and took out a pair of rubber gloves and a mask from the surgical box with a stoic expression. After putting on the mask, Chen Chen took off Sloanes shirt and quickly disinfected his patient with iodophor. After all, their medical resources were limited here. This was the best Chen Chen could do. After the disinfection, Chen Chen used his fingers to measure the width of two fingers below the mans lower left ribs. Then, taking note of that point, Chen Chen retrieved a medical marker from the medical box and starting from the spot, drew a line over the left iliac fossa, all the way to the lower abdomen. The iliac fossa was the bone that held up ones belt. At this time, Chen Chen drew a line about twenty centimeters long on the left. After he was done with the left side, Chen Chen drew a line on the right in a symmetrical manner. The incision had to be this big so that the operation would be safer. After all, the patients safety must be ensured. As the medical conditions of the hotel were lacking, Chen Chen could not use minimally invasive methods. After this, Chen Chen took note of the time and injected a second anesthetic into the comatose middle-aged man, preventing the patient from waking up in the middle of the operation. After injecting the anesthetic, Chen Chen took out a towel provided by the hotel, bolstered Sloane Blancs waist, and immediately took out a No. 10 scalpel, gently cutting it along the line drawn on the left Instantly, dark red blood flowed soundlessly from the wound. It looked particularly garish against the clean, white tub. Still, this was just blood from the capillaries, which was like a drop in the ocean compared to the entire body. Chen Chen took out some surgical cotton and wiped the wound. After confirming that the epidermis had been fully incised, Chen Chen put down the No. 10 scalpel and instead, picked up a sharper No. 11 scalpel. He began to cut the subcutaneous tissue. After several layers of skin had been completely cut, Chen Chen took out the hemostatic forceps and fastened it onto the wound. Then he used scissors to cut the oblique aponeurosis. At this point, the organs of his patients abdomen were completely exposed. Chen Chen took out some tools and started to clean the wound. With his hands, he moved Sloanes colon out of the way. Only then was an object encased in yellow fat revealed to him. That was a kidney. Chen Chen felt around the kidney to ascertain the position of the renal artery, the renal vein, and the ureter. After that, he cleaned off the fat on the kidney until the three tubes were fully exposed. Generally speaking, a longer section of the kidney pedicle should be preserved during kidney transplantation to facilitate the transplantation, but Chen Chen did not intend to let his dear patient proceed with a transplantation. Therefore, Chen Chen first clamped the artery and vein of the kidney with the hemostatic forceps, then cut off the ducts with a diagonal stroke of a scalpel. All at once, a live kidney had been extracted. Chen Chen put the left kidney aside into the surgical tray, picked up the suture thread from the surgical box, and began to suture the patients wound. Chen Chen sutured with great concentration. First, he stopped the bleeding of the severed vein and artery to an adequate extent, then sutured the vascular stump. After that, he returned the intestines to their initial position and performed the final wound suture. When he sutured, Chen Chen used the internal figure-of-eight suturing method, employing absorbable biological thread to close the wound from inside. In this way, the thread would not be visible externally. This method of suturing could also minimize the formation of scars. Forty minutes later, Chen Chen finally straightened up. Before him, Sloane Blanc, this strong European Adonis, looked just as he did before. If a difference must be pointed out, it would be that his face was paler, like someone who had just recovered from a serious illness. In addition, there was a twenty-centimeter-long wound on Sloanes left waist. However, this was not over. Chen Chen picked up the No. 10 scalpel he had used just now and cut along the line on the right side After another forty minutes, when Chen Chen finally straightened up, there were two kidneys in the surgical tray in front of him. He just did not know whether this dandy could continue fooling around now that his two kidneys were gone. Chen Chen shook his head. It was not that he was cruel, but this man had provoked him first. Although Paul Blanc was the one who decided to capture Chen Chen, it was the heir of the Blanc family who made the proposal. If Chen Chen was captured, it was obvious that a set of extremely cruel punishments would await Chen Chen until he disappeared from the face of the earth. Now, Chen Chen was not even after this mans life, only his two kidneys. Chen Chen was already being kind. After finishing with this, Chen Chen turned and exited the bathroom. In a short while, there was a clinking noise from the refrigerator in the living room. Cheng Cao carried a bucket of solid ice cubes and poured them directly onto Sloane. Alright, we can leave now. Chen Chen looked at the time and started cleaning up the medical waste in the bathroom. He even intentionally placed a phone on the sink so that Sloane could call for help as soon as he woke up. At the same time, Chen Chen took out the medical marker and wrote Happy Birthday on the wall. If the information supplied by Little X was correct, today was indeed the birthday of the young master, Sloane Blanc. According to Chen Chens calculations, the anesthetic would only wear off in about an hour. After that, this playboy heir would wake up from his induced stupor. At that time, he would naturally know what to do, so Chen Chen did not need to worry. By the time they left the hotel, it was already late at night. Chen Chen wrapped up the two kidneys. He did not get into the car but headed directly to a private estate nearby. This private manor was the residence of the Blanc family. In other words, Chen Chen had removed Sloane Blancs two kidneys right under the nose of the Blanc family. As Chen Chen approached the manor, he could sense the obvious tension in the air. News of Sloane Blancs disappearance had reached this place. Currently, the security in this estate was much tighter. Nevertheless, this was nothing to Chen Chen. He immediately took out a small silver-white ball from his pocket and tapped it lightly. There was an abrupt electromagnetic crackle. Chen Chens figure faded from solidity to transparency, until he finally melded into the night. This was the cloaking device from The Predator. The principle behind this device was not complicated. It formed a magnetic field around the user, rendering the effect of invisibility by distorting the light waves around the user. It was because of this that this distortion would become apparent if the user encountered the flow of water, thus temporarily losing the invisibility effect. It was late at night and Chen Chen did not have to worry about being spotted. He walked to the wall of the private manor, did a quick run-up, and kicked off the wall with both feet. Instantly, he flew up over two meters high. His arms pushed off the top of the wall, and his entire body flipped over the wall as if he was climbing over a railing. Thud There was a soft noise as Chen Chen landed lightly on the lawn on both feet. When he stood up, Chen Chen noticed that there was a sprawling garden before him. It was bursting with colorful blossoms, creating breathtaking scenery. A hundred meters away, there was a lavish, large manor, like the castle of a villa that towered over a kingdom of flowers. This was where the Blanc family stayed. Chapter 152 - Getting Acquainted Hes not found yet? Okay, please look carefully. No matter what tactics they used to abduct Sloane, he cant be brought too far away. I think that its even likely that Sloane is still in the building, only hes hidden away. In a dim study room, a white-haired old man slowly hung up the phone with a grave expression. The old man was in his late years. When one became old, one disliked harsh light. Therefore, there were no lights in the study room, only the faint glimmer of the glowering fire in the fireplace. Like many elderly people, this old man was not particularly fond of installations like floor heating and air conditioning. Instead, he preferred a fireplace. This furnishing allowed him to recall the memories of his youth. Currently, there was a brand new file in front of the old man. There was a photo attached to the file, showing a young man with ordinary features. Upon this file, the name of this young man was stated to be Chen Chen. Could it be him? The old man mumbled softly. Just last month, the Als Mutual Aid Association sent a message that the members of the Alexander family, the Edwards family, and the Rodriguez family, who were all based in Wall Street, had simultaneously regained their youth over the past months. However, this did not attract everyones attention at first. After all, there was such a thing called plastic surgery in this world. As long as one was willing to spend some money, it was not difficult to make a sixty, seventy-year-old fogey look like he was forty or fifty years old. It was just that most people thought this was unnecessary. Even if they looked younger after plastic surgery, they would still be the age that they had always been. Their bodies could not possibly become young just because their appearance did. Even so, as everyone received more successive news updates, they could no longer sit still. They discovered that the members of these families had not only become younger in appearance, but their physical fitness had also improved significantly! No, more accurately, those members of the families now looked younger because the youth of their bodies had been comprehensively restored. In other words, those people had come across a technology that could turn them young again! Once this conclusion was drawn, Paul Blanc could not sit still at all. By now, Paul, who was over eighty, had long been in his sunset years. Nonetheless, he had always maintained an optimistic outlook. He still firmly believed that as technology evolved day by day, life-extending technologies would emerge sooner or later. Due to this, he had invested in more than ten types of technologies that might extend ones lifespan over a decade ago. Even so, what followed next was an encounter with the cruel reality. Three of the technologies he had invested in quickly announced failure while another four ended up the same halfway through the research. As for the remaining three, the researchers took his money, moved abroad, and changed their names, never to show themselves again As these technologies failed one after another, Pauls heart gradually fell to the bottom of the pit. Finally, he even started to suspect that perhaps the world would never allow the existence of life-extending technologies? However, it was not until he saw the message from the Als Mutual Aid Association that hope slowly blossomed in his heart. According to the data, the reason this group of people had regained their youth was not plastic surgery. Rather, it was because they had gone to Namibia and met with a company named Blackwatch. This company seemed to own a safe and effective life-extending technology. Therefore, after investigating Chen Chens family background, a feeling known as greed started to swell in him. In the end, he agreed to the mutual aid associations suggestion that they kidnapped Chen Chen for interrogation. After all, as an ordinary citizen with no influence in society, the mentality of having his life in the hands of others must have been ingrained into Chen Chens heart, even if he was not aware of this. However, for some reason, after Paul gave the command, the Bureau of Investigation failed in their mission. Not only that, but before the news of this failure had spread around, his son, Sloane Blanc, went missing in broad daylight. The first thing Blanc thought of was that this was his opponents revenge. Pauls eyes flickered with a touch of regret. Before this, he had only considered the possibility of extending his own life. All this was too tempting to him, who would see the inside of a coffin soon. Therefore, he had resorted to extreme methods without thinking twice. He had thought that it would be a cinch, never imagining that, not only did he fail in kidnapping his target, but he also managed to gain a deadly foe. As he thought of this, Paul picked up the phone and dialed a number in the directory. Its me. Please investigate I need all the information you can get on Blackwatch Corporation. I suspect they have something to do with Sloanes disappearance Thank you. After hanging up, Paul started to flip through the information which had been flipped to tatters by now. However, just then, there was a sharp burst of applause from behind him. This sound came from behind Paul but he could swear that, ever since he had sat down here in the afternoon, not a single living soul had come into this study room If this sound did not come from his bodyguards or servants, could it be Pauls heart sank at once. He took a deep breath and slowly turned around. Instantly, he thought that he saw a figure standing in the corner of the room. No, someone was standing there indeed! The sound seemed mocking, but no matter how the old man stared, with his fading, blurry vision, he could only make out a figure and nothing else. Clap clap clap clap The applause kept ringing out from that corner, following which a slightly raspy voice spoke, Your Excellency Paul, have you already thought of the reason so soon? Who are you? When he heard this voice, Paul Blanc said quietly, What are you doing in my manor? If its money you want, I promise you that you can pick any item you like and leave without trouble. No, no, no, Im not interested in material items. Im not here for money either. The voice was soft and raspy, with a taunting lilt. I came here with a gift for you, Your Excellency. A gift? Upon hearing that this person was not a thief, Paul was not surprised. In any case, if this man was a thief regardless of whether he was able to sneak in through the strictly guarded periphery of the manor if he made it in, he would stay as hidden as possible. Why would he reveal himself? Its a simple gift. The voice continued. But I think youll like it. With that, Paul saw a plastic bag flying through the dark air toward him. Paul did not hesitate and immediately swiped the air with one hand, grabbing the plastic bag. There was a cold, squishy texture within the plastic bag, like two slippery pieces of meat. Paul frowned and slowly opened the bag. A pungent stench leaped out at him. Pauls sense of uneasy premonition grew heavier. Who are you and what is this? A pair of kidneys. Cant you even recognize them? The dark figure laughed softly. I picked it up nearby your house and thought that someone from your family mustve dropped it. So, Im sending it back to you. As for my identity Werent you just looking at it? As the figure spoke, he slowly moved out of the darkness to an area illuminated by the firelight. A face, identical to the young man on the file, was revealed. There was a hint of a smile on the young mans lips and a malicious glint in his eyes. These eyes were now staring coldly at Paul. Confronted with this familiar face, Pauls jaw slowly slackened as disbelief crept over his features. How could this be, its actually You Chapter 153 - : Submission Paul, whose eyesight was poor due to old age, finally got a good look at the visitors face. However, this face was incomparably familiar to him. As if in disbelief, Paul lowered his head and looked at the file on the desk, only to see that the photo on the file looked the same as the youth before him Youre Chen Chen Paul gradually raised his head and muttered, You were clearly still in Namibia this morning. How can you suddenly show up here? How is it possible Its not impossible, Mr. Paul. Chen Chen slowly walked to the swivel chair opposite Paul and sat down nonchalantly. Werent you the one who wanted me here? Here I am. And I even brought you a gift. At the mention of the gift, Pauls face darkened. He drew in a breath and asked in a low voice, What did you do to my son, Sloane? Be rest assured, I didnt kill him. Chen Chen turned his palms up and looked at the Rolex on his wrist. In just about half an hour, youll hear about him. Still, I wanted to give your son a piece of advice in the future, he shouldnt fool around so much. You know, doing all that isnt good for your kidneys When Paul heard these words, he stared at the object within the plastic bag in his hand and his heart sank completely. At the same time, with his other hand that was under the desk, he gingerly opened a drawer, revealing an intricate, polished pistol. Your pupils are dilating. Just as Paul was about to take the gun, Chen Chen suddenly spoke again, Not only that but your breathing has become heavier than before. My, youre truly tensed up. Let me guess youre thinking of taking the pistol in the drawer? On the other side of the desk, Paul froze. Cold sweat trickled down his forehead. Although the room was pleasantly warm because of the fireplace, Paul only felt a chill all over his body. The young man opposite him was not doing anything, yet for some reason, he had the impression that he was faced with an extremely ruthless beast. It was as if this person might erupt at any second and tear him to pieces Everyone must take responsibility for their own actions. Isnt that so? Chen Chen tapped his head and chuckled lightly. Since the Als Mutual Aid Association tried to cause me trouble, of course, I had to return the favor. If you want to shoot me, then naturally, youd have to bear the corresponding consequences two people tried the same thing once and they both ended up dead. Pauls heart descended into the pit of his stomach. Right, this young man had the ability to appear in his study room without a warning. Would a pistol save him now? Not even Paul himself believed that. So, what do you want? As Paul observed the young man sitting opposite him, he fought down the anxiety rising in him. I can make up for it. How does one billion USD sound? Do you think youre trying to send away a beggar, Mr. Paul? Chen Chen leaned forward and gazed unwaveringly at the white-haired old man across the desk. Let me suggest an alternative. I want you to be my dog, serving me unconditionally for thirty years. What did you say? Pauls face turned white, with a trace of fury in his voice. Thats impossible Nothing is impossible! Chen Chen resolutely cut off Paul. Paul, you know very well that your body might not last even three years. In that case, if you follow me, I can grant you a long life Chen Chens voice suddenly softened enticingly. Just like the Alexander and the Edwards families whove attained young bodies and gained decades of life. Isnt that what youve always wanted? Paul suddenly hesitated when he heard these words, appearing to be a little swayed. Even so, he whispered, I will not betray my family, even if that means death. No ones asking you to betray your family, Chen Chen said breezily, not only that, but your family can also rise further in my hands, even reaching the level of the top ten financial groups in the North American Continent. Paul fell silent. And all you have to do is to be under my restraints. Ill install a chip in you. After that, Ill control your every aspect, including your life After Chen Chen finished his speech, he showed no signs of impatience. He simply sat in the opposite chair, serene and composed while his right hand lightly tapped the desk. Thump! Thump! Thump The tapping on the desk, to Paul, sounded like the thumping of his own heart. A few minutes later, the phone on Pauls desk suddenly rang. Ring ring The abrupt phone call made Paul jump in fright. He glanced at Chen Chen reflexively and was about to cut the call when Chen Chen gestured go ahead. After a pause, Paul slowly picked up the phone. Master, weve found Young Master Sloane! The moment he accepted the call, the butlers flustered voice burst through the receiver. Young Master Sloane is in the Hilton Hotel near the manor. Weve found him! What is he doing there? Paul shot a look at Chen Chen across the desk. Is Sloane injured? Young Master Sloane is The voice hesitated. Someone had operated on him. Weve just located him and are about to send him to the hospital for an examination. Got it Paul gently closed his eyes when he heard this, then hung up. Have you decided? Chen Chen said, If you want to protect your family with your own life, its pointless. Dont forget, I can remove Sloane Blanc from the company building and bring him here, then appear before you anytime I like. In the same manner, I can visit your heir. As Chen Chen spoke, he took out a document and tossed it onto the desk. And what if I say that theres still hope for Sloane? When Paul heard this, he looked down skeptically, only to see that the document was an explanation of various technologies. There was the anti-aging treatment that he had dreamed of, the taboo technology of human cloning that was banned across the entire Federation, even the drug technology for treating Alzheimers The more he read, the more astounded Paul became. By the end, Paul inhaled deeply and slowly looked up. What price must I pay to access these technologies? As long as you submit to me. Chen Chen stood up and spread his hands softly. Your Excellency Paul Blanc, I admire your talents. It took you and your father a lifetime to turn an ordinary company into a financial behemoth. Although you disrespected me once, Im still willing to give you a chance. As long as you submit to me, you and your family will thrive and prosper. Of course, you may refuse as well! Chen Chen changed his tone now. After you refuse me, Ill slaughter the entire Blanc family, erasing your family completely from the history of North America. No matter how much glory youve achieved before, Ill wipe out everything! As Chen Chen spoke, the corners of Pauls eyes twitched involuntarily. What are you waiting for? Youve worked so diligently your whole life for what? For money? Chen Chen started with his questions. Its alright, your money still belongs to you! For your family? Your family can become stronger than ever. For status? Youll remain the master of the Blanc family. Not only that, but youll also gain higher authority, and even command the entirety of North America! And all you have to do is submit to me! After Chen Chen spoke, Paul suddenly inhaled sharply and slowly closed his eyes. A long time passed. When he opened his eyes again, there was no flicker of doubt. He merely stood up, walked toward Chen Chen, then He knelt and bowed down. Chapter 154 - Chen Chen’s Oath Paul Blanc disappeared. Nobody knew where he went, he vanished just like his child, Sloane Blanc, did previously. Just as the entire Blanc family began mobilizing their forces in full to search for traces of Paul, he suddenly appeared again at the gate of their manor. Nobody knew where he went in the duration he went missing. Paul did not intend to bring it up either. Shortly after that, the bedridden Sloane Paul was suddenly flown out to Namibia. Word was there was an institute known as Blackwatch Research Center that could cure Sloane of his illness. This was a subject of interest for countless people. Most of the general public could not make out the connection between Blackwatch and the Blanc Financial Group. However, what were the chances of the top business circles of the North American continent not knowing about Als Mutual Aid Associations previous attempt at targeting Blackwatch? As it turned out, not only did Sloane Blanc have his kidneys taken away as an act of vengeance, even the head of the Blanc family went missing for two days. Furthermore, he did not comment about Sloanes incident upon reappearing again. Even without having the specific details, it was quite apparent that Blanc Financial Groups maneuvers proved to be completely ineffective against the new Blackwatch Corporation. Apart from that, they seemed to be forced to make a compromise due to the opposing party getting an edge on them Countless observers found themselves awed by how things that had turned out. The general opinion of the newly formed Blackwatch Corporation was starting to take on a more mysterious shape Blackwatch engineered the worlds highest-grade life preservation laboratory in Namibia while at the same time, invited the ten financial titans of North America and Europe and successfully established a mutual association with them. These accomplishments were the results of their sharp and precise execution. It had to be noted that Blackwatchs success was partially attributed to it being based in Africa, thus allowing it to leverage its advantage longer. If it was established in North America, the vast arsenal of astounding technology would sooner than later attract the attention of many predators and be feasted on. Now, the corporation had proved its mettle by effortlessly subduing the Blanc family and even the Als Mutual Aid Association. It would seem that many financial groups who were gearing up to make a move would have to think twice now. On the other side of things, Chen Chen had returned to Namibia after installing the God chip in Paul. By applying an effective and straightforward technique, he was able to address the root of the problem without having to enlist the help of the eleven financial titans. Of course, it was not a big deal even if Paul refused to cooperate. Chen Chen could simply take him out along with the rest of the Blanc family members. Resorting to this decision may cause an outrage among the ranks of the European and American consortium. However, being labeled as a target of public outcry was not particularly helpful for the next stages of Chen Chens plans. After that, at Chen Chens request, Sloane was sent to the Blacklight Biotechnology Research Center. The first reason for this decision was in part due to the technological advantage at the research center. The second reason being that Sloane essentially played the role of a hostage as seen in ancient wartimes, with the chip installed in Paul to boot, he served as double insurance. From here on, the research center would cultivate a clone for Sloane. After a year when the clone had matured, a new pair of kidneys could be implanted into Sloane to help his body recover anew. Chen Chens removal of Sloanes kidneys was not a wasted effort. It was about sending a message to the financial corporations of the North American continent. The promise of curing Sloane also further persuaded Paul to submit to Chen Chen. Either risk the complete destruction of the Blanc family or regain his youth was also ensuring the recovery of his son. With these options provided, not many people would be willing to go the route of mutual destruction just for the sake of it. This incident should deter whatever plans from being hatched in the North American continent for a while. Surely, without exceeding Chen Chens expectations, many families and financial groups began contacting Chen Chen via the eleven disciples. Some of them came directly to Namibia to contact the research center. These people had one common goal C they were all seeking the technology to restore them to their youth. In this case, its about time we publicize the Age-reversal treatment Chen Chen mumbled to himself when he looked at the stream of new updates from Little X. Back then, Chen Chen still had his qualms about publicizing this technology since he only had two cards up his sleeves at the time C The Age-reversal treatment and Cloned organ transplantation. With the recent advent of the AD-001 that was able to effectively cure Alzheimers disease, he had another card up his sleeve. With these three aces, there was no reason to not play one of them to alleviate the surrounding pressure. Chen Chen only had to make sure to clarify things properly with the eleven disciple families. After all, these families had each paid a billion-dollar for entry. What was the point of their major investment if Chen Chen was simply going to publicize all these technologies? If everyone could receive the same treatment, what were they paying so much for? What Chen Chen needed to do now was to get across the point that there was a good reason for their billion-dollar entry fee. Of course, even if it had to be publicized, it must be publicized in the form of Chen Chens announcement. With the first phase of the Eco Science City construction nearing completion, the announcement of the Age-reversal treatment along with the official opening of the Eco Science City was sure to attract an endless stream of clients. This was the advantage of having someone to back him. Compared to his previous situation where he did not have any supporting pillars, an announcement of this scale was a suicidal move. With the help of the eleven financial groups acting as his mediators, Chen Chen only had to pay a small price to ensure a constant stream of revenue generated from the Eco Science City. It was the same principle of a child with a pocket full of cash. If Chen Chen only had the technology without the capital to back it up, it would be an invitation for others to snatch it away from him. If he was on equal footing with any interested parties, the other party would naturally treat him as an equal and attempt to obtain his technology by way of trade. This was the answer Chen Chen had for these financial groups: In half a year, after the Eco Science City opened, everyone could come and enjoy the prospects of this technology. As a result, the major financial groups did their best to contain their greed and patiently waited for the grand opening of the Eco Science City. Over the next few months, Chen Chen wholly rented the Symphony of the Seas anchored by the Walvis Bay. After a round of modification, Chen Chen had transformed the main power distribution room on the main deck into a tightly guarded secret room and promptly moved in there himself. To keep up his disguise, he did not fire any of the crewmates. Instead, he had the Symphony of the Seas leave the harbor and camp in certain sections of the open seas. The cruise would stay there and only return upon nearly exhausting the diesel supply. Again, the Symphony of the Seas would restock itself with sufficient diesel and various other resources at the port before setting sail again to the high seas. Just like that, four months had passed and given way to the new year. On this day, the cruise received a message from Hollywood using satellite signals. The three movies Chen Chen had invested in previously were all completed. Subsequently, Chen Chen received the original unedited versions of the three movies. The three movies were Immortal, Cancer Man, and Chronicle 2: Darkness Rises. Sitting in the cabin, Chen Chen began watching the three movies that had not officially premiered just yet. For the first time, he began looking forward to what was coming next. Chapter 155 - Pick One Out of Three Immortal. Cancer Man. Chronicle 2: Darkness Rises. Chen Chen did not try to insert the three originals sent from Hollywood right away. He issued an order to the captain to take the Symphony of the Seas back to port. It took four hours for the Symphony of the Seas to return to Walvis Bay from the open seas, enough time for Chen Chen to quickly finish the three movies. Chen Chen took an NZT-48 before watching the first movie, Cancer Man. He quickly finished viewing the movie at a fast forward speed. The movie was filmed from the perspective of a mad scientist. The genius scientist had developed a targeted drug known as CAN-05 that could cure all forms of cancer. This led to the scientist eventually losing a basic sense of respect for life and beginning to lose his sense of self. After that, with his astounding brilliance and talent, he managed to develop CAN-09, a drug that was able to transform all human body cells into controllable cancer cells. Once again, he began conducting subsequent clinical trials. However, the clinical trials proved unsuccessful. He was also arrested by the police for breaking international regulations. Before being captured, he injected CAN-09 in himself as a final act of desperation After an hour had passed, Chen Chen nodded contently at the ending credits displayed on the screen. Excellent, a captivating opening, sensible plot development, all capped off with the ending of the protagonist taking a self-destructive approach. The movie perfectly encapsulated the nature and moral choices of mankind. It could be said that this was a standard, streamlined commercial blockbuster. Especially in the ending of the movie where the mad scientist underwent an endless loop of division and proliferation, ultimately turning into an indescribable huge lump of sarcoma. To the average audience, it would be an extremely shocking scene. The director seemed to be using the movie as a cautionary tale to warn some scientists to not challenge the nature of mankind, lest they end up suffering from the consequences of their choices as seen in the movie. This movie was going to sell like hotcakes! Before even premiering, Chen Chen projected the movies global box office to reach at least 500 million U.S. dollars. What was more important was that all aspects of the movie, whether it was the plot logic or scientific principles, matched the conventions of reality. Similar to the previous movie Deadly Crisis: A Shocking Scheme which Chen Chen had invested in, it was extremely likely to be able to be contained in the USB drive. Chen Chen started the second movie on the computer C Immortal. Compared to the previous movie, this one was a lot tamer since it was a literary movie. Still, Chen Chen patiently finished it at double speed. Alright, still not much issue to be seen After that, Chen Chen turned to the final movie. Since there was an appropriate amount of funding, Chronicle 2 did not adopt a mockumentary style but instead used a lot of long-distance filmography methods to convey a more realistic effect. The plot was as Chen Chen described, set in ten years after the first movie. Cousin Matt traveled the world before ultimately returning to the small town he grew up in. He ended up discovering that the government had transformed the cave into an underground base. Inside the underground base, the alien plantations inside the crystalline had long since perished and no longer produced new radiation. The giant sea urchin crystal was dissected into thousands of pieces by the government. Each one of the several thousand pieces of crystals contained a portion of the power of the alien plantation. This was used to produce several hundreds of superpower users. The powers of these users were nearly identical to that of the protagonist where they were able to move objects using telekinesis. However, since they had only absorbed measly few pieces of crystals, the strength and potential of the power were nowhere close to that of the three protagonists in the first movie. The most they could do was manipulate small objects like coins or insects. Cousin Matt also found out that Andrew had apparently survived. Only he was left in a vegetative state for the government to conduct secret research. With Matts arrival, the telepathy connection between the two was triggered. Andrew finally awoke from his decade long slumber The movie ended with a battle between the two characters again. Compared to the previous battle, their powers had seen tremendous growth to a point where they were almost a mini Superman on their own. A decade ago, Andrew could only stop a regular bullet. After a decade had passed, the two of them could effortlessly stop a tomahawk missile. In the end, Matt finally got through to Andrew with a message of affection. The two of them decided to leave the country for good to start a brand new life. The conclusion could be described as a very heartwarming ending. The two protagonists of the movie were the two original cast of the first movie. Having the movie based in a decade after the first also explained the maturity of the two protagonists, since a decade had passed in canonical time as well. After finishing the three movies, Chen Chen shut his eyes and made a mental review of the movies. Upon ensuring there were no issues, Chen Chen went to the bathroom to wash his hands. He then returned to the computer and inserted the USB drive. Over the last four months, the USB drive practically never left the charging port of the cruise ship. Taking the power generation rate of the five Leroy-somer LSA62 generators multiplied with an 85% power factor, the final tabulation was 100,000(KW.h) x 24(h) x 120 days x 0.85(cos). This meant that over the last four months, the USB drive had been charged with approximately 250 million kilowatt-hours of electricity. Based on Chen Chens previous calculations, extracting an object of one gram from the USB drive required 1,224 kW.h of electricity. Which meant that at this moment, the USB drive had enough electricity to extract objects weighing up to 200 kilograms. This amount of power still proved to be quite lacking. Chen Chen shook his head. Previously at Dlaminis side, he was able to obtain 120 million kilowatts of electricity in five days. Yet, he only managed to yield double that amount of power with more than twenty times expended for the previous period. Chen Chen exhausted nearly a combined 200 million U.S. dollars for the rental cost, crew salary, and fuel over the last four months for the sake of powering the USB drive. After conversion, the cost per kilowatt-hour is equivalent to more than 0.8 US dollars. Uhmmm Constructing the nuclear power plant remained a more reliable approach. Powering the USB drive using the cruise ship alone was going to burn up all his money. Chen Chen silently pondered on the matter. The good news was that this was the largest amount of power Chen Chen had in the USB drive so far. Chen Chen felt like one of those housewives ready to go on a spending spree on Taobao during the 11.11 promotion season as he was filled with excitement. Chen Chen took a deep breath before silently turning on the laptop and tapping on the USB drive logo. There were a total of eight movies within the USB drive. Apart from the four horror films that came with the USB drive, the other three films were inserted as an experiment back when he had just acquired the USB drive. Apart from that, the last one was the first Chronicle movie he inserted before extracting the GS Combat Suit. The eight movies sat idly in the USB drive, remaining the same as they had ever been. Chen Chen paid no mind to the eight movies. He selected the [Cancer Man.mp4] folder and familiarly tapped [ctrl + c] before switching tabs to the USB drive window and clicking [ctrl + v]. Ding! The long-awaited notification alert. Chen Chen raised an eyebrow. Cancer Man. Failure. Chen Chen, who was under the effect of the drug, did not feel too dejected. He promptly held the [ctrl] button, highlighted the two remaining films, and pasted them in the USB drive together. Ding! Once again, there was a system error alert, but there was a shine in Chen Chens eyes. He noticed that there was only one error window from the system error! Chen Chen fixed his eyes and saw that it was Immortal that prompted the system error output. Chronicle 2, on the other hand, went through Chapter 156 - : Come Out, Crystalline! Chronicle 2: Darkness Rises, approved by the USB drive! A shadow of a smirk appeared in the corner of Chen Chens lips. Even though two out of the three movies were rejected, just having one of them go through was enough for Chen Chen to consider the investment a worthwhile one. Conversely, it was an extremely lucrative business venture! Chen Chen quickly checked the USB drive window but could not find the newly inserted movie. Slightly taken aback, Chen Chen thought for a moment before placing the cursor on the Chronicle folder. The computer quickly displayed the size of the folder. 15.4G. As far as Chen Chen could remember, the movie he had downloaded previously was 2.3G. Chronicle 2 was 13.1G, which meant that the two movies combined on their own inside the USB drive. There was a function like this? Chen Chen felt slightly at a loss for words. Chen Chen remembered that back then when he downloaded the Limitless TV series, there was no such occurrence. Otherwise, he would have long been aware of it instead of just finding out now. Leaving this topic aside, what was more worth addressing was why were Cancer Man and Immortal rejected? Even though Cancer Man was set in a parallel universe, other movies he had successfully extracted items from such as Men In Black and Limitless were set in a parallel universe as well. Thus, concluding that this was not the deciding factor that caused the USB drive to reject it. The other movie Immortal was set three hundred years into the future of the present time. Since it worked with Deadly Crisis: A Shocking Scheme, the first movie he had filmed, there was no reason that it should not work for Immortal. What was the exact cause of their failure? Countless speculations and suspicions flowed through Chen Chens mind. The only way to obtain the answer was to perform more experiments. Chen Chen took a deep breath. The Symphony of the Seas had docked and arrived at Walvis Bay. Chen Chen paused his experiment temporarily. He took the computer and quickly got down from the cruise ship and approached his designated vehicle. Boss? Qian Wenhuan emerged from the passenger seat and quickly held the door open for Chen Chen. Is the quarantine room of the underground laboratory ready? Chen Chen asked the moment he entered the car. Yes. Its ready for use at any time. Qian Wenhuan nodded. Boss, are we heading back to the research center first or To the underground research lab. Chen Chen tapped on the headrest. Cheng Cao stepped on the pedal upon receiving the instruction and the vehicle drove into the distance quickly. Half an hour later. The Wrangler entered the construction site of the Eco Science City. After four months of construction, the project was nearing its final stages. Safety nets were being removed from the high-rise buildings and the low-rise buildings had been completed some time ago and were now in the renovation stages. The Eco Science City would be open to the public within two to three months. The scenery outside the window reminded Chen Chen of being back in the Mainland. He began feeling a little nostalgic. Even he of all people would never have expected to build a modern civilization city in the poor and barren land of Africa. Barring any accidents, this place would eventually become his main camp. Perhaps even becoming the technological center of the Federation in the distant future The Wrangler coasted across the streets of the Eco Science City, quickly arriving at the entrance of the Sun District in Eco Science City. The district was still being isolated by the staff of the B.S.S. After passing through, Cheng Chao, who was no stranger to the area, drove into the underground garage and entered the huge cavern leading to the underground base. The foreman, Hai Sanchuan, from the last meeting came to greet them. After exchanging some small talk with Chen Chen, he led them into the underground section. Unlike the last time they were here, the underground base was well illuminated by bright lights. Apart from that, the surrounding boulder riddled walls were covered with concrete and steel beams and the underground hole was transformed into a large square formation. The pyramid-shaped laboratory made of tungsten-gold stood majestically in the center of the cavern like a magnificent fortress. Boss, the laboratory foundation of the Spire is completed. We are now working on the living quarters and military areas which are built in accordance with the specifications of military refuge bases. Qian Wenhuan explained in a low voice, Even if a global nuclear war were to break out in the future, all we need to do is relocate our families here. Should be able to live a self-sufficient life for several decades. Spire was the name of the laboratory. The top section of the laboratory was a platform built to support the structure of the building and the roof of the cave. It was somewhat similar to the Mayan pyramid architecture. Chen Chen shook his head upon hearing Qian Wenhuans remark. There was no telling what was going on in that head of his, was it so difficult to just think of something optimistic for once? Why must it be either nuclear warfare or a Resident Evil scenario? The group entered from the main entrance into the laboratory of the Spire. Upon entering the laboratory, the first thing that came into view was a gigantic front hall. Since operations had yet to officially commence, it was still in an empty and barren state. After that, Hai Sanchuan took them to a metal gate in the laboratory section and began explaining: Following President Qians instructions, Ive set up a quarantine zone built entirely of lead plates in the Spire laboratory. On top of that, I also installed a layer of ZF6 grade heavy lead glass protective window in the front section of the quarantine zone. Sensing the arrival of the crowd, the door of the laboratory automatically opened. This was done to ease the entry and exit of the staff. When the Spire laboratory commenced operation, the setting would be reverted. Chen Chen took the lead and stepped into the laboratory. He immediately noticed the giant quarantine zone in front of the laboratory. According to Hai Sanchuan, the quarantine zone was constructed of lead plates. The viewing glass should be the ZF6 grade heavy lead glass protective window. This kind of glass was commonly used for the observation windows in a nuclear power plant reactor. The entire laboratory gave an impression of the X-ray operating room seen in hospitals. Chen Chen also noticed two sets of fully enclosed radiation protection suits sitting in the corner. This was also ordered by Qian Wenhuan as per Chen Chens instructions. All facilities were readily available in the laboratory including safety measures, surveillance systems, fire safety facilities, and various other implementations. The laboratory of the most heralded standards had cost Chen Chen an extraordinary amount of funds. Still, it would appear that the investment was well worth it. Cao, Wenhuan, you guys head back to the research center and bring me several healthy mice. After surveying the scene, Chen Chen turned to the two of them. Make it fast. Understand. The silent Cheng Cao nodded and headed out without a word. Qian Wenhuan first did a double-take before bringing Hai Sanchuan to leave the laboratory with him. Eh, what is it? I can stay here and chat with Boss Chen. Hai Sanchuan quickly mentioned. Its alright Boss Hai, why dont you head out with Wenhuan in case he gets lost. Chen Chen smiled. Hai Sanchuan was then dragged away by Qian Wenhuan in confusion. After waiting for everyone to leave the laboratory, Chen Chen turned to the camera. Little X, can you hear me? Yes! Little Xs tender voice came out from the speakers. Ever since being connected yesterday, I already managed to gain full control over the Spire laboratory. All of the operations of the laboratory are handled by me now! Good job. Lock the door of the laboratory for now until Qian Wenhuan and Cheng Cao get back. Got it! Following Chen Chens orders, the electric lock indicator beside the gate turned from green to red. The radiation laboratory is locked down. Excellent. Chen Chen remarked before he started to put on the fully enclosed radiation protection suit. After putting on the fully enclosed radiation protection suit, Chen Chen turned on the laptop he had brought along and entered the innermost quarantine zone of the laboratory. He put on the Chronicle movie in the quarantine zone. The movie immediately started playing from the first part. According to the runtime label, the movie length was 218 minutes. There was no mistaking it. The two movies had merged automatically. Based on this observation, Chen Chen received confirmation of his speculation. Without any hesitation, he moved the progress bar to the segment of the second movie until a piece of cut crystal the size of a fist appeared on the screen. He then tapped the spacebar button to stop the movie. Chen Chen then extended his hands wrapped in the radiation protection suit and reached into the screen. Then, he gently pulled it out. Dong! With an instantly recognizable voice, a crystal shimmering with blue light with a surface like that of a diamond Appeared in Chen Chens hand! Chapter 157 - Experiment Chen Chen gently lifted the blue glowing crystal in his hand. The volume of this crystal was about 0.001 cubic meters, which was 1000 cubic centimeters, but the weight was in the vicinity of 4.5 kilograms. Something was off Chen Chen frowned. There was no way this was the relative density of a crystal. The main component of a crystal was silicon dioxide which chemical formula is SiO2, its mass was about 2.66g/cm3. Following that logic, if the main component of this piece of crystalline in his hand was silicon dioxide, it should not weigh above 2.7 kilograms. According to the movie setting, the crystalline was a protective layer of shell formed by a reaction caused by the alien plantation secretion reacting with underground soil. It should not be composed of foreign matter. It should only contain the residual biological energy field of the alien plantation at most. Energy fields had no weight behind them. In other words, the matter composition of this crystal was closer to that of a spinel. Just like a crystal, the spinel was a variation of a gemstone. It was superior to the crystal whether in terms of Mohs hardness, quality, or even price. The chemical formula of spinel was MgAl2O4. It weighed 4.5g/cm3, with Mohs hardness reaching up to grade 8. Things were getting interesting Chen Chen continued dissecting the subject. After all, he had personally read the setting written by the scriptwriter. The crystalline was simply referred to as a crystal in the movie setting. There was no mention of its base component, which made sense since the screenwriter was not a chemist. As far as Chen Chen and the rest of the audience was concerned, it was a crystal, which was silicon dioxide. As it turned out, upon extracting the crystalline, he had discovered that the crystalline was not silicon dioxide but aluminum-magnesium tetroxide instead. In that case, did that make the universe to which the USB drive connected to reality or an abstract universe? If it was an abstract universe, how was it able to overturn the crystalline component logic as portrayed in the script and yield an unexpected result instead? What was the explanation behind its appearance if it was reality? Chen Chen looked down at the crystal in his palm. Was it the screenwriter Max Landis who had devised an instance of a real universe in the USB drive or did the universe come before Max Landis and in turn inspired Max Landis work? Also, how was it that the sequel which he had instigated managed to synchronize itself accordingly with the built universe? It would be great if there was a way to explore the opposite universe An idea suddenly struck Chen Chens mind like a zip of lightning. It was an unprecedented revolutionary idea. Chen Chens pupils shrunk faintly as he seemed to have thought of a possibility. Could that be the truth? No, it was impossible! In that case, what was the explanation behind him being able to constantly instantiate the same item from a movie? Hundreds of billions of neurons in Chen Chens mind began operating at maximum efficiency. Countless thoughts and ideas bounced off of each other in Chen Chens mind. In that very instant, numerous possibilities raced through Chen Chens mind. Phew! Chen Chen shook his head and buried these ideas in the depths of his mind. It was not yet the moment to verify his hypothesis as it would have to wait until the completion of the nuclear power plant. Chen Chen picked up a radiation detector and tested the crystalline with it. He discovered that the radiation field of the crystalline was very small. It would appear that just like in the movie, the force field of the crystal would not be triggered unless it sensed the surrounding biological force field. This was the exact reason Chen Chen wore the nuclear radiation quarantine suit. At this point, Chen Chen had already long confirmed that the attributes of items extracted from a movie were the same as its variation inside the movie. Any item that was harmless inside a movie was harmless in real life as well. The same logic applied to drugs like NZT-48 and AD-001. Still, it was better to be safe than to be sorry, especially since Chen Chen was going to directly use it on himself. He decided to conduct an animal experiment. There was no need for a complex experiment. Chen Chen only had to make sure that the irradiation process did not harm the body in any way before conducting the irradiation on himself without cause for worry. Qian Wenhuan and Cheng Cao quickly returned to the Spire laboratory. Upon being notified by Little X, Chen Chen placed the crystalline in the quarantine zone before exiting and unlocking the exterior door for the two men. Uh, Boss, you Qian Wenhuan and Cheng Cao were slightly startled when the sliding metal door revealed Chen Chen who was tightly wrapped in a heavy suit of protective gear, standing at the opposite side. Where are the mice? Chen Chen asked. Oh, yes. Its here! Qian Wenhuan quickly took out two mouse cages from behind him. Each of the cages contained four white mice with a bed of pure white fur and stark red eyes. Chen Chen nodded as he took them with one hand while he further instructed, If theres nothing else going on, Cao can take a look around the area. Its going to be some time before I come back out so Wenhuan can head back first. Okay. After receiving Chen Chens instructions, Qian Wenhuan took his leave hesitantly. After all this time, he was starting to figure out Chen Chens style. Chen Chen was a standard efficiency-oriented leader, there was no need for any flattery or curry favoring with Chen Chen. All he needed to do was do his part and complete whatever further instructions given to him. After sealing up the laboratory again, Chen Chen first placed one of the cages on a bench outside the quarantine zone. He then took the other cage into the quarantine zone with him. Upon stepping into the quarantine zone, Chen Chen suddenly heard a low but piercing hum. This noise originated from the crystalline with its faint blue glow. Did it sense the surrounding biological force field? Chen Chen glanced at the cage he held in his hand. He decided to just open the lid of the cage and place the fist-sized crystalline inside the cage right away! One of the mice seemed to be taken by curiosity. It stared at the clear, transparent crystal before crawling up to it without any reservation and gave it a sniff. Upon the mice making the first contact with the crystal, the humming of the crystal suddenly began to grow louder. Its blue body was slowly morphing into a red tint as well! Chen Chen was fascinated. He quickly picked up the radiation detector to his side to check its reading. The radiation at this moment had spiked to up to 30 millisieverts. It was rather clear that the radiation inside the crystal was completely released following the mices touch! Is there something decaying in the crystalline? Chen Chen considered silently. He was going to have to run a proper test after this experiment concluded. He needed to see if this crystalline was truly a spinel and if some substance within it triggered a decaying process upon contact. The substance in the crystal decayed rapidly. Within a little over ten seconds, the glowing red light it had emitted slowly faded out and soon vanished without a trace. The crystal regained its original blue luster as well. The mice seemed to be affected by the crystalline activity. When the crystalline was releasing its radiation, the four mice became visibly irritated and were running around inside the cage. Two of the mice had fresh blood spilling out of their eyes and the tip of their noses. All of the mice regained their composure after the crystalline had completely released its radiation. Chapter 158 - : Accepting Irradiation Chen Chen waited for a moment after the crystalline regained its blue luster. After ten minutes, Chen Chen tested with the radiation detector again and noticed that the radiation level had reverted to normal levels. Upon noting this, Chen Chen took the cage out of the quarantine zone. He collected blood samples from the four mice and also chipped off a small piece of the crystalline and had it sealed. Chen Chen then took out a marker to label the irradiated mice. They were labeled A1, A2, A3, and A4 respectively. The cage was labeled as Cage A. The other cage was labeled as Cage B afterward. Three mice were taken out of Cage B and settled into Cage A. The final mouse in Cage B was taken into the quarantine zone. Chen Chen repeated the same set of procedures as before, extracting the same piece of crystalline from the computer and placing it into the cage. The crystalline released its radiation again and the lone mouse was thus irradiated. Fortunately, the lone mouse which was exposed to the radiation all by itself did not display any signs of vital instability. Following this, Chen Chen left the room again and moved the healthy mice previously moved to the other cage back to its original cage. He also labeled the lone mouse which had been irradiated as B1 and collected blood samples. Chen Chen left the laboratory with the collected blood samples and the remnant of the crystalline. The devices from Switzerland were not imported into the underground base yet so the blood tests would still have to be conducted in the research center for now. Chen Chen took off the protective suit and returned to the research center with the blood samples and both the A and B cages in tow. Chen Chen was worried about the off chance that these irradiated mice would somehow manage to escape while he was gone. Despite the small chance of it happening, it was better to be cautious since they were mice exposed to the crystalline radiation. When Chen Chen returned to the research center, he passed the blood samples to the relevant department to have them produce a report on the complete blood count and microRNA of the mice soonest possible. Next, Chen Chen found a vacant small laboratory where he locked the door and began to observe the state of the mice in the cages. The first thing he did was place the mice in the two cages into two larger steel cages. Next, he placed several melon seeds in both cages A and B to get them to fight for it. Throughout the entire sequence, there were no signs that may resemble the usage of superpowers. Chen Chen thought about it and decided to get two scoops of melon seeds and place them outside both cages A and B respectively. This way, the mice could see them but could not access them. As expected, the group of mice was starting to get anxious. Two of them constantly tried to poke their heads through the gap of the steel cage. However, due to the compact netting of the steel cage, they only managed to stick out the tips of their noses. Chen Chen observed silently with an experiment recorder set up to film the experiment. After two to three hours, the pile of melon seeds remained outside the cage completely untouched. At the same time, the results for the complete blood count were out. Chen Chen looked at the blood count reading and noticed that the irradiated mice seemed to display signs of leukopenia, albeit not very severe. Of course, these were just the initial symptoms. Even for regular people exposed to radiation, the potentially harmful effects may only surface after several weeks or months. It was the same for mice. Experiments had been performed by testing two groups of mice, one exposed to a lethal amount of radiation and the other a non-lethal amount. It took three to four weeks before any vivid observation could be noted. This meant that the microRNA tests should be essential. A microRNA was a small non-coding RNA molecule involved in post-transcriptional gene expression regulation found in plants and animals. There were speculations that RNA regulated one-third of human gene expression. After yet another hour, the microRNA results were released. From group A, 13% to 15% of microRNA in all four mice were exposed to radiation changes. This reading increased to 19% for group B. Chen Chen allowed himself a sigh of relief upon noting these results, all his worries were gone. Due to time concerns, there was no way to investigate the later effects for now. Still, he was at least able to confirm that this radiation did not cause any life-threatening issue. There was no longer any need for concern at this point. Upon returning to the cages, Chen Chen raised his eyebrows in wonder when he saw what was on the table. While he was looking at the laboratory report, the irradiated mouse in Cage B was gnawing away at a large melon seed. The pile of melon seeds outside the cage seemed to have been moved as well. It was as if an invisible hand had nudged them toward the direction of the cage. The mouse labeled B1 had undoubtedly begun practicing the use of its superpowers. Upon noting this fact, Chen Chen waited for it to finish the seed before capturing it from the cage. With his right hand holding its head, he pulled its tail with his left hand! Crack! The little mouse which had just learned to use its superpower and had a bright future ahead of it left the world without so much as a whimper. After that, Chen Chen executed all of the mice in the two cages one by one. He found a bottle of concentrated sulfuric acid and poured it into a large beaker, and then threw the carcasses of all the mice in it. It did occur to Chen Chen to keep these mice alive for long term observation, but he ultimately gave up on the idea. After all, the items instantiated from the USB drive were still more reliable. The same logic applied from the earliest NZT-48 to the immunity shot, even to the more recent AD-001. Keeping this group of mice alive may cause him problems in the future. Next, Chen Chen returned to the underground laboratory. This time, he did not put on a protective suit. Instead, he entered the quarantine zone and turned on the computer to make a copy of Chronicle 2: Darkness Rises and inserted it into the USB drive. Chen Chen, who was well familiar with the routine, straight away dragged the movie to the part with the cut crystal. Chen Chen took a deep breath before reaching into the computer screen When he pulled his hand back out, the crystalline with its faint blue glow appeared in his palm. The moment it came out, the crystalline sensed the biological force field and immediately emitted a piercing screech. The blue glow was slowly replaced with a red tint! It was releasing radiation. Chen Chen remained holding the crystalline this way. He felt the crystal slowly heating up before subsequently cooling down. Five minutes later, the crystalline had reverted to its original form. That was it? Chen Chen put down the crystalline and tried to feel some changes in his body to no avail. Next, he turned to the marker pen beside him and began to imagine the pen being lifted by an invisible hand. No matter how hard he tried to visualize it, nothing came out of it. Was it because the dosage was too small? Chen Chen shook his head. There was a scene in the movie that mentioned that a lot of users who had been exposed to the crystalline radiation hoped to get more crystalline. This meant that the radiation effect was additive. Arriving at this thought, Chen Chen instantiated yet another crystalline and absorbed it as he did previously. This time, Chen Chen felt something in his head that he could not put into words Chen Chen frowned. There was a hot sensation in his nose which made him rub his nose instinctively. A small puddle of blood appeared before him. Was this an indication of the beginning stages of acquiring the superpower? Chen Chen wondered silently. Chapter 159 - Nine Pieces Half an hour later, there were nine crystalline fragments by Chen Chens feet. A mouse weighed around 100 grams. Chen Chen weighed 70,000 grams, which was seven hundred times the weight of a mouse. Judging from the previous radiation experiment, a mouse was able to withstand the full radiation exposure of a single crystalline fragment. This implied that Chen Chen should be able to handle the combined radiation exposure of 700 crystalline fragments without much issue. In that case, it should not be a rash decision to absorb nine crystalline pieces at once. Just like the observation as seen in the movie when exposed to crystalline radiation, Chen Chens nose began to bleed. A large spot on his shirt was dyed red by the blood. Chen Chen vaguely estimated, he had lost approximately 100 millimeters of blood from the radiation exposure, which was equivalent to the amount of half a bag of blood donation. The bleeding from Chen Chens nose quickly halted as he stopped the irradiation process. He shut the laptop, packed up the USB drive along with the crystalline fragment that was exhausted of its energy, and started thinking. The research report of the crystalline fragments was released as well. As expected, they were aluminum-magnesium tetroxide, which was the chemical formula of spinel. Based on the market price on the Earth Federation, a spinel the size of a fist sculpted into an artful sculpture should be worth hundreds of millions of U.S. dollars. However, it would appear that Chen Chen had the slightest interest in auctioning off these spinels. He had Cheng Cao crush the spinel into powdered pieces, mix them into the trash along with other glass shards and whatnot, and had them disposed of. After getting rid of the trash, Chen Chen finally sat back in the laboratory and began experimenting with his newly acquired powers. To start things off, he sat in front of the test table with a recorder set up in front of him and started recording. After that, Chen Chen stared at a black marker pen placed on the table. As he invoked a thought, he had the sense that there was a string latched on to the object in front of him. Chen Chen tried to lift it gently and the marker pen proceeded to be lifted! From Chen Chens point of view, the marker pen hung in mid-air and spun in circles repeatedly. It was like it was suspended in the air by some string. Stop! Chen Chen issued an order in his mind to get the marker pen to stop spinning. As expected, the spinning marker pen suddenly paused as if the air surrounding it had frozen in place. It was suspended in the air, unmoving. Upon witnessing this scene, an idea suddenly occurred to Chen Chen. He tried closing his eyes. Click! A noise immediately followed after, it was the marker pen clapping against the surface of the table. Influenced by the line of sight? No, probably not Chen Chen kept his eyes shut. He turned his head and scanned the table in his mind. Surely, thin strands began to emerge in his vision. With his eyes still closed, he was able to sense the smooth and cold surface of the table as well as a long strip of object laid on the table. Following Chen Chens will, the marker pen that fell on the table slowly dangled in the air again. I knew it, this ability doesnt have anything to do with the users vision. The visual aspect only serves as an aid to help better visualize the abilitys effects. Upon losing sight of the targeted object, the abilitys manipulation effect on the object is subconsciously cut off as well. It should be possible to overcome this behavior with more practice. At the very least, this proves that the ability doesnt stem from the users sight, but something else deep inside the brain Chen Chen mumbled to himself in a low voice with his eyes still closed shut. The experiment was still going on. Chen Chen allowed himself to faintly feel the floating marker pen. He felt the marker pens build, temperature, and shape. Unlike touching it with his hands, these sensations were transmitted into Chen Chens mind in another form. It was a truly wondrous feeling. Unlike the sense of sight, hearing, smell or touch, this was a brand new sensation. Chen Chen had never felt something like this in his twenty-plus years of living. When he tried to apply some force, he heard a small clacking sound coming from the marker pen in front of him. The body of the acrylic pen became slightly deformed. This is the power at work. Is it able to transmute some form of energy in the mind into direct kinetic energy used to manipulate objects? Needless to say, these were all mere speculations on Chen Chens side. Want to find out what sort of energy this was and the workings behind transmuting mere thoughts to kinetic energy? It was going to require an intensive amount of experimentation. Next up, Chen Chen put down the floating marker pen. He began to reach forward with his conscience with his eyes still closed. In his minds eye, he felt a large number of strands extending forward from his mind, they began reaching in front of him However, these strands were unable to extend any further after reaching out close to a meter. Looks like the ability is only able to extend about one meter outward. The range of control appears to decrease as the distance increases. Chen Chen made a brief analysis. After that, he tried to replicate the same effect in his mind except this time, he was extending them outward across all directions. This time, the strands reached their limit at about half a meter out. The range could extend up to a meter if probed in one direction. By equally distributing them across all directions, their area of effect was limited to just half a meter. Though it was not a particularly impressive number, Chen Chen was not dejected. After all, these powers could be further improved with more practice. Chen Chen could also endlessly extract crystalline to build his power capacity. If this ability isnt limited by sight, couldnt it essentially replace my sense of sight as another form of sensory device? Chen Chen considered silently. He slowly lowered his head in a manner like he was staring at the table, the only difference being that his eyes closed shut In Chen Chens perception, he was gradually zooming into the test bench. What was once the smooth surface of the epoxy tabletop zoomed in until it turned into a rough and bumpy-textured surface. Zooming to this extent was not easily achievable, he had to maintain a constant stream of focus. No, Im only able to zoom slightly above a hundred times at most. I still cant see the bacteria, let alone the molecular structure After a while, an involuntary frown appeared on Chen Chens face. Even though he was able to zoom a hundred times into a selected object using the ability, he was unable to zoom into the microorganism scope. He was still largely unsure if this was due to his current power concentration or influenced by other factors. Still, it did make sense since the size of bacteria were generally between 1 to 5 microns. Humans would need to magnify their vision three hundred times just to see the outline of bacteria. For further observation, magnification of above a thousand times was required. Sensing the molecular structure of a substance was on a completely separate plane since a magnification of a whooping two million times was needed. Chen Chen wondered, was there any chance of amplifying the ability on a microscopic scale in addition to an enhancement on the macroscopic scale? The way Chen Chen saw it, if the subsequent upgrade of the ability in the movie was interpreted as an upgrade in terms of quantity, then enhancing on a micro-scale should be considered an upgrade in quality. As Chen Chen was immersed in deep thought, he suddenly felt a sharp sting at the tip of his nose. A gush of blood flowed out. Approaching my limit Chen Chen calmly opened his eyes. He felt groggy and his head was spinning. He proceeded to go to a sink and splashed cold water on his forehead and the bridge of his nose. The water used in the laboratory was filtered underground water with a temperature below ten degrees. The moment Chen Chen splashed his face with the water, he felt a chill emanating across his body, jolting him to his senses. The bleeding from his nose finally stopped after some more time had passed. Deciding to stop the experiment, Chen Chen got back up and packed up the USB drive. He then turned around to leave the laboratory and had Cheng Cao take him back to the Symphony of the Seas. As Chen Chen took his leave, the electronic lock indicating green turned red as the laboratory operated by Little X locked itself down Chapter 160 - : Initial Superpower Speculations Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Two days later, Chen Chen returned to the underground laboratory with a vast amount of experiment devices. The first thing Chen Chen did upon returning to the laboratory was removing the SD card from the experiment recorder and inserting it into the computer. He proceeded to review the footage from two days ago. In the footage, Chen Chen was sitting in front of the camera with his eyes closed. Positioned in front of him was a black marker pen spinning in the air. Influenced by the line of sight? No, probably not This is the power at work. Is it able to transmute some form of energy in the mind into direct kinetic energy used to manipulate objects? Looks like the ability is only able to extend about one meter outward. The range of control appears to decrease as the distance increases. Nearing my limit As the video began to show Chen Chen having nosebleeds, the footage ended. Two days ago, while Cheng Cao was taking Chen Chen back to the cruise ship, he felt like he could not take it anymore. As he sat in the moving car, he could feel his mind fluttering about absently. It was like the feeling you get when you start another game in the morning after cramming out an all-nighter in the internet caf. This was the first time he had experienced such symptoms ever since taking the NZT-48. It could be seen that the effects of radiation were more than they may appear. Upon returning to the Symphony of the Seas, Chen Chen barely mustered the strength to lock the door of the power distribution room and plug the USB drive back into the charging port before he fell into a deep slumber. Chen Chen slept from noon until the morning of the next day. The next morning, Chen Chen was woken up by his starving belly. A maddening hunger took over his body and mind as if he had been starving for three to four days. He only regained his strength after devouring half a kilogram of chocolate and six steaks. This phenomenon should be a result of some form of changes happening inside his body. If Chen Chens estimation was correct, the crystalline had probably configured parts of his DNA structure. This was not the sort of transformation that would take place over the span of merely a day. Chen Chen took several large sacks of energy bars from the research center. These energy bars were originally meant for the consumption of B.S.S. members during their tasks. The calories contained in an energy bar should last a regular adult through the day. After reviewing the footage from the other day, Chen Chen set the recorder in front of him once again. He then took out a load cell and placed it on the table. A load cell resembled a disc-shaped electronic scale, except it measured force such as tension and pressure instead of weight. Chen Chen planned to measure the current strength of his ability this way. Following the commencement of the experiment, Chen Chen placed the load cell on the table and supported himself on the table with his arms crossed. He fixed his gaze intently on the load cell. Immediately after, Chen Chen felt invisible filaments appearing in his mind, they spread out and began touching the load cell! The electronic display on the side displayed 3.4, the unit measurement following it was mN. Chen Chen frowned, obviously not very content with the result. He tapped the load cell by applying a smaller amount of pressure. 1.5mN. Chen Chen repeated this sequence more than a hundred times. He got as low as 0.3mN and as high as 4mN. Barring the highest and lowest reading obtained, the average was 1mN. Chen Chen tilted his head and appeared to be in deep thought. 1mN was equivalent to 0.001N. According to Newtons second law F=ma, he should be able to simulate an acceleration of 1m/s2 in an object weighing one gram. This was the current concentration level of the energy inside Chen Chens mind. This was a pretty terrible level. To be fair, Chen Chen was not familiar with the ability yet. There should be an improvement as he began practicing. After that, Chen Chen tried to attack the load cell with the highest amount of force he could muster. He heard a clear dong from the load cell as if it had just been hit by an invisible force and the electronic display showed 036N! That was right, N. This meant that Chen Chen managed to evoke a force of almost 0.3N using his mind. Chen Chen gave it several more shots after that and obtained the same results each time. After completing the strength benchmark, Chen Chen took out a container the size of a loaf of bread. Upon opening the box, it was revealed that its content was a box of standard experiment-use weights. The international standard categorization for weights was E1, E2, F1, F2, M1, and M2. E2 was the most precise among the collection, able to pinpoint down to the milligrams. JF-1 non-magnetic stainless steel weight. Cylindrical. Weight grade: E1. Chen Chen muttered to the recorder feed as he strapped on a pair of disposable gloves. Using a pair of tweezers that came with the box, he gently lifted that smallest 1mg weight and set it on the table. The 1mg weight was shaped like a tiny metal sheet. It was so tiny that it may be easily blown away by a gust of wind. Chen Chen tried to lift it. He was able to suspend the 1-milligram weight in the air without expending too much effort. In that case, Chen Chen decided he was just going to skip the milligram weight and took the one gram weight. Chen Chen still found it relatively easy to lift the weight. He was even able to effortlessly make the weight circle around his head. After that, Chen Chen experimented with the 5-gram and 10-gram weights. By the time he got to the 50-gram weight, his expression changed. He could distinctly feel that a larger amount of concentration was required to control the 50-gram weight with his mind. It was nowhere close to the effort required for the 10-gram weight whether in terms of speed and agility. With that, Chen Chen decided it was time to pause the experiment. He went to the side to grab several energy bars and chocolate and proceeded to eat them. After he had finished eating, he returned to the experiment table and tried his luck with the 100-gram weight. At this weight, Chen Chen could barely lift it, if at all. It was like getting a baby to swing a hammer, the resulting movements were very slow and clumsy. Chen Chen took note of all the data accumulated so far and turned his attention to the largest weight. The largest weight was roughly the size of half a fist, the label on it displayed 500 grams. Chen Chen went ahead and set the weight in front of him and squinted his eyes while visualizing the weight being suspended in the air. Suddenly, the giant weight began to tremble as if something was attempting to lift it but could not muster enough strength to do so. Amid its hectic rumbling, Chen Chen suddenly groaned. Rise! In a split instant, the weight produced a whoosh sound and moved for a brief moment before slamming back on the table with a bang. Phew! Chen Chen appeared to have exhausted all the energy in him as his vision turned black as he felt yet another warm sensation in his nose. When he reached and touched his nose, blood came gushing out again. As suspected, overexerting the ability over a certain threshold causes nosebleed. Is this caused by the brain being overworked which ruptures the nasal capillaries? Chen Chen continued speculating as he went to the sink to stop the bleeding. After stopping the bleeding for good, Chen Chen did not risk continuing the experiment anymore. If he were to continue bleeding like this regularly, he would get anemia eventually and weaken his body. This explained why Andrew, the protagonist of the movie always appeared pale and sickly while his cousin did not display similar symptoms. Perhaps it was because he had overworked himself with training? Chen Chen became speechless and shook his head, his mind suddenly went back to the fundamental question To sum it up, what was this power he had acquired supposed to be? Amplified mental prowess? Telekinesis? Or was it something else? The purpose of the last few experiments conducted was all to find out the underlying principle behind his abilities. If he could figure out the gist of his abilities and the scientific theories behind it, he should be able to incorporate specific, targeted methods to make something out of them. Chapter 161 - Electromagnetic Force Just as Chen Chen was about to pack up the weights, he noticed something. There were some fine specks of dust attached to the weights. These specks of dust were fine powder from when Chen Chen chipped the crystalline to test its substance. These fine fragments attached themselves to the weight as if some unknown force pasted them there directly. Static electricity? Chen Chen raised an eyebrow. He took out a weight from the briefcase again and brushed it against the table. Nothing happened. Logically speaking, this was a perfectly sensible observation considering the weights were made of stainless steel with high nickel content. The maximum magnetic susceptibility was only 0.25, designed specifically so that it should not have its precise weight affected under any circumstances. However, after being altered by his superpowers, these non-magnetic weights were ever so slightly magnetized. Chen Chen attempted to peel off the crumbs and tested with the magnetized weights again. As expected, the crumbs stuck themselves to the weight. What was the reason behind these weights becoming magnetized? Was it caused by a magnetic field? Or the electric field? Or was it An idea suddenly occurred to Chen Chen. Chen Chen pointed the radiation detector at himself and began trying to discharge the energy filaments from his mind. Even though he might have already overexerted his energy today, it should still be fine to discharge a tiny amount. After all, the protagonists in the movie seemed to be doing fine even after bleeding out a river worth of blood from their noses. Bearing that in mind, Chen Chen clicked the button on the detector. Beep! Following the resulting signal prompt, Chen Chen quickly retracted his power and took a look at the detector. Just as he had suspected, the detector displayed results in both the electric field and magnetic field criteria. Based on Chen Chens understanding of physics, electric fields referred to the static electricity generated by a static charge. Since there was no such thing as an idle static charge, magnetic fields were present as long as there was a moving electric field. Thus, electric fields and magnetic fields were two co-existing entities. Whenever there was an electric field, a magnetic field would be subsequently generated, and vice versa. In other words, this power of mine is actually a form of electromagnetic force? As Chen Chen read the numbers on the display, he began further diving into the subject. If that was the case, Chen Chen began to get a vague idea of how his ability operated. However, the specifics would still need to be verified. With this facet in mind, he took out a draft paper and jotted down several strings of formula: Coulombs law formula: [F=(kq1q2)/r2] Uniform electric field formula: [WFscos] Electrostatic field formula: [W=qU] Afterward, Chen Chen brought Coulombs law into the two latter formulas and then calculated them based on the electric field strength of the earths surface set at 100V/m. The results of his finding were that the formula for uniformly strong electric field did not conform to his results from his previous observation which was 0.36N. Instead, it was closer to the electrostatic field formula. Was this indication that his control of the weights and marker pen was done using electrostatic field manipulation? An alternative way to describe it would be electric charge manipulation. This was not an uncommon application in real life. Back in the early sixteenth-century, humans already discovered that spiders possessed the ability to fly. Along some coastal regions, spiders were able to glide across the ocean up to hundreds of kilometers. Back then, people believed that it was simply caused by the extremely lightweight spiders being blown by the wind, but the truth was not as it seemed. Even without any wind blowing, the spiders were still able to take flight. Many people had even noticed spiders gliding four to five kilometers overhead. Unlike the case with other creatures, this variation of flight was not enabled by the propulsion force generated by the flapping of wings. It was another form of energy C electrostatic field. The gist of it was that spiders had an organ known as a trichophyta that emulated a reaction with the electromagnetic field of the earth. It was similar to how one could make the ends of their hair stand up by rubbing a balloon against their scalp. This phenomenon was known as an electrostatic force. The trichophyta in spiders enabled them to float along the electrostatic field on earth. To summarize Chen Chens ability in a simplified way, he was creating a highly concentrated localized electric field around a targeted object, thus simulating a thrusting effect. This was how the weight came to be magnetized. Chen Chen himself was not even aware that he was actively channeling a localized electric field. This observation was similar to the way that humans were naturally born with the need for breathing but very few people were aware of how they were able to perform the act of breathing. It was the same for the protagonist in the movie. They simply recognized that they were able to move objects without ever questioning the underlying principles behind it. Following this process of thought, if Chen Chens ability truly stemmed from manipulation of electric and magnetic fields, chances were likely that he could go one step further. For example, the manipulation of electric current, perhaps even electromagnetic waves or better yet, light. Chen Chen recalled that in the first Chronicle, the protagonist Andrew controlled a bolt of lightning amid the thunderstorm to strike and kill the protagonist Steve with it. At the time, Chen Chen assumed that it was merely a coincidence. Looking back at it now, everything clicked. After all, the essence of this ability laid in the manipulation of the electromagnetic force. Similarly, the essence of electromagnetic force was the interaction between charged particles and protons, therefore, the protagonist could not have manipulated electric currents by chance. Upon making the connection, Chen Chen turned to the laptop beside him. If he was truly able to manipulate electric currents, he should be able to destroy the computer lying in front of him. Upon noting this possibility, Chen Chen unplugged the laptop just to be on the safe side. After that, he began imposing the will in his mind onto the laptop lying before him. In an instant, the display on the laptop began flickering rapidly as if it was facing some form of magnetic field disruption. As the disruption gradually grew in severity, the laptop suddenly turned off with an abrupt pop. Having witnessed this, Chen Chen rubbed the resurfacing nosebleed as he began to find himself intrigued. Surely, it was an interference effect of the electric field. This explained how the protagonist in the movie was able to apply the superpower on themselves to fly, form energy fields around them, and block bullets. All of these had to do with the usage of electric and magnetic forces. When Chen Chen thought of this, he became surprisingly delighted. All this time, he thought that the superpowers from Chronicle originated from sources such as concentration or willpower. Although abilities of that caliber would be remarkable as well, it was still comparatively weaker than electromagnetic forces. After all, manipulation of electromagnetic force was the equivalent of manipulation over all things related to it. It was a force present in all known entities. It could be applied on the most minuscule base atomic scale as well as on a macroscopic scale on significant entities. This was an ability that was effective down to the most microscopic scale It could therefore be concluded that the protagonists usage of electromagnetic force in the movie was still far too unrefined. Chen Chen contemplated. After all, if they were able to switch from macro to micro, they should be able to use electric fields to create light anywhere similar to Gandalfs holy light technique. At the same time, the created light could be utilized to form phantoms and holographic images, essentially casting an illusionary spell to trap someone. Furthermore, Chen Chen could freely manipulate the chemical bond and structures of matter, making a toy out of all kinds of substances This was one of the four fundamental forces of the universe, the electromagnetic force. Chapter 162 - The Galaxy Of course, Chen Chen was still a long way from achieving that step. Even the movies protagonist, Andrew, could only fly freely through the sky, move buses that weighed a few tons, and block the kinetic force of many bullets. He was still manipulating matter on a macro level. One would need to be extremely proficient to shift this power from the macro to the micro. This was similar to the principles of global symmetry and local symmetry: With global symmetry, it was just as it sounded. If all parts of an object could transform according to the same motion, this transformation was global. As an example, it was like when every actor on a stage moved forward and backward in sync or they all performed the same action. To the audience, the actors were in harmony and everyone was merely a copy of one person. This would be a global transformation. If a certain invariance could still be maintained even after a global transformation, then it would possess global symmetry. The other thing would be local symmetry. To make the performances individualized, the director would ask the actors to create something like a wave or the Thousand-Hand Bodhisattva[1], forming a variety of patterns that changed constantly. In that case, everyones actions were different, so the transformation was local. The individuals would no longer change according to the same rule. Rather, each person of each local part would have their own unique rule. Similarly, if a certain invariance could still be maintained after a local transformation like this, it could be said to have local symmetry. Therefore, if a piece of work required local symmetry, it would be much more complicated than if it required global symmetry. Local transformation had stricter requirements when it came to physical laws. Therefore, the protagonists in the movie could easily crush a car, but they could not directly break down the car on a molecular level because they had no way to shift their control over their power from a global level to a local level. Chen Chen wondered if, with the limitations of human beings, he could attain control at the molecular level? After some pondering, Chen Chen only felt that his head was hurting more and more. In the end, he shook his head and gave up the idea of further experimentation. Chen Chen first turned off the experiment recorder, then left the underground laboratory and returned to the Symphony of the Seas. In the next few days, Chen Chen would visit the underground laboratory for a period every day, then return to the Symphony of the Seas to rest. To outsiders, Chen Chen was going there to supervise the project each day because the Eco Science City was about to be completed. Thus, this did not attract any unwanted attention. Today, after a phone call with his family, Chen Chen glanced at the phones screen and was taken aback. The upper right corner of the phone screen, which indicated the battery level, stated that there was only about 10% left. However, Chen Chen clearly remembered that when he answered this call, there was still more than 20%. This was not the first time this had happened. Something similar had happened before, so Chen Chen had changed his phone. Even so, this problem had occurred again. In that case, it was not the phones problem Chen Chen looked down and felt around his neck. He touched something hard and round. It was a pendant. This pendant was the Galaxy that Chen Chen had extracted from the movie Men in Black. Although Chen Chen found that it did not contain any energy after he extracted it, he thought that there might be other uses for it, so he did not throw it away. Now, it seemed like he was right. Could it absorb electrical energy? After some thought, Chen Chen took off the pendant and hesitantly placed it on his phone. Instantly, the unthinkable happened. Chen Chens phone had 10% of the battery power left. When the pendant was placed on top, the phone immediately sent out a window prompt: Insufficient power. Before the window could end its prompt, the phone went dark and the screen had turned off. Chen Chen quickly tried to turn the phone on again but found that he could not, no matter what. It could absorb electrical energy too? Chen Chens eyes lit up. He thought for a moment and turned on his computer. After that, he placed his pendant on the laptop and observed the electric meter at the door. The rate of electrical consumption was higher than before on the meter, but this rate made Chen Chen frown. This rate of absorption was truly below par, even though it was better than the USB drive. After all, the USB drive could not actively absorb energy at all. It could only do so passively. Therefore, Chen Chen had to connect it through a massive conductor each time. Otherwise, the immense current would wreck most conductors. However, this pendant was different. It just had to be near the phone or laptop to be able to absorb some of the electrical energy of the device. Chen Chen just did not know whether its efficiency could be increased, to the point where even the USB drive would not be rejected? Furthermore, though energy could be stored within, how should it be extracted? Chen Chen looked down again toward the interior of the pendant. There was only a dark red star glimmering faintly within. Other than that, it was pitch black. Chen Chen tried putting the USB drive and the pendant together but nothing happened. The USB drive could not get any energy from the pendant and the pendant could not absorb the USB drives energy either. The energy within the pendant would have to be retrieved through some other method. Therefore, Chen Chen went to the electrical power control room and used several tools such as wires and plugs, to create a holder for the pendant. Chen Chen immediately installed the pendant in the holder and connected the other end to an electronic device. Nonetheless, the device was not supplied with any power. This meant that conventional methods could not activate the energy within the pendant. Erm Chen Chen thought about it and suddenly had a flash of inspiration. He said at once, Little X, tell Cheng Cao to get a sniper rifle, drive here to the Symphony of the Seas, and wait for me. With that, Chen Chen put away the pendant, turned, and left the power control room. Half an hour later, Cheng Cao was driving Chen Chen in a Jeep Wrangler to a deserted patch of wilderness. Your mission is simple shoot this pendant from 1000 meters away. Although Cheng Cao was mystified, he nodded without hesitation. Chen Chen dangled the pendant before Cheng Caos eyes, then hung it upon a dead tree trunk. Following that, both of them got into the car and drove off for a thousand meters. Chen Chen recalled that when he first extracted this item, it had not consumed much energy. After all, the pendant did not have much mass. According to the energy conversion formula of extracting items from the USB drive, this pendant weighed no more than twenty grams, which took a total of twenty-five thousand kWh of electricity to extract. This was the same as 90,000,000,000 joules. With something like TNT, each kilogram could produce 4.2 million joules of heat. In other words, the pendant contained energy equivalent to approximately 21.4 tons of TNT. Even if all of this energy was released at once, it would only spread to a range of about five hundred meters. The way by which the Galaxy absorbed energy was through the simplest contact. If one wished to charge it, it was even simpler. Use copper or silver to construct a hollow metal ball with a diameter of twenty to thirty centimeters. While it was connected to a power source, place the pendant into the metal ball and insulate the outside. In this manner, all the electrical energy would be absorbed by the pendant. However, it was not enough that it could absorb electricity. As a tool for storing energy, it must be able to release the said energy. Now, Chen Chen was trying to figure out how to release this energy [1] its a dance piece directed by Zhang Jigang. Chapter 163 - Engine The two of them stood atop a sand dune a thousand meters away. Cheng Cao was holding an AWP sniper rifle and he aimed at a dead tree trunk a kilometer away. Theres a full-speed southeast wind, wind force level 3, wind velocity at 6.5 meters per second, minute of angle is 7. Beside Cheng Cao, Chen Chen reminded him. After firing, dont look to see if youve made your shot. Turn your back and hide behind the sand dune at once. Got it? Alright. Although he did not quite understand Chen Chens intentions, Cheng Cao still nodded without any comment. Chen Chen put on a pair of sunglasses and only his head popped up from behind the sand dune. He prepared to duck. Okay, you may fire! Chen Chens behavior alarmed Cheng Cao a little. He knelt on top of the sand dune and aimed steadily at the pedant a thousand meters away. Bang! After the gunshot, Cheng Cao did not even look. He immediately turned around and jumped off the sand dune. Copying Chen Chen, he got down and put his hands over his head. Both of them stared at each other without blinking and waited for ten seconds. Erm Nothing happened. Cheng Cao gave a sheepish grin. Then he returned to the sand dune and made another shot. Bang! There was another gunshot. To prevent himself from being blinded, Cheng Cao turned away and glanced at the target out of the corner of his eyes. Seeing that the shot did not land, he continued firing another round Bang! Bang! Bang! In this manner, Cheng Cao kept at it for five minutes. He had used up three magazines worth of bullets. Just when he was feeling somewhat numb, a white light flashed before his eyes. Instantly, Cheng Cao understood something. In pure instinct, he turned his head and leaped off the sand dune! Behind the sand dune, Chen Chen also sensed a flash before his eyes. The sky suddenly became much brighter. Three seconds later, there was a deafening sound! Boom! Along with this deafening explosion, Chen Chen could feel a shockwave that was dying out. The gigantic impact flung the sand off the top of the dune! That was a shockwave formed after a powerful explosive was triggered! All at once, both of them were showered and nearly buried in yellow sand. The shockwave came and went quickly. After a few seconds, Chen Chen raised his hand from the sand, took off his glasses, and shook his head vigorously. After that, he cleared out his ears while forcing a yawn. The thunderous sound had caused both of them to experience tinnitus. Not only that but when Chen Chen looked up to the sky, he also noticed that there was a neat circular pattern above them. Wisps of clouds were gathered into a large circle with an empty center. It was truly eye-catching. This power Chen Chen felt quite disturbed. This item should not be used as an energy storage device, but as a bomb. He had hung this bomb around his neck for half a year. After clambering over the sand dune, Chen Chen saw that the dead tree upon which the Galaxy had hung was gone. Not only had the tree disappeared, but even the ground had also vanished. There was only a huge crater with a depth of dozens of meters and a radius of a hundred meters on the land. Is it just about a hundred meters? Upon seeing this, Chen Chen could not help but frown. The width of the crater was only one-fifth of the expected range. In that case, a sniper bullet would only trigger the Galaxy pendant to release energy akin to 4 to 5 tons of TNT. This was about one-fifth of the energy it contained. The AWP used a 12.799mm rifle bullet. The known mass of the warhead was 46.01 grams, the initial velocity was 850m per second, and the final velocity was 0. The impact time of the warhead hitting the Galaxy was about 0.01 seconds. According to the momentum theorem, one should be able to work out that (N-mg)t = 0-(-mv), N = mg+mv/t. In other words, when the bullet hit the Galaxy pendant, the force acting on it was about 4000N. If one divided that by the contact area, one could easily calculate the pressure. This was the force and pressure that triggered the power akin to four tons of TNT explosive within the galaxy pendant. Hmm, what an empirical display. Having thought of this, Chen Chen walked toward the crater and finally located the undamaged Galaxy pendant there. Even if the energy was released, it remained unharmed. Although Chen Chen did not know how the aliens in the movie had activated the energy within, it was clear that impact excitation was also a method of activation. Now that he had figured this out, Chen Chen knew what he had to do next. He just had to find someone who could make an electrical device that could charge the Galaxy pendant so he could charge it 24 hours a day. If he ever had to go off and take the USB drive with him, he could replace the USB drive with the Galaxy pendant so that no electricity would be wasted. As for releasing the energy that had been absorbed, it was very simple. Chen Chen only had to use a car engine as a reference. First, he would install and affix the Galaxy pendant in the combustion chamber. After that, when the machine started, the piston would automatically hit the pendant. Each force of impact would release some of the energy. This energy would push the piston back. At the same time, the connecting rod of the piston, due to inertia, would produce the force of the next impact Creating an endless loop. The only difference between this kind of engine and the car engine was that fuel excitation was replaced by the way the piston would strike the pendant to excite energy. Thus, the need for fuel was eliminated. By adjusting the force of the piston hitting the pendant, it was also possible to control the amount of energy released by the pendant. Not only that but Chen Chen also thought of another use for the Galaxy pendant. If only a small amount of energy was stored in the pendant and it was then installed upon a detonating device, would it not mean that only a tiny amount of explosive could be used to detonate all the energy within the pendant? This was undoubtedly a super-powerful bomb. Just like before, with a force of only 4000N, it could attain ten times the power of a Tomahawk missile. It was truly a daily essential for killing people, whether one was at home or traveling. Most crucially, this item weighed only 20 grams, so Chen Chen could extract many of them as backup With this in mind, Chen Chen swiftly returned to the research center and began to sketch the engine design. Furthermore, to be able to activate as much energy as possible at one time, Chen Chen designed the engine with a multi-cylinder form. Each cylinder was two meters in diameter and the fuel chamber was replaced with an impact chamber. At the same time, Chen Chen eliminated the air intake and fuel injection ports, and even the spark plug was completely abandoned. After finishing the design illustrations, Chen Chen called Qian Wenhuan, asking him to contact those in Germany and find out which engine manufacturer could produce the engine he had designed. Chen Chen was not worried about this being leaked to others. He could just pretend that this was a handicraft, a hobby. After all, from their perspective, this kind of engine was simply something they had not seen before, something without any function. They did not know about the existence of the Galaxy pendant, let alone imagine that there was a substance in this world that could release energy through impact. The key point was that this substance would not be damaged even as the energy was activated. Chapter 164 - : In the Eye of the Storm As the Eco Science City got closer to its completion date, this newly built town was also getting more tourists who came here to visit. Since the construction of the Eco Science City began, it had practically become a local attraction for Namibia. After all, these towering buildings had been erected in a wasteland. In the eyes of a bunch of idle natives, this was the mighty power of civilization. They praised this great power and they always went to the construction team to ask for water from the well. Every day, before daylight, some villagers from nearby villages would even earnestly haul up water from the wells created by the construction team. Finally, in desperation, the research center had to apply for assistance from the military before they managed to drive away these natives. Even so, in this sense, the lack of manpower in Blacklight Biotechnology became evident. As Chen Chens territory expanded, he was stretched for manpower, whether it was the scientific research personnel or the technical personnel or even the guards in the Black Security Service force. A new round of talent recruitment was urgently needed. Meanwhile, as the precedents from the eleven Disciple families also served to create buzz for his Eco Science City, Chen Chen chose to announce the age-reversal treatment in the form of a paper in the journal, Cell. The core of this technology was to cultivate the patients cloned embryos, from which embryonic stem cells would be extracted. Therefore, after the announcement, the entire academic community was in a complete uproar! Following that, this information quickly went viral. Numerous news outlets and even independent media, like flies that had caught a stench, all published the results of Chen Chens paper on the Internet. Journal Cell Publishes Amazing Research Results, Human Life Expectancy Is Expected to Reach New Limits! Old Wave News. Can Human Aging Be Reversed? Scientists Have a Shocking Answer TX News. What Is a Cloned Embryo? What Does It Have to Do With Cloned Humans? Is It Illegal to Study Cloned Embryos? Search Bear Express. All at once, the words age-reversal treatment were everywhere online all over the world. On one hand, many marveled at the progress of science and the fact that even aging could be treated now. On the other hand, countless people immediately leaped up angrily and began to raise their banners to oppose Blacklight Biotechnology. Soon, the Internet was full of comments that lambasted Blacklight Biotechnology. This was why Chen Chen previously had reservations. Many people thought that an embryo was a new life and killing embryos to extract embryonic stem cells was a kind of murder, which should be strongly rejected. Of course, if there were detractors, there would naturally be supporters too. Some people thought that this was a price that was not even worth mentioning when compared to increasing human lifespan. For instance, on a certain technological forum currently, the debate between both sides was in full swing in a post titled [Where did a third-rate company like Blacklight Biotechnology even come from]: LunarSirius: [What right does Blacklight Biotechnology have to take away the lives of those cloned embryos? I seem to recall that China has forbidden human cloning over and over? Why is this company of theirs not punished?] LuyaoZou: [OP, are you an idiot? Yes, the company is a China company, but theyve even built a city in another country, who even gives a f*ck about that law?] JoyLovesGrayWolf: [Its bad enough that the OP is dumb, but the reply is just as stupid. The Earth Federation and every continent oppose all forms of human cloning, yes, but cloned embryos arent included in this definition. Which continent or country in this world has not researched cloned embryos? If researching cloned embryos is a crime, then the whole world is guilty.] Poison: [Lol, so you can harm a life just like that? Embryos arent human? In that case, dear poster, didnt you start out as an embryo? Or you jumped out from a crack in a rock?] Childheart: [dude youre a troll right] These discussions either started out on an extreme note, after which both parties started to attack each others parents or they began as a friendly debate which gradually turned violent, finally devolving into comments that revolved around genitals and parents, all in the spirit of cheerful academic discourse. In short, the age-reversal treatment had taken over every screen across the entire Earth Federation. Before the situation cleared up, some authoritative agencies would not even deign to come to a conclusion. Nonetheless, Chen Chen was no longer the simpleton he once was. If he had publicized this technology one year ago, he would have been crushed to death by international public opinion. However, by now, these criticisms and verbal abuses had no effect on him. This was because he had capital backing. Not only that but as Chen Chen kept publishing papers in major journals one after another, his reputation gradually improved accordingly. Although he was not at the level of those academic luminaries, he was at least considered to have some clout. When people in academia mention Chen Chens name, they could immediately associate him with results such as Alzheimers disease treatment and age-reversal treatment. This was a form of recognition by the academic world. Before the public, Chen Chen had deliberately downplayed things and even allowed Little X to manipulate online public opinion so that his name appeared in the public eye as little as possible. Nonetheless, the names, Blacklight Biotechnology and Eco Science City, had become known to everyone. Even so, with the announcement of these technologies, the principles behind the technologies also became fully known to the public. After all, the technology of the age-reversal treatment was not complicated. It was simply using embryonic stem cells to transform the hematopoietic stem cells, then rebuild the human immune system. Although there were difficulties with this technology, they were not impossible to overcome. In Chen Chens view, as long as he had publicized the technology, the world would be able to develop a mature version of the technology within a few years even without the core data. In other words, the world would have been able to develop this technology sooner or later, even without Chen Chen. He merely advanced it by a few years. Still, for the time being, the Eco Science City was the only place in the entire Earth Federation that could utilize this technology. This was an intangible advantage. Once the Eco Science City was launched, the money would come rolling in at once. Of course, when there was profit, there would also be more conflicts. In North America and Europe, the eleven Disciple families served as his sentries. Coupled with the Blanc family incident some time ago that acted as a deterrent, Chen Chen could hold down the fort. Now he was just afraid that someone from Mainland China would try to trip him up. Therefore, Chen Chen headed to the Embassy of Mainland China again and sold the core data of the age-reversal treatment to the authorities of China. Though it was called a sale, naturally, it was more like a gift. At this point, some of the researchers in this country could use this technology to extend their lives. Chen Chen had only one condition, which was, the technology must not be developed for commercial use for three years. By now, Chen Chen had everything ready and was only lacking manpower. However, after his rise in fame, things like manpower came to him in a steady stream. Chen Chen no longer had to employ threats and rewards as he did before. He only had to toss out hundreds of invitations and more than one-third of these researchers would gladly accept this olive branch and come to Namibia. Chapter 165 - Poker Cards Two months later, Chen Chen stood in the middle of an empty metal room. There was a white card before him that fluttered up and down in his vision. It was a poker card. If someone came across this sight, they would be shocked to notice that the card was fully suspended in the air. Yes, fully suspended. It was not only suspended. If one got closer, one would find that the poker card was trembling slightly as if an invisible hand was holding it and the tremor was just a natural response of the human body. Meanwhile, as Chen Chen moved his gaze to the right, the poker card also moved to his right. When Chen Chen turned to look at his left, the poker card swooped to the left too. Following that, Chen Chen turned around in a circle. The poker card maintained a distance of thirty centimeters in front of Chen Chen the entire time like it was Chen Chens shadow. Upon observing this, Chen Chen suddenly closed his eyes. Nonetheless, even after his eyes were shut, the card still hovered before him. Then, in accordance with Chen Chens thoughts, the poker card started to twirl around Chen Chen. It was like a dancing butterfly. Finally, Chen Chen prodded with his mind. From a table beside him, three or four poker cards flew into the air and revolved ceaselessly around Chen Chen. Every movement of each card was identical. My current limit is controlling four poker cards at the same time Chen Chen mumbled with his eyes shut. After that, the four poker cards began to move on different trajectories, but this only lasted for a brief moment. In the next second, he suddenly lost control over the four cards which scattered onto the ground. Trying to focus on four things at once is still too much Chen Chen shook his head, then opened his eyes. Unlike the protagonist Andrew in the movie Chronicle, Chen Chen had specially designed several training courses for himself. For example, the current training with poker cards was a way to improve the accuracy of his control. By controlling the poker cards, he could increase his brains control over the electromagnetic force. Besides, Chen Chen also had corresponding strength training and endurance training. After all, as the movie mentioned, this ability could be enhanced through exercise, just like a muscle. Therefore, Chen Chen certainly hoped that this ability could be fully developed in terms of speed, strength, and endurance. At the present, Chen Chens utilization of electromagnetic force was mainly in the form of field energy, so he decided he might as well name his current power as Field. Chen Chen stretched out a hand and turned his palm flat up. At once, four poker cards flew up in succession and landed into Chen Chens palm one by one. As he looked at the messy poker cards in his hand, Chen Chen shook his head helplessly. Compared to Andrew in the movie who casually put away an entire deck of scattered cards, his own control was inadequate. Chen Chen was suddenly struck by another thought. A tin box of chewing gum, as thick as a finger, flew out from his pocket by itself. After that, it opened with a click and a crystal clear pill floated up. Chen Chen opened his mouth and the pill flew smoothly into his mouth. At the same time, the box containing the pills snapped shut and returned to Chen Chens pocket. He closed his eyes lightly. After around thirty seconds, the corners of his mouth curled up and he gently put out his hand once again. Suddenly, what was left of the fifty-four poker cards on the table flew up one after another, spun once in mid-air, then dropped lightly into Chen Chens hands. One, two, three Ten, twenty They moved faster and faster. At first, it was just one card after another. By the end, all the poker cards were simply connected in one long chain, tracing a unified arc in the air before landing into Chen Chens hands like birds returning to their nest. Phew! Chen Chen exhaled loudly and opened his eyes again. At the moment, the deck of cards was tidily stacked in Chen Chens palm. It was a world of difference from the disordered attempt from before. As I thought, after taking NZT-48, even my control over Field increases by more than ten times As Chen Chen murmured, he spread out both his hands. Instantly, the fifty-four poker cards formed a neat circle that floated and revolved around Chen Chen continuously. Chen Chen suddenly exerted some force. There was a flash of white light. The trump card of these fifty-four poker cards abruptly raced out, spinning over a distance of five, six meters, before it slowly drifted to the ground. Following that, the rest of the cards flew out one after another. The furthest of them reached seven or eight meters and even the nearest ones covered four to five meters. Chen Chen turned to the metal wall and sent these cards into the wall. They thudded loudly as they hit their mark. After this, Chen Chen wore a pensive look. Little X. Chen Chen suddenly spoke and looked at the monitor in the corner, Send Qian Wenhuan a message ask him to cut the imported graphene oxide from the research center into the size of playing cards and send it to me. Okay! As Little X replied, Chen Chen turned on his laptop and continued extracting crystalline from the USB drive. After two months of cultivation, Chen Chen felt that his body had recovered to its initial state and could continue to endure the radiation of the crystalline. One, two, three pieces This time, Chen Chen had absorbed twenty-two pieces of crystalline in one go, reserving only 50 kilograms worth of energy within the USB drive. When the last of the crystalline had been absorbed, Chen Chen wiped away the blood from his nose and stretched himself. His whole body made cracking noises. Chen Chen could clearly sense that his Field had grown stronger Therefore, he looked at the poker cards scattered all around and beckoned gently. Instantly, the poker cards within two meters of him flew up, whirled giddily in the air, and returned to Chen Chens hand in a neat curve! Chen Chen smiled. He shut his eyes matter-of-factly and continued stepping forward. As he moved forward, his hand was like a vacuum cleaner that constantly sucked in the scattered poker cards, which returned to his palm like sheep returning to their flock. Right, the first time he had only absorbed nine crystalline fragments and his control over his Field had only extended to one meter. This time, having absorbed twenty-two pieces, his range of control over Field had increased from one meter to around two meters instantly. He had just absorbed the crystalline, but already Chen Chen felt that his command over Field had become more assured. With a mental prod from Chen Chen, a poker card flew out with a whoosh, hitting the wall ten meters away with a loud thud! Boss? Its me, Wenhuan. At this point, Qian Wenhuans voice came through the electronic lock. Chen Chen turned toward the door and gestured gently with his right hand. Instantly, the entire deck of cards floated into the air, then fell gently, but amazingly enough, they landed into a tidy stack on the table behind him, not an inch out of place! After that, Chen Chen kicked the crystalline pieces whose power had been exhausted into a corner. Only then did he snap his fingers to signal Little X to open the door. The red light on the electronic lock turned green and Qian Wenhuan walked in with a welded iron box. Boss, heres the thing you asked for. Qian Wenhuan glanced around curiously and noticed the bloodstains on Chen Chens shirt. His expression changed suddenly. Boss, are you feeling unwell lately? Unwell? Chen Chen cracked his neck and said softly with a smile, Ive never felt better. Chapter 166 - Graphene Poker Cards Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Boss, I think you should do a checkup. After all, frequent nosebleeds for two months in a row may be a sign of leukemia Qian Wenhuan recalled that this had happened to Chen Chen two months ago and he looked worried. Youre only twenty-two this year. You should still have plenty of time left to squander, so dont overwork yourself. After all, youve accomplished so much. If you collapse, all of this would fall into the hands of others Dont worry. Didnt I just get a blood test recently? Chen Chen waved his hand. Im just heaty, thats all. Its fine. Okay Seeing this, Qian Wenhuan could only nod. He then took out the iron box. This is what you asked for. Is this functionalized graphene obtained through oxidation? Chen Chen asked. It seems so Qian Wenhuan scratched his head. I heard from Professor Farad that this thing is harder and tougher than ordinary graphene sheets. However, to maintain this strength and toughness, Professor Farad had to stack 10 layers of this graphene. He said that this thing is very dangerous and should be used with care. 10 layers of functionalized graphene, is that it? Chen Chen nodded and took the iron box. Good, that should do it. After sending Qian Wenhuan away, Chen Chen locked the door of the laboratory again. As the opening date of the Eco Science City approached, Qian Wenhuan barely had time for a break as he was so busy preparing for the opening ceremony. Even so, no matter what order Chen Chen gave, Qian Wenhuan would personally attend to it. This was also a type of sincerity. Chen Chen shook his head. It looked like he would have to reward Qian Wenhuan by promoting him whenever possible. However, on second thought, Qian Wenhuan was already the general manager here in the African Continent. There was no way for him to rise further, so Chen Chen gave up on the idea of compensating Qian Wenhuan. After all this, Chen Chen gently opened the iron box. At once he could see the thin, almost-transparent pieces that lay in the box. Graphene transmitted light very well. Although many layers were stacked together now, they still allowed light to reach the bottom of the box, like glass. Qian Wenhuan mentioned that this thing was dangerous, which was true. After all, what was graphene? It was a layer of carbon atoms. A layer of carbon atoms was called a layer of graphene and the thickness of a single carbon atom was only 0.34 nanometers. Currently, what Chen Chen had was a 10-layer structure of graphene, which was 3.4 nanometers thick. This was only one twenty-thousandth of the thickness of a hair. Moreover, this graphene layer had been especially oxidized, which meant that the edges of this material were incredibly sharp. The serrations at the edge of the graphene could easily pierce the cell membrane of humans and penetrate the human body. It was thus extremely lethal to humans and other animals. Graphene was first separated from graphite by two physicists at the University of Manchester in Europe: Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov. Due to this, both of them had won the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics. From then on, the physics community gained this material called graphene. It was a two-dimensional crystal, the strongest substance known to mankind, and even tougher than diamonds. It was not only the thinnest material but also the strongest. Its ultimate tensile strength was 200 times stronger than steel. A laboratory in North America once did an experiment. Before the graphene particles began to split, they could withstand a pressure of about 2.9 micro Newton per 100 nanometers. This was equivalent to having to apply a pressure of 55N to break a 1 meter-long graphene. If this graphene was made into the thickness of ordinary food-packaging plastic bags, then a pressure of 20,000N would be required to tear the packaging bag. In other words, if a packaging bag was made out of graphene, it could withstand two tons of items. In that case, how strong was the ten-layer graphene sheet in Chen Chens possession? With this in mind, Chen Chen sent out a thought. Immediately, a sheet, so thin it was almost transparent, floated up. Chen Chen observed intently and saw that it was about the size of a poker card. Nonetheless, unlike a poker card, this sheet was practically transparent. If he was not paying extra attention, he would not have noticed it there. Although this graphene sheet was very thin, it was very tough too, not much different from a playing card. Chen Chen thought about it, then simply picked up a book, opened it to the middle, and placed it standing on the table. After that, Chen Chen controlled the graphene he was staring at. Similar to the poker cards, he exerted a force and the graphene sheet flew forward without a noise. Rip! There was a tearing sound that was almost inaudible. Chen Chen looked carefully, only to see that a few pages in the middle of the book had been severed in half! Chen Chen cautiously picked the book up. Right in the center of the book, there was a clean, horizontal slit, about ten centimeters long, which extended to the back pages too. The surface of the cut was incomparably smooth as if the book was printed like this This was an attack on the molecular level. Chen Chen raised his eyes and looked past the book. He saw that there was a pen holder behind it. The thin graphene layer was embedded in the pen holder, revealing only a small section. This power Chen Chen was dumbstruck. If he used this method to attack someone, what would the result be? It was likely that the person, even if they died, would not know how they died. As it was so thin, they would not even feel any pain. At most, there would be a slight itch at their neck. They would reach out to scratch their neck and the adhesion between flesh and blood would fall apart before their head would fall off with a snap Chen Chen did not use his hands but continued using the power of Field to tug out the graphene sheet. He saw that one corner of the sheet had been completely shattered. When he saw this, Chen Chen was able to confirm something. This meant that, although the 10-layer graphene sheet could cut objects that had weaker tensile strength, it still could not cut harder materials. After all, it was too thin. Still, even though it could not cut through metal, its power was sufficient for Chen Chens use. With this in mind, Chen Chen aimed his Field at the iron box and lifted all the graphene sheets. He counted there were a hundred graphene poker cards in total. He nodded and collected these graphene sheets again, keeping them in the box. These graphene sheets were too deadly. If one used their hands, one would easily get injured. Plus, as they were too thin, they would break easily when force was applied. No one else besides Chen Chen could use this kind of thing as a weapon. Just when Chen Chen had finished his experiment, Little X had a notification. Sir Godfather, the Meyer Shipyard in Germany has just sent a message that construction for your customized cruise ship, the Blacklight, has been completed and is ready for collection! Chapter 167 - : The Blacklight Ta-da, this is your Blacklight. Two days later, outside the Meyer dock in Papenburg, the general manager of the Meyer Shipyard pointed to the dock in front and proclaimed loudly to Chen Chen. Chen Chen looked at where he had pointed. A large group of people stood on the pier, looking at the dock that was the size of a hill, by the sea. Three towing boats tugged at the towing ropes at full horsepower, pulling straight the steel cables that were as thick as arms. The other end of the steel cables was connected to a pitch-black mammoth vessel within the dock. Tens of thousands of people had formed a dense crowd on the pier. These were the local residents of Papenburg. With nothing better to do, they had come to watch the launching ceremony of cruise ships. Meyer Shipyard had spread the news. Apparently, they had paid money to be a trending topic, announcing to the world that they had built the worlds largest cruise liner the Blacklight. Currently, as Chen Chen observed the large crowd of onlookers that had gathered on the pier, he mused to himself that it was not just Chinese people who enjoyed a spectacle. This probably applied universally to everyone in the world. As the tugboats kept up their effort, a black behemoth slowly revealed its head. The bow of the Blacklight, which was being pulled forward by the tugboats, appeared in everyones visions. There was a collective gasp from the crowd of onlookers. Black! This tanker had been painted black all over, which was a rare sight! Not only that, but on both sides of the main deck, they could also see a massive logo. It was a black ball that was surrounded by red and yellow lights. Under the contrast of the lights, the black ball looked just like a black hole This was the Blacklight, which could also be called the Blackwatch. As more of the ship was revealed, its presence grew stronger and stronger. It was four hundred and four meters long, eighty meters wide, and seventy-five meters high. This gigantic ship had completely redefined the limits of cruise ships in the Federation! Half an hour later, when the stern had broken free of the dock, the crowd erupted into an enthusiastic cheer. Chen Chen and the people from the shipyard who were standing on a platform of the dock also applauded. Congratulations, Mr. Chen Chen. The general manager of Meyer Shipyard shook hands with Chen Chen and joked. This is the largest cruise ship in the Earth Federation to date. Even if its ranked among all the ships in the world, it must be in the top ten. I heard that youve previously rented Royal Caribbeans cruise ship, the Symphony of the Seas. Presently, the ship youve ordered is much larger, whether in terms of length or width. I dont know if youve hired employees this ship cant even move without one or two thousand employees. Chen Chen nodded. Fortunately, Ive poached the captain and the staff who worked specifically in engine navigation from the Symphony of the Seas by offering a higher salary. With them, I should be able to operate the Blacklight. Then, I can be rest assured The general manager of Meyer Shipyard laughed dryly. As they were exchanging their pleasantries, the tugboats had pulled the Blacklight to moor at a port a few hundred meters away from the dock. The crew members who had been waiting a long time boarded instantly, including the white-bearded Captain Bernard of the Symphony of the Seas. However, from the next second onward, he would be the captain of the Blackwatch. Finally, Chen Chen and the personnel from the Meyer Shipyard followed suit and boarded the ship. A podium had already been prepared on the bow deck and all the employees on Chen Chens ship had lined up automatically, quietly waiting for Chen Chens speech. Chen Chen had always disdained such bureaucratic speeches. After a few careless lines, he picked up a pair of scissors and quickly cut the rope on the bow, causing a suspended bottle of champagne to smash into the bow of the ship. Crash! As the sound of shattering glass rang out, everyone applauded. This was the launching ceremony of the ship. The west had always used this form of bottle-smashing ceremony to celebrate a ships official entry into the big family that was the ocean. When this cruise ship was designed, Chen Chen had added a core power room, as was his habit. After the motors on the ship generated the electricity, it would pass through here first before being distributed to the engines and cabins. A total of 12 Leroy-Somer LSA62 generators had been installed on the ship, providing a total power of 240,000 kilowatts, which was 2.4 times more than the Symphony of the Sea. Now that Chen Chen thought about it, this would be his largest device to generate electricity before the official operation of the nuclear power plant. A few days later, Chen Chen had cleared the red tape of various countries. He boarded the Blacklight and left Germany directly, moving from the Heligoland Bight to the Strait of Dover, then passing through the English Channel, and finally entering the Atlantic Ocean. The Blacklight traversed the entire Atlantic Ocean in only eight days. From Europe, it returned to Africa and arrived at Walvis Bay. Eight days flew by quickly. In the early morning of the ninth day, as the Blacklight berthed at Walvis Bay for the first time, Chen Chen also got off the cruise ship. Qian Wenhuan was waiting on the dock, like clockwork. He opened the car door for Chen Chen and suddenly asked tentatively, Boss, do you have any recent plans for this ship? Not for now. Ill have to recruit more people first, Chen Chen responded. In that case, shall we hold the press conference for the Eco Science City here? Qian Wenhuan seemed delighted. At the moment, newspapers all over the world are promoting the launch of the worlds largest cruise ship. With all this buzz, lets hold the press conference on the cruise ship. Wouldnt it better reflect the strength of our companys technology and funding? Sure. You take care of it then. Chen Chen nodded nonchalantly. When do you plan to hold the press conference? Ten days later, on 1 April, Qian Wenhuan replied. An April Fools Day conference? Chen Chen laughed. How interesting. Will you Qian Wenhuan asked uncertainly. I wont be joining. Chen Chen patted Qian Wenhuans shoulder and spoke in an encouraging voice, Ill leave it all to you then. Keep up the good work I have faith in you. Cheng Cao was still playing the part of the mute driver. After he drove Chen Chen back to the research center, Chen Chen immediately went to the hidden human cloning laboratory on the 6th floor of the laboratory building. Boss! Boss! In the laboratory, a group of researchers was bustling around and they immediately saluted Chen Chen when he arrived. Hannibal and Li Lei came in and greeted him too. Chen Chen nodded, then looked at massive cylinders behind. There were over a hundred of them. These cylinders were situated at the back of the laboratory. They were the life incubators that Chen Chen had been using. These life incubators were much larger than the previous ones. They were about forty centimeters in diameter and two meters in height, with a body made entirely of tempered glass. The life incubators were filled with a turbid, pale yellow liquid. Currently, a large number of bubbles kept forming in the liquid before they rose to the surface with a gurgle. Through the yellow liquid within the glass, one could vaguely make out a figure, curled up like a fetus, floating up and down. These figures looked like fifteen or sixteen-year-olds, but the strange thing was, their belly buttons were still attached to umbilical cords. The ends of these umbilical cords were connected to a large number of pipes, which extended from the inside of the life incubator, out to a huge apparatus behind. Chen Chen stared at the large number of life incubators in front of him. Some of them were cloned bodies of the members of the eleven Disciple families while the rest were clones that Chen Chen would use to conduct experiments. Long ago, Chen Chen had gotten an idea: To prevent these clones from thinking, they would all be injected with targeted, inhibiting serotonin to inhibit brain development. Eventually, their brains would atrophy completely, leaving behind a cavity in the brain. Nonetheless, strangely enough, their cerebellum and brainstem would be unscathed. In that case, Chen Chen wondered, if these clones were implanted with the God chip, would he be able to control them to act like normal people? Therefore, Chen Chen had immediately asked Hannibal to begin a hormone regulation experiment. Through the regulation of hormones, they would make these clones grow into their adult forms within a year. At this point, it appeared that the experiment had been successful. Chapter 168 - Black Knights How is it going? Are there any hidden risks in the clones that have grown through hormone regulation? As Chen Chen observed the cramped, uneven rows of life incubators before him, he posed this question to Hannibal and Li Lei. None that we know of for now. Hannibal replied immediately, After all, the human body depends on hormones for growth. Weve just sped up the process and shortened the time from more than ten years to just one year. We just need to maintain an adequate supply of nutrition. On one side, Li Lei added. Remember that we cultivated an extra clone for each of the five villagers from Gorob Village? Those five have just undergone transplant operations some time ago. Weve performed liver transplantation on three of the cirrhotic patients and the remaining two pneumoconiosis patients also had lung transplantations. Now, they have recovered. Chen Chen nodded. He had known about these operations, just that he was still in Germany when they were carried out, so he had not gotten involved. It was worth mentioning that the thirty-three Gorob villagers still lived in the research center. These people were Chen Chens first batch of subjects for experimental observation. All sorts of data still had to be extracted from them and verified, but the frequency of data extraction was not as high as before. There was a time when this group of people still clamored to leave. Nonetheless, they had accepted the benefits that Chen Chen had offered them and they still wanted to leave? Dream on. This group of people was proof of Chen Chens various experiments and even crimes. Of course, Chen Chen could not let them leave. Otherwise, the Earth Federation would be able to easily locate the proverbial smoking gun. Thus, ultimately, Chen Chen implanted these thirty-three people with the God chip and kept them in the research center. At the moment, Chen Chen was looking at the clones within the life incubators. After some thought, he said, Since thats the case, prepare for the implantation of the God chips. After Chen Chen gave this order, one of the clones who had shown the best growth was taken out of the life incubator and laid out on an operating table. As for the actual operation, Chen Chen did not have to get his hands dirty. Neither did Hannibal and Li Lei. The assistants in the laboratory were good enough for that. These assistants were all talents with potential that Chen Chen had recruited from all over the world. At the start, they would not be involved in such highly confidential projects. Chen Chen would only issue the invitation after they had been inspected by him and proved that there were no problems with their capability and temperament. The moment they agreed to join Gods Forbidden Zone, Chen Chen would implant them with the God chip. As a result, the people here knew about the existence of the God chip. Currently, Chen Chen looked at the team of assistants surrounding the operating table, carrying out the work he had once done. He was overcome by a momentary wave of emotion. More than a year ago, before he came to Namibia, he had personally performed this operation on Samuel and his daughter. At that point, Chen Chen was still a lone wolf. Gods Forbidden Zone was just a dummy organization too. Samuel was the first person to join Gods Forbidden Zone, only he did not know it. Today, Samuel was still loyally helping Chen Chen manage the small research institute in Switzerland. Meanwhile, his daughter had started walking again long ago and was living happily just like her peers. As they had an abundance of manpower, the God chip was successfully implanted in the back of the clones neck within half an hour. This clone was a black male youth who came from the genes of a Gorob villager. At this moment, as the chip was implanted, the black youth on the operating table immediately opened his eyes. As they had not used any anesthetic, the young black man did not show any symptoms of anesthesia after the operation. First, he sat up in the hospital bed, but when he tried to get out of bed and stand up, he could not do it. This must be what happens when he tries to control his body for the first time. After all, this body has never been mobilized, so the muscles arent fully stretched out. Hannibal explained by one side. Chen Chen simply walked over and said to the young black man on the bed, God, can you hear me? The young black man nodded. Very good. If you can hear what Im saying, move your left hand. Hearing this, the young black man remained seated on the hospital bed and slowly raised his left hand. Very good. Now you move your right hand and draw a circle. The young black man then raised his right hand and shakily drew a circle. Now try moving your legs. Chen Chen continued. The young black man immediately shook his lower legs gently. Well done. Chen Chen nodded. Although the movements are still very rusty, at least its certain that the God chip can control these clones. In that case, all remaining clones should be implanted with the God chip, except for our customers clones. After some thought, Chen Chen added. Li Lei, Hannibal, your department should also make preparations. Im going to move your department to an experimental base thats more hidden. Another experimental base thats even more hidden? The two of them looked at each other in surprise. Chen Chen nodded. Youve seen Resident Evil before, right? Theres an underground lab in the movie called the Hive. Youre saying that we have an underground lab similar to the Hive? Hannibal and Li Lei looked down toward the ground subconsciously. Thats right. Our Gods Forbidden Zone has already built an underground laboratory. Chen Chen snapped his fingers. Although its not as large as the Hive, its more concealed. A few more living facilities and its done. Next, following Chen Chens order, the clone research department took out all of the remaining clones and implanted God chips into them. Little X only had to perform targeted programming once on the chips of these clones. Then, they were able to continuously train themselves like intelligent AI, improving the strength, physical fitness, and reflexes of the body. One could imagine a group of people who knew no feelings, no pain, not even exhaustion, could continuously strengthen themselves and constantly exceed their physical limits. As long as these people were given a few months, they could immediately become the mightiest warriors! They did not even need to go through a learning process. As long as Little X incorporated various skills into their chips, this group of people would be like members of a holistic special force, without any weakness whatsoever! Seeing the immense combat potential of these clones, Chen Chen decided to separate these cloned fighters from the Black Security Service and set up a new rapid reaction force instead. After thinking about it, Chen Chen named this new unit the Black Knights. After all, this would be a force that could only exist in the dark, never seeing the light of day. Unlike the Black Security Service which was a combat department out in plain sight, the Black Knights would be Chen Chens real trump card Chapter 169 - Press Conference 1 April 2023. Sunny day. Harbor of Walvis Bay, Namibia. At the break of dawn, before the locals had even risen for the morning, they began hearing the loud noises of a gathering crowd outside their windows. A lively atmosphere quickly took over the coastal town. The gathering of thousands of visitors from afar at the harbor of Walvis Bay had penetrated the tranquility of the bay. They were facing the sea, waiting for the arrival of a grand cruise ship. This group was comprised of media outlets from all across the world. Even though Qian Wenhuan had only sent out invitations to approximately 500 media agencies, more than 3000 agencies were present at the scene. These media representatives behaved like they were fueled by pure adrenaline, paying out of their pocket to get all the way out here. When Qian Wenhuan was notified of this, he did not know whether to laugh or cry. This was the resulting scenery: It was as if all of the media outlets across the world were gathered in the city of Namibia. Among the sea of crowd, one could easily spot internationally-renowned media bodies such as Chinese Press, Associated Press, Reuters, and Agence France-Presse. Despite being more than two hours until the conference, there were already several thousands of news reporters gathered at the Walvis Bay harbor. The number only continued to increase as time went on. ChooC! At that moment, the sound of a bellowing whistle came from a distance. Many people turned toward the direction where it came from. They were greeted by the sight of a silhouette of a figure the size of a mountain approaching from the horizon. Thats the Blackwatch Cruise? Its enormous! Oh my God How is this possible, this cruise is nearly larger than an aircraft carrier Many people present at the scene held their breaths subconsciously upon noting the massive scale of the gigantic cruise ship. Some media had already booted up their cameras and aimed their lenses at the towering figure. Under the morning sunbeam, a cruise ship resembling a gigantic sea monster surrounded by darkness began approaching. A media outlet labeled with the AP trademark occupied the very front row of the harbor. Following the signal of a director, a coolly dressed Caucasian lady put on her signature smile and appeared in front of the camera. Dear viewers, youre now watching a broadcast from the Associated Press, my name is Allie, and I will be your host today. Its the first of April, usually a light-hearted day of celebration, but a particular corporation has set their conference on this date. This company is none other than Blackwatch, the corporation behind the construction of the Eco Science City in Africa. Does everybody see the black ship in the distance? Its the newly launched Blackwatch Cruise, its also the largest recorded cruise ship in the Earth Federation. Its body spans more than four hundred meters with a displacement reaching up to 350,000 tons. Whats even more surprising is that the cruise ship will not be opened to the public as its a completely private cruise ship. Today, well be attending the conference held by Blackwatch Corporation on the cruise ship Allie, the host of Associated Press recited her script confidently. Somewhere close by the Associated Press was the Agence France-Presse. Dear honored viewers, this is the Agence France-Presse report. Im now standing at Walvis Bay, the coastal city in Namibia. As you can all see, there are flamingos everywhere around here. Matter of fact, this area is a nature reserve owned by the Namibian government, its illegal to hunt or kill flamingos here. Today, well be attending the conference hosted by Blackwatch. As many of you may have heard, a company has managed to reverse the aging process of mankind and allow the elderly to restore their youth. They managed to accomplish something that has never been done before. Stay tuned with Agence France-Presse to find out if this is all hyped up or even a scam Similar broadcasts were reenacted again and again at the harbor of Walvis Bay. Even nearby residents were drawn in to observe the rare spectacle. The Namibian officials even specifically dispatched a battalion of troops to serve as security forces for this event. Very soon, the black ship began inching closer. The crowd was able to see the logo on the ship as well as a significant amount of floating ribbons tied by the side of the vessel. It was the decoration for the press conference. At last, the black cruise ship docked itself by the harbor at the amusement of the crowd numbering in the ten thousand. A group of employees dressed in matching uniforms came down from the cruise ship and began checking entry tickets. The first ones to enter were the media personnel invited by Blacklight Biotechnology. The media bodies who invited themselves were last in line. Qian Wenhuan set the opera house on the cruise ship as the venue for the conference. This was an opera house that could accommodate more than two thousand people. The stands were divided into an upper and lower section, allowing it to fit nearly three thousand attendees. Even with these seating arrangements, it was not able to fully accommodate all attendees. Apart from the invited media members, the rest of them had to stand and watch from the far back without an assigned seat. The venue was not much different from regular conferences. There was a large platform erected in front of the audience and on the platform, there was a podium. Right behind the podium, there was a 200-inch screen with a size of 3650*2750mm set up. There was nothing else notable apart from that. Before long, the conference officially commenced. Qian Wenhuan stepped on the stage with several high-level executives. Since it was just a simple press conference, there was not much by way of introduction or opening remarks, it was largely left for the audience to interpret on their own. The group gradually took their seats on the stage. Qian Wenhuan took charge of the microphone first and greeted the audience with a smile, Ladies and gentlemen, please pardon our shortcomings as the conference was set up in a hurry. Id also like to express my heartfelt thanks to all the journalists who have traveled from afar to attend our companys press conference. Thank you, everybody! They bowed modestly on stage, their gestures were met with ceremonious applause from the audience below. Alright, the conference shall officially begin now. Qian Wenhuan switched to a solemn expression. I believe that many of you are aware that we here at Blacklight Biotechnology Ltd are a medical enterprise dedicating our efforts to extending human lifespan and looking out for the best interest of human civilization as we know it. This is the vision of our company, as well as our ultimate end goal! And so, weve launched a treatment procedure for Alzheimers disease, the chronic disease of the century, successfully limiting its effects to its initial stages. The thesis was published in the worlds top scientific journal, Nature. In addition, we developed an aging reversal treatment program that can restore people from old age to middle age, effectively extending the human lifespan by thirty years. Similarly, we have published the thesis on this methodology in the worlds pioneering magazine, Cell. Qian Wenhuan proclaimed confidently, With these two accomplishments alone, we at Blacklight Biotechnology proudly claim our place at the very forefront of the biological world. One day, we suddenly had an idea C could we build an effective system chain that effectively progresses from research and development to experimentation, to incorporating the results in the application and service field in the shortest span possible? With that, Eco Science City was born! This sparked discussions among the audience below as countless reporters began raising their hands fervently. Theres no need to rush. Everyone will get a chance at asking questions. Qian Wenhuan made a waving gesture and pointed at a reporter from Chinese Press sitting in the front row. Mrs. Ye Zhiqiu from Chinese Press. Pleasure, President Qian. A woman whose poise expressed gracefulness and intelligence got up and spoke politely in Chinese, Question, what kind of service business is conducted in Eco Science City and is it any different from regular medical facilities? Strictly speaking, theres no difference. Qian Wenhuan considered the question and shook his head before smiling again. But more strictly speaking, theres a drastic difference! The remark sparked curious looks among the crowd. The reason I claimed that there was not much difference is that our Eco Science City also operates on a people-oriented principle. This is our everlasting motto. As for the reason I say theres a drastic difference is because were simply faster. Our medical facilities are better equipped, also Our technology is more advanced! At the end of Qian Wenhuans sentence, thunderous flashes erupted from below the stage. Ye Zhiqiu coughed dryly and presented another question in a slightly unnatural manner. President Qian, I can understand your latter remarks. However, could you elaborate on what you mean by being simply faster? Theres a very simple explanation for what I mean by being simply faster. Qian Wenhuan expressed formally. As you all know, here at Blacklight Biotechnology, we have our own research center. Plenty of groundbreaking medical advancements have been pioneered by this research center and we subsequently incorporate these technologies into clinical trials in the shortest period. After acquiring international certification, we incorporate it into the application and service field in the shortest time possible, so that our clients may access the latest medical technology available. This is what I mean by being faster! Qian Wenhuans formally addressed speech was met with thunderous applause from the audience. Ye Zhiqiu from the Chinese Press also nodded contently before sitting down. Alright, next up is Miss Allie from Associated Press Chapter 170 - Gradually Fermenting Apart from the opening speech, Qian Wenhuan had spent the rest of the conference answering questions presented by the audience. With the constant burst of flashing lights to boot, he felt like he was close to being blinded. After an hour and a half had passed, Qian Wenhuan exchanged glances with the group of people beside him before finally standing up. Alright, the press conference concludes here. Feel free to explore the Blackwatch from here on. After Qian Wenhuan had finished, he turned around and left. The assistant beside him followed up to address the crowd. Alright now, everyone please leave the venue in order. Everyone can either leave directly or head over to the main deck where we have wine, steak, and a buffet prepared. Please feel free to indulge yourselves. Still, Id like to remind everyone to be mindful. Not only are there soldiers posted by the important hubs on the ship, but theres surveillance everywhere as well. I believe everyone present is of the most cultured members of the Federation and wont be inclined to do anything rash Should it interest you, please stay with us for a few more days here. In seven days, the Blacklight Grand Hotel will be open to all fellow reporters for free. All you need to do is present your press verification at the reception. Everyone can take a tour around the newly opened city. Im sure youll not be disappointed With that, the press conference had concluded. The original motive for hosting the press conference was to proclaim the official establishment of the Eco Science City. The combined influence of these media establishments naturally exceeded any amount of buzz Chen Chen could ever generate on his own. Moreover, several districts built in Eco Science City had also been assigned to employees. Commercial lots in the city were also starting to be rented out. Various commercial shops, tobacco and alcohol parlors, daily necessities stores, and other stores were popping up, adding a fresh breath of life to the newly constructed city. The villa section by the sea was assigned to high-profile people like the professors. As for the Sandwich Bay which was positioned farthest, the hundreds of sanatoriums were stationed by large groups of medical professionals. This spot would soon become the most prosperous section of the Eco Science City. Following the commencement of the conference and all of the present media outlets had published their respective articles, the topic of Eco Science City began trending and sparked a new wave of public opinion. Countless phrases such as Age-reversal treatment and Blacklight Biotechnology circulated across the Internet. Countless armchair scientists began sprouting up one after another, discussing the feasibility of the various technologies developed by Blacklight Biotechnology. As for how these things often went, there was a crowd with opposing views. A bunch of experts and professors began coming out of the woods with claims that acts of prolonging the lifespan such as these were the equivalent of ripping souls out of the hands of the Reaper. This would sooner or later lead to chaos and destruction of mankind! Furthermore, some believed that the use of cloned embryos to extend human life contradicted basic human ethics. They believed that this practice was utterly unacceptable and should be strictly banned. As you may expect, these opposing forces did about as good as a cockroach could at stopping a moving vehicle. Facing a historical movement, they barely were able to generate any noise against it. For the most part, most people observed silently at a distance to see if this newly established Eco Science City was all bark and no bite or the real deal. It was the elderly class of wealthy people who were especially intrigued by this development. In a mere few days, direct flights to Namibia became extremely difficult to attain. To get to Namibia, many people went through the effort of taking a flight to neighboring countries of Namibia and then driving to Namibia. In just several days, tens of thousands of people had arrived at Eco Science City. Some of them stayed at the international hotels of the Eco Science City while others went straight for the Sandwich Bay area to enquire regarding the technology at the sanatorium. Several thousands of people moved into the sanatorium over several days and began receiving the age-reversal treatment. Regardless of the surrounding opinions and the stance taken in favor of or against it, Eco Science City gradually became known to more people. As the word-of-mouth effect continued to ferment, Eco Science City was bound to become more and more prosperous. This time, nobody would be able to stop it. At present, Cheng Cao drove Chen Chen to an office building nearby the Sun District. After parking the car, the two of them entered an elevator in the office building. When the elevator door closed, they went down instead of up. Any other outsiders who witnessed this scene would probably fall into a state of panic. After all, most buildings should only have one to two levels of basements and yet, the elevator had gone down beyond ten levels. When the elevator door opened again with a Ding, an underground space of approximately 500 square meters came into the view of the two men. The underground space was completely vacant save for two tramcars which looked like miniature trains that were positioned by the platform. As Chen Chen and Cheng Cao stepped out of the elevator, the elevator doors shut on their own before returning to the surface. The platform resembled a metro platform. Instead of having subway trains, it was just these small tramcars. They were approximately 5 meters long, 3 meters wide, and 2 meters tall. Its body was an all-alloy structure, the front of the car utilized a triangular design with a marked Blacklight company logo at its head. The track on which the tram traveled was a one-way loop track. Two parallel tracks ran their course down to the end of the platform. These were the tunnel trams that led to the entrance of the underground laboratory. Although the entrance to the underground laboratory was located right under an underground parking lot in a certain district, it had long been sealed up with concrete. Alternatively, several underground tunnel trams similar to this one were placed in the area surrounding the Sun District. When Chen Chen and Cheng Cao boarded the basic tunnel tram, it activated on its own and began accelerating toward the other end of the tunnel. The tunnel trams were extremely fast. They arrived at their destination within several minutes. When Chen Chen got out, what appeared before him was a checkpoint station that was nearly identical to the previous platform. Only then did Chen Chen technically arrive at the underground section of the Sun District. This was where the entrance to the underground laboratory elevator was located. In the future, Chen Chen would begin posting cloned security guards in this section to tighten the security measures. The tramcar automatically screeched to a stop upon approaching the end of the line. After the two of them hopped out of the tramcar, it circled and stopped itself on the opposite track. Any personnel exiting the underground laboratory could take this tramcar to return to the previous platform. Upon the commencement of the underground laboratory construction, the previous lift platform was replaced with a properly enclosed elevator. There were two of them installed as well. It was done this way so that there was no time wasted entering and exiting the underground laboratory. Upon entering the elevator, Chen Chen immediately noticed that the elevator was far more pleasing to the eye than the state it was in during construction. The interior was a full metallic gray. In addition, to help alleviate boredom, there was music constantly being played in the elevator with the option to choose the music to boot. Chen Chen simply browsed the music library and discovered that the catalog pretty much consisted of all the artists in Earth Federation. Even songs from bottom tier artists could be found. It could be noted that the person who designed this feature was extremely attentive. After five minutes, when the elevator was drowned in silence again, the doors suddenly opened. What was behind the door was no longer the exposed underground space as seen before. It was a gleaming glass corridor more than three meters wide. Chapter 171 - Reverse Engineering Upon witnessing the scenery before him, Cheng Cao, who was just about to step into the corridor, did a double-take and slowly pulled back his foot that was close to stepping out. The corridor was around twenty meters long. Whether it was the walls on both sides, the ceiling or the flooring, they were all made of glass. Just the glass itself was not a big deal on its own. What stood out was that right behind the glass was a bunch of squares. These squares were composed of light blue strips of light. Countless strips of lights had illuminated the corridor brightly. At the end of the corridor was a metal gate shut tightly. When Cheng Cao took in the scenery before him, he felt very exposed Dont worry. Upon noticing Cheng Caos hesitation, Chen Chen stepped a foot inside and began explaining, Theres an AI recognition system installed. While we were taking the elevator entering the underground section, the AI has already identified us. Can these strips of lights also emit lasers like in the movie? Cheng Cao could not resist the urge to ask as he walked in and measured his surroundings. Its called an AR ion laser generator. It can emit tens of thousands of degrees of plasma. Chen Chen ran his finger across the glass wall as he continued explaining, The surrounding walls are made of a tempered glass known as fluorescent organic polymer-capped gold. Apart from having tougher than steel qualities, it also has beam expanding functionalities. It can emit combined lasers in any shape or form, effectively getting rid of any unauthorized presence entering the corridor without leaving an inch of a blind spot. Welcome, Commander Sigma05. Sir Commander, youre now located in the underground Spire laboratory base code A0001. An icy, mechanical voice of a girl suddenly echoed across the corridor. Unlike Little Xs voice which contained hints of emotion, its voice was closer to that of a soulless robot. Chen Chen pointed at the roof and informed Cheng Cao, This is X-111, the artificial intelligence of the Spire, it manages this section. This was X-111, a copy of Little X. Due to issues pertaining to permissions, Little X could not expose itself in lower-tier permission dimensions. Similar to the God chip, Little X had created a slightly inferior artificial intelligence copy of itself to maintain the operations of the underground laboratory. As the two of them approached the end of the corridor, the steel gate parted on both sides with a deafening sound, revealing another gate that was rising behind the steel gate. When the second gate opened, another spiral-shaped gate appeared. It was only after all three gates had opened successfully when the two men saw an ascending escalator behind the gates. As a security measure, the elevator entrance to the Spire laboratory extended 50 meters downward. The Spire was surrounded by tens of meters thick reinforced concrete on all sides. This meant that even if an invader managed to destroy the laser corridor they had just passed through, they would still have to break through a fifty-meter thick layer of reinforced concrete to break into the Spire laboratory. After climbing to the top of the escalator and passing through so many safety installments, Chen Chen and Cheng Cao had finally arrived at the underground base. This was the Spire laboratory sector. A structure resembling the Mayan Pyramid stood tall in the distance. No matter how you look at it, it was a breathtaking marvel. It was surrounded by many other buildings such as dormitories, training centers, warehouses, canteens, and similar facilities. There were plenty of decorative plantations that did not require sunlight around the surrounding empty spaces. Chen Chen specifically built a large underground garden to prevent the research staff in the Spire from developing mental illness. The addition of light everywhere also emulated a sensation of being on the surface. In the section of the underground base that bordered around the ocean, a hole with a diameter of around 50 meters was dug to serve as an artificial dock. In the future, this dock would be opened like a tunnel, connecting it with the ocean. With that done, it should be able to house submarines and serve as the secondary entrance to the Spire. There was hardly a need for concern of seawater intrusion as the tunnels connected to the ocean took on an L-shape. The idea behind it was similar to how when putting a cup upside down into a body of water, the middle space of the cup would not be filled with water due to the atmospheric pressure present. When the water pressure of the seawater was equal to the atmospheric pressure in the air, it was impossible for the seawater to flow into the underground laboratory. As for the original long narrow passage leading into the underground laboratory which they initially discovered, Chen Chen was going to have it sealed away for good with concrete. At the present moment, Chen Chen could see fifty clones implanted with God chips on the training ground of the underground laboratory, drowned in sweat as they conducted their rehabilitation training. With the God chip governing over them, their physical capacity was utilized to its maximum limit without overexerting them the slightest bit nor sparing any additional preserve. They would continue to grow stronger by the day until they reached the limits of the human body. The only thing these fighters were missing was the fitting equipment and weapons. Of course, the weapons referred were no ordinary weapons. Although Chen Chen had at one point smuggled several batches of arms from Russian arms dealers, how did these weapons compare with the troops of the Earth Federation? In the future when these black knights embark on their mission and face encounters with various other continents, the excellence of the cloned fighters would not make up for the gap in weaponry. After all, the age where war relied on manpower was long past. Therefore, Chen Chen had required a great deal of non-standard weapons such as the GS combat suit, PK Armor, and various equipment transcending modern technology. This was the only way to properly arm a world-leading combat force. However, Chen Chen did not have this much energy in the USB drive. That was why the next phase of Chen Chens plans was to reverse-engineer the items instantiated from the movie. The GS combat suit was composed of nano-scale carbon fiber and polyethylene fiber. Producing the nano-scale filament alone posed a great challenge, not to mention the far more difficult task of manufacturing liquid armor and electronic spine. When Chen Chen considered this, his mind wandered back to the material laboratory back then that performed the material analysis for the GS combat suit as well as the three scientists working there. It would appear that now was the time to recruit a group of scientists specializing in material science. Before that, he needed to have the worlds most advanced material research facility. While Chen Chen had this in mind, the two of them had arrived at the entrance of the Spire laboratory. He turned to Cheng Cao. Cao, why dont you take a break in the breakroom. Ill call you when Im leaving. Cheng Cao nodded and promptly took his leave. Once again, Chen Chen entered the laboratory and went to the earliest constructed radiation protection laboratory on the first floor. Chen Chen took a seat in front of the experiment table and removed the USB drive attached to the wristband. Previously, he took four months to charge the USB drive with an enormous amount of electricity using the Symphony of the Seas. If this electricity were to be converted to energy, it would be equivalent to a nuclear bomb of 21.5 million tons. Chen Chen did not use all of this energy to instantiate the crystalline, he only instantiated 33 of them in total. He used two of them to conduct experiments on the mice and absorbed the remaining 31 crystallines. Calculating by the weight of 4.5 kilogram per piece, Chen Chen would have instantiated a total of 148 kilograms of items. At this time, the USB flash drive could still instantiate 52 kilograms of material. So, what should he instantiate next? Chen Chen thought about it for a moment before plugging the USB drive into the computer. He selected the USB drive and turned his attention to a movie in it. Terminator: Dark Fate. Chapter 172 - T-800 After some consideration, Chen Chen did not open Terminator: Dark Fate right away. Instead, he turned on the browser and downloaded the second movie of the Terminator series online. Terminator 2: Judgement Day. When the download was completed, Chen Chen moved the movie into the USB drive right away. The two terminator movies merged into one movie in the USB drive immediately. Chen Chen attempted to view the movie. The opening of the movie was a war montage of the battle between mankind and Skynet. The soaring robots up above and the machineries on land unleashed strange plasma beams, completely crushing the human rebel armies in the frontlines. In this cruel and vicious paddle, mankind was hanging on by the edge the entire time. As the frame switched abruptly, a T-800 that had lost one of its arms and legs as well as combat prowess could be seen laying among the rubbles, still squirming around. As destiny would have it, this T-800 would be taken out by a resistance soldier the very next second. However, Chen Chen clicked the pause button before the soldier could make his appearance. Chen Chen began thinking when he looked at the image on the display. The T-800 robot was the fourth generation Skynet robot preceded by the T-1, T-400, and T-600. It was also the first infiltration-optimized combat robot mass-produced by Skynet. The robot possessed extremely tough superalloy exoskeletons. It was the smallest of all T-series robots, standing at only 1.9 meters and weighing below 80 kilograms. Coated with a layer of living tissue Infiltration outer sheath which was a layer of living tissue, it became almost indistinguishably identical to the terminator Governor Arnold played. Using these indistinguishable terminators, Skynet had infiltrated the human base camp for the very first time and massacred them all. Needless to say, the USB drive could not instantiate the living tissue Infiltration outer sheath, but there were still many valuable technologies to be obtained from a T-800. For instance, the fuel cell in the T-800 that allowed it to operate for 120 years, superalloy components, and other parts such as its processors. If Chen Chen could decipher any one of these technologies by way of reverse engineering, it should be greatly beneficial. On top of that, Chen Chens decision to use the T-800 instead of the T-850, T-1000, and T-X was a wise decision. First of all, the T-800 was quite unlike the T-850. It did not contain a hydrogen fuel cell that could trigger a nuclear-like explosion nor did it engage in self-destructive behavior. Secondly, the T-800 was not as pesky as liquid metal robots like the T-1000 and T-X. Chen Chen believed that if he were to instantiate the latter two terminators into reality, the underground laboratory would probably be in big trouble. As you may expect, Chen Chen had considered instantiating other robot variations such as the one in Alita before. However, there was still the underlying problem of Alita not being a complete robot as her brain was that of a human still. Therefore, it was practically impossible to instantiate Alita. Apart from that, Chen Chen had also considered the movie I, Robot. The movie contained a robot known as NS-5 which was quite unlike the murder machines in Terminator, they were more aptly classified as service-class robots. Based on the movie setting, the NS-5 was 1.8 meters tall, constructed with a titanium shell, and consisted of 456 moving parts. The NS-5 could sustain weight up to 360 kilograms and could withstand over a thousand kilograms of impact. It had 1TB of memory and was able to perform more than 6MB calculations per second, capable of conversing in 80 languages Chen Chen planned to instantiate the robot from both of these movies. Perhaps he could build a stronger, more intelligent war robot by combining the strengths of the two respective robots. The problem was there was not much energy remaining in the USB drive. Chen Chen decided to just shelf the movie I, Robot as a backup. Just to be safe, Chen Chen did not instantiate it right away but instead lifted his head and instructed, Little X, order the Black Knights to get their weapons and gather in my lab. Only several minutes after Chen Chen had issued the order, the cloned soldiers who were training on the training grounds immediately put on their bulletproof vests and headed to Chen Chens laboratory with their weapons in tow. Chen Chen took a glance at them and saw the expressionless cloned soldiers identified as Black Knights. They behaved like walking corpses, perhaps because in a sense, that was what they were. The cloned soldiers did not have a brain as they were uniformly controlled by the God chip. As a result, they wore no expressions on their faces except for a blank look. Upon noting the arrival of the cloned soldiers, Chen Chen considered for a moment before pointing the experiment recorder at the computer display. He reached for the display with full concentration A T-800 weighed 80 kilograms. Since the T-800 Chen Chen was planning to instantiate was missing an arm and a leg with missing scraps in its body, there should not be much issue in the weight aspect. Chen Chen only wondered, would the size of the computer display affect the instantiation results? As these questions were flashed across Chen Chens mind, he felt a metallic surface that was cold to the touch. When Chen Chen pulled with might, a metal skull riddled with scratches appeared outside the display! After that, Chen Chen pulled with all his strength. A T-800 in an unseemly state was pulled out of the display! The very moment the T-800 was brought into reality, Chen Chen leaped backward in case it suddenly decided to attack him. However, nothing happened in the end. Upon closer inspection of the unmoving terminator robot, Chen Chen noticed that it was already shut down. It did not react to its surroundings nor was there any light in its eye sockets. When the robots in Terminator operated, the sockets of their eyes would radiate a scarlet beam. Chen Chen found this observation very enthralling. In the movie, despite having one of its legs and arms cut off, it continued to struggle and fumble around. Could this mean that in the period which it was instantiated from the movie, the T-800 shut down due to some form of disruption? Regardless, Chen Chen did not step forward. Instead, he instructed one of the Black Knight members, Do you see its scalp? Theres a slot on the right side of its scalp that can be opened. After you open it, hand me the main control chip inside it. Yes. It was a Caucasian cloned soldier who had received Chen Chens orders. Upon receiving his orders, he knelt without the slightest hesitation and opened the robots scalp, removing a ten centimeters long chip. Sir Commander, Ive completed my task. The cloned soldier got up and handed the chip to Chen Chen before returning to its ranks. Chen Chen inspected the chip. It was a rectangular chip that was ten centimeters long and five centimeters wide. Based on the movie, it should possess extremely high remote computing capabilities. In the movie Terminator: Genesis, this chip was able to handle dimension-spanning calculations. Although it burnt up after doing it, it was still nothing short of amazing. Chapter 173 - Hydrogen Fuel Cell Similar to how Chen Chen had decoded the chip from the movie Upgrade, he first created a port for him to plug the T-800 main control chip inside. Before connecting it to the computer, he poured liquid nitrogen as a coolant to cause it to malfunction before being connected with Little X. As the chip slowly thawed out bit by bit, before it even had a conscience of what was going on, Little X began to devour it in small chunks until its conscience was wiped away completely. As seen in the movie, Skynet was lurking everywhere. The chip in these terminators could very well be a part of Skynet. This was something Chen Chen could not afford to overlook. Ive erased the T-800 program from the chip! As the chip completely defrosted, Little Xs response came as well. Compared to the STEM chip, the T-800 chips resistance is a drop in the bucket! Thats normal. Chen Chen nodded and answered stately, Thats the plot of the movie as well. By enslaving these T-800, the resistance army was able to rewrite the T-800 coding and cause these robots to betray their masters and fight for the humans. As you can see, Skynet isnt particularly adept in the security department. After unplugging the chip, Chen Chen handed it to a cloned soldier again and had the soldier plug it back into the T-800s scalp. The moment the chip was plugged in, a red beam appeared in the T-800s eye sockets as it rebooted. They watched as the T-800 which was missing a leg moved slightly and turned its head around to face Chen Chen with its pair of dark red eyes. At the same time, its metallic teeth moved up and down in a pattern as a bass-heavy voice came out: Conducting systems engine analysis Left-arm engine out of service, right locomotive leg out of service. Damage to the frictionless bearing on the left leg. Damage to the hydraulic shaft on the neck region. Damage to the detachable monitor module. Damage to the inertia impact damper Overall damage calculations, forty percent. Twenty-three percent battery remaining Self-analysis complete. After completing its routine, the T-800 fixed its gleaming red eyes on Chen Chen again. T-800 terminator reporting to Sir Commander. Little X, have you found any observations worth noting from this robot? Chen Chen asked. Based on the data in the database, there certainly are some notable clues! Little Xs prompt response came from the speakers above. The T-800 uses tantalum alloy armor, commonly found in jet engines, nuclear reactors, and missiles. Its made of a mixture of rhenium, tungsten, molybdenum, zirconium, and hafnium. Of course, the main component is iron. The motivation behind using tantalum alloy for the T-800 is because tantalum alloy can effectively resist the erosion of biological fluids. Apart from hydrofluoric acid and hot sulfuric acid, tantalum is resistant to almost all acidic substances. Little X continued explaining, On top of that, tantalum alloy is also referred to as high-temperature tantalum alloy. It can resist extreme temperatures up to two thousand degrees. Especially considering that toward the end of the Terminator movie, both parties were using plasma weaponry, therefore its reasonable to use tantalum alloy armor for its temperature resisting qualities. Chen Chen nodded. What else? Theres the inertial impact damper system in its head which serves to protect the chip, similar to the cerebrospinal fluid surrounding the human brain. A more fundamental feature is the servo drive control system on the T-800. Its limbs are controlled by an axial drive motor and a clavicle trailing chain which allows it to run at extraordinary speed! Apart from that, theres the application of frictionless bearing throughout the T-800s body. This is a variant of a unique magnetic levitation technique that keeps the joints of the T-800 immune to friction damage over time. As for the interior section of the armor As Little X was explaining, a slot popped out of T-800s chest, revealing two lighter sized metal strips embedded inside it. They watched as T-800 used its only remaining right arm to extract one of the metal strips. Little Xs explanation resumed on the speakers all the while. The T-800s powering system is supplied by two high-efficiency fuel cells. The fuel the batteries contain is liquid hydrogen! Isnt it the same thing as the T-850? Chen Chen was taken by surprise. He still remembered the scene in Terminator 3 when Arnold used a knife to slice through his body and proceeded to throw out a hydrogen battery. Due to the damage sustained by the hydrogen battery during a previous battle, Arnold ditched the damaged battery by tossing it out the car window. Subsequently, the battery exploded with the power of a dozen tons of TNT explosion and the range of the shock wave exceeded 100 meters! In the ending of the movie, the T-850 also stuffed its final hydrogen battery into its mouth, annihilating the two of them together. This was the reason Chen Chen had wisely kept his distance from the T-850 and went with the slightly inferior T-800. After all, how was anyone supposed to keep a self-destructive soldier in line? Yet, Little X again revealed to him that the T-800 also used a hydrogen fuel cell. The T-850 uses a hydrogen nuclear battery which is a different thing. Little X quickly followed up. The hydrogen fuel cell the T-800 uses is a regular fuel cell and isnt prone to explosions. Hydrogen fuel cells are present in real life as well. Theyre inherently a form of power generation device. Theyre quite unlike regular batteries that can be discarded after being exhausted or rechargeable batteries that need to be recharged after being expended. As its name suggests, its a battery that continues to supply power by adding fuel to it! However, the actual application of fuel batteries in real life barely reaches a thermal efficiency rating of 50%. Although its better than internal combustion engines that operate at 45% efficiency, its nowhere near perfect yet. The thermal efficiency of the T-800 hydrogen battery can reach 95%. Chen Chen raised an eyebrow. He was not unaware of the implications of thermal efficiency of up to 95%. If this variant of battery could be mass-produced, it could very well historically revolutionize the energy industry. Also, the T-800 has a built-in extractor that can continuously extract the hydrogen in the air to power its hydrogen fuel cell. This is the reason behind the T-800 robot being able to function up to hundreds of years! I see! Chen Chen snapped his fingers and reflected on the revelation. I never expected so many good things to come out of just one T-800. This does make me look forward to establishing my industrial system. All this time, Chen Chen had been paving the foundation for his Mankind Anti-aging Project. Everything he did, he did for the succession of the project. Now, the Mankind Anti-aging Project was beginning to move on track. Chen Chen was also finding more methods to further attain energy at ever-increasing efficiency. Even the construction of the nuclear power plant was a short way away now. This was to say that Chen Chen had already achieved the goal he had initially charted. It was time to step into the second phase. Chen Chens initial goal could be defined as the process of seeking energy supply and establishing his position in the world. In that case, his next goal should be further developed to gradually shift his influence on a global scale, extending his reach over all the corners of the world Chen Chen was still a long way away from achieving this step. Chapter 174 - Self-Invited In the early hours of one Sunday, while Samuel was still under the sweet spell of sleep, he was suddenly rudely awoken. It was accompanied by the pestering voice of a young girl. Dad, Dad, get up already, Dad! A frown came upon Samuels face. He was about to explode in a fit of rage but halted himself when the words approached his lips. He opened his drowsy eyes and sat up hesitantly. Annie, let Dad sleep a while longer. No. Did you forget, Dad? Today is the opening day of Augusts concert! A girl with a pretty face and several spots of freckles on her face chirped about endlessly like a little lark. Dad, didnt you promise me last week that you were going to go to Augusts concert with me? Yeah, yeah, Dad got it Samuel then sheepishly massaged his head before he put on his socks and shoes. Hmm, quickly get up Dad, Aunt Linda already made breakfast! Only then did the little girl willingly leave Samuels bedroom. Sigh Samuel was not sure how to feel when he saw his childlike girl. He always found all of his anger instantly appeased whenever he looked at his daughters joyous face full of happiness. The girls name was Annie, she just turned eighteen years old this year. Who would have ever thought that this energetic girl who had spent her days hopping around like a rabbit was bound to her wheelchair just one year ago, unable to leave the house as she wished? Back then, the gloom never left Annies face. She was also incredibly skinny and weak, almost skin and bones. The only thing she liked to do was to lie by the window and watch as people her age walked by. Whenever she found herself doing that, her eyes were full of envy and desire. Samuel could not bear to see it anymore. He took the initiative to give up on clinical science which he was passionate about and turned to stem cell research in hopes of finding a cure for his daughter. However, he had circled around for ten years to no avail, unable to find the ultimate cure. Until one day, Samuel met a young man called Chen Chen. Like a devil from the underworld, this man put his daughters recovery on the table as a bargaining chip to enlist him into an organization known as Gods Forbidden Zone. From that moment onward, Samuels life was entirely rewritten. Illegal animal experiments, illegal clinical trials, and sometimes even researching human cloning. These were the subjects Samuel had to deal with on a day to day basis. If the Switzerland government were to catch wind of this, he would probably have to face more than a decade of imprisonment. However, as long as it meant Annie regaining her ability to stand up on her two feet, how much did all this that he had to endure even matter? With this in mind, Samuel dressed and pushed open the bedroom door to head down to the first floor. He noticed that the living room television was turned on. There was a person who sat on the sofa with his back turned toward Samuel. That person was immersed in the cartoon program playing on the television. From where Samuel stood, he could only see the persons figure from the back. He could tell that it was a man who was relatively young. Was it Annies classmate? Samuel frowned and paid no mind to that man. He walked past the man from behind to head to the kitchen where he got himself a cup of water. Dad! Right then, Annie ran over again from the kitchen and urged him. Come get breakfast quickly Dad! Youre not going to ask your classmate to eat with us? Samuel asked strangely. My classmate? Annie was slightly taken aback. What classmate, I didnt invite any classmates today though? Didnt invite? Samuel found this even stranger. He quickly turned toward the direction of the living room and saw the figure still seated on the sofa. The man was even taking several gulps of water from the cup on the coffee table. It was then when Annie also noticed that man. She wore a confused expression and asked, Eh, do we have a guest? Samuels expression turned darker when he heard his daughters remark. It was not his daughters classmate and it was also far more unlikely that it was the nannys friend as the nanny would not dare to invite people over. This meant that the persons identity was largely unknown. With this in mind, Samuel gave his daughter a look before he began slowly approaching the other person. However, this time, the figure had turned around to face him. It was a young but also familiar look that turned to face Samuel. Mr. Samuel. Its been a while. Its you? Samuels expression changed. When did you come inside? I just got here. I saw the door was unlocked so I brought myself inside. The young man spoke German fluently. He also had a very gentlemanly smile. I hope you guys wont mind. Annie standing beside her father glanced at her father, then at the smiling young man. She was quite puzzled. It was pretty telling that her father was not a fan of seeing this man Was it her fathers coworker? Annie wondered. This must be Miss Annie. The young man took a brief look at Samuels daughter standing beside him. Very beautiful, congratulations on your recovery. Thank you. Annie thanked him somewhat stiffly. Annie, why dont you go eat first, no need to wait up. Samuel seemed to have made up his mind on something as he spoke to his daughter. His tone implied that this suggestion was not to be disputed. Oh, okay Annie did not say much by way of response. Facing this scenario, she knew that the two of them must have something confidential to discuss. With this, she sensibly took her leave, hoping that this persons arrival would not affect her concert plans with her dad. After Annie left, Samuel finally took his seat opposite the young man and asked gravely, Chen Chen, its been a while. Is there anything I can help you with? Samuel, no need to treat me like some threatening opponent. I only came back to Switzerland to discuss some matters with Mr. Wynn. The young man smiled faintly. This young man from the Mainland was Chen Chen. Little X could effortlessly infiltrate the airline network to create all sorts of random identities. This way, Chen Chen could travel to any place in the world without the government finding out about it. With Mr. Wynn? Samuel was slightly taken aback. But Mr. Wynn isnt in my home. I know, but hell be here very soon. As Chen Chen spoke, he pointed at the doorway. At the end of his note, the doorbell rang. Samuel was at a loss. He slowly approached the door and turned to look at Chen Chen. Then, he opened the door. An elderly man with a full head of white hair appeared behind the door. He carried a stoic aura with him that was unique to a Swiss. Who else could this be other than the man who was the general manager of Blacklights branch in Switzerland, Mr. Wynn himself? Mr. Wynn? Due to his pride as a researcher, Samuel had never been a big fan of this old man. However, since the man came to his doorstep, he had to uphold his courtesy as the owner of the house. Chen Chen did not make a move to get up and greet him, he only turned to Wynn and nodded politely. Long time no see, Mr. Wynn. Long time no see, my boss. Wynn handed a bottle of beer to Samuel who was standing next to him. He then hung his coat by the clothes rack. I cant believe that its been a year since weve last met. But when I heard about the excellent development of the Africa branch, I was able to rest my worrisome heart. Youre too humble, Mr. Wynn. If it werent for your assistance in the backlines, keeping everything in the Switzerland branch in line, the major developments on my end wouldnt have been achieved. Chen Chen smiled before handing him a silver card that was still shining. I invited you here to give you this. Wynn took the card. Upon closer reading of the text written on the card, he turned up with a look full of surprise. Eco Science City Sanatorium member card? Samuel stood there with his mouth agape as well when he saw the card. There was even a hint of jealousy. The existence of this card may be largely unknown to the general masses. However, among the circle of the top millionaires, it was pretty much public knowledge! With its reputation as the most well-facilitated sanatorium equipped with the most advanced technology, the Eco Science City had become the prime destination to receive medical care for the wealthiest members of the world. Apart from general medical care, there was also the Age-reversal treatment and Alzheimers Disease Reversal Treatment subjects that could not be found anywhere else in the world. This was another reason that Eco Science City could draw in thousands of privileged individuals from all over the world. Due to the large amount of traffic, the reservation list for the sanatorium had been backed up to as far as two years later. With this, the sanatorium announced a so-called membership system. The members were categorized into five separate tiers: Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Diamond. The higher-tier members would be granted quicker access to the services provided by Eco Science City. Out of all these membership cards, only Bronze, Silver, and Gold could be purchased with cash. It was impossible to purchase the Platinum and Diamond cards with any form of currency. Rumors had it that only very few selected powerful individuals could get the Platinum and Diamond membership cards. Members with a Platinum membership card had the luxury of receiving treatment in the Eco Science City whenever they wanted even without prior appointments! Yes, this is a Platinum tier sanatorium membership card. Chen Chen nodded. Please dont turn this down. This is something youre entitled to as a crucial member of the company. Despite Wynns best efforts, his hands continued to tremble upon hearing Chen Chens remark, the unrest in his heart was laid out in the open. As someone who silently watched Chen Chens gradual rise, he was more informed than anyone else of the significance of this membership card Although Wynn was only the general manager of the company, he at one point had held more than 20% of the companys shares. When Chen Chen spent over a billion to purchase the company, he could very well have taken the chance to retire. However, Chen Chen took notice of Wynns various connections in Switzerland and took the initiative to convince him to stay. At this point, there was not much else that could serve to persuade this elderly man as money was no longer an object of priority for him. However, this card was Wynns Achilles heel. This was something he could never refuse Right. Just as Wynn was being overwhelmed with gratitude, Chen Chen added. With this card, you can head to Eco Science City to receive treatment anytime you want. The treatment costs will be deducted from the companys expense. But before that, theres something that I need your help with. A smile appeared on Chen Chens lips as he spoke and he took out a book containing drafted plans and presented it to Wynn, I need you to help me settle some things concerning the export of ultra-precision machinery in Switzerland Chapter 175 - Waiting on the Line, Hurry! Hahaha! My boss, youve got to be the most outstanding young man Ive ever seen in my lifetime. Half an hour later, as Wynn walked out of Samuels house, he embraced Chen Chen at the front gate. Rest easy, Ill see to it that this matter you speak of is handled properly. Im counting on you, Mr. Wynn. Chen Chen nodded earnestly and watched silently as Wynn took his leave. Chen Chen waited until Wynn had gotten into his car and driven out of sight before returning inside the room. Chen Chen sat himself up on the sofa comfortably and turned to Samuel standing nearby. Sit, no need to keep standing around. Only then did Samuel take his seat. He asked hesitantly, Boss, so the reason you came is to No big deal, its just to import some high-precision equipment. Chen Chen lifted a glass of wine on the coffee table and took a gentle sip. Other than that, Im also going to find a way to acquire several tech companies. I figured I might as well come to ask if youre interested in helping me in Africa. Africa? How about things in Switzerland? Are we abandoning it? Samuel was bewildered. Gods Forbidden Zone has more than 300 laboratories in Africa now. Chen Chen turned the question around on him. Among them, there are six highest-graded Level Four Biosafety Protection Laboratory. We even have an offshore research center that weve invested 1.5 billion U.S. dollars in. How important do you see the small research center in Switzerland to be in the grand scheme of things? Samuel very quickly understood the full picture but his expression turned dark again as he shook his head. I didnt think that things would develop this quickly in Gods Forbidden Zone over the last two years. But Im sorry, I still have Annie here, I cant be separated from her Never mind then. Chen Chen waved him away and set down the glass before getting back up. Since youre not willing to come to Africa, you can spend the rest of your days here. Each man could do as he willed. Since Samuel chose to stay in Switzerland to manage the small laboratory, Chen Chen was not going to press the issue. There was no way around forcing research progress. Though the God chip may be able to ensure a persons loyalty, there was no way to manipulate aspects such as a persons attitude and commitment. Sure, Samuel could be forced to go to Africa against his will, but what good was it if he was not going to be committed to his work? This was the reason Chen Chen had refrained from resorting to violent or oppressive methods to implant the chip. Unless it was in cases where the subject was expandable and could be disposed of after fulfilling their purpose. Since Samuel decided to remain idle in his corner, that meant he had given up on any chances of rising through the ranks. In that case, if he ever found himself needing anything from Gods Forbidden Zone, he would have to dig into his wallet for it. After all, there was no such thing as a free meal and Gods Forbidden Zone had no need for dawdlers either. Chen Chen patted Samuel on his shoulder to let him realize what he had done before he walked out the door. When Samuel saw Chen Chens departing figure, he opened his mouth and tried to say something. At that very moment, he was suddenly struck with a hint of remorse. As if it had just dawned on him that he had just decided that he would regret for the rest of his days However, when Samuel thought of his daughters gentle smile, he made himself sit back down after just getting up from his seat. Some things were worth losing for his daughters sake. What more was there to complain about so long as he got to be with his daughter? Samuel sat by the coffee table and lit a cigarette, reflecting silently as he smoked. After exiting Samuels villa, Chen Chen looked at the pale blue sky of Switzerland. He appeared to be immersed in deep thought. All things considered, Samuel was only slightly competent. Chen Chen only wanted to enlist him since he was one of the earliest followers. Since the other party was not willing to accept the offer, there was not much Chen Chen could do about it. At most, he only felt a little disappointment. The good thing was that Blacklight Biotechnology had already found a strong foothold in the Earth Federation in the biological science department. Right now, Chen Chen was going to dedicate his efforts to the industrial and electronic technology sector. Chen Chen had even played around with the idea that in addition to the Black Knight cloned soldier troops, he could add a clone engineering department that would specialize in training cloned engineers. However, just having clones alone was not going to suffice. These clones could only boost the production line efficiency at best. Since the clones did not possess a conscience of their own, they were able to achieve a higher level of concentration compared to regular workers. This way, they were able to manufacture parts at higher accuracy and efficiency. With that said, these clones provided zero benefits whatsoever when it came to research work that relied on inspiration and natural talents. After all, it would not do to have these clones which did not even possess a brain to perform scientific work. Therefore, it was still crucial to have talented researchers. Apart from that, to further examine sophisticated machinery like the T-800, facilities such as material laboratories and high-precision equipment were all but mandatory. This also included industrial ultra-high precision machine tools. In the ultra-high precision machine tool sector, the industry leader was none other than Germany while other countries such as Switzerland and Italy trailed closely behind. The most advanced ultra-high precision machine tool in the world was able to achieve an accuracy of 0.01 to 0.001 microns. This precision was close to 1 nanometer, hence earning it labels such as the mother of high-precision machining or simply known as the mother machine. Wynn could only get his hands on one or two such types of machinery at most. To obtain the certified first-rate German machine tools, they were going to need to rely on the Disciple Council. The reason Chen Chen came to Switzerland this time was so that he could survey several materials companies and try to acquire as many as possible. If it turned out that he was not able to acquire them due to Blacklight Biotechnology being a company based in the Mainland, then he would have the plutocrats of the Disciple Council to do it for him. Of course, Chen Chen would see to it that they were paid appropriately in return for having them go through all the hassle. Up till now, the primary form of trade currency in Gods Forbidden Zone was information credits. Whenever Chen Chen issued similar tasks, the reward was always in the form of information credits. The reception was surprisingly favorable. Since Little X was able to traverse across every facet of the Internet, all sorts of information could be easily attained. Whenever the members wanted to get their hands on certain information, they would pay with the corresponding amount of information credit. Little X had devised a specific algorithm to calculate the price of intel based on the difficulty of acquisition and how valuable it was. The price could range from anywhere between 10 information credits to 10,000 information credits. Abstract subjects such as intel could be dirt-cheap at times while incredibly expensive at other times. It all depended on who was acquiring the intel. The plutocrats fervently used the information credits they possessed to purchase all sorts of intel of different industries. With the help of the intel attained, they were able to make informed and rarely unfavorable investments and business decisions. For artificial intelligence like Little X, it was relatively easy to acquire intel. The plutocrats, on the other hand, were able to reap their rewards as well. It was a classic win-win situation for both sides. These information credits were not available for purchase. A hundred thousand such credit points were credited upon being enlisted as a member of the Disciple Council. The only other way of acquiring them was by way of payment upon completing missions issued by others. Unfortunately, even when the plutocrats issued missions, they held onto their information credit like their lives depended on it. They only offered cash rewards in USD or GBP. Chen Chen was the only one who posted missions with information credit as payment. After all, so long as the plutocrats continued purchasing intel, these information credits would find their way back to Chen Chen one way or another. There was no need to be worried about market inflation. Chen Chen selected a software on Little X and logged in to the dark web only accessible to Gods Forbidden Zone. He then posted a mission under the alias of a Sigma class disciple, Judas. sigma05Judas: [Does anybody have connections to highly regarded field talents of the material science and industrial sector? Give me a few names. I also need German ultra-high precision machine tools, 1000 information credits each. Waiting on the line, urgent!] Chapter 176 - Imported Machine Tools Several hours later, Chen Chen began receiving replies from various families. sigma01SimonPeter: [Dear Mr. Judas, though I dont know what you intend to do with it, according to the Wassenaar Arrangement, itll not be easy for your company to acquire German products using conventional methods. It should be a lot easier if you target products from other countries. How do you feel about Switzerland or Italy products?] sigma08Phillip: [This can only be done using a set of arranged methods. May I know if youre only willing to shell out 1000 information credits or does these 1000 credits only cover the reward for the completion of the mission? I hope you understand that our family will have to bear a similar risk if we were to help you with this task.] sigma10Matthew: [If Mr. Judas is willing to pay 3000 information credits, we shall gladly supply the machine tools from two of our engine parts companies.] sigma06Bartholomew: [Thats enough of you, you Wilson idiot, just the sight of your arrogant face makes me angry. By engine parts companies, dont you mean those two companies that are as ancient as the yogurt the next door Aunt Mary makes? I hate to break it to you, but theyre way overdue.] sigma10Matthew: [Hey there, Foster pig. Im not sure which Foster kid is behind the keyboard here, but I sure hope I can teach you a lesson for your father and beat some manners into you. If you keep up this bratty attitude, dont mind me if I head over to your home and kick your fat butt with a pair of pointed leather boots!] sigma06Bartholomew: [Be my guest, you son of a b****!] [System alert: Account sigma06 will be temporarily suspended by the system for ten minutes due to excessive use of language. Please monitor your behavior.] Finally, after further discussions in private, a total of three consortia responded to Chen Chens offer. They were the Rodriguez and Alexander families in North America and the Foster family in Europe. Both the Rodriguez and Alexander families would be supplying two machines respectively while the Foster family would be supplying one. These families already had assets of their own in Germany so it was not particularly difficult for them to get their hands on the equipment. After all, they represented the European allies and North America instead of the Mainland, which was the enemy of the West on the opposite side of the Earth. The Mainland had to go through a great deal of trouble just to be able to purchase this equipment. In contrast, the Western financial groups could effortlessly purchase such extreme-precision equipment. With that said, the three financial groups still made a point to ask Chen Chen to refrain from reselling them in the Mainland. If word of this got out, not only would Blacklight Biotechnology be subject to economic sanctions in North America, but the three financial groups would also be facing similar repercussions. Similar events had transpired in the past. Back in the 1970s, the Earth Federation was not known as the Earth Federation yet, it was called the United Nations. At the time, the world was polarized and split into two factions. The Soviet and America were at odds with each other then. During the long cold war, a trade organization known as the Coordinating Committee for Multilateral Export Controls was established under the control of the United States. Its main purpose was to impose embargoes and trade restrictions on nations such as the Soviet Union. At that time, the intelligence obtained by Soviet spies from the United States indicated that the noise produced by their submarines was too loud. The U.S. Navy could detect them from 200 nautical miles away. If the Soviets could not address the issue with the submarine noise, there was no point in having submarines at all. However, to eliminate the noise of the submarine, it was necessary to manufacture a more precise propeller. This modified variant of the propeller must be manufactured with high-precision machine tools. However, due to the restrictions imposed by the Coordinating Committee for Multilateral Export Controls, advanced Western machinery could never be sold to the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union decided to sidestep the restriction and obtain high-precision processing technology by other means. In the end, the Soviet Union had secretly established a connection with a company in the East China Sea region. Enticed by huge commercial interests, the company named Toshiba agreed to provide four nine-axis propeller milling machines to the Soviet Union. To mask their intentions from the public, the Soviet Union did not order a matching computer control system. Instead, they asked the Norwegian company Kongsberg to provide four low-end computer numerical control devices. This variation of low-end computer numerical control devices was not restricted by the Coordinating Committee for Multilateral Export Controls embargo. By simply rerouting its wiring and circuit, they could be repurposed as a numerical control device for a nine-axis machine tool. Subsequently, Toshiba applied for an export license from the government without informing them of the nine-axis machine tool. The story they gave was that this was a two-axis machine tool used to process the blades of a hydroelectric generator. They were able to successfully obtain the correspondent export license. These four machine tools successfully arrived in the Soviet Union and were put to use almost immediately. The noise the new Soviet submarines produced was only 10% of the noise produced by its original submarines. They propelled themselves to the worlds most advanced standards in one fell swoop. However, the truth was revealed eventually. When an employee of Toshiba resigned due to a dispute with the company, the said employee ratted out the details of the incident to the Coordinating Committee for Multilateral Export Controls. Under pressure from the United States, the Japanese Metropolitan Police Department conducted an unannounced inspection of Toshiba. They seized all relevant secret information and arrested the personnel involved. In the following months, the U.S. government and the opposition parties were enraged. They repeatedly condemned Japan and imposed sanctions on Toshiba. At that time, the Japanese Prime Minister had no choice but to issue an apology to the United States, even spending hundreds of millions of yen to publish what was a Penance letter in more than fifty American newspapers. After that, following the establishment of the Earth Federation, the coordinating committee was officially disbanded. However, its formulated list of prohibited exports was later inherited by the Wassenaar Agreement of the Earth Federation, until the current day The shipping method used by the three plutocrats was nearly identical to the method applied by Toshiba back then. The numerical control and the machine tool were shipped to Namibia in separate shipments. After more than half a month, five sets of ultra-high precision machine tools were under Chen Chens possession. Chen Chen was buying them at a premium price. On top of the hundred million per machine that he was paying, he also awarded the respective financial groups a thousand information credits for each machine tool delivered. The process of finding a suitable workforce proved to be far simpler. With privileged access to the treatment plans in Eco Science City as part of the deal, he was able to easily recruit several top-class mechanical engineers above sixty years old. As for the candidates who were not of age and saw no urgent need for the treatments any time soon, Chen Chen had other offers lined up for them. To start, he presented them with curated footage of T-800 and an invitation letter to Namibia. With this, Chen Chens clone armies were dispatched on their very first mission as well. Just like how Chen Chen had done it in the past, the cloned soldiers would be carrying the memory eraser with them. If the mechanical engineers still insisted on declining even after watching the footage of T-800, the cloned soldier would erase their memory accordingly. If they expressed keen interest upon seeing footage of T-800 and flew out to Namibia, then everybody would win. Within two weeks, Blacklight Biotechnology saw a new batch of top-notch mechanical engineers joining their ranks. During this duration, Chen Chen had also managed to acquire the materials laboratory near Windhoek, the capital of Namibia. He had all of the equipment in the laboratory moved to the research center to build a special workshop for coordinating reverse engineering research. With the facilities and personnel all sorted out, Chen Chen could finally conduct reverse engineering research on equipment such as the GS Combat Suit and T-800 terminator. Chapter 177 - Dlamini’s Visit At the Walvis Bay International Airport, a private plane was granted permission to land. It began its slow descend onto the airport. When the plane came to a stop, an elderly man got off the plane. The color on the elderly mans face was poor, his cheeks were sunken as if he had been stricken with a horrible disease. He could barely walk on his own and needed two female assistants to support him. A dozen black-suited bodyguards followed closely behind the elderly man. Even the security guards of the airport could not help but fix their gaze on the parade. After they had passed the immigration check, the elderly man and his crew exited the airport. A fleet of vehicles was already parked outside the airport waiting for them. Sir Dlamini. Brando went up to greet him along with a host of B.S.S. members, bowing slightly as he greeted, Please come with me, Mr. Chen has been waiting. Brando, howre things going around here? A wry and crooked smile surfaced on Dlaminis gray face. If youre not satisfied with how things have been going, youre more than welcome to come home anytime Sir Dlamini, you jest. Brando frowned. Im doing fine here, Blacklight Biotechnology is my home. Is that so, thats a sha Ahem Cough, cough, cough! Dlamini shook his head and launched into a coughing fit before he even had time to finish his sentence. He spat out bits of phlegm containing traces of blood as he coughed, causing Brando and the others to back away stoically. Dlamini smiled bitterly. Ahem, ahem! Hurry Bring me to Mr. Chen Chen, Im not sure how much longer this body can hold itself together. Brando shot a look at the crew behind him before turning back to Dlamini with a smile. Alright, please come with me. With that, he opened the back door of the Rolls Royce Phantom parked at the head of the fleet and took Dlamini inside. Apart from the two female assistants accompanying Dlamini, the rest of the bodyguards entered the vehicles parked behind the Phantom. Brando hopped into the driver seat and started the engine. The fleet quickly advanced to the research center by taking the newly constructed road. As the vehicle began moving, Dlamini stared at Brandos figure sitting in the front row. A gloom appeared in his eyes. Dlamini had raised Brando himself. When Brando was still a child no more than five years old, his home was torn apart by the ongoing war that stripped him of his parents. In the end, he was shipped off and sold to Africa. At the time, in the human trafficker market, Dlamini immediately caught the vicious glare in Brandos eyes. At such a young age, the child was able to survive the long voyage from Israel on the pirate ship. There was something different about this child. Judging by how things turned out now, Dlaminis initial impression certainly proved to ring true. It did not take long for Brando to stand out among the pack of children. He further honed his skills and eventually became one of Dlaminis trump cards. To his surprise, this man had jumped onto the Gods Forbidden Zone bandwagon and hardly recognized his own godfather now. It was just as they said, only a fool would count on loyalty When Dlamini thought of this, he felt a pang in his throat and suddenly coughed violently, spitting out a clump of blood again. While the two assistants fumbled hurriedly as they tried to wipe off Dlaminis blood, they accidentally opened his shirt which revealed large blots of scars and ulcers on his chest Brando stole a glance of it from the rearview mirror and did not appear to be caught off guard, considering this sort of symptom was very common in Africa. Late symptoms of AIDS. Based on the extravagant lifestyle Dlamini led in his youth, it was not too uncommon to contract such a disease in a hellish place like Africa. AIDS generally had an incubation period of about ten years. It would appear that Dlamini was infected when he was around fifty years old and it happened to break out now The fleet of vehicles very quickly returned to the research center. As soon as they entered through the gate, a group of medical personnel wearing medical protective clothing with a stretcher cart at the ready was waiting by the gate. As the vehicle came to a stop, the group immediately opened the door and put Dlamini on the stretcher before hauling him off to the intensive care unit. The bodyguards trailing behind stepped off their vehicles and made to follow Dlamini but were stopped by the medical personnel. Everyone, well see to it that the patient receives the best available treatment. However, as the patient has developed serious complications of tuberculosis, wed appreciate it if you all would head to the section we prepared for secluded observation. The bodyguards initially felt reluctant to follow along but as Brando and his host began to circle them, they had a sense that they were surrounded. With this, the bodyguards obediently allowed themselves to be taken to the isolation zone. After that, several medical personnel well protected from head to toe carried sterilizers with them and began spraying the seat Dlamini sat on. One of them turned around. Mr. Brando, hope you dont mind. I understand. Brando nodded and went to the isolation zone with the others. Several hours later, Chen Chen was seated in the office with his legs folded. The computer display in front of him was broadcasting the ongoings in Dlaminis ward. At the same time, the printer began printing a medical report. When Chen Chen read the medical report, he had a hard time stifling a laugh. The medical report provided details on oral Candida albicans infection, herpes zoster virus infection, tuberculosis, toxoplasma encephalopathy, sepsis, and the list went on. The root cause of the disease was HIV destroying the bodys immune system. At this point, it could be said that Dlaminis body was a breeding ground for bacteria and viruses. His immune system had been reduced to merely a sift, unable to prevent the spread of these bacteria and viruses in his body. At this point, going by the medical standards in Africa, Dlamini may have as well been given a death sentence. He had less than half a month left. However, Dlamini thought of Gods Forbidden Zone and he thought of the Eco Science City. In the end, Dlamini exercised his right as a member of Gods Forbidden Zone and posted a mission. If the Eco Science City could effectively cure him, he was willing to pay a significant price. There was a prompt reply from Chen Chens end. While recovery was not possible due to the current global medical standards, the Eco Science City could guarantee to extend his remaining lifespan by at least five more years. The price that Chen Chen named for Dlamini was the Tara Private Security Company valued at one billion U.S. dollars on the market. Having nothing left to lose, Dlamini agreed. Sir Godfather, Dlamini would like to meet you. Right then, Little Xs voice was suddenly broadcasted through the speakers. No need, just tell him that well do all we can to see to his treatment. While staring at the medical report in his hand, Chen Chen slowly let go of it and pulled back his right hand. The strange thing was that the medical report remained floating in front of Chen Chen. Immediately afterward, one corner of the medical report folded inward and then the other corner followed suit as well. The report turned into a triangular-shaped paper mid-air. After that, the triangular paper folded into itself two more times and transformed into a paper plane. It was as if there was a phantom hand doing this. After the paper plane was constructed, Chen Chen blew a puff of air. The paper plane seemed to have sprung to life as it began to dance in circles along the ceiling In that case, should we assemble a research team to research a treatment for AIDS? Little X enquired. No need. Chen Chen stared at the gliding paper plane and expressed blankly, Not counting the extremely rare cases of parental inheritance, this is a disease thats easily avoidable by being mindful of ones health. Furthermore, there are already developed vaccines and subsequent pre-treatment methods for this disease. Even with all that, Dlamini still managed to contract it, hes asking for it. At the end of his note, Chen Chen snapped his fingers. The paper plane was instantly shredded into countless pieces by an invisible force! Watching as the scraps rained down, Chen Chen shook his head. I originally thought that this man had potential and was ready to help him take the next step to see if he could reach the level of that person. It looks like that wont be necessary now. Chen Chen tossed the scraps into a trashcan as he spoke and smiled faintly, Little X, get ready for the transition. Chapter 178 - Meeting Dlaminis arrival was merely a small part of things in the grand scheme. Several days later, Brando and the others emerged from the isolation zone. With their proud and strong physique, there was very little chance of them contracting diseases such as tuberculosis in the first place. After Brando came out, there was a call from the research center office, informing him that Chen Chen wanted to meet him. Brandos knowledge of Chen Chen was as much as anybody elses, which was to say, not a lot. Chen Chen was an extremely peculiar individual. One could say he was a businessman but he spent his days in the laboratory. Most of the business procedures were handled by other people while he pretty much took on a hands-off approach. One could also say he was a researcher but he secretly colluded with Western financial groups, dealt with smuggled arms, formed illegal armed forces, and built underground secret bases among many other achievements. All of these did not seem like the job scope one would come to expect of a researcher. There was even a period where Brando had an impression that Chen Chen was not trying to put together a biotechnology corporation but a terrorist organization instead Brando appraised Chen Chen as an ambitious man with a strong sense of individuality. Though this current employer always made sure to keep a low profile, his previous employer, Dlamini, was almost as harmless as a little rabbit in comparison. With these impressions in mind, Brando stepped into the office building and summoned the elevator. The office building in the research center did not carry as much of a grave stature as the research building did, but it still possessed a prideful gravity that formal institutions should have. The walls were paved with speckless tiles, the snow-white ceiling accentuated by bright LED lights which were not harsh on the eyes. This was the first time he had stepped foot into the office building. After all, he took on a military role in the company and this was a place for the administrative staff so it was no place for someone like him. However, this time was an exception since it was Chen Chen who had specifically asked for him. The doors of the elevator opened to the side with a ring. Brando stepped into the elevator and pressed the button on the fifth floor. Before the elevators shut, a sudden flurry of footsteps coming from afar came rushing toward him. A slender hand promptly jammed itself between the elevator door to stop it from closing. As the elevator doors were made to open again, it was revealed that the person standing behind the door was Sara, the team leader of team four in B.S.S. Sara, why are you here? Brando asked in astonishment. I The other person also did not expect to see a fellow leader in the elevator either. She darted her eyes all across the place and stumbled the words, I was just walking around Sara was the only female member of the band of mercenaries. Her makeup of choice was of a low eyebrow style, which coupled with her cold temperament, made her closely resemble the French actor Eva Green. Contrary to the way that she usually dressed, Sara was now wearing a black low-cut dress and clouded herself in heavy makeup. She looked like she was preparing to attend a dinner party. Upon witnessing this, Brando seemed to have joined the dots. Were you invited by Mr. Chen as well? Yes, so you were invited too. Sara nodded and stepped into the elevator after a brief moment of hesitation. As the elevator door closed, the two of them stood still in awkward silence. Fortunately, the office building was only five stories tall. The elevator doors opened themselves again after about ten seconds. Brando considered for a moment before deciding to be the first one to step out. He then looked over the rows of door signs. In the end, the two of them arrived at the sign labeled Chairman Office. Knock, knock, knock! Brando gently knocked on the door and a voice came from the other end of the door. Its not locked, come in. After hearing the familiar voice, Brando gently opened the door and stepped inside with Sara following closely after. Just as Brando expected, it was the best office in the building. Apart from how spacious it was, he also noted the lack of any form of decoration. There were no exquisite paintings, Asian antiques, nor was there any grand presentation in the room. Everything was set up plainly but also well-coordinated. Positioned right across the entrance was a large office table. Chen Chen sat behind the table on a sturdy chair, silently examining two thin sheets of documents. From what Brando could tell, they appeared to be personal records. Take a seat, pour yourself a drink if youd like. Chen Chen looked up and made an inviting gesture. When he noticed Saras get-up, he was caught by surprise. Ms. Sara, you look beautiful today. Do you have a date lined up? Oh no, I just Sara awkwardly brushed her hair. Just trying for a new look every once in a while. Oh. Chen Chen nodded curiously and started. Ill make this short. Im sure as both of you are aware, Mr. Dlamini was stricken with a terrible disease some time ago. As hes unable to afford the medical bills, he mortgaged the shares of Tara Private Security to me. Brando and Sara were caught by surprise and exchanged a quick look between the two of them. None of them believed that Dlamini could not be able to afford medical bills, but that was not the main point. The main point was the transfer of Tara Private Security. Although Dlamini was only one of Tara Private Securitys shareholders, the truth was that he had held up eighty percent of the companys shares and was also the one to call the shots. By all rights, one could assume that the company belonged to Dlamini. The company was also a central part of Dlaminis influence. To have Dlamini give up on the company was as difficult as slicing a chunk of flesh off of him. Yet, Tara Private Security was transferred to the young man from the Mainland just like this? The two of them were utterly shocked by this revelation down to their cores Chen Chen went on. The reason Ive invited you two is that the two of you are the most experienced and excellent employees of Tara Private Security. Im sure youre very informed of the structure of the company. Id like you two to make a trip back to Rainbow Nation and get the remaining shareholders to sell their shares. Well match the price accordingly. Mr. Chen Brando quickly explained, This wont be easy. Im sure that youre aware that the Rainbow Nation has many political parties and a large number of private armed forces. The other shareholders may be slightly weaker than Dlamini, but their combined forces is a force to be reckoned with. Itll be difficult for us to convince Of course, Im well aware of this. Chen Chen smiled. Dont worry, well coordinate with the plutocrats of the North American and European continent to pressure the Rainbow Nation. Meanwhile, you two will act as the negotiation team serving the companys interest. Besides, who else could be more familiar with the ongoings over there than you two? After that, Chen Chen further supplemented. Also, Ill have Cheng Cao go with you two. Brando was finally at ease upon receiving the news. Chief Cheng Cao is going as well? That makes things easier then. Chen Chen gave him a nod and switched the topic quickly as he suggested profoundly. If you two can accomplish this task, Ill give you a special choice. A choice to completely become one of us Chapter 179 - The Rainbow Nation Three days later, when Brando walked out of the Cape Town International Airport with a group of employees from the legal department, several private cars were already waiting there. Cheng Cao stood next to a car and he beckoned to them when he saw them. Chief Cheng. Brando stepped forward and shook hands with Cheng Cao. You dont have to call me that when were outside. Cheng Cao waved his hand, nodded at Sara who was behind Brando, then looked at the group behind them. The ones who came with Brando were Anthony and Jennifer who were brought in from Switzerland back when they were planning to build the nuclear power plant. Both of them were leading the entire legal department, who had come to the Rainbow Nation too. Cheng Cao, did you come in advance? Sara asked curiously. Yup, I rushed here to see you guys before you meet with Boss. With that, Cheng Cao opened the door to the drivers seat and got in. Brando sat in the passenger seat while Sara and Anthony from the legal department took the backseat. The rest got into the other two vehicles. After Cheng Cao had got everyone into the car, he started the engine. In fact, its no longer necessary for the legal department to come. Over the past few days, our people have confirmed that the other shareholders of Tara Private Security Company have received the news that Dlamini is critically ill. Theyve joined forces with the higher-ups in Tara to monopolize power and are starting to target Dlaminis other companies. Theyre not afraid that well sue them? Anthony from the legal department asked. Its useless. Brando spoke up helplessly, Those shareholders, like Dlamini, are members of the African National Congress. Its meaningless to fight them in court. Moreover, the company itself isnt exactly law-abiding. Using the law to uphold their rights would just be like setting themselves up. So, what should we do? Well wait and see. Cheng Cao explained, Boss intends for the legal department to try negotiating. If theyre willing to talk, well talk. If theyre not, well send the legal department back to Namibia first. Got it. Anthony nodded then. Although he was not often involved in these affairs, as head of the legal department, he was used to them. After all, this was the most complicated land in the world, Africa. If the company had not used special methods, it would not have gained a foothold in this primitive land. After sending everyone from the legal department to the hotel where they were staying, Cheng Chao called Brando and Sara again and brought them to a slum where black people lived. It was no different than the slums in other parts of Africa. This slum was located in the northeast corner of Cape Town and was home to more than fifty thousand people. From the outside, it looked as if countless squat matchboxes were sitting on the plain, forming one large expanse. When one was inside, it was even more narrow and cramped. The ground was full of stinking drains and rotten odors. Even in the daytime, the place looked dull and gloomy. Here was a slum where no hope could be found, a corner abandoned by the world. Upon the arrival of the strange visitors, some of the idling local residents stopped talking and stared at the three with their godless eyes. In the eyes of these local residents, the arrival of those three was as conspicuous as a pearl rolling across decaying mud. Even as the three of them moved deeper into the slum, several local residents followed them, slowly trailing behind. Nonetheless, this was too easily noticed by those three. Brando only had to glare menacingly at the distant crowd to send them scattering. Soon, the three of them came to an abandoned warehouse. Cheng Cao reached out in a familiar manner and raised the roller shutter door. Only then did Brando and Sara see that, within the dim warehouse, there were about a dozen sleeping bags spread over the ground. A person was sitting silently next to each sleeping bag. These people had blank faces as they sat listlessly on the ground, with food and water beside them. Other than that, they did not communicate or amuse themselves, merely sat there wordlessly like a machine. Among these people, some were Asian, some were white or black, but they had a common feature. They were identical in terms of their behavior and presence, giving the impression that they were not alive When Brando and Sara saw this group of people, their eyes narrowed at once. As mercenaries and killers who trod the fine line between life and death all year round, how could they fail to notice that the body fat percentage of these people was almost less than ten percent? In its place, there was an explosive power that seemed ready to erupt from their bodies! Training oneself to such a level was not achievable merely with ordinary hardships. One must have a mentality that was akin to self-abuse, continually breaking past the limits of ones physical strength, before one could reach this stage, right? Cheng Cao, theyre Sara asked, astounded. Theyll also be part of this operation, but only as a final measure. Cheng Cao replied reservedly, I know what you want to ask, but Im sorry, I cant answer you now. If you join us in the future, youll learn who these people are. When they heard this, something flitted across the expressions of Brando and Sara. Previously, when Chen Chen had given his orders to the two, he had said something similar. If you join us. In other words, there was a more mysterious organization behind the Blackwatch Corporation. These peculiar people in the warehouse were probably a secret trump card of the company. Noticing the pensive look on their faces, Cheng Cao walked to the corner of the warehouse, took out two Glock pistols from a suitcase, then took out four magazines, and handed them to Brando and Sara. Take these for self-defense first. Ive already notified Tara Company. At around 12 noon tomorrow, you and the negotiating team will join their meeting and instantly evaluate their intentions. Cheng Cao added. Boss plan was, if this group of people is willing to talk, well talk as usual. If they dont want to talk, then fine. Well go with the second plan. Whats the second plan? Sara asked, puzzled. Thats Cheng Cao drew a finger across his neck and said cryptically, If they want to stand in the way of the Blackwatch Corporation, theres only one option left. I recall that assassination should be part of both your previous expertise. But these are members of the Congress. Brando was hesitant. If we anger the authorities because of this, we may have a hard time dealing with the aftermath. You dont have to worry about that. Cheng Cao waved his hand and said unconcernedly, North America will put pressure on the Rainbow Nation. You should know as well that consortia from various countries are backing the Blackwatch Corporation. Then you wont be going with us tomorrow? Brando asked as he inspected his pistol. I have another job to do. Cheng Cao shook his head while pointing at the group of people on the ground. If the negotiation collapses, theyll meet you downstairs Chapter 180 - Rejection When Dlamini became seriously ill and went to the Eco Science City for treatment, the operations under him could still just about function. However, when those people heard the rumors that the ownership of certain shares in Tara Private Security Company had been transferred, their hearts were instantly swayed. Using this as an excuse, the other shareholders seized this chance to wrestle over the authority Dlamini once had when he controlled the company. However, before a decisive victor could emerge, they stopped their fighting. This was because the company that had acquired Dlaminis shares had sent someone over. Faced with an external opponent, these shareholders, through a discussion with the board of directors, decided to stop their current rivalry for now. They would concentrate their efforts on facing this outsider and defeat this new enemy before anything else. Is the news true? One day later, in a conference room in Tara Company, three black men could not help frowning in their seats upon hearing the news. Just then, a middle-aged black man suddenly laughed. They dare to send someone to take over? Yes, the representatives of the other company are waiting downstairs. And who are they? By one side, an older black man picked up a cigar. The waiter on the side stepped forward and gently lit it. Blackwatch is the company that recently opened the Eco Science City in Namibia, the subordinate at the door quickly explained. D*mn it, trouble has arrived on our doorstep! The middle-aged black man banged the table fiercely at once. What are you waiting for then? Since Dlamini has withdrawn, this company will naturally fall under our control. If outsiders dare to intervene, why, they can forget about walking out of here! Dont be rash, Colmore. The older black man said hurriedly, We can first meet them and see what they have in mind. After all, they wont be unaware of who we are. Since they still dare to cross the border to take over Tara Company, Im afraid they wont be beaten off so easily. Plus, among the representatives theyve sent are the two top mercenaries, Brando and Sara. The older black man added. Those two traitors are here too? The middle-aged black man called Colmore snorted coldly. Theyre just two killers. Its not like we dont have some of those ourselves. Forget about Brando and Sara. What about that company? The older black man shook his head and said earnestly, This Blackwatch Corporation is very mysterious. Theyre supported by a few major financial groups in North America and Europe. It wont be wise to provoke them. In that case, well go with your plan, Botu. The middle-aged black man turned up his palms unwillingly. Even if theyre influential on an international level, dont forget that we wont put up with b*stards like them As they all agreed unanimously, the old man Botu strode to the door and ordered, Bring in the representatives of the Blackwatch Corporation. One of his staff nodded, turned, and walked out of the conference room. After a while, about a dozen men and women filed in from outside. However, upon meeting these people, the three men who were puffing away in the top seats could not help but raise their eyebrows. Look whos here. Isnt that Brando? And Ms. Sara. To think that Dlamini was telling the truth both of you have run off to another company. The middle-aged man narrowed his eyes at Sara and let out a long whistle. Mr. Colmore, we now represent the Blackwatch Corporation. Brando coolly and fearlessly sat down opposite the shareholders. I believe youre all acquainted with Sara and myself. Now, let me introduce the rest. This is our companys negotiating expert, Anthony, our legal counsel, Jennifer, and their team. After that, Brando said to Anthony and the rest, Before us are the shareholders of Tara Private Security Company. This is Mr. Colmore, thats Mr. Botu, and thats Mr. Papari After introducing the three of them, Brando suddenly asked, Wheres Mr. Prak? I remember that he holds a six percent stake in Tara Company. The three of us can represent him. Botu waved his hand indifferently. Colmore suddenly laughed viciously and mocked. Brando, are you going to give up your previous career and become a white-collar worker? Im only in charge of the security of this negotiation, not the negotiation itself. Brando withdrew his smile and resumed his usual stern demeanor. Alright, Colmore, lets talk business. Botu cut off their little tiff and turned to face the negotiating team from Blackwatch. Now, can you tell us what your intentions are in coming here? Anthony looked at the bodyguards positioned around the conference room and gulped secretly. Mr. Botu, on behalf of Blackwatch Corporation, we want to acquire your shares of Tara Company. This is our plan. Please take a look While talking, he looked to the assistant on his side. The assistant took out a few sheets with trembling hands and handed them to the people across the conference table. Botu opened the plan and looked at it, then frowned. A twenty percent premium? Yes, our company is willing to purchase the shares you own at a premium of twenty percent. Anthony said in as calm a tone as possible, We value Tara Private Security Company to be at one billion USD. You all hold twenty-four percent of the shares in Tara Company, so our company is willing to buy your part of the shares for three hundred million USD. Your calculations are inaccurate. Botu calmly said, Tara has a very impressive reputation throughout Africa. It receives more than three hundred orders every year and its net profit is close to a hundred million USD. We think that Tara Private Security Company is worth at least two billion. Yeah, two billion at least, maybe even two and a half! Colmore swiftly chimed in. That We can discuss this. Anthony hesitated. Theres nothing to discuss. Colmore started to raise his voice. Either you buy our shares at the valuation of two billion USD or you can scram back to Namibia for we dont welcome you here! Anthony and the rest instantly looked troubled. And the other two agree with this? Brandos face darkened as he looked at Botu and Papari. They both nodded. Botu said matter-of-factly, In fact, we can discuss this, but the valuation cannot be less than two billion. In that case, then theres nothing to talk about. Saras face turned icy as she stood up. I hope that youll remain this self-assured a few days later. With that, she turned to leave the conference room. Brando could only shake his head as he looked at everyone with a trace of pity. Mr. Botu, I hope youll reconsider. To get this sum of money by letting go of those insignificant shares isnt that a wonderful thing for everyone? When Botu heard this, he took a puff of his cigar and his expression turned grave. Brando, are you threatening us? No, please believe me, its just a piece of advice. Brando shook his head and said soberly, A piece of kind advice. Chapter 181 - Business Upgrade As they watched Brandos group leave the conference room, the eyes of Botu and Colmore turned cold. The sort of trash that used to bow and scrape at us is now bold enough to threaten us Colmores mouth cracked open in a humorless smile. After all, since they have a new master, naturally, they must show their loyalty to him. The old masters have lost their influence, of course. Botu smoked his cigar and pondered aloud. But now isnt the time to get hung up over this. Wed best begin preparing our defense against their counterattack. Why would we need to defend ourselves? At one side, Colmore snorted coldly. How about we just kill them all tonight? Weve already found out the hotel theyre staying at. Well just stir up an accidental fire, then we can flawlessly evade the publics scrutiny But will they really counterattack? Papari, who had remained silent, now spoke with an icy smile, This is our territory. Whether in terms of underground forces or official power, they cant compete with us. So, how will they Boom! There was a sudden, loud noise beside Paparis ear. They only saw a flash of fire before losing consciousness in the next second A thunderous sound tore through the city center. The sound was earth-shattering. The passersby all cried out in panic and the cars parked by the roadside also sounded their piercing alarms. The pedestrians looked toward the source of the sound, only to see thick smoke billowing from the office building of Tara Private Security Company, located in the city center. The entire 25th floor was plunged into an ocean of flames The 25th floor was where the conference room was located. At this time, Brandos group, who had just exited the elevator and had not even left the Tara office building, only felt the entire building quake. Then, everyone hurried out of the building and looked toward the roof. The 25th floor, where they had just come from, had been completely reduced to ashes. Only an endless fire was spreading and black smoke blossomed into a plume of smoke that was witnessed by everyone in the city center. What just happened Anthony was still a little dazed. Did the explosion happen on the floor we were on? I guess it must be so. Brando inhaled sharply. Just then, he suddenly remembered asking Cheng Cao yesterday if he was going with them. Cheng Cao answered he had another job. Now, he knew what Cheng Caos job was Just as Brando and Sara were reeling from the shock, they saw Cheng Cao walk out of the building with an indifferent expression. Meanwhile, a car stopped in front of Cheng Cao, blocking everyones view. When the car had left, Cheng Cao had vanished. Lets head back first. Brando got everyones attention. They all got into the cars and swiftly left the place. Half an hour later, everyone had returned to the hotel where they were staying. As soon as they entered the door, they saw Cheng Cao who was already quietly watching the TV from the sofa. The TV station was broadcasting a report on the explosion that had occurred in the Tara Company building. Mr. Anthony, Ms. Jennifer, please head up and rest first. Well ask the company for further instructions, Brando said. Alright, then well rest for now. Anthony shot a long look at Cheng Cao who was sitting on the sofa, then led everyone out of the room. When there was no one else in the room, Brando frowned and asked, Cheng Cao, if we do this, wont the authorities of the Rainbow Nation retaliate? Retaliate? Yes. Brando explained, If we resolved it privately, whether by murdering the other party or using other means, the authorities wont pay any attention. But if its carried out in the public eye in this manner, theyll find it difficult to overlook. You dont have to worry about that. Cheng Cao waved his hand. Several consortia from North America had already visited Cape Towns City Hall. Not only that Now, Cheng Cao pointed at the TV screen. Brando looked at the TV, only to hear the current news anchor saying, The cause of the incident has been ascertained. The explosion at Tara Company occurred due to a fire that was caused by a natural gas pipeline leak. A total of 12 people were killed and more than 30 were injured That was fast When he saw this, Brando could not help but take in a deep breath. Although he had ended the lives of more than a dozen people, when he saw how swiftly the TV station had concluded the matter, he was astounded by how cheap life was. The influence of the Blackwatch Corporation had far exceeded his framework of understanding. I had wanted to get everyone in one strike, but I didnt expect that one person wouldnt show up at this meeting. Cheng Cao took out a sheet of information. Theres a member of the National Congress who owns 6 percent of Tara Companys shares Ill leave him to you. Whether by assassination or negotiation, just make him spit out his shares. We got it. Brando nodded and gently took the sheet of information. He noticed that the information was extremely complete. From the targets childhood to his present life, the mans life experience and likings were all clearly stated. The extent of this intelligence gathering once again floored Brando. One could say that even without him and Sara, Blackwatch could still easily eliminate these stumbling blocks. His and Saras roles had been reduced to the lowest level. They were practically just backup at this point. The swift and resolute way of doing things, the power to do whatever they wanted, and the mind-boggling intelligence system What sort of company was this? A deep chill pervaded Brandos heart. At the same time, he silently resolved that, if possible, he would never face off against this company. The next day, Cheng Cao returned to Namibia by plane and Brando also located the last shareholder who still owned shares in Tara. Nonetheless, this time, things went much more smoothly. After learning about the fate that had befallen the rest, the last shareholder happily handed over his shares. At this point, Tara Private Security Company was an enterprise owned wholly by Chen Chen. Chen Chen had to take over Tara Private Security Company because this company had branches and offices in more than a dozen African countries. By acquiring Tara, Chen Chen had managed to save himself the time and effort needed to establish a foundation. Instead, he could extend his influence straight into the hearts of various African countries. Presently, Tara Companys most famous customers were Angola, Rwanda, and Sierra Leone. After all this was achieved, the first thing Chen Chen did was to reorganize the company and renamed Tara Private Security Company as Tara Strategic Resource Ltd.. He vertically developed the companys business from mercenary and security services to the three major services. These were: mining, air transportation, and security. To this end, Chen Chen channeled another three billion USD into Tara Company and placed an order in each of the four continents, Mainland China, North America, North Sea, and Europe, to purchase twenty-two transport aircraft and fifty-four transport helicopters. These would be used to run the transportation business in Africa. The reason for this was to pave the way for the establishment of an industrial system in Africa. With an industrial system, whether in terms of the GS Combat Suits or producing the T-800, there would be more room for growth. Chapter 182 - A Charitable Arms Dealer Ever since Blacklight Biotechnology came to Namibia, Walvis Bay had been in a constant bustle without stopping to rest for a single day. On this morning, before the early daylight had penetrated the vast mist, a ships horn could be heard blaring. Most of the residents of Walvis Bay turned over in their sleep and continued their slumber. They were used to this by now. At this time, a row of heavy trucks was parked quietly in front of the dock. These trucks were specialized. They could bear extremely high loads and transport dozens of tons of goods at a time. Many of Namibias custom officers could not hide their envy as they looked at these massive steel beasts. Just one of these heavy trucks would be enough to feed an entire village. This company had hundreds of these trucks. In the office of the Walvis Bay Customs Bureau, the bureau chief, who was supposedly the highest-ranking person there, now stood up and poured a cup of tea each for the people sitting across the desk. Sitting across the desk were two old men and one young man. One of the old men had white hair and a white beard. He was dressed in a military uniform and had a solemn presence. The other old man wore a calm expression that made him seem level headed. The young person was a Chinese man with an ordinary face. By the sound of it, the freighter should be arriving soon. Chen Chen picked up the teacup, nodded to the bureau chief in thanks, then said to the two old men beside him, Will you two wait here or will you go with me? Lets go together. The old man in the military uniform stood up immediately and said eagerly, I really want to see them as soon as possible. It just so happens that I feel the same. The other white-haired old man stood up too. The one in military uniform was Namibias Minister of Defense, Quintina, while the other man was the Minister of Investment and Energy, Zurama. They were like Chen Chens friends from a different age group. Since Chen Chen built the Eco Science City, the two had colluded closely with him. Chen Chen had accomplished many of his plans and goals thanks to them and they had also made enough money off Chen Chen that would last them until their next life. Presently, due to their frequent visits to the Eco Science City for recuperation, the two ministers both seemed energized. Zurama stood up briskly and said to the bureau chief of the Walvis Bay Customs Bureau, Chief Ram, are you coming with us? Id be honored. The customs chief nodded quickly. Following that, the four of them went to the dock together. On the dock, a gigantic freighter was slowly approaching. From this distance, they could see the dozens of red and yellow containers on the freighter. It appeared as if there were not many containers, but those with an experienced eye could tell at once that the waterline of this freighter was very deep. The group moved to the dock. Minister Zurama put on his glasses and squinted, then grinned. It looks like youve brought plenty of good stuff this time. All thanks to both of your assistance in the Parliament. Chen Chen smiled softly as he watched the huge freighter slowly stopping by the dock. After that, two large cranes turned around and began to unload the cargo onto the dock. The customs department opened these containers one by one for inspection, in accordance with standard regulations. However, as the containers were opened one after another, the workers who opened them wore a look of surprise. These containers contained armored vehicles painted in dark camouflage. These tanks were about 7 meters long and more than 3 meters wide. They were like giant metal beasts with sharp fangs. The 30mm machine-gun cannon and 12.5mm machine gun featured were as terrifying as vicious claws. Boomerang K-17 Infantry Fighting Vehicle! As he stared at the steel behemoth in the container, the chief of the Customs Bureau inhaled sharply and felt his legs tremble. He squeezed out a timid smile at the two ministers. Is this the special cargo the both of you were talking about? Be rest assured, these imported vehicles are approved by the Parliament. Minister Quintina smiled. As he spoke, he took out a document from his pocket and handed it to the chief of the Customs Bureau. It was the militarys procurement document. Dont worry, these vehicles are only here for a while. Eventually, theyll be used as support abroad. Chen Chen patted the bureau chiefs shoulder reassuringly. They are all civilian vehicles to be used for disaster relief and international humanitarian aid missions, and have nothing to do with military operations. I see Chief Ram wiped away the cool sweat on his forehead and nodded rapidly. After the yellow containers were inventoried, the batch of red containers was also opened up. Suddenly, a huge steel beast, as large as a bus, appeared before everyones eyes. Although the propeller and weapon accessories had been removed from this behemoth, its length still reached a terrifying seventeen meters. Its width was two meters and its height was close to five meters! Anyone who saw this would exclaim in disbelief. It was the Mi-28N Attack Helicopter, the latest generation of gunship helicopters in the North Sea Continent. It was used to attack enemy armored forces and any active forces. The price was about 12 million USD each. As a military enthusiast, Chief Rams heart seized when he saw the thing inside the container. All of the data on this steel behemoth instinctively appeared in his mind and his initially steady heart started to throb irregularly again. Dont be anxious, Chief Ram. Chen Chen saw that the mans eyes had turned blank and immediately explained, As I said earlier, as an African philanthropist, surely its reasonable for me to use a helicopter to provide international humanitarian assistance, right? Following that, everyone waited on the dock until all the cargo was unloaded. After they counted, there were thirty-three Boomerang K-17 Infantry Fighting Vehicles and seven Mi-28N Attack Helicopters. After repacking all the tanks and attack helicopters and loading them onto the heavy trucks, Chen Chen said to the eager old man, Minister Quintina, the goods on ten of these vehicles here are yours now. I thank you for your generosity on behalf of the Namibian military, but please remember your promise. If you dont want to become an enemy of Namibia, youd better never use these machines on our territory. Minister Quintina gave Chen Chen a long deep look and reminded him. Be rest assured, Im just a businessman. Im only interested in money. Chen Chen nodded, then turned and got into his car. The Jeep Wrangler slowly drove into the distance, with thirty heavy-duty Steyr trucks trailing behind like one giant snake. As he watched them leave, Minister Quintina dropped his smile. He looked at the ten containers left for Namibia with a trace of sorrow. I cant believe that the most cutting-edge tanks and aircraft, which our army has always dreamed of, are actually a gift from a private company Theres no need for that, Minister Quintina. Zurama shook his head. Its not that we dont love this country, but its far too young. We have to watch it grow up bit by bit. I believe that day isnt too far away I hope so. The old man in the military suit nodded and sighed silently as he looked up at the sky. Chapter 183 - Tara Strategic Resource Ltd. Chen Chen had delineated an area in the south of the Eco Science City. A construction team arrived and started to build new buildings. Nonetheless, unlike the residential and commercial areas, this was planned as an industrial zone. The industrial zone was about 10 kilometers away from the city and it was next to the nuclear power plant under construction. Several electronics factories and mechanical factories had been built here. At the same time, Blacklight Biotechnology had signed a purchase order with Air Namibia. Blacklight Biotechnology would rebuild Walvis Bay International Airport, which included extending and widening the original runway and adding three more brand-new runways that would be over 1,800 meters in length and over 40 meters in width. In addition, the reconstruction project also included the expansion of the fuel depots capacity and the improvement of the water supply, power supply, and other guaranteed facilities. After the reconstruction, the aerodrome code of the new Walvis Bay International Airport would be upgraded from the original 3C to 4D. It would also be upgraded from the second-largest official airport in Namibia to the largest airport in the country. It would only be able to accommodate the coming and going of Tara Strategic Resources dozens of transport planes after more runways had been built. With the market established by the previous Tara Company, once the transport aircraft went into operation, they immediately received orders from various countries including Somalia, Congo, the Central African Republic, and Sudan. They were to transport all sorts of supplies to these countries that had been ravaged by wars throughout the year. In addition, the new Tara Company also dispatched armored vehicles and attack helicopters to those areas in the name of humanitarian assistance, helping the government in suppressing the rebelling forces. Due to its swift, strict organizational discipline and its supreme combat proficiency, it received unanimous praise from customers all over the world. The previous Tara Private Security Company had created many legendary records of winning more by using less For example, during the civil strife in Sierra Leone, the rebel army Revolutionary United Front had attacked fiercely, causing the government forces to retreat steadily. The government had no choice but to sign a two-year contract with Tara Company, which then sent 300 mercenaries to assist the government forces in combat. Within a few months, the rebel army was wholly defeated and had to sign a peace agreement with the government army. On one local battlefield only, Tara Company, with just 60 mercenaries, fought off the one-week assault of the Sierra Leone rebel army which had more than a thousand troops. In another case, Tara Company once sent a small mercenary force to Rwanda, managing to subdue the crisis in Rwanda within a few days and easily earned tens of millions of USD. As another example, after the Angolan government had signed a contract with Tara, the local rebels could not withstand the pressure and had to agree to a negotiation. The Angolan government paid 60 million USD for this and the price paid by Tara at the time was only the deaths of 20 mercenaries. Tara Company had continually created amazing records not because of the elite skills of the companys mercenaries, but because their opponents were too weak. In the African Continent, the opponents of Tara Company would be a group of ordinary people without professional training. Among them, there were even some children under the age of ten. These children had barely learned how to shoot before they were sent to the frontlines with a rusty AK-47. On the other hand, Tara Private Security Company were backed by armored vehicles and attack helicopters, and the mercenaries were also retired special forces who had received good military training. In particular, this group of mercenaries adhered to one principle throughout all their battles Never step into a combat area without helicopter fire support. Today, Chen Chen continued wielding his dominance in terms of equipment. The companys old-fashioned armored vehicles and attack helicopters had been packaged and sold to African governments. The new equipment was the K Boomerang K-17 Infantry Fighting Vehicle imported from the North Sea Continent and the Mi-28N Attack Helicopter. Even putting aside the performance of these weapons produced in the North Sea Continent, at the very least, they were astonishingly effective in crushing the native armies in Africa. In terms of remuneration, Chen Chen did what the previous company had done. If these countries had no money to pay with, they could use diamonds and various rare metals as a substitute or even the mining rights of rare metal mines. This was why Chen Chen had reorganized the company into a strategic resource company with three businesses: mining, air transportation, and security. The mining of these resources was much more valuable than any payment in USD. To cope with the massive market in Africa, Chen Chen even sent out the first batch of 50 Black Knights and before the second batch of three hundred Black Knights was born, he added a third batch of Black Knights, numbering over a thousand. In the Spire Experimental Base, a clone factory was built. This factory was like a small building, divided into three floors. Each of these floors could accommodate five hundred life incubators. At this point, dozens of scientific researchers throughout the entire factory were constantly bustling about with the help of machines, looking after these fetus-like newborn clones. Some time ago, Li Lei and Hannibals technology had another breakthrough. The use of several growth hormones and a sufficient supply of calcium and protein, at a certain fixed ratio, could accelerate the birth of human clones. They would initially have taken a year to attain an adult body this was cut short to half a year. In other words, the 1,300 Black Knight clones here could become Chen Chens new combat force in only half a year at most. The reason so many clone fighters were needed was that Chen Chen was in a period of rapid development. Thus, construction and development were needed everywhere. For example, the underground laboratory was originally built by a private construction team from Mainland China. To keep it a secret, those people were guarded 24 hours a day during the construction period and they were not allowed to communicate with the outside world. The price Chen Chen had to pay was, therefore, three times the usual salary plus multiple appeasements. Money was not the issue. The point was that humans were not machines, after all. During the construction process, there were two instances of information leaks. Fortunately, Little X was monitoring the place, so the information was taken down by Little X as soon as it was posted on the Internet. After that, the ones who had leaked the information naturally ended up disappearing from the face of the earth. Moreover, the longer the work went on, the lower the efficiency of these construction teams. There were even incidents of panic and strikes, and it took a lot of effort to appease everyone. After the construction of the underground laboratory was completed, all of them underwent a procedure to erase their memories here. Although the project succeeded in the end, Chen Chen, who had gone through many twists and turns, understood very well that ordinary construction teams were ultimately unreliable. Furthermore, this was just an underground experimental base with a small amount of engineering. Would it not be even more troublesome if he wanted to build a larger secret military base in the Antarctic continent in the future? Therefore, Chen Chen was preparing to establish a construction and engineering team by himself. The employees would be the clones who were always hard-working and who did not need any wages while working at peak efficiency. With these clones, both the efficiency and the confidentiality of the company would be greatly improved. They could be said to be the cheapest labor force. Even if they were attacked, they could pick up weapons and instantly transform themselves into deadly killing machines. These were the Black Knights that, in Chen Chens plan, would become an engineering unit as well as a combat force. Chapter 184 - Nuclear Power Plant Completed Chen Chen sat in the Jeep Wrangler and quietly looked out the window. On the horizon, four huge chimneys could be seen silently towering above the horizon like pillars of heaven. However, Chen Chen knew that these were not chimneys but cooling towers of a nuclear power plant. Logically, a nuclear power plant built by the sea would not need cooling towers. Instead, it would use a direct cooling method by directly extracting seawater for cooling, then discharging the seawater which had absorbed the heat back into the ocean. After all, the ocean itself had a massive volume of water. The water quality and temperature would not change just because of a small amount of discharge. Thus, this would save costs. This was why most nuclear power plants were planned to be built by the sea. As for these cooling towers, they were the result of a compromise. Chen Chen and the Ministry of Environmental Protection of Namibia had reached an agreement that, to prevent accidents at the nuclear power plant, Blacklight Biotechnologys nuclear power plant would have two heat dissipation systems, namely, direct cooling using seawater and cooling through condensation towers. Currently, Chen Chen was rushing toward the completed nuclear power plant. After eighteen months of construction, the Blacklight Nuclear Power Plant had finally reached completion and ready to begin its trial operation. On both sides of the road, there were high-voltage transmission towers every hundred meters. These thirty-meter-tall iron towers extended all the way from the nuclear power plant to the Eco Science City, then continued toward Walvis Bay, Swakopmund, and coastal towns such as Wlotzkasbaken. These towers formed a unique thread that ran throughout the landscape of the African wilderness. Once the nuclear power plant started to generate electricity, it would be able to transmit this electricity to thousands of households. The road used for construction, which was once extremely busy, was now completely deserted after the completion of the nuclear power plant. After all, the road ended at the Blacklight Nuclear Power Plant. No one would set foot here except for the employees of Blacklight Biotechnology and tourists. As they got closer to the four cooling towers that were like pillars of heaven, Chen Chen gradually saw the gate of the nuclear power plant. At this time, a big red banner had been hung over the gate of the nuclear power plant. Upon it, in white font, were the words Celebrating the official completion of the Blacklight Biotechnology Nuclear Power Plant in Namibia. At the gate, the leaders of the engineering team were waiting outside, ready to welcome Chen Chen. A high-level big shot from China National Nuclear Corporation had arrived for the launch of the trial operation. After Chen Chens motorcade stopped before the gate, Chen Chen slowly got out of the car. At the gate, the group from the engineering team came up to him. Boss Chen, congratulations! As soon as Chen Chen got off the car, before he had even found his footing, the bald Chinese man at their head was already approaching while enthusiastically stretching out both hands. Boss Chen, congratulations on the completion of your nuclear power plant! Not at all. I wouldnt have been able to build this nuclear power plant without your help, Director Wang, and your construction team. Chen Chen flashed a bright wide smile. I should be thanking you. Hahaha, then lets thank and congratulate each other! The bald man tossed his head up and guffawed. As the two of them talked, several reporters next to them kept taking photos as their cameras clicked incessantly. Chen Chen glanced at them. The tags of these reporters all bore the letters CCTV. Come, come, I wont babble on any longer. Let me bring you around the internal facilities of the nuclear power plant. The bald man led the way enthusiastically. Also, at twelve noon, well perform the ceremony of filling the nuclear fuel rods and officially begin the trial operation! Ill leave that to you then, Director Wang. Chen Chen nodded his thanks. He walked into the nuclear power plant, followed by the clicking sounds of cameras. The Blacklight Nuclear Power Plant covers an area of fifteen square kilometers, of which the length is five kilometers and the width is three kilometers. It consists of 42 large and small buildings including the five zones: the nuclear island, routine areas, supporting facilities, safety measures for the nuclear power plant, and the living area. As they walked, the bald man pointed things out to Chen Chen and explained, Look, the largest building before us is the living area. The living area has a dedicated staff dormitory as well as a canteen and a recreation area. With this, you can have five thousand employees working and living here This huge building built by the sea, half of which extends into the seawater, is the safety area of the nuclear power plant. It can facilitate heat exchange between seawater and boiling water at a rate of more than 100 cubic meters per second, thus bringing down the excess temperature. Chen Chen nodded. Seawater, despite being full of impurities, could be directly used to dissipate heat because the seawater was not involved in any operation regarding power generation. Instead, it was circulated in the pipeline as a type of coolant. The power generation principle of this nuclear power plant built by Chen Chen was that the nuclear fission would generate heat energy, after which pressurized water would transfer the heat energy out. After that, the generator would generate steam to rotate the steam turbines and generate electricity. The water vapor that drove the steam turbine to rotate would then come into contact with these pipes filled with seawater. When it was abruptly cooled, it would condense and become pure water again, then return to the nuclear reactor for cyclic heating. Therefore, the seawater did not need to participate in any power generation operations, only serving as a coolant for the water vapor, without causing any pollution. Look, this is the core of the nuclear power plant the nuclear island area. After the bald mans explanations that lasted throughout the journey, he finally led Chen Chen into the core building complex of the nuclear power plant. As the name suggested, the nuclear island was like a building similar to an island. Chen Chen followed Director Wang into the building, turned around various corners, and reached the second floor, where they entered the observation room of the nuclear reactor. The nuclear power plant built by Chen Chen contained two nuclear reactors. At this moment, this was the observation and control room for nuclear reactor No. 1. In the observation control room, presently, there were already more than a dozen staff members sitting in front of the controls. At the front of the observation room was a massive window wall about five meters long and three meters high. These floor-to-ceiling windows are made of the international standard, ZF6-grade heavy protective lead glass, the bald man said as he pointed to the glass window. The walls also have lead compartments. You dont have to worry about any radiation as you stand here. Chen Chen looked through the window and immediately saw a huge tower-shaped machine installation behind the glass. Dozens of workers in nuclear protective suits were ceaselessly examining and tweaking the equipment, looking extremely busy. The people inside are counting the nuclear fuel rods. The bald man explained, The pressurized water reactors in Mainland China have always used uranium dioxide. The uranium dioxide is packed in a zirconium tube with a diameter of only one centimeter to make a 4-meter-long fuel rod. Chen Chen smiled. I know all about this. 312 fuel rods make up one fuel rod assembly. Yes, this nuclear reactor divides the nuclear fuel rods into 3 batches and each batch is replaced after 12 months. The bald man explained. After that, he looked at the time and changed the subject. Boss Chen, its almost noon now. Should we have lunch in the cafeteria first or install the nuclear fuel rods and begin the trial operation? Lets just begin now. Chen Chen nodded after some thought. Okay, lets start then! After Chen Chen gave his order, the operator in the control room instantly relayed the order to those at the reactor. A few employees, using crane-like operating machines, lifted bundles of four-meter-long fuel rods and placed them into the nuclear reactor. Chapter 185 - : Successful Trial Operation Circuit injection! Heating experiment commencing Heating experiment successful! The reactor pressure is 25 MPa. It has reached the predetermined parameter! Following that, Chen Chen watched these employees continue to perform their busy operations. Rows of data were constantly generated, becoming indicators for the generation of power. After more than an hour of operation, the operating staff came over with pages on which dense lines of data were printed. Report experiments have shown no incidents of stack or unit tripping. The maximum shaft vibration of the steam turbine generator is 26.1 microns and the generators rate of hydrogen leaking is 5.4Nm3/d. The meter input rate, protection input rate, and automatic input rate are all at 100%! The bald man took the papers and looked at them, then nodded to Chen Chen. Chen Chen said, In that case, get ready to commence the full-load trial operation. According to the plan of this nuclear power plant, the first trial operation would be at full load, during which it would run for a total of 168 hours. As long as everything went smoothly during the trial operation, it could then be officially put into use. As for the staff of the nuclear power plant, Chen Chen had relied on the method of renting and training. First, he rented a group of engineers from China National Nuclear Corporation to get the nuclear power plant up and running, then asked these people to help train Chen Chens own employees. Of course, these employees would only maintain the operations of the nuclear power plant. Chen Chen was also going to recruit a group of technical personnel from around the world to deal with possible failures in the nuclear power plant in the future. In the following period, Chen Chen made sure the engineers were well taken care of. After seven days had passed and the trial operation was over, Chen Chen then sent them away from Namibia. The success of the trial operation meant that the nuclear power plant could officially enter the stage of commercial operation. The fuel rods in the reactor would be able to operate at full power for 12 months. After 12 months, the efficiency of the fuel rods would decrease and the targeted power would not be achieved. At that time, it would be called spent fuel. In other words, after the fuel rods had become spent fuel, the nuclear power plant would then replace the fuel rods. The supply and replacement of these fuel rods would also be carried out by China National Nuclear Corporation, so Chen Chen did not have to worry about this. Doing this would also prevent tongues from wagging on an international scale. After all, if nuclear fuel was controlled by a private company, it would easily arouse global suspicion. This was because theoretically, highly-enriched uranium could be extracted from these low-enriched uranium rods to perform research on nuclear weapons. After sending off the construction team of the nuclear power plant, Chen Chen returned to the nuclear power plant again. When the vehicle was about to pass through the gates, Chen Chen suddenly asked Cheng Cao to stop the car. Following that, Chen Chen opened the door and stared quietly at the nuclear power plant nearby. Ive finally done it Chen Chen sighed to himself. From getting the USB flash drive to charging it for the first time and finally up until the completion of the Blacklight Biotechnology Nuclear Power Plant in Namibia all of these, in Chen Chens mind, seemed to have happened in a flash, yet it also felt as long as ten years However, in truth, all this had only passed by in two and a half years. If Chen Chen was still in school now, it would only be the end of the second half of junior year, when the internship period of the senior year was about to begin. As he gazed at the nuclear power plant standing like a small city on the seashore, Chen Chen narrowed his eyes. Now, he had endless money, compared to the past him who had nothing at the time. Even if he put aside the fact that every ten years, there would be eleven families who would send him money, he was still making money every day from the Eco Science City. As more time passed, an increasing number of institutions would master the technology of the Age-reversal treatment. Nonetheless, as the pioneer in this field, Chen Chen had accumulated an abundant amount of capital. Even now, with the Eco Science City in addition to the Tara subsidiary, his weekly turnover was growing at the rate of hundreds of millions Although Blacklight Biotechnology had never been listed, Wall Street had valued it to be more than 100 billion USD. Therefore, if money was his only goal, Chen Chen was standing on top of the world. Compared with those consortium families, the only thing he lacked was the foundation and the level of accumulation. Still, of course, Chen Chen was not yet satisfied. He still remembered that when he first obtained the USB drive, he had listed three options for himself: money, power, and strength. After asking himself many questions, he had selected the last option without reservations. This was because money and power were merely an extension of strength. In other words, money and power were both abstract, illusory products. Only strength was real and solid. As he thought of this, Chen Chens originally bewildered eyes gradually regained calmness. He once again looked toward the busy employees in the nuclear power plant and a thoughtful smile raised the corners of his mouth. Now. it was time for him to pursue a new strength With this in mind, Chen Chen got into the car again. As the Wranglers engine roared to life, the security guard at the nuclear power plant opened the gate at once and let the Wrangler drive in. The Jeep Wrangler moved directly to the booster substation in the nuclear power plant where the electricity would ultimately pass through. The booster substation was connected to the external high-voltage transmission tower. The electricity from the nuclear power station was boosted here, then sent to the high-voltage transmission tower. Even so, back when the nuclear power plant was designed, Chen Chen had asked the designer to build the substation as a huge building, like a warehouse. Now, Chen Chen came directly to the substation and immediately saw that the employees of the substation were standing outside the door with a stupefied expression, watching a group of cloned fighters enter and exit. These cloned fighters, under Little Xs control, were renovating and transforming the substation into an environment that would better suit Chen Chens needs. Boss, Boss Chen? The employees were the China National Nuclear Corporation employees whom Chen Chen had rented. The leader of the team had memorized Chen Chens license plate number long ago and immediately came forward. Boss Chen, why are you here? Substations are the central hub of nuclear power plants, after all. Of course, I had to take a look. Chen Chen got out of the car, took out a few personnel assignment letters he had prepared, and handed them to everyone. Youre all high-end talents in the nuclear industry. The work of managing a substation is really a waste of your skills. I have arranged new jobs for you. Just leave this place to this group of people. Okay, sure The leader dared not ask too many questions and could only agree before he quickly led his team away. After sending these people away, Chen Chen walked into the booster substation in high spirits. After the Black Knights renovated the place, the substation had undergone tremendous changes by now. It was like a small factory with numerous facilities. At the core of the substation, there was a huge metal room. The metal room was a square space with side-lengths of 10 meters. The entire structure was made of an alloy, which had high protective abilities and corrosion resistance. There were even lead plates in the interlayer of the walls. These protections were for the sake of preventing any mishaps. Outside the room, a bulky circuit was fixed onto the wall. As long as the power was turned on, the electricity from the entire nuclear power plant would flow through this spot. After boosting, it would be channeled into the high-voltage transmission tower and sent to thousands of households. Therefore, this place was also the most effective area for intercepting electricity. Chapter 186 - Superconductive Charging Device After a series of authentication steps, Chen Chen finally entered the tightly secured main control room in the center of the substation. However, unlike the extremely complicated situation outside, there were only a few seats in the main control room and a radiation isolation glove box. This glove box was rather similar to a biological safety cabinet. Both were apparatuses by which one could manipulate and operate items within an isolated compartment by putting their hands into the gloves. For example, if Chen Chen put the computer and the USB drive into the isolation glove box, he would only need to put his hands into the gloves of the box to then take out items from the movies directly within the chamber. He would not have to go to the trouble of putting on an entire nuclear protective suit, like when he did to extract crystalline. This would be used to deal with radioactive items. In addition, the entire main control room was protected by armor up to half a meter thick. Even if someone outside wanted to break in, it would be extremely difficult. If they succeeded, Chen Chen could trap the source of danger within the secret chamber to prevent it from breaking out This was a form of double preparation. The core equipment of the main control room was a superconductive charging device that was the height of two individuals and shaped like a freezer. The core of this device was a piece of yttrium barium copper oxide superconductor. This was a high-temperature superconductor that maintained a temperature of 77K by using liquid nitrogen, thereby realizing the physical effect of zero resistance. Of course, a high-temperature superconductor did not refer to a high temperature of several hundred degrees or thousands of degrees but rather, a superconductor with a temperature greater than 77K (-196 degrees Celsius). As long as it could reach the critical temperature of liquid nitrogen, it could be called a high-temperature superconductor. This device was here as part of Chen Chens preparations for charging the USB drive. In the beginning, Chen Chen had used copper ingots as a connector for charging. However, as the charging equipment evolved, the current had been getting higher and higher, and ordinary metals could no longer hold up. For example, copper and silver these two metals were the most conductive substances in physics. Nonetheless, the melting point of copper was only 1083.4 degrees Celsius while the melting point of silver was even lower, only 961.78 degrees Celsius. When Chen Chen inserted the USB drive for charging, these metal pieces were likely to melt due to the high current. Once the metal melted and the USB drive was disconnected, the immense current would have nowhere to go in an instant. This would have been catastrophic for the nuclear power plant. Therefore, Chen Chen came up with the idea of using a superconducting device as a connector. Using a superconducting device as the USB drives interface would not only eliminate the risk of melting the connector due to the excessive current but also reduce some of the original wear and tear. This was like killing two birds with one stone. In the substation, Chen Chen waited for a while. When Little X sent an update saying that the substation had been completely renovated, Chen Chen walked into the main control room alone and locked the door. Following that, Chen Chen took out the USB drive and inserted it into the port of the superconducting device. After he did all this, Chen Chen looked at the large power switch at the controls and held it gently. Success or failure, its all up to this moment Chen Chen murmured in a low voice. While speaking, he decisively pulled up the power switch. Buzz! There was the buzzing of the electric current. The main control room of the substation formally took over the electric current from the nuclear power station. In an instant, the massive electric current was directly transmitted to the superconducting device and quickly surged into the USB drive! At this moment, the entire superconducting device was fully operational and it emitted a deep loud hum. Even so, this situation was different from the way things were at the Eiffel Power Plant. Due to the superconducting device, the input current did not go through any wastage, to say nothing of the corona phenomenon. The only difference was that the USB drive seemed to have changed color slightly. Chen Chen raised his eyebrows. With the influx of the huge electric current, the USB drive glimmered faintly with a scarlet hue. The scarlet glow seemed to pulse as if it was breathing or it was an unidentified substance that was squirming ceaselessly. Chen Chen was familiar with this sight. Back when Chen Chen was drawing power at the Eiffel Power Plant in the Rainbow Nation, this special phenomenon had occurred to the USB flash drive. Even so, once the power supply was stopped, this phenomenon would disappear. No matter how Chen Chen examined it later, he could not detect any changes including physical and conceptual changes. In the end, Chen Chen could only attribute it to the magnitude of the current. This phenomenon would occur when the USB drive had received a certain amount of current. If he interpreted this phenomenon as something like an LED indicator, it would make sense. Chen Chen could not help thinking that it was just like when a person was charging a mobile phone. There would be a charging indicator on the phones screen. Now, this scarlet light meant that the USB drive was charging. The red light had not appeared during previous instances of charging because the previous current was too small for the USB flash drive. It was like a mere trickle. Therefore, the USB drive could not be bothered to provide any response. Of course, all this was just Chen Chens conjecture. If Chen Chen was right, then the question was if the USB drive was fully charged, what would happen? Chen Chen could not help but look pensive when he thought of this. This strange, magical USB drive had shattered everything that humans understood up to this point. Chen Chen had flipped through countless books but could not decipher the USB drive. If Chen Chen was forced to come up with his own theory, he would say that the USB drive was a key that could unlock a parallel universe. The so-called parallel universe was just a theory, which originated from quantum mechanics. According to Everetts theory of the multiverse, the entire universe was multitudinous and parallel universes were similar but non-identical universes that split out of a certain universe while existing in parallel with the original universe. In these universes, there might be planets that were the same as the planet inhabited by humans or planets with the same history or even people who were exactly the same as humans. At the same time, in these different universes, the development of events might have different results. There were endless things that could have gone differently, so there were endless parallel universes as well The advantage of this theory of the multiverse was that, whether it was the double-slit experiment or an experiment such as Schrodingers cat, things could be explained. This was because the Schrodinger equation would always hold true and the wave function would never collapse. The problem with this was: the assumption was too bizarre and the tradeoff was that all these parallel worlds would be equally real. Therefore, some people commented that: in the history of science, the multiverse theory was undoubtedly the most daring and ambitious theory that had been proposed currently. This was not only in quantum mechanics but also at the forefront of todays scientific community. The unified theory, M-theory, which claimed to be able to completely unify quantum mechanics and general relativity, also predicted the existence of parallel universes. Of course, it was almost impossible to prove all this with the current level of technology. Today, modern science was still using black hole photos to confirm Einsteins vision. In other words, no matter how great a physicist was, it would take a hundred years to verify their conjecture. After all, whether it was superstring theory or M-theory, these frontiers where physicists congregated could only be verified in the subatomic field. Therefore, although M-theory had achieved many results and although Witten was considered to be on par with Newton in terms of capability, there was no way for his theory to be verified during his lifetime. It could only be regarded by the world as the quintessence of idealistic science, doubted and questioned by countless people. Many people often said that physics had not made any progress for many years, but was this the case? No, cutting-edge physics had been advancing all this while from special relativity to general relativity, quantum mechanics, string theory, superstring theory, and up until the current M-theory Cutting-edge physics was constantly being renewed but no one knew whether these new theories would be the next theory of relativity that would change the course of the world a hundred years later or a useless piece of waste paper Chapter 187 - The USB Drive Transforms Twenty days had passed in the blink of an eye. Since the completion of the nuclear power plant, purchase orders from Namibia had poured down like rain. The City Hall officials of several coastal cities were practically breaking down the doors of Blacklight Biotechnology. However, Chen Chen did not accept any orders because the nuclear power plant was temporarily in trial operation. Within the nuclear power plant, two nuclear reactors with a power of one million kilowatts were running all day long, constantly sending electricity into the substation, but this electricity was not delivered to the high-voltage transmission tower. No one knew where all this electricity was going In the main control room of the substation, Chen Chen was not standing next to the USB flash drive because he had noticed that the red light on the USB was flashing more and more rapidly. This had started thirteen days ago. The past seven days, the USB drive had only displayed a slow flickering while it was charging as if it was breathing or its heart was beating. However, after Chen Chen had charged the USB drive for seven days, all of this changed. Currently, the red light of the USB drive had grown brighter, turning from a dark red to a brilliant scarlet, to the point that it was even a little blinding. Not only that but this red light was still flashing incessantly. Its frequency was several times faster than before and as more time passed, its speed kept increasing. In this manner, twenty days had passed in a flash. According to the power output of the entire power plant, Chen Chen could obtain 48 million kWh of electricity every day. Even if there was some wastage, there would still be 45 million kWh. With a period of twenty days, plus the electricity accumulated on the Blacklight Cruise, the power in Chen Chens USB drive was extremely close to one billion kWh. Moreover, in addition to the abnormalities of the USB flash drive that were constantly appearing, Chen Chen had a hunch that, when the power in the USB drive reached one billion, some unexpected change would occur. Therefore, on the last night of the twenty days, Chen Chen had dispatched all the Black Knights to the substation and equipped them with weapons for defense. Meanwhile, Chen Chen left the nuclear power plant and came to the Spire. At this distance, even if the USB drive full of one billion kWh of electricity were to explode on the spot, it would not reach this far. Perhaps this sort of precaution was a little ridiculous but Chen Chen had no other means of dealing with this. Reality would later prove that Chen Chens speculation was indeed true. On the final night of the twenty days, when he was training his Field, he suddenly received an update from Little X. Sir Godfather, there has been a change in the nuclear power plant substation. Little Xs voice came from the speaker. The flashing light of the USB drive has disappeared! When he heard this, Chen Chen quickly looked at the LCD monitor next to the laboratory. At this time, the monitor was showing the situation in the main control room. The USB drive, which had flashed its red light endlessly, was now not flashing any light. Instead, its initial tranquility was restored. Send a Black Knight to go and check it. Chen Chen immediately ordered. At the same time, he put on his shirt, turned around, and walked out of the laboratory. Contact Cheng Cao. I want to head over right now. He quickly walked to the elevator of the Spires laboratory, then went up to the relay station. After that, he took the tram to one of the exits and summoned the elevator. Ten minutes later, Chen Chen had returned to the ground floor and walked out the elevator of an office building. By the appearance, it seemed as if Chen Chen was an employee of this company and he had just gotten off work at this time. There were five entrances and exits hidden in the Eco Science City, all of which were far apart. Even so, they were located in buildings with busy crowds to achieve maximum concealment. Cheng Cao had been waiting by the entrance for a long time. After Chen Chen got into the car, Cheng Cao started the car at once. They swiftly drove out of the Eco Science City, speeding toward the nuclear power plant that was twenty kilometers away. The Black Knight who went in to inspect the situation had already reported that the USB drive was not dangerous. Thus, when Chen Chen arrived, he immediately entered the main control room. In an instant, Chen Chen noticed the USB flash drive. When he saw the USB drive, Chen Chen could not help but raise his eyebrows. The red light that had flickered urgently was gone and the USB drive had become as pitch-black as the first time he found it. No, something was different This was because Chen Chen had noticed that there were many pinpricks of light on the USB drive as if it had become a universe studded with countless stars that glimmered constantly. Chen Chen did not approach rashly but turned to look at the surveillance camera. Little X, is it still absorbing power now? Yes, nothing has changed, Little X replied. Chen Chen nodded and simply stepped forward to pull down the switch. This switch did not cut off the power supply of the substation. It just cut off the power to the superconducting device. The electricity generated by the nuclear power plant would still pass through the substation but the electricity would then be delivered to the high-voltage transmission tower. After the power switch was completely cut off, Chen Chen turned around and pulled out the USB drive, staring at it intently. The surface of the USB flash drive had become extremely new and immaculate. Moreover, the brilliant dots of light that glittered endlessly upon the USB drive were like stars in the night sky. These light dots flared and faded astonishingly. In any case, what did this change mean? Chen Chen displayed a thoughtful look. Then, he simply plugged the USB drive into the computer again and opened it on the computer, after which he dragged the first and second Chronicle into the drive. Following that, Chen Chen moved his pointer to the icon of the movie. When he was about to press it, he suddenly hesitated. Little X, send a Black Knight over. Chen Chen released his mouse and watched a cloned soldier walk in. At the same time, the soldier said with a blank face, Number A0012, reporting to Sir Commander. Chen Chen handed the mouse to the cloned soldier, then retreated at once to the door of the main control room. Okay, A0012, play Chronicle. After Chen Chen gave his order, the Black Knight played the movie without hesitation. In the next second, Chen Chen only saw the darkness before his eyes as if a black light had unfurled instantly, shielding the light on the ceiling and casting a black shade over the entire room! Nonetheless, this strange vision only occurred in a flash. When Chen Chen recovered his senses, a round, black object had appeared on the computer screen! It was like a hole that had appeared abruptly. It was pitch-black to the point where it reflected no light. Not a single photon of light could pass through that black cavity. What was even stranger was that this black hole was obviously only the size of the computer screen but in Chen Chens perception, it seemed to be two meters in diameter. This visual paradox made Chen Chen inhale sharply. Chen Chen walked to the side of the black circle but was shocked to see that when it was viewed from the side or the back, the black circle disappeared without a trace. It was as if the circle was just a purely two-dimensional black sticker. However, the question was, was there such a thing as purely two-dimensional matter in this world? Sir Godfather, what is this? Little X sounded rather taken aback. I cant understand this existence in front of me. Is that A black ball? I dont know either. Chen Chen shook his head. A0012, put your hand out and test it. In accordance with Chen Chens order, the cloned soldier immediately stretched out his right hand toward the black hole without any fear. Suddenly, before Chen Chens eyes, A0012s right hand went straight through the thin black circle and disappeared behind the screen! The black thing was a hole Chapter 188 - Passage to the Outside World Upon witnessing this phenomenon, not only did Chen Chen not allow himself to relax, he even took several steps backward. He remembered several jokes from a science fiction novel, one of them went something like this: A common plot in science fiction stories was of people in the future riding in spaceships encountering foreign planets of almost completely identical habitat as the Earth. For example, similar atmospheric pressure and similar air composition. The only discrepancy was the local flora and fauna. Thus, the crew of the spaceship, dressed in common clothes, stepped into the planet without any defensive measures. However, a study in Microbiology proved that this was a suicidal maneuver. Despite the similarity in natural habitat, it was not at all a given that the microbial system was similar as well. After all, humans were born on the Earth and coexisted with countless microorganisms. The eons of evolution over time led to the development of the human immune system as we knew it today. This meant that tens of thousands of years ago, humans had developed an immune system to adapt to nature. This immune system continued to evolve alongside the natural habitat. This was the true reason that humans were able to live on Earth. Now, consider the scenario of rashly stepping foot onto another planet. Even if the planets oxygen content and atmospheric composition were fit for human survival, the living microorganisms on the planet were another subject entirely. The human immune system had never been in contact with these new and foreign viruses and bacteria. The viruses and bacteria on the planet may be largely harmless, however, even if just one percent of it was harmful, it was still a very substantial amount. If there were only one or two harmful microorganisms, the human immune system may be able to withstand them. However, on a strange and foreign planet, what were the odds of there being just a handful of harmful microorganisms? What if there were tens of thousands of them? Undoubtedly, these people were dead meat. Previously, the USB drive was never able to deliver a living substance. Yet the passage had now turned into a hole meant for entry. It was very likely that the nature of USB drive had undergone some changes Little X, have the Black Knights outside put on protective suits. Chen Chen gave it some thought and quickly issued the order. He also instructed the cloned soldier again, A0012, retract your hand and turn off the computer. A0012 did as Chen Chen had instructed. As expected, the moment the computer was turned off, the black hole vanished instantly. Chen Chen was able to rest his heart at last upon seeing this. Chen Chen first had A0012 stay in place while he left the main control room and waited outside. After some time, several Black Knights wearing positive pressure protective suits went inside and took A0012 into an isolation cabin and dragged the cabin outside. After that, the main control room was completely locked down. A0012 was then taken to the Spire laboratory and was only allowed to go after running some tests. A0012 was allowed to go because according to the laboratory report, there were no signs of microorganism contamination. Still, Chen Chen did not let his guard down. He formed a USB drive inspection team consisting of three Black Knights and sent them into the main control room. There was already a negative pressure isolation tent erected by the entrance of the main control room. Anyone coming in or out of the main control room had to be disinfected appropriately. After the Black Knights team entered, Chen Chen had them go through the previous procedures. Upon selecting the Chronicle movie, the monitor turned pitch-black again. When the image was restored, an entrance engulfed in darkness appeared on the display. One of the cloned soldiers had already put on a camera connected with a wire and began heading into the dark passage. From the monitor, Chen Chen could see the cloned soldier entering the passage as if he was being compressed into it. The Black Knight entered bit by bit before vanishing in front of their very eyes. With that, Chen Chen turned to the camera footage of the cloned warrior. He discovered that when the soldier entered the black passage, the feed turned into noise and the signal was lost. Chen Chen glanced at the wire laying on the ground and suddenly instructed, A0006, try pulling the wire. Following Chen Chens order, a cloned soldier knelt and picked up the wire connected to the camera. Upon picking it up, it was observed that the wire had been completely cut off The section of the cut was extremely clean. There was hardly a trace of the wire being severed as if this was the way it had always been. A person could enter but the wire was severed? Chen Chens impression was taken by intrigue. He then further instructed, Both of you, take the camera and enter the passage. If you see A0012 in there, take him back as well. Otherwise, come back within five minutes and make sure to record everything you see on the other end of the passage. The two remaining cloned soldiers swapped out the wired cameras and used handheld cameras instead. Without any hesitation, they entered the passage. The main control room instantly became eerily empty as the original cast of three had completely vanished. All that was left was the pitch-black passage which remained standing like a dark well. Sir, something is going on in the USB drive! At that moment, came the voice of Little X. Chen Chen had specifically installed a camera ahead of time which was pointed at the USB drive. Upon being prompted, he quickly turned to the feed and noticed that the glittering lights on the USB drive had faded considerably. The difference was noticeable to the naked eye. Approximately one-third of its luster had faded. The total weight of a cloned soldier along with the carried equipment is 80 thousand grams, three of them makes for a total of 240 thousand grams. The USB drive had ten billion hours of accumulated electricity, enough to instantiate 833 thousand grams worth of substance, as expected Chen Chen ran the brief calculation and instantly made out the changes in the USB drive. Which is to say that keeping the passage up doesnt exhaust energy and it only consumes energy upon allowing substance to pass through? Midway through Chen Chens speculations, a flash appeared in the dark passage. Similarly, there was a flash in the monitor display as if it was facing some form of interference. This observation only lasted for a split second as the image began to stabilize again over the following seconds. It was then when Chen Chen saw that the three cloned soldiers had reappeared in the main control room. Chen Chen loosened up a little upon seeing this. Whatever the deal with the passage was, at least this proved that it was not a one-way passage but one that granted passage from both ways across. More than any other potential dangers, Chen Chen was only worried about the likelihood of not being able to return after entering the passage. That would prove to be most disheartening. With this in mind, Chen Chen turned to the other display with the USB drive. He noticed that the luster density of the USB drive had decreased again. Only one-third of its original amount now. It was pretty much confirmed that the luster was an indication of the energy level and energy was used upon entering and exiting. The three cloned soldiers were disinfected before leaving the main control room. The camera equipment they had brought with them were package sealed before handed over to the Spire laboratory to conduct tests. The laboratory report displayed similar results, there were no signs of abnormal microorganisms. There was a pitiful number of microorganisms on the cameras. It was as if the passage had filtered out all microorganisms. It was only upon returning to reality when it caught the microorganism in the surrounding environment. Still, this explanation might be a stretch since there were countless microorganisms in the human body. Even the trillions of body cells that made up human beings were all microorganisms. If the passage had filtered all living microorganisms, then theoretically, humans should not be able to enter. This meant that only one explanation remained. Which was that the world on the opposite end of the passage was a world without any microorganisms Chapter 189 - New Rules Half an hour later. Chen Chen inserted the SD card in the camera into the computer and viewed the footage in the SD card. Following a flash on the screen, Chen Chen saw a still of the passage in the camera footage. Inside the recorded footage, the camera began creeping closer toward the passage. It got closer and closer until eventually the display was filled with nothing but noise. It would appear that upon passing through the passage, the camera was interrupted by some sort of unknown source of energy. This interference only lasted a brief instant. In the very next second, the image on the display became clear again. Instead of a pitch-black passage, it was a vast plain. It was a world that Chen Chen had never seen before. The section between the sky and the earth was painted with light. The blue sky above was almost transparent like a piece of glass, golden sand piled together to form a vast dune structure. On the surface of the dune, numerous pieces of objects which looked like crystals were flashing. Under the reflection of the sun, they emitted rainbow-colored beams. Something was off Chen Chen quickly replayed the footage and looked at the surface again. As expected, the surface was riddled with countless crystal shards of glass. The small ones were only the size of a piece of gravel but the large ones were as large as millstones. In one particular frame, Chen Chen even noticed a piece of crystal the size of a gigantic mountain off in the distance. ??? Numerous gigantic question marks appeared in Chen Chens head. One thing was certain, the movie he had the cloned soldier open was the Chronicle movie. Even if the USB drive opened a passage to another dimension, it only made sense that it would lead to the world in Chronicle. What was the deal with the crystalline the size of a mountain? Chen Chen resumed the footage and continued watching. Inside the footage, he saw that the two cloned soldiers who had entered later found the very first cloned soldier who went in. The cloned soldier was looking at the ruins of a city in the distance. When their God chips made a brief connection, the original cloned soldier proceeded to return to the passage with the other two. The footage flashed again and the three of them had returned to reality. Chen Chen watched the thirty-seconds long footage several more times. After he made sure he did not miss any details, he put his mind to work. X. After brief consideration, Chen Chen suddenly dragged the progress bar and directed it to the frame where the city ruins were visible. Match this with pictures online to see if the ruins of this city belong to a real city. Got it! Little X accepted the task and quickly began matching the cropped image of the city ruins with all the cities in reality. While this was going on, Chen Chen shut his eyes and silently reflected on everything he saw earlier. Clear sky, golden desert, the ruins of a city, and land filled with crystalline fragments Chen Chen mumbled to himself. These were all the clues obtained from the footage. However, Chen Chen still had a gut feeling that something was amiss. With this in mind, Chen Chen began to recollect the plot of Chronicle in his mind. He abruptly opened his eyes. Plantation? There was no mistaking it. Chen Chen did not see any plantation in the world on the other end of the passage. Upon taking note of this, Chen Chen suddenly had a speculation brewing in his mind. When he suddenly perked up, he heard Little Xs voice. I found it, the ruins of the city belong to the city of Washington in North America! Are you sure? Chen Chen asked in surprise. Hundred percent! Little X was wholly confident. The image on the computer suddenly turned into an enhanced image. The image was then zoomed closer to highlight a specific building with the edges blurred out. It was a rectangular building. Although it was largely destroyed at this point, the many white pillars surrounding it could still be discerned. The shape and proportions of this building hold a ninety percent similarity to the Lincoln Memorial. Little X explained, After matching the landscape, I found that the other buildings surrounding this building are an exact match with the real-life variant in terms of proportions and styles. This further proves that this city is indeed North Americas Washington. This means that the city shouldnt be surrounded by desert. Chen Chen pulled up the map to find similarities. The location the opened passage led to was none other than Washington located in North America. It was Washington in a separate world. Only, it would appear that something had happened in that world as Washington, the capital of North America was turned into a wasteland. Apart from that, for some unknown reason, the terrain had also turned into a desert. Also, there was a large amount of crystalline present, sprawled across the lands like large patches of cabbages. What was the meaning of all this? The only way to obtain more information is to conduct more research. With this in mind, Chen Chen looked at the USB drive still plugged into the computer. He noticed that the USB drive had lost more than two-thirds of its original luster as it barely had one-third of its previous radiance. Based on the previous observation, Chen Chen had deducted that the passage conjured by the USB drive consumed energy upon entry and exit but it did not consume energy while being idle. There was also the chance that it did consume energy but at such an insignificant rate that it was almost negligible. It was telling that this was what it was like to have the USB drive charged with a billion-kilowatt hour of electricity. What was unprecedented was that the USB drive which once only allowed the instantiation of objects could now open a passage for humans to enter upon activation. If that was the case, Chen Chen should be able to enter the world of Chronicle using this method and absorb the required crystalline from within the world. This served as a good alternative to bringing the crystals into reality which was a waste of the USB drives energy. However, Chen Chen first needed to eliminate all possible risks this method could pose. For example, if the USB drive only had enough remaining energy to grant entry but not exit, then would that mean he would be trapped in the world inside the USB drive? There was also the factor of potential dangers in the world. After all, even Washington, the capital of North America was turned into a wasteland, what were the chances that the other countries of other continents did not share the same fate? If the world had ended and humans no longer existed, what was it that led to the demise of human civilization? Chen Chen was not going to light-heartedly step into the world before these questions were answered. With this in mind, Chen Chen plugged the USB drive into the computer again. He opened the USB drive, selected Chronicle, and hit [ctrl+d], all done in a swift and familiar motion. Dong! A system error pop-up window appeared, catching Chen Chen off guard. It cant be deleted? There was little chance of Chen Chen ever forgetting the attributes of the USB drive. According to the USB drive settings, a movie that had an object instantiated from it would become deletable and could never be opened again. Any following attempts to open it would only result in a system error pop-up. This time, however, the rule seemed to be overturned. Chen Chen thought for a moment and decided to just put his cursor on the Chronicle movie folder and double-tapped the mouse. Dum! Chen Chen instantly saw his vision go black as if all the light in the world vanished in just for an instant before reverting to normal again. It was quickly followed by the appearance of the black passage. Not only did the movie not show a system error message, but it could also be opened again. All signs suggested that when the USB drive had accumulated a total of a billion-kilowatt hour of electricity, the rules of the USB drive had undergone some unprecedented changes Chapter 190 - Chen Chen’s Speculations Chen Chen suddenly thought of another possibility upon seeing the black passage opening again. What were the chances that the four horror films that came with the USB drive had also been opened in this manner by the USB drive? Perhaps in the process of constructing real passage from the movies, they also became undeletable? This was just an idea that suddenly sprung to Chen Chen. Although he had no verifiable claim to back it up, he just had a strange hunch that this was it. After having the previous experience, this time, Chen Chen got a cloned soldier to bring several disposable sealed sample bags and a camera, and entered the passage without any other preventative measures. After all, having already determined that no microorganisms were present in the world on the other end, there was no need for extra measures like protective suits. Besides, entering and exiting the passage consumed a certain amount of energy. Losing the protective suit weighing up to ten kilograms was equivalent to saving millions of kilowatt-hour of electricity. This time, Chen Chen did not have the soldier take a quick exit. Instead, he ordered him to inspect the ongoings on the other end of the passage. The cloned soldier was to collect all sorts of samples in the movie world and also traversed a radius of ten kilometers while collecting footage of everything he saw. The soldier was to remain in the passage world for an entire day before returning to reality. One day later, the cloned soldier returned in one piece. In addition, he came back with a backpack full of samples. There were soil samples, crystal samples, concrete samples of buildings, and such. These samples were all taken away to be tested. The returning cloned soldier was also subsequently disinfected following standard protocol. Meanwhile, Chen Chen took a look at the footage taken by the cloned soldier inside the passage after transferring it into the computer. Under the control of the God chip, the cloned soldier walked around in a spiral shape, gradually expanding outward as he went on. He maintained this pattern until he had traversed a ten kilometers radius. Over the entire day, Chen Chen barely caught even a glimpse of a plantation in the recorded footage. Also, there was no sign of water sources. It was as if the world was barren of water. Even the soil had lost all of its nutrients. All that remained was a world consisted of inorganic substances Simply put, all substances needed for sustaining life had simply vanished entirely. In addition, the cloned soldier entered the ruins of Washington and did not spot any signs of life. On top of there being no signs of a living person, there were no dead bodies either, not even dried up remains. It was also deduced that most of the buildings had collapsed a long time ago. There was no way to tell what caused them to collapse due to the amount of time that had passed. Some of them appeared to have collapsed on their own while others seemed to have been crushed by something enormous This only served to further solidify Chen Chens speculation. The laboratory report was produced very soon after that. The results were the same as what Chen Chen had suspected. The soil samples did not contain any microorganisms and their moisture was also pitifully low. The land had lost almost all of its nutrients, leaving a sad desert behind. The air in that world was extremely dry but its oxygen content was higher than that of Earth in real life. To be exact, approximately five percent higher. A similar analysis was performed on the crystal fragments as well. As expected, their material composition was that of a spinel, only the radiation they contained had been released long ago. Thus, they were unable to grant human superpowers. Theres almost no water in the air and soil, and the soil has lost its nutrients, making it impossible for even microorganisms to survive Chen Chen deducted. X, do you know what this means? What does it mean? Little X asked curiously. Chen Chen answered with a serious tone, Washington is located at 3891 North latitude and 7701 West longitude. It has a temperate continental climate, 10.16% of its terrain is occupied by water. Three rivers flow through the city, namely the Potomac River, the Anacostia River, and the Rock Creek River. Not only that. Just thirty kilometers to the East of Washington was the Atlantic Ocean. How was it possible that theres not even a trace of humidity in the surrounding air? Chen Chen thought for a while and finally suggested, Unless, even the Atlantic Ocean had dried up. I think I get it. Even Little X sounded a little surprised. What Sir Godfather is trying to say is that all of the water and nutrients in the world connected to the passage has been sucked dry by some substance? Yes, this is the only plausible explanation I can think of. Chen Chen nodded. The data extracted from the air reflects the same theory as well. The air in the passage world contains 5 percent higher oxygen content. Doesnt this align with the trait of plants that absorb carbon dioxide and produce oxygen? When you factor in the field of crystalline fragments, the answer is revealed C an alien plant that can produce crystalline has completely drained the Earth. According to the series plot, didnt the alien plant die in the sequel? Little X asked quizzingly, If the world connected to the passage is the world of Chronicle, how can this sort of paradox exist? This has to do with the theory of parallel universe. Chen Chen thought for a moment before further explained, In the experiment of Schrodingers Cat, a cat thats both dead and alive remains in a quantum superposition state. Its only when you open the box that the wave function state of the cat collapses and it falls into a true fixed state. To put this in terms of a parallel universe, theres no such thing as a wave function state collapse. Thats because when conducting this experiment, the universe is already split into two. In one of the universes, the cat is already dead while in the other universe, the cat is still alive If the formula of the wave function system prior to opening the box is; (You dont know if the cat is alive > x1/2|Dead cat > x |Atomic decay > + |Living cat x |No atomic decay), then after opening the box, the system is thus influenced by your interaction with the box and becomes: 1/2 You know the cat is dead > x |Dead cat > x |Atomic decay + |You know the cat is alive > x |Living Cat > x |No atomic decay >) This means that parallel universes represent unlimited possibilities. Chen Chen explained, One of the series of paradox C the Grandfather Paradox which is spoken of in Multiverse Wheel refers to the so-called parallel universe There are many dimensions to a universe. A multiverse is composed of countless parallel universes while a parallel universe refers to a divergence from the original universe. Its an alternate universe that closely resembles the original universe but has distinct similarities. Its just like how the universe of the movie I created and the universe the passage leads to share similar histories, but due to certain factors, theres a growing distinction between the two which leads to the formation of two completely separate worlds. This is only one of the many reasons. Chen Chen further elaborated, Of course, the movie already states that the plant was dead. However, does anyone have proof that other alien plants dont exist in the universe? Dont forget, the alien plants were able to communicate telepathically. Perhaps the arrival of the first plant into Earth attracted another plant that was able to consume planets Chapter 191 - Mechanical Processing Plant Looking at the newly obtained information in his hands, Chen Chen found himself engrossed in thought. The recent changes in the USB drive gave way to an ominous guess in Chen Chens mind. The appearance of the black passage and the world it led to gave the impression that there was a deeper facet to everything so far. It was as if the USB drive was intentionally designed this way, that the architect behind it was trying to convey some message to the user. Before the user was able to attain sufficient energy, the USB form was only capped in its first form, which granted the ability to instantiate objects from movies, but it was unable to open passages for entry. Once the user of the USB drive had advanced past a certain point and had gathered enough energy, the USB drive systematically expanded into its second form which allowed the user to learn new things. It may appear that its inability to instantiate living beings was a design specifically implemented to protect the user. Take the world in Chronicle for example. If the USB drive was able to instantiate living beings, it was extremely likely that the alien plant would be brought into reality along with the crystalline. As for the consequences of such an action, the scenario in the passage should suffice as an example. Chen Chen only had one question on his mind now C was it possible for the USB drive in its second form to revert to its first form? Chen Chen thought about it. Since the USB drive still had some energy remaining, he returned to the main control room and booted up the USB drive. He looked at the movies inside the USB drive and selected Godzilla 2: King of the Monsters. The reason behind selecting this movie was because the technology in the movie nearly mirrored that of the real world. Even if they were not of any help, it was no skin off his back should something go wrong. Besides, the USB drive did not have enough energy inside it for Godzilla to crawl its way out. If it were to force its way out, it should end up similar to how it went for Chen Chens fingertips, the portion that crawled through would be cut off. After Chen Chen double-clicked the movie, Godzilla 2: King of the Monsters began playing in the computers video player. Chen Chen was able to rest his worries upon witnessing this. Fortunately, this movie did not also turn into a passage. Chen Chen turned off the movie. At this point, it was pretty clear to him that the USB drive had obtained a new functionality. In the future, there were two choices when opening the USB drive, either instantiate an object or open up a passage. In that case, Chen Chen decided to conclude his experiments. The total power generated by a 2 million kilowatt nuclear power plant over 20 days was only enough for four people to enter and exit the tunnel once. Chen Chen was rendered somewhat speechless. There was hardly any power left in the USB drive as it needed to be recharged. So, Chen Chen plugged the USB drive back into the charging device and gave it time to charge. Concerning the constant prompt from the Namibian officials, Chen Chen decided he was going to drag his response out for another month. There were a total of two nuclear reactors in the Blacklight Nuclear Power Plant. After a month, Chen Chen could use one to provide energy for Namibia and the other for charging the USB drive. Even though at this rate Chen Chen was going to be operating at an enormous net loss, it was money that he could afford to lose. After locking down the main control room, Chen Chen prepared to have Cheng Cao drive him back to the Spire laboratory. However, when Chen Chen entered the car, he received a call. It was Qian Wenhuan. Boss, Professor Charles from the industrial zone just contacted me. They told me the thing you instructed them to design is completed and that they have produced a prototype. They hope you can head over to take a look. Chen Chen nodded in response to Qian Wenhuans report. I got it. Tell them that Ill be there in an hour. After hanging up, Chen Chen turned to Cheng Cao sitting in front. Head over to the dock, I need to get something. Got it, Boss. Chen Chen answered and proceeded to drive toward the dock in Walvis Bay. Meanwhile, Chen Chen sent a message to Little X. When Chen Chen arrived at the dock twenty minutes later, there was already a cloned soldier standing ready by the Blacklight Cruise who then passed a pendant to Chen Chen. After receiving the pendant, Chen Chen had Cheng Cao switch route again and headed for the industrial zone in the Eco Science City. This pendant was the Galaxy in Men in Black. While the USB drive was being charged in the nuclear power plant, the Blacklight Cruise was left running as well. Chen Chen had left the Galaxy pendant in the power control room for the ships engines to charge it around the clock. Although the power of the Blacklight Cruises generator was only 240,000 kilowatts which were only one-eighth of that of the nuclear power plant, it was still a substantial amount of electricity. The price he had to pay was that the Blacklight Cruise would be burning more than 20 million U.S. dollars in fuel and maintenance costs every month. Chen Chen also found a proper way to release the accumulated electricity, which he had done using a specially constructed generator. Upon inserting the Galaxy pendant into the generator, the generator transmuted the electricity into an endless stream of thermal energy. Chen Chen ordered three such generators from Germany. Although the efficiency may take a small hit, at least it served to accelerate the charging rate of the USB drive. Apart from that, Chen Chen thought of a new application for the generated power. Which was to manufacture weapons using the Galaxy pendant. The earliest form of weaponry over the course of human civilization development was kinetic weapons. Even though energy weapons were available now, humans still largely depended on kinetic weapons since the technology for energy weapons had yet to reach a mature stage. Kinetic weapons contained limitless potential as well. With enough accumulated power, it was able to fire more concentrated and faster artillery shells. When the artillery shell was accelerated to light speed, it was even able to destroy an entire planet. Therefore, kinetic weaponry was going to maintain its place in history for at least several centuries to come. If the Galaxy pendant could instantly release powerful bursts of energy, would it be possible to repurpose it into a weapon or even utilize it as the core energy of a weapon, thus allowing it to unleash unprecedented power? Thus, Chen Che spent several hours of his spare time learning how to draft blueprints. With the help of the references provided by Little X, he had produced several weapons blueprints which he handed over to the newly constructed mechanical factory in Eco Science City. Now, they had brought Chen Chens designs to life using the ultra-high precision machine tools. When they arrived at the industrial zone, it was immediately noticeable that this sector was much more desolate than Eco Science City. The mechanical factory was the only structure erected in the middle of Namibias barren plains. Still, it would only remain this way for now. Soon, the construction team would arrive and begin constructing plenty of factories in the area to make up for the industrial sector shortcomings of Blacklight Biotechnology. If it was possible, Chen Chen would like to liaise with ASML Holding in Netherland and bring back several EV lithography machines. However, even with the generous reward offered up by Chen Chen in the Gods Forbidden Zone forum, none of the families could help him with it. After all, even the central government of the Mainland was unable to obtain such equipment, there was no reason to expect a company like Chen Chens which was rooted in the Mainland would be granted the privilege. As the proud holder of the plaque of the worlds most precise machinery, it was even rarer than the ultra-high precision machine tools. Their orders were lined up till several years away. Under the strict joint administration of the North American and European continents, the relevant technology was locked away. This was not something that can be acquired with just money. Chapter 192 - New Weapon The twenty-first century is the age of digital communication. Such rapid development of digital information largely depended on the development of IC chips. IC chips combined the transistors, resistors, capacitors, inductors, and other components and wiring required in a circuit, all fabricated on one or several small semiconductor chips. The smaller they could be manufactured, the more of them could be arranged together which led to greater processing speed. Therefore, the development of IC chips was in essence, the miniaturization of integrated circuits. The so-called lithography machine played a crucial role in the manufacturing process of computer chips. It utilized light sources of various wavelengths to execute the printing process using lithography, allowing it to manufacture chips. There were several classes of lithography machines. Currently, the Mainland only had mastery of up to 16 nanometers lithography techniques while the most refined lithography machine in the world was as precise as 5 nanometers. This class of lithography machines was known as EUV lithography machines. It was widely regarded that human vision only covered an extremely small portion of the known light spectrum in the universe, they were red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and indigo. Colors closer to red resulted in a longer wavelength while on the other spectrum, colors closer to indigo resulted in a shorter wavelength. Beyond the red light, there were ultra-long waves such as infrared, microwave, and radio waves. Similarly, below indigo, there were ultra-short waves such as ultraviolet rays, x-rays, and gamma rays. What was known as extreme ultraviolet light was a light source invisible to the naked eye that was set between indigo and x-rays on the light spectrum. Its wavelength span was as low as 13.5 nanometers, which could be utilized to produce chips with only single-digit nanometer-level. The only company in the world that was capable of manufacturing the EUV lithography machine was ASML Holding based in the Netherlands. Such a feat was not achieved by this company alone. It was the result of a joint effort by dozens of countries all over the world. The lens and light source of the EUV lithography machine were sourced from countries all over Europe while the optical components and control chips came from North America. In other words, ASML Holding was the heralded product of Western civilization. Previously, the Mainland had already signed an agreement with the said company and planned to finalize the delivery of the EUV lithography machines by the end of 2019. However, due to interference from North America, ASML Holding never made the delivery till this date. Therefore, if Chen Chen planned to acquire the EUV lithography machine using regular methods, it was going to end up as nothing but a fools errand. However, Chen Chen had no way to pull it off using unorthodox methods either. A EUV lithography machine weighed up to 180 tons, the machine was made up of 120,000 parts and required 40 containers and three freighters just to transport it. The installation and trial-running may take more than a year. Without the other partys cooperation, it was not even an option for Chen Chen to take it by force. It was no surprise that the Mainland was exhausted of all options. The reason Chen Chen wanted to acquire the EUV lithography machine was to aid in the research of the T-800 chip. The research staff employed by the Blacklight industrial zone had been researching the T-800 and concluded that its chip was produced using EUV lithography technique. The precision of the nanometer-scale craftsmanship had reached an astonishing degree of one nanometer. This was bordering on the utmost limit of silicon semiconductors. Artificial intelligence also played a crucial role in achieving such refined craftsmanship. It was reasonable to assume that such precision down to one nanometer was achieved with the prowess of Skynet. Chen Chen had Little X on his side. So long as he was able to acquire a set of EUV lithography machines, he was optimistic that he could achieve such precision as well. This was the reason Chen Chen wanted to acquire the EUV lithography machine. As things were now, it would appear that it would involve some long-term planning. At the moment, Cheng Cao had just parked the car outside the mechanical processing plant. Several researchers had been waiting by the entrance and immediately came up to them upon noting Chen Chens arrival. Hello, Mr. Chen. Professor Charles, I hope all is going well. The two men shook hands and headed inside the factory together. Mr. Chen, we have manufactured a weapon according to your specifications. They continued the conversation as they walked. The only thing missing is the energy source. Once we have a proper source of energy, we may begin conducting weapon tests. No problem, just leave the test firing to me. Chen Chen nodded. The crew soon arrived at the inner section of the factory. Three oddly-shaped weapons could be seen set on top of a table. One of them was a hand-held weapon similar to a pistol, except it was not painted so it looked like it was coated in midnight black. We constructed the body of the gun using carbon fiber as carbon fiber is much lighter than steel. This allows us to minimize the weight of the gun body. Professor Charles began explaining, In addition, we made the gun barrel using the latest high-alloy chromium-molybdenum steel. Its alloy composition includes chromium, molybdenum, carbon, silicon, manganese, nickel, vanadium, and sulfur. The tensile strength of this alloy is up to 12,000 kilogram-force per square meter. Its supremely resilient and has extreme temperature and pressure-resistant qualities, it should meet your requirements. Chen Chen nodded. He picked up the pistol and grazed its surface. The pistol felt cold and hard to the touch. Since it was Chen Chens very own design, he was well-versed with its structure. When he gently pressed the button on its left side, the magazine suddenly popped out of the grip. What was contained inside the magazine were not regular bullets but oval bullets only two centimeters long and half a centimeter in diameter, slightly resembling grains of rice. Since there was the special propelling force you mentioned, we took the cartridge case and gunpowder installation out of the construction process. We also expanded the magazine into an enhanced magazine that can hold fifty bullets. Professor Charles went on explaining, As for the bullets, the outer shell is a layer of 1.5 mm thick nickel-plated steel while the bullet core is an implemented lead design to maximize its damage. Chen Chen knew exactly what the other person was trying to achieve with all the winded explanation. However, Chen Chen was going to have to disappoint him. Professor Charles, thank you for everything youve done here. After Ive tested the firearms, Ill send the resulting data to you. When Chen Chen finished, he patted the professor on the shoulders. Then Cheng Cao took the other two weapons as they turned around and left. Unsurprisingly, Professor Charles unveiled a look of disappointment when Chen Chen took his leave. When he had received the blueprints for the weapons, his accumulated experience over the years quickly gave him the insight that the weapons were specifically designed this way because there was a specialized power source available. The power source could ceaselessly release energy upon receiving impact, taking the place of the gunpowder in the cartridge place to fire bullets. Based on Chen Chens provided specifications, the explosiveness contained in the specialized power source appeared to be far more devastating than regular gunpowder. Charles and the other manufacturing staff just could not figure out for the life of them just what sort of substance was able to power these mechanizations. After all, if such a power source did exist, its potential should be utterly limitless. It was the likes that could revolutionize the energy weapons industry and pave the way to a new industrial system. Although the existence of such a power source was near unfathomable, even breaking the supposed laws of thermodynamic formula, not a single soul would dare assume Chen Chen was out of his mind. After all, when Backlight Biotechnology presented the remains of T-800 before them, their worldview had been utterly shattered. Such a shame that in the end, Chen Chen still did not let them have a preview of what sort of power source it was. Chapter 193 - Firearms Testing Spire underground laboratory, Black Knights training grounds. Chen Chen stood at the shooting range, silently admiring the pistol in his hands. Presentation wise, the pistol appeared rather ordinary. It was not much different from a regular pistol except its sleeves appeared thicker than ordinary pistols, giving it a stocky, sturdy impression. However, this was not the finalized product but merely a prototype. Should it yield convincing results, Chen Chen could make it the standard weapon to fit the Black Knights with. A piece of the Galaxy pendant only weighed twenty grams. Since the nuclear power station had been completed, the USB drive could accumulate enough energy each day to instantiate 2,000 pieces of Galaxy. Even if the output was cut in half, it still made for a good 1,000 pieces. Therefore, there was little need for Chen Chen to hold back. If he were to directly instantiate weaponry from science fiction movies, he may be able to do it in moderation, but to issue them as standard weapons for the Black Knights was not worth the energy it was going to cost him. With this in mind, Chen Chen gently pressed the hammer of the gun which caused a sealed air chamber at the end of its body to pop up. He put the Galaxy pendant inside it. With a proper energy source, the gun in his hands was finally complete. Chen Chens gun operated on a similar principle as regular guns by producing an explosive pressure inside the chamber. It propelled the bullet from the chamber. In the case of regular firearms, the hammer hit the firing pin which caused the firing pin to hit the tail of the bullet. This chain effect triggered an explosion of gunpowder in the eggshell which launched the bullet. In the case of Chen Chens firearm, the firing pin hit the Galaxy pendant which triggered the appropriate amount of energy used to launch the bullet. With the pistol gleaming in front of him, a flash appeared in Chen Chens eyes as he abruptly raised it and aimed it at a target a hundred meters out! With a bang, the target a hundred meters away shattered into pieces! Initial velocity 800m/s. Kinetic energy 1200J. Effective range of 150 meters. The corresponding data was immediately reflected in the test detector beside him. Such destruction Chen Chen lit up. Bullets shot from regular pistols only reached an initial velocity of up to 370 meters per second with kinetic energy hovering around 500J, the effective range was usually 50 meters at best. With the Galaxy pendant serving as a power source, its power instantly reached a level equivalent to a rifle. Furthermore, this power could still be further improvised. By hitting the Galaxy pendant with a greater force, it should be able to unleash power at a greater velocity. As for the topic of ammunition loading, since the installation of a cartridge case was not a requirement for the bullets, the magazine was able to load more bullets. The pistol used oval bullets with a diameter of 5 millimeters and was able to load up to 50 bullets at capacity. If this was a rifle, it should be able to hold far more bullets. Apart from that, there was also a biometric authentication device installed into the gun. In the hands of anyone else other than the owner, it was merely a piece of junk metal. It was also able to rotate between semi-automatic and full-automatic modules. Chen Chen put the firearm into full-automatic mode and pulled the trigger again. With a violent gatling motion followed by a round of deafening explosions, the pistol emptied out its magazine in just six seconds! Hm, its alright in the speed department. Chen Chen inspected the target sitting in the distance again. The target had already been smashed into smithereens. Even the concrete wall behind the target was punctured with countless concave pits. After concluding the test, Chen Chen extracted the Galaxy pendant and refitted it into a larger rifle. Compared to the previous pistol, the rifle was far more aesthetically pleasing. It was a variation of an unsupported rifle, holding a slight resemblance to an AUG rifle. Since it used the same bullet model as the previous pistol, it was able to hold up to 200 bullets at a time. However, the structure of the rifle was sturdier. As a result, it could generate a stronger impact into the Galaxy pendant which in turn kindled a greater kinetic force. With this, Chen Chen raised the rifle and switched to another steel target. He took aim and fired! Bang, bang, bang, bang There was a huge recoil. It took everything in Chen Chen to hold down the raised muzzle. After ten seconds, the magazine along with its 200 bullets was completely emptied out. The rate of fire reached as much as 1,200 bullets per minute. The steel target had long been obliterated. Initial velocity 1500m/s. Kinetic energy 3400J. Effective range of 1013 meters. Chen Chen was struck dumb by the newly reflected readings. It had blown all of the manufactured rifles in the world out of the water. The only question that remained was regarding its durability and stability. Which was to say that with the Galaxy pendant as an energy source, pistols were escalated to the level of rifles and rifles were brought to the level of sniper rifles. In that case, what about sniper rifles? Chen Chen turned to the third gun. It was a sniper rifle with a design closely resembling the AWP. To optimize the power of the sniper rifle, it did not use the 5 millimeter bullet models used in the pistol and rifle. Instead, it used an enlarged version of bullet measuring at a diameter of 10 millimeters. Chen Chen extracted the Galaxy pendant. After a momentary pause, he suddenly tossed it to Cheng Cao beside him. Want to give it a shot? Cheng Cao caught the Galaxy pendant and briefly inspected it before responding with a nod. He took the sniper rifle and inserted the Galaxy pendant into it. Be careful, the recoil might be a bit powerful. Chen Chen gave him a word of caution. Immediately, a 100 millimeters thick steel plate was erected on the shooting range, slanted at an angle of 170 degrees. The purpose of this inclined angle was to emulate the rear armor of a tank. Thanks to the Galaxy pendant, the sniper rifle did not have to implement a bolt-action structure, it was able to fire in continuous motion. Cheng Cao knelt on the ground. With the end of the rifle propped against his shoulder, he aimed at the steel plate a hundred meters away. There was a thunderous rumble. A look appeared on Cheng Caos face as his entire body stumbled half a meter backward. Instead of finding time to look at the results, he began rubbing his shoulders. It would appear that the recoil did a number on his shoulders. Chen Chen heaved a slight breath of relief when he saw what happened to Cheng Cao. Thats some destruction, good thing it wasnt me testing it Cheng Cao, Initial velocity 3400m/s. Kinetic energy 14400J. Effective range of 3100 meters. Upon noticing the reflected readings in the detector, Chen Chen and Cheng Cao were both visibly impressed. Such power had surpassed what was the realm of a regular sniper rifle, it was practically an anti-material rifle. More importantly, the size of the sniper rifle was nothing out of the ordinary. It was just slightly larger than a rifle and nowhere near an anti-material rifle in terms of size. On the other end, the steel plate was completely punched through. A large hole with a diameter of ten centimeters was formed at its center. Not bad at all. Chen Chen nodded. His brows curled up in a frown as he turned to Cheng Cao. Cao, what do you think? Its destruction power speaks for itself. Still, firearms arent measured by pure destruction alone. Cheng Cao thought for a moment before continuing. I think that when it comes to firearms, as opposed to its destructiveness, whats more important should be its stability and consistency of output. For example, the lifespan of the barrel, the rate at which the rifling wears out, and whether the weapon can maintain its performance in complicated terrains such as a desert, plateaus, rivers, and oceans. These are all factors to consider when manufacturing firearms. I understand. Chen Chen nodded in response. It was true that power alone did not mean anything. Its power had to be complemented by other features before it could be safely considered a qualified firearm. Why was the AK47 an indestructible staple? That was because it was able to survive both extreme cold and heat alike as well as maintain its performance in all sorts of intricate situations. Simply put, the reliability and ease of control of firearms should come before its pure measure of power. After that, Chen Chen had the Black Knights test the three firearms and their respective performance. These weapons would still have to be modified several more times before they could become a standard issue. Chapter 194 - Terror Strikes Chen Chen was always under the impression that the Galaxy pendant had other outlets for releasing its energy apart from using such primitive methods of collisional release. Unfortunately, Chen Chen could not find any alternative methods for releasing its energy apart from resorting to such primitive methods. He had tried immersing it in a chemical solution, attempted to simulate it using extreme heat and cold, and many other experiments but to no avail. It made sense he would have trouble with it considering it was alien technology. In the movies, they were an advanced civilization that had long developed interstellar travel technology where they were capable of obliterating the Earth with just one shot. Therefore, it was no surprise that Chen Chen was unable to solve the mystery behind the Galaxy pendant using the technology currently available to him. Just as Chen Chen returned to the laboratory and was getting ready to continue practicing his Field, his phone suddenly rang. Chen Chen took out his phone and saw it was Qian Wenhuan who was calling. Boss, theres an epidemic going on in Windhoek, Namibias capital. There was a sense of urgency in Qian Wenhuans voice. More than three hundred people in Windhoek have been hospitalized since last evening. They all displayed symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, internal bleeding, external bleeding, fever, and such. The hospitals in Windhoek are all overcrowded. The Ministry of Health just requested assistance from our company. Are those people properly quarantined? Chen Chen turned into a frown. The officials say that they have been quarantined, Qian Wenhuan answered. In that case, donate 500 isolation suits and some tools for disinfection to them for now. Chen Chen thought for a moment. Based on the symptoms you just described, its likely Ebola. This isnt all that surprising. Ebola usually breaks out in the Western African region but they occasionally happen in the Southern African region as well. This virus isnt very contagious anyway so there shouldnt be much to worry about here. Understood. Qian Wenhuan took note and ended the call. Chen Chen did not let this piece of information trouble him. After all, this was not the global pandemic that broke out three years ago. The world and its countries were well informed of the terrors of Ebola and spared no effort in stopping it. Besides, Ebola was a powerful and lethal virus. Its high fatality rate even proved to be detrimental as it tended to kill its hosts before they were able to spread it. This was the reason that a true outbreak never happened. Therefore, Chen Chen was not worried about Windhoek being unable to contain the spread of the virus. A simple setup of a quarantine zone should suffice. With that, Chen Chen turned to look at a deck of poker cards set on a table. In one swift motion with his hand, the deck of cards flew and landed on his palms like a pigeon returning to its nest. At this point, Chen Chens mastery of Field already rivaled that of the protagonist in Chronicle to around the midway point of the movie. This was the fruit of Chen Chens hard work over the past few months. Of course, Chen Chen still had much to improve in terms of strength. Up till this point, Chen Chen had only absorbed no more than thirty pieces of crystalline fragments which were barely one percent of the amount which the protagonist had absorbed. As a result, the potency of Chen Chens Field was increasing at a snail-like pace. Even till now, Chen Chen was only capable of moving objects weighing up to 500 grams at most. With that said, whatever he lacked in terms of Field potency could be compensated with the appropriate weapons. When Chen Chen invoked a thought, a box levitated out of his pocket. With a soft click, the box opened and several almost completely transparent graphene cards came flying out of it. When Chen Chen extended his palm, the cards magically danced around atop his palms as if they had come to life. With a gentle snap, the graphene cards launched off one after another and nailed themselves into the head of a mannequin positioned five to six meters away. Chen Chen was visibly pleased with what he saw. As opposed to suddenly gaining immense powers that were difficult to control, he would much rather experience gradual growth like this one step at a time. This way, he was able to effectively maximize his strength. After training for some time, Chen Chen seemed to have suddenly recalled something. He sat on the desk and turned on the computer while at the same time instructing, X, help me hack into the internal network of Namibia and get the latest update of the virus spread. Understood! Little X responded almost immediately. After that, the computer processor began operating at full speed as countless web pages were closed as soon as they were opened. After half a minute of this routine, several specially selected web pages appeared before Chen Chen. These are the latest updates concerning the spread of the virus. A total of 1,230 people in Namibias capital, Windhoek, are suspected of contracting a hemorrhagic fever. These areas are now locked down completely. 321 of these patients are currently receiving treatment in the hospital. The Windhoek City Hall are falsifying their claim by saying that there are only three hundred infections. Thats not the end of it. With Windhoek acting as the central point, its surrounding cities including Bergland, Okahandja, Wilhelmsthal, Sul Lovatyre, and seventeen other cities as well as fifteen villages in the surrounding area all reported similar outbreaks. The earliest case dates back to three days ago. Chen Chen frowned when he heard the news, This means that Windhoek is the core of the outbreak and it was able to spread the disease to populated regions up to hundreds of kilometers away in just three days? Yes, Little X replied. Somethings not right. This doesnt line up with the rate of infection of Ebola which is transmitted via body fluids. Chen Chen thought for a moment before instructing again, Expand the search range. Go through all of the intranets of all countries in the African continent. Compile all of the details of similar outbreaks and send them to me. Little X immediately got to work. The search this time took considerably longer. After close to ten minutes later, a thick sheet of detailed report densely packed with relevant data was printed. In the African region, eight countries including Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Congo have all reported similar diseases. Little X elaborated, The earliest reported case was as early as seven days ago. However, since there had been plenty of similar outbreaks of infectious disease in the past in Congo, it was simply overlooked. The outbreak in Congo has now spread into 13 cities and 25 villages. More than 5,000 cases of infections have been discovered. There was a heavy shadow cast over Chen Chens face. While listening to Little Xs reports, he looked at the foot of the report and noticed a shocking number displayed on it. The total number of reported infections and covered-up infections in all countries combined had exceeded thirty thousand! Somethings off, somethings really off here Chen Chen muttered to himself and further instructed, Look up the data of the count of people infected by Ebola outbreak over the last 40 years as well as the scope of those outbreaks. Compare that data with the current outbreak. Following Chen Chens orders, a graph charted with comprehensive data appeared on the computer display. The first appearance and outbreak of the Ebola virus were reported in the year 1976, which claimed 270 lives before disappearing. The second outbreak was reported in 1995, claiming 245 victims. The most recent outbreak was reported in 2018, in which 1,600 people were infected and a thousand of them died from the virus. As Little Xs robotic voice began to report the findings, Chen Chen could see from the charted graph that all of the readings, whether it was infection count or scope of the outbreak, were all at least ten folds of the previous instances of outbreaks. I knew it, these cases are unlike regular Ebola virus. This revelation only served to further cement Chen Chens previous belief. A dark gloom cast over his face. If this disease was allowed to spread in Africa, its going to greatly impact Eco Science Citys business. Chen Chen got up as he instructed, X, issue the order. All staff is prohibited from leaving the city range in the following period. Also, dispatch all of the B.S.S. and Black Knights members. Completely lock down the Eco Science City and dont allow any locals to enter! Chapter 195 - Prediction X, how many people do we have in both B.S.S. and Black Knights combined? There are seventy members in B.S.S. and another fifty in Black Knights. Both departments are on duty. Its not enough. Chen Chen said while shaking his head, Get the mercenaries of Tara Strategic Resource to return to headquarters and enlist them into B.S.S. temporarily. Theyll be working together to lock down Eco Science City. How will we be locking it down? Little X enquired quizzingly. Have all of the security personnel put on fully-enclosed negative pressure protective suits and set up barriers around the entry and exit points of Eco Science City. Nobody is to enter or leave the city without receiving my permission. Also, lock down all of the stores and hotels within the city. Dont allow people in the city to freely move around. Chen Chen thought for a moment and suddenly realized something. This pandemic will spawn a large number of refugees in Namibia. Theyll come in droves and gather around the city barriers. Theres a chance they might force their way in. Its bad for the companys image if we dont do anything about them Chen Chen added again. Right, get several engineering teams and have them set up dozens of basic wards outside the city border as soon as they can. The design doesnt have to be anything intricate, it only needs to meet the basic criteria of a common shelter. Understood! As Little X began passing on the orders received, Chen Chen picked up the phone and dialed a number. After several rings, came the voice of a man who sounded to be of considerable age. Chen Chen, facing any kind of trouble on your side? Chief Quintina, I believe you should be asking if youre facing any trouble on your side instead. Chen Chen left the laboratory during the call and began making his way toward the elevator to the surface. What do you mean? There was a spontaneous silence on the other end of the phone. The man who was Namibias Minister of Defense carried an imposing aura even when on the phone. However, Chen Chen was entirely unfazed and turned the question around. Does Chief Quintina not know about the ongoing pandemic outbreak in Windhoek? Pandemic? Shouldnt that be handled by the Ministry of Health? There was a tinge of surprise in Quintinas voice. It sounded like he truly had no idea about the matter at hand. Chen Chen sneered. The Ministry of Health is playing it off like they dont know about whats going on. They just requested assistance from my company without sparing me the truth. There are currently more than 1,200 people in Windhoek infected with hemorrhagic fever and the disease has spread as far as thirty kilometers away. And yet, I was told there are only three hundred cases. Its rather obvious that they are trying to force me on the frontlines. What? There are already so many people infected in Windhoek? The astonishment in Quitinas voice was growing. I dont know about this. If thats true, then theres no use contacting me. Theres nothing I can do for you. No, theres a lot you can do for me. Chen Chen explained, Safe to say that the situation with the pandemic will only worsen in the future. I need an established force to help me lock down my city and prevent refugees from swarming in. Silence on the other end of the phone. Of course, as compensation, Ill be taking in your family as well as the families of soldiers in your platoon. Chen Chen added. And if their families are infected, Ill be treating them for free. Of course, whether they can be properly treated or not isnt for me to decide. Will the situation really become so dire? Quintinas voice on the phone was starting to turn dry. Chen Chen was so infuriated that he found himself laughing. Chief Quintina, hemorrhagic fever is extremely contagious. Although the exact mortality rate hasnt been tabulated due to it being the early stages of the outbreak, up to thirty percent of the infected are essentially crippled already. Can you not piece together from these facts just what sort of virus it is? Could it be Ebola? The man on the other end of the call sucked in a breath of cold air. Apart from this virus, I really cant think of any other virus that causes hemorrhagic fever and boasts such a high fatality rate. Chen Chen explained, I also suspect that this stem of virus is a new subtype. After all, its spreading incredibly quickly. Terrifyingly quick, if I may add. My suggestion is to get in touch with Congress and also request assistance from WHO. If we wait until the other countries realize whats going on, theres going to be a long queue for the ones requesting assistance. A long queue? Quintina was first taken aback by the statement before it occurred to him that Chen Chen was subtly hinting that the contagious disease was beginning to make its rounds around other countries. With this in mind, Quintina took a deep breath before replying in a suppressed tone, I understand. Ill relay your message to Congress. As for the matter of dispatching troops to lock down the city, I cant guarantee I can issue the order immediately, but Ill do my best. Is it alright for me to send my wife and children to your side now? Will you keep them safe? Dont worry, even if the pandemic were to get out of hand, I promise you that theyll be the last to be infected. With that, Chen Chen hung up. After that, Chen Chen made a call to Zurama, the Minister of Investment and Energy as well as several chiefs and parliamentarians who were closer to Chen Chens faction. He even got in touch with the customs department of Walvis Bay. Chen Chen had a hard time containing the sneer from surfacing on the corner of his lips when he heard them all casting their pride aside and begging him with lowered voices. Taking in the family members of the higher-up Namibian officials was a good way to put them in his debt. It was also a good way to gain some leverage since this would surely improve their confidence in the safety of Eco Science City. This was Chen Chens motive. Even after accomplishing all this, Chen Chen still felt it did not suffice. After a moments thought, he raised his head again. X, dispatch a team of Black Knights and have them bring two patients from the outbreak zone. Make sure to take the appropriate preventative measures. Understood, are you planning to study the virus? Little X asked curiously. Of course, this is for self-protection. Chen Chen continued taking large strides as he elaborated, After all, you have to understand that as the pandemic grows in severity, the Level-4 Biosafety Lab in the research center will essentially become the pillar of hope in the entire Africa continent. Ill inevitably be involved in the conversation whether its matters concerning civil rights or international public opinion. In that case, instead of being forced to concede the laboratory to WHO, its wiser to take the initiative. If things go well, we may very well become the leading force in combating the pandemic. This will be a great boost for our companys image and international standing! Understood! Little X answered, Ive dispatched a team of five Black Knights to the material department to pick up the negative pressure protective suits. Theyll be departing in half an hour. Excellent. Chen Chen sighed in relief before suddenly remembering something. Right, if memory serves me correctly, North America and the Mainland already developed a vaccine for Ebola as early as 18 years ago. Check if the ones who had received the vaccine in the past still contracted the disease. Yes. Little X took note and fell silent momentarily before speaking again, The Mainland had indeed developed a vaccine for Congo and several countries with outbreaks. However, there are still a large number of reported infections among the list of people who have been vaccinated! I knew it Chen Chen frowned and deducted accordingly. Since the initial discovery of Ebola virus, there have been 4 subtypes discovered. They are Zaire, Sudan, Reston, and C?te dIvoire. Those who have been vaccinated are generally vaccinated with vaccines developed for Zaire and Sudan subtypes. Since the ones who had been vaccinated were still infected, this suggests that the outbreak this time doesnt belong to these two subtypes. I shouldve thought of this earlier Chen Chen nodded. Zaire and Sudan can only be transmitted via body fluids. They cant spread across hundreds of meters in just three days. The airborne subtype, Reston, is harmless to humans. The displayed symptoms also dont match the symptoms of the final subtype, C?te dIvoire. Therefore, the pandemic cannot be any of the four subtypes listed. In other words, this is a new highly contagious subtype? Arriving at this thought, Chen Chens expression grew sterner. Based on the displayed symptoms of the current infected, the deaths should be rapidly rising over the next few days. The mortality rate will be no lesser than fifty percent, so if this pandemic were to break out of Africa and spread globally, then Chapter 196 - : Ossas At the southwest corner 15 kilometers away from Windhoek, the capital of Namibia, there was an aboriginal village isolated from the politics of the country. It was a village with an enchanting name C Bergland Village. It was a village enamored with festivities such as dancing and singing. In the region five kilometers west of Bergland village, there was the mother river which supplemented the life of several nearby villages C Bergland River. Every morning, plenty of young men from the village woke up before daybreak carried jars on their heads as they made their way to the river to draw water. According to local culture, the early mornings were when the river water flowed like morning dew. It was the time when the river water was at its purest and sweetest. In the group of countless members drawing water from the river, Ossas was one among many of them. Ossas full name was Uvuvwevwevwe Onyetenyevwe Ugwemubwem Ossas, but the people in the village just called him Ossas for short. Every day, before the sun broke through the clouds, Ossas carried a jar on his head and headed toward the river five kilometers away to draw water. Every day before he departed, his mother would tenderly stuff two pancakes in his pocket so he had snacks for the trip. Ossas mother took care to select the best underground soil she could find to prepare the pancake. The soil was first disinfected with fire before being screened through a sieve to remove most of the impurities. The final product was finely webbed and elastic soil. Finally, the soil was mixed with water to form clumps of mud. Butter and salt were added to the mix and stirred evenly to form slices of round cakes which were then left under the sun to dry. After they were dried out, they became pancakes fit for snacking on. These luscious pancakes were only good for being eaten as light snacks. Eating too much of them may cause ones stomach to swell and greatly weaken the body. There was also a vast and dense forest on the east side of the village. The villagers of Bergland ate berries foraged in the forest and quenched their thirst by the river. In the evenings, whenever Ossas stomach began to grumble, he would get his childhood friend Ido and they would head into the forest together in search of game. Growing up in the vast forest which supplemented the life of the village, Ossas and Ido had developed a fine set of skills since an early age. They knew how to distinguish between various sorts of berries and fungi and occasionally caught game such as mice or bats. The entirety of Bergland Village lived their life peacefully in this manner, free from the conflict of the world. However, a few days ago, Ossas heard from his playmate that a fellow villager who had returned from Windhoek suddenly collapsed later that night. The villager vomited endlessly and could not eat any food. However, Ossas paid no mind to the news. As a Namibian himself, Ossas had long understood that most of the people in the village were destined to live a short life. The sick fellow was only one among many of them. Little did he know, the true nightmare was approaching without any warning It was evening, after resting for the entire day until the sun was about to set, Ossas began heading toward the north end of the village. This was their daily routine. He would first meet with Ido then they would head to the forest together in search of food. However, when Ossas arrived at the north end of the village, Ido was nowhere to be found. Hm, this brat is late? Ossas found it a little surprising since Ido was younger than he was and in the prime of youth. Whenever they went to the forest to search for game, Ido was always more eager than he was. He was rarely, if ever late. Ossas was not too bothered. He sat at the end of the village and started to wait silently. As time passed, the sun had set down and the pale blue sky had turned into stark indigo. There were still no signs of Ido. What is this fellow up to? Ossas found himself becoming irritated. By nightfall, it may still be possible to catch mice and birds, but there was a small chance left of foraging berries. With this in mind, he decided he was just going to head straight for Idos house. Idos house was a short distance away from the end of the village. Within a moment, a house constructed of soil came into Ossas view. The door was left open. When Ossas approached the door and was about to knock, he heard terrible retching inside the house. Ossas immediately rushed inside and saw Ido standing helplessly by the bed. His mother was lying on the bed on her side while throwing up into a washbasin placed at the head of the bed. Ugh! Ossas witnessed the sight of clumps of cloudy, black substance pouring out of her mouth like a fountain. Although most of it fell into the washbasin, a good amount splashed inside the basin and splattered all over the bed. A distinct, pungent smell came from the direction of the bed. It was closely similar to the smell of blood and internal organs mixed whenever Ossas dissected small animals. Ossas instinctively covered up his nose and mouth. Ossas, why are you here? Ido just happened to turn around and spotted Ossas arriving, his expression was somber. Ido, we were going to head to the forest Ossas said helplessly. As you can see, my mother is sick. I need to take care of her, Ido shook his head and turned down Ossas without any hesitation. Alright Ossas knew better than to object. He took one last glance at Idos mother. The lady was dry retching continuously, spitting out dark brown sludge from time to time. It appeared as if she was going to throw up her very organs at any moment That was not the end of it. Ossas saw the eyes of Idos mother becoming stained with a vibrant red due to congestion. He could faintly see two streaks of dark red blood flowing down the curve of her cheeks. It was equally bizarre and eerie For some reason unknown to him, Ossas began to feel anxious. It barely occurred to him to bid farewell to Ido before he turned tail and ran out of the room and back home. Ossas initially thought that this was just going to be a minor episode but he woke up the next day to an increasingly tense atmosphere in the village. Idos mother was not the only case. Dozens of families in the village had displayed similar symptoms. Their symptoms closely resembled that of Idos mother C endless retching that was preceded by a terrible fever. A portion of them also displayed symptoms of bleeding from the eye. The terrifying sight was like a curse from the underworld. These symptoms sparked a wave of terror among the villagers. They all knew that this was the start of a pandemic. Gone were the days of villagers lazing about, whiling away their days. Some of them left the village to get away from the outbreak as they sought shelter in nearby villages. Meanwhile, there were families like Ossas who were not capable of leaving the village. All Ossas mother could do was to bar the entrance in a futile attempt to prevent the disease from spreading in through their front door. On this day, Ossas only left the house once at dawn to draw all the water they needed for the day. He locked himself at home for the remainder of the day after returning. According to the Namibian officials, this was the only way to effectively combat the pandemic. Unfortunately, this method did not appear to be particularly effective for Ossas household It was the third day. After a full day riddled with anxiety, Ossas awoke from his dreams to the sound of moaning coming from outside the room. The moans came from his mothers room. She sounded like she was in pain. Then, it was quickly followed by bouts of dry retching. Ossas felt a clutch in his heart when he heard that voice. He immediately got out of his bed and went toward his mothers room. Before he even took a handful of steps, he felt an intense wave of soreness spreading across his body. As if that was not enough, Ossas felt a wave of grogginess creeping into his head which was accompanied by a splitting headache. Ossas paid no mind to it. He rushed into his mothers room to the sight of his mother curled up on the bed. There was a giant puddle of black and brown vomit beside her. When Ossas entered, his mother slowly opened her eyes. In his mothers eyes was a pool of red blood, traces of fresh blood trickled out of them Ossas felt his heart sink when he witnessed such an image. He immediately darted out of the room and went to the villager chiefs home to seek assistance. Ossas immediately stopped in his tracks the moment he stepped out of the house. At one glance, dozens of villagers could be seen collapsed by the path of the village. The path was covered in disgusting mixtures of black and brown vomit. The situation in Bergland village had gotten irreparably worse overnight. The air was filled with a thick, rank stench. It was at that very moment when Ossas understood that the smell of blood and internal organs mixture was the smell of death itself Chapter 197 - Sampling Cases Two ambulances decorated with red cross signs drove along the road and headed toward the direction of Windhoek. Two large off-road jeeps went along with them, each assuming its position at the front and back of the ambulances respectively. They were the escort and security forces for the ambulances. The four vehicles drove along the barren road, drawing closer to the center of the pandemic with every passing second. As they began drawing closer to Windhoek, villagers fleeing the plague began to appear on both sides of the road. These people left their homes to get away from the terrible plague. Little did they know, in the process of fleeing to faraway villages, they were bringing the same calamity to the places they were heading to. At noon, the fleet had arrived at the farthest known location afflicted by the pandemic C Bergland Village. However, the village was drowned in a dreadful silence. Looking across the road in the village, puddles of grotesque black substance could be spotted lining the road. They gave off a rank stench periodically. In addition, several villagers were spotted lying in the middle of the road. There were no longer signs of life left in them. They could also hear moaning filled with anguish coming from the houses on both sides of the road. Click. When the door opened, Herbert and his colleagues stepped out of the vehicle. He walked toward the middle of the road and beheld the scenery in the image through the polyethylene masks as his stomach began to stir. Corpses. Corpses everywhere Although they were the medical staff dispatched by Eco Science City, this was the first time they had witnessed such a dreadful scene. Trying his best to look past the uneasy imagery, Herbert began approaching a corpse by the side of the road. The footsteps of his colleague trailed behind him. Herbert turned around and noticed two security armed with rifles following him. They seemed ready to protect him from any harm. Word was they were the security forces of Eco Science City which also doubled as the bodyguards for the medical staff on the current mission. For some reason, Herbert could not quite put his finger into, they looked dead to him. Their expression was all but a blank sheet, their movements were rigid and gave off a mechanical impression. Overall, they resembled robots more than humans. An apt description should be walking corpses. Still, regardless of how much Herbert detested them, it brought him a sense of security to have two dedicated bodyguards with him in a hellish pandemic red zone such as this. Herbert took his mind off of these things as he approached a nearby villager lying face down flat on the ground. He flipped the villager over. Herbert was immediately greeted with the sight of the face of a dead person covered in bloody blisters and oozing blood from all available sockets. With a deep breath, he suppressed the urge to throw up then and there. He gently felt for the pulse of the villager, needless to say, there was no saving this villager. Next, Herbert began to inspect the lower half of the body. He noticed that the lower half of the body was covered in a puddle of filth, a great amount of blood had congealed with an unknown liquid substance. They continued oozing long after the villager had died. It would appear that they had fused with the organs. Herbert took the camera strapped around his neck and snapped two pictures of the corpse. He then proceeded to inspect another corpse. Herbert, whats the situation on your end? It was then when he heard Carls voice, his fellow colleague who had hopped out of the vehicle to investigate with him. It doesnt look good. Im not seeing any surviving villagers. Shaking his head, he began inspecting the corpse of another recently deceased villager as he asked puzzlingly, How come were not seeing any survivors? Thats normal. These villagers can either stay locked up at home and wait for the plague to claim them or flee and spread the disease to farther places, Carl commented numbly, the government took too long with their response here. Eh Midway through Carls sentence, he suddenly switched to an alert tone. Herbert, come take a look over here. I found a villager whos still alive! Herbert immediately rushed over and got down to inspect. It was just as he said, the villager collapsed on the ground was not dead yet, his chest was still moving, albeit weakly. What do we do? Herberts colleague, Carl looked at him seeking advice. Do we take him into the ambulance? Do it, Ill prepare the isolation cabin Herbert said as he got up and made for the ambulance. No need. It was then when Lawrence, the leader in charge of the current mission stopped the two of them. Theres no point helping these patients who are nearing their death. What we need here are patients who are only displaying initial symptoms. But Just as Hebert was about to raise his objection, the door of a nearby house suddenly opened. They instinctively looked over and saw a frightened young black man poking his head out. The young mans eyes were ignited with a spark of hope when he saw the crew fitted in full isolation protective suits. Ambulance! The red cross could be said to be the most universal symbol in the world. Even these villagers were familiar with the symbol. The young man immediately charged out of the house toward them as if his life depended on it. Herbert instinctively stepped backward. Just as the young man was about to reach them, several rifles were immediately pointed at him. However, the young black man who was overwhelmed with emotion continued charging forward while mumbling something incoherently. Dont shoot. Hes speaking Swahili, hes saying that he just wants us to save his mother. Herbert promptly explained as he stepped forward and tried to calm the young man down in Swahili. When the young man began to settle down, Herbert exchanged a look with his leader, Lawrence. The leader returned him with a nod. Carl, quarantine the patient. With that, Carl quickly returned to the ambulance and pushed out a stretcher. There was a transparent negative pressure isolation chamber positioned on the stretcher. This was a device used to enclose the source and effectively isolate the patient from the general population. While conversing with the young man, Herbert stepped into the young mans house and saw his mother on the bed clinging on to her dear life. Similar to the corpses outside, the womans body was covered in blood and vomit substance. She was on the brink of losing her life. Leader, this Seeing the young mans ardent expression, Herbert reluctantly looked at the leader. Lawrence nodded. Carl and another medical staff promptly pushed the negative pressure isolation stretcher inside and put the young mans mother inside it. Tell him that he has to go inside as well, Lawrence instructed. Fortunately, the young man was very cooperative and ducked into the isolation cabin without a word. To be on the safe side, Herbert made sure to inject them with a tranquilizer before sending them into the ambulance. Alright, just need to find two more. The leader, Lawrence instructed, You guys check out front, try to find patients displaying lighter symptoms. Understood. Just as they were going forward, the door of a house far away was abruptly thrown open. A villager covered in blood stepped out and immediately roared upon seeing the crowd and started rabidly charging toward them. Blasted, make him shut up! The leaders expression turned and he immediately urged. If he alerts a large number of villagers, we wont be able to get away! However, it was too late. As the villager continued shouting, the doors of the houses on the side of the road burst open one after another. Groups of villagers with blood-painted faces howled and cried as they came over like a surging tide! What do we do? Herbert and the others were frozen in place. They were dead meat if they were surrounded by the villagers and would have their protective suits ripped apart! Just as they were all at a loss, the bodyguards who had kept their silence all this time stepped up. One of them raised the Czech CZ805 rifle in his hand and unloaded it into the sky without hesitation! Bang bang bang bang bang! The tense and threatening atmosphere left behind by the round of gunshots brought the villagers back to their senses. They looked at Herbert and the others with fear in their eyes. The leader, Lawrence sighed with relief when he saw what had happened. He pointed at two children in the village and had them climb into the isolation cabin on their own. With the help of his crew, they carried the isolation cabin into the other ambulance. Alright, lets get out of here before they start rushing at us! After the four infected villagers were brought onto the ambulance, the rest of them quickly entered the vehicle and shut the door, ignoring the desperate pleading of the remaining villagers. The bodyguards waited until all of the medical staff had entered the ambulance before returning to the Jeep one after another. When the villagers saw the ambulances preparing to leave, they could not contain themselves any longer. They charged forward, crying out as they slapped the car with bloodied hands. Their voices filled with sobs were unlike that of a regular human. Let us in! Dont go, please I beg you, save us! I dont want to die The villagers crowded themselves around the vehicles in an attempt to prevent them from leaving. What, what do we do? The crew on the ambulance were panicking. There were simply too many people surrounding the ambulance. If they were to stomp the pedal, they would run over at least a handful of them. Just as they were drenched in a cold sweat from the shock, they heard yet another round of gunshots coming from the two Jeeps up ahead. Instead of shooting warning shots into the sky, they were shooting directly at the group of villagers! All Herbert saw was one of the bodyguards prying himself out of the window and taking aim at the villagers before pulling the trigger. In a split instant, a cloud of bloody red mist erupted amid the pack of villagers surrounding the Jeep. The villagers shrieked in terror as they fled! Are they crazy, theyre shooting civilians! the leader, Lawrence exclaimed. However, the effectiveness of this method could not be denied as the villagers in front of the vehicle immediately dispersed. With the roar of the engine, the four vehicles took off, running over several more villagers while leaving the village Even after they had left the vicinity of the village, they could still see villagers chasing after them from the rearview mirror. The despair shone through their eyes as they cried and screamed at the back of the fleet of vehicles until they got farther and eventually out of view Chapter 198 - Blacklight Virus Three hours later, when the four vehicles had returned to Eco Science City, there was already a custom set up by the city entrance. A large steel gate was erected in the middle of the road. Several B.S.S. members clad in protective suits and armed with rifles posed as security by the entrance. Oh, f*** Come on guys, you guys think this is Resident Evil? When the vehicles stopped by the custom, one of the customs security went up to the people in the Jeep. Thats a bit overkill, yeah? Unfortunately, his colleagues inside the Jeep did not provide him any response. We took a trip to a pandemic red zone. Herbert stepped off the ambulance to break up the awkward interaction. He handed a folder to the other person and turned around to look at the ambulance they came back in. That was when he immediately understood the comments made. The ambulance originally painted in white was covered in numerous bloody handprints. It came to Herbert how desperate the villagers must have felt then when he looked at these marks they left behind. Sigh Herbert sighed silently. After the security went through the document and made sure there was no discrepancy, he informed, The vehicle wont be able to enter. You guys can head in first, therell be a crew escorting you. Alright. Herbert nodded. The crew got out and pushed the isolation cabin into the negative pressure tent for disinfection. It was only after they had been thoroughly disinfected that they were granted entry into Eco Science City. What followed after was another set of complicated procedures. It took two to three hours before the four infected were finally sent to the research center. Their blood samples were sent into the level-4 biosafety lab which had never been officially put to use ever since its establishment. The level-4 biosafety lab was otherwise known as the international standard BSL-4 laboratory. It was a laboratory specifically designed to study some of the most hazardous viruses in the world. Laboratories of this variation were extremely rare in the Earth Federation. There were only sixty-eight such established laboratories registered so far. The current laboratory belonging to Chen Chen was the only privatized BSL-4 laboratory in the world. At the current moment in the laboratory, Bernhard, Evans, and several other top microbiologists were gathered. They protected themselves in closed isolation suits. The entire experiment would be conducted on a negative pressure clean bench. The blood lapping agent of the infected is complete, wheres the human kidney cell dish? Over here. Alright, Ive dripped the lapping agent. Lets see what kind of virus were dealing with now. The atmosphere inside the BSL-4 laboratory was relatively relaxed. Bernhard had his assistants test the blood samples while he and Evans tried another method of processing the samples. Half an hour later, they put the human kidney cell dish under the electron microscope for closer observation. The display monitor revealed the true nature of the virus. The audience held in a breath of cold air upon seeing the result. As seen on the display, the human kidney cell was completely destroyed by the attacking virus. The cell membrane was utterly shattered and the organelle became barely recognizable. Amid the broken cell remains was a mass of densely packed together thread-formed substance As suspected, its filovirus. Evans sighed upon noting this. Its pretty much confirmed now. Up till now, there have only been two variants of filovirus discovered in the Earth Federation. These two viruses are pathogens categorized in the highest biosafety level. We will still need to refer to the assistants to get a proper overview. Bernhard made a waving gesture as he turned to another group occupied with their task. Joseph, any findings from the serum test on your end? The test result is ready. One of the assistants quickly approached them and handed the report into the hands of Bernhard. Professor, the virus in this outbreak presented a cross-antibody reaction with the Zaire subtype. Its antibody-antigen reaction tested positive. Impossible! Evans immediately declared upon hearing the report, This cant be Zaire! If it were the Zaire subtype Ebola virus, things would be much easier. Bernhard was also slightly taken aback by the result, then became pensive at the findings. Even though the fatality rate of Zaire subtype Ebola reaches as high as ninety percent, it only spreads through bodily fluids. It should be easy to stun its spread. Thats why this virus cannot possibly be Zaire. Its a new subtype that holds close similarity with the Zaire subtype Ebola virus. Evans nodded. Just like the Reston subtype Bola virus. There was a sense of sorrow among them upon arriving at this conclusion. It was already known that all of the different subtypes of Ebola displayed varying degrees of infectivity and symptoms. Among them, the Zaire subtype boasted a fatality rate of up to ninety percent while the Sudan subtypes fatality was fifty percent. Both of these subtypes were transmitted via liquid, which meant they were not highly infectious. The most infectious of the bunch was a subtype known as Reston. Reston was a variant of Ebola that could spread through the air. It was almost completely identical to the Zaire virus but fortunately, this virus only proved to be lethal on monkeys and was largely harmless against humans. The problem was that upon the initial discovery of the Reston subtype, many people became concerned C what if one day the Reston subtype Ebola went through mutation and became effective against humans? What happened then? Now, it may appear that the very thing that they had feared was unraveling Professor, weve done a complete glycoprotein gene sequence analysis of the isolated virus and found that 98.9% of the nucleotides of this virus are the same as the ones found in Reston virus. Excellent, this pretty much confirms it. This is a mutated variant of the Reston subtype Ebola virus. The look on Bernhards face became even more serious as he inspected the report in his hand. This means that this is an airborne Ebola virus. You guys continue decoding its genetic scheme, Ill send the initial report to the boss first. Evans spoke, Right, could everyone brainstorm a name for the virus so we can submit it to WHO? As the first to discover this new virus, we have the right to name it. They exchanged confused glances at one another. Why not Namibia subtype Ebola virus? one of the assistants spoke up. No, were the first ones to discover the new virus. Why let Namibia steal the glory? Another assistant shot it down. How about Bernhard-Evans subtype? A third assistant suggested. That wont do. Chen Chen subtype Ebola then Evans quickly waved away the suggestion. Alright, spare me the modesty, lets just name it after our company. Bernhard smacked the table and declared, Blacklight virus, thats a good name. Im sure the boss will be pleased. Thats true. They all nodded in agreement. With that, the new virus was officially named. Chapter 199 - BE-006 A day later. Whirling The activation of the printer suddenly produced a whirring sound, disrupting Chen Chens train of thoughts. At the same time, the childish voice of Little X was heard. Sir Godfather, the virus report is ready! Its finally ready? Chen Chen retrieved the report from the printer and shifted his attention to the reports header. It wrote: Description: Diameter 80 nanometer, Length 970 nanometer, in fibrous form. Its genetic material is in the form of single-stranded RNA thats encased in an envelope. There exist 5 different proteins spiked on the envelope, which are categorized into VP series protein and P-glycoprotein. Its nucleotides have a 98.8% similarity to the Preston Virus. It is confirmed as a mutated strain of the Ebola Virus and can be tested using the Preston Ebola Virus PCR Test. Chen Chen was not surprised as he had long deduced these findings. He carried on reading. The virus RNA gene map was attached below the summary which includes NP, VP35, VP40, and many other proteins. The report continued. Upon the infection of the host by the virus, the incubation period is typically more than two days, subsequently causing a severe infectious disease C Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever. There is still no official death statistics to date. Cause of death includes stroke, myocardial infarction, hypovolemic shock, and multiple organ failure. Transmission routes that have been identified thus far are airborne transmission, which includes saliva and body-fluid transmission as well as through blood, feces, and vomits. Chen Chen immediately became alert. Looked like the virus was airborne after all. This could be tricky. Even if everyone were to stay at home, there was no guarantee that the virus would not be carried by winds into their windows and door cracks. According to a preliminary investigation, the incubation period of the virus is more than two days. The virus is still infectious during the incubation period. Symptoms present during this period include fever, fatigue, muscle soreness, headache, sore throat, followed by vomiting, diarrhea, rash, kidney failure, and liver failure in the later stages. Then, sudden death will occur secondary to organ failure within the host within three days. Analysis conducted to date suggests that the virus is a Biohazard Level 4 virus, posing a huge threat to humanity! The virus is temporarily named as Blacklight virus. After finishing, Chen Chen put down the report, his fingers were gently tapping on the table. Blacklight virus? D*mn it, this was straight out from Prototype! After contemplating for a good while, Chen Chen lifted his chin and said, X, can the World Health Organization name a virus after a company name? Theres no precedence to this. However, it doesnt violate the rules enacted in 2015. X continued. In 2015, the World Health Organization ruled that a new disease couldnt be named after cities, countries, regions, people, food, cultures, ethnicities, and professions. However, it didnt specify companies in the list. Is it that strict? Chen Chen was surprised at that rule as the earliest strain of Ebola virus was named Ebola Zaire. Ebola came from the name of a river whereas Zaire was the name of a country. There were many examples of viruses named after a region as well such as the Australian bat rabies virus, California encephalitis virus, and Bolivia and Paraguay virus. These viruses had names that were intricately linked to the local region. Furthermore, although it sounded derogatory when a virus was named after a region or country, virus names had a prideful ring to it when it was named after the person who had discovered it. Examples were such as Yersinia pestis, Escherichia coli, and salmonella. There were often naming rights disputes in various situations, just like how France and the United Kingdoms tug of war over the right of discovery for HIV. However, the name of this infectious disease had long been coined since the 1970s and was called the Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever. As a result, Chen Chen only had the naming rights for this newly mutated virus. Even under such a circumstance where the virus could not be named after a person or a geographical region, naming the virus as Blacklight virus did not seem acceptable either If thats the case, lets just call it the Blacklight Ebola Virus. It would be the sixth variation of the Ebola virus discovered by humanity and as such, can be written in academic journals as the Chen Chen gave it another thought and proceeded to write BE-006 in an empty space of the report. Yes, that was more like it Chen Chen nodded and instructed, X, please contact Qian Wenhuan. Following Chen Chens order, it was not long before someone knocked on his office door. Please come in. Chen Chen raised his head and saw Qian Wenhuan, who was drenched completely in his sweat. Boss, did you want to see me? Wenhuan, hows the situation with the Eco Science City tourists? Chen Chen did not explicitly mention the incident but instead chose to subtly slip into the topic. Weve informed our clients that were providing free transportation service to send them back to their countries using our private jets. However, many of our clients refused to return and instead chose to travel further to Namibia. Qian Wenhuan answered. Thats alright. From now onward, Ill import a large quantity of Preston Ebola Virus PCR Test Kit from Mainland China. These test kits are capable of testing this variation of Ebola virus. Chen Chen passed the report to Qian Wenhua and continued. However, we need to inform these clients that should they decide to leave Eco Science City, we shall not be held liable toward their own personal safety. Understood. Qian Wenhuan nodded as he looked at the report. Apart from that, I have another more important issue to discuss with you. Chen Chen instructed further, Ill personally see to the issues of Eco Science City. For now, Ill need you to quickly retrieve the virus strain of the new virus and submit it at the WHO headquarters along with this report. Youve separated the virus strain? Qian Wenhuan was overjoyed. This is the golden opportunity for our company to be famous worldwide! Which is why I need you to be fast. Chen Chen nodded. Not only that, but youll also have to bribe the media to portray our company as the leading figure in combatting the pandemic. I believe these are already your expertise. Understood! Qian Wenhuan was taking his job seriously. He fully understood the intention hidden within Chen Chens decision. They could not be soft in this matter. If they did not take charge, it was a matter of time before other companies would. By then, not only would the first-mover advantage be ceded to a third party, Blacklight Biotechnology would only be a pawn to others. After all, too much righteousness could sometimes backfire After sending Qian Wenhuan off in a private jet, Chen Chen dialed Xia Yins number. Xia Yin, Im sending over a copy of a report to you. What you need to do is to immediately contact the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and report to them the situation in Namibia. Before Xia Yin could respond, Chen Chen instructed further, At the same time, place purchases on all sorts of disposable medical equipment such as face masks, medical gowns, and disinfectants. Most importantly, purchase lots of Preston Ebola Virus PCR Test Kits! Understood. Ive seen the news that a pandemic has broken out in Africa. If these are your instructions, Im guessing that the pandemic is due to an Ebola virus? Xia Yin was shocked for a moment before she could respond. However, unlike previously, her tone had now resembled that of a strong, determined woman. Thats right, the virus is infectious and airborne, with a mortality rate of over fifty percent. Its possible that itll soon spread throughout many countries within a few days. You need to be careful. Okay. Xia Yin gave a brief reply and did not say any further. Chen Chen then soon hung up the phone. It was a swift phone call yet when Chen Chen had unhesitantly hung up the phone. Xia Yin was once again overtaken by a brief feeling of emptiness. However, that too passed very soon. At that moment, a secretary dressed in black pantyhose and a white blouse came rushing in. She said, General Manager, the chairman has sent a document over, please take a look. Bring it over. Xia Yin lifted her head and received the document. However, once she had read through the report, her face immediately turned worrisome. Chapter 200 - The Viral Symptoms As the international media began focusing their attention on the pandemic in Africa, Chen Chen had long initiated a sequence of experiments on his side. At that point, hundreds of BE-006 infected patients had already resided in his isolation wards. These patients were volunteers from nearby regions who were handpicked by the company. They had signed personal declarations that would waive Blacklight Biotechnology from any legal liability even in the event of death. Meanwhile, Bernhard and a group of professors who were in charge of managing the study of this virus stood on the other side of the glass window pane. They were monitoring the conditions of each patient and overseeing the flow of every treatment. Then, the front door of the ward was opened as Chen Chen emerged from the other side. Boss, why are you here? The group of researchers turned around and greeted Chen Chen. This is a volatile situation, I just couldnt stand and watch from the sidelines. Chen Chen waved his hand and spoke to Professor Bernhard, Are the statistics for the viral symptoms ready? After carrying out more than 30 post mortems and studying hundreds of infected patients, weve gained a certain understanding of the viral symptoms of BE-006. Bernhard confidently handed over a case file to Chen Chen and said, All the basic information is documented here. Chen Chen received the file and flipped it open. The first page contained an image captured by an electron microscope. It looked like a strand of strings twirling into the shape of a butterfly, similar to a clat of worms. The title was labeled below the image C Blacklight Ebola. Bernhard explained aside, Beautiful, isnt it? Its similar to its relative, yet these are a group of relentless killers. Nobody would dispute that fact. Chen Chen shrugged and flipped to the second page. It was a picture of an African man. However, the man had blood flowing out from all his orifices, even his skin seemed to be mashed with blood. His expression was sluggish and not lucid at all. This is the standard symptom of a severe hemorrhage. Bernhard continued explaining, The BE virus operates in a manner thats similar to its relative, the Preston virus. It typically transmits from a hosts saliva to infect another person via their eyes, nose, mouth, and even wounds. Upon entering the body, Ive categorized the viral symptoms into three stages. Bernhard then proceeded to lift a finger. The first stage, which is the initial stage of infection, the virus will first attack the white blood cells of the body. This damages its ability to sense foreign objects as well as lower the immunity it provides to the body. The infected patients blood will then turn more coagulated. Furthermore, the virus tends to attack the bodys connective tissues, which is composed mainly of collagen. The virus reproduces rampantly in the tissue, liquifying and damaging the bottom layer of the skin, which leads to blisters growing on the skin and subsequent oozing of blood Chen Chen flipped to the third page and saw another infected African patient who had hundreds of blood blisters covering his face to a point where he was no longer recognizable. Then comes the second stage. Bernhard continued. The infected patient will suffer from incessant bleeding from his oral cavity, gums, breast, eyes Blood will start oozing even from various tiny pores of the body. After killing off the white blood cells, the red blood cells will also be destroyed. The cells will be disintegrated by the virus, causing its organelles to scatter all over the body. Whats left in the patients blood are the viruses All these will happen within the short span of a few days. Such is the destructive capability of a virulent virus. Bernhard proceeded. The third stage is also the final stage of the infected patients life. In this period, the oral cavity of the infected patient has started to rot. Its also possible that he will start coughing out his tongue and other damaged organs. His liver will start turning into a mush as his intestines are filled with blood. Its like the patients body is dissolving itself from within Furthermore, their nerves have also been damaged, which causes the patients mental state to turn sluggish. Then, theyll die a slow death. Chen Chen flipped till the end and saw various post-mortem dissection pictures. Indeed, its the classical way to die of the Ebola virus. Chen Chen closed up the report and said, Put this up on our companys website and share it across the world. Lets talk about something more uplifting. Have you managed to discover the incubation period and curative treatments for the virus? Bernhard shook his head and said regrettably, According to our investigation, the incubation period can reach a maximum of 7 days. We suspect that the incubation period of the BE-006 virus is similar to other Ebola viruses. Its true maximum incubation period can reach 20 days. This is truly a bad news. Chen Chen said solemnly. The longer the incubation period, the more effective the virus infectivity. This meant a large threat to human civilization. As for treatment methods, weve only managed to try two methods so far. The first is the NPC1 Blocker Therapy, the others the normal symptomatic treatment. Another professor explained, The Ebola virus needed to enter the cells nucleus via NPC1 to undergo self-replication. Once the NPC1 proteins could stop the transportation of cholesterol, the patients condition would show visible improvements. Weve managed to control the condition of a group of patients after injecting them with NPC1 blockers. However, the traditional symptomatic treatment yielded less impressive results. Such treatments include oral rehydration and intravenous infusion via electrolyte liquids, recovering blood platelets and maintaining patients blood oxygen level. As of now, the mortality rate of patients undergoing traditional symptomatic treatment is approximately thirty-five percent. Chen Chen did not probe further. He understood that the only reason the mortality rate for symptomatic treatment was still not high was due to most symptoms not reaching its final stages yet. The longer they waited, the higher the mortality rate would be. It looks like the NPC1 Blocker Therapy is the most effective treatment method against the Ebola virus for now. Evans explained further, The only shortcoming of the NPC1 Blocker Therapy is that the patient will eventually get Niemann-Pick disease, which is a high price to pay. Well, theres no other better ways. Chen Chen said solemnly, By the way, whens our company able to begin its research on a vaccine? About one half to a month, when we fully understand the characteristics of the virus. Evans thought and provided further estimations. After half a month, the true mortality rate of the pandemic will probably be out. A lot of international aids will also arrive by then. Thats when we can truly launch a counteroffensive. Furthermore, were also expecting to see some patients whore able to naturally produce antibodies and recover from the virus themselves. By then, well be able to use their blood to treat the virus. For now, our priority is on ensuring how to best contain the virus spread within this month. Very well. Chen Chen nodded and said, You can be rest assured here. Although I cant guarantee that the virus wont spread into Eco Science City, I can at least promise that once any case is discovered, the control measures will be immediate so that this research environment is safe. After encouraging his employees, Chen Chen then went to retrieve a sample of BE-006 live virus strain and left the research center. Chen Chen had planned to initiate another research on the live virus strain in the Spire Experimental Base. After all, the advanced equipment in the experimental base had excelled even those of a level-4 biosafety lab. Furthermore, many top scientists were in the Spire Experimental Base, which included Hannibal, Li Lei, and others. Chen Chen had also intended to have Little X join the research. Although lacking in creativity, Little Xs calculative and micromanipulation abilities allowed it to easily analyze the gene map of the virus and performed complex genome editing techniques such as the CRISPR-Cas9. Chapter 201 - Worldwide Support As Chen Chen was planning his next move on the pandemic, the Blacklight virus had continued spreading throughout the African region. Visiting each village and city, the virus was claiming one life after another as if it was the incarnation of the Reaper. Having learned from three years of culminating experience, Chen Chen submitted the reports via Blacklight Biotechnology to the World Health Organization (WHO), attracting the attention of various nations. In the WHO conference room, countless media representatives congregated below the stage as they flashed their cameras incessantly to the stage. On stage, a group of WHO spokespersons sat in a row. A familiar face could be seen sitting right at the center of it. He was a seemingly crass young adult in his late twenties, combing his oily hair as he wore a pair of gold-framed glasses. This person had a peculiar presence to him. However, very few could recognize that that person was the person-in-charge of Blacklight Biotechnology Namibia Subsidiary Company, Qian Wenhuan. At that moment, Qian Wenhuan was addressing the international media. Ebola is a nightmare that has been terrorizing the Earth Federation. We need to fear it more than we fear HIV and whys that? We have to first start by talking about its mortality rate However, Im not here to talk about that today. What Im trying to express here is that seven days have passed since the virus outbreak. Qian Wenhuan gestured his seven fingers and said solemnly, Its been seven days now. Although seemingly short, only Namibia has submitted its pandemic report to the WHO in Africa. What are the rest of the pandemic-stricken nations doing? Theyre busy at war, busy covering up the truth. They didnt even realize that the terrifying grip of the virus has already reached themselves. There was only silence in the crowd. Qian Wenhuan continued. According to our companys data, the number of countries affected by this pandemic has increased from eight countries to thirteen countries now. This includes Libya, Sierra Leone, Guinea, Congo, and others The only consoling news is that the virus has not left Africa for now. This is the only silver lining that exists in this pandemic Lets talk about the data Blacklight Biotechnology has collected so far in Namibia. Qian Wenhuan retrieved a form and continued. Within this week, there have already been 5300 infected cases in Namibia. Just Windhoek itself already has more than 3000 cases. We dont even know how long the incubation period of the virus actually is. However, according to our companys estimate, infected patients whore still within the incubation periods could be three times as many as those who showed obvious symptoms! A commotion soon began below the stage. Thats right, you didnt hear that wrongly. Within just a week, the virus has infected more than ten thousand people. The capital of the country, Windhoek, is sinking. Do remember that Namibia is a country with relatively vast lands and lower human population density. While other African nations have yet to submit their findings on the pandemics, Blacklight Biotechnology has led the way in researching the virus. Weve found that this virus is a new strain of the Ebola virus thats airborne. Its threat to humanity surpasses even that of the Black Death. If the virus manages to spread beyond Africa, it could mark the end of humanity Everyone held their breath. Qian Wenhuan said sternly, I dont mean to sound alarmist. However, according to our companys statistics, the mortality rate of the virus is increasing every day. It has now exceeded fifty percent and this is just the beginning. As time passes, more and more patients wont be able to hold it much longer and die. As of now, were only capable of administering symptomatic treatments and this will not be enough to defeat the virus. Therefore, I call upon everyone here to go to war with the virus. Its my hope that all nations are able to join us to help Africa and Blacklight Biotechnology in defending against the virus attack! Qian Wenhuans tone was becoming louder. At Blacklight Biotechnology, we own the only level-4 biosafety lab in Africa and we shall utilize it to take charge at the frontline of this battle against the virus! At the same time, we also own twenty-three transport aircrafts and fifty-two transport helicopters, all of which well mobilize free-of-charge in distributing aids to all pandemic-stricken nations! A round of thunderous applause ensued among the crowd. Qian Wenhuan then brought the conversation to another direction amid the applause. However, our companys resources are limited on its own. We need assistance from all over the world. Ladies and gentlemen, weve already spent more than 10 billion USD in purchasing medical equipment all over the world. However, this is still far from enough. We still need more people to join us and together, we can save Africa! Ladies and gentlemen, leaders of all nations, and those present in this hall, humanity is approaching its most vulnerable period in history. Africa needs your help. Please aid us to contain the virus in the frontline here in Africa. Dont let the virus spread. This is an issue that concerns all of humanity! At Blacklight Biotechnology, were committed to the mission of serving and prolonging humanity and we shall forever stand at the frontline of battling this Ebola virus! Qian Wenhuans speech at the WHO has shaken the world. Soon, Chen Chen had also uploaded the virus information onto his companys website. As the media began picking up on the story, the entire world was horrified at the pixelated gory images that were displayed. Then, after a few rounds of international conferences, the WHO had announced the Ebola virus pandemic as a global health emergency, calling nations all over the world to halt travelers from visiting the African continent. Most countries not only enhanced their customs inspection but they had also sent relief teams and medical resources to aid the pandemic in Africa. As the frontline institution in battling the virus, Chen Chen had obtained a vast amount of material and human resources in his mission. There were even world-class biologists who came forward, whom Chen Chen had invited into his research team. In a short time and with the support of the entire world, Eco Science City had immediately transformed into a stellar research machine. Meanwhile, the name Blacklight virus had slowly gained traction among citizens around the world. Although it had not gained an official acknowledgement from the academic world, the name had been used by media around the world. Netizens had also started paying attention to the name of the virus. Bio2001: Ahh? The virus in Africa finally has a decent name to it [Shrugs] Tonic Ai Shufen: Im fuming, how dare they ride on Dr. Alexs popularity! Mad!!! EVAlution: Isnt that the name of the virus in Prototype? What an old game, I miss Dr. Alex. Yutong Xinju: Thats not totally right. Although the English name for it is the Blacklight virus, the Mandarin name for it is Yi Bo La Hei Se Shou Biao, which is translated as Blackwatch Ebola. Oldmonkisdying: Ive noticed this company a long time ago. Its called Blacklight Company in English, yet its called Blackwatch Company in Mandarin. My minds splitting apart. Sky Emperor Kawakuwa: The founder of this company is so silly. Wanluo: Do you think this virus can create a real-life Dr. Alex? Or can it be a man-made biological weapon? Bai Hualin: Impossible. Therell surely be evidence within the genetic composition of the virus if its man-made. If no one has mentioned anything about it, it could only mean that the virus is a normal mutation of another virus. Regardless, Blacklight Biotechnology once again dominated the headlines and grabbed the attention of the worlds citizens since the fiasco with the age-reversal treatment. Blacklight Biotechnology and Blacklight virus immediately became a hot topic all over the globe. Chapter 202 - Resident Evil A month later. The pandemic situation of the outside world did not hinder the progress of the Spire Experimental Base at all, which was built seven-hundred meters below the surface. In the eighth-level of the experimental base where the level-4 biosafety lab was situated, Chen Chen was studying closely a clear image of the virus. The gene mapping of the Blacklight virus had been researched thoroughly by Little X. The RNA of the filovirus contained 1467 genes and 50 gene coding. The virus could also perform functions that were not discovered in other viruses such as RNA recoveries and the conversion of messenger RNA into proteins. Typically, such information could allow for the commencement of vaccine production. However, common forms of vaccines, which were live attenuated vaccines and inactivated vaccines were unsuitable to be used against Ebola viruses. On the other hand, if genetic engineering methods were to be considered, there already existed a routine method out there. The method required using adenoviruses or vesicular stomatitis viruses to swap out the proteins of BE-006 to restructure the virus. Adenoviruses were a group of viruses that typically infected vertebrae. It possessed a viral affinity for the lymph gland and was incapable of killing its host. As a result, they made excellent candidates for such tasks. It functioned like this C certain key elements of the adenoviruses would first be deleted and paired along with more dangerous viruses. The adenoviruses would behave like a small vehicle, touring the dangerous viruses around the bodys immune system. This would allow the immune system to recognize the dangerous viruses and form antibodies against them. When the true virus invaded the body, the immune system was then capable of mobilizing its armies to swiftly destroy the viruses. However, to produce a vaccine of such manner would take at least three months even with the aid of the entire world. According to Little Xs predictive analytics, Namibia would have descended into total anarchy by then. The middle-to-bottom layers of the government were already dead by now. If they were to wait for the vaccine to be released, Africas death toll would have reached 300 million. Chen Chens Eco Science City would also be gone by then. After all, it was difficult to erect defensive structures that could completely fend off an airborne virus. In the past few days, riots had also ensued among the citizens. In the beginning, the international relief teams were still distributing foods and different sorts of medical supplies to the citizens outside of Eco Science City. However, following the increasing death toll, many halted their operations in fear. Disease, death, famine, and crimes ran rampantly around the country. The regions outside of Eco Science City had turned into a battleground where Death himself had descended upon. Looking at the situation out there, Chen Chen and the international community were under immense pressure. Although things had not completely spiral out of control, Chen Chen was also aware that they were slowly running out of medical resources. The staff of Eco Science City and Namibias armies were consuming more than 20000 disposable protective suits on a daily basis. As the resources were becoming scarce, even the military personnel were beginning to show signs of infection. It would not be long before the dominoes tiles eventually reached Eco Science City and crumbled under the intense pressure. Hence, Chen Chen needed a quicker way to produce the virus vaccine and serum. If it was not for Africa, it was also for himself Then, Chen Chen took a deep breath and said determinedly, Little X, let the Black Knights of the nuclear power plant be on stand-by. Im heading over there immediately. So, youve decided? Little X replied. Theres no other choice. If we dont come up with a vaccine fast enough, Africa will be gone and all my efforts and work along with it. Itll be the equivalent of wasting two years of my life. Chen Chen followed the complex protocol of removing his protective suit and exited the Spire Experimental Base. He then put on a new set of protective suits before entering the lift that ascended to the surface. After that, Cheng Cao drove Chen Chen to his nuclear power plant. Meanwhile, the Black Knights had made all necessary preparations in the substation. They sealed the area around a computer, forming a negative pressure isolation room. To enter the room was easy but to exit the room, one would need to go through an even complex sanitization procedure. Chen Chen did not enter the room, but instead took a turn into the main control room to retrieve his USB drive that had been left charging for a month. The prolonged charging had once again restored the shiny glow to the USB drive. Bringing the USB drive into the isolation room, Chen Chen plugged the USB drive into the computer and looked at the monitor screen. He noticed the addition of a new movie appearing on the screen. [Resident Evil.mp4] Chen Chen had mixed feelings about this. Today, Chen Chen no longer needed to make meticulous preparations just to obtain a few hundred grams of resources like he used to. Following the construction of the nuclear power plant, his ability to garner resources had increased tremendously. He had also unintentionally discovered a new feature of the USB drive. A black hole that allowed him to travel into a movie-like world. This black hole was not one that was similar to the real celestial object bearing the same name. Instead, it resembled more like a wormhole, more specifically the Schwarzschild wormhole. Chen Chen had intended to travel into the world of Resident Evil 1. In the real world, there were only two kinds of filoviruses, which were the Ebola virus and Marburg virus. However, while Chen Chen was contemplating the pandemic, he thought of the virus in this movie. According to the movies setting, the T-virus was also a form of filovirus. Moreover, in the world of Resident Evil, biotechnology had been developed to its peak, becoming capable of producing a terrifying virus like the T-virus that could eradicate mankind. If Chen Chen could retrieve information related to the T-virus or the worlds technology from the Hive, it would be tremendously useful in researching the vaccine for BE-06. Furthermore, Resident Evil was considered the only movie so far that featured sophisticated biotechnology. In terms of the movies communication of the biotechnological aspects as well as its story plot, other zombie movies trailed far behind. Chen Chen was no longer hesitating and he immediately plucked the USB drive into the computer. He opened up the USB drive folder and moved the cursor onto [Resident Evil.mp4] file. Chen Chen then hit the [ctrl+c] button and then hit the [ctrl+v] button in the USB drive. Then, the loading bar immediately filled swiftly and the 2002 American-produced movie was then successfully copied into the USB drive. With no further delay, Chen Chen double-clicked on the movie and his vision immediately turned into pitch black. When he finally recovered his senses, he saw a long black tunnel on the screen. Like a black whirlpool, he could vaguely see the tunnel spinning in a counterclockwise rotation. Although the size of the tunnel appeared to be confined within the screen, it somehow provoked a feeling that it was a tunnel of unimaginable size. The dimension between reality and Resident Evil had now been linked together Chapter 203 - : Entrance Just like the procedure before, Chen Chen first sent a Black Knight in a protective suit into the tunnel. However, before the Black Knight entered, Chen Chen suddenly halted. Hold on! Then, he retrieved a live BE-006 virus strain for the Black Knight and said, Alright, if theres any danger on the other side, immediately return to the tunnel. Otherwise, continue scouting around for an hour before returning. Do you understand? The Black Knight mechanically nodded and immediately crossed over the tunnel into an endless dark void. Watching the Black Knight leave, Chen Chen did not let his guard down at all. It was because the tunnel was connected to the first movie of the Resident Evil series. According to the USB drives logic, the tunnel should reach directly to the Hive on the other end. However, Chen Chen was unsure at which timeline was the tunnel reaching. As a result, he stationed several dozens of armed Black Knight guarding at the entrance of the tunnel. If any zombies and Lickers came charging from the other end of the tunnel, they would be greeted by hails of bullets. To prevent the bullet from damaging the negative pressure isolation walls, Chen Chen had also installed some wooden barriers behind the computer. Fortunately, it seemed like there were no dangers on the other end. More than ten minutes had passed and the Black Knight had yet to return. Of course, if the Black Knight had still not returned after an hour, it would indicate that there was a problem on the other hand and Chen Chen had to be cautious. In the opening scene of the first movie, a spy had released the T-virus in the Hive. Following the detection of the virus by the supercomputer Red Queen, it attempted to stop the spread by shutting the Hive down and killing more than 500 researchers through poison gas. The headquarters then sensed that something was off and proceeded to send a special task force to shut the Red Queen Down and so began the entire story plot However, later in Resident Evil: The Final Chapter, the Hive was upgraded into a cryogenic institute to store the bodies of the companys executives. The T-virus, which was supposedly invented by the wheelchair-bound scientist, Dr. Charles Ashford, was revised to be invented by James Marcus instead in the last chapter. Furthermore, the Red Queens image was also inconsistent. In the second movie, the Red Queen was said to be modeled after Dr. Ashfords daughter, Angela. Whereas in the final chapter, it was said that the Red Queen was shaped after Marcus daughter, Alicia, in her childhood. The plot seemed to contradict itself. Even the supposed accident that caused the leakage of T-virus was later revised to be a deliberate plot by the Umbrella Corporation to eradicate humanity. When Chen Chen was chasing the series, he was clueless toward the end. Another half an hour had passed. Suddenly, a bright glow appeared in the room while Chen Chen quickly rushed to the source. Indeed, the Black Knight had returned to the real world. Immediately after the Black Knights return, the researchers immediately followed a series of protocols to ensure the protective suit was not contaminated by special microorganisms. They had also checked the live strain of BE-006 virus and found that the virus strain was still alive. Looks like once the USB drive formed the tunnel, organic life can now pass through it! Chen Chen was visibly overjoyed. He had once sent the Black Knight into the world of Chronicle, but found that the number of microorganisms attached to the Black Knights protective suit had severely diminished. Chen Chen thought that the tunnel could not ferry any organic life over, which included microorganisms. Yet, the trial this time indicated that it seemed like this rule had been broken. Could it be that the tunnel had always allowed organic life to travel, but it was just that these microorganisms were killed previously? Perhaps it was a setting to protect newbies. Could it be that it killed those microorganisms to protect the USB drives new user from infection? Chen Chen considered many factors. However, it was not the right time to answer those questions. Chen Chen retrieved the records of the Black Knight and began to observe what it was like in the other world. The result excited Chen Chen. Indeed, the tunnel did lead to the Hives experiment labs. Chen Chen could even see corpses covering the floor, some of those even belong to the Lickers. However, the bodies had already long decomposed into bones. It looked like the timeline the tunnel connected to was long after the events in Resident Evil 1. Other than that, electricity supplies to the Hive had long been cut off. Therefore, there were no alarms triggered upon the arrival of his Black Knight. Chen Chen had long known the source of the Hives electricity. It was nuclear-powered and it was likely that it was only in hibernation mode. The Black Knight did not discover the cryogenic room that was featured in the last installation of the movie. The Hive that the Black Knight roamed was the ordinary experimental lab that was featured in the first movie. It was nothing like the grand military base that was featured in the final chapter. Could it mean that the first and final installation of the Resident Evil movie series was two fundamentally different worldviews? Chen Chen thought silently. He shut the tunnel down and downloaded a copy of Resident Evil: The Final Chapter into his USB drive. Dong! An error box popped out on the screen. Chen Chen realized that he could not fit the movie into his USB drive. If that was the case, Chen Chen decided to not bother any further. Based on the recordings from the Black Knight, he prepared a welding gun, gunpowder, a calculator, and a hard disk. Sir Godfather, there were no foreign viruses and microorganisms found on the Black Knights protective suit, Little X reported. Thats great. It looks like the event has passed for so long, even the T-viruses are completely dead. Please make the necessary preparation for me to enter the tunnel. Chen Chen instructed. Are you actually going in there? Little X was shocked and said, Its a dangerous move. Its okay, I have confidence in myself. Can you also make a simplified copy of your own? Ill need it to breach into the Hive. Understood! Following Chen Chens order, Little X copied a simplified version of itself into the hard disk. Meanwhile, the Black Knights had also prepared the welding gun, some gunpowders, and other necessary equipment. Then, Chen Chen stood up and took one of the automatic rifles from the Black Knights. He had also placed a graphene box into the pockets of his protective suit. Once all preparations were made, Chen Chen took a deep breath. It would be his first time leaving reality for an alternate dimension. He inspected the USB Drive and found that after 30 days of charging, the USB had enough power to store 1200 kilograms of materials. With this amount of energy as his backup, Chen Chen did not need to worry about any issues on exiting the tunnel. However, to conserve energy, Chen Chen had decided to bring only two Black Knights with him. If there were no other needs, the Black Knights would not be required to return. It was possible that this world could be Chen Chens interdimensional base. With the spark of thought and the gesture of a hand, two fully-armed Black Knights immediately marched along with Chen Chen into the black hole. Chen Chen felt his entire vision blacked out as he sunk into the dark void, followed by a gradual sense of suffocation. Like falling into an endless abyss, Chen Chen even sensed that the force of gravity had completely vanished. However, the loss of gravity only sustained for a brief moment. Before Chen Chen could even fully react to his situation, his feet had once again landed on a piece of land. Two flashes of lights came shining on him, Chen Chen immediately switched on his head gears light and saw the Black Knights were already guiding on his side. Around him, Chen Chen observed that he was in a cold, dark metal room. It was the Hive. Chapter 204 - Loss When Chen Chen saw this sight, he did not immediately explore this new world, but instead turned around and looked behind him. He only saw that dark passage behind him floating directly in thin air without any support as if space itself had opened up a circular door Chen Chen felt relieved upon seeing this. After all, this passage behind him was the only path back to reality. If there was a problem with the passage behind, Chen Chen would be trapped forever in a foreign land, unable to ever return. Chen Chen got a grip on himself and began observing the space. He noticed that he was now standing before an enormous platform. This was the entrance to the Hive. However, there was no tram on the platform, only a long and narrow railroad track that stretched out endlessly into the distant darkness. Other than that, there were only a few dried, withered corpses on the platform. Chen Chen came to a corpse that was lying face down by the rails. The clothes of this corpse had disintegrated long ago and only a few rags of indistinct colors could be seen. In addition, the most striking thing was a fire ax that had been deeply embedded in the skull of the corpse. Spence Parks. In the movie, he and the heroine Alice were both security personnel for the Hive. Both of them were disguised as a couple to guard the mansion. However, the heroine Alice had objected to the lawlessness of the Umbrella Corporation for a long time. She was going to secretly communicate with the rebels to transport the virus out. Nonetheless, when she was communicating with her inner contacts in the Hive, Parks had overheard everything. Therefore, Parks entered the Hive using a code he overheard from the heroine, stole the T-virus that was stored in the Hive, and deliberately smashed a vial of T-virus before he left so that he would not leave any traces. This then led to the opening scene of the movie. This characters ending was that he betrayed the protagonists group again, then was killed by a Licker. After he turned into a zombie, the heroine rushed to the scene and split his head with an ax. In other words, he was the chief culprit in causing a global crisis to erupt. With this in mind, Chen Chen squatted and picked up a golden ring next to the corpse. This ring was left behind by the heroine, Alice. On the inside of the ring, there were even some English words inscribed C Property of Umbrella Corporation. After putting the ring away, Chen Chen turned and led the two Black Knights toward the gate. The door to the Hive had been opened by a gas welding machine and could no longer be closed. Chen Chen walked in directly and saw an open elevator door. There was only darkness beyond the elevator doors. The elevator inside had already fallen to the bottom of the elevator shaft. Chen Chen led the two Black Knights down the stairs directly to the bottom of the Hive. The structure diagram of the Hive was shown many times in the movie, so Chen Chen did not feel lost. He went straight to the lowest floor and arrived at Dining Hall B. It was called a dining hall, but in fact, this was an area of incubators for Lickers. Even so, all the incubators had been destroyed now. The creatures inside had broken out many years ago. On his way, besides human corpses, Chen Chen had seen the corpses of those Lickers. Time cured everything. If the timeline in which Chen Chen had arrived was just after the crisis, he would not have been able to go so deep. However, it was different now. The three quickly crossed Dining Hall B and finally reached the end of their journey, which was the most important core of the Hive the Red Queen Chamber. It was also the power control room of the entire Hive. If one wished to enter the Red Queen Chamber, one would need to pass through a laser channel. In the first movie, the laser channel was not only the turning point of the movie but also the first climax. This laser channel not only killed half of the commando squad, but even the commando captain, who seemed to be the most skilled, most important character, was also killed. The gate to the laser channel was closed at this time. Chen Chen did not think much about it. He beckoned at once and the two Black Knights immediately tossed their sticky bombs. Boom! After a thunderous explosion, the gate of the laser channel was blown away. The path to the Red Queen Chamber was completely opened. Throughout the entire journey, Chen Chen had not met any resistance from the Hive. Nonetheless, it was better to be safe than sorry. As he stared at the doors at the end of the passage, Chen Chen did not enter directly but beckoned again. At once a Black Knight took out a sticky bomb and walked straight into the passage. As long as the doors at the end of the channel were broken down, the path to the Red Queen Chamber would be unobstructed. However, the unthinkable happened Just as the Black Knight entered the passage, the entire Hive suddenly buzzed with the sound of electric current. Chen Chens expression shifted. The lights around him lit up rapidly while the laser channel came to life as well! Get out of there! Chen Chen hurriedly gave this command. Without any hesitation, the Black Knight turned right around and swiftly ran out! Behind the Black Knight, a cyan laser appeared out of thin air, flashing across the tempered glass wall with scorching heat! Sizzle! Just as the Black Knight threw himself forward and was nearly out of the range of the channel, the laser split this Black Knight in two! Clatter! The Black Knight was instantly severed at the waist, and both parts of the body flew out of the passage! Chen Chens face darkened at once. As he stared at the Black Knight who was still struggling on the ground with his lower body cut clean off, Chen Chen took out a small knife and made a cut on the back of the Black Knights neck, then took out the God chip. As soon as he did that, the Black Knight immediately stopped all signs of struggling and descended into a blank state. When one was severed at the waist by this sort of laser with a temperature of thousands of degrees, the wound would be directly cauterized and sealed, thus reducing blood flow. An ordinary person would even struggle for about half an hour before dying, which was extremely terrifying to think of. In contrast, the Black Knight experienced no thoughts or pain, acting entirely on a chip. As long as the chip was taken out, it could be switched to a new body at any time. After he kept the chip, Chen Chen looked solemnly at the laser channel that was lit up ahead. It was still able to retain power after so many years. Obviously, the Hive had generated power with a nuclear reactor. Previously, the Hive seemed to be running in a low-power mode. In this state, the entire Hive would enter a power-saving state. It would only be activated again when someone arrived. In other words, the Red Queen could have activated the Hive earlier, but it did not do so. Instead, it was ready to wait until the three of them entered the laser channel, then wipe them out by a surprise attack? If Chen Chen had been a little too careless, he would have been the one who was sliced in half. As he let this sink in, his mouth twitched a little. He looked up once again and glanced at the laser channel before him. After that, he took the sticky explosive from the Black Knight and flung it into the channel! Boom! There was another deafening bang. Under the massive impact, the glass on both sides cracked all over. Even so, they did not shatter! Chen Chen was not taken aback. After all, this facility was also installed in the Spire Experimental Base. The glass in the laser channel was a material called ultra-white organic polymerized gold-tempered glass, which was stronger than steel and had a light transmittance of over 93%. It was because of this that it could be used alongside the high-temperature laser emitted by the argon-ion laser generator behind. In the laser channel defense system installed by Chen Chen in the Spires laboratory, the glass was fifty centimeters thick, and neither firearms nor grenades could break it. The glass in the Hive was not to be outdone either. In that case, Red Queen, I have a little gift for you. Chen Chen simply took out a round pendant from the rifle in his hand. The pendant was pitch-black all over and seemed to be made of glass, just like a round marble. After that, Chen Chen flicked his finger lightly. There was a tinkling sound and the pendant rolled directly into the laser channel, rumbling softly as it rolled along, then stopped in the center of the laser channel. Under the white, harsh lights, the pendant seemed as clear as crystal, like a piece of art Chapter 205 - Biological Gene Nucleus Laboratory Boom! There was an even louder sound than before. A pillar of fire surged throughout the entire channel and the heat even reached the doors at the end of the channel. Even so, this new explosion came and went quickly. When Chen Chen turned back and looked toward the channel, he saw that the glass within had all shattered, leaving behind only fragments of a crumbled wall. The doors at the end had also been twisted by the explosion. Chen Chen waved his hand again and the remaining Black Knight walked in and placed the explosive on the deformed gate. With a final blast, the passage to the Red Queen Chamber was finally cleared. Chen Chen walked in after he had observed the blasted channel. The main control room of the Red Queen was a dark blue room, surrounded by four square metal pillars. In the center of the room was a circular metal platform. Chen Chen lightly stepped onto the center of the metal platform. Immediately the metal platform began to extend on both sides, revealing a circular device. This was the mainframe of the Red Queen. Chen Chen did not even have to give an order for the Black Knight to start manipulating the device. The Black Knight was controlled by the AI in the God chip and was able to use various technologies. This sort of work was naturally a piece of cake. However, just when the Black Knight was about to locate the Red Queens motherboard, a 3D holographic projector above Chen Chens head was suddenly turned on. A figure that looked like a ten-year-old girl, flickering all over with red light, appeared in front of Chen Chen. Get out, get out. You cant come in! The little red girl had a warning tone as she repeated ceaselessly, Intruder, you must leave this place! All those who had seen the movie would know that this little girl was the Red Queen in the movie. It seemed that this was its only AI setting. When humans entered the computer room and there was nothing else that could stop them, it would use this last method to confuse its opponents. Too bad Chen Chen was not a pedophile. Moreover, he was used to hearing Little Xs voice which had a strong personality. In comparison, this Red Queen, despite having an additional external appearance, was still too rigid. In one look, he could tell that its level of intelligence was not high. This was just a weak artificial intelligence. Seeing that the Black Knight was not stopping, the Red Queen finally pleaded, Turning me off will cause the Hive to lose its main power and the laboratories will stop working! Nonetheless, the Black Knight, who did not even have a brain, would naturally ignore it. He immediately pried open the Red Queens motherboard and connected the hard disk in his hand to the Red Queens motherboard. Agh! Suddenly, the Red Queen let out a scream and the holographic image rapidly became fuzzy! The simplified version of Little X was like a computer virus as it began to attack the Red Queen. The lights in the room flickered violently and the power system of the entire Hive became very unstable as if it had been disturbed. These two AIs were wrestling for control of the Hive. However, this battle did not last very long. In just ten minutes or so, there was a sudden beep and the red light on the hard drive suddenly turned green. Did you make it? Chen Chen looked at the mainframe of Red Queen before him, only to see that the Black Knight had started to verify the 128-digit secret key. As a series of secret key numbers flashed across the device in the Black Knights hand, the Black Knight turned around and nodded to Chen Chen. At the same time, the holographic projection displayed the image of the Red Queen again but now the little red flickering girl turned around and said to Chen Chen, Sir Commander, X-112 reporting. Ive replaced the Red Queen and have taken control of the entire Hives laboratories. In the Spire Experimental Base, the one controlling the lab was X-111, so this clone was the X-112. Chen Chen nodded. These Little X clones were not forms of intelligence that were as emotive and life-like as the original Little X. Rather, they were similar to the Red Queen that was just a program and code. Although they were all top AIs on the market, they were still a grade below Little X, which was infinitely close to the level of intelligent life. Still, now was not the time to think about this. Chen Chen said to the 3D holographic image before him, X-112, examine everything in the Hive such as the dangers in the Hive and its various data. Please hold on. Following Chen Chens order, the little red girl in front of him paused slightly before speaking again: No signs of moving objects were found in the Hive. The current amount of electricity stored in the Hive for now is at sixty percent. The 100 Licker incubators in Dining Hall B are destroyed and so are the elevator, the laser channel, the tram, the thirteen airtight laboratories, the three office areas After the entire report, Chen Chen asked again, Is there a Level 4 genetic engineering laboratory that still functions and has complete, working equipment? The program confirms that the result is the biological gene nucleus laboratory on the sixth floor. As X-112 spoke, the little girl standing before Chen Chen suddenly turned into a three-dimensional map of the Hive drawn across a blue grid. The laboratory was marked out as a red patch. It was not until then that Chen Chen saw the so-called sixth floor was the sixth floor from the top and the area of the laboratory alone occupied one-third of the entire sixth floor. As the Hive was in the shape of an inverted trapezoid, the area became smaller as one descended. Nonetheless, even if the area was smaller, one-third of the entire sixth floor was still a massive space. If his guess was correct, the T-virus was researched and produced in this laboratory. These laboratories were all airtight laboratories. When the Red Queen killed all employees, it used sarin gas for the office area and flooded the laboratories. As a result, many laboratories were written off because they were flooded. Fortunately, there had been no one in the biological gene nucleus laboratory at that time, so the equipment in the laboratory came out unscathed. Now that his target was found and the Red Queen had been replaced by Little X, Chen Chen would not linger here. Instead, he let the other Black Knight stay here and commanded as he walked away, X-112, return the Hive to the previous power-saving mode and only power up the biological genetic laboratory. Meanwhile, probe outward to see if you can connect to the Internet of the outside world. Reporting to Sir Commander no Internet from the outside world was found, X-112 replied. As I thought. Is it because the outside world has fallen to its doomsday? Chen Chen nodded. If it were not for the end of the world, such a strategic underground experimental base would not have been abandoned for so long. Oh, right. Chen Chen suddenly thought of a question and asked as he walked, Check all the records in the laboratory. What year was it the day the Hives virus was leaked and what year is it now? In the movies universe, the specific date of the outbreak crisis had never been revealed, but there were still the games. The Raccoon City crisis occurred in September 1998. Chen Chen just did not know whether the date in the movie was the same as the date in the game. The date the Hives virus was leaked is 5 September 1998 and the actual date now is 27 March 2005. At this time, Chen Chen had re-entered Dining Hall B and was walking up the stairs while the voice of X-112 came directly from Chen Chens mobile phone. This was practically the same as the timeline of the game. After hearing this, Chen Chen was startled, then revealed a thoughtful expression. It appeared that the movie and the games still had a certain connection. As he pondered this, Chen Chen did not say anything else but quickly climbed the stairs. It took more than ten minutes for Chen Chen to walk through countless abandoned laboratories and come to the door of the biological gene nucleus laboratory on the sixth floor. On the door of the laboratory, there was also a yellow warning sign of biological contamination. This laboratory was more strictly sealed off than the previous laboratories. There were no floor-to-ceiling observation windows around it. Instead, the entire room was constructed with metal. After Chen Chens arrival, the door opened quickly under the control of X-112, revealing the changing room behind the door. The regulations were the same as those of Chen Chens level-4 biosafety laboratory. If he wanted to enter a laboratory like this, he must wear a sealed isolation suit. Chapter 206 - The Progenitor Virus Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation After a rigorous disinfection process, Chen Chen finally entered the highest-level biological gene nucleus laboratory in this Hive. Although seven years had passed, the laboratory had been in a sealed-off state after all. Plus, it was a class 100 cleanroom, so the entire laboratory had not been contaminated. It was as if time had frozen in this laboratory. Strictly speaking, this laboratory was a vestibule. It was divided into seven or eight laboratories with different functions according to various classifications such as the sterilization room, the quarantine room, the operation room, and so on. Not only that, but what made Chen Chen excited were the high-end apparatuses that Chen Chen had never seen before. Centrifuge, nucleic acid extraction equipment, real-time polymerase chain reaction equipment Chen Chen was encased in a bloated protective suit. He looked at each machine and by relying on his instinctive understanding and intuition about the equipment in the biological laboratory, he quickly identified some instruments. As the laboratory was also monitored, each apparatus that Chen Chen walked past which he could not recognize would be explained by X-112. This is Suddenly, Chen Chens attention was drawn toward a special device in front of him. This device looked like a large printer. It had a white shell and a deep groove in the middle. There seemed to be an extremely small component in the groove, so small that it could not be seen clearly. Is this a micromanipulator? Chen Chen raised his eyebrows. No, this is an adenine base editor. X-112 said, This editor can precisely manipulate a single base pair in DNA. Its a new technology developed in CRISPR genetic scissors technology. Through AI, its able to lock onto and edit the genome more effectively. Chen Chen was shocked when he heard this. Being able to manipulate a single base pair wouldnt this mean that there are almost no off-target effects? It would seem so for now, X-112 replied. So, it looks like its not a fluke that this world could produce the T-virus. Has the biotechnology of the Umbrella Corporation reached such a high level? Chen Chen murmured to himself. In the real world, there were three mainstream genome editing technologies that humans were using: ZFN genome editing technology, TALEN genome editing technology, and CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing technology. Among these three technologies, only CRISPR-Cas9 technology had the lowest off-target rate and was the most reliable. Plus, it was the only technology that could edit RNA, so it was also the most widely used genome editing technology. However, CRISPR-Cas9 technology currently had many problems such as complex gene editing that was difficult to achieve, low transfection efficiency, and so on. However, it would seem that a long time ago, Umbrella Corporation had already forged a new path. Their genome editing technology alone surpassed reality by thirty to forty years. Chen Chen continued his examination and soon found a large number of biological equipment that surpassed technology in the real world. With these equipment, Chen Chen could even easily observe the DNA nucleic acid chain. Other technologies were simpler and more accurate than those in reality. This was a paradise for those who worked in biology Chen Chen sighed to himself. Oh, right. As if he had just thought of something, Chen Chen asked excitedly, Are there any samples of the T-virus in the Hive? No. According to the monitoring and records, all of the T-virus and its antidote had been lost 7 years ago. Now, only a part of the Progenitor viruss sample still exists. Progenitor virus? Chen Chens heart leaped. Most people might not have heard of this virus, but Chen Chen had already investigated all the settings in Resident Evil, so he was already well acquainted with this virus. This Progenitor virus, according to the games story, was the predecessor of the T-virus. The founder of the biological outbreak first discovered a flower called Stairway of the Sun in Africa. From this flower, the first RNA fragment was extracted, which was the Progenitor virus. The Progenitor virus had the ability to alter human genes. Therefore, after a few disappointing experiments, the founder chimerized the genetic fragments of leeches with the genes of the Progenitor virus, thus creating the first T-virus. Wheres the Progenitor virus? Chen Chen asked quickly. The Progenitor virus is frozen in the freezer of the Hive, X-112 replied, do you want to thaw it now? Hold on. Chen Chen waved his hand after some thought. Give me a copy of the information about the Progenitor virus. Ill check that out first. Understood. X-112 assented, following which a computer beside Chen Chen turned on automatically. Then, pages of information were sent over. However, as he pored over the information on the Progenitor virus in detail, Chen Chen suddenly narrowed his eyes. According to the information, the Progenitor virus came from the Ndipaya tribe in Western Africa. The Stairway of the Sun flower contained a viral substance in the form of RNA, which could enhance human capabilities and extend human life. From a biological point of view, the RNA characteristics of the Progenitor virus could promote the evolution of human DNA, but the toxin contained in the virus would kill the human immune system, resulting in systemic inflammation, necrosis of the skin and other outer tissues, loss of a large amount of body fluids and secondary infections of various diseases, after which followed sepsis and severe shock, eventually leading to death. Furthermore, only a very small number of individuals would undergo a mutation in their immune receptors after infection, allowing them to survive. The survival rate did not exceed 10%. This disease was the same as the Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever? When Chen Chen read up to this part, he quickly scanned downward and immediately came across the electron microscope photo of the Progenitor virus, which looked like a worm-like filovirus. The Progenitor virus also came from Western African and was a filovirus. Likewise, even its symptoms upon infection were systemic inflammation, necrosis of skin, and other external tissues, and so on. These symptoms were practically identical to the Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever. Was there such a coincidence? Chen Chen checked the gene sequence of the Progenitor virus again, only to find that, as he thought, the genetic similarity between the Progenitor virus and the Ebola virus was 98%! They could be said to be homological. Chen Chen looked thoughtful. This was not too surprising. After all, in the perspective of ordinary people, Resident Evil was originally written by screenwriters in reality, so it was not too far-fetched to say that they used the Progenitor virus as a way to pay homage to the real-world Ebola virus. However, it was just designed as a homage, yet it just so happened that the virus was said to have the power to change human DNA and accelerate human evolution. This was a little bizarre If the screenwriter just made up a virus, which could make humans evolve, out of thin air, Chen Chen could still swallow that. After all, he suspected that the USB drive had the power to fill out the rules. Even the existence of superpowers from Chronicle was possible. Was not a virus normal in comparison? However, what Chen Chen could not accept was that this virus had a genetic sequence that was 98% identical to the Ebola virus. Did it not mean that the Ebola virus held the same potential for human evolution as long as it was slightly modified? In that case, did the Ebola virus itself always had this potential and the story of Resident Evil simply outsmarted itself? The other possibility was, because a parallel universe like Resident Evil existed, a virus such as Ebola, which was almost identical to the Progenitor virus, would appear? To put it simply, Chen Chens question was: Which came first, the Resident Evil movie or the Resident Evil dimension? Chen Chen kept reading through the documents sent by X-112, but his mind had already drifted out of the window. If he could clarify this issue, Chen Chen could then clear up why, when films were shot, some were recognized by the USB drive while others were not. Chapter 207 - Solution There was something called the Red Queen hypothesis in western biology. This hypothesis posited that in the evolution of the biological world, all creatures had to constantly compete with the other species around them. If a species stopped evolving, it would be eliminated mercilessly. The entire evolutionary process could be described by the saying, If youre moving forward, youre moving backward. Foreigners might not have heard this before, but in the story of Alice in Wonderland, the Red Queen said this to Alice, Now, here, you see, it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place. Therefore, scientists named this Red Queen hypothesis. When it came to evolution, one must mention viruses too. In the 1990s, biological sequencing technology was relatively mature. Scientists began to study the nucleotide sequences in human chromosomes to decipher the secrets of human genetic code. The researchers found that about 8% of the human genome was confirmed to be composed of viruses that once invaded our ancestors while an additional 40% to 50% were suspected to be likewise composed of viruses that invaded our ancestors. In simple terms, a virus was like a robot mainly composed of nucleic acid. When attacking humans, it would embed itself in the nucleotide chain of human cells like a parasite, then secretly tear down the nucleic acid of the cell to create something identical to itself, thus making a large number of copies of itself. Nonetheless, during replication, it was easy to leave part of itself in the human DNA chain. For example, the production of the placenta was the result of a virus infection. This virus could synthesize syncytin and vivipary only occurred in mammals after they were infected by this virus. These viruses were called endogenous retroviruses. Some of them were the most significant enemies of humans in all of history, but they had become an indispensable part of human evolution. Therefore, it was very common for humans to evolve through a virus. Currently, Chen Chen analyzed the BE-006 virus while comparing it to the data of the Progenitor virus that was deciphered in the Hive. Through all kinds of high-end equipment in the Hives laboratory, along with the intelligence of X-112, the various purposes of BE-006s gene were detected bit by bit at a speed that would have been incomprehensible to the real world. The genetic sequence of BE-006 contained 1467 genes and 50 genetic codes. Although the calculation capability of X-112, combined with the equipment in the laboratory, was extremely fast, it would still take several days. Thus, Chen Chen simply left the remaining Black Knight to stand guard before the passage so that he would still have an escape route. Meanwhile, Chen Chen followed the railroad tracks to head up to the ground for a look. The tracks on which the tram traveled were not too long, only about five kilometers, and Chen Chen came to the end in less than an hour. Near the end, there was a tram marred with scratches and a sealed gate. X-112, open the gate. Chen Chen used a radio communication device to send the command to X-112, who now controlled the Hive. At once, the gate slowly rose. Chen Chen remembered that at the end of the first movie, Alice and Matthew escaped by tram and were attacked by a Licker on the way. Even so, in the end, the two of them killed the Licker and closed the gate of the Hive. They had just gotten out of the frying pan, so to speak, but they were captured by personnel from the Umbrella Corporation again, who then opened the doors and allowed the zombies to spread to Raccoon City. After the gate was completely opened, the once-dark passage was finally penetrated by a ray of light that shone in. Chen Chen squinted and raised one hand to block the glaring light. Only then did he discover that the building beyond the gate seemed to have collapsed. After Chen Chen allowed his eyes to slowly adjust to the light, he walked out of the gate. The ruins of a villa that was near collapse instantly appeared in front of him and it was among these ruins that Chen Chen emerged. Here was where the story of Resident Evil began: the mansion villa. There were endless weeds that reached up to ones waist. A large swathe of creeper plants enveloped the entire ruin, turning it into a green wasteland. Chen Chen looked around casually, but other than a few corpses that had decomposed beyond recognition, there was only a never-ending stretch of greenery. Chen Chen walked out of the ruins and immediately saw the dilapidated walls in the distance. That was Raccoon City, a small city hit by a nuclear power that was equivalent to five kilotons. Strictly speaking, the equivalent of five kilotons was not too large. Looking at it now, after the nuclear bomb exploded in mid-air, it had flattened buildings within a radius of five square kilometers. In addition, a circular crater about one kilometer in diameter was left in the center of Raccoon City. Even so, fortunately, the impact was not considered large, so the Hive that was located three hundred meters underground in the city center could withstand the attack without being affected much. Besides that, Chen Chen did not see any zombies nor any signs of humans. After he walked around Raccoon City, Chen Chen did not find anything of value. When the explosion destroyed Raccoon City, it also eliminated almost all the zombies here. As for those zombies who survived by chance, they had no choice but to waste away because they had no water and energy to replenish themselves with. Chen Chen entered a fairly intact house in the suburbs, only to see that countless vines had crept in. Even the room was blanketed with plants. Moreover, several bodies were lying on the ground that were fully decomposed. These bodies had become skeletons and it was not clear whether they had been humans or zombies when they were alive. After making a round, it was almost night. Out of caution, Chen Chen returned to the Hive and asked X-112 to close the door again, thus sealing the place. There would be time to explore this world in the future, but not now. Chen Chen still had many important tasks this time around. In the next two days, Chen Chen did not head out but instead read through all the biological information in the Hive. These data gave Chen Chen plenty of inspiration. Two days later, when Chen Chen was about to finish the food he had brought with him, the genetic analysis of the BE-006 virus was finally completed. After analyzing the role of each base pair in BE-006, the next step was simple all Chen Chen had to do was use the adenine base editor to edit the corresponding genes of the BE-006 virus, thus transforming BE-006 into a noncontagious, non-toxic virus. This was a new virus obtained through gene editing engineering. It was almost identical to the original BE-006 and it was also a vaccine. When this new virus was implanted into the human body, the human body would have enough time to produce antibodies because it was not toxic. As long as the antibodies could be produced, the human body would naturally become immune to BE-006. This method was attained through an understanding of the BE-006 gene. In addition to analyzing all the genes of the virus, the difficulty also lay in being able to accurately edit the genes. The virus that Chen Chen would need to create through editing was only possible when both these requirements were met. It was immensely difficult for real-world biotechnology to achieve this. This was even harder than manufacturing viral protein vaccines, so this could only be easily achieved in Resident Evils dimension. Chen Chen was right to come here. Chapter 208 - Vaccine Two days later. In the substation of the Blacklight Nuclear Power Plant, there was a black, void-like entrance. This entrance was inlaid upon the laptops screen just like a vortex or the screens desktop. At one glance, it seemed like a suffocating illusion. However, if this was just a desktop, it was far too realistic. It seemed to create the illusion that this vortex was far larger than the screen. It was not even a problem for people to go in and out. Just then, the lights in the room suddenly turned dark. It was as if the black hole on screen suddenly yawned wide and emitted black light. When this light withdrew once again, a white machine, about half the height of a person, appeared out of thin air before the laptop. A young man was pushing this machine from behind. Chen Chen had returned to reality. Sir Godfather, youre back? Little Xs voice rang out, containing a huge sigh of relief. Help me wrap and seal this machine first. Its a high-precision machine and cannot come into contact with any dust. Chen Chen spoke at once and took out two sealed test tubes from his pocket. He carefully handed them to a Black Knight standing beside him. Meanwhile, he entered the disinfection room and disinfected himself thoroughly. What happened this time? Where are the other two Black Knights? Little X asked. Ive left them over there and only brought back their God chips. Chen Chen took out two God chips and a hard drive from his pocket. You can take X-112 back. X-112 has absorbed the information of the entire Hive. After you receive all that information, remember to set out a separate special database as a backup because this data can instantly propel our biotechnology from the top ranks of the world to the number one position. We would also exceed the ones in second place by more than thirty years. By that much! Little X exclaimed in admiration. What about the vaccine for BE-006? Ive just handed it to that Black Knight. Its an artificial virus obtained through genetic modification. Chen Chen said, This virus is almost identical to BE-006. The only difference is that it will not kill people. It can be disseminated immediately after clinical trials to stop the spread of this catastrophe Not just that Chen Chen continued. Other than the BE-006 vaccine, Ive also acquired the Progenitor virus from Resident Evil. The only downside is that there are no T-virus samples in the Hive. Otherwise, this would be a real bounty. Right. Compared to the Progenitor virus, the T-virus is the real killer. Little X agreed. Still, the risks of the T-virus far exceed the Progenitor virus. At least the Progenitor virus isnt contagious. Risks and benefits are two sides of the same coin. Chen Chen smiled, seemingly in a good mood. At the same time, he seemed to recall something and asked, By the way, how are things in the Eco Science City during the two days Ive been away? Surely the refugees havent broken in. Not for now. However, Walvis Bay International Airport has been breached. Little X replied, Those refugees got smart. They knew that theres a large number of troops stationed in the Eco Science City, so it wont be easy to invade. However, the materials that we shipped are transported by plane. So yesterday, after a batch of materials were delivered, the group of refugees attacked the airport, causing two of our transport planes to be damaged. What supplies did we lose? Chen Chen looked somber. Its just some masks and disinfectants. We still have some in stock, Little X said. But if the airport is compromised, our supply line will be interrupted. Its fine, we still have room to fight back. Wheres the nearest airport? After Chen Chen thought about it, he did not panic, merely frowned and asked. The nearest airport is the Windhoek Airport, but that airport was closed long ago after the outbreak. In that case, get the authorities to open it back up. Chen Chen said, Tell the Namibian government to guard that airport. Our transport planes shall land there. But the transportation line has been cut as well. Little X said anxiously, Both the railway and the road from Windhoek to Walvis Bay have been paralyzed. Plus, this group of refugees has become more and more vicious recently. Its impossible that theyll simply observe the transport vehicles without intercepting them. Who said well be transporting by ground? Chen Chen snorted coldly. Well use helicopters to ship the supplies into Eco Science City. Surely its impossible that those refugees will have RPGs. Understood. Ill notify the government now, only then did Little X respond. At this point, Chen Chen was fully disinfected. He took off the protective suit he had been wearing for two days and instantly felt incomparably refreshed. After all, this positive pressure protective suit weighed several kilograms. It was also equipped with breathing equipment and a 6.8L cylinder. To prevent accidents, Chen Chen had not taken off the protective suit from start to finish, to avoid any possible infections of the T-virus or other pathogens. Even so, in the next changing room, Chen Chen still put on a new positive pressure protective suit before boarding a private helicopter to Eco Science City. On the helicopter, Chen Chen called Qian Wenhuan. Wenhuan, contact the World Health Organization and ask them to prepare a press conference for us. Weve developed a virus vaccine and are requesting that an emergency policy be launched to directly begin human clinical trials. Chen Chen told Wenhuan everything on the helicopter. What? Its been only a month and our company has manufactured a vaccine so soon? Qian Wenhuan was immediately overjoyed. Got it, Ill apply for that right now! With that, he quickly hung up. Qian Wenhuan had been stationed in the headquarters of the World Health Organization the entire month. He had to face the public and the media on behalf of Blacklight Biotechnology. His beer belly that had been somewhat hefty had completely dwindled in the past month. They would have to apply to the World Health Organization for immediate human clinical trials because they had no choice. If this was an ordinary experiment, of course, Chen Chen would not care about this institution. However, now Chen Chen wanted to disseminate his vaccine throughout Africa. He would not be able to do so without obtaining the permission of the World Health Organization. Moreover, ordinary clinical trials would not cut it because a routine clinical trial for a vaccine would take about 9 months to a year. After all, intervention measures would generally be divided into three groups, namely the low-dose group, the medium-dose group, and the high-dose group. There were strict regulations pertaining to the sample size and number of experiment subjects in each group. The measurement indicators had to be categorized, such as the main indicators, secondary indicators, and so on. Some trials even needed to determine whether there were adverse reactions within 6 months, anti-S protein-specific antibodies, anti-Ad5 neutralizing antibodies, specific T-cells responses, changes in the laboratory safety index, and more Even if there were no problems with the vaccine, it must be observed for more than 9 months before it can be officially disseminated throughout the market. If this was some other virus, it would be fine. However, with the BE-006 virus this time, this was impossible. Forget about 9 months in just 3 months, the whole of Africa would be almost entirely dead. The treatment would not be able to keep up at all. Therefore, Chen Chen instantly applied for the emergency policy to pass clinical trials within a month or even half a month so that they could vaccinate all of Africa. Chapter 209 - Clinical Trials Every country, even the World Health Organization, would have an emergency plan for epidemics. For example, in the current emergency, conventional vaccine clinical trials simply would not be quick enough to counter the spread of the virus, so emergency clinical trials were very important now. If Chen Chen only wanted to save himself, he could just directly notify the Namibian Ministry of Health and they would 100% agree to this emergency clinical trial. However, Chen Chen still wished to expand his influence and the companys international reputation, and even cultivate their image as a savior, through this matter. As a result, it was very important that he reached out to the World Health Organization. Nonetheless, whether the World Health Organization agreed to this emergency clinical trial, Chen Chen would proceed with it. The application for an emergency clinical trial had just been submitted and without waiting for the other partys approval, the Eco Science City was quickly put into operation. At this moment, the sky was blanketed with dark clouds. Chen Chen was leading a team of Black Knights up the citys steel watchtower. They gazed into the distance. Under the dim sky, rows of temporary relief tents on both sides of the road spread from the city all the way to the horizon. Tens of thousands of victims had gathered below the city, forming a unique refugee camp. These people were dressed in rags. They were also skinny and covered in blood. They converged under the city gate, looking up at the tower numbly, waiting for the next distribution of food and medicine. As time passed, more and more refugees gathered here because the time for the daily distribution of supplies was approaching. Chen Chen shook his head as he observed these refugees who looked like a tide of corpses. If Namibia had been a little richer, its social system would not have fallen like a house of cards after being plagued by this virus. The medical and health environment in Namibia itself was extremely poor. There were probably only one or two hospitals in each city. Some villagers would have to walk dozens of kilometers to get there if they wanted to treat their illness. Moreover, the income per capita was too low, so most people were unable to afford the high medical expenses. This further exacerbated the flaws in the system. This was one of the reasons the virus had wreaked havoc in Namibia. It was not just Namibia. Many countries that were even poorer than Namibia had fallen in this battle. Moreover, the cultural environment in Africa was another cause of the viruss devastation. Most African residents practiced the custom of hunting wild animals such as chimpanzees, monkeys, and bats for food. Some pathogens that threatened humans such as AIDS, were transmitted from wild animals to humans through this channel. The local funeral customs in Africa were also a culprit in the spread of BE-006 in some villages, after the death of a villager, the body must be handled by the relatives before burial. For instance, for a dead villager, the relatives of the deceased would put his body in his home. Then, his wife, his mother, and some female relatives would clean him and cut him apart to remove the food and feces that remained in the digestive tract. He must be cleaned before he could be buried. During this entire process, those involved would not wear any protective gear, not even gloves. Moreover, after the outbreak, the refugees chose to flee the village immediately. Even so, they did not understand that, by fleeing the village, they had also carried this deadly virus to further places Thus the virus could spread so easily. The undeveloped medical facilities, the lack of health education, and the local cultural customs had turned Africa into a petri dish for the virus. Now, Chen Chen had sealed off the Eco Science City. To prevent international outcry, he had also set up rescue points outside the city, which had intensified the spread of this virus. Due to these rescue points, hundreds of thousands of refugees could only come here to survive. Medical supplies could not keep up, so they were forced to rely on disaster relief tents to house these people. However, if Chen Chen wanted to control the epidemic, the first thing he had to do was to prepare an isolation room for everyone, while providing each patient with a fully equipped intensive care ward. With careful symptomatic treatment, perhaps the fatality rate of Ebola could be reduced by more than one-third. Still, if he were to do that forget about billions, not even tens of billions of USD would fill this bottomless pit. Furthermore, international aid supplies were not meant for Chen Chen but were divided between all African countries. By the time it reached the hands of the Namibian government, only millions of USD were left, which was only a drop in the bucket. Without isolation rooms, disinfection facilities, and intensive care units, the rescue points outside the Eco Science City had become not a refuge for the refugees, but a hunting ground for the virus to kill. In the beginning, the Eco Science City still had the ability to clean up the dead bodies but as the refugees became increasingly agitated, Chen Chen had issued an order not to leave the city. Among the help provided to Chen Chen by the Namibian government, apart from this 5,000-strong army, the remaining officials had gone abroad. Those who were unable to go abroad also placed their whole family in the Eco Science City. The entire country had descended into anarchy. To prevent being ensnared by media accusations that he was not taking any action, Chen Chen simply asked the Eco Science City to lower some disinfectants and compressed food from the tower every day so that these people could just about survive. An air of despair enveloped the refugee camp outside the city. Due to the lack of order, this place had completely turned into a paradise for viruses and crime. As Chen Chen watched the hellish scenes below the city, his face was blank. He stretched out one hand and beckoned, and an interpreter walked over in a groveling manner. The interpreter was a middle-aged black man. He was holding a stack of speeches. At this point, he nodded and bowed to Chen Chen. Mr. Chen, do you want to start now? Lets begin, Chen Chen replied. Okay! The middle-aged man walked into a sealed-off booth, then took off the helmet of the protective suit and turned on the broadcast. He said into the microphone in front of him: Ahem, brothers and sisters of the Ovambo tribe, the Bantu tribe, the Simba tribe, and other fellow citizens of Namibia, this is the Eco Science City of the Blacklight Biotechnology Company. As the black man spoke, the loud broadcast boomed through the entire refugee camp. Countless refugees turned their heads numbly, then stood up one after another. Their survival instincts led them to congregate beneath the Eco Science City. My fellow citizens, the epidemic has ravaged our homeland and weve left our homes to seek help. Fortunately, the Blacklight Biotechnology Company is willing to extend a helping hand to save us The black man said with great emotion, They are like the light of redemption, illuminating our broken bodies and sinful souls. And now, theyve developed a vaccine that can save us! As long as the vaccine is tested successfully, well break free of the clutches of Death himself and return to our homeland! As Chen Chen listened to the black man in the radio room, who was announcing the news in English first, his mouth twitched a little. He wanted to know who wrote this draft. The voice of the black man went on. Today, Eco Science City will start the BE-006 vaccine clinical trial. Its now recruiting five thousand healthy citizens. Anyone whose body shows no symptoms can participate in the registration! Chapter 210 - Attack The black man made the broadcast in English first, then repeated the message in three different indigenous languages. After his announcement, the refugee camp suddenly erupted into chaos. Tens of thousands of refugees surged forth like a wave and pooled beneath the city, forming a large dense swathe of bobbing heads. Clearly, all of them hoped to be qualified for the vaccine clinical trials. Most of these people were infected with the virus. Although they heard from the broadcast that only healthy people would be admitted, they did not hesitate to swarm forward. This was the wishful thinking of human beings. Their minds only had one thought: What if they were chosen? Moreover, how many of these refugees knew what a vaccine was? Chen Chens mouth twisted into a mocking smile. Their attempts to trick the system were meaningless because vaccines and serums were two different things. A vaccine was a virus extracted through a series of methods such as isolating and purifying a virus strain. This virus was lower in toxicity, allowing healthy people to produce antibodies without issues, thereby preventing future infections. On the other hand, a serum was an antibody substance obtained by immunizing specific animals, drawing their blood, then putting it through centrifugation. This could be used to treat people infected with the virus. In other words, vaccines were ineffective for people who had been infected with the virus. Therefore, the Eco Science City would use test strips to test whether these people were infected with the virus. If they had been infected, naturally, they would be driven away. If they were healthy, they would be moved into the city. Chen Chen had built a new temporary camp in a clearing, where they would house the subjects for the vaccine trials. As the gate to the Eco Science City slowly opened, a collective scream rose from the crowd. Tens of thousands of people poured in and swarmed the space, like a tide that wanted to flood the city in one rush! This scene caused countless people on the wall to sweat in silence. If those on the ground went berserk and rushed into the Eco Science City, the entire city would crumble completely within half a day. However, as they stared at the torrent of people at their feet and felt their limbs go weak, a burst of scattered shots from a machine gun rang out. Innumerable people instantly screamed and howled as the refugees in the front row forced those in the back to retreat! Everyone, remain orderly. Im only warning you once. If anyone tries to force their way in, well open fire immediately. Below the city, a military officer used a loudspeaker to sternly say, Now, those close to the checkpoint, line up in two rows. No jumping the line, no fighting, and no threatening actions. As long as youre healthy, youd be qualified to get an experimental vaccine! Faced with the threat of firearms, this group of refugees finally settled down. With their fear of firearms and attachment to being alive, they automatically lined up in two rows, praying in their hearts that they would be selected and moved into the city. This was because everyone already knew that there was no way to survive outside the city. The only way to survive was to enter the city My God, Blacklight Biotechnology actually opened fire! At this time, a few kilometers away from the Eco Science City, a small helicopter was hovering over the refugee camp, recording everything that was happening before the city gate with a camera. The group of soldiers in front of the city gate who made the shots seems to be the Namibian army! On the helicopter, a cameraman kept taking pictures as he beamed. This is wonderful. Weve got a big scoop. Blacklight Biotechnology shot at innocent civilians. This company is done for. Another beautiful, blonde woman in a work suit glanced at the large, heavy crowd below her feet. She shuddered involuntarily and yelled, Aven, dont stay here for too long. Im afraid that theyll try to stop us! Were BBC reporters. Would they dare to do anything against us? The cameraman was a young man in his twenties. He leaned against the door of the helicopter brazenly, constantly taking pictures of the citys gate in the distance. Following that, he shouted to the helicopter pilot in the cockpit, Alf, move forward a little! The blonde woman felt a little helpless after hearing this. What if they shoot at us? Dont worry, Emma, our helicopter is marked with the BBC logo! The photographer known as Aven chuckled. As the helicopter got closer, everyone on the city wall slowly started to notice it. That helicopter isnt ours, right? Chen Chen could not help frowning as he watched the approaching helicopter. The colonel of the Namibian army, who was responsible for the security of the city gate, took out a pair of binoculars and looked into the distance. His expression changed quickly. Oh cr*p, those are reporters from the BBC. Why are these paparazzi here again! The BBC? Chen Chens expression flickered. Only then did he faintly make out the letters BBC on the helicopter which was a kilometer away. It seems that some of what just happened has been photographed. Chen Chen squinted, then looked at the colonel beside him. Can you contact them by radio? Tell them this is an epidemic zone and ask them to land here for investigation. Ill try, but I cant guarantee that theyll listen to us. The colonel proceeded with the arrangements with a worried expression. Chen Chen thought for a while, then shot Cheng Cao a meaningful glance. Cheng Cao nodded knowingly, then turned and left. After a while, the colonel came over again. Mr. Chen, they refused to land for investigation. Forget about it then. Chen Chen waved his hand and looked up again. The helicopter circled in mid-air in an apparently provocative manner, then flew toward the distance. They were going to leave. However, just before they vanished into the horizon, a violent rumbling sound boomed out from behind, drowning out the cries of the thousands below the city! The colonel quickly turned back, only to spot a massive beast, as large as a bus, flying overhead at an incredible speed. The fierce wind and pressure nearly blew him off the watchtower! The Mi-28N Attack Helicopter! The colonel inhaled sharply. He looked at Chen Chen incredulously through his mask. Mr. Chen, what are you planning? Nothing much. Its just to prevent these reporters from twisting the story and spreading something that wont benefit the companys image, Chen Chen said nonchalantly. Before he finished speaking, the attack helicopter ahead emitted a piercing hiss. Before the colonels disbelieving eyes, a heat-tracking missile directly broke free of the weapon rack and flew into the sky! Boom! A few seconds later, the helicopter burst into flames in the distance. Even so, because they were too far away, they could only see a blossoming orange glow, after which the small BBC helicopter fell like fine dust It was as if this was an inconsequential affair. The attack helicopter turned back and returned to the Eco Science City. They could even wipe out those from the BBC without thinking twice? Upon witnessing this, the Namibian colonel only felt that his back was drenched in a cold sweat. Chapter 211 - Trade All it took was a single shot from the military helicopter. It then turned around and returned to the city, nowhere to be seen after that. If not for the mass of fireball and billowing smoke alight in the distance, it felt like everything that had just happened was no more than a fever dream. Before the crowd had come to their senses, the entrance to the Eco Science City opened again. A group of armed soldiers fitted in fully enclosed protective suits marched out of the city. Closely trailing behind the list of soldiers was an operating crane truck and a regular truck. Without being prompted to do so, the crowd opened up a path, allowing the vehicles to head toward the wreckage of the BBC helicopter. When Chen Chen saw the two trucks departing, he made a gesture of patting the colonel next to him to inform him that there was no need to be nervous. After that, he left the tower and got into a car. Back to the research center. The driver began on his way upon receiving the order. On the way back, after a moments consideration, Chen Chen took out his phone and dialed a number. The call was connected within two rings. A soft, womanly voice answered the call. Hi, this is the Foster Group, may I know who youre looking for? Connect me to Norman Foster, Chen Chen answered. Im sorry sir, our chairman is currently resting. May I know who this is? The lady sounded extremely apologetic. Tell him Im Chen Chen. Alright, one moment please After that, there was silence on the phone. After about two or three minutes, the call was picked up again, a deep voice came from the other end. Chen Chen, you dare to call me. I havent settled the score with you yet for killing my son. Mr. Norman, Im just helping you handle your business. Chen Chen answered unsympathetically, Besides, youll soon be able to live several hundreds of years, long enough to bury your grandchildren. So, why bother clinging on to such trivial matters? Ha! The man on the phone scoffed and left it at that. Chen Chen smiled. If the other party wanted to exact revenge, it would have been done a long time ago. Chen Chen cut straight to the point. Mr. Norman, theres something I need your help with, I need to get in touch with the head of BBC. BBC? What happened? I just shot down a BBC helicopter, I think there were three people inside it. The pilot aside, there was also a videographer and reporter, Chen Chen thought for a moment and explained. Silence loomed briefly on the other end of the phone before a response followed, Im sure the wreckage and the flight recorder are taken care of. Its being taken care of, there wont be any traces left behind. How about witnesses, are they dealt with? Theres no way to deal with the witnesses since hundreds of thousands of them watched me shoot down the BBC helicopter. Yet another wave of silence on the other end of the phone before Norman erupted. Are you messing with me now? No, Mr. Norman. Im being serious now. Chen Chen announced solemnly, It wont be a problem because the witnesses are the refugees of Namibia. Truth be told, if Mr. Norman isnt willing to help then I can just get in touch with Mr. Wilson, Im certain hell be more than willing to help me. No response came from the other end. After a brief moment, the heavy voice started again. I get it, I can cover this up for you. You wont even need to make an appearance. In return, I expect thirty thousand information credits as payment. Five thousand, max. Chen Chen frowned. Its just three people. Surely Mr. Norman doesnt think that they are worth ten thousand information credits each. Those arent any common members, they are BBC reporters. The British Broadcasting Corporation is the largest media organization in the Earth Federation. The voice elaborated further. If word of this gets out, your company instantly loses all credibility and its reputation is instantly soured. Youll also be subject to the scrutiny of the federation. That wont happen, the Foster family isnt the only one on my side. I have several other families backing me up. They wont let any of that happen. Chen Chen smiled faintly. How about this, we can both compromise a little. Ill pay ten thousand information credits, thats the highest Ill go. If youre not going to accept it, Ill go to the Wilsons. Deal. The answer came in the form of a growl before the call was hung up right then and there. It was only then when Chen Chen set the phone down. The Foster family was based in the City of London and held its position as one of the top ten financial consortiums in the European continent. Its influence spanned across several industries including the media sector. Norman Foster, the patriarch of the Foster family, held 1.5% of shares in BBC. Even though he had no management rights, he was still a part of the board of directors, which was what prompted Chen Chen to refer to him first. Even several days later, nobody came to follow up on the incident. It was as if everyone had conveniently forgotten about there being a helicopter crashing in the vicinity of Eco Science City. Even the reporters of BBC stationed around Namibia were called back by the headquarters. The wreckage of the crash was subsequently taken to the industrial zone of Eco Science City and disposed of as scrap metal. Three days later, with armed soldiers monitoring the procedure, five thousand volunteers were selected without a hitch. Not only that, during the written test sequence, hundreds of refugees who had recovered on their own and developed antibodies were discovered. Having contracted BE-006 in an environment without any readily available medical aid, the fatality rate reached as high as ninety percent. Regardless, there was still a minority ten percent demographic who could recover without any medication. Chen Chen also took this demographic into the Eco Science City as well and specifically assigned troops to watch over them. Their blood contained antiviral serum which could be extracted accordingly. Should someone in the Eco Science City become infected with BE-006, these serums could potentially play a vital role. One crucial thing to note was that the vaccine Chen Chen had developed only served to make ordinary people immune to the virus. It could not be used to treat patients who had already been infected by the virus. With that said, the blood of the already recovered patients could be utilized to extract antibodies for combating the virus. The purpose of a vaccine was to prevent further infections while the serum was primed for treating the disease. As for things on the side of the World Health Organization, Qian Wenhuans report of the birth of a vaccine for the virus was immediately met with uproar. The progress took more than a month shorter than the World Health Organizations projected model. Due to the complexity of developing attenuated and inactivated vaccines for the Ebola virus, the direction taken had leaned closer to developing adenovirus vector vaccines and genetic engineering vaccines. Compared to the two former options, the process involved in developing the two latter variants was a great deal more complex. In addition to a hefty amount of funds and workforce required, extremely advanced biotechnology techniques were essential as well. Amid a vicious pandemic, the Messiah rises? Blacklight Biotechnology leads the world yet again C Washington Post. Blacklight Biotechnology is one step ahead in developing the BE-006 vaccine, initial clinical trials will soon be underway C Time Magazine. The greatest calamity in recorded history may be contained. Will the BE-006 vaccine save the world? C New York Times. As Qian Wenhuan began applying for the rights to conducting the appropriate clinical trials, the information quickly made its way around the world. The very next day, it was published in the headlines of a majority of media outlets all across the world. Chapter 212 - New Research Due to the entirety of the Africa continent being on the brink of collapse, the World Health Organization spared no effort and permitted Chen Chens clinical trial without a second thought. The requisite for splitting the trial into four phases was bypassed and the four phases were hence combined into a single-phase clinical trial. The phases referred to here concerned the testing period for the vaccine. In usual settings, it was a requirement for the vaccine to go through four experimental phases before being debuted in the market. The first phase of the trial was to examine the safety of the vaccine and the maximum number of candidates allowed was ten people. After the group was injected with the vaccine, they would be monitored for several months. The second phase of the trial would begin after ensuring that the vaccine did not pose any harm to the human body. In other words, the first phase of the trial only served to determine whether it was harmful to humans. It was only from the second phase onward where the trial was to examine the effectiveness of the vaccine. For the third and fourth phase, the sample size as well as the observation period would be gradually increased. The procedures became stricter from these points onward as well. On average, the clinical trials may take up to several years. In certain cases, some vaccines were not developed even after decades. However, there were certain outliers as well. For instance, it only took a year to develop a vaccine for the pandemic outbreak which occurred three years ago. This was largely influenced by the situation worldwide. The speed at which a vaccine was developed directly correlated with the severity of the virus. After all, the daily infected and death count in Africa ranged up to hundreds of thousands daily. If after going through all that effort of developing a vaccine, a clinical trial spanning over several years was still required, then there was no need to push the vaccine into the market after the trial had concluded. They were better off burning the vaccine as a sacrifice for the deceased brethren in Africa. In critical times such as these, the clinical trial for the vaccine had to be conducted in a timely manner, the sooner the better. The World Health Organization even specifically assigned a note stating that even a vaccine slightly harmful to the human body was permitted. This meant that it was acceptable even if Chen Chen were to develop a vaccine that posed a slight risk to the human body. The only thing that mattered was that the pandemic could be put to an end. As news of Eco Science City developing the BE-006 vaccine began to spread throughout the world, countless people began averting their collective attention to Eco Science City. Under Chen Chens appointment, the clinical trial was headed by Professor Bernhard. Additionally, the entirety of Eco Science City had suspended all other ongoing experiments as all of the resources available in the city were dedicated to the efforts of the clinical trial. All in all, Chen Chen was very confident in the outcome of the vaccine. After all, it was a product based around the sum of the research of the Hive. It should be pointed out that the Umbrella Corporation had been researching the Progenitor virus for three decades, even managing to develop the flowers. Factoring in the extreme genetic similarity between the BE-006 virus and the Progenitor virus, along with the technological level of the Hive, the chances of the vaccine failing was nil. Therefore, after handing off the clinical trial project to Professor Bernhard, Chen Chen returned to the Spire laboratory and began researching the Progenitor virus. The Progenitor virus is said to be able to aid the evolution of mankind. At the present moment in the level-4 biosafety laboratory located in the Spire Experimental Base, Chen Chen was holding a blue test tube with a pensive expression. However, its closer to a form of mutation than evolution. With that, he poured the liquid in the test tube into the human cell culture medium and began a silent observation. Chen Chen was not the only one present in the laboratory. Hannibal and Li Leis team was with him. There were several extremely intricate devices laying around the laboratory. These devices stood out like a sore thumb among the other devices as they were more like a product of science fiction. These devices were equipment that Chen Chen had obtained from Resident Evil. With the addition of these devices, the biotechnology standards of the Spire laboratory was further enhanced. It could even be said that the Spire laboratory had far surpassed the biotechnological standard of modern human civilization, ascending to new heights Mr. Chen. After a while, Li Lei suddenly called out to him. Please come take a look at this. Hearing the request, Chen Chen approached the electron microscope and looked at its display. He saw the cells in the medium begin to multiply rapidly like rolling bubbles in a kettle. The multiplication rate rose from a coefficient of 1 to 3, more than doubling its original rate. Li Lei said with a shadow of excitement, Also, every time a cell breaks up, the length of its telomere hardly decreases. This is an exact match with the description of the information you brought back. This virus has the ability to enhance metabolism and extend lifespan! Dont be too optimistic. Chen Chen shook his head without the slightest inclination of feeling excited. Dont forget, these are the changes noted in an ideal, simulated environment inside the dish. If applied in real situations inside a regular human body instead of a dish, chances are the person might begin bleeding, similar to symptoms displayed upon contracting Ebola. Due to factors concerning the immune system? Li Lei put away his smile upon hearing this. Thats right, the symptoms are described in the information provided. Chen Chen put up the information on the display and noted. A form of superantigen toxin is found in the Progenitor virus. If this virus was properly injected into the human body, the first thing that it does is to invade the human immune system, which includes lymphocytes, dendritic cells, and macrophages. Similar to the result displayed in the culture medium, upon infecting the human, the virus can triple the metabolism speed of the body. This in turn means that the body will exhaust a great amount of nutrition. The human body is simply unable to keep up with the consumption rate. This means that the Progenitor virus is greatly flawed and not a good fit for our experiment. It was then when Li Lei reluctantly nodded. However, compared to the Progenitor virus, its relative products are different. Chen Chen suddenly changed his tone, squinting his eyes as he turned to the leech slices placed in a petri dish to the side. If we can fuse part of the gene fragments of the leech with the Progenitor virus, we get the infamous T-virus. Thats right, the T-virus is more refined than the Progenitor virus. Hannibal approached and flipped through the data while adding to Chen Chens statement. The Progenitor virus is known to boost a humans strength and speed. Its even known to extend human lifespan, at the expense of a minuscule rate of success. Just like the BE-006, the chances of surviving a Progenitor virus infection barely exceeds ten percent. Even for the lucky ones who manage to survive, its not granted that the Progenitor virus may incite changes because the human body merely produced antibodies to negate the harm done by the virus. In conclusion, the Progenitor virus is far from perfect, its extremely flawed. However, the T-virus is different as its an improved variant of the Progenitor virus. Unlike the BE-006 which is a viral virus, its a mild form virus. Its a long-term symbiosis device which integrates its genetic material into the chromosomes of the host cell. In this symbiosis period, the gene of the host cell undergoes changes as a result of the integration of the viral chromosome. Hannibal raised his head as he explained, Simply put, a person who is infected by this virus will experience genetic reformation. With that, Li Lei frowned and asked, Then why was it that the people infected by T-virus didnt evolve but instead turned into zombies? That is a product of failed evolution. Chen Chen answered, The process of cultivating a being thats able to synergize with the T-virus has to start from the zygote. This means that you have to infect a zygote with the T-virus, thus producing an enhanced being from the zygote. The only thing that can come out of directly infecting humans with the virus is a failed-evolution turned zombie. Of course, there are some exceptions. Chen Chen thought about it and added. Maybe one or two lucky ones among millions of people can withstand the virus and obtain superpowers like Alice Chapter 213 - New Variant Chimeric Virus For the next few days, Chen Chen never stepped out of the Spire Experimental Base. Chen Chen had entrusted the management of the Eco Science City to Cheng Cao. Although Cheng Cao was unfamiliar with overseeing a city, everything should be fine since he had the help of Little X. Meanwhile, Chen Chen remained in the laboratory and continued studying the Progenitor virus with Hannibal and the others. The problem was that the Progenitor virus was not perfected. Although it was able to prompt evolution, the success rate for doing so was extremely low while the fatality rate was disproportionately high. Its nature was unstable as well. They intended to improve the Progenitor virus and reprogram it into a virus that was more stable and carried stronger evolutionary abilities. The cast of Resident Evil had paved the foundation for this path they were taking. The Umbrella Corporation had spent decades researching the Progenitor virus before finally finding the most resolute path C by merging the Progenitor virus with partial genetics of leeches, they created a brand new virus. As an ancient annelid species, leeches possessed superior environmental tolerance and adaptability. Since the transcriptase of the two was homologous, the genetics of leeches could be used to enhance the environmental adaptability of the Progenitor virus, which also improved its stability. With the help of the research data from the Hive, there was no need for Chen Chens side to conduct further experimentation. They only had to use the devices from Resident Evil and apply the technique that had already been developed to fuse the two genes. At the present, inside the level-4 biosafety laboratory, dozens of research members enclosed in protective suits made their laps around the laboratory, occupied with their tasks. Now conducting the fourth attempt The projector placed in the center of the laboratory projected the image on the microinjector. Inside the translucent petri dish space, a fixed straw could be seen latching onto a fist-sized bubble. The bubble took on a translucent form and a thin layer of membrane could be seen on its outside. It enclosed several tiny and oddly shaped substances on its inside. As the straw prodded into the bubble and began its slow advance, the shape of a transparent needle could be observed on the screen. As the two began to close in with each other, the head of the needle could be seen gently poking through the membrane layer, entering the bubble. Finally, several drops of blue substance were injected into the bubble. Chen Chen silently observed the ongoing operation on the display. Despite the sheer magnitude of the substances on the display, they were all smaller than the tip of a needle in reality. For instance, the bubble shown on the display was the zygote of a leech which was only a few microns in diameter. The ISCI injection needle which appeared even smaller measured only 0.1 microns in diameter. With this infection implantation and the addition of various chemicals, the newly born leeches now had the characteristics of the Progenitor virus. This was a class of heterophonic chimeric substance. After undergoing several intricate processes which include reproduction, the virus would then be extracted from the leech. After several failed attempts, the Progenitor virus had finally properly fused with the genes of the leech, producing a new virus substance. The experiment had succeeded at last. It has been extracted. The virus which has been genetically restructured is displaying unique characteristics Inside the laboratory, Hannibal extracted a test tube from the low-speed centrifuge. He poured the contents of the centrifuge-separated liquid into another test tube. A liquid substance glowing blue appeared before their very eyes. Dont be too optimistic just yet, lets see the results first. Li Lei reminded. Alright. Hannibal went to an operating bench on the side and drew 0.1ml of the liquid in the test tube, which he proceeded to inject inside an SPF grade mouse in a cage. Squeak! The little mouse squeaked in pain. Sadly, not a soul present felt sorry for it. After injecting the virus, Hannibal put the mouse back in its cage and repeated the same sequence with the mice in other cages, injecting them one by one. Hannibal separated the experiment animals into several groups, each group having been injected with varying dosages. After the process was completed, Hannibal checked the time. The time now is 2230. Based on the research details, the effects should be visible in three hours. An assistant on the side quickly pointed to an experimental recorder to record the process of these mice being injected with the virus. In the beginning, the mice injected with the virus appeared perfectly fine, displaying zero symptoms whatsoever. As time passed, around half an hour later, the mice began to show signs of being agitated. They began to crawl around in their cages, appearing as if they were being threatened by some natural predator. At the one hour mark, all of the mice in each of the cages began squeaking away loudly. The ones that had been injected with larger doses appeared to be experiencing more intense pangs of pain. At the two hour mark, the mice that had received larger doses took a complete turn from their usual docile temperament and began bashing against the cages. The cages trembled ceaselessly but the mice themselves seemed to display no signs of being in pain. At the two and a half hour mark, all of the mice were displaying extreme aggression. They continuously bashed against the cages in their attempt to break out of it. As the bashing went on, their movements began to grow slower and slower until they soon curled up into a ball. It was hard to determine if they were dead or had just merely passed out. At the three hour mark, the mice had awoken and returned to their usual state. They have survived the virus. They havent died or become zombies but have become carriers of the virus. Li Lei sharply drew in a breath of cold air upon noting this. Doesnt this make them the same as the asymptomatic patients, able to spread the virus wherever they go? Thats right, thats whats threatening about the virus. Chen Chen looked at the mice and mused. The body of a mouse already contains many bacteria and viruses in the first place. This ended up contributing to a heightened amount of natural resistance in them that even rivals that of bats. Its not surprising that they become a source of virus infection But this doesnt mean that they can be used as representative for the data. Well still have to observe other animals first. Chen Chen suddenly thought of the hounds infected with the virus in the movie so he added. If Im not mistaken, the virus should have different effects on species such as dogs and cats. Will we begin the animal experiments tomorrow? Hannibal asked. Chen Chen stayed silent for a while before declaring, Alright, well begin the related animal experiments tomorrow. How many species do we have in the SPF breeding room currently? We have Kunming mice, SD rats, New Zealand white rabbits, macaques, and chimpanzees. Five species in total, the assistant in charge of rearing the animals spoke up. We shall conduct tests on the three latter species tomorrow. Chen Chen made a nodding gesture to affirm his decision. With that, he left the Spire laboratory. After going through the complicated disinfection process required for leaving the laboratory, Cheng Chao who had been notified of the recent development was already waiting outside. Boss, returning to the research center today? Chen Chen waved his hand. Im not leaving, but I need you to run some errands for me. I remember the Walvis Bay Police Department has set up an office and a prison in Eco Science City. I need you to go to the department chief and get him to give me five serious offender prisoners. Serious offenders? Yes. Kill, rape, whatever works. Chen Chen nodded. After that, Ill have the Black Knights work together with you to bring the five of them back here. One more thing, I need the candidates to be physically healthy. I got it. Ill see to it now. Cheng Cao nodded then turned around and left. The reasoning for so quickly jumping into human experimentations was that Chen Chen understood that the T-virus was intended for humans. Although animals may be able to carry the virus, the intended host for the virus had always been humans. It was merely an accident that the dogs were zombified after being infected with the virus. In truth, the same principle could be applied to all animals. It was only after Cheng Cao had left when Chen Chen finally returned to his room in the Spire Experimental Base. He immediately felt a wave of drowsiness collapsing on him upon lying down on the bed as sleep took him quickly. Chapter 214 - Clinical Trial The Spire Experimental Base was located at -723 meters below sea level and its temperature was regulated throughout the year. There was no way to distinguish day from night. However, as a means to not disrupt the Circadian clock, the Spire Experimental Base adopted the same routine as practiced on the surface. The next morning at 7 oclock, Chen Chen opened his eyes right on the dot. Little Xs well-timed message played across the speakers. Sir Godfather, all subjects have been delivered into the inner section of the laboratory. Tell them Ill be there after breakfast. Chen Chen stretched lazily before quickly getting up to wash up. After he was done, he left the room. By the time he returned to the laboratory, all of the faculty members were in their position. Boss. Mr. Chen. Chen Chen nodded and at the same time, looked behind him consciously. At the present, a wall at the back of the laboratory was withdrawing into the ceiling, revealing a sealed isolation room behind it. This was a biological safety isolation room, which was equivalent to a plus-sized biological safety cabinet. The entrance was fitted with airtight valves, the structure was used for observation of a selection of large laboratory animals. For example People. There was a hospital bed inside the isolation room. A black man was tied to the bed with belts. The man was currently in a drugged state. His eyes were closed and he was dressed in a pearly white hospital gown. Another thing that could be noted was that he was physically fit and healthy. Laid beside the bed was an arsenal of devices such as ventilators, electrocardiographs, cardiac defibrillators, automatic gastric lavage machines, and so on. If something were to happen to the patient amid the experiment, providing emergency care was a viable option. Boss, we have completed the appropriate physical examination and disinfection of the test subjects to ensure that they dont carry any pathogenic microorganisms. Apart from this experiment subject, there are four others like him waiting in the other room. We can begin the experiment anytime now. One of the people in charge relayed the message to Chen Chen. Excellent. Chen Chen nodded his approval. How about the rabbits, macaques, and the other animal subjects? In the other laboratory. We didnt want to mix the subjects, the person in charge replied. In that case, we can conduct the experiments simultaneously on both sides. Chen Chen turned to Hannibal and Li Lei who were standing behind him. Hannibal, youre in charge of the animal experiment on the other side. Li Lei will take charge of the human experiment over here. Yes. Understood. Both of them accepted their tasks. The research staff in the laboratory were then separated into two groups, each group commenced the operation with their respective leaders. It was rather telling that this was Li Leis first time dealing with humans as experiment subjects as his nerves were showing. He held a tube of the drug in hand and appeared to struggle with himself for some time before finally injecting the black man with it. Theres no need to give yourself unneeded pressure. These people are all vicious criminals. Think of it as waste management. Chen Chen stood outside the isolation room and motioned blankly. If you cant do it, you can let your assistants do it. No, I want to do it myself. Li Lei took a deep breath, shook his head, and announced hardly, It was just my nerves acting up just now, Ill have to face these tasks eventually. This is good for training my mentality. With that, he plunged the syringe into the subjects arm. Using this method of intravenous injection, the chimeric combination of Progenitor virus and leech virus was injected into the body of the subject. Start the clock, get ready to provide urgent medical aid for experiment subject number one at any time. Li Lei prompted the assistant beside him and made him wipe the sweat off his forehead before realizing that he was wearing a fully enclosed protective suit. He left it at that. After exiting the isolation room, Li Lei approached Chen Chen and turned to look at the subject through the window with Chen Chen. Theres no telling if this experiment can succeed If youre talking about the modification of organic biological weapons, its pretty much a guarantee that its going to fail. Chen Chen elaborated, Humans are unable to endure the modification of T-virus and will only end up turning into a zombie. Therefore, if the subject is zombified then we can confirm that this virus is indeed the T-virus. With that, Li Lei nodded. Although he was curious to know where exactly Chen Chen found a virus from the movie, he knew better than to ask questions and therefore chose to not pursue the subject. The clock began ticking. Half an hour later, although the subject was still unconscious, his complexion turned from a faint red tint to a paler tone. Sweat was starting to swell on his forehead as well. He seemed to be experiencing intense pain. His heart rate is increasing. His current heartbeat rate has gone up from 65 beats per minute to 110 beats per minute. One of the assistants inside the isolation room reported hastily. The subject seems to be experiencing discomfort, should we wake him up to collect data? the assistant asked. We can give it a shot. Li Lei nodded his approval. Li Lei entered the isolation room again and instructed, Ready the flumazenil antagonists, we want to wake the subject up. Before he could finish the sentence, another assistant beside him interjected. Leader Li Lei, the subject seems to have woken up already. What? Surprised by the assistant, Li Lei turned to the subject. It was true. The subject had opened his eyes somewhere along the lines. Although he was still slightly drowsy, his eyes were open! Impossible, how can he wake from so quickly from the intravenous anesthesia? Upon witnessing this scene, Chen Chen, who was standing outside the isolation room, showed a change in expression as well. Needless to say, this was an effect of the virus. Chen Chen remembered that one of the most distinct effects of the T-virus was the increased metabolism rate. In other words, a subject infected by T-virus should display signs of a multiplied metabolism rate. This was the leading factor behind the subject waking up in half an hour from intravenous anesthesia which usually should last up to several hours. Subject number one is currently experiencing high fever. With a thermometer pointed at the subjects forehead, an assistant noted again. The current temperature of the experiment subject is 39.7 degrees, which is classified as a high fever stage. Can you hear me? Li Lei approached the subject, pried open his eyes to inspect the pupils. Then Li Lei raised his hand and asked in English, How many fingers do I have raised? Three fingers Seemingly having just woken up from the effects of the anesthesia, the subject answered with a feeble voice. Very good. Li Lei was pleased. You have a case of a very serious infectious disease. Tell me, are you experiencing any discomfort anywhere currently? My head hurts, its so cold. Wait a second, where am I Youre in an emergency center. Were trying to save you now. Li Lei answered, But the way things are looking now, it seems the virus is starting to assault your immune system. After that, instead of further recovery, the subject fainted again. This behavior was potentially influenced by his gradually worsening condition. He has a fever of 41 degrees now. The assistant prompted. His heart rate has also spiked up to 150 beats per minute, entering critical condition. He might experience cardiac arrest at any given moment now! Get ready to provide emergency aid. Two hours later, the mans face had turned into a blank white sheet, devoid of any signs of blood flow. BeepC! Suddenly, there was the sound of a prolonged electronic beep, the subjects heartbeat on the electrocardiogram had turned into a straight line. This indicated that the subjects heart has stopped beating. Gag his mouth, everybody remains on alert of subject number ones potential sudden aggression! Li Lei immediately barked the order upon noting what was going on, Ready to charge the defibrillation electrode. First attempt 200J, on three. Three, two, one, discharge! With the sharp zap of electric current, an assistant placed the defibrillation electrode on the chest of the subject, simultaneously holding down the discharge setting! Thump! The subject jerked violently. No reaction, turn it up to 300J, go! Thump! Another electric current zap. The numbing beep suddenly stopped, which was immediately followed by a rapid ticking sound again. Subject number one has regained his heartbeat! The assistant sighed in relief and instinctively tried to reach for the subjects eyelids to inspect his pupil. However, the moment he reached out with his hand, the subjects eyes opened violently and took a vicious bite at the assistant! It was then when they all noticed that the black man was no longer human. He had completely become zombified! Chapter 215 - Biological Organic Weaponry Since the subjects mouth was gagged, the bite failed to land. The assistant jerked up in shock and immediately retracted his hand, visibly traumatized by what had happened. I already told you to be careful, Li Lei expressed with a frown, we dont have a detoxifying agent yet! Im very sorry, sir. The assistant immediately apologized profusely. The heart of the subject who was recently deceased suddenly began beating again. Apart from that, his complexion had turned snow-white. His pupils were also enlarged and no longer reacted to exposure of light. He clenched his teeth and drooled continuously, all while screeching violently at the people surrounding him. Becoming like a beast infected with rabies. How is this possible It was then when an assistant inspected the brainwave meter and announced in a surprised tone, The brainwaves of the subject have completely dissipated just now, but now they appear to be resurfacing again! According to the reading shown on the display, the brainwaves of the subject which was originally a straight line was starting to go up. However, it did not revert to a regular human state. It was all but a mild brainwave, roughly equivalent to the brain activity displayed in humans when in a state of deep sleep. The heartbeat rate of the subject maintains at 20 beats per minute! Another assistant pointed out. Looks like the virus reactivated the subject, leaving the subject in an extreme energy conservation state. Li Lei was baffled. So, the so-called zombies are humans eternally trapped in a sleepwalk state that expends energy at a minimal rate? After a series of tests, a sheet of the research report was very quickly produced and found its way to Chen Chens hands. On the other side, Hannibal had concluded the experiment on his end as well. The final findings were that macaques and chimpanzees could also be infected by the virus. However, the virus was lethal and did not reanimate them into zombified animals. Other species that could not be zombified included birds and cats. Only canine species could become zombified after being infected by the virus. Hannibal even conducted an additional experiment. He first acquired the carcass of a wolfhound that had been deceased for several hours and injected the virus into it. Unsurprisingly, the wolfhound came back to life. I dont quite understand. Hannibal handed the data acquired from the experiment to Chen Chen. As per the conclusion devised from the experiments, the T-virus is likely to have the ability to restart terminated brain cells. But doesnt this violate the common laws of nature? Thats true, this does defy common knowledge. Li Lei, who was standing beside chimed in as well. Ive seen a living person transform into a zombie, but will a person who has been dead for several hours be reanimated? In other words, does this imply that the T-virus can reactivate terminated brain cells? But how is this possible Actually, this doesnt go against common sense. Chen Chen flipped through the data in his hand and began his explanation, Theres a thesis published in Nature that describes a similar scenario. The two of them were caught by surprise and turned to Chen Chen in amusement. If memory serves me correctly, it was an article from April 2019 titled Restoration of Brain Circulation and Cellular Functions Hours Post-mortem The content of the article is as follows C Professor Nenad, a neurologist at Yale University developed a system called extracorporeal pulse perfusion system or simply known as BrainEx. This is an extracorporeal artificial circulation machine that operates similar to a dialysis machine. Its a combination of a pump, a heater, and a filter. To test the functionalities of the device, Professor Nenad went to the slaughterhouse and took the heads of thirty-two pigs. Although the pigs have been slaughtered for more than four hours, Professor Nenad had no qualms with it and took them all back to the laboratory. Chen Chen went on. After bringing the heads back to the laboratory, he extracted the brains of the pigs from their skull and connected them to the BrainEx system. Using this device, artificial blood was pumped into the pigs brains, supplementing the brain cells with nutrition and oxygen. The entire perfusion process took six hours. What was the outcome? the two of them asked. The result was very surprising as a portion of the pigs brain cells were reanimated. The neurons of the pig brain displayed spontaneous synaptic activity and some brain cells have reactivated their metabolic functions. Even the immune system started operating again. Chen Chen spread his arms apart. Its a common belief in the medical field that asphyxiation exceeding four minutes will kill a large amount of diffused brain cells. If exceeding ten minutes, all of the brain cells will die. However, this experiment proves that the brain can still be salvaged even four hours after its death. Of course, this doesnt have anything to do with so-called reanimation. Chen Chen pondered for a moment before further backing up his point. This phenomenon only proves that the brains tissues stay alive for longer than we initially believed. We may have underestimated the restorative abilities of the brain. In practice, dead brain cells can be reactivated again through a certain set of methods. In that case, did the brain of the pigs emit brain waves? Hannibal asked. No, the experiment commenced after six hours. Chen Chen shook his head. Over the course of the experiment, the brains of the pigs didn t emit high-order neural electrical signals which may indicate consciousness. This suggests that even if their brains were salvaged, the only thing that may come out of it were vegetative pigs devoid of conscience. Maybe the professor can try simulating the brain using an electric current to trigger the brains consciousness synapses, Li Lei suggested eagerly. Maybe he did try that secretly but cannot publicize the information. Chen Chen snickered. Because just the publication of this experimental paper alone was met with a great amount of objection. Some people were concerned that this experiment would spark ethical issues while others were concerned about its implications on the practice of organ donation. After all, most organ donors donate their organs after their brain is pronounced as dead, but if brain death could be reversed, nobody would want to donate their organs and whatnot. Sometimes, I want to beat up these ethic freaks. Li Lei said helplessly, Mr. Chen Chen, I get what you mean now. The T-virus doesnt reanimate the deceased. The reason they can achieve that effect is that the brain cells arent completely dead yet. In this sense, the T-virus operates similarly to the BrainEx system, capable of reviving a part of the brain cells. Yes, but this is where the magic of the T-virus truly shines. Hannibal summarized. For the BrainEx system to work, the brain has to be removed from its skull to perform its perfusion cycle. However, the T-virus can directly salvage brain cells that are on the brink of death. With the correct application, this virus can be used to remedy brain damage and brain death If we can get rid of the toxin in the virus, we may be able to unleash its potential. Chen Chen nodded in agreement. The true potential of the T-virus lies in its application in the military. Reanimating people into zombies is only its side effect. The real functionality of the T-virus lies in its ability to reprogram the genetics of its host With that, Chen Chen rose suddenly and took a marker pen to write down three letters on the whiteboard B.O.W. This is the true application of the T-virus Chen Chen explained, To create highly destructive Biological Organic Weaponry via genetic recombination Chapter 216 - New Project Commences Boss, the summary report of the T-virus zombification process of its host is ready. Two days later, Chen Chen stood in front of the french windows separating him from the isolation room and looked at the five experiment subjects bound to stretchers. Behind him, Hannibal was reading from a sheet of report. When the T-virus enters the cells inside the human circulatory system, it first releases RNA, posturing at the hosts RNA. Once the parasitism process is complete, the polymerase begins to cycle through the RNA strands which are covered with beaded protein until it reaches the end of the correct RNA strand. After that, the polymerase begins reading the coding of the RNA which allows it to synthesize a corresponding RNA agent. When one of the polymerases starts to read the genetic information of the RNA, itll collide with the other cycling polymerases, prompting them to begin moving inside the cells until they also find the proper RNA ends so they can begin to replicate In the end, the T-virus spreads its infection over every single cell in the hosts body, killing a vast number of immune cells in the process. As these immune cells begin to die off, the body of the host starts to corrode. Chen Chen listened silently. From what we can observe now, the T-virus relies on fluid transmission which includes blood, saliva, sweat, tears, sputum, and such. However, when the virus exceeds a certain level of concentration, it can also become airborne through volatilization. Of course, to achieve that level of concentration, the volume of concentration has to exceed the measurement of one billion units of T-virus container. Also, the virus can only survive for barely an hour before its proteins deactivate, causing the virus to die off. In the end, the immune system will crumble due to the fervent assault of the T-virus. The host is proclaimed dead but the zombification process doesnt begin until this point onward Hannibal continued explaining, According to our observations, the hosts body functions will be suspended for three to five minutes. After that, the T-virus reactivates the brain cells of the host, essentially bringing the dead host back to life. At this point, the host is by all definition already deceased. The only thing living on is his or her cells. Based on current observation, the micro brainwave electric current emitted by the T-virus persists for more than several months. Still, you cant call that being resurrected as the host is only turned into a walking corpse driven by basic instincts. Although there might be a bit of lingering memories, they dont exactly qualify as intelligent beings. Also, since the virus requires a great amount of energy to continue to reproduce, the zombies are largely driven by impulse and basic needs. Simply put, its instincts are to Eat! Hannibal put the report down and let out an exasperated sigh. Boss, are you satisfied with the report? Sure, its already very detailed. Chen Chen wrapped his arms around his body and nodded. This means that after being reanimated into a zombie, they should theoretically be able to function for several more months? Yes, theyll expire after approximately three to five months. But these are all simply in theory. Hannibal answered, Without proper nutrition for a prolonged period, the zombie will starve to death in ten days. Also, if the zombie is wounded, the wound will become inflamed which may lead to necrosis. The only difference is that this process may take longer compared to regular humans. Excellent. Chen Chen suddenly turned around. What are the findings on your and Neumanns end? Neumann was one of the three researcher prospects selected by Chen Chen. Back then, Hannibal, Li Lei, and Neumann were all put in charge of researching clone hormone regulation technology. As the research projects gradually increased, the three of them began to split up and were assigned to different tasks. I believe youre referring to the hormone regulation technology. Hannibal answered, Currently, the developed hormone regulation technology can shorten the growth period of clones from one year to just half a year, which is probably the limit. After all, it takes a considerable amount of time for a zygote to fully develop into a functioning adult. I know, half a year should be enough. Chen Chen considered for a moment. Why dont the three of you work on the next project together. Next project? The two of them became curious. Li Lei glanced at the five zombies bound in the isolation room and glowed up. I get it, the biological organic weapon? With Li Leis pointer, Hannibal finally caught on as well. The first project the trio touched on was the clone research project. After the successful commencement of the project, Chen Chen had the trio begin researching hormone regulation technology. The second project could be said to be a derivative subject of human cloning so naturally, the third project assigned to them would also be a sub-project of human cloning. Thats right, Im sure you guys can already tell what the next project entails. Chen Chen nodded with approval. By now we already know that the T-virus is incompatible with humans. Forcibly trying to fuse with the T-virus will only have the person end up a walking corpse, but what if we can fuse the T-virus with a zygote? If the T-virus infects a fertilized ovum, then the virus should naturally become an integral part of the zygote. Only a living being born using this method can become the perfect biological weapon thats completely compatible with the T-virus! At this point, there was an eager look on Chen Chens face. Try imagining this, what sort of power will a Black Knight born using this method possess? The T-virus research shall carry on but the primary focus had now shifted to researching biological organic weapons. The trio of Hannibal, Li Lei, and Neumann had also embarked on their third project Biological Organic Weaponry Research Project. However, according to the settings of Resident Evil, the T-virus was not the definite peak. For example, there was the G-virus, C-virus, Veronica virus, and a series of other viruses that stemmed from the Progenitor virus which were more powerful. For instance, the G-virus was one which mutation abilities far exceeded that of the T-virus. The G-virus shined in that unlike the T-virus which had to cultivate zygotes to produce biological organic weapons. It could instead cultivate already mature organisms directly. This meant that whether in terms of cost efficiency and time efficiency of cultivating biological organic weapons, the G-virus was vastly superior to the T-virus. Small wonder that inside the Resident Evil game, the researchers claimed that The T-virus is a worthless substance only good for creating zombies. Sadly, the G-virus only existed in-game, there was no such thing as the G-virus in the Resident Evil movies. There were no mentions of G-virus in the information Chen Chen had extracted either. This implied that only the T-virus existed inside the cinematic world. There was no such setting at the G-virus. Although it was a great shame, it did make sense as well. Simply because the G-virus was far too overpowered. It could even enlarge a human to the size of a cruise in one minute. This completely violated the laws of conservation of mass and energy. If at all possible, Chen Chen was ready to launch another research project to begin modifying the T-virus and develop a customized version of his own. What was a customized version? Simply put, a customized version was a specially manufactured virus that was only compatible with a specific genetic structure. This meant that this variant of T-virus would be able to perfectly fuse with the genes of the targeted host, allowing it to successfully cultivate the zygote. Just like how the T-virus was able to perfectly fuse with the protagonist Alice in the movies. It was merely a stroke of impressive luck that allowed the virus to fuse perfectly with Alice. The odds of this happening were less than one in a million. Chen Chen planned to utilize genetic engineering techniques to brute force a variant of T-virus which perfectly complemented his genetic structure. If Chen Chens plans came to fruition, he would be able to obtain physical prowess far exceeding that of an average person, bordering on realms of superpower. This which encompassed strength, speed, physique, and even lifespan several folds over that of an average person! Of course, there was a substantial amount of difficulty involved in this process with countless obstacles along the way Chapter 217 - Successful Vaccine While Chen Chen was beginning his research of the T-virus inside the Spire Experimental Base, the outside world still had their attention fixed on the Eco Science City and awaiting the outcome of the clinical trial. With the virus looming over them, every one of them was particularly concerned with the subject at hand. To ensure each nation stayed up to date on the latest development, the World Health Organization specifically set up an official website. The status of the clinical trial was updated daily, with proper photos and video footages made available. The website contained daily statistics and the subsequent blood antibodies statistics of the five thousand volunteers residing in Eco Science City. These data included the primary index of adverse reactions within a week of receiving the vaccine as well as the secondary index of adverse reactions within the 0-28 days range. The data covered BE-006 specific antibodies, EBOV-520 antibodies, T-virus-specific reactions, laboratory safety index changes, and such. At the end of the one month period, the final report of the five thousand volunteers was finally publicized All demographics ranging from low dosage, medium dosage, and high dosage reported BE-006 specific antibodies and EBOV-520 antibodies contents inside their blood. Additionally, there were no adverse reactions detected. In other words, the result of the clinical trials of the virus vaccines perfectly matched the conditions set by the World Health Organization. The vaccine was hereby recognized by a majority of countries and may be distributed and used in these countries. The good news spread like wildfire with countless people celebrating joyously. Almost overnight, countless media outlets buzzed toward Eco Science City like a group of flies catching their favorite odor. Dear viewers, youre now watching a broadcast from Reuters. Im now inside Namibias Eco Science City So far, a hundred and twenty-four countries all across the world have shut down their harbors and airports and seventy-eight countries have taken measures to lock down the country entirely. Still, countless outbreaks are surging in India, Mexico, and the South China Sea region. All countries are sparing no effort to save Currently, apart from Blackwatch, the governments of North America, the Mainland, and Europe as well as Pfizer, Novartis, Johnson & Johnson, GlaxoSmithKline, and many companies all across the world are rapidly developing the vaccine. The kindle of hope for mankind is still burning! Hello everyone and welcome to the Associated Press Report. When we bring up the name Blackwatch, many people may be unfamiliar with this term. However, surely many of you have at least heard of phrases such as age-reversal treatment, Eco Science City, and such. In truth, everything listed above is a product of the company Blackwatch. And now, the company has led the world for the second time, becoming the first organization in the Earth Federation to produce a vaccine for BE-006. Today, were here to Viewers and friends, today is Wednesday, 25 July, and welcome to Forty-minutes News program. Im your host, Ye Zhiqiu. Im currently in Eco Science City, located on the Atlantic coast of Namibia. As of today, 13 African countries including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Gambia, and Swaziland, have fallen into a state of anarchy. The number of people infected in Africa has reached 150 million, of which more than 30 million have died from the epidemic. However, this epidemic is still spreading In an interview with Qian Wenhuan, the person in charge of Blacklight Biotechnology, he claims that the vaccine has been prepared for safety, efficiency, and quality control procedures and it has been conducted according to international regulations and regulations. The groundwork for large-scale production has been completed and theyll soon officially enter the production stage Following the success of the vaccine, Qian Wenhuan was able to return to his post in Eco Science City, taking charge of operating the city once again. The moment he got out of the private plane, his phone was blown up with calls. As the highest representative of Blacklight Biotechnologys African branch, he was immediately contacted by hundreds of nations and companies, all intending to purchase the technology for the vaccine. Logically speaking, this was the perfect time for Blacklight Biotechnology to distribute the relevant technology. However, Qian Wenhuan felt reluctant to do so yet. Also, due to the sheer magnitude of the decision, he decided to call Chen Chen and ask for his input. Do you still need to think about it? We will not be selling the vaccine technology to any company. But doesnt this affect our companys image Qian Wenhuan was slightly concerned. After all, people were dying in Africa every day while countries from all continents were constantly donating resources to Africa. In the grand scheme of things, it was a bad look for Blacklight Biotechnology if they were too focused on turning a profit. Furthermore, the virus was appearing all over the world. It was only with Africa acting as a buffer for the virus that the other countries were able to prepare ahead of that. This was the reason that over the last month, the situation in the other countries did not get out of hand. However, there was no telling what could happen if the virus continued to terrorize them any longer Just because were not selling it doesnt mean we cant distribute it. Chen Chen suddenly altered his tone. The reason were not selling it to any company is that we want the world to understand the sheer value of this technology. This isnt like regular cabbages that anyone can get whenever they want to. If we give the technology to the governments of each country, we show that we prioritize the wellbeing of mankind and will never use the technology for personal gains. So, youre saying that were not going to charge a single cent for it? Qian Wenhuan was startled. Of course. Chen Chen answered, Even though each government is willing to pay for it, if we were to charge any of them for it, our reputation as the first one to develop the vaccine will take a great hit. With just the slightest rumor, we might find ourselves labeled as doomsday profiteers If that happens, not only will our efforts so far be in vain, we may even have to suffer for it. I understand. Qian Wenhuan let out a sigh of relief. I misunderstood your intentions earlier. But now, it seems like you have a good overview of the big picture. Its just basic business decisions. Chen Chen shook his head and expressed, So theres no need to feel like were missing out. Im willing to wager that the reason Pfizer, Johnsons, and the other pharmaceutical giants stepped in is also for building their reputation, global standing, and influence. Nobody is in it for the money. Understood! Qian Wenhuan answered, In that case, Ill just tell them that if they want the technology for the vaccine, theyll have to contact their respective governments. Sure. Chen Chen chuckled and ended the call. He began looking at the data shown in the file. The first section was the statistics of the refugees outside Eco Science City. Over the past month, most of the refugees outside Eco Science City had died. To prevent the rotten corpses from causing a greater plague, the Namibian military had to bite the bullet and deal with the corpses. Altogether, several hundred trucks were used to transport the corpses. With the crowd greatly cut down, Chen Chen no longer had to be concerned with the refugees starting a riot. Although Chen Chens company had founded the vaccine, he had no interest in being involved in its production. He only prepared roughly ten thousand vaccines to be used by the employees of Eco Science City. Chen Chen heaved a faint sigh of relief when he saw the sun rising through the window. Although there would still be a period of outbreak raging in Africa before the vaccine became widespread, the critical period of the pandemic was behind them. The cost of the pandemic was that Africa, which was already underdeveloped and poor, was hit hard again. The other countries also received a great scare from the viral spread and the severe fatality rate of the virus. It could be said that this was the first time since the Cuban missile crisis that mankind nearly faced total civilization collapse What was more surprising to Chen Chen was that despite the unbridled destruction the virus had caused in Africa, the other continents such as North America and the Mainland seemed to have anticipated it ahead of time. They effectively enacted the correct decisions to contain the virus in Africa. Even if some of the viruses made their way out, they were promptly taken care of by the respective countrys government. Could this be attributed to the lessons they had learned from the pandemic three years ago? Chen Chen displayed a look full of proper intrigue. For some reason, Chen Chen could not quite put his finger on it, feeling that something was off. Chapter 218 - Rumors Warfare The Earth Federation seemed well prepared. This was Chen Chens observation as the first to discover the virus and subsequently produced the first vaccine for the virus. On the outside, this pandemic appeared to be merely a coincidence, it was a calamity that was bound to happen eventually. However, apart from Africa, it seemed like most countries in the world did not suffer significant losses. This was especially the case for the five great continents. Most people would attribute this to the fact that a lot of countries had learned their lessons from the pandemic three years ago. The moment they saw a pandemic brewing, they were able to put it out immediately. This seemed like a perfectly reasonable explanation but the way the defense was executed so perfectly left Chen Chen feeling suspicious. Could it be that the Earth Federation saw the pandemic coming ahead of time? An idea suddenly came to Chen Chen, to which he shook his head and quickly brushed it off. Based on his study of the Ebola variant and the Blacklight virus, there were no signs of it being artificially modified. Most viruses that had been pre-modified artificially should leave traces behind it. These indications could be in the form of abnormal changes in genetic material fragments, different characteristics with similar viruses, and so on. Further examples included the virus containing genes that should not otherwise be present, gene fragments that should not have been altered or other phenomena that would contradict the laws of natural evolution. Of course, there was the off chance that the party modifying the virus were several generations ahead in biotechnology advancement, even surpassing the level of Resident Evil. In that case, it would be plausible that Chen Chen would not be able to identify signs of modification. Similarly, there was no surefire way to tell whether the sudden emergence or evolution of a new virus occurred as a result of natural development. Most viruses made their historical appearance without any warning. It happened with Ebola, HIV, Marburg virus, and many others. Influenza virus made its rounds around Europe for several millennia until there was a sudden huge outbreak in 1918. Smallpox may have existed for thousands of years, but it was not until the 16th century that it began to spread and mutate rapidly, becoming a serious threat It was also worth noting that smallpox was an ethnic-specific virus, with nations co-existing with the virus building up a higher natural resistance to it. Therefore, when the Spaniards brought smallpox to the American Indians, they nearly caused a genocide. When the Qing people were assimilated, they were also more likely to succumb to smallpox compared to the Han people. It was likely that the native smallpox strain in China had existed since the Tang Dynasty. Its threat had been gradually decreased over time until it became a virus that only posed danger to children. It was even mistaken as a fetal virus by doctors at the time. This was to say that if there was truly a technologically superior force modifying the virus, it was possible that Chen Chen would not be able to notice it. However, if such technology existed, then the destructiveness of the virus should be far beyond its current state. It should be able to bring down the entire human civilization in one fell swoop, instead of being contained after only a month of destruction, and barely able to make it out of Africa. Now that he thought about it, even when the pandemic outbreak had been occurring for more than a week in Africa, the Earth Federation was still slow to respond. It was only after Chen Chen had submitted the first report of the pandemic when the Earth Federation began taking the appropriate measures. No matter how you looked at it, the Earth Federation was still a little too lax with their response. That was right. It was this feeling of self-contradiction he was dealing with! Chen Chen finally realized why he was feeling so conflicted about it. If the Earth Federation was taking its time with its response, then why was it that only when Chen Chen had prompted them that they immediately formed a defensive ring and even the big corporations began developing the vaccine? This was where the contradiction was glaring. It was as if the Earth Federation had known about the pandemic for a long time The more he thought about it, the more he became sure of this theory. So, what was the Earth Federation hiding? X. Chen Chen raised his head. Hack into the Earth Federation official website undetected and find me a secret message. What sort of secret message? Little X asked dearly. Message containing keywords such as Virus, Biological weapon, and Ethnic weapon. Chen Chen answered, Target the Earth Federation Headquarters. Understood! Little X answered promptly before raising his voice again, Hm, Sir Godfather, I found something strange when I hacked into the Federation official website. Thirteen media outlets in Switzerland published thirteen articles related to our Blacklight Biotechnology at the same time. The contents are very similar, suspecting Blacklight Biotechnology of engineering the virus to dominate the international market quickly, thus achieving our strategic goals. Show me. Chen Chen became intrigued. He saw web pages opening one after the other on the computer display. There were thirteen of them in total, all of them authored by Switzerland media outlets. Based on the articles published, some of them went into the topic of the vaccine and analyzed the vaccine technology for the Blacklight virus. They concluded that even with the worlds leading technology, it should not be possible to produce a genetically modified vaccine within a month. That was unless Blacklight Biotechnology had been developing the vaccine before the virus even began spreading. While other articles mentioned that Blacklight Biotechnology which discovered the virus first should be listed as a suspect and so on Although the articles claimed that they were just speculating, the expert writing and formatting served to guide the reader to lean toward the views they had shared. Chen Chen immediately understood the situation after he read through several articles. Eco Science City was primarily targeting the high-end healthcare sector. Naturally, Switzerland which was the largest high-end healthcare provider in the industry would be the first one to clash with its competition, Eco Science City. Currently, hundreds of medical facilities in Switzerland were seeing a decline of more than one-third in their turnover compared with previous years. The number was still declining at a steady rate. Chen Chen had already anticipated the Swiss to make a move when he saw the reports. It was bound to happen eventually. As a matter of fact, the very thing did happen. Although the governmental bodies of each continent of the Earth Federation were aware that the virus was not artificially engineered, the people were not informed. The people tended to believe in biased articles supporting their views. To be honest, this article expressed something that Ive been concerned with for some time. Why was this Blackwatch company the first one to discover the virus, are you telling me that the governments cant keep up with a mere company? Just the fact that they were the first ones to develop the vaccine, leaving us Swiss trailing behind proves that they are the ones who engineered the virus, this is it! God, I cant believe a monstrous corporation exists in the world. They killed billions just to make a profit, should I say that I expected no less from a corporation from the Mainland? Chen Chen let a smirk escape his lips when he read the comments below the articles. He then closed the web pages. Should I blacklist these websites? Little X asked. No need, they are just starting the conversation and getting it going. Chen Chen shook his head. Its just the warm up phase here. From here on, with the Swiss kicking the dust, the rumor will quickly make its way around the world. Apart from the Mainland, the governments of the other major continents will be more than happy to let it slide and allow these discussions to continue spreading. At best, theyll just candidly issue a clarification statement after several months, which by then, our companys reputation would be ruined. By then, our reputation and international standing will be greatly cut short, with no hopes of coming back up. Chen Chen smirked coldly. This is what they mean when they talk about rumors growing legs of their own. Considering were directly competing with the medical sector of various European countries, its already pretty civil of the Western media to not pile on top of the rumors. Apart from the World Health Organization, how many bodies do you expect to see speaking up for us? Then what should we do? Little X asked concerningly. Two can play at this game. Chen Chen expressed without care, The reason that rumors tend to be so convincing is that they are capturing the result which people want to see. On top of that, the first impression plays a role in solidifying peoples perception of a topic, further boosting the effectiveness of the rumor. If we want to break the rumor, we need to be the one to spread it first. We need our rumor to spread wider and faster than the opponents. Chen Chen let out a sigh and instructed, X, use our funds to buy out dozens of Swiss media outlets and have them circulate the same rumor. Say that the virus originates from a North American military laboratory. Also, contact North American media outlets and have them publish reports suspecting the virus originating from Switzerland. Lets muddle the waters completely. With this, both sides will begin claiming that the virus doesnt contain any signs of being artificially modified to clear their name. This way, the rumors targeted at our company will collapse on their own without us having to do anything about them. Chapter 219 - Visit From A Minister The theories and processes used by Blacklight Biotechnology in developing the genetic recombination vaccine were published first-hand by the weekly scientific journal, Nature. This had allowed many countries to acquire the vaccines manufacturing technology in time. Although the vaccine had only undergone a months duration of clinical trials, it was tested on more than five thousand participants. This sample size was sufficient to demonstrate the safety of the vaccine. However, the African Continent was a tricky situation. The Earth Federation could not depend on it to produce enough vaccines on their own even if they had spoon fed them the technology. The Earth Federation needed to hold a few rounds of conferences to distribute the tasks of producing the vaccines. The reason was that the African Continent was home to twelve thousand million people. The rest of the continents had to share the tasks of producing the vaccines. As a result, the Northern American Continent was tasked to produce two hundred million vaccines, Mainland China was tasked with one hundred and fifty million vaccines, the European Continent with one hundred and fifty million vaccines, one hundred million vaccines for the North Sea Continent and Oceania Continent respectively, and the remaining four hundred million vaccines were shared equally among the rest of other continents. While it was originally planned that the Indian Continent would be responsible for producing one hundred million vaccines, the continent could no longer sustain itself. The continent that had the worlds highest poverty rate had long become a breeding ground for the virus. It suffered a fate that was only marginally better than that of Africa. In short, the next few months would be a period where all other continents would distribute their vaccines to the African Continent. The process could only be considered finished when everyone had acquired their immunities and those without the immunities had died off. Reading the news report, Chen Chen sighed and shook his head. When this pandemic would blow over, it would still be difficult for Africa to recover. Then came a knock on the door of his office. Please come in. Chen Chen lifted his head and saw an old African man with white hair entering his office. The elder person was no stranger to Chen Chen. He was the Minister of Investment and Energy, Zurama. Minister Zurama. How rare it is to see you here. Chen Chen stood up politely and smiled. You shouldve informed me earlier about your visit. I wouldve welcomed you properly downstairs. Youre being too polite, Mr. Chen. The minister, who was beyond his sixties, no longer had the enthusiasm he once possessed. He was visibly exhausted and had barely managed to squeeze out a smile when he saw Chen Chen. For the past two months, many high-ranking officials of Namibia had resigned to flee this country with their families while some had chosen to stay. Zurama belonged to the latter. Mr. Chen Chen, thank you for all youve done for Namibia. Looking at the humble youngster before him, Zurama could not help but express his gratitude. Without you, Im afraid Namibia would be far worse than it is. I didnt do much Chen Chen said after being surprised at the ministers statement. He continued. I believe you mustve also witnessed the hundreds of thousands of victims outside this city. Theres nothing I can do to help them. Youve done enough. To produce a vaccine a month in advance of the Earth Federations estimate is to save millions of lives. Zurama closed his eyes and lamented, As for those people, we can only blame that our country is too weak to take care of them Then, Zurama became silent. Chen Chen did not speak any further either. He merely focused on his monitor screen as the occasional clicking of the mouse broke the silence. After more than ten minutes had passed, Zurama could not sit still any longer. He took a deep breath, stood up as if determinedly, and said, I came on behalf of Namibias Parliament to first thank you for all your contributions to our nation and secondly, to Namibia paused and wanted to observe Chen Chens reaction only to find that Chen Chen was utterly indifferent. Then, he reluctantly continued. And secondly, we hope that we can be given priority access to two million vaccines from Blacklight Biotechnology Zuramas face was flushed in redness. At this stage, there was already no one else in the government that could do his bidding. Sure, consider it done. Surprisingly, Chen Chen had agreed with Zuramas request without the slightest of hesitation. Zurama was momentarily stunned by Chen Chens swift cooperation as his eyes began swelling with gratitude. Thank you. Chen Chen merely waved his hand as a gesture. The reason why Zurama had to emphasize a priority access was that there were sixty countries in the entire African Continent whereas it would take months for twelve thousand million vaccines to be produced. The longer it took, the more lives the virus would take. Hence, earlier access to the vaccine would mean fewer citizens would die. The damage would then be minimized. Since he had already made his first request, Zurama thought he might as well finish saying everything he came to ask for. Furthermore, we We would also like to raise some relief funds from your company. Not a problem. Blacklight Biotechnology will contribute a humanitarian aid fund worth five hundred million US dollars to this country. Chen Chen nodded. Once again, he had not the slightest hint of hesitation. Really?! Zurama was excited. The Parliament had initially thought they needed to incur huge losses and even sacrifice their dignities before Chen Chen would agree, which was why they had sent Zurama to test the waters. However, no one would have thought that Chen Chen would agree so swiftly. He had yet to list any of the conditions the Parliament thought he would Of course. Chen Chen left his office table and sat on the couch as he gestured to Zurama to join him. Although Im not a citizen of Namibia, Ive collaborated with this nation for a while now. Logically and sentimentally speaking, its my duty to help. Chen Chen smiled. Theres an old saying in Mainland China that Im fond of C As I treat others with sincerity, others shall do the same too. Today, Ive provided a helping hand to this country. I wonder if this country could agree to a few of my requests as well? The inevitable had arrived Zurama smiled wryly and said, Do list it out. As long as its not too unreasonable, the Parliament will consider it. Of course. it wont be anything unreasonable. Chen Chen nodded. I hope you still remember about the forty-years leasing period of this fifty thousand hectare worth of land. Now that I think of it, a forty-year period is too short. If its possible, I wish to extend the leasing period by another fifty-nine years. Well Zurama held his breath for a moment before he nodded reluctantly. Understood. Ill bring this up in the next Parliament sitting. And one more thing. Chen Chen continued saying, Throughout the trial operations of the nuclear power plant, Ive noticed a severe problem. The electricity generated is just too little for my projects. I hope that from today onward, I will have full control over the distribution of the electricity supply without any regulations from the government. You! Zurama could feel his entire face freezing up. The only reason Namibia would allow a foreigner to establish a nuclear power plant on their land was to accelerate the development of their country. Now that the government had no say when the plant was built, what use was there for that nuclear power plant in the first place? It was something that no government could compromise on. My apologies, Im afraid the Parliament wouldnt agree to this. Zurama was stern as he said coldly, Im afraid youll have to revise this condition. Lets not rush to a conclusion too soon, Minister Zurama. Chen Chen responded as if he had anticipated that response. He smiled nonchalantly and said, If the Parliament is concerned, we can meet in the middle. Ill allocate another five hundred million US dollars to invest in a one million kilowatt thermal power station in Windhoeks industrial area. This will contribute to the development of Windhoek, what do you think? It was then when Zurama finally quieted down. Chen Chen knew that he had hit a spot and swiftly seized the opportunity. I recall that the thermal power station near Windhoek was built thirty years ago. The machinery is aged and worn out, which causes limited electricity supply in Windhoek. With another power station built, the old power station can be upgraded. By then, perhaps therell be sufficient electricity supply to even power nearby cities. This is a win-win solution What about the electricity bills? Zurama asked abruptly. I can cede full control of the power stations operation to the Parliament. Chen Chen pondered a while longer and continued. As for myself, all I need is to collect a lease fee rate at One million US dollars per month! Zurama was shocked and asked, Are you sure about this? From Zuramas perspective, a million US dollars lease fee was the equivalent of giving the entire power station for free! Yes, no hidden conditions attached. It was then that Zurama began settling down. He took another close look at Chen Chen and sat back on the couch. It was undeniable to Zurama that the influence this young man possessed had been growing at a rate where the Namibia Parliament could no longer control. Zurama could still recall reading the semi-annual statement that was submitted by Blacklight Biotechnology to the tax department. It was written that the net earnings generated by the hundreds of sanatorium under Eco Science City in the first half of 2023 were an astounding 1.8 billion US dollars! What kind of figure was that? In 2022, the annual GDP of Namibia was only 1.5036 billion US dollars, which indicated that just the net earnings of an institution under Blacklight Biotechnology were enough to surpass the total production value of Namibia! In addition, Zurama had also recalled that Eco Science City was one of the various subsidiary units of Blacklight Biotechnology. It was said that Blacklight Biotechnology also owned a branch in Switzerland and a headquarter in Mainland China, with the headquarter specializing in the production of technological products that garnered hundreds of millions worth of profits.. Furthermore, they both agreed to a condition that Blacklight Biotechnology would enjoy a full tax exemption in the first three years and a half tax exemptions in the subsequent five years. This meant that no matter how profitable Blacklight Biotechnology was in the first three years, the Namibian government could not benefit at all.. Zurama had even thought if he could just claim the city and turn it into an industry that belonged to Namibia. For sure, his countrys power would increase by another level, right? Unfortunately, the Parliament did not dare commit such an act. No other countries would dare do such a thing or they risk losing all of their public legitimacy. Looking at the productive youngster before him, Zurama sighed and said, Understood. Ill bring these conditions up for discussion in the Parliament. I just hope that youll do your best in finishing the vaccine as soon as possible, Sir Chen. For the first time, Zurama had addressed Chen Chen as Sir. The vaccines will arrive in Namibia Airport within three days. Chen Chen nodded and continued. Not only that but well also be providing disposable medical equipment. I hope that youll consider my requests heavily as a return favor. Thatll be for sure. Zurama answered solemnly and thus, the initial stage of the negotiation was concluded. Now that the duo had reached a consensus, the tension was way less oppressive and smiles had returned to both their faces. Meanwhile, the sound of water boiling in a teapot was heard from Chen Chens desk. What sound is that? Zurama was amused. Perhaps youre new to the tea culture in Mainland China. Chen Chen stood up and went to retrieve a Chinese tea saucer before proceeding to place a couple of tiny teacups on it as he began brewing the tea. Tea culture? Zurama said curiously, Im familiar with tea leaves that originated from Mainland China, but whats a tea culture? Chen Chen smiled and did not utter a word. He followed the instructions that he had read from the Internet to brew his tea. The fragrant aroma of tea leaves began to spread across the room. At last, Chen Chen poured the light green liquid into a teacup and passed it to Zurama and asked, Would you like to try? Zurama raised his brows as he received the teacup over and swallowed in a single gulp. He was immediately greeted by a refreshing hint of flavor Ive never drunk tea that tasted like this! Zurama exclaimed. Youre over complimenting. Chen Chen said humbly, By the way, Minister Zurama, is the death statistic of this country out yet? Not yet, the Parliament is still lacking the resources to conduct the analysis. Zuramas face turned solemn and said, Mr. Chen, in your opinion, how severe is the death toll in Africa? Very severe. Chen Chen lowered his eyes and said, Although official news had placed the death toll to be within 30 million people, these statistics are merely from the neighboring countries of the pandemics epic center. The countries that were first hit by the pandemic such as Rainbow Nation, Angola, and Namibia have all lost the resources to compute their statistics. Worse still, some smaller nations have even perished. In other words, the real death toll has far exceeded 30 million people. Chen Chen reiterated, Although 30 million seemed shocking, its still a relatively comforting number compared to the realistic figure. The true death toll is probably ten times more than this Sigh Although Zurama had prepared himself mentally, he was still appalled when he heard those words coming right out of Chen Chen. As Zurama stood up, he could feel a numbing sensation pressing onto his scalp. Mr. Chen, thank you for hosting me. I should leave now Okay, I imagine there are still many matters that demand your attention in Namibia. I shall not insist on making you stay. Chen Chen personally accompanied his guest to the entrance and watched as the frailing minister gradually left his sight. He could not help but shook his head. Sometimes, humans could be complex and unpredictable creatures Just like this minister who was in charge of overseeing two departments. If Chen Chen had not socialized and interacted much with Zurama, he may have thought Zurama to be the righteous official he seemed to be Chapter 220 - Fully Automated Medical Platform Time passed by quickly. Three days later, the first batch containing one million vaccines and disposable medical equipment arrived in four transport aircraft at Namibias capital, Windhoek. The supplies were sent by a subsidiary unit of Blacklight Biotechnology, Tara. On the sixth day, the second and last batch of vaccines arrived on time. On the eighth day, the Namibian government began to resume its function. On the ninth day, the countrys military units were mobilized to clean up all corpses that were left in the open as well as to locate remaining survivors. On the fifteenth day, all the refugees in Eco Science City were fully dismissed. The government had also begun the restorative process to rebuild the nation from the ground. Having been confined to the indoors for so long, the staff of Blacklight Biotechnology could finally walk out and feel the comforting bath of warm sunlight and the caresses of the refreshing breeze. As the initial occupants of Walvis Bay had either died from the pandemic or escaped overseas, the coastal city had now resembled a ghost town. Aside from patrolling soldiers, what was left of the city was merely citizens huddling up in corners. As if the entire country was reshuffled, Namibias already scarce population had shrunk even further. At least, the worst was finally over. Looking past the quiet Eco Science City, Chen Chen shook his head slightly. He could not help but feel he was out of luck. When Eco Science City had managed to gain popularity within half a year since opening, they were immediately met by the pandemic. Most businessmen would have been made bankrupt under similar circumstances. Fortunately, Chen Chen possessed a huge safety net that allowed him to endure the challenges. As time would heal all wounds, Eco Science City would also one day return to its former glory. Besides, the Blacklight virus that had shaken all countries had also cemented his companys presence worldwide. Chen Chens company was the first to discover the Blacklight virus and to invent the vaccine. At least one-third of the worlds population now knew about Blacklight Biotechnology. This was especially true when conspiracy theories mushroomed on the Internet, with many claiming that the Blacklight virus was a biological weapon developed by the Northern American army and many others claiming that the virus was released by the Swiss. Some even claimed that the virus was developed by Blacklight Biotechnology in the African Continent. As different narratives took off, netizens all across the globe quarreled furiously on the Internet. Yet, no one was able to produce any shreds of evidence. At last, governments from all over the world had to make an appearance and show conclusively that the virus was indeed just a natural evolution of its predecessors. It was only then that the commotion was put to rest. Not long after, under the announcement of the World Health Organization, countries had soon wrapped up their vaccination research and initiated their large-scale animal testing. The clinical trials would only begin once the animal testing indicated that the vaccines were harmless. It was during this period that many also began to understand the true significance of Blacklight Biotechnologys ability to research a vaccine a month and a half ahead of time. The announcement had showcased the remarkable technology and skills Blacklight Biotechnology possessed. Many who had initially brushed off the company were starting to take it seriously. On the other side, Little X had returned empty-handed for the first time. After more than 10 days of scanning, Little X did not manage to detect any abnormal information about the pandemic in the Earth Federations information hub, disproving Chen Chens hypothesis. Was I thinking too much? Chen Chen contemplated. It could be that he had indeed overthought, but it could also be that some classified pieces of information were simply untraceable on the Internet. After all, the Internet was like a massive ocean. To find a needle in a haystack was simply an understatement when it came to looking for specific pieces of information on the Internet, even for Little X. Furthermore, actual secrets were typically disconnected from the Internet whereas individuals who were privy to that level of secrecy would only belong to an exclusive inner circle. Perhaps it could be some figures within the Earth Federation who was standing above the confinement of human society Cough. Since the search did not yield any result, Chen Chen decided to not bother himself with this issue for now. He was now in the nuclear power station, staring into the USB drive in his hand as he contemplated in front of his monitor screen. Another month had passed and the USB drive had now contained copious amounts of electrical energy, emitting countless little spots of lights that the object resembled a galaxy. If the trend had continued, would that mean that the USB drive would turn into a completely glowing silver object if it was fully charged? Who would have known? Perhaps the USB drive would go through yet another change as it reached that level. However, if Chen Chen had wanted to make the USB drive glow completely, he would need tens of thousands of times more energy to accomplish that. It was not something he could afford to explore. Then, he proceeded to inject the USB drive into the computer and transferred another movie into his USB drive. Elysium. Soon, the movie was successfully uploaded into the USB drive. Very well. Chen Chen breathed a sigh of relief. After visiting the Resident Evil dimension, the USB drive still had enough charge to carry 3000 kilograms of matters over. It was enough to obtain a movie object that Chen Chen had long set sight on. On second thought, it would not even be a difficult task. The movie was set in the year 2154. It was a time when Earth was split into two social classes. The first social class was the rich and elite, who resided in a man-made celestial object called the Elysium. The Elysium took after the design of a Stanford torus, a concept proposed by NASA in 1975. It was situated in low Earth orbit, where it would rotate once per minute so that its residents experience the same force of gravity as they would on Earth. Having a breadth of three kilometers and a diameter of sixty kilometers, the structure could house a few million residents in its capacity. It was a beautiful environment where people could live a carefree life free of any disease and sickness. It was a haven built only for the most elite of society. Meanwhile, as a stark contrast to this social class, there existed the poor. When environmental pollution had rendered Earth nearly uninhabitable, the rich moved to the Elysium, leaving countless poor residents on the planet. The Earth was suffering from massive environmental degradation and overpopulation. The residents were forced to resort to laborious work to make ends meet, living an arduous and tiresome life. Such was the opening scene of the movie. However, Chen Chen felt that the movies stance was too extreme or even ridiculous. After all, a society that possessed the ability to transfer billions of tonnes of materials into Earths orbit had probably achieved the technology to harness nuclear fusion. At that level of scientific advancement, coal combustions would have long been irrelevant as they tap into an infinite source of electrical energy. By then, Earths environment could only improve from there onward, not the other way round. Besides, if humanity had the ability to construct a Stanford torus, they would be capable of migrating across the Solar System, setting up permanent residences on Europa, Dione, and even on planets like Mars. How was that not a more effective solution than constructing the Elysium from scratch in space? Furthermore, rich people and poor people were not the only types of people that lived on this planet. Where did the director think the middle class went? However, there was no need for discussing these social ideologies in depth. After all, quantum mechanics dictated that there existed an infinite amount of parallel universes. There were no limits to how ridiculous civilizations would develop for humanity. The most unforgettable feature of this movie was not the movies social commentary nor the protagonists killing spree. It was the feature of a technologically-advanced machine. This machine was a fully automated medical platform C the Medpod 3000. According to the movies settings, the Medpod 3000 was claimed to be able to cure all diseases that had plagued humanity since the beginning. A young girl stricken by leukemia needed to only lie in the machine for a few minutes before she would fully recover her health. Not only that but the Medpod 3000 also possessed the capability to repair bodily damages. When the movies antagonist had his entire face blown off by a grenade, his comrades only needed to place his body on the Medpod 3000 for a quick scan before his facial bones, skins, and all structures were swiftly repaired back to perfection. In addition, the Medpod 3000 was capable of maintaining various bodily functions, enough to extend the lifespan of its users by two folds. Chen Chen had long wanted to acquire one for himself. However, he was impeded by the lack of power his USB drive contained. Now that this problem was solved, Chen Chen immediately hopped back onto this project. After all, the sudden onslaught of the pandemic had made Chen Chen realize how important a healthy body could be The biggest enemy of the 21st century, cancer, remained an incurable medical disease till now. Even Chen Chen had failed to cure it despite attempting the shortcut method of acquiring a solution in another dimension. However, if he could acquire the Medpod 3000 machine from Elysium, it would serve as a proper insurance for Chen Chen. At that point, Chen Chen was fully determined to follow through. Instead of opening a pathway to another dimension, Chen Chen played the movie and paused the frame right where the Medpod 3000 was shown. Then, he slowly extended his hand and reached directly for the medical equipment Lets hope this works. Chen Chen murmured. Although the computer was merely a 15.6 inches laptop where a single person could not fit into the screen, it worked the same way as the previous black hole. That was, it did not matter how big the screen was, it had no relation to the size of the portal that formed between two dimensions. Under such circumstances, a person was able to pass through the portal even without lowering their backs. Chen Chens right hand had already passed through the screen. He came into contact with what felt like the surface of a metal equipment. With a slight jerk, the equipment could be lifted easily by his hands! That was interesting. Chen Chen was awestruck and immediately pulled the equipment out! Light flashed across Chen Chens sight before a peculiarly built red machine appeared before his very own eyes! Boom! Meanwhile, the movie on his computer immediately shut down on its own. It was a success! Chen Chen took a deep breath and once again marveled at the miracles of the USB drive. Not only did it allow objects to pass through a tiny portal but it also gave a normal person the ability to move an object that weighed a few tonnes. After all, common sense would dictate that even the strongest human that existed would not be able to single-handedly move an object that heavy. Chen Chen took a closer look at the machine that was now placed between him and the computer screen and observed that it had a length of three meters and could be split into three distinct parts. The first part was a rectangular box that stood perpendicular to the floors surface. From what Chen Chen could tell, this box acted like the processing center of a computer and contained all the hardware settings of the medical equipment. The second part was a ring structure that was hollow in the center. Its outer diameter was coated in red whereas the inner diameter was coated in white. It was also the largest part of the medical equipment and looked to be incredibly heavy. The third part was a platform where users could lie on. The three parts were connected by the same foundation to form a singular unit. One could even see the label Armadyne written on it. Armadyne was the name of the company that designed and produced the Medpod 3000. According to the movies settings, Armadyne had taken 102 years to develop the Medpod 3000 model from its first predecessor, the Medpod 1000. The Medpod 1000 was just a piece of medical equipment that could assist doctors in surgery. The Medpod 2000, which was developed forty years later, then reached a level where it could cure cancer. The latest model, the Medpod 3000, had then developed abilities that could virtually cure all diseases and illnesses except bringing someone back from death. This was the reason why after being exposed to radiation, the movies protagonist had to travel to the Elysium with only five days left to spare. Seeing the equipment materializing before his eyes, Chen Chen could hardly contain his excitement. At that time, several Black Knights had already stepped forward to inspect the machine. Upon their initial assessment, the connective port of the equipment was built below the seat. As Chen Chen was coercively retrieving the machine from his screen, the wires had since been disconnected. Fortunately, it was no big issue since they needed to only reconnect one wire. Judging from the cables thickness, they were also able to determine the power and voltage needed to operate this machine. Following that, the Black Knights, who had electricians programs installed into their chips began performing the duty of an electrical engineer. Soon, the Medpod 3000 was fully connected to an electrical source whereas upon the flipping of the switch, the machines ring structure began emitting a gentle white light. It has been activated Chen Chen did not shift his gaze away from the medical equipment and said, A0012, take off your clothes and lie on top of it. Following Chen Chens instruction, the Black Knight immediately removed its clothes and crawled onto the platform. Beside the platform was an operation interface. Chen Chen walked over and observed that there were four options available in the interface C Maintenance, Restoration, Inspection, Activation. Chen Chen gave it some good thoughts and decided to select the Maintenance option. Then, the Medpod 3000s ring structure emitted a low buzzing sound as if it was about to initiate its main processes. However, a red light soon beamed on the operation interface as the words Unable to connect to the Internet flashed across the screen. Chen Chen was speechless. He had the Black Knight step off the platform and personally inspected the machine. However, he was unable to locate any Internet cable port. Besides the main port to power the machine, there were no other ports available. In other words, does that mean we have to connect it via wireless Internet? Chen Chen pondered a bit more before lifting his head swiftly. X, try hacking into the machines system. Understood! Little X was always ready. Upon Chen Chens instruction, it quickly sprung into action. However, it was only a few seconds that passed before Little X answered, Error in formatting. The Internet data frame used by this system was not the 802.11 local area network protocol, but another type of wireless network interface controller. Im unable to access their system. Chapter 221 - : Elysium Little X was unable to access the machines system. It was not because the machine had certain security layers but that the wireless Internet protocol was simply incompatible. It was similar to how a laptop was unable to connect to WIFI if its wireless network interface controller was damaged. The fully automated medical platform was a terminal wireless Internet machine. Its protocol technology was not compatible with the IEEE 802.11 that existed in the real world. As a result, Little X was unable to gain access to its system. Upon verifying that there were no other connective ports, its deduced that the setting receives its input via wireless Internet signals. Little X analyzed and said, However, since we still needed the machine to receive Internet signals, it must be compatible to receive signals in the form of electromagnetic waves. To solve this disconnection issue, there are probably two ways around C The first is to create a converter thats capable of converting the IEEE 802.11 protocol that we have into an electromagnetic signal thats compatible with the fully automated medical platform. By then, Ill be able to access its system. The second is to physically replace the fully automated medical platforms hardware into one that can connect to our wireless Internet signal. Chen Chen raised his eyebrows and said, We can give it a try, but I doubt were able to open up this machine. He turned toward the Medpod 3000 and observed that the machine was seamless and fully integrated. It was difficult to spot any signs of manual assembly. It was evident that the craftsmanship of the dimension was remarkable. Besides, even if we were to forcefully pry the machine open, the complexity of its hardware is probably something that no modern technology can handle. It was not that Chen Chen was lacking confidence, but that the equipment was one that surpassed all modern scientific theories and understandings. After all, it was a machine with the precisive ability to manipulate the human body on a cellular level. The machines abilities to prolong a humans lifespan and restore bodily damage within a few seconds were indicative enough of its complexities. This involved black technologies that could rival the existence of PK armor. We could shine an X-ray onto it and observe what the internal structures are made of. Chen Chen said, Do you still remember that there was a scene in the movie C when the stowaway ship secretly landed on the Elysium, a woman and her daughter broke into one of the rich residents rooms. As she placed her heavily injured daughter onto the Medpod 3000, the Medpod 3000s first course of action was not to attend to her injuries, but to scan the citizen mark on her wrist. Chen Chen raised his wrist and continued. Thats to say that when the Medpod 3000 is treating a person, not only must it access their personal medical files, it also needs to access a central medical database and to rely on the support of a cloud servers computational abilities. Chen Chen realized that this was trickier than he thought. He said, If there are no other ways, I guess Ill have to personally make a trip. But its a dangerous move. Little X hastily tried to dissuade Chen Chen. Whats wrong with sending the Black Knights over? The Black Knights only possess simple intelligence. Perhaps it can surpass the average person when it comes to logical thinking and computational functions, but weve yet to test its ability to handle complex situations thoroughly. Chen Chen said, And thats only one of the reasons. If I enter the portal and encounter any danger, I could still return immediately and the risk would be manageable. The biggest risk is that the other party across the dimension would gain control over our portal, which is why I need to station guards and try to connect the portal to somewhere secluded on the other side. Then, Chen Chen gave it some deeper thought and said, Hence, the best method is to first send two Black Knights over to test the water. If theres danger, then they shall immediately return to safety. If not, they can throw an item over here. Does that mean if theres no item nor Black Knight coming from the other side, then itll imply that the Black Knights are in danger? Little X asked. Thats right. Chen Chen nodded and said, If thats the case, well shut the tunnel down immediately. Otherwise, when were confident that the coast is clear, Ill personally enter the portal and think of ways to solve the fully automated medical platforms connectivity issues. Are two Black Knights enough to keep you safe? Little X was still concerned. Besides, one of them has to guard the portal, which means therell be lesser people to cover for you. Ill put on the PK armor this time. Chen Chen waved it off and said, This equipment had been collecting dust ever since I acquired it. Its time to put it into action. Judging from their combat abilities in the movies, this armor is enough to give me ample protections. Understood. Little X said helplessly, Ive estimated the weight of Medpod 3000 to be approximately 1.5 tonnes, which means that you still have another 1.5 tonnes capacity left to travel through the portal. The combined weights of you and two Black Knights would only exhaust around 500 kilograms capacity. Id still suggest bringing more manpower with you. Chen Chen nodded and said, Youre right, now isnt the time to conserve energy. Lets do this instead C station five more fully equipped Black Knights to guard on this side of the portal. If reinforcement is needed, well toss an item back as a signal. Chen Chen then looked around and proceeded to retrieve a couple of weights. Lets use these weights as our signals. A 50-gram weight would indicate that things are normal on the other side, a 100-gram weight means that we need reinforcement whereas a 200-gram weight means that you need to immediately seal the portal. Hows that? But if we seal the portal Little Xs tone was shaky. After all, according to your hypothesis, the USB drive operates on principles that are based on the concept of parallel universes. If we seal and reopen the portal, will it still be the same portal? Will its position change to a different dimension? Chen Chen froze as what Little X said made sense. He had made multiple rounds of retrieving the NZT-48 drug from Limitless and STEM chips from Upgrade, and Chen Chen had acquired more than a hundred STEM chips. If each movie only corresponded to one parallel universe, where did all these STEM chips come from? As quantum mechanics would dictate, there existed an infinite amount of parallel universes in this world. If that was true, would that imply that the parallel universe the USB drive connected to was different each time? If Chen Chen had crossed to the other side, it meant that once the portal was sealed, Chen Chen would be left stranded on another world, never to return Youre right. We absolutely cannot shut the portal down. Chen Chen finally nodded and said, If thats the case, lets just use the 50-gram and 100-gram weights. If theres other information to be communicated, Ill send a Black Knight over even if it means consuming more energies. After a prolonged discussion between a human and an AI, a consensus was finally reached. One of the Black Knights then returned to the Spire Experimental Base to retrieve Chen Chens PK armor while Chen Chen proceeded to download The Predator (2018) as he prepared to equip the other two Black Knights with PK armors too. After all, it would be unwise for Chen Chen to neglect his safety just to conserve a little bit more energy. What more, one could never have enough of these tactical armors. It was a matter of time that they would come in handy. An hour later, the Black Knight returned with his PK armor whereas Chen Chen had also acquired two sets of PK armors after downloading the movie. As Chen Chen strapped one of the armor gear onto his arms, the sound of the gear interlocking was heard as the armguard shrunk to fit his arms nicely. Voom! An increasingly intense buzzing sound was heard as blue light flashed across the armor, spreading upward toward Chen Chens shoulders. At the same time, Chen Chen frowned as he felt a burning pain radiating on his skin. Fortunately, the pain was still tolerable. As the blue light gradually grew upward, the black armor soon covered Chen Chens body with the last being his face. Then, as the armor was deployed over his face, Chen Chens vision first became pitch black before it was replaced by an infrared vision that was identical to what the Predators were seeing. The other two Black Knights that were assigned to the mission had also put on their PK armors, bearing the same mecha resemblance as Chen Chen. Even if this armor is constructed by nanostructures, theres probably an option to remove the helmet. The moment Chen Chen had that thought, the armor that was previously covering his head began splitting and revealing Chen Chens face. Its true indeed. Now that his vision had resumed to normal, Chen Chen walked to his computer and played the Elysium movie. However, he did not immediately jump into a portal. Instead, Chen Chen dragged the movies progress bar forward. To land in a safe spot, Chen Chen had to station the portal in the Elysium instead of on Earth. Whereas according to the USB drives characteristic, Chen Chen had to pause the movie exactly at a scene where the Elysium was featured to access the location. It was similar to how Chen Chen must pause the frame where a piece of movie equipment was featured if he wished to acquire them. When Chen Chen previously entered Resident Evils dimension, he immediately opened up the portal without pausing anywhere. Due to a lack of choice, the portal seemed to pick a random location to spawn at and it ended up in the train station. After giving it some thought, Chen Chen then paused the movie three minutes and forty seconds in. The scene was filmed in a luxurious mansion where a blonde dressed in a red bikini was shown. Ok. Chen Chen flashed an OK gesture toward his back and clicked on the screen! Then, Chen Chen saw a wave of darkness extended outward as it took after the shape of a dark whirlpool that was rotating in a clockwise direction. A black tunnel had appeared. Looking at the black hole, a realization hit Chen Chen. The tunnel was still a pitch-black in his vision. It implied that despite his chromatography vision, the tunnel was still the same color. While Chen Chen was immersed in his own thoughts, the two Black Knights armed in PK armors had vanished into the tunnel without any hesitation. This time, Chen Chen needed to only wait for a minute. After a minute had passed, a metal object suddenly emerged from the other side, creating a clunking sound as it landed on the floor. It was the 50-gram weight that the Black Knights had brought with them. Chen Chen then activated his face shield while three pairs of laser sights protruded from his back, putting him in an offensive preparation before leaping into the other side. Chen Chen immediately felt his entire vision blanked out as he lost his sense of gravity. It felt like he was falling into an endless abyss. However, just like his previous trip into Resident Evils dimension, the sensation was brief. Before Chen Chen could fully react, he saw the light at the end of the tunnel. He landed in a dusty room that had French windows built all around its perimeter. Meanwhile, two Black Knights were committed to guarding the entrance of the portal. Chen Chen took a glance across his surroundings and observed that the room took after a minimalist design, which matched the interiors of the Elysium residence in the movie. Outside the rooms window, Chen Chen saw a hill that was a few hundred meters tall and had several mansions built on its valley. In his room was also a Medpod 3000 platform that was covered in dust. There could be no doubt. This was definitely the Elysiums universe. Chen Chen compared whatever he had seen to the movies imageries and concluded that they were almost identical, be it the scenery outside the window or the interior of the room. The USB drive had successfully transported him to the Elysiums dimension and had even placed him at the exact location Chen Chen paused the movie in. However, the timeline seemed to not be in sync with the movie Chen Chen kneeled and gently touched the floors surface. The floor was covered and coated in dust that was half an inch thick. It indicated that no one had been here for at least a few years now. Em Chen Chen paused for a moment before he attempted to switch on the Medpod 3000. Unfortunately, no matter which button Chen Chen had pressed, the Medpod 3000 did not respond in any way. Had the power supply been cut off? Chen Chen pondered silently as he walked out of the room. He was greeted by an enormous and luxurious living room. Although the living rooms interiors were simple, it was evident that the design came from a highly technological society. Chen Chen was standing in a bungalow mansion. The only element that ruined the beauty was the thick layer of dust that had been coating every object of the mansion. It seemed like the mansion was abandoned a long time ago. Its impossible that anyone would abandon their houses in the Elysium, unless this isnt the right location Chen Chen murmured. He walked carefully to the front door and gently opened the door. Chen Chen now had a clear sight of the outside world. The sun was still emitting its warm sunlight as usual. Far away, Chen Chen could see structures of gigantic pillars were erected as it extended all the way into the sky. Unlike Earth, the horizon was not the flat line that one typically observed on Earth. Instead, it extended upward. That was to say that Chen Chen was now in an enormous ring structure. Other than that, Chen Chen could also observe a blue planet suspended in the sky. It was none other than planet Earth itself. All these observations could only point toward the fact that Chen Chen was indeed on the Elysium. However, unlike the movie, the Elysium that Chen Chen was in looked dilapidated. Tall weeds grew everywhere while many mansions seemed to have fallen apart, leaving a wasteland in its place. Could that mean that the Elysium had been abandoned? Chen Chen activated his armor and began searching for any signs of lifeforms. However, no matter where Chen Chen looked, the armors interface merely had No Lifeforms Detected written across its screen. Suddenly, Chen Chen was struck by a horrifying thought. If what he thought was true Could it be a coincidence? Or was it fated? Chen Chen took a deep breath and ordered the Black Knights to stay hidden and guard the portal entrance. He then turned to walk toward an enormous tower building. That building was the Armadynes headquarter, which was also the central governance center of the Elysium. Chapter 222 - Intrusion As Chen Chen passed through several mansions, he would occasionally drop by for a quick inspection. Unfortunately, there were still no lifeforms to be found except for a few robot butlers scattered around. Just like the houses on the ship, the robot butlers had been unpowered for a long time while vines grew all over their bodies. It seemed like more than a century had passed. Even the robots bodies were beginning to rust. Looks like something happened here in an abrupt manner. Chen Chen made this conclusion after observing many past traces of a normal life. For instance, most mansions doors were still left open, which implied that its owners were living a normal life before having to abandon this place. On the other hand, the robot butlers were also seen to be mostly suspended in a posture that resembled their former duties. Some were carrying cups of coffee whereas others were attending to an opened pot on the stove. This implied that the residents of the Elysium had probably rushed to leave this ship. So urgent was the emergency that most of them could not bring their robot butlers with them Yet, something was still at odds with Chen Chens conclusion. Even if a catastrophe had taken place on the Elysium, perhaps leakages of radioactive materials, poison gases, and even viruses C why was nobody sent from Earth to clean up this place after such a long time? Could it be that an entire man-made celestial object was abandoned just like that? Chen Chen once again set his sight onto Earth as he visibly became more perplexed. There could only be one reason if no one from Earth had come onboard the Elysium when it was completely unguarded and that was if Earth itself was also in destruction Does that mean that the root of the entire problem originates from Earth? Chen Chen had cracked his head trying to unravel this mystery but failed to arrive at a satisfactory answer. He decided to continue his journey toward the tall tower building. Strictly speaking, the Elysium was not a huge place. After all, it was a ring-like structure that had a diameter of sixty kilometers. At most, it could only fit the population of a city. It took only an hours walk before Chen Chen arrived at the base of the tower building. As usual, vines grew rampantly near the entrance as it gradually spread into the main hall. The entrance door of the building opened as two security robots were seen lying near two sides of the door. As veins wrapped around its bodies, the robots were also showing signs of decay. Did this government-owned tower suffer the same fate? Chen Chen was feeling more tense now. If even the security robots were not evacuated, the situation must have been dire. Kap, kap, kap The six laser sights on Chen Chens armor were activated as he walked cautiously into the building. Although there was probably little threat in the building now that so much time had passed, Chen Chen thought it was better to be safe than sorry. As the power supply had long been cut off, it soon turned dark when Chen Chen walked deeper into the building. Fortunately, Chen Chens vision was unaffected even without a light source as the PK Armor came equipped with an infrared thermal vision. As Chen Chen walked deeper into the building, he began to come across an increasing number of security robots. They were armed with Cousar Crowe rifles that could penetrate metal surfaces that were a few centimeters thick. These were incredibly destructive weapons. Fortunately, these armed robots had long exhausted their powers and were laying dormant on the floor. Chen Chen had yet to come across any human beings. Not even a single corpse. It could not be that these bodies had rotted completely as for as long as they were not buried, there would surely be traces to be found, such as leftover skulls or some dried out corpses. Yet, Chen Chen had seen nothing close to that. The government tower was different from the mansions on the Elysium. It had a structure that bore a closer resemblance to that of a spaceship. Most of the buildings walkways had airtight doors separating them into sections. As Chen Chen ventured further, he observed that most of these airtight doors were initially shut. Due to the airtight doors ability to seal the rooms better, Chen Chen noticed far lesser signs of decays in the inner rooms. He had even seen a coffee mug resting on a table in one of the leisure rooms. Of course, there were no more liquids left in the coffee mug. What was left were only the black sediments that solidified in the mug. Everyone has left at the same time. There were also no signs of panic. The more Chen Chen looked around the room, the stronger Chen Chens intuition became. His intuition told him that the people on the Elysium did not leave due to a disaster at all. Rather, they had all left quietly. It did not matter whether they were drinking coffee, swimming or in the middle of other routine tasks. It was as if suddenly, everyone received a message at the same time and they all stopped their tasks and left without saying a word. How was that possible Chen Chen felt uneasy and continued exploring. At last, he arrived at the entrance of the Elysiums control center on the third floor. This was the same room where the movies protagonist had overridden Elysiums system. The room was completely sealed off. Luckily, this did not bother Chen Chen at all as he aimed a cannon on his right shoulder at the door. A loud blast was heard as a blue orb was momentarily seen! Boom! A large hole that was two meters in diameters instantly appeared on the steel door while molten steel could be seen around the circumference of the hole. Such was the destructive ability of a plasma cannon. Chen Chen waited for the molten steel to cool down before entering. To his surprise, the lights of the control room switched on on their own. The once pitch-black room was suddenly illuminated by the increasing intensity of lights. Warning! An intruder has entered the premise! Initiating checking of defensive mechanisms. A female robotic voice was heard and was accompanied by a deafening sound of alarms throughout the entire building. Warning, checking of defensive mechanism incomplete! Checking of defensive mechanism is incomplete! Is this building tapping into its reserve power supply, similar to the Hive in Resident Evil? Chen Chen came to the operation interface and saw pieces of transparent boards that displayed his face and the words Illegal Intruder beside it. He wondered if the system possessed the same intelligence as the Red Queen. Can you hear me talk? Chen Chen raised his head and asked. Warning, warning! An intruder has been detected. Please initiate defensive mechanism immediately! The voice continued blasting its warnings while completely ignoring Chen Chens question. It only screams when met with problems. It definitely doesnt have higher intelligence than the Red Queen. Chen Chen complained. After all, aside from the machines guarding outside, the movie did not feature any other signs of AI. Even then, this system was a pleasant surprise to Chen Chen. After all, the existence of this intelligence system suggested that there was still a power system available. This meant that the system could easily be hacked by Little X. Furthermore, if Little X could not breach into the system, Chen Chen could use the same method the movies protagonist, Max, used to override the system from the control center. According to the movies plot, after overriding the system, one could easily allow anyone to become a citizen of Elysium. Indeed, the movie was concluded when the protagonist had given everyone on Earth citizenship in the Elysium. Then, Chen Chen turned around and exited the main control center. As he made his way to the exit, the airtight doors would close and lock themselves behind him. Eventually, the entire tower building was completely locked and sealed. Chapter 223 - Where Did Everyone Go? Several hours later, Chen Chen returned to the tower once again, this time carrying a hard drive and a wire in his possession. The hard drive contained a clone of Little X, X-112. On the other hand, the wire was the same wire that the movies protagonist used to connect his brain to the main control center. The wire was remodified so that Chen Chen could connect the hard drive to the control centers system. This time, it was no longer a smooth-sailing journey. When Chen Chen returned to the Elysiums government tower, he saw that the entire building had already been sealed from the outside. Upon determining Chen Chen as a threat, the internal system had placed the entire tower in lockdown mode. However, this did not deter Chen Chen at all. As he aimed his cannon onto the gate, the blue orb once again melted the front door, forming a large hole in the center. Warning, an intruder has been detected, please immediately deploy defensive mechanism! The alarm sounded once again. Chen Chen was already familiar with the route this time. Once he accessed the building through the front door, Chen Chen soon arrived in the main control center and connected the hard drive into the main control centers system. Within a couple of minutes, X-112 then overwrote all the system data with its own. The red light on the hard drive drive immediately turned green. This was a setting Chen Chen had put in place as a form of insurance. If the hard drive emitted green light, it would indicate that X-112 had succeeded. If it was a red light, it meant that X-112 had failed to infiltrate the system. If the hard drive first had the red light, then the light got turned off for a moment before turning to green, it would indicate an unpleasant scenario. Usually, it meant that the other partys system had infiltrated X-112 and taken its place. At that moment, the once robotic voice now turned into the innocent voice of a young girl. Sir Commander, Im X-112, we meet again. Long time no see. Chen Chen smiled. Ever since X-112 had previously infiltrated the Red Queen, this was the second time Chen Chen worked alongside X-112. Ive replaced the entire control system of the Elysium. Im awaiting your orders now. X-112 continued. Are you able to connect to the wireless Internet? Id like to see whats happening on Earth. Chen Chen asked. Regrettably, Sir Commander, the Earths Internet has been disabled. Im unable to do so, X-112 explained. No surprise there. Is Earth in trouble? Chen Chen raised his eyebrows. He already long had suspicions that the situation on Earth was similar to the desolated scenes on the Elysium. Otherwise, it would not explain how no one had come onboard this structure for so long. In that case, help me check the main control systems daily log. Understood. The systems daily log has been extracted Today is 23 March 2180 and the time now is 3:30 PM. The last update on the daily log was made on 20 July 2165 at 11:59 PM. Chen Chen now had a clearer picture of the situation. The timeline of the movie was set in 2154, which meant that 11 years after the event of the movie in 2165. Everyone who was on the Elysium had suddenly left. As no one was commandeering the structure, the daily log was only updated until that day. Then, the entire Elysium went into hibernation mode till Chen Chen arrived in the 2180 when the system was reactivated after Chen Chen blasted the door open. In other words, everything happened on the eventful date of 20 July 2165. Chen Chen then asked, X-112, did the original residents of Elysium leave this place? Where did they go? Negative. The original residents of Elysium have never left. X-112 answered, Their position is at 2111 Basin Then, an image was displayed on the glass screen featuring a large crater on the Elysium. White objects were piling up in the crater. The Elysium had emulated the geographical landscapes of the Earth when it was built. There were mountain valleys, rivers, and even basins that were incorporated into the structure. However, when Chen Chen had a clear sight as to what those white objects were, he felt chills down his spine. Those white objects were skeletal remains of probably tens of thousands of people amassing in the basin This is the aerial view of 2111 Basin. X-112 explained further, Upon verifying the citizenship marks that were in everyones bodies, I can conclude that all of Elysiums residents are in there. Chen Chen narrowed his eyes and took a deep breath. Is this a massacre? Its not. X-112 began playing a video recording. Chen Chen saw that the video was a CCTV recording of the leisure room in this tower. The timestamp on the upper right corner indicated that it was 20 July 2165 at 11:58 PM. In the video, three staff on the night shift, comprising of two men and a woman, were seen drinking their coffees in the leisure room. Although there were no sound recordings, Chen Chen could tell that they were having an enjoyable conversation. There was nothing strange about the recording yet. Then, as soon as the time reached 11:59 PM, one of the staff who was gesturing wildly suddenly froze as he slowly lowered his hands down. He then stood up and almost mechanistically began walking out the door. The other two staff were behaving in similar manners. It was like the trio had suddenly been controlled by a machine. They walked out of the leisure hall and made their way to the main hallway. Follow them, Chen Chen instructed. Then, the recording switched scenes and Chen Chen could observe that many others had joined the trio in their marches. Play it at three times the normal speed, Chen Chen instructed again. Then, as the video played faster, the crowd soon completely walked out of the screen before the video was replaced by the recording of another camera that was situated further in front of the previous camera. At last, Chen Chen saw up to a thousand people exiting the government tower and walked unanimously in the same direction. However, the recording did not end there as there were surveillance cameras placed throughout public areas in the Elysium. It was there where Chen Chen witnessed a magnificent phenomenon. Like herds of ships, tens of thousands of people walked across the surveillance cameras. Among the huge crowd were middle-aged men in their business suits, beautifully dressed young women, housewives in pajamas who seemed to have just woken up, and even naked men who still had bubbles foaming on their heads In short, these people had mechanical facial expressions that were void of any emotions. There was no resistance nor reluctance in their actions. It was as if someone was controlling them remotely as the crowd behaved similarly to a group of walking corpses and puppets. Is their destination 2111 Basin? Chen Chen asked. Yes. X-112 played the continued fast-forwarding the video while it continued tracing the movement of the government staff. When the video resumed its normal speed, the timestamp indicated that it was already noontime the next day. At last, tens of thousands of people could be seen walking into 2111 Basin. Chen Chen noticed that once a person stepped foot onto the basin, it felt like they had accomplished their final mission and allowed the latecomers to push them forward, squeezing them into a deeper spot of the basin What a creepy sight Chapter 224 - Sculptures Half an hour later, an aircraft coated in green camouflage raced across Elysiums sky and appeared over 2111 Basin. This was a military aircraft. It would be an exaggeration to say that it was a spacecraft because it did not have the ability to navigate in outer space. It could only fly briefly at high altitudes and outer space, with a maximum travel distance of 36,000 kilometers. This was the distance between Elysium and the surface of the earth. Nonetheless, this was sufficient for those living on Elysium. Currently, the four jets of the aircraft shifted to point downward. Following that, the aircraft was suspended at a high altitude before it descended little by little. At last, the military camouflaged aircraft stopped at the edge of the basin. The gull-wing doors were slowly raised. Chen Chen strode out of the aircraft, wearing the PK Armor. X-112 had already tested Elysiums environment. Other than the standard bacteria, it was as clean as his own toilet. The air composition posed no problems as well, with just a slightly higher percentage of oxygen. Even so, Chen Chen did not remove his mask since he had learned that there was an unknown threat in this dimension. After exiting the aircraft, Chen Chen looked toward 2111 Basin. Strictly speaking, this basin had the topography of a valley surrounded by mountains on all sides. However, at this time, the valley was full of corpses that stretched as far as the eye could see. These corpses stacked up like a mountain peak, reaching dozens of meters in height. These corpses had wasted away into a heap of bones, which had become nourishment for the thick vines that covered them. Chen Chen narrowed his eyes as he observed the endless swathe of bones. Have you found the reason? Why did they act in that manner? I couldnt find any reason. X-112s voice came from the communications system of the aircraft behind him. It seems that the Elysium government has imposed certain restrictions on artificial intelligence. The main AI here doesnt have the ability to think and reason and I can only speculate based on the clues it already knows. Chen Chen nodded. Then let me sum it up. On 20 July 2165 at 23:59, all the citizens of Elysium who lived here simultaneously lost control over their personality and consciousness for unknown reasons. The indication that these people had lost their personality and consciousness was that they stopped any work they were doing, turned around, left their houses, and walked toward 2111 Basin. Upon arriving, they seemed to have completed their mission. They simply stood here, motionless, until they died Chen Chen looked up and asked, Have I made any errors in my summary? No, Sir Commander, X-112 replied. Very well. Then do you think that all of this resembles a program? Chen Chen paced back and forth. If you think of humans as robots, human instincts such as eating and sleeping can be understood as a kind of program. That abnormal occurrence was due to a hackers attack. Wouldnt that explain it easily? As the hacker broke into the mainframe, a special command was implanted in everyone at the same time. The only request of the command was for everyone to stop everything they were doing and come to the 2111 Basin. Furthermore, this kind of command possessed the highest authority that cannot be disobeyed. It even exceeded the survival instinct of human beings. There was no room for disobedience. Therefore, what happened, happened At this point, Chen Chen frowned. However, the one behind the implanted order did not give them a second order, so everyone could only wait indefinitely. However, because humans and machines are different, in just a few days, this group of people died due to a lack of energy intake. I understand what you mean. X-112 responded, You think that this was a sort of cyber attack? Yes, what happened in Elysium was like being hacked. Apart from that scenario, I dont know what else can explain all this. After speaking, Chen Chen walked to those bones and gently picked up a yellow skull. He noticed the operation marks on the skull and smiled immediately. If my guess is correct, the brains of those in Elysium have been implanted with something like a smart chip, right? Its true that there was something like that. X-112 answered, But only about one-third of the people have been implanted with brain chips. Still, these chips were designed to facilitate interactions between machines and humans, and didnt have the function of manipulating thoughts. Chen Chens hand froze when he heard this. Following that, he picked up another skull and looked at it. Indeed, this skull was smooth and shiny, without any marks. When he saw this, Chen Chens expression stiffened. In that case, my hypothesis is incorrect? After thinking about it, Chen Chen asked again, Are you sure that the citizens across the entire Elysium stopped their movements in just an instant? According to the surveillance videos Ive investigated, it can be determined that it happened to everyone at 23:59, X-112 replied. Then, let me try another explanation. Chen Chen thought for a while and added. Are you sure that all citizens of Elysium suffered from abnormal behavior on 20 July 2165 at 23:59? Or was it a successive occurrence such as some occurring at 59 minutes 01 seconds, some at 59 minutes 02 seconds, and so on? X-112 paused and then continued. Ive adjusted and compared the times in the videos and found no abnormalities. The citizens in all of Elysium had acted strangely at the same time. What about the Earth? Chen Chen asked, When that abnormality occurred in Elysium, were they in contact with Earth at that time? According to the log report, the same incident happened on Earth at that time. Meanwhile, the 3D projection on the armed aircrafts screen displayed images from various cameras on Earth. From the images, one could see that when the phenomenon happened in Elysium, the same thing had befallen the humans on Earth at almost the same time. Does this mean that the humans on Earth are probably all dead? Its not surprising that even after so many years, Earth hasnt sent anyone to investigate this Chen Chens pupils contracted as he ordered, Break down and compare the videos from Earth and the videos from Elysium according to the number of frames! As X-112 occupied the main control computer of Elysium, this level of computing was not a problem. Soon, X-112 replied again, Sir Commander, the answer has already been obtained. According to the frame-by-frame analysis of the surveillance videos with a 480 frame rate, the time when humans on Earth suffered the abnormality was 0.12 seconds after the humans in Elysium, and the time when humans on the other side of Earth acted abnormally was 0.3 seconds after the humans in Elysium. Upon hearing this, Chen Chen suddenly revealed an expression of realization. After all, one should know that the distance between Elysium and Earth was 36,000 kilometers and the speed of light was about 300,000 kilometers per second, which meant that light traveled from Elysium to the Earths surface in about 0.12 seconds. This number was exactly the same as the time difference calculated by X-112. Travelling at the speed of light? Chen Chen looked thoughtful. So, thats it X-112 continued. According to my investigations, I found that the closer one was to 2111 Basin, the sooner this happened. Understood. Chen Chen could not help but look at the ground beneath his feet and said in deep thought, X-112, send me a construction robot to dig up this place. Even if I have to dig through the crust, I have to know whats inside! Sir Commander, according to the safety regulations, if you stay in Elysiums world, the level of risk will rise to more than 10%. Please return to reality first. However, X-112 did not immediately agree to Chen Chens order and instead made a suggestion. Chen Chen was stunned. Has the risk risen to 10%? How did you calculate that? Because I put together your reasoning, Sir Commander. The demise of the humans in Elysium was probably related to 2111 Basin. X-112 replied, The excavation of 2111 Basin is likely to trigger that event again. According to my estimation, once the event is triggered again, your chances of dying are extremely high. Very well. Your reasoning isnt wrong. Chen Chen nodded, tossed away the skull in his hand, and turned to the aircraft. In this case, send me a copy of all data on the Medpod 3000 and provide a decoding method based on the data. Ill leave two Black Knights here. One of them will be deployed to you and the other is responsible for guarding the portal. All you have to do is restore Elysiums power system and control the construction machinery here to dig through 2111 Basin. Understood. Just leave this to me, X-112 answered. Thus, after that, Chen Chen was sent back to the government building and was guided by X-112 to a 3D printing room. Soon, Chen Chen was witnessing the printing room swiftly print out a USB drive. It was a white USB drive. This is all the scientific and technological information that exists in Elysiums dimension, including exoskeleton technology, robots, pulse rifles, close-range aircraft, the Medpod 3000, and so on. X-112 explained. Well done indeed! Chen Chen put away the USB flash drive. Not even he could conceal his delighted surprise. This time, obtaining all information on the technology of an entire civilization in one fell swoop could be said to be Chen Chens greatest harvest so far. Following that, Chen Chen was sent back to the villa where the USB drives passage was located. Without any hesitation, Chen Chen returned to reality immediately. After being disinfected, Chen Chen exited the disinfection room and removed the PK Armor with a contemplative look. Did something happen inside? Little X asked. Yes, I found something very interesting in the world of Elysium. Chen Chen was pensive. If my guess is correct, its better to open as few portals as possible from now on After thinking for a while, Chen Chen handed the USB flash drive to a Black Knight and ordered, X, download the data in this USB flash drive and at the same time, organize a list of the data for me. Is this information from Elysiums dimension? Understood. One more thing. Chen Chen gave it some thought and added again. If the two Black Knights on the other side of the passage return, remember to isolate them. If you find anything wrong, report it to me as soon as possible. Got it! Although Little X did not fully understand, it still replied quickly. After he had settled everything, Chen Chen turned and left the substation, and stayed at the lounge of the nuclear power plant. Two days went by. Just when Chen Chen was about to leave the nuclear power plant temporarily until there was news from across the portal, Little X finally brought some news. Sir Godfather, a Black Knight has returned from the passage with a video file. Ill be right over. Chen Chen immediately returned to the substation upon hearing this. In a room next door, Chen Chen saw the video file that was mentioned. It was a USB drive, similar to the one Chen Chen had brought back. After thinking about it, Chen Chen inserted the USB drive into the computer. The computer screen flashed and a laboratory full of cold glossy walls appeared on the screen. The camera first panned around, seeming to display the various equipment in the laboratory. According to Chen Chens memory, if he had not guessed wrongly, this should be a materials laboratory. The apparatuses here were used for experiments with materials. However, the final image on the screen was fixed on three sculptures of human faces. These three human face sculptures were about thirty centimeters long and twenty centimeters wide. They were almost the same size as ordinary human heads, but their shape was extremely peculiar. In terms of style, these sculptures were like shoddy products made by beginners, without any refinement or beauty to speak of. Not only that, the lines that made up the sculptures patterns were also extremely simple, and could even be described as minimalistic. The eyes of the first sculpture from the left were diamond-shaped and seemed to be closed tightly while its ears were pointed and long, standing up straight like a rabbits. The eyes of the middle sculpture were opened but it seemed to only have a pair of eye sockets that sunk deep into the face as if the person in the sculpture did not have eyeballs. As for the sculpture at the end, both its ears and eyes were normal. However, its mouth was wide opened and it looked like a black hole. Chen Chen felt an inexplicable chill just by looking at it through the video. Sir Commander, Im X-112. What you see now are the three sculptures I dug out of 2111 Basin, which were the only objects found there. I checked all records regarding these three sculptures. The earliest record of them was their discovery in 2025 in the world of Elysium. The childish voice of X-112 was the same as that of Little X. The only difference was that it was more unflustered. At this point, Chen Chen was listening to it saying, In 2025, the three sculptures were first uncovered in Elysiums dimension by the wealthy North American collector, Gross. He held a ball especially for these three sculptures and exhibited them proudly at the ball. The collector claimed that the sculptures were dug out of a gold mine and were at least several million years old, but no one believed him. Subsequently, Gross, who was doubted by everyone, took the three sculptures to an expert for appraisal. However, after tomographic and isotope identification using the relevant instruments, the final result was that these three sculptures had only been carved in the past year. Namely, they were created recently. All at once, Gross became a laughing stock in the collectors circle. Following that, over a hundred years later, with the establishment of Elysium, the descendants of Gross moved here from Earth. It can be confirmed, from the records of transported items at the time, that these three sculptures were indeed brought over by descendants of Gross. X-112 continued. These are the only records of these three sculptures, but in my inspection, Ive also found something truly strange Chapter 225 - List of Technology I used the electron spin resonance method to test the three sculptures again. X-112 said, According to my calculations, theyre just ordinary stone sculptures made of calcium carbonate and silica. But no matter how I used ultrasonic or electromagnetic waves, I couldnt scan the internal structure of the sculptures. Its as if their insides are made of lead blocks. Since I cant discern their internal structure, I simply measured when they were engraved and used the radiation-induced effect as a test method to determine their age. At last, I determined that their engraved age was still within the past one year. Chen Chen was astounded when he heard this. In this case, did it not mean that these three sculptures could rejuvenate themselves? Were the sculptures alive? X-112 continued to report. But the problem is that these three sculptures were discovered underground in 2111 Basin. They have been buried for at least 15 years. However, Elysium only retains 26,280 hours of its surveillance records, which is equivalent to three years. Ive checked all the monitored records but I cant find when the three sculptures were buried here, which means that the sculptures have been buried for at least 18 years. As he watched the video sent by X-112, Chen Chen displayed a thoughtful look. These three stone sculptures reminded him of the maxim of the three wise monkeys. The three wise monkeys comprised three monkeys squatting on the ground, one covering his eyes, one covering his mouth, and the third covering his ears. Legend had it that the three wise monkeys originated from the Analects: See no evil, speak no evil, and hear no evil. The implicit meaning was Dont see what shouldnt be seen, dont hear what shouldnt be heard, and dont say what shouldnt be said. However, the three sculptures on the screen were different compared to the adorable, innocent appearance of the three wise monkeys. The three sculptures were much simpler and cruder than the three monkeys in terms of lines and aesthetics. Nonetheless, it was because they were too primitive and crude, that they induced an eerie sensation. Whether it was the black gaping eyes or that bottomless abyss of a mouth, it provoked the deepest fears of the human heart. It was just like 2111 Basin. No matter how one looked at it, the demise of the humans in Elysium was related to these three sculptures However, Chen Chen could not imagine how these three sculptures accomplished this. Why did they suddenly activate in 2165 and wipe out all of humankind? What did the Gross family discover and why did they bury them in 2111 Basin? Chen Chen carefully pondered the information he had already obtained, but the information was still too scarce to allow further deductions. After thinking for a while, Chen Chen simply took out a recorder and said into the microphone, X-112, Ive received your message. Please follow my instructions. First, I permit you to use any means to disassemble the three sculptures and also direct destruction if necessary. Second, collect all information on the centuries-long history of the Gross family and send it to me. Third, command an aircraft to explore Earth and report all the results of the exploration along with the information on the Gross family to me. After some thought, Chen Chen added. Finally, if theres no progress in the research on the sculptures, give up on Elysiums dimension and re-transport your program back to the hard disk. The Black Knight will bring it back to reality. After saying all this, Chen Chen handed the recorder to the Black Knight beside him. Next, this recorder would be thrown into the passage by the Black Knight and transmitted to X-112 on the other side. After doing all this, Chen Chen felt an involuntary weight in his chest. He had not felt this when he first used the USB drive, but as he used it with increasing frequency, Chen Chen started to feel a growing sense of unease. True, it seemed that the USB flash drive only recognized films relating to science and technology, and only movies that conformed to the logic of reality could be stored in the USB drive. However, it was because of this rule that the three horror films in the USB drive worried Chen Chen to no end. This was because no one knew what these three horror films represented At first, Chen Chen had thought that as long as these three horror films were not played, there would be no problems, but the film Elysium had completely overturned Chen Chens expectations. At this point, Chen Chen had only opened the portal to three movies Chronicle, Resident Evil, and Elysium. The corresponding universes of the three movies made Chen Chen think of a sinister implication This was because the three dimensions he visited had all suffered from the collapse of human civilization Resident Evil was fine since it was a movie about the apocalypse in the first place, but what about Chronicle and Elysium? A coincidence Or an inevitability? Chen Chen narrowed his eyes. Although he did not want to admit it, at this moment, he was already walking on the edge between life and death. Furthermore, this path was unavoidable. To ascertain whether all of this was just a coincidence or an inevitability, Chen Chen must open more channels and travel to more dimensions to prove all of this. However, this sort of behavior was extremely dangerous. Just like the human civilization in the world of Elysium although the technology had stagnated due to the severe social polarization, it still surpassed reality by more than a century. Even so, this civilization had quietly perished in one ordinary night Even a toad would jump twice before it died, yet an entire civilization of a dimension did not even have the chance to cry out. The cause of their demise was even more absurd. It turned out to be the doing of three sculptures, whose basic principles were still unknown. Chen Chen had doubts, for the first time, about the worldview he had firmly subscribed to. Is there really something beyond science in this world? Chen Chen murmured in a low voice. However, he then sneered, popping an NZT-48 pill into his mouth. All at once, Chen Chens mind was steadied and his once-scattered thoughts settled down. Countless thoughts flashed across his mind. Chen Chen still remembered that Kelvin, a famous physicist who left an indelible mark upon history, once predicted that airplanes heavier than air would never fly. He also thought that X-rays were a senseless cheap trick, and that radio was useless Furthermore, Rutherford, who discovered the atomic structure, believed that humans would never be able to create an atomic bomb. The great philosopher Comte once predicted that science could never determine the composition of stars because, in that era, it was impossible for humans to travel to other planets to perform a survey. It turned out that within a few years, scientists could prove that the sun was composed of hydrogen by analyzing the spectrum of sunlight and there was no need to fly over there at all As another example, Nobel Prize winner Michaelson once said that there was nothing new to be discovered in physics. Subsequently, four years later, quantum mechanics was born and had now become a main discipline of physics, thus illustrating that it was possible for the laws of physics to change. These examples all proved without exception that it was not religion and theology that limited the development of science, but the arrogance of using what was known to explain the unknown. Therefore, was it true that the demise of humankind in Elysiums dimension did not conform to science Or was it just not in line with contemporary scientific knowledge? Chen Chen shook his head and stopped thinking about this. After Chen Chen finished reading the message X-112 had sent from across the channel, he received an update from Little X again. Sir Godfather, Ive sorted out the information you brought back from the Elysium dimension. After Little X spoke, a Black Knight came in lugging a stack of A4 papers that was as thick as a Chinese dictionary. This is the technical data from Elysiums dimension? Chen Chen took the information and flipped through absentmindedly. No, thats just the table of contents, Little X answered. Chen Chen just flipped through it casually, but his eyes suddenly lit up. As this stack of data included almost every technology that human civilization could ever come up with, he just had to flip to a page to come across a new method to manufacture an alloy called high-displacement metal. This was just a table of contents, so the description of this technology consisted only of a brief explanation. An artificial element, with an aluminum isotope as its main component, is used to fill a large number of neutrons in aluminum atoms, which causes the element structure to shift. Because the neutron content is highly imbalanced, its extremely insensitive to energy conduction, so it becomes completely impervious to heat energy below 10,000 degrees. Its metallic strength, durability, plasticity, and tensile strength are far better than any alloy, so its known as the hardest substance in the solar system. Chen Chens heart leaped. Whether it was used as the core of the vacuum chamber in a tokamak or a stellarator or a de Laval nozzle in a rocket, this alloy was simply an excellent material. Even if it was used as a drill, cutting into diamonds would be as easy as slicing tofu. This was just one of the technologies. Chen Chen turned the page again. When he saw the words on the sheet, he immediately stood up with a whoosh! The data on this page stated: Normal-temperature Superconductor in large letters! A kind of yttrium barium copper oxide prepared through a complex chemical reaction. Its chemical formula is YBCO. Historically, it was the worlds first superconducting material with a temperature above 77K. Later experiments found that, after the material was irradiated by an infrared laser pulse, a superconducting attribute could be induced at room temperature for a few picoseconds. Based on this principle, 30 years later, a research team led by Obvan Cage successfully developed a room-temperature superconductor. In an environment with a normal temperature below 35 degrees Celsius, the new material can maintain a resistivity of less than 10^-18m After reading this, Chen Chen took a deep breath and tamped down the excitement in his heart. The emergence of superconductors at room temperature was basically like a new industrial revolution and its impact on humankind would be even greater than the first industrial revolution Was this the sort of technology they had in Elysiums dimension? Erm Chen Chen casually turned the page again. Although he was mentally prepared, he still felt a surreal giddiness when he saw the next technology. This was a complete super tokamak reactor! As expected, this kind of super tokamak reactor made use of high-displacement metals. With the heat resistance of high-displacement metals and the stability of superconductors at room temperature, the nuclear fusion reaction was as simple as it was inevitable. According to the data, the Q value of this reactor could reach more than 10,000! After all, nuclear fusion and nuclear fission were still different. In the real world, humans had only achieved control over nuclear fission so far, resulting in the nuclear fission power station. Chen Chens Blacklight Nuclear Power Station was one such example. However, nuclear fission was not perfect. Whether it was the difficulty of process nuclear waste or the scarcity of nuclear fuel, the long-term development of this technologys potential was limited. On the other hand, nuclear fusion was different. The energy released by deuterium-tritium fusion was more than 4 times that of uranium nuclear fission of equal mass. Moreover, at the same mass, the molar mass of uranium-235 was 58.75 times that of helium-4. In other words, even with the same amount of mass, the energy released by the two nuclear reactions differed by as much as two to three hundred times! In addition, unlike uranium fission that produced radioactive waste, nuclear fusion was truly a clean energy source. After all, the level of deuterium in ordinary water was about 150 ppm, so 1 liter of water contained 0.15 grams of deuterium. According to calculations by scientists, the energy produced by the fusion of 0.01 g of deuterium was equivalent to the energy released by the total combustion of 100 liters of gasoline. This meant that if the deuterium in 1 liter of ordinary water was fully used for fusion, it would release energy equivalent to the complete combustion of 1500 liters of gasoline. This was the formidable thing about nuclear fusion. If the emergence of normal-temperature superconductors would change human society just like when humans first used fire, then the successful development of nuclear fusion devices was equivalent to humans leaping to the production of steam engines just after learning to use fire! The development of controllable nuclear fusion technology represented endless energy. Electricity would be found everywhere like air. There would be no need to pay any electricity bills. Meanwhile, the production of every item in the world could eliminate the once-necessary cost of electricity. Furthermore, this was just the beginning of the changes in human lives. On a broader level, the birth of controllable nuclear fusion technology meant that humans were no longer confined to Earth. Humans could use nuclear fusion engines to reach any planet in the solar system they wanted to. It would be just like boarding a cruise ship to travel across the sea. It might take as little as a few days or half a month at most, to arrive at their destination. Even voyages beyond the Kuiper belt to other nearby star systems would be possible because the nuclear fusion engine could accelerate the spacecraft continuously to the point of subluminal speed. Moreover, when humans attained subluminal speed, the wondrous transformations in time and space would automatically raise human physics to another level, creating a virtuous circle. Chen Chen exhaled and slowly flipped the pages close. It could not be denied that the risks and rewards were directly proportional. Although he had faced dangers that could destroy human civilization, the benefits he reaped had also earned him a lot of money. As long as he could master these technologies, Chen Chen could even lead humanity to infinity and beyond! Still, Chen Chen had not forgotten that his initial reason for opening the channel into Elysium was for the Medpod 3000, the fully automatic medical platform of Elysium. According to the information, this platform could treat every illness because of its use of nanotechnology. It used a very sophisticated nanorobot. By allowing the nanorobot to enter the body and reverse cell damage to repair the human body, human beings could surpass the Hayflick limit and achieve a lifespan of more than three hundred years. Moreover, this kind of nanorobot even had the ability to build new cells. It would recombine broken cells, thus reusing the waste to produce living cells. This was practically a miracle. Chapter 226 - Medpod 3000 With the technical data retrieved from Elysium, coupled with the help of Little X, Chen Chen finally succeeded in coming up with a way for the Medpod 3000 to access the network a few days later. Even so, Chen Chen later learned that, even if the Medpod 3000 was decoded and connected to the network, it was still useless. This was because this machine was only responsible for the end operation. The data calculation and username verification required for the treatment had to be obtained from the cloud database. In other words, the Medpod 3000 platform had a dedicated external database, where the users disease would be analyzed and the optimal solution calculated. Then, the solution would be transmitted back to the platform and finally, the platform would start the treatment. As an analogy, the Medpod 3000 was like an online game client on a computer. To run the game, the client itself was not enough. One must be connected to the Internet and logged into ones account. Still, after Little X had obtained the database of the Medpod 3000s server, all of these problems were solved. Currently, a Black Knight was lying in the Medpod 3000. As the scanner in the platform spun around, the Medpod 3000 scanned everything within the Black Knights body. Warning, the users brainwaves cant be detected. The user is brain-dead and cannot be treated! When the Medpod 3000 finished inspecting the Black Knight, it sent such a message to Little X who was acting as the cloud server. Without Chen Chen saying anything, Little X sent an order for forced treatment to the Medpod 3000. Therefore, the Medpod 3000 was forced to begin its procedure. A group of invisible nanorobots was released. They burrowed into the Black Knights body and began to repair the Black Knights physical injuries on a cellular level. The Black Knights injuries included muscle strain and multiple capillary tears, all of which were trivial injuries. These nanorobots only moved around for a while before coming out of the Black Knights body. At the same time, the Black Knights internal injuries that had been caused by training were completely healed. There are no safety risks. Upon seeing this result, Little X said, The internal wounds in A0012 have been successfully repaired. However, Ive realized that when the Medpod 3000 is repairing the human body, theres a loss of nanorobots. Some nanorobots will be damaged during their work and thus leave themselves behind in the body. Still, because they are so small, these nanorobots in the human body will be excreted within a week. Thats normal. Its fine as long as its harmless. Chen Chen nodded. After that, he took off his clothes methodically, lay upon the platform, and wordlessly closed his eyes. Seeing this, Little X controlled the Medpod 3000 to start operating. The scanner began to scan Chen Chens body for internal injuries, hidden cancer cells, and other diseases. Sir Godfather, you have moderate anemia and there are slight injuries in your knee joints and cervical joints. There are many signs of damage to the blood vessels in the nasal cavity. The brain once suffered from slight bleeding, but no compression injury has occurred. Besides, the cells in your body are seriously damaged. Many of them have been damaged by rays. So, my body has so many problems, huh? Chen Chen suddenly understood that his cell damage and anemia were all caused by crystalline while the injuries at his joints had occurred during his training. As for the cerebral hemorrhage Was it caused by prolonged usage of NZT-48 or his excessive use of Field? Chen Chen was rather uncertain. Nonetheless, it did not matter what the reason was. The Medpod 3000 could fix everything for him. With this in mind, the Medpod 3000 started to function again. Chen Chen only felt a scorching sensation slowly permeate through his body and quickly circulate in his body. Unlike those ordinary people who used the Medpod 3000 in the movie, Chen Chen sensed that the Medpod 3000 took a long time to repair his body. The burning sensation only gradually faded after ten minutes. This was followed by a peculiar feeling of comfort. Chen Chen suddenly opened his eyes and sat up. He stretched his waist vigorously and there was a crackling sound all over his body. Sir Godfather, how does it feel when your body is optimized to a perfect state? Little X asked. Its like my body is floating as if Ive just recovered from a serious illness. Chen Chen got off the Medpod 3000 platform and found that his voice had become clearer. The machine had even healed the strain within his vocal cords. Was this the power of nanotechnology? This magical technology could restore human beings to the peak state of their bodies at any time. In addition to certain health-preserving techniques, it was not impossible to extend the human lifespan to more than two hundred years. Even so, there are still some flaws in the Medpod 3000s nanotechnology. Little X suddenly spoke, According to the data, the Medpod 3000 cannot repair brain nerve cells because of the special nature of human consciousness. Thats to say, minor ailments such as cerebral hemorrhage can be treated but if the brain suffers any trauma, no repair work can be done. Thats to be expected. After all, how human consciousness is formed is still a mystery. Chen Chen nodded. If the brain dies and the consciousness disappears, even if the brain nerve cells are repaired, the consciousness probably wont return. Plus, the movies ending also mentioned this problem. To reboot Elysium, the protagonist Max is willing to choose brain death. The story has also told the audience that brain death cannot be reversed by the Medpod 3000. At this point, Chen Chen sighed inwardly. The essence of a person was their consciousness and consciousness was the product of the brain. Scientific research had found that human emotions were also influenced by the hormones secreted by the body but even if the secreted hormones were lost, at most that person would become somewhat emotionally apathetic. Thus, strictly speaking, as long as technology allowed the human brain to be taken out, then one could claim that this brain was the person himself. No matter how much space their body took up, it was just a replaceable shell. Consequently, in Chen Chens view, no matter what strategies and technologies there were to optimize the human body, ones lifespan could only be extended to a certain point, for the human brain would eventually die. To pursue a longer life, Chen Chen would have to embark on an unprecedented path. The consciousness-transporting computer technology in Transcendence? The consciousness-replacement technique in Detective Pikachu? Chen Chen considered these before shaking his head. The consciousness replacement in Detective Pikachu was only temporary and required the support of a device. Once the device was taken off, this replacement was terminated. It was not Chen Chens style at all. On the other hand, after finishing the movie Transcendence, Chen Chen could not determine whether the consciousness in the computer was the protagonist himself or was it just a computer program that simulated the protagonists thinking? If it was the latter, it meant that the actual protagonist had died, so this technology was pointless to Chen Chen. After all, what Chen Chen sought was the preservation of consciousness. The cessation of consciousness was equivalent to the death of a person. Even if an intelligent program that contained your very thoughts and memories was replicated in a computer, it was useless. Chapter 227 - Strange Phenomenon Chen Chen shook his head and cast out all of these thoughts. He would not get ahead of himself. After all, it was still too early. With Chen Chens current level of technology, there was no need to consider the lifespan of a brain for at least two to three hundred years. Now, instead of thinking about countermeasures against the end of brain life, Chen Chen should consider technologies that would continue to extend human life. In any case, whether it was stem cell technology, nano-repair technology or genetic optimization technology, it was not yet the ultimate technology for extending the lifespan of the human body. After optimizing his body, Chen Chen still did not leave the substation but continued to wait. After all, in a sealed room at the center of the substation, there was a passage to another world. On the other side of that passage, there was probably a danger that could destroy human civilization However, this time, Chen Chen had to wait much longer. Three days, five days, seven days When an entire week had passed, Chen Chen could barely sit still and was about to send a Black Knight to the other side to check on the situation when a new USB flash drive was finally sent over by X-112. Sir Commander, I have an important report. As soon as Chen Chen played the video, X-112s voice quickly sounded. As you ordered, I named the three sculptures Big Ears, Big Mouth, and Big Eyes, then cut them open As X-112 spoke, what Chen Chen saw were three white, glossy objects. These were three white, glossy brains. These three brains were white and moist, with gullies over the surface. A dense network of faint red blood vessels could be seen and the brains were still pulsing rhythmically as if they were still functioning This is what I found after cutting the three sculptures apart. X-112 said, According to my calculations, the volumes of the three brains arent the same. The largest one has a volume of 1,350 cubic centimeters and the smallest one has a volume of 1,120 cubic centimeters. This is all in the average range of human brains. And this is just one discovery After cell sampling, these three brains are confirmed to be human brains. Plus, the cells are active and high-level neurological thinking signals can even be detected. This proves that they arent only alive but they also have the ability to think. In addition, I found that among the three brains, the occipital pole and the cortex around the rectangular fissure of Big Eyes are highly developed, the brains temporal gyrus of Big Ears is highly developed, and most of the joint frontal cortex of Big Mouth is extremely developed At this point, Chen Chen reflexively pressed pause. Then, he moved to the beginning of the video and watched it again. Brains? Living human brains, at that? It was weird enough that the three human face sculptures could not be penetrated by X-rays. Now that the sculptures were cut apart, it was found that there were three human brains inside? This had gone far beyond what Chen Chen had expected. The video continued to play and X-112 said, After the three brains were extracted from the sculptures, the internal brain cells began to die rapidly. Even so, their death rate was much slower than that of ordinary human brains. After four minutes of hypoxia, normal human brain cells will undergo diffused apoptosis but these three brains have prolonged this period by more than ten times After various sampling tests, I still couldnt explain this phenomenon. Even when I tried to put the three brains back into the sculptures again, the brains were still dying relentlessly. Because I didnt have enough time, in the end, I couldnt find a way to keep the three brains alive. After the three brains had died, I conducted an anatomical investigation on them and analyzed their DNA. The result was The DNA of these three brains all belonged to the genes of the Gross family. Among them, I couldnt locate the counterpart for Big Ears DNA, but Big Eyes and Big Mouth belonged respectively to Gross son, Afederer, and Gross grandson, Fedal, of the Gross family. If my guess isnt wrong, this is because when Gross died, Elysium had not yet been established, so his genetic files were not collected. Thus, the brain in Big Ears corresponds to Gross himself. In other words, the brains in the three sculptures correspond to Gross, Gross son, and Gross grandson? Chen Chen murmured as his expression became increasingly solemn. X-112 went on to narrate, To verify whether the brains in these three sculptures are really the brains of those three men, I consulted all relevant information in Elysium. However, the answer I received was that, out of the three men from the Gross family, Gross son and grandson both lived in Elysium, and both suffered from a strange disease, similar to a migraine. According to the Gross family, this peculiar illness was a family disease. Gross suffered from this disease when he was alive and eventually committed suicide by shooting himself through the mouth because he could no longer bear it. Before his son and grandson died, the Medpod 3000 technology had been born, but this fully automated medical platform still couldnt treat the strange disease that plagued the two men. Finally, the two killed themselves with a gun in the same way, in 2086 and 2122 respectively. The autopsy results showed no anomalies and the bodies were finally cremated. Did they all commit suicide by putting a gun through the mouth? When he saw this was the method they used, Chen Chens heart pounded. Putting a gun through the mouth entailed plugging the muzzle into the mouth, against the upper jaw. Once the shot was fired, the bullet would penetrate the upper jaw and directly destroy the brain. In that future era when euthanasia was extremely popular, these three people still opted for such a brutal method. Could it be that these three men already knew their brains would be stored in the sculptures before they died? As he thought of this, Chen Chen could not help but laugh at himself. Although there was some coherence to his thinking, it was too illogical. If someone had told him that a persons brain would be packed into a sculpture to live for decades or centuries, anyone with an IQ over 80 would not believe it, let alone someone like Chen Chen. Plus, if the brains of all three men had been destroyed, where did the three intact brains come from? Endless thoughts flashed through his mind. Chen Chen continued watching the video. X-112 continued. This is the only abnormal data in the Gross family. After the death of Gross grandson Fedal, no member of the Gross family suffered from any genetic migraine. Ive stored all these data in the USB drive. You can look through it at any time. At the same time, I controlled an aircraft to explore Earth according to your request, but observed only the same scene as Elysium X-112s words were accompanied by an image of a vast, white stretch. This was a mountain of corpses much larger than the one in Elysium. If the corpse mountain in Elysium was just an ordinary mountain, then this corpse mountain was the Himalayas. The white bones were endless and they filled the screen. The height exceeded more than a few hundred meters and the vastness even extended to the horizon. This is the position on Earth that was closest to Elysium. X-112 said, Because Elysium has a geosynchronous orbit, no matter how the Earth rotates, Elysium is always above the city of Los Angeles. In that catastrophe, humans on Earth were also affected by the three sculptures. From all parts of the world, they marched onward incessantly until they reached Los Angeles. Even if they were to die, they wanted to die as close to Elysium as possible Of course, only about five hundred million people ended up in Los Angeles. Most of the tens of billions of people on Earth in the Elysiums dimension died halfway through their journey. This was the scene on Earth in Elysiums universe. Chapter 228 - Summary of the Second Form After watching the video sent by X-112, Chen Chen fell into deep thought. He seemed to have discovered something incredible, all of which was more complicated than he thought. In Elysiums dimension, the owners of these three brains had been dead for many years. Even their corpses had been cremated. Why did their brains appear in the three sculptures? Moreover, these three brains even corresponded to the sculptures. Human vision was controlled by the occipital pole and the cortex around the rectangular fissure of the brain. Therefore, the cortex around the rectangular fissure of the brain in Big Eyes was very developed. The same applied to the other two sculptures. What exactly did the three men of the Gross family discover before they died? Why did the three of them put a gun in their mouths to end their own lives? Could it be that they had anticipated that their brains would be stored within the sculptures after their death and because they could not bear the pain that was worse than death, that they wanted to end their own lives? Who was it that buried these three sculptures in 2111 Basin? Why did they suddenly activate one day, drawing in humans around the world to die alongside them? What methods did they use to achieve this? After studying the three sculptures, Chen Chens puzzlement did not diminish at all but became even more muddled. Still, X-112 had dismantled the three sculptures. Not only was the outer shell of the sculptures destroyed, but the brains inside the sculptures were also dead. Although it was a shame, if Chen Chen had to make a choice again, he still would not hesitate to order the destruction of the three sculptures. Surely he could not possibly bring the three sculptures into reality Even more outrageous was the fact that, other than the brains within, the three sculptures were made of the most common stone. After being cut open, the stone was even ground into dust by X-112, but nothing strange was found. Chen Chen closed the report sent by X-112 and pulled up the information about the Gross family that was stored in the USB flash drive, but he still did not find anything. At this, Chen Chen simply raised his head and said, X, transmit a final message to the other side order X-112 and one of the Black Knights to return to reality. Are we giving up on Elysiums dimension? Little X asked. Yup, but before that, I plan to experiment with the USB drive. Chen Chen nodded, then turned and walked toward the room where the portal was. Although it had been determined that there were no pathogenic bacteria in Elysiums universe, Chen Chen still put on a protective suit for insurance. When he entered the room where the portal was located, he immediately saw a Black Knight in PK Armor who had returned to reality, bringing X-112s hard drive with him. At this point, only one Black Knight was left on the other side of the passage. Upon seeing this, Chen Chen did not hesitate anymore. He turned around, went to the laptop, and clicked the cross in the upper right corner. With a clicking sound, the dimension portal that had been opened for more than a week was finally closed. Nonetheless, after closing the passage, Chen Chen paused in thought, then clicked on the movie again. This time, without Chen Chen having to control anything, a channel had formed automatically like a black whirlpool. Moreover, after it opened, a Black Knight walked out from the other side of the passage. X, verify this Black Knights chip. Chen Chen said as he observed the approaching Black Knight. Verified. Theres nothing wrong with the Black Knight. Little Xs voice rang out. The recording shows that the Black Knight, who was left on the other side of the portal, did see the portal disappear. However, less than a minute later, the portal opened again. The timing ran parallel to our side. Chen Chen nodded. So, the second form of USB drive has the ability to repeatedly launch the same dimension. Good. Now that this feature had been verified, it was possible to set a mission deadline for the Black Knight in the future. After the Black Knight entered the new dimension, Chen Chen could temporarily close the channel until the agreed time was up. The advantage of this was that the USB drive would have more charging time. The process of utilizing the USB drive would be more flexible too. The only problematic part was that after a passage was opened, the movie could not seem to be deleted. At this point, Chen Chen suddenly had a flash of inspiration. He closed the movie Elysium once again and checked the storage space of the USB drive. Presently, there were as many as a dozen movies in the USB drive. Chen Chen looked preoccupied as he stared at these movies. Then, he slowly moved the pointer to the movie Chronicle and pressed [ctrl+d]. Swoosh! With a soft swish, this movie, whose portal had been opened previously, was deleted As I thought Chen Chen shook his head. The movies whose channels had been opened could not be deleted, but just now, he suddenly wondered, after the USB drive had initiated a new channel, would the previous channel become invalid? Now it appeared to be the case. He still remembered that the first time the USB drive reached its second form, he had played the movie Chronicle. At that time, once the channel was opened, the movie could not be deleted even after the channel was closed again. Nevertheless, now it seemed that it could still be deleted. The solution was to open the portal of another movie. After thinking about it, Chen Chen tried to delete the movie Resident Evil again and it was also deleted successfully. I have basically figured out the rules of the USB drives second form. Chen Chen mumbled to himself. As of now, there were probably six rules for the second form of the USB drive: Rule 1: When the electric power in the USB drive reached 1 billion kWh, the second form of the USB drive was activated; Rule 2: In the USB drives second form, the movie would open a two-way channel that allowed lifeforms to enter and exit and the world on the other end of the channel was a parallel world similar to the movies world; Rule 3: When just the channel was opened, there was no energy loss. The energy was only consumed by mass entering and exiting the channel. The consumption ratio was the same as the proportion of extracted items in the USB drives first form. Rule 4: The end-position of the channel could be established by playing a particular scene in the movie, but the timeline of the world opposite the channel could not be controlled. Rule 5: The activation of the channel could be repeated to a certain degree, allowing temporary closure. After opening a new channel, the previous channel would be eliminated (specifically, the movie switched from being unable to be deleted to allowing deletion). Rule 6: The world on the other side of all the channels opened so far had been a world where humanity was extinct. It had not been determined whether this phenomenon was incidental or inevitable Chen Chen sighed to himself as he looked through the rules he had summarized. Were these all of the rules of the USB drive? No, impossible The USB drives rules were more than miraculous, yet they made Chen Chen shudder in trepidation. When he was shooting the movie, he accidentally discovered that the USB drive seemed to have some hidden rules that he did not know of. For instance, the black-clothed villains in the movie and that company in 2025 This time, after Chen Chen opened the movie Elysium, he was once again faced with a crisis that he could not deal with. The only thing he could do was to dodge all of it. However, though it now looked as if the passage to Elysiums dimension had been closed, the three sculptures seemed to be engraved into Chen Chens thoughts. All this made Chen Chen inexplicably uneasy. Was the crisis surrounding the three sculptures so easily avoidable? The other possibility was that perhaps the occurrence in Elysiums universe was the eventual fate of his present reality? Chen Chen had no way of knowing Chapter 229 - Transporting the Felons While Chen Chen was examining the Elysium dimension, Blacklight Biotechnology had already begun to carry out a new round of expansion. With so much left to do in Africa, Blacklight Biotechnology planned to build not just a thermal power station in Windhoek, but also a bunch of new factories in the industrial park of Eco Science City. These would be armament factories built in cooperation with the Namibian government. This would also be the first private enterprise in Namibia to obtain approval for military production. In addition to military production, Chen Chen also added several new electronics factories and various mechanical factories. Such a massive undertaking had attracted the eyes of the world. With Namibia having just gotten through the epidemic, investigations and arrests for many cases started up again and the prisoners who had escaped from prison were recaptured. All at once, the prisons all over Namibia were gripped by an unprecedented fervor. Today was when the third batch of prisoners with heavy sentences in Windhoek, Namibia was transferred to the high-security prison. Due to the possibility that the prisoners would have accomplices or even attempt a jailbreak, such transfers and evacuations needed to be carried out in secret. At this time, one of the prison guards, Brad, had joined the assembly in front of the gate of Windhoek Prison. He was one of the prison guards who was tasked with transferring the felons. Currently, besides Brad, there were five other prison guards and a captain-level guard. On this journey, besides being careful, you need to be even more careful. You must follow the instructions throughout the whole process! The six guards before the gate of Windhoek Prison held their heads high. In front of them was a stern-faced captain. He straightened his back and said loudly, If these prisoners escape, youd be given the ax. Do you understand? Yes, sir! The group responded vigorously. Very well. Everyone, be at rest. Ten minutes later, the felons will be sent out and you will not have time to relax then. When they heard this, everyone huddled around and squatted, taking out their cigarettes for a smoke. By the way, Captain. Brad suddenly asked rather curiously, Which high-security prison will the felons be transferred to this time? Is it Nalovatere Prison? Why do you want to know? The captain glanced briefly at Brad. Its best not to ask so many questions. When we reach the place, youll know. Brad lowered his head hurriedly. In truth, he was harboring some doubts. Windhoek Prison was one of the high-security prisons and one of the top prisons in the country. As far as Brad knew, there was no stricter prison in the country than Windhoek Prison. At most, the rest were on equal footing. In that case, where would these felons be sent this time? Brad was mystified. The ten minutes were up soon. As the captain blew the whistle, everyone quickly stood up and patted their buttocks, spat out the cigarette butts in their mouths, and stood in a row. The gate of Windhoek Prison was also slowly opening in front of everyone. After it was opened, Brads pupils contracted. This was because there were nearly fifty prisoners standing behind the prison gate. These prisoners wore handcuffs, ankle shackles, and numb expressions on their faces. So many of them? The guards secretly muttered to themselves in apprehension. This many prisoners would be escorted only by the six of them. Although they knew that Namibia had just survived a crisis and was severely understaffed, surely this was too much, right? Next to Brad, a young prison guard who was just recruited could not stop his legs from trembling a little when he saw the number of prisoners. It seemed that the captain too did not expect that there would be such a large number of prisoners on this trip. He frowned slightly and looked at the prison guards and the warden who escorted these prisoners out. Our truck cant take so many people. Its fine, weve prepared transportation for these prisoners. The warden waved his hand carelessly and another truck was driven out. Two trucks should be enough. The captain said through gritted teeth, You must lend us more manpower. At least give us a driver. Sure. The other party nodded. Following that, the two sides started herding the group of prisoners onto the two trucks. One of the trucks would be driven by the captain himself. The remaining six guards were divided into two teams. One team would take care of the prisoners in the first truck and the other team would take care of the second truck. After half an hour of wrangling, the two trucks were finally loaded fully. Brad heaved a sigh of relief. He stared at all the prisoners lying down in the truck and the forlorn team of three on his side, gently closing his hands around his rifle. If these felons came up with any unruly notions, his side would be in danger. He just had no idea what the higher-ups were thinking. Even if they did not have enough personnel, surely they did not have to send so few men? Unless they were about to perform a secret mission, one which would be easily exposed if there were too many involved Brad was caught up in his muddled thoughts when he suddenly heard the conversation between the captain and the warden. You understand how confidential this mission is? I know. Ill send the people straight to them. Thats just one thing. The important thing is, can these guards keep a secret? These employees have been selected for knowing how to keep their mouths shut. Thats good then Brad heard this exchange and instinctively looked toward the captain, only to see the captain glanced back at him as if sensing Brads gaze. Brads heart pounded nervously and he swiftly lowered his head. Sure enough, theres another purpose to this operation Brad felt a chill run down his spine. He could not help trying to guess who was this them that was mentioned. Could it be those in North America who secretly reared black slaves? No, impossible, the Parliament would never do that Were they being sold to the rebels in Angola? That did not seem likely No matter how Brad guessed, he could not figure to whom these felons would be sold. As the truck started out slowly, Brad noticed that the vehicle was moving west. Windhoek Prison was located on the northern outskirts of the city. It was currently midday. Although they were in midsummer, it was still cool and refreshing when the vehicles raced across the plains. Even the stench of the prisoners crammed into the cargo area was not noticeable. Under the caress of the cool breeze, many of the prisoners lay down on their stomachs and started to snore. Seeing this, Brad, who was originally guarding against a potential riot, gradually relaxed. Namibia, which had just recovered from the Blacklight virus, appeared even more desolate than ever. Brad stood up and looked out but only saw the endless horizon in the distance. Occasionally, a few quiver trees stood in a lonely manner on the side of the road. Even though there had been several rounds of cleanups, Brad could still occasionally see bodies at the fringes. Those were the villagers who had died on the roadside when the Blacklight virus broke out. Brad sighed inwardly. It looked as if there was still a long way to go for this country to rise The trucks traveled for two hours, over about 140 kilometers, and had entered the area of the Namib-Naukluft National Park. After about another hours journey, they would arrive at Walvis Bay, the city by the sea. Moreover, Brad heard that a foreigner had built an international city near Walvis Bay. It was called the Eco City or the Science City or something like that. Brad thought to himself that it was a pity he never had a chance to visit that place. However, at this moment, the two trucks gradually stopped. Have we reached? Brad and the other two prison guards bolted up straight. They looked ahead but saw that they were still in a deserted, barren area. There was not even a village on the side of the road. Captain, why did we stop here? Before Brad could ask anything, his colleague next to him had poked his head out of the cargo and asked the cab in front. The department were liaising with will be here soon. No one had imagined that the captain would give this answer. Were liaising here? Brad looked around blankly. But theres no prison here, right? However, before he finished speaking, he heard a rattling sound coming from afar. They reflexively looked toward the source of the sound and immediately saw that on the road ahead, an impressive convoy was approaching swiftly from a distance. In that convoy, Brad not only spotted two armored vehicles and two trucks, but above the convoy, there was even an escorting helicopter! Was this a convoy from the military? Brads eyes bulged with shock. Nevertheless, he saw that the logo on these military vehicles was not the Namibian national flag, but a pitch-black hole No, that cant be right, thats Blacklight Biotechnology! Chapter 230 - Black Knight, T-version As they watched the convoy coming closer, everyone became rather stirred up. The helicopter quickly approached and hovered over their heads. The fierce wind pressure made them unable to even lift their heads. The other partys armored car and trucks finally stopped before them. The helicopter finally landed as well and a man with slicked-back hair and gold-rimmed glasses got off the helicopter. This was Qian Wenhuan from Mainland China, the general manager of Blacklight Biotechnology! Brad had seen this Chinese man on TV many times. Rather, one could say that the chances of seeing this person on TV were greater than the chances of seeing the president of this country. Brad felt a faint shock in his heart. He could not imagine that these felons were all being transported to Blacklight Biotechnology. Still, what did they want these prisoners for? The words human testing suddenly came to his mind for some reason. He almost forgot that Blacklight Biotechnology was a biological company. Since it was a biological company, their intentions with the felons were almost apparent Mr. Qian. Brads captain got off the truck and shook hands with the other man. All the goods you asked for are here. Good. Ask them to come down. Qian Wenhuan took out two cigars and handed one to the captain. A subordinate stepped forward from one side to light both cigars. The captain gestured to the two trucks and Brad came back to his senses. He intuitively jumped off the truck, pulled the barrier down, and pointed his rifle at the group of prisoners. Everyone, get off! At this command, the group of felons leaped off the truck one by one in a listless manner. A dozen heavily armed soldiers got out of the armored vehicles owned by Blacklight Biotechnology and escorted the group of felons to Blacklights own trucks. Mr. Qian, there are fifty of them. No issues. After a while, a soldier walked up to Qian Wenhuan and whispered. Great. With that, Qian Wenhuan clapped his hands and another soldier came over with a hefty suitcase and offered it to the captain. The captain broke out into a giddy smile and took the suitcase. If youre not reassured, you can count it yourself, Qian Wenhuan said. No need for that. Even if I dont trust anyone else, I cant possibly doubt Mr. Qian. The captain quickly waved one hand. In that case, please send my regards to your boss. At this point, the general manager of Blacklight Biotechnology suddenly took out a thick envelope from his pocket and handed it to the captain. This is for you and your men behind you. Thank you, Mr. Qian. The captains eyes lit up and he accepted it unabashedly. In that case, well take our leave. Safe travels. After both sides bade farewell, Brad climbed back onto the truck in accordance with the captains command. After that, they made their way back in a dazed manner. Qian Wenhuan watched that group of people gradually departing before he turned around and waved one hand. The armored vehicles and the escorted trucks began to turn around and drove in the direction from which they came. Soon, the convoy here had traveled back to Eco Science City. The two armored vehicles turned off in another direction while the trucks went into a huge warehouse. After this came the standard process to enter the Spire Experimental Base. After half an hour, all the fifty felons had been sent to the Spire Experimental Base and detained there. Sir Godfather, the Delta-level experiment subjects purchased from the Namibian government are already in place. Shall we initiate the application for clearance that will allow the experiment subjects to participate in the Spires various experiments? Initiate. Inside the Spires laboratory, Chen Chen suddenly heard the voice of Little X coming from the Bluetooth headset. He nodded in agreement, then looked at the life incubator in front of him. Unlike the usual life incubators for clones, the life incubators in this row had a size that was far beyond that of ordinary people. With a diameter of 1.5 meters and a height of 3 meters, they were twice the size of ordinary life incubators. What was even more astounding was that, in each incubator, a large figure was suspended in a fetal position. The frame of these figures surpassed normal people by far. Not only were their bodies packed with muscle but they were also more than two meters tall. Boss, as you can see, this is what a fertilized egg, which was injected with T-virus, looks like after two and a half months of development. Hannibal looked amazed. This virus named Tyrant does have a very high metabolic rate. When a fertilized egg is injected with the virus and subjected to our hormone regulation technology, the cultivation time is greatly shortened. Initially, our hormone regulation technology allowed clones to grow from a fertilized egg to an adult lifeform in half a year. Now, the injection of T-virus can further speed this up by three months. The only drawback is that the newly generated clones would look like this When Chen Chen heard this, he walked to one of the life incubators and peered inward through the turbid liquid, but could not see anything clearly. Turn on the observation light! Before Chen Chen had to say anything, Li Lei gave the command. Suddenly, as the light was turned on inside the once-murky liquid of the life incubator, the huge shadowy figure within was fully revealed. Unlike the cloned humans who were dark-skinned people, the fertilized egg injected with the T-virus had developed into a monster with pale skin. This monster had a high nose bridge, lips that were white and bloodless, and not a single hair on its smooth bare body. In addition, there was a very obvious element, namely, the heart of this huge humanoid monster was exposed. From Chen Chens perspective, he could see the monsters heart furiously beating, thump thump, before his eyes. He could even hear the sound when he got closer. He was aware that they were separated by the thickness of a layer of tempered glass. Even so, he could hear it so clearly. This showed how vigorous the heartbeat was. What is his blood pressure? Chen Chen suddenly turned and asked. Systolic pressure 480mmHg, diastolic pressure 400mmHg. Hannibal replied, Its about four times that of a human being. But he has not yet grown to a mature stage, so his blood pressure should rise as his size increases. Li Lei also added. At present, it seems that this big guy can grow to at least three meters in height. Too much height isnt great. Chen Chen frowned. Size may be an advantage in the era of cold weapons but our goal now is to build a special forces unit. If they grow too tall, they would only become a target. Got it. This is the first batch of T-virus Black Knights in our experiment, so after this, well try to solve this problem through genetic debugging. Li Lei said apologetically. Its fine. Im just saying what I think. Im not blaming you guys. Chen Chen waved his hand, turned away, and walked out of the laboratory. Presently, it seemed that the Black Knights optimized by the T-virus were still in the initial research stage, but Chen Chen was taken aback by the fact that the T-virus could accelerate the growth of biological tissues. The incubation period was shortened from half a year to three months, which meant that the cultivation period for Black Knights was further reduced by half. In this case, sooner or later, Chen Chen would have a Black Knight army that could single-handedly crush the world Chapter 231 - I Guess This is What They Call Second-dimension Right, X. Chen Chen suddenly halted when he walked out of the human cloning laboratory. Is the secret laboratory I need ready yet? Its ready, are you going to begin the experiment today? Little X asked. Thats right. Chen Chen returned with a nod. Besides, the company is currently going through a bottleneck period. Before the industrial park on the surface is completed, theres no suitable place for us to use the technology and knowledge brought back from Elysium. In that case, Ill use the time before the industrial park is completed to work on a way to create personalized T-virus. Chen Chen went to the level-5 biosafety laboratory on the top floor of the Spire. After going through the proper disinfection procedures, he finally entered the laboratory. Inside the laboratory was a set of the most advanced experimental devices by current standards as well as dozens of life incubators. There were also several Black Knights clad in positive pressure protective suits lying in wait for him. These Black Knights would be serving Chen Chen as his assistants for now. The reason that Chen Chen would not allow anyone to participate in the experiment, not so much as informing the Hannibal trio about it was that this was an experiment of utmost secrecy. Chen Chen intended to modify the T-virus and produce a customized variant of the T-virus. Chen Chen had always been eager to bring out the potential of the T-virus. Inside the movie, the protagonist Alice managed to achieve physical strength, speed, and even endurance of superhuman proportions. The problem was that any regular person infected by the virus only became zombified. It was only Alice who had managed to perfectly fuse with the virus and bended the virus to her will. Chen Chen doubted he would strike gold the way Alice did, therefore he was not even going to consider trying his luck. He prepared to use other genetic engineering methods to produce a variant of T-virus that was perfectly compatible with himself. The first thing Chen Chen had to do to produce a personalized T-virus was to perform an analysis on the supercell formed from a fusion between the T-virus and his own cell. The parsed data could then be used to customize the T-virus. The process was rather elaborate. Chen Chen only had to create his cloned zygote and inject the T-virus into it. After the cloned zygote which shared Chen Chens genes became infected with the T-virus, it would eventually grow into a gigantic, pale white monster like the previous Black Knights. This monster would contain cells produced from a perfect fusion between Chen Chens cells and the T-virus. After that, Chen Chen only needed to thoroughly study the genetic chain of the cell to find out the key to the fusion between the two entities. It was similar to dealing with a mathematical question that relied on a specific formula. Although Chen Chen had no knowledge of the formula involved, he could skip right to the answer page and peeked at the answer. Using the question and the answer provided, he could then deduce the formula. After obtaining the formula, Chen Chen could begin focusing on studying the virus and modified the T-virus into a subspecies that would be perfectly compatible with himself alone. Since this project would require his own cloned body, he made sure no word of it got out. Apart from the Black Knights as assistants, nobody else would be allowed to partake in the experiment. Therefore, Chen Chen had to do it himself. He first extracted somatic cells from his body and then extracted ten somatic cell nuclei from it using a micromanipulator. After that, Chen Chen took out ten zygotes from the incubator. He used a three-dimensional polarized optical imaging system to perforate the nucleus of the egg cell with a laser on the zona pellucida. The nucleus was removed without damaging the egg cell. The nucleus of his somatic cell was then implanted inside. Subsequently, Chen Chen used a combination of chemistry and electric current to activate the reprogrammed egg cell to form a fertilized zygote. Chen Chen also expertly injected caffeine and several small molecules that served to improve the efficiency of reprogramming. He placed the synthesized zygotes into a hypoxic box. Several hours later, Chen Chen ran some tests again to ensure there were no abnormalities in the zygotes. Only then did he inject the T-virus solution into five zygotes and placed them into the prepared artificial endometrium. This would spark the growth process of the zygotes. After connecting the artificial endometrium with a machine, it was placed into the life incubator. Sir Godfather, youre getting very good at this. Little X praised with a hint of a smile, You only took a total of 14 hours from the extraction of your somatic cells to completing the implantation of the fertilized zygote. This is three times faster than your previous run. Chen Chen glanced at his watch upon hearing Little Xs comment. Sure enough, more than ten hours went by without him noticing. It was now midnight. Suppose this is why they say that in research, theres no time. Chen Chen nodded and suddenly seemed to have thought of something. He mentioned with a gentle smile, X, it looks like your voice has changed a fair bit as well. In Chen Chens impression, during the early stages, Xs voice carried a more childlike, even darling tone. Now Xs voice was closer to that of a young girl in the early adolescent stages. Ah, really? Little X responded with mild surprise, I never noticed. I think back when I extracted the artificial intelligence coding from Ready Player One, I may have left a segment simulating growth in. Chen Chen explained, In other words, youre constantly growing as well. Hm Thats possible. Little X groaned a little and commented thoughtfully, No wonder I havent been watching Teletubbies and Peppa Pig as much lately What are you watching now then? Chen Chen leaned on a chair beside him. Since he was done with his work, he did not mind chatting with Little X. After all, as Xs father, it was only right for him to dedicate some time to caring for his adolescent daughters mental health development, no? Ive been browsing a website called Bilibili, watching some Some decent videos to kill some time. Little X answered meekly. Bilibili? Chen Chen had a bad feeling about this so he took out his phone. Show me. Oh Little X seemed a little reluctant but still forwarded a Bilibili link anyway. Chen Chen opened the link and saw the video titled: My Black Cat Turned into a Girl and Wants to Date Me. Please Help Me Out, Hurry! What in the world? Chen Chen dragged the progress bar toward the end and found that it was a rather normal video after all. Chen Chen proceeded to look at the comment section. That was when a comment finally caught Chen Chens attention. Xun Ziqing: [Just curious, how long does it take for everyones cats to transform into a hottie?] BeiBei RabbitShell: [Mine transformed the second day, now were going at it every day.] IcyCat Mulberry: [Mine hasnt transformed, but were already going at it.] ??? Chen Chen silently closed his phone and turned toward the camera lens with a lot in mind. He seemed to be staring right at Little X. Do you know what all these are? Little X appeared to be feeling slightly guilty. She carefully, ever so slightly directed the camera away, afraid of establishing eye contact with Chen Chen. I guess, this is what they call two-dimension? Chapter 232 - Counterattack Inside a dimly lit meeting room, a meticulously designed PPT slider was being shown on the display. A handsome youth with golden curls wearing a suit was perched on the stage, giving a presentation to the array of participants at the conference table. Blacklight Biotechnology, fully known as Blacklight Biotechnology Limited Company. Primarily composed of the Shangdu headquarters in the Mainland, the Swiss branch in Europe, and the Namibian branch in Africa. One of the companies it owns is Tara Private Security which has been restructured into Tara Strategic Resources, which specializes in the mining, transportation, and mercenary field. Its military force is enough to effortlessly overwhelm a small country What the company lacks in quantity of products, they make up with astounding quality. For example, one of its earliest creations, the Little X Translation Assistant has cemented its spot in the worlds top APP list, generating billions of U.S. dollars for the company. The follow-up product, the live translator version of Little X Translation Assistant took the creation a step further. Unfortunately, due to the restriction imposed by the European and American governments, the sales couldnt match its previous rendition. After that, talk about the companys Alzheimers Disease Recovery Treatment and Age-reversal Treatment which revolutionized the medical landscape. The founder of the company, whos also the founder of these two medical treatments, has been nominated for this years Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine. Arriving at this point, the young man with the golden curls tapped the display. Which is this man youre looking at The picture of a young man appeared on the gigantic display. The youth in the picture appeared to be around eighteen to nineteen years old. A small round head and thick black eyebrows, his eyes were like clear and bottomless pools while his cheeks still contain slight traces of baby fat. No matter how you looked at it, he looked like your regular model student. Chen Chen, born in 2002, 21 years old this year. Hes a native of Handu, Mainland China. Hes currently on a leave of absence from grade 20 in Jiao Tong University Life Sciences Research Institute. The young blonde man declared, Puts a face to the new competitor. Youre kidding me. Below the stage, several elderly men with ashen hair frowned and protested. Some brat like this can establish such a gigantic corporation and put so much pressure on our Swiss medical care industry? Whos supposed to be backing him? He undoubtedly has people supporting him, but the strange thing is The young blonde said with a curious look, Contrary to what you all may believe, the people backing him arent the ones controlling everything. According to the evidence Ive gathered, the plutocrats backing him are of equal standing with Blacklight Biotechnology. This also further proves that Chen Chen isnt a mere puppet. The audience appeared to be greatly intrigued by this mention. To date, twelve families are backing Blacklight Biotechnology. This includes Europes Foster and Wilson financial groups, North Americas Edwards, Alexander, Rodriguez, and Blanc financial groups as well as the Middle-eastern Mohammed Financial Group The Als Mutual Aid Association led by the Blanc Financial Group once made a move against Blacklight Biotechnology and the young man called Chen Chen, the young blonde said curiously. What happened? The audience awaited an answer impatiently. In the end, the successor of the Blanc Financial Group disappeared for a while. He resurfaced again later with both kidneys cut off. The audience felt a chill rising the back of their spines. The young blonde continued. Thats not the end of it. Paul Blanc, the leader of the Blanc family sent his son Sloane to Namibia for a short period. His successor came back with both kidneys restored Was it a new kidney implant? Appears to be the case. The new set of kidneys was also better than the previous set of kidneys, no signs of transplant rejection either. The young blonde made a gesture and sighed. Chances are the rumors circulating around are true. Blacklight Biotechnology possesses a form of cloning technology, capable of cloning human organs. The Blanc family was threatened, has to be it. Below the stage, a man with a large beard grunted. What surprises me is how chicken that Paul is. His son had both his kidneys removed but Paul still ends up backing down. The young blonde shook his head. During the time of this incident, we all thought that Paul Blanc would go all out against Blacklight Biotechnology so none of us expected this outcome. Instead of slighting Paul, I think its more a case of Chen Chens vicious methods. With that, the display switched to another picture. They craned their necks to look and saw the new picture was still of the young man called Chen Chen. However, the picture gave off a different aura from the previous identification picture. There was an ominous gloom around the young man, his eyes were like two bottomless pits leading nowhere, his entire image gave off an impression of a cunning and vicious jackal. There was an invasive gaze in his eyes that perpetrated through the display, making the audience feel a wave of chill through them. If not for the identical features, they may have mistaken this for an entirely different person. Im sure this picture answers your questions. The young blonde made a waving gesture. In all honesty, if not for the Blacklight virus, I think Switzerland wouldnt even be able to compete against this company. Their age-reversal treatment project alone makes millionaires all across the world line up their wallets for them. Its time to take matters into our own hands. When he noted the expressions his audience wore, the young blonde man frowned and declared sternly, Everyone here is shareholders of Novartis and Roche and some of you also hold shares in Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, and GlaxoSmithKline. If we can band our forces together, surely, we can curb this companys momentum. Even if we cannot keep them suppressed, at least we can buy enough time until the patent for the age-reversal treatment technology expires! With that, the young blonde approached the conference table and set his hands on the table. Thats all I have to say. Who agrees and who objects? They exchanged glances with one another. A spectacled man on the right raised his voice. I object! If we mobilize against them, what happens if they exact their revenge the same way they did the Blanc family? This man continued protesting angrily. I only hold shares in Roche. When a new company like Blacklight Biotechnology that turns a blind eye to the industry rules begins retaliating, can you companies guarantee our safety? If they even dare! The young blonde snorted. The only reason Blacklight Biotechnology dared to make a move against Blanc Financial Group is that Blanc is nowhere near powerful enough. Among the North American giants, the Blanc Financial Group doesnt rank among the elites, only hovering around the middle tier, but were different. There are more than a dozen large financial groups between Novartis and Roche. As long as we band together, our combined strength rivals that of the entire Europe. Are you telling me were supposed to be afraid of a mere company? They became silent. Since nobody objects, then the matter is settled. The young blonde seemed rather content. In this case, Ill begin drafting our plan from here on, the general outline is The focal lens began pulling away from the young blonde man until the window borders became visible. It was a video being played on a display. Chen Chen was looking at the footage and began musing. These European families with shares in Novartis and Roche are planning to rally against me? Yes, the instigator is the financial group behind the presenter C Oppenheimer Financial Group. They hold thirteen percent shares in Novartis and fifteen percent in Roche. Little X explained, Due to the emergence of Eco Science City, the medical sector in Switzerland no longer reigns as they once did. This financial group saw that were unaffected by the Blacklight virus and decided to take matters into their own hands. I take it theres no discrepancy with the message? Chen Chen asked. Even though the footage doesnt have audio, I can discern their conversations by analyzing their lip motions. I can confirm that the information is accurate, Little X explained. In that case, theres not much else to say about this. Chen Chen nodded. If you plan to make a move against me, best be ready to get declawed. But its exactly as they claim, now that theyre banding their forces together, we wont be able to take down this giant gathering with just a couple of maneuvers. I understand, it wont be easy to deal with any one of them as each of them are very powerful, Little X said. Considerably powerful. Chen Chen nodded. The cross-holding situation between them alone makes it difficult to divide them as theyre connected by a complicated web. If we just move boldly against them, we may end up setting off the pack immediately and Ill be the one suffering for it. What should we do then? Chen Chen showed a thoughtful look as he got up. He paced back and forth with his hands behind his back for a while before suddenly raising the question, Will they be continuing these meetings? This meeting was hosted yesterday. There will probably be a meeting of a larger scale hosted next week. Little X answered, The chairman of both Roche and Novartis will be participating as well. Thats when theyll be discussing the specifics of their approach. That makes things easy. Chen Chen nodded and massaged his neck. Theres no way that theyll be cooperating properly, so what we need to do is to divide them. Implant a portion of them with the God chip and have them eliminate the other half. Then have them escape Switzerland and just make them disappear. Isnt it easier to just kill them all outright? With the weapons available to us, we should be able to easily assassinate anyone in the world, Little X asked. That wont do. Chen Chen tapped his head. Think about it, what are they holding the meeting for? To discuss how they can deal with me. If this gathering of the elites of the society is assassinated, wouldnt that be as good as practically announcing to the world that it was me who did it? Even if the average person wouldnt know about it, the Swiss government, no, the entire Earth Federation governments will have a hint of whats going on. Chen Chen shook his head. This point alone will have our company immediately labeled as terrorists. Its extremely disadvantageous for our company. Besides, no matter what they plan to do, theyll be playing within the rules. Its not that we cant use external methods, but when it involves dozens of financial groups, the impact is just too big to risk. Worst comes to worst, the Earth Federation might decide to stop us as well. Little X understood now. I get it, even if we want to slaughter them, we have to do it within the realm of whats permitted. If we push our luck, we may find ourselves ganged up upon. Thats right. Chen Chen said, Even if we want to resort to less ethical methods, we cant make it so obvious. We need to make sure theres zero evidence pointing at us. Chen Chen paused for a moment before resuming. Actually, the best method is to modify the Blacklight virus, lowering its lethality and rate of infection, then unleash it in Switzerland. This way, not only can we deliver a blow to the Switzerland medical care sector, but theyll also have their hands full and wont have time to deal with us. However, people will notice if the virus is artificially modified. When the Earth Federation gets involved, they should be able to guess that Blacklight is involved in this since we have a good reason to target them and the apt technology to do so. So, the best way to cripple their operation against us is to A week later. Federer Oppenheimer stood in front of a mirror. Inside the mirror, he could see his handsome reflection and his bright golden curls while a young woman beside him was tying his tie for him. After sorting out his tie, the young woman wrapped herself around Federer and stared into his reflection in the mirror. Federer, will you be coming back for dinner tonight? I probably wont have time to, honey. Federer shook his head and noted the disappointment in the womans eyes. He was filled with the urge to dote on her. Theres a conference that I need to host tonight. Im sure you know as well that to earn my place in the family, I need to prove my worth I understand. The woman nodded and made no further comment. Thats good. Mutual trust is very important for two people to stay together, I hope you wont break this trust between us. Federer gently tapped her cheeks then turned away and left the house. After walking out of the villa, Federer was escorted by the driver into the vehicle. He instructed, Novartis headquarters. The driver started the engine and began heading toward the Novartis Corporation headquarters. On the way there, Federer took out a second phone and started a conversation with someone for a while when a frown suddenly greeted his face. For some unknown reason, there was a strange stench in the car. It was the metallic stench of blood. Federer raised his head and noticed a bandage wrapped around the back of the drivers neck. Blood was still continuously seeping out of the bandage so Federer asked, Gilson, what happened to your neck? Sir, I accidentally slipped and fell. The driver answered blankly. The tone of his voice further unsettled Federer. He took a peek at the driver through the rearview mirror and saw that Gilsons face had become extremely pale and carried no vivid expressions like he had turned into another person Federer was uncertain where he got the idea from but his cautious nature prompted him to alert the driver, Gilson, stop the car on the side of the road, I suddenly remembered theres something I need to do. Alright, sir. Gilson responded coldly. However, Federer saw that Gilson continued to drive without any intention of stopping any time soon. Gilson, stop the car! This time, Federers voice was harsher. Ok, sir. The driver answered again. The mechanical tone of his reply sent a chilling bite across Federers body. His first instinct is to hop out of the car to make his escape, but before he acted on it, the doors of the car were locked with a click. Furthermore, a large pair of cold, stoic hands appeared from the bunk, wrapping themselves around Federers neck In an instant, the vehicle with strictly implemented security guidelines turned into a cage coursing through the highway. Federer repeatedly slapped the windows but nobody would see what was happening in here Chapter 233 - Massacre The same scene transpired in dozens of luxury vehicles headed for Novartis headquarters. The vehicle was parked in a parking spot off the path where there was nobody to be seen. The driver in front wielded a blank expression while in the back of the car, a vulgar experiment was ongoing. A Black Knight injected a tranquilizer into a vein in Federers neck. Within three minutes, Federer dozed off into a deep sleep. After that, the Black Knight took out an operation knife and cut into Federers neck without applying any form of disinfectant at the ready. A pool of blood formed almost instantly. The Black Knight appeared to be well prepared ahead of time. He quickly lay down a waterproof tarp on the seat cushion to prevent any bloodstains from getting in the expensive carpet in the car. After that, he used a bone marrow puncturing needle to implant the God chip. At last, another God chip controlled puppet was born. Unlike regular God chips implanted into members of Gods Forbidden Zone, this chip completely took over its host. As long as the host was left unconscious, the chip could control the hosts expressions down to the finest detail. After the chip had been implanted, the car started again and continued heading to Novartis headquarters. Nobody was aware of what had happened earlier inside the car. When the driver had arrived outside the Novartis building, the driver got down from the car as usual and opened the door for Federer. The two of them began walking toward the elevator, one trailing after the other. Federer, how are you just arriving? Dont forget that youre our host today, you shouldve come earlier. The moment they stepped out of the elevator, a man holding close resemblance to Federer approached them with boiling rage. Hold on, wheres your script? Federer shot him an absent look before he continued walking into the venue. Fe The man was just about to speak when the bodyguard stepped in front of him. B*stard, what do you think youre doing Gilson, you dare stop me? The man was furious but with the giant blocking his path, he could only throw several more insults before walking away. As more people began arriving, the bodyguards began positioning themselves outside the entrance. Each one of them carried a blank expression and looked almost lifeless. This unsettled the arriving shareholders participating in the meeting. Please have the bodyguards stay outside. When Gilson saw a shareholder approaching, he stepped forward, expressionless. Isaac, you stay outside. An elderly man with pale white hair issued an order to the bodyguard beside him. He then silently glanced at Gilson before pushing open the door to the conference room. There were already approximately forty people seated inside the conference room. Somethings off. After seeing his boss off, the bodyguard named Isaac motioned at his partner beside him. Vikander, did you notice something going on with the group of bodyguards opposite us? I noticed it too. The man dressed similarly in bodyguard attire put his hand in his pocket, appearing slightly nervous. Even though they are employed by different bosses, they look like they are all trained under the same instructor Theres more, did you notice the back of that guy and that guys neck Isaac sneakily pointed at two other bodyguards in front of them. Theres something off with the back of their necks. Are those white things gauzes? Its the same over there, that guy has a gauze on his neck as well. The bodyguard named Vikander remarked, Their collars are also raised very high, is this a sign that they all have a wound on their necks? Whats going on, is today April Fools The two men discussed discretely and as time went on, more people began to arrive. What brought them some comfort was that among the bodyguards waiting outside the venue, only nearly a dozen of them filed themselves into the other group. Meanwhile, there were slightly over thirty bodyguards on their side. There was an invisible border drawn between the two groups. These bodyguards appeared somewhat absent-minded. Some other bodyguards attempted to make conversation with the strange bodyguards, but still got no response whatsoever. The bodyguard named Isaac checked the time and noticed it was already two oclock in the afternoon, which was the time for the meeting to start. Isaac glanced at the elevator and saw the floor number shown on the display beside the elevator had stayed the same for some time. This meant that all the participating members had arrived at the venue. Muffled voices from the loudspeaker could be heard coming from the thick soundproof door behind them. Isaac suddenly became agitated as his heart began to swell with faint restlessness. The root of this uneasiness stemmed from the cast of bodyguard colleagues in front of him. Just as Isaac was planning to further inspect the situation with these colleagues, he suddenly heard rounds of rapid clicking! It was the sound of handguns being loaded! Isaac abruptly raised his head and was greeted by the sight of these strange colleagues drawing their guns almost all at the same time, their barrels were aimed at him! Careful! Somebody in his group uttered a short yelp. Just as Isaac tried to reach for his gun, he felt a terrible quake in his body! Without him noticing, a bullet had found its way into his skull Isaacs vision doubled over for a moment. In this very moment, a large chunk of his brain was blown off before it could get a sense of what was happening. The bullet shattered part of his cerebral cortex but miraculously did minimal damage to his brain nerves, thus preserving several seconds of his conscience. In the final moment of his life, he could hear the faint tremor of gunshots resounding in the conference room. This was a trap This was the only thing coursing through Isaacs mind in this very moment. It was followed by a wave of regret until his brain could not sustain itself anymore and stopped entirely Isaacs body only collapsed after he had passed. Behind his lifeless body, dozens of bodyguards who had failed to draw their guns in time were mercilessly punctured with bullet holes. With the help of the surprise factor, it took less than ten seconds to execute all the bodyguards by the entrance. It was only until then when horrific cries and wails could be heard coming from inside the conference room. Packs of wealthy businessmen and family members of plutocrats scrambled out of the meeting room, screaming and crying to the cold, hard gun barrels meeting them on the other end At last, all of the meetings participants collapsed onto the ground. The only ones remaining were the emotionless zombies like Federer. Throughout the entire ordeal, they barely exchanged a single word. After massacring everyone, they split up and went into the stairways and elevators, promptly exiting the Novartis headquarters. They each scrambled into different directions and fled the scene. After approximately ten minutes, dozens of police cars arrived at the scene and locked down Novartis headquarters but it was too late. From here on, the group who had received the God chip implant would be directed to the hiding spots prepared ahead of time by Little X. These hideouts were carefully selected and the Black Knights had prepared everything several days ago. It was very unlikely that the police would find them. After they had shaken off the polices pursuit, the Black Knights would proceed to remove the chip from them and dispose of their bodies by way of cementing the bodies, dismemberment, casting them into oceans, and various other methods. Chen Chen would never allow anyone to obtain proof of the existence of the God chips, even if they knew about the neck injuries clue. Chapter 234 - Completion of Mankind Anti-aging Project This was a bizarre event that shook the nation. The surveillance footage showed a small group of Novartis and Roche shareholders killing all of the other shareholders through this event. What the police could not figure out was their collective motive for doing so. They were all billionaires sitting on enough wealth to last several generations with some of them even influential enough to make political changes in Switzerland. What sort of mad motivation did they have to band together for no particular reason and kill a group of billionaires of equal standing as them? Even if there were some feud between them, why not resort to monetary or political tactics to pressure the other side or simply employ assassins? Such tactics were very common, after all, who would be foolish enough to take matters into their own hands? Were they going to give up the status and identity they had fought so hard, so long for? However, such a bizarre, nonsensical event did happen. A group of billionaires had killed another group of billionaires in broad daylight where dozens of billionaires were executed simultaneously. This was not including the group of their family members who were similarly executed as well. This was no minor event. If this was mishandled, the Switzerland stock market would be greatly affected as a result. Additionally, all of the victims had various factions rallying behind them. If these factions got tangled together, there was very little that even the Switzerland government could do. However, since the event had transpired in the Novartis headquarters instead of in a public location, the case was sealed to avoid public scrutiny. Facing pressure from major corporations on all sides, the government had ordered the police to conduct a thorough investigation, emphasizing on locating the perpetrators for further questioning. Sadly, the outcome may come off as a disappointment for the Swedish government. The perpetrators had seemingly vanished into thin air. The police had followed every clue available that may lead to their whereabouts. They had even found the clothing and other personal belongings of this group but failed to locate any one of them. As time went on, the officials were reassigned one after the other, and the case never saw much by way of progress. Eventually, it had become a mystery that the higher-ups of the Switzerland government were unable to solve. Chen Chen nodded contently when he saw the results. Good work, X, youre getting better at commandeering. Youve done everything perfectly from overall groundwork to analysis and drafting the mission plan. Even Id have trouble doing all this. Hm hm! Little X spared the modesty and took credit for everything right away. Since the Swiss-Europe collaboration effort target at us has failed, what will be our next move? Of course, its back to the usual. Chen Chen thought for a moment and flipped through the booklet of technology Little X had acquired from Elysium. Were a right and proper biology enterprise, so its back to biological science-related work. With that, he flipped to a certain page and said, For example, this targeted drug for triple-negative advanced breast cancer or the targeted drug for advanced mix liver cancer. We can start instantiating them gradually. These targeted drugs are hundred-year-old technologies in the world of Elysium and have long been discontinued as they dont meet a recovery rate of ninety percent. With that said, these drugs are as good as a miracle pill in the real world. Will we draw the suspicion of the Earth Federation if we take out too many of them at once? Little X asked with concern. Let them suspect all they want. The corner of Chen Chens lips crooked upward in a smirk. So what. With the emergence of these drugs, our Blacklight Biotechnology will be further cementing our position in the medical sector. By the time the Earth Federation begins to marvel at and question the biotechnological development of Blacklight Biotechnology, wed have already grown by an insurmountable amount. As Blacklight Biotechnology begins to expand its influence, it wont make a difference even if the Earth Federation becomes alerted. With all the profiteering organizations backing us, they would have to go through those organizations to reach us. Chen Chen gently raised his hand and slowly closed it into a fist. Do you understand now? Blacklight Biotechnology didnt get to this point by bearing all the burden all by ourselves, instead, we extend our reach to all corners of the world. By that point, its too late for the Earth Federation to try to make a move against us because confronting us is to confront the organizations rallying behind us, which is hurting the Earth Federation itself Oh Little X responded, seemingly unable to fully comprehend. I plan to bring an end to all forms of cancer in thirty years. Chen Chen added. Thirty years. This also marks the end of the first lifespan extension cycle of the Mankind Anti-aging Project. The Age Reversal Treatment will be gradually pushed to the world and will become accessible to most of the population in thirty years. Only the termination of all forms of cancer by that time will spell the completion of the first phase of the Mankind Anti-aging Project. But genes like cancer are ever-present. The longer a human lives, the higher the chances of being diagnosed with cancer Little X said in a low voice. I know that, which is why Ill be developing a treatment drug for all kinds of cancer in thirty years. Cancer will go from a terminal disease akin to Death itself to a disease that can be easily cured. I understand, Little X responded. This is only one of my agenda. Chen Chen thought for a moment and said, At the same time, Im planning to launch a bionic prosthetic project in preparation for when we exhaust the potential of genetic technology. Bionic prosthetic? Little X asked with a hint of surprise, You mean Swapping heads? Thats right. Chen Chen nodded. I do understand that casting off ones body for the sake of extending ones lifespan is very counterintuitive. After all, its vital to preserve the body to encourage further evolution through genetic technology practices, but what if the relevant biotechnological technology involved faces a bottleneck period spanning centuries? By the time the first phase of Mankind Anti-aging Project expires, the ones who subscribe to this project will very quickly wither away. We cannot afford to put all our eggs in one basket. Chen Chen reflected. This is why bionic prosthetics are very important. Not only will it be able to address issues concerning disability, should the development of biotechnology encounter a bottleneck, humans can connect their minds to a bionic prosthetic as a temporary alternative. These bionic prosthetics will not exhibit any form of transplantation rejection and its users will attain senses such as touch, taste, smell, and such which are far superior to that of their original bodies Although the drawback is that the potential for biological evolution is cut in half and more, its still better than the alternative being the extinction of mankind. Besides, this may also pave a different path to longevity. I get it. Little X said, The bionic prosthetic youre referring to is a combination of robotics and biotechnology. It can emulate the movements of the human body, even fulfilling many desires such as gluttony and lust, but its not a complete human body just yet Yes, thats exactly what Im trying to say. Chen Chen nodded in response. So lets get ready to begin. The factories in the Eco Science City Industrial Park are nearing completion and will be our research facility once they are completed. Also, we wont have to start from square one. Both the bionic technology from Alita: Battle Angel or Ghost in the Shell are good options to work with. Which one will you be choosing? Little X asked. Emm, isnt it obvious? Chen Chen turned to Little X with a devilish smirk. Chapter 235 - T-Black Knight Half a month passed. Chen Chen sat inside the Wrangler Jeep, beholding the estate of the industrial park even larger than the Eco Science City. He was visibly pleased. Over there, Boss. Thats the electronics assembly factory were constructing. In the passenger seat, Qian Wenhuan pointed to a dome structure. The structure was covered with a copious number of solar panels and when approached from a distance, appeared more like a ball lamp commonly seen in banquet halls. It glittered under the radiant sunlight, giving off a mesmerizing impression. What was even more notable was the sheer dimensions of the structure. Measuring up to two hundred meters in length and sixty meters tall, it was nearly a small mountain on its own. This electronics factory can host up to 50,000 people and its self-sufficient in electricity. Qian Wenhuan introduced, There are 1,500 assembly lines in the factory. It can assemble any kind of equipment you can think of efficiently and very quickly. Were confident that we can gain a monopoly on the Namibian electronics assembly sector with this factory alone! How about the staff? Chen Chen asked, How do we deal with the shortage of manpower? I must say Boss, this is the easiest problem to deal with. Qian Wenhuan chuckled. Im sure you havent been to the ten thousand workers electronics assembly factory in Mainland? When Chen Chen responded with a nod, Qian Wenhuan began explaining, Its very easy to employ workers. All you need is a local intermediary to do it for you. Im sure youve seen all sorts of recruitment notices online, they all follow this model Intermediaries use all sorts of methods to employ people, the most common method is by advertising online. They would tell you the job offers a salary up to 200, 300, even 400. Theres double pay on weekends, you can quit anytime you want, accommodation and food provided, and plenty other attractive compensations. Its like all of the advertisements are telling you that you dont need brains to have money, what are you waiting for? But the truth? Qian Wenhuan altered his tone, posturing as an expert. Doesnt matter if youre a clerk, warehouse manager, film director or even a kindergarten teacher, the place to go is always these 10,000 workforce factories. Your duties on the job are extremely simple. Take your position in the production line, whatever comes out of the production line, you install the parts you have on hand into it. Theres no technique behind it, you just have to repeat the same sequence. Chen Chen returned with a nod. I think back when I was in university I had heard from the sophomores and juniors that its extremely exhausting. Thats why there are as many people signing up for these factory jobs as people are quitting every day. They come and go in the hundreds. Qian Wenhuan smiled. It may be a little trickier to hire workers in an electronics factory in the Mainland, but were in Namibia now. After the recent pandemic, were suddenly offering 50,000 jobs all at once, dont you think the Namibian government will be losing their minds at this piece of good news? Theres no need to worry about manpower. Good point. Ive planned everything! Qian Wenhuan laughed even more heartily when he saw his boss agreeing with him. We can set the wages at 0.4 U.S. dollars per hour, eight hours per day, and three shifts. This way, the factory can operate around the clock and the workers will not have to work overtime, which means we wont have to provide additional overtime wages. Just like that, weve saved a considerable amount of expenses. Also, this way, we can offer up to 150,000 jobs, greatly expanding our influence in Namibia! For a position like this back in Mainland, the monthly wage for each worker has got to be at least 3,000 renminbi or more, but over here, 100 U.S. dollars monthly for each worker is more than enough. Its at least four times cheaper than in the Mainland! Just as Chen Chen was about to commend Qian Wenhuan, his phone suddenly rang. Chen Chen checked his phone and saw that it was a message from Little X. The first batch of T-Black Knights were fully developed and ready for extraction. After seeing the message, Chen Chen instructed, Cao, back to the Spire Experimental Base. Cheng Cao, who was sitting in the drivers seat, gave him a nod then turned the car around and headed back to the direction where they came from. Boss, is it something urgent? Qian Wenhuan asked. No big deal, Hannibals research team has produced the first batch of enhanced Black Knights troops. Chen Chen was in a rather fine mood. Ol Qian, want to go take a look? No no no! Qian Wenhuan frantically waved his hands and held up a perfect smile. I think I wont be getting involved in these affairs, I can never understand research subjects. Chen Chen gave him a quick smile and did not try to pressure him any longer. Shortly after, the Wrangler returned to the Eco Science City and stopped in front of a building. This particular building was recently renovated. Previously, it was just a regular office building but now Chen Chen had remodeled it into the Blacklight Biotechnology African Branch Headquarters. Some of the office staff were also relocated from the research center to the headquarters. There was also an entrance to the Spire laboratory here. The elevator in the building led to the tram station underground, where one could take a tram to the underground section of the Sun District. From there on, there was another elevator that led to the Spire laboratory underground. Fifteen minutes had passed by the time Chen Chen returned to the Spire Experimental Base. Boss, youre finally back. Inside the laboratory dedicated to researching Black Knights, Hannibal and Li Lei appeared to have been waiting for some time. Whats the situation? Chen Chen took a white lab coat from an assistant and put it on before approaching the giant incubation chamber and asked with his eyes squinted. They should be fully developed and matured now. We waited an extra twelve hours and based on the observation in this period, all of the subjects in the life incubation chambers displayed no further signs of growth. Hannibal asked, Boss, are we opening the chamber? Open one for now, but to be on the safe side, have everyone put on protective suits. Chen Chen gave the order. This was the first batch of T-version Black Knights. Hannibal had created six samples in total for cross-referencing them with each other to find out any form of inadequacies to make further modifications accordingly. According to the tabulated data, the fused product of the T-virus and human cells should cause the human genes to completely lose their infectious qualities. However, Chen Chen still had everyone put on isolation protective suits just in case something went wrong. After everyone had put on the appropriate gear, Chen Chen gave the order for the labeled incubation chamber number 1 to begin expelling its liquid contents. Everyone watched as the water level in the life incubator began to drop rapidly until the gray-white giant inside it started to become exposed. With the help of some tools, a cast of assistants moved the giant to a customized stretcher. They then began to take the physical measurements of the giant. Height, 354 centimeters. Weight, 308 kilograms High blood pressure reading of 660mmHg, low blood pressure 520mmHg The subjects physical condition is excellent. Perfect muscle tissues, no signs of adhesion Hes built like a mammoth! As the assistants began to take various readings, the observing crowd constantly mused among themselves. Its probably because of puberty. Li Lei smiled and noted when he saw the man-beast before him. We forgot that humans go through a puberty stage. During the puberty stage, theres a period of rapid growth before it comes to a sudden screech. Thats why despite our initial projections of the subject growing to approximately 3 meters, the subject had turned out to grow up to 3.5 meters. Hannibal nodded. Looks like well have to figure something out to shrink future iterations of T-Black Knight. Shh Chen Chen suddenly reached out and made a gesture for silence. Everyone quickly stopped what they were doing and looked at Chen Chen quizzingly. It was only after everyone had stopped working on their tasks when they heard a drumming thump, thump sound coming from the giant experimental subject. Heartbeat doesnt seem as strong as previously. Chen Chen noted. It may be due to the lowered intake of hormones, Li Lei explained, previously, due to the injection of hormones, the body of the subject was locked in an overloaded growth stage. Now that there are no hormones injected, the body of the subject is returning to normal. Lets hope so. Chen Chen nodded. All the other tests can wait for now. Lets see if the God chip can control it first. Understood. The assistants slowly backed away, allowing another group of assistants in charge of operation pushing carts full of surgical tools to take their place. The operation did not go well. The experiment subject one had skin as thick as tires. After finally slicing through its skin, they found that the muscle tissues inside were even tougher. There was very little the surgical knife could do. Left with no other choice, the assistant in charge of the operation took out the chain saw and forced his way through the muscles on the back of the experiment subject ones neck. That was when something even more astounding occurred. The giant experiment subject before them possessed unbelievable regenerative abilities. The gathering watched as the muscles that were just sliced through began regenerating at such a rate that it was almost visible to the naked eyes. During the healing process, the muscle fibers squirmed and crossed over each other like little red worms. It was an uncomfortable sight for the ones watching. Speed it up! The head surgeon growled and cut through the muscle tissues in front of him again. This time, paying no mind to employ specific cutting techniques, he quickly took out an electric drill and drilled into the exposed vertebral. Boss, other qualities aside, the regenerative of subject one alone is phenomenal. Chen Chen, Hannibal, and Li Lei stood at the back, watching them scramble away at their tasks. Hannibal commented, This regenerative ability is truly impressive. If we can apply it on our Black Knights, their combat longevity will be greatly improved. The premise is that well have to prepare sufficient nutrition. Li Lei also added. Judging by this terrifying regenerative speed, its consumption should be up to a hundred times higher than that of ordinary people. Thats a given. Chen Chen nodded. Energy bars will no longer cut it for these monsters. Theyre going to need injections. During the three mens discussion, the assistant in charge had finally drilled sixteen small holes into the subjects spine. A modified God chip was then made ready for the next step. To be clear, the so-called modification largely left the primary component of the God chip untouched. This technology was far beyond the current technological scope of Blacklight Biotechnology. The only thing they could modify was the electrode placement of the God chip. Inside the movie, the original God chip had six tiny feet no longer than one centimeter. The length allowed it to puncture the human spine and lodge itself into it effortlessly but there was little chance of it working out for a giant four times larger than a regular human. The one-centimeter long electrode should barely be able to reach its spinal cord. That was the reason the God chip electrode was refitted, extending them from one centimeter to three centimeters. This length should suffice. The monsters spine was extremely sturdy. Even with a chainsaw, it took a considerable amount of effort to work through it. By the time it was done, experiment subject ones back had become an unruly jumble of blood and flesh. The group did not spare a moment to relax. They promptly installed the God chip. It was only after ensuring all electrodes had punctured into the spinal cord when they began treating the monsters wounds. They cleaned up all the pulled muscles and skin and then used needles and threads to suture the wound. The entire process took an hour, where the operation was finally nearing its end. The only thing left to do now was to wait. Like the previous Black Knights, these T-virus mixed Black Knights had inhibitory serotonin injected. The cranial cavity was full of hydrocephalus and the brain had long shrunken and degenerated. The subject did not have a trace of consciousness. The God chip began to take over the body. One minute, two minutes, five minutes They stared at the subject intently. They saw the Black Knights constant beating of its exposed heart and its puffing chest mimicking the motion of the heartbeat but there was no other movement. Chen Chen was not in a rush. Ten minutes later, Chen Chen suddenly spotted subject ones finger twitching ever so slightly. The movement was extremely minor. Only Chen Chen noted it distinctly. Within half a minute, the muscle tissues all over the Black Knights body began to jerk. Its moving, its moving! The group exclaimed. Chen Chen knew that this was caused by the God chip configuring its electrical signals. After another half hour passed, the God chip, which was finally starting to adapt to this body, made experiment subject one to open its eyes. It was then when they noticed the pupils of experiment subject one was a deep, dark red. After that, experiment subject one sat up on the stretcher and looked at them quietly. Even when sitting on a stretcher, it was a lot taller than the average person. Experiment subject one had granite-like muscles paved all over its body. Coupled with its cold stare, it mounted a gigantic amount of pressure on the crowd. Without realizing it themselves, everyone other than Chen Chen stumbled two steps backward. Despite knowing that with the God chip controlling it, there was no chance of the monster snapping out of control. The sight of the monster triggered an inherent genetic instinct like that of a herbivore encountering a lion. Their underlying basic instincts kept telling them that this monster in front of them was not to be angered. After the fifth examination of the body fluid samples, we still found no traces of the virus. At the moment, an assistant in charge of testing the body fluids reported to Chen Chen, It has been determined that the T-virus isnt present in experiment subject ones body. Its infection ability is nil. Very good. After receiving the report, the research personnel began removing their air-tight helmets. Although the equipment was an excellent defensive measure, they were very stuffy to wear. Unless necessary, nobody liked to wear them on the job. Lets examine the capability of experiment subject one first. Li Lei bit his lip and slowly approached experiment subject one. Subject one, can you understand what Im saying? Subject one, with its horrifically pale and bald head, responded with a faint nod. With that, Li Lei was at ease. Try to get up from the stretcher. Ill be tabulating your data accordingly. Clack! Following Li Leis order, experiment subject one slowly stood up. When he got up, he staggered a few steps and stood firmly in his spot after finding his center of gravity. Its a success! They erupted into cheers. After that, they took subject one out of the laboratory and to the training field for the Black Knights to perform physical tests on strength, speed, reaction speed, and other bodily functions of this gigantic beast. The results were mind-blowing. The strength of an average person was 600 C approximately 1200N while subject ones strength ascended to 9000N. His speed was three times that of a regular person and similarly, three times more capable in sprinting and endurance tests alike. Chapter 236 - Bionic Technology Extraction On the training field in the Spire Experimental Base, there was the constant teeth-grinding screech of a steel bar being twisted. After several months of reconstruction, the underground cavern had been transformed into a gigantic military base. Apart from the pyramid structure taking up to 10,000 square meters of real estate in the middle, there were also all sorts of dormitories, warehouses, training fields, and various facilities. There was even a soilless cultivation building which was usually not put to use. At the present, there was a giant twice as tall as a regular person standing in the middle of the training field wearing nothing but white pants. He gripped a steel plate approximately five centimeters thick and with both hands pulling each side, began to slowly tear it apart. This was where the sound of metal bending originated from. The giants strength was ten times that of a regular person and could reach a speed of up to 90 kilometers an hour at full sprint. He could maintain such speed for up to five hundred meters while also boasting extreme endurance. The reflected data was only representative of the giant who had only just come out of the life incubator. After one to two months of intensive exercise, the giants strength could at least be doubled, the same for his endurance. While a significant breakthrough in terms of speed was not expected, he should be able to achieve a speed of hundred kilometers per hour. The giant was like a hybrid of man and T-rex. Forget about lions or beasts, the giant would gladly take on the likes of rhinoceros and elephants. Chen Chen was aware that even if a regular person was somehow enlarged to 3.5 meters, it was still nigh impossible to display such statistics. At most, the subjects strength may be increased by two to three folds. Furthermore, the subject may see a decrease in speed and endurance as opposed to an improvement in those aspects. The worst-case scenario was that the subject would be wheelchair-bound for the rest of his life, unable to stand up ever again. This was the effect of T-virus amplification. From muscle mass to bone density, subject number one had displayed superhuman growth in all categories. It would make more sense to classify him as an entirely different species from common humans. A new species evolved by the T-virus. This was considered rather remarkable. Chen Chen remembered that in the game Resident Evil, these giants were branded as tyrants and they ranged from two meters up to four meters. The one thing they all had in common was their extreme individual combat abilities and regenerative abilities. No number of bullets was enough to pierce through their frame. What was rather puzzling was that the Umbrella Corporation in the video game chose to introduce a claw-shaped structure for its right limb as a means of enhancing its combat abilities. It was the same thing as eternally strapping a cold weapon (TN: a classification of weapon that does not involve the use of gunpowder or other explosive materials) to the tyrant. This observation was probably one of the earliest instances of questionable decisions. For a B.O.W. that could be controlled remotely, instead of designing a claw-like cold weapon, it would be more optimal to equip the tyrant with a Gatling Vulcan on one arm and an RPG rocket launcher on the other. To replace the practicality of regular limbs with claw-shaped limbs was certainly an intriguing decision. In contrast, the newer biological organic weapon iteration, the Pursuer from the Nemesis Project made much more sense. When Chen Chen saw subject one tearing apart the steel plate with his bare hands, an idea he never thought of before suddenly occurred to him. Maybe the size of these biological organic weapons isnt the hindrance we think it is. They may prove to be surprisingly useful under certain circumstances. Alright, it seems like choosing to use T-virus to manufacture biological organic weaponry was the right move. Chen Chen clapped his hands together to gather the staffs attention. Still, it wont be necessary to produce too many of these unconventionally sized soldiers. This batch of six should suffice. From here on, Id like you all to start working on smaller variants. Well try to limit the size of the next batch of T-Black Knights to below two meters tall. Hannibal assured him with a nod. Thats not all. Chen Chen raised a finger and reminded. As opposed to these soldiers optimized for strength, Id prefer if you guys would develop more agile soldiers. These Black Knights should not exceed 180 centimeters and shouldnt be too large. Ideally, they should be able to blend into a crowd. Understood. Hannibal and Li Lei exchanged a look and nodded together. It was only then when Chen Chen took his leave. The reason Chen Chen had requested for such specification was that he did not expect the Black Knights to be utilized in a large scale battle. At the very least, before Blacklight Biotechnology was capable of taking on the entire Earth Federation, Chen Chen was not going to alter the primary uses of the Black Knights. The way Chen Chen saw it, the Black Knights were more suitable for secret operations. This included operations such as escort protection, targeted assassination, intel collection, small-scale operations, and so on. This was to say that the Black Knights usually operated in public situations, therefore they should prioritize giving the Black Knights regular physique to help blend into a crowd. In truth, Chen Chen always had the idea for a Supersoldier Project in mind. At their core, these Black Knights were cloned subjects under the control of the God chip. As seen in the movie Upgrade, even a regular person injected with the chip could instantly turn into an expert in all criteria. One could become a weapons expert, a multi-talented expert in cooking, driving, flight, and everything else. Of course, the perquisite being that the God chip had to contain enough information. This meant that apart from works related to science and research, the chip-implanted individuals were essentially all-around special forces. What if these special supersoldier forces possessed physical traits on par with Alices in the movie, coupled with the regenerative abilities of the tyrant? What if after fulfilling all the above conditions, they were further enhanced with the addition of the GS Combat Suit from Gantz? One could imagine that with this, a large team would not be necessary. If Chen Chen could put together a small task force consisting of ten of such members, they could easily overpower an army. Still, an overwhelming force of such magnitude could only be achieved in a world pre-world war two, before there were hyper-range communications, combat helicopters, and weapons of mass destruction. The modern wars fought in the twenty-first century were far more layered. If Chen Chen wanted to catch up to the current military standards, he would need to approach it from three different angles. Communications, mobility, and anti-missile. Communications as in a private dedicated communication system. Communication was an extremely important aspect in military affairs. An army that had its communications cut off was essentially stranded and given the death sentence. The importance of communication could not be stressed enough. During wartime, nobody would be foolish enough to rely on phones for communications. Such primitive methods were easily intercepted and crucial information would be exposed this way. Besides, a single electromagnetic bomb alone would put you in your place. Therefore, Chen Chen would at least require an independent communication infrastructure, perhaps even an independent international communication system. The significance of mobility was self-explanatory. Currently, the Black Knights that Chen Chen had dispatched on missions still relied on international airlines as a primary form of transportation. Not only was it efficient, but it was also very susceptible to being tracked by the government of each region. While Chen Chen had aircraft carriers and combat helicopters of his own, they were as good as useless in the face of the air defense forces of each country. One missile was all that was needed to stop them. Therefore, Chen Chen needed a form of transport that would not be discovered by the airline defense networks of each country. With this form of transportation, the T-Black Knights could be efficiently deployed around the world where their combat abilities could be fully utilized. Anti-missile was a matter of defensive measure. As it was, all of the wonders of Blacklight Biotechnology were built within a land with a radius of 500 square kilometers. However, there was no safety guarantee for these wonders. A single million-ton nuclear bomb, one hundred incendiary bombs or one thousand Tomahawks were enough to make light work of these wonders. Therefore, a precise anti-missile infrastructure was extremely vital. With that said, the final criteria was no urgent matter since there was a chance he may never even need it. After all, Chen Chen was not some kind of terrorist nor did he set up Blacklight Biotechnology to wipe out mankind. It was the exact opposite. Chen Chen had intended to use Blacklight Biotechnology to speed up the advancement of mankinds civilization. In conclusion, the final criteria was a preventative measure at best. Chen Chen still had a long way to go to accomplish the goal he had charted. Silently casting these plans back into the depths of his mind, Chen Chen returned to the secret laboratory to look at the ten clones he had cultivated himself. After ensuring that they were in prime condition, he left again. Five of these ten clones were injected with the T-virus when they were still embryos and would eventually grow into the likes of the previous three-meter tall supergiant. As for the remaining five clones, they were left in their original state for Chen Chens later experiments. After half a month, the five T-virus-injected clones had grown to approximately three to four years old while the clones not injected with T-virus were still in the stage of infancy. It may take at least half a year for the clones not injected with T-virus to fully mature. This was the very limit of hormone control technology. Chen Chen was not in a rush as he was already aware that the experiment would be extremely lengthy. Even with the technology acquired from Resident Evil, it was a tall task to develop a T-virus perfectly compatible with his genes and did not procure any side effects. Fortunately, as the boss of the company, Chen Chen had a huge amount of funds available to invest as he liked. There was also Little X, the pioneering AI that could quickly and efficiently deduct the protein genetic map of the virus. These were Chen Chens assurances. Before all these, there was something else Chen Chen had to do. An hour later, Chen Chen was driven to the nuclear power plant. Previously, an arrangement was finalized with the Namibian government. Chen Chen had free reign to allocate all the generated electricity in his nuclear power plant as he liked and in exchange, Chen Chen must build a one million kilowatt thermal power station for Namibia in its capital Windhoek. As far as Chen Chen was concerned, although it cost him a great deal, it was all worth it. This was Chen Chens subtle approach to extending his reach into Namibias parliament, allowing him to turn Namibia into his disguised logistics base in time. It was not so much that the Namibian government was aware of what was going on, but that the greed of men had a knack of surpassing expectations. Plenty of congressmen and ministers had succumbed to the monetary approach of Blacklight Biotechnology and now there was another bait to pull them in, which was an improved quality of life. Like quenching their thirst with poison, there was no hope of turning back for them after they had sunk into the depths. The only way to survive was to stay on the Blacklight Biotechnology tank until the end of the road as there was simply no other alternative. If Blacklight Biotechnology were to hypothetically evacuate Namibia right here and now, while they would suffer significant losses, the Namibia government social system would utterly collapse. Upon returning to the substation, the USB drive which had been charging for half a month had accumulated yet another large chunk of energy. Combined with its original energy, it would not pose a problem to extract another Medpod 3000. However, this time, there was something new that Chen Chen wanted to extract. He wanted to try to extract all the bionic technology and robotic technology so far. Chen Chens goal was simple. He looked at the computer display and instructed, Little X, list all of the movies so far that touches subjects of robotic and bionic technology. Without uttering a word, Little X displayed the covers of the movies one by one Alita: Battle Angel, Ghost in the Shell, Blade Runner, I, Robot, Robocop, Terminator, Ex Machina, The Machine, Bicentennial Man, Edward Scissorhands Little X immediately provided a lengthy list containing up to hundreds of movies, most of them were movies Chen Chen had never even heard of. Emm Chen Chen considered for a moment before instructing, Filter out the serialized movies and movies with highly repetitive elements. A good half of movies were instantly filtered out but there was still a large number of movies left on the display. Filter out the movies that do a poor job of explaining its theories and the ones with weak underlying logic, Chen Chen ordered again. Yet another large portion of movies were cut out. Chen Chen finally heaved a sigh of relief upon seeing the display. He instructed again, We already have the robot from Terminator. What we need to do now is to decode the underlying technology inside it. Get rid of movies that are technologically inferior to either the Terminator robot or your artificial intelligence system. In an instant, all but three movies were left on the screen. Alita: Battle Angel, Ghost in the Shell, I, Robot. These three were also the movies Chen Chen deemed more acceptable. If judging by robot technology alone, Terminator should establish itself as the golden standard. Although the T-800 was considered a commercial tier, the later liquid metal T-1000 and the stronger T-X were undoubtedly the top dogs of all the movies. In contrast, the bionic technologies from Blade Runner and Edward Scissorhands paled in comparison although these two movies were as much of a classic as Terminator. As for Little X, her intellectual level was getting close to that of an intellectual being. In the end, three movies were left in the list which met the previous criteria and possessed artificial intelligence surpassing those of most other movies. Alita: Battle Angel and Ghost in the Shell displayed superiority in bionic technology. Since their technology was only partial robotic technology, they were kept in the list. Meanwhile, Sonny in I, Robot was already a full-fledged intelligent life and was thus retained in the list. An intriguing look appeared on Chen Chens face when he looked at the list of three movies. The problem he was pondering now was that would the USB drive in its first phase be able to extract Alita and Motoko Kusanagi right away? Chen Chen knew that the USB drive in its first form was unable to extract living beings. This meant that if he were to force the issue, he would either only obtain two brainless, empty shells or simply fail to extract anything. Chen Chen was also curious if he would arrive in a world where mankind had long perished should he use the second form of the USB drive. While this may not be a big issue on its own, what if Chen Chen happened to run into the hostile threat that brought about the end of mankind? Chapter 237 - Instantiation Chen Chen pondered for a long time and finally chuckled at himself when he suddenly had a revelation. It was mad to even consider not using the USB drive just because of some potential danger. Ever since obtaining the USB drive, how much of what he accomplished was not with the help of the USB drive? Chen Chen would not be where he was today without the help of the USB drive, what good was it to overthink so many factors? Besides, until now, he had never faced an actual threat while using the USB drive. After a brief consideration, Chen Chen ordered Little X to download Ghost in the Shell and I, Robot. As for Alita: Battle Angel, it had been sitting idle in Chen Chens USB drive for a few years now. The movies were quickly downloaded. After that, Chen Chen took the USB drive out of the main control room. The USB drive was then plugged into the computer. Inside the tightly sealed room, dozens of armed Black Knights stood on standby behind Chen Chen, ready to provide their assistance should any accident occur. The two movies were inserted into the USB drive without any hiccups. Needless to say, the USB drive had acknowledged the cinematic universes. So, Chen Chen moved the cursor to I, Robot movie. I, Robot was also known as Machine Enemy. It was an old movie that was released in 2004. The movie was set in a futuristic robotic era where a police officer named Del Spooner lost his left arm in an accident. A robot determined that he had higher chances of surviving and chose to save him instead of saving another little girl, which in turn led to the death of the little girl. This event traumatized him and he was never able to trust any other robots ever since. Several years later, while he was on duty, he chanced upon a murder scene where the culprit appeared to be a robot. Little did he know, his investigation would lead to uncovering a robot rebellion conspiracy. Apart from the fantastic acting displayed by the protagonist actor, Will Smith, the other merit of the movie was the true protagonist C Sonny. On the outside, Sonny was just an ordinary NS-5 robot C 180 centimeters tall, durable titanium casing, transparent plastic-engineered facial features, 456 built-in movable parts, capable of bearing weight up to 363 kilograms and withstand thousands of pounds of impact, and came with 80 built-in languages. However, unlike other robots, it was able to form independent thoughts of its own. It was capable of expressing emotions such as anger when innocently accused and captured and also expressed emotions of fear when faced with life-threatening danger. Furthermore, the robot had dreams. This was something that only a fully completed artificial being could accomplish, even Little X did not have a feature that made dreaming possible. Since the invention of the Turing Test, humans had been trying to develop artificial intelligence holding as close a resemblance to the human brain as possible but the difference between a human brain and a computer was far too notable to accomplish such a feat. For example, with the current technological advancement, it was extremely easy to build a computer capable of handling ten-digit multiplications. However, it was unfathomably difficult for humans to build a computer capable of identifying whether an animal was a cat or a dog. Humans could easily build a computer intelligent enough to triumph over a world-class chess player but were unable to build a computer capable of understanding childrens books. High-tech companies around the world had spent tens of billions of dollars, but none had ever succeeded. Some subjects that were extremely challenging for the human mind such as calculus, marketing strategy, translations, and whatnot proved to be extremely simple for computers. However, certain tasks that came off as second nature such as sight, movement, and instinct proved to be daunting for computers. However, Sonny from I, Robot had overcome these restrictions. It had the perceptual ability of humans while also retaining the supreme computing ability of computers. This meant that Sonny was the true supreme artificial intelligence. Inside the movie, Sonny had a pair of stark blue eyes while the other regular NS-5 robots had yellow eyes. However, Chen Chen did not plan to instantiate this robot. The way he saw it, instantiating Sonny with the USB drive posed the same risk as instantiating Skynet from Terminator. Unless he had a-hundred-percent assurance that he could subdue the target, he was not going to go through with the instantiation. Therefore, Chen Chen planned to instantiate the regular robots which had different design philosophy from the T-series robots in Terminator. If they could be combined with the technology in Terminator, Chen Chen may be able to produce a far more powerful robot. Meanwhile, the mechanical arm equipped by the protagonist Del Spooner was a testament to supreme bionic technology. Unfortunately, there was very little detailed description of the mentioned technology. On the other hand, the respective technologies shown in Alita: Battle Angel and Ghost in the Shell were true representations of dark technology. In both Alita and Motoko Kusanagis case, the human brain was present with only their body fully substituted with bionic devices. What was even more astounding was that Alita had been asleep in the garbage pile for three hundred years. The only thing keeping her alive was her antimatter heart. If Chen Chen could thoroughly study these bionic technologies, the survivability of mankind would be greatly enhanced, even if it meant they would have to substitute parts of their bodies with bionic prosthetics. This was Chen Chens idea. With that, Chen Chen shrugged off whatever hesitation he had left and opened I, Robot movie right away. He dragged the progress bar to the scene where detective Del Spooner arrived at the NS-5 manufacturing factory to look for Sonny among thousands of other robots. Chen Chen tapped the spacebar to pause the image and began to reach into the display. He felt his hand touching a round and smooth object. When he pulled it out, a brand new NS-5 robot wrapped in a translucent plastic shell appeared in front of him. Chen Chen promptly let go of it and looked into its eyes, finally relaxing upon noting its pair of golden eyes. Hello, sir. The robot spoke perfect, standard Chinese. It would appear that the moment it saw Chen Chen, its intelligence system had mapped Chen Chens facial features and determined that he was Chinese, thus prompting it to greet Chen Chen in Chinese. Shut down. Chen Chen ordered. Understood, sir. NS-5 nodded without a second thought and immediately shut its eyes. After that, the Black Knights behind Chen Chen stepped forward to put the NS-5 robot into a holding container. After sorting out the NS-5, Chen Chen opened Alita: Battle Angel and targeted the scene where Alita put on the Berserker body. This set of armor utilized the same nanotechnology as seen in the PK Armor and GS Blade, able to automatically adjust its appearance and size. Simply put, it was a nanobody specifically designed for modified humans with only a brain intact. Chen Chen hesitated for a moment before biting the bullet and reached out! In an instant, the 165 centimeters tall, petite Alita was brought into reality! However, this Alita kept her eyes shut. Upon noting this scene, Chen Chen made a gesture to the cast behind him. A group of Black Knights quickly stepped forward to take Alita away. After a while, the results of the X-ray came out. This Alita did not have a brain. It was just like back then when Chen Chen had tried to instantiate Pikachu. No matter what he tried, he could only instantiate Pikachus hat. The bare body of Alita was similar to the Pikachu hat in this case. Still, it worked out in Chen Chens favor. If the real Alita was brought into reality, how was he supposed to explain his situation to her? If Alita decided to go on a rampage, Chen Chen was unsure if just a handful of Black Knights could stop her. Now that Chen Chen knew what the outcome would be, he no longer hesitated and repeated the same sequence with Ghost in the Shell where he instantiated the protagonist Motoko Kusanagi. Just like Alita, Chen Chen only managed to instantiate an empty shell. Though it was just an empty shell, the technology contained in the shell left Chen Chen in awe. After dismantling Motoko Kusanagis body, the most notable infrastructure apart from the optical stealth encryption technology was the device known as an electronic brain. This electronic brain wrapped itself around brain tissues and while protecting the brain, it also assisted the brain with performing electronic operations. It also came with powerful networking capabilities and its electronic structure integrated itself into the body to protect it. This electronic brain wrapping around the brain was made of a material similar to the material used for building high latency armor. This meant that when sustaining a gigantic explosive force, the Motoko Kusanagis body may be destroyed at most, but there was an extremely high chance of her brain surviving the explosion. There was also shock absorption and life support features built into the electronic brain, magnifying the survival rate of Motoko Kusanagis brain. At that point, the process of swapping over to a new body was streamlined into essentially two steps First step: Remove the brain. Second step: Put it in the desired body. Simply put, with the help of this device, not only would one be able to constantly swap bodies but also attain abilities similar to God chip. There was no need for concern of having ones head blown off as well. Emm Chen Chen thought for a moment. Although its uses sounded very practical, there was something about this sort of modification that left a strange impression on Chen Chen for some unknown reason. Brain in a jar? Chen Chen suddenly thought of such a phrase. After the brain became adapted electronically, there was no turning back. For the electronic brain to wrap itself around the brain, the brainstem and the cerebellum would have to be separated as one may expect. The nerves had to be separated, which after these procedures, they may never be reconnected ever again. Although one would be able to constantly swap bodies from then on, there was also no way to find ones original body. When that happened, how were you supposed to determine if your brain was not held hostage and everything you were seeing was merely manufactured illusions projected into your mind? This was the definition of a brain in a jar. However, even if Chen Chen was not keen on this particular technology, he had to admit it was truly an era-defining technology. It indefinitely increased the human survival rate in situations such as traffic accidents or shootings. If this could be brought into reality, mankind would essentially live a life free of worries. When it came to Alita, there was an abundance of dark technology, all except for the antimatter heart. The proper name of the heart was C antimatter energy reactor, something that was dimensions beyond the likes of fusion reactors. The energy conversion efficiency of nuclear fusion was about 6 to 7%, but the energy conversion rate of antimatter could reach 100%. What was the idea behind it? If one gram of antimatter was completely converted into energy, the result was approximately: E=mc2=0.001KG(300000000m/s)2 =90 billion kilojoules = 90 million megajoules. It was acknowledged that the energy released by the explosion of one ton of TNT explosive was about 4180 MJ. 90 million MJ divided by 4180 equals 21,531 tons. It was also known that the annihilation of one gram of matter-antimatter was equivalent to the mass of two grams of such substance, so the result had to be further multiplied by two. This meant that the destructive force of one gram of matter and antimatter transmuted to energy was equivalent to a 43,062 tons TNT explosion, which was also the equivalent of two Nagasaki atomic bombs. There was once a trending theory circulating online known as bench annihilation. This theory described that the mass of a bench transmuted to energy may be able to release enough power to destroy the Earth. This statement was valid. The only problem was that it was near impossible for a bench to be completely transmuted. At most, it could only be used as fuel for a fire. However, it was different for antimatter. Antimatter was the opposite of matter. According to scientists observations, any antimatter that came into contact with matter would instantly create an annihilation effect, releasing all 100% of its energy. That was exactly what happened with Alitas antimatter heart. This was not to say that Alitas heart was made of antimatter, but that her heart was essentially an antimatter reactor. One of the prime technologies involved in the antimatter reactor was vacuum magnetic confinement technology as it was the only way to simulate an environment where the antimatter would not be in contact with any other substance. As the energy produced by matter and antimatter annihilation was exceedingly large, only several grams of antimatter reserve were required in Alitas body to supply enough power to operate for thousands of years. The reason Alita could lay dormant in the garbage pile for three centuries without dying was due to her antimatter heart supplying energy to protect her brain. According to the story narration, Alitas antimatter heart could provide sufficient energy to power the entire Scrap Iron City. Not only did Chen Chen saw the emergence of a brand new dark technology in Alitas antimatter reactor technology, but he also saw the potential for a new USB drive energy source. An idea suddenly came to Chen Chen. If he were to use Alitas heart as a generator to power the USB drive, would it not be increasing the speed of power generation by more than ten, even twenty folds? If he were to get to that point, he could enjoy the luxury of easily instantiating any high-tech equipment of his choice in one go, perhaps even extracting an entire crystalline. However, Chen Chen quickly changed his mind and gave up on the idea. It was not that he had a better idea, but simply because the technological gap was far too significant. In the real world, scientists at the European Atomic Research Center had produced a small amount of antimatter using the Large Hadron Collider in 2010. To be clear, these antimatters were just a tiny amount of antihydrogen atoms. How much did they quantify? According to calculations, it would take a thousand years of collision for the Large Hadron Collider to knock out one microgram of antimatter. From this, the sheer scale of the substance could be seen. Based on this observation in real life, it was rather telling how things were going to be with Alitas antimatter heart. Even if they were just dismantling the heart, Chen Chen had to be prepared for the potential utter devastation of Namibia. Therefore, for the current moment what Chen Chen was after was Alitas internal structure. By reverse-engineering her internal structure, he may gain new insight into its system. This was what Chen Chen was truly after. Chapter 238 - New Targeted Drug North America, suburbs of Los Angeles, Hobe Mountain. This was where the manor of a man named Leigh Yashin was located. Unlike other private manors, this particular manor was located at the foot of Hobe Mountain, almost completely isolated from the other villas. That was not all. Perhaps due to the place being inhabited for a while, the entire manor was old and run down. It looked more like the haunted house of a theme park than a proper manor. Broken and littered bricks and tiles, rusty iron railings, and lawns that had not been fixed for years C these attractions showcased the current sad state of the manor. However, despite the poor state of the manor, there were dozens of expensive cars parked at the parking lot by the entrance. Now and then, a new expensive vehicle would appear by the entrance of the manor and would be guided by the security personnel into the parking lot. After that, the gents and ladies dressed handsomely would exit their vehicles and be escorted through the front door by the host of servers. It was only upon walking past the entrance of the manor where one could see the magnificent furnishing inside. There was a thick, beautifully woven, and eye-catching rug, and countless intricate and gorgeous golden inscriptions lined up along the walls. All this and not forgetting the incredibly large chandelier hanging above the hall which illuminated the place with a brilliant shine, giving the place an otherworldly presence. Inside this place, the windows did not offer a view into the outside world. There was also a distinct lack of mirrors to look into. This purposeful arrangement was so that people would not feel the passage of time while they were in here, allowing them to endlessly bask in the ambient of the place. Leigh Yashin Manor. The sheer implications of this name were something that only the members of the top political brass of North America would understand. This place was a casino established by the Edwards family by virtue of their huge influence. It was only opened to a tiny group of selected billionaires. At the present, inside the tightly guarded top floor of Leigh Yashin Manor where the Edwards family operated, a young man and an elderly man sat together, discussing something. The elderly man was none other than Robert Edwards, the very person who had helped Chen Chen with Hollywood films. The blonde-haired and blue-eyed young man appeared to be no older than nineteen years old. He carried a distinct prideful aura about him. Uncle, this is yesterdays turnover from the casino, you can go over them. The young man presented two checkbooks before Robert. Robert shot a look at the young man with a blank expression before he briefly went over the checkbooks. While he was flipping through it, he asked dully, Whats the occasion, coming all the way here to my place? I didnt let you take charge of management just so that you can laze around. The young man smiled in response. Dont worry, dear Uncle. I wont disappoint you. The reason I came here is to notify you of a new announcement made by Gods Forbidden Zone. Any news? Robert asked, his eyebrows immediately curved upwards. Ever since joining Gods Forbidden Zone, both Robert and his family had received a great number of surprises from the organization. Last year when they had just joined, the organization only had two developed projects which were Age-reversal Treatment and Cloned Organ Transplantation. Other projects also included the Alzheimers Disease Reversal Treatment and Neural Stem Cell Connection Regeneration which were still in their developmental stage. Despite only having two fully-developed projects, the organization still managed to persuade all the families to join them. Robert originally thought that the other projects that were said to be under development would take at least several decades before seeing their completion. He never had high hopes for it and only thought of it as him purchasing thirty years of his life at the price of a billion dollars. As it turned out, it only took half a year before Alzheimers disease had been overcome C this was what the first batch of his relatives who went to Gods Forbidden Zone to receive the Age-reversal Treatment claimed. After that, Gods Forbidden Zone began making similar announcements in the sites on the dark web. The organization claimed they had developed a class of drug known as AD-001 and that any members in the Disciple Council experiencing any symptoms of Alzheimers may head to Eco Science City to receive treatment. Here they were again. Did Gods Forbidden Zone just finalized yet another project? Yes, Uncle. The young man seemed to have expected this sort of reaction from his uncle. He swiftly logged onto his computer and opened a hidden webpage. A logo depicting a human hand touching a robotic hand immediately filled the display. This was the webpage of Gods Forbidden Zone. There were multiple authentication factors for logging in and it was impossible for someone who was not a member of Gods Forbidden Zone to find this webpage. The main page of the website was simply white text on a black background without any sort of additional decoration. It looked like a bottomless abyss, perfectly fitting the private aesthetic of the dark web. The first page of the logo showed detailed progress of several projects as well as the research progress for new projects. Even the information of the Blacklight virus BE-006 and the vaccine were publicly displayed, clearly an indication of the websites confidence in its security and privacy protocols. At one point, Robert had invited several top international hackers to infiltrate the website as a way of testing Gods Forbidden Zone. The outcome proved to be rather surprising C Before the hackers had barely started, Robert received a call from Gods Forbidden Zone where he was given a warning to not attack the organizations website. Otherwise, they would deduct his information credit as punishment. After having employed hackers to invade the website, their identities were almost immediately uncovered by the organization. Robert was flabbergasted by the results and no longer underestimated Gods Forbidden Zone ever since. He had a feeling that Gods Forbidden Zone must have a trump card of their own as well. By the time he was finished with these thoughts, his nephew had moved the cursor to the title of the announcement: [God Forbidden Zones Cancer Research Team has successfully tackled six common cancers in succession. Results include triple-negative breast cancer, poorly differentiated mixed liver cancer, and more. A targeted cancer drug boasting a successful treatment rate of up to eighty percent is developed!] Roberts eyes glowed up when he read the title. With the development of modern medical technology, it was not uncommon to see increased life expectancy. Any common person who knew to take proper care of themselves should be able to easily see themselves living past eighty-years-old. However, as the life expectancy went up, more diseases that were formerly unheard of began to emerge. One of them was the prime killer of mankind C cancer. Robert had come to understand that the chances of being diagnosed with cancer rose exponentially as one aged. To sum it up, it was simply a matter of chance when it came to cancer. Due to a present deficiency, genetics in the human body gradually lost its genetic coding abilities with each division. With the ever-increasing amount of division in the human body, there would be the occasional malfunctioning cells that had divided into abnormal cells which would then be eliminated by the immune system. However, as a person continued to age and the number of cell divisions continued to increase, there would be several cells that became essentially immortal. Appearance-wise, they may appear no different from a regular cell, but they would slip away from the pursuit of the immune system and hide in a secluded corner where they began to endlessly reproduce. It was only after they had reproduced beyond a certain threshold when a person began to exhibit various symptoms. However, by this point, it was already the later stages of cancer and there was very little man-made medicine could do about it. Apart from aging, the continuous damaging and repairing of human tissues over a long period may cause genetic mutations which led to cancer as well. For instance, long term exposure to harsh sunlight would damage skin tissues and the frequency of exposure to harsh sunlight and skin cancer was directly proportionate. Meanwhile, smoking could also damage the lung cells and cause cancer, chewing gum may induce oral cancer and esophageal cancer, drinking alcohol may increase the chances of liver and stomach cancer. Therefore, despite having his lifespan extended by thirty-some years thanks to Gods Forbidden Zone, Robert was always concerned about the unfortunate possibility of him being diagnosed with Alzheimers or cancer, which in that case, would be difficult to survive at all. Based on the current observation, did this mean Gods Forbidden Zone had overcome cancer, the disease of the century as well? Robert was overcome with emotions. However, overcoming cancer was still a bold claim. From the looks of things now, it may appear that they were only able to overcome several types of cancer. Still, it was an excellent start. Uncle, its this one. The young man clicked inside and let Robert have the mouse. The contents of this announcement states that they hope that we, North American families, will aid them in speeding up the North American FDA and European EDQM certification process for these drugs and also to continue to look out for them. Putting it on the market again? Robert frowned. If Gods Forbidden Zone is going to put every drug they manufacture on the market anyway, what are we joining their organization for? We can buy these drugs on the market anyway. Uh, the situation may be different from what you expected. The young man shook his head and explained, still looking at the announcement, It states here that theyre only applying certification for three targeted drugs for common forms of cancer and that theyll be reserving the other three for servicing people like us. Theyll only be publicizing the remaining ones if they manage to develop more new anti-cancer drugs. Additionally, the announcement also states that theyre doing this to increase the revenue of Gods Forbidden Zone as the cost of these projects are far too significant. The billion dollars investment from each of our families wont suffice The young man explained. Robert revealed a thoughtful look as he listened to the young mans explanation. For whatever its worth, the announcement did make some good points. Corporations such as Novartis and Pfizer had exhausted an astronomical amount of funds annually as well and if not for the countless financial groups backing them, they would hardly manage to develop so many specialized drugs. As things were, Blacklight Biotechnology, the company under Gods Forbidden Zones wing still had a long way to go before exhausting the amount of funds the likes of leading biomedical corporations like Novartis and Pfizer had allocated. Besides, people like himself had greatly benefited from Gods Forbidden Zone which was further expanding its influence With that in mind, Robert finally nodded. I know, Ill discuss this with your father and your uncle, dont worry about it. Understood. The young man returned Robert with a nod before leaving his office. Over the next few days, as the plague of Blacklight virus finally came to an end and countries all over the world began to recover from the aftershocks stemming from Africa, the worlds economy began to gradually recover. While each nation silently nursed its wounds inflicted by the virus, another emerging piece of news caused an uproar across the medical industry yet again. The sheer magnitude of this article even shattered the boundaries of the industry and expanded its impact across society as a whole. The information was as follows: Blacklight Biotechnology had developed three classes of specialized cancer drugs, which included triple-negative breast cancer, poorly differentiated liver cancer, and squamous cell carcinoma. Their results on advanced cancer and cancer cell metastasis were proven to be extremely potent, boasting a recovery rate of over eighty percent. The moment the news broke out, it incited a spark across the globe. This was especially the case once people started receiving the news that Blacklight Biotechnology had submitted the first batch of certification applications to the CFDA in the Mainland, FDA in North America, and EDQM in Europe. These institutions were the food and drug regulatory agencies of their respective major continents. The drugs would be permitted to be marketed in these continents upon receiving their stamp of approval. Apart from the amusement with Blacklight Biotechnology, there was another more impactful reason for the tremendous reception this revelation was met with. These variants of cancer were some of the most lethal, difficult to cure cancer with the steepest mortality rate. A specialized drug to remedy these variants of cancer would effectively drag down the mortality rate of cancer by more than twenty percent! Imagine tossing a hand grenade into a lake. In a split instant, countless media bodies erupted out of the water in a grand splash. All continents in the world were more than eager to direct their attention to this place. After experiencing the depressive episode caused by the Blacklight virus, there was finally an upward trend of an economic boom. [Biotech company Blacklight Biotechnology accomplishes yet another major achievement, world-leading Biotech corporation Pfizer may welcome their strongest competitor of the century!] C Wall Street Journal. [Blacklight Biotechnology official statement: Cancer may cease to become an incurable disease!] C New York Times. [The greatest equivalent of an atomic bomb in the medical world: Many variants of disease overcome; Blacklight Biotechnology will be entering clinical trial phase!] C Neue Zrcher Zeitung. [Blacklight Biotechnologys announcement stuns the entire Earth Federation!] C UC Forum. What followed after was countless fervent discussions of this topic on all forums across the world. Blacklight Biotechnology became a trending keyword and sparked a new article of interest: Big Fruit V: Beating cancer? I thought this was something that was going to take centuries to happen Fishy Clear Skies: Is this company paying to be trending! [Angry] Passing Years: The most haunting and lethal disease of this era is none other than cancer. Among the three anti-cancer drugs developed by Blacklight Biotechnology, triple-negative breast cancer is the most lethal variant of cancer. Poorly differentiated liver cancer also ranks among one of the most malignant and quickest developing forms of liver cancer. Meanwhile, squamous cell carcinoma is the most common form of lung cancer, accounting for fifty percent of all lung cancer. Its precisely because these are the cancer forms of highest mortality rate and occurrence that this article is drawing such rigorous attention. Sigh: As a student trapped in biology, I think the person above gives a fine analysis. But Id like to add that theres another reason apart from what he stated, this is the very company that developed the Blacklight virus vaccine earlier. Now theyre following it up with such an incredible stunt, dont you think this company is pretty dope? 04 Book Fan: So this is what they call the second-dimension, ah Sorry, wrong channel. Everyone began to feel that the phrase Blacklight Biotechnology was starting to appear more often. In addition, it set off a new wave of trending topics with each appearance. Chapter 239 - Normal-temperature Superconductor When Blacklight Biotechnology once again grabbed international headlines, the dozens of factories that were built in the industrial area of Namibias Eco Science City had concluded their projects. Although the location was known as an open industrial area, all factories that were built there belonged to Blacklight Biotechnology. Strictly speaking, the area ought to be named Blacklight Industrial Park. Many factory owners were fond of the locations environment and its safety facilities and had requested permission from Qian Wenhuan to establish their factories there. However, their applications were rejected. Countless cargo ships unloaded countless tonnes of mechanical equipment as they were docked at Walvis Bay. These loads were then transported to the industrial area by a convoy of lorries. Ever since Blacklight Biotechnology expanded into Namibia, the port had never halted its operations at all. Through the companys various projects, the number of people employed under Blacklight Biotechnology to facilitate these projects had gone from the hundreds into the thousands. These projects included the construction of their nuclear power stations, Eco Science City, the industrial area, and Walvis Bay. Blacklight Biotechnologys presence had brought countless opportunities and development to Namibia albeit its increasing political influence. This caused the parliamentarians of Namibia to harbor a mixed feeling toward the corporation. Regardless, it was difficult for the parliament to curb Blacklight Biotechnologys influence at its current size. Even if they were to forcefully drive the corporation out of the country, Blacklight Biotechnology would probably just restructure and survive elsewhere. However, without Blacklight Biotechnology, how would Namibia fare then? In one of the ceramic chemical factories in the industrial area, three engineers who were enlisted into Gods Forbidden Zone were supervising ten Black Knights in their work. These belonged to the third batch of normal version Black Knights and they had now gone through half a year of training. It was also the final batch of normal version Black Knights. Chen Chen would soon halt the production of the normal version of Black Knights and subsequently replace it with the T-version. From their training speed to their structural strengths, the T-version of Black Knights vastly outperformed its normal version. Whereas the current batch, consisting of five hundred normal Black Knights, was not sent into the rapid reaction force. Instead, they were distributed over the factories in the industrial area. Then, these factories began to turn automated, such that an entire factory would function efficiently just with the involvement of a few dozens of employees. Currently, Chen Chen was observing the workflow in one of the ceramic chemical factories. Under Professor Charles command, the enormous pipeline was put into motion. After three hours had passed, a flat, cylindrical, dark object was seen emerging from one of the machines. Looking from afar, it looked like a piece of briquette. Did it work? Three engineers gathered together. Professor Charles went ahead and retrieved the briquette, which was the size of a palm. He gently placed it on his hands as if they were the worlds most valuable treasures. Mr. Chen, can we initiate the experiment now? asked Professor Charles. Sure, you do you. Dont worry about me. Chen Chen waved as a gesture. He was visibly as excited as the rest. Okay. Professor Charles breathed a sigh of relief. He then had his assistant retrieve a platform. Judging from its color, the platform seemed to be made of pure steel. The bottom of the platform was connected to an electricity source, turning the platform into an electromagnet. Professor Charles then very carefully placed the briquette in mid-air above the platform. A strange occurrence was then observed Chen Chen noticed that the briquette did not fall onto the steel plate. Instead, it gently oscillated in its own axis as the object continued floating upward until it reached an equilibrium point, where the object came to a complete halt. Just like that, the briquette was completely suspended a few centimeters above the steel plate! Although they had foreseen it may happen, the engineers were still nervous when they saw the briquette floating in the air Its really working Chen Chen could be seen at joy as well while he seemingly muttered a few words under his breath. The briquette was a normal-temperature superconductor, a highly advanced scientific tool that Chen Chen had previously retrieved from the Elysium dimension. Mr. Chen, we We did it Professor Charles could be seen trembling in excitement. He said excitedly, The techniques you provided have worked. The yttrium barium copper oxide that was yielded after going through a chemical deposition and sintering is indeed a normal-temperature superconductor! Chen Chen nodded and walked toward the briquette that was still suspending mid-air. Please describe the objects properties. Sure! Professor Charles took a deep breath and suppressed the overflowing joy he was feeling within. According to the technique you provided, we obtained the yttrium barium copper oxide through a chemical deposition and proceeded to vitrify it via frittage. In this process, we exercised the utmost precaution as the object was still a crystal material. Only through carefully controlling the temperature and intensity of the flame can we precisely adjust the objects boundary and maximize its conductivity After Professor Charles finished his explanation, Chen Chen asked enthusiastically, What about its practical usages? Isnt yttrium barium copper oxide a brittle material? Can we really use it as a construction material? Absolutely. Charles answered determinedly, After manipulating its properties, a metal composite oxide like this has a sufficient amount of strength and malleability. Even if it didnt reach the industrial requirement, its diamagnetivity is capable of solving most of the problems Then, Charles gently touched the suspending superconductor and exclaimed, Look at this, its the perfect illustration of the Meissner effect. The next Industrial Revolution is here! Chen Chen did not respond but he knew that Charles was right. A superconductor material that could only be stored under low temperature could never rival a superconductor material that could be stored under normal temperature. In the history of human civilization, a hundred years had passed since the discovery of the first superconductor material. Countless superconductors had been used in the modern scientific field and other industries. Within the scientific research field, the Large Hadron Collider that was built in Europe contained up to 9300 superconductor magnets. Within the clinical research field, superconductors were also present in magnetic resonance imaging machines. Within the engineering industry, the diamagnetic frictionless gyroscope and bearing played an important role as well Other than that, superconductor materials had also played an important role in military equipment, telecommunication satellites, airplanes, and more. A normal-temperature superconductor was not just a new superconductor material. All superconductor materials that were previously discovered could only be stored under extremely low temperatures. Such an environment could only be maintained through the use of liquid nitrogen and liquid helium, which were more expensive than the materials value itself. As a result, low-temperature superconductor materials were typically used in only a few industries that were developed enough to facilitate that technology. It was almost impractical in everyday uses. However, the discovery of a normal-temperature superconductor would render low-temperature facilities worthless, saving the user the cost of maintaining these facilities as well as the capital required for constructing such facilities. That was only one of the many reasons. A normal-temperature superconductor would also make the replication of quantum entanglement much simpler, paving the way toward the invention of a quantum calculator. What more, it would also pave the way for new technologies that could manipulate nuclear fusion The discovery of such material was enough to trigger the Fourth Industrial Revolution in human civilization. Chapter 240 - Huge Technical Advancements To Chen Chen, the discovery of the normal-temperature superconductor would solve many technical challenges that he faced. For instance, the electromagnetic levitation that was effortlessly produced by the normal-temperature superconductor would allow the frictionless bearing of the T-800 to perpetually be in pristine condition, indicating a huge upgrade for Chen Chens robot. Take another instance, the construction of an electromagnetic weapon, a weapon that utilized zero-resistance magnetic field generated by a superconductor. Previously, superconductors could only be stored under low temperatures. Its strict environmental requirement had rendered the material extremely inflexible and it was unsuitable to be used to construct a small, convenient electromagnetic weapon. However, the discovery of a normal-temperature superconductor meant that a light electromagnetic weapon was now possible, perhaps even reaching the size of ones palm. Meanwhile, the special property of the superconductor would remove any concern of the guns coil burning out due to high electrical resistance. In the Elysium movie, it was precisely the discovery of a normal-temperature superconductor that led to the invention of various electromagnetic weapons such as the Kusal Klaus submachine gun, Kusal Crow Air Scavenger, Ascari Kaman railgun, and Ascari electromagnetic gun. With this normal-temperature superconductor, Chen Chen now had the ambition to research a nuclear fusion reactor and a Large Hadron Collider. It was quite possible that the worlds first nuclear fusion reactor would be created in Chen Chens hands The ceramic chemical factory that produced the superconductor was merely one of Chen Chens many factories that operated with black technology. Opposite this factory was a fuel cell factory. The factory had combined the techniques that were derived from the Elysium dimension and the technologies from the Avengers to produce a highly-efficient hydrogen fuel cell. Other electronics factories and machinery factories had their research objectives too. Some were tasked with researching high displacement metals while others were tasked with researching inertial dampers. From the outside, these factories seemed just like any other ordinary building. However, these factories were all monitored closely by Little X while drones and closed-circuit cameras were placed throughout the industrial area. Fully-armored Black Knights were also stationed secretly in each corner to protect the facilities at all times. However, there were only limited Black Knights to go around. Hence, Chen Chen had long-established another factory to research a drone that was featured in the Elysium dimension. It was a surveillance drone that was called a UAV and it took after the shape of a flying disc. It was equipped with noise cancellation technology and only needed a low amount of energies to power itself. The drone was featured only in the opening scene of the movie and its name could only be found in the movies settings record. The production of a movie typically began with developing a comprehensive worldview of the movies settings. For example, in the Avengers series, official features such as frictionless bearing, inertial dampers, and a battery that could last for more than 120 years could be found on its Wikipedia page. To be able to mass-produce this surveillance drone, Chen Chen had gone on to retrieve two such drones from the Elysium as reference models. Unfortunately, due to certain technical limitations, it would still be some time before Chen Chen could produce an exact replica. Factories that were tasked with classified research were usually built toward the back of the industrial area. Chen Chen had also discreetly built a line of defense, in which all secret factories were stationed behind it. On the other side of the line was the open area that included electronics assembly factories that housed more than one hundred thousand workers. The electronic assembly factories were built for two purposes. The first was to allow the other secret factories to hide in plain sight, the second was to provide employment opportunities to the local residents so that Blacklight Biotechnologys influence could continue to grow in Namibia. Ever since the Blacklight virus attacked Namibia, the countrys population was down to less than two million people. The employment of more than one hundred thousand workers was equivalent to employing ten percent of the countrys population. This became an important bargaining chip in every negotiation with the Namibian government. Should the Namibian government attempt to forcefully drive the corporation out of the country, they had to consider the consequences heavily. An attack against Blacklight Biotechnology would not only bring severe economic impact but also render ten percent of the countrys population immediately jobless. After departing from the ceramic chemical factory that produced the yttrium barium copper oxide composite, Chen Chen sat in his car. Cheng Cao, who had also just joined Chen Chen in his car, asked, Boss, would you like to take a look at the fuel cell factory? Theres no need for that. Lets head back to the Spire Experimental Base. Chen Chen gestured to Cheng Cao. He had already received a message from Little X which informed him about the latest update from the fuel cell factory in his daily Eco Science City report. As of now, the professors who were in charge of the fuel cell factory were already heading to the Spire Experimental Base where they would submit a detailed report to Chen Chen. Soon, Chen Chen had arrived back at the Spire Experimental Base where he was greeted by Professor Joseph. Half a year ago while Chen Chen was expanding his company into the heavy industry, he had invited a large group of engineering professors to interview, whom he ended up hiring a few after lengthy considerations. These professors had also been implanted with God chips and were granted access into Gods Forbidden Zone. Through this, they were given exposure to the most sophisticated technologies as well as had their lifespan potentially extended. It was a win-win situation. Mr. Chen, we bring good news. Weve followed the model you provided and have successfully created a new version of a fuel cell. Then, he placed several cylindrical objects that were glowing in silver-white light on the table. The cylindrical objects varied in thickness. Chen Chen received those objects and asked, What are the properties of these hydrogen cells? Hydrogen cells that are 1.5 cm in diameter and 10 cm in lengths could release an electrical potential that reaches up to 200V whereas those with a 3 cm diameter and 20 cm length could reach up to 400V. The electrical potential of these fuel cells could be prorated via their sizes and their thermal efficiencies are at 80%, meeting your requirement. Professor Joseph answered. Not bad at all! Chen Chen was overjoyed. These hydrogen cells were a form of power generation device that produced electrical energy through electrochemical reactions between its fuel and oxidant. Theoretically, such fuel cells could achieve a thermal efficiency rate that was close to 100%. The technique and model Chen Chen provided was a hydrogen fuel cell from the T-800. The battery had a thermal efficiency of 95%. Although Joseph had yet to produce a fuel cell that could reach that level of efficiency, it was to be expected. Part of the reason was due to a lack of material. One of the most important structures of a fuel cell was its electrolyte diaphragm. Its main function was to separate the oxidant and the reducing agent of the fuel cell as well as to conduct the cells ions. The thinner the electrolyte diaphragm, the better. As Chen Chen could not reach the technical level of that in the Avengers, it was not surprising that his fuel cell could not reach that level of efficiency. Besides that, to fit the fuel cell into his weapon, Chen Chen had to eliminate the hydrogen collector to reduce the fuel cells volume. This hydrogen collector was an important element in the Avenger. However, to Chen Chen, the fuel cell could always be changed manually. Hence, the collector did not play too big of a role for his purpose. At most, the elimination of the fuel cell would only reduce its endurance power. Now that Chen Chen possessed a normal-temperature superconductor and a hydrogen fuel cell that could support an enormous amount of electrical voltage, there was only one essential material left C a high displacement metal. Once these three materials were ready, Chen Chen could then use the superconductor material as his coil, the hydrogen fuel cells as an electrical source, and the high displacement metal as a rifle, to mass-produce the destructive electromagnetic weapons that were featured in the Elysium. Chapter 241 - New Combat Suit Model As time passed by, it was soon the end of 2023. This year, the Earth Federation had gone through multiple disasters. The onslaught of the Blacklight virus began back in May while the first vaccine was developed by Blacklight Biotechnology in July. This was then followed by a series of clinical trials and then mass production and the pandemic was finally under control in October. It was also at the beginning of October when Blacklight Biotechnology announced three special anticancer medicines. These medicines were subsequently introduced to the drug inspection committees of multiple continents and thus began another round of tedious clinical trials. Unlike the African Continent, other continents had stricter requirements toward their medications during the clinical trial. There were at least three periods of phases in those trials, which meant that Blacklight Biotechnology needed to wait at least three years before their medicines could be sold on the counter. Regardless, these were still miracle drugs that were capable of curing cancer. They had managed to reduce the expected waiting period to three years after receiving support from multiple financial groups. If it were any other common medications, the waiting period would typically require at least ten years. This was also the year where Blacklight Biotechnology revealed its true potential. It began with the construction of the world-renowned Eco Science City, followed by its acquisition of the largest security company in Africa, Tara Private Security Company. Following that, the corporation played an important role during the Blacklight virus pandemic, being the first entity to discover the virus as well as the first to research an effective vaccine. Toward the year-end, Blacklight Biotechnology had continued its victory streak by announcing three special anticancer medicines at once. This year, Blacklight Biotechnology had brought many surprises to the world. After much international coverage, Blacklight Biotechnologys reputation had reached its highest point. Before the dust of the pandemic could even settle in Africa, thousands of tycoons arrived at Eco Science City in their private jets with the intention of undergoing age-reversal therapies in their institution. The rise of Blacklight Biotechnology had reached an unstoppable pace. After three months of research and development in the Spire Experimental Base, the second batch of T-version Black Knights had also been launched. These Black Knights had been through several rounds of genetic tunings by Hannibal Caesar and Li Leis team. The Black Knights heights had been successfully limited to a range from 1.7 meters to 1.8 meters and their sizes were also limited to that of an average human being. After their size compressions, the Black Knights strengths had been reduced from a range of 9000-10000N to 2000-2500N, which was the equivalent of carrying up to 250 kilograms on a single hand. Despite the strength reduction, it was more than enough for the Black Knights functions. In terms of speed, their sprint speeds were reduced from an average of 90 kilometers per hour down to 40 kilometers per hour, whereas its endurance was increased, being able to sprint at its maximum speed for approximately 800 meters. This implied that the newly produced T-version Black Knights had the sprinting speed of Usain Bolt as well as the endurance of a professional marathoner. There was no longer any need to even mention their recovery ability. It could be said that every Black Knight contained an element of Alice as well as a weakened version of Captain America. They were relentless, emotionless, and did not fear death. Their sole purpose was to accomplish all tasks that were assigned by Blacklight Biotechnology. To accomplish their missions, they were ready to do just anything Not only that, there were now fifty female Black Knights in this batch C 10 African variations, 20 Caucasian variations, and 20 Asian variations. Almost as if the T-virus had fundamentally improved their genetic compositions, the postures of these females were outstanding, which Chen Chen was mildly unhappy about. After all, if these Black Knights were sent on an undercover mission, their attractive appearances would make it difficult for them to blend into the crowd. The moment these Black Knights were born, Chen Chen had already retrieved a hundred STEM chips. Now that Little X had developed much more, she now possessed an impressive comprehension of the inner workings of these STEM chips. Little X was now capable of hacking one STEM chip per minute, changing all of its intelligence stats to God. Not only that, Chen Chen went on to retrieve ten sets of GS Combat Suits and ten cloaking devices and distributed them equally to five male Asian variations and five female Asian variations. These Black Knights were then sent to Mainland China to provide additional protection to Chen Chens parents. Of course, these Black Knights would stay hidden in the dark. Chen Chens parents would not even notice their existence. With that, Chen Chen had solved the inconveniences that came with a fully male bodyguard team. The rest of the Black Knights were enlisted into a Black Knights Force, where they would be considered as official resources of Tara Strategic Resource Ltd. and tasked to patrol around Eco Science City and Blacklight Industrial Park. If a country in the African Continent was willing to pay, the Black Knights would also be deployed to bring peace to that nation. The strong combat abilities of the Black Knights Force had brought many positive reviews from many countries for Tara Strategic Resource Ltd. Following more and more advancements that came with the insights from Elysium, Chen Chens hidden strength was also expanding massively. A nano grade carbon fiber manufacturing plant had recently discovered a 100 nanometers grade fiber technique, which allowed Chen Chen to finally break the bottleneck of the GS Combat Suit Chen Chen was now sitting in his office as he observed several patrol Black Knights escorting the staff who were in charge of the nano grade carbon fiber manufacturing plant into the premises. When they arrived, the staff then presented a piece of pitch-black tight suit in front of Chen Chen. Chen Chen was mildly disturbed when the suit was displayed before him. This combat suit seemed to bear no difference at all compared to the GS Combat Suit. Having the same shade of matt color, it also bore the same full-body cover design. The person-in-charge noticed Chen Chens reaction and immediately became nervous. He hastily asked, Mr. Chen, are you unhappy about this nanocarbon fiber combat suit? No, Im not. Chen Chen looked at the person and said, Please tell me how the suit works. Sure, sure! The person-in-charge wiped off the cold sweats that were pooling on his forehead as he smiled awkwardly. Sorry, its pretty hot today Coughs, this combat suit was designed after the GS Combat Suit that youve provided. After six full days of research from our material experts, weve managed to come up with a simplified version of it. Why do we call it a simplified version? Its because theres some technology involved that we just cant crack using existing techniques. The person continued. This combat suit is similar to the GS Combat Suit. There are five layers of structures. The outermost layer is made out of the nanocarbon fiber that we replicate using a unique process. It can be said to be the strongest existing fiber in this world as of now. It has excellent impact resistance and can withstand a temperature of up to 1300 degrees celsius. It also has high heat insulation properties, which means that the wearer of this armor will suffer no damage at all even if hes sprayed directly with fire in a short amount of time. The second layer is made out of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fiber. Then comes the middle layer. Regrettably, were unable to replicate the liquid armor thats within, so we used shear thickening fluid as a substitute instead. The person-in-charge laughed bitterly. In terms of defensive ability, the shear thickening fluid isnt inferior against liquid armor. After absorbing large amounts of kinetic energy, its capable of distributing it across the layer and turning into a fixed dense state. However, it still couldnt alter its state via the electric charges that are naturally emitted from the human body. Chen Chen nodded and asked, In other words, does this mean that this combat suit only has the bulletproof ability for now? Yes. The person-in-charge nodded. Without liquid armor, this combat suit cannot enhance the human body like the GS Combat Suit. Its just a bulletproof vest for now. Chen Chen felt mildly disappointed but still proceeded to say, It mustve been tough work. You can leave this sample here. Let the experts know that they can continue researching on this subject and that all of you soon will receive your fair share of rewards. Sure! Thank you, Mr. Chen! The person-in-charge nodded hastily in gratitude and proceeded to exit Chen Chens office. It was only after the person left that Chen Chens face turned visibly solemn. He clapped his hand lightly and a Black Knight immediately entered the room. Put that on. Chen Chen pointed toward the black combat suit and said. Without any hint of hesitation, the Black Knight proceeded to remove his clothing and put on the black combat suit that covered his entire body. It was only when the suit was on the Black Knight that Chen Chen finally noticed the differences. The GS Combat Suit had many button-like structures on it. These were precautionary structures that were built onto the suit. When the suit suffered from heavy damage, the button would be released to release liquid armor, saving the wearer from an incredibly deadly situation. For this new combat suit, as its defensive ability could not rival against the GS Combat Suit, there was no button built on it. Although the GS Combat Suit was still superior to this combat suit, Chen Chen felt relieved that it was still in a different league than a military bulletproof vest. In one of the experiments, a plastic dummy equipping the suit only suffered minor damage despite taking on 1000Js impact of AK bullets. Chen Chens disturbed reaction had nothing to do with the quality of the combat suit. It had to do with the design of the combat suit, which matched exactly with an image in Chen Chens memories. Now that the Black Knight had put on the suit, Chen Chen blurred his own vision and felt a sense of panic. As the Black Knight put on another layer of clothing outside the combat suit, it now appeared to be a calm man dressed in a black-collared jacket, a pair of black gloves, and a pair of black combat boots. Such fashion was the exact one the antagonist in one of Chen Chens movies had used Chen Chen recalled that the movie was Deadly Crisis: A Shocking Scheme. It was rated by Hollywoods critics as the worst movie of the year. Its Rotten Tomatoes rating had only reached thirty-two percent while its global box office was a mere total of 3.4 million USD. From the antagonists soulless facial expression to his black tight suit, the resemblance of the character with this Black Knight was uncanny. Does this not suggest that my hypothesis is becoming closer and closer to reality Chen Chen thought silently. He could still remember that the movies timeline was on 30 May 2025, which was approximately a year and a half from now. It suggested that a year and a half later, whatever happened in the movie may very well take place in real life. If Chen Chen previously only had fifty percent confidence in his own hypothesis, he now had eighty percent confidence. The only unsolved puzzle was only how the movies plot was going to play out. After all, the characters in the movie may also exist in real life. Then, Chen Chen suddenly recalled something and spoke toward the webcam, X, did anything strange happen in Osmond Biotech Ltd. recently? Osmond Biotech Ltd. was the name of a company that invented the AD-001 medication in the movie. It was also the company which the main character worked in. In reality, there was also a real company bearing the same name. Not at all. However, the company has recently begun its Series B financing and has obtained fundings from several companies, aggregating a total of 50 million US dollars, Little X answered. Funding, is it? Chen Chen felt an idea sparked in his head and said, Get Old Qian in here right now. Yes, sir! Little X answered. A wave of silence then resumed in the room. After approximately twenty minutes had passed, a knock came on Chen Chens office door. Please come in. Chen Chen looked up and saw a mildly exhausted Qian Wenhuan entering his room. He laughed lightheartedly and said, Old Qian, whatre you running so fast for? Well, you asked for me, so I thought there must be some urgent issues that need my attention. Qian Wenhuan smiled and wiped his golden-laced glasses. Boss, what is it that you ask me for? Make some arrangements with the Human Resource Department and prepare to send a few employees out to the North American Continent. Chen Chen said sternly, and purchase the share of a company called Osmond Biotech Ltd. and purchase as much as you can. Okay. Qian Wenhuan was initially shocked. However, he hastily nodded his head and said, Osmond Biotech Ltd. right? Ill remember that name. Is there anything else youd like to instruct me to? Thats all for now. Chen Chen shook his head and felt a pinch of admiration for Qian Wenhuans decisive attitude. Then, he thought of another thing and elaborated on his previous instruction. Oh, right. Its okay if youre unable to purchase any shares directly. The company is currently undergoing B Series financing. You may take a look at the venture capital companies that are purchasing these shares. If you cant get your hands on any of the shares, then purchase these venture capital companies. . Qian Wenhuan nodded and said, Alright. Whats the price range that youre looking to invest in? Chen Chen gave it some thought and said, Around three billion US dollars. If spending is too high, then the cost would outweigh the benefit. If these venture capital companies are mostly small-medium enterprises, then purchase as many as you can. However, if its a mega-conglomerate, then forget about it. After all, we cant afford to spend on big companies like these. Understood. Ill bring back good news. Qian Wenhuan received his instruction and turned to leave. After seeing Qian Wenhuan out, Chen Chen then went into a contemplating gesture as he murmured to himself. Osmond Biotech Ltd. Well, Id loved to see what kind of surprises await from you. Chapter 242 - Bet-on Agreement In the end, Qian Wenhuan had made arrangements for Anthony and Jennifer to lead a group of expert negotiators and depart for Los Angeles. Anthony and Jennifer were both Swiss. Just like Qian Wenhuan, they were employees for Preston Company. One of them was a business negotiator whereas the other was a legal consultant and they were both sent to Africa after Chen Chen had acquired their company. In the beginning, the duo was attracted by the attractive salary the company offered and had intended to resign after working for a couple of years. However, they did not expect Blacklight Biotechnology to expand so smoothly in Africa and the duo decided to settle down longer. Once the group landed in Los Angeles, the group spent a night resting up before heading toward Osmond Biotech Ltd. the next day. Jennifer was wearing a white-collared OL costume. As she exited a rented multipurpose vehicle, she frowned at what she saw. Their destination was close to a rural area and the entire location just seemed deserted. In front of her was an office building that seemed old and almost ruined. It was evident that the building had at least fifteen years of history. Is this Osmond Biotech Ltd.s head office? Jennifer shook her head and said, It looks just like any other ordinary company. Ive no idea why would boss want us to purchase this business. Anthony shrugged and said, Nevermind, these arent something we should care about. Besides, it looks like they didnt even bother to greet us. I guess we should just go ahead and enter. Then, the duo led the group into the office building. Were the employees of Blacklight Biotechnology. Im Anthony, from the Business Development Department and this is Jennifer from the Legal Department. We have an appointment with the representatives of Osmond Biotech Ltd. on the 23rd floor. Inside the office building, Anthony was answering the security guards questions patiently. Please hold on a moment. The security guard took up his phone and dialed Osmond Biotech Ltd.s number. After two minutes had passed, the guard finally put down the phone and said, Its settled now. Please head upstairs. The people of Osmond Biotech Ltd. are expecting you. Thank you. The group went into an elevator and soon found themselves reaching the 23rd floor. Upon exiting the elevator, the group was immediately greeted by a blond-haired woman. The blond-haired woman had an attractive figure, dressed in what seemed like a typical secretary would wear. However, her reaction was not enthusiastic at all. You must be the people from Blacklight Biotechnology. Please follow me. Then, she hastily turned around and walked toward the meeting room. Her attitude was unpleasant enough to raise a few more eyebrows. When the group reached the meeting room, she merely instructed the group to wait a bit longer before she left them cluelessly in the room. This doesnt feel right. Jennifer took a look at her surroundings and said, This company didnt seem welcoming at all. Do they not know that were here to provide fundings? It must be that the funding round has been concluded. Anthony pondered and said, Were late to the party. Just when the group was whispering to each other, a middle-aged man dressed in a business suit entered the room. My apologies, everyone. I just came here from another meeting and had to make you wait for a little. Then, he extended his hand toward Anthony and said, My name is Parker, the founder of Osmond Biotech Ltd. I also currently serve as one of the companys board directors and its CEO. Anthony and the group stood and took turns to shake hands as well. Were the managers of the Blacklight Biotechnology Business Development Department. Beside me is Jennifer, whos from the Legal Department. Its a pleasure meeting you. After a round of introduction, both sides took their seats with Parker initiating the discussion. Blacklight Biotechnologys reputation has been soaring for the past two years. May I ask whats the purpose of your visit today? Is there something that we can collaborate on? Ive heard that your company is undergoing a B Series financing. Is that true? Anthony asked, According to our understanding, your company has been developing at a rapid pace in the past two years. While I dont know what your current business strategies are, I do feel that you may want a strategic investor like us. Then, Anthony snapped his finger as his subordinate immediately handed a report over to him. He then pushed the agreement across the table to Parker. Mr. Parker, being in the same industry, I believe I dont have to talk about Blacklight Biotechnology any further. Please take a look at this agreement. Parker nodded and received the agreement. After flipping over a few pages, he said, Having Blacklight Biotechnology as our strategic investor is definitely a decent option. Regrettably, our B Series financing has been concluded and our board members have been elected. Im afraid we cant accept this enticing offer. Mr. Parker, do you not want to at least think about it? Anthony frowned and said, After B Series financing, I trust that your company has a new goal to expand toward. This is where our company can be of great help. Parker shook his head and said, Our company will soon be announcing our next step, which is to take out Alzheimers disease. Parker let out a peal of light laughter and continued. Im aware that Blacklight Biotechnology has a program thats called the Alzheimers Disease Reversal Treatment thats capable of suppressing the symptoms of Alzheimers disease. However, our goal isnt just to control the disease, wed like to cure it. Anthony and Jennifer looked at each other as a sudden revelation became apparent. It was not surprising they were so unwelcoming of their visit. Could it be that Osmond Biotech Ltd. thought the people from Blacklight Biotechnology had caught wind of their plans and assumed that they were here to thwart it? Anthony then pondered a bit further and things started to make sense. The only reason why they could afford to be so snobbish was that they did not only have a plan, the cure was already here! Then, Anthony could not help but shook his head. He thought that the management must have known about the cure and had sent him to make the investment. However, it looked like Anthony was about to fail his task. Hence, Anthony followed the usual procedure to persuade Parker further. It was until Parker rejected once more that Anthony stood up and said, If thats the case, well not insist. We shall make a move. From aside, Jennifer then passed a name card to Parker and said, If you decide to change your mind or have a C Series financing, perhaps you can consider our companys proposition. For sure. Farewell, everyone. Then, Parker proceeded to send Anthony and his group off. Once the elevator door was closed, Parker then let out a worrisome expression. D*mn it, have many people known about our research on that drug already? Hows this possible Yes, Director Qian. Theyve declined our offer As far as we know, they seemed to be researching an Alzheimers disease cure and were completely indifferent toward our proposal. Alright, got it. Ill take a look at the venture capital companies. Outside the office building, Anthony gave Qian Wenhuan a phone call to provide the latest status update. Then, his next destination was to visit the venture capital companies that had invested in Osmond Biotech Ltd. There were six venture capital companies that had invested in Osmond Biotech Ltd. Six separate financial conglomerates owned these companies and they owned a total of eighty percent stake in Osmond Biotech Ltd. One of the companies, Munster Capital, had purchased a fifty percent stake in the company. Unsurprisingly, it would be the next destination Anthony was heading to. During their negotiation, Munster Capital and Osmond Biotech Ltd. had both signed a bet-on agreement. Jennifer was frowning as she read the report in the car. The agreements condition was that Munster Capital would invest one billion US dollars worth of capital into Osmond Biotech Ltd. for a fifty percent equity stake. However, if Osmond Biotech Ltd. had failed to produce an effective cure for Alzheimers disease by 31 December 2025, Munster Capital reserves the rights to demand Osmond Biotech Ltd. to repurchase its share. The repurchasing amount shall be the total of the capital invested plus an additional imposition of eight percent annual interest. Anthony was visibly at unease as he muttered, Is Osmond Biotech Ltd. crazy? Many top pharmaceutical companies have failed to produce a cure for Alzheimers disease. Signing this agreement isnt going to end well for them. Unless Anthony thought for a while and said, Unless this company already has a massive breakthrough in their research development, which explains their confidence! If thats truly the case, Im afraid it wont be as easy to acquire their shares anymore. Jennifer was worried too. After all, if theyre able to truly come up with a cure, itll be a revolution in the medical field. The impact of this would surpass the responses we received when we announced the Alzheimers Disease Reversal Treatment. Agreed. Ill make sure to include this hypothesis in our report. Anthony was tense. As an employee of Blacklight Biotechnology, he understood the gravity of the situation. Once this company successfully produced an effective cure, it would reduce the Alzheimers Disease Reversal Treatment to mere trash. It would bring massive damage to Blacklight Biotechnology. The best way to mitigate that harm was to acquire the company and sell it as one of the corporations products. Of course, Anthony would not be the only one having that idea. It was to be expected that these venture capital funds would have the same intentions too. With a heavy heart, Anthony and his group found themselves at the entrance of a tower where Munster Capital was based. This time, none of the main stakeholders even came to greet Anthony. It was only a department manager who came to greet them. It was evident that they had no interest in whatever proposition Anthony had. They were only here out of politeness. Anthony could sense their true intention and proceed to inform the manager that they would visit another day before leaving the premises. Theres another investor whose name is Clifford. Hes the second-largest shareholder in Osmond Biotech Ltd. and is also Parkers business partner. Jennifer continued reading the materials as she prepared for the final sprint. The report indicates that Clifford had earlier invested three million US dollars into the company, acquiring a forty percent stake in the company. However, after a round of angel crowdfunding and AB series fundings, hes now left with a stake of seven percent. Its not much, but if we can get it, at least well have something to show for our company. Let me have a look. Anthony went to the computer and saw a man who looked like a tycoon. Very well, lets go meet him now. Following the information provided by Blacklight Biotechnology, Anthony and Jennifer soon found themselves in front of Cliffords home only to realize that he was preparing to head out. He was an elderly person well past his sixties and had white hair and a beard growing on his face. Are you all from Blacklight Biotechnology? As Anthony appeared at the gate, Cliffords eyes immediately brightened up as he greeted them affectionately. Ive been wanting to see you all for a while. Ive recently just decided to visit Eco Science City early next year. I wouldnt have thought Id bumped into you all so soon. Well then, do you have some time to discuss an issue relating to your stakes in Osmond Biotech Ltd.? Jeniffer said hastily, It wont take up too much time. Hearing their proposal, Clifford then seemed to be in a conundrum. Im sorry, I was just about to head out to a good friends party. Why not both of you follow me and we can discuss the details over at the event? Are you sure? Anthony felt that it was slightly inappropriate. Nothing inappropriate about that. The host is an affectionate gentleman who would welcome even uninvited guests. As long as Im there, your presence wont bring any trouble at all to the host Then, Clifford invited the duo into his car whereas the rest of the negotiation group returned to their hotel rooms. Soon, Anthony and Jennifer found themselves in a manor at Beverly Hills. Although they were no strangers to glamorous scenes, Jennifer still found herself awe-struck as she observed the glittering decorations of her surroundings that immediately transformed the manor into an elegant white palace. There were luxury cars parked across the manor, each owned by a successful individual who was then personally escorted into the compound. Anthony had also received the same treatment. Old friend Clifford, long time no see! Old friend! Near the entrance into the manor, a middle-aged man in his fifties gave Clifford a light hug. Then, he gave a curious look behind Clifford and asked, Who are these people? These are high-level representatives from Blacklight Biotechnology, theyve come here to check out what the fuss is all about. You better not disappoint! The two men seemed to be close friends as Clifford was able to banter seamlessly with that person. The same Blacklight Biotechnology that came up with the Alzheimers Disease Reversal Treatment and special anticancer medicines? The mans eye brightened up as he took a closer look at the duo. Yes. Im Anthony, a manager from Blacklight Biotechnologys Business Development Department. This is Jennifer, shes the manager of the Legal Department. Its an honor to meet you. Anthony spoke and behaved like a true gentleman. My friends, welcome to the party. You all have come just at the right time. The middle-aged man let out a burst of hearty laughter and said, We have a few exciting scenes to show you all. I guarantee youll have the shock of your lifetime! Then, the man passionately welcomed the guests into his property. Chapter 243 - An Upper-Class Party Once they settled down into the glamorous party, Anthony and Jeniffer had finally snapped out of the awe-struck feeling that they harbored since coming into this place. The experience that they had just been through felt like a dream to them. Although they were well-compensated working in Blacklight Biotechnology, it was still a huge gap away from becoming a true tycoon. For Jennifer and Anthony, it was their first time witnessing such an opulent occasion. By the way, Mr. Clifford, Jeniffer asked softly once the middle-aged man had left, is that the organizer of this party? Yes, his names Gross. You can address him as Mr. Gross. Clifford nodded. When he noticed a group approaching him, he preemptively said to his companions, You both can go take a look around. Once I finish catching up with some old friends, we can talk about business later. Dont mind us. Anthony and Jennifer nodded and hastily walked away. As the party did not call for any dress codes, the duo did not seem to stand out too much despite being in their work clothes. Once they walked toward a quiet corner, Jeniffers eyes were beaming with envy as she said, Is this how the upper-class live their lives? Why do I never see Mr. Chen live like this? Mr. Chen is wealthy only fairly recently. His personality and culture wouldnt resonate with what weve observed here. These are tycoons whove been wealthy since decades ago, perhaps even up to a century. Anthony lamented, Besides, Mr. Chen is still a Chinese after all, his culture is fundamentally different. As far as I know, they dont typically host parties like these at night. What if were comparing influence? Jeniffer asked softly, Would these tycoons be as influential as Mr. Chen? A normal tycoon would never be as influential as Mr. Chen. Anthony was determined. Although Mr. Chen was only wealthy recently, he had already amassed capitals that could rival an entire healthcare industry. This isnt something a normal tycoon can pull off. However, if were talking about the top tycoons, then things might be different. After all, their capitals that have been amassed for centuries could probably be compared against Blacklight Biotechnologys properties. Its fifty-fifty at this point Are you overestimating Mr. Chen? Jennifer was shocked. Although I concede that Mr. Chens a remarkable individual, these Northern American and European tycoons are capable of influencing major government policies. Indeed, but dont forget that Mr. Chen also has support from dozens of wealthy families and financial conglomerates, Anthony said, besides, do you think our companys as simple as it looks? You mean Jennifer asked cluelessly. Youve worked in Blacklight Biotechnology for a while now. Im sure you wouldve noticed. Anthony spoke softly, For instance, arms smuggling. This has already been an open secret for a while now. There are hundreds of fully armed Black Security Service personnel as well as the Black Knights that were owned under Tara Private Security Company. These armed forces even have armored cars and military helicopters at their disposal Well, if you put it that way, our company seems much more powerful now. Jennifer nodded and felt a wave of excitement. Just when the duo was chatting away and sipping champagne, the middle-aged man suddenly went on stage and clapped his hands. The music system of the hall was instantly turned off as all of the guests unanimously channeled their attention toward the person. Even Anthony and Jennifer had stopped their conversation. Ladies and gentlemen. Gross seemed to have put on a layer of foundation on his face. His cheekbone seemed to be protruded obviously from his cheeks as his face appeared to be extremely pale under the glare of the spotlight. Gross continued smiling and said, Aside from bringing you a source of entertainment, Ive hosted tonights party to show you an extremely important object. Now, would the lovely guests standing near the stairs entrance please take a few steps backward? Following his gesture, the few guests seemed to retreat subconsciously, forming an empty space near the staircase. As you all know, aside from being an entrepreneur, Im also a collector who loves collecting precious artifacts. This time, my construction team has found this in a gold mine Following his announcement, three showcases gradually rose from the ground. The guests were completely awe-struck by this scene as they gasped in shock. No one would have thought that there would be such platforms in this area. Come, lets take a look. Anthony and Jennifer walked curiously toward the crowd as they saw the showcases that were still ascending from the ground. After all, an object that was sought after by Gross would be one of invaluable price. Even if they could not get their hands on it, the duo thought there was no harm in learning something new. The showcases were no different from those in museums, both were covered by a transparent glass case that was specially handled to become bulletproof. As the platform continued raising, the crowd could finally see what was contained in these showcases. Those were three stone statues! Anthony observed that these statues were completely carved out of stones. These statues seemed to have stood the test of time as their edges and boundaries were slowly blurring away. The statues seemed to belong in a group, each featuring a human head that had a peculiar expression on it. The first statue was a human head that had its eyes tightly shut. It had long pointy ears that seemed to grow out of its temporal lobe, bearing resemblance to a person growing a bunny ear. The second statue had its eyes wide opened and a deep eye socket, seemingly dragging its eyes into its skin. Under the shine of the spotlights, the eyes sockets seemed to become a deep abyss. The third statue had eyes and ears that were fairly normal. However, its mouth stretched open so widely that it elongated its face by one-third of its normal length. The inside of the mouth was also pitch-black, resembling a black hole that could absorb any traces of lights. Strange was the only word that Anthony could use to describe his first impression of these statues. Unsure of whether it was an optical illusion, Anthony felt like the lights had dimmed significantly in the party the moment these statues were featured. Oh my god, look at that ancient texture and the traces that were left ages ago. How unbelievable After a short silence, someone in the crowd abruptly marveled out loud. After all, if it was something Gross had brought out, no one would have second-guessed the authenticity of these items. Mr. Gross, is this an artifact of the Mayan civilization? I think these were made during the times of Ancient Greece! I dont think these fit the styles of Ancient Greece. In my opinion, they should be statues that were carved by the Sumeru civilization. The crowd soon engaged in exciting discussions. In reality, everyone was merely supporting Mr. Gross as they attempted to appear interested. These statues are ugly Jeniffer said softly, Anthony, are you able to recognize which era these statues belong to? Nope, but there are so many experts here, one of them ought to have the answer. Anthony shook his head. Chapter 244 - Turned Down Again Mr. Gross, I really cant tell which era these sculptures are from. After a while, everyone still had not reached a unified consensus, so one of them choked back his impatience and glanced at Gross on the steps. Mr. Gross, please clarify. I dont know their year of production either. Only then did Gross stopped beaming smugly as he proclaimed, But what I want to tell everyone is that Ive unearthed these three sculptures in a gold mine in the South American Continent. A gold mine? Everyone was instantly bewildered. Yes, they were dug up from a gold mine. Gross laughed and said, I know its hard to believe. Even when I received these three sculptures, I didnt believe it at all until I rushed to the gold mine and found the location of the excavation, where I saw the cavity where these sculptures had been. Then, I believed everything. I think everyone should know what this means. Gross slowly became serious. No traces of artificial excavation were found near these sculptures, which means that they were probably buried in gold mines due to geological changes. However, the last geological change that can be traced back to hundreds of thousands of years ago. This means that these sculptures probably have a history going back hundreds of thousands of years or even millions of years! That, thats impossible The Stone Age can be traced back to three million years ago, but how could the ancient apes at that time have the technology to make such complex stone sculptures? Its impossible Still, they do look like the totems of some civilization Maybe they were Gods gifts to some primitive people! Everyone started debating again. I say, old man, no wonder youve looked unwell recently, and your body has gotten thinner than before. Is it because of these three sculptures? Clifford chuckled and stopped the bickering. Yes, for some reason, lately my head has been aching frequently. Gross spread out his hands helplessly. Still, my personal physician has examined it and said that its just a nervous breakdown, nothing else. At this point, a gray-haired old man with a pair of very thick glasses came forward. Gross, if possible, Id like to inspect these three sculptures up close. After all, if your miners didnt lie, these three sculptures may be the biggest discovery of this century. Of course, Professor Griffin. This gray-haired old man seemed to enjoy such a high status that even Gross was acting deferential. After Gross was done showing off, the dinner party continued, and everyone gradually turned their attention away from the three sculptures. After all, most people did not have any favorable impressions of these three weird-looking sculptures. In comparison to those, they were more concerned about taking advantage of this banquet to discuss a few transactions or take the opportunity to find an attractive bed partner. My apologies for making you wait. Just as Anthony and Jennifer were on their fourth glass of champagne, Clifford finally came over. He raised his glass to them and grinned. Its noisy here. Why dont we go out to talk? Sure. Anthony glanced behind him before leading the way to the garden outside. The garden was only illuminated by a few rows of dim lights. It was quite dark but only because their eyes had not gotten used to this level of darkness. In the gloom, they could make out a few figures on the chairs conversing in low voices. Anthony did not mind them. He went to a corner before turning around. Mr. Clifford, Jennifer and I are here this time on behalf of Blacklight Biotechnology. We hope to talk about the shares of Osmond Biotech Ltd. that you own. Anthony lowered his voice. Of course, you can make a few requests. If we cant grant them, we could still consult with our superiors. So, thats it Clifford pondered for a while. I dont know much about this company. Its just because this company was first founded by a down-and-out friend. After he went bankrupt, he had wanted to make a comeback. So I funded him three million dollars, which isnt much anyway. I thought that would be the final time Im helping him. However, now it seems like his company has become very much sought-after. Clifford displayed a crafty look. So before I give you an answer, Id like to ask you two to tell me why do you want the shares in my hands? This Anthony and Jennifer shifted their expressions when they heard these words. Their behavior had fully aroused this mans curiosity. It would not be easy to get Clifford to transfer the shares. This is a decision issued by our company. Were only the operatives and we arent quite clear about the reasons. Anthony spoke and noticed Cliffords disbelieving look, so he could only add. Well, in our opinion, it should be because Osmond is researching a drug that can completely cure Alzheimers disease. Moreover, they must have made good progress in this research, so everyone else is starting to become restless. Youre very honest and didnt deceive me with some lies. Clifford nodded and said, pleased, Nonetheless, in this case, I cant transfer my shares to you. After all, I believe you also understand that, if theres really a drug that can completely cure Alzheimers disease, the value of the shares I own might increase by more than a hundred or thousand times in less than ten years. Even so, thats merely one possibility. Jennifer hurriedly said, What if this drug cant be developed? After all, you know as well how many pharmaceutical companies in the world have suffered grievous losses in this area. The difficulty of treating Alzheimers disease is no lesser than that of treating cancer. It might even be harder. After all, cancer can be cured while Alzheimers disease has never been cured until a year ago! Hearing this, Clifford nodded and smiled. Ms. Jennifer, what you said makes sense. Its not just that. Anthony chimed in. Even if the drug is developed, what are the chances it could pass Phase III clinical trials and go on the market? Let me give you an example. From 1998 to 2022, in terms of drug development for Alzheimers disease, a total of 165 drugs have been developed around the world, but only 6 drugs have passed clinical trials. The rest have failed. The passing rate is only 3.36%. Surely you understand what kind of figure this is In addition, a clinical trial period of more than ten years has to be taken into account. Even if this new drug gets on the market, itll probably be ten years later. Clifford smiled again when he heard all this and said carelessly, Mr. Anthony, what you said is very reasonable too, but I think your company must be so anxious to acquire shares in Osmond surely because of some unique aspect about this new drug? Not just that. Clifford continued with a smile. Its only three million dollars, after all. I dont really care about this amount of money, but after listening to your persuasion, I now plan to continue investing in the upcoming Series C financing round. For that, I have to thank you both. Anthony and Jennifer were completely dumbfounded. Chapter 245 - Reply In the operating room, Chen Chen took out a loud, buzzing bone saw and slowly sliced open the chest of a pale-skinned giant lying on the operating table in front of him. Blood gushed out like a fountain, splashing across Chen Chens mask in a brilliant, startling red. The peculiar thing was that the giant who was being dissected had a face that was ninety percent similar to Chen Chens. If one added eyebrows and hair, it would almost be an enlarged version of Chen Chen. This giant was the tyrant that resulted from Chen Chen cloning his own fertilized egg, which was injected with T-virus and hatched in the life incubator. The firm skin and muscles that were as tough as rubber tires could not be cut with a scalpel at all, so Chen used an electric bone saw to forcefully cut open the tyrants chest. Following that, an assisting Black Knight stepped forward and swiftly cut out a piece of sample tissue from the tyrant. Skin, liver, intestines, kidneys, stomach, heart, and lungs A sample was cut from every internal organ. These samples were then put on a plate and sent to the workbench on the side. The bone marrow puncture needle was useless in extracting the brain tissue. Chen Chen had to use the bone saw again to cut the tyrants skull bit by bit and extract a part of the brain tissue inside. As Chen Chen needed infallible experimental data, he had cloned himself with a complete brain, only without forming any consciousness. Even with a piece of the brain cut off, the life force of this tyrant was still extremely robust. Not only was he a long way from dying, but his wounds were also constantly healing. Thus, Chen Chen had to inject a syringe filled with cyanide into the tyrant to end the life of this unconscious monster. Next, Chen Chen took out another clone that had not been injected with T-virus. This clone looked only about ten years old because it had not been injected with T-virus. It was exactly what Chen Chen had looked like when he was a child. Still, it would serve its purpose as a comparison. At the moment, Chen Chen had four sample clones that had been injected with T-virus and four sample clones that had not been injected with T-virus. Just when Chen Chen was about to use the samples of internal organs from both sides for comparative analysis, Little Xs voice suddenly came out of the speaker. Sir Godfather, Qian Wenhuan sent a message that the negotiation team we sent has reported failure. How did they fail? Chen Chen did not look surprised at all. He just walked to the cutting table and asked calmly while slicing off sections from the viscera samples. When our people arrived, Osmond had completed the Series B round of financing and the founder of the company acted in a hostile manner toward us. Hostile? Chen Chens hands froze. Are they developing drugs to treat Alzheimers disease? To think that you got it immediately. Little X replied, According to the report by Anthony, who was in charge of this matter, this was brought up indeed in the discussion with the other party. Hearing this, Chen Chen squinted and showed a thoughtful expression. If we really want to prevent them from developing the drug, there are hundreds of ways with the means we have at our disposal. Nevertheless, compared to that, Im more interested in knowing how reality would play out the plot in the movie. Besides, in retrospect now, the ending of the movie seems very interesting. Chen Chen continued. The protagonist finally arrived at the Los Angeles headquarters from New York, but when he handed over the newly developed drug to the high-level board of directors, he found that the board was also wearing the same clothing as the villains So, we actually have two options now. I know. Little X smiled. The first one is to follow the plot of the movie and forcefully converge the companys shares through coercion, assassination, and chip implantation. On the other hand, we could directly eliminate the company at its root or destroy all of their information, so that the plot in the movie would not take place. Yes. To go with or against the flow those are our two choices. Chen Chen passed the work he was doing to the Black Knight beside him. His face suddenly became increasingly solemn. Sure enough, theres no such thing as a free lunch. As I get more and more involved with the USB flash drive, the price of using it also becomes more apparent. Although it seems that these costs are incredibly covert, I feel that once I make a wrong move, it would trigger a ripple of changes, like dominoes Little X was silent for a moment. Although it could be described as the strongest artificial intelligence in reality, when faced with this kind of problem, the logical thinking ability of the computer was still inferior to the human brain. Lets play safe for the first encounter. After thinking about it, Chen Chen asked, Who holds the most shares of Osmond now? That would be Munster Capital. Theyve invested 1 billion USD and now occupy 50% of Osmonds shares. Theyve also signed a gambling contract, Little X replied. Behind this venture capital company is the Munster family, a newly emerging, small financial group with great potential. Chen Chen snapped his fingers upon hearing this. Notify Brando and ask him to send a few members of the B.S.S. force, equipped with memory erasers and cloaking devices, to bring me the one at the helm of this financial group. Little X, youre in charge of manipulating the data of international flights in North America. I want to see him in three days. Since Brando and the rest had formally joined Gods Forbidden Zone, Chen Chen had handed over the command of the B.S.S unit to him. They were responsible for the security of the Eco Science City. Youre not using Black Knights? Little X asked. The Black Knights are still not as adaptable to situations, so Im not too confident in them. Chen Chen said, The Black Knights are still suitable for some simple tasks such as assassinations, regular combat, and so on. However, this time, its a kidnapping target. They would have to go through the international airport and many levels of inspections. A Black Knight would be too easily exposed. Got it. Little X answered. Chen Chen did not say anything else, but walked aside and continued to observe the Black Knight slicing the internal organs. It was not that Chen Chen had not considered using violent means to kidnap the head of the Munster Financial Group, implant a chip in them, then force them to transfer the shares to his own name, before finally destroying the body. Even so, this was way too aggressive. A major move like the transfer of shares would attract everyones attention. At that point, a simple investigation would show that it was the doing of Blacklight Biotechnology. Although capitalists were all lawless fanatics, there were still rules in this industry. If Chen Chen dared to break such rules in the open, of course, these financial groups would not sit idly by. After all, if Chen Chen could take someones property by force today, he could easily seize someone elses property tomorrow. No one would tolerate a ticking bomb by their side. Therefore, even if Chen Chen intended to kidnap his opponent in the first step, he would not kill the guy, let alone implant the God chip. After all, the malpractice of the chip was too significant and easily exposed. Once exposed, Chen Chen who used such an evil device would immediately be labeled as a public enemy, and he would never rise to the top. Chapter 246 - Arrest At this time, at Los Angeles International Airport, Anthony and Jennifer sat down in the VIP terminal. They remained silent for a long time. Qian Wenhuan had already issued an order for the two of them and the negotiating team to return directly, without having to stay on in Los Angeles. Even so, they were returning after having failed in their mission. At the very least, they were naturally ashamed. As for the worst-case scenario, the companys senior management might question both of their capabilities, which could even affect their careers. Nonetheless, there was no use thinking about these things. What was done was done. No one wanted to sell their shares to Blacklight Biotechnology. Are you both Mr. Anthony and Ms. Jennifer? Just when the two of them were feeling downcast, four or five men wearing black clothes and sunglasses suddenly surrounded them, looking at them condescendingly as they subtly blocked off all escape routes. I am. And may I ask who you are Anthony looked up blankly and asked. Were with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Theres an investigation that we need your cooperation with. The man in black at their head flashed his ID and the other four immediately stepped forward. They seized Anthony and Jennifer by the arms and marched them out of the terminal. This is Panic fluttered across Anthonys face. Wait, what happened? We didnt violate federal law! Youll understand when you reach our destination. The FBI agent did not even explain anything to the two of them and hauled them away at once. The rest of the negotiating team was stunned. Did any of you attend the ball at Gross Manor? No, we didnt. Everyone quickly shook their heads. Please come with us first. We wont take too much of your time. The man in black continued while gesturing for them to walk ahead. They could only follow obediently. Anthony and Jennifer were carted to the FBI office building. They were instantly astounded when they got out of the vehicle. What they saw was that the entire hall of the Federal Bureau of Investigation was filled with various sculptures, ranging from bronze sculptures to stone sculptures. The large ones were more than ten meters high and the small ones were only ten centimeters tall. Countless sculptures filled the hall and there was also a large number of trucks that were bringing in more sculptures. Whats going on? Anthony mumbled to himself. After they passed through the hall of sculptures, the two were taken into a makeshift interrogation room. This interrogation room was modified out of an office. The FBI, for some reason, could not even provide a formal interrogation room. There were people dressed in black coming in and out as well as a large number of people in uniforms. Currently, a man rushed into the interrogation room while drinking water and said hello to the men in black who were detaining the two. Those men immediately withdrew. All at once, only Anthony and Jennifer remained in the interrogation room, along with the man drinking water. After drinking the water in the cup in loud gulps, the man exhaled and turned to look at the two of them. Do you want some? No, its fine. Thank you. Anthony still looked dazed. Excuse me, what has happened and why are we arrested? Surely we didnt violate the laws of North America, let alone the laws of the Earth Federation. I apologize. The man nodded. First, let me introduce myself. You can call me Investigator Geraldson. Yes, neither of you violated any laws, but everything happened so suddenly. We could only do this to make sure you cooperate. After that, the man grew stern. From now onward, please answer each of my questions seriously. Any falsehoods, once discovered, will likely lead you to be arrested for crimes against humanity. Crimes against humanity? Jennifer exclaimed, Why is that? This is what the Earth Federation has stipulated. We in North America are merely following orders. Geraldson spread his hands. Okay, can the both of you tell me where you were last night? Upon hearing these questions, Anthony and Jennifer exchanged a glance and finally, Anthony smiled bitterly. Do you need to ask that? You seem to have arrested us because we joined the dinner party last night, right? Very well. So you did join the dinner party last night. Geraldson took out a pen recorder and recorded what Anthony said. Then he asked again, So at the party, did you see Uh, three sculptures? Yes, there were three oddly shaped sculptures. Anthony was no longer thinking of anything else he might as well tell the truth. One of them had prominent ears and the others had prominent eyes and mouth respectively. The three sculptures seemed to be very Anthony paused here, searching for a description. Weird. Jennifer filled in. Yes, the three sculptures gave off a weird vibe, both in terms of their shape and lines. Anthony nodded. Very well Geraldson nodded. Next question have you noticed anything unusual about those three sculptures? Unusual? In what way? I dont know either. Geraldson shook his head. For instance, if you got a weird feeling, that should count as something unusual, I guess. We only took a look at the three sculptures from a distance, Anthony said helplessly. We only noticed each of their three prominent features, which were the ears, eyes, and mouth. I dont remember anything else Plus, we didnt touch those three sculptures. They were all sealed in the jewelry display. Even if there was an ancient virus or something on them, we wouldnt have been in contact. Jennifer chimed in. Anthony was shocked as he recalled the horror of being dominated by the Blacklight virus. He quickly asked, Is there really some kind of ancient virus on the three sculptures? Geraldson shook his head, No. To be honest, we arent sure why those at the top have given us these orders Forget it, just pretend I didnt say anything. Ill continue with my questions. With that, Geraldson continued to ask, Please explain to me the origins of those three sculptures, including everything you heard, saw, and analyzed. Tell me everything. Geraldsons words caused a flutter in Anthonys expression. The investigators words seemed to imply something, but now was not the time to think about all that, after all. Thus, Anthony once again narrated the origins of the three sculptures, how they were dug out from a gold mine in South America by a man named Gross. At the same time, he revealed to the federal investigator before him that it was a man named Clifford who had invited them to the showing. Very good. Geraldson listened to all of this but remained completely unmoved. He had already examined the entire affair thoroughly. At this point, he was just verifying the facts. Chapter 247 - General Knowledge Can Be Horrifying One day later, Chen Chen was woken up in bed. Sir Godfather, an anomaly has been found in North America. Little Xs voice came from the speaker. Chen Chen rubbed his eyes, looked at the phone, and found that it was three oclock in the morning. Only then did he sigh and asked feebly, What anomaly Since last night, police stations throughout North America and the Federal Bureau of Investigation have unanimously launched an investigation into the sculptures. Little Xs voice was rather somber. Not only that, but also none of the negotiating team, who was supposed to return to Walvis Bay International Airport in the early morning, have returned. I checked their mobile phones by satellite positioning and found that they are actually located within the FBI building in Los Angeles. And? At first, Chen Chen was a little irritated but as Little X went on, his expression slowly turned calm. He asked, Did you find anything on the Internet? Ive hacked into the network of the police station and the FBI, and learned that the Earth Federation United Front had sent a mandatory mission to search all of North America and seize all sculptures with any abnormalities. United Front, sculptures Chen Chens pupils contracted as if he had realized something. From what Chen Chen remembered, the Earth Federation United Front seemed to be a department more mysterious than the FBI. It was rare to hear about the deeds of this department. Ninety percent of people had never even heard of this department before. Of those who had heard of this department, ninety percent did not know what the role of this department was. Based on its name, it should be a battlefront that united the entire Earth Federation. Still, this was truly thought-provoking. Was the Earth Federation United Front meant to fight any particular existences? No one knew the answer. However, in the command given, Chen Chen could pick out two key phrases, namely, United Front and sculptures. After discarding the former, the latter was the one that left a deeper impression on Chen Chen. The shadows of the three stone sculptures flashed across his mind at once. Coincidence? Or Chen Chen sat up in bed, concentrating his thoughts in the dark. After a long while, he asked again, Did you find out anything in the end? No. Little X replied, Ive investigated deep into the Federations official website, but couldnt find the network entrance of the Federation United Front. However, I found several encrypted letters. Its just that Im afraid the Earth Federation will be immediately alerted once these letters are cracked. Forget it then. Chen Chen stood up and turned toward the washroom. The time in North America is UTC-8, whereas were now in UTC+1, which means were about eight hours[1] ahead of North America. North America should be going into nighttime now, right? Yes, its seven in the evening over there. Little X replied, Ive cracked the network of the FBI in North America and discovered that the entire North America has gathered more than 100,000 sculptures at this point, all of which are peculiarly shaped or had a strange past. Even priceless artworks such as The Thinker and Mona Lisa are being intensively guarded At present, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the police have selected 1,300 suspected anomalous sculptures from these sculptures and issued over ten thousand letters requesting cooperation in the investigation. In the Los Angeles Federal Bureau of Investigation, one such letter for Anthony and Jennifer was also found However, halfway through all this, Little X stopped abruptly, then said in surprise, Sir Godfather, Ive suddenly made an important discovery Dont tell me that youve found the sculptures that were in Elysium. Chen Chens expression sharpened. Im sorry to say it, but yes. Little X lowered its voice and said in a somewhat surprised tone, Among the Los Angeles FBIs information, Ive come across the photos and data of the three sculptures. Not only that, but Ive also found information concerning Gross Meanwhile, the monitor in the bedroom turned on automatically and a picture of the three sculptures appeared. Sure enough, the three sculptures in the photo were the same as the ones Chen Chen had seen in Elysiums dimension. The eyes, ears, and mouth were highlighted respectively, just like the saying in the Analects See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil. Seeing that the sculptures were identical to the ones he remembered, Chen Chen narrowed his eyes. As for Gross, that was also the name of the family in Elysium and also the name of the first owner of the three catastrophic sculptures It was as if reality and film were overlapping at this instance Chen Chen walked into the bathroom, washed up quickly, then stared at himself in the mirror as he wiped his face with a towel. In other words, those three sculptures are now in the FBI branch in Los Angeles? At the moment, yes. Chen Chen walked out of the bathroom. With a gentle flick of his right hand, an NZT-48 pill flew into his mouth. Following that, Chen Chen closed his eyes softly as countless deductions and facts began to surge through his brain The Gross family, the three sculptures, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Federation United Front Chen Chen mumbled. Endless theories and clues were automatically integrated and organized. Within a few seconds, Chen Chen had considered many things. Now it seems that the Federation is looking for these three sculptures? However, they didnt directly single out the ones owned by Gross, but rather, initially selected more than a thousand out of hundreds of thousands of sculptures? Yes, Little X replied, in the information from the Federation United Front, theres no clear objective, only two clear elements North America and sculptures. Im also sure that no other continent has received a similar mission. In that case, the Earth Federation seems to have learned of something through some channel. Chen Chen wore a solemn look. However, due to some reason, the information received by the Earth Federation isnt comprehensive, so the Federation could only expand their scope and conduct a large-scale investigation throughout North America Therefore, the Earth Federation seems to have a certain channel through which they knew about the danger of the three sculptures and the fact that these sculptures are in North America? For the moment, thats the case, Little X responded. Chen Chen suddenly sighed. This is information that even we dont know. If I hadnt been to Elysiums world, Id have never thought of the dangers posed by a few ordinary sculptures With that said, Chen Chen walked to the computer and began to look through the information that Little X had retrieved from the FBI. As expected, the origins, appearance, and owner of these three sculptures were the same as in Elysiums dimension. They were all dug out of a gold mine by a person named Gross. Moreover, precisely because these three sculptures were very special in appearance and origin, they were also collected by the Federation and selected as a candidate in the group of more than a thousand suspected anomalies. After this, the sculptures with suspected anomalies would be transported to the Earth Federation headquarters in New York for subsequent processing. After reading all this, Chen Chen finally displayed a woeful expression. As I thought, its not just once. Ah, whats not just once? Little X asked curiously. I mean that the unusual response of the Earth Federation has occurred more than once. Chen Chen sighed. Didnt you realize? Ive had doubts ever since the Blacklight virus. Why was it that, when the Blacklight virus spread in Africa, countries around the world responded perfectly, almost scoring full marks? Ive always thought it was because of what happened three years ago that provided the relevant experience, but there are still many things that dont make sense. However, if you consider that along with the Earth Federations behavior this time around, it can all be explained. Chen Chen uttered each word slowly, I suspect that the Earth Federation has something that lets them predict crises Something that predicts crises? Little X tried saying this out softly. I say that its something because I dont know if its a person or an item or something like a scientific instrument. Chen Chen explained, Still, according to my deductions, its existence can be ascertained. Even so, it appears to have a flaw its unable to accurately pinpoint what the crisis will be. In other words, there are generalities and errors in its communication with the Earth Federation, which resulted in the responsive plans of various countries when the Blacklight virus struck last time and now the large-scale search for sculptures Ive even thought of something terrifying. Chen Chen suddenly lowered his voice and said, In 1991, the Soviet Union disintegrated and the Earth Federation was established less than a year later. In the beginning, only the five core members joined, along with dozens of their smaller allies but as the Earth Federation became stronger and stronger, eventually, the other countries couldnt withstand the pressure. They all joined this community of shared human fate This was all only briefly mentioned in the textbooks. They only stated that, at that time, history was made, as that was the first great integration in human history. But now, in retrospect, there are fishy aspects to it that are truly unsettling Chen Chen narrowed his eyes. And one of the most fundamental questions is why should humans be united in the absence of foreign enemies? Huh? Little X seemed to realize something suddenly and exclaimed in a whisper. Sometimes, general knowledge is a horrifying thing. A smile tugged at the corner of Chen Chens lips. A question like this is ridiculous, right? Its like asking why one plus one equals two. Even a child can answer because of humanitys shared communal fate, the Soviet Union was disintegrated and human governments were federalized, establishing the Earth Federation. However, if you remove this general knowledge, youll find the hidden darkness beneath. Such as, why did the Soviet Union suddenly collapse? Was it only because its economy couldnt support it? Why was the human federation established? In all this, are there external causes that ordinary people cant know about? Chen Chen continued. History textbooks only tell us that the strong countries integrated the weak countries and the weak countries depended on the strong countries The United States integrated Canada and Mexico and later became the North American Continent; India integrated the weak countries nearby such as the Philippines and Myanmar, forming the Indian Continent; Malaysia, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea were integrated into the South China Sea Continent; Japan, South Korea, and North Korea formed the East China Sea Continent, and the Middle East countries formed the Middle East Continent Furthermore, in the early days of the establishment of the Earth Federation, it can be said that humankind truly shared one goal. The sharing of weapons and technology with each other had even begun. It seemed that we were ushering in the Great Unity[2] of humanity Its just that after two years of this, we revealed our true selves again. The human nature of infighting caused the atmosphere of love and peace to dissipate, and things hadnt improved even until now At this point, Chen Chen suddenly asked, X, can you think of a reason? According to your speculations, could it be because the Earth Federation foresaw a catastrophe affecting all of humanity, and to survive, all countries abandoned their prejudices as they had to unite? But after two or three years, they discovered that the catastrophe didnt occur immediately or perhaps the catastrophe was not as formidable as they imagined? Little X replied. Thats a good guess. Chen Chen nodded in satisfaction and sighed. Thats what I guessed. I have to say that sometimes general knowledge is a scary thing. If it werent for the Federations big move this time, I wouldnt have thought about it. Id also never have thought that the conspiracy behind the Earth Federation would run so deep Yeah, even though Ive hacked into the Earth Federation many times, I didnt find the slightest clue at all. Little X echoed its assent. This may be the top secret of the Earth Federation. Chen Chen nodded. But now that were aware of it, itll get much easier. X, try to pay more attention to similar news on the Internet in the future. As he spoke, Chen Chen suddenly smiled bitterly. But now isnt the time to quibble over this. Presently it seems that the Earth Federation doesnt know which sculptures are their targets. Its also very likely that they dont know how powerful the three sculptures are. If the phenomenon in Elysium suddenly erupts here, thatd truly be something else So we Little X asked tentatively, are we going to get the sculptures? Yes. Chen Chens eyes carried a dark glint. The Earth Federation cannot even determine its goal, let alone properly handle the crisis. Once the potential crisis of the three sculptures befalls us, the fortress of human civilization will collapse at the speed of light. No one is immune, including me. With that, Chen Chen pulled out his phone and dialed Brandos number. Mr. Chen Although it was late at night, the call was picked up after ringing twice. Brandos steady voice came through the line. Brando, the mission objective has changed. Chen Chen said in a low voice, Notify the B.S.S. members youve dispatched send them to the FBI branch in Los Angeles to get me three sculptures. This is your objective. Understood, Brando replied, in that case, Mr. Chen, the appearance of the three sculptures Ill send it to you soon. Furthermore, this mission will be upgraded from a company mission to a mission of Gods Forbidden Zone. Mission level: Alpha. Understand? At the other end of the phone, Brando, who was lounging on his bed, was taken aback. Then, his expression hardened. I understand! After that, there was only a beeping sound from the phone. Brando hung up the phone in a daze as turbulent thoughts swelled within his heart! An Alpha-level mission was also the highest level mission in Gods Forbidden Zone. Brando still remembered the description he had read of this mission. In Gods Forbidden Zone handbook, the priority of an Alpha-level mission was To be carried out at all costs! [1] technically, it should be nine hours, but perhaps time zones work differently in the Earth Federation _()_/ [2] A Chinese philosophical concept of an ideal society. See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Unity Chapter 248 - Geraldson After giving the order to Brando, Chen Chen was still a little worried. After all, this would be his first clash against the Earth Federation. He thought for a while, then said again, X, send a T-force to act as support for the B.S.S. team. A fully equipped T-force? Little X asked. Yes, bring everything except for firearms. Chen Chen nodded. No matter what, we must get those three sculptures at any cost! The T-force was the latest T-virus Black Knights, which were supersoldiers with tyrant-level explosive strength and self-healing abilities. In addition, Chen Chen also equipped the T-force with mass-produced GS Combat Suits, which were weakened versions of the combat uniforms in Gantz. Although this mass-produced combat uniform did not have the ability to enhance ones strength, this was not a problem for the T-virus Black Knights. After all, the T-virus Black Knights themselves already possessed physiques far beyond those of ordinary people. Finally, with the cloaking device from Predator, this super-ghostlike combat unit would be a nightmare for any enemy. The reason they would not be carrying weapons was also very simple. Chen Chens forces were going to fight across borders and must travel on international flights. It was only with the help of Little X, who fabricated their identity data, that the Black Knights could move under the nose of various countries without being detected. However, if they brought weapons onto the plane, as long as the security personnel were not blind, it was impossible that they would not be found. At this time in Los Angeles of the North American Continent, late-night was descending. After interrogating the sixth batch of suspects, Geraldson rubbed his temples a little tiredly. There was now a large pile of relevant transcripts in his hands. What sort of d*mn mission is this Geraldson grumbled in a low voice. He turned his head and looked out the window, only to see that thousands of sculptures had been piled up in the parking lot outside. He even saw several sculptures that had been pried from the front of a church. This was because someone had mentioned that those sculptures would move. That person had said that in a joking tone, but had never expected that a single quip would cause the sculptures to be brought here. He must be feeling rather panicky by now At present, the parking lot of the entire FBI branch in Los Angeles had been filled with countless sculptures and more sculptures were being transported in by trucks. As the head of the intelligence team in the Los Angeles branch of the FBI, Geraldson only knew as much as the masses did. He just knew that all the operations across the North American Continent at this time were due to orders issued by the Federation United Front. This mysterious department had only issued a single command: to investigate all abnormal sculptures in the North American Continent and transport them to the New York headquarters of the Earth Federation! Therefore, as the executive branch of the Earth Federation, the Federal Bureau of Investigation was immediately mobilized at full force whereas the North American Continents government also worked tirelessly to cooperate with them. The only thing was, could someone just f*cking tell him what this order meant? What was an abnormal sculpture? Geraldson rubbed his hair rather grouchily, then took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket. He took out a cigarette and held it in his mouth, then took out a golden lighter from his jacket pocket and lit it patiently. A pungent flavor filled his lungs at once and Geraldson was invigorated by the effects of the nicotine. Now, he was looking after a set of sculptures that were transported from Holmby Hills. There were three sculptures in this set, all of which were human faces. One had prominent ears and the other two had prominent mouth and eyes respectively. This set of sculptures was brought over because its owner claimed they were unearthed in a gold mine, so they were also defined as anomalous sculptures. Thinking of all this, Geraldson looked at the corner of the room again. He stared at the three bumps covered by a white cloth and could not help shaking his head. Yes, as the most important sculptures, these three sculptures were not placed in the parking lot like ordinary sculptures, but in his interrogation room instead. At the same time, his team must ensure the safety of the sculptures. After all, the property of a citizen must be well protected. The owner of this sculpture was an influential person. It must be said that privilege existed wherever people existed. The owner did not even have to come to the FBI. Rather, Geraldsons boss had made Geraldson himself go to the manor for intelligence gathering, at a time when the entire organization was extremely short on manpower. If he had not wasted so much time at that manor, he would not be this much behind schedule As he secretly cursed his id*ot boss, Geraldson started to interrogate the next group of people who had seen the sculptures. Time ticked by slowly, from late night to dawn, then from dawn to noon the next day. They had not rested the entire night. It was not until the next afternoon that Geraldsons team finally interrogated the first group of people who had close contact with the sculptures. Furthermore, they were approaching the arranged time. In a while, these sculptures would be sent to the airport to be shipped to the New York headquarters. As soon as he uploaded the information he had into the computer, the door of the office was pushed open and one of Geraldsons men walked in. Boss, Director George asked us to get ready to send the sculptures to the airport. Alright, I got it. Geraldson frowned but did not say much. He knew that manpower was extremely lacking at the moment and it was within his duty to see his responsibilities through to the end. With this in mind, he lightly blew out a puff of smoke and flicked away the cigarette butt. In that case, lets start out earlier and send them to the airport, then we can rest. As he spoke, he pulled off the white cloth behind him and immediately the three strangely shaped sculptures were revealed. The artistic style of these three sculptures was a bit strange. No matter how one looked at them, one would get a peculiar sensation Geraldson did not think much about it after glancing at them. He directly picked up one of them, turned around, and walked out. Seeing this, the others also picked up the remaining two sculptures and followed him. A heavy red truck was already waiting on the ground floor of the building. When Geraldson went down, he noticed a large group of his colleagues packing the sculptures under their charge into a container, before they transported it to the truck with a forklift. Leader Geraldson, this is your container. Seeing that Geraldson had come down, a federal investigator immediately pointed to a container in the corner that was half the height of a person. Geraldson nodded and walked to the container. He picked up the cushion foam at the side and wrapped the sculptures snugly in multiple layers. After all, according to Gross, the owner of the sculptures, these three sculptures were treasured antiques. If they were damaged, Gross would never let the matter rest. He packed all three sculptures into the container. After they were labeled, a forklift came over and carried the container into the truck. Geraldson waited for the container to be safely loaded onto the truck before he turned away and said to the three people behind him, Lets go. Wait in the car. With that, they went on ahead and boarded the agencys vehicles, waiting for everything to be loaded onto the truck. Ten minutes later, as the truck slowly started out, Geraldson also started the car. Besides Geraldson, there were seven or eight vehicles marked with the logo of the FBI. These vehicles trailed behind the truck, moving off like one long dragon. Chapter 249 - Shot On the ring road in Los Angeles. Geraldsons eyes were closing as he leaned back in the passenger seat. The soft rocking of the vehicle, in addition to the fact that he had not slept all night, caused him to feel that his upper and lower eyelids were constantly fighting back a heavyweight, while fatigue was hitting him like a series of shockwaves According to the existing procedure, as long as his subordinates drove the cars and followed the truck to the airport, his task would be considered completed. Geraldson did not even have to wake up. He could just enjoy sweet dreams throughout the journey. His subordinates would even send him to his door before waking him up. Unfortunately, things were not destined to go so smoothly In a murky stupor, Geraldson seemed to hear a muffled explosion, followed by a violent screech of friction as if someone was scratching the floor with metal! At the same time, Geraldson was thrown forward quickly by inertia. Still, he was held back by the seat belt, so he did not directly crash into the front windshield. After he opened his eyes instinctively, Geraldson found that the car he was in had stopped. Not only that but also less than thirty meters ahead, the truck carrying the sculptures had flipped over in the middle of the road. In addition, dozens of containers had been flung out, blocking the entire highway. What happened? Geraldson asked reflexively. It seems that the truck suffered a puncture while driving and rolled over, one of the men in the back seat explained, Boss, shall we get off and take a look? Yes. Geraldson frowned, swiftly got out of the car, and walked toward the overturned truck. In a similar reaction to Geraldsons, the other teams that were following the truck also got out of their vehicles and came over to check the situation. Geraldson, what happened? A large man with a bushy beard rushed up from behind and asked loudly. I dont know. Lets take a look. Of course, Geraldson knew the man. This heavily-bearded man was called Sean, a team leader of another division in the FBI. Both of them also had a competitive relationship. Currently, a large number of containers were strewn across the road, completely blocking the way. The scene seemed like an ominous premonition to Geraldson. Why did the tire have to get a puncture now, of all times? However, when Geraldson saw that the trucks tire had completely exploded, his pupils suddenly contracted! He noticed that both the outer tread and inner tube of the tire had been fully stripped away from the wheel. At this point, only a bare steel rim was left on the left front wheel of the truck. This isnt a natural puncture Geraldson drew his pistol instinctively and shouted at everyone, This is caused by a shooting. Everyone, take cover! As he yelled, he rolled over and swiftly hid behind a fallen container. Everyone was taken aback and hastened to hide behind some cover. Nonetheless, unlike what they expected, everyone simply kept hiding for a few minutes. Even the road behind was starting to get congested with vehicles and no one was attacked. Geraldson, do you see the enemy? Sean was hiding behind a container and he spoke grimly. I dont. You? Me neither, Sean replied. We cant go on like this. More and more cars will get stuck behind! Someone warned them. D*mn it! Geraldson steeled his nerves and walked out again. Everyone, clear up the congestion first while protecting the sculptures were transporting. Dont miss anything. Got it. Everyone replied. The FBIs excellent training was immediately apparent. As they requested backup from the branch office, they began to unclog the traffic congestion. The driver of the truck was also rescued from the truck cabin at this time. Fortunately, he was not injured. Even after the blocked road had been cleared of congestion, nothing had happened. Was it really just an accident? Geraldson could not help feeling bewildered. He turned back to look at the overturned truck again and suddenly noticed a gentle distortion before a container that was half the height of a person. It looked like a transparent human figure What the h*ll? Geraldson quickly rubbed his eyes and looked again with greater focus, only to find that there was nothing there. Is it because Im just too tired? Geraldson murmured. Even so, he seemed to abruptly realize something and rushed to the container that was half a persons height. This was because he remembered that this container was the container that held the three sculptures! However, when he ran to the container, he was astonished to find that a circular hole with a diameter of half a meter had been cut out in the container at some point! Within this hole, the three sculptures he was in charge of had vanished without a trace! How could this be! Geraldson exclaimed in shock. Boss, whats wrong? Three of his men, noticing his odd behavior, hurried over. Someone has stolen our sculptures! Geraldsons face was extremely sour. He kicked the container open, exposing the huge round hole in it. Everyone saw that the iron shell of the container had been cut open by something. The cut was extremely smooth. Everyone was stunned by this. Impossible, Ive kept watch since just now. No one approached this place. Who could have cut this container under our noses? If it didnt just happen, was it cut on the truck? Thats even more impossible. From the time these sculptures were loaded onto the truck, we were watching the truck the entire way. It was impossible for anyone to enter the truck! Even if someone sneaked in at the start, what about when the truck rolled over? If someone was flung out as well, wed definitely have seen them! All at once, everyone debated and refuted each other, trying to shirk responsibility. Only Geraldson stared at the container, completely silent. Sean, why did you step on my foot? I didnt! Just then, a squabble between two men broke out. Geraldson looked up instantly. At this moment, he could see a distortion twisting slowly in the air just behind the two of them! Freeze! Geraldson quickly raised his pistol and aimed at the two of them. Raise your hands right now and get down on all fours! Geraldson, have you lost your mind? Sean yelped and quickly raised his hands. Calm down, man! I definitely didnt steal them! Everyone turned toward Geraldson in puzzlement and shock. I dont mean you, Sean, but behind you! Geraldson gritted his teeth and said, Freeze! If you dont stop, Im going to shoot! What are you on about Bang! Before Sean could finish speaking, a sharp gunshot rang out. The bullet directly grazed past Seans face and zipped forward! Instantly, the preserved order of the highway broke out into chaos again! At this moment, Geraldson and the others were utterly flabbergasted in the air where the bullet had passed, a splatter of blood had blossomed. It was as if an invisible figure had been wounded by the bullet Chapter 250 - Leave No One Alive When everyone saw this, their eyes bulged in sheer disbelief. Someone was there! At this instant, everyone understood that there was someone right before them! Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang! However, before these FBI investigators could come to their senses, gunfire tore the air apart. Seven or eight people were immediately shot and they collapsed, screaming in agony! Duck! Geraldson intuitively rolled over and avoided the bullets. Then, he realized in horror that the bullets were coming from more than one direction, which meant that there were enemies in every direction! There was more than just one of those invisible monsters! As soon as he realized this, Geraldson felt a chill run down his spine. There was a container in front of him and a truck behind him, so he could stay hidden for a while, but the others were not so lucky. These FBI members kept shooting in the direction where the gunfire came from, but after all, they could not see their opponents. In no time, they were shot, one after another, and they fell to the ground, wailing. The gunshots all sound like ordinary NP27 pistols and the directions theyre coming from one, two, three Four Five! Counting the numbers silently in his head, Geraldson quickly calculated, based on the direction of the gunfire, that there were five people on the opposing team. Although this was a small number, within dozens of seconds of contact, more than half of his team had fallen. Geraldson even saw a colleague, who had worked under him for a long time, get shot in the forehead and tip over into a pool of blood Just when Geraldson and the others were caught in the hail of bullets, like rats in a trap, the sound of helicopter propellers could be heard in the distance. It was reinforcements from the FBI! Upon hearing the arrival of the helicopter, everyone was revitalized. Meanwhile, the gunfire from beyond the containers had also ceased. The distorted figures seemed to understand that it was impossible to kill everyone before the helicopter arrived, so they fled at once, disappearing into both sides of the highway. When the helicopters finally hovered above their heads, Geraldson and the other survivors were flooded with relief. They dropped onto their knees. Rescue them! Quick, save them When he came back to his senses, the three helicopters had already landed. More than a dozen heavily armed special forces quickly rushed out of the helicopters and began to treat the wounded lying on the ground. Geraldson first walked to his subordinate that had been shot in the forehead and gently closed the mans eyes. After that, he thought of something and looked at the location of his first shot again, but only saw a still pool of blood on the ground. Besides that, there was nothing else. That shot didnt kill whoever it was? Geraldson murmured. These three helicopters were all dispatched by the FBI forces nearby. As they had made a report to their superiors back when the truck flipped over, the FBI immediately sent helicopters as reinforcements to prevent further mishaps. Now, it appeared that these helicopters had come at the right time. After all, if they had been a few minutes later, everyone there might have already been killed in action. They counted that, in this attack, there were eight groups of four, which meant a total of thirty-two federal investigators. Fifteen people were killed on the spot. Their opponents were well-trained with astounding marksmanship. Every bullet was a death sentence. Only eight were severely wounded and the remaining nine, including Geraldson, suffered minor injuries in the form of abrasions. The eight seriously wounded ones were sent to the hospital first. Then, Geraldson and other members who were lightly wounded got into the vehicles, still in a trance, to be sent to the hospital for examination and treatment. As for these sculptures, the orders from up above remained unyielding, even though one set of sculptures had been lost. The others must still be transported. Even so, before they reached the hospital, Geraldsons boss called. Geraldson, what happened? Director, Im not too sure either. Geraldson said listlessly, The three sculptures under my care have been stolen Who are they? I dont know. I could only tell by the sound that they used NP27 pistols, which are the most popular type in gun shops. Tens of thousands are sold every day across the country. Its likely that they chose this gun to conceal their identity Geraldson analyzed. But I injured one of our opponents. As long as the on-site inspector who arrived later managed to collect a sample, maybe we could uncover the existence of a mysterious organization through that blood. Mysterious organization? Are you being serious? His boss on the phone sounded surprised. Yes, Im certain that theyre a tightly guarded organization and they possess some very sophisticated stealth technology! Hello? Hello! Just when Geraldson was uttering the words stealth technology, there was a sudden static hiss on the phone. It seemed that the signal was interfered with and there was no signal anymore. What happened? Geraldson frowned. He looked to his side. Another FBI officer was talking to his family on the phone, but his signal was also disconnected. Your signal was cut off too? Yeah. Yours as well? Geraldson tried calling again, but for some reason, although the phones signal bar was full, the call could not go through no matter what. It was as if all the signal towers and even the communication satellites were not functioning Maybe something is wrong with the nearby signal tower? Geraldson frowned as the vehicle pulled into the hospital Ive invaded the entire North American network as well as all communication satellites in the North American Continent, causing them to display symptoms of being infected by a virus. At present, all communications and networks in the United States have been paralyzed. Currently, Chen Chen listened to Little Xs voice before nodding. Nicely done. How are the casualties on our side? One of the members of the B.S.S team was injured, but the sculptures have been successfully recovered. Its just that they cant be transported back for now. Lets transport them by sea. Chen Chen was relieved. I have to say that we were unlucky. An incident like this happened during our first brush against the Federation. Still, fortunately, weve sent a team of T-Knights to clean things up. Speaking of this, Chen Chen asked again, Has the T-force arrived in Los Angeles? Soon. Then, should we Little X lowered its voice. Yes. Now isnt yet the time to show our hand against the Earth Federation. Chen Chen nodded and sighed. Although therell be disadvantages if the Federation knows of our existence, the situation isnt irredeemable. Its enough to suppress any evidence of our existence as much as possible for one, at the very least, we cant let the Federation know that we have the power of invisibility. And thats why you asked me to temporarily cripple communications across North America? Yes. This stealth ability has unparalleled advantages in both tactics and strategy. It wouldnt be the worst thing for the Federation to know of our existence. The worst thing would be if they knew about our ability to become invisible because this can then be countered. In addition, the blood sample of the injured B.S.S member must be recovered, so Finally, Chen Chen decisively stretched out his right hand and gently drew a finger over his neck. All the members of the FBI who were involved in this incident and the high-level FBI officials in Los Angeles who have received the reports eliminate them and leave no one alive. Chapter 251 - Death Mobilized Los Angeles International Airport. A large number of passengers shuffled out of a plane arriving from Namibia. After passing the customs, some of the passengers exited the airport right away while some appeared to be waiting for their partners. These people merrily chatted with one another. The mood in the airport was the same as it had always been. An immigration officer named Johnny was operating in his post. He tirelessly searched each persons body, pockets, cuffs, and luggage. This was a part of his daily job. For some unspeakable reason, he suddenly felt an extremely discomforting feeling when he searched a large man standing six feet tall. He was uncertain what sort of feeling he was experiencing. He stole several glances at the other person and what he saw was what appeared to be a pool of still, dead water taking on the form of a face. It looked like there was nothing in the world that may serve to interest the man in the slightest. This man before him gave off a depressing, gloomy aura. Johnny had a false impression that he was not facing a living person. It was for this reason that Johnny silently raised his alarm. This would not be the first time that degenerate robbers tried to sneak past the customs and try to attack the officer when caught. Fortunately, Johnny did not find anything suspicious about the man. It may appear that despite this persons suspicious appearance, he was an ideal citizen. So, Johnny let the man pass. Shortly after that, Johnny met yet another passenger who was as gloomy as the grave. Johnny felt a little confused as this passenger carried the same air around him as the previous passenger did. If not for one of them being black and the other being Caucasian, he may have taken them to be siblings. Maybe Im seeing things because Im too tired Johnny muttered to himself and cast it off his mind. Unbeknownst to him, his colleague in the adjacent customs portal was thinking the same thing as he did. There were ten of these gloomy passengers in total. They blended into the tens of thousands of people walking in and out of Los Angeles airport and finally blended into the city And thats how it went down. Inside a conference room in the FBI branch in Los Angeles, a group consisting of over ten high-up officials were in their seats, listening to the explanation of a bald elderly man, Our team was caught off guard by the attack. The disappearance of the statue is only a minor issue, Im sure every one of you here is eager to know about the implications behind this attack on the FBI? Is it a secret operation team from the Mainland? Or North Sea Continent? Theres no way for us to make an educated guess, but one thing is clear, this was the work of an extremely well-put-together organization. It may even appear that the opposition possesses soldier cloaking devices Is this reported yet? one of them asked. Not yet, the entire North American communication systems were besieged by hackers. I have a feeling that this organization may be behind these attacks as well Are you kidding me? Everyone began to raise their voices and cause a commotion. However, it was at this very moment when the door of the conference room suddenly creaked open silently They all instinctively turned to look when they heard the sound but they did not see anything. Wind? The elderly man leading the meeting expressed vivid confusion and appeared to have thought of something. His expression suddenly changed. Careful Before he could finish, the door of the conference room was slammed shut violently. The sturdy sound-proof installations in the conference room completely muffled the horrific screams and cries for help coming from inside the conference room Wah! Geraldson abruptly snapped his eyes open and shot up from the bed. His vision was initially a blur until he gathered his senses over the next few seconds. Oh, so its just a dream? He wiped the cold sweat off his forehead. It was only by this point that he realized he just had a terrible nightmare. At this moment, Geraldson was laid across a sickbed. Due to his colleague receiving a wound from a gunshot, he did not leave the hospital but instead stayed with his colleague by the sickbed. He ended up spending the entire day there. Geraldson looked at his phone and saw that it was past midnight again. The room was drowned in darkness. His colleague who had just come out of the operation was sleeping in front of him. Even Geraldsons shriek failed to wake him up. Phew! Geraldson slowly got up. After getting several hours of sleep, he was in slightly better spirits. Only he could feel his throat swelling up in what may be the early symptoms of a fever. So, he reached for the jug of water by the bed and poured himself a cut of water which he enthusiastically gulped down. After Geraldson finished his drink, he tried to call home again but the line on the other end was still busy. Just what is happening? Geraldson frowned, he had never encountered such a situation before. Initially, he thought it was only this areas communication network that was cut off. It was not until later on when he discovered that the entire Los Angeles was similarly affected. According to the government announcements, the entire Los Angeles communication network was invaded by some sort of virus. Even the communication satellite systems had failed. It was just one trouble after the other Geraldson hung up the phone helplessly and reached for his pack of cigarettes almost instinctively. When he took out a cigarette and stuck it between his lip to light it, he remembered that he was in a patient ward. He decided to get up and head over to the corridor. It was the early hours of the dawn, there was a pin-dropping silence in the corridor. A stretch of lights followed down toward the other end of the corridor with patient wards lined up along both sides. The darkness-filled mouth on the other end of the door bared its fangs, seemingly attempting to devour everything in the corridor. For some reason, Geraldson suddenly felt an overbearing mood weighing on him. Shaking his head, Geraldson approached the window at the end of the corridor. He quietly lit the cigarette and drew in a large puff with all he had. A large portion on the tip of the cigarette immediately smoldered and emitted a fierce light. Huff! When Geraldson breathed out again, a thick puff of cigarette smoke came out together with his breath. He felt his tightening heart relax slightly. It was at that moment when Geraldson suddenly heard faint footsteps coming from behind him. The sound of the footsteps came from the stairway on the other end of the corridor. Usually, the sound of the footsteps would not be audible from such a distance, but in the dead of the night, the sound was greatly amplified, causing Geraldson to hear the subtle sound of footsteps. There was something off with these footsteps Geraldson slowly turned around. As an investigator who had gone through rigorous training, he could distinguish the difference between the footsteps of an average person and trained professionals. On the first impression, there may be little separating the sound of footsteps of an average person and trained professionals, but it was proven that the footsteps of a trained professional were more subtle. The subtlety here referenced to a more balanced span in between footsteps and the volume of the footsteps should be largely similar as well. This exercise was a result of improved coordination in body control. Could this person be a special forces veteran like himself? As one of the elites in Cobra Special Forces, despite his long years of retirement, Geraldson still maintained his extremely disciplined practices. Even his body was kept in perfect condition. The only blip was that he was long past his peak. However, he still had his accumulated experience with him. He could sense something special in the extremely practiced footsteps. An ominous premonition Chapter 252 - Finishing Move With the Christmas season approaching, the North American Continent was starting to see the first signs of winter. However, the breeze from outside the window behind Geraldson was nothing compared to the surging chill in front of him. The cigarette on the corner of his lip was still burning faintly, spreading their ashes in the air. Shaking off the ashes was the last thing on Geraldsons mind, for he was staring intently at the stairway at the other end of the corridor. The corridor was covered in pitch-black darkness. The steady sound of footsteps was slowly inching closer toward Geraldson. Each dull footstep seemed to beat into his heart. Geraldson instinctively reached for the gun on the inside of his shirt. It was a Beretta M9, measuring 217 millimeters and weighing only 0.96 kilograms. Its muzzle velocity was 333.7 meters per second with an effective range of 50 meters This gun was Geraldsons faithful companion that had been on countless missions with him. Over the years, it had claimed more than dozens of lives. With his fingers firmly grasping his companion and feeling the familiar pattern on the handle, Geraldson felt himself becoming slightly more composed. He continued glaring at the dark tunnel. After what was a couple of seconds which felt like several minutes, the approaching footstep had finally reached the stairway. Geraldson saw a man in a trench coat and a cap appearing at the end of the corridor The man was roughly 180 centimeters tall, medium build. He wore a black trench coat with a black scarf wrapped around him, topped off with yet another black fedora. From a distance, he seemed like just another person coming to the hospital for treatment. The brim of the mans fedora and his scarf shielded his appearance from Geraldson. Geraldson did not let his guard down when he saw this. His heart tightened as he raised his gun and aimed at the mysterious man near thirty-meters away from him. Im a federal investigator! Sir, please hold your ground immediately! Geraldsons urgent voice echoed across the empty corridor but the mysterious man seemed to pay no mind to the warning. The mysterious man kept his head down and defiantly approached Geraldson. Ill give you one more warning, hold your ground! Stop right there! Geraldson gritted his teeth and shot another warning. However, the second warning was just as ineffective. At this point, Geraldson had all but confirmed the approaching persons identity. He aimed at his opponents right thigh and swiftly pulled the trigger! Bang! A violent gunshot shattered the tranquility of the night and rang across the corridor. However, Geraldson displayed a look of utter shock as his pupils shrank rapidly. He saw clear as day that the moment he pulled the trigger, the opponent only slightly shifted his right leg and dodged the bullet! Was it a coincidence? Or Seemingly understanding the danger the opponent posed, Geraldson no longer held back as he aimed at the opponents chest and hammered away at the trigger! Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang! A round of gunshots followed after but the very moment Geraldson fired, the mysterious man suddenly avoided the volley of bullets as if his body was possessed by swift lightning. He bent his back downward at lightning speed! All five shots failed to hit their mark! Geraldson felt the hair on his back standing up when he saw the mysterious man continue approaching him nonchalantly. How was it that this opponent could dodge bullets? It was impossible! Geraldson suddenly spotted what appeared to be a cut left behind by a bullet on the corner of the mysterious mans clothes. He immediately realized that the reason his opponent was able to dodge his bullets was that the opponents attention was fixed on his fingers. The moment Geraldsons finger clicked the trigger, his opponent had calculated the trajectory of the bullet. This allowed his opponent to perform what may appear to the untrained eye as dodging the bullet, but it was not truly the case. It was a form of prediction! It was near impossible for an average person to make such a prediction since a bullets velocity was up to 300 meters per second, which was far beyond a humans reactionary speed. There was no other way to avoid a bullet other than to form a prediction in advance! With this in mind, Geraldson wrapped both his arms around the handle, shielding his finger on the trigger and aimed at the opponents head. Lets see how you can dodge this if you cant see my fingers bending! Geraldson muttered to himself and icily pulled the trigger again! Thwack! However, the instant Geraldson pulled the trigger, he felt his vision turning into a blur. All he could see was what seemed to be the opponents rapidly enlarging figure! The opponent moved extremely fast and crashed into Geraldsons field of vision like a freight train. Before Geraldson managed to properly pull the trigger, the barrel of the gun was trapped in the firm grasp of an iron claw! No good! Geraldsons pupils shrunk. At the moment, the gun barrel was being held down by the opponent and had its bolt jammed. There was no way the gun was going to fire no matter how hard he pulled the trigger. Geraldson decided on a quick retreat and performed a sweeping kick on the opponents lower body while he leaped backward! With built-up strength as a special forces soldier over the years, anyone whose lower body was struck by this kick would be immediately immobilized, whether it was a man or a woman! Having said that, this kick was bound to miss. As the opponent slightly took a step back, Geraldsons kick fell short. After that, the opponent proceeded to go in for a simple counterattack. With his right fist raised, he thrust his fist into Geraldsons chest in a devastating blow! Having just committed to a kick, there was no chance of avoiding the attack. Still, the battle-hardened veteran instinctively formed a guard with his arms crossed across his chest! Clack! Unfortunately, his opponents blow barely grazed his arms but instead prodded into the gap between his arms at a sharp angle, instantly shattering his ribs! Ah! A small trace of blood appeared on the corner of Geraldsons lips. With what remaining battle will that was left in him, he made a last-ditch effort to poke the mysterious mans eye, but his fingers only barely grazed a fedora. He snatched the hat off his opponent! A pair of unfathomably cold eyes barely resembling that of a humans immediately presented themselves before Geraldson. Just what sort of eyes were these supposed to be Geraldson had seen countless pairs of eyes in his time, some of them were vibrant, some of them dark. Some of them were full of anger while others were drowned in sorrow However, not a single person he had met had eyes like this person before him. Those eyes reeking of death without the faintest signs of life behind them! What kind of monster are you Geraldson muttered the words and gritted his teeth before he ferociously slammed behind him! The jarring sound of shattering glass took over. Geraldson had completely crashed through the window and was going to tumble down the building! This was no time for him to worry about his colleagues life. If he fell here, there was still a chance of him surviving this encounter. He was certain that he was going to die if he continued confronting this monster in front of him! This was the only thing Geraldson had in his mind at this very moment. Everything that had just occurred only took place within a matter of seconds. From the common persons point of view, the two had only exchanged blows briefly. However, within these few short seconds, the two had gone from armed combat to hand-to-hand combat, in which Geraldson, the retired ace of the special forces, was ruthlessly toyed around by his opponent! Just as Geraldson was preparing to potentially fall to his death, he felt yet another tug at his chest. The opponent had reached out of the window with his giant hands and grabbed Geraldson by the collar! It was over Geraldsons body was frozen solid. The despair in his eyes was unmistakable Chapter 253 - Recycle Ladies and gentlemen, this is ABC morning news. Today is another day approaching Christmas and yet today has become our darkest day None of us expected a new type of creeper virus would appear out of nowhere and invade our network, crippling our communications. The entire continent was plunged into a medieval era devoid of modern communication for twenty-four hours. According to investigations by various countries, this was certainly an act of terrorism. The total economic damage it caused totals up to 300 billion U.S. dollars, which makes it the largest scale and most costly damage inflicted by a computer virus. So far, not a person or organization has claimed responsibility for this event The day after the dust had settled, all television networks and online media were reporting on the events which happened in North America. Many people speculated that this was the work of a hacker or a hacker organization. The fact that the virus was remotely controlled and that North America was the only continent affected further solidified the theory. Furthermore, the virus only existed for twenty-four hours. After the twenty-four hours duration, the virus had disappeared from all of the computers in North America. This bizarre event that felt more like a fever dream bewildered all programmers. This event also turned out to incite fear across the other continents, extending to the entire Earth Federation. After all, if the virus could invade the North American network and cripple an entire state, the other continents could very well be at the mercy of the creator of the virus as well. Nobody would choose to be put in such a position with a sword of Damocles hanging overhead. Therefore, the entire Earth Federation set forth on a mission this very day, expending every resource available to them to find the organization responsible for crippling an entire state. Unfortunately, the mysterious organization responsible for invading the North American communications network went into hiding again after that day On the other side of things, more bad news emerged from North America. The violence department of the Earth Federation C the Los Angeles branch of the FBI was purged by an underground organization. All 153 members of the department were assassinated. There was not a single survivor. The victims included four high-ranking FBI officers To prevent a mass panic event, the Federation had tucked the information under covers. Based on context, many people began speculating that there was a great deal of connection between the virus invasion incident and the FBI incident both occurring in the North American Continent. For the mysterious organization to silence so many mouths, there was a chance they were trying to hide some secret. Over the next few months following the incident, the entire North American Continent was driven into a state of panic and chaos. Underneath all the chaos, countless investigators were silently dispatched to find relevant information they could regarding these events. Sadly, all their hard work would bear no fruits. A week later. Chen Chen had boarded an international flight and arrived in a small town named San Diego in the region of Los Angeles. In the end, he did not issue the order to have the three statues delivered back to Namibia because something else suddenly occurred to him. If the Earth Federation had previously set the three statues in the large province of North America, would they catch wind of the information should Chen Chen have the statues delivered back to Africa? If that were to happen, he would be losing more than he bargained. When the Earth Federation found out that Chen Chen was the hacker behind the attack on the North American communication network, no number of excuses would spare him. It would all come down to a devastating crash-and-burn. It would not make a difference even if Chen Chen was doing this for the sake of mankind. Therefore, this showed that Chen Chen still did not have enough in his arsenal to make Earth Federation tread carefully around him as he could not call the shots just yet. Chen Chen did not dare to risk having the Earth Federation find out about the statues so he did not have them sent back to Africa. Still, the statues would have to be dealt with eventually, otherwise, humanity would end up just like they did in Elysium. For the moment, Chen Chen would not even dare to study the statues. Previously, X-112 had said that humans with their current technological advancement could barely scrape the core principles of the statues, no less utilize them on a higher level. With the escort of the Black Knights, Chen Chen arrived at a manor and proceeded into the underground section. Although it was a rented manor, it was decorated quite extravagantly as it also came with a spacious basement. There was a desk in the basement with a laptop set on top of it. Positioned beside the desk were the three oddly-shaped statues that seemed to originate from the world of Elysium. This was the first time Chen Chen saw the statues in person. So far, he had always been analyzing these statues by remotely controlling the X-122 artificial intelligence in Elysium. One thing that was clear was instead of Chen Chens suspicions diminishing, they only continued to fester and grow. Looking at the three statues, an absurd idea occurred to Chen Chen for the very first time. So far, he had determined that these three statues did not have the ability of thought, movement, attacking, and such. If not for everything he had observed in the world of Elysium, he would never have imagined that these three statues would be the agents of destruction of a civilization. As for the motivation behind Chen Chens sudden boldness, it was because he was already familiar with how the statues killed people, which was with what appeared to be an electromagnetic wave propagating at the speed of light. Therefore, it would make a minimal difference even if Chen Chen were to hide on a separate corner of the Earth. In that case, he might as well confront it directly. Besides, it seemed like a certain condition had to be met to activate the world-ending destructive capabilities of these three statues. Without meeting these conditions, they were just three ordinary mounds of rocks. Chen Chen believed that the trigger condition was the three brains. Previously in the world of Elysium, X-112 discovered a human brain in each of the three statues while studying them. The owner of the brains had long been deceased several centuries ago. However, despite being the first person in the universe of Elysium who had his brain extracted by the statue, the Grosses in reality was still alive. This meant that there was a good chance that all three statues were hollow inside and were not a potential extinction threat at the moment. Still, these were mere speculations. Though Chen Chen had a certain degree of confidence, he would not say it was a hundred-percent guarantee. Therefore, to eliminate this looming threat, Chen Chen only had one option C to open a passage to another dimension where he could dispose of the statues. All of this brought him to the current basement. Since the apocalypse statues were first discovered in the universe of Elysium, you shall return to your sender! Chen Chen snorted coldly and plugged the USB drive into the laptop. He opened the passage to the world of Elysium again. After that, three Black Knights hugged a statue each and tossed them into the world of Elysium on the other end of the passage. This was probably the most standard green waste disposal method in the world Chapter 254 - Déjà Vu Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Inside the dimly lit basement, Chen Chen continuously tossed around faintly glowing blocks. These blocks radiated a faint blue glow in the darkness, instantly turning red upon being held in hand. Their red glow started strong but as time went on, they slowly grew dimmer and dimmer until they eventually fizzled out. By that point, Chen Chen would toss them by his feet and reach into the display again to extract more similar objects. Several hours later, countless such blocks the size of a fist that had already extinguished were littered around Chen Chens feet. Upon closer inspection, one could see that these objects were crystal clear substances resembling a gem. Phew After silently tallying the total amount, Chen Chen finally heaved a sigh of relief. He wiped his bleeding nose and proceeded to get up. As Chen Chen got up, his expression suddenly changed as he doubled over and collapsed onto the ground, causing a commotion. Immediately after that, he vomited a pool of bile. The strong stench of bile began to fill the entire basement which at that point, several Black Knights helped him up. At that point, Chen Chen had long passed out. Due to the previous incident with the statues, Chen Chen became fully aware of the hostility of the USB drive. He gave up on conserving energy and immediately exhausted a large portion of the energy accumulated in the USB drive over the last few months. In one short burst, he had extracted five hundred pieces of cut crystalline. A piece of crystalline weighed 4.7 kilograms. Chen Chen had extracted a total of 2.4 tons worth of substances from the USB drive, which was equivalent to two months of electricity generated by the nuclear power plant. This maneuver cost him more than when he previously converted them for the Medpod 3000 fully-automatic medical platform, immediately setting Chen Chen back to the medieval ages. The symptoms Chen Chen was exhibiting were the result of mass exposure to radiation. Since even the movie itself did not show the effects the initial exposure had on the three protagonists, Chen Chen did not anticipate such a drastic side effect after absorbing as much crystalline as he did for the very first time. Early dawn next morning. The first glimpse of sunlight beamed through the windows and landed on Chen Chens cheeks. After a full nights rest, Chen Chen slowly opened his eyes as he emerged from his dreams. Instead of the head-splitting headache commonly experienced by people after having passed out, Chen Chen immediately felt rejuvenated. Each cell in his brain seemed to be soaring with energy after enjoying a lengthy rest. The first thing that came into view was a splendid, pink-colored room. The room was adorned with large, reflective decorations. There was a wind chime at the head of the bed spinning to a rhythm of its own, a fine fragrance loomed in the surrounding air Chen Chen sat up in a blur and set his bare feet on the floor as he inspected the room carefully. This place appeared to be a womans bedroom? Chen Chen frowned a little and came to a desk. Apart from a messy arrangement of womens magazines, he also spotted a framed picture of a Chinese girl. Chen Chen instinctively reached for the picture frame. Before his arm could graze the picture frame, it levitated on its own and flew into Chen Chens hand. Field is significantly stronger Chen Chen muttered to himself. He remembered that the protagonists in the movie were able to control a baseball masterfully the very next day after acquiring superpowers, even capable of stopping a thrown baseball mid-air. A baseball weighed somewhere around 150 grams. Combined with the force of a throw, its impact force at close range could surpass 25 to 30N. The protagonists could effortlessly stop a thrown baseball mid-air and this was only their initial demonstration upon acquiring their superpowers. When Chen Chen first acquired his superpowers, he could only handle spontaneous explosive force up to 0.3N, which was only one percent of what others were capable of. Even after more than half a year of training, he only managed to raise that number to 1N. Now that he had absorbed five hundred pieces of crystalline in one go, its effects were immediately apparent. He even felt his spirits greatly revitalized. The only thing he was curious about was, to what heights could his Field reach now? Chen Chen smiled faintly, doing what he could to contain his excitement. He turned to inspect the girl in the picture frame. Judging by the picture, the girl was probably in her late twenties. In the picture, she pursed her lips together and had her eyebrows slightly raised in a cutesy manner. Overall, the vibe she gave off was seven-parts cute and three-parts somewhat gloomy. In this instant, Chen Chen felt his vision shifting as an odd feeling came to him uninitiated. He had an impression that he should be very familiar with the girl in the picture. However, his mind was telling him that this was the first time he had ever seen this girl and this picture Is this dj vu Chen Chen frowned. Dj vu was a phenomenon in which a person got the sensation that they had experienced an event beforehand while the very event itself was just unfolding. According to physiology and psychology interpretations, this was a very common physiological phenomenon, mostly occurring in a persons youth. This should imply that this dj vu was merely a coincidence. With this in mind, Chen Chen silently placed the frame back in its original spot and approached the window to look outside. There was a moderately sized lawn, separated from another lawn with a wall of fences. Further out was a path leading to the front gate with two rows of trees lining across both sides of the path. As it was in the midst of winter, the trees were barren of any leaves. This was a common civilian house in North America. They were nowhere near extravagant as a villa but closer to the self-built houses in the rural area of the Mainland, except the housing planning and environment were better here. Most common civilians in North America lived in houses such as these. This particular house was a hiding spot for the Black Knights to evade the pursuit of the North American government. A B.S.S. member had purchased this lot several days ago. Chen Chen was not too informed of the general details. All he knew was that the original owner had just moved out not too long ago because he could still smell the lingering scent of female hormones in the bedroom. Not planning to linger for too long, Chen Chen took a deep breath and exited the bedroom, where he went to the basement again. In the basement, the bile he had vomited and the fragments of the crystalline were already cleaned up. There was only the computer with the USB drive plugged into it in the basement. Chen Chen swiftly unplugged the USB drive and put it away before putting on a pair of Bluetooth earphones and spoke, X, send me the address of the Munster Financial Group. Since were here, I might as well go meet him in person. Will it be dangerous? Little X asked with mild concern. Chen Chen grazed the button that was emitting faint blue light on his collar and smiled. If I still find myself in peril even with the GS Combat Suit along with the memory eraser and cloaking device as a backup, then I suppose theres no helping it. Understood. Little X understood straight away and responded, Ive already sent the address to you. Excellent. Chen Chen nodded and made to head outside before he suddenly seemed to recall something. Oh yeah, look up information regarding the residents of this house, I want all their details. With that, Chen Chen turned and exited the basement, disappearing at the end of the room. Chapter 255 - Mother’s Day? Chen Chen took a taxi and instructed the driver to take him to Los Angeles. San Diego was only about a hundred kilometers away from Los Angeles. They arrived within two hours. After paying the fare, Chen Chen took out and ate the last energy bar in his backpack but still felt an emptiness in his stomach. Chen Chen wandered around the street for a short while before he heard music humming from the side of the street. Chen Chen began heading toward the source of the music. He saw a KFC lot and on the display on the top of the building, he saw an old man with a white mustache leading a group of healthy young boys in an energetic dance. Oh, howdy mommy, I hear youre the best mommy in the world. Well What do you think,boys? I love you, mom~ Youre a real special lady Happy Mothers Day! Emmm Watching the endlessly looping KFC commercial, Chen Chen could not help but feel a little confused. Today was not Mothers Day, why would KFC put on this commercial? Deciding to not give it too much thought, Chen Chen walked right into KFC and ordered three family buckets using the self-ordering kiosk. The KFC in North America was extremely affordable. When the waiter placed all three family buckets on Chen Chens table, he was immediately taken aback and raised the question. Do you need me to pack two of these buckets to go? No, just leave them here. Chen Chen waved him away. Despite the waiters mild confusion as to why a young man of seemingly average height and weight would order three family buckets, the waiter did not let his confusion show. He set the three family buckets in front of Chen Chen and took his leave. With that, Chen Chen no longer spared any hesitation as he took out two hamburgers from the family buckets and began mowing them down. As Chen Chen devoured the hamburgers three bites at a time, he soon began to feel several pairs of eyes fixed on him and the hushed whispers of people around him. Mommy, look over there On a neighboring seat several spots away, a little boy seated across his blonde-haired mother by the window could not contain his amusement and made his mom inspect the spectacle with him. Oh my god Not far away, with their friends making pointed gestures, several patrons at the restaurant dressed in university apparel put on their glasses and turned to look as well. Even the cashiers at the counter were constantly stealing glances at Chen Chens direction, their mouths agape as they beheld Chen Chens ridiculous eating speed. Chen Chen paid little to no mind to them. Little X had already infiltrated the surveillance system of this KFC outlet. The footage since Chen Chens arrival in this place was just a blank screen. Just as Chen Chen devoured an entire family bucket in three minutes and prepared to move on to the next bucket, he heard what was the sound of people around him inhaling sharply. On top of that, on the side of the four-seater, one of the university students held up a camera and pointed it at Chen Chen. Chen Chen barely made an effort to raise his head to look as the sound of a distinct crack emerged from the university students phone. The display of his phone was immediately shattered. My phone The university student wailed, completely unaware of what was happening. Hm, it may appear that it was rather effortless to shatter the display of a phone eight meters away Chen Chen evaluated silently as he hungrily stuffed all the chicken rolls in the second family bucket into his mouth. His mouth still bulging with food, he dove into the third family bucket. Tsss! The sharp sound of his audience inhaling was growing louder. Ten minutes later, Chen Chen nonchalantly exited KFC, leaving behind a gathering of flabbergasted patrons It was only until noon when Chen Chen finally arrived at the main camp of the Munster Financial Group. Similar to the Edwards Manor, the main camp of the Munster Financial Group was also situated in the most prominent spot of the rich C Holmby Hills. This was a gigantic manor spanning up to 50 acres, located on the east side of the winding highways. Chen Chen could even see a wall of tall iron fences with some blue signs on top. The signs read Private Land, Trespassers Prohibited.. Chen Chen looked across the iron fences and saw a building shaped like a palace erected in the middle of the flourishing, colorful garden. It held a resemblance to the places run by slave owners during the time of the civil war in the South. On the east side of the villa, Chen Chen spotted a golf course with a man-made lake. The price of this manor alone should be in the range of millions. Chen Chen shook his head. Although his current financial abilities had surpassed that of a few financial groups, he still had a hard time grasping the concept of the extravagant capitalist lifestyle. He wondered, would there even be enough time to make it to the toilet with the house being this large? Chen Chen figured that if he were to settle down in the future, he would buy three Lujiazuis Tomson Riviera suites back in the Mainland. This was the most extravagant lifestyle as he knew it. Shaking his head, Chen Chen shrugged these ridiculous ideas out of his mind and with a flip of his palm, a metal ball the size of a longan appeared in his hand. With a finger stretched, Chen Chen gently flicked the metal ball. In an instant, his figure vanished and turned into a distorted beam of light. It was next to impossible to notice him without paying close attention. This stealth device had its fair share of drawbacks. For instance, it was very easy to reveal oneself when splattered with water. It was also unreliable in a wide-open field. However, it was very easy to carry and could store an enormous amount of electricity so Chen Chen had never had to swap them out. At the current moment, Chen Chen was completely invisible. He candidly lifted one foot and stepped over the barrier, trespassing into the private land. For a consortium family of this level, having a host of private bodyguards was guaranteed. Although they may not number in the hundreds, it was inevitable that there was going to be at least twenty to thirty bodyguards. With a brief survey, Chen Chen had spotted three bodyguards patrolling in front. These private bodyguards may have received a lot of military training, some of them were even retired special forces. Each one of them boasted spectacular skills which all but amounted to nothing when put in front of Chen Chen. On the way there, Chen Chen effortlessly avoided two groups of patrol and entered the tightly guarded manor. When he entered the ground floor of the villa, Little X sent him the blueprint of the villa as well as the potential location of their target. The next part was easy. With a gentle kick, Chen Chen launched himself onto a window above like a nimble ape and climbed into the kitchen, where he walked right behind a chef who was occupied with cooking. The chef shuddered suddenly and instinctively turned around to investigate. Noticing nothing out of place behind him, he went back to cooking. While this was going on, in a separate corner of the Munster family villa, there was a gigantic study. This room was closer to a library than a study. Measuring several hundred square meters, the bookshelves made of solid wood with ladders mounted on them stretched four meters upward into the roof. These bookshelves were densely packed with close to ten-thousand books. At first glance, there was what was a sea of books in this place Inside the study, there was a middle-aged man with gold-framed glasses and appeared to be approaching his fifties seated at the desk. It may appear that as a result of assuming a position of power for an extended period, he gave off an authoritative aura around him. This was the master of the manor C Adrian Munster, the true leader of the Munster Financial Group. Chapter 256 - Enchanting Ten minutes later. Chen Chen shook his head when he saw the middle-aged man with his head buried in his work in the study. If Chen Chen could help it, he would rather not enforce his will on this person. This was because he had previously gone through this middle-aged mans background and this was a spectacular, talented individual. Although it would not be right to say he came from nothing, he had displayed exceptional abilities ever since he started working at his fathers company at the ripe age of twenty. In just a year, he had tripled the market value of his fathers company! Immediately after that, his father promoted him to general manager of the company, granting him a proper stage to put his talents to use. From there on, Adrian had excelled right out the gate, kickstarting his career in an awe-striking manner. In just twenty years, Adrian had managed to propel his fathers companys market value from tens of millions to hundreds of billions. He expanded their reach into the mega-corporations across countless industries including finance, electronics, entertainment, services, and other sectors Such brilliance in managing a business was far more commendable compared to Wall Street with their decades of wealth accumulated by their ancestors. It was difficult for Chen Chen to not have a great deal of respect for this man. It had to be said that behind the path to success of every pioneer, a story comparable to the likes of wondrous fables could be told. Chen Chen sat across Adrians desk where he gave out a short sigh and canceled his invisibility. Hm? While Adrian was completely immersed in his task of fixing documents, he heard the voice of another man inside his otherwise tranquil study. He subconsciously looked up and saw Chen Chen seated across his desk. Adrian in his state of confusion glanced at the still tightly-shut door of the study and seemed to have understood something so he fixed his gaze on the man in front of him. From where Adrian sat, this person in front of him appeared to be an average-looking Chinese young man somewhere in his twenties. The man had a common appearance that would not earn him a second glance if Adrian saw someone like him on the street. However, Adrians pupils shrunk into their shells when he looked into the other persons eyes. Such eyes were dark and bottomless like a black hole, absorbing all the light around it. Even in the dimly lit study, those eyes stood out like a sore thumb At this current moment, both the young man and Adrian were looking at each other dead in the eye. The corner of the strangers lips crooked upward into a subtle smile. The way this man wore his predatory smile made Adrians heart flutter ominously. Even with a common smile, the young man radiated such threatening, bloodthirsty aura Sir Adrian, Ive come here uninvited because theres something I need to discuss with you, please do excuse my manners. Chen Chen started plainly. However, the tone of his voice hardly suggested the faintest hint of remorse. Who are you? Adrian took a deep breath and asked solemnly, Also, how did you get in here, wheres my bodyguard posted outside? He should be coming in here soon unless he went for a toilet break. At the end of Chen Chens note, the muffled sounds of conversation coming from inside the study finally attracted the attention of the bodyguard posted outside. A round of knocking sound came from the door. Adrian looked visibly comforted by this as things should be easier for him as long as his bodyguard realized his predicament. As it was, even if he did not raise a word of caution and only remained silent, the bodyguard outside should quickly realize something was off and would take appropriate measures. Come in. To Adrians surprise, it was the young man who had broken the silence. Click The door of the study was opened. A large, stout man built like none other than Sylvester Stallone himself poked his head in. Boss, I thought I heard you talking with someone Before he could finish, he saw Chen Chen with his back facing toward him. You are The man digested the situation with a split instant, he immediately charged toward Chen Chen with his right hand aimed at Chen Chens hair. The speed and explosiveness he had displayed were at the utmost limit of what a common person should be capable of! However, immediately after taking two steps and readying to take his third step, his brain was torn out of its shell and slid down his neck. His body collapsed in one swift motion onto the rug and began twitching uncontrollably Fresh blood pumped to the rhythm of his heartbeat out of his lifeless body like a high-pressure fountain, seeping into the expensive rug. The room was instantly engulfed in a thick, foul mist of blood. Creak The door to the study simultaneously shut on its own. Everything happened in a split instant. Adrian barely had time to react at all. It was only after the matter when he felt his body overtaken by a horrible chill. What was even more appalling was that the young man in front of him barely moved a muscle. He did not so much as blink at all, but the bodyguard was indeed eliminated almost instantly How did you do that Adrian heard his voice turning hoarse as he asked. Just a little trick. Chen Chen gestured slightly with his hands, an almost completely transparent poker card suddenly appeared in his palms and spun on it as if it had a life of its own. Chen Chen gave an apologetic look. Sir, Im sorry if Ive caused you some shock. I only did so as Id prefer if nobody would interrupt our conversation, I hope you dont mind. Adrian turned pale white. He wanted to return a courteous smile but was otherwise too frightened to do so. Nobody should be able to interrupt us now. Chen Chen put away the graphene poker card and got up. He approached a bookshelf and silently observed the rows of books stacked on the bookshelf. Sir Adrian, I heard your father is exhibiting the early signs of Alzheimers? Yes Adrian looked at Chen Chen who was candidly flipping through the books and asked, Who sent you here? Foolish. Chen Chen uttered blankly as he took a random book from the bookshelf. What makes you think that theres another party backing me? Is it so ridiculous to assume that I came here on my own accord? Adrian dared not refute him and got silent. Sir Adrian, Ive come here because I want to make a deal with you. Chen Chen continued. I know that youve invested in Osmond in hopes of them manufacturing a drug for curing Alzheimers disease. Why not try your luck with our Eco Science City? Eco Science City? Adrian was instantly made aware of Chen Chens identity. He shook his head. I already had experts look into the program in Eco Science City, the technology can only halt the progress of Alzheimers at best without actually treating it. Besides, although the patent to these techniques is still held by Eco Science City, many treatment centers in North America have already been secretly circulating them, theres no need to head to Eco Science City. I understand. Chen Chen nodded and turned back to Adrian. He tossed the book back into the bookshelf and returned to his seat. In that case, please look at your computer. My computer? Adrian was first slightly taken aback before he saw his computer booting up on its own. A web page titled Gods Forbidden Zone was opened without any user interference. After that, the computer selected an article which in an instant, information regarding a certain Alzheimers Disease AD-001 Specialized Drug was shown. Reading the passages of information and research statistics, Adrian revealed a look of utter shock and disbelief, almost forgetting the predicament that he was currently in. How, how is this possible Theres no such thing as impossible, Sir Adrian. Chen Chen smiled. You should be well aware that before the Age Reversal Treatment was publicized, our Gods Forbidden Zone has restored the youth of plenty of members of various financial groups. In truth, we hold the most advanced medical technology in the entire Federation. Weve also long since developed a specialized drug for Alzheimers Disease, only we havent publicize it. Why not publicize it? Adrian asked with a hint of doubt, You as well should be well aware of the sheer impact of publicizing such a drug. Its influence may be even comparable to when you developed the first vaccine for Blacklight virus. As for this, Ill have to first start with describing the motive of our Gods Forbidden Zone. Chen Chen smiled faintly. Our Gods Forbidden Zone is founded by a group of people committed to prolonging the human lifespan. The goal is to overcome the human Hayflick limit to attain the privilege unique to Gods themselves C Immortality. Immortality? Adrian turned the question back to Chen Chen. Thats impossible, everything rots away eventually. Even metal rots away. No such thing as impossible. Death as we know it is merely a common misunderstanding. Chen Chen shook his head. Im sure you know, sir, that we have a generalized term for the advancement and progress of living things C evolution. In the natural world, theres no reason to expect that evolution should extend our lifespan in any shape or form. As long as we can survive long enough to reproduce and procure the next generation, and raise them to be self-sufficient on their own, thats more than enough. Therefore, in terms of evolution of life forms, its more than enough for humans to reach the age of 30-years-old. Any further genetic mutations serving to prolong lifespan arent subject to any adoration by natural selection. As we humans age, all sorts of odd and bizarre genetic diseases will begin to surface. What a mindless observation, isnt it? Chen Chen made a gesture and expressed helplessness. Its precisely because everyone dies that we claim death is inevitable. We see aging the same way we see the concept of time itself, it only presses onward and theres nothing we can do to stop it With that said Chen Chen suddenly altered his tone. This assumption is invalid. Feynman, the founder of nanoscience had once said that in all of the study of biology, we have yet to find any substantial proof that death is completely inevitable. One day, biologists will be able to pinpoint the exact cause of death and rid us of this horrible disease. From there on, the human body will cease to be just a temporary instrument In truth, theres no reason to put aging and time in the same sentence. Time will press on one way or another, but aging isnt a constant. Chen Chen pointed at his head. Think about this carefully, Sir Adrian. The observation of aging is merely due to the components of the body expiring, just like how cars wear out the longer you drive them, but does this necessarily mean that cars age? If you have mastery of restoration techniques, could you not simply swap out the worn-out parts with new parts, thus making it so that the vehicle can be operated forever? The human body is more complex than that, but in its essence, its the same as a vehicle. Adrian fell silent upon hearing Chen Chens remark, appearing to be pondering the legibility of what Chen Chen had told him. To attain immortality, we united the financial groups of North America and Europe and launched the Mankind Anti-aging Project. The goal is to extend the human lifespan. Of course, these are just empty words. Without proper evidence, I doubt youd easily believe what I just told you. Chen Chen made an inviting gesture. But that wont be an issue. You may revisit any document on this website anytime youd like, feel free to take a look at whats in them. Adrian nodded and closed the file on the AD-001 drug and proceeded to open another file with details concerning the cancer targeted drug. A mix of surprise and shock appeared on his face. This is completely different from the anti-cancer drug your group announced, this is a fourth variant of the anti-cancer drug! Thats right. Chen Chen nodded. Although Blacklight only publicly announced three anti-cancer drugs, we have six variants of anti-cancer drugs that can completely cure cancer. There are also over ten such anti-cancer drugs currently under development. The reason we havent announced them to the public is that these are currently restricted to the members of Gods Forbidden Zone only. Members restricted? It means that due to some of the techniques employed being too unconventional, weve decided to restrict it to a small group for the time being to avoid inciting a large societal shift. Chen Chen further explained, By small group, Im referring to the participating members of Gods Forbidden Zone. We develop new drugs with the help of the investment of each financial group. After commencing development, theyll be made available for these members at first notice. This is the methodology of Gods Forbidden Zone. There was finally a mild look of intrigue on Adrians face upon hearing Chen Chens remark. So what exactly prompted you to approach me? There are two reasons why Ive come here. Chen Chen narrated, One. To invite Sir Adrian to join Gods Forbidden Zone. And two, Id like to purchase all of the Osmond shares from your hands. If I were to join, will I have access to all of the non-publicly available drugs listed on the website including AD-001? Adrians eyes lit up. Yes. Only with your current status, you dont have the privilege to be a part of the Disciples Council in Gods Forbidden Zone, you will soon be though. However, if it pleases you, you may choose to be enlisted as an Alpha member, which is the highest-ranking member next to the Disciple Council. The only difference is that you will not have as much authority as the Disciple Council and dont have access to free medical treatment. Money wont be a problem, I just want to get my hands on this AD-001. Adrian quickly responded by shaking his head. That wont be a problem, Chen Chen answered, as long as youre willing to transfer the shares of Osmond Biotech to us. Are you worried about the off chance of Osmond developing another variant of a targeted drug for Alzheimers disease? Adrian finally had an epiphany when he heard this. Which is to say that Osmonds research trajectory is correct after all! Correct. Chen Chen nodded. So, Sir Adrian, have you come to a decision yet? Adrian appeared visibly conflicted at this point. Im willing to join Gods Forbidden Zone but what if I refuse to give away my shares in Osmond? Chen Chen smiled and turned to look at the cold corpse lying on the rug without a word. Adrian immediately understood what Chen Chen was suggesting with this gesture. He let out a brief sigh and nodded. I understand, Ill have to consider this for a while No problem. Chen Chen gave him a nod and got up politely. Please give me an answer as soon as possible. With that, Chen Chen opened the door leading out of the study and left the room, disappearing at the end of the long and winding corridor. Watching Chen Chens slowly vanishing figure, there was a look of uncertainty on Adrians face, he slowly descended into the crevices of his mind. Chapter 257 - Success In the end, Chen Chen purchased all of the shares from Munster for a fair sum of 1.2 billion. Munster previously bought the shares at the price of 1 billion. A net profit of 200 million was considered rather generous already. Although he was slightly upset, Adrian was well aware that this was the best possible outcome. Though there was the possibility of Osmond developing a cure for Alzheimers disease in the future, it was all but speculation. Even if it were to succeed, it may be a matter of years or even decades. If he wanted to cure his fathers disease as soon as possible, Gods Forbidden Zone was his best bet. Besides, there was no end to the mysteriousness of the young man who came to him, one who even seemed to possess supernatural powers. If he was unwilling to hand out his shares, it may very well be an invitation to a great disaster. The poker card which seemed to kill using an invisible force left a heavy impression on Adrian. To date, Blacklight Biotechnology officially held 50% of Osmonds shares. This piece of information quickly went viral, causing many people to speculate all sorts of likely scenarios that could come out of it. Chen Chen also made an official announcement regarding Alzheimers disease targeted drug AD-001 in the inner circle of Gods Forbidden Zone. Originally, Chen Chen was going to announce this in 2025 after experiencing the events as told in the movie. However, the situation was developing faster than he had expected. With Osmond slowly gaining momentum, he had to do something before it was too late. Besides, this announcement was not exactly breaking news in the inner circle of Gods Forbidden Zone. Chen Chen had already made offhand mentions about it to the members of the Disciple Council as early as September last year. At the time, the information Chen Chen revealed to them was: In three years at most, a new line of targeted drugs will be produced to terminate the disease of the century.. Although it had only been one year since, they should at least be mentally prepared for it. Following the announcement, some of the financial groups who believed that Chen Chen was just all bark no bite this entire time began to properly reevaluate the technological prowess of Gods Forbidden Zone. Meanwhile, the ones who had been cautiously optimistic had become entirely convinced. At the current moment, specialized drugs had been developed to alleviate the two major diseases targeted at the elderly, which were cancer and Alzheimers disease. The Mankind Anti-aging Project was gaining proper traction. The 30 years of lifespan granted by the age reversal treatment was also well insured. Chen Chen quickly returned to Namibia without lingering for too long in North America. He still had another research project on his hands and could not afford to waste too much time. Returning to the Spire Experimental Base, Chen Chen headed toward his secret laboratory while listening to Little Xs reports. So, youre saying that during this period, youve decoded the entire genetic map of the tyrant clone? After getting sterilized and opening the door to the laboratory, Chen Chen was immediately greeted with the sight of a group of Black Knights, each occupied with a task. Yes, after making thorough comparisons, Ive found that the genetic similarity between your tyrant clone and your ontology is 99.9%. Only 30 strands of genes showed signs of mutations. Little X explained, What well need to do now is to rewrite the genetics of the T-virus until we can produce a variant of T-virus that can transcribe the 30 genes in your body to a genetic structure similar to that of the tyrant clone. At that point, youll be able to safely inject yourself with the T-virus without any side effects, consequently attaining physical qualities like that of Alice in the movie. Youve done a great job. Chen Chen nodded with satisfaction. He had to admit that Little X was starting to become more independent. There may not be much by way of innovation but so long as Little X had data for reference from real life, she could transform them into something else of her own. Lu Xun once said that the world did not come with paved roads, the roads were formed as a consequence of people treading its grounds. Though Little X may not know to pave roads of her own, she knew how to use the roads paved by others. She could then tread the same grounds far better than the first ones who did it. The next task of rewriting the genetic sequence of the T-virus was truly a work of endurance as Little X would have to try each path one by one. Chen Chen had found out the answer to the question and now had to work his way backward to acquire the formula to generate the answer. When it came to dealing with genetics, an enormous amount of manpower and time would be needed to find the correct formula. Naturally, Chen Chen did not need to burden himself with these tasks. He had Little X manning the operation and the Black Knights putting in the hard work without complaints. All he needed to do was to sit and wait patiently for the results. After taking a lap around the laboratory, Chen Chen decided to take his leave. Sir Godfather, we currently have a good number of normal-temperature superconductors in production, would this be a good time to start working on building particle accelerators? Little X asked again. Lets see how things go first. Chen Chen hesitated for a moment and responded, As it is, we havent met the research requirements for particle physics. This is a sizable project on par with the Spire Experimental Base project. Theres a small chance of us hiding it from the Namibian government whether were talking about the materials required or the construction itself. But if we dont have a particle accelerator, we wont be able to build isotopes or expert materials like high-offset metals, Little X informed regretfully. Theres nothing we can do about it. Chen Chen nodded. Weve been gaining too much capital momentum lately, any more and we might find ourselves labeled a public enemy. For the moment, its best to lay low and wait for a year or two to allow our influence to spread across the Earth Federation. At that point, we can switch gears into development to properly accomplish our goals. Understood, Little X answered. Right, are the unmanned drones on the industrial zones end completed yet? Chen Chen asked, I sent the spy drone from UAV to them as well as plenty of ultra-high precision machine tools, have they not produced any prototypes yet? Concerning the drones, there are still some technological barriers yet to be overcome. Little X answered, But the weapons expert Professor Charles yielded some results in just two days. They have designed the first batch of electromagnetic weapons by referring to the blueprints from Elysium. Chen Chen lit up at this revelation at last. In that case, have Charles send me several prototypes. Following Chen Chens orders, several weapons closely resembling the Cousar Crowe Rifle from the movie were promptly delivered to him. At the same time, Chen Chen had arrived at the shooting range in the Spire Experimental Base. These are the first batch of mid-range weapons manufactured according to the blueprints you provided. Little Xs voice came from the Bluetooth earphones. Due to technological and time limitations, the heavy-range weapons are still under development. They are forecasted to be completed within a year. This did not elicit a response from Chen Chen. He silently picked up the weapon from the metal crate. Based on appearance alone, the rifle was extremely peculiar. An ink-black and heavy body, no protruding stock or barrel structure, on a whole, it appeared like an enlarged version of AUG. Chapter 258 - Pulse Rifle Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Inside the movie, the Cousar Crowe Pulse Rifle was a portable weapon specifically designed for targeting humans and large vehicles. This was an easy to control and lightly-built gun. Its relatively short range was compensated with immense power. The rifle also came with a set of anti-propulsion piston muzzle system, greatly reducing its recoil. It was coated with a layer of pure black nitrate oxide paint, a single-point burst with a fully-automatic switch rifle that was not much larger than the common rifle. The sleeve of the gun was built extremely thick, giving it a powerful and sturdy feel. There were two barrels at the front of its body. One of them was a gun barrel while the other barrel served as a pipeline to host a fuel cell. A hydrogen fuel cell with a diameter of 3 centimeters and a length of 20 centimeters was slotted inside it. Its instantaneous discharge voltage could reach up to 400V. The barrel was inlaid with a ring layer of superconducting material. There was no need for any form of rifling installation as the bullets were propelled using electromagnetic force in accordance with the principle of Lorentz force, which spun the bullet at extreme speed using electric pressure. Additionally, the bullets were crafted using magnetic metal. Based on the diamagnetic principle of superconducting materials, the propelled bullets should not make any form of contact with the gun barrel itself, thus essentially improving the lifespan of the firearm. This form of electromagnetic rifle used the same gunpowder as the weapons which Chen Chen previously had Professor Charles design, which were powered by the Galaxy pendant. The traditional method of cartridge cased gunpowder was substituted with a modern solution, which allowed the magazine to be loaded with more bullets. The electromagnetic rifle in discussion used a 5 x 20-millimeter shuttle-shaped hollow bullet. A regular magazine the size of a palm could hold up to 200 rounds. Apart from the hollow rounds, there were also several other ammunition such as the spiral-shaped armor-piercing rounds and explosive rounds to choose from. Apart from several core components such as the barrel, most of the gun was manufactured using engineered plastic, greatly reducing the weight of the gun. The gun was 54 centimeters long and 23 centimeters tall, weighing only 4.5 kilograms. There was also a built-in biometric authentication system which prevented opponents from effectively using them. Beholding the midnight-black, sturdy weapon designed for killing, Chen Chen switched it to single-burst mode. With his right hand, he set the butt of the gun on his right shoulder and supported the front of the gun with his left hand. He aimed at a target a hundred meters out with a three-point single-line motion aiming method. After that, he gently held down the trigger. Following a swift swoosh, a large hole of 3 centimeters in diameter was punctured into the steel plank a hundred meters away! This sound A spark surfaced in Chen Chens eyes. As opposed to the usual popping sounds similar to that of a firecracker emitted by traditional gunpowder weaponry, this sound was closer to a short whistle caused by the friction produced in the air by an extremely fast-moving object, only mixed with a hint of the spark of electric current. The decibel of a traditional firearm firing was extremely significant. Even when firing in a bustling city, the sound of gunshots could still be heard half a kilometer away. However, the noise produced by this weaponry barely reached 50 decibels. This was drastically lower than the usual decibel frequency produced by traditional gunpowder firearms which bordered around 145 to 160 decibels. On top of that, thanks to the anti-propulsion piston muzzle system installation, Chen Chen only felt a tiny amount of recoil which was just like the recoil of a pistol. The reason that regular firearms are loud is caused by the difference of air pressure on its inside and the surroundings. The moment the bullet exits the barrel, it causes a sudden decrease of chamber pressure which produces a thunderous noise. Little X explained, Since the new variant of the rifle doesnt require chamber pressure, theres only the sound of bullets slicing through the air. Chen Chen nodded, his eyes flashing with amusement. In his time in Namibia, he had tried his hands with a good amount of firearms, but this was the first time he had such a comfortable experience with a gun. This was the legendary sci-fi gun as they called it. Perfect, perfect After that, Chen Chen experimented with the shooting speed. The Cousar Crowe Pulse Rifle could be shifted into either semi-automatic or fully-automatic modes. After switching into the fully-automatic mode, Chen Chen pulled the trigger. He instantly felt the gun coming to life in his hands. After a wave of gentle vibration barely lasting ten seconds, the rifle produced a clicking sound, indicating that its bullets had been emptied. Such shooting speed is double that of an ordinary machine gun Chen Chen touched the barrel of the gun and only felt mild heat on its surface. Needless to say, this was the diamagnetic effect of the superconductor at play. With this implementation, the metal should not experience any wear and tear even after firing tens of thousands of rounds. Upon testing, it was concluded that this gun could fire more than 1,200 rounds per minute, blowing the regular 17 shots per second of common guns out of the water. In the end, the firearms statistics as tested by Chen Chen was: 545mm long, weighed 4545g after loading, aiming baseline 203mm, barrel diameter 8mm, magazine capacity 200 rounds, initial speed 1200m/s, kinetic energy 2500J, and effective range of 600m. Chen Chen was admittedly floored by such ridiculous statistics. Even a bullet shot from a regular rifle could not reach velocity up to 800m/s as its velocity should be hovering around 1000J and effective range merely 400 meters. Even a bullet shot from a sniper rifle could not achieve the bullet speed as displayed by this rifle. 1 As far as its destructiveness was concerned, though it may not reach the heights of high-caliber sniper rifles, it still held up well enough on its own. With the help of armor-piercing rounds, it had no trouble piercing through 50 millimeters thick steel panels. Not bad at all. After concluding the tests, Chen Chen let out a sigh. No muzzle friction, comparable to a silencer, low recoil, destructiveness close to a sniper rifle With all these features perfectly incorporated together, it belongs to a class of its own. With the Black Knights fully fitted with these weapons, who would dare challenge us on the battlefield? These are only the middle to low range electromagnetic weapons only. Little X explained, The superior firepower belongs to the high range electromagnetic weapons such as the electromagnetic railguns. Using an enormous amount of electric pressure, it compresses hundreds of kilograms of shells and accelerates them to first cosmic velocity. The resulting blast can instantly flatten a mountain or obliterate an entire city in an instant. Chen Chen broke into a smile. We sure can manufacture such weapons, but then how do we hit the city? These arent anti-aircraft weaponry, not unless we mount these electromagnetic cannons on top of satellites and fire from above. Thats true. Little X pondered on the subject. Which is to say that the most viable option on Earth are still missiles? Yes. For instance, intercontinental missiles that can pass through the atmosphere and then dive at several times the speed of sound are conventional weapons of warfare on Earth. Chen Chen nodded. So, unless we have missiles and established air dominance, we cannot let the Earth Federation find out what were doing. Otherwise, what good is a superior military force if we dont have an established air dominance? Were just live targets. According to the information extracted from the Elysium universe, theres a mini aircraft called the Bugatti-Folge Luxury Transporter. It can pass through the atmosphere layer and travels back and forth between the Earth and Elysium. Its only the size of a car. Little X considered for a moment. Can you try to accumulate enough energy to extract it? It was then when Chen Chen suddenly recalled that John Carlyle, the misfortunate bloke in the movie who was the CEO of Armadyne, seemed to have boarded the aircraft. Inside the movie, after the protagonist shot down the aircraft John Carlyle was in, Johns memory was taken away by the protagonist before his death. He was probably the upper-class member who died the most embarrassing death. After giving it some more thought, Chen Chen shook his head and shot down Little Xs theory. This aircraft doesnt have any built-in invisibility feature. My list of requirements for an aircraft includes optical, infrared, and radar invisibility capabilities. Besides, simply having one or two of such aircraft wont change things in the grand scheme. What I need is an aircraft that can be infinitely reproduced. Which means that at the end of the day, its still an issue of industrial development. Chen Chen expressed, If memory serves me correctly, most of these aircraft use nuclear fusion engines to traverse space. Although we have our hands on information concerning nuclear fusion engines, we still have a long way to go before we can reproduce them. So, for our next step, we will still have to tackle the issue of nuclear fusion Chapter 259 - Nuclear Fusion Device The three forms of nuclear reactions known to mankind were nuclear fission, nuclear fusion, and nuclear decay. Among these, nuclear fission and nuclear fusion provided energy for humans. According to Einsteins mass-energy equation, E=mc^2, as long as there was mass attenuation after the nuclear reaction, it meant that a certain amount of energy had been released. Nuclear fission was the production of energy through mass loss caused by the fission of heavy atoms. On the contrary, with nuclear fusion, the aggregation of light atomic nuclei produced heavier atomic nuclei and mass attenuation would occur, thereby generating energy. Nuclear fusion was better than nuclear fission not only because nuclear fusion released a larger amount of energy, but also, more importantly, the raw materials for nuclear fusion could be extracted from seawater. Deuterium was abundant in the Earths seawater, amounting to 40 zillion tons. If all of it was used in fusion reactions, the energy released would last humans tens of billions of years. The common raw material for nuclear fission uranium-235 had scarce reserves and the resulting nuclear waste would affect geology for hundreds of years. Therefore, nuclear fission could not compare to nuclear fusion, both in terms of reserves and cleanliness. Therefore, nuclear fusion energy was an infinite, clean, and safe new energy that countless people yearned for. Of course, nuclear fusion did not refer only to deuterium-tritium fusion. As long as an element was lighter than iron in the periodic table, it could be used for nuclear fusion. The reason humans chose only tritium and deuterium as fusion materials was that their conditions for nuclear fusion were the simplest. Compared with other elements, the hydrogen isotope deuterium and the tritium nucleus both only had one proton. The fusion reaction between tritium and deuterium just needed to overcome the repulsive force between the two protons, while other elements would have to overcome the repulsive force between a bunch of protons. The difficulty was not the same. Now that Chen Chen had determined his next step to conquer nuclear fusion, he returned to his office and dug out the nuclear fusion reactor technology from the world of Elysium. Still, after a few glances, Chen Chen frowned. He had always specialized in medicine and biology. Although he had some understanding of nuclear physics, it was superficial, a little better than lay people at most. Thus, Chen Chen looked up and said, X, put together immediately a document that will allow me to quickly understand nuclear physics. As he spoke, he took out the chewing gum tin box, opened it gently, and an NZT-48 pill instantly flew into his mouth. After that, Chen Chens expression turned sharp and clear. At the same time, Little X had swiftly compiled information on nuclear physics from the basics to advanced stuff. Chen Chen flipped through the technology document Little X had provided while corroborating it against the data regarding Elysiums nuclear reactor. This time, Chen Chen could understand almost everything. I didnt think that there would be more than one type of nuclear fusion reactor technology used in Elysiums dimension. Chen Chen smiled and turned to the second drawing. Its an inertial confinement nuclear fusion reactor and a magnetic confinement nuclear fusion reactor? How incredible The ones mainly used across the continents of the Earth Federation are mostly these two types too. Little X explained, But if these technologies are subdivided, they can be divided into multiple branches. There are even jokes of that sort circulating on the Internet What jokes? Chen Chen could not refrain from asking. They would divide all kinds of fusion technology into the nine camps of DnDs alignment chart in a straightforward and intuitive manner. Each camp is even represented by an anthropomorphic statement. Little X explained, For example, a stellarator that represents lawful good would state: My heart and my actions are as calm as stars and everything I do is steady. As for the neutral good magnetic confinement fusion, its anthropomorphic statement is: theres no magnetism to exude, no helium-3 to combust, because I dont want to be a reactor anymore! And the chaotic good tokamak: Plasma current, Ill tell you again dont you cause any more trouble! In addition, theres the spherical tokamak representing lawful neutral, the field-reversed configuration tokamak representing true neutral, the magnetized target fusion representing chaotic neutral, and so on As Little X went on, its voice became increasingly excited. The funniest one is the laser fusion technology that represents chaotic evil its anthropomorphic statement is: Im about to f*cking shoot my load! Chen Chen looked up, startled. X, did I hear correctly youre cracking a dirty joke? I, I didnt Little X started to stammer. How is that a dirty joke? Humans are dirty jokes. Im an intelligent lifeform Are dirty jokes even possible with intelligent lifeforms? Im just referring to a meme, the meme of nuclear physics! Chen Chen shook his head and did not press the matter. He just took note that Little X was becoming increasingly human. Meanwhile, he said, Now I understand why the development of nuclear fusion is more difficult than nuclear fission. Its because the physical principles of the two reactions are different. The mass of nuclear fission nuclei is relatively large and its unstable, so fission reactions can be induced under normal temperature and pressure. However, nuclear fusion is different, for it must overcome the strong electrostatic repulsion between the nuclei. Without enough energy or special environmental conditions to break past the critical point of this repulsive force, one wouldnt be able to fuse atomic nuclei together. So, the key is to create a high-pressure, high-temperature environment? Yup. Little X replied, The most common nuclear fusion reaction in the universe is the Sun. Because of its own mass, the Sun forms an ultra-high pressure of 200 billion atmospheres at its core, plus a temperature of 15 million degrees. Thus it can fuse hydrogen atoms into helium atoms. However, if humans want to achieve the same nuclear fusion on earth, the ultra-high pressure conditions would be completely impossible to achieve. Therefore, humans current nuclear fusion devices need to perform at high temperatures, requiring a temperature of more than 100 million degrees compared to the Suns core temperature of 15 million degrees. The simplest, most direct method is to use a large number of energized coils to form a ring along the coils, generating a strong magnetic field that produces a magnetically confined nuclear fusion reactor. This device that can generate a sufficiently strong ring-shaped magnetic field is called a tokamak device. The other option, which is the inertial confinement nuclear fusion reactor, uses a gaseous mixture of deuterium and tritium, measured to the milligram, to fill a small ball a few millimeters in diameter. A laser beam heats it up uniformly from the outside. The spherical surface absorbs the energy and expands outward, producing a reaction force where the gas inside is compressed and highly pressurized, accompanied by a sharp rise in temperature. When the temperature reaches the required ignition point, the gas in the ball will explode and produce a lot of heat! Chapter 260 - Laser Components This process of this explosion takes a very short time, only a few picoseconds. As long as three or four such explosions occur every second and continue without break, the energy released will be equivalent to a million-kilowatt power station! Upon hearing Little Xs explanation, Chen Chen nodded immediately. I know a little about the tokamak device, but I remember that the tokamak has a huge flaw. The other one is the inertial confinement fusion reactor. Does the Earth Federation have similar devices? Yes, the tokamak device that represents magnetic confinement does have a big flaw because the core of the tokamak device is where the magnetic field appears. To generate a magnetic field, you need to use a coil. With a coil, therell be an electrical lead and with an electrical lead, therell be resistance. Little X replied, The more practical a tokamak device is, the stronger the magnetic field has to be and the greater the current that must be passed through the lead. Thus, the resistance of the wire comes into play. The resistance will reduce the efficiency of the coil and limit the intensity of the current so that the tokamak device cant generate an adequate magnetic field. As such, superconducting technology is very important. Todays Earth Federation has made low-temperature superconductors into coils so that the problem with both the volume and the loss of current can be solved. Therefore, the combination of this superconductor and the tokamak device is called the super tokamak device. Today, there are only three continents in the Earth Federation that have a super tokamak, namely the North American Continent, Mainland China, and the European Continent. Of these, there are five in North America, two in China, and one in Europe. As for inertial confinement fusion reactors, this equipment is available in many countries and continents all over the world, but the one that is truly famous is the National Ignition Facility Project in North America or NIF for short. This device focuses 2 million joules of energy through 192 laser beams onto a deuterium-tritium pellet with a diameter of 3 millimeters. Each laser beam discharges for about three-billionths of a second, generating a high temperature of 100 million degrees. The pressure exceeds 100 billion atmospheres, which triggers nuclear fusion. I got it. Chen Chen snapped his fingers. In other words, magnetic confinement nuclear fusion uses a strong magnetic field to confine deuterium and tritium in a magnetic container, heating it to hundreds of millions of degrees Celsius to achieve fusion reactions. On the other hand, inertial confinement uses ultra-high intensity lasers, irradiating deuterium and tritium in very short bursts to produce the fusion reaction. After understanding this, Chen Chen looked at the nuclear fusion reactor technology from Elysium and suddenly saw the light at the end of the tunnel. In simple terms, the focus of each of the two technologies, magnetic confinement and inertial confinement, was not the same. The magnetically confined super tokamak device had a good nuclear fusion reaction effect and did not require repeated ignition, but was disadvantaged in that it was large and rather inflexible. Moreover, the cost of electricity required to maintain a strong magnetic field was not low. Therefore, the super tokamak device was used as a nuclear power plant reactor in Elysiums world. The advantage of inertial confinement was that the equipment could be made to be very small and one would have more control over the ignition fire. Even so, the disadvantage was that it had to consume a lot of energy to generate lasers for continuous ignition. Therefore, the inertial confinement device was used as a spacecraft engine in Elysiums world. Chen Chen reviewed these two technologies and compared them with the nuclear fusion devices of the countries in the Earth Federation. He found that the biggest factor. Other than conceptual innovation, that allowed these two types of nuclear fusion devices to be produced in Elysiums world was the normal-temperature superconductor. The normal-temperature superconductor eliminated the need for a liquid helium cooling system in the super tokamak device, thus greatly reducing its complexity and cost. Coupled with the stability of high-displacement metal, a mature nuclear fusion device was naturally a matter of course. The same was true for the inertial confinement device. The normal-temperature superconductor could increase the energy released by the laser ignition device several times over, thereby augmenting the lasers energy, even forming a laser effect called ultra-high field. This would instantly produce an output of 2001015 watts, which was 100,000 times larger than the total global electric energy output, yet took only less than one trillionth of a second. With this energy, the fuel formed by deuterium and tritium could reach the critical point of nuclear fusion at once. One would not require something as complicated and huge as the NIF device, whose efficiency was not high enough anyway. Even so, the only caveat was that if one wished to create a mature super tokamak, one still needed to use materials like high-displacement metal. Chen Chen was not capable of producing this high-displacement metal for the time being. To do so, he would need the help of particle accelerators. Chen Chen could only flip to the page High-Displacement Metal and pore over its contents. The so-called high-displacement metal was a kind of aluminum. However, it was not normal aluminum, but an isotope of aluminum. Generally speaking, metals such as aluminum did not produce isotopes, but with the help of particle accelerators, artificial interference and manufacturing became possible. For example, the high-displacement metal made of metallic aluminum was essentially an aluminum element with a high number of excess neutrons. One would first rely on superconductivity at room temperature to form a strong magnetic field, then used a particle accelerator to fire iron atoms through the strong magnetic region. As the magnetic field in this region had reached an energy level that could break apart an atom, the iron atoms would disintegrate when passing through the magnetic field. The electrons would fly to one side of the magnetic field, while the protons would fly to the other side, leaving only the neutron which continued to fly forward, unaffected, while maintaining its flight trajectory. After this, as long as these neutrons were collected by a resonance machine and electrons were attached to the surface of the neutrons with a strong electric combiner, virtual particles could be produced. Due to the virtual particles being negatively charged, one only had to use the particle accelerator again to accelerate the virtual particles and accelerate them to a subluminal state, so that they could be used to bombard aluminum atoms. As they had attained subluminal speed with immense kinetic energy, these virtual particles could overcome the repulsion force and forcefully penetrate the aluminum atom. In this way, the aluminum atom would be filled with a large number of neutrons, causing the element structure to shift. This was why it was called high-displacement metal. Due to the high imbalance of neutron content, this material was extremely insensitive to energy conduction and completely nullified thermal energy weapons and thermal wave weapons. Coupled with super metallic strength and durability, it was far better than any alloy. The datasheet even named it the toughest substance within the solar system. Since it was impossible to manufacture a super tokamak device, Chen Chen could only step back for now and build the other type the inertial confinement device reactor. To build this kind of reactor, Chen Chen would have to purchase many high-precision laser equipment components, then modify them to create a device that could emit ultra-high field lasers. As he considered this, Chen Chen instinctively stroked his chin. It looked like the time had come for those financial groups to be put to work. Had he not united this bunch of people precisely because of the influence they possessed? Chapter 261 - Chinese New Year The perfect super tokamak device required high-displacement metal because the energy generated by fusion needed to be absorbed by an inner wall called a cladding. The cladding, also known as the first wall of the fusion reactor, was the inner wall directly exposed to the fusion reaction. What it had to face was plasma with a high temperature of tens of millions of degrees or even hundreds of millions of degrees, and a large amount of neutron radiation. The strength of the material depended on the arrangement of atoms. Under such extreme conditions, after the atoms were continuously bombarded, the performance of the material would soon deteriorate. Therefore, this kind of inner wall would be manufactured in an extremely complicated manner. For example, in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor project, the thickness of the tokamak devices cladding was between 80 to 100 centimeters, but faced with high-energy neutrons, this thickness was still not enough. Therefore, the emergence of outlandish materials such as high-displacement metals was necessary. Nonetheless, now Chen Chen did not have the capability to make high-displacement metals, so he could only go for the next best thing and come up with a way to build an inertial fusion reactor instead. Inertial confinement fusion was also called laser fusion. It required very high laser power as well as high-precision optical instruments to control the lasers aim. The requirements for the symmetry of implosion were very demanding. In the entire world, only the NIF project in the North American Continent could operate 193 laser devices simultaneously. In Elysiums dimension, this could be done with just 48 lasers, but on the condition that the laser transmitters were in a supersymmetric state. Of course, Chen Chen would not count on locating the components for these laser transmitters in Namibia. He asked Little X to look around and directly customized a large number of optical components and control chips from various high-tech companies in North America. Then, he ordered a large number of lenses and optical components from Europe. Some of these suppliers even served ASML Holding in the Netherlands. The components of the EUV lithography machines were produced by these suppliers. As for other parts that he could not acquire, Chen Chen would have to rely on those financial groups. Thus, at the beginning of the new year, 2024, Chen Chen returned to Handu and spent the Chinese New Year with his parents. According to the tradition of Mainland China, Chinese New Year was a time to visit ones elders and the first day, in particular, was spent visiting ones paternal elders. Chen Chens father had two brothers and one sister. Among them, Chen Chens father was the youngest, which meant that Chen Chen had two uncles and one aunt, who also had a few kids of their own. The eldest of these cousins was the son of Chen Chens first uncle. He had turned 30 this year and was thus independent, having established his own family. Chen Chen heard that he worked in a bank. The youngest of the cousins was the youngest daughter of Chen Chens second uncle. She was the same age as Chen Chen and was in her senior year, about to graduate in half a year. In truth, Chen Chen was not used to this kind of annual family gathering. When he was young, Chen Chens father was assigned to the frontier area because he was admitted into the military academy. Chen Chen grew up in the frontier from birth, up until he was eight or nine years old. Chen Chens father was not promoted in the army even after a long time. Thus, after nearly ten years as a battalion commander, he chose to transfer to his hometown of Handu and worked as an ordinary civil servant on a basic level. However, who could have imagined that he would work this job for the rest of his life? After his father moved them back to Handu, only then did Chen Chen begin to meet his parents relatives. Chen Chens life was not bad, namely, it was the life of an ordinary working family. Every annual family gathering was rather socially conventional. Chen Chens two paternal uncles were pretty much the same. Only Chen Chens paternal aunt rose above the pack and became deputy chief of the Electric Power Bureau. She had always been the core of the annual family gatherings. However, over the past two years, as more news about Blacklight Biotechnology reached them, the relatives gradually understood what was happening. Perhaps they did not know much else, but at the very least, they knew that Blacklight Biotechnology was a giant multinational corporation and what multinational corporation would not be worth hundreds of millions? Following that, as Chen Chens parents purchased a villa in an upscale area, the other members became increasingly friendlier to Chen Chens family. Maybe Chen Chens parents could now hold their heads up higher. Little Chen is 22 this year, right? Hes truly growing up. At the dinner table, Chen Chens paternal aunt sighed. I still remember when Little Chen was this tiny thing a few years ago. To think that he had grown so much in the blink of an eye Oh right, surely its time to talk about finding a partner. Little Chen, have you taken a liking to any girl over here? The wife of his second uncle quickly clarified, Although foreign women arent too bad, with genes you can never tell how theyll mutate. For instance, our neighbor married a large, foreign woman, who ended up giving birth to a little black baby. Our peoples genes are still more stable ? Chen Chen raised his head as if he just heard them talking. Little Chen is still young, right? Chen Chens father felt rather awkward. Now he still has to focus on his career. We can afford to wait three to five years. Hey, Fourth Brother, well-said! Chen Chens uncle gave a thumbs up. After all, a man must be ambitious in all aspects. Wonderful, wonderful! Everyone roared with laughter. By the way, Little Chen, now that youve started a company, there should be a lot of socializing involved, huh? Chen Chens uncle raised a glass. And youre not a kid anymore. Dont leave me hanging have a drink with me? Im not a drinker. Chen Chen waved his hand. Hey, Little Chen, youre being rather prim and proper. Chen Chens uncle wore a stiff expression as he said unhappily, If you dont want to drink, just say that. Youre a big boss now. Who would believe that you dont drink? Uncle, Im really not a drinker. Chen Chen smiled softly. He was not putting on airs. This was the truth. The movie had already shown that, after taking NZT-48, the male protagonist went to the bar to fool around while the drug was still in effect. As a result, after drinking a few alcoholic drinks, he fell into a fragmented state of mind and had no memory of anything that happened in the next ten hours. To someone like Chen Chen who tried to control everything, this kind of situation where he was out of control was completely unacceptable. Thus, since the day he obtained NZT-48, he had never taken a drop of alcohol. Little Chen, todays a holiday anyway. Why dont you have a drink or two with your uncle? On one side, Chen Chens father tried to smooth things over while subtly hinting at Chen Chen. Chen Chens father had always been a traditional person who adhered to conventions. He did not wish to see Chen Chen disobeying his elders. Seeing this, Chen Chen smiled slightly, poured all of his Pepsi into an empty glass, then said to his uncle, Uncle, a toast to you. With that, he downed the soda in one big gulp. At this, Chen Chens uncle did not say much, only drank his own wine resentfully before sitting down. The atmosphere around the table was a little gloomy for a while. After the meal, Chen Chen sat on the sofa and played with his phone out of boredom. This was how Chen Chen had always acted an introverted person of few words. If no one took the initiative to strike up a conversation, Chen Chen could go a whole day without uttering a word. However, if in the past, Chen Chen was merely a little low-key in gatherings with such a personality. Now, this was no longer the case. Although everyone seemed to be talking animatedly on the surface, in fact, everyones attention was focused, intentionally or unconsciously, on Chen Chen. After just sitting on the sofa for a while, Chen Chen felt everyone was watching him secretly. His cousin Chen Zheng, the son of his first uncle, was also rather fidgety as he repeatedly glanced over at Chen Chen. After hesitating for a long time, Chen Zheng finally plucked up the courage, walked wordlessly to Chen Chen, and tapped Chen Chen on the shoulder. Little Chen, come here for a moment. I have something to tell you! Chen Zheng said in a low voice. Chen Chen nodded, put away his phone, stood up, and followed Chen Zheng out of the living room. When Chen Chen stood up, since he was the center of the gathering, almost everyone looked over subconsciously. Upon noticing everyones reaction, Chen Zheng, who was walking in front, blushed even more and pretended to have seen nothing. Chen Chens second aunt even secretly pinched his second uncle on the arm. Chen Zheng only breathed a sigh of relief after he reached the yard, away from everyone. He took out a pack of cigarettes, drew out two cigarettes, and handed one to Chen Chen. Chen Chen waved his hand to indicate that he did not smoke. Seeing this, Chen Zheng was a little embarrassed. Youve founded a company, but you dont even smoke? Carbon monoxide kills human brain cells. Chen Chen pointed to his head, then said, Cousin, please say what you want to say. Cough. In that case, Ill be frank. Chen Zheng coughed softly. Heres the thing, Cousin. Ive become tired of working in the bank recently. Seeing that youve done so well now, I also thought of starting a company and investing in a project. Over the years Ive saved about 200,000. I just need a little more, so I was wondering if you could lend me a little By this point, Chen Zhengs face was thoroughly flushed red. Chen Chen did not agree immediately, but asked, What project is this? Does your wife know? I want to start an advertising company. My wife disagrees with it, so I came to you. Chen Zheng shook his head and smiled bitterly. In her opinion, starting a company isnt as stable as working in a bank, after all. But I know that if I continue to work there, thatll be it for the rest of my life. I really dont want to end up that way After he heard this, Chen Chen thought for a while. Why dont I invest one million RMB, all as shares, and occupy 70% of the companys shares. Cousin, youll be responsible for managing the company and youll own 30% of the shares. As for your funds, dont use them. I hear that your wifes pregnant, so its better to keep that money for emergencies. Really? Chen Zheng was overjoyed upon hearing this. Thank you, Cousin, I didnt expect you to be this generous! Chen Chen waved his hand. Its fine. Ill be staying in Handu for the time being these few days. Hit me up after youve found a lawyer and drawn up a contract. With that said, Chen Chen returned to the room. When Chen Chen reached the sofa again, he sighed inwardly. He knew in his heart that after he made his fortune, this kind of thing was indeed inevitable. As early as one or two years ago, various relatives had taken a fair sum of money from Chen Chens parents under the pretext of borrowing money. Although Chen Chen would not feel distressed even if the borrowed money was a thousand times more than it was, this sort of thing was still pretty uncomfortable. Even so, Chen Zheng was different. Like the old Chen Chen, Chen Zheng belonged to that breed of honest, quiet men who rarely asked for help. As far as Chen Chen knew, among all his relatives, it was only his first uncles family that had not borrowed money from Chen Chens parents. Now that Chen Zheng had made a request, Chen Chen was naturally willing to give him a chance. However, even though Chen Zheng had described it as borrowing, in reality, he had no ability to repay Chen Chen. If this ended up as a loss, surely Chen Chen could not make his cousin put up his home as collateral. In any case, Chen Chens parents would not allow Chen Chen to do so. Therefore, Chen Chen simply joined Chen Zhengs entrepreneurship in the form of a shareholding system. Whether they ended up making a profit or losing money, Chen Chen would barely feel it. Furthermore, if they ended up making a loss, their partnership would naturally end there. Even if Chen Zheng wanted to borrow more money, Chen Chen would have a reason to turn him down and shut him up. After Chen Chen had sat back down on the sofa for a while, his second uncle, urged impatiently by his wife, finally came over with an apologetic smile on his face. Little Chen, come with me. I have something to tell you Chen Chen did not look up, only swiping his phone as he said, Second Uncle, Im a little tired today. Just say what you need to say. Chen Chen had learned from the bodyguard assigned to his parents that his second uncle had already borrowed more than 800,000 RMB from Chen Chens father, to the point that even a people-pleaser like Chen Chens father was unwilling to lend him any more money Er His second uncle looked embarrassed instantly, turning to glance at his wife before he steeled his nerves with a grin. Heres the thing moneys rather tight for me these days. Is it possible for you to lend me some? Second Uncle, I recall that youve borrowed quite a sum from my father. Youre still borrowing more? Chen Chen pretended to be puzzled. You know, its not easy for me out there, working all alone. At first, I wanted to save up to get married, but I didnt expect all my money to be loaned to everyone. Ive not even seen an IOU at this point. Im in a difficult position too. Little Chen, we wont believe that you have no money! Finally, Chen Chens second aunt who had been secretly commandeering her husband could not help speaking up. Who doesnt know that Blacklight Biotechnology is a multinational corporation? Everyone on the Internet knows that the boss of Blacklight Biotechnology is worth tens of billions. Plus, your family lives in a villa worth millions and drives a luxury car worth over a million. We just want to borrow such a small sum and were close relatives, after all. Do you need to be so stingy? The moment she opened her mouth, out spewed a torrent of vitriol. The atmosphere swiftly turned cold and silent for a while. There was a touch of embarrassment on everyones faces. Chen Chen simply ignored her and stood up promptly. Dad, Mom, lets go. Oh, okay, okay Chen Chens father sighed as if waking up from a dream, then bade farewell to everyone. He dragged Chen Chens mother with him and they walked out. You guys The second aunt was stupefied. She could only stare blankly but ultimately did not know what to say. After leaving his grandmothers place, Chen Chen drove his parents back. Chen Chens father sighed frequently along the way as if he still did not understand. Why is Second Brother, who was such a good man, suddenly acting in this manner? Chen Chens father could not help blurting out this question. Perhaps thats just life Chen Chen answered quietly. Chapter 262 - Murderous Intent On the seventh day of Chinese New Year, Chen Chen got ready to take a train to Shangdu. He was going to visit the head office and pop in to see Professor Wang Xi while he was there. Chen Chen bade farewell to his parents and walked out of the door. However, just after leaving the house, Chen Chen received a message from Little X via his Bluetooth headset. Sir Godfather, the T-Knights of the defense team have discovered two international spies outside your door who are trying to get in touch with you! Spies? Chen Chen inquired softly, Where are they from? The East China Sea Continent. Little X replied, I can trace their identities through their communication records. They both seem to be members of the Handu Chamber of Commerce in Mainland China, but theyve been frequently in touch with the contact person of the secret department in the East China Sea Continent. It can be determined that theyre spies from the East China Sea. But dont worry, these two people dont mean you any harm. Their mission seems to be to persuade you. Chen Chen nodded. When he walked out of the community gate, Chen Chen saw two men in neat suits standing outside the gate. When the two of them saw Chen Chen, their eyes suddenly lit up and they smiled enthusiastically. Mr. Chen Chen, weve been waiting for you for a long time! I dont seem to know you two. You are Chen Chen pretended to look mystified. I apologize. Were employees of Huaguang Credit Company! The man at their head smiled and said, My name is Wei Changmin and my colleague next to me is named Li Ren. We at Huaguang Credit want to discuss some company affairs with you. Do you have some time? As he spoke, the man took out a business card and handed it to Chen Chen, looking extremely humble. I dont have much time these days. Please head back. Chen Chen waved his hand. Mr. Chen Chen, itll only take a while. We wont hold you up for too long The man named Wei Changmin tried to persuade Chen Chen. Since Chen Chen knew their identities, he could not be bothered with them. He immediately walked past them and left in a taxi. As they watched the taxi pulling away, the two of them dropped their smiles. The man named Li Ren could not help frowning. Wu Tengjun, sure enough, we failed. Its to be expected. The other man waved one hand and solemnly said, Hes able to become the worlds first genius, who has developed the Blacklight virus vaccine and has multiple patents in the field of cutting-edge medicine. Of course, such a formidable man has his pride but we neednt be too discouraged. We must trust that faith can move mountains! Wu Tengjun, youre right! After this brief exchange, the two men turned to leave. Of course, these two people did not know that they had already been spotted when they approached the community where Chen Chens parents lived. Their identities had also been exposed long ago. Back then, for safety reasons, Chen Chen had sent five special forces soldiers under Cheng Cao to protect his parents. He gave each of them a GS Combat Suit, a cloaking device, and a memory eraser. Of these five people, two were acting as chauffeurs in Chen Chens parents home while the remaining three were secretly providing protection in shifts. At the end of last year, Chen Chen once again sent a Black Knight force of five men and five women, expanding the secret security team to fifteen members. Chen Chen had even bought the houses of his neighbors without his parents knowing. Now, these villas looked just ordinary residences on the surface, but they had long been managed stringently by Chen Chen. Any strangers would have nowhere to hide in this area. Soon, Chen Chen reached the train station. As it was the New Year, it was the peak period for returning home at this time. There was a turbulent flow of people in the station. At first glance, the crowd was dense with almost no end in sight. Chen Chen chose the train because there was a direct route from Handu to Shangdu, traversing more than 2,000 kilometers in just five hours. Although it would take longer, it was more flexible and safer than flying. However, just as Chen Chen had squeezed into the crowd of hundreds and entered the station, Little X suddenly notified him, Sir Godfather, your second uncle has arrived at your parents house Chen Chen frowned. Why are they there? It appears that theyve come to borrow money and are arguing with your parents Little X said feebly. Ask Lil Wang and the rest to watch closely. Dont let my parents get hurt, Chen Chen exhorted. Lil Wang was one of Chen Chens bodyguards assigned to his parents. By now, he had been with Chen Chens parents for nearly three years and had fully won their trust. However, before Chen Chen had finished speaking, Little X suddenly cried out, Oh no, Sir Godfather, your mother has been pushed by your second aunt and has fallen to the ground and passed out! At this time, Chen Chen was entering the ticket gate. After hearing these words, his expression suddenly shifted and he turned back and squeezed his way out. Is my mother badly hurt? What about Lil Wang and the rest, are they just sitting around being useless trash? Chen Chen asked malevolently as he rushed out of the station. She has no wounds. The bodyguards are taking your parents to the hospital It was the first time Little X was hearing Chen Chen sound so anxious and it quickly explained, Sorry, during the quarrel, the two bodyguards were sent away by your father. He said that the bodyguards shouldnt interfere with family matters. Your father has done this each time he quarreled with your second uncle That b*stard! Chen Chens face turned even darker and he did not know if he was cursing his second uncle or someone else. He quickly stopped a taxi and hurried to the hospital to which his mother was taken. Half an hour later, when Chen Chen walked into the ward, he immediately saw his mother on the bed, still conscious, and several people around the bed. Mom, are you okay? Chen Chen breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that there was nothing wrong with his mother except for her pale complexion. Im fine, just feeling a little weak. Chen Chens mother shook her head and said with gratification, Little Chen, hadnt you gone to Shangdu? Why did you come back? Lil Wang informed me. Chen Chen glanced coldly at his second uncle and his wife who were standing aside. Its a misunderstanding, just a misunderstanding! Chen Chens father hastened to explain, Just now, your second uncle and aunt visited us. Out of the blue, your mom suddenly fainted. Thank goodness it was nothing. Little Chen, just take care of your own business. Your second uncle and aunt are here with me to take care of Take care? Chen Chen glared steadily at them. Pushing someone over is taking care of them? Your mother pushed me too. His second aunt suddenly screeched, She also pushed me then. We both collided. Who would know that your mother would be this feeble? Why am I the one to blame? Okay, okay. Lets not talk about it. Chen Chens father tried to patch things over. Dad, youre still on their side? Chen Chen took a deep breath and pointed at the two of them. Both of you get out right now. If you dont get out of here within ten seconds, I wont Slap! However, before he could finish, Chen Chen felt a stinging pain on his cheek. It was his father who had slapped him. Watch how you talk to your aunt! Chen Chens father scolded angrily. Chen Chen was taken aback for a moment, then his expression turned completely gloomy. He sat down on the empty hospital bed next to him, wordlessly cracking his neck. The entire place fell silent for a while. When Chen Chens father noticed Chen Chens behavior, he felt a pang of remorse for some reason. He turned and said to the other two, As for the money, Ill think about it. You may leave now! The aunt gave a cold snort at this and walked out of the ward with Chen Chens second uncle. When the two had left, Chen Chens father sighed and sat beside Chen Chen, advising him earnestly, Little Chen, although youve made it big outside, those two are still your second uncle and aunt. No matter what, you must maintain the most basic respect for your elders, got it? Thats about to change When Chen Chen heard this, an inexplicable smile tugged at the corner of his mouth as he mumbled. What did you say? Chen Chens father did not quite catch his words. Nothing. Chen Chen cracked his neck again, stood up, and exited the ward. Little Chen, Little Chen! This kid No matter how his father yelled behind him, Chen Chen paid him no mind. Chapter 263 - Car Accident Crash! Chen Chen shoved the glass door of the hospital building with one hand. At once, the slab of glass was swung open by an immense force to its maximum angle. Then, being unable to withstand that force, it erupted like blood from a wound! Ahh! Everyone in the hospitals lobby could not help exclaiming in shock. Even so, Chen Chen, the perpetrator of all this, did not pay them any attention. He strode out of the hospital and disappeared in the crowd At the same moment that Chen Chen left, a white car was driving at a steady pace on the ring road in Handu. How unfortunate! Inside the vehicle, a middle-aged woman with heavy makeup kept yelling and cursing, Hes just gotten unbelievably lucky in his business and made some money. How dare he act so arrogantly! How infuriating, hes become this snobbish after earning money. Nothing good ever comes out of that household! As she spoke, the middle-aged woman turned to look at the middle-aged man in the drivers seat and kept questioning, By the way, didnt you often say that your brother was very attached to you when you were kids? That hell always listen to you? So why cant you even get a little money from him? Are you still a man? Alright, alright, just shut up about it! The middle-aged man in the drivers seat looked like he had a headache. We can just go to them and ask for money again, right? Well just keep on bugging them wont they eventually give in? Why should I shut up? Why should I suffer in silence? However, the middle-aged woman yelled even louder, Why should I shut up, why? Why should I be insulted like that? Im getting more furious as I think about it. That little sh*thead dared to talk to us like that? How badly brought up he is! Only an uncultured family like you Chens can bring up such an uncultured child! Theyre loaded. Ive even heard that the company started by that f*cking kid earns more than 100 million a year. He only gives us a few hundred thousand at a time are we just beggars that hes chasing away?! Throughout the entire journey, the middle-aged woman kept deriding Chen Chen. She was Chen Chens second aunt by marriage and the driver was naturally Chen Chens second uncle. Alright, alright, stop talking about it. Can you let my ears rest a little? Chen Chens second uncle said helplessly. Oh, now youre putting on an act? The second aunt suddenly sneered. Where did the old you go? Back when you tricked me into bed, you werent like this. Id thought that youd make something of yourself. And now look, a little sh*thead has more money than you. Youve lived your whole life as a pitiful mongrel! I said, shut Boom! Chen Chens second uncle started shouting in response but before he could even finish the phrase shut up, they were struck by an extreme impact and the entire car flipped and spun in the air like a sheet of paper! At this moment, the couple only felt that the world was spinning around. Their minds were blank and also their bodies seemed to have fallen apart as they were shaken violently! The entire car kept rolling over the ground, one tumble after another, and soon lost its original shape. It had been reduced to a hunk of deformed copper and iron. They did not know how much time had passed. It felt like a few seconds and it felt like an eternity. Chen Chens second aunt suddenly recovered her senses, only to find that she was bound tightly to her seat. She was also upside-down evidently, the car was overturned Hey, are you okay She looked reflexively at her husband and saw that he had been reduced to a bloody pulp. Most of his head had been torn off by something harsh and blunt. A solitary tongue lolled out, exposed to the air Agh ah ah ahh arghh!!! She unleashed an ear splitting scream. Nonetheless, this scream was drowned out by the roar of an engine. Hearing the rumbling of the approaching engine, the second aunt turned her head subconsciously and looked around, only to see a heavy truck with a dented front barreling toward her After that, she lost all consciousness. The T-Knights have completed the mission. Little Xs notification came from the Bluetooth headset. The target has been destroyed and the survival rate is 0%. At this moment, Chen Chen was sitting on a bench in the hospital garden, staring at the phone in his hand. A video was playing on the screen of the mobile phone, which seemed to be taken from the perspective of a traffic surveillance camera. In the upper right corner of the video, a white car was approaching from a distance. Nonetheless, before it could drive any further, a heavy truck suddenly emerged from behind, crashing into the back of the white car at a speed of more than 100 kilometers per hour! The white car was suddenly like a loose sheet of paper that was carried off into the wind! The white car was sent flying over a dozen meters, changed its shape in the constant tumbling, and finally fell completely upside-down in the middle of the road. From this perspective, Chen Chen could even see someone in the vehicle struggling slowly as if they had made it out alive. However, just then, the truck that had stopped suddenly reversed for a while, before it accelerated forward again and hit the white car ruthlessly! Bang! This time, the white car, riddled with holes, finally could not stand it anymore and exploded into a ball of flames. Those inside were dead beyond dead. After watching the video on the phone, Chen Chen finally looked happier. Following that, he turned on the dialer and pressed a three-digit number. When the call was connected, Chen Chen said: Hello, is this the public security bureau? I met two suspicious people this morning, whom I suspect are foreign spies. They also threatened me, saying that they would do something to my family. I was afraid that my family would be harmed, so I prepared to call the police After reporting to the police, Chen Chen stood up and prepared to go to the public security bureau to give his statement. Still, as he got up, he seemed to have thought of something. X, ask Lil Wang to tell my parents that Ill be taking them to Namibia for a while. Are you going to use the Medpod 3000 on your parents? Little X instantly understood. Yes. My mothers body isnt in an ideal shape. It must be caused by too much fatigue in her early years. Chen Chen nodded and looked up at the sky. I know they dont want to leave Mainland China or even their hometown to live in an unfamiliar country. I dont insist on that either. I only want to give them the strictest protection and the best medical care. But if you let your parents use the Medpod 3000, wouldnt the secret be revealed? Little X asked curiously. Of course, I wont let the secret be revealed. Chen Chen shook his head. Its not a big deal to make an exception this time and use the memory eraser on my parents. Im not as pedantic as my father. That which they should know, theyll know sooner or later. That which they shouldnt know Ill never let them know. After all this, Chen Chen put away his phone, turned around, and left the hospital. Chapter 264 - Statement Youre saying that there were two suspicious-looking people, who may be spies, trying to contact you? Yes. They said they were from Huaguang Credit Company and wanted to talk to me. After I declined, they used my relatives to threaten me In the office of the officer on duty at the police station, Chen Chen was sitting on one side of the table with a cup of tea in front of him while the police officer was sitting on the other side. At this time, upon hearing Chen Chens remarks, the policeman could not help displaying a look of confusion. Uh Sorry, I havent asked who you are Im the chairman of Blacklight Biotechnology. My name is Chen Chen. Blacklight Biotechnology? The police officer paused. This name is so familiar Its Blacklight Biotechnology from Shangdu. So its you! Its an honor, a true honor The police officer was startled, quickly stood up, and shook hands with Chen Chen. After that, he did not doubt Chen Chen any longer and began to record Chen Chens statement. However, after a short while, the officer recording Chen Chens statement was suddenly summoned by another police officer, who seemed rather furtive. About five minutes later, the police officer who was taking Chen Chens statement returned to the office with a hint of anguish in his expression. Mr. Chen, we have verified something just now, something very unfortunate. Please dont be frightened when I tell you. Chen Chen suddenly turned serious when he heard these words. Im a philanthropist. I will not be afraid. Please tell me. Heres what happened. The police sat back down across the desk and said, Weve just received a report. There was a car accident on the southern section of Bibo Road. A small white Zhaka car was hit by a heavy truck in the rear, causing the car to roll over. There was also a second collision. Weve suspected this is a malice murder case and we were investigating the deceased. However, according to the license plate information, the owner of this car is suspected to be your relative, Chen Xiang. What! Chen Chen widened his eyes when he heard the words and stood up abruptly. Thats my second uncle! Oh no, are my parents in danger? Mr. Chen, calm down! The police officer quickly soothed him. Please calm down. Well investigate this matter carefully. I wonder if you have the contact information of Chen Xiangs immediate relatives? We need someone to confirm the identity of the deceased. Yes, my second uncle has a son and a daughter. My parents should have their numbers. Ill ask my parents now The police officer nodded. After a few hours of making his statement, Chen Chen left the police station and returned to the hospital. As soon as Chen Chen returned to the ward, Chen Chens father asked anxiously, Whats going on? Little Chen, what happened to your second uncle and aunt? Its just an accident, nothing serious. Perhaps the police are even mistaken? Chen Chen frowned. Just take care of Mom now. Well wait for an update from the police. That Chen Chens father only felt flustered. Could it be that the police made a mistake and it was another car that had an accident? That must be it. Chen Chen nodded and comforted his father. Dad, dont worry. God looks out for those who are good. They must be fine. But But why cant I reach them on the phone? Chen Chens father did not relax after Chen Chens words. Instead, he became even more frantic as he paced around the room. Maybe both of them turned off their phones. After all, theres so much pressure in modern society. Its common to turn off your phone when theres nothing to do to find your peace of mind. Chen Chen slowly walked to his mothers bed and peeled an orange for her. Mom, are you feeling better now? Im completely fine. Just take care of your dad now. Look at how hes panicking Chen Chens mother could not stand it. Whats the big deal? Chen Chens lips twitched and he suddenly beamed. Oh right, didnt Second Aunt want to borrow a million from us for business? Ill agree to that. Ah, Little Chen, its not easy for you to make money either. Youd really agree? His mother asked worriedly. Sure, why wouldnt I agree? Chen Chen chuckled. Mom, Im not that stingy. Plus, this money can be left to my cousin, Chen Shan. With this sum, she wont have to worry about her future anymore. My child, how can you say that Chen Chens mother immediately understood what Chen Chen was implying and could not help but chastise him. Chen Shan was the youngest daughter of Chen Chens second uncle. She was the same age as Chen Chen but was a little younger. When they were kids, she had also played with Chen Chen and she had not inherited her mothers shrewish temper. Then, as they grew up, the relationship between the two turned distant due to years of separation. Now Chen Chen had not seen his cousin for about four or five years. Chen Chens second uncle also had an eldest son, who was 28 years old this year. Still, Chen Chen was not close to him, so naturally, he would not have any share of the money. At this point, Chen Chen looked at his father, who was still fretting endlessly and shook his head. Chen Chens loving, righteous father surely did not know that his second brother and sister-in-law had died long ago. Not only that, but they were also cremated on the spot. Their ashes were probably already scattered by the wind. A few days later, Chen Chens father still had to come to terms with this cruel fact. After attending the funeral, Chen Chen once again persuaded his parents to go to Namibia for a holiday. Chen Chens parents hesitated for a while before they agreed. After all, it was a city built by their own son. Now that they were invited, as parents, they had every reason to visit the place where their son was making a living. Anyway, they were not going to stay there permanently. Thus, Chen Chen rested at home for a month, then returned to Namibia again and settled down with his parents. To allow his parents to use the Medpod 3000, Chen Chen even deliberately disguised the Medpod 3000 as a CT machine and repaired his parents bodies under the pretext of a physical examination. The restoration provided by the Medpod 3000 was much more advanced than any health-preservation technique owned by Chen Chen. In only one day, Chen Chens parents transformed from their 50s to their 30s at a speed that was almost visible to the naked eye. Even so, on second thought, Chen Chen still used a memory eraser to erase a short period of memory in his parents, making them think that they had undergone the Age-reversal Treatment Project. Nonetheless, Chen Chens parents were still shocked when they saw their younger faces. Chen Chen said that, if they wanted, he could perform this kind of surgery on his parents relatives for free, including Chen Chens paternal and maternal grandmothers. Of course, Chen Chens parents were one hundred percent in favor of this. After fulfilling his wish to treat his parents, Chen Chen finally felt relieved. With the Medpod 3000s restoration, Chen Chens parents bodies had reached their best condition, which was equivalent to extending the lifespan of an ordinary person by 20 years. Of course, the effects of repairing the body once or twice with the Medpod 3000 were not very obvious. What was truly formidable about this machine was that it could perpetually preserve the human body in an optimal state of health. Therefore, repairing the body once a month or even once a week, was the best form of maintenance. After all, as long as the body was kept in its best condition for a long time, ones lifespan would naturally become longer. For example, the wealthy in Elysium could easily live past 250 years. Chapter 265 - Sirolimus Over in Namibia, various orders for laser components required by Chen Chen had already been sent out but it would take a long time to receive the said orders for now. After all, Chen Chen needed high-precision laser lenses and other such components. Each of these components was extremely valuable, so their production time was naturally extremely lengthy. Chen Chen assigned bodyguards to accompany his parents in their travels around Namibia and he once again went to the Spire Experimental Base. In the month that Chen Chen was absent, Little X had performed an injection experiment with the modified T-virus. However, unfortunately, in that experiment, Chen Chens clone could not withstand this modified T-virus at all and directly became a zombie. Presently, Chen Chen was looking into the isolated room. A fully rotting, aimlessly wandering zombie that looked almost identical to Chen Chen was in there. Chen Chen felt like crying and laughing at the same time. Sir Godfather, after this zombie was fused with the T-virus, weve checked his DNA and found three errors in total. Little Xs voice rang out, Now that these three errors have been corrected and these corrections have been implemented in a virus numbered T-002, should I conduct a second experiment? Go ahead. Chen Chen nodded. T-002 was the name Little X gave to this modified version of T-virus. The original full name of the T-virus was Tyrant-Virus. Chen Chens first genetically modified version of the T-virus was thus named T-001 accordingly. T-001 was later reported to have failed. After improvement, it became the current T-002. Just then, Chen Chen suddenly asked again, By the way, how many of my clones are left? Do you mean the clones that havent been injected with T-virus? Little X said, Back then, you made a total of five cloned fertilized eggs that were fused with T-virus and five cloned fertilized eggs that were not. Now, there are four clones left that have been fused with T-virus and three normal clones that havent been injected with T-virus. Three? Chen Chen pondered. Make ten more normal clones. After all, the incubation of normal clones takes half a year. Incubating them in advance will prevent a future shortage of clones. Understood. After Little X agreed, several Black Knight assistants immediately stepped forward, opened a life incubator, and took out a clone of Chen Chen. After strapping this clone to a stretcher and connecting various life-sustaining equipment, a Black Knight took out the modified T-virus that had already been prepared and injected it directly into the clone. The clones blood pressure is normal Heartbeat is normal The brain waves are in a normal sleeping state delta waves. The frequency is 1-3Hz, the amplitude is about 20-200V Little X kept reporting the readings of the clones body. Chen Chen was also watching silently from the side with his arms crossed. However, over time, the physiological characteristics of the clones began to change. The body temperature of the clone is rising sharply and its immune system is starting to function. Its competing with the T-virus for control of the body! The blood pressure of the clone is rising rapidly. The current systolic blood pressure is 180mmHg and the diastolic blood pressure is 140mmHg! The heart rate has accelerated to 120 beats per minute and its still rising! Two or three hours passed in this manner. Oh no, the clones heartbeat has stopped. His immune system has collapsed and hes transforming into a zombie! The second experiment had still failed. As Chen Chen observed all this silently, he suddenly had a flash of inspiration. By the way, have you tried using immunosuppressive agents on the clones? Immunosuppressive agents? Little X asked in surprise. Thats right. Chen Chen nodded. Ive been thinking about why our customized T-virus cannot be fused with the experimental subject. Apart from genetic problems, is there a certain hindrance from the immune system? Its like when theres a newly implanted human organ. Various immunosuppressants are needed to reduce the possibility of rejection and increase the survival rate of the implanted organ. And if theres no assistance from immunosuppressants, the newly implanted organ would be rejected because of the immune systems attack. Chen Chen continued to explain, The same goes for this T-virus. After all, this virus is customized based on my genes. It stands to reason that there shouldnt be such a violent response. Then is it possible that its because the immune system is resisting too intensely? If an immunosuppressive agent is used, could we reduce the intensity of the conflict between the immune system and the T-virus in the body, so that the body could last longer? We can try that. Little X replied, So do you want to start the third experiment right now? Lets do that. As for the choice of immunosuppressive agents Chen Chen thought for a while. Lets try sirolimus first and use it in conjunction with cyclosporin A and FK506. Got it! Sirolimus was a compound that was first isolated from a bacteria unique to Easter Island. With the emergence of antibiotics at that time, a collective search for new antibiotics had just begun in human society. At that point, the act of searching for various bacterial drugs was called a scientific expedition. There were many scientific expedition teams all over the world, who aimed to collect mud from all over the world, then separate microorganisms and microbial secondary metabolites to find new antibiotics. In 1964, one such scientific expedition team came to Easter Island. After this group of scientific research personnel arrived on the island, they quickly discovered that the residents on the island were barefoot and reared many horses. Since they were barefoot, they would sustain frequent injuries to the soles of their feet. Moreover, horse dung contained a lot of bacteria and viruses, and raising horses would greatly increase ones chances of contracting tetanus. However, after investigation, this scientific research team found that the residents of Easter Island did not have any infections. Could it be that there was a new type of antibiotic on this island? Therefore, the scientific expedition team began to dig up mud and collect soil samples. Even so, when this group of people walked past the stone statues on Easter Island, they found that there was a piece of ground at the foot of the statues that was in shadow all year round. One of them collected a handful of the soil. After inspection upon his return, he found that the soil had antibacterial effects. Thus sirolimus was discovered. Subsequently, sirolimus went through several crises. First, as an antibiotic, it was found to have the side effects of suppressing immunity. After that, it was noticed by surgeons and finally, its true role was realized a superior immunosuppressive agent with fewer side effects. However, since 2006, many scientists had once again discovered that sirolimus had the ability to extend human lifespan. A large number of laboratories had conducted related studies and discovered that everything from nematodes to worms, to fruit flies and even mammalian mice, would live longer with sirolimus! The most notable of these was the research on mice. Experiments had found that for white mice that were close to death, taking sirolimus had the effect of forcibly extending their lifespan, which almost no drug could accomplish. The specific function of sirolimus was that it could slow down the hardening of tendons and the degeneration of liver function, two factors that were precisely the two major signs of aging. Scientists had also discovered that the restriction of calorie intake could delay cell aging to a certain extent. A series of human bodily reactions would switch the body to a state akin to a low-speed gear, allowing more energy to be conserved for long-term survival. Sirolimus could perform a similar role Chapter 266 - Lucky In 2009, Nature magazine had published several theses on sirolimus. A group of scientists separated nearly 2,000 twenty-month-old white mice which were the equivalent of a sixty-year-old human into two groups. One of the groups was fed with food mixed with sirolimus. The results of the experiment proved to be rather surprising. The average lifespan of the group of mice which ingested sirolimus displayed an increase of 14% over the other group. In the last century, scientists discovered two methods for prolonging the lifespan of mammalian species. The first method is by repairing the genes while the second method was by monitoring their diet, lowering their fat intake. Needless to say, the gene repairing solution was only viable with the assistance of devices like the Medpod 3000. The purpose of reducing fat intake was to minimize the activation of a protein molecule known as TOR. TOR was a signal molecule naturally produced by the human body. Its purpose was to regulate the growth of each cell of the eukaryotes. When TOR was activated, it caused the cells to synthesize biomolecules. This increased the mass and volume of the cells and also synthesized protein and nucleic acid which led to the cells growing bigger and heavier. Assume the human body was a piece of intricate, large machinery. Even if energy could be infinitely drawn from its surroundings, each component of the machine would still experience wear and tear over the years. What the activation of TOR did apart from fulfilling the basic needs of life was essentially overclocking the components, causing the machine to age at a faster rate. The reason sirolimus was able to extend the lifespan of the mice was very likely due to it deceiving the body of the mice, leading them to believe that there was a lowered intake of fats. With that said, all of these data were not supported by a proper human clinical trial. All of the applications for conducting a clinical trial on sirolimus effects of prolonging human lifespan were rejected by the officials. Nevertheless, in the duration between 2010 to 2020, there were still the occasional rumors of doctors secretly taking sirolimus. However, after a decade had passed, the theory of sirolimus being a life-extending drug was once again debunked. Clinical Medicine Journal had published a thesis in April of 2020 stating that severely decreased TOR activity may lead to accelerated aging of the hematopoietic system. Simply put, at a cellular level, inhibiting TOR may deceive the body and in turn, slow down the aging process of the human body. However, the hematopoietic system required TOR activity to sustain itself. Too much inhibition of TOR directly contributed to the aging of the cell niches in the bone marrow, which led to the aging of hematopoietic stem cell function. It was simply a d*mned if you do, d*mned if you dont situation. In truth, Chen Chen had once considered modifying sirolimus or using a combination of drugs to counteract its side effects to procure a specialized drug for prolonging lifespan. Later, Chen Chen realized the greater potential in the stem cells sector and how much more impact it had on the human body compared to sirolimus. Therefore, he gave up on the idea of using sirolimus and shifted his focus onto stem cells, which finally led to the birth of the age-reversal treatment project. Now, facing the problem of immunosuppression, Chen Chen once again thought of this fabled drug. It was Groundhog Day all over again. Over the next half month, Chen Chen selected a clone which he provided with sirolimus, cyclosporine A, and FK506 daily. The three drugs used in combination soon completely suppressed the immune system of the clone. After the immune system of the clone had been compromised, Little X extracted the clone and put it on a stretcher. This time, the clone was no longer injected with T-002. After two past failures, it was now injected with a newly modified T-003. As expected, despite the clone having its immune system completely suppressed, it easily broke the previous record of three hours and twenty-eight minutes set by the previous clone. After being injected with the virus, it remained alive for a whole six hours. Apart from that, as there were monumental changes ongoing inside the clones DNA, Little X was continuously injecting great amounts of nutrients such as glucose and carbohydrates into the clone. This was to prevent the clone from dying from lack of nutrients before it could even succumb to the T-virus. From where Chen Chen was, the clone was almost like a rapidly fermenting steamed bun constantly growing in size. It soon reached a height of two meters. Its body intertwined in nerves and muscles like a tyrant of a smaller size. This was the first time both Chen Chen and Little X had encountered such a situation. However, the clone still ended up dying in the end. His body was ultimately unable to handle the modification of the T-virus. Still, him surviving eight hours was a notable achievement on its own. Chen Chen saw a glimpse of hope from this extended time of sustenance. Chen Chen evaluated intently when he saw the clone which ultimately became zombified anyway. Despite the result, this was a very productive and meaningful experiment. Yes, theres no problem with the direction were taking. Little X commented while controlling the Black Knights to collect DNA samples from the clone, Sirolimus can effectively limit the bodys adverse reaction to the T-virus. In usual cases, this method of inhibiting the immune system should be lethal as the average human body doesnt have the immunity to combat the T-virus. Inhibiting the immune system may only hasten the death of the host. However, the results are completely different if the T-virus is compatible with the DNA of the host. With that, Little X compared the DNA between Chen Chens tyrant clone and the DNA of the latest zombified clone. Look, were getting closer to the answer. However, we only have one last matured clone left. The next batch of new clones will need another six months before reaching maturity. Little X began sounding frustrated. The closer the modified T-virus inches toward the formula, the slower the progress will be. Thats normal. Chen Chen nodded7. Its just like a game. When you fix a bug, itll inevitably generate a new bug. Although the code can be continuously revisited to bring the game closer to perfection, as the game becomes more polished, the difficulty of fixing bugs should increase invariably as well. These are all interconnected factors Which means that at the end of the day, its still a matter of luck? Little X asked. Chen Chen nodded before sighing. Its just like when we initially modified the Progenitor virus into a perfected T-virus, theres the luck factor at play one way or another. In the case of many specialized drugs in the world, they werent specifically developed to treat a specific disease but instead were essentially a product of chance. You could argue to a certain extent that Luck is inherently a part of scientific research, this is completely inevitable. However, the effort and proficiency of the personnel involved may lower the margin. Besides, luck may not be on our side forever, but with great effort and skill Chen Chen thought about it for a moment before fixing his statement. Of course, money works too. Little X, Chapter 267 - Unmanned Drone The project of customizing a T-virus perfectly adapted for Chen Chens genes was certainly not a mission that could be accomplished in the span of just a few days. With good fortune, Little X may complete the development of the T-virus by the very next day. Otherwise, it may take a couple of hundreds of failures and years of work and there would still be no results to show for it. Still, Chen Chen could afford to wait. With the help of an artificial intelligence the caliber of Little X and unlimited funds, a T-virus adapted for his genes would be produced one way or another. Chen Chen was certain of this. Very soon, after Chen Chens parents had toured Namibia for half a month, they took a plane back to the Mainland. After getting a taste of the heavenly dew that was the Medpod3000, Chen Chens parents agreed with his suggestion. They would be returning to Namibia biannually to receive special treatment, essentially having their bodies repaired by the Medpod3000 once every six months. Several days later, Chen Chen suddenly received news from the research department in the industrial park that was responsible for the UAV spy drone reverse-engineering project. Is this true? Chen Chen looked up at the display on the computer. Youre saying the UAV spy drone has been successfully replicated? Yes, with the high-precision machine tools helping us manufacture some parts, the UAV spy drone prototype is complete. Little X answered, The research team is asking for your inspection. Lets go take a look. Chen Chen immediately got up and went for the door. By the time Chen Chen got to the ground floor, Cheng Cao already had the Wrangler parked by the building entrance. To the industrial park. Chen Chen sat in the back seat and shut his eyes to get some rest. With the experienced driver Cheng Cao at the helm, Chen Chen very quickly arrived at the rear section of the industrial park. This section was separated from the ten-thousand-workforce factory out in front. Any unauthorized personnel mixed in here would be immediately escorted out of here by the security forces, solely comprised of B.S.S. members. Upon arriving at the mechanical processing factory responsible for drone manufacturing, several professors were already waiting by the entrance. These were the members Chen Chen had handpicked from all across the world. With the supreme medical standards of the Eco Science City and lucrative salaries to boot, it was as easy as flipping a palm for Chen Chen to recruit experts from various sectors. He no longer had to resort to blackmailing and bullying tactics as he did in the past. Welcome, Mr. Chen. A middle-aged man with black-rimmed glasses and a big beard greeted him. There was a host of researchers standing behind him. You guys are? Chen Chen flicked an eyebrow. Were the research staff of the pneumatics department. Im Mark Dawson but you can just call me Mark for short. Nice to meet you, Mr. Mark. Chen Chen extended his hand for a handshake. Good to meet you, good to meet you! Mark immediately felt honored by the gesture. Despite the green age of the young man before him, nobody present at the scene would dare underestimate this man. Leaving the subject of the chip implanted at the back of their necks aside, just the wealth and influence this man possessed was enough to earn their full respect. Chen Chen did not put on an attitude just because these people were his employees. He shook the hands of the people who came to greet him before finally asking, Time is of the essence, lets go right in and see your reverse-engineered drones. Certainly, this way please. Mark led the way for Chen Chen and explained while they walked, The samples youve provided us certainly was amusing. Not only was the device known as the UAV spy drone built with extremely sturdy and yet lightweight engineered plastic shells, but the technology on its inside was also at least several decades ahead of our current generation. The first time we dismantled it, we had a hard time believing that this was a scientific creation of the current era at all. So, which part of its components displayed the most advanced technological prowess? Chen Chen asked with intrigue. The most advanced has got to be the four sets of ion pulse vector propulsion units. Mark elaborated, Usually, its very difficult to transmute electricity into an ion pulse and generate an object propelling force from it. However, the sample youve provided perfectly addresses this problem. You could even say that this thruster device is much more advanced than the lifting fans on an F35B fighter. Good thing you assigned two ultra-high precision machine tools to us along with the group of experienced operators. This way, we were able to procure fanning gears with an error margin of less than 1 nanometer, otherwise it should take at least three years to make any progress. The operators that Mark was referring to was the group of dozens of Black Knights. Despite their lack of innovational abilities, they could be relied on for their endurance and extreme precision. As they continued their conversation, they eventually made it to the inner section of the factory. Upon passing through the entrance, Chen Chen saw several drone assembly lines. In truth, these assembly lines only served as a fa?ade for the various valuable ultra-high precision machine tools further inside. They continued heading inside, hardly paying any attention to the assembly lines. After passing through a piece of curtain, Chen Chen finally saw two disk-shaped machines about one meter in length and 20 centimeters in height in an assembly workshop. It appeared that these two devices were not fitted with a shell yet, the majority of the wiring and internal structure was exposed. These two are the prototypes weve created. Mark stepped forward and explained, Take a look, is it almost completely identical to the samples? Wheres the sample? Chen Chen asked as he looked around. Its this pile of parts over here. Mark pointed at a pile of parts scattered in the corner. To help us research this drone, weve dismantled it into the smallest units possible. On top of that, weve cycled through several solutions including cutting it, soaking it in chemical solutions, and various other methods to explore the nature of its base components. The sample is completely decommissioned at this point. Chen Chen nodded at his mention and reverted his attention to the two newly manufactured prototype drones. Mark quickly took the hint as he instructed the people behind him, You guys, operate these two drones and give us a flight demonstration. Two members immediately stepped forward and turned on the switch on the drone. At the same time, they presented a device resembling a controller and gently tapped it. Immediately after that, Chen Chen saw the two drones silently taking flight. This is the advantage of the ion pulse vector propulsion unit, its extremely silent. If you stand slightly farther, you could barely hear anything. This is the primary reason its called a spy drone. How about battery life and flight speed? Chen Chen asked, does it manage to reach the level of the original version? Unfortunately, its slightly inferior to the original version. Mark answered somewhat awkwardly upon noting the inquiry, The original drone can reach up to 120 kilometers per hour with a total travel distance of 2,000 kilometers. This is due to the original version containing an extremely advanced nuclear fuel cell. If we were to mass-produce this device, we can only use a slightly inferior hydrogen fuel cell, therefore both its power and battery life wont be able to reach the level of the original version. Chapter 268 - The Birth of the Mark-1 Drone The two new drone models underwent multiple tests in front of Chen Chen. The two speckless gray drones patrolled in the air like two UFOs. They constantly twisted and turned, appearing even more nimble than birds. The new drone models are implanted with a facial recognition system and mounted with 12K high-definition zoom cameras. At its limit, it can verify the identity of a person from five-hundred meters away, it can also switch to night-mode at night which grants indistinguishable daytime vision. With that said, were still not entirely sure about the general programming sequence. All of this is accomplished with the motherboard chipset you provided Mark explained while he conducted the tests, The noise generated by the drone during flight is 20 decibels, which is the rough equivalent of the brushing of windblown tree leaves. As for mobility, its cruising speed can reach 80 kilometers per hour, which is more than enough for general patrolling. Mark thought for a brief moment before adding. To be clear, this isnt the maximum speed allowed. With some more time to further modify the ion pulse thrusters, we think its likely that we can raise the speed to 120 kilometers per hour in the future. Is there Anything else you would like to modify? Chen Chen nodded. Of course, there can never be too many additions when it comes to a piece of technology like this. What about its flaws? In terms of flaws, Id say its probably that its weight capacity is too low. Mark expressed regretfully, Although weve done all we can to reduce the weight of the drone, the two high-definition cameras mounted alone weigh up to three kilograms. With the addition of various other devices, its weight quickly exceeded ten kilograms. For every additional kilogram of weight added, the efficiency of the drone decreases exponentially. Itll be difficult to maintain its current flight efficiency if it exceeds three kilograms. Chen Chen nodded in response. Which means that it wont be able to carry weapons? Yes. Mark answered, Theres no chance of it being able to sustain the weight of our newly manufactured electromagnetic rifles. Even if it could afford to mount them, theres the recoil of the electromagnetic rifles to put into consideration. The drone cannot sustain an impact force exceeding 3N, otherwise, it loses control easily. Why must we mount it with the electromagnetic rifle? Chen Chen suddenly asked, I see that the drone is fitted with ceramic armor. What if we remove the ceramic armor and try to install weapons such as pistols? But, without the armor, wont the sustainability of the drone be Mark was caught off guard by this. Besides, the effective range of pistol-styled weapons barely exceeds fifty meters. For the drone to engage its enemies, itll have to close the distance. Without its armor, theres no chance of the drone maximizing its potential. Chen Chen smiled at the notion. You dont have to worry about this, you only need to produce a prototype according to my specifications. If you insist. Mark nodded reluctantly, a small part of him feeling like Chen Chen the outsider was trying to claim superiority over the experts of the subject. Noting this, Chen Chen decided to stop beating around the bush. He took out a metal ball about three centimeters in diameter and showed it to Mark. The new drone models will need a designated slot for fitting this ball. This is Mark paused for a moment. Upon noting Chen Chens gesture, he slowly reached out for the metal ball in Chen Chens hand. The metal ball suddenly produced a brief ding when Mark noticed a sudden flash before his very eyes. His hand had completely vanished! Astonished, Mark looked down and to his horror, he noticed that his body had disappeared as well. No, not disappear because Mark could still vividly feel his body. Additionally, he could see faint glimmers of light in the surrounding bending according to his movement. The other scientists present at the scene were all wowed by this demonstration. From their perspective, Mark had only taken hold of the metal ball when he suddenly vanished right before their very eyes following a clear ring produced by the metal ball! Thwack! While Mark was still caught by surprise, his finger suddenly slipped and dropped the metal ball onto the ground. It was then when Mark realized his body had reverted to normal. This is Mark promptly picked the tiny metal ball up and expressed his amusement of it, This ball can turn someone invisible? Yes, this metal ball generates an electromagnetic field of a set frequency which distorts light in its surroundings. Chen Chen replied, If we can install this into the drone, do we still need armor at all? If we can truly make it turn invisible, then we certainly wont need armor Mark nodded with mild excitement before he suddenly raised another concern. Since it simulates invisibility by distorting light, then going by that logic, it shouldnt be possible to receive light from the surrounding as well. While turning invisible, the user should be rendered blind as well, but why was it that my eye was still able to receive light from my surroundings after turning invisible? ? If I had the answer, what do I need you guys for? Instead of answering the question, Chen Chen shifted the topic. Alright, the samples are provided, I hope you guys can modify the drone as soon as possible. At the very least, give the drone some light combat capabilities instead of just being a glorified security camera. Yes, certainly. We can manufacture a new variant of the drone in just three days! The rest of them nodded in agreement. With that, Chen Chen turned around and took his leave. Chen Chen was well aware that compared to the UAV spy drone as seen in the Elysium universe, the creation of Mark and the other host of experts should be greatly inferior. For starters, the original model used an engineered plastic, a form of armor with strong compressive deformation ability. Its weight was almost identical to regular plastic but its bulletproofing qualities trumped that of steel. On top of that, the nuclear fuel cell of the original drone model could sustain the drone for more than a month. The current drone only managed to last 24 hours airborne with the battery technology currently implemented by Chen Chen. Due to the significant technological gap, Chen Chen had yet to completely figure out the technology behind the hydrogen fuel cell from the Terminator universe, let alone the nuclear fuel cell technology of the Elysium universe. Considering the gap in energy generation technology, it was no surprise that the drones performance was no match for its counterpart in the movie. With that said, there was hardly any worry regarding the intelligence system of the drones since there was Little X. The moment these drones take flight, they essentially became extensions of Little Xs eyes. In combination with the wide-ranging presence of surveillance cameras across Eco Science City, no longer would there be a blind spot in the city. This was Chen Chens goal. As Blacklight Biotechnology continued to spearhead cutting-edge advancements in the medical sector, Eco Science City had become a battlefield among the major forces with spies lurking around every corner. To deal with this, Chen Chen had the B.S.S. force expanded twice and enlisted hundreds of foreign mercenaries. Despite the expert mercenary company, the elite spies dispatched by each major force were no pushovers either. After several exchanges, the B.S.S. force endured significant losses as well. What was worth noting was that mobilizing the Black Knights would be as good as setting himself up. It was a given that the Black Knights could promptly and efficiently squash a majority of the spies lying in Eco Science City, the odds were in their favor in the event of a clash as well. However, if Chen Chen were to commit to such a move, would it not be the equivalent of announcing to the Federation that he had a battalion capable of vanquishing the world? Once information regarding the Black Knights got out, the incoming public scrutiny alone could squash Blacklight Biotechnology, not to mention the sanctions to be imposed by the Earth Federation. In that sense, the Black Knights could only serve as an emergency measure. It may very well work wonders in a crucial moment, but playing the card right away was a suicidal venture. Three days later, Chen Chen went to the research workshop led by Mark Dawson again while Mark presented the newly modified drone before Chen Chen. They conducted a simulated flight test in the wind tunnel. The results proved to be rather delightful. The new addition for the drone was a small electromagnetic gun which was the same model as the electromagnetic pistol to be fitted into the Black Knights arsenal. It used a 415 millimeter hollow-point bullet and due to weight concerns, it was only loaded with thirty rounds, its effective range was a hundred meter. Needless to be said, the reason Chen Chen had it mounted with a weapon was to use the drone to carry out assassination tasks in certain special situations. It was not going to be used in direct confrontational missions such as militant suppression as Chen Chen did not intend to expose this assassination agent just yet. Additionally, the removal of the outer shell armor effectively decreased the total weight of the drone to just eight kilograms. Although the weight reduction did not improve its speed substantially, its battery life was extended by another four hours. Finally, with the cloaking device installed, the drone was transformed into an ever-present ghost. Its superior elusiveness should be a cause for concern for even the most elite of spies. Excellent. Chen Chen nodded in approval upon noting the drones outstanding performance in the wind tunnel and commended, As expected of the most elite team in the world. Professor Mark, you and your team have done exemplary work worthy of your reputation. We dont deserve such high praises, Mr. Chen. Mr. Mark laughed heartily. The only reason we could accomplish all this is because of the generous budget youve allocated us. Theres also the top-notch equipment supplied to us, otherwise, we wouldnt have been able to create these drone prototypes in such a timely manner. So, factoring the battery, lens, and all the accompanying costs, approximately how much U.S. dollars will it cost to manufacture each drone? Chen Chen had finally arrived at the most crucial question. Excluding research costs, each one of these drones should cost somewhere around three million U.S. dollars. Mark pondered for a moment before providing a sure answer. If an assembly line is developed for mass production, we can cut the total cost by about 30%. Not bad at all. Chen Chen nodded. Despite the noteworthy price tag attached, it was something that Chen Chen had a good use for. At the very least, it was far better than directly instantiating a UAV spy drone using the USB drive. Each UAV spy drone weighed slightly above ten kilograms, which meant the nuclear power plant could only barely generate enough power to instantiate a hundred such drones each month. Unless Chen Chen had lost his mind, he would not dedicate his efforts to extracting such a gadget. Mr. Chen, now that all the statistical tests conducted have returned a passing score, isnt it high time to name the drone? Mark raised the question, the excitement showing in his eyes. Chen Chen glanced at Mark upon noting this. Sure, your team shall have the privilege to name the aircraft. Greatly appreciated, Mr. Chen. Mark was overjoyed upon hearing this. Actually, Ive already come up with a name, how does Mark-1 model sound? Simplified as the M-1 spy drone. M-1? Chen Chen nodded somewhat dryly. In that case, the bonus for your team will be transferred to each members account very soon. Ill also be promoting your position in Gods Forbidden Zone. As for the blueprint for the drone, you guys can just hand it over to the department in charge of production, someone else will take care of the production. Understood. Mark nodded. I assume our next step is to improve the drone based on the Mark-1 drone model? Yes. For example, you may design a smaller variant of the spy drone with emphasis on speed and overall flight duration. Chen Chen answered, Alternatively, design a large variant combat drone with a designated platform for mounting weapons. Ill have good uses for different drones suited for different purposes. Mark was caught by surprise. He seemed to faintly understand where Chen Chen was going with this but also appeared slightly troubled. It wont be a problem to continue research and development, the problem lies in the facilities. You see, to accommodate your specifications, we may need a larger wind tunnel. Wind tunnel? Chen Chen turned around to face the small wind tunnel behind him, he immediately understood Marks implications. This facility known as a wind tunnel was certainly vital to the research and development of aircraft, this rule was no exception to the most basic small drone models. The so-called wind tunnel was a large-scale test facility that artificially generates airflow to simulate the flow of air around an aircraft or entity. The complexity and cost involved in constructing such structures were greater than that of constructing tunnel bores. This was justified as the features of a wind tunnel were essential to the manufacturing process of an aircraft. Now that the subject of a wind tunnel was brought up, an idea suddenly occurred to Chen Chen. After all, Chen Chen has had his eyes on the Bugatti-Folge Spaceship from the Elysium universe for some time now. Under certain circumstances, a regular spaceship the size of a common vehicle could transport Chen Chen across the Pacific overnight, from one end of the earth to the other. However, according to the statistics Chen Chen collected, the Bugatti which was arguably one of the smallest aircraft available weighed 2.4 tons. Chen Chen would have to save up two months worth of power for it. Considering that these aircraft were only seldomly used, Chen Chen concluded that his best bet was to construct aircraft by himself. The construction of a wind tunnel was inevitable if he planned to build his aircraft by himself. With this, Chen Chen made up his mind. He raised his head and turned to Mark. In that case, Mark, are you confident that you can man another task while handling the development of the drones at the same time? Im all ears. Mark became intrigued when he saw Chen Chen switching to a serious tone. If its not too daunting, I believe I can give it a shot. Chen Chen explained, If I gave you the sample of an aircraft similar to the drone that can carry passengers, are you confident that you can replicate a prototype of it as well? This Mark became silent for a brief moment before continuing with a hint of hesitation. Although the core principle of a manned aircraft and a drone is very similar, the complexity of the process is day and night. Besides, the small-scale wind tunnel used for the drone isnt applicable for the development of a manned-aircraft You wont have to worry about the wind tunnel. Chen Chen made a waving gesture. I plan to invest 3 billion U.S. dollars to set up a large-scale specialized wind tunnel here. Mark was immediately fascinated by the suggestion. In that case, Im willing to give it a shot. Chapter 269 - Holographic Projection Technology Over time, the unique presence in the region of Namibia, Eco Science City, was constantly seeing improvements. Some time ago, this place was just a wasteland with hardly any villages in a hundred miles vicinity. It was a completely unexplored and undeveloped landscape. The arrival of one man would completely transform the landscape. At the end of 2021, the man came from the distant Mainland China and signed an agreement with the Namibian Government. At the beginning of 2022, a biotechnology research center was constructed. Meanwhile, the groundwork for a gigantic nuclear power plant was being laid down as well. Since then, development took off exponentially. March of 2023, the completion of Eco Science City. May of 2023, the completion of the nuclear power station. All of the wealthiest members of the world began to congregate in this place as the Eco Science City began to come to life and overflow with vitality. Unfortunately, the Blacklight virus outbreak also happened during the same year. The entire African Continent suffered major losses and the development of Eco Science City was hindered by the outbreak as well. However, after weathering the pandemic chapter, the privately-owned city exploded with vibrant productivity again. Every day, hundreds of wealthy people from all across the world arrived at the Walvis Bay Airport in Namibia and poured into Eco Science City. The current resident population of Eco Science City hovered around 50,000, with the number constantly on the rise over time. To accommodate this, the city began to establish and hasten the development of new sections. Some time ago, to provide for his Tara Strategic Resource business, Chen Chen had renovated the Walvis Bay Airport out of his pocket. The international airports airport code was upgraded from a 3C to 4E. Airport code generally referred to the completion of its facilities such as the runway, landing strip, taxiway, parking apron, and such. Airport codes were abbreviated as a two-part code, usually categorized into six classifications which were below 3C, 3C, 4C, 4D, 4E, and 4F. The first part was a numerical value which represented the length of the runway, 4 represented a runway stretching over 1,800 meters in length. The latter was an alphabetical value indicating the wingspan and wheelbase of the aircraft allowed to take off and land in the airport. This value was sorted in ascending order from A to F. A 4E-class flight zone could accommodate four-engine long-range wide-body airliners and large twin-engine airliners such as the Boeing 747, Airbus A340, Boeing 787, Boeing 777, and the Airbus A330. Upgrading the Walvis Bay Airport from 3C to 4E was pretty much the equivalent of leaping a measly handgun to a shotgun. In one tremendous leap, it became one of the largest airports in Africa. Not only did it become a renowned transfer point in Africa, the cargo and passenger flow resulting from it had the Minister of Finance grinning from ear to ear. As the primary investor, Blacklight Biotechnology was granted plenty of privileges such as a designated runway and inspection-free cargo permit. Due to the pandemic, the subsidiary company of Blacklight Biotechnology C Tara Strategic Resource made a great fortune. Countless countries had to bite the bullet and trade their resource mining rights in exchange for funds to sustain them. These resources include gold, diamonds, rare earth minerals, and so on. For many of these countries, it was a daunting task in the first place whether they wanted to mine or deliver these minerals. After the pandemic, this task was made even more challenging. However, the subsidiary company, Tara, owned various models of transport aircraft. They also had modern equipment and sufficient capital to boot. Mining the resources did not pose a problem for them. And so, vast amounts of minerals were shipped every day with the carriers of Tara Strategic Resource to Walvis Bay International Airport. Among these minerals, gold, silver, and diamonds were objects of least interest to Chen Chen, which he promptly auctioned off in the international market. The strategic resources and minerals, on the other hand, were delivered to the industrial park of the Eco Science City and used internally. The industrial park continued to grow larger and the number of factories increased as well. Soon, night had fallen again Eco Science City at night was just like any other international cities. The streets were bright golden with rows of street-lights and brightly lit storefronts. Off in the distance, the districts and sanatoriums outshone the stars in the night sky with their radiance. Originally, due to Namibias poor industrial state, the country had the internationally-recognized most beautiful night sky. With the establishment of Eco Science City, the night sky ended being polluted by the citys prosperity and rapid industrialization. This led to a lot of criticism from environmentalists across the world. They rebuked Blacklight Biotechnology for polluting the pure land of Namibia. Chen Chen could not help but find humor in it. For the people living in modern cities, a clear night sky illuminated with stars was a subject of marvel for them. However, they never even considered that below such perfect starry skies were a collection of underdeveloped villages with their villagers drifting the lines between life and death every day. If the African villagers had a say in the matter, would they rather have their daily needs fulfilled or the underdeveloped villages with next to zero medical accommodations? The answer was clear. At this moment, Chen Chen sat in front of a set of french windows in a newly-constructed building. This was the new Blacklight Biotechnology office building. With a total investment of 500 million U.S. dollars, it was a 62-stories building standing 230 meters tall with a space of 150,000 square meters. In the early stages of its construction, Chen Chen had already planned to use this office building as the African headquarter of Blacklight Biotechnology. It also doubled as a landmark building in Eco Science City. From a distance, the building was shaped like a diamond-shaped spire, it was even clearly visible from the Walvis Bay International Airport. Chen Chen sat on an authentic black leather revolving chair. His right hand held a glass with translucent liquid bubbling inside it. Taking gentle sips of Sprite from the glass, Chen Chen took in the well-illuminated night view of the city, basking in the long-awaited tranquility of the night. Small wonder that countless people wanted to ascend to the top. The higher one stood, the more beautiful the view was, it was a tale as old as time. Sir Godfather. It was then when Little Xs voice suddenly invaded the silence. Sir Godfather, the bionic technology in the industrial park has fallen into a state of bottleneck recently. Tell me, what sort of bottleneck? Chen Chen asked without so much as turning around. Its about 3D holographic technology. Little X answered, My processing speed is more than enough to handle all of the calculations behind the bionic projects, but while our research team was combining the bionic technologies from the movies Alita: Battle Angel, Ghost in the Shell, Terminator, Elysium, and I, Robot, they realized that they needed a 3D holographic technology to be developed in conjunction with the bionic technology. Without it, its impossible to simulate some of the backend calculations. I remember there should be details on 3D holographic imaging technology in the data returned from Elysium. Chen Chen frownedp. Is it not possible to replicate the device? Sorry, to replicate the 3D hologram technology from Elysium, well need a superchip less than 1 nanometer. Theres also a large technological gap at play so theres not much we can do about it. Little X answered. Chen Chens expression turned to one which suggested he was in deep thought. I only know two movies with extremely developed holographic technology. Chen Chen only continued after another pause. The environmental holographic simulator from Prometheus and the holographic projection in Pokmon Detective Pikachu. If we can obtain the technology from these two universes, will it be possible to substitute them for the 3D holographic technology? Definitely. Little X answered, With a lot more to spare too. Perfect, Ill head to the nuclear power plan right away. At the end of his sentence, Chen Chen suddenly took a deep breath. He pushed himself up from his chair and approached the french window. Unlike other french windows, the french window in the chairmans office could be opened. When Chen Chen made a slight waving gesture without touching the windows at all, the window suddenly opened on its own! Chen Chens ears were immediately filled with the roar of the strong gusts of chilling wind coming from the outside which made him squint. Some time ago, Chen Chen had absorbed more than 500 crystallines in one go. Ever since that day, Chen Chen realized that his Field was improving at a tremendous rate, even several folds at a time. At first, he could only affect substances weighing in the range of ten grams, which soon went up to hundreds of grams. Now, Chen Chens Field could affect substances weighing up to several hundred kilograms. Just as suspected, the potency of Field increased exponentially the more crystalline was absorbed. Chen Chen heard the wind howling in his ears. Watching the dazzling night view outside, he was suddenly taken by an urge. Seemingly having thought of something, Chen Chen suddenly took two steps forward and stepped on the edge of the window stretching down to the floor. He even had half his foot hovering outside the window. Instead of looking down, Chen Chen stretched his arms out like a bird with its wings spread out. At the same time, he made himself take a deep breath, his body began to faintly tremble with excitement. Behold, this is the Genesis of my superpowers! A faint smirk appeared in the corner of Chen Chens lips as he tipped himself over the sixty-second floor of the building! Rumm The only thing Chen Chen could hear was the ruthless howling of the wind. His shirt flapped endlessly as they braced the incoming momentum. The strong pull of gravity gave Chen Chen an adrenaline rush but still, he kept his arms outstretched while he stared at the ground slowly pulling closer toward him. One second, two seconds, three seconds Eight seconds, nine seconds, ten seconds Something unprecedented happened. Although Chen Chen was falling at a dangerously fast speed, it appeared that the pull of gravity did not speed up his fall. Conversely, he seemed to have rejected the principle of gravitational acceleration and only fell at a constant speed of over ten meters per second. After fifteen seconds, when Chen Chen touched the ground, his tumbling body landed bizarrely. With the sure and steady claps of his feet touching the ground, Chen Chen landed abruptly Somehow, he was able to jump down unscathed from a two hundred meters tall building without any form of equipment assistance! Fortunately, this happened in the ripe hours of midnight where nobody could witness this reality-defying scene. Surely, this was the effect of Field. Under regular circumstances and going by the laws of physics, a person could not lift himself or herself up regardless of the persons strength. This was because the human body was the fulcrum point of the arm. However, the invisible force, Field, did not require a fulcrum to support itself. With enough strength, Chen Chen could negate the downward momentum using Field. He may even be able to break free of the force of gravity and spread his wings in the air It was only after pulling off the ridiculous stunt when Chen Chen made a call to Cheng Cao. Shortly after, Cheng Cao sprinted out of the office building where he immediately spotted Chen Chen standing by the entrance. Boss, you Cheng Cao was bewildered by what he was seeing. He had been waiting on the ground floor for Chen Chen all this time, and yet, he was now seeing Chen Chen seemingly spawn out of thin air outside the building. What could be the explanation behind this? Chen Chen waved his hands without giving an explanation. Cao, bring me to the nuclear power plant. Okay. Keeping these questions to himself, Cheng Cao quickly went to the parking lot and drove the car over. After Chen Chen entered the car, they went to the nuclear power plant. The USB drive had accumulated yet another great deal of power in this timeframe. However, Chen Chen had to allocate one half of it to maintain operations in Eco Science City. As a result, the USB drive had considerably lesser accumulated power than it did previously. This was also part of the reason Chen Chen wanted to prioritize researching nuclear fusion. As Eco Science City continued to grow in scale, the energy that could be allocated for the nuclear fusion power station would also go down proportionally. This was unless Chen Chen decided to halt the development of Eco Science City, which would be an incredibly foolish decision. Sooner or later, Chen Chen would need more power generation on a grander scale to support the operation of the USB drive. It did not take long before Chen Chen arrived at the Blacklight nuclear power plant again. When he entered the substation main control room, he saw the dazzling glow on the USB drive like the stars in the galaxy. Countless densely-arranged spots of light could be seen riddled across its surface. Chen Chen unplugged the USB drive. Outside the main control room, Chen Chen ordered the Black Knights to assume their formations and set up heavy guard around a designated safe area. The reason for doing so was because Chen Chen was not going to extract any other common items from the USB. This time, he intended to activate the second form of the USB drive. This was because in the movie Prometheus, there was this device shaped like a semi-transparent glass cylinder. It was a product pioneered by the Weyland Corporation when they expanded into the luxury goods market. The full name of the product was Environmental Holographic Simulator. The device simulated a habitable environment based on the users preference and state of mind. It could also receive broadcasted holographic signals from all over the world. It was mainly introduced in the movie character C Therons room. However, instantiating this device alone was not going to cut it as it was rather telling that it was just a terminal. Just like the automated medical platform Medpod 3000, hidden parts such as the main terminal must be required to properly utilize it. This was also the case with the holographic imaging technology as shown in Pokmon Detective Pikachu. The holographic technology in Pikachu proved to be even more astounding than the one in Prometheus. The way Chen Chen saw it, this technology was capable of muddying the borders between reality and illusion, achieving a brain in a jar effect! Chapter 270 - Prometheus At this current moment, a laptop was placed inside a fully-enclosed isolation room, away from any form of viruses and bacteria. The laptop contained the two movies which Little X had downloaded ahead of time, waiting for Chen Chens arrival. Accompanying him were four Black Knights armed with pulse rifles and suited in the GS Combat Suit. The GS Combat Suit by itself was already fully enclosed. To ensure they were fully protected upon entering the alternate dimension, Chen Chen had helmets and oxygen tanks designed for them. The helmets were pure black. Even the masks were an unfiltered black. This was a variant of high-caliber polycarbonate, an extremely assistant material commonly used in bullet-proof glass, airport windows, and even helmets for astronauts. Additionally, the bottom section of the helmet was designed to connect seamlessly with the GS Combat Suit collar, providing full enclosure. After being disinfected in the changing room, Chen Chen entered the isolation room wearing the GS Combat Suit and inserted the USB drive. After that, Chen Chen selected the USB drive and transferred both movies inside it. At last, the two movies were placed into the USB drive. Perfect, looks like the USB drive acknowledges Prometheus. Chen Chen let out a sigh of relief. Pokmon Detective Pikachu was the very first movie Chen Chen had inserted into the USB drive, so there was no surprise there. Prometheus was about the origin of aliens. Since even Pikachu could be accepted by the USB drive, it was only reasonable to assume that aliens could be acknowledged by the USB drive as well. After that, instead of opening the passages to the two movies right away, Chen Chen remained idle and lost in thought. Sir Godfather? After approximately ten minutes, Little X suddenly asked, Your heart rate is thirty-percent higher than usual, is there something bothering you? Im thinking about what sort of spectacle Ill see upon opening the passage to the movie Pokmon Detective Pikachu. There was a hint of sarcasm in Chen Chens voice as he spoke, Will mankind be wiped out by Pokmon, leaving behind nothing but a bloody wasteland? Or perhaps the Pokmon wouldve disappeared as well, leaving the world in disarray? Little X had nothing to add. If it werent for the fact that the holographic imaging devices were not properly presented in the movie, I wouldnt have to go through the trouble of entering the universe to find the holographic technology. Chen Chen sighed. This is what bothers me the most. Previously when I first instantiated the NZT-48, I couldnt obtain the immunity shot to counteract the effects of the drug. Despite the protagonist finding it at the end of the movie, it wasnt presented on screen. I ended up having to spend several more months taking detours to obtain the immunity shot. If it wasnt for that, you wouldnt have created me and wed never have met, isnt it? Little X remarked. Thats true. Chen Chen seemed surprised and smiled. Theres another thing Im more concerned about. Since the Prometheus spaceship had crashed inside the movie, where will the passage lead to once I open it? This Little X hesitated with her answer as well. The void? Planet LV-223? Or perhaps back to the timeline before the spaceship had exploded? Or perhaps Planet LV-223 was a planet in Prometheus which the Engineers race resided in and which the protagonists group arrived at. Itd be perfect if it leads to the timeline before the spaceship exploded. Chen Chen shook his head. I have countless methods at my disposal to take control of the spaceship, perhaps I can even bring the scientists into reality and have them work for me Sadly, its extremely likely for this to be the case. Arriving at this mention, Chen Chen turned to Pokmon Detective Pikachu with a strange expression. Still, if I had to rank both these movies by the degree of potential danger, Id still lean toward Prometheus. After all, the number of both Engineers and aliens are extremely limited, so the threat they may pose to us may not be as significant. In contrast, Pokmon Detective Pikachu may be far more threatening than Alien. After all, the Pokmons in the movie all had superpowers, some of them even equivalent to weapons of mass destruction. If the Pokmon were to make a joint rebellion effort, humans were no match for them. With this in mind, Chen Chen ended up placing his cursor on Prometheus. He clicked the movie and skipped to the frame showing Weyland representative Meredith Vickerss room in the spaceship. From the display, Chen Chen saw devices resembling blue lamp posts in the room. These were the environmental holographic simulators depicted in the movie. Although these devices were significantly inferior compared to the holographic imaging in Pokmon Detective Pikachu, they were still considered rather advanced technology in the real world. With this in mind, Chen Chen no longer hesitated and opened the passage. Boom Chen Chen saw the display immediately turning pitch-black as its original 2D perspective turned into 3D. At the same time, an endlessly spiraling small black dot all appeared in the center of the display. In just a split moment, the black dot rapidly expanded and devoured the entire display to a point where it even spilled out! Hm? Why does it feel like the passage is bigger than before? Chen Chen raised an eyebrow quizzingly and stepped backward instinctively. The Black Knights behind him stepped forward unprompted and aimed their pulse rifles at the passage. Fortunately, apart from the passage being a notch larger than in the past, nothing else peculiar like a monster charging out of the passage happened. T0421, put on the safety belt and get ready to enter the passage. Chen Chen issued the order. One of the Black Knights immediately strapped the safety belt on his back to an iron railing on the wall behind him before moving into the passage with his weapon in tow. Chi. Stepping into the cloud of black mists that even light could not penetrate, the Black Knight completely vanished into the passage established by the USB drive. At this point, Chen Chen had the Black Knights troop separated into two categories. One group was the earlier Black Knights with the code A stamped to their forehead. There were approximately 1,300 of such Black Knights. These Black Knights were just common cloned humans. Despite having their body honed to perfection under the influence of the chip, they were still a long shot away from the latter T-virus Black Knights. Chen Chen assigned the A labeled Black Knights to various highly-confidential factories or to serve as assistants to the researchers. Meanwhile, the new Black knights were labeled with T, they were Chen Chens true combative force. Chapter 271 - Nuclear War The reason for strapping safety belts to the Black Knight was to serve as insurance since the Prometheus Spaceship was destroyed at the end of the movie. Chen Chen was unsure if there was still anything useful at the coordinate or if the passage led to the room on the spaceship. There was a chance the passage would lead to a void in space or simply to the wreckages of the spaceship. Contrary to Chen Chens expectations, the Black Knight had returned from the opposite end of the passage in less than ten minutes. Unlike previously, the Black Knight labeled T0421 was covered all over in a layer of grayish-brown dust as if he had weathered a sandstorm in the other end of the passage. The Black Knight also brought back a recording with him. Minor traces of radiation detected! Little X immediately alerted, Sir Godfather, please be careful. The dust particles on T0421 are radioactive dust. Its alright, this radiation is only in the range of several X-rays. Besides, Im wearing the GS Combat Suit. Chen Chen made a waving gesture. Its not the void or the planet LV-223 on the other end? After a brief exchange, Chen Chen made the Black Knight get disinfected while he took the recording and played it. Chen Chen was immediately greeted with the sight of a vast landscape. The video showed broken remains of structures and a depressing amber sky spelling the end times. A ruthless sandstorm whirled on endlessly and the ruins of a city could be seen off in the distance. They were what remained of skyscrapers, the greatest badge of achievement left behind by mankind. Chen Chen even saw a black tower-shaped building that had partly collapsed. It was the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Chen Chens pupils shrunk when he saw this. The passage did not lead to the planet LV-223 nor did it lead to a void in space, it led to Earth Isnt this scenery quite familiar? Chen Chen mused pensively and turned to Little X. If Im not mistaken, the footage returned by the Black Knight should be the ending sequence in Alien 4, right? Yes. Little X answered, I looked it up, there are two separate endings to Alien 4. One of them is where the protagonist Ripley and the cyborg Call overlooked the comely natural terrain of the Earth from their spaceship. The other ending is one where they landed the spaceship on Earth and upon walking out, found out that Earth and its cities were devastated with mankind seemingly wiped out. Whats also worth mentioning is that in the latter ending, a destroyed Eiffel Tower could be seen as well. The footage taken by the Black Knight may display a different angle but its otherwise completely identical I knew it! Upon receiving the conclusion, Chen Chen could not help but nod as he smiled bitterly. USB drive, youre something alright. The movie I selected is Prometheus, but you went ahead and skipped to the timeline in Alien 4. Prometheus should be set in the year 2091 and the timeline of Alien 4 is set in 2381. It skipped nearly three-hundred years ahead So, its just as we presumed, all the worlds connected via the USB drive cannot escape their fate of destruction? Should we continue the mission then? Little X asked, Even though Earth is mostly rendered a wasteland, theres still the chance of us finding the holographic imaging technology among the ruins. Chen Chen immediately fell silent following the remark. It was then when the test result of the previous Black Knight labeled T0421 was produced. Apart from the layer of radioactive dust on the Black Knight, there were no signs of any abnormal bacteria or viruses in the dust. It may appear that the virus was all killed by radiation. Since its radioactive dust, then I believe the situation is clear. Chen Chen went on. This implies that there was a nuclear war on Earth which destroyed the Earths habitat, bringing an end to civilization. This explains why theres so much radioactive dust. However, more so than the nuclear war, what Im more concerned with is Chen Chen suddenly altered his tone. The exact motivation for humans inciting a nuclear war in the Alien universe. Or better yet, could they have started a nuclear war due to an external threat? Are you referring to A war between mankind and aliens? Little X remarked suspiciously, If the people in the movie Alien 4 knows that Earth has been destroyed by aliens, then theres no explanation behind them stubbornly trying to keep the aliens in space. I believe that the people in the movie had no idea that Earth had been destroyed. It was only until the protagonist returned to Earth when they realized everything that had happened. All of this doesnt make sense at all. Your analysis is excellent, but you may have taken the wrong approach. Chen Chen considered for a moment before continuing. First of all, the ending of the movie only showed Earth as a barren wasteland, but there was no mention whatsoever of civilization perishing. This means that a nuclear war did break out, but humans were not completely wiped out. Second, the true subject matter in the Alien series isnt humans nor aliens. Theres another far more secluded factor. With this clue exposed, the cause behind mankind starting a nuclear war becomes apparent. Youre saying? Little X sounded uncertain. Cyborg. Chen Chen nodded. From Prometheus onward, there was a cyborg called David. If it wasnt for him bringing the black goo on board and secretly feeding Halloway the scientist, the protagonist Elizabeth Shaw wouldnt have got pregnant and given birth to the octopus-like monster. From there on, in the sequel Alien: Covenant, David used the black goo to eradicate the Engineer race, even killing the protagonist of the previous film, morphing her into the alien queen. You could say that David was the one behind the formation of the alien. Thats not the end of it. There had always been appearances of cyborgs from the first Alien film to the fourth. It was not so bad in the first three films when people were still relatively tolerant of the cyborgs. However, from the fourth installation of the Alien series onward, there was a sudden major shift in peoples attitudes toward cyborgs. Upon discovering that Call was a cyborg, there was a strong sense of distrust and disappointment. What does that make you think of? Chen Chen asked. Are you saying that there was a war between mankind and cyborgs? Following that theory, the poor state of Earth was the result of the war between mankind and cyborgs? Little X was astonished. Yes, thats my speculation. Chen Chen snapped his fingers. The main theme of the movie Prometheus is a narrative of how the creator and the creation can co-exist. For example, the Engineers created mankind but later decided to wipe them out. Humans created the cyborg David who was responsible for vanquishing the Engineer race and created the alien. There are many themes revolving around the directors perspective on religion and even Godhood. The way I see it, the most important element is Davids attitude toward mankind. Its rather obvious that as a new form of life, David held a grudge toward mankind and all other life forms With this in mind, Chen Chen could not stop himself from letting out a sigh. No, perhaps its not so much as a grudge, but a belief of impunity. The life and death of mankind and all life forms are hardly more significant than an experiment to him Chapter 272 - Black Goo Upon hearing Chen Chens analysis, Little X remarked thoughtfully, Which means that a nuclear war between mankind and cyborgs did break out. According to the details provided in Alien 4, mankind only managed to achieve a pyrrhic victory, even losing the ability to restore the Earths condition in the process? Yes, but now I suspect that mankind might have gone extinct. Chen Chen replied. Why, didnt mankind emerge victorious? Or was it that mankind was unable to survive in the aftermath of a post-nuclear world? Little X was slightly confused. This speculation isnt related to the Alien dimension, it has to do with the USB drive Chen Chen shot a glance at the USB drive plugged into the computer and expressed with a frown, Alright, theres no point making all these assumptions, the most important thing now is to continue exploring. In this case, Little X, dispatch four Black Knights to head into the world and explore it and rendezvous in seventy-two hours. In this seventy-two-hour, collect as much information on the dimension as possible while prioritizing on safety. Understood. Following Little Xs response, four fully suited Black Knights immediately got up. They filed into the passage one after the other, vanishing into the computer display This time around, Chen Chen had expected the Black Knights to return empty-handed or potentially face their demise on the other end. Surprisingly, they returned to the rendezvous point at the seventy-two-hour mark, all four of them unscathed. On top of that, the Black Knights brought back information concerning the environmental holographic simulator as well as titbits of cyborg technology and nuclear power technology similar to the ones in Elysium. The Black Knights also returned with reports of the dimension on the other end of the passage. They had verified that human civilization in the dimension had perished. Nuclear war was the cause for their extinction, but that was not the sole reason At this moment, Chen Chen was fiddling with a Rubiks cube in his hand. This was a regular 3 by 3 Rubiks cube. However, anyone acquainted with Prometheus would know that this was also a form of mini holographic device. The only difference was that the functionality of these portable devices was not as complete as the large environmental holographic simulators. In the opening sequence of the movie, Professor Halloway, the one who was drugged by David, had used this exact device to project the star pattern in the murals. This magic cube device was found among the ruins by one of the Black Knights. After being disinfected and thoroughly inspected to ensure it was harmless, it was delivered to Chen Chens hands. Following the sequence as shown in the movie, Chen Chen tried to click several buttons before clicking the play button on its center. The magic cube activated instantly, transforming Chen Chens current surroundings into a room covered in rusted spots. At the same time, a red-haired young lady wearing futuristic high-tech clothing appeared out of thin air before Chen Chen. Her clothing was immediately distinguishable as high-tech wear because the suit managed to fuse its exoskeleton coverings with the fitting blue tights underneath. Despite it being tattered and full of stains, Chen Chen could tell it was something extraordinary at first glance. This is a holographic image! Little X marveled. Its strikingly similar to the environmental holographic simulator. It also utilizes a form of light scribing technology in conjunction with the principle of refraction to restore previously recorded footage. In truth, your surrounding environment is still the same. I understand. Chen Chen nodded and looked around him. He saw that the room projected by the hologram device was covered in rusted spots. Apart from a sealed door, there were no windows to be seen in the room while a dim yellow light source hung overhead. This simulated environment filled Chen Chen with an overwhelming sense of dread. The young woman standing before Chen Chen blended in very well with the surrounding environment. Her cheeks were sunken and dry, her expression haggard. Due to her hair not being washed for an extended period, they stuck together in unordered clumps. Needless to be said, she was not doing very well here. Chen Chen only surveyed his surroundings briefly before directing his full attention to this lady. At the same time, the lady began speaking. Today is day 875. Ever since Fusafas death, I havent been able to find any similar species, only strange monsters everywhere. Her voice was unbearably hoarse and without any trace of emotion like a completely indifferent robot. It was only Chen Chen who was able to sense great despair underneath this monotone voice. The voice continued. Im not sure how much longer I can keep doing this. A year or a month, maybe I wont even be able to last another week. I can only hide in the safehouse and await Death itself to come Last night, a monster almost noticed me. Fortunately, I activated the emergency broadcast in time and distracted the monster with a noise in the distance. Otherwise, I may find myself in the underground nest of the monster upon waking up Also, the food from the last forage was finished today. I have to head outside and forage again, I hope I get to record again, if at all What came after were just regular ramblings. This lady seemed to be using this as an outlet to vent the pent-up pressure she was feeling. Without doing this, any other person would crumble under the pressure of having to survive alone in a post-apocalyptic world with monsters hunting them down. According to Chen Chens understanding, this device was found in the ruins. This suggested that it was extremely likely that the person shown in the holographic display had met her demise after heading out, otherwise, she would not have left the device behind. She may have referred to them as monsters, but what shes saying suggests that there are still aliens on Earth Chen Chen expressed gravely as he turned to face Little X. Are you sure the Black Knights didnt encounter aliens? None at all. Little X responded, Everything the Black Knights saw was recorded in the chip. Ive gone through the databank in the chip and didnt find anything concerning aliens. This means that the aliens have entered hibernation. Chen Chen suddenly jolted and seemed to have realized something. In the second installation of the Alien series, it was mentioned that humans had migrated to a planet called LV-223 and that there were alien life forms on that planet. Initially, the colonizers did not encounter anything at all. As they began to build the migration camps and started to thrive on the planet, they awakened the alien that had been asleep underground for years. In the end, the entire migration base turned into a vessel for the aliens to reproduce. With no food available to them, the aliens entered a state of hibernation just like how cold-blooded animals hibernate during the winter. The only difference was that they could hibernate for far longer, up to several hundreds of thousands of years at a time. Little X began explaining, But what Im more curious about is how these aliens made it to Earth. Is there a chance that your speculation was false? That the Earth was in ruins because of a major battle between mankind and the aliens? Impossible! Chen Chen abruptly interjected, The timeline in the Prometheus universe says everything you need to know. In 2091, humans were already capable of migrating to space. Itd be natural to assume that three-hundred years later in the Alien dimension, mankind would be more capable of doing so with far more advanced technology. By that point, mankind must have plenty of colonies in outer space. Aliens couldnt possibly completely eradicate human civilization. In that vein, as long as mankind wasnt completely wiped out, there was a small chance of Earth, the first home of civilization being simply abandoned. Its even more unlikely that Earth would be left in complete ruins. This is why Im sure that the humans in the Alien dimension have been completely wiped out, including the colonies in other planets. Therefore, only the cyborgs who were tightly integrated into human society and potentially understood humans even more than humans themselves couldve incited the nuclear war. Since the cyborgs had the same control over the internet network as humans did, the first thing they would do once they began rebelling was to launch nuclear missiles to destroy mankinds civilization. After that, they could assume control. This was the only chance the cyborgs had at emerging victorious! Then how does this explain the hologram suggesting that there are aliens on Earth? The puzzled Little X asked. It has to be the work of the cyborgs. Chen Chen sneered. Isnt everything explained clearly in Alien: Covenant? David successfully blended into human society in the end. After the war between mankind and cyborgs where the cyborgs were wiped out, the humans suffered heavy losses as well. David, who was bitter about the defeat, sent the black goo to Earth as well as all the planets populated by humans. By this point, Earth had become a wasteland. Also, since all of the cyborg population was in the rebellion, none of the colonized planets was spared. Hundreds of years of human industrial development were left in ruins overnight and while they were the most vulnerable, an alien life form began to surface on Earth. What do you think happens after this? Little X was still somewhat doubtful. Then why didnt David use the black goo right away? Judging by his fervent research on the black goo in the movie, wouldnt it be easier to wipe out mankind with the black goo than to resort to nuclear options? Chen Chen went on explaining, There wasnt a lot of black goo. Besides, society wasnt as underdeveloped as the Engineers race civilization depicted in the movie to be so easily overcome by mere black goo. Even if black goo were to be used to create aliens, do you think they could pose a substantial threat to human civilization, regardless of how powerful they were? Forget about the future set several centuries from now, lets take our current age for example. Suppose that an alien egg appeared in one of the cities in North America and it successfully kills a human to give birth to an alien. After several months of growth, the alien evolves into an alien queen on its own and begins laying eggs, creating more alien eggs Maybe within a short time, the alien population explodes into the range of hundreds or even thousands, but what happens after that? Chen Chen raised the question. A large number of the population goes missing along with an even greater number of witnesses. These abnormal activities will surely alert the government. What comes after that is that the army will be mobilized with battle tanks and helicopters and the city locked down for them to rain hellfire on the aliens. Suppose that by that point, the alien population has grown to ten thousand, so what? Suppose that a handful manages to escape and sneak into neighboring villages or cities, so what? Worst comes to worst, the exact scenario is repeated with another city, which by this point the government will become far more alert. The moment they notice something amiss, they take the appropriate measures. The aliens that escape wouldnt have any time at all to repopulate. Suppose that theres a measly one-percent chance that the North American Continent suffers a devastating defeat in their first major battle with the aliens. What will the other continents do? Will the Earth Federation remain idle? All this is to say that the aliens may only prove to be a major challenge, but not enough to threaten the very existence of civilization. Especially if were talking about modern civilization several centuries from here on. Thats true, if this was in the ancient times or medieval ages, the aliens may be able to wipe out humans. However, this wouldnt be possible in modern times. Little X agreed. Therefore, nuclear missiles are still the best option for eradicating mankind. The black goo was only released when the cyborg realized they had been utterly defeated. In the end, the black goo became the straw that broke the camels back. Chen Chen concluded. This is my speculation on the devastation of mankind in the Alien universe. I see Little X suddenly understood. Of course, theres no telling if this was what happened yet. Chen Chen considered briefly before picking up the silver-white magic cube from the ground again. Crack it. Chart a complete report of all the footage recorded by this woman, perhaps all of the answers we need are inside them. Understood! After Little X gave its word, Chen Chen returned to the computer where he shut off the passage. Since he managed to acquire what he needed relatively easy on this attempt, Chen Chen decided to stop exploring for now. Just as he was about to unplug the USB drive, his hand suddenly paused mid-motion. Black goo Chen Chen muttered to himself, The functionalities of the black goo were clearly defined in the movies Prometheus and Alien: Covenant. Its a form of bioenergy in which a small amount of infection may cause genetic restructuring while infection in large doses may dehydrate and carbonize the body. Upon coming in contact with water after the carbonization, new DNA will be formed, thus giving birth to a new life form. The reason the Engineers race developed the black goo was to solve their struggles with continued reproduction. Based on the movie narration, the Engineers race had an extremely long lifespan up to 330,000 years. However, their lifespan proved to be detrimental to them as somewhere along the lines, the Engineers race had lost the ability to reproduce. So, they began searching for their God, which was the alien-like life form shown in the murals in Prometheus. In truth, they were not aliens. Among the Engineers race, the alien-like God was referred to as Deacon. By drinking the blood of Deacon, the Engineers may find hope for the continued reproduction of their race. There was a good reason behind the Engineers worshipping Deacon and even believing that the Deacons blood may restore their ability to reproduce. In the extended cut of the movie, it was very subtly hinted that Deacon was the being that created the Engineers race. Later on, to restore their ability to reproduce, the Engineers began drinking the blood of Deacon. This was shown in the opening sequence of the movie. In a ceremony resembling a sacrificial ritual, an Engineer having consumed the blood of Deacon was put to death, which the genetic of the dead was restructured to give birth to a new life form C humans. The black goo shown in the later stages of the movie was merely artificial Deacon blood. After all, natural Deacon blood was scarce. Despite being an artificial product, it was still capable of restructuring genetics, its potential was unlimited The idea suddenly occurred to Chen Chen like a brilliant spark. Chen Chen narrowed his eyes suspiciously. Can it create new life? The only question is, will I be able to do it better than David did in the movie? Chen Chen murmured as the corner of his lips turned up into a faint smirk. He suddenly opened the USB drive again, slowly reaching into the display with his left hand Chapter 273 - The True Nature of Black Goo Shortly after, a dark cylindrical jar 40 centimeters tall and 15 centimeters thick appeared before Chen Chen. Chen Chen took several paces back when he saw this all-too-familiar object, he ordered, X, send this item to the Spire Experimental Base, put it in the highest grade biosafety laboratory. Understood, what do you plan to do with this object you instantiated? Little X asked curiously, Based on what was seen in the movie, black goo seemed to only be able to create life forms like aliens. Nothing major, its just that for someone dealing with biology research, a substance like black goo raises ones interest. Shaking his head, Chen Chen expressed with a mild smile. You wont be able to understand such human emotions for now. Also, the primary usage of the black goo is certainly for the creation of aliens, however, this isnt the only thing its capable of. You mean to say Little X asked with a mix of emotions. Based on what was seen in the movie, when the black goo infects its subject from the inside, it causes the cells to break down, which are then substituted with newly-formed DNA. In contrast, when it infects its subjects from the outside, it will begin to mutate rapidly and aggressively. Chen Chen continued his explanation. Later on in Alien: Covenant, David explained the usage of black goo again. The nature of the black goo is like an invasive AI, it disrupts substances and provokes unique reactions in each cell. From it, it reconstructs a new life form, its potential is immeasurable Do you understand now? The terror of the black goo doesnt lie in its ability to create aliens, but in its ability to create a new life form. If a new advanced life form able to reproduce and evolve independently, this is a wonder unable to be replicated by any current technology. It was only after Chen Chen finished when he unplugged the USB drive and disinfected himself thoroughly before exiting the isolation room. An hour later, when Chen Chen returned the USB drive to the control center and returned to the Spire Experimental Base, the Black Knights had already taken the jar of black goo to a level-4 biosafety laboratory. After going through the processes of disinfection again, Chen Chen put on the positive pressure protective suit properly. He then proceeded to step into the highest-grade biosafety laboratory that had been sealed till now. Based on international standards, biosafety laboratories were divided into four grades. Level-one laboratory had a defined specialization and was proven not to cause disease such as measles virus and mumps virus. A level-two laboratory researched microbial substances related to some common human diseases such as influenza virus, with a moderate degree of risk. The three-level biosafety level laboratory researched high-risk microbial substances such as Yersinia pestis, rabies virus, and HIV. Biosafety laboratories of this level should already be equipped with advanced protective facilities. The highest grading was the level-four biosafety laboratory. This class specializes in extremely dangerous microorganisms such as Ebola. Even the slightest drop of water or puff of air produced from the laboratory had to be decontaminated thoroughly before allowed to be disposed of outside the laboratory. Meanwhile, Chen Chen had trumped the list with an even higher, level-five biosafety laboratory. Protective features, rate of contamination, all of the related features of this laboratory were several times higher than that of a level-four biosafety lab. Raising aliens in this place should not be worrisome. The reason that the level-five biosafety laboratory was never officially put into operation was that no substance had ever passed the need for a biosafety laboratory above level-four. Even the BE-006 Blacklight virus that came close to wiping out the entirety of Africa was not subjected to a level-five biosafety laboratory. Today marked the day for the very first time the level-five biosafety laboratory that had been vacant all this time was put into operation. There was no ceremony whatsoever. Not a single staff member of the Spire Experimental Base was informed of this, just like how it was with the T-virus which Chen Chen was modifying in the secret laboratory. Entering the laboratory, Chen Chen first did a visual sweep of the environment. The level-five biosafety laboratory was not located on the top floor of the Spire, but on the unknown-to-public bottom floor. Chen Chen had an isolated space excavated deep below the Spire Experimental Base that could sever the connection with the Spire above at any time. Covering an area of 5,000 square meters, there were a total of 13 laboratories all with different functions, and two sets of living rooms with four rooms and a hall. The implemented security measures were dialed up to maximum. At the present, only four Black Knights tasked with the research operation entered with Chen Chen. Each one of them carried an identical disinfected cage made for mice. There were four groups of mice in total that would soon become the first subject for the black goo. There was no need for Chen Chen to micromanage as the Black Knights displayed discipline above that of professors and started the experiment following all standard protocols. One of the Black Knights approached a biosafety cabinet. Beneath the thick glasses of the cabinet, the jar of black goo could be seen sitting idly. The level-three biosafety cabinet was designed for usage in level-three and four biosafety laboratories. They were suitable for use in extremely high-risk biology research. The cabinet was completely enclosed. The only way for the researcher to interact with the substance was by using the pair of built-in gloves joined to the inside of the cabinet. This was the reason it was also named the glove box. The black knights swiftly reached in with his hands padded with protective suit material and began fixing the jar of black goo inside the biosafety cabinet. Based on an observation of David in the movie, it could be seen that the jar was easily opened. The Black Knight only barely twisted the lid before the jar opened. The jar seems to be made of silica, hard and brittle, but not dangerous. Little X provided a live narration of the angle of observation from the Black Knights eyes. Chen Chen remained silent and stepped forward. He immediately met a jelly-like substance inside the jar. There were four popsicles in the clump of jelly. This jelly-like substance should be a buffer, helps buffer and shockproof its contents. Following Little Xs mention, the Black Knight promptly removed the four popsicles. The popsicles miraculously popped out immediately, their surface completely unstained. The buffer solution appears to consist of nanomaterial, they are very silky and dont easily attach to the surface of objects. Little X made further observations. Chen Chen had a good look at the popsicle-like objects as well. It was referred to as popsicles because the shape of the object closely resembled a popsicle, with split sections in between. The popsicles took on a semi-transparent form with mild green liquid inside. The only difference was that the outer shell of the popsicles was made of glass material. Apart from a large portion of its contents being the green liquid, there was a small residue of black substance at its bottom. When the Black Knight gave it a gentle shake, the black substance immediately fused with the green liquid, transforming the popsicle into pure black color. This was the true nature of the black goo. Chapter 274 - Prion? When Chen Chen saw this, his eyes grew solemn. In the movie, David had only added one small drop into a drink to infect a human adult, who had transformed into a humanoid monster within ten hours. It was evident that the black goo was not a bacteria or a virus, but a very stable polymer compound. Otherwise, it would not be able to withstand the damaging effects of alcohol so easily. At this time, the Black Knight was copying Davids actions in the movie. He broke off the tip of the popsicle, then inserted a syringe from one side and extracted a very small amount of liquid black goo from the popsicle. Some of the Black Knights immediately placed a part of the black goo under the microscope for analysis and observation while others injected the fluid into a white mouse that had been prepared in advance. Soon, Chen Chen saw that the mouse injected with black goo had begun to develop fever and convulsions. In no time, this little white mouse started to shed its fur everywhere and the pink skin under the fur was exposed to the air. However, at this moment, the other white mice seemed to perceive this abnormality and they all surrounded the sick little white mouse. Nonetheless, this heart-warming scene was immediately subverted. The sick mouse suddenly leaped up, lunged ferociously at one of the mice, and began tearing it apart with its teeth! At once, the white mouse that was bitten was bleeding all over! After being infected with the black goo, one will lose all sense of reason and become very aggressive. Chen Chen observed silently. Quickly, the infected mouse easily killed the other mice in the cage. Chen Chen continued to note down. After being infected with black goo, the hosts strength will suddenly increase and it can easily kill others of the same species, as was shown in the movie After recording all these changes, Chen Chen noted that the body of the mouse in the cage was turning from bright red to grayish-white. At the same time, it began to consume the flesh and blood of its own kind, seemingly to accumulate energy for the next mutation. Soon, this little white mouses body gradually grew a layer of stratum corneum, which began to blacken. Meanwhile, beneath the blackness, there were glimpses of crimson flesh. In the end, a fine and dense layer of needle-like spikes came out of its body, replacing the original white fur. What was even stranger was that these spikes were still growing in and out endlessly. It was a chilling sight This is a new species. Chen Chen was astounded. He summoned a Black Knight, who then stepped forward, put on thick protective gloves, and extended the needle into the cage. As the Black Knight gently held the mutated mouse, he extracted a blood sample. After it was caught, the white mouse began to struggle violently while unleashing a strange piercing scream. This sound was beyond the normal vocal range of a typical white mouse. It sounded harsh and savage. This mouse had undergone essential changes in both its genes and body structure. Nonetheless, although this little white mouse had mutated so terrifyingly, the difference in size still existed. No matter how hard it struggled, it could not break free of the Black Knights grasp. Still, before the blood of the mutated mice had been fully analyzed, the analysis of the black goo was completed. When the composition of the black goo was determined, Chen Chen gasped in shock. Are you sure theres no mistake? As Chen Chen stared at the test report in his hand, he displayed a befuddled look. You mean, this black goo is a protein composed of more than 20 amino acids? Yes, its a protein molecule that can infect a variety of carbon-based life. Little X replied, If the facts werent right before our eyes, even I wouldnt believe that theres such a strange protein molecule in the world. In other words, is this something similar to a prion? Chen Chen inhaled sharply. Then how does it infect people? Is it the same as prions? Yes, based on the blood test of the mice, weve gotten a rough answer. Little X said again, But unlike other prions, this protein doesnt sediment in the brain and damage the brain of organisms. Rather, it directly alters the human genetic chain. After hearing these words, Chen Chen understood it completely. A prion was not a virus because in international textbooks, viruses were categorized as organisms. However, prions were not considered organisms but a system composed only of proteins, with traits of self-replication and infectivity. Still, prions were filterable, infectious, and pathogenic, like conventional viruses, but they were much smaller than the smallest known conventional virus. The structure of their virus particles thus could not be observed under the electron microscope and they would not present an immune response. As Chen Chen continued reading, he instantly understood why the black goo was a type of prion. This was because when the prion protein of the black goo entered the hosts body, the normal PrP protein of the human body would be easily assimilated by the prion protein of the black goo. The proteins with normal configuration would take on the molecular structure of black goo, which increased exponentially and expanded rapidly. Even so, if that was all, the black goo would at most be a new type of prion that was rapid and infective. However, what was more surprising was that the prion protein of black goo not only had the ability to assimilate proteins in the hosts body, but also the ability to disassemble nucleic acids in the host! When the black goos prion protein encountered the hosts nucleic acid chain, it seemed to trigger a certain program to begin disassembly of the hosts DNA nucleic acid chain and recombine it into a new form. After the nucleic acid chain was recombined, the black goos prion protein would also envelop this new nucleic acid chain to form a new virus structure. At this point, the prions in the black goo had successfully evolved into a complete virus by plundering the DNA of organisms. This virus would work with the black goo to carry out a second transformation of the hosts body. All of this had happened with that little white mouses body After reading the report in his hand, Chen Chen looked even more troubled. Its no wonder that the black goo can be extracted through the USB flash drive. I didnt expect it to be a prion-like substance. But based on this report, I think that the prion protein of black goo is more like an artificial protein robot I thought so too. Little X echoed, The black goo is hundreds and thousands of times more amazing than prions. It cannot be defined as a prion at all. After all, its the supreme creation of the Engineer civilization. Chen Chen nodded and said with emotion, Still, at this point, I finally understand the precious value of the black goo. Compared to the black goo, the T-virus is like a cheap toy. Most organisms infected by the T-virus suffer from unstable disadvantages such as zombies. Only products that are infected at the stage of being fertilized eggs can become healthy mutant creatures. However, the black goo is different. It can be used directly on adult life forms. Any organism can directly mutate into a new species after coming into contact with it. Whats more remarkable is that this new species has the ability to reproduce. Its completely possible to form a new population independently, unlike the T-virus that can only mutate on an individual basis without any way to continue. Doesnt that mean that the black goo can accelerate the evolution of life? Little X asked. No, theres still a disparity between this and evolution. Here, Chen Chen paused and shook his head. What is evolution? Only the transformation through constant adaptation to the environment can be called evolution. This isnt the case at all with black goo. From the fate of the little white mouse, we know that the changes caused by this black goo are better understood as uncontrollable mutations. Moreover, the direction of this mutation is uncertain. It may be in a good direction or a bad one. Even humans are likely to lose the characteristics and intellect of high-level creatures after infection, just like in the movie Ah, if the black goo is so dangerous, then why do you still want to examine it? Little X suddenly turned puzzled. Although the black goo is dangerous, there are two sides to everything. Chen Chen smiled. After all, its a biological weapon that is dozens or even hundreds of times stronger than the T-virus. Its useful. Besides The Engineer race could live for more than 300,000 years and humans were created from the combination of Engineers and black goo. In that case, is it possible that we can uncover the secret of the Engineers longevity from the black goo? Chapter 275 - New Way of Thinking The reason Chen Chen had extracted the black goo was ultimately to use it as a longevity technology. Why was Chen Chen obsessed with longevity? In other words, why did human beings pursue longevity? It was because this was an inevitable phenomenon. As science and technology became more advanced, mankind was bound to be unwilling to live for only a brief one hundred years. Compared to the span of time measured out in hundreds of millions of years, a hundred years was like the twinkling of an eye, almost meaningless. Furthermore, with the development of science and technology, the accumulation of knowledge became increasingly difficult. In ancient times, people could inherit the wealth of knowledge accumulated by civilization in just ten years of diligent study. However, in modern times, a nine-year compulsory education could only build a mere foundation. Human knowledge had been divided into hundreds of branches. One person could only obtain achievements in a few branches in one lifetime. The accumulation of civilizations sum knowledge would only grow more abundant. Did it mean that in the future, a person would have to undergo compulsory education for decades? By the time someone had painstakingly acquired the knowledge of a field, would they be near their deathbed then and be cremated and buried in just a few years? Clearly, no one wanted this. If human civilization were to move forward, the need for longevity would become more urgent. This was a general trend that would not be shifted by anyones will. According to what Chen Chen knew, there were probably three options for human beings to attain immortality. Number one: keep their bodies and undergo genetic evolution. It was true that the conventional means of human evolution employed reproduction as a way to make different groups evolve simultaneously. However, this did not mean that humans could not choose more efficient ways of evolution such as genes. Humans could use genetic technology to strengthen themselves, putting humanity ahead of the pack. Evolution would occur in advance, thereby extending life. This was the most ideal path. Why so? As the human body was a sophisticated and complicated machine, it was composed of organic matter, not steel. Perhaps this body was extremely fragile that a bullet or a sharp knife could terminate human life, but human beings also had the ability to multiply and evolve. They were capable of thought, consciousness, creativity, and personal agency. All this was made possible by that fragile body. The human body was a jewel born through a process of evolution that took millions of years, the most magnificent miracle of nature. As long as human beings had complete bodies, there were unlimited possibilities. Number two: Flesh was out, machines were in. Although the potential of this path was not as great as the first option, it was a path that more readily promised longevity and even something close to immortality. For example, the bionic technology that Chen Chen was zealously developing replacing old organs was like replacing the parts of a machine. In this way, life could last longer. If one were to be even more radical, one could also choose to keep the brain only and replace the entire body with machinery, so that the lifespan of human beings would be equal to the lifespan of the brain. The lifespan of the brain alone was one hundred and fifty years. If this was combined with some special technology, the lifespan of the brain might be doubled a few times. Nevertheless, although this method would easily allow people to live longer and further ensure the security of existence, it lacked part of the potential that all life should possess. Thus, unless civilization was at its end, Chen Chen would not regard this path as the main one. The third and last path was the method of soul sublimation. The rough idea of this path was: abandon the body and exist in the world in the form of a soul. Human beings would develop into a ubiquitous, yet incorporeal civilization. It was just that modern science had not yet confirmed the existence of the soul, so this path was just an idea for now. Chen Chen still remembered what Professor Wang Xi said: We humans are still completely ignorant in the face of the boundless ocean of truth. Perhaps a distant, impossible dream like immortality is only the first step in the search for truth It was this statement that sparked Chen Chens desire for longevity. Chen Chen came back to the present. Now, he was staring at a humanoid monster covered in black armor in the isolation room, whose head was like a winter melon. Chen Chens expression was a probing one. This monster had still been an ordinary human a day ago. His name was Patton. He was once a murderer sentenced to life imprisonment. He was later purchased by Chen Chen and kept in the Delta-level experimental dormitory of the Spire Experimental Base. Still, this Delta experiment subject started his journey mutation after being injected with five milliliters of black goo yesterday. The experimental subject first showed pathological signs of flushing and fever, then hemorrhages all over the body, confusion, and finally a descent into a state of shock. Within the body, the proteins of the experimental subject were rapidly converted into the prion protein of the black goo. At the same time, these prion proteins began to decompose the DNA of the experimental subject and combined with the DNA fragments, forming a retrovirus that only affected the experimental body itself. After that, because of how the retrovirus functioned, the subject started to undergo violent physical mutations. During the mutation process, the subject developed an intense sense of hunger and any organic matter and protein were devoured as sustenance. By this morning, the subject drifted between sleep and consciousness, then finally lost all rational thought and became an ugly monster with low intelligence and no humanity. The black goo promotes the forceful and rapid division of biological cells, greatly increases the mutation rate, produces all kinds of abnormal cells, and eventually produces a new organism While he described the functions of the black goo, Chen Chen looked at the monster in the isolation room and sighed. However, when the genes of the organism itself are altered in an instant, the combination of individual proteins, enzymes, and the DNA itself would cause tens of thousands of unpredictable results. Therefore, its no surprise no matter what the experimental subject becomes, but This appearance is really ugly However, after being infected by the black goo, the test subject exhibits extremely high energy metabolism efficiency and cell division rate, both unprecedented in the human body. Little X added. Before the black goo was injected, the subject weighed 55 kg. After the black goo was injected, the subject spent five hours consuming food equal to his own weight. Only half of this amount was converted into useless urine and excrement that were discharged from the body. All the rest has been converted into the bodyweight of the subject. Chen Chen looked at the report in his hand. Sure enough, the bodyweight after the mutation had now reached 80 kg, which was 25 kg more than before. This is probably why the alien grew so fast. As he observed the enlarged test subject, Chen Chen pondered aloud. In the movies, the aliens can often grow, in a few hours, from a small size into a beast that weighs hundreds of kilograms. Although the movies rarely show the aliens eating, it now appears that the aliens still need to eat, with a greater eating capacity than humans. At this point, Chen Chen suddenly took two steps forward, walked to the window of the isolation room, and looked at the subject carefully. As Chen Chen approached, the test subject in the isolation room suddenly burst out in a screech and immediately pounced toward Chen Chen! Bang! There was a loud impact as the test subject hit his head on the glass of the isolation room. A large amount of light yellow blood splattered on the glass. Intelligence is very low. Little X sounded rueful. And the blood isnt corrosive. Besides a head thats somewhat similar to the aliens, the experimental subject before us can only be regarded as an alternative zombie at best. Thats to be expected. In the movie, the process of the aliens birth requires the participation of the Engineers. Chen Chen explained, The alien exoskeleton has a mechanical aesthetic, which is derived from the exoskeleton structure worn by the Engineers. Later, in Alien: Covenant, theres a spore plant infected by the black goo. After the spores infect the human body, a white alien form without a mechanical-style exoskeleton will be born, which illustrates the problem. Thus, the acidic blood of the alien may also come from the Engineers. With this in mind, Chen Chen snapped his fingers lightly. Okay, lets dissect this monster into sections. I need a diagram of his organs and a gene map Understood. This took a few more hours. When Chen Chen walked out of the laboratory, he heaved a long sigh. To Chen Chens disappointment, when the subject was completely dissected and sliced, Chen Chen did not find anything unusual. The subject did undergo genetic recombination, but after the recombination, it was just a savage beast without intelligence. Even its brain structure had become much smaller and its plasticity was not as good as humans. Still, Chen Chen knew that this was a normal phenomenon. Human beings could be regarded as the supreme product of the Earth, the only high-level life form. It was impossible for the black goos mutation to make humans even better than before. The only thing that surprised Chen Chen was that the test subject was originally a male, but when it was dissected, an immature reproductive organ was discovered in the body. It was a cyst structure that existed in the lower abdomen. After opening it, he found that there were dense piles of larvae that looked like tadpoles. Those tadpole-like larvae were fully transparent. Their biological structure was simple, but they were alive. They were first conceived in the cyst but would be released later at a critical time. Looking at the structure of this cyst, Little X could roughly determine that when these tadpole-like larvae matured, they would be ejected through the belly button of the test subject before they penetrated their targets body as parasites. This was how this new species reproduced parasitic reproduction that was similar to the aliens, simple yet horrifying. At present, it seemed that Chen Chen could forget about using the black goo to strengthen the human body. Drinking it would certainly be a fatal move. Its lethality was comparable to paraquat. However, if it was used to develop chemical weapons, that should be relatively easy. Next, one of Chen Chens research directions would be to combine the black goo with spore plants to form the kind of spores that could parasitize the human body, as in the movie Alien: Covenant. He wondered how David in the movie discovered this idea. After parasitizing the human body, the spores would not cause humans to mutate but instead form an embryo in the human body. Following that, the embryo would grow silently, until it was able to break away from the human body. Then it would break out through the back or chest and grow into a white-skinned creature, like the alien. Chen Chen had to admit that he still had a long way to go in terms of researching the black goo. Even so, at present, it appeared that the reproduction method of the monsters produced by the black goo was parasitic reproduction. Even the perfect creature that was finally born the Alien was the same. This reproduction method reminded Chen Chen of a virus. A virus called Golgotha or G-virus for short. This virus was almost the same as the black goo. It could also mutate biological genes, resurrect the dead, and even give birth to a new species on the basis of infecting a life form. It even earned itself a label: a thoroughly evil substance that went against God. The crucial thing was that the G-virus was modified from the T-virus. I could try to combine the black goo with T-virus. Maybe there will be new discoveries Chen Chen had a flash of inspiration and he started to muse in silence. Chapter 276 - G-Virus A few days later, when Chen Chen received the results, he went to the level-five biosafety laboratory again. At this time, the Black Knight assistants were going through a complicated and tedious process, separating one conical-bottom centrifuge tube after another. The centrifuge tubes were full of red liquid. This translucent liquid contained many fine and dense sediments. This was the new substance formed by the combination of black goo and T-virus. Click! The screen behind Chen Chen turned on automatically, displaying a black and white image. At the same time, the voice of Little X rang out. The process of combining the T-virus with black goo wasnt stable as it was affected by the dosage and the culture medium. In general, itd produce unique variations in three directions. Ultimately, we obtained 87 new types of viruses. These are also filoviruses. After destroying those viruses with duplicate functions, I finally selected the three most representative types of viruses. Chen Chen looked at the image when he heard this, only to see three pictures displayed side by side on the screen. Each of the three pictures featured a special filamentous substance. As these were taken from an electron microscope, there was no color. One could only tell that the three filamentous substances were almost indistinguishable, just like three slender, hideous worms. Nonetheless, these worms were less than one micron in length and less than a hundred nanometers thick. Their entire body was made of simple protein shells and RNA nucleic acids. As he stared at these three special viruses, even Chen Chen felt a chill run down his spine. The T-virus itself had the power to threaten mankind in the first place. Now that it had been strengthened by the black goo, what sort of strength had it attained? After some experiments on animals, Ive determined the properties of the three viruses. Of these three, the first virus has enhanced infectivity and can be transmitted through the air. Organisms that can be infected include almost all carbon-based life. After being infected, the same thing will happen as when one is infected with black goo. When the host dies, a new life will be born in the place of the host. Because there were too few experiments, its still uncertain whether theres an immune group. Following Little Xs explanation, a mouse-like monster with a black shell and red eyes appeared on the screen. Ripples of red muscles could be seen in the cracks of the shell, which looked extremely sinister and terrifying. The second type isnt highly infectious and cannot be transmitted through the air, but it strengthens the virus ability to mutate the host. After the host is infected, the degree of mutation is far more acute than the other two viruses. Immediately afterward, the picture changed again and Chen Chen was greeted with a palm-sized monster with seven or eight pairs of fleshy feet on its abdomen. This monster did not have a black outer shell. Instead, all over its body were large and small eyeballs, meaningless organs, and swarms of tentacles. It looked just like a pile of monster corpses piled up and fused to form an indescribable thing. Besides these two, theres the last type. Little X continued. The third virus isnt very capable of mutation nor is it extremely contagious, but its indeed the most incredible of the three viruses. Chen Chens eyes lit up upon hearing these words. In what way is it incredible? Youll find out soon enough. Little X kept Chen Chen in suspense. Following that, the screen flashed and another peculiar picture appeared. The screen showed two pictures spliced together. On the left side was an ordinary-looking white mouse with big, shining eyes, looking endearingly at the screen. On the right, the mouse was still standing, but it had become a monster about the size of a rabbit, with a black outer shell and red muscles. This Chen Chen raised his eyebrows and realized what was off at a glance. The biggest change in this third mouse seems to be its body size? Thats right. Whats surprising is that although this mouse infected with the third virus has also eaten a lot, it only consumed about 50 grams of sustenance. Yet it has grown from 20 grams to a monster weighing 300 grams. You mean, its weight has increased by 260 grams out of thin air? Chen Chen looked up sharply as if he could not believe this. Its definitely true! Little X quickly explained, Its true. I have all the video records here. Like the other experimental mice, it only ate twice its weight. The weight of the first two mice only increased from 20 grams to roughly 40 grams. Only this mouse practically broke the law of conservation of energy. Plus, all this happened within a few hours! Then whats the reason? Chen Chen asked, What caused it to increase in size? After dissection, I discovered a special organ in the body of this little white mouse. Little X replied, This mouses skin has a special absorption mechanism that directly absorbs moisture and even microorganisms from the air to replenish itself. Not only that, Ive noticed a lot of high-energy covalent bonds in the mouses blood. It seems that its able to directly react with the nitrogen in the air to create a shell. Its weight could increase out of thin air probably due to these factors. After hearing this, Chen Chen could not help looking flabbergasted. Isnt this too implausible? Not at all. Little X explained, Perhaps there are many factors we havent yet discovered, but what can be confirmed is that the growth rate of the third mouse does exceed the material energy it takes in. This is beyond doubt. I think this holds the secret key to why the alien could grow up rapidly. Then lets focus on the second and third viruses. Chen Chen nodded. As for the infectiousness of the virus, I dont think theres a need for further research. Just seal off the first virus. Understood. Ill use the most stringent storage technology to seal the first virus. Little X agreed. Even so, should you give these three viruses a name? In response, Chen Chen simply pulled up the gene sequence diagrams of the three viruses and thought aloud, These three viruses can be regarded as different subspecies of the same type of virus. They have an inextricable link to the T-virus, similar to the G-virus in Resident Evil. In that case, lets just call them G-viruses. Then these three types would be G-001, G-002, and G-003? Little X asked. Nothing wrong with that. Ill leave that up to you. Chen Chen smiled, then turned and left. However, as he reached the door, he suddenly had a very preposterous thought G-virus, G-virus Why was this new type of virus, synthesized from the black goo and T-virus, so similar to the G-virus in the game? No, one could even say that they were identical. Why did I have to name it G-virus? What was going through my head? Chen Chen could not help but narrow his eyes. Sir Godfather? Seeing that Chen Chen had halted in his steps, Little X called out instinctively. Chen Chen did not answer, but took another step forward and disappeared outside the door of the laborato Chapter 277 - Brain-Machine Interface Technology After obtaining the holographic imaging technology, the bionic technology quickly broke through its previous bottleneck. In less than a month, a bionic prosthesis was sent to Chen Chen. This gadget called a bionic prosthesis had no head, only extending up to the neck. Its overall appearance was masculine, only there was no genitalia. In addition, the torso and limbs were painted to be flesh-colored, with only the gaps between the joints revealing that this was not a normal human body. As he stared at this gadget that looked like a sutured monster, Chen Chen could not help raising his eyebrows. This is the bionic prosthesis based on the integration of bionic and mechanical technology from many movies. Little X explained, The arms, spine, legs, internal organs the bionic prosthesis can be divided into these four sections. The four sections are assembled to form a complete bionic prosthesis. When they are taken apart, they become separate bionic prostheses and artificial internal organs. As Little X spoke, the Black Knights standing on both sides of the bionic prosthesis began to take it apart before their eyes, quickly dismantling it into eight pieces, then spent a few minutes to reassemble it. The bone structure of the bionic prosthesis is made of titanium alloy, the outer shell is made of elastic polyethylene to simulate muscle tissue, and the joints are constructed with normal-temperature superconductors. The Meissner effect induced within can perpetually maintain a gap of 0.5 mm between the bearings. This is a completely frictionless bearing technology. In other words, the joints will have zero resistance and zero wear? Chen Chen stepped forward and asked while fiddling with the arm of the bionic prosthesis. Thats true in principle, but the actual effects will need to be tested before we reach a conclusion. Little X replied. Seeing that Chen Chen did not ask any more questions, it said again, The best control mechanism for the bionic prosthesis is still the God chip, which can convert the nerve impulses transmitted from the human brain into electrical signals, then assign them to the bionic prosthesis. In the bionic prosthetic body, we have implanted nano-scale electrodes to act as nerves, according to the technology in the movies. This allows the user to experience tactile sensations that are very realistic. In terms of strength and agility, it can be adjusted according to power. Its maximum strength is 500N. If this is exceeded, the titanium alloy skeleton of the body is likely to become deformed. As for the battery, what were using for now is the high-efficiency hydrogen fuel cell, which allows users to remain mobile for a week to half a month. After listening to Little Xs explanation, Chen Chen asked again, What about the digestive system? Thats the function of the artificial internal organs. Little X continued. In terms of internal organs, there are three the artificial heart, artificial lung, and artificial stomach. Both the artificial heart and artificial lung can supply adequate oxygen and blood pressure according to the needs of users, while the artificial stomach can only digest nutrient fluid and water for now. Its unable to consume food like ordinary people. In other words, even if the user has only one brain left or even only one part of the brain, they can still be carried around upon this body and move like a normal person? Chen Chen asked. Yes, although weve only scratched the surface by combining the bionic technologies of various movies, weve still developed a mature bionic prosthesis. If the user has only lost their arms or legs, the limbs of this bionic prosthesis can still be taken off and transplanted to the user. Hearing this, Chen Chen smiled spontaneously. Very good. But its level of technology is still too high. We need to simplify it. Youre planning to commercialize it? Little X understood at once. Thats right. Only commercialization will expand the influence of Blacklight Biotechnology in the world. Chen Chen replied, Ive been taking NZT-48 and reflecting for a long time recently, and the more I think about it, the more it seems that danger lurks all around us. X, arent you curious? You mean the various anomalies of the Earth Federation? Little X immediately understood what Chen Chen was referring to. Yes, during this period, Ive been thinking, what has happened to humankind that led to the resolute decision of various countries to form the Earth Federation in 1992? And recently, how did they foresee the danger of the sculptures and the epidemic? Chen Chen paced slowly around the room. Besides, what worries me even more is, will there be a possibility that one day, our existence will be anticipated by the Federation? If they really have the means to predict crises, thats indeed possible to some extent. Little X exclaimed, Moreover, we dont have any defensive measures. Thus, with each day that I dont have an answer, I can barely sleep or eat peacefully. Chen Chen said solemnly, I need to continue becoming stronger. While improving the companys hard power, Ill gradually approach the truth and try to find out the answer. Now it has been a long time since the launch of the three anti-cancer drugs. Launching a new product every half a year is the perfect frequency, so this time, lets unveil the bionic prosthetic technology. So, if its simplified, besides the elimination of the frictionless bearing technology, what other technologies should be eliminated? Little X asked. In addition to the frictionless bearing technology that requires normal-temperature superconductors, the God chip must be taken out. As for its replacement, I think the brain-machine interface technology is good enough. Chen Chen said thoughtfully, The lace electrode that Musk launched in 2020 is a readily available choice. We can send someone to contact them and see if we can obtain the rights to use their companys lace electrode. The brain-machine interface, in simple terms, was the use of a device to fuse the human brain with a computer. The brain-machine interface was such a device that played the role of this connection. Generally speaking, brain-machine interfaces were divided into three categories, namely, invasive brain-machine interfaces, semi-invasive brain-machine interfaces, and non-invasive brain-machine interfaces. With invasive brain-machine interfaces, the device was inserted into the cerebral cortex. This type of brain-machine interface would obtain high-quality neural signals. This equipment was mainly used for treatment purposes, such as restoring the vision of the blind or restoring the motor functions of paralyzed patients. Semi-invasive brain-machine interfaces were those that were implanted in the cranial cavity but did not penetrate deep into the cerebral cortex. The last type was non-invasive brain-machine interfaces. As the name suggested, this referred to those brain-machine interfaces that functioned without being implanted in the brain, such as electroencephalography (EEG). Across all types, useful control signals must be parsed from the complicated cerebral cortex for the interface to work. Still, the invasive brain-machine interface would undoubtedly be much more accurate, while the least precise one was the non-invasive kind. Now that brain-machine interfaces were leading the world, there existed companies like Neuralink, owned by the famous real-life Iron Man Elon Musk. This was why Chen Chens first choice was the lace electrode technology. In addition, we can hold back the artificial organ technology for now. After thinking about it, Chen Chen said analytically, After all, these technologies are still a little startling. Our customers are only those with disabilities. Few people would be willing to abandon their entire body and preserve only their head unless they have amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Understood. Shall we continue researching bionic prosthetic technology then? Little X asked. Of course. Chen Chen said matter-of-factly, Not only that, but I also hope to come up with the mass-produced versions of Terminators T-800 and NS-5 as soon as possible. These can make up for our lack of personnel. Moreover, we can try to manufacture the artificial skin from Alien, just like the cyborgs. With that said, Chen Chen looked at the bionic prosthesis in front of him. He had to admit that although the bionic prosthesis was flesh-colored, its plastic gloss could be discerned at a glance. Only when we combine the bionic prosthesis and the artificial skin will users feel a much stronger desire to buy it. After all, one type can be easily recognized as a prosthesis and the other type looks no different from the human body. Do users still need to think about which one to choose? Artificial skin technology isnt too difficult. We can replicate it in about two months. Little X promised definitively. Chapter 278 - Project Xingtian Blacklight Biotechnology Ltd. had a dedicated website on the Internet. The core server of the website was located in Shangdu of Mainland China and was operated by the data center that was under the head office. This was the same center that Chen Chen once bought. However, at this time, inside the head offices building, the employees of the technical department who received the information were initially shocked. No way! Is this real or not, real or not! A young man in a suit and leather shoes, who had graduated only recently, was yelling, Did I read it right? This is the information for the website update sent by GM Xia? It cant be an April Fools Day joke, right? What happened? The rest of the technical department gathered in front of the computer, then read the copy on the screen. Bionic technology? Itll restore the mobility of the disabled Is this a bionic prosthetic? Isnt our company a business that develops biomedicine? Why is it suddenly taking on bioengineering? And why didnt you question the fact that we sell translation software too? Everyone joked with each other and started discussing. Just as the entire technical department was chattering noisily, the supervisor of the technical department suddenly walked in with a stern expression. Everyone, get ready. In ten minutes, GM Xia will have a meeting with us in the conference room on the 30th floor. Just us? the young man asked. Yes, theres no one else in the meeting other than the technical department. The supervisor nodded, then left in a hurry. Little Zhang, dont ask that question anymore. Its not appropriate. As soon as the supervisor left, an older man smiled and came to the young man who had asked the question and patted him on the shoulder. Why? The young man became even more puzzled. Youll understand after youve worked here for some time. The older man said kindly, I know that when you applied for a job here, you must have come for the name of Blacklight Biotechnology. Although our company didnt make it into the Global 500, it was because our company was not listed. Many people said that once our company goes public, the market value would immediately exceed 100 billion USD. Yes, I applied for a job here based on the potential of Blacklight Biotechnology, but The young man called Little Zhang was rather mystified. From what I can see, it doesnt feel like a high-tech company at all. Thats right. Another employee who looked like a stale fried dough-stick came over, chortling. Our name sounds awe-inspiring. The world-famous Blacklight Biotechnology is a company that has developed an age-reversal treatment project and a variety of anti-cancer drugs as well as the Blacklight virus vaccine. Here is the head office of Blacklight Biotechnology, so it should be pretty awesome, right? We were deceived. Deceived? Because these projects are all developed in Africa and the companys real focus is in Africa too. To put it bluntly, our head office is just an external platform. The employee with the appearance of a stale dough-stick exclaimed, Surely you understand now. Although our head office has hundreds of people, there are almost no other tasks besides maintaining the website and operating the Little X Translation System. Despite being a biological company, there isnt even a research center in Shangdu, which is f*ckng ridiculous! Doesnt that mean that although GM Xia is the general manager, second only to the boss, she doesnt even have any real power Little Zhang opened his mouth as if there was something he wanted to blurt out, but the man hurriedly covered his mouth. Its enough that you and I understand this. Dont say it out loud. In truth, it isnt like what you think. Seeing this, the stale dough-stick employee once again said ruefully, Ive joined since the establishment of Blacklight Biotechnology. I wont even conceal the fact that the boss and GM Xia were schoolmates. The two met at university. Its too bad that this is a classic example of a one-sided love Is the boss that young? Only a few years older than GM Xia? So, the boss is less than thirty years old? Someone who was listening raptly suddenly exclaimed. Hes younger than you think. The stale dough-stick employee laughed and said, I met the boss before he went to Africa. Hes three years younger than GM Xia. In other words, if the boss had not dropped out of university, hed be a fresh graduate this year! That cant be Everyone burst out yelling and exclaiming. Alright, alright, look at what time it is. Shouldnt we hurry to the conference room so that were not late? Someone suddenly gave a reminder. Dont gossip about GM Xia anymore. Even if she isnt involved in those research projects, itd be a piece of cake for her to fire you and me. Upon hearing this, everyone dispersed quickly. At the same time, in the conference room on the 30th floor, Xia Yin was standing on the podium, gazing at the empty seats below. She seemed a little lost in thought. GM Xia. GM Xia? A secretary popped up from the side and clattered loudly toward Xia Yin, then stood there, swaying. Manager Guo has notified the technical department and theyll be there soon. Very well. Xia Yin came back to her senses and nodded to the secretary. Then she turned on the computer while asking, Has the information been organized? The materials sent by the African branch have been sorted out. You only need to play them in order, the secretary replied, then walked to the door of the conference room and looked outside. GM Xia, theyre here. Xia Yin nodded without speaking and watched as the group from the technical department filed in and found their seats. After waiting for a while and seeing that no one else was coming in, she turned to the supervisor who was sitting in the first row before the stage. She asked, Manager Guo, are all your people from the technical department present? Other than those who are on leave, all the rest are here, Manager Guo looked back and replied immediately. Very good. Xia Yin smiled in satisfaction. At the same time, she suddenly exuded the shrewd, capable aura of a strong, independent woman. She seemed to be a different person entirely. Meanwhile, she pressed a button on the desktop and the screen behind her instantly began to display a mix of text and image. You shouldve received the email sent to you just now, so I wont beat around the bush. Im happy to announce that our Blacklight Biotechnology has achieved another glorious success. According to the update from the African branch, the first-generation bionic prosthetic project weve launched has finished its development and will soon enter the commercial stage. The bionic prosthetic project developed by the African branch uses the lace electrode brain-machine interface technology from Neuralink of North America. Weve obtained the rights from Neuralink. The reason for this meeting is that, for the official website, we hope that everyone in the technical department can come up with a good plan and creative ideas. Xia Yin said in a low voice on the podium, After all, our companys website hasnt changed for two or three years. Lets use this opportunity to revamp the companys look As Xia Yin spoke, the screen behind her began to flicker, quickly revealing a humanoid monster with only a body and without a head. Xingtian? Everyone in the audience immediately recognized the figure when they saw the ink painting that was influenced by Chinese culture. I believe that, as Chinese descendants, you mustve heard of our own myths and legends. Xingtian is one of them. According to legend, Xingtian was an official of the Yan Emperor. Because he couldnt accept that the Yellow Emperor had defeated the Yan Emperor, he went to challenge the Yellow Emperor. After Xingtian was beheaded by the Yellow Emperor, he continued the fight with his two nipples as his eyes and his belly button as his mouth This is the origin of Xingtian. Ill suggest this idea to you if this project is publicized, I hope to use this Chinese myth from the Classic of Mountains and Sea[1], Xingtian, as the theme. First, we can promote the culture of Mainland China. Secondly, Xingtians persona is indeed in line with the inspirational spirit of being disabled but not disheartened. As Xia Yin explained all this, a line from an ancient poem suddenly appeared on the screen beside Xingtian Jingwei[2] bites hold of twigs, determined to fill the deep-blue sea. Xingtian wields his spear and shield, his old ambitions still burning fiercely! Therefore, I think the new bionic prosthetic project can be called Project Xingtian! [1] A classical Chinese text of mythic geography and beasts. [2] A mythological bird who was once the Yan Emperors daughter. See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jingwei. Chapter 279 - Corporate Empire A few days later, Chen Chen sat in the conference room and quickly flipped through a planner sent over by Xia Yin. Project Xingtian? After turning to the last page of the planner, Chen Chen could not hold back a smile. With his mouse, he clicked on a checkbox on the computer. At this moment, the companys new website style and the name of the bionic prosthetic project had been formally confirmed. Next, it was time for the head office to begin selling and promoting. However, in the planner sent by the head office, Xia Yin expressed the hope that Chen Chen could make more public appearances. It would be best if he could become a symbol, an emblem, of Blacklight Biotechnology, just like Tencents Ma Huateng, Alibabas Jack Ma, and JD.coms Liu Qiangdong. After all, Chen Chen did have the qualifications to become a symbol he had developed an age-reversal treatment project at the age of eighteen, then dropped out of college and started his own business. After only three years, he became the boss of a corporation with a market value of tens of billions. Youth, career success, countless triumphs and accolades these were all part of Chen Chens symbol. Xia Yin hoped that Chen Chen could attend TED to give a speech for this reason. TED, an acronym of the three words technology, entertainment, and design, was a private non-profit organization in North America. The organization was known for its TED conference, with the objective of ideas worth spreading. Those who qualified for the TED conference were also preeminent talents from various fields such as Nobel Prize winners or billionaires like Bill Gates and Musk who had created new legends or scientists, philosophers, artists, explorers, psychologists, linguists, religious leaders, philanthropists, and so on. Since 2006, the TED Talks had been posted online and quickly gained worldwide attention. It had become one of the most prestigious speech platforms in the world. If Chen Chen could get on this stage, Blacklight Biotechnologys Project Xingtian would swiftly spread throughout the world. The effect of this would be much better than spending hundreds of millions or even billions of dollars on global advertising. Seeing this, Chen Chen thought for a while and finally agreed to this proposal. With the increasing influence of the company, Chen Chens name was destined to be known to even more people. As he was the first to create the Blacklight virus vaccine, Chen Chen was even nominated last September in the list of candidates for this years Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. If there was no unexpected plot twist, Chen Chens Nobel Prize this year was guaranteed. This was something the North American government had no choice but to do because if Chen Chen lost the nomination, it would affect the perceived authority and fairness of the Nobel Prize. After all, in the field of medicine in 2023, there would be no one who had performed better than Chen Chen. As Chen Chen closed the webpage, he started to ponder silently. Now, the company had almost reached its peak in the development of biopharmaceuticals, owning several patents and also the trump card that was the Eco Science City. As long as the three anti-cancer drugs passed clinical trials in a few years and they released the AD-001 drug that could completely cure Alzheimers, not even companies like Pfizer and Novartis would be able to compete with them. At that point, Blacklight Biotechnology would officially become an unprecedented world-class pharmaceutical monopoly. It would be immensely difficult for even one or two continents or countries to do anything against them. However, as a rule, when Blacklight Biotechnology had developed to that extent, it had reached its limit. It was impossible to continue expanding, for instance, reaching the level of the Umbrella Corporation. After all, the potential of a single industry was limited. Even if the global pharmaceutical industry was united, there was no power that could equal the Earth Federation. If Chen Chen wanted to go further, he had only one option Horizontal cross-border development! If a group wanted to achieve long-term development, it must actively expand into other fields and reach the top in all walks of life. This was the path of development for the corporate empire. What was a corporate empire? It was a corporation with the characteristics of imperialism. It did not act in full accordance with economic laws and had its unique means of doing things such as private armed forces that answered only to the company, a unique economic monopoly system, and top-secret projects in cooperation with the government that were hidden from the public. Even the average country would be somewhat wary of such a corporation. Any of its actions could cause a global sensation and its political influence was no less than that of a nation. Even for continents, their control over this sort of corporate super monopoly was very limited. Chen Chens goal was to become an enterprise like this or even stronger! Still, cross-border development was not that easy. One would have no connections, technology or talents. Everything must begin from scratch, just like starting a business with nothing in hand. Therefore, for ordinary companies, cross-border expansion was indeed a very dangerous move and might even lead to bankruptcy. However, for Chen Chen, it was not a problem at all. After all, Chen Chen had a key that could open the door to various worlds. Through that key, he could obtain any advanced technology that he wanted. These technologies would allow him to stand at the forefront of any field including energy, electronics, network, industry, even aerospace and military. As long as he had enough time, Chen Chen would be able to create a real-life Umbrella Corporation sooner or later Three days later, a major change suddenly occurred on the official website of Blacklight Biotechnology Ltd. Previously, there were only four sections on the homepage of Blacklight Biotechnologys official website, namely the biopharmaceutical section, the medical project section, the infectious disease section, and the electronic technology section. The four major sections were represented by the colors green, white, gray, and black, so they were clearly distinct at a glance. The biopharmaceutical section, naturally, listed the three anti-cancer drugs that had entered the clinical trial stage while the medical project section included the age-reversal treatment project, the Alzheimers disease reversal treatment project, and so on. As for the infectious disease section, the research materials on the Blacklight virus and vaccine were publicly shared for anyone in the world to browse through and learn from. Each section had its own independent forum. Due to Blacklight Biotechnologys prestige, these forums had gradually attracted the attention of countless scholars. Many experts in the medical field had registered accounts on the official website of Blacklight Biotechnology, which had become a professional website similar to an academic network. Under the management of Little X, the forums under the official website of Blacklight Biotechnology had been managed in an orderly manner, thus winning the favor of those academic experts who now regarded it as a permanent haunt. However, just this morning, some academic experts and editors of various journals were surprised by Blacklight Biotechnologys new official website when they opened it up to search for materials as usual. Among the four sections that were once arranged in a square, a new section had suddenly appeared. The color representing that section was gold and there was a new name on the section tissue engineering. If someone clicked in curiously, they would be greeted with a large blank page. In the center of the blank screen, there was a big question mark and behind the question mark was a human figure. This figure was shadowy and vague, and one could just about tell that it was a human figure. Still, the peculiar thing was that this figure did not have a head When they saw this new additional section, many people who were silently watching the company now understood that Blacklight Biotechnology had new products. As a newly emerging pharmaceutical giant in the field of biopharmaceuticals, Blacklight Biotechnology did not have a very high profile, but its every move still roused the attention of countless people. After this information was released, many international media competed to make the first report: [Blacklight Biotechnology Is Suspected to Be Releasing a New Product. This Time It May Expand Into Tissue Engineering!]Wall Street Journal. [Boom! According to Industry Sources, Blacklight Biotechnology Is Suspected to Be Joining Forces With Musk!]Tencent News. [Blacklight Biotechnologys New Venture Is Confirmed to Be Related to Tissue Engineering. Its Emblem Is Suspected to Be the Ancient Chinese Figure Xingtian!]Sina Express. [When People Opened the Main Page of Blacklight Biotechnologys Official Website, the Entire Earth Federation Was Stunned!]UC Subscription. With the exposure from major media, Blacklight Biotechnology had publicly announced the release date of the new product and also announced that on 1 April, the founder and chairman of Blacklight Biotechnology would give a TED Talk. The venue of the talk was arranged by the TED officials, in a rare exception, to be in Blacklight Biotechnologys Eco Science City! This gesture greatly boosted Blacklight Biotechnologys reputation. Once again, Blacklight Biotechnology had become a discussion topic among the biotechnology crowd. Some netizens who were more invested in the biological field had even more enthusiastic discussions. The project is in the field of tissue engineering. If you consider this along with the headless horseman, its very easy to guess. It must be related to head replacement surgery! Under the new section of Blacklight Biotechnology, some netizens speculated. My *ss! If its head replacement surgery, do you think the International Bioethics Committees would agree? Not to mention that stem cells still havent solved the problem of reconnecting the spinal cord and nerves! Someone more knowledgeable quickly refuted this. Maybe its cloning. Recently, wasnt there news circulating online that many wealthy people are cloning their bodies privately for future organ transplantations? Maybe this silhouette of a figure without a head is a clone without a head, who can say? Someone else guessed again. Impossible, any human cloning is prohibited by the international law of the Earth Federation. So, all of you saying that its human cloning and head replacement surgery can give it a rest. Chapter 280 - Press Conference on Xingtian Many people noticed that the city built by Blacklight Biotechnology, the Eco Science City, had launched several major projects. For example, there were several factories of unknown purpose. These factories spanning dozens of kilometers, plus the Blacklight Nuclear Power Plant by the sea, all comprised a vast industrial park that was practically the largest place for manufacturing in Africa. In addition, in the center of the Eco Science City, a building that had been under construction for more than a year was finally completed during this time. This was a hemispherical building with an area of about four hectares and a diameter of about 200 meters. Based on its interior, it should be a public facility akin to a multifunctional stadium. Nonetheless, unlike most stadiums, this hemispherical building had a huge dome made of the latest lightweight-material technology. Beneath this was 40,000 seats and a high-tech stage that could be raised and lowered in the center. The stage was shaped like a distilling flask. A straight passage extended into the backstage where actors could enter the stage directly from backstage. Above the stage was a hexahedron, which every side featured a huge screen of 15000mm x 10000mm. This was large enough so that even the audience in the furthest seat could see everything on the stage. The name of this enclosed multifunctional stadium was the Blacklight Dome. Presently, a large number of people had arrived at this dome-like building. These people thronged in and out, transporting pieces of equipment into the building. This was because the TED conference in 2024 would be held here. Xia Yin handed the planner to Chen Chen. After Chen Chen approved it, Xia Yin again sent it to the CEO in Africa, Qian Wenhuan. Qian Wenhuan would run the event on the ground. To get Project Xingtian an unprecedented amount of publicity, the head office even personally negotiated with the TED organizers and set the venue for 2024s TED conference to be in the Blacklight Dome of the Eco Science City. Moreover, instead of inviting only 1,350 attendees as was the case with previous TED conferences, this time, Blacklight Biotechnology had issued 30,000 invitations in one go, inviting all well-known audience members who had been to a TED conference before. They even waived the 7,500 USD ticket fee and all expenses would be borne by Blacklight Biotechnology. This was not only because Chen Chen would be giving a speech at this TED conference, but also because the latest press conference would be held at this venue! Such an extravagant move immediately attracted the attention of the world. There were some people who, despite not receiving the invitation letter, began to quickly apply for visas to come to Namibia, wanting to participate in this grand technological event. At the end of March, the number of tourists in the Eco Science City exceeded 100,000 for the first time. The huge flow of people brought explosive economic benefits. It was hard to get a hotel room in the Eco Science City and even the hotels of nearby coastal cities like Walvis Bay and Swakopmund were already overcrowded. Many people had no choice but to stay in the capital city, Windhoek, over a hundred kilometers away. Besides the fact that this was TED, a world-renowned speech conference, where all the participants were leaders from all walks of life, the more crucial reason that everyone went crazy over this was that many of them came for Blacklight Biotechnologys latest press conference. Many people had figured out long ago that Blacklight Biotechnology was a biomedical company standing at the apex of the Earth Federation. Although its market value was not high, not even making it into the worlds top 500, this was only because the company had not been funded and listed. This company had become what it was today entirely on its own On 1 April, in front of the Blacklight Dome in the center of the Eco Science City, there was a lot of busy traffic and bustling people. At eleven oclock in the morning, hundreds of news vehicles and media from all over the world gathered in the square before the main entrance of the Blacklight Dome. Many reporters and anchors had to stand in the crowd, face the camera, and start reporting. Ladies and gentlemen, this is Federation Info. Its Anna here. Were now in the Eco Science City of Namibia. As you can see, theres a massive crowd! There are hundreds of media outlets besides us. One must say that today is a special day because today is when the hero of the Earth Federation Blacklight Biotechnology will hold its latest conference! As the benchmark for biomedical companies, Blacklight Biotechnology isnt that high-profile. Ever since this mysterious company entered the public eye, this is only the second time it has held a press conference. Whats more dramatic is that the last press conference this company held was exactly this time last year. That press conference shook up the entire world. I wonder if this press conference will disappoint everyone? In any case, let us wait and see! The host of Federation Info spoke frankly and eloquently, and not too far from her was the reporter from Agence France-Presse. Dear audiences on the other side of the screen, this is AFP. Currently, Im standing before the main entrance of the Blacklight Dome. Were here in the Eco Science City of the famous Blacklight Biotechnology. Speaking of this legendary company, I think there arent many who havent heard about how Blacklight had developed a vaccine for the Blacklight virus one month in advance of many other continents, saving all of Africa, and even indirectly saving the Earth Federation Moreover, they have also developed three anti-cancer targeted drugs, which they claim to have a 90% chance of curing cancer. In addition, they have also developed an age-reversal treatment plan. Theyre practically a celebrity within the pharmaceutical industry and their existence has saved the equivalent of over a hundred million lives And today, not only is it another one of Blacklight Biotechnologys press conferences, but this time, the extremely mysterious founder of this company will appear in the public eye for the first time as a TED speaker to deliver a talk. And what kind of enlightenment will he bring to our lives? Im Anson from AFP, please stay tuned in for our follow-up report! This kept happening in the square of the Blacklight Dome. As it got closer to noon, more people started flocking in. These people were dressed in suits and shoes, exuding an air of confidence. They waved their admission tickets, went past the usher, and verified their identities. Following that, they had to pass through a metal detector and an X-ray machine before entering the venue. There were 40,000 seats in the Blacklight Dome. The reason why only 30,000 people were invited was that the remaining 10,000 were for the staff members who had signed up as volunteers. In addition, there were also seats for major media outlets. The Black Knights were responsible for the events security. To ensure Chen Chens safety during his talk, five hundred security guards were placed throughout the venue to keep watch. A thousand Black Knights were also situated among the audience. Furthermore, Little X was also monitoring the Internet around the clock. It would be able to respond quickly if it found any traces of information that hinted at danger. At a quarter past 12, when everyone was completely seated, the venue lights suddenly dimmed. At the same time, a circular podium at the center of the venue slowly descended from the roof of the dome while the six enormous screens lit up one after another, fully revealing the stage before everyones eyes. Without a doubt, the TED Talk was starting. Chapter 281 - We’re Gods! The hexagon-shaped screen by the top of the podium illuminated the stage along with the stage lights. After a brief moment, they began to dim out again. The only light source that remained was a bright spotlight at the dome which was pointed onto the empty stage. Soon, people caught a glimpse of a man approaching the podium from the edges of the stage untouched by the spotlight. The appearance of the man was accompanied by a solemn piano symphony that resounded across the hall. The hall that was at first still filled with the chatter of the crowd immediately became silent. The audience stayed mindfully silent as they turned their curious attention to the podium on stage. The screen by the top of the podium slowly brightened. At the same time, several drones fitted for videography descended from the top of the dome and hovered in the air. The live footage transmitted from the drones were projected onto the screen. Meanwhile, the display screen above the podium showed the man stepping into the spotlight, into the audiences view. It was a Chinese man of indiscernible age. The man combed his hair regularly and wore a regular black suit without any distinctive features. He looked rather young and relatively plain. The only thing about the man that left a strong impression was his eyes. They were a pair of piercing eyes with a strange glow underneath them. Despite the mans young appearance, his pair of distinctive eyes seemed to render his very age a mystery. If not for this pair of eyes, it would be sensible to gauge the man at approximately twenty-years-old. However, upon meeting those eyes, one may think that he was in his thirties, perhaps even in his forties. Those were eyes that penetrated everything. They were sharp and familiar with the way of the world. Darwins Theory of Evolution tells us that we evolved from ancient forest apes. The man suddenly began his narration without giving any form of introduction or attempts at warming up the crowd. But what exactly is evolution? The man raised his hand and gestured with his thumb and index finger. Modern science has taught us that evolution is the transformation of genes. Many believe that evolution is a state of transformation from the simple to the complex, an evolution from a lower-level to a higher-level. These are all misconceptions, its true meaning C the genetics thats suitable for its surroundings are preserved while the ones which are unfit are eliminated. Theres no such thing as level classification in genetics. The speaker smiled. In the Mainland, the Theory of Evolution was once also interpreted as the Theory of Progression. It was not a false claim at the time as the only distinctive difference between the two phrases is that the former discusses unordered evolution while the latter revolves around ordered evolution. In the modern mainstream scientific field, the former was more widely recognized. Just like how our ancestors have always lived in Africa but our relatives have left Africa two million years ago. Under different circumstances and environments, the accumulated mutation of genes caused prehistoric humans to embark on separate evolutionary paths. Our relatives who left Africa would go on to become Denisovans, Neanderthals, and such species. Their brains were bigger than us and they were physically stronger. They once ruled the world. It wasnt until seventy-thousand years ago when our ancestors C the homo sapiens finally stepped out of Africa. Around fifty-thousand years ago, the homo sapiens began establishing contact with the Denisovans and Neanderthals. What happened after that? The man spread his arms open with a boastful attitude. We ate them. We killed all the pre-homo sapiens and we can see from the fossil remains that the other pre-homo sapiens were once our food as well. Not only that, in just thirty-thousand years, we drove seventy-percent of the Earths large species to extinction. Before humans, the timeline for a species extinction usually ranged around millions to tens of millions of years. We essentially sped this process up by a thousandfold! A change of expression could be seen in many members of the audience and many began whispering among themselves. The question Id like to raise here is does this suggest that the extinct species dont fit the theory of evolution? The mans voice slowly grew louder. Does this mean that the Denisovans that are smarter and stronger dont have genetics as adapted to the environment as we do? No, thats not it! The man raised the corner of his lips in a wry smile. They only failed to adapt to us. When he said this, the audience below burst into bouts of murmurs again. The man disregarded his audiences reaction as he went on. Some of you may feel that my use of Theory of Evolution is counterproductive against the nature of science as its a theory thats not clearly defined and may be debunked. In that case, rest easy, as the validity of the Theory of Evolution has nothing to do with my subject today, because today Im proposing a new theory Does everyone remember the first sign of the development of human civilization? When the man raised the question, countless people began to shout their answers, Fire! Correct, its fire. The man suddenly reached into his pocket where he took out a box of matches and drew one out of it. As he brushed it against the box, the match produced gentle flames After that, the man used another hand to pinch out the flame with the tip of his fingers. The kindle of flame was instantly put out. The huge screen above the mans head provided a close-up of his actions for the audience. The tossed the match away before raising his head and said indifferently: Lawrence of Arabia enjoyed pinching out the flame on a match with his fingers. When his colleague William Porter asked him what sort of trick he used to put out the fire without hurting himself, Lawrence answered with a smile: The trick Is to pay no mind to the pain. The audience below chuckled. The man continued. Fire is the sign of humans advancing toward civilization and was what differentiated humans from other species, cementing their spot on Earth. After that, we invented the wheel in 4,000 B.C.; in 800 B.C., we founded the sundial; ninth century, gunpowder; nineteenth century, steam engines, railroads, electricity and light, the theory of relativity; twentieth century, automobiles, televisions, nuclear missiles, internet, quantum mechanics; twenty-first century, biotechnology, nanotechnology, nuclear fusion, and M theory! The man unloaded these words like a barrage of bullets as he paced across the podium. The genetics of us humans have remained almost completely unchanged over the last thirty-thousand years, but weve turned the world upside-down. How did we do it? Was it those supposed Gods? Upon hearing this statement, some of the religious members of the audience had a change of expression. That might be plausible. The man answered his question the very next second, switching his tone, How was the Neanderthal driven to extinction? In the North American Sci-fi show Westworld, Professor Ford had said to the robot Bernard that the Neanderthals were eaten by us.. The author of Sapiens, Harari, believed that imagination was the primary force behind our ancestors survival Over the last several ten-thousand years, the homo sapiens from Africa continuously evolved and slowly became more imaginative. This development allowed our ancestors to best the harshest environments as well as further driving ethnic cohesion and cultural transmission. They created fictional beliefs for them to mount their spirits on such as God, witches, totems, and such. This is to say that religion has its place after all. The man gestured with his hands before hammering the point again. But at the end of the day, we still have to rely on science, on technology! Science allows us to make sense of this world while technology allows us to change the world! Technology even allows us to progress A brief pause. The man continued again. No, in terms of science, its no longer progression, it has become true evolution. Since we have control over the trajectory of our progression, we can perfect our evolution! To reinstate my point, we want to attain extended lifespan. This is the true value of evolution! As you all may know, our Blacklight company has developed the Age-reversal Treatment project which utilizes stem cells to ease the aging process. Weve also developed three targeted drugs for cancer. In essence, this is a form of evolution, an evolution driven by technology. And this press conference is our attempt at another path of human evolution This is my newly-formed theory C Technology-driven Evolution Theory, that we humans can pave our own evolutionary paths which surpass the laws of nature by our own device because The man paused briefly as he inspected the audience below before announcing glowingly: Were Gods! Chapter 282 - End of Speech The venue fell into a thunderous uproar in response to the mans final statement as countless spotlights blared fiercely across the hall. It was a tenacious speech, one which may have defiled God and undoubtedly insulted many Americans and Europeans present at the venue. However, the man on stage seemed to not hear any noise from below as he kept up his usual monotone expression. A better way to put it was that for someone like him in such a position, there was no need to be fazed by the mindless squabbling of others. At this moment, many religious Westerners could no longer tolerate the insolence. Enraged, they shot up from their seats and stomped off the venue. Still, a large number of people remained. There was thunderous applause from the audience mixed with the sounds of booing and ridicule. Who in the world was this man? At this present moment, it was the only question most of them had. For someone of his young age, he should still be fighting to make a name for himself. It was difficult to imagine that he was one of those people in positions of power. However, the speech had yet to commence despite the group of people leaving, it went on unhindered. There may be many people who doubt my words, for God is eternal and omnipotent. The man swept across the crowd with his gaze, looking more standoffish. But we humans as well can Before a new round of uproar could successfully break out below, the man continued to speak, pointing a finger at the sky, then at the earth, In order not to be deprived of his position, Uranus, the God of the sky and the heavens imprisoned his children underground. In the end, Cronus rode the wind and soared above where he castrated his father with a sickle and took his place as the God of the sky and the heavens. After that, Cronus decided to eat all of his children as a means of protecting his position. Under the protection of his mother, Zeus managed to escape this fate. In the end, Zeus defeated Cronus and became the God of all things. From this, we can notice a rule The man raised his voice again. And that is C even Gods needed to grow. So, would you not say that our developing civilization is an upward journey toward attaining immortality and omnipotence? This inspired another round of debate in the audience below. Gods have godly strength of their own while we humans boasted our strength in our technology prowess! Decisively speaking over the rampant audience, the man continued. The ordinary person stubbornly believes that life is accompanied by death, that this is a natural law that cannot be overturned, but this mentality is incorrect! Feynman, the founder of nanotechnology had once said that we have yet to find any proof that death was inevitable in all of biology. Since the phenomenon of aging is a law, then the principle of this phenomenon must be something we can research into. Therefore, we have reasons to believe that once we understand the essence of this law, we can, in turn, discover how we can reverse the process of aging and attain immortality! And thats how the commonly known Rapamycin came to be, along with stem cells treatment technology and the age-reversal treatment project Another brief pause. The man surveyed the audience briefly before clenching his first fist and said, Overcoming aging and achieving eternal youth doesnt object to the law of nature in any way. The aging process of humans can be overcome, its merely just the bodys parts aging. Its like how vehicles experience wear and tear, but does it necessarily mean that the car ages? If the parts of a vehicle have worsened with age, we can swap it out directly. Strictly speaking, we can continue driving the car that way. The human body operates on a similar principle as vehicles, the only difference is that were more complex. With that said, in the modern technological age, is it possible to invent a form of engine parts for us to swap with the parts in our body, thus extending our lifespan, taking us a step closer to Godhood? At this point, the man suddenly unveiled a thin smile. The once tense and suffocating atmosphere in the venue had eased down considerably. Many people were baffled by this stark contrast even. Such stage presence was nearly equivalent to that of the devil in World War 2 At this part, the man answered his own question contentedly, Fortunately, its possible. Its the latest project Blacklight Biotechnology is tackling and also a shortcut for humans to reach Godhood, I call it Bionic Prosthetic Project! The audience became rowdy again upon hearing this mention. Many people made the connection with the bionic prosthetic systems seen in movies such as Alita and Ghost in the Shell. Wrapping up this presentation, allow me to make a formal self-introduction. After the audience settled down, the man prepared his closing statement: My name is Chen Chen and my goal is to build an empire founded by technology C Kingdom of Demigod! After revealing the theme of this conference, the speech finally came to an end. The man on the stage bowed slightly as if he had only done something insignificant, then the platform which he stood on automatically withdrew underground. The man disappeared from the stage. It was only after the man was nowhere to be seen when the audience below came to their senses. When someone in the crowd made a lone clap, it began to spread through the audience and soon everyone was clapping in unison. Within just two seconds, the venue was filled with deafening applause. It was also mixed with people cheering and roaring. This went on for some time Without the presenter on stage, the screen above the pulpit automatically faded out and turned into a black screen. Shortly after that, the image of a human silhouette was cast on the screen. The only difference was that unlike an ordinary silhouette, this silhouette was without its head. This was the promotional picture of the Blacklight Biotechnology official website. The audience was reenergized upon seeing this. They were aware that the purpose of the speech just now was not just to explain the position and values of Blacklight Biotechnology, but also to extend to the theme of this conference. The man had already clarified that the headless silhouette was a type of bionic prosthetic. Similar to the previous Age-reversal Treatment project, it was a technology purposed for extending the human lifespan. While the audience was speculating among themselves, the platform that had descended into the ground appeared again. Only this time, it was not the young man they saw just now, but a famous talk show host in North America. According to the organizers planning, Qian Wenhuan would host the rest of the conference along with this host. Meanwhile, backstage at the Blacklight Dome, Chen Chen took the wet wipes from a Black Knight to wipe his face. At the same time, he craned his head and turned to a woman standing in the shadows. What is it? Do you have any idea what you just said? Xia Yin slowly stepped out of the shadows. She was wearing a slim evening gown which put her beautiful figure on full display. Her long silky hair was dyed chestnut brown which produced a fine sheen under the dim lighting. You were getting too ahead of yourself with your speech. In a Westerner-dominated environment, if someone were to create controversy from your speech, it will certainly be a great hit to Blacklight Biotechnologys reputation Im only saying what I think. Chen Chen twisted his neck and answered indifferently, Also, no one will make an issue out of it. Trust me. Xia Yin immediately fell speechless, she hesitated briefly before speaking again, We havent met in quite some time now, have we? Its not that long, its barely two years. Chen Chen nodded. But it seems like youve done a lot of growing up over this period. The same applies to you, I can hardly recognize you by your personality anymore. Xia Yin sighed and produced a faint smile. While Xia Yin was still pondering her next sentence, a Black Knight suddenly stepped forward and handed a phone to Chen Chen. Chen Chen inspected it briefly and quickly turned into a frown. Finally, he turned to Xia Yin. My mission here is complete, the rest is in the hands of you and Old Qian. Before Xia Yin had time to respond, Chen Chen hurriedly took his leave. Watching Chen Chens quickly leaving figure, Xia Yin found herself with a smile filled with bitterness that was all too slow to subside Chapter 283 - Gain Factor Value Q Naturally, the next segment of the conference concerning Project Xingtian did not need to be hosted by Chen Chen. After Chen Chens brief exchange with Xia Yin, he suddenly received a message from Little X. The contents of Little Xs message on the phone were that just several minutes ago, while running the usual experiment with the inertial confinement nuclear reactor, there seemed to be an atmospheric pressure leak detected. Chen Chen had no time to deal with Xia Yin as he hurriedly took his leave. When Chen Chen stepped out of the Blacklight Dome, he immediately entered Cheng Caos car and belted the order, Cao, get me to the Spire as fast as you can, hurry! Before he had time to finish his sentence, Little Xs voice took over the cars auditory system, Sir Godfather, it was a numerical error, the inertial confinement nuclear fusion reactor is operating as usual Chen Chen, Cheng Cao curiously shot a look at Chen Chen using the rearview mirror. Boss, still headed for the Spire? Lets go, Ill just take a look around there. Chen Chen shrugged with his hands and instructed. The engine started soon and they left the Blacklight Dome after that. The inertial confinement nuclear fusion reactor which Little X spoke of was the nuclear fusion device that Chen Chen built based on his study of the technology in the world of Elysium. Since the end of last year, each major financial group had provided Chen Chen with a large number of high precision laser components based on his specifications. Chen Chen even discovered that some of these laser components turned out to be spare parts for official NIF facilities in North America. It was largely unknown what sort of methods these families employed that they could even get their hands on the laser components from the NIF project. It had been several months since the successful assembly of the inertial confinement nuclear fusion reactor. In this duration, it had been successfully ignited a total of thirteen times during various experiments. The internal deuterium-tritium fuel had catalyzed a nuclear fusion reaction, which transformed it into a miniature sun with a diameter of one centimeter. Furthermore, after revisiting the parameter calculations many times, the inertial confinement nuclear fusion could now be maintained for more than five minutes. The Q-value had effortlessly broken through the ten-digit reading, reaching up to eighteen-digit now. Just when he was so close to seeing the worlds first truly controllable nuclear fusion reactor coming to fruition, there were suddenly reports of atmospheric pressure leak. It was no surprise that Chen Chen panicked at the notion. Fortunately, it was just a false alarm. Half an hour later, when Chen Chen took the elevator and arrived at the Spire Experimental Base. He saw a newly erected gigantic structure by the south-west corner of the underground space. This was a standard shed-structured building resembling an assembly line factory. At this time, dozens of Black Knights were constantly coming in and out of the building. They appeared very busy. This new shed-structured building was the inertial confinement power station Chen Chen had constructed. Unlike nuclear fission power plants, nuclear fusion was a completely clean source of energy where the only byproduct of the reaction was water. Additionally, due to the harshness and peculiar nature of nuclear fusion, the reaction automatically stops upon meeting any failure condition in the reactor. This way, it negated any chances of unwanted accidents such as nuclear radiation proliferation. It was for this reason that Chen Chen was not worried about establishing the nuclear fusion factory inside the Spire Experimental Base. When Chen Chen stepped into the factory, he was immediately greeted with the sight of a gigantic cylindrical structure measuring more than 30 meters in diameter. The entire building was made of reinforced concrete. Right inside the fortified five-meter-thick building was the inertial confinement reactor. Who could have ever imagined that this gigantic structure sheltered ultra-high pressure the likes which the Earth had never seen before, with temperature up to hundreds of millions of degrees and exceeding 1,000 atmospheric pressure? Chen Chen glanced at the control station at the side and then raised his head to ask, X, whats the situation now? There had been fifteen consecutive successful ignitions so far. The reaction period of the inertial confinement nuclear fusion reactor had surpassed an hour and the Q value reading had broken through 20. Has the stability issues been addressed yet? Chen Chen flicked an eyebrow upon hearing the report. I remember that in the previous experiment, even the room temperature superconductor was unable to completely stabilize the plasma, isnt it? Little X answered, The reason its difficult to stabilize is that once the plasma undergoes nuclear fusion, it becomes very turbulent. This causes it to disperse and suspend the reaction. To alleviate this problem, I went to the major well-known international forums and offered a reward for a solution. I also modified the database so that my questions would award more than hundreds of experience points. Which means that anyone who can solve the question I presented will be awarded more than a hundred experience points on the forum site. To get more experience points, the particle physicists fervently contributed and came up with a total of 341 solutions. Unfortunately, I doubt they would be of much use at all. In the end, I found an actual useful answer on Zhihu from a person whose ID is Nuclear Boy Sakikawa. Little X continued. Add 0.1mg of heavy elements to the deuterium-tritium fuel pellets to function as the core. The heavy elements will gravitate toward the center of the sphere, which after the fusion reaction occurs, the pellets will remain in a high temperature and high-pressure state. This will help maintain the temperature of the plasma as well as its directed pressure at the center of the sphere. Since the pressure is kept at a constant, the pellet will not immediately undergo omnidirectional-fusion. A portion of plasma energy on the surface will be released to the surrounding reaction chamber, which maintains a balance between the two entities. The pellet will neither expand nor shrink and the fuel of the pellets will be squeezed to the surface in moderate amounts to further the reaction process, making the reaction more durable and stable Its that simple? Chen Chen was in shock and awe. Is this person a particle physics savant? X, could you dig up any information about his true identity? Ive already looked him up. This person founded a studio where hes the sole employee. It deals with writing software, spambots, trademark squatting[1], and many other aspects of businesses. It had to be said that no matter how sophisticated Chen Chens replication of the nuclear fusion design was and how much he tried to mirror the technology in Elysium, there was always going to be a technological gap. However, what Chen Chen did not expect was that Little X would take a different approach and solve the problem by gathering ideas from the masses. Although doing so may cause the reactor to not reach the efficient scale of the original version, it was more than enough for Chen Chen. Inertial confinement nuclear fusion. In truth, the fundamental of inertial confinement nuclear fusion was to aim multiple lasers on a tiny target containing nuclear fuel in a short period. This created a micro-nuclear fusion which released a large amount of energy. After the first nuclear fusion commenced, the reactor would automatically be refilled with new fuel agents. This way, nuclear fusion was reignited continuously to acquire a vast amount of energy. Apart from producing hyper-symmetrical laser components, another challenge was that the laser generator had to exhaust a large amount of electricity to ignite and prompt a fusion reaction. In other words, even if the nuclear fusion reaction was not at the desired level yet, the energy generated by the nuclear fusion reaction must be at least greater than the energy consumed by the ignition of the laser generator to break even. Therefore, the subject of the gain factor of nuclear fusion energy, otherwise known as C Q Value had to be brought up. Simply abbreviating the Output energy / Input energy as Q Value, Q exceeding 1 implied that the output was greater than the input, this was after factoring in the energy cost. In the vein of a regular boiler steam turbine, the thermal efficiency was about 40%-70%. After adding some other miscellaneous losses, a Q of 2.5 could be roughly tabulated as the actual cost. In other words: Q value exceeding 0 implied that fusion reaction was achieved. This was a sign of a breakthrough in the fundamentals of a man made fusion reactor. Q value exceeding 1 meant that the energy output was greater than the energy input, thus breaking-even. Q value exceeding 2.5 meant that the output energy was still greater than the input after being converted into electrical energy. This was the true indication of the success of practical-use nuclear fusion. Q value exceeding 50 implied that the output energy after being converted into electrical energy could be used for profiteering, thus a step toward commercialization. This was the reason that there was this saying in the particle physics field: Dont trust anyone who doesnt discuss the Q value of controlled nuclear fusion. The current Q value of Chen Chens inertial confinement fusion reactor at this time had reached as high as 20, which was more than enough to cover the operational cost. One minor gripe was that Chen Chen could not use the water-boiling method to generate electricity due to insufficient space in the underground base, which rendered it unable to withstand a large amount of hot air emission. Therefore, Chen Chen resorted to using the magnetohydrodynamic generation technique which had lower energy conversion efficiency. The technique was not acquired from the Elysium dimension as it was a founded technology in the real world and its principle was very simple. The miniature sun in the reactor was a high-temperature plasma confined by a magnetic field. The plasma within was also a charged particle structure composed of positively-charged and negatively-charged particles. Based on Lorentz force theory, magnetic fluid device charged particles could be used to concentrate the charged particles to two-pole conductors to produce a potential differential. After that, the current could be transmitted as output simply by connecting a wire to it. The advantage of this form of magnetohydrodynamic generation technique was that it was very easy to operate as there were almost no technical difficulties whatsoever. Its shortcoming was that the energy conversion rate was not exemplary, otherwise, the Q value of the inertial confinement nuclear fusion reactor may have very well exceeded 50. The current Q value of nuclear fusion reactors in the forefront of the world only hovered around 1.5 and there was still a long way to go before reaching a self-sufficient Q value of 2.5. One way or another, Chen Chen had verified that the nuclear fusion reactor in the Spire Experimental Base was an unqualified success. This was also the first truly mature nuclear fusion reactor in the world. Based on Little Xs calculations, the highest energy output of the fusion reactor could reach as high as 200,000 kilowatts. It may not be an impressive amount, but its energy consumption was merely a fraction of the energy generation, thereby making it a far more cost-effective solution than nuclear fission power plants. [1] The act of registration of a trademark on a product, service, etc. belonging to other companies Chapter 284 - Underground Port Completion Moving forward, there would be a training camp for the inertial confinement fusion reactor that should last one to two months. After ensuring everything was in order, the fusion reactor would officially take over as the power system of the Spire Experimental Base. From there on, the underground base would become a full-fledged self-sufficient bunker. Meanwhile, an L-shaped inland port was excavated by the section of the Spire Experimental Base bordering the ocean, according to the initial planning. Reinforced concrete was used to fortify the structure. The port extended to the open sea through an underwater tunnel approximately one kilometer long. There was no seawater in the tunnel yet as it was not opened. Chen Chen had designed three gates that respectively labeled as gates A, B, and C. They functioned similarly to floodgates seen in reservoirs so that the Spire Experimental Base would not be overflowed with seawater after the tunnel was opened. For the submarine to pass through the tunnel and enter the Spire Experimental Base, the first gate would have to be opened. Upon the submarine entering, the gate would have to be closed while the other two gates were to be opened. As for the submarines themselves, Chen Chen knew better than to order titans like kilo or lada class submarines. The reason was simple. First of all, those submarines were too large. There was no chance of Chen Chens port sheltering them. Secondly, although the submarine was not classified as nuclear submarines, they were still a significant destruction force. Ordering such units would only attract the unwanted attention of the major continents since the destructiveness of these units were monumental compared to regular tanks and combat helicopters. Thirdly, due to the design of military-grade submarines being too sophisticated, they ended up not being able to dive into deep ocean territory. A kilo-class submarine could only dive to a depth of 300 meters while the lada-class submarines may reach up to 400 meters. Some nuclear submarines with double-hull holds could dive to a depth of 500 meters at most. Meanwhile, Chen Chens Spire Experimental Base was 723 meters below sea level. Therefore, Chen Chen only had Little X forge an identity and ordered batches of submarines all across the world. There was a variety of exploration-based and patrolling type submarines, most of them were micro submarines capable of carrying just three to five people. Unlike military-grade submarines, the exploration submarines were not fitted with any weapons or adapted for long-term haul requirements due to their size. As a result, this class of submarine was able to dive up to 700 to 800 meters. The submarines Chen Chen had purchased were a class of tourism submarines that could dive up to a thousand meters. These tourism submarines were mini-submarine models five meters long and three meters wide. Unlike other submarine models, these submarines were U-shaped like a pair of giant pliers. At the center of its U-shaped design was a spherical cockpit. This spherical cockpit was almost entirely made of tempered glass which evenly distributed underwater pressure. There were three evenly-sectioned seats on its inside, allowing a 360-degree panoramic view. Such qualities were largely desired by wealthy tourists. What was even more impressive was the price of such tourism submarines, priced at 1.8 million U.S. dollars. These submarines were already posted at the Blacklight Cruise awaiting dispatch. Meanwhile, after nearly a year of construction at the Spire Experimental Base, the port project was finally approaching its final stages. At this time, the tunnel to the outside world had been completed. This was a 1,200-meter-long circular passage with a diameter of ten meters. It connected the cave of the Spire Experimental Base to an endpoint by the coastline. Inside the tunnel, the three giant gates had been installed. The farthest gate was installed at the very end of the tunnel, only several meters away from the open sea. The next step from here on is pretty simple. All we need to do is to use dynamites to blow up the outermost layer of the Earth to open up the tunnel. Just like that, we have a new entrance to the Spire Experimental Base. After listening to Little Xs explanation, Chen Chen went to the port construction site again upon leaving the inertial confinement power station. He first inspected the 100 square meters and 30 meters deep square wharf and saw the tunnel excavated underneath the wharf. He had to ask, Once the Spire is connected to the open seas, how will the entrance be disguised? A gate propping out of the underwater rock formation should be rather eye-catching. Theres no need to worry about that. Little X replied, Ive already had the Black Knights operate submarines to cut out a portion of the outermost layer of the rock formation on the other end of the passage. This outer wall could be made into a camouflage for gate A. This way, nobody would notice the tunnel unless the gate was opened. Not bad. Chen Chen tipped his head agreeably. Then lets begin now. Yes. After Little X had issued the order, Chen Chen saw a gigantic, fortified gate several meters thick descending by the entrance located by a lower section of the pit-shaped port. The tunnel was completely sealed off after that. There was a gigantic letter C written atop the gate. At the same time, the artificial intelligence X-111 of the Spire Experimental Base issued a warning across the entire laboratory. Caution, in ten minutes, the air pressure in the Spire Experimental Base may experience unstable disruption. All personnel is advised to remain awake to avoid damage to the middle ear canal while sleeping Five seconds countdown: Five, four, three, two, one! Boom, boom, boom The faint rumbling of repeated explosions. Chen Chen could feel the ground below his feet trembling slightly which was soon followed by a distinctive reoccurring shockwave coming from a distance that was slowly drawing closer. The rock formation is broken through, seawater is now surging in and filling the space between gate A and gate B The space between gate A and gate B is now filled with seawater, now closing off gate A Gate A is fully closed, opening gate B Gate B is opened! With each of Little Xs caution, the rumble approached even closer. The tremendous vibration coursed through the Earth and the gate C below Chen Chens feet and was felt across the entire Spire cavern. Surely enough, the seawater had reached gate C. However, Little X still kept gate C shut while repeating the previous procedure. Closing gate B Gate B is closed, opening gate A again Closing gate A Opening gate B After repeating the sequence many times, the entire tunnel was finally filled with seawater. At this point, Little X shut off gate A again and prompted. Sir Godfather, Im making the preparations to open gate C. Open it. Chen Chen nodded without the slightest inclination of wanting to leave. So, Chen Chen beheld as the titanic gate let out a low and deep wail as a tiny gap appeared below it parallel to the motions of the rumbling. In an instant, water that had been compressed into thin sheets surged in through the gap. Even by the port, Chen Chen could smell the distinct, sulphury smell of the sea. After that, the gate continued to rise taller and taller as more seawater rushed inside the base. Chen Chens ears were filled with a deafening rumble. The port was quickly filled with seawater from the tunnel! The billowing waves only came to a halt after the water level in the port had risen just slightly below where Chen Chen stood. After that, the underwater gate C was closed again, sealing off the tunnel. With that, the construction of the artificial inland port had been wrapped up. Moving on, the purchased mini-submarines would have to be docked by the port, which would allow easy access to the base through the port instead of having to enter from the stations spread across Eco Science City. There were also water pump installations inside the underwater tunnel. This meant that if the situation deemed necessary, the seawater could be drawn out of the tunnel as well as the port. The entrance by the port was certainly not as convenient as the elevator in Eco Science City. However, the opening of the port represented a more secluded retreating option from the Spire Experimental Base. On the off chance that Chen Chen accidentally slipped tongue in the future or the Spire Experimental Base became exposed and the Eco Science City became surrounded by armies, Chen Chen could still retreat from the underwater passageway. After all, it was good to have an option to live to fight again another day. One had to be on the lookout for all possible scenarios and prepare the appropriate alternatives. Although Chen Chen believed that he would never fall to such a point, there was nothing wrong with preparing something for himself to fall back on. Chapter 285 - New Movie Selection Over the following period, Chen Chen closely monitored the status of the inertial confinement reactor every day. Fortunately, with Little X managing the operation, the handful of minor hiccups faced during the operation of the reactor were quickly addressed without resulting in any loss. After half a month had passed, the final modified version of the inertial confinement reactor had been operating without any fault for 168 consecutive hours. It was at that point when Chen Chen decided to connect the reactor to the power system of the Spire. The next step was to figure out how to miniaturize the reactor since the most suitable use for the inertial confinement reactor was to function as aircraft engines. Using magnetohydrodynamic generation, the plasma engine could be directly driven to produce continuous propelling force. However, Chen Chen would at least require his very own laser components assembly line to achieve miniaturization. The complexity involved in this operation should be no lesser than that of the lithography machines. Chen Chen would need intricate planning to set his plans into motion. Meanwhile, the announcement of Project Xingtian during this period had also incited major responses all across the world. Xingtian was the prosthetic brand which Chen Chen had announced. The goal was to service the disabled members of society via bionic prosthetic technology. Meanwhile, Project Xingtian stretched further into Chen Chens strategic timeline as the goal of the project was to prepare for the future when humans would be able to partake in prosthetic head operations. The current advertised bionic prosthetic was merely an approach to test the waters. The plan was to start by pushing prosthetic limbs to the public to service the disabled. After that, they would gradually shift to products such as bionic organs and bionic spines, slowly and subtly pushing the bottom line of societal acceptance. This was a wiser approach than immediately launching a head switching technology that essentially transformed the entirety of the human body except for the brain to a mechanical counterpart. A technology like this would surely cause a mass uproar. Therefore, the slow and steady approach was the best. To be clear, bionic technology was still in its infancy. When implanting a bionic prosthetic into a disabled person, Neuralink companys lace electrode would also have to be implanted into the brain. This was the latest brain-machine interface technology introduced by Elon Musk in 2019. It was general knowledge that there were hundreds of millions of neurons in the brain and the connections between neurons constituted a neural network. The signals on the neurons were mainly transmitted through electrical impulse signals. That was to say, these impulse signals reflect our actions and thoughts. In essence, being able to decipher these impulse signals was the equivalent of reading a persons soul. This was how the brain-machine interface technology came to be. The lace electrode developed by Neuralink was a multi-point flexible electrode acting as an interface for the brain. It was thinner than a regular strand of hair, measuring just 27.5 microns. The thinner the implemented electrode, the lesser damage it may pose to the brain. To help implant this sort of electrode into the human brain, Neuralink had specifically invented an operating machine that inserted the electrode into the human cerebral cortex like a sewing machine. The machine was designed to avoid frisking the arteries during the process and allocated a special location for the electrode, which helped with minimizing the risk. All of the electrodes would be buried deep underneath the skin layer and shift with the brain structure, alleviating any concerns of harming the brain. It was like embedding hundreds of thousands of strands of hair inside the brain. Finally, all of the logged impulse signals would be transmitted across these hairs to the sensor. The sensor integrated into the lace electrode technology was quite peculiar as well as the sensor chips were designed to be lodged into the skull. There were two distinct advantages to this design choice. The first being that it was a solution to anchor the electrode and prevent any accidental dislocation. Secondly, performing the digital-to-analog conversion at the closest distance possible helped with reducing noise. In the end, the designated algorithm within the chip should convert the brain signals of the host to a functional program, allowing the host to effortlessly control his or her body only by channeling thoughts. This should result in the bionic prosthetic limbs functioning just as nimbly as actual organic limbs. To buy the rights to use the lace electrode technology developed by Neuralink, Blacklight Biotechnology shelled out a total of one billion U.S. dollars. Naturally, Chen Chen could easily recoup the losses here with his other sources of income revenue. At the moment, Chen Chens bionic prosthetics had yet to receive the stamp of approval of the other countries, therefore, the operations for implanting the prosthetics and brain-machine interface could only be conducted in Eco Science City. In spite of that, it had ushered a new crowd to the gates of Eco Science City. Apart from the people who wanted to restore the glory of their youth, there were also disabled members. The majority of the disabled community spread across the Earth were still observing from a distance. After all, this was a brand new technology and without the endorsement of their respective countries, they could only wait and observe if there would be any negative feedback or news coming from the first batch of participants. No matter how unreliable a technology proved to be, there would always be the first batch of lab rats at the end of the day. Conversely, if the technology was proven to be as reliable as it claimed to be, news of it would spread sooner or later. There was still plenty of time to make a choice by then. On the other end of things, Mark Dawson had not been able to complete the newly assigned task ever since designing the M-1 model drone. A more accurate way of putting it would be that the prerequisite of the task created a major deadlock in the operation. Back then, Chen Chen had hoped that he could manufacture the aircraft seen in Elysium. He specifically raised the issue with Mark Dawson: if he were to provide a sample of the aircraft, would it be possible to simplify its structure and create a replica? At the time, Mark Dawson had told him: we would need a customized wind tunnel. With that, Chen Chen promised that he would put together a large, customized wind tunnel for Mark Dawson to proceed with the research. However, the materials needed for constructing the customized wind tunnel had given Chen Chen a resentful headache. He also lacked the experience of constructing a wind tunnel and had to resort to finding engineering experts from all across the world who were able to build one. The problem was that such treasured talents proved to be extremely difficult to acquire and Chen Chens search had not yielded any results even till now. Still, it was no trouble. If he could not find the suitable talents for the job, the worst that could happen was that the construction of the wind tunnel would take longer, perhaps several years until completion. Chen Chen could afford the wait. Moreover, Chen Chen had also birthed a new idea over this period C apart from compensating for his lack of maneuverability by using aircraft which eclipsed the current technological stage of the Earth Federation, he still had other options available to him. For instance Sci-fi movies that enabled human teleportation. The Fly, Doom, Terminator, Gantz, and Star Trek. These were the five movies that immediately came to mind. In The Fly, the protagonist Brundle Seth had invented a space-time transmission device, which essentially enabled the seamless teleportation of an item from one point to another. However, when he was experimenting on himself, something had gone terribly wrong. A fly flew into the experimental cabin which caused the gene of the protagonist Brundle and the fly to fuse. In the end, he turned into a gigantic human-sized fly It was a horror movie. Doom was adapted from a video game but the plot was different from its video game variation. It was set in the future when humans had migrated to Mars but they were met with a terrible virus exposure. A rescue team was dispatched and teleported over to Mars to help them. This was also a horror movie. Terminator and Gantz were both similar and were more or less categorized as horror movies as well. Four out of the five selected movies were horror movies. There were not many options left Chapter 286 - The Stubbornness of the USB Drive Might as well pull the trigger. Chen Chen had Little X downloaded all the movies ahead of time while he quickly headed over to the nuclear power plant. The total power generation of the Blacklight nuclear power plant was measured at 2 million kilowatts. Half of that had to be sectioned out to power the Eco Science City, so all that remained for his use was a million kilowatt. Since the first inertial confinement reactor built in the Spire Experimental Base was just the first-generation model and still had plenty of technological deficiencies, its total power was only about 200,000 kilowatts. The energy consumption of the Spire Experimental Base had to be subtracted as well, along with the power requirements to electrolyze water to extract deuterium and tritium fuel from seawater. After factoring in everything, there was not too much remaining electricity available for use. That was the reason Chen Chen did not move the charging port of the USB drive to the Spire Experimental Base. Having said that, a fusion reactor spanning across an area less than 1,000 square meters managed to generate total power nearly equivalent to a full-sized thermal power plant nearly five times larger. The sheer cost-performance ratio displayed by the fusion reactor was a symbol of its reputation. After arriving at the nuclear power plant again and unplugging the USB drive, Chen Chen first sat in front of the computer and silently thought it over. To be honest, Chen Chen was still somewhat opposed to the idea of acquiring technical information by entering the dimension on the opposite side of the passage. This was due to each opening of the passage represented a possible risk of exposure to an unknown source of danger. Even Chen Chen himself could not guarantee whether the looming threat could be brought into reality by his opening of the passage or not. Besides, there had been a history of interaction between the Ebola virus from reality and the T-virus from Resident Evil. There was also the case of the three statues from reality and the statues from Elysium that had proven a sort of chain effect with reality. These factors alone were enough to dissuade Chen Chen from opening the passage. Having said that, it was a stretch to say that these factors would dissuade Chen Chen from ever using the USB drive again. That was impossible Just like the NZT-48, once you used it, there would be no turning back. Was the USB drive any different from the NZT-48 at its core? No, they both brought great joy and unending gratification. However, if Im just instantiating, I can probably only use Chen Chen roughly estimated the accumulated energy within the USB drive. The only one which could be instantiated from was probably the black sphere from Gantz. After all, the black sphere was the smallest of them all. The teleportation devices from movies Terminator, Star Trek or The Fly were extremely large. A teleportation device like the black sphere was not without its limitations. At one point in the movie, the protagonist was seen using a grappling gun-type weapon known as the Y-gun. The firearm launched a special rope that locked its target in place. After that, the bound target would be transmitted to the satellite. Sometimes, only a small part of the target will be transmitted. Either way, it accomplished the task of killing the target. In that case, would it be correct to assume that these people selected by the black sphere to carry out combat tasks were also transmitted to the outside world through these satellites? If that was true, then merely instantiating one black sphere alone was not going to cut it. Besides, there was no guarantee of Chen Chen being able to break down the technology of the black sphere even after instantiating it. There was a greater possibility of him only managing to figure it out on a surface level without getting a handle on its fundamentals. Therefore, Chen Chen still needed complete documentation of the technology. However, none of the five films C The Fly, Doom, Terminator, Gantz, and Star Trek C contained a scene that showed the general research details of their respective technologies. If Chen Chen wanted to acquire the technical documentation, his only solution was to enter the movies dimension. Chen Chen begrudgingly shook his head at the circumstances. He silently weighed the potential danger he could face in each dimension against each other. In the end, he settled with the movie, The Fly. Compared to Star Trek and the other movies which were technologically superior that they were almost an otherworldly civilization, it may appear that The Fly was the safest choice considering the only threat in the movie was a Frankenstein product of a fly instead of aliens or robotic armies. To be fair, this was only the case when put in a side-by-side comparison with the other movies. If faced with a Frankenstein that could threaten the existence of modern human civilization, it would be not much different from having to face aliens or robot armies. With this in mind, Chen Chen made a copy of the movie The Fly downloaded by Little X and dragged it into the USB drive. Ding! However, the laptop emitted a notification indicating a program error. Chen Chen was immediately taken aback upon realizing that The Fly was rejected by the USB drive WTF Chen Chen frowned. Based on his observation, the world-building of The Fly was considerably simpler than most sci-fi movies. The simpler a movie was, the more it should align with the rules of the USB drive and should be more likely to be accepted by the USB drive. The only thing in this movie that dealt with scientific theory is the molecular transportation technology. In this case, does this mean Seemingly understanding something, Chen Chen took a breath and made a copy of the movie Star Trek. Without sparing any further consideration, he dragged it into the USB drive. Ding! The USB drive had rejected Chen Chen yet again. Chen Chen was certain that this was not a problem of the integrity of the story structure. Based on Chen Chens previous attempts, he had concluded that even if a movie was a part of a large series, it could still be recognized by the USB drive. Even if he had only put one portion of the series, it should still be accepted by the USB drive. Unless it was a TV show, the entire season had to be inserted to be played. This meant that the world setting of Star Trek was denied by the USB drive. The way Chen Chen saw it, Star Trek perfectly aligned with the common ideals of a sci-fi universe. Its scientific component was more put together than most sci-fi movies. The only plausible reason that it would be rejected by the USB drive was possibly due to its enormous world background. After all, the filming of the Star Trek series spanned over more or less fifty-years in total, producing over a thousand TV series episodes and more than a dozen movies. Due to its enormous world setting, there must have been some contradiction somewhere along the lines which led to its world setting being rejected by the USB drive. It seems that both of these movies are rejected by the USB drive Chen Chen suddenly heard the voice of Little X. Sir Godfather, weve already confirmed that Terminator and Gantz can both be contained inside the USB drive, so all thats left is the movie Doom. Theres no telling if this movie can be accepted by the USB drive. Im pretty sure I can wager the outcome at this point. Still, Chen Chen moved his hand and dragged Doom into the USB drive, all the while shaking his head dejectedly. The USB drive once again produced an abrupt ding. All three movies were rejected. How did you figure that out? Little X asked, somewhat astonished. Its pretty obvious at this point that the problem stems from the teleporter. Chen Chen said while deleting the three rejected movies from the USB drive, Did you notice? One thing all three movies rejected by the USB drive had in common was that all of their teleporters applied the so-called theory of particle decomposition. This means that a person is positioned on the teleporter platform while an operator toggles the button on the control panel in the control room. What happens after that is the teleporter targets each atom of the person on the platform and uses its transmission carrier to send these particles to the operators desired location, where the atoms are reorganized accordingly. You can see this in Star Trek when Captain Picard and his crewmates dissolve into a scatter of light before reappearing on a distant planet Chen Chen let a frown slip upon noting this. But when you think about it, does this form of teleportation truly conforms to the concept of teleportation? The principle applied here leans closer to a modern fax machine C wherein the receiving point creates a copy of a person, just like creating a clone. In a similar vein, even we can clone a copy of a person by strictly adhering to the persons genetic information. This way, we can reproduce a person with matching genetic information, essentially a counterpart of the original body. Still, we all know that despite the similarities exhibited by the clone and the original body, theres zero relation whatsoever between them. Even if both of these entities possess the same memories, they arent the same person! Chapter 287 - : Secret of the Teleporter There was this little story Chen Chen had once heard: It was a tale of the distant future, which by that point human civilization had invented countless dark technologies, one of them being teleportation. This was how it operated: You would walk into the teleportation platform, which was a very small room. After that, you would select your desired location, assuming you were departing from Shangdu and headed for Kyoto. Upon choosing your destination, you would then click the button. At that point, the devices in the teleportation room would perform a full scan of your body, collected data on each atom as well as the precise location of each atom on your body. While the teleportation room performed its scanning routine on you, it was also demolishing you part-by-part. While scanning, it tore down each cell in your body and decomposed them into its most basic, particle state. Upon completing the scanning sequence, you would be entirely broken down as well. Right after that, the teleportation platform would transmit all of the collected information to the transmission station located in Kyoto. Your body would be rebuilt in accordance with all of the data collected during the scan. It may seem like a lengthy process when in truth, the entire segment took less than a second. In just a second, you had traversed more than two-thousand kilometers and arrived in Kyoto from Shangdu. There would be no difference between the current you and the previous you C your mood unaltered, perhaps you might feel just as peckish as you did previously. Even the minor scratch on your fingers remained untouched. This was your experience as far as you were concerned: your vision turned dark upon clicking the button and the next second, you found yourself in Kyoto. In the twenty-eighth century, this had become an extremely commonplace technology. Everybody traveled this way. It was just as convenient as it was safe. One day, you were preparing to head on a business trip. Once again, you came to the teleportation room and pressed the button. You heard the device scanning you as usual, but you did not find yourself transported. So, you went to get the service staff at the teleportation station to inform her that the device in the transportation room may have malfunctioned. The service staff took a look at the user log before informing you: The scanning device is operating as usual and it has collected all of your information. However, it seems that the cellular decomposition device that works in sync with the scanning device malfunctioned. Im about to be late for work, just quickly assign me to another teleportation room! You had no time to listen to her explanation as you reiterated your point with greater emphasis. At this point, the service staff turned on the surveillance footage, revealing footage of you in Kyoto. Look, this is the surveillance footage of you in Kyoto, youre already in Kyoto. You become enraged upon hearing this. But thats not me, Im still right here! At this point, the manager who heard the ongoing commotion came over and explained, The scanning device is indeed functioning as usual and you have already arrived in Kyoto. The only minor issue is that the cellular decomposition device here in Shanghai malfunctioned. You wont have to worry about that, we shall just take you to another teleportation room and just activate the cellular decomposition device in that room to break you down. Although at this age, the theory behind a teleportation room transmission had all but become common knowledge, you panicked. Hold on, doesnt being broken down means that Ill be dead? The manager explained patiently, Thats not the case sir, please look at the surveillance footage, youre in perfect condition in Kyoto over there. That only caused you to panic more. But thats not me, thats just a copy, Im the real me! The service staff and the manager exchanged a hesitant look. Im very sorry sir, but the law dictates that we must demolish your cells as the law constitutes that there must not be two of you existing in the world at the same time. You look at them, absolutely mortified, and prepared to make your escape. However, two security guards had grabbed you from behind and dragged you into another teleportation room This may come across as a rather ridiculous, even funny short story, but the logic is sound C the you before teleportation and the you after teleportation, which one is the real you? Chen Chen smiled and explained to Little X, At the end of the day, the true indication of whether someone is the true self still has to be determined by their conscience. The conscience here has nothing to do with likeness. Based on the previous story, if mere likeness is used to define a person, then the you in Shangdu and the you in Kyoto should be the same person since both of you share the same memory and have the same personality. But if applied in the real world? The you are you, but the you in Kyoto isnt you. If likeness cannot be the determining factor, then what is? Little X asked thoughtfully. The answer is continuity. Chen Chen answered, The human conscience operates on a linear basis. Your thoughts, personality, and memory all contribute to the shaping of your subjective consciousness. Take the growth process from an infant to an adult for example. Everything the infant experiences shapes his or her conscience, theres no way you can say that someone at one-year-old and fifty-year-old is a different person. Its true that from a physical perspective, the you at one-year-old and at fifty-year-old doesnt have any similarities. All of the cells in the infants body had been dead for decades, but the continuity of consciousness remains the same. A fifty-year-old may not be able to recall memories from an infant age but may be able to recall memories from forty-years-old. And the forty-year-old self may be able to recall memories from thirty-years-old. Even with amnesia, this principle of cause and effect remains unchanged I understand now! Little X immediately remarked, In this sense, the molecular teleporter did shatter the continuity of consciousness. The consequence of this disruption of continuity is the termination of the previous conscience. Even if it were to make a copy of a particular conscience, it wouldnt be the same as its original version. Yes, conscience is wholly unique and isnt something that can be simply preserved by making a copy. Chen Chen nodded. In the Star Trek film series, there had been instances of malfunction with the teleportation device. In the film series, when Captain Picard was molecularly reassembled into two separate individuals, the result was the formation of a new parallel universe. From this, we can conclude that this molecular teleporter is inherently flawed to a point where even the USB drive suspects its probable usability. Does this mean that its not that the teleporter doesnt abide by the construct of science, but that nobody knows how to use this device? Little X asked. Yes, thats the gist of it. Chen Chen responded, Ive tried both Gantz and Terminator a long time ago, and verified that there was no problem with these movies and that they can be accepted by the USB drive. This means the implementation of their teleportation technology should be distinctly different from molecular teleportation. With that said, Chen Chen dragged both Terminator: Genisys and Gantz into the USB drive. With a swift audio prompt, the two movies were successfully pulled into the USB drive. Terminator: Genisys was the first instance in the film series where the time machine was introduced. It was a gigantic platform nearly the size of a hill and is pretty much impossible to be instantiated. However, its features exceeded that of all other teleportation devices C to transport a life form from one timeline to another, but doesnt this cause a timeline paradox? Chen Chen muttered to himself, Or there may be another explanation for this Chapter 288 - M Theory Based on my understanding, in the universe of Terminator, the future can be altered. Even the past can be altered. This is done with the time machine that can send someone back to decades ago. Chen Chen pondered. But in practice, this shouldnt be possible because Einsteins Special Theory of Relativity tells us that time cannot be reversed. Humans can travel to the future by moving close to the speed of light, but its impossible to return to the past in any way. Otherwise, time paradoxes such as the Grandmother Paradox, Banana Peel Theory or the Time Travelers Party may occur. But the plot of the movie was verified by the USB drive, Little X stated. To start, lets look into the parallel universe theory. Chen Chen nodded. When discussing parallel universes, apart from Quantum Mechanics, we also have to mention the most well-defined M Theory. The reason this theory was proposed in the first place was that physicists wanted to settle on a unified physics framework which encompasses the four forces in physics C strong force, weak force, electromagnetism, and gravity. With that, the earliest form of String Theory was born. After another laborious process, the String Theory was merged with the concept of supersymmetry, forming the Superstring Theory which astounded the physics world Later, Jewish scientist Edward Witten used the Superstring Theory to verify the existence of a new dimension in the universe C the 11th dimension which soon led to the formation of the definitive theory of physics, the M Theory. Chen Chen arranged the thought in his mind. Explanations such as Quantum Mechanics and M Theory in relation with the time paradoxes such as the Grandmother Paradox are essentially an embodiment of the parallel universe. After all, there are multiple facets to the universe known as a multiverse. The multiverse is a cumulative sum of countless parallel universes while each one of these parallel universes is a division of the original universe. They are simultaneously the same as but also different from the original universe. With that said, Chen Chen glanced at the USB drive. In this vein, all of the movie dimensions accessed from the USB drive are parallel universes, this point has already been proven. This means that the time machine from Terminator doesnt actually send someone back to the past but instead to a separate universe closely identical to the original universe. And inside that universe, there are also the Skynet, John Connor, and all of the inhabitants from the original universe as well. The only difference between the two universes is that the timeline of the other universe is set nearly a decade in the past. This is also the reason that the protagonists had been trying to stop the arrival of judgment day ever since the first part of Terminator, but was never able to accomplish it. Chen Chen remarked and sighed, This means that the device in the Terminator universe is almost an identical copy of the USB drive, save for its only flaw C it can only send someone to a parallel universe of the Terminator series and is unable to cross over the boundary of the series. Cross over the boundary of the series? This statement was rather abstract and caused Little X to struggle with grasping its meaning for a moment. This means that inside the movie Terminator, the protagonist and his group can only transport themselves to a separate timeline parallel universe of the base universe, but they cannot transport themselves to a parallel alteration of a separate universe. Chen Chen made an example. For instance, the protagonist and the Skynet would never be able to send themselves to the world of Avengers. Even if they were to somehow pull it off, director Cameron might find himself receiving complaints from Disney From here, we can see that the time machine in the Terminator universe should operate on a space-time dimension principle, which is unlike the molecular teleportation device which operates on a separate principle. In that sense, its also spared from the concern of killing the messenger. Chen Chen elaborated further, But inside the movie Terminator: Genisys, there was another time machine apart from the hill-sized teleporter shown in the opening sequence. It was a teleporter handcrafted by the female protagonist and T-800 which was used to send them back to 1984. This means that if we can get our hands on the design specification of that custom-made time machine, then we should also be more than capable of replicating it. Chen Chen continued prodding into his thoughts. If I can get my hands on that machine, then Ill be able to traverse across a parallel universe of varying timelines. Im curious to see if the me from other parallel universes will also own the USB drive or am I a special exception across the multiverse? Sir Godfather, I think its better to avoid such methods. Little X advised, If the USB drive isnt a unique instance, then your actions may very well trigger an unpredictable chain reaction! I understand what you mean. Chen Chen smiled, suddenly realizing. If the USB drive isnt a unique instance, then if I instantiate the time machine technology from Terminator, the me from other parallel universes may do the same as well. If that happens, theres a great chance of me from another parallel universe arriving in our current universe, which may cause an unprecedented conflict Thats right, which is why I think this approach isnt recommended, Little X answered. But even if I dont do this, what guarantees do you have that the me from another parallel universe will not go through with it? Chen Chen shook his head and turned it around on Little X. The reason its called parallel universe is that theres no such thing as a main universe or sub-universe. The universe which we reside in doesnt function as the core of plenty of other universes, since the others are on an equal level as ours as well. Just because I choose to not commit to this option doesnt mean I can stop the others from doing so. Is that so Little X responded helplessly. Still, I have to say that the teleportation technology from Gantz fits my needs better than the time machine from Terminator. Chen Chen considered for a moment before resuming. For now, I dont have any particular requirement for parallel universe traversal, since I hardly have a grasp on my own universe so its not the time to be concerned about other parallel universes yet. So from here on, we shall prioritize attaining the teleportation technology from Gantz. Of course, the operating principle of the teleporter in Gantz is unlike the molecular teleporter. You can see from the show when the protagonist and his crew were transported by the black sphere otherwise known as Gantz, the continuity of their consciousness is preserved. Meanwhile, the basis of molecular teleportation cannot achieve such a result where the teleported can preserve their consciousness. How do you explain the resurrection as shown in the movie then? Little X asked. There are already plenty of explanations online. Chen Chens expression turned grave as he considered this. There are many minor hints that can be taken from the canon story. For example, when the protagonist and his group went on missions, they could achieve real-time teleportation while also preserving their consciousness. However, its another matter if they sustained injuries in the middle of a mission If they sustained grave injuries or in certain cases, attempted to resurrect a dead ally, the black sphere wouldve to run a slower print process. With this, the printed person will lose all memories they have of the injuries they sustained. Therefore, many people online speculated that the resurrected person isnt the same as the original person anymore but a mere copy This means that the black sphere has two abilities. The first one: perform real-time teleportation on a living person and the second: use every single detail of a person, including that persons memory to produce a replica, in a fashion similar to 3D printing. This is the true nature behind the black spheres ability to resurrect a person. Even after the resurrection, the person brought back to life is no longer the original person anymore. Instead, the person becomes a mere replica with the same genes, memory, and even thoughts of the original version. Chapter 289 - Gantz Black Sphere After listening to Chen Chens analysis, Little X suddenly became contemplative. If what you said is true, the black sphere from Gantz has the ability to print a human body out of thin air. Isnt this the same principle as the particle teleporter you talked about? Its very similar indeed, but the black sphere is more refined because it not only includes 3D printing but also real-time teleportation technology. These are its two distinct technological features. Chen Chen explained. Little X seemed to perk up. If thats the case, then if we use the black spheres 3D technology to replicate the Black Knights, wouldnt it save us three months of cultivation time? This kind of printing consumes a massive amount of energy. Chen Chen explained, Otherwise, the government in Gantz can just print tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of their best fighters. According to the comics, the technology of those aliens is nothing much. If the government used that strategy, wouldnt the aliens be defeated almost immediately? However, they didnt do that. Its a problem with energy. Of course, when I speak of numbers like tens or hundreds of thousands, its all just my own conjecture. How it works exactly will depend on how the black sphere functions after we extract it. Who knows, maybe Ive got it wrong At this point, Chen Chen did not hesitate anymore. He directly moved the pointer to the movie Gantz that was in the USB flash drive. Chen Chens plan was that he would first extract the black sphere from the movie and analyze its technological aspects. Of course, it would be best if he could directly decipher the technology. However, if this was not possible due to the gap in their technologies, Chen Chen could only choose to enter Gantzs dimension to track down the technology that was related to the Gantz black sphere. With this in mind, Chen Chen started the movie while dragging the progress bar to the scene where, shortly after the opening, the protagonists appeared in the Gantz sphere and were given weapons. At once, the camera shot was frozen on the black sphere that was directly about one meter away as it displayed two racks of weapons. Seeing this, Chen Chen pressed the spacebar to pause. At the same time, he decisively stretched out his hand and reached into the screen It felt as if he had reached into a stream of clear water. Chen Chen was greeted by a cool sensation. Then, he made contact with the weapon rack on the edge of the black sphere. If it were not for the unfolded weapon rack, he would not be able to catch hold of that smooth black sphere. The moment he grasped it, Chen Chen pulled out his hand promptly! Suddenly, Chen Chen felt his grip loosen. Then, with a thump, a huge black sphere directly appeared on the floor in front of the computer! Extraction success! Nonetheless, the first thing Chen Chen did after extracting the black sphere was to look at the weapon rack and into the interior of the sphere. Erm What Chen Chen saw was that the inside of the black sphere was empty. Not only were all the X-gun weapons missing, but even the person in the black sphere had vanished. Still, this was to be expected. In the USB drives first form, no life forms were able to pass through. Chen Chen did not have any plans for the X-guns either. No one in their right mind would want to use that kind of bloated weapon with a five-second delay in firing a shot. After all, a traditional firearm was much stronger than those. The only advantage of the X-gun was probably its power. As for equipment that showed up later such as the gravity gun, Z-gun, and the binding teleportation device, Y-gun, the Internet had thoroughly analyzed them long ago. The gravity gun appeared to be just a fixed-position device and its gravity attack was more like a shockwave, which emanated from outer-space satellites. The Y-guns binding teleportation needed the cooperation of satellites in space even more so, so it was useless to extract it by itself. In terms of just its material, the shell of this black sphere seems to be some kind of carbon fiber material. Little X observed through the high-definition surveillance camera and analyzed. But the black sphere in the movie also has a display function, which is rather amazing. A carbon fiber IPS screen? Chen Chen stretched out his hand and touched it, only to feel a faint, cold sensation on the surface of the black sphere. Following that, he asked again, X, can you detect its Wi-Fi network port? After all, whether its the one in the movie or the original comics, its shown that this device could connect to the wireless network. Im already trying to infiltrate it. Little X replied, The protocol is correct. They are still using the 802.11 network protocol frame. Sure enough, Gantz is a parallel world similar to the real world and even the wireless network protocol is the same! Good, try to crack it. Chen Chen nodded. Itd be better if this sphere contains various technical details about that world. Infiltrating The firewall has been cracked and their encrypted data is being cracked Little X kept up a stream of updates. It can be ascertained that this black sphere just functions as a terminal. There should be a higher-level server and the computing speed of this black sphere isnt fast. It seems to be missing a crucial component. Upon hearing this, Chen Chen could not help taking another look inside the black sphere. It was obvious that the pilot was missing from the black sphere. The naked man who should have been inside the black sphere was being tentatively called the pilot by Chen Chen. The pilot must be a very important part of the black sphere. Unfortunately, in the story of the entire work, the meaning of the pilots existence had never been explained. In Chen Chens opinion, the existence of such a pilot was unreasonable in the first place. After all, compared to artificial intelligence, the computing speed of the human brain was completely uncompetitive. The real advantage of human beings was on the level of imagination, association, and reflection, not on the speed of calculation. However, it now appeared that the existence of the pilot obviously held a special significance for the black sphere. Although the black sphere was very tightly guarded without the pilot, it was still defeated by Little Xs dogged efforts. Nonetheless, Chen Chen remembered that in the original work, even hackers could invade this black sphere. Ive successfully cracked the encryption technology of the black sphere and Im analyzing it Soon, there was another update from Little X, then there was another silence. Chen Chen was not in a hurry either. He just stared at the black sphere and waited silently. About five minutes later, Little X spoke again, Sir Godfather, Ive completely cracked the black spheres program, but the strange thing is, the black spheres program and code are incomplete, just like a computer that lacks a CPU. You could even say that the black sphere has no AI to speak of, being just a bunch of dead code. It must be due to the lack of a pilot. Chen Chen nodded. You did a good job, X. Can you control this black sphere now? For example, using the teleportation technology inside to teleport a person from one place to another or replicate a person out of thin air? Im sorry but I cant do it. Little X said helplessly, This black sphere is like a computer. In addition to missing an important component, it also lacks the support of a server. Most of its data must have been stored within a higher-level server. Chapter 290 - Probe After hearing Little Xs explanation, Chen Chen no longer hesitated. If this is the case, then I can make a trip there Having said that, Chen Chen asked the Black Knights in charge of defense to wear GS Combat Suits and PK Armor, so that they were equipped with the highest level of weaponry, just in case something bad broke through the channel into their reality while they were opening the portal. Of course, until now, Chen Chen had not encountered such a situation. As for the PK Armor, Chen Chen had extracted a few more when he was bored. As of now he already had ten sets of PK Armor in possession. As they used nuclear fusion battery technology, the power in these armors was still very durable. Chen Chen still remembered that he had tested the internal energy of the items after they were extracted from the USB drive into reality. The result of the test was that the energy stored in the extracted items would not be greater than the amount of electricity consumed. Case in point, the Galaxy pendant. Originally, the pendant should have contained energy comparable to an actual star, but after it was extracted into reality, there was only a small amount of energy left inside. This tiny amount of energy was equivalent to the power consumed by the USB flash drive when it extracted the Galaxy pendant. Therefore, the same applied to the PK Armor. According to the formula that 1,200 kWh of electricity was required to extract one gram of material, extracting the PK Armor from the USB drive would consume approximately 36 million kWh of electricity. The energy of a kilowatt-hour of electricity was roughly 3.6 million joules, and the energy released by the explosion of 1 kilogram of TNT was about 4.19 million joules. That was to say, extracting a PK Armor required roughly the energy of a nuclear bomb equivalent to 31 million tons of TNT. This was about half the energy of the Tsar Bomba. No matter how powerful the nuclear fusion battery in the PK Armor was, the capacity of half a Tsar Bomba was way beyond its limits. Therefore, the extracted PK Armor was basically fully charged every time. Just in case, Chen Chen also extracted the escape pod that charged the PK Armor in The Predator (2018) into reality, so there was no need to worry about the energy of the PK Armor. At this point, after everything was in place, Chen Chen clicked on Gantz again and paused the image in the middle of the movie, in the room where the protagonist was. Although it was very likely that at the other end of the portal lay a world where civilization had been destroyed, it was better to be safe than sorry, after all. It was more prudent to open the passage in a location with fewer people. Surely this was better than opening the passage in a subway station or even the room that housed the Gantz black sphere, right? As Chen Chen opened the portal solemnly, the computer screen suddenly went black and the entire screen seemed to be upgraded from 2D to 3D. A continuously rotating black orb emerged from the center of the screen and rotated ceaselessly. Black tentacles swarmed restlessly within this black orb. As the orb rotated, the tentacles were drawn into an arch-like spiral, finally causing the black orb to turn into a black galaxy This small black orb that looked like a galaxy expanded sharply, swallowing the screen within a few seconds, and spilling out over the screen. The portal was formed. As Chen Chen stared at the portal. He could not refrain from asking, X, is it just me? Why do I feel that each time I open the portal, it seems to be constantly evolving in some way? Its true and the portal is getting larger Little X confirmed. Its not just you, Sir Godfather. Chen Chen pondered for a while before he wondered aloud, Is this a phenomenon of the USB flash drive itself or is it that the second-form USB drive is imperceptibly evolving in a certain direction? He thought for a while but now was not the time to be worrying about this. Chen Chen finally waved one hand. Instantly, a Black Knight who was ready for defense, wearing a PK Armor, stepped into the passage. From Chen Chens point of view, the Black Knight seemed to have walked into a circular door through which no light could pass, only an endless black mist. Then, the Black Knight disappeared completely. One minute, two minutes, three minutes When the agreed time of five minutes was up, there was a jingling sound and a silver Rubiks cube suddenly fell out of the dark passage, landed on the floor, and rolled over twice. Chen Chens eyes lit up. He gestured with one hand and the Rubiks cube flew directly into his hands. Then Chen Chen pressed a few of the keys familiarly. This silver Rubiks cube immediately opened up a few panels and lit up the entire room, filling the place with a lifelike 3D image. In the image, the Black Knight who had just walked through the passage was standing amid ruins. The room that used to belong to the protagonist of Gantz, Kei Kurono, had long collapsed. Looking around, the entire city of Tokyo was a wreck with endless weeds and vines surrounding the place. Those vines were even wrapped around the skyscrapers, dyeing the entire city as towering greenery Seeing this scene, Chen Chen only felt that it was rather ironic. Although it was destined that the USB drive would open a portal to a world where civilization had fallen, it was still ironic to see the majestic steel capital city, which once stood proudly away from the natural world, was now once again a paradise of nature. Although humans had the ability to challenge the natural world, they still could not defeat time after all. Could it be that, under the scouring of time, no matter how splendid civilization was, it would only end up destroyed one day? Chen Chen murmured. This rueful feeling came and went in a flash. Following that, Chen Chen gathered himself and looked again at the 3D world projected by the silver Rubiks cube. He noticed that, in these five minutes, the Black Knight only walked around for a short time. Even so, he had seen many small animals living in the stretch of ruins including wild cats and dogs, along with many parrots and birds. These were pets once raised by humans, but after the demise of humanity, they became the first masters of these ruins. As the five minutes ended, the Black Knight turned off the images recorded by the silver Rubiks cube. Somethings wrong. After the screening was over, Chen Chen spoke immediately. Sir Godfather, what do you mean? From the picture just now, we can see that those buildings collapsed naturally. Chen Chen said at once, Did you not notice that those buildings had collapsed naturally after decades of erosion from rain and vegetation? In other words, the city of Tokyo on the other side of the passage had only collapsed after the complete extinction of humans. The descendants of those pets also prove this point. I see. Youre saying that mankind didnt perish in a war against aliens? Although Little X was only an artificial intelligence, it was close to the level of ordinary people in terms of divergent thinking. At this time, it immediately understood Chen Chens thoughts. If the world accessed by the USB drive must be a world where human civilization is extinct, based on the direction of Gantzs plotline, their world should have been destroyed by aliens. In that case, after opening the passage, we shouldve seen a crumbling, fallen city that had been ravaged by war. Chapter 291 - Entering Gantz Thats right. Thats the fishy part. Chen Chen nodded. According to the plot of the original comics, humanity had defeated the aliens. This is pretty far fetched. After all, humans have manufactured spacecraft, yet their weapons are still stuck at the level of conventional firearms and cold weapons Even putting that aside, I prefer the aliens who have weapons of mass destruction as a trump card. Even if they cant destroy Earth, itll be a piece of cake to destroy humans. But now, it seems that human civilization has not gone extinct because of war. In other words, either the aliens used some superior method or something else destroyed the human race. So, do we still head to Gantzs dimension to search for more advanced technology? Little X said, Im worried that their technology was annihilated along with human civilization. Nah, thats good news for me. Chen Chen waved his hand decisively. If human civilization had perished in the ravages of war, there would be nothing left. However, now it seems that, after human civilization was wiped out for some unknown reason, those buildings have been preserved instead. Doesnt this mean that the technology relating to the Gantz black sphere might have survived? So, thats it. Little X suddenly understood. Just like in Elysiums world? Indeed. Chen Chen nodded but something occurred to him again and suddenly his expression shifted. Still, Id prefer that the extinction of mankind was caused by aliens and not something similar to those three sculptures At this point in the discussion, Chen Chen and Little X had weighed the pros and cons. After Chen Chen silently calculated the energy left in the USB flash drive, he suddenly said, X, is there a backup of Elysium? Nope. But I can download it now. Little X asked, Is there something you want to get from Elysium? Of course. I want to take out that Bugatti-Folge luxury spaceship. Chen Chen replied with a serious expression, This vehicle would be the easiest method to escape gravity and travel in outer space. Little X silently estimated the spaceships weight. Indeed, this is probably the best choice for visits to alternate dimensions. In addition to lightweight and small size, it also has the ability to travel in outer space. It can just about cope with whatever conditions are on the other side of the passage. Still, youre thinking of using it in Gantzs dimension? Yes, Im going to look for the Gantz black spheres technology in the world of Gantz. Chen Chen affirmed. The plot in the comics has revealed everything. The black sphere is created by the human government and the Gantz black spheres even have a dedicated assembly line. As for the source of technology, it came from an alien civilization that was about to be destroyed. Before being destroyed, they sent their scientific and technological data to Earth through an information channel. Thus, those empty rooms came about as well as the amazing teleporting and human replicating technology. But now it appears that the Gantz spheres technology is still incomplete. For the black sphere to teleport humans, it needs the support of other facilities. This would be the technology we must look for in Gantzs dimension. Nonetheless, theres a whole planet over there. Without any transportation, itd be difficult to move around. With that, Chen Chen temporarily closed the channel that was connected to Gantz. According to Chen Chens previous testing, the portal opening had a certain degree of repeatability, allowing temporary closure. As long as no other channel was opened, the previous channel would be retained. Moreover, using the first form of the USB drive to extract items would not affect the reopening of the said portal. At this time, following the discussion between the two, Elysium Space was downloaded again. Meanwhile, Chen Chen used the method of extraction to directly obtain the red Bugatti from the movie. In an instant, a dark red car, over four meters long and less than two meters tall, appeared in their reality out of thin air. This car was entirely streamlined, just like an actual red sports car, but the only difference from a sports car was that it had no tires. Only the two plasma pulse booster engines at the rear were in charge of breaking free of gravity. The interior of the car had four seats, of which there was a main drivers seat on the right and three passenger seats on the left. It could carry a total of four passengers. In the movie, the protagonist used a delayed explosive gun to fire a bullet into the opponents engine when they were taking off. When the opponent was about to enter the supersonic state, he detonated the bullet and caused the spaceship to crash outside the city. This also showed that this kind of spacecraft was only an ordinary civilian model and did not have advanced protection capabilities. Of course, there were also military spaceships with protective capabilities in the movie, but their sizes were far beyond what Chen Chen could extract. Chen Chen patted the car-like spaceship and said, Bring the pressure sensor and weigh this car. Immediately, a Black Knight brought the pressure sensor over and everyone worked together to lift the spacecraft onto the sensor, then measured its weight at once. The weight of this Bugatti-Folge spaceship was unexpectedly light, only about 1400kg, which was less than a ton and a half. Its almost the same weight as a Medpod 3000. Chen Chen did some silent calculations but was not reassured and he asked Little X, How about it? Can I enter the world of Gantz fully equipped and with the spaceship? After calculation, the power left in the USB drive isnt a problem, but the only problem is that, after the spaceship is brought into Gantzs world, it cant be brought back to reality because there isnt sufficient energy for its return. That is, for this mission to Gantz, the spaceship must be abandoned regardless of mission outcome. Chen Chen was silent for a while before nodding. Understood. You can insert your clone X-112 into the Bugatti Spaceship and let it take charge of piloting. This time Ill go there myself. Got it. Little X knew that it could not stop Chen Chen, but still said, Please be careful. Dont worry, as long as I dont encounter the type of sculptures that were in Elysium or if theyre not in an active state, Ill be fine. Chen Chen shook his head serenely. And dont worry about aliens or anything like that. The ruins of Tokyo have already told us that Earth is already in the state of an extinct civilization. If it were occupied by aliens, this wouldnt be how it looks like At this point, Chen Chen himself opened the portal to the dimension of Gantz. This time, he also wore a GS Combat Suit in addition to a PK Armor before he walked into the channel with the two Black Knights. Behind the two Black Knights, the small Bugatti Spaceship also floated up amid the buzzing of its engines and drifted toward the passage In the next moment, the black light had swallowed their figures. Chapter 292 - Abnormality It was that familiar sensation again. As soon as he entered the channel, Chen Chen was overcome by a sense of weightlessness. At the same time, his eyes seemed to lose their vision and his ears lost their hearing. In other words, Chen Chen lost all sense of his body, leaving nothing but an intangible consciousness, floating in the endless darkness Nonetheless, this feeling only lasted for a moment and the next second, Chen Chens eyes saw light again. At this moment, he was already standing on a pile of rubble. Next to him, there were two other Black Knights and the small Bugatti Spaceship that had followed behind. The Black Knight who had come beforehand was standing quietly before him. Click, click, click Chen Chens six scanners quickly popped out of his back and scanned the surroundings swiftly, but only detected a few wild cats and dogs in the ruins. Everything else was normal. Drone. After that, Chen Chen said softly. At Chen Chens command, the four M-1 drones upon the Bugatti Spaceship took off in silence. As they took off, their shape quickly turned blurry. By the time they had flown for dozens of meters, these four drones had completely blended into the air and vanished without a trace. The drones were much faster than humans at searching. After a few minutes, the four drones had examined everything within one kilometer. This was all sensed by X-112, the clone of Little X, who duly reported each update. Sir Commander, no signs of human activities have been found within one kilometer. Theres only a large number of animals and plants Expand the range and find out what the conditions are like within ten kilometers, Chen Chen ordered. After the order was issued, the drones moved toward the unknown to explore further. During the drone exploration, Chen Chen jumped off the ruins and walked toward a nearby apartment that had not collapsed. Although this apartment was already entangled in vines, it was made of conventional reinforced concrete instead of ordinary wooden boards. Therefore, the structure had not collapsed under the assault of wind and rain over many years. The original glass doors of the apartment had been damaged long ago. It was dark and empty inside, like a gaping abyss. As Chen Chen and the three Black Knights entered, a cloud of dust was stirred up by the breeze. Chen Chen squatted and touched the ground. A thick layer of ash had accumulated. Based on the thickness of this blanket of ash, no one had entered this place for decades. Even after seeing this, Chen Chen still did not take the situation lightly but walked in cautiously. After that, he let a Black Knight take the lead as they looked through each room in the apartment. This apartment had five floors, each of which had ten rooms in a row, connected by a corridor. At both ends of the corridor were stairs leading up and down. This was the simplest layout for apartment buildings. All the doors in the apartment were anti-theft doors made of alloy, which had remained intact for so long. However, most of the anti-theft doors on the first and second floors exhibited signs of damage. It seemed that someone had forcibly broken in. Even so, those marks were very old as well. After walking around these rooms, Chen Chen did not find anything special. There was nothing else but some rotten furniture. Chen Chen even found a wallet that had not been taken away in time, with a large amount of cash still inside. However, all food-related items had disappeared. In other words, the people who broke in later took only the food, but not the money. Chen Chen reflected out loud, In that case, someone mustve pried open these doors and broke into the apartment after the government collapsed. These people had adapted to a world of anarchy. They were searching for food all over the place, yet they wouldnt spare a glance for money. After silently imprinting this clue into his mind, Chen Chen moved past these opened doors and walked toward the highest floor of the apartment. Those who broke in must have had plenty of options, yet they only pried open the doors on the first and second floors. Starting from the third floor, only a few doors were pried open and most of them were intact. There were even fewer doors that were pried open on the fourth floor and by the fifth floor, none of the doors had been pried open. After noticing this, Chen Chen no longer hesitated. He beckoned and a Black Knight immediately stepped forward and tugged violently at the first door that had rusted long ago. There was the sound of metal being twisted, then a loud bang. The door was forcibly opened by the Black Knight. These Black Knights were like mini supermen who were perfectly fused with the T-virus in the first place. After they put on the GS Combat Suits and the PK Armor, their power was augmented to a terrifying point. Twisting open a rusty iron door was a walk in the park. When the door was opened, the sound of splitting metal ruptured the ancient silence of this apartment. The sound rippled into the distance, echo after echo At this point, Chen Chen frowned because he suddenly realized that this apartment seemed a bit too quiet. It was unlike the ruins that he had just come from. There, after just a glance with his PK Armors infrared vision, he could detect many insects and a few wild animals. However, in this apartment, forget about wild animals, there was not even a single insect chirp. Something is wrong. Chen Chen took a step back abruptly and said, Lets withdraw! Without any hesitation, the Black Knight who had just opened the anti-theft door followed Chen Chen down the stairs. Along the way, Chen Chen could not help but feel his nerves tensing up. He felt that even the air had solidified for some reason. There seemed to be something in this apartment, which was slowly awakening after the noise they made. Is it just in my head? Or Chen Chen felt cold sweat drenching his back. He had not seen anything but for some reason, he felt his hair standing on end. This chill crawling down his spine made him bite the bullet and quickly flee from the apartment. Only when they had gotten out of the area of the apartment did Chen Chen slowly exhale. The heavy feeling had faded gradually after he left the apartment. He could not tell what kind of feeling it was. The air seemed to be weighed down by something heavy. The atmosphere that was once light and relaxed became as sluggish as a swamp, turning into a more suffocating pressure. This was something that only Chen Chen could feel. It was just that this feeling was rather indefinite. Chen Chen could not help but glance down at the PK Armor he was wearing. It seemed that this armor had blocked off his feeling, only What kind of feeling was that? Chen Chen frowned. He could tell that this feeling did not arise from the five senses, so it must have been an instinctive mental reaction to a part of reality. Strictly speaking, it should fall under the category of his sixth sense. In other words, Ive sensed something that Ive never noticed before and whatever it was caused a direct response in my mind, resulting in a sense of danger? This feeling was not groundless. Rather, it was more subconscious. For example, when Chen Chen scanned the area just now, he had observed many animals living in the ruins. Although the surroundings were deserted, they were full of life. However, after entering the apartment, although Chen Chen had overlooked the presence of those small animals out of habit, the difference in the surroundings still put his subconscious on guard. Thus, Chen Chens conscious mind would only feel that something was off, without being able to pinpoint what exactly. It was only in the next moment that the subconscious mind realized what was wrong the small animals around were gone. Only then did Chen Chen experience a shocking realization and he left the apartment quickly. Thinking of this, Chen Chen turned around again and looked at the apartment behind him. Even so, when he got a good look, his pupils shrank furiously! At some point, all the doors in the apartment had been opened It was as if the apartment was waking up from a deep sleep. It had opened its dense rows of eyes, staring vacantly at Chen Chen who was standing before it Chapter 293 - Investigation Gasp This sight caused Chen Chen to inhale sharply. The scanners on his back seemed to sense that their wearer was emotionally disturbed and popped out once again, scanning the surroundings frantically. Even so, no matter what they did, they could not detect any signs of life in the apartment in front of them Lets retreat further. Without any hesitation, Chen Chen took the initiative to retreat again, until they were back at the portal from which they came. Only then did Chen Chen secretly heave a sigh of relief. Following that, with his right hand, Chen Chen quickly pressed a button on his left arm. There was a beep and a jet injector shot out into the air. Chen Chen grabbed the injector while he tilted his neck. At once, a small piece of armor on his neck popped open, exposing the airtight membrane. After that, Chen Chen directly inserted the jet injector into the membrane! Hiss! A thin stream of liquid was injected directly into Chen Chens vein. About thirty seconds later, Chen Chen felt his mind clear up. The initial feeling of being spooked quickly faded, leaving only an endless flow of speculations and reflections in his mind. How interesting Chen Chen supported his chin in one hand, wordlessly stared at the apartment a hundred meters away, then looked at the Bugatti Spaceship beside him. X-112, did you see when the doors were opened just now? I didnt. X-112 replied, I pulled up the visual signals of the three Black Knights beside you. Just now, when you left, there were 5.3 seconds when everyone looked away from the apartment. Thus, theres a hundred percent chance that the doors in the apartment were opened within these 5.3 seconds. Chen Chen nodded. He had thought as much. The Black Knights needed to be constantly vigilant, so it was impossible for them to keep their eyes fixed on the apartment behind. However, the rusty doors of the apartment were opened silently, which was something ordinary people could not do. First of all, there was no electricity in the apartment. Chen Chen was very sure of this. Even if there were electricity, the doors were specially equipped with switches, which would open automatically as long as they were powered on. Nonetheless, what happened just now would not have been possible. This was because those rusty doors could no longer be opened with electricity. Even if they were opened, they could not be opened without a sound. Chen Chen directly discarded the possibility that the doors were controlled by an electric switch. However, if it was not controlled by someone, then what was it? Chen Chen narrowed his eyes out of habit. He had to admit that this was no longer a question that could be solved by taking NZT-48. The end of civilization in this dimension was caused by some existence and it was very likely that this apartment behind him was related to all this. Is this situation similar to Elysiums dimension? Chen Chen shook his head. At this moment, the voice of X-112 came from the PK Armors communication device again. Sir Commander, the M-1 drones have examined the general circumstances within a radius of ten kilometers. We found thirteen human skeletons exposed on the street. Can the animals and plants be detected? Chen Chen asked again, Can you turn on the cameras thermal imaging mode and search for animals in the ruins? We can try. In accordance with Chen Chens order, the four drones switched to thermal imaging mode and started the exploration mission again. As they were exploring, a map with a radius of about ten kilometers around Chen Chens location was also gradually taking shape. This map was directly transmitted to Chen Chens armor. The PK Armor had a unique AR system that could directly project images on Chen Chens retina. Currently, at the lower right corner of Chen Chens field of vision was the map that was taking shape from the drones relentless exploration. When the map was formed, Chen Chen did not continue to move, but kept quiet and stayed in place while paying close attention to the small animals around him. In Chen Chens opinion, since these small animals could thrive so abundantly after the extinction of humans, it should be possible to prove that the thing that had wiped out humans was harmless to animals and plants. No, maybe it was not harmless, just that these little animals could keenly detect the presence of that thing and evade it in advance. As Chen Chen considered this, half an hour later, the four drones finally scanned everything within ten kilometers. Chen Chen clicked on the map at the lower right corner and the map was immediately enlarged. It was translucent and occupied Chen Chens entire field of vision. There were densely packed squares scattered over it. Each square represented a building. It was like an actual birds-eye view of a metropolis. When he zoomed in on the map, a large number of small red dots appeared. Still, most of these red dots were dark red or orange-red and some were orange or even bright yellow. These red dots were all over the entire map. At first glance, they seemed to be scattered at random like stars in the sky, with no pattern to speak of. These little red dots were all wild animals hiding in the buildings or ruins. The brighter the red dot, the larger their bodies. The dark red dots might be mice and birds while the red-orange and orange ones were wild cats and dogs. The bright yellow, which was the brightest color, would be a medium or large creature such as cattle and sheep. X-112, based on the density of wild animals, divide the area explored into squares with sides of 100x100m, then categorize the density into four levels. Chen Chen thought for a while and continued. For the first level, the number of wild animals in the square area is greater than five and the area is represented by the color blue; the second level, where the number of wild animals in the area is greater than two, is represented by yellow; the third level will have a number of wild animals in the area that is greater than one, represented by dark red; the fourth level, where the number of wild animals in the area is zero, is represented by bright red. Understood. As X-112 executed the order, the map in front of Chen Chen became separated by a series of shallow dotted lines. The entire map which had a diameter of about 4 kilometers was divided into 1500 tightly packed squares. After that, these squares began to change color rapidly. After the map had fully changed color, Chen Chen suddenly narrowed his eyes. He noticed that on this map, there were many individual red areas and dark red areas, but these were indeed scattered here and there in a disorderly jumble. Only three spots displayed the most regularity all three of them consisted of a bright red center with edges that were dark red, further edges that were yellow, and an outermost fringe of blue. X-112, perform calculative corrections to the map. Chen Chen ordered again. After Chen Chens order, most of the random reds and yellows disappeared from the map in front of him. Those locations were either empty roads or open spaces without any houses. The scarcity of animals in these spots was not an abnormal phenomenon. Only the three locations, with an area of several thousand square meters, were highlighted. One of the abnormal locations was the apartment building that Chen Chen just entered As I thought. Looking at the map before him, Chen Chen smiled placidly, displaying a look of realization. These three locations must be some kind of restricted zone to life forms. Now that he had ascertained the security of his surroundings, Chen Chen was not apprehensive anymore. He directly boarded the Bugatti Spaceship. X-112, take me to the location where you found the human skeletons while keeping away from those three abnormal areas, as well as those small red areas that still remain after the map was corrected. Very well! X-112 replied decisively. Chapter 294 - A Strange Diary After they flew for only two or three minutes, the spaceship landed on an empty, crumbling street. This was a wide crossroads. Chen Chen remembered that the movies from the East China Sea Continent would always begin with an opening shot of crossroads like this one during rush hours. The massive traffic flow and the heavy crowds on both sides of the road created a bustling, fast-paced scene. As the green light flashed, the traffic that was as majestic as a river appeared to be interrupted by an invisible force. The flow of people, packed like sardines on both sides of the road, suddenly surged past like a flood, moving out of this thriving city scene. Only now, the endless traffic that used to be there was no longer there and the throngs of people had disappeared, leaving only the dilapidated streets and vines spreading everywhere. As Chen Chen walked out of the spaceship, he immediately saw a skeleton on the side of the road. It was practically a part of the soil. This corpse had been dead for a long time and only the jumble of white bones was left. Due to the long-term effects of the weather, it was half-buried in the soil. It was likely that in a few years, it would completely sink into the soil and vanish. The bones looked like they had been frequently gnawed by animals. When he saw this, Chen Chen could not help frowning. With a corpse like this, there was nothing to learn except for the fact that this person had been dead for a long time. X-112, are all the skeletons like this? Yes. It may be because the search range is too small and the drones arent able to search inside the buildings, so no well-preserved corpses have been found for the time being. Expand the drones search and try to ascertain the conditions within a hundred kilometers by today. As he said that, Chen Chen looked at the dilapidated house fronts on both sides of the road. He reconfirmed that there were no forbidden red areas nearby, then led the Black Knights toward the house fronts. These street-side houses were all shops. In Tokyo, each inch of these shops would be worth an inch of gold, but now they had long since declined and became the homes of wild cats and dogs. Those small counters selling snacks had long been raided and Chen Chen even noticed the shattered glass smithereens and a hammer on the ground. These were all traces of the plundering. The same thing had occurred in clothing stores and tool stores. Conversely, the ones that nobody was interested in were the most expensive jewelry stores and the banks that used to be filled with people. Chen Chen simply asked the three Black Knights to explore on their own. As they searched through the shops, Chen Chen soon found what he was looking for. A well-preserved dried male corpse. When he heard this from X-112, Chen Chen walked into an office building and found a corpse that had turned as dried as bacon long ago, in a room on the third floor. Nonetheless, it was different from the exposed corpses outside. This office was sealed shut and there were no windows open, so the corpse that had been dead for many years still remained as it was before its death. The corpse remained sprawled over the desk, seeming to be asleep, but it was wearing an outdoor jacket. The clothing itself had withered to tatters long ago due to the liquid seeping out of the decayed corpse. Beside the table, there was an opened package with a coil of rope, as well as daggers and other tools scattered on the ground. There was even an open military canteen by one side. This corpse entered this office alone when he was alive, then took a nap on his desk, but unexpectedly, after falling asleep, he never woke up again. The closed office had preserved perfectly the scene of the corpses death. After a brief evaluation, Chen Chen promptly figured out the time when the corpse died. The person that was once this corpse had died four to five years ago, and the age of that person had only been about 30 years old. Did he die suddenly at such a young age? Chen Chen frowned instinctively. There seemed to be something more to the corpse in front of him. Thinking of this, he made a quick gesture and the Black Knight on the side immediately came forward and began to rifle through the body while another Black Knight looked through the corpses package. Soon, the first Black Knight found a portable tool bag in the pocket of the corpse. In the tool bag, there was also a book that was similar to a diary. Chen Chen took the palm-sized book, opened it gently, and was greeted by a line of scribbled Japanese. After taking NZT-48, Chen Chen could easily master various foreign languages. Therefore, he often set aside time to learn some of the most common or more conventional languages in the world including ancient Greek, Latin, and Japanese. Presently, as Chen Chen looked at the words, he could swiftly read out these Japanese lines: 26 March 2028. Weather: fine. I must continue working hard today! Now is my favorite time dinnertime. Im about to begin eating. Todays meal is the canned beef that Daitetsu-kun brought back from the city. I cant believe that Daitetsu-kun is so kind. Hes willing to share with us the canned beef he obtained after risking life and limb. I must remember Daitetsu-kuns kindness! After reading the first page, Chen Chen could not help frowning. This was indeed a diary and it was also the thing in which the corpse in front of him had recorded the dates and trivial matters of life. However, it did not mention any information that Chen Chen wanted to know. Still, seeing that there were a few more pages, Chen Chen turned to the second page and continued reading. 16 April 2028. Weather: rain. Lets do this, lets go! After changing to a new diary, I found that I was gradually losing the habit of writing a diary. Perhaps its because Ive been softened by how safe and comfortable life was recently? But theres no other way. Im still too weak to help everyone. Fortunately, everyone is working hard to survive! On the second page, there was still no valuable information. The only information was that the corpse before Chen Chen had probably joined a group during this time. Did they band together to survive? Chen Chen shook his head and continued to turn to the third page. What followed next was also some daily affairs. As long as there was no vital information, Chen Chen would just skim it. It was only near the end that he was suddenly attracted by an entry 2 September 2028. Weather: fine. Lets do this! Todays a sunny day as well! Its been a long time since I wrote an entry. Ever since it started to happen all over the world, the glorious civilization of mankind has completely fallen. The remaining survivors inherit the will of the deceased and struggle to live on. Im no different but lately, Ive suddenly had a bad premonition because I have had nightmares for two consecutive nights. Each night Ill dream of something terrible Haha, it should be just a coincidence. I wont have that dream again tonight. I wont. It? What was it? Chen Chen eagerly read on and flipped to the next page, which was the day after this entry. 3 September 2028. Weather: fine. I really cant believe it! Why? Why did I have that nightmare again last night? It shouldnt be. Its just made-up, right? It must be a coincidence Ando, please dont frighten yourself! It must be just a coincidence. I will not have that nightmare again tonight. I must be strong! Chapter 295 - It” Did he see something in his dream? Upon reading these two entries, Chen Chen immediately discovered something unusual. This man named Ando seemed to be afraid of his own dreams. According to the diarys description, he had had the same dream for three consecutive nights and this dream seemed to signify something. It seemed to be signifying something dreadful. In other words, this was that it Chen Chen wore a thoughtful look, but he did not dwell too long on this. In any case, the answer should be found in the next few pages. Thus, Chen Chen flipped to the next page. 4 September 2028!!! D*mn it, I had that dream again last night. Its that woman with disheveled hair. Shes getting closer and closer to me! D*mn it, d*mn it! On the first day, she was still outside the door, but last night she was already standing by the head of my bed. I could even see her white eyes, d*mn d*mn d*mn d*mn d*mn d*mn!!! I darent tell Daitetsu-kun about all this. Otherwise, if everyone knows about this, Ill be kicked out of the team. Im only 30 this year I havent lived enough of life. I dont want to die! Woman with disheveled hair? White eyes? A dream that continued where it left off? After reading this paragraph, Chen Chen narrowed his eyes in response. He glanced at the corpse in front of him again and observed how the corpse was sprawled quietly across the desk. Its face shrank into a pucker, its mouth turned into a black hole due to the loss of moisture At this moment, Chen Chen suddenly realized that the hideous expression of this corpse was not caused by postmortem shrinking, but rather, that the person had seen something extremely terrifying when he was alive, which resulted in this look Chen Chen stepped back subconsciously. Something was weird about this corpse Chen Chen turned to the next page again: 5 September 2028. Weather: fine. Ive left the team Kotetsu-kun and Sakura-ko and the rest. They drove me out, but I know that this isnt their fault. It was I who caused everyone trouble. Ive made preparations for my death. I didnt sleep last night, so now I have to stay active all the time. Otherwise, if Im not moving, my eyelids will start becoming heavy. I dont know how long I can hold on. Maybe I can try to sleep for a short five minutes and wake up before the next move has been made. Perhaps I might be able to escape death in this manner? Still, Im terrified. Ill probably die, right? And after being kicked out of the team, how long can I last by myself? On this page, the handwriting started to become smudged. When the author wrote this passage, he was crying the entire time. Chen Chen instinctively flipped the page again but was taken aback to see that the diary was completely blank after this. This diary was cut off on 5 September 2028. Chen Chen could not believe this at first, so he turned to the back pages again, but they were all blank. This was the last time the person had written his diary. That was to say, it was either because in the following period, he was in no mood to write an entry as he was attempting to avoid the dream or he had not even had time to write anything before he died right here Chen Chen looked at the corpse again with a pensive look. Could it be that this corpse in front of Chen Chen was killed by his own dream? It, continuous nightmare, woman with disheveled hair In this diary, from beginning to end, the man named Ando never mentioned what was it that had destroyed human civilization, but only alluded to it by saying it. These three key phrases comprised all the information that was revealed in the diary. However, based on his tone, this it he mentioned that destroyed human civilization seems to be different from the nightmare he encountered. Chen Chen pondered out loud, Or maybe the nightmare he had was a part of it? There was still too little information. Chen Chen did not learn much that was useful. With this in mind, Chen Chen took a long final look at the corpse, then gestured to everyone. The three Black Knights followed Chen Chen and left the office. Next, Chen Chen simply asked the three Black Knights to split up, each searching a floor, to look for new clues as quickly as possible. Although it was like looking for a needle in a haystack, what Chen Chen was facing was a whole lost world after all. There was no other way except this most straightforward method. Even so, fortunately, this office building was not as eerie as the previous apartment. After the Black Knights split up into three, they did not encounter any abnormalities. Instead, as the search continued, more and more bodies were found. When Chen Chen received the updates and came to the fifth floor of the office building, he immediately saw the word Bvlgari that was carved in large Japanese characters upon the door using green and yellow acrylic panels. Chen Chen still remembered that this was an internationally renowned luxury brand. Nonetheless, that level of prosperity had long since vanished with the passing of human civilization. At this time, in the office hall that should have been extraordinarily lively, there were five withered corpses lying in disorder on the floor. It was clear that these five corpses were older than that Ando guy, much older. They were practically air-dried and blackened, looking like lumps of charcoal, full of indescribable, grotesque wrinkles. Based on their clothes, the five bodies had all been women. Without Chen Chen having to give an order, the three Black Knights squatted and started searching for clues on the bodies. However, this time Chen Chen was disappointed. There was nothing on these corpses. Even so, Chen Chen noticed that these five corpses all had one common feature. That was, if one lifted them while maintaining the posture they had when they died, one would find that their faces were all turned in the same direction Chen Chen looked in the direction where the five corpses had looked. It was the floor-to-ceiling window opposite the elevator. At this time, the floor-to-ceiling window was no longer as clear as it used to be as it was covered in dust and fallen leaves. Still, Chen Chen could just about see the world outside through the glass. The external world was blank. There were only the buildings on the opposite side of the road and the old mottled billboards that were near collapse. Other than that, there was nothing outside the window. In other words, these five women seemed to have seen the same thing, but when they saw that thing, it also harvested their lives? Chen Chen murmured. Thinking of this, Chen Chens eyes flashed decisively. Then he pulled out the GS Blade that was hanging over his PK Armor and flicked it lightly. Suddenly, the GS Blade that had only been a handle in his hand ejected a ten-centimeter-long blade. After that, Chen Chen squatted directly and cut the belly of one of the female corpses. The GS Blade came with a high-frequency shock effect. Even though the corpse in front of him had hardened into a tough leather-like substance, Chen Chen only had to swipe lightly to cut it open at once. However, after cutting it open, Chen Chen discovered that everything inside the corpse was as usual. Although it had been thoroughly air-dried, the shape of the organs from when they were alive could still be vaguely seen. This meant that these corpses did not die from some internal injury, but something else. Chapter 296 - Autopsy Still concerned, Chen Chen pried open the skull of the corpse again. He saw that the brain inside the skull had shrunk into substances resembling a walnut and there were no signs of external damage to be seen. Chen Chen spent several minutes performing an autopsy on the corpse but still was not able to find any vivid signs of injuries. There were hardly any scratches or bruises to be found. There were no signs of organ or brain damage inside the corpse either. This suggested that these corpses may have died an abrupt death. Otherwise known as sudden death. In common terms, the definition of sudden death referred to cases where an otherwise usually healthy person suddenly succumbed to a natural disease within a short period. There were two types of such natural diseases: Sudden Cardiac Death and Non-sudden Cardiac Death. However, it had to be noted that these corpses had dried out for extended periods. Their organs had displayed signs of corrosion prior to drying out, but without access to professional equipment, Chen Chen could not determine the precise cause of death of these corpses. He could only conclude that they had died of sudden death. Could this mean that this is something that causes sudden death just by seeing it? Chen Chen furrowed his eyebrows. He considered for a moment before switching the PK Armor to thermal imaging mode, which gave him vision similar to what was seen in Predator. Unlike regular thermal imaging which only displayed heat radiation in large blobs, the thermal imaging of the PK Armor provided finer details, even surpassing details that were otherwise glimpsed by the naked eye. Under the effect of the NZT-48, it only took Chen Chen several minutes to adapt to this vision system. The only question was, would this be able to help him negate the instant death upon sight rule? As Chen Chen followed down the path, he felt a crushing weight set upon his once relaxed mood. Of all the large dimensions he had been to, the dimension of Gantz was the strangest of them all. It was somehow stranger than Elysium. Furthermore, this dimension was unlike Elysium which was equipped with advanced technology and used a central system AI to oversee the day-to-day activities of humans, where he could get a grasp of all of the ongoings by taking over the central system. This dimension was hardly any different from the real world. While Chen Chen was occupied with his thoughts, he suddenly saw a corpse holding onto a phone. He immediately lit up at the prospect and took the phone while he had the Black Knights continue searching the room. Meanwhile, he returned to the Bugatti Spaceship where he used a cable to connect it with the spaceship. After charging it for a short while, he managed to reboot the phone that had been shut down for many years at this point. The moment it was turned on, X-112 immediately infiltrated its system and quickly lifted all permission restrictions while also thoroughly inspecting it. Successfully extracted social media software chat logs, currently scanning Message scanned, filtering content for valuable information The phone was powered off on 3 June 2025. When was the calamity? Chen Chen asked without skipping a beat. By calamity, he was referring to the time which the aliens officially invaded, which happened in the latter half of the comic plot. It was in 2000. X-112 replied, According to the chat logs extracted from the LINE software, the aliens invaded during the year 2000. They would later be defeated by Kei Kurono and the other black sphere forces who would go on to restore the peace of mankind. The peace lasted for twenty-five years until the moment this phone was powered off. This is all the information I was able to extract from the chat logs. I cannot investigate any further due to lack of Internet. Can you communicate with the satellites? Chen Chen asked again, Even if mankind vanished, some of the satellites should still be operating for several years at least. Unable to establish a connection with any satellite signal, they may have malfunctioned, X-112 replied again. Chen Chen tipped his head in response before continuing. In that case, dispatch the drones to be on the lookout for a data center in Tokyo. If we can find a data center, we should be able to acquire plenty of information. Understood. X-112 responded, Ill remain alert. After that, they uncovered more corpses. The Black Knights went through every nook and cranny of the office building, finding more than hundreds of corpses in the process. Most of these corpses had dried out while some of the corpses in poorer condition had long since corroded and turned into skull remnants. One thing Chen Chen could be sure of was that they all had died at the same time. The instrument of their death was a shocking one. They must have seen something outside the window at the same time which instantly triggered this sudden death phenomenon. Returning to the spaceship, Chen Chen went through the diary again while he further contemplated his findings. Based on his current observations, all of the corpses discovered so far had died at the same time. The only exception was this Ando who left behind the diary. Based on the contents of the diary, the downfall of human civilization began since it came to the world. Could this be a strong indication that the it mentioned in the diary was directly connected to the sudden death of the people in the office building? Meanwhile, Ando had survived the first wave of death and had become one of the survivors as he had described themselves in the diary. These survivors even managed to form a small group to survive together in the end times. After that, there was a chronicle of Andos nightmares. Chen Chen knitted his eyebrows together. He could not find any mention of the source of the nightmares in the diary. However, upon reading between the lines, he figured out that the group was also aware of this frequent nightmare phenomenon. They had mercilessly expelled Ando from the group once they found out he was having these nightmares. Why would they exile him, was it out of fear of Chen Chen suddenly thought of something, he flicked an eyebrow. Infection? However, Chen Chen debunked his theory as soon as he had conjured it. Impossible, Ive never heard of such a thing as a contagious nightmare. But Ando didnt mention anything about why he was having these nightmares nor did he try to look for the source of these nightmares and how he rid himself of them. Could it be that they believed there was no cure for these nightmares? Unfortunately, Ando did not have a phone with him. Still, that was to be expected since despite having survived several years longer, Ando was already living in the end times. It was the post-civilization world where all electronics were rendered useless since they had run out of battery. Mobile phones were no exception to this rule. Except that there seemed to be something too peculiar about this devastating world After the Black Knights surveyed the entire office building, Chen Chen had them continue searching further down the street. Shortly after, they arrived at a high-rise residential area. Searching the residential area took more effort than the office building but the findings were more worthwhile as well. The Black Knights produced new findings very quickly. When Chen Chen received the Black Knights report and walked into one of the units, he immediately saw the state of the mess the house was in. Chapter 297 - Corpse of the Hanged Lady It was a middle-class residential area. There were 3 units in total, each one of them was 33-stories tall. Each one of these units housed two households on each floor, where each household came with two bedrooms and a living room area. At the present, Chen Chen had stepped into the tenth floor of one of the units. The entrance to the apartment was effortlessly cut down using the GS Blade. Upon entering, Chen Chen saw countless food packaging littered across the living room floors. They were sprinkled with many scrap papers, pieces of cloth, and various waste. A sofa that had been broken down into an almost unrecognizable form was set behind the door. All of the fabric had been cut off from it and pasted on to the windows. Yes, all of the windows were obscured using pieces of fabric and newspaper. There was hardly any source of light in the room. Sparse glimpse of rays slipped through the gaps on the window and cast a depressing and strange aura into the room. Windows again? Chen Chen squinted his eyes upon witnessing this scene. After that, Chen Chen proceeded to head inside. Very quickly, he saw the figure of a person through the open bedroom door. It was a figure with its head drooped in an unnatural angle, drooped over its withered body was a set of pajamas that were so dirty that its color was indistinguishable. It was a lady hanging from the ceiling. The ladys appearance had long become unrecognizable. The only thing about her that left a strong impression on Chen Chen was her hair that had become this bizarre clump of substance like wool felt, probably caused by it having gone unwashed for some time. This lady had killed herself. Chen Chen only had several peeks at it before he went into the other room. Just like the living room and the other bedroom, the windows were blocked out with pieces of fabric and newspaper as well, there was hardly any gap to be seen. The floor was littered with plastic packaging of all sorts of junk food. Sure enough, this lady had lived in this place for quite some time. Taking note of this fact, Chen Chen went to the toilet. When he pulled open the toilet door, he saw the floor covered in excrement. Even the toilet bowl was filled to the brim with excrement. Chen Chen seemed completely unbothered by the excrement in the toilet as he went to the faucet to turn it on. Not a single drop of water came out. These sorts of apartments usually came with a water storage tank. Since no water came out, that meant it had all been used up. The foul toilet, empty faucet, and a floor littered with empty food packaging. Everything he saw here seemed to point toward the lady having lived here for a significant period. Chen Chen had the Black Knights search for anything that may resemble a diary to see if he could find anything worthwhile, but the results of the search would disappoint him. It seemed that this lady had just been scraping by a day at a time and did not keep a habit of writing a diary. Just as Chen Chen figured that there were no clues to be found in this place and prepared to leave, a section of the wall beside the corpse suddenly caught his attention. There were marks on the walls on the other side of the bedroom which suggested they may have been beaten in. Chen Chen slowly approached and touched it delicately. The tips of his fingers grazed against several pits formed by hard objects bashing against the wall. Even some of the debris in the wall was cracked. After that, Chen Chen shuffled his feet around the layer of trash piled up around his feet. Very soon after, he felt the soles of his boots knocking against a hard object which produced a rhythmical rolling sound upon being kicked. It was a dark yellow hardwood baseball bat. It was apparent that the caved-in pits on the wall were left behind by this baseball bat. With this in mind, Chen Chen went to the other bedroom and saw the same marks left behind on the wall of the bedroom as well Interesting Chen Chen muttered to himself. Upon closer inspection, he realized that following the floorplan layout, these two bedrooms were located on the west side of the east wing. This meant that the bedroom walls were shared between the two adjacent apartment units Was she trying to smash through the wall to enter the adjacent unit? Chen Chen knitted his brows curiously. There was no doubt in his mind that this method would lead to nowhere. No matter how strong a person was, there was simply no way to penetrate a wall without the proper tools, especially if the subject at hand was a lady wielding nothing but a baseball bat. Only a fool would even attempt to ram through a wall using a mere baseball bat. However, if not to penetrate the wall, what else could the hanged ladys intentions be? While Chen Chen stood motionlessly before the wall, he suddenly noticed patches of black marks on the wall in addition to the caved-in pits. Since he was wearing the PK Armor, the marks were only around Chen Chens chest height. They were pitch-black textures. Based on the location, they appeared to be located around the deceaseds height. Perhaps she frequently put her face against the wall while she was still alive? An idea suddenly came to Chen Chen as he put his head down slightly. With both hands placed against the wall, he turned his head sideways and put his face against the black marks on the wall. Although he was wearing the PK Armor, there was no mistaking this position. This position implied Eavesdropping? Chen Chen suddenly made the connection. The deceased was regularly trying to spy on movements coming from the adjacent unit. Could there be some sort of clues in the adjacent unit? With this in mind, Chen Chen quickly took the Black Knights with him as they exited the unit and went to the adjacent unit on the west wing. Previously, the Black Knights had inspected the west wing and failed to find any object of interest. When Chen Chen stepped into the unit, he saw that this was a regular apartment no different from the common household. There was not a soul in the unit. The furnishing was normal, so were the bedrooms and the layout. There was nothing peculiar about it whatsoever. Chen Chen stepped right into the bedroom of the west wing unit. The layout of the east wing and west wing unit were completely identical. The only notable distinction was that the two were symmetrical. The living room in the east wing unit was on the east side and its two bedrooms were on the west side. It was the other way round for the west wing unit, with the living room placed on the west side and the two bedrooms on the east side. As Chen Chen stepped into the bedroom, his pupils abruptly shrunk into a tiny circle! What he saw was a gigantic mark left behind by a sizable impact. The surface of the wall was nearly completely shattered, even exposing the red bricks underneath the wall! It appeared that something had been repeatedly smashing against the wall which left it in such a state. What was the deal with this? Chen Chen approached it and reached forward to touch it. There were no other remains left behind apart from the smashed wall. Once again, Chen Chen went to the other bedroom and saw the same image as he saw in the previous bedroom. There was nothing else notable apart from a shallow hole formed on the bedroom wall. Chen Chen frowned. While his mind was occupied by this bizarre observation, a message suddenly came from X-112. Sir Commander, the drones had detected signs of life while patrolling along the edges of the city! Upon hearing this, Chen Chen immediately jolted to his senses. Where is it? 8720m northeast of your current position. The target seems to be scavenging for resources on the edge of the city. Should we track him? Stay close to him but dont let him notice you, Ill be right there! Chen Chen responded immediately. He had no time for these bizarre rooms. With a quick gesture of his hands, three Black Knights immediately trailed after him as they left the area together. Following Chen Chens sudden departure, the strange rooms had once again fallen into an eerie silence. Only moments after Chen Chen had left, the corpse of the hanged lady suspended on the ceiling suddenly began to sway lightly, seemingly blown by a gentle breeze. It swayed from one side to the other as if following a set of rhythm Chapter 298 - Youngster A youngster in his mid-twenties walked along the desolate highway infested with weeds with a large army green backpack strapped to his back. He carried a sharp knife in one hand and a water bottle in the other. Potentially due to lack of grooming over a long time, the youngster wore long and untidy hair. This was complemented with uneven patches of stubble around his lips. He was not a particularly fast walker. He walked slightly slower than the average walking person. Each time he took a step, his eyes full of caution would dart across his surroundings. With the given context, this was not a particularly peculiar behavior, just common practice of a scavenger in a wasteland. What was truly eye-catching was the macaw[1] the size of half a forearm perched on the youngsters shoulder. The macaw had bright red feathers that slowly transitioned to a blue tint when they met its wings. Its posture appeared extremely alert and no matter what movements the youngster made, it remained fixed on his shoulder. It looked very intelligent as well. The young man lifted the water bottle and swallowed a mouthful of water from it, to which he let out a content sigh. After that, he glanced at his left shoulder and produced a cup which he poured half a cup of water into, which he then held up to the beak of the macaw. The macaw immediately leaned over with its head and buried itself into the cup, glugging away at the water. After the macaw on his shoulder had enough to drink, the youngster finished what was left in the cup before continuing onward. Upon paying attention to the pattern of the youngsters movements, it could be observed that he was largely sticking to the middle of the road as if instinctively keeping a distance from the dark buildings lined across both sides of the road. As the youngster continued on his path, the macaw on his shoulder suddenly became restless and cried out in what sounded like a call for caution. There was an immediate change of color on the youngsters expression. He quickly shot a look at the macaw perched on his shoulder. He saw the macaw with its head turned to an elevated position behind him while it restlessly flapped its wings about. Without sparing a moments hesitation, the youngster took a pronounced step and charged into a shop lot beside the highway. It seems the target noticed us. Meanwhile, several kilometers away, Chen Chen was just getting into the Bugatti Spaceship. X-112 immediately informed, The parrot on the targets shoulder appears to be extremely sharp. No surprise there. Due to the need for climate-induced migration, birds had developed extreme sensitivity to magnetic and electric fields. Its nothing out of the ordinary for them to detect the electromagnetic waves emitted by our drones. Chen Chen silently observed the display in front of him. The display had switched into thermal imaging mode so despite the youngster immediately retreating into the ruins, his position was still clear as day under the thermal imaging display. But I just noticed that this person seems to be making a conscious effort in sticking to the middle of the road without straying off the path. Is he abiding by some form of rule? Chen Chen suddenly mumbled to himself in a low tone. The way he saw it, if some sort of unknown object or beings were to strike the remaining surviving humans, walking on such a plain terrain was as good as asking for death. Walking on such a path was exposing yourself to countless peering eyes from all directions. You would be better off using the intertwining alley roads and streets since it would be safer. Unless Unless, he believes theres more danger lurking inside the buildings? Chen Chen turned into a frown. He suddenly remembered the apartment building he was in just now. If he were to encounter some sort of threat, it would certainly be more viable to make a quick escape in the wide-open roads. Chen Chen was starting to feel the weight of the situation. The Bugatti Spaceship continued gliding across the air, steadily approaching the survivor at the speed of 120 kilometers per hour. Something to consider was that this was the first time Chen Chen found a living person in the alternate dimension. He had opened so many passages to different dimensions and each time, he was faced with a crumbled civilization where there was not a single survivor. At one point, Chen Chen was convinced that there was not a single living soul inside the dimensions accessed from the USB drive. Or so he believed, until the youngster made his appearance and rekindled a new hope in Chen Chen. Four minutes later, Chen Chen stealthily arrived in a location a short distance away from the youngsters position. After the Bugatti Spaceship had descended, Chen Chen got off the aircraft with three Black Knights and they began heading toward the youngsters location. Even after several minutes, the young man still did not make any attempts to escape. He remained curled up under the counter inside a shop. If not for the thermal imaging device revealing the targets position, Chen Chen may have thought that the youngster had silently snuck away. Could this stealth tactic allow him to evade whatever or whoever was responsible for the destruction of this world? Chen Chen found it rather curious. Still, his feet continued pressing forward toward the direction of the shop lot. As Chen Chen and his crew pressed forward, they emanated steady rounds of footsteps which were further amplified in the idle, quiet street. From Chen Chens thermal imaging vision, he noticed the youngster trembling upon hearing their footsteps. Surely enough, he was afraid. Just as Chen Chen stepped foot into the shop lot decorated with shattered windows, the youngster finally made a move. He abruptly shot out from beneath the counter and darted further inside the building without so much as a glance at Chen Chens group! In most cases, these street-side shop lots had a back entrance. The youngster knew that there was no way he could remain hidden and decided to escape using the back door. Can you get away? Chen Chen knitted his brows and motioned with his hand. One of the Black Knights immediately took a meteoric step forward which caused the tile under his feet to shatter with a sudden crack! The Black Knight almost instantly vanished into an afterimage and launched himself forward like a bullet shot out of its chamber! The youngster felt a strong gust of wind roaring from behind him. Before he could dodge, he felt a twitch of something grabbing him from behind! Its over The youngster felt a biting cold surge across his body. He instinctively grabbed the macaw perched on his shoulder and flung it in front of him. With all the strength he could muster, he yelled, Run! Chirp, chirp! Unprepared, the parrot flapped its wings frantically in the air before landing back on the ground and charged into the darkness behind. The other two Black Knights did not try to stop it as Chen Chen had ordered them to capture the man, not the parrot. The youngster felt a tremendous force propelling him. Before he could even react, he found himself suspended mid-air. With just one arm, the Black Knight had flung the youngster backward and viciously slammed him onto the floor. Ow! The youngster yelped terribly but got back up on his feet the very next second, like a carp cast out of the water. Without sparing a thought, he rocketed toward the main entrance! However, just as he was trying to escape again, he met Chen Chen and the remaining two Black Knights head-on. The youngster immediately halted his footsteps and fell into a daze. [1] A species of parrot Chapter 299 - Fujiwara Aoki Calm down, Im one of the living. Chen Chen was compelled to give the PK Armor a gentle tap upon seeing the youngsters reaction. The armor immediately shrunk. Following a faint blue glow, the PK Armor reverted to its armguard form. After the PK Armor disappeared, Chen Chen appeared in front of the youngster wearing the GS Combat Suit. You, youre a Gantz member! The youngsters eyes grew wide upon seeing Chen Chens outfit as he glowed with disbelief. No way! Wasnt the savior Gantz troop called off by the united nation a long time ago? How could you be here? Youre certainly correct, Im a member of the Gantz. Chen Chen nodded affirmatively. The governments of each country never suspended the Gantz troops. Instead, they created countless underground training bases. We received training there in preparation for the arrival of the next calamity. The youngster revealed a look of joy which was immediately succeeded by a sorrowful expression. Its no use, human civilization has perished for five years now. When the second calamity comes, even you Gantz troops cannot do anything about it There was a subtle change in Chen Chens expression. He then said earnestly, Its a long story. There have been some issues in our underground base and nobody ever came to fix it so we were stuck and isolated from the surface for five years. This persisted for five years until we managed to pry open the entrance to the base, but we never expected to see this upon surfacing What? The youngster was shocked. Youre saying that this is your first time leaving the underground base since the second calamity? Thats right. This is only the third day since weve left the military base that weve been stuck in for five years. Our leader divided us into several teams and our team is assigned to search for clues in the East China sea area here. Chen Chen nodded. And youre the first living person we encountered. My name is Chen Chen, a member of the Mainland division of Gantz. The three teammates behind me are from the Mainland as well. Whats your name? So, youre from the Mainland, no wonder your Japanese has an accent to it. The youngster lit up and announced ceremoniously, My name is Fujiwara Aoki, you guys can just call me Aoki for short. Aoki-san it is. Chen Chen gave the young man several firm pats on the shoulder before announcing in a serious tone, This is no place for chatting, lets find some other place for that. Also, could Aoki-san give us a brief on the current situation of human civilization, please! The youngster named Fujiwara Aoki informed them to wait for him briefly. He quickly turned around and blew a whistle into the shop lot, which immediately after, the macaw walked out taking small tip taps. It looked at Chen Chen and his crew up and down for a brief moment before climbing back onto Fujiwara Aokis shoulder following his prompting. After settling down, it began grooming its ruffled feather that was messed up by its previous frantic escape. After that, following Fujiwara Aokis request, they came to the center of the road to continue their conversation. Before they began, Chen Chen noticed Fujiwara Aoki appeared to have not eaten anything for a long time. He produced several energy bars and handed them over. This gesture immediately won over Aokis trust. The vision range here is excellent. This way, we can avoid being suddenly ambushed by it Fujiwara Aoki advised while nibbling the energy bar, To be fair, its hard to get away once it locks on to you. Still, you have a good shot at escaping if youre in a wide-open street. Its better than being stuck in a desolate corner It? Chen Chen produced a diary upon hearing this mention. So, what exactly is this it youre referring to? This isnt the first time Ive heard of this. I found this diary of a deceased which speaks of it as well. Diary? Fujiwara Aokis expression changed when he saw the palm-sized black leather book Chen Chen held in his hand. A bitter smile greeted his lips. It seems like you guys dont know anything at all. Are you really reading something like a deceaseds diary? What makes you say so? Chen Chen leaned against the Bugatti Spaceship and raised the question again. Fujiwara Aoki became silent for a brief moment before starting. Its very difficult to explain everything in one go. Lets start with the second great calamity. Im sure youre all aware of the first great calamity which happened in 2000, which was thirty years ago Fujiwara Aoki began recalling the events. The aliens went all out with their wartime weapons, nearly wiping out the greater half of human civilization. They treated humans as food and turned us into livestock, imprisoning us in cages After that, our Gantz troops defeated them. Chen Chen added. Yes. In the end, you guys saved Earth along with mankind. Fujiwara Aoki nodded. But nobody ever expected that just twenty-five years after the first great calamity, the second great calamity broke out. The catalyst of this calamity stemmed from the deepest regions of the Internet Internet? Chen Chen was immediately taken aback. Thats right. On that fateful day, a picture suddenly appeared on the websites and forums across the globe. Fujiwara Aoki tipped his head. It was a strangely-shaped object, a black and white abstract pattern composed of countless spirals Fujiwara Aoki furrowed his brows together upon mentioning this. He tried his best to describe the shape of the picture, Im not sure if youve seen that picture, but I guarantee you that even if you scribble on a paper a billion or tens of billions of times, youd still have no luck reproducing it. It doesnt follow any predetermined pattern or rule. It seems to spiral and blink endlessly. It reaches deep into your mind and stirs something deep inside it. Its like touching a high voltage cable. Chen Chen could not resist asking upon hearing Fujiwara Aokis narration, So, what youre saying is that a sensory-disorientating image appeared on the Internet. What does this image do? Even after having said all that, Fujiwara Aoki could only scratch his head. I dont know what it does, but all I know is that all of the people who see this picture die instantly. Only a tiny population can withstand it What? Chen Chen was baffled. A person who sees the picture dies instantly, is this some sort of joke? The imagery of the bizarre death of the several hundred people in the office building suddenly flashed by Chen Chens mind. He realized that there was still a clear distinction between the two subjects as Fujiwara claimed that the picture had appeared online, while the people in the office building seemed to be killed by something outside the windows Im not messing with you, everything I just told you is true and Im one of the people who are immune to the picture! Fujiwara Aoki quickly defended his claims. But Ive already forgotten what the picture looks like, the people in my group cant remember either. Thats because the picture isnt something that the human mind can remember! Chapter 300 - Basilisk Serpent The lethal image first appeared on websites all over the world. It was the work of a notorious hacker organization. Thousands on websites with enormous traffic were hacked overnight and the image was stamped on the front page of these websites Fujiwara Aoki took a deep breath and suddenly chuckled. On that day, caught completely off guard, death toll exceeding the billions was tallied all across the globe. How did each government react? Chen Chen asked, Also, what did the picture turn out to be, was it deciphered later on? With it being such a major event and all, of course, the officials werent going to standby idly. Fujiwara Aoki nodded, his expression growing gloomier as he went on. The hacker organization was wiped out in just three days. No one knows where the pattern came from. The government probably does, but they wont tell us anything. As for the reason the pattern could kill people, the experts gave a detailed summary C this was a specially structured pattern. In essence, they were a string of geometric paradoxes that cannot be processed by the human brain. This creates a paradoxical chain in the human brain akin to a computer, which induces a physiological phenomenon known as G?dels shock. Upon experiencing this phenomenon, the human brain will proceed to shut down. G?dels shock. Chen Chen repeated it to himself. G?del was the greatest mathematician and logician of the 20th century and his most famous work was the renowned G?dels incompleteness theorems. Yes, many people began circulating the message that this pattern seemed to be closely related to G?dels discoveries in the field of mathematics and physiology. And so, the effect triggered by the pattern was hence named G?dels shock. Fujiwara Aoki explained, When the brain shuts down, the heart stops functioning as well, which completely kills the person. This was also the reason why the pattern which claimed billions of lives was later named Basilisk. It was formed from the fresh blood of Medusa upon her death and it possesses the same ability to petrify humans. Chen Chen nodded. The Basilisk was a mythical beast whose original form was the cobra. In ancient Greek legends, it was heralded as the deadliest poison in the world. It was a rather fitting title for the pattern which killed people on sight. In that case, how were you able to survive it? Chen Chen suddenly asked when he thought of this, Is there some sort of predetermined pattern or was it all luck? The officials claimed that it has to do with being young Fujiwara Aoki dug his head. When it happened, I was barely twenty-years-old. I was in the peak of brain development and managed to brace the effect and avoid having my brain shut down. The final statistics convey the same idea as well. Out of all age demographics, the fifteen-year-old to twenty-five-year-old demographic displayed the highest survival rate, up to ten percent. The highest is just ten percent? Chen Chen frowned. This image pattern was truly terrifying. Thats right, the chances of survival from being exposed to Basilisk is inversely proportional to ones age. Above sixty years old, the survival rate barely reaches 0.1%. Fujiwara Aoki could not help but recall the events. Even now, I still remember the events of that day. It was early in the morning and I had just woken up. When I checked online, the first thing I saw was that image. I blacked out immediately after that and only came back to my senses after half an hour. I had no idea what happened during that period. After that, I received a barrage of messages on my phone. The government began telling everyone to stay off the Internet and avoid social media apps by using text message announcements. The picture even turned into a virus. When a device becomes infected, the image will appear on the screen Three days later, incurring the combined wrath of all the governments of the world, the hacker organization was no match at all. All of the members across the world were exposed. Not a single one missing. Upon mentioning this, a touch of sarcasm appeared on Fujiwara Aokis face in the form of a smirk. At the time, we naively thought that that was the end of it. Little did we know, it was only the beginning. The luster in Fujiwara Aokis eyes slowly faded as he said this, The Internet has already been deeply integrated into the everyday lives of people all across the world. Nobody could live without it. The Basilisk picture continued circulating on the Internet, occasionally claiming new victims. Despite strict criminal laws enacted by all local governments to prohibit further spreading of the picture, they were unable to completely curb the phenomenon. At first, it was no big deal. Despite Basilisk continuing to spread online, with the combined efforts of each country, it was going to fade out eventually. Only we never expected that just a few months later, a new version of Basilisk emerged Chen Chen became immediately curious. Youre saying that a new image emerged online that has the same effect as Basilisk? Yes. Fujiwara Aoki sighed. Although we were unable to remember the intricate details of the original Basilisk pattern, we could still describe its general appearance. For example, we remembered that it consisted of hundreds of blocks of colors, all in black and white. Some of these blocks faintly depicted the outline of an eye, which was one of the reasons it was called the Basilisk. When the second image emerged, Basilisk became the formal term for these images The second picture was known as the Reaper. And why was it called the Reaper? Because according to the people who have seen it, the patterns faintly outlined the shape of the grim reaper holding the scythe, all the people who have seen it died after Died after? Chen Chen frowned. You mean the people who have seen it didnt die instantly? Yes. Fujiwara Aoki nodded. The Reaper is different from the Eye. It doesnt immediately shut down the brain. You wont have any notable reaction upon seeing it. Its only when someone mentions the picture to you when G?dels shock is triggered, killing you instantly. Hearing this, Chen Chen squinted his eyes suspiciously and asked, What is the underlying principle? I have no idea about that. Fujiwara Aoki smiled bitterly. The Reaper is just the second Basilisk picture. What followed after that was the third one, then the fourth one Nobody knows who was responsible for creating these new patterns, but by that point, the Internet was already abandoned by mankind. There was a shift in social order in which people died every day. The smartphones we used were replaced with the electronic display mobile phones we used back in the day. However, Basilisk was still continuously morphing Chapter 301 - Daisan High School However, Basilisk was still continuously morphing Fujiwara Aoki continued recalling the events. His face was nearly void of any trace of emotion, appearing to have sunken into a state of numbness. Until one day, people started noticing that it was no longer limited to just images. Even a simple passage, a string of spoken sentences, even mere contact with people could trigger a response similar to Basilisk! By that point, there was no saving the world anymore! Upon hearing this, Chen Chen was visibly shocked. When you said triggering a response similar to Basilisk, what are you referring to? Its just something Ive heard other people saying. Fujiwara Aoki snapped back to his senses. He seemed reluctant to discuss this but still gritted his teeth and resumed. Before most people could realize what was going on, they were seeing that the number of people around them was quickly dwindling and the death toll was only going up. It started with the government disappearing, then their neighbors, even their own relatives The world was rapidly deteriorating. We survivors began to group together and exchange our survival experience Fujiwara Aoki pondered briefly before going on. Some people started saying that the Basilisk image was slowly starting to evolve. It had broken free of the limitations of an image and adapted into messages of different shapes and forms. These messages had also surpassed the capability of G?dels shock and they made their victims lose their minds, sometimes their memories as well. In the end, we even received word that Basilisk was causing biological changes! Chen Chen began ruminating on everything he had heard from this man. These forms of transmission had surpassed his understanding. If not for the fact that Fujiwara Aoki was expressing himself in a lucid manner, Chen Chen may have believed that he was driven to insanity due to fear and solitary. These past five years, Basilisk is continuously evolving every day. Fujiwara Aoki muttered, At first, despite the missing government and rapidly deteriorating social order, my group and I continued heading out to scavenge every day. We still met other people, various conflicts would break out However, with each passing day, we started to notice the number of other people in the city was declining as well. It was like those people just vanished into thin air. Some of their remains can be found inside the buildings while some barely left behind their remains A wipe of fear appeared in Fujiwara Aokis eyes. On several occasions, Ive even witnessed Basilisk morphing into a new form and killing someone right before my very eyes. This one time, I was sleeping in a dormitory and it was midnight. Just as I was about to get up to head to the toilet, I suddenly saw a woman slowly emerging from the chest of my partner sleeping on the upper bunk. It was just the upper part of the woman appearing, I remembered her hair was a complete mess. She reached out with her hands and strangled my partner Chen Chens shrunken eyes instinctively darted toward the diary in his hand, seemingly realizing something. After that, I heard from another partner that the woman appeared in your dreams. Fujiwara Aoki explained, There appeared to be some sort of rule. Once you have triggered it, the woman in white will begin appearing in your dreams and shed draw closer and closer each time you dreamt of her until she appeared right in front of your bed There are plenty of similar cases. Can you imagine? That all kinds of strange occurrences had stemmed from that Basilisk image pattern? Capping his tale, Fujiwara Aoki spread his hands out helplessly. This is truly a d*mned world. This is why I said that reading the diary of a deceased is extremely dangerous because nobody could say for sure that this diary wouldnt contain any variation of those messages that triggers instant death At this point, Fujiwara Aoki had nearly told Chen Chen everything that he needed to know. Chen Chen also gained an impression of the truth of this world. Chen Chen nodded and sighed. If not for the current state of this world, I might not have believed everything you just told me. I understand. Fujiwara Aoki smiled with a crooked expression. But it is the truth, pressed under the imposing power of Basilisk, the entirety of human civilization has collapsed. Until today, Ive only met two groups of outsiders, that includes you guys. In that case, please bring me to your group. Chen Chen nodded. Id like to meet your group. This way, I can gain a better, complete understanding of the situation regarding Basilisk. Im afraid thats not possible. Fujiwara Aoki shook his head somewhat reluctantly. Your weapons are extremely advanced. There might not be many of you, but if a fight were to break out, our group is no match for you at all. Besides, Ill be kicked out of the group by the leader if I brought you guys back before getting the green light from the group. Chen Chen waved his hand. If youre worried that we harbor ill intentions, then just take me with you. I can come with you unarmed. As Chen Chen said this, he began to take off the GS Combat Suit. He handed the suit to the Black Knight behind him before swapping out into another set of common clothes. Aoki-san, you must understand that I have no reason to harm you or your group for that matter. Besides, if I had any ill intentions, Id simply capture and interrogate you with more effective means. Id be able to obtain answers far easier that way, isnt it? Fujiwara Aoki immediately fell silent, seemingly still debating with himself. It must be rather difficult scavenging for food with things the way they are now. After mentioning this, Chen Chen gave a signal. The Black Knights behind him quickly produced a large box of energy bars from the spaceship. I can give your group these in exchange for information. Upon seeing this, Fujiwara Aoki seemed to be tempted. In the end, he still gritted his teeth and held his ground. I believe in Chen Chen-sans sincerity. However, this is no trivial matter. This directly concerns the lives of more than thirty people in my group, please forgive me for this difficult decision! Why so? Chen Chen shook his head and smiled faintly. Actually, you wont have to lead me there, I can already roughly pinpoint the location of your group. When I found you, you were walking from west to east. The city center is on the east while the suburbs lie on the west. This suggests that you were coming from the suburbs area. Also, I can see that your backpack is nearly full, you also have more than half a bottle of water remaining, meaning that you havent exhausted many resources yet. This way, I can conclude that you mustnt be more than 10 hours away from your groups position. With that, Chen Chen snapped his fingers lightly. Immediately, the spaceship shot out a ray of light and projected a top-down view of Tokyo and quickly zoomed inward. This is our current position and the suburbs are down there. There arent many suitable places to hide in the suburb, but a location that can fit more than thirty people must be a large venue. Upon noting this, Chen Chen pointed at a high school on the edges of the suburbs. Based on your mention of dormitory and upper-bunk, I can conclude that The base where your group is located is the Tokyo Daisan High School. Chapter 302 - Betrayal Half an hour later, four drones stealthily approached and surrounded a middle school in the Tokyo suburb district. At the same time, the Bugatti Spaceship began approaching from afar. It quickly landed on a rooftop near the abandoned school. When Fujiwara Aoki stepped out of the spaceship, his expression was full of powerlessness. Chen Chen-kun, since youve already had an idea of the location of our group, why not come here directly? Why must you bring me along? Its easier to gain your groups trust if I bring you along with me, otherwise your friends may think that you were met with misfortune. Chen Chen answered. But if you do it this way, the leader might think that I led you to them Fujiwara Aoki refuted in a low voice. Chen Chen did not bother with giving further explanations. After all, he came to figure out the situation so he would do whatever it took for him to obtain the information he was after. If these people were not going to tell him what he needed, he did not mind resorting to more violent methods and inject them with the truth serum. With this in mind, Chen Chen had the three Black Knights watch over the ship while he took Fujiwara Aoki with him and approached the main entrance of the school. From the outside, this appeared to be a completely deserted school. Even the iron fence gates had long collapsed due to lack of maintenance. Dense vines grew all over the compound and the buildings like a thick rug laying over them. Fujiwara and his group of survivors were well aware of the rules of survival in the end times. Nobody would be able to figure out at first glance that this abandoned school was the gathering point of a small group of survivors. Right after stepping through the main entrance, Chen Chen could faintly feel peering eyes surrounding him from all sides. However, since he took off the PK Armor, he did not have access to thermal imaging vision to spot where the sentries were posted. Chen Chen-kun, please come with me. Fujiwara Aoki decided that his words were not of much use. He let out a sigh before leading the way to the largest school building. This building was probably the main lecture area of Daisan High School. It was the largest and also tallest of them all and functioned as the main sector of the compound. Based on the competency that this surviving group had displayed, they had good reason to not use this building as a primary meeting spot. Since Fujiwara Aoki was leading him to this building first, this further proved that this building was designated as a defensive building. The group must have strategized ahead of time that in the event where one of their members was captured, the captured member could lead the enemy here for the group to ambush. When Chen Chen considered this, he only flicked an eyebrow gently without saying a word. He continued to silently trail behind Fujiwara Aoki. It was only when they arrived outside the building when Fujiwara Aoki finally stole a calculative glance at Chen Chen. He gently pushed open the entrance. Chen Chen-kun, please come in with me. At this point, Chen Chen had a sharp and clear impression of someone stalking him from the darkness. Apart from that, he also sensed a slight sting in his temples. Chen Chen had attained a form of bioelectricity sensitivity ever since acquiring Field. The faint pangs of pain he felt in his temple implied that whoever was hiding in the darkness harbored ominous intent toward him. I believe that you may have been mistaken. Chen Chen knitted his brows together. Instead of following Fujiwara Aoki into the building, he snickered and said, I came here to speak with your group, not to be butchered. Whats the meaning of this? What, what do you mean? Fujiwara Aoki chuckled uncomfortably. Im only following the procedures of our group. If you want to join our group, this is the required process Is that so? Chen Chens expression turned grim. This is what I get in return for the great generosity I have displayed? In that case, have your leader come out here and talk with me right here. Just know that my patience is limited. This Fujiwara Aokis expression changed. He was well aware that Chen Chen was not alone since there were the three accomplices wearing the GS Combat Suit as well as the small-sized spacecraft. If a battle were to break out, there was no way his small group could put up a fight against their opponents. Still not willing to come out? Chen Chen turned in the direction of the school building and looked into the pitch-black windows, he beckoned, If you guys arent going to come out, then allow me to have someone escort you out. The color went out of Fujiwara Aokis face when he heard this. Before he could get a word in, four rapid swishes slicing across the air could be heard. At the same time, the parrot on his shoulders began chirping endlessly. Something fast seemed to be approaching! Ah! Idiot! Following the abrupt commotion, Fujiwara Aoki could hear several shrieks coming from the windows in the building. It was only then when he finally realized that four nearly completely transparent drones had appeared above him without him noticing! That was not the end of it. The four drones appeared to be the signal for the small spaceship that took him here. He saw that the spaceship was also approaching from afar! At the same time, there was a blue flash of light as Chen Chens figure instantly vanished into thin air. From where Fujiwara Aoki stood, he only caught a glimpse of a figure dashing into the school building. Fujiwara Aokis expression became twisted as he gritted his teeth and made a resolution. He took out a gun and aimed it at the distorted air. Chen Chen-kun, stop this immediately or else I will Ah! Before he could finish his sentence, he felt a flash of pain coursing along his arm. When he instinctively looked down to inspect the pain, he saw his right wrist still holding the gun had been sliced off. The cut was so clean it was as if it had been polished! Chen Chen hardly paid a second thought to Fujiwara Aoki. After entering the building under the guise of invisibility, he immediately went toward the classroom where the drone fired a bullet into. Just as he stepped into the classroom, he met a tough-looking, large, and stocky man who was howling miserably and clutching his right hand as he dashed out of the classroom. Unlike Fujiwara Aoki, the right hand of this large man had turned into an indistinguishable mash of meat. Survivors in the end times were few and far between. If not for Chen Chen needing to keep them alive to obtain information, it would not just be the right hand of this man that was turned into lumps of flesh. The large man did not notice Chen Chen who was invisible. He continued charging for the door with his unwounded hand clutching his bleeding hand. Chen Chen instantly grabbed the man by his neck while at the same time forming a fist with his left hand and viciously jabbed it into the mans stomach! More than half of Chen Chens arm instantly sunk into the large beer belly of the charging man Oof! Suddenly ambushed, the brawny man barely had the strength to whimper. His eyes turned into giant globes as he clutched at his stomach and slid into the ground, temporarily losing his mobility. There was a scarcely-used medical term for such a scenario C stomach coma. Chapter 303 - First Confrontation with Basilisk After subduing the first enemy, the door to another classroom in front of Chen Chen suddenly snapped open. Another bearded man clutching at his arm rushed out of the door just in time to see Chen Chen taking down his partner. Despite being invisible, Chen Chens large movement made his silhouette instantly noticeable to the other party. The bearded mans expression quickly changed as he instinctively reached for the gun before remembering that his arm was wounded. He immediately used his healthy arm to reach for a flashlight and charged at Chen Chen! Enhanced flashlight? The moment the flashlight emitted the first ray of light, Chen Chen quickly turned away from the source of light. It took a second before he realized that the bearded man did not aim the flashlight at his eyes, but instead at the wall right beside him! A strange image appeared before Chen Chen! It was an extremely bizarre image where hundreds of polygons seemed to be arranged in a predetermined pattern. They seemed to form the shape of an eye, but the eye was a combination of countless eyes drawn on top of each other. Some of them were laughing and some of them were crying. Some of them were like the squinting, smiling eyes of a lover while others were full of fear. It was like staring into a depthless abyss Joy, anger, sorrow, resentment, fear Countless eyes stacked on top of each other to produce this distinctive pattern. They were etched with senseless ink, but upon closer inspection, there was nothing left Upon seeing this image, Chen Chen felt his heart skipping a beat as he quickly twisted his neck away from the source. However, it was too late as the image had been carved into Chen Chens mind. Blasted! Chen Chen immediately made the connection and realized what he was looking at. His expression turned sharply while at the same time, countless graphene poker cards appeared and shot toward the bearded man! Swoosh swoosh swoosh! The light emitted from the flashlight in the bearded mans hand was extinguished instantly. His eyes remained as large as they had been and he appeared as if he was frozen in place. The very next second, his eyes, facial features, neck, body Faint traces of blood appeared all over his body. After that, the bearded man crumbled onto the ground like a tower of crumbling building blocks. Hundreds of chunks of broken flesh scattered all over the floor. The hallway was immediately filled with a misty haze of blood. At this moment, Chen Chen kept his eyes completely shut and his jaw was clenched together as tightly as he could. He felt as if there was a gigantic hand wrapping itself around his brain, the world appeared to be spinning out of control. The image illuminated by the flashlight was still burning in his mind, refusing to fade away Sir Commander? Sir Commander! Inside the Bluetooth earpiece, the voice of X-112 sounded like it came from another dimension. Chen Chen tried to elicit a response but his voice was caught in his throat. He focused on taking repeated gasp, forcing air into his lungs even when his lungs were already inflated with air. From the moment of Chen Chens betrayal until now, barely half a minute had passed. At the same time, the three Black Knights that were invisible and posted a short distance away had also arrived at the scene. They rushed into the building and surrounded Chen Chen to cover for him. After what felt like another thirty seconds had elapsed, Chen Chen felt himself recovering slightly from the previous dizzy sensation. He felt a surge of joy as he mustered the strength to produce a sentence, Dont Dont mind me Capture them alive if possible! Chen Chen let himself collapse onto the floor and clasped the floor with both hands to a point where even his fingernails were cracking and he remained unbothered. He felt like there was a terrible storm raging inside his mind. The height of the storm had only just passed and the roar of the wind was slowly fading out. One second, two seconds, three seconds One minute, two minutes, three minutes The storm came out of nowhere but took its time dissipating. Although it only took three to five minutes, Chen Chen felt like he had been suffering for ages. After recollecting himself from the slowly fading dizziness, Chen Chen picked himself back up from the ground. It was then when he noticed that his shirt was drenched in sweat and there was a pile of bile where he laid which he must have vomited without realizing it. The image had somehow caused Chen Chen to throw up without even remembering it. Is this Basilisk? A curtain of shadow glimpsed past Chen Chens vision. He was sure it was the NZT-48 that saved him. According to Fujiwara Aoki, the Basilisk triggered a G?dels shock phenomenon on whoever met its eyes and effectively shut down the brain. Although it was still unknown whether the effect was only temporary, the heart ceased to function along with the brain, which essentially meant that anyone who saw the Basilisk would die instantly. An extremely potent brain was required to alleviate the major damage caused by Basilisk. This meant that only young people with strong, developing brains and agile thinking had a chance to survive from Basilisk. However, even people like Fujiwara Aoki who was resistant to its effects had fainted for half an hour upon making eye contact with Basilisk. After ingesting the NZT-48, Chen Chen did not faint but instead experienced a violent reaction for several minutes after. I was careless. Chen Chen shook his head. Although he was confident that he could negate the effects of Basilisk, this would still mark one instance where he was closest to death over the course of all his intricate planning and strategizing so far. With this in mind, Chen Chen approached the corpse that had been mutilated into numerous pieces. With a gentle wave of his hand, several poker cards so transparent they were nearly invisible proceeded to appear in Chen Chens hands. After putting away the graphene poker cards, Chen Chen bent down and picked up the flashlight. Weaponizing the Basilisk pattern, what a brilliant idea Chen Chen looked at the flashlight in hand and directed his attention to what was illuminated in front of the flashlight. Before doing this, he made sure to cover half of the flashlights bulb with his hand and proceed to look down. In front of the flashlight was a mini copy of the Basilisk pattern carved on the hardwood. Just now, the flashlight was used to project the Basilisk pattern located right on the wall beside Chen Chen. Completely unguarded, Chen Chen had his first encounter with the dangerous image right away. It was largely unknown how the bearded man was able to pull this off and carve the Basilisk pattern in its entirety. Could it be that by covering one half of it while carving the other half, G?dels shock would not be triggered since the image was not displayed in full? Chen Chen had a mild epiphany. At the same time, the voice of X-112 came from the Bluetooth earpiece again. Sir Commander, are you feeling better now? Feeling much better now. Chen Chen nodded. Hows the situation up there? All the members in the school building have been captured alive. There are 18 of them in total, 12 of them are women. All of them were hiding in the cellar of the cafeteria located at the back of the building. X-112 answered faithfully. A gleam of cold light flashed past Chen Chens eyes. It was true that some people were truly despicable. Regardless of how well you treat them, you would only receive hostility in return. Violence was the optimal solution to shatter the fantasies of such people. It was after you conquer them when you would see them turning into loyal dogs, bowing respectfully to you like clockwork Chapter 304 - Another Type of Virus? Inside the abandoned middle school, there was a burst of crying and pleading from a group of women. The Black Knights and drones herded about a dozen women to the hall of the schools teaching building. At this time, more than ten men who were bloodied lay sprawling across the hall. Among these people, the injured ones sat where they were, quietly whimpering in pain while the uninjured or less injured ones were busy with medical care and treatment. As the two groups of people met, many trembling women threw themselves into the arms of their male partners, crying and wailing loudly. Chen Chen-kun, no, Your Excellency Chen Chen, these women are innocent! At this time, Fujiwara Aoki, who had bandaged his wrists, knelt in front of Chen Chen with his body supported by one hand and begged. All of this is our fault. If Your Excellency cant quell your anger, Im willing to commit seppuku[1] as a form of apology. I only ask that Your Excellency spare these people! With that, he lowered his head to the ground. I beseech you! Currently, Chen Chen was sitting on his knees in front of the group. Even now, his head was still buzzing, and he did not know how many of his brain cells had died. If he was an ordinary person, it was likely that he would be rendered immobile by now. The function of NZT-48, besides allowing people to obtain extraordinary mental capabilities, also suppressed any side effects in the body. At this point, Chen Chen had put on the PK Armor again. He slowly raised his head and looked at Fujiwara. His voice was low and hoarse. Fujiwara-kun, youve misunderstood. Ive never said Id do anything to you guys. My purpose in coming here is very simple I just want to obtain information. I can tell Your Excellency everything I know, and Ill leave nothing out! Fujiwara Aoki suddenly looked up. Not only that, but we also have a special file on it. Those Basilisk patterns and all kinds of mysterious phenomena are recorded in the file. Although I dare not say that its extremely detailed, it records all the mysterious events weve experienced so far! Mysterious phenomena do you mean something like the woman in the dream? Chen Chens heart leaped and he asked immediately. Yes! Fujiwara Aoki replied, We can give you all this information. As long as Your Excellency spares us, thats all we ask for! Very well. Go and get the file then. Chen Chen nodded and then warned again, After I receive the file, Ill question each of you individually, so dont try to deceive me with fake files. As long as Im satisfied, I can even perform surgery to transplant your right hand back. As Chen Chen spoke, a Black Knight walked over with Fujiwara Aokis severed hand which had been placed in a metal box filled with ice cubes. Really? Fujiwara Aoki was overjoyed. He quickly stood up. Then Ill get it now! Go. Chen Chen waved his hand and watched Fujiwara Aoki leave promptly. Sir Commander, should we send a drone to stalk him? X-112s voice came from the headset. No, if he wants to run, just let him run. Chen Chen laughed icily and turned his gaze to the people in the hall. Anyway, there are so many people here. We wont miss him. However, Fujiwara Aoki did not intend to escape. Within ten minutes, he walked over with a thick hardcover book, which seemed to have a lot of materials stuffed between its pages. The reason they chose a hardcover book should be for preservation purposes. Before Fujiwara Aoki could approach Chen Chen again, he was stopped by a Black Knight on the side. The Black Knight snatched the hardcover book and flipped through it page by page. The Black Knight had no brain, so things like Basilisk patterns were completely ineffective against it. There was nothing to worry about even if Fujiwara Aoki had set a trap. In this volume, all Basilisk patterns have been placed inside the slots of the album. As long as you dont pull them out, you wont see the whole picture, so you can be guaranteed of its safety. At this time, Fujiwara Aoki explained, As for the mysterious phenomena evolving from the Basilisk patterns, they can all be proven to not be infectious through text, because if the text is infectious, no one will record it. Because anyone who wrote down the text or read it will die from it. Infectious text Hearing this, Chen Chen could not help feeling horrified. Although in their previous conversation, Fujiwara Aoki had mentioned that the it evolving from the Basilisk patterns had taken many forms, it now appeared that the situation was more serious than he imagined. Even words were able to kill? As he thought of this, Chen Chen became even warier. After the Black Knight had checked the information, X-112 said, Sir Commander, its true that all the Basilisk patterns within are half-hidden and not fully exposed, but it cant be determined if what he said about the text-recorded mysterious phenomena is true. Its alright. Make him look through it himself, Chen Chen ordered. Following Chen Chens order, the Black Knight once again pushed the book back into Fujiwara Aokis hands. At this, Fujiwara Aoki did not say much. He simply flipped through the entire hardcover book. Although the hardcover book looked very thick, it was like a photo album. Each page was made with thick leather, so there was not much content. Fujiwara Aoki only took two or three minutes to flip through the book. Good. After he saw this, Chen Chen nodded and another Black Knight immediately stepped forward and led Fujiwara Aoki to the next room for surgery. The God chips of these Black Knights all contained the full range of medical information. As long as there were enough tools, there was no difficulty for them in performing a limb surgery like this. As for Chen Chen, he took the material and began to flip through, page by page. In this collection of information, the pages were each laminated in plastic. It seemed that to preserve this data, this group of people had invested a lot of consideration. Following that, Chen Chen turned to the first page. The first page contained the Basilisk pattern named Eye that Chen Chen saw before, but this image was placed in the plastic frame of the book, so the margins were covered up. Thus when Chen Chen looked at this picture, despite feeling a little dazed, there were no symptoms. Then, Chen Chen turned to the second page, only to see a short explanation written with a gel pen. The words in the book were in Japanese and they looked graceful and neat as if they were written by a woman. [Basilisk pattern: Eye.] [Symptoms: When the observer sees the Eye, it will induce G?dels shock, causing the death of the observer. The survival rate is not more than 10%.] [Danger level: Level 3, extremely dangerous.] [Method of infection: None, unable to spread by itself.] Method of infection, unable to spread by itself As he read the final line, Chen Chen immediately realized, some Basilisk patterns could spread by themselves? In that case, these Basilisk patterns were not only able to spread and infect humans, but they could also mutate during transmission. Was not this characteristic very similar to viruses? As he considered this, Chen Chen seemed to have thought of something. [1] A form of Japanese ritual suicide. See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seppuku Chapter 305 - Woman in Dreams Was this a virus that used information as its carrier? This was Chen Chens most intuitive impression of these Basilisk patterns so far. Nonetheless, this statement was still inaccurate because no matter how powerful a virus was, it could not conjure a woman out of thin air to strangle an infected person. This completely went against the laws of physics. With this in mind, Chen Chen continued turning to the next page. The second picture was very similar to the first. It was in black and white and consisted of countless blocks. These blocks were laid out in a complicated, repetitive pattern, and the effect was dizzying. Even when Chen Chen saw it, he felt that his thoughts were becoming sluggish. When these color blocks were pieced together, Chen Chen vaguely made out the figure of a reaper holding a sickle. Fujiwara Aoki had mentioned this image to Chen Chen before. Its name was Reaper, and its ability was [Basilisk pattern: Reaper.] [Symptoms: The observer will not react when seeing the Reaper. After the observer looks away, they will forget everything about this pattern until someone mentions this pattern to the observer. Then the observer will die instantly. The survival rate is not more than 5%.] [Danger level: Level 3, extremely dangerous.] [Method of infection: None, unable to spread by itself.] When he saw this, Chen Chen could not help shaking his head. This Reaper was truly peculiar. Who knew how many people died, how many lives were stuffed within this image, before the survivors were able to sum up these rules? It was likely that even a dozen lives were worth less than a single punctuation mark in this book. After that, Chen Chen flipped the page again. There were seven or eight patterns behind. One of the patterns was called Shaker, which meant that after seeing that picture, the viewer would shudder all over until their cerebrospinal fluid and blood had been completely shaken out before they died. One pattern was called Flame, indicating that after seeing that image, the person would suffer from spontaneous combustion out of thin air, burning from the inside until they were reduced to a pile of ashes. There was even a pattern called Filth. Anyone who saw this pattern would suffer from dark blotches all over their body and this pattern could be transmitted to other people. It was like the dark spots were alive. They first appeared on a random part and then started to spread across the entire body. As they spread, the human body began to become continuously carbonized and it finally reached the point where taking one step would break ones hands and feet. When the carbonization spread to the internal organs and the head, the infected person would then die After the series of patterns, the book also later noted that there were still a few pictures that had not been included and the nature of those patterns was not clear. One must be cautious and so on when encountering unknown patterns. Afterward, Chen Chen continued to flip to the back and immediately saw the next paragraph, but these texts no longer had any patterns. Rather, they were phenomena that had evolved in bizarre manners. [Mysterious phenomenon: Woman in Dreams.] [Symptoms: The infected person will start to dream and it will be a terrifying nightmare. The scene in the dream is always astonishingly similar to the place where the infected person sleeps, that is to say the place where the infected person sleeps will also be the setting of their dreams, whenever they dream. The only difference from reality is that they will see a woman in white in the dream.] [They will not be able to clearly see the face of the woman in white, only a pair of white eyes without any pupils. When they see the woman, the infected person will always experience intense terror and wake up quickly from the fright.] [However, after being infected by the strange phenomenon of the Woman in Dreams, each time they sleep, they will dream of her again. Moreover, the more they dream, she will get closer and closer to the infected person, and eventually reach the infected person.] [After corresponding this to reality, bystanders will see the Woman in Dreams emerge from the chest of the infected person out of thin air, and choke the infected person to death, upon which the Woman in Dreams will also vanish.] [Danger level: Level 2, somewhat dangerous.] [Method of infection: Temporarily unidentified. It is known that physical contact with an infected person, sexual relations, sharing the content of the nightmare, and so on, will not cause infection.] After reading this, Chen Chen immediately looked pensive. Was this the mysterious phenomenon that evolved from the Basilisk patterns? It was truly spooky. Chen Chen suddenly thought, what should he do if he was infected with this stuff? Although Chen Chen was still in big-brain-mode under the effects of NZT-48 at this time, when faced with this strange phenomenon, he could only come up with two solutions. The first one: suicide. Of course, this did not mean shooting oneself in the head. Rather, one would inject an anesthetic to keep ones brain in a blank state where one would not dream. Upon waking up, NZT-48 would be quickly ingested. By allowing ones brain to rest in this manner, one might be able to evade the killing method of the Woman in Dreams. The second method was less punishing but riskier. Namely, to return to reality. This was because Chen Chen had speculated that there was a great deal more to the USB drive. Was it possible that the creator of this USB drive had considered this situation beforehand and thus the portal was able to isolate such mysterious phenomena? Chen Chens conjecture was not unreasonable, because in the USB flash drives first form, life forms could not be extracted. At one time Chen Chen thought that the USB drive really could not allow life to pass through. However, it was not until the USB drives second form that Chen Chen understood, the first form seemed to be a protection for the weak. The inability to extract life forms was to prevent the user from being killed, such as directly ingesting the T-virus, ALZ-113, and so on. A careless move could destroy the entire world or open a direct channel for alien pathogens to be brought into reality, triggering a catastrophe for humanity. It was only when the user obtained a certain level of capability with the help of the USB drive, which was akin to the user having passed the test of the USB drive, that the USB drive would activate its second form and open a passage to another world. In other words, the tests that the USB drive put the user through were gentle and gradual. Therefore, could it be that the portal would isolate such strange phenomena? That, when Chen Chen crossed the channel and returned to reality, he would only return by himself while the mysterious phenomena would be unable to pass through the channel? Still, this solution had its risks. As the USB flash drive had never come with a manual since the beginning, Chen Chen had to rely on incremental discoveries. Consequently, if Chen Chens judgment was mistaken, would it not be equivalent to bringing this mysterious phenomenon into reality? If this was the case, Chen Chen was still going to die and he might also take down the entire human civilization along with him. Still, its not as if that situation would be unavoidable. Chen Chen pondered, then mumbled softly, I can use the Rubiks cube to send back a message and ask Little X to close all exits near the passage or even build a Faraday cage. If I still cant avoid the mysterious phenomenons fatal pursuit even after Ive returned, Ill just die by myself in the Faraday cage After my death, Little X shall continue to charge the USB drive. When theres enough power, stuff the entire room in which I died into Gantzs dimension An involuntary sneer crept across Chen Chens face as he thought about this. Indeed, this was basically the best solution. He would not have to sit around waiting for his own death nor would he spread the strange phenomenon into reality. Following that, Chen Chen continued turning the pages, reading about one mysterious phenomenon after another. Chapter 306 - Yoru Kamidera [Mysterious phenomenon: Stalker.] [Mysterious phenomenon: Shadow.] [Mysterious phenomenon: Call of the Ocean.] Chen Chen looked through them one by one. Even he could not help but feel a little uneasy. According to this information, this sort of mysterious phenomena seemed to be everywhere sea, land, and air. Even if human beings were to take flight, hide underground or go out to sea, it was difficult to escape the tightening noose of these phenomena. Even if human beings stopped listening, seeing, and speaking, sealing off their five senses, they could still be plagued by mysterious phenomena like the Woman in Dreams whose rules were still unknown. Living in this world was like being in the deepest pit of despair. No wonder the humans in this world only persisted for less than five years before they had almost gone extinct. Moreover, such mysterious phenomena were completely beyond the framework of the existing scientific system. In other words, these strange existences had gone beyond the scope of physics, chemistry, and biology, and were more like a part of a brand new discipline that humans had never discovered As he reflected on this, Chen Chen continued to turn the pages and immediately saw the last mysterious phenomenon. [Mysterious phenomenon: Ghost at the Window.] [Symptoms: A mysterious phenomenon resembling the Eye pattern. The mysterious phenomenon begins with a person floating in mid-air. It has the appearance of a human being, but its body is ceaselessly contorted, like a ghost. Appearing mostly between high-rise buildings, it is extremely lethal to survivors living in such buildings. Anyone who sees it outside the window will undergo symptoms similar to the Eye pattern, and the survival rate is not more than ten percent.] [Danger level: Level 3, extremely dangerous.] [Method of infection: Visual infection, mostly between high-rise buildings.] When he read about this mysterious phenomenon, Chen Chen immediately thought of the white-collar corpses who had died suddenly, which he found when he was exploring the office building and the woman who hanged herself in a high-rise apartment. Before they died, the white-collar workers had turned their heads to the floor-to-ceiling window, apparently seeing something outside the window. As for the woman who hanged herself in the high-rise apartment, she had covered the glass of the window completely before she died. She had been clearly frightened of something outside the window. The woman was afraid of the Ghost at the Window because she had seen it with her own eyes, yet she had not died. This meant that she was immune to that kind of damage, just like how some people were immune to the Eye pattern. However, she did not realize this. Thinking of this, Chen Chen sighed to himself. He continued turning the pages but found that the pages behind were all blank. The mysterious phenomenon that Chen Chen had first encountered at the apartment when he came to Gantzs dimension was not in these records. Are there only these five Basilisk patterns and these few mysterious phenomena? Chen Chen raised his head and questioned the group of captives who were still bustling about in the hall. At once, everyone hurriedly lowered their heads to avoid the sharp glint in Chen Chens eyes. These are all the weird incidents that have been heard from the members of each team since the establishment of this team. At this point, a fifteen or sixteen-year-old youth with long hair suddenly spoke. The boy had delicate features and pale skin. At first glance, Chen Chen had thought he was a woman. When Chen Chen heard this, he shot the youth a look. Unlike the others, the youths eyes were not the panicked eyes of a captive, but were rather calm instead. At first glance, he seemed out of place in this world. Even so, behind this calm surface, there was a dead expression, which came from an indifference to life and death. This young man had some unusual experiences that caused this to happen. Yeah, yeah! It was not until the youth spoke first that some of the captives stammered and explained, All of our known mysterious phenomena have been recorded in there. This volume of information is also the most precious item in our team. To survive in this world, this information is indispensable Chen Chen lifted his chin, handed the information to the Black Knight beside him, and said, X-112, record all the patterns inside. Understood. The voice of X-112 came from the earphones. Chen Chen thought for a while and glanced at the somewhat unusual youth again. The youth was wearing a T-shirt that was clearly becoming thin. It was rather faded and dirty, but it could not mask his androgynously attractive face. At this time, the youth was swiftly bandaging a wounded person with skillful movements. However, unlike the others, he looked indifferent even when facing the wounded person as if he did not care about the injury of his companion. It was not just this young man. Chen Chen noticed that this numb, detached look was also present in the eyes of several other women. Except for those women who were in a relationship with the men in the team, the womens affiliation to the team was apparently not that simple. These women were much more haggard than the others. Their bodies were thin and their clothes were ragged At once Chen Chen suddenly understood the role of these women. Nonetheless, Chen Chen was not too surprised in this regard. After all, this was the tradition of the East China Sea Continent. Even as early as World War II, this country already had a similar social configuration. The only thing that astonished Chen Chen was that this group of people did not even spare young boys. It was unscrupulous. However, this matter had nothing to do with Chen Chen. Currently, he still had in mind his original mission in coming to Gantz. After X-112 had recorded the information provided by the team, Chen Chen stood up and directed a question at this group of people. Do any of you know the location of the nearest North American military base in the East China Sea Continent? Everyone stared at him, but no one answered Chen Chen. Faced with this silence, Chen Chen raised his eyebrows in response and was about to continue to inquire, but at this moment, the youth suddenly spoke, I know where. But the place has also been abandoned. Chen Chen looked at the youth. How do you know? I went there to seek asylum three years ago. The youth replied, Not just there Ive also been to the military base where the East China Sea Self-Defense Force is located, but theres nothing there besides corpses and ruins. Chen Chen just nodded. He must admit that this young man looked as if he was only eleven or twelve years old three years ago. It was admirable that he was able to survive alone in this peculiar apocalypse at that age. Whats your name? Seeing this, Chen Chen instinctively asked with some interest. Yoru Kamidera. The young man lowered his head slightly as if to indicate respect for someone stronger. Your Excellency, my name is Yoru Kamidera. Very well, are you interested in coming with me? After Chen Chens question, the young man showed an emotion other than indifference for the first time. He seemed to be stunned, yet Chen Chen clearly observed that, among the group of captives who were asked to sit in the hall, two or three of them who seemed to be the ones in command had an abrupt shift in their expressions as if there was an unwilling glint in their eyes. Of course, this unwillingness was not necessarily because they were exploiting the youth in that way. Rather, maybe this youth played another part in improving the lives of these people during this doomsday. Seeing this, a smile curled up at the corner of Chen Chens mouth. He knew that he had guessed correctly. Chapter 307 - Thuds in the Night After Chen Chens invitation, the youth was silent for a while. He seemed to be considering whether he would receive a different treatment after following Chen Chen and whether he could get a chance to turn his current life around. In the eyes of the teenager, although it appeared that Chen Chens side was stronger, it was evident that going with Chen Chen was risky. If he stayed with the original team, he might live on in adversity for a while longer. Whereas with Chen Chens group, they seemed intent on confronting the mysterious phenomena. I need to think about it, Your Excellency. In the end, the youth lowered his head slightly and said this. Chen Chen was not disappointed, but nodded and agreed. He looked at the sky. It was already evening in the dimension of Gantz, so he said again, Then give me an answer tomorrow. After saying that, Chen Chen left the group of people for X-112 to deal with while he led a Black Knight to the room where the team leader was. After all, he had just undergone violent mental turmoil. If it were not for the support of NZT-48, Chen Chen would have passed out. Even if he was not in a coma, Chen Chen was at his limit by now and urgently needed a place to rest and rejuvenate. In that case, the school occupied by this group of people was naturally the safest place so far. After all, if there were any danger here, it would not have become a gathering place for this group. The room belonging to the leader of this doomsday survival team was located in the first dormitory of the teachers apartment. The windows here were also covered with newspapers and curtains. In addition, the room had thick bedding and complete living facilities. It was even on par with the average starred hotel. When he saw this, Chen Chen immediately took off his PK Armor, ate a few energy bars to replenish his bodys water and nutrition, then collapsed directly onto the bed. A strong wave of exhaustion struck him and Chen Chen fell asleep promptly before he could think about anything else. Elsewhere, Fujiwara Aoki had his wrist attached, then he was made to join the rest in the hall of the teaching building to be monitored. The Black Knights who had no feelings and would never tire were fully adequate to deal with this group of people. As the sun set, the brightly burning ball of fire slowly descended over the skyline of Tokyo. It was as if some unnamable shadow was slowly spreading. The originally well-lit metropolis was gradually replaced by an expanse of darkness. After even the fire was put out, nighttime Tokyo became even eerier Chen Chen slept fitfully the entire night. Perhaps it was because Chen Chen had looked directly into the Eye during the day. Even after he fell asleep, his brain was still aching faintly as if a blunt knife was stabbing in bit by bit. In just a few hours, Chen Chen was sweating profusely in his sleep. In a thick haze, Chen Chen seemed to be dreaming Thud Thud Thud In the dream, something seemed to be ceaselessly, quietly thudding. The sound was muffled and soft. If one listened carefully, the sound was gone again. Even so, as more time passed, the thudding seemed to become a little louder, rising from an insignificant volume to an increasingly distinct sound. The Woman in Dreams? Chen Chen suddenly woke up in the dream at an unknown point in time. This was very common for Chen Chen. After all, with his control over his brain, he could easily regain consciousness in his dream. In other words, as long as Chen Chen wanted to, he could transform any dream into a lucid dream. This ability came from Chen Chens extremely powerful self-control. Moreover, he had no sense of fear in his dream. At this time, in a sober state of mind, Chen Chen subconsciously looked to the door, but he did not see the figure of the mythical woman in white. Could it be that this was not a mysterious phenomenon? Seeing this, Chen Chen simply started to ponder in his dream. Following that, he once again heard a certain sound by his ear. It was a sound of dull impact with an inexplicable rhythm, like a clock, constantly thudding in rhythm. Thud Thud Thud This sound could not be made by the Black Knight. He was guarding the room and he would not make any meaningless sound. Furthermore, based on the direction of the sound, it might not be in this room, but the next one Oh no. Suddenly, Chen Chen seemed to realize something. He left the dream at once and slowly opened his eyes, only to realize that the room was pitch dark. Sir Commander, the room next door Just as Chen Chen was awake, the voice of X-112 came from the Bluetooth headset that had not been taken off. Shh. I know. Chen Chen raised his index finger and made the gesture for silence, then immediately put on the PK Armor and adjusted his vision to thermal imaging. Although thermal imaging could not penetrate a wall that exceeded a certain thickness, it was at least still very convenient in this dark night when he could not even see his own hands. At this time, the dull thudding sound continued. The sound was not loud and it might even be ignored in normal times. However, in the deep night of doomsday, when it was so quiet that even ones heartbeat could be heard, it was as clear as a lamp in the night. Thud Thud The sound came again and again as if it would never stop. It was very peculiar. Impossible. When I asked the Black Knights to escort the group out, Ive already checked every room. There should be no one next door. X-112 was a little confused. Could someone have slipped through the cracks? Theres no point in guessing about this now. Chen Chen whispered, Im already awake. Let the Black Knight go next door to check again. Plus, I suspect that At this point, Chen Chens eyes were incomparably serious. The image of the hanged woman quickly flashed through his mind. Seeing this, X-112 did not hesitate anymore but immediately controlled the Black Knight to open the door and walk toward the room next door where the sound was ceaselessly coming from. Click With the sharp sound of a door lock being opened, the door of the next room was opened. It seemed that this disruption had broken a certain balance and the thudding noise stopped abruptly at the same moment. Sir Commander It felt as if eternity had passed or perhaps it was only two or three minutes. The voice of X-112 came from the headset again. The next room has been explored and no signs of life have been found here, just I got it. Ill go over now. Chen Chen did not ask any more questions but walked directly out of the room and came to the next door. This must also be a room for high-level members of the team. Although the facilities in the room were not as comprehensive as the team leaders room, it was also considered luxurious in a doomsday where resources were scarce. Chen Chen just quickly glanced around the layout, then paid it no mind. After that, he followed the Black Knights gaze, only to see that in the wall before the Black Knight, there was an extra dent that had appeared out of thin air. Chen Chen stepped forward and touched the dent, only to get white dust on his hand. This dent was newly hammered in and the white plaster on the wall had not even fallen off. At this time, as Chen Chen touched it, a piece of white plaster finally fell off, exposing the red brick and concrete within the wall At this sight, Chen Chen fell completely silent. Chapter 308 - The USB Drive’s Backlash Of course, Chen Chen was no stranger to this scene. In the daytime, he had just seen this scene where a female corpse was hanged in the room. There were a lot of dented marks on the wall. When he had gone to the neighboring room, he saw that the public wall had a deep mark from a significant impact. That mark was about 20 cm in diameter and about 5 cm deep, which was much deeper than the mark in front of him now. Still, Chen Chen was certain that the source of these two marks was the same. This was because the deeper dent he had come across appeared to be formed under a long-term impact whereas this mark seemed to be recently made. Coincidence? Or At this moment, he seemed to understand why there were signs that the woman had pressed her ear to the wall in the room where her corpse was hanging and the traces of the wall being hit with a baseball bat. Perhaps when that woman was alive, on a night filled with despair and darkness, she had also noticed this hollow and strange thudding sound A dark light flashed in Chen Chens eyes. He looked around. If there were any people or animals hidden in the room, they would have been noticed when the Black Knight came in earlier. This was because Chen Chen was sure that the thudding had stopped when the Black Knight opened the door. The teachers dormitories were all single rooms. When the door was opened, the entire room could be seen in a glance. If it had been a human or an animal, it was impossible that the Black Knight would fail to notice it. In other words, that thing was so fast that it could vanish right in this room as soon as the Black Knight opened the door. With this in mind, Chen Chen came to the rear window of the dormitory again. He touched the window lightly. The window was shrouded in newspaper and it was also locked from the inside. There was no way a person or an animal could have escaped from the window. Since there was no possibility of a getaway, what was it that could avoid the Black Knight, the thermal imaging vision of the PK Armor or even the detection of an artificial intelligence near the level of Little X? What was it that would beat against the wall deep in the night? All of this was almost completely inconsistent with the common understanding of physics. Chen Chen narrowed his eyes and had a vague notion. So, Ive been targeted by a mysterious phenomenon. Chen Chen frowned. He did not expect that, despite the precautions he had taken beforehand, and being so cautious when looking at the information of the doomsday survival squad, he would still be infected with a mysterious phenomenon. What was even more troublesome was that this particular mysterious phenomenon was not in the records of the data. That was to say, Chen Chen needed to personally obtain an understanding of this mysterious phenomenon, sum up its rules, then seek a way out within those rules. Thinking of this, Chen Chen glanced around the dormitory one last time, then turned to leave and return to the team leaders bedroom. He lay down on the bed tiredly again. Although Chen Chens brain was still aching slightly, he did not continue to sleep but began to analyze silently. X-112, help me record a new mysterious phenomenon. Chen Chen said softly, The name of the mysterious phenomenon is called: Thuds. X-112 immediately responded, Recording has already started. Chen Chen nodded. The information produced by this group is still too general. I think that for a more comprehensive understanding of the mysterious phenomena, at least four categories are needed, namely: phenomenon characteristics, infection symptoms, infection conditions, and danger assessment. The characteristic of the Thuds phenomenon is that after a human is infected, there will be rounds of thudding noises next door. And if one heads to the next room at this point, one will not see anyone, only the traces of the physical impact on the wall. Chen Chen thought for a while and added. Its not yet clear what triggers the thudding sounds, whether its triggered by the infected person staying in a room for a long time or by the late night time? Plus, how long will this thudding sound continue and if it lasts too long, and a hole is knocked through the wall, what will happen What if you change rooms? X-112 asked suddenly. Theres no use changing rooms. Chen Chen shook his head. It can be seen from the room where the female corpse was hanged that the woman had two bedrooms when she was alive. She heard the thuds against the wall of one bedroom. She noticed something was wrong and apparently changed to the other bedroom. However, the thuds began again on the other side of the bedroom wall. No wonder she has dents in the walls of the two adjacent bedrooms X-112 understood at once. If changing rooms cant solve the problem, then how should we counter this? I dont know. Chen Chen shook his head, displaying a solemn expression for the first time. This is something I have never encountered before. In truth, since just now, I have been prepared for death. Sir Commander X-112 had nothing to say. Its okay. Theres nothing much to say to that. Chen Chen waved his hand. I have long understood the truth that the one who wants to wear the crown must bear its weight. If I want to obtain power from the USB flash drive, sooner or later Ill experience a backlash from it. I just didnt expect that this day would come so quickly. Maybe this mysterious phenomenon wont kill you? X-112 said persuasively, After all, that woman died not because she was killed by the thudding noises, but because she hanged herself. That is to say, its very likely that the lethality of this mysterious phenomenon isnt that formidable. That is just wishful thinking. Chen Chen retorted, Perhaps the thuds will last for several nights and the longer it lasts, the more it will shatter the emotions of the infected person, just like the Basilisk pattern. Who knows the sound itself may be the lethal thing. Maybe the power of the thudding sound hasnt been shown for now, but it doesnt mean that its not a threat. In fact, in my opinion, theres no logic at all with a mysterious phenomenon like this, so we must not assess it with common sense. Otherwise, Ill definitely die a miserable death After listening to Chen Chens rhetorical statements, X-112 was completely silent. At present, it seems that the characteristics of the mysterious phenomenon Thuds have yet to be explored. The symptoms and conditions of infection are even more unknown. We dont even have leads for the danger assessment as we lack sufficient clues. Chen Chen said, So, after this, Ill lie on the bed first to see if therell be more thudding noises tonight. If the thuds occur again, it means that theyre related to how long I stay in a room. If not, it means that theres no connection there. I also recall that during the day, other than myself, the three Black Knights also saw the hanged female corpse, so would they also be infected with this mysterious phenomenon? After thinking for a while, Chen Chen added again. X-112, let the Black Knight who is in charge of guarding me go to another dormitory. Just find any room thats not the one next door. I want to see if the same thuds will occur for him. Got it. After X-112 replied, the Black Knight turned around and left. After watching the Black Knight leave, Chen Chen nodded and asked again, Didnt you notice? This kind of mysterious phenomenon is quite interesting and there are almost limitless possibilities we can try. For example, if I install a camera next door, what do you think Ill see? Or if I move to a room made entirely of glass, what will happen then? And if I stay in a detached room that has no other rooms around it, will the thuds still become knocks on the door? As Chen Chen said this, there was a cheerful glimmer in his eyes. In a nutshell, with this mysterious phenomenon, I can carry out many, many attempts, just like a rigorous experiment. And this is the kind of experiment that Im best at Chapter 309 - Hyperthymesia In this manner, Chen Chen conversed with X-112 while waiting for the sound of the thudding to begin again. However, as time ticked by the minute, the sound never resumed. It was not until four oclock in the morning the next day that Chen Chen sank into sleep again. When Chen Chen opened his eyes again, it was already noon the next day. After a night of sleep, Chen Chens head finally did not hurt as much as it did yesterday. Although there was still a slight ache, at least it was within a tolerable range. Sir Commander, after you fell asleep last night, the sound didnt start up again and the Black Knight in the other room didnt experience any strange phenomena. X-112 reported. Then what about the two Black Knights guarding the group, have they encountered anything unusual? Chen Chen sat up, rubbed his temples, and asked. No. Everything was as usual. In that case, its likely that the problem is with me Upon hearing this, Chen Chens expression suddenly sharpened. Although the Black Knights dont have a brain, no matter what, they are still living beings. If even I were infected by a mysterious phenomenon, it doesnt make sense that the Black Knights wouldnt be infected, unless these mysterious phenomena can distinguish between normal humans and controlled humans? So, it must be because I did something in that room before that the Black Knights didnt, which led to the mysterious phenomenon only infecting me, but not the Black Knights. Thinking of this, Chen Chen began to recall everything that happened yesterday. What he had done was simple he had gone to the room next door and touched the dent of the impact. At that time, he had gotten white plaster all over his hand. Is it because I touched the marks left by the thuds? Chen Chen was not sure about this. After putting on the PK Armor again, Chen Chen led the Black Knight out of the room and came to the hall of the teaching building again. After a night of being supervised in a group, the expressions of these survivors were a little haggard. After the group was captured, their mentality had changed. How did they behave last night? Is the situation still stable? Chen Chen observed everyone and suddenly asked. Its fairly stable. In truth, several of these people had plans to escape or even fight back. After all, they are people living in a doomsday, so theyre not averse to taking risks. However, the Black Knights are too good at keeping watch and this group of people never found the opportunity to do so. X-112 replied, But these people definitely dont know that, even if they are whispering, every word can be clearly heard by us. Last night, I heard the team leader making quite a few offers to Yoru Kamidera such as promising that hell no longer be their slave and will instead, become a full member, and other arrangements with food and living facilities. Again, Yoru Kamidera didnt agree right away, but replied that he had to think about it. Hearing this news, Chen Chen nodded. Sure enough, Yoru Kamidera must have some specialty that was extremely beneficial to the team. Otherwise, the team leader would not possibly risk offending Chen Chen by trying to get Yoru Kamidera to stay. Yoru Kamidera, what have you decided? As soon as he entered the hall, Chen Chen immediately asked Yoru Kamidera. Your Excellency, Im willing to go with you. Yoru Kamidera immediately replied upon hearing this. Very good. Chen Chen nodded. In this case, come with me to locate the military base now. Although Yoru Kamidera was a little puzzled about Chen Chens objective in finding the military base, he did not say anything, only stood up and walked to Chen Chens side. At this moment, the Bugatti Spaceship arrived, driven by X-112, and landed in front of Chen Chen. Following Chen Chens directive, Yoru Kamidera boarded the spaceship with a lively expression. Then, Chen Chen and the three Black Knights went in after him. When the gull-wing door closed and the Bugatti Spaceship took off, the group in the teaching building seemed to awaken from a stupor and sighed in relief. Both Chen Chens arrival and departure had happened so quickly without any warning signs. They felt as if they had just woken up from a dream. Fujiwara Aoki tapped his plaster cast with his right hand as he stared after the departing spaceship with a complicated expression. If it were not for the hostility of his team yesterday, they would not have suffered a double loss. Of course, Chen Chen would not be concerned about the thoughts of a group of bugs. After only half an hour of journey, under Yoru Kamideras guidance, Chen Chen finally located the North American military base stationed in the East China Sea Continent. As a country that was defeated in World War II, the East China Sea Continent did not have the right to form an army, only the right to self-defense. Therefore, there was a large number of North American military bases in the East China Sea Continent. The reason Chen Chen wanted to find this place was for the sake of tracking down Gantzs technological information. In Chen Chens view, it was very likely that humans had not fully grasped the technology given to them by the alien civilization and could only create machines far beyond human cognition through blind imitation, such as the Gantz sphere. Nonetheless, this was also enough. This was because if humans could replicate the Gantz black sphere, then as long as the methods were not too unreasonable, perhaps in reality, Chen Chen could also achieve mass production of the Gantz sphere. If this was the case, then Chen Chen would essentially have a super army that could shuttle around the world at any time, coming and going like phantoms. It would not be like before when they had to rely on international flights to carry out activities all over the world. Although this kind of military base might not necessarily have the technology of the Gantz black sphere, Chen Chen could find more clues about the black spheres through the military base, thereby resuming the investigation and greatly reducing the time taken to find the needle in the haystack. Perhaps because it was Yoru Kamideras first time in a flying vehicle like this, for once his eyes were shimmering with wonder throughout the entire journey. Only then was there a trace of naivety, unlike his previous self evidently a youth, yet with dull, dejected eyes as if he cared for nothing in this world. This is it. This is the port of Yokohama, on the west coast of Tokyo Bay in central Honsh. Its also the largest seaport in the East China Sea. Currently, Yoru Kamidera pointed to a position on the holographic screen and said softly, Because this is the largest port in the East China Sea, it was regulated by North America. The Yokohama North American military base in the East China Sea was established here. You seem to know all this very well. Chen Chen asked reflexively, Is that your specialty? No, my specialty is very simple, its just a kind of hyperthymesia. Yoru Kamidera shook his head. Its what people also call a photographic memory. I can remember everything that happens each year, month or day, every hour, minute, and second. The scene of any day can be rewound like a cassette tape and reconstructed in my mind. Hyperthymesia? Chen Chen was startled. Did this not mean that Yoru Kamidera could even remember things like the Basilisk patterns? Chapter 310 - yygq Chen Chen had also once looked up this neurological disease that seemed to be a superpower. In the past, the scientific community believed that forgetting was a passive process and those memories that were used less often would disappear slowly and automatically. However, with more in-depth research, an increasing amount of evidence showed that the loss of memory was not a passive process. On the contrary, forgetting was more of an active process. Human brains were constantly forgetting. This was a preset function of the brain, like a program that was continuously running in the background. One could not see it, but it truly existed. It was not until 2017 that scientists verified this process. This was a mechanism of active forgetting, called essential forgetting. It involved a specific subset of cells inside the brain. These cells were called forgetting cells, which broke down the imprints of the memory cells. The prefrontal cortex of the brains in hyperthymesia patients was very different from that of ordinary people. Whenever this region tried to compress information, it became abnormally active, preventing the compression of information. Therefore, they could not forget certain memories. Nonetheless, although patients with hyperthymesia had an exceptional, unique memory, not all of them would reach the apex of life as ordinary people might assume. On the contrary, they could not even become the top student in their class. This was because, despite hyperthymesia patients having powerful storage and memory capabilities, there was usually a problem with the function that halted memory retrieval. In other words, the brains of patients with hyperthymesia were often in a state of nonstop retrieval. This caused them to be in perpetual anguish and their work and study were often affected by recollections of the past. In severe cases, this could lead to insomnia and excessive dreaming, even resulting in mental illness. Of course, I havent always had this ability. At this time, Yoru Kamidera continued. Strictly speaking, I mustve obtained it when I woke up after seeing the Eye and falling into a coma for three hours. Chen Chens expression sharpened after hearing this. It was true that most patients with hyperthymesia were not born with this ability, but rather, they only acquired it after certain incidents. However, this must be the first time someone had obtained this ability through a Basilisk pattern. Doesnt this mean that you can even recall the Basilisk pattern? Chen Chen looked at the military base that was getting closer and asked with interest, So, do you remember the image of the Eye? I do. I can even draw it out by hand. Yoru Kamidera said, Also Ive found that my resistance to Basilisk patterns is getting stronger and stronger. I even have a certain degree of resistance against patterns such as Reaper, Flame, and Filth. After some thought, Yoru Kamidera added. Your Excellency, the information you saw was written by me and the Basilisk patterns in it were all drawn by me. Chen Chen could not refrain from applauding. It seems that your role is even greater than I thought. What about against mysterious phenomena? Im sorry to say that Im useless against mysterious phenomena. Yoru Kamidera shook his head. The leader of the team once asked me to make a similar attempt but it failed. Fortunately, the mysterious phenomenon was not that lethal, otherwise, Id have died. Chen Chen nodded and said no more. At this time, the spaceship had reached the top of a building near the Yokohama military base. The three Black Knights got off the spaceship with hard drives and data cables, heading toward the military base. There should be a server room belonging to the military base in there. As long as the diesel generator was located, the server room could be re-operated. Chen Chen and Yoru Kamidera stayed on the spaceship, waiting for the mission to progress. To prevent encountering Basilisk patterns, Chen Chen did not even turn on the video, but just used X-112 as a hub that would report the situation encountered by the Black Knights in the military base at all times. At present, it looks like there are no guards in the military base. The Black Knights found some human traces in the weaponry. It seems that doomsday survivors occasionally come here to replenish ammunition and other supplies. Its certain that the warehouse has been emptied out a very long time ago. This mustve happened soon after doomsday occurred Still searching. We have found the diesel generators, but the server room hasnt yet been found A string of updates came from X-112. Chen Chen was bored out of his mind, so he simply continued to look through the black diary, hoping to find other clues from it. Seeing that Chen Chen was riffling through the diary, Yoru Kamidera beside him could not help but say, The diaries of the dead are very dangerous because many of the mysterious phenomena that have evolved from the Basilisk patterns are highly contagious. There are even some that are simply a piece of text. I know. Chen Chen nodded. But are there any specific examples for reference? I have only heard of other types of mysterious phenomena, but never any that are textually based. Ive only heard people mentioning highly fatal mysterious phenomena that are based in text, but they didnt go into detail because if anyone hears those words, theyre a goner. Yoru Kamidera looked quite somber. But I know of a textual mysterious phenomenon that isnt very contagious and with relatively milder effects. Chen Chen nodded. Tell me about it. This was about the time when the Eye had just appeared on the Internet. Yoru Kamidera was caught up in his memory. I had just turned ten that year and I encountered the Eye. In that disaster, my parents died and only I survived Later, I heard someone mention that theyve found a strange network domain name, which is a website address. The full website address is www.yygq.com. You can log in to that website whether with a mobile phone or a computer. The name of that website is just four letters yygq, so this website is also called the yygq website. However, this URL doesnt exist. Its not in the URL registration records of any country, yet it still can be easily accessed. After entering the site, the page will display a forum with a black background and green text. The functionality of this forum is extremely crude. Its as simple as it can get. Nevertheless, I heard people say at the time that, as long as anyone has logged on to that website and registered to leave a comment, whatever words they type on the forum, in whatever language, will be automatically translated into traditional Chinese. Moreover, it will be in a specific format. Traditional Chinese? Chen Chen was taken aback at once. Yes. For example, if you type How are you in Japanese, then after typing it out, the words will become Your ashes have not been scattered[1] yet, right?, or if you type in Japanese, I am fine too, it will automatically become Im feeling much better. [1] Ill scatter your ashes is a Chinese catchphrase that originated from Douyin, meant to express extreme fury. Chapter 311 - Pale White Palm Yoru Kamidera continued. Or perhaps the sentence you type will become Is it possible that other people think Im not doing well, it cant be, can it?. By the time you tried to explain that Im not trying to judge anyone, the sentence turns into Hes triggered, hes triggered! or variations of such sentences that upset people in general. Furthermore, when youre proved by people saying such things and try to reply, Please be civilized, what you type will instead be sent as Anything else?, Are you done?, Quit being so loud, whats your problem!, you get the idea Chen Chen became speechless and shot a look at Yoru Kamidera. Thats all? This is only the prelude. Yoru Kamidera flashed a bitter smile. Whats stranger was what came after that. Since then, strange things happened to the people who had logged onto the forum. Everything they say in real life, write on paper or just any form of communication as a whole turns into Chinese pronunciations. The tone of the translation is aggressive as well. This effect only slowly fades away after one week. You cant escape it even in reality? Chen Chen was stunned upon hearing that. It was then when he made the connection that it must have been related to the mysterious text phenomenon. Yes. Yoru Kamidera added. This may seem comedic compared to the other mysterious phenomenon, but on a fundamental level it was no different from the other cases. It also has a transmission method of its own. Take this current observation with the mysterious text, for example. Its transmitted through the yygg website and the symptom of the infection is that one will speak in a specific pattern. In this sense, its actual damage and threat arent significant. But you can only imagine that if the symptom of the infection is changed to something else such as instant death on the spot, then this will instantly turn into an extremely lethal occurrence. Or better yet, instead of the condition of transmission being logging onto the website, it changes to anyone who hears such phrases are immediately infected with a similar condition. Youll immediately see it rapidly spreading across the globe. Thats true. Chen Chen nodded. Yoru Kamedera went on. This is why something like a diary of the deceased can be extremely dangerous. Thats because you have no clue what took the persons life, theres a chance that the person died of such bizarre cases that are conducted by reading specific text While the two of them were discussing these mysterious phenomena, there was suddenly a slight knock on the glass beside the seat where Chen Chen was seated. Dong! Yoru Kamidera continued. Apart from that, theres another potential risk. Which is that those strange texts may bring another Before he could finish his sentence, there was another knock. Chen Chens expression became grave as he turned to look outside the cabin window of the spaceship. Dong! The moment Chen Chen turned to inspect, a horrifically pale hand left its prints on the cabin window of the spaceship! Yoru Kamidera was visibly shocked by the sudden commotion. Chen Chen felt his heart tighten as well. He continued to stare silently at the imprint of the palm on the cabin window. However, the cabin windows of the Bugatti Spaceship were not made with glass materials but instead, a form of semi-transparent materials that came fully attached to the doors. Therefore, it was difficult to get a clear view of objects outside the spaceship. From where Chen Chen sat, he could see that there were hardly any fine details in the palm. There were no fingerprints, no palm prints, nor was it adorned with any jewelry. All that could be seen was boney veins crawling across the slender fingers. The only remaining notable feature was the distinctive paleness. It was an extremely uncomfortable sight. Such eerie paleness would rarely if ever be associated with fair skin, but instead gave the impression of a cold, dead body. There was no way this was the palm of a person Unlike Yoru Kamadera, Chen Chen hardly showed any signs of being agitated or fearful. He only promptly raised his head to ask, X-112, what happened? Can you detect whats outside the spaceship? What added to Chen Chens surprise was that X-112 did not respond at all! X? Urgent command input, X-112, I order you to respond! Chen Chen asked again but the X-112 artificial intelligence integrated with the spaceship seemed to have been shut down. No matter how Chen Chen tried to summon the copy of Little X, he could not draw a response. Sir, its no use. Yoru Kamidera started to calm down. Although he was just a common person, he did possess a coolness exceeding his peers of the same age as he remarked, Usually, when one of these mysterious phenomena are triggered, the victims enter a state which they cannot pluck themselves out of and even nearby observers cannot interact with them. Its pretty clear now that the intelligence system in this spaceship can no longer hear your orders. Then why can you still interact with me? Chen Chen gave up on communicating with X-112 and turned to Yoru Kamadera. Are you targeted by it as well? Its possible. Yoru Kamidera nodded. But allow me to wager a guess. If Im not mistaken, you mustve been targeted by these strange events previously, right? Without waiting for Chen Chen to respond, Yoru Kamidera continued. The truth is, many of these mysterious phenomena have a contagious characteristic, just like viruses and diseases do. An infected person may transmit the condition via countless mediums you would never think of, such as a simple sentence, a simple touch, an eye contact or simply just being in the same room. Sure, Im just speculating at the end of the day since Ive never encountered this variation of the phenomenon before. Even now, Im not sure if Im actually infected, but I think the reason I can still interact with you now is that the full effect of the phenomena hasnt unraveled yet. Youre currently in the incubation phase. Incubation phase? Contagious? Infection symptom Chen Chen found himself at loss for words for a brief moment before flashing a smile. Not bad, treating these mysterious phenomena as a disease. I like these terms. As the two of them continued discussing, Chen Chen suddenly noticed that the mark of the palm had disappeared. An apt way to put it should be that the two of them did not notice when it had disappeared. It was as if the imprint of the palm was never there at all. Even if the two of them fixed their combined attention on the palm, they would still fail to notice the exact moment which it vanished. It was as if they suddenly dozed off for a split instant and the palm just vanished without a trace. Upon reevaluating it, did the palm even exist in the first place? Chen Chen displayed a thoughtful look. X-112? Chen Chen asked again. Yes, Sir Commander. X-112 responded almost instantly, Is there something I can help you with? Chen Chen immediately fell silent. Sir Commander? Failing to generate a response from Chen Chen, X-112 enquired again. Nothing. Chen Chen shook his head and clicked the button to open the door, which caused the gull-wing doors[1] of the Bugatti to shift upward, allowing them to see what was outside the spaceship. Chen Chen stepped out of the spaceship to survey his surroundings. After that, he closed the doors and inspected the surface of the gull-wing door. There were no palm prints on the gull-wing door, but there was a slightly caved in mark left behind. It would appear that something had gently knocked against the door of the spaceship twice [1] An automotive industry term describing car doors that are hinged at the roof rather than the side Chapter 312 - Area 51 Chen Chen had originally thought that such a collision only occurred during midnight. Its second appearance had effectively thrown off Chen Chens current hypothesis of its pattern. Besides, Chen Chen was not in a room but inside a spaceship. Or could this mean that the trigger condition was not limited to a room, but just any enclosed spaces? With this in mind, Chen Chen checked his watch and saw that the time now was ten-thirty in the morning. He suddenly asked, X-112, what were you doing one minute ago? Me? X-112 appeared somewhat confused but still looked up its activity log following Chen Chens orders. It answered shortly after, Sir Commander, please take a look. I was operating all this time. Did you not hear a knock outside the door? Chen Chen asked. No X-112 went to inspect the spacecraft and quickly noticed the marks left on the door, Thats not right, when did this mark show up? Even the live surveillance footage of the spaceship didnt show anything The spaceship is monitored? Chen Chen lit up at the prospect. If there was surveillance footage, that meant he may get a glimpse of what the owner of the pale white palm looked like. Yes, the spaceship is equipped with holographic projection surveillance which covers all angles. I should be able to notice any notable changes on the spaceship. X-112 assured promptly. Then please rewind to the footage from one to two minutes ago. Chen Chen gave the order. Immediately after that, X-112 produced a projection of the holographic three-dimensional image of a miniaturized version of the spaceship that stood at the height of a regular persons waist. There was even a display on its side indicating the time of the event being ten twenty-eight and zero seconds. It would appear that this was the live footage of the spaceship at the time. Viewing from the hologram, there was nothing in view in the space surrounding the spaceship. However, when the clock ticked to twenty-eight minutes and forty seconds, the entire hologram suddenly turned blurry appearing as if the projection was disrupted. What was originally a high-resolution hologram suddenly turned into a chaotic splatter of colors. This condition persisted for thirty-five seconds. When the clock ticked at twenty-nine minutes and fifteen seconds, the hologram had once again reverted to a normal state. When this happened, a new mark left behind by a collision appeared on the gulf-wing door of the spaceship. The mysterious phenomenon had occurred again just moments ago? Upon seeing this footage, X-112 expressed its confusion, But I didnt notice anything at all. I understand. Chen Chen remarked solemnly, Based on your activity logs we can also see that your program is running just fine in this thirty-five-second span. The reason you were not able to notice it is because the problem lied with the spaceship and myself If thats the case, then why was I able to notice something being off yesterday? X-112 was a little perplexed. Chen Chen ruminated on this for a moment before turning to Yoru Kamidera who was in the spaceship. Because just now, it was only me and Yoru Kamidera who encountered the mysterious phenomenon. When Chen Chen considered this, he further instructed, X-112, update the data on sound of impact. Based on the second experience of the infected codenamed O5 with the mysterious phenomenon, the findings are C the sound of impact may only occur in fully-enclosed spaces and isnt limited by time, meaning that it may occur during both daytime and nighttime. As of now, were unable to determine the trigger condition for the sound of impact, but we can conclude that any other living being in the same room as O5 can detect the same impact as well Chen Chen quickly added. Apart from that, upon triggering the second sound of impact, O5 saw a palm appearing. At the time, O5 was inside the Bugatti Spaceship and saw the shape of the palm through the semi-transparent cabin window. So far, we can conclude that the palm is connected to the sound of impact After updating the associated data, Chen Chen could not help but steal another glance at the cabin window of the spaceship. The structure of the window was extremely sturdy and was built into the door of the spacecraft. Although the quality of the spacecraft did not appear particularly outstanding in the movie, the fact that it could remain intact after experiencing a crash at supersonic speed was a fine indicator of its superior quality. It should be safe to say that the Bugatti Spaceship had no problem holding itself against regular bullets. Even a sniper rifle may not be able to shatter its windows. It may appear that the cabin windows just saved my life. Chen Chen reflected thoughtfully. If the windows were built using ordinary engineered plastics or glass instead of extremely resilient material designed to withstand the atmospheric pressure of outer space, I may be long dead already. After all, the appearance of the palm was far too outlandish, Chen Chen no longer felt comfortable with relying on his luck. His gut was telling him that one of these days, he would be in big trouble if the owner of the hand somehow broke through the barrier between them After that, Chen Chen did not return to the spaceship right away. Instead, he continued issuing orders outside the spaceship. Within an hour, the three Black Knights had found the server room of the military base by utilizing the unmanned drones. They started setting up the diesel generators. Everything progressed without a hitch after that. Within half an hour, the server units that had been retired for more than five years began operating again. Although there were security preventative measures such as firewalls, they hardly stood a chance against X-112. After thorough scanning, X-112 extracted all the secret information. However, these secrets and news of scandals had long lost any relevance or significance following the demise of human civilization. What Chen Chen was after was information related to the Gantz sphere. This time, it took X-112 longer to scan. Chen Chen waited for more than three hours before X-112 finally brought news. Sir Commander, Ive verified the location of the production workshop of the Gantz sphere. Originally, there were only three production facilities. One was located in German, the other in North America, and the final one in the Mainland. After the great calamity, the production of the Gantz sphere was practically completely halted, but the research wasnt suspended and was only conducted in secret instead. Based on the current information, the known position of the North American research center is inside the Area 51 military base. Alright, then lets get ready to depart. Chen Chen ordered, I think for this spaceship of ours, it shouldnt take too long to travel from the East China Sea region to North America. Traveling in the atmospheric layer of the Earth should take approximately four hours. If we exit the Earth atmospheric layer and aim for North America in a pattern akin to ballistic missiles, it should only take one hour and twenty-five minutes. X-112 replied. The described ballistic missile flight method was the application of vertical take-off to help exit the earths atmosphere, then flying along a predetermined path toward a set location. Due to the absence of air resistance in a vacuum environment, the missile could reach a tremendous speed. Under such conditions, a ballistic missile could advance toward its target at a speed of up to Mach 24. It was a devastating speed. By the time it reentered the Earths atmospheric layer and began approaching its target, there was not a single entity in the world that could obstruct it in its path. This was what a ballistic missile was capable of. To be clear, such flight methods were not only constricted to missiles but it was achievable by aircraft as well. Each major country in the world had been fervently working toward developing aircraft of such level. This aircraft advancement was known as supersonic aircraft. The current Bugatti Spaceship was capable of flight in space as well. With X-112 at its helm, it could also achieve such a flight method. Chen Chen considered this for a moment. Since X-112 took the initiative to suggest incorporating this flight method, that meant projections had been run to determine that using such flight methods would not pose any risk. With this in mind, he nodded. In that case, lets go with ballistic missile guided flight. We need to find the technology for the Gantz sphere as soon as we can. I suspect that the mysterious phenomenon surrounding me grows stronger as time passes. Understood. X-112 took note of that. After Chen Chen boarded the spaceship, they went to the military base to pick up the three Black Knights. After everyone returned to the spaceship, the Bugatti Spaceship immediately took flight, aiming to exit the atmosphere. It continuously climbed upward at a slanted angle. The spaceship will be entering a state of supersonic flight. There was a fierce eruption of accumulated air as the spaceship began to speed up exponentially. A fearsome force forcefully pushed Chen Chen and Yoru Kamidera into their seats and held them in place. Weve entered the stratosphere and are still accelerating, current speed Mach 3! X-112 continuously provided the latest status report for Chen Chen to allow Chen Chen to issue new orders at first notice whenever needed. Mach 5! Mach 7! The spaceship has exceeded Mach 10 and has broken into the middle section of the atmospheric layer. Current altitude 50,000 meters above sea level. As the Bugatti Spaceship ascended to greater heights, the surrounding air had become thinner as well, causing the spaceship to accelerate faster. The body of the spaceship was coated with a high-temperature coating layer capable of withstanding temperatures up to 2,000 degrees Celsius. Even when flying into the atmosphere, it could maintain a high speed without fear of being burned. After three minutes had passed, X-112 reported again, The spaceship has reached Mach 20. Were currently breaking into the ionosphere, the current altitude is 80,000 meters! Chen Chen looked out the window to inspect the view outside. He saw that the pale blue sky outside had turned into a condensed and dark tint, it was the color of space. Shortly after that, the spaceship had surpassed an altitude of 110,000 meters, breaking the world record for aircraft altitude. However, this was not surprising. With the advanced structure of the Bugatti Spaceship, it could effortlessly take on the fifth-generation combat jets of North America while flying upside down. Ascending to an altitude exceeding a hundred thousand meters was childs play for it. The spaceship has passed Mach 20! It was then when X-112 suddenly announced again, Current altitude 150,000 meters! At this point, even Chen Chen could not resist holding his breath. Although he was well aware of how capable the Bugatti Spaceship was, he had never imagined it reaching Mach 20. Such speed was equivalent to gliding at 7 kilometers per second, which was ten times the speed of regular bullets. To the current day, only a handful of guided ballistic missiles could achieve such speed. With that said, it was clear that this was not the limit. After another ten minutes had passed again, X-112 reported again, The spaceship is currently flying at 230,000 meters above sea level, the speed has equalized at Mach 23. Pushing any higher than this may be risky. Should I proceed with further accelerating? That wont be necessary, safety first. Start altering the course now. Chen Chen made a waving gesture. Following Chen Chens order, the spaceship with its glowing red hot body began altering its course in space. It lined itself up along the trajectory of the Earth, aiming at the North American continent located on the other side of the Earth. What followed after was another round of acceleration. In this round of acceleration, as the spaceship followed its charted course, Chen Chen saw dark orange-red flames glowing around the shell of the spaceship. Not only did the kindle of flames not disintegrate as the spaceship descended, but the scorching flames also grew brighter. What astounding technology. Inside the spaceship, Chen Chen could not help but marvel at the wondrous charm of technology. Technology was what brought humans to a never-before-explored territory. Technology was responsible for expanding humans footmarks beyond the Earth and into foreign, unprecedented lands Furthermore, Chen Chen barely felt the slightest rise of temperature inside the spaceship. As it turned out, the spaceships thermal insulation coating perfectly isolated the heat produced by constant friction against the atmosphere. The insulation coating was very durable and was hardly affected even though the spaceship had been flying for nearly an hour. Unlike Chen Chen, Yoru Kamidera kept a stoic, blank expression appearing as if he was uninterested in the voyage. It was his tightly clenched fist that gave away the nervous emotions swelling inside him. Needless to be said, he was someone with very limited experience boarding airplanes even before the calamity. The spaceship maintained its course this way at breakneck speed for twenty minutes. By this point, it had re-entered the atmospheric layer and was starting to slow down due to friction against the air. Weve arrived at the airspace above North America, less than a thousand kilometers away from our point of destination. Beginning deceleration After remaining silent for twenty minutes, X-112 announced again, Current flying speed Mach 15, a hundred kilometers above sea level. Continue decelerating Chen Chen turned to look outside the spaceship upon hearing this. He watched as the radiant yellow glow slowly transitioned into a bright red, the contrast of the red spark slowly deepened as they descended. Current speed Mach 12, 80 kilometers above sea level Mach 10! Mach 5! By this point, the sparks outside the spaceship were extinguished. A rush of pale blue tint started to paint themselves over the previous indigo sky as bright white clouds began to appear outside the window again. They were less than 10 kilometers above sea level at this point. When Chen Chen looked out the window, he saw the landscape covered in lush greenery. Unlike the world Chen Chen came from, this dimension was overtaken by bright green fauna. Perhaps instead of needing several centuries or even millennia, all of the prints left behind by humans on this Earth would be cleansed by nature in just a matter of decades, with not so much as a trace left behind. Perhaps after several millennia, a new intelligent civilization would re-emerge and reach the summit of the current human civilization. When they began uncovering the underground archaeological remains, they may very well find memoirs of the previous civilization. Chen Chen took the time to reflect on the novel idea before he started to see gigantic structures coming into view on the plains up ahead. This was yet another military base. It was also the motivation for Chen Chen embarking on his current trip C the famous air force base located in Lincolnshire, Vada, of the North American region. North America, Area 51. Chapter 313 - Under Attack When they were only approximately ten kilometers away from Area 51, the urgent sound of the alarm system blared across the spaceship. X-112 announced simultaneously, Sir Commander, detected radar scanning at 12 oclock! Theres someone at Area 51? Chen Chen was immediately taken aback by the completely unexpected news. Who would have thought that the North American Continent still had an assembly of troops even when human civilization was facing extinction? We detected a strong continuous radar frequency. Sir Commander, our position has been compromised by the Area 51 military operation. X-112 further cautioned. The opposition has no interest in communicating with us. Thats not all, our omnidirectional infrared detector has detected an object approaching at high speed. It seems to be a surface-to-air missile! Can we dodge it? There are three ways we can dodge it. For the current situation, well use electromagnetic cloaking. X-112 answered. After several seconds, X-112 informed again, The missile had lost sight of its target. Sir Commander, should we continue infiltrating the military base. Forget it, the military base is manned. Chen Chen gathered his thoughts for a moment before he dismissed the idea. First, lets figure out the situation and see if theres a way we can communicate with them. If its only a small doomsday squad consisting of several hundreds of members of scattered troops, then we can launch a direct attack. If its a properly established army, we can sit down and discuss terms with them. Understood. X-112 responded before turning the spaceship around to retreat from the airspace of the military place. Then, it landed on top of a hill on the edge of the area. When the spaceship had landed, Chen Chen dispatched three Black Knights to survey the surrounding area. After ensuring the hill was a safe area, he asked again, X-112, can we contact Area 51? Ive relayed a radio message but theyre not responding to us yet. X-112 answered, Im not sure why, but they appear to be extremely hostile. There are only two possibilities. Chen Chen said after brief consideration, The first one is that theyve identified us as some kind of enemy. Or better yet, as an eternal foe that theyll do whatever it takes to destroy us upon finding us. Second, this is essentially an act stemming from their shame and guilt. Shame and guilt? Because they arent the original owner of the military base. Out of fear of being kicked out of the place by its rightful owner, they resort to killing. Chen Chen deducted. Which means that theres a healthy chance that the army camping inside Area 51 isnt any regular army, but an independent rebel force formed after the collapse of the North American government. For the sake of holding onto their current position, they refuse any means of communication with the officials. Theres a strong chance that theyve mistaken us for those officials. Which possibility do you think is more likely? X-112 asked. Probably the latter. Chen Chen thought for a moment. Or maybe its a combination of both possibilities. Perhaps the rebel army inside this military base had already battled with the government, this might explain why they attacked us on sight. Of course, it doesnt matter which one it is. What interests me more is how they were able to hide from the mysterious phenomenon occurring all over the world. Thats true, its no small feat upkeeping an established army in the end times, its almost impossible. X-112 agreed. Based on the ruling principle of the spread of the mysterious phenomena, it can be observed that the rate of infection increases in densely populated areas. Its basically like a contagious disease in this sense. It doesnt make sense that the military camp would become a safe harbor from the ongoing mysterious phenomena. This is why we have to investigate the place. If for anything else, just to figure out the logic behind this. Chen Chen gave an affirmative nod. Dispatch the drones to investigate first, we have the cloaking devices after all. Besides, the radar cannot detect us if were flying at low altitudes. We dont have to perform a thorough investigation, just get an approximate idea of how many people are in the military base and what weapons they have. We can have the Black Knights bring wireless receivers with them. If I can infiltrate into the military base web server using an extension server, I can immediately figure out the situation in Area 51. X-112 suggested as well. Excellent, then we shall execute both plans simultaneously. Chen Chen gave his approval with a nod. Four unmanned drones and a Black Knight were then dispatched together to the military base in the distance. Meanwhile, X-112 continued trying to communicate with them via radio but to no avail. While all this was happening, there were a dozen or so middle-aged men and women dressed in military uniforms gathered in a conference room in a special section deep under the Area 51 Military Base. There was a tinge of sadness in all of their eyes. Some of them constantly sighed while others seemed to be thinking about something. Now and then, a flash of anger would appear in their eyes, disrupting their stream of thoughts. Seated on the head of the conference table was a white-bearded elderly man. A badge on his shoulder indicated that he was a major general. He wore sunglasses although the room was dimly lit. There was also a cigar he hung by the corner of his lips. The major general spoke suddenly. I believe every one of you has received the news as well. Just ten minutes ago, an unknown flying object swept down from the skies above and appeared to be aiming straight for our military base Word is you issued an order to intercept them with the Sidewinder surface-to-air missile but they managed to slip away. The first man on the major generals left said with an unchanging expression. There was also a badge on his shoulder reflecting his rank of colonel in the North American military structure. Perhaps the missile has degraded over the years. The white-bearded elderly man made a waving gesture with his hands. As you all are well aware of, the count of survivors in the world continuously trends downward. Some time ago, the North American government had tried to reclaim their territory but before it even got started, they were crushed by an instance of level-A mysterious phenomena. When I received the news, I nearly choked on laughter. The general suddenly switched his tone when he mentioned this, In other words, there arent many chances of us finding a qualified engineer to maintain our facilities these days. But listen to me, arent they trying to communicate with us? The first member on the right side of the table was a blonde-haired lady in her forties. Despite being a woman, her posture was the most authoritative of all the people present here. There was always a fierce spark visible in her eyes and a militaristic quality about her movements. Yes, thats the reason I called for this meeting. The white-bearded elderly looked over the people present, both rows of his teeth still firmly gripping the cigar. The origin of that aircraft is still unknown. Based on its flight pattern it should be one of those supersonic aircraft secretly developed by the government. If it werent for it decelerating upon approaching us, itd be nearly identical to a guided missile. But by the looks of it, the aircraft seems to be carrying passengers The white-bearded elderly added. Impossible! The middle-aged colonel frowned and raised his objection. Its impossible for an aircraft of such speed to carry passengers. When flying, it generates more than 10 Gs of net gravitational acceleration. Such velocity would turn the brain of its passengers into a pulp! Perhaps the aircraft has a built-in specialized buffer system? The blonde-haired lady refuted before turning to the elderly man. But this isnt the time for us to discuss this. What Im more curious about is what did they send to us? Joan, youre impatient as ever. The white-bearded elderly man suddenly laughed merrily. When he gave a signal by clapping his hands together, several subordinates entered the conference room and handed a sheet of a report to everyone seated at the conference table. This is the complete log of the previous encounter. After everyone had received a copy of the report, he continued. As you all can see from the radio logs, the other party is asking us why we opened fire at them without issuing a warning. Theyre also continuously asking to speak to the person in charge of the military base. Are you not planning to respond? The colonel asked, We still havent figured out what faction they belong to. Theres a chance they arent part of the government, but this aircraft they used The colonel further inspected the black and white image in the report and asked, General Cary, are you sure the picture of the aircraft hasnt been mixed up with some picture of a car? Everyone inspected the subject referred to. Attached in the report was a not very high-quality picture. On top of that, it was in black and white so all that could be seen was a blurry image. Inside the picture was what appeared to be a vehicle hovering above the air. The only feature that set it apart from regular vehicles were what appeared to be two thrusters on its sides. If even a common car can glide across the sky at speed surpassing Mach 10, then surely I may have been mistaken. The elderly man they called General Cary chuckled. At first, I thought it was a remnant of the government army, but I realized that wasnt the case after they avoided the ballistic missile. Currently, their identities remain a mystery. After all, I havent heard of any remaining states or countries since the calamity that has invented such advanced aircraft. Also, consider the following: what can we possibly gain out of negotiating with them? The elderly man chuckled again as he spoke, Im sure many of us here share the same suspicion, that they are coming for our specially designed underground shelter here. Are we going to share equal ownership of this underground shelter to these people? This is the shelter that keeps us away from the mysterious phenomena There was a distinct change of expression among the members when they heard this. Those who originally had conflicting opinions began to settle down as well. It was true, the underground shelter only had enough to accommodate a certain amount of people. Upon exceeding that number, the supply and demand of food and water would become greatly imbalanced. Once the delicate recycling process of resources was disrupted, they would have no choice but to raise the frequency of opening the underground shelter to resupply resources in the outside world. God knew that the world was now infested with those d*mnable things. There were no guarantees that one of these times of them opening the shelter, those things would not sneak inside. Once the mysterious phenomena found their way inside, the now safest shelter in the entire world would instantly turn into a horrific embodiment of hell on Earth Upon considering this, the members who were longing for some sort of contact with the outside world decided they were better off silencing these ideas. It seems to me that we all have a different opinion on this matter, so I say we do this the democratic way. After the white-bearded general looked over the members, he quickly got an idea of the general ongoing sentiment. Again, he announced, Heres what I think, nothing good can come out of taking unnecessary risk. To prevent having our shelter taken away from us, we shouldnt establish any form of contact with the outside world. If they still dare to storm us by force, we shall shoot them down with our missiles! Who agrees and which ones of you disagree? Agreed! The middle-aged mans expression quickly turned dark. After producing a long sigh, he was the first one to respond. Seconded. The blonde-haired lady seated opposite nodded her approval as well. Seconded. Seconded. Unbeknownst to them, while they were gathering their thoughts on the matter, four completely transparent drones had snuck into the military. They came unnoticed, gliding at low altitudes and approaching from a distance, going 80 kilometers per second. Once the drones successfully infiltrated the base, they immediately dispersed their formation and scattered across the base to conduct a brief scan of the entire base. A-1 did not discover any signs of life A-2 did not discover any signs of life A-3 and A-4 did not discover any signs of life either Half an hour later, Chen Chen received all the messages from the unmanned drones, Sir Commander, weve swept through all of the warehouses and facilities of the military base and couldnt discover any signs of life. By the looks of it, the military base had been deserted for a very long time. Then surely theres no way for an abandoned military base to attack us? Chen Chen turned it around. Its clear that the structures are just a facade. The real military base must be deep underground. I think so too. X-112 answered. Has the Black Knight arrived? Chen Chen enquired. Just arrived. But if even the unmanned drones cannot find any clues, I doubt the Black Knight would be able to find the underground entrance. It doesnt matter even if we cant find the entrance. We can locate them using the electric cables and the local network lines, theres no way they would go as far as to hide the circuitry as well. Chen Chen pondered for a moment. Besides, you can directly infiltrate them if we can find a cable, isnt it? Thats true. Yoru Kamidera started to get a grasp on the current situation as he listened to the exchange between Chen Chen and the artificial intelligence. He became delightfully impressed by the level of artificial intelligence displayed by X-112 which surpassed the average person. He expressed his thoughts suddenly, Your Excellency, Ive also thought of another idea following the trajectory of your original idea. I wonder if youd be interested in hearing me out. Chen Chen flicked his eyebrow curiously and turned to him. Let me hear it. From the information you collected, theres a Basilisk image called Filth. We can take advantage of your artificial intelligence to inject the image into their main control systems. This way, we can eliminate them without sparing any effort, then the entire military base will be ours to claim! Chen Chen cracked a quick smile upon hearing this. Its a good idea, but not so much if the underground base has a built-in self-destruct system. Yoru Kamidera was slightly caught off guard by this. It was true that if the underground base was fitted with self-destruction capabilities, the people residing inside may choose to activate it as a final act of resistance once they had lost all hope. Should that happen, they would have succeeded in defeating their opponents but failed at getting what they were after. Sorry, that slipped through my mind. Your Kamidera answered dejectedly. Its alright, its not an entirely bad idea. Chen Chen waved his hands. Except Im not only gunning for the underground base, but something else as well Chapter 314 - : Secret of Gantz Within three hours, the Black Knight had successfully dug up a track of wire deep underground by tracing along the layout of the bases wiring. It was an optical cable with a diameter of a regular fist. The Black Knight swiftly cut open the outer layer of the optical cable, giving way to a gap wide enough to fit three fingers inside. There were bundles of thin optical cables layered within the larger cable. After that, the Black Knight produced a device resembling a black mechanical beetle. Upon being installed on the exposed section, hundreds of probes came out of the beetle and automatically plugged themselves into the optical fibers. I received the signal. At the same time, X-112 that was positioned some twenty to thirty kilometers away suddenly informed, The Black Knight successfully found the optical cable and installed the interceptor. I can begin infiltrating the internal server of the base using the interceptor signal. Try to crack their network barrier without raising an alarm. Chen Chen reminded. Understood. Following X-112s words, rows of massive data streams flashed automatically on the spaceships holographic projection. At the same time, X-112 began providing the latest updates. Currently intercepting all data, preparing to decode and analyze Extracted the base logs, currently infiltrating the bases defense systems The firewall has been breached X-112s infiltration was extremely efficient, there was an endless stream of updates. After approximately five minutes, X-112 spoke again, Sir Commander, the defense systems of the base have been compromised. We can now barge right in. Excellent work. Chen Chen nodded. Tell me about the base. This base is the North American Area 51 air force base. Somewhere around 1990, as the Gantz sphere technology began emerging, the North American, European, and Central Continents all obtained production rights of the Gantz sphere. This place is where the production of the Gantz sphere in North America was based. X-112 began to provide a detailed background. However, Area 51 was already an air force military operation base in the very first place. To deploy production lines while also concealing them from the public, the underground section of Area 51 military base was excavated. This was where the production line of the Gantz sphere was set up. But these arent the primary focus. The true highlight is that to produce the Gantz sphere, an experimental environment known as Vantablack was required. Ive heard about it. Chen Chen was intrigued. Vantablack is a specially simulated environment wherein subsequent means of radiation reduction is applied to various sources of variation. This is done to negate as many sources of cosmic ray interference as possible. Yes. X-112 replied affirmatively, A Vantablacks environment is essential for conducting cutting-edge experiments such as dark matter detection, neutrinoless double beta decay experiments, and nuclear astrophysics. The current best method for constructing such an environment is by utilizing deep underground rock layers. Ideally, the laboratory should be built as deep underground as possible while also incorporating multiple layers of shielding to minimize the surrounding environmental radiation. The result is an almost completely pure dimension devoid of electromagnetic radiation Which is to say that the Gantz sphere can only be created under such specific conditions? Chen Chen nodded thoughtfully. Excellent, I wonder if our Spire Experimental Base checks these boxes. That would be entirely impossible. X-112 answered, According to the information extracted, the Gantz sphere production line in the Mainland is set up in a laboratory in Sichuan Jinping. The laboratory is built 2,400 meters under a mountain. Its the worlds deepest laboratory and they claimed it was for studying dark matter. Meanwhile, our Spire Laboratory is only 700 meters deep. Chen Chen let out a sigh. Then have you found the manufacturing technology of the Gantz sphere? Ive found it, its being transmitted. X-112 announced again, Based on the looks of it now, your speculation is correct. The Gantz sphere is no more than a terminal, while the relay station is a Gantz satellite with extended wavelengths. In other words, the Gantz sphere being used in conjunction with the Gantz satellite allows it to transport people around the world. Additionally, theres something else called Gantz server inside the Gantz sphere system. The North American server is located right here. Its used to log the data of all the people transported with Gantz. This includes information on the transported persons cell layout, DNA structure, even the string perturbation frequency of the particles that make up DNA, and such. Without the server, the Gantz sphere is little more than scrap metal. Is it that complicated? Thats not even the end of it. What truly challenges the boundary of what we know as science is that each one of the Gantz Sphere, Gantz satellite, and the Gantz server are more than mechanical products. X-112 explained, For the Gantz sphere, mechanical parts only make up 50% of its structure while the Gantz satellite consists of 70% mechanical parts. Meanwhile, the Gantz server is purely crafted using high-purity germanium, it isnt made up of any other substance or contains mechanical structures. You might as well call it a statue carved from high-purity germanium Needless to be said, this is a new aspect of scientific advancement that modern humans have not been able to achieve yet. It does seem that way. Chen Chen flashed a curious look. Any other discoveries? The next part should be something that youre most interested in. X-112 continued. Based on the collected data, each country had foreseen the appearance of the Basilisk images and related mysterious phenomena upon their obtaining of the technology for the Gantz sphere. This is because the earliest form of Basilisk pattern is merely part of the pattern carved on the Gantz server machine What! If the other news Chen Chen had received so far could be described as being moderately acceptable or even predictable to a certain degree. This piece of information was completely left field and stunned Chen Chen. Even Yoru Kamidera was surprised by this revelation. Are you sure there hasnt been some kind of mistake? Theres no mistaking it. X-112 doubled down. The complete report is logged inside the base. This report is further encrypted and shelved away in the deepest corner. At one point, it was also reported to the North American president. However, before they could conduct further research on the subject, human civilization was crippled by the mysterious phenomena. Naturally, the research was halted as well. As X-112 said this, a dense sheet of report written in English appeared before Chen Chen in the form of a holographic projection. X-112 went on. Whats even more surprising is that inside this report, a research staff called Professor Stanford states that the Gantz server exists in a vulnerable but extremely unique dimension. Theres no way to analyze or detect this universe. Even the slightest trace of cosmic radiation would cause its complete destruction, but one certain thing is that it exists One way to tell is that within the radius of the Gantz server, all mysterious phenomena are completely blocked and rendered useless. Chapter 315 - Harvest Yoru Kamidera was completely taken by shock upon hearing the words of X-112. There was a good reason for his exaggerated reaction for he saw with his very own eyes how the world was ruined because of a picture. To a certain extent, the picture had even destroyed human civilization along with the hopes and dreams of countless people. Now he was told that the doom of mankind, the Basilisk images along with the far more terrifying mysterious phenomena had all come from the previous savior of mankind, Gantz? This revelation was a heavy punch to the gut for Yoru Kamidera. He was immediately consumed with a sense of absurdity and irony. Gantz server machine? This seemed to have drawn Chen Chens interest. Exactly, whats the Gantz server machine? Will it be dangerous to approach it directly? This is the strange part. X-112 quickly responded, There are all sorts of patterns on the Gantz server machine but at the end of the day, it was an artificial product. However, the people building it didnt seem to have experienced any strange events. On top of that, after the Gantz server machine was put together, many leaders of many countries came to inspect it and nothing came out of it either. From this, we can conclude that the Gantz server machine itself is harmless. It only makes me more curious when you put it this way. Chen Chen said, Show me. I, for one, would like to see how this Gantz server machine looks like. If you insist. Following Chen Chens orders, the hologram projected by X-112 suddenly shifted. The streams of data and text instantly vanished and were substituted by a metallic gray structure. The structure was very peculiar. It was formed by two spiraling objects intertwining with each other as they climbed to the top to form a spiral-shaped tower with two points of the spiraling objects on its tip! The sight of the spire was extremely peculiar to behold. It seemed to contain layers on top of layers, all of them with strange patterns that Chen Chen had never seen before, all densely packed across the surface of the spire. Upon closer inspection, they were completely identical to the Basilisk patterns! This is the Gantz server machine. X-112 informed, This Gantz server machine is made entirely of solid high-purity germanium. With my current database, I havent been able to deduct why it is the core structure of Gantz. Me too. Chen Chen nodded. The workings of these things have exceeded the boundaries of human knowledge. Whats even more absurd is that this is the work of humans as well. It doesnt look particularly difficult to construct either. Was high-purity germanium used because its a metalloid semiconductor that is somewhere between being a metal and non-metal? Neither X-112 nor Yoru Kamidera had an answer for Chen Chens question, for there was no way to find the answer. Chen Chen was not fixated on obtaining a proper answer either, he only murmured, Despite the evident risk, we have to get our hands on these scientific subjects never before seen by mankind. I also suspect that the three statues from Elysium share a similar principle with this Gantz server machine. Perhaps they may have identical attributes Didnt you decide to steer clear away from the three statues from Elysium back then? X-112 found it perplexing. Why did you try to avoid it back then, but now suddenly decide to research these subjects? Its simple. Chen Chen smiled. Despite both of them sharing similar characteristics of being world-ending devices, Gantz isnt like the three statues from Elysium. From our previous investigation of the three statues, we saw that there was simply no way of dissecting them. In the end, I concluded that the potential insight of that research wasnt worth its potential risk and ultimately decided to abandon the project. But now, whats presented in front of me is something that we can properly utilize. The technology of Gantz is more accessible than the three statues. Put it this way, imagine if you present two lighters to cavemen, one of them is an ordinary flint and steel wheel lighter and the other is a solar energy lighter. Which one of these do you think is more suitable for ancient craftsmen to study? The flint and steel wheel lighter, of course. X-112 answered, Based on the scientific progress of ancient times, the latter lighter is more intuitive and simpler for ancient craftsmen to understand. Thats right. Chen Chen nodded contentedly. And now, the Gantz technology is our version of the flint and steel wheel lighter. Although we still have a very limited understanding of it, its at the very least more accessible than the solar energy lighter. With this in mind, Chen Chen got up decisively. Which is why we have to take control of this underground military base. I also need to ensure that the Gantz server machine underground remains unharmed. Dont worry, there are less than a hundred people inside the underground base and they are only using conventional kinetic weapons. These are the people who have retreated from the surface upon realizing that the Gantz server machine has the mystical ability to keep the mysterious phenomena at bay. This is how they were able to survive in the end times. I see, then its probably the government trying to reclaim the machine once the mysterious phenomena began to spread. Chen Chen nodded. But to their surprise, they arrived here only to be greeted by an independent rebellion faction. That explains why they displayed such hostility upon our arrival. As they were discussing, the other two Black Knights had left the Bugatti Spaceship as well. Both of them headed for the military base at full speed. With your coordination, three Black Knights should be enough to take over the underground base. Chen Chen silently weighed the risk in his mind when he saw the Black Knights departing. As long as their opponent used only conventional weapons instead of weapons like the gravity gun or X-gun like Gantz, there should be nothing for Chen Chen to worry about. As expected, with X-112 controlling them, the three Black Knights had silently snuck through the entrance and successfully infiltrated the sealed underground base. With that, the three of them had entered no mans land. X-112 carefully coordinated them and relayed the position of every person inside the base. By utilizing the invisibility technology in their kit, they had cut the population in the base by more than half within half an hour without raising any alarm. It was around that point when someone finally found the body of a murdered soldier and sounded the alarm. However, before the others could be alerted, X-112 cut off the power of the entire base, effectively closing the curtain of hope for them. Like playing cat and mouse, the three Black Knights harvested one life after another in complete darkness. These people who should have died in the calamity had their five years of tranquility abruptly cut short. Five years of complacency had dulled their senses and alertness. They lost their previous instincts and failed to condition their body accordingly, which caused them to degrade back to ordinary people. In the end, as a safety measure in case he missed something, Chen Chen had the Black Knights keep three people alive for interrogation. The three lucky subjects were the three highest position officials in the underground base. There was the elderly major general, the middle-aged colonel, and the woman named Joan. Chapter 316 - : Mutation Several hours later, Chen Chen was already strolling in the central section of the underground base. There were two rows of Vantablack laboratory lined up along both sides of the walkway. It was near impossible to detect any trace of cosmic ray or electromagnetic disturbance within these laboratories as they functioned as a one-of-a-kind pure space. Strictly speaking, the purpose of this underground base was the same as Chen Chens Spire Experimental Base. They were both experimental bases built with a focus on conducting scientific experiments. However, over the last few years, these laboratories were forcefully opened by the soldiers occupying this base. A layer of dust and rust was seen resting on top of all the priceless equipment, rendering them completely useless, as good as scrap metal. Shame. Chen Chen shook his head slightly upon seeing what had happened. It was such a cruel joke, letting a bunch of vulgar, simple-minded soldiers claiming control of a world-leading physics experiment base. One could imagine that the world-class scientists working in the laboratory that was kicked out by these people as the calamity was approaching were long dead by now. Just the idea of it was a sour thought. As Chen Chen walked along the corridor of the base by himself, the sealed doors opened one after another when he approached as if they were welcoming their rightful master. It did not take long before Chen Chen had arrived at the end of the underground experimental base. It was a sinkhole sinking deep underground. The sinkhole crept several hundred meters underground, which was even deeper than the base itself. Strictly speaking, the base assumes the layout of a circuit of spherical structure, each one of these round buildings forming a ring around the giant sinkhole in the middle. At the present, Chen Chen had come to the innermost section of the base. He was greeted by an arc-shaped observation window that stood more than 3 meters tall. There were many such windows on both sides of the pit and they formed a straight line all the way down the sinkhole. On the other side of the observation window, there was nothing but darkness as well. The silhouette of the bottomless sinkhole can barely be made out. Can the power system be reactivated? Chen Chen raised his head and asked. Yes, although its implementation doesnt reach the level of nuclear fusion technology, they do have a local nuclear fission reactor. It can keep the underground base operational for another fifty to a hundred years. X-112s voice came from the speakers on the wall closest to Chen Chen. At the same time, the gigantic observation in front of Chen Chen suddenly lit up. To be clear, it was the sinkhole before Chen Chen that was illuminated by strong bursts of light. The blinding source of light instantly cast its shine on every crevice of the walls in the sinkhole! As Chen Chen took in the sight of the sinkhole from the observation windows, his pupils immediately shrunk. He was seized by an indescribable shock From the observation windows, Chen Chen could see that the sinkhole was up to 230 meters deep. It resembled a pillar running through the center of the underground base. On the bottom of the sinkhole was a small square measuring more than a thousand square meters. However, this was not what bemused Chen Chen. The true culprit was the colossal object placed at the center of the square, with a diameter of up to 10 meters, and standing more than 50 meters tall! Like an enormous statue. The statue was coated in black, with dizzy, spiraling patterns all over it. Its full figure could not be seen from the observation window. Only the upper portion of its body was visible from there. Chen Chen did not need it spelled out for him to know that this was the Gantz server machine built from high-purity germanium. As it was constructed using germanium metal, a layer of germanium monoxide had formed on the surface as an effect of long-term oxidation. Instead of the original silvery luster, the surface of the statue was deep black with a metallic quality. This must be the Gantz server machine. Chen Chen squinted when he saw the enormous metallic statue and noted. Although Ive seen its design, you never told me that the Gantz server machine was of this size. The dimension of the Gantz server machine isnt fixed. Its instead adjusted according to the desired efficiency. X-112 explained, The North American Continent is extremely ambitious and chose to erect a Gantz server machine of this size. A server machine of this size can extend its signal range across half the globe, allowing it to gain control over plenty of other Gantz spheres on other continents. I see. Chen Chen nodded and carefully studied the densely packed spiraling patterns on the Gantz server machine. Where did these patterns come from? Inside Gantz, the aliens use their technology to transmit signals to the brain of a person in a vegetative state, causing the person to speak this way. I doubt these patterns can be simply described with the vocabulary of man, no? As you might expect, its done using a newly established language system. X-112 replied, This is a new language known as E language which is an abbreviation for Everlasting, which is a symbolization for eternity and Godhood. The first thing the chosen woman did was pass on this new language system to mankind before passing on the message of the Gantz sphere. In summary, this is a form of language that can convey far more information than any existing human languages. The message that can be conveyed using this language is more than ten thousand times above that of all 5,651 human languages combined. Not only could it be used to describe all of the known colors in the world, shapes, and other various messages, it can even be used to describe patterns down to the most minute detail. A spark appeared in Chen Chens eyes. Is there any specific information on this language? If its possible, Id like to learn this language. Unfortunately, your brain must equip computational efficiency at the level of a quantum computer to learn such a language. Its simply impossible for the human brain to achieve such a feat, not even if you take NZT-48. X-112 struck down Chen Chens idea. Humans also had to compose this language into a set of algorithms to help them create the Gantz sphere and all that comes with it. Alright then. Chen Chen remarked with a touch of frustration, I get it now, that explains why the Gantz server machine looks like this. The patterns covering the statue are essentially the equivalent of programs written by us humans. These programs are what allows the server machine to operate. In other words, this statue is essentially a computer of another civilization. That is an apt metaphor. X-112 agreed. Youre a genius, it does seem that way so far. In that case, is it possible that Chen Chens expression turned grave as he said this, the tone of his voice followed suit and grew darker, The Basilisk patterns appearing on the Internet in this dimension is spread by the Gantz server machine? X-112 was at a loss for words. A shadow of a smirk appeared on Chen Chens lips as he raised his head to look at the gigantic statue through the observation window. What are the chances, Gantz server machine? After Chen Chen uttered these words, the reply of X-112 never came. At the same time, a loud click could be heard echoing across the entire underground base. A curtain of darkness suddenly closed in on Chen Chens vision as the entire underground base descended into complete blackness. In the darkness, Chen Chen heard a rush of chaotic clicking sounds rapidly approaching from afar. It was the sound of the safety valves shutting off, seemingly trying to completely trap Chen Chen in the underground base! Chapter 317 - Backlash As I thought, youre not X-112. Plunged into desolate darkness, Chen Chen was completely unfazed. Not only that, he appeared more like he was deeply intrigued. How should I address you? Alien? Or just Gantz? You catch on quickly, human. Youre smarter than a significant portion of humans but that doesnt mean anything. At the present, X-112s voice had shifted into a more robotic rendition, reminiscent of a synthesizer. Its voice was emitted from the speakers, both hard and cold like a robot, completely devoid of expression. I can make a deal with you and purge the mysterious phenomenon youve been afflicted with. My sole condition is that youll leave this base and never set foot here again! Alright. Chen Chen immediately answered without a second thought, Deal! The voice from the speaker became silent for a moment before saying, Human, I dont hear the sincerity in your words. Youre lying to me. I never lie. Chen Chen shook his head. Go ahead and try if you dont believe me. If you can purge the mysterious phenomenon from me, you have my word that Ill leave this place. Alright, human. Ive purged it for you, you can leave now. The voice suddenly informed again, having quickly shifted from its previous tone. This time, it was Chen Chen who paused. He made a small gesture with his hands like a shrug. So, were done talking? Human, show some sincerity, then Ill talk. The voice threatened, You might not be aware of this, but the mysterious phenomenon youre afflicted with is going to reach its peak soon. When that happens, the chances of your survival is nil. Heres the problem, how do I know if youve actually purged it off of me? Chen Chen asked with a frown greeting his expression, What if you were lying to me about having purged it and I die from it right after leaving? Doesnt that mean that no one will be left alive to spill your secret? That fits your motive, doesnt it? Human, you have no choice but to believe me. The voice continued. This is your only chance at survival! It appears to me that you have not consumed X-112. Upon hearing the other partys remark, Chen Chen became visibly calmer. Human, how did you figure that out? Its simple, because he knows that I have other ways to erase the effects of the mysterious phenomenon. Chen Chen smirked. The whole thing adds up when put this way. If you can infiltrate the Internet at will, youd have incited a nuclear war a long time ago, just like the Skynet. Why would you run with an alternative of spreading Basilisk images online to destroy mankind? If I had to guess, the reason you were able to upload the Basilisk pattern was that you were connected via a network cable, am I wrong? Although youre an alien computer, you dont have the power to manipulate electromagnetic signals. This means that you dont have access to the wireless network required to attack X-112 located outside the base. All you can do is chase X-112 out. Previously, when X-112 invaded the underground base network, you didnt reveal yourself and waited until I entered the base before expelling X-112 from the internal network. I couldnt notice that X-112 was replaced since there was no signal underground, hindering X-112 from alerting me of the fact. Chen Chen spoke softly, dissecting the situation, Theres only one explanation for your actions and that is to keep me chained up in here because I was coming right at you! Thats right. The voice answered, I never made a move despite having all these humans huddled around me because they never saw me as a target. As long as you dont have any ill intentions against me, I wont hurt you. You think you can fool me with your tales? Chen Chen frowned. These people are a bunch of useless nobodies, but Im not like them. You only kept them around because they helped you keep the forces of the outside world at bay. On your own, you dont have any offensive capabilities. You cant even utilize the powers of the Basilisk images and the mysterious phenomenon, am I wrong? It had become quiet. Chen Chen further pressed the issue. You didnt negotiate with me because you dont want to kill me. Its because you dont have any way to kill me. Thats why you tried to seal up the underground base to lock me up in here, but when you see the armor I have on, you begin having second thoughts. When Chen Chen said this, the two shoulder cannons propped up from the back of the PK Armor, aiming at the observation window in front of him. The thermal imaging vision module was activated as well. The darkness was inconsequential to Chen Chen. You were worried that the underground base cannot properly entrap me, then you were concerned that my weapon can easily shatter this observation window, allowing me to easily destroy you Human, the workings of your mind is nothing short of perfection. The voice started, shifting its attitude again. I only have the same advice for you, which is that the mysterious phenomenon occurring to you is inching closer toward its climax. Are you sure you want to die with me? I never bet on the mercy of others. Chen Chen shook his head. Immediately after, the shoulder cannon on his left began producing a steady hum as an invisible but significant power slowly accumulated. High-power microwaves cannon. All it takes is one shot at maximum buildup. I doubt this observation window is going to stop me. Chen Chen said softly. Without waiting for the Gantz server machine to respond, the twenty centimeters thick glass of the observation window appeared to have been hit by an invisible wave of explosion. In an instant, sharp ripples deep enough to fit a finger into were punched into the structure of the glass! This was the power of microwave weapons. Microwave weapons were a sub-classification of electromagnetic waves. Unlike regular electromagnetic waves, it used high-energy electromagnetic waves to obliterate its targets. On top of destroying electronic devices, its thermal effects allowed it to bypass defenses and armor to directly kill the soldiers beneath them. When the Gantz server machine saw cracks instantly forming on the glass that was otherwise immune to bullets, it finally panicked. Human, dont do this, Im willing to help you purge off your afflicted mysterious phenomenon first! Really? The cannon on Chen Chens shoulder halted briefly as he raised his head. Purge it right now, you have three seconds! As you wish! Following Chen Chens command, the statue on the opposite end of the observation window began moving! No, the enormous germanium-made statue did not move. Instead, traces of dark-red rays began appearing on its surface. These traces of light insidiously tracked along the surface of the Gantz server machine, appearing extremely malicious in nature. At a glance, it gave off a strong, ominous aura. The light appearing on the statue only lapped around it for a brief moment before dimming out again. At the same time, the voice spoke, Alright, Ive purged the mysterious phenomenon from you, youre safe now I dont believe you! However, Chen Chen immediately responded, I dont feel anything at all. I think youre trying to make a fool out of me! Without any hesitation, the shoulder cannon strapped behind Chen Chen produced a relentless microwave. What followed after was the sound of a roaring explosion, which shattered the thick observation window in a powerful display like an avalanche! The destructiveness of the microwave cannon continued to grow from this point on. Its gigantic force instantly bombarded the surface of the statue. In a split instant, thin cracks began forming on the surface of the statue which appeared like a work of art The Gantz server machine, obliterated. Chapter 318 - Crystalline Properties It was Chen Chen who was slightly surprised when he saw the twin-spire tower shattering at the touch. Although he did expect a similar outcome, he never foresaw that it would only take a single hit from the microwave weapon geared with the PK Armor for the boss-tier monstrosity to crumble. When the Gantz server machine was destroyed, light was brought back to the underground base and the door behind Chen Chen shuffled opened again. At the same time, the slightly urgent voice of X-112 could be heard through the speakers, Sir Commander, I was attacked by an unknown AI just now, are you hurt? Im fine. Chen Chen answered expressionlessly, How about you, did the opponent cause any damage? The opponent is extremely powerful and severely trumps me in terms of computing speed. It was originally going after my source code but for some reason, it stopped pursuing me after I was chased out of the internal server of the underground base. X-112 answered, The opponent didnt trace along the wireless signal to continue invading my main program. Thats because it cant do that. Chen Chen nodded. Lets discuss this later. Have the Black Knights bring the captives over. Ill question them myself. Understood. After approximately ten minutes after Chen Chen gave the order, three Black Knights appeared on the far side of the corridor. Each of them carried a captive dressed in a military outfit on their shoulder. When the Black Knights approached Chen Chen, they rudely threw the captives onto the ground. All three of the knocked out captives produced loud thuds against the floor as they fell. They slowly awakened from the sudden pain. Chen Chen took a glance at them. The three of them were covered in blood all over. One of the blonde-haired ladies was even short of an arm, her wounds were left exposed like a dirty pile of mud. The other members of the underground base were all massacred by the Black Knights. If not for the ranks of these three officials and the secrets they carried with them, they may have ended up the same as the rest and turned into tomato paste by the microwave weapons. When Chen Chen saw the three of them gradually recollecting themselves, he approached them and asked in a belittling temperament, I only have three questions. Whoever can answer all of them gets to live. Chen Chen hardly gave them time to mentally prepare themselves and began without notice. First question, do you guys know that the Gantz server machine was a machine with a conscience? Ignoring the blank expression on their faces, Chen Chen went on to the next question. Who was it that arranged a deal with the Gantz server machine to allow it to connect to the underground base network? There was a slight twitch in the elderly man and the middle-aged mans expressions. Chen Chen studied the expression of the elderly man and asked again, Who was responsible for arranging a deal with the Gantz server machine and contributing to the destruction of human civilization? This time, there was a not-so-subtle change of expression on the elderly man and the middle-aged man. The three questions were delivered in quick succession. Chen Chen continued glaring at the three of them but none of them spoke. Chen Chen abandoned whatever reservations he had and immediately wrapped his arms around the blonde-haired ladys neck and lifted her with one arm. The lady yelped miserably and struggled persistently in Chen Chens claw. She felt as if Chen Chens arm was made of bronze cast iron. No matter how much she resisted, her captor seemed to be completely unfazed. Let, let go The lady barely managed to mouth the two words, before she could complete her sentence, Chen Chen suddenly squeezed tightly with all his strength. There was a quick snap, followed by the blonde-haired ladys eyes shrinking into themselves before her head dropped unnaturally. The final breath left in her was gone. The elderly man and the middle-aged man were horrified upon witnessing this scene. My patience is very limited. Chen Chen relaxed his grip and tossed the lifeless body of the blonde-haired lady like tossing trash. He turned to the remaining two. Do you need me to repeat my question? Ill talk, Ill talk! The middle-aged man seemed to have been traumatized by what he had witnessed as he pointed at the elderly man beside him and began his tale. Its this old guy, I saw him regularly coming in and out of the Gantz server machine section with my very own eyes. For quite some time now, Ive suspected that the Basilisk patterns appearing in the world had something to do with this server machine. By the time I discovered everything, we had long lost contact with the government, I can only watch as he did everything No, its not me! The white-bearded elderly man glared at the middle-aged man with hate in his eyes. I dont know anything at all. This has to be the work of this vile dog, he wants to put the blame on Before he could finish, Chen Chen abruptly held down the arteries on the neck of the two men, causing them to immediately pass out again. He turned to the Black Knight behind him. Take these two away and force a confession out of them. Theres a chance we can find out the source of destruction of this dimension from them. Understood. X-112 replied. Chen Chen turned around and approached the observation window shattered by the microwave weapon. The statue looked like a body viciously decapitated from its waistline. The upper portion of its body shattered into dozens of pieces like smashed glass. Only the lower part of it was kept intact. However, upon observing the tiny fragments, Chen Chen could not help but squint his eyes to get a closer look. Looking from the observation window, the square at the bottom had pieces of the Gantz server machine scattered all over the ground. From a distance, the fragments seemed to assume irregular shapes but upon closer inspection, Chen Chen noticed that nearly all of the pieces took on the same twin-spire form. With a gentle wave of his hand, one of the pieces the size of a regular fist leaped into the air and went straight toward Chen Chens palm. The broken piece had a beautiful silver glow around it as it was not exposed to oxygen. It was the clean and luminous glow of metal. For some unknown reason, this fragment shared the same twin-spire tower structure of its original body. It seemed to faintly resemble DNA structures. This implied that no matter how the Gantz server machine was destroyed and how many pieces it broke into, they would all retain the same shape. This remarkable attribute reminded Chen Chen of the crystalline. Crystal materials usually took on the form of regular geometric patterns, giving an impression that they were artificially carved that way. This was because the internal atomic arrangement was extremely fixed. Their formations were better than troops of soldiers. They were repeatedly arranged on top of each other in three-dimensional space to achieve the form of a crystal lattice. The result of this was that their appearance took on the form of a fixed geometric polyhedron. For example, most rock sugars were identical in shape, all standardized blocks. Sometimes, some of them may stick out from the rest as they became fused by multiple blocks. By crushing these rock sugars into tiny particles and placing them under a microscope, it should be observed that the rock sugar would always have the same shape no matter how small they were pulverized into. What he was seeing now was that this strange statue had displayed the same characteristics the original crystalline shown Its form will never be altered no matter how many times they are pulverized? Chen Chen looked at the metallic statue which took on the form of a twin spire in his palm. This was of great interest to him. Chapter 319 - Doomsday Trap These characteristics of the Gantz server were, in Chen Chens view, extremely outrageous. This was a crystal structure that would not change its change no matter how it was destroyed and it was easily replicable. Chen Chen would almost think that there was some conspiracy. According to the original plot of the comic, all of Gantzs technology was recounted by the German entrepreneurs daughter. She had this ability because Alien Civilization A was about to be wiped out by Alien Civilization B, so they transmitted their technology to the people on Earth. The reason for this was that Earth was Alien Civilization Bs next target. This was what happened in this reality. In just a few years, Alien Civilization B came to Earth and waged a war, and the ending was that humans successfully defeated Alien Civilization B by using Gantzs technology. In the very end, the leader of Alien Civilization B was defeated by the protagonist Kei Kurono, which caused Alien Civilization B to blow up their own spacecraft, concluding the story of Gantz. However, long before coming into Gantz, Chen Chen had harbored a doubt. In his opinion, the Gantz technology that Alien Civilization A gave to Earth seemed to far exceed the level of Alien Civilization Bs technology. Even human beings, with the Gantz technology, could defeat Alien Civilization B. Was it possible that Alien Civilization A, the original owner of these technologies, was vanquished? In Chen Chens view, this would be illogical. It was ridiculous that Alien Civilization A itself had been destroyed while on the other hand, human beings could turn the tables, with just a group of stragglers who had not even undergone military training being able to defeat the menacing Alien Civilization B. Therefore, there must be something else behind the demise of this world. These were secrets that were not even mentioned in the original work. They were buried under the iceberg of the plot but were nonetheless inextricably linked to the storyline. As he thought of this, a dark look grew in Chen Chens eyes. He lightly gripped the statue fragment in his hand. At once, the metal germanium chunk in his hand was crushed into smaller fragments. Even so, these fragments still maintained a complete double helix structure, totally unchanged Lets go. Chen Chen clapped his hands, turned away, and walked toward the outside world. After a long journey, he was finally leaving the underground base and returning to the ground. At this time, it was five oclock in the evening and dusk of this second day was approaching. After waiting for an hour, Chen Chen got the answers he wanted. X-112 had already made the Black Knights interrogate those two. It turned out that the old man with a white beard was originally named Cary. He was the thirteenth person in charge of Area 51 and had the rank of major general. Around 1990, when the North American government acquired Gantz technology, they converted Area 51 into a Gantz research base. At the same time, they sent Cary to be the one in charge of all projects in Area 51 besides the actual research. This was how Major General Cary came into contact with the Gantz server for the first time, this grand statue of astonishing shape. When Major General Cary saw the statue for the first time, he was transformed from a forceful, military man to someone who only felt unparalleled shock. It was as if he was looking at the ninth wonder of the world. Whether in terms of artistry or style, this statue appeared to be flawless, almost like it should not exist in the world As if possessed, Major General Cary repeatedly looked for excuses to enter the underground base and visited the Gantz server over the next few days. Even stranger was, as Major General Carys visits increased in number, it was like this statue had gradually implanted its roots into Major General Carys heart, making him progressively obsessed and crazy. It was like taking drugs. Of course, this was a madness that could still be suppressed by reason, so Major General Cary would only constantly find reasons to come and observe the statue, but he would never neglect everything else just to do so. Until one day, this statue bursting with artistic beauty suddenly spoke. Of course, this was not a speech, but rather a sort of voice that resounded directly in Major General Carys mind. That voice kept bewitching him, causing his subconscious to feel like obeying the voice of the statue. It seemed that there was a human personality hidden in the statue. Moreover, initially, the statue only had heart-to-heart chats with Major General Cary, like a little girl next door. To Major General Cary, who had lost his daughter in his early years, it was as if something invisible had hit the softest part of his soul. In his eyes, the statue full of artistic beauty before him was no longer a cold Gantz server, but an elf-like lively girl. In this way, Major General Cary began to meet with the statue every day behind the backs of the group of researchers in the underground base, even to the point where one day apart felt like three years. Until one day, this statue made a request for the first time, a request that did not seem excessive namely, to find a network cable that could connect to the Internet. The reason given by the personality in the statue was that it was so dark and cold and lonely there, so it wanted to observe the world through the Internet and not be lonely anymore. At this time, Major General Cary, who had been bewitched for a long time, barely hesitated. He found an excuse to send away the scientists who researched the Gantz server and personally ordered the engineers to secretly install a network cable that could connect to the external network in the laboratory. Thus, just a few days later, the first Basilisk pattern event in history broke out When this major turn of events first occurred, Major General Cary knew he would not be able to escape the military court sooner or later. Plus, the matter was so serious that he had completely come to his senses. He was already prepared to spend the second half of his life in prison. Nevertheless, before his involvement was even revealed, the North American government and military had already collapsed Not only that, the little girl in the statue even told him that within a 100-meter radius of the server, all mysterious phenomena would be suppressed. Within this radius, there would be no mysterious phenomena at all. Thus, Major General Cary relied on this information to win over a group of officers. Then, under the guidance of the statue, Major General Cary swiftly and decisively eliminated all the opposing officers and occupied this underground base by himself. Therefore, this radius was called the Death Radius and everyone in the base also called it Dead Space. All of this was the story of Major General Cary. According to him, it was not only this Gantz server, but the other two Gantz servers located in Germany, Europe, and Jinping, Mainland China had also beguiled the highest person in charge of the base and launched the first cyber-attack on the same day. In other words, all the Gantz servers were connected. The Gantz server could emit a signal that humans could not detect. This signal could be sent out at a speed with almost no delay and received by other Gantz servers. It was precisely because of this that these servers could act as the terminals of Gantz spheres all over the world. After silently listening to the story of Major General Cary, Chen Chen could not help frowning. If what the old white-bearded man said was true, did this not mean that the Gantz server not only had the Basilisk patterns as a trump card, but it also had powerful intelligence and the ability to bewitch people? It was just not known whether it seduced peoples hearts through words or some other enigmatic power Chapter 320 - Message Having obtained the information, Chen Chen returned to the Bugatti Spaceship. As he looked at the ruins of the city flashing by the window, Chen Chen could not help wearing a rueful look. To think that one day he would be able to solve the mystery of a civilizations demise. Although all of this would happen sooner or later, as he got closer to the truth, Chen Chen felt that a crisis was gradually closing in. This feeling did not arise from Thuds, but rather, it was as if he was on a chessboard, observing a giant hand that controlled all of fate. Why did the USB drive send him to these worlds of destroyed civilizations? Did it want to tell him something or was it all just a game of chess? Chen Chen shook his head. This was not the first time he had thought about this issue and it would not be the last time. It was just that as Chen Chen continued to grow stronger, he was gradually approaching that truth. This time, the mystery of a human dimensions destruction was successfully solved, which was further proof. And who knows if that Gantz server had cured me of that Thuds mysterious phenomenon Chen Chen murmured in a low voice. If the Gantz server had cured him, that would be the best, but if not, then it was hard to tell what would happen. The reason Chen Chen did not believe that it could resolve the strange phenomenon for him was simply an issue of logic. According to the data, the Gantz server had no ability to utilize the mysterious phenomena. In other words, its only power was to bewitch people. Chen Chen did not know if this was a deliberate restriction put in place by Alien Civilization A or a flaw in its manufacturing. Regardless, since the Gantz server could not use this power, how could it erase this for Chen Chen? After all, there was a saying that an ability would go both ways. If the Gantz server did not erase the mysterious phenomenon of Thuds for Chen Chen, then he could only resort to other solutions. This was also why Chen Chen was certain that the Gantz server had not absorbed X-112 because it did not know about the conversation Chen Chen had with X-112, nor did it know that Chen Chen still had one last loophole to rely on, and that was the USB drive. The USB drives portal might be able to wipe out this mysterious phenomenon for Chen Chen. These thoughts flashed across his mind. At this time, the Bugatti Spaceship that Chen Chen was in had flown out of the atmosphere again, returning to its previous position using the flight path of a ballistic missile. However, when Chen Chen inadvertently looked at the porthole at his side, something white suddenly darted past the window. It seemed to be a thin, pale arm Chen Chen instinctively looked at the altitude gauge on the spacecraft. At this time, the Bugatti Spaceship had entered the exosphere, with an altitude of more than 500 kilometers. The atmosphere here was extremely thin and the air density was only one hundred millionth that of sea level. Not only that, but at this time the Bugatti Spaceship was also flying at a speed exceeding Mach 25. Chen Chen believed that no one in the world could have been lying across the spaceship to follow Chen Chen up until now. Since it was not a human being, then the thing outside the window would soon be revealed Chen Chen turned gloomy. Sure enough, the Gantz servers words were not wrong. The mysterious phenomenon plaguing him was about to reach the outbreak phase. As the deadline drew closer, the mysterious phenomenon would only become more malicious and absurd Still, fortunately, it was just an arm flashing past and it did not do anything unpleasant to Chen Chen. After all, considering the environment outside the spacecraft at this time, if something really happened, even the protagonist of Chronicle would not survive, let alone Chen Chen. After half an hour, the spacecraft reappeared in the sky above Tokyo and successfully found the passage that had been opened. At this time, the black portal was still suspended in thin air atop a ruin. From the front, it looked like a black vortex, but the more one went closer, the more one would notice the peculiarity of this black vortex. This was because this black vortex would not be illuminated by any light and at the same time, from a certain angle sideways, one would find that it had no thickness at all. This was a phenomenon beyond the scope of science known to humankind. The spaceship slowly landed beside the portal. Chen Chen deliberately glanced at the hull of the spaceship after getting off, but this glance caused his pupils to contract. He saw that there were a few five-finger palm prints on the hull of the spaceship Yoru Kamidera who got off the spaceship also noticed this, but he just looked at Chen Chen without saying anything. After that, Chen Chen turned his head and looked at the passage in front of him, but he did not return at once. Instead, he said, X-112, compile all the information here and send it over. As he spoke, Chen Chen took out a Rubiks Cube again, pressed a few buttons with familiar gestures, then spoke into the Rubiks Cube, X, this is Chen Chen. By the time youre seeing this holographic recording, Id already be caught up in something strange. I cant say what kind of thing it is, but you can understand it as a virus. However, unlike regular viruses, its a virus that spreads using information as a carrier. As he talked, Chen Chen silently placed the Rubiks Cube on the ground. This is something that doesnt exist in our dimension. No, it may also exist, but it has never appeared on Earth. At the same time, it spreads in so many different ways. X-112 will tell you all about this. I wont repeat those points. Ill only talk about two things now. Here, Chen Chen turned completely serious. He raised an index finger. First, close the passage and create a Faraday cage. This magnetic cage must not only cut off all information signals, but also all substances on the material plane. It must be completely sealed and extremely strong. At the very least, it must not be opened from the inside. There mustnt be a single crack and no sound must pass through from within. After its built, put the computer and the USB drive in, then use a Black Knight to open the portal again in there. At last, Ill come back through the passage and seal myself inside. Ill keep myself there for seven days. During these seven days, no matter what happens in the Faraday cage, you shouldnt open it. If nothing happens in these seven days, then Ill give you the order to open the Faraday cage. Having said that, Chen Chen paused for a while and then raised two fingers. Secondly, if I die in the Faraday cage, destroy all the information I passed to you, then clone me and use that clone to donate everything under my name to the Mainland authorities. After that, build a rocket and cast the USB drive out of the Earth, the farther the better Lastly Take care. Having said all this, Chen Chen squatted again, pressed the end button on the silver Rubiks Cube, and gently tossed the Rubiks Cube into the black channel in front of him. At this point, the message would be received by Little X on the other side of the portal. Chapter 321 - Yoru Kamidera’s Analysis Ten minutes after Chen Chen threw the Rubiks Cube in, he watched as the black vortex in front of him began to shrink rapidly. In the blink of an eye, it had collapsed into a ball. With a puff, just like an extinguished flame, the portal immediately vanished from Chen Chens sight without a trace. Chen Chen knew that this was Little X who had already responded to him. Chen Chen did not allow these Black Knights or Yoru Kamidera to return to reality because he was not even sure whether these brainless clones would be infected with any mysterious phenomena. If they were infected, once they returned to reality, they would only unleash a special infectious disease that had no cure. Once this kind of infectious disease broke out, it would only send the world down a path of annihilation, just like the world in Gantz. Therefore, the only thing Chen Chen could do was to completely isolate himself and others from reality. Of course, Chen Chen would not sit around waiting to die. Otherwise, he would not have asked Little X to prepare a Faraday cage. He only hoped that Little X would hurry up. Thinking of this, Chen Chen raised his head. Currently, the sun had already begun to set in the west, dyeing red the boundless dusk over the horizon. At first glance, it looked like an endless cloud of fire, burning and bruising the entire sky. At this moment, the deserted city, the fallen civilization, and the flaming clouds on the horizon seemed to mirror each other for an instant, producing a special kind of loneliness in Chen Chens heart. It felt like being abandoned by the world. As the visibility of his surroundings decreased, Chen Chens sense of unease began to weigh him down more heavily. He could not describe what it felt like. It was like a death row prisoner facing their trial. Any sound of footsteps would trigger an intense burst of terror because they had realized that these footsteps belonged to Death itself. At this moment, Chen Chen was feeling the same way. Yoru Kamidera. At this point, Chen Chen suddenly spoke and posed a question to the youth beside him, Have you heard about thudding noises that come from the next door? Is that A sort of mysterious phenomenon? Beside Chen Chen, Yoru Kamidera, who was feeling a little restless, looked up at once. He seemed to understand something. Please go on. I went into a strange room yesterday during the daytime. There was a woman in the room, but she was dead, having hanged herself. Chen Chen said quietly, But the strange thing was that there were signs of impact from a baseball bat on the wall of her bedroom. It seemed that she had used the baseball bat to hit the wall back when she was alive. Whats on the other side of the wall? When Chen Chen paused, Yoru Kamidera asked quickly. A glint of approval shone in Chen Chens eyes. As expected of a young man who could survive the doomsday until now. Chen Chen had only mentioned the beginning, yet Yoru Kamidera could already acutely pinpoint the crux of the matter? With this in mind, Chen Chen immediately replied, Across the bedroom wall is another residence. I went there as well, but it was filled with dust. Itd appear that it has been uninhabited ever since the doomsday, but Chen Chens voice softened. But I saw a dent made by an impact on the wall of this residence. This dent had deepened into a part of the wall. In other words, something was incessantly hitting the wall as if it would only stop once it broke through. What if you change rooms? Yoru Kamidera asked again. The woman did change bedrooms at that time, but the same still happened in the new bedroom. There was still the same never-ending thuds on the opposite side of the wall. Chen Chen answered, Not only that, but I also found some oil stains on the wall of that bedroom. It seems that the woman had frequently assumed the same position against the wall when she was alive, placing an ear on the wall to listen to the other side. When Yoru Kamidera heard this, his expression flickered. Got it. I think this was what happened. When she was alive, the woman had lived alone in that room, but one day, she suddenly heard faint thuds on the other side of the wall. At first, she thought there was someone in the opposite room, but because this was doomsday without any law or morality, she couldnt determine whether the other person was a friend or a foe. Therefore, she could only press her ears to the wall over and over, trying to hear the conversation on the other side. However, gradually, she realized something was wrong. Yoru Kamidera paced slowly and said as he walked, It may be that the thuds had something unique about them such as a particularly long duration or a particularly uniform rhythm. Gradually, the woman began to suspect the thuds on the other side of the wall are they human? Or something else As time passed, the thuds continued to the point where they kept ringing day and night, until finally, the woman snapped. Yoru Kamidera continued. The noise seriously affected her sleep and at the same time, horrified her. At this time, she had vaguely understood that the sound was not made by a human being but by the thing that was her deepest fear So she finally snapped and she began to use a baseball bat to hit the wall there, continuously venting her inner terror. It was as if as long as she displayed an aggressive side, the other party would retreat. This is a common psychological response in times of fear. Later on, she tried countless possibilities but in the end, she couldnt find a solution or she already guessed what would happen after the wall was broken down. At this point, Yoru Kamidera looked toward Chen Chen again. Im guessing that this is the logic behind the womans actions as well as her mental journey. In the end, she thought, Instead of dying at the hands of a mysterious phenomenon or dying out of fear and torture, why dont I stop it myself? Am I correct? After listening to Yoru Kamideras analysis, Chen Chen immediately applauded. Very good. Its exactly what Ive guessed, but I cant guarantee whether its right or not. I get it. Youre infected with this kind of mysterious phenomenon. Yoru Kamidera nodded. I just dont know how you got infected with this mysterious phenomenon. If there were more clues, maybe we can find a countermeasure. I dont know myself, but I have some theories. Chen Chen thought for a while and pointed to the three Black Knights. Perhaps the whole room is cursed. As long as you enter, youll be infected with this strange phenomenon of Thuds. The reason Im the only one infected is that those three arent complete human beings. Not complete human beings? Upon hearing Chen Chens words, Yoru Kamidera was instantly taken aback, then said, Ive long thought that these three people are a bit too rigid, but I dont understand what it means when you say theyre not complete humans. Are they clones? They arent just clones, but because they have been specially processed since the embryonic stage, these people also dont have brains. Chen Chen explained, The reason they can behave so ordinarily is only because they are controlled by the X-112 artificial intelligence Ive been talking to. But this still doesnt quite make sense. After all, the mysterious phenomena cant distinguish whether a person has a brain When he was told of the Black Knights identity, Yoru Kamidera displayed a surprised look. Still, after some thought, he shook his head again. Thus, I think its more likely that there is some other infection condition and only you triggered this condition, thus becoming infected with this mysterious phenomenon called Thuds. Chapter 322 - The Mysterious Phenomenon’s Outbreak After listening to Yoru Kamideras analysis, Chen Chen could not help nodding. Although Chen Chen was capable of meticulous thoughts after taking NZT-48, he was still relying on his own baseless theories. How could this be compared to inquiring a veteran who had survived in this world for more than five years? Chen Chen would not feel embarrassed or anything just because the other guy was younger than him. He was too wise for that. Presently, Chen Chen said thoughtfully, I think I get what you mean. When I was reading the material before, I also noticed that the so-called mysterious phenomena may be very similar to the ghostly incidents and supernatural events that are common in folklore. But the mysterious phenomena always have their unique regularities. There arent so many ghosts and monsters, but rather a special kind of phenomenon Yes, thats what I meant. Yoru Kamidera nodded quickly. Whether its the Basilisk patterns or the strange phenomena, they have their unique regularities. These regularities are like wind, thunder or rain. They are no different from natural phenomena. Im relieved to hear you say that. Chen Chen heard this and laughed. Whether it is wind, rain or thunder, the occurrence of these natural phenomena requires certain conditions such as an alternation of hot and cold air currents, an increase in the airs electric charge, and so on. This is to say, as long as these conditions are disrupted, we can stop a phenomenon? With that said, Chen Chen took out a wireless headset and tossed it to Yoru Kamidera. Then he boarded the spacecraft while saying, In that case, Yoru-kun, please do me a favor. Please stand with the three Black Knights outside the spaceship and keep watch. If anything abnormal happens, you must alert me immediately. I understand Yoru Kamideras expression shifted. You want to see if someone is observing from outside the spaceship, will the thuds still appear? Thats right. So far, when the thuds occurred, they happened without anyone else outside. Therefore, I want to try this if I stay alone in an enclosed environment, yet there are others outside, will it be triggered again with this condition? As he spoke, Chen Chen shot a deep meaningful look at Yoru Kamidera. Yoru-kun, youll help me, right? Yoru Kamideras face became somber and he said solemnly, Rest assured, Ill keep watch outside for Your Excellency! Seeing this, Chen Chen nodded. Both of them had a tacit understanding. Namely, what if the rules changed during the outbreak of this mysterious phenomenon? For instance, would the mysterious phenomenon to kill the infected in the enclosed space, first kill the observer outside? If that happened, then not only would Chen Chen die, but even Yoru Kamidera was most likely a goner. In other words, Yoru Kamidera, who was acting as a counter against the conditions of the mysterious phenomenon, was not necessarily free of danger. Even so, Yoru Kamidera had no power to refuse. Chen Chen glanced at the darkening sky for the last time, then pressed the closing button. Immediately, the gull-wing doors on both sides of him closed slowly, turning the spacecraft into a closed space again. After doing this, Chen Chen exhaled in the dark and closed his eyes, entering a state of restive meditation. The day slowly turned to night. Soon, the last ray of twilight had disappeared into the boundless sky. Without humanitys industrial pollution, the sky had become clear again. As the sun set, the sky changed from navy blue to indigo. Meanwhile, a silver-white ribbon emerged above everyones heads. It was the resplendent Milky Way! Yoru Kamidera silently wore the wireless headset over his ears, then walked to the front of the spacecraft and sat down as did the other three Black Knights. The four of them were split into four directions, with the spacecraft in the middle. The advantage of this was that, in the event of any abnormality, they would notice it at once. Time ticked by, minute by minute In no time, it had turned from early night to deep night. Without their realizing it, night had grown denser, permeating the air like a fog. Perhaps because of their exploits during the day, Yoru Kamidera felt a hint of oncoming sleepiness in the darkness. At first, he could not refrain from yawning a few times. Then, he shook himself, startled, quickly picked up the water before him and took a big gulp, recovering his spirits. Even so, Yoru Kamidera could not last long and soon the sleepiness washed over him again. Without realizing it, Yoru Kamidera had closed his eyes while his head was slowly drooping However, just as he was drifting between sleep and wakefulness, an indescribable chill crept up to him. In his sleep, Yoru Kamidera only felt that the temperature had dropped a few degrees. Puzzled, he opened his bleary eyes, but in the next second, his pupils shrank furiously! At an unknown time, a white figure was sprawled on its stomach upon the spaceship! It seemed to be a human figure, all in white, with both arms holding onto the spaceship. Its head was turned sideways, one ear pressed closely to the porthole. This action At this moment, Yoru Kamidera seemed to understand something. [Not only that, but I also found some oil stains on the wall of that bedroom. It seems that the woman had frequently assumed the same position against the wall when she was alive, placing an ear on the wall to listen to the other side] Chen Chens description flashed in his mind. In this instant, Yoru Kamidera fully understood why Chen Chen was infected with this mysterious phenomenon. That was, Chen Chen must have assumed the same position as this white figure did, based on the oil stains on the wall! It was even very possible that while Chen Chen was performing this action, on the other side of the wall, this white figure was also leaning against the wall, performing the same action as Chen Chen Was the mysterious phenomenon happening now? Yoru Kamideras heart was pounding wildly. Although he had many years of experience, being someone well-informed even among the survivors, he was only sixteen years old after all. His mind was far from reaching an adults maturity. Now, he was forced to face a mysterious phenomenon again and he was no more than three meters away! He subconsciously looked at the Black Knights on the left and right sides of the spaceship. It stood to reason that the three computer-controlled clones should have taken action when faced with this situation, but at this time they were sitting in place, motionless as a block of wood. Even the computer AI in the spaceship did not respond just as before Sure enough, AIs and other artificial existences cant come into contact with mysterious phenomena? No, it must be that certain manifestations of mysterious phenomena cannot be observed by artificial intelligence life. In that case, His Excellency Chen Chen is in danger With this in mind, Yoru Kamidera was caught in a dilemma. If he notified Chen Chen, he was likely to attract the attention of the white figure and this might even lead to him getting involved in the mysterious phenomenon. However, if Chen Chen was not alerted, then it was very likely that Chen Chen would die in this mysterious phenomenons outbreak Chapter 323 - Counterattack In truth, Yoru Kamidera did not want to care whether Chen Chen lived or died. If Chen Chen died in the midst of a mysterious phenomenon, Yoru Kamidera would have a chance to obtain that incredible armor. He had personally seen how exceptional the Black Knights were with this armor. If he could get his hands on that suit of armor, Yoru Kamidera was confident that he could survive this doomsday for more than ten additional years However, if he did not alert Chen Chen and Chen Chen survived this mysterious outbreak, what would happen? It was obvious. He must not be fooled by how nicely Chen Chen had treated him this whole time. If he pulled something like this, he would be the next one to die From this mans every word and deed, Yoru Kamidera had already discerned that Chen Chen was basically like a ruthless hero. He had treated Yoru Kamidera with respect, but on second thought, it was not as if Chen Chen had given him any choice. Chen Chens word was the law. It was just that Chen Chen did not present his brutal side on the surface. All these thoughts flashed through Yoru Kamideras mind. Meanwhile, the white figure was still propped up against the door with both hands. However, its back suddenly arched while its head and body were pulled back. This was Yoru Kamidera vaguely thought of something. In the next moment, the white figure suddenly lurched forward violently. It bashed its head against the gull-wing door of the spacecraft, making a loud thud! Thud! This sound At this moment, Yoru Kamidera finally understood that the thuds were nothing else but the sound of the white figure hitting its head against the spaceship! However, even at this time, the spaceship and the three Black Knights remained silent as if their program had crashed. When he saw this, Yoru Kamidera finally mustered up the courage. Fine, he would take a gamble! Thinking of this, Yoru Kamidera softly turned on the button of the wireless headset while he lowered his voice and said, Your Excellency Chen Chen, there is In the instant he turned on the wireless headset, before he could even finish the phrase theres something, there was an inexplicable rustling sound from the headset. It was as if the communication signal had been interfered with in some way! At the same time that Yoru Kamidera spoke, the white figure suddenly halted, then turned its head at lightning speed and looked toward him! At present, Yoru Kamidera felt that the blood in his body was about to freeze By the dim moonlight, Yoru Kamidera saw at last that it was a blank face with no facial features, no contours, just like a monstrous picture scroll, upon which the painter had not painted any details However, just as Yoru Kamideras heart seized in horror, the gull-wing door suddenly swung out into the air. An arm covered in black armor stretched out and viciously struck the white figure in the face. Suddenly, from Yoru Kamideras perspective, he only saw that arm plunging directly into the head of the white figure like it was a block of tofu. The white head was instantly deflated and its entire face caved in! Even so, in the next moment, the white figure had vanished into thin air Only then did Chen Chen walked out of the spaceship with a somber expression. He looked down, gripped his fist, then glanced at Yoru Kamidera at one side. You did well. Your Excellency Seeing this scene, Yoru Kamidera was completely stupefied. He said incredulously, You hit that white figure? No, I didnt hit anything. Chen Chen shook his head. He looked extremely disgruntled because just now, he had not only used the PK Armor to attack the opponent but had also secretly used Field energy. The weird thing was that, whether it was physical force or Field energy, it was impossible to make any contact with the white figure. Chen Chen only felt his vision momentarily going out of focus. When he recovered, he found that he was just punching the air. One should recall that everything in the world, as long as it was made of matter, would have electromagnetic force. If even Field energy could not touch the white figure, did it mean that the white figure was not made of matter at all, without even atoms and electrons, but something else completely In other words, the white figure did not exist. As for how Yoru Kamidera performed outside just now, Chen Chen also saw it clearly from the surveillance. Although Yoru Kamidera struggled visibly with his hesitation, in any case, ultimately he kept his promise and assisted Chen Chen when the mysterious phenomenon occurred. Although this assistance did not do sh*t, at least it showed that Yoru Kamidera could be tentatively trusted. At this time, looking at the youths dumbfounded eyes, Chen Chen sighed. Then he looked at the gull-wing door of the Bugatti Spaceship, only to see that the door was now dented and the mark was much deeper than before. Before this, the figure had only hit it once before it was distracted by Yoru Kamidera. If it had hit it a few times, the gull-wing door might be smashed through. This was a preposterous matter. After all, although the Bugatti Spaceship was not a military spacecraft, the hull could still withstand the vacuum of space, but now it had crumpled like tofu. It was clear that the white figure did not use much force as if it had not eaten for a long time. Even so, the actual mark of impact far exceeded ones common understanding of physics. Could this be the outbreak phase of the mysterious phenomenon just like what the Gantz server said? Chen Chen murmured. No, its not However, Yoru Kamidera quickly interjected, Ive also heard about the outbreak phase, but if the mysterious phenomenon is approaching that phase, you wont be able to drive away the opponent with just one punch. How do you know that? Chen Chen raised his eyebrows upon hearing this. Now that I think about it, the reason that monster disappeared is probably because a condition was broken. Yoru Kamidera did not directly answer, but earnestly explained, Its just that because you dared to open the hatch to fight back, it might give the impression that you drove it away with a punch, but in fact, that may not be the case You mean that because I left the spaceship, the enclosed environment was nullified at that moment, so the condition of the strange event was disrupted and it disappeared? Chen Chen interrupted with a question. Yes. Yoru Kamidera nodded and said, Its not necessarily that you left the spaceship. It may also be that I saw it, which caused it to vanish. You said that when the strange phenomenon of Thuds occurred for the first time, the sound stopped when the door of the next room was opened by the Black Knight. From this, it can be seen that an observer should be the key to breaking the condition. But just now youve already noticed it, yet it didnt vanish. How can that be explained? Chen Chen frowned. I suspect this is an issue at a more complex level of detail. Yoru Kamidera thought for a while. If possible, I think this mysterious phenomenon called Thuds may have the rules of active sighting and passive sighting. When the Black Knight pushed open the door of the next room, it was an active sighting, so the rules were broken and the white figure disappeared. But just now, I first noticed the white figure in a half-asleep state. At this point, it might still be counted as a passive sighting. Therefore, the white figure didnt vanish until I acted to alert you. This turned the passive into the active, so the white figure disappeared Chapter 324 - Back to Reality Passive and active? Chen Chen muttered in a low voice. Yoru Kamideras analysis had given him a lot of food for thought. As for why I said this isnt an outbreak phase, its because Ive seen many strange phenomena that have become increasingly malevolent over time. Yoru Kamidera went on to explain, For example, in the Woman in Dreams phenomenon, every time the infected person dreams, theyll see that woman. Shell get closer and closer as time goes by and eventually reach the bed of the infected person and strangle them to death. As a result, some people tried setting an alarm clock to target this condition and only allow themselves to sleep for five minutes at a time. After all, dreams take time to generate. If you only sleep for five minutes at a time, you may be able to avoid dreaming, thereby avoiding the woman. So, this method failed? Chen Chen asked. Thats right. This method did have a certain effect on the infected person at the beginning. With this method, he succeeded in surviving a week, but he also failed several times during this period, which allowed the woman in white to reach his bed. The next time he dreamed, he would die. At this point, he was beyond cautious. He even found a companion to stay by his side, in case the alarm clock could not wake him. However, after falling asleep for the last time, he never woke up. Neither the alarm clock nor his companion could wake him up. His companion could see that he had begun to struggle with himself, but ultimately he couldnt escape that dream, until the woman in white emerged out of his chest. Yoru Kamidera concluded, This is the outbreak phase. During the outbreak phase, mysterious phenomena will become more and more aggressive and even completely irreversible. This time, you could still restrict the opponent through the rules, and even escape. This means that youre not in the outbreak phase for now. After thinking about it, Yoru Kamidera added. Of course, based on the situation just now, your current state is very close to the outbreak phase. Chen Chen wore a pensive look after listening to all this. Your analysis is good, but there are still some points that are far-fetched. Since youve mentioned the outbreak phase, is it possible that the change in rules this time is because Im close to the outbreak phase, rather than due to any active or passive sighting? Im not sure about that. After all, Im just guessing based on my experience, Yoru Kamidera answered with some embarrassment. Hearing this, Chen Chen did not continue to question him but looked at the Bugatti Spaceship at the side. At this time, X-112 in the spacecraft spoke up, Sir Commander, Im sorry that I failed at my job again Chen Chen waved his hand. This isnt your fault. Dont blame yourself because even the surveillance on the spaceship was disturbed at that moment, showing only static on the screen. Electronic products seem unable to detect this kind of existence. Since even X-112 could not observe the white figure, naturally the three Black Knights were the same. Chen Chens strongest force had completely lost its effectiveness in the face of this mysterious phenomenon. With this in mind, Chen Chen returned to the spacecraft. He had also considered whether he could escape catastrophe if he slept in the open field or if he kept the spacecrafts hatch open the entire time. Still, this was just an idea. After all, although the white figure appeared every time the infected person was in a closed space, one must not forget, its purpose was to break into the closed space of the infected person. Who could guarantee that, if the infected person slept in the open wild or left the cabin hatch open, it would not directly trigger a fatal kill? Therefore, Chen Chen would never dare to try this. Thinking of this, Chen Chen closed the hatch again and placed himself in an enclosed space while Yoru Kamidera remained outside the spaceship, waiting silently. Fortunately, after the thuds were disturbed, they would not reappear for a period of time. It seemed that this rule was still valid. Everyone struggled to stay up until the next morning, and nothing happened again. Not only that, but as midday approached, the black vortex that had vanished before the spaceship appeared again! Sir Commander, my progenitor seems to have fulfilled your request. X-112 notified. Seeing this scene, Chen Chen nodded while secretly heaving a sigh of relief. X-112, transfer yourself back to the hard drive and Ill take you back. Understood. After X-112 agreed, the entire spacecraft was fully turned off. Five minutes later, a hard drive bounced out of the spacecraft and was immediately caught by Chen Chen. Following that, Chen Chen patted his chest. In the next second, in a burst of blue plasma, the PK Armor resumed its form as an armguard, then slid off Chen Chens arm. Not only that, but Chen Chen also took out a small knife, then walked toward the three Black Knights. After making them take off their PK Armor and GS Combat Suits, he made direct incisions in their necks with the blade, from which he took out three bloody microchips. Yoru Kamidera watched this with mouth agape. I cant guarantee whether they were also infected with any mysterious phenomena, so the best thing to do is to keep their bodies here. Chen Chen looked at Yoru Kamidera and explained, Of course, youre different. Both your experiences and your hyperthymesia have high research value, so you can rest assured that Ill bring you with me. Your Excellency, you havent told me whats on the other side of this passage. Yoru Kamidera was a little apprehensive. Are you from the future? No. Chen Chen moved toward Yoru Kamidera, step by step. Although Chen Chen had taken off the PK Armor, his mere presence was still overwhelming to Yoru Kamidera. The place to which Im taking you, strictly speaking, is a parallel universe. In this parallel universe, there are no mysterious phenomena on Earth, nor the first calamity, not even Gantz. Its a completely peaceful world. Really? Upon hearing Chen Chens words, Yoru Kamideras eyes gleamed with shock. Is there such a thing as a parallel universe? I never lie to anyone. Chen Chen was standing next to Yoru Kamidera now. He promptly gripped Yoru Kamidera by the shoulders and in a half-coercive manner, walked them both toward the dark vortex in front. Yoru Kamidera was so scared that he closed his eyes involuntarily. The moment they passed through the passage, the both of them only saw darkness before their eyes. A sense of weightlessness took hold. By the time that sensation had passed, Chen Chen realized that he had arrived in a dim room. The walls and floor of this room were entirely made of pure metal. The entire room was only four or five square meters in size and he could not make out any doors or windows. Only a laptop, and a USB flash drive inserted in it, were placed in the corner. Currently, the laptop emitted a faint light, barely illuminating the items in the room. There were only two small metal beds in the room and a toilet in the corner. There was nothing else besides that. It appeared that this was the Faraday cage that Little X had prepared for him. It might also very well be Chen Chens final coffin. Just as Chen Chen was sighing wordlessly to himself, the familiar, warm voice of a little girl rang out in the same instant. Sir Godfather, welcome home Chapter 325 - The Memetic Effect When Chen Chen heard Little Xs voice, he could not hold back a thin smile. X, you shouldnt install communication facilities in this room. Its likely that mysterious phenomena will leak out and cause a worldwide disaster. It doesnt matter because Ive analyzed that sound isnt the infection condition of this mysterious phenomenon youve encountered. Little Xs childish voice replied, According to the information brought back by my clone X-112, I think the infection condition should be related to the female corpse you saw. Its the action! At this moment, Yoru Kamidera had adapted to the environment here and he quickly brought up his previous guess. When I was outside the spaceship I saw the movements of the white figure. It put an ear on the wall, exactly in the same manner as the oil stain you described! Chen Chen was startled when he heard this. He recalled that when he entered that room, he did imitate the womans previous actions by placing his ear against the wall based on the traces she left. In other words, this action triggered the infection condition? This makes sense. Little Xs voice was approving. So to prevent the mysterious phenomenon from spreading out, I ordered the industrial park to work overnight, manufacturing a Faraday cage made of special tungsten steel. The thickness of the walls is more than half a meter and there are buffer layers installed. Even a tanks armor-piercing projectiles can forget about breaking through this metal lump. I dont know if a tanks armor-piercing projectile can break through, but if its hit by a projectile, Yoru Kamidera and I will be shaken to death in here. Chen Chen spread his hands. It doesnt matter. This is just the first layer of the isolation room. Little X quickly added. Now our factory is still working overtime to manufacture the second protective wall of the isolation room. The thickness of the second protective wall will be up to one meter. Once completed, it can be directly placed over the isolation room. At that point, the thickness of the isolation rooms outer wall will be more than 1.5 meters. After that, theyre rushing to complete the third and fourth layers too. My ultimate goal is to create an isolation room that is more than ten meters thick and capable of resisting nuclear bombs. No matter what mysterious phenomenon it is, it can forget about breaking through this wall! It sounds splendid indeed. Chen Chen could not help laughing. But how about our air and food supply as well as our excretions? Please rest assured, Ill install a circulation device and a discharge device on each layer. Theres no problem with air circulation. Little X explained, As for the food supply, dont worry. Ive set up a special energy bar dispenser. This dispenser is usually closed. Only when the energy bars and drinking water are placed inside, will the mechanism be triggered, and the food will enter, layer by layer. For example, when food is entering the second layer of protective wall, the first layer of protective wall will automatically close. In any case, the sealed state of the room will always be maintained. After hearing Little Xs explanation, Chen Chen did not know whether to laugh or cry. Still, on second thought, it seemed that there was no alternative. It could even be said that this was a contest between modern technology and mysterious phenomena. They would find out whether the products of human technology was more secure or if the mysterious phenomenon would still win out. Not only that. Little X continued. Ive controlled the Black Knights to work overtime to come up with a T-virus that matches your DNA. Were just one step away from success. I want to know once you officially merge with the T-virus and become a new lifeform with different DNA from normal humans, will these mysterious phenomena still be effective? After listening to Little Xs words, Yoru Kamidera was also completely astounded. Although he did not know what T-virus was, he still understood that viruses could transform human DNA. This direct manipulation of DNA to evade mysterious phenomena it was the first time he had heard of such a method. Still, when he thought about it, it was worth trying. Even he was stunned by this little girls remarks. In this manner, the pair stayed in this impenetrable room. Chen Chen did not shy away from the topic, constantly discussing the Basilisk patterns and the mysterious phenomena with Little X while Yoru Kamidera listened silently. Ive carried out the relevant research based on the information you brought back, and it seems that the principle of the original Basilisk pattern isnt that complicated. Little X said compliantly, I should know. For example, theres a computer virus called a fork bomb. This tiny character set can define a meaningless function, then ask the computer to execute it repeatedly. The computer has no common sense to rely on and will only obey. What it is given becomes what it will execute, finally causing the program to crash. The picture named Eye is like a virus targeting the human brain. The moment the human brain receives, through vision, the information from this picture, it will suffer brain death due to a program crash. I know this, its called G?dels shock. Chen Chen nodded. But how do you explain the other Basilisk patterns? Similarly, they are all a type of information. Little X then replied, You can think of it as an information virus. Information can be transmitted and this picture is the carrier of information. Human vision is the channel for information transmission and the target of transmission is the human brain. Theres already an existing concept of information of this nature, we call it memes. Memes? Chen Chens expression flickered. His knowledge about memetics flashed in his mind automatically that was a kind of information dissemination unit, evolved from the word gene from biology, meaning the gene of information. According to this concept, it was an existence whose evolution did not depend on the specific chemical basis of genetics, but only depended on the self-replicating transmission unit. This was what they called a meme. The dissemination of memes was the process of disseminating information. Unlike genes that could only be disseminated across generations, memes could spread from person to person at any time through communication and other media. To give a simple example, in the cesspool of the Internet, someone might learn about the joke of using Righteous Light[1] and occasionally crack the joke themselves. Then, someone uninformed would ask: Whats the joke? After the first persons explanation, the second person understood the meaning of Righteous Light. Thus, when the latter encountered something that reeked a little of positivity, they would hum the tune subconsciously this was the spread of memes. In this case, the song Righteous Light was the carrier of the meme. It was transmitted through communication between people. Human beings were the infectors or hosts of the meme, and the transmission channel was the entire Internet. After the host was infected, there would be an intense desire to spread the meme around. This desire could also be seen as a form of bragging. In short, driven by this desire, the meme would be spread through the Internet to an increasingly larger audience, eventually forming a kind of network trend. However, this is different from jokes. Generally speaking, jokes have no influence on human beings. Even globally banned music such as Gloomy Sunday[2] uses psychological suggestions and other methods to impact peoples spirits. They contain no inherent influence on humans and will not interfere with the state of human life. Little X explained, But the memetic is different. This is a special kind of information that has the ability to directly interfere. Its impact on humans is on both physical and mental levels. I think this impact and interference can be called The memetic effect! [1] A lyric from a Chinese song that later became used to satirize superficially positive sentiments. [2] A song purported in urban legend to have caused many suicides. Chapter 326 - Transformative Characteristic of Memes Meme is an independent noun. To put it in simple terms, it can be described as viruses in the form of messages which continuously mutates as it spreads. It has similarities to the MD5 code in transcoders or the DNA fragment in ribosomes. The spread of memes is essentially the spread of information. For example, someone who sees something funny will naturally share it with the person. This is the transmission process of memes. The meme begins to spread when the next person to hear the joke shares it again with someone new. Humans have a natural incentive to spread the information they collect. This is otherwise known as a self-reward mechanism. Simply put, spreading information brings people joy. To make themselves happier, people will gladly share something that may be entirely unrelated to themselves. Sometimes, they may even do so at their own expense, for example Celebrity worship. Little Xs voice could be heard passing through the speakers. With the research results in the Gantz dimension combined with applicable knowledge in the real world, Little X had almost figured out the mechanisms of the mysterious phenomenon. She unloaded a stream of information to Chen Chen in hopes of providing more options for him when dealing with the mysterious phenomenon. Of course, the self-reward mechanism of humans isnt a product of the digital era. Even in villages where theres simple gossip circulating around, local opinions also greatly differ from one another during ancient wartime. In the Yanhuang era, clans and tribes would exchange their agriculture and weapon craftsmanship knowledge. This dates as far back as the stone age when our ancestors preserved knowledge of building fire and crafting tools This self-reward mechanism is deeply ingrained into human DNA. It was already present back when humans were still primates. Memes are viruses. Theyre extremely contagious and prone to mutations while also being extremely hard to control. In this current era of rapidly developing internet platforms, memes spread almost effortlessly. In this era dominated by the Internet connecting people around the globe, memes can sustain themselves longer while also spreading at a larger scale. Combine this factor with the mutational characteristics of memes that closely resemble viruses, I wouldnt be surprised if the Basilisk pattern eventually shows up in the real world in the future. Little X explained, Because the concept of memes encompasses a multitude of things. It can be a simple word, a sentence, a line of thought, it could even be a color. Memes are messages. Chen Chen reflected thoughtfully on Little Xs summary. In other words, to a certain extent, the Basilisk images are an extreme rendition of mutated memes. Its this mutation that allows them to become agents of death, is that it? Thats an apt summary, but its not completely true either. Little X explained, Common messages by themselves shouldnt be able to manifest itself physically to kill people. There should be another layer of mechanism that were unaware of that is working behind these messages and directly causing the death of its recipients. If we can find out the working theory behind it, we may even be able to manufacture memes that fit our specified purposes. Are you suggesting memetic technology? This was an enthralling idea to Chen Chen. If he was able to somehow weaponize memetic technology, even nuclear weapons would have to take a backseat. Such technology could potentially wipe out entire civilizations effortlessly, even the technologically superior aliens could not withstand its might. Unless the aliens possessed memetic technology in their arsenal as well. Upon further contemplating it, Chen Chen shook his head, deciding that he was getting ahead of himself. If memetic technology was an essential aspect of modern civilization, then it made no sense that humans would equip it while aliens do not. As it was, the reason that mankind had not been able to harness the potential of such technology was that such entities that posed a direct effect in the physical dimension had yet to appear in the real world. Chen Chen frowned upon considering this. Thats not right, if physical manifestations of memes didnt exist in the past, then why are there so many ghost stories? Why is it that the products of the meme phenomenon are so similar to the ghosts that humans have such a strong impression of? No, a better way to put it would be that it is these ghost stories that brought the memetic effect to fruition. Little X explained, You can think of it as a back-and-forth interaction between the message mediums. In the battle between humans and viruses, humans continuously develop antibodies to combat the viruses, dont viruses do the same thing as well? The motive of viruses isnt to kill humans, theyre only doing it for reproduction and survival. Powerful viruses arent able to continuously spread. Its the mild viruses that parasitize the human body and slowly fuse into one with humans to evolve together. It is the same for memetic effect. Perhaps its the idea of ghosts in olden times that pushes meme mediums in the direction of the ghost stories shared by people. Still, this is only a small sample as this doesnt occur in most cases. For example, memetic effects such as Ghost in the Window dont shape itself to reflect the ancient ghost stories. After you exit the isolation zone, we can start conducting experiments on the earliest form of memes, which are the Basilisk patterns. Little X encouraged Chen Chen. I believe that the secret of the memetic messages will be unraveled by us. Hold on! It was then when Yoru Kamidera became startled and cut into their conversation. Your Excellency, previously you mentioned that the memetic effect shouldnt occur in this parallel dimension. In that case, are you not worried that researching these cursed things in this world will eventually plunge it into the same predicament as the other world? Theres no need to worry about this. Little X explained, Ive already mentioned this before, the memetic effect could be said to be an essential part of technological development. Even if we dont research it, itll eventually be discovered one way or another as we continue to advance scientifically. Besides, their mutation doesnt occur spontaneously. Just like regular viruses, it can only mutate continuously when it spreads outward. In other words, the emergence of various variations of memes in your previous world is caused by them spiraling out of control on the Internet. As long as we contain the range of its spread, we can get a handle on the meme itself. Isnt there always the possibility of something going wrong? Yoru Kamidera appeared to be terrified of this thing. After finally getting away from the d*mnable world, he was about to witness Chen Chen and his crew researching the very thing responsible for his worlds destruction. He asked in a quaking voice, What if something went wrong? Does that mean this world is doomed as well? Its unavoidable. Little X explained sheepishly, Nuclear energy can lead to the destruction of mankind, but why does each country still insist on researching it? Antimatter is more dangerous than nuclear energy, has that ever stopped the major forces of the world from researching it? This is because they dont only have the potential to destroy the world, they can also change the world and help mankind take the next step. Its the same for memes, its not just a weapon. If utilized properly, it just might change our lives, just like the Gantz server machine. Little X is right. Chen Chen nodded in agreement. The journey toward the scientific progression of mankind had never been a smooth sail. Just because you choose to avoid these things doesnt mean they will cease to exist. Yoru-kun, its time to change your attitude. Youre the first person Ive ever brought back from an alternate dimension, do you know why I chose you? Because of my profound experience in memetic subjects Yoru Kamidera was drenched in sweat at this point. He quickly lowered his head as if he was surrendering. I understand now. Please forgive me for my previous comments. Your Excellency has nothing to worry about, Ill dedicate all my efforts to fulfilling your great vision! Chapter 327 - Escape Chen Chen dedicated his next few days looking for information regarding memetic research to a point where he almost forgot that he was still afflicted by a memetic curse. The consequence of that was rather resounding. It had been seven days since Chen Chen returned to the real world and he never heard any sudden thuds. This was why Chen Chen requested Little X to shed several layers of reinforcement off the quarantine room, leaving all but a single layer. He remained inside for another three days. Even after that, he did not hear any thuds. With that, Chen Chen verified that the memetic effect known as thuds was truly purged. What purged it was none other than the dark passage of the USB drive. This suggested that the USB drive did possess the ability to negate memetic effects, just like the previous observation of it obstructing the entry of living beings. This was a sort of insurance the USB drive provided for its user. Finally, a potential threat that may lead to Chen Chens death was averted. This was very likely the greatest predicament Chen Chen had been in ever since acquiring the USB drive. Luck may have played a large part in the process, but at the end of the day, it was safe to say that Chen Chens risky venture was worthwhile. Ten days after returning to the real world, both Chen Chen and Yoru Kamidera finally stepped out of the quarantine room. Chen Chen filled his lungs with the fresh air of the Blacklight nuclear power plant and gazed at the warm sun above. He felt the tenseness exiting his sore muscles. Chen Chen glanced at Yoru Kamidera who came out with him and nodded toward his direction. Yoru-kun, welcome to my world. This Earth is completely identical to the Earth which you resided in! With that, Chen Chen turned around. X, have a Black Knight prepare a room for him in the Spire laboratory. After implanting him with the ship, give him access privileges of a grade B research staff. While were at that, give him a week off as well. Chen Chen turned to Yoru Kamidera again and advised, Use this week to get yourself some good rest. This is also a chance for you to experience the modern life which you have been away from for so long. After that, Ill need you to start helping me. Please dont say that, Your Excellency Chen Chen. You were the one who saved my life and Ive sworn my fealty to you. Also, if it pleases you, please address me directly by my first name, Yoru Kamidera responded quickly. Excellent. Chen Chen nodded before turning to take his leave. Chapter 328 - Experiment The Black Knight stepped out after stashing the image into the drawer of the table. After that, another four Basilisk patterns were printed. They were the Reaper, Shaker, Filth, and Flame. Each one of these images was put away into their respective drawers in the table, each drawer contained only one image. X, we can begin the experiment now. Inside the laboratory, Chen Chen stood outside the quarantine zone with his arms folded and silently gazed inside the observation window. Copy that, dispatching research staff now. Grade Delta researcher codename D00189 has arrived at the experimental base. X-111s (Spire Experimental Base artificial intelligence, one of the copies of Little X) voice was that of a little girl that carried an icy and mechanical quality. Immediately after X-111s quick announcement, the side entrance to the quarantine zone suddenly shuffled open. A black man in his mid-thirties stepped in with a puzzled expression on his face. As he was one of the Delta level researchers of Gods Forbidden Zone, he wore a research uniform of Delta level researchers. It was overall made with special-crafted fiber which kept the wearer warm and absorbed sweat. Its structure was also extremely resilient. It was a gray uniform with many white stripes laid out horizontally across it and a large alphabet D was placed on the chest section of the uniform. There was a metal hoop crafted with tungsten alloy strapped around the mans neck. The width of the hoop was less than two centimeters, but its toughness and hardness were several times higher than that of titanium alloy. The hoop was wrapped with a layer of velvet, which allowed the researchers to make any movements without feeling hindered by the device. These metal hoops were the rightful badge of Delta level researchers. There was a liquid-crystal display on the ring displaying the codename of its wearer. It was also fitted with an electric shock device and anesthesia device. If the researcher disobeyed orders given, the electric shock device would force the researcher. The anesthesia device made it possible to easily subdue researchers without hurting them. There was also a GPS built into the metal hoop so even if a researcher went missing from the Spire laboratory, it would be easy to locate the missing member. Finally, there was a self-destruct mechanism in the metal hoop. It would be triggered in the event that the metal hoop became damaged, whether it was done at high temperature, with a water jet or other forced methods. Its self-destruction would effectively kill the researcher wearing it as well. At the present, the Ovambo[1] man surveyed the laboratory curiously. He was slightly restless, but not to the point of being in a state of panic. After all, members like him had been well treated for their entire stay here. In addition to the routine physical examinations, there was also a gym set up for them. Compared to the outside world, this place was almost heaven on Earth, only minus the access to women and freedom. At last, the man fixed his eyes onto the observation window toward Chen Chens direction. This was not his first time being questioned. He approached the observation window and gently grazed it with his hand. From where he stood, he could only see the reflection on the clear mirror, unable to see Chen Chen standing behind the window. Excuse me, can I know what department this is? Am I going to be questioned here? After inspecting the mirror for a brief moment, the black man suddenly spoke. Its not any department. Our company signed a Convict Reallocation Act with the Namibian government, so youre now participating as an experiment subject. Chen Chen held the voice button to transmit his voice into the quarantine zone through the microphone. Its the contract that you signed previously. If you cooperate with us in this experiment, you have a chance to receive a reduced sentence. When the man heard this, he nodded half-suspiciously and moved to the only table in the quarantine zone. In that case, officer, in what way can I cooperate with you guys? Theres a picture in the rightmost drawer. I need you to take it out. Chen Chen gave a short reminder. Please note that the picture is positioned upside down. You must make sure it stays that way when you pick it up, no peeking. Ill give you further instructions after you do this. Got it. The man shrugged and proceeded to yank open the drawer. After he placed the upside-down picture on the table, he put his hands in the air. Officer, Ive done as you asked. Great job. Chen Chen said contentedly, Next, I need you to answer several questions. First question, 189, has there been any genetic history of epilepsy or mental illness in your family? No. Have you ever experienced brain trauma or performed craniotomy? Never. Do you have any heart, liver or other kidney-related diseases? None at all. The man frowned a little and stretched his hands out. I swear, my body is very healthy and I have no underlying illnesses! Alright. Next, I need you to flip over the picture on the table. Upon hearing this, the man flipped it over with mild irritation while also instinctively stealing a glance at its contents. With just a glance, his pupils suddenly expanded rapidly like he had a spell cast on him, holding him in place. 189? Chen Chen asked, Can you hear me? However, this did not generate a response from the man. His head slowly dropped downward until he eventually lost his balance and fell on his back on the cold hard floor. His pulse has stopped. Little X informed. At the same time, a Black Knight stepped into the quarantine zone and squatted to feel for the persons breath. The Black Knight only felt a tiny whiff of air flowing out of the mans nasal cavity, which was followed by what was eternal stillness. There was only air pouring out of the Ovambo man, but none flowing the other way around. Hes dead. After performing a series of routine inspections, Little X informed, The brain wave activity in D00189 has been terminated along with his brain functionality. His heart has ceased to function as well. Even if we try to rescue him now, he can only be sustained in a vegetative state at best. In medical terms, he can be proclaimed as dead. It seems like theres no problem with the Basilisk picture itself. Chen Chen nodded. Then, lets begin the next experiment. Get the fire extinguishers ready. Were going to try with Flame After that, the Black Knight promptly got rid of the body of the first Delta grade research member before bringing in the next one. Chen Chen performed experiments on each Basilisk picture. The outcome of the experiments went just as they were expected to. After the research member looked at the picture named Flame, he immediately burst into flames. Furthermore, Chen Chen realized that the flames stemmed from inside the body of the subject. No matter how quickly they tried to put out the flames, there was no way for them to save the subject. Shaker went just about as he expected as well. The subject who looked at the shaker image immediately suffered a symptom similar to being electrocuted. His body was trembling all over and he would shriek horribly in between his trembling. The rate of this trembling effect was so volatile that it caused the subject to quickly experience symptoms of dehydration. Even after he was strapped onto a stretcher and had tranquilizers injected, the trembling still refused to stop. The nature of this symptom was a completely physical one. The subject died in the end due to exhaustion. The subject who saw the Reaper image did not display any visible symptoms initially. It was only after Chen Chen asked what it was that he saw when the effect was triggered, which resulted in the subject dying immediately. It was an effect similar to the Eye. The strangest one had to be the picture known as Filth. [1] A South-African ethnic group Chapter 329 - Experiment Concluded The reason that Filth was regarded as the strangest mysterious phenomenon was that after the misfortunate research staff saw the picture, a black spot appeared around his ankle. The black spot was only around the size of a fingernail. It may have gone unnoticed if not for Chen Chen performing a full body check on the research staff. It was only after Chen Chen ordered the researcher to strip naked when the member complied unwillingly and discovered the inconspicuous black mark around his ankle. The reason it was difficult to notice was due to the contrast of skin color. After all, 90% of the research staff Chen Chen hired in Namibia were black people whose skin tones were considered darkest among their peers. This was not an issue of racism on Chen Chens part. In truth, Chen Chen could not care less about skin color. As far as he was considered, he just wanted to hire any researchers available on the market whether they were Caucasian, Asian or whatnot as it was all the same to him. It just happened to be that Namibia was a country largely populated by black people. Back to the main topic at hand. Initially, after discovering the black spot on the Delta grade research staff codenamed D00253, the afflicted did not report any notable sensation. The black spot looked like powdery soot and upon touching it, it felt like a layer of black ash. As time went on, the surface area of the black spot slowly expanded. At the same time, black spots began appearing on other parts of the subjects body. Furthermore, the black spots seemed to seep through the body. After an hour, the total surface area of black spots on the subjects body had expanded from the original one square centimeter to ten square centimeters. There were three afflicted locations as well. They were the left ankle, right elbow, and left cheek. It was around this point when something abnormal started to happen to the research member. The skin around his ankle was already undergoing a state of carbonization, where the gentlest touch would yield a shallow layer of black ash. Simply by poking its surface with a finger, the subject could produce a piece of black ash from it. After scooping out the black ash, a half-centimeter pit could be observed appearing in the region of the members ankles, leaving the flesh and bones underneath that have not yet been carbonized exposed. However, there was no end to the carbonization effect. The process could not be contained even by washing away all the black ash around the afflicted region. Its spread could only be hindered slightly by carving out the flesh around the afflicted carbonized region, which would result in black spots eventually appearing on other parts of the body. What was rather unusual was that the subject afflicted with this carbonization effect did not feel anything, not even the slightest tinge of pain. At last, after fifteen long hours, the carbonization effect had spread all over the subjects body. All of his limbs had broken off. The black spot had invaded into the deepest crevice of his brain as well. By then, the research member was pronounced dead and his life came to waste. Yet, the carbonization effect did not cease just because the researcher was dead. Twenty-four hours later, every single part of the corpse was completely carbonized. The entire body had turned into a loose pile of black ashes. If this was moved outside, the slightest breeze of wind would reduce it to nothingness. Chen Chen did not stop even after concluding the experiment on the Filth Basilisk image. Based on the information compiled by Yoru Kamidera earlier, this Filth was different from the other Basilisk patterns. The symptoms it produced appeared to be contagious. Therefore, Chen Chen had another research member A look at the Filth picture. After the member was infected, he had another research member B enter the quarantine zone to be in close proximity with research member A. Chen Chen noticed that under the circumstance where the two do not make any physical contact, the black spot phenomenon did not seem to infect the other member. The contagious effect could not be transmitted even if research member B touched the black ashes falling off of research member As body. It would appear that the only proper method of infection is by direct physical contact. Additionally, this effect appeared to be sporadic. This meant that there was no guarantee that the Filth could be transmitted even if the healthy member made direct contact with the infected. There was what seemed to be a certain chance to negate the corrosive effects of Filth. As the frequency of direct contact between the two people went up, the chances of being infected increased proportionally as well. Little X conducted several experiments to tabulate the rate of infection caused by direct contact with Filth and concluded the infection rate was approximately 30%. Unlike the other patterns, the Filth Basilisk pattern has a determined rate of infection. The characteristics it displays is closer to that of a mysterious phenomenon than that of a Basilisk pattern. At the moment, Chen Chen was seated on the sofa, quietly observing everything going on behind the observation window. His expression was rather remote. If we interpret the Basilisk patterns as the earliest form of manifestation of the memetic effect and the mysterious phenomenon as the later stages of its manifestation, this places Filth right in the middle of this process. It has both the characteristics of the Basilisk pattern and the mysterious phenomenon. Thats right, thats what I think too. Little X responded, Sir Godfather, how do you suppose we should break down these memetic effects? I cant seem to find any relevant information in my database of human civilization that may help provide an insight into the memetic effect. This appears to be a completely unexplored field for humanity. I wouldnt go as far as to say it is completely unexplored, doesnt the book The Selfish Gene written by the famous American scientist Richard Dawkins describe memetic concepts? Chen Chen smiled. For now, we can only form surface-level hypotheses concerning memetic technology as mankinds current understanding of this field is almost a completely blank slate. Still, we wouldnt have to start from zero if we intend to study it, dont forget we brought back the blueprint of the Gantz server machine as well as a language known as Everlasting, simply known as E language. Couldnt we gain control over the Gantz server machine if you mastered the E language? We can give it a shot! Little X became enthused upon hearing this. Youre certainly right. Ive gone through the data you returned with. The E language is far more sophisticated than any other programming languages while also being more refined. If I can rewrite my program in E language, I might even be able to make the Gantz server machine my new home! Thats right, thats what I was thinking as well. Chen Chen nodded. If you can get a handle on the operational procedures of the Gantz to sever machine, our research of memetic effects will be made that much easier. At the very least, we wont have to wander around cluelessly in the dark like this trying to find the right path. This conversation between Chen Chen and Little X marked the end of the first Basilisk pattern experiment. As for the more volatile experiments on the mysterious phenomenon, Chen Chen decided he was better off keeping his distance for now. There had been no mysterious phenomenon occurring in the real world yet. Considering Chen Chens current understanding of memetic technology, he would prefer making sure things remain that way for now. For Chen Chens current situation, there was no chance of him successfully combating any memetic effect. Should any memetic effect outbreak occur in the world, it would be as good as a death sentence for all of the world. Chapter 330 - Ambition and Transformation Instead of leaving the Spire Experimental Base after wrapping up the Basilisk pattern experiment, Chen Chen went into another laboratory. It was a secret laboratory. The Spire Experimental Base by itself was already a secret laboratory, which made the existence of this current secret laboratory an utmost secret. Inside the laboratory, more than a hundred life incubators were lined up in rows. Many of these life incubators were empty and unused, but a notable amount of them also contained a completely naked young man suspended inside. Both the appearance and physique of all these young men were remarkably identical and all of them looked like a direct copy of Chen Chen. The only difference was that they were basked inside the life incubator and devoid of any form of consciousness. Such was the spectacle Chen Chen beheld in this very moment. To achieve the result displayed by Alice in the movie, Chen Chen launched his absolute secret project here the T-virus customization project. To prevent running out of experiment subjects, I made another hundred cloned copies of you. We only used six of them before producing this final complete product Sir Godfather, please appraise it. Little Xs voice could be heard through the earpiece. At the same time, a Black Knight approached with a spiral test tube in hand. The solution inside the test tube was a translucent azure blue like a shining crystal. It was a captivating sight to behold. This is the final product, T-009. Which means that this is the ninth version? Chen Chen received the solution and squinted his eyes to inspect it. This tube of T-virus can make me superhuman? Theoretically, yes. Chen Chen was not completely certain of it but proceeded to explain anyway, Compared to the previous half-finished products, the T-009 virus is refined to its utmost limit. A total of 15 RNA errors have been rectified and it should have perfect compatibility with your genes. As Little X said this, another Black Knight wearing a large lab coat approached with a stretcher. Please take a look, this is clone 009, the latest successful subject. Chen Chen turned around to approach it upon hearing this. He saw a young man who was a direct copy of himself bound to the stretcher with belts. This young man seemed to be in a dazed state. He was glancing around all directions and smiled at Chen Chen when they made eye contact. There was a sense of innocence in that smile, one that Chen Chen never remembered having himself. His current stage of brain development is equivalent to that of a completely newborn baby. Little X explained, To verify that the T-virus doesnt negatively affect the hosts consciousness, we kept the brain of the clones intact during the process. We made sure to chart down their electroencephalogram before injecting them with the T-009. Based on our previous findings, we concluded that their thoughts and consciousness are completely unaltered by the injection. Thats good news. Chen Chen nodded. What about the results of the experiment? The T-009 virus fused perfectly with the DNA of clone number 9. Without having his physique directly altered, his strength, agility, never response speed, muscle tissue strength, and immunity strength are all doubled. If he goes through systemic training, theres no chance of him losing to any T-version Black Knights! Chen Chen picked up the experiment statistical report beside him and went through it briefly. In that case, lets begin the final experiment. With that, he raised his head and looked at the arrangement of hundreds of life incubators. Extract all of these clones and inject the T-009 into them. Id like to see what the success rate of T-009 looks like. Thats a wise move. Little X agreed. After that, the Black Knights inside the laboratory got to work. After that, hundreds of himself were taken out of the life incubators one after another and put onto stretchers. These clones were already injected with immunosuppressive drugs like sirolimus, cyclosporine A, and FK506 half a month ago. Therefore, the current immunity efficiency of the cloned bodies had long been suppressed. The cloned bodies with compromised immunity structure were perfect research subjects for the T-virus. Before the clones had time to regain consciousness, they were promptly strapped onto stretchers. Little X began making records of the electroencephalogram of the cloned bodies so that they could be compared against the electroencephalogram readings after injecting the T-virus. The chances of this occurring were low, but if an alteration of recorded brain waves was noted, then it would imply that this drug designed to revamp the condition of the human body carried a certain degree of side effects. Chen Chen would have to tread carefully if he intended to use it for himself. With there being hundreds of subjects, the experiment progress went by extremely slowly. Little X went ahead and reassigned 25 additional Black Knights as laboratory assistants. With this, the laboratory was operating at full capacity. With Little Xs given orders, all of the clones of Chen Chen were separated into three batches and all of them were injected with the latest variant of the T-0009 virus. Similar to the previous conduct, a large amount of supplement glucose and carbohydrates were injected along with the virus. This was done to prevent the clones from dying from malnutrition before they could even succumb to the effects of T-virus during the process of genetic modification. All that was left to do now was to wait. One hour, two hours, three hours The clock began to tick away. Soon, the clones had survived for 24 hours. Not only were all of them still alive, but there were also no abnormalities in their vitals detected either. The vitality of each of the clones began improving rapidly. From where Chen Chen stood, he could see the skin on the clones beginning to shed. As layers of skin began falling off, they were replaced by a new layer of smoother, delicate skin. At the same time, the muscles of the clones that were originally loose in structure began tensing up at such a rate that it was visible to the naked eye. As more nutrition was injected, the energy was subsequently extracted from these nutritions by the new genes inside the cloned bodies. The microscopic stature of their bodies was constantly morphing Although there was no visible change in their physique, the weight of the clones was steadily increasing. This was caused by an increase in density in muscle and bone structure. After 36 hours had passed, the first batch of clones had successfully braced the infection progress of the T-0009 virus and allowed themselves to be completely fused into one with the T-virus. 48 hours later, the second batch of clones was reported to have successfully fused with the T-009 virus as well. After 60 hours, the final batch of clones yielded successful results as well. In all of the 93 clones, not a single failure was reported. 100 percent success rate A brilliant spark of joy appeared in Chen Chens eyes when he saw the results. X, you deserve all the credit for the unqualified success of this project! Sir Godfather, this is all a part of my due responsibility Little X sounded a little embarrassed, even her voice trailed off as she said this. Initially, I figured it was worth a shot if there was at least a 90 percent success rate, I never expected that youd bring me such a welcome surprise! Chen Chen laughed. By the way, could you show me how much the total expense for developing a T-virus compatible with my genes is? It has been ten months, five days, and eight hours since the launch of the project. Factoring in general cost and material cost, the total expenses come to 350 million U.S. dollars will be spent according to the Namibian market price. That doesnt sound half bad at all. What about after factoring in labor cost and time-cost? Chen Chen asked. Little X replied, Thats difficult to calculate and we can only go by rough estimations. To research the T-009 virus, we assumed priority over a lot of resources originally designated for other projects. This caused some of the projects progress to be delayed or result in a failure. Including labor, time, and the losses of some of the other projects, we probably invested somewhere in the range of 10 billion to 15 billion U.S. dollars Chen Chen nodded. He pensively picked up a test tube containing T-009 inside it and stared at the glowing blue liquid inside and could not help but chuckle sensibly. Tens of billions of dollars in capital investment is enough to help you trump over any moderately-sized pharmaceutical organization. Only the giants like Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson can try to put together the funds to tackle the creation of a new drug. Sadly, there are countless board members behind these pharmaceutical giants. It wouldnt be sensible to exhaust all of the manpower and resources of a company just for the benefit of one person. This means that so far, Im the only one in the entire world who has the access and rights to do such a thing. This privilege of having it all to myself Chen Chen could not hold himself back from taking in a large breath with a smile slowly surfacing on the corner of his mouth. Its pretty good! With that, Chen Chen turned around. Lets begin, X. I cannot be any more thrilled to have more power soon! Half a month later. Chen Chen stood inside a laboratory, naked from the waist up. This was a completely disinfected laboratory where other than Chen Chen, all of the Black Knights were wearing protective suits to avoid polluting the laboratory environment. Chen Chens skin was a pale white sheet. His expression frail and soulless, even his hair had lost some of its shine and turned yellow. He had lost a considerable amount of weight over the past two weeks. This was the consequence of an extended period of injection of various immunosuppressive drugs. The drugs had heavily damaged Chen Chens body. His trained physique developed from him taking the NZT-48 had completely wasted away. He had lost a significant amount of mass. However, Chen Chen did not care about any of that. Sir Godfather, the immune system of your body had reached the desired potency, but your body itself Its alright, my body can still hold on. Chen Chen waved the suggestion away before asking at the end, Are the facial surgeries on my clones complete yet? Yes, all of the clones have gone through the appropriate facial surgeries. I can guarantee that appearance-wise, they dont hold any resemblance to you. Little X answered, Also, these clones display phenomenal learning ability. After their faces have developed properly, we can begin hiring expert-level teachers to start teaching them the fundamentals so that they can grow into the elite research team desired. Chen Chen nodded faintly. This was the solution Chen Chen came up with after giving the matter heavy consideration. At the end of the day, these are his contemporaries. If they turn out to be unintelligent Black Knights then so be it. The chip could still be implanted to them and they could pass as Black Knights. However, things became more complicated if they turned out to be intelligent clones. This was why Chen Chen came up with this idea. First, have these clones go through facial reconstruction surgery to change their appearance. After that, tutors would be enlisted to pass on all sorts of knowledge to them so that they could become fine researchers which Chen Chen was in short supply of. Of course, Chen Chen would not allow them to be involved in matters of the military concerning civilians where Chen Chen drew the line. After the short conversation with Little X, Chen Chen approached one of the life incubators and began climbing the ladder beside it. Chen Chen stood on the edge of the life incubator and took a deep breath before hopping into it. The inside of the incubator was empty. There was no water or any other substances. After Chen Chen had hopped inside, a mechanical arm quickly swooped down from the ceiling and fitted the hatch over the life incubator. There were several slots built into the hatch with various pipes passing through them. These pipes included respirators as thick as a fist as well as gigantic nutrition injection needles. In one swift motion, Chen Chen put the respirator around his mouth and took several breaths before signaling a thumbs up for Little X outside the life incubator. After that, Chen Chen picked up several needle heads and inserted them into the veins on both of his arms. After completing all these steps, large volumes of faint yellow liquid began flowing into the life incubator. The solution was maintained at an average temperature of 36.5 degrees which was ideal for the human body. The faint yellow growth medium slowly submerged Chen Chen over time. By the time it was done, Chen Chen had his eyes shut and was completely submerged in the growth medium. His body soon began to float automatically inside the growth medium until he was suspended in the middle of it. Chen Chen subconsciously curled up with his hands around his knees, a posture similar to that of a fetus in a mothers womb. Sir Godfather Little X seemed to have said something in a low tone but as it is, all Chen Chen could hear was muffled buzzing sounds. However, Chen Chen seemed to understand what Little X was troubled about. First, he shook his head and soon followed it up with a gentle nod before finally becoming idle. With that, Little X stopped hesitating. Chen Chen soon felt a chilling sensation coursing through his left arm. It seemed as if something was flowing along the tubes and into his blood. Chen Chen knew that it was the T-virus. Only a couple millimeters of it was enough to drive human civilization into the ground. From here on, time slowly passed him by Several hours later, the Black Knights slowly went out of the laboratory, completely sealing it afterward. All of the lights inside the laboratory slowly dimmed out as it was sealed as if afraid of disturbing the slumber of the man inside. There was nothing but dead silence inside the laboratory Chen Chen resided in. The faint glow of the electronic display of various machines seemed to magnify the darkness around it and added to the desolate ambient. Amid all this, the silhouette of Chen Chen could be made out through the glass of the life incubator. He was curled up into a ball and his eyes were closed peacefully, resembling the form of a fetus inside the life incubator. Occasionally, his chest would rise following the tempo of his breathing. The atmosphere outside the laboratory was the direct opposite of the quiet ambience inside as several hundreds of Black Knights were posted around the Spire Experimental Base. The orders they received were direct stop any members of the Spire Experimental Base who disobeyed the warnings and attempted to approach the laboratory Chen Chen was residing in. In drastic situations, the use of lethal forces was permitted. Meanwhile, Little X already had all of the entrances to the Spire Experimental Base sealed tightly. All of the research team personnel inside the Spire Experimental Base were closely monitored at all times as well. Should there be any abnormal activity detected, a crew of Black Knights would be immediately dispatched to apprehend the culprit. The scientists inside the Spire Experimental Base were oblivious of what was going on, but they sensed the atmosphere inside the laboratory growing thicker and heavier as if there was a dark cloud hanging over their heads. No matter what they did, they made sure to pay extra caution Chapter 331 - I Saw You The human lifespan has its limits. Everyone dies of old age or diseases eventually. This is a part of natural law that humans cannot escape from, but does anyone know why humans experience this phenomenon of aging and dying of diseases? On the podium, the youthful-looking Professor Wang Xi spoke persuasively, his voice echoing in the empty large classroom. Below the stage, Chen Chen suddenly jolted back to his senses. He realized that he may have accidentally dozed off. It was an extremely long nap that seemed to have lasted ages. Only, he could no longer recall the dream he had during the nap. As we all know, the measuring unit in life is a cell. All of us here are the product of the fission of a tiny zygote. This effect splits it into two, then four, then eight Professor Wang Xi endlessly went on with his presentation on the podium. Meanwhile, the disinterested Chen Chen simply held his chin with one hand and spun a gel pen on the other, all while gazing at the projection screen with his mind wandering. Clack! It was then when Chen Chens finger must have suddenly slipped and sent the gel pen in his darting outward. Seeing this, Chen Chen naturally bent down and reached for the ground. Hm? When he craned his head below the table, he suddenly noticed that there was nothing but a sheet of pitch-black darkness under the table. All of the light had been drained from this darkness. There was not even the slightest hint of reflection nor was there the presence of any other substance. It was something darker than the night itself. An unplaceable feeling quickly came to Chen Chen, he somehow felt that this picture was both familiar and a stranger to him all at the same time. As Chen Chen looked at the darkness beneath the table, his mind began wandering to places. Just as Chen Chen was stuck in this trance-like state of confusion, a bloody eyeball suddenly floated to the surface of the darkness, immediately making eye contact with Chen Chen. This startled Chen Chen. He subconsciously stretched his arms out to do something but stopped as soon as he extended his arms outward. What was he trying to do again, He simply could not recall Chen Chen stared back into the thick mist of darkness. It was then when he realized there was no such thing as a bloody eye in the first place. There was nothing at all under the table, nothing but emptiness The cloud of confusion inside Chen Chens mind was growing thicker. If there was nothing at all under the table, why did he bend down? Oh, right. To pick up his pen. Just as Chen Chen made to get down to pick up his pen, the clear voice of Professor Wang Xi suddenly came from the direction of the podium. That student over there digging under the table, why dont you answer Pfft! Chen Chens dorm buddy beside him produced a loud snicker. Chen Chen jumped and immediately shot up from under the table. When he looked to the podium, he saw a pair of bloodshot eyes growing out of Professor Wang Xis face, staring right at him Those eyes were both cold and hollow, the sort of expression that simply could not be produced by any living person. With just a momentary glance, a strange sort of numbness akin to an electric shock surged through Chen Chens body. He felt as if all the blood flowing through his body had frozen. Just as Chen Chen felt this sharp pang in his heart and tried to focus on what was in front of him again, he saw Professor Wang Xi and his always kind expression. It seemed like what he saw just a moment ago was all in his head. This student over here, can you tell me what is the complete name of this theory? Professor Wang Xi asked again with the patience of a saint. Its That Chen Chen could not control his stutter as he spoke. Lil Chen, Lil Chen, over here! Right then, his buddy beside him whispered to him in a low voice. He sneakily shifted his book to Chen Chens table and tapped on one of the sentences printed in the book. Chen Chen silently heaved a sigh of relief when he saw this and shot a gratuitous look at his friend. When he turned his attention to the book, he saw the text on the book packed together densely and squirmed altogether like a pack of ants moving around ever so slowly. [The American microbiologist Leonardo Hayflick published the Hayflick limit theory in 1965. This theory states that after 56 divisions, cells in the human body will break down and die due to self-produced toxins. In essence, this 56 times interval is the limit of human cell division and of the bodys metabolic cycle] Ha- hay flick Chen Chen instinctively craned his neck lower to try to get a better look at the book. He was surprised to see that when he had done that, the passage seemed to have a few more strange words mixed into it [The American microbiologist Leonardo Hayflick published the Hayflick I Saw You in 1965. This theory states that after 56 divisions, cells in the human body will break down and die due to self-produced toxins. In essence, this 56 times interval is the limit I Saw You and of the bodys metabolic cycle] What the hell? Chen Chen frowned. He began to think there was something wrong with his eyes and squinted as hard as he could to read the text properly. That was when the text started to become stranger. [The American micro I Saw You Hayflick published the Hayflick I Saw You in 1965. This theory states that after 56 divisions, I Saw You human body will I Saw You and die due to self-produced toxins. In essence, this 56 I Saw You I Saw You I Saw You, I Saw You I Saw You I Saw You] Before he knew it, the entire textbook had the five words pasted all over the pages [I Saw You I Saw You I Saw You I Saw You I Saw You] Chen Chen felt an indescribable ominous feeling rapidly crawling up from the bottom of his spine. It made its quick, continuous ascend along every inch of his spine until it seeped into his head at last. That was when Chen Chen felt as if his head was going to burst open! I saw you? Who, who saw me? Chen Chen wanted to howl but when he opened his mouth. He found that his voice could not come out as if something was caught in his throat. When he slowly raised his head, he saw everyone in the class including his friend and Professor Wang Xi were staring right at him. They all wore a pair of blood-red eyes [I Saw You!] Pfft! Chen Chen snapped his eyes open without warning. He immediately spat out the respirator in his mouth. As soon as he did that, large volumes of salty amniotic fluid poured into his mouth! Chen Chen let out a muffled scream as if he was trying to unleash all of the pent-up rage boiling inside him. He raised his right hand and viciously hammered the tempered glass separating himself from the world outside the life incubator! Crack! It produced a sharp and harsh cracking sound. In an instant, the five-centimeters-thick tempered glass exploded into countless pieces and scattered into every direction, immediately accompanied by the amniotic fluid inside the incubator bursting out like a flash flood! An immeasurable amount of amniotic fluid and broken glass shards scattered in all directions. Chen Chen emerged out of it and collapsed on the floor in a half-kneeling position. He coughed violently, pumping out a large amount of amniotic fluid from his lungs and stomach with each repeated cough. Sir Godfather! Little Xs voice full of concern immediately took over the speaker system. All of the lights inside the laboratory were immediately flashed open as several Black Knights charged into the laboratory and wrapped a blanket around Chen Chen. Scram! The look in Chen Chens eyes called for blood, even if just for a split instant. He violently shoved the Black Knight closest to him and in an instant, the 180 centimeters tall, stockily built Black Knight weighing more than 90 kilograms practically flew off! Bang! After slamming into a life incubator, the Black Knight slid down along its surface. Behind him, several visible radial cracks were left on the incubator, Chen Chen, calm down. Its me, X. Little Xs voice came again, this time there was an anxious tone in her voice. Chen Chen finally stopped when he heard this. As the red in his eyes slowly faded away, he knelt on the ground and looked around with haze in his eyes, seemingly trying to recall something. Chen Chen remained that way until Little X called out to him several more times. That was when clarity finally returned to his eyes. He raised his head and scanned the laboratory, then he lifted his right palm and looked into it. It was only then when Chen Chen noticed that the texture of his skin had turned into a fine layer of what seemed like gelatin. There was not a single pore to be seen. On top of that, he felt as if his body was floating as he moved. There seemed to be an explosive force lurking inside him. The physique of his body had also improved from his previous frail and bony state to being well-proportioned. His firm abdominal muscles and biceps became accentuated without him needing to exert any effort. It seems like the experiment was a success. Chen Chen had finally completely recollected himself. As he spoke, a smile slowly surfaced on his lips, Sorry, X, I acted a little too rash just now. Sir Godfather, dont ever give me a scare like this again! Little X expressed her concern. I even thought that the experiment was a failure and you were going to turn into a zombie! That wont happen. Chen Chen made a waving gesture, his expression turning pensive as he did this. I think the reason I acted that way was due to a dream I had, inside the dream Arriving at this note, Chen Chen could not help but frown. I forgot what the dream was about. No need to dwell on it since you already forgot it! Little X commented nonchalantly, Oh, would you like a mirror? What you see may come off as a pleasant surprise for you! Mirror? Chen Chen was slightly taken aback by the comment. A Black Knight quickly approached with a large standing mirror and set it in front of Chen Chen. Chen Chens appearance in the mirror did not seem to have taken on a stark transformation from his previous self. However, perhaps as a result of having his genes modified, the general outline of his face became more defined and textured. Complemented by a pair of perfectly dark pupils, there was now an unplaceable aura surrounding Chen Chen who used to have an otherwise average appearance. On top of that, Chen Chen noticed that he had grown significantly taller. Before this, his measured height was the standard 1.75 meters, but now he had suddenly grown to 1.8 meters. If something had to be said to appraise the aura the new Chen Chen gave off, it would be the stone-cold temperament of a powerful president. Emm Upon witnessing himself, Chen Chen could not hold himself back from nodding and commending himself, I never thought the day would come when the good old loser Chen Chen would become tall, rich, and handsome. What sort of nonsense are you spouting! Upon hearing this, Little X suddenly puffed angrily. After undergoing the genetic modification of the T-virus, youre no longer purely human. Id even say theres now a component of reproduction isolation separating you from common humans now! Chen Chens expression turned stiff upon hearing this as he asked with shock in his tone, Are you trying to scare me now? Although I did receive the modification of the T-virus, the difference between my DNA and original human DNA shouldnt exceed one percent, right? I doubt reproduction isolation would occur from such an inconsequential difference. The same could be said for tigers and lions, orcas and dolphins or horses and donkeys. The genetic difference between these species is less than one percent as well. Little X explained, The results? Reproduction between lions and tigers can only result in abominations like ligers. Orcas and dolphins mating together produce wholphins while donkeys and horses mating together produce mules. Its widely acknowledged in the scientific field that creatures like ligers, wholphins, and mules are non-fertile. This is due to the chromosomal differences between the two parent species which results in the offspring not being able to form normal gametes. Therefore, their offspring cannot reproduce. After saying this, Little X let out a long sigh and expressed regretfully. Under these circumstances, despite both of the parent genes mutually appearing in their offspring, the lineage cannot be continued from that point on and will simply end there. Nothing good will come out of you reproducing with another human! Chen Chen did not feel like prolonging this debate with Little X. It was not an everyday occurrence that Little X would be so stubborn. He decided to leave it at that and switched the topic. Lets do a blood test. I want to see how my DNA has transformed and if its the same as the Black Knights. This is the only thing that matters now. Understood. Following Chen Chens orders, a Black Knight approached with a change of clothes for Chen Chen while another Black Knight came with a disposable syringe. Ten millimeters of blood was promptly drawn from Chen Chens wrist. The needle head of the syringe was a reinforced variant. This was done because the skin of someone who had undergone genetic modification of the T-virus tended to be tougher than that of ordinary humans. Normal needles would easily twist or break upon injection. After having his blood drawn, Chen Chen paid close attention to his wrist. He could see the mark left behind by the needle closing in on itself at a rate that could be easily observed with the naked eye. Soon, all that was left was a tiny red dot. This recovery speed is very similar to the ones displayed in the Black Knights. Chen Chen nodded contentedly. This blood test was just a safety precaution, after all. In the less than one percent chance event that something went wrong with the fusing process with the T-virus, the potency of the T-virus would have turned him into a zombie. The fact that Chen Chen was standing here in one piece was a testament to the success of the experiment. After that, Chen Chen began evaluating his strength, speed, and overall physique. The process was the same as when they conducted similar tests on the Black Knights. The results were surprisingly identical to the results yielded from the Black Knights as well. In terms of speed, Chen Chens sprinting speed shot up from 30 kilometers per hour to 38 kilometers per hour, which was 9.55 seconds per 100 meters. This had exceeded the current human world record of 9.58 seconds. It should be noted that this was before Chen Chen had undergone the appropriate training. Upon undergoing several months of physical training, Chen Chen should be able to further improve his speed to forty kilometers per hour. Endurance-wise, Chen Chen could sprint up to 500 meters without any notable decrease in speed. This may not be an astounding amount, but it was still three times the endurance of an average person. Furthermore, this attribute could be further improved with training. Half a day later, Chen Chens DNA profile was complete. Chen Chens chromosome number remained unchanged at 23 pairs while the differential between Chen Chens DNA and ordinary human DNA has dropped to 99.1%. This meant that Chen Chen was still considered a human, albeit a genetically mutated human. Alternatively, a better way to put it would be that Chen Chen belonged to a new subspecies of human beings Chapter 332 - Preparation for Building Gantz The success of the T-virus fusion also represented the second step in Chen Chens venture to become a supernatural being. Needless to say, his first step was the crystalline. Speaking of which, there was a concern of conflict occurring from the two genes interacting with each other that may result in some unknown mutation. To address this issue, Chen Chen specifically had a T-virus fused clone exposed to several crystallines as an experiment. The experiment yielded successful results. Both the T-virus and crystalline did not pose any effect on each other. Time passed quickly. It was now the second day since Chen Chen had awakened from his slumber in the life incubator. Chen Chen was in the Field training ground. There were four almost completely transparent poker cards hovering around him, like four little spirits bouncing up and down, circling and dancing around him adorably. Chen Chen closed his eyes and used the Field extending outward from his body to detect his surroundings. It was then when a group of flies was released from their cage by one of the Black Knights. They started patrolling around the Field training around, buzzing everywhere they went. When one of the flies flew nearby Chen Chen, its flight was suddenly cut short! The fly softly clapped against the cold hard floor. Upon closer inspection, it was noted that it was sliced in half. The cut was extremely clean and delicate as if it had been cut by an extremely sharpened sword in the air! After that, several other flies approached Chen Chen as well. Before they could realize what was going on, they were sliced in half and dropped onto the floor, their lives ended before they could react. Chen Chen decided that he was going to start walking around the training grounds to find the flies himself. Whenever the flies passed by a five meters radius around Chen Chen, a near-transparent poker card would glide right by it. Moments after the poker card swept past the flies, the flies would be split in half. It was only after all of the flies inside the training ground had met their ill fate when Chen Chen finally opened his eyes again. When he saw all the dead flies on the ground, he smiled. The radius of Field has extended to five meters. Chen Chen muttered to himself, Which means that as long as there are no obstacles in the way, I can detect most substances in a five-meter radius around me. This sensory device is sharper and more precise than regular sight. Its characteristics are closer to the sense of touch The only gripe is that the potency of Field hasnt increased. After completing the training session, the four poker cards swept back into the tin box in Chen Chens hands without missing it even by an inch, like birds returning to their nest. After experimenting with Field again, Chen Chen concluded that his potency in Field remained unchanged after fusing with the T-virus. However, there was a significant improvement in his precision of control over Field. With Field, he could sense the most trivial detail within a five-meter radius, including the finest strand of hair on a persons body. In turn, he could apply pressure on it using Field. Chen Chen figured that he should be able to acquire all of the crystallines soon enough. This process of absorbing crystalline fragments had extended over more than a year at this point. Chen Chen started with extracting several pieces, soon moving on to extracting a couple of dozens of them. Last year, he had extracted five hundred pieces all in one go. To this point, the sum of Chen Chens absorbed radiation was roughly a little over half of the amount absorbed by the protagonist in the movie. Yes, only half. Previously, when Chen Chen was preparing to film the movie, he had already made the appropriate measurements. The measured volume of the crystallines shaped like sea urchins was in the range of 3.5 to 4 cubic meters while the volume of each crystalline fragment was measured at 0.001 cubic meters. This meant that for Chen Chen to absorb an entire crystalline, he would need to extract more than three thousand fragment pieces. Inside the movie, there were three people exposed to the radiation of the crystalline, which meant that the radiation was evenly distributed between the three of them. Following that logic, Chen Chen had only absorbed half of the amount which the protagonist had absorbed since the protagonist would have absorbed roughly a thousand crystalline fragments worth of radiation. Chen Chen speculated that the body would slowly adapt and build up immunity against this sort of gene-altering radiation. This meant it would be impossible to stack the effect infinitely since that would be too ridiculous. The only problem was figuring out what the limit threshold was. With that said, Chen Chen was not going to be able to acquire the remaining half of the crystalline fragments over the coming period. After entering Gantz, Chen Chen had used up the greater portion of power deposited in the USB drive. He even left behind the PK Armor and Bugatti Spaceship in that dimension. It was going to take some time to obtain enough power to help him instantiate crystalline fragments. The good news was that the Spire Experimental Base was now in the process of researching a newer generation inertial fusion reactor. Taking notes from the first generation reactor, the efficiency of the second generation was expected to increase up to seven-folds. Its power generation should reach up to 2 million kWh, which would put it on par with Chen Chens nuclear plant. Though claiming to have unlimited energy would be an exaggeration, at least Chen Chen could instantiate some tools like the PK Armor or crystalline fragments without hurting his reserves as much. Currently, Chen Chen heavily prioritized the research efforts of the E language as well as the collection of germanium metal. Germanium metal was very valuable in modern industry. It had extensive and important applications in semiconductors, aerospace measurement and control, nuclear physics detection, optical fiber communications, infrared optics, solar cells, chemical catalysts, biomedicine, and various other fields. Simply put, it was an important strategic resource. It was also used as a catalyst for alloy pretreatment, in the electronics industry, and the optical industry. On the international market, germanium metal was priced at approximately 1,000 U.S. dollars per kilogram. It was not incredibly pricey, but it was not particularly cheap either. If Chen Chen wanted to build a Gantz server machine as large as the one he saw in the Gantz dimension, he would need approximately a thousand tons of germanium metal, which came to a billion U.S. dollars. There were no cutting corners around the construction of the Gantz server machine as it must be a completely solid structure. Its effects could only be exerted if the shape and the texture on its surface were accurate on a nanometer scale. The only notable challenge to this infrastructure was the Gantz satellite and Gantz sphere serving as relay stations. It was only after the server was set up and connected to the relay station when Chen Chen could transmit humans or other substances between the Gantz sphere and a targeted area marked by the Gantz satellite. Still, with each of the consortiums across the European and American Continents backing him, it should not pose too much issue for him. Chen Chen wiped the sweat off his forehead and turned around to leave the Field training ground. Little X continuously reported to him via the earpiece, We dont have to acquire germanium metal only by using official commerce channels. After all, this volume of purchase nearly exceeds the total annual production of germanium metal and draws too much attention. If possible, we can try mining for them ourselves. Chen Chen stayed silent to let Little X finish. Besides, there are two marked germanium deposits right here in Africa. They are located in the Rainbow Nation and Angola respectively. If we can purchase these germanium mines, half of the raw material supply problem is solved Chen Chen nodded thoughtfully upon hearing this advice of Little X. This is a decent idea. It may take more time, but is the safer choice in the long run. Besides, our crew of Black Knights is increasing In this case, inform Old Qian about this and have him send someone to discuss this with the two governments. Chapter 333 - Opposing Organization of Blacklight Biotechnology We at Blacklight Biotechnology would like to offer 120 million U.S. dollars to purchase the germanium mining rights in the county of Gaborone. A man whose complexion was a poor yellow and seemed utterly exhausted was seated at a negotiation table, looking proud as he spoke. Next to him, there was a professional negotiation team comprised of translators, secretaries, legal consultants, and other professionals. This man was Wang Liang, one of the original members that came with Chen Chen back when Chen Chen had just arrived in Africa. Perhaps it was due to how capable he was, Qian Wenhuan would always bury him with a mountain worth of tasks. Now, Wang Liang had finally become one of the senior members of Blacklight Biotechnology. This time, he was dispatched by Qian Wenhuan and put in charge of the acquisition of the germanium mine in Rainbow Nation. The party on the other end of the negotiation table was none other than the Ministry of Mining and Energy of Rainbow Nation. Wang Liang kept up a proud front as he waited for the translator to translate his message to the officials. He made sure to emphasize, This is our highest offer. The group on the other end of the table discussed among themselves for a while before responding. Soon, the leading official who was a black man replied in fluent English, Sorry, Im afraid we cannot agree to this price. What? Is it because its not enough? Wang Liang frowned and became slightly flustered. Do you know what the international market value for germanium is? A thousand U.S. dollars per kilogram. The germanium deposit in Gaborone has 300 tons of proven resources, which is 300 thousand kilograms. Even if we excavate all of them, they are only worth 300 million U.S. dollars. Now, doesnt excavation cost money? What about refining them? Doesnt transporting them cost money as well? Germanium metals are already a rare resource on their own. They are extremely difficult to excavate and not any easier to refine them. By the time the process is complete, the total cost expended is pretty much on par with the international market price. If you expect us to pay more, wed rather just head straight to the international market! Despite his questionable attitude, Wang Liang was more than competent on the business end of things. He had clearly presented all the positive and negative aspects of germanium ore mining without leaving them room for any nitpicking. However, there was no telling just what the opposing party was concerned about. After another round of fervent discussion among themselves, the officials still gave the same answer, Sorry, we still cant accept this price, were going to need at least 150 million U.S. dollars! What! Wang Liang became so enraged that he slammed the table with all his might and shot up. Im guessing youre not planning to sell then! In that case, lets go! With that, he left the table and furiously stomped out of the conference room with his crew trailing behind him. Upon stepping out of the town hall, Wang Liang spat on the floor and exclaimed, Bunch of uncivilized b*stards! Director Wang, its not worth getting upset about these people! One of the subordinates quickly stepped forward and produced a high-quality cigar for Wang Liang. This was quickly followed up with him producing a lighter like a magician and lighting the cigar for Wang Liang. Director, dont worry about these b*stards, these people are crazy to ask so much for a small scale mine. If it doesnt work out, we can always go to the next one. The main problem is germanium ores are few and far in between. Also, Qian Wenhuan issued strict orders for us to acquire this germanium mine at all costs Wang Liang shook his head dejectedly. When he mentioned Qian Wenhuan, a hint of gloom met his eyes for a brief instant. He took another strong drag from the cigar before heading for the car. Alright, lets not talk about this now. If it comes down to it, well just swing by the houses of these officials later tonight. As long as we can give them something good in return, the price should naturally go down tomorrow With that, Wang Liang entered the car with his secretary diligently escorting him every step of the way. After closing the door for Wang Liang, the secretary lapped around the vehicle and entered from the other side while the driver got into the drivers seat. Zhou Hang, I want you to find out the address of the minister this afternoon. I need it by evening, got it? Understood, Director Wang. Are we returning to the hotel now? Lets just head back to As the two men continued their exchange, the driver started the engine. Just as the engine was started, a deafening explosion emerged and blew the car into smithereens! In an instant, the vehicle along with its three passengers was devoured by a ball of flame that continued to rage on fiercely in front of the city hall The remaining members of the negotiation team stood there with their mouths agape, their faces illuminated by the bright flame. Wang Liang was dead. After about ten minutes, Chen Chen who had just received the news responded with an immediate twitch of his mouth. Who did it? Chen Chen was almost speechless. X, did we not pick up any intel on this? Sorry, Sir Godfather. Little X sounded almost ashamed. I didnt pick up any intel at all. Chen Chen nodded and did not try to put the blame on Little X. He of all people was well aware that Little X had acquired all information related to Blacklight Biotechnology by a large database extracted from the Internet. Unless Little X had very specific search criteria, it would be impossible to thoroughly go through everything ranging from all kinds of chat software, dark web communications or even encrypted sources like radio signals. It would be false to say that there was no blind spot on the Internet. Besides, this attack was not specifically targeted at Chen Chen, but just an employee of Blacklight Biotechnology instead, making it harder for Little X to notice it. Looks like youre going to need an upgrade to become a truly all-knowing entity on the Internet. In this vein, the E Language and Gantz server machine seem like the ideal options. Chen Chen tipped his head at the notion. Have you been able to find anything by following along the clues that we have now? Ive already extracted surveillance footage of the Rainbow Nation Gaborone City Hall and found a man in a black shirt. As Little X said this, the surveillance footage quickly appeared on the computer display in front of Chen Chen. Shown on the display was a large man wearing a black mask in a black trench coat. When the man walked past Wang Liangs rental car, he bent down slightly as if he was trying to tie his shoelaces. Due to the angle of the camera, the man was shielded by the rental car. All Chen Chen could see was the man getting back up after about ten seconds and leaving after that. Clean execution. The entire process took no longer than twenty seconds. This man didnt reveal his face at all so its difficult for me to identify him. I also continued tracking him using surveillance footage but after he took a turn into the slums, he had effectively gone out of my range. Little X explained, Im not sure if its intentional or not. Point is, the target has successfully evaded my investigation efforts. Chen Chens expression grew darker when he heard this. He pedaled around slowly. X, looks like somebody has noticed your existence. Honestly, this isnt all that surprising. After giving it some thought, Chen Chen noted in a low voice, Theres the Gods Forbidden Zones Disciple Council, the massacre case in Switzerland, then theres our routine purge of spies inside Eco Science City. When someone put all of this together, its not difficult to figure out that we at Blacklight Biotechnology have access to some sort of nearly all-knowing information channel online. Due to the unique nature of Eco Science City, the city never had any shortage of lurking spies. The demographic of spies was not just limited to the spies of the major pharmaceutical corporations, even the official spies of each major continent were involved. There were spies from the Mainland and spies from North America as well, since everybody was curious just how Eco Science City developed such advanced medical technology. Most of the time, these spies did not pose any significant threat so Chen Chen just let them be. However, whenever they executed some operation that may endanger the security of the city, someone always erased them without a trace before they could begin. This was both a way of issuing a warning and also a way of flaunting strength. After enough occurrences, people would eventually get the message that there was more to the Eco Science City than it let on on its surface. Chen Chen began to silently dissect the situation they were facing. So, this means that our lurking enemies intentionally avoid keywords like Blacklight Biotechnology and Chen Chen when discussing online or perhaps they swapped them out with other codewords instead. Theres also a chance that they used less mainstream communication platforms. This does minimize the chances of us noticing In that case, how do we deal with them? Little X asked almost restlessly. Well, lets just see how things progress from here, then well decide what to do from there on. Chen Chen answered. This response of his seemed to have caught Little X slightly off guard. Just because they didnt slip up this time doesnt mean they can keep it up the next time. When Chen Chen saw that Little X still had trouble grasping his meaning, he had to explain, You still dont get it? One of these times, theyll slip up and expose themselves. What are the chances that theyll never make a mistake? Impossible! As Chen Chen said this, the side of his lips tugged upward to form a cunning smile. X, have you ever played Pac-man? Were just playing a game of hide and seek with them. Were playing the seeker while theyre playing the lone Pac-man in an enormous maze Id like to see just how many pellets of mine they can eat. Chapter 334 - Kidnap Zurich, Switzerland. In the evening, Wynn, who was over 60 years old, put on a black trench coat and a black top hat and walked out of the Blackwatch Research Institute slowly. He headed toward a 90s-style Porsche car on the side of the road. Wynn was already very old. He originally had several senile diseases and complications such as high blood pressure and diabetes, and his hair was almost all white. However, a few months ago, he had gone to the African branch office, also known as the Eco Science City. When he came back, he had changed. His hair had regained its black hue and the wrinkles on his face had been reduced by more than half. His dry yellowing eyes were more hydrated and his figure was not rickety like an old mans, but much more upright. At first glance, Wynn did not seem to be a 60-year-old man, but a middle-aged man in his early forties. Everyone knew that this was the result of receiving the age-reversal treatment program. All the elderly who had undergone this treatment were able to miraculously pull away from old age back to middle age. This was not just about getting younger in ones face, but rather, the full range of changes in physical fitness. This was enough to make everyone scramble madly for a taste. Still, the price of this treatment was really expensive. The most basic treatment cost more than 500,000 USD, let alone the more luxurious and refined treatments. At present, there were only a few wealthy and even fewer middle-class people in the world who had the financial resources and qualifications to extend their lives. Even though the customer base was not large and there were sanatoriums all over the world that secretly carried out the same treatment projects, this was the most authoritative and famous Eco Science City, where an appointment would still be two years away. At this time, Wynn, the general manager of Blackwatchs Swiss branch, got into his car while humming a Zurich folk tune. He knew that he had a date in 30 minutes. Yes, twenty years ago, Wynn had divorced his wife and spent time alone indulging in debauchery. It was only ten years ago that his body gradually became affected and he started to restrain himself. However, presently Eco Science City had given him a second chance, so as a romantic playboy by nature, he naturally became restless again. Just as he got into the car and was about to start the engine, he suddenly looked into the rearview mirror of the car inexplicably. He seemed to have seen someone sitting in the backseat. Even so, as he looked up, he saw that the backseat was empty and there was nothing there. A trick of the eye? Wynn shook his head, then laughed at himself and started the car. After that, Wynn drove to Page Hotel, the place that he had agreed upon with the date in advance. Zurich was not a busy city. The population density here was extremely low. If one were not in the citys business district, but some remote trail instead, there was almost no sign of people except the few occasional cars. At this time, Winn drove the car down a remote trail. Along the way, Winn was humming the Zurich tune, but just as he was about to cross the small road in front, suddenly, a dark car cut out from behind him, way ahead of the speed limit. This gave Wynn a bad fright. D*mn it! Winn hurriedly spun his steering wheel to avoid the other vehicle, but what made him a little furious was that the person did not directly pass him by. Instead, they veered toward his side as if they wanted to cut him off and pin down his car. Helpless, Wynn hurriedly slammed the brakes to decelerate the Porsche. Even so, the other party still doggedly drove the car in front of Wynn, obstructing the entire one-way street and completely blocking Wynns path. What are they doing? Wynn felt unsettled. He instinctively wanted to reverse the car, but when he looked into the side-view mirror, his expression shifted again. Another mysterious black car had also appeared behind him, blocking his retreat. By this point, two people finally got off the black car in front. Both of them were wearing black balaclavas and carrying guns. When they got out of the car, they rushed directly to Wynns car. Get off, Mr. Wynn! What are you doing? Wynns expression changed. At this moment, there was no way he would not understand that he was being kidnapped! We wont hurt you. One of the masked men said, We just want to take you somewhere else to discuss business. Its too noisy here and itll be quieter there. Do you want money? Wynns expression darkened and he could not help persuading, How much do you want? If the amount isnt large, I can give it to you directly, but if the amount is too large, I wont be able to make the call at all, and it might attract the polices attention We dont want money. Youd better listen to our orders. Seeing that Wynn was nattering on and on, the masked man finally became impatient. He pulled Wynn out of the car, then quickly used a metal detector to uncover all the metal objects on Wynn. After that, he seized Wynn and walked toward the black vehicle. Another masked man immediately drove Wynns car and followed the two black cars toward the suburbs of Zurich. By now, Wynn was already very anxious. After he got in the car, he was trapped between the two. As he watched the vehicle drive in an increasingly remote direction, he suddenly asked again, What do you want me to do? Why did you kidnap me? May I know? Youll know soon enough. The masked man sighed, turned his head, and said to Wynn, Dont be nervous, Mr. Wynn, we mean you no harm. Were not targeting you, but the company behind you You mean, Blackwatch Corporation? Wynns expression changed and he quickly explained, Although Im the Swiss general manager of Blackwatch, this company was originally called Preston. I was one of the shareholders. Later, it was acquired by Blackwatch due to its poor management and I just continued to help them manage the company. To be honest, Im not a core member of Blackwatch at all, and the branch in Zurich has no secrets. If you want to find a way in through me, Im afraid youll be disappointed Dont worry, of course, we know all this. The masked man snorted coldly. If you were a core member of the Blackwatch Corporation, we wouldnt treat you like this. You have a grievance against Blackwatch Corporation? Wynn was surprised. But since you know that Im not a core member of Blackwatch, why kidnap me? I dont know anything about its internal workings! However, following that, no matter how Wynn questioned them, the masked man stopped talking. Seeing this, Wynn also knew that he could not persuade the other party with words, so he had to calm down. The vehicle drove for forty to fifty minutes until it reached a forest close to the Alps, where the asphalt road was no longer visible. Only then did the vehicle stop. Get off, Mr. Wynn. The masked man took Wynn out of the car half-coercively and then pointed to a concealed, quiet path ahead. Do you see that, Mr. Wynn? Just follow us and I hope you dont do anything stupid. With that said, he walked ahead in the direction of the path. Wynn looked around helplessly, only to see the other masked people looking at him coldly, so he shrugged and trailed behind at once. They walked for nearly an hour. As both his mobile phone and watch were confiscated, Wynn was unable to figure out the specific duration. In short, it was only when the soles of his feet were so sore that he could barely continue walking that a wooden hut appeared in front of the path. This seemed to be a forest rangers residence. Wynn subconsciously looked around, but only saw endless trees in all directions. There were only a few pieces of dried meat hung on the drying rack in front of the house and a large swathe of animal fur and leather under his feet. Did these people live a primitive life? This was Wynns only thought. Following the instructions of the masked man in front, Wynn walked into the hut in the forest with a stunned expression. In the hut, he saw two blonde girls sitting on one side and a wireless transceiver in front of them. Both of them had lowered their heads, discussing something in low voices. As they watched Wynn coming in from outside, the two blonde girls did not say anything, but their faces were cold. Well, I believe we should be able to block off all interruptions here, so we can speak freely. The masked man also walked in from the outside. He took off the hood over his head, revealing a young and handsome masculine face. Mr. Wynn, please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Fisher Oppenheimer. You shouldve heard of my name. After all, there are some intersections between our family and you. At this point, Wynn was taken aback in realization. This name was not unfamiliar to him. This was the surname of a large European consortium. As if he could not believe it, he confirmed loudly, Your father is Sir Oppenheimer? Yes, thats my father. The young man nodded. I also have an elder brother named Federer, but hes dead. Wynn suddenly recalled the Novartis meeting homicide that shocked the whole of Europe half a year ago. A total of more than 50 Novartis shareholders were killed in the meeting, yet the killers all appeared to come from more than a dozen plutocratic families that were also Novartis shareholders. Until now, the world had not understood what caused the madness of the dozens of killers and why they initiated this massacre that astounded the world. It was just that those killers disappeared completely after the massacre was launched and they were still missing today. Federer was one of the missing persons that day. The whole world thinks that my brother Federer was one of the masterminds in this affair, but only I know that this isnt the case. The man paced slowly in the room, seeming to fall into the memories of the past. My brother has a perfect family, amazing talents, and even my father praises his talents and practically acknowledges him as the head of the house. Would such a person destroy his future and kill his colleagues personally? Wynn smiled bitterly when he heard the words. Perhaps its true. Ive seen Federer. An excellent young man. I dont believe hed do such a thing, but this matter seems to have nothing to do with me. No, this is deeply connected to you, Mr. Wynn. The young man sneered. Everyone in the world thinks this incident is a terrorist attack or even some kind of cult sacrifice ceremony, but only a few people know, that particular Novartis shareholder meeting was aimed at dealing with one company, one person Wynns expression changed. Could it be that Yes! Seeing that Wynn finally reacted, Fisher nodded. The Novartis shareholders meeting had gathered one-third of the consortiums across the entire European Continent. Their purpose was to deal with the newly emerging Blackwatch Corporation and the man named Chen Chen! I shouldve thought of it long ago. Hearing this, Winn gave a wry smile. Blackwatch almost destroyed the sanatorium business in Europe. No wonder the major European consortiums want to deal with him. But what does this have to do with the massacre last year? Fisher said with a cold expression, Holmes once had a proverb, Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth. Therefore, theres only one possibility, the Blackwatch Corporation is behind this massacre! Wynn was silent when he heard these words and it took a long time before he said uncertainly, But how did Blackwatch do it? Im looking for an answer too. Fisher shook his head. However, after making many attempts to go against Blackwatch, we have come up with a frightening speculation that this company has amazing control over the Internet. Anything that uses electronic products or any kind of chat software, is at risk of being eavesdropped on by this company. Is that possible? Wynn was a little bewildered. He would not have believed this, but now he had been kidnapped by the group of people in front of him, so he had no choice but to believe. Theres a very high chance of that. Fisher nodded. Not only did we discover this, but you should also know that the consortia behind Blackwatch also occasionally leaked out information. They have joined forces to create an organization called Gods Forbidden Zone. This organization is essentially a consortium mutual aid association. Blackwatch always has access to countless trade secrets, allowing consortia in Gods Forbidden Zone to spend money to buy these trade secrets. It can also be seen from this that Blackwatch has some kind of extremely astonishing information channel, which is very similar to our speculation! Gods Forbidden Zone? Wynn muttered in a low voice. He had heard of this organization, but he always thought it was just like Freemasonry, a mere Internet rumor. He did not expect it to exist. So, if we want to avoid Blackwatchs eyes, the only way is to come to a haven with no surveillance and no electronic equipment. Fisher spread his hands out. Mr. Wynn, Im not only avenging my brother but Ive also united a group of environmentalists and all this is for the Earth and the environment. Yes, for this piece of nature. The blond woman who had been silent on the side also spoke. She seemed to be a member of the Environmental Protection Association. We and Fisher oppose this company for different reasons. Our organization found that this company is destroying Earth. Theyve developed longevity projects and researched drugs for terminal illnesses. This will increase the population on Earth and eventually lead to a population explosion. The mother planet on which we live will be destroyed in the hands of mankind Not only that, their Project Xingtian is even more ghastly! The other blonde woman was filled with indignation. Can you believe it? Over the past month, millions of people with disabilities have bought Project Xingtians bionic prostheses and transformed themselves into androids! This group of trash is destroying human purity and the divinity of mankind. This is a depraved and blasphemous manifestation, they will inevitably go to hell after death! Wynn opened his mouth but did not know what to say. After that, they both concluded. We dare to swear that this evil companys next step will be to specialize in the field of artificial intelligence. Its very possible that Skynet will be born in their hands. In any case, we must stop this evil company, no matter what price we must pay! Chapter 335 - To Catch a Big Fish After the blonde man, Fisher, finished speaking at the beginning, it was more of the two blonde womens accusations of Blackwatch Corporations crimes. In their description, Blackwatch Corporation had violated the rights of the earth like a heinous criminal. Although it did not sound quite right to Wynn, he was at their mercy now, so he simply listened and smiled sympathetically. If my guess is right, the two ladies should be members of the VHEMT organization or the Church of Euthanasia, right? Does Mr. Wynn know of VHEMT too? One of the blonde womans eyes lit up. Yes, were indeed members of the Voluntary Human Extinction Movement organization. Do you want to join us? Wynn had only mentioned it casually. He never expected them to be members. He instantly felt awkward, not knowing what to say. The so-called Voluntary Human Extinction Organization was a radical organization founded by a teacher named Knight in North America in 1991. The organizational philosophy was: human beings should exterminate themselves because extinction could prevent environmental degradation and human extinction was also the only way to save the earth and the natural environment. Dont you agree? The worlds population growth rate has far exceeded the earths ability to bear it. For the earths biosphere, the best thing is that humans voluntarily stop reproducing. After all, humans and the earths biosphere are incompatible. The blonde woman loudly promoted the organizations philosophy. There are tens of thousands of species on Earth that are threatened by humans. These species are constantly being squeezed out of their living space by humanity. Therefore, only the extinction of humans can save these lives! But were different from the Church of Euthanasia. We dont advocate killing each other to reduce the population. The most fundamental concept of our Voluntary Human Extinction Organization is that humans should stop reproducing. After all, the essence of reproduction is the abuse of children. The other woman explained, Although this is a form of altruism, stopping reproduction can also give humans an idyllic life like in the Garden of Eden. We dont have to work for our children anymore and we dont have to worry about what happens after us. When everyone stops reproduction, after a hundred years, the last remaining humans will also be proud of our achievement, and humans will never suffer from abortion, war or hunger Then Im sorry, I already have a son Wynn forced a smile. So, Ive already gone against the membership requirement of your organization. Not at all! The blonde woman shook her head and continued to exhort. The Voluntary Human Extinction Movement is a loose organization. Anyone who agrees with our thinking is a member of this organization. As long as you agree with us, then youre a member! And you can also let your son agree with us! Im willing to head back and try Wynn said awkwardly. Okay, thats enough of that. Seeing that they were getting off track, Fisher interrupted them both. Mr. Wynn, what have you decided? Blackwatch is by no means easy to deal with. Wynn could only speak haltingly. I have to say that your views touched me. As a Catholic, I dont like the companys behavior and Chen Chen even publicly declared on the TED platform that humans can be equal to God. This is a blasphemy against God. If you havent come to me this time, Id have also intended to resign from the position of general manager of the Swiss branch No need for that! Fisher and the two blonde women looked at each other and their eyes lit up. Mr. Wynn, if you continue to work in the Swiss branch and find ways to infiltrate the core of this company, this will help us even more! That is impossible! Wynns expression changed drastically. In that case, Ill encounter great danger because Blackwatch isnt as harmless and benevolent as they look on the surface. They are the largest private military contractor in Africa. If they want, they can even send assassins to kill off anyone, including me! Then have you thought about the environment and nature? Have you thought about your beliefs? Seeing that Wynn was shrinking back, one of the blonde women suddenly said in an awe-inspiring manner, For the natural environment of the earth, for your faith, what does this danger matter? There are those of us who have already paid so much to overthrow this evil company. Why are you hesitating? Another blonde woman also earnestly persuaded, Weve abandoned our mobile phones, iPads, and all electronic products. Were even willing to abandon modern cities and live in the mountains and forests. The reason for this is that we have a common wish to return nature to the earth! Its a pity that we cant help you here. Fisher also sighed. Your son George lives in the canton of Bern, right? Our family happens to be a shareholder of your sons company. Just today, Ive arranged for him to go to North America on a business trip so that Blackwatch Corporation wouldnt notice anything You guys! Wynns expression changed completely after hearing this and he could no longer remain calm. What did you do to my son? Hes fine. Fisher shook his head with a pitying look. As long as you do what we say, I can protect your son from any danger. Of course, if youre unwilling to cooperate, the moment you divulge any information about us is the moment youll receive your sons death notice. I see, Ill do what you said Seeing this, Wynn sighed and finally gave in. Very good Mr. Wynn, you made a smart choice. Fisher seemed to have expected this. Now, he just smiled faintly and at the same time took out a note and handed it to Wynn. This is your task Wynn took the note in bewilderment. When he saw the dense rows of letters on the note, his expression suddenly shifted. You guys are going to do this, but this will This is the only way well have a chance to eliminate Blackwatch! Fisher stretched out his hand and said coercively, Mr. Wynn, we look forward to working with you! At this point, Wynn finally shook hands with Fischer unwillingly and said in a soft voice, I hope you can let my son go after I do this. Dont worry, were not a terrorist organization. As long as you fulfill our requirements, well do what we promised. Fisher nodded and agreed at once. Seeing this, Wynn finally stopped talking. He shot a deep look at the three of them, then turned and walked out of the wooden hut. At this point, Wynn was taken away by some people outside. After a while, several young people came in, one of whom nodded toward Fisher. Boss, weve also invited Samuel over. What did Samuel say, would he like to cooperate with us? Fisher raised his head and asked. He asked to see his daughter first. Then, let Annie meet her father. After all, he has such a good daughter When he was talking about this, Fisher could not help but break into a suggestive sneer. Sir Godfather, weve gotten hold of the location of the opponents three secret strongholds in Switzerland. While Fisher continued to capture the Swiss branch of the company, in the African Continent, Little X was also reporting quickly, These people havent found the Black Knights nor are they aware of the existence of the God chip. Should we spring the trap now? Not for now. Chen Chen waved his hand. Our opponent cannot penetrate the Eco Science City and will inevitably attack other weak points. The Swiss branch is one of them. If it were not for the particular nature of the Mainland, it may be possible for an accident to occur at the head office in Shangdu or even with my parents. Please rest assured, your parents are absolutely fine, Little X said. Chen Chen nodded and smiled icily. But I didnt expect that these extremist environmental protection organizations would also join the fray. The Voluntary Human Extinction Organization? But this group of people was exposed so easily. Is that because were too pervasive or they are too confident? This must be human nature. After all, who wouldve thought that something beyond common knowledge like the God chip would exist in the world? Little X chuckled lightly. In this case, we dont have to rush to spring the trap. After all, this is just a bunch of small fry. For us presently, the Swiss branch is also something dispensable. Even if that company goes bankrupt tomorrow, I wont feel an ounce of distress. Chen Chen said, Furthermore, what their group of people is doing now is just a test for us. Behind this group of people, there must lurk the shadows of those European consortia and even the tacit approval of the European government So, we have to cast a long line to catch a big fish? Thats right. Chen Chen thought for a while and could not help but laugh coldly. And the other party doesnt seem to be totally ignorant. Samuel, for instance, poses quite a large problem. Ill continue to monitor the situation, Little X replied. Chen Chen nodded. After this incident, we should be able to get a lot of experimental subjects. In this case, lets conduct a Gantz experiment. Gantz experiment? Little X was a little unclear on Chen Chens meaning. Weve purchased a batch of metal germanium. First, well use this batch of metal germanium to make a small Gantz server and then set up an experiment in a hidden place. Are you looking for an uninhabited region to test the memetic effect? Little X reacted immediately. She said in surprise, But where should we go to find such a place? Is it not simple enough to find an island in the Atlantic Ocean? Chen Chen asked in return. Alright, I got it! Little X replied, Ill let the Black Knights pay close attention to every movement made by all our targets. Samuel returned home in a daze. As soon as he opened the door, a chilly gust wafted out from the room. It was the cold air from the central air conditioner. However, in the room, there was no longer that crisp and cheerful, lark-like voice to greet him Samuel was using all his strength to keep calm but if one looked closely, one would notice that there were tear marks on his face and his mouth was also closed tightly as if he was gnashing his teeth in secret. It was not until the door was completely closed that Samuel took a deep breath and fell to the ground in anguish. Annie, my daughter Samuel kept sobbing and he began to viciously punch the ground with his fists, only stopping when his fists were mangled and bleeding. Just today, he received a text message from his daughter after he got off work, asking him to go to their favorite Chinese noodle restaurant. At first, Samuel did not realize anything was wrong. He just went to the restaurant as usual, but before he entered, he was stopped by several men in black. Then, he was taken to a forest in the Alps. There, he saw his daughter who had been kidnapped beforehand. These kidnappers claimed to be members of the Environmental Protection Association and their purpose was to overthrow the Blackwatch Corporation and the organization behind this company Gods Forbidden Zone. Of course, these people did not know that Samuel was a member of the Gods Forbidden Zone organization. The reason for this was that he had turned down Chen Chens invitation as early as a year ago to go to Africa and was willing to stay away from the core and become a member on the margins in Switzerland. Nonetheless, because of this, these people thought that he was just like Wynn, employees who were merely retained from the former company. Secretly, Samuel was a little grateful. He was grateful that he did not tell his daughter too much, otherwise, the fact that he was a member of Gods Forbidden Zone would not be concealed from this group of people. When the time came, if they forced him to divulge more about the things going on behind the scenes, it would cause the God chip behind his neck to detonate. At that time, it would not matter if he died. He was just afraid that his daughter would also be attacked by these evil people. However, by now, because of the existence of the God chip, everything he said before should have been overheard by Blackwatch, right? Would it be a piece of cake for Blackwatch Corporation to rescue his daughter? Thinking of this, Samuel had a glimmer of hope in his eyes, but then this glimmer of hope turned into a deeper worry what if the rescue operation failed? Would his daughter die anyway? Just when he was caught up in these muddled anxieties, in the dimly lit room, several ripples that seemed like currents of water suddenly emerged in the air in front of him. Samuel was leaning against the door at this time with tears in his eyes. When he saw the bulging ripples in the air, he first rubbed his eyes, then his eyes widened into large rounds and his mouth opened suddenly. This was because, in his vision, the ripples in front of him turned crystal clear in an instant, and at the same time a blue electric light flared up. After the flare, a man with Asian features in black tights appeared in front of him! This man had a well-proportioned figure and did not seem to have overly-developed muscles, but there was a special symmetrical beauty to his body, just like those swimmers who often swim. The muscles had unique structural characteristics, whose extraordinary quality was evident at a glance. At this time, the Asian man did not speak, but instead held a silver-white Rubiks Cube. He pressed a few buttons on the Rubiks Cube and then placed the Rubiks Cube on the ground. In the next moment, Samuel only saw a flash of light coming from the Rubiks Cube and this Rubiks Cube emitted a projection of light and shadow that he had never seen before! After the flash of light and shadow, Samuel was flabbergasted to find that in front of the Asian man, a translucent figure had appeared out of thin air. Samuel was well-acquainted with the face of that figure. He subconsciously quivered all over and then he clambered up clumsily and exclaimed, Your Excellency Chen Chen, is it really you? Are you here? Upon seeing Samuels amusingly flustered expression, Chen Chen could not help but crack a small grin on the corner of his mouth. Samuel, long time no see Chapter 336 - White Embers At the same time that Samuel saw Chen Chen, Chen Chen was reclining lazily in a black seat in the Spire Experimental Base in Africa. At this time, there was also a silver-white Rubiks Cube in front of him and the figure displayed by the Rubiks Cube was Samuel, who was thousands of miles away. This silver Rubiks Cube retrieved from the world of Prometheus turned out to be not only a holographic recording device but also a communication tool. As long as the two devices were connected by a communication signal, they could effectively function as a phone call. At this moment, Chen Chen was holding his chin with one hand and chuckled. Samuel, you are deteriorating as you live. When your daughter was still in a wheelchair, werent you very strong? Why are you now reduced to this mess? Your Excellency Chen Chen, since you already know everything, please help me and rescue my daughter. As long as you rescue my daughter, Im willing to do anything for you. I can even go to Africa for research! Samuel was crying bitterly and vowing loudly, not minding that his embarrassed pathetic side was exposed before Chen Chen. We can endure any suffering when we dont harbor any hopes, but if were trapped in love and tenderness, tsk tsk Chen Chen shook his head with an indifferent expression. Samuel, theres no shortage of talents in Gods Forbidden Zone now. Using yourself to trade with me? How much exactly do you think youre worth? I Samuel opened his mouth but he did not say anything. He still remembered that as early as a year ago, he had declined Chen Chens invitation and actively chose to stay away from the core of Gods Forbidden Zone, becoming someone at the margins. At that time, Chen Chen reminded him that if this is the case, Samuel would just enjoy the rest of his life over there. Its not impossible for me to help you. After thinking about it, Chen Chen suddenly changed his tone and said temptingly, I have a new experiment that needs manpower. If youre willing to participate, as a reward, I can help you save your daughter Im willing to participate! Without even thinking about it, Samuel agreed at once. No matter what the experiment is, Im willing to participate. Please can you Hold on a moment! Before Samuel was finished, Chen Chen interrupted his hasty promise. Ill make it clear first. I need a group of professional researchers for this experiment and these researchers will experience great risk during the experiment. In the worst case, you might even die. Are you sure you want to participate? Samuel was stunned for a moment. What kind of experiment is it? Is it to study the Blacklight virus in the most advanced biosafety laboratory? No, compared with this experiment, the danger of the Blacklight virus is only at the level of junior high school students. Chen Chen shook his head and said slowly, methodically, The new experiment is an information hazard experiment. Researchers will be exposed to a kind of information that is extremely lethal to humans. The entire test site will be set up on an isolated island. Any sign of leakage and Ill directly sink the island and destroy everything on it! After hearing this, Samuel was shocked immediately. He knew that although the man in front of him was young, he had never lied. Since Chen Chen had said this, it could only indicate that the experiment was really dangerous to the extreme! Nonetheless, thinking of his daughter Annies sweet smile, Samuel gritted his teeth and said loudly, Your Excellency Chen Chen, as long as Im willing to participate in your experiment, will you save my daughter? Of course, not only can I save her, but I can even guarantee that your daughter will be completely unharmed. Chen Chen nodded. In that case, I promise you! At this point, Samuel finally stopped hesitating. He said fiercely, Im willing to participate in this experiment. I only ask that you can rescue my daughter from those guys! Following that, Samuel explained everything about how they had kidnapped his daughter, then seized him and brought him to the Alps. From what he had said, the other party seemed to be a joint group of several environmental organizations, funded by the consortium behind them, forming as a group of resistance organizations dedicated to rebelling against Chen Chens Blacklight Biotechnology. The name of this organization was White Embers. Black light and white embers Chen Chen read it out in Chinese and then smiled. Its a very good name. So they kidnapped your daughter. What do they want you to do? They want me to send an invitation letter, inviting you to come to Zurich. Samuel said bitterly, According to them, they have tried to infiltrate your Eco Science City, but they havent been able to succeed, so they want you to come to Switzerland. After I invite you, theyll set up an ambush to assassinate you, because this group of people understands that youre the soul of Blackwatch. If the company loses you, Blackwatch will immediately fall apart, and at the same time, therell never be any medicinal products that will transcend eras. This will thus protect the earth and nature Upon hearing this, Chen Chen could only chuckle involuntarily. This sort of dim-witted plan was truly something only an extreme organization of crooked nuts would do. He still recalled that he once watched a movie called Transcendence. The protagonist in the film was a brilliantly talented scientist who was feared by a group of people because he had developed super artificial intelligence. These people all joined forces and formed an anti-science organization. This organization took advantage of a speech given by the protagonist to successfully assassinate him, using a bullet smeared with radioactive material to shoot the protagonist. Although the bullet missed his vital parts, the radioactive material destroyed the protagonists body, leaving him with only one month to live. Before he died, the protagonists wife used the immature consciousness upload technology developed by the protagonist to successfully transform the protagonists consciousness into a program and transferred it to the computer so that the protagonist became a set of data, an existence between life and death. Even so, the anti-science organization did not stop there. After learning of all this, it began to hunt down the protagonist and his wife and kidnapped the protagonists friends. Thus, the protagonist took advantage of his talents and advantages to hide in an undeveloped remote area in the west and began to develop himself This was not the most outrageous part. The most outrageous thing was that in the end, not only the protagonists friends but also the protagonists wife were brainwashed by the anti-science organization and they too, went against the protagonist. Ultimately, the protagonists wife and friends united with the anti-science organization and successfully killed the protagonist, destroying and ruining everything the protagonist had developed. Now, Chen Chen was like the protagonist in the movie and this White Embers was the resistance organization in the movie that feared the protagonists technology and would destroy the protagonist at all costs. However, would the fate that befell the protagonist happen to Chen Chen himself as well? As he thought of this, there was an icy glint in Chen Chens eyes. Since theyve asked you to invite me to Switzerland, we might as well do that Chen Chen began to tell Samuel what to do next. After he had given the instructions, Chen Chen ignored the mans pitiful gaze and ended the communication directly. Sir Godfather, in the conversation just now, Samuel didnt hide anything from you. Little Xs voice rang out and she exclaimed, It seems that this man is still relatively loyal to you. Perhaps hes grateful to you for your help. Does this count as loyalty? Chen Chen could not help but sneered when he heard these words. Its a pity he has such a weak brain. The fact that hes being used by us goes without saying, but hes also used by his daughter. How pitiful. Perhaps hes just unhinged by his own concern. He never imagined that the daughter he cared about is one of the masterminds behind this incident. Little X sounded a little sorry for him. Then what do you plan to do with this girl named Annie? After all, youve made a promise to Samuel. I only promised to save her, but what will happen after shes rescued is beyond the scope of the promise. Chen Chen said with an aloof expression, In fact, it depends on Samuels luck. If our subsequent experiments are successful, Samuel can become the first batch of core researchers to study memetic effects. Naturally, his daughters status would also rise in accordance. Out of goodwill to her father, I can give her an amnestic procedure to erase the memory of her being one of our enemies. But what if these experiments fail? Little X asked. If it all fails, Samuel, as one of the researchers, will naturally not be able to survive, so there would be no need for us to keep his daughter around. Lets deal with it as how it should be then. As he spoke, Chen Chen asked again, By the way, whats the situation with Wynn? Based on the monitoring of the Black Knights, Mr. Wynn is still hesitating. Hes debating whether he should tell you all this. Little X said, As for his son, Ive searched through the Internet and couldnt find him. It seems that he was kidnapped by the White Embers. Then well leave him alone for now, and let him choose. Chen Chen could not be bothered with all this and only said, If he chooses to betray us, you know what to do. I know. Little X replied and then reminded Chen Chen again, By the way, just this morning, the first batch of metal germanium I bought has arrived. Its now in the casting stage and the manufacturing of the Gantz server will probably be completed tonight. So fast? Chen Chen was taken aback when he heard this. Is the Gantz server so easy to make? After all, its just making a mini Gantz server. Its mass is only one percent of its former size. The signal from this server can only cover the area of Switzerland. Little X explained, As for the patterns upon its surface, as long as we have high-precision machines, they can be easily carved out. Coupled with the efficiency of my side, its not that absurd to build a Gantz server overnight. Sure enough, Ive always felt that this kind of thing is deliberately designed in a form that can be easily replicated by humans Chen Chen frowned. What about the E language? If you dont control the E language, you cant control the Gantz server. Ive already tried to convert the source code of my clone X-112 into E language. When the Gantz server is finished being set up, I can also complete that at the same time. Little X explained. Very good. Chen Chen breathed out after hearing this. Then bring me for a look. With that said, he walked out of the room directly and walked in the direction of the elevator. Ten minutes later, Chen Chen successfully returned to the surface and Cheng Cao had also been waiting in the vehicle for a long time. At this time, Chen Chens vehicle was no longer the Wrangler it had been replaced by an undistinguished Passat and it was still a bulletproof version. This would evade the detection of many professional spies in the Eco Science City. It could also ensure Chen Chens safety during this particular period. After half an hour, Chen Chen came to the industrial park. The industrial park at this time was even larger than it was a few months ago. More than a hundred large and small factories stood here and countless cooling towers stood against the horizon like pillars of the sky. At the same time, the billowing white fog was spouted right above them, directly causing the sky to become cloudy all year round. At this time, in the depths of this industrial park, in one of the carving factories, several advanced carving equipment were modifying and operating upon a huge metal cylinder ten meters high and two meters wide. By the side were hundreds of Black Knights controlling the operation of the machinery. Standing below this huge metal column, the entire group was like a bunch of mice, appearing to be tiny and insignificant. With the continuous cutting and engraving of the machine tool, the metal cylinder soon revealed its overall outline. It was a spiral spire constructed out of two intertwining helixes, like the shape of a DNA nucleic acid strand. When Chen Chen walked into the processing plant, this was what he saw. This spire-shaped metal cylinder weighed at least ten tons. Its style was very peculiar. It looked as if it was divided into separate sections. When the carving of the shape was finished, there would be many small engraving machines making various patterns on its surface. Even just a glance at these patterns gave Chen Chen an ominous feeling. In Chen Chens view, these patterns were full of evil. This is the Gantz server we built with the first batch of germanium metal. Little X explained, According to the structure diagram we got from the Dimension of Gantz, its made of thousands of germanium metal blocks. These metal blocks can be accumulated like building blocks, but because there was a discrepancy after they were put together, it needs to be polished now. But if the Gantz server is made up of small pieces of metal, how can the blocks be put together as one? Chen Chen frowned. I remember that the Gantz server I destroyed back then was not made up of individual blocks. I dont know about all that anymore. Little X shook her head. Perhaps there are some secrets hidden in it that we dont know or its a result of all these patterns. After all, this is a brand-new scientific system. Were at a complete blank with these technologies. I can only make it according to the information given. Chen Chen nodded after hearing this. Indeed, Little X was right. The technology of the Gantz series was beyond the imagination of human beings. Humans could only imitate blindly when it came to manufacturing these technologies, but they could not separate and research the technology within it, let alone apply it in other areas. Chapter 337 - Assassination A week later. A tall man stood in the corner by the exit of Zurich Airport, seemingly waiting for the return of his lover. This man had long blond hair, which was slicked back with cream and there was a ghost of a smile flitting at the corner of his mouth, which gave him the air of a medieval British aristocrat. The girls and ladies who came and went at the airport would inadvertently look over, their gazes attempting to linger on the mans face for a few more seconds. This was not to blame them. After all, it was human nature to yearn for beauty and this blond man in front of them would score highly in terms of temperament and image. In the crowd, the blond man with a warm smile swept his eyes past each passenger who had walked out of the airport. Everyone received almost the same gaze and no one received anything extra. No matter how one looked at it, this blond man must just be waiting for his wife or a friend. The passengers passed by him one by one, but the blond man did not look restless at all. He did not even look at the watch on his wrist but waited with a heart full of patience. This serious manner of his made those single women who were stunned by his appearance secretly jealous. How they wondered, what sort of woman would have such a man waiting for her? It was a pity that this man was just a passer-by in everyones life after all. All they could do was just brush shoulders with this perfect man and then completely forget about the whole thing. In this manner, about fifteen minutes passed again. Just when batch after batch of passengers had gone through the airport, finally, a young man with Chinese features appeared in the crowd. This young man was about 1.8 meters tall with a slender frame, but one could not make out his face clearly. This was because he wore a duckbill cap, which shielded his entire face in shadows. Although his face could not be discerned, there were strapping men in black suits secretly following him on all sides. Their positions suggested that they were protecting him in the middle. The four bodyguards exuded a faint bloodthirsty aura. It was a presence that could only be emitted by people who had seen blood. It was just that ordinary people could not smell or detect this aura. Only people in the same line of work or those capable professionals who were trained and highly observant, were able to sense this. At this time, the blond man standing at the exit of the airport had a smile on his face. As usual, he swept his gaze over the Chinese youth, without stopping at all, and then continued to scan the crowds. Obviously, the Chinese young man was not the one he was looking for. Therefore, the two passed each other in this manner, just like the tens of thousands of other people in this airport. Their encounter was just a coincidence and no story would be born from this. It was not until the Chinese youth had walked away and could no longer be seen that the blond man frowned. He looked at his watch, then took out his cell phone to make a call, and then left with a look of evident disappointment. It seemed that the person he was waiting for had not come. The other party had missed the appointment. Next, the blond young man drove straight out of the airport in a car, went around the Zurich ring road, and after many turns, finally reached the foothills of the Alps. After half an hour, the blond man returned to the wooden house where Wynn had been interrogated. At this time, the two blonde women in the wooden house were fiddling with the radio on the table, and beside them, there was another blonde woman. This blonde young woman looked extremely young. She seemed to be only about twenty years old, with tiny freckles on her face, as cute as a button. At the present moment, the young woman was sitting on a high chair at one side, her long and fair legs dangling and swaying, full of seductive youth and vitality. This young woman was like a ripe juicy peach. Annie, why did you come? When the blond youth saw the girl, he frowned at once. Your father may request to see you at any time, and now you should be getting ready. Im ready, Brother Fisher. The girl chuckled with a look of indifference. Seeing this, the blond man could only purse his lips, revealing a helpless expression. Alright, if you guys want to flirt, I suggest that you go out. One of the blonde women who were playing with the radio turned her head, looking expectant. Fisher, you said you want to observe the man up close before he dies. Whats the result? Have you seen him? Ive seen him. Fisher could not help but chortle when he heard these words. He folded his arms and leaned lazily on the door frame. Although the Chinese mans looks were a bit obscured, he truly has a unique presence Unique presence? The girl called Annie appeared to be curious. Ive also seen him. He came to my house to invite my dad, but I didnt know who he was at the time. I only know that my dad refused his invitation in the end. This indicates that your father still carries some weight in the eyes of that man. Fisher nodded. This is why we pretended to kidnap you and forced your father to invite that man to Switzerland. However, after seeing this man today, I realized that hes indeed a genius. Because despite my mastery of behavioral psychology, I found that I couldnt see through him. Not even you can see through him? Annie looked astonished. Brother Fisher, are you thinking too highly of this guy? When I first saw him, I only thought he was very ordinary. Thats the truth. Fisher frowned when he heard these words. Annie, dont underestimate our enemy. He was able to start from scratch and individually create a force with an influence comparable to a world-class pharmaceutical company. How can he be that simple? Im afraid that his capabilities wont be much more inferior to mine. Fine, I know! Annie snorted twice and then retorted again. Anyway, now that he has come to Switzerland, hes already dead meat. Brother Fisher, just wait for good news from us! I hope so. Fischer nodded. Indeed, although the other party had brought bodyguards, in the face of the joint funding of multiple consortia, coupled with the secret support of the European government, Fisher really could not imagine how the man named Chen Chen would possibly be able to survive. Thinking of this, Fisher turned his head and looked at a picture of a young Chinese man in the wooden house. In the photo, the young mans expression seemed ominous. His eyes were as deep as bottomless pools and there was a dark glint in them. As he gazed at this legendary young man, a glimmer of jealousy flashed in Fishers eyes, and then he chuckled softly. Even if you have the strongest ability, being able to unite a dozen financial groups to protect yourself, even if you have a talent that is capable of developing a potion that would change the world, its a pity that ultimately, youre in our way. Since youre in our way, you must be prepared to be thoroughly crushed to death by us At this moment, there was a rhythmic beeping sound coming from the radio transceiver that the blonde woman was using. This kind of sound was very familiar to anyone who had watched a movie. Everyone knew what it was called. However, when hearing this sound, everyone including Fisher and Annie looked up in pure excitement as they listened in silence. After a while, one of the blonde women recovered from her excitement and said loudly, The message from Team B says that the target has rented a five-star presidential suite in Caesars Hotel, but they didnt stay there. Instead, after renting the suite, theyve headed directly to Samuels house! In that case, lets begin the plan. A cruel smile curled up at the corner of Fishers mouth. Let the operating team be divided into four groups. The first group shall lie in wait outside Samuels house and be ready for any opportunity to kill him in one strike! The second group shall wait to ambush him in the hotel as a standby, in case the first group has an accident and the plan is canceled. The third group, as agreed, is lying in ambush near the embassy of Mainland China. If the assassination fails, hell go to the embassy to seek asylum. This group is to intercept and kill him just as hes about to arrive at the embassy, and prevent him from entering as far as they can As for the last group, let them wait inside the embassy. Dont worry, the officials there will turn a blind eye After finishing all the arrangements, Fisher secretly sighed. Although it was not the first time he was giving orders, this was the first time he was attempting to control a persons life in his own hands. He must admit that this feeling was pretty good. Brother Fisher, my father Just then, Annie reminded in a low voice, Please try not to bring any harm to my fathers life. Im sorry, I cant guarantee that. Fisher shook his head and said sternly, You care about your fathers life, then do you care about the lives of my subordinates? Perhaps if they held back even the slightest, itd cause someone to die in action. Have you ever considered that, if this mission fails because were looking out for your father, then you and I both have sinned against the entire world In that case Alright. Hearing these words, Annie had to lower her head, somewhat dejected. Then please go all out, Brother Fisher. I think my father should understand the painful struggles his daughter had to endure! Thats more like it. Fisher rubbed Annies head and suddenly the girl blushed all over. She could not help turning around and running away. A cold smirk appeared on Fishers face when Annie had left. He nodded at the two blonde women, then turned and left the wooden house. This time, he wanted to appreciate the death of his prey up close An hour later, when Fisher appeared near Samuels villa in his limited-edition car with all electronic equipment removed, he had found the most comfortable position, propped his legs up, and reclined his seat halfway down. At this time, there was already a hand-held walkie-talkie in front of him and the walkie-talkie continuously crackled as it provided updates marred by static. The first group is already in place, the sniper is ready The target is found. The target is currently located in the living room of Samuels house. The two parties seem to be talking. Sniper is in position. The shot may be taken at any time The detonation team is in place and one hundred kilograms of explosives have been placed in Samuels home. If the sniper fails, the explosives will be detonated and the villa will be destroyed directly before the situation becomes irredeemable The pursuit group is in place. If the opponent escapes by chance, the pursuit group will take to the road to chase and kill the target as far as possible! This is only the first group. Fisher has considered all the possibilities. The only flaw was that the government itself could not assist him directly. Although the European government was eager for Chen Chen to die, they could not possibly take action personally. After all, even the walls have ears. If this news was leaked out, the impact on the reputation of the entire European Continent would far exceed the threat posed by Chen Chen. Therefore, the only help that the European Continents government could provide was to facilitate the activities of the White Embers as much as possible. Currently, after everyone was in place, someone on the intercom started asking Fisher, Sir, shall we start now? Lets start! Fisher pressed the voice button and gave the final order. Immediately, within a few seconds, Fisher heard a thunderous explosion not far from the front left of him! It was the sound of a Remington sniper rifle. Is it done? At the same time he heard the gunshots, Fisher fixed his eyes on the distant villa, waiting for the next update in the situation. However, the only update Fisher got was the snipers quietly relieved voice, saying, Ive successfully hit the targets head. If theres no mistake, the opponent should be dead. Dead? Fisher was astounded when he heard this. He had even prepared for the failure of the first set of actions. After all, the other guy was not an ordinary person, but a wizard who founded a legendary pharmaceutical company. It was just that this triumph came too abruptly. Fisher could not come to terms with it for a moment and even though that the update was fake. Yes, sir. The walkie-talkie repeated its previous statement. I can see from the scope that the targets brain has been completely shattered when the Remington sniper rifle fired the bullet. Ive successfully completed the mission! Very well done. Now please withdraw and leave the scene immediately. Seeing that the sniper was asserting this so solemnly, Fisher understood that this group of people had no reason to deceive him. Some of their lives and families were even in Fishers very hands. This group of killers wanted to protect themselves from punishment, so their only option was to flee the scene At the same time Fisher gave the order, the first group had already begun to retreat. More than ten minutes later, ambulances and police cars came over. The police began to cordon off the scene and the ambulance brought the dead target back to the morgue. To make sure the target had not escaped like a snake shedding its skin, Fisher simply took this opportunity to infiltrate Samuels house and take some blood samples. At this time, several policemen in Samuels house were closely investigating. As the lowest level of the political system, they certainly did not know that the murder was related to their own higher-ups, so they were conducting the investigation conscientiously. Fisher had also sent an insider who worked at the police station. Something like a blood sample was easy enough to extract. After all, although the assassination scene was so bloody, this meant that there was also more blood and brain plasma on the ground. A little bit here and there would not be missed by anyone. Chapter 338 - : Black Sphere The task of taking the samples was very easy. When the policeman who hidden the samples on himself left the scene, no one noticed anything. The DNA test for this sample would be processed in an underground hospital that had not been registered by the local government and genetic comparison would be performed there. The target of the comparison was the DNA record of Chen Chen obtained by the White Embers from Mainland China. After Fisher sat in the car and silently watched the insider leave the scene, he did not linger at the scene and drove away from the area. When he returned to the wooden cabin stronghold, Fisher did not feel any excitement, but frowned constantly as if he had not quite figured it out. He silently looked at the guards around the cabin but found that there was still nothing unusual, both in terms of these guards and the surrounding environment. Perhaps he was thinking too much Fisher shook his head and returned to the cabin. The two blonde women turned their heads and looked over at the same time. I heard that youve succeeded? A blonde woman asked. Yes, we should have succeeded. Fisher nodded. The fellow Samuel invited the target to his home and then the sniper we arranged got a headshot. He cant be any deader than he is. Then why do you look unhappy? The blonde woman was relieved and seemed to relax visibly. Our main goal has been completed. After this, the company will be headless. In less than half a year, itll be torn apart because of internal fighting and government intervention, isnt that right? I know, its just Fisher frowned. Dont you think that guy died too easily? Easily? Yes, I admit that our White Embers activities are very secretive. Not only did we avoid the Internet and satellite networks, but we also completely concealed every single trace with the help of this continents government. But after all, the other party is the founder of Blackwatch. Fisher was a little disturbed. Could he really be eliminated by us, just like that, with barely a squeak? Then what do you expect of him? Do you think all this is just a trap? The blonde woman was puzzled. I dont know. Fisher shook his head and explained resolutely, If we had used several of our backups, even the last trump card in the embassy, before we managed to kill our target, I wouldnt doubt it at all. But now weve killed him off without using the backup methods at all. This is what makes me so uneasy. Dont scare yourself, Fisher. The blonde woman then persuaded with a smile. Getting worked up over that has no meaning at all. Lets look at the DNA testing. This is something that will not deceive us Whether the mission is a success or a failure, well soon get the answer. Fisher reluctantly nodded and said no more. The three people remained sitting in front of the radio transceiver, waiting from morning to evening. At 7 oclock in the evening, finally, the radio sent a message composed of a series of beeps again. Fischer turned on the device quickly as if in a conditioned reflex and started accepting the signals with a solemn expression. After the signal was deciphered and reconstructed, only five words were obtained DNA sample is a match. At the moment they saw these words, the three of them were frozen as if they had turned to stone. Then the two blonde women could not refrain from jumping up and high-fiving each other. Weve won, weve really won! Weve won, Fisher, weve won, weve gotten rid Chen Chen! The bright laughter of the two young women rang throughout the entire cabin. Even Fisher on the side was surprised at first, but then he had to accept this truth. The man named Chen Chen was really dead. It seems that I was worrying for nothing. Fischer exhaled and slowly got used to this reality and then said to the two blonde women who were celebrating raucously, Pass this news to the top. Presumably, theyll be able to sleep well after receiving this news Do we still use the radio? The blonde woman broke out of her cheering and grinned with a flushed face. Or should we use mobile phones, Facebook, Twitter? What are you talking about. When Fisher heard this, his face turned dark and serious instantly. This isnt the time to let down our guard. Dont forget, the actual scary thing about this company is its pervasive network strength. Even if the founder has died, within the next few days they can still maintain a stable operation. If we want to return to living in public, we have to at least wait until the company is annexed by the local government. Understand? Got it After hearing all this, the two of them recovered from their previous excitement and sat again in front of the radio transceiver, sending messages obediently. Theres no point then At the same time, Chen Chen, who was far away in Africa, silently watched the conversation between Fisher and two blonde women on the screen, with a sorry look. Are they going to be so strict about things? This is a bit troublesome. It doesnt matter, Sir Godfather. Little Xs voice immediately chimed in. He can persist and the people around him can persist, but it doesnt mean that his subordinates and his superiors can also persist so well. As Little X spoke, a list was slowly printed out from the printer. It was a long list with the names of at least five hundred people. This is the record of all the White Embers members that have been exposed in Switzerland. These people are all hidden around Zurich. Most of them are just doing auxiliary work. There are only about a hundred actual core participants. As she spoke, Little X suddenly corrected herself. Your Godfather, a correction. Ive just retrieved a message using the keywords Chen Chens death. This message was sent by the head of a Swiss financial group to a member of another financial group. At present, this message is spread continuously and very quickly at that. Our method has succeeded. With your feigned death, its easy to track down the forces behind White Embers. Chen Chen nodded then. It seems that Fishers painstaking planning has failed. In that case, we can spring the trap. Are we rounding up all the participants in White Embers? Little X asked. No, for the ones behind the entire thing, well leave them alone for now. We just have to bring Fisher to the playground that was prepared. Chen Chen could not help but broke out into a cold smirk. As for the group of people behind White Embers, I have other plans In accordance with Chen Chens order, on the small road leading to the cabin, a pickup truck with its engine roaring, carrying some cargo, drove over the bumps on the path, gradually approaching the cabin. There was no lack of White Embers sentries on the way to the cabin, but what was strange was that as the pickup truck approached, those sentries vanished without a sound along the way. This was not to say that these sentries were killed by someone, but that they really disappeared. First, the sound of the pickup was heard by these sentries who came out to investigate. However, in the next second, there was only a click and the firearms that the sentries were holding dropped to the ground while they had disappeared This strange phenomenon kept recurring beside the pickup truck. It was as if the pickup truck was driving into an uninhabited region and it finally reached the front of the cabin, which was the central headquarters of the White Embers. Why is there the sound of a car here? Inside the cabin, Fisher and the other two also heard the sound of the engine approaching from a distance. The three looked at each other and Fisher immediately shouted toward the door, John, whats going on outside? Even so, no one answered him from outside. Fishers expression turned completely solemn. He slowly drew his pistol, walked carefully to the window, and looked out, only to see a dark red cross-country pickup truck parked outside the cabin, with its constantly roaring engine. Other than that, there was nothing outside the cabin. Yes, the sentries guarding outside the cabin had all disappeared without a trace. What the h*ll is going on? Fisher looked even more perplexed. He stared at the pickup outside the window, wearing a grim, suspicious expression. If the pickup truck was an enemy, the guards outside the cabin would naturally have attacked the opponent. If this was an ally instead, then why would the guards outside the door collectively disappear? Just when Fisher was flooded with puzzlement, he suddenly noticed that there seemed to be some kind of cargo in the trunk of the pickup truck. Was that a black ball, in total pitch-black, fixed to the top of the trunk? This was the only thought in Fischers mind because, in the next second, he suddenly heard two feminine exclamations behind him. Their voices were not filled with misery, but rather a sort of disbelief. Fisher quickly turned around and looked behind him. Nonetheless, there was nothing behind him The two high-level White Embers members had vanished under Fishers nose. How can this be Fishers pupils shrank and he murmured in a low voice. In the next second, he noticed a sudden inexplicable chill emanating from the lower half of his body. Fisher lowered his head subconsciously, only to see that his lower body was vanishing continuously and the speed of this disappearance was extremely fast. A ripple of blue light surged up, and in an instant, most of Fishers body had disappeared! The main thing was, he could still sense his own body! Fishers heart clenched in alarm. He could not react in time and only felt the blue light flashed over him. Then, his vision changed completely, going from the previous cabin to a dark and cold room! At this sudden switch in space-time, he felt dizzy and his vision blurred. Only then did he realize that he was not alone. There were dozens of people here. John, Jennifer, you guys Fisher glanced at everyone in a dumbfounded manner. At this moment, everyone looked at him as if he were a ghost, including the two blonde women who had disappeared just now, and the guards who were outside the cabin before. In a dimly lit room less than 100 square meters in size, the place was already densely crowded with people. Its that thing, that thing brought us here! Just when Fisher was staring with mouth agape, about to ask what in the world was going on, a blonde woman named Jennifer suddenly pointed at something behind Fisher. Everyone said that it brought us here, and I saw it with my own eyes. It emitted a blue light, and then you appeared here! Following the answer of the blonde woman, Fisher quickly turned his head, only to see that behind him, there was a pitch-black sphere about one meter in diameter! It was the same as the black ball he had just seen on the pickup truck! Were not on land! Just then, someone shouted again, The floor of the room is swaying slowly. Although its a very subtle movement, I can guarantee that were not on land, but on a ship! That persons words broke them out of their reverie, including Fisher. Everyone started looking all over the place for an exit, but apart from a locked steel door, the entire room had no entrance or exit. At this time, Fisher had already taken this opportunity, when everyone was panicking, to pull aside his most trusted subordinate and the two blonde women. He lowered his voice and asked, Who knows what happened just now? Why did we suddenly appear here? Everyone shook their heads blankly and then someone suddenly said, Obviously, us coming here must be related to the pickup. Everyone encountered the pickup truck before they found themselves in this d*mn place! Fisher instantly nodded and agreed, Youre right, I realized that too. With that said, he pointed to the black ball nearby that was surrounded by the crowd of people. Its that thing. When I was observing the pickup just now, I noticed that this thing was also on the trunk of the pickup. In that case, our appearance here is linked to that black ball? The blonde woman tamped down the panic in her heart and quickly asked, Then does anyone know what this is, why its able to transmit us from where we were to this place in an instant, and what its purpose is? Gantz At this moment, a young man who had been silent on the side suddenly whispered, I know what this black sphere is, its called Gantz What! Fishers eyes suddenly lit up and he squeezed the young mans shoulders like a drowning man clutching at a straw. Albo, what are you talking about? This black sphere is called Gantz! The youths eyes gleamed with fear as he murmured, This is something that first appeared in a comic. It can teleport humans at any time, transporting humanity to various dangerous places to fight against aliens I cant believe this is true, that Gantz exists in the world. I cant believe it At this point, the young mans face was seized by terror. He broke free of Fisher and curled up at once in the corner of the room. D*mn it, Albo, what are you talking about? Fisher felt even more lost. What comic, what Gantz? As he had never been exposed to such information before, he had no idea what the other guy was saying. What he means is that Gantz is a comic. Just then, another man who seemed very calm came over. Fisher knew him and only recalled that he was also one of the members of the White Embers, but his name would not come to mind. At this time, the man was speaking in a steady voice, Ive also read this non-mainstream manga. It was created by a Japanese manga artist in 2000. It tells the story of a black sphere that constantly collects people that were about to die, gathering all of them to complete the tasks issued by the black sphere. And this black sphere is called Gantz Chapter 339 - I Want to Play a Game A few days ago. Inside the Spire Experimental Base, Chen Chen looked at the two black spheres taken from the Gantz dimension again, wearing an anguished look. The little bit of electricity he had painstaking accumulated was used up again. In addition to the one extracted before, Chen Chen now had three black spheres. We can only extract the black spheres. Little X said somewhat ruefully, After all, theres no close-up shot of the Gantz satellite in the movie Gantz. We cant extract it. Although we have also obtained the blueprint of the satellite, its relatively challenging to reproduce this kind of satellite. Indeed, without a Gantz satellite, long-distance teleportation is impossible. Chen Chen nodded. If there was a Gantz satellite to act as the hub, the target could be transmitted to any designated location as long as it was within the signal radiation range of the Gantz server. If there was no Gantz satellite for support, only point-to-point teleportation could be performed, that was, the mutual teleportation between two Gantz black spheres. Of course, if they did not even have a Gantz server, then the Gantz spheres were essentially useless junk. Thinking of this, Chen Chen raised his head and looked at the corner of the three laboratories, where a spiral cone full of weird intricate patterns was placed quietly. This was the Gantz server manufactured by Little X. Except for its size being much smaller than the one that Chen Chen saw in the world of Gantz, the rest of it was the same in appearance and design. Moreover, the artificial intelligence in this server was X-112, which had been transformed into E language. Now everything was in place and they only lacked one final piece. After the conversation between Chen Chen and Little X, three naked men walked in from outside the door, nodded toward Chen Chen, then turned around and walked toward the three black spheres. As if in response, the three black spheres suddenly gave a click, and two rows of display shelves suddenly spread out on both sides of each black sphere, exposing an internal gap. From Chen Chens point of view, he could faintly make out that it was a seat, just that the space was a little smaller. Immediately, the three naked men got in without hesitation and curled up in the narrow gaps. Then the two rows of display racks suddenly closed and the entire Gantz sphere shrank back into a perfect ball shape again. The CPU has entered. Little X reminded. The black spheres indeed use human brains as their CPU. It may be the reason the dimension in Gantz didnt have powerful artificial intelligence. Therefore, you can only rely on the human brain to perform the astronomical calculations needed for teleporting matter. After all, the human brain has about 100 billion neurons. Each neuron is equivalent to a microprocessor, which is much stronger than a computers transistor, and each neuron is connected to hundreds of nearby neurons. Its hundreds of times more complex than the connection of a computer transistor. Once this is borrowed by the black sphere, amazing computing power can be unleashed. In other words, the brain is the most complex computer created by nature. Chen Chen nodded and said, Are these people my clones? Little X replied, Yes, all the clones in the T-virus experiment have brains, so they can act as the CPUs of the black spheres. Hearing this, Chen Chen looked at the Gantz server at the side again and said excitedly, In that case, lets start the experiment process. As long as the experiment is successful, it means that well no longer be restricted in terms of transportation and can deploy our forces globally A few days later, in the present. In the Gulf of Lion, France, a huge black ship was anchored in the port, attracting the attention of countless tourists there. This was located in the European Mediterranean area while the Gulf of Lion was located on the southern coast of France, only 200 kilometers away from Switzerland. The huge black ship had been inspected by the authorities before, so it could be anchored in the port. At this time, the huge black ship that had been parked here overnight suddenly emitted a deafening whistle, started up again, and began to leave the port. Just like when it came, it did not carry a single passenger when it left as if it was so out of step with this world that it left by itself. The name of this huge ship was the Blacklight, the worlds largest private cruise ship. What everyone did not know was that hundreds of people were being held in the depths of the cargo warehouse in this cruise ship. What kind of joke is this, what Gantz, what comic What the h*ll are you talking about! In the dark and damp cargo warehouse of the cruise ship, a plump man with large limbs and a face twisted in panic clung tightly to another man. The man who was grabbed wore an extremely cold expression. Even with someone practically throttling him, he just smiled faintly. Ive already explained it. If you still dont understand, then thats your problem. As he spoke, he slowly stretched out his hand and grasped the other mans wrist. In the next second, the face of the plump, large-limbed man twitched, and his complexion instantly turned from red to white. An incredulous look flashed in his eyes. What he felt was as if his wrist was being clenched by a pair of iron tongs. A heartrending agony tore through him and he had to let go of his grip and released the other man. D*mn it, let go! Agh Let go, let me go Even so, the mans grip on his wrist was still not loosened. The severe pain caused him to curl up subconsciously, unable to exert even a trace of strength Thats enough, you can let go now! At this moment, Fisher stepped forward from one side and patted the man on the shoulder. The situation is unclear now. This is no time to fight! The man turned his head when he heard the words, and shot a mild look at Fisher before releasing his grip. At once, the large-limbed man quickly cradled his wrist and hurriedly backed away as if the man in front of him was a devil. The sight of this surprised many people. After all, compared to the strong man who was close to two meters tall and sturdily built, the other man in front of him was only of medium build and did not even have defined muscles, being quite thin. Who would have thought that this ordinary physique contained such a formidable explosive strength My good man, whats your name? Fisher was also secretly surprised, but on the surface, he was the leader of the White Embers organization, after all, so he just said in the manner of a higher-up, Are you also a member of the organization? Why havent I seen you in the White Embers? Im just a minor figure. The man shook his head and did not change his attitude just because of Fishers friendliness, only saying, My name is Stephen, Mr. Fisher. Very well, Stephen, now can you continue to tell us what this strange Gantz comic is about? Fisher did not seem to mind about the mans cold attitude but instead displayed an expression of appreciation. Please? If you insist. Stephen nodded and began speaking again, The setting of Gantz is in 1999 AD, which is more than 20 years ago, when the human government created this kind of black sphere to select a super fighter. This is to withstand a catastrophe that is about to emerge in the future What sort of joke is this, how can humans create such a thing! But before he had finished talking, someone retorted again. A young black man pointed to the black sphere in the distance and said in an accent, Who here thinks that this d*mn thing can be created by humans? Its able to teleport a person from the land to a ship in an instant? Brother, are you kidding me? Alright, shall we listen to Stephens talk before asking questions? Fisher frowned and a glum look flashed across his features. Faced with this sort of unknown, even his leaders identity could not quite keep this group of people under control However, just before he finished speaking, a whistling sound suddenly came from above them. At the same time, there was a vibration throughout the gloomy room and the sound of ocean waves. Everyone was shocked. Someone spoke aloud, The ship is moving! Everyone suddenly panicked again, scattering around like crazy, looking for an exit. Everyone, keep quiet, lets all calm down. The situation hasnt yet reached its worst Fisher wanted to continue to rally the troops, but this group of people was not soldiers after all, but a group of dangerous desperadoes. At this point, almost no one obeyed his instructions. Nonetheless, in this chaos, the only thing Fisher was pleased to note was that the two blonde women and several guards trained by him were still following him silently. In addition, Stephen was also standing there, a far cry from the panicking crowd. Stephen, do you have any theories and suggestions for the present? Fisher stared wildly at the mans eyes, half bewildered and half forceful. Tell me. If we can survive and leave this place, Ill repay you with so much money that you cant finish spending it in a lifetime! My guess is that someone has learned the technology in the comics and replicated the technology of the black sphere, which led to what is happening now. Stephen wore a thoughtful look. And havent you noticed that when this ship started off just now, the swaying was much more minimal compared to the ships I usually board. It seems that only those giant cruise ships will behave in this manner at sea. Cruise ship? Fisher was taken aback for a moment, then he seemed to realize something, and there was a flash of panic in his eyes. Blackwatchs cruise ship the Blacklight? Very possibly. Stephen nodded when he heard these words and said softly, Havent we just made a move attacking Blackwatch? Then it should be normal for the other party to counterattack. The only difference is that you didnt seem to expect that their counterattack would be this swift. Impossible! Fisher shook his head, saying in disbelief, Weve killed the helm of this company and their senior management shouldve promptly descended into a mess. How could they immediately counterattack? And how could they have known it was me Impossible! In that case, I dont know. I can only guess as much. Stephen was not interested in defending his opinion at all. He just smiled coldly, turned and walked to the corner of the room, and rested in silence. Fisher was in the same situation, but when he considered that the ones who captured them might be his very own target Blacklight Biotechnology Fishers heart was completely muddled. This meant that there was no room for reconciliation between Blackwatch and this group of captured persons. Simply put, everyone here including him was as good as dead! Could that really be the case? Fisher muttered in a low voice. He looked at the maddening crowd all around him and only felt a clamor of noise in his brain. He almost wanted to take out his gun and kill them all, but when he subconsciously touched his waist, he immediately realized that his gun had disappeared. He still remembered that before he was teleported here, the gun was clearly in his hand, but at this point, any metal object he used to carry was no longer with him, let alone the gun. Does Blackwatch already have technology that surpasses the Earth Federation? Stephens analysis was still resounding in his ears and it felt like there was a fog before Fishers eyes. If this was the case, it was very likely that even the person he had killed was a fake From beginning to end, the other guy had played with him like a cat toying with a mouse, just waiting for him to contact the high-level members, to seize everyone behind the scenes of the White Embers in one fell swoop. Yes, the other guy must have had this in mind As he realized this, Fishers heart turned into a slab of ice. However, just as everyone was screaming themselves hoarse, their minds about to snap, there was a sudden burst of music. It was a special kind of music. If one heard it in normal times, it would seem to be just a conventional tune. Even the key was as simple as a childrens song. Still, at this time, in line with everyones hysterical mood, there was something unspeakably eerie and conspicuous about it. Im my mothers darling, I pee in the toilet, I dont poop everywhere, Im a civilized youngster Oh f*ck, my brothers, lets goooo! Lu Benwei[1] rocks, Lu Benwei rocks, Lu Benwei rocks, Lu Benwei rocks, Lu Benwei rocks!!! What the h*ll are you being so loud for! The only heartthrob of Social Shake[2] is DYZSY! You look at me, and I look at you too! Chinese? Japanese? There was a burst of weird musical sounds and everyone who had been so noisy was now completely quiet. Everyone looked at each other in silence with a dazed expression. Although they could not understand those strange words, they could tell that it sounded like the language of Mainland China or the East China Sea Continent. Just when everyone was flummoxed, a line of English words suddenly appeared on the surface of the black sphere Your lives have ended. How you use your new lives is entirely up to me. Thats the theory, anyway. Among the crowd, Stephen, who had been standing silently in the distance, observing everything coolly, suddenly narrowed his eyes and murmured in a low voice, Sure enough, this is the opening text of the black sphere, but the words have changed from Japanese to English When they saw this line of words, everyone was in an uproar. Some begged for mercy, some cursed and scolded, and some even rushed up frantically, kicking the black sphere incessantly. It was just that no matter how they kicked it, they could not leave a single mark on this perfectly round black ball. Seeing this scene, some wary people who were secretly observing, including Fisher, became more convinced that this was a high-tech tool far exceeding the Earth Federation. Still, this line of words was not displayed for long, because the words only appeared for thirty seconds before disappearing again. At the same time, a strange, funny puppet face suddenly appeared on the black spheres screen. With the appearance of the puppet face, a deep and heavy voice followed I want to play a game [1] A Chinese pro-gamer. [2] A viral dance style in China think Harlem Shake meets TikTok dances Chapter 340 - Game Rules Even in the Mainland, on the other side of the planet, there was almost no one who had not heard of the famous movie Saw, let alone Europe, which was connected to North American culture. As this familiar and peculiar puppet face emerged from the black sphere, many people subconsciously stepped back, away from the black sphere in front of them. This was a warning instinct against danger. At the same time, the puppet in the black sphere also opened its simple mouth and a gloomy and hoarse electric voice slowly rang out: Dear members of the White Embers organization, I want to play a game with you This voice was no different from Jigsaw in Saw. My name is Gantz, as some of you said. I come from a combination of comics and movies. You can call me Gantz or you can call me G for short. Of course, I prefer the term Gantz. Youre the one who kidnapped us here? As the voice emanated from the black sphere, several people began to come to their senses. They rushed forward one by one and tried to put on a fierce front. Let us return at once. What do you want to do? However, these people were eventually stopped by the people beside them. Dont be impulsive, just listen to him, buddy! After a while, these people cooled down from their agitated mob mentality. Very well, it seems that some people have calmed down their hot heads. On the black sphere, the strange puppet laughed softly. Very well, I like people who can think, because as long as their luck isnt too bad, they often live to the end. After all, those who die first are often those who like to lose their cool. After the black sphere spoke, everyone suddenly quarreled loudly again, Wait, what do you mean by live to the end? Do you want to kill us? Seeing this, Fisher on the side shot a glance at the people behind him, then he walked directly in front of the crowd and said loudly, Now were imprisoned here. The only way to save ourselves is to calm down! As he spoke, the few people who had followed Fishers order also walked to Fishers side and blocked everyone. Intimidated by Fishers leader status, everyone was controlled once again. The black sphere ignored the quarrel and spoke again indifferently, Maybe you havent figured out the situation, but I suggest that you still listen carefully because every word I say next is related to your life and death The black sphere continued slowly. Except for some mercenaries and killers, most of you are from the Environmental Protection Association. Among these, the Voluntary Human Extinction organization has the most members. You take the protection of the earth as your responsibility and under the banner of returning the earth to nature, youre constantly convincing others to stop reproducing, giving yourself the good name of altruism. But I think that both human beings and other life forms are essentially egoistic. The meaning of life is to go on living and the most fundamental means of the continuation of life is to collect energy from the outside world. This is inherently a self-interested behavior. This is true for all life, without any exception. The two blonde women next to Fisher instinctively wanted to rebut, but the black sphere continued to speak: I know that in your sociology books, it has been mentioned that human beings are the only creatures with altruistic behaviors lower creatures are like wildebeests. Their numbers and scale are ten times or a hundred times that of predators, but they can only be reduced to being prey. Even over millennia, its impossible for them to rise. Humans are different. Since the era of the apes, humans have assisted each other. Even the top predators dare not rashly attack the ape tribe, because they know that attacking one member of the Homo sapiens will cause the whole group to attack. This group of upright monkeys wont just disperse like the wildebeest The reason why human beings are more able to help each other and face danger than those herbivores is that the brain has evolved a special empathy mechanism during this period. This will induce a reaction of pity when humans see their own kind facing dangers and difficulties, thus prompting them to lend a helping hand. The black sphere continued. So, textbooks have always shown that there are obvious altruistic behaviors in human society. This is because altruistic behaviors are beneficial to the entire population. Members help each other and collectively resist crises, thus the whole tribe becomes stronger Just when everyone was listening intently and thoughtfully, the black spheres voice suddenly changed, saying in a soft tone, But all this is an illusion. Everyones expressions suddenly changed. I know that many public figures like to get involved with charity and ordinary people too. After helping people in trouble, its easy to get positive feedback, that is, gratitude and rewards from others. This kind of behavior will be enhanced by genes and the human brain will also evolve to feel pleasure at being thanked. Therefore, what makes us happy isnt helping others, but the response others give to you after youve lent a helping hand. However, if after giving a helping hand to someone, that person reacts coldly to you or even mocks and ridicules you, then the emotion generated by your brain isnt pleasure, but anger Ah. Therefore, any seemingly altruistic behavior among humans is an egoistic behavior. Even if its charity, its also for the purpose of gaining social approval which is ultimately an egoistic goal. After hearing the black spheres words, the crowd erupted into noise again. Some people loudly rebuked this as sophistry, but some people could not help but look rather pensive. The black sphere did not explain anything, but only lowered its voice. I know that many people wouldnt agree with my point of view. Therefore, I want to play a game with you, a game that tests humanitys egoistic behavior and altruistic behavior. The rules of the game are as such In five days, youll be sent to a small deserted island. As this was said, the image on the black sphere flashed and turned into a distant view of an unknown island on the sea. They could see that this small island was full of lush jungle, surrounded by golden sandy beaches, and deep in the island was a small hill covered by trees. They could even still see a river flowing on the island. This island, which I named Gantz Island, has an area of about 35 square kilometers, which is about the size of an island map in PlayerUnknowns Battlegrounds and there are at least a thousand such unknown islands in the Atlantic Ocean. But dont worry, Im not sending you here for you to kill each other like a game. Thats a very tasteless affair In five days, all players will land on the island and Ill give each person in this group of players a communication device. Not only can the communication device show you everyones location, but each communication device also contains an electronic coded image. The use of this decoded image will be to turn on the signal tower on the island. The black sphere began to explain the rules, On this Gantz Island, there are a total of two hundred signal towers, evenly distributed in each corner of the island. You only need to find one of the signal towers and click on the electronic coded image in your hand to light them up. Each picture can only light up one signal tower once. A word of warning, however: this image has a special curse. Once you use it to light up the signal tower, itll cause you to be contaminated with a curse called Filth. Curse? Disbelief flashed across many of their faces. This is a special curse. The black sphere explained, After being infected with the curse, the player will be turned into ashes within one day and die a miserable death. Theres only one way to stop this, which lies at the top of the hill in the middle of the island. On the top of the island, theres a safe zone surrounded by metal statues, where the curse cannot spread. Of course, the safe zone can only prevent the spread of the curse, but it cannot completely eradicate the curse. If the player leaves the safe zone, the curse will continue When they heard this, everyones faces shifted again. Of course, if a player wants to win, it isnt that difficult. The black sphere ignored the increasingly horrified looks on their faces and went on to say, There are only 200 signal towers on the island. As long as all the signal towers are lit, then those players who havent used the communication device can safely leave the island. Hold on! At this moment, someone finally could not hold back. A middle-aged man with a hooked nose came up and asked loudly, Then what about those who light up the signal towers? Cant they leave the island? No, because they have been infected with the curse. This curse can only be contained in the safe zone of the island. Once they leave the safe zone, theyll all die within one day The black sphere replied curtly. What kind of sh*tty rule is that Upon hearing this, the crowd boiled over once again. After all, how many people in this world would be willing to sacrifice themselves and happily let the others leave? This is what you call altruistic behavior. Hearing that they were arguing again, the black sphere remained unruffled. You have a total of five hundred and fifty people in this group. As long as you sacrifice two hundred people, the remaining three hundred and fifty people can survive. This is a good trade, isnt it? In addition, the environment on the island is also very fertile. Theres endless seafood on the beach as well as countless wild fruits in the mountains and forests. You can eat your fill of these foods. The only negative aspect is that on the island there are five special residents. Special residents? Everyone was startled again as vague, terrible associations came to mind. There was another flash in the black spheres image. A man with pale skin, wearing a black trench coat, appeared on the screen. This man wore no expression, but the muscles on his body were so developed that even wearing a trench coat could not conceal his perfect contours. Ty, Tyrant? Impossible! The monster in Resident Evil? Seeing this, the crowd screeched again and countless people started questioning loudly. These five residents have very violent tempers. They harbor deep hostility toward outsiders. As long as they see you, theyll quickly launch into the most exhausting pursuit. Please believe me, if youre without any firearms, even a squad of one hundred people cant beat it in hand-to-hand combat The black sphere said faintly, The only good news is that these five original residents will only kill one person each time, then theyll stop. They randomly wander around all corners of the island. The only place they will not set foot in is the safe zone on the top of the hill At this time, everyone was completely befuddled. Fisher asked a few of his men to protect him, then squeezed to the front of the black sphere, and suddenly asked, Uh Mr. Gantz, I want to ask, is there a time limit for this game? No, even if it takes you a year to light up all the signal towers, its considered that you have completed the task, but The black sphere said, and suddenly laughed lowly, I almost forgot, theres a rule I havent told you, that is, if a player who lights the signal tower dies, no matter in what manner, the signal tower they lit up will become ineffective. This will require another communication device to light up. What? Everyone wailed again and Fishers pupils shrank even more. He immediately figured out that, in this case, to ensure that the illuminated signal towers were not extinguished, it was necessary to ensure that all the people who lit the signal towers remained alive. Namely, they must be located in the safe zone. Those who were not cursed must provide food for this group of people or at least provide them with enough food before all the signal towers were lit, to prevent them from starving to death and causing the signal tower to fail. What if we snatch someone elses communication device to light the signal tower? Just then, another man asked this and the malice in his words made the others frown. Theres no point in that. However, the black sphere replied, Even if a player snatches someone elses communication device to light the signal tower, its still the player who is infected with the curse, not the owner of the communication device. However, the player who loses the communication device will become the number one target of the five original residents on the island, who will hunt down this player tirelessly until the player is killed or the player has fled to the safe zone. Hearing this, Fisher felt a chill again, because this put an end to the idea that one person could attempt self-sacrifice, using dozens of communication devices to light up those signal towers. This was because not only the person who lit up the signal towers would die, but those who donated the communication device would also be in danger of being hunted down by the Tyrants. These are all the rules of the game five days later. At this time, the black sphere said again, This game is a contest of egoistic behavior and altruistic behavior. As people who believe in altruistic behavior, will you let others sacrifice themselves and huddle behind the hero, becoming an egoist that you so loathe? Or do you mean to have the courage to explore all the truths of altruism at the expense of your life? Everyone, youll be tested and your resolve will be tested. There are no words that can become the truth by default. If you want to make it the truth, you can only put it into practice continuously. Whether you live or die, you have the right to choose After the speech given by the black sphere, the entire Blacklight had begun to sail grandly toward an exit in the Mediterranean Sea, riding the wind and waves. If one turned to look back behind the Blacklight, one would only see the flat horizon of the ocean, where a red setting sun had stained the whole sky, turning the Blacklight into a massive ship cast in a bloody hue Chapter 341 - Mobilization Five days later. Somewhere on the high seas off the Atlantic Ocean, a huge black cruise ship that had already gone thousands of kilometers off course slowly wandered around in the endless ocean. The faint silhouette of an island slowly came into view in front of the cruise ship. It was the destination of the cruise ship Gantz Island. However, when there was still approximately thirty kilometers between the cruise ship and its destination, a metallic black helicopter slowly took off from its platform on the cruise ship. While it flew ahead to Gantz Island, it hoisted with a long metal strip shaped like a spire that was strapped to its bottom. Compared to the cruise, this helicopter might as well be a tiny little ant. However, its impressive size was immediately realized when compared to the spire-shaped metal structure it was carrying. The spire was none other than the Gantz server machine. It was a colossal metallic structure standing more than ten meters tall and weighing up to ten tons. However, when suspended below the helicopter, it only appeared like a measly little structure. The helicopter transporting the Gantz server machine was a property of the company owned by Blacklight Biotechnology Tara Strategic Resources only Mil Mi-26 transport helicopter. It was the ultimate helicopter spanning more than thirty-five meters long, capable of carrying loads comparable to two CH-47 helicopters. It was nearly as large as a Boeing 737 and could transport a maximum of 80 fully-fitted combat troops at a time. In this present moment inside the helicopter, Samuel, along with twenty other researchers dressed in large white lab coats, looked out at the lush island through the cabin windows. A mixture of many emotions was painted on their faces. Among these researchers, there were only three professors, Samuel included. The rest of them were the assistant personnel of the research team. This crew consisted of Blacklight Biotechnologys newly-recruited researchers from all over the world. For this experiment, Blacklight Biotechnology made a point to offer them extremely lucrative salaries and had them sign a non-disclosure agreement. If the experiment was a success, all of them would make a major leap and be put in a central role in the organization. There was even a chance of them given entry to Gods Forbidden Zone. Needless to be said, if the experiment turned out to be a failure, Blacklight Biotechnology would provide a large sum in pension to their respective families. Samuel had been restless over the last few days. Although Chen Chens extremely efficient arrest of the several hundred members of the White Embers organization and news of the rescue of his daughter provided him great relief, it was what followed after that rooted the seed of terror in him. In just a few years since their last meeting, the development of Gods Forbidden Zones technology had taken such massive strides. It was to such a point where Samuel felt like they could almost take over the world. However, even with all the power they had gained in this period, they still held so many reservations about todays experiment. Their approach to this experiment was so cautious that they would not even let their best scientists get involved but instead let other second-rate scientists pave the way for them. That alone was a testament to how dangerous this experiment was going to be Now that were here already, youd figure we should be told of the general details of the experiment already. While Samuel swam in his troubled thoughts, a German sociology professor and also in charge of this experiment suddenly broke the silence. What are the higher-ups at Blacklight Biotechnology thinking? Not just the bunch of kids behind us, even the three of us who are put in charge are not told of the details of the experiment. I just find that a little ridiculous. The other supervisor chipped in. Adenauer is right, I get that were not the core researchers of Blacklight Biotechnology, but youd think theyd at least tell us something by now. Just what sort of experiment is supposed to require a biologist, a sociologist, and me, a psychologist? Samuel looked at the British psychology professor called Erickson. This professor along with himself and Adenauer sitting beside were the three professors coming along for this experiment and also the ones in charge of the overall procedures. Everyone, please calm down. While they were beginning to get agitated, a young man sitting in the middle of the group suddenly got up. He fidgeted in front of everyone and announced using slightly shaky English, Ill be explaining the details of this experiment to everyone. The young man was only around fifteen to sixteen years old. His appearance was rather feminine but attractive nonetheless. He continued. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Yoru Kamidera. Ill be assuming the position of a consultant in this experiment. If you have any questions, you can ask me You? When they saw it was a young man who stood up, their first reaction was to project a frown. The psychologist Erickson had an especially perplexed look in his eyes. Are you Chinese? You dont even look like an adult to me? I suppose its because I have some experience regarding this experiment Yoru Kamidera blew out a sigh, his cheeks turned pale as he seemed to have recalled something. That place is a desolate world even further below the depths of hell, grimmer than death itself. If I had a say in it, Id rather not be involved for the rest of my life. However, due to my previous experience, my conscience leaves me no other choice Kiddo, just what are you talking about? The German professor Adenauer asked with a tightly knit frown, That isnt a place for your little games. You say that youre the consultant of this experiment. Wheres your proof? Does this count as proof? Faced with this remark, Yoru Kamidera decided to just take out a Rubiks Cube. When he pressed one of the buttons and put it in front of the professors, several rays of light shot out from the cube and intersected together to form an image of Chen Chen. Mr. Chen! Boss! Boss! The three of them nodded like pendulums and greeted Chen Chen nervously. Professor Samuel, Professor Adenauer, Professor Erickson, and the other assistants participating in this experiment. What youre seeing now is a pre-recorded footage that Ive recorded. Chen Chens expression as shown in the footage was mild. I want to remind all of you that this young man in front of you called Yoru Kamidera is extremely vital to this experiment. If youre dealing with something you dont fully understand, its best to ask him for his input. If you guys choose to act rashly and do it by yourselves, Id like to remind you that the mortality rate of this experiment is 50 percent. With the help of Yoru Kamidera, that percentage may drop to near 30 percent. What, the mortality rate is 50 percent? The color went out of their faces when they heard this. 30 percent more or less meant one in every three. Dangerous would be an understatement for this experiment. Even in modern warfare, the mortality rate rather exceeded 5 percent for the losing side. However, since Chen Chen was just a recorded footage, there was no chance of him seeing and responding to their reaction. He only went on with his dialogue. But you wont have to worry about that. Each of you here is the elite of Blacklight Biotechnology and has also signed the non-disclosure agreement. If something unfortunate does occur in this experiment, your families will receive a 7-digit pension. On the contrary, if the experiment proved successful, it will pave a great, respectable future for each one of you here. Also, you may get the opportunity to become a part of the central ring of our company What! The follow-up remark astounded each and every one of them. Some of them even shot out of their seats. News of an organization like Gods Forbidden Zone established on the basis of financial groups helping each other had long since piqued the curiosity of the public. Although not as widely known as the Freemasonry, the phrase Gods Forbidden Zone was no longer taboo in the inner ring of Blacklight Biotechnology but looked up to almost like a religion. That was because everyone knew that only the richest among the rich of each country and the most influential people got to join this organization. The list of benefits that came with joining this organization could go on for days, lifespan, power, wealth Everything! Chapter 342 - The Danger of Messages After Chen Chen gave his word, their restless hearts stilled themselves. Even the new researchers silently determine to give this their all. After all, when they signed the contract, they had seen all the associated connections that came with the contract so they were more or less mentally prepared. While they were discussing this, the helicopter had arrived at Gantz Island. However, they did not fly straight for the central hill on the island but instead slowly descended by the edge of the coast. This place is? They curiously peeked outside the window to investigate what was going on. It was at that moment when they suddenly felt a violent wind pressure tearing behind them. The noise of the propellers simultaneously grew louder in their ears as well. They immediately put on their hats and tried shielding themselves from the wind using their hand. The cargo compartment door behind them had opened without them noticing. In the cargo warehouse on the lower level of the cabin were five gigantic metal containers. Each one of the containers was four meters long and two meters wide, shaped like five coffins altogether. Light bulbs were flashing on top of them. It was at that moment when one of the bulbs on one of the coffins flashed from green to red, it was immediately followed by a hiss of an engine that sounded like a connection mechanism was automatically cut off. The very next second, the container slid down along the rail and fell out of the helicopter that was thirty meters above the air! Bang! The people inside the cabin only heard a muffled crash. Before they had time to investigate just what it was that fell, the helicopter took off again in another direction. After the helicopter flew off into the distance, the container that fell onto the ground seemed to trigger its designed mechanism and nailed itself into the ground vertically. After that, more red lights began flashing on it. Hiss As the number of red flashing lights increased in numbers and frequency, white steam began to spew out between the gaps of the container. With a mighty crash, the front cover of the container abruptly burst open and flew more than ten meters outward! If anyone was present at the scene, they would see that inside the coffin-like container stood a giant standing over 3.5 meters tall and weighing even more than world-class heavy-weight boxers! After the container cover was burst open, the awfully pale-looking giant wearing a trench coat slowly stepped out from inside. After it stretched its muscles, it let out an unhinged roar The M-26 helicopter finally turned toward the mountain peak of Gantz Island after dropping off all five containers. Ten minutes later, the Gantz server machine was set on the top of the mountain while the others also exited the helicopter. This is the place. Yoru Kamidera shot a glance at the statue, the inner conflict clear in his eyes as he did this. When he looked around, he saw that the entirety of the island was packed with lush greenery except for the mountaintop section they were at. The top of the mountain was a bald patch without a single tree in sight. All of the plants here had been paved up by Blacklight Biotechnology. What is this place? Dont tell me this is where were conducting the experiment? Adenauer gestured with his hands and told Yoru Kamidera, I dont think any experiment can be conducted in this place. Of course its not here, were doing it underground. Yoru Kamidera pointed at the ground below his feet. Everyone instinctively looked down at their feet as he said this. When they did this, the sound of metal gears grinding against each other emitted from the ground below. At the same time, a three-meter wide deep hole appeared in the middle of the ground out of nowhere. Several hours later, 550 experiment subjects will come to this island. What we need to do is to observe them from the darkness. Now come with me As Yoru Kamidera said this, he beckoned them to follow him into the underground hole. It was then when they noticed that there was not a single hint of darkness inside there. On the contrary, it was a brightly lit space. Each step they trod along the stairway was constructed with silver-white alloy, fully reminiscent of a high-tech laboratory. This is a temporary laboratory constructed by Blacklight Biotechnology. Its twenty-meters underground and divided into three levels. There are 1200 square meters of space in total. Yoru Kamidera said as he continued down the stairs, The highest level is the employee break room, the canteen, and common rooms are on the second floor while the bottommost floor will be our laboratory. By this point, they had arrived at the entrance of the laboratory. There were two signs posted on the entrance. The group turned their eyes to the signs subconsciously and was slightly surprised by what they saw because it was a warning sign that none of them had ever seen. Generally speaking, all laboratories in the world should implement the standard logos designed by the International Organization Standardization ISO. These were established international logos universal across the globe and should be entirely self-explanatory regardless of culture or understanding. However, the sign in front of them was one that none of them had ever seen before. One of them was red while the other was yellow. There were three lower case i alphabets on the red sign drawn to form a circle. In the middle of the pattern were two parallel arcs forming the shape of a radial ring. Its overall design resembled a nuclear radiation warning sign. Below the sign was a short phrase: Infohazard. Information hazard. Drawn on top of the yellow sign was the picture of an inverted stairway. At first glance, the picture seemed ordinary. The highlight was that the stairway seemed to continuously delve downward. Whenever it made a turn, it would somehow swing downward again. By the end of it, the ending row of the stairway somehow looped back to the initial row, forming an infinite loop. This was a stairway designed using a visual paradox and could not physically exist in the real world since it was impossible. The phrase written below it was Cognitohazard. Cognition hazard. Based on the internationally standardized warning signs, red color signified messages like prohibited, stop, fire or danger while yellow color represented caution and warning. Following that logic, these two signs should represent danger and caution. This also meant that the underground laboratory was a severely dangerous laboratory. What do these signs mean? Observing the two signs in front of him, Ericksons expression turned into a frown. He asked Yoru Kamidera who was standing at the front of the group, Is this a laboratory specifically designed to hypnotize people? What he got in return was not an answer but a question from Yoru Kamidera. Mr. Erickson, I heard that youre an excellent psychologist. Have you ever heard of such a thing as a message that can kill people? Are you talking about music like Black Friday? Erickson answered indifferently, Its possible to frame a very specific set of mental environments that can push people toward behavior like suicide or self-harm. You can technically define it as a form of hallucination, but you shouldnt expect a hundred percent success rate with such methods. Not only do the people afflicted have to be weak-willed individuals, but they also need to have suffered a certain degree of psychological trauma beforehand. This way, the psychological trauma of the person can be evoked using certain music. You provided a great analysis. However, songs like Black Friday dont come close to any of the two methods you described. Yoru Kamidera stated in a dull voice, A true medium that can kill people doesnt have to do so by exploiting psychological weak spots. Thats because this medium can already kill people on its own. Its the most lethal weapon in the world Are you kidding me? Erickson sneered. Ive never heard of such a thing as some kind of message that can kill people. Even if it does exist, how are they going to do it? Blow my brains out with a gun? Yoru Kamidera did not attempt to refute the point made. He only shook his head and put his palms on the biometric authenticator next to the entrance while stating, Youll understand very soon With that, the entrance to the laboratory slowly opened. Chapter 343 - The Game Begins Dong! A beam of light suddenly projected from the ceiling above. It was the supervisor of the cruise ship opening a hatch on the roof of the warehouse. The utterly worn-out people packed together on the cold hard floor of the warehouse shot up almost instinctively when they saw the light penetrating the darkness. They rushed to the source of light like a bunch of hungry ghosts rushing through the gates of the afterlife, each one straining their eyes to look at the blinding source of light. Move out of the way, you want to get crushed? Someone in the crowd pulled another member of the crowd away from the source of light. The very next second, a deafening thump shook the warehouse. It was the sound of a huge cardboard box slamming against the cold hard floor. However, before they had time to rush over, several cardboard boxes of similar size were thrown down. The weight of the boxes stacking on top of each other crushed the bottommost box, causing the food inside to burst and spill all over the floor. It was grains of rice mixed with some vegetables. The people rushing in front were hardly bothered by this as they pounced on the card boxes like hungry wolves. They grabbed sufficient portions for themselves before retreating to the corner and filled their stomach with their hard-earned loot. The people behind continuously pushed forward, trying to earn their share as well. Hidden in his corner, Fisher looked at the hounds fighting over food. A glimpse of dark hatred zipped past his eyes as he did this. To think that he would be reduced to this state Mr. Fisher, this is your meal. Shortly after, his subordinates who swore unwavering loyalty to him approached with several containers filled with food, making sure to present the container in the best condition for Fisher. Mr. Fisher, please eat it while its still hot. Thanks Fisher retracted the darkness in his eyes and smiled earnestly at this attentive subordinate of his. He picked up the food on the floor and simply took a couple of bites. Fortunately, although he was captured along with his entire crew, it did not seem like their enemy was particularly keen on any torturing. His crew was well fed and even treated to some delicacies like fish and meat. Otherwise, they would soon starve to death over the next few days. The two blonde-haired ladies beside him had received the same treatment as he did as well. They waited until after Fisher took his share before picking out of what was left. They made sure to treat themselves, taking large mouthfuls at a time while completely ignoring the unbearable stench inside the warehouse. Over the last few days, Fisher and his crew ate, drank, and did their business all in this large warehouse space. There was a temporary toilet built in the corner of the warehouse, but it was only a dry toilet without plumbing. If not for the people above regularly spraying disinfectant down here, all sorts of diseases may have broken out among them a long time ago. Fisher felt like he had returned to the dark middle-ages where they all played the role of the oppressed slaves. They were the slaves aboard a slave ship, heading toward an unknown land There were a few among them that could no longer bear this hopeless situation and chose to kill themselves by repeatedly bashing their heads against the wall. The ones remaining were still holding on, but their eyes had become severely bloodshot. Their expression suggested they were bordering on insanity at this point. All of them were just waiting for the one straw to break the camels back How many days has it been? Facing this utterly hopeless atmosphere, Fisher suddenly asked from his corner, Does anyone of you have any idea how long weve been locked up here? Maybe around ten days or maybe its been an entire month. One of the blonde-haired ladies named Jennifer asked in a whisper, Fisher, are you sure theyre not doing this to torture us? I dont know how much longer I can handle this Me too The other blonde-haired lady said as well, slowly breaking into inconsolable sobs, I want to go home. I know how much we have to pay to succeed in our dreams, but this is far too much. I might really die here, hic hic Before her tears could fall, Jennifer immediately put her hands over her mouth. Even Fisher and his subordinates suddenly perked up, alerted and began checking their surroundings. In just an instant, everyone in the warehouse glared in this direction like brazen wolves stalking their prey. To be exact, their attention was fixed on the two blonde-haired ladies Even Fisher could not help but feel a relentless cold creeping across his body. He doubted he could keep these people grounded any longer. It was at that moment when an abrupt but all-too-familiar sound was heard in the warehouse. Everyone turned toward the source at lightning speed and saw that the black sphere in the middle of the warehouse that had been sitting idle for some time was activated again! The surface of the sphere glittered as the crooked face of a puppet emerged from it and started to laugh using an uncanny, unnaturally low voice. Glad to see all of you again. Im sure that you lot have come up with many strategies over the last few days. Well, now its time to put them to use. So, now The game begins! The black sphere completely ignored the questions they threw at it again and immediately announced the commencement of the game. When Fisher charged forward and tried to ask a question, he suddenly felt his belly heating up like he was hit by sunlight! When he looked down subconsciously, he saw that his belly had vanished into thin air! Fisher first felt a pang of shock before quickly realizing that he did not feel any pain coming from his belly. On top of that, the portion of his body that had disappeared constantly emitted blue rays. The blue ray rapidly spread out across his body. In just three to four seconds, Fisher had vanished into thin air to the choir of bewildered gasps and shock of his subordinates! Theres no mistaking it, this is the teleportation mechanism in the anime Gantz. Were being teleported out here! Someone in the group suddenly shouted. The very next second, most of them noticed the same phenomenon occurring to their bodies as well. One after another, they vanished into thin air, only accompanied by the sorrowful screams and cries for help. When Fisher opened his eyes again, his eyes were immediately hit by blinding lights. He immediately put his arm up to protect himself from being blinded by the fierce light. Where in the world am I, am I in the outdoors? Although Fisher had his eyes closed, he could feel the damp, dark walls of the cruise ship warehouse pulling away to make space for the outside world. He felt his skin being scorched by the burning sun, the ground under his feet was boiling and soft. It was the beach. The sound of splashing waves filled his ears. His nose was no longer assaulted by the previous awful stench as it was replaced by the salty scent of seawater. It may not be the most pleasant smell in the world, but it was heavenly compared to what he had to deal with previously While he still had his eyes covered, he began to hear crying and wailing coming from behind him. Surely enough, the others have got here as well. Knowing this helped Fisher maintain his composure. Parker? Where are you, Parker? F***, I got out of that cursed place? I cant be dreaming, can I? Thank God There was a slowly building up commotion of celebration, having come out alive of their predicament. It was then when Fisher heard his subordinate calling out for him. He quickly perked up, also noticing that his eyes had slowly grown accustomed to the brightness of the outside world. It was then when Fisher saw that they had been transported to an unfamiliar beach. In front of them was a lush, thick jungle that seemed to stretch on forever while behind them was the vast blue ocean. Just several kilometers away from the coast, there was an unbelievably huge black cruise ship parked idly, casting its enormous shadow over the sea. Several seagulls could be seen hovering on top of the cruise ship Several large characters were written on the black monstrosity Blacklight Cruise. I knew it, Blackwatch is behind all of this The chilling sensation seeped deeper into Fishers heart. This was not the time to occupy his mind with these thoughts. When he was about to head toward his subordinates, he suddenly felt something inside his pocket that was not there before. Fisher reached out for his pocket and scooped up a strip of what seemed to be a device the size of a regular palm. This device looked like one of those consoles made by Nintendo. Fisher habitually flipped open the cover to reveal a small panel of liquid crystal display. The display was filled with countless blue dots packed together. The blue dots all merged with one another and in the middle of the arrangement was a tiny green dot. When Fisher tapped the display, the map on the display automatically zoomed in and turned into an image of an irregular outline of an island. It went without saying that this was the map of the island and the blue pixels around it were the ocean surrounding the island. Apart from the terrain details, there were also plenty of blue color icons that looked like signal towers scattered all over the island. With just a glance, Fisher figured out that these were the signal towers of Gantz. This device was not just any common device. It was the individual communication device previously mentioned by the black sphere. Not only can these communication devices be used to determine the location of everyone, but theres also an electronic code map inside each one of these devices This was what Gantz previously mentioned. These words were imprinted into Fishers mind, almost latching into his DNA. There are five unique inhabitants on this island and lets just say that they are aggressive in nature Please believe me, without access to thermal weapons, even a troop of a hundred people cannot defeat them Fisher suddenly recalled this sentence. He immediately checked around himself and saw that nearly everyone was already gathered at the beach. Crap Fisher seemed to have recalled something. He cast all these thoughts aside and quickly sprinted toward one of his subordinates and had the subordinate follow him as they started to gather the rest of his remaining forces. After approximately ten minutes, all eight of them including the two blonde-haired ladies were reunited. Mr. Fisher, what do you do next? Jennifer asked in a whisper, Should we mobilize this group of people now and establish a leadership? No, we have to retreat over there immediately! Fisher looked around himself and pointed at the coast. Save your questions for later, we have to retreat into the ocean immediately. We need to use the number of people here for our advantage! Although they could not quite catch his meaning, they still faithfully obeyed Fishers orders. The eight of them promptly retreated by the coast and stood in the seawater. It was at this moment when an uncanny screech came from deep inside the jungle at the end of the beach. It was so loud that it completely swept over the sound of the crashing waves. It was an unplaceable screech. It had some bare resemblance to the voice of a human but did not quite sound humane at the same time. It was closer to the howl of a beast never seen or heard before What is that? Jennifer subconsciously turned to Fisher and asked. She saw that Fisher was staring intently at the jungle where the sound came from. His expression turned extremely grim as he did this. At the same time, many others on the beach had noticed the same voice as well. Some of them sensed that something was off and began to retreat into the crowd while some of the brave ones ran into the deeper parts of the jungle. It was at that moment when everyone saw it. Just as a large, muscular man made his way to the edge of the jungle, a large and pale arm shot out from the wilderness and immediately latched itself around the mans waist! The pale arm could only be described as humongous, just its palms alone were nearly half a meter in size. Decorating its fingers were fingernails so sharp they were like the tips of blades. With what seemed like just a gentle touch, its finger pierced through that man and came out of his back! The man barely had time to produce a horrifying scream. His spine and internal organs were destroyed. He instantly vomited and experienced convulsion, spewing out an unfathomable amount of blood! This horrific sight was witnessed by everyone on the beach at the moment. They were stupefied by what they had just seen. Ill be d*mned, just what is that thing? Thats a Tyrant, a monster from Resident Evil! Isnt that supposed to be a monster from a game? How is it showing up in real life? There were constant shouts and screams emanating from the crowd, many of them were on the brink of collapse or had already given up entirely. The owner of the gigantic palm seemed to show little interest in making a formal introduction. After taking care of its unfortunate victim, it withdrew its hand and shuffled back into the depths of the jungle. At this point, the people gathered on the beach were already wailing uncontrollably. When Fisher saw his crew were slowly becoming unsettled as well, he gently reminded them. Dont worry about it, remember what the black sphere Gantz said? These creatures are supposed to only kill one person at a time. This means that even if all five of them get here, they will only kill five at most Can we try to get rid of these monsters? One of Fishers subordinates could not resist the urge to ask. If we manage to survive on this island for some time and create some weapons, there might be a small chance. Fisher shook his head. But as it is, theres zero chance that wed be a match for the monsters sheer strength and size A wave of silence swept over them. Although someone had already fallen prey to a tyrant right off the bat, there was still a great number of brave people who ran into the jungle. When Fisher saw this, he advised again, Alright, the threat is minimized for now. We should get out of here now and head for the central hill on the island Understood! The group quickly separated themselves from the other restless survivors and hurried into the jungle. When they went into the jungle, the looming shadows of the trees quickly swept over them, quickly accompanied by a damp and moldy smell that replaced the salty scent of the sea. This made them immediately think of the five terrifying monsters lurking somewhere in the jungle. They shivered at the mere thought of that. However, their mental physique had been bolstered over the last five days. Despite the looming threat, not a single one of them backed down but instead continued marching through the thorns of the jungle. They very quickly covered around five hundred meters of ground and arrived in a flat terrain where they saw a five meters tall tower that looked like a transmission tower. At the top of the tower was a white lamp that was shut off at the moment. The group collectively caught a glimmer of hope when they saw the tower. Surely enough, this tower was the source of hope for their survival. According to the black sphere Gantz, the communication device in their hands could be used to light up the tower. Once all two hundred signal towers on the island were lit up, they would have won the game and could leave the island. Chapter 344 - Wilderness Survival The group of eight traversed across the tranquil jungle. Due to the overgrown state of the jungle, there was hardly if ever any glimpse of sunlight passing through. A damp, rotten smell swept over them while moist vapor stubbornly clung onto their bodies. Their entire body felt clammy under the circumstance. Due to the dense terrain of the jungle, it required incredible effort just to advance several steps. They had to use wooden tools like sticks to pave the way forward. Fisher kept Jennifer close to him, the two of them trailed at the tail of the pack. There was only the sound of their bodies brushing against the jungle and their muffled grunts and breathing. Occasionally, they would lose their sense of direction and someone would have to climb above the trees to determine where the targeted mountaintop was. Will someone sacrifice themselves to light up the signal towers? As the group grew increasingly exhausted and began to slow down, one of the blonde-haired ladies suddenly said in a low voice, There are two hundred single towers on the island, that means two hundred people will have to sacrifice themselves Is there even going to be that many people sacrificing themselves to save us? When the group heard this, they were ever so slightly taken aback. Their pace slowed down further without them even realizing it. Out of five hundred, two hundred would have to sacrifice themselves. No more, no less. No matter how you look at it, it was an Olympus task, an impossible challenge even No matter what, our first step will have to be to make it to the safe zone. Fisher frowned and lowered his voice enough so that only the people around him could hear his voice, Although I cant figure out what the curse that Gantz mentioned is, we better save the worrying for later. What we need to do now is to head straight for the safe zone. We can plan out the rest after we put ourselves in a safe position Youre right. Jennifer agreed and added with a whisper, No matter what, we can only be truly safe after we get to the safe zone. Otherwise, if those monsters lock onto us, there will be no chance of us getting away When they heard this, they felt a clutch in their hearts. Even though they did not see the monster in its entirety, its gigantic and pale white palm had utterly crushed all the fight left in them. Its heavy mark refused to leave the crevices of their minds. What are the odds that the curse that Gantz spoke of is some sort of special toxic fumes so that when we light up the signal tower with the communication device, it releases the fumes? After silence descended upon them once again, another voice suddenly broke the silence. Fisher glanced to his side and saw a scrawny young man that had only recently joined his ranks. The young man was John. He was originally not Fishers bodyguard but a hacker instead. He was Fishers solution for dealing with Blackwatchs all-seeing online surveillance. The young man called John was fiddling with the communication device as if he was trying to crack some sort of code to obtain some clues from it. Or maybe its some sort of virus. Fisher pondered for a moment before stating, Dont forget that Blackwatch is a biotechnology company. They even managed to develop the vaccine for the Blacklight virus one step ahead of the world. Whether they were the ones who perpetrated the virus or not, the point still stands that they lead the world in the biology sector. I wouldnt be surprised if they develop some virus that can instantly turn the infected into a pile of ashes More reason for us to take them down! Jennifer mumbled something to herself. Her complexion was pale but her expression was otherwise determined. She suddenly spoke out with an air like she was the Saint herself, Come down to it, Ill be the one to light the signal tower. I want you guys to make it out of here successfully to bring this evil company to ruin! We wont have to resort to that for now. Fisher frowned. I dont want any of you to be sacrificed here. If possible, Id like to learn something new from the others who have activated the signal towers. Perhaps using their insight, we can deduce a way to get out of this place without dealing with the signal towers, essentially avoiding unnecessary sacrifices Everyone became silent again but this time, there was more strength to their steps and they were advancing slightly faster. In the past, Fisher would be secretly ecstatic about the inspiring message he delivered. However, today was not the day that he would congratulate himself for delivering such a rejuvenating message. On the contrary, he felt more pressure weighing on him. There seemed to be one critical element that everyone neglected to consider and that was even if they were to light up all the signal towers, would there be any guarantee that the other party would keep up their promise and let him go? The last thing Fisher wanted to do was to voice this thought of his. One, because there was no point considering this now and two, his entire squad may be deterred and lose what survival they would have left Upon considering this, Fisher kept his head down and continued his journey of insistently carving a measly little path in this vast, overgrown forest. On the way there, the group did not take any breaks apart from the occasional break to rehydrate themselves when they passed by any river stream. They continued advancing like this for around seven to eight hours until they finally arrived at the mountaintop just before sundown. A piece of empty and fertile land immediately came into their view. It was an empty plot of land measuring a hundred square meters that appeared to have been leveled by an excavator. There were no signs of any vegetation here, only withered leaves scattered across the floor, suggesting that this place was once a part of the jungle as well. Only, all of the fauna in this section on the top of the mountain had been leveled by some unknown force This place is the safe zone? When Fisher saw the empty plot of land on the mountaintop, he felt his legs giving up on him. He mustered what strength he had left in his exhausted state to carry the two blonde-haired ladies to the vicinity of the safe zone before collapsing onto the ground himself, panting desperately and heavily. The clothes of the five members in charge of paving the path on their way here were torn into tattered pieces by the sharp thorns of the plants. Long gashes still dripping blood covered their naked skin, it was a frightening sight to see. Fisher, look over there. After ten minutes, the group slowly came back to life again. It was moments after that when Jennifer suddenly motioned at a metal gray structure weakly. What is that? I dont know, but it looks like some kind of totem? Or some kind of device? Fisher squinted and looked at the large spire that slightly resembled a totem. When they were previously at the foot of the mountain, they could not see what was on this terrain. It was only until this point when they noticed the spire positioned in the middle of the empty land on the mountaintop. It was somewhere around ten meters tall. It may not be the grandest and most magnificent structure, but it stuck out like a sore thumb enough on the bald patch on the mountaintop. They eventually also noticed that they were not the only ones here as there were around a dozen other people on this empty field. Some of them were picking up firewood while some were foraging fungus growing on the edges of the field. Each one of them used their own methods to determine whether it was poisonous or not. Following the arrival of Fisher and his crew, many people turned to look at them at the same time like they had silently coordinated it. What was notable was that it was no longer the look of fear in their eyes, what took its place was an almost resentful glare when they looked at their ex-leader. Ignore them Fisher made himself take a deep breath, he had an idea why they felt that way. As the first line leader of White Embers, despite having to deal with the occasional politics in the background, he was well and truly respected overall in the organization. However, apart from the true environmentalists, most of the other members of White Embers were mercenaries. These people who lived every day of their lives drowned in violence only cared about money. Any other matters like the environment or other beliefs were objects of very little interest to them. The problem stemmed from this exact demographic. Fisher noticed that all of the people who had arrived at the mountaintop were the mercenaries while the true respectable environmentalist volunteers were nowhere to be seen. The people present here had barely an ounce of respect for him. On the contrary, they felt greater animosity for him due to the poor outcome of their campaign. If not for Fishers stately background, he may have been attacked by the angry mob during the five days when they were at sea. Fisher wanted to cry out in sorrow when he thought of this, but he had to pretend to be unbothered. His crew took up their small plot of land and started fixing their camp. John, you go pick up some firewood nearby. Joseph, you can go forage for some fungus and berries, remember not to go too far. The rest of us can tidy this place up, be careful of poisonous insects inside the soil Fisher started issuing orders while evaluating his surroundings. The circular field on the mountaintop was approximately 100 square meters large. It may not be a particularly gigantic plot of land, but there was still a good amount of work that needed to be done. The most noticeable feature was the spire positioned in the middle. At the present, there were several people gathered around the metallic spire. It looked like they were observing the finer details of the spire. For some reason he could not place himself, when Fisher looked at the spire, he felt an intense gaze peering back at him. Everything about the spire, whether it was the overall design or the patterns etched on top of it gave off an ominous impression. Fisher silently kept his guard up and remained alert of his surroundings. Meanwhile, several people who had arrived before them exchanged glances and seemed to build an immediate rapport among themselves. They began heading toward Fishers direction. Fishers first instinct was to get up with his subordinates and put themselves between the approaching mercenaries and the two blonde-haired ladies. He quickly addressed them, I know what you guys are thinking, clearly Blackwatch has exceeded our expectations and even Im completely outwitted. Were in the same boat now, so theres no point killing me. Fisher brought his hands outward and did not wait for them to come closer before continuing. Besides, even if you kill me now to vent your frustration, youll be hunted down by all the major financial groups if you make it out of here alive. Oppenheimer isnt the only one backing White Ember When the approaching mercenaries heard this, they stopped right where they stood. It was true, they were not the only ones present at the scene. If they killed Fisher here, there would be plenty of witnesses. Upon being reminded of this, a scrawny black man in the group of mercenaries spat on the floor and cursed disdainfully, I hope you die here. With that, he turned around and left. The remaining few exchanged looks among themselves, appearing largely undecided on what to do next. If I can make it out of here alive, Ill give each one of you who helped me three million dollars. Even if you die here, Ill make sure the money makes its way to your families. Fisher continued with the same monotone voice. Do me a favor and spread the news around. You wont have to worry about how Im going to locate your families, since Oppenheimer has the details about your background. There was a subtle change in their expression when they heard this. Within seconds, two more walked away. It seemed like the heat had not gone to their head just yet. Only three of the mercenaries remained. Two of Fishers crew were out collecting resources in the jungle nearby, which made six of them remaining in the field. When the mercenaries saw this, they left almost begrudgingly. Fisher silently heaved a sigh of relief when they saw them retreating. From here on, he would have to tread carefully every step of the way. He was not sure how long his status and position could protect him. Besides, they had two liabilities with them that tended to attract unwanted trouble With that in mind, Fisher stole a glance at the two of them, his eyes becoming thoughtful as he did so. As dusk approached closer, John and Joseph who went to gather supplies had returned as well. They started a fire using sticks and started cooking the gathered supplies, billowing smoke quickly rose from the top of the mountain as they did so. After drying off the clothes by the fair and eating the foraged fungus, Fisher looked around himself again. He saw that more than a hundred people had arrived at the mountaintop while newcomers still trickled in occasionally, all of them arriving in a ruined state. Fisher pounced on this opportunity to recruit more members and successfully took in five new members by offering them food and a seat beside the fire. Most of the mercenaries here relied on themselves for their survival and were extremely cautious of one another. Due to this factor, Fishers camp had once again become the largest group on the mountaintop. The most challenging part was over for now. Fisher became more confident in his decision-making as he ordered his subordinates to burn the fallen leaves on the ground. After burning away the withered leaves and the dampness in the air, they were able to rest easy without the constant pestering of potentially poisonous bugs. Additionally, he had them gather rocks so they could craft primitive stone tools. These stone tools were used to carve bowls and lids out of blocks of wood to create suitable containers for water. The only source of fresh water on the island was the stream of river halfway up the mountain. There was no water source to be found on the mountaintop. If they did not have suitable containers for water, they would not be able to replenish themselves properly. Shortly after Fisher gave the order, the other survivors who saw what they were doing followed suit as well. Soon, the mountaintop became a bustling center. While everyone on the mountaintop was busily occupied with their respective tasks, Fisher found the time to approach the spire all by himself. He looked up at the spire basked in the afterglow of the evening sun. Under the gentle glow of the evening sun, the spire appeared to be painted with an exotic blood red. Fisher went closer and brushed the patterns on its surface and gave it a gentle knock. This produced a low hum that vibrated across the spire. This spire was made of solid metal? Is this iron or aluminum? Or maybe its lead Fisher picked up a rock and slid its sharp end on the spires surface. The spire was incredibly tough. Even the sharp end of the rock could not leave the slightest scratch on its surface. While Fisher was trying to figure out just what sort of metal he was looking at, he suddenly caught a red flash appearing before him and saw the colors painting the patterns on the spire. He was not sure if it was just a false impression as when he went to inspect it, there was nothing peculiar to be noted. Was it just an illusion caused by the sunset? Or Fisher was confused by this strange occurrence. The previous sensation of someone staring at him was growing stronger. It was at this moment when a bellowing howl came from somewhere in the jungle drowned under the dark sky. It was quickly accompanied by a blood-curdling scream. Everyone quickly turned to look at the mass of darkness in the jungle. A fear of the unknown surfaced in their eyes as they did so. There was no mistaking it, someone ran into the Tyrant monsters again Chapter 345 - Killer It was a horrific cry full of pain and terror. Fisher immediately snapped toward the direction where it came from, his expression turning sour immediately. Unless he was mistaken, the voice should belong to a subordinate that had been with him for a long time before this. It was just the first night and he had already lost one of his members. After hearing the mans scream, the safe zone rose into a great clamor. Dozens of people who were gathering resources on the edges of the safe zone immediately retreated as fast as they could. Even after entering the safe zone, they continued pressing toward the middle. Both the howl of the monster and the scream of its victim sounded like it came from somewhere close by. This meant that the massacre everyone heard only took place several ten or twenty meters away from where they stood. The monster has arrived here to hunt us down! Dont panic, this is the safe zone. According to the rules, the monster shouldnt be allowed to come inside! Are you sure about that? The situation spiraled out of control quickly. Everyone rushed toward the direction of the spire in fear of the giant monster leaping out of the darkness to claim its victim. Fortunately, no monsters made their way into the vicinity of the safe zone in the end. The blood-curdling scream had passed and all that remained was the desolate silence in the nightmarish jungle. Regardless, nobody dared to approach the deeper parts of the jungle anymore. Due to the previous commotion, everyone was gathered together now. They silently looked on together as the scarlet-red hue of the sky dissolved into a solid patch of dark indigo. After some more time had passed, the island was plunged into a pit of darkness. Even after night had fallen, there was still the occasional survivor trudging their way through the jungle and into the safe zone. Most of the new arrivals were the environmentalists. After stepping foot into the safe zone, their legs gave up on them and they crumbled lifelessly onto the ground. Surely enough, they had exhausted every ounce of strength they had in them just to get here. Help them. Fisher thought about it for a moment before giving the order to save their lives. Torches were prepared for them as well as a small portion of food to supplement them. However, their food reserve was exhausted quickly, so all they could do was treat their wounds as best as they could and prepare a place for them by the fire. Fisher and his crew continued laboring away until the following dawn. By then, there were more than four hundred survivors gathered in the safe zone, significantly more than there were just last evening. Amid their laborious effort, none of them had noticed the dozens of invisible drones patrolling above them all this time, recording and taking pictures of all their activities. Impressive leadership qualities. His swift decision-making abilities allowed him to quickly reestablish himself as the core of this group. While everything was going on on the surface, there were several scientists huddled together just twenty meters below their feet. They observed the group of survivors from an array of hundreds of displays. One of the displays showed a close-up highlight of Fishers face. Professor Erickson who was in charge of psychology studies reflected thoughtfully. Exactly what youd expect from an elite coming out of a family of a powerful financial group. No matter where he goes, its only second nature for him to prime himself to excel as a leader. Thats true, but its a shame that most people here would still hold a grudge for him since hes the one responsible for putting them into their current predicament. Adenauer nodded before turning to Yoru Kamidera next to him. Mr. Consultant, is this the experiment that Mr. Chen Chen spoke of? A social experiment of survival on a deserted island? Of course not. Yoru Kamidera shook his head. A sheet of shadow met his eyes as he said this, Were just getting started. The real show begins when people start sacrificing themselves to light up the signal tower. Thats when the nightmare truly begins None of Fisher or any of the others knew that all of their activities were being closely monitored by a crew of scientists in a laboratory just roughly twenty meters below where they stood. As it was, they had no choice but to head into the deeper parts of the forest to alleviate their food and water shortage issue. The people who remained in the safe zone were in charge of cutting down the trees along the edges of the safe zone. The branches served them as firewood while the trunks were used to craft tools and make containers for water. Even the mercenaries who were glaring at Fisher with dark animosity had joined in as well. After all, humans were inherently social animals and many of them had accepted the fact that being a lone wolf was not going to cut it in this place. Perhaps a guardian angel was watching over them as for the entire day that followed, not a single person ran into the tyrant-like monstrosities. On top of that, they managed to rescue more than dozens of people who were stuck in the jungle, effectively bolstering their numbers to more than five hundred. As for the ones who were not found yet, everyone more or less knew what happened to them. The next day, before darkness had fallen, everyone quickly retreated to the ring of the safe zone. Piles of bonfires were set up as they started to cook the food they had gathered during the day. This included all sorts of fungus, berries, and the occasional game like squirrels and bird eggs. While Fisher was perched by the campfire and eating his food while plotting their way out in his mind, he overheard the conversation between two people nearby. Hey, buddy, where did the butchers go today? Butcher? I meant the monsters with giant pale hands like tyrants. Didnt you notice that everything were doing now is extremely similar to the game Dead by Daylight? Fisher suddenly perked up when he overheard their conversation. He immediately went toward them and asked in a whispered, urgent tone, Please tell me the clear details of the rules of Dead by Daylight! The two of them were startled when they saw Fisher suddenly arriving, one of the men still abided and started to explain it for Fisher. Mr. Fisher, the players in Dead by Daylight are separated into two camps, which are the survivors and the butchers. Right now, were the survivors while the monsters are the butchers hunting down the survivors. This makes the signal towers the generators inside the game. Inside the game, survivors can open the gate to their salvation if they manage to repair a certain number of generators. Then they get to escape from the place and the pursuit of the butchers. Each survivor in the game has different skills, just like how there are many types of butchers as well. The butchers used to be human but had become corrupted and turned into evil spirits due to a multitude of factors. They keep the humans as hostages in the world they created so they can enjoy the excitement of the hunt and torture. The most harrowing fact in all of this is that it doesnt matter whether the survivors successfully repair the generators and escape through the door or get hunted down by the butcher. One way or another, theyll end up in the same place, the bonfire on the title screen of the game. Everything that just happened becomes like a distant dream as they get hunted down again, get killed again and escape again. It never ends For some reason, he could not place a chilling bite of anger risen in his heart when he heard this. Its an infinite loop? Yes, thats the dark premise of this game because according to the setting of the game, the evil spirits are doing this to collect the humans hope Chapter 346 - Unity and Illumination Death isnt an escape When he heard the tagline of the game from the other persons lips, Fisher felt an indescribable chill consuming him. According to him, this phrase is the central theme of the game. If Dead by Daylight was the hint Fisher had unraveled, could this mean that the central theme of the game was Chen Chens underlying motivation? This meant that the plan never was to let them go When Fisher thought of this prospect, he felt his entire body collapsing on him as an overwhelming sense of despair took over. He sat on the ground with a thousand-yard stare. He wanted nothing more than to directly escape this island. It was merely a momentary thought. He was well aware that his odds of successfully crossing the Atlantic Ocean without any proper equipment was abysmal at best. He was better off hoping that Blacklight Biotechnology found the goodness in their heart to let him go. Mr. Fisher? While Fisher was still petrified by this thought, he suddenly heard Jennifers voice coming from beside him. Fisher turned around and saw Jennifer approaching with the other blonde lady as well as several members of the Environmental Protection Association. There was a steel-forged look of determination in their eyes. You guys Before they even said anything, Fisher knew what they were thinking. It looked like they were planning to sacrifice themselves to light up the signal towers. Jennifer quickly announced solemnly, Mr. Fisher, myself, Anthony, Walton, and the others would like to volunteer to become the first group to light up the signal towers. Fisher smiled bitterly when he heard this. He wanted to tell them about his speculation but stopped himself from saying it. Although he had an idea that Blacklight Biotechnology was probably not going to let him off the hook, the tiny strand of hope he had left forbade him from saying something potentially despondent. Besides, having the two women here made things a lot more difficult than they needed to be. They were the only two women here on the island and the mercenaries have had their eyes on them since the very beginning. Unless he could come up with a solution in time, they were going to be the spark to the confrontation between himself and the band of mercenaries. When he thought of this, Fisher suddenly shut his eyes, clearly dealing with his inner conflict. Perhaps theres still some other solution We dont have any other solution left. Jennifer shook her head, her expression was still calm. This evil company wants to test our self-sacrificial spirit and mock us with it. In that case, well prove ourselves with actual actions. As she said this, she looked at the people around them who were either sitting or lying down. She announced at the top of her voice, Ladies and gentlemen, my name is Jennifer. Im sure most of you know who I am when you joined White Embers. What Im trying to say here is faith and honor, bravery and freedom How much are you going to pay for these attributes that are essential to a humans character? When they heard what Jennifer said, they turned to look with an ongoing numb expression on their faces at the hardy blonde-haired lady. Life is an invaluable object. However, when we humans live in this world, certain things are more important than life itself such as belief and freedom! Arriving at this mention, Jennifer started to look around into pairs of dark emotionless eyes staring back at her. They want to toy with our resolution, challenge our belief. Its for this reason that we should be ever more united instead of guarding ourselves against one another and be viewed as a joke! As Jennifer delivered her speech, more people started to approach and formed a ring with Jennifer at its center. Today, well be the first batch of volunteers to light up the signal towers. I know there are not a lot of us but believe me, after we begin this venture, more people will join our cause and sacrifice themselves along with us so that the remaining three hundred can survive and make it out of here! Theyll carry with them our collective wrath and exact revenge on this vile corporation! Revenge! Revenge! Revenge! They roared ceaselessly. With Jennifers impromptu speech, a torch was lit in many peoples eyes. In just several minutes, more than thirty people stepped out from the crowd and motioned to join the group and sacrifice themself to light up the signal towers. Seeing this further inspired passion in the gathered flock. Fisher felt compelled to step forward and stand beside Jennifer to announce, Everyone, we must be grateful for this group who volunteers to sacrifice themselves for us. But please dont forget that inside that harrowing jungle are five monsters trying to hunt us down. Therefore, I hope that everyone can begin forming small teams to cover for them while they light the signal towers and then escort them back to the safe zone, can we do that? The crowd agreed with a collective grunt. Fisher heaved a silent sigh of relief when he saw the reception. It was certainly true that in times of trouble, the hearts of men were more prone to such shifts. Times like this were the ideal time to establish leadership as people were more likely to band together. Upon considering this, Fisher quickly pressed his advantage and used this opportunity to divide the volunteers into different groups and began drafting their plan for lighting the signal towers. They formulated their plan from early morning until late noon and during this period, more people joined their cause either by way of choice or peer pressure. After all, as the people who joined slowly began to increase, they would naturally begin to suspect what the others were up to. Under this mounting snowball effect, the lone wolf mercenaries saw how the situation was unraveling for them and had to join as well. Of course, there was the occasional stubborn mercenary who expressed the slightest bit of interest in being involved with Fishers crew. They ended up getting beaten to death by the enraged mob. After the excited crowd got rid of two people who tried to step out of line, the rest were assigned to tasks like scouting, collecting resources or guard duty. All in all, everyone had joined the crusade started by Jennifer. At the end of the day, it was a tall task to convince people to sacrifice themselves. Most of them only gave their word to protect the volunteers who set out to light the signal towers and to safely escort them back to the safe zone. After all, they were all informed of the rules of the game in the event that the person who lit a signal tower died, the tower would also be extinguished. In the end, thirty-three people in total volunteered to be the first group willing to sacrifice themselves. Each one of them was assigned to thirty-three separate groups. Apart from the volunteers, there were an additional five to six people in each group acting as their guard. If they ran into the wandering monsters inside the jungle, the sole duty of the guard was to ensure the volunteer made it back to the safe zone, whatever the cost. This is the most ideal solution possible when facing such a crisis like this. The sociologist Adenauer commended, Humans can be extremely motivated creatures, provided that a suitable leader is leading them. Undoubtedly, Fisher is an extremely qualified individual with great leadership qualities. Is Blacklight Biotechnology really not considering recruiting him at all? Samuel frowned when he heard this comment. These people are as cunning as they come. They even went as far as to kidnap my daughter and threaten me. Professor Adenauer, Im well aware that you yearn for the upper-class life and want to fit yourself into the mold at all costs, but its simply foolish behavior to plot little ideas like this on an experiment subject. Its because weve already handed them their death sentence from the very moment they arrived at this island! Adenauer made a gesture and tried to counter his argument before Professor Erickson suddenly cut them off. Alright, both of you, save your bickering for some other time. For now, lets just patiently observe how they progress from here on. With that, he directed his attention back to the giant display and suddenly stated loudly, Look, theyve divided themselves into smaller groups and are setting out now. Hold on, some of them are giving their communication devices to the volunteers? This came off as a shock to them as everyone turned to the display. Sure enough, many people were giving their communication devices to the volunteers. With this one maneuver, the people who dont have their communication device can stay in the safe zone without being hunted by the tyrants. Meanwhile, the volunteers wont be restricted to only lighting one signal tower but can light five or even ten instead Professor Erickson quickly turned to Yoru Kamidera who held his silence all this time. Mr. Consultant, does this count as a loophole inside the game? Should we report this? No need. Yoru Kamidera held his still expression and shook his head. The rules of the game were never something we needed to pay attention to. Thats their game as far as were concerned. After stating that, Yoru Kamidera looked at the first group approaching a signal tower as his expression became grave. Our work has only just begun. Chapter 347 - Rotten After only traveling for twenty minutes, Fisher had led his team of five to the first point of their mission. As they slowly paved their way through the dense thicket of the jungle, a pylon that looked like a high-voltage tower standing about five meters tall immediately came into view. Were here! Fisher gasped heavily and made a signal to the group behind him before approaching the bottom of the tower right away. Looking up from the bottom of the signal tower, it was immediately apparent that the steel tower was a bit taller than the surrounding trees. There was a white spotlight on the top of the tower that appeared like a round pearl among the ancient jungle. Surely enough, the signal tower would be visible from the top of the mountain once lit up. This is the first target of our expedition. Fisher spread out the map made from torn pieces of clothes and nodded when he looked at it. We need to light up three signal towers. This is the tower closest to us. With that, he turned to the blonde-haired lady who had been silent all this time. Ill do it! Jennifer nodded as she took a deep breath and approached the bottom section of the signal tower. Fisher quickly waved and motioned for the others to get back. Jennifer was going to light up the signal tower. The black sphere Gantz mentioned that a curse will be placed upon lighting the signal tower. What does this curse refer to? Virus, toxic fumes? Or is it something else Fisher muttered to himself. His expression became extremely dark as he did so. He was prepared to immediately evacuate to the safe zone at the drop of a hat if he noticed something odd. Below the tower, Jennifer raised the communication device in her hands and pressed into the button to light up the signal tower! One second, two seconds, three seconds After several seconds had passed, Jennifer remained still like a statue in place, still maintaining her motion of pressing the button. Jennifer? Fisher could not stop himself from calling out to her. It was only then when Jennifer slowly came back to her senses. She blankly shifted her attention away from the display on the communication device and turned to Fisher. Did something happen just now? No, nothing happened at all. Fisher looked at the top of the signal tower and noticed that the spotlight was turned on silently. However, there did not seem to be any visible change in the signal tower or Jennifer herself. Jennifer also looked up and said as she approached Fisher, I didnt feel any curse or anything else either Before she could finish, she suddenly stumbled. When she approached her group, everyone including Fisher instinctively took a step back. Jennifer Are, are you feeling alright? Fisher quickly reacted and mustered out a smile. Its great to see that youre fine. I thought that the curse would be some sort of biological weapon like rabies! Its not. I didnt feel anything at all. Jennifers expression turned darker as she shook her head and said with a bitter smile, I only saw a strange image appearing on the communication device. When I clicked the confirmation button, the image disappeared. What kind of image? Fisher immediately asked. Jennifer seemed to have returned to her usual self as she expressed curiously, Its hard to describe. That picture gave off a gross impression, its like Its like a pile of dead bodies or a bunch of foul-smelling, dirty garbage piling together into a pattern. It gives off a filthy impression. Is that so? Fisher frowned. This is the curse that black sphere Gantz mentioned? That cant be it This isnt the time to discuss these things. Lets go ahead and light up the second signal tower. Jennifer shook her head. She saw her group keeping a noticeable distance from her and decided to just go ahead by herself. Be careful of those monsters wandering around here, lets catch up to her! Even Fisher felt like he had a hard time keeping it together. He quickly motioned for the people behind him and quickly caught up to Jennifer. Apart from the five humongous Tyrants, there seemed to be minimal threat in this ancient jungle that had not had anyone set foot on it for countless years. They did not even run into any venomous snakes or vicious creatures. Within three hours, they had lit up the remaining two signal towers. After that, they only had to bring Jennifer back to the safe zone to declare this a successful mission. After completing this signal tower mission, they would only have to light up another one hundred towers closest to the safe zone. This was also a way for them to experiment with how they could circumvent the rules. If it proved to be successful, the remaining hundred towers should be achievable as well. There were good reasons they did not choose to light up all the signal towers in one go. First of all, because there were Tyrants in the jungle waiting for them and the risk increased exponentially the further they went into the jungle. Secondly, they could at least minimize the risk if the people in charge would not allow them to play around with the rules like this. On the way back, nothing abnormal seemed to have occurred to Jennifer who had lit up the signal towers. What are the odds that the so-called curse doesnt even exist in the first place? What if they are just bluffing us? Thats what Ive been saying. How do you expect something like dark witchcraft to be a thing? Turn someone into ashes in a day? Thats impossible! There was the occasional small talk among the group, expressing their relief at how things had turned out. Fisher also started to settle down slowly. He smiled at Jennifer. Thank you, Jennifer, youre a hero. I sure hope so. Jennifer only squeezed a forced smile, not appearing to be in good spirits. Just as Fisher was trying to come out with something to say to redeem his image, his pupils suddenly shrunk. He suddenly noticed that there was a cloud of black substance permeating through Jennifers stained back. The substance crawled out from Jennifers back and had spread to the back of her neck. Also, the substance did not appear to be something that was produced from the forest, but something that had grown directly from her skin What appeared to be ashes were clinging onto the back of Jennifers neck. When her shirt brushed against it, pieces of black ashes dropped onto the ground. After the pieces broke off, what appeared was not the texture of Jennifers skin, but a large sunken sore The sore was horribly pale, mixed with the stark pink of flesh under it. It seemed to be steadily spreading out, invoking a great sense of terror when one looked upon it. However, despite having such a large sore forming on her, Jennifer seemed to have hardly noticed it at all. Is this the curse the black sphere spoke of? Fishers eyes fluttered. His previous sense of relief had all but dissipated into thin air. It was true, the curse was real and was happening to Jennifer already While a terrible shiver climbed through every part of Fishers skin, Jennifer seemed to have sensed his eyes on her and turned to him curiously. What are you looking at? No, nothing! Fisher quickly brushed her off and quickly hastened his footsteps as he took the lead in front. We better quickly return to the safe zone, be careful not to make any loud noises, the monsters could be stalking nearby at any given time! With that, the crew moved along without so much as a whisper. They continued their journey like this for another two hours. Just as they were starting to feel exhausted, they re-entered the safety ring of the safe zone. One after another, they allowed themselves to collapse onto the safe ground and laughed and celebrated. It was then when Jennifer suddenly unleashed a sharp, nightmarish shriek. When everyone turned to look at the commotion, they saw that Jennifer was tearing away at her long strands of hair with her face expressing horror. With a relentless tear, a huge chunk of hair on the back of her head was torn right off along with a black chunk of rotten flesh clinging onto them Chapter 348 - Deterioration A disease known as Filth was starting to spread on the uninhabited island. The symptoms were that black ashes would begin forming on the limbs and body of the afflicted. These ashes would eventually spread across the body and expand their effects into other sections of the skin and turn them into the same ashes. What was even more terrifying was that the ashes could spread into the body. The ashes started with only affecting the outer layer of the skin but as time passed, not only did it spread outward, it began to spread inward deep into the skin as well. The flesh, arteries, veins, even bones More teams were returning to the camp from their successful expedition of lighting the signal towers, but there was not the slightest hint of joy painted on the faces of the returning members. This was because each volunteer who lit up the signal tower was covered in these black ashes. Some of the volunteers suffered its effects around the elbow region and it had spread through the greater half of their arm. The black ashes fell off constantly until all that was left of their arm was withered bones For some of the volunteers, it was their feet. The several hours journey had completely shattered their legs and they had to be carried back by the others. Meanwhile, some of the volunteers had black ashes stemming from their faces. They had essentially become blind and more than half of their face had corroded, leaving the brain structure inside the skull exposed. This was the situation the people in the safe zone were currently dealing with. More than thirty people have lost the ability to care for themselves at all. Watching the hellscape shown on the display, Yoru Kamidera turned to the researchers with their eyes widened and mouths agape. Everyone, this is what well be researching So, what exactly is this curse you speak of? Is this some sort of bacteria? Virus? Biological weapon? Both Adenauer and Erickson turned to Samuel for answers. After all, Samuel was the only certified biologist in the entire research team. Safe to say that even Samuel was just as confused as they were. When he saw everyone turning to him for an explanation, he could only smile bitterly. Consultant Yoru, please spare us the suspense. Im sure that youre the only one in this entire laboratory who knows what the curse is, am I right? Everyone, please dont be mistaken as this curse has nothing to do with biological weapons so you may rest assured. Yoru Kamidera reassured. After all, this curse is far more powerful than biological weapons. If you compare its destructiveness to biological missiles, you should imagine it as comparing fireworks and nuclear missiles. What! Hearing Yoru Kamidera state that this curse was unrelated to biological weapons eased their concern a little, but the sentence immediately after that stunned them yet again. Im sure every one of you here has heard of the phrase meme. Yoru Kamidera continued. This phrase originated from the book The Selfish Gene by the famous British scientist Richard Dawkins. It discusses the role played by genes in the process of biological evolution in the context of transmission of language, ideas, beliefs, behaviors, and whatnot. Alternatively, it can be viewed as a measurement unit for messages. Just like regular genetics, it has the shared characteristics of heredity, variability, and selectivity. I do know this. I know about this as well. Both Erickson and Adenauer nodded in unison when they heard of this. After all, they were professionals in psychology and sociology and had at the very least heard of the term. In that case, itll be much easier to explain this. Yoru Kamidera nodded before raising his head and called out, X-112, you can print the information now. Please print several additional copies. Understood! An electronically synthesized voice of a woman was heard across the laboratory. Who were you speaking to? That was the computer in the laboratory just now? Where is her host machine? Oh my, she can understand such abstract languages? They were all extremely surprised by this sudden occurrence. She certainly is the computer of the laboratory. All of you have actually seen her host machine already. Yoru Kamidera pointed at the pitch-black spire on the display. This is her host, her name is X-112. As it is, Im the only one given the authorization to access her. Are you kidding me? Erickson was in disbelief. How can the host of a computer be that gigantic black spire? Its the truth. Yoru Kamidera did not further explain but instead handed out the copies of printed information to each one of them. Samuel took the print, still undecided on what he had just been told. He saw that the first page contained a strange image. It was a picture that deeply unsettled a person on a biological level. Based on Samuels observation, he saw that the picture had several nuances used to exploit psychological perception. Let the chaotic scribbles looked like thousands of rotting corpses stacked on top of each other, painting an extremely violent and bloody imagery. Upon closer inspection, he saw that this picture was a scribbled mess composed of irregular and disorderly lines and color polygons. Additionally, the four corners of the picture were blacked out. When Samuel saw this, he was filled with a strange sense of disappointment of not being able to see the full picture. Alright, back to the main topic. Yoru Kamidera began his explanation, What you are looking at now is a meme known as Filth. Its a meme that assumes the form of a picture as a transportation medium. When you see this picture, youll turn into ashes within a day, just like these victims. The hands of the three professors and the other assistants trembled when they heard this. Even the usually stout Samuel shivered at the thought of it. Professor Erickson, didnt you previously ask me how messages are supposed to kill people? Yoru Kamidera turned to the silent Erickson. Now I can tell you the answer. These messages that transmit themselves in the form of pictures can turn anyone who sees it into a measly pile of ashes. This is how it can be utilized to kill! You mean that anyone who sees this picture will end up like that? Then didnt we just Some of the researchers among the group were starting to lose their nerves. Dont worry, the full effect of the meme can only be triggered upon seeing the full image. Nothing is going to happen to you all now. Yoru Kamidera assured them. What you see now is a cropped version. They let out a collective faint sigh of relief when they were assured of this. But how exactly does this work Erickson was visibly puzzled. How does a mere picture achieve this effect? Is it a physiological virus? Memes arent viruses. Yoru Kamidera shook his head. It does indeed qualify as a physiological virus if it requires a transmission material and a medium. The spread of a virus can only be possible provided theres a transmission medium such as air or blood. However, the Filth image doesnt require either of this. It doesnt need a transmission source nor a transmission medium although strictly speaking, the image itself can be viewed as the transmission source while vision and sight is its transmission medium. Anyone who sees the picture will be infected by Filth. This is how its transmission operates! Chapter 349 - Deterioration 2 Their wounds are already showing signs of becoming inflamed and infected One day, after the end of their tasks, a member who was responsible for looking after the volunteers slowly stood up and shook his head at Fisher beside him. If we have no medicine, only a small number of these 30-odd people will survive. Fishers face was rather gloomy. He looked at the wounded who were laid out in a row. These were the volunteers who had lit the signal towers before. However, just as the Gantz sphere had said, now these volunteers were suffering from a terrifying curse. In some parts of their bodies, a large patch of black ash had appeared. This ash continued to spread, eroding every inch of their skin, but the hosts seemed unaware of it. This ash would not be detected until it had eroded deep enough to start affecting the hosts movements. Nonetheless, the Gantz sphere was also right in that, after entering the safe zone, the black ash did not continue to spread. Even so, the wounds under the black ash did not disappear. Instead, they turned into hideous and fatal wounds. Moreover, without antibiotics, these volunteers developed signs of infection due to extensive skin ulceration. Fisher thought to himself silently. Their deaths would not have mattered much but Fisher must not let them die because after these people died, the signal towers they had lit would go out again, wasting all of their previous efforts. Therefore, this group of people must not die, at least not until they had left the d*mn island Send someone to look for herbs. We still need more herbs and water to clean the wound! Thinking of this, Fisher ordered again. He added in an inspiringly righteous manner. We mustnt let this group of heroes die in such pain, absolutely not! At once, members of the Environmental Protection Association were half-coerced and half-herded by the mercenaries. They once again left the area of the safe zone to look for water at the mountainside. D*mn it, why is it us again? On the way, the group of Environmental Protection Association members cursed loudly and a blond youth said unhappily, Didnt you notice? The group of mercenaries did almost nothing. All they do is eat, drink, and relieve themselves on the top of the mountain. Yet they make us come out and take the risk to collect supplies. Its not fair! Indeed, we risk our lives to collect these things. Whether its gathering supplies or transporting clean water, and its almost just us who take care of the wounded. Even with the lighting of the signal towers, its our people who voluntarily went. What have they actually done? Suddenly, someone chimed in helpfully. Yes, the weak should receive more protection! When we return, lets suggest to Fisher that those mercenaries should also do their due duty! The group kept on complaining, grumbling noisily as they came to the only river on the island and began to collect clear water. If you ask me, we should make a suggestion to Fisher. Let the mercenaries, with their brains and muscles, kill those monsters, otherwise well always be in danger. And isnt it their job to protect us? Now it looks like were protecting them The blond young man kept muttering but at this moment, he suddenly felt a slight itch on his scalp. It seemed as if something had fallen from his head. The young man subconsciously stretched out his hand and scratched it, and suddenly a clump of hair was pulled off and fell into the river. The young man was startled. He slowly raised his palm in front of him and instantly, a hint of soot-like blackness appeared on his fingers and palm, which was shockingly black. Woah, woah Subconsciously, the young man let out a scream. There was a plop as the wooden container in his hand fell directly into the river while he seemed to have turned crazy, turning around and fleeing in the direction from which he came When the young man wailed and ran back to the safe zone, everyone heard the commotion and looked over. It was not until a mercenary stopped him that the young man gradually recovered his sanity. He lowered his head and pointed at it, shouting, Its a curse, its a curse, were all cursed! What happened? Fisher quickly rushed over. He parted the crowd in front of him and suddenly saw the young man who was lowering his head, pointing to a black stain on his head. Above that black stain, the young mans hair had almost fallen off completely. This mark Seeing this scene, Fisher seemed to recall something. He quickly turned his head and looked at the dozens of patients lying on the ground in the center of the safe zone. At the same time, an unthinkably horrifying possibility came to his mind! This thought chilled Fishers heart. He instinctively wanted to stay away from this young man, but when the young man saw Fishers arrival, he rushed forward as if he had seen a savior. Mr. Fisher, you must save me. Im also cursed, think of a way to save me! Get away! Fisher quickly backed away, but he was still a step too slow. His arm was directly grabbed by the young man. Instantly, Fishers wrist was smeared with black ash from the youth! D*mn piece of sh*t! Fishers pupils shrank. He broke away from the other guys palm as if he was electrocuted, while kicking him away. Quickly subdue him, dont let him approach me. Come on! However, at this moment, no one listened to his words. Everyone retreated in unison as if they had seen the plague god. No one here was a fool. This young man was a member who took care of the volunteers. As soon as he left the safe zone, he displayed the same symptoms as the many volunteers who had lit the signal towers. This scene suddenly reminded everyone of a possibility This curse was contagious! This news was like a stone that caused a thousand ripples. Everyone subconsciously distanced themselves from others and those who took care of the wounded were washing their limbs madly. In an instant, the camp that was just starting to see some sort of order had become chaotic again! Mr. Fisher! Several subordinates who were still loyal to Fisher hurried over. Mr. Fisher, what should we do now? Still, at this point, Fisher did not have time to pay attention to this group of people. He just picked up the kettle and frantically cleaned the parts of his arm that were stained by black ash. His face was pale. Fisher! Just then, a female voice rang out. Fisher subconsciously wanted to run away after hearing this voice, but after hesitating for a moment, he still stopped and looked toward the source of the sound. He saw Jennifer being supported by another blonde woman, walking slowly over. Even so, Jennifers once beautiful face was now red and swollen like an inflated balloon. There was almost no blood or flesh on the back of her head and only her pale skull was directly exposed to the air. From a distance, Jennifer was no longer like a young girl in her twenties, but an ugly red troll. Seeing this peculiar Jennifer at this time, Fishers cheek twitched, but he still smiled reluctantly. Jennifer, youre injured, you should rest more In this situation, I cant rest anymore. Jennifers voice was hoarse, like metal scratching against glass. She pleaded, Fisher, Im beyond help. You dont need to care about me, but I have a request, please, no matter what, you must take my little sister away from here! Big sister The blonde woman who was holding up Jennifer whispered in tears. Fisher looked at the blonde woman who was sticking to Jennifer and could not help but twitched his mouth. Jennifer, what nonsense are you talking about? Well all leave this place, please believe me. Fisher, are you still trying to deceive me at this point? Jennifer looked even more miserable. How many things have we done for you, up to now? You cant even agree to this simple request? When did I not agree to you? We can all leave safely. Ive always believed in this and I hope you can believe it too. Fisher frowned. Now you better lie back down. Its disorderly enough as it is. I hope you wont add to the chaos! Add to the chaos? Heh After hearing these words, Jennifer could not help but laugh in response. Then, a deep bone-rumbling voice came from her mouth. Hahahahahaha The laughter grew louder and louder. Even her sister began to notice something was wrong and subconsciously moved away from Jennifer. Fisher only felt an uneasy premonition getting stronger and stronger. He inadvertently looked behind Jennifer, where the huge spire tower suddenly flashed with a red light! This red glow glimmered across the surface of the spire and then disappeared. In Fishers eyes, it was as if the spire tower was in operation at first, but after the red light flashed past, the operation of the spire was suddenly halted What the h*ll Fisher had no time to think about the meaning of the spire towers red light flashing and vanishing. He only noticed that Jennifer trembled suddenly at the same time that the spire seemed to be shut down! It began as only a slight tremor at first, but as time passed, her bodys shaking became more intense. In the end, it was as if she was being electrocuted and even her entire body twitched with afterimages! At last, before everyones horrified eyes, red flesh and blood rapidly grew all over Jennifers body. This flesh and blood continued to grow and spread. Finally, Jennifer directly no longer looked like a human being but a monster made of endless flesh and blood! Chapter 350 - The End It was as if countless blood-red long worms had grown out of Jennifers body. Each of these long worms was dozens of centimeters long and it took almost just the blink of an eye to cover Jennifers body! As everyone watched on in terror, Jennifer had turned into a monster made of endless flesh and blood! With a soft deflating sound, Jennifer seemed to melt and slumped to the ground. At the same time, the flesh and blood all over her body spread out in all directions like tentacles. Fishers reaction was the fastest. When she began to mutate, he had backed away. By the time she became a monster, he had withdrawn five or six meters away. One must say that Fisher had a very high intuition for danger. In the next second, the monster suddenly ejected two tentacles. The two subordinates beside Fisher could not dodge in time and were directly ensnared by the tentacles! Seeing this scene, Fishers heart turned to ice. Without thinking, he turned around and fled. Still, he noticed that several other cursed volunteers behind him also began to shudder and then endless flesh and blood surged from their facial features and wounds. Their entire body was completely transformed into a mass of flesh and blood without a shape! Run, quickly run! Save me! Agh, d*mn it, I was caught The once-safe zone seemed to be turned into a hell on earth and screams were ringing in Fishers ears. He had exhausted all his strength by the time he crawled into the jungle. After escaping into the jungle, Fisher looked behind him in shock but saw that on the ground of the safe zone, the infected group had all turned into a pool of flesh and blood. These substances continued to wriggle on the ground, seemingly fused like a fluid as they spread in all directions at the same time Those who were caught were incessantly crying for help in the heap of flesh and blood, but this strange substance seemed to have some kind of extreme peculiar power. It directly enveloped them and was still slowly digesting them. Could the end of the world be upon us Fisher stared at all of this blankly, but at this moment, he suddenly felt a chill in his back and a heart-piercing agony suddenly struck him! Fisher turned his head subconsciously, only to see that Jennifers sister was standing behind him with a malevolent look. She was holding a sharp flint knife in her hand, the blade of which was red with blood. This is for my dear sister Her cold words sounded in his ears but Fisher found that when he was dying, he did not have much fear and instead was overcome by a sense of relief. Perhaps this world was ending Fisher only had time to twitch the corner of his mouth, revealing a wry smile, and then his eyes turned darker. Finally, he had completely lost consciousness One day, two days, three days Three days later, on the Blacklight which was moored ten kilometers away from the island, Chen Chen looked at the experimental island with a hint of solemnity. The lush island was once full of emerald green mountains and completely covered by vegetation. However, at this time, most of the island had turned red. This was a horrifying bright red as if the entire island was covered in a layer of flesh and blood. Looking from a distance, it was an eerie bloody sight. Even from ten kilometers away, Chen Chen could smell, through the scent of seawater, the stench that was unique to flesh and blood. Moreover, that patch of flesh and blood was still growing endlessly as if it wanted to cover every inch of the island Sir Godfather. When Chen Chen was observing the island, Little Xs voice suddenly came from the speakers behind him. Weve sent a Black Knight to the island. After testing, weve learned that flames can cause damage to this patch of flesh and blood and this patch also cannot grow in water. Thats good news. Chen Chen said without looking back, If this is the case, then send someone to collect a small sample of the flesh patch. After the collection is completed, the entire island will be burned to prevent this thing from spreading. Understood By the way, Sir Godfather, there has also been a message from Yoru Kamidera. Theyve thoroughly researched the patch of flesh and blood and now theyre also requesting to return. Little X continued to report. There are no issues with them? Chen Chen did not immediately agree but turned to ask. No issues. Everything is under the control of X-112. Although X-112 is still unable to control memetic effects, a little interference is still doable. If these people are infected with memes, X-112 will know. I can be rest assured then. Chen Chen nodded. Then bring that group back. By the way, ask Yoru Kamidera and X-112 to jointly prepare a complete report for me. Yes. When Samuel and the others carefully exited the underground laboratory under the escort of the Black Knights, they immediately saw a dense blanket of flesh and blood on the top of the mountain. This mass of flesh had turned into a blanket of vegetation-like fungus, covering the grounds surface and wriggling regularly as if breathing. When Samuel stepped on this fungal spread, he only felt a softness under his feet, like stepping on an endless stretch of internal organs. It was a very disgusting feeling Dont worry. Under the control of X-112, these things will not attack us. Yoru Kamidera followed out from behind, looking at the blanket of flesh and blood, and could not help looking rueful. This time, we hit the jackpot. With only 500 lives, we fully observed the mutation process of the memetic effect. Believe me, this experiment will greatly help Blacklight Biotechnology and X-112 in studying memes As he spoke, Yoru Kamidera walked straight to the jungle ahead, only to see trees and branches covered in a shroud of flesh and blood. In other words, this flesh and blood patch not only captured humans and absorbed nutrients from the soil, but could also digest and absorb plants Is this mutation random? Or is it controlled by this artificial intelligence? Samuel asked. Of course, its random. X-112 is like a human being, it can only learn from scratch. Yoru Kamidera walked to the spire and stretched out his hand to pat it. Over the entire island, only its surface was still smooth, and no flesh and blood could attach to the spiral tower. If this carpet of flesh and blood was given a few years, wouldnt the entire Earth be completely swallowed by it? Someone suggested this in a soft voice and everyone was secretly shocked at once. Samuel and the other researchers had nothing to say, but trod cautiously on the endless blanket of flesh and blood, lest it attacked them. After all, when they were in the laboratory, they could see how these blankets of flesh and blood had attacked humans. About ten minutes later, the Mi-26 transport helicopter flew over from the Blacklight and stopped at the top of the mountain. When the helicopter took off again, it carried away everyone on the island and the Gantz server. After waiting for the helicopter to fly far away, several other helicopters took off from the Blacklight and dumped a large amount of fuel on the island. A few hours later, the entire island began to burn. In the end, the massive patch of flesh and blood on the island was reduced to a 100-meter-thick plume of smoke in the blaze. Everything was burned to a crisp, completely burying all traces of the experiment here Chapter 351 - Obliteration Catalyst [Memetic Effect: Flesh Carpet.] [Origin: 1 June 2024, in the temporary observation experiment project on Gantz Island, produced by the memetic mutation of infected person No. 0130 who was infected with Filth. Temporarily named Flesh Carpet.] [Description: Flesh Carpet is a special memetic with infectious disease properties. From its appearance, it looks like it is formed by laying flesh and blood on the ground. Therefore, the name Flesh Carpet is derived from this image. Unlike the conventional type of memetic effect, Flesh Carpet has a dual nature resembling infections and plants.] [Symptoms: At present, all known infected persons have been assimilated as part of the Flesh Carpet. When someone is infected, they will mutate from their original biological form to a mass of vegetation composed of flesh and blood. It will indiscriminately attack all creatures within a certain range, including but not limited to humans.] [Mode of transmission: The flesh carpet has extremely terrifying transmission ability. Any life form touching the carpet of flesh and blood, including but not limited to humans, will be 100% infected. At the same time, its transmission is divided into two forms violent predation and infection transmission.] [Violent predation: it stretches out a tentacle to ensnare and capture the target. If the target is a creature, it will be dissolved and digested within twelve hours. If the target is a plant, the carpet of flesh and blood will not attack the opponent, but will directly digest it using its body.] [Infection transmission: The infected person has no abnormalities at the beginning, but over time, the infected persons body surface will display a rash, which is an early symptom. At this time, the infected person is already clearly infectious and can spread the rash to any healthy life forms around. The rash will cover the infected persons body entirely after 30 hours. At the same time, influenced by the memetic effect, the infected person will eat as much as possible and conserve energy. This is a mid-term symptom.] [About forty to fifty hours later, the infected person will melt into a puddle of flesh and blood without warning and begin to attack all life forms around them. This is a late symptom.] [It has not been verified whether the infected person can be cured when they are experiencing the first and second stage symptoms.] [Weakness: Fire can kill the flesh carpet and it also cannot survive in water or an environment without oxygen and soil. Therefore, the difficulty of suppression is low.] After reading the report in his hand, Chen Chen nodded and tossed the report to Yoru Kamidera behind the office desk. You did a good job. Although its not perfect, in this experiment, the timing you chose to shut down X-112 was still appropriate. At that time, X-112 proactively reminded me that abnormal fluctuations in memetic readings were detected. Based on my years of experience, I thought that this should be the phenomenon of memetic mutation, so I asked X-112 to temporarily shut off the Dead Space. Yoru Kamidera replied a little shyly, Sure enough, once the Gantz servers suppression of memes was lifted, Filth immediately mutated and eventually generated a new memetic effect. All of this was recorded by X-112. Very well, you may leave. Chen Chen waved his hand. Yoru Kamidera immediately lowered his head and slowly exited the office. X, send me a copy of the information recorded by X-112. After Yoru Kamidera had left, Chen Chen spoke at once, and suddenly, the printer by his hand started to print out various dazzling, dizzying patterns. These patterns were all similar to Basilisk, but in fact, this was the E language used by the god-level civilization in the Gantz dimension. However, when human beings were dealing with this ordinary language, a little improper handling could destroy human civilization more than 10,000 times This was the gap between civilization levels. Thinking of this, Chen Chen flipped one hand over and a transparent NZT-48 appeared in his hand. He swallowed the drug directly and then closed his eyes. About thirty seconds later, Chen Chen opened his eyes and looked at the intricate patterns in his hand again. This time, his eyes were fixed on the patterns as if he wanted to imprint all of them into his brain. Nonetheless, within a dozen minutes, faint blood veins appeared in Chen Chens eyes as if his brain power was overused. As Chen Chen gritted his teeth, a trace of blood flowed from the corner of his mouth, which looked sinister. Just like this, half an hour had passed. When Chen Chen closed his eyes again, his expression finally regained its tranquility. I still cant do it Chen Chen murmured. He sensed that his brain could clearly engrave every detail of the patterns, but within a few seconds, these details were forgotten again as if the hippocampus of the human brain could not store this at all. All the information had merely passed in and out of his mind Sir Godfather, youve failed again? Little Xs voice came. Could it be a physiological reason? After all, we cant determine the life form of another civilization at all. Both sides are likely to have extremely high civilization barriers. Perhaps only their life form can master the knowledge of memes? Impossible. However, Chen Chen insisted. Science isnt impenetrable. Things that cannot be detected can only mean that they dont exist. Moreover, I dont think that the concept of memes was created by an alien civilization. Just like the concept of science, can you say that science didnt exist before humans discovered science? Stop kidding me! Chen Chen smiled coldly. In my opinion, the so-called E language is more like a kind of civilized technology, just like the physics formula that weve summarized. These Basilisk patterns are using visible text to encapsulate the intangible memes, which means that the Basilisk pattern is the manifestation of the meme. You can say that the Basilisk pattern is a memetic effect, but a memetic effect is by no means a Basilisk pattern. What you said makes sense. Little X said thoughtfully, But doesnt this conflict with your current state? Youve already taken NZT-48, but you still cant memorize this E language. Why is that? The answer is simple. Chen Chen thought for a while and said, When youve eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth that civilization has set a password for its language. Password? Its a simple principle. If you want to launch a nuclear bomb, you have to enter a string of keys. If you store your wealth in the safe, youll also set a password to prevent others from stealing it. Then this E language that can control memes, would it not have a password too? Chen Chen asked, If you think of it this way, everything can be explained. The memetic effect itself is a new system beyond common sense and existing scientific frameworks. If that is the case, wont the E language itself also have a memetic effect that prevents other civilizations from learning the E language? Little X suddenly saw the light. I understand. For that god-level civilization, E language is like a weapon. Although they can control this weapon perfectly, they are also afraid that lower civilizations will obtain this weapon and use it as a shortcut to reach the same level as them. Therefore, they added a lock to their weapons. In this way, even if a lower civilization gets this weapon, it cannot be used because it cannot be unlocked! Thats exactly it. Chen Chen snapped his fingers. Thus, X-112 is a very important entry point. The god-level civilization may not have thought that our lower civilization would invent something like artificial intelligence. Based on the fact that their black spheres need to borrow human brains to perform calculations, that civilization probably didnt open the artificial intelligence branch of the technology tree, so X-112 can take advantage of the loophole and come into contact with the E language In other words, this is a godsend! Thinking of this, Chen Chen had a flash of inspiration. Since the E language can set a lock to prevent other civilizations from learning it, can we also encrypt our data with memes to prevent leakage? After thinking about it, Chen Chen asked, X, communicate with X-112 and find out based on its current understanding of the E language, can it set a special pattern so that ordinary people will die immediately when they see this pattern, but people in our Gods Forbidden Zone can be immune? It can be done. Little Xs voice paused for a moment and then replied, Although X-112 has a very simple understanding of E language, it has zoomed in on the regularity of several patterns by observing the Filth mutation process in its entirety. With this regularity, X-112 can perform subtle programming to the Basilisk pattern Eye. After this programming, Eye can still be effective on ordinary people, causing brain death in them, but if there is a vaccine, they can be easily immune. Vaccine? Chen Chen asked. The so-called vaccine is a Basilisk pattern, but its nature is not to kill people, but to prevent people from observing the Eye and experiencing brain shutdown. Its just like getting a vaccine in advance. X replied, Moreover, X-112 can also shut down the mutation characteristic of the E language, so that the mutation probability of these Basilisk patterns will be minimized. Chen Chens eyes lit up upon hearing the words. We can try this! After he had spoken, the printer beside him squeaked again and soon, a complex and abstract pattern started to emerge on the surface of the paper. It was different from the Basilisk pattern that Chen Chen had seen before. It was a colorful pattern as if beams of light were flickering in front of ones eyes, but when one looked carefully, these patterns had no meaning. As the pattern became more and more complete, suddenly, a special kind of throbbing gripped Chen Chens mind. He seemed to experience an illusion, an illusion of being watched Chen Chen breathed a sigh of relief only when the entire picture was printed out. He picked up the picture. Is this picture the so-called vaccine? Yes, based on the cognitohazard and infohazard produced by the memetic effect, this vaccine can generate a special cognitive exemption. You only need to see this pattern to avoid any cognitive harm caused by memetic attacks. Hearing these words, Chen Chen carefully observed the pattern again, only to see that there was a faint eye buried among a scribble of meaningless pen and ink. Even so, upon closer look, it seemed that there was nothing. Yes, it was just a set of abstract images that did not make any sense. Maybe some performance artists could talk enough bull and sell it for one or two hundred yuan. Well, after seeing this picture, you have been implanted with the vaccine in advance. Next, please take a look at another pattern. Following Little Xs words, another pattern was printed out by the printer again. Chen Chen looked at it and found that the second picture was dozens of times more complicated than the first. Chen Chen just took a look and could not help frowning. This pattern also depicted an eye, but this eye was formed by the overlapping of countless eyes. Some of them were laughing, some were crying, and some showed a touch of tenderness, just like a lovers smile. Some were full of fear as if gazing into an infinite abyss Countless eyes layered on top of each other and finally formed such a peculiar pattern. This is Eye? Chen Chen could not refrain from gasping. He was sure that it was not the first time he saw this pattern. Once in the Gantz dimension, he saw this pattern out of carelessness. At that time, he had spent dozens of minutes just to get used to it. Still, he never expected to see it again in reality this time. Even so, it was different from before. At this time, although Chen Chen was still a little dizzy after seeing this pattern, this was completely unlike how he used to react, when he almost passed out. Currently, he just felt an unusual nausea and this feeling was getting weaker and weaker as his brain continued to adapt. This is the Eye that was modified by X-112. Little X replied, But please rest assured. Youve seen the vaccine in advance, so this new Eye will not cause any damage to you. With that, the entire picture was completely discharged from the printer, but Chen Chen was no longer feeling any discomfort. So, thats it. Chen Chen wore a look of realization. Is this modified Eye different from the previous one in other respects? Apart from eliminating its variability, theres not much difference, but it can be mitigated by another pattern. Little X replied, We only need to use this Eye as a watermark for our confidential documents so that we can indiscriminately target all spies who have no authority, who still try to read confidential documents. Very well. Then my question is this. Chen Chen snapped his fingers. How long is the effect of this vaccine? After all, you have to understand that the human brain can forget. Will the implantation of this vaccine from too long ago cause the brain to forget it and result in the vaccine failing? Please be rest assured, the effective period of the vaccine is permanent. Little X replied, After all, its the language system of a god-level civilization. These concerns of yours will not arise at all. Is that so? Chen Chen could not help but look pensive. After a while, he said again, In that case, well give this new confidentiality mechanism a name. After all, the label of Basilisk pattern isnt conducive to classification and generalization. Well call this kind of pattern memetic obliteration catalyst Chapter 352 - Tying Up Loose Ends This is the international news channel. Im your host, Reinhard. The Minister of Energy, Mr. Zurama, on behalf of the Namibian government, officially signed an aerospace and military contract with Blackwatch on 20 May 2024. This will be the eighteenth contract between Blackwatch and the Namibian government From now on, Blackwatch will formally step into the aerospace industry and the military industry, becoming the first company under the umbrella of Namibia that balances both aerospace and military industries At present, its known that the military factory will be set up in the south of the industrial park, in the western suburbs of the Eco Science City. This will be divided into two new areas, the military industrial area and the aerospace industrial park Next is news from Europe: From 3 to 10 May, there was a large-scale disappearance case in Switzerland. The European regional government is following the matter closely. The specific details are still under investigation. The following is a reporters online report At this moment, Chen Chen was sitting in the head chair in the office, watching all kinds of news constantly being broadcast on the TV on the wall. He suddenly said, It seems that the Swiss authorities arent revealing much to the public. What they didnt mention was that many of the missing persons were members of major consortia and there were also many like you who were Entrepreneurs? Wouldnt you say so, Mr. Wynn? As he spoke, Chen Chen put on a gentle smile, turned his head, and looked at a handsome middle-aged man in a suit, who was standing across the desk. This man was about forty years old. He had the air and grace of a British aristocrat. Whoever saw him would imagine how handsome and charming he had been when he was young. However, at this moment, the mans face was extremely pale as if he had been badly frightened. Although he tried to keep calm, he still could not conceal the panic in his expression. This man was the branch manager hired by Chen Chen when he bought over the biotechnology branch in Switzerland Mr. Wynn. Wynn was originally an old man who was over 60 years old, but after the treatment of the age reversal program, he had regained his forty-something appearance. At this time, he only wore an ingratiating smile and smiled humbly at Chen Chen. Boss, is there a reason you have summoned me to the head office? If there is anything you need, I can help you unconditionally! Unconditionally? Chen Chen tilted his head and tapped the desk. Surely thats too much to ask? Not at all, not at all! Hearing this, Wynn looked overjoyed and quickly laughed. Remember, you needed the ultra-precision machine tools, right? And I helped you obtain several of them. In addition, there were many medical equipment exports that Ive also helped make possible. So now, whatever you need, I can help you do it unconditionally! Chen Chen suddenly clapped his hands and laughed loudly at the same time. Mr. Wynn, youre devoted to our company As I should, as I should! Wynn also laughed and the entire office was filled with a cheerful atmosphere for a while. Since this is the case, Ill be frank. After laughing for a while, Chen Chen sighed. Mr. Wynn, youre still very wise. You havent involved your family from beginning to end. In that case, please be rest assured that well not involve your family as well. We also will not revoke the benefits we gave you. Hearing this, Wynns expression finally darkened and he said bitterly, I understand, this is indeed what I deserve I wont blame you. Any last words? Chen Chen asked at last. Wynn was silent for a while and after a moment, he said again, Theres nothing much to say. If anything, Id like to ask that, no matter what, please dont tell my son about my death and please protect him. Let him successfully take over the inheritance of 5 billion Swiss francs in my bank. Sure. Chen Chen nodded without hesitation. Then, two Black Knights outside the door immediately walked in, took Wynn by his arms, and dragged the despairing man out of the room What awaited him was the fate of being recycled as an experimental subject in the Spires laboratory. The reason for this was that after being kidnapped by White Embers before, Wynn finally chose to call Chen Chen and thoroughly carried out the plan to lure Chen Chen to Switzerland. The only unfortunate thing was that when he chose to call Chen Chen to betray him, the White Embers organization had been fully decapitated. In other words, even if he had chosen to reject the White Embers organization at that time, his kidnapped son would have been fine. However, there were no ifs and buts in this world. Ultimately, he had chosen to betray Chen Chen. Still, even betrayal was divided into levels. If it did not endanger Chen Chens life, Chen Chen would only discipline him at most, considering their existing partnership. Nonetheless, Wynn knew that the White Embers organization was going to assassinate Chen Chen, but he still decided to help White Embers. In this case, as an accomplice in threatening Chen Chens life, Chen Chen naturally would not spare Wynn. This explained the scene that just took place. After dealing with Wynn, before Chen Chens office door could be closed, Samuel walked in anxiously. Boss Samuels face was a little pale. As Chen Chen had not specifically sent him away just now, he had fully overheard the conversation between the two outside the door and understood that Wynn was completely done for. Since Wynn was his former boss, he had been acquainted with that man for more than ten years and Wynns end inevitably made him feel sad for a kindred spirit. After all, he and Wynn had had the same experience. The only difference between Samuel and Wynn was that before Samuel could even betray Chen Chen, Chen Chen had already wiped out White Embers. Samuel had searched his own heart. He realized that, after his daughter was kidnapped by the other party, if the Black Knight had not come to him first, he might have done the same thing for his daughter as Wynn did. Therefore, Samuel felt a pang of guilt after seeing Wynns end. Mr. Samuel, please sit down. As if nothing had happened, Chen Chen asked Samuel to sit down, then picked up the information on the table and said, You did a great job with the experiment on Gantz Island. Is there any reason youve come to see me now? Heres the thing. I thought about it for a long time and ultimately I still want to come to Africa. Samuel said thoughtfully, I dont know if Gods Forbidden Zone is still willing to let me join. Chen Chen did not seem to be surprised but laughed. Of course, were willing. Although your achievements in the biological field are barely adequate, the organization is still short of people. If you work hard, its not impossible that youll attain a higher position in the organization Yes, my thoughts exactly! Samuel nodded repeatedly. But I remember you didnt say that at the beginning. Suddenly, Chen Chens tone changed and he put on a puzzled expression. What caused you to change your mind? Its my daughter. Samuel sighed and smiled bitterly. Since the Black Knights rescued my daughter, she has kept asking me to come here. Maybe she hopes that her father will make something of himself. She hopes that I can forge a new path of prospects for her. So thats it. No wonder your daughter also came here this time. Chen Chen nodded. You havent revealed to your daughter that the group of people who kidnapped her has died? No, my daughter is still young, I dont want to scare her. Samuel shook his head. If possible, I still hope she knows as little about our internal workings as possible. I hope so too. Chen Chen gave a meaningful smile. Okay, I agree with your proposal. Youll live in a five-star hotel in the Eco Science City for the time being. Ill arrange a place for you in the next few days and then you can come work at the Biotechnology Research Institute. Yes, thank you, Boss! Seeing this, Samuel nodded and turned to leave. It was not until Samuel had left that Chen Chen quietly dropped his smile. If anyone was watching Chen Chen at this time, they would find that there was a picture of a blonde European girl with bright eyes and white teeth on the computer screen facing Chen Chen. The blonde girl in the photo had fair skin, sharp refined features, and a sweet smile, full of youth and vitality. If ten marks were a perfect score, the girl could score at least seven points. The resolution of this photo was also extremely high. Chen Chen could even see some tiny freckles on the girls cheeks. These freckles not only did not diminish the girls attractiveness but instead acted as a contrast, making her even lovelier and friendlier, like an angel among men. This girl was Samuels daughter, Annie. At this time, Chen Chen looked at the girls image on the screen with a smile. Initially, out of deference to Samuel, I planned to erase her memory of that past incident and let her forget everything about White Embers. In that manner, we can still get along with each other in peace. However, unfortunately, some people just keep asking for it. Shes head over heels in love with Fisher. To a woman in love, the reason doesnt exist. Little Xs voice came from the computer. But this time she has used her fathers name to try and break into Gods Forbidden Zone. Should we just let it go? Its enough to keep an eye on her. Chen Chen shook his head. Dont forget, everything is under our control. In that case, we can trace her footsteps, find the weak points of the company, and improve them. This is better than allowing spies to locate these weaknesses in the future, which would cause us greater losses. At this point, Chen Chen pressed the mouse and clicked Delete on this photo. With a swoosh, the girls photo was thrown by the computer into the recycling bin. Chen Chen finally said, Of course, when the trash is no longer useful, what must be recycled will still be recycled Chapter 353 - Musk At noon on 1 June, at Walvis Bay International Airport, a luxurious private jet slowly landed on the temporarily prepared runway. A plain-looking middle-aged man got off the plane slowly under the protection of a bodyguard. The man was wearing casual summer clothes and a pair of sunglasses that covered most of his face. Although his looks could not be seen, anyone could tell that he was of considerable status, based on the ceremonial treatment he received as well as the aura he exuded. At this time, beneath the passage, three Rolls-Royce Phantoms had already parked in front of the plane. At the same time, several men in suits stood with their hands behind them, with a young man at their head who also wore sunglasses. The instant they met, they shook hands with each other and then hugged gently as if they were old friends who were reunited. If an International Weekly reporter saw this scene at this point, they would likely be shaking all over. Although the two men here were not stars in the entertainment circle, being unrelated to that industry, their influence was still unmatched by any international star. One was the real-life version of Iron Man and the top entrepreneur across the three fields of new energy, aerospace, and electric vehicles Elon Musk. Another one was the newly emerging oligarch of the biological field, the pioneer who brought mankind into the era of anti-aging and the era of bionic transformation Chen Chen. This was the first time the two were meeting. It was a pity that no reporter was able to cover this historic scene. Mr. Musk, youre my predecessor. At this time, Chen Chen wore a humble smile on his face and said enthusiastically, I didnt expect you to be so young in reality. If I didnt know your age, Id have thought you were a thirty-year-old young man. If I can receive your companys latest age-reversal treatment program now, maybe I can return to being thirty years old. Elon Musk laughed and patted Chen Chen on the shoulder. Mr. Chen Chen, your achievements arent inferior to mine and youre younger. Your future is far greater than mine. Youre flattering me, Mr. Musk. Youre older than me, so you can just call me by name. Chen Chen said conversationally. Alright, Chen, Ill just call you that then. Musk nodded and then looked past the airport, into the direction of the rows of tall buildings on the distant skyline. If Ive guessed correctly, that place ahead of us is the jewel of human life sciences the Eco Science City, right? Thats too high a praise. This city is just an ordinary sanatorium. Im just trying to make a simple living. Chen Chen smiled and gestured. Please get in the car, Mr. Musk. Following Chen Chens invitation, Musk and one of his personal bodyguards got into the backseat of the car. Seeing this, Chen Chen simply sat in the front passenger seat. Then, Cheng Cao drove the car in the direction of the Eco Science City. Even in the car, Musk could not sit still. Being somewhat of a workaholic, he did not exchange pleasantries, but asked directly, By the way, Mr. Chen Chen, your invitation this time did mention, besides our new cooperation, that theres a new type of treatment technology that can cure a series of diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, and so on. Could I ask what thats all about? This is a brand-new technology whose real effect lies in repairing the body. It has just been tested successfully, but it hasnt been made public. Although Musks bodyguard was present in the car, Chen Chen did not evade the topic in the slightest but smiled. Furthermore, I will not disclose this technology for at least 30 years and only a few people will know the existence of this technology, and use it. I believe youve heard of it, right? Gods Forbidden Zone? Musks expression sharpened and he blurted out immediately, Only people from the Gods Forbidden Zone organization are eligible to use it? Yes, thats true. Chen Chen nodded. It was no surprise that the other party knew about Gods Forbidden Zone. After all, the name Gods Forbidden Zone was almost spreading like wildfire in the upper-class society of Europe and America and only ordinary people were still kept in the dark. But I dont mean to join any organization. Musk shook his head with a laugh, with a flash of disdain in his eyes. As an emerging titan who was striving to rise on his own, he did not think much of this kind of old-fashioned consortium that could only rely on existing capital and monopolize traditional industries. It doesnt matter, we can talk about this later. Chen Chen did not shift his expression just because of the other mans refusal and he still smiled. I know youre a technocrat and a workaholic, so Ive brought this Letter of Intent for Cooperation for you. You can take a look first. With that, Chen Chen waved one hand and a book of information appeared in his grasp out of thin air. By one side, Musks bodyguard seemed to turn blank when he saw this he could not tell what sort of trick Chen Chen had used. Conversely, Musk was not surprised by this. He raised his eyebrows, took the Letter of Intent for Cooperation, and read it directly in the car with relish. However, as he read, his face darkened This was the second collaboration between Chen Chen and Musk. A few months ago, Chen Chen spent huge sums of money to buy the lace electrode technology of Musks Neuralink company and applied it to his Xingtian bionic prosthetic project. Strictly speaking, this was the first collaboration between the two. Although Chen Chen had paid a billion dollars for this, now it seemed to Musk that he had lost out. After all, the technology usage rights of the lace electrodes were a one-off deal, but the speed by which Project Xingtian was making money was extremely ridiculous. It even appeared likely that Chen Chen would recover the cost in just two months. After entering the era of anti-aging, human beings were further drawn into the age of bionic transformation before they could even react. However, they were all powerful, influential figures. This amount of money was akin to a drop in the ocean after Musks Starlink project was launched. After all, the 12,000 Starlink satellites launched by his subsidiary, SpaceX, had covered the world and monopolized the worlds Internet broadband services except for Mainland China. This was another network technology parallel to the 5G technology led by China. Although the speed was not as fast as 5G, it did not require any server base station technology after all, but employed ubiquitous low-altitude satellites to provide global network coverage. This included the north and south poles and the ocean. The so-called Starlink project relied on a satellite network composed of tens of thousands of low-orbit satellites in space to blanket the world and provide omnipresent Internet services for the earths population. It was precisely because of this plan proposed on 16 January 2015, that Musk had formally monopolized the global internet access service this year, raking in nearly 50 billion USD each year Therefore, Musk at this time could be described as brimming with confidence. This was the peak moment of his life. Musk was not a rocket expert. His dream was not to launch rockets. His real dream was to emigrate to Mars a dream that could change human civilization. In early 2001, Musk, who was just in his early thirties, planned a project called Mars Oasis to be able to emigrate to Mars in the future. He planned to land a small experimental greenhouse on Mars. However, when he found that the cost of launching was much higher than the R&D and engineering costs of this project, he reluctantly postponed the project and decided to set up a company to study how to reduce the launch cost. Thus, the famous company SpaceX was born. On 31 May 2012, the Dragon capsule of SpaceX, a company under Musk, successfully docked with the International Space Station and returned to Earth, ushering in the era of private space transportation. On 7 February 2018, SpaceXs Falcon Heavy carrier rocket was successfully launched for the first time at the Kennedy Space Center in the United States and successfully completed the full recovery of two first-stage booster rockets. There were only three original spacecraft launch and recovery technologies in the world. They were: the North American Continent, the North Sea Continent, and Mainland China. However, from that day on, there was also an Elon Musk. Musk had also planned all this a long time ago. When the spacecraft launch and recovery technology was developed, which would save a lot of costs, he could start the Starlink project and monopolize the global Internet access services. Therefore, sufficient funds could be obtained for research on how to emigrate to Mars. Hence, when he read the content of Chen Chens Letter of Intent for Cooperation, the more he looked at it, the more he was astonished. In this Letter of Intent for Cooperation, Blackwatch Corporation began with a cooperation project worth 30 billion, asking SpaceX to help itself launch five geosynchronous orbit satellites. Moreover, this was only the first cooperation and the second cooperation was a new type of spacecraft technology. SpaceX began researching interstellar spacecraft in 2019 and by now it had produced a model of the test machine named SN7, but this could still only achieve a geosynchronous orbit. They were uncertain if it could land on Mars. Musk, who originally planned to land on Mars in 2023, had fallen into a technological bottleneck. Therefore, when he saw the new spacecraft technology mentioned in the Letter of Intent, his inner surprise was beyond words. Are you joking? At this time, Musk slowly raised his head, revealing an incredulous look. The interstellar spacecraft technology on which weve spent more than ten years in SpaceX already represents the forefront of manned spacecraft technology. Even the Earth Federation wouldnt dare to claim that they have anything better than our technology. Why do you think your spacecraft technology can be more advanced than ours? Unless You stole the interstellar spacecraft technology from China? Not at all, Mr. Musk. Chen Chens expression remained unchanged. Please forgive me for keeping the source of the technology a secret. I know you will not believe whatever I say now. In that case, I can allow you and your engineers to refer to it until youre sure that our technology is real. Then well talk about any future cooperation. How about that? Great! Musks face no longer wore a relaxed smile. He took a deep look at Chen Chen, then lowered his head and continued to look at the lengthy file of information in his hand. Nonetheless, one thing was certain it was difficult for him to be as calm as before Chapter 354 - Kidnap and a Tour Two hours later, Musk looked at the giant factories standing next to each other beneath the horizon and the truck clusters hurrying up and down the broad road. He was wearing an expression of admiration. This was a fairly complete industrial system from the extraction of raw materials, the processing of heavy industry, the refining, the factories of various finished goods, and finally the assembly factory of 10,000 people. The entire industrial chain was carried out in this vast industrial park. What was even more outrageous was that the entire industrial park here and even the resource mining company that provided raw materials, belonged to the young man next to him I think the world has greatly underestimated your assets. Standing in front of the gate of the industrial park, Musk could not help sighing. I think your actual assets are far beyond the outside worlds estimates and may even exceed the total assets of some established financial groups. The reason he said this was that in the Forbes Worlds Billionaires List in 2023, Chen Chen was assessed by Forbes to have total assets worth 50 billion USD, based on his Eco Science City and various patents. He was ranked 20th in the world and was also the youngest member on the list. Thats what you say, but in Africa, everything is worthless, including human lives. Chen Chen smiled indifferently. Whats more, Im not a businessman. For people like you and me who have big dreams, money is just a tool to serve our dreams. If the dream cannot be realized, no matter how much money there is, whats the use? Hahahaha, Chen, well said indeed! Hearing this, Musks eyes suddenly lit up. He just remembered that the young man in front of him, like himself, was constantly working hard for a certain dream his dream was to establish a permanent colony on Mars and turn humans into a trans-planetary species. Was this not the same for the anti-aging plan of this amazing young man in front of him? Blackwatch had stated on countless public occasions that the companys corporate vision was to enter the age of longevity and even move toward the dream of immortality He had to admit that the young man before him who had created a legend was indeed in line with his own ideas. After all, if he achieved his desire to emigrate to Mars in the future, he would probably be near deaths door. Must it be that just when he had fulfilled his dream, he must die of old age on Mars? Although he had said repeatedly, My dream is to scatter my ashes on Mars, Musk knew that he did not want to die. He had an endless pool of money and a talent that stood out in the world. This world was full of excitement for him. Even so, today, the development of science and technology was changing with each passing day. In this biological company, Musk also saw his hope of obtaining a higher quality of life. Due to this, he especially gave the company many preferential treatments, including the lace electrode technology, and this friendly visit. These were all manifestations of Musks goodwill. Next, Chen Chen led Musk around the entire industrial park, and then came to a satellite manufacturing factory department. This is the communication satellite we designed. In the dust-free laboratory, Chen Chen led Musk to a gigantic object. This was a spiral-shaped metallic object. Its entire body was pitch black, with a diameter of only one meter, but its height was more than four or five meters. The patterns on its surface were glimmering and it was also inlaid with a large number of scale-like lines. It was not so much a satellite than an artistic creation of intense style, exuding an indescribable peculiar aesthetic. This is Musk gaped at the strange thing in front of him, dumbfounded. As an expert in rockets and satellites, naturally, he would know that because there was no air in the vast outer space, satellites did not have to be fashioned into graceful streamlined structures like airplanes. Therefore, the shapes of satellites were varied. There were spindles, spheres, barrels, and even panes Furthermore, many satellites had their own solar panels, so when they were deployed, the satellites looked like a sailing ship. Some even carried a receiving antenna shaped like an iron pan and their appearance was far less aesthetic than that of an airplane. In any case, satellites had strong functional characteristics. Real experts could tell what functions a satellite had just by looking at it. Nonetheless, the shape of this satellite in front of him had subverted Musks perception of satellites. I suspect that this knickknack you want to launch will hardly be approved by international aerospace regulatory agencies Musk looked mystified as he joked, And this thing that you want to launch, is it for contacting aliens? I know it doesnt look like a human creation, but dont worry, Im not launching it to contact aliens. Chen Chen shook his head and solemnly said, This is a communications satellite developed by our Blacklight Biotechnology. My purpose for launching it is to provide my company with a unique encrypted communications technology. Encrypted? Yes. Chen Chen nodded. After all, Mr. Musk, you have to understand that in our kind of high-tech companies, any technology leak represents billions or even tens of billions in losses. Therefore, technology leaks are very difficult for us to bear. However, if we have a unique communication channel, things are much simpler. As he said, Chen Chen patted Musk on the shoulder. Moreover, as for the Earth Federation Space Regulatory Agency, naturally I have my ways to make it happen. Mr. Musk, you only need to launch it into a geosynchronous orbit. Hearing that, Musk could not refrain from shooting a deep look at Chen Chen, then slowly walked to the so-called satellite and touched it lightly. Musk had an ominous feeling about this satellite, especially the totem-like patterns upon its surface. When he reached out and touched it, he even had the illusion that he was touching a wriggling maggot It was a revolting, spine-tingling sensation, like touching a living thing. The technology of this satellite is very advanced. Chen Chen walked to Musks side and appraised the satellite as if it was an artwork. It weighs only about ten tons and your Falcon 9 can carry it easily. What I read in the Letter of Intent for Cooperation just now is that youre going to launch five such satellites in total? Musk asked, With a satellite in a geosynchronous orbit, only three are needed to cover all areas on Earth except the north and south poles. So, youre launching five satellites to cover even the north and south poles at the same time? Yes, thats what I had in mind. Chen Chen nodded and then said invitingly, Now that weve finished observing the satellite, what else do you want to see next? Since Ive come to the world-renowned Eco Science City, naturally the next step is to look at the life science technology of your company. Musk did not want to probe too deeply into this satellite. He thought about it and took the initiative to switch the conversation to the longevity technology that was mentioned. Didnt you say that theres a brand-new age-reversal project? If possible, I wish to take a look at that. I just hope this request doesnt bother you. Not at all, its a great honor. Chen Chen nodded. Since you want to see it, Ill naturally do my best as your host. While speaking, Chen Chen shot a meaningful glance at Cheng Cao, then turned around and walked out of the laboratory first. The so-called satellite was nothing other than a part of the Gantz teleportation technology. Chen Chens goal was to use five Gantz satellites to fully cover every corner of Earth. Then he would only need to build a few larger-sized Gantz servers to be able to use Gantz technology for teleportation anywhere globally without delay. At that time, Chen Chen would have an initial edge in contending against the Earth Federation The reason Chen Chen borrowed Musks power to launch the satellites was very simple. With the energy in Chen Chens current USB drive, he could extract something around the level of a small Bugatti Spaceship at most. However, although this type of aircraft was agile and could even navigate space at will, it simply could not take on the weight of the Gantz satellite. Although Chen Chen had applied for aerospace qualification in Namibia and had the interstellar spacecraft technology acquired from the dimension of Elysium, after all, he had no foundation in the aerospace industry. It was impossible to develop everything from scratch in just a few months and launch a ten-ton satellite from the ground into the sky. Therefore, Chen Chen would not be able to put the Gantz satellites into a geosynchronous orbit on his own for at least one or two years. If Chen Chen wanted to launch the satellites, he must entrust this to other space agencies. As the worlds best private aerospace company, SpaceX, which was owned by Musk, was naturally a good choice. In addition, it was not as if Chen Chen had not considered getting Musk to join him. After everyone got into the vehicles again, the group of three cars turned around and drove toward the Eco Science City, but gradually, the bodyguard beside Musk suddenly felt that something was fishy. This was because the bodyguards in the other two cars disappeared, along with their vehicles, when they passed a fork in the road. Boss, somethings wrong The bodyguard whispered a warning in Musks ear and then he slowly put his hand into his pocket. If I were you, I wouldnt do that. However, before the bodyguard could grab the gun in his pocket, Chen Chen, who was in the passengers seat, suddenly turned his head and glanced at the bodyguard with a smile. The next second, the bodyguard suddenly felt a pain in the back of his neck. It seemed that something had pierced him lightly. He was shocked, but before he could respond, darkness washed over him and he immediately lost consciousness All this happened in the blink of an eye. Musk stared blankly as an anesthetic needle slowly slipped out of the bodyguards neck, flew on its own into Chen Chens palm, and was put away by Chen Chen. Mr, Mr. Chen, whats the meaning of this? Musks expression darkened. I havent seemed to offend you, right? Is it just because I dont want to join Gods Forbidden Zone that you have to attack me? Youve misunderstood. Chen Chen shrugged and said innocently, I have no intention of hurting you. The reason Im doing this is just to ensure secrecy. After all, youll soon see the real secrets of our Gods Forbidden Zone The real secrets? Musk turned solemn. He looked at the busy traffic in the Eco Science City going by outside the window and was slightly relieved. I hope thats the case. Chen Chen smiled without explaining much. Soon, Cheng Cao, as the driver, drove the Rolls Royce into the underground garage of a 5A office building. At once, Musks pupils contracted involuntarily when he saw that they had arrived at such a secluded area. Still, this time, after the car officially stopped in the parking space, Chen Chen and Cheng Cao got out of the car first while Cheng Cao also considerately helped to open the door for Musk in the back. Musk got out of the car reluctantly and a damp, cold, musty smell invaded his nose, making him sneeze. Please follow me. Chen Chen nodded to the other party and walked to the elevator on the side first. Musk hesitated slightly. He looked at Cheng Cao, who was staring at him, only to sigh secretly and slowly follow Chen Chen. In this way, the three of them entered the elevator. However, when the elevator closed, no one pressed any floor button in the elevator, and the elevator moved automatically. In addition, the elevator did not go up, it was going down As he sensed the declining elevator, Musks pupils shrank even more. After all, in just half a minute, the elevator had probably descended over dozens of meters. When the elevator reached the bottom and opened its doors again with a ding, a 500-square-meter underground space was immediately revealed to Musks eyes. This was an empty subway platform. The subway platform was empty, with only two tunnel trams that looked like small trains that were stopped by the platform. The length of these two tunnel trams was about 5 meters and their entire body was fully made of alloy. The front of the carriage adopted a triangular design and the head was also marked with the Blackwatch Corporation logo. Seeing this special underground cave, Musk was even more surprised. He subconsciously looked into the distance along the track but saw that except for the platform, the tunnel stretching into the distance was completely dark. The Hive in Resident Evil? Musk could not refrain from cracking a joke in such a tense moment. Now I finally understand why Ive been getting a sense of dj vu Stop kidding around, Mr. Musk. Chen Chen boarded the tunnel tram first. The Hive isnt as hidden and complex as this underground base I built. Ill like to see for myself too. Musk replied and immediately got on the tram. After he found his footing, there was a sizzle of electric current. The tram started slowly by itself and began to move toward the end of the tunnel. Unlike the tunnel tram in Resident Evil, Chen Chens tunnel tram was more user-friendly. It not only had three rows of seats but also had a large LCD monitor, which was constantly playing the Chinese version of Crayon Shin-chan. Watching Crayon Shin-chan in the gloomy and depressing tunnel tram was a rather interesting experience. The tunnel tram was extremely fast, only taking a few minutes to reach the end of the trip. When Musk got off the train again, he was greeted by a subway platform that was almost the same as the previous one. Unlike the previous platform, there was a circular corridor at the end of the platform. At the center of the corridor was the alloy gate of two elevators. Next to the corridor, three other passages were leading to three subway platforms in other directions. In other words, across the surface of the Eco Science City, there were three other entrances in addition to the parking lot they were in. Musk understood this at first glance. Paying no mind to Musks observation, Chen Chen walked to the elevator gates in the corridor. The elevator gates opened in response, revealing a larger elevator space. This time, without Cheng Caos coercion, Musk entered the elevator again. Now, Musk felt that the elevator was starting to descend at an even more alarming speed. After several twists and turns, as Musk was increasingly gripped by intense shock, the three finally stepped into the interior of the Spire Experimental Base. Chapter 355 - A Thrilling Tour As he walked through the nightmarish corridor, Musk felt a shiver creeping up his neck. One had to admit that Resident Evil was truly a significant cornerstone of Hollywood as even someone like Musk was familiar with it. He followed Chen Chen every step along the way, a lingering fear whispered in the back of his mind, afraid that a laser would suddenly appear in front and slice him in half. After passing through the laser corridor, Musk saw a triple-layer reinforced explosion-proof gate, something that looked like it belonged in a nuclear bunker. After the three layers of gate shuffled open after the other, the escalator leading to the Spire Experimental Base was revealed. The escalator went upward. By the looks of it, the escalator traveled at least fifty meters. In other words, even if someone were to invade, they would be stalled by the fifty-meter-deep underground structure and would have no choice but to find a way to break through the nuclear bunker-like fortification. Such a reinforced defensive mechanism Musk felt every inch of muscle on his cheeks pulsing uncontrollably. To install such intricate defensive mechanisms even several hundred meters underground, you dont think this is a case of paranoia? Better safe than sorry. Chen Chen waved his hands. To be honest, I still dont think its secure enough. If possible, Id like to further improve the fortification system. Are there any other exits? Musk stepped onto the escalator and asked with mild curiosity, If the government army were to break in here, theres no point to having all these fortifications if you dont have an exit strategy. Of course. Chen Chen shrugged. Which is why I carve a kilometer-long tunnel in the underground base which passes through the Atlantic Ocean. What an absurd idea. Musk could only note Chen Chens statement with a gentle nod. He was completely astounded by this underground base he was seeing. At this point, there was very little that Musk could do so he only followed the two of them obediently. As the escalator brought them closer to the entrance, a brightly lit underground building complex quickly entered Musks view. The place was brightly lit with some sort of projection lamp shining overhead, creating an illusion of a blue sky and white clouds. Without paying close attention, it could easily fool its beholder. There was an array of large buildings in the distance. The buildings were constructed of metal, giving off a strong impression of a futuristic utopian city. Amid the arrays of buildings was an iconic building the shape of a Mayan pyramid acting as a landmark. It was nearly twenty stories tall and was a magnificent sight to behold in the underground space. Plenty of fauna that did not require sunlight to grow was planted in the midst of these buildings, forming a vast and lush underground garden. Everything Musk saw along the way was getting increasingly astonishing. Musk could feel his senses growing numb with every step he took. He felt like he just had to ask again, You constructed all of these without discussing with the local government at all? Chen Chen did not answer his question but instead only continued showing him around the collection of buildings. They went to the dock with the gates shut tight, the military camp used for training the Black Knights as well as the soilless greenhouse. After that, they went to the power station of the underground base with Chen Chen leading the way. Musk could no longer contain his disbelief when he saw a configurable nuclear fusion reactor in all its glory before him. Are you kidding me? This is a branch of technology that nobody in the world can utilize and yet youre properly incorporating it here? Are you kidding me! Calm down. As you can see, this is the real deal. Chen Chen was not bothered by Musks reaction. He continued staring ahead at the spherical device in front of him and informed, Its also worth mentioning that what youre seeing is just an inertial confinement reactor, its output can barely compare to the tokamak reactor. A better implementation would be to install it on a spaceship to serve as the nuclear engine of an interstellar spacecraft. Musk took in a deep breath when he heard this. He immediately thought of the brand-new spacecraft technology mentioned in the previous Letter of Intent for Cooperation. As if sensing what Musk was thinking, Chen Chen promptly explained, Our nuclear is currently in its research stages, its essentially a miniaturized version of the international confinement reactor. We expect a breakthrough within two years. However, the new spacecraft technology mentioned in the letter isnt this You mean to say that you have other spacecraft technology? Musk asked curiously. Yes. Chen Chen nodded. And I can guarantee that youll be greatly inspired when you see it Musk spent nearly an hour near this reactor. After all, this was the only usable nuclear fusion reactor in the entire world. There was no such thing as spending too long investigating it. Chen Chen displayed great patience as well, not once did he urge Musk to hurry. After an hour had passed when Musk had finished observing the scientific marvel, Chen Chen brought him to the entrance of the central building of the Spire Experimental Base. This building is the Spire laboratory. Chen Chen brought his guest into the Mayan pyramid-shaped building. He suddenly turned around. Mr. Musk, would you like to look at our brand-new treatment technology right away or would you like to take a look at the other bioscience technology first? Is there a difference? Musk became immediately intrigued. Of course, theres a difference. Chen Chen flashed a smile. In fact, weve mastered a branch of amnestic technique. Should you decide to not join our Gods Forbidden Zone after youve finished touring the base, we wont force you to do so as well. In that case, well be erasing your memory to ensure you dont leak our secrets to the outside world. However, if you choose to join us, well grant you access to our newest treatment technology at first notice. I understand that you have lingering trauma related to high blood pressure and diabetes, right? To the outside world, these diseases are extremely pesky to manage and may very well directly affect ones lifespan and life quality. However, such diseases are almost effortless for us to treat Is that true? Musk took a deep breath. A part of him was astounded by this memory-erasing technique mentioned, but he still managed to collect himself and asked rationally, Theres no such thing as a free lunch in the world. What do I have to contribute to become a part of Gods Forbidden Zone? If you decide to join, Ill grant you tier two qualifications as a member of the Disciple Council. Chen Chen said, The Disciples Council membership shifts every decade, Im sure youre aware of the benefits. Your contribution is very simple. We only expect the obligation of mutual aid between the association. Its that simple? Yes, it truly is just that simple. Chen Chens expression was sincere. Alright, please do show me your companys new treatment technology first. Musk took another deep breath and stated decisively. Please come with me. Chen Chen smiled quickly and brought Musk to the laboratory where the Medpod 3000 device was hosted. The Medpod 3000 no longer looked like its previous form as Little X had added another layer of outer shell to it, reiterating its original appearance. Now this Medpod 3000 device was no different from a regular NMR machine. The reason this was done was that Chen Chen thought that as he instantiated more items from different movies, there was a larger chance of members of Gods Forbidden Zone speculating theories of their own that they should not have. After all, having one or two items from movies may be brushed off as a mere coincidence, but what if there were three or four of them? What if he had five or six of them altogether? Having more of these so-called coincidences may give rise to unexpected scenarios. With that in mind, the Medpod 3000 was given a layer of disguise and converted to a common NMR machine. This machine is our latest developed machine used to repair the human body. Chen Chen made an inviting gesture. Mr. Musk, would you like a demonstration? Demonstration? Musk was mildly surprised. What kind of demonstration? Instead of answering the question, Chen Chen snapped his fingers slightly. Immediately after that, the side entrance of the laboratory opened and revealed two Black Knights bringing in a white man. The white man wore a gray jumpsuit decorated with horizontal white stripes across it. There was a large letter D stitched on the jumpsuit. He was incredibly restless and continuously tried to wring himself free. No matter how hard he resisted, the two men holding him by his arm remained still like iron walls, barely budging at all. This Musk was immediately taken aback when he saw this. What happened next would prompt a more drastic reaction from him as he would turn to Chen Chen in utter disbelief. This was because one of the Black Knights suddenly produced a dagger the length of a finger and started to viciously stab the mans chest! One stab, two stabs, three stabs The poor man shrieked in anguish as an incomprehensible amount of blood splattered in front of Musk. This caused Musk to stumble backward with his legs quivering uncontrollably. At first, the white man kept up his endless howling and struggling. After a dozen stabs, blood started seeping out of the corner of his mouth as all the strength was drained out of his body, he could hardly cry anymore. When he saw a living person dying in front of him, the insides of Musks mouth twitched uncontrollably. As a proper entrepreneur, it was the first time that he witnessed something like this. What he witnessed impacted him greatly, but the fact that he could still hold himself firmly in place was a representation of his extremely strong psychological quality. After that, the two Black Knights propped the man back up and took off his jumpsuit before carrying him to the NMR machine. Blood was oozing out of the dozens of knife wounds on the mans chest. The parts of flesh and skin where the dagger hit was turned inside out. The horrific sight further reinforced the reality of the situation. Initializing scanning. When the machine was activated, a mechanical voice came from within the machine. What followed after was an alert. Detected critical injury, initializing automated physiological repair function Repairing After the short alert from the machine, Musk saw the man being pushed into the interior section of the machine. What came after were waves of repeated buzzing. The wounds on the mans chest were rapidly recovering at a speed visible to the naked eye! Musk quickly rubbed his eyes only to confirm that what he was seeing was not his eyes playing tricks on him. The depthless marks left behind by the dagger were rapidly recovering until all that was left was a fully-repaired chest covered by the previous pool of blood. The wounds carved by the dagger had completely disappeared without a trace. On top of that, the mans chest that had become motionless started to move to the pace of his breathing again. This implied that not only had the wounds healed, but the functionality of his lungs and heart had recovered as well. Repair complete. Reinitializing scanning procedures Scanning complete. The user is in a stable physiological state. Lungs functionalities are stable. Heart functionalities are stable. Liver functionalities are stable Before the machine could finish reporting, the two Black Knights rudely pulled the man out from the machine and proceeded to splash cold water on his face. The rudely awakened man immediately shrieked he was resurrected. Resurrection? Musk felt a dryness stemming from his throat. What he was seeing was so ridiculous to a point he wanted to find the fault in it to rebuke it. It had to be a ruse! However, there was no way for him to prove it No, this isnt resurrection. Chen Chen corrected him. This fully-automated medical platform cannot bring someone back to life. It should not be feasible for mankind to attain the ability to resurrect someone within the next millennia. The only reason this subject can be brought back to life is that he hadnt died yet. He had at least a tiny breath of life left in him just now. There was nothing Musk could do except to smile bitterly and shake his head. After that, the man was once again dragged out of the laboratory by the two Black Knights, like livestock being taken away. Please dont label us as some kind of evil corporation, Mr. Musk. Chen Chen tapped Musk on the shoulder and stated in what sounded like an attempt to provide comfort, These subjects are all felons that we acquired via legal means by purchasing them from the Namibian government. I can assure you that its legal. There was a slim chance of Musk believing Chen Chens claims, but it did serve him well enough to distract him from his upset mood and initial disgust. His eagerness slowly came back to him as he stated, This machine is truly wondrous. Id like to give it a shot, provided that it can truly treat the disease lurking inside of me. Dont worry. Chen Chen nodded. If it can heal drastic wounds, diabetes and high blood pressure wont be an issue at all. However, I believe Ive also stated the implications of using this machine. Musk fell silent for a moment as if he was contemplating. He negotiated, Im willing to pay 100 million dollars to use it just once. Mr. Musk, Im afraid I dont have any need for the 100 million dollars. Chen Chen waved the offer away. Even if you offer a billion dollars, the answer is still no. Why? Musk objected. Judging by your casual demonstration, I can conclude that it doesnt cost a lot to use this fully-automated medical platform. Why would you stubbornly insist on not letting anyone use it then? This branch of technology is as close as it can get to dark technology, is it not? Chen Chen smiled and proceeded to explain patiently, Im sure youre well aware of its insurmountable value as what it offers is leaps and bounds above the age-reversal treatment. Not only can it be used to return its users body to prime condition, but it can also alleviate tricky diseases. Do you think some kind of technology like this is supposed to exist in real life? What happens if the existence of such machinery was exposed to the outside world? As Chen Chen said this, he wagged a finger and said, I cannot let the word of the existence of this machine get out there. Or at the very least, I wont do it until I have a sure way to protect myself. 100 million dollars isnt worth the potential risk it entails! Musk immediately became quiet when he heard this. However, his vivid blue eyes rapidly expanded and contracted consecutively, clearly hinting that he was fiercely contemplating his next move. After spending some time ruminating, Musk finally spoke again. He asked with a lowered voice, So youre saying that I can only receive this treatment by joining Gods Forbidden Zone? Exactly. Chen Chen nodded and looked right into Musks eyes. By joining us, all sorts of diseases, whether its cancer, Alzheimers disease or diabetes and other terminal illnesses will no longer be a factor in your life. Your body will always remain in its prime and your youth will last until youre 200-years-old, 300-years-old Your life will be continuously sustained with mankinds anti-aging project Chen Chen dragged his voice lower and said with great sincerity, And the only thing you need to do is to join us, Mr. Musk. With life comes limitless possibilities, dont you agree? Chapter 356 - Ultimate Collaboration Nobody could resist the allure of extending their lifespan. Regardless if they were billionaires with more money than they could spend in their lifetimes or the bottom of the barrel stuck in poverty, high position officials possessing great influence or common people just trying to live another day Whether their nature was kind, greedy, charitable or downright despicable Nobody would resist the allure of a prolonged life for this was the instinct of humans. It was especially the case for the ones with access to insurmountable wealth with enough power to quake the world with just a stomp of their feet. This was the reason for Gods Forbidden Zones existence. To continuously invent new biotechnologies to extend the lifespan of its members. In return, these wealthy titans could also offer great benefits to Gods Forbidden Zone, which was in turn used to further develop greater technologies. There was no need to worry about whether the technologies would become restricted to the upper-class elites only. The construct of capitalism was not selective, as long as these technologies existed, they would never linger in the hands of the ones above forever. Even if the initial pricing was unsustainable for the commoners, the capitalists would find some ways to decrease its production cost to allow the commoners to use it. This was not a commentary on the kindness of the capitalism ideal, but it was merely a part of its profit-seeking nature. After all, the system of capitalism demanded that people began using a product or service to generate a stream of profit. While many people believed that this system would lead to a stagnation where the rich only get richer while the commoners become effectively cut off from any opportunities to climb up the ladder, this concern was largely unwarranted. The construct of society was ever-changing. There was no such thing as an eternally indestructible landscape or infinitely expandable wealth. Even the ancient dynasty of ancient times underwent significant changes. There was no reason to assume this would not be the case for the rapidly-evolving modern advanced society. The truth of it was that whether it was for worse or better, as long as society was constantly evolving, a chance to rise the ladder would always present itself. This was the ideology that was coursing through Chen Chens mind. When Chen Chen saw Musk getting up from the fully-automated medical platform, he quickly stepped up to congratulate him, Congratulations Mr. Musk, how does it feel to return to thirty-years-old? Its miraculous Musk pushed himself up with his expression locked in amusement. He clenched his fists in disbelief before getting up on his feet and started hopping in place to test his new body. He was completely unbothered that someone was watching him. He was acting like a fascinated teenager. Even in the past, Musks body was considered well taken care of. Despite being fifty-three years of age, he looked like he had just entered his forties. This was largely attributed to his usual strict discipline in balancing work and rest. Despite his best efforts, the years of fatigue still accumulated into hidden trauma in his body, including high blood pressure and diabetes. From today onward, none of these issues were present anymore. With this in mind, Musk stepped in front of the full-length mirror perched by the wall. He immediately noticed that all of the wrinkles around his eyes, even the murkiness in his eyes had disappeared Even his physique was greatly improved. His body was surging with a youthful vitality that he had longed for so long. This therapy session has extended your lifespan by at least a decade. Chen Chen stood beside Musk and explained, The purpose of this device is to optimize various functionalities inside the body. This is an optimization on a cellular level that maintains your body at its peak condition. Only a decade? Musk was taken aback by this. I thought the age-reversal treatment can at least extend my lifespan by three decades? This isnt the age-reversal treatment . Chen Chen suddenly smiled. The strength of the age-reversal treatment technology lies in how it replaces old stem cells with new ones. It continuously optimizes the body and by doing so, extends the persons lifespan by three decades. However, this increase is only theoretical and may not be as effective in practice. However, the optimization technique used in the fully-automated medical platform can repair the cellular damage in your body. The catch is that its only a one-time measure, therefore a singular use of it may not be as effective as the age-reversal treatment technology. Its true advantage lies in its additive effects. Additive? Musk quickly grasped Chen Chens meaning. I get it, so if I optimize my body every day, that means that I can achieve a longer lifespan that way? Exactly. Chen Chen tipped his head affirmatively. Daily use may be overdoing it, but if you maintain it at once a week, you should theoretically be able to live more than two hundred years, maybe even three hundred years. Also, even at your deathbed you can still retain a youthful appearance and physique. This seemed to have piqued Musks excitement, just as he was about to say something, Chen Chen suddenly shook his head. Mr. Musk, I know what youre going to ask next. I regret to inform you that well not be selling this machine. Would you believe me if I told you that we truly dont have the capacity to mass-produce it? If you cant mass-produce it, how did the first fully-automated medical platform even come to be? Musk asked, a frown surfacing on his complexion. Instead of answering, Chen Chen only smiled wordlessly. Musk knew better than to dig further into the matter because he knew he was not going to get an answer. He started to go through the procedures of enlisting himself into Gods Forbidden Zone. Musk felt a sense of relief after completing the appropriate procedures as he was worried that Chen Chen was going to name some absurd condition. After all, he was now at the mercy of the negotiator and had little say in the matter. Fortunately, the other party kept their word. Musk began flipping through the handbook for Gods Forbidden Zone. He was floored by the details of all sorts of biotechnology achievements of the organization. Most of these biotechnology advancements were never seen anywhere else in the world. They could be easily utilized to pull someone back from the brink of death and restore them of the boundless vitality of youth. Fortunately, most of these technologies apart from the age-reversal treatment technology had yet to be publicized. Musk was convinced that they would flip the landscape of the federation on its head. Are you not worried about the other members of Gods Forbidden Zone leaking these? Musk asked. The God chip will stop them. Chen Chen answered nonchalantly, Also, the upper hierarchy members that have not have the God chip dont know that much anyway, youre the exception. Im the exception? Musk immediately caught Chen Chens meaning, his expression turning hard as he asked, Are you trying to assimilate me? No, I just want us to become close business partners. Chen Chen shook his head, not trying to feign his intentions. If possible, Id like to have Blacklight Biotechnology become a shareholder of SpaceX. Once we unite our strength, we have a good fighting chance against the Earth Federation, even Chen Chen suddenly lowered his voice, his vicious ambition glittered in his eyes as he said, Even suppress the reign of the Earth Federation while we gain a monopoly over the galaxy! Musk became appalled the moment he heard this. His pupils shrunk into a tiny circle as he looked at Chen Chen in utter disbelief. He wanted to tell him that it was impossible, but his throat turned dry and coarse as he was trying to speak. He could not say anything He had to admit that Chen Chen had him convinced. After that, the two men stopped discussing the matter since the message was already clear and well received. Alright, we can leave now. Chen Chen waited for Musk to recollect himself before he suddenly said with a mysterious look on his face, But before leaving, Id like to show you one last project that may be of great interest to you With that, he took the lead. This time, Chen Chen took the elevator in the Spire Experimental Base and took Musk to the top of the spire. When the elevator doors opened, Musk immediately winced and instinctively shielded his eyes with his harm. A sheet of blinding light broke into his vision. When he adjusted to the brightness, he suddenly realized that this light was not harsh and nor nagging to the eyes at all. It was a pure blank white space. Whether it was the walls or the ceiling surrounding him, even the floor themselves were like blank white canvas. They were completely speckless and assumed a pure white texture. There seemed to be no source of light present in the room but at the same time, the surrounding walls and the floor seemed to be the light source on their own. Inside this room, space and dimension had lost their meaning. It seemed to be so small that you could reach its corner just by stretching out while simultaneously so large it seemed to engulf the world inside it. This was the wondrous sight that Musk beheld when he stepped out of the elevator. Musk subconsciously looked behind him and saw that the doors of the elevator were designed like the walls as well. When the elevator doors shut, they seemed to have disappeared into the walls and fused into the room. What is this place? Musk asked. Youll know soon enough. Chen Chen kept it mysterious as he snapped his thumbs. A creaking sound instantly came from the ground a short distance from where the two men stood. Musk immediately turned toward the sound and saw a pitch-black object surfacing out of the ground. It was a pitch-black spherical object approximately a meter in diameter, its surface was extremely smooth and without any crevices. The black sphere stood out like a sore thumb inside the blank white room, like a floating blackhole. This is Musks curiosity was slowly growing. Just as he was about to ask something, he caught a glimpse of blue light flaring past his eyes. The ray of blue light dissipated as abruptly as it appeared. He only caught it for a brief moment before he lost sight of it. Whats going on? Musk was slightly startled and turned to Chen Chen beside him to ask. He held his breath the moment he turned to look at Chen Chen. What he saw was the ray of blue light shooting past the top of Chen Chens head. What was shocking was that the top portion of Chen Chens head seemed to have been replaced by a flash of blue light! Musk rubbed his eyes in disbelief when he saw this. When he had done that, he saw Chen Chen standing still in place in one piece. The image he saw just now of Chen Chen with half a head missing seemed to be his mind playing tricks on him. Keep your cool, Mr. Musk. Chen Chen chuckled softly. He then turned around and pressed a button somewhere on the blank white sheet of the wall. The elevator door opened again as if obeying his command. Lets head out. Chen Chen beckoned Musk to follow before taking a step into the elevator himself. Didnt we just come in here? Musk was getting more confused. He felt like a villager arriving at a large city for the first time. Although he felt like he was constantly kept in suspense, he did have to admit that the technology that he was looking at had exceeded the realm of his scientific knowledge. What happened back there wasnt your mind playing tricks on you. What happened was that weve already left the Spire Experimental Base when you saw the blue light flashing. Chen Chen answered coolly. Shortly after that, they heard the elevator opening with an abrupt ding. What the elevator doors revealed was not the Spire Experimental Base they were previously in, but the lobby of an office building. From inside the lobby, one could peek out of the windows to see the road and the busy traffic outside. This was The surface! Musk was in utter disbelief. He promptly dashed out of the lobby of the office building and took in everything he was seeing. His ears were filled with the conversations of pedestrians muffled by the sound of bustling engines and moving cars. The sound of the city, an all-too-familiar sound that also sounded so strange and foreign to him at the same time. At this moment, what Musk knew of the world was completely flipped upside-down. Musk only returned to the airport a day later, he stood outside his private jet. I shall remember this experience for the rest of my life. Musk said as he looked at Chen Chen, his expression was a mixture of a thousand emotions. My pleasure. Chen Chen nodded and extended his hands for a handshake. Heres to our cooperation? Heres to our cooperation! Musk answered Chen Chens firm handshake. After that, he turned around and entered his jet with his bodyguards escorting him. He did not turn back to steal one last look at Chen Chen. Not seeing any other reason for him to linger around, Chen Chen entered his car as well. When it came to these two men, there was not the usual sense of comradery that people would expect to see. This was largely unsurprising since people in their positions would hardly feel any attachment for the other person just because they had been spending time together for a day or two. Even if there was a public display of friendship, chances were that it was just a show they put on for members of the media and the world. Blacklight Biotechnologys security department did a commendable job as there was not a single media member present at the scene. Even if there were, the two of them would not be bothered to put on an act. By the time Chen Chens vehicle had exited the vicinity of the airport, Musks private jet had taken off as well and headed into the boundless sky. Upon Musks return, his company SpaceX would embark on an unprecedented collaboration with Blacklight Biotechnology. The announcement would quake the world down to its very core. There was a good reason Chen Chen would willingly let Musk go after revealing so many secrets to him. A stark observation was that Chen Chen had never disclosed the existence of Medpod 3000 to anyone in the Disciple Council. Apart from Chen Chen and his parents, Musk was the fourth person to ever use the fully-automated medical platform. The only reason for that being the case was because this man was capable enough that Chen Chen could justify this heavy investment to collaborate with him. With that said, Chen Chen was not going to share the technology he had instantiated from the movies anytime soon as he was not so noble in that sense. The collaboration with SpaceX was just a stepping stone for Chen Chen to make up for the foundation in aerospace which he lacked. As Chen Chen continued to inject capital into SpaceX, the company would eventually become Chen Chens tool, like slowly boiling a frog in a hot pot. Besides, Chen Chen had not shown his full deck just yet there was another teleportation room on top of the one they had just been in. One was located at the top of the Spire Experimental Base while the other was placed in the Lycra office building in Eco Science City. Both teleportation rooms employed a similar design with four white walls surrounding a vacant room with only a black sphere in its middle. Without having any point of reference, Musk was transported to another teleportation room without even being aware of it. While he was being teleported, Chen Chen left another gift inside Musks brain A modified God chip. Based on the original plot of Gantz, the ones selected by the black sphere all had a chip implanted in their brain. Whenever they leave the vicinity of the battlefield designated by the black sphere, the chip in their brain would emit a shrieking alarm. If the alarm could not dissuade these perpetrators, it would self-destruct and blow apart the brain of its host as punishment This was the black sphere technology. When transporting people, it could also implant foreign objects into the person without disrupting the body structure of the person. This was how Chen Chen had caught Musk off guard. The modified God chip was placed in Musks occipital cortex while the artificial AI inside it continuously collected Musks brainwave. In the event that Musk plotted something against Blacklight Biotechnology or Gods Forbidden Zone, Little X would be immediately notified. In severe cases, the God chip may take over Musks body or self-destruct to prevent the secrets of Gods Forbidden Zone from being exposed. This was the card Chen Chen had kept up his sleeve. With that said, Chen Chen would not do any of the above if Musk kept up his part of the deal. If the existence of the chip was discovered, then there would never be an end to the conflict between Chen Chen and Musk. Chapter 357 - Hyper Boosted Little X The collaboration between Musk and Chen Chen was quickly announced on the official sites of the two participants. The subsequent were laid bare as well, all detailed in the respective announcements Blacklight Biotechnology was ready to invest in SpaceX to deploy five geosynchronous orbit communication satellites. This was to develop the independent global communication technology of Blacklight Biotechnology to protect their technology from being breached. Also, Blacklight Biotechnology would construct a spaceport in an area south of Eco Science City. The investment was expected to total up to tens of billions of U.S. dollars while the space aviation technology would be purchased from SpaceX as well. Due to the proximity of the spaceport to the equator, it was the most ideal location for deploying geosynchronous orbit satellites. This announcement sent the entire science and technology community into an uproar. For some time after the announcement, many such topics had circulated online forums all over the world: What? Blacklight Biotechnology is getting involved in the military industry and aerospace? Theyre even collaborating with SpaceX to deploy satellites? This is a dream collaboration Deploying satellites to develop their independent communication systems, is the Earth Federal Space Regulatory Agency okay with this? If they can approve something as ridiculous as the Starlink Project, whats five geosynchronous orbit satellites to them? The only factor to consider is money and Blacklight Biotechnology has never been a company thats short on money. Is Namibia getting ripped off? Both their military industry and aerospace industry endeavors are given to a foreign company, isnt this government a puppet by now? The commenter above is right. Im a Namibian and I cant tell you how much I hate this company. They stripped our government of its autonomy and independence and bought out the entire Congress. They are even secretly buying maximum security felons, this is just Hm? Why was the comment above deleted suddenly? The ongoing discussions of the forums could be discussed later. At the present, two vast construction sites had just been sectioned out on an empty plot of area south of Eco Science City. Hundreds of trucks and excavators arrived and began the vast construction project. The majority of the construction workers were the construction team dispatched by Blacklight Biotechnology themselves. Only a small portion of them were the local workers. This was a newly established construction force composed of people of all skin colors. They were the members of the construction company newly registered by Blacklight Biotechnology in Namibia at the end of the previous year Tara Infrastructure, a subsidiary company of Tara Strategic Resources. With the supreme efficiency displayed by this workforce, the construction of the spaceport was making tremendous progress with every passing day. Each time Blacklight Biotechnology embarked on one of their ambitious endeavors, the international deepwater port and the airport of Walvis Bay would become swarmed with incessant activity. At this time, countless construction materials and all sorts of machinery were being shipped in. For the sake of convenience, two stretches of four-lane asphalt roads more than 50 kilometers long were paved overnight just a few nights ago. All this was to say that Blacklight Biotechnologys terrific efficiency had awed the Namibian government. Such construction efficiency was something they could only ever dream of. Under the guise of the busy construction project, tons of germanium metal were also secretly imported into the industrial park of Eco Science City. Deep inside the industrial park, the second Gantz server machine was finally constructed as well. This Gantz server machine was far larger than the first Gantz server machine. It weighed more than a hundred tons, which was easily ten times more than its predecessor. Its diameter spanned up to three meters and stood above thirty meters. It was like a giant metal tower. At this time, deep inside the industrial park, Chen Chen silently gazed at the giant monument and the Black Knights coming and going around the scaffolding next to the monument. His expression was heavy. This monument was erected by the Black Knight engineers bit by bit. According to the data calculations, the signal coverage of the Gantz server machine has increased exponentially. Then came Little Xs voice. The signal breadth of the previous 10-ton Gantz server is only 200 kilometers in diameter, which means that it can only cover the entirety of a country like Switzerland at most. And now, the new Gantz server machine boasts signal range exceeding 2,000 kilometers, enough to cover half of the African Continent. This means that two black spheres can conduct point-to-point transfer as long as both of them are in the signal coverage range of the new Gantz server machine. Its still not enough. Chen Chen shook his head. The diameter of Earth is 12,743 kilometers. This means that if we want to gain global control of the black sphere, well need at least two Gantz server machines with a signal range exceeding 10,000 kilometers. That makes two 500 tons Gantz server machines. Yes. Little X answered, After the Gantz server machine signal coverage covers the globe, we can start equally distributing the black sphere across several hundred locations. That way, we can go to wherever we want instantaneously with the distributed black spheres. If the Gantz satellites have been deployed by then, it will be another boost to our maneuverability. I look forward to that day. Chen Chen nodded. Just as Little X described, the black sphere could be used to conduct point-to-point transfer as long as they were both under the signal coverage of the Gantz server machine. With the Gantz satellites acting as relay stations, this process could even be performed with just a singular black sphere. This was the story of the original Gantz even if there were no black sphere nearby, the Gantz satellite could still gather the dead inside the city and forcefully pull them into the black sphere room. After they had accepted the mission, they could be brought back onto the streets of the city. The technology was absolutely fascinating and marvelous. If Chen Chen could advance to this stage one day, the entire human civilization combined would not be able to stop him. Of course, this was nothing more than a daydream before it was properly executed. As he took in the sight of the brand new gigantic Gantz server machine, Chen Chen suddenly spoke, X. Did X-112 experience any changes back when it entered the first server machine? None, i didnt detect any changes in its loyalty meter nor did I find any changes in the initial exploitable loophole we left behind in its sequence. Little X answered, I routinely send a query to X-112 every day which consists of the back-end programming sequence which I configured myself. A passing mark is only awarded by answering all questions correctly. If its source code was altered, theres no way it can answer all the questions correctly. Chen Chen nodded. Then can X-112 unleash the full potential of the Gantz server machine? At the end of the day, X-112 is just a copy of myself. Therefore, its qualities such as intelligence or any humanoid creativity and resilience are less than half of mine. Little X began to explain, Also, the processing power of the Gantz server machine increases along with its size. The processing power of the original smallest Gantz server machine isnt that significant even though its computational capabilities are already several hundred times that of the Tianhe supercomputer. This might sound astronomical but it pales in comparison to the latest Gantz server machine. I can say that X-112 will not be able to fully unleash the potential of the larger Gantz server machine. In that case, X, get ready to convert your source code into E Language and inject it into the new Gantz server machine. As if he had made up his mind, Chen Chen suddenly announced, From now on, whenever we create larger Gantz server machines, I want you to inject your source code into the new server machines. Noted! There was a hint of excitement when Little X answered. As Little X continued to grow and develop more sophisticated artificial intelligence, the computing array in Eco Science City could no longer satisfy her. She was in urgent need of a new home and the Gantz server machine was the perfect location. Shortly after that, the Black Knights in the industrial park began to gather following Little Xs orders. When they arrived, they brought all kinds of devices and equipment. The most notable one being the array processor where the source code of Little X was hosted in. This array processor came with 30 side-by-side slots. Each composed of 10,000 nodes and each one of these nodes contained three Intel Xeon E52692 processors, which made for a total of 30,000 computing cores. It was equipped with a liquid nitrogen cooling system and could conduct up to a quadrillion calculations per second. This was the array processor Chen Chen had ordered at IBM that cost him hundreds of millions of dollars. Although it was not as good as some international grade supercomputers, it was more than enough to serve as Little Xs body. Just like programming sequences, the array of processors in this system was what made up Little X. At the moment, Little X was continuously converting herself into E Language so that she could integrate herself into the Gantz server machine program. The Black Knights were not slacking off either as they began connecting the array processor with another more sophisticated-looking device. From a distance, it looked like a heavy machine gun. It was roughly two meters tall and reached an astonishing length of four meters. It looked like a laser cannon with a large number of cables and parts exposed on its exterior. The simple yet intricate machine continuously produced a mechanical roar as it operated. Most ordinary people would have difficulty recognizing what this device was, but Chen Chen knew that this was a photonic quantum switch. Since the Gantz server machine itself did not have any built-in slots, a photonic quantum switch was needed to transmit data. While this was going on, Chen Chen was silently watching. Since he had conducted experiments on X-112 in the past, he was very experienced and familiar with this process and was not particularly worried. After Little X had finished converting her 1EB code, it was time for the data transmission Columns of red patterns on the Gantz server machine began to glow and fade consecutively like deep red neon signs on the street. The mysterious and alien E Language began to light up one after another, bleeding an occult red. Initializing program The signals in the Gantz server machine were translated into regular verbal messages through the photonic quantum switch as they were played through the speakers. They kept at it for the entire night while Chen Chen monitored over them as well. When the sun rose the next morning, Chen Chen took a deep breath and stretched his sore back. This was because he saw that the endless operating photonics quantum switch had finally stopped data transmission. The columns of red light atop the gigantic Gantz server machine had faded out as well. This meant that the conversion was complete. Within a second, the Gantz server machine emitted a radiant red glow again. The light was transmitted through the photonic quantum switch to the previous array processor. At the same time, Little Xs voice came from the speaker system. Sir Godfather, Ive successfully entered the Gantz server machine. How does it feel? It feels great. Little X answered, her voice full of excitement, My computing power is more than hundreds of millions of times of what it was. Many calculations that were once too daunting to even approach can now be compiled within moments. Previously, due to the sheer volume of the Internet, I was unable to take into account the mass amount of undetectable information but now, I can easily obtain and analyze them. I can obtain whatever answers I need within a millionth of a second! By the looks of it, whatever enemies we have will no longer be able to hide in any corner of the Internet. They wont be able to camouflage themselves like the White Embers did previously! This sparked an idea in Chen Chen. He considered for a moment before asking, In that case, do you think you can examine the speculation that I once had back then? The speculation that you had? Little X quickly responded, You mean the speculation you had about the Earth Federation? Yes. Chen Chen nodded. The speculation he had concerned the fact that both times the Earth Federation was met with a devastating crisis enough to topple the balance of human civilization, they had taken the initiative both times to subvert and counter the crisis in time. This included the Blacklight virus ordeal as well as the Three Wise Monkeys that saw no evil, heard no evil, and spoke no evil. This meant that the Earth Federation seemed to be equipped with some form of prevention mechanism to help predict crises in advance. However, despite Little Xs best efforts to investigate it previously, her strength was limited and the search ultimately yielded little results. I can give it a shot. Little X fell silent for a moment as if trying to estimate how much energy would be needed to investigate this subject. But Ill need all the power generated by the Blacklight nuclear power plant and the two nuclear fusion reactors at the Spire Experimental Base! That much? Chen Chen was immediately taken aback. What are you planning to do? I plan to write a new program by utilizing the prowess of the E language and conduct prediction exercises. I can use it to predict what sort of trump card the Earth Federation is hiding. Little X answered. Will you be able to predict something like that too? Chen Chen questioned. Its just like a wild guess, but in essence, itd be like some sort of prediction! Little X chuckled before explaining, In essence, its just a prediction of future events. However, theres a distinct difference from the regular predictions seen in fortune-telling. Its done by digitizing every single possible instance in the world which is then brought into a real-world model for calculations to be tabulated and obtain a definitive answer. The reason this would be possible is that all human thoughts, every single event along with every human decision are already predetermined. Humans always have this idea that they govern their own thoughts but the truth is that human thoughts are all the result of a series of electrochemical reactions. In essence, its completely identical to programs. Different sets of circumstances will influence the way humans think and different memories will also affect their decisions If its possible to calculate the likely future of an individual, then the same can be done for a large demographic as well. By collecting the information, personality, habits, life experience, and other details of every individual in the world and also factoring the interactions between the weather, environment, and surroundings, the possible development and changes of a social group over a period of time can be calculated With my current computational abilities, I can convert all of this information to data and simulate them based on an established model of reality. The product of this operation will be what is known as the future! I name this program as The Prophet System! Chapter 358 - Quantum Deity Upon hearing this label, Chen Chen came to understand that what Little X meant by the Prophet System was that it was a set of predictive algorithms. The nature of its prediction stemmed from a combination of all the variables in the world to yield an answer closest to the truth. Wont there be a significant deviation when it comes to forms of prediction like this? Chen Chen considered for a moment before bringing this up. The deviation will be increasingly notable as the events predicted are farther away from the present. Heres how it works. Little X explained, According to my calculations, the accuracy of the Prophet System prediction reaches up to 99 percent if the event occurs within a one second to twenty-four hours window from the time of prediction. As this time frame grows larger, the accuracy of the prediction falls off significantly. The minute details of the prediction are especially affected by this, causing its accuracy to drop off a cliff. For example, if the window is only within a single day, I can predict everything that will occur to a certain individual. This even includes the number of times this person will blink and breathe. However, if the time frame is stretched to a few years later, I can only provide a general timeline of whats to come for him. This would be rough data such as whether hell be promoted, lose his job, break up, and whatnot. However, what were trying to predict now isnt the future, but the past instead. Little X suddenly switched tone and said, Things become a lot easier if were predicting something that has already occurred. After all, what has already happened is a given and constant. Well have countless evidence available to us to limit all the subsequent variables and fix them into constants as well. This way, the predicted results will be closest to the truth! I understand now. Chen Chen nodded. In that case, I approve and authorize the temporary use of the nuclear power plant and the two nuclear fusion reactors to generate enough power for your use. Make sure to keep enough power for our reserve, will this do? Its not enough. Little X answered after calculating, Theres still a good half missing. Judging by this rate of power generation, Ill need ten hours to tabulate the results. Ten hours is too long. Both Eco Science City and the Spire Experimental Base cannot run for ten hours without a dedicated power system. Chen Chen frowned. Then I can try using other computers to tabulate for us. Little X thought of an alternative. We can reallocate a part of this calculation to the Internet and have other peoples computers perform the calculation for us. Can regular computers do this? The computing power of a single personal computer may prove to be insignificant, but ten thousand personal computers combined is equivalent to a supercomputer. Besides, there are probably far more than a billion computers left on in an idle state all over the world Little X snickered devilishly. This way, I only need to dedicate one-tenth of my processing power to achieve computational efficiency greater than mine. According to my estimation, I only need an hour to complete running the entire program! Alright, its worth a try! Chen Chen nodded his approval. Following Chen Chens given order, the Gantz server machine started to rumble and emit a deep buzzing sound. From where Chen Chen stood, he could see scarlet red rays creeping along the surface of the Gantz server machine. At the same time, an announcement was played over the entirety of the Eco Science City, the Spire Experimental Base, and all of the factories inside the industrial park: Due to maintenance in the nuclear power plant, there will be a temporary power outage in the districts, hotels, and factories, safe for the advanced laboratories and recuperation institutions. Well notify you as soon as the maintenance is complete. Thank you for your cooperation As soon as the announcement was played, a wave of darkness quickly swept over the Eco Science City in the distance. For the very first time, the city would experience a power outage Deep inside the industrial park, Little X had officially connected to the powering system of the nuclear power plant. The Prophet System was subsequently activated as well. Meanwhile, inside a technology data center somewhere in the region of the North American Continent Inside a tightly secured machine room, hundreds of gigantic server machine arrays were left in an idle state. Now and then, one or two maintenance personnel in the machine room would pass by these machinery and monitor the blinking green lights on the host machines. The crew of maintenance personnel was familiar with what the green light status displayed on these machines meant. Suddenly and without warning, one of the signal lights on one of the server machines in the machine room that should otherwise not light up suddenly lit up. It only blinked for a brief moment. After that, the same happened to a second machine, then a third It did not take long before the same thing happened to nearly all of the server machines. One of the maintenance personnel happened to notice this abnormal flash and instinctively reached for his monitor tablet to investigate. When he saw that there was nothing out of the ordinary in the readings displayed, he shook his head and took his leave. Unbeknownst to him, just several seconds ago, a foreign Trojan had invaded the back-end of these server machines. Without affecting the server machines original processes, they began to simultaneously run a third-party program In an International Astronomical Center in Europe. A computer connected to an external network was turned on silently. This computer had just been shut down moments ago. Due to a minor slip-up of one of the employees, the power was not cut off after the computer was used to browse the Internet. The device was only powered off. It did not take Little X much effort to detect the signal from the motherboard of this computer as the device was still powered despite being shut down. This was part of its implemented design to help it receive initialization signals at any given time. Little X exploited this feature and simulated a power-on signal which was transmitted using voltage pulses. With that, the computer was turned on remotely by itself Strings of code quickly filled the display as if someone was seated in front of the computer and operating it. Lines of paragraphs were displayed: Searching for an external port External port detected, establishing connection to local area network Internal system detected, establishing connection Booting up in standby mode. Initializing secondary control module, standby Data scanning sequence complete, receiving compressed packages Data reception complete, initializing large-scale unit processing. Camouflage mode activated Turning off external display Operation complete. Immediately after that, the large computing arrays in the machine room started to produce a dull buzzing sound. Using the computer connected to an external network as an intermediary, Little X seized control of all the computers in the machine room and converted them into part of her auxiliary computing system. However, anyone stumbling onto the scene would see nothing but plain darkness inside the machine room as if they had been shut off for some time. What they did not know was that these machines were all operating on low battery mode. It did not matter if any staff member were to turn them on or off manually. These machines would continue to circulate information back and forth in camouflage mode. The same scenario was happening on a global scale. Little X had transformed into the deadliest virus on the Internet and injected Trojan into every single vulnerable device. It only took minutes for hundreds of millions of computers to be affected. This phenomenon was rapidly spreading across the world. Little X had packaged the necessary data and branched them off to all online computers in the world to help with the calculation. The output was then transmitted back to Little X for final aggregation. The personal computers themselves may not be efficient, but the quantity more than made up for it as hundreds of millions of computers combined made for a prominent force. However, this maneuver had caused network congestion in most parts of the world and overloaded most information networks. This anomaly was quickly identified by the supervision departments of all the continents. These monitoring departments observed an unbelievable amount of information passing through the World Wide Web. When they attempted to intercept and decipher the data, they found that they could only intercept a part of the data and these intercepted data could not be translated unless they had access to the entire data flow. When they attempted to reverse-engineer this process and download the entire data stream, they realized they would need a data storage equivalent to the National Data Center to contain all of the data. So, each of these departments of their respective continents began reporting this incident to the higher-ups and prepared to counter what Little X was doing. The problem, however, was that mobilizing all the personnel and infrastructure for accomplishing this would take at least several hours. By the time they had everything ready to be deployed, this mysterious phenomenon had vanished. The members of each of these continents were bewildered. An hour later. By this point, Little X had recovered all the data reports yielded from the calculations and was starting to integrate the data packets to be decompressed later. If I had to guess, Id say theres quite the spectacle in the cybersecurity departments in all of the continents right now. Chen Chen shook his head with a bitter smile on his face. It looks like youre going to need a designated high-power nuclear fusion reactor in the future. Otherwise, its going to be difficult to put your extreme proficiency to use. Its okay, theres such a wide gap between our computing speed that theres no chance of their information collection speed matching up against mine. Little X described, If I was a light-footed, agile thief, then their departments would be as good as an elderly, perhaps even blind police. The most that they can manage is to discover the tracks I leave behind but its impossible for them to track me down using those breadcrumbs. I hope so. Chen Chen turned to look at the silver-white cube beside him. This cube was the projection tool used for this occasion. This cube was instantiated from Earth in the dimension of Prometheus. Its features were very elaborate and akin to a camera and a projector. The only difference being that it was a holographic projector. After that, Chen Chen decided that this was a useful tool and went ahead and instantiated several more of them from the movie. Since the engineers did not have to proceed with caution for fear of damaging it, they had gradually managed to figure out the production process of some of its high-precision parts. Although holographic projection technology existed in the real world as well, most of them were not in their mature stages yet. Not only was it costly to produce and came with many restrictions, but the color scale was also one-dimensional and the angles projected were narrow as well. However, with Chen Chens consistent efforts, a fully-mature holographic projection technology would be developed soon. Chen Chen gave this silver-white Rubiks Cube a simple, impressionable name the Silver Cube. Meanwhile, Little X quickly integrated all the compressed packages and decompressed them. A 10TB large video was quickly generated. The length of the video was 30 seconds. Begin playing. Following Little Xs prompt, three square blocks on the front face of the silver cube suddenly opened. Chen Chens surrounding environment changed as well, immediately shifting from the original simple and barren factory building to a lush, dense forest! However, Chen Chen did not direct his attention to the surrounding greenery but instead to a peculiar building that immediately came into view in front of him. The building was roughly thirty meters tall and up to a hundred meters wide, similar to a gigantic shopping complex. What was peculiar about it was that it was built in the middle of a vast forest. What was even stranger was that the building was sealed with a formation of walls constructed with a unique material that cast a large patch of gray along the exterior of the building. In front of the buildings gate, dozens of huge golden strips could be seen inserted into the ground to construct an odd arrangement. This scene was especially intriguing to Chen Chen. The imagery immediately shifted and seemed to have entered the first-person view. Chen Chen saw the perspective of the camera slowly advancing until it passed through the entrance of the building. Chen Chen saw that the interior of the building was vacant. The inside of the building was decorated with a splatter of bright gold but there were no high-tech installations to be seen anywhere in the building. The only thing notable was that it was extremely clean inside. The camera continued to pan further inside and soon passed through several secured checkpoints until Chen Chen came to an elevator. The doors of the elevator were made of glass and completely transparent. What he saw through the transparent glass door made his eyes turn wide. What was behind the glass door was a magnificently large space. This space took up approximately thirty percent of the buildings total space. As it turned out, the central section of the building that Chen Chen had entered was such an enormous space. Many electromagnetic devices could be seen inside this large space behind the glass door. What was even more shocking was that as these devices operated, they created a magnetic levitation effect which caused a tiny laboratory to levitate in the void section in the middle! Could this be Chen Chen took in a breath of cold air. He had seen enough marvel in his time and although this was only a mere holographic image, the otherworldliness of this laboratory he was looking at greatly stunned him. As the camera pulled closer, it phased through the entrance of the levitating laboratory. The interior was also clad in bright gold, the only distinct difference was that it was filled with computers. There were even some extremely advanced devices that Chen Chen could not identify. The camera continued to pull closer until it arrived at the center of the laboratory. It was then when Chen Chen saw a protruding black mass in the middle of a display section as if something had been ruthlessly carved out of it There was a flash after that and the video abruptly ended afterward. Chen Chen had returned to reality. Sir Godfather, what you saw just now was footage of a laboratory sealed off by the military in an unmarked forest in the region of Yellowstone Park, North America. Little X quickly elaborated, The name of this laboratory is Quantum Deity Chapter 359 - Reverse Meme? Quantum Deity Chen Chen whispered the name again. The name alone evoked a strange surge of confidence and power in Chen Chen. He raised his head and asked, This means that theres a quantum computer inside this laboratory? By the current looks of it, yes. Little X answered with certainty, According to my calculations, this building located in the Yellowstone National Park is reinforced with a ten-meters-thick concrete shell and enclosed with a lead Faraday barrier. The reason for doing so is to protect the devices inside from being disrupted by external electromagnetic disturbance. Apart from quantum computers, I cant imagine there being anything else that would require a lead Faraday barrier to protect it from electromagnetic waves. Lead Faraday barrier? Chen Chens pupils immediately contracted as he quickly made sense of it. That explains the structure on the inside. In that case, is the central enclosed laboratory the main chamber of the quantum computer? Thats right. The main chamber is suspended by the magnetic levitation equipment while a vacuum space is created on its interior. Theres a gap of seven meters between this chamber and the surrounding outer walls and a magnetic levitation elevator is used for laboratory personnel to access it. This is a true physiological partition. Little X reaffirmed. This all points to a single possibility. The central levitating laboratory is where the quantum computer is hosted! That explains why you couldnt unravel the Federations trump card no matter how hard you looked Chen Chen frowned. But why is it that I couldnt see anything resembling a quantum computer inside the footage you generated? Everything that could resemble it was substituted with a black mass instead. Because I couldnt predict its very existence. Little X explained, In truth, the fact that its a quantum computer is only our speculation as well. Due to its ambiguous nature, theres no way for us to prove its existence as of now. Little X made an example. For instance, what can be predicted is the origin of every single concrete particle used to construct this laboratory structure. I can calculate the origin of every single gram of metal used, when it was built, and so on. Thats because these are natural progressions driven by the inertia of an initiative event. When it comes to predicting the other objects inside the laboratory, I can process the initial variables generated during initial prediction by using other events that have occurred in the same timeline as a point of reference. By treating it as a sequential program, I can easily obtain a conclusive outcome since I have the definite values of variables x and y. However, this algorithm proved unsuccessful when I tried to predict what was in the central section of this laboratory as all of the clues Ive gathered couldnt pinpoint what it could be. This means that its essentially camouflaged from my analysis algorithm. If it wasnt for its surrounding objects giving away its existence, I may never have been able to discover it no matter how many times I reiterated this process Is that so? Chen Chen squinted his eyes and responded, I think I understand now. The reason you cant predict what it is should be because its a computer on the same level as you, is that right? Its highly possible. Little X agreed. This is why I wasnt able to find any signs of this particular computer no matter where I searched online. It appears that this is what the Earth Federation has up their sleeves Chen Chen took a deep breath, a heaviness settling into his mind. This means that the reason the Earth Federation was able to foresee so many crises is solely attributed to the predictive abilities of this computer thats similar to yours. This machine can restore the past and predict the future using quantum technology? When Chen Chen thought of this, his expression grew stern. Following that logic, wouldnt our existence be predicted by this computer as well? Its possible. However, it may appear that they havent detected our existence for now. Little X explained after thinking about it, If the Earth Federation were aware of your existence back then, they wouldnt have allowed you to build your foundation in Namibia over all these years. Theres a slimmer chance of them just sitting by idly and watching as you grow your empire to the massive scale which it is at now. Besides, could anybody predict the existence of the USB drive in the first place? Chen Chen nodded ever so slightly when he heard the comforting claims of Little X. It was true, everything he had accomplished was a direct result of the USB drive and the USB drive was in essence a glitch in reality. Not only could it hold its dominion over heaven and Earth, but it could also instantiate objects from other realities. Something like this could not possibly be manufactured by mere humans. It would even be fair to say that the USB drive was immune from the laws of causation and correlation. Could the existence of such an object be foreseen if it did not subscribe to such laws in the first place? Upon considering this, Chen Chen steeled his heart and said again, Apart from the reason youve stated, theres another major explanation for why they havent found out about me the primary purpose of this computer is to help predict whatever crisis the Earth Federation may face. This predictive operation is extremely memory intensive, so it doesnt have the capacity left to consider myself as a decisive variable. Thats true. Little X answered, But its still dangerous enough as is. Once you grow stronger, the Earth Federation may focus their attention on you. If the Federation decides to temporarily suspend their operation and divert their resources on you, then you may become exposed. Even if the quantum computer cannot predict the existence of the USB drive, it might see an unidentifiable black mass just like how it was in my generated footage. That might be even more problematic. Chen Chens expression grew solemn. Do you have any idea how we can avert this? False information! Little X suggested. A computer leaves behind traces on the Internet each time an operation is performed. This is how we perform predictions on one another. In that case, we can forge false information to throw off our opponents predictions. Once this false information threshold reaches a certain point, theyll be deceived and arrive at a false conclusion. But I take it that the success rate of this isnt very high? Chen Chen considered for a moment before raising the point. Putting it bluntly, this sort of information diversion is just creating external variables. In the grand scheme of the scale of the data, this attempt becomes almost meaningless. It may even leave us more exposed than we otherwise wouldve been. Besides, our opponents dont need to know the particular details of what I have. They only need to know that Im an outlier compared to the others. Thats a good point, but I cant come up with anything else apart from using this method, Little X answered somewhat dejectedly. When Chen Chen heard this, he began to pace around in a circle. He had certainly never expected that the Earth Federation had a quantum computer hidden away all this time to forecast all potential crises. Furthermore, it turned out to be a hyper-advanced quantum computer whose origin was completely unknown. There was a good reason that Chen Chen determined that this was a piece of vastly superior technology far ahead of modern technology. If this was any common conventional modern device, the Earth Federation should not be running out of memory any time soon and should be able to keep it running at maximum efficiency at all times. In that case, the quantum computer should have discovered the USB drive on the very day Chen Chen had obtained it. It would not have taken them until the current day to discover it. Therefore, Chen Chen concluded that the computer had to be kept running around the clock, fully dedicated to preventing whatever crisis the Earth Federation may face. The machine carried the weight of humanity on its shoulders. It would be unreasonable for the Earth Federation to repurpose for anything else, especially not for predicting some entrepreneur from the Mainland. This was why Chen Chen had been given the leeway up till now. However, as Chen Chen continued to grow his empire and expand the influence of Blacklight Biotechnology, it was only a matter of time until he would be targeted. This was unless Chen Chen decided to suspend his efforts and cease all future development. The possibility of being exposed could only trend upward so long as Chen Chen continued to gain traction. When putting it in this perspective, everything he was doing now was as good as dancing on the tip of a blade. He always assumed that he was an invisible, impenetrable entity lurking in the shadows. It appeared to him now that he was nothing more than a prancing jester. In front of a true supercomputer, the little snark brilliance he had displayed was almost meaningless Everything that you had done or would ever do could be predicted by this supercomputer. There was a saying in the Mainland that it was wiser to not feign ignorance in anything you do, for a holy deity watched over us all. As far as humans are concerned, a supercomputer like this that can calculate everything and predict everything thats to come is pretty much the equivalent of an all-knowing deity Chen Chen reflected. He then took a deep breath and suddenly lifted his hand. The black diamond ring on his right ring finger with the Blacklight Biotechnology logo carved into it suddenly popped open, shooting out a transparent NZT-48 pill into Chen Chens mouth. Chen Chen gently swallowed it and closed his eyes. One second, two seconds, three seconds Thirty seconds later, Chen Chen slowly opened his eyes. In a split instant, a passage of time streamed past the river in Chen Chens eyes. It was tranquil and peaceful, so clear that its bottom was immediately visible but at the same time seemed to assume the form of the deepest abyss in the world. His eyes became two unnatural ponds, stupefying anyone who dared to look into them Chen Chen once again entered an indescribable state at this moment. Its not difficult to solve this problem Chen Chen chuckled suddenly. He gently stretched out his right hand and flicked upward. A delicately designed poker card glided across his palms as he did so. The poker card was transparent and carried a translucent texture like a piece of jade. Etched on it were traces of pure gold, mysterious patterns. As it danced on Chen Chens palm, it constantly glittered with ambient, translucent light. Meanwhile, Chen Chen declared patiently, We havent lost. Matter of fact, we have the upper hand in this situation. Dont forget that theres one trump card that we havent played. You mean Little X had a slight inclination of what Chen Chen was talking about but hesitated in answering as she was uncertain. Memetic effect. Chen Chen began to explain, Little X, Im sure you understand this as well. Regardless of how powerful the quantum computer is, the very foundation of its operation still requires it to gather information. If it cannot gather information, would it be able to deduct anything regardless of how powerful it is? Theoretically, thats correct. But how does that play into our strategy? Little X questioned. Chen Chen answered with a slight tilt of his head. The computer shares a similar characteristic as the USB drive, being that both of them are entities that surpass common sense. However, it doesnt boast the unique advantage of having access to E language. In that case, we can make our move by taking advantage of memetic technology. Chen Chen described while pacing around, Of course, what were trying to achieve isnt to destroy the Earth Federation using memes. Instead, were going to reverse the memetic effect to simulate a new special memetic effect. Is that achievable? Little X was startled. What Chen Chen was describing was something that even she had next to no knowledge of. Dont forget that this is the inherent ability of E language. The corner of Chen Chens lips turned up into a smirk. Do you remember? Ive mentioned that E language cannot be memorized by humans because the divine civilization added a key to E language. This key is an encryption that serves to encrypt the underlying messages. It automatically deletes all information related to it from the human mind. This phenomenon is, in essence, a form of memetic effect. A meme is a representation of a singular unit of information while a memetic effect represents the transmission of such information. Consider this, the substances of the world are classified into matter and antimatter. In that case, couldnt information be classified as information and anti-information as well? The memetic effect which E language carries is a testament of the existence of anti-information. Does this mean that we can camouflage the information of our existence if we can discover the roots of this anti-information? That could be it! Little X exclaimed. Although in terms of computational abilities, she was countless dimensions ahead of humans, but her cognitive processing abilities were still several worlds behind Chen Chen. It was only after being enlightened by Chen Chen when Little X was able to achieve an epiphany. As it is, I shall name this anti-information as antimeme! Antimeme? Little X echoed the phrase. Thats right, antimeme it is. Chen Chen nodded confidently and drew a deep breath. So from here on, our primary task is to further our research into the E language to help us gain a deeper understanding of the memetic effect. Well find the basis of the antimeme and once weve discovered it, well forever have the high ground over the Earth Federations quantum computer. The problem is I only managed to gather a few excerpts on the nature of the memetic effect during the 500-person large-scale experiment we conducted on Gantz Island. Little X sounded slightly troubled. If we want to further our research into E language and memetic effect and extend our study into the antimeme you spoke of, wed need to expand the scale of the experiment by several hundred or thousand times Then we shall proceed with the experiment. Chen Chen declared, The development of science and technology has always been riddled with sharp thorns and edges. Its inevitable to have to walk along the borders of destruction. From the ancient times when mankind first controlled fire to their first mastery of the use of energy for the first time, this development continued until the genesis of modern nuclear energy. Mankind has stepped into the dangerous period of civilization since. Chen Chen whispered, This is considered a normal observation. With the development of science and technology, weapons similar to nuclear energy and even more powerful weaponry are constantly emerging. These are artificial viruses, antimatter, and memetic effects These weapons are easily a hundred times more dangerous than nuclear weapons. However, when have you ever seen any countries deciding that these technologies are too dangerous for what they are worth and decide to seal away any relevant studies and cease their research efforts? Its impossible. Humans want to continue to progress and will not suspend their progress just because these subjects are deemed too dangerous. Such complacent actions will never be permitted. To be complacent is to become stagnate and this stagnation will quickly translate to society. A society that remains stuck in place will soon lead to the self-destruction of mankind. Therefore, for humans to continue to evolve, technology has to evolve continuously as well! Simply put, mankind and its society have progressed to a certain decisive point where not advancing is equivalent to a death sentence! Chapter 360 - Anti-message Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Although a brief overview of the plan had been set, Chen Chen was still at a loss as to how the experiment would be conducted. Even if he were to use all of the felons available to him in the Spire Experimental Base, it would still be a mere drop in the ocean. Chen Chen would have to come up with another solution to obtain enough experiment subjects to research the memetic effect. At this time, Chen Chen left the Spire Experimental Base to walk around the streets of Eco Science City. When Chen Chen was studying, he seldom went shopping. Ever since he founded Blacklight Biotechnology, this became a rarer practice to a point where he was starting to get detached from society. One had to admit that Chen Chens habits were closer to a robot than that of a human. He would spend his mornings, afternoons, and nights all at the Spire laboratory. Now and then, he would return to his office in the research center to sit for a while before eventually returning to the Spire laboratory again. Today would be the day Chen Chen broke out of his usual pattern for once. As Benguela was currently weathering a cold wave, the west coast of Namibia had been filled with mist every morning for the better half of the last year. The entirety of Eco Science City was shrouded in thick mist. It was like living in a city drowned in smog. As it was five oclock in the morning, the sun had not risen yet. Inside the city, only a weak ray of morning light shone through the heavy cloud of mist. Several tourists who had just got off the plane were chatting among themselves by the side of the street. They passed by Chen Chen with their luggage in hand. None of them knew that the young man they had just passed by on the street was none other than the sole owner of the city they were in C the founder of Blacklight Biotechnology. Shrouded by the mist surrounding him, Chen Chen puffed out a relaxed breath of air. He silently stole a glance behind him before suddenly turning around and headed toward the mostly empty park by the roadside. It was only until Chen Chen had stepped into the park when two men dressed in black sportswear with their faces hidden under the ominous shadow of their hats exchanged a knowing glance between themselves. They trailed after Chen Chen. The two men were built extremely large with a towering figure. Their faces were concealed by the mask and cap they wore. When they saw that there was nobody around, they sped up their pace and quickly caught up to Chen Chen with just a few strides. The moment one of the two men got closer to Chen Chen, he jabbed at Chen Chen without the slightest hint of hesitation. The cold glimmer of a steel needle flashed between his palms as he aimed it toward Chen Chens cervical spine! He did it in such a quick, ferocious, and swift motion, undoubtedly the practiced craft of a trained killer. Anyone struck by this deadly blow was dead without question! However, just as he felt like he was about to hit the mark, he felt a cold bite on his arm followed by a strange sensation like his attack had fallen short. His arm continued swinging forward following his initial inertia, but he did not feel the blow landing! At the same time, he heard the sound of something clapping against the floor, a swift thwack. He curiously turned to the direction where the sound came from and saw a familiar hand dropping onto the floor. The cut on the hand was extremely pristine and the severed hands still clenched onto a slender steel needle tightly between its index finger and middle finger. This hand It was at that moment when the man seemed to have finally registered what had happened. By the time he realized, he finally felt the jaw-clenching pain exploding along his arm as he immediately screamed. He instinctively pulled his hand back and retreated backward while shrieking in pain! His accomplice had witnessed everything. He felt like he saw an invisible force suddenly swooping past his partner. As soon as it happened, he saw his partners severed hand clapping against the cold hard floor. What he saw was nothing short of bizarre and injected a frightening cold into his heart. Still, he was a true desperado in every sense of the word. He clenched his teeth and immediately pulled out a gun and readied to aim it at Chen Chen! However, before he could even extend his hand out, he saw his vision turning into a blur. The target in his sight suddenly warped in front of him with explosive momentum. By the time he centered his vision again, his target was standing right in front of him, inches away from his face! At this point, he had only just lifted the gun in his hand. At this moment, every single nerve in his body was screaming as he summoned the will in him to leap backward. Before his body could follow the command to retreat, the opponent had grabbed him by his wrist. He heard the ghastly sound of bones popping, crack crack crack, like rounds of fireworks! His pupils contorted into a tiny black dot. He felt his arm twisting and turning. The gun that was in his hand dropped onto the floor! Ah! He cried out in pain but being the fierce man that he was, he pulled his left arm back when he registered that there was no saving his right arm. With his left arm, he reached for the dagger strapped to his waist and jabbed it at his opponents neck at close distance! Swoosh! However, his dagger only hit the mirage of the person that was once there! Crack! A sharp and numbing pain sent across the back of his spine. His opponent had moved behind him without him noticing. There was hardly any time for him to turn around and react accordingly. His legs crumpled under him as he lost all sensation in the lower half of his body and collapsed onto hard concrete! His spine was shattered with one punch from Chen Chen! Everything went down in a matter of just two seconds. That was all it took for Chen Chen to dispatch an assassin. Without even sparing a second to turn around, Chen Chen suddenly bent his body by the waist at a ninety degrees angle to the left. At the same time, the faint sound of something slicing across the air came from behind Chen Chen! It was the sound of a silenced pistol. A bullet darted past Chen Chens waist. It barely clinched his body and tore through the T-shirt he wore! The culprit was the man who had his hand sliced off by Chen Chen with a poker card. While Chen Chen was dealing with his partner, he took out his gun with his left hand and fired a volley of bullets at Chen Chen, completely disregarding the safety of his partner! Bang bang bang bang! The man unloaded another round of bullets but his expression only grew wider as he hammered away at the trigger. He saw Chen Chen continuously bending his body at sharp angles like Neo in The Matrix. Chen Chen moved so fast that it seemed like he was creating mirror copies of himself. Not a single shot landed even after he had emptied his barrel! What the f***! The man cried out in disbelief. He threw the gun away to turn tail and run. Before his feet touched the ground, he heard the ferocious roar of a cyclone coming from behind him. Then, his chest suddenly swelled up as if something punched through it! His eyes immediately darted down to inspect this strange sensation he was feeling. He saw a hand drenched in blood where his chest should be. A still-beating, raw heart was thumping away on its palm! Ugh It was only then when he felt an indescribable suffocating feeling overwhelming him. He felt all the strength in his body being drained away from the hole in his chest. His legs gave out under him as his knees slammed onto the floor Chen Chen coolly pulled his hand back after he saw the two men lying cold and dead on the ground. This was a healthy heart still beating with great vitality. A brilliant red, strong and tender. Unfortunately, it did not seem to realize that it had left its hosts body and would never return to its shell ever again Sir Godfather Chen Chen heard Little X stutter through his earpiece. At the same time, a mix of bright lights and large shadows appeared from behind Chen Chen as several Black Knights and unmanned drones broke out of invisibility and appeared out of thin air. The tranquil park suddenly became very lively. Im fine. Chen Chen cracked a warm smile and said in a soft tone, Life just gets a little boring sometimes so I figured Id find some fun of my own. Let me have my way just this once, alright? As he said this, he absent-mindedly discarded the fresh heart still drenched in blood and used a napkin a Black Knight handed him to wipe his hands. As far as Chen Chen was concerned, this was only one of the many minor episodes in his life. He was hardly traumatized by this event, if at all. Sir Godfather, what do we do with the nearby witnesses? Little X asked again. Erase their memory. Tell them that everything they just witnessed is nothing more than a dream. Understood. Little X replied. As soon as Chen Chen said this, he suddenly lagged for a moment as if he thought of something. After half a minute had passed, Chen Chen came back to his senses. While leaving the park, he whispered, X, I think I found an instance of anti-message in reality. You mean an anti-message that exists in the real world? Little X was uncertain what Chen Chen meant. Of course. Chen Chen nodded. Perhaps Dreams? Chapter 361 - A Subconscious Warning The thing that people are most likely to forget is dreams. Chen Chen said softly as he walked, I once read a research paper on dreams. It said that within 5 minutes of waking up from sleep, about 50% of the content of the dream will be forgotten. In the next 15 minutes, more than 90% of the details in the dream will be forgotten. So, dreams may truly be a kind of anti-information that exists in reality. Chen Chen continued. Of course, the anti-information here has nothing to do with antimemetic effects. The reason dreams are easily forgotten is that there are MCH neurons in the brain, which secretes a melanin accumulating hormone. This neuron and its secreted hormone can be mapped to the hippocampus and the hippocampus is the brains main memory area. In experiments, activating these neurons will inhibit memory and these MCH neurons that inhibit memory are only active in the rapid eye movement period, which is one characteristic of humans when theyre dreaming. In other words, the brain happens to inhibit the formation of memories during the sleep phase where dreams are produced. Because dreaming mainly occurs in the rapid eye movement period and this period is when MCH neurons are active, this prevents the hippocampus from storing dream memories. This is why the dreams that humans have are often forgotten after waking up Hearing Chen Chens explanation, Little X immediately pulled up the paper from the Internet. Ive found it. Its exactly as you said, but what does this have to do with the method of concealment that were looking for? Uh Chen Chen shook his head. We can start with this angle and create a kind of dream meme to achieve the same effect as an antimeme. Lets regard this as a research direction. Alright. Little X said thoughtfully, I can try to use E language to calculate and see if I can find memetic effects that can affect human dreams, but Im afraid itll take a long time. Still, its simpler than directly trying to engineer an antimeme. Chen Chen nodded. This guideline was thus tentatively set. Very well, but its better to be as fast as possible. While speaking, Chen Chen frowned slightly. Are you worried about the Federations quantum computing? Little X suddenly became a little puzzled. In her experience, Chen Chen had never rushed her as this would indicate a lack of confidence. This hardly happened to a person like Chen Chen who had such a strong will. Chen Chen suddenly stopped in his steps when he heard this. He frowned and finally voiced the thoughts in his mind, I dont know why, but ever since Ive merged with the T-virus and become non-human, Ive always felt inexplicable anxiety. At first I thought it was just an illusion or that I hadnt gotten used to being a non-human, but now it has been a month, this anxiety hasnt diminished at all. Conversely, it has started to worsen and even taking NZT-48 cannot alleviate it. Little X huffed softly. Ive also discovered that this kind of anxiety has begun to affect your judgment. Recently, your decision-making has become more radical. I still have some doubts as to why youre suddenly willing to step up research on memetic effects! Hearing this, Chen Chen could not help but nod. So, it seems that all this isnt just in my mind When I merged with the T-virus, there were hidden dangers that I didnt notice. Dreams However, at this moment, Little X suddenly said, Do you remember that when you woke up from the life incubator, you said that you had a dream, but you forgot what it was upon waking up? Even so, when you felt uneasy just now, you mentioned dreams again. If this is a subconscious suggestion, does it mean that the source of anxiety in your heart is related to dreams? Chen Chens pupils shrank. He suddenly recalled that he did have a frightening dream when he was fusing with the T-virus, but when he woke up, he forgot about it completely. The only thing he could remember was that he did have a dream To someone like Chen Chen, whose willpower and self-discipline could be said to be terrifying, this was practically impossible. Then, the only explanation was that there was something in that dream that was enough to make his subconscious feel a sense of foreboding. Thinking of this, Chen Chen suddenly realized that he could almost ascertain that the source of his uneasiness must be from something in his dream! The foreboding didnt come from the T-virus itself. Out of nowhere, Chen Chen murmured, After all, Ive been taking blood tests every day recently. If there are any follow-up problems with the T-virus, Id definitely find out. But if it isnt the T-virus or my body thats having problems, what would it be? Do you need hypnosis to retrieve that dream? Little X asked, Maybe hypnosis can remind you of everything in that dream. Chen Chen hesitated for a moment, then nodded. We can try While speaking, Chen Chen left the park and stood on the side of the road. Within half a minute, a commercial vehicle stopped in front of Chen Chen and he opened the door and got in. Dont go back to the Spire Experimental Base. Chen Chen shook his head. Go to the Faraday cage built in the industrial park and then lock me in. You Little X hesitated to speak. Do you suspect that this is a memetic effect? No. Chen Chen shook his head and when Little X breathed a sigh of relief, Chen Chen suddenly added. I suspect this is an antimemetic effect. Ah Little X whispered, It should be impossible, right? Chen Chen shook his head and said nothing more. Dreamland, antimemetic Perhaps it was his subconscious that kept warning himself, which led to him figuring out the key factors antimemes and dreams. To ordinary people, this was of course a preposterous suggestion. How could the subconscious mind be so intelligent? Nonetheless, for Chen Chen who had taken NZT-48, all this was not impossible After all, this drug had never disappointed him. Chen Chen thought silently. Still, if this was the case, then all of this would be truly alarming. He had been infected with an antimeme without being aware of it? However, where did this antimeme come from? The dimension of Gantz? No, it was impossible! If it was transmitted from the Gantz dimension, would this not mean that the USB drive did not have the power to shield any memetic effects? Then, it would have been impossible for him to get rid of the entanglement of the memetic effect Thuds. Therefore, these two causal relationships were in conflict. As such, since it did not originate from the world in Gantz, where did this antimeme come from? The commercial vehicle drove fast on the flat road and soon left the Eco Science City and moved toward the industrial park. Inside the vehicle, Chen Chen fell into deep thought. Chapter 362 - Hypnosis When Chen Chen returned to the industrial park where the metal Faraday cage was erected, he could not help but laugh at himself. He originally thought that he had gotten free of the crisis, but he had never expected that in less than two months, he would have to revisit the place and re-enter this cramped room. At this time, the metal Faraday cage isolation room was like a Russian doll, one layer after another, with a total of five layers in its structure. At this moment, the five layers were set out separately. The innermost isolation room was only about five meters in diameter, but the second layer next to it reached up to six meters. It was essentially a metal wall with a thickness of one meter that could enclose the innermost layer fully. The subsequent walls had increasing diameters, with the fifth layer having a diameter of 15 meters. The computer, bed, toilet, and daily necessities are all prepared for you. Little X said, Do you need me to help you get the USB flash drive in? If we cant resolve this, you can try to use the USB flash drive again to shuttle across the different dimensions to avoid the infection of the memetic effect. I dont need it for the time being, just leave it charging. Chen Chen waved his hand. After the second inertial fusion reactor was built at the Spire Experimental Base, the USB drive was transferred from the Blacklight Nuclear Power Plant to the Spire Experimental Base. The size of this second nuclear fusion reactor was only a little larger than the first but its power generation was more than ten times that of the first, reaching a staggering 2 million kWh. This was almost the same as the Blacklight Nuclear Power Plant. The reason for this was that Little X had gained the experience of making it for the first time. After all, as the worlds smartest intelligent life, the learning speed of Little X was terrifying. Considering that the second reactor was comparable to the first in terms of size and fuel consumption, the stability of pressure and heat resistance was greatly improved and its Q value could reach more than 200. At this point, Chen Chen finally got rid of the problem of having insufficient power. Half of the Blacklight Nuclear Power Plant was used to power the Eco Science City and the other half was directly allocated to the USB drive. The same was true for the Spire Experimental Base. Of the two nuclear fusion reactors, nuclear reactor No. 1, with a power of only 200,000 kilowatts, was responsible for powering the Spire Experimental Base. The newly constructed one was fully used to charge the USB drive. Therefore, the speed at which the USB drive was absorbing power had tripled, which was already extremely impressive. X, prepare a set of questionnaires and send them to all Blacklight Biotechnology employees. Tell them its just a psychological diagnosis and treatment, and find out if they have any unusual dreams recently. Before entering the isolation room, Chen Chen gave a final order. He was still not at ease. After all, if it was something antimemetic, the damage to human society would be on par with a memetic effect. Got it. Little X promised. Please be rest assured. Not only that, but after you enter, Ill also bring over the Gantz server Im stationed in. If youre infected with an antimeme, maybe I can suppress it within the Death Radius. Okay. Chen Chen exhaled and walked into the all-metal isolation room. The room was still powered on as before. Under the dim light, there were only two small metal beds, a table, a laptop on the table, and a toilet in the corner. It was the same layout as when he came back from Gantzs dimension. The reason there were two beds was that someone must help Chen Chen with his hypnosis task. Chen Chen could not possibly hypnotize himself. However, after hypnosis, it was very likely that the antimeme would be triggered, resulting in various unknown effects, so the hypnotist must not leave. Of course, under the control of Little X, they could use a Black Knight as the hypnotist, so there would be no problem. At this time, Chen Chen closed the door of the isolation room and locked himself inside. Then, he sat directly on a bed to the right and lay down comfortably with his arm as a pillow. The temperature and humidity in the isolation room had been kept at optimal conditio, and there were special ventilation facilities. Living in it was like staying in a hotel. More than ten minutes later, Little Xs voice came from the computer on the desk, Your Godfather, my body has been shipped over, and the Death Radius has enveloped the isolation room. Then, lets get ready to start. Chen Chen nodded and said calmly. Yes. After Little X agreed, the door of the isolation room was opened again and then a slight fragrance wafted in. Chen Chen instinctively turned his head and suddenly saw a girl, about 1.6 meters tall and wearing clothes for men that were several sizes larger than her, walked in from outside the door. Chen Chen: ??? Sir Godfather, its me What surprised Chen Chen even more was that Little Xs voice came out directly from the mouth of the little girl in front of him. As this was a real person, there was a touch of softness in her voice. Let me be the one to hypnotize you next! Chen Chen looked on with amazement and saw that the girl was about fourteen or fifteen years old. Her appearance could be described as stunning as her skin was astonishingly smooth as if even the lightest touch would shatter it. At the same time, she had long black silken hair, which even in the dim light continued to exude a fine luster. In terms of dressing, the girl wore clothes that Chen Chen once wore. She wore a white T-shirt as her top. As the size was too large, the shirt fell directly on her knees and the sleeves completely covered the little girls hands. Her lower body was clad in a pair of navy blue jeans. As this was oversized too, the pant legs had buried the little girls feet, revealing only a few pale and lovely toes. This is a Black Knight? Chen Chen constantly stared at her in surprise. No matter how he looked at it, the little girl in front of him was not as rigid as the group of Black Knights. Instead, she was alive, spirited, and full of health. This body is A6-853 from the sixth batch of Black Knights that just came out of the incubators. The little girl nodded and pointed to her head. But unlike other Black Knights, I slightly improved the God chip implanted in this body so that it can receive more information from me and this body can also transmit more feedback, just as if my mind was completely attached to this body. Thus, it seems more real. Only then did Chen Chen understand. To put it bluntly, with normal Black Knights, Little X did not directly control them. Instead, it was akin to having separated itself into non-thinking clones and then controlling them indirectly, so they looked extremely stiff, like a robot. As for the little girl in front of Chen Chen, Little X had enlarged the channel of information flow and was commanding it with full attention, so she was more like a human being. However, if one looked closely, one could still see traces of a Black Knight. After all, the little girl had been optimized to be too perfect. Whether it was her skin or hair or body, even the pheromones she emitted, it was beyond the extent of ordinary human health. Just like Chen Chen today when someones genes had been optimized by the T-virus, no matter where they went, even in a sea of people, they would have the most prominent presence. However, this little girl, the Black Knight, was not made without Chen Chens knowledge because when the Black Knights were cultivated, they must be cultivated at all ages. Not only the combat Black Knights, but even the spying Black Knights would also require this. Thinking of this, Chen Chen could not help feeling a little speechless. After all, the original plan was to lock himself and the hypnotist together, but Little X had specially selected a girls body. Did it have something impure in mind? Nonetheless, on second thought, the gender and age of Little X were indeed those of a young girl. This was set when Little X was created. At this time, Little X chose this little girl as an avatar and even changed her voice to her original voice. Therefore, this could be justified. Maybe he was just thinking too much Chen Chen shook his head and could not be bothered to think about this topic anymore. Instead, he lay down and accepted his fate. Dont worry. Just leave everything to me. Little X asked in a light clear voice, Sir Godfather, are you ready? Okay, we can start. Chen Chen nodded. Following Chen Chens answer, he immediately felt a sense of being suspended. He knew that the isolation room was being lifted by a crane. After being lifted, the entire isolation room was placed into the second-level isolation room. Then the third layer, then the fourth It was like a Russian doll. In the end, Chen Chen was enclosed tightly by a five-layer alloy wall. It was more than ten meters thick. Unless a nuclear weapon was detonated at close range, there was really nothing in the world that could break open this wall by force. This was what Chen Chen did to combat the Thuds memetic effect. This Faraday cage could not help trapping Chen Chen and also provide protection to Chen Chen. After all the outer walls were completely locked, Little X began to move. It seemed that all this was rather novel to her. At this time, Little X squatted and put a silver medicine box on the ground. Somewhat awkwardly, she took out the syringe and ampoule from the medicine box and drew the liquid into the syringe. First of all, well give you an injection to put you in a completely relaxed state! Little X gave a reminder, then took out a rubber band and tied it around Chen Chens left arm. After finding the vein, she plunged the needle in. These needles were all reinforced to ensure that they could penetrate the skin of a T-virus host. Chen Chen was injected with diazepam, a commonly used tranquilizer with fewer side effects. However, due to his physical attributes, Little X finally injected Chen Chen with five times the normal dose. At this time, the efficacy of NZT-48 had completely passed. After the injection, Chen Chen only felt a soothing sensation slowly spreading from his arm to his whole body. Suddenly, Chen Chen only felt that his body became limp as if he was lying on a yacht while the yacht was floating in an endless sea. The sound of ethereal waves soothed his ears and the blue sky and ocean were in front of him At this time, Chen Chens eyes gradually changed from lively to vacant. Chen Chen At this moment, the girls pure face suddenly appeared in Chen Chens field of vision but Chen Chen did not seem to notice anything at this time. He still looked forward blankly, his eyes staring past the girls cheek toward a certain point in the blank space. Chen Chen, look at me The girl looked down at Chen Chen and said in a voice as faint as a mosquito, Look into my eyes. At this point, Chen Chens eyes flickered slightly. His eyes focused a little and he stared closely at the girls deep pupils. Now youve returned to the original darkness. Youre slowly wandering in the ocean of memory, and in front of you, theres an iceberg of memory The girl whispered sweetly in Chen Chens ear, using a huskier tone of voice, Listen to my voice Dont be afraid of being lost, dont be afraid of the darkness because my voice will show you the way and my eyes will light up everything. Youll go to that iceberg of memory under my guidance When I count from one to ten, youll walk into the iceberg and return to the night when you merged with the T-virus Little X took a deep breath and was just about to start counting when she suddenly thought of something. In the next second, Little X took a deep breath and slowly lowered her head as if she was plucking up courage. In the next second, she gave Chen Chen a gentle peck on the lips. Suddenly, her cheeks flamed red, almost to her ears. At the same time, she whispered, Chen Chen, please remember what you felt just now. If it wants to hurt you, come back immediately through the anchor! After she finished speaking, Little X sighed in relief. Okay, lets get started! Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four Three. Two. One. Clatter! Chen Chens hand loosened and he sat up, startled. What happened? He was paying attention to class, why did he suddenly drift off? Chen Chen frowned. He lowered his head and looked, but saw that his gel pen had fallen under the table because of his dazed state earlier. With no alternative, Chen Chen had to bend down from his seat and pick up the gel pen. At the moment Chen Chen bent over, he subconsciously glanced at the bottom of the table, only to see a dark glint flashing past. It was a black USB flash drive. After picking up his pen, Chen Chen picked at the USB drive. With a click, the USB drive embedded in the groove at the bottom of the table was easily plucked out. He must get up quickly, otherwise, the professor would call his name Suddenly, this thought occurred to him. Chen Chen quickly straightened up, exhaled, and sat obediently on the seat. That student Uh. On the podium, old professor Wang Xi opened his mouth and then changed his words, The student in the last row, please answer Its name is the Hayflick limit!It, it should be Hayflick limit Two voices, one male and one female, rang out simultaneously behind Chen Chen. After hearing this, Chen Chen subconsciously glanced back, only to see Wang Wei, the leader of his dormitory, standing there awkwardly. Behind him, a cute-looking girl had also stood up. Both seemed to have thought that the professor was calling them, so they stood up and answered at the same time. Chen Chen instantly snickered to himself at their embarrassment. What happened next had nothing to do with Chen Chen. Seeing that the professor had looked away from him, Chen Chen looked down at the prize in his hand. Sure enough, it was a USB flash drive. It was just different from an ordinary USB flash drive. The length of this USB flash drive was much longer. It measured twelve or thirteen centimeters and looked like a carbon rod. In addition, the entire USB drive was completely integrated. It was black all over without even any logos or storage size. Still, seeing how cool it appeared, Chen Chen ultimately put the USB flash drive into his trouser pocket, planning to look at it closer back in his dorm. Time flew by. Soon, it was time for the class to end. As Professor Wang Xi on the podium verbally dismissed the class, the entire classroom suddenly became alive and everyone crowded together noisily. Chen Chen even saw that many people were rushing toward the back row. In the last row of the classroom, a sweet-looking young girl was surrounded by a group of perverts, including Chen Chens three dorm mates. Chen Chen paid no mind to those sex fiends. He went straight back to Dorm 404, turned on the computer, and inserted the USB drive at the same time. After waiting for a while, Chen Chen clicked on [My Computer], but found that there was nothing displayed in the column of removable storage devices except for the DVD drive. The drive letter of the USB drive that should have been automatically recognized was missing. The USB drive was broken? Chen Chen could not believe this, so he inserted it again, but there was still no response. Therefore, Chen Chen simply relied on a familiar computer operation. He merely pulled up the USB installation program on the computer, so that the drive letter of the USB drive appeared. At this time, Chen Chen opened the USB flash drive, full of expectation. After all, perhaps hidden there was some secret code in the USB flash drive, who could say However, when the USB drive was opened, Chen Chen was stunned. Following that, he immediately felt disappointed. There was nothing in the USB flash drive. This USB flash drive was empty Chapter 363 - USB Drive What? After so much effort, I get nothing Chen Chen silently closed the window and right-clicked to open the properties of the USB flash drive but saw that the total capacity of the USB flash drive was displayed as unknown. So, the USB drive is broken? Chen Chen thought for a while and was just about to transfer some files to test out the USB flash drive. However, he heard a flurry of footsteps approaching from a distance. Then, the dormitory door was kicked open with a blam and Li Bo walked in doing the latest viral dance. Lil Chen, whyd you come back so early today? Li Bo yawned and sat next to Chen Chen. Why did you dash off after class just now? The class leader was distributing admission tickets to the campus evening party at the back of the classroom. Isnt the campus party organized by the school? What admission ticket do I need? Chen Chen said in objection. This time, the evening party is set up in the auditorium. It can only hold one-third of the schools people. How can everyone possibly join? Li Bo shook his head and said, Moreover, many celebrities have been invited to this party, so there are only ten tickets for a class. You guys can go then. Chen Chen yawned and waved his hand. Im not going anymore. I might as well game a few rounds if I have this idle time. At this moment, Wang Wei and Zhou Jie also returned to the dormitory. Suddenly, there was a raucous atmosphere in the dormitory. The four of them kept chatting about the campus party a few days later, but Chen Chen found out that none of them had even grabbed an admission ticket to the campus party. Come on, wed still do what we gotta do. The dorm leader, Wang Wei, shrugged, and suddenly let out a Huh sound. Lil Chen, what is that black thing on your computer? A USB flash drive that I picked up in the classroom. Chen Chen unplugged the USB flash drive and threw it to Wang Wei. Take it if you like it. Its not like I dont have one. Wang Wei handed the USB flash drive to Zhou Jie, who was beside him. This USB flash drive looks pretty good. Is there any good stuff in it? Zhou Jies eyes suddenly lit up. He quickly took out his computer and inserted the USB flash drive in. Nope, Ive checked. Theres nothing inside and I cant even see its capacity. Its probably corrupted. Chen Chen gave a warning. Seeing that Zhou Jie was still enthusiastically studying the USB drive, Chen Chen did not continue to mind him. Soon enough, there was a ding from Zhou Jies computer. Oh, is it really broken? Zhou Jie complained, I tried to upload some files and a Program Error window popped up directly! What a waste of its cool appearance. Hearing this, Chen Chens heart suddenly jolted. He seemed to have thought of something and said, without rhyme nor reason, Maybe you can try a movie? No files can be copied in, so of course, movies are impossible. Zhou Jie grumbled but he still followed Chen Chens words. In a little while, Zhou Jie suddenly chuckled and said excitedly, Who said it was broken? Isnt it working just fine? Chen Chen reflexively raised his head. Wang Wei and Li Bo on the side also looked at Zhou Jies computer subconsciously, only to see that four avi-format movies had been put in the computer at this point. [Ju-on.avi.], [Final Destination.avi.], [One Missed Call.avi], [Ring.avi.]. D*mn, how come you put this kind of movie in, Nostril? Wang Wei said in puzzlement, Do you like watching horror movies too? Theyre okay. Didnt Lil Bo say he was looking for excitement before? So I downloaded them. It has been several days and I kept forgetting to watch them. Zhou Jie said. Chen Chen just remembered that the reason Zhou Jie said this was because the schools campus network was billed by time and the cost was not low. These guys in Chen Chens dormitory often ran out of time before the end of the month, so to reduce their online time and use less of the campus network, they all agreed to launch the Night Cinema activity. After 11 oclock at night every day, the four of them would only keep one computer connected to the Internet and everyone would sit in front of this computer to watch a movie, which was also considered team-building. In terms of film selection, everyone in the dormitory had proclaimed the three nos principle no watching romantic dramas, no watching idol dramas, and no watching literary movies. After all, a group of grown men sitting together, watching those sort of sentimental, long-winded movies well, if something happened, no one could bear the blame. Apart from those, they could watch anything else. Nonetheless, Chen Chen preferred science fiction and disaster movies while dorm leader Wang Wei preferred horror and slasher movies. Zhou Jies taste was similar to Wang Weis while Li Bo prefers Hong Kong movies from the last century. Still, fortunately, the four of them had a common movie category that they liked, that was, the X-rated genre. However, this genre was more suitable for viewing alone. It was inevitable that one would lose the mood if they watched it together. Therefore, when they were together, they still watched Hollywood blockbusters most of the time. At this time, Li Bo, who was more afraid of ghosts, said with a guilty conscience, No way, Nostril, do you want everyone to watch these four movies? Of course. Zhou Jie smugly put the USB flash drive on the table. Now, we even have a shared USB flash drive. In the future, you can upload any movies you want to play for Night Cinema so that we can even save the last bit of campus network time! Not bad. Thats more like it. Wang Wei was also extremely excited. These films are much better than European and American slasher films. Europe and the United States dont understand horror. They either scare people using jump scares or fill the screen with blood and gore or make some furniture fly around. Its getting so old. For real horror, you still need to go for Japanese horror! Everyone immediately started talking in full swing. However, the enthusiastic group did not notice Chen Chen, who was sitting opposite, had turned pale at this time. He stared at the USB flash drive on the table but suddenly felt an inexplicable throbbing in his heart. He felt like after moving the horror movies into this USB flash drive, something bad would happen This ominous premonition was getting heavier. Dorm leader Wang Wei finally noticed that something was wrong. He asked with concern, Lil Chen, are you feeling sick? Im fine Chen Chen shook his head. He was about to take the USB flash drive and throw it away but Zhou Jie, who was opposite him, picked up the USB flash drive again and started fighting with Li Bo. Seeing this, Chen Chen had to give up. Soon, it was noon and four of them went to the cafeteria to have lunch. Then, they returned to the dormitory, laughing and talking, and lay down in bed. In this dormitory, Chen Chen and Wang Wei had always had the habit of taking a lunch break but Li Bo and Zhou Jie did not have this habit. However, during their lunch break, they would also tacitly lower the sound of the computer, so as not to affect the other two. After having lunch, the foreboding in Chen Chens heart had gradually disappeared. Finally, he looked at Zhou Jie and the USB flash drive next to the computer. He gave up on thinking anymore and just closed his eyes. Soon, Chen Chen fell asleep. In the beginning, Chen Chen slept extremely comfortably because he found that todays dormitory was exceptionally quiet as if he was the only one in the entire dormitory. However, for some reason, after falling asleep, Chen Chen only felt that his whole body was getting colder. He had already covered himself with the quilt but there was still an inexplicable chill in the dormitory. Not only that but as he drifted between sleep and wakefulness, Chen Chen seemed to see something stretching over the upper bunk and approaching his face bit by bit. However, when the thing was about to reach Chen Chens head, the dormitorys broadcaster suddenly blared. It was the wake-up call at two oclock in the afternoon. Chen Chen opened his eyes quickly but saw a flash of something white suddenly retracting into the upper bunk. It looked to be a hand. Chen Chen just sat up, yawned heavily, and subconsciously looked at the opposite side. What Chen Chen saw was that on the opposite table, Zhou Jie was sitting in front of the computer with a slack expression. His face white as if he had been attacked by something Whats wrong, Nostril? At this time, the rest also got up one after another, and suddenly noticed Zhou Jie who was slumped in front of the computer, so they started to inquire with concern. Even so, Zhou Jie was like a wooden man. Even if he heard everyones inquiries, he did not respond. Nostril, Nostril! Wang Wei quickly got out of bed, walked in front of Zhou Jie, and waved his hand before Zhou Jies eyes. At this point, Zhou Jie opened a pair of dull eyes and slowly turned his head to look at Wang Wei. Nostril, whats wrong with you? Chen Chen also got out of bed. He subconsciously walked around Zhou Jie, only to see that the computer in front of Zhou Jie was turned on and the computer was displaying a Program Error window. On the right side of the computer, the black USB flash drive was plugged in Did you watch these movies? Chen Chens heart sank. He immediately grabbed the mouse and crossed out the program error window. Then, he selected all four movies on the USB drive and pressed Ctrl+D at the same time. With a swoosh, all four movies were deleted! After doing all this, Chen Chen secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Although he did not understand where his inner anxiety came from, for some reason, this USB flash drive always felt evil to him. Im fine! Just then, Zhou Jie also stood up suddenly, smiled stiffly at everyone, then turned around and walked outside the dormitory. After he had left the dormitory, Chen Chen, Wang Wei, and Li Bo looked at each other. What happened to Nostril? Maybe hes sick or is he just scared by those four horror films? It shouldnt be that. Nostril isnt so timid The three of them exchanged a few words casually without much thought. After that, they packed their things, left the dormitory, and walked toward the teaching building. When the three of them entered the classroom and saw Zhou Jie sitting in his seat as usual, everyone felt completely relieved. Soon, the class teacher hurried in and the class began. Chen Chen listened to the class as usually did, but for some reason, as he sat in class, Chen Chen felt a tingling sensation at his back. It was as if someone was staring at him Chen Chen looked back subconsciously but was immediately met with a pair of clear and deep pupils. Was that the girl he saw in the morning? At this time, the little girl was sitting alone in the back row of the classroom, in the same column as Chen Chen. As Chen Chen turned his head abruptly, the two looked at each other by coincidence. Chen Chen saw a stunned look on the girls face before she widened her eyes and smiled at him. Chen Chen reluctantly squeezed out an awkward smile and quickly turned his head back. In the next class, Chen Chen distinctly felt that the cold tingle on his back had lessened significantly. This was because his head was filled with the girls smile. He did not know why, but her eyes seemed to have seared deeply into his heart. It was nothing like a crush, but a feeling of pity. Chen Chen did not know why he had to pity her. He just forced himself to finish the class. After the teacher had left, he stood up and started to pack his textbooks. However, Zhou Jie in front of him moved faster. He picked up the textbooks and left the classroom right after class. Lil Chen, I feel something is wrong with Nostril. Ill go take a look. Help me take my books back. The dorm leader Wang Wei quickly patted Chen Chen on the shoulder. Before Chen Chen could agree, he also walked off. Ill go take a look too. Li Bo also waved to Chen Chen, then turned and left. Chen Chen thought nothing much of this. He took the notebooks and textbooks of the two of them and put them together with his own. However, just as Chen Chen bowed his head to pack up the books, a burst of unknown fragrance came to him. Hello there! There was a clear voice by his ear. Chen Chen raised his head subconsciously, only to see the girl standing directly in front of him. She was looking at him with a smile on her face. Hey there Chen Chen replied instinctively, Whats up, classmate? Im a new transfer student. Can I be friends with you? the girl asked enthusiastically. Be friends? Chen Chen was astounded. As a member of the loser gang, he knew his place in the social hierarchy. He was one of those who would become invisible in a crowd of people. In other words, he had a very common face. Thus, ever since a young age, he had never encountered a situation where a girl took the initiative to strike up a conversation with him. Not only that, but because of his relatively introverted personality, although Chen Chen could be said to be experienced, it was all in theory. He had never touched a girls hand. Thinking of this, Chen Chen glanced around subconsciously but saw several people also looking over in astonishment, seemingly wondering why he would be favored by the girl. He quickly lowered his head and smiled dryly. Classmate, shouldnt you first make friends with those of the same sex? Its all the same. The girl giggled and then bounced out of the classroom. Seeing this, Chen Chen felt completely relieved. He was truly a little lost in the face of the girls sudden enthusiasm. Holding a thick stack of books back to the dormitory building, Chen Chen panted and walked up to the fourth floor. When he opened the door of Dorm 404 with the key, Chen Chen suddenly froze. He should have felt completely relieved but for some reason, when he stepped into the dormitory he was familiar with, his hairs suddenly stood up all over his body and he got goosebumps without warning! He had never felt this way. Whats up with that? Chen Chen frowned and could only bite the bullet and walked into the dormitory. He threw the books directly on everyones beds and then sat back on his own bed. He had gradually realized that ever since today or strictly speaking, since he picked up the black USB flash drive, he had been feeling rather peculiar. Thinking of this, Chen Chen subconsciously looked at the location of Zhou Jies computer. Sure enough, the USB flash drive was still plugged into Zhou Jies laptop. Could it be that something was wrong with this USB drive? Chen Chen could not figure this out. He simply took advantage of the fact that everyone in the dormitory had not come back and walked directly to Zhou Jies computer, moving as if he was about to unplug the USB flash drive. However, the instant Chen Chen touched the USB flash drive, a pale arm suddenly stretched out from beyond Chen Chens line of sight and grabbed Chen Chens hand Chen Chens pupils contracted quickly! Chapter 364 - Ghostly Encounter The moment that hand touched Chen Chen, he withdrew his hand as if he had gotten an electric shock. He raised his head, flabbergasted, but there was no one in front of him. Even so, Chen Chen still felt numb all over because at the moment that hand touched him, a bone-piercing cold swept across his body. The muscles of his entire hand were still constantly trembling. That was not a human hand! Chen Chen was full of shock. While holding his right hand, he moved back step by step. By now, even the biggest idiot would understand that there was something wrong with this dormitory However, when he retreated to the door, he suddenly felt himself bumping against a person. Chen Chens heart was seized again. He jumped nervously and at the same time turned quickly, only to see Zhou Jie standing at the door of the dormitory. Ah, so its Chen Chen? Zhou Jies face was stupefied like a dead mans expression with only one pair of eyes staring at Chen Chen. He asked mechanically, Chen Chen, when did you come back? Chen Chen narrowed his eyes, still guarding against Zhou Jie, but then he suddenly thought of everything that happened before. His heart leaped and he moved directly back to Zhou Jies desk, then tried to pick up the USB flash drive again. This time, Zhou Jie still maintained a sluggish expression. He just watched Chen Chen unplug the USB flash drive, but still did not move. Phew, my gamble paid off Chen Chen secretly breathed a sigh of relief only when he had the USB flash drive firmly in his grasp. Chen Chen, when did you come back? At this moment, Zhou Jie asked again, still in the same tone as before. It was already time for classes to end and Zhou Jie stood at the door of the dormitory, blocking the way. However, Chen Chen saw that behind Zhou Jie, there were other students in the dormitory passing by, talking and laughing. Thus, without hesitating, Chen Chen raised one leg suddenly and kicked Zhou Jie in the gut! Go ask your grandmother! In one move, Chen Chen had kicked Zhou Jie to the ground. With this opportunity, Chen Chen fled from the dormitory and ran down the stairs. What Chen Chen did not know was that, after he left, several students in the next class saw Zhou Jie being knocked down, and immediately took the initiative to help him up. They brought Zhou Jie, who still wore a slack expression, back into Dorm 404. After they entered, there seemed to be a gust of wind blowing past the corridors and then with a blam, the door of Dorm 404 was slowly closed by the wind Chen Chen ran out of the dormitory building, out of breath. Only then did he look back while panting heavily. Fortunately, Zhou Jie did not run after him. Chen Chen tightly gripped the USB flash drive in his hand, barely aware of how disordered and forlorn he looked. This attracted the attention of students who were moving in and out of the dormitory. Lil Chen, whats wrong? Still, after a while, Chen Chen heard the voices of Wang Wei and Li Bo. He looked up at this sound and saw that they were standing before him. Lil Chen, have you seen Zhou Jie? He Went back to the dormitory. Chen Chen opened his mouth but the words on the tip of his tongue were swallowed abruptly, and then he said again, Wang Wei, Li Bo, I have something very important to tell you. Come here. With that, Chen Chen turned and walked toward the school cafeteria. If he has something to say, cant he say it in the dormitory? Why so mysterious? Wang Wei was a little curious. He and Li Bo looked at each other. After hesitating, the two followed Chen Chen. Chen Chen secretly breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that they were willing to follow. He finally glanced toward the fourth floor, but he immediately stiffened. A chill surged directly to the top of his head and his entire scalp almost flew off the top This was because, in the glance just now, he saw that on the window of his dormitory, a woman with a pale body and disheveled hair was sprawled across the window, staring in his direction. From that angle, Chen Chen knew, without even thinking about it, that she was staring at him! What in the world was that thing? Was it the legendary Chen Chen took a deep breath, said nothing, but went straight to the cafeteria and sat down. Lil Chen, why do you look so agitated? Wang Wei asked with concern. He took out his campus card and handed it to Li Bo, who was aside. Lil Bo, go buy some spicy rolls for Lil Chen to perk up his spirits. Chen Chen waved his hand, indicating that he did not need it. He walked to the shop on the side and bought three bottles of Sprite, then placed it before the two of them. He opened one of them before he said, Didnt you hunt down Zhou Jie after class? Whyd you let him come back alone? As soon as we ran out, we found that Nostril had vanished without a trace. Speaking of this, Wang Wei was also a little depressed. God knows how that guy could run so fast, but we thought about it again since he can run so fast, it means nothing is wrong. So we just ignored him and went to the cafeteria to eat, before heading back. Then we bumped into you downstairs. Li Bo added. After listening, Chen Chen shook his head. He did not know where to start for a moment. He simply took out the USB flash drive and placed it in front of the two of them. Im going to say something that I know might be difficult for you to believe. You might even think that Im crazy, but I hope that no matter how outrageous or absurd I sound, youll finish listening to what I said. Hearing this, Wang Wei and Li Bo turned slightly solemn. They solemnly looked at the USB drive on the table, only to observe that the USB flash drive had become extremely old-looking since some unknown time as if it was picked up from the trash. There was none of its noontime luster. However, their attention was not on this matter at this time, so Wang Wei just said, Say anything you want. Were all brothers, of course, we trust you. Chen Chen nodded. He looked around and checked that no one was paying attention to them. Then he whispered, Brother Wei, Lil Bo, theres a problem with the USB drive I picked up today The two did not speak but looked fixedly at Chen Chen. Did you feel something was off when you fell asleep at noon today? Chen Chen asked, For example, did you feel that the air in the dormitory was getting cold? Hmm? Both of them were taken aback. After that, Wang Wei said immediately, Now that youve mentioned it, I did feel that. I was sleeping at the time, but it seemed to be getting colder in the dormitory. Although its now November, it shouldnt be so cold. I even thought someone had turned on the air conditioner. Me too. Li Bo nodded affirmatively. Not only that, but I also dreamed of a head poking up from the lower bunk. At first, I thought it was Lil Chen playing a prank, but after I woke up, I realized that wasnt right because that head had long hair and appeared to be a woman. It didnt look like Lil Chen at all! Chen Chen was shaken to his core and immediately said, I also felt what Lil Bo felt. When I was sleeping, I sensed something stretching down from the upper bunk, but when I woke up, there was nothing there Hold on. Wang Wei promptly pointed to Chen Chen and Li Bo in astonishment. Lil Chen, youre on the lower bunk and Lil Bo is on the upper bunk, but both of you feel, at the same time, that theres something strange in the upper and lower bunks. So, what is it that can hide between the upper bunk and the lower bunk? Some things cant be explained with physics. Chen Chen took a sip of Sprite again. Remember, Zhou Jie uploaded four movies on this USB flash drive and then that peculiar incident happened at noon. Plus, after we woke up, we saw Zhou Jie sitting in front of the computer So? Both of them asked immediately. Chen Chens words suddenly halted. A series of images flashed in his mind, but they were not of his previous encounter. Rather, they seemed totally illogical. In the scene, he seemed to be attempting something bit by bit, slowly starting to test the rules of the USB drive Tss Chen Chen only felt a sharp pain in his head. He quickly covered his head and cried out in pain. Lil Chen, Lil Chen? Their concerned voices rang by his ears, but Chen Chen could not answer anymore. Scenes were flashing in his mind, all related to the USB flash drive, but when he thought about it, these images and what they portrayed had no connection to reality as if they happened in another time and space This pain came and went quickly. When Chen Chen recovered from his dazed collapse, the sharp pain in his mind had disappeared as it came, without warning. In Chen Chens mind, there were only a few strange memories D*mn Chen Chen panted heavily and his face darkened because these few memories were related to the USB flash drive. If the rules in the memory were true, would it not mean that Thinking of this, Chen Chen only felt his scalp numb. He said to the two of them, Zhou Jie has played the four horror films. The four horror films are Ju-on, Final Destination, One Missed Call, and Ring, so our dormitory has now become a gathering place for those malevolent ghosts! Wang Wei and Li Bo both stared at each other with wide eyes for a moment, then Wang Wei forced a smile and hugged himself. Lil Chen, dont tell me that what you said is true. I know its hard to believe, but when you were eating just now, I was the first to return. After returning to the dormitory, I saw something thats difficult to describe in words. Chen Chen finally advised, Anyway, I wont step into Dorm 404 anymore. Ive told you everything I should and Ill stop here. If you still want to go back, I will not say a word to dissuade you. As he spoke, Chen Chen put away the USB flash drive. He no longer planned to hand it to the two of them. If those few rules in his mind were true Chen Chens heart suddenly started to pound restlessly. Youre truly amazing, man. Li Bo said in awe, Lil Chen, if someone else told me this, Ill beat him up, but the way you said it was so real that Im almost convinced by you. Chen Chen sighed secretly. He knew that since Li Bo said this, it showed that the other guy still did not believe Chen Chen. Wang Wei suddenly thought of something. He slapped his thigh instantly, took out his cell phone and said, Forget it, no matter what, Ill call Nostril. Lil Chen, didnt you say that Nostril has returned to the dormitory? Im going to ask him to come out and ask him whats going on. With that, he got ready to dial Zhou Jies phone number. Chen Chens eyes turned completely cold. He stood up without hesitation, turned, and left the canteen without hesitation. Lil Chen? Lil Chen? Chen Chen ignored the calls from the two behind him. He knew that if they did not see those things with their own eyes, those two would never believe him. However, after they encountered those things, would they still be lucky enough to survive like him? Chen Chen did not know. However, Chen Chen knew that he would not waste time on people who did not believe him. When humans wanted to die, no one could stop them. Even if one tried to hold back those people by force, they would drag one along before falling into the abyss, pulling one down into the abyss of death as well Thinking of this, the panicked tremor in Chen Chens eyes vanished completely, replaced by a kind of absolute reason and coldness. Even Chen Chen himself could not understand where this kind of reason and coldness came from. It was as if he should have been this rational and aloof all along. According to the rules about the USB flash drive that appeared in my mind, the USB drive can extract many movie props. Then, what I need most now is Chen Chen thought for a while and walked straight out of the campus. He looked at the sun gradually setting westward and his expression became slightly solemn. He knew that he must act quickly. It was not until Chen Chen had left that Wang Wei and Li Bo looked at each other with a hint of helplessness in their eyes. Brother Wei, do you think what Lil Chen said is true? Li Bo hesitated and asked, Although I dont believe in all that, something felt wrong at noon today, plus Nostril and Lil Chen are now behaving like this Let me call Nostril and ask. Wang Wei sighed. He looked at Zhou Jies number on the phone, hesitated for a moment, and pressed the dial button. However, when he was pressing the dial button, there was no call interface on the phone. Instead, the screen showed the caller ID interface and at the same time, a clear and lovely ringtone rang out. La la la la~ La la la la~ La la la la~ La la la la~ La la la la~ La la la la~ La~ La~ La~ La~ La la la~ La la la~ La la la~ La la la~ Wang Wei subconsciously looked at the phone but saw that Zhou Jies number was displayed on the screen. Huh However, Wang Wei frowned and could not help wondering aloud. This isnt my ringtone Ten minutes later, Chen Chen came to an Internet cafe. After proficiently arranging for an hour of computer time at the front desk, Chen Chen found a computer in the corner and then inserted the USB drive. Next, Chen Chen directly opened the movie inventory that came with the computer, searched for a ghost film from the Lam Ching Ying series, and dragged it to the USB drive. Ding! The sound of a program error came from the headset. The USB drive rejected the movie. Since I cant put a movie about exorcism into the USB flash drive, then the rules in my memory are true Chen Chen frowned. Although he had verified a rule, he did not feel any excitement. Instead, his heart sank. Having thought of this, he tried a few movies that featured superpowers. In the end, a few such as Chronicle, Push, and The Boys were copied in while others like The Flash, Spider-Man, Batman, Iron Man, and Captain America were rejected by the USB drive. The Marvel series and the DC series cant be placed into the USB flash drive, confirmed. Chen Chen verified a rule again and he immediately understood that there was no chance for him to gain superpowers in one step. In the several movies that could be placed into the USB flash drive, the acquisition of superpowers was very demanding. Moreover, if the rules in his mind were not deceiving him, at this time, after the supernatural entities in those movies were released, the USB flash drive was left without the slightest energy The sign that the USB drive had run out of energy was that it would look extremely old and battered. This was what the USB drive appeared to be now. Chapter 365 - Strategic Plan The USB drive had no energy. Chen Chen sighed to himself, then plugged out the USB drive listlessly and tossed it back into his pocket. Although the rules about the USB flash drive that appeared in his mind were extremely outrageous and even his knowledge about the USB drive itself was a very outrageous thing, the fact that the USB drive had no energy left caught Chen Chen unprepared. He must not panic, there must be a solution Chen Chen took a deep breath and leaned back on the sofa. At the same time, his brain began to spin at an extremely fast pace. First of all, the reason why I have a lot of strange knowledge about the USB flash drive in my mind maybe because I own the USB flash drive, so just like in fantasy novels, the USB flash drive recognizes its master? Of course, this explanation isnt reliable. Even if it has to acknowledge its master, it should be Zhou Jie. After all, he was the one who copied the movies in and he also played the movies to release those eerie beings Chen Chen narrowed his eyes and supported his forehead with one hand, and gradually fell into thought. Even putting this aside for now, according to the rules in my mind about the USB flash drive, once the movie you put in is played, you can extract substances from it But strangely, among all the rules, there are no rules about ghost movies at all. That is to say, in terms of what happens when you play a ghost movie, even the USB flash drive itself doesnt know But the other rules and our encounters in the afternoon can tell us that if you play ordinary movies, you can take out ordinary movie props. If you play sci-fi movies, you can take out the sci-fi props inside. Then, if you play ghost movies Erm Could it be that the ghosts themselves will come out of the movies? However, Final Destination isnt a ghost film, but a special kind of Chen Chens heart throbbed. He suddenly raised his head and stared at the screen in front of him. Rule? Chen Chens eyes suddenly lit up. If Final Destination features a kind of rule, then Ju-on, Ring, and One Missed Call, are they also manifestations of a certain rule? Thinking of this, Chen Chen turned on the computer again and watched the four horror movies in the cinema of the Internet cafe. Final Destination was a movie that told of a classic Chinese fatalistic narrative If the Reaper wants you dead at midnight, who would keep you alive until dawn? If one was on Deaths list, then no matter how one fled or hid, one would ultimately be unable to escape the fate of death. One might try various methods to escape death but the irony was that these methods seemed to stack up coincidentally and became the way that Death killed one. If this rule appeared in reality, that would be truly interesting Chen Chen only felt a chill in his heart. He did not think there was an entity such as Death in this world. The so-called Death in the movie was a special rule. Strictly speaking, this was like the law of cause and effect As the group of main characters in the movie was set to experience the effect of dying, any action to save themselves would become the cause of death. If this rule was unleashed, then the entire world was probably going to collapse At that time, besides Newtons law, thermodynamics law, mass-energy conservation law, and other scientific laws, there would be another Deaths law in the world? F*ck that sh*t Chen Chen only felt a pain in his brain but he had to continue hypothesizing. In his mind, a brainstorm had gradually started The movie Ju-on told the story of a middle-aged woman Kayako with a grievance. She lived a difficult life since she was a child. When she grew up, she was mistaken for being unfaithful and killed by her husband, so everyone who entered her house would be killed by her and her son Toshio. The core of this movie was very simple. As long as anyone stepped into this house, they would become entangled with Kayako and eventually die. If it was also regarded as a rule, then enter and die was the rule of the entire movie. If this was the case, the instant this rule was unleashed, the entire Dorm 404 was already contaminated by this rule. Chen Chen felt a greater ache in his heart. He was not afraid that Deaths law was unleashed. After all, Deaths law only killed people who were supposed to die but did not. He would not be implicated. However, if it were the rule of Ju-on, he would be at a dead end. This was because Ju-on was a completely unsolvable horror movie. What did unsolvable mean? That was, people who had entered the house must die and there was no solution! It was not just Ju-on. In addition to this unsolvable horror film, Zhou Jie had also released One Missed Call and Ring. One Missed Call was about a mental disorder called Munchausen syndrome. A girl named Mimiko suffered from asthma herself and because her mother suffered from Munchausen syndrome, she was implicated in further suffering and eventually died. At the same time, she was filled with incomparable resentment after her death and her spirit was attached to her phone. Anyone targeted by Mimiko would receive their own death call a few days in advance. When the call came, those phones would ring with a special nursery rhyme ringtone. Of the content in the incoming call, some would be their voices before their death and some would send an MMS with the scene of their death. Moreover, the date of death was the date displayed on the call. What was more terrifying was that this kind of death was contagious. After being killed by Mimiko, their mobile phone would randomly select a person from the address book to continue this relay game of death This was the killing method in One Missed Call. To put it simply, the ghostly call first informed one that one would die and told one the method and date of ones death. However, the truly despairing factor was that, even after knowing all this, one would still experience the exact manner of death, at the exact time, as given by the call, for one reason or another. There would not even be the slightest discrepancy. This was the same as Final Destination. Thinking of this, Chen Chen suddenly recalled that he did not seem to have received any strange calls. That was to say, he might not have been targeted by Mimiko. With this in mind, Chen Chen could finally breathe a sigh of relief. However, he did not let down his guard but swiftly took out his mobile phone, pulled out the SIM card, and then turned off the phone directly. After that, he threw it to the ground and gave it a few good, heavy stamps. He did not stop until he heard a crunch from the phone. If the phone was broken, he should not receive the curse of One Missed Call, right? As for the last movie, Ring, Chen Chen had not watched it directly, but he knew the rules of death in this movie. After all, this movie was too famous and the rules in it were simpler. If anyone watched a recording of the videotape, they would be haunted by a female ghost named Sadako. Still, it was obvious that Chen Chen had not watched any videotapes. In terms of rules, perhaps Ring was the easiest one to avoid. In other words, among the four horror films, the only one that threatened him at present was Ju-on. Chen Chen did not know whether to cry or laugh for a while. Although to him, he would have ended up dead no matter how many female spirits were haunting him. Now that he knew he was only cursed by one, he was surprised to feel a little relieved Chen Chen smiled bitterly. But even so, this matter is still very serious. Chen Chen murmured, Because this means that the rules of Ju-on will start with Dorm 404 and spread around little by little since Dorm 404 dormitory is often visited by people. As long as they enter, theyll be on Kayakos kill list. The room of anyone killed by Kayako will also become a new place of the grudge-curse. The people entering that room will also be hunted down by Kayako Compared with the other killing rules, Kayakos rules were like a kind of spiritual calamity, enough to result in a destruction that was thousands of times worse than that of other rules! At the end of the day, the world will only have one ending that is, houses all over the world can no longer house people and the entire human civilization will be destroyed because of Kayakos curse. Thinking of this, Chen Chen could not help inhaling sharply. At this moment, his entire back was almost drenched in a cold sweat. This is beyond the scope of what I can solve. Chen Chen slowly shut down the computer. If there was still energy in the USB flash drive, even if he had to take a gamble, he would still find a way to solve Kayakos curse. What a shame the odds were not in his favor. The USB drive had run out of energy. In that case, if he wanted to survive, Chen Chen had only one path left With this in mind, the computer was shut down fully. Chen Chen was about to stand up when suddenly, through the reflection of the computer screen, he saw a pale boy passing behind him. At this instant, Chen Chen only felt that his blood was about to freeze. He stiffened his neck and slowly turned around, but found that there was nothing behind him. Toshio Chen Chens lips turned blue and he quickly stood up. Without even cashing in his remaining balance, he staggered out of the Internet cafe. Chen Chen did not realize until he had left the Internet cafe that the sky was completely dark. In the entire sky, only a small flaming cloud drifted in the western vista, like a bonfire about to go out, leaving only a final spark. Darkness was coming. Chen Chens heart was icy. At this point, he even felt a kind of confusion, an overwhelming confusion that he did not know how to face all of this. However, at this moment, out of the corner of Chen Chens eyes, he saw a dark shape at the corner of the Internet cafe door. Chen Chen, who had been nervous for a long while now, jumped in fright. He turned to look instinctively, only to see a dainty, dirty beggar curled up in front of the Internet cafe, looking at him pitifully. Those eyes felt inexplicably familiar to Chen Chen. You are Chen Chen subconsciously took two steps forward and then immediately realized that he did not even know this beggar. Something was off about this. Thinking of this, Chen Chen immediately turned around and left without looking back. When he learned that he had become a protagonist of a horror movie, he knew that he must not take even the slightest risk. He had all the more reason to stay far away from this weird incident! What Chen Chen did not know was that, after he turned and left, the beggar still stared at his back and did not want to leave for a long time If I go directly to the police, theyll only treat me as a basket case. Therefore, I must produce strong evidence to get my voice heard by those at the top as quickly as possible and attract official attention Along the way, while observing his surroundings, Chen Chen kept thinking about the next step. Chen Chen, who was at the end of his rope, understood that he had only one way to survive now and that was to cooperate with the authorities. That was right, he had to rely on the authorities! If there were enough energy in the USB flash drive, Chen Chen would never choose this path because he did not want to pin his destiny on the conscience of others. Only heavens knew how he would be dealt with after handing over the USB flash drive. Imprisoned? Ignored? Exterminated? Nonetheless, Chen Chen understood that it was impossible for him to charge the USB flash drive for now. There was one rule in his mind about the USB flash drive. The USB flash drive required 1200 kWh of electricity to extract one gram of material, so whether it was in terms of time or money, Chen Chen had no means to get this done. The only way was to inform the authorities of the function of the USB flash drive. After verifying the authenticity of the USB flash drive and acknowledging the tragic situation that would result from the spread of Ju-ons rules, the authorities would naturally use electricity from the whole country to charge the USB flash drive to protect themselves. In this way, it would only take one night at most for the USB drive to receive a lot of energy and thus they could find a way to stop the grudge-curse! Therefore, what Chen Chen had to do now was to check the situation in the dormitory building. He did not know whether Dorm 404s grudge-curse had spread in the course of one afternoon However, when Chen Chen returned to campus in a nervous mood and came to the front of the dormitory, all of a sudden, the hairs on his body stood up. He did not know when but the dormitory building that was supposed to be exceptionally lively at this time, appeared particularly eerie and quiet. It was clear that most of the dormitories were still lit up but he could not sense any human activity at all. No, the entire dormitory building had been infected Chen Chen took a deep breath. His feet that had just stepped on the stairs were immediately drawn back. He understood that the dormitory building No. 1 of his school and the hundreds of students in the building, were essentially done for. Even if they did not die now, their time would eventually come. Chen Chen, so youre here? Just as Chen Chens heart was shivering and he was about to leave, a middle-aged male voice suddenly came from behind him. Chen Chen turned his head quickly and suddenly saw his tutor, Wang Yi, standing behind him, staring at him anxiously. Tutor Wang! The thoughts in Chen Chens heart flickered by. He even spoke before the other man spoke, Tutor Wang, did something happen to our dormitory? You know as well? At this time, the middle-aged mans face was ashen and when he heard Chen Chens words, he suddenly spoke agitatedly, How many times did I call you? Why didnt you answer any of them? Tutor Wang, my phone is broken Chen Chen showed a look of embarrassment. What the h*ll happened? I noticed Zhou Jie was acting weird today. Did something happen to him? Zhou Jie, Zhou Jie However, as Chen Chen said the name Zhou Jie, the middle-aged mans face suddenly turned even bleaker. He took a deep breath and suppressed the rage in his heart. When did you last see Zhou Jie today? At the end of the first class in the afternoon. Chen Chen said immediately, I had just returned to the dormitory at that time and Zhou Jie came back behind me. Then I went to the cafeteria with Wang Wei and Li Bo for dinner before I went out of campus and returned just now. As he spoke, Chen Chen suddenly felt a jolt in his heart. As he was reminded of the killing rules in Ju-on, he immediately asked, Tutor Wang, is Zhou Jie missing? Not only Zhou Jie. Tutor Wang looked extremely grave at this point. In the entire dormitory building No. 1, a total of five people are missing. Someone saw that they all disappeared after entering Dorm 404! Chapter 366 - Wang Wei’s Death How is that possible? Chen Chen looked surprised. How can they disappear after entering our dormitory? Tutor Wang, are you kidding me? I Hearing these words, Wang Yi suddenly lost interest in interrogating Chen Chen and said irritably, The ones missing are all students in your class. Do you think Im not puzzled myself? I even called the other people in your Dorm 404 specifically, but Wang Wei from your dormitory When talking about Wang Wei, Wang Yis expression changed again. Chen Chen felt a chill. Although he understood that Wang Wei was going to die sooner or later due to the grudge-curse, like himself, he was still a bit sad. Nonetheless, he still pretended to look mystified. What happened to Wang Wei? Wang Wei has passed away due to sudden epilepsy. Wang Yi waved his hand as if he did not want to say more, but Chen Chen certainly would not let this go. He continued to ask, Tutor Wang, Wang Wei has no problems with his health. I know this very well Thats enough! However, Chen Chen only said one sentence before Wang Yi immediately interrupted him. Wang Yi adopted a stern expression and said strictly, This matter doesnt need to be discussed again. Wang Wei died of epilepsy-induced muscle twitches thats the forensic doctors diagnosis and thats final! Chen Chen, dont spread any rumors. If it affects the reputation of the school, no one will be able to take responsibility for it, understand? Hearing Wang Yis words, Chen Chen could not help feeling cold. He nodded. Tutor Wang, I understand. I wont speak without thinking. Good Hearing Chen Chens assurance, Wang Yis expression relaxed slightly and he waved his hand. The police couldnt wait for you just now, so they have already left. Now that youve returned, take a taxi to the police station to make a statement. Dont worry, this is just a procedure. The rest of your class has done it. Okay. Chen Chen nodded, then watched Wang Yi hurriedly leave again. Staring at the other mans anxious expression, Chen Chen sneered secretly in his heart. Even with the state of things, the school was still trying to pretend they could suppress everything. Little did they know, todays death and disappearances were just the beginning. The next few days would be when the spiritual abnormality of the grudge-curse erupted. At that time, the school could forget about holding on to their official positions. The main question would be whether they could hold on to their very lives. This sort of incident could be called a spiritual abnormality. Thinking of this, Chen Chen turned around and walked toward the campus gate. It was not that he wanted to deliberately conceal this and watch this group of students die in cold blood, but because Chen Chen understood that whatever he did now would be futile. It could be seen from the fact that the police did not block off the dormitory at all and still allowed these students to go in and out. The authorities had no experience in dealing with such cases. As the largest commercial city in Mainland China, the importance of Shangdu in this country was second only to the capital city. If there were no relevant emergency measures for Shangdu, did it mean that everything Chen Chen had experienced now had never been experienced by the government? Therefore, what could be done even if he headed to the police station, told them everything, and selflessly handed the USB drive over? He would only be regarded as someone insane. Even if there were strange disappearances and Wang Wei died under peculiar circumstances, under the interference of the school, it would still be difficult for Chen Chen to be taken seriously by the higher-ups in Shangdu, let alone the core leaders of China. If it was not a case where dozens or hundreds had died, this sort of matter would not reach their ears at all Therefore, Chen Chen had to wait until enough people had died at school and the entire issue was blown up enough before he would have a chance of being heard by the top dogs! Of course, this was assuming he could survive to that point. At this time, Chen Chen was already outside the campus. He hailed a taxi, gave an address, and headed to the nearest police station. His tutor had asked Chen Chen to make a statement, which was in line with Chen Chens expectation because he knew the polices usual procedure. After his statement was recorded, these statements would be sent to a higher level of authority. In the next few days, this matter would become critical and Chen Chens statement would naturally be taken seriously. Then, Chen Chen would have the opportunity to speak to the ones at the top. Considering this, Chen Chen thought to himself about how to phrase all this. Soon, the vehicle stopped in front of the gate of the police station. As soon as Chen Chen entered the duty room, he explained his intentions to the people in the duty room. After a while, a policeman called Chen Chen into the office. Name? Chen Chen. Age? 19 years old. Why did you come to the police station? I was called to the police station by you guys because some people in our Dorm 404 are missing. After some standard inquiries, the statement officially entered the main subject. However, as questions and answers were exchanged, the policeman lifted his head from the computer screen and his professional expression shifted. He looked at Chen Chen as if he were an idiot. Student, this is the police station and Im recording your statement, not writing online novels for you, the policeman said with annoyance. I can guarantee that what I said is true. Chen Chen looked serious. The reason why a few students disappeared in Dorm 404 is that they were infected with the curse in the Japanese horror film Ju-on. Now they are probably dead. The death of my roommate Wang Wei is also related to this kind of curse. Mr. Policeman, please record the full statement as I dictated it, okay? Seeing this, the policeman reluctantly wrote it down and then grinned. I say, youre interesting and you seem to take this very earnestly. But do you know that you can be held legally responsible for saying nonsense? I know, Im willing to take full responsibility. Chen Chen nodded and suddenly asked, By the way, I also have a roommate named Li Bo. You should know him. Wheres he? Li Bo is making his statement in the office next door. The policeman pointed to the wall beside him. In that case, please ask the next room if, after hes done, he could wait for me to go with him. Chen Chen suggested. Okay, hold on. The policeman taking the statement readily agreed. He walked out and then walked back in again within ten seconds. Then, he continued to ask Chen Chen various questions. In the next few days, this curse will continue to spread and even turn into a kind of spiritual abnormality. By that time, hundreds of people will die Chen Chen said with a solemn expression, And I have a way to stop all of this, so if you want to stop everything, come to me. I want to speak directly with the central government of China! When Chen Chen walked out of the office, it was late at night. In the duty room of the police station, Li Bo had been sitting in a chair waiting for a long time. Seeing Li Bos white face and dull eyes, Chen Chen suddenly understood that Li Bo had seen something. Lil Chen. Seeing Chen Chen coming out, Li Bo stood up with a blank look. Lil Chen, Brother Wei is gone Chen Chen came forward and patted Li Bo on the shoulder. I know. Lil Bo, tell me the truth, what happened before? However, after hearing Chen Chens words, Li Bo fell silent. He just kept shaking his head, but he would not say anything. Lil Bo! Chen Chen looked around and instantly saw the vending machine outside the police stations duty room. He immediately went out, bought two cans of Sprite, and helped Li Bo open one can. Lil Bo, sit down and tell me! Chen Chen asked Li Bo to take a seat and then asked in a low voice, Lil Bo, this concerns our lives. You must tell me everything or well probably die as Brother Wei did! Hearing Chen Chens words, Li Bo finally trembled. He raised his head in disbelief and stared at Chen Chen. You mean, well also hear that ringtone and die as Brother Wei did? Ringtone? Chen Chen was startled. His voice suddenly leaped by an octave. What ringtone are you speaking about? Its that, that Li Bo frowned, deep in horrifying thought. Its that weird ringtone. You and I both know Brother Weis ringtone was set to be Wowkie Zhangs Sunshine, Rainbow, White Pony. Whenever he gets a call, it goes Youre that~ that~ that that that~ Sunshine rainbow white pony But in the cafeteria today, as soon as you walked away, there was a ringtone on Brother Weis mobile phone that I had never heard before. It was an a cappella tune sung by a little girl and the entire song was just constantly going la la la la Hearing this, Chen Chen could not help gasping, only feeling cold sweat trickling down his back. The ringtone mentioned by Li Bo immediately reminded Chen Chen of the other movie that was as horrible as Ju-on One Missed Call. One Missed Call had three movies. In the first two, due to the limits of that era, the sign of getting cursed was that the phone would ring with a polyphonic ringtone. However, by the third movie, although the pitch had not changed, the original polyphonic ringtone was replaced by a little girl singing la la la. In other words, whether it was a polyphonic ringtone or the clearer original ringtone, it meant one thing Wang Wei was killed by the curse of One Missed Call! Thinking of this, Chen Chen looked more solemn and he asked in a low voice, Lil Bo, tell me! How did Brother Wei die! Brother Wei Wrung his neck with his own hands. It seemed that the tragic scene was flashing in his mind again and Li Bos eyes were full of terror. I only heard a series of screams on the phone after he answered the phone and that voice was almost the same as Brother Weis. Brother Wei thought it was a prank but when he hung up and looked at the number of the call, it turned out to be his own number and the call time Was five minutes later. Chen Chens pupils shrank slightly but he did not speak, only listened quietly. Li Bo continued. At the time, Brother Wei was a little scared. He told me that this situation was particularly like a movie named One Missed Call, which was one of the four horror films that Nostril had copied into the USB drive at noon. Then he told me the rules of the movie, but I was playing with my phone and didnt listen carefully Then, after about five minutes, I suddenly heard a groan from Brother Wei. I looked up and asked him what was wrong. He said that two of his arms were cramped I was just about to soothe him, but his arms suddenly seemed to go out of control. They rose with a cracking sound and closed around his neck from both sides Speaking of this, Li Bo was already shuddering. While shaking violently, he said intermittently, Brother Wei seemed to have gone crazy. He kept twisting his neck with both hands, screaming and twisting, and even his tongue was bitten off Just like that, Brother Wei took just a few minutes and forcefully broke his own neck At the end of the narration, Li Bos face was already pale. He suddenly drank the Sprite in his hand, and his body seemed to slump. Chen Chen patted Li Bo on the shoulder with a somber expression. No wonder the school classified Wang Weis cause of death as epilepsy. Perhaps on a superficial level, Wang Weis symptoms before death were indeed similar to epilepsy but what epilepsy was able to cause someone to twist his head off? Nonetheless, in the next second, Chen Chen shook his head. It did not make sense to bother about these things. After all, he had to save his own skin before saving others. The most important thing now was to survive as far as possible during the time before the authorities confronted this matter. If he could not ride out the next few days, then everything would be for naught. No matter how good his strategy, no matter how good his planning, it would all be meaningless. He looked at the sky. It was late at night and the other students who made a statement seemed to have gone back but Chen Chen had no intention of returning to campus. In the past, on Hong Kong and Taiwanese TV series, there was often a saying that ghosts dared not approach police stations as the place was filled with righteous energy. Although this saying was only a feudalistic superstition, staying here was better than going back to the cursed Dorm 404. However, Chen Chen also understood that Kayako and Toshio from Ju-on were more like an incarnation of the rules. No matter where one stayed, whether there were many or few people, whether it was day or night, even if one stayed in a church or a temple, one would still die when ones time was up. Chen Chen only hoped that, by staying outside, he would be less likely to be killed by Kayako than by staying in Dorm 404. Come to think of it, surely right now in the dormitory building, the slaughter under the grudge-curse had already begun? Chen Chen took a deep breath. After comforting Li Bo, he walked out of the duty room again and bought two cups of instant noodles from the vending machine in front. The duty room of the police station had enough seats and automatic drinking fountains. Even if he stayed for one night, there would be no problem and Chen Chen planned to survive tonight before anything else. Nevertheless, when Chen Chen bought the instant noodles, a girl who appeared to be only fifteen or sixteen years old came out of the duty room. Although the girl was not tall, being only over one and a half meters tall, the proportions of her body were extremely balanced. Chen Chen immediately remembered her after seeing her face. This girl was the one who struck up a conversation with him at noon today. At this time, after seeing Chen Chen, the girl also stepped forward in surprise. Chen Chen, we meet again! You know my name? Chen Chen asked a little warily. I asked the other students about it. The girl beamed. Oh right, you still dont know, my name is Aixen! Chapter 367 - Phone Call Aixen? What kind of name is that? Chen Chen did not directly lower his guard. The girl in front of him was so friendly to him, which made Chen Chen feel like she was planning to rape him or rob him or something. He tentatively asked, What are you doing at the police station? Im giving my statement just like you guys. The girl spread her hands innocently. Several people in our class are missing and the whole class has to give a statement to assist in the investigation! Hearing this, Chen Chens expression slightly relaxed and he nodded. In that case, you can go back now. Its late at night and its not good for a girl to stay outside. Oh Upon hearing these words, the girl immediately nodded obediently. Then Ill head back to the dormitory, bye-bye With that, she waved to Chen Chen, then turned and left. Chen Chen was taken aback when he saw that the girl was so well-behaved and obedient. He felt that he had misjudged her. As he watched her leave step by step, after thinking about it, Chen Chen simply shouted at her back, Oh right, if you can, I hope you can leave school as soon as possible. Its best if you can ask Tutor Wang for a long leave tomorrow. Ask for leave? The girl turned her head and asked curiously, Why must I leave the school? Because if you wait too long, you might never be able to leave. Chen Chen smiled and just dropped such a sentence. Then he stopped paying any attention to her. At this point, if the girl still did not want to leave, it had nothing to do with Chen Chen. As the saying went good advice meant nothing to stubborn ears. Chen Chen could not always devote his time and narrate the whole story from beginning to end, right? Now that there was still insufficient evidence, even if he explained everything, the only result was that he would be seen as an idiot. All this flashed through Chen Chens mind. At this time, Chen Chen walked into the duty room again and began to prepare instant noodles for himself and Li Bo. Making instant noodles could be said to be the traditional art form practiced by the loser gang of Mainland China. One could be clueless about eating steak with a knife and fork or driving a Ferrari with one hand, but making instant noodles was an inevitable skill, one that they were all familiar with. Chen Chen, being a veteran loser himself, was so used to this that when he used the plastic fork to fix the lid in place, he could insert it through the lid and the cup accurately on the first attempt, without making mistakes. Moreover, for times when he could not even afford a cup, Chen Chen had also invented the skill of cooking instant noodles from a packet using the lid of a thermos. After preparing the two cups of instant noodles with great ease, Chen Chen placed one of the cups in front of Li Bo. At this time, Li Bos expression was still a bit slack. It was obvious that Wang Weis death in the afternoon was too tragic and caused him a terrible fright. Seeing this scene, Chen Chen suddenly realized that compared to ordinary people like Li Bo, his mentality seemed too calm. There was no doubt that Chen Chen had encountered those supernatural beings two or three times, but he not only analyzed various clues but also calmly planned a countermeasure to stop the curse, even if this countermeasure was at the cost of hundreds of deaths. This calmness could even be said to be a cold-blooded mentality, which had surpassed the mentality that ordinary people should have. Even Chen Chen himself could not understand why he still had such clear and meticulous thinking. He was unlike a person who had been targeted by Kayako, someone destined to die Perhaps this is due to the supernatural power of the USB flash drive? Chen Chen stared at the instant noodles in front of him and thought inwardly, The USB drive not only gave me the rules about the USB drive, but it also gave me a calmness beyond that of ordinary people? Even so, in the next second, Chen Chen overruled this possibility himself. After all, he did not feel that he was being manipulated at all. On the contrary, this calmness was more like the result of long-term training a habit or instinct born out of a special experience. However, as to what that experience was, he had forgotten Chen Chens movements froze as fragmented images flashed in his mind again. Among those images, there were scenes of himself in control of a company, scenes of himself absorbing some kind of crystal shards, and scenes of himself floating within a glass cabin of a tall, high-tech building However, when Chen Chen wanted to step forward and grab those fragmentary memories, they seemed to disappear without a trace like fallen meteors. A trick of his mind or was there something wrong with his memory? Chen Chen took a deep breath. He was starting to get dizzy, so he stopped thinking about it, and started to chow down the noodles after they were cooked. Seeing Chen Chens behavior, Li Bo seemed to have finally recovered. He asked in a low voice, Lil Chen, didnt you just say that were likely to die like Brother Wei? Why is that? I said in the afternoon that Zhou Jie had unleashed four horror movies at that time, do you remember? After Li Bo nodded, Chen Chen continued. And before Brother Wei died, didnt he also say that the situation when he received a strange ringtone was like the movie called One Missed Call? And what I want to tell you now is that the manner in which he died was also similar to this movie! Li Bo fell silent after hearing the words and it took a long time before he could say in a soft voice, Lil Chen, I understand what you mean. Youre saying that Zhou Jie has released the ghosts in the four movies and were the targets of these ghosts now? You can say that. Chen Chen sighed. But I still think that there are no ghosts in this world. Were just implicated in various rules that can kill people. As long as we find a way to find the loopholes in the rule, we can make it out alive! After listening to Chen Chens words, Li Bo nodded steadily as if his hope for life was rekindled. He also picked up the instant noodles and began to eat ravenously. Both of their actions caused the assistant police officer at the front desk to watch with mouth agape. In this manner, an entire night had quickly passed by. Fortunately, perhaps the police station did have some mysterious power or because Kayako had an entire dormitory buildings worth of targets to hunt down, ultimately, Chen Chen and Li Bo managed to survive the first night without Kayako trying to claim their lives. However, this was also normal. After all, people who had entered Kayakos house in the movie did not always die at once. Some of them died one day after leaving Kayakos house, some died two days later, and the longest time span was six or seven days later. In other words, during these six or seven days, Kayako might appear at any time and kill Chen Chen and Li Bo. It could also be known from the movie that there was no distance limit for the curses pursuit. Even if they fled to the other side of the earth or even to the moon or Mars, it would not help. Chen Chen sat up from the seat in the police duty room and looked at the clock on the wall. It was already seven in the morning, so Chen Chen woke Li Bo up, and the two took a taxi back to the school. It might appear that Chen Chen was going back to school to attend classes, but in fact, it was just to check the situation on campus. However, as soon as he returned to the campus, Chen Chen distinctly sensed a peculiar atmosphere. The campus that was once so quiet now had a few police cars parked next to building No. 1. In addition to the police, there was also a group of school leaders surrounding the place, causing the students passing by to look back frequently. What happened? Li Bo saw the situation at the school and turned to look at Chen Chen. Is this also caused by those ghosts? How would I know. Chen Chen shook his head. But you just have to remember, dont step into dormitory building No. 1. Now this dormitory building has become the source of the curse. Even the police officers who entered are dead meat Li Bo fell silent immediately. After having breakfast in the cafeteria, Chen Chen and Li Bo walked into the classroom according to the schedule. However, when he first entered the classroom, he saw a group of students in his class discussing something in full swing. Did you know? Something happened to Wang Wei in our class! I know. Wang Wei died of epilepsy yesterday. Its really terrible Not just that, but Zhou Jie and those in our class have also disappeared, and they havent been found yet! Chen Chen sat beside the crowd and listened silently. As expected, soon enough he heard about last nights news. Zheng Jie, the monitor of Chen Chens class, also turned his head and said to the group next to Chen Chen, Not only that, but when I was downstairs just now, there were police cars all around along with the tutors from the department next door. So I went to an acquaintance from the department next door and asked, and guess what I found out? The people near Chen Chen stopped talking and looked at the class monitor Zheng Jie solemnly. Just last night, two more students disappeared, and both of them lived in Dorm 304! Why is it Dorm 304? Chen Chen frowned at once. Is it related to Dorm 404? Of course! Zheng Jie put on a mysterious expression. I heard that acquaintance said that in the middle of the night, the people in Dorm 304 heard people crying for help from upstairs! Chen Chens expression sharpened upon hearing these words. Cries for help is that real? Chen Chen and Li Bo werent in their dorm last night? The classmate beside Chen Chen turned to him with a suspicious look. Because the police asked a lot of questions last night, Li Bo and I didnt go back to the dormitory all night and we just spent the night at the police station. Chen Chen nodded. My phone is broken, but the tutor did call Li Bo, and he can also prove that Ive been in the police station the whole time. Seeing this, Zheng Jie hurriedly said, You see, I told you, didnt I? At that time, there was no one in Dorm 404, but the four people in Dorm 304 heard the cries for help from Dorm 404, and it sounded like Zhou Jies voice So two of them went to check on Dorm 404 themselves, but after they went, they didnt come back even until dawn. Zheng Jie looked at everyones faces one by one as if he wanted to see a trace of fear, but to his disappointment, everyone looked at him calmly, not at all frightened by the story. So, the two people in Dorm 304 called the police, thus resulting in the scene downstairs that we saw. Seeing this, Zheng Jie stopped trying to build suspense and finished his story lamely. So, did the police find anything? Chen Chen seemed to have thought of something and he asked again. Only the slippers of the two people from Dorm 304. However, apart from their slippers, the two of them seemed to have evaporated into thin air. There was nothing left. There was a glint of worry in Zheng Jies eyes and he spread his hands. This whole incident is strange. Five people disappeared yesterday and two people disappeared just when today began. Heaven knows where those people went When everyone was talking about this, the lecturer who was in charge of the class finally walked in. Everyone stopped talking and started to pay attention to class. Alright, settle down now, students. Lets continue our previous lesson As the lecturer started to teach, Chen Chen suddenly turned his head and looked around the classroom. Nonetheless, after looking around, he did not see the petite figure. Did she ask for leave? Chen Chen shook his head. He did not expect that she would obey his request and asked for leave so promptly. He was a little dumbfounded at the level of trust she had in him. Just then, a familiar cell phone ringtone came from in front of Chen Chen. After hearing this ringtone, Chen Chen, who had been extremely composed, suddenly shuddered. Chen Chen was no stranger to this sound. When he watched the movie One Missed Call, he had memorized this ringtone The class was going on now. It was very rude to have a mobile phone ringing in class. Generally, students would turn it off quickly, but this ringtone kept ringing for a long time without anyone addressing it. The teacher who was giving the lecture finally could not stand it. She was originally writing something on the blackboard but now she turned around and said, Whosever phone it is, turn it off, thank you! Suddenly, everyone looked at the monitor Zheng Jie. Its not mine. This isnt my ringtone Class monitor Zheng Jie subconsciously picked up his mobile phone placed on the table, but he was taken aback at once. He did not expect that it was his mobile phone that was ringing. D*mn it, why is it this again Zheng Jie cursed in a low voice. It was not the first time he had heard this ringtone. Still, after hearing this, Chen Chen abruptly raised his head and took a deep long look at the embarrassed Zheng Jie. According to the rules of One Missed Call, there would occasionally be two or even multiple calls. The first call was always the moment the curse took root and the second call was often when ones time was up Sure enough, Zheng Jie had just grumbled in a whisper, but by the time he raised his head, he suddenly let out a scream as if he saw a person standing in front of him that no one could see! In the next second, Zheng Jie twitched and stood up while pulling on the desk in front of him with both hands. The books of the students beside him were sent crashing to the ground by his actions while Zheng Jie continued to open his mouth wide in agony, staggering and walking step by step toward the window of the classroom. Student, what are you doing? Seeing that this student was so insolent, the lecturer suddenly became stern. Stop right there at once! However, at this time, Zheng Jie was destined to not listen to her words. In front of the whole class, Zheng Jie tipped over three desks and came to the window! Although the teaching building was not very high, it had eight or nine floors. At this point, their classroom was on the seventh floor and Zheng Jie was sobbing as he kept looking back at everyone. Zheng Jie, what are you doing? Many people immediately realized something and they subconsciously wanted to rush forward, but before they could do so, Zheng Jie shrieked and jumped out of the window! Crash! Ahhh! A violent collective scream erupted from the whole class and the face of the teacher who was giving the lecture changed drastically. She wanted to stop Zheng Jie, but it was a pity that all this happened too quickly, and there was almost no warning. When she came to her senses, Zheng Jie had already leaped out of the window Listening to the screams rising one after another in the class, Chen Chens expression was extremely somber. In his perspective, Zheng Jie did not jump down voluntarily but was controlled by an invisible and intangible force before getting thrown out of the building. Whether it was Zheng Jies behavior before his death or his expression that was desperate for help, all this told Chen Chen one thing. Zheng Jie was killed by One Missed Call Chapter 368 - Suspicions Zheng Jie fell! Oh no! Hes not dead, is he? Ah ! The class was in turmoil. Their screams even echoed across half of the school compound, prompting countless other students and teachers to turn to where the noise came from. When Chen Chen saw the panicking crowd, he approached the window and leaned half his body outside the window to investigate. On the base of the building, Zheng Jie was lying silently on the pavement. His face was twisted in horror and shock while a pool of blood formed under him. At the same time, a red-colored round object slipped out of the corner of his lips and rolled onto the soft ground beside him. Chen Chen felt another chill creeping into his heart when he saw this. Inside the movie, all of Mimikos victims died of a large variety of different causes. The one thing they had in common was that red maltose would be deposited into their mouths. It was said that this was Mimikos favorite treat when she was alive. When Chen Chen thought of this, he seemed to have suddenly recalled something. He immediately turned around and looked at the phone Zheng Jie had left behind. The phone had automatically stopped ringing as if it understood its owner had passed on. However, its display was still left on. It shifted through the menus and opened the address books as if there was an invisible hand navigating through it. Immediately after that, it dialed a new number La la la la~ la la la la~ la la la la~ la la la la~ la ~ la~ la~ la~ la la la~ la la la~ la la la A melodic rhyme resounded across the classroom. One of the girls who was curled up in her seat looked down at her phone when she heard her phone ringing. She saw that the contact number of the caller was her phone number The death relay still went on Chen Chen shook his head and exited the classroom. He was much more immune to this curse compared to other people considering he did not even have a phone. Besides, the rate of killing in One Missed Call was mere childs play compared to Ju-on. Chen Chen suddenly halted the moment he stepped out of the classroom. A strange sensation immediately took over his body. It was an extremely implacable feeling. An apt way to describe it would be a sudden shudder. He did not observe anything else unnatural but for some undistinguishable reason, he was extra sensitive to this strange sensation. At this moment, he sensed what felt like a chilling breeze sweeping toward him from the end of the corridor. The stoic air was filled with a sense of dread and was absent of any warmth, like a frozen dead body. Chen Chens first instinct was to back away. Just as he wanted to retreat into the classroom, he found out that the door to the classroom was locked. Chen Chen could not open the door no matter how hard he tried. On top of that, the buzzing classroom had suddenly descended into a dead silence as if all the students inside had disappeared without a trace Something was off here. Chen Chen drew a deep breath. He quickly decided to turn around and walk down the other end of the corridor. His gut told him that there was something hostile approaching and that he needed to get away from where the ominous wind came from. It may be a futile attempt but Chen Chen did not have many options available to him at the moment Chen Chen felt a sourness rising up his throat. Should he consider this a case of poor luck or good luck? Of all the targets in the dormitory, Kayako just had to come for him. The plot of the movie was evident enough that Kayako killed her victims in whatever order she liked at any given moment. There was no identifiable structure whatsoever in the order in which she claimed her victims. These thoughts ran their course through Chen Chens mind as he sprinted down the end of the corridor. There was another emergency door down this way but when Chen Chen twisted the handle of the door, he found that it was the same as the classroom door. The handle would not budge no matter how hard he pulled. It felt as if someone was gripping the handle on the other end. Meanwhile, the opposite end of the corridor had become shrouded in darkness without his noticing. Even though it was still daytime, the world outside the windows had become as dark as the night. Even the sun had retreated into the darkness. Chen Chens first thought was to look out at the window behind him. He saw that the bright daylight still poured through the window. This was the strange predicament he found himself in. On one end of the corridor, the world outside was submerged in deep darkness while on the other end, it was nothing but daylight It was here! Chen Chen felt a terrifying shiver. He began to hammer away at the door like a mad man. The corridor was filled with the hectic bang, bang sound of Chen Chen slamming at the door. During his constant barrage, there seemed to be another sound mixed into it Hnnnghhhhhhhhhhh It sounded like the sound a person made when their throat was dried up. Chen Chen was no stranger to this sound because he had heard it countless times in the movie before. Whenever one heard this sound, it could only mean one thing Kayako was only inches away! When Chen Chen considered this, he turned toward the dark end of the corridor yet again. This time, he noticed that the darkness seemed to have crept closer toward him. If the total length of the corridor was fifty meters, only forty meters were separating Chen Chen from the desolate darkness the foul darkness had claimed ten meters of the corridor Cold sweat rained down between Chen Chens brows. He continued smashing at the emergency door with every ounce of strength left in him and still, it did not budge even after his fists were dripping blood. Meanwhile, the mechanical hnnghhh was drawing closer to a point where it felt like it was drowning out the sound of him smashing the door. It felt like it was ringing in his ears! Is it over yet? Chen Chen stopped beating against the door and twisted his neck around with bloodshot eyes. The darkness had swept through four-fifth of the corridor. There was less than a ten-meter gap between the void and Chen Chen Chen Chen could also see the faint silhouette of a woman with brazen hair dragging herself across the floor on all fours within the suffocating, obscure darkness! Five meters, four meters, three meters! When Chen Chen drew in a deep breath and prepared to confront whatever was to come, he suddenly felt something pulling at his arm. He immediately turned around and saw a familiar pair of widened eyes staring back into his. Chen Chen abruptly pulled himself up and sat on the floor. It was only now when he realized that he had fainted on the corridor without having any recollection of it. The corridor was as empty as they were. Where were the darkness and Kayako? Chen Chen, are you alright? A familiar voice rang in his ears. Chen Chen inspected his body, still visibly shocked. After ensuring that he was unharmed, he pulled the other person closer to him. Aixen, what time is it now? Class just started not too long ago. The girl took her phone out and presented it to Chen Chen. The clock showed an eight and a ten. This meant that it had only been less than half a minute since he stepped into the corridor from the classroom! Chen Chen quickly understood that he was cut off from reality from the moment he stepped out of the classroom. He drew this conclusion because although he spent several minutes in that dimension, it had only been a brief moment in the real world. Upon realizing this, Chen Chen puffed out a giant sigh of relief. Although he was not sure how he managed to get himself out of that mess, it had something to do with this girl in front of him. Chen Chen brushed the dust off of him and got up while asking, Didnt I tell you to apply for a leave from Tutor Wang? Why are you back here again? Ive already taken leave. I even bought train tickets for tomorrow. I just figure that since I didnt have anything to do today, Id finish one last class before leaving The girl stole a glance at Chen Chen and informed somewhat embarrassingly. Meanwhile, many people started to shuffle out of the classroom and quickly made their way to the ground floor of the building. The corridor quickly became crowded. When Chen Chen saw this, he took the girl by her hand and led her out of the school building as well. You can leave tomorrow, but dont attend any classes today. Dont even stay to stick around the dormitory for that matter, got it? Chen Chen waited until they left the vicinity of the school building before issuing the stern reminder. Since she was responsible for saving his life, he figured he should return the favor as well. You havent given me a proper reason! The girl complained a little. All I can say is that the longer you stay here, the higher the chances of you dropping dead is. Chen Chen said in a hushed tone while leading the girl outside the main gate of the school, Yesterday was day one, the likelihood of death was one in a thousand. Today is day two and the likelihood of death is one in a hundred. By tomorrow, that number rises to one in ten, and that number will only climb higher by day four and five After saying this, Chen Chen took a deep breath and concluded. Point is, get as far away from here as possible. Actually, get out of the city if you can. Just do as I say! The girl was spooked when she heard this and immediately became quiet. Chen Chen had walked out of the school compound with the girl by this point. He finally heaved a sigh of relief and said with a soft chuckle, I know you might think that Ive lost my mind, but since youve already taken leave anyway, might as well do as I say, right? Based on my previous observation, it doesnt fit your personality to leave behind that final remark. Surprisingly, the girl suddenly switched the topic and stared at Chen Chen seriously. But you went out of your way to explain yourself with that final remark. Did you do it because youre worried about me? ??? Chen Chen looked back at her, all confused. What goes on in that head of yours? Its like you didnt even register half of what I just told you? Without waiting for the girl to answer him, Chen Chen turned back around to enter the school. The girl suddenly pulled him by his arm. What else do you want? Chen Chen expressed with a frown. Are you going to die? The girl fixed her eyes on Chen Chen and asked in a lowered voice, Are you going to die here? Chen Chen became silent for a moment before shaking his head and answered in a way that seemed like he was psyching himself up, Im not going to die in this place, Im going to live! With that, Chen Chen patted her head before turning around and left. For some reason, every time he saw that girl, he felt something funny inside him. Maybe because Chen Chen had caused a small commotion, many people passing by turned to look in his direction. Chen Chen paid no mind to these trivial matters and quickly walked toward the school entrance. That was when he saw Li Bo sprinting toward him. Where did you go? Li Bo was gasping for air and asked with a tinge of horror in his voice, When I saw you leaving the classroom, I quickly packed up my bag and chased after you. Then you suddenly disappeared. I searched through half of the school building before I finally saw you through the window. I was just escorting that transfer student from our class out of the school. Chen Chen waved his hand nonchalantly and remarked while walking, I told her to apply for a long holiday so she can get away from these things. Transfer student? Li Bo looked at Chen Chen, his eyes growing wide as he said this. You know, that Aixen girl. The one you and Brother Wei fussed about. Chen Chen proceeded to explain. Li Bos expression quickly turned sour. He looked at Chen Chen with mild horror, a strange look quickly took over. Lil Chen, theres something I gotta tell you, dont freak out Chen Chen froze subtly when he heard this. He glanced at Li Bo. Go ahead. Li Bo glanced in the direction of the school entrance briefly and held his voice down. Theres never been any transfer student in our class! Li Bos expression was twisted with horror. Well, theres a transfer student over in the next class, but hes a guy Chen Chen stopped walking and subconsciously turned around and looked in the direction of the main gate. A large crowd had gathered around the gate by this point. He could not find the familiar figure anywhere. It was as if the girl called Aixen had never existed in the first place Thats impossible Chen Chen became bewildered. He snapped his head around and grabbed Li Bo by his shoulder. Thats impossible, she was in the class with us and even answering questions. Theres no way! Lil Chen, you have to calm down! Li Bo panicked more when he saw Chen Chens reaction. He quickly explained, What Im telling you is true, theres never been a transfer student in our class! What about during recess? I swear I saw you and Wang Wei flocking to her table during recess last morning. How do you explain that? Yesterdays recess? Li Bo immediately recalled the events. Thats not right, we gathered together during recess yesterday because the class rep Zheng Jie was handing out tickets for the campus party! Chen Chen stood in place as if struck by lightning. He slowly lifted his head, the memory zapped across his mind like a bolt of thunder. Hi, is there anything I can do for you? Im the new transfer student, can I become friends with you? Making friends? Shouldnt you be making friends of the same gender first usually? This works too! Chen Chen, we met again! How do you know my name? I asked the other students. Right, you dont know my name yet, dont you? The names Aixen! Chen Chen, you alright? Aixen, what time is it now? Class just started not too long ago. Chen Chen felt his body shivering. He finally understood why people would stare at him strangely whenever he talked with that girl. Back then when he was in the class, he thought they were wondering why such a cute girl would flirt with him. Back when he was at the school gate, he thought it was because he was causing a commotion. Looking back now, they were probably looking at him strangely because they saw him interacting with the air Just now when I was upstairs, I also saw you yanking away at the air and walking out the school. You didnt even respond when I was shouting at you. Li Bo lowered his voice, slightly trembling as he asked, Chen Chen, did you see Did you see That? Chen Chen stumbled several paces backward. He felt his head twisting into a chaotic mess. He felt his sanity slowly trickling away bit by bit. Even the image of the girls appearance in his mind started to turn into a blur. Despite all that, the pair of eyes she wore was deeply imprinted into the depths of his mind. It crept into the deepest crevice of his mind Chapter 369 - Attracting Attention Inside a large and brightly lit conference room, a dozen men dressed in formal wear were seated uniformly on both sides of the conference table. The head of the conference table was unoccupied. Behind the seat was a large poster that depicted the logo of a silver-white hollowed-out Earth. A halo of light entwined with green leaves and red stars surrounded the picture of Earth. This logo was the union emblem of the Earth Federation. Below the emblem, the words Central Continent Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation was written. Meanwhile, a middle-aged man with an imposing aura seated at the top right corner of the table said in a low voice while looking at the report in his hand: Following the six missing cases that occurred in dormitory building No. 1 of a school in Shangdu on 15 December, 110 additional missing cases were reported in the same building over the next two days. What do you guys think of this incident? The middle-aged man had a bed of gray hair but the roots of his hair stood upright. His temperament was as sharp as the tip of a blade. The police report contains zero valuable information except for the fact that most of them disappeared in the dormitory. Hold on. One of the members at the conference table suddenly interjected. What do you mean when you said that most of them disappeared in the dormitory? You mean that not all of the students disappeared in the dormitory? Of course not. The middle-aged man became grave as he said, The six missing cases that occurred on the first day all occurred in the dormitory building. To be specific, they all occurred in Dorm 404 but two days later, the same incident occurred on a larger scale in the dormitory building. Some of the disappearances were in the toilets, some in other dormitories, the strangest cases are the ones who went missing in the school building during classes How is it that were now only hearing of such a shocking event? Seated opposite the middle-aged man was another elderly man who was in his mid-fifties. This man expressed with his brows heavily knitted together. A grave event like this shouldve been reported to us as early as yesterday. Are the people in the lower organization a bunch of imbeciles? Thats because their department still didnt dare to pinpoint the exact nature of this incident due to how bizarre the entire event is. The middle-aged man answered with unchanging expression, Only a handful of people were reported missing by last afternoon. Most of them were not written off as being missing yet since they were mostly students and could very well just be loitering around together. However, earlier this morning, most of the students in dormitory building No. 1 had disappeared from their beds. The number of cases also skyrocketed from double digits to triple digits. As we speak, this number is still continuously increasing and the cases arent restricted to the dormitory only. During the first day, it only happened in one specific dormitory. By the second day, the entire dormitory building was affected and it quickly spread into the entire school by the third day Another man in his early forties with coarse skin suddenly thought of something and raised a point. Is it just me or are these incidents slowly spreading outward like a virus? It seems that way to me too. The middle-aged man tipped his head in agreement. Whats even more worrisome is that the disappearing victims arent only students, even some of the police vanished What! What! There was a sudden uproar in the conference room. The question was thrown around. Is this information verified? Were very sure of it. So far, three police staff had gone missing. The one thing in common between the three of them is that they have all entered the dormitory at one point. The middle-aged man passed the report to his elder colleague. Take a look and youll get what I mean Little Wang, print more copies at the office and hand them out to everyone here. The elderly man instructed before taking the report in hand and started going through it. When he started reading it, everyone immediately noticed sweat dripping down his forehead and along his back Was it cold sweat? Everyone present was silently awed by this sight. This man had been second in command at the Federal Bureau of Investigation for many years. There was no spectacle that he had not seen before, but now he was reduced to such a state? I have to say, it doesnt look good. After five minutes, the aged man struggled to lift his head back up. His expression had become incomprehensibly grave. Ive heard of contagious fever or pneumonia, but never such a thing as contagious disappearance. No matter how you look at this incident, all evidence points at the Dorm 404 as the source. Have we properly investigated that dormitory? one of them asked again. We have. Everything suspicious in the dormitory has been investigated. Even all of the folders in the four laptops inside this dormitory have been thoroughly investigated. We also went through the websites they frequented but theres no notable discovery. The middle-aged man answered, The only abnormal observation is probably a videotape we found under one of the beds. The young man they called Little Wang had returned to the conference room again. He lapped around the conference table and handed a copy of the report to each person before returning to his original seat. Videotape? Everyone was slightly surprised by this piece of information. Something like a videotape had been obsolete for at least two decades. Why would it show up in a dormitory housed by young university students? What are the contents of the videotape? Some of the members could no longer bear the suspense and flipped to the end of the report. What they saw caught them off guard. Ring? Thats right. Odd, isnt it. The middle-aged man held up a report and tapped a paragraph written on the report. The contents of the videotape is very similar to a Southeast Asian movie called Ring. After comparing them side by side, we found there are many similarities between the movie Ring and the videotape we discovered. They both contain elements such as well, volcano explosion, combing lady, its completely identical Maybe its just the graduation project of one of the students? Someone raised a valid point. Considering the special effects technology these days, it shouldnt be too hard for an academy student to recreate the same images. The police have investigated the tape. The middle-aged man flipped to the next page. Six members watched this movie and right after they finished the movie, their phones coincidentally rang all at the same time. The number of the caller was blank and when they picked up, the call was cut off. Isnt this the same as the plot of the movie? Some of them who were familiar with the movie suddenly murmured, This is the plot of the movie. Anyone who watches this movie will receive a phone call and theyll die in seven days, isnt it? Thats right. The middle-aged man nodded. They even tried to track the source of this phone call but the local station reports that their phones didnt receive any inbound call at that time. Everyone immediately descended into silence. Maybe we can try to contact the director of this movie. Suddenly, the elderly man suggested. Not just the director, we should meet with the entire casting crew. They were the ones who filmed this movie, I believe that they should be able to contribute to this case. I agree Thats right, that should be it. Agreed! Many people vouched for the same idea. Hold on! It was then when the young man called Little Wang seated in the final row suddenly drew everyones attention and flipped to the final page. Sudden disappearances arent the only abnormal activity reported in that school. There are also cases of people falling to their deaths and sudden deaths, all of them also originated from Dorm 404! As he said this, he shot up from his seat and pointed at the relevant article. The first victim of these cases is a patient with epilepsy called Wang Wei. Whats odd is that hes never had this syndrome in his medical history nor any of his family members! The method of his death warrants some suspicion as well. He snapped his neck on his own accord! Everyone was shocked by this revelation and flipped to the mentioned page. Our utmost priority now is to find the people involved. This report says that two people in Dorm 404 are still living. Even if they arent the killer, they must be the ones who can offer the most information! Chen Chen stood outside the school and observed the impeccably tranquil campus. He shook his head. This was the third day since the incidents began occurring. The curses began spreading on the campus two days ago. In this span, the number of people killed by Kayako had risen to the hundreds. Everyone on the campus decided that it was better to protect themselves and left the campus without notice. Some of them rented rooms in hotels while others bought tickets to return to their homes. It was not so much a lack of action on the part of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. It was more so that this event was too bizarre. Who would have expected an inconspicuous lot to be the spreader of a deadly curse? Dormitory building No. 1 was no longer the only building that contained the strength of the curse. Some of the classrooms, toilets, even some of the offices on the campus All of these places had become the source of the curse. Now, close to thousands of still-living people afflicted with the curse had evacuated from this place. Some of them came from the south, others from the north, some of them from the inland while others lived along the coast. There were even the occasional foreigners. These people would speed the curse of Kayako across the globe. There was nothing that could stop the spread. Even Li Bo chose to leave. Chen Chen did not try to stop him. After all, the curse was already spreading. It made no difference even if he stopped Li Bo. Still, Chen Chen made sure to give him a stern warning: unless he wanted to bring ruin to his family, he better not return home. If he was going to die, at least die somewhere away from his family. Although the time now was at the height of noon, the sky cast a depressing gray over the lands below. Thick dark clouds covered the sun and painted the sky with a gloomy haze. Not a trace of sunlight was allowed to shine through. Chen Chen stood by the entrance of the school for a long time, watching both teachers and students alike fleeing the school. Each one of them had fear written across their faces. They were afraid of disappearing if they even lingered in the school for a moment longer. When a group of students passed by Chen Chen, he somehow managed to sense a faint, sinister aura stemming from them. He knew that this could only mean that this group of people had been afflicted with the curse but were blissfully unaware of it If this supernatural event was portrayed as a viral infectious disease, this group of people would be at the height of the incubation period. The disease may not be infectious during the incubation period, but it would not be spread from the fate of the final stage of the curse. The symptom of breakout would be when Kayako appeared to claim their lives. The reason Chen Chen did not enter the school nor try to get away was that he was waiting for someone. Considering the dire state of the current situation, the ones above should be dispatching someone to look for him. Chen Chen suddenly felt someone fixing their gaze on him. This was a queer sensation that could not be put into words. This would commonly be described as instinct or sixth sense. However, as someone who was well versed in biology, Chen Chen was aware that the human body contained bioelectricity. The conduction of everything in the body from brain waves to body nerves was transmitted by electrical signals. This was how some people with hypersensitivity could close their eyes and still sense someone approaching or the gaze of someone on them. This was not because they saw them, but that they could feel the bioelectricity of others. This was the exact sensation Chen Chen was feeling at this moment. This was no time to figure out where this acquired hypersensitivity came from. Chen Chen instinctively turned around and immediately saw a filthy beggar whose appearance he could not make out standing in front of a shop lot. This beggar was studying him silently Chen Chen felt an odd sense of familiarity when he looked at those eyes. You again? Chen Chen muttered to himself and turned into a frown. This was the second time he met this beggar. The first time was when he was leaving the Internet cafe on an evening two days ago. For some unknown reason unknown, he felt a queer familiarity each time he looked at this beggar. It was as if he was able to see the faint silhouette of another person Aixen. Impossible Chen Chen shook his head suddenly. There was no way that this beggar he was looking at would be the mysterious Aixen. They only carried a vaguely similar aura. Arriving at this thought, Chen Chen decided to stop studying this person and turned the other way instead. He knew better than to get involved with any other strange phenomenon now. After Chen Chen had walked only several paces, a black Chevrolet suddenly swept around the corner and screeched to a stop in front of Chen Chen. The screeching brakes even jolted Chen Chen a little. The door quickly slid open and revealed two towering figures dressed in dark suits who hopped out of the vehicle. Are you student Chen Chen? One of them asked in a whisper as he took out his certification, Zhang Qiang, Federal Bureau of Investigation, please come with us if you dont mind. Chen Chen instinctively ducked backward. It only took a single large stride from one of the men in black to close off Chen Chens path of retreat. Finally here? To their surprise, Chen Chen heaved a sigh of relief before telling them, Alright, Ive been wanting to meet the higher-ups at FBI for some time now. Without waiting for an invitation, Chen Chen got into the car on his own. The man in black chuckled softly when he saw this reaction coming from Chen Chen. The two men entered the car from both sides and kept Chen Chen seated between them. The door shut swiftly after that as they drove off into the distance Chapter 370 - The USB Drive is Broken? Several hours later, Chen Chen switched into another set of clothes after going through an X-ray. All metal objects were removed from him and he was taken to an empty room by the two men in black. The design of the room was peculiar. It was approximately twenty square meters in size and was brightly illuminated by the dozens of lamps lined along the ceiling. In the middle of the room, there was a table and two chairs while floor mirrors that stood at waist length decorated the four walls. Cameras were installed in each corner and recorded everything happening inside the room. As Chen Chen entered, one of the security asked him to sit on one of the chairs. Unlike the chairs on the opposite end of the table, the one Chen Chen sat on did not have a backrest. It also did not have a horizontal bar that served as a footrest like regular chairs. Instead of calling it a chair, it would be more appropriate to describe it as a stool. At one point, Chen Chen was deeply interested in studying criminal psychology. He immediately recognized at first glance that the room was intentionally designed to make his conversation with the FBI agents as uncomfortable as possible. The chair without a backrest was designed this way to strip away his sense of security. Without a proper footrest, his sense of balance was taken away as well. The irritating brightness coupled with the cold color temperature in the room made it so that it was easy to become disassociated after staying in the room for a prolonged period. When Chen Chen saw the mirrors, he immediately determined that there were probably at least ten psychologists hiding behind them, observing and dissecting every move he made This room was far better equipped than regular interrogation rooms seen in police stations. After Chen Chen sat down on his uncomfortable chair, the two men in black stood on guard behind him with their arms behind their backs. Although Chen Chen was not strapped with handcuffs, this was essentially the same thing as being cuffed. Within another ten seconds, the door opened again. A young lady in office attire that wore a stone-cold expression stepped into the room. She wore a pair of gold-framed glasses and as she strode across the room, her heels would click against the marble floor and produce striking noises. Chen Chen only spared a curious glance before averting his sight away from her. Clack! When the lady came to the opposite end of the table, she suddenly pulled out a leather whip and slammed it on the table with all her might. Chen Chen was shocked by this. She immediately started. Chen Chen, male, 19 years old, 20th-grade student in the Department of Biological Sciences of Shangdu Jiaotong University, a native of Handu. Third grade of elementary school, broke a window in the school and was punished by the class teacher and parents. Second grade of junior high school, got in trouble with the school for fighting. Second grade of high school The lady began narrating the events that occurred to Chen Chen throughout his childhood, some of them Chen Chen had even almost completely forgotten about. After she finished her sequence, she asked icily, Chen Chen, do you understand the situation you are in right now? Chen Chen could not help but scratch his head when he heard this and said in a slightly troubled voice, Sorry, I have no clue. Anyway, why are you dressed so much like the actors in the adult movies Ive saved on my computer? Are you going to seduce me now? What did you say? The ladys eyebrows flared up and her voice grew harsher at this mention. I have to admit that you agents have done your homework well. You even know what kind of movies Ive saved on my computer. Chen Chen shook his head and looked slightly disappointed as he said this, But I think you guys have this mixed up because these adult movies line up better with my dorm leader Wang Weis taste. A few days ago, he had to borrow his girlfriends computer so he transferred his videos to my computer to hide them. Im more of an innocent schoolgirl type if Im being honest The audacity! Before Chen Chen could finish, the lady slammed the table. The sudden loud burst echoed across Chen Chens eardrums. Chen Chen subconsciously craned his neck to the side and covered his ears. His expression grew several degrees colder as he did this. Enough! Lets not discuss these unsavory topics for now. Havent the FBI had enough of these cases of disappearing students? Lets talk about how were going to solve this problem. You The lady flicked her eyebrows and grew even more agitated. Before she could go on another rampage, the voice of another man came from somewhere in the interrogation room. Shen Qi, thats enough. The sound traveled from all sides of the room in a three-dimensional stereo pattern. As Chen Chen started to scan his surroundings, the entrance to the interrogation room opened again. This time, a man with ashen gray hair and a stern expression walked in. Director, he The lady quickly approached the man and tried to explain herself. The man quickly waved her away and she had no choice but to step to the side. This man came before the table. Director? The moment this person announced his presence, Chen Chen began sizing him up. This man appeared to be somewhere in his mid-fifties. His expression was like iron. The ends of his hair stood up like sharp needles in a flat top style. He undoubtedly had the most intimidating aura Chen Chen had ever witnessed in person. While Chen Chen was sizing this man up, the same favor was being returned as well. The newly-arrived man only started speaking after he sat down. The tone in which he spoke suggested that this man was not to be questioned. Chen Chen, weve gone through your notes. We can meet your stated conditions. Your ranking isnt high enough. However, Chen Chen only shook his head and answered formally, Branch director still falls a little short of what I requested. Insolent! The girl called Shen Qi quickly howled at Chen Chen angrily. Her superior promptly raised a hand to stop her while he addressed Chen Chen, seemingly unbothered. Of course, I understand that my ranking doesnt meet your stated requirement. We can see to it that you get to speak to the core officials of the Mainland. Unfortunately, due to the recent cases of disappearances, they are unable to come in person. However, I can arrange for you to speak with them in a video call. Chen Chen was relieved when he heard this. Alright, Im fine with that. The man seemed somewhat relieved when he heard this. Meanwhile, he moved the chair under him to the side of the table. Chen Chen quickly sensed something happening as he raised his head and looked at the mirror in front of him. He saw the mirror flash before turning into a dark panel and heard muffled noise coming out of it. What appeared to be a regular piece of mirror had been an electronic display all this time! Following another flash, the image of a small conference room immediately came into view. Chen Chen could not stop himself from tightening up and breathing in a drag of cold air when he saw the image displayed before him. What he saw before him were familiar faces that regularly appeared on television! This was a meeting with the highest-level officials of the Central Continent branch! Hows this for satisfying your conditions? The man seated at the side of the table turned to him and asked. Chen Chen inspected the people exchanging silent whispers among themselves who occasionally stole glances in his direction, he nodded. Yes, if this is still not satisfactory, nothing else could cut it anymore. Judging by this, I take it that you guys already know about the USB drive? How did you know? The man perched an eyebrow. I doubt that the ongoing spiritual abnormality in Shangdu that hasnt even got to its worst stages is enough to demand an audience with the council. Chen Chen smiled. Id wager that what warranted you guys attention has more to do with the USB drive I possess. I think its rather clear that you guys got to Li Bo before this and found out about the USB drive used to instantiate objects from movies from him. This is the primary reason you guys invested this much effort. Youre a smart one. Itd be a waste to not become a detective. The man nodded when he heard Chen Chens remark and expressed. From the very beginning until now, youve been trying to stake your place in the driver seat of this negotiation. Apart from this being a sign of your intelligence, its also a telltale sign of how nervous youve been feeling. Theres no need for any of this, its wiser to hand the USB drive to us because theres no way you can control it. The man pointed at the screen to his side. Now that there are so many witnesses, I suppose you wont have to be worried about me killing you and taking it by force? You dont have to tell me that, I already know you werent going to do that anyway. Chen Chen frowned. Otherwise I wouldnt claim to know how to fix this abnormality in my notes. Spiritual abnormality, so thats what youre naming this? The man held up the notes Chen Chen referred to and nodded amiably. Not bad, so where did you put the USB drive? From the back entrance of the Roman Holiday Hotel on Wuhe Street, take twenty-five steps to the left. On the bottom of the left wall, you should spot a crack in the wall. Thats where the USB flash drive is hidden. Chen Chen answered without hesitation, As for the shape of the USB drive, Im sure Li Bo has told you about it. Excellent, lets hope its still there. The man was silently relieved at how Chen Chen revealed its location without much trouble. He originally thought that Chen Chen would raise more conditions but it turned out this young man had surprised him with how cooperative he was. At this moment, he could not help but take interest in this well-guarded while at the same time strangely calm young man. Chen Chen, according to your notes, your method of fixing this crisis is to use the power of the USB drive. In that case, why didnt you do it yourself with the USB drive? Say, put an exorcist movie into the drive to instantiate the relevant tools for purging the ghost? The girl called Shen Qi raised the question again. Is it because of certain limitations of the USB drive? The problem is a lack of power. Chen Chen nodded amiably as a show of sincerity. He had to protect himself as well, which was why he gave away the location of the USB flash drive without any resistance. It would not make much sense now to be stubborn, so he laid everything on the table. The USB drive needs to be powered to instantiate objects. After releasing the entities in four horror films, theres no longer any power left in the USB drive. Whats the energy source? How can we recharge it? It was neither Shen Qi nor the branch director who raised this question, but one of the men on the screen opposite Chen Chen. Chen Chen let the silence linger for a moment. He considered for a bit and instead of telling them about the rules of the USB drive which he was well acquainted with, he pretended to be unsure. I think its electricity. How much electricity? the man on the screen asked. A lot. Chen Chen smiled. The specifics can be obtained by using Einsteins mass-energy equation. Everyones faces turned when they heard this. Going by the energy conversion equation, for each gram of the item they planned to instantiate, at least an hours worth of electricity used to power an international metropolis would be required. Chen Chen did not clarify that they did not need that much energy. The reason he did so was that he wanted to inject a sense of urgency into them. After all, he was still infected with the Kayako curse at the moment. An eerie silence quickly descended on the conference room. It was then when another man wearing a suit entered the interrogation room and came beside the branch director and whispered something into his ears. The branch director was immediately relieved upon receiving the message and sent the agent away with a nod before turning to Chen Chen. We found the USB drive. With that, he immediately got up and bowed earnestly at Chen Chen. Id like to thank you on behalf of the Central Continent and the Earth Federation. If the USB drives properties are just as you described, it must be an extremely high-tech object. This will be greatly beneficial to mankind! Dont get too excited just yet. Leave all that aside and worry about how you guys are going to charge the USB drive first. The top priority now is to deal with the Ju-on curse, otherwise, you may find that by tomorrow, the disappearance is going to spread beyond Shangdu and expand across the entire Mainland. The branch director answered gravely, Weve considered the possibility of this as well and have already quarantined all of the people who left the school. Even the ones who returned home by taking the train or planes will be quarantined by the officials at their destinations upon their arrival. Even the public officers that have entered the dormitory have been quarantined as well. Theres nothing to worry about. D*mn! When Chen Chen heard this, he realized that he had been worrying too much over nothing. The fully unleashed strength of the country was certainly not to be underestimated. To think that tens of thousands of people could be quarantined without the outside world even catching wind of it, he was thoroughly impressed. While Chen Chen silently marveled at this, the entrance to the interrogation room suddenly burst open. A man in black charged inside nervously while exclaiming, This is bad, the USB drive broke when we tried to charge it just now! What! The color on Chen Chens face was immediately drained away. The USB drive already came with a set of rules on how it should be charged which clearly stated that it could not be damaged regardless of the voltage running through it. How did it manage to break? Perhaps the FBI was trying to deceive the council and the branch director was a foreign spy trying to snatch away the USB drive? Chen Chen debunked this theory as soon as he came up with it. It was true that the Earth Federation was just a shell of its former self and the FBI that was originally meant to be under the jurisdiction of the Earth Federation had now become the manpower of each continent. Still, he heavily doubted that the situation had become hectic enough that they would try to snatch the USB drive right under the prying eyes of the head council. Besides, would the FBI have not some insurance in place to prevent such a scenario? Unless there were other spies? Countless speculations flashed through Chen Chens mind in an instant, but most of them were too much of a stretch to be believable. It was not only Chen Chen who showed such a drastic reaction as the same reaction could be observed on all the people present at the scene. Inside the screen, many of the men glared daggers at the branch director seated beside Chen Chen. The branch director was sweating endlessly. There was no question about it. They had also immediately suspected that this was the work of the branch director based on a logical assumption. Chapter 371 - Narrow Escape from Death Hurry and take me there! The branch director bellowed before quickly darting across the interrogation and leaving in a frenzy. Shen Qi and the other two men in black in charge of watching over Chen Chen did the same as well. Shen Qi shot one last glare at Chen Chen before chasing after her superior. Even the display in front of Chen Chen was shut off and reverted to an ordinary mirror. In an instant, Chen Chen became the only one left in the room. Even Chen Chen was at a loss for words. He had prepared himself for hundreds of thousands of scenarios, but this one had never crossed his mind. By the looks of the current situation, there were only three explanations for the destruction of the USB drive. One, somebody switched it out after Chen Chen hid it. This was not out of the realm of possibility. Even though Chen Chen had been extremely cautious and hid the USB drive in an extremely secluded place that had no surveillance, he was not exactly what one would call an expert. There was a chance that someone had been spying on him when he hid the USB drive and swapped it out stealthily. The second possibility, the USB drive was swapped out by a spy in the FBI with a fake. This possibility seemed to be more likely than the first one, but it was not any less tricky. After all, there was no way for Chen Chen to prove whether the broken USB drive was the real thing or not. He suspected he would have a difficult time convincing them that the broken USB drive was a substituted fake. The final possibility. Chen Chen had only told three people in his dorm about the existence of the USB drive. Now that both Wang Wei and Zhou Jie were dead, only Li Bo knew about the USB drive. He had known Li Bo for a very long time. Unless he had been hatching ideas about the USB drive Chen Chen became speechless upon considering this possibility. If it was Li Bo who was the one behind this, then he certainly deserved the Oscars for the show he had put on. It would be a great waste of talent for him to not be an actor. Chen Chen figured there was no point considering any other possibilities. Without the USB drive, they were just sitting ducks. While Chen Chen was beginning to despair, the lights on the ceiling of the interrogation room began to rattle on and on. The interrogation room was designed with the idea of imposing a negative psychological effect on the interrogated in mind. Dozens of tubes of lights were installed on the ceiling that cast a blinding sheet of harsh and cold beams on the room. Seemingly due to the unstable voltage, they started to flicker without any signs of stopping anytime soon. The state of the room constantly swung between light and darkness. Initially, Chen Chen paid no mind to it. After this constant flickering persisted for more than ten seconds, he started sensing that something was off. Where was he again? This was not some sort of remote village or a unit in the borders of Africa. This was the FBI branch directly under the jurisdiction of the regional government. How could there possibly be electricity disturbance? Chen Chen immediately felt a chill coursing through him when he considered this. He raised his head and looked at the huge mirror opposite him. Between the disorientating flashes of light, he caught the glimpse of a little boy standing behind him The little boy was not wearing any clothes. The color of his body was a terrible pale that looked like the skin of the deceased. The boy stood in the corner of the room and stared into Chen Chens eyes with terrible dark eyes without a trace of white in them. It was Toshio, the son of Kayako. Chen Chen immediately felt a harsh chill penetrating through his body from behind him and made the hair stand up on the back of his neck. Am I going to die? This thought invaded and occupied Chen Chens mind. He lost the strength to get up on his feet. All he could do was look into the innocent Toshio standing in the corner of the room. Hnnghhhh He heard gurgling patrolling in his ears. Unlike the last time Chen Chen heard this voice, it came from behind him this time, almost inches away! Chen Chen felt as if his blood was about to freeze. He became petrified, unsure if it was because of the pulsing fear inside him or because of the power of Kayako. Chen Chen remained unmoving and stared into his reflection in the mirror. From his reflection, he could see two slender, delicate arms slowly creeping behind his back The pairs of arms constantly bent at awkward angles as if they were performing some sort of ritualistic dance. Just like Toshio in the corner, they were the color of the dead. They slowly crept up from a short distance behind Chen Chen before latching themselves onto Chen Chens neck! In an instant, an indescribable feeling assaulted his five senses. The harsh bite seemed to penetrate through his bones and sent across his body like an electric shock! Just with the arms placed on his shoulder, Chen Chen felt like he was going to fall apart then and there! Hnnnghhhhh. The hoarse gurgling sound screaming at him was just inches away now, but Chen Chen could hardly muster the strength to turn around. All he could do was stare into his reflection and saw a black object rising from behind his right shoulder in between the flickering lights. It was a head with disheveled hair! Chen Chens expression twitched uncontrollably as he made a desperate effort to turn to his right. Suddenly, he saw his world turn dark. In a few seconds, the light was turned on again. When the light returned, he saw a pair of midnight black eyes only three centimeters away from his own, gazing right into him! Such eyes they were, completely devoid of senses and lacking any ounce of humanity. They were two bottomless abysses that screamed hatred for life! After that, the light in the room went out again! In this split instant, Chen Chen felt the arms behind him dragging him backward. His stream of thoughts became dull and muddy, as if just mere touch delivered great pain to him. Inside the darkness, he felt he was dragged out of the chair and into the depthless, unknown darkness It was at this moment when Chen Chen suddenly heard the clicking sound of a door opening beside him The sound sounded almost godsend. Chen Chen simultaneously felt a ray of light beaming from the door. When the light was cast on Chen Chen, he felt his body winding down and the feeling of being dragged away quickly dissipated. When Chen Chen came to his senses, he saw that the lights overhead had returned to a normal state. He was still seated in the chair in the same position as he previously did. Chen Chen! You Hm? Shen Qi was furious when she stomped inside. For some reason, the light in the room was turned off when she walked in. Before she could respond accordingly, there was an abrupt flash followed by the lights turning back on again. On top of that, she felt an inexplicable chill the moment she stepped inside the room. It was not the sort of cold felt as a mere decrease of temperature but a kind of ringing cold that penetrated deep into the bones. The moment she sensed it, she felt goosebumps rising on her body like a pulse of electricity. Such a sensation could never be related by anyone who had not experienced it. She did not make any remark about it but instead, approached Chen Chen right away. Chen Chen. Tell me, why did the USB drive break? Are you trying to deceive us with a fake? Im talking to you! Chen Chen? Chen Chen! Shen Qi threw question after question at him. She then noticed something was off. Although Chen Chen was looking at her, his expression was unbelievably pale. His green-ish veins faintly popped from under his skin as if he had been stricken with a horrible disease. It was slightly reminiscent of the color of a corpse. Whats going on? When Shen Qi was still perplexed by this sight, the FBI branch director stepped into the room again. This time, he no longer carried his previous poise but was instead ridden by anxiety and even a slight hint of anger. When he saw Chen Chens face, he became shocked. Did he commit suicide by ingesting poison? Hurry, get the doctor! Fortunately, the FBI had designated doctors. Within five minutes, several doctors and nurses rushed inside with devices and first aid kits in tow. Just as Chen Chen was carried on the stretcher, he began to come back to his senses. I, Im alright! Chen Chen struggled to get up while gasping for air. Subdue him! Shen Qi barked the order. When the other officers heard this and tried to step forward, Chen Chen suddenly grabbed at the collar of his shirt and yanked it. Two black marks were immediately revealed under his collar. This is? The doctors were astounded by the sight of it. From their point of view, the mark was even clearer and distinctly resembled the shape of two palms. The outline of each finger could not be any more vivid. The left and right hand could be clearly identified. This is the curse of Ju-on Chen Chen brushed the mark on his shoulder but felt numbness on it. He could hardly sense anything there, not even pain. This is a symptom of skin necrosis. It seems to have been this way for a long time, at least half a month. One of the doctors frowned. But if its been that long, it shouldve been inflamed by now, unlike its current state. The branch director became perplexed. As the highest executive officer here, he was well aware that this young man had a full-body examination conducted when they brought him in. CT scan was conducted thoroughly to search for the USB drive. There were no visible wounds on the young man back then. Of course, thats because I was attacked by the spiritual abnormality. Chen Chen expressed with faint anger. Where did the psychologists go? Shouldnt they be observing me from behind the mirror? How is it that they didnt notice me being attacked? The branch director quickly turned to Shen Qi for an answer. After finding out about the USB drive breaking, they came with us to inspect it Shen Qi answered. Then, that means not a single person saw me just now? Chen Chen let out an exasperated sigh. He cursed at the fact that such a large department would fail to oversee just one person. If not for someone barging in to interrupt Kayako, his corpse would have become stiff by now. When Chen Chen thought of this, he suddenly caught a stray thought passing through his mind. He tried to grab it but it seemed to escape him. He could not recall what exactly it was that he thought of. Hurry and inspect the wound on Chen Chens shoulder! The branch director knew that this was no time to point fingers at anyone. He hid the anger and agitation in his voice as he demanded. Chen Chen, were still going to need you to confirm if the USB drive is real, we suspect that someone may have swapped it. Of course, Id like to see for myself too. Chen Chen nodded meekly. After that, the host of doctors carted the stretcher out of the interrogation room and down the corridor. It did not take long before Chen Chen arrived at an elevator at the end of the corridor. The door of the elevator was far larger and sturdier than common elevators. When the doors shuffled open, an enormous space behind it was immediately revealed. There were two armed guards already posted inside the elevator. Step right in. Following the order of the branch director, the doctors entered. The doctors waited until they had entered the elevator before they started to tend to the marks on both sides of Chen Chens shoulders. Meanwhile, Chen Chen investigated the elevator curiously and noted that there were no buttons in the elevator. The elevator descended automatically after the door was closed. It would appear that there was an underground structure under the FBI building. Chen Chen ruminated over this. For some reason, the idea of an underground base felt vaguely familiar to him. The elevator descended for a minute before coming to a halt. When the doors opened again, Chen Chen was greeted by the sight of a vast underground space. The space was around the size of an underground parking lot except it was far taller than an underground parking lot would otherwise be. It was nearly ten meters tall and dozens of strange instruments could be seen in the plaza. Large bundles of cables with diameter the size of an infants fist connected these array of devices. Some of the devices were repeatedly emitting blue flashes of light. The scenery reminded one of a futuristic steampunk film. It would appear that this was where the USB drive was charged. Although Chen Chen was unsure what these devices did, he first debunked one possibility by process of elimination they were not generators. While Chen Chen was puzzling over this, he saw six soldiers armed with live ammunition advancing toward him in a straight line. Positioned in their formation was a white-bearded elderly man dressed in a white coat. The elderly man approached with a metal box in hand. He came in front of Chen Chen and presented the box to them before opening it. The contents of the box were none other than the USB drive that had shattered into four irregular pieces. Old Yu, whats the verdict? Though he was restless upon seeing the USB drive, the branch director still kept himself collected and asked courteously. There are no internal structures whatsoever. This USB drive is an entirely solid object. The professor named Old Yu picked up a piece of USB drive fragment with his hands wrapped in gloves. A hint of wonder and sorrow appeared in his eyes as he did this. Even after magnifying its composition millions of times using the most powerful tunneling electron microscope, theres still nothing that could be observed. This isnt any ordinary material structure that should belong to our word. Im sorry, with our current technology, we can hardly conduct any worthwhile analysis The branch director first felt slightly relieved when he heard this but this was immediately followed by a sense of heaviness. At the very least, this proved that the USB drive was the real deal and that it was not swapped at any point. However, if the USB drive was broken, how were they going to deal with the ongoing disappearances occurring in the city? May I have a look? While the branch director was rifling through his mind, Chen Chen spoke suddenly. He held his hand out and asked the bearded elderly man, Old Yu, Id like to see if this is the fragment I obtained previously. That wont do. The USB drive is already ruined as is. What if you cause further damage to it? Shen Qi immediately tried to stop Chen Chen. Its alright, let him. It was the elderly man who handed the box to Chen Chen on his own accord. He also mentioned, Weve tested the toughness and resilience of these USB drive fragments. Even cut diamonds could not inflict the slightest scratch on it. Were certain it surpasses the current scope of mankinds technology. Thank you. Chen Chen received the box and picked up a fragment to investigate it closely. However, the moment Chen Chen touched its fragments, he suddenly felt a burning sensation. His grip loosened as he dropped the fragment into the box. What happened next made everyones eyes turn wide! When the USB flash drive fell into the box, the fragments of the USB drive morphed into a puddle of pure black liquid. It quickly flowed toward other fragments inside the box and upon making contact with the second fragment, the second fragment melted as well. This happened subsequently to the third and fourth fragment! A miracle happened when all the USB drive fragments melted and pooled together Chapter 372 - Memory Restored A miracle happened when all the USB drive fragments melted and pooled together The black mass of liquid floated into the air. The tip of the USB drive soon emerged from the mass of liquid and slowly pushed outward. Then, the mass of liquid slowly disappeared as this happened. With everyone beholding it, the puddle of liquid had become solid and morphed into a pitch-black USB drive that was completely undamaged! The USB drive dropped onto Chen Chens palm. Chen Chen, after I count from one to ten, youll walk inside and return to the night when you merged with the USB-drive Amid all this, Chen Chen heard an incredibly familiar whisper in his mind. The next second, he clutched at his head with both hands and began to scream horribly! Ahhhh!!! Whats going on! The branch director froze. The first thing he did after was to snatch the USB drive away from Chen Chen before shouting, Doctor, hurry and save him, this person is extremely vital to our cause! A host of doctors immediately swarmed toward Chen Chen and strapped him onto the stretcher before rushing him to the emergency room. Fortunately, the emergency room was not too far away and they arrived in a matter of minutes. After that, the doctors swiftly turned on all sorts of devices and connected electrocardiography and electroencephalography devices to Chen Chen. Hes starting to foam at the mouth! One of the nurses declared urgently. The EEG shows that his cerebral cortex is abnormally active! A doctor looked at the reading on the EEG. His cerebral cortex and hippocampus are undergoing extremely intense chemical reactions, its like a prophetic storm in there! Brain pressure is skyrocketing and his brain temperature has exceeded 42 degrees. The patient is in critical condition! The doctor who was measuring his temperature suddenly turned pale. A large amount of cerebral hemorrhage is detected, prepare for craniotomy immediately! In this state of daze, Chen Chen seemed to feel something pouring into his mind. Strings of memories ever since he obtained the USB drive began to stream into the depths of his mind NZT-48, Little X, God chip, Gods Forbidden Zone, GS Combat Suit, Mankind Anti-aging Project, Eco Science City In a matter of minutes, an enormous amount of what seemed to be unfamiliar memories swarmed into his mind! These memories led to changes in the physical structure of Chen Chens brain. Such changes should usually occur over years, but it was now unraveling in the span of just a few minutes! After Chen Chens brain structure continued to shift until a certain point, Chen Chen suddenly snapped open his eyes! At this point, one of the doctors had just prepared a tranquilizer and was about to give Chen Chen the injection. Just as the doctor turned to his patient, he immediately met Chen Chens eyes. You? The doctor was caught off guard by this. Before he could enact a response, he felt a terrific impact on his chest. He barely had time to whimper before he was sent flying away! Old Yu! When the other doctors turned to Chen Chen with their faces contorted in shock, they saw Chen Chen unstrapping himself from the stretcher before he levitated into the air above! Ah, I see how it is now. Chen Chen chuckled. His eyes had turned blood red. It was a symptom caused by a large number of capillary ruptures. The blood pooled around the whites of his eyes, he looked like a demon risen from the underworld. None of this mattered. What mattered was that Chen Chen had remembered everything. So, this is the dream dimension of my past memory? Chen Chen looked below him coldly and turned into a frown while he did so. No, this isnt just a dream, its Something that even I have trouble figuring out. At last, I know that the USB drive had never done something like this in my past recollection When Chen Chen murmured to himself, the doctors evacuated the emergency room as if they had seen a ghost. They did not even bother to save the doctor sent flying away by Chen Chen. They rushed out and locked the airlock on their way out, sealing Chen Chen inside. Chen Chen paid no mind to them and instead, raised his hand and looked at his palm. This must be Field, but its stronger than it was in reality Just how strong is it? Chen Chen jerked his head to the side and looked at the wall in front of him without emotion. The next second, a terrible screech was heard as the alloy-built wall became bent inside-out! A two-meter wide hole immediately formed on the wall in front of Chen Chen. In just an instant, a wall that even cannons could barely shatter was effortlessly torn open by Chen Chen. Chen Chen only nodded when he saw this. Instead of landing on the ground, he continued to float forward using Field, testing the potency of his Field as he did so. I could get used to this Chen Chen only landed after getting a taste of his current Field level. He looked around profoundly before muttering to himself, A dream shouldnt be as intricate as whats shown here and be so realistic. I mustve stumbled into something incredible here But what did I come here for again? A shadowy gloom appeared in Chen Chens eyes because he realized that although he regained nearly all of his memories in the dream world, the only thing he forgot was the reason he let Little X hypnotize him. Why did he do that? Could it be that Im supposed to find an answer on my own? But how am I supposed to get out of here once I find it? Chen Chen suddenly realized this tricky question. He faintly recalled that he had let Little X hypnotize himself to enter this bizarre dream dimension, but the question was How was he supposed to leave? Does this mean that he had no other choice but to find that answer? Chen Chen knitted his brows together. However, this also meant that another curious mystery was solved. This means that Aixen is the incarnation of Little X inside this dream. That explains why nobody else could see her. Its because she isnt inherently a part of my dream. And the explanation for her appearance in my dream is that shes the one responsible for hypnotizing me. My mind subconsciously conjured a form for her when in truth, its merely a projection of my mind but not her actual image. This also means that once I find Aixen, I should be able to discover my motive for coming here. These thoughts quickly flashed past Chen Chens mind. Meanwhile, a barrage of footsteps was quickly approaching from the end of the corridor. A troop of soldiers wearing the Mainland army uniform and carrying rifles appeared on both sides of the tunnel and surrounded Chen Chen! This was not the time to betray them, not yet. Chen Chen put both arms in the air when he saw this spectacle. I dont want to hurt anyone. Let me meet the director. The troops immediately opened a path in the middle and let the branch director step forward. He looked at Chen Chen with uncertainty dwelling in his eyes. The doctors told me that you attacked them? Its a misunderstanding. When I came to, I saw that they were about to inject me so I reacted instinctively to protect myself. Chen Chen put on an innocent front. Only a doctor was wounded and hes still in the emergency room. The branch director hesitated briefly before giving the signal. Chen Chen, just to be safe, forgive me for putting you through this! With that, the troops swarmed toward Chen Chen and handcuffed his arms behind his back. Another crew rushed into the emergency room to check on the doctor. The doctor was in poor condition. Six of his ribs were fractured and his lungs were punctured. He was gravely injured. After that, Chen Chen was brought into the interrogation room again. Looking at the footage, you sent the doctor flying away with a single glance. You also levitated in the air before punching through a five centimeters thick alloy wall, whats the explanation for that? The branch director wore a heavy expression. Is this the power of the USB drive? Yes, the wielder of the USB drive possesses these powers. Chen Chen started to conjure a false story. It can only do so much as far as self-protection goes. If the soldiers opened fire just now, I wouldve been long dead. Id also like to ask, whats the situation with the USB drive now? Weve received permission from above to redirect the power of all twenty-three power plants nearby Shangdu over here. The USB drive is charging now. The branch director nodded and reflected. Its certainly wondrous. Even after absorbing such an enormous amount of power, it still barely displayed any visible changes. Chen Chen, just how many secrets do you carry with you? From the very beginning up till now, the USB drive is the only thing Ive kept under covers. Chen Chen shook his head at this notion. The USB drive broke the moment we tried to charge it and only repaired itself once you touched it, how do you explain that? A curious bolt appeared in the directors eyes as he said this, Do you understand the predicament youre in? I truly dont have an answer for that. Theres a chance that the USB drive automatically registers an owner and you guys were only allowed to use it once I gave you guys permission. Chen Chen shrugged, paying no mind to the undertone of what the director told him. As for the predicament you speak of, could it be any more threatening than the possibility of catching the Ju-on curse? Upon hearing this statement, the directors eyes wavered with uncertainty. Although he had not seen the full extent of what the USB drive was capable of, it went without saying that many people would not tolerate the fact that only Chen Chen could utilize it. Anyone in possession of such destructive powers would already cause enough uproar on its own. Even if the Central Continent would permit Chen Chen to have it, what about the North American Continent? What about the North Sea Continent? And the Indian Continent? Even the Earth Federation would go all in to obtain it. The branch director originally intended to secretly warn Chen Chen that if Chen Chen had trifled with the USB drive in any way, it would be wise to stop it sooner than later. Otherwise, only trouble would come his way. However, it did not seem like he was interested in heeding the warning. Right, Mr. Director. Chen Chen seemed to have suddenly recalled something and spoke suddenly, I have a request that concerns my very livelihood, I hope you can promise me this at least. Go ahead. The director flicked an eyebrow at this request. Ill need at least ten subordinates to supervise me for twenty-four hours. They arent allowed to leave at any time. You need to make sure that someone has their eyes on me at all times. Chen Chen suddenly grew serious. This is an experiment as well, an experiment targeted on the spiritual abnormality. What makes you say so? The branch director asked curiously. Because I discovered a set of conditions. Chen Chen suggested. The first time I saw Kayako, there was nobody else around me. I was in the hallway of the school at the time and just as I was about to become a victim of Kayako, somebody else suddenly appeared, which caused Kayako to vanish without a trace. This isnt the only instance of this. Just now when you left me by myself in the interrogation room, the same thing happened. Chen Chen continued explaining, When you guys along with the psychologists in the backroom left me to inspect the USB drive, I was ambushed by Kayako again. Whats coincidental is that just as I was about to meet my demise, Shen Qi barged inside. Kayako immediately disappeared after that. Chen Chen gestured. Therefore, I speculate that Kayako cannot have any witnesses when claiming her victims. Whats the explanation for this? the branch director questioned. Im sure everyone here has heard of the concept of Memes before. Chen Chen suddenly looked up and turned to the panel of mirrors by the wall as if he could stare right into the eyes of the psychologists in the backroom. A meme is a channel of information that can be inherited and mutated, just like regular genes The reason genes exist is to propagate themselves and they achieve this by inheriting or mutating themselves. This is how everything such as humans and the Earth came to be. Memes by themselves are an informative form of genes. When it comes to Kayako and Toshio, the traditional interpretation that we humans have developed over time is that they are ghosts, demons, and whatnot. However, in terms of Memetic, they are merely a medium for memes. They may resemble humans down to a dot but the truth is they dont possess thoughts, emotions or memories. The only thing they have is that they abide by a specific set of rules and principles As Chen Chen spoke, the husky voice of an elderly man came from the speaker in the interrogation room. The voice carried a judgmental tone. Chen Chen, dont presume we dont know anything about memetic science. Yes, we understand its concept but at the end of the day, they are just a unit of information transmission. How is it supposed to impose its effect on reality? A child like you has no right to spout your nonsense here! Are you sure information cannot affect reality? Chen Chen responded with a smile, I understand that this is difficult to believe. But this is the truth that Im telling you, whether you believe it or not is up to you. You The owner of the voice wanted to further the debate. However, another voice interrupted through the speakers. This one was one of might and a strong presence. This is certainly an intriguing proposition. If what you say is true, that would mean that we humans have stumbled into a brand new realm of scientific discovery. But why do you suppose that the Ju-on meme can be affected by there being bystanders watching? Im sure every one of you here has watched horror films at one point or another? Chen Chen waited for a moment before revealing the answer. He smiled to build anticipation. Horror movies always suggest that being alone is most likely to lead to a characters death. This has always been how horror movies operated. When in crowded places such as busy streets, the ghosts or demons are just going to scare the characters at most, but rarely if ever bring any actual harm. Its only when the characters arrive at a vacant place without anyone to accompany them when they are attacked. Why do you think this is the case? Why dont you tell us? Chen Chens audience started to become impatient. Chen Chen smiled. Memes are very likely to operate on the principle of quantum superposition. As they enact a direct effect on the living, which is killing the living, theres a great chance that the presence of a third-party bystander isnt allowed. Having an observer causes the wave function to collapse and interfere with the process! If we were to treat Ju-on as an infectious disease, that my current state could be described as the incubation period. The sign of the eventual breakout is when Kayako appears to claim my life. In that case, if theres someone to supervise me around the clock, wouldnt I forever remain in the incubation phase, never to completely trigger the breakout condition? Chapter 373 - Disappearance Chen Chens theory was thought-provoking. Most people in this line of work tend to not be religious at all. Even upon hearing news of mass disappearance that seemed to defy the laws of reality, their first assumption was a phenomenon that defied common scientific constructs. None of them suspected it being a work of the supernatural. Put it this way, even if a holy deity were to appear before them, their first thought would probably be to study its substance components instead of getting on their knees to worship. Therefore, Chen Chens explanation was perfectly suited for their taste and made everything clear almost immediately. So, the FBI assigned fifteen soldiers to Chen Chen. They split into three shifts of eight hours each to monitor Chen Chen closely. They were instructed to stay vigilant and not go on any breaks. The interrogation room was also refitted into a room specifically designed for Chen Chen. Not only was a single bed provided for him but he was also granted a laptop for his leisure. After everything was set, Chen Chen settled himself down. Meanwhile, in a city several hundred kilometers away was Li Bos hometown. Unfortunately for him, just as he was about to enter his vehicle, he was taken away by the FBI to the local FBI branch. Li Bo quickly revealed everything he knew without much hesitation. After the questioning was complete, they took Li Bo to a room and confiscated all of his electronic devices. The room was brightly lit and cold fluorescent lights shone from above the ceiling. The room was decorated like a frugal bedroom. Apart from a single bed and a table, there was nothing else, not even windows. It was like a solitary room. Li Bo felt like he had been locked in here for a long time, perhaps seven to eight hours, maybe longer than that. At first, he still felt normal. As time went on, he started feeling like something was off. He looked in the direction that gave off the strange aura he was feeling. In a corner under the table that was sheltered from the harsh light, unknown darkness sat still. A mysterious restlessness quickly surged in Li Bos mind. He could not place what he was feeling into words. All he knew was that so long as he looked into the dark corner, he would panic uncontrollably. It was as if there was something inside the cloud of darkness staring back at him. Itll be alright, dont worry. Everything will be fine Li Bo quietly comforted himself. He carefully approached the table and moved it to the side. The fluorescent lights above immediately cast their radiance onto the dark corner and drowned it out. Phew! Li Bo heaved a sigh of relief. As soon as he erased the darkness, he felt the strange spying sensation fading away as well. I knew it, Im just scaring myself over nothing. Li Bo returned to the bed, feeling lighter now. To distract himself, he picked up a magazine on the table and started reading it. If Li Bos father saw what he was doing now, he would be leaping and crying out of joy. Li Bo was the sort of person who rarely took his studies seriously and only did it when it was necessary. Just by doing this, he was able to easily put himself near the top spot of the class. It was a rare sight to see Li Bo suddenly reading so seriously. After only a couple of minutes, transparent liquid dripped onto the magazine Li Bo was reading. It was sweat. The room was very cool, even a little chilly since there were seldom any inhabitants. However, Li Bo could feel prying eyes on him for some unknown reason. He felt a harsh gaze piercing through his back, even stronger than it was previously even though there was nothing notable in the room. Cold sweat started to drench his body. Finally, Li Bo gently set the magazine down before lifting his head and peering around the room. The room was brightly lit now that there were no more dark corners under the table. Still, the feeling he felt refused to fade away. It only changed its location. When this thought crossed Li Bos mind, he subconsciously turned to look behind him. In between the bed and the wall, he spotted a gap half a finger wide that was filled with darkness. That was where the strong peering sensation that he could not shake off stemmed from A flash of anger appeared in Li Bos eyes as he pushed himself up from the bed and pushed the bed into the wall. With a loud thump, the tiny gap between the bed and the wall was closed. That uncomfortable feeling vanished again. Li Bo settled himself down again and returned to the bed. As he was about to pick up the magazine to continue his reading, he suddenly paused. What sort of magazine was this? Li Bo turned the magazine around and looked at the cover. Three bold texts were written on the cover I Saw You. I Saw You? What sort of magazine was this supposed to be? Li Bo frowned. He could faintly recall that the magazine had a different title. Everything inside this room, from its sheer brightness to the dark spot shielded from the light, even the magazine carried an indescribable eeriness There was not much Li Bo could do about it. He flipped to the page he was on and prepared to finish the passage. When he flipped to the page he had left off, he saw a few drops of sweat still pooled on the pages. Li Bo was confused by what he saw when he looked at the contents of the page. The passages in the book had all turned into three repetitive strings of words I Saw You. For the third time now, Li Bo felt the unsettling feeling of someone peering at him again. Except for this time, it came from right in front of him! When he raised his head and looked in front of him, he finally saw it. Between the tiny dark gap under the door, a pair of blood-red eyes were silently staring at him I Saw You! Li Bo felt his heart tighten. At this moment, he finally understood what this phrase on the magazine meant Ah! A terrified shriek came from inside the room. A guard who was posted outside immediately barged inside when he heard this sudden shriek. He found the door open after unlocking it with his key! Bang! The guard darted his eyes across the room and found that there was no one in the room. The only thing that stood out was a magazine lying open, facing down on the floor. The confused guard picked up the magazine and noticed several watermark stains on the magazine. Filthy The guard flung it around in disgust before opening the lid on a trash can and tossing the magazine inside. It was only after that when he shook his head and left the room, closing the door on his way out. As if there was nothing else peculiar that he noticed inside the room. Meanwhile, inside the FBI secret branch, Chen Chen was reading a book leisurely. Chen Chen read with extreme efficiency. It appeared as if he only scanned them at a rapid pace and could easily finish a three-hundred pages book in just approximately fifteen minutes. Five soldiers were surrounding Chen Chen. They formed a circle around him and closely supervised every single thing that he did. After a short while, Chen Chen suddenly got up from the table and approached the door. None of the soldiers tried to stop him, they only trailed after him wordlessly. After Chen Chen left the interrogation room, he did not wander around. He went straight for the toilet. The soldiers still kept their eyes on him and followed after without any hesitation. They watched as Chen Chen finished his business. After that, Chen Chen returned to his quarantine room with the five soldiers accompanying him. 48 hours have passed. After checking the time, Chen Chen breathed a sigh of relief. On the outside, he may appear relaxed, but his heart was pounding with alertness on the inside. Over the last few days, he had no clue whether the Ju-on curse broke out in the outside world. If that were to happen, even Gods themselves could not save them all. Forty percent of the group of students that you suspect were infected by the meme have disappeared in their quarantine rooms. It was then when the director of the FBI stepped inside. He reflected on the reality of the situation. Whats going on in this world that such a terrifying entity could exist without me knowing about it. Its a good thing weve apprehended these people ahead of time. Still, there are many instances of people disappearing inside their rooms over the last two days. This is the dangerous nature of the memetic effect. Chen Chen smiled. What about the one supervising them? They wouldnt enter the rooms of these victims, would they? Of course not. The director shook his head. The bad news is that of the roughly twenty-three thousand students detained, more than two thousand have disappeared. They can pretty much be ruled as deceased. You only detained roughly twenty-three thousand students? Chen Chen jumped and immediately asked. After all, there were as many as thirty-thousand students in the school and that was not including the teachers and the other faculty staff. If only twenty-thousand of them were detained, there would certainly be odd cases here and there that managed to slip away. The Ju-on curse would use these people as its medium to spread rapidly across what remained of society. All of their efforts to this point would be rendered useless as mankinds civilization would meet its demise. The total student population is twenty-three thousand and one hundred. I know this number by heart now. The directors reply caught Chen Chen by surprise. He smiled as he continued. Dont question my professionalism. Im the one in charge of this operation. You expect me to not know how many students there are? Chen Chen shot him a perplexed look. Mr. Director, you really should check the statistics again. When the director saw Chen Chen doubting him, he approached the computer and quickly used the search engine to search: How many students are there in Shangdu Jiaotong University? The first result immediately provided a clear answer: The total student population is 23,100. Chen Chen found himself caught off guard by this result. His expression quickly twisted in confusion. See, told you so, right? When the director saw Chen Chens visible confusion, he laughed heartily. Before Chen Chen could say anything, he changed the topic. Over the last few days, you were closely monitored by the soldiers present here as well as our personnel in the back room, also with the surveillance cameras. Judging by the looks of it, it may appear the experiment was successful, no? It would seem so, yes. Chen Chen decided he was not going to continue griping about the student population. He chipped in with his input as well. Forty-eight hours, which is two days. Based on my previous experience, forty-eight hours is sufficient for Kayako to claim most of her victims. Only a small demographic can manage to avoid this fate and go on to live fearful lives. Since Im still alive now, Id say my initial hypothesis is at least partially correct. Chen Chen evaluated. Judging by this observation, its true that Kayako cannot influence the living directly if there are third-parties present. This means that if I can continue living my life under supervision, then Ill never experience the breakout effects for the rest of my life? But this would be too time and resource-consuming. The director frowned. It may work in the short term. If were talking about long term, not only you but even the soldiers are going to manifest mental illness. Thats true. Chen Chen agreed with a firm nod. The most urgent task now is still to find a way to suppress Ju-on, how do you guys plan to do this? Chen Chen suddenly asked, How much power have you accumulated in the USB drive over the last two days and what do you plan to instantiate? Now this is a secret. The director shook his head. But what I can tell you is that as of now, the USB flash drive is still charging. We calculated it based on the ratio of power to mass ratio youve given us. Im afraid itll take a few more days to produce something that can help us defeat the memetic effect. If you guys can afford to take several more days, then I suppose nobody managed to slip past your efforts out there. Chen Chen shook his head and left the topic aside and asked, How about my dorm mate Li Bo, is he still alive? Li Bo? Something completely unprecedented happened. The director looked at Chen Chen with great uncertainty. He seemed to flip the question in his mind several more times. Who is Li Bo? Li Bo, isnt he the student that told you about my USB drive? The one who was in Dorm 404 with me. Chen Chen frowned. It seemed like the director was not as good as he claimed to be. Upon noting the lingering confusion on the director, Chen Chen stepped to the computer and typed in Li Bos name. With the directors database access, he went through the database of Dorm 404. After the document was printed out, Chen Chen grew even more confused after he looked at it. On top of the pages were black and white text closely arranged together. On one of the labels that read 404, there were three names Dormitory leader: Wang Wei. Dormitory members: Chen Chen, Zhou Jie. Li Bos name was not found anywhere in the dormitory database. Something was not right. Chen Chens temperament grew cold as he turned to the director. Mr. Director, are you sure you dont remember Li Bo? No, I dont. I doubt that theres ever been such a person in the first place, Im very sure about this. The director shook his head and answered gravely, Chen Chen, I dont have any idea what youre talking about. Unless theres something else you have on your mind? Yes. A drop of sweat slowly dripped down Chen Chens forehead as he asked solemnly, Mr. Director, since you tell me that you dont remember Li Bo, then can you tell me how you found out about the existence of the USB drive before detaining me? Chapter 374 - The Forgotten Li Bo Where did I find out about the USB drive? The director chuckled. Of course its from your friend the director stuttered as he said this. He stopped speaking and took the list of names from Chen Chen. The dorm leader Wang Wei is dead. He was killed by the One Missed Call memetic effect and broke his own neck in the canteen. Chen Chen explained, Zhou Jie was killed by the Ju-on curse and is one of the first batches of students who disappeared. Mr. Director, do you remember this? Yes, I remember this very clearly. The director pulled at his tie and used it to wipe the sweat off his forehead. Thats where the problem arises. Chen Chen fixed his iron eyes into the eyes of the director, paying attention to the directors minute movements. In that case, from which dorm mate of mine did you obtain the information of the USB drive before you found out about me? This The director took a deep breath, appalled by this piece of news. Youre right, I somehow never realized this at all. All I remember is that the first time I found out about the USB drive was from one of your dorm mates, but I couldnt recall the name of that person Shen Qi? The director turned to the mirror. Come in here for a bit. Shortly after that, the door of the interrogation room was opened. A delicate-looking lady in her mid-twenties stepped inside with her arms wrapped around a file. She was still in her office attire but no longer wearing her gold-framed glasses this time. Her dark hair hung slightly above her shoulders, she was a standoffish beaut. Director, you called for me? Shen Qi asked. Do you remember anything about the person who told us about the USB drive? The director went straight to the point. What was the persons name and who was that person? Wasnt it Chen Chens dorm mate Shen Qi answered the question as if she knew the answer all along. However, just as she was about to reveal the persons name, she suddenly stuttered just like the director did previously. Chen Chen squinted his eyes when he saw this. Go through our logs, I want to see all of our records, data, and footage! The director ordered cooly. He sensed that something was off now. Understood. Shen Qi quickly departed. After issuing the order, the director turned back to Chen Chen and said gravely, Chen Chen, you raised a very good point. Perhaps you do have another dorm mate. Otherwise, it wouldnt make sense that we could find out about the USB drive after the other two dorm mates were killed. Its not perhaps, I still remember that persons name. His name is Li Bo, theres no mistaking it. Chen Chen felt a cold surge of air welling inside him when he heard what the director said. Li Bo had only left two days ago and was detained by the FBI, that was when he revealed what he knew about the USB drive. How was it that nobody remembered him now? Could it be possible that regular logic did not apply in his dream dimension? Chen Chen felt like that should not be the case. Everything he had encountered so far suggested that this place he was in was something beyond a mere dream dimension If that was the case, then what sort of place was this supposed to be? Countless questions swarmed Chen Chens mind but he did not have an answer for any of them. After hearing Chen Chens remark, the director became even more confused. Surely enough, he had never heard of the name Li Bo not once in his life. Within five minutes, Shen Qi barged inside urgently again with a stack of folders in hand. Director, these are all the relevant documents concerning our Ju-on meme investigation. Everything ranging from the interrogation logs to the action reports is compiled here! Wheres the footage? The director asked. Compared to data put to pen and paper, video footage was more reliable evidence. Ive instructed the office to send them over to the computer. Shen Qi hurried to the computer in front of the two men and bent down in front of the computer to log into the internal account. The footage from the internal department was quickly extracted. The director buried his head into the stack of documents. He flipped through the pages hurriedly, growing more wide-eyed as he did so. Can I take a look? Chen Chen asked. No! Shen Qi responded before the director could say anything, These are classified documents, you think you have the right to go through them? Shen Qi, stop this nonsense. The director quickly put this meaningless squabble to its end. Chen Chen has done exemplary work for the Central Continent. He has already made a firm contribution to helping our FBI solve this spiritual abnormality. Who are you to say he doesnt have the right? The director ignored Shen Qi and declared, Chen Chen, go ahead. Alright. Chen Chen smiled and nodded before picking up several files and flipped through them. Shen Qi wanted to protest but when she saw the director glaring at her, she reluctantly remained silent. Only after a brief moment, Chen Chen felt the chilling sensation growing stronger. On the interrogation log, all of the inquiries and dialogue were chronicled in great detail. The contents described how Li Bo responded to the FBIs inquiry and also contained a mention of the existence of a USB flash drive. What was off-putting about this was that where Li Bos name should be was substituted with a blank entry instead. It was more than just his name. Even his identification number, phone number, and household registration were left blank. It was as if the officer in charge had intentionally left them out How would it be possible for a renowned department like the FBI to make such amateur mistakes? Chen Chen handed the files to the director. Hm? Why are these blank as well? Just as the director was about to burst with rage, Shen Qi found the surveillance footage from that day. The surveillance footage showed a room with an acoustic cushion panel installed. A FBI staff was seen seated in front of a computer, constantly typing entries into the computer. Right behind the computer was a chair with a murky shadow seated on top of it. Chen Chen could see Li Bos silhouette on top of the chair Whats going on? Even Shen Qi sensed that something was off. Who is that black figure? How is it that even the high-definition cameras couldnt capture this persons image? Hurry and investigate it! The director clapped his hands on the table. I want to know what exactly is going on here! Remember to send someone to Li Bos home for questioning. Chen Chen reminded. I dont believe this. If Li Bo was erased from peoples memories, would everything he left behind disappear without a trace as well? Thats right! The director agreed and turned to Shen Qi. Go to Li When the director said this, he suddenly paused. He then turned to Chen Chen with a baffled look on his face. Who is Li Bo? Chen Chen did not know how to react. He only stared at the director who was also caught in a daze just like him. He proceeded to explain, Li Bo is my dorm mate, hes also the student who told you about the USB drive. The director immediately turned to Shen Qi. Was the person we questioned at the time named Li Bo? Shen Qi looked up from the computer, flabbergasted by this sudden question. Director, who is Li Bo? Its The director tried to explain himself, Its that He stuttered again and turned to Chen Chen looking for an answer. What was the question you asked again? This time Chen Chen only remained silent and stared at the two agents. Hm? The director suddenly looked at the table and exclaimed, Shen Qi, how in the world did these files get here? Hurry and take them away! Yes. Shen Qi got up and darted strange looks at the stack of folders before she started to clean them up. She turned off the computer on her way back to the office. Now, where were we just now? After Shen Qi had left, the director turned to Chen Chen and laughed heartily. My age is showing. Looks like I lost my edge and didnt even realize I got distracted, this is embarrassing. Its alright, we were talking about what tools we were going to instantiate with the USB drive to deal with this memetic problem. Chen Chen chuckled along with the director before asking. Didnt I already tell you? Its a secret! The director laughed. The two men shared a hearty laugh after that. What the director did not notice was that there was a thinly veiled layer of coldness under Chen Chens smile. Half an hour later, the director left as well. With the five soldiers supervising him, Chen Chen returned to his bed. Underneath his calm expression, a morbid glimmer flashed across. Antimeme. Chen Chen echoed the phrase in his mind. That was it, Chen Chen finally remembered. The reason he had Little X hypnotize him and sent him here was that he wanted to find a dream. A dream that he had two months ago when he was injected with the T-virus. It was a horrifying dream in which Chen Chen could not remember anything apart from the fresh memory of the fear it left in him. He knew that there was something in the dream that threatened to harm him. It was Chen Chens instincts that continued to guide him and issued warnings along the way which helped him jog his memory. This was how this hypnotization came to be. One thing he never foresaw was that the effect of the hypnotization would be far more intricate than expected. Chen Chen was now trapped in a world somewhere between reality and illusion. How did he conclude that this was not entirely an illusion? This was because he could sense that everything he was feeling was more than a mere dream as it was all immediately vivid. The fine dust in the air, the ripples inside a glass of water, even each minuscule pixel on a computer display It was simply too real to be a dream. In that case, how did he know this was not reality? This was because this was not the world Chen Chen had remembered. To a certain extent, Chen Chen was not the Chen Chen he knew prior to regaining his memory. He felt like he had been in a deep slumber and remained in his shell as an observer as he watched the body act on its own accord and make its own decisions. It was only until he obtained the USB drive when Chen Chen finally reclaimed this body for himself It was akin to taking over a character inside a video game and using the character to pass the intake missions. As for the reward for completing the missions, it was still largely unknown. One thing that was clear to Chen Chen now was that his goal did not have anything to do with Ju-on or One Missed Call, it was something else. Something that was known as an antimeme. Li Bos disappearance was the final key to unlocking Chen Chens memories and helped him remember his motive for coming here. Li Bos disappearance must have been caused by the antimeme. Unlike the disappearance caused by Ju-on, Li Bos disappearance seemed to extend to all traces of his existence as well. Not only was he erased from other peoples memories, but even digital data were erased as well. The reach of this strange power was unheard of. According to Chen Chens evaluation of the nature of memes, if memes were responsible for spreading information, then antimeme would be responsible for erasing them. Everything was erased efficiently. Not only limited to the memories associated with the person but even digital data that would otherwise be regarded as the most reliable source. Just like that, everything became erased, even the persons parents and relatives would not realize anything amiss. Despite all that, some things were difficult to erase entirely. For example, the belongings, living quarters, and clothes would all be left behind. What was disturbing about this was that even if people took note of these strange observations, they would only feel slightly confused at most. As soon as they tried to investigate the root of this confusion, they would quickly forget everything that made them feel that way in the first place. Just like how Shen Qi and the director behaved just now. This was the memetic element at play. This was what the civilization utilized to prevent E language from being acquired by other intelligent civilizations. This was far more dangerous than some of the other lethal memes because nobody would realize when you have fallen victim to it. Even after ten thousand, a hundred thousand, even up to a million people died, everyone would still be none the wiser. There was no way to recover from its effects either. Just like Ju-on and Final Destination, its very existence was an established law of the universe. Once forgotten, every trace became effectively extinguished. In that case, why was it that Chen Chen was the only one who remembered Li Bo? Chen Chen thought about this. Could it be due to him belonging to the real world? Perhaps the reason he did not forget about Li Bo was that Li Bo had not been devoured by the antimeme in the real world? It was only the Li Bo from this world who was devoured This was his current speculation. Chen Chen let out a faint sigh. One thing that he knew for certain was that due to the USB drive malfunctioning, the situation had become far more complicated than it had ever been. Not only were there memes such as Ju-on, One Missed Call, and Final Destination unleashed, even the Earth Federation had joined the fray. It was an incredibly chaotic situation. If the situation was portrayed as a pool of water, this pool would have congealed into a pile of mud. For Chen Chen to find the antimeme inside this pool of mud and deal with it would be unbelievably difficult. One slip up and it would be Chen Chen himself that got taken out. Chen Chen was unsure what the consequence of dying here would be. It would not be an issue if he would just wake up in the real world. What he was concerned about was the prospect of himself being erased in the real world as well. Chapter 375 - Malfunction and Escape The days slowly passed by. Chen Chen remained in the interrogation room and spectated silently. It had been a month since the USB drive found its way to the FBI. At first, the director and the other FBI agents would make small talk and share a laugh with Chen Chen. As time went on, Chen Chen started to notice things changing. The look in the directors eyes changed from an unwavering trust to slight suspicion, until eventually his eyes became drowned in anxiety and urgency. Despite all that, he continued to visit Chen Chen every day in an attempt to obtain some information from Chen Chen. Mr. Director, Mr. Director? On this day, Chen Chen made small talk with the director as usual. Throughout their conversation, the director drifted away several times. His mind was clearly someplace else. His hair had become considerably grayer as well. His bloodshot eyes were not getting any better either. This was the side effect of pulling all-nighters. He had become considerably weaker. Hm? The director snapped back to his senses and apologized. Sorry, I got distracted again. Work has been busy recently, where were we? Mr. Director, I take it that the plan to use the USB drive to save the world hasnt gone so well? Chen Chen asked calmly, If it was successful, then you shouldve withdrawn the fifteen soldiers watching over me by now. Up till now, youve never even mentioned it once. You noticed? The director cracked a bitter smile. He shook his head before regaining his composure. Lets not talk about this for now, everything is under the control of the officials and the matter will be settled sooner than later. Chen Chen decided it was better to not pester him with further questions. He continued to make small talk with the director until the director left. As he watched the directors figure from behind, a faint glimmer of cold beam flashed in his eyes. It was rather evident that the Central Continent officials were not able to find the solution for dealing with the memetic abnormality. Or perhaps they had come up with multiple solutions that all ended up in failure. Chen Chen did not foresee this scenario. When he dug through his mind and searched for potential movies that could deal with the memetic abnormality, a good deal of them came up. For example, there was Journey to the West and Gods of Honor, the fantasies directed by Lim Ching Ying. There was also foreign sci-fi such as Doctor Who, Star Trek, and Lucy. The problem was they needed to be verified by the USB drive first and foremost. It was clear by this point that none of them could be accepted by the USB drive. Nearly all of the options had been exhausted. Perhaps there were still some animated films that could be taken into consideration. For example, there were the all-powerful gears and equipment from Doraemon or other Japanese or American comics. However, there was a smaller chance of the USB drive accepting these. This meant that the Central Continent had run out of options at this point. Still, this did not necessarily mean that all was lost. For instance, there was always the option of directing a movie themselves that could counter the effects of the memetic entities to help them combat this spiritual abnormality. Also, the Central Continent was the second most powerful continent in the Earth Federation and had no shortage of highly capable individuals. There must be some solution that had not crossed Chen Chens mind yet. An entire month had passed now, and they still had not come up with any solution for dealing with the problem? It was such a shame. Chen Chen had to admit that he was thoroughly disappointed in the Central Continents handling of the situation. Perhaps this horrendous entity was far trickier than he initially expected Chen Chen allowed himself to silently ponder on this matter. Without any surprise, the door to the interrogation room was opened again the next day. Shen Qi stepped inside hurriedly with four FBI agents dressed in black marching in alongside her. She looked at Chen Chen who was laying in his bed and panted uncontrollably as she informed, Chen Chen, come with me? Where to? Chen Chen sat up and asked curiously, Im sure youre aware that I might drop dead any second if I leave this place. Youre at greater risk if you stay here! Shen Qi barked before realizing that she may have let slip something she was not supposed to say. She quickly caught herself and informed, Save your talk for later. The director just gave the order, were relocating to another base! Without waiting for Chen Chen to react, the four FBI agents swarmed toward him and pulled him up forcefully. Your mission has come to a close. Head back out and gather with your department members, hurry! Shen Qi turned to the five soldiers in charge of monitoring Chen Chen and dismissed them. The soldiers quickly obliged. Chen Chen was slightly upset by this. He was forcefully dragged out of his bed and escorted through the door against his will. It had been a month since Chen Chen had stepped out of the interrogation room. It was only now when he noticed that the psychologists monitoring him had long left. The room was vacant and stacks of papers were scattered chaotically all over the floor. Clearly, something had happened in this FBI branch. Chen Chen noted silently. Shen Qi was close to breaking off into a sprint along the narrow corridor. Troops of soldiers passed through them. They seemed to be trying their best to keep the branch coordinated. Whats going on? Chen Chen asked again. You dont need to know, just follow me. Shen Qi answered without looking back at him. She had zero intention of explaining anything to Chen Chen. Chen Chen was quickly escorted outside the FBI branch building. The piercing sunlight quickly penetrated his eyes which made him stretch his hands out on impulse to shield his eyes. His nose also caught the scent of a sharp smell pouring out of the city. It was the smell of rotten meat. The foul scent was carried here by the wind. On both sides of the roads, vehicles were arranged disorderly. It was a chaotic scene. Chen Chen would see the occasional car passing through at full speed. There was not a soul to be seen on the roads and all of the windows in the neighborhood were clamped together tightly. Soldiers could be seen patrolling the streets. The restlessness in Chen Chens heart had mounted to its peak when he saw this. He could not believe in what he was seeing. Just what in the world could have happened to an international metropolis that would reduce it to such a state? This thought ran through Chen Chens mind. You guys are here! While Chen Chen was still taken by shock, the director stepped out from somewhere inside the building as well. The director quickly turned to Shen Qi. The helicopter will be here shortly, you and Chen Chen should leave with the documents first. Chen Chen is a VIP and weve received authorization from the higher-ups. No one will stop your aircraft from leaving. Mr. Director, are you still not going to tell me just what is going on? Chen Chen quickly asked, Where did things go wrong? Could you not find a suitable movie? Or was it that the tool extracted by the USB drive was unable to erase the memetic force? Theres no time for me to explain now. Direct your questions to Shen Qi, shell explain everything to you. The director only left him a short remark before stepping away in a hurry again. After that, Chen Chen was taken to an elevated helipad. The helipad was constantly flashing red lights, signaling the arrival of a helicopter. Several agents were carrying various objects of different sizes as well as a great deal of documents. More than ten people were silently waiting here. Can you explain the situation now? Chen Chen asked again, The director himself permitted me to know about the ongoings. Unless youre telling me that youre trying to disobey your superiors orders? What did you say! Shen Qi flicked her eyebrows and rebuked him harshly. Chen Chen, dont cross the line. Im not crossing the line, youre the one crossing the line here. Chen Chen returned with fiercer aggression. Im not a prisoner, so dont you dare treat me like a prisoner or Ill make you regret it. Id like to see how youd make me regret it! This only enraged Shen Qi further. Just as she was about to erupt, another agent who looked to be considerably high ranking as well approached them. He turned to Chen Chen. The director wanted me to give you this document so that you can coordinate with the next part of the operation. The man handed a stack of documents approximately twenty pages thick to Chen Chen. Chen Chen took the document. Thank the director for me. Without this document, Id probably be left in the dark until I die. No problem. The agent shot a glance at Shen Qi before leaving. Chen Chen ignored Shen Qis deadly glare and started flipping through the documents without a word between them. Chen Chen turned pale before he even reached the end of the first paragraph. Just as he feared, the city was brought to such ruins due to the memetic abnormality going out of control! Till now, the catalyst for this destruction had not been identified. After what they thought was the first batch of students infected by the meme was quarantined in a large local hospital, thousands of people still went missing regardless. To counteract the effects of the Ju-on meme, the officials even specifically designated individual rooms for each student. This was done to prevent students that were otherwise not infected to become infected as well. What they never expected was for something far more haunting to occur According to the officials initial estimation, only one-tenth of the student population was infected by the Ju-on meme. This meant that only slightly above a thousand of these ten thousand students should be killed by the meme. Meanwhile, the rest of them who had survived the incubation period should be allowed to leave safely. This was what happened: initially, two to three hundred students went missing every day. This trend only lasted until the third day when the total missing population had reached a thousand when the cases began to slow down. However, by the fourth and fifth day, the numbers had ramped up again. Additionally, even the research staff and the soldiers appointed in the hospital had started to disappear as well. This observation went on until the eighth day until the hospital had turned into a ghost town Chen Chen frowned when he saw this. He continued reading and saw the document clearly stating that the soldiers and doctors had never stepped foot into the room of the missing students. Despite their caution, they still went missing all the same, just like the ones infected by Ju-on Even the district and shop lots nearby the hospital began reporting cases of disappearance. It was a deeply discomforting situation. Whats the explanation of this, could it be that The infection zone can expand? Chen Chen continued reading. He noted a similar speculation, hypothesizing that perhaps once the death toll of Ju-on in an area surpassed a certain threshold, the phenomenon would begin spreading on its own. This made it so that the meme was no longer restricted by common concrete walls and could seep outward. Anyone within a certain vicinity of this spread zone would also undoubtedly be affected by the Ju-on meme! Chen Chen felt a chill in his heart when he saw this. This explained why the situation went out of hand so quickly. To think that something like this would happen As he continued to flip through the document, Chen Chen found out that as the FBI furthered their investigation, they managed to find out the whereabouts of the disappearance victims. It first started around the fifth day. That was when the staff in the hospital started noticing that whenever the infected went missing, drops of blood would start to seep through some parts of the walls and ceiling in the hospital. After they employed machines to tear down the walls, they finally found the missing people The people who went missing over the last few days had been crushed between the walls, the ceiling, and the floor. Some of them were even crushed into the sewer! The ones crushed had become pressed into mere layers of skin several centimeters thick, mixed with a substance flesh and bones. There was simply no way to distinguish who they were while they were alive. It was horrifying for the ones crushed into the sewer as they had been shaped into a tube of flesh nearly ten meters thick. One could only guess what happened to them that turned them into this state. This bizarre state of death had Chen Chen sweating bullets. After that, the official started to lock down the epicenter of these events, only entrance was permitted from here on. The inhabitants of the city were evacuated as well. More than a good half of the tens of millions of people in the city were dispersed. However, there were still up to five million people trapped in the central city. The number of missing cases had ramped up to tens of thousands Continuing down the section of reports, now contained details concerning the USB drive. These were confidential information that Chen Chen would otherwise not be given access to if he was not the owner of the USB drive. It was stated that the officials had attempted with more than a dozen movies which all failed. They were prepared for this outcome and had made preparations to film movies of their own to combat this problem. The officials used the information provided by Chen Chen and included the relevant elements into the movie. They shot four separate movies to combat Ju-on, Final Destination, One Missed Call, and Ring. Instead of using the original ending of the respective movies, they had included alternate endings in which the protagonist found solutions to combat the memetic images. Just like how Chen Chen was previously able to acquire the vaccine for the Basilisk patterns, the protagonist of the four movies also found the vaccine for the four Basilisk patterns. They were respectively known as Harmony, Civility, Integrity, and Affection. Any individual could become immune to the curses if they looked at these memetic patterns beforehand. It was equivalent to being injected with the vaccine for their respective curses. The person who came up with this idea was truly a genius since not much energy would be required to instantiate these objects as they were mere pieces of paper. It would not even need to be mass-produced since they could simply be uploaded online to be spread and eliminate the four memetic curses. Also, to prevent any discrepancies with the patterns, the images themselves were never actually shown inside the movies. Whenever they appeared in the movies, they were turned the other way so as to not face the audience. This was done as a way to cement that were only providing the general outline, the USB drive can decide the specific imagery of the pattern. After all, Chen Chen had mentioned that the USB drive had the built-in ability to fill in gaps on its own. Everything worked out as planned and the four movies were all verified by the USB drive. The four instantiated patterns were intricately arranged patterns as well. Chapter 376 - Kill Although it was embarrassing to speak of, this was the truth. The four pictures were indeed extracted but they were of no use. Even if the people infected by the meme saw these pictures, the curse was not neutralized, and they would still be killed by the Ju-on meme. Why was this? Chen Chen could not figure it out. At this moment, the sound of propellers was heard over Chen Chens head. At the same time, a medium-sized helicopter descended from above, stirring up gusts of wind. Lets go! Shen Qi yelled and got on the helicopter first. Without another word, the four agents once again dragged Chen Chen onto the helicopter. A group of employees on the side also passed on items and files to the helicopter, but they did not board it and turned to leave. They were not qualified for the first evacuation. Then, the helicopter quickly lifted off and flew in the direction of the suburbs of Shangdu. It was as if staying for one more second would cause one to be infected by this curse It was not until after they had flown away from the city for more than an hour and when swathes of countryside appeared under their feet, that Shen Qi looked relieved. She touched her pocket, then leaned her head back on the seat, and began to close her eyes to rest. However, she did not realize that her little gestures were all exposed before Chen Chens eyes. As I thought, they didnt separate me from the USB drive? If Im too far away from the USB drive, it will shatter? In one look, Chen Chen understood this. Still, when he thought of this, Chen Chen suddenly had an idea when he was charging the USB flash drive, as the power reached a certain level, it would start to flicker with dots of light, just like stars in the night. At the same time, the USB drive would enter its second form, which gave its owner the opportunity to travel into the movies world. The amount of power that the authorities had transferred could be said to be ten times or hundreds of times more than what Chen Chen did. In such circumstances, how much power was there in the USB flash drive at this time? Did they discover the second function of the USB drive? The answer was basically no. If the authorities had discovered the ability to open the passage, they would naturally get more information from him. It was impossible that they would overlook him. In other words, the USB drive did not activate this ability when in other peoples hands. However, what if Chen Chen used it for himself? A subtle smile flitted across Chen Chens lips and he closed his eyes. At the same time, a crackling sound suddenly came from the helicopters fuel tank and a crack seemed to appear. At once, drops of fuel dripped out ceaselessly like an opened faucet. The rate of leakage was not fast, but it was not slow either. It would take only about ten minutes for the helicopter to completely run out of fuel. However, the sound of the fuel tank cracking was directly drowned out by the loud sound of propellers. It was not until ten minutes later that the pilot turned his head and said loudly, Our fuel tank has leaked and the fuel is running out. Were preparing to make an emergency landing! Whats going on! How can a perfectly good fuel tank start to leak? Shen Qi immediately shouted this question to the front. Even so, both pilots had no time to answer. The pilot focused and started to control the helicopters descent while the co-pilot took out the communicator and started contacting the headquarters. D*mn it! Seeing no one was paying attention to her, Shen Qi could not help cursing. She touched her pocket a little uneasily and only breathed a sigh of relief when she felt the item in the pocket. Boom! With a heavy thud, the helicopter landed successfully. As the fuel was not used up all at once, the helicopter had time to land but it was a little rushed. None of the eight people on the helicopter was injured but the drop was a little uncomfortable. Shen Qi was particularly woozy. She hurriedly jumped out of the helicopter and vomited in the grass. Director Shen, are you okay? Director Shen? The pilot and the four agents who were in charge of Chen Chen got off the helicopter and comforted her. Chen Chen looked around. This had been a town but because of the official evacuation, it had been deserted and there was no one. Since the helicopter has stopped, I happen to have something to do as well, so Ill be leaving now. Chen Chen got off the helicopter in his own sweet time, walked up to the group, and said, Shen Qi, the USB flash drive is on you, isnt it? Now its time for it to return to its original owner. Shen Qi and the other agents turned their heads to look at Chen Chen in disbelief. Among them, Shen Qi frowned. What are you talking about, what USB flash drive? I dont understand what you mean. Of course I mean the USB flash drive in your left pocket. Chen Chen said nonchalantly, walked forward as he spoke, and reached out one hand to grab Shen Qi. Stop right there! One of the agents closest to Chen Chen saw this and rushed directly to him, starting to twist Chen Chens outstretched arm. As an FBI agent who had received military training for a long time, his combat capability was by no means inferior to that of a soldier and it might even be superior. If any ordinary person was caught by the arm, they would likely be subdued immediately! Nonetheless, faced with Chen Chen, he was destined to encounter despair! At this point, Chen Chen did not hesitate anymore. He just kicked his back foot and his body instantly sprang up, like a sharp arrow released from the string, bypassing the agent next to him. He instantly landed before Shen Qi. With a slight gesture from his hand, the USB flash drive flew out of Shen Qis pocket as if by magic, and landed in Chen Chens hands! Stop him! All this took barely a second. It was not until then that Shen Qi reacted. She looked at the USB flash drive in Chen Chens hand in shock and then lowered her head to touch her pocket in disbelief. Only then did she say in horror, Dont let him take the USB flash drive! Upon witnessing Chen Chens movements, the expressions of the four agents shifted. They never dreamed that this person who looked so frail and weak would suddenly make a move, not to mention that he was not an ordinary person. His skill was so far beyond them that they could barely follow what was going on. Nonetheless, as military members, obeying orders from above was their duty. At this time, the four of them gritted their teeth and rushed toward Chen Chen from all directions, preparing to take Chen Chen in one fell swoop! Youre asking for it! Chen Chens eyes turned cold. Although he only had an ordinary physique at this time, the power of his Field energy was not only restored but was also several times stronger than in reality. He only glanced at his opponent swiftly and the agent in front screamed as he was sent flying backward as if he had taken a heavy blow in the chest! However, at the same time, the other three were already upon Chen Chen. Among them, the person behind him took advantage of the momentum and kicked up a storm, aiming straight for the private part of Chen Chens lower body. If this kick landed, even a wild beast would immediately lose its combat effectiveness, and its life might even be in danger! Nevertheless, all he kicked was thin air. Chen Chen seemed to have eyes behind his head. He just took a step forward and avoided the kick, then turned around, and his opponent was struck back at once! Following that, the agents on both sides of Chen Chen also let out a scream as they fell directly to the ground and lost their combat ability! Still, at this moment, Chen Chen suddenly felt a tingling pain in his temples. He seemed to understand something. He bent his neck subconsciously. At the same time, there was a whistling sound passing by his ear. A bullet had just cut through the air and brushed past his cheek! Chen Chen slowly turned around and promptly saw that Shen Qi was holding a gun with a resolute expression, aimed steadily at him. If Chen Chen had reacted a little slower just now, he would have received a shot in the head. You want to kill me? Chen Chen looked puzzled. Im not a criminal and Im not a terrorist. Why arent you letting me leave? And you want to shoot me too? Put down the USB flash drive and raise your hands! Shen Qi said coldly. Chen Chen did not listen to her words at all but took a step forward again. Why do you want to kill me? I said, put down the USB drive and raise your hands! Shen Qi warned again. Chen Chen tilted his head and a murderous glint appeared in his calm eyes. I asked you a question, didnt you hear me? Wait, Director Shen, you mustnt kill him! At this moment, the two pilots tried to dissuade her. The order given by the higher-ups is to take him back alive, you cant kill him! Hes asking for it, its not my fault! However, Shen Qi clenched her teeth and pulled the trigger again! Bang! Bang bang bang! There were a few deafening gunshots. This time, about a dozen shots were fired at once, until the gun was completely out of bullets, and Shen Qi was still pulling the trigger Even so, a shocking scene appeared before everyones incredulous eyes, a dozen bullets were floating in front of Chen Chen. These bullets retained their original shape, suspended silently in the air as if there was a soft wall of air in front of Chen Chen How can this be It was not just Shen Qi, but everyone had a wild panicked look in their eyes. It was not a big deal to take down the four agents, but the young man in front of them could even hold back bullets. Was he human? Chen Chen plucked a bullet with one hand, glanced at it silently, and then loosened his grip. Gravity seemed to take hold of the bullet again and it fell directly to the ground At the same time, the other bullets also dropped to the ground, clanking and clattering simultaneously. The next moment, Chen Chen was standing in front of Shen Qi. Stop! Seeing this, the two pilots clenched their jaws and were about to rush forward themselves. However, Chen Chen merely shot them a vicious look and they felt a powerful blow in their chests. They only had time to cry out in agony as they crashed backward. After that, they did not get up. After sending the other two men flying backward, Chen Chen lowered his head again and looked at the delicate woman in front of him. At the same time, he stroked her hair and asked in a soft voice, Why did you try to kill me? I just want to get back the USB flash drive. Chen Chen, calm down Shen Qi was shaking all over. She stepped back subconsciously. At the same time, she just wanted to placate him, but she felt a stab of pain in her head. Chen Chen was tugging her hair as a bloodthirsty gleam flashed in his eyes. Huh? What did you just say? Chen Chen grabbed her hair, placed his ear to her mouth, and asked in a low voice, Speak up, I didnt hear you? Agh! Shen Qi let out a shriek of pain but as soon as she opened her mouth, she suddenly felt a coldness in her mouth, and then a heart-piercing agony gripped her! About a dozen teeth in her mouth flew out as if being plucked out by an invisible force! Go on! Chen Chens mouth stretched wide open, revealing his pearly whites. After that, he immediately dragged Shen Qi to the side of the helicopter and slammed her face into the helicopters porthole! Crash! There was a sharp cracking sound of glass and Shen Qis entire face became mangled and bloody! Speak, why are you trying to kill me? Speak! One hit was not enough. Chen Chen kept hitting Shen Qis face against the edge of the broken porthole, once, twice, thrice Chen Chen kept on bashing her dozens of times until she had completely stopped breathing. Then Chen Chen slowly let go and allowed her to slide down. After doing all this, Chen Chen grinned at the pilots who had not lost consciousness and then he slowly rose into the air as if he had escaped from gravitys clutches. Flying for the first time lets give it a go. Chen Chen murmured in a low voice and then he wobbled and flew toward the Shangdu city center from which he came, like a child who was starting to become familiar with walking At first, his flight was rather unsteady, but gradually his speed increased. At last, with a loud blast, a burst of air erupted behind Chen Chen as he vanished into the sky. Seeing this scene, the two pilots with the least injuries got up in utter horror and looked at the spot where Chen Chen had disappeared, wearing expressions of astonished alarm. Thats a sonic boom! He can fly? One pilot was in shock while the other pilot was holding his chest in pain while running to Shen Qi in a hurry. When he turned Shen Qi around, he suddenly yelped and turned around, vomiting violently. At this time, Shen Qi had completely lost her human appearance and her entire face was reduced to a mess Were done for The other pilot saw this and sat down beside him. Director Shen was the granddaughter of a big shot in the central government of China. Now shes dead? Yup, shes dead. The two looked at each other and could not help but laugh bitterly. Im afraid the entire FBI is about to go through a major storm With that, the two began to tend to the four bodyguards. Fortunately, the four bodyguards were merely passed out, with fractured sternums, and their lives were not in danger. Chen Chen kept flying at supersonic speed. After leaving the field of vision of that group of people, Chen Chen circled and landed in another uninhabited town. Then, Chen Chen took out the USB flash drive and checked it, only to see that the scattering of stars had shown up on the USB flash drive. It was obvious that the internal energy was extremely sufficient. As long as theres enough. A smile curled up at the corner of his mouth. He opened the door of one of the houses at random, found a computer, and inserted the USB flash drive. In the USB flash drive, there were indeed many movies of all kinds, including some science fiction and some historical dramas, and even modern romantic dramas. The FBI had experimented a lot with the USB flash drive. However, under these files, there were four special moves, namely New Ju-on, New Final Destination, New One Missed Call, and New Ring. Seeing this, Chen Chen appeared overjoyed. Sure enough, in the USB drive, there were four movies shot in response by China. It was these four movies that had the Basilisk patterns to counter the memes. Since these Basilisk patterns could not eliminate the infection of memes from the outside world, what if Chen Chen entered the movie? Since the movies were recognized by the USB flash drive, naturally, they would be effective. In that case, when Chen Chen entered the movie, could he use the Basilisk pattern in the movie to cure the memetic infection that was plaguing his body? Chen Chen was full of anticipation Chapter 377 - The Truth Slowly Surfaces In a desolate town, everything was silent. There was not a single person on the wide street. Even the neighboring houses were extremely quiet. Only the numerous shops and the vacant vehicles by the side of the road indicated that this was once a busy place. In the entire town, only a few fat mice sprang out of the field, crossed the wide road, and rushed to the field on the other side again. Occasionally, one could see some wild dogs and wild cats fleeing in one direction as if there was something behind them that made them extremely afraid Behind them was a huge cosmopolitan city. However, if one looked at the city from a high vantage point, one would find that the skyline of this metropolis exuded an unusual gloom. Black clouds rolled eerily across in the sky, with a kind of manic, hysterical energy. In this apocalyptic atmosphere, the entire city was like a ghost town. At this time, Chen Chen was in one of the houses in this town. He was sitting in front of the computer with a black USB flash drive inserted into its case, but what was strange was that there were glimmering specks of light on the USB flash drive, just like stars in a night sky. These pinpricks of light seemed to pulse oddly. Ive got to be faster. I keep having this bad feeling Chen Chen murmured. He quickly selected the movie that was meant to represent Ju-on and then double-clicked it to open it. However, after selecting the movie, the computer not only did not start the movie, but it kept flickering and made a clicking sound at the same time as if some malfunction had occurred. A problem with the computer? Chen Chen frowned, but gradually realized that the clicking sound in the computer seemed to be transforming. Before he knew it, it slowly turned into a gurgling sound Somethings wrong! Chen Chen did not even think about it. He immediately pulled out the USB drive. At the same time, the wall in front of him quickly collapsed with a loud rumble and a gaping hole of two meters in diameter appeared! Chen Chen pushed his feet into the ground and his body flew up with a buzz. He hovered in mid-air again. At this point, Chen Chen looked at the gaping hole with a serious expression, only to see seven or eight pale slender arms slowly extending from the broken wall, wriggling twistedly toward Chen Chen Is it almost reaching the outbreak period Chen Chen squinted. This was a bit tricky. The eruption of the memetic effect was equivalent to a persons death. It did not matter that Chen Chen could escape by flight. Distance was not an obstacle to memetic killing. Even if he could fly out of the atmosphere or even out of the solar system, it was useless. This was because memes cared nothing for the laws of physics. Chen Chen gritted his teeth. He chose a room again and rushed in directly through the window. With a bang, Chen Chen broke into the room promptly. After seeing a laptop placed in the room, Chen Chens eyes suddenly lit up. He grabbed the laptop and did not dare to stay in the room at all. He flew out again! Chen Chen did not press the laptops power button until he flew back into the sky. This Alienware computer was very powerful and it turned on quickly in five or six seconds. Fortunately, the system did not have any set password, directly entering the operation interface. Seeing this, Chen Chen quickly inserted the USB flash drive and then clicked on the icon of the USB flash drive. However, at this moment, Chen Chen suddenly felt an uncomfortable sensation in his throat. It was a very weird feeling as if something was constantly scratching his throat from the inside, trying to poke its way out Chen Chen subconsciously touched his throat, but suddenly, his expression twisted, and he opened his mouth involuntarily. At the same time, a thin white hand suddenly protruded from Chen Chens throat and clasped Chen Chens cheek! At once, that sinister rattling sound sounded from Chen Chens throat again and this noise was getting louder and closer At this time, Chen Chen had completely lost the ability to breathe. He only felt that his chest and throat seemed to be stuffed with a large, hard object, and it was still expanding! It was a womans arm and behind the arm, there was an even larger foreign body trying to worm out of Chen Chens body! Once it got out, Chen Chen was dead for sure! Hnnnggghhh Chen Chens throat rang out with a deafening rattle and his chest bulged rapidly as if a person was slithering slowly in his chest, about to be born! At this critical moment, Chen Chen forced himself to resist the indescribable pain. He directly selected the New Ju-on with the touchpad of the laptop and then pressed the left button fiercely! Click! In an instant, Chen Chen only saw darkness in front of him and a passage of pure black hue, without any light, appeared before him! That was the USB drives portal to another world! The moment this passage was opened, Chen Chen tipped forward and plunged into the passage headfirst! In the next second, Chen Chens vision turned dark as if he had fallen into an endless swamp and completely lost all light in front of him. However, as soon as he entered the passage, Chen Chen felt his throat loosened abruptly. Before Chen Chen could react, his feet stepped on the ground again. Cough cough! Before he could observe the surroundings, Chen Chen squatted as soon as he stepped into this new world, his body racked by coughs! Earlier, his throat was almost torn apart by that arm. If Chen Chens movements were one step slower, he would only end up dying. Chen Chen truly did not expect that after a failed attempt to kill him, Kayako would attack his body directly. If he had not opened the channel of the USB drive at the last moment, he would have likely died at the hands of Ju-ons meme at this point. It must be said that this kind of attack was truly bone-chilling However, the channel of the USB drive had the ability to cut off the memetic effect. Therefore, at the moment of entering the channel, the meme was isolated from the channel, so Chen Chen managed to survive. However, this suspension was only temporary. If Chen Chen returned through the passage now, he would still be pursued and killed by Kayako. Hold on cut off memes? Chen Chens originally grateful expression suddenly sharpened. At this moment, a large memory he had no inkling of suddenly flooded his mind. These memories and Chen Chens original memories continued to overlap and conflict, causing Chen Chens body to tremble violently! At this moment, Chen Chen suddenly remembered that he had seen a pair of eyes countless times! It was a pair of blood-red eyes, cold and hollow, which was not something that humans could look like. It had appeared on every corner, even on everyones face! In the cold and dark classroom, Professor Wang Xi mechanically narrated the facts in the textbook When he talked about the fixed Hayflick limit, the gel pen in Chen Chens hand spun out with a whoosh as if it had rehearsed this thousands of times Chen Chen bent down reflexively, but saw the blood-red eyes staring at him from under the table Chen Chen wanted to scream, but he opened his mouth, only to find that he could not make a sound as if something unknown was blocking his throat [I Saw You!] At this moment, Chen Chens eyes first displayed a look of horror, but then his expression dimmed completely. His expression resumed its calmness again as if he had completely forgotten everything that had just happened, and he was just bent under the table with a slack expression. You there, burrowing under your desk, answer the question Then, Professor Wang Xis voice came from the podium In the schools Dorm 404, Chen Chen inserted the USB flash drive and the names of the four movies appeared on the computer Ju-on.avi., Final Destination.avi., One Missed Call.avi, Ring.avi. Seeing the names of these four movies, Chen Chen was just about to do something, but at this moment, the blood-red eyes appeared on the computer screen again [I Saw You!] Chen Chens pupils contracted and he jumped up in fright, but the moment his gaze left the computer, he suddenly turned blank. What? After so much effort, I get nothing Chen Chen closed the window wordlessly. So, the USB drive is broken. A few minutes later, when the other people in the dormitory came back, Chen Chen handed the USB flash drive to Zhou Jie, who was beside him. Zhou Jies eyes lit up. He took out his computer and plugged in the USB flash drive and then excitedly said, Who said it was broken? Isnt it working just fine? Chen Chen lifted his head to see the four horror movies in avi format on the computer In the interrogation room, Chen Chen was sitting on a chair. Suddenly, a young woman in office wear walked in from the door. She was wearing a pair of gold-rimmed glasses. As she walked in with large swaying steps, the smooth and clean marble floor clacked loudly. Chen Chen turned his head to look, but saw that her eyes were blood red [I Saw You!] Large swathes of memories emerged from Chen Chens mind out of thin air. These memories kept conflicting with the original memories, causing Chen Chen to hold his head tightly and let out a heartrending scream! Every time those eyes looked at Chen Chen, he would have the feeling that he was going to die, but the moment he turned away, this feeling disappeared abruptly. It was only at this moment that Chen Chen recalled all of these memories as they gushed from within him like a flood! He remembered, he remembered everything! Chen Chen was sprawled on the ground, his hands and feet convulsing uncontrollably. It felt like only seconds had passed, yet it also felt like centuries. He did not know how long it took. It was only after that desperate feeling of death swept over him like a wave that Chen Chen slowly recovered That kind of feeling was comparable to the first time he faced the Basilisk pattern. If his willpower was not strong enough, Chen Chen would have rather died than bore this kind of pain. That, that is An antimeme! Chen Chen collapsed and sat up, panting heavily. Although he had experienced agony comparable to death, at this moment, his brain had never been so clear as if it had been washed by a clear spring. No wonder my memory had errors. So, its all thanks to an antimeme! Chen Chen gritted his teeth, resisting the subsiding pain, and at the same time, analyzed in a low voice, It turns out that the night I was injected with the T-virus, I had this dreamI Saw You, is that the name of this antimeme? Chen Chen could not help frowning. However, how did this antimeme find me? Could it be Chen Chens pupils suddenly shrank! At this moment, the quantum computer of the Earth Federation flashed through his mind. He still remembered that after he had gained power by relying on the USB flash drive, he had wanted to find out its origin. After all, the USB drive came from Shangdu Jiao Tong University, where he was located. If he began with the school, it would not be difficult to find the source of the USB flash drive. Due to this, he used Little X to investigate in many ways, but the origin of the USB drive was always like a black hole and not a single clue could be unearthed However, if he linked this to the nature of this antimeme, where all traces of a persons existence would disappear after it had swallowed a person, then was it possible that this antimeme existed a long time ago? Following this line of thinking, Chen Chen even arrived at a terrifying hypothesis If this antimeme had existed a long time ago, would it not be possible that the previous owner of the USB drive was swallowed by it? In other words, the USB drive owner before Chen Chen was not non-existent. They might have used the USB drive to stir up some major events affecting the world and might even have rewritten the historical process of the world. No clues could be found by Little X because they were also swallowed by the antimeme! This conjecture was not unfounded because the quantum computer of the Earth Federation was the strongest piece of evidence! This thought flashed across Chen Chens mind but it made him shudder if it was true, would it not mean that when he got the USB flash drive, the antimeme had already followed him, only it had been lurking in the dark. Was it only activated when certain conditions were fulfilled? Heh heh! Chen Chen laughed lowly. At this time, the death-like pain had completely disappeared. He stood up a little dazedly, a dark glint flashing in his eyes. This antimeme was silently devouring this world The disappearance of Li Bo was the best proof. Not only Li Bo, Chen Chen clearly remembered that there were more than 30,000 students in the entire school, but in the interrogation room at that time, the directors memory and the information found showed that there were only more than 20,000 people. It was not that Chen Chens memory was erroneous, but that the remaining 10,000 people were swallowed by the antimeme. The reason Chen Chen could still remember the real number without being affected by the antimeme was not that he was special, but that he had memories from realities. However, this was the limit. In the subsequent spiritual abnormality that erupted across the entire city, it was unknown how many people died at the hands of this antimeme. It silently hid in the shadow of Ju-on, devouring lives, yet no one noticed This antimeme was not only devouring this parallel world, but also Chen Chens dream. In other words, the goal of this antimeme, from beginning to end, had always been Chen Chen. Only by swallowing this parallel dimension that was mixed up with Chen Chens dream, would it completely swallow Chen Chen This would explain why Shen Qi suddenly appeared to save him when he was about to be killed by the grudge-curse because he had been possessed by this antimeme. If he was killed by the grudge-curse in advance, it would have ruined the antimemes plan to devour him. Even Zhou Jies unleashing of the four horror films was probably all caused by this antimeme, so that it could hide in the shadow of the spiritual abnormality and prevent Chen Chen from detecting it However, would an abstract existence like an antimeme, which was more like a law of nature, have its own thinking? A dark look flitted across Chen Chens eyes, as a more terrifying conjecture gradually came to mind Perhaps there was another possibility Chapter 378 - Eyes Perhaps the reason the antimeme could do everything it had done up until now was not that the antimeme had a human mind, but that someone was behind it. Could it be that person? Chen Chen muttered in a low voice and a theory emerged vaguely in his mind. Still, in the next second, Chen Chen frowned again. If its really that person, then how did he do it? I saw you Chen Chen kept chewing on this sentence, trying to find some clues, but he still did not get anything. Thus, Chen Chen simply put aside this question for the time being and turned to look at the environment of this Ju-ons dimension. Only then did he realize that his current location was on a hill. It was already noon. Looking down from the top of the hill, Chen Chen could see a small town. The streets were full of bustling traffic. He could even hear the hustle and bustle of the city and the noise of the market. Whats this? Chen Chen looked over in amazement. This was the world of Ju-on. According to the inherent nature of the USB flash drive, it should have been a world that was already destroyed. How could there be people? Besides Gantz, this was the second time Chen Chen had encountered a dimension with humans. Could it be that the Basilisk pattern vaccine provided immunity to memes? Chen Chen quickly took out the material from his pocket and looked at the image recorded in it, but when he saw the image, Chen Chen suddenly felt himself becoming lighter. It was as if a weight was taken off his heart. Chen Chen felt himself quivering, overcome by a sense of vigor and vitality It truly worked! Chen Chen was overjoyed as if something had been removed from him. It was like being relieved of a burden, which he knew must have been the Ju-on meme. Sure enough, I was right. Chen Chen whispered. The reason this occurred was that the Basilisk pattern was invalid in reality and it was only effective after one had entered the movies world, probably because the Basilisk pattern had limitations. After all, the Basilisk pattern was not a complete meme but was more similar to an artificially processed inactivated vaccine, which had lost its effectiveness due to the environment. The dimension of the new Ju-on and the dream world where Chen Chen was located were essentially distinct. If it were a complete meme, a little difference was not a big deal and it could still spread, and even actively mutate and evolve like a virus. However, for the Basilisk pattern, it was difficult to do this. Therefore, this type of Basilisk pattern was extracted, yet it was invalid. Chen Chen needed to come to Ju-ons dimension to suit it. Thinking of this, Chen Chen looked at the cave-like passage behind him. At that time, the situation was extremely urgent. Chen Chen had no other choice, so he came through here desperately, but he was indeed too lucky, now that he thought about it. He had no idea what was the situation on the other side of the passage now. After entering the passage, the laptop must have fallen from a high altitude. If the laptop was broken, would it mean that the passage was closed and he could not go back again? Still, now it appeared that the channel had not disappeared. It seemed that there were indeed many undiscovered rules of the USB drive and this was likely one of them. This thought flashed by in Chen Chens mind. Now that the passage had not disappeared, there was no rush to return. Therefore, Chen Chen took a big stride forward and rose into the air as if breaking free of gravity, and flew toward the town at the foot of the mountain. The closer Chen Chen was, the more he could see that this town was obviously a typical Japanese town. The surrounding area was full of wooden Japanese-style self-built houses, and the commercial area in the center of the town was filled with the sleazy, gaudy atmosphere of shops and pubs. There were even ramen restaurants. As he flew closer and closer, the noises of the town got louder and louder. Countless pedestrians and vehicles passed by on the street and in a park, he could even see hundreds of children playing raucously in large crowds. The children were all wearing kindergarten uniforms, which were dark blue. However, when Chen Chen saw this scene, his expression gradually stiffened. He hovered halfway up the hill and did not fly down. Indescribable anxiety gripped Chen Chens mind. He gradually realized that this city seemed to be too lively. From the top of the hill, the area of this town indicated it was a small town that could accommodate tens of thousands of people, but if he put together all the densely packed pedestrians on the street, there seemed to be something inexplicably fishy. Surely the streets of this small town were a little too busy. Not only that, but Chen Chen was also looking at the only park in the town. The park was crowded with thousands of children chasing and playing, creating an extremely festive atmosphere. However, in a small town with ten thousand people, where would more than a thousand kindergarten children come from? Chen Chen stood in the high distance and drifted over the town, but only found one kindergarten. No matter how one looked at it, the kindergarten was of average size and could only take in over a hundred children at most. Even so, the number of kids in the park was more than ten times this number. Something was wrong, very wrong This town seemed to have an evil aura. Chen Chen narrowed his eyes. After noticing these unreasonable scenes, he finally stopped hesitating, turned, and flew toward the sky. However, the moment he turned around, the hustle and bustle of the town behind Chen Chen fell silent! It was as if a TV had been blaring in a room, but someone had suddenly switched it off without any warning. In an instant, it was so quiet, one could hear a pin drop. This peculiar development sent a chill over Chen Chens scalp. As he flew further up, he turned to look back Chen Chen could see all the pedestrians walking on the streets and the children playing in the park across the town. At this moment, they all stopped their activities. They stood stiffly in place while raising their heads, staring fixedly at Chen Chen. This sight caused Chen Chens heart to shiver. He blinked involuntarily. However, when he looked again, he found that the entire town was empty. There were no pedestrians on the streets or children playing in the park, none at all. The entire town was empty without a single soul as if the scene just now was an illusion in his mind Sure enough, I was too optimistic. Chen Chen did not look back and rushed straight to the top of the hill, returning to the passage of the black hole. Just when Chen Chen was about to head back, he suddenly thought of something and the movement of his feet suddenly froze. He suddenly realized that if he went back right now, everything he had inferred just now would be forgotten again. This was the most basic ability of antimemes and it was impossible to prevent it anyway. If he wanted to defeat the antimeme, the only way was to find that person Nonetheless, even if he saw that person, how was he supposed to remember everything under the influence of the antimeme? Just when Chen Chen was stalled by uncertainty, a weird cry suddenly came from behind him. It was a baffling crying noise. The voice stretched on forever as if there was no need to breathe. Every cry was heart-piercing and Chen Chens whole body shuddered in terror Moreover, this cry was just one voice at first, but as time passed, one after another, more voices joined the crying. In an instant, it seemed that thousands of people were crying together, rushing from the foot of the hill in the direction of Chen Chen What kind of people could cry ceaselessly without gasping for air? In Chen Chens mind, the answer faintly emerged. D*mn it! Chen Chen cursed. Now he must return to the passage immediately, otherwise, he would only end up dying here. Still, if he returned, everything he had remembered just now would be forgotten again. At once, Chen Chen was caught in a dilemma. Wait, hold on! The sound of crying behind him was getting closer and closer. When he was about to reach the top of the hill, his mind suddenly made a connection and he thought of a movie Event Horizon! So, is that it? At this moment, Chen Chen seemed to understand something and it all suddenly became clear in his mind. The next second, Chen Chen gritted his teeth and promptly raised his hands to clasp his eyes! Win or lose, it all comes down to this! As Chen Chen muttered in a low voice, his fingers directly gripped his eyes while he exerted a violent force. Suddenly, his index and middle fingers were inserted straight into the gap between the eye socket and the eyeball! Agh agh agh agh agh!! Strips of blue veins protruded from Chen Chens forehead and an extreme pain seized him. Chen Chen could only sense countless gold stars twinkling in front of him and he could not help but let out a spine-chilling scream! Even so, he still did not let go, but clenched his fingers and tugged at the same time! Splat! With two sharp sounds of nerves and muscle fiber snapping, Chen Chens vision that was dazzled with golden stars now disappeared totally. His eyes were fully plunged into endless darkness! Chen Chen let out a stifled wail and the intense pain caused him to tremble like a leaf, but at this time Chen Chen had no time to recover at all. He immediately stepped forward and entered the passage! This was because, at this time, the crying behind him was already close at hand The moment he entered, Chen Chen seemed to hear an angry roar behind him but before he could hear it clearly, his body suddenly turned weightless, and he tumbled out of the passage! The moment he returned from the passage, Chen Chen collapsed directly to the ground. He covered his eyes and rolled over in pain, unable to recover for a while. About half an hour later, Chen Chen sat up again. His eyes were closed tightly and the two lines of blood stained his cheeks, flowing from the eye sockets. At this time, Chen Chens hands were tightly gripping two spherical items Those were the two eyeballs removed by Chen Chen himself. What happened? Chen Chen kept his eyes closed and murmured in a low voice, What happened across the passage? Why did I make up my mind to blind myself? At this moment, Chen Chen had once again forgotten everything about the antimeme on the other side of the portal. The only thing he could remember now was that he had blinded himself for a certain purpose. The channel has the ability to cut off memes. Doesnt this mean that after entering the channel, Ive recalled what the antimeme is? Chen Chen looked thoughtful. However, now was not the time to think about this. Chen Chen, who had lost his eyes, must instead try to find something to replace his vision. Obviously, Field would be a very good method. Thus, Chen Chen began to try observing the surroundings with the power of Field. He did not know why, in this dream world, his Field energy was more than ten times stronger than in reality. This also meant that the range he could explore by relying on Field energy had expanded, reaching a range of 20 to 30 meters. At this time, under the sensing of Chen Chens Field energy, he had seen everything in a radius of more than 40 square meters. This was the middle of a wide road. Chen Chen realized that the exit of the passage was still on the computer screen, but the Alienware notebook he was holding had fallen to the ground from a high altitude and broken to pieces. On the smashed wreck of the computer, there was also a USB drive flickering with stars. Chen Chen slowly squatted and pulled out the USB flash drive from the wreckage of the computer. Only then, the dark portal on the computer screen vanished completely As long as the USB drive was not unplugged, the channel will always be retained and will not even disappear due to equipment damage? Seeing this scene, Chen Chen could not help sighing silently. This rule had not always been the same. Chen Chen once tested it. When he opened the channel of the USB drive by himself before, if he moved the computer, the channel on the computer screen would also move. Nonetheless, now, even if the equipment was damaged, the formed channel had not disappeared due to the destruction of the equipment. What this indicated only raised more hypotheses for Chen Chen. Still, now was not the time to think of this. Chen Chen put away the USB drive and thought for a while. Then, he took off again and flew shakily in a certain direction. According to the layout of the towns in my memory, this direction should be where the city of Shangdu lies Chen Chen murmured in a soft voice. He adjusted his bearings and flew in that direction unsteadily. The reason he was wobbling was that after lift-off, he had no surrounding reference objects, so it was difficult to pin down his own position. After all, the distance that he could survey was no more than a radius of about 20 meters. However, as Chen Chen began to adapt to the condition of having lost his vision, he became more stable and faster while flying. He simply rose directly into the clouds. At this distance, he could avoid being spotted by the army on the ground or by the satellites above him. The water vapor in the clouds was denser, so there was no mistaking it. Relying on the sense of direction in his mind and the memory from before, Chen Chen flew at subsonic speed for about half an hour. After arriving here, Chen Chen gradually stopped in the clouds. He held his breath, suppressed his heartbeat to the lowest volume, and tried to listen to the sounds below. Below the clouds, there were the faint noises of honking cars and the babble of a crowd. It seems that Im back. Chen Chen murmured in a low voice then he dived and dropped directly toward the ground The wind whistled past his ears. Chen Chen calculated his current height while counting the seconds. When he felt it was almost time, he suddenly started to slow down. Chapter 379 - Aixen and the Beggar Chapter 379: Aixen and the Beggar Standing on the top of this building, Chen Chen silently listened to the sounds of the entire city. The blood from his eyes had formed scabs, trailing down his cheek. It gave him a mystifying, tragic air. Although Chen Chen had forgotten his purpose in digging out his eyes before returning to this dimension, due to the existence of the antimeme, thinking about it, there must be a very important clue in this. Plus, perhaps because of this loss of vision, Chen Chen felt that his senses had become more acute. Just by listening carefully, he could hear sounds that were difficult to discern in the past such as the sound of the wind blowing over obstacles, the deathly silence of the tall building under his feet, and even his own breathing and heartbeat It was not just his hearing. Chen Chen could smell a never-ending rotting stench in the air. Even though he was on the coast, he could not avoid this smell as it came from the buildings themselves. The walls of these buildings had long been filled with the bodies of missing persons and these walls were the source of the decaying smell Through the previous information, Chen Chen had learned that now the Ju-on meme was not limited to the room, but would even infect the surrounding area. Due to this, the Ju-on meme would completely spiral out of control and caused the downfall of the entire Shangdu. If they did not find a way to stop it, Shangdu would be just the beginning. After this, the entire world, with Shangdu as the origin, would decay little by little, until the entire world had lost its last piece of pure land. Humans would be helpless against this meme. If my guess is correct, the number of deaths should be a very important factor. Chen Chen murmured in a low voice. According to the data, more than ten thousand students were quarantined in that original large hospital. According to official estimates, less than one-tenth of the students were infected with the Ju-on meme. In other words, among these students, about a thousand people would eventually be killed by the meme. At that time, after the incubation period, the remaining people could be sure that they were not infected, so that any suspected infection could be ruled out. Although it was a little cruel, to the powerless authorities, it was the easiest way to stop further losses. This set of prescriptions did have a certain effect at the beginning. As more time passed, the number of missing persons would be very high at first, but after reaching a peak, it quickly decreased. That was because almost everyone infected with the meme would have died out. If one plotted this data into a graph in ones mind, it would be clear at a glance it was an arched curve. The numbers were not high at first, but as time passed, the curve started to ascend rapidly until it reached a peak, and then began to decrease rapidly As long as this number finally dropped to zero, it was equivalent to controlling the spread of the meme, curbing something that could have terrorized the entire planet at a price that was neither too low nor too high. It was a pitiful reality which had proven that China and the FBI had underestimated the meme. According to the subsequent data, the graph did not completely drop to zero as they expected, but after falling to a low point, it rose again abruptly, and its peak began to gain new highs continuously, each one being two times, three times or even ten times higher than before! The reason for this was an answer that Chen Chen had already gotten from the data in a large building, when the people who had died of the grudge-curse reached a certain number, these grudge-curses would link together and become one, widening the scope from a single room to the entire large building! At this point, as long as one entered this building, one would be infected by the Ju-on meme. Then, when more and more people were killed by Ju-on in this building and when it reached a critical point again, the Ju-on meme would explode a second time. The infection area would spread out of the building, enlarging the area that had become cursed. This then descended fully into the endless loop of continuous proliferation. This was the deadliest rule of the Ju-on meme. It was because the Chinese officials had gathered all the infected people together that resulted in a self-defeating outcome, allowing the meme to spread in a more rampant manner. In other words, there are at least several areas of this indiscriminate infection in Shangdu at this time. As long as you enter this area, youll be infected by the Ju-on meme, and more people will die in these areas. The area would then grow wider Chen Chen murmured, In this case, this kind of area can be called a cursed dead zone. Anyone who enters this zone will die. He silently analyzed everything in his mind. All this was probably another rule of the Ju-on meme. Compared with the first one that there could be no third-person observer this law was undoubtedly more deadly. Its threat was at the level of the entire human civilization. Now it seemed that the international metropolis of Shangdu had been abandoned. Furthermore, if they did not find ways to reduce the number of people dying in the cursed dead zone, there was a greater hidden danger when the number of deaths in the cursed dead zone reached the millions, it was likely that all of Shangdu would become a massive cursed dead zone. This might even expand further, infecting nearby cities. The only way to suppress the expansion of the dead zone was probably if the authorities cut off the metaphorical diseased limb and evacuated people thousands of kilometers away within a few days. Then, an uninhabited region would be created to prevent the cursed dead zone from spreading. However, did the authorities have such daring and capability? Chen Chen secretly sighed. About 30% of the population of the entire continent lived near this region around Shangdu and it was one of the most densely populated areas in the world. If all were evacuated, the manpower and material resources required would be an astronomical figure. Moreover, even if the authorities successfully suppressed it at a high cost, this area spanning several thousand kilometers would be completely lost to them, like an ugly indelible scar on the surface of the earth. Even after centuries or millennia, it would remain here. Moreover, in these areas, the Earth Federation would need to spend tens of billions of dollars each year for troops to be stationed on the borders, so that no one was allowed to enter. After all, these cursed dead zones were stagnant only because of their surrounding lack of resources, but even after a million years, the so-called curse dead zone would still be infectious. As a meme was a concept, it would not disappear. This place would be like a big time-bomb of human civilization. It might be detonated again at any time and no one could guarantee that there would be a chance of prevention the next time it was detonated. These thoughts flowed through Chen Chens mind but Chen Chen did not need to worry about them. After all, he had already used the Basilisk pattern for immunity in the Ju-on dimension. It was as if he had been vaccinated. Antibodies had been produced in his body, forever immunizing him to the infection of the Ju-on meme. Thinking of this, Chen Chen jumped up and leaped straight down from the top of the tall building. Following this was a magical scene. Chen Chen displayed a uniform declining speed, jumping directly from the 100-meter high building, and then gently landing on the ground. Still, at this time, the streets were already extremely barren and there was not even a single person, so this shocking scene was not witnessed by any audience. Chen Chen tilted his head. Based on his inference, he was on a familiar street at this time. This road was called Renmin Road, which was a kind of commercial street. Even so, the shops on both sides of the commercial street were either completely closed down or forcibly opened and the products inside were cleaned out. The people in this city were not extinct and there was still a large number of people trapped in the city. They hid in some shops and homes, hoarding enough food, thinking that they could escape the eerie white-clothed woman. However, all this was just wishful thinking. Memes did not play hide-and-seek games with humans. Im just wondering if I was looking for something by returning to Shangdu? Chen Chen was rather confused and a little depressed. After all, after returning from the opposite side of the passage, he found that he had plucked out his eyes and made himself blind for the first time. Not only that, but his subconscious mind was still urging him to return to Shangdu. Although Chen Chen was immune to the Ju-on meme, the One Missed Call meme and the Ring meme were still spreading in this city, and the more frightening Final Destination meme too. Only Chen Chen still had not heard of anyone who had experienced the Final Destination meme. Still, that was to be expected because anyone who had experienced the Final Destination meme would be dead. Next, Chen Chen simply wandered aimlessly on the streets of this city. He believed that he had planned something when he was on the other side of the passage. At this time, he only had to follow along with his own plan. Following this, Chen Chen constantly used Field to scan both sides of the street. With the advantage of having no blind spots in Field, Chen Chen quickly found several living people in the gaps on both sides of the road. These living people were very vigilant. They hid in the general merchandise store. There was enough food for them to eat for several months without worrying about starving to death. Moreover, because Chen Chen did not soften his footsteps when he walked, many people who had heard his movements even stared at him from the crack of the door. It was just that, when they saw the blood on Chen Chens cheeks, those who had wanted to question Chen Chen fell silent. In their opinion, Chen Chens bizarre appearance was not much different from that of Kayako. Still, when Chen Chen turned at the end of a road, his footsteps suddenly stopped. In his perception, in a corner of the street, a familiar figure had flashed by. Therefore, Chen Chen stopped. He turned around, with his eyes still closed, walking in the direction where the figure had appeared. Then, Chen Chen sensed a familiar figure. It was that beggar. This beggar looked very young, only about fourteen or fifteen years old. Her skinny, rickety body was curled up in a dark corner and her skin had festered, emitting a weird stench. Her hair had congealed into flakes like wool felt. Chen Chen could not even make out her appearance. The only thing that was certain was that the beggar was a girl. After sensing this scene, Chen Chen slowly stopped his steps. He closed his eyes and turned his face to her. At the same time, he frowned slightly, revealing a solemn expression. A beggar who could survive a memetic disaster, could she even be an ordinary beggar? Chen Chen would not buy that. Even so, at this moment, the beggar finally saw Chen Chen, and suddenly, she sat up slowly. At the same time, she stretched out her thin and dark arms, crawling toward Chen Chen in a strange posture Unlike vision, his Field could not make out many details. Chen Chen only sensed that the other party was staring at him with a pair of wide godless eyes. Had she reached him? Chen Chen only felt his body stiffening. He took a step back subconsciously, but at this moment, he suddenly heard a clear exclamation behind him, Chen Chen, run! Then came the sound of sharp and rapid footsteps. That voice was Aixens! As he realized this, the owner of the voice had also entered Chen Chens range of Field. At this point, Chen Chen relaxed fully. As detected by his Field, there was no mistake that it was Aixen indeed. Chen Chen, hurry up! Run! Aixen grabbed Chen Chens right hand and dragged him back and at the same time panicked aloud. Dont touch that person, no matter what! Chen Chen only felt that he was caught by a soft slender hand and then he was pulled by the other girl in the opposite direction Why are you here? Chen Chen was still a little on his guard and asked as he ran. Aixen had appeared after he was facing the beggar, which seemed too coincidental. I, I dont know either However, Aixen was stunned as well. She shook her head and said in a puzzled manner, I dont know why I am here, I only know that you were in danger! Chen Chens heart leaped when he heard this. If Aixen was the incarnation of Little X in reality, then it was indeed a reasonable thing for her to appear here. After all, she was the guide of his own hypnosis. However, was it that simple? Chen Chen only felt that the doubts in his heart had grown heavier. The person in front of him was indeed Aixen, but he did not know why, he gradually began to feel somewhat uncomfortable. It was as if he had forgotten something very important. At this moment, the sweat from his running suddenly dripped from Chen Chens forehead and when it trickled over his eyes, a piercing ache suddenly struck him. Agh! Chen Chen could not help covering his eyes and knelt on the ground and cried out in pain. Chen Chen, run! Dont stop! Aixen once again grabbed Chen Chen by the collar, trying to pull Chen Chen forward. Meanwhile, she sounded like she was near tears, her voice becoming more and more urgent. Even so, in the dwindling twinge of agony, Chen Chen was hit by a realization, like Buddha achieving enlightenment! He finally figured out what was wrong Aixen did not ask about his eyes! Thinking of this, Chen Chen abruptly raised his head. He directly faced Aixens direction while constantly trying to open his eyes! Nonetheless, in reality, what he opened was a pair of black, empty sockets, which contained nothing but a bloody pulp. Chapter 380 - The End Due to Aixens tugging and the recurring severe pain from the wound triggered by sweat, Chen Chens eyelids that had been stuck together due to blood coagulation suddenly loosened and a large volume of blood flowed from Chen Chens eye sockets again. Therefore, Chen Chen suddenly discovered that while his eyes were hurting, he seemed to see something between the gaps of his eyelids This was not an illusion because even if Chen Chen had lost his eyesight, he could still use the Field energy to explore the world around him. Therefore, when light shone upon his blinded eyes and merged with the perception of Field, Chen Chen was immediately sure that he did see some kind of super mysterious existence. However, what was it really? Although the dark hollow eye sockets could no longer be called eyes, at this moment, Chen Chen still resisted the anguish and opened his eyes resolutely! At once, an indescribable image appeared in Chen Chens mind. At this moment, Chen Chen saw it with his eyes There was endless darkness in front of him. It was not even darkness, it should be called nothingness. However, in the boundless nothingness, a being that seemed to be composed of liquid and smoke appeared where Aixen was standing! Why did he call it a being? Although it did not have a fixed shape, it was blood-red, and the only concrete thing on its body was a crammed pile of eyeballs! These eyeballs covered Aixens entire body. What was even more frightening was that these eyeballs were still constantly shifting. Even as Chen Chen stared at the pile of eyeballs, they seemed to notice him and started to glare back at Chen Chen! So thats the case? Seeing this scene, Chen Chen seemed to be enlightened and countless clues were finally connected. He suddenly raised his hand and pointed with one finger! Bang! Aixens thin and slender body flew back and hit the wall of the shop across the street! Chen Chen stood up slowly, opened his pair of eyes that seemed to come from hell, and looked at Aixen. In his line of sight, the world was a canvas of nothingness and the monster in front of him was the only solid existence. Chen Chen, what are you doing? Im Aixen! Wake up, Im X! Even though she was knocked back, Aixen in front of him still tried her best to justify herself in a tearful voice. Drop the act. Theres no point now. What should I call you? Drop by drop, the vapor around the monster that had collapsed on the ground slowly trickled away. The parasitic eyeballs on the vapor began to spin around frantically. Even in Chen Chens mind, there were innumerable screeches, which were the agonized cries of the eyeballs. Should I call you the previous owner of the USB flash drive? Or an antimeme? Or Chen Chen walked to his opponent and knelt gently. Event Horizon? Impossible, you cheated! How could you find me! At this point, Aixen finally displayed a vicious cruel look. It no longer had the same bright voice as before. At this time, its voice was more like the sound of metal rasping against glass and it was also like a wailing from the abyss, full of silence and gloom! If your brain is sh*t, everything you do is sh*t. Why dont you go and ask the devil himself! Chen Chen pointed to his head, then placed his palms directly on the face of the monster in front of him, and smiled wickedly. Remember, in your next reincarnation, no matter what you do, never go against Chen Chen, understand? With that said, Chen Chens Field energy was immediately activated and it began to close in on the body of the monster before him, like a shredder! In his line of sight, the gas and liquid that made up the monster were constantly dripping away and evaporating under the attack of Chen Chens Field energy. The countless eyeballs on the monsters body were even more miserable as they were directly exploded by the Field energy! No! The monster just kept struggling and screaming, but in any case, it was unable to break free from Chen Chens grip. It could only watch as the eyeballs in its body continued to shatter and the vapors continued to dissipate and dispersed. No, you cant kill me because Im a concept and a concept cannot die! Absolutely not! In the end, the monster yelled in despair. No, a concept is a concept. You are yourself. Chen Chen said coldly, Youre just a poor bug that has attached its consciousness to a meme. You mustve led a very hard life. In that case, let me do you a favor! With that, the last few eyeballs finally broke apart. At the moment when the last few eyeballs shattered, the remaining gas finally evaporated and dissipated fully, vanishing at once into the vast void! Arghh! There was only the final lingering wail of that monster In the end, everything was wiped out. In the same moment that Aixen in front of him was annihilated, Chen Chen only felt his mind clear up and all the memories rushed into his mind again! This time, Chen Chen was no longer in danger of forgetting. It was not only Chen Chen. At this instant, a middle-aged man had come to the isolated edge of Shangdu, looking at the body of Shen Qi, who no longer looked human. He wore an anguished expression but at this moment, his gaze suddenly sharpened as if something had appeared in his mind The relatives of those who were swallowed by the antimeme invariably stopped their movements at this point and their memories began to flicker back in their minds At this moment, the world affected by the antimeme had returned to normal again. Phew! Currently, Chen Chen exhaled silently, finally looking relieved. At the same time, Chen Chen suddenly felt warmth in his hand. Chen Chen looked down and saw that the dirty little beggar had crawled to his side somehow. She stood up weakly and took Chen Chens hand as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Thank you, X. Chen Chen nodded, carried the little beggar in front of him, and flew away in the direction from which he came. He wanted to fly out of this continent and meet the group of officials one last time to solve the final issue. While flying, Chen Chen gradually sorted out his thoughts. The source of all this was the night he was injected with the T-virus and he had a terrible nightmare. On the second day after the dream, when Chen Chen woke up, he had forgotten everything as if nothing had happened. He continued to live his life according to its original trajectory. As he had been taking NZT-48 all year round, his intelligence was constantly improving, but this kind of improvement took a long time. Inevitably it would easily lead to brain failure and even the sequelae of brain damage, but Chen Chen had extracted to Medpod 3000 to repair himself and even used the T-virus to strengthen his physique. Therefore, even if he was not taking the drug now, his brain had already begun to show some special changes such as having an eidetic memory, an efficiency of mental arithmetic comparable to that of a computer, and even an intelligence exceeding that of ordinary peoples. Therefore, although he had forgotten something, his subconscious mind detected this danger, so it pointed out key clues such as antimeme and dreams. This led to Little X hypnotizing Chen Chen and his coming here. However, what Chen Chen did not expect was that, though it was only hypnosis to awaken the memories of the past, his consciousness was drawn into a parallel universe, even resulting in a certain mingling between his dream and this world. In other words, this was indeed a new world and the timeline of this world happened to be the moment Chen Chen just obtained the USB drive four years ago in the original dimension where Chen Chen was located. Nonetheless, this was simultaneously also Chen Chens dreamscape. How should one explain this phenomenon? Wave-particle duality of light? Or quantum mechanics? Chen Chen was still clueless for the time being but the cause of this might be due to the USB flash drive or more likely, it should be all thanks to Aixen! Namely, the monster killed by Chen Chen earlier. This monster was the previous owner of the USB flash drive. The reason Chen Chen was sure that the USB drive had a previous owner was that he gradually became aware of the abnormal phenomena in the Earth Federation such as the quantum computer and even the formation of the Earth Federation itself. Nevertheless, Chen Chen could only locate the problem, but could not find the cause of the problem or any clues. It was as if, at the end of all the anomalies, there was an invisible black hole of information, which swallowed all information about anomalies and devoured everything, leaving not a single trace. It was because of this black hole of information that Chen Chen perceived the existence of a concept such as the antimeme. Then, he was reminded of the anomaly of the Earth Federation and inferred that the USB drive was likely to have a previous owner. In the beginning, Chen Chen thought that the previous owner was swallowed by the antimeme, but after all, an antimeme was just a concept, like a meme. Since it was a concept, it was impossible for it to have its own thoughts like a human. Nonetheless, everything that Chen Chen had encountered in this dream world showed severe indications of human interference. Whether it was by hiding behind the Ju-on meme and silently devouring this world or the behavior of Shen Qi, Zhou Jie, and the others after being possessed, all of this demonstrated that the antimeme was capable of thought. However, how could an antimeme have human thinking? Therefore, after entering Ju-ons dimension, Chen Chen had a hypothesis in his mind. Perhaps the previous owner used the technology of a certain movie to turn himself into an antimeme? Or attached himself to the antimeme? So that all information about him would disappear? Among the countless impossibilities, this was the most likely possibility to explain everything. Therefore, he continued inferring the Earth Federation was established in 1992 and the first four movies in the USB flash drive were mostly around 2000. That was to say, it was very likely that, from the previous owner getting the USB flash drive to losing it again, it all took place approximately around this timeframe, with a possible discrepancy of fewer than ten years. In that case, before 2010, which movie could transform people into an antimeme? Only one answer appeared in Chen Chens mind Event Horizon! This movie was released in 1997. It was a sci-fi horror movie. It told the story of the future year 2040 when humans had developed a jump engine and built a starship, Event Horizon, that could jump through spacetime. To test the ability of the jump engine, humans allowed the Event Horizon to start traveling, but two months after the Event Horizon set sail, it disappeared completely, along with hundreds of astronauts, after opening a portal and making a jump near Neptune. It was only until 2047 that the starship, which had been missing for 7 years, appeared again, and at the same time it even sent a distress signal to Earth. The last sound of the distress signal was a very obscure sentence Save me! As the earth received the distress signal from Event Horizon, the designer and rescuers of the spacecraft rushed to see what happened to it in the past seven years, but they were met by a terrifying journey This was the background of Event Horizon. The jump concept in the movie was an ability that allowed the spacecraft to jump from one point in the universe to another in an instant. The principle was that the spacecraft would open a portal during the jump and the other side of the portal was another place in the universe. A metaphor was also used in the movie. The designer of the spacecraft drew two points on a piece of paper and asked the crew members on the ship what was the shortest distance between the two points. The hired crew naturally said that the straight line was the shortest, but he said that answer was wrong. Then he folded the paper directly, putting the two points together, and pierced the paper with a pen, after which he explained that the shortest distance was achieved by placing the two points together. The jump engine worked by joining the two points together. However, who would have expected that after the spacecraft made a jump, although it successfully disappeared from this point, it did not appear at another point? It completely disappeared in this vast universe and went to an unknown place outside the universe. In the film, all the supernatural phenomena on the spacecraft seemed to Chen Chen to be caused by the spacecraft being infected with some kind of meme. In addition, there was a line that made an impression on Chen Chen: This ship has been beyond the boundaries of our universe, of known scientific reality. Who knows where its been, what its seen or what its brought back with it The biggest clue in the plot was probably the part where a character gouged out his own eyes because in the movies design, Event Horizon was heading to a terrifying world, which was like hell. In that world, there was no need for an organ such as the eyes. Only by gouging out ones eyes could one see the truth of that world. Therefore, under the lure of that world, the designer of the spaceship dug out his eyes and actively embraced darkness. Doing so, he turned into a spokesperson for that world, instantly possessing terrifying power. Therefore, Chen Chen surmised that if the owner of the USB drive wanted to assimilate himself into a conceptual existence such as a meme or antimeme, it could only be done with Event Horizon. As such, in the instant before he returned from Ju-ons dimension, Chen Chen had gouged out his eyes first because after gouging out his eyes, he would be able to see the previous master of the USB flash drive. In fact, at that time, Chen Chen had already begun to doubt Aixen because the objective of the USB drives previous owner was to swallow Chen Chen and replace him. To replace Chen Chen, it would not be enough to just kill Chen Chen in the dream. Rather, he had to devour Chen Chens dream world before Chen Chen woke up. Therefore, he would spare no effort to protect Chen Chen and prevent Chen Chen from being prematurely killed by Ju-on. It was Aixen who had once saved Chen Chen before Chen Chen was killed by Ju-on. The rest happened as a matter of course. As for the little beggar, she was the back door that Little X had implanted to ensure Chen Chens safety. When he was hypnotized, Little X had kissed Chen Chen, and this kiss was an anchor. As long as the little beggar came into contact with him in his dream and kissed him, Chen Chen could easily wake up, causing all of Aixens efforts to go up in a puff of smoke. Therefore, strictly speaking, Aixen was not capable of killing Chen Chen. On the contrary, he had not completely integrated with the antimeme. His actual body was the blood-red eyes and the antimeme was that substance that looked like both liquid and gas. As long as the eyes were crushed, it was akin to killing him. After his death, the antimeme naturally lost its power against Chen Chen and became dormant again. As a result, Chen Chens memories had fully returned. As for why the previous owner of the USB flash drive turned himself into a meme, Chen Chen did not know. Perhaps this would forever be a mystery. Nevertheless, it now appeared that all this was probably planned by the previous owner of the USB flash drive because even the four horror movies in the USB flash drive were placed there by him, with the objective of devouring the next owner of the USB drive. It was a pity that he had encountered Chen Chen. Chapter 381 - Nanomite Bombs and Returning At last, everything was over Chen Chen carried the little beggar and kept rising, and finally broke through the dense layer of clouds. Suddenly, a glimmering golden ball of light emerged in front of them! The golden brilliance poured upon the clouds, dyeing the boundless clouds a deep golden yellow, like a vast magnificent postcard picture. The little beggars eyes grew wider, showing an expression of wonder. Its beautiful, isnt it? Chen Chen suddenly spoke. He lowered his head and said softly, This scene must be beautiful, but its too bad I cant see it anymore. The little beggar tilted her head in puzzlement. She suddenly stretched out her hand and carefully touched Chen Chens eyes. Chen Chen smiled. Strictly speaking, this little beggar was not Little X but a person in Chen Chens self-consciousness. She did not have Little Xs thoughts and even ordinary people could not see her. There was only one purpose for her existence that was to get Chen Chen out of the dream. Therefore, the little beggar was fake. Strictly speaking, the world in front of Chen Chen was also fake. But then what is true? Chen Chen suddenly muttered in a low voice. Must the world seen by ones own eyes necessarily be real? Science taught humans that everything humans saw with their eyes was nothing more than the world portrayed by the eyes and brain. The sky as an example, sunlight was divided into seven types of visible light red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet. Moreover, as the wavelengths of blue and violet lights were relatively short, when they encountered small objects such as dust in the sky, blue and purple lights would be scattered everywhere due to being blocked. Therefore, the color of the sky was blue. Other objects in the world were the same. Some objects would more easily reflect the red in sunlight, so humans would see them as being red. Others would appear blue or green All this was what the eyes allowed humans to see, but there were also infrared and ultraviolet rays in the sunlight, which were invisible to humans. If a person could see these two kinds of light or even electromagnetic waves and radiation, then his world must be very different from the world that humankind saw. Moreover, everything that a person saw had to be processed by not just the eyes, but also by the brain for a second time. As an example, objects that were projected on the human eyeballs were originally upside down but after the processing of the brain, these images gained an upright appearance. Another example was human eyes. Human eyes could not receive red light and the red that humans saw was the color obtained by the brains mixing of green and yellow. Even the peripheral field of vision received by the eye was in blurry black and white and the details were later filled in by the brain All of these undoubtedly demonstrated that everything that people saw was limited by their physiological structure or that everything that humans perceived, including sight, hearing, touch, and taste, was perceived by the brain. Therefore, what evidence was there to prove that everything the brain perceived must be real? Just like the concept of the brain in a vat that had always existed in science fiction novels the brain of a person, who had lost his body due to an accident, was first extracted. Then, advanced technology was used to maintain the activity of brain cells and instruments would stimulate the brain to create a fictitious electronic world. As a result, the person would think he was still alive and it would be almost impossible for him to notice any abnormalities. He would never know that he had lost his freedom and his entire world, and he only lived under Gods observation At this time, was it not true that Chen Chen had fallen into a brain in a vat? It was just that this brain in a vat was an entire parallel universe. After leaving Shangdu, Chen Chen flew to the town where he had stayed before, found a new computer, and inserted the USB drive. Shangdu had long since lost all power and connectivity and only these surrounding towns still had a network supply, but they too, were on the verge of collapse. At this time, after turning on the computer, Chen Chen hesitated a little and finally opened a web page and started downloading a movie. This movie was called G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. When the download was completed, Chen Chen dragged the movie into the USB drive, then opened the file from that location and skipped to a particular scene. In this scene, an open suitcase was shown, which held three missiles with warheads made of some green transparent material. They also seemed to contain some sort of liquid. Nanomite missiles Chen Chen murmured. These three warheads could be said to be the core technology of this movie and the whole plot took off because of this sort of missile. To put it simply, this nanomite missile contained seven million nanomites. Once launched, it could destroy and engulf all materials on the surface of the earth whether it was humans, plants or reinforced concrete. Everything would become its destruction target and it would never stop. The only way to stop them was to use the kill switch device matched to these nanorobots. As long as the kill switch was activated, the nanorobots would completely short-circuit and self-destruct. These kill switch devices were also housed in this suitcase. They consisted of just an LCD screen with the word MARS on it. After thinking for a while, Chen Chen finally reached into the screen and tugged. At once, an entire suitcase was taken out of the screen by Chen Chen. At this point, Chen Chen heaved a sigh of relief. He locked the suitcase, then carried it in one hand and the little beggar in the other, and lifted off again, flying into the distance Yes, yes, yes Okay, I understand I understand Ill resign and give the higher-ups an explanation. In front of Shen Qis corpse, the middle-aged man seemed to have aged ten years. He was talking on the phone with a dull expression and replied in a low voice. However, at this moment, there was a sudden boom in the sky as if someone had set off a firecracker. Only the sound was dozens of times louder than a firecracker. The middle-aged man was shocked. He knew this sound. It was the sound of something breaking through the sound barrier. Whenever a supersonic plane flew overhead, people would hear this sound. Sometimes it was so loud it could even shatter glass. Nonetheless, how could a plane possibly pass by here now? The middle-aged man turned his head subconsciously, but he was astonished to find that the source of the sound was not an airplane at all but a person! At this time, the person was standing at a high altitude and slowly descending. In one hand he was holding a silver-white suitcase. Its Chen Chen! There was a surprised exclamation from the soldiers beside him, following which came the sound of gun bolts being pulled. All the soldiers instinctively prepared for combat. Wait, dont shoot! The middle-aged man hurriedly stopped them. Although he knew Chen Chen was the murderer of Shen Qi, it did not matter whom Chen Chen had killed at this time. The key was that he was the owner of the USB flash drive. Without the owner, the USB drive could not be used. This had been verified before. Chen Chen, whats wrong with your eyes? However, when he saw Chen Chens eyes clearly, he was shocked. He noticed that Chen Chens cheeks were covered with blood scabs and both eyes were tightly shut. Chen Chens eyelids were also red, swollen, and even a little caved in. Mr. Director, what happened to my eyes is a rather long story. Chen Chen completely ignored the ruthless stares of the soldiers and walked straight toward the middle-aged man. But Ive finished my business here, so Im going to leave. Youre leaving? Hearing Chen Chens words, the middle-aged man suddenly became anxious and moved forward in agitation. Chen Chen, you cant leave. What will happen to this city if you leave? This city is a goner. Chen Chen shook his head. Im not your savior and there are no saviors in this world. Now what you have to consider isnt the question of whether Shangdu can be preserved, but whether human civilization will be destroyed due to the memetic effect. What do you mean? The middle-aged man was promptly taken aback. He looked down at the suitcase in Chen Chens hand and seemed to understand something. Give it up. You cant cure the Ju-on meme by shooting your own movie. Chen Chen tossed the suitcase to a soldier beside the middle-aged man. Once the soldier caught it, he took two steps back and then looked at the middle-aged man helplessly. Open it! The middle-aged man nodded and ordered. Upon hearing this, the soldier clenched his jaw and opened the suitcase directly. At once, everyone saw the three green warhead-like devices in the suitcase, and three palm-sized devices similar to remote controls. This is A nanomite warhead? The middle-aged man said, astounded, Did you extract this? I did. Chen Chen nodded. Since you know what it is, it means you have considered using it before, so my advice to you is just cut the Gordian knot. Before the memetic effect kills enough people and spreads fully, destroy everything with the nanomites first! This is the only way to stop the spread of memetic effects from the source. The middle-aged man fell silent after hearing this. This is all I have to say. What you should do is up to you. Chen Chen said that and turned to leave. Hold on! The middle-aged man looked more anxious, but he did not seem to want to use coercive means, so he quickly scampered forward and ran to Chen Chens side. Little Chen, where are you going? Of course Im going back to where I should be. Chen Chen walked forward slowly step by step and said calmly, Ive been in the dream for a long time and its time to wake up now. Plus, Ive also found a way to wake up. Dream? The middle-aged man was mystified. Mr. Director. Chen Chen stopped and turned to look at the other man while a smile crept up the corners of his mouth. Have you ever thought that the world in which youve spent a lifetime is actually just someones dream? When that person dreams, the world is born and when he wakes up from the dream, the world disappears again. Along with the world, the countless lives in the dream disappear as well. Will they realize that their long human lives were just part of someones dream? Impossible! The middle-aged man narrowed his eyes. He thoroughly understood the implication of Chen Chens words, but still said emphatically, This world cannot be a dream of some other person because everything Ive experienced and encountered is telling me that I am who I am. Even if Ill die and the world will be destroyed, nothing can erase the evidence of my existence, just like Descartess famous philosophical saying I think, therefore, I am. I dont need anyone to prove whether Im true or false because Im my own proof. Very good. Chen Chen applauded reflexively. I like your attitude, so please stick to it. With that, Chen Chen lifted off suddenly and was about to fly into the heights. Wait! The middle-aged man was seized by panic. He raised his head and shouted, Chen Chen, even if you want to leave, leave the USB drive behind. This kind of thing shouldnt be left in the hands of an individual. It will threaten the entire human race! Even if I give it to you, you wont obtain it. Chen Chen smiled contemptuously. Dont believe me? Then take it! As he spoke, Chen Chen took out the USB drive and threw it at the middle-aged man, then rushed into the sky without looking back! The middle-aged man reacted swiftly and reached for the USB flash drive. The moment he grabbed it, there was a flicker of ecstasy in his eyes, but then he thought of something, quickly held it to his mouth, and bit it. The USB drive did not budge at all. Its real! The middle-aged man looked even more gleeful. He quickly called someone to put the USB drive away. It was placed in a thick solid safe, to be transported that very night. At this time, Chen Chen had flown into the air again. He kept carrying the little beggar as he rushed to the sky and once again came to the top of the golden clouds. Under the endless rays of the sun, Chen Chen suddenly looked powerless. I say, X, if you can hear me in reality, I suggest that if theres another time, lets change the anchor point. As he spoke, he looked at the little beggar, and finally, reluctantly, kissed her on the lips. At once, a miraculous scene took place in the golden radiance, the two figures melted instantly as if melding into the golden sunlight. In just the blink of an eye, they had vanished It was as if Chen Chen had never existed in this world. At the same moment that Chen Chen disappeared from this world, the USB flash drive that had been sealed shut in the safe, and was being shipped to the capital city, also began to melt rapidly. The surveillance feed in the safe showed that it directly turned into a pool of black liquid, which squirmed ceaselessly. Then it began to dwindle as if by evaporation and finally melted into the air. There was no trace left of it When Chen Chen opened his eyes again, he found that he was lying on a hard cramped bed. There was a dazzling light over his face and he could not help but squint. Chen Chen subconsciously raised his hand to block his eyes, but immediately realized that he could see again. Have I returned? Chen Chen sat up thoughtfully but there seemed to be an unusual weight on his chest. Chen Chen subconsciously glanced down, only to find that the Black Knight clone of Little X was lying on his chest, deep in quiet sleep. Still, after Chen Chens movements, Little X was awakened. She yawned and then said in delighted surprise, Sir Godfather, youre awake? Upon seeing Little Xs deliberately anthropomorphic behavior, Chen Chen was a little speechless. After all, intelligent life did not need to sleep. I dont need to sleep, but this body wants it. As if she understood Chen Chens facial expression, Little X suddenly became angry. Besides, I also have a hibernation mode. Of course I can sleep, its just that it isnt necessary! Chen Chen burst into laughter when he heard Little Xs sophistry. He sighed and everything in the dream flashed through his mind. However, at this moment, Chen Chen suddenly felt something in his hand. He looked down, only to find that the star-speckled USB drive was resting quietly in his hand. What happened? Seeing this scene, Little X was completely dumbfounded. I just saw the USB flash drive charging outside. How can it suddenly appear in the isolation room? With that, she directly pulled up the surveillance feed of the power distribution room. Indeed, the slot of the USB flash drive was empty and the USB flash drive that was inserted there had been gone for some time. Fortunately, this instrument for charging the USB drive had been prepared for two things. A Galaxy pendant was also put into the charging system. Namely, if the USB drive was suddenly removed by someone, there was still the Galaxy pendant to absorb the majestic surge of electricity. Nonetheless, the USB drives teleportation through thin air prompted a pensive reaction from Chen Chen. Chapter 382 - The Plan of Four Sub-Eras In other words, Ive slept for a total of 68 hours, which is less than three days? Looking at the calendar displayed on the phone, Chen Chen wore a look of wonder. I spent more than a month in another world but only three days have passed in reality? As if something had occurred to him, Chen Chen turned his head again and asked, For the past three days, has everything been normal with the USB flash drive? Yes, except for its sudden appearance here after you woke up, there has been no change in the USB flash drive at other times. Little X nodded her little head and said with joy, So, have you solved the hidden danger? Thats right. It was a close call, but I finally found the other party and killed him. It turns out that the antimeme was my predecessor Do you mean The previous holder of the USB drive? Little X asked in bewilderment. When Chen Chen replied, he could not help sweating a little. The antimeme itself had the ability to swallow all relevant information, so it was almost impossible to comprehend. Nonetheless, even in this case, he found a way to ruin its plans. He was able to do this not just because of the calm thinking he had developed in reality, but also because he had been very lucky But even now, I still dont know who that person was, what his name was or what job he did. Thinking of this, Chen Chen could not help frowning. X, check the Internet to see if theres any information. The effect of the antimeme has been nullified, so the Earth Federation is very likely to have recalled his existence. Maybe we can find out about his past on the Internet. Let me try. Little X agreed, then she closed her eyes immediately, and began maniacally searching the entire Internet for any suspicious information. These snippets of information were fished out one by one, after which they were quickly analyzed and calculated by Little X using extremely terrifying computing power. Then, any excess data was discarded. It was not until half an hour later that Little X had roughly scanned through certain websites. No, I still cant find any clues. Little X shook his head. Should I turn on the Prophet System to reconstruct our targets past? Theres no need for that. Chen Chen waved one hand. Two possibilities: First, my predecessor is not yet dead and the antimeme is still working, so no information can be found online; second, the movies on the USB flash drive were all released from 1998 to 2003, that is to say, the owner of the USB flash drive might have vanished more than 20 years ago, so theres nothing on the Internet either. If its the first one, then its useless to turn on the Prophet System. If its the second one, it wont be necessary because the Internet may not remember his existence, but its impossible that the high-level members of the Earth Federation wouldnt know. After all, the emergence of the Earth Federation was advocated by the previous owner himself. Now it has only been 20 years since then. I believe that many of the high-level members are still alive. If they suddenly remember everything, they will naturally start to investigate. Then, well be able to discover the traces of their activities. So well just see how things play out? Little X pouted and sat on one side, a little bored. She started to toy with a water glass. Chen Chen laughed. Well, since theres no threat now, let me go out. Okay, Little X agreed. The crane and the other equipment that had been waiting for a long time began to dismantle the outer layers and armor of the isolation room. As this went on, Chen Chens heart suddenly leaped. He stood up, then sat down in front of the laptop, and directly inserted the USB flash drive he was holding. When Chen Chen opened the USB flash drive on the computer, he noticed that the four very familiar movies on the USB flash drive were now completely gone Those four movies were Ju-on, Final Destination, One Missed Call, and Ring. In addition, there were many more movies on the USB flash drive. These movies were diverse, including science-fiction, historical dramas, and even modern romances. These were all placed here by the FBI in the other dimension when Chen Chen was having his dream. Sure enough, the movies in the USB flash drive have changed Chen Chen could not help feeling a little stupefied. When he first got the USB drive, a question had occurred to him: if the USB drive could only accommodate movies that were in line with reality, why were the four horror movies there? Could it be that the four horror movies were not unrealistic? This idea had occupied Chen Chens mind for a long, long time, causing him constant apprehension, for fear that one day he would slip up and play the four horror films by mistake. However, now, this worry was finally gone because these four films had been opened in another world, and then deleted by Chen Chen himself. Still, now it seemed that Chen Chens concerns and caution were not groundless. If he had carelessly opened Ju-on when he first got the USB flash drive, well, he only had to look at what happened in the dream world to know the outcome. But then again, what was the reason the previous owner would resort to fusing himself with the antimeme? And he also placed four horror films in the USB flash drive, waiting for someone to take the bait? Chen Chen had a vague theory, but if he wanted to verify it, he would have to head to the movie, Event Horizon Event Horizon was jokingly called the prequel of Warhammer 40,000 by many netizens because the setting was somewhat similar to the backstory of the tabletop game Warhammer 40,000. In particular, the unknown space that the spaceship entered was just like the subspace in the Warhammer world. It was also meant to represent a certain kind of madness, chaos, despair, and so on. Of course, currently, Chen Chen would not enter that movie just to die. Even if he were to go, he would have to wait until his own technology was sufficiently advanced. Now, he still had not even made it to space, let alone explore the antithesis of the human world the subspace. This was comparable to opening Ju-on without sufficient strength barging rashly into Event Horizon might very well kill him too. Thinking of this, Chen Chen understood the importance of having a steady foundation. Otherwise, he would end up like his predecessor. Even though the entire world had formed into a federation, that guy still ended up having to fuse himself with an antimeme, becoming something that was neither human nor spirit. At this time, with a creaking sound from outside the isolation room, the door was finally opened fully. Sir Godfather, the armor has been disassembled. You can come out now. Little X interrupted Chen Chens pondering and notified him from behind. Coming. Chen Chen plugged out the USB drive and walked out of the isolation room. Nonetheless, this time, Little Xs Black Knight clone was following Chen Chen closely. As Chen Chen was a rather fast walker, Little X had to hop and skip to keep up with Chen Chens pace. It looked a little funny from a distance. SpaceX has signed a contract of intent with us during the three days of your absence. If everything goes smoothly, well be able to buy 10% of SpaceXs shares in just a few weeks. Little X conscientiously reported as she walked. However, if we want to invest in SpaceX, we must first report to the committee on foreign investment, CFIUS. Now CFIUS has actively contacted SpaceX to confirm this. We can only invest after obtaining their approval. Chen Chen could not refrain from frowning when he heard this. As all this was related to the aerospace industry, it was indeed difficult to acquire a company like SpaceX. Moreover, the West itself was a bunch of rogues, especially North America, the first continent of the Earth Federation. What happened years ago was still vivid in everyones mind and Chen Chen was reluctant to end up like that company. Therefore, when he founded his company, Chen Chen had not considered North America at all. Then lets offer a reward. Chen Chen thought for a while and commanded, Announce a reward on the Gods Forbidden Zone forum. As long as a family is willing to help us lobby the authorities, well pay them 10,000 information points and the family thats successful in their lobbying will get around 50,000 to 100,000 information points. Very well. But recently Rodriguez, Edwards, Munster, your servants Blanc, and several other consortia have provided some updates. Little X continued. Dozens of North American council members simultaneously called for investigations into our company at the district council meeting. Because we hold a large part of Osmond Biotechs shares, they suspect that were stealing the technology for Alzheimers drugs Chen Chens steps halted and a sullen look came into his eyes. This is why I hate opening a company in the West. Chen Chen snorted coldly. Are our members from the plutocratic families useless? Theyd better do their best to suppress this proposal. I dont want to see this proposal implemented. Understood. Little X nodded. It must be said that, with the growing influence of Chen Chens company, it had fully attracted the attention of Western regimes. If Chen Chen had not roped in a large number of European and American consortia with the mankind anti-aging project, the ax would have fallen long ago in the form of North American sanctions. This was what happened to the company which developed 5G back then. At this time, it was clear that the ax of sanctions was still hanging over the head of Blacklight Biotechnology. It was up to the financial groups in Gods Forbidden Zone to lobby the North American officials and continue to pressure the district council to prevent the sanctions from being issued. However, in this matter, it was obvious that these consortia could not hold on for long. I used to think that we could reach the point where we would be unstoppable before Western regimes such as North America and Europe could react, but now it seems that they still cant take this sitting down. Chen Chen sighed in a low voice. Since the other party has already noticed me, then we should do our best to expand. Theres no need to keep a low profile for the sake of hiding ourselves. Just let them see that were not something they can keep under their thumb! Are we going to go all out? Little X was taken aback. We have a lot of technology now in our hands. What technology should we release first? Chen Chen thought for a while. Naturally, AD-001 wont do. I still plan to wait until May next year to see if the plot in the movie will come true by then. Moreover, we have already sold various anti-cancer targeted drugs, and theres no recent biomedicine that is truly essential. In that case, we dont have to stick to the biomedicine industry. Then, lets try VR. After thinking about it, Chen Chen sneered. Didnt we use Musks lace electrode technology? In this case, we can go with the flow and claim that weve developed a new electrode technology. Using what we got from the Elysiums dimension as a sample, the new electrode technology will be released and made into a VR device. The VR devices technology can be obtained from Ready Player One. Chen Chen said as he walked, In this way, we can quickly earn a lot of money and not be restricted by finances. Are you going to change the online landscape? Little X was shocked when she heard this. Of course, she had watched the movie Ready Player One. According to the movie, the world was devastated due to a world war. Due to a scarcity of resources and a low quality of life, peoples attention shifted to virtual worlds, hoping to find some comfort there. As such, the game Oasis came into being and quickly unified the entire Internet. From 80-year-olds to 18-year-olds, everyone regarded Oasis as an indispensable part of their lives. Simply put, Oasis was the Internet and the Internet was Oasis. However, according to current trends, the online world was changing with each passing day. It was probable that once a game like Oasis appeared, it would quickly sweep the entire Internet and completely reshuffle the online landscape without any major changes in reality. Even if it changes, what can they do? Chen Chens mouth curled up in a smirk. I want to change not only the Internets landscape, but also the structure of reality itself. Ive thought a lot during this period. Biomedicine, the aerospace industry, and the Internet are the three major fields of human society that can lead us to the future. Biomedicine can prolong human life and rejuvenate human beings. The aerospace industry can lead humankind beyond the earth and colonize outer space. This is also one of the areas that human history can never give up on. The Internet, corresponding to reality, represents the second world of human society. If the real world represents human needs on the material level, then the Internet represents human needs on the spiritual level. The Internet will only transform, but it will never be eliminated. After hearing Chen Chens analysis, Little X couldnt help nodding. She was just about to say something when Chen Chens next words stunned her completely The release of VR and the reshuffle of the Internet landscape are just the first step in my plan. Chen Chen added. Ive divided the future Internet landscape into four sub-eras the first era: the VR era, namely, the era in which the VR field breaks through the traditional shackles and upgrades from audiovisual to audio, visual, smell, taste, and touch, the five senses! This era will inevitably bring about a change comparable to the industrial revolution because it represents the embryonic stage of the virtual world and may even represent the birth of a certain branch of human evolution Next is the second sub-era the era of artificial intelligence. Artificial intelligence becomes common in civilian use and robot butlers enter millions of households. Ive also laid the foundation for this era, and thats Project Xingtian! Next, Ill let Project Xingtian continue to evolve and allow the androids to be born After that, the third era the Skynet era, when I release new powerful artificial intelligence and let it be formally used by the Earth Federation. At that point, the court will hand over all sentencing and trial work to AI, attaining true fairness and justice! As for the last sub-era in the plan, I call it The era of virtual reality! Chapter 383 - VR Technology Why is the virtual reality era the final era? Little X wondered. Is this any different from the VR era in Ready Player One? Theres a big difference, its like comparing a self-driving car to a spaceship. Chen Chen chuckled and explained, What I mean by virtual reality era is to create a real virtual world. That world will become a secondary world ingrained in human society and also come with a complementary hypersleep chamber. The time inside the virtual world flows at a 1: 10 rate compared to the real world and can house the consciousness of the deceased so that they can gain immortality in the virtual world. In the virtual world, everyone will be conventionally attractive and live luxurious lives due to the generous affordability. For the ones who desire it, they can also form their ideal virtual family with, say, a perfect wife this partner will become a fully conscious being as well and process all human characteristics. The only difference being that they dont possess a body in the real world Chen Chen continued describing this world as he walked, If the participant doesnt wish to interact with others, the participant is free to travel across the many dimensions inside the virtual world. The possibilities of these dimensions are endless and are procedurally generated by the supercomputer. The objects inside these dimensions may yield insurmountable riches or be worth nothing at all. For the ones who look for the social aspect, they can make countless like-minded friends inside the virtual world. All it takes is just a simple invitation and hundreds of people who are willing to participate will be able to come together and feast and party merrily in a venue designed by the host. Also, the currency inside the virtual world and the real world will be streamlined and used in conjunction. Those who are having difficulties in the real world are free to sail the high seas in the virtual world where limitless riches are awaiting them in every corner. Theres always the chance of someone turning into a millionaire overnight, although this possibility is so slim its close to zero. The most important factor Chen Chen considered. Inside the virtual world, everyone is held on the same level as one another. You can converse freely with the person in front of you even if that person is a billionaire. Theres no discrimination, no suffering, not even hunger or death. Anyone is free to become whoever they were never able to become in the real world, even if inside the real world they are down to their last cent and barely scraping themselves by. I understand, this is the perfect medium to shift away from the troubles of the real world. Little X snickered mischievously upon hearing this. When this virtual reality comes to fruition, the pressure of social hierarchy becomes effectively nulled. When the spending gap inside the virtual world is so insignificant, the separation between the rich and the poor is minimalized and loses its meaning as well. Exactly. Chen Chen nodded. Inside the virtual world, everyone will be given access to free education ranging from basic foundational education to higher-level studies. All knowledge is free for anyone willing to grasp it. Some may choose to indulge themselves in the virtual world while others may treat it as a platform to excel in the real world. At the end of the day, the choice is in their hands. More often than not, participants will choose the middle option, which is to spend their days working in the real world and spend their nights in the hypersleep chamber. They can reign free in the virtual world at a ten to one ratio. But If the virtual world is as wonderful as you claim it to be, then the capitalists may very well set the entry barrier higher. The act of indulging in the virtual world will become a luxury pastime in of itself, that would depreciate its meaning. Would that be possible? I wouldnt allow it. Chen Chen sneered. I know its a tall task to accomplish everything I just described. After all, its extremely difficult to achieve true balance if its left in the hands of men since we humans have an ingrained distrust of other people. Its for this exact reason that its more important that Im the only one who holds the keys to the virtual world because Im the only one I can trust. Little X could not resist the urge to roll her eyes. This was the same as the bandits philosophy. You may not see any problem with trusting yourself, but that did not mean others would favor you with the same level of trust Which is why only one virtual world shall be allowed to exist and thats the virtual world manufactured by Blacklight Biotechnology! Chen Chen declared, Once we achieve a certain degree of a breakthrough in the relevant technology, we can make the virtual world extremely affordable. In this aspect, the cost of a luxury hypersleep chamber would only be equivalent to the price of a regular laptop. The nutrients should only cost no more than several cents and can provide a full days worth of nutrients with just one capsule. This way, the total annual expense for each person should be as low as several hundred dollars. They will have the luxury of never having to step outside their house but still enjoy the finer things in life inside the virtual world. Chen Chen sighed as he arrived at this mention. Of course, by the time all this is accomplished, there will only be four professions left in the world scientific research, art creation, business, and the final one being an elaborate regime system. All of the other professions that require labor wouldve been substituted by artificial machines. This is to say that the premise for the virtual reality era is the formation of the first three sub-eras, no more and no less. Its only by that point when the structure of society can bear the structural integration of a virtual world. If the order of execution is off, not only will the fundamentals of society be affected, it may very well cause a violent backlash and topple the very fabric of society! At this point, Chen Chen had left the factory and met Cheng Cao who had been waiting for some time now. Boss! Cheng Cao immediately exited his vehicle and greeted Chen Chen upon seeing him. Chen Chen nodded and entered the car with Little X. Cheng Cao stole a curious glance at the little girl but made no further comment. He returned to the car wordlessly and drove them to Eco Science City. Head straight for the Spire Experimental Base. Chen Chen instructed before getting some shuteye. An hour later, Chen Chen arrived at one of the electronic laboratories inside the Spire Experimental Base. Upon his arrival, Chen Chen inserted the USB drive into a computer and downloaded the movie Ready Player One. Chen Chen became surprisingly emotional when he saw this movie. This is the movie where I instantiated you from a few years back. Chen Chen turned to Little X. Back then, you were just an artificial intelligence program sequence. Who wouldve thought that in just a few years, you did not only manage to evolve to an enhanced artificial intelligence, you even modified yourself into fully sentient life. Im miles ahead of what I was when I was born! Little X nodded with strong confidence, looking like a tiny adult as she did so. Everything started from the string of source code I found inside. To think that after all the twists and turns along the way that Id come back to where it all began, life is truly full of surprises at times Chen Chen reflected and sighed before opening the movie. He immediately dragged the progress bar to the middle. A gigantic hemispherical device shaped like a throne immediately appeared on the screen. OAR9400 Haptic Shock Chair! This device was unlike the VR glasses that the poor protagonist of the movie used as it was the top-of-the-line device. By sitting inside this haptic shock chair, one could control their in-game avatar by having their movements read using their brainwaves. The haptic shock chair was also fitted with fully-developed holographic imaging technology. Upon activation, an arc-shaped virtual screen hovered around the user which was a mirror image of reality. This completely discarded the need for low-end devices such as VR glasses. With the X1 tactile suit put on after sitting in the haptic shock chair, the user could feel every sensation experienced by the virtual avatars, providing an experience that was just like the real thing. Chen Chen cast off all hesitation in his mind and stretched the whole of his arm into the screen and pulled with all his might. Thump! A gigantic OAR9400 haptic shock chair was immediately brought into reality by Chen Chen. The haptic shock chair was an egg-shaped structure approximately two meters tall, except there was an opening at a portion of it that was designed for someone to sit inside it. Just like the VR-glasses, the haptic shock chair was no more than a more advanced computer built for playing triple-A games. The device was only responsible for the front-end maneuvering while the source code of the Oasis game was hosted inside the server host machine. However, Chen Chens motive was not to acquire the source code for Oasis. The Little X now could effortlessly design a VR game for him at a moments notice. All he needed to do was to employ a team of artists and game designers to draw up the general framework of the game while the rest can be left up to Little Xs computational abilities. Billions of code could be cranked out overnight with Little Xs help. Even the Windows system only contained fifty million lines of code. What Chen Chen needed to do instead was only to instantiate the relevant device so he could borrow (plagiarize) its design and make sure it was ready for the market. In the real world, VR devices had developed to its Nth generation by now. Despite the progress, the need for a lens and screen combination was still inevitable. The omnidirectional image was projected onto the users retina to simulate an omnidirectional visual effect, drawing the user experience as close to reality as possible. Still, these devices were generally harmful to the eyes over long-term exposure. It was also very likely to evoke nauseous side effects. The technology was simply not in its mature stages just yet. This was where the switch to a haptic shock chair would be a game-changer. The OAR9400 Haptic Shock Chair could form a holographic projection directly in front of the player. Just like the silver Rubiks Cube that Chen Chen obtained from the Alien dimension, it could alter the surrounding space optics and project three-dimensional visuals into the air, which addressed the issue of long-term fatigue on the eyes and potential nausea. What Chen Chen had his eyes on was the brainwave manipulation technology that came with it. The OAR9400 Haptic Shock Chair could capture and monitor the brainwave activity of the player and translate them into in-game input to control the in-game avatar. The only flaw of this brainwave manipulation technology implementation was the lack of user feedback. To attain a higher quality of gameplay experience, the protagonist in the movie had to put on a piece of equipment known as the X1 Tactile Suit. The equipment was similar to a bodysuit which attached itself firmly to the players body upon use. All the tactile sensations in the game could be simulated to the player via mild electric currents. This helped to further enhance the immersion factor. Of all the five senses that were sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste, the game had met three of them. Only smell and taste remained. The way Chen Chen saw it, despite how immersive the Oasis game was, it still had some ways to go before being compared to true virtual reality. To give an overall grading of the five senses, the sense of sight emulated by the haptic shock chair would be bordering around fifty out of a hundred while the sense of hearing hovered near seventy. The sense of touch was rather jarring. Simulation via electric current only put the grading at nearly twenty in terms of realism. It was nowhere close to the sensation of human touch in the real world. Meanwhile, the sense of smell and taste was non-existent. However, for the first line of VR products released by Chen Chen, this haptic shock chair was already too far ahead of its time. After all, the haptic shock chair was fitted with fully-developed commercialized brainwave control technology. In reality, the closest thing to brainwave control was the Link project of Neuralink, known as the lace electrode project. On 29 August 2020, Neuralink launched a press conference for the V0.9 version of the lace electrode. At the press conference, a piglet implanted with electrodes was used to showcase the results of the company during this period. It appeared to be a very promising product, but after stripping off the ceremonial frills, what happened turned out to disappoint the members of the technology industry. There was nothing ground-breaking or innovative to be seen in the presentation of their technology. Particularly, there was no progress in the neural signals decoding technology, which was the main focal point of everyone attending. There was only a simple demonstration of the relationship between the movement of the pigs limbs and the nerve discharge stemming from the brain. There was still a long way to go before practical human-computer interaction could be achieved. Over the next few years, there would not be any significant breakthrough in this line of technology. It was only until the current year when Chen Chen integrated the lace electrode technology with the God chip when the technology was put in the spotlight and gave birth to Project Xingtian. The brain-manipulation technology showcased by Project Xingtians bionic prosthesis made waves around the world, that can be considered as the warm-up round. With this context, the presentation of brain-control technology using this VR device should at least be considered a natural progression. Chen Chen told little X, Still, were going to have to trim it down more since we cannot reveal a fully-developed technology right off the bat. The world has made considerable progress in terms of holographic projection technology over the last few years. While its still a great shocker, it should at least be within the scope of acceptance to reveal this holographic projection technology. How should we go about trimming it down? Little X raised the question. Configure it so that this brain-control technology can only be used to perform operations in computers. For example, moving the cursor, simulating typing on a keyboard, playing triple-A games, and whatnot. Chen Chen described, But it wont be able to play some incredibly complex games like Oasis, this should be enough trimming. I see Little X understood immediately. Still, it should still be quite the ground-breaking reveal. The North American Continent has had their eyes on me already and is going to make their move sooner or later anyway. Theres no need to play it subtle anymore. Chen Chen deleted the corrupted movies from the USB drive before making a copy of another movie and pasting it into the drive. He opened it and dragged the progress bar to the scene with the X1 Tactile Suit on display. This tactile suit should be able to slip under the radar with the brain-control technology and holographic projection technology taking the spotlight. As Chen Chen said this, he extracted the silver color bodysuit from the screen, Excellent. Holographic projection technology, a trimmed-down version of brain-control technology along with electrical touch simulation technology. This will be the roster of the VR technology well be announcing next This time around, Blacklight Biotechnology will show them what its like to make waves! Chapter 384 - : V.1 Haptic Shock Chair The sands of time slipped by quickly and within the blink of an eye, it was September. Unlike the climate in the Central Continent, Namibia located in the African Continent was of a subtropical climate. Due to its higher terrain, the temperature difference throughout the year had little variance and bordered between 18 degrees and 28 degrees. Over the last three months, the world had been largely quaint, only slowly ticking away to the hands of the clock. However, there seemed to be something major brewing underneath this deceiving stillness. On this day, in a little-known media company in the business capital of the Mainland, an employee named Little Wu clocked in at his companys office building at 7:59 a.m. sharp. He went to his seat in the office, feeling relieved. Phew, good thing I made it. Would not be nice if I was late on the first day Little Wu allowed himself a moment to enjoy the cool air-conditioning inside the office. He then pulled a sheet of tissue paper to wipe the sweat trickling down his forehead before booting up the computer. Today was the first of September, the start of a brand new month. Compared to the energetic rookies, all the enthusiasm and brashness had long escaped Little Wu who had been working here for the last two years. These days, he seemed to have stepped into middle age ahead of schedule. He also had a sack of wolfberry soaking inside his thermos flask. For small-time media companies like the one he was in, fresh graduates came in one after another like ripe bundles of leek. There was always somebody resigning and someone new to immediately replace them. Small-time media companies like these knew best how to squeeze everything they could out of the average fresh graduates. The truly competent graduates would never even consider working in a place like this. Ah, heres to another boring, ordinary day. After sitting still for five minutes, the sweat finally stopped pouring out. He patted his large, round belly before opening the web browser and checked out his bookmarked website to start going through the comments of the netizens from yesterdays posted video. Seeing how it was the last day of August yesterday, Little Wu had uploaded twenty-eight videos all in one go to hit his KPI. This was Little Wus day-to-day work. Simply put, his job was to use company accounts to publish lots of technology-related videos on major websites and platforms across different continents. This included Baidu, B Station, UC, Tencent, and so on, all to earn more page views. The reason they had to be technology-related was that he was in charge of the tech branch in the company. The workforce here was not as large as the entertainment and celebrity-gossip department. It was right up Little Wus alley. On the Internet, Little Wu was affectionately referred to as Editor by his followers. The companys account was otherwise referred to as the Marketer. Little Wu took a look at the accounts on various platforms to check the barrages of messages left behind in yesterdays video. A shadow of a smirk slowly rose to the corner of his lips as he did so. With just one glance, there were easily more than five thousand comments left behind in each video combined. The average comments for each video stood somewhere around a hundred and sixty, most of them were the kind comments left behind by the netizens. The netizens these days sure were a friendly bunch Screw this editor! What am I supposed to watch here! You havent said anything worthwhile halfway into the video and just wrapped it up? What do you mean where am I watching this from? Obviously its from my phone! This stupid background music again This is a commercial account, just dislike this video and be done with it! Little Wu felt something riling up inside of him as he went through the kind words left behind by his dear netizens. How naive did they have to be that they thought their little comments could disrupt his monstrous upload speed? Bunch of young grasshoppers What they did not know was that all he needed to make money off them was for them to tap inside to view the video. The little comments they left were the cherry on top. When he saw the total page views totaling up to hundreds of thousands, his heart blossomed like a flower. The reason that he had to be subject to the connected anger of the netizens was that he was extremely proficient in using extremely exaggerated titles. He then wrapped up the title with a suggestive remark to tempt people to click inside. For example, if the Wang family from the next village just lost one of their pigs to a disease, Little Wu knew exactly how to spice up the article with a mysterious title: The old pig of the village leader died a horrible death in the middle of the night. When the leader woke up the next morning, he was greeted with a terrible sight As far as Little Wu was concerned, the contents of the video did not matter. Any piece of information in the tech world could be exaggerated and made into a video. What mattered was that these contents could generate the highest amount of page view possible. The reception mattered very little. Everything revolved around the generated volume. After two years of doing this, Little Wu was completely desensitized and immune to these comments. He had even come to enjoy it to a certain extent. The first thing he did every morning when he arrived at the office was to admire the barrage of insults and slander from the netizens on all the different platforms. After he was done being fascinated by their comments, Little Wu closed the tabs of the videos he had uploaded yesterday and started working on todays videos. He first went through the local science and tech forums of various countries to scope potential news. It did not take him long before he stumbled into several interesting articles. Most of these were baseless articles but were phrased formally to make them appear trustable. Little Wu thought that these articles were interesting enough. They would become his articles now. It did not matter to Little Wu either whether these pieces of news were valid or not. Even if they were fake, they were still worth sharing as long as they contained a certain value. After he was done collecting articles from different platforms, Little Wu directed his attention to the forums and official websites belonging to the major tech companies in hopes of finding some topic that garnered enough attention. First of all, he went to Apples official site. Hm The annual Autumn Apple Conference is approaching. Based on recent trends, it should be the iPhone 16. According to the officials, apart from the flagship killer iPhone 16, there are also several new products. Hm I can simply throw a video together with this Little Wu only briefly glanced through them and copied these news into his file. He then went to the Blacklight Biotechnology official website. Na, nani? The moment he tapped on the Blacklight Biotechnology official website, a piece of notification immediately popped out. New Product Announcement! Little Wu felt his heart skip a beat when he read this. As a company registered in the Mainland, Blacklight Biotechnology was a company that had truly built itself from the ground up. Although most of their business was conducted overseas, they at least had the confidence to say that they came from the Mainland. This gesture was unlike some of the other companies that were nurtured in the Mainland but ended up claiming that they were international companies. This was to say that Little Wu did have a positive impression of Blacklight Biotechnology. On top of that, each time they announced a new product, they would inevitably bring about a technological revolution. The term new product announcement alone should be able to net Little Wus three videos! The initial boredom Little Wu was feeling quickly vanished when he considered this prospect. He quickly swiped the notification away and started to look at the Blacklight Biotechnology official website. On the Blacklight Biotechnology official site main page, there were five major sections. They were categorized as biopharmaceutical, medical, viral disease, electronic technology, and tissue engineering. They were labeled with striking colors that were green, white, gray, black, and yellow to be immediately distinctive. On the corner of the electronic technology section, there was a large exclamation mark beaming in red. What, the new product is an electronic product? Little Wu was shocked to see this. He still had the Little X Translation Assistant installed on his computer and was probably more informed than anyone to give an opinion on this Blacklight Biotechnology product. It was all thanks to this software that he was able to delve through all the foreign forums without trouble. Otherwise, his subpar English would never net him this job he was currently working. After the last few years, was Blacklight Biotechnology finally trying to stake its place in the electronic technology industry again? Little Wu excitedly tapped inside and saw a large banner on the top of the electronic technology page. Inside the banner was what appeared to be an egg-shaped massage chair. What is this? After Little Wu tapped inside, he noted that this egg-shaped massage chair seemed to be some sort of VR device? What How could it be VR Little Wu suddenly fell speechless. This was not to say that VR was not impressive. The problem was that over the last decade, there had been a vast catalog of VR devices released everywhere. Peoples initial fascination with this subject had long been replaced by a sense of numbness. The only time VR had shown some actual notable progress was the game Half-Life: Alyx that was released in 2020. The game was given the full mark by IGN and impressed countless people. However, the catch was that it was only a stand-alone game at the end of the day. The range of options inside the game was also clearly hindered by the limitations of VR technology so it was a bit of a letdown. These days, VR had become an oversaturated market where everyone and their grandmothers wanted a share of the pie. There were enough products of varying quality everywhere, enough to dazzle anyone who bothered to look, but there had been no revolutionary technological progress for a while. It was largely in the stage of concept exploration and experimentation currently. Was Blacklight Biotechnology going to cash in on the oversaturated market as well? Little Wu shook his head, his initial excitement quickly dwindled. How much can they achieve with VR anyway. Is it going to be anywhere as realistic as the ones described in web novels? When Little Wu tapped inside, he saw the promotional footage posted by the officials. He played the video, still only faintly interested. The image of an egg-shaped chair quickly popped out. This product was displayed in a close-up angel. Following a piece of crisp background music, the dimensions of the chair were displayed on the screen. 1.5 meters in diameter and 1.66 meters in height. After that, another string of text: V.1 Haptic Shock Chair. It was rather self-explanatory, this was the name and dimensions of the VR device. Then, a blinding flash took over the background of the chair as the background transformed into a sheet of white before slowly fading into the scene of a common household. A young man was seen walking into the view of the camera before quickly sitting down casually on the Haptic Shock Chair, as one would do with any other common household furniture. Manufactured with genuine leather. Built-in liquid cooling cycle, adjustable seat temperature. Another string of narration appeared at the bottom of the video. The footage quickly zoomed in and provided a transparent view of the outer structure of the chair, vividly displaying its internal components. Just as described, there were dozens of pipes in its internal structure. What seemed to be some form of coolant cycled through the pipes, controlling the temperature air permeability of the chair. Four different gear presets available. During your time of leisure, enjoy the most premium massage experience. After this, the video zoomed in further, this time into the mechanical structure of the chair. After that, the camera pulled away again to display the egg-shaped chair in its full glory. The young man in the video had toggled the massage mode, he leaned back into the chair with a content look on his face. Now this is the first time Ive seen such a setup Blacklight Biotechnology, you sure have one up your sleeve Little Wu commented as he unscrewed the lid of a bottle and continued watching. Revolutionary Technological Innovation. Holographic Projection. After the sentence appeared, the young man in the video aborted the massage sequence and selected another button. The button appeared to be the switch of the main computer. Upon being toggled, the opening on the egg-shaped chair which was where the young man was seated suddenly flashed and displayed a projected screen! Pfft! Little Wu spat out the contents of the bottle. He hastily yanked a sheet of paper towel and slapped them on the keyboard while his eyes drifted to the screen again. Am I hallucinating? Little Wu muttered to himself in utter disbelief. Inside the video, a holographic screen did appear right in front of the young mans face. It was a semi-transparent screen that still allowed him to barely make out the young mans silhouette behind the screen. However, this was not the focal point. The focal point was just where was the screen projected from? Could it be that just as the narration described, it was a fully-developed holographic projection technology? At this time, countless people all over the world watching this had their minds blown as well. Holographic projection already existed in the present, but most of them were mock-projections. None of them properly qualified as a full-fledged holographic projection. Little Wu may not be a complete technology enthusiast, but he knew that much at least. With that said, how much could mere footage prove? Was this just a marketing stunt? Exaggeration? Was Blacklight Biotechnology not afraid of the backlash? The way Little Wu saw it, Blacklight Biotechnology had a remarkable global reputation. They were not short on funds either so it would be unreasonable for them to rely on such stunts to draw the spotlight. Unless their new product was truly innovative Little Wu silenced his suspicions and continued watching. After that, the young man in the video opened a web browser and began browsing. Through the semi-transparent screen, the young man could be seen smiling happily as he leisurely browsed the web, what stood out was his method of browsing Little Wu sensed something different here. From the angle of the video, the young man in the chair did not seem to be making any movements at all. The only subtle movement he made was the occasional head turn now and then. Meanwhile, the web page moved on its own. After a brief moment, the web page on the screen was closed as another web page was opened. Moments after, the web page scrolled on its own as if someone was controlling it. However, the young man still did not move at all. There was nothing resembling a keyboard or a mouse on his hands either. While Little Wu was trying to figure out the working behind this, the narration spelled it out for him The revolutionary external brain-computer interface technology can detect and connect to the users brain waves. The technology translates the users thoughts into direct signals, allowing the user to enter the next era of human-computer interaction! This is real! Little Wu could not keep himself on the edge of his seat anymore and immediately shot up from his chair. His eyes widened in disbelief Chapter 385 - Revolution of the VR Era The Blacklight Biotechnology website was refreshed at eight oclock this morning. This made Little Wu one of the first batches of people to discover the newly announced Blacklight Biotechnology product. As the video made its way around the Internet, it had caused a tremendous uproar! Blacklight Biotechnology was an unlisted company with a market value of more than 100 billion U.S. dollars. They were not considered a high-profile company. Still, countless people all over the world closely monitored every move they made. For no other reason than because Blacklight was the one who developed the age-reversal treatment as well as targeted cancer-curing drugs with a success rate of 90%. They were also the company behind the worlds first Blacklight virus vaccine to boot! If this was the primary reason, then the contending reason would be that Blacklight Biotechnologys video was out of the world. VR technology by itself was not an impressive feat since there was plenty of VR implementation all over the world. However, VR fitted with holographic technology and brainwave manipulation technology was a completely different subject entirely. After the official site made the announcement, the mainstream media in the Central Continent went rabid! [Blacklight Technology once again ventures into a new region. Leading pharmaceutical company set to launch an electronic product?] Tencent News. [Blacklight Biotechnology announced brand new VR, brain-control and holographic projection technology. Hoax? Or Blacklight?] Sina Express. [The Boy Cried Wolf? Pharmaceutical transitioning to electronic products as yet another company steps into the VR industry.] Sohu News. [Following Blacklight Biotechnologys official site announcement, the world is blown away!] UC News. Seeing as Blacklight was one of the giants in the pharmaceutical region, some netizens who were interested in technological development had also chipped into the discussion. [What sort of otherworldly enterprise is Blacklight Technology supposed to be? Their track record in biomedical innovation is a marvel on its own. They first developed the anti-aging project to rewrite human history. After that, they also cured three high-incidence cancers. Now they are chiming into the electronics industry? They are even gunning straight for VR right off the bat! Im beginning to think Blacklights president was the savior of a galaxy in his past life!] [I agree. Brainwave manipulation and holographic projection technology. I was blown away when I saw the video. I thought Blacklight Biotechnology inherited something from an interstellar civilization!] [What do you mean inherited, they probably obtained the entire blueprint! If not, then the founder of Blacklight Biotechnology must come from the future and replicate everything he knows!] [If Blacklight Biotechnologys newest innovation is legit, then the VR market is going to be unified from here on. The future of VR will be Blacklight Biotechnology against the world!] [Stop embarrassing yourself, commenter above must be paid to do this. Let us know if youre a bot account!] [] With the exposure from the major media outlets and the garnered attention by the netizens, Blacklight Biotechnology quickly rode the momentum and announced the launch date for their new product. They sent invitations to all the major media outlets to participate in the revolutionary product launch conference in Eco Science City set on the tenth of September. Yes, this was the slogan of Blacklight Biotechnologys conference: Revolution of the VR Era! In stark contrast to the fervent discussion and celebration of the media and netizens all over the world, things were looking gloomy for the electronic technology companies paddling in the VR industry. Some of them even refused to believe that Blacklight Biotechnology had developed such technology. After all, even the holographic projection technology developed by North American scientists had yet to make enough progress to showcase them outside the laboratory. Meanwhile, the current leader for brainwave technology was Musks Neuralink company. With all this context provided, Blacklight Biotechnology was suddenly announcing a fully commercialized holographic projection and brain-control technology? Utterly preposterous! Despite the vast number of non-believers, the ones who believed in this announcement whole-heartedly still held the majority. This was because they looked at Blacklight Biotechnologys track record. Every time they announced a conference, it was inevitable that a revolutionary change would occur in the world! In the blink of an eye, it was the tenth of September. Namibia was originally a country that seemed to have been forgotten and abandoned by civilization. It was as primitive as it was underdeveloped. It used to barely resemble the current state it was in. In just three years, ever since a company known as Blacklight Biotechnology or Blackwatch had cemented themselves here, everything changed. Today, the largest international harbor of Namibia the Walvis Bay had become interconnected with the Eco Science City founded by Blacklight Biotechnology. More than a hundred and fifty thousand people worked and lived here. The city also boasted the lowest crime rate in all of Africa. All of the habitants here had to go through an intensive screening process. Cases such as theft and robbery had a 100% solve rate. Ever since the ban on firearms was imposed, the crime rate proceeded to slide off a cliff as well. The territory which the Eco Science City resided in was a private land rented by Chen Chen, so it was up to him to decide the firearms regulation here. At this time in the dark backstage of the conference, Qian Wenhuan was patrolling the area while going through a stack of documents. The venue of the conference was still set in the Blacklight Dome, which was the same place where Chen Chen had the TED talk five months ago. President Qian, 30 minutes until the conference begins. The well-endowed secretary wearing tight black silk leggings revealing the outline of her assets slowly approached Qian Wenhuan who was trying to memorize the script. You look tense, do you need some quick massaging? Jennifer, theres a time and place for everything. Qian Wenhuan frowned. I cant ruin the bosss event. I wont even be able to keep food on the table if I mess this up! The beautiful secretary who looked straight out of the 90s purred like a Persian cat as she wrapped behind Qian Wenhuan. She placed her slender hands on Qian Wenhuans shoulders and massaged while she blew seductively into Qian Wenhuans ears. Feeling better now, my dear? Phew Although Qian Wenhuan would not let it show, his originally tense expression had eased down considerably. Without realizing it, he found his hands reaching for her back. Looks like I chose an inappropriate time to show up. Just as Qian Wenhuan had a firm grip on his secretarys voluptuous back, he heard an icy, hoarse voice coming from behind him. Although the tone of the voice sounded like the person was quite young, Qian Wenhuan still shuddered all the same when he heard it. When he turned around, he saw Chen Chen staring at him without expression. Bo, Boss Qian Wenhuan forced a strained smile. I, Im just, uh You dont have to explain yourself. I have zero interest in your personal life. Chen Chen made a waving gesture, signaling him to stop as he remarked nonchalantly, I only swung by to check things out since Im free. Since youre in the mood for something like this, I take it that the event is going to proceed without any hiccups? No problem at all, guaranteed! Qian Wenhuan hurriedly sorted himself together and pushed off the horrified secretary behind him. The mechanism on the stage had been set up several days ago and had five Haptic Shock Chairs moved into the compartments. They will ascend onto the stage once the button is toggled. With that, Qian Wenhuan stealthily flicked open the curtain to get a glimpse of the stage. He saw the stage packed densely with more people still shuffling inside. There was also a large host of security personnel in blue informs holding tasers and maintaining order at the venue. More than five hundred major media outlets all over the world are present at the scene, they have entered the venue since an hour ago. The security team has three pre-coordinated security protocols to deal with various potential emergencies. The personnel in charge of safety are mercenaries of Tara Security and there are more than 500 of them present. No one will dare think of causing trouble! Not only the venue, but you also have to pay attention to the entire Eco Science City as well. Chen Chen noted with a nod before reminding. Of course, Im well aware. There have been tens of thousands of guests flowing into Eco Science City daily and overflowing all the hotels. Ill manage everything accordingly and properly. Qian Wenhuan assured, thumping his chest. With that, Chen Chen decided there was nothing else for him to add. He let Qian Wenhuan continue memorizing his script while he continued loitering around backstage. Many employees were walking around backstage. Chen Chen brushed past them nonchalantly. None of them would ever fathom that this young Chinese man with a stone-cold expression was none other than the sole master of Blacklight Biotechnology. Boss When Chen Chen stepped into an empty corner, he heard the soft, gentle voice of a woman coming from behind him. Chen Chen stopped without turning around. For some time now, he had sensed the burning gaze of someone staring at him. Boss, please let me introduce myself. My name is Jennifer Lopez, the secretary to your general manager. The voice drew closer until she came right next to Chen Chen. She spoke with an extremely seductive voice that she was so proud of, I believe youre not acquainted with me yet? Hi, Miss Jennifer. Chen Chen turned to her and flashed her a courteous smile. Is there anything I can help you with? Im so sorry, Ive been very lax as your employee. I cant believe I didnt recognize you when I first met you Jennifer seemed to be intentionally breathing into Chen Chens ear as she spoke. Her warm, steaming breath filled Chen Chens ear. Would you please allow me a chance to make it up for you? Id like to know you better, I heard theres a saying in Chinese That its never too late to mend past mistakes? Chen Chen frowned a little and stared directly into her eyes. Please? Jennifer pleaded again. Chen Chen cracked a smile, revealing a row of pearly white teeth underneath. And how would you plan to get to know me, Miss Jennifer? Well, Id like to know everything there is to Jennifer was pleased to hear this. Just as she was going to say something, she felt a piercing pain on her scalp and the world seemed to turn on its head. It was then when she noticed this young man before her had ruthlessly pulled her by her hair! Ah, let go, let go! She felt pulses of numbing pain so terrible that tears fell uncontrollably down her face. The backstage was filled with Jennifers echoing screams. Like this? Miss Jennifer? Chen Chen dragged Jennifer right in front of him by her hair and threatened, his voice was icy, You dont know me and dont have anything to do with me. I dont care what your relationship with Old Qian is. All you need to know is that youre in an esteemed position and many people would kill to take your place. If you dont want to do it, then someone else will. So heres my suggestion, do your job properly, got it? Yes, I will! I swear! Jennifer cried out in between sobs. With that, Chen Chen finally loosened his grip and immediately left. D*mn, hes crazy! After making sure Chen Chen was gone, Jennifer cursed Chen Chen while fixing her fine blonde hair. She had never thought that the mystifying charm that she was so proud of would barely faze the stone-cold man. Is this person an ordinary man at all? With this in mind, Jennifer quickly jogged her memory to the files she had on Chen Chen. It was clearly stated that ever since his college days, this man had never initiated contact with any other woman apart from a schoolmate called Xia Yin. This was a completely unheard-of tale for a billionaire. It was not a secret that people worth tens of billions had a tremendously higher chance of having multiple mistresses. It may not be a hundred percent, but at least a good sixty to seventy percent of them did so. After crossing the billion dollars mark, this number was easily above ninety percent. It was not so much that people lose their sense of morality as they become richer. It was more so that they were subject to a hundred times more temptation and seduction compared to common folks. However, this principle seemed to be completely meaningless when applied to this young man called Chen Chen. Looks like beauty and charm alone isnt going to get me anywhere close to the target, Ill have to report this to the higher-ups Jeniffer mumbled to herself. After she was done fixing herself up, she headed back out again. As expected, someone who can tempt Qian Wenhuan enough to make him forget his family is very experienced Jennifer was so confident that her identity was shrouded in shadow. Little did she know, everything there was to know about her had been set on Chen Chens office table ever since the day she started working for Qian Wenhuan. After leaving the Blacklight Dome through the backdoor, Chen Chen conversed with Little X using the wireless earpiece. Of course, she went through strict military training ever since she was thirteen. Not including her expertise in assassination, intel gathering, and infiltration, what shes most proficient in is utilizing her beauty to assassinate her targets. Little X said, Completely flawless appearance and a figure that could only be classified as S rank, so beautiful that its impossible to not have perverted thoughts when looking at her. These are the tools in her arsenal. Ever since graduating from the academy, she accepted nine missions and cleared each one of them. The toughest missions looked like childs play when entrusted to her. Very impressive indeed. Chen Chen nodded as if appraising her. Even I was this close to giving in. Little X paused for a moment before resuming. How about this, Sir Godfather. Its about time we clean up the perimeter. There are currently three hundred and sixty-four spies lurking in Eco Science city. Most of them are still under covers but they are starting to hinder Eco Science Citys operation. Chapter 386 - Conference Ten minutes later, Jennifer had already sorted herself out. She silently snuck back and stood behind Qian Wenhuan as if nothing had happened. Youre back. Just as she silently heaved a sigh of relief, thinking that Qian Wenhuan did not notice her, Qian Wenhuan suddenly addressed her with his back facing her. President Qian? Jennifer put on an innocent expression and looked at Qian Wenhuan strangely. Got into some trouble with the boss? Qian Wenhuan turned around and remarked briefly. Jennifer opened her mouth. The first thought that came to mind was to explain herself but she did not know what to say. Dont be nervous, Im just asking. Qian Wenhuan checked the time and saw the promotional clip was already playing on stage. He took a deep breath and stepped onto the stage without turning around for one last look. D*mn, this Qian Wenhuan had been playing dumb all this time. He knows what my real profession is, he knew everything all along! Jennifer broke into a flurry of curses in her mind as she spiraled into panic Meanwhile, Qian Wenhuan was heading to the center of the stage via the tunnel Just five months ago, Chen Chen also took the same tunnel to the center of the stage where he gave the speech that shocked the world the Technology-driven Evolution Theory. The speech he gave was torn apart viciously by the religious parties of the Western community. There were even protests held in North America against Blacklight Biotechnology. However, since Blacklight Biotechnology did not have any significant ongoing businesses in North America, the protests did very little harm. However, the speech had earned the support of people. It even earned the support of the church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster[1]. On YouTube, the video of Chen Chens speech had reached more than 10 million views. It was where countless people were first exposed to the mysterious and elusive president of Blacklight Biotechnology. Five months ago, it was the boss who stood here and presented that fabled speech. Although I can never accomplish a similar feat, Im not going to disappoint the boss anytime soon Qian Wenhuan told himself as he stepped on the stage with a pious expression. He timed it just right so that just as the hexagonal screen overhead finished playing the promotional clip, the display switched to the cameras of the drones centering in on him stepping onto the stage. The moment the audience saw Qian Wenhuan, a thunderous clap echoed across the venue before he could even get a word out. Ladies and gentlemen, I welcome you all to the Eco Science City and the product launch conference of Blackwatch Corporation. Qian Wenhuan flashed a smile oozing confidence. After being a part of the higher society for so long, he had also come to develop an air of nobility around him. With a simple smile, the audience immediately felt a sense of prestige washing over them. Im sure everyone present here is well-acquainted with me by now as Ive represented Blackwatch on many events countless times in the past. For those who dont know me yet, allow me to introduce myself. Qian Wenhuan bowed. My name is Qian Wenhuan, the CEO of the Blackwatch African branch. Ill be your host for todays conference. Allow me to host the product launch conference of our esteemed Blackwatch over the next hour and a half! After Qian Wenhuan had wrapped up his introduction, the hexagonal screen overhead lit up and displayed the blackhole-like logo of Blackwatch at its center. It was accompanied by a grandiose musical that inspired the crowd to clap along. What you folks may not know is that Blackwatch will be announcing three products today. This is left out of the previous promotional clip so it can be revealed here and now as a surprise. Qian Wenhuan said in a playful tone, Of the three products, two of them will be VR devices while the last one shall remain a secret for now. What I can tell you is that its also an electronic device. This shall be Blackwatchs first venture into the electronic luxuries market! This quickly inspired another fervent round of clapping and people voicing their awe. Many members of the audience had their amusement written across their faces. Nobody had expected Blacklight Biotechnology to reveal three products today. What was more surprising were the representatives of various electronic technology companies in attendance today. In addition to the members of major media outlets, the representatives of technological giants like Apple and Google were sitting in the front row of the conference. Their minds were a mixture of a thousand different emotions. One thing that was clear to all of them was that they were going to be witnesses to a historical event. Alright, let me tell you all about VR. Qian Wenhuan made a gesture like he was drawing across the string of an accordion with both hands to quiet the crowd. Frankly speaking, VR isnt exactly a novel piece of technology. If youve been paying attention to the development of industry, you should know that this technology has surfaced as early as the 1950s and 1960s. At the time, they were extremely bulky and clumsy equipment, only seen as prototypes in laboratories. Subsequently, as semiconductor and optical technology started to make major advancements, militarized versions of VR began to appear. They were used to simulate sequences of flight missions. As the use of VR started to become streamlined, the technology officially became inducted in hundreds of thousands of households by mid-2010. This had people proclaiming the VR era is here! When Qian Wenhuan saw that he had captured the attention of the audience again, he resumed. By now, the trajectory of VR is well defined. Its the display device of the next generation. If Moores Law is any indication, VR shall become a mixed integration of user interaction, calculation, and perception capabilities over the next few years. By then, only calling it VR would be a disservice. It should instead be labeled as: the successor to computers, the second generation intelligent platform. With that said, its not enough yet. We humans rely on physical behaviors in reality to communicate. There are also the five senses which are sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch. Qian Wenhuan suddenly pointed at an elderly man with a gray-white beard sitting in the front row and smiled. Mr. Cameron, something you said at the Google Developers Conference some years ago left a strong impression on me you said that humans are an advanced species with distinct perceptions such as sight, hearing, touch, behavior, and taste. True virtual reality can only be achieved if all these perceptions can be simulated in a virtual reality simulated environment! All of the audience quickly turned to look at the elder politely addressed as Mr. Cameron. The elder only nodded and returned a dignified smile. Qian Wenhuan spread out his hands again. We know that there are endless VR products on the market. But at the root of it, these technology implementations only fulfill the users visual and auditory sensations. The remaining three perceptions are still completely unfulfilled as theres no way to do so due to the technical limitations. Despite this, we continue to seek a solution on this journey of discovery in the VR realm. We at Blackwatch are no exception to this rule. We continued to look for a breakthrough until today As Qian Wenhuan arrived at this note, the background music playing on stage had reached its climax point. He made an inviting gesture and shifted the audiences focus to the stage behind him. And now, Blackwatch has finally done it. Two brand-new technologies to invent a brand-new VR equipment. Allow me to present to you the first product of this conference V.1 Haptic Shock Chair! At the drop of his sentence, five egg-shaped devices rose from underneath the platform behind him. Their reveal was accompanied by a cloud of mist, adding to the mysteriousness of the revelation. Beside each of the equipment were two female assistants standing with their hands on their sides. Among the audience, the group of electronics manufacturers squinted their eyes and looked at the stage, scrutinizing what they were seeing. The egg-shaped devices came in two different colors. Three of them were pure black while the other two came in pure white texture. The five eggs were positioned in the center of the stage and immediately demanded the attention of everyone present. Im sure every one of you here has seen our promotional clips. In that case, Im sure you know that this haptic shock chair comes with fully-fitted holographic projection and brainwave control technology. Apart from that, its also a full-fledged smart device that can be used to browse the web, watch regular movies as well as VR movies. It can also be used to play triple-A games on the market and accepts brainwave signals as input. All you need to do is configure its frequency to your preference. Qian Wenhuan explained in crisp, elaborate terms, I can go on for days to list its countless features, but I dont want to be the one telling you all this. This is why Id like to invite several members of the audience to give us a presentation. The audience below was already cheering excitedly as he said this. However, Qian Wenhuan seemed to intentionally shift his focus to one of the high-ranking executives from Apple. Mr. Lawrence? The executive quickly held his hands up and waved them side to side, reluctant to step on stage. Come on, Mr. Lawrence! Youre my senior and if its one person who is most qualified to give an in-depth review of Blackwatchs product, its you. With that, the executive finally stepped onto the stage reluctantly. The two assistants helped him into the haptic shock chair. Mr. McHarry? Qian Wenhuan went to another executive from Google. The man called McHarry stepped onto the stage as well. After that, Qian Wenhuan specifically named high-ranking executives from the VR field to have them perform a demonstration on the haptic shock chair. First and foremost, they would not dare voice harsh criticisms since they were flanked by countless media outlets all over the world. Secondly, they were the elites of relevant industries and also the competitors of Blacklight Biotechnology. Any praise coming out of their lips would have a magnified effect. With that said, the precedent had to be that the haptic shock chair debuted by Blacklight Biotechnology must be what it claimed to be a revolutionary product. Otherwise, this demonstration could sabotage them instead. After all five executives sat into the haptic shock chair, they activated it under the guidance of the assistants. A semi-transparent screen immediately appeared in front of each haptic shock chair. It was like a transparent light film that directly wrapped around the exposed section of the egg-shaped chair. It immediately enveloped the entire field of vision of the executives on the chairs. This strange presentation quickly drew the oohs and ahhs of the crowd below. The hexagonal screen on the stage displayed the cameras inside the chairs, providing an angle from the inside of the chair. From the screen, it could be seen that the five of them barely made any movements. All they did was shift their eyes around, which caused the display to move automatically and shift its focus to wherever they darted their eyes to. When they evoked a thought with their mind, they got to click wherever they intended. It was evident that these controls were enabled by their brainwaves. After a little over ten minutes when the five men stepped off the stage seemingly still wanting more of that experience, the stage erupted into cheers. Mr. McHarry? Qian Wenhuan approached McHarry who was the first to step off the stage. He tried to quiet down the crowd and asked, What do you think about the haptic shock chair? McHarry gathered his thoughts for a moment before declaring, All I can say is that this product is ahead of its time. This haptic shock chair designed by Blackwatch immediately surpassed all the VR equipment seen anywhere else in the world, including our VR products at Google After he said this, he only sighed before stepping off the stage. After that, the rest of them also voiced their input, none of them provided any negative feedback. At this point, there was already thunderous applause coming below the stage The atmosphere of the night had reached its absolute peak. Im sure everyone here has a better understanding of our V.1 Haptic Shock Chair by this point, but I do believe that everyone is being too generous with your critique. It was then when Qian Wenhuan continued. Did everyone notice that despite being equipped with two revolutionary technology implementations, theres still something missing from our equipment? For example Touch, smell, and taste? Qian Wenhuan paced around slowly. I regret to inform you that in the current VR scope, smell and taste are still difficult to achieve. A further technological breakthrough would be required to accomplish it. This is something that we at Blackwatch are constantly working toward. However, our company has something that can emulate the sense of touch As he said this, the five V.1 Haptic Shock Chairs descended below the stage. When the platforms rose again, five metallic gray jumpsuits that looked like they came straight out of a sci-fi film appeared. Now, we shall present the second product we have in-store today V.1 Tactile Suit! [1] a social movement that promotes a light-hearted view of religion found in 2005. Chapter 387 - Environmental Holographic Simulator Heres what I think, being too realistic might not exactly be a great thing. Qian Wenhuan suddenly switched his tone when he made this point. His expression was unable to be deciphered. After all, most films have some mature scenes sprinkled here and there. For example, theres the GTA series and the Witcher series, to a certain extent Some specially designed games. Fitted with an over realistic tactile suit, there might be some certain unwanted consequences Hahaha! The audience roared with laughter. Im just kidding. Qian Wenhuan brushed off the subject with a playful shake of his wrist. Over the next few years, our company will be experimenting with more realistic tactile suit setups. Still, you wont have to worry about not having a suitable game to complement the tactile suit after your purchase. Weve already made sure to liaise with the relevant game departments before designing these VR suits. To complement our V.1 Haptic Shock Chair and V.1 Tactile Suit, weve designed more than a dozen of exclusive games, all of which are triple-A titles. Weve invested a total of more than one billion US dollars. The genres include RNG, ACT, FPS, AVG, and RAC. These are games compatible with the haptic shock chair and I believe it will not disappoint any player bases. Everyone became bewildered when they heard this statement. Such a large amount of investment Blackwatch had certainly committed a lot to promote this VR equipment. It was then when a reporter below the stage raised his hand excitedly. It seems like the reporter from BBC over there has something to say. Qian Wenhuan pointed to the young man below the stage. Mr. Qian, will these VR games reach or surpass the quality of the era-defining game Half-life: Alyx? The young man was an avid gaming enthusiast. His question was direct and straight to the point. Also, will these games be free on the new VR platform? That is a great question. Qian Wenhuan immediately answered formally, I can tell you without any reserve, ladies, and gentlemen as well as the audience watching from home, that weve invested a far more substantial amount in our games than the average traditional game. The average investment weve pooled into each game is around 150 million U.S. dollars. This is a heavier investment than the production for most Hollywood films, so I can guarantee that there will be no problem in terms of quality. Their quality and plot will surpass that of Half-life: Alyx, but if youre wondering about the overarching theme and complexity of the games? Then I believe I have no say in this subject since thats up to all of you present here to decide! Many people found themselves nodding in agreement with what Qian Wenhuan said. If Qian Wenhuan were to claim that the games developed by Blackwatch would be comparable to the legendary Half-life title were true, it would generate a lot of controversies immediately. After all, the legendary title was one to be remembered for ages to come. As far as cost, theres no need to worry about it. Qian Wenhuan smiled. All of the games released on our V.1 Haptic Shock Chair platform will be free forever! This sent another round of applause below the stage. What Qian Wenhuan was not aware of at this moment was the moment he made this declaration, a swarm of messages immediately filled the screens of live streams all over the world! [Blacklight Biotechnology the Generous] [Buy buy buy] [Hype] [Worried] [This eggy chair is going to cost at least several thousand yuan] [Several thousand yuan? More like several thousand U.S. dollars] [Hype hype hype] [This is it this is it] [I feel so upper class watching some conference like this] [Stupid little gimmick, anyone who buys this is a clown] [Trash company] [Reported] [Yikesssss] [Stop spamming, I cant see the stream] [Ill give an arm for this] In this case, may I know how much this haptic shock chair and the tactile suit are going to cost? Another reporter could not wait any longer and immediately got up and asked. Qian Wenhuan inspected the building anticipation among the audience as he smiled. I suppose everyone is ready for the reveal now that Ive been building up to it for so long. With that, he snapped his thumbs. The price list immediately appeared on the hexagonal display above the stage V.1 Haptic Shock Chair: 8,888 U.S. Dollars, V.1 Tactile Suit: 666 U.S. Dollars. Although the audience had mentally prepared themselves for this reveal, they still held their breath collectively. I know, compared to necessities like cars and homes, its rather pricey for just being a haptic shock chair electronic equipment. Noting the crowd that had their energy drained away slightly, Qian Wenhuan gestured. However, dont forget that this is the very first product in the world that comes with holographic projection and brainwave manipulation technology. I can guarantee that its worth every dollar spent. Upon noting this, Qian Wenhuan suddenly shifted the topic. Besides, if you find the haptic shock chair too pricey, we have an alternative for you. After he said this, he picked up the tactile suit to reveal to the audience an oddly shaped helmet hiding below the tactile suit all this time! VR Helmet! This successfully captured everybodys attention. Meanwhile, the executives of the major tech companies immediately turned sour. Blackwatch had seated themselves at the head of the table. Were they not going to at least spare some crumbs under the table? V.1 Haptic Shock Helmet! Qian Wenhuan picked up a helmet to give the audience a better view. The helmet was designed with a nearly identical color palette and style as the haptic shock chair. The only difference was that it was a helmet. The V.1 Haptic Shock Helmet is the same as the V.1 Haptic Shock Chair. Its molded using a traditional compression molding injection process. Theres a layer nano-level optical engraving texture on its shell which allows it to reflect a metallic luster when light is shone upon it. An ergonomically designed butterfly mask is implemented on its inside to ensure that the projected light doesnt leak from its openings. The part that attaches to the skin is made of protein leather which allows air to breathe through. Qian Wenhuan declared, As an alternative product, the V.1 Haptic Shock Helmet doesnt utilize a holographic projection setup but instead uses two traditional independent 2.1-inch LCD screens. The full screen dimensions are 3200 x 1600 pixels and reach up to a maximum of 1058 PPI, built with interpupillary distance adjustment function. Also, there are sliders for both screens. After proper configuration, users with myopia prescription within a range of 700 degrees can still see everything on the VR screen without the need for glasses! As Qian Wenhuan said this, he suddenly paused to build suspense again. I know, this isnt all that impressive since most VR glasses can achieve the same functionalities as well. In that case, why does it have to be a helmet instead of easy-to-carry glasses? Everyone seemed to have caught his meaning when he said this. Thats right, the V.1 Haptic Shock Helmet is fitted with our companys brainwave manipulation device BWMR external nerve electrode. This means that just like the Haptic Shock Chair, it accepts the users thoughts as input. The only thing it needs now is to be connected to a computer! The audience erupted with cheers as Qian Wenhuan said this. Compared to the pricey Haptic Shock Chair, the helmet was more reasonable. The price for the V.1 Haptic Shock Helmet is set at 1,888 U.S. Dollars. The V.1 Haptic Shock Helmet can also be used in combination with the V.1 Tactile Suit. This means that users can put on the helmet along with the tactile suit and lay back on their couch to play VR games. You can immerse in your own where nobody will bother you! After that, Qian Wenhuan called for some representatives for some demonstration on stage just like previously. After a brief round of tests, they expressed that they were pleased with its performance. Alright, next up is the final highlight of the conference. Qian Wenhuan checked the time before informing, Looks like well need to speed this up. The mood in the venue that had seemed to wind down a little suddenly tensed up again. It was only after the host said this when they realized the helmet was not the third product mentioned. Just as the host claimed, it was merely the substitute for the Haptic Shock Chair. If even the Haptic Shock Chair was not the highlight, then just what was the highlight of this conference supposed to be? The major tech companies were about to lose their mind when they heard this announcement. Some of them already had despair written across their faces. Surely enough, the dramatic entrance of Blackwatch into the fighting ring that was the VR market had disrupted whatever balance there was. Blackwatch had utterly imposed its will on all of the combatants. If the VR market was a fine cuisine set on a table in a restaurant, then the people fighting at the table were the many competitors in the VR market. The sudden entrance of Blackwatch was akin to someone suddenly barging in and telling the waiter to pack everything to go for him to take home. To add insult to injury, he even flipped the table before leaving! Everyone was drowning in despair at this moment. Did nobody notice? If the central technology implemented in the V.1 Haptic Shock Chair was our companys patented BWMR external nerve electrode technology, then what would be the product that fully utilizes our holographic projection technology? As Qian Wenhuan said this, the five platforms silently descended below the stage again. Meanwhile, he held his breath and motioned for the crowd to quiet down. A ringing silence immediately took over the venue. Qian Wenhuans stage presence was certainly something to behold. Everyone fixed their gaze on the part of the stage behind the host as a cylindrical object even larger than the Haptic Shock Chair slowly rose from a platform and presented itself before the audience! This entire object took on a translucent form. Inside it, there were clouds of mist that constantly emitted a blue glow. The diameter of the object was approximately fifty-centimeters only but it stood more than two and a half meters tall. This cylindrical device you are seeing here is the true spotlight of todays conference HP 3D Simulator! Qian Wenhuan announced at the top of his voice, HP here stands for Holographic Projection. Its official name is the Environmental Holographic Simulator. Its functionalities are simple and elaborate, let us take a look at an introductory clip. As he said this, the display above flickered The clip started with a piece of brisk and melodic music as the display showed a standard Western-style home. A team of workers was then seen carrying four pearly white Environmental Holographic Simulator. After that, the video was sped up. It became a montage of the workers erecting these pillars on all four corners of the room. This was also when the audience noted that these pillars could perfectly attach themselves to the floor as well as the ceiling of the room. After that, when the device seemed to be connected to a power source, their originally milky white texture immediately transitioned into a cloud of sky blue. They immediately painted their magnificent blue luster over the canvas, which was the room. After that, a young lady stepped inside, stretching lazily as she entered. She came to the center of the room and seemed to mouth something that was muffled by the music. While she did so, she also lifted her index finger and thumb and quickly swiped to the side! The background music paused abruptly and at the same time, something wondrous happened! Inside the video, something that was unmistakably a computer display manifested out of thin air in front of the young lady. The translucent display was floating mid-air. There was no doubt in the audiences mind that this was a holographic projection! After that, the room began to shift constantly with the young lady monitoring it. The edges of the wall and the tiles below her feet morphed into the pouring sea, there were even little fish seen swimming under the tiles. Within moments, it turned into the clouds thousands of miles above the sky. Large clouds floated everywhere in the room. It was a shocking sight. With moments, the wall turned into a wall portrait, then into a field that stretched on forever, then it turned into a mass of skyscrapers In thirty seconds, the young lady continued to swipe her fingers across the air while the environment continued to shift around her. What was most shocking was that only the scenery inside the room changes, but the furniture was barely affected at all and was still visible. The young lady seemed to still be unimpressed with all these. The young lady continued scrolling until in the end, a dream-like sequence appeared in the room. The sky was filled with radiant rainbow colors while the ground below was an open field with hundreds of thousands of flowers blooming. Off in the distance, a mid-century castle stood mightily. Alice in Wonderland? This was the first thing everyone watching thought of. The background music was building up to its chorus at this point. The lady seemed to be finally content as she laid back on her bed with a satisfied smile. It felt as if she was lying on a bed of grass! However, the young lady did not go to sleep just yet. When she blinked again, a tiny vertical screen appeared in front of her, it was a holographic phone. After that, the screen began moving on its own. One second, she was chatting with her friends on messaging apps and the very next second she was watching a movie on another app. The venue was bellowing with excitement and enthusiasm with what they were seeing. People launched themselves up from their seats and cheered and applauded. Everyone was dumbfounded by what this holographic device was capable of. Fantasy? No, this is reality The promotional clip did not contain any narration, it was only after the clip ended when Qian Wenhuan spoke, Environmental Holographic Simulator. It allows the user to manipulate and craft a desired living environment suited to ones preference while also receiving broadcasted holographic signals from all over the world. This is the holographic era! Congratulations everyone, youre now entering the holographic intelligence era! Chapter 388 - The Calm Before the Storm As you all may know already, holographic technology is a technology that uses the principle of light interference and diffraction to project the true three-dimensional figure of an object. After the audience had finally settled down, Qian Wenhuan started to explain. The term holographic technology isnt a new term. As early as 2010, artists such as Hatsune Miku used holographic technology to present themselves at concerts. This type of holography is known as Stage Performance Holographic Technology. The technology holds wide appeal to singers, actors, magicians, politicians, and many companies. The best example of the application of this technology is during the victorious campaign of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. However, holography is not without its disadvantages. Not only is there a strict set of requirements for stage lighting equipment and setup, but it also loses its effects drastically when observed from a specific angle or from up close. Scientifically speaking, this technique wouldnt qualify it as a true holographic projection. If were talking about the principle of the technique, Stage Performance Holographic Technology is only one of its many aspects. Theres also the Material Media Holographic Technology, the practical application of this technology is the usage of smoke projectors in conjunction with underwater holographic projection. With a proper projector inside a monitored environment, the fog that rises from the smoke projector with holographic projection cast upon it creates a realistic holographic image. Theres also the more elaborate Fan Blade Holographic Technology although strictly speaking, it wouldnt count as holographic. These devices are fans with assembled RGB light sources embedded on the blades to create a 2D holographic image when activated. As Qian Wenhuan narrated, the hexagonal display above provided reference images to reflect the types of holographic technology he was describing. Again, strictly speaking, the techniques mentioned earlier wouldnt qualify as a natural holographic projection. Proper holographic imaging is composed of aerial imaging, laser refraction, and high-precision prism. What our Environmental Holographic Simulator utilizes is aerial imaging! As Qian Wenhuan said this, he made a signal which summoned a panel of notes right beside him that consisted of a large amount of data written atop it. What we use here is a form of Laser Plasma Holographic Technology. There are millions of pinpoint-sized laser generators embedded inside the simulator. By running low-frequency power into femtosecond lasers, it focuses the lasers into a singular point via 3D targeting. Through this process, molecules in the air become ionized to produce low-temperature plasma, which controls the three axes which are x, y, and z to produce a three-dimensional image. Qian Wenhuan smiled as he read from the data above, The reason we named it non-invasive laser is because the laser generators maneuver around the furniture in your home as well as your eyes and body. Moreover, the laser irradiation frequency is extremely brief, no more than one-millionth of a second. The lasers only activate 144 times within a second. Remember computer displays? What the environmental holographic simulator does is essentially transforms your room into a 144Hz computer display, except this display is three-dimensional. Something even better Not only can you see these images, but you could also even touch them! What? The audience below gasped. Qian Wenhuan poked the sign next to him several times. Since this laser is a femtosecond laser, it can ionize the air at specific points to produce sporadic tiny plasma vibrations. This way, we can feel its natural texture when touching it. As Qian Wenhuan said this, he paused briefly, savoring the moment. Hm This texture is very similar to sandpaper. The audience enthusiastically waved their hands in the air, each wanting to go on stage to experience for themselves what the so-called holographic projection feels like. After the people stepped on stage to give it a curious touch, they each reacted with great astonishment and were taken by how foreign it was. After that, Qian Wenhuan asked each of them how it felt like and obtained a large assortment of answers. Some said it felt like metal, others said it felt like plastic, most of them described it as a rough-to-the-touch substance. In the end, Qian Wenhuan announced that the highlight of the day, the HP 3D Simulators, cost a million dollars per set. Each set came with four of the devices. This was because a set of four had to be installed in four corners of a room to achieve a full holographic effect and to cover all blind corners. Additionally, there was a set of restrictions when it came to the environmental holographic simulators. First, the room could not be anywhere larger than thirty square meters and the length and width of the room could not exceed six meters. If it exceeded the specified area and length, a holographic environment simulator with a larger diameter range and higher frequency was required. Although this price range easily put it above what ninety-nine percent of the worlds population could afford, many people were well aware that it was not designed for common household use in the first place. Its true value lay in boosting the market value of a commercial area! For example, it could be implemented in conference rooms or wherever companies wanted to use to conduct floor plan meetings. It was in places like this where the environmental holographic simulator truly shone. One way or another, the debut of the environmental holographic simulator ushered holographic projection technology to a new era. After they drew the curtains of the conference, the people who had been paying attention to the conference started to boil over in excitement. Everywhere online, there were discussions about the three era-defining technology. [Oh my God, that thing they showed in the end is what a real non-medium projection looks like! Its like the one from Iron Man. Is manipulatable holographic projection technology finally here?] [The technology used for this environmental holographic simulator is known as a non-medium holographic technology. I never expected to see something like this in my lifetime. Did Blacklight Biotechnology just drop a nuclear bomb on us???] [Holographic projection technology with supported textures? I suddenly have a bold billion-dollar idea (Dog Emoji)] [Ill pay you fifty cents to delete your comment and let me post it instead!] [With this insane bomb dropped, I think Apples new product launch event is going to look silly in comparison] [Theres no way anyone can afford the environmental holographic simulator unless that someone is already filthy rich. This product is strictly for business use only and youd better wait a decade before you can expect to see it commercialized. By then, the technology should be more mature and the price will naturally decline. Shouldnt we direct our focus to the V.1 series instead?] [Forget about it, even the V.1 helmet costs nearly ten thousand, dont forget the tactile suit as well. Can anybody who doesnt already own a gold mine even afford it?] Regardless of the reception, keywords like Blacklight Biotechnology, V.1 Tactile Suit, and Environmental Holographic Simulator would crowd the Internet for the following days to come. Surely enough, Blacklight Biotechnology was taking off while companies like Apple were in big trouble now. In terms of price, the price set by Chen Chen was rather pricey. Even the working class in Western countries had to think twice before committing to this purchase. This went double, even triple for people in the Mainland. However, in the grand scheme of things, this was a rather affordable price tag. If not for Chen Chen taking the initiative to publicize this technology, it would take humanity another two to three decades before VR technology could naturally progress to such a point. Back to current events. Chen Chen was seated inside his office, going through the large arrays of comments and trends online. He shut down the computer with a smile on his face while instructing, X, in addition to installing the environmental holographic simulator into each Spire laboratory, try to have several installed in the office buildings as well. Understood. Little Xs voice came from behind Chen Chen. If someone else was present at the moment inside Chen Chens office, this person would notice an enchanting-looking Chinese girl standing behind Chen Chen. Little X had changed into a fitted white dress with a pink hairband strapped atop her head. Her cheeks were puffed red as she gently thumped her little knuckles on Chen Chens shoulders. While Chen Chen was enjoying his afternoon filled with nothing but peace and quiet, Little X suddenly paused and interrupted. The Central Continent Embassy contacted us just now. Which technology do they want to buy? Chen Chen leaned into the chair and asked lazily. The BWMR external nerve electrode technology as well as the environmental holographic simulator technology in its entirety. Little X informed, Their offer was extremely generous. They said that if we authorize them the usage of the technology, the 1.3 billion U.S. dollars overseas investment loan we owed to the Central Continent Bank can be voided. There are also various policy incentives. They are only looking for authorization? Chen Chen asked. Yes, they say that theyll only use our technology to further their research in similar sectors. They agreed that theyll not be using the developed technology for commerce and the only one allowed to monetize it in the Central Continent is our company. Little X nodded. I like that attitude. In that case, tell Old Qian that these terms are agreeable and can be negotiated. Chen Chen nodded. What about the other continents? Musks electrode company sent a message as well and voiced their complaints. Says that their technology was essentially a pile of waste papers now. They also say they would like to cooperate with us further. Little X continued relaying information. Chen Chen smirked icily. Musks lace electrode technology were implanted electrodes, of course, they were no match for his external electrodes. Provided the outcome was similar, nobody would willingly implant something into their skull. This was especially the case when the lace electrode produced by Musk was nowhere close to contending with the BWMR external nerve electrode. Apart from that, many major corporations like Google, Apple, Facebook, Twitter, and many other media corporations have contacted us in hopes of cooperating with us. Little X added. Did the embassies of North America and Europe contact us? Chen Chen nodded before expressing, It looks like the Western governmental bodies are preparing to make a move against us. That did make sense considering all things. Ranging from the V.1 series BWMR external nerve electrode technology to the holographic projection technology in the environmental holographic simulator, every single aspect had far surpassed all civilian technology. Take the brainwave manipulation technology stemming from the BWMR external nerve electrode technology for example. Anyone who put on the helmet and sat in that chair would essentially gain a new body. Perhaps at first, they would still have trouble adjusting to it and have trouble stopping their body from moving along with the in-game movements. Once they had grown accustomed to it, the user could effortlessly rest on a chair or in bed as they delve into their little imaginary world. This was a fully immersive VR experience, but its use was not restricted to games only. There were also educational applications. It could be used for learning to cook or practicing medical modules and other civil practices. Not forgetting the great value it could provide to military affairs. For example, simulated military training using brainwave control technology was certainly more efficient than training on a computer, second only to actual combat training. This was also part of the reason why the Central Continent contacted Chen Chen at first notice. With that said, it was certainly odd for North America, Europe, and all the other continents to sit by idly and not do anything about technology with such major military implications. There were only two explanations for this observation. Either they possessed a similar piece of technology and were simply not interested or they planned to resort to external methods to acquire the same technology. What external methods? There was only either stealing or blatant robbing. Chen Chen was not particularly worried about having them stolen. Of all the technology he was in possession of, the most valuable ones were none other than the brainwave manipulation and holographic projection technology. Other technologies such as the CPU chips were devices Chen Chen had TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company) manufacture for him using 3nm transistor technology. Though the self-designed blueprint for these chips was valuable, they were nowhere near important enough on an international scale. When it came to the two important pieces of technology, Chen Chen was more or less aware that the secret laboratories in North America had not made much progress over the recent years. Chen Chen had professional-level reinforced security both in terms of software and hardware to protect these technologies. The North American Continent would need five to eight years to decode and access them. By the time they were finished, Chen Chen would have been miles away. He would have numerous technologies under his belt, enough that he would hardly pay any mind to some duplicated brainwave manipulation technology and a lesser version of holographic projection technology. However, it would be considerably trickier if the opposing parties did not resort to theft but instead chose robbery or to intentionally undermine the development of the company. This made Chen Chen recall the Huawei incident from some time ago. If past events were any tell, the officials would resort to imposing sanctions. Through technical interference, companies around the world using North American technology would stop supplying computer chips and other core technological implementations in an attempt to hinder Blacklight Biotechnologys development. Chapter 389 - Clean-up Blacklight Biotechnology set the release date of the V.1 series and the environmental holographic simulator on 10 September. It would be available for purchase simultaneously on all major e-commerce platforms around the world or by directly visiting the official website of Blacklight Technology. At the end of the day, Chen Chens industrial park operations could not handle everything by themselves. Although most ordinary parts could be manufactured by the assembly workforce numbering up to tens of thousands, some parts simply could not be manufactured in the industrial park. For example, the laser emission lens of the holographic environment simulator had to be imported from Zeiss, Germany while the light source was imported from North America and the chips were imported from TSMC. Since even the Central Continent had trouble keeping up with the manufacturing progress, Chen Chens company was facing the same problem as well. Of course, Chen Chen could always cheat and extract more complex, similar manufacturing technology from the USB drive. However, even an expert chef could not exercise his craft without the right ingredients. Although such technology did exist in the world of Elysium and Chen Chen did already obtain them, it was going to take considerable effort to fully examine the workings behind this manufacturing technology. A great deal of workforce, equipment, and luck had to align together for it to work out. Since before the nuclear reactor was built, Chen Chen had already begun recruiting experts in the lens and laser manufacturing sector. The appropriate laboratory had been set up as well. Chen Chen was now also specifically looking for experts in lithography machines. If North America is going to make a move, its very likely to be a reenactment of what happened four years ago. Theyll issue a ban to withhold specific technology in specific fields. The supply of light sources in North America, lenses from German companies, and chips from TSMC will be cut off. Little X deducted. If that happens, then well only have the technology available to us but not enough quantity to fulfill our supply chain. They are trying to force our hand here. Basically, if we want to continue manufacturing these devices, we have to sell the relevant technology or even the entire blueprint to their official channels at a discounted price. After selling to them, we might still need to yield most of our revenue to their council since they were the ones to facilitate the transaction. Chen Chen ranted. Thats true, that event four years ago had set a precedent. Little X nodded agreeably. So, what should we do now? It wont be difficult to solve this problem. We can film several movies and place them into the USB drive. The most important thing is to emphasize a variation of 1-nanometer lithography machines. Perhaps even depict a semiconductor that substitutes silicon with other materials. The precision of this kind of semiconductor should reach up to one hundredth or even one-thousandth of a nanometer, making it possible to manufacture more microchips. Also, the build of these lithography machines should be incredibly compact. Chen Chen rubbed his chin as he said this, This way, we can easily instantiate hundreds of lithography machines and solve the problem with chip manufacturing. In addition to solving the previous problem, we can use these lithography machines to mass-produce God chip, Terminator chip, NS-5 chip, and so on. Id advise against that for the moment. Little X quickly informed, Youre the owner of the USB drive. Have you forgotten the strange interactions with the reality that result from your direct involvement in filming these movies? Of course, I remember. Chen Chen answered he was well aware of what Little X was trying to imply. Some years ago, he had invested in the filming of several movies to obtain a list of technologies. Most of these movies turned out to be cost failures and only two of them worked out. One of them was Deadly Crisis: A Shocking Scheme. Inside the movie, someone who seemed to be a future version of him turned out to be one of the bad guys. Ever since then, Chen Chen decided he was better off refraining from simply filming movies to suit his goals. Well, context matters. If nothing peculiar happens half a year later, on the 30 May, then that means its worth a gamble. 30 May 2025. That was the date on which the movie was set in. Im just worried that the events depicted in the movie are going to occur on the set date. Little X wrinkled her nose as she said this, Im not sure if youre aware of this, but the plot of the movie was that a part of the companys shares was taken over by another company with ill intent. Even their board of executives were infiltrated this way. This was why the protagonist escaped the research institute with the drugs with the intention of bringing it back to the superior of his original company. And this is very similar to what weve done as well. Were slowly mirroring the events depicted inside the movie and turning into the bad guys! Of course, I noticed this. Chen Chen nodded and smiled. Which is why I more or less believe that the USB drive can directly affect reality. The tiny amount of doubt I have is staking on the belief that this may all just be a coincidence. After all, there hasnt been someone with a similar name showing up in this company just yet. Hope so. Little X stopped thumping Chen Chens shoulders and rubbed her slightly sore hands. Sir Godfather, the Eco Science Citys operation to pin down the spies have begun. Should we keep them alive? Keep as many of them alive as possible. Even though weve already signed felon exchange agreements with several countries in Africa, theres always a need for more for the memetic experiments. Chen Chen answered. Understood. Little X responded before exiting the room, leaving Chen Chen on his seat by himself. The USB drive has accumulated a significant amount of power over the last three months. Its about time I further add to my Field. Ill never forget the feeling of flying inside my dream Chen Chen muttered to himself as if he suddenly recalled something. He proceeded to give Cheng Cao a call before leaving the office building. By the time Chen Chen went outside the office building, Cheng Cao had parked outside and was waiting for him for some time. Huff, huff, huff Inside one of the buildings in one of the smaller districts of Eco Science City, a middle-aged man drenched in sweat was running up flights of stairs. What was puzzling about this was that despite there being elevators installed in the building, this middle-aged man decided against using them. Instead, he chose to ascend the building one floor at a time. In the blink of an eye, he had climbed more than thirty floors. D*mn it, how did Bob get exposed The middle-aged man whispered curses as he ran to the rooftop of the building. When he arrived, he wiped the sweat pooling down his forehead and looked back at the empty stairs behind him, finally heaving out a sigh of relief. After some brief consideration, he closed the steel door leading to the rooftop and sealed it with a giant lock, effectively cutting off the only path leading to the rooftop. Without giving himself some time to catch his breath, he immediately climbed up the several meters tall water tank next to him and jumped inside without a second thought! Within moments, he emerged from the water tank again, this time with a moderately-sized anti-oil paper bag in hand. He hopped down the water tank with the anti-oil paper bag in his clutches and immediately ripped it open. The contents inside it were immediately revealed to be two palm-sized satellite phones and a Beretta M92F pistol. Armed with a weapon, the middle-aged man finally appeared to have calmed down a little. He performed a quick inspection on the pistol and uncocked the barrel. After he made sure that there were rows of copper bullets lying inside them, he swiftly shut the barrel back in place and strapped the gun to his waist. After that, he opened the satellite phone and quickly pressed a string of numbers into the satellite phone. The call was immediately answered on the first ring. Hi, who is this? On the opposite end of the phone came the deep, rumbling voice of another person. Im the Ledes agent, code F6777998, verification password 5908A9879ER. The middle-aged man took a deep breath to calm his nerves and answered promptly. Alright, for what purpose are you contacting the headquarters for? The person on the other end of the call seemed to be relieved as well, then asked with mild suspicion, You should know that there must be no contacting us unless you have major news to report. After all, theres no telling if Blackwatch has some equipment to intercept communications satellite signals. Agent Thomson is compromised A flash of horror appeared in his eyes as he said this, I was delivering the goods just now. I was going to take them to Agent Thomsons home and discuss with him how we can obtain the targeted technology. Just as I arrived at the ground floor of the building, I saw two men dressed in white shirts underneath black suits stepping into Agent Thomsons house without the slightest hint of expression on their faces. I pretended to be just a common passerby. Just as I passed through Agent Thomsons house, I heard what was unmistakably the sound of him crying out for help. Thats how I know that hes been compromised The middle-aged man sighed as he said this, Im confident that the two emotionless agents who intercepted him are the biochemical soldiers that Blackwatch is keeping under covers. In that case, even more reason for you to not contact us now. The person on the other end of the phone quickly responded to the middle-aged mans report, sounding completely unfazed, If they detected unverified electromagnetic signals and connected it to you passing by Agent Thomsons house, theyll immediately suspect you. I cant be bothered with any of that, I have no idea if Thomson is going to expose me as well. This is why Im calling, please get me out of here and take me back to my country. The middle-aged man raised his voice. You understand? I want to be extracted! Extract! Return! Return! Get me out! I want to get out of this d*mned city, right now! The voice on the phone became silent for some time before speaking, Understood, the headquarters has granted approval for your extraction. Well assign agents to receive you on the outside borders of Eco Science City, the time and location are After everything was arranged, the middle-aged man finally heaved a sigh of relief. He turned off the satellite phone before tossing it into the water tank. After that, he produced a set of keys to unlock the rooftop entrance that he had locked previously. The moment he opened the door, he caught a glimpse of a blinding flash of light. The sudden flash caught him in a state of daze, still trying to figure out where the flash of light came from and what it was. The very next second, he felt his vision quickly fading into a blur. An anesthesia needle was viciously plunged into the back of his neck, causing him to slump and crash into the ground. After that, the air behind the rooftop entrance vibrated as two men wearing black suits and white shirts underneath appeared by the door. Underneath their shirt, they both appeared to be wearing a black color bodysuit The same events transpired across each corner of Eco Science City. To prevent alerting the common civilians and damage the citys reputation, the Black Knights refrained from using thermal weapons. Instead, they resorted to using weapons like tranquilizers to capture their targets alive. The three hundred and sixty-four spies discovered in Eco Science City were spread across various sectors and industries. Some of these were spies that received professional training from a young age. They became civilians of Eco Science City through various channels. Some even admitted themselves into the research center of administration bodies of Blacklight Biotechnology. Some of the spies were the researchers and professors directly hired by Chen Chen. These were the ones who could not resist the temptation of significant monetary gains and agreed to feed Blacklight Biotechnologys research data to external parties. Jennifer, the general manager Qian Wenhuans secretary, belonged to the former subclass. At this hour, Qian Wenhuan had just finished his task. He dragged his tired body out of the Blacklight Dome and into his designated vehicle. Thank you for your handwork, President Qian. Jennifer had seated herself in the backseat ahead of time. She slid to the side to make space for Qian Wenhuan before promptly announcing to the driver in front, Back to President Qians place. After that, she pressed a button. A sheet of black cotton quickly appeared in the small section between the rear and front compartment of the car, shielding the drivers view. What are you trying to do? Qian Wenhuan tilted his head and stole a curious peek at Jennifer. He tried to mask the disbelief in his voice. I remember you mentioned yesterday that you crave excitement. Since its excitement that you want, we might as well go all the way, right? Jennifer spread her hands out and unbuttoned the strap on her shoulders. The low-cut office wear she wore swiftly slid down her shoulders, revealing the creamy-white texture of flesh underneath. It was only then when Qian Wenhuan noticed that Jennifer was not wearing anything underneath. Youre naughty Qian Wenhuan smiled sheepishly and charged right at her. He was going to unleash all the nerves built up from being on stage earlier. It was at that moment when the vehicle suddenly ground to a halt, producing piercing screeches as it stopped. Both Qian Wenhuan and Jennifer cried out in shock as they were launched out of the sofa due to the sudden shift in momentum. Whats going on? Qian Wenhuan asked the driver in front angrily. Pres, President Qian, someone is obstructing the lane! When Qian Wenhuan heard the helpless cry of the driver, he flicked his eyebrows and immediately pulled himself up and kicked the door open. Furious at having his entertainment cut short, Qian Wenhuan was about to rain hellfire on these people. When he saw five men in black standing in front of the car, the seeping anger inside him immediately extinguished. Both his boiling anger and previous lust had disappeared when he saw them. Outsiders may not recognize these agents, but Qian Wenhuan of all people would know that these expressionless men in black were murder machines built without any thoughts or humanity whose only goal was to complete their assigned missions! The companys lethal task force C the Black Knight Force! What is it, love? It was at this moment when Jennifer poked her head out of the vehicle with her hands covering her chest. When she saw the group of Black Knights standing outside, she was first caught by surprise. Her expression then shifted dramatically as she bent down to reach for a sharp dagger hidden inside her high heels! Everything happened in an instant. She had the tip of the dagger pointed at Qian Wenhuans neck. It was as if Jennifer had transformed into another person in mere seconds. Her previous innocence and charm had all but vanished and been replaced by the aura of a seasoned assassin! Dont come near, unless you want your CEO to die As she was saying this, her eyes suddenly popped out of their sockets grotesquely. All Qian Wenhuan heard was a violent pop and before he could register what was happening, he felt Jennifers head exploding right next to him. Her skull and eyeballs splattered everywhere across Qian Wenhuans cheeks! Chapter 390 - Annie Dusk. The setting sun turned the sky into a blood-red pastel. In the coastal area that connected Namibia with the Atlantic Ocean, there was a wondrous harbor known as Walvis Bay. It was a unique place that could not be found anywhere else in the world. One of its most magical sights was where the desert connected with the sea to form an image only seen in fantasies. This was also where Blacklight Biotechnology built hundreds of sanatoriums. At maximum capacity, they were able to provide top-of-the-line healthcare services to five thousand people at a time. Despite this volume, the sanatoriums schedule for the next half of the year was full. Instead of saying that the sanatorium was an extension of Eco Science City, it would be more accurate to say that the sanatoriums were the true central part of Eco Science City. Without all the wealthiest members of the world pouring into the sanatoriums continuously, Eco Science City would lose at least sixty percent of its income revenue. This meant that the generated income from the gigantic Blacklight Biotechnology industrial park along with the vast resource chain generated by Tara Strategic Resources combined still paled in comparison to the sanatoriums. This was a testament to just how much cash flow there was in the healthcare industry. With that said, the landscape may shift once the V.1 series and the environmental holographic simulator began selling. It was still uncertain at this moment. Additionally, there was also a large villa section located right next to the sanatoriums. These villas were also Blacklight Biotechnologys properties and were designated for the professors that Chen Chen had recruited from all over the world. At the present, inside the room of one of the villas sat a fair-skinned and blond-haired European girl who was silently playing with her phone. The sunset cast a gentle beam through the windows and shone onto the girls cheeks. There were little spots of freckles seen on her face. These little spots of freckles did not take away from her beauty. On the contrary, they made her appear even more beautiful and cute. She was like an angel who had descended to Earth. However, the angels eyes were filled with drops of tears like tiny pearls reflecting light away from them. She silently brushed her fingers across the picture of a man on the display of her phone while she whispered, Brother Fisher, why havent you contacted me up till now? Could it be that its just as Father said, that youve been held hostage by this evil company Dont worry, Ill use the communication channels mentioned in the past to contact the remaining surviving members of White Embers. Ill find some way to infiltrate the company and save every one of you! A flash of determination greeted her eyes. Just as she was about to turn off her phone, she heard a gentle tap on the windows of her room. It sounded like someone was throwing little rocks against the windows to get her attention. When she heard this sound, she quickly responded accordingly and turned on the flashlight on her phone. She pressed the flashlight against the window and turned them off and on repeatedly in sporadic pulses to mimic morse code messages. After she was done, she shut the curtains in her room and went outside. The villa was five hundred square meters large but was mostly empty nonetheless. Needless to be said, her father was still in the research center and had not returned from work yet. The girl changed into sportswear before leaving the villa. She chose a bicycle inside the garage and left the villa under the guise that she was going out to exercise on a bike. Twenty minutes later, the girl arrived at the sports park of Eco Science City. When she arrived, she immediately surveyed her surroundings. After that, she parked her bicycle beside a bench in the park and picked up a magazine to begin reading. Without anyone noticing, she slid her slender fingers into a gap between the bench and extracted a piece of Bluetooth earphone that was attached under the bench with chewing gum. The girl used the magazine as a cover while she placed the Bluetooth earphone into her ears. She then used her hair to hide the earphone. After she did that, she immediately heard a faint voice coming from the other end that sounded like the buzzing of a fly. Long time no see, Annie[1]. Danny, we only just met last month. Annie answered icily, Didnt I tell you to not contact me unless youve discovered major leads. Dont forget that were in the main camp of this evil company. One misstep and well be at the point of no return! Of course, I know that! The person on the other end of her phone sounded very nervous. He tried to suppress his agitation and continued patiently. I received the news from other agents. Starting from earlier this afternoon, the company has begun purging the spies from the city. I just lost contact with another one of my friends. Then why are you still contacting me? The girl was starting to lose her patience, Itll be more difficult to rescue Fisher and the rest of them if even youre captured. Currently, several spies have successfully made it out of Eco Science City. I contacted our superior and they think that this is a good window for us to make a move since we have your fathers DNA and palm prints. If we can get your fathers access card, we can infiltrate the research center and inject a virus into their internal network to cripple Eco Science Citys defense! The voice said persuasively, Blackwatch will never expect us to infiltrate their headquarters now, of all times Dont think that Im an idiot. You guys are after the technology announced in todays conference, isnt it? The girl scoffed. Do you have any idea how difficult it will be to infiltrate Eco Science Citys internal network? No, do you have any idea how proficient Blackwatchs network control is? Inject a virus into their internal network, thats a cute idea you guys came up with. Dont worry The voice coming from the earpiece paused for a moment before assuring. They say that this is a brand new variant Trojan virus that belongs to a subclass of a quantum virus. Its designed by the only quantum computer existing in the world. Even the most sophisticated security system in the world doesnt stand a chance against it. After the girl heard this, she seemed to be slightly convinced. She gritted her teeth. In that case, I can try to steal my dads access card. But theres one condition, you guys must use this opening to rescue Fisher as well! Silence on the other end of the earpiece. This is my condition. I will not do whatever you ask of me if you cannot promise me this. The girl refused to budge. But, what if Fisher is already The voice from the earpiece suddenly turned hoarse. What if Fisher is already erased by Blackwatch, then what happens? Shut up! The color on the girls face was drained away when she heard this. Her hands holding the magazine trembled uncontrollably. She spoke coldly, No, nothing is going to happen to Brother Fisher. Hes currently the only heir of Oppenheimer. Are you telling me that this evil company would dare to incur the wrath of Brother Fishers family? Danny, I wont forgive you either if you continue spouting your nonsense! The voice on the other end remained silent. Alright, this is how its going to go down. I will get my dads access card somewhere around nine tonight. You guys can get the other preparations underway in the meantime. Annie had made up her mind. After that, she pulled the earphone out of her ear and tossed it into a nearby trash can before getting on her bicycle and left without looking back. It was only after Annie had left when an average-looking European young man wearing jeans stepped out of the bushes. His face was written in disappointment as if he had just been broken up with. Annie cycled back home all by herself and went straight for the kitchen when she returned. She opened the refrigerator and saw that it was full of vegetables and various foods. She then opened the topmost rack in the kitchen where she found a bottle of sleeping pills. Sorry, Dad There was a shadow of hesitation in Annies eyes. When she saw a mirage of Fisher appearing in her mind, her hesitation quickly vanished and turned into stoic determination again. She proceeded to prepare dinner. According to the usual schedule, the research center should be closing somewhere around eight. Her father usually went straight home after work and should be back around eight-thirty. After checking the current time, Annie started to wash the vegetables and prepared dinner. It had always been either her father or the nanny preparing dinner. Things changed when they came to Africa. Since Annie had to regularly liaise with the White Embers members, she told her father to not hire a nanny. It was only now when Annie realized how much work went into preparing meals. Annie clumsily washed the vegetables and cut them as best as she could. She then poured in nearly half a bottle of salad dressing and proceeded to stir them violently. Midway through her stirring, she suddenly stopped and went to get the bottle of sleeping pills. She crushed them up and mixed them into the vegetable salad. After the preparation was complete, Annie nodded to herself contently and went to prepare the next dish tomato soup. Half an hour later, the soup was ready as well. Annie went to get two more sleeping pills and mixed them into the soup. After this was ready, she looked out the window and saw the sky outside had turned dark. The clock hanging on the wall ready eight-thirty. Just as she set the food on the table, she heard the unmistakable sound of a cars engine coming from outside. Her father had returned. Annie took a deep breath and put on her most genuine smile to greet her father at the entrance. The father and daughter duo quickly started conversing at the door. Hey honey, is today some kind of special day? When Samuel saw the dinner and candles set on the table, he was visibly surprised. Annie, this is the first time Ive seen you making dinner at all. Is this a special surprise for me? Thats right, Dad. Annie enthusiastically brought Samuel to the table and served a bowl of soup for her father as she said, Dad, this is the tomato soup I made, give it a taste. Of course, Id love to try out the soup that my dearest daughter made for me. Samuel felt his cheeks flushing red. He gave it a gentle sip and immediately went into praising. My dear Annie, I have to say that this is a true delicacy youve made! Help yourself to more. Annie urged her father to eat more as she pushed the salad bowl on the table toward Samuel. Theres also the salad Ive made, try it. Its delicious. After Samuel took several bites, he noticed how Annie was just silently staring at him at the table. He found it strange and asked, My dear, are you not eating? I dont eat much dinner these days, Im on a diet. Annie brushed the topic aside. Ive made all this for you. I see. After that, the father and daughter continued making small talk when in truth, Annie was trying to spy whatever information she could get regarding the research center. Samuel never doubted his daughter in the slightest and answered whatever questions she had patiently and in detail. After around twenty minutes had passed, Samuel suddenly started to look tired. He started to rub his forehead suspiciously and yawned several times. Dad, you look tired. Annie smiled. Go get some rest, Ill clean everything up. Youre a wonderful daughter. I do feel quite tired. Samuel nodded, full of emotions. Im probably overworked by todays research. In that case, Ill go catch some sleep now. See you tomorrow. See you tomorrow, Dad. Annie waved her father goodbye. She heaved a sigh of relief when she saw her father returning to his bedroom. Within ten minutes, Annie heard the sound of her father snoring coming from his room. Now! Annie saw her opportunity. She gently pushed open the door to her fathers room. Before she could step inside, she heard a round of shuffling footsteps approaching from behind her. Before she could react, she felt a hand reaching for her from behind and covered her mouth! Mmmf! Annie was horrified. The very next second, she felt the foreign hand turning her around to face the stranger. It was only then when she noticed that it was Danny who she had only just made contact with earlier this evening. Shh, its me Danny kept his hands over Annies mouth and urgently gestured for Annie to stay quiet before slowly removing her hands. Oh my god, why are you guys here? Annie instinctively stumbled backward when she noticed another unfamiliar man standing behind Danny. Both of them are wearing yellow-colored uniforms. Annie, please calm down. Theres a good reason for us coming here. Danny tried to calm Annie down and explained, We need to collect biological samples from your father for the next part of our mission. Havent I already given you my dads DNA sample and palm print? Annie hissed. DNA and palm prints arent enough. Danny explained, We also need samples of your fathers facial structure and iris samples, otherwise, it wont be enough to bypass the identity verification test of the Blackwatchs biological research center. As he said this, he took out an arm-length device that looked like a printer. He glanced at Samuel who was sleeping soundly in bed and placed the device over his head. What are you guys doing? Annie was shocked by the sudden turn of events. Dont worry, itll be fine. Danny smiled before pressing a button on the device. Immediately, there was a low rumbling voice as a ray of light shot out from the bottom of the device and scanned Samuels face. Meanwhile, the other man produced a device shaped like a torchlight. After Danny was finished with the device, the man stepped to the side of Samuels bed and gently pried the sleeping professors eyes open. He aimed the torchlight at Samuels eyes and shone over them briefly. After everything was complete, the three of them retreated from Samuels bedroom. Its about to be showtime! Danny smiled at Annie before pressing another button on the device that looked like a printer. The device slowly printed a flesh-colored object when it was activated. 3D printer, you guys are trying to Annie held her mouth agape. Thats right, we need to make a thorough copy of your fathers facial structure to help us pass through the biometric identification system of the biological research center. Danny nodded. Meanwhile, the other man produced two contact lenses from his device. This contact lens is designed with the same iris as your father, I also have a sticker with your fathers palm prints imprinted on my hand now. [1] Author actually wrote her name as Alice, but Samuels daughter was previously named Annie We changed it to Annie to keep it consistent. A case of author forgetting their characters name? >_< Chapter 391 - Revenge for Father’s Murder When they heard the ringing coming from Samuels coat pocket by the bed, the expression on all three of their faces suddenly shifted. At this moment, for some reason, the ringing seemed exceptionally deafening and piercing! Annie subconsciously wanted to close the door to prevent her father from seeing her after he was roused from sleep. I havent gotten his pass yet! However, Danny suddenly spun around and rushed directly into Samuels room, reaching for Samuels coat. Who are you? Just when Danny had reached Samuels coat, a cold voice suddenly came from the bed. Dannys body stiffened and he slowly turned around, only to see that Samuel had been sitting up for some time and was staring at him warily. Mr. Samuel, dont get mad. Im your daughters friend. Were here for a reason Danny quickly raised his hands and squeezed out a friendly smile. If you dont believe me, you can ask your daughter. My daughter? Samuel looked out of the room door in confusion, just to see Annie standing bewilderedly outside the bedroom door. Even so, behind her, a gloomy-looking man had taken out a pistol and aimed it at Samuel. Annie, get away! Samuel hurriedly yelled as he turned over, wanting to get the gun from the nightstand on the other side of the bed. Nonetheless, he only had time to pick up the gun. Before he had time to aim, there was a flash from his opponents muzzle! In an instant, Samuel only felt a tremor in his head and at once, innumerable golden stars flickered before his eyes, Then, the world in front of him became darker and darker In the end, his world was nothing but pitch black. No! Annie let out a scream. She leaped forward and helped up Samuel, who was lying on the bed, but saw a black gaping hole in Samuels forehead! The depth of the hole had reached the skull and there was only darkness, but after a few seconds, a wisp of bright red flowed out from the hole. No! Look at what you did! Annie burst into tears suddenly, holding Samuels body and crying loudly, as endless regret filled her chest. The middle-aged man looked unmoved. He aimed his pistol with a silencer at the back of Annies head. He was about to pull the trigger again, but Danny on the side immediately shielded Annie and asked angrily, Why did you kill him! He was about to get the gun. If I didnt shoot before he did, our lives will all be in danger. The middle-aged man wore a stoic expression. D*mn it! Danny cursed. He was faced with a thorny problem indeed. He simply pushed the middle-aged man out of the room and at the same time exhorted, Ill fix this, dont you shoot anyone! Our task is to install a quantum virus and paralyze the defense network of the Eco Science City. The middle-aged man was as unrelenting as a brick wall. I know, can you give me five minutes? Danny raised his hands and made a gesture of compromise. Give me five minutes, Johnson. Give me five minutes and Ill fix everything, okay? Seeing this, the middle-aged man put away his pistol. Danny hurriedly closed the bedroom door and then he rushed to Annie and turned her to face him. Annie, hey, Annie, are you listening? No, you murderer! Go away! Annie struggled furiously. Emotionally, she was breaking down. Annie, your father is dead! Danny said loudly, He cant be resurrected anymore. He died because of our beliefs. We didnt kill him. It was this evil company that killed him. Do you understand! No, thats not true, never! Annies cry was slightly softer. Think about our purpose here! Danny continued to persuade. Isnt our purpose in coming here to topple this evil company? They commit crimes, secretly conduct human experiments, and slaughter civilians, but on the surface, they pretend to be noble and win the support of countless people. This evil company that makes deals with the devil Dont we White Embers exist just to eradicate it? Annie was still wailing while shaking her head. Dont forget our mission, Annie! Danny continued. Youre not just doing this for our beliefs but also to save people, right? Dont forget the other members of the White Embers organization Fisher, Jennifer, Albo, Jonathan They were all captured by Blacklight Biotechnology a few months ago, and now is our only chance to save them. If you give up this time, Blacklight Biotechnology will discover your fathers death tomorrow and then well have no chance to overthrow this evil company! Annie fell silent completely, just sobbing constantly. Im sorry for your fathers death, but we have more important things to do, dont we? Seeing this, Danny continued to strike while the iron was hot. I know you love Fisher deeply, so dont you want to save him? As more time passes, Fishers survival chances will be lower and lower, and the only way to rescue him is to paralyze the internal defense system of Blacklight Biotechnology. By then, all the secrets of Blacklight Biotechnology will be leaked. The Earth Federation will not forgive him and Fisher will be set free! Hearing these words, Annie finally stifled her crying. She raised her head with tears and looked into Dannys eyes. Can we rescue Brother Fisher? As long as we work hard, we can do it! Danny nodded solemnly. Annie wiped her tears and gently laid Samuel back on the bed. Danny finally breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Annies action. Ill kill him. However, at this moment, Annie whispered suddenly. I can help you Danny was startled and then a flash of ice gleamed in his eyes. He stood up, turned, and opened the door of the bedroom, just in time to see the middle-aged man standing quietly outside the door. Ive convinced her, lets go. Danny sighed, walked around the middle-aged man, and went out the door. The middle-aged man looked into the room, only to see Annie glaring at him with a frosty expression. You The middle-aged man was about to say something to Annie, but at this moment, Danny, who had already walked behind him, suddenly spun around like lightning. At the same time, he whipped out a silenced pistol, aimed at the back of the middle-aged mans head, and pulled the trigger directly! Pfft! With a muffled sound, the middle-aged man shuddered and fell to the ground without a word. This middle-aged man was dead. Phew! After doing all this, Danny returned to the room again. Annie, I killed him for you. Very good Annie nodded. She took a long, final look at her father, then dug out a crystal-like card from her fathers pocket and handed it to Danny. This is the pass to my fathers place of work. Annie wiped her tears and whispered. Danny took the card. It felt as light as a feather in his hand. He tried to bend it but found that it could only be bent at a very shallow angle. It was also extremely tough. At least with his strength, it was impossible to damage this card. The products of Blacklight Biotechnology were amazing Danny muttered inwardly. At the same time, the 3D printer in the living room had already printed Samuels human skin mask. He directly put the human skin mask on his face, then took out the contact lenses inscribed with Samuels iris patterns and placed them on his eyes before he said, Annie, I will put on your fathers clothes. Please bring me a set of his clothes. Annie returned to Samuels room, took out a suit from the closet, and gave it to Danny. She watched as Danny adjusted his work suit. Suddenly, his body shape changed and became bloated. After that, he put on Samuels clothes and instantly a lively Samuel appeared in front of Annie. Looking at the illusion of how her father had come alive in front of her, Annie could not help sobbing. Thats enough, Annie, lets go on the mission. Danny grabbed Annies hand, pulled her out of the villa, and got directly into Samuels car. Listen, Annie, you have to pull yourself together because the next steps Im going to talk about are very complicated, and you need to remember them carefully. Any slight mistake may cause our identities to be exposed. Danny looked toward Annie in the passenger seat and said solemnly, Ill drive the car directly into the Biotechnology Research Center of Eco Science City. After were in, you must come with me. After all, youve been in there before and can show me the way. Entering the administrative area of the Biotechnology Research Center isnt complicated. The only thing that is difficult to enter is their laboratory building. Plus, only the computers there are connected to their internal network. Its likely to store extremely confidential information, so as long as we inject the virus there, we would have succeeded! But Ive never entered the laboratory building. Annie shook her head and said vacantly, My father never let me in there. Ill take you in on the pretext that youve suffered a special disease and need to be examined. Danny said, According to our investigation, if the family members of Blacklight Biotechnologys internal employees have any problems, they can get medical treatment for free. Understood. Annie lowered her head and asked, After we implant the virus, will we be able to find out the whereabouts of Brother Fisher? Yes! Danny said with great confidence, This kind of quantum virus doesnt even need an external network. As long as its injected into the computer, quantum entanglement can occur. Then, the quantum computer tens of thousands of kilometers away will automatically receive all the secrets from the Eco Science City. Fishers whereabouts must be among these secrets! Moreover, after getting this virus, Blacklight Biotechnologys system wont even have the chance to call the police. We can leave without trouble at that time, then well take the plane from Walvis Bay and return to North America. Do you understand? Got it! Annie nodded seriously, her eyes rekindled with the flame of hope. Seeing this, Danny was fully reassured. He started the vehicle and drove toward the urban area of Eco Science City. Twenty minutes later, Samuels special car had arrived in front of the Biotechnological Research Center in the southern suburbs of the Eco Sciences City. This research center was the first building built by Chen Chen after he came here. At that time, the research center was already established when the idea of the Eco Science City had not even been conceived. It could be described as a veteran. There were four research buildings in this research center, one of which was the only level-4 biosafety laboratory in Africa, where the vaccine for the Blacklight virus was famously developed in the past. Chen Chens office in terms of public appearance was also here. It was precisely because of this that the entire world believed this place must be one of the most advanced research centers in the world for biotechnology. It was as well-known as Novartis and Pfizers pharmaceutical research institutes. At this time, Samuels car did not even encounter any obstacles. After the detector at the gate detected Samuels license plate number, the electronic railing lifted automatically, giving way to the road inside. Danny drove in casually. Turn left. Theres an underground parking lot where my father always parked. Following Annies instructions, the car turned left and they saw an entrance to the underground parking lot. After driving the car into the parking lot, following Annies guidance, Danny soon found the elevator to the laboratory building. Next, well have to use the pass. Annie reminded in a low voice. Danny nodded and pressed the elevator button. Soon, an elevator descended toward the parking lot. With a ding, the elevator doors opened on both sides, but inside the door was a bald man in a white coat. Samuel, why did you come back and youve brought your daughter with you? What they did not expect was that, after seeing Danny, the bald man laughed. Are you trying to take advantage of the companys policies? I Danny deepened his voice, about to come up with an excuse, but to his surprise, the other party lowered his voice and smirked. No need to explain. Dont worry, I wont say a single thing to that old fool above us! With that, he walked past them with a chortle. Seeing this, Annie on the side wiped her sweat secretly and Danny also removed his grip from the pistol held behind his back. After they entered the elevator, as the doors closed, Danny had just taken out the pass when an electronic voice came from a camera on the top of the elevator, Please show your pass. Danny glanced at Annie, who nodded. Danny raised his hand, holding the pass, and placed it in front of the camera. Beep, pass verified. Welcome, B3-level researcher, Mr. Samuel Augy Senao. After a greeting from the electronic voice, it said nothing else at all. The both of them could only hear their pounding hearts. Chapter 392 - Showdown Ding! After the ding, the two of them only saw the doors slide open on both sides, revealing an empty and clean hall outside the elevator. This was a duplex-structure hall, occupying the first and second floors of the laboratory building. It covered an area of close to 5,000 square meters, almost like a small playground. Unlike other commercial premises, the decoration of the laboratory hall was minimalistic, mainly in white and silver. It seemed that because it was already night, there were only a few dozen researchers in white coats in the hall. Most of these people were assistants to professors. Some of them were walking toward the elevator with trays of medicines while others were unloading goods outside the gate from the trucks, ready to transport these biochemical agents to the warehouse. Some were also sitting on the sidelines, sipping coffee at the bar in the lounge area, chatting with other people. Around the hall, more than a dozen people were dressed in black, wearing lifeless expressions as they stood quietly in the corner. Danny and Annie walked out of the elevator as casually as possible. Fortunately, people were coming and going in the hall and almost no one noticed them. Not only that, but there was also a reception desk near the doorway in the hall, where a female receptionist was standing. Seeing the front desk, Annie suddenly had a flash of inspiration. She leaned toward Dannys ear and whispered something. Danny immediately understood. Then, he walked directly to the front desk, stared at the womans badge, and said, Hello, Miss Linda, I need someone from maintenance to repair the computer in the laboratory for me. There seems to be a slight problem with that computer. The girl at the front desk nodded when she heard this and smiled. No problem, sir, whats the number of your laboratory? Dont you even know me? Danny manipulated his somewhat stiff face and smiled slightly as if creating an air of suspense. Sorry Im new here, I havent remembered all the researchers yet. The girl at the front desk immediately displayed an apologetic look. Im Samuel. Danny said, I need the computer repair person to come right away. Ill just wait here, okay? No problem, Mr. Samuel. The girl smiled graciously and then picked up the intercom and said into it, Is the maintenance department there? Mr. Samuel needs someone to repair the computer in his laboratory. Please come to the front desk of the laboratory building immediately after getting this order, thank you. The maintenance department has received the message. Were sending someone over right now. A deep male voice came from the intercom. Seeing this, Danny acted as if he had just thought of something. He held up a finger and said to Annie, Dear daughter, I forgot to take something from the car. Ill go get it first. You go with the maintenance person and wait in front of my laboratory first. No problem Dad Annie lowered her eyes and whispered back. Seeing this, Danny turned around and walked toward the elevator, returning to the underground parking lot. About five minutes later, a bald middle-aged man in the uniform of the maintenance department walked in. He went directly to the front desk, looked at Annie on the side and said to the front desk, Linda, wheres Mr. Samuel? Mr. Samuel went to the underground parking lot. He said that after youve arrived, you can bring his daughter and wait for him in front of the laboratory, the front desk kindly notified him. Hello, Im Annie. Annie stepped forward. Lets go to the laboratory first, my father will be there soon. By the way, do you know which floor my fathers laboratory is on? Hello, Im Trent. The middle-aged man spread his hands, wearing a helpless look. Im sorry, because there are constantly new projects, many peoples laboratories are constantly changing, so I dont know where your fathers laboratory is. In that case, let me check. Seeing this, the female receptionist at the front desk simply bent down, clicked on the computer for a while, then raised her head and said, Its No. 203 at the BSL-2 Biological Laboratory on the fifth floor. Thank you. Annie nodded to the female receptionist, then turned and walked toward the elevator. Trent, who was in charge of the repair, immediately followed. After re-entering the elevator, Trent first verified his identity with his pass and then pressed the button for the 5th floor while smiling at Annie. Ive heard Mr. Samuel mention you a long time ago. Everyone said that Samuel has a beautiful daughter and as I see today, they are right. Am I so famous here? Annie was taken aback for a moment. She stared at Trent in a daze, tears involuntarily streaming down. Of course, you are your fathers pride. He mentions you almost every day during his work here, even our maintenance department has heard of this behavior of his. Trent laughed and then noticed Annie was crying. He was a little overwhelmed. Uh Sorry, I dont know what happened, if Ive offended you, please Its nothing! Annie quickly lowered her head, kept wiping her tears, and murmured, Its okay, I also love my father very much, very much Trent suddenly looked at Annie as if she was acting strangely and for a while, the atmosphere in the elevator became awkward. Still, fortunately, the elevator only went up for half a minute before opening its doors again. The two followed the door numbers to find laboratory 203, only to see that the metal door of the laboratory was shut tightly. On one side, there were also devices used to verify peoples identity. It looks like your father hasnt come up yet. Seeing this, Trent reminded her. If theres someone in the laboratory, therell be an indicator on the door. Let me call him. Seeing this, Annie took out her phone and dialed a number directly. At the same time, she said, Dad, Mr. Trent, who is in charge of maintenance, and I are both already waiting on the fifth floor, room 203. When will you come up? Ill be right over. Dannys voice came through the phone. Annie nodded, then turned and said, My father will be up soon, please wait a moment. No problem. Trent replied, not sensing anything wrong at all. They both waited only two or three minutes before they saw Samuel walking up the corridor. At this moment, Trent suddenly said, Mr. Samuel, long time no see. Its been a while. Danny said hello without any trace of panic while walking to the door of the laboratory. He paused for a while and then pressed his hand on the blank screen by the side. Beep! The green light of the tester blinked on and at the same time, the words Palmprint confirmed flashed on the blank screen. After that, the words Please look here flashed, marking a black hole beside the screen with an arrow. Danny bent down slightly and glanced into the hole and then the words Iris confirmed flashed on the screen again. Finally, the screen showed a Please breathe prompt. Ahem! Danny coughed slightly and stood directly in front of the verifier, blocking it with his body. Annie on the side understood tacitly. She walked to Trents side and picked at something on his head while wondering aloud, What is this? Trent turned his head instinctively, only to see a shred of confetti in Annies hand. Mr. Trent, you had a piece of this on your head. Thank you, Miss Annie. Trent nodded and turned back again. However, what he did not know was that as soon as he turned his head, Danny quickly took out a spray bottle from his pocket and sprayed the screen. DNA test passed, identity confirmed Welcome, Mr. Samuel, B3-level researcher. With another flash on the screen, the door of the laboratory in front of them opened automatically, revealing the changing room inside. As it was only a P2 laboratory, there were no extreme requirements for cleanliness. The three of them just put on an additional lab coat and walked in. Its this computer. Danny pointed to an electronic computer in the laboratory. This computer always restarts automatically. I suspect it may be due to poor internal contact. Alright, let me have a look. Trent immediately turned on the computer to check, but in less than five seconds, he asked again, What is the computer password? Danny was startled for a moment and stood rooted to the spot. Its 20040518. When Trent had not gotten an answer for a while and was raising his head in puzzlement, Annie said quickly, Thats the password. It seems that this is a string of numbers with special meaning. Trent suddenly understood. He smiled and glanced at the two of them, and then he turned on the computer after entering this line of numbers. Seeing this, Danny and Annie secretly heaved a sigh of relief. Your computer is alright, Mr. Samuel. Ten minutes later, Trent raised his head again and said helplessly, I didnt notice the restart phenomenon and after entering the command phase, I didnt find any abnormalities. Never mind then. Danny waved his hand. Ill just wait for the problem to come up again before I call you. Ill have to trouble you then, Trent. That is my job, sir. Trent nodded and took the initiative to leave. It was only until this outsider had left that Annie and Danny looked at each other. Danny could not help but blurt out, This is the craziest day of my life! Annie did not answer. If it were not to rescue Fisher, she would have fallen into extreme anguish now, but the anticipation of seeing Fisher temporarily suppressed her pain. Seeing Annie did not answer, Danny also knew that he had said something wrong. He muttered something to himself, then took out a special USB flash drive from his pocket. This USB flash drive was transparent throughout and one could see that there were gears, mechanical springs, and other mechanical structures continuously operating inside. All of this machinery was golden in color. On the whole, it looked like a priceless piece of handicraft. After taking out the USB flash drive, Danny did not hesitate anymore. He directly inserted the USB flash drive into the computer. Suddenly, the computer screen flickered slightly as if endless bytes were flowing across the screen, but after Danny blinked, he saw that the computer screen was completely dark. Although the computers processor was still running, the screen was pitch black, and nothing was seen. Success! Seeing this, Danny was not alarmed but was delighted instead. He stood up in glee and said to Annie, The quantum virus has invaded the intranet of the laboratory building. This company is done for and all their secrets will be exposed! Annie nodded. At this time, she should have been happy that they had overthrown this evil company, happy that Brother Fisher would be rescued soon, but for some reason, she still could not be happy. It was as if something was blocking her heart. There was only a pang of sorrow. Dad. Samuels face flashed past Annies eyes. She stared at the door of the laboratory blankly, thinking of something known to no one else. Well leave now. Danny pulled out the USB flash drive and kept it with him. He received a warning from the higher-ups early on during the mission. The value of this USB flash drive was incomparable. Whether they succeeded or not, they must take the USB flash drive away, never letting it fall into the hands of Blacklight Biotechnology. Still, in Dannys opinion, this was to be expected. After all, this was a USB flash drive that could store quantum viruses. It was likely to be a unique existence in the world, like the quantum computer, so it was invaluable. These thoughts flashed through Dannys mind. At this time, he grabbed Annie and walked out of the laboratory without waiting for her to recover, but Dannys face changed drastically after they went out. At an unknown time, on both sides of the corridor, more than a dozen security guards with poker faces and in black suits had blocked their path in the corridor! What are you doing, dont you know me? Im Samuel! Danny tried to push his luck. He tried to yell, but before he had finished, he was interrupted by a round of applause. At the same time, a clear and soft voice rang out from behind the security guards. What a great show! Annie, Danny, I didnt expect that current science and technology would be so powerful. Not only are there 3D human skin masks that are difficult to distinguish from the real thing, but theres also the quantum virus. All this opened my eyes! The voice laughed. Thank you for helping me locate a loophole in my defense. This is the second one I found this month. As their names were called out by a strange voice, despair finally spread across Dannys gaze. He tore off the mask on his face and tore the print on his palm at the same time. At this point, a sound of footsteps followed. Meanwhile, the security guards on both sides suddenly turned around and automatically made way for a narrow path in the corridor. At once, a young girl from China, with bright eyes and white teeth, wearing a white dress, appeared in front of them. The girl was only about fourteen or fifteen years old. She had an astoundingly beautiful face. There were no flaws in her facial features yet there was none of the artificiality of cosmetic surgery. The perfect facial features worked together to create a seamless harmony. Chapter 393 - Mistake The arrogance in her eyes was not one of condescension nor tyranny but simply the gaze of someone looking down from above. Yes, it was a kind of looking down, like a human being looking down on an ant. No matter what the ant did, even if it could lift things fifty times its own weight, it was nothing more than an ant in the eyes of humans. At this moment, Annie could truly sense that this little girl was looking down at the two of them as if they were ants. Is there no one left in Blackwatch Corporation, so they sent a little girl to catch us? Danny said unhappily, Or is your father some big shot in this company? Fool. The little girl could not hide her smile. Even when she was denouncing someone, her appearance still gave off a sweet, gentle aura. Always confused by appearances and never understanding the essence of things is that how mortals look at the world? Its hilarious. Oh, how so? Danny slowly reached behind his back and asked as he walked forward, Can you tell me more about this in detail? At this time, his heart was throbbing wildly. Now, there was only one chance at survival and that was to seize this daughter of some unknown big shot. Only in this way, could he and Annie have a chance to escape However, before he could act, Danny suddenly felt a sharp pain in his back. He turned his head in disbelief but saw that Annie was holding a dagger and the dagger had pierced his own back, fully submerged into the flesh. Annie, you Danny suddenly coughed loudly. It seemed that his lung lobe had been pierced by the dagger. As he coughed, he spat out a mouthful of blood. He only felt the cold and numbness swiftly overtaking his body and limbs. He only had time to take two stubborn steps forward and then his legs gave out. He sat down fully on the ground and no matter how he clambered, he could not get up. What, whats going on? After Danny fell, Annie seemed to wake up from a dream. She stared blankly at the blood in her hands and then with a clatter, the dagger fell on the floor with a sharp clanging sound. Danny, Danny! I didnt do it, its not me! Annie panicked. She hurriedly knelt on the ground to cover Dannys wound, but all this was in vain. She could only watch the young man in front of her eyes bleed more and more as his face turned increasingly pale. Its alright, Annie, I believe it wasnt you Danny gave a wry smile. He only had time to reassure Annie and then he closed his eyes completely. No! Annie broke out in a mournful howl. First her father, then Danny, who had quietly been in love with her. At this moment, she suddenly had a desire to burn everything down. If she had a nuclear bomb button in her hand now, she would press it without hesitation. Now do you know how it feels to lose everything? The little girl skipped forward, with an innocent smile on her face. Annie, Ive watched every step youve taken to this day. Actually, because of your father, you had many chances to turn back but you never learned to appreciate them. Not only that, but you also caused the death of your father who silently gave you everything, the reason being you want to save your Brother Fisher. Hehe, this is the funniest story Ive heard in my life. Who are you really? Annie lowered her head, her blond hair hiding her face. There was only her low, hoarse voice saying, Who are you and why do you know all this? Since you have asked so sincerely, then Ill tell you out of mercy! The little girl was barefoot. Her slender feet stepped in the expanding puddle of blood under Danny, making a pattering sound. Annie, surely you still remember what happened three years ago? Three years ago? Annie raised her head abruptly. Thats right, you were injured in the nineteenth vertebra because of a car accident and then because of external pressure, it led to spinal nerve hemorrhagic necrosis in the spinal cord cavity. Such an injury was almost irreversible in terms of contemporary medical methods. But just three years ago, your father met a young man. The little girl said charmingly, Because your father made a deal with the young man, as a reward, you went through an operation. Just after the operation, you miraculously stood up again. Do you know why that is? My father said that he met a talented person with superb medical skills and he healed me Annie replied in a soft voice. Yes, I believe you now know that person is the founder of our Blacklight Biotechnology, Sir Chen Chen. The little girl referred to Chen Chen using honorifics. But surely you dont know what you were healed by? Annie was stunned for a moment. She had never thought about this. Its because of a chip called God. With these words, Annie suddenly felt her vision turning hazy and the little girl who was supposed to be standing in front of her suddenly turned into a blur, popping up behind her at a speed beyond her eyes could not follow! In the next second, Annie only felt a sharp pain in her spine and she could not help but scream! Agh! After Annies scream, the little girl returned to face Annie, but now her right hand was drenched with blood. Not only that, but there was also a fingernail-sized item between her index finger and thumb. Agh, it hurts so bad! Annie fell to the ground in agony. She wanted to move her body, but she was shocked to find that she had lost all feelings in her lower limbs This kind of emptiness as if her lower body did not exist, was practically her personal nightmare. At this time, when this strange but familiar feeling hit her again, Annie finally could not hold back anymore and cried uncontrollably. Ta-da The little girl walked directly in front of Annie and said condescendingly, Do you see this? Its this chip that allowed you to walk like an ordinary person for three years without any abnormalities, but it has another function. That is, it can monitor your every move and even your behavior can be manipulated! In other words, when you were pulled into the group White Embers, when you were seduced by that Fisher, and after you came to Eco Science City, everything you did, seemingly hidden, was under our watchful gaze! No, no! Annie could not help crying loudly. Now she finally understood the exposure of White Embers, Fishers capture by Blacklight Biotechnology, and the failure of this mission were all because of the chip in her back At this moment, her chest was bursting with incomparable regret, making her want to explode. Oh, by the way, that Fisher, why do you keep thinking about him? The little girl was puzzled. Even if you look past how ugly that human creature is, hes also incredibly stupid. He cant compare to Sir Godfather at all. We just threw them onto a deserted island and let them slaughter each other until no one was left. Annie was shocked when she heard these words. She looked up suddenly and her voice deepened. Brother Fisher is dead? Of course, after all, we need data and materials for experiments. Although your Brother Fisher is useless, he still serves rather well as an experiment subject. The little girl clapped her hands and at once, someone from behind handed her a silver Rubiks Cube. Here, wanna see? With that, the little girl smiled and handed the Rubiks Cube to Annie. Do you want to see the holographic video of Fisher before he died? Annie braced her body with all her strength, stretched out her right hand, and tremblingly took the Rubiks Cube, but with a slip of her hand, the Rubiks Cube dropped directly into a pool of blood Then, a magical scene appeared The Rubiks Cube that rolled into the pool of blood turned on automatically. Suddenly, a three-dimensional light beam was emitted, completely blanketing the surrounding corridor, presenting an island scene. This place is Annie looked around in bewilderment but was suddenly surprised to see a group of people appearing on the island. Many of these people were familiar faces. Still, what excited her most were the three who were nearest Fisher, Jennifer, and Jennifers younger sister. Brother Fisher! At this moment, Annie burst into tears. Finding a sudden burst of strength, she suddenly braced her arms and used them to keep crawling through the pool of blood, inch by inch, approaching the young man she had dreamed of. Nevertheless, as soon as she had moved forward, she noticed that Fisher looked rather pathetic. Moreover, beside him, Jennifer was covered in wounds and there was even a missing chunk of flesh at the back of her head, exposing a part of her skull to the air. Immediately afterward, she saw Fisher and Jennifer arguing out of nowhere, but the scene in front of her showed only the image without any sound. Annie only saw Jennifer bursting into silent laughter and then her whole body shuddered violently, eventually turning into a blanket of flesh and blood! Agh! Annie also unleashed a scream. Soon enough, the screen changed as Fisher moved. Annie only saw Fisher running directly into the jungle beside him, but at this point, the figure of Jennifers sister suddenly appeared behind him, and she rushed over ferociously and plunged a blade into Fishers heart from the back! No! Seeing this scene, despite knowing that everything in front of her was a holographic projection, she still could not help shrieking again. Then, the speed of the images began to accelerate and Annie could only watch Fishers body fall to the ground. Even so, before long, countless strands of Jennifers flesh and blood wriggled over and devoured Fishers body, using him as nourishment for the spreading carpet of flesh No, its not true, its not true, sob sob sob! Annie cried so hard, she was almost unable to make a sound. She tried to crawl forward but she bumped into the Rubiks Cube that was displaying the projection. The scene before her flickered and everything completely disappeared. How about it? I told you hes dead. The little girl said matter-of-factly, And he was killed by Jennifers sister because he caused Jennifers death. I have to say that this is indeed a kind of poetic justice. Oh, right However, as she was talking, the little girl seemed to recall something. Her large delicate eyes curved into a pair of crescent moons. This smile looked innocent, but in Annies eyes, it was more terrifying than the devils grin. By the way, did you know? When you were stealing your fathers pass just now, I was the one who made the call! Annies eyes widened when she heard this. Because I was very curious about what would happen if Samuel woke up suddenly, so I specifically gave Samuel a call, and it turned out The little girl spread her hands, looking aggrieved. I will be punished when Sir Godfather knows about this, but I was just a little curious at the time. Who would know that you guys would kill him You Annie opened her mouth and finally closed her eyes in anguish. At this instant, she was overcome by waves of remorse. If she had not gone against Blackwatch Corporation, all of this would not have happened, right? Her father would not have died and she could live on in peace. As for things like being observed and monitored, what did those matter compare to the lives of her father and herself? Nonetheless, there was no use crying over spilled milk Sigh, I cant be so playful next time, but after all, its the first time I have a body that belongs to me. The little girl muttered to herself and glanced at Annie who was in a daze. After that, she bent down and retrieved the quantum USB flash drive from Dannys pocket, whose body was getting colder. She handed it to the Black Knight behind her before turning to leave. Her bare feet left bloody footprints on the floor. When the little girl had left, these Black Knights took action on their own. They promptly dragged Annie away, preparing to take her to the Spire Experimental Base and imprison her as a Delta-level experiment subject. This was because Chen Chen had specifically instructed before that when Annie was no longer useful, she should be recycled, like trash Knock knock knock knock knock knock knock knock knock! A few minutes later, when Chen Chen was sitting in the offices boss chair, leaning back and closing his eyes to rest, there were sudden knocks on the office door. The knocks were a little harsh as if that person had not knocked on any doors in their life, causing a loud noise. Come in. What difference does it make whether you come in? Chen Chen frowned and said powerlessly. Sir Godfather After Chen Chens words, the office door opened slowly with a creak and at the same time, half of a delicate face popped in, revealing a pair of shiny almond-shaped eyes. Sir Godfather, I made a mistake Come in first. Chen Chen replied with a wooden expression. At this time, a photo of Samuels body had appeared on his computer screen, showing a bullet hole in his forehead. Although the wound was not large, Chen Chen knew by common sense that Samuels brain must have been fully scrambled. Hearing Chen Chens order, Little X walked in cautiously, lowering her head like a kid who had done something wrong. You shouldnt have made that call. Chen Chen rubbed the bridge of his nose, feeling a headache coming on. I dont wish for this to happen again, understand? Although Samuels existence wasnt vital, he was the first person to follow me after all. Now he has died in the Eco Science City. If other people learn of this, what should they think? That I did it on purpose? That he was murdered to keep a secret? Yes Little X lowered her head and replied dejectedly, I promise it wont happen again! Seeing this, Chen Chen nodded and asked again, Is that quantum virus controlled? It has been controlled. Little X replied, It was indeed a little difficult, but I disconnected the LAN when they inserted the USB drive into the computer, so the quantum virus didnt get anything. After several rounds of probing, I believe that not only can I crack its code, it can also be used to counterattack the opponent, using quantum entanglement. Chapter 394 - Quantum Trap As long as my calculation speed is fast enough, I can also use quantum entanglement to counterattack the opponents computer! Little X said excitedly while taking out the USB drive she got off Danny and handed it to Chen Chen. I found that after the quantum virus entered the infected host computer, it would self-destruct in just a few milliseconds, destroying the point of entry for a counter-invasion. So if we want to counter-attack, the key is to start with this USB flash drive. Chen Chen took the USB flash drive and had a closer look. There was a transparent shell outside the USB flash drive. Through the shell, he could see that there were a large number of small golden parts and gears inside. These gears were slowly rotating, as complicated as a mechanical watch. This level of exquisite detail would completely be qualified as a handicraft piece. What Little X did not expect was that, after Chen Chen heard that they could counterattack and saw the USB flash drive in his hand, he suddenly fell into thought. Little X was only too familiar with this expression of his. Every time Chen Chen encountered certain problems, he would wear this expression. After a while, he would solve all the problems one by one. In the past, Chen Chen would still need to take NZT-48, but now his reliance on NZT-48 was getting lesser. Seeing this, Little X did not speak but stood quietly in front of Chen Chen. She fiddled with her fingers while occasionally looking up at Chen Chen who was deep in thought. We cant counterattack. After about two or three minutes of silence, Chen Chen raised his head again and now his gaze had become extremely sharp. If we decide to counterattack, we may very well have to face the Earth Federation army in the next second, so we absolutely cannot counterattack! Little X quickly tilted her head in confusion and said in astonishment, Not at all. I monitor the entire World Wide Web. If theres any change in the Earth Federation, I will be the first to know. The reason you didnt see any changes is just that I didnt make the choice to counterattack. Chen Chen laughed coldly and explained, If the other party has a quantum computer, then we must look at the problem from the level of quantum mechanics. Presumably, you also know of the double-slit experiment related to causality, right? Yes. Little X nodded and solemnly said, The so-called double-slit experiment is a kind of quantum effect. If you use marbles and ripples as an analogy take a marble launcher and place an obstacle with two slits in front of it, then randomly launch marbles with the launcher. Most of the marbles will be bounced back and only a few marbles will pass through the two slits and form the pattern of two vertical lines made of marbles on the wall behind the slits. And if you use ripples to do a similar experiment, when the ripple passes through the two slits, youll get two ripples with decreasing density from the center to the surroundings. The two ripples will continue to interfere with each other and when they are finally projected on the wall, theyll form a series of light and dark interference fringe patterns. Little X recounted in a familiar manner. So, some people used the above methods to perform experiments with subatomic particles. They replaced the marbles and ripples with tiny electrons. Initially, they thought that electrons would also form two vertical lines like marbles, but the result was an interference fringe pattern, like ripples. In the beginning, the experimenters thought that a large number of electrons had collided with each other, resulting in the interference fringe pattern. Thus they changed their methods and launched the electrons one by one, but to their surprise, the result was still an interference fringe pattern. So, the experimenters tried to use an instrument to detect how these electrons passed through the double slit, but when the instrument was used to measure, something strange happened. These electrons again acted similar to the marble experiment and the vertical line pattern was shown on the screen. The experimenters ruled out countless possibilities of error and the final result was if you dont observe the photon closely and measure which slit it passes through, then you can see the double-slit interference phenomenon. But if you want to know which slit each photon passes through, then you wont see the double-slit interference pattern. In other words, just because its under observation, the electron changes its behavior. This rule is ultimately interpreted as the wave-particle duality. Everything in the world is composed of countless possibilities. The electron will collide with other possibilities of its own and display an interference pattern on the screen. However, when you actively measure this collision, the electron is no longer associated with all possibilities, so a double line appears in accordance with common sense. Not bad, your understanding is pretty good. Chen Chen nodded. This is the collapse of the wave function. When you dont observe, there are countless possibilities for the result. When you turn around, the result becomes certain, which means that the observation will change the result, yet it will not change what has happened. Still, is that the case? Chen Chen narrowed his eyes and kept simulating images of quantum mechanics formula patterns in his mind. If we shoot an electron through a double slit and then randomly decide whether to observe it with an instrument, theoretically, the electron should have a certain probability of exhibiting fluctuation. That is, after the electron has passed through the double slit, does the observation determine how the electron has already passed through the double slit? For example, lets say theres a star 100 million light-years away. A photon was emitted to the earth 100 million years ago, and theres an entire galaxy between it and the earth. Due to the gravitational lensing effect, the light from this star has to curve past the galaxy to reach the earth, similar to the double-slit. However, when the photon passes through the galaxy, we dont make any observations. The photon must pass through two paths at the same time. But 100 million years later, when the photon is about to reach the earth, lets say set up telescopes at both ends of the galaxy to observe the incoming photon, and see which path it took to reach the earth. Consequently, based on the interference effect, the photon will be forced to make a choice. From passing through two paths at the same time, it collapses to passing through only one of them. In that case, have we changed 100 million years worth of history? Many people have always believed that time is a dimension. For example, four-dimensional space is three-dimensional space plus one-dimensional time. But in fact, this is total bull, because the thought experiment just now directly subverts the causal law of relativity. Therefore, in modern science, more and more people have proven that time doesnt exist and when we observe the result of an existence, it leads to the collapse of other possibilities. Chen Chen spread out his hands, wearing a somber expression. Then, going back to the original question, now you know why we cant counterattack, right? Because were in a process that hasnt yet yet collapsed? Little X suddenly saw the light. If you give an order to counterattack at this moment, in other words, its very likely that the quantum computer had predicted our counterattack in advance a few hours ago or even just as the plan was set? Yes, thats what I meant. This USB flash drive is probably a trap, a quantum trap. As Chen Chen said, he threw the USB drive directly into the trash can. The reason you havent detected any changes in the Earth Federation is that I will not issue an order to counterattack in the future. If I issue this order, would the Earth Federation suddenly appear in the next second and arrest me directly? But doesnt this mean that the quantum computer has noticed us? Little X was a little frightened. Does it mean that if we dont counterattack, they wont act against us? Thats why Ive said, this is a trap. Chen Chen replied, Because Ive previously determined that this quantum computer is used to predict all disasters targeting human civilization. Moreover, this prediction requires a lot of calculations, so it will not actively predict our presence. That is, although the quantum computer is located in North America, it cannot be used by the North American Continent alone. It belongs to the Earth Federation. Perhaps, each continent can use it, but theres a limit, so it can only be used on certain urgent matters. Our Blacklight Biotechnology isnt important enough yet that North America would use up an opportunity, just to make predictions on us. In short, it was not the North American authorities who targeted us this time, but a certain high-level official among their ranks. This high-level official is powerful enough to have access to the quantum computer. He set this trap to get rid of us. Little X suddenly realized something. So thats it. But doesnt it mean that we cant actively target that quantum computer, for once we do, the other party will know of it first? Yes, exactly. Chen Chen replied, However, your Prophet System can predict their moves while the other partys Quantum Deity hasnt foreseen your existence for the time being. Although its probably because its too occupied, we can also surmise that your ability is at the same level as that computer. Even if youre weaker, it wont be by too much. In this case, as long as we collect more germanium metal and build a larger Gantz server, we can defeat them. After all, the Gantz servers computing efficiency will be improved exponentially. In addition, if we can create an antimemetic E language code, we can also hide ourselves to the extent that we will not be discovered by the quantum computer. Otherwise, as we expand, well be detected by the Earth Federation sooner or later. Got it! Little X nodded emphatically. Ill work hard to analyze the E language. Oh, right. Chen Chen seemed to have thought of something and asked again, Is there no activity in North America and Europe? Have they discussed how to get my technology? I analyzed some of the encrypted emails from the White House and it seems that they are still discussing things. These people have come up with several solutions. Little X said, These include direct sanctions such as using our acquisition of shares in that Alzheimers company as an excuse and then imposing sanctions on us by citing patent issues. The specific sanctions will be as you imagined. Its the cut-off of equipment such as chips and lens light sources. Anything else? Chen Chen nodded without worrying too much about this. Theres also a plan that has gained more support, that is, during this period, they will not take any action at all, causing you to let down your guard and think that they will not do anything to you. After all, that incident a few years back would still make companies all over the world behave vigilantly. Later on, when you head to the Nobel Prize awarding ceremony in December, youll be arrested by the Swedish government on the pretext of having committed fraud. How bold of them. Chen Chen raised an eyebrow and could not help but narrow his eyes. A cold glint shone in his gaze. In other words, they want to impose personal freedom restrictions on me, just like with Huawei back then? Force me to hand over the technology? Yes, most people prefer this approach. Although there are a small number of people who think that this will lead to a crisis of trust in foreign trade, more people think that since they have done similar things before, it isnt a big deal to do it again. Its more important to get their hands on these era-defining technologies than to preserve their reputation. Does North America still have any reputation to speak of? Chen Chen sneered. I didnt expect that a continents government could be so shameless. Since they are this shameless, I shall treat them accordingly. I wont go to Europe to attend this Nobel Prize ceremony. As he spoke, Chen Chen stood up and paced slowly in the office. But if you dont attend, they will probably not award it to you. Little X said, After all, the Nobel has a rule that no awards will be given to those who refuse to accept it. This is the pride of the worlds foremost award. I can announce my plans to attend and only publicly declare that I refuse to accept the award after theyve published the list of winners. Wouldnt that do? Chen Chen spread his hands. I only want the world to know that I didnt take the Nobel because its beneath me, not because the Nobel was not awarded to me. Little X was somewhat speechless for a while. Chapter 395 - A Vital Compensation One day later. When Chen Chen awoke in the Spires laboratory, he only felt as if he had just gone through a serious illness. His entire body felt light and flimsy. Not only that, but there was something extra in his mind. It was an utmost mysterious feeling. It seemed that if only he concentrated, whatever it was would surge out all at once He could not help looking around, only to realize that he was in a lounge now, and there was a glucose drip attached to one of his arms. There was a haze in his mind. Chen Chen was a little unaware of where he was, but when he saw the crystalline fragments glowing with faint fluorescence under the bed, he suddenly remembered. Last night, he returned to the Spire Experimental Base and then used the USB flash drive to extract the crystalline. Just as last time, Chen Chen took out 500 pieces of crystalline at one time, then continued to absorb them until he fainted at some point. Sir Godfather, youre awake. Little Xs voice rang directly from the intercom on the wall. Please dont worry. After a blood test just now, Ive concluded that your physical condition is rapidly getting better. In no more than three days at most, all your physiological functions will be back to normal. Does it take three days? Chen Chen frowned. He remembered that after absorbing 500 crystalline pieces at the beginning of this year, he recovered after only one night of sleep. Yes, your body has suffered a lot of damage after absorbing the radiation of the crystalline, but you have been modified by the T-virus after all. Your physical fitness is far superior to that of ordinary people. These injuries are nothing. Little X replied. Just as Little X was talking, the door of the lounge slowly opened upward. Two Black Knights walked in from outside and handed Chen Chen an energy bar and some drinking water. The reason they gave him an energy bar was that food alone could hardly meet the needs of Chen Chens body. Without an energy bar, Chen Chen would have to eat a bucket of rice and 5 kilograms of meat for a meal, like those famous generals in ancient times. Then he would need to use the toilet for more than an hour. Chen Chen was naturally unwilling to waste time eating and going to the toilet, so he used energy bars instead. After eating the energy bar, Chen Chen felt a little bit more solid. He thought about it and suddenly waved to the pile of crystalline by his side. At that moment, five pieces of crystalline flew up and swooped to Chen Chen, before they braked sharply, drifting around Chen Chen like asteroids. Currently, Chen Chen could feel that his control was incomparably stable and extremely relaxed. As he had absorbed 500 crystalline fragments again, he had improved immensely in his control. However, thinking of what had happened last night, Chen Chen frowned unwittingly and analyzed aloud, Sure enough, theres a limit to the radiation of crystalline the human body can bear. After absorbing 500 crystalline pieces last time, I felt refreshed and healthy the next day. Even so, as the radiation absorbed by the crystalline increases, the load on the body becomes heavier and the growth of the Field energy each time becomes smaller and smaller As he spoke, Chen Chen coughed a few times. These were the sequelae of absorbing the crystalline. According to my calculations, in addition to 500 pieces twice and the number of pieces taken in between, you have already absorbed more than 1,300 pieces of crystalline. This is already your physiological limit. If you continue to absorb them, it will be as if your body is irradiated by excessive nuclear radiation and it will collapse at the genetic level Little X suddenly reminded with some concern. Sure enough, the limit has been reached. Chen Chen nodded, unsurprised. After all, the amount of radiation absorbed was more than that of the three main characters in the movie. The absorption of so many crystalline fragments also meant that, in terms of the growth potential of Field energy, Chen Chen had officially surpassed the protagonists of the movie. Thinking of this, Chen Chen opened his hands slightly and suddenly the five crystalline pieces whistled sharply through the air, after which he heard the deafening sound of bang, bang, bang, bang, bang. The alloy walls of the Spires laboratory were directly impacted and five shallow depressions were created. At the same time, the five crystalline pieces had shattered completely due to the massive impact. This power Chen Chen converted this in his mind. It was known that the weight of a crystalline piece was 4.7 kilograms and the speed they achieved just now was at least 20 meters per second. If these five fragments hit a person, they would suffer some wounds and broken bones at the very least. According to my visual observation, the force just now was at least 100 Newtons or more. I think you havent used your full strength yet, right? Little X asked, If you use your full strength, how many Newtons would that be? Chen Chen heard these words and calculated silently. 100 Newtons was the force required to move a 100-kilogram object at a speed of one meter per second. Applied to a 5-kilogram object, it would make it move at 20 meters per second. Thus, Chen Chen raised his head and said, My current full strength is about 150 Newtons, which isnt much better than before. Still, compared to this sort of crude application, the real value is the in-depth application of Field energy. With that, Chen Chen suddenly closed his eyes, just like when he had lost his eyes in the dream world, trying to use Field to perceive the world. After Chen Chen closed his eyes, the scene in his mind did not disappear. Instead, with the release of Field energy, it became a special scene, just like how a bat used ultrasound to detect its surroundings. Nevertheless, Chen Chens Field energy would receive feedback much more quickly than ultrasound and it was more vivid and specific. Even the surrounding temperature, radiation intensity, airflow speed, and other invisible data could be perceived. At this time, Chen Chens perception range had reached about 20 meters, but the farther the distance was, the fuzzier the feedback he received, and the more difficult it became to control the object. The limit of the extended Field is 20 meters, which is a full forty times more than when the ability was first acquired. Chen Chen estimated aloud, Its only two or three meters larger than its range before absorption. The role of the crystalline is to increase the potential of Field energy, rather than directly enhance it. So within the extended range of Field, whats the extent of your powers? Little X curiously asked, How far are you from being what they called omniscient and omnipotent? Assuming that Field is fully extended, within 20 meters, Im considered to be omniscient, but am by no means omnipotent. Chen Chen closed his eyes and replied, Within 20 meters, I can perceive what everyone is carrying on them, what movements they make, the quality of their clothes, and even the changes in their body temperature can be observed. Not even blind spots can obstruct my line of sight. Moreover, within this range, I dont have to use huge kinetic energy to kill my opponent. Only one poker card is enough. Within 20 meters, I can kill anything in an unstoppable manner. My target wouldnt even know how they died. Hearing this, Little X could not help exclaiming, So, youre already very strong. Now only firearms can threaten you and cold weapons are ineffective against you. Its a pity that times have changed, big guy. Chen Chen teased, then he continued to test his powers and began to focus on a laboratory bench in front of him. At this time, his eyes were still closed. In his perception, as he continued to gather his focus, he gradually zoomed in on the lab bench in front of him, and the once-smooth epoxy resin tabletop started to appear bumpy as Chen Chen observed it. When this amplification had reached the limit of his focus, Chen Chen realized that in his perception, the sleek lab bench had become like the surface of the moon, filled with craters and ravines. At the same time, within these ravines, Chen Chen saw tiny black spots for the first time. These black spots were like animals on a hill. They slowly wriggled in front of Chen Chens eyes, like ants and worms This was the microscopic world that could be seen by Field. Chen Chen was ecstatic. Those black spots were nothing else other than bacteria invisible to the naked eye. The size of bacteria was generally between 1 micron and 5 microns. It was impossible for humans to see them with their two naked eyes. With the visual ability of humans, bacteria would need to be magnified by at least three hundred times to even be noticed and closer observation required magnification by more than a thousand times. Now, at the micro-level, Chen Chen could only see black spots, but it also represented the first time he was exposed to the existence of bacteria. In other words, my current subatomic application of Field energy is about three hundred times that of the naked eye. Chen Chen silently estimated. His goal was nothing else but to manipulate matter on a subatomic level, not only on a macroscopic level like now. If Chen Chen could manipulate matter at the subatomic level, there was too much he could accomplish. For example, if the subatomic level reached the molecular level, Chen Chen could change the structure of matter at will; at the atomic level, Chen Chen could even change the atom, turning rocks into gold and creating objects out of thin air; if he reached the smaller level of electrons, Chen Chen could even freeze the irregular movement of electrons. Once the irregular movement of particles was halted, it was equivalent to plunging this area into a state of absolute zero. In this state, everything would be stagnant and even time would not pass. All of this could be said to be the power of the gods. To achieve this, Chen Chens level of subatomic control must be at least five million to one hundred million times more powerful than the naked eye. If the enhancement of Field energy was an improvement in quantity, then the enhancement at the subatomic level was an improvement in quality. It seems that in the future, I still have to exercise more in terms of accuracy. Chen Chen quietly decided on this. Then he opened his arms again, trying to use Field to lift himself into the air. During the period of dreaming, Chen Chens Field energy suddenly soared to ten times the level of power in the real world. Not only could he easily lift himself, but he could also continue to accelerate to the point where he surpassed the speed of sound. The feeling of flying freely in the sky caused great yearning in Chen Chen. After absorbing five hundred crystalline pieces at this time, although his power had not increased much, Chen Chen decided to give it a try. Thinking of this, Chen Chen began to try to lift himself. He only felt countless filaments pouring out of his mind. These filaments kept flowing out, shrouding Chen Chens body. He also felt that there was some invisible substance covering his body as if countless hands were lifting him. Soon enough, Chen Chen slowly rose to the ceiling. Chen Chen floated back and forth across the ceiling of the laboratory in this manner, abruptly accelerating from time to time. He would zip across the room at great speed, from one end of the laboratory to the other. Sure enough, its still a little strenuous to use my current power for flight. After a long while, when Chen Chens head was dizzy and he began to have a nosebleed, he slowly landed. He knew that currently, he was 180cm tall and 75kg in weight. At most, he could accelerate his own body from a static state to a velocity of two meters per second, which meant that the explosive power of his field energy was about 150N. Although he could fly alright at this speed and could continue to accelerate in the air, he could forget about using it for travel. The speed of two meters per second was no match for good old running, especially if his opponent had a gun. Chen Chen would not even have time to fly into the sky before he was shot through like a sieve. If his use of Field was to be practical, it must be augmented by at least five times, that was, half its strength in the dream, before he could use it for flight. Still, this was not far away because at this point, Chen Chen had filled up with all the crystalline he could and reached the absorption limit of his body. At this time, the growth rate of Chen Chens Field would also skyrocket, just like Andrew in the movie. It only took a year or two for them to go from controlling a tennis ball to stopping bullets in thin air, and even flipping back dozens of police cars. After having done this crude test, Chen Chen put on his coat and walked out the door of the lounge. In the corridor outside the door, Little X had been waiting in a white dress for a long time. She skipped along as she followed Chen Chen, chattering noisily with him as she moved forward. Seeing this, Chen Chen did not say anything. After all, this was Little Xs preference. Chen Chen knew that Little X had grown up with him and her thinking was naturally closer to human beings. As the only smart lifeform in the world, she was lonely inside, though she had never admitted it, so she would want to blend in with the crowd. This human body was most in line with her tastes, so she used this body as a vessel to compensate for her desolation. This was a good thing as it would further enhance Little Xs sense of belonging to him. Chen Chen silently watched Little Xs jumping figure, a trace of gratification flashing in his eyes. In the final analysis, it was just that he was still wary of Little X. Otherwise, since he knew that if he implanted himself with the God chip, with the all-out support from Little X, he could become an absolute, superhuman existence, why then had he never mentioned this possibility? Just because once the God chip was implanted, he opened himself up to being countered by Little X. Therefore, even if he had to rely on his strength, Chen Chen would never implant himself with the God chip. Besides that, Chen Chen had also secretly set up many countermeasures against Little X. In particular, allowing Little X to enter the Gantz server was also something planned by Chen Chen long ago. Just in case one day Little X got out of control, Chen Chen was assured that he could get rid of her at the least cost. Thinking of this, Chen Chen slowly closed his eyes and a warm, gentle smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. He only hoped that day would never come. Chapter 396 - On Sale 10 September came quickly, which was the day Blacklight Biotechnologys first electronic products for ordinary people, the V.1 Virtual Reality Series, went on sale. In the early morning of this day, the physical stores of major retailers around the world were already crowded with thousands of people in long queues. They were waiting for the stores to open for business because, in these stores, the V.1 Series devices would be sold. Going for retail was the best choice for those who did not want to wait for an online mail order. Of course, after seeing the long snaking queues, most people preferred a more comfortable online shopping service. Although the arrival of the goods was a bit slower, they did not have to queue for hours. There were at least millions of people waiting in front of their computers. Initially, there should not have been so few potential users. However, the price of the V.1 Virtual Reality Series had prevented most people from buying it. Even in Mainland China, the cheapest V.1 Tactile Suit also required 4,500 yuan. However, this suit was only an aid, after all. Without the V.1 Haptic Shock Helmet or Haptic Shock Chair, it could be said to be useless. The price of a helmet would then cost at least 13,000 yuan, and the haptic shock chair would require no less than 60,000 yuan. The most important thing was that these products were not as necessary as mobile phones and cars, so not many people were willing to buy them right away. Most people were still waiting and watching. However, even if most people were still on the sidelines, it was the worlds first batch of equipment with brainwave control technology. Thus, in the first batch of orders, the haptic shock helmet had reached 3.3 million units, the tactile suit had reached 2 million sets while the haptic shock chair had reached 800,000 units. Even for the most expensive HP 3D Simulator, it had also received 5,000 orders. Assuming the cost was one-half of the price, Chen Chen had harvested nearly ten billion USD in the first wave. Moreover, after the first batch of the V.1 Series entered millions of households, just like the ubiquity of computers and mobile phones in the past, they would become a general trend of the times, an irresistible trend. Nowadays, this slice of pie in the VR field could be said to be completely controlled by Blacklight Biotechnology. After more than ten years of fierce jostling and competition, Blacklight Biotechnology had swiftly unified the VR market with crushing momentum. By more than ten years in advance, it had ushered VR devices into a new era the era of brainwave manipulation. In North America and Europe, because they were going to arrest Chen Chen suddenly in December, there were practically no restrictions on Blacklight Biotechnologys products at this time. Whether it was quality inspection or tariffs, Blacklight Biotechnology was given the green light all the way. To keep up appearances, they even sent a negotiating team to contact the Blacklight Biotechnology team to discuss the purchase of the brainwave manipulation technology. Blacklight Biotechnology, naturally, also feigned civility, acting as if it knew nothing of its opponents plans. Thus, in this seemingly harmonious atmosphere, the first batch of products was sold successfully and the buyers who got the goods began to happily try this unprecedented black technology product. Mainland China, the downtown area of Shangdu City. Two young men walked out of a VR store, sweating profusely. At the same time, they were each holding two cardboard boxes. Of the two cardboard boxes, one was cubic and one was flat. They were walking toward the parking lot holding the cardboard boxes while wearing elated expressions. Not a bad approach, Zhang Wei. You managed to score these when there are only three hundred units left in the city. Of the two youths, the handsome-looking one rejoiced. I thought wed go home empty-handed today. Heh heh. The other young man who was tall and thin was so pleased, his nose was practically kissing the sky. A teasing glint came into his eyes. You dont know, Yang Jian, that when the owner of this physical store was living on the streets with nothing to eat, it was my father who rescued him. As he spoke, remembrance flitted in the eyes of the tall and thin young man. A dozen years ago, my father gave him two pastries. He ate one and broke the other in two, handing one half to my father. He said that in the future, when hes made it, as long as my fathers descendants bring this half of the pastry to him, he would do a favor for my fathers descendants. So when the store said it was out of stock, you just took out that half of the pastry? The handsome young man was surprised. Isnt this a waste of a favor? No, that pastry half had gone bad long ago and Ive fed it to the dog. The tall and thin young man sneered. The reason he sold it to me was that he still had not made it, so my father invested several million in him and allowed him to open this electronic store. The two came to the parking lot as they conversed. After they put the cardboard boxes in the trunk, they drove back to the campus. Half an hour later, the car returned to Shangdu Jiao Tong University. The two ran to the door of Dorm 404 gleefully, holding the boxes. The tall and thin young man originally wanted to use his body to push open the door of the dormitory, but there was only a thud, for the dormitory door did not budge at all! Ouch! The tall and thin young man was bounced back to the ground and landed on his butt, but even so, he still held his two cardboard boxes firmly. My days, what are you guys doing? Whoevers inside, open the door now! The tall and thin young man scolded at once. Password! Behind the door of Dorm 404, a bright loud voice came. Password my foot, hurry up and open the door! The handsome youth had come over, frowning. No way, you must say the password or you cant enter! The voice inside was unyielding. Lets start with you! In desperation, the handsome young man looked around and when he saw that no one was paying attention, he lowered his voice and said, Im from Dachang City, the seventh middle school Too weak, again! I cant hear you! Two people yelled from within, their voices ringing through the door. The handsome young man had to increase his volume. Dachang City, student of the seventh middle school, Deity Yang Jian! Very spirited, next one! The voice behind the door continued shouting. Dachang City, student of the seventh middle school, Your Grandpa Zhang Wei! The tall and thin young man yelled angrily, Hurry up and open the door! You want to get into the warship with such a soft voice!? Our big brother in the dormitory said that if he cant hear it, he cant hear it! The voice continued shouting. Thats good enough. The handsome young man protested again and pushed violently, finally pushing the dormitory door open. The two people in the dormitory hurriedly hid in the toilet and locked the toilet door. Wheres the mop, Im going to suffocate the two of them by blocking the toilet door. The tall youth said viciously. Go hunt for it then, Im going to turn on the device. The handsome young man could not care less and immediately started unpacking, taking out a helmet and a black jumpsuit. My days, you guys really bought them? The toilet door cracked open and two people inside saw the handsome young man starting to unpack the cartons. They were immediately delighted. O Great Noble Brothers, please accept the respects of your little brothers! Bugger off. Just now you stopped us from coming in and now you call us your Great Brothers? The tall and thin young man waved them away. Brother Wei, dont be like this. We were only joking just now You must lend it to us too, we want to try the haptic shock helmet Brother Wei, can I go to your house to celebrate the New Year? Brother Wei, can you help me order a delivery? The two roommates kept joking shamelessly by one side. Ignoring these buffoons, the handsome young man took the helmet out of the box on his own and saw that the helmet was dark gray all over, with a streamlined shape. Although the shell was fully plastic, it was pretty good in terms of being oleophobic. There would not be handprints left on it like many plastic objects. The inside of the helmet was also very ergonomic, especially with internal sponge pads that were detachable. There was a fan in the front, back, left, and right of the helmet to allow the air inside the helmet to circulate, preventing the wearers senses from being affected when it was worn in the summer. It was very user-friendly. The handsome young man then found the manual and read it silently. After he had read through everything, he connected the power cord to the computer and then pressed the power button on the helmet. According to the instructions, if the power supply was not connected for the first time, it could not be turned on. Sure enough, after connecting the power, the helmet turned on. At the same time, the computer automatically installed the driver of the haptic shock helmet. After the installation was completed and all computer permissions were given, the helmet was in its formal activated mode. The handsome young man excitedly leaned against the headboard of the bed and put on the helmet. At first, all he saw was darkness, then there was a bright flash. His entire field of vision was completely occupied by the three-dimensional images projected by the helmets VR. From the perspective of the handsome young man, he only saw the Blacklight Biotechnology logo flashing once, after which a huge and empty room appeared before his eyes. The size of this room was about fifty square meters and in one glance he could take it all in. In the center of the floor of the room, a small red ball hovered quietly. This was a fantastic sensation as if he were standing in this room at this time and the angle of the image he saw was almost identical with his eyes field of vision, encompassing one hundred and eighty degrees. If he moved his eyes, he could also see the side of the room, which felt very natural. Hello, dear user, Im Little X. Please follow my prompts to set your user options; now, please stare at the red ball in the room and imagine that the ball is moving according to your thoughts. A crisp reminder sounded from his ears. The handsome young man knew that this Little X was equivalent to Microsofts Cortana. It was the voice of a new operating system. Still, it was the learning part now. The handsome young man earnestly tried to move the small ball based on his imagination. Suddenly, the small red ball moved slightly and rolled dozens of centimeters toward his position. Huh? Although he knew it was mind control, when the ball in front of him moved along with his mind, the handsome young man was still overwhelmed by an indescribable wonder. After all, he did not have any hardware such as a mouse at this time. He was completely relying on his thoughts. Could such an abstract, intangible thing control this helmet? He was struck by an ineffable sense of excitement and novelty. The handsome young man continued to control the ball following the prompts. After he finally set everything up, his helmet was completely connected to the computer. The handsome young man knew that the function of this helmet was a third-party computer input device, like the smartwatch or the keyboard, but compared to those two devices, the function of the haptic shock helmet was to let people use their brain waves to directly control the computer, freeing up their hands. In this way, both typing and maneuvering were much faster. Even when playing various games, all operations only required a single thought. This was still not a big deal. The handsome young man quickly became familiar with everything. After learning to use the haptic shock helmet, even surfing the Internet was much easier than before. Of course, the real purpose that most people had bought this type of equipment, in addition to the novelty of the experience, was more for the VR games that Blacklight Biotechnology originally promised. After all, experiencing those games would be like experiencing another life, and web novels about gaming had also led to people daydreaming about these thought-controlled helmets. One might say that one-third of the reason the VR helmets could sell so well was thanks to the gimmick of the brainwave control while the other two-thirds was because of gaming web novels. Therefore, filled with eager anticipation, after familiarizing himself with the operations, the handsome young man relied on his thoughts to open the store application software that came with the helmet system in the lower right corner, just like Apples App Store. The V.1 haptic shock series also had its own independent application platform. After opening the platform, he found the menu of the games software in a glance. With a flick of his mind, the game menu was opened and a row of games came into view automatically. Demonic Statues, Grand Swordsman, King of Rogues, and so on. From simple first-person shooters to real-time strategy games, there was everything. Although there were not many, only about a dozen, these games had tempted the heart of the handsome young man. This was because he had never heard of any of these games After he randomly clicked into a game, he saw that the introduction said: [Demonic Statues: First-person game. Game level AAA. Game introduction: One late night in the future year 2045, all human beings suddenly lose their minds at the same moment as if they have been manipulated by some unknown existence, and are reincarnated as the living dead. Phoenix is the only survivor in the world. What he needs to do is to break through the endless horror and investigate the truth of the extinction of human civilization] After trying to remember something, the young mans heart suddenly leaped. He took off his helmet and asked the tall and thin young man who also wore a helmet on the bed next to him, Yang Jian, you have played more games than me. Have you heard of a stand-alone game called Demonic Statues? Within two seconds, the tall and thin young man replied, No, but have you forgotten? Blacklight Biotechnology promised to design more than a dozen AAA masterpieces for us, otherwise, would we have bought this? Now it seems that these games are the AAA masterpieces they promised. So thats it. In that case, Ill add them all to the download list. The handsome young man nodded, then put on his helmet again. This same scene occurred in all corners of the world. With the first batch of V.1 devices entering thousands of households, the influence of Blacklight Biotechnology in the electronics industry had officially begun to expand. Chapter 397 - Paul Master, slow down, be careful you dont fall The old gray-haired butler supported a dignified-looking man with salt-and-pepper hair as they slowly stepped off the plane. Seeing that the mans pace was a little faster, the butler quickly chided. Becker, you dont need to support me. The dignified man pulled his arm away and said wryly, Old man, Im not the same Paul Blanc as before. Alright, Master. Seeing this, the gray-haired butler released his grip. Looking at this stubborn butler, the man with a dignified expression just shook his head helplessly. The other man was five years older than him and had served him all his life. It was difficult to blame the butlers old habits. Under the plane, there were already a dozen bodyguards standing with their hands behind their backs. When they saw him getting off the plane, they all moved forward, shielding him with their bodies, and then led him to the airport. Master, look over there, its Felix Munster Just as they were leaving the plane, a group of people also rushed out of the plane on the runway next to theirs. The one at their head was a middle-aged man who looked to be in his 40s or 50s at most. Not only that, but someone on their side also seemed to have nudged Felix, so these two parties looked over at almost the same time and their eyes made full contact. Looking at this old adversary who was of utmost familiarity to him, there was a flicker of gloom in Pauls eyes. Then, he burst into laughter. Hahahahaha! Felix, to think that Id meet you here? Im the one whos surprised. Paul, I didnt expect you to come to Namibia yourself! The two walked in quickly and embraced each other enthusiastically. I havent seen you in four or five years. I heard that youve already passed on all your work to your son. Are you coming to Namibia for vacation this time? Paul enthusiastically said, Namibia is indeed a great place for a vacation! Isnt it the same with you? I heard that your son Sloane had a major operation two years ago and even replaced both kidneys. Was it because of this that you were forced to show your face again? The other mans words carried a hidden sting too. Upon hearing this, Pauls face darkened. The reason he had greeted Felix in this manner was that Felix was the founder of the Munster Financial Group, but as early as four or five years ago, this old man withdrew from the management of the company because of Alzheimers disease. His son Adrian thus took charge of the board of directors. Usually, with this kind of disease, one would have barely a few years left to live, but unexpectedly, this man had chosen the path of Blackwatch Corporation. Not only was his Alzheimers disease cured, but he also went through the age-reversal treatment and gained the appearance of a forty or fifty-year-old young man, just like Paul himself. Paul was practically beside himself with rage. As for why Felix had made that remark to Paul, it was because Paul had once made a move against the chairman of Blackwatch Corporation. In the end, he could do nothing to his opponent and instead, the kidneys of his son were cut out. This had become an inside joke within the plutocrats circle. God bless! But my son later not only got new kidneys but also kept six mistresses and has now given birth to eight heirs. Paul laughed. I wonder how your son Adrian is doing? My son isnt brave enough to change his kidneys like your son and the heirs of our family are also excellent. So, we wont have to keep popping them out like pigs. Felix also retorted sarcastically. The exchange between the two then broke up in an unhappy atmosphere. When Paul got into his car, he was a little out of breath. If he had not undergone the age-reversal treatment, he might have suffered from high blood pressure earlier. Master, calm down, be careful with your health. The old butler on the side kept comforting him. Humph, isnt he in the same boat, pledging allegiance at the feet of Blackwatch? Paul was still indignant and said quickly, Ask the driver to drive faster. We must arrive at the Biological Research Center before them and meet Chen Chen. Yes. The old butler nodded. The car quickly started and drove along the VIP passage away from the airport. Half an hour later, the vehicle drove into the Biological Research Center of the Eco Science City and stopped at the bottom of a tall diamond-shaped building. The building was extremely tall, almost surpassing the other skyscrapers in the entire Eco Science City by more than one-third. It could be seen from the Walvis Bay International Airport, for this was the new landmark building of the Eco Science City Blackwatch Corporations headquarters in Africa. This building was 230 meters tall, with a total construction area of 150,000 square meters and the main building had 62 floors. Were here, Master. As the vehicle stopped in front of the building, the butler immediately said, Master, although the bodyguards cant follow, surely I should be allowed to go up with you? No need for that, Ill go up by myself. Paul pondered for a while, then waved his hand. He got out of the car alone and walked into the headquarters building. This was the first time Paul had been to this newly built headquarters building. When the building was not completed before, he had always gone to the old office building of the Biological Research Center to see Chen Chen. The decoration of the building, strictly speaking, was not luxurious, and was even rather minimalistic and futuristic. The floor, paved with huge squares that looked like white ceramic, could practically reflect everyones figures. Similarly, the walls pattern was made up of large tiles of green and white. Besides the paint, there was even a layer of decorative glass, creating a pleasant sensation of cleanliness and transparency. Paul understood that, at their level, the luxurious style of decoration could no longer satisfy them. Instead, they were more inclined to a simple yet remarkable aesthetic. The huge halls decoration in front of him showcased an extremely simple futuristic style. All this scenery was taken in by Paul in a single glance. Following that, he did not linger on but headed straight for the lobbys reception desk. The reception desk in the lobby was a green glass counter that blended in with the rest of the lobby. Behind the counter was a Chinese girl with a poker face. The girls eyes moved along with Pauls every movement, and Paul thought this was a little strange. He started to scrutinize her blatantly. Unlike most people, the girl in front of him had an indescribable vacuity in her eyes as if she was not a real person. Not only that, but the corners of her mouth were also slightly raised in an apparent smile, but when he looked closely, Paul felt his blood run cold. This was because the more he stared at this smile, the faker it seemed. As Paul got closer, he could also observe her overall appearance more clearly. He had to admit that the appearance of this girl in the reception uniform was almost flawless. She was as beautiful as a perfect crystal and her skin was without the slightest blemish. However, all this only exacerbated the eerie feeling in Pauls heart. When Paul had reached the desk, the girl before him finally spoke, Honorable sir, hello. Im Android Receptionist No. A0003. Is there anything I can help you with? Paul could hear an electronic tinge in this voice Wait! Pauls eyes bulged suddenly. He stared at the young female receptionist in front of him in disbelief as if he wanted to see what she really was. What did you just say, who are you? Im Android Receptionist No. A0003. Is there anything I can help you with? The girl before him repeated robotically. Android? Paul gasped sharply. He raised his hand in disbelief and slowly reached for the girl opposite the counter until he touched her cheek and felt the cool texture that was not like human skin. Then he was sure. No wonder he had felt something was off with this girl, she was not a real person! My God At this moment, a hundred thousand exclamations thundered in his mind like wild horses. An android? He had only seen this in a movie more than 40 years ago, when he was in his prime, he took his mistress to the cinema to watch a movie called Alien After he shook his head ruefully, Paul then looked around. Was there no human receptionist here? Is there anything I can help you with? Seeing that Paul did not answer, the female android before him asked again. Huh? Pauls attention was finally drawn to this question. At this moment, he seemed to recall something. Just when the android in front of him was about to ask more questions, he finally said tentatively, I want I have an appointment with Chen Chen. Im going to see him now. Can you confirm this for me? After Paul finished speaking, he stared at the android in front of him. One second, two seconds, three seconds Three seconds had passed and the android in front of him seemed to be stupefied. There was no reaction or any movement at all, not even a blink of the eyes. Seeing this, Paul could only shake his head. Sure enough, how could Blackwatch Corporation possibly make such an advanced android Mr. Chairman has been notified and he has approved your visit. Please head to the top floor, which is the 62nd floor. Before he finished speaking, the android in front of him spoke again. At this point, Paul finally raised his head abruptly and looked at the android in disbelief. The android in front of him understood his request! Assuming that it was not just this company being bored and scaring visitors with a secretly remote-controlled robot, did this not mean that Blackwatch had the technology to manufacture androids that could communicate smoothly with humans and were more than 95% realistic-looking? When the worlds best robotics and AI technology was still at the level of the robotic dog BigDog, had this amazing company already reached this level? Although Paul was more than eighty years old, he was originally a product of elite education. Even though he was this old, his ability to accept new things had far exceeded that of some middle-aged people who were only forty-five. It was this ability that allowed him to preserve his own family for such a long time. Coupled with the age-reversal treatment now, his mentality had become younger and more active. Therefore, faced with this ordinary-looking, even slightly daunting android, Paul knew very well what the implications were for the world Please head to the 62nd floor. Just as Pauls heart was trembling violently, the android prompted him again. Yes, yes! Paul came to his senses. He took one last look at the android, then turned and walked toward the elevator. As there were too many floors, there were a total of five elevators in the building, each of which had a huge capacity that could carry twenty people. At this time, Paul chose an elevator at random and then went in directly. Right as he walked into the elevator, Paul saw that the android was still staring at him, with that same stiff smile on its mouth G*dd*mn Paul frowned, and then the elevator door closed, completely blocking his line of sight. Shaking his head and casting the weird android out of his mind, Paul pressed the button for the 62nd floor. All of a sudden, he only felt a burst of gravity gripping his body. This was an increase in weight caused by the rapid acceleration of the elevator, but this feeling soon disappeared completely. On the display, Paul could see that the elevator was moving extremely fast, almost rising at a speed of one floor every two seconds. In less than two minutes, he had reached the top floor. Ding, youve reached the 62nd floor. There was a notification from the elevator, then the elevator doors slowly opened, revealing the space outside. After seeing the layout of the entire 62nd floor, Paul inhaled sharply. He saw that the entire 62nd floor was empty. There were no corridors nor so-called offices, only a massive hall that spanned the entire floor! However, the decoration here was simpler. Both the floor and the ceiling were paved with a blue-gray PVC material. There was also a layer of highly transparent glass covering the PVC material and everything looked sleek and shiny as if it was made of crystal. The entire 62nd floor had done away with all supports and was transformed into an office of gigantic scope. Around this oversized office, there were no walls, only floor-to-ceiling windows that enclosed the entire space! At first glance, Paul had the feeling that he was suspended high in the sky. When the entire space was this empty, the only furnishings became very conspicuous. The only furnishing on the 62nd floor was a huge silver-gray metal desk placed near the floor-to-ceiling windows. At this time, a young man was sitting before the desk. Chapter 398 - Father of DNA Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation After this remark, Paul could not resist looking up at Chen Chen to observe his reaction. To his disappointment, Chen Chen barely elicited any reaction upon hearing this news. He did not look like he was particularly impressed with this piece of news. I get it. Chen Chen nodded and said cooly, This cant be the only thing youre coming to me for, spill everything out. Yes, theres another piece of good news Id like to report to you. Paul continued. According to the information gathered in the inner circle, youll very likely be awarded this years Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine. This is for your companys last years contribution in combating the Blacklight virus on the front lines. Youre also the first corporation to come up with the Blacklight vaccine, your heroic deeds have saved the lives of millions in Africa. With these two accomplishments alone, calls for you winning the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine had taken up nearly ninety percent of the council. As he said this, he stole another glance at Chen Chens eyes to look for any signs of joy or excitement. He would be disappointed again by what he saw. Whether it was the news of North Americas goodwill or the later news of the potential Nobel prize, neither of them seemed to inspire any reaction from the young man standing before him. His eyes remained unmoving and dry like two mouths of well. Paul was put in the position of a slave or better yet, a dog. With his life and his familys well being on the line, he had no choice but to submit to this young man in front of him. He did not have a say in how things have turned out as the chip implanted at the back of his neck had stripped him of all options. Every time the idea of resisting occurred to him, the chip at the back of his neck would issue a sharp warning. For the sake of his life, he had to compromise his principles and continue working for this young man. The things he had to do were connected to politics one way or another. One example of the things he had to do was to navigate the Whitehouse using the connections inside his family. There were always ongoing disputes between the political parties in North America, behind many of these conflicting parties were the consortiums backing them from the shadows. Naturally, Paul was not pleased with having his and his familys life held hostage by his enemies. He wanted to look for an opportunity to escape from the young mans clutches, but the chance never presented itself. The reason he came here was to observe the young mans expression from up close. He was desperate to see the slightest opening, to see a glimpse of what could be surprise, excitement, helplessness, shame inside the young man. Perhaps this would prove that this young man was just another normal person that possessed complex emotions and may be susceptible to the many sorrows that came with fame and fortune There was always an opening in the common man that could be exploited. However, whatever news he presented, whether it was news of North Americas goodwill or the fabled Noble prize that countless people sought after, the young man was completely unfazed by the many revelations he presented. What in the world was going on in this persons mind? Is this what you came to me for? Chen Chen fixed his gaze on Paul, his eyes were like two bottomless pits absent of any presence of light. If this is all, then your mission is complete. Yes Paul felt his heart setting like stone, he nodded dryly. Please forgive me, I only thought I could share the good news with you. With that, he turned around and headed for the exit. Someone will visit you later. He had only taken his second step when Chen Chen suddenly called out to him from behind, Ill have someone perform a new operation on you and extract the God chip from your cervical spine. It will be substituted with a new chip model. Paul felt a shiver coursing through his body as he turned around in disbelief. A new chip model? Thats right. Compared to the previous model, this new God chip model will be considerably safer and more concealed. Chen Chen answered blankly, Im sure youll like it. Paul lowered his head to conceal his reaction, his body was trembling all over with anger at this moment. Still, he forced himself to nod agreeably before entering the elevator without looking back. Chen Chen waited until Paul had left before breaking into a devilish smirk. What were the chances of someone as proficient at psychological warfare as he was to not grasp what Paul was thinking? To sum it up, it was a deep-rooted discontent with having to submit to Chen Chens superiority. However, Paul had no other choice to stomach his anger since he had a dagger pointed to his throat. Due to this pent-up pressure and anger, Paul wanted nothing more than to catch a glimpse of Chen Chens weakness. Even a tiny glimpse of it would benefit his pride greatly and help him restore whatever confidence he could salvage. Unfortunately, Pauls desperate attempt was destined for failure from the get-go. Chen Chen had already been informed that the North American council had stopped investigating the Osmond accident a few days ago and he also knew about the Nobel Prize listing. He also knew that this was all a chain of traps Could it be that Paul also knows that this is a trap set up by the North American officials and is trying to lure you into the trap? Little Xs voice suddenly emitted from the computer. Maybe. Chen Chen did not deny the possibility. This is one of the flaws of the first generation God chip, it cannot intercept the hosts thoughts. This is why Im going to implant the second generation God chip into him. The second-generation God chip was the one implanted in Musks brain. The new chip would be implanted into the cortex of the occipital region. The AI inside the chip was designed to continuously collect the hosts brain signals. This system was designed to immediately notify Little X upon detecting any ill intentions against Blacklight Biotechnology or Gods Forbidden Zone. Apart from the revised implant location and this new feature, its functionalities were identical to the first-generation God chip. Sir Godfather, Osmond Familys Felix has arrived at the ground floor. Little X suddenly notified, Should I bring him up? Bring him up here. Chen Chen nodded as he got up and approached the elevator. Unlike Paul who had just left, Felix was personally invited by Chen Chen. He was one of the honored members of Gods Forbidden Zone, unlike Paul who was forced to serve Chen Chen like a slave to keep himself alive. Within two minutes, Felix stepped out of the elevator. Sir Chen Chen, its been a while! The moment Felix stepped out of the elevator and saw Chen Chen, his eyes lit up and he quickly reached out to hug Chen Chen. He then exclaimed, Is the Android on the ground floor real? Yes, but its just a prototype in its experimental stages. Itll take a few years before it can be commercialized. Chen Chen answered, Is Sir Felix interested in the Android project? Of course, Im very interested! Felix answered immediately, If possible, Im willing to contribute a portion of funds to develop this project with you. Oh, please dont jest, Sir Felix, I have enough funds at the moment. Chen Chen escorted his guest to his office desk. In an instant, two sofas and a coffee table rose from the ground. Felix was amused by this fascinating machinery. How futuristic, are these automated? Felix sat on the sofa and tapped the coffee table excitedly. Sir Chen Chen, having other people invest in your business is a very common practice in the business world. After all, theres never a guarantee whether a project will work out, so its better to split the cost to minimize the potential loss, dont you agree? The problem is that with more investing parties, I wont have the revenue all to myself if the project works out. Chen Chen smiled as he took two wine glasses from the table and poured a glass of red wine for Felix first but a glass of Sprite for himself instead. He raised the glass after. If Im in urgent need of funds, youll be the first one I turn to, Sir Felix. Alright, I suppose that will do Seeing how Chen Chen was adamant about his position, Felix understood that Chen Chen was not interested in attracting investors at the moment. He clinked glasses with Chen Chen somewhat disappointedly before downing the glass of red wine in one go. After the two men had emptied their wine glasses, Chen Chen quickly navigated the conversation. Im sure the reason Sir Felix came all the way here is that you have something important to discuss with me. Theres something I need to discuss with you about, it concerns one of my close friends. Felixs expression grew considerably more serious as he said this, Im sure youre acquainted with the name of this close friend of mine. Hes a fellow researcher just like you who goes by the name James Watson. Chen Chen flashed a curious look when he heard this. He looked at Felix in the eyes. Of course, Im familiar with the Father of DNA, hes a well-respected scholar. Then Im sure you know that he hasnt been doing too well these recent years Felix smiled bitterly as he said this, Watson has always been stubborn for as long as Ive known him. Hes always been too insistent about the results of his findings and refused to yield to the newer generation. This is why things havent been going too well for him these recent years. So Ive heard. Chen Chen nodded. The reason Felix was being vague regarding this topic was that this directly related to the national relations between Europe and North America. As these two continents were formed of a political system based on diverse ethnic groups, the two regions had amassed a large number of immigrants over the years. The many policies erected by the political parties over the years had led to some peculiar shift in the political landscape. For instance, a unique concept known as political correctness. James Watson who was born in North America on 6 April 1928, was now approaching a hundred years old. He was a legendary figure who was directly involved in the discovery of the double-helix structure of DNA in 1953 and won the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine in 1962. He was one of the most influential scientists of the 20th century. The fabled scientist had worked in none other than the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. Under his leadership, it had become a world-leading scientific research institution also known as the holy land of biological science. However, the fabled scientist was obnoxiously stubborn. In the later years of his career in 2007, perhaps out of fear of losing his position, he gave a memorable speech in the British Museum of Science. In the speech, he voiced his pessimism about the future landscape of Africa. He spoke against the equality-based philosophy between North America and Africa and argued that the idea that black people are just as intelligent as white people was a false claim. 1 Unsurprisingly, this speech incited numerous criticisms from politicians and other people. Despite the reception, James Watson was adamant about his claim. Following the speech, he had no choice but to resign from the chairmanship of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, effectively terminating his career as a researcher. In 2018, a reporter asked for his stance on race and intelligence again during an interview. The 90-year-old Watson stated matter of factly, Not at all. Id like for them to have changed, that there be new knowledge that says that your nurture is much more important than nature. But I havent seen any knowledge. And theres a difference on the average between blacks and whites on I.Q. tests. Id say the difference is genetic. 1 This remark prompted Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory to issue a statement again, claiming that these were only Watsons personal views. They stated that they would completely remove Watsons title as the honorary chairman as well as his other associating titles. With that, one of the most influential scientists in the world who was also a Nobel Prize holder and heralded as the Father of DNA faded into obscurity. Chen Chen immediately recalled these events and asked curiously, Did something happen to Mr. Watson? Watson was assassinated just two days ago. Felix smiled bitterly. I only just found out yesterday. Im not sure if youre aware of this, but I had invested in Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory so I was briefly acquainted with Watson. Ive also seen his fall from grace from a well-respected scholar to a racist idealist slandered by the masses. Now that he has been assassinated, I cant help but feel sour about how things have turned out. Im sorry about what happened to Mr. Watson as well. Chen Chen nodded. Is there anything I can help you with? Watson isnt dead yet. Felix suddenly altered his tone as he looked at Chen Chen square in the eyes. Even though Watson is 97 years old, his body is still exceptionally tough. A .45 caliber bullet shot through his right eye and came out the back of his head, but the man isnt dead. Not only is he still alive, but we can also still detect regular brainwave activity from him. Chen Chen nodded and returned with a profound look. I understand what youre saying now, you want me to save him. Yes, although the old Watson isnt dead, his body has entered a thanatosis state1. Although we can still detect active brainwave signals, his body doesnt exhibit any signs of even micro-movements. Felix expressed, concealing the pain in his voice, Which means that his thoughts are now trapped in a dead body. Barring any miracles, he would spend the next few years of his life in this state until his body gives away and his brain corrodes as well Chapter 399 - Robocop After Felix had left, Chen Chen sat on the sofa and juggled the wine glass in his hand as his mind became occupied with thoughts. Sir Godfather, Im afraid were unable to treat James Watsons condition currently. Chen Chen heard the voice of Little X coming from the table beside him, During your conversation, I already went online to look for the hospital where James Watson is being housed. I went through the medical report and according to what Ive read, theres very little to be optimistic about. As she said this, a transparent display suddenly appeared out of thin air beside Chen Chen. On the screen was a CT image of a human brain. The image was projected using the environmental holographic simulator installed in the office. Unlike regular CT images, countless red horizontal lines were splattered across the frontal section of the brain in irregular patterns. Additionally, a large section of the brain was completely ruined. This is the brain CT scan of James Watsons brain. Little X explained, It happened while he was on a private ferry. Just as the ferry approached the harbor, the assassin boarded the ferry as well. At the time, James Watson was on the second floor of the ferry by the balcony, looking off in the distance. The assassin shot him from the first floor. Another display appeared beside the CT brain scan. It showed the simulated image of a shooter holding a gun aiming at someone on the second floor with his head poked over the railing. The bullet went straight through the right eye of the target and came out the other end of the targets skull. According to analysis, James Watsons anterior lobes were destroyed along with the end section of his brain. The damaged areas include the coordinated nerve movement cortex of the eyeball, the neural language cortex, the speech cortex, and the motor cortex. Little X summarized. These afflicted areas have far exceeded what our current technology is capable of. Even the Medpod 3000 is unable to recover damage incurred to the brain, so were unable to address James Watsons condition. This is certainly tricky. Chen Chen nodded and shrugged. But itll be a great shame for a scientist of this caliber to die like this. Even if such technology doesnt exist in real life, we can at least try our luck with some movies. I think I can recall two movies that may help us cure James Watsons injuries. Which two movies will those be? Little X asked curiously. Robocop 2014 and Self/less. Chen Chen snapped his fingers as he said this. The virtual display in front of him echoed his thoughts and searched for the movie Robocop 2014. The movie Robocop was set in the year 2028 in Detroit. The protagonist of the movie was Alex, who was a righteous cop who had a bomb planted under his car as an act of vengeance from his past enemies. The story began when Omni, a company specializing in the development of firearms and robots revived Alex and put him in the body of a robocop with the most cutting-edge biotechnology After opening the movie, Chen Chen dragged the progress bar to the part when Alex Murphy first woke up and looked at himself in the mirror. When the movie continued playing, Chen Chen watched as the movie framed Alexs face full of despair watching himself slowly being replaced with mechanical parts. Within moments, all he had left was a hand, two lungs, and his original brain. The rest of his body was torn apart. That was not the end of it. Under the transparent protective shell etched to his brain, there was a noticeable gap located in the right hemisphere of his brain. Three microchips the size of a fingernail could be spotted etched between those gaps. When Alex saw the three microchips rooted in the exposed part of his brain, he expressed with his voice full of sorrow, Theres nothing left, even my brain no longer belongs to me. In response to this, Professor Norton standing opposite only told him, We only restored the damaged regions of your brain and didnt alter your emotions and intelligence. Youre still in control here, do you understand? The movie was paused at this section. This part here. Chen Chen said, The protagonist Alex sustained significant damage to his brain. However, according to Professor Nortons claims, brain recovery technology isnt only present in this world, but its also in its mature stages. If we can acquire this technology, I wouldnt say all hope is lost yet when it comes to James Watsons brain. Theres also another option, the movie Self/less. As Chen Chen said this, he swiped with a finger to discard the display with Robocop 2014 to the side. When he did this, a new display automatically appeared. The display began playing the movie Self/less. The movie Self/less doesnt clarify what timeline its set in. Theres no way to tell if the setting of the movie is based in the current world, the future or if its a parallel world. The plot of the movie is about the protagonist who was diagnosed with cancer and agreed to a consciousness transfer operation with an evil corporation. This technology utilized NMR to transfer his consciousness to a younger body. Although it was successful, the original host of the new body wasnt pleased with this Chen Chen explained while dragging the progress bar, The movies setting is decent, but its ultimately crippled by the directors incompetence. Theres also a jarring problem with questionable logic. First of all, the protagonist of this movie is a multi-billionaire. Although itd be unfair that this makes him a despicable person, you still have to admit that to get to such a level, a certain degree of scheming and plotting is required. You cant say this hes evil, but hes not exactly a saint either. Chen Chen elaborated, But once the protagonist realizes the true nature of the body hes residing in, hes willing to risk his life to charge into the camp to rescue a pair of mother and daughter he hardly acquainted with. He also turned on the scientists because they lied to him Thats where it got problematic. In the end, the protagonist decides to stop taking his medicine, which led to the death of his consciousness and the body being returned to the original host. This is where the entire story becomes perplexing because if the protagonist is such a noble man willing to sacrifice himself, why would he turn to an illegal and ethically questionable operation in the first place? Even if the protagonist is doing it out of goodwill, nothing is stopping him from transferring his consciousness again to another willing body. This way, he didnt have to die and the body can be returned to its original owner. Wouldnt it be the best of both worlds? To summarize this, the protagonist spends a fortune on this to swap his consciousness into the body of a stranger he has zero knowledge about. The protagonist also had his very own family that hes reluctant to leave as well. Despite all that, he decides to sacrifice his consciousness along with his life for a group of strangers he doesnt know anything about Chen Chen shrugged and expressed frustratingly, I admire his noble spirit, but I cant understand why he would choose a self-destructive path when there were other completely viable options present as well. This problem you stated is valid. To add to your point, I think theres a problem with the technology itself as well. Little X contemplated on the subject. I remember you once mentioned a subject concerning the continuity of consciousness. The reason a person can be defined as a singular entity is largely attributed to the continuity of his or her consciousness. This is where theres a problem in the technology shown in the movie. First of all, the consciousness transfer technology shown in the movie doesnt involve any physical replacement. This means no brain transfer operation of any sort conducted, only direct consciousness replacement where the protagonists original conscience was directly swapped into a new body. In this case, is this new person still the protagonist? Little X raised a question. What are the chances of these devices only copying the protagonists lifelong accumulated memories to another body, wherein the new body inherits all these memories and is placed under the false impression that its the protagonist? Chen Chen applauded Little X when he heard this. You raise a great point and I have to say, there arent suitable ways for us to verify this fact. Is this new person the protagonist himself or just a brand new persona that inherited all of the protagonists memories? I find myself agreeing with the point youve made what are the chances that the consciousness and spirit of the operated person perish in the process of the consciousness transferring procedure? The new body only presumes that its the new person due to these inherited memories when in truth, the real person had died in the process of the experiment. Due to the complexity of the human brain, I find it difficult to believe that consciousness can be individually separated from the brain itself as an independent entity. The way I see it, the so-called consciousness transfer in the movie is merely a memory duplication. It might as well be finding a new body and injecting a collection of memory into it. This may further explain why the protagonist has to regularly take drugs to fortify his persona to avoid his new body from losing these memories of his and slowly morphing into another person entirely In this case, are you still planning on using this consciousness transfer technique on James Watson? Little X asked. This is why I consider Self/less as a secondary option. Chen Chen nodded. To be fair, were only looking for an elite world-class scientist. It doesnt matter whether the person surviving is the real James Watson, isnt it? Little X became speechless at this notion. It was true, all Chen Chen was looking for was a knowledgeable biological science scholar. It was inconsequential whether this person was authentic When Chen Chen thought of this, he got up from his seat and stepped right past the virtual display. He went to the elevator positioned at the end of his office. Half an hour later, Chen Chen had arrived at the Spire Experimental Base. After extracting the USB drive from the superconducting charging device, Chen Chen walked to the next room and inserted the USB drive into the computer set up there. Little X already had the two movies downloaded and ready to go. Chen Chen used the keyboard shortcut [ctrl+c] to duplicate the movie and pasted it inside the USB drive storage with the keyboard shortcut [ctrl+v]. Ding! To his surprise, the output was an obnoxious error notification. Chen Chen quickly investigated the error. It appeared that Robocop 2014 was successfully inserted into the USB drive storage but the other movie, Self/less was rejected by the USB drive I knew it, something like consciousness transfer is an inherently flawed theory! Little X exclaimed. No, the reason this movie was rejected by the USB drive is not a sign that consciousness transfer technology doesnt exist. Chen Chen shook his head. The problem lies in how the movie expresses the concept. The method shown in the movie shouldnt feasibly achieve a consciousness transfer effect, duplication of consciousness is a wrong approach. This is why the USB drive didnt accept the movie. Chen Chens tone switched as he said this, Since the second movie didnt work out, were only left with one option and thats to acquire the brain restoration technology in this world. The movie never expressed much detail concerning the technology. Im afraid were going to have to dive into the world of the movie to extract the relevant technology. Little X immediately understood what Chen Chen was suggesting. Got it. Chen Chen nodded. Apart from the three microchips shown in the protagonist Alexs brain, there are no verifiable implementations concerning this brain restoration technology for us to extract. Were going to need to enter the movie dimension to extract it, just like we did with Elysium previously. Understood, Ill gather the Black Knights. Little X left as she said this. Only Chen Chen was left in the room. His expression was heavy with thoughts as he looked at the Robocop 2014 file inside the USB drive. I wonder what sort of catastrophic disaster would have come to mankind inside this movie dimension? Chen Chen muttered to himself. So far, each movies dimension accessed from the USB drive was left in destruction. This was an indisputable fact. It started with Chronicle, then Resident Evil, Elysium, Alien, and finally the most devastating of them all, Gantz. All of these worlds were left in ruins, each more devastating than its predecessor, each one of them more perplexing than the other. Chen Chen was about to step into his sixth movie dimension so far. While these thoughts glided across his mind, he suddenly heard urgent rounds of footsteps quickly approaching from behind him. Chen Chen did not turn around to inspect but instead use his Field to expand his visual range and saw everything behind him. Using Field, he saw more than ten Black Knights fully-fitted with GS Combat Suit and PK Armor, each one of them holding pulse rifles. They filed into the room and formed a straight line formation, awaiting their next orders. These Black Knights were nurtured using T-virus infected zygotes and boasted combat prowess greatly surpassing ordinary humans. With the additional GS Combat Suit, Predator Armor from Predator 2018, and superconductor thermal pulse rifles, they were easily Chen Chens most powerful combat force. They were the only ones qualified enough to enter the movie dimension and face whatever threat lied behind it. Seeing that Little X had completed the appropriate preparations, Chen Chen activated the movie. In an instant, a familiar black hole appeared on the display The passage to the world in Robocop was formed. Chapter 400 - Extraction Reporting to you live here at Daily News, Im your host, Adam. Just this afternoon, the artificial intelligence developed by Omni Corp Gods Blade officially connected to the North American law enforcement network. At the same time, the Robocop, EM-208, and ED-209 robots have also fully taken over the law enforcement agencies, but have triggered opposing demonstrations of an unprecedented scale There have been multiple clashes between the protestors and Omni Corp in countless states all over the country. More than a hundred thousand people have been arrested so far. The arrests have only further escalated things and inspired larger protests and riots. Theres an underlying issue with politicians and capitalists of this country. Why should a law enforcement agency be ruled by a profit-motivated company? Why is a company allowed to freely formulate law enforcement rules and why are the police force reduced to mere tools of these companies? Will there ever be justice and fairness in this country so long as this corporation is allowed to freely reign above the law? We have to address this issue, address What? Oh d*mn, theres been a recent development. The robots are now rebelling. Theyre now massacring people on the streets. Oh my god, tens of thousands of people are dying, what is Omni Corp trying to do! Run, everyone! Hurry up! A week later, Chen Chen sat beside the tunnel opened by the USB drive. He silently inspected the footage and other documents brought back by the Black Knights from the other end of the tunnel. These are the footage we discovered thats the closest to the time of doomsday. Little X notified, What we currently know is that after Omni Corpss developed artificial intelligence connected to the global law enforcement network, the robot started to rebel. Some of them hypothesized that the cause is a bug stemming from the artificial intelligence thought process protocol. This makes it so that the robots see humanity as a whole as a crime and decides the right move is to destroy human civilization. Sounds like the typical artificial intelligence thought process Chen Chen nodded. But I agree with this host named Adam. If a corporation is allowed to ride above the law, will there ever be anything resembling true justice in the world? He made a good point. This is an ongoing debate between the Namibians as well. Little X reminded. Outside of the media outlets that we have a stake in, several private media outlets are publishing these opinion pieces. They claimed that our Blacklight Biotechnology is riding above the law and dominated a majority of the countrys sectors which includes military affairs, airlines, electronics, and biopharmaceutical industries. Dont bother with these media outlets. If they do something out of line, Ill have the Namibian government take care of them. You only need to control the narrative among the people, thats what youre good at. Chen Chen remarked, In that case, what about the technology obtained from the Robocop 2014 dimension? Will it be able to help James Watson recover? Weve acquired the technology. The brain restoration technology is very elaborate. Its derived from a nano-level electrode technology that replaces the damaged area of the brain. Essentially, its an AI chip with a customized algorithm. A figure serving as visual-aid appeared on a holographic projection as Little X explained, The chip is implanted into the defective area of the brain where hundreds of thousands of nano-scale electrodes connect to the brains nervous system. This chip then receives the brains nerve impulse signals to override control of the brains damaged region. However, there are three potential issues with reenacting this technology in the real world. The first is the nano-scale electrode and chip, these are extremely difficult to replicate in the real world. The second issue is the surgery itself. The practice of implanting a hundred thousand nano-scale electrodes into the brain greatly surpassed the average accuracy of human beings. This can only be done with specialized equipment. Finally, theres the issue of AI calculation. Depending on the damaged region of the brain, the AI will have to write customized programming sequences while also avoiding affecting the users ability to formulate thoughts. This will be the hardest condition to achieve in usual circumstances, but it will be a non-issue for me. Little X explained, Which means that realistically, there are only two problems we need to address. The first problem will not be difficult to address. We can just directly extract the required chip from the movie. Chen Chen considered. So what we need is the medical equipment for implanting this chipset. The problem is that it has been several centuries since the destruction of human civilization in the movie dimension. The post-nuclear aftermath has mostly subsided. The city ruins are nearly completely erased by overgrown plants and weather conditions over the years. The only remnant of human civilization is the handful of military bases. It took the Black Knights an entire week to find sparse clues. Little X became frustrated as she said this, Forget about humans, even the rebelling robots have long since perished and rusted away. Thats problematic. Chen Chen began to look for alternatives. If we cannot find the appropriate technology for implanting the chip, then our only option is to design a specialized nano-scale surgical equipment ourselves. X, will the manufacturing of this equipment be feasible? Its worth a shot. Little X answered, Not only that, do you remember the surgical robot developed by Neuralink? This machination is also known as a tailoring machine that has been developed to its third generation and is now capable of implanting micron electrodes. If I modify some parts and operate it myself, implantation of nano-scale electrodes will be possible. In that case, get one of those as soon as possible. Ill put you in charge of this. Chen Chen said confidently, In that case, we have most of the preparations underway. As he said this, he closed the passage to the Robocop dimension and deleted the movie. After that, he inserted another copy of Robocop and booted it up in the first mode of the USB drive. After that, Chen Chen switched to the frame where the protagonist Alex was looking at his reflection in the mirror. Inside the frame, three chips the size of fingernails could be seen exposed in his skull. Chen Chen gently poked his hand into the screen and picked up the three chips When Chen Chen retracted his hands, three chips appeared in his hand. Their surface was glossy like glass. Countless tiny probes could be spotted protruding from its rear, they seem almost unnoticeable These nano-scale electrodes are usually invisible to the naked eye, but due to the sheer volume they become slightly noticeable and achieve this unique visual effect. Little X commented on the nature of the extracted chip. After that, a Black Knight approached Chen Chen with a container filled with disinfectant and handed it over. Chen Chen placed the instantiated chips into the disinfectant solution. This was an effective way to prevent the electrodes from being damaged or contaminated. Chen Chen decided three chips were not enough. After brief consideration, he deleted the movie before replacing it with yet another new copy from the desktop. He opened it again and extracted the same chips again. Chen Chen repeated this process until he had instantiated nine chips in total when he finally decided it was enough. He unplugged the USB drive and put it back into the charging room. After that, Chen Chen left the Spire Experimental Base and called Felix. Within a week, Felix had everything arranged and a private jet chartered to relocate James Watson to Namibia and into the central hospital of Eco Science City. On the other end of things, Musk also delivered the surgical robots along with the blueprints. Since these surgical machines designed to implant electrodes were very similar to sewing machines, they were also known as tailor robots. To follow up, Chen Chen had a large host of architects in the industrial park committed to the project and modified the surgical robot along with Little X. Chapter 401 - Craniotomy A month later. In the ICU ward on the first floor of the central hospital of Eco Science City. A thin old man with a gray complexion and bones that were poking through his skin was carted out of the ICU ward and into the operation room. Inside the operation room, apart from the three nurses, there were also four family members of the patient observing worriedly. One of them was an elderly in his sixties while the accompanying members appeared to be this mans family members. They watched on with solemn expression as the three nurses pushed the patient further into the operation room. They quickly trailed after the nurses until they arrived at the entrance of a sterile operation room. Im afraid you folks cannot enter. It was then when one of the nurses stopped them. The environment inside is sterilized, any one of you entering may risk having it contaminated. But its my grandfather inside there. One of the family members in his thirties with a large mohawk on top of his head protested. He wore tight jeans and had a septum piercing that was impossible to not notice. He turned around and noticed another door beside the operation room. When one of the nurses entered the room, he caught a glimpse of an observation window that granted a view into the operating room. He immediately yelled, Hey, what are you guys trying to do? What is it, Bruno? The elderly man turned to the shouting man. Dad, they have an observation room right next to the operation room, I saw one of the nurses entering! The man with the septum piercing started making a commotion and tried to force his way into the observation room. He was promptly stopped by two security guards that looked at him with an icy, blank stare. Hey buddy, its my grandfather inside the operation room, what right do you have to stop me from entering? The septum-piercing man pushed off the security guards hands and continued protesting. However, the two security guards did not offer any explanation. Is this how its going to be? The elderly man turned to the nurses that stopped them from entering. Are we not allowed to observe the operation of my father, Watson? This The nurse stuttered for a moment and became visibly troubled by the elderly mans pleads. Mr. Qian will be watching the operation today as well, never mind Ill head inside and ask for his input. After that, the nurse stepped inside the observation room. Within half a minute, the nurse stepped outside again, this time nodding to the group. Mr. Qian has permitted your entry. Ill have to ask you all to stay silent. Mr. Qian my butt The man with the septum piercing called Bruno complained under his breath. His insolence was immediately interrupted by the elderly man. Bruno, this isnt your Chicago third-rate biker gang gathering, you better watch your language. With that, the group was escorted by the nurse into the observation room. The first thing that greeted the elderly man upon entering was a large and speckless floor-length window to his left. On the other end of the window was none other than the operation room. The window gave them a completely unobstructed view into the operation room. The observation room was furnished with two long sofas and a coffee table. There were already three people seated separately on the sofa. They appeared to be discussing something among themselves. The elderly mans gaze quickly focused on one of the men in his mid-forties on the sofa. His eyes became widened with shock when he registered who this was. Uncle Felix Is that you? This immediately caught the attention of the man sitting on the sofa. When he looked up and saw this graying old man in front of him, he could not help but find the humor in the situation. Is that Watson Jr? It must have been two decades since we last met, hasnt it? It is you The elderly man became extremely sentimental. He immediately dragged Bruno by the arm and approached closer. Thank you for your guardianship, if not for you, the chances of my father coming to Eco Science City is next to nil. The medical fees here are too high This is my son, Bruno. I remember Bruno was barely a teenager when I last met him, I cant believe hes a fully grown man now. Felix nodded and greeted, his expression was full of kindness. There was a bizarre scene rarely witnessed happening inside the observation room an elderly man with a head full of white hair was addressing someone in his mid-forties with such dignity and respect despite being the senior. Despite that, the people witnessing this were hardly thrown off by the strangeness of this interaction as if this was nothing out of the ordinary. There was a major shift in social norms ever since the birth of the age reversal treatment project. Appearances were no longer the deciding factor of a persons age. Mr. Felix Bruno had finally wisened up at this point as well. Despite being an uneducated punk, he was at least familiar with the fabled Munster family. Despite being a relatively new family, they were on equal standing as the other old guards in the business world. Word on the street was that the most reputable biker gangs in Chicago had many ties with this family as well. Hello, Bruno. Felix nodded politely before it suddenly occurred to him to introduce the young man sitting next to him to this new group of visitors. However, the young man quickly shrugged, signaling that he did not want to be introduced. Felix decided to introduce the man seated on the opposite sofa instead, This is the man in charge of Eco Science City, hes also the CEO of Blackwatchs African branch, Mr. Qian Wenhuan. Your reputation precedes you, Ive seen you on television. The elderly man was surprised by this sudden introduction. He quickly stepped forward and shook hands with Qian Wenhuan, barely bothered by the fact that this person was incredibly young and could not be anywhere close to his forties. While he went for the handshake, he inadvertently glanced at the young man seated next to Felix. The young man seemed to be the youngest of the trio of men sitting on the sofa. Despite that, the acute elderly man could tell that this young man held the highest rank among the trio. Could this man be none other than The elderly man quickly stopped his stream of thoughts as he said this, his heart clenching. Since this man motioned for Felix to not introduce himself, the elderly man knew better than to expose his identity either. After shaking hands with Qian Wenhuan, the elderly man only nodded courteously at the young mans direction. The young man returned his gesture with a subtle smile. After that, Felix enthusiastically invited the group to sit with them on the sofa and started making small talk with everyone. It was only after the preparations in the operation room were complete when everyone directed their attention to the ongoings behind the observation window. Dozens of medical staff filed into the operation room one after another. They connected James Watson who had been in a coma for a month at this point to electrocardiogram and BIS machines. After that, they injected James Watson with an appropriate dosage of tranquilizers to put him into a deep slumber. After injecting the tranquilizer, one of the nurses stepped forward with a shaver in hand. The nurse was extremely proficient with using the shaver and quickly shaved a bald patch on James Watsons fractured skull. After that, they disinfected the shaved region appropriately again. After shaving, several other nurses stepped forward and began making adjustments to the operation table. With moments, the operation table was craned upward like a chair and put James Watson in a position where he can sit upright. Two more nurses proceeded to bring in the operation scaffold and set it over the top of James Watsons head. It was set in a way that only the top part of his head that was riddled with operation scars was exposed through a ring section of the scaffolding. After that, they threw a sheet of cloth over the scaffolding. With that, the top of James Watsons skull was completely exposed to the doctors in the operation room as well as the gathered crowd inside the observation room. The previous wound had already been stitched up during the previous brain trauma operation, which meant that this was technically the second craniotomy operation James Watson would be going under. The doctor sliced across the guided lines on his scalp left behind from the previous stitching while another doctor used electrocoagulation forceps to stop the bleeding. After that, they lifted the scalp and drooped it over his face. The next part was a horrifying sight to behold. James Watsons scalp was laid over his face casually, revealing the bloody skull underneath with plenty of cracks, fractures, and many other operation scars Prepare for craniotomy. Get the hemostatic forceps and norepinephrine at the ready! Pay attention to the BIS machine and make sure the patient remains unconscious throughout this procedure The audience gathered in the observation room stopped chattering when they heard the attending doctor started issuing a sequence of orders. Among them, Qian Wenhuan and Felix got up on their feet and approached the observation window, determined to not miss out on any detail. With James Watsons skull layer under his skin exposed, the doctor started using a drill to unscrew the previously installed skull clamp and lifted off a large chunk of the skull as if it was a mere building block. Underneath the skull was a layer of cloudy dura mater membrane. The doctor slowly and carefully sliced through the slightly wiggling membrane layer to finally reveal the naked damaged brain for everyone to see. With the mangled brain finally presented, not only the family of James Watson, even Qian Wenhuan and Felix could not help but hold their breath at this sight. Despite having gone through an operation previously, the brain still looked as if it had been torn apart by a rabid dog. Its general structure was left in an extremely disorderly state. The missing parts of the brain had been destroyed by the bullet shell and had to be removed during the previous operation. James Watsons brain looked like a case of tofu left unattended in a wildly swerving vehicle. It did not have what should be a regular round shape expected of a brain. To still be alive despite all this, such staggering life force Everyone was amazed at the tenacity of his life force. However, the crew of doctors was unfazed by this since they had been informed of James Watsons current state from the CT scan images provided. The brain structure is exposed, no signs of infection or deterioration detected and were ready for implantation NSR implantation equipment is ready! Following the chief surgeons orders, a piece of equipment shaped like a helmet placed in the corner of the operation room was carted to the middle. After the device was wheeled in, a doctor oversaw the process and placed the device over James Watsons head. A row of laser beams immediately appeared from the device and rapidly scanned through James Watsons brain before disappearing again. What was this, laser mapping? That was what everyone thought as they glanced at Qian Wenhuan curiously. To their surprise, even Qian Wenhuan was unsure of what this was since this was the first time he saw this device as well. Surely enough, his boss had personally mobilized the top engineers of the industrial park to design this device. This device was known as NSR Implanter Before everyone could get a closer look at this device, something resembling a sewing machine slowly descended from above, slowly inching toward James Watsons brain. From a certain angle, one could see tiny little chips the size of fingernails attached to the ports on the sewing machine. After that, the device that looked like a sewing machine began to operate at a rapid pace on James Watsons brain in a manner very similar to tailoring clothes. The movements it made were extremely subtle and could only be noted upon very close inspection. Whats it doing? Bruno turned to his father with a puzzled look. If I had to wager a guess, fixing James Watsons brain. Felix shrugged as he turned to the Chinese young man also watching over the operation. Am I right, Sir Chen Chen? The Chinese young man who had been silent all this time was none other than Chen Chen. He turned to the confused crowd and nodded. Yes, this technology utilizes a specially designed AI chip to replace the defective region of the brain. It connects part of the brains nerves through nano-scale electrodes, so the chip integrates itself as a part of the brain, which helps repair the damaged function of the brain. How miraculous! Watsons son the elderly man was amused by this technology. Just like his father, he was an expert in the biological science field. Although he was not as renowned as his father, he could still hold his own when it came to general biological knowledge. Of all people present at the scene, he was more aware than the rest of them what this piece of technology could imply This technology would revolutionize the neurology field! Alright, itll keep doing this for more than ten hours to come. Chen Chen headed for the exit. If I were you guys, Id wait outside until the chip has been fully implanted into Watsons brain. Why does it take this long? Bruno asked instinctively. However, Chen Chen could not be bothered to give him an answer and left immediately after. Bruno, Sir Chen Chen has explained everything clearly. The elderly man looked at his good-for-nothing son and frowned. To prevent this insolent son of his from causing any further trouble, he had to explain, Do you know how many neurons are there in the brain? Even saying there are hundreds of millions of them would be an understatement. Sir Chen Chen mentioned that they were nano-electrodes, this means there may be tens of thousands of nano-scale electrodes on a single piece of chip the size of a fingernail. With each maneuver, the device inserts one electrode into the brain and connects it to a specific nerve point in the brain. This is a very delicate practice and considering it implants a single electrode approximately ten times per second, do you now understand why the entire process would take more than ten hours due to the sheer volume of electrodes? Bruno still wanted to say something, but was shot down by his fathers dismissive glare. Felix smiled. Alright, at any rate, lets wait outside. Lets see if Eco Science City can give James Watson and us a surprise after ten hours. Sir Felix, this way, please. The rest of you can come with me as well. Ill arrange a room for you to rest. After hearing Felixs remark, Qian Wenhuan immediately took action and escorted the guests out of the observation room. Inside the operation room, the crew of doctors and nurses slowly shuffled out of the room as well. All that remained were two nurses stationed in the room to monitor the operation just in case something went wrong. After everyone had left, the lights in the operation room were turned off as well. The original brightly lit operation room where not a single spot of shadow could be seen was now drowned in darkness. The machine resting on top of James Watsons head continued operating restlessly Chapter 402 - : Setup The practical implantation of nano-scale electrodes took far longer than expected. Felix was extremely patient. He was the founder of the Munster Consortium and although his son Adrian was the one acting as the core founder of the group and he had long since retreated to the sidelines, many people in North America still widely regarded Felix as the true founder of the Munster Consortium. Only two years ago, Felix, who was in his eighties at that point, had been diagnosed with Alzheimers. His son Adrian began searching everywhere for a cure for his father and ended up investing in Osmond corporation that seemed to have high potential in coming up with a cure. This was how he stumbled into Blackwatch who was trying to buy Osmonds shares at the time. It was around that time when Chen Chen directly approached Adrian. After some dialogue between the two of them, not only did Chen Chen agree to yield his shares in Osmond, he also recruited the Munsters into Gods Forbidden Zone on one condition. That was that he would cure Felix of his Alzheimers. The workings of fate were always so unpredictable. Two days later. With Qian Wenhuan accompanying him, Felix brought James Watsons family on a tour around Eco Science City. In addition to visiting the major parks and playgrounds in the city, they also visited the vast industrial park and the space launch base that was still in the midst of construction. In the end, the group of six arrived at the Sandwich Harbor, which was where most of the sanatoriums of the Eco Science City were located in. As he saw the rows after rows of sanatoriums erected across the horizon as far as the eye could see, James Watsons son, Watson Jr., found himself inexplicably impressed while also filled with envy. It was his greatest desire to come here for its fabled treatment. The only thing stopping him was the medical fees totaling up to millions of dollars. Watson Jr, have you not considered undergoing one of our treatments available at our sanatoriums? As if sensing the desire in his gaze, Qian Wenhuan who was walking at the back of the group suddenly commented, Youre at the ideal age for the age-reversal treatment. Dont forget about our stem cell therapy as well. On top of restoring your body to its prime condition and getting rid of all the scars, we can also grant you a youthful appearance. We also equip the worlds most advanced stem cell facial surgery technology. With the stem cell facial surgery, youll no longer experience any side effects of aging and you can say goodbye to any surgical facelift for the rest of your life. Then theres also our biological enhancement program. It doesnt matter what your current physique is, we can transform your body and turn you into the next American male model within a week Watson Jr. could only afford to muster a strained smile as he listened to Qian Wenhuans enthusiastic introduction. Im very sorry Mr. Qian. If I could, Id come to your city to indulge in the most sophisticated and advanced medical treatment program in the world. Unfortunately, I can hardly afford any of the treatments available here. When Qian Wenhuan heard this, his eyes instinctively darted at the absent-minded Bruno nearby. From Qian Wenhuans perspective, this elderly man standing in front of him was unmistakably the heir of a world-renowned scientist. James Watson himself once served as the chairman of Cold Spring Laboratory, boasting a salary of 500,000 US dollars per year. Factoring in his many accumulated accolades in his youth, his net worth should still easily range above millions even after he was expelled from his position. As things may seem now, the current state of the family was a shadow of its former self. There was the issue of James Watson running his mouth with bold and out-of-touch claims, but the true downfall of this family probably stemmed from none other than this hippie-looking fellow over here Qian Wenhuan smiled and made no further comments despite having noted this. Just as he was about to divert the conversation to something else, he suddenly heard Felix speaking, Mr. Qian, Id be more than willing to pay for Watson Jr.s medical fees. Uncle Felix Watson Jr. was taken aback by this sudden suggestion, he immediately became overwhelmed with emotions. Youve already paid for my dads medical fees, how could I No problem. Compared to your fathers medical fees, yours will only be a drop in the bucket. Felix shrugged. Besides, if your father agrees to join Blackwatch after he has recovered, I doubt Ill even have to foot the bill at all. So thats how it is. Watson Jr. suddenly got a better grasp on the situation. He quickly turned to Qian Wenhuan and asked, Mr. Qian Wenhuan, could I know if your company is still hiring? I was also in the biology field. Of course, Blackwatch welcomes anyone to join our ranks. Qian Wenhuan smiled amiably and nodded. But researchers will have to pass a certain set of tests to prove themselves worthy. Since youre the son of a Nobel Prize winner, Id say these tests will be a breeze for you. As the group was discussing this, Qian Wenhuans secretary suddenly approached him and whispered something in his ears. Shortly after, Qian Wenhuan nodded before turning to the rest of the group. Sir Felix, everyone, I have good news for you all. James Watsons operation has been completed. Everyone was visibly pleased by this announcement. Felix quickly added. Lets head back right away then. Im sure Watson Jr. and the others are eager to know how Watson is doing now. Yes, I look forward to seeing the results. Watson Jr. agreed. Hm, I believe there might be some slight misunderstanding here. Qian Wenhuan quickly waved his hand side to side. This is only the preliminary stages. Its still largely ambiguous whether James Watsons operation could be deemed a success and how he would recover. It will still take some time until Sir James Watsons wakes up. I see. Felix commented, not without slight disappointment in his voice, Id say its still worth seeing for ourselves, lets head back. Alright. Qian Wenhuan nodded and gave a signal. Several black cars quickly approached the group. While everyone was getting into their respective vehicles, Bruno, who had not been paying attention all this while, suddenly approached Qian Wenhuan with a sly smile. He poked fun at Qian Wenhuan in a hushed tone. Buddy, I never thought that youd hire a male secretary. Dont tell me that youre You know? Qian Wenhuans expression immediately turned dark. Brunos remark seemed to have triggered a traumatic memory in him. Bruno, get over here now! Watson Jr. who had just entered his vehicle rebuked Bruno immediately. Bruno twitched his lips to the side like a brat before entering the vehicle. Half an hour later, when the group returned to the central hospital of Eco Science City, they saw James Watson who already had his wounds restitched together. His appearance was largely the same as it looked previously. His complexion was still uncannily pale and green, large arrays of machines were positioned next to him and he did not seem to be anywhere near conscious yet. The operation was a great success. One of the main surgeons announced enthusiastically to them, Weve inserted a total of six AI chips into the patients brain. These chips will do an excellent job at substituting the damaged region of the patients brain and allow for advanced computing abilities, rest easy. Really? Watson Jr. was exhilarated by this revelation. Will my father wake up? Its very optimistic by the current looks of it. The doctor responded and nodded before turning around and left. Congratulations, it seems your dad will recover very soon. Felix congratulated and joked a little. Ive been here long enough and I suppose its about time I take my leave. When your father wakes up, remember to tell him to visit me otherwise I wont ever acknowledge knowing him as a friend. You have my word, Uncle Felix. Watson Jr. thanked him earnestly. Ill make sure to pay you a visit along with my father. Felix nodded and turned to Qian Wenhuan. Mr. Qian, thank you for your hospitality these past few days. Please help me inform Sir Chen Chen that Ill be leaving today. Also, make sure to send me the bill for Watson Jr.s treatment. Take care, Sir Felix. Qian Wenhuan nodded in response. Everyone watched in silence as Felix departed. The silver-haired Watson Jr. was especially emotional. Alright, then I shall be saying goodbye as well. Qian Wenhuan said suddenly while still hanging a courteous smile on his lips. If you want to begin the age-reversal treatment, you can call this number whenever youre ready and someone will have everything arranged for you. If youd like to enlist in our companys scientific research institute, you can call this number instead Qian Wenhuan gave Watson Jr. two contact numbers before reminding them, Meanwhile, wed appreciate it if you guys can keep this particular instance of us curing James Watson a secret. Since this particular technology involves our companys latest scientific advent, its extremely confidential and wed prefer for it to not be exposed to the outside world, you understand? Of course, we understand. Watson Jr. nodded and promised. Dont worry, well never leak any information even if were approached by reporters. You have my gratitude. Qian Wenhuan bid his farewell one last time before leaving them. Surely enough, without having Felix here, the Watson Jr. family was not important enough to warrant Qian Wenhuan staying with them. Watson Jr. was well aware of this but was not any less gracious with Qian Wenhuan for it. He had the good sense to escort Qian Wenhuan to the hospital entrance before bidding farewell. After Qian Wenhuan had exited the hospital and went into his designated vehicle, he took his phone out and called the only pinned contact number in his phonebook. Boss, everything has been arranged. Sir Felix just left as well. I already informed them to not leak any information regarding our brain damage treatment technology. I think that Bruno isnt very reliable and theres a chance that he might spill the beans Yes, understand. With that, Qian Wenhuan hung up and quickly turned to the secretary in the driver seat. Back to the headquarters. So, they exited the parking lot of the hospital and headed for the city Meanwhile, Chen Chen was drenched in sweat in the middle of the training grounds. With a very subtle flick in his eyes, a phone levitated in the air and charged into a locker. The locker was shut with an abrupt clank as if there was someone invisible residing in the same space as Chen Chen. Are you sure we wont need to take any actions to prevent this information from being leaked? Little Xs tiny figure could be seen in the corner of the room, several explosion-proof shield plating was arranged in front of her. She asked curiously, We just released the V.1 series, you dont think its too fast for us to reveal that we have brain damage restoration technology? Theres no point hiding it anymore anyway. Chen Chen replied blankly. As he did this, he fixed his gaze and immediately sent several daggers on the opposite end of the room soaring toward him, slicing apart the air as they came at him. Before these daggers could get anywhere close to Chen Chen, they were stopped in their tracks by an invisible force. It looked as if these daggers had run into an invisible sponge several meters away from Chen Chen. Their momentum was immediately halted as they clattered onto the floor lifelessly. After cutting these high-velocity daggers momentum, Chen Chen added. North America is already plotting against me. They already have a confirmed date and location at this point. Whatever happens now wont change their mind in the slightest, so theres no need for us to hide anymore. As he said this, yet another wave of daggers came sweeping toward him from a dark corner. Chen Chen glared fiercely in their general vicinity and shot his right palm outward! The moment he did that, another round of metal clanking onto cold hard concrete echoed across the room again. The daggers were sent flying away in the opposite direction and smashed into the walls. In that case, does that mean that Sir Godfather has made all the preparations to go to war with them? Little X pouted, a hint of worry appeared on her complexion. We have to face the Earth Federation all by ourselves, what if we lose Who says that were going to face the Earth Federation head-on? Chen Chen wiped the blood off of his nose and remarked icily, In a few days, the Nobel Prize winners will be announced. They will be sending invitation letters to invite me to the awards ceremony in December. I can pretend to accept the invitation for now and reject at the last minute come December. This way, we can buy two months time. By that point, they should realize that they have no hope of arresting me in North America, so that leaves them with only one option, which is to take the direct public approach. Either they will begin imposing strict sanctions against our company or apply pressure on the Namibian government to have them arrest me. Chen Chen continued elaborating. Which means that we only need to focus on taking certain approaches come December to limit their options against me. What sort of approach? Little X asked curiously. X, could you use the Prophet System to determine which company was it that tried to use quantum computers to design quantum viruses to be used against us? Instead of providing a direct answer, Chen Chen returned with another question. Im afraid I cant. I cant get any output that has anything to do with the quantum computer. Little X answered dejectedly, Its pretty clear at this point that the Prophet System is completely ineffective when it comes to anything dealing with the quantum computer or anything related to it. I figured. Chen Chen nodded, not surprised by this information. He sighed and expressed, This quantum computer that appears to have something to do with the USB drive has stumped me every step of the way. At this point, I even have to be cautious to not harbor any ill intentions against it. It appears that in addition to being able to predict future catastrophic events, it also has a built-in self-defense mechanism. The moment I plot something against it, its computation is able to successfully detect it. But judging by this piece of information that you just provided me, I noticed that this quantum computer has its blind spot as well A mischievous smirk that was impossible to decipher appeared on Chen Chens lips as he said this, In this case, I know exactly what to do next Chapter 403 - Recovery When James Watson faintly opened his eyes, what he saw was a blank white room. Outside the window, there was the chirping of birds and the natural sunshine piercing into the room. The room itself was filled with the strong scent of disinfectant. This scent made James Watsons head feel cloudy. He struggled to register where he was. He slowly glanced to his side and saw an array of life-preserving machines next to the bed. He saw bundles of cables connecting these intricate machines to his own body. Youre awake. It was at this moment when James Watson suddenly heard a calm voice from in front of him. James Watson weakly turned to the direction of the sound to see several doctors standing at the foot of the bed. James Watson opened his mouth and tried to say something. To his dismay, he discovered that he could not force the words out of his mouth. Before he could spiral into a panic, one of the doctors stopped him. Your brain sustained major damages previously and youve been in a coma for the last two months. Its normal to not be able to perform certain cognitive functions as your brain is still trying to adapt. After the doctor informed the patient of this, he whispered something into his walkie-talkie. Shortly after, hectic rounds of approaching footsteps came from outside the room. James Watson turned to the door and saw his closest family members charging into the room. My God Father! Watson Jr. was the first one to step forward. He held James Watsons hand tightly in his palms. Father, how are you feeling? Where Am I Watson asked, surprised that the words managed to escape his lips this time. You were shot previously and we took you to the hospital. Were now in the Eco Science City in Namibia, Africa. Watson Jr. sounded overwhelmed as he informed his father, It was Uncle Felix that saved us. So, its him Watsons voice was unimaginably hoarse. But, why dont I I cant remember the incident Doctor? Watson Jr. first thought was to turn to the doctor for directions. This is normal. The doctor gave it to him straight. We used the chip to restore the functionalities of the damaged region of his brain. However, theres only so much we can do when it comes to his memory. Its considered fairly normal to lose a portion of ones memory after sustaining a major brain injury. Alright, then. Watson Jr. turned to his father again and tried to reassure him. Its alright Father, we can help you jog your memory later on. Watson nodded at the suggestion. It was then when he suddenly realized something and reached for his right eye. He felt his hands brushing against a layer of bandages. My eye Your eye sustained severe damage and cannot be salvaged. Dont worry, after you have recovered, we can install a bionic eye for you. Its a part of the design of the Xingtian Project. The main surgeon explained. Bionic eye? Watson Jr. was baffled by this. Ive been paying attention to this project as well, but I recall that the Xingtian Project only included bionic limbs and there was no such thing as bionic eyes. Bionic eyes are part of the latest developed bionic organs of the Xingtian Project. Its currently in its developmental stage and thus not announced to the public yet. The main surgeon elaborated, Its underlying principle holds resemblance to the current brain restoration technology. Surgical machines connect the patients visual nerve with the electrodes in the bionic eye to achieve the effect of granting vision. Unbelievable Watson Jr. was astounded by the prospect of this technology. Before any of this had happened, if someone told him that current technology allowed the restoration of brain damage and regaining sight, he would flat out call that person a liar. What he was witnessing now had shattered his sense of reality. Not only did his father wake up from his coma, but he also awoke in a healthy state. He now realized that the Earth Federations technology. No, Eco Science Citys technology had reached the realms of divinity Several hours later, the doctors brought a stack of cards with figures printed on them to conduct a basic recognition test on Watson who was lying in bed. The results were astounding. The elderly man who had sustained significant brain damage did not display any difficulty with recognizing basic objects and patterns. There was also no symptom of an altered personality caused by the damage, thus proving that he still had regular cognitive functions and personality. A day later, Watson had progressed to a point where he could sit up on his own and eat without any assistance. Watson first got down from his bed three days after waking up. Barring his slow movements, he displayed the physicality expected of an average person. It was by this point when everyone fully comprehended that James Watson had recovered. From someone who was on the brink of death and suffered major damage in more than ten percent of his brain region, he was brought back to the state of a regular person. It was a scientific marvel. Mr. James Watson. While the Watson family was celebrating merrily, several doctors arrived in Watsons intensive care unit room. Among the group of doctors was a familiar figure Qian Wenhuan. Is there anything I can help you with, Doctor Johnson? Watson had been here for some time and familiarized himself with the doctors. He quickly greeted the head surgeon. This gentleman would like to have a short conversation with you. Doctor Johnson announced as he turned to Qian Wenhuan. Father, allow me to introduce you. Watson Jr. thought to himself. About time as he introduced the guest, This young gentleman here is the CEO of Blackwatch, Mr. Qian Wenhuan. Oh, Im afraid Im not. Qian Wenhuan waved his hands. Im just the CEO of the African branch. He shook hands with James Watson as he said this and set a sheet of a document on the table. Mr. Watson, Im sure you know why Im here. This might not be the best time to discuss this since you havent fully recovered, but I figured Id bring the letter of intent ahead of time. If youd like to further negotiate, feel free to contact me. Is this about me joining Blackwatch? James Watson nodded. Im no longer the chairman of Cold Spring Harbor. As long as you can excuse my old age, Id be more than willing to step up to the position you ask of me. Excellent. Qian Wenhuan nodded before producing a thin golden card and handing it to Watson. Since youve agreed to join, then this card shall be our companys introductory gift to you. The director himself instructed me to give this to you. Watson accepted the card, slightly dumbfounded by this gracious gesture. After inspecting the gift, he was shocked to see that this golden card was a membership card to the sanatoriums. What the h*ll, this is a golden membership card! Bruno exclaimed, A premium membership card only below diamond and platinum cards! Thats right, looks like Mr. Bruno is well informed. Qian Wenhuan smiled. This is the hospitality that our professor-level researchers are entitled to. Once Mr. Watson makes further contributions to our company, this may be upgraded to diamond or platinum. The doctors that came in with Qian Wenhuan were filled with jealousy when they heard this remark. The golden membership card was extremely precious but it was nothing compared to the diamond and platinum cards, the true symbol of luxury. The benefit that came with the platinum membership card was completely unrestricted access to the services in Eco Science City sanatoriums at any given time! James Watsons treatment was certainly what a world-class scientist rightfully deserved. After leaving the hospital, Qian Wenhuan turned to the secretary behind him. Inform our department to file James Watsons records into our companys Beta grade confidentiality. Dont forget about the medical records as well. Understood. The stockily-built secretary replied with a firm nod before writing down the message to the relevant department. Just as he tapped the send button on his phone, there was an unexplainable sudden blink. The secretary thought it was some sort of strange bug. He clapped his phone against his hand and inspected again. It was displayed that the message was sent successfully. Seeing that his task was complete, the secretary put away his phone and continued following Qian Wenhuan out of the hospital. On the other side, the director of the Human Resources department received Qian Wenhuans secretarys message. However, only the first half of the message was visible. The second half of the message had completely vanished, perhaps caused by either a program error or signal congestion Chapter 404 - Kidnap Ive intercepted the message coming from Qian Wenhuans end, just as you instructed. A little girl in a white dress and barefoot sat cross-legged on a sofa and said with her eyes shut, The Human Resources department are doing as they were instructed. They are filing James Watsons document into Beta grade confidentiality along with his associating medical records. Stop him. Chen Chen instructed. Understood. The little girl answered swiftly. Meanwhile, in an office in the Human Resource department located in Eco Science Citys headquarter, there was a Chinese man in his mid-thirties. This charming man was the director of the department, recently relegated here from another headquarter. Just as he was about to tap the mouse and enter the encryption confirmation password, his phone suddenly rang. Tunak tunak Tun Da Da Da! Dholna, vaje tumbe val taar, Soode dil de pukar, Aaja karle ye pyar[1] The Chinese man frowned and looked at his phone. He saw the display of his phone set on the table repeatedly flashing. There seemed to be something wrong with it. His first instinct was to pick it up to inspect what the problem was. The moment he picked it up, he felt a scorching sensation burning across his palms! Hnghh! The Chinese man dropped his phone as if he had been electrocuted. The moment his phone clapped against the ground, the display shattered all across the floor with a sudden crack! The h*ll? The Chinese man was jolted by this. He could only watch helplessly as the smashed pieces of the phone became engulfed in flame. The hungry fire slowly devoured the SAMSUNG logo etched on the back of the phone It was only until the phone had become completely smoldered and the awful stench of burnt plastic filled the room when the Chinese man came back to his senses. When he glanced at the computer again, he saw that the encryption had been completed. Without paying any further attention to the encryption page, his first thought was to open a new webpage and head to QQ and posted a short update on his feed. Just had the living crap scared out of me, I was just working and minding my business when my phone exploded Half a day later. Bruno, are you sure youre going to return to Chicago all by yourself? Watson Jr. expressed helplessly. I really cant leave here right now, if you insist on leaving, you have to head back by yourself. Come on, Im not a toddler okay? Bruno responded impatiently, throwing his shoulders out as he said with a bewildered expression, Come on, I know how to take care of myself. Youre a grown-up now, I hope you dont cause any further trouble out there. Watson Jr. looked at his father Watson who was sleeping soundly in the other room. His voice still filled with concern as he asked, Are you not going to wait until your grandfather wakes up to say goodbye? No need, hes not dying anytime soon anyway. Besides, this entire thing turned out to be a blessing since both you and he are going to receive the age-reversal treatment. Bruno commented with a slight hint of sarcasm in his voice and quickly left without much hesitation. Immediately after turning around with his back facing his father, a coy smile appeared on Brunos lips. He tapped on his shoulder, the cunning smile still hanging on the corner of his lips. When Bruno arrived on the ground floor, he immediately went to the receptionist. He produced a patient certification from his pocket and presented it to the nurse on duty. Im a family member of James Watson, Id like to look up some information regarding his medical records. Alright, this way please The nurse at the reception took the patient certification and nodded after ensuring it was the original document. She got right up and led Bruno to an office. There was nothing out of the ordinary inside the office, only several laptops set up across a table. The nurse opened one of the laptops and looked up one of the files on the server. What is this, wheres the medical record? Bruno asked, perplexed. We use digital medical records here. If you want the medical record in print, youll have to ask the head surgeon. The nurse explained, The documents are with the head surgeon. Alright then. Bruno shrugged at the nurses suggestion and seated himself in front of the laptop. He started flipping through the digital medical record while taking out his phone, appearing as if he was going to take pictures. The nurse did not comment on Brunos actions, she only promptly turned around and left. After ensuring the only witness was gone, Bruno grew bolder. He selected and opened James Watsons medical record, then held his phone up to the screen and tapped on the capture button. Click! With an abrupt click, Bruno had recorded the first page of the medical record. Ehh It was only after taking a picture of the first page when Bruno noticed there was a small mark printed onto his grandfathers medical record. It was a symmetrical pattern that reminded him of an illustration of a starry night sky. The image was printed in black and white and sparsely splattered across the section below the text on the first page of the medical record. It looked like some sort of watermark or perhaps it was some sort of pattern printed in the document background. Whatever, who cares. Although the appearance of these patterns was rather outlandish and seemed to come out of nowhere, Bruno knew he did not have time to care about minor details such as these. He selected the second page and took a picture with his phone again. Then on to the third page and the fourth page The medical record was certainly extremely comprehensive. The operation report of the head surgeon alone took up more than 30 pages. By the time Bruno was done with documenting everything, twenty minutes had passed. Bruno massaged his slightly sore wrist and pulled himself up from his seat before heading out of the office. Sir, have you found what you needed? The nurse on shift asked when she saw Bruno stepping out of the office. Bruno completely ignored the nurses question and sped up his pace, quickly stepping out of the nurses line of sight and out of the hospital. After leaving the hospital, Bruno hurriedly signaled for a taxi as if he was being pursued by somebody. After entering the taxi, he took out his phone and sent the first few pages of James Watsons medical records to another email. Within half a minute, Brunos phone started ringing. Bruno found himself slightly surprised by this near-immediate callback and proceeded to answer it without a second thought. D*mn, Bruno. Are what you just showed me real? James Watson receiving treatment in Eco Science City? Whats this about some brain restoration technology in Eco Science City? the caller spoke urgently. Of course, Ackerman. Bruno answered smugly, Hows that, some pretty shocking news, I know. How much for this info? Youre not trying to scam me, are you? The broker still asked in disbelief, Bruno, you know what happens if you try to play any tricks on me. I wont try to scam you, I swear. Bruno explained quickly, I know you guys wont believe me, so I went out of my way to sneak footage of my grandfathers operation and footage of him after recovery. Oh my God, so its the real deal? The voice on the other end of the phone was growing more excited. Bruno, I swear you must be my lucky star if this is real. Ill offer ten thousand for the medical records and the footage. Dont sell it to anyone else! Ten thousand is nowhere near enough. Bruno frowned. This isnt your everyday local flash news. I want a hundred thousand or else Ill look for other buyers! Impossible! The broker exclaimed, Theres no way this should cost me a hundred thousand, who are you trying to take advantage of here? Wheres your honor? How about this buddy, fifty thousand Hows fifty thousand? We can meet each other halfway? Sixty thousand! Bruno called again. Deal! The person on the other end of the phone had to grit his teeth and agree to this price. Bruno could not help but break into a smile when he heard the magic word. Perfect, Ackerman. We can meet tomorrow when I get back to Chicago and finish the transaction there. The taxi headed for the Walvis Bay International Airport. By the next day, a plane arriving from Namibia landed at the Chicago OHare International Airport. After the plane had landed and everything was sorted, Bruno let out a lazy yawn and shuffled out of the plane with the rest of the passengers. Before he could even step foot out of the airport, several men in suits and wearing sunglasses approached him and cut him off. Who are you guys? Bruno quickly wiped the drowsy, jet-lagged expression off his face and perked up in alert. Wheres Ackerman? Ackerman is waiting for you outside the airport, Mr. Bruno. One of the men took off his sunglasses and addressed Bruno sternly. Please come with us. There was a hint of doubt in Brunos eyes. Before he could decide on his next move, two of the men with sunglasses had approached him from both sides. They pincered him in the middle and held some sort of hard object against his waist. Bruno was certain that the concealed object was a gun used to threaten him. Hey buddies, Ill come with you guys alright. Just dont point that thing at me, Im not a big fan Bruno quickly yielded to them and left without the airport with his gracious escorts. After exiting the airport, the men in black took Bruno to a black multi-purpose vehicle. When they pulled the door open, Bruno saw someone lying inside who had his arms and legs bound together with duct tape. Even this persons mouth was muffled. This person was none other than Ackerman who was on the phone with him just yesterday. Oh d*mn! All Bruno could do was curse out loud before he was tossed into the back of the car within seconds. The engine was promptly started and the car drove out of the parking lot. Guys, what are you trying to do here? Bruno was about to break out in hysterics. He gestured wildly in the back of the car. Is there a need to go this far just for sixty thousand? Sixty thousand? Ahem, ahem It was at this moment when Bruno suddenly heard bouts of coughing coming from further behind in the backseat. He turned around and saw another silver-haired old man speaking to him, This means that youre the one who fed the news to Ackerman yesterday? What news? Bruno glanced at the tightly bound Ackerman right next to him. The old man did not answer Bruno. Instead, he took out his phone and showed Bruno an online article. Bruno quickly investigated it and saw the title of the article [Breaking news! Racist idealist James Watson receives brain restoration surgery in Eco Science City.] The main contents of this article were none other than the medical records stolen by Bruno. [1] A popular Marathi song Chapter 405 - Astral Catalyst Ackerman already publicized it? Bruno felt his heart drop when he saw this and he quickly pleaded for mercy, This only has to do with Ackerman All I did was take several pictures of the medical records, I dont have anything else. You can look at my phone if you dont believe me. He presented his phone to the old man when he said this, You can take a look for yourself if you dont believe me. Ackerman has these exact pictures as well, theres no need to come for me, believe me! Ahem ahem, hack.. Hack hack! The old man went into another coughing fit, he quickly produced a handkerchief and placed it over his mouth for him to cough loudly into. Bruno felt what may be a sense of pity when he saw this old man in such a sickly state. Its alright Ahem. After what seemed like forever, the old man took the phone from Brunos hand and turned it off right away. It doesnt matter whether you have it saved in the cloud or some drive somewhere. Im sure youll remember where you put it after we put you through a round of torture. This Brunos heart sank when he heard this. His body collapsed weightlessly under him. Half an hour later, they parked at the entrance of a large private estate. Bruno stepped out of the car with a depressing gloom cast over his head. Two more men in black quickly trailed after him. Hold on, what about Ackerman? When he saw how the group of men in black seemed to have the slightest intention of untying Ackerman or carrying him out of the car, he turned to look at the car suspiciously. Bruno turned around just in time to see a gun mounted with a silencer pointed at Ackermans temple. Poof! There was a muffled sound of a gunshot, immediately followed by Ackermans head bursting like a flower dyed red. Brunos eyes became so widened it felt like his eyeballs were going to roll out of their sockets any second. He thought he was going to collapse onto the ground because his feet could no longer support his weight. Ackerman was dead. Brunos legs trembled endlessly, his mind was blank. Bruno could hardly remember how he managed to walk into the estate on his two feet, nor could he remember when he told them the password to his phones storage. When he came to his senses, he found himself in a room built with metal, completely isolated from mobile signals. The room was drowned in darkness but he could still make out the outline of a large collection of tools meant for torturing. He already spilled everything he knew before any of the tools could be put to use. The pictures in his phone had been exported and printed, all put together in an album. It was around this point when a middle-aged man with blond hair, blue eyes, and sporting a beard with tied-back ponytail stepped into the room. The old man in charge of supervising immediately stepped forward. Ahem Young master, weve obtained all of James Watsons medical records. Should we delete the online digital copy? Delete them. This medical record is extremely invaluable and may very well contain the blueprint for mankinds future biological sciences development, we cannot risk having it leaked. The middle-aged man ordered before turning to Bruno. Have you searched him for anything resembling a tracker or wire? Is there anything suspicious in his phone? We inspected everything thoroughly, hes clean. The old man answered confidently, Dont worry, young master. It doesnt matter how broad Blackwatchs online presence is, they still cant bypass a physical Faraday cage principle. Very well then. The middle-aged man nodded contently before he took a look at the medical records. Use the governments emergency encrypted transportation network to deliver this to Yellowstone Park and into the hands of my father. Its up to him to decide where we go from here. Before leaving, the man they called young master turned to look at Bruno and grinned, revealing a row of pearly-white teeth. After he left, the old man coughed several times again before giving a signal and exited the room as well. After that, the only thing that could be heard from inside the room was the muffled wailing of Bruno followed by faint gunshots. Bruno is dead. In the Spire Laboratory, a huge, semi-transparent map of North America appeared in front of Little X. The map that hung mid-air was a projection created by the holographic environment simulator. On top of the map were densely packed tiny white dots numbering up to tens of thousands. These white dots took up nearly the entirety of the North American region. Among this collection of white dots, three yellow dots distinctly stood out. The yellow dots were at least ten times larger than the white dots and were more noticeable. Just as Little X finished saying this, one of the three yellow dots packed closely to one another suddenly vanished as if a spark of flame had been put out. Fascinating indeed. When he saw the phenomenon observed on the holographic projection, Chen Chen rubbed his Chen and remarked, To be able to detect a targets position at all times, even updated accordingly in the event of death. Yes, this is the latest product created from my recent study of E Language. Little X stated, The Astro Catalyst made into watermark is also a Basilisk pattern and belongs to a class of meme catalysts. Unlike the previous Eye and Filth Basilisk patterns, its not dangerous and only serves to mark its target. Although its functionalities are considered very basic as far as memes go, its usage is also considered the most practical. No matter where the target escapes to, whether the target vacates to the Moon or Mars, the effect of the meme remains undisrupted by spatial factors. Anyone infected by the Astro meme can be easily detected by me. Chen Chen nodded and turned to the holographic projection again. The white dots on the holographic projection represented the first type of Astro. When Bruno sent the first few pages of the medical records to a media firm, that media firm immediately distributed them to gain traction to their network. This was how hundreds of thousands of people in North America came to be infected by the Astro meme. Chen Chen specifically considered this factor and made it so that there were three variants of this Basilisk pattern in the medical record. The first tint of the infection was white, the next tint was yellow while the ones in the last few pages came in red color. Most common civilians would only get a glimpse of the first few pages, therefore displayed as white color. The crucial information was located in the middle to ending sections of the document. The ones infected by this variant of Astro were marked as either yellow or red. This meant that only the ones who got a glimpse of the important, central information were labeled as yellow or red color, also making them the higher ranking officials among Blacklight Biotechnologys rivals. But Sir Godfather There was a hint of hesitation in Little Xs voice. Will this approach of ours allow us to maneuver around the quantum machines predictive abilities? Of course. Chen Chen nodded and started to explain, Keep in mind that our target isnt the quantum machine itself but the higher-ups that make direct contact with the quantum machine. The federations quantum machine is set up to protect humanity from any upcoming disasters. Its extremely invaluable, but apart from being able to foresee upcoming disasters, its only built with self-defensive mechanisms. How was it supposed to do anything about the high-ranking officials? As long as the quantum machine itself isnt our direct target, we shouldnt have to be concerned about being discovered by its predictive calculations. Chen Chen smirked coyly as he said this, Now that weve intentionally set off this heavy-weight cannon thats the brain restoration technique, chances are our enemies who have eyes everywhere will be notified of it almost immediately. If they realize this is a trap set up by us, then what? Are they going to choose to not go through this crucial medical record anyway? Even if they pull all of their tricks out their pockets, would they ever expect our method of tracking them is something that surpasses common laws of physics? I see. Little X nodded. Thats true, our actions are next to impossible to be traced as long as we play around the quantum computer. But then Why are you downloading this movie? The display of the computer in front of Chen Chen suddenly turned on. A movie was placed on the desktop in MP4 format. The title of the movie was Spectral. Chapter 406 - The Federation’s Quantum Lab The news that Blacklight Biotechnology had cured James Watson quickly made headlines all over the world. Not many people knew the name James Watson and some of them only knew him for his racially discriminatory remarks. Nonetheless, the news that James Watson had been assassinated some time ago exploded all over the Internet and became the most viral headline concerning James Watson Now it had only been two months. Suddenly there was news that James Watson was cured. At once, this news shook up the entire Internet. Hidden forces were already stirring beneath the surface as countless parties tried their best to get a firsthand account from Blacklight Biotechnology. In response to this news, Chen Chen did not let Blacklight Biotechnology provide any explanation. He neither admitted the authenticity of this news nor clarified that it was a rumor, simply allowing it to go viral on the Internet. Soon, countless experts and professors began to speak out, saying that this news was just a rumor. After all, everyone who had paid attention to James Watsons brain injury two months ago knew that it was not a problem that modern medicine could solve. Now, all of a sudden several second-rate media claimed that James Watson was cured in Eco Science City. Although it was plausible and there were even medical records as evidence, most people still did not believe it. As more people followed this news, more people naturally paid attention to other aspects of this case. Soon, groups of black people gathered in several cities across North America began to protest against Blacklight Biotechnology in the form of demonstrations. The reason for this was very simple. As James Watson was a racist, if Blacklight Biotechnology saved him, naturally, it was also racist Still, this view was rather extreme and did not trigger a greater chain reaction. What was more frequently discussed was the veracity of this news. At the same time, in the Yellowstone Park of North America, a square building was hidden deep in the large forest within the nature reserve. This was a large building with ten floors and a width of one hundred meters. It was like a huge shopping mall, yet it was not built in a bustling city but a primitive no mans land instead. The walls of this building seemed to be extremely sturdy. The entire building was encased in ten meters of concrete, so it was gray all over. In front of the buildings gate, there were dozens of massive golden strips inserted in the ground, forming a special arrangement structure. If someone scraped off the gold paint on the surface, they would find that these long strips were made of lead. Dozens of lead strips surrounded the gate of the building, forming a kind of impenetrable barrier. The combination of all this formed an area that could isolate all electromagnetic radiation and remain unaffected by any radiation. At this time, this building that looked so silent and still was filled with busy activity within hundreds of staff members and researchers from all over the world continuously streamed through the hall and laboratories inside the building. Everyone moved at an urgent pace, wearing solemn expressions. In the highest-level conference room deep in the hall, dozens of representatives from various continents sat around the conference table, discussing something fervently. Delegates, please settle down. Todays Quantum Deity Conference shall officially begin. A gray-haired old white man walked to the front of the conference table. He first bowed in greeting and then said in English, According to the order of our initials, the position of chairperson for this weeks Quantum Deity Conference will be held by me, Buckle Murphy, for one week. With that said, the projector displayed a data map on the screen behind the old man. The data map was composed of curves and various incomprehensible symbols. The average person would not understand it at all, but everyone present appeared to be highly invested and would occasionally exchange a whispered comment. Alright, this is the forecast report of Adam yesterday. The old man turned around and slowly said to the screen behind him, As you can see, in this forecast chart, the Earth Federation has generally maintained a stable index in recent years. This shows that in the next month, there wont be any event that endangers human civilization. The probability of a crisis in the next year is 0.1% and the probability of a civilization crisis in the next ten years is 12%, which is still in the normal curve However, the curves in the fourth index and the seventh index show a small decrease and the curve in the eighth index has undergone a 15% increase. These curve disturbances also mean that in the next year, something that will have an impact on the structure of the world is likely to happen Oh, d*mn it Surely that cant be? Many people in the conference room instantly grumbled and became vigilant. Obviously, to these people, a stable world structure was preferred. We should be thankful. Its better than having a crisis disturbance. The old man chuckled and consoled everyone. You shouldve noticed that in the past ten years, the crisis outbreak index has been showing higher and higher numbers over this period, and its even diverging drastically from the previously predicted results. According to the prediction, there would be no crisis in 2023, which was last year, but in March 2023, Adam suddenly overturned its previous prediction, predicting that the onslaught of the African virus will cause an Ekhi-level social disturbance. Subsequently, at the end of 2023, an Amida-level disturbance, which is one level higher, was predicted. The old man said in a low voice, This is the first time weve come across an Amida-level disturbance. The disturbance index exceeded 1,000%. The probability of human civilizations extinction exceeded 300%. Fortunately, after we performed many calculations and ran through countless quantum collisions of the interference wave, the general region of the crisiss source was finally determined. Everyone fell silent upon hearing this. Of course, they knew what the old man was talking about. At the end of 2023, the quantum computer Adam suddenly rescinded its previous predictions and issued an epic crisis alert human civilization was already on the verge of destruction. It was just that the predicted interference this time was far stronger than usual, so strong that they could not even predict the source of the crisis. In desperation, all the continents emptied their pockets together and purchased electricity for a short time to overclock Adams forecasting ability. In the end, they obtained two key phrases North America and statue. In the face of this crisis, the quantum computer that had always been so definitive was unable to give any specific clues. This cast a shadow of despair in the hearts of countless people. Fortunately, this crisis was finally solved when remedial measures were taken although the Earth Federation had not yet figured out who or what had taken the three statues. In the end, North America had used up their precious, once-a-year forecast. However, it was the same as the previous prediction. When it came to predicting the three statues this time, Adam completely lost its effectiveness and could not predict any valuable clues. The whereabouts of the three statues remained a total mystery. The meeting ended quickly. Everyone left the conference room swiftly. The old man ordered the assistant to clean up the room, saved and archived all the valuable materials, and then left the conference room as well. Just as he was leaving, a female employee suddenly ran over and stood in front of the old man, panting. Mr. Murphy, someone is looking for you outside, requesting that you leave the Quantum Deity Lab. Chapter 407 - As Buddha Says, It Can’t Be Spoken When Buckle Murphy had passed numerous checks and walked out of the laboratory, on the tarmac outside, a small helicopter had been ordered to wait for a long time. Buckle Murphy stepped onto the helicopter. The helicopter started up quickly and flew out of the forest along a narrow winding path. After flying for a distance, the winding roads under his feet had completely disappeared and there was only a dense endless jungle in front of him. They even had to cross over dozens of mountains. The helicopter traveled for half an hour before it left the forest, coming to the end of the trees. Here, a large-scale military base popped into Buckle Murphys field of vision. It was not until the helicopter landed that Buckle Murphy jumped out of the vehicle with the help of a few soldiers. At the same time, four or five people in the barracks before him came up to him. Father. A middle-aged man with a ponytail walked to the forefront. When he saw Murphy, he immediately looked attentive. I brought you something. I believe youll be shocked after seeing it. Stop hyping it up. Buckle Murphy waved his hand and walked toward the barracks in the squall of the helicopter. As he walked, he said, As a shield bearer, my time is very limited and this week Im also the chairman of the Quantum Deity Conference. So, if you have something, just hurry and show it to me. Yes. The middle-aged man walked into the barracks, took out a document, and handed it to Buckle Murphy. Whats this? Buckle Murphy took the document, gently turned to the first page, and raised his eyebrows suddenly. James Watsons hospital records? Please keep reading, Father. The middle-aged man somberly said, This case isnt simple. You shouldve heard that James Watson was assassinated two months ago. He shouldve died, but Blackwatch Corporation developed a new type of technology and healed him when he was on the brink of death. Oh? Murphys expression turned completely serious when he heard these words. He walked to the table in a few steps, sat on the chair, and pored through the document carefully. After he did so, the surprise in his eyes could no longer be concealed and he even gradually frowned. Time turned from afternoon to night. The shining stars slowly rose from the end of the forest. The starry sky was extremely bright. This was a magnificent star-studded sky that could only be seen in Yellowstone Park. It was only when the ground outside the barracks was lit up by starlight that Murphy rubbed his dry eyes and put down the case sheet in his hand. Father? The middle-aged man immediately walked up from one side. Heh heh heh Murphy laughed softly. An AI chip and nano-scale electrodes that can replace the brain, along with NSR implants They can even repair brain injury? Father, do you think this is fake? The middle-aged man was surprised. Were not sure either. If this technology shows up in any research institution, Id assert that its fake, but if its Blackwatch Whether the records are real, I dont know. I only want to know what are these patterns? However, Murphy just shook his head, picked up one of the papers, and stood in front of his son. I noticed earlier that there are these patterns on every page and they arent fully identical, for there are three types of patterns. Its probably a watermark. The middle-aged man was a little uncertain. It may also be an anti-counterfeit mark that Blackwatch uses. Plus, it doesnt get in the way of reading. Is it really just a watermark? Murphy frowned, then put the three patterns together and kept comparing them. This pattern has no symmetrical structure. It cannot be a logo or a watermark. In my opinion, its more like a password or a code word What? The middle-aged man was startled. Do you think theres other information hidden in these patterns? Im just guessing. When you head back, ask a few professional linguists to analyze these watermarks and see what they mean. Yes. The middle-aged man could only assent. If these records are forged, we can forget the whole thing. But if the contents of this case are true, then well speed up our destruction of Blackwatch. Murphy grew sterner. This kind of technology has the potential to control human thoughts. The brain is the forbidden area of the human body. Once our enemies master this technology, the consequences will be unimaginable. Therefore, this kind of technology must never be allowed to appear in the hands of forces other than ourselves! That said, this company is truly something else. The middle-aged man suddenly realized. Its no wonder that the spies we sent not only didnt get much news but were killed in the Eco Science City. We dont even know how they died Murphy did not answer but gave the middle-aged man a few more orders, then walked out of the barracks, and returned to the helicopter. Even as the helicopter lifted off again, Murphy still maintained a solemn expression. He did not know why but after reading the document, he had the feeling he was being spied on. This feeling was very subtle and indistinct, somewhere between something and nothing. My mind is playing tricks? Or am I being watched? Murphy murmured. At this moment, he again recalled what happened five years ago. On that day five years ago, when he was elected as a shield bearer and became a representative of North America, he was monitored by Adam. Adam was a quantum computer. No one knew its origin. According to the earliest group of people, it was as if this quantum computer had emerged from the earth itself. At the beginning of the Federations founding, the quantum computer Adam had appeared naturally and spontaneously. The program of the quantum computer had also been set up. It was running at all times. From that moment to ten years later, all possibilities were calculated. Once any disaster that endangered human civilization was discovered, a crisis alert would be issued. How great was the computing speed of Adam? One could measure this by the Summit supercomputer, which had the fastest computing speed in the Earth Federation. The floating-point computing speed of Summit was 200 PFLOPS, which was 200 thousand trillion operations per second. In that case, Adam had 300 billion times the computing speed of Summit. In other words, the calculations Adam performed in 1 second would take the Summit 10,000 years It was due to this kind of perverse computing speed that Adam could bear the responsibility of receiving input from all the variables of the entire planet, thereby predicting all the crises of the Earth Federation one month or even ten years into the future. Therefore, the quantum computer Adam was also called the Holy Shield and Murphys current position was the shield bearer. Although the shield bearers had little power, they represented the interests of the various continents in the Federation. Every six-year cycle, each continent would choose three members to act as the shield bearers of its own continent. On the day he became a shield bearer, the quantum computer detected everything about him, including his birth and death. The quantum computer Adam thus reconstructed his past and predicted his future. At that time, Murphy felt as if he was being watched Murphys expression darkened. He knew that this feeling could not have come from Adam. Although Adam could calculate extremely swiftly, its resources were still extremely precious. It was said that only about three hours of calculation time could be squeezed out per year. The remaining time must be used to forecast the crises of the Earth Federation. In this way, the accuracy of Adams calculations was still barely enough. The forecast spanning ten years could only provide them with a general trend. If they wanted to get a more accurate forecast, they must perform calculations on a monthly basis. So, if it were not Adam, there were only two possibilities one was that all of this was just a trick of the mind and the other was that a quantum computer similar to Adam was evaluating Murphy. At this instant, Murphy thought of Blackwatch Corporation. Since he started targeting this company two years ago, he had only watched the company grow bigger and bigger. Moreover, the dozens of spies he sent, as well as the resistance organization White Embers he had indirectly established, were all wiped out. Even those members of the plutocratic families whom he had roped in were beginning to experience various mishaps. Many of these spies who had encountered unexpected fates were all well concealed and the only channel by which they might be exposed was the Internet. As a result, Murphy gradually came up with a bold conjecture that Blackwatch Corporation was likely to have a quantum computer similar to that of the Earth Federation. It was only by relying on that computers monitoring of the Internet that this company could keep growing stronger and uncovering all of its hidden enemies so accurately. Therefore, he simply set up a bureau and ordered an agent to bring a USB flash drive containing Adams quantum virus to the Eco Science City. The agent was to insert the USB flash drive into their opponents intranet. This quantum virus could be regarded as a major achievement of the Earth Federations many-year research into Adam. Its function was also very simple. Namely, it would copy all the data in the other partys computer and without requiring any connection, those data would be copied to Adams side. In that way, the existence of another quantum computer would inevitably be detected by the Earth Federation. Even if the agent failed, the quantum USB drive would still fall into the hands of Blackwatch Corporation, which would still have the opportunity to insert the USB drive, causing the same result. It was just that nothing happened in the end. The agent was indeed exposed but the USB flash drive belonging to North America had vanished without a trace. It was like throwing a meat bun to hit the dog. The dog was fine but the meat bun had been swallowed by the dog. Therefore, even now he did not know whether his conjecture was right or wrong. After learning this, the North American officials finally became anxious. Since they could not do anything about the other party even after a secret attack, they had to tear off their masks and lay out a plan to arrest the head of the Blackwatch Corporation. Still, this was all done in secret. The Earth Federation headquarters and the officials of other continents did not know about all this. Otherwise, it would become another conflict of interest between all parties. All these thoughts flashed through Murphys mind. This sensation of being spied on caused Murphy to ponder extensively. Could it be that theyve discovered my existence? Murphy felt a chill for no reason, but then he realized how absurd this sounded. As the shield bearer of the Earth Federation, would he be afraid of a private company? Still, he had to admit that the company was indeed a bit too mysterious. It had an endless stream of biotechnology, which just so happened to solve the crisis of life and death. Once this happened too many times, people would naturally become somewhat apprehensive Thus, was this all just his mind playing tricks? Murphy had no idea and there was nothing he could do now. He could only wait for the genius named Chen Chen to leave the Eco Science City in December and arrest him when he attended the Nobel Prize ceremony. These thoughts echoed back and forth in Murphys mind. About an hour later, he returned to the Quantum Deity Laboratory in the depths of the forest and returned to his post. What Murphy did not know was that the moment he saw those watermarks, he became watched by a pair of eyes, tens of thousands of kilometers away At this time, all the thoughts that emerged in Murphys mind, as well as his experience from childhood to adulthood, also appeared in their entirety in the Prophet System of Little X. To reconstruct just one persons experience takes up so much power At this time, Chen Chen looked at the terrifying number of consumed electricity and could not help frowning slightly. It seems that its time for the third inertial fusion reactor to be on the agenda. But the Spire Experimental Base is already full and our use of the bases space is as high as 95%. Its impossible to squeeze out any extra space to build a third reactor. Little X reminded. In that case, lets expand it. Chen Chen did not hesitate to make a decision. In the first place, the Spire Experimental Base is an underground space formed by limestone due to karst formation. As long as the structure isnt altered on a large scale, itll not result in structural hazards. Very well. Little X nodded and then chuckled. Then now were left with this Buckle Murphy. I didnt expect that the person who had been setting traps for us was hidden behind the quantum computer. We had to use non-physical means to locate him before we could deduce everything about him. Strictly speaking, hes only a representative, representing the most major force that opposes us, but by no means the final one. Chen Chen calmly said, But now that weve found the source individual, we have to find a way to obtain the X-ray structure of his body. With that said, Chen Chen turned around and looked behind him. Behind him was a set of strangely shaped devices. This set of devices consisted of several large components. One of them was a transparent container the size of a coffin. Inside the container was a device similar to a 3D printer. The largest, most eye-catching one was a machine about five meters high and three meters wide, upon which were three rows of huge pipes. This set of equipment cost all the electricity that Chen Chen had accumulated since he owned the two nuclear fusion reactors, and their origin was derived from a movie called Spectral. Although he had completely emptied his reserves overnight, Chen Chens face showed no sign of distress. Instead, a cold smile curled up at the corner of his mouth. Sir Godfather, whats your plan? If were only dealing with Buckle Murphy, theres no need to use this device, right? Little X was still very puzzled and was unable to turn on The Prophet System to make predictions, so she could only ask, Is your plan not aimed at that quantum computer? Hearing this, Chen Chen just raised a finger and shook his head at the same time, revealing a secretive look. As Buddha says, it cant be spoken Chapter 408 - Men in Black Half a month later. In the shopping mall of Maibana Street in Chicago, an aristocratic young man was going through the shops with a girl. The youth was about twenty-four or twenty-five years old, with blond hair and blue eyes, and filled with a special confidence. As for the girl, she had darker skin and a sweet and alluring countenance, bearing some resemblance to Angelina Jolie. The appearance and aura of the two were excellent and when they were walking together. They could not help but attract the attention of passers-by. Around the two of them, there were six or seven large men in black clothes who were covertly protecting them. From this scene, one could tell that the two young people had elevated statuses. They were either rich or noble. Soon, under the surreptitious protection of the six bodyguards, the two walked into a cheap jewelry store. Jenny, whats there to see here? If you want, I can just buy this entire shop. The blond young man followed the girl step by step. When he saw that the girl looked as if she had taken a liking to these trinkets, he suddenly said, Anyway, this shopping center is under the name of my Murphy family. They are just tenants. The girl shook her head when she heard these words, wearing an indifferent expression. I like these things, but it doesnt mean I have to buy them. Do I have to get them just because I like them? Of course. If theres something I like, I must have it. The blond youth glowered and said rather pointedly, Id rather destroy what I cant get than let others get it. This is how I, Randy Murphy, do things. The girl did not answer. She just glanced at the blond young man, then put down the accessories in her hand, turned away, and walked out of the store. The blond young man quickly followed behind and while walking out, he shot a meaningful look at the bodyguard beside him. At once, the bodyguard walked directly toward the salesperson of the shop and began to discuss the acquisition of the shop. However, this action did not win the girls favor. The girl still kept a considerable distance from the blond youth and it was obvious that the two were not getting along well. Soon, the blond young man lost his patience. As he followed the girl, he would check the time occasionally, impatience gradually showing on his face. Jenny, how long more are you going to shop? Ive only visited three floors of the shopping mall and there are still four floors I havent visited yet. The girl called Jenny said without looking back, Randy, if youre tired, you can leave first. I dont need your protection. The blond youths face instantly turned gloomy but it seemed that her family background was not inferior to his own. He could only pout in dissatisfaction but did not say anything. However, at this moment, the blond young man seemed to notice something. He suddenly raised his head and looked forward. He saw three white men approaching them from the dense crowd in front. Although the three men were all white, they all had black hair and black eyes, and their features were slack with no unique characteristics. It was as if, as long as they were placed in a crowd, they would disappear completely. Nonetheless, at this time, their actions attracted the attention of many people because they were going against the flow of people and walking toward the blond youth. At once, this behavior attracted the attention of the blond young man and his bodyguards. One of the bodyguards walked to the blond young mans side and notified in a low voice, Master, we have a problem Ive noticed as well. The blonde youth, Randy, nodded. Although he had somewhat of a domineering personality, his family education meant that he could distinguish right from wrong. Therefore, he immediately stopped and said to the girl in front of him, Jenny, come here! However, the girl paid him no mind at all. She kept walking forward and quickly passed by the three men who were walking side by side, but nothing happened. Indeed, they were moving toward him You three, please stop there. Seeing that the three men were still approaching, the bodyguard in front subconsciously reached into his pocket and said to the three of them, Sir, please stop However, before he finished speaking, there was a quick blur before his eyes. In the next second, he only saw that one of the men had rushed in front of him at an extreme speed while the flitting shadow of a fist was approaching quickly! This staggering speed made it difficult for one to react in time even if one was concentrating, but this bodyguard was indeed an elite among the elites. Faced with a sudden attack, he instinctively raised his arms and shielded himself, thus blocking that swift punch! Bang! Still, in the next second, this bodyguard realized that he had miscalculated The impact that crashed into his arms was incredible. He had obviously blocked the blow, but the punch went straight through the gap between his arms and viciously landed on his face! Suddenly, this bodyguard only felt as if he had been hit by a hammer. His head was lifted as his entire body flew backward, thrown into the air by a massive force! By the time he crashed to the ground, this bodyguard had lost consciousness. This scene had also attracted the attention of countless people and suddenly, the shoppers in the mall were madly scrambling everywhere. D*mn it! The other bodyguards could not refrain from uttering a curse. They started to take out their guns, trying to kill the three uninvited guests with firearms. However, faced with opponents who had pulled out their guns, the three men only kicked off from the ground, leaping across several meters like an arrow leaving the bowstring. Each of them targeted one bodyguard. Just as the bodyguards were raising their pistols, the three men had appeared before them. Two of them stiffened their hands and, with a whoosh, chopped at the necks of the bodyguards before them. The third one aimed a direct kick at his targets lower abdomen. As he was so fast, even his pants were whipping loudly through the air! Within a second, three more bodyguards had fallen to the ground without making a sound. At this time, there were only two bodyguards surrounding the blond youth, Randy! However, these two had already pulled out their pistols. Faced with this emergency, the two bodyguards barely hesitated. They loaded the guns, extended their arms, aimed, and pulled the trigger, all in one swift motion! Bang bang bang bang bang!!! Deafening gunshots echoed directly through the entire shopping mall. Countless pedestrians had fled the place, screaming frantically, leaving a huge gap between the two parties. Thus, the guns had more space to fire. Even so, what happened next made the two bodyguards widen their eyes. After they fired their shots, the three men in white began to dodge the bullets with unbelievable postures. One of them contracted and bent his body as if he was twitching, causing three or four bullets to fly by his side. The other person somersaulted and avoided five or six bullets. The third simply kicked off the wall on the right, then he was racing across the wall and rushing towards the bodyguards! D*mn, d*mn, d*mn! A bodyguard cursed loudly and pulled the trigger frantically, but this was all in vain. He could only watch helplessly as the three weaved right and left through the hail of bullets, constantly getting closer to him! Pfft! In the next second, a fist smashed into his stomach. He did not know where it came from. The bodyguards eyes bulged involuntarily, an inhuman groan rumbled in his throat, and he fell to the ground with blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. The last bodyguard fell to the ground almost at the same time. Despite their professional military training, they could put up no resistance when faced with these three men in black as if they were kindergarten children. At this point, all bodyguards had been dealt with, but the blond youth just stood there blankly, staring at all this When a large team of police officers finally arrived at the scene, the entire shopping center was empty. There were only six badly injured bodyguards and a card left on the scene. The blond youth was missing One of the sheriffs put on rubber gloves and picked up the card. Only then did he see the English letters that were cut out from various magazines and pasted together on the card: If you want Randy Murphy to live, please prepare a hundred million in cash and deliver it to us on 1 December. The address is Behind this sentence was a photo of a bridge. Obviously, this was the exchange spot selected by the kidnappers. Chapter 409 - Commencing A few hours later, Buckle Murphy, who was in the Quantum Deity Laboratory, received the bad news. His youngest son, Randy, had been kidnapped while shopping with his female partner. The kidnappers had taken down six well-trained bodyguards, then vanished from the shopping mall along with Randy. After getting the news, Murphy could not sit still anymore. He immediately applied for leave from the Shield Bearers Committee, hurriedly boarded a helicopter, and flew toward Bozeman Airport. At Bozeman Airport, which was the airport nearest to Yellowstone Park, his private jet was already on standby and ready to take off. However, at this time in Bozeman Airport, a freight truck, marked with the official logo of Bozeman Airport, was driving onto the airport runway. Please show your entry permit and cargo transportation permit. Outside the iron fence, one of the security guards stopped the truck and spoke to the two people in the cab. No problem, sir! Sitting in the drivers seat was a middle-aged man with dark sunglasses, a big beard, and rosacea. At this time, he casually took out some papers and handed them to the security guard who was outside the car window. From inside the car, heavy metal folk-rock music blared out. As the vehicle stopped in front of the guard post, the loud noise coming from the windows of the car also boomed in the ears of these security guards, which annoyed them greatly. Looking at the boorish, dirty redneck in front of him, a glimmer of disgust flashed in the security guards eyes. He handed the papers to his colleague while he went around to the back of the truck and knocked on the cargo door. At once, the cargo door slowly opened, revealing a middle-aged farmer who was drunk and sloppily dressed. Like the middle-aged man in the drivers seat, this farmer also wore a pair of sunglasses of unknown branding. Whats the truck carrying? The security guards gaze went past the farmer and looked behind him, only to see a round, black ball inside the cargo space. The ball was about one meter in diameter and it was pitch black all over. Perhaps because of the light, the surface of the black ball also had a matte texture. Moreover, without any additional support, the black ball stood steadily in the center of the carriage space, which was a rather incredible sight. This is a new type of yoga fitness equipment Gantz. The farmer chuckled and displayed his big yellow teeth. Senator Murphy himself purchased it from my factory and Im delivering it to him. So, Senator Murphy practices yoga? The security guard nodded sagely. All trucks that were allowed to enter the airport had already been checked once. Naturally, he would rather not check it again, so he turned and walked back to the guard post, asking his colleague, How about it, is the permit okay? However, all he received in response was the solemn gaze of his colleague, who shot him a serious, meaningful glance. At this, he became vigilant at once. He stopped and slowly reached for his waist. Click! Even so, just as the two security guards were preparing to take action, the truck flashed with a dazzling light. The two men subconsciously wanted to turn their heads, but it was already too late. After their eyes were exposed to this light, they simply stood there with vacant stares, having lost all of their previous wariness. This memory eraser is pretty useful. The middle-aged man in the drivers seat of the truck slowly put away the silver metal rod in his hand, then directly exited the cab, walked into the guard post, and pressed the button for the boom gate. He waited until the boom gate in front of the truck was raised before returning to the cab and driving into the airport. The two security guards slowly recovered their senses only after the truck had left. They looked around blankly and then glanced at each other. Pike, what happened just now? I dont know, were you saying something? Uh, Ive seemed to forget Needless to say, the two security guards looked rather stupefied. At this time, the truck had already entered the airport and stopped by Murphys Gulfstream private jet. At this time, the planes cargo space was opened and a transport truck parked next to it seemed to have just finished loading the cargo. This is a parking space for private jets. May I ask who are you? Seeing the truck approaching, two staff members scampered forward to greet them, but when they came to the truck, they saw only a burst of white, glaring light. Click! At once, the two staff members also stood there slackly like the previous security guards as if they had been disconnected. Captain Brando, relying too much on this tool will diminish your professional skills sooner or later. As this voice spoke, the door of the trucks compartment suddenly opened. The farmer who reeked of booze jumped out. He huffed and puffed as he rolled the black ball into the cargo of the private jet. You should just worry about yourself. The middle-aged man looked around alertly but saw that the two staff members were coming to. One of them noticed someone was rolling a weird black ball into the cargo of the plane and immediately wanted to stop it. Click! Nevertheless, as a dazzling white light struck them, the staff members were once again frozen in place. Well, the Gantz sphere has been installed. Remember to pick me up in Chicago, Captain Brando. The middle-aged farmer chuckled, took out a metal ball the size of a longan fruit, and gently tapped it. Suddenly, there was an electric flicker and his figure vanished into thin air. Click! Seeing this, Brando dazzled the two staff members one last time, then re-entered the truck and drove away from Bozeman Airport. After leaving the airport, the middle-aged man tore off his hair and beard, revealing a well-defined, handsome face. This man was none other than Clark Brando, captain of the Black Security Service B.S.S., which was the first of the two rapid reaction forces established under Blacklight Biotechnology. Besides the Black Security Service, the other rapid reaction force was the Black Knights. Nonetheless, the combat effectiveness of the Black Knights was too good, so there was a tendency for the B.S.S force to be relegated to the margins of menial work. Just as in this instance, the B.S.S force performed more tasks that required less violence but more flexibility and adaptability. After half an hour, Murphys vehicle passed the security check directly and drove into the parking lot at the airport. Mr. Murphy, the plane has been inspected. Everythings normal. The chief pilot immediately came forward and reported, Weve notified the airport command center and may take off at any time within half an hour. Murphy nodded when he heard these words and being anxious, he said without thinking, I hope we can take off now, the sooner the better. Got it. The pilot nodded, assisted Murphy up the stairs into the private jet, and then walked toward the cockpit to start the final inspection. As long as the inspection did not turn up any problems, the aircraft could quickly take off and begin flying its course. However, at this time, a hundred kilometers away from Bozeman Airport, on the top of a towering mountain, a twin spire tower was erected on a truck. This twin spire tower was about ten meters tall and two meters wide. The color of the tower was a strange dark red, giving off an ominous aura. The reason for this was that shape was completely beyond the scope of human aesthetics. Next to the spiral tower, there was an identical black ball. It was also one meter in diameter and pure black. It was no different from the black ball in Murphys private jet. At this instant, the black ball that had remained silent for a long time emitted a sharp peculiar hiss and a blue glow suddenly appeared across its surface. The blue light glimmered from top to bottom. As it flashed by, an old man who was half-reclined, with his eyes closed, emerged in the blue light What was even stranger was that the old man did not notice anything at all. He just reclined halfway in thin air as if there was an invisible seat under him. Then, the blue light flashed again and the old man disappeared into the blue light once more. Evidently, at that moment, due to the signal coverage of the Gantz server, the two black balls had successfully established a connection and teleported the shield bearer, Murphy, who was located in Bozeman Airport a hundred kilometers away, to another black ball. Then, without Murphy realizing anything, they had teleported him back. All of this was of course not meaningless. During this teleportation, the Gantz sphere had successfully obtained the blueprint of Buckle Murphys body. This blueprint contained every detail of his body. X-rays, CT, and other machines could never compare to it. On the other end of things, in Murphys private jet, two flight attendants witnessed this weird scene, but before they could exclaim in shock, a white light flashed before their eyes After a few minutes, when these flight attendants had come to again, they saw that Senator Murphy was still sitting there. No one would remember that, just a moment ago, Senator Murphy had disappeared little by little right before their eyes. As the plane took off steadily, Murphys Gulfstream jet quickly rose and flew toward Chicago, 1,500 kilometers away Chapter 410 - The Final Step Reality was sometimes full of drama. After Senator Murphys youngest son was kidnapped, many people were prepared for a good showdown. They wanted to find out considering that someone had dared to kidnap a member of a consortium that practically ruled over the heavens in North America, were these kidnappers too bold or too stupid? However, this incident ended too quickly, almost catching everyone off guard. It was even rather anticlimactic. The kidnappers had released their hostage. When Murphy had rushed back from Yellowstone Park on a private jet, what he was greeted with was his unharmed young son. The news report pointed out that the kidnappers let him go because they heard about the power and financial resources of the Murphy Financial Group. They realized that who they had kidnapped was not a fat sitting duck but a ticking time bomb, so they dutifully let him go. Even so, a large portion of the police force had been mobilized throughout Chicago and these officers had launched a city-wide search, looking for the three suspects. However, what the police finally found were the bodies of three suspects. In just half a day, the bodies of the three suspects were found in an abandoned factory in the suburbs but the surprising thing was that everything above the cervical vertebrae of these three, including their entire heads, had vanished without a trace. The clues led to a dead-end here. No matter how much further they investigated, no other clues could be found. Late at night, Murphy looked at the file brought by the chief of the police department with a solemn expression. This isnt a simple matter. Murphy mused. Obviously, there are others behind them and to conceal some evidence, they even murdered these people By the way, have we found out the identities of these three people? Im afraid not. The chief of the Chicago Police Department stood at Murphys desk like a subordinate and said respectfully, Im very sorry, Mr. Murphy. After DNA comparison, we cant track down their DNA information at all. The most reasonable inference, for now, is that the three of them are all outsiders who came to North America illegally. Moreover, they were all combatants with superb practical combat experience. Murphy nodded. They could take down the six bodyguards that he had assigned to his son in a few seconds. Of course, their identities would not be ordinary. However, the more this was the case, the greater the chill in Murphys heart because all this pointed to the possibility of a conspiracy, one that targeted him. Could it be Blackwatch Corporation? At this moment, Murphys first guess was the private company he was constantly targeting but on second thought, it was impossible for the other party to know that he had set a trap for them unless they had the means to break through the quantum computer. Besides, Blacklight Biotechnology had immense control over the Internet. This had long been established. They could easily allow the three killers to evade the police force that was searching the entire city. Those three men would thus vanish from the world instead of being slaughtered. Therefore, from the fact that those men were killed, it mostly ruled out the possibility that this was Blackwatch. But if it werent Blackwatch, would it be my other opponents? Murphy could not help but think of several other rivals. Only those families with the same level of power as him would be able to do this, and only they would resort to murder for fear of being exposed. However, the motivation for this was not sufficient. On the contrary, this kind of behavior would attract the hostility of all the financial groups in North America, for such behavior completely undermined the unspoken rules of the major families. Still, rules were made to be broken. If the benefits were sufficient, then even the rules that were deeply rooted in the hearts of the people would falter in the face of human greed. Therefore, was there a higher chance it was those rivals of his? Still, in the next second, Murphy recalled that sense of being watched that had seized him a few days ago for no reason. He could not tell whether this feeling was an illusion or something real. However, if it was real, could it be that the deaths of the three kidnappers were caused by a hidden hand to deliberately manipulate him into making a wrong judgment? Murphy took a deep breath and silently collected his thoughts. Sir Murphy? Seeing Murphys pensive face, the police chief could not help asking again. Never mind. Murphy frowned and then said, Ill leave this to you. Keep on with the investigation. I hope to get a proper answer. Understood, Sir Murphy. The police chief nodded, then turned and walked out of the office. Nevertheless, before the door of the office swung close, an old cough came from outside the door. Immediately, an old man with an ancient countenance walked in slowly. Ah, its you, Bertha. The old man who came in was none other than the butler Bertha, the most senior member of the Murphy family, the one who had served the Murphy family for four generations. This butler had been with the Murphy family since he was 10 years old. He had been loyal to them for over sixty years. Even Buckle Murphy would not treat him as a servant, so he just asked kindly, Bertha, is anything the matter? Ahem, Master, Im here to warn you. The old man coughed a few times. I keep feeling that something is fishy about this whole thing as if someone deliberately wanted to lure you here. Murphy fell silent when he heard this and after a long time, finally said, Ive also realized that. The other party might have deliberately lured me away, so Ive decided to return to Yellowstone Park early tomorrow morning. I still need you to keep an eye on the family, Bertha. Yes, Master, these few heirs of yours were all brought up by me. They are like my children. Ill take care of them for you. While talking, the old man turned and left Murphys office That night, Murphy had pondered a lot. He recalled all his memories from childhood and thought of all his hard work and effort before he finally became a member of the Quantum Deity Lab and a representative of the shield bearers in North America. The Quantum Deity project, being the secret of secrets in the entire Earth Federation, had always been known only to the president of North America and some other officials at the peak of power. Even the governor had no right to know. Around the world, the people who knew about this project numbered fewer than a thousand and half of them were scientific researchers. Therefore, although on the surface Murphy was just a senator of Congress, he stood almost at the pinnacle of power. When the term of his shield bearer position expired next year, he was expected to represent the Democratic Party and become the next presidential candidate. It was also because of this, being in this position, that he had to be more careful and not underestimate the slightest whiff of trouble. Before dawn the next day, Murphy did not even alert anyone. He took the private jet again and hurried back to Yellowstone Park secretly. How vigilant indeed. Still, in the Spire Experimental Base tens of thousands of kilometers away, Chen Chen knew of Murphys movements instantly. The reason was simple. His sticker had already shown Chen Chen everything. As a superior official, Buckle Murphy has done well enough. Hearing Little Xs mocking comment, Chen Chen just nodded. Unfortunately, when the enemys methods are far beyond common sense and knowledge, all your crafty plots and machinations will be meaningless. Yes, if we hadnt obtained the alien civilizations technology from Gantz, we might still be in the dark all this while, unaware that every move we make is at risk of being predicted by the quantum computer Adam at any time? Little X laughed. But now, theyre the ones in the dark. With that said, Little X walked to Chen Chen and observed the several extremely complex machines that were placed in this laboratory. These machines were connected in series, occupying more than half of the laboratory area, and the most conspicuous one was a transparent human figure in a glass container. This figure was said to be transparent because that was literally the case. The human figure lay in the glass container and was almost invisible. It was just that there was a large volume of vapors in the container, through which the silhouette of this figure could be faintly discerned. However, the figure was only composed down to the waist. There was nothing below that point. Instead, a silver-white metal device that looked like a claw was slowly moving. During its movement, the waist of the transparent figure was also slowly growing at a visible speed. This was a 3D printing device and the transparent figure was being printed little by little in this manner. If one had seen the movie Spectral, one would know that this device was a 3D printer used by the villains in the movie to print combat weapons the condensate humans. There are still three hours left before we finish printing. Little X suddenly reminded, And it just so happens that three hours later, Buckle Murphy will also return to the Quantum Deity Laboratory. Sir Godfather, are these also in your calculations? It cant be spoken. Chen Chen smiled and replied. I seem to get it Understanding dawned in Little Xs eyes. She was about to speak, but suddenly her mouth was covered by Chen Chen. Ive told you that it cant be spoken, got it? Ohfkay, unfdershtood Little Xs mouth was blocked, so she could only stare fixedly at him, and answered with muffled words. Seeing this, Chen Chen moved his hand away in satisfaction and walked out of the laboratory. Now, theres only the final step Chapter 411 - Close Contact An AH-1Z Super Cobra helicopter descended slowly and landed in front of a huge square building located deep in the forest. Two soldiers with the rank of colonel held on to their caps and came forward beneath the furious wind stirred up by the propellers. Sir Murphy, welcome back. Behind the soldiers were two staff members in white coats. As Murphy walked out of the helicopter, several people shook hands with him and then the two colonels searched his body as per protocol and scanned him with a detector. After confirming that Murphy did not carry any electronic equipment or weapons with him, they turned and left. Did anything happen when I wasnt around in the past two days? Murphy walked through the lead Faraday barrier and asked quickly, Did Adam detect any changes? Its business as usual. The staff replied, Everything is going smoothly. If Adams prediction curve is given an emotional value, I can only say that his mood is extremely stable today and even a little happy. Oh? Murphy could not help but laugh. Very good, I like your analogy. With that, the three came to the front gate of the laboratory. The gate of the Quantum Deity Laboratory was like the nuclear bunker of a military base. It looked extremely thick. At this time, a gap appeared and they could just about make out the disinfection room inside. The three of them entered side by side, changed all their clothes in the disinfection room, including their undergarments, and then put on the work clothes provided in the laboratory. Mr. Murphy, youre back so soon. The instant he entered the hall of the laboratory, someone stepped forward to say hello. Murphy nodded and greeted everyone familiarly but as he chatted, his face suddenly shifted slightly. At this moment, the feeling of being watched struck him again How is that possible? This is a zone isolated from all signals and electromagnetic radiation and even an electromagnetic pulse bomb wouldnt sway this place at all. How can I still feel like Im being observed? Murphys heart shivered. He thought it was just the same illusion as before but this feeling grew stronger and stronger until it even affected his conversation with other people. Sir Murphy, whats the matter? The speaker in front of him saw Murphys expression changed and asked curiously. Sorry, excuse me! Murphy suddenly covered his mouth, spun around, and rushed toward the nearest washroom. At this moment, he suddenly felt an inexplicable rush of nausea. This indescribable feeling surged straight into his forehead and almost made him lose his composure. Murphy knew that he must never display this behavior in front of others. Once he was suspected of having health problems, his current position would be stripped away in the blink of an eye. He strode into the washroom, randomly picked a stall, promptly locked the door, and began to lower his head and vomit. However, all he spat out was a dribble of yellow liquid. Whats going on Murphy raised his trembling hand, pressed the flush button, then staggered out, walked to the sink, and rinsed his face with clean water. However, at this moment, a voice suddenly rang by his ear Go and see it, quick, go and see it That voice was wispy and illusive as if it came from nowhere. It was not even a voice but a command, a command from the dark abyss What, what was happening? Murphy was about to speak, but at this moment, he suddenly felt his body stiffen and in an instant, he lost control over his entire body! Yes, he had lost control of his body! Murphy watched helplessly as his face in the mirror slowly cooled down from an expression of horror and finally took on a vacant look. Then he leisurely wiped his cheeks and hands as if he was possessed. He straightened out his disheveled clothes before he turned and walked out of the toilet. No! No! Who is it, whos controlling me? Murphys heart raged frantically but he found that he could not even control his heartbeat. His emotions were in a state of sheer horror, but his heartbeat was regular and gentle as if his consciousness had been imprisoned and locked up somewhere in this body. At this time, this body had already been taken over by another consciousness, a person who was not related to him Who are you! Who are you really!!! Murphys heart kept yelling, but he still could only watch as he walked out of the toilet, and then headed straight toward the core of the laboratory. That was, the location of Adam, the quantum computer I want to enter the quantum core area. When this body came to a glass door that looked like an elevator booth, it suddenly stopped and spoke to the security guard in front of the door, Right now. Sir Murphy, is there something urgent? The security guard knew Murphy and immediately asked with some confusion. Yes, its very urgent. Murphy nodded. Understood. The security guard replied and then walked into the cubicle that was made of transparent glass. Murphy also stepped forward and walked in. As the two entered, the once-transparent cubicle flashed once, gaining a translucent appearance, and only the faint outlines of the two inside could be seen. This was the final round of inspection. Please take off all your clothes and accessories. The security guard reminded him. Murphy did not hesitate to strip himself naked and exposed his whole body in front of the security guard. The reason for this was that this place was a crucial part of the quantum laboratory and must not receive any radiative interference. X-rays were, of course, no exception. At this point, the security guard thoroughly inspected Murphy from head to toe including every crevice and every orifice of his body It was not until ten minutes later that Murphy put on a dust-free suit and walked out of the cubicle. After that, a completely transparent elevator door opened. Murphy did not notice until he walked into the elevator that this elevator was completely suspended in thin air, with only two layers of glass doors touching each other. As he entered, the elevator also shook slightly. Following that, it did not rise but moved horizontally. On the opposite side of the elevator was a laboratory completely suspended in the air by electromagnetics. In other words, the Quantum Deity Laboratory was divided into two layers. The first layer was like a box. Inside this box, there was another box. There was a seven-meter separation between the two boxes. The real inner box was where the quantum computer resided! Upon seeing this amazing sight, Murphy still had on a poker face as if he had gotten used to this. Ding, the elevator is starting, and it is crossing the vacuum partition. Please stand still and try not to move, so as not to affect the electromagnetic elevator. An electronic voice sounded inside the elevator. Murphy just watched the elevator slowly shift until it reached the inner box and connected firmly with another glass door. Immediately, there was another ding and the electronic voice came again. You have reached the quantum core area, please leave the electromagnetic elevator. With that, the elevator door opened with a swoosh and he had officially arrived at the quantum core area. Murphy walked off the elevator without rushing and looked around, only to observe that the so-called quantum core area was an empty room. This room was about 100 square meters in size and surrounded by golden wrapping. It looked brightly lit and extremely fancy. The entire room was empty but there were cameras everywhere above his head. Murphy believed that there must be dozens of people standing in front of some screen at this time, monitoring his every move. Still, all these were not important anymore. Murphy turned his head and looked around and saw an unknown object also made of a golden material in the very center of the room. Murphy certainly knew what this object was. It was the quantum computer that could predict and anticipate everything Adam. At this time, the entirety of Adam was protected by a transparent protective cover. Anyone with a normal IQ would believe that, without the assistance of any weapons, ones physical body alone could never destroy this tough protective layer that was sturdier than bulletproof glass. Nonetheless, in a corner of the protective layer, where it overlapped with the quantum computer, there was a small opening. From this opening, a socket protruded. It seemed that something could be inserted in it. At this moment, Murphy was standing right in front of the quantum computer Adam Chapter 412 - Death Murphy tilted his head and silently looked at the quantum computer in front of him. One had to admit, if one had not known what it was, no one in the world would guess that it was a quantum computer. This was because it had no computer features, no screen, keyboard, processor or even peripherals such as a mouse. Instead, it looked like an abstract sculpture built by an artist, composed of large and small translucent, glassy gears, along with tiny, irregular components. In addition, there were many tassels of an unknown material hanging down, creating a peculiar sense of beauty. This style was indeed a bit familiar, what was it With the arrival of Murphy, the quantum computer in front suddenly shuddered slightly, making clinking sounds like glass. These clinking sounds were reorganized to form speech that sounded as if it was born of the collision of jade artifacts Who, are, you? The quantum computer spoke! At the same moment, everyone in the outer laboratory noticed that the curve of the quantum computer was rising rapidly on the monitoring instruments. If they regarded these data as a computer graph of a person, then this person must have already fallen into an extreme mood swing! The curves of the fourth index and the seventh index rose by 600% and the curve of the eighth index rose by 1,000%. This is a curve disturbance. Somethings wrong with Adam! Oh God, what happened, is it getting excited? No, it isnt so much excitement as its anger! In that instant, the entire laboratorys monitoring team suddenly erupted into a flurry of activity. At the same time, the laboratory was pierced through with harsh sirens. The loud noise made everyone cover their ears at once! This noise also resounded in the ears of Murphy, but he just stared at the quantum computer in front of him as if he had nothing to do with anything in the world. Who are you? The quantum computer was still asking. Adam, who used to be able to predict everything, now had no idea when faced with this Murphy. Murphy, whats going on in there? Why is Adam overclocking? Just then, a womans stern voice came over the broadcast. Whatever youre doing, stop it right now! At this time, the real Murphy was also watching all this, his heart burning with anxiety. However, even if the outside world had already descended into utter chaos because of him, this Murphy still did not show any expression. Not only that, but a strange smile twitched at the corner of his mouth, then he slowly raised his right hand and touched his right eye Wait, stop, what are you doing? Murphy was suddenly gripped by an ominous premonition The next second, he only heard a splattering sound echoing in his ears. The index and middle fingers of Murphy were inserted directly into the gap between the eye socket and the eyeball! Agh agh agh agh! What are you doing, this is my body! Stop it, stop it right now! Dont gouge out my eye, stop it!!! With a sharp snap, an eyeball dropped down across Murphys cheek and rolled a few times on the smooth floor. Deep in his heart, the real Murphy was still snarling and howling. The weird thing was, he did not feel any pain as if this body had nothing to do with him now. Still, if one was looking at the surveillance monitor, one would see that Murphys right eye had been completely plucked out. The broken optic nerve dangled on his cheek as blood gurgled out, giving this Murphy a peculiar, monstrous aura. Where is the anesthetic gas? Stop him! Seeing this, a panicked shriek finally rang out on the broadcast. Then, in the laboratory Murphy was in, dozens of small holes began to hiss and emit a large amount of white smoke. A pungent smell hit his nostrils and in the blink of an eye, the smoke had suffused through the entire laboratory Still, after all, the anesthetic gas would need half a minute to take effect. Before it took effect, they could only watch as Murphy dug into the depths of his eye socket with his index finger and thumb once again! Then Murphys hand pulled away and a translucent USB flash drive stained with blood and brain was extracted! That USB flash drive was hidden behind Murphys eye! Its a quantum USB flash drive! Is Murphy crazy? What on Earth is he trying to do! Everyone was losing it in front of the surveillance monitor. The middle-aged woman at their head yelled, Wheres the security guard? Why havent the security guards gone in to stop him! The quantum computer sealed the door on its own and no one can get in! Someone replied, Were trying to crack it! D*mn it! In such circumstances, everyone could only watch Murphy tug out the USB flash drive from behind his eye and plug it directly into the only socket of the quantum computer Spark! In the next second, the quantum computer suddenly broke out into a violent tremor and then froze completely, paralyzed in place No! The middle-aged woman before the surveillance monitor unleashed a desperate scream. After that, she saw Murphy turned his head on the screen. With his single eye, he shot a glance at the surveillance camera above his head, then raised both his hands and gripped his own head Crack crack crack Snap! As if he was twisting in a screw, Murphy broke his own neck with a blank expression and then he collapsed completely Even when he died, there was still an eerie smile on his lips. By the next second, the door to the inner laboratory was finally opened. The security guards who had been ready for a long time rushed in wearing gas masks. They brought out Murphys body in half a minute. Report: Murphy, suspected of sabotaging the quantum computer, has committed suicide to escape the punishment for his crime. One of the security guards said to the surveillance camera, We didnt find any other dangerous items on him. What about the quantum computer? The middle-aged woman asked quickly, Is the quantum computer damaged? Madam Molly, the quantum computer just restarted The scientist responsible for implementing the data suddenly replied, According to the data analysis of the curves and perturbations, the quantum computer, besides being restarted by a special program Appears to be unaffected. Are you sure? Everyone looked glad. Were very certain. A hint of relief appeared in the eyes of several scientists. Murphy used a quantum USB flash drive to implant a quantum computer program. Except for causing the quantum computer to restart, it didnt cause any damage to the quantum computer. The scientist nodded but to be safe, he added. Of course, its not impossible that there are other hidden dangers, but so far, I havent found any differences from before Thank heavens That is great news! Ill say! How can a quantum computer be damaged so easily? Even if there are traitors among us, its difficult to do that Everyone in the monitoring room sighed in relief when they heard this and some began to cross themselves. I hope thats the case. However, the middle-aged womans expression remained stern. She said to the person in charge of security, Now isnt the time to rejoice. From now on, seal off the passage to the inside completely. Before the higher-ups have inspected the quantum computer, no one is allowed to approach it again. I dont want another Murphy on our hands, understand? Yes, Madam! As for why Murphy did this The middle-aged woman raised her head with a somber look in her eyes. Even though hes dead, dont forget that he still has a family. I believe that if the Federation investigates, the truth will soon come to light Re, report! However, before she finished speaking, one of the security guards suddenly ran in from outside the laboratory and said in agitation, Just now, there was news from Chicago. All the core members of the Murphy family have died at the same time! What did you say! At this moment, everyones expression changed drastically. Chapter 413 - Bose-Einstein Condensate Its done. Inside the Spire Laboratory Base, Chen Chen had a strange helmet strapped to his head. He slowly opened his eyes, a cryptic smile surfaced on his lips as he did so. If anyone was currently present in the Quantum Deity Laboratory, they would be appalled to see that Chen Chens expression was the same as Murphys before his passing. Chen Chen took off the helmet and got up to stretch his sore back. Sir Godfather, the other informants of the Murphy family have been silenced as well. Little X reported, Currently, the only informants remaining of the Murphy family who tried to target Blacklight Biotechnology are the handful of high-ranking officials in Northern America. Dont mind those officials. Northern America will never admit to their wrongdoings anyway. Chen Chen turned to look at the transparent figure inside the glass beaker beside him. He saw that the transparent figure had all but dissipated, turning into a puff of smoke inside the glass beaker. When Little X saw this, she rubbed her chin like a grown adult, a quality of admiration showed in her eyes. Although the Bose-Einstein Condensed Matter Warrior is significantly flawed and can never be inducted into a proper combat troop, with certain modifications, it would become a great tool to manipulate humans. It may be more powerful than the God chip. Thats right, once the quantum entanglement is established, it doesnt need to be further maintained with any energy. A medium isnt required to maintain this connection, which means nothing resembling an umbilical cord thats vulnerable to be intercepted is present. Even a lead Faraday barrier cannot stop it. Chen Chen nodded expressively. The reason all of this could be accomplished had to be attributed to the movie Spectral that Chen Chen had downloaded previously. The plot of Spectral revolved around the battle between an elite force from Northern America and the mysterious Apparition, set in a certain country in Eastern Europe. The story appeared to be set in a parallel world, where a scientist from the Northern American National Department of Defense Advanced Optical Research Agency received a mission from the higher-ups. He was instructed to head to a military base set up by the government in Eastern Europe to help alleviate the ongoing issues. The reason he was called for was because he was the one who had invented a class of hyperspectral imaging glasses that showed a mysterious, translucent, humanoid apparition that killed anyone almost instantaneously. The victims died in unexplainable ways. Their skin seemed to be either scalded or corroded, but their internal organs would experience what seemed to be extreme frost. The Northern American government had suffered significant losses in its attempt to protect this city. Not a single scientist in the National Department of Defense could come up with an explanation for this phenomenon. To obtain field data at proximity, he led a team of carefully selected Delta Force soldiers by himself to enter the war-torn city for further investigation. As he continued to make further contact with these Apparitions, he started to discover many unique traits they possessed. For example, they were extremely mobile, could move through walls, and freeze people to death. However, they could not pass through glass and ceramic materials. Iron shavings had an almost adhesive-like quality on the apparitions, they would stick to these apparitions, effectively immobilizing them. Additionally, these Apparitions were invisible under regular conditions and only revealed their form when subject to short-wavelength irradiation. In the end, the brilliant protagonist finally realized that these so-called Apparitions were never any form of extraterrestrial entity in the first place. They were merely a class of weapons made from Bose-Einstein condensate. Bose-Einstein condensate, otherwise abbreviated as BEC, was a matter state which existence was predicted by Bose and Einstein back in 1920, quoted as a matter typically formed when a gas of bosons at low densities is cooled to temperatures very close to absolute zero. Under this state, the quantum state of all atoms were converged into a singular quantum state. In short, regardless of the original volume or weight of a substance, they could be quantified as a singular atom at the lowest density by entering this BEC state. In 1938, three scientists discovered that when helium-4s temperature dropped below 2.2k, it became a new kind of fluid known as a superfluid. Superfluid helium had many unusual properties including sub-zero viscosity and the existence of quantized vortices inside its elements. They quickly realized that this bizarre state was none other than the Bose-Einstein condensate foresaw 18 years ago. It was precisely because of these strange states that allowed it to be artificially quantum entangled. Scientists in this Eastern European country started to scan the human body with X-rays and use 3D printing technology to print the scanned human structure in an absolute zero temperature simulated environment. The product of this process was a condensate human directly resembling the person that was scanned. The condensate human by itself was a lifeless entity. However, scientists were able to replicate a quantum entanglement relationship between the conscience of the scanned person and the associating condensate human using their quantum devices. The condensate human itself was equivalent to a singular quantum that could also be understood as a wave function. Meanwhile, the self-awareness motor of human consciousness interacted with the wave function of the condensate human, triggering a wave collapse to form a stabilized body that could be manipulated using the hosts thoughts. With this, the scanned target could lie idly somewhere faraway while controlling their respective condensate humans twenty to thirty kilometers away. The wall phasing nature of the condensate human could be explained with the same principle as light being able to pass through glass. The high mobility was no surprise either since their structure was extremely light in density, only nearly ten times that of air. BEC also assumed a fluid state with viscosity, making it unobstructed by airflow when moving. This was how it managed to move across the air at high speed, even able to temporarily suspend itself mid-air. Since ceramic and glass were non-conductive materials, the only material that could hinder these condensate humans were metal shavings since they were excellent electricity conductors. Metal shavings could release condensed energy and trigger a self-interference and short-circuit effect. The explanation for condensate humans being lethal was due to the low temperature of BEC, bordering around absolute zero -273.15 degrees Celsius. Anyone who came in direct contact with these substances would find their body temperature dropping drastically. The internal liquid inside the victims body solidified nearly instantly, all the heat built up in the body had to escape somewhere which created a burning effect on the outer skin while heat seeped outward. This explained the strange phenomenon wherein the victims body was scalded on the outside but the organs inside were frozen. These extremely low-temperature condensate humans could move freely in the outside world because when boson gas reached absolute zero temperature, the value of kinetic energy became almost negligible, therefore energy was never lost or evaporated. In the final portion of the movie, they managed to locate a nuclear power plant. Since a tremendous sum of power was required to produce condensate matter and maintain them at sub-zero temperature, the nest of the condensate humans had to be at the center of the nuclear power plant. Once the protagonist cut off the device purposed to upkeep quantum entanglement, the condensate humans vanished entirely as they were unable to maintain their wave function state. At the end of the movie, only human test subjects brains and their peripheral nervous systems remained in the ice coffins. Chen Chen could not find any verifiable proof that it was essential to remove their peripheral nervous systems. He deduced that the scientists only did it this way because they did not want hosts that could run away. This meant that removing the peripheral nervous system was not essential. Chen Chen figured he might as well do it his way. He first instantiated the device from the movie and attempted to figure out how he could perform a molecular scan on Buckle Murphys body to produce the appropriate condensate human. This way, Buckle Murphy who was tens of thousands of kilometers away would establish a quantum entanglement effect with his condensate body. From here on, all Chen Chen had to do was to use his latest developed brain-computer interface technology to easily manipulate Buckle Murphy from tens of thousands of kilometers away It was only this form of quantum entanglement that could manage to bypass the lead Faraday barrier along with the quantum power system integrated into the quantum computer. After all, only quantum may rival quantum. The quantum USB drive was the quantum trap that Buckle Murphy laid out by leveraging Samuels daughter, Annie. However, Chen Chen saw through this setup and instead had Little X install a Trojan program specifically designed to infiltrate the quantum computer and take advantage of the situation. However, it was not Chen Chens intention to destroy the computer since the device was of great significance to all of mankind. What he did was merely provide himself a backup when he truly needed it. Chapter 414 - Voting Dispute Chen Chen immediately felt a huge weight off his shoulders at this moment. Ever since learning of the trump card the Earth Federation had hidden up their sleeve, he had to tread cautiously every step of the way out of fear of ousting himself. After all, he did not have what it took to oppose the Federation before amassing enough assets to take them on. He would be forced to escape this current dimension as there were no alternatives. Meanwhile, the only thing the Federation had that could potentially expose him was none other than the quantum computer. The quantum computer was the most confidential secret of them all. If it was not for him upgrading Little X to put her above the quantum computer in all aspects, Chen Chen may never even come close to discovering proof of the quantum computers existence. He would have a rough idea that the Earth Federation equipped something that allowed them to predict the future, but he may never get a finer grasp on what it was. To put it in terms of traditional cultivation, this computer would be akin to the divine treasure of all of mankind. The existence of the computer was a game-changer, capable of subverting whatever misfortune that dawned on mankind and presented at least a sliver of hope in even the most morbid situations. This quantum computer was never something that the Earth Federation should possess in the first place. It was the creation of the previous owner of the USB drive. The intricate workings of the computer would never be comprehended by humans at this current moment. Should anything happen to it, the chances of restoring it to a functioning state was nil, which was why Chen Chen decided it was worthwhile to install an exploit. The way this exploit operated was simple. It would essentially censor most of any information related to Chen Chen or Blacklight Biotechnology from any future predictions. This meant that should someone ever attempt to use the quantum machine to perform any predictions that may concern Chen Chen or Blacklight Biotechnology directly, the results obtained would be a very surface-level observation on these subjects. Apart from that, another feature of this exploit was that the quantum computer would systematically issue a copy of its daily prediction to Chen Chen. Of course, the precedent being that Chen Chen had to have another quantum USB drive. This way, if anything sudden were to occur to the Earth Federation, Chen Chen would at least be notified ahead of time. He would not have to worry about stumbling into whatever may happen ill-prepared, just like what happened with the Blacklight virus last time. This way, Chen Chen had most of his concerns regarding the quantum computer addressed appropriately. Thats the first problem out of the way, but this isnt over yet. Chen Chen drew a long sigh before mentioning, We now have a list of the shield bearers of the Earth Federation. What comes next is that we need to figure out how we can get our hands on another quantum USB drive to allow us to communicate with the quantum computer at all times. Chen Chens expression grew darker as he said this, What Im more concerned with now is finding whatever information I can regarding the previous owner of the USB drive. Didnt he turn into an antimeme and was killed by you? Thats not the main focus. Chen Chen shook his head and noted. The primary focus is I need to know for what reason did he unite humans on the same front and form a Federation composed of all the countries of the world. Also, why did he set up this quantum computer designed to endlessly predict potential crises? What made him so fearful to a point that he would try to unite mankinds combined power to try to fight it? So much so that he still felt it wasnt enough and ultimately transformed himself into an antimeme life form? Chen Chen squinted his eyes suspiciously upon noting this. Also, why did he fall into another slumber? Why did this USB drive appear under the table at my school? There are still too many undistinguishable factors, too many intangibles. Ive only found the tip of the iceberg at this point Its a shame that my Prophet System is unable to produce any answers when it comes to matters relating to the USB drive. Little X nodded and said with remorse, Its like theres an antimeme factor playing into the USB drive or perhaps some sort of information blackhole that throws everything into an unspeakable darkness, left in the void. Of course. Chen Chen nodded and stated confidently, The existence of the USB drive alone had surpassed all scientific constructs currently known to mankind. To a certain extent, I suspect its the creation of extraterrestrial beings or from another dimension. Itd take at least something of this degree to be able to travel across different dimensions This is to say that its nothing out of the ordinary that you wouldnt be able to find anything in regards to the USB drive. Id find it more worrying if you were to somehow manage to predict something of it. Little X pursed her lips together and said puffing, It wont be difficult to acquire the quantum USB drive from the other shield bearers. Fitted with the proper equipment, the B.S.S. force could pull this off. Id say we can acquire the quantum USB drive within a week. Excellent. Chen Chen remarked, This is all thanks to Murphy handing the quantum USB drive to us on a silver platter and made us aware of such a device that can be used in conjunction with the quantum computer. Since the quantum USB drive is the only thing that can help establish a connection with the quantum computer, well gain rapid momentum if we can acquire another quantum USB drive. My only hope is that upon inserting the quantum USB drive and establishing a connection with the quantum computer, we can discover new information about the previous owner of the USB drive. This is absolutely essential. Little X responded with a firm nod when she saw Chen Chens serious expression. Immediately following the Murphy incident, a great purge swept through all the major continents of the Earth Federation. All of the shield bearers were thoroughly investigated. More than two-thirds of them were immediately suspended and replaced with more trustworthy members. With the situation as chaotic as it was, it would be easier for the B.S.S. force to obtain another quantum USB drive. The previous situation was tricky because Chen Chen was uncertain who the enemy was, where they were, and the basis of their operation. Now that everything was laid out in the open, the so-called federal top secret was inconsequential. Another thing to note was that ever since the previous owner of the USB drive disappeared, all information associated with the previous owner vanished as well. The only proof of the previous owners existence was the quantum computer that remained, which made it an entity shrouded in mystery. Not a single soul in the entire Earth Federation knew the story behind this quantum computer. The only information anyone had at all was that it could predict whatever catastrophic disasters that may come to mankind. The Earth Federation had long been a hollow of its former self. If not for the prospect of the quantum computer, chances were that the three major continents which were Northern America, North Sea, and the Central Continent would have disbanded the Earth Federation a long time ago. The other continents may not be aware of the current state of affairs but this did not mean that Northern America would be left in the dark. In this current moment, dozens of high-ranking officials gathered in a specially designed conference room in the White House, each one of them wearing an iron expression. Not a single electronic device could be spotted inside the conference room. The walls were reinforced with alloy metal. It was a Faraday cage that was as secure as they came. Additionally, each member was thoroughly searched before entering, not a single article containing metal was allowed in the conference room. Before entering, each one of them had to go through an X-ray scan as well to ensure they did not have any foreign object inside their bodies. It was only upon these strict requirements were met when one would be allowed to enter. The reason behind these complex procedures was that the Buckle Murphy incident had given them a great scare. There was a shadow of gloom on each of their faces that was near impossible to be wiped off. Wheres Mr. President? Someone in the conference room broke the tense atmosphere with a question. He gestured at the empty seat at the head of the table. Why isnt he joining this conference? He went golfing. One of the officials shrugged and answered, He says well be given full authority for this meeting. Nobody made any further comments on this matter, this seemed to be a common occurrence at this point. Buckle Murphy is dead, its not just him either. His entire family was wiped out. One of the men who appeared to be middle-aged but sported a coat of ash-gray hair expressed solemnly, Theres no doubt about it at this point, theres a foreign force that we havent detected thats targeting us from the shadows. Im sure most of you here at least have a vague idea of the identity of these forces. Could it be that person? A paunchy man dressed in military uniform stated suspiciously, How do you suppose this person pulled this off? Does it matter how this was done? Another member of seniority with a thick bush of mustache resting atop his lips mentioned while chuckling, Im sure you all are well aware ever since the moment this person produced one advanced biological technology after another, that this company was vastly ahead of Northern America, even the entire Federation. Hes slowly gaining leverage and continuously expanding. Whats bitter about this situation is that there are still plenty of fools who cant see whats going on. They willingly do his bidding at the prospect of tiny, insignificant benefits granted to them. More importantly, biological technology isnt the only thing he has. He also has a respectable stake in military affairs. It wouldnt be bold to assume so as theres a great chance that he was directly involved in the case of the missing three statues back then. Itd be painfully naive to assume that his corporation only has wealth and nothing more than that. The gray-haired middle-aged man stated, Worst comes to worst, leave it to the Namibian government to pressure this company and force them to lay out all their trump cards. When the other continents see their true nature, we can gang up on them. Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent, seemingly pondering the pros and cons of this approach. Are you people still fantasizing about taking him down with one simple maneuver? The gray-haired man became so infuriated he broke into laughter. Let me say this, if we somehow manage to claim this corporations technology for ourselves, we can easily claim our spot on the top of the food chain of the Earth Federation. But consider the reality of the situation, can we manage this Hercules task? What makes you so certain that it wont be me or you who ends like Murphy tomorrow? They were taken aback when reproached in this manner. It was true, Murphys death was a wake-up call for the majority of them and hammered in the fact that this corporation could almost effortlessly claim anybodys lives. Are you suggesting that our plan to arrest him during the Nobel Prize presentation ceremony will have to be revised? One of them asked suddenly. Yes, we need to be prepared for the scenario where they are already aware of this plan of ours. The gray-haired man stated, Even something like the quantum computer that was supposed to be the utmost secret of the Federation was discovered. What makes you so confident that he doesnt know about our other plans? A wave of silence. What if this was a mere coincidence? A frail-looking man in glasses raised the possibility. What if Murphys death didnt have anything to do with this corporation but was the work of another hidden force that opposes the Earth Federation. Have anyone considered this? Its very unlikely. The previous hard-looking military man shook his head in disgust and tried to conceal the anger in his voice. Gopher, I know youre the benefactor of the political donation of this corporation and that you were given a diamond membership card. Im sure you remember that our Northern American government has stated that officials of our rank are strictly prohibited from receiving age-reversal treatment in Eco Science City. Furthermore, we possess the same technology as well. Its only not commercialized yet but is essentially the same thing as theirs. Theres no reason that you should speak in their favor just so that you can enlist your family members into their free treatments! Scott, youre a scum! The man with glasses bellowed suddenly, Im just stating a possibility, Im not trying to defend this corporation! Who knows. The military man scoffed. Alright, stop this bickering! The gray-haired man produced a cigar and lit it promptly. We do this with an old-fashioned vote. Raise your hands if you agree that we should confront this Blackwatch with more aggression. I, for one, agree that we should take a bolder approach. I agree as well. I object! Someone suddenly exclaimed, Were making a big deal out of nothing here. I still think that we should arrest him come 10 December when he leaves Eco Science City. If we can capture him using simple elaborate methods, why risk paying such a large price to achieve the same effect? I object as well, its just a month away. Someone else raised an objection. If he resists, well have more reason to subdue his corporation. I agree with them, I object as well I object as well! Abstain! The conference room spiraled into chaos almost instantly, everyone had an opinion of their own. The gray-haired man let out an exasperated sigh. It was clear that most of these scum here had plans of their own. Their decisions were purely motivated by their personal agenda. In the end, the only one yet to make a call was the hard-looking military man. When he saw all eyes directed to him, he let out a sigh, the age in his eyes finally showing. For the safety of the United States and as the Secretary of Defense, Im of course in favor of the more strong-arm approach. But at this point, its clear that my vote wont make a difference The white-haired man took in this scene solemnly. He noticed that the Secretary of Defense specifically addressed Northern America by its name prior to the establishment of the Earth Federation, which was the United States. It was a symbol held dearly to a fault by the old vanguards. The Secretary of Defense felt conflicted with the fact that this symbol was slowly starting to fade away from the memory of the younger generation. It was a shame that the belief which Americas interests should be held above everything else had never changed. In the end, the white-haired mans effort would yield fruitless results. The white-haired man closed his eyes when he thought of this. The conference ended with the stubborn vanguards emerging victorious. Chapter 415 - The Message of the Previous Owner A month later. A group of three consisting of two men and a woman were gathered in a laboratory in the Spire Experimental Base. Chen Chen took a USB drive from Brandos hands. The shell of the USB drive was a transparent almost crystal-like material. The intricate golden gears structure of the device could be seen through the shell. Some of the gears were turning continuously like mechanical watches. Something as delicately crafted as this could very easily be mistaken as some sort of artifact or art piece instead of a USB drive. This thing nearly cost my life, Mr. Chen Chen. Brando cracked a smile, one of his eyes was wrapped with thick layers of bandages with tiny traces of blood still seeping out of them. He was in horrible shape. Head to the logistics department of the Spire Laboratory, theyll patch you up. Chen Chen nodded and addressed him blankly. Its up to you whether you want a bionic eye or a cloned eye. Just note that our current organ cloning technology hasnt reached the desired level yet. If you want to go with that option, you might need to wait another half a year, also for your clone to fully mature. You can replace your eye after that. Ill take the bionic eye. Brando nodded firmly. Ive heard that the bionic eye developed from the Xingtian Project is superior to the average organic eye. Its also nearly impossible to tell that its bionic. The only problem is you might have trouble getting past security. Chen Chen cracked a joke, something that he rarely did. He tapped Brando on the shoulder before approaching a computer with the USB drive. With that, Brando returned with a subtle bow before leaving the laboratory. Chen Chen inserted the quantum USB drive into the computer. After that, Little X took over the computer and started establishing a connection with the quantum computer located far away in Northern America. Connection established. Little X shut her eyes and informed, Im going through the files on the computer. So far what Ive gathered is that the majority of these files were created in 1993, which is also the year that the Earth Federation was established. Chen Chen responded, As expected, this quantum computer was created in the same year as the Federation, what else? Searching Most of their contents are the code sequence of the quantum computer, theres very little valuable information Little X suddenly snapped her eyes wide open as she said this, Sir Godfather, I found an encrypted file created in 2003. Its In video format? Is it the only one? Chen Chen had a good feeling about this. Ill keep looking Within half a minute, Little X opened her eyes again. Theres no mistaking it. The coding of the quantum computer had never been altered, not even once. This means that the Earth Federation had never decoded the programming sequence of the quantum computer since day one. The only valuable information I found in the quantum computer is this video. Excellent. Chen Chen ordered, Bring me a Delta-level research staff. Within five minutes after issuing the order, two Black Knights stepped inside, dragging a black research member dressed in striped clothing behind them. They put him into the designated isolation room built into the laboratory. Hey, where are you taking me? D*mn, let go! The black man spat profanity with a heavy accent while he continued to struggle. He kept this up for the entire duration while the Black Knights locked him into the isolation room. You cursed b*stards, Ill kill you Ahh!! Before he was done cursing, he suddenly jerked violently before collapsing onto the floor and began to scream in agony. This was the work of Little X manually triggering the tungsten collar strapped around his neck to release a voltage of three thousand volts to teach this unruly Delta-level research staff a lesson. The collar continued emitting voltage for close to ten seconds before finally stopping. The black man whimpered on the floor, still refusing to get back up. Chen Chen approached the observation window and selected a button. The basic information of this research staff was immediately displayed on the control panel of the isolation room. Code: D008624. Name: Evan Glen, Male, 35 years old, Owanbo. On 20 June 2022, sentenced to life imprisonment for robbery and first-degree murder. On 21 April 2023, admitted to the Spire Experimental Base designated as a Delta-level research staff to maintain the operations of the base. Health metric: Healthy. Total experiments participated: 0. After noting this information, Chen Chen addressed the man using the speaker system installed in the isolation room, Mr. Evan Glen. Who, whos that? Evan Glen who was initially pretending to be out cold on the floor suddenly shot up and looked around him when he heard the unfamiliar voice of another man echoing in his ears. You can call me Professor Chen. Chen Chen said, Im sure you understand your current circumstances. Do you still remember the terms of the agreement? In clause 5 of article 3 of the terms signed between you and Blackwatch, youre obligated to cooperate with all experiments conducted by the company. If you provide cooperation to a certain threshold, you may receive a deducted sentence. To hell with your cooperation, just tell me what you want with me? Evan Glen spat and pulled himself back up. After this, he noticed there was a large panel of glass in front of him. Hey, I know youre out there brat. You better watch out! Evan Glen barked as he glared at the glass viciously. Chen Chen darted a glance at Little X, to which Little X responded with a quick pout, implying that she just picked the first person she found on the list and that she had no way of knowing whether this person would turn out to be such a head case. Chen Chen decided this argument was not worth having. He looked for a certain button on the control button and upon pressing it, the observation window immediately became tinted. When he pressed another button next to the previous button, Even Glens stream of curses became muted as well. Play it for him now. Chen Chen gave a lazy signal before lying back on the couch and got some shut-eye. Alright. Little X got to work immediately after receiving Chen Chens orders. She found the video from the quantum computer and cast it into the isolation room. One minute, two minutes, three minutes Five minutes later, Little X informed, Sir Godfather, the video has ended. I scanned the video frame by frame and didnt detect signs of any suspicious memetic content or anomalies within it. Evan Glen didnt display any notable symptoms upon watching it. His physical and mental state are completely unaltered. Excellent. Chen Chen got back up and approached the control panel again where he reactivated the observation window and unmuted the isolation room. Buddy, what the hell were you saying? The man inside the isolation room was having trouble making sense of what he just saw as he exclaimed, What successor, USB drive, what the hell was that video all about? Unfortunately, nobody was going to answer his questions. The previous two Black Knights stepped inside again and dragged him outside. Chen Chen waited until the Delta-level research staff was escorted out of the laboratory before approaching the computer and playing the video for himself. Click click click The display became filled with white noise in the starting portion of the video. Judging by how blurry the video was, its resolution was probably 360p. It was something filmed from a long time ago. There was a sudden blink following the white noise. The image of a man who looked to be in his thirties appeared on the screen. He was good-looking and had fierce, piercing eyes. The man was dressed in a black suit. Only his upper torso was visible in the video. Although there was no reliable way to determine how tall he was, it was evident that he was well-built. Most notably, this person was a Chinese man! If youre watching this message, Ill take it that youve either reached my present stage or at least drawing close already. The man filmed the video inside a laboratory in which walls were built with metal. He revealed a fine row of white teeth and smiled like a madman. Fascinating, isnt it? Im sure youve guessed it by now. Thats right, the magical USB drive you have there was left behind by me. My name is Zhao Shanhe, the second person to hold the dimension key Well, I only found clues of one previous owner of the dimension key, so Im going to assume Im the second. I also founded the Earth Federation. It was I who united humanity on the same front for the very first time! When the phrase united humanity was brought up, the man in the video smiled with great pride., Hahaha, to think that someone like me, little Zhao Shanhe could accomplish a feat as great as this, maybe this life was worth living after all! The man quickly switched his candid complexion with a solemn one within a second. Unfortunately, Im afraid the Earth Federation wouldnt have much time left after I leave here and head to the Event Horizon dimension. Without my supervision, its only a matter of time before the united organization of mankind falls apart. Chen Chen squinted his eyes in thought. Could this mean that the antimeme that he ran into was this person as well? Chen Chen juggled the theory in his mind and figured he should continue watching. Im filming this video to inform you that humanity is in a potentially dangerous situation Zhao Shanhe expressed solemnly, Im sure youve heard of the civilization theory called The Great Filter. If we treat a habitable planet as a singular collective similar to a regular human with an independent soul, then the unit of life for our planet Earth would be known as Gaia. What most people dont know is that the emergence of civilization on Gaia is more than mere coincidence. The formation of civilizations can have comparisons drawn to the development of cancer cells. The development of civilization inevitably goes hand in hand with the destruction of the ecosystem around them. This is whats known as the second law of thermodynamics. Theres no other way around this principle of entropy. The only way for civilization to continuously develop is to inevitably enter a cycle of destruction, slowly draining Gaia of its life force Therefore, theres an established ecosystem or cycle for each civilization where they must be able to survive this filter to extend their life cycle. This filtration process is an inherent part of Mother Gaia and is inevitable. As long as civilization remains standing, therell always be this opposing nature that has to be considered. This was how I came to discover a certain truth A wipe of horror appeared in Zhao Shanhes eyes as he said this, Would you believe it? Humans understanding has been wrong all this time. There hasnt been any further large-scale disaster ever since we, as a collective, survived the last two World Wars. This creates a false illusion that the world we reside in is supposed to be a safe place. However, history will tell you that this safety is just a mere circumstance. The foundation of human civilization has been cemented in constant man-made disasters ever since its dawn! What Im saying here is that this world is far more vicious than we ever expected. In the vast universe, the Earth is like a lone island in the vast ocean while human civilization is a feeble sandcastle built by a child. Its as delicate as its fragile. This civilization that we humans put so much pride in can easily be washed away faster than you can blink when the tide rises So, do you understand now? Zhao Shanhe took a deep breath. This world is only growing more treacherous! I cant precisely explain what these dangers will be or when they will come But what I can tell you is that it is accumulative. By now, you shouldve figured out that the reason I united humans to establish the Earth Federation is to combat these dangers. Adam is specifically designed to address these concerns as it continuously predicts whatever danger Earth may face and issues warnings to the Federation accordingly. This way, the Earth Federation at least has a window to react. Zhao Shanhe fell silent for a moment upon arriving at this point. He seemed to have steeled his heart when he said this, And now, Ill be entering the movie Event Horizon to exact a plan of mine. If this plan works out Then I suppose you wont be watching this video in the first place and everything shouldve worked out. But if youre watching this video now, that means my plan has failed Heh! Dont even bother trying to figure out what my plan was or to dive into my identity or proof of my existence. Theres no longer any evidence of my existence in this world. Its like I never existed because I was afflicted with some weird thing known as antimeme Theres a chance youve dealt with this entity as well or maybe you havent. If you havent run into it, Ill have to advise you to be careful. Im afraid I cant give you much advice since I can barely keep myself safe from harm! Zhao Shanhe expressed almost frustratingly, Im not afraid of death, Im just afraid of being forgotten. I suppose that the more you fear something, the more important it is that you confront it head-on! After that, silence again. Chen Chen looked at the video length, he was now approaching the end of the video. Theres also something else incredibly harsh that I need to tell you. Zhao Shanhe suddenly chuckled, revealing his row of pearly white teeth. When you keep using the power of the dimension key, the dangers that follow will continue to stalk you, this is entirely unavoidable. You can figure out the rest of the details yourselves. It doesnt come immediately, its like a butterfly effect. Chapter 416 - Fermi Paradox Chen Chen was aware that the theory of The Great Filter was one of the elements of the Fermi Paradox. In 1950, while Northern American physicist Fermi was discussing the prospect of UFO and aliens with other people, he suddenly brought up an intriguing question. Where are these aliens? For the average person, this question raised by Fermi was nothing more than a subject of curiosity concerning the unknown potential of the vast universe. Put in the mind of the Nobel Prize winner, it represented a carefully crafted reality with many elements of potential horror On the scale of the entire universe, the range of what was observable to humans was 12.7 billion light-years. The current age of the universe was calculated at 136.2 (with a slight variance of 1.2) billion years old. There were more than 100 billion outer galaxy systems in the entire universe, making the Milky Way only one among countless of them. It was essentially a grain of sand on the beach, perhaps even lesser than that. Considering the grand scale and magnitude and the countless millennia that had passed, why was it that humans had yet to encounter any extraterrestrial life force? The way this question was presented may be too generalized, therefore the scientists went a step further to present it in finer detail. First of all, considering the immutable characteristic of the speed of light, the only galaxy system closest to the Milky Way would be 3 million light years away. Therefore, the existence of extraterrestrial life in other galaxy systems should not be factored in. Additionally, some believed that sentient entities in the universe should not be limited to carbon-based life forms only. There was the possibility of other life forms existing, only humans were unable to detect them. Many people tended to default to silicon-based life form when discussing this topic. However, from the perspective that life was a complex instance that experienced constant selective interchange with the environment, the basic laws of the entire universe could be viewed as a unified element. It was composed of the four basic forces that were atoms, protons, electrons, and other substances. According to the arrangement of the periodic table, the only stable element that should give birth to life would be carbon. Carbon was composed of four electrons on its outermost layer, which was equivalent to four limbs. Each one of these limbs held onto another atom that may allow them to form a further chain of connections to create up to four stable covalent bonds. This was the upper limit of the number of chemical bonds that could be formed between elements. In addition to carbon, silicon was another existing element that was most likely to lead to the birth of life in the entire universe. However, silicon atoms had one more layer of extranuclear electrons than carbon atoms. Its electromagnetic force was also weaker, thereby making it a weaker alternative to carbon. Carbon played the role of a cross-pollinating flower that could attract a variety of other atoms to combine with. The types of compounds that could be formed with other elements were almost limitless. Therefore, it should be safe to say that if there were other life forms existing in the universe apart from humans, there was a ninety percent chance that they would be carbon-based, a nine percent chance of them being silicon-based while the remaining one percent implied of them being composed of other substances. Therefore, by extending this argument of the basis of life form to the Milky Way scale and measuring it from a carbon approach, the result obtained was the Milky Way was about 12.5 billion years old, two thousand light-years in thickness, and 160,000 light years in diameter. There would be approximately a trillion stars akin to the sun and numerous planets impossible to quantify. Even if the formation of human life was considered a near-impossible miraculous occurrence, when expanded to the scale of the Milky Way, the odds were still greatly magnified. Based on the current discovery of physics, chemistry, biology, cosmology, and sociology along with the rate of development that humanity had displayed so far, scientists believed that if an alien civilization developed just 10,000 years earlier than the earth, it should have left its footprints all across the Milky Way by now. Thus, the entire galaxy system should be filled with interstellar civilization by now. However, the concrete fact was that apart from some conspiracy and strange theories, humans had never found any strong evidence of the existence of aliens. Even a radio telescope could not detect any signs of alien spacecraft or alien engineering This brought us back to the question raised by Fermi, where in the world were the aliens? This question had been boiled into the classical Fermi Paradox that was still prevalently discussed in the scientific field. After the video ended, Chen Chen became unbelievably flustered, feeling like he had just been played for a fool. Little X turned to Chen Chen and then to the video that had ended before finally asking, Sir Godfather, is there something this person said that is inaccurate? None, I completely agree with the points he raised. Chen Chen nodded, his expression becoming unreadable as he said, But he hasnt said anything that I dont know of already. Coming down to it, he only spent the duration of the video reminding me that humanity would soon face a crisis. Everything else other than that was hot garbage! Little X scratched her head in confusion. Everything he described was phrased like there was a tremendous point to be made. He talked about The Great Filter, the USB drive butterfly effect, everything he mentioned, I have already known since some time ago. However, he didnt so much as address what I wanted to know. Chen Chen shrugged. Whats the theory of The Great Filter? Its based on one of the explanations of the Fermi Paradox first proposed by a man named Robin Hansen. He divided the evolution of civilization into 9 stages, starting from the genesis of an appropriate planetary system to the birth of self-replicating molecules, to single-celled life, sexual reproduction, multi-celled life, fully-formed animals, to the stage were currently in. The final stage would be interstellar colonization Which means that he believes that current human civilization is on the eighth stage of The Great Filter. The only criteria missing for the final stage that was interstellar colonization was nuclear fusion control. Havent we already achieved nuclear fusion control? Little X promptly remarked. Yes. Chen Chen nodded. Specific calculations had been conducted and determined that even if the chemical energy of the entire Earth was spent, it still wouldnt suffice to transport humans to the nearest solar system which was Centaurus A within a few decades. This proved that chemical fuel was a poor substance which in its most optimized form only served as a traditional fuel source for humans. Nuclear fusion control acting as a powering system would be the first step to kickstart humanitys venture into space. Little X researched online herself when she heard this. The basis of The Great Filter theory matches well with the theory of evolution. It took 4.5 billion years before humans started emerging on the earth and more than 200,000 years after that for humans to discover what we now know as science. In this incredibly lengthy process, all it took was one fatal natural disaster to terminate the progress of human civilization. This means that without the existence of this Great Filter, life should be able to flourish like dandelions on fields. Countless civilizations wouldve overtaken mankind and aliens wouldve discovered Earth a long time ago. Even we could pull the same thing off by now. Chen Chen nodded in agreement. He was aware that the reason Little X was so confident in claiming this was because she was now more than capable of constructing her own Von Neumann probe. The Von Neumann probe was a self-replicating probe that continuously performed self-replication using raw materials found in various galaxy systems to allow itself to explore the universe. It was named after the mathematician, Von Neumann. All the functions of this kind of detector were based on the existing technology of mankind. However, based on scientists calculations, only one such model could be produced at the moment and it would take millions of years before it could traverse across the entire galaxy. By reverse-analyzing this subject, could we presume that the reason we have not found a similar Von Neumann probe of another civilization was that there was no existing civilization within a million years distance from Earth? Which is why something like The Great Filter must be present to hinder the vast population of the galaxy system. Little X summarized. Youve hit the nail right on the dot. Chen Chen agreed. Which is why I said that this Zhao Shanhe is full of it. He speaks of this issue but doesnt go into specific detail of what exactly hes referring to. What a lot of crap isnt it? Also, the points he raised about Gaia and the natural disasters incited by Earth to wipe out humans are very common immune responses. Chen Chen explained, From a metaphysical point of view Earth treats humans as foreign elements. Since many endangering and destructive actions of humans posed a direct threat to Earths health, Earth releases viruses to kill humans as its unable to house so many humans. This is done to maintain the balance of its biosphere. Marburg virus, Sudan Ebola virus, and Zaire Ebola virus are among the strongest counters displayed by nature. To be frank, its humans disrupting the balance of nature in the first place, altering the Earths environment. All of these viruses and natural calamities are merely a byproduct of natures balance being disrupted. Ah, so thats how it is. Little X remarked upon having Chen Chen point this out. Also, he mentioned that hes going to go into the movie Event Horizon and commented on the USB drives impact on reality. These are all things I already know, even including the terms meme and antimeme which he didnt go into detail about. Chen Chen scoffed. Point is, he only made it look like he raised many points when actually nothing he mentioned was of any value. The only thing worthwhile was probably the warning he issued about The Great Filter. When it comes to this warning, we can approach it from the basis of the law of large numbers in a large number setting of repeated occurrences of random events, theres often a factor that appears as a constant. This is whats referred to as the law of large numbers. In laymans terms, under a fixed condition, regardless of how many times an event was replayed or simulated, there will always be certain factors that remain constant even when all other events are posed as random instances based on random variables. Human civilization will inevitably encounter various disasters in the course of its development. This is hardly a surprising fact and anyone could come up with it. Little X reflected thoughtfully. I get what youre implying. As humans develop their technology further, the technology will only become ever more lethal. This was the story behind the development of nuclear weapons. It was the first destructive trial that humans went through and has always loomed over the entirety of humanity ever since its first appearance in the last century and remains a present threat today. In the larger picture of human technological development, wouldnt nuclear weapons merely be the starting point? Thats right, nuclear weapons are just the starting point. From here on theres genetic weapons, biochemical weapons, anti-material weapons, and even memetic weapons that we started to dive into These are all weapons created by humans that have the potential to destroy human civilization. This is just like the nature of the world we enter via the USB drive. Therell always be a constant factor even in a pool of randomness. Is this the explanation behind the destruction of the dimensions behind the USB drive? Little X remarked suddenly. This is just my speculation, it may not necessarily be precise. Chen Chen shook his head. But at least its a more valid argument than this guys half-*ssed argument. What if when he mentions The Great Filter, he wasnt referring to abstract concepts but a higher dimension weapon similar to memetic technology? Little X pointed out. I wouldnt say thats impossible. Chen Chen fell silent for a moment, making a mental note of Little Xs wise reminder before stating again, That will depend on what his intention behind leaving this footage is. There are now two possibilities, one being that this is the last word he left behind before entering Event Horizon dimension as a warning for the next owner of the USB drive. Only he never expected that he would fail at his task and after merging with the antimeme, he decided to switch his agenda and intentionally plot my downfall. The second possibility, the very reason he went to the Event Horizon dimension was to fuse with the antimeme. That would make this footage a trap, just like how he inserted the four horror films inside the USB drive. Except before he could pull off his plans, he was exterminated by me. Chen Chen took a deep breath. Personally, Im leaning toward the latter possibility because the former speculation wouldnt explain the reason behind him inserting the four horror films into the USB drive. It wont be too difficult for us to examine what the actual circumstance is since we already know his name. X, you can try to search the name Zhao Shanhe on the Internet database. If he truly is the antimeme, there should be some slight traces of his existence appearing after he was killed. Understood. Little X closed her eyes and connected to the World Wide Web directory and performed a complete scan. This scan took several hours. Four hours later, Little X opened her eyes again, a hint of confusion appearing in her eyes as she did so. Sir Godfather, I found news concerning Zhao Shanhe! Show me! Chen Chen quickly ordered. A web page immediately appeared out of thin air in front of Chen Chen. The web page was dated in 1988 and contained an information sheet. There was a file inside the information sheet. Chapter 417 - Nobel Prize Announcement Chen Chen immediately became silent when he saw this web page. His eyes were locked on a certain phrase on the web page as if he was trying to pierce through the text with his gaze. It was not Zhao Shanhe he was looking at but instead Wang Xi! It was at this moment when Chen Chen realized that the similarity between himself and Zhao Shanhe went beyond both of them being the owner of the USB drive. They were both students at Jiao Tong University and more importantly, both their tutor was Wang Xi! A raging storm immediately emerged in Chen Chens mind. He quickly replayed everything that had occurred to him in the past. His enrollment, daily studies, discovering the USB drive, the incident with the thesis, dropping out, getting a loan It was then when Chen Chen suddenly noticed that Wang Xi was more or less involved in everything that had occurred to him ever since he had obtained the USB drive! Coincidence? Chen Chen squinted his eyes and he felt his hair raising to a point. Could it be that Professor Wang Xi was related to the USB drive? Was it Wang Xi who gave him the USB drive, just like he gave it to Zhao Shanhe many years ago? Chen Chen immediately recalled the kind smile that came to the old man like second instinct. The way he would always carry a thermos flask with tea inside everywhere he went and how he would ramble on and on in classes. He could not believe that the tender and kind old man would be involved in this conspiracy. Maybe this is the true message Zhao Shanhe was trying to leave behind? Chen Chen muttered to himself while he opened the previous video and replayed it. My name is Zhao Shane, the second person to hold the dimension key Well, I only found clues of one previous owner of the dimension key, so Im going to assume Im the second Chen Chen tapped pause at this portion of the video. Is he intentionally mentioning the existence of a previous owner? Chen Chen paced around while pondering the subject. Could it be that the reason he intentionally rambled on and on about a bunch of nonsense in the video was to leave his name behind as a clue? He left this file behind because he knows that were going to search his name to find more information. Was he trying to tell us that Wang Xi was the previous owner of the USB drive? Whos Wang Xi? Upon hearing Chen Chens rapid deduction, Little X suddenly asked curiously. Chen Chen had an uneasy feeling the moment he heard Little Xs remark. He turned to her and asked solemnly, Professor Wang Xi of the Chinese Academy of Sciences of Jiao Tong University. I cured him of his Alzheimers disease back then, dont you remember him? Hm? This only made Little X more confused. She shut her eyes and searched for this person online. But theres nobody who went by the name Wang Xi in the university. This person doesnt exist in the Chinese Academy of Sciences database either What? Chen Chens pupils shrunk. He rushed to the computer in disbelief and started searching for the list of professors in Jiao Tong University and the Chinese Academy of Sciences. It was just as Little X mentioned, there was no Wang Xi in any of the databases. Everything concerning Wang Xi had completely vanished from the Internet When did this happen? Chen Chen turned to the web page again. The glaring name of Professor Wang Xi still remained on the web page as if to remind him that this person truly existed at one point and that it was not all in his imagination. I knew it. This confirms that everything that happened with the USB drive has to do with Wang Xi. Chen Chen took out a box of candy and swallowed one immediately. I originally thought this was all a string of coincidence. That Zhao Shanhe probably just so happened to leave the USB drive in Jiao Tong University and Professor Wang Xi just so happened to be his tutor. Its easy to have a misconception based on the context, but now Im certain that Wang Xi has something to do with the USB drive. Could it be due to the antimeme? Little X had no reason to doubt Chen Chen, but she still questioned the legitimacy of it all, Could antimeme have an effect on artificial intelligence like myself? The problem doesnt lie with you. Chen Chen gestured. The antimeme doesnt affect people but the abstract idea of information. When it wipes away a piece of certain information, it ceases to exist and extends its effects to both the human brain and computers, wiping away all traces of this information. Even if it doesnt make sense for there to be certain gaps in certain information, people still wont be able to connect the dots because its impossible to remember what doesnt exist But heres where the mystery lies. Chen Chen suddenly remarked, If it has to do with the antimeme, then how come Im the only one who remembers everything about Professor Wang Xi? Needless to say, there was no sure answer to this question. Ten minutes later, Cheng Cao appeared in Chen Chens laboratory. Cao, theres something I need you to do for me. Chen Chen stated seriously, I need you to take several people with you and head to Shangdu, thats where my previous school is. I need you to look for someone named Wang Xi. Wang Xi is seventy-four years old. You wont be able to find this person online or using any other networks, but theres one clue I can give you Wang Luo. Thats Wang Xis daughter. You can start investigating from there and see if you can find anything concerning Wang Xi. Youre probably going to meet something completely unexplainable during this mission. I believe Ive told you about antimeme, Id advise you to revise your knowledge on the subject before heading out for this mission. It might save your life in crucial moments. Also, having a larger force wont make a difference for this mission so youd better bring maximum ten people, understand? I understand, Boss. Cheng Cao nodded and turned around to take his leave. Chen Chen sighed silently after watching Cheng Cao leave. I shouldve figured this issue with the USB drive is a lot more complex. If not for the 10 December Nobel Prize award presentation ceremony, Id prefer to do it myself. Sir Godfather, the aerospace base in the southern suburbs of the Eco Science City is about to be completed and the military procedures are halfway complete as well. Little X said, We already have the estate for launching satellites. All we need now is for the SpaceX technicians to help us launch five Gantz satellites into the sky. The help weve enlisted from them is only temporary, its most optimal that we properly extract the spacecraft technology from Elysium. Chen Chen nodded. Continue recruiting internationally for now. Right, have you contacted Musk? Im contacting him now. Little X noted. A display of a video call being connected immediately appeared in front of Chen Chen. Beep! With a gentle beep, the video call was immediately connected as Musks familiar face appeared on the display. Mr. Musk, its been a while. Chen Chen greeted, The construction of my space base has been built, but the matter of our companys 10% share contract in SpaceX still hasnt been finalized. Do you have anything to say about that, Mr. Musk? Im sure you know what the situation is like as well, Mr. Chen Chen. Elon Musk expressed helplessly, Congress has called for the suspension of this shareholding contract many times. I wouldnt dare to blatantly object their authority. I think you should have the people in Gods Forbidden Zone step up and lobby in the White House to convince the politicians to act in our favor. The way I see it, most of them only need a gentle nudge to move in the right direction. Chen Chen snickered. He knew that it was all an act the people in the White House put on. They only wanted to give the impression that all they needed was further encouragement so that they would receive further political contributions and resources. The truth was that none of them ever planned to agree to this shareholding. They were planning to move against Chen Chen. Despite knowing this, Chen Chen played along and pretended to be disappointed. In that case, alright. How about your technicians? Weve already signed the launch contract. The contract Chen Chen spoke of was the agreement that he and Musk had come to when he visited back in June Blacklight Biotechnology would be funding the launch site while SpaceX would contribute with the relevant technology. Five geosynchronous orbit communication satellites were scheduled to launch within a year to officially debut Blacklight Biotechnologys global communication technology. Of course. Since your site is complete, Ill have thirty of my best engineers head over in three days. Musk gave his word immediately. The equipment and required parts will be shipped overnight as well, dont you worry. Excellent. Chen Chen noted with pleasure before ending the video call. Chen Chens expression immediately became dark after ending the video call. He proceeded to inform X, Next time Musk comes to Eco Science City for the Medpod 3000 therapy, tell him that its out of commission and to return next year. Understood. Little X snickered mischievously. Musk must be immensely frustrated upon hearing of this news. I only extended him this mercy because I understand that hes in a difficult position concerning the shareholding contract. Otherwise, I guarantee you that Ill be detonating the chip in his brain. Chen Chen remarked icily before leaving the laboratory. A day later, it was the 5 December, which was the day where the full list of Nobel Prize winners in 2024 would be announced. Due to certain changes, the announcement date of the Nobel Prize winners had to be delayed for two months and only set to be announced in December. Only five days remained until the award ceremony set on the 10 December. As the most heralded award in the world, the Nobel Prize was a spectacle even for outsiders. After all, such awards were unlike the awards presented in other award ceremonies for films and the likes. Its existence had a long-lasting effect on the scientific and technological progress of all mankind and was closely tied to the everyday life of every person in the world. Therefore, news of the delayed announcement had garnered several headlines around the topic. For the people deeply involved in the field, they would be surprised to see an extremely foreign name. Winner of the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine: Chen Chen. The name was accompanied by a matching photo placed in the Nobel Prize winner section on the web page. More importantly, this was someone from the Mainland! This would make the third person from the Mainland to ever win the Nobel Prize and simultaneously the second to ever win the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine. This announcement was immediately met with robust reception. When they realized who this person was, they were surprised but not too astounded by it. This was the description online: On 5 December, local time in Sweden, at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, the capital of Sweden. Thomas Perlman, the general secretary of the Nobel Prize Committee, announced that the Swedish Karolinska Institute officially designates the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2024 to Chen Chen, a scientist in the Mainland, in recognition of his contribution to the Blacklight Virus epidemic in 2023. He will also be awarded 9 million Swedish Kronor. What followed after was a summary of the Blacklight virus as well as the significant timestamps of the events which occurred last year, with the many contributions of Blacklight Biotechnology in Africa enclosed in the end. On top of catching many scientists all over the world by surprise, it was the Mainland that was especially enthusiastic about the news. After all, Chen Chen was not a foreigner but a born and bred Chinese man from the Mainland. Additionally, he earned the award with excellent credit instead of having to rely on popularity or being vouched for by important people. His name started to appear on the headlines of major forums within hours. [I was just wondering who could pull something like this off, winning the Nobel Prize award out of nowhere. Of course, its the founder of Blacklight Biotechnology. Everything is right in the world again!] [This is unbelievable, this Chen Chen rarely appears on networks. Id never even know about this person if not for this award!] [When did this Blacklight Biotechnology company come from? Ive never even heard of this company until the recent V.1 holographic system, and they are registered in the Mainland?? Nani??] [Commenter above must have recently climbed out of a well. If youve been paying attention to Eco Science City, you would have been well acquainted with this company by now. The infamous age-reversal treatment was founded by none other than this company! Extending human lifespan by thirty years!] [Hehe, so what. Youre making it sound like common folks get to access it, what does it matter if only the rich get to extend their lifespan by thirty years?] [The next Edison? More like just another filthy capitalist. Scientists labored day in and out to research something like this and he sweeps in and gets all the glory, even claiming the Nobel Prize for himself, heheh] Whether it was praises or criticisms being sung, the point was that the topic revolving around Blacklight Biotechnology and Nobel Prize immediately began trending everywhere. Many people began to come to know the name Chen Chen. If possible at all, Chen Chen still preferred to keep a low profile. Xia Yin on the other hand, wanted Chen Chen to step on stage during the previous TED talk because most companies these days required a symbol. Just like how people immediately thought of Ma Huateng when Tencent came up. When one mentioned Alibaba, they immediately defaulted to Ma Yun, and how Show Lo was synchronous with JD These representative figures had become the persona of companies and a standard to strive for. Not only do they benefit from it, but it was also a free advertisement for the company in essence. Being young and successful was Chen Chens persona but this idea of establishing himself as a symbol was not in line with what Chen Chen had in mind. At the end of the day, failure was just as much a symbol as success. JD corporation had become a laughing stock on the Internet precisely because they failed to step up to this standard they set for themselves Chapter 418 - Video Outrage In a conference room with glaring lights and a tense atmosphere, dozens of officials gathered around the conference table. Whats the situation? A white-haired middle-aged man turned to another man in military uniform on his right. Have we coordinated everything with the Swedish officials? Yes, I liaised with the Swedish Police commissioner. On 10 December, at the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, during that person from Blackwatchs attendance at the Nobel Prize Ceremony, hed immediately be surrounded and captured for violation of the International Law illegal amassing of armed forces, arms smuggling, and war crimes. After the arrest, hell be extradited to Northern America as soon as possible before the Mainland embassy could take any action and obstruct us. The military man nodded sternly and confidently. Dont worry, the FBI operatives will be involved in the arrest as well. Theres no chance of him getting away even if he managed to grow wings. How about Namibia? The white-haired middle-aged man turned to another man with glasses that looked like a clerk. Have you discussed things with the Namibian officials? Are they willing to cooperate with us and impose the proper financial and industrial sanctions on Blackwatch? Ive notified them. The man with glasses shrugged. Im sure that after this arrest, the company will instantly be left in disarray and vaporize. Even if this company is in control of Namibias economy, how would they risk angering or defying us after this company collapses? Thats true. The white-haired man nodded. We have to be prepared on the foreign affairs end. After arresting that person, you must immediately step up to clarify and manipulate international public consensus immediately. Make sure you provide all the evidence weve fabricated. Make sure to follow up with CNN and all other major outlets. We must look as credible as possible in this matter. Everything is ready. The Minister of Foreign Affairs responded immediately. So, the most important affair now is to figure out how we can subjugate the variety of technology of this company as quickly as possible. The white-haired man produced a few lists. Age-reversal treatment. Although weve made certain degrees of a breakthrough concerning this technology, there are still some minute details that can be further optimized. We can do this once we obtain their technology. Apart from this one, here are some of the other technologies that we need to collect from their company. Take a look. Copies of the list were handed out across the room to everyone in attendance. Primarily, theres the cancer targeted-drug manufacturing technology, Alzheimers Disease Reversal Treatment, nanoelectrode implantation technology, and a variety of biological research technology These are among the things that we need to acquire There are also their instantaneous laser holographic projection and brainwave control technology. We also need to obtain their research documentations at the electronics end. Another member in the conference room stated greedily. Of course. The white-haired man chuckled before putting away the documents. We cannot allow these technologies to fall into the hands of anyone thats not us since it will affect the standing of our Northern America as the dominant force in the Earth Federation. This will also be a great blow to the Mainland. Itd be most optimal if this savant is willing to work for us. If hes unwilling, then its better to make him disappear. Its only to everyones benefit Youre right Everyone agreed on the same notion and started to laugh merrily at this reasoning. The atmosphere became lively immediately. The joyous and wide laughter on their faces were captured in a still. What the h*ll am I looking at? Looking at the post pinned at the top of the forum, the man seated in front of his computer exclaimed in utter disbelief. This man was Walter. He was just going to register a throwaway account and mess around on the forums for the entire day. However, his plans were cut short when he saw a post pinned to the top spot of the forum of one of the worlds most famous websites, P forum. The title was bolded and colored in red [You wont believe this, everyone is sharing this video everywhere! Download it after you watch it or else it might be deleted soon!] It was the first time Walter found himself enchanted by this sort of typical clickbait title. It was enough to make him abandon his usual hatred against clickbait titles and tap into the video as if something was beckoning him to do so This was the video that he watched There was no mistaking it. The leading man with white hair was the Vice President of Northern America, was it not? The middle-aged man in military outfit must have been the Minister of National Defense. There was also the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Minister of Commerce, the list went on! Could this imply that the contents of the video were the details of a meeting among the most powerful circles in Northern America? Walter felt like the world was spinning on its head. It was not so much the sight of the meeting but the subject discussed. They were discussing Blackwatch that had been trending everywhere recently! This video footage shows the highest groups of officials in Northern America openly conspiring the persecution of Blackwatch like a group of villains! Walter slapped his cheeks as hard as he could, worrying that he only hallucinated what he just saw. After countless slaps, he had to settle with the fact that everything he had just seen was real and not an illusion. Blasted, now that this video is put out here, the bunch of politician pigs is dead meat! Walter struggled to catch his breath as he paced around the room. An idea suddenly came to him as he returned to his seat and downloaded a copy of the video before heading to his favorite site, YouTube, to upload the video! The moment Walter opened YouTube, he would be surprised by what greeted him. The video on the top trending spot of YouTube was the same as the one he just saw, except the title was slightly modified [You wont believe this video everyone is sharing everywhere that left people utterly speechless! You cant call yourself an earthling if you dont share this!] Still in disbelief, Walter quickly played the video. Unsurprisingly, it was the familiar sight of the major players of Northern America gathered around at a conference table that he watched just now. The comment section was a war zone by this point. [This is the foundation, this is the yoke. This is the Northern American Continent, Eureka!] [Haha, look at the faces of these stupid officials, they dont deserve to be the leaders of this continent!] [This has to be fake, right? With all the deep fake technology going on these days, this has to be fake!] [Keep lying to yourself mate, plenty of experts had gone through this video and have confirmed that there are no after-effects added, this is the raw footage!] [What are these pigs doing? Why would they allow some footage like this to be leaked outside if they know they are going to be discussing something as sensitive as this? Isnt this going to damage our Northern Americas reputation?] [God, Im so disappointed. This world is truly a dark place for someone with such good intentions to be targeted like this, how terrifying!] [What are the people in charge at Google and YouTube doing? Why would they allow something like this to trend on their website? Are they trying to turn on the White House? Today isnt Aprils Fool!] Some were dumbfounded, some were disgusted and ridiculed it while others made fun of the situation. Within moments, everyone had something to say. The total views of the video on YouTube had reached a hundred million within an hour and was still rapidly growing. As the largest video-sharing platform in the Earth Federation, YouTubes reach spanned across more than a hundred countries and more than two billion people. The video was akin to a diver leaping into a pool of still water, sending enormous splashes that expanded in each direction. The entire Internet was in an uproar! This was only what was on the surface. Meanwhile, on the deeper corners of the Internet the dark web, there was another ongoing underground war. On this battlefield, the cybersecurity department of Northern America was being beaten senseless by hackers of unknown origin. This cybersecurity department was a new-generation department established under the Ministry of Defense a long time ago. Their purpose was to defend against whatever cyberattacks the country may encounter. Unlike ordinary wars, cyber warfare did not leave behind visible traces such as gun smoke or bullet shells, but it still caused significant financial damage all the same. As the structure of modern society became more oriented around the distribution of information, many countries had come to understand that a breach of their information network may result in the country suffering great economical damage. This exact unwanted circumstance was what was occurring in Northern America at this moment. The White House was in a state of chaos. The middle-aged man in military uniform was howling like a rabid dog, cursing at two fellow officers dressed the same as him. What is the cybersecurity department doing, why havent you pulled all these videos down! Im very sorry, Chief Commander, our people are working on it After straining an excuse together, another member suddenly blurted out, Whats weird is that the other party seems to equip extremely potent and coordinated cyber warfare experience. They are operating in separated divisions but manage to concentrate their efforts together at the last moment. Before we could even trace their IP, they barraged our systems near instantly Garbage, youre all a waste of space! All of you! The military man belted furiously, How about the YouTube officials, tell them to suspend their service immediately, turn off the servers, understand? Yes! The man responded abruptly, but after he thought further about it, he felt like he had to inform, But its not just YouTube but its beyond Northern America at this point. Europe, Asia, and all the websites of countries around the world have this video trending all over D*mn! Give me a solution. Dont we have the contacts of many hackers? Get in touch with them and see if they are involved in this. Recruit them to our site if they are not, now! The military man was getting increasingly agitated. He knew that regardless of whether the Northern American Continent managed to alleviate this full-scale attack or not, his political career had effectively ended. No, it should be more apt to say that with a scandal of this proportion, the entire White House had to throw in their resignation letter! Standing beside him was the white-haired middle-aged man, looking paler than ever. Still, he managed to mutter, The most important thing now isnt to take down this footage, but to control the civilian narrative and tell them this video is fake Fake? The military man looked at the white-haired man brazenly. Ive gone through the video carefully and I can verify that this video has to be fake. The white-haired man stated confidently, Look at the details. We were indeed discussing our plans for sabotaging Blackwatch, but whats shown in the video werent the exact discussions that we had. Im very confident in what I remember from that discussion. Are you saying that The military man snapped. Youre saying that someone is trying to slander us with this forged video? Exactly! The white-haired man doubled down. Ive had experts look at the conference room shown in this video and they noticed that the general structure of the conference room isnt completely identical. There were some slightly varying details. This means that this video wasnt filmed in our conference room. Besides, Ive specifically had someone dismantle our conference room to look for signs of any concealed microphones or taping devices. Im certain that theres no chance that our meeting venue was compromised. The military man suddenly collected himself and considered this point. Now that you mentioned it, I remember that this wasnt the tone I had during the meeting. I thought I had just remembered things differently but now that I think about it, this video has to be forged! The problem is that our technician is unable to find any evidence of the video being forged. The two department members who had received a horrendous scolding just now suddenly interjected. Shut up! The military man rebuked. I suspect the reason we couldnt find any proof is due to their intricate post-production that concealed the fact but that doesnt matter. The white-haired man noted solemnly. Even if we cannot find any proof of the video being forged, we can manufacture false evidence ourselves The others were quickly caught by surprise when they heard this suggestion. That was true. Even if there were no traces of the video being forged, they could still claim to have found proper evidence of that being the case. Even if most people would not buy this argument, at least some portion of the population who had faith in the government would choose to believe it. As for how the rest of the fallout should be handled, it was all up to the will of God at this point After finalizing their plan, they started assigning the respective tasks to each person. This was their final hurdle to minimize the damage caused. Now that this information is publicized, that person from Blackwatch probably wont be attending the award ceremony in Switzerland anymore The white-haired man turned to the military man and stated calmly as he saw the members in the White House urgently rushing off to attend to their respective tasks. The situation is rather evident now. Blackwatch has the most intricate and powerful hacker force in the world. This explains how they have been able to acquire confidential information ahead of time all this time I knew it, its them There was a trace of anger in the military mans voice. Have they ever considered the consequences of angering us? A mere company dares to oppose the worlds most powerful governmental body? Based on current observation, they mustve known about our plans to move against them a long time ago, so they mustve a good reason for doing this now. The white-haired man agreed. This company is a force to be reckoned with. By the looks of it, well have to go for a full-frontal approach to destroy them. We need to impose enforced economical and military sanctions on them. This is the only effective option we have left. Chapter 419 - Caution from an Old Friend As the video started swarming the worlds highest traffic websites, it triggered a violent tsunami of public opinion which caused the publics trust in the Northern American governmental body to plummet. However, the major media outlets in Northern America and Europe collectively held their silence at this moment. It was as if they did not hear nor see what was happening as they continued to allow the masses online to circulate their countless discussions without chiming in. Many of the websites that featured this video had put an announcement stating they were undergoing maintenance within a few hours as their servers were then shut down one after another. However, none of this served to temper the spread of this video. Millions of people even went to the official website of Blacklight Technology to post this video and warn Chen Chen not to attend the Nobel Prize Ceremony. Among these posts, the one with the highest number of likes was one titled [Warning, dont go to Sweden! Dont go to Sweden! Dont go to Sweden!]. The structure of the post revolved around an analysis of the potential reasons Northern America would want to arrest the chairman of Blacklight Biotechnology. The post also detailed a general outline of Northern Americas future tactics that may be employed to subdue Blacklight Biotechnology. The post was highly favored by many netizens. Of course, some suspected whether the video was sent by Blacklight Technology themselves. After all, the timing of the video was so well-aligned that it could not have been a mere coincidence. There were discussions about how Blacklight Biotechnology should not have released a video like this to sabotage Northern Americas reputation. Meanwhile, some remained in a neutral position in the entire ordeal and stated that it was better to wait patiently and see how things turned out before taking sides. What if Blacklight Biotechnology was truly in the wrong? As the discussions continued to ferment online, the demographic keen on debating whether the video was authentic or not began to surface. They started posting strings of data and columns of graphics that made little sense of ordinary people who were not tech-savvy, claiming that the video was forged using AI deep fake technology. This soon drove the narrative in another direction. [I knew it, I never believed that the Northern American government would stoop to such lows. It is fake after all. Its plain as daylight now who is the real culprit here. Blacklight Biotechnology is getting too ahead of itself trying to punch above their weight class at the worlds most powerful continent!] Naturally, there were opposing forces as well that were unwilling to yield and began arguing with counterpoints. [How gullible can you be. You believe that its fake just because some people came out and said it is? How do you explain the countless proof out there showing that the video was not altered?] [As far as people like the original commenter are concerned, America is flawless and can never do any wrong. You can just tell by the way they speak.] [You talk too much.] Almost every forum and website online had been dominated by debates on this matter. No matter which corner of the Internet someone went, they could always find the passionate debates and arguments between both sides, each grasping on to their views aggressively. By now, Chen Chen had returned to his office. He sat in front of the French window and silently beheld the sight of this city he reigned over. Chen Chen had received the news that the Namibian government was conducting an emergency meeting at this very moment. They were discussing which stance they should take if the events as depicted in the video were to be executed by the Northern American Continent. It was true, the high-definition footage circulated online like wildfire was forged. Every pixel of the video was digitally generated using Little Xs supercomputing capabilities. It was no difficult task for Little X to create a nearly flawless digitally generated fake video. There would be no trace of anything resembling digital alteration. Which means that the ones who swarm the Internet carrying proof of this video being forged are none other than the employed bots of the Northern American Continent. Little X sat on the couch in the office, fiddling with the glassware on the coffee table while stating, They want to stir up the situation because they know that with some minor excuses sprinkled here and there, there will inevitably be people taking their side. Its true, they dont care whether the video is authentic or not. Or better yet phrased as they would rather lie to themselves and convince themselves that the video is fake. There are many such geniuses in this world Chen Chen agreed and continued. Still, even though this incident would have a significant impact on the Northern American government, theres still a lack of substantial actual impact. They have had similar moments before so this wouldnt bother them too much. On the contrary, this only makes their growing hatred for us continue to fester. Theyll only want to remove this thorn on their side sooner than later. This also makes our supreme hacking force an open secret at this point. Little X added. The Earth Federation will find out about this eventually anyway. Chen Chen commented, hardly bothered by this, Has anyone said anything so far apart from the Central Continent? None, its just the Central and North Sea Continent openly speaking against the Northern American Continent at this point. The Central Continent embassy also got in touch with us and told us that we can seek refuge at their embassy if something were to go wrong. Little X shook her head and stated, The other continents including Namibia are still pretending to be oblivious to the situation. Just as I expected. Chen Chen could not help but find the humor in the situation. But judging by the current situation, I doubt the Earth Federation would be openly supporting Northern America anytime soon so this is the most optimal outcome for us. Right now, our primary priority isnt to deal with the Central Continent but with the local authority at Namibia instead. Little X became enlightened upon hearing this. You have the right idea. As long as we have the Namibian government absorbing the brunt force, well only suffer economic sanctions at most and wont have to worry about the military assault. Thats not all. Chen Chen explained, It wont be easy for them to impose economic sanctions on us either. If they plan to commit to this approach, theyll have to be prepared to vacate the market of any cancer-targeted drug. What clinical trial stages are our three cancer-targeted drugs in right now? Little X shut her eyes and searched online. After more than a year of clinical trials, were currently in the third phase in the Central Continent, Europe, Australia, Northern America, and North Sea Continent. So far, no toxic side effects have been detected and most of them are eligible for clinical relief. The local drug regulatory certification should be certified within the next two years at most. Excellent. Put up an announcement on our official site stating that well be terminating the clinical trial experiments being conducted in Northern America. While youre at it, I want you to announce to the world that well be announcing the targeted drug for the remaining 133 variants of cancer, effectively ridding the world of this disease! Chen Chen took a deep breath as if to steel himself for this bold declaration. More than a year ago, he had obtained prescriptions for all human cancer-targeted drugs from Elysium. Although these drugs were costly to produce due to the current state of technology, costing upward of a hundred Renminbi for each pill, it was proportionately low considering they were the cure for a nagging disease like cancer. For the scope of technology from the Elysium dimension, it would only take a week at most for the treatment effects of the drugs to run their course. Even if the treatment cost was pricey, it could not have reached any astronomical price since it was only a weeklong procedure. The irony was that despite all the efforts to reduce the cost and treatment expense for these targeted drugs, they were essentially swept under the rug as insignificant inventions following the birth of the heralded Medpod 3000. Just like that, these drugs had vanished from the course of history On the other hand, these drugs were a fantastic deal for Chen Chen. More than a year ago, he announced the development of three classes of cancer-targeted drugs against the most widespread forms of cancer and applied for the relevant clinical trials in all continents around the world. He also developed another three variants of these drugs and granted access to them for the members of Gods Forbidden Zone. Only the privileged members of the organization had access to these drugs he specifically left out for public use. Now, Chen Chen was making the preparations to publicize all cancer-targeted drugs to the masses! Isnt this a little too grand? Little X asked puzzlingly, I remember you mentioned just last year that you plan to address the lingering plague of cancer in the Earth Federation over the next thirty years. It has only been a year since Circumstances change. Chen Chen took a deep breath and reflected. If we want to turn the situation around in Northern America, well need to prepare a new trump card. Im sure that after seeing us flashing this card of ours, the Earth Federation will gear itself and work with Northern America to take us down. But now they have to reconsider their approach since opposing us would be as good as surrendering humanity to the plague thats cancer. Then how will you handle the reception from Gods Forbidden Zone? Little X asked, They wont be pleased knowing that were publicizing the targeted drugs before letting them have privileged access ahead of time. Its simple, we can easily appease their annoyance or anger by telling them about the Medpod 3000. Chen Chen responded, Musk has already tried the Medpod 3000 for himself. Weve kept it under covers for so long so its about time we announce its existence in Gods Forbidden Zone. We can tell them that weve recently invented a device that can restore the conditions of the human body and rid us of a majority of disease We cant claim that it solves all disease since it may be difficult to believe, just tell them diseases including cancer works. Understood! Little X was enthused with this suggestion. Naturally, were going to need to disguise the appearance of Medpod 3000. Chen Chen reminded. We also cant call it the Medpod 3000 anymore. Lets go with Blacklight Fully-automated Medical Platform. Also tell them that Gods Forbidden Zone had deciphered the genetic chain of cancer and from this day onward, cancer shall cease to be a prevalent issue! Yes! Little X nodded fervently and expressed joyously, This way, theyll have to stick by our side if they plan to live longer! Chen Chen nodded. If they can impose sanctions on us via manufacturing networks to chips and other electronic products, we can also do the same to them. Id like to see how they plan to explain to their civilians when they see the entire world having access to our latest targeted drugs and theyre the only ones restricted from accessing them. Chen Chen exhaled silently after describing all of this. He was aware that he absolutely must not allow the situation to descend into an all-out war with the opposing armies. In terms of individual strength, his Black Knights may be the superior force, where even a small established team could suffice to overpower an armored force. However, it had to be noted that warfare in the current era was no longer fought the way it had always been in the past. Excluding any other factors, dozens of missiles alone could sabotage his efforts in Namibia over the last few years. Once the violent confrontation began, he would be forced to engage in the crimes of arms smuggling, illegal amassing of armed forces, and war declaration, all these crimes that tried to convict him of currently. By that point, the Earth Federation would naturally begin to take action. Even the Central Continent could not do much to save him by then. If the situation descended to that point, Blacklight Biotechnology would officially be on the opposing side of the Earth Federation. Although he had lethal weapons such as the T-virus and black goo, they were weapons that were characteristically known for being double-edged swords that could hurt him just as much as they did his opponents. The usage of these weapons would inevitably destroy human society. What good was defeating the Earth Federation if it resulted in death and destruction? There was no use lording over the destroyed remnants of civilization. The conclusion was the same as it had always been. Blacklight Technology still needed time to develop. Chen Chen needed to wisely showcase the fruits yielded from his latest development and brandish his strength while doing so, until a point where the Earth Federation no longer saw going to war as a worthwhile option for them. That would be the point when Blacklight Biotechnology could rightfully dominate the stage. By that point, both options of either cooperating with the Earth Federation or directly overtaking it and reigning over them would become viable to Chen Chen Meanwhile, the Namibian officials meeting concerning Blacklight Biotechnology ended in a rush. The Minister of Energy, Zurama, who had recently gone through the age-reversal treatment and returned to his middle-age, stormed off the venue. After feeling the cold breeze outside, he sighed silently. He was angered by the presidents timidity and weakness while feeling helpless over the weakness of his country. He still returned to his car moments after that and informed the driver, Lets head back, dont stop anywhere along the way. The driver stole a glance through the rearview mirror and when he caught the sternness in Zuramas eyes, he quickly nodded and proceeded to start the car. The silver limousine rode down the highway, off into the distance. Inside the car, Zurama pondered endlessly before giving in and taking out his phone and dialing a number he had not contacted for ages now. Beep, beep, beep The call was occupied and was quickly hung up with an abrupt click. When the high-ranking official Zurama saw that his call was disconnected, he did not find himself consumed with anger but instead sighed with distant relief. However, before he had time to gather himself, he noticed that he had received a call from the same number Should he pick up or not? Zurama ruminated over this. He became extremely conflicted. Before he could make up his mind, the call was picked up on its own. Hm? Zurama was taken aback by this. This was the first time something like this had ever occurred to him. Minister Zurama, what makes you contact me out of nowhere? A youthful and slightly hoarse voice came from the other end of the phone. The person spoke with an extremely composed tone full of powerful gravity. His voice was immediately reminiscence of the voice of villains heard in movies. This was no time to occupy his mind with these inconsequential thoughts. Zurama took a deep breath before stating, Chen Chen, you sound pretty relaxed now, are you not worried about the sanctions coming your way from the Northern American government? Of course Im worried, but what good is worrying? A low, rumbling chuckle. Besides, theres still your esteemed Namibian government protecting me. I take it that you guys wont sit by idly and watch as your financial pillar gets stripped away by Northern America? Zurama became unbearably silent when he heard this remark Chapter 420 - This Man It looks like your Congress intends to abandon me. When Chen Chen heard the abrupt pause coming from Zuramas end, he immediately had an impression of how the meeting had ended. How, how did you know? Zurama sounded nervous as he said this. Does it need to be said? If the final decision was to stick by my side, Id have dozens of ministers calling me by now. Chen Chen smiled, revealing a row of fine teeth. Am I right, Minister Zurama? Zurama had trouble finding the words. He only responded after another momentary pause, Chen Chen, get out of here as soon as you can before Northern America issues the sanctions. Get out of Namibia and return to the Central Continent. Its the only place in the Earth Federation that may keep you safe? Get out? Chen Chen found the notion so ridiculous he started to laugh. Can I bring Eco Science City with me if I run? What happens to my work over here the last three years then? Ill have nothing if I return to the Central Continent! But if you dont leave, youll be a sitting duck waiting for the Namibian polices arrest! Zurama tried to advise him. If you leave now, youll have a chance to make a comeback in the near future. Havent you heard of the saying where theres life, theres hope? If you get detained by us, people from Northern America will come and extradite you secretly within hours and no one will be able to save you! Chen Chen took a deep breath and did not say anything in response. This is all I have to say concerning this situation. Im telling you all this now out of respect for our dealings over the last three years, and as a way of expressing my gratitude for the help youve provided during the pandemic Zurama got the last word in before promptly ending the call and slumping back into his seat. Zurama sighed. This man behind Blacklight Biotechnology was certainly far from a saint. His many deeds include purchasing felons for experiments, bribing officials, forcefully conducting ethically questionable clinical trials, and even interjecting into military and spacecraft affairs that he had no business dealing in. This was the man who nearly took over the entire Namibian governmental cabinet. However, the company this man founded had provided several millions of stable jobs for the Namibian people. He never cut anybodys salary and was directly responsible for Namibias rapid economic growth. The Namibian government had just as much reason to loathe Blacklight Biotechnology as they had to adore the company. They resented Blacklight Biotechnology for taking over Namibia and taking advantage of the country time and time again. However, they did not see how they could survive without Blacklight Biotechnology. The entire country could very well face collapse within days of the company leaving. However, there were no alternatives this time around Zurama contemplated silently. Meanwhile, on the other side, Chen Chen flung the phone in his hand with all his might against the window in the office! With a piercing crash, the phone burst into countless pieces and scattered all over the office. The window, on the other hand, was completely unscathed. Sir Godfather Little X was shocked by this sudden outburst. She quickly shot up from her seat while rubbing her eyes and whispered. Telling me to leave? There was poison in Chen Chens glare. Even if I leave, Ill blow up the entire Eco Science City before leaving! Dont even think about piecing together the remnants of what I leave behind! Are you suggesting that Zurama intentionally warned you to persuade you to leave? Little X asked. I wouldnt know if this is his intention, but one thing I know for certain is that hes thinking of taking advantage of the current situation as well. Chen Chen scoffed. If I leave, Eco Science City becomes free for all. Northern America is going to collect the array of biotechnology at most and leave the rest for Namibia. A modern city, large-scale industrial park, fully fitted with an aerospace base and military factory, everything laid out carefully for them Now that we know that Namibia isnt going to stand on our side, what do we do? Little X asked urgently. Theres only one option left. Determination appeared in Chen Chens eyes as he said, We need to plunge Northern America into turmoil, even to a point where theyre on the brink of collapse. We need to let them know that were the only ones who can bail them out! Little X immediately understood what Chen Chen was suggesting. Her eyes lit up. Are you suggesting that we use memes? Exactly, I need a memetic effect similar to the Astral Catalyst, but without any possibility of unwarranted mutation. It needs to be extremely infectious and generate mass panic among the people without posing a direct lethal threat. Chen Chen briefly described it before looking at Little X in the eye. Can you do that? Ill give it a shot! Little X nodded and answered excitedly, Give me an hour! With that, she plopped herself on the sofa and shut her eyes. Chen Chen acknowledged the fact that an hour was required even with Little Xs supreme computing speed was a testament to how complex E language was. Perhaps it also had to do with how Little X had only scraped the surface of its potential. Upon mastery, the destructive prospect of memetic technology was incomprehensible to the mortal mind. It would not take much effort to wipe out human civilization. An hour passed quickly. While Chen Chen was getting some rest, he suddenly heard the printer beside him operating. The printer produced two image patterns. Chen Chen did not head over to collect them because he was aware of the effects of memetic technology. It was something that went beyond common sense. It was an informational weapon that penetrated the sense of sight, hearing, smell, and even thoughts. It was impossible to guard against. Within moments, Little X opened her eyes again. She got up cheerfully and approached Chen Chen with the two pictures in hand. Sir Godfather, take a look at this one first. Chen Chen opened his eyes when he heard this. He saw countless irregular black and white patterns stemming from both edges. They faintly formed the picture of a persons face on the A4 paper. It was the strange face of a male It was a fairly large and round face of a male who looked to be somewhere around thirty to forty years old. His eyebrows were curved together like two squirmy, thick caterpillars. Under the thick caterpillar eyebrows were a pair of large, soulless eyes that droop downward, carrying an unplaceable expression. The man in the picture had a crooked nose below his eyes. The bridge of his nose was subtle and thin but expanded to an unnaturally large size upon reaching the point of the nose, ultimately forming what was usually referred to as a pug nose. The most uncanny part of it all was his mouth. His mouth was spread far wider than the average person to a point where they nearly extended to his ears. They seemed to be tweaking upward continuously even in a still picture. In addition, his hair was extremely sparse with a large piece of a bald spot on the top of his head that revealed his smooth scalp. Only a handful strands of hair stubbornly grew from the top of his head This was the bizarre face that Chen Chen saw formed from the pattern. With just one glance, the image evoked a chilling sensation that seeped deep into ones heart. It felt as if this strange person was staring into ones soul. The way he smiled so grimly seemed to suggest he knew something others did not know. It was extremely discomforting What in the world is this supposed to be Chen Chen jumped at the sight of this image. Little X only smiled and left it at that before showing Chen Chen the next image. The second image was a lot more normal in comparison. It was only a random scribble of black and white lines that did not contain any discernible pattern. The image itself could not be properly made out either. It was closer to a splatter of nonsense that did not contain any specific meaning. The restlessness Chen Chen felt pulsing in his mind after seeing the first image quickly faded away upon seeing the second picture. This here is the pattern vaccine. Little X finally informed, The first pattern was designed based on the concept of an urban legend. Its a Basilisk pattern derived from several E language constructs that Ive deciphered up to this point. Its considered a very simple and elaborate Basilisk pattern. This pattern is transmitted using sight. This means that anyone who sees this image becomes infected with its memetic effect. Upon being infected, theyll have nightmares of this man each time they fall asleep and the nightmares will only increase in magnitude as time goes on! With just a simple explanation, Chen Chen was already very impressed and began to clap. Not bad at all, this is the exact memetic effect that I need. However, Im afraid its effects are still too lethal and we might need to modify it slightly. Too lethal? Little X was puzzled by this comment. But this doesnt kill people. Humans are inherently fragile beings. Chen Chen explained patiently, An average person has four to six dreams each night, but they forget most of them except for the ones who wake them in the middle of the night. The reason I said that its effects are still too threatening is that it directly disrupts the sleep schedule of a person. Losing quality sleep over prolonged durations will cause the mental state of a person to deteriorate and lead to depression or in severe cases, death, within a month. Which is to say that the lethality of this meme is still too powerful. Chen Chen shrugged. To a certain extent, you could say that this is a catastrophic meme Enough to wipe out the entirety of human civilization. Little X pouted when she heard this. Understood, how should we nerf it? Just removing one characteristic will do. Chen Chen immediately said without pause, Remove the nightmare quality. Just make it so that everyone who is infected with this meme will dream of this man but not to such a severe extent that it would become nightmarish. This will do. Will it still be effective? Little X sounded uncertain. This will do. Chen Chen nodded ceremoniously. You hold the keys to the World Wide Web so you of all people should understand human nature. You should know just how many rumors are circulating the Internet these days From century-old tales such as the Bermuda Triangle to Lizard People, theres also Internet tales like how Soul weighs 21 grams and The Boy from Mars. Are these tales so impregnable that hundreds of millions of people could be convinced that they are true? No, they arent. Its just because this is the nature of man. Chen Chen said in a deep tone, The reason people believe these tales isnt because theyre inherently gullible but because deep inside, they choose to believe these stories. They dont care what the truth is. They only wish that these stories were true. Even if these stories were debunked tens of thousands of times, they simply refuse to look further into it. This is the nature of man. Therefore, when a real supernatural event occurs to the masses, theres not much else that we need to do since they will come up with theories of their own. Some would claim that its God, the Devil, and stir up fierce social debates and turmoil Chen Chen snapped his fingers and smirked. Im willing to bet that it wont take more than a month before Northern America plunges into chaos Little X nodded in a way that seemed like she had a rough idea of what Chen Chen was talking about. Ill modify it right away. Give me ten minutes. With that, Little X sat down on the sofa and shut her eyes again. In just nine minutes, Little X opened her eyes again. The printer simultaneously produced two patterns, which Chen Chen promptly inspected. He saw that the patterns were largely the same as their previous versions, only there were several strokes missing here and there. Excellent. Chen Chen crumpled them up and tossed them into a shredder. X, your task is to ensure that everyone in the continents other than Northern America and Europe sees the immunity pattern. This way, only the population from our targeted continents will be vulnerable to this infection, can you do that? It wont be an easy task, but it wont be anything compared to the task of producing the Basilisk images. Little X smiled slyly, bobbing her head to the side. Chen Chen nodded contently, confident in his assistant. The Secret of Dreams was a well-known forum in Northern America that had been operating for thirteen years, accumulating millions of members and millions of posts discussing their dreams. The forum admins even went out of their way to hire dozens of masters at dream analysis to answer questions of the netizens visiting the forum. On this day, a new post seeking advice suddenly appeared on the forum. [Hello fellow dreamers and teachers, my name is Lilith, Im a psychologist. Recently, Ive been having some strange dreams that Im not sure if should be attributed to the stress Ive been feeling. I always see the same face in the dream. Is there an explanation for this?] Within moments, a fellow forum member replied: [It must have been the face of someone youve met in real life but forgot about. What happens is the face of this person remains deep in your conscience so that you would see this person in your dreams since dreams are inherently the product of our underlying memories. You wont see someone you havent met before in your dreams.] The comment was well-received and saw many likes quickly. A lot of comments followed after this comment. [Of course, its Sanimo, youre reaching the level of the teachers!] [All hail Sanimo!] [Im new here, is this Sanimo popular here? Is his analysis reliable?] [] Meanwhile, in the suburbs of New York City, Sanimo was looking at the chain of replies under his comments, a prideful smile hung by his lips. He proceeded to swallow a gulp of coke. He had just finished class and was browsing the Internet inside his dormitory. He just happened to see this new post and decided to write a comment since it was convenient for him to do so. This person was a senior member of the forum and usually very rarely replied to new members. Chapter 421 - Sanimo As he saw how the crowd of netizens flattered and praised him, Sanimos vanity was greatly satisfied. He nodded with a haughty smile, waiting for the other party to reply to his answer. Sure enough, half an hour later, this netizen named Lilith replied. [My God, is that right? But the stranger I dreamed of was very scary. There shouldnt be such a scary person in reality. He was like a demon. If I had met him in reality, Id remember] Seeing this reply, Sanimo could not help frowning, but he was in a good mood today, so he did not quibble over the fact that Lilith was doubting his assessment, but patiently explained: [Heres the thing, if youve seen something terrifying, that means youve mixed up his face with a monster in a horror movie. This is also a normal phenomenon. The strangers face may have come from any horror movie or even a poster that you glimpsed when you passed the movie theater.] As Sanimo replied, the popularity of this post began to rise slowly, and it soon entered the homepage. After it gained popularity, all netizens underneath started fervently discussing with each other. [TIL. No wonder I have nightmares every time I watch a horror movie. So this is the reason] [Sanimo is right, is this related to the specialized branch of dreams?] [I see. Post bookmarked.] With the appearance of a group of netizens, the popularity of this post increased even more, to the point that even Sanimo was a little surprised. However, at this moment, an unfamiliar account suddenly commented underneath: [Im curious, what kind of face did you see?] This sentence immediately led the discussion of the post to the topic of what the face looked like in the dream. Everyone also inquired. Obviously, to many netizens, this topic was more interesting than anything that came before. Sanimo refreshed the page twice and saw that Lilith had not replied to him, so he checked the time. It was already 9:30 at night, but at this time, his roommates bed in the dormitory was still empty. His roommate was a Mexican. His parents were in jail for drug dealing and he only managed to survive by the money his parents had saved up and entered this school. Nonetheless, although this roommate was the child of a drug dealer, he studied very seriously, otherwise, he would not have been admitted to Stanford University and become a member of this world-renowned school. About two minutes later, just when Sanimo was a little tired and was about to turn off the computer to go to sleep, the forum finally chimed with a notification. Sanimo clicked on the notification, and sure enough, it was the original poster Lilith who responded: [Big thanks to the answer from the veteran Sanimo and the enthusiastic help of all netizens. The reason Im replying to you now is that someone asked me what kind of face I saw, so I drew it out from memory and gave him a name, This Man. If youre interested, you can click to open it, but please be careful, because this picture is very scary [Picture]] She had even drawn it out? Seeing this, Sanimo smiled subconsciously and moved the mouse to the picture, but just when he was about to click on it, his hand suddenly paused He did not know why, but when he moved the mouse over this picture, Sanimo suddenly felt an inexplicable pounding in his heart. As it got closer to night, the dormitory had become completely dark. Since he returned to the dormitory after class, he had never gotten out of bed. Therefore, the lights in the dormitory were not turned on. Only the lights from other dormitories came in from outside the window, illuminating part of the space in the dormitory, but most of the corners were still pitch black. At this time, Sanimo stiffened his neck and turned his head to look into the dark corners of the dormitory. There was nothing there. Sanimo exhaled. He did not know why he suddenly had a horrible feeling, let alone in the dormitory that he was very familiar with. Still, he did not think much about it and he moved the mouse over the picture. As a veteran who had trawled through major websites and forums for many years, it was not like he had never seen frightening images. At this point, the other party had already aroused his curiosity and his curiosity had overcome his fear. Click. With a soft click from the mouse, the picture entered the loading state and then an image with a white background was loaded from top to bottom The Internet speed at this time became extremely slow for some reason, so the picture that could have been loaded in an instant had to emerge from top to bottom, but Sanimo was already staring at the screen. First, he saw a tuft of sparse hair, and then, a pair of thick and comical eyebrows appeared, and after that, a pair of large, hollow eyes Sanimo held his breath subconsciously. The picture kept on loading. Behind the hollow eyes, a weird nose gradually appeared, and finally, a slightly upturned mouth. The most important thing was that this mouth was too big After seeing this picture, the corners of Sanimos mouth twitched, and at the same time, a chill shot up his spine and surged over his scalp in ripples. It felt as if the top of his head was about to explode. Was this the This Man that Lilith said? Sanimo took a deep breath and subconsciously moved away from the screen. At this moment, he even regretted his reckless behavior. The visual effect of this picture called This Man was scary, but it was not enough to frighten people who were mentally prepared. Even so, for some reason, after seeing this picture, Sanimo felt an inexplicable burst of heart palpitations. He could not tell the source of such palpitations. Even he felt that it was just an illusion. Just when Sanimos nerves were on edge, outside the dark dormitorys door, there was a sudden sound of scattered footsteps. Sanimo hurriedly closed the picture while he looked up at the door, only to hear the footsteps coming to the door. Following that, there was a sound of a key turning in the lock. Phew After hearing this sound, Sanimo finally breathed a sigh of relief. Since his roommate was back, he would feel much braver. At least, he would no longer feel so nervous. Click! After the clattering noises, the door of the dormitory opened subsequently and Sanimo suddenly saw a figure walking in from outside. Due to the lights in the corridor, the person who came in was faced away from the light, and Sanimo could not see the other persons appearance. Nonetheless, he could judge that this was indeed his roommate based on his body shape, so he immediately shouted: Danny, why are you only back now? Uh, I ran into some trouble outside His roommates voice came over, with a touch of helplessness. Sanimo, since youre in the dormitory, why didnt you turn on the lights? Im too lazy. You can turn it on. Sanimo spread his hands. What trouble did you have outside? Nothing much, a bee happened to sting my face and my face swelled up. The roommate walked under the switch of the fluorescent light. Will you come take a look for me? Of course, no problem. Sanimo laughed and went directly to the side of the bed. At this moment, the roommate pressed the switch at the same time. At once, the entire dormitory lit up and the dazzling light made Sanimo close his eyes promptly. When he opened his eyes again in the next second, his roommate was already standing in front of him. Sanimo, look at my face, is it swollen? His roommates voice still rang out in the dormitory, but at this time, Sanimos eyes bulged. His pupils shrank and incomparable panic flared in his eyes In front of him, there was a man with thick eyebrows, vacant eyes, and a mouth that was stretched to the base of his ears. The man was wearing his roommates clothing while tilting his head with an eerie smile as he stared unwaveringly at Sanimo This Man Ahh! Sanimo burst out in a scream and sat up from the bed. A torrent of cold sweat had soaked his pajamas. His entire body was heaving heavily and he looked around wildly at the same time. At this time, the window was slightly brighter. Sanimo quickly looked at the clock but found that it was already the next morning. Phew It was just a dream. Sanimo wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and slowly recovered. At this moment he also remembered. After seeing the spine-tingling portrait of the man last night, he kept getting the creeps. He did not fall asleep until his roommate came back, but he did not expect he would dream of that man How very strange. Sanimo murmured but at this time, he found that his roommates bed nearby was empty. The blanket was turned over messily and his roommates slippers were gone. In the washroom nearby, there was the sound of water. D*mn, this guy takes a long time to wash up every time Sanimo cursed in a low voice. He felt the urge to pee and quickly got out of bed, walked to the bathroom door, and knocked on the door vigorously. Danny, can you come out first and let me go to the bathroom? Soon! His roommate mumbled back from the washroom. Please! Sanimo continued to knock on the door. Youre brushing your teeth now. If I use the toilet, it wont delay your brushing. My bladders bursting, please! Im coming out now! His roommates voice still sounded muffled and then the bathroom door slowly opened from the inside. Thanks, buddy! Sanimo was finally relieved. He smiled gratefully but in the next second, the smile on his face completely froze That previous man with the strange face was standing in the bathroom, looking at himself quietly through the palm-wide crack of the door. Wo-oah! Sanimo only felt his blood run cold. He suddenly sat up in bed, panting in big gulps, his eyes widened. He could not recover for a long while. It was a dream in a dream! Thinking back to the previous dream, Sanimo felt that everything in the dream was so clear. So clear that it did not even seem like a dream, but a real memory! Thinking of this, Sanimo quickly turned sideways, turned on the computer again, and logged into the forum which he was most familiar with without thinking about it. Sure enough, the post of the netizen named Lilith remained in the forum. Sanimo took a deep breath, slowly opened the post, and scrolled down. Sure enough, he saw the face of the man in the dream again. Curvy and thick eyebrows, hollow eyes, a cracked and smiling mouth The man was staring at him with an unfathomable smile. Although it was just a picture, Sanimos heart trembled with apprehension as he stared back. At the same time, under this picture, a lot of new replies had appeared and the number of replies even exceeded one hundred! [F*ck! It gave me a fright!] [WTF is this monster?] [Why did I have such itchy fingers!] [F*ck U!] [] As if looking for something, Sanimo continued to scroll down and soon, he found a message he wanted to see [D*mn, its all thanks to this f*cking picture. I dreamed after seeing this picture. I had a total of three dreams, two ordinary dreams and one nightmare. This guy was in all my dreams, truly evil!] Sanimo looked at the time of this message and it turned out to be 7:25 in the morning, which was five minutes ago! After reaching the bottom of the post, Sanimo instinctively pressed F5. The entire webpage was automatically refreshed and a new comment appeared below this comment! [Did you dream of him? No way, me too! I also dreamed of this guy!] This message was sent exactly one minute ago. At this moment, Sanimo faintly thought of something as if he had found a channel to unburden himself and he quickly typed a paragraph: [I also dreamt about him. I had two dreams and they were all nightmares! In the dream, this guy became my roommate. My God, I cant believe all this!] After sending this comment, Sanimo got out of bed hurriedly. He glanced at the bed next to him nervously, but just so happened to see his roommate Danny roll over in a sleepy daze. Fortunately, Danny still maintained the appearance of a normal person Seeing this, Sanimo finally relaxed. He quickly walked into the bathroom to wash up and then without waking up his roommate, he walked out with his laptop on his back. Today is Sunday and there were no classes for his course. Where Sanimo was heading were where his club was located. Due to his love for dream research, he joined the schools dream research club in his freshman year. This club focused on analyzing human dreams and the president was a high-achieving psychology student, specializing in the subconscious aspects of humans. Sanimos knowledge of dreams also came from the hands-on teaching of this president who was a senior student. When he came to the clubs room, no members had arrived yet so Sanimo sent a message to all the members of the club with his mobile phone. After that, he directly connected the computer to the printer to print out the black and white picture from the forum. As he watched the printer spit out that weird face little by little, there was no fear in Sanimos heart. Rather, he was feeling a faint excitement because he suspected that this picture might have the ability to hypnotize people! Anyone who had seen this picture would easily dream of its existence in a dream. This strange phenomenon must be related to the subconscious! This kind of hypnotic pattern that could affect the human subconscious was very rare and its existence was even once doubted by many people. After all, everyones minds were different and most of these pictures were only effective for a few people. There had never been a picture that worked for everyone. Now, Sanimo was vaguely aware that he had likely found a picture that could hypnotize most people and the name of this picture was called This Man! Chapter 422 - Marcus Half an hour later, after Sanimo had notified everyone, energetic young men and women arrived, and the once desolate place suddenly became lively. These people got together in small groups as soon as they came, laughing and bantering with each other. The club was filled with a cheerful spirit. Every time these people asked Sanimo what great discovery he had made, Sanimo did not answer directly but said he would wait until everyone came. Sanimo, you said you had a huge discovery, so what is it? At this point, the president, Marcus, arrived. He calmly looked at Sanimo who remained mysterious and then asked. As the president, he had to always display a calm character and persuasive abilities and his hard work had indeed been rewarded. Many people in the club harbored a deep respect for him, something that was very difficult to achieve among peers. Hearing the question from President Marcus, Sanimo obediently said, Marcus, Ive made this huge discovery inadvertently. I suspect that Ive found a hypnotic image. This image can affect the human subconscious and cause people to have consecutive nightmares. Oh? Marcus took a look at Sanimo when he heard this and saw that Sanimo did indeed hold a sheet of A4 paper in his hand, with something printed on it. Marcus then smiled. Surely you dont mean the picture youre holding right now. Sanimo nodded. Seeing this, Marcus continued. Sanimo, Ive said many times, the amount of information carried by pictures isnt large and its far from sufficient to be used as a tool for hypnosis. In psychology, at best, it can only be used as a tool for a suggestion. If used for hypnosis, songs on the auditory level are much more effective than pictures on the visual level. Sanimo shook his head and said firmly, Marcus, if you had said this in the past, Id have agreed with you, but now its different. The picture in my hand is unusual. I could tell the moment I first laid eyes on it! Let me see, then. Seeing this, Marcus did not refute again, but reached out and put his open palm in front of Sanimo. Sanimo hesitated and finally put the picture in Marcuss hands. Marcus smiled and spread out the image in his hands. At the same time, the group of club members gathered around quickly. Following that, a strange-looking mans face appeared in front of everyone The moment they saw this picture, everyone present was taken aback. In an instant, the entire club fell silent, but this scene did not last for two seconds before it was swallowed up by the eager discussions in the club. Is this the picture? Except for being quite strange, theres nothing special about it. Maybe the language of higher psychology is involved or its origin is a hint in itself? He looks so ugly Hahahahaha! At once, everyone was discussing this loudly. They all commented on the picture in front of them to express that they were not afraid. Among the crowd, only Marcus and a few people wore a pensive expression. Where did you come across this picture? Marcus suddenly turned his head and asked Sanimo. I drew it unintentionally. Sanimos possessive nature made him reluctant to name the forum, so he said vaguely, I named it This Man. The important thing now is that we must understand whether its a hypnotic picture, right? I believe that the moment you saw him, you felt something unique in your hearts, right? Maybe its because hes so weird. A guy immediately explained, I did feel peculiar the moment I saw the picture, but I think this is a form of suggestion. First, you planted a suggestion to make us think it will be mysterious. By the time you showed it, we were all stunned because we were caught off guard. This is why we felt an unusual emotion in our hearts. This opinion immediately attracted everyones support. In the final analysis, whoever strikes first will have the upper hand. This picture also seems related to the phenomenon of the uncanny valley, which is the reason we felt so weirdly about it. Another girl followed up. The uncanny valley was a theory about how humans felt toward robots and non-human objects depicting the emotional response of humans toward certain anthropomorphic things (robots, movies, anime characters, and so on) as a graph. As anthropomorphic things were similar to humans in appearance and behavior, humans would have positive emotions towards robots. This emotional value would increase as the similarity between the anthropomorphic object and humans increased. However, when the degree of similarity between anthropomorphic objects and humans reached a certain value, humans reactions to them would suddenly become extremely negative. Even if anthropomorphic objects were only a little different from humans, these tiny distinctions would become very conspicuous, leading to disgust and even fear. At this point, the curve of the emotional value would plummet straight down. As the similarity between anthropomorphic objects and humans continued to rise, achieving the same similarity that existed between ordinary people, humans emotions toward them would return to a positive scale again. This resulted in a human-to-human empathy level, which meant that the emotional value curved right up again and reached a level similar to the previous peak. Therefore, this pattern would appear: the curve of human emotions toward anthropomorphic things slowly rose from the beginning to a rapid drop in the middle, and then rose again at the end. A Great Rift Valley appeared in the middle of the curve. This Great Rift Valley was called the uncanny valley effect. It referred to the fact that some anthropomorphic things were too human-like, but they were still different from human beings. Therefore, to the human senses, the appearances of these objects would seem creepy, unsightly, and so on Therefore, this club member was now attributing their responses to the uncanny valley effect. I admit, it does look ugly, but I swear, this isnt the uncanny valley. Sanimo shook his head, extremely disappointed from the bottom of his heart. He did not expect that everyone would not believe him, so he retrieved the image from Marcus, then turned and walked out of the club. The only way to test this is, you only need to wait until tonight to know. After saying this, Sanimo walked straight out of the club and ignored the shouts and cries of everyone behind him. Only Marcus quietly lingered upon the creepy feeling from before and gradually, a thoughtful look appeared on his face. When it was time for lunch, everyone in the club gradually dispersed. As the last person who left closed the door of the club, the entire venue fell into silence. Still, this silence lasted only a few minutes. Soon, as the bathroom door creaked, the door slowly opened, and a blonde girl walked out of the door. This girl was the one who put forward the uncanny valley theory earlier. She first looked around and confirmed that there was no one in the club, then quickly walked to the computer and began to retrieve the previously printed documents. Soon, a thankful look shone in the girls eyes. She briefly pressed the print button and immediately the printer made a squeaking sound again. At the same time, a pattern was printed out. It was the same weird face as before. Seeing this image, the girl picked up this picture in satisfaction and was just about to leave. However, the moment she turned around, she suddenly discovered that a tall person was standing behind her without her realizing it! Ahh! The girl sat down on the ground in shock. Only then did she get a clear look. It was President Marcus who was standing behind her. Marcus, what are you doing sneaking around behind me? The girl stood up, huffing angrily, and at the same time subconsciously hid the paper sheet she was holding behind her back. No need to hide, Ive seen it. Marcus stretched out his hand and grabbed the picture from the girls hand. At the same time, he calmly said, Its very unethical to print someone elses unauthorized material privately. I was just curious. The girl wanted to snatch it back quickly, but she could not reach it, so she stomped her feet. Then her eyes gleamed and she suddenly smiled. Mr. President, why havent you gone back? I was just going to clean up. Marcus replied while putting away the picture in his hand. He moved to pick up the broom on the side. Marcus, isnt the reason youre still here also because of that weird picture of Sanimos? The girl made a request and at the same time persuaded, How about this Ill print another one. Well each take our own and keep our mouths shut. What do you say? Marcus hesitated for a while, then nodded in agreement and then left the club. When he walked out of the club and came to the campus path, Marcus took out the pattern again. He looked at the peculiar face in the pattern and his eyes glimmered in deep thought. The reason he stayed behind at the club and even bumped into the girl who had also lingered on for a long time was that he had a special feeling about this picture. It was an emotion filled with coldness and abnormality. The moment he saw the picture, he seemed to see the human face talking to him and at the same time, there seemed to be a deep whisper by his ear. This was a feeling that no movie, book or even painting could induce. Perhaps, as Sanimo said, it was a pattern that could hypnotize the human spirit. Therefore, he was the last one to leave the club just now. However, now it appeared that in the entire club, apart from Sanimo, only he and Molly had sensed the extraordinary nature of this pattern while the others seemed unable to feel it at all. Otherwise, they would not have dismissed the mysterious pattern so readily Thinking of this, Marcus returned to the dormitory. He recalled what Sanimo had said before, so he simply put the pattern away and lay directly on his bed. Then, he slowly closed his eyes, preparing to use his sleep to verify whether all this was true or whether it was just Sanimo spouting nonsense. Gradually, Marcus fell asleep. Who are you? Marcus looked around. At this moment, he was on a desolate road. He was walking alone and there was an impenetrable mist around him. At the very head of the road, a black figure stood quietly at a close distance. The black figures limbs were extremely slender as if they were a bag of bones, but unlike the limbs, the head was huge. This head, placed upon this body, created an extreme sense of incongruity. After seeing this, the weirdness of the scene caused Marcus to stop warily. He stood still and said to the shadow in front of him, Who are you? Rustle rustle There was the sound of someone shifting in the mist and at the same time, the figure began to move its feet slowly, approaching Marcus step by step. Marcus wanted to run but at this moment, he felt as if he was standing in a pool of asphalt. No matter how he moved his legs, he was firmly adhered to the ground, unable to move at all. Thus, he could only helplessly watch the dark shadow slowly approaching Ten meters, nine meters, eight meters As the figure got closer, Marcus became increasingly terrified. He seemed to understand instinctively that this person approaching him was not a good person! When the figure was only three or four meters away from him, finally, the shadow revealed its face. The instant Marcus saw this face, he could not refrain from gasping sharply! This Man! This name popped out in Marcuss mind for some reason. He screamed and the entire world quaked rapidly, like a landslide! His dream was collapsing! A flash of understanding appeared in his heart. At this moment, Marcus suddenly regained consciousness in his dream. He looked bewildered at This Man who was still standing in front of him and said suddenly, Who are you really! This inquiry was completely different from the previous question Im no one, Im me, Im you, Im everyone in the world However, a surprising thing occurred. The weird man in front of him did not do him any harm but directly answered, And now, Im the embodiment of your dreams and unknown fears. After hearing these words, Marcus wore a flabbergasted expression. For some reason, his emotions in his dream were more adaptable and abundant than in reality. He suddenly raised his head and asked again, Why did you appear? Werent you the one who brought me here? The strange man replied solemnly, Because deep down, you wanted me to appear. Thats why I appeared. Its that simple. Marcus took a deep breath after hearing this. Chapter 423 - Spread The afterglow of the evening shone in from outside the window and the entire room was covered in a dusky amber hue. There was an inexplicable buzzing sound in Marcus ear. The sound seemed to hover between reality and illusion. It sounded like tinnitus, but also like a mysterious call from the distant horizon. Marcus sat on the edge of the bed blankly, his eyes dull and vacant, his hair disheveled. He looked as though he had not woken up yet. However, at this time, his mind was already turned upside down This Man, does it exist? Marcus muttered in a low voice as he kept going over that indescribable realization he had in the dream. It was only when this feeling began to fade that he reluctantly opened the drawer on the side and recorded everything in the dream. As a fanatic of dream research, he had this special hobby. He recorded every interesting dream he had so that he could recall them quickly in the future. This method was also done by those who loved to lucid dream. According to scientific theories, dreams were the product of the subconscious. As an example, if one dreamed they were looking everywhere for a toilet, it was because one had drunk too much water before going to bed, which led to the urge to urinate. If one encountered a situation in reality that made one feel at a loss, this might be expressed in a dream in the form of non-stop running. When people said dreams came from the heart, it was due to this principle. Lucid dreaming was a special physiological concept of dreams. When dreaming, most people were incapable of rational thinking. Their ideas and thoughts diverged along with the flow of the dream, just like a mindless zombie. However, in the lucid dream state, dreamers had the ability to think and recall as if they were awake in the dream. They would ponder upon and observe this dream state as if this were reality, and some people could even actively control the dream. This was an exchange between the subconscious and the surface consciousness, an exchange between the ego and the id. To think that lucid dreaming only happens once in a while. Yet it occurred again this time and its in such a situation Sure enough, This Man has magical powers. The words of the man in the dream still echoed in Marcus ears, but there was a mystified glint in Marcuss eyes. He had a feeling that maybe the man in the dream was the meaning of dreams he had been searching for. Because I wanted you to appear, so you appeared. Whats the difference between This Man and God, then? He looked at the printed pattern of the weird face on the table again and a zealous look gradually emerged in his eyes Nighttime quickly arrived. Sanimo had finished an entire day of class. He returned to the dormitory but found that his roommate was still not there. What is that guy doing these days? Sanimo muttered, a little puzzled. He opened the forum again, wanting to see what was new in the comments that day, but just after logging onto the website, he saw that there was an enlarged and bolded title pinned to the top of the forums homepage. It was none other than the one he saw last night. At this time, the post did not just have dozens of comments like before. It had soared to tens of thousands of replies and the popularity of the post had surged through the roof. What the Sanimos heart clenched. He hurriedly clicked on the post, only to see that countless people had posted underneath, yet their content was shockingly consistent! [I shouldnt read this post before going to bed. Can you believe it? After seeing this mans photo, I saw him in a dream. The dream was very strange and the man seemed to have told me something!] [What a coincidence, I also dreamt about him. The man said he was called This Man and he said a lot of reasonable things. Surely it cant be] [That dream is disgusting. I dont know if you guys are just trolling here, but I really dreamed of him. It was a nightmare and the point is Im a person who rarely dreams!] [How weird, this guy also appeared in my dream] [Did you all dream about him? No way, he also appeared in my dream!] [] Sanimo kept scrolling down, comment by comment, page by page He read surprisingly similar remarks. These comments were all saying the same thing, namely, after reading this post last night, the posters had all seen the man in their dreams! Seeing this, Sanimo could not help frowning. It seemed that he could no longer cover up the source of this picture. Quashing his intention to claim this picture as his own, Sanimo felt a little regretful. He then turned off the computer, leaned against his bed, and started swiping on his phone. As he swiped, a wave of sleepiness overcame him silently. Sanimo yawned and then his head slowly dropped When Molly regained consciousness, she found herself standing in a dark and cramped room. The fluorescent lamp above her head flickered with a buzz, but at its brightest, it could only illuminate a range of two or three meters while the rest of the room remained in a dim state. This room was empty. The only thing there was an old wooden door directly in front of her and a sink next to the wooden door. There was a steady sound of dripping water from the sink. On the old door, there was a frosted glass window and a dusky light shone in through this window, adding a new light source to the room. There was only silence in the room. However, in this silence, there was the faint sound of footsteps approaching. Clomp! Clomp! Clomp Whos there Molly, who was standing in the dark, felt a little uneasy. She slowly stepped back, keeping herself buried in the dark. The footsteps were getting closer and the air in the room became more oppressive. Molly retreated to the corner of the room and backed into the wall completely. At this moment, a dark shadow moved through the dim yellow light of the corridor and was reflected on the door window. The sound of footsteps stopped. Who is it, who is there? Molly asked again in a low voice, but her voice was already full of terror. Click Suddenly, there was a sharp sound from the doorknob, which rang like thunder in Mollys ears, causing her body to convulse. The next second, the wooden door suddenly emitted a long squeak that was extremely harsh and piercing, like an echo from hell. As the wooden door slowly opened, a hand came in from outside the door. Molly covered her mouth tightly. From her perspective, she could see that the owner of that hand was wearing a dark red string on the wrist Ahh! Molly sat up abruptly, clutching her chest in horror and constantly gasping for breath. Molly, whats wrong? Her roommates voice came from the bed next to her, with a trace of concern. Did you have a nightmare? Seems like it Molly nodded. She got out of bed and walked to the bathroom, and splashed plenty of cold water onto her face, which made her feel better. She walked out of the bathroom again. She did not go back to sleep. Rather, after thinking about it, she took out from the drawer the pattern that she had retrieved from the club during the day and looked at it again. Sure enough, the man in the dream was the same as the one in the pattern What are you looking at? The roommate did not blame Molly for having disturbed her sleep. Instead, she ran to Mollys side barefooted and suddenly saw the pattern in Mollys hand. Its so scary! What is this? Her roommate asked curiously. This is Molly opened her mouth and then recalled the name Sanimo had said when she was in the club during the day, so she promptly said, Hes called This Man. This Man? Her roommate let out a whisper. Ignoring the words of her roommate on the side, Molly began to recall her dream earlier, but at this time, she found that her dream had begun to turn blurry. The only thing she remembered was the scene in which the man opened the door and walked toward her step by step. The strangest thing was that, while walking, the man kept shaking his head until Molly had started to see double He seemed to have said something or perhaps he had not said anything. Nonetheless, Molly had forgotten after waking up from the dream. Molly scratched her head in distress, anxious to remember what he had said, but the more she tried, the less she could remember. Then she spotted her wrist from the corner of her eye and suddenly, she had a flash of realization! He seemed to have worn a red string on his wrist. The moment she thought of this, a faint impulse appeared in her heart. As if possessed, she slowly opened the drawer, found a piece of red string, and wore it around her wrist. The moment she put it on, a feeling of peace gently washed over her heart. It felt as if this red string could protect her from harm. Then, she climbed into the bed again and slowly fell asleep When Sanimo woke up again, it was early in the morning. He stretched lazily, having slept very well last night. His fatigue was erased. There was still the picture of This Man on the table, but at this moment, in his eyes, this picture was not as scary as before. This was because in the dream last night, he and This Man had sat side by side and carried on a long conversation about many things. Unexpectedly, I dreamed of him not only on the first day but also last night Sanimo shook his head and was just about to get up for class, but at this moment, he heard a loud commotion coming from the window. Whats going on? Sanimo stood up curiously, opened the curtains, and looked out. He saw a large crowd of people gathered at the bottom of the building. These people had assembled in front of the bulletin board and were discussing something heatedly. Some were exclaiming softly while others were laughing constantly. In the crowd, Sanimo even saw Marcus. Maybe there was a new announcement or something? Seeing this, Sanimo was not too bothered. He quickly went to the bathroom to finish washing up, then put on clean clothes and walked downstairs. He went all the way to the bottom of the building, only to realize that the group of people had not dispersed yet. Dozens of people had gathered here, looking at the huge bulletin board in front of the dormitory. However, when Sanimo followed everyones gaze and looked at the bulletin board, he was stunned. A huge white sheet of paper was posted on the bulletin board, which was the size of a blackboard. On the paper, there was a strange face with large, thick eyebrows, huge hollow eyes, and that wide mouth. Who else could it be other than This Man? Seeing this, Sanimo gasped sharply. Just then, Marcus walked out of the crowd. While talking loudly to the people, he was about to turn around and leave. Seeing this, Sanimo quickly went up and grabbed Marcus. Hey, why had this pattern appeared here? I enlarged it and printed it out. Marcus replied calmly, And I also know that this picture wasnt created by you. Instead, you found it on the Internet. Am I right? Uh, yes. Sanimo nodded in embarrassment and then he said, But this picture has the power to make people have nightmares. Wont you cause trouble by doing this? Who said youll have nightmares? Hearing this, Marcus stopped walking. He slowly turned his head and looked directly at Sanimo. As long as youre willing to accept This Man, hell drop the act and talk to you in an easygoing manner, right? Looking into Marcuss eyes, Sanimo suddenly felt a chill for some reason. He nodded. Well, thats my fault. I didnt have a nightmare last night But Theres no but! Marcus squinted and put his hands on Sanimos shoulders solemnly. Have you ever thought that This Man is probably evidence of Gods existence that weve been looking for? God What do you mean? Sanimo was even more confused. He subconsciously wanted to retreat, but his shoulders were so tightly gripped that he could not escape. A dream is a symbol of the human subconscious and the subconscious is a symbol of all thoughts and desires deep in the human heart Marcus said with a serious expression, Its precisely because humans desire the appearance of God that countless peoples subconscious minds display a high degree of unanimity. When these unanimous forces are condensed in one place, they will affect reality sooner or later. Therefore, This Man appeared This is what This Man told me personally. Because we want him to appear deep in our hearts, so he appears. Everything is that simple! What are you talking about? Sanimo was completely dumbfounded. He looked at Marcus, whose expression gradually changed from calm to fanatical. At this moment, he seemed to be looking at a religious fanatic. Staring at the somewhat crazy Marcus, he hurriedly broke free of the other guys grasp, only to notice that Marcus right wrist was tied with a thick red string. This is Sanimo felt his scalp turn numb because he remembered that there was a piece of red string like this in the hands of This Man in his dream! Ah, youve noticed this. Seeing that Sanimo was staring at his wrist, Marcus laughed darkly as he raised his hand, revealing the dark red string on his wrist. This is proof of belief in This Man. Sanimo, youre my evangelizer, so you must wear this red string too, got it? Marcus, youve lost your mind! Sanimo shouted in agitation. After that, he swiftly turned around and ran away, disregarding everyones surprised gaze. When he ran into the teaching building and when he could no longer see Marcus, he leaned against the wall and gasped heavily. He managed to flee He had never thought that a mere pattern would have such a massive influence. Even Marcus was bewitched. Thinking of this, Sanimo seemed to have thought of something. He quickly took out his mobile phone and logged into the dream forum again. However, what made him shudder in fear was that it was not just at the top of the forums homepage. At this time, in the entire forum, almost every post on each page had someone talking about This Man and the indicator on the original pinned post also showed that it had been reposted more than 100,000 times. In other words, This Man had broken free from this forum and had begun to spread on the Internet At this time, Sanimo, who had recovered his senses, felt a faint pang of remorse. Perhaps he should not have exposed this picture on campus. The power of this picture was far greater and scarier than he had imagined. Chapter 424 - Prediction As more people saw This Mans pattern and more reports about This Man surfaced, this strange unfamiliar face had gradually entered the publics view. A day later, on the streets of Los Angeles. Im your reporter, Julia. Behind me now is a huge parade. We can see that more than ten thousand people have gathered here. These people claim that they have been called by God. Theyve spontaneously walked into the streets, propagating this God to passers-by. However, this god may not be God, but someone known simply as This Man Among them, theres no lack of former devout believers and even pastors, but at this moment, theyve abandoned the Bible and their previous beliefs As the camera zoomed in, one could hear in the video slogans such as This Man is our Savior from heaven, This Man is supreme, and so on. Behind Julia, there was an endless crowd of people. These people kept shouting while waving logos made by This Man, following the flow of the masses in the street. What is This Man? Is he a person? Or is he a god This is Julia from CNN reporting to you. Sanimo looked at the news report on the TV in a daze. He shook his head and picked up the remote control to change the channel. This Man according to legend, everyone who sees his face will dream of his existence after going to sleep. This phenomenon cannot be explained by scientists yet. After he skipped CNN, Sanimo found the next channel, NBC, also discussing the topic of This Man. The host Alan looked serious. Some people think that This Man is an omen of the imminent death of humankind because before living things die, their thoughts will converge as one. Others think that This Man is the manifestation of fragments from humanitys collective consciousness. It was born in the collective consciousness of human beings, so it has the ability to travel through dreams. There are also some who think that This Man is none other than a god So, what is This Man? What are the benefits and harms that he will bring to mankind? Hearing this, Sanimo could not refrain from changing to another channel. This time, he landed on ABC TV. This Man is a demon from hell. I must judge him! Two men in suits stood on the stage. One was shorter and the other was taller. At this time, the shorter man suddenly roared, This Man, youre a demon from hell! I shall judge you right now! With that, he shut his eyes tightly and pointed his finger at the camera. Ill judge you in the name of God! The taller man on the side immediately closed his eyes when he heard these words. He clasped his hands together in a moved and profound manner, appearing to be praying. Youre a saboteur! Youre a killer, youre a demon! The shorter man yelled passionately, Get out of here. Your power has been destroyed by me. Get out of here, because I shall put you on trial! I demand, I demand, I demand that you disappear immediately! I cast you out of your kingdom! As he spoke, he pointed his finger to the ground and chanted, Youve fallen and crawled on the ground, just as God commanded you when he put his foot on your head in the Garden of Eden! This Man, youll be vanquished, no longer able to run amuck! Hearing this, the taller man hurriedly shouted, Never again! Never again! The catastrophe has ended and Northern America has recovered its former tranquility and peace Hallelujah! Seeing this, Sanimo could not help but twitch his mouth and he simply turned off the TV in the dormitory. As This Man was everywhere on the Internet, Sanimo did not go online at all but had turned on the TV. Who would have thought that the programs on TV were completely taken over by This Man as well? What he did not know was that at this time, the entire Earth Federation was already assessing this matter seriously Currently, more than a hundred representatives had gathered in the conference room of the Earth Federation headquarters. Everything that is happening now is very abnormal. The representative from Northern America wore a somber expression. After our preliminary summary, weve ascertained that all humans who have seen the picture of This Man will dream of him that night and there has never been an exception. Is that so? The representatives of the other continents looked at each other when they heard these words. Among them, the representative of the European Continent said immediately, But theres no such situation on our side Could it be because This Man hasnt spread that far yet? The representative of Northern America could not help but say bitterly, Maybe in a few days, a similar situation will happen on your side. The picture of This Man has indeed spread to where we are. The representative of Oceania shrugged. But unfortunately, except for you guys, the entire world has not come across any similar phenomenon. Perhaps the riots and demonstrations on your side are due to other factors The representative of the Northern American Continent naturally would not believe these words. He turned his head and looked at the representatives of other continents. What about the rest of you? We havent come across that yet. The representative of Mainland China replied with a calm expression, Moreover, everything about This Man, including his name and the pattern, have been blocked by our entire network. Although some people claimed that they dreamed of This Man, after we summoned them to local police stations, we discovered that they were all rumors to gain attention. Upon hearing this, the representative of Northern America was astounded. After asking around, there was no similar situation in other parts of the earth except Northern America. At this moment, there was a sudden knock on the door of the conference room and an assistant walked in. She leaned down and said something in the ear of the Northern American representative. Are you serious? There was a burst of shock on the face of the Northern American representative. He suddenly raised his head and stared at the assistant. It has been confirmed. The assistant nodded. I see. You may leave The representative of the Northern American Continent looked solemn and he waved his hand to send the assistant away. What happened? The representative of the European Continent asked immediately. Our Ministry of Defense verified one thing just now. He took a deep breath, wearing a glum expression. There are some Northern American citizens who have fled abroad due to the riots. They found that after they left Northern America, they no longer dreamed of This Man After hearing this, the representatives of the other continents had varying reactions. It was hard to tell what they were thinking. It seems that weve found the reason the This Man phenomenon hasnt occurred in other continents. The representative of the European Continent pushed up his glasses after hearing this. This is a regional phenomenon, only within Northern America? If this speculation is true, its even more frightening The representative of Mainland China immediately said, Because this represents two possibilities. First, This Mans influence is limited in scope; second, the other party only wants to attack the Northern American Continent. But no matter which explanation it is, it means that This Man or the phenomenon of This Man, is likely to be man-made Man-made? Everyone looked surprised. They were all elected as the official representatives of every continent in the Earth Federation, so their IQ was higher than average. Therefore, when this was said, the implications of this possibility occurred to them at once. Oh no! The representative of Northern America seemed to have thought of something. He stood up abruptly, then reached into his collar and took out a pendant shaped like a cross. Everyone, if everything youve hypothesized just now is true, it means that the other party is attacking Northern America. Im going to use this years emergency quota for the Quantum Deity system. There should be no objections from you, right? As he spoke, he glanced at the representative of Mainland China. Of course. The Earth Federation is intricately connected, allies through thick and thin. We in Mainland China also dont wish to see Northern America being defeated by unknown forces. The representative of Mainland China smiled and took out the pendant under his collar, only his pendant was in the shape of a twisting dragon. What about the representatives of the other continents? The representative of the Northern America Continent looked at the others. No objections. Seconded! Seconded! Everyone took out their pendants and voiced their agreement. The congress of the Earth Federation was extremely efficient. After all authorized representatives had agreed to Northern Americas request, everyone immediately walked toward the channel where the quantum computer Adam was housed. After intensive inspections, everyone was even irradiated with X-rays in a sealed room. After confirming that there were no other objects on everyones body, they got onto the electromagnetic levitation elevator. The case of Buckle Murphy, the representative of Northern America, more than a month ago, was still vivid in their minds. He had hidden an object behind his eyes and brought it into the quantum laboratory in an attempt to destroy the quantum computer, Adam. Fortunately, the quantum computer was physically isolated in super bulletproof glass and he finally failed to open it. Still, after this incident, the security for the quantum computer Adam had been taken to a higher level and no person was allowed to enter the quantum core area. If one wanted to enter, one must be accompanied by at least three people. At this time, the many representatives stepped into the quantum core area one by one. After that, the representatives of Northern America, Mainland China, the North Sea, and Europe stood on all sides of the quantum computer and at the same time, they raised their pendants. In the next second, the quantum computer suddenly emitted four rays of light, shining on the four pendants through the glass. A wondrous scene took place. These four pendants directly rose from the palms of everyones hands and were suspended in mid-air! At the same time, this quantum computer suddenly trembled slightly, making clanking sounds like the collision of glazed glass. At the same time, it composed speech that seemed to be formed by the collision of jade objects Identity confirmed! As this voice spoke, the representative of Northern America immediately took a step forward and said eagerly, Adam, enter the directional prediction mode and predict all information about This Man! Please confirm that the Northern America Continent will consume this years prediction quota and the prediction is related to the occurrence of the This Man incident in Northern America? The quantum computer verified again. Confirmed! With the order from the representative of Northern America, the quantum computer suddenly broke out into a harsh hum while it vibrated slowly at a frequency visible to the naked eye If one had not witnessed all this, who would have imagined that the quantum computer, which was far beyond the scope of human technology, was operating in such a manner that was unheard of Seeing this, everyone took back their pendants again, put them in their pockets, and then exited the quantum core area in an orderly manner. After leaving the quantum core zone, the representative of the Northern America Continent secretly heaved a sigh of relief. He looked around at everyone and said sincerely, No matter what the final prediction is, I hope that if we cant solve the problem, you can convince your governments to help those of us in Northern America. Of course, we will not stand idly by. Everyone nodded and agreed. However, before they had even finished agreeing, the laboratorys broadcast made a sudden announcement. Emergency meeting, emergency meeting, representatives from all continents, please go to the conference room quickly! Repeat, emergency meeting Its out so soon? The representatives of all the continents were taken aback for a moment and hurried to the conference room. In less than two minutes, everyone had returned to the conference room again. Even so, after coming to the conference room, the expression of the Northern American representative sank. On the computer screen of a supercomputer in the conference room, a large number of disturbance curves had emerged. There were a lot of complicated values marked on it. These values were so complicated that only this group of representatives could understand them. At this time, seeing the data on the screen, the representatives of the continents could not help inhaling sharply. This is a crisis disturbance curve! The representative of the European Continent looked anxious with a hint of anger. This kind of curve means that its a matter of life and death for the Northern American Continent, but why did Adam not warn us before? Perhaps because this is a disaster in Northern America, but it isnt a disaster to humans in the rest of the world? The representative of the Indian Continent immediately guessed. After all, its just a computer which hasnt been programmed with human emotions and thoughts? No, Adams ability is known to everyone here. A quantum computer with this kind of computing power can simulate the evolution of everything in the world. Its impossible that it wouldnt understand what the demise of Northern America means to the entire human civilization! The representative of Oceania immediately explained, Its smarter than you and me here! This isnt the time to talk about this, gentlemen! The representative of Northern America was already like a cat on a hot tin roof. He walked to the computer in two or three steps and began to retrieve other information. He had to know what This Man was, who created it, and how they should solve it. However, as he looked over the information sent by Adam, he was rooted to the ground in shock. This was because he found that, besides the possibility of Northern Americas destruction, there was nothing else in the computer. In regards to all predictions regarding This Man, the quantum computer was like a blank slate Chapter 425 - Investigation and Showdown The fifth day, in the evening. The Blacklight Biotechnology Headquarters Building in the Eco Science City, the highest 62nd floor. Chen Chen was sitting before a huge red sandalwood desk. In front of him, a barbell loaded with a large number of plates was suspended in the air as if a giant invisible hand was holding it and even twirling it flexibly. While this huge barbell was spinning at high speed, it even dragged the air and made a whirring sound. Chen Chen believed that if anyone was hit by the barbell now, they would immediately be shattered into pieces. It was only ten minutes later when Chen Chen felt a slight warmth in his nose. He subconsciously touched it but noticed his hand was stained with blood. With a glance from him, the huge barbell flew backward. With a clang, the barbell parked itself steadily in the corner of the office, becoming still. The weight is 300 kilograms, the time is 13 minutes and 25 seconds, so my Field can exert more than 9,000N. Immediately, Little X walked up from one side and said, Sir Godfather, in three months, your Field energy has shot up by six times. You have seen a significant improvement almost every day! Thats right, now I have the confidence to physically fly. Chen Chen nodded. With his current power of Field, he was already able to fly at high altitudes. Due to his light bodyweight, he was able to hold on for much longer than thirteen minutes. Nonetheless, this force was not enough to make him fly at supersonic speed. After he inwardly summed up todays training experience, Chen Chen took the tissue paper Little X handed him, wiped the blood off his face, and then waved his hand and opened the international website with the environmental holographic simulator. At once, all recent information about This Man appeared on the major web pages. In just five days, Northern America has almost spiraled into chaos. Seeing the web pages floating in thin air in front of him, Chen Chen was deeply moved. It seems that in the Internet era of big data, the transmission ability of memes is greater than I thought. Faced with such memes, humans could do nothing but be toyed to death. Little X held her chin like a tiny adult and nodded. Well, this is the scary thing about memes. Not only can it easily control life and death, but it can even easily control peoples hearts? At present, this seems to be the case. Chen Chen nodded. He suddenly seemed to think of something and asked again, Has the work in other continents been completed? Its not finished yet, but we can guarantee that This Mans influence will be suppressed to a very low level. Little X naturally understood what Chen Chen was asking and immediately replied with confidence, I only need to allocate a small part of my computing power to monitor the world. Nowadays, except for Northern America, Ive planted back doors in the TV stations of all continents. As long as these people watch TV, Ill show a frame of This Mans Immunity Pattern on their screens every ten minutes. Because theres only one frame, the pattern would disappear before they even notice it, but the effect of this one frame is enough for them to become immune to the This Man meme. On the Internet, I have also specially created several pop-up advertisements. These will be disguised as advertisements of the website and inadvertently pop up when netizens go online. The advertisements also contain a frame of the immunity pattern. As long as their IP address isnt in Northern America, I can get these ads to be delivered accurately With these two methods, Ive probably immunized four-fifths of the worlds population and the remaining people are those who rarely have access to computers, TVs, and mobile phones. If even my large-scale immunity delivery cant reach them, the chances of them being infected by This Man is zero, so we dont need to think about that. After hearing Little Xs report, Chen Chen nodded appreciatively. Good job, thank you for your hard work. I dont find it hard at all. Little X shook her head vigorously, with a serious expression. At this moment, Chen Chen suddenly walked to the floor-to-ceiling window in a few steps, frowning and looking down at the masses of sentient beings under his feet. I have to say that its a miracle we have developed to this point. There are so many things in the universe that we still cannot understand. If a supernova explodes dozens of light-years away, it can still kill the people on Earth. Its no wonder that Zhao Shanhe said that, although since World War II there havent been any major disasters on the earth, its just a coincidence. Human civilization is like a sandcastle built on the beach. Perhaps the next moment, a wave would crash in and the sandcastle would disappear completely Thats why they need us. Little X hopped up from behind, raising her white tender hands to knead Chen Chens forehead. Human civilization needs quantum computers to overcome difficulties for them and you also need me to help you remove all obstacles that stand in the way of your dreams! Chen Chen smiled and did not speak but at this moment, Little X looked serious again and said, Sir Godfather, Ive detected that the shield bearer in Northern America has used the years only quota for the quantum computer, Adam, to predict everything about This Man. However, in Adams prediction, only Northern America has a curve disturbance that indicates a high probability of extinction. Looks like they cant sit still anymore. Chen Chen nodded. What about the original data? If we didnt implant a back door into the quantum computer, would it predict that we did all of this? Let me see. Little X closed her eyes, connected to Adam via the quantum USB flash drive, and then opened her eyes again within a few seconds. No! Just like the three statues in the past, it can only predict some key information at most, but we wouldnt be discovered. Upon hearing this, Chen Chen immediately asked, What is the reason? One factor is my existence. Little X sounded triumphant. Similar to how my Prophet System cant uncover it, it cant uncover me as well. The bigger reason is that the memes behavior has exceeded its framework of cognition. The only thing Adam can do is derive clues about the meme by colliding the quantum possibilities with its own predictions. Thats already impressive. Chen Chen said ruefully, That is to say, a quantum computer has the ability to make predictions based on nothing. Even without any clues, it can also predict using quantum space-time effects and this ability is something you dont have. Im indeed a little lacking in the ability to predict the future, but Ill kick its *ss in all other aspects! Little X puffed up her cheeks and said. That was not what I meant Chen Chen hurriedly smiled and assured her. I mean, if its quantum power is combined with your Prophet System, would it be possible to predict the past and the future more precisely and with a greater range? Hmm, thats true Little X then made a thoughtful face. Alright, dont be angry. I worded it wrongly. Chen Chen ruffled Little Xs hair. He had just stood up when Little X spoke again, Sir Godfather, Cheng Cao has something to report to you. Connect him. Chen Chen said decisively and at the same time, Cheng Caos voice rang out directly in the office. Boss Cheng Caos voice still sounded as stoic as always. As per your request, Ive found Wang Luo. Shes the deputy director of the political department in the Shangdu Branch of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. However, according to my investigation, she hasnt contacted Wang Xi in all her life and theres no such name as Wang Xi in all of her information. But the weird thing is that when I tracked down her mother Zhou Yuns address, I found that Zhou Yun only included herself in the household register, but the page of the head of the household was left empty, completely blank Chen Chen sighed secretly when he heard this. Of course, he knew why the main page of Zhou Yuns register was blank. Not only that Cheng Cao continued. Theres a lot of mens clothes in Zhou Yuns house, but Zhou Yun is unfazed by these clothes and can even be said to be ignoring them. So I explicitly ordered a subordinate to pretend to be friends with Zhou Yun and find out what she thinks. Only then did we discover Zhou Yuns impression was that she has always had those mens clothes and she doesnt know whom those clothes belonged to. And when my subordinate asked whom her husband was, Zhou Yun herself also displayed a moment of confusion, but this confusion quickly disappeared, and her subconscious seemed to automatically avoid these topics I see. Cao, continue to investigate and find out everything that you can. Chen Chen gave this order and then asked Little X to cut the call. Sir Godfather, are you still worried about Wang Xi? Little X asked apprehensively. Indeed. All the information about Wang Xi no longer exists in this world and even you will forget him. This kind of antimeme is really horrifying Chen Chen looked solemn. I dont know if Wang Xi is dead or if he had gone into hiding intentionally, let alone what the existence of the USB drive has to do with him, but there must be a terrible conspiracy in all this A conspiracy that spans more than 30 years and involves me, Zhao Shanhe, and even the owner of the USB flash drive before Zhao Shanhe Chen Chen continued. Moreover, I have a bigger question if the USB flash drive had existed in the world as early as thirty years ago, that is, at the time of Zhao Shanhe, has it always been in the form of a USB flash drive? Huh? Little X was stupefied when she heard Chen Chens words. After hearing this, she immediately realized that the earliest USB flash drives had only appeared in 1998 and the USB port only began to appear in 1996. In that case, before 1996, during the time of the last USB drive owner Zhao Shanhe, what kind of form did the USB flash drive take? Could it be that the USB flash drive can still change its form? Little X asked. Thats undetermined. Chen Chen shook his head. But havent you noticed? In Zhao Shanhes video, he didnt call the USB drive a USB drive, but used a more intuitive name, dimension key, right? Does this mean that when he was holding the USB flash drive, it didnt exist in the form of a USB drive? Besides Professor Wang Xis disappearance, theres almost no evidence that hes related to the USB flash drive, but the more this is the case, the more it means that theres a deep secret in all this, and this secret is probably extremely dangerous Having said this, Chen Chen suddenly thought of something. He said abruptly, By the way, I keep forgetting to check one thing. The file about Zhao Shanhe that you searched for, where is the server storing this file? Let me check. Little X closed her eyes and then opened them again. Ive found it. That server containing the file related to Zhao Shanhe is stored in the school server room of Shangdu Jiao Tong University. There are a total of six servers in this server room and the server with the file is No. 1, which is also the oldest server. The server was set up in 2003. The timing matches Chen Chen narrowed his eyes when he heard these words. Tell Cheng Cao to get that server and ship it over. Okay, Ill give the order now. Little X replied. Remember to tell Cheng Cao to be careful. Chen Chen continued. As far as I know, its likely to be the first thing that can withstand antimemetic erosion. If thats the case, the server itself is likely to have buried clues about Zhao Shanhe and its even more likely to house unknown dangers. After giving this warning, Chen Chen returned to his seat and fell into deep contemplation. While Northern America was abuzz due to This Man incident, Blacklight Biotechnology began to release an even more shocking piece of news in the entire Earth Federation. This news was outside Northern America and instantly suppressed the popularity of This Man, becoming headline news in all continents Blacklight Biotechnology announced to the world: The department of Biological Research Center in the Eco Science City, on 16 December 2024, had deciphered 99% of the cancer genetic chain and could now use genetically modified cell technology to cure all known human cancers! Once the news was announced, the entire world was in an uproar. If there were history books in this world, then in future history books, 2024 would be the first year that human beings formally eliminated cancer Following that, another update was also released due to political oppression by the Northern American Continent, Blacklight Biotechnology was determined, from this day onward, to withdraw their FDA applications for three cancer-targeted drugs namely, the targeted drugs for lung squamous cell carcinoma, triple-negative advanced breast cancer, and poorly differentiated advanced combined liver cancer. Phase III clinical trials in Los Angeles, Northern America, would also be suspended indefinitely. Chapter 426 - Cards on the Table FDA is the abbreviation for the Food and Drug Administration in Northern America. Any drugs that wanted to be officially approved in the Northern American market had to go through this application process. Most continents also had similar institutions such as Europes EDQM or Chinas NMPA. Blacklight Biotechnology had canceled the FDA application of three targeted drugs in Northern America, which meant that these three types of drugs were not about to enter the Northern American market. If these were ordinary drugs, no one would care about such an announcement. After all, if one drug was gone, there were always other drugs to substitute it and the FDA would not simply approve any Tom, Dick or Harry. The review process could take several years and the standards were extremely strict. Nevertheless, Blacklight Biotechnology was different. The drugs it had applied for were unique in the market. They were highly effective with a cancer cure rate of over 90%. Once these era-defining drugs were withdrawn from the Northern American market, the one who lost out would be Northern America. Therefore, after learning that the three targeted drugs would not hit the market in Northern America, the Northern American Department of State promptly protested, claiming that this was a monopoly, a sanction, and denied any intention of sanctioning Blacklight Biotechnology. The Northern American Continent, which had always been powerful, began to play the part of the victim and voiced a firm protest against Blacklight Biotechnology. [Blackwatch Corporation Refuses to Launch Their Highly Effective Drugs in Northern America. Following This Man Incident, the Northern American Authorities Suffer Another Heavy Blow!] Wall Street Journal. [Imposing Sanctions on the Worlds Foremost Economy With Just the Power of a Corporation, Domineering Side Exposed!] Tencent News. [Blackwatch Corporations Latest Announcement Claims That It Can Solve 136 Types of Cancers Known to All Humanity. Truth or Hogwash?] BBC Express. [After the Official Website of Blacklight Biotechnology Issued Two Announcements, the Entire Earth Federation Was Shocked!] UC Subscription. Furthermore, netizens all over the world were having a field day because of this incident. Whether it was on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook or the major forums, one could see discussions about this matter everywhere. [Has Blackwatch Corporation eliminated cancer? I dont believe it. If they say they have solved several of these cancers, I can still kinda believe it. Solved them all? Its too exaggerated.] [OP, didnt you see the announcement? They directly deciphered the cancer heredity chain at the genetic level. Got it? They cracked cancer at the source, it doesnt matter what kind of cancer it is.] [Person from China here. Ive finally realized what monopoly and dictatorship mean. Surely theyre being too harsh!] [Hehe, no matter how powerful this company is, it doesnt even have the fundamental principle that the whole world should work as one and openly discriminates against Northern Americans. This kind of company deserves to be sanctioned. Its best if they go bankrupt as soon as possible and then share the technology with all humankind. Chinese cyber-troopers, dont even bother wielding your pitchforks.] [Ive already blacklisted the idiot above me. They are using Chinese, yet even the sh*t they spew comes out the wrong way. Thanks for enriching my blacklist.] [Blacklight Biotechnology has recently been making headlines in the world many times. From a private company that nobody cares about to a pharmaceutical giant today, what has this company gone through?] [Rather than quarrel, why dont we just disperse. What does a battle between gods have to do with us peasants, lets just eat our popcorn and watch this unprecedented showdown.] As the two announcements continued to go viral, there were supporters and critics and the group of people suffering from cancer paid more attention to the first announcement. They urgently needed to know whether this news was true or false or a half-truth that Blackwatch Corporation deliberately exaggerated. Due to this, as the outcry became stronger, in the afternoon of the same day, the official website of Blacklight Biotechnology had issued a new announcement. This genetically modified cancer treatment technology would be reviewed and clinically tested in various countries within a week. Blacklight Biotechnology would not charge any fees, but would instead provide free medical treatments for participants in the clinical trials, striving to bring this new type of treatment to the market as efficiently as possible. As soon as this news came out, the officials of the Earth Federation Headquarters, who had been a little displeased with Blacklight Biotechnologys monopolistic decision, had nothing left to say. At this time, the uproar was not just happening internationally. Things were in chaos on Chen Chens side as well. Calls were blowing up his phone. The callers were all from the helms of major financial groups and chairman-level personnel of giant international corporations. Sir Godfather, the Blanc Financial Group has also called. Will you take the call? No. Sir Godfather, the Edwards family and the Alexander family are calling at the same time. Take the call? No. Sir Godfather, the President of the Earth Federation Representative Association No. Chen Chen lay back serenely in his chair, unwilling to answer any calls. He opened the secret network of Gods Forbidden Zone and saw that on the forum of Gods Forbidden Zone, several families were already cursing: sigma08Philip: [What is wrong with you? Im still going to such lengths to lobby the White House over here. How nice of you guys to drop an announcement like that! Yeah, just undo all the f*cking effort weve put in!] sigma03John: [Why didnt you notify us in advance? My stocks, f*ck!] sigma01SimonPeter: [Chen Chen, why dont you answer the phone? F*ck you!] [System notification: User sigma01 has been banned by the system for 10 minutes due to using strong language. Please pay attention to your words and behavior.] Seeing this, Chen Chen stood up languidly. He thought for a while and said, Little X, inform all the members of the Disciple Council that well have a holographic conference. Ill give them an hour to prepare. Very well. Little X nodded. A huge conference table instantly rose from under the floor. This was a massive table, about ten meters long and three meters wide, and there were rows of seats on both sides. Chen Chen went directly to the end of the conference table and sat down. In less than five minutes, as a beam of light flickered by, a middle-aged man with gray hair appeared out of thin air on Chen Chens right side. The man angrily plopped down into a chair and at the same time, he asked, Chen Chen, what the h*ll are you doing? Do you know how much the Northern American stock market has fallen after all this?!!! Chen Chen spread his hands and said innocently, Sorry. If I give a similar order next time, Ill notify the Northern American financial groups in advance. Theres a next time? The middle-aged man was practically blowing his top. If it had not been a holographic image in front of him, he would even rush forward to beat up Chen Chen. This isnt the time to talk, Mr. Edwards. Chen Chen smiled. When everyone arrives, Ill give you all an explanation. On hearing these words, the middle-aged man in front of Chen Chen cooled down slightly. He said crossly, Very well, then Ill wait for the explanation from Your Excellency Chen Chen! Over time, men with different faces appeared at the conference table. These men looked at each other and began to share some less important information. In the end, after one hour was up, eleven of the original twelve Disciples had shown up. In addition, several families did not have the qualifications to become Disciples, but who still had some significant influence as plutocrats. With a group of busy important people like these, such a high attendance rate was a rarity. The Muhammad family of the Sand Continent sent a message saying that they wouldnt participate in this meeting. Little X notified from the side. Forget it then. This matter has nothing to do with them anyway. Chen Chen nodded and then looked at everyone present with great interest. This is the first holographic conference were having after we developed the holographic projection technology, right? What do you think of it? Its brilliant. A chubby middle-aged man said with a smile, Its just that the price is a bit steep at one million USD for a set. And if I want to cover a larger room, Id need a more powerful environmental holographic simulator. Lets cut to the chase. The gray-haired middle-aged man interrupted the chit chat between the two. He said gloomily, Chen Chen, its time for you to give us an explanation. Give us? Chen Chen pretended to be mystified. Who does this us include? Me! A sturdy man said, We, the Alexander family, need an explanation. And our Rodriguez family, too. Another middle-aged man chimed in. Me as well. The helm of the Edwards family added. We three Disciples in Northern America plus the Felix family and the Blanc family who are also in attendance are we not worthy of getting an explanation? Of course, you are. Chen Chen nodded and his expression gradually turned grave. But what I want to know is why none of you contacted me when the Northern American Continent wanted to arrest me illegally? Dont tell me you didnt know anything about it! We didnt know Paul from the Blanc family quickly replied as he waved his hand, That was an ultimate secret meeting and it was no longer under the consortias influence. Although the political parties in Northern America have the support of financial groups, surely we cant possibly intervene in politics directly? Yes, Paul is right. The helm of the Edwards family nodded. Its easy enough for us to lobby the senior officials. This is what were good at. But whether they listen or not, its not like our word is the law. Whats more, no one can prove that the video is true. The helm of the Alexander family said at the same time, Didnt the authorities dispel the rumors, saying that the video was forged? Chen Chen rolled his eyes upon hearing this. What if I say that video is real? Impossible! Alexander immediately replied, Chen Chen, youre too rash. You shouldnt break ties with Northern America. And because you did so without letting us know, you made us suffer a huge loss. Chen Chen laughed icily when he heard this. He stood up and put his hands in his pockets. Stop talking nonsense. If this video hadnt been released, Id have been secretly arrested by your officials a long time ago. By then, youd suffer an even greater loss. Hey, at this point, I have to mention something. At this moment, Norman, the head of the Foster family in Europe, who had just watched all this indifferently, suddenly frowned. Why were you in such a rush to release the cure for all cancers? So whats the point of us joining Gods Forbidden Zone? Just to become your mobsters for free? At first I didnt want to release them. Chen Chen immediately explained, But if I dont do so, how can we withstand Northern Americas sanctions? If you want to blame someone, blame these consortia in Northern America. Bullsh*t! Several people promptly responded. Whats more, I dont give preferential treatment. Chen Chen ignored the retorts from the crowd and continued. Didnt we also develop a machine that can repair most injuries and the aging of the human body? This machine is called the Blacklight Fully-automated Medical Platform. You just need to lie in it and itll heal all your diseases and scars, including diabetes and high blood pressure. Not only that, but this medical platform can also repair damaged cells, return your body to its peak state, and give you a life span of more than two hundred years. Plus, its hundreds of times gentler than the age-reversal treatment program, without any risk of failure Sounds a bit like Medpod 3000 in Elysium. Edwards suddenly said mockingly. Well, its not that powerful, but were still improving it. We hope to achieve the same effect as Medpod 3000 in a few decades. Chen Chen waved his hand and replied. Hearing these words, most of the people suddenly looked rather tempted. Norman asked, Is it reliable? You may do the same as before and send your collateral relatives to give it a go. Chen Chen answered. Very good! Seeing that Chen Chen was so confident, everyone immediately beamed. After all, since they had witnessed the magic of Blacklight Biotechnology, a seed had long been planted in their hearts, a seed that said A Blacklight product is a quality product. It was a confidence that came from them using Blacklight Biotechnology products countless times without any side effects. Even Edwards and the other Northern American families that had been dealt a blow looked more pacified. If everything that this magical darling said was true, it meant that the age-reversal treatment program had become a backward medical technology. These people had regained a new round of lifespan privilege. Speaking of this, Chen Chens expression suddenly became solemn. If possible, I dont want to fall out with Northern America. This is an act that will hurt me almost as much as it hurts them, so I hope to be able to sign an agreement with the Northern American authorities to stop the mutual sanctions. Asking the worlds largest political body to sign an agreement with a private company only you can think up something like that. Everyone could not help rolling their eyes. After all, no matter how powerful Blacklight Biotechnology was, even if it was far stronger than their financial groups, no one would imagine that Blacklight Biotechnology had the same status as a continent. I know this is a bit unrealistic, but Chen Chen thought for a while and suddenly dropped a bombshell. What if I say I can solve the recent ruckus caused by This Man incident? What! What?! Wha-at?!! Everyone was flabbergasted. Many people stood up as if frightened and Edwards shuddered all over. So, did you cause This Man incident? Your Excellency Edwards, you can eat cr*p, but you shouldnt talk cr*p. Chen Chen wore an innocent look, spreading his hands in an unfazed manner. Why must the person who can solve This Man incident also be the culprit? Thats too far-fetched. We merely analyzed the picture of This Man and worked out a kind of password that would cure the effects of This Man. Everyone looked skeptical. At this moment, they suddenly recalled that This Man incident occurred just after Blacklight Biotechnology fell out with Northern America. This was a bit too coincidental and they were reminded of the high-tech stuff that Blacklight Biotechnology kept pumping out. Maybe there was something that could affect the brain waves, causing people to keep dreaming about This Man? The reason they had not considered this before was that This Man incident was so peculiar. At present, more than 10 million people had claimed to have dreamed of This Man. Chaos had broken out in several cities. This group of people spread the picture of This Man everywhere, using methods that cost nothing. If this trend continued, within a few months, the entire Northern American Continent would collapse completely Now, having made the connection between This Man and Blacklight Biotechnology, many of them were suddenly aware of the cause and effect. The only question now was how Chen Chen managed to pull this off Still, in any case, they were secretly startled. This was because, with a weapon like This Man, the destruction that Blacklight Biotechnology could wreak was something that no country or continent could bear. No wonder Chen Chen dared to challenge Northern America, for Blacklight Biotechnology did have the power to compete with the countrys political system. Blacklight Biotechnology was ready to become more than a mere company and start using more forceful methods Chapter 427 - Launching the Military Industry As the meeting ended, everyone withdrew from the holographic meeting, filled with suspicion. The role of these Northern American financial groups was to act as a messenger, passing on the requests of Blacklight Biotechnology to the higher authorities in Northern America, and then act as lobbyists. Only Chen Chen remained in his chair without moving. This move has its risks. Little X walked up from the side. She could not help but sound a little worried. If Northern America doesnt intend to compromise and directly impose military sanctions on us under the pretext that we have weapons of mass destruction, what should we do? When Chen Chen heard this, not only was he unconcerned, but he even looked puzzled. That wont happen because after This Man incident, they will start to suspect that we may indeed have weapons of mass destruction Furthermore, coupled with the fact that we have special drugs to fight cancer, this trump card is enough for the Earth Federation to prevent the Northern American Continent from attacking us. If the Northern American Continent wants to quell This Man incident, it must agree to our proposed Mutual Cessation of Sanctions Agreement. Chen Chen thought for a while and continued. Of course, were not ruling out the possibility that they may stake everything in one desperate throw, disregard the opposition of the Earth Federation, and attack us, but the probability is very low. After all, in capitalism, preventing losses is always the most important thing, so revenge can only come second. Theres no problem that cannot be solved with money. So, what if they resort to our least preferred method? Little X continued to ask. Let us battle then. Chen Chen suddenly took a deep breath and turned to look at the sunset outside the floor-to-ceiling window. His eyes flashed decisively. Since ancient times, only by overthrowing old rules can one establish new rules. If Northern America wants to attack, its not like were powerless to resist. Whether its the T-virus or the black goo virus or even memetic weapons, any of them have the power to destroy any continent in the world The dusks amber rays shone in, overlaying Chen Chens body with an aura of golden brilliance. When he was talking about destroying any continent in the world within one month, Chen Chen did not look murderous but instead wore a rueful look. However, the only price to pay would be the great decline of human civilization and Id become the worlds number one public enemy Im not an enlightened person nor am I a saint. I used to be just an ordinary mortal until the USB flash drive changed my life and everything about me In the beginning, I wanted to gain power that transcends worldly concerns, so I created a company and made money. Only by making a lot of money can I get electricity. With electricity, I can get enough power. But when I got enough power, I found that Im not satisfied and I still want more Human needs are divided into five stages from low to high physiological needs, safety needs, belonging needs, esteem needs, and self-actualization needs. Now Ive been pursuing self-actualization and the goal of my needs is to protect the people around me, for my parents to live forever like me. I dont want to see them die and I dont want to live alone in this world. This is the reason Im going all out in promoting the humankind anti-aging project. And you dont want them to be unhappy. Little X added. If you become the enemy of the world, even victory wont matter, because you dont think they will acknowledge a son whos like the devil. Am I right, Sir Godfather? Yes. Chen Chen nodded. He exhaled, turned around again, and stared into Little Xs eyes. Because Im pragmatic, I can compromise and even suffer a little, but this doesnt mean that I wont resist when facing a life-and-death crisis, got it? Little X nodded seriously. Chen Chen smiled, turned, and walked outside the office. Lets go and inspect the aces up our sleeve. If possible, I can even submit a purchase list to the Earth Federation. Its time for our military factory to open for business With that said, he directly stepped into the elevator and headed toward the bottom of the building. Half an hour later, Chen Chen brought Little X and stepped into the industrial zone in the southern part of the Eco Science City. If one looked at it from above, one would find that in the southern part of the industrial park, another huge, towering industrial area of the same scale had been built. Still, it was different from the previous heavy industry. This unfinished industrial park belonged to the military industry. By the side of the military industrial park, a vacant lot covering more than 10,000 acres with high levels of cement was paved. This was the aerospace base that had just been built recently. At this time, the interior of the aerospace base was in full swing. A rocket support platform with a height of about 100 meters was being built little by little. Ordinary corporations were not allowed to dabble in the military industry. The ones that could dabble in this field were either state-owned enterprises or had military backgrounds. However, for Chen Chen who practically ruled over Namibia, this was not a problem. Still, thinking of this, Chen Chens expression suddenly became gloomy. These politicians, whom he had fed until they were practically sweating money, had unexpectedly undermined him at a critical moment. After this incident was over, the Namibian Parliament might need some cleaning up. The vehicle drove into the military industrial park that was under construction. Outside of a factory that was fully built and guarded by dozens of Black Knights, Chen Chen got out of the vehicle and walked in slowly. At present, weve designed the assembly line for four pulse weapons, namely, the imitation Cousar Crowe Pulse Rifle, the imitation Asgari Chemrail, the imitation Cousar Crowe Sky Sweeper, and the smallest Gauss pistol that is most suitable for carrying. Looking at the slowly operating assembly line in the fully automated, unmanned factory, Little X casually explained, The imitation Cousar Crowe Pulse Rifle, a powerful weapon in Elysium, is a standard weapon for an individual soldier. I remember youve tried it out when it was first produced. Its rate of fire, power, and range are far beyond anything in this era. Not only can it hit people, but it also has strong destructive effects against armored vehicles. Very good, the assembly line has started production. Chen Chen glanced at this rifle that looked like a large AUG rifle and nodded. Are all the Black Knights equipped with this? Yes, they are. 5,000 pieces have also been prepared as a stockpile, enough to start a local war. Little X replied. Then, Little X took Chen Chen to the second assembly line, where a large rifle with a length of more than one meter was being produced. The imitation Asgari Chemrail is likewise an individual weapon, but it has a range of more than five kilometers and kinetic energy of up to 12 megajoules, which surpasses all anti-material sniper rifles. Its able to paralyze ninety percent of vehicles in just one shot. The sniper rifle in the pulse rifle series? Very good. Chen Chen made a mild evaluation. The imitation Cousar Crowe Sky Sweeper is a single-soldier portable air defense system, which can launch the corresponding type of missile. The launch system is equipped with a 0.5 watt, 3.73 MHz ignition device, and the gun is equipped with a 50x zoom thermal-imaging aim. It can be aimed at targets outside the atmosphere. The third assembly line had a weapon similar to a rocket launcher, but with a greater sci-fi aesthetic. In terms of missiles, weve produced the ultra-long-range intelligent missiles in Elysium. It has four stages of rocket boosters and each stage has a gravity adjustment device that can automatically adjust to the mass change caused by the separation of the booster during flight, keeping the warhead at a constant speed in flight. Not only that, but it also has independent infrared and thermal imaging guidance systems as well as long-distance environmental sensors and portable digital barriers, which can perfectly simulate the Coriolis effect. Thus, its able to automatically adjust the deviation when passing through the atmosphere and achieve precision detonation, effectively hitting air targets. Following Little Xs explanation, this miniature missile, only as long as an arm, was also presented to Chen Chen. Have you tested it? Chen Chens expression shifted uncertainly when he saw this missile. No, but through simulation calculations, I can roughly calculate that even the fastest-flying intercontinental missiles in the world and the highest-flying satellites in the world can be shot down with this. Little X said confidently, That is to say, as long as our Black Knights are equipped with this kind of individual air defense system, the missiles and aircraft from Northern America will no longer be able to approach our Eco Science City! The last one is the Gauss pistol produced through the miniaturization of the pulse rifle. The Gauss pistol was a firearm similar to the Desert Eagle. Its entire body was silvery white. If one did not know that it was a pulse weapon, one would think it was a work of art. Although the power of this pistol was amazing, compared to the first three weapons, Chen Chen barely took any notice of it. After visiting the assembly line of the four weapons, Chen Chen suddenly wore a thoughtful expression. The pulse weapons can only be used by us, at least for a period of time. It can just be us. After all, there are normal-temperature superconducting materials in the pulse weapons, which is something momentous enough to trigger an industrial revolution. Now isnt the time to announce the normal-temperature superconductor. However, a single-soldier air defense system like the Cousar Crowe Sky Sweeper can be weakened and then sold to countries that need them Little X quietly listened to Chen Chens decisions. Indeed, the imitation Cousar Crowe Sky Sweeper did not include a pulse system. Most of its black technology was added to the missile, such as the perfect simulation of the Coriolis effect. This was a directional aiming system that could automatically adjust its deviation and trajectory, enough to turn traditional coordinate measurement and wind speed testing into a pile of waste paper. As for the missile, we must also weaken it so that it loses the ability to attack space targets. After all, no one wants an intercontinental missile that can be launched wantonly. Chen Chen continued. And we can also sell the technology in the missile separately, such as the directional aiming system, the long-distance environmental sensing system, and the digital barrier system, that have exceeded current standards. We can sell them so that the Earth Federation will gradually recognize our strength. It also has the effect of diminishing the superiority of air forces in dominant regions, inducing a new space race. Besides, I remember that weve also obtained a new rifling technique from the dimension of Elysium? Suddenly, Chen Chen asked again. Yes, the new rifling technology is a major improvement over the traditional rifling technology since the 19th century. It enables firearms to shoot at twice the traditional muzzle velocity, with higher firing accuracy. However, the new rifling technology requires extremely high industrial precision, to the degree of nanometers. For the more advanced pulse rifles, this new type of rifling is meaningless. Little X replied. Very good. It seems that besides the sky sweeper, we can have one more product. Chen Chen clapped his hands. He thought about it and finally decided aloud, However, before submitting the list to the Earth Federation, we must also produce some sky sweepers and intelligent missiles. This is what we need most at the moment. Got it! Little X nodded at once. The only shortcomings of Blacklight Biotechnology were air superiority and long-range strike capabilities. Since it could not achieve air superiority, it was enough to prevent the other side from achieving air superiority. With this kind of sky sweeper, even air supremacy strikes from Northern America could be resisted. After leaving this tightly guarded factory, Little X continued to explain, In addition to the factory used to produce weapons, we also have a factory that will specialize in the mass production of GS Combat Suits, only they dont perform as excellently as the combat suits in Gantz. Little X pointed to a factory under construction. This huge building is the factory for producing the GS Combat Suits, but because it hasnt been fully built yet, the assembly line is still located in the industrial park for now. When the construction for all the factories in the military industrial park has been completed, it will be moved over. What about this one? Chen Chen looked at another factory that had also been built. This factory was more tightly guarded than the weapons factory. This is the android factory of our Project Xingtian. Little X replied. Chen Chen understood instantly. You mean XTN-003? Yes. After Little Xs answer, the two entered the factory. The moment they entered the equipment workshop, Chen Chen suddenly saw rows of robots with mechanical appearances, which were like one-third NS-5, one-third T-800, and one-third Alita. They were lying on the assembly line. If anyone familiar with Xingtians bionic prosthesis project were here, they would also notice that these robots bore a resemblance to Xingtians prosthetic limbs. Presently, the number of T-virus Black Knights that can participate in war is only 1,600. This number is still too small. Therefore, if you want to go to war, its necessary to use combat robots. Chen Chen nodded. This robot was a fusion of the advantages taken from various robotic bodies in several movies such as Terminator, Elysium, I, Robot, and Alita. In addition to what they had learned from Project Xingtian, this was the resulting ultra- amalgamation that was designed. This robot had a skull-like head. The inside of the body was a titanium alloy structure and the outside was covered by a translucent plastic shell. These plastic shells could also be replaced by bulletproof armor. As for the name of this robot, Chen Chen had extracted a letter from each movie, so it was eventually called the XTN-003 Security Robot. Chapter 428 - Evolution of G-Virus Why was it called a Security Robot? Little Xs initial design philosophy when creating them was for them to be equipped to deal with the most common forms of threats in the world. This included different levels of danger ranging from war, general peacekeeping, and public security. These robots were also designed to adapt to the most vicious environments. They were able to withstand extreme temperatures and pressures, carry out mining, space, deep-sea operations, and many such endeavors. They were a class of multi-faceted robots with a variety of applications. Simply put, they could use a gun as well as they could use tools. Should we install artificial skin on the outer shells to disguise their identity as robots? Little X asked suddenly. When the Blanc Consortium came to Eco Science City previously, they also met the receptionist on the ground floor of the office building that was an Android. It was an XTN-003 model security robot with the latest bionic skin installation developed by Blacklight Biotechnology. It was designated there for a single purpose and that was to survey peoples reactions to Android so that further modifications could be made based on the collected data. No need, bionic skin tends to be very fragile in actual combat. Chen Chen turned down the suggestion without a second thought. If the bionic skin was exposed, itd give an inadvertent impression of us having bad intentions. After all, why bother installing bionic skin unless we have something to hide from the general public? Alright Little X nodded meekly. XTN-003 robots will have to be downgraded slightly as well. Chen Chen reminded. We can also take this opportunity to roll out the Four-phase Era. You remember what this project is about? Little X answered candidly, Oh, the first era would be the VR era, breaking through the traditional shackles of VR and upgrading its range from merely audio-visual to encapsulating all five senses. The second era is the artificial intelligence era, fully commercializing the use of AI and inducting it into common households Correct answer! Chen Chen noted with pleasure, If we want to commercialize the use of robots, it should first be inducted for military use. After all, the usual trend of technology tends to be widespread military usage before proper commercialization. Which means its now the era for a slightly tweaked version of XTN-003 security robot to enter the military field Little X thought that this was a sensible approach as their appearance would not come off as completely left field, seeing that Blacklight Biotechnology already had Project Xingtian as a foundation. The rollout of the military-use robots was a natural progression in the grand scheme of things. As for whether a robot fully fitted with bipedal mobility functions would knock the boots off the current AI realm, that was not something Little X had to concern herself with. Also, whats the situation with the drones? Chen Chen asked. For the drones, were currently at the Mark-005 model, its well adapted for offense, defense, and reconnaissance tasks. Little X answered, Currently, our team of engineers headed by Mark Dawson is addressing the problem with the wind tunnels. Once they have come up with a proper solution, I expect us to start constructing manned-aircraft very soon. The window is still too narrow. Chen Chen frowned. From the establishment of Blacklight Biotechnology, we have only had three years to develop our foundation. We still havent launched the Gantz satellites to space and still need to enlist SpaceXs help to globalize. Judging by the current situation, itll take some time before we can establish space supremacy. Chen Chen decided to phone Qian Wenhuan. Old Qian, I want you to assemble a small team composed of our boldest members and have them make a trip to the Earth Federation headquarters. Ill send you an elaborate list later, what this group will need to do is to advertise the products on this list to the participating countries in the Federation If the goal was to advertise, why not go with regular advertising and making announcements on the official website? Qian Wenhuan could not help but wonder. However, his years of accumulated experience up till this point had taught him to not ask unnecessary questions, he accepted the task without any qualms. Shortly after that, he received a fax of the mentioned list on his office printer. After going through the list in its entirety, a pool of sweat immediately broke out on Qian Wenhuans back. He immediately understood why this list of products could not be advertised using regular methods After giving the order to Qian Wenhuan, Chen Chen proceeded to leave the military industrial park. Before leaving, he took one last look at the launch tower being built in the aerospace base, the sense of longing in his eyes evident as he did so. Although he had many enemies lurking around each corner, it was only going to be a temporary issue. Once all five Gantz satellites were launched, there would no longer be any blind spots on Earth! With this in mind, Chen Chen finally left the military industrial park. Are we headed for the Spire now? Little X asked. Chen Chen checked the time and shook his head. Were not heading there today. Any new developments in the Spire laboratory? Of course. Xiao X replied, We havent made much progress on the conventional weapons end during this period, but we have made good progress for the biological and chemical weapons Remember the three types of G viruses we have produced? Chen Chen nodded firmly as he entered the car. The three types of G-virus Little X spoke of were the fused product of the black goo from Prometheus and the T-virus from Resident Evil. The three new forms of viruses were respectively named G-001, G-002, and G-003. The initial G-001 virus was an airborne virus that could infect nearly all carbon-based life. After the death of its host, a new life will emerge from the deceased hosts body. Little X described, And now, G-001 has been further enhanced into the G-101. In addition to transmission via air aerosol, its also heat-resistant, cold-resistant, and viable in dry and humid conditions. It also can enter a hibernation state in its environment in the event that it cannot find any habitable host, in which case it can survive for more than thirty days. It can be carried across oceans by riding currents Chen Chen felt his heart skip a beat as he listened to Little Xs description, he quickly cut her off. Isnt that a little overboard? Hm, you mean Little X turned to look at Chen Chen in a state of confusion. Destroy it. Chen Chen ordered without the slightest inclination of doubt, Theres no good reason for such a virus to exist, lets just preserve the original G-001. Oh. Little X did not have much to say about that, she only nodded before continuing. Then lets look at the second variant. As Little X said this, she made a gesture that pulled up a stack of pictures and analytical data on Chen Chens phone. The second variant is the G-002. Its not as infectious and doesnt possess airborne qualities, but its ability to mutate inside the host is enhanced. This current model is the G-211 which is no longer susceptible to having its mutation effects being reversed, therefore the host will not experience effects of degeneration after being infected. The infected victim will only evolve into a more advanced life form. Following Little Xs narration, a video appeared on the screen of Chen Chens phone. The video showed a rabbit injected with a tube of red liquid. Immediately after that, the snow-white rabbit began wailing in pain and hopping around in a volatile manner. As it continued to hop with fiercer momentum every time, its legs suddenly burst open. Large veins of bright red muscles broke through the layer of snow-white fur! Squeak. The rabbits wailing was only growing louder This was merely the beginning. The video was sped up at ten times its usual speed. As the rabbit continued to hop around, another foot burst open in a similar fashion, ripping through its thick hair to reveal a large clump of muscle! Soon after, two jet-black spikes suddenly popped out of the elbow joints of its two forelimbs. These bones grew out of nowhere. When the rabbits body could no longer support the rapid changes it was experiencing, its skin slowly melded into a hardened layer of carapace, the tips of its hair turned into needle-point thorns! Within an hour, the originally docile rabbit turned into a bloody-eyed, spike carapace rabbit baring sharp fangs that were considerably larger In addition to the G virus, this injection is also supplemented with a considerable amount of energy for consumption. Little X noted. This is amusing. Chen Chen nodded vehemently. This injection can be used to produce supersoldiers, how does it affect the conscience though? Will the host preserve its conscience when undergoing this rapid genetic mutation? It will be difficult Little X shook her head. Its a complete mutation that affects the brain cells and nerves as well, it wont be easy to preserve the conscience of the host. Thats a shame, we can continue developing it in this manner still. Chen Chen said, feeling slightly disappointed. Alright, that brings us to the final and third variant Little X continued. The G-003. Its original trait enabled its host to grow more than ten times in size with just a small amount of energy. The reason for this phenomenon is that upon being infected with G-003, a unique organ grows along the skin of its host that allows it to replenish itself by absorbing moisture and microorganisms from the air. Moreover, a large number of high-energy covalent bonds are generated in the hosts blood, which directly reacts with the nitrogen in the air to expand its outer shell. All of these factors lead to a rapid gain in mass. Currently, G-003 has been improved and optimized which results in the newer rendition of G-322. Its absorption rate is further optimized and allows the growth of its host within minutes, isnt that astounding? Little X chuckled as another footage appeared on Chen Chens phone. Just like with the previous footage, the subject was a lab rabbit. Just like the previous rabbit, this rabbit was injected with a dark red syringe of liquid. Unlike the previous rabbit that transformed into an unrecognizable monstrosity, the body of this rabbit started to emit clouds of white mist following the injection. When the mist scattered, the skin of the rabbit had turned into jet-black scales. It also grew sharp fangs and had a viciousness in its eyes that was never present there before. What was more notable was that it had become several times larger, nearly the size of a basketball However, upon closer inspection, one could still recognize that it was a rabbit. A muscular mass of rabbit! Hiss Chen Chen could not resist holding his breath upon witnessing this sight although this was not his first time seeing something like this. If not for his thorough understanding of the underlying principle, he might have believed that this was fake. After all, reality was unlike what was usually depicted in movies. Movies always showed humans instantly growing from the size of an ordinary human to a giant three meters tall and weighing more than a thousand pounds. Something like this was impossible in reality. It would violate the law of conservation of mass and energy. What happened to this rabbit seemed to have defied this law as well. However, if this rabbit was put into an enclosed environment for detailed reading to be conducted, it should be quickly noted that despite the sharp increase of the rabbits mass, the total mass of the enclosed space remains completely unaltered. This isnt the most astounding part. Theres another added quality to the modified G-322 Little X suddenly noted. What quality? Chen Chen asked as he continued to pay close attention to the footage. He saw that the footage was being fast-forwarded and after nearly an hour passed, the enlarged rabbit began to emit a cloud of white mist again. While this was happening, it started to shed off its shell! Under Chen Chens watchful gaze, the giant mass of rabbit looked like it was deflating. It started to shed layers of skin along with its new sharp teeth. After half an hour of this tedious process, the monster rabbit had returned to its original form. What was distinctly different about the rabbit that had returned to its regular size was that it was now incredibly skinny and frail. It had shed off nearly all of its hair. All that remained was a thin film of silky skin like that of a newborn Chen Chen was deeply amused by what he had witnessed. This has surpassed all biological knowledge currently known to mankind. Little X said, I suspect that this is because this type of G-virus may have produced a specific set of collective conscience that manages to combine itself with the hosts conscience. This in turn grants the host an ability to revert to its original form Chen Chen squinted his eyes and noted. I wouldnt know about this collective conscience but what I can tell is that from the beginning until the end, the aggressiveness displayed by this rabbit hardly compares to the previous one. Thats right. Little X noted enthusiastically. I was initially concerned that this was an outlier so I made sure to conduct several other experiments on other animals, which includes lab rats and gorillas. The results were the same every time, wherein they became giants and reverted to their original shape within an hour However, the animals that revert to their original form become very sluggish. Their entire body seemed hollowed out, losing up to 90% of the fats and energy content. Their skin was reformed as well. Most notably, after dissecting their brains, I noticed that the condition of their brain was flawlessly preserved to a point where it was almost unbelievable. This G-322 variant virus is like the transformation drugs you see depicted in movies, it has wondrous qualities Chapter 429 - Enlistment In a coastal villa by the bay of Eco Science City, two men were seated opposite each other. Between the two men was a square table with a set of chess arranged on top of it. The two of them were immersed in continuous thought as they sat together at the table. It should be noted that these men looked extremely alike. It was as if they were a pair of siblings. However, they were not siblings, but a pair of father and son instead. The father was none other than James Watson and his accompanying member was his son, Watson Jr. It had been three months since James Watsons operation. Over the last three months, not only had James Watson fully recovered but he had also received the age-reversal treatment and reverted his body to his prime condition in his forties. His son, Watson Jr. underwent the same treatment as well. Currently, the two of them were employed at the Eco Science City as research members. James Watson was even directly promoted to the rank of a research professor. However, there were no signs of joy on Watson Jrs complexion. He instead had a cloud of gloom cast over his face. A little over two months ago, shortly after his father had recovered from the operation, he received the terrible news that his son, Bruno was dead. The body was found in the sewers of Chicago. It was presumed to be the fallout of a turf war between gangs. Watson Jr. had to suffer the great pain of seeing his child die earlier than himself. He promptly decided to have the rest of his family settled into Eco Science City. Look at it this way, my son. Watson advised when he saw the somber display, Everybody dies eventually. Besides, dont you have two other sons? Now that theyre here, things will get better Maybe. Watson Jr. responded with a brief nod and made a move with the king chess piece. While the father and son were dueling, there were suddenly robust rounds of chatter coming from the entrance of the villa. It was immediately followed by hectic footsteps quickly drawing closer to where the two of them were. They heard the sound of knuckles tapping against the door to the study. Come in! Watson Jr. called out. Immediately, an old lady poked her head through the gap of the door. Theres a black man outside who wants to meet Watson. He wants to meet my father? Watson Jr. turned to the old lady and asked suspiciously. Oh, I almost forgot. Watson suddenly perked up and checked the time. He tapped his head clumsily and chuckled. Its been so long since I got into a working routine. Someone phoned me yesterday and told me that Im supposed to start heading a project from today on. Is that true? Congratulations, Dad. Watson Jr. was delighted to hear this. It had to be the decision of the upper management of Blacklight Biotechnology to have Watson lead a project. This was a sign that they were confident in Watsons abilities. Regardless of the politics behind it, this could only be a good thing for the Watson family. The two of them shared a warm embrace before Watson turned to the old lady waiting for further orders at the door. Quickly escort him inside, tell them that Ill be right there after I change. After approximately ten minutes, Watson adjusted his bionic eyes properly before stepping out with Watson Jr. They immediately saw a man in a suit seated on a sofa in the living room. Mr. James Watson, good to see you! Upon meeting Watson, the black man immediately got up and shook Watsons hands enthusiastically. He proceeded to produce an identification card. Im Tom, the deputy director of Blackwatch Research Institute. Its a pleasure to meet you. Its a pleasure to meet you as well. Watson accepted the handshake. Are you here to formally induct me? Yes, I have a very special project to assign to you. Tom noted passionately. Its a very, very, very cool project. Well Strictly speaking, its not me assigning this to you, its the orders of the upper management. Its clear to me that they hold you in high esteem. We can discuss the particulars on our way there. Alright. Watson turned to the others. I wont be having lunch at home today. He then proceeded to leave the villa with this man named Tom. There was already a vehicle parked outside the villa waiting for the two of them. After they entered, Tom drove them to the city center. Is there any more information? Id like to know what this project assigned to me entails. Watson asked in an attempt to break the ice, Especially considering that it has been several decades since I conducted any research, Im not even confident if I can step up to this task. Im sure youll regain your form very quickly. Tom answered, slightly distracted, Actually, even Im not sure what sector the research youre in charge of belongs to. Im only tasked with bringing you to the place, Im not informed of the other details. Hm? What do you mean? Watson was startled by this. Arent you the deputy director of the research center? Thats just the title the company has given me. Tom shrugged nonchalantly. My actual position is what youd describe to be the inductor of God Forbidden Zones Research Institute. Im in charge of bringing in newly recruited research members to the Spire for their first time. Watsons confusion was slowly growing, he fixed his gaze on the driver, Tom. What Gods Forbidden Zone? Whats this about a spire? Uh, theres a lot to go into and I dont usually go through the effort of explaining. Youll understand everything soon enough. Tom replied, But since we have nothing better to do, let me give you a brief introduction. Gods Forbidden Zone is a private, confidential organization backed by dozens of financial groups. This organization is hidden from the public view, its primary agenda is to extend the human lifespan. This comes in the form of technologies such as brain restoration technology and age-reversal treatment that youve gone through yourself. The recently launched cancer-targeted drugs is one of the many technologies developed by Gods Forbidden Zone as well. So, youre saying that the corporation Blacklight Biotechnology is essentially a cover for Gods Forbidden Zone? Watson was baffled to hear this. No, itd be more accurate to say that Blacklight Biotechnology is a corporation under the wing of Gods Forbidden Zone. Tom laughed. Stunning, isnt it? Does it feel like opening a window to a brand new world? If what youre saying is true, then thats indeed a shocking relegation. Watson noted solemnly. In other words, would you say that its even more prestigious than the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory that I was once a director of? How can Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory even compare anyway? How many projects do they have ongoing? How many funds are involved? Tom curled his lips in disdain. The Spire youre about to head to is the rightful world-class laboratory. There are more than thirty ongoing projects, the capital ranges into tens of billions of dollars. Theres not a single laboratory in this world that can match its scale That many? Watson could not believe what he was hearing. How come Ive never heard of a laboratory of such massive scale? If its a secret laboratory, where does it obtain the necessary funding? Upon noting his passengers baffled expression, Toms smile only grew wider as he relished in the situation. Youre about to find out Shortly after that, Tom brought them to the city center and parked at the largest commercial center in Eco Science City Blacklight Plaza. Alright, please come with me, Mr. Watson. Tom was the first to exit the vehicle. He then led Watson to the elevator. Watson followed after, still slightly suspicious. Upon entering the elevator, Tom ignored the row of buttons beside him. Instead, he looked up and stared into the surveillance camera. Soon after, there was a digitally generated voice of a female. Identity verified C1-grade administrative staff Tom Edward, mission confirmation escorting James Watson into A001 Spire Experimental Base, commencing transportation. The elevator began to move with a rumble following the brief announcement. To Watsons surprise, the elevator started to move downward instead of upward! After what seemed like ten seconds, the elevator came to a stop again. The door opened to reveal a well-illuminated subway station. The subway station took up a fair amount of space. The reason Watson identified it as a subway station was because he saw two trams parked on the track with the Blacklight Biotechnology logo printed in the front. On the platform, he saw two men in black uniforms, holding a strange firearm that he could not recognize. They stood upright, unmoving. This place is The bewilderment in Watsons eyes was growing wider. He looked at the large subway station and noted the piles of supplies stacked by the platform. He had a hard time describing what he was seeing. Again, it was Tom taking the lead. He opened the door to one of the trams and made an inviting gesture at Watsons direction. Mr. Watson, dont stand there all day, we have work to do. Watson stuttered a little before stepping onto the tram. The interior of the tram was generously spacious. There were three rows of luxurious seating enough to fit ten passengers. There was no pilot cabin since it was an automated tram. At the head of the tram was a giant LCD monitor. It started playing a video the moment the two of them entered. Watson stumbled into a random seat, still confused, while Tom beside him was extremely familiar with the procedures. He immediately went to the end of the tram and found two disposable cups beside a beverage machine before turning to ask, Do you want Coke or Sprite or coffee, Fanta? A cup of hot coffee please, thank you. Watson replied. After that, he felt the tram jolt, signaling that it was starting to move. The tram proceeded to head into the pitch-black tunnel. The logo of Blacklight Biotechnology was printed on the disposable cup that Watson was holding. He immediately downed two large gulps and forced the steaming hot coffee down his throat to recover his composure. He glanced to his side and noticed there were no windows on the side of the tram. It was just the logo of Blacklight. The tram was completely enclosed. Theres nothing to be concerned about, buddy. Tom patted Watson on the shoulder like they were close acquaintances. I know this is crazy but believe me, youre going to like what you see. Our goal is to construct the holy grounds of biological science in the first place. Alright I mean, understood Watson cracked a bitter smile. Are we going to a national secret laboratory? No, it doesnt have anything to do with any nations. This is just a laboratory exclusively owned by Gods Forbidden Zone. Tom laughed out loud as he said this. It was clear as day that he enjoyed watching the nervous and puzzled reactions of the people he led into the Spire. They continued along the tedious journey. Watson exited the tram and entered the elevator that brought him further underground. Then, he passed through the glass corridor and the three nuclear bunker gates at the end. At last, Tom had brought Watson into the Spire Experimental Base. The person that greeted them upon their entrance was someone that caught even Tom completely off guard. Toms eyes were widened into two large orbs when he saw the raven-haired young man wielding a piercing expression. I cant believe its you, Sir Chen Chen! Chen Chen nodded subtly and smiled. Thank you for your work. Your job is done here, you can leave now. Understood. Tom left it at that and quickly returned to where he came from. Watson was left by himself. Mr. Watson, long time no see. After Toms departure, Chen Chen turned to Watson who seemed to be at a loss for words. You seem to have recovered quite well. If my memory serves me correctly, this should be our first time meeting. Watson quizzed, Unless I lost a portion of memory due to my brain trauma? No, this is certainly the first time youve met me, but its not the first time Ive met you. Chen Chen made a gracious gesture to usher Tom in. Your reputation certainly precedes you. When you were in a coma, I visited several times as well. So Allow me to bring you on a tour around here I wouldnt dare, Id hate to occupy your time. Watson declined Chen Chens offer and remarked rigidly, If Im not mistaken, the name of the founder of Blackwatch should be Chen Chen. I wouldnt dare to cut into your schedule so lets just cut into the main topic. Id like to know what sort of project youre planning to put me in charge of. Im more interested in the work that Ill be conducting soon as opposed to touring the laboratory. I wouldnt have it any other way. Chen Chen smiled as he pointed at a giant building shaped like a Mayan Pyramid further in front. Then lets head straight for the Spire laboratory. Youll be spending the majority of your time here in that place. With that, the two men went to the Spire laboratory. The reason I selected you to head this project is that youre one of the most elite biological researchers in the Earth Federation. I cant imagine anybody else that can step up to this task other than you. Chen Chen said as he led Watson to a tightly enclosed gate on the top floor of the Spire Experimental Base. There were countless warning labels printed on the gate, one of the labels was especially intriguing to Watson. Level-5 Biosafety? Watson was taken aback by this and asked, Isnt the highest graded bio protection laboratory in the Earth Federation set at level four? Why does this read level five? Thats because whats housed here are all the deadliest filoviruses in existence. There are several mutations of them, some of them are capable of destroying the world in a matter of months while some revolutionize mankinds understanding. This shall be the project that youll be commanding over. The name of this virus is G-virus. Chapter 430 - Mutual Cessation of Sanctions Agreement Watson did not know anything about the G-virus. All he knew was that this laboratory was completely sectioned off. It was divided into sections including a changing section, filtration section, buffer section, disinfection section, central section, and such. One had to go through ten different gates before entering the innermost central section. By the time the two entered the central area wearing positive pressure protective suits, half an hour had passed. Such advanced security protocol was something that even the well-experienced Watson was impressed by. The two of them arrived at the second floor of the central section. The second floor was essentially the main control room. There were dozens of buttons on the panels and even more semi-transparent monitors lined along the walls. The walls were floor-length glass panels that provided unobstructed vision into the laboratory section right below. At this moment, there were already several research members charting statistics in front of various machines. These researchers were talented individuals Chen Chen had employed at a steep price from all over the world. He had filtered through a lot of potential recruits before inducting this group into Gods Forbidden Zone and bringing them here. Although they saw Chen Chen arriving, none of them made a point of welcoming him ceremoniously but instead continued focusing on their respective tasks. Watson approached the observation deck and looked over the main hall that was the laboratory. One of the first things he immediately noticed were several armed soldiers also dressed in protective suits stationed at the corners. Apart from that, he saw dozens of busy researchers. Watson silently bemused at the sheer size of this laboratory. He soon found his attention grabbed by a row of isolation rooms on the first floor. These isolation rooms were arranged like prison cells, lined along the walls on the opposite end of where he stood. Through the viewing glass, he could see strange, undistinguishable creatures trapped inside them. What in the world were they Watson immediately became perplexed. He rubbed his eyes to check if his eyes were deceiving him. In the first isolation room, he saw a creature that resembled a chimpanzee. Unlike regular chimpanzees, this particular chimpanzee had tentacles-like arms and spikes lined along its spine. The only feature that was reminiscent of a chimpanzee was its head. The monstrosity was leaned against the window of the isolation room, continuously squirming up and down, pasting its sticky goo all over the window. Inside the next quarantine room was an even stranger creature that was a mass of slime, like a real-life rendition of the slime monster. What stood out was the countless round substances of various sizes all over its body. They would sink and float along its slimy surfaces, vanishing and appearing at irregular intervals while occasionally moving. Upon closer inspection, Watson noticed that these round objects all over its body were eyeballs. They were the many eyes of this slime monster! Inside the third and fourth isolation rooms were monsters of comparable aesthetic. One still had some bare resemblance of a chimpanzee while the other was impossible to identify. Upon seeing this, Watson quickly turned to Chen Chen and broke the question that had been brewing in his mind. What are these creatures? Are they products of genetic synthesis or alien life? Would you believe me if I told you that they are the product of G-virus infection? Instead of answering, Chen Chen asked. Watson immediately became silent. He had a hard time deciding whether he could believe that or not. Naturally, this person would not go through all this effort just to deceive him. However, the biological knowledge that he had accumulated over his lifetime told him that something like this should not be possible. It was true that viruses could alter the DNA structure of living beings but these changes should be subtle and almost unnoticeable. It would take years on top of years before substantial changes could be noticed. What he was looking at here could only be described as abominations that came from the underworld. Thats the truth. Chen Chen smiled and waved his hand to summon a semi-transparent display right beside him. With a gentle swipe, the wall of text on the display scrolled on its own. This is Watson was astounded by this. He quickly registered that this wondrous display must be the reveled HP3D holographic device. Upon making this connection, he turned to the array of semi-transparent displays lined along the walls and realized that they were holographic displays as well. He originally thought they were some sort of modern monitors. His mind quickly shifted away from these irrelevant details as the wall of text on the display called for his attention. This is Watson found himself enchanted by what he was seeing. After he had finished the current page, he instinctively lifted a finger and swiped. The display started to scroll on its own to the next page like he was reading an ebook. They were the documented details of the past and present rendition of the G-virus, which included the genetic sequences and various experiment reports. According to the presented data, the so-called G-virus was a mutated variant of the Ebola virus and Blacklight virus. It was catalyzed using a special polymer compound to produce a super virus. G-virus can recombine a hosts DNA. Its currently known that any carbon-based life is susceptible to the effect of G-virus, which includes plants. Chen Chen stood beside and explained, There are currently three known branches of the G-virus, respectively enhancing its infectious trait, mutational trait, and proliferation trait. The G-virus variant with an enhanced infection rate is proven to be more contagious than the Spanish flu. Its infection quality allows it to produce a new life form which takes over the body of its original host. The product of the mutation-enhanced G-virus are these monstrosities youre seeing inside the isolation rooms. The most wondrous of them all is the G-virus variant with enhanced proliferation. Chen Chen noted. This variant of G-virus can alter the hosts state significantly and gigantify its host. Furthermore, this effect is reversible What? Watson exclaimed as he scrolled back up to go through the documentation again. Hows that possible. I cannot see how thats possible either. Chen Chen chuckled. And thats the reason youre here, Sir Watson. With that, Chen Chen presented a stack of contracts to Watson. Sir Watson, youre already a part of Blacklight Biotechnology. Id like to further an invitation into Gods Forbidden Zone. Outstanding individuals such as you are essential on mankinds track to evolution. Upon hearing this, Watson moved the G-virus documentation to the side momentarily and only briefly scanned through the near twenty-pages thick contract before signing it. Splendid! Chen Chen laughed heartily. It seems like after going through the age-reversal treatment, Sir Watson has not only become younger physically but has gained the bold mentality of the youth. Id say most people wouldnt be able to decide on something like this so hastily, dont you agree? Does it make a difference? Watson shook his head and expressed, I dont have any say in the matter the moment I stepped into this secret laboratory and saw the virus, am I right? Thats true. Chen Chen looked at the time, then turned around and left while waving. Sir Watson, Ive authorized you as the supervisor. I leave this BSL-5 (Level 5 Biosafety) laboratory project in your capable hands. If you have any questions, you can always contact me or the X-111, the main console computer of the Spire. I hope you amass knowledge concerning the G-virus as soon as possible so you can start venturing out on your own With the rattling sound of the airlock door, Chen Chens figure vanished from the second floor, leaving behind Watson with a mixture of many emotions on his face. Speaking of which With an elite scientist of this pedigree participating in the G-virus research, Chen Chen found himself considerably relieved. The reason why Watson was brought into the Spire before being invited to Gods Forbidden Zone was so that Chen Chen had the chance to install the latest rendition of God chip into Watson during the operation. Strictly speaking, Watson had long been considered a reserve member of Gods Forbidden Zone even prior to his joining. So what if Watson refused? One way or another, Chen Chen would persuade him to join. After leaving the laboratory, Chen Chen took the elevator to the top of the Spire, which was the room where the teleportation room was. There was a Gantz sphere in the teleportation room that would instantly transfer Chen Chen to another room on the surface. This teleportation room was just like the underground port that ran through the Atlantic Ocean, mainly serving as a precautionary measure. Hardly anybody knew of its existence. It was what Chen Chen used to install the chip in Musks brain without him knowing during his previous visit. As Chen Chen stepped into the blank white room, the black sphere positioned in front of him produced a beam of blue light. Chen Chen felt his field of vision being crowded with the blue ray for a moment. Although there was no discernible change in the environment around him, he had been transported from the underground teleportation room to the one on the surface. Chen Chen returned to the elevator. When the elevator rode downstairs and the door opened again, he found himself on the ground floor lobby of a certain office building in Eco Science City. Sir Godfather, I have good news. Little X suddenly announced from Chen Chens earpiece, We received word from Gods Forbidden Zone. They told us that the White House has agreed to our terms. Once we help them solve This Man incident, they will sign the Cessation of Sanctions Agreement. What are the details of the agreement? Did they amend the several clauses that we brought up? Chen Chen asked immediately. There were some significant amendments made along with several new clauses. Also, theyve set the duration of this agreement to ten years. Little X replied. Will there be any exploitable loopholes? Chen Chen still found it worrisome. Let me have a look at the draft. Alright. Little X immediately forwarded the draft to Chen Chens phone. Chen Chen decided to sit down on a common sofa in the lobby and started scrolling through the drafted agreement on his phone. His nonchalant action had caught the attention of a Chinese lady at the lobby front desk. This lady worked at the front desk at the office building. When she happened to see Chen Chen sitting down, she stared at Chen Chens face for what seemed like ages before reaching for her phone and searched for something. When she finally found an image she was looking for and matched it with the person seated not far away from her, she was immediately floored by what she was seeing. She reached for her handbag in a hurry and dug up her makeup mirror to check her makeup. It seemed as if she was not satisfied with her current look. She promptly took out her lipstick and applied it in two quick swipes, then she pursed her lips to distribute the colors evenly. After that, she found a disposable cup and put some tea leaves inside to make a cup of warm, aromatic tea. Lin, we have coffee over here, why are you still making tea? One of her colleagues asked curiously when the colleague noticed her strange behavior. Lin had no time to care about what her colleague thought of her at this point. She slowly approached Chen Chen with the cup of tea in hand. Never in her life could she remember herself ever walking so gracefully. She proceeded to set the cup of tea on the coffee table in front of Chen Chen. Mister, please have some tea She said in a gentle, even affectionate whisper. There was a tinge of tremor in her voice due to her nerves. Thank you. Chen Chen looked at her briefly and thanked her before reverting his attention to the important subject on his phone. Youre welcome The lady muttered silently. When she saw Chen Chens attention only lingering on her for a brief moment, she could not help but feel rather disappointed. She slithered back to the front desk feeling defeated. Whos that man? I dont think he works here now does he? The colleague who saw her returning immediately went to her and asked in a hushed voice, Hes a Chinese man as well. Do you know him by any chance? Is he the president of some kind of corporation? Of, of course not. I, Im just doing my job, thats all The lady strung a poor excuse together. Despite her claims, she still could not stop herself from stealing sideways glances in Chen Chens direction. Really? The colleague eyed her suspiciously and finally decided to give it a rest after a while. Little did they know, Chen Chen had been aware of what the two of them had been doing since the very beginning. It was only that he just saw it as a trivial matter, one of those simple, mundane happenings in daily life. He redirected his full focus to the drafted agreement. The mentioned cessation of sanctions implied that Northern America had to suspend all of their militaristic and economic sanctions imposed on Blacklight Biotechnology. On the other end, Blacklight Biotechnology would have to lift its ban on Northern Americas application for the cancer targeted drugs while also resuming the previously terminated clinical trials for the three targeted drugs. The offer the Northern American government made was that the terms of this agreement would only last ten years. They are only willing to sign a ten-year agreement at most. Little X informed, I havent noticed any exploitable loophole in the agreement. Ive gone through it as well. Even though they did alter certain clauses, its not going to have any noticeable impact on us. Chen Chen nodded. The only major clause here is this ten-year duration. They probably want to give us a ten-year grace period at max to limit the ceiling of our future development. When Chen Chen saw the quoted duration on the Cessation of Sanctions Agreement, a sly smile appeared on the corner of his lips. So what if they only gave ten years? The Northern American government probably had something planned in mind in ten years to exact their revenge. Could they be so naive to believe that Chen Chen would shrink away from them in ten years? It had only been four years since acquiring the USB drive and only three years since he settled in Africa. In three short years, Blacklight Biotechnology had taken such massive strides. To what greater heights could he ascend to if given another ten years? Chen Chen was looking forward to it Chapter 431 - : Signed Agreement Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation On the first of January 2025, Qian Wenhuan led the negotiation team and carried the banner of Blacklight Biotechnology to Washington, Northern America to conduct the first round of negotiations. At this point, there had been more than thirty million people in the continent that reported dreaming of This Man. Although various research had been conducted and verified that these dreams did not affect the physiological state of a person in any way, the truth still proved otherwise as it imposed a significant mental burden on its victims all over the country. Some who were met with this never-seen-before phenomenon began to idolize it as a Godhood figure. Some began to form hallucinations and delusions. There were even some who formed a cult revolving This Man and recruited hundreds of members When these unstable factors reached a certain threshold, the avalanche effect may be enough to topple an entire country. Up till this point, there had been a total of thirteen religious groups associated with This Man formed. Under the covers, hundreds of thousands of such cults were being formed, recruiting tens of thousands of members each day that engaged in activities that ranged from parades, gatherings, rituals to violent riots. The ongoing chaos in Northern America had the rest of the world floored. Facing a situation such as this, the Northern American government was entirely helpless. When Blacklight Biotechnology stepped up and claimed that they could solve this issue, the Northern American government took it very seriously. It did not take long before a negotiation known only to the top members of the Earth Federation was conducted in the White House. Ladies and Gentlemen. On the side of Blacklight Biotechnology, one of Qian Wenhuans subordinates stood in front of a projector and announced gravely, Allow me to extend my most sincere sympathy for what has happened to Northern America over the last month. Its an indisputable fact that ever since the day mankind was born, we had to face the world with fear stamped in our hearts. In the early ages, humans feared storms and thunder. We feared the sky as much as we feared the vast ocean. This was how humans came to reinforce the idea of religion. We were able to find a sense of comfort by entrusting our fate to the hands of the divine. As we humans continue to evolve and start to construct the foundations of civilization, we start to gain a newer perception on everything. For example, we understood the concept of gravity and how electricity was generated. This was how thunder no longer became something that inspired fear. We conquered the ocean, the sky, along with every sheltered corner and edges of the world. And so, we no longer had reason to fear. We no longer had to cower at the sight of the unknown. This is a product and sign of civilizations evolution, but its also to the detriment of civilization Ahem! While this member was giving out his sermon, one of the officials from the White House briskly interrupted him. What are you guys at Blackwatch trying to say? Were losing our sanity by the minute thanks to this This Man incident. Wed appreciate it if you would cut to the main point right away. Apologies, Ill skip to the primary subject immediately. The negotiator nodded and smiled subtly. As many of you here should be aware of, there are still countless supernatural phenomena appearing in the world today. Some of these phenomena have been thoroughly dissected and explained from a scientific perspective. Take the spontaneous human combustion phenomenon, for example, this phenomenon had been occurring for three centuries but has only recently been dissected by scientists over the last few decades. Still There are still many phenomena that cannot be explained even with the prospect of science. The negotiation looked across his audience before revealing his subject. For example Theres the premonition of the former president of Northern America, Mr. Lincoln and the current ongoing phenomenon known as This Man! This statement caught many of the negotiators from the Northern America faction off guard, one of them spoke up, That may be true. But could you clarify what this event with Mr. Lincoln has to do with todays meeting? To explain this, Ill have to start with our companys research. The negotiator declared gravely, Our companys biological research department found that humans can hear other peoples thoughts. This sense of hearing is extremely vague and is only magnified when were dreaming. If someone constantly echoes thoughts of you, it makes it easier to dream of this person. Perhaps on the year Mr. Lincoln was assassinated, the reason he dreamt of his assassination was precisely that he heard the intentions of his killer? At this note, the projector behind the negotiator suddenly activated and cast an image of a laboratory with several men lying on top of medical beds. There was a device shaped like a helmet strapped to each of their heads. These machines are hooked with wire, each of them connected to a piece of unknown machinery. The reason that people can hear other peoples thoughts is probably attributed to a very common function of the human brain C the Quantum Effect. The negotiator said with an outstretched finger, Our thoughts are the result of the interaction of countless chemical signals. In 2015, the famous condensed matter physicist, Matthew Fischer, already published a thesis on the Annual Report of Physics. Its a thesis dedicated to discuss the possible operation of a quantum neural mechanism caused by phosphorus nuclear spin. The most enchanting part about this article is his proposal of a complete neural quantum information system. It includes qubits, the generation of quantum entanglement, quantum transmission and storage, quantum measurement, and quantum coherence and measurement at a molecular level. He also discussed the influence that the mechanism of nerve impulse activity has at a cellular level and more. These processes all use biomolecules and related enzymatic chemical reaction processes as carriers. All of the arguments he raised are clear, concise, and convincing. As he said this, most of the Northern American officials looked at him with a face full of daze. Alright, lets go back to what we were discussing. The negotiator explained, After This Man incident began occurring in Northern America, our biology department started analyzing the brains of the people who have been exposed to the picture. We found that the reason so many locals started experiencing vivid dreams of This Man is that this picture carries a peculiar psychological hypnotic pattern. The people who have been exposed to this picture will experience a symptom wherein their brains will constantly emit this particular quantum signal which connects to others who have also been exposed to this picture. It has a similar principle as Lincolns prophetic dreams, except this time the affected ones are all of the people in Northern America. Following the widespread exposure of the picture, the entirety of the Northern American Continent becomes a transmission field for This Man. You can imagine it as a laser beam being projected in a room full of mirrors. This causes the laser to constantly reflect across the room and linger in the room forever In that case, who is the perpetrator and how do we deal with it? Someone in the crowd asked. I have no idea who is behind all this, but it has to be an organization that is familiar with the underlying principles of this particular behavior. It will be easy to solve this. Our company can create a reverse-image specifically designed to counter the effect of the original picture. Its effects can be easily reversed just by looking at this picture. The negotiator responded. Immediately, the image on the screen behind him shifted to an unorganized, messy pattern. This is the pattern that can be used to alleviate This Man incident occurring in the continent. The White House only has to start spreading this image across all platforms. Anyone who is affected by the original This Man pattern will be cured of their symptoms and no longer dream of This Man This immediately prompted a wave of murmured discussion among the officials below the stage. Some of them even tried to use their phones to sneak pictures of the pattern cast on the screen in front. One moment! It was at this moment when one of the high-ranking officials of the White House stood up and asked suspiciously, Well still have to look into this theory you mentioned. This also raises another question. Why is it that Northern America is the only continent where this phenomenon is occurring out of all the continents in the Earth Federation? This is all due to the intricate planning of this unknown force behind This Man pattern. The negotiator answered without skipping a beat, Im sure a lot of you have seen This Man pattern. In that case, you should know that despite the image merely looking like a simple picture of a man, if you zoom in closer, youll notice that its made up of countless unorganized lines and shapes. This collection of thousands upon thousands of lines and segmented shapes comes together to form This Man pattern as we know it. This pattern can only be effective in the Northern American region, which is the very intention of the perpetrators. In other words, this vile organization deliberately targeted Northern America? Another official of the White House asked. Of course. The negotiator immediately replied with a confident nod. Qian Wenhuan, who had been silent all this time, suddenly got up and announced ceremoniously, Everyone, Blackwatch has expressed great sincerity in showcasing the cure image without stating any condition beforehand. We hope that this has been a good representation of our goodwill and willingness to commit to further internationalism. We hope that youd extend us the same kindness as well. Naturally. The official responded, As long as this pattern proves to be effective, I give you my word that the White House will begin discussing the terms of the agreement. However, theres one further condition, which is that we hope that your party would be so kind as to share this relevant technology for the good of mankind and for the sake of preserving the stability of the world in the future. Upon hearing this, Qian Wenhuan curled his eyebrows into a frown and wanted to say something to protest. In the end, he only sighed and said, We can discuss this matter further For the sake of alleviating This Man incident as soon as possible, it only took three days for the Northern American government and Blacklight Biotechnology to finalize the Mutual Cessation of Sanctions Agreement with the Earth Federation acting as the facilitator. However, since there was no press conference of any form, news of the agreement was not publicized. After receiving word of the result of the negotiation, Chen Chen felt the weight lifted off his heart as well. With that, the conflict with Northern America had come to an end without the need to escalate the situation to an unrepairable state. I cant believe the Northern American Continent with some of the most respected scientists and sophisticated technology were so easily convinced by the theory I simply strung together. Little X was especially baffled by how things have turned out. All the squabble about neutral quantum and psychological hypnotic patterns were made up by her on the spot. The scientist Matthew Fischers research was real, but that was all there was to it. Besides, his research was mainly based on theory-crafting and conjecture and was largely unconfirmed speculation. Which was why Chen Chen had Little X use this research thesis as a baseline to string together a stack of complete research and analytical report. Extra effort was put into adding experiment footage to manufacture a convincing research report. Little X was concerned with how foolproof this tactic was since the Northern America Continent was unlike the Africa Continent. There was no chance of them not seeing through the lies. To her surprise, Northern America immediately perceived it as the gospel. Which is why they say that the most convincing lies in the world arent made out of thin air, but are sprinkled with bits of truth instead. Chen Chen shrugged and explained, Dont forget, this is the true nature of men. Confronted with This Man incident and this immunity pattern that can alleviate the memetic effect, even the best scientists will find themselves at a loss for what to do. Even if some scientists somehow stumbled into the questionable gaps in your theory, theyll choose to question their judgment instead since the truth is evident and laid out before them that the immunity patterns are effective. As Chen Chen said this, he suddenly altered his tone, Of course, this can only last in the short term. After some time has passed, theyll notice that these documents are falsified, but what does it matter at that point? Since This Man incident is solved and the agreement has already been signed, theres little else the Northern American government can do other than keep their head down and relaunch a research on This Man incident. Little X became enlightened and began to nod. But what chances do they have at understanding memetic technology in the first place? Id say itd take a decade before they barely manage to scrape its surface? A decade is being too generous, I wouldnt bet on their success even if they had two decades. Chen Chen shook his head. Of course, the context being that memetic effects dont occur in the real world just yet. From what I understand, as society becomes more digitized and information-oriented, memetic effects will emerge sooner or later. Its just like how everyone has a certain chance of contracting cancer. Its merely a matter of probability. When the earliest form of memetic effect begins to emerge, the official parties will be the first to notice and begin to conduct research. As they start to understand the nature of memetic science, theyll eventually realize that not only messages can be used to kill but it can also change the very essence of the world As Chen Chen said this, he closed his eyes and wondered, what form of memetic effect would be the first to emerge in this world which he resided in? Sir Godfather, we received news from the Earth Federation. Little X suddenly informed, Our list of technology has passed the review process of the Earth Federation. They have concluded that we dont have implementations of any nuclear-form or weapons of mass destruction and were now cleared to conduct commercial exchange with the listed items. Currently, several continents and regional countries including the Central Continent have submitted applications to send someone over to take a look at our products. Chapter 432 - Delta Grade Research Staff Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation As the dust began to settle, the Northern American government started to regain a handle on the spiraling situation in the continent. Although there were still many lingering problems that had to be addressed, at least the root of the problem had been dealt with. In time, the social order was starting to restore to a desirable state. Meanwhile, things were progressing as usual in Eco Science City. The comings and goings remained the same as they had always been. This city located on the western coast of Namibia, Africa played a major role in altering the trajectory of human civilization. It had gradually become a symbol of Africa and the veritable core capital of the region. Little did they know, this city that had already achieved countless accomplishments that had left its mark in the history books would once again bring forth another miracle of unprecedented proportions Luis Pinar slowly opened his eyes in a dark and damp room. He was startled to suddenly find himself here. It felt like it was only mere seconds ago when he was still having the time of his life in his mistress home. In the blink of an eye, he found himself in a damp cell hidden away from the warmth of the sunlight. Where in the world am I Pinar pulled himself on his feet, his voice felt scratchy in his ears. It was only then when his eyes adjusted to the environment. The small room was less than five square meters large. There were no windows or light sources installed, only four sturdy walls surrounding a tiny space with a black iron door on one side of the wall. There was a palm-wide gap under the iron door that allowed a glimmer of dim light to seep into the room, offering just enough light for him to view his surroundings. How did I get here, d*mn, whats going on here! Pinar started to panic when he finally made sense of his current predicament. He dashed to the door, got down on all fours, and stuck his head against the floor to get as close a look as possible at the world outside the iron door through the feeble gap. The only thing he could see was a pale-yellow tiled corridor. There was nothing else notable. Pinar immediately felt an indescribable pulse of fear surging from the depths of his heart and coursed all over his body and his breathing soon became erratic. He tried to crawl out of the room from the gap under the iron door but the gap was so small he could hardly pry his head outside, especially not his body that was growing plumper by the day. Help! Is there anyone out there! Within seconds, Pinar started to cry out for help. As soon as he cried out, he realized his mistake and immediately covered his mouth. His eyes were still widened with fear, fixed on the world outside through the tiny gap under the door. Fortunately, nobody was drawn here by his voice. Pinar heaved a sigh of relief as he stumbled back up and started to inspect the room. The room was poorly furnished. The surrounding walls were depressing sheets of metallic iron while the floor was a layer of cold and hard marble. The only furniture in the room was the uncomfortably damp single bed positioned in the top left corner and a toilet on his right. There was nothing else to be seen in the room Pinar began to jog through his memory. The last thing he could still vividly remember was sharing the bed with his mistress. He remembered he was bonding passionately with this mistress of him and the memory immediately cut to him waking up in this place. He had zero recollection of what happened in between these segments D*mn it, who in the world kidnapped me! Pinar cursed out in a low voice. He was a congressman in Namibia and he had never imagined something ill-fated like this to ever happen to him. He thought, what sort of vile man would ever do something as despicable as this? While Pinar was debating this question in his mind, he suddenly heard an agitated, piercing scream coming from somewhere outside. B*stard, who are you! Let me out! Pinars expression turned sharply as he immediately threw himself on the ground again to investigate what was outside. No matter how hard he looked, he could not find the source of that voice. It sounded like it came from right next to him! Pinar quickly connected the dots and realized that this tiny black box he was in must not be the only such room in this place and that he must not be the only person locked here Let me out, b*stard! The voice Pinar had heard soon turned into a bellowing roar as he could hear the desperation in this voice. After listening to it for a while, he seemed to have made out who this person was, it was Is that you, Senator Nujoma! Pinar figured it was worth wagering a guess. The bout of screaming immediately stopped. After a moment, he heard the voice asking, Is that Congressman Pinar? Its me! Pinar felt himself becoming reenergized, feeling like he had found someone who could relate to his predicament. He got as close as he could to the door and shouted, How did you get here, Senator Nujoma? Who brought us here? I dont know To his disappointment, the answer he received did not provide any further clarity. He heard the senator explaining, The last thing I remember is driving away from the parliament, I didnt drive long before I suddenly lost consciousness. By the time I woke up, I found myself here How about you, Congressman Pinar? The same as you, I suddenly lost consciousness Pinar mustered a strained reply before sinking into the floor, feeling defeated. The good news was that although he was well into his sixties, the condition of his body had been greatly restored ever since undergoing Blackwatchs age-reversal treatment. Not only could he afford to work longer hours, but he also found two mistresses for himself. He was fully experiencing his youthful prime again. Hold on, Blackwatch? Pinar felt a momentous explosion in his mind. He suddenly recalled the existence of this company and with it, remembered the reason he was in this place He remembered that when news of the Northern American government deciding to impose sanctions on Blackwatch began to circulate online, the Namibian congress immediately conducted a meeting discussing this matter. The congressmen participating in the meeting were wholly separated into two factions. One faction brought up how much impact Blackwatch had on Namibia and that it was a wise choice to join forces with them and refute the sanctions of Northern America. The other faction was convinced that Northern America was simply too powerful for Namibia to do anything about them, that it was a fruitless task trying to protect Blackwatch. They argued that it was better to comply with Northern America and impose sanctions on Blackwatch. There was a chance Namibia could come out on top in this situation and gain something from it. Both himself and Senator Nujoma in the next room belonged to the latter faction. Could this mean that it was Blackwatch who kidnapped the two of them? Pinar took a deep breath to calm himself down as much as he could. If this was the case, there was still a chance for him to crawl out of this mess. All he needed to do was to give his word that he would side with Blackwatch in the future instead of taking the opposing partys side. Perhaps there was still a chance to salvage the situation? Pinar took a faint breath of relief upon considering this option. Before he had time to relay this to his fellow cellmate, he heard approaching footsteps from the gap below the iron door. Someone C someone is coming! Senator Nujoma immediately started yelling, Hey, Im here! Are you here to rescue me? Im over here! It was only then when Pinar realized that there was a fairly large group of people approaching at a steady pace. Due to how uniform their strides were, it almost sounded like it was only one person approaching. Could it truly be the troops coming here to rescue them? Pinar saw a gleam of hope. It would certainly be excellent if that was the case. Not only this evil company took over Namibia and emptied the political cabinet but they also reigned over the economic center of Namibia. Although nobody would ever voice this thought out loud, many prayed for the downfall of this company, and he was one of them. However, he would find himself disappointed very quickly since he noticed that there was no sense of urgency in these footsteps even after hearing Senator Nujomas cry for help. This meant that the footsteps belonged to the guards patrolling the corridor instead of a task force arriving here to rescue them. The footsteps grew louder by the second and soon arrived right outside the door. The shuffling footsteps ceased immediately and were promptly followed by what was the electronic beep of the door opening. The large, bulky iron door suddenly opened, granting a passage to the outside world! Bright light immediately invaded the room in a split instant, forcing Pinar to put his arms up to guard himself instinctively. After that, he felt himself carried off by two people, one on each side. He felt his feet being lifted off the ground and carried off by a powerful force! Hold on, who are you guys and what do you want! Im a member of the congress! Ill have the lot of you jailed for this! Pinar heard Senator Nujoma belting out angrily behind him. When his eyes had grown accustomed to the fierce light outside, he opened his eyes and looked to his sides and noticed the two expressionless soldiers on each side, both wearing positive pressure protective suits as they dragged him away. He was in the middle of a narrow, long-winded corridor Congressman Pinar, tell them, tell them who we are. Where do they think they are taking us? Behind him, Nujoma was still bickering endlessly. Pinar turned to look in that direction just in time to make eye contact with the panicked senator. Give it a rest, Senator Nujoma. Pinar sighed and expressed bitterly, Dont you understand yet, were being kidnapped here and the perpetrator is none other than Before Pinar had time to finish his sentence, the two of them were brought to the end of the corridor. The men escorting them pushed open the door to reveal a laboratory filled with unrecognizable devices. Thats right, its me. Pinar and Nujoma craned their necks to the second floor of the laboratory where they heard a low and hoarse voice coming from. They immediately recognized a familiar figure standing by the observation window! Its you! Pinar forced himself to smile as flattering as he could manage as he said, Chen Chen, please calm down, I can explain this Explain? Chen Chen sat down on a chair. Beside him, there were several researchers dressed in large white coats. Meanwhile, Chen Chen had a stack of documents in his hand and was going through it while addressing his captives without looking at them, You take my money but work for someone else behind my back. In this case, theres no reason for you two to remain in your current position. Its that simple. Chen Chen, theres no need to do this, we can still talk about this. Pinar started to panic. He had a feeling that Chen Chen was not joking around so he tried to persuade him. Before he could begin, Nujoma, who was beside him, suddenly spoke, Chen Chen, you dare to kidnap official congressmen? Are you foolish enough to believe you think you can remain in Namibia once word of this gets out? Dont forget that you have just reconciled with Northern America. If you get caught with another scandal, you wont get away as easily this time! Chen Chen slowly averted his gaze from the documents to Nujoma when he heard this. He smirked ever so slightly. Nujoma, I admire your boldness. I just wonder, will I still see this boldness later when I start dealing with you? What, what are you trying to do? Nujoma started to caution harshly. Im warning you now, you dont get to do whatever you like in Namibia. If you kill me, the Namibian government wont let it slide! Alright, Id like to see how they plan to not let it slide. Chen Chen snapped his finger to give a signal. Within seconds, two guards pinned Nujoma to the ground while another researcher stepped forward and injected a syringe of red liquid into Nujomas back! Ah! Nujoma cried out in pain. Before he was done howling in pain, the guards forced him on his feet again and threw him into a small room in the laboratory! The first thing Nujoma did when thrown into the room was to try to charge back out the entrance, but the door was promptly shut tightly to close him in. Nujoma found himself enclosed in a tiny room made with structured glass. The caged Nujoma began to relentlessly throw his body against the glass but the glass was extremely resilient and hardly budged at all no matter how hard he slammed against them. As time went on, Pinar, who was observing from outside, started noticing strange behavior. He noticed that as Nujoma was bashing against the glass door, he began to subconsciously scratch some sort of itch on his back. In time, he gave up on his efforts of trying to escape from the room and was rolling around the floor and crying out in agony! It hurts! Its so itchy! What did you guys do to me! Nujomas screams echoed across the isolation room. The sight of the expression he wielded was so full of despair that it made Pinar shudder. Little did he know, this was only the beginning As Nujoma was howling in pain on the floor, Pinar started to notice what seemed to be a small lump forming on the senators back. Upon paying closer attention, he verified that it was not a false impression. There was certainly a fist-sized lump forming on Nujomas back! Splat! Moments after that, Nujomas shirt was ripped open. What was revealed underneath was a large eyeball connected to a thick vein of muscle. It popped out from his back and started to look around curiously like a newborn baby before it made eye contact with Pinar Wah! Pinar cried out in horror. He was under the impression that the syringe contained some form of drug or toxic. What it turned out to be was something that was completely out of his expectation that he had trouble ever fathoming what he was seeing! Within seconds, there were waves of ripples across Nujomas spine again. Yet another eyeball the size of a ball of fist popped out from his spine, followed by a third, then a fourth Nujomas cries were growing weak and feeble at this point. There were now dozens of eyes lined along his back. He looked like some sort of eyeball-infested fungus. Shortly after that, Nujomas entire body began trembling violently Hnghh Pinar heard an abrupt screech of muscles being torn apart viciously as an unnatural amount of blood gushed out of Nujomas back like a steady stream of a fountain. After that, a monstrous octopus-like creature with countless eyes lined along its tentacles ripped through Nujomas spine and climbed out from inside his body! Nujoma was finally dead. Youre up next Chen Chen said without a shred of emotion in his voice. Pinar felt his body freeze when he heard this Chapter 433 - I’m the Law After seeing the two congressmen morphed into monstrous goo and reduced to nothing more than experiment statistics, Chen Chen finally set down the documents in hand and descended into deep thought. Boss, this is the final batch. Hannibal suddenly appeared behind Chen Chen. He bent down and reported cautiously. Chen Chen responded with a brisk nod before getting up from his seat. He looked at Watson who was unsettled by this and offered some words of comfort. Theres no need to fear, Mr. Watson. Incidents like this are entirely unavoidable in biological experiments. Think of it as the drug phasing process during clinical trials. The advancement of Eco Science City must be mounted on top of countless sacrifices in the first place, so wouldnt you agree that its more worthwhile to use people who shouldnt exist in the first place as the sacrificial lambs? I understand Watson was still uncomfortable with this approach but did not dare to say more than what was necessary. He only provided a firm nod. Chen Chen turned to the trio of young members. Hannibal, Li Lei, Neumann, why dont you guys take this opportunity to learn from Mr. Watson. You guys have established a solid foundation over the last two years. All thats left now is proper practice and experience. Watson has five to six decades of experience under his belt, there should be a lot for you guys to learn from. Yes. The three of them nodded humbly. With that, Chen Chen turned around and exited the laboratory. After going through the disinfection protocol that took half an hour and removing his protective suit, Chen Chen emerged from the laboratory feeling refreshed. Little X, who had been waiting for him by the entrance, hopped to his side to greet him. How did the operation go? Chen Chen asked. Everything has been sorted out. The obedient Little X assured Chen Chen confidently. I had the Black Knights manufacture traffic accidents, suicides, and cases of fleeing the country. From here on, nobody will ever suspect you for the disappearance and subsequent death of the congress members. Perfect. Chen Chen smiled and no longer pursued the subject. To be frank, it was impossible to completely rid himself of any suspicions concerning this string of incidents. Anybody who was not completely oblivious to matters of politics would at least have a faint idea of who was behind the disappearance and death of the congress members that were openly against Blacklight Biotechnology. Still, the fact remained that there was no substantial evidence that could be traced back to Blacklight Biotechnology. Besides, considering Blacklight Biotechnologys continuously growing influence in Namibia, there was hardly going to be anyone bold enough to challenge the puppet master and investigate the death of the deceased congress members. After this round of massive purge, most of the ones who remained in congress were either the ones who already sided with Blacklight Biotechnology or the ones who took a neutral stance. Now that they had seen what happened to the naysayers, they should naturally figure out what their options were. Time went by in a hurry. In the blink of an eye, it was the tenth of January. It was the day where Falcon 12 would be officially launched. Falcon 12 was the brother of Falcon 9 and just like its sibling, it was one of the most ambitious projects of SpaceX and only recently constructed in 2021. Although Falcon 9 carrier rocket had gone through many design modifications, its rocket and engine technology were still primarily founded in the first decade of the twenty-first century. Now that there was more optimal technology, SpaceX came up with a new solution to substitute the outdated Falcon 9. This was how Falcon 12 came to be. Its predecessor Falcon was the worlds first rocket that could reroute back to Earth after entering orbit. When the seventy-meter tall behemoth descended from the skies above and completed its safe landing, the entire world rejoiced. Since then, humanity had entered the era where rockets could be recalled back to Earth instead of being geared as one-time-use devices that may never return. Falcon 12 inherited the monumental mission of Falcon 9. Not only could its primary rocket be salvaged, but its payload fairing could also be reused, therefore cutting down the budget significantly. The cargo that Chen Chen needed to launch was the five Gantz satellites. With a carrier like Falcon 12, all five satellites could be launched in one go. As far as Chen Chen was concerned, this was Blacklight Biotechnologys most important mission over recent years. He specifically brought Qian Wenhuan with him and headed over to the aerospace base in person. When Chen Chen and Qian Wenhuan arrived at the aerospace base, there was already a large crew of project managers and rocket engineers waiting outside for them. President Chen! President Qian! A short and plump Chinese man shaped like a ball immediately greeted them enthusiastically and shook their hands warmly as he started with the introductions. Allow me to introduce you to Kevin over here. Hes the senior engineer of SpaceX and hell be the primary engineer overseeing todays launch. Mr. Chen Chen, Im Blake Kevin, the primary engineer for todays launch. You can just call me Kevin for short. A man in a plaid shirt stepped up to greet and shake hands with Chen Chen enthusiastically. Good to see you. Chen Chen shook hands with this person courteously. The plump man continued introducing Chen Chen to the rest of the engineers, who all shook hands with Chen Chen as well. After they were finished with the introduction, the group started to head to the launch site. The plump man was Zhao Guangjie. He was a rocket manufacturing expert that Qian Wenhuan had recruited from the Mainland due to the lack of suitable personnel on Blacklight Biotechnologys end. This man was put in charge of the aerospace base along with todays launch operation. The launch site was already packed with close to forty technicians, each monitoring and charting a large array of data. They were all members of SpaceX. At the front and center of the launch site was an enormous, transparent glass wall. Through the glass wall, the colossal launch tower that looked like Optimus Prime stood hundreds of meters away white a white round-headed rocket aligned right next to it. It was Falcon 12. From this angle, Falcon 12 looked like an enoki mushroom. Its stem appeared extremely thin in comparison to its bulky head. This was the trademarked rocket design of SpaceX. Zhao Guangjie stood by the observation deck along with Chen Chen and Qian Wenhuan where he declared ceremoniously, President Chen, President Qian, feast your eyes on Falcon 12, destined to glide across the galaxies and bring mankind into the future! Glide across the galaxies and bring mankind into the future? Chen Chen expressed his doubts. We might be getting a little too ahead of ourselves. President Chen, you might not be aware of this since youre an outsider, but Zhao Guangjie rubbed his head and continued to fawn over the rocket. Falcon 12 stands 109.8 meters tall, just slightly below 110 meters, and its diameter is measured at 8.5 meters which makes it size equivalent to another of SpaceXs creation, the Starship BFR. The Falcon is the most advanced rocket of its tier and equipped with the Merlin 1DMerlin engine. The force of its thrust reaches up to 240,000 pounds and it can carry cargo weighing up to 150 tons into the orbit Alright Mr. Zhao, we get that this is a marvelous invention. Its time you tell us what you learned about it. Qian Wenhuan rubbed his eyebrows in irritation and cut Zhao Guangjie off. You watched them construct this rocket from the ground up, surely you mustve learned about the technology employed to construct it? Not really, they prohibited me from getting a closer look during the construction process. Zhao Guangjie scratched his head and expressed frustratingly, And they never answered whatever questions I had for them Then again, this wouldnt be too surprising considering these are technologies owned by SpaceX themselves. Wouldnt it be equivalent to forgery if we copy their technology? That would be unethical Zhao Guangjie started to explain his views, not noticing Qian Wenhuans face that was slowly turning dark by the second. Qian Wenhuan specifically sought out Zhao Guangjie since he was not knowledgeable about the workings of this sector. Based on whatever information he could dig up online, he filtered the list down to several individuals such as Zhao Guangjie from the Mainland. He knew that there was no problem with this candidate when it came to academic qualifications. However, he had never expected this candidate to turn out to be such an imbecile. Alright, thats enough explaining. Chen Chen stopped Zhao Guangjies rant and pointed at the command center. Kevin is preparing for the launch. They turned to the command center just in time to hear Kevin announcing, Alright kids, well be commencing the twenty-third launch of our Falcon 12 now. I want to see everyone standing at full attention. Ill kick your butt if I see you dozing off! Yes! Everyone cheered enthusiastically. Kevin nodded contentedly when he saw the energetic response from his crew. He proceeded to tap on a button which summoned a series of countdown on a large screen everyone could see Preparation for launch operation. Counting down from 30 minutes. All personnel is advised to revise all relevant data A robotic female voice that spoke with a standard accent was broadcasted across the launch site. Upon hearing this prompt, every crew member turned to their respective control panels and started to meticulously conduct their tasks. Meanwhile, a giant panel of display automatically rose from the center of the hall. Cast on the display was a constant stream of data that flowed like a waterfall. Anyone who was not an aerospace operation professional would have a hard time comprehending what these statistics meant. A heavy, sinking atmosphere immediately descended onto the launch site. Qian Wenhuan allowed himself a moment to marvel at the supreme discipline of this group of world-class experts. The level of SpaceXs rocket launch team was on a completely separate league of their own. Then he stole a sneaky glance at Chen Chen and noticed that there was not the slightest trace of emotion on Chen Chens face. It was impossible to make out what was on his mind. One thing Qian Wenhuan was certain of was that Chen Chen had extremely ambitious plans in the aerospace industry, otherwise, he would not have invested such an enormous sum into constructing an aerospace base. Mr. Chen Chen? While Qian Wenhuan was letting his mind run wild with speculations, Kevin suddenly approached. Mr. Chen Chen, you can bring your subordinates with you to the observation hall. That way, you can get a clear view of the launch from there instead of having to wait here. Thats right, Ive already had coffee and tea prepared there. Zhao Guangjie chimed in. We can drink merrily while we watch Falcon 12 take flight, isnt that a wonderful picture? Chen Chen darted a glance at Zhao Guangjie and informed, Thats alright, I like standing here and waiting. Mr. Chen Chen, that is against the regulations. In response to this, Kevin frowned and made a gesture. The nature of the procedures of our launch are largely confidential. Id appreciate it if the three of you would abide by international protocol and step away for the moment. Our crew will take care of this. Thats right, President Chen. Itll take another half an hour and it will bore you to have to wait here. Zhao Guangjie chimed in as well. Before he could finish his sentence, he felt someone pulling him from behind his back. He instinctively turned around and saw that it was Qian Wenhuan grabbing him with a foul look on his face. President Qian, what are you pulling me for? Zhao Guangjie asked curiously. Paying no mind to the imbecile, Chen Chen glared viciously into Kevins eyes and declared word by word, This is my property. I can be wherever I please. Meanwhile, all you need to worry about is to fulfill your duties. The temperature of the air around them seemed to have dropped several degrees as Chen Chen said this. Even several research members conducting their pre-launch inspection turned to look in this direction. Kevin was especially startled by this. He did not expect this young, wealthy man to be this stubborn. He maintained his position. The technology implemented in the Falcon is an officially protected technology belonging to Northern America. We will not be proceeding with the launch if you insist on staying here! How so, we paid for you guys to be here. The dynamic between us should be that of an employer and an employee. Were the employers. Qian Wenhuan suddenly interjected and shouted before Chen Chen had to say anything else, I want you to conduct the launch now, why arent you doing it? Qian Wenhuan may appear enraged on the outside, but what he was feeling deep inside was a sharp contrast. He was so frightened that he could feel sweat seeping through his shirt. He had been working for Chen Chen for so long that he had figured out Chen Chens personality. On the outside, this young man half a decade younger than him was cool, calm, and collected. What he never let show deep inside was his dark, vile ambitions that would make a Mafia Godfather appear like a saint when put next to him. Kidnap, assassination, bribing officials, human experiments, smuggling firearms The hands of this young man had been stained by the blood of countless people. Killing was merely a trivial matter for him. To think that someone would dare talk to Chen Chen like this, was this person trying to rush to his grave? Qian Wenhuan who was well-versed with his line of work knew that this was not the time to remain silent. He raised his voice and declared, If you dont conduct the launch as requested, our company will get in touch with Musk and see what he has to say about his employees! Even if you contact Mr. Musk, Ill still hold my ground on this decision. What Qian Wenhuan had never expected was for Kevin to turn out to be such a stubborn person as well. It was either because this was what Musk had instructed him to do or that he played several roles, one of them being an informant for the Northern American government. Clap clap clap It was then when Chen Chen suddenly started to clap. A faint glimmer of beam appeared in his eyes as he softly clapped his hands together. Excellent, I admire someone with integrity. At the drop of his note, the tightly shut entrance was suddenly barged open. A squad of armed soldiers in combat suits charged inside. They were dressed like special forces with the B.S.S. badge strapped in front of their chest. B.S.S. Quick Reaction Force! Qian Wenhuan was stunned by this sudden turn of events. He immediately spotted Bandos figure among the squad. In an instant, the entire launch site was surrounded by B.S.S. force soldiers, driving the crew into a mass of panic. Mr. Chen Chen, what are you guys trying to do? Kevin froze for a moment when he saw what was happening before he exclaimed, This isnt the Namibian government troops but your private military force instead. Military force doesnt have the authority to arrest us. Youre breaking the law Before he could finish, several B.S.S. members charged in his direction and proceeded to slam the butt of their guns square on Kevins head! Ah! Stop! Ah! Oh my God, you people are demons What about the law? The launch site descended into chaos. Everyone watched in bewilderment as the group of soldiers gave Kevin a horrible beating. It did not take long before Kevins screams came to a stop. Alright, does anybody still have any objections? Chen Chen asked as he looked at Kevin who was lying in a pool of his blood. Chapter 434 - : Interstate Teleportation Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation A group of vicious soldiers took over all the channels leading to the launch site and guarded over them. Meanwhile, the crew was forced to return to their stations. Some were frightened and some only visibly agitated. There were a few women who were weeping silently. There was the scent of blood lingering in the air. It came from Blake Kevin who was still lying motionlessly on the ground. There was no telling if he was dead or not. When Chen Chen saw that everything was back on track, Chen Chen checked the time before turning around to leave the launch site. 1 Qian Wenhuan immediately trailed after him. After they had left the main section, Qian Wenhuan quickly explained somewhat embarrassingly, Im sorry Boss, Ill immediately have Zhao Guangjie replaced with someone competent. Chen Chen responded with a short nod, Dont worry about it. I get that with the rapid expansion of Eco Science City, theres more for you to manage so there are certain facets that you cannot oversee. It should be time for you to change your management approach and leave some trivial matters to someone else. You dont have to do everything by yourself. Understood Qian Wenhuan answered quickly, feeling relieved by this. Alright, Zhao Guangjie isnt reliable so youre still going to have to take care of that. Why dont you spend the next few days here for now. Chen Chen did not chatter too much with Qian Wenhuan before dismissing him. He stood in front of the launch tower by himself, silently taking in the sight of the gigantic Falcon rocket. It was the height of the evening as there was only a slight trace of the fading sun glimpsing across the horizon. Falcon 12 positioned in the middle of the sunset pastel looked like the massive robots from Pacific Rim. It also looked like a majestic ivory tower. Even now, countless vehicles could still be seen going back and forth from the tower to conduct the final inspection duties. Chen Chen leaned against the railing and took a moment to bask at the moment. He watched as the red in the sky slowly faded and gave way to the dark, gloomy texture of the night. Preparation for the launch countdown. Ten minutes remaining. All remaining personnel on the rocket are to leave their designated posts. Falcon 12 initializing automated inspection protocol The announcement pulled Chen Chen away from his state of trance. There were only ten minutes left. Without his noticing, all the lights in the aerospace base had been turned on. Countless high-power lights illuminated the entire base. Under the glow of the dazzling light, Chen Chen saw the crew retreating from the rocket launch tower. In time, not a single soul remained on the rocket. The final glimpse of sunset faded away, plunging the sky into complete darkness. One minute to launch The announcement echoed across the aerospace base, signaling the launch that would be commencing within moments. Chen Chen felt the earth below his feet starting to tremble faintly. It was the rumble of the rocket engines warming up. Ten seconds to launch Nine Eight Seven Three Two One Launch! With the last of the announcements, a low and dull roar resounded across the aerospace base suddenly. It was like a biblical beast awakening from its slumber. From a distance, Chen Chen saw a large column of black smoke gushing out of the tail section of Falcon 12, immediately followed by a sharp flash of flames! The column of flame immediately grew stronger as it sent thunderous tremors into a large vicinity around it. Chen Chen felt strong gushes of wind mixed with scorching air rushing toward him! From where Chen Chen stood, he could see the colossal Falcon rocket starting to take off. A tremendous pillar of flames that could engulf the world in flames slowly propelled it into the air as if the entire motion was caught in slow motion on a camera. As the rocket gained velocity, the rumbling in the air slowly dissipated. The brightness of the flame, however, only became magnified as it illuminated the night sky and the clouds! The rocket mounted with Gantz satellites had finally taken flight! Next up, putting the five satellites into orbit A sense of longing appeared in Chen Chens eyes as he looked at the departing rocket. Launching the rocket was the easy part. The difficult part was getting it into orbit. Since it was a geosynchronous orbit of 36,000 kilometers, it would take nearly ten days to get into orbit. There was no good reason to stay here any longer. Chen Chen breathed out, feeling relieved, before returning to his vehicle. It was no longer Cheng Cao driving him but a Black Knight instead. Lets head back. Chen Chen ordered with a gentle wave. The engine started and the driver drove back where they came from Ten days later, Chen Chen finally received the good news that all five Gantz satellites had entered orbit. They were now implanted into the orbit as five permanent fixtures that would circle Earth for billions of years to come. With the satellites in place, the full potential of the Gantz technology could now be unleashed. Chen Chens plans of globalization had finally been achieved. At this moment, Chen Chen was inside the teleportation room located on the top floor of the Spire laboratory. Inside the room with him was a squad consisting of five fully-fitted Black Knights. Sir Godfather, weve installed a Gantz sphere and a mini Gantz server machine in Northern America, Europe, and the Central Continent. They are connected with an appropriate powering system as well. We can begin the teleportation trial any time now! Little X reported as she stood next to Chen Chen. Chen Chen sized up three muscular Black Knights in the squad and nodded briefly. Despite the sophisticated technology behind Gantz that was intricately connected to scientific sectors such as memetic science that humans had yet to understand, its underlying principle was simple to understand. As long as two Gantz spheres were under the signal coverage of a Gantz server, a point-to-point transfer could be conducted. It was similar to how calls could be connected between two mobile phones as long as there was a central station signal. With a Gantz satellite acting as a relay station, these forms of transmissions could be conducted even with only a single Gantz sphere. This was shown in the plot of Gantz as well. Although there was no Gantz sphere in nearby proximity, the Gantz satellite could still collect the deceased participants and pull them into the Gantz sphere room to be resurrected. They could then subsequently be transported back to the streets of the city after accepting their respective missions. This meant that the Gantz satellite was essentially an enhanced version of the Gantz sphere. Even till now, Chen Chen had little understanding of how Gantz technology operated. He merely replicated what he saw from the movie to create the satellites. Just like the Gantz server machines, the Gantz satellites were simple and elaborate structures that could be easily replicated as well. The only flaw was the vast amount of germanium metal required for manufacturing them. Chen Chen already purchased four germanium mines all over the world and had Tara Strategic Resources operating intensively to extract germanium metal from them. The extracted resources barely sufficed to help create Little Xs body along with five supplementary Gantz satellites. Meanwhile, the other Gantz server machines installed in the other continents were the most miniaturized model possible. Gantz spheres were in extremely short supply. So far, Chen Chen had only instantiated five Gantz spheres in total. Two of them were located in Eco Science City while the remaining three were distributed in three different continents. There was still some way to go before accessible global teleportation could be achieved. With that said, this was a remarkable starting point. Apart from a limitation imposed by the need for germanium metal, another problem to consider for the Gantz sphere and server machines was the power required. A hefty sum of power was required to conduct teleportation. While Eco Science City had the facilities required to accommodate this demand, it was not the same for the Black spheres located in other continents. Chen Chen decided to go with his previous approach which was to purchase a local factory as a disguise and employ his Black Knights as factory workers. This was done to serve as a facade to outsiders. It was a lot of hassle, but it was well worth it considering the advantages that came with having Gantz facilities. With all this in mind, Chen Chen looked at the codename printed across the chest of the three Black Knights and suddenly ordered, T00922 Black Knight, head to Northern America Continent. T00383 Black Knight, head to Europe Continent. T00568 Black Knight, head to Central Continent. Dispatch immediately. The three Black Knights went without a word. A flash of dazzling blue ray emitted by the black sphere cast on their bodies. The next second, their bodies started to melt away into the surrounding from top to bottom. The teleportation speed of the Gantz sphere was drastically faster in real life compared to inside the movies. In the movies, the process took approximately ten seconds, up to thirty seconds in certain cases. In actual practice in real life, the process only took upwards of several seconds. When the blue ray faded away, the three Black Knights had also disappeared from the teleportation room along with their equipment, nowhere to be seen after that. Arrived at point of destination. Little X suddenly announced as the three Black Knights disappeared. At the same time, three semi-transparent holographic displays appeared in front of Chen Chen. They were the live footage from different surveillance cameras. Each surveillance camera footage showed a room with a black sphere installed. Each room was empty apart from the black sphere that was positioned at the center of the room. In an instant, a beam of blue light was projected from each one of these black spheres and the figure of the Black Knights immediately appeared after that. Little X paused for a few seconds before announcing, After initial scanning, there are no physiological abnormalities detected in the three Black Knights transmitted via the satellite. They have arrived in business districts in Los Angeles, Zurich, and Shangdu respectively. Excellent work. Chen Chen was very satisfied with the result and nodded. With this, the B.S.S. and Black Knights force can finally become globalized task forces. Thats right, the quick reaction forces will be able to protect our companys assets more effectively. Little X quickly added. Although we dont have many global assets at the moment. We will very soon. Chen Chen noted immediately. Im already planning to establish branches and research facilities in the first-tier city of each continent. They will specialize in procuring cancer-targeted drugs and clinical trials. This will be the first phase. After the branch offices are officially established, well start setting up local outlets to promote our companys electronic products. This will serve as the foundation for our upcoming Four-phase Era project. This way, we dont have to deal with hefty tariffs imposed with each transaction conducted in the future. Finally, I plan to integrate Blacklight Biotechnology into the everyday lives of people. This will span from pharmaceuticals to electronics, which will then further extend into finance and regular commerce until it reaches into all aspects of life. Blacklight Biotechnology will only establish its position as an influential corporation after all this is achieved. Chen Chen suddenly became silent upon mentioning this. Then, he proceeded to ask, Right, did Cheng Cao find anything on his side? None. So far, we havent discovered any clues concerning Wang Xi. Also, Cheng Cao is still trying to figure out how he can relocate the server machine. Little X answered. Chen Chen frowned upon hearing this and began examining the issue. It would not be fair to blame Cheng Cao for all this since anything that had to do with the USB drive tended to make for an extremely pesky issue. It was also interconnected with Wang Xi, Zhao Shanhe, even himself, as well as the entirety of the Earth Federation. Naturally, the antimeme was tied to all this one way or another as well. All things considered, it was not surprising to know that Cheng Cao had not made much progress after all this time. Chen Chen would have reason to be alerted if he were to manage to find clues in such a short time. With this in mind, Chen Chen suddenly informed, X, send me to the Central Continent. If you return without a visa, it may cause some problems Little X was somewhat troubled by this. Dont worry about it, I know what Im doing. Chen Chen insisted. Besides, isnt this what I set up the Gantz servers for? Yes! Since Chen Chen insisted, Little X responded agreeably. Immediately after that, the Gantz sphere projected a beam of blue ray on Chen Chens body and his figure immediately vanished. Chen Chen only felt a glimpse of blue light flashing across his eyes. Within a second, he found himself relocated to another speckless, empty room. There were no windows in the room and the only source of light was a lamp overhead. Apart from that, the only thing that caught his attention was the Gantz sphere located in the middle. The entire process only lasted a brief instant, but Chen Chen knew that he was already transported from Eco Science City and returned to Shangdu, located tens of thousands of kilometers away. He turned around and pushed open the door behind him and found himself in the middle of a factory. The walls and the door in the Gantz sphere room were made of the same material. As soon as Chen Chen stepped out of the room, the door shut automatically and immediately fused itself into the walls again. If not for Chen Chen stepping out of the room seconds ago, he would have never realized that there was a hidden door. Another thing to note was that upon stepping out of the room, Chen Chen felt a vague sense of familiarity. He looked at the wall of the factory and as expected, he saw a sign with a familiar label printed on top Greenland Oxygen Plant. How thoughtful, X. Chen Chen felt nostalgic when he read the sign. Greenland Oxygen Plant was the first factory he had where he charged the USB drive. He had never expected Little X to buy this factory specifically and refitted it into a secret Gantz sphere teleportation lot. The factory was already purchased under an anonymous name. Several workers who were disguised as Black Knights were walking around the factory working on their tasks. Only someone who came in here to inspect would notice that this factory was little more than a shell purposed for something else. With Chen Chens arrival, a designated vehicle had been arranged and parked outside the factory already. Chen Chen exited the factory and entered the vehicle. The driver then drove them in the direction of Chen Chens school After all these years, Chen Chen was finally returning to his school again Chapter 435 - Corroding Corridor Two hours later, a black Benz stopped and parked by the side of a road next to the school entrance. Chen Chen exited the Benz by himself. He stood in the middle of the crowd coming back and forth and looked at the all-too-familiar while also foreign school. It was January in Shangdu, which meant that the region was entering the winter season. It was evening when he arrived. Thick dark clouds loomed overhead, casting a unique faint yellow winter glow on the cityscape. The yellowish glow was not the radiance of the sun but merely a reflection of the citys light on the clouds instead. This was very common in the city during the winter season. Under this warm glow, Chen Chen saw countless people coming back and forth from the main gate of the school. Young and vibrant teenagers gathered in groups of various sizes, each socializing merrily and unwinding under the relaxing atmosphere. The semester was finally over and they would be welcoming the joyous occasion that was the winter break. Standing in the middle of the streaming crowd, Chen Chen could not help but recall the events from that one year. Although it had only been four years, he had a feeling like it was from another life he once lived. If not for the USB drive, he would probably have graduated by now and worked a common nine-to-five job, living every day monotonously until he died. Perhaps he would have taken the postgraduate entrance examination after graduation and become a first-level graduate student, where he would continue to pursue a hypothetical, grand future. One way or another, he would only become just another common individual among millions and billions like him, instead of separating himself from that crowd entirely as he had done now. The reality was that there was no such thing as a what-if. With this in mind, Chen Chen cracked a faint smile. In an instant, it was as if the iceberg surrounding him had melted away and substituted with a gentle, warm ambiance around him. Chen Chen had properly blended himself into this group of students. With that, Chen Chen took his first step toward the school entrance. Nobody was stopping him. Chen Chen stepped right into the school compound, without the security posted in front even noticing that this person was not a student, but a complete outsider instead. Phew When Chen Chen exhaled, a puff of white mist rose in front of him. He followed along the familiar road and came to the front of a building. He stepped right in and went to the fourth floor of the building. Before long, Chen Chen had arrived at a dormitory with the sign 404 posted in front. He brushed the surface of the door with his finger, feeling the familiar texture of the door that was the same as he remembered it. He could hear some rowdy noises coming from behind the door. Zhang Wei, you failed again. The only subject out of the eight compulsory subjects that you managed to pass is sports, dope! So what if I failed, you think that word exists in my vocabulary? Wait till I get back and get my dad to donate an entire building to the school. Then youll see me graduating way ahead of you guys! Another one of your stories, Zhang Wei? You guys dont believe me? Tell them, Zhang Jian, my dad is the richest man in Dachangzhen. Where I come from, they call me the King of Dachang, how much do you think one building is worth to me? There was a round of bantering coming from behind the door, but it was no longer the trio of Wang Wei, Li Bo, and Zhou Jie. They had all graduated now. Chen Chen shook his head. After he had enough of this nostalgic tour, he turned around and left without so much as a final glance. X, wheres the schools server room? After leaving the dormitory building, Chen Chen got in touch with X using the Bluetooth earpiece. Id like to head over myself. Wasnt the server machine youre planning to look at already carried away by Cheng Cao? Little X asked. But we didnt find anything inside the server machines, did we? Chen Chen pointed out. If the server machines dont contain any clues, I figured Id make a trip there myself and see if theres anything peculiar that even the effects of antimeme couldnt erase. Although the server machine had not yet been shipped to Eco Science City, Cheng Cao had already paired it with Little X for several rounds of inspections. No matter how many tests Little X ran, the findings were still evident. It was only an ordinary, even ancient server machine that contained nothing worthwhile or odd. Understood, the schools server room is located on the third floor of the basement of block one on the main office lot. Little X provided the directions. But you cannot enter without the keys and proper authorization. Why would I need something like a key or authorization? Chen Chen flicked an eyebrow at this mention and asked pointedly. He left it at that and proceeded to head to the main campus. Sir Godfather, do you need Cheng Cao to meet you there? Little X was still worried. No need for that. I get that Im not on the field much these days, but with my current strength, even the Black Knights wont be of much help if I stumble into a situation that I cant handle. Chen Chen replied, Besides, Cheng Cao had already gone there to investigate and couldnt find anything. Im just heading there myself to try my luck, see if anything happens. With that, Little X decided there was nothing else for her to add. It did not take long before Chen Chen arrived at the main campus. He looked at the seven-story building. Although it was not a large building, it served as the primary administrative hub of the campus. The office of the principal and the administration office was set up here. Right by the entrance of the building, there was a security guard posted and tasked with the registration procedures of the people entering and exiting the building. Without any hesitation, Chen Chen went to the registration desk where he wrote down Chen Chen, Class 1 of the Department of Biological Sciences, included with what was once his student ID. The security guard hardly gave it so much as a glance and let him in. Chen Chen stepped into the elevator in the lobby and selected the button that read -3. Just as the elevator doors were about to close, he heard racing footsteps quickly approaching the elevator, accompanied by a frenzied shout, Ah, hold on! Chen Chen instinctively reached for the button to open the elevator doors again. Before he could even blink, a nice-looking girl with a bed of long hair dashed into the elevator. Ah. Phew, haaa, thank, thank you! The girl panted desperately while thanking Chen Chen. She then reached for the control panel on the elevator to select her intended floor before she noticed that the floor -3 had already been selected. She immediately pulled her slender hands back and turned to Chen Chen. Are you from the student council as well? How come Ive never met you before? Im not. Chen Chen shook his head and mentioned with a faint smile. He may appear polite and kind on the outside but underneath his smile, there was a subtle intent of putting up a wall around himself. Youre not? The girl repeated the statement to herself before catching the hint that Chen Chen was not interested in furthering the conversation. She figured it was better to suppress her curiosity and only snuck several glances at this person. Before long, the elevator had arrived at the third basement floor. The door opened to reveal a dark and long-winded corridor. Perhaps due to an extensive period without exposure to sunlight, there were faint traces of mold tracing along the white walls on both sides of the corridor. There was also a damp, moldy smell in the air. Chen Chen waited for the other person to exit the elevator before stepping out himself as well. He looked at two closed doors along both sides of the corridor, trying to pinpoint the location of the server room. It seemed as if it was this girls first time coming to this place as well. Just like Chen Chen, she was looking for a sign that indicated what the rooms were. Zhang Qiao, over here! It was then when a door in front of them suddenly opened and a tall man poked his head out from inside while shouting in their direction, What took you so long, Zhang Qiao. Youre the last person arriving! Oh Im coming! The girl answered briskly. She turned around to look at Chen Chen one last time before sprinting inside the room. The man inside the room sized up Chen Chen cautiously. When he saw that Chen Chen did not show the slightest inclination of speeding up his pace to join them, he proceeded to shut the door. Whos that guy? I have no idea, he says hes not from the student council. Why is he here if hes not from the student council? The man asked a steady stream of questions as the girl entered the room. Chen Chen paid no mind to them and passed by the room nonchalantly. As he passed by the room, he faintly noted along the crack of the door that the room was a classroom with arranged desks, chairs, and a blackboard. Three Chinese characters that read Student Council Publicity Department were written on a plate beside the door. Why would the publicity department of the Jiaotong Universitys student council be relocated here? Chen Chen found the subject curious, but did not give it any further thought and only passed by the room. After advancing another fifty meters, far enough that the elevator was almost out of view, Chen Chen finally located the server room. It was positioned at the end of the corridor and unlike the other rooms that were sectioned off with wooden doors, this room had a security door instead. There was a sign on the door that read: Server room. Unauthorized personnel not allowed. Chen Chen did not heed the suggestion written on the signboard. He proceeded to put his right hand on the lock. In an instant, his Field poured into the lock and gelled into the shape of a key. He proceeded to print the image of a key in his mind based on the internal structure of the lock. After a second, when he applied a gentle push, the tightly reinforced security door opened with a gentle clack. He felt a cool breeze of air coming from inside the server room. It was the air from the air-conditioner inside the server room. Inside the server room, server machines covered in dust were lined along storage racks. LED lights blinked continuously inside the shrouded darkness. He could also hear the routine buzz and humming of the machines. Chen Chen grazed along the surface of the wall with his hands and found the light switch. He turned on the lights. Click! The room was illuminated. The entire layout of the server room immediately presented itself before Chen Chen. There were six server machines in total, each one of them had their identifying label written on them with a red marker. Machine number six was positioned closest to the door. The numbering of the machines moved in descending order toward the innermost section of the room, where there was an unlabeled, brand new server machine. It seemed that after losing server machine one, the school department decided to buy a new server machine to replace what was once server machine one. Chen Chen moved to the center of the machine room and shut his eyes. He invoked his Field and summoned countless invisible, tiny hands, which he used to graze through every surface of the server machines. He slipped into every single crevice and fully inspected the insides of the server machines. Several minutes later, Chen Chen slowly opened his eyes again. Sadly, he was unable to find anything worth noting in the entire server room. Chen Chen started to question his judgment at this moment. Was it merely a coincidence when server machine one somehow detected information concerning Professor Wang Xi? With this in mind, Chen Chen returned to where server machine one used to be. He moved the new server machine and looked at the print on the ground. It was a print left behind by having a heavy object placed over a spot for many years. Such prints could not be erased unless power washing tools were used. Such washing methods were not applicable in a server room such as this. An idea suddenly occurred to Chen Chen. He immediately snapped his attention to the print and began to evoke the Field in his mind. He formed a mass of Field energy like a hammer and slammed it against the tile! Bang! A fist-sized crack appeared on the ground in an instant! Chen Chen flicked an eyebrow in amusement when he saw this. His Field had deducted another separate space underneath the ground which he stood! It only took a second for his Field to reach through the gap to inspect what was underneath. What he would come to discover was a corpse left in perfect condition! Professor Wang Xi! Chen Chen exclaimed. He discovered that the person buried underground was not just any other person, but Professor Wang Xi who had completely vanished from this world without a trace! How is this possible Chen Chens eyes were widened in horror. The next thing that came to his mind was to reach through the crack to further investigate. Just as the idea occurred to him, he heard a steady sound of gurgling water coming through the crack leading to the underground space This was completely out of Chen Chens expectation. He saw traces of dark red liquid seeping out of the crack. The source of this strange liquid seemed to be Professor Wang Xis very own body. It swarmed the underground space in the blink of an eye and quickly overflowed into the server room! A bizarre, sweet smell with a trace scent of iron filled the air Was it fresh blood? Chen Chen immediately retracted his Field and stumbled backward. He realized that although this strange substance resembled human blood, there was no chance that the human body contained such a drastic volume of blood, nor would it creep across the ground like some sort of sentient monster in this manner Just as Chen Chen suspected, as he retreated, the sections of floor which the blood came into contact with began to corrode away, making a rustling sound as they melted. It was as if the world itself was starting to wither away as spots of rust began to appear on the surrounding walls! In an instant, the texture of the floor had been transformed into a rusty, aged texture. The same effect soon spread to the wall, turning the originally white and speckless walls into a dirty, dark brown texture that appeared as if something filthy were pasted on them! The server machines that came into contact with the corrosion turned into rusted blocks of scrap iron. What caught Chen Chens attention was that instead of the lights on the server machines fading out, they started to flicker rapidly instead. The LED lights that were once red and green had shifted into a strange cluster of dark red and dark green. Chen Chen did not know what was happening, but one thing he knew for certain was that it was time for him to get out of here. Without sparing a moments thought, Chen Chen backed away and tried to exit the room. The moment Chen Chen stepped out of the server room, he immediately screeched to a stop again The corridor he came from that seemed to stretch on endlessly was corroding at a rapid pace as well. He saw clumps of mold forming on the surface of the walls that congealed into strange, greasy substances! While this was happening, Chen Chen also heard the steady growl of metal beating against each other coming from the previous room. It sounded as if some ancient machines were activated. The screeching sounds of their gear grinding against each other echoed in his ears Chen Chens expression had become unbearably dark upon noting this strange occurrence. He made his Field swarm around him like raging tides to form an invisible wall around himself to act as a protective barrier. At the same time, Chen Chen heard panicked screams coming from a distance. He saw the classroom door further in front being thrown open as dozens of students charged out of the room, their faces were twisted in horror and mania. The students barely had time to give Chen Chen so much as a glance as they charged toward the end of the corridor with the emergency exit sign. Chapter 436 - Phasmophobia Where I come from, they call me the King of Dachang. How much do you think one building is worth to me? In Dorm 404, a lanky young man was bragging to his roommates. When he saw them roll their eyes at his proclamations, he suddenly sneered. Dont believe me? Ill prove it to you. As he spoke, he closed the game Phasmophobia, picked up the backpack hung by the bed, and unzipped it. Suddenly, knickknacks tumbled out of the backpack. See? Ive spent a fortune buying all these at Vatican City! The lanky young man took out a palm-sized crucifix from the pile and flicked it, proudly saying, A crucifix, made of pure silver, especially used to prevent ghosts from entering their hunting phase! Then, he took out a pack of incense and shook it in front of everyone. Smudge sticks personally blessed by the Pope. It can also prevent the ghosts from hunting you. After that, he took out a camera with a mysterious expression. You guys who only toy with your equipment will never understand the true realm of photography Everyone did not bother paying attention to the young man in front of them and only a handsome young man next to him said, Actually I suspect you may have been cheated. Surely not? The lanky young man looked disbelieving. He was just about to continue showing off the holy items in his backpack when he suddenly turned his head and stared at the computer in front of him. Whats wrong? The handsome young man on the side asked instinctively. Somethings wrong! The lanky youth raised his palms and made a gesture for silence. I was arguing with you guys on purpose just now because I noticed from the camera at the door that a sneaky guy was listening in front of our door for a long time. He didnt leave until just now! Are you for real? The other three people in the dormitory huddled together. Sure enough, they saw an extra figure on the computer screen of the lanky young man. The figure put his hand on Dorm 404s door and only turned around and left after some time. He was eavesdropping on our conversation! The lanky young man looked pensive and solemnly said, Didnt you notice? When he walks, he always touches the ground with his heel first. This shows that he has received military training because only the right marching technique of military training will produce this effect. At the same time, his left hand was down at all times. This is most likely because theres a gun hidden in his sleeve. When he wants to kill, in just a flick of his wrist, the gun will fall from his sleeve to the palm of his hand Moreover At this point, everyone could not help but roll their eyes and disperse. Hey, theres more. Why arent you listening? Seeing that everyone ignored him, the lanky young man turned and glanced downstairs. Sure enough, he saw that the stranger had walked out of the dormitory building and was walking in the direction of the teaching building. Seeing this, the lanky young man simply picked up his backpack and left the dormitory, silently following the stranger. The strangers walking speed was not fast and the lanky young man followed far behind. They finally came to the front of Office Building No. 1. The lanky young man waited for a while after the other person walked through the door and only went in when he heard the sound of the elevator from inside the building. He noticed the elevator descending continuously and finally stopping at the third floor underground. Upon seeing this, the lanky young man frowned and realized that there was more to this affair. Why did he go to the basement? Could he be hiding a secret? The lanky young man hesitated and after about five minutes passed, he walked slowly down the stairs He had to admit that Office Building No. 1 had been around for a long time. As the lanky young man descended bit by bit, gradually the air began to smell moldy. Not only that, even the voice-activated lights at the bottom of the stairs were out. When he reached the second basement floor, the entire corridor was already pitch black. Seeing this, the lanky young man immediately opened his backpack and took out a powerful flashlight. With a click, the flashlight emitted a strong beam, illuminating the path leading to the third floor underground. Gasp, somethings wrong However, the lanky young man still felt uneasy. He only felt an inexplicable sensation washing over him. He could not tell what it was, but it made his heart pound. Therefore, he took out a yellow thermometer from his backpack again, pointed it toward the front, and clicked. Beep! With only one beep, the LCD screen of the temperature-measuring gun displayed the numbers 6.3 degrees Celsius. Phew, fortunately, its not bitingly cold Seeing this, the lanky young man breathed a sigh of relief and then continued to walk downward. When he reached the third floor underground, the lanky young man finally saw a light, but just as he was about to heave a sigh of relief, there was a rustling sound in the corridor as if thousands of insects were climbing over the walls. It sent a chill down his spine! The lanky young man moved the flashlight toward the wall, only to see that the wall paint was rapidly aging and decaying. It was peeling off completely in the blink of an eye and assuming a rusty, dirty appearance. At the same time, there was the sound of screaming and running from the depths of the corridor. It seemed that a dozen people were running toward this place together. F*ck! The lanky young man could not help inhaling sharply, but he immediately calmed down in the next second. He quickly opened the backpack, took out the crucifix, and held it in front of him, then quickly ran upstairs! Heh, fortunately, Ive been playing Phasmophobia for two whole years. Id better leave this place first! The lanky young man said as he ran upstairs, but when he sensed that he had reached the first floor, he was completely dumbfounded because the scenery on the first floor was still the same as the third floor underground. Currently, the lanky youth finally saw a dozen men and women run out from the depths of the corridor, shrieking. They ran past him and headed up the stairs. However, before the last few of them ran up the stairs, they saw the first few people who had run ahead were coming up from the stairs below next to them as if space itself had been twisted into a strange loop. This scene that could only happen in a horror film suddenly stupefied everyone. The spirits are trapping us! Someone yelled and the group hurriedly found an alternative route and sped toward the elevator door. Fortunately, with just one press of the button, the elevator door opened immediately, revealing the bright and clean space inside. This group of people rushed up, scrambling to squeeze into the elevator. However, after all, the elevator had a weight limit. As a result of more than ten people squeezing in together, no one could leave. Move in! Squeeze in a bit more and let me in! Stop pushing, were too heavy. You guys wait for the next elevator Get out! The small elevator became a battlefield for more than a dozen people, but at this moment, there was a nauseating sound of splitting metal from the top of the elevator. At the same time, the entire elevator began to sway violently as if some powerful force in the dark was tugging from the top! Somethings wrong, run! Everyone was taken aback. Someone yelled and everyone wanted to run out of the elevator. Even so, by the time those few people nearest the door had run out desperately and while the remaining seven or eight people were still hesitating, the entire elevator rang out with a boom and dropped down quickly! Agghhh ! There was a harsh scream that drew further away. Sparks burst out from the elevator as it fell into a bottomless abyss Suddenly, there was only an empty black hole where the elevator had been. How, how could it be The rest of the people watched all this in stunned dismay. One pretty girl covered her mouth and said in horror, This is the bottom floor of the building. How could there be such a deep space? The spirits are toying with this place, weve run into some spirits! Someone yelled as if that was the only way to vent their fears. Dont panic, everyone, well find a way out! At this moment, a tall sturdy man came out. He placated the rest of the crowd. What we have to do now is not to panic, but to find out why this happened. We must believe in science. There must be a reason this situation has happened! It seemed that the man in front of them was a respected figure. At once, everyone looked over. Heh, how inexperienced, thinking that science can explain everything in this world. At this moment, a cold laugh came from the dark, filled with arrogance and worldliness. Only through experience will you understand there are some things that science can never explain Whos there! The man turned his head abruptly, with a shocked look. Besides his own student council, were there others on this floor? After this question, a young man carrying a black satchel, holding a crucifix in one hand, and a temperature-measuring gun in the other emerged from the darkness. A glint of arrogance appeared in his eyes and his head was held high, almost looking down his nose at everyone. Who are you? Seeing the youth in front of him, a look of uncertainty flashed in the mans eyes, and he immediately asked. Isnt it more polite to proactively report your identity before asking for someone elses name? The lanky young man said solemnly. Im Wang Liang, head of the Publicity Department of the student council! The man said immediately. Very good. The lanky young man nodded in satisfaction. My name is Zhang Wei and Im also a student of this school. Maybe you have never heard of my name, but Im also a member of a ghost-hunting team. I have been in this role for two years. Ghost-hunting team? A man among the crowd asked reflexively, Are there ghosts in the world? Heh, do you think Im joking? Zhang Wei said in a deep voice. He did not explain himself, just stared at the other person until they lowered their gaze, not daring to meet his eyes. Only then did he turn back to the crowd. Congratulations everyone, youre now involved in a supernatural event! So what should we do? As if clinging to a life raft, the group immediately surrounded him and asked at the same time. Its very simple. If you want to exorcize ghosts and spirits, you must first determine their identity. Zhang Wei squatted, rummaged in his backpack, and said, Ghosts are divided into twelve types namely Spirits, Wraiths, Phantoms, Poltergeists, Banshees, etc. Only by knowing what type of ghost it is, will we know how to get rid of it. I just so happen to have a few tools to help us determine the type of ghost in this haunted house. With that, Zhang Wei took out a few candles and handed them to everyone. Candles can slow down the decrease of our sanity level. The lower your sanity level, the easier it is to be hunted by ghosts. Even as he spoke, Zhang Wei suddenly slapped his head. Oh, I didnt bring the pill that will increase ones sanity level, otherwise Id be more assured in all this. Then, he took out a notebook. You can put the notebook on the floor. If the ghost writes on it, it means that theyre a Spirit, Revenant, Shade, Yurei, Oni, and so on. Finally, he took out a few light sticks. You can also use this either for lighting or to view the wall. If its a Revenant, Spirit or Poltergeist, it will leave fingerprints on the wall. So it can also be used to determine the type of ghost. Everyone immediately accepted these tools with great gratitude. Wang Liang, head of the Publicity Department of the student council, stood in bewildered amazement, wondering if the young man in front of him was telling the truth or just talking big. Wang Liang, do you think what hes saying is true? At this moment, a girl who had been silent on the side suddenly said, I dont know why, I keep thinking that this schoolmate of ours is a little Unreliable Lets wait and see Wang Liang replied in a low voice. The girl nodded and stopped talking. At this moment, Chen Chen, who was standing deep in the shadows of the corridor, also witnessed all of this. The corners of his mouth could not help but twitch because Chen Chen had known from the start that everything mentioned by this young man named Zhang Wei came from a game. An online game called Phasmophobia. In other words, this seemingly explosive jargon that the young man kept bringing up was nothing but bluffing Still, Chen Chen did not bother to reveal all this. At this time, he just about understood that he seemed to have fallen into a trap. Just like with the previous antimeme, the former owner of the USB drive had set another trap for him. However, whether this trap was laid by Wang Xi or Zhao Shanhe was a matter to be determined. Chen Chen seemed to have seen Professor Wang Xis body earlier. If Zhao Shanhe laid the trap, then it would make sense. He killed Professor Wang Xi and lured Chen Chen to trace the antimeme here. There would be a high probability of Chen Chen triggering the mechanism and trapping himself here. Nonetheless, Chen Chen clearly remembered that Zhao Shanhe was dead. He had turned into an antimeme and even wanted to target Chen Chen, but was instead killed by Chen Chen in the hypnotized dream world. However, if it were not Zhao Shanhe, who would it be? Chen Chen slowly turned his head. At this moment, the corridor had completely lost all light and became pitch black but in the darkness, Chen Chen could hear the sound of water again. Still, this was different from ordinary water. This kind of water sounded extremely viscous as if it was a jelly substance that constantly gurgled. What Chen Chen did not know was that at this time, out of his sight, blood had flooded the entire server room from the crack that was opened. It was as if a tide of blood had filled the room. Chapter 437 - The Otherworld From the blood pool that was only a few centimeters deep, suddenly, a human hand with sharp nails stretched out, and then a second, a third, a fourth At last, a woman with four arms and disheveled hair crawled out of the pool of blood slowly. Her hair had covered her face. She suddenly scuttled forward in the dim environment and rapidly clambered onto the wall. There, she unleashed an ear-piercing scream and she crawled into the darkness like a gecko This scream ran through the corridor and echoed directly in the ears of Chen Chen and the many students next to the elevator. These students seemed to be rather on edge and many people screamed subconsciously. Whats that sound? It sounds like a womans scream but also like the sound of scraping glass, but in reality, its more terrifying than any of these! Someone was startled and asked in fright. Maybe its your mother calling you to go home for dinner. Zhang Wei glanced at that person as if they were an idiot as he retorted. Surely, surely not, Im wondering if its a ghost That student stammered. Why are you asking if you already know? Why dont you quickly light your candle? Zhang Wei looked at his flashlight nervously and then said confidently, Dont panic, the flashlight in my hand hasnt flickered yet, which means the ghost hasnt yet entered the hunting phase. Were safe! If it enters the hunting phase, we only need to each find a room to hide in and anyway, there are so many rooms here! But the doors of these rooms are locked Someone said feebly. F*ck? Zhang Wei was suddenly at a loss. He had forgotten about that. Currently, Chen Chen, who was standing in the dark, also heard this sound. The sound came from the location of the server room. In other words, it was a trap in there Chen Chen thought silently. He tried to contact Little X but found that the signal had been interrupted long ago. After he witnessed the elevator directly falling into an abyss, it was obvious that they were no longer underground in the previous building, but had been drawn into a peculiar space. Although he was no longer the same person he used to be, Chen Chen was not so arrogant as to run into danger headfirst. Whether it was the T-virus he was infected with, which was comparable to the strength of a weakened U.S. military team or his Field energy that could withstand bullets, they could only deal with conventional situations. If it was a supernatural situation like this, these powers had no effect at all. Everything he had experienced up until now had gone beyond reality and was more like a weapon created by a meme In other words, Zhao Shanhe or another person behind the scenes had a set of memetic technology that was almost fully mature, which could induce the memetic effect to produce such complicated tricks? This thought occurred to Chen Chen but in the next second, it was immediately rejected by him. No, impossible! If this was the case, then why should the other person be so sneaky? Would it not be grand to kill Chen Chen directly and take the USB drive away? After all, if Chen Chen was faced with developed memetic technology, he would be powerless to fight back. Thus, if that was not the case, what was this meme, which could draw him and everyone on this floor into a strange space? Could it be Suddenly, a spark went off in Chen Chens mind and a possibility came to his mind. Could it be that? But how is that possible How can the USB flash drive accept such a movie Chen Chen was a little surprised but then he thought about it. If this is the case, then I should mix in with the crowd first. Ill see what happens then Thinking of this, Chen Chen heard a whispering sound behind him as if something was slowly approaching. Therefore, he stopped hesitating and walked directly in the direction of the rest. Chen Chens footsteps sounded from the darkness. Hearing this sound, everyone turned their heads like frightened birds, staring at the darkness. Several female classmates screamed at once and shrank behind Zhang Wei. Zhang Wei also jumped in fright, but when he thought of the crucifix in his hand and the performance that he was putting on, he gradually gained a trace of confidence. He asked loudly, Who is sneaking around there? I, Zhang Wei, ask you to come out! Its me. Chen Chen walked out of the darkness. He looked at Zhang Wei and a glimmer of puzzlement and helplessness appeared in his eyes. This was not because of the lanky young mans boastful pretense from beginning to end, but because of his voice. If Chen Chen remembered correctly, he had heard it in Dorm 404 before. The owner of that voice had also been called Zhang Wei. Did this mean that this guy had followed him here? How excellent! Chen Chen twitched the corners of his mouth. He did not expect that his marvelous self, an amalgamation of Alice and Andrew, would one day be tracked by an ordinary person, without him noticing it at that. So, its you! Putting aside the jumble of thoughts in Chen Chens mind at this time, when Zhang Wei saw Chen Chens face, he also gasped, apparently recognizing the figure from the surveillance feed. You eavesdropped on the conversation in our dormitory before and youre a pervert with a door fetish? Door fetish? Chen Chen gaped and understood that he would not have any meaningful exchange with such a person. He immediately changed the subject wisely. I just heard a scream coming from the end of the corridor. Something seems to be approaching us from the dark. If you dont want to die, I suggest we come up with a plan as soon as possible There was a mad scramble after everyone heard this. Dont panic, everyone! Zhang Wei said loudly and at the same time, looked at Chen Chen vigilantly. Ordinary people may have been fooled by you at once, but I, Zhang Wei, am different. Ive already discovered a huge flaw in your words! With that said, Zhang Wei could not help but sneer. You said something was approaching in the dark, then why did you stay in the dark just now? Did you make the scream? Youre a ghost! As soon as he said these words, everyones expressions changed again and their eyes turned to Chen Chen with a flash of fear and horror. Chen Chen frowned and had to say, Im human, not a ghost. Oh, no? Zhang Wei thought for a while, then simply held up the crucifix. If youre not a ghost, would you dare to look directly at the crucifix? As he said, he moved toward Chen Chen step by step. At the same time, when everyone was still behind him, he surreptitiously put his left hand into his crotch, took it out, and quickly smeared something on the crucifix. What the f*ck are you doing? Chen Chens scalp turned numb and he quickly leaped back. Haha, youve been exposed. Youre a ghost indeed! Seeing this, Zhang Wei laughed coldly. He moved back directly and jumped back in front of everyone. Youre not afraid of the crucifix, but youre afraid of the urine of young boys! Youre indeed a ghost and youre a Chinese ghost who doesnt believe in God! Everyone was shocked. They looked at the wet crucifix in Zhang Weis hand and his wet crotch. Some girls who had been hiding behind Zhang Wei trustingly suddenly turned blank and looked at them both in bewilderment. The rest of the people wore a baffled look on their faces and suddenly felt that the lanky young man in front of them seemed a little unreliable However, just as the situation gradually became awkward, there was another spine-tingling scream from the depths of the corridor. At the same time, a rustling sound could be heard, like the sound of something crawling. After hearing this sound, the crowd suddenly screamed again and everyone kept rushing toward the stairs and elevator entrance at the end of the corridor. At this time, Chen Chens eyes had taken on a serious gaze. He turned his head abruptly and the surrounding Field tightly enveloped him. The flashlight in Zhang Weis hand instinctively pointed behind Chen Chen but he happened to see that on the ceiling of the corridor, a red figure was darting past! In the gloom, he could even make out that it was a woman with long hair Ahh! The group erupted into another screech. This time, everyone was fully convinced that ghosts were real. Heh heh, its just trying to scare us to lower our sanity level. Dont fall for it Zhang Wei twitched his mouth stiffly and said with a forced smile. You say that, but why are you trembling? A young man on the side asked shakily because everyone could see that Zhang Wei was shaking more than everyone at this point. Even the beam of the flashlight in his hand was quaking rapidly Chen Chen had been paying close attention to the scream deep in the corridor, but because of his fusion with the T-virus, his eyesight was much better than that of ordinary people. Even in such a dark corridor, he could see the figure. That figure was a woman with four arms crawling on the wall like a spider! Laura! Chen Chen felt a violent jolt in his heart and he immediately called out the monsters name. The reason Chen Chen could call out its name was that this was a monster from a game, but how could a monster in a game appear in reality? Thinking of this, Chen Chen immediately turned his head and looked at the crowd with a solemn expression. Which of you have played The Evil Within? Me Me! After hearing this, a short boy immediately stammered out a reply. So, youve seen it too. That monster just now, is it The Evil Withins La, Lau, Ra, Laura? Hearing these words, Chen Chens eyes suddenly lit up. He walked quickly toward the boy, who constantly retreated in alarm. You, what are you trying to do? Did you talk about this game just now? Chen Chen stared steadily at the boy, giving him a huge amount of pressure. Tell me, did you just talk about this game with someone? I didnt. Its just that Ive been playing through this old game recently, so I was thinking about the strategy in my mind The boy swiftly said in fear. As I thought! Chen Chen raised his eyebrows and he looked down the corridor again. The red figure of Laura had long disappeared. Chen Chen said immediately, In this case, Wang Liang, take everyone away and climb out of here! Chen Chen pointed to the head of the Publicity Department of the student council who had remained silent all this time and said in an unquestionable tone, Climb out of the elevator shaft. I have been here before and I know that its the exit! Really? Wang Liang was shocked. He was half-skeptical at first, but when he saw Chen Chens eyes, he felt his body shudder and all his doubts disappeared. Then, he gritted his teeth and said to the group, Everyone, come with me! With that said, he leaned out himself and looked into the elevator shaft. After the elevator had dropped down, there was only a black abyss left in the elevator shaft. Even just glancing at it would make people feel weak in the knees. Nonetheless, at this time, the group did not care about this anymore. They suddenly discovered that, on the outer wall of the elevator shaft, there was a stairway for people to climb through! This staircase was embedded in the elevator space. Although its appearance was astonishing, everyone understood that this was probably the only way out Many people instantly began to scramble and one by one they went frantically to the elevator shaft and prepared to climb up the stairs inside. At this time, there was another piercing scream from the depths of the corridor. This time, Chen Chen did not hesitate anymore. His Field energy stretched out directly, heading toward the depths of the corridor. It covered five meters, ten meters, fifteen meters Chen Chens Field energy stretched ahead for 20 meters. This level was close to the strength of Chen Chens Field in the dream world! This immense power gave Chen Chen a flicker of confidence and he peered into the darkness, trying to spot Lauras shadow. If his guess was not wrong, the dimension he had been drawn into now was the meme of the old movie Silent Hill, a memetic effect called the Otherworld Chen Chen thought silently. After all, the withered, decayed floors and walls, and the space that was isolated from the outside world these characteristics were very close to the old movie Silent Hill, from nearly 20 years ago. As for the Otherworld in that movie, it was created by the huge hatred in the heart of a little girl, Alessa, who was brutally bullied, burned by the townspeople, but was later rescued In the movie, Alessa was cast aside by everyone because of the influence of the local church. She was furthermore bullied and humiliated. In the end, she was even immolated by the church as a sacrifice to God. Although she was eventually rescued, the seeds of hatred were planted in the young girls heart. Her hatred turned into a demon, trapping all the residents in that small town in the Otherworld she had created. Not only that but her hatred had turned into a group of extremely terrifying monsters, who continued to slaughter the villagers. It seemed that only by killing them all could the hatred in her heart be vented. The reason Chen Chen did not think of this at first was just that this was not science fiction but a horror film. Chen Chen had never expected that such a horror film that involved religion would be recognized by the USB flash drive. Indeed, it could only manifest in the real world if it was recognized by the USB drive. If this was the case, Lauras appearance could also be explained The Otherworlds memetic ability was to create an alternate dimension. At the same time, all the dark sides of ones heart would turn into monsters and attack everyone. In other words, this memetic effect must have an anchor point. Just as the Otherworld in Silent Hill was conceived of by Alessa, now, the Otherworld Chen Chen was in must also have a human being as the carrier. This carrier had a high probability of being random. It could be anyone, so the short boy just now had become the anchor of the Otherworld this time. Therefore, Chen Chen had asked the question Which of you have played The Evil Within? after seeing Laura. Moreover, since that guy was the anchor point, if he wanted to leave, it should be achievable with just one thought. That was why Chen Chen said to them that there was an exit in the elevator shaft. When the guy thought there was an exit in the elevator shaft, then it was very likely that there was an exit there All these thoughts flashed through Chen Chens mind. At this time, he only had one purpose and that was to block Laura who was about to attack everyone and allow the boy who was the anchor point to escape from this place. This was the only way for the Otherworld meme to collapse of its own volition. Chapter 438 - An Unexpected Turn of Events Chen Chens Field energy was like a searchlight with an invisible beam, extending in the depths of the corridor. The moment Laura entered his Fields detection range, he would immediately detect her. However, the reality was beyond Chen Chens expectations. In the elevator shaft where everyone had fled, there was a piercing horrible howl. This howl went from far to near, then from near to far, filled with unspeakable despair, whizzing past behind Chen Chen. Soon, the drawn-out sound became fainter and finally disappeared completely because of the distance. Then, a second sound and a third sound Chen Chen knew that these three cries meant that three people had fallen from the elevator shaft into the invisible abyss. Cr*p! Chen Chen was powerless. He only heard the crowd behind him screaming as they crawled out of the elevator shaft, looking stunned and confused. Theres another one inside! The boy who had become the anchor finally climbed out crying and he scampered directly to Chen Chens side and wailed. Theres another one at the exit of the elevator shaft. Wang Liang and Zheng Kai and the rest have fallen and died! The screams of the crowd made Chen Chen frown but he was still staring at the corridor in front of him. Even though the guy said that there was one behind them, Chen Chen did not look back. After all, even if the monster in the elevator shaft was about to attack, this group of students would act as a physical shield. As for Chen Chen himself, he did not have a strong enough Field to take care of both monsters. Have you heard it! The short boy saw that Chen Chen was ignoring him, so he simply grabbed Chen Chens clothes and shouted, Wang Liang and the rest have fallen! Get off! Chen Chens eyes flashed ferociously. He suddenly turned around and slapped the other guy in the right cheek. In an instant, the short boy had no time to react and was blown backward by the largest force he had experienced in this lifetime! Clang! His body slammed into the wall next to the elevator and he coughed up a few mouthfuls of blood! Ahh ! Everyone screamed repeatedly. They were trapped between the devil and the deep blue sea. They could only huddle in place, not knowing where to flee. If you hadnt become an anchor, Id just kill you with that slap just now! Chen Chen said in a low voice. All this while, he did not even glance at the short boy. However, the monster seemed to have noticed that Chen Chen was distracted. It had been lurking in the darkness and finally rushed out. It let out an ear-splitting shriek and climbed across the ceiling suddenly, so fast that it was impossible to keep track of it by sight! It was a shame that the creature was up against a new human being who had been optimized by the T-virus. In the instant that everyone else barely had time to turn and look, Chen Chen had already detected it. At once a dim light flickered before Chen Chen and shot toward the monsters face! Agh! Before the blood-red monster had time to rush at Chen Chen, its body burst out in a fountain of blood and it fell directly to the ground and rolled over several times. At an unknown time, three of its four arms had been severed at the shoulder! At this point, Laura was going to become a limbless Laura. By now, everyone could see that the monster in front of them was a woman with disheveled hair, but this woman was covered in bloodstains. No one knew if this was her own blood or the traces left after she had murdered her victims. Three of its arms were severed at this time and only one bony arm was left constantly clawing the ground as if it wanted to get up. However, this was not the end. Just when this handicapped yet determined Laura was about to stand up again, there was another whoosh. In the darkness, it was impossible to see what had lashed out. Everyone only saw that the monsters legs were broken in the same instant! At once, a large volume of blood spurted out again! Argh !!! The monster collapsed completely on the cold floor, but even so, it raised its head and snarled at Chen Chen a few meters away. Pftt! However, the monsters roar was ultimately halted in the throat. In the next second, its head flew back in a splatter of blood, rolled more than ten meters away, and did not move anymore Now, the monster was completely silent. Thats it? Looking at the monster that died instantly in front of him, Chen Chen tilted his head impassively. Then, in one gesture, a graphene poker card that had been greatly damaged spun back toward him. Seeing that the card had been damaged, Chen Chen flicked it slightly and slammed it into the wall. With a sharp crack, the nearly transparent card was smashed into smithereens. Still, throughout this scene, Chen Chen looked like a god in the eyes of the rest. He did not even take a step at all, yet the monster that rushed toward him was dismembered! Cool cool cool! Standing in the crowd, Zhang Wei could not help shouting, Ive never admired many people in my life. My roommate is one and youre the second! O Great God, youre not human! Youre not a mere human being! Chen Chen did not bother responding to such weird praise. He stepped forward, squatted, and started to examine the monster, but at this moment, a bloody hand suddenly stretched out from the black hole in the elevator shaft behind Zhang Wei! This bloody hand seized Zhang Wei by his shoulder while he was speaking. It seemed that in the next second, Zhang Wei would be dragged backward! Zhang Weis eyes flashed blankly and he subconsciously threw the crucifix in his hand behind him. The moment the crucifix touched the bloody hand, the bloody hand seemed to have touched a lump of soldering iron and suddenly retracted! Arghh! Until then, Zhang Wei finally realized what had happened just now. He jumped in shock and at the same time, he did not forget to pick up the crucifix that had fallen on the ground while he was screaming and retreating quickly. Everyone also saw the scene of Zhang Wei being attacked. They all followed suit, crying out and running behind Chen Chen as they stared at the blackness of the elevator shaft in dazed alarm. Chen Chen was astounded. His Field power carefully examined Zhang Weis crucifix all over, but no matter how he looked at it, it was just a crucifix made of pure silver. The workmanship was not even meticulous but was rather crude. Could the crucifix restrain the ghosts in this meme? This occurred to Chen Chen before he shot down the idea. What kind of joke was this? If the crucifix could restrain the ghosts in memes, why bother to study meme technology? It was not so much that the crucifix could restrain the meme. Chen Chen would rather believe that the urine on the crucifix just now was the main factor. Perhaps the ghost hand felt that the urine was too disgusting, it shrank back in response. What are you trying to do? At this time, it was not only Chen Chen, but even the group of students could not help but frequently glance at the crucifix in Zhang Weis hand. This immediately caused Zhang Wei to retreat warily. Still, since Chen Chen was still here, everyone just stared at Zhang Wei greedily, but no one moved to snatch it. You want to snatch whats mine? Seeing everyones gaze, Zhang Wei did not even think about it and immediately backed into the darkness. You teammates arent reliable. I wont team up with you, I want to go solo! After that, Zhang Wei turned around and ran toward the depths of the corridor. Chen Chen did not stop him, merely watched him as he fled from Chen Chens field of vision. After that Chen Chen retracted his gaze. He was not trying to rescue everyone now but to find a way out of this Otherworld. It was sufficient to ensure the anchor was not dead. Naturally, he would save the others if possible, but if that could not be done, Chen Chen would not actively play the part of a hero. Thinking of this, Chen Chen looked at the short boy who had been slapped in the face again. At this time, half of his cheek was already swollen like a steamed bun and even his eye was sealed shut. Everyone, come with me. Chen Chen commanded the group and then walked in the direction of the elevator shaft. His Field extended to the elevator shaft first, trying to find the monster hiding in the dark, but when he came to the elevator shaft and looked up into the space, he found that there was nothing in there now. Not only that, but around 40 to 50 meters above the elevator shaft, a white light shone in as if there was an exit. Still, Chen Chen knew that if the anchor did not go in, even if it was an exit, he would not be able to get out. Therefore, he simply took the lead and climbed up the stairs in the elevator shaft first. Seeing that Chen Chen had taken the lead, everyone had the guts to follow behind. Originally, there were 16 or 17 people pulled into the Otherworld on the third floor underground, but because half of them died in the elevator, only eight people were left. Later on, three people fell into the elevator shaft, and Zhang Wei left the team. At this time, apart from Chen Chen, there were only four people left. Of the four, there were two men and two women. In addition to the short boy who became the anchor of the Otherworld, there was also the beautiful girl that Chen Chen had previously bumped into in the elevator. Presently, the four of them followed Chen Chen, desperately crawling toward the place where the white light was shining above their heads. That ghostly hand Will it be waiting for us up there As he was crawling, the little boy looked panicked and uncertain. He kept looking up, but he was also anxious about what was below, so he kept looking down. It seemed that the abyss-like world of the black hole below was more terrifying than the unknown above. However, as he crawled and looked down, suddenly, a gray shadow flitted across the darkness below. Gah! The short guy yelled loudly and at the same time, he climbed up swiftly while jostling the other man above him. Theres something below, theres something below! Hurry up! The team that had just calmed down was in a mess again. Chen Chen looked down when he heard these words, but he did not see anything, so he had to say, Stop yelping. Just speed up. Even if theres something underneath, it will take some time for them to catch up with us! With that said, he used his Field energy and flew upward suddenly! With the help of his Field energy, Chen Chen came to the white light at the top of the elevator shaft in just two breaths. It was only then that he realized, the white light was shining in from a vent and outside the vent, there was real ground, and moreover, it was the roof of the office building! Seeing this, Chen Chen slammed his foot into the guardrail on the vent, kicking the iron guardrail directly. In a flash, he had dashed into the outside world! However, the moment he rushed out, Chen Chens expression shifted! As he rushed out, the scene in front of him also changed from being the view on the top of the building to the first floor of the office building he had just come from! However, there was a slight difference between the lobby of the office building in front of him and the lobby he saw before. Namely, now it seemed that no one had been here for a long time, with thick dust and rotting walls everywhere. He could only see a gray, foggy world outside the door. This is still the Otherworld! Seeing this scene, Chen Chen suddenly wore a grave look. He still remembered that the Otherworld in Silent Hill was a collective term for two worlds. Unlike the real world, the Otherworld was also divided into the Otherworld and the Fog World. When they first entered Silent Hill, people would walk into a world perpetually filled with fog and white ash drifting in the sky. There was still a small amount of light in this world, allowing people to see the surroundings clearly. However, if the siren sounded, then this world would quickly transform into a world full of flames, darkness, and depravity. Only then would the visitors truly fall into the crisis-ridden Otherworld. Could it be that we have always been in the Fog World just now? Chen Chen murmured. At this moment, everyone behind him finally climbed to the top. The four of them panted heavily and slumped to the ground one by one. At the same time, they looked overjoyed. We escaped, we escaped! Somethings wrong! Still, just as the four of them heaved a sigh of relief, one of them suddenly sensed something was wrong. He looked around in horror. How did this place become like this? Is this still the same first floor we came in from? Could it be that we havent escaped? As he questioned, the remaining three cried out in disbelief. Just when everyone was at a loss, suddenly, a whining alarm sounded from a distance. It had a peculiar impact, sweeping by everyones ears like a demonic noise! What sound was this! This is Silent Hill. I shouldve thought of it, this is the world of Silent Hill! Finally, the short boy fully understood his situation at this time. He grabbed his hair and collapsed, crying, Were dead meat, we cant escape at all! Theres absolutely no way to escape! The rest could only listen to the cry of his collapse and the strange alarm sound in their ears. It was as if this sound was trying to drill into their ears, producing an irritation that could not quite be expressed. Even if they covered their ears, it was useless. However, Chen Chen seemed to be unaffected by it. He just stared at the door of the lobby because he noticed that, along with the sound of the alarm, the light outside the door was dimming gradually After a while, the last ray of light in the sky outside the door had darkened fully. At this time, the lobby on the first floor was the same as the third floor underground. One could not even see ones own hand! This was still not that bad. As the siren continued to wail, the walls and floor of the lobby decayed, and the floor even started to cave in. Beneath the floor, there was a gush of lava hot enough to scorch people! This was how it usually went in Silent Hill Chen Chen took a deep breath, revealing an extremely solemn expression. In his perception, a group of ceaselessly twitching monsters had walked out of the darkness and surrounded the lobby of the office building little by little. His Field could extend beyond the door and suddenly, he saw the group of monsters, which all turned out to be They were all When Chen Chen saw their appearance clearly, he was surprised for once. Those monsters turned out to be beautiful female zombies wearing black silk and maid costumes! On the other side at this time, Zhang Wei still stayed in the space on the third floor underground. He carefully held up the crucifix and he found a room whose door could be opened. Seeing this, Zhang Wei took out the temperature-measuring gun and measured the room. Suddenly, the words -15 appeared on the display! F*ck, bitterly cold! Its a haunted room! Immediately, Zhang Wei could not help but sigh. Sigh, how great would it be if these ghosts were all young ladies in black silk maid costumes Chapter 439 - Getting Out As he was hit by the chilling temperature, Zhang Wei could not help exhaling heavily. Only then did he realize that there was blood everywhere on the floor. Why is there so much blood, could, could it be Zhang Wei frowned as if thinking of something. Then he suddenly showed an incredulous expression. Could it be that theres a female ghost in this haunted room? Thinking of this, to prevent the female ghost from entering the hunting phase, Zhang Wei immediately took out a pack of smudge sticks, quickly lit it, and placed it on the ground. This set of actions was done so smoothly, who knew how many times he had trained in private. Very well, after lighting the smudge sticks, Ill have 1 minute and 30 seconds. The outcome will be determined in the next 1 minute and 30 seconds! Zhang Wei looked extremely serious. He immediately took out a flashlight that emitted ultraviolet light and shone it on the wall. No fingerprints! After shining it around, Zhang Wei solemnly turned off the flashlight again. Its bitterly cold, there are no fingerprints, and it cant write Many types of ghosts have been eliminated and now only the last step is needed to determine the identity of the ghost. Thinking of this, he glanced at the time, then opened his pocket and took out a metal box-like object. There were five small lights on the top of the box. As he took it out, he immediately held it in front of him and pressed a button. Beep beep beep A green dot appeared at the top. Hmm? When he saw this, Zhang Wei stroked his chin and said gravely, The temperature in the room is so low, which means that the ghost is still in the room, but the EMF isnt active at all. If everything else is eliminated, the answer has been determined! With that, Zhang Wei suddenly pointed forward with his right hand while raising his elbow and lowering his hand, he shouted, The type of ghost is A Mare! At ground level, Chen Chen looked at the dimming sky and the constantly approaching maid costume monsters. Several graphene cards shot out at the same time. In the next second, he watched as the rows of monsters in front of him fell like wheat! One row, two rows, three rows! This was like a human-powered meat grinder. Any monster that was within 20 meters of Chen Chen, no matter what it was, would end up sliced into pieces in an instant! However, Chen Chen discovered that these monsters did not die even after being cut into two. They were still crawling toward the group. Due to this, he had to slice continuously until the limbs and heads of the monsters were cut off so that they were unable to move. Snap! Nonetheless, after one of the graphene cards had pierced the tenth monster, it finally could not hold on anymore, and broke into dozens of shards with a sharp snap and dropped to the ground. Then, the second card, and the third As the sky became completely dark, Chen Chen shredded hundreds of monsters in a few minutes, but there were more and more monsters in the darkness, densely packed like a tide. Perhaps it was an illusion but the darker it got, the faster these monsters moved. Agh, save me! Suddenly, a womans scream came from behind Chen Chen. The girl named Zhang Jiao saw a pair of hands suddenly appear in front of her eyes. These hands stretched out from behind her head and crept toward her eyes bit by bit Chen Chen had just crushed the monster in front of him, but when he turned his head, he immediately saw a strange scene behind the girl, a pair of pale hands had emerged! Another kind of ghost? Chen Chen was shocked. In the next second, he saw those hands gripped fiercely and immediately, the two eyeballs of the girl named Zhang Jiao were dug out bloodily! Zhang Jiao fell to the ground, turning blue, and was completely silent This scene stunned the other three people. No, this was not a monster in Silent Hill, this was the method of death in Phasmophobia! Seeing this scene, Chen Chen suddenly realized something in astonishment. He grabbed the short boy and asked sharply, Have you ever played Phasmophobia? At this time, the short boy was so scared that his soul had fled his body. He shook his head desperately. I havent, I really havent. I only played The Evil Within before! D*mn it! Chen Chen threw him to the ground fiercely and at the same time, waved his hand. The monsters that had gathered again behind him were dismembered one by one and Chen Chen looked at the vent from before! Its that Zhang Wei, the anchor point has shifted! At this moment, Chen Chen had fully understood. It was no wonder that Zhang Wei was able to fight off the ghost by throwing his crucifix because he had become a new anchor at that time! In other words, the anchor point is constantly shifting. Thinking of this, Chen Chen stepped forward and rushed into the vent again. He must find Zhang Wei immediately. What would happen if the anchor died in the Otherworld? Although Chen Chen did not know, what he knew was that the death of the anchor would never make the Otherworld disappear. It was more likely that Chen Chen would be locked in the Otherworld forever! Still, before Chen Chen could rush down the vent, the vent suddenly transformed in the next second, instantly turning into an extremely ordinary wooden door. There was a creak and Zhang Wei stepped out of the wooden door, his body stooped furtively. Great, Im finally out! Seeing everyone outside the door, Zhang Wei suddenly exhaled. He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and stared at everyone uncertainly Then at the bodies behind them. Huh? Seeing the maid monsters all over the ground, Zhang Wei not only did not feel any panic but was even ecstatic at first. Then he shook his head regretfully. What a pity These words were still echoing in Chen Chens ears when in the next second, he only felt his vision blurring. When Chen Chen came back to his senses again, he found that he had appeared in the original server room. In the ground, there was still a huge crack, but Professor Wang Xis body was not in the crack. All that was left was a rust-stained iron bed that had been placed there for a long time. On this iron bed, one could make out the traces left by someone lying down. It appeared that the person had been lying down for a long, long time until the iron bed was full of stains made by that person. Countless patches of grease and rust intermingled, exuding filthiness that was borderline evil. Seeing this scene, Chen Chen suddenly reacted. He had left the Otherworld. To be sure, Chen Chen deliberately walked out of the server room into the corridor, but immediately saw three students run out of the student council, screaming and running upstairs. These three were the three who had survived just now. That is to say, Zhang Wei, as the anchor, followed the rules of the game Phasmophobia, so after leaving the vent, he thought he was out of danger, so the world was shut down immediately? Chen Chen thought silently. Following that, he walked to the classroom and looked inside, only to see that the classroom was empty. Those students who died in the Otherworld had all disappeared Sure enough Chen Chen took a deep breath. At once, he heard the sound of someone coming down to this floor at the end of the corridor, so he stopped hesitating and returned to the server room at the end of the corridor. At the same time, the mental force in his mind burst out! With a loud boom, the gap in the floor widened again and several floorboards were pried away, completely exposing the iron bed under the ground. Immediately, Chen Chen picked up the iron bed with one hand and walked directly to the stairs at the end of the corridor. Hey, who are you! What are you doing! Still, just as he was leaving the computer room, Chen Chen immediately saw two men in security uniforms approaching him. Seeing Chen Chen carrying a huge iron bed as if it was a toy, they suddenly became vigilant and yelled at him as they rushed over. Chen Chen did not slow down, but took out a memory eraser and flashed them directly! Click! After a dazzling flash, the movements of the two men suddenly stopped. Chen Chen carried the iron bed and walked past them. Sir Godfather, what happened? When he reached the first floor, the wireless headset was switched on again, and Little Xs voice came. Is it because you were underground? Just a few minutes ago, your signal was disconnected. Was it only a few minutes? How long was it specifically? Chen Chen asked immediately. The specific time was three minutes and twenty-five seconds. Chen Chens expression immediately sharpened when he heard these words. Only more than three minutes? So, the time flow in the Otherworld and the real world isnt the same Otherworld? What is that? Little X asked curiously. Its a long story. Chen Chen did not directly explain but gave an order again, X, destroy all surveillance feeds within the school today and at the same time, find me the three people who just rushed out of the third underground floor. Send someone to erase their memory of today. Speaking of this, Chen Chen suddenly paused because he saw that, behind a flowerpot, Zhang Wei was peeping at Chen Chen surreptitiously, not realizing that Chen Chen had spotted him. Chen Chen added. No, it should be four people. One of them lives in Dorm 404 of dormitory building No. 1. His name is Zhang Wei. Understood! Little X promptly agreed. Immediately, Chen Chen carried the iron bed and hid in an uninhabited office. At the same time, he commanded, Ask Cao and his men to dress up as workers and help me transport the iron bed out. Understood. Cheng Cao has been on standby for a long time and can be mobilized at any time. Little X replied. In less than twenty minutes, Chen Chen saw Cheng Cao wearing a school uniform, coming toward Chen Chens office with a few of his men and then they carried the iron bed out. Outside the school gate, a truck had been waiting for a long time. They put the iron bed into the cargo space and went away in full view of the crowd. At this time, Chen Chen had already gotten into the truck. Currently, he was sitting in the co-pilots seat with a pensive expression. He had almost fully parsed what had happened before. This iron bed was nothing other than the one taken from the movie Silent Hill and its original owner was Alessa who was severely burned by the fire. Chen Chen still remembered that at the end of the movie, Alessa was lying on an iron bed, controlling the extremely sharp wires extending from the iron bed to rip apart the survivors of the entire town. In other words, this iron bed was the key to triggering the meme of the Otherworld. Even if he had figured out this step, Chen Chens doubts were still unresolved because he still remembered that at the moment he broke open the ground, he saw the body of Professor Wang Xi. At that time, Wang Xis body was lying on this iron bed. However, after pulling Chen Chen into the Otherworld, Wang Xi did not become the anchor of the Otherworld. Otherwise, no matter how many graphene poker cards Chen Chen had, no matter how powerful his Field was, he would be exhausted to death by endless monsters. Plus, in addition to the monsters that could be killed, in the end, there would be ghosts similar to Kayako of Ju-on who could kill at a touch. These were not beings that could be held back by his Field and physical strength. He had to say that, unlike the plot of Zhao Shanhe, the previous owner of the USB flash drive, during the last hypnosis, the danger of this attack was far lesser than the last time. Not only that, but the attack ended very quickly. Even before Chen Chen had figured out the situation, it was resolved by the guy named Zhang Wei This dramatic twist made Chen Chen feel like crying and laughing, yet it felt like he was punching thin air at the same time. Still, no matter what, the clues regarding Professor Wang Xi were also cut short here. Just as Chen Chen was thinking about this, Little Xs voice came again. Sir Godfather, Ive erased all surveillance feeds from the school. Ive also found out the identities of the four students and our people are rushing toward them now. Very good. This is a big matter, we must erase the memories of those four people. Chen Chen nodded and then suddenly thought, even if Zhang Weis memory was not erased, surely no one would believe his words based on how unreliable he usually was? He shook his head and stopped thinking about these things. Chen Chen just planned to rest for a while, but Cheng Cao on the side suddenly asked, Boss, where are you going next? Maybe Ill go back to Handu to meet my parents. After all, its almost time for Chinese New Year. Chen Chen replied, Cao, you may have a break too, but before that, this iron bed must be kept well, and it must be sealed so that no one can touch it, understand? Yes. Cheng Cao answered immediately. Oh, right Hearing that Chen Chen was about to return to Handu next, Little X suddenly interrupted. It just so happens that there was news from your parents today. I havent got a chance to tell you yet! What news, tell me. Chen Chen asked lazily. Uh Little X stumbled over her words. Sir Godfather, congratulations, Im afraid youre about to Become a big brother! Chen Chen: ??? After Chen Chen had left the campus carrying an iron bed, the case of the missing persons immediately drew strict attention from the school because about a dozen students suddenly disappeared from the third basement floor of the office building. This could be said to be a momentous case that rarely happened even in the entire world. However, what followed was a series of shocking developments the entire schools surveillance system was hacked silently and all recordings had disappeared. Not only that, the three students who were with the dozen missing persons had forgotten everything that happened at that time. This phenomenon even occurred to two security guards. The only suspicious thing was that many people had witnessed several men dressed as workers on campus, who had left carrying an old iron bed. Moreover, a huge deep pit had appeared in the server room on the third floor of the basement In short, this was destined to be another unresolved case that was difficult to crack. When the school was caught in a storm of public opinion over this matter, Chen Chen had already left the bustling Shagdu and returned to his parents. Chapter 440 - Homecoming Dad, Mom, how many months along are you, and is it a boy or girl? Just two months and its a boy. We found out a few days ago. At first, I didnt want to keep it, but of all things, your dad stopped me from getting an abortion Ahem, if this was the past, Id let you get an abortion, but now Our bodies are much tougher than before and were like young people in our twenties or thirties. Little Chen is also doing well. I just thought since this was the case, why dont we keep the baby In the living room of a villa, Chen Chen and his parents were sitting on sofas that faced each other. All the housekeepers had been sent away on one pretext or another and only the three members of Chen Chens family were in the large living room. At this time, Chen Chens parents were a little reticent and embarrassed when facing Chen Chen. Is this the last one? At this time, Chen Chen could not help asking. He was afraid that he would suddenly gain a gaggle of younger siblings for no reason. Hearing this, his father immediately blushed. What did you say, you brat, of course, its the last one! Chen Chen did not say much in response but just nodded. Its fine. Anyway, the one-child policy ended about ten years ago. Have the baby if you want, I dont have any thoughts. Thats good. Chen Chens mother heaved a sigh of relief. She was afraid that Chen Chen would not agree to have an extra brother. After all, Chen Chen was now very successful and his opinions carried a lot of weight at home. It must be said that, after using the Medpod 3000, Chen Chens parents, both in appearance and physical function, had returned to their early thirties from the age of fifty. It was no wonder that Chen Chen would have an additional younger brother. By the way, when the Chinese New Year is over, you two should come with me to the Eco Science City again. This years health maintenance should also be carried out. Chen Chen suddenly reminded them. This kind of maintenance is best done once a month. Its just that youre not willing to move to Namibia with me. Otherwise, your health would be even better now. Why do we have to go again? Suddenly, Chen Chens father expressed his reluctance. Once a year is good enough. Once a month, who can stand it? Wouldnt we have to take a plane every day? With that, he kept waving his hand. Were not going! What are you saying! Chen Chens mother was so indignant that she swatted her husband. Our son is just fulfilling his filial duty. Wouldnt it be great to live thirty years longer? She raised her head and asked expectantly, Can it make us even younger? Of course, you can even be a college student in your twenties. Chen Chen joked. Following that, Chen Chen chatted with his parents for a while, then got up and went back to his room. In the room, there was only a bed and a desk. The bedding had been exposed to the sun and emitted the aroma of grilled mites. On the desk table, apart from a few books of Crayon Shin-chan, which he had read as a child, there was only a laptop and nothing else. Subconsciously, Chen Chen swept the place with his Field energy, scanning the room again. Very clean, there was no wiretapping. Chen Chen nodded. It seemed that the people he sent to protect his parents were still doing their jobs. Of course, the biggest savior was still Little X. She had a grip on the entire World Wide Web. If someone was planning anything against Chen Chens parents, unless they did not use the Internet to transmit messages, it would be difficult to evade Little Xs supervision. Sir Godfather, since just now, the defense of your parents community has been taken over by the government as an emergency. At this moment, Little Xs voice suddenly came from the headset. It seems that the authorities have received news of your return, but they didnt directly look for you. Instead, they dressed up as security and are standing guard outside the community area. Several businessmen who had wanted to visit you have been blocked. Its normal. Chen Chen nodded. Anyone who possesses dozens of era-transcending technologies or who is even suspected of possessing a secret weapon that can destroy a continent will be treated like this. It just depends on when they want to talk to me. He rested in the room for a while. At this moment, Chen Chen suddenly heard two sets of footsteps approaching the door. One of them was his father but the other was not his mother. After a few seconds, the two sets of footsteps came to the door of the room and Chen Chen got up and opened the door. Er Chen Chens father was about to knock on the door but saw that Chen Chen had opened the door. At once he said, Look whos here? As soon as your cousin heard you came back, he rushed over. Chen Chen looked at the 30-year-old young man at the side. It was Chen Zheng, so he nodded and greeted, Cousin, long time no see. Long time no see, Cousin Chen Chen. Chen Zheng smiled goofily and scratched his head awkwardly. Arent we family, whats with the formality? Go in and have a good chat. Chen Zheng, dont just leave when youre done, have lunch at Uncles place. Okay, thank you, Uncle. Chen Zheng thanked him and followed Chen Chen into the room. Just sit anywhere. Chen Chen pointed to the chair in front of the desk, then leaned against the bed casually, and continued to use his phone. Cousin Chen Chen, why didnt you tell me you were back. Chen Zheng said with some enthusiasm, Youve been abroad all year and I didnt have time to report to you about our advertising agency. Only then did Chen Chen remember that during Chinese New Year last year, Chen Zheng asked to borrow money from Chen Chen, so Chen Chen simply injected one million in capital, in the name of investment, to help Chen Zheng open an advertising company. Chen Zheng took care of the management and the shares were split as 30% for Chen Zheng and 70% for Chen Chen. Still, now it appeared that the advertising company was doing really well. Now Chen Zheng had gained the air of a big boss. He was wearing a suit and leather shoes and had gotten much rounder with an obvious beer belly. I have received the profit dividend. Currently, Chen Chen nodded. And I also believe that you, Cousin, arent someone who will try to embezzle funds. Of course! Chen Zheng said quickly, Dont worry about that, Im not such a person. You can send a financial officer to check at any time. With that, Chen Zheng suddenly said a little worriedly, Other than that, I found that the reason our advertising company can make millions in profit right at the start, with big commissions almost every month, is because many people want to link up with you through me. As a result, Ive turned down many big offers, but I dont know how this will affect you. Its okay, Cousin, please do as you see fit. Chen Chen was indifferent. If theyre just trying to network with us, then do it if you can. We dont steal or rob anyone anyway. Still, if there is a possibility of a trap, then turn it down. Im fine with all that. Thats true as well. Chen Zheng immediately felt relieved. There are many people in our citys Chamber of Commerce who want to get to know you through me, but I declined. Even so, the value of your villa community has increased significantly. I guess you know the reason. Chen Chen nodded and did not dwell on this matter. The community was still so peaceful because Chen Chen was pulling the strings from behind the scenes. Those who wanted to buy a villa next to Chen Chens parents to cozy up to them were all secretly dealt with by Chen Chen. By now, except for a few old residents who did not want to move, almost all of the entire community consisted of bodyguards and Black Knights secretly put in place by Chen Chen. Next, Chen Zheng mentioned their second uncles son and daughter. After the car accident last year, the perpetrators were never found. In the end, their son, Chen Zhi, inherited their house while their daughter, Chen Shan, only took a part of the money and left the family, and got married to someone she met online. Chen Shan is already married? Chen Chen was startled. The second uncles daughter, Chen Shan, was the same age as Chen Chen, only younger by some months. She had been a playmate for Chen Chen when she was young and she did not inherit her mothers foul manner. Then as they grew up, the relationship between the two became distant because of the years of separation. It would be nice if she just got married. Chen Zheng was a bit distressed. Cousin Chen Shan also had a hard life. I just heard that the online partner Chen Shan was dating took the one million dowry you gave Chen Shan and ran away alone, leaving only Cousin Chen Shan and the eight-month-old baby in her belly Chen Chen frowned instantly. When did this happen and why didnt my parents tell me? Cousin Chen Shan told me not to tell you. Chen Zheng smiled bitterly. It happened last month. You also know what shes like, so strong and stubborn. Because that b*stard ran away, Chen Shan almost couldnt pay the rent. I couldnt bear it and I paid up her rent for a year Okay, Ill take care of this. Chen Chen nodded and said, Later, you can ask Cousin Chen Shan to send me the mans information. Cousin Chen Chen, what are you going to do? Chen Zhengs spirits were lifted at once. After all, he was not of the older generation like Chen Chens parents. He still knew how much power and influence Chen Chens company had. Apart from anything else, even just the recent developments that happened with Northern America, ultimately resulting in Northern America compromising, would turn anyone speechless. Of course, I have to track him down first. Chen Chen spread his hands and said helplessly, What else can I do? Well see what Cousin Chen Shan wants. If she wants to start over, she can do that. If she doesnt want to be with this person, well make him spit out the money. After all, were in a society under the rule of law and murder would result in a jail sentence. Dang, well, Ill leave this to you then. Chen Zheng flushed a little. If it were so easy to track down that guy and make him hand over the money, then he would not have been anxious. Still, for Chen Chen, maybe this matter was simple. Following that, they chatted in sporadic exchanges. Chen Zheng, who was in his early thirties, nonetheless acted like a subordinate in front of Chen Chen. Half an hour later, Chen Zheng said goodbye and left. Watching Chen Zheng walk out of the room, Chen Chen said to the air, X, were you able to find the mans information? Of course. Little X replied, Ive found it. The mans name is Zhang Heng, 35 years old, from Zhongzhou, 1.62 meters tall, 130 kilograms in weight. After Little Xs answer, Chen Chen was also sent a sheet of information on his mobile phone. Chen Chen lightly tapped on it and saw a male ID photo. The ID photo showed a man in his thirties. However, the man had a bit of a baby face, so he looked a little vulgar, yet somewhat attractive. According to the IP address of his various social accounts, he has now returned to Zhongzhou. Should I send someone to bring him back? Little X asked. Bring him back. Chen Chen looked at the photo in his hand and then turned off the phone. See what Chen Shan wants. As long as she doesnt mind bringing the child up by herself, just dispose of this man. As he said, Chen Chen could not help but crack a sinister grin. No matter what, shes a member of the Chen family. If hes allowed to swagger off just like this, how can the Chen family live this down? Presently, on the other side of things, as the news of Chen Chens homecoming spread like wildfire, many security departments suddenly became busier than ever. This had not always happened. Even during the previous Chinese New Year, Chen Chen had owned a variety of era-defining patents. When he returned to Handu, the authorities did not make a big fuss. Nevertheless, this year was different. After Blacklight Biotechnology had set foot in the aerospace and military industry and demonstrated various weapons and technologies beyond reality, the Mainland China governments focus on Chen Chen had increased by two levels. At this time, at the FBI branch in Handu, Chen Chens information had been placed in front of more than a dozen people. Chen Chen, a student of Shangdu Jiao Tong University, has now deferred his studies. From elementary school to high school, his performance was normal. It was at the end of the freshman semester that he suddenly developed the first-generation plan of the age-reversal treatment program and published it in the international journal, Cell. On the podium in the conference room, a female lecturer explained tirelessly, However, there were some twists and turns during the publication. A school associate professor named Zheng Jian tried to use this paper for his own name, but after meeting Chen Chen, suddenly jumped to his death. Is it murder? Someone asked with interest. No, when he jumped off the building, Chen Chen had a solid alibi. Plus, an investigation of the deceased found that the deceased had been suspected of murder before his death and the target of murder was his own ex-wife. The speaker took a baton, pointed to the middle-aged man on the slide, and continued. According to Chen Chens statement, he used the details of the photo placed on the table, Zheng Jians biology major, and the type of cancer of the ex-wife, to figure out that Zheng Jian murdered his ex-wife. Therefore, after Chen Chen exposed this, the other party had to commit suicide to escape punishment. Hey, this is interesting. Hearing that, an investigator in his thirties with a beard, who was smoking a cigarette and crossing his legs, said, So, this other guy was about to indirectly coerce Chen Chen but he committed suicide in the next second. Moreover, I notice that the information states that this happened in twenty-five minutes. Thats to say, it took Chen Chen only twenty-five minutes to cause the death of a man with just his words. Such a record Tsk tsk, its a bit scary to be true Yes, the case seems very simple on the surface but for him to analyze the clues of the other man in such a short time, to the point where no refutation was possible, requires great skill, at least in terms of logical thinking ability and verbal eloquence. A forty-year-old, gray-haired investigator beside solemnly said, Its a pity that Chen Chen didnt join us as a federal investigator. Oh come off it, Old Li, look at who is he now? The chairman of a giant corporate group and a Nobel Prize winner, and you want him to be a federal investigator? Dream on! The man with the beard sneered mockingly. Okay, were digressing. Please continue. At this moment, the director of the FBI branch who was sitting in the main seat spoke. Yes. The speaker on the podium looked chastised and then continued to say, If this incident was originally just an accident, then the next case might subvert your assumptions. As she said, the slide automatically switched to the next piece of information. Just six months later, that is, during the period when Chen Chen had stopped his studies and started the company according to our follow-up investigation, he had developed the first APP software, Little X Translation Assistant, and thus had invited several people in the business field for a meeting, but the specific method of contact is unknown. However, after participating in an offline discussion at that time, one of the corporate figures named Guo Dazhuang was killed on the spot when he ignored the traffic after going out. Hearing this, the many investigators present finally stopped conversing in low voices and they became serious. Chapter 441 - Meet Chapter 441: Meet Those who were called for this meeting were all elite members of the FBI. At this time, after hearing that Guo Dazhuang had also died, this group of people finally took things seriously. After all, even if the previous death of Zheng Jian could be attributed to his guilt and Chen Chens way with words, when people around Chen Chen were dying one after another, there was a problem. Are there any autopsy reports? Someone suddenly asked in a deep voice. Yes, the cause of Guo Dazhuangs death was very normal, namely, a large amount of internal bleeding caused by the impact, which led to death in shock. The speaker replied, Whether it was the surveillance feed or the dashcam of the vehicle that caused the accident, it all indicates that Guo Dazhuang was hit and killed when he was crossing the road, so this incident was classified as a very ordinary traffic accident. If not for the rise of Chen Chen now, which prompted us to begin looking through the old files, no one would even think that this persons death was related to Chen Chen. Are there any surveillance videos available? Play them. The man with a beard asked immediately. In their business, it was all about the chain of evidence. In the absence of evidence, even if there was a faint suspicion in their hearts, no one would immediately say it aloud. Yes, weve gotten it ready. The speaker double-clicked the video on the desktop of the computer and suddenly, everything that was recorded in the video was shown. The display showed a few storefronts on the screen. There was a sidewalk and under the sidewalk, there was a lot of traffic. It seemed to be during the peak period of people getting off work. Soon, a man in a suit and leather shoes walked out of a store. His pace was slow and he seemed a little unstable. He lowered his head almost all the way and walked toward the middle of the road without saying a word. Immediately after crossing the road barrier, an SUV did not have time to brake and slammed into him, sending him flying The man in the video flew over ten meters away like a gunny sack, then slid across the ground for several meters, and stopped moving completely. When the video was over, everyone looked at each other, all wearing confounded expressions. Was he drunk? The gray-haired investigator Old Li asked. No. The speaker immediately replied, In the autopsy report, there was no evidence of alcohol or caffeine in the body of the deceased, but he did walk out of a coffee shop at that time. Then besides Chen Chen, who else was sitting with him? The others were all talents in the IT industry. The speaker pushed back her black-rimmed glasses and replied, These people have each invested in 2% of the dividend stock of the first software developed by Chen Chen. This time, they had become angel investors of Blacklight Biotechnology. Except for the dead Guo Dazhuang, the rest of them invested 10 million yuan and in the following three months, Facebook bought the exclusive right to use the software, and they received nearly 600 million yuan in return. The software you mentioned is Little X Translation Assistant? Old Li was suddenly stunned. When Facebook bought the right to use this software at a price of 26 billion, many people were talking about it. Ten million to 600 million in only three months. Heh, why didnt that happen to me? The tone of the man with the beard was a little bit sour. The main point, Brother Zhou, is that you dont have that 10 million. Someone joked suddenly and for a while, the conference room was filled with laughter. Ahem! The director coughed. He knew they were getting distracted, so he had to lead them back to the topic again. Did you notice? Chen Chen met these people and asked them to invest, but Guo Dazhuang went out and was killed by a car. There may be something fishy about this. The autopsy report said that the deceased had no caffeine or other residues of beverages in his stomach. Can it be assumed that he did not drink coffee after entering the coffee shop? The bearded man responded solemnly, In other words, he was being wary, knowing that someone was plotting against him? This is indeed a possibility. Old Li said, Can we summon these people? Ask them what happened at the time, whether Chen Chen had a conflict with the deceased when he was alive, how did they know each other, and who was the waiter at the store at that time? These are all suspicious points that can be investigated. Its difficult. Their director sighed. After all, it has been four years and since it was an ordinary traffic accident at the time, no one thought about it at all. The waiter in that store has long vanished. As for the investors, we have information on them too. We know all about their shady activities. Although these people are all successful figures in the IT industry, they are all hackers in private. Hackers? Everyone was suddenly taken aback. Then it makes sense. Chen Chen must have been involved in the hacker world! Thats right. Everyone agreed on this point. However, because of their identities, its difficult for us to get useful information out of them. Their director continued. Someone has been sent to contact these people, but these people are all tight-lipped and they insist that nothing happened that day. Then this case is very difficult to investigate Everyone turned contemplative. This is the second abnormal death case related to Chen Chen and then theres the third case At this point, the speaker continued saying. Theres more? Everyone was flabbergasted. Yes, the third incident happened three years ago, but this time, it has nothing to do with Chen Chen because at that time, he had left China and gone to the African Continent to set up his company. The speaker said slowly, The third case related to him occurred at the headquarters of Blacklight Biotechnology. At that time, five foreigners of Chinese descent fell from the headquarters of Blacklight Biotechnology. After identity verification, these five people were all found to be mercenaries who had been illegal armed personnel, but as for who did it, theres still no answer. It seems to be an international trifle. Old Li muttered, But it seems that Chen Chen has indeed been very restless since he began making his fortune. Then, the fourth and last case. The speaker nodded and continued. The fourth incident occurred during the previous Chinese New Year. This time, the deceased was Chen Chens second uncle and aunt. When she mentioned this, the speaker looked a little mystified. In short, there was a little family conflict. Because of Chen Chens fortune, the two deceased kept going to Chen Chens parents to borrow money. Eventually, things escalated into a physical conflict, but shortly afterward, the two were hit and killed by a truck of unknown origin. While she spoke, the speaker played another video. In the video, a truck slammed into and overturned a white car, then backed up a certain distance, and crashed into the car a second time. In the end, the battered white car was smashed into a ball of fire. This is too much. The bearded man frowned. Hed even kill his relatives. This Chen Chen has no regard for the law at all. Dont say that. The director quickly reminded. Theres no evidence that Chen Chen did this. Chen Chen has a complete alibi and he took the initiative to go to the local police station to make a report, saying that a foreign spy had been threatening him. Spy? Yes and according to the evidence he provided, the local branch of the Investigation Bureau found several spies from the East China Sea Continent. The director sighed. So, Chen Chen was perfectly exonerated at that time. The last case can be said to be very obvious. The only thing missing is a piece of evidence. Old Li lit a cigarette and said in a deep voice, How can there be such a coincidence? They were hit and killed on the road as soon as they clashed with him. Its true that he wasnt present at this incident, but based on his current net worth, there would be no need to do it himself. So, we have to find the driver who drove this truck at the time. The bearded man replied, Director, has that person been found? No, theyve vanished completely. The director shook his head. Gone without a trace as if they had never existed in this world. Hearing this, everyone fell into silence for a while. By the way, what do you have in mind by asking us to investigate Chen Chens past? After some mulling, the bearded man suddenly said, Are you going to get rid of him? Im guessing its just to see if theres anything we can use in negotiations. The director waved his hand and said gravely, Now, hes very important to our superiors. After all, you shouldve heard that although this person is from China and the headquarters of Blacklight Biotechnology is also here with us, the real core is in Africa. Its not easy for our superiors to control him. Everyone was speechless, especially the bearded man whose face darkened like a cloud. So, this suspect will just be left alone? Of course not! The directors heart was thumping. He knew that his subordinates bad temper was surfacing again, so he quickly said, Why would we do that? Its just that we dont have evidence. Otherwise, why should we investigate him? If theres evidence, of course, our superiors will not just ignore him and hell be brought to justice. Okay, leave this case to me. Hearing this, the bearded man immediately stood up. Ill investigate this private corporation case until the truth comes to light! With that, he left the conference room directly. Zhou Hao, Zhou Hao? At this, the director yelled a few times. Seeing that the other party was not coming back, he waved his hand and ended the meeting. After everyone had left, he reported to his superiors, in a rather troubled mood, what happened in the meeting just now. Yes, this is our analysis. Chen Chen may indeed be connected to these cases Yes, Ill keep a close eye on things! Yes, yes After making a hundred promises, he finally hung up the phone, but immediately broke into a bitter smile. He had long heard that Blacklight Biotechnology had entered the military industry. Not only that, but it had also promoted its military products in a high-profile manner to the Earth Federation headquarters. He heard that those products had attracted the attention of all continents, including China. Therefore, there was an order to suddenly dig up these old incidents, but it was only because the higher-ups regarded these things as a bargaining chip that could be used to purchase weapons in the future. As for the ones who died, maybe someday when Chen Chen fell off his pedestal, then that would be the day when the superiors held him accountable. The director who had already seen through all this shook his head and sighed. As the last one to leave the meeting place, he slowly closed the door of the conference room. Following that, nothing happened. Chen Chen still maintained a peaceful life until the entire Spring Festival was over. However, Chen Chen was very wary of the gleaming eyes that gradually appeared around him. Obviously, behind these people were sent by the authorities. At this time, Chen Chen also knew that the authorities had begun investigating his past and many things had been revealed. I see. Hearing Little Xs report, Chen Chen nodded and said, Its normal for the authorities to take precautions against me, but I didnt expect them to sit tight for so long. They havent visited me yet. Theyre probably still looking for a chance. Little X teased. Its just that these poor federal investigators have spent the New Year still having to work By the way, Sir Godfather, Cheng Cao will soon return from Zhongzhou. Hes seized Zhang Heng and is bringing him back by the highway. Hell be able to reach Handu soon. Let Cao take that person to the nearby village, dont come into the city. After all, I have more eyes around me recently. Chen Chen thought for a while and said, Ask Cao to hide him well. Ill meet this sc*mbag in person later. At this point, Chen Chen could not help but feel a little vexed. After all, after Chen Zheng asked for Chen Shans opinion, the result was that Chen Shan was willing to forgive the sc*mbag for the sake of the baby and she hoped that the sc*mbag could return to her. If this were not the case, Cheng Cao would not have abducted that guy for this long journey, but instead drowned him in some river in Zhongzhou. As for the one million that was swindled, Chen Chen did not even intend to get it back. It might as well be that guys travel expenses for his journey to the gates of hell. After that, as the evening approached, Chen Chen swaggered out of his parents house with a group of bodyguards, got into a car, and started driving around the city. After driving a few laps, when he got out of the car, Chen Chen had been replaced by a stand-in. This stand-in did not look like Chen Chen, but his body shape was somewhat similar. Surrounded by bodyguards, the stand-in walked into a high-end hotel. At this time, the real Chen Chen was already sitting in another van, slowly driving toward the suburbs. It was not until nine oclock at night that Chen Chen came to Cheng Caos hiding place. He pushed the door and entered, and saw that it was a courtyard-shaped building with a huge yard. The innermost room was lit up, with faintly flickering human shadows. It seemed that Cheng Cao had heard Chen Chens movements outside the door and he cautiously opened the door of the back room. He sighed in relief when he saw that it was Chen Chen. Boss, Im happy to report that Ive brought the man back for you. With that, he pointed to a trussed-up man in the room who had a bloody nose and swollen face. From the looks of it, it was Zhang Heng. At this time, the man was gagged with a rag. After seeing Chen Chen, he immediately whimpered, looking very frightened. Still, Chen Chen did not waste time saying nonsense. He just waved his hand at the two men behind and they immediately stepped forward and lifted Zhang Heng onto the bed. One of them opened a medical box, preparing to start an operation on their captive. The operation was very simple. Chen Chen already knew how to perform it four years ago. It was the simplest operation to implant a God chip. Chapter 442 - Zhou Hao The operation process was not long. It took an hour from anesthesia to implantation to suturing all in one go. As they used local anesthesia, Zhang Heng stayed awake from beginning to end. In the end, Zhang Heng was finally released from the ropes binding his hands and feet. In the next second, he squealed while crawling on the ground like a dying dog. Ah, who are you and what were you doing just now? What did you do to my neck! Zhang Heng screamed and moved toward the corner of the wall. After a long period of being bound, his hands and feet had fallen asleep, and he could only crawl on the ground. Shut up. Chen Chen spoke lightly and at the same time, Cheng Cao brought out a chair from behind Chen Chen. Chen Chen smoothly sat down in front of Zhang Heng. Following Chen Chens order, Zhang Hengs screams stopped suddenly and he was horrified to realize that his voice had suddenly become silent. It was as if something was stuck in his throat and his vocal cords did not belong to him at all. In short, after the man in front of him said the words shut up, he had lost the ability to speak! This development horrified him even further, but he could only stare at the group of fiendish men in front of him. Have you calmed down? When you have, shut up and listen to me. Chen Chen leaned on the seat and raised his hands. I know youre curious to know who we are and why we kidnapped you, so Ill make a long story short Im Chen Shans cousin. The one million that you swindled from her was a gift from me. Do you understand now? Hearing this, Zhang Heng curled up in the corner and nodded falteringly. Now, let me explain what I just did. Chen Chen continued. You can try to touch it. Dont worry, now the effect of the anesthetic hasnt subsided, so you cant feel the pain. You can try touching it. Hearing this, Zhang Heng reached out with his shaking hands and touched the back of his neck. Suddenly, he felt a stitched wound. Do you feel it? A smile curled up at the corners of Chen Chens mouth. We cut your neck open and installed a chip in the wound, a chip that integrates positioning, manipulation, and self-destruction. Youll do whatever I want you to do. If I tell you to shut up, youll shut up. If I make you act as a dog, you must crawl on the ground all your life! When Chen Chen was talking about this, Zhang Heng could not help but open his mouth wide while shaking his head desperately, even ignoring the possibility of splitting open the wound on the back of his neck. Of course, I have better things to do. Chen Chen grinned and revealed a mouthful of white teeth. You can try to remove this chip by yourself, but I can guarantee that when you get this idea, the chip will give you a warning. If you dont listen to its dissuasion, the chip will control your body, for instance At this, Zhang Hengs eyes widened with irrepressible panic because he suddenly stood up without warning and at the same time, gently bent at the waist to bow toward the youth in front of him. However, throughout all this, he could guarantee that he had no thought or inclination to perform this action! Not only that, since he was tied up until now, his hands and feet had been paralyzed. He could not stand up even if he wanted to. However, now, his body seemed to have a mind of its own, able to perform actions beyond his own control? Subconsciously, Zhang Heng wanted to regain control of his body, but no matter how hard he tried, he could not do it. He seemed to be trapped in this body and he could just about twitch his facial muscles only Isnt it fun? Chen Chen continued to state, At the same time, the chip will send us a message to let us know when you are making a dangerous move, and then someone will visit you in the next moment Of course, you can continue to think of ideas such as, tell the police that theres a foreign body implanted in your spine, ask the police to help you take it out, and even find a shielding device to shield the signal source in the room When talking about this, Chen Chen suddenly opened his hands and made an explosive gesture. But then, the AI in the chip will immediately go BOOM to prevent being exposed! Zhang Heng jumped in fright when he heard this. The chip will automatically self-destruct. Chen Chen pointed to the back of his neck. I believe you should know what happens when you throw firecrackers into an ink bottle, right? An ink bottle that wont shatter even if you throw it to the ground or smash it, yet if you put a tiny firecracker inside and then close the lid, the ink bottle will be reduced to smithereens Likewise, your neck, like an ink bottle, will explode directly at the cervical spine. At this point, Chen Chen snapped his fingers. Immediately, Zhang Heng only felt his body lighten. In the next second, he collapsed to the ground. He found that his control over his body had returned I believe that life can still be beautiful. Chen Chen got up from the chair and walked directly in front of Zhang Heng, staring at him from above. Actually, for garbage like you, a God chip is more valuable than your life. Putting this chip in your neck is a waste. Its a pity that my cousin isnt a good judge of people and she fell for you. Sor, sorry! Zhang Heng knelt and kowtowed to Chen Chen vigorously. Please forgive me, Ill surely treat Chen Shan well and Ill return the money to her! Forgive me! While begging for mercy, he banged his forehead against the floor, looking very miserable and pitiful. Its not impossible for me to spare you. Chen Chen turned around and paced silently in the room. But obviously, you dont know who I am. Who you are? Zhang Heng looked at Chen Chen blankly, then shook his head, and smiled ingratiatingly. Chen Shan never told me, but you must be a big man Heard of Blacklight Biotechnology? Chen Chen retorted curtly. Ah! As if recalling something, Zhang Heng suddenly widened his eyes and raised his head in disbelief. I remember now, you are Youre the Chinese boss of the company involved in the age-reversal treatment and the V.1 project! Thats right. Chen Chen replied, Surely you should understand now, one million is nothing to me. If you want, I can give you another 10 million. My only requirement is that you treat your wife and child well. Yes, definitely! Certainly! Hearing these words, Zhang Heng immediately panted heavily. At the same time, he was excited, with a tinge of remorse. After all, if he had known that Chen Shan and the big boss of Blacklight Biotechnology were relatives, how could he have done such a stupid thing? Its easy to promise, but its not easy to do it. In response to the other mans sincere attitude, Chen Chen was not moved at all. Instead, he moved forward and stepped on Zhang Hengs right fingers. Ouch, it hurts Zhang Heng yelled at once, but he realized that Chen Chens foot was applying more and more pressure! Zhang Heng could not help screaming and then there was a sharp snap. Three of his fingers were completely crushed by the youth in front of him! Agh ah ah agh ! Suddenly, Zhang Hengs face went pale with agony and big beads of sweat rolled down. He could only grip his wrist, rolling on the ground and curling up in pain This is just a moderate warning. Only then did Chen Chen slowly move his foot and say, The chip will watch you. From now on, if you snap at Chen Shan once, Ill send someone to step on one of your fingers. Flirt with another woman once, and thatll be two fingers. If you cheat Ill kill your entire family! Speaking of this, Chen Chen immediately added. Of course, when I say your entire family, it doesnt include Chen Shan and the child in her womb. Im referring to your entire family, understand? Yes, yes! At this time, Zhang Heng was already in pain and was about to go into shock. He could only withstand the severe pain and nod his head. Chen Chen looked satisfied at this. Then, he smiled and lifted Zhang Heng while also straightening the mans messy clothes and patting him on the shoulder. Chen Chen said warmly, Thats more like it. From now on, were relatives! Is there anything that we cant sit down and talk about as relatives? You see, isnt this a perfect solution? Zhang Heng had to force a smile and nod his head again and again. Well, now that this matter has been resolved, you may leave. Chen Chen nodded toward Cheng Cao. Cao, help me send my cousin-in-law home and reunite their family. Yes. Cheng Cao nodded and then led Zhang Heng away. At this point, Chen Chen walked out of the room, looked at the moonlight illuminating the sky, and then said aloud, Is it about time you show yourself after listening for so long, Chief Investigator Zhou Hao? As Chen Chen spoke, there was a sudden rustling noise on the roof behind him and it seemed that someone was running into the distance. Catch him alive. Chen Chen did not move at all. He directly gave an order. Then, the two slack-faced men next to him immediately turned around, faced the direction of the house, squatted slightly, and leaped up furiously at the same time! In the next second, the two had jumped more than three meters high at the same time, and they reached the roof in one jump! Under the moonlight, the two of them were like black panthers in human form, flying fast among the roofs of a cluster of rural houses. Even the ten-meter gap between houses was crossed over in a single leap! At this time, the one fleeing in panic was none other than the FBI investigator Zhou Hao who had previously claimed he would investigate everything. He ran on the roof of a farmhouse like a parkour member and took out his mobile phone to press the Emergency call button. Hello, this is the Handu branch of the FBI. What can I do for you? Im Zhou Hao. Send someone right now to Mangmu Village on the outskirts of the city. Im being chased by criminals now! Zhou Hao shouted. Okay! Brother Zhou, hold on, Ill inform the leader right away! On the other end of the phone, there was the sound of a chair falling over in a loud clatter. The person who answered the phone got up too quickly and overturned the seat. However, Zhou Hao had no time to celebrate because there were two sets of footsteps quickly approaching him from behind. He was certain that his speed was already very impressive. The investigators of the Chinese division of the FBI had all undergone military training and he was the best among the investigators. Even though he was in his thirties, it was easy for him to beat four or five recruits by himself. Moreover, he was a person who liked to train. He regularly participated in the military training organized by the unit every year. His strong skills had molded his powerful agility. At this time, running on the roofs of these houses, he was confident that almost no one could catch up to him. However, this confidence was shattered now The two people behind him were like ghosts. They breathed steadily even when running. Not only that, with some obstacles that had taken him a second or two to climb over, they had simply lifted one leg or spun over with one hand to vault across. The dexterity of both sides was not at the same level! Seeing that he was about to be overtaken by the two after running less than a hundred meters, Zhou Hao finally made up his mind. He gritted his teeth and simply stood on the roof of a residential house and at the same time, drew out his gun and aimed at the two. Stop, if you dont stop, Ill shoot! Since I cant run, lets fight! Zhou Hao thought silently. However, something happened that sent chills down his spine. Considering that he had pulled out a gun, he thought that the two would stop immediately, but unexpectedly, the two of them practically ignored the gun in his hands and continued to approach him rapidly! Ten meters, eight meters, five meters! Seeing this, Zhou Hao finally understood that they were not the ordinary criminals he had encountered on usual days. Therefore, he did not even think about it and decisively shot one of them in the thigh! Bang! The thundering gunshot directly ruptured the tranquility of the village. In an instant, several dog barks rang out far away. However, Zhou Hao did not care about this because he was surprised to find that, the moment the other man was shot at, he directly grabbed the railing next to him and twisted 30 centimeters to the left in a strange posture! However, thanks to this thirty centimeters, the shot Zhou Hao fired missed its mark! Impossible! Zhou Hao did not want to believe all this. He did not even think about it and started pulling the trigger continuously, vowing to completely wound the two on the spot before they approached him! Still, all this was in vain He only had time to fire four shots in a row. Before the fifth shot was fired, the two were right in front of him. One of them grabbed Zhou Haos arm at once and was about to snatch his gun away! Of course, Zhou Hao, who had experienced many fights, would not make such a mistake. He did not retreat but instead barreled forward into the opponents arms. He wanted to use his opponents instinct to disrupt his opponents position while he flipped the gun in his hand, getting ready to point it against the other persons head. However, just as he was pushing into his opponents chest, he felt a twinge of pain in his abdomen. He lowered his head subconsciously but saw that his opponent had hit his abdomen with a punch at some point. His abdomen caved in deeply from the immense impact! Ugh! Zhou Hao only felt an urge to vomit swarming his head. He quickly suppressed the sharp pain and was about to fight back, but the other persons hand had swiftly grabbed his hair, and at the same time pressed his head down harshly! This happened in the blink of an eye. Zhou Hao did not even have time to raise his hand to resist and the opponents knees had flashed in front of him! !!! Zhou Hao could not help closing his eyes. The next moment, there was a sharp stab of agony on the bridge of his nose that struck deep into his soul. This pain made him unable to scream out and meanwhile, a swathe of golden stars flickered in front of his eyes, and he lost all consciousness This man called Zhou Hao was taken down like a child. Chapter 443 - Rules Sir Godfather, I hacked into his phone and didnt discover any voice recordings or recorded footage from just now, no worries. Got it. Chen Chen followed up with another question as he saw two Black Knights rushing to the rooftop, How did he track this place down? There should be no way to trace my movement under the usual circumstance. As it appears, nothing but a stroke of dumb luck. Little X replied, I scanned through the footage from when you were on your way here. I noticed that when you entered the region, he saw your bodyguard through the car windows that were not shut properly and decided to tail you. However, due to the soundproof qualities of the room, he only heard the muffled screams of Zhang Heng and not a whiff of the secrets told. To think that he could even identify my bodyguards, this Zhou Hao mustve been determined to investigate me thoroughly. Chen Chen reflected sourly with a subtle nod. After that, he heard a round of gunshots. After around two minutes, two Black Knights returned to Chen Chen, this time with the man called Zhou Hao flung across their shoulders. Chen Chen frowned a little when he saw the beaten-up FBI agent with bruises running all over his swollen face, topped off with a broken nose. The FBI agents phone was specially designed with extremely precise satellite positioning. This meant that FBI agents were rushing over here at this very moment. Fortunately, this man did not catch wind of anything he was not supposed to hear, since that would make matters that much harder to resolve. If an FBI agent from the Mainland were to die by Chen Chens hands, the Mainland FBI department would never let him off their hook. This was their bottom line as Chen Chen knew it. Chen Chen could not risk abusing his memory eraser device as well since several security guards from Shangdu Jiao Tong University only just had their memories erased. If the same phenomenon were to occur to this Zhou Hao, someone would figure out Chen Chens memory eraser device eventually. This essentially made this Zhou Hao untouchable. Chen Chen promptly gave a signal, ordering the Black Knights to let go of Zhou Hao. Cough cough cough The moment they let go, Zhou Hao collapsed on his knees and started a violent coughing fit. It may appear that he had sustained severe damage to his stomach as he coughed up mouthfuls of bloody phlegm. At this point, all the evidence inside the room had been destroyed. One of the medical staff quickly stepped forward to help treat the wounds on Zhou Haos face. Scram! However, this gesture was not met with much kindness as Zhou Hao abruptly shoved the medical staff away. He proceeded to wipe the blood off his face with his hands. Troubled with this erratic behavior, Chen Chen produced several sheets of napkins and handed it to the FBI agent. Investigator Zhou Hao, what is it that inspired a senior officer like yourself to come out on the field to handle this case in person? You know who I am? Zhou Hao froze momentarily. He looked up gravely at Chen Chen. I only just recognized you, otherwise I wouldnt have sent my bodyguards after you. Chen Chen expressed almost innocently, I thought it was just some common thief, Im so sorry about this. Dont give me that bulls***! Zhou Hao could not stop himself from cursing out loud when he heard Chen Chens explanation. I already heard you spelling my name out loud just now and now you expect me to believe that you mistook me for some common thief? Now this is just plain wrongful accusations. Chen Chen knitted his brows together. Do you have proof? He said as he pointed at the two Black Knights, Why dont you two say something, did I have any verification of agent Zhou Haos identity just now? The two Black Knights shook their head, still wearing the same blank expressions. You! Zhou Hao held his mouth wide open before finally grinding his teeth together out of frustration. Chen Chen, dont you dare get ahead of yourself. Even if you have Blacklight Biotechnology backing you up, Ill expose everything youve done eventually. The day will come when you have to face legal consequences for your actions! Alright. Chen Chen only smiled sheepishly. I wont claim to be a model citizen, but even if you want to wrongfully accuse me of a list of crimes, I still have all the money in the world to hire lawyers to defend my case. To be honest, I dont see myself sitting in a jail in my lifetime. Dont you think you can get away with everything just because you have money! This agitated Zhou Hao further as he belted out angrily. Chen Chen nodded at this mention and stated candidly, Im afraid that money does allow me to get away with everything. Their friendly conversation was interrupted by the sound of sirens coming from a distance. There seemed to be a large number of police forces arriving at this village. Within moments, the sound of screeching brakes and rumbling engines came from outside, which was followed by rapid approaching footsteps. The steady footsteps quickly surrounded Siheyuan. Clank! There was a loud burst at the entrance. Chen Chen turned to the entrance and saw dozens of agents filing in, surrounding Chen Chen and his bodyguards. Are you alright, Brother Zhou! Are you hurt, Brother Zhou? Was it them who assaulted a federal agent? Brother Zhou! The members of the FBI exclaimed one after another, some of them glared viciously at Chen Chen. All they needed now was for Zhou Hao to give the word for them to apprehend this man. Alright, everybody shut up! The FBI director called out suddenly, silencing the angry mob as he quickly approached Zhou Hao and asked, How did you get your face beaten up? Someone reported gunshots to the police, what was that about? It was me who opened fire. Zhou Hao answered honestly, These two men tried to attack me, so I had to open fire to protect myself. This only served to upset the surrounding FBI forces. Many young members glared in bewilderment. What, you dare to assault a federal agent? They said as they prepared to charge at him with handcuffs. Chen Chen smiled nonchalantly and did not put up any resistance. He stretched his hands forward with his fists held together, ready for their handcuffs. It was at this moment when the phone of the FBI branch director suddenly rang The director looked at the phone and was visibly taken aback by the contact name displayed. He gave Chen Chen a wondrous look before giving a signal to silence the crowd. After that, he turned around and exited Siheyuan, only answering the phone after he was outside. Yes Yes Understood. Ill see it done. The director hung up silently. When he turned around to see his subordinates starting to put the handcuffs on Chen Chen, he immediately cried out to stop them, Hold up! Director? Many of them turned to the director with a look full of surprise. All of you, get out of here, except for Zhou Hao. The director gave a signal as he addressed his task force. They stood motionlessly and stared at their director. I said, get out! The director raised his voice and ordered sternly. With that, they retreated from the scene bitterly. After ensuring everyone had left, the director turned to Chen Chen and said with a tone that was a mixture of politeness and spite, Mr. Chen Chen, Im afraid Ill have to ask you to leave for the moment. No problem. Chen Chen gave a signal. His crew of bodyguards and medical staff immediately retreated inside the room with him. The door was promptly shut behind them after entering. In an instant, the only two people left in the yard of Siheyuan were the director and Zhou Hao. The director looked at Zhou Hao. I want you to tell me everything that has occurred, from the beginning to the end, in clear detail. Understood. Zhou Hao started to speak, Yesterday, while I was heading back home after finishing work, I happened to see a van with the figure of what had to be Chen Chen sitting inside. That was when I decided to tail the van. After I kept my distance and confirmed that he had come to Siheyuan, I proceeded to head to the rooftop. I waited for approximately half an hour before I started to hear muffled screams coming from inside the room. At this point, I was debating whether I should contact you guys but that was when he stepped out of the room and somehow managed to spot me. I tried to run and he sent his bodyguards after me. And then you opened fire? The director wielded a dark expression. Yes, but Are your opponents armed?! The director asked pointedly before Zhou Hao could string together his response. No Zhou Hao could only shake his head and stare at the ground dejectedly. No? The director took a deep, exasperated breath. Dont you remember the code that the FBI has to abide by! How can you justify simply opening fire in such a situation? Arent you aware of the consequences of opening fire freely? I cant tell you why it is, but I felt an enormous amount of stress when they pursued me. I suspect that its not just Chen Chen, there must be something up with the bodyguards under his employment as well! Zhou Hao quickly defended himself. As long as we can bring them back for strenuous questioning, Im sure we can Stop talking. The director shook his head. You opened fire recklessly. If Chen Chen decides to sue our department for this, Ill be forced to resign! As he said this, he turned to the room which Chen Chen had entered and pulled the door open. Mr. Chen Chen, were you aware of Zhou Haos identity when he was on the roof? Of course, not. Chen Chen shrugged. If I knew that Zhou Hao was a federal agent, I wouldnt have sent my bodyguards after him. You Zhou Hao immediately tried to say something to defend himself. I see! The director cut Zhou Hao off immediately. It seems that this was all a common misunderstanding. Still, agent Zhou Hao was wounded by your bodyguards so I hope you would foot a portion of the medical bill, especially since hell require facial surgery with his broken nose. No problem, Im more than willing to pay no matter how much it costs. Chen Chen nodded. Also, Im willing to personally compensate Investigator Zhou Hao 200,000 dollars for the upcoming duration where hell be sidelined and for the mental trauma imposed. Excellent. The director nodded contentedly before dragging Zhou Hao away with him. With that, the entire ordeal was settled uneventfully. Chen Chen escorted them to the entrance, where they saw countless vehicles exiting the village one after another. Chen Chen remained largely expressionless. He was aware that the reason they asked him to foot the medical bill was only so that they could have something to relay to the higher-ups regarding how the matter was settled. The truth was that as long as Chen Chen maintained his position and insisted that he did not know about Zhou Haos identity, he was only going to be locked up at the FBI branch for a night at most. He should expect to be released by the next day without any real consequences. Still, the higher-ups were concerned about leaving any bad blood with Chen Chen. After all, they may have plenty more dealings in the future, which was why there was the phone call earlier. If Chen Chen wanted to, he could choose the route of suing them for opening fire without reason but that would make the situation much more complicated for them. However, doing it this way would be a blatant slap in their face. At the end of the day, it was an open secret that Chen Chen had suspicious dealings underground. Despite that, the higher-ups still decided to give Chen Chen a gracious exit. If Chen Chen were to take advantage of them in this situation, it would be an unseemly choice on his part as well. Since the FBI had given Chen Chen an out and decided to not take him back for further investigation, Chen Chen returned the favor as well and did not continue pursuing this issue any further. Before leaving, Zhou Hao shot one last glare at Chen Chen before shutting the car windows. Chen Chen had a sense of what he was thinking from that one simple glare. Sir Godfather, they have retreated. Little X informed, there was a trace of concern in her voice, You were this close to being taken away. Our connections in the Mainland dont run as deep as compared to in Africa or Europe. I wouldnt know what to do if that happens Dont worry, it wont take me long to get out even if they take me. Chen Chen offered consolation for Little X. Youre still too young to understand how things work around here, theres no way that the Mainland government would allow me to be taken away. They wont let it happen even if there are countless cases stacked against me. The reason being that Im simply too valuable. Is that so? Little X asked again, Then why does Zhou Hao insist on taking you in? Does he not understand the scale of things as well? This question made Chen Chen fall silent immediately. He thought for a moment before raising his head to look at the starry sky above and said softly: I think you misunderstood, X. Its not that Zhou Hao is oblivious. The reason hes doing this is that theres something else that he holds on to firmly. Something he holds on to? Little X muttered. Thats right. Chen Chen nodded. The bad news for him is that theres no longer a place for something like that for him in this world. What he holds on to is destined to shatter into countless pieces at the slightest collision Little X pondered this subject repeatedly before complaining, That sounds so complicated I thought I already gained a clear understanding of humans but it seems that there are still many things that I havent figured out Its alright, you have all the time in the world. Chen Chen smiled. In a certain way, Im the same type of person as Zhou Hao. There are also certain things that Im very fixated on, but one thing that separates me from Zhou Hao is that I have the strength to overpower him. A faint, piercing beam appeared in Chen Chens eyes as he said, The reason I launched the Four-phase Era Project is also that I dislike these nuances of human nature. Perhaps by the time when artificial intelligence can take over as the governing system of mankind, the world will become a truly just place? Chapter 444 - Compliment Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation 2024 went by as fast as it came, immediately ushering in the New Year. The harsh winter subsided to give way to the gentle spring where everything slowly recovered to regular form. Global warming had become a very serious issue these days. The overall global temperature had risen by an estimate of one to two degrees compared with previous years. Not only in the southern region but even the central part of the Mainland, Handu, had not been graced with snowfall for some time now. However, things would be different this year. Following the dawn of the New Year, there were faint traces of snowflakes falling from the skies above. These specks of snowflakes were mixed with chilly rainfall that melted as soon as they touched the ground. It was as if the world had been abandoned by the spirits themselves. Even the falling snowflakes refused to linger for long. Meanwhile, Chen Chen had everything arranged for his parents and grandparents. His family members were going to take a flight to Namibia to receive the appropriate anti-aging treatments. For this occasion, Chen Chen had specifically reserved a plane to transport his family members. The members of the familiar crowd gathered at the airport included Chen Chens father, brothers, and sisters. There were also Chen Chens extended families which were his mothers siblings as well as their children. Of course, there were his grandparents on both sides of his family as well. Even Chen Shan and Zhang Heng who he recently met were here. The corner of Chen Chens lips twitched involuntarily when he caught sight of Zhang Heng. He immediately recalled the saying that went something like this: It only takes one person to succeed for all his cronies to be elevated to the same position as him. Cousin, cousin! Zhang Heng had his right hand over the cast on his other arm, there was a flash of fear in his eyes when he saw Chen Chen. He quickly composed himself and ran over to Chen Chen with a wide smile on his face as he produced a cigarette. Cousin, smoke! Lets smoke! This is an airport, go to the smoking area if you want to smoke. Chen Chen turned down the offer, completely uninterested. He turned to the others. Is everyone here? Cousin Chen Zheng isnt here yet. Chen Shan ran over to inform Chen Chen. Although it had been some time since they last met, Chen Shan did not treat Chen Chen like a stranger. She affectionately pulled Chen Chen by his arm and said smiling, Cousin Chen Zheng wanted me to tell you that he needed to take care of his company and that he wont need the treatment just yet since hes still young. Yes, Cousin Chen Zheng wont be able to make it. Zhang Heng chimed in. Get out of here, move aside. What makes you think you can join in on a conversation between me and cousin? The repulsed Chen Shan frowned and pushed Zhang Heng away. After Zhang Heng had walked away, she turned back to Chen Chen. Its been so long, cousin! Chen Chen responded with a brief nod, his mind full of reminiscence of memories of his cousin, Chen Shan. He noticed that her appearance hardly changed. The only thing different about her was what used to be a brash youthfulness she had about her had been replaced with a more mature, almost motherly grace. I cant believe youd stoop to a point where you can barely pay your rent. Chen Chen went on a rant. Youre almost like a sister to me, even if you dont want to let me know about this, you could at least reach out to my dad. You dont have to worry about what my family may think of you. My dad is a righteous person and he wont just sit by idly and watch his relatives suffer. Alright Chen Shan responded meekly before extending her gratitude again. Cousin, Im not sure what you did but I still have to thank you for bringing Zhang Heng back to my side. Its not that I had high hopes for him in the first place, but still Chen Shan rubbed her pregnant belly, a faint ray of light appearing in her eyes as she said, I cant let the child in my belly be without a father. Was it worth it? Chen Chen shook his head and decided he was better off not adding any further comments so he changed the topic. Were running late, get ready to board the plane. Hm! Chen Shan nodded firmly and returned to the group by herself. Zhang Heng tried to walk beside her but was promptly pushed to the side. Little Chen, are you not coming with us? Chen Chens mother approached him and asked again. Im afraid not, theres something I need to take care of here. Chen Chen answered, When you guys arrive there, someone else will take care of you. You already know that person. Its Qian Wenhuan you met last time in Namibia. Oh, so its that little fellow, thats great! Chen Chens father was immediately comforted by this news. Hes a good bloke, very attentive and always knows what to say. Dont forget to give him a raise he deserves! Alright. Chen Chen did not know whether he should laugh at that notion. He watched silently as the security forces escorted his family through the customs. The smile on Chen Chens face melted away as soon as everyone had boarded the plane. He had returned to his usual sinister temperament, the man with the world in his hands. I think its about time to establish separate sanatorium branches across the world. Chen Chen rubbed his chin and reflected when he saw the plane slowly taking off. If not for anyone else, he could at least do it for their parents. The Medpod3000 he let his parents use for their treatment was not effective if only used once a year. This was why Chen Chen may need to set up a sanatorium right here in Handu. This way, he could relocate one of his Medpod3000 to this place for his parents to receive monthly treatment conveniently. With that, the effects of the Medpod3000 would greatly surpass what the age-reversal treatment was capable of. I could do it in conjunction with the upcoming branch office establishment project. After some brief consideration, Chen Chen made up his mind. It was then when he heard the steady click of leather boots slapping against concrete coming from behind him. Chen Chen did not turn around. He waited for the rhythmic click to come closer until it stopped right behind him. It was immediately followed up by a cold, harsh voice. Mr. Chen Chen, were agents of the Mainland FBI. Wed like you to come with us. I was just talking about how you guys are known for being patient. What is this, you couldnt wait any longer after seeing my family leave? Chen Chen turned around to be greeted by the sight of a group of large men in suits, each with a clean buzz cut. Though they were not from the Handu branch, their accent was the distinctive accent of the Mainland region. Just like a summon from the Public Security Bureau, the arrival of these people could only mean that whoever wanted to meet Chen Chen was not any regular individual. They hardly reacted to Chen Chens subtle jab at them, a clear indication of their strenuous training and discipline. The man leading the charge continued staring at Chen Chen and made a silent inviting gesture. With that, Chen Chen proceeded to walk out of the airport with this group of men in suits walking by his side. The grand display had attracted the attention of many people passing them in the airport. There was already a Hongqi (TN: Chinese luxury car model) parked outside the airport waiting for them. One of the men with a buzz cut stepped forward to open the door for Chen Chen and proceeded to enter from the other side after ensuring Chen Chen had entered the vehicle. After everyone had entered their respective rides, they headed for the city center. It did not take long before they arrived at the Handu FBI branch. Chen Chen stepped out of the vehicle candidly and went to a conference room under the lead of his escorts. There was already a spectacular gathering at the conference room by the time Chen Chen arrived. When he stepped inside, he saw dozens of men of high position, each with a cloud of heavy air lingering around them. Even the youngest among them were in their forties while the eldest was close to his sixties. Chen Chen recognized one of them as the branch director he met only a few days ago. The one seated at the head of the table was a dignified elderly man with a crown of white hair. Chen Chen knew that he saw this man on at least one occasion in the past. He was the commissioner who regularly appeared on the news. The moment Chen Chen pushed open the door, everyone instinctively glanced in his direction. There was a dazzling glow in the dignified elderly mans eyes especially as he looked at Chen Chen like he had seen a gold mine. Mr. Chen, allow me to introduce you. The branch director immediately stood up when he noted Chen Chens arrival. This here is our No need for introductions! The elderly man suddenly signaled for his subordinate to stop as he pulled himself up from his seat ceremoniously. He extended his hands to Chen Chen on his own accord for a firm handshake before reflecting with amusement. Comrade Little Chen, it took a lot of work to finally meet a one-of-a-kind prodigy such as yourself! Chen Chen returned the compliment with a kind smile. Since this person was not confronting him with the usual bureaucracy-minded approach, there was no reason for him to respond with any form of aggression. He answered gratuitously and humbly, Youre too kind, Secretary Wu. Im no prodigy, only a regular businessman, not a one-of-a-kind type especially. Ahahahaha! Chen Chens response made the elderly man burst out in joyous laughter. He pointed at Chen Chen and turned to face the others. Everyone, look! Look! Which one of you was it who told me that Comrade Little Chen was vigorous and arrogant? Secretary Wu is right! The others laughed bitterly in unison and agreed with their superior. The elderly man turned back to Chen Chen, still not intending to release Chen Chen from his firm handshake as he expressed with mild surprise, Comrade Little Chen, you know who an old guy like me is? Secretary Wu appears on the news all the time. Of course, a Mainlander like myself would recognize you. Chen Chen smiled. Just like you, I pay close attention to the ongoings in our continent. Excellent, excellent! The elderly man smiled, completely satisfied. Come, sit. If you dont mind, we old folks would like to have a good conversation with you today! With that, he took Chen Chen to a seat right next to him. Several FBI agents in uniform immediately stepped forward and poured Chen Chen a cup of tea in a disposable cup. In the beginning, the elderly man started with several inconsequential, easy questions, which Chen Chen answered each one of them politely. The elderly man would chuckle and laugh heartily at his young guests responses. After around ten minutes had passed, when Chen Chen saw the timing was right, he asked his first question, So, I wonder why you all invited me here today? I doubt its just for making small talk? As soon as Chen Chen shifted the topic of their conversation, a dull gloom immediately took over what was once a merry atmosphere in the conference room. Its very simple. The elderly man stopped the small talk immediately and started, Im sure Little Chen is aware of the cluster of passionate rumors circulating online as well. Many people claim that the reason the company Blacklight Biotechnology which you founded was able to achieve strings of insurmountable success was that you came from the future. There are also some that speculated that you obtained alien technology or the blueprint to some The elderly man could not help but chuckle as he arrived at this mention. To tell the truth, its not just these people online, even our superior finds this subject curious as well. Just where did you obtain these technologies of yours? A desolate silence came upon the conference room when the elderly man pointed this question at Chen Chen. They held their breaths collectively and stared at the man himself. Chen Chen raised an eyebrow and did not falter at the question because he knew that this was only a bait. If they wanted to investigate him, they would not have let so many unrelated personnel in here. Chen Chen answered the question in a straight-to-the-point manner, Its simple, everything was the result of me and my research teams findings, just like how it is with any other research. I knew it, what did I tell you, there are no such things as aliens or time travel in this world! The old man chuckled, seemingly not paying mind to Chen Chens answer as he followed up. Ive gone through the files from back when you were studying in Jiao Tong University, it says that youve already displayed elite scientific proficiency way back then. To tell you the truth, we greatly value talented individuals such as yourself. Its a great shame we didnt recruit you into the academy back then. The elderly man said with a tinge of eagerness in his voice, Little Chen, what do you say if we tell you that the academy wants to recruit you now? Thats impossible. Chen Chen waved off the suggestion and answered calmly, My primary motivation isnt scientific research. Strictly speaking, its only a device as far as Im concerned. My primary motivation is to accelerate the progress of mankind and elevate us to greater heights. Chen Chen suddenly smiled and directed a question back at the elderly man. Secretary Wu, which one do you think is more significant. My achievements as an individual researcher or the contributions Ive made to the advancement of mankind as a whole? The elderly man was enlightened upon hearing this. He reflected thoughtfully. I see, what you said reminds me of someone else, some who once said that medicine alone cannot save the Chinese nation I wouldnt dare to compare myself to Mr. Lu Xun. Chen Chen rejected the comparison immediately, not allowing himself to appear arrogant. As it is, Im just a businessman, I wouldnt compare myself to someone the likes of Mr. Lu Xun. If Secretary Wu has something to say, please let me hear it right away. In that case, Ill jump straight to the point. Upon noting Chen Chens perseverance, the elderly man decided to stop beating around the bush as he announced solemnly, Didnt you send a certain list to each continent of the Earth Federation a short while ago? We went through the list and saw certain weapons and technology that we find very promising. Its just the price May I know what weapons have caught your sides interest? Chen Chen thought for a moment before informing, I dont know the particulars yet, but I guarantee that I can give the Mainland government the best discount I can offer. Excellent, thats great! The elderly man was overjoyed upon hearing this. Ill tell you this, Little Chen. I had to come all the way here to Handu today because of my superiors instruction. Now that youve provided me this guarantee, I have a proper assurance that my work here is done. The elderly man turned to the person who previously escorted Chen Chen to this place and gave a brief signal. That person promptly left the conference room and returned no more than half a minute later, carrying a safe with him. The safe opened with a satisfying click. There was a sheet of checklist inside the safe which was handed over to the elderly man. After that, the elderly man handed it to Chen Chen. Chen Chen flicked an eyebrow upon reading through the long list of items on the checklist. He finally understood why these people had received him so graciously today. These people wanted the source code for the XTN-003 robot. Chapter 445 - Bargain The XTN-003 robot was a combination of the best traits of the robots from the movies Terminator, Elysium, and I, Robot in conjunction with the technology implemented in the Xingtian Project. The product was a finalized safety robot. The structure of these robots was nearly identical to humans. They were bipedal, capable of running and jumping, and were more agile than the average person. These robots could perform many tasks that most humans were not capable of. With all that said, regardless of how intricate the robots structure was, most governmental bodies had the resources to replicate the same gears and structures to create the same product. The most critical and valuable element was the source code and core algorithm. It was the source code that allowed the robot to move the way that humans do. To draw a comparison, the shell of the robot was the equivalent of the human body while the source code would be the human conscience and soul. Thus far, the most sophisticated AI creation humans created was limited to the quadrupedal Boston Mechanical Dog which intellect and agility were on par with regular four-legged mammals. There were the occasional bipedal robotic creations here and there, but most of them were not agile enough and tended to stumble when walking. There was a long way to go before they could qualify as a counterpart to humans, and an even longer path before they could be compared to the XTN-003 robot. Thats impossible. When Chen Chen saw the final item on the checklist, he shook his head regretfully as he looked into the eyes of the elderly man. The rest of them can be negotiated, even the Directional Aiming Algorithm and Integrated Digital Barrier System, but the source code of XTN-003 is strictly not for sale. After all, its directly related to the core algorithm implemented in the network frame of Blacklight Biotechnology. Would you sell your nuclear warheads even if someone asked for them nicely? Theres always an exception to be made. Before the elderly man could say anything in response, another middle-aged man seated opposite Chen Chen said, Its only our obligation to step up to whatever our nation needs, its all for the greater good at the end of the day. For the Central Continent, even the most minor contribution can amount to something great. Are you saying youd forsake the advancement of the continent for your personal agenda? Chen Chen ignored the middle-aged man who was running his mouth as he turned to the elderly man. Does this man speak for you? He speaks for our organization. The elderly man nodded and advised thoughtfully, Little Chen, I dont want you to get the wrong impression. Id like you to think over it carefully. The Central Continent wants to buy robots from your company to prevent the outbreak of any future wars. They have the potential to significantly curb the number of deaths. The problem is that robots arent completely reliable. What would we do if they went AWOL due to a backend code infiltration? We need to have the source code and core algorithm to serve as insurance in case things go south Chen Chen could not help but frown as he heard this. Chen Chen understood why they were so fixated on obtaining the source code for the robot. It was like the Android and Apple operating system debate. Although Apple was a good operating system, some governmental staff were prohibited from using it because there was no telling if confidential information would be leaked from it. There was a negligible chance of it occurring, but the slightest possibility of it happening meant that nobody would want to take chances. Android operating system, on the other hand, was open-sourced. Its source code was publicly disclosed and anyone could modify and improve it to cater to their unique needs. This was why nearly all phone manufacturers in the world defaulted to Android. Though Chen Chen understood their reasoning for wanting the source code, that did not mean he was going to sell it any time soon. The true worth of a robot lay in its source code and if he were to sell it to the Central Continent, they would then be able to reproduce XTN-003 infinitely. On top of manufacturing XTN-003 robots on their own, they could even make further modifications to create XTN-004, XTN-005, all the way to XTN-999. It would be worse than losing out on a slice of the pie since he would be giving the entire pie away. Chen Chen could not hold himself back from chuckling as well when he thought of this. Secretary Wu, I do understand what youre saying, but in this case, couldnt you go with the alternative of not incorporating the XTN-003 robot for military use? Apart from the militarized model, we also have variants for policing duties and civil duties. They can build houses, pave roads, wipe windows of high-rise buildings, even perform tasks such as driving. If we dont have a robotized troop, are we supposed to send our soldiers out on the field against the XTN-003 robots of other continents? The middle-aged man confronted Chen Chen again. Do you have any idea how many deaths would result from this? Chen Chen finally turned to this imbecile and looked at him with what could only be described as sympathy for his lack of intellect. How is it that someone in your position can spout such idiotic tales? You want the advantages of robotized units but at the same time, you dont want to bear the risk associated with it? In that case, you shouldnt have come to me in the first place. Why dont you get in touch with your technology department and create one yourself? You This person was infuriated upon hearing Chen Chen reprimanding him. He slammed his hands against the table and launched himself up from his seat. How dare you! Thats enough Little Kong. Sit down immediately! The elderly man belted immediately, compelling the middle-aged man to sit down unwillingly. He then turned back to Chen Chen with a heavy expression. Little Chen, what you say isnt realistic since we wouldnt need to come to you in the first place if we had the technology to create something like the XTN-003 robot. Our department had analyzed it thoroughly and concluded that even Northern America could not design something like that since its implemented algorithm is at least five years ahead of the current AI scope. Which is why wed implore you to sell it to us. We can take our time to negotiate the price. Chen Chen quickly shrugged. Alright, then theres nothing left to discuss. Im curious to see how the Central Continent intends to force my hand to sell the source code! Chen Chen decided this was not worth his time anymore so he got up and went for the exit. Everyone present in the conference room was baffled by his abrupt statement. The elderly man immediately stood up when he saw Chen Chen leaving the conference room. He frowned bitterly as he tried to grab Chen Chen. Even the branch director stepped forward and added his apologies. Please dont be rash, Mr. Chen. Theres more we can discuss Chen Chen halted. Most people were aware that the nation would rather have friendly relations with Blacklight Biotechnology than have bad blood between them. If Blacklight Biotechnology was a company completely reliant on the Central Continent, then the nation and its government would not have any qualms with severing their ties once and for all. The problem was that Blacklight Biotechnology had grown beyond that. As much as they hated to admit it, the company had long since broken out of the iron grip of the Central Continent. Blacklight Biotechnology had accumulated hundreds of billions of wealth at this point and wielded incomprehensible influence in the Earth Federation. Although the headquarters of Blacklight Biotechnology was established in the Central Continent, their main center of development was located somewhere else. If the Central Continent government were to cut ties with them, they would only give them more reason to shift their focus to other countries, thus giving away a prized asset for zero returns. The elderly man started to consult desperately, Little Chen, dont be angry. Even if you dont intend to sell the source code, Im sure we can arrive at some form of compromise. Thats right! The others in the conference stood up in unison to provide support. Chen Chen did not feel like wasting time going back and forth with them anymore so he stated bluntly, The bottom line is that the source code isnt for sale. XTN-003 is as good as useless if I put the source code up for sale since nobody would want to buy a robot whose source code is already owned by another party. I hope you all understand this. Sigh, its a shame, but I suppose theres no other way around it. The elderly man nodded regretfully and expressed, In this case, lets talk about the other technology available. You mentioned the Directional Aiming Algorithm and Integrated Digital Barrier System. Theres also the Long-distance Environmental Sensory System and Coriolis Effect Holographic System, dont forget that latest Modular Rifling. Be sure to give us a steep discount on them! Chen Chen became speechless when he heard the elderly man hurling a stream of phrases at him. It would appear that they had long prepared for such a scenario and this was all a setup. Half an hour later, after Chen Chen had offered a steep discount against his will, they finally happily let him go. Chen Chen put away his sour mood after stepping out of the FBI building. As it turned out, the entire XTN-003 source code offer was just a device for a common negotiation tactic. The way the elderly man saw it, the best way the negotiation could have turned out was if they managed to purchase the source code. If not, they could simply move on to the secondary objective of the negotiation. Chen Chen could tell right off the bat that the elderly man and the other middle-aged man were just putting on an act the entire time. The elderly man was nowhere near as kind and understanding as he made himself out to be, and the middle-aged man was not the imbecile he led others to believe. Life was but an act where the best actor came out on top. Little did they know, Chen Chen was the greatest actor of them all. All this time, Chen Chens opponents also knew that Chen Chen was only pretending to be in a sour mood, acting all defeated. They were well aware that Chen Chen was also an actor putting on a show, just like themselves. Everyone was only playing to their roles befitting their position. There was an unwritten and unspoken agreement to not expose each other in this game. After leaving the FBI branch, Chen Chen decided it was time to leave Handu since his parents had departed as well. He took a bullet train to Shangdu. The bullet train was extremely fast, covering three thousand kilometers in just six hours, taking Chen Chen from the central of the Mainland Continent to the southern region. Upon his arrival, Chen Chen first took the time to head to the headquarters. The headquarters of Blacklight biotechnology had recently been relocated to a brand-new 50-story building funded by the company. Appearance-wise, the building looked like a run-of-the-mill skyscraper. Many people would find it difficult to believe that this plain-looking building was the headquarters of the infamous Blacklight Biotechnology. One had to consider that the headquarters of a corporation was essentially a symbol of a corporation. It was in most corporations best interest to groom a respectable image, for example, Tencent, Ali, JD, and even Pinduoduo boasted spectacularly designed headquarters that almost doubled as an iconic landmark. With all that said, this was not all too surprising. Although Blacklight Biotechnologys headquarters was set up in the Central Continent, everyone knew that the true center of Blacklight Biotechnology was set in Africa. The headquarters established in the Central Continent was merely a buffer for converging news in the organization. Chen Chen stood by the entrance for a moment to turn off his communication device with Little X before entering. Upon entering, he looked up to take in the way the lobby was designed. It was an extremely spacious lobby. Although minimally decorated, it was a representation of the iconic Blacklight Biotechnologys futuristic design. The only aspect that spoiled the presentation was just how empty it was that it could almost be described as a ghost town. Apart from a staff who had her head buried in her phone at the front desk, there was not a soul to be spotted in the lobby. Chen Chen surveyed his surroundings and could not find any sign that indicated where the office of the general manager was located. He proceeded to head to the front desk. When the clerk at the front desk heard footsteps approaching, she looked up and immediately put away her phone upon seeing Chen Chen. A practiced, professional smile surfaced on her lips. Hi there mister, is there anything I can help you with? Im looking for Xia Yin. Chen Chen informed, Just tell me where her office is. Ah, youre looking for GM Xia? The clerk shot Chen Chen a queer look. Do you have a reservation? Im afraid I cant help you if you dont have a reservation. I dont, but you can just call her and tell her that its Chen Chen looking for her. Chen Chen said with a faint smile. Chen Chen? The clerk was dumbfounded by this sudden statement. She stared at Chen Chen for what seemed like forever. Her eyes widened in shock before finally asking in a trembling voice, Are, are you Chairman Chen? Thats me. Chen Chen nodded. When he saw the clerk was still caught in a daze, he figured it was easier to take a look at the information displayed at the front desk himself. According to the display, the office of the general manager was located on the top floor, the fiftieth floor of the building. Thats surprising, Xia Yin has the same preference as I do Chen Chen muttered a comment to himself before heading to the elevator, paying no mind to the clerk. Ah The clerk finally snapped back to her senses. When she saw Chen Chens figure departing, she suddenly called out, Chairman Chen, the general managers office is located at I know. Chen Chen said without turning around as he stepped into the elevator. After the elevator closed, Chen Chen finally turned into an upset frown. To tell the truth, he was not pleased with the employment standards at the headquarters. To be fair, there was the factor of his sudden arrival at play, still, there had to be a certain standard of professionalism to be met. Shortly after that, the elevator took Chen Chen to the top floor and opened with a faint ding. Chen Chen saw two ladies dressed in common secretary office wear running circles around the office, tidying everything frantically. Upon noting Chen Chens arrival, they immediately stopped what they were doing and stood to attention before bowing politely. Welcome, Chairman! One of the office ladies reacted faster and stepped forward before the other one could. She smiled like a blossoming flower at Chen Chens direction. Chairman Chen, since its your first time here, you might not know where your office is. Would you like me to bring you there? Thats alright. Chen Chen gently pushed her aside and turned his attention to another door nearby. Im not here for my office, Im looking for Xia Yin. Before the two of them could add any further comments, he went to the office labeled with the general manager sign. Before he reached the door, it opened on its own. The person who opened the door was revealed to be Xia Yin who was wearing professional attire. There was a look of mild surprise mixed with a combination of an assortment of emotions in her eyes. Chapter 446 - Hadron Collider Chen Chen stepped into Xia Yins office and took a look around. It was a very simple office without much by way of decorations. The only notable aspect was the sheer size of it. This office was nearly the size of Chen Chens office in Eco Science City. Xia Yin seemed to have sensed what Chen Chen was taking in so she stated meekly, Theres no other way around this, the dimension of this building turned out to be far larger than what we needed. Since there are only several hundred staff stationed here, we have to make the offices larger to not make the place seem too vacant. Vacant is good, makes the place feel quieter. Chen Chen made himself comfortable in the seat opposite the general managers desk. He looked at Xia Yin who had become very comfortable in her role and asked, Everything going well in the company? Yeah. Xia Yin pouted a little. Headquarters is only an honorary title we have over here because not much goes on here, were pretty much a decorative vase at this point. All we do is manage the websites and make the occasional announcement. Theres not much else apart from that. How are things supposed to be not going well? This place is very important, you only feel this way because the decisive time isnt here just yet. Chen Chen took the coffee from a secretary and offered a quick thank you before continuing. Besides, working in headquarters is like being the Minister of Palace Affairs, isnt that nice? Ministers are usually eunuchs. Xia Yin joked suddenly before sighing. But the good thing is your loyal secretary Aixen usually keeps in touch with us. I heard that Aixen is an underage girl? ? Chen Chen tilted his head, puzzled by this question. Ive been wondering why youre not interested in me, turns out youre into lolitas! Xia Yin twisted her expression in horror. Sicko! Chen Chen noticed that they were getting sidetracked and immediately reverted to the topic at hand. Forget about that. Theres another reason that I came today apart from taking a look at the headquarters. Im going to email you a document later, its the registration form for a certain project. Im going to need you to prepare for it because youll be representing Blacklight Biotechnology to meet the high-ranking officials all over the world sometime in the future. What project? Xia Yin asked, looking puzzled at Chen Chen. An investment project involving tens of billions of dollars and the entire Earth Federation, which is why I need you to go in person. Chen Chen answered, Simply put, I plan to establish branches in the Central, East, South, and North Sea Continents. This includes all continents ranging from Indian, Middle East, Northern America, Southern America, Europe, Oceanic, and the Antarctic. On top of establishing branch companies, well also be establishing local research institutes and sanatoriums to expand the international scope of Eco Science City. Xia Yin wondered if her ears were failing her so she looked at Chen Chen in sheer astonishment. Are you sure? Where are we getting all these funds from? Xia Yins bewilderment was completely justified. It was one thing to establish branch companies and administrative departments internationally since most major corporations had done something similar as well. However, to establish an equivalent Eco Science City all over the world was something nowhere near as easy to accomplish. Blacklight Biotechnology ranked among the best of them in terms of net worth. However, most of the corporations net worth came from the estimated value of its city. Although Blacklight Biotechnology never listed itself on the market, most of its revenue was invested into the expansion of Eco Science City. It was not an easy task to upkeep a city. Well, well be borrowing the money from banks, just as youd expect. Chen Chen smirked and answered, These days, you wont find any businesses willing to operate out of their pocket, what if their investment turns out to be unsuccessful? Ill leave the negotiations of the rates and conditions in your capable hands by then. Chen Chen expressed sincerely. Xia Yin, dont let me down. Yes! Though caught off guard by this sudden revelation initially, Xia Yin immediately regained her composure. After all these years, she was no longer the innocent and naive girl she used to be, but a hardened and extremely qualified woman. I still have one more task for you. Chen Chen continued. Which is to order the engine parts for a Hadron Collider. Youll have to secretly order this from the European officials. Ill have the financial groups from Europe get in touch and cooperate with you. What! Xia Yin was yet again baffled by Chen Chens request. Hadron Collider? Chen Chen, what are you planning to do? Chen Chen did not bother with offering an explanation. These are your tasks. After all these years, why dont you show me if you can meet my standards? With that, Chen Chen saw that his errand here was done and he promptly got up, and left Xia Yins office. After exiting the main lobby, Chen Chen darted a final glance at the office building before reactivating the communication device with Little X. X, tell Cheng Cao to arrange my transport. Im heading back to Namibia. Chen Chen whispered. Hmmph! There was a slightly upset grunt coming from the earpiece, followed up by Little X speaking in a dull tone, Ive informed Cheng Cao, hes on the way here! Perfect. Chen Chen paid no mind to Little X. He sat down on a seat surrounded by an arrangement of flowers and looked at the busy streets of Shangdu. His gaze was as stoic as the surface of still water. Chen Chen wanted to purchase the engine parts for a Hadron Collider because this was the perfect timing for it. It was just like how his decision to establish branch companies all over the world stemmed from the fact that Blacklight Biotechnology was rapidly gaining international recognition and starting to dominate foreign markets. Chen Chen had already planned to build a Hadron Collider as early as two years ago. With the development of science and technology, mankinds understanding of the structure of matter was rapidly evolving with every passing day. From the beginning, the observation of substances was done by observing what was visible to the naked eye. Gradually, magnifying glasses and microscopes were applied, which later progressed to the usage of high-energy physics research equipment. The scale of observation was expanded time and time again, spanning into the underlying structure of cells, molecules, atoms, and nuclei. Each discovery brought forth a monumental societal revolution and technological improvement. The discovery of atomic nuclei and extranuclear electrons led to the invention of the radio, semiconductors, television, radar, lasers, and X-rays. The Hadron Collider was one of the equipment used to observe substances on a microscope level. At its core, the Hadron Collider was a particle accelerator. Its prowess lay in its ability to accelerate particles to such a point that when two particles of equal speed collided, they may fuse with one another to generate a new form of particle. Moreover, even if the high-speed particles did not collide, researchers could still observe the pattern of changes that occurred to the microcosm during the movement of the particles. This helped with laying the foundation for further research and development of the microcosm. At the same time, gaining a better understanding of the microscopic world helped mankind gain a better understanding of the construct of the macro world. Generally speaking, the larger the Hadron Collider, the more proficient it was. This was attributed to the fact that as the size increased, the internal space for operation increased as well, which in turn allowed the machine to generate more energy for the associated particles to accelerate faster. All these factors combined allowed researchers to obtain more precise research results. Currently, the European Large Hadron Collider was the worlds largest and most powerful Hadron Collider, with its tunnel circumference reaching up to 27 kilometers. The European research team had spent more than ten years and 80 billion dollars to construct the engineering marvel. It should be clear by now that it was not a piece of cheap scientific research equipment, but what would be regarded as a luxury in the realms of science and technology. Only a country with strong economic strength could construct and put it to use. It was a far more momentous task for a mere private company to put together such equipment. As early as 2014, the Central Continent launched a certain project. The details of the project were to construct a tunnel with a circumference reaching up to 100 kilometers, which was nearly four times longer than the largest known Hadron Collider. This plan was ultimately objected to by Professor Yang Zhenning in 2018. Since then, it had been aborted and never been truly implemented by anyone else since. The reasoning for Professor Yang Zhennings objection was simple. First of all, it was simply too expensive. Second, the success rate was not optimistic. Third, it offered zero substantial application over the next five decades. There was another important reason for his objection, being that it would be hogged by foreigners after its completion. This was because at the time, high-energy physicists in the Central Continent were far and few in between. Some people may not understand the reasoning for Yang Zhennings objection. In truth, one of the greatest potential contributions of this Hadron Collider would be to accurately measure the Higgs Boson to determine if this particle truly surpassed the current physics framework. This particular particle known as the Higgs Boson was also dubbed God Particle. The physics community had been looking forward to it for more than four decades as it was the particle that was most likely to surpass the current standard model. If it was verified, then what was known as Superstring Theory would be elevated to the likes of Quantum Mechanic. The phrase Theory would hence be replaced and thus referred simply as Superstring Mechanic. This Superstring Mechanic would be a culmination of the theory of all things the unified form of the four basic forces. All existing particles in the world, from the smallest primal atom to the largest astronomical bodies, even including the essence of a black hole or the very origin of the universe, would have to succumb to the laws of superstring This was a dream of mankind. Once the interaction of matter and its subsequent principles and movement were standardized, mankind would achieve the omnipotence that rivaled God. Unfortunately, this vision was never achieved. As early as the period during the Northern America-Soviet hegemony, Northern America had already planned to build a Hadron Collider with a measured circumference of 100 kilometers. The nation spent more than two billion U.S. dollars over several years, but even the tunnel was not even properly carved out by the end of it. The project ultimately came to an end when the Soviet Union had disbanded at the time. Naturally, this was terrible news for the pack of supporters of the Superstring Theory in the high-energy physics community. Later on, the European Hadron Collider was debuted with its maximum operation power reached up to 13TeV. Though it was inferior to what the Northern America version could have been, it was at least a completed project. However, after the much-anticipated collision experiment, the journey to discovering signs of supersymmetric particles was to no avail even after several years. With that, 99.999% of the foundation for supersymmetric theory went up in smoke. Today, the combined thesis for Superstring Theory was essentially a pile of scrap paper. However, there were still countless people who believed in its possibility. This group of people believed that the only reason why they could not achieve collision supersymmetric particles was primarily due to power insufficiency, which was why they came to lobby for the construction of the Hadron Collider in the Central Continent. All this was also linked to the opposition of Professor Yang Zhenning. Simply put, the primary reason that the Central Continents plans for constructing the Hadron Collider ultimately amounted to nothing was due to the lack of ITS scientific value. Things were different in Chen Chens case, for he had two reasons for constructing the Hadron Collider. The first and primary reason was that Chen Chen wanted to use it to manufacture a piece of technology acquired from Elysium the high-offset armor. This variant of isotope metal armor was branded the sturdiest and most stable substance in the solar system. It could be used as the plating for spacecraft due to its ability to resist surface radiation from the sun which allowed it to freely travel across the solar system. So far, Chen Chen had not discovered any substance that was more resilient than it apart from the water drop from The Three-Body Problem. The second incentive for Chen Chen to construct the Hadron Collider was that unlike the Central Continent, he did not need to invest tens of billions into this creation. He had something special up his sleeve. The normal-temperature superconductor. When it came to the tunneling system of a regular Hadron Collider, it was the maintenance of the low-temperature superconductor that cut into a sizable portion of the budget. However, the unique qualities of the normal-temperature superconductor allowed Chen Chen to only expend one-tenth of the usual cost for its upkeep. This also allowed him to create a far shorter, but vastly superior Hadron Collider. This was the exclusive advantage Chen Chen had. Another aspect to factor in was that Chen Chen wanted to follow along with the theory of great unification to determine the validity of the so-called Superstring Theory, which could unify the four fundamental forces. This theory was also dubbed as the theory of everything. There were several examples of such an ambitious venture. Following Galileos standardization of the laws of motion and inertia in accordance with Newtons Laws of Motion and Newtons Law of Universal Gravitation, the road to the mechanical industrial revolution was paved. Maxwell also trailed after that path when he standardized the composition of electricity, magnetism, and light with a set of equations, heralding mankinds electrical age from thereon. After that came Einstein. He first used the Theory of Relativity to combine Maxwells equations and Newtonian mechanics to create a standardization of the measure of low and high velocity. This was subsequently used to standardize the equation of matter and energy, giving birth to what was now known as nuclear weapons. After that came quantum mechanics, which was where Yang Zhenning came into the picture. With a crumpled piece of paper he found in his pocket and a set of mathematical framework theory, he unified electromagnetic force, low-velocity force, and high-velocity force. This mathematical framework was the aforementioned Yang-Mills gauge field theory. Yang Zhennings gauge field theory was comparable to the likes of Newtons gravitational theory, Maxwells electromagnetism theory, and Einsteins theory of relativity. Many people regarded Hawking as the most successful physicist of modern times, the only one that could hold up to Einstein. What many of them did not know was that Yang Zhennings accomplishment triumphed over Hawkings. There was a popular saying among physicists that Yang Zhenning was two-thirds Einstein combined with twenty Hawkings. Chapter 447 - Return Two hours later, Chen Chen stepped out of the teleportation room on the top floor of the Spire laboratory. In just two hours, Chen Chen had traversed across thousands of kilometers from the Central Continent to Africa without drawing any attention. Most of these two hours were spent traveling to and from the teleportation rooms. The teleportation itself took no longer than ten seconds. The only drawback of using teleportation to move around is the sheer power usage. Chen Chen ruminated. Despite its quiet appearance, the Gantz sphere consumed a sizable amount of power, even exceeding the initially determined quota. The only reason it could be barely kept functional was largely attributed to the two nuclear fusion reactors in the Spire Experimental Base. Another significant advantage that came with Gantz technology was that even energy could be transported freely. This meant that even if Gantz spheres were set up in different corners of the world, there was no need to worry about the local governments detecting any abnormalities with power usage. All Chen Chen had to do was ensure that the headquarters had ample power. Looks like its time to build a third nuclear fusion reactor. With this in mind, Chen Chen looked at the monitor and noted. X, for the third nuclear fusion reactor, I hope to achieve power generation up to ten million kilowatts per hour and Q value surpassing a thousand. Alright, Ill notify the high-energy physics department. The nuclear fusion reactor did not take up much space and its fuel source was largely extracted from the ocean. The port granted easy, nearly unlimited access to seawater. It was only the extraction that proved slightly troublesome. With that said, the returns vastly out-scaled the labor required. This was the highlight of nuclear fusion technology. If this technology were to be publicized, countries all over the world would no longer need to contend with one another and their GDP would easily increase by more than ten folds. It would take less than a decade for humans to land on the moon, another decade to colonize Mars and begin populating the planet. Within five decades, there was a good chance of traveling beyond the solar system with unlimited energy and resources At the current stage, nuclear fusion technology was not mature yet as its Q value barely reached a thousand. Theoretically, the maximum achievable Q value should border close to ten thousand. Chen Chen stepped out of the teleportation room during his exchange with Little X as he asked again, What about the iron bed we brought back with us? Due to the bizarre and unpredictable nature of the iron bed, Ive kept it locked up in a Faraday cage for now. Little X answered, Do you want me to bring it back here? Thats alright, Ill head there myself. Chen Chen waved off the suggestion. He proceeded to leave the Spire and head for the exit to the surface. The so-called Faraday cage was a cage-like implementation that could be nested in one layer at a time, similar to a Russian doll. Chen Chen used this Faraday cage design to protect himself from being killed by the memetic effects while at the same time, preventing them from spilling into reality. When Chen Chen arrived at a secret factory sealed off from any unauthorized personnel inside the industrial park, he saw the enormous iron lump measuring more than twenty-five meters wide. At the present, there were two industrial cranes on both ends of the iron lump slowly lifting it into the air. Chen Chen saw the layers of the Faraday cage opening one after another upon his arrival until the innermost room was revealed. Without needing Chen Chen to issue a command, one of the Black Knights stepped forward and opened the door for him. What was inside the room was an extremely familiar sight it was a tiny room barely fifteen square meters large with two single beds, a desk, a chair, and a toilet at the corner of the room. Of the two single beds, one was made of wood with a slightly damp mattress laying on top of it. The other bed was made of wire mesh. The arrangement of wires was covered in rust and the bed appeared very dirty. Apart from the accumulated volumes of rust on the metal bed, there was a large patch of dark brown grease in its middle that seemed to be a product of someone sleeping on it over a significant period. Tiny strands of dirty pieces of bandages could be spotted mixed into the patch of grease. These tiny fragments were caught between the cracks of the bed which further added to the ominous impression it gave. Chen Chen could not help but shudder a little when he spotted this metal bed. He recalled back to the day when he was almost caught in a trap when he returned to his school in Shangdu to investigate. This iron bed appeared to be the source of the trap. The events experienced by Chen Chen on that fateful day was almost a mirror of the events which occurred in the movie, Silent Hill. When he saw the bed, he was almost ninety percent certain that this bed was the bed seen in the movie, Silent Hill. Have you had someone inspect it yet? Before getting closer to the metal bed, Chen Chen took the cautious approach and checked with Little X beforehand. Not yet, since it wasnt what you instructed. I had it sealed up inside here right after Cheng Cao delivered it. Little X answered before raising a question, Do you think it has something to do with the disappearance of Professor Wang Xi? I cant say if it has something to do with that, but I have a hunch that this is the carrier of a meme. Chen Chen squinted his eyes suspiciously. If my suspicions are proven correct, then this will be the first item apart from the Gantz server machine that weve dealt with that possesses memetic qualities. At this point, Chen Chen figured that any amount of speculation would not do him any good. When he gave a signal, two Black Knights immediately stepped forward, holding tools such as pliers and hammers as they entered the room. After that, the Faraday cage was shut completely again. The two Black Knights attempted to dismantle the bed according to the previously arranged procedures. Ten minutes later, the two Black Knights stepped out again with some pieces they extracted from the metal bed, thus verifying that the metal bed was destructible. The metal bed is destructible. Turns out its just like any regular bed. We didnt find any abnormalities about it apart from how worn out it is. Little X reported. Extract the pieces of bandages and grease, see if you can find any traces of human tissue. Chen Chen continued. If this came from the movie, then we may be able to find the human tissue samples of the core character, Alessa, from these bandages. The Black Knights did as Chen Chen instructed. After they had performed the tasks instructed of them, Chen Chen issued one last order. Lie down. One of the Black Knights immediately set aside his tools and lay down on the bed immediately. Chen Chen who was standing a safe distance away held his breath instinctively upon witnessing this. After about half a minute passed, no visible changes were occurring to either the metal bed or the Black Knight. Black Knight T00823 didnt exhibit any abnormalities in his vitals. Little X noted. There are zero discrepancies detected within the metal bed as well. The Black Knight lying on top is completely unaffected. Chen Chen pondered over this observation. The fact that no observable changes were occurring to the Black Knight did not come off as surprising to Chen Chen. The Black Knights were essentially human shells in a vegetative state, only allowed to function due to the God chip implanted inside them. They were an empty shell without thoughts, conscience or a soul to speak of. If the Black Knights was not a viable option, then Chen Chen had no clue what other options he had available to him. Usually, when dealing with such experiments, Chen Chen would resort to the Delta-level research staff. These were the members he purchased from federal prisons that were usually locked in the basement of the Spire laboratory. All things considered, the Spire laboratory basement offered decent conditions, far more preferable to federal prisons. To ensure the mental and physical health stability of these individuals, they were often made to participate in minimal military training and had access to therapists. These people were well fed as well. The only use Chen Chen had for them was to use them as live subjects for clinical trials. It did not matter whether the trials turned out to be successful or not. However, there was another factor that made the current situation trickier than usual. There was a chance that a live person lying on top of the metal bed may acquire some form of mysterious power. If he resorted to using the Delta-level subjects, what would he do if they attempted to escape with the acquired power? Chen Chen did not have a guarantee in this situation. Even with the God chip serving as a fallback, there was still a certain degree of risk involved. An idea suddenly sparked in Chen Chens mind and he immediately instructed, Strap ten kilograms of explosives under the metal bed and have a Delta-level research member lie on top of it to observe what happens. If somehow the God chip was unable to detonate, just blow up the metal bed. We can give this a shot. Alright, Ill send someone right away. Little X responded, The Delta-level research member will take roughly an hour to arrive. Right, get Yoru Kamidera to come as well. Chen Chen suddenly thought of this and added. I want to see if his powers allow him to detect the memetic effect inside the metal bed. Chen Chen left the factory after that to take a last walk around the area. The industrial park took up a sizable portion of land. There was also the military-industrial park and the aerospace base located nearby that further expanded the territory. At a glance, there were huge factories and paved asphalt roads lined across the horizon. These structures were laid out across the plains of Namibia, completely filling the landscape. Now that even the military proceedings are set on the right track, the next step is to develop independent aerospace and aviation technology. Chen Chen reflected thoughtfully when he looked at the landscape that he had forged over the years. He found himself wondering, did he ever imagine himself achieving all these four years ago? Additionally, he was still gaining momentum in terms of expansion and development. Now that he had a foothold in the military sector, he was able to protect himself against exterior threats such as an invasion from Northern America. Fighting back was now a viable option. Unlike previously when he had to suffer the sanctions imposed on him because he knew that resisting them would mean triggering a deadly chain effect that involved the Earth Federation itself. With all that said, this was no time to feel content with his position. Climbing to the top of the ladder in the Earth Federation was still a pipe dream. With how things were now, even if Blacklight Biotechnology were to be elevated to a position of equal standing with the Earth Federation, Chen Chen still had to keep his guard up at all times. That was because up till now, Chen Chen was still uncertain if the previous owner of the USB drive was dead or alive. Also, who was the previous owner of the USB drive and what was it that caused this persons disappearance? The USB drive was doused in secrets to a point where it was impossible to make sense of it. A single misstep would easily lead to him falling into a trap laid by the predecessors, just like what happened when he was previously hypnotized. Chen Chen took the time to appreciate the gentle wind of the Namibian plains and took in the sight of the sky that stretched on endlessly. After what seemed like forever, he suddenly heard Little Xs voice. Sir Godfather, the explosives are ready. Also, two Delta-level subjects have arrived along with the B2-level researcher, Yoru Kamidera. They are ready to participate in the experiment any time. Ill head back right away. Chen Chen said as he quickly returned to the factory. Meanwhile, Yoru Kamidera had just arrived at the factory. He was wearing his casual attire. He inspected the Faraday cage positioned in the empty field ahead of him with great curiosity while keeping his eye on the experiment subjects that wore prison uniforms. It was then when he heard an icy, hoarse voice from behind him. Yoru-kun, its been a while. Yoru Kamidera turned around and saw Chen Chen approaching him. He promptly snapped to attention and performed a sincere bow. Your Excellency Chen Chen, it sure has been a while! I heard that youve been furthering your biology research recently? Chen Chen came to Yoru Kamideras side and asked in a relaxed manner, Hows it going? Its going well, Ive been making tremendous progress ever since you employed professional tutors for me. Ive already covered the range of junior high school and high school and they tell me that Im now approaching masters level. Yoru Kamidera announced respectfully and with great pride. You dont have to study biology if you dont want to. Chen Chen reminded. Just study whatever youd like. Dont the company need talents in the biology sector urgently? The confused Yoru Kamidera looked at Chen Chen with a dazed expression. Chen Chen could not help but crack a smile at this mention. He shook his head and answered, Despite what the name Blacklight Biotechnology suggests, the sectors we deal with go beyond biology. Were involved in the medical, electronics, Internet, military, and aerospace sectors Point is, were involved in whatever brings revenue, understand? Yes. Yoru Kamidera responded with a firm nod, But I still think Im going to focus on biology. After that, Ill move on to psychology since its a subject I have an interest in. Do as you please. Chen Chen did not add any further comments so he moved on to another subject. Do you know why I called you here? Ive looked at the information, its about the bed isnt it. Yoru Kamidera answered quickly, I heard the bed seems to contain memetic effects. Thats right, youll be in charge of conducting this experiment. Show me the progress youve made over this period. Chen Chen turned to the main entrance of the factory as he said this. Yoru Kamidera followed Chen Chens gaze and saw two Black Knights armed with pulse rifles stepping into the factory. Trailing closely behind them were two Delta-level research members put in prisoner uniform and had their hands bound with chains. The two of them darted their eyes frantically all over the place, full of fear and agitation. Chen Chen went through their documents a moment ago. These two were local tribesmen that were arrested and sentenced into prison for the crimes they committed. They came to be acquired by Blacklight Biotechnology and were housed in the Spire laboratory to be kept well fed and taken care of all this time. At the time of their arrival, both of them were skin and bones, but they had now gained a considerable amount of weight. Upon receiving Chen Chens mission, Yoru Kamidera accepted it promptly and without any complaints. He turned to Chen Chen to give a brief nod before picking up the sheet of documents to go through it again. After that, he took a deep breath before addressing the two subjects. Mr. Comozer, Mr. Monar, allow me to introduce myself, my name is Yoru Kamidera. The reason you two have been chosen from the prison is that Chapter 448 - Otherworld Reappears Yoru Kamidera said with an unchanging expression, The terms of this god-given opportunity are very simple. Back when you guys were enlisted into our operations, youve already signed an agreement which proclaims that youll cooperate with us to complete certain experimentations in exchange for a reduced sentence and increased welfare benefits during your stay here. Really? There was a beam of joy in one of their eyes upon hearing this. You guys can offer us a reduced sentence? What will we have to do? Do whatever I ask of you. Yoru Kamidera turned to the other subject. Although the official language of Namibia was English, most of the tribesmen who lived in the Northern region led isolated lives and did not speak English. He noted. Mr. Comozer, please relay my message to Mr. Monar over here. Yes. The man named Comozer nodded before turning to his countryman beside him and unloaded a string of incomprehensible sentences. What he said turned out to infuriate the other man, which caused him to raise his voice irritably. In the end, even Comozer turned to Yoru Kamidera, clearly looking irritated as well. What did he say? Yoru Kamidera asked, frowning. Monar said that you people are liars, theres no chance of you granting us freedom There was a hint of hesitation in Comozers voice. Weve had so much of our comrades taken away and none of them returned. Monar is asking about the whereabouts of these people, he suspects that you killed them. Of course not! Yoru Kamidera darted a glance at Chen Chen as he said this. When he saw that Chen Chen was not planning to get involved, he started to explain patiently, Gentlemen, have you heard of the saying that you have to pay for what you get? Most of you are criminals sentenced to at least two decades, ranging up to life sentences. Barring any external circumstances, theres no chance of any of you ever making it out. And now, all you have to do is to participate in our experiments to receive a reduced sentence, isnt that as simple as it gets? Do you feel like you have to pay too much to get too little in return? Yoru Kamidera continued. At the end of the day, theres a definite degree of risk involved in our experiments, we wouldnt have offered reduced sentences for your participation otherwise. Whats stopping us from looking for volunteers out there? After all, there will be people lining up to participate in our experiments so long as it meant they could put food on the table for another day. Comozer displayed a thoughtful look, seemingly convinced with this argument. However, Monar continued expressing his dissatisfaction by yelling a stream of babble and the two started to argue again. Yoru Kamidera waited patiently for them to finish at first, but when he saw that they were not going to stop any time soon, he gave a signal to have the Black Knights drag them away. The man called Monar was piping red by then as he glared viciously at Yoru Kamidera with eyes like poison. Monar says that all of you are liars, that theres no such thing as a reduced sentence. Comozer wailed pitifully, He says you people will never let us go. Do you believe us? The perceptive Yoru Kamidera spotted Comozers weakness and exploited it. If you dont believe us, then so be it. Well immediately send you back there and find more suitable participants. You may never see these participants again because they might be enjoying their newly-found freedom very soon! I believe you! Comozer stated immediately, afraid of being sent back by Yoru Kamidera, Ive had enough of this place for some time now. If you people were going to kill me, youd have done it a long time ago instead of waiting until today. I believe you! Excellent! Yoru Kamidera heaved a sigh of relief. He glanced at Monar who seemed to realize that his comrade had submitted to the organization. Monar immediately saw red and tried to charge at Yoru Kamidera. As soon as he did that, the collar strapped to his neck emitted a powerful electric current. Before Monar could step an inch forward, he clapped against the ground with his body twitching uncontrollably and his excrement staining the floor below him. Yoru Kamidera only glanced at the lifeless Monar briefly before turning back to Monar. Theres still a chance for you if you cooperate with us. Your mission is very simple. All you have to do is enter the room you see over there and lie on top of the bed. Continue to follow our orders regardless of what happens. Thats all you need to do. Bed? Monar stared blankly at the Faraday combination cage in front of him and the dirty metal bed inside it. That metal bed? Or the wooden bed? The metal bed, of course. Yoru Kamidera stated. Alright, Ill head there right away Monar hesitated for a brief moment before he slowly stumbled to the Faraday combination cage. Monar stopped suddenly when he reached the entrance and turned around. Researcher Yoru, will this Will it be dangerous? There is a certain degree of risk, but its nothing to be concerned about. Theres even a chance that nothing will happen at all. Yoru Kamidera was losing his patience. Mr. Comozer, do you want to earn a reduced sentence or not? The length of the reduced sentence is up to us to decide. This means that the more satisfied Im with your overall performance, the greater the chances of you receiving a better deal are. Alright, Ill go right now Comozer finally stepped inside, fearful of upsetting Yoru Kamidera. Alright, now follow my orders. When I tell you to lie on the bed, I want you to lie down immediately. Yoru Kamidera slowly stepped backward as he said this. Based on the information they had gathered from the analysis, there was a chance the bed may create an alternate dimension with a diameter of more than fifty meters. Anyone who was inside its range may be dragged into its effects. Meanwhile, Chen Chen put some distance between himself and the bed as well to prevent a repeat of what had happened previously in the underground laboratory. Hold on, why are you guys retreating backward? Comozer started to panic when he saw what Yoru Kamidera was doing. He looked at the bed again and started to cry. Please dont abandon me, alright? Yoru Kamidera only stopped when he reached the entrance of the factory. He looked at Chen Chen who only responded with a nonchalant shrug, implying that Yoru Kamidera should proceed. Left with no choice, Yoru Kamidera had to go with the strong-armed approach. Mr. Comozer, please respect your profession, your duty is to lie down on the bed, I guarantee that its not dangerous! If youre unwilling to do so, Ill have you replaced! I understand, Ill lie down now After being repeatedly threatened by Yoru Kamidera, Comozer finally lay down on the bed against his will. The moment he lay down on the bed, he could feel the indescribable, greasy texture seeping into his back. He also caught the scent of an awful mixture of rot and sourness. However, he knew that he had no right to complain in this situation. He remained on the bed, still trembling while waiting for his next orders. Meanwhile, Chen Chen and Yoru Kamidera who were outside the factory at this point were baffled. Nothings happening? Chen Chen took two steps forward and looked at Comozer and the Black Knights who remained inside the factory. All of them did not seem to exhibit any strange symptoms nor did any horrific sequences similar to the events in Silent Hill occur. Was there something missing? Perhaps some form of unique trigger condition? Or could this suggest that this bed was nothing more than an ordinary bed, perhaps he was overthinking it? Chen Chen considered for a moment. His eyes caught the sight of Monar who was still lying on the ground. He saw the hateful glare swelling inside Monars eyes. An idea suddenly occurred to him. Chen Chen had a bold idea out of nowhere. Replace him. Chen Chen noted suddenly, catching Yoru Kamidera by surprise. This Comozer isnt going to trigger the memetic effect of the bed anytime soon, let Monar do it. Alright. Yoru Kamidera replied and shouted inside the factory while giving a signal, Unfortunately, Mr. Comozer, the experiment is a failure. Im afraid youve lost your chances at a reduced sentence. No, this isnt fair! Comozer felt like he was going to break down at any given moment. He participated in this ominous experiment with eager hopes of a reduced sentence. It turned out that just moments after he was forced to lie down on the old and worn down bed, he was informed that he failed the experiment. He could not handle this any longer. Dont worry Mr. Comozer, theres always next time. Yoru Kamidera was not going to waste time with any more explanations. He had the Black Knights drag him out and had another Black Knight drag Monar into the Faraday combination cage. Monar started to struggle as soon as he realized what was happening. He howled at the top of his voice like he was livestock about to be taken to the slaughterhouse. Unfortunately, the Black Knight boasted incredible strength that made him look like a harmless little rabbit. He could not free himself no matter how much he strained. The Black Knight dragged it into the room and forcefully shoved him into the bed within seconds. Humm There was the sound of metallic surfaces rubbing against each other that echoed across the factory. It was extremely dragged out and unnatural. It sounded like aged machines slowly coming to life. Chen Chen felt himself getting goosebumps the moment he heard this voice. He could not place into words this sensation he was feeling. It was as if something primitive inside him was warning him of the looming danger coming his way Yoru Kamidera had the same sensation as well he felt as if he had returned to his childhood, to the treacherous and nightmarish world he had spent his younger days in. He took a deep breath and turned to Chen Chen. Sir Godfather, it looks like It was triggered Thats right. It has to be hatred. Chen Chen squinted as he said this and peered into the factory. He could see light slowly being drained away from inside the factory. Although it was daytime outside and there were skylights installed around the roof of the factory, the skylight still dimmed out without any reasonable explanation. It was as if there was a time-space ripple between the factory and the outside world which shaped into a separate space inside. The darkness was continuously expanding. Is the memetic effect only triggered by anger-oriented emotions? Yoru Kamidera drew the connection instantly. It was true, even the movie Silent Hill went into this detail as well. The author was consumed with bitter hatred which metamorphosed into countless monsters that existed to avenge her. Upon witnessing the slowly darkening factory, Yoru Kamideras first response was to retreat further backward but he stopped when he saw Chen Chen remaining in place. He felt like he had to ask, Your Excellency Chen Chen, should we abort now? Something terrible might happen next if we dont take action immediately. No need. Chen Chen shook his head and answered with determination, I can sense that the space affected by the metal bed will not expand beyond the factory range. That means well be safe out here. Chen Chen suddenly turned to Yoru Kamidera and revealed a bold smirk. Besides, Im curious to see what happens next Yoru Kamidera had no choice but to suppress his nerves and wait with Chen Chen. During their conversation, light continued to be drained away from the factory until it became so dark that one could not even make out the outline of ones fingers when standing in that darkness. It formed an extremely bizarre contrast. Although it was high noon, the entrance to the factory was drowned in darkness. It was as if there was a thick cloud of black mist swallowing all sources of light and obstructing sunlight from entering the factory. Sir Godfather, weve lost contact with the Black Knights. Little X suddenly informed, The God chip signal inside the factory is muffled. Thats not surprising considering the space inside has become an alternate space. Chen Chen did not find that surprising since that was the same thing that occurred when he was stuck underground previously. The only question he had was whether the two Black Knights would survive in the world conjured by the hatred-filled Monar. Chen Chen turned to the other two Black Knights standing beside him and instructed, You guys head in there as well and then find a way to make it out. The two Black Knights nodded briefly before immediately stepping into the entrance of the factory. Chen Chen and Yoru Kamidera watched as the two Black Knights stepped through the dark mist. They looked like they were swallowed by the pull of the darkness and vanished without a trace. After that, well, there was no after that The two of them waited for half an hour and yet there were no signs of any emerging Black Knight. Looks like we have a confirmation. Yoru Kamidera checked how much time had passed and announced gravely, This created space can be accessed, but its extremely difficult to make it out. Even superhuman-caliber combat troops like the Black Knights cannot manage to do so. Theres no telling whether they could hold their ground against the monsters conjured by Monars inner hatred Very unlikely. The creator reigns supreme inside the space in which he has created, especially considering that its the central strength that stems from the essence of his being Chen Chen shook his head, clearly not optimistic about the Black Knights chances. Lets keep them locked in here for now. Wait until either Monar comes out himself or if something happens to the factory, whichever happens first. Chen Chen did not appear too bothered about losing four Black Knights. The only thing on his mind now was just how long could Monar last inside there without any food or water? From what he could recall, the passage of time flowed differently inside the Otherworld. Previously, he had spent half an hour inside the Otherworld when only four minutes had passed in the real world. As it may appear, time flowed at an excruciating ten to one ratio. Assuming that Monar did not have control over the rate of time flow, he should have spent more than six hours inside the Otherworld by now. Chen Chen was not in any rush. The only one who was racing against the clock was Monar. By this point, a large number of Black Knights had arrived at the scene. They proceeded to seal up all other passages leading to the factory, leaving only the main entrance accessible. After that, they set up layers of barricades around the main entrance. All that was left now was a duel of patience. Chapter 449 - Seal and Intuition Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Who am I Where am I Monar slowly opened his eyes in the darkness. Inside the darkness, he saw the outline of a giant hand pressing against him, holding him down in place. Monar frowned. His first response was to stretch his hand outward and gently graze it against the face of the figure in front of him! What happened next turned out to be even more perplexing. The moment he reached out to touch the figure, it turned into a blinding warp of light. What seemed like a whirlpool formed out of nowhere in the air had pulled the figure into it. Within seconds, that figure had completely vanished from Monars sight. Monar made himself get up from the stained old metal bed. At this moment, he could feel countless thoughts swirling inside his mind to a point where it suffocated him to think. After what seemed like forever, Monar seemed to have finally recalled something. He took a look at his palm. Despite the surrounding darkness, Monars eyes granted him clear vision over everything inside it. It was the hand of a black man. I see, he finally attained the Fissure? Monar muttered to himself. He proceeded to inspect his surroundings before reverting his gaze to the bed he was seated on top of. Anyone present at the scene should instantly note that drastic shift of Monars aura. From what was once what could only be described as a primitive barbarian, he had transformed into a nobleman with a heavy, majestic air around him. How child-like, to use such primitive methods to examine the memetic effect. Still, its a good thing he took caution enough to not lie on the bed himself Otherwise, I could Monar slurred his sentences but stopped after the I could part. There was a tinge of delight in his eyes that was also mixed with what seemed to be hungry desire. Suddenly, the sound of footsteps approached from somewhere faraway inside the darkness. Monar did not spare so much of a glance at the direction where the sound came from. He continued immersing himself in deep thought as if there was some question he could not solve. The neutrino field wont be stable for much longer. I have to do something as soon as possible Monar grumbled in a low voice. He proceeded to get on his knees and bit through his fingertips with his teeth and started to draw something on the wall. Something outlandish happened as he traced his fingers along the walls. The tips of his fingers began to melt away as he drew. Instead of blood and flesh melting away at the ends, they diffused into atoms and particles which blended into its surroundings. Monar did not appear surprised by this strange occurrence and continued to focus on his drawing. When one finger had expired, he would proceed to use the next finger. As he sped up the pace of his drawing, even small bits of his body started to give away. The sound of two approaching footsteps was ringing in his ears at this point. The footsteps of the two approaching persons were heavy and pounded in Monars chest as they came toward him at a steady pace. From what Monar could hear, he could sense that their pace was incredibly in sync. There was hardly a millisecond differential between their footsteps. Something like this could never be achieved by regular humans. With all that said, details such as this were completely irrelevant to Monar at this moment. When he looked up and saw two men in black holding rifles approaching him and started to grab him, he reacted accordingly. A blinding flash appeared again when he made a faint snap. In an instant, a whirlpool appeared out of thin air. Both of the men in black were immediately dragged into the whirlpool in a similar fashion as the previous person who was holding Monar down. Monar hardly raised his head to acknowledge what he had just done. He continued charting something with his right hand, switching from finger to finger as they disappeared one after another. When his right hand had disappeared entirely, he switched to using his left hand. One hour, two hours, three hours After more than ten hours had passed, an image began to take shape on the wall. This image was composed of tens of thousands of dots, each one of a different size. These dots were connected to each other and upon closer inspection, the outline of a portrait of a woman could be made out. Inside the portrait, the woman had her hands over her eyes and her body curled up slightly as if she was crying silently. What stood out was what seemed like a pair of feathered wings coming out of her back Monars body was crumbling away rapidly. Moments before he gave out, he drew a circular base under the womans feet with the final ounce of his strength. In an instant, the life-like woman depicted in the image suddenly became frozen like an erected statue. There was a lifeless gloom about the stature that made her appear immensely stoic After completing this final task, Monar let out a sigh like he had a weight lifted off his chest. Just as he was about to say something to himself, his head broke off from his neck that was already crumbling away as well. Thump! With that, Monars entire body started to crumble away at breakneck speed. Until in the end, his body had completely diffused into countless invisible particles that blended into the surroundings. The only proof of what was once his existence was the image painted on the wall using his blood The darkness that loomed over every corner of the room began to dissipate as well. Faint beams of sunlight tore through the darkness and shone onto the image. It appeared as if nothing had changed, but also at the same time, that something deep underneath had fundamentally shifted. However, nobody would ever discover the truth. Sir Godfather, the Otherworld inside the factory had disappeared. It was evening. Chen Chen was seated inside his top-floor office in the Blacklight Biotechnology building when Little X entered and delivered him the news. Disappeared? Yes, the darkness in the factory has completely dispersed. Yoru Kamidera hasnt dispatched any Black Knights to investigate just yet, he figured he should inform you first. Little X answered. How about the four Black Knights? Chen Chen asked, Are they still alive? I cant detect their signals anymore. Little X shook her head regretfully. It seems like they have fallen. Just as Little X said this, Chen Chen received a phone call. He took a look at the caller and just as expected, it was Yoru Kamidera. Chen Chen picked up the phone and said as soon as the call was connected, Ill be right there. You can dispatch someone to investigate now. I advise you to refrain from entering yourself unless youre certain that the source of danger has completely dispersed. Understood. Yoru Kamidera answered swiftly. Chen Chen proceeded to end the call right there. Ill go take a look. Chen Chen said to Little X. Little X responded with a subtle nod before exiting the office. After that, Chen Chen got up from his seat. A metallic ball the size of longan appeared in his hands seemingly out of nowhere. When Chen Chen gently flicked the metal ball, it sent a sudden flash of electricity from within which caused his figure to vanish from the office. The window positioned behind Chen Chen suddenly opened on its own, sending in a strong gust of wind that rattled the stacks of documents and paperwork lying on top of the desk. Moments after that, the window was shut abruptly. The office that was already quaint in the first place was now completely vacant. You guys head in there with a recorder and try to find signs of any living person or at the very least, their corpse. Outside the factory, Yoru Kamidera began to relay instructions to the Black Knights. He had temporary command over them since Chen Chen had given him authorization for this experiment. As one of the core members directly nurtured by Chen Chen, Yoru Kamidera was well-informed of the physiological structure of these Black Knights. Therefore, he knew that there was no reason to be concerned about their safety since the Black Knights could not be harmed unless the God chip was destroyed. What gave Yoru Kamidera a headache was that even after the Black Knights took several laps inside the factory and emerged from it, they could not find anything worthwhile. No dead bodies nor the living for that matter. Despite this observation, Yoru Kamidera did not act rashly and head inside himself since he remembered Chen Chens advice. He began to go through the recorded footage collected by the Black Knights. What captured his attention was a bizarre image inside the Faraday cage. The image was drawn with some kind of dark-brown liquid substance. It was the picture of a The moment Yoru Kamideras eyes landed on that image, he felt a terrifying sensation invading every crevice of his body. He wanted to shut his eyes and avert his gaze from it, but he felt as if his body was frozen in place. There was a mystifying power that came with the image that was calling out to him: Look at it! Look at it! Dont look away! It was a memetic pattern! Yoru Kamidera felt cold sweat trickling down his forehead like unending rain. Just as he thought that it was over for him, the footage was suddenly turned off without any warning. Its not a good idea to look at these things. Chen Chens voice came from behind Yoru Kamidera. Phew! Yoru Kamidera felt a wave of relief washing over him as he turned to Chen Chen. He asked in between heavy gasps, still frightened by the experience, Your Excellency Chen Chen, did you see it too? I did. Chen Chen nodded. But not completely. Me too. Yoru Kamidera quickly added. Fortunately, otherwise, Id have been infected by the memetic effect. Chen Chen did not bother with giving too much elaboration. In truth, Little X should have been monitoring the Black Knights and would have been the first to detect the memetic image. However, since the memetic pattern was not fully captured due to the odd camera angle, Little X figured it was not necessary to alert Yoru Kamidera since an impartial memetic pattern should not trigger its effects. Chen Chen did not expect an impartial memetic pattern to have such a powerful effect on its own. What would happen if the entire memetic pattern was on display? Seal the pattern up. Chen Chen instructed a Black Knight next to him. What about the metal bed? Little X asked from Chen Chens earpiece. Keep it sealed up inside there for now as well. I think at this moment, we cant manifest its powers yet. The Black Knights immediately stepped forward to lock down the Faraday cage completely. After everything was concluded, Yoru Kamidera felt a mild sense of relief. He looked in the direction of the factory and expressed his concerns. Monar and the four Black Knights that were inside had disappeared. Which is not surprising. Chen Chen said, Back when I was trapped inside there, I already knew that the people who die inside the Otherworld completely disappear as well. Its clear to me now that the Black Knights are dead, its just that Chen Chen frowned. The disappearance of Monar is what caught me off guard. Could it be that the Black Knights had taken Monar down with them? Yoru Kamidera hypothesized. At the end of the day, the Black Knights are a supreme combat force. I wouldnt say its impossible that three Black Knights joined together cannot overcome Monar. After all, I doubt he has complete mastery over his powers inside that dimension just yet. Thats a very likely possibility. Chen Chen glanced at Yoru Kamidera. But thats the optimistic scenario. What Im concerned about is that there may be some additional underlying factors, after all, theres always more to memetic effects that may defy common logic. Thats true Yoru Kamidera was impressed. It was true, people like Chen Chen who anticipated the worst outcome possible tend to be the ones who lived longest. After that, the strange metal bed along with the memetic pattern was sealed up inside the Faraday cage. However, Chen Chen was not the slightest bit satisfied when he looked at the sealed Faraday cage. All of the work they had put into this project was essentially voided along with the disappearance of Monar, the Spire laboratory experiment subject. He had braced himself for losing the Black Knights, but he expected to use Monar to further inspect the qualities of the metal bed and obtain further clues. However, the reality was often disappointing. Even the chance to rerun the experiment was gone now. If the next experiment was going to end the same way as the current one, then there was no point in conducting any further experiments at all. There were simply no approachable steps to examining how the metal bed functioned. The disappearance of the experiment subject was not the only thing to be concerned about. There was also the appearance of the memetic pattern to consider, which made things even more confusing. Chen Chen had no guarantee whether a new memetic pattern would emerge again if he conducted the same experiment. What sort of memetic pattern would emerge if he gave it another run? There was no question about it. Memetic science was the most unpredictable and dangerous subject Chen Chen had dealt with so far. It was also the most mysterious and appalling subject of them all. All the current discovered laws of physics and chemistry, including the conservation of mass and energy, were rendered almost meaningless in the face of memetic science. Upon considering these factors, Chen Chen suddenly turned to the Black Knights and noted. Take care of the bodies of these Black Knights, just preserve the chips inside them. Youre concerned with them coming in contact with the memetic pattern? Little X asked. Thats right, especially considering its one that weve never dealt with before. I dont have a guarantee as to what their effects may be. It can turn out to be very problematic. Chen Chen nodded and affirmed his decision. Destroy them. Understood. Little X responded. Shortly after that, the Black Knights that entered the factory and saw the memetic pattern filed into a car and were driven to somewhere else. Their destination was a steelmaking plant, where their bodies would be thrown into extreme temperature liquid metal. One thing that escaped the notice of everyone, even including Little X, was that something was lurking inside their pupils. Chapter 450 - Combat Footage Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Niger, Africa, in a certain inhabited region in the Azawag River Valley. Niger was located in the Sahel region of Africa. The Azawag River Valley took on a canyon topography that started from the Azhar Gan River further upstream. The entire region was positioned 300 meters above sea level and spanned across ??the Nima border. It was one of the regions in the world with the most rampant terrorist activities. It was midnight. The moon illuminated the starry night sky above. Due to the absence of any environmental pollution, the region was largely preserved in its natural state. Mixed into the starry night sky above were hundreds of faint black spots slowly swerving among them. These tiny black spots navigated the sky as silent as death itself, like a collection of quaint fireflies. They swarmed in from all directions, all of them were headed toward a small temporary base set up in one section of the canyon. As the camera panned closer, it could be finally made out that the numerous black spots painted across the sky and illuminated by moonlight were a large assortment of unmanned drones, each one spanning an average of two to three meters in diameter! The drones flew several hundred meters above the sky, each one of them looked like a tiny UFO from a distance. The largest among them was no longer than five meters wide while the smallest measured as short as one meter. While coursing through the air, these drones were able to put their excellent sound muffling technology on full display. Under the protection of the night sky, they silently crept toward the temporary base like hounds stalking their prey. There seemed to be something hidden beneath the butterfly-shaped drones. It was a robot fitted with proper limbs. They came in all kinds of models, each of them curled into a ball like a Transformer. They took up minimal space while being carried underneath the belly of the larger drones. As they inched closer to their destination, it soon became evident that the base was no ordinary base either. Watchtowers were erected in close proximity everywhere. There were fortresses with built-in battling guns as well. There was the red flag of a certain faction with intelligible phrases on top. This was the base of operations of a certain informal military organization. When the drones each arrived at their respective designated positions, the larger drone models carrying the largest robots with reinforced platings were the first ones to descend from several hundred meters above the ground. They sunk into the dense mud on the surface, making a dull thump as they landed. As soon as the robots landed, they appeared to have activated some sort of installed mechanism. There was a short, mechanical screech followed by two intervals of red lights blinking on their armor plate. Immediately after that, four gigantic joint hydraulic legs emerged from their bodies. It took no more than a second for the robots to find their balance as they immediately positioned themselves upright after that. Meanwhile, two slender and nimble arms unfolded from their sides, revealing arms that were not reminiscent of regular humanoid arms, but a mighty display of multi-barrel weapons instead! The arms of these robots were fully-fitted Gatlings! The robots revealed themselves in all their glory. They were absolute monstrosities fitted with sophisticated armor that stood two meters tall and measured more than four meters wide. On the sides of their body was a label written with gray-colored font BW-XTN-002-1. Approximately twenty of these models were deployed on the ground. Instead of being deployed together in one central position, they were split into six separate groups. They were positioned to cut off all the vital channels leading in and out of the base. This was merely the beginning. While the larger drones deployed the monstrous machines on the ground, more drones had stealthily arrived at the airspace above the temporary base. The smaller drone models began to disperse into multiple locations while the larger drones deployed tiny machines onto the base. The violent thumps of machines crashing against the roof started to echo across the base. These devices impaled into the roof, some of them even pierced straight through the roof, forming a large gaping hole through the ceiling! Ah, whats that! Whats going on! Something fell from the sky! D*mn, my leg! My leg! Its an invasion! Sound the alarm! In an instant, frantic screams and the hectic beating of tents being torn open sounded across the base. These people were either at a loss for words or were caught in a daze looking at the shooting stars falling from the sky. Some of them were still dreaming away soundly when they had their dreams cut short by a giant block of metal crushing them to death! The village was thrown into chaos! This was merely the beginning. A young man who was woken up by the sudden uproar quickly snapped to attention and grabbed his AKM as he looked at the object in front of him cautiously. Without even realizing it, a queer-looking metal block had punched through his tent and landed almost right next to his feet. The metal block was painted with a fine layer of non-reflective matte black texture. The block-shaped structure was around forty centimeters wide and could not be any more than twenty centimeters thick. What made it stand out from the other devices was that it was composed of countless hydraulic pipes among its complex structure. A string of labels that read BW-XTN-004-8 was written on top of its surface. As soon as it landed, several red dots on it started to flicker briefly. It was immediately followed by a faint beep, which prompted the sophisticated mechanism to flap open suddenly. In an instant, a robotic spider with eight fine, iron-tipped legs emerged from the metal block. It stumbled for two paces before finding its balance. What in the world are you There was a flash of confusion in the young mans eyes as he attempted to poke at this bizarre creation with the barrel of his gun. Within a second, the robotic spider launched itself forward using six hind legs and threw itself into the young mans face! AhC! Clack clack clack clack clack The sound of screams and the frantic rattling of rifles sounded like a warhorse. In an instant, the deployed robots were released from their cages and went on a terrible massacre! Yes, a massacre! Report! A messenger stumbled to the center of the barracks. At this time, a middle-aged man with a gray beard and skin so dark they reflected light was chewing on a cigar as he rushed out of the only bunker with his soldiers. Report, general! The messenger was drenched in blood, his face and stomach had been cut by some kind of weapon as fresh blood seeped out of the gap in between his torn flesh. Despite all that, he was determined to report to his superior, Were besieged by unknown forces. They are robots! The entire camp is covered by spider-like robots! You mean ones like these? The general bit down on his cigar and unveiled a golden Magnum which he pointed at the direction of the messengers head! Bang! The deafening ring of a gunshot. The messenger shrieked with his hands over his head and curled himself into a bell. Right behind him, a robot spider was blasted away by the enormous impact generated by the firearm! Squeak! To their amusement, the robot spider sent flying away by the bullet was still alive and kicking. The region around its stomach started to zap uncontrollably. It would appear its circuitry was damaged. Despite all that, it squirmed on the ground like a real insect and screeched horrifically as it attempted to get back on its feet. This time, without being prompted, the generals subordinates took aim with their AKM and unloaded on the enemy! Brr, brr, brr. After a barrage of gunshots, four of the robot spiders limbs were demolished. The remaining two limbs could no longer sustain their weight or allow any further movements. With that, the middle-aged man finally scoffed as he knelt to pick up one of its severed legs. The leg reflected an icy gleam of light when he picked it up. They were immensely sharp fine-tipped blades! Report, general! Yet another messenger charged to the general. The messenger was relieved upon seeing the general and exclaimed in between fervent gasps, General, we cant hold our ground any longer! Relay my message to all our comrades in our organization. There arent many enemies, we can overcome and defeat them! The middle-aged man roared ferociously as he headed outside. However, the outlook on the battlefield was far worse than he had ever expected. It was largely due to it being an unexpected ambush. The majority of the soldiers barely had time to react before they had murderous robot spiders coming right at them. These robot spiders could even scale the walls on their own! Facing such frontal assault, although there were no more than fifty of these spiders, they still caused a severe amount of casualties in the military base. However, just as the middle-aged man was about to take command over the battlefield, the ground quaked violently again! This time, the sound of objects crashing against the ground was more volatile! Watch out! General! One of the generals guards caught the glimpse of something in his peripheral which caused his pupil to shrink into a ball. He immediately leaped forward and pushed the middle-aged man to the ground some distance away. The other guards were not as lucky. They had reacted just a split instant slower and ended up obliterated by a metallic object crashing on them from above! A baffling amount of blood and guts poured out and splattered all over the general. However, the general was hardly disturbed by this. He immediately calmly helped his nearby guards to his feet and made them retreat with him. At this moment, all the guards formed a half-circle with the metal block that just fell from above at the center of the circle. The general inspected the sky above intently but could not identify anything notable. After that, he proceeded to direct his attention to the metal block. This metal block was several times larger than the robot spiders that they had seen so far. Within moments, several beams of light started to flicker along its surface. It appeared as if it was going to activate any second! Fire! As the general barked an order, his subordinates immediately unleashed havoc on the iron block. In an instant, deafening gunshots and the strong scent of gunpowder filled the space around them. The gunpowder brought up a cloud of smoke that surrounded the iron block! After expanding the first round of ammo, the well-trained and disciplined guards began swapping out their magazines. The general man chewed his cigar and stared intently at the object hidden underneath the cloud of smoke. Before the smoke could fully disperse, a beam of red light suddenly shot through the cloud of ashes. It flickered endlessly and turned green abruptly with a swift click, immediately followed by the distinctive sneeze of hydraulic gas pumping out! Everyone gazed at the metal block as it slowly assembled itself into a figure that looked like a regular human. First, it was a metallic head that popped out of its top and emerged through the smoke, its eyes flashing red. After that, its limbs emerged, then it constructed its torso What in the hell is this supposed to be The general bit down hard on his cigar as he beheld the indestructible monster. Within a second, with an instantaneous bang, the generals body became contorted into a cylindrical shape before he exploded and splattered his blood, guts, and other remains in a ring around him! There was hardly any time for him to react! Everyone watched in horror as the general was shredded into pieces by an immutable force! At last, the robot skeleton emerged from the cloud of smoke, carrying a mighty weapon. It fired its first shot that signaled the start of another round of massacre Thump thump thump! There was the dull thump of bullets punching into human flesh. There was hardly any window for these guards to try to escape their fated deaths. Before they could react, specially crafted shuttle-shaped hollow bullets punched through their bodies. The bullets twisted the moment they entered the human body, which created a whirlpool-like effect that spun their flesh in a ring! Horrific screams emerged from the crowd. The ones who were hit first did not even have time to utter so much as a whimper before their flesh was blended into pieces. It only took one swift round before the guards all lay dead on the ground, covered in puddles of blood The arrival of the humanoid robots made the robot spiders seem like the warm-up round. The situation was quickly spiraling out of control. The military base that was supposed to be well equipped for resistance was immediately decommissioned Target: Any humanoid subjects carrying weapons. Total identifiable targets: Less than 300. Threat assessment: Low A sequence of data appeared on the top left corner of the robots vision field. The camera zoomed outward to reveal several men dressed in military uniforms seated around a roundtable in a conference room. The lowest rank among them was at least a Colonel, they focused their attention on the giant display in front of them. This is the footage of the suppression of armed forces in the Azawag River Valley of Niger on 20 February that was commissioned by the local authorities. Chapter 451 - One of Its Kind The agile model of this robot doesnt exceed 20 kilograms in weight. Its this ultra-lightness that allows them to move quickly and even climb walls for a short time. If armor is installed on these robots, then they may be bulletproof, but the additional weight would nullify its function as an agile robot. The youth spread his hands and responded. Everyone nodded with understanding. Indeed, this kind of robot seemed like a mere nuisance at first glance and it did not even have a gun. It might be of little use in regular combat encounters, but when used for tactical applications such as counter-terrorism and surprise attacks, it could perform miraculously. In addition to this model, XTN-004 has several other models that can adapt to more complex situations. If youre interested, you can learn more about it, but our meeting time is limited, so I wont list them here. The youth pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses and then dragged the video progress bar to freeze the frame on a robot that had first come out. XTN-002 this one may be more to General Lawrences taste. As he said, he looked at the soldier who had just asked about bullet-proofing. This is a heavy-duty robot. It has an animalistic design. Its 231cm tall, 421cm long, weighs 420 kg, and has a maximum speed of 60 kilometers per hour. Its not very heavy, but only because were aware of the issue of mobility. To allow the drone to carry as much weight as possible, we have reduced a lot of unnecessary weight. For example, its shell is made of special carbon-fiber ceramic composite. Light weapons such as ordinary rifles and submachine guns cannot cause any damage to them. Only anti-materiel sniper rifles are able to damage them, but unless they hit the smart processor in the body, itd be difficult to paralyze the XTN-002 with a single shot. At the same time, XTN-002s important internal components have a metal jacket to create a Faraday cage, which can effectively isolate electromagnetic pulse interference and prevent strikes from electromagnetic bombs. And its vision system consists of both infrared vision and traditional electronic vision. The two visions complement each other and can find any hidden target. As for the firepower system, XTN-002 uses the airborne M61Al Vulcan 6-barrel rapid-fire cannon by default. The caliber of this series ranges from 5.56mm to 25mm. With this firepower attack, any targets without heavy armor within 100 meters wouldnt survive. Of course, you can also choose to carry other types of weapons such as bazookas and other heavy weapons. The replacement is very simple and you can even handle it yourself. In accordance with the words of the youth, a scaled-down holographic image of XTN-002 appeared out of thin air on the conference table in front of everyone, along with a human body for size comparison. With that, the youth concluded. In short, XTN-002 is a simple, efficient, and durable tactical weapon. Its like a tank packed in a drone. It may not have the ability to dominate flat ground like a tank, but its able to adapt to complex and unpredictable environments such as street combat, swamps, and jungles. Tanks cant compare to its mobility and agility at all. Everyone listened in deep fascination. Indeed, XTN-002 was like an enlarged version of an elephant, except that there were two Vulcan cannons for firepower. This robot could completely replace tanks in more complex street combat. Of course, this was assuming that its AI was that smart. Still, ultimately, XTN-002 hasnt experienced actual combat. Another general who looked like a brown bear suddenly spoke. Im sorry, thats because weve only developed it recently and there has been no suitable actual combat record. The young man said helplessly, We have gone through tens of thousands of tests. Here, you may refer to these test data sets at any time. In terms of actual combat, theres only the rebel extermination operation in Niger. You can also see that we only used the XTN-002 to prevent this group of people from escaping. Before it was put into action, the entire base of more than 300 rebels had surrendered fully. But you dont have to be disappointed because well continue to accept commissions from various countries in the African Continent to use these robots for establishing public order and destroying rebels. If you plan to buy, you can wait and see first. Were not in a hurry. Everyone nodded matter-of-factly. Next, we have this humanoid robot. The youth continued to drag the progress bar to show on the screen the humanoid robot that killed the rebel general. This is the most conventional model of XTN-003. XTN-003 inherits the design of Project Xingtian. As you can see, this type of drone isnt as good as XTN-002 in terms of armor thickness and tonnage. In terms of agility, its not as good as XTN-004. As befitting its model, its just a conventional combat robot. The youth spoke frankly. The 3D image of XTN-002 was quickly moved aside and the center of the conference table displayed an XTN-003 of the same size. XTN-003, 190cm tall and weighs 134 kg, is a humanoid combat robot. It has the same vision system as other robots and can withstand light weapons. The armor thickness is half that of XTN-002. Its moving speed is slightly higher than that of humans, reaching 45 kilometers per hour, and it also has the ability to block electromagnetic pulse interference. At the same time, it can perform all human actions. Whether its close combat or long-range shooting, it excels at everything. So, what are the advantages of this robot? Someone asked suddenly. The advantage of XTN-003 is that its a jack of all trades. No matter the occasion, it can exert its full power without any special restrictions, just like us humans. The youth immediately replied, XTN-003 can use any weapon and can conduct high-intensity combat, whether its manipulating artillery or driving a car, whether its used in street fights or ambushes. Even when its weapon has run out of ammunition, it can grab the enemys weapon to fight. Its like a special soldier who is impenetrable and indefatigable, and is also the trump card in special forces! What! After hearing these words, everyone could not sit still. The brown-bear-like soldier among them stared with widened eyes, just like a child. Its so smart that it can drive a car? At this, the young man could not help but laugh. Driving a car isnt that unusual. What if I say that it only needs additional data input to be able to drive tanks and airplanes as well? Everyone was even more startled. Impossible. Its enough of a miracle that your robot AI can walk on two legs and maintain the same agility as ordinary people. If it can still drive airplanes and tanks, wouldnt it be able to completely replace human soldiers? I understand what youre thinking. Its normal to have doubts about the intelligence of this kind of AI. The young man pressed his hands and let everyone settle back down first before he said genially, But if you dont believe it, after our first meeting, you can come and watch us operate the XTN-003 robot at the experimental site. At the same time, once we receive commissions from countries in the African Continent, well try our best to send XTN-003 for actual combat demonstrations. You can even join our commanders to observe the actual combat from a distance. Were also looking forward to this opportunity. These high-ranking officials and generals all looked at each other, nodded, and managed to suppress the booming uncertainty in their hearts. As for what you said about how XTN-003 can replace human soldiers isnt this the dream of human progress? The youth continued to speak, In Blacklight Biotechnologys imagination, with the progress of human civilization, the frequency of future wars will inevitably decrease and the scale of conventional garrisons will also become smaller and smaller. These remnants will be positions filled up by robots and drones. Its even possible that there will be zero casualties in future wars and victory or defeat will be up to the robots Hearing that the youth was looking toward the future, everyone wore a thoughtful look. Indeed, XTN-003 seemed to be too intelligent to be realistic, but was this not in line with the situation of future wars? Moreover, in our vision, these robots can be used for more than just military purposes. The young man continued. As long as you reduce the thickness of the armor and reduce the firepower level, it will be a perfect police robot. I believe you all know what this signifies. He said urgently, Even if military robots were to be upgraded in the future, rest assured that these discarded robots wont become a pile of scrap metal. Whether its for police use or even for the most difficult labor required on construction sites and farms, it would be a walk in the park for these robots Upon hearing this, everyone raised their heads abruptly and finally looked surprised. One of the military personnel whispered, Its true If the AI program of this kind of robot can even adapt to war, then using it as a police robot or even an industrial robot would already be overkill. The young man took a sip of water from the glass in front of him and then continued. In addition, there are various kinds of drones that you have seen, such as the Mark-1 model With that, the holographic projection of XTN-003 automatically moved to one side and a flying-saucer-shaped drone appeared in the center of the conference table. The Mark-001 drone has a diameter of 75 cm and a height of 20 cm. Its equipped with an ion pulse vector propulsion unit, has a maximum cruise speed of 120 kilometers per hour and a flying noise of 20 decibels, which is equivalent to the rustle you hear when the wind blows through the leaves. Its also equipped with a face-scanning system, coupled with a 12K high-definition zoom camera, so its able to confirm the identity of a person up to 100 meters away, with an accuracy rate of 99%. Even at night, it converts to its night vision mode and theres no difference from daytime. And its shell utilizes a smart protective color system, which can change to several camouflage colors including sky blue, black, brown camouflage, and green camouflage. This is enough to accomplish invisible surveillance activities in most environments. The youth continued to explain, As for the weapon system, theres a weapon base in the bottom hold of the drone, which can carry several light weapons such as stun guns, flare guns, and light pistols. Of course, it can also carry nothing. If its not equipped, it will be a pure spy drone. If its equipped, it can be used for patrol and search missions. The actual combat video youve just seen is all footage taken by the Mark-1. The Mark-001 is only the most common model. Just like the XTN robot, the Mark drone is divided into dozens of models, with sizes ranging from micro-drones of a few centimeters to heavy-duty drones that can carry an XTN-002. The latter comprises multiple practical combat capabilities such as spy monitoring, tactical operations, and vehicle loading. Then, theres the Mark-002 model Following that, the youth vividly explained the specifications of more than a dozen drones to the people in the conference room. As of now, the procurement team of the North Sea Continent finally got a preliminary understanding of the weapons being produced by Blacklight Biotechnology. Of course, the order contract would not be signed so soon. After all, this round was only a preliminary examination. After this group of people left, they would send a second and third batch of inspection teams to investigate. No political institution would treat lightly a purchase order that involved tens of billions of dollars as well as national security. Blacklight Biotechnology was not just receiving representatives from the North Sea Continent. They were just the fastest group. After the disintegration of the Soviet Union, although the North Sea Continent had taken in the dividends left by the Soviet Union many years ago, now it had reached the end of its line, and most of its weapons were on the verge of obsolescence. Now, there had appeared an arms dealer who would not even glance at the Northern American Continent. The North Sea Continent immediately became restless. They dispatched a number of high-ranking military officials to form an inspection group to come here to obtain a preliminary understanding. When the meeting was about to end, an old man with a gray beard among the officers finally could not hold back anymore. He frowned and said, I have to say that the weapons of Blacklight Biotechnology are indeed amazing, but before we have witnessed their performance with our own eyes, all this still has to remain a question mark. Shouldnt it be time to talk about some of the highlights? For example, your sky sweeper? Ah, so General Carl, you have your eye on our individual air defense system? The young man suddenly laughed. He took off his glasses, revealing a handsome Chinese face. This young man was transferred here from the headquarters and was an intelligent talent who was well appreciated and entrusted with important duties by Qian Wenhuan. At this time, he only said, Of course thats doable, but not right now, because in the next few days, Ill personally take you to visit our various weapon systems. After all, no matter how much I say now, it wont be as effective as seeing it with your own eyes, right? The old man frowned upon hearing this. To be honest, he did not like that the pace of their dealings was in the other partys hands. Nonetheless, he understood that Blacklight Biotechnology was certainly planning on delaying things as far as possible until the inspection teams from other continents had arrived too. This would create a situation of multiple competing bids. Even so, the old man was powerless to stop this. After all, Blacklight Biotechnology was the only one of its kind Chapter 452 - Dinner Table In the following month, the governments from all the continents sent representatives to the Eco Science City in secret to observe and purchase several weapons and technologies that Blacklight Biotechnology was advertising. Consequently, every continent had developed a strong vigilance toward the various weapon technologies possessed by Blacklight Biotechnology. Just the AI technology for the robots alone would place Blacklight Biotechnology at the forefront of the world. Perhaps there were indeed similarly intelligent super AIs in the military laboratories of each continent, but these were still in a state of continuous debugging and improvement. It would still take more than ten years for them to reach the maturity of Blacklight Biotechnologys robot AI, let alone that incredible individual air defense system. In terms of drones, the ion pulse vector propulsion unit produced by Blacklight Biotechnology was a big hit. Representatives sent from various continents might not decide to buy the XTN series immediately, but they would buy the entire Mark drone series from Model 001 to Model 023. This group of people only had in mind the ion pulse vector propulsion unit that was inside the drone. In the minds of all those who were discerning in terms of military affairs, they all had the same idea If I replace the propellers of helicopters and submarines with this almost completely silent ion pulse device, wouldnt it be invincible? As everyone had the idea of trying to crack the ion pulse vector propulsion unit, the Mark drone series received a large number of orders from all continents within a month. Among them, Northern America ordered 800 drone units for a total of 1.3 billion USD, Mainland China ordered 1,500 units for a total of 2 billion USD, and the North Sea Continent ordered 600 units for a total of 800 million USD. In just a few purchase orders, this business that Chen Chen had just opened was raking in profits and the total amount of orders had exceeded 6 billion USD. However, just as the continents were getting ready to purchase new system technologies such as directional aiming, long-distance environmental sensing, and Coriolis effect simulation, Zhou Yi, who was responsible for weapon sales, did not agree. Instead, he made a request. Everyone, although these technologies are extremely precious, what Blacklight Biotechnology wants isnt money but long-term development. At this time, Zhou Yi, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, spoke to the high-ranking federal officials who filled the room. His manner was neither servile nor overbearing. I believe you have heard, our Blacklight Biotechnology has sent delegations to various continents and regions to seek further cooperation, so the bill can be settled in another way. Stop keeping us in suspense. If your Blacklight Biotechnology doesnt want money, then what does it want? You dont want money? Are you going to give it out for free? Just name a price. Maybe we can cooperate even more closely There was a babble of shouts from the audience. Zhou Yi smiled. We at Blacklight Biotechnology are planning to establish branch offices in all continents to facilitate research and drug approval in the local areas. At the same time, well also open sanatoriums with the features of Blacklight Biotechnology. So we dont need this money. What we want is a favorable policy shift from your governments! Everyones expression changed immediately upon hearing this. Id rather you ask us for money Someone suddenly muttered. They planned to open sanatoriums all over the world? Everyone in the world knew that Blacklight Biotechnologys sanatoriums had become money-making machines. This was an undisguised attempt to snag huge profits. Now, the local government even had to give them preference in terms of policies. What kind of greedy ambition was this? Everyone was secretly shocked, but when they thought about it carefully, Blacklight Biotechnologys business had always been limited to Africa and had never expanded beyond that. Nonetheless, even in such a continent that lacked so many resources, it had developed into a corporate empire. If it was allowed to stretch out its tentacles and take root all over the world, what kind of colossal monster would it become? It was likely that within a few years, Blacklight Biotechnology would become the worlds number one company. Thinking of this, everyone did not want to agree to this immediately but only replied that they had to first report to their superiors. Of course, Zhou Yi did not mind. He knew that this kind of thing could not be rushed. These were all tasks assigned to him by Qian Wenhuan and he heard that these were orders that had come from that man himself. By now, Xia Yin, the CEO of Blacklight Biotechnology Headquarters, had led a public relations team of hundreds of people, boldly roaming the world in the search for business cooperation. If Zhou Yi could provide strong assistance in this matter, his future would naturally be bright, bursting with immense benefits. After todays activities were over, he and Qian Wenhuan sent the senior officials from various continents back to the hotel. Zhou Yi had bidden farewell and was about to return promptly to his residence and get a good nights sleep when Qian Wenhuan stopped him. CEO Qian? Zhou Yi looked at Qian Wenhuan rather anxiously, wondering if he did something wrong when he was giving explanations to the dignitaries of various continents during the day. Dont be worried. Because of the orders worth hundreds of millions that were made these days, someone had invited us to dinner. Qian Wenhuan walked to his car and the sturdy secretary on the side immediately opened the door of the car. Still, he did not go in but beckoned to Zhou Yi. Get in the car, lets not keep others waiting for too long. Huh, shouldnt the celebration feast involve all our colleagues in the Publicity Department? Zhou Yi took off his glasses and wiped them on his sleeve, a little puzzled. This isnt a celebration feast. Its just a celebration for us in advance. The celebration feast can only be held when this group of people has left. Qian Wenhuan explained, then raised his eyebrows, What are you still waiting for, why dont you get in the car? Oh, okay! Zhou Yi got into the car from the other side obediently and sat in the back row with Qian Wenhuan. Then, there was an awkward silence. Zhou Yi did not ask who had invited them to dinner. Asking less and doing more was the way to survive in the workplace. It was probably because Qian Wenhuan was looking for a subordinate to help stop his own drinking. Of course, Zhou Yi knew all about these matters spending so many years in the workplace. Zhou Yi did not look up to this boss who was not much older than himself. This man had no education nor reputation, despite wishing to appear otherwise. Zhou Yi had heard people say that Qian Wenhuan was able to be in his current position only because he had followed that man early on. In addition to his ability to flatter, this was why Qian Wenhuan had been acting as CEO of the African branch of Blacklight Biotechnology for many years. Though this was said to be the African branch, everyone knew that the power of this branchs CEO was much greater than that of the CEO in the headquarters. Even if on paper, Qian Wenhuan was required to be under the command of the general manager Xia Yin, he could disregard anyone except for that man. These thoughts flashed through Zhou Yis mind, but of course, he would not express them. Instead, he acted even more respectfully now. Little Zhou, how old are you this year and have you settled down and gotten married? Suddenly, Qian Wenhuan broke the silence and looked at Zhou Yi amicably. Im twenty-eight years old this year and I havent gotten married yet. Zhou Yi smiled shyly, shook his head, and replied, I just broke up with my girlfriend before going abroad and Ill think about getting married after a few more years of working. Not settled down at twenty-eight? When I was your age, my daughter was three years old. Qian Wenhuan sighed. He could not help recalling the circumstances four years ago. What he did not say was that he met Chen Chen when he was twenty-eight and he had joined Blacklight Biotechnology at that time. Subsequently, his life trajectory was changed CEO Qian, is your family here as well? Zhou Yi asked suddenly, I heard that many people have moved their families here. My wife and daughter are here, but my parents arent. Qian Wenhuan did not put on any airs and directly replied, My parents dont want to leave their hometowns and come abroad. I cant force them, but its fine. Anyway, Blacklight Biotechnology has already planned to build sanatoriums all around the world. Soon enough, youll be able to get the same treatment at any sanatorium without having to travel abroad. If you want to bring your parents over, its still possible. In any case, youve been allocated a house in the community and you know how public security is like here. As long as you dont leave the Eco Science City, public security is guaranteed and as an employees family members, your parents are also eligible for receiving recuperation on a preferential basis. Zhou Yi nodded in understanding. After that, the two of them were silent all the way, until they came to the front of a five-star hotel in the center of the Eco Science City, where the vehicle stopped. Almost all the people who could stay here were rich nobility from all over the world. Zhou Yi remained focused and obediently walked beside and slightly behind Qian Wenhuan, until Qian Wenhuan led him into a private room on the edge of the second floor. The private room was not big as a whole, only about ten square meters in size. There was a round table in the center of the room, with an abundance of various dishes set out on the table. This was not the important thing. The important thing was there was only one person in the private room. This was a young man who was even younger than Zhou Yi himself. At first glance, he looked very ordinary, but if one looked closely, one would find that he had a pair of unique eyes. It was a pair of jet-black eyes, which seemed to be piercing, infinite, and deep, like a bottomless abyss. It was as if a single glance from him would be enough to sink anyone. This was a pair of eyes filled with mystical power Looking at the appearance of this young man, Zhou Yi only felt that the other party seemed familiar. He subconsciously searched his memory, but then he suddenly jumped in shock! This young man was actually that legend? Youre Mr., Mr. Chen! Zhou Yi blurted out instinctively. Thats me. The young man raised his head in surprise, took a look at Zhou Yi, then nodded and replied with a smile, My looks are rather ordinary. Those who arent my acquaintances can seldom recognize me at a glance. You really are Mr. Chen? Zhou Yi took a deep breath and felt a tremor throughout his body. He thought it would only be other high-level leaders of Blacklight Biotechnology who were having drinks with Qian Wenhuan, but he never expected that the other party turned out to be Chen Chen, the founder of Blacklight Biotechnology! Upon hearing Zhou Yis babble, Chen Chen suddenly laughed. He pointed to the opposite seats and said to the two of them, What are you doing standing around? Have a seat. Alright. Qian Wenhuan did not stand on ceremony and he dragged Zhou Yi to the seats. At this point, Zhou Yi realized that his second question made him sound like a total noob and he was irritated with himself. He did not expect that the first time he saw the founder of Blacklight Biotechnology, he would make such a mistake. Zhou Yi wished there was some hole he could crawl into. This is Mr. Zhou Yi, right? Hes a great talent and he looks much better than you, Old Qian. Nonetheless, Chen Chen did not seem to mind. After the two of them sat down, he suddenly made a teasing comment. Thats for sure. Hearing Chen Chens remark, Qian Wenhuan did not get angry. Instead, he smiled drily. When I was at Preston Biotech, I was good at negotiation and sales. Its just thanks to this face of mine that my performance was greatly diminished. Otherwise, I wouldnt be just a mere sales manager. Mr. Chen, youre being too kind. Zhou Yi also said quickly and at the same time, he raised his arm subconsciously. He was about to find a wine bottle and a wine glass to punish himself with three cups of wine[1]. However, he was quickly dumbfounded because besides the dishes, there were only three bottles of Sprite on the dinner table and nothing else. Hahahaha! Seeing Zhou Yis actions, Qian Wenhuan suddenly laughed. Little Zhou, are you looking for a wine glass? Theres no need for that. Boss himself doesnt drink and were outside China, so theres no such drinking culture. Just relax and eat. So thats it Zhou Yi only took a scoop from a dish to hide his embarrassment. In the past half a month, you guys have done a great job. Chen Chen paid no mind to all this and just said casually, Ive asked for you today, Old Qian, just to learn about how things have been. And also to meet this high-achiever sent by headquarters. Thats all. Still, the purchase orders worth six billion might seem like a lot to us, but its only a drop in the bucket for the continents. Then, Chen Chen thought for a while. I believe this is just the starter for now and the real lions share will come in the next three months. Indeed. Qian Wenhuan also looked thoughtful. Now all the continents have ordered the Mark drone series. After theyve ascertained the superior performance of our XTN robot series, orders will spring up like mushrooms after a rain. Then itll be our harvest time. I dont value that very much. What I value is the policies that we can achieve after opening branches in various continents. Chen Chen nodded. So, I hope youll work harder on the various weapons and technologies, and strive to obtain local policies which are more favorable for us. In that case, we can give up some of the profits. Understood. Understood! Qian Wenhuan and Zhou Yi quickly promised. Besides, theres one more thing I need you to do. At this moment, Chen Chen suddenly turned serious. He lowered his voice and said, Im going to use Namibia as a test platform to implement XTN robots instead of police for law enforcement so that XTN robots will enter civilian use in advance. Old Qian, get ready. So soon? Qian Wenhuan was surprised. Is it too early? Would the people accept it? Thus, I need you to conduct a survey. Chen Chen replied, As for the results of the survey, it can also be manipulated by propaganda and public opinion, and if necessary, we can also use certain means to achieve the implementation. For instance Chen Chen thought for a while and suddenly wrote something on the table Robocop. [1] A custom in Chinese drinking culture, where someone who made a faux pas must receive punishment by drinking three cups of wine. Chapter 453 - : The Plan When Qian Wenhuan saw this word, he could not help but turn blank. He did not understand what it meant. On the contrary, Zhou Yis face flashed. Mr. Chen, what you mean is that if the survey results show that police robots arent acceptable to the public, we can copy what they did in Robocop? Yes, thats what I meant. Chen Chen expressed approval. I want to build Namibia into an experimental platform and make it a pioneer. As long as Namibia can become the country with the lowest crime rate in the world under the management of XTN robots, then, who would reject my XTN robots? But Zhou Yi suddenly hesitated to say something. But would Namibia agree to this kind of reform? Chen Chen smiled, did not answer, but turned to look at Qian Wenhuan with a poker face. It seems that Old Qian rarely watches Hollywood movies. I have no time. Qian Wenhuan shook his head. So what did they do in Robocop? This involves the story plot. Zhou Yi immediately explained, In short, theres a company specializing in military robots in the movie. This company is exactly like us. Their products have been used in a large number of military services and the company has also made a lot of money. However, the top executives of this company arent satisfied. They want more benefits. So they think of the civilian sphere. As long as law enforcement robots replace traditional police in fighting crimes, the benefits they get will at least double. Its just that when the company wanted to promote this plan, it was unexpectedly strongly opposed by the public. Most people believed that robots have no human feelings, dont understand the value of life, and cannot make humans feel secure. They cant trust these cold machines, so they wouldnt hand over human lives to the judgment of robots. After thinking about it, Zhou Yi continued to speak, However, despite the strong opposition from the public, the company still didnt give up. So they thought of another way to gain the publics approval find some disabled police officers and provide them with free mechanized transformation. As long as the mechanized police officers can return to their posts and perform better than before, then after seeing this result, the public can naturally accept robot law enforcement calmly. So, thats it Qian Wenhuans eyes lit up. Indeed, this is a slow and steady plan. Free mechanized transformation can improve the companys involvement in public welfare and the public has no reason to oppose it. After all, you cant say that someone isnt a human being just because they are installed with mechanical prostheses, right? After that, the transformed policeman will become a walking billboard. The more outstanding he is, the greater the impact on the people. But the only requirement is that all this must be attention-grabbing. If the whole thing receives no attention, its simply meaningless. Not only that, the disability cant be a general physical disability, because even if we install prosthetic limbs for these mild disabilities, at most they can only return to their posts, but this will not have the slightest impact on their job performance. So we need severely disabled police officers at least. Its best if its someone with a high level of paraplegia and the more serious the injury, the better. Only in this way will people count the police officers accomplishments as ours. In the end, Qian Wenhuan concluded. In short, its best if the police officer who undergoes the transformation is known as a hero and he must be injured so badly that he needs to replace every body part except his head. He must be a popular guy too. Only in this way can he become an excellent billboard and function as commercial propaganda for our company! Hearing Qian Wenhuans summary, Zhou Yi on the side was secretly surprised. He did not expect that even though Qian Wenhuan had not watched the movie Robocop, he could instantly discern the key points of this plan. Sure enough, this man had a certain level of skill to make it in this position. Before this, Zhou Yi had thought that the other party was just an idiot who was good at flattery Old Qian, your analysis is very good and you immediately grasped the point. At this time, Chen Chen could not help but clap his hands and praise, If anyone just listened to what you said at that last part, they wouldnt think that you havent seen this movie. Very good. What we have to do now is to follow the method shown in the movie. Well look for a few spokespersons and effectively turn them into advertisements so that the public can agree to robots replacing the police in law enforcement. A police officer like this isnt hard to find. Qian Wenhuan did not gloat just because of Chen Chens praise. He only said modestly, Its not difficult to find this kind of extremely injured police officer in the African Continent. The only difficulty is the technical aspect. With our current technology, can we create this kind of robot? Dont worry, we can even heal James Watson, let alone ordinary injuries. Chen Chen sounded nonchalant. As for the modification of the human body, thats the job of the research department. Understood, Ill give you a plan on Friday this week at the latest. Qian Wenhuan nodded immediately and agreed. Zhou Yi on the side was totally stupefied. He had never expected that, after sitting at the dinner table for just a few minutes, the two of them actually came up with a huge plan involving the country and even the entire Earth Federation. This efficiency was not comparable to any corporations in the market with their bloated systems. Zhou Yi was deeply shocked but he could also understand that the reason everything was decided so quickly was that all the authority of the entire company was concentrated in the hands of the young man in front of him This was the power of centralization. Next, Zhou Yi was stunned as he watched Chen Chen feasting heartily. He thought that the table full of food was just a luxurious habit of the rich. He did not expect that when they left at the end of dinner, all the dishes from that table had entered Chen Chens stomach and Qian Wenhuan seemed hardly surprised by this astonishing sight. After they left, Qian Wenhuan beckoned to Zhou Yi again and asked the driver to take Zhou Yi to the gate of his community. After the dinner, Zhou Yis views on Qian Wenhuan changed a lot and the two became familiar with each other. Did you feel a little unaccustomed to all this? On the way, Qian Wenhuan suddenly asked. A little. Zhou Yi replied, I used to drink alcohol on the job and because I was young, I got blackout drunk almost every time. This time, I saw Mr. Chen but didnt drink a drop. Its a rather new feeling. Its fine. Our company is still very young and in a period of rapid development. With your ability, you can get promoted in three to five years. Qian Wenhuan smiled mysteriously. At that point, youll slowly adapt and at that time, youll also know many secrets. Its possible that many things that you cant understand before will seem a matter of course. Hearing these words, Zhou Yis pupils shrank slightly. Sure enough, there were many secrets in Blacklight Biotechnology. Now he was a weapon sales manager, but he was still below the truly high-level staff. Even so, if some of the information he knew about the weapons was leaked out, it would shake up all of society. In that case, as for the secrets known only to the higher-ups, how earth-shattering would they be? Zhou Yi was filled with anticipation Qian Wenhuan waved his hand and said goodbye to Zhou Yi when he had sent Zhou Yi back to the gate of the community. Looking at the back of Zhou Yi gradually walking into the community, Qian Wenhuans expression changed from gentle warmth to an impassive look. CEO Qian, you seem to have high hopes for this sales manager? The secretary in the front suddenly turned his head and asked. Somewhat. Young people are still very capable. Qian Wenhuan nodded. Hes just a bit arrogant still, but people who come from college are like this. They dont think much of someone unorthodox like me. The secretary shook his head and said nothing. Next, the first thing Qian Wenhuan did when he returned to his villa was to find the movie Robocop from the Internet and watch it from beginning to end. Instead of watching it dumbly like ordinary people, Qian Wenhuan recorded every detail on paper and saved a screenshot at the critical moments. After watching the movie for four hours, Qian Wenhuan checked the time. It was already one oclock in the morning and he had written more than 5,000 words. Nevertheless, Qian Wenhuan did not rest because this new version of Robocop was a movie produced in 2014. As early as 30 years ago, there were three older versions of Robocop. Therefore, Qian Wenhuan gave the old versions of Robocop another quick watch. Then, he started to write out the plan. When he went to work the next day, Qian Wenhuan notified his team and gave the draft to everyone and then began to discuss and trim the content of the plan. Qian Wenhuan and his team discussed late into the night for three days in a row, until the end of Friday, when they finalized the plan at last. After that, Qian Wenhuan directly sent the 30,000-word plan to Chen Chens mailbox. At this time, Chen Chen, who was sitting in the office, immediately received the message. Old Qian has gotten it done so quickly? Chen Chen leaned on the chair and swiped his right hand lightly, and suddenly opened a holographic webpage out of thin air on the empty desk. At the same time, the mailbox automatically opened, revealing Qian Wenhuans plan. Sir Godfather, this is Qian Wenhuans plan. Little Xs voice came directly from the speaker. According to Qian Wenhuans plan, first of all, the prerequisites for the selection of targets this plan requires the selection of targets to be a bit strict. Number one, the identity of the other party must be a legal police officer in Namibia. This is a must. At the same time, there are a few other requirements: First, they must be severely injured, with a high level of paraplegia. Second, they must be upright and honest, with a strong sense of responsibility. They must also be highly obedient to orders, to prevent their being out of our control, which might result in what happened in the movie where the protagonist kills the company boss. Speaking of this, Little X said, Qian Wenhuan is indeed right. Although we can use the God chip to control them, there might be unexpected developments, so it is best to choose the target wisely at the beginning. Then the third requirement: the target must get injured in a fight against criminals. Only in this way will they be more conducive to shaping their public image and triggering public opinion. Fourth, the target must have good facial features and an upright temperament. Its best if they are suitable as a police officer because the nature of their appearance is very important to the publics impression. The fifth and most important one is that the targets family situation must be taken into consideration. If necessary, we can send their parents and families to the Eco Science City to prevent unexpected situations in the future. Hearing these five requirements, Chen Chen frowned. Erm It sounds rather like nurturing an idol for a talent show. According to Qian Wenhuans plan, its best if the injuries of the target are heavy and obvious so that it will help us to promote his past deeds. If possible, we can use a slogan to promote the target as a superhero, turning him into a super idol who wouldnt lose in popularity to international A-list superstars. Little X continued. Yes, we can test the waters while were at it. Maybe Blacklight Biotechnology can enter the entertainment circle in the future. Chen Chen snapped his fingers and said half-jokingly. These are the five requirements for the target and only those that meet the requirements can become the target well train for the plan. When Little X heard Chen Chens words, she could not help but smile. Next, its Qian Wenhuans official plan. He subdivided it into fifteen steps. It will take about two years to create for the target an image of a perfect superhero and make him the nemesis of criminals and a world-class hero. Does it take two years? Chen Chen frowned. Its too long Whats the estimated budget given in Old Qians plan? Promotion costs are about one billion USD. Little X replied, That is to say, according to the plan given by Qian Wenhuan, including some special performances, just one billion USD is enough to create a world-renowned international superstar. Then make it three billion dollars. Chen Chen replied without hesitation, I hope the timeline can be accelerated to less than one year. Im afraid thatd be difficult. Little X shook her head. In addition to the method of throwing more money at this, word-of-mouth popularity is also very important. Qian Wenhuans plan contains all these. After my calculations, two years is indeed the limit. Then try to compress it. Chen Chen spread out his hands and then asked, But the plan is just a plan and well deal with the implementation later. The first thing to do now is to select the target and conduct a survey before selecting the target. Survey the publics acceptance of robot law enforcement? Little X blinked and asked. Yes, although this answer is foreordained, the process is indispensable, not to mention Im not the President of Namibia. Chen Chen exhaled, stood up, and said, X, call Zurama for me, I should also talk to him about this. Zurama was the Minister of Resources who promised three exemptions and five reductions for Chen Chen when he first came to Namibia. Due to their business relationship, the two hit it off at once thanks to being mutually beneficial. Zurama had reaped enough benefits from Chen Chens side that would not be used up in several lifetimes. Chen Chen had also obtained a great deal of convenience from Zurama, so it could be described as a win-win situation. Now the two had worked together for nearly four years and they had developed a deep friendship. Moreover, with Chen Chens help, Zurama had taken the throne as the spokesperson of the largest party in Namibia. He could expect to be the next president. Of course, he must also help pull the strings for the promotion of law enforcement robots now. Chapter 454 - One Out of Three The plan for remodeling people into robots proposed by Chen Chen was eventually named the Robocop Plan. The next afternoon, Chen Chen walked out of Minister Zuramas office, got into the car with a contented expression, and hurried away. At this time, on the balcony on the third floor of the Ministry of Resources building, Zurama looked at Chen Chens departing figure with a complex expression, speechless for a while. The stage is set. All of Namibia is under his charge Watching the car slowly leave, Zurama suddenly had an idea deep in his heart: if this businessmans car suddenly exploded at this point, would it be more beneficial to the Namibian government? Although Blacklight Biotechnology would be thrown into chaos and huge economic losses would ensue, Namibia could also take the opportunity to acquire a large amount of wealth and technology. This wealth was even enough to help Namibia surpass the Rainbow Nation and attain the status as the overlord of the African Continent However, in the next second, Zurama completely dismissed the idea. He knew that once Chen Chen died, in addition to the above-mentioned situation, there was another outcome that was more likely. Namely, Mainland China and Northern America would immediately move to seize the assets left by Chen Chen. That pack of wolves would be waiting to pounce. Unless Namibia was willing to go against these behemoths, it could only reluctantly return these technologies to China. Then, whoever became president would die miserably Moreover, if Chen Chen died, who would support his election? Who else could ensure he would sit on the throne of Namibias presidency? Therefore, this thought merely flashed through Zuramas mind and then disappeared again. At this time, Zuramas heart was a complicated mess. On one hand, he hoped that his country could be self-reliant and independent. On the other hand, he hoped that he could hold the highest power in Namibia. These two options were incompatible Thinking of this, Zurama could only close his eyes in suffering and took a deep breath. When he opened his eyes again, he took out his phone and tried checking his bank account that was opened in Switzerland. Just now, under the name of this account, an extra 30 million USD had been deposited silently Despite seeing such a thrilling number, Zuramas eyes did not flicker at all. The money had not much meaning for him. Perhaps a few years ago, this huge number would have made him ecstatic, but now, it could only get a glance from him. Zurama instantly turned off the account, cleared all the usage records, and finally shut down the computer. While Zurama was running around for the sake of the Person Remodeling Act proposed by Chen Chen, Qian Wenhuan had already started casting. At this time, Qian Wenhuan sat at the conference table in boredom, watching his team continue to bring in a thick stack of documents from the police station. These documents had been piled up on the conference table until they were the height of half a person, but there was still new material moving in continuously. CEO Qian, these are the data of the police officers who are currently injured and disabled in Namibia, from 2000 until now. Its all here. An assistant came over silently and notified in a soft voice, There are three hundred and twenty copies in total. Very good. Qian Wenhuan clapped his hands. Everyone raised their heads reflexively and looked over at once. Everyone, I hope we can find someone that fits the requirements of selection in the Robocop Plan, in accordance to what the plan necessitates. Qian Wenhuan reminded. Because this is just the preliminary selection, the requirements can be more relaxed. After the number of qualified people is finally determined, we can proceed with the next round of screening based on the number of targets. Yes, understood There were scattered replies from everyone. After that, they picked up the documents and opened the envelopes one by one, beginning to read through them. Qian Wenhuan did the same. He did not hand over this task completely to his subordinates but worked with everyone to screen and search for qualified personnel targets. The era they were starting with was a bit distant, something they might as well give up on. Firstly, because it had been 25 years since 2000, the police officers who were injured and disabled at that time were at least 40 or 50 years old now. At that age, ones adaptability and reflexes were greatly diminished. Coupled with years of disability, even if those officers could still move, they would have lost the ability to continue handling cases. Therefore, Qian Wenhuan focused his search on police officers who were injured and disabled in recent years. However, in that case, the screening became a little restrictive. In the next hour, Qian Wenhuan went through more than a dozen files but was satisfied with none. Either they were too old or not sufficiently disabled, only missing a limb or two. There were rarely any cases that were paralyzed throughout the body. However, on second thought, Qian Wenhuan had a realization again. After all, Namibias national strength was inherently weak and neither medical treatment nor other conditions were guaranteed. The people were even more impoverished. Whenever there were any major accidental casualties, those people essentially could not be saved. Even if they were saved, they would starve to death due to poverty and the loss of their ability to provide for themselves. Thinking of this, Qian Wenhuan frowned and continued searching. Finally, an ID photo on a document made his eyes lit up. It was a white man wearing the uniform of a first-level superintendent. His name was Brooke Humphrey, a resident native who immigrated here when the Germans colonized the country. He had brown hair and black eyes, not the blond hair and blue eyes unique to Caucasians, but his features were as sharp as a Caucasians, with a high nose, deep eye sockets, piercing eyes like a falcons, and thin, fine lips. Brooke was practically bestowed with a righteous and awe-inspiring face. Although he looked a little rough, his face was surprisingly pleasing to the eye. Immediately, Qian Wenhuan continued to read on. Brooke was only thirty-two years old this year. Two years ago, when he turned thirty, in a conflict during an arrest, he was unfortunately hit by a stray bullet in his spine. At that time, the situation was not so bad as to cause total paralysis, but when he was sent to the hospital, the doctor made a major mistake during the operation, which eventually caused him to be completely paralyzed from the neck down. Not bad Young, good-looking, sufficiently injured, and the injury is in line with the publicity plan, now only the two requirements of family and character are left. Seeing this, Qian Wenhuan was over the moon. He took out a marker, made a mark on this document to signify selection, and then put the documents back in the file again. Qian Wenhuans only concern was that two years had passed and he did not know whether this person was still alive. Next, Qian Wenhuan found another relatively suitable file, but unlike before, this was a black man. This black police detective named Blake Morton was only twenty-five years old. He was ordinary in appearance, so in terms of that requirement, he was a little lacking. Nonetheless, he was of the majority race in this country that was one thing that could not be ignored. His experience was even more frightening because he was caught in an ambush by a drug dealer while tracking down a drug case on his own accord. His limbs were cut off and he was left with just his torso, but in the end, he survived tenaciously. All this happened less than a year ago. Seeing this, Qian Wenhuan hardly hesitated and directly included this file on the candidate list, with an even higher priority than Brooke from before. Next, Qian Wenhuan sat quietly for more than half an hour, until he had read all the 40 or 50 documents in front of him. He still did not find another one that met the requirements. Either they were too old or the injury was not serious enough, which meant it would be hard to create the narrative they wanted. While stretching, Qian Wenhuan raised his head and tossed the two files into the center of the conference table. At the same time, he said, Ive selected two. Get on with it and after the first screening, send all the selected targets to my office. With that said, he turned and left the meeting room. Next, Qian Wenhuan returned to his office to check a few documents. It was not until the end of the morning that his secretary walked in with just seven or eight files. CEO Qian, all the materials weve selected this time are here, please have a look. Qian Wenhuan nodded and asked his secretary to put these materials on the desk, after which he took one of the files and opened it up. This time the process was much faster. After only ten minutes, he had read all the seven documents selected by the team. Then, Qian Wenhuan hesitated for a while and ultimately kicked out the files of the two oldest police officers. The two police officers were over forty years old. Although they were just entering middle age, they were still dropped by Qian Wenhuan. Following that, he removed a police officer who had more abstract facial features, and a police officer who was only paralyzed in the lower body, but whose arms were still usable. In the end, in addition to the two files he had selected before, only one other met the requirements. This was a man named Hodge. He was different from the previous two. It was because he was chasing a culprits vehicle and his vehicle rolled over due to a collision with the other party, which eventually caused a fire and resulted in severe burns all over his body. This man named Hodge had lost all the skin over his body and at the same time, his hands and feet had been burned to charcoal, reducing his physiological functions. Even his five sense organs had been completely burnt. The burnt parts also included his trachea and lungs. Now he could only live in the intensive care unit and hang on to life by sheer will. Looking at the date when the incident happened, it turned out to be only half a month ago. Seeing this, Qian Wenhuan could not sit still anymore. He just stood up and said to the secretary, Go and inform the companys office in Windhoek. Ask them to go to the Windhoek General Hospital right now, look for a patient named Hodge, and tell the hospital that no matter how much money it spends, it must save the life of this patient. Then, Qian Wenhuan thought for a while and added. By the way, tell the transportation department of the company that I need a private helicopter for a trip to Windhoek. Understood. The secretary understood immediately and he quickly walked out of the office. Looking at the three files in his hand, Qian Wenhuan was caught in a dilemma. He wanted to choose Hodge directly, but the other two were also very qualified, so he thought about it and took all three files. After that, he got into the elevator and went up toward the top floor. After making that familiar journey to the highest floor, Qian Wenhuan instantly saw Chen Chen sitting in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows opposite the elevator because the entire top floor was an office. Old Qian, youre here. Chen Chen did not seem to be surprised by Qian Wenhuans arrival. He just stared at the tabletop extremely seriously as if looking at something that ordinary people could not see. Seeing that Chen Chen was maintaining this posture the entire time, Qian Wenhuan could not help feeling a little mystified. He looked at Chen Chens table but became even more dumbfounded because there was nothing on the table where Chen Chen was staring. Boss, what are you doing? Qian Wenhuan said in amazement. Im looking at the subatomic world. Chen Chen did not look up, but calmly replied, Theres a planet in front of me and there are a group of strange-looking aborigines on the planet, but the lifespan of these aborigines is extremely short. Also, because Im too large, they cant observe my existence, yet I can look down at them and observe their lifetimes silently Qian Wenhuan opened his mouth again but said nothing. He did not quite understand what Chen Chen was referring to. To put it plainly, it means that Im observing a dust particle in front of me and a group of bacteria on that particle. Only then Chen Chen raised his head and a smile curled up at the corner of his mouth. He said, Old Qian, do you think theres an observer in the sky above our earth? The reason we cant find him may not be that hes hiding, but that we dont even have the power to discover him But wouldnt that be God? Qian Wenhuan frowned. At this time, he had been deeply influenced by the dogma of Gods Forbidden Zone and he was completely skeptical about the existence of God. No, of course, thats not God. Chen Chen shook his head. According to the Bible, God created this world, but the observer only observes. Hes not responsible for creation, but often represents destruction. At the end of this line, Chen Chen suddenly stretched out a finger, pressed it lightly on the desk in front of him, and then wiped it viciously across the surface When Chen Chen raised his finger again, a thin black smear had appeared on the desk in front of him. The dust particle was crushed by Chen Chen. Seeing this scene, Qian Wenhuans expression flickered slightly. Although he understood the meaning of Chen Chens words, he did not understand Chen Chens actions. Moreover, could human beings see microbes like bacteria with the naked eye? Still, Chen Chen had only brought this up casually. He did not explain further, but instead asked, Has the candidate been decided? Not yet, there are currently three options. I find it a little hard to choose, so I specially came to ask you, Boss. Qian Wenhuan shook his head, took out all files of information, and placed them in front of Chen Chen. He saw Chen Chen turning the pages nonchalantly at a rate of two seconds per page. It only took less than three minutes for Chen Chen to read all the information. Still, Qian Wenhuan was accustomed to this, because every time he supplied information to Chen Chen, Chen Chen would read it at this speed. Not only would he finish reading it, but he also never forgot the contents of what he read. At this time, Chen Chen tossed the three files back onto the table. He thought for a while and then said, All of these three fulfill the requirements well. In this case, why dont we let them form a group? Chapter 455 - Trio Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation With Chen Chens approval, the helicopter was prepared. Qian Wenhuan went directly to the roof, got on the helicopter, and immediately flew to Windhoek. More than an hour later, Qian Wenhuan met the police officer Hodge, who was now staying in the intensive care unit and was burned to the point where he no longer looked human. Across the glass, Qian Wenhuan, accompanied by the hospital director, silently looked at the brightly lit intensive care unit, in which there was only one person who was wrapped like a mummy. As his hands and feet were so burnt, the mans arms and legs had been amputated. If one was not paying attention, one could not even tell that the person on the bed was a person. CEO Qian, this patient is Hodge. At this time, the director of Windhoek Hospital was by Qian Wenhuans side and he exclaimed, He has been here for half a month and hes still struggling not to die almost every day. To be honest, he can live till now is already a miracle. Do you have no hope of healing him? Qian Wenhuan looked at the room inside the glass window with a calm, still expression. No, the patients wounds have started to deteriorate a few days ago. The director shook his head. His external defense system has completely collapsed, his trachea is damaged, his lungs are damaged, and his internal defense system is going to be on the verge of collapse. It will end in one or two days. No one can pull him back from the brink of death. Qian Wenhuan glanced at the director, but the man played dumb and only chuckled. What are you going to do, CEO Qian? I want to meet Hodges family, please link me to them, Mr. Director. Qian Wenhuan said solemnly. Well The director hesitated for a while, wearing a look of embarrassment. Thats not so easy for us. After all, this involves the privacy of patients. As a company, if you Before he finished talking, Qian Wenhuan looked directly at the secretary behind him. The secretary nodded, took out his mobile phone, dialed a number, and then said, CEO Qian, Hodges father is now on his way to the hospital. Hell be here in three minutes. Come, lets go meet him on the first floor. Qian Wenhuan turned around and left, leaving only the bewildered director and a group of doctors standing outside the intensive care unit. Dir, director? A doctor asked stutteringly. Lets head down too! The director snorted coldly, followed Qian Wenhuan, and walked toward the first floor. The hospital had only four floors in total. The ward for the ICU was located on the top floor and it took only two or three minutes to walk down from the fourth floor. Soon, Qian Wenhuan saw Hodges father at the doors. Hodge was only twenty-four years old. He was younger than the other two eligible targets. Fortunately, he was the son of a wealthy white businessman in Windhoek. If he were just the son of an ordinary Namibian citizen, he would probably not have enough money to live in the intensive care unit and he would have been buried in the ground by now. However, according to the information, although Hodges father was a wealthy businessman, he was only slightly richer than ordinary people. The intensive care unit treatment in the past half month had almost been unsustainable for him. Still, when he learned of the arrival of Blacklight Biotechnology who was willing to treat his son for free, the wealthy white businessman finally displayed a relieved expression despite his lingering doubts. Mr. William, we at Blacklight Biotechnology already know about your sons situation. If you agree, we can transfer him to the Eco Science City to treat him with everything at our disposal and even install the most advanced bionic prosthesis on the market, so that he can return to his police post. The secretary next to Qian Wenhuan took out a prepared contract and handed it to the other party. The contract had more than 50 pages and there were over 1,000 clauses. Looking at the contract in his hand, the white rich businessman seemed to understand something. He said solemnly, Just tell me, what is your purpose, and what do you need us to do? Were currently developing some new bionic technologies that require people to try them on. Such people cannot be normal people, but disabled. Qian Wenhuan did not speak, but the secretary beside him said directly, This is our purpose and what you have to do is very simple. That is, move to live in Eco Science City. However, to make up for your losses, well subsidize your relocation and we can also take care of your business. I I need to think about it. The wealthy businessman opened his mouth, seeming to be a little tempted, but he was still hesitant. I need to find a lawyer to help me go through this contract. Theres no time left, Mr. William! The secretary suddenly increased his volume and said sternly, Hodge has now shown signs of infection in his wounds. Do you know how long your son can last? He may not even last a day. You hesitate so much, do you think theres some conspiracy in our company? Then Okay. The wealthy businessman felt his heart clench, so he had to agree. At the same time, he gritted his teeth and directly signed his name in the position of Party B. At this moment, everyone from the hospital also arrived in front of Qian Wenhuan. Hearing Qian Wenhuans secretary persuading Williams, the director said with a gloomy face, CEO Qian, Im afraid this wont do because Mr. Hodge cant bear the impact of being transferred anymore. Do you think Hodges injuries can withstand four or five hours of being jolted about? Theres no need to worry about this point, Mr. Director. Our Eco Science City has phased out ambulances six months ago and now we have been using medical helicopters. Qian Wenhuan said lightly, took the contract handed back by the rich businessman, and left the hospital with his secretary and bodyguard without looking back. CEO Qian, the director dared to get in our way. Do you need me to send someone to teach him a lesson? As soon as they were out the door, the secretary lowered his voice and asked. No need. Qian Wenhuan shook his head. This hostility toward us is very common in Namibia. After all, weve seized a lot of resources and markets in Namibia, so the locals naturally dont feel favorable toward us. Then lets forget it? The secretary nodded and relaxed. Forget it. Just call the Minister of Health and ask him to find a reason to sack the director of this hospital. Qian Wenhuan waved his hand and said placidly. Secretary: They sent a notice for Eco Science City to send a medical helicopter to pick up the patient. After that, Qian Wenhuan and his team found the second targets family. This was a low-rise bungalow on the outskirts of Windhoek. Although this was the capital, the suburbs of Windhoek were mostly bungalows made of stones. Although the place was not as prosperous as the city, it was at least a little better than those living in the slums. However, compared to the other bungalows along the way, this bungalow was undoubtedly more run-down. Most of the red paint on the door had peeled off, exposing the bare door panels, and the doorway was even more disordered. Life here was no bed of roses. Without waiting for Qian Wenhuan to get out of the car, the bodyguard who had been following the group got out and knocked on the door of this house. About half a minute later, when the bodyguard was getting a little impatient and thinking that there was no one in the house, he finally heard approaching footsteps, and then the wooden door opened with a creak. A slovenly dressed black woman appeared at the door, and behind her, two biracial children who were four or five years old, were there. The two children poked their heads out behind their mother, looking at Qian Wenhuan and the team with some curiosity and fear. Were looking for Mr. Brooke. The secretary spoke for Qian Wenhuan, Is he at home? Please come in The woman was stunned, then she moved aside and let everyone walk in. As soon as they entered the room, Qian Wenhuan and the secretary frowned at the same time, because there was a pungent stench in the room as if this was not a private house, but a public toilet. Not just any toilet, but a pit toilet at that. They followed the woman to the innermost room. Finally, Qian Wenhuan and the others met the purpose of their trip, a plump, scruffy man. The bedding under the mans body had lost its color long ago and he was lying on the bed like a mountain of meat, completely lacking the hard lines and sharp eyes that were in his photo. All he had was a deathlike numbness. What was even more frightening was that although the mans face and body were extremely plump, his limbs were shrunken like bones. At first glance, it looked like four toothpicks were stuck in a mass of flesh Detecting the disgusting smell coming from the man, the secretary resisted the discomfort and said, Mr. Brooke, is it? Were from Blacklight Biotechnology. This is our general manager, Mr. Qian Wenhuan The secretary waited for a while, but the man in front of him still did not respond. He had to continue. We want to sign a contract with you. If you agree, we can remodel you Nonetheless, up until this point, the man still did not move and not even his eyes flickered. Hes become like this a long time ago. Just when the secretary was at a loss, the voice of the black woman suddenly came from behind them. Her voice was calm as if talking about a total stranger. Ive tried. No matter what happens outside, he will not respond. Hes dead, spiritually dead. Qian Wenhuan glanced at the woman, then stepped forward and squatted directly beside the mans bed. Mr. Brooke, I know you can hear our words, so let me skip the nonsense. What if I say we can make you stand up again? Even so, the man still did not move. If it were not for his opened eyes and the visible rise and fall of his chest, everyone would think that he was just a corpse. Seeing that the man still did not react, Qian Wenhuan finally shook his head and prepared to turn around and leave. However, when he turned around, a hoarse voice suddenly came from behind him. What you said is it true? Of course its true, Mr. Brooke. Qian Wenhuan turned his head and flashed a meaningful smile. But the only requirement is that you need to sacrifice something. I have nothing to give up. Brooke slowly raised his head and it was as if there was something shivering in his pupils the color of cold ash. As long as I can stand again, Ill give up all I have A few minutes later, Qian Wenhuan and the others walked out of the room because Brooke had easily signed the contract. Two of the three targets had been achieved and next, there was only one target left. However, the remaining target was not in Windhoek, the capital of Namibia, but in a small village farther away. Thus, Qian Wenhuan took the helicopter again and hurried toward Neham Village, a hundred kilometers away. This time, it took two hours for them to find the black detective named Blake. As a native of Namibia, this man named Blake had completely lost his mobility after his limbs were cut off by drug dealers. However, he did not sink into despair and give up like the previous Brooke but found a new job weaving straw ropes and fishnets. With his agile mouth, Blake could sit at the table all afternoon and weave a few meters of straw rope. Of course, this was if someone had put the raw material for the straw rope in front of him. With this job, he lived with his parents and could even make a living with this. Who are you people, was it the police who sent you here to solve my physical problems? Oh please, how many times have I asked the police station to please send me a woman, I dont care if shes white or black, fat or thin. But they send me a bunch of big guys every time? D*mn, am I going to get my cherry popped? Those drug dealers that chopped off my limbs had spared my little guy, but now you guys are gonna pop my cherry? Looking at the black man yammering away while sitting on the stone bench with a row of straw ropes in front of him, Qian Wenhuans secretary could not help being a little surprised. It was not as if he had not considered the mans situation. If Blake wanted to survive in a poor country like Namibia without his limbs, he would need to support himself in addition to having a certain family background, but the secretary did not expect that Blake would be so optimistic. Although he was full of swear words, everyone could tell that the man in front of them was not broken down at all. I, I am When the black man in front of him had tirelessly rapped his piece, the secretary came forward. When he was just arranging his words in his head, Qian Wenhuan patted him on the shoulder and said directly, Mr. Blake, were from Blacklight Biotechnology, not sent by the police station. So thats it? No wonder its not a group of black dudes. The black man bared his white teeth and laughed. So what is the purpose of you Chinese guys coming here? Surely its not because Im some sort of tourist attraction? My stinky neighbor always gets this idea, hes discussed it with me. Ten Namibian dollars for a ticket to visit me, twenty for a photo with me, but I think tourists surely cant be bored enough to visit some black man when there are plenty of us all over the street. We have another purpose. Qian Wenhuan smiled. He did not respond to the other partys mouthful of babble and just said, Listening to your speech, it seems that youre deeply influenced by American culture. Then I think you must have seen a Hollywood movie, the name of that movie is Robocop No, I havent watched it. It sounds a bit like a superhero movie. Blake shook his head blankly. I have only seen one superhero movie, its called Black Panther. 2 Chapter 456 - Operation The next day, when Chen Chen got up from the Medpod 3000, he had already received the news that the three people had been transported back. It was not only the three targets but their families, who would also move to Eco Science City within this week. Qian Wenhuan had arranged three suites for them at a district in the city center. Seeing this, Chen Chen left the Spire laboratory directly after washing up and returned to the Biological Research Center. The Biological Research Center also had its own independent ward and it was far more advanced than Eco Science City Central Hospital. At this time, in a ward of the lab building, Chen Chen got a good look at the police officer named Hodge. At this time, Hodge had been stuffed into a life incubator and it was also filled with amniotic fluid. Hodge was suspended in the center of the incubator, with a large number of tubes connected to his mouth, nose, and even all over his body. He was like an unborn baby. The life incubator was surrounded by seven or eight expert surgeons. Mr. Chen! Boss Boss! When Chen Chen arrived, the group greeted him immediately. Thanks for your hard work, everyone. Chen Chen nodded in response and said, The purpose I invited you to come is very simple. Its to do everything possible to save the life of this police officer. I think it shouldnt be difficult for you all. Its not difficult if were only keeping him alive, but the difficulty is in getting him out of this life-saving device and him still surviving. A middle-aged man with a ruddy complexion said, At present, his burns are too serious. Anyone who experiences this kind of injury will die on the spot. But not only did he not die, but he also held on for half a month in a regular ICU ward. I must admit, its quite a miracle It shows that the patient has a strong willpower and the desire to survive. Someone else nodded and admitted, But this is also related to how his physical fitness was strong enough. I can hardly believe that his immune system is still working and hasnt been defeated by infected bacteria Now we have disinfected his body and placed him in a sterile solution to cut off the channels for bacteria to multiply. Now his life can be preserved. The middle-aged man continued to speak, And now the first step we need to do is to replace the lungs. Sixty percent of the patients lungs have stopped functioning. Wed better searched internationally to purchase a pair of lungs that match his DNA to perform a transplant. No need for that. Hearing this, Chen Chen replied immediately, Project Xingtians department has developed mature bionic organs, including bionic stomachs, bionic hearts, and bionic lungs that can replace ones digestive organs. These can be used on Hodge first and the department members of Project Xingtian will soon contact you. Thank God This is inspiring news Many doctors immediately perked up. Chen Chens news was exciting because the advent of this technology meant that in the future, it was very likely that some patients would no longer need to wait for an organ donor. After all, this group of people was only contract workers of Blacklight Biotechnology. Although they were all internationally renowned professor-level doctors, they were not members of Gods Forbidden Zone. Therefore, they would not know that, back when Project Xingtian was launched, there were already corresponding bionic organs, just that Chen Chen felt they were too advanced, so they were struck off. However, it had been a year since the launch of Project Xingtian. Now Blacklight Biotechnology had successfully leveled up to become a legal arms dealer. Under this circumstance, some technologies that had to be concealed before could now be released without fear of being coveted by other countries. Now, all continents and countries had regarded Blacklight Biotechnology as an existence of equal rank, rather than a piece of pie for everyone to fight over. In addition, we also need to use his DNA to cultivate the skin and give him skin grafts, otherwise, he will not be able to leave the incubator. At this moment, someone on the side suddenly added. It will take about two to three months for all this to be done. Then it will be time for the bionic prosthetic design department to do its job. Chen Chen nodded when he heard these words. Two to three months was still within a time frame he could accept. At this, he found a reason at random to turn and leave. If Chen Chen used the Medpod 3000, he could indeed heal Hodges injury within a few minutes. Although the excised limbs would not grow back, at least Hodge would be instantly pulled back from deaths door. However, if this was the case, his healing process would become a mystery. In the future, Hodge might be a world-famous member of the Interpol, exposed to thousands of spotlights. At that time, every wisp of mystery surrounding him would be explored, so Chen Chen was naturally unwilling to leave behind any clues now. Therefore, Chen Chen decided to use traditional methods to treat Hodge. At the same time, his treatment process would be recorded every day, which would become evidence of his fight against the disease. It would be publicized when Hodge became a Robocop in the future, naturally winning him even more fans. Next, Chen Chen went to the next room and saw the two other targets Brooke and Blake. Brooke suffered from spinal paralysis and he had not been kept in shape for many years. His limbs had completely atrophied and become necrotic. Even if the God chip were installed, he could not control his necrotic limbs to stand up again. Not only that, but he was also plagued by various complications such as liver cirrhosis, hydronephrosis, diabetes, and so on. Therefore, the first operation he had upon coming to Eco Science City was to remove his necrotic limbs and hollow out the liver in his abdomen and one of his kidneys, plus a liposuction operation. On the flip side, Blake was in the best shape. Blake relied on his flexible mouth and tongue to weave straw ropes all year round and his lips were unusually nimble. He even boasted that he could bend down and bite himself, but because of this, he suffered from serious cervical spondylosis and needed a corrective operation. At this time, both of them were wearing hospital gowns and sitting in wheelchairs and in front of them was an attending doctor in charge of them. The few of them did not notice Chen Chens arrival, who only heard the doctor say: Mr. Brooke, in the next operation, well amputate your limbs and we also need to remove your kidneys because they have lost their function in the past few years. The doctor looked regretful. But please be rest assured, we naturally have a replacement. After your organs have been substituted for new ones, your body will be healthier than before. Then, using our bionic prosthesis, well make you stand up successfully once more. Still, no matter what the doctor said, the man named Brooke just remained collapsed in the wheelchair and did not move at all. However, by this point, the doctor also knew that Brooke had heard him clearly, but was just unwilling to respond. This was a type of post-traumatic stress disorder caused by a huge blow. On one side, nonetheless, Blake could not sit still anymore. He shot an unkindly look at the fat Brooke, and then sighed. Man, youre willing to let yourself go after a small setback like this? Are you The Thinker or something? What are you meditating on, are you like some little girl whos praying silently in her heart? With that, Blake put on an aggrieved, feminine manner, and at the same time said in a high-pitched voice, God, come and save me, save me, Im trapped under this sack of meat and cant move anymore. Who can help me? I want to stand, I want to run. Run, b*tch, run Er The attending doctor wore an awkward look. Mr. Blake, your body is very healthy. The only thing is that you have cervical spondylosis. We only need to perform an operation on you to correct it. These operations are free, right? Blake perked up and quickly asked, After all, I dont have the money to pay. If I have to pay back the bill, I think I can become a toy for those rich ladies. Have you ever heard of a human toilet? Here I am! And Im so hard, all the villagers call me Granite Enough, enough, enough The doctor raised his hand, gestured for a pause, and tamped down his inner anger. Stop! Mr. Blake, I, we at Blacklight Biotechnology spent hundreds of millions of dollars to tailor a Black Panther armor for you. As a result, you now want to be a human toilet? Would you please respect our profession? Please buddy, dont you want to try it? Blake was not ashamed but proud. He was just about to say something but saw Chen Chen was standing there at some unknown time. Its another Chinese guy. Hey buddy, do you think what I said makes sense? It makes sense. So what do you plan to name your armor? Chen Chen stepped forward and said casually, The Granite or the Black Panther? This Blake was dumbfounded and fell into a dilemma. Mr. Chen! The attending doctor greeted him immediately, Why are you here? I just came for a look, dont mind me. Chen Chen waved his hand and stood aside to listen. Next, the attending doctor explained a series of things that those two should pay attention to. Brooke remained as still as a corpse. Even if Blake was on the side, no matter how vulgar his words were, Brooke still did not respond. Moreover, Blake kept cracking offensive jokes, greatly infuriating the attending doctor. Seeing this, Chen Chen did not know whether to laugh or cry, because he understood that Blake also had a huge psychological issue. It was just concealed under that cheerful appearance and the fact that his mouth never slowed down was the best proof. Nonetheless, Chen Chen could help treat their physical injuries, but they could only rely on themselves to recover psychologically. More than an hour finally passed before the attending doctor asked the nurse to bring them down. Leaving the lab building, Chen Chen saw Little X as soon as he walked out the door. At this time, Little X was wearing a modern white dress, squatting on the lawn outside the door, holding her chin with both hands, and obediently waiting for Chen Chen to come out. Chen Chen had become accustomed to the fact that Little X used this body to run around. Not only him, but even everyone in Blacklight Biotechnology already knew that there was a fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl by Chen Chens side, who had extremely high authority and could go in and out any place she liked. As for the real identity of this little girl, no one knew about it. Even Qian Wenhuan, who had the highest authority in the Eco Science City, did not know. He only thought that she was seen by Chen Chen as a godsister and she was also a knowledgeable scientific research genius. Seeing Chen Chen coming out, Little X immediately smiled in elation, and ran to Chen Chen in two or three steps, twirling around like a butterfly. Sir Godfather, do I look good in my new clothes? Chen Chen took a casual look and said perfunctorily, Its okay, it looks no different from before. Oh Little X suddenly became a little crestfallen and then said, Sir Godfather, I have simulated the results of the surgery. I think Brooke and Hodge need a more thorough remodeling operation, which not only shortens the time but also prevents the risk of death for Hodge now. Chen Chen was immediately engaged. He nodded and said, Tell me. Isnt Hodge burned all over? Not only did he lose his skin, but even his muscles were burned away, so I think his body is no longer necessary for salvation. Little X tilted her head and said, We can amputate everything starting from the bottom of Hodges neck. This saves us the time waiting for him to heal. Anyway, with our current technology, even a single head can be kept alive and the same goes for Brooke and Blake. This is indeed the best choice. Chen Chen smiled and then explained, But we have to consider more than these factors. In addition, we have to consider a very important thing human sympathy. Dont forget, well need them to stand under the worlds spotlight in the future. Then everything about them will be revealed. If someone exposes their medical records, wont the entire world soon know that weve removed some of their functioning parts? Thats giving them the evidence they need. Chen Chen shook his head and half-jokingly said, So, we try not to make trouble on these issues. Dont forget how the companys bosses always die in the movie Robocop. I dont want to repeat the same mistakes. Ok Little X shrugged and replied with a pouting mouth, Then well just follow the doctors plan, but it will cost more money and well need to design unique armors for them. This way, the cost is even greater. Its alright, lets just go all out. Chen Chen encouraged her. Dont forget, what we need now is a long-term investment. This is a very abstract thing, but you should understand that just like your Prophet System, human vision for the future also counts as a sort of prophet system, only its not as precise as yours. Yes Following the conversation between the two, Chen Chen and Little X returned to the headquarters of Blacklight Biotechnology. Following that, it was a period of advanced publicity and waiting. They were waiting for those three to be remodeled fully before being presented to the world again. However, although the three were remodeled by Blacklight Biotechnology and signed a large number of agreements with Blacklight Biotechnology, for the sake of legitimacy, on the surface they were still police officers in Namibia and not affiliated with Blacklight Biotechnology. This was because Blacklight Biotechnology was only a private company and thus did not have law enforcement powers in Namibia. That belonged only to the police. Chapter 457 - Hodge This was a three-story bungalow located in the Windhoek villa area. The towering European-style building, the grassy courtyard, and the iron fence with gold trimmings in front of the door all illustrated the wealth of the owner of this bungalow. In Namibia, this house undoubtedly represented the identity of its master. At this time, Hodge was looking at everything in front of him in confusion. This was his home. He could not remember when he came to the door nor why he stood here. In his memory, he had been driving after several murderers when he was hit by his opponent on the right side of the vehicle. Then, there was a whirl of heaven and earth Hodge took a breath subconsciously, but suddenly he noticed a pungent burnt stench. Something seemed to be charred, but when he looked around, he found that there was nothing. There was no fire, nothing burning. Had I been rescued? Hodge looked at all this in confusion. He did not remember when he appeared here or even how long he stood in front of his door. It seemed that he had just arrived home and it seemed that he had been standing for a long time Just when Hodge was a little puzzled, he saw the door slowly opening behind the iron fence. A stern middle-aged man appeared behind the door. His gaze toward Hodges carried both anticipation and disappointment. Father. Hodge hurriedly waved to the man, then directly opened the fences door and walked quickly into his home. Father, Im back! Hodge said loudly, but before he finished speaking, he was taken aback because he discovered that his father had disappeared at the door somehow. Not only that but all his relatives were gathered in his home and the atmosphere was buzzing with activity. They seemed to be having a party. Jenny, is there some celebration today? Hodge asked the babysitter next to him, but she did not even look at him and walked directly past him. Hodge yelled, but she still ignored him. Okay! Hodge spread his hands and made a helpless gesture, but then he saw his mother and grandmother huddled together, walking toward him. Hey! Mom, what happened at home? Joy erupted across Hodges face and he asked his mother like a little child, but in the next second, he watched the two pass by him. What surprised him even more was that not only his mother, but even his grandmother who loved him the most, was acting as if he did not exist. The joy on Hodges face suddenly froze and he gradually noticed that something was wrong. He did not know when, but the room was filled with a trace of smoke, with a pungent scorched stench that made it difficult for Hodge to breathe. He coughed and at the same time, an inexplicable panic seized his heart Why was no one able to see him? With this in mind, Hodge was just about to desperately find his father to clear things up, but he saw his father in formal wear suddenly leading a girl in a wedding dress to the living room. The moment he saw the girl, he was immediately stunned. A, Amanda Hodge looked at her blankly. The girl in front of him was wearing a white and gorgeous wedding dress, with an aura that was ethereal and pure, as flawless as a pearl in the sea. The girl was none other than his fiance Amanda. My son, today is your wedding day, dont you remember? His fathers voice was rich and booming, and he broke into a slight smile, and finally looked in Hodges direction. Im proud of you, Son! Following his fathers words, Hodges mother, grandmother, and even a group of relatives appeared all around the living room, applauding ceaselessly. The room, for a while, was filled with a warm atmosphere of joy. Father At this point, Hodge finally relaxed. He wore a hearty smile. It turned out that everything just now was a prank for him planned by his family? Solemn music gradually drifted in the air. With everyones blessing, the girl in the wedding dress walked toward Hodge step by step, with a shy blush, slowly taking Hodges hand in the hazy smoke of the house. Then, with the crowd watching, Hodge and the girl performed a western ballroom dance. At this moment, an immense sense of rapture enveloped Hodge. He closed his eyes, intoxicated, and only hoped that the world would linger at this moment forever Hes smiling, maybe hes having a good dream Preparing to bring the patient out of the protective drowsing state. He has been in this dream for three months, its time to wake up Starting to lower the dopamine. Start the electric shock device, prepare for electric shock Just when Hodge was immersed in endless happiness, a series of conversations was faintly heard all around him. The noises seemed to be right in front of him and also seemed to come from a distance. In short, it was very inconsistent with his dreams. Whats going on Hodge opened his eyes subconsciously, but he was taken aback because he discovered that the girl in front of him had disappeared some time ago, and vanishing at the same time were the relatives in the room who were wishing him well. Father, mother, grandmother, and Amanda Everyone disappeared! No, no, this isnt real! The smoke in front of Hodges eyes became thicker and thicker, almost blocking his vision. He subconsciously wanted to escape this weird room, but found that at some point, his home began to fill with endless flames! Hodge looked desperately at the flames rapidly surrounding him and at the same time, the burnt smell reached its peak. Then there was a sudden sting! This tingling pain came from his abdomen as if he had been shocked by an electric jolt. There was a burning prickling sensation in his abdomen. Agh! Ah ah ah agh agh! At this moment, Hodge suddenly roared. His voice was filled with anguish as if everything had exploded at this moment! The patient has woken up! Currently, in a sterile laboratory full of high-tech equipment, several doctors were looking solemnly at a person lying on a special instrument in front of them. This person only had a bare head exposed and his body was covered by a set of matte black armor. The gaps in the armor interlocked with each other, but in accordance with the structure of the human body, it produced the shape of the chest and abdominal muscles, which looked very attractive. By looking at this face, Chen Chen could immediately recognize that he was Hodge who was burned before. However, at this time, Hodges skin and facial features had been completely repaired. Not only that but his hands and feet had also reappeared on his body. The only dissonance was that his hands and feet were wrapped in the same layer of black armor as his body. There were even red and blue patterns on the surface, like some kind of artwork. Even so, at this time, Hodge was lying on a special instrument made of metal and at the same time, he kept snarling with a deafening cry. Whats the matter, is he out of control? The timing of his waking up is wrong. The patient is releasing too much adrenaline. At the same time, his blood pressure is rising rapidly. Get ready to inject a tranquilizer! No, wait a minute! Just when the nurse was about to follow the doctors command, a gray-haired middle-aged doctor suddenly spoke with a solemn expression, Dont interfere with him, let him vent first. This is good for his psychology and physiology! This doctor had a very high status even among the many authoritative experts. As he spoke, everyone suddenly fell silent. Hodge screamed for half a minute and stopped when he was completely out of breath. He gasped heavily while opening his eyes blankly. Youre awake. A group of doctors quickly gathered around, looking at Hodge one by one, revealing irrepressible delight as if they were sculptors looking at a perfect sculpture created by their painstaking efforts. Where Where am I Hodge looked at the people above his head with a glimmer of horror. He subconsciously wanted to sit up but found that he could not move a finger. Not only that, there were a lot of unfamiliar numbers and tables in his vision. As his gaze wandered, these squares in his eyes were still shifting constantly Could it be that he was still dreaming? Your current location is the Biological Research Center of Eco Science City under Blacklight Biotechnology. The gray-haired middle-aged man displayed a gentle smile. Were your chief physician and designer of bionic prostheses. My name is Sheridan Todd. You can call me Doctor Todd. What happened, why cant I move? Hodge asked suspiciously, Also, why cant I feel my body? Please relax, Hodge. Doctor Todd replied slowly, trying to get Hodge into his own rhythm of conversation. Your body is still there, but something has happened A little problem, but its okay, its fixed now. However, we still need to do some tests before letting you resume movement. For example, do you still remember your last memory? My last memory? Hodges face was blank. He silently recalled the fragments in his mind before he woke up, but after thinking about it, there were only the bits and pieces of dreams in his mind, but he had long forgotten how he got here Ive forgotten Hodge shook his head. Its fine. On the contrary, Doctor Todd appeared to be relieved. Please rest assured, this is just a type of post-traumatic stress disorder. The fact that youve forgotten may not be a bad thing, but on the contrary, could be a good thing. At least it delays and reduces the extent of further damage to your heart. So what the f*ck are you talking about? What the f*ck happened to me? Nonetheless, even when he heard these words, Hodge became furious. He began to yell and at the same time, began to struggle with his head as if he wanted to sit up again from his lying position. Dont get worked up. Well tell you what happened, but not now. Doctor Todd waved his hand and all the other doctors and medical staff retreated in all directions. Hodge, dont struggle. We have now disabled the mobility function of the XTN-118 police bionic armor. No matter how hard you struggle, it will be useless. But if youre willing to calm down, we can have a discussion and help you start up your mobility Hearing these words and seeing the attitude of the people, Hodge took a deep breath, suppressed his rising tension, and tried to lower his heart rate at the same time. Very good, thats it, calm down Doctor Todd spoke slowly and at the same time looked at a medical staff nearby. The female nurse immediately reacted. She took up the tablet in her hand and said at once, The patients heart rate and blood pressure are rapidly decreasing. The current heart rate frequency is 120 beats per minute, still decreasing It has been reduced to 80 No, its 75 beats per minute Very good. Seeing this, Doctor Todd finally nodded in satisfaction. He walked slowly in front of Hodge and at the same time placed his hand on the instrument where Hodge was lying, where there was a red button. Director Todd, will this The other attending doctors hesitated a little and reflexively stopped him. Will there be danger? Hes also human and a qualified police officer. He will not hurt us. Doctor Todd shook his head seriously, then turned to look at Hodge. Im going to release you now, Hodge. With that, before Hodge could speak, Doctor Todd pressed the button directly. Click, hiss ! With the sound of something being unlocked and even a sound of a valve releasing air, Hodge saw only two rows of probes between his ribs being automatically pulled out and his body suddenly loosened! In the next second, Hodge moved quickly and sat up from the instrument! Suddenly, except for Doctor Todd and a few doctors in front of him, everyone in the entire laboratory subconsciously took two or three steps back and their gazes toward Hodge were full of vigilance. It was not like they were looking at a human being, but some other species Seeing this scene, Hodge lowered his head dazedly and looked at his body slowly, but realized that he was wrapped in a layer of black armor from head to toe. Not only that but as he stretched out his hand and curiously touched his body, he also had a strange tactile sensation. This sense of touch was slower than his original body, but it was unexpectedly acute in the details. What is this Hodge slowly raised his head, looked at Doctor Todd, and asked in a low voice, You placed a suit of armor on me? Is this an April Fools Day spoof? A tribute to Iron Man? Or Cyborg? None of those. Were saving your life! Doctor Todd spread out his hands with an excited expression. You were in a car accident and almost died from a serious injury, but our Blacklight Biotechnology saved you and helped you survive the almost fatal injury, you know? Hearing Doctor Todds explanation, Hodge fell silent. The chaos in his brain had gradually become clear from the beginning. It was only now that he slowly remembered that he seemed to have been driving a police car to chase a few murderers, but because he was hit by the opponents car, his vehicle flipped over on the highway As for what happened next, his memory was blank as if someone had deleted his memory The only thing that remained indelible in his mind was the pungent burning smell and the dense smoke that filled his eyes Agh Hodge suddenly let out a scream as if touching something deep in his soul. He slumped to the ground while covering his head and convulsed uncontrollably. Director, the patients blood pressure is starting to rise again! His EEG has entered the peak stage and is still going up! We cant control him! Inject a tranquilizer! Seeing this, Doctor Todd finally stopped hesitating and gave the order to inject a tranquilizer. In the next second, under Hodges armor layer, an unseen needle swiftly popped out and pierced Hodges body directly At this point, Hodge gradually calmed down and fell asleep again. At once, Hodges body moved on its own. He climbed back to the special instrument that looked like a bed and slotted his own frame neatly into the groove under him. Seeing this scene, Doctor Todd could not help sighing and then said with satisfaction, At present, the patients physiological indicators are all standard. Theres also no problem with the XTN-118 police bionic armor. Next, well wait for him to wake up. After hes calmed down, lets take the measurements again. When everyone heard these words, they all cheered. The result of three months worth of work was ultimately not in vain. Chapter 458 - Awakening and Promises Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation After an indiscernible amount of time had passed, Hodge slowly opened his eyes again and came to accept reality. He was familiar with the reputable name of Blacklight Biotechnology, as well as the existence of Project Xingtian. It was the bionic prosthetics project launched by Blacklight Biotechnology last year. The rest of the puzzle was easy to piece together something must have happened to him during the previous pursuit that brought him to where he was now. This should also suggest that something horrible must have happened to his body What was in front of him was still the speckless, enchantingly white laboratory. The laboratory was so bright that it could easily cause someone a headache just by gazing at the lights. However, his eyes were not even remotely strained by this even when he stared directly into the light source. The patient is awake. Before he could fully comprehend his situation, he heard a feminine voice coming from beside him. When he attempted to turn in that direction, he realized that his body refused to budge at all. Hodge. There was another familiar voice. Doctor Todd appeared in his field of vision soon after that, the doctor looked down at him and asked earnestly, Did you sleep well? Tell me, what happened to my body? Hodge gulped and asked with a deep grumble, Why cant I move and why am I wearing this blasted thing. What exactly happened to my body? Doctor Todd remained silent for a moment as he inspected Hodges data readings. He finally answered, Sooner or later, youll have to face reality. If you can promise me that youll remain calm, Ill let you take a look. That should make everything clear to you immediately Are you sure you want that though? Yes, Im absolutely certain! Hodge responded, making a poor attempt at keeping himself composed, Tell me everything. Doctor Todd did not provide any further response. He only contemplated silently for another moment before turning to the assistant. Get ready to disassemble the XTN-118 police bionic armor. As the doctor said this, he suddenly waved his hand and summoned a body-length virtual screen in front of Hodge. Hodge immediately got a clear view of his body without having to sit up himself. It was then when Hodge finally got a clear picture of his body for the first time. He saw himself wrapped in a layer of pure black armor. Even his fingers were sealed tightly inside this armor. Its design structure was immaculate and ergonomic, all in a streamlined pattern. It was an apt depiction of a set of high culture art known as violence in art, all so vicious and intimidating. As a finish, thin fluorescent strips of red and blue were etched along the surface of the armor. This was the globally recognized standard police color code. Hodge was certain that his body had never been this refined, but this body he was looking at had to measure at least more than 190 centimeters tall. His arms and legs were long and slender, meeting the standards of what was known as the golden ratio for the human body. The muscular structure of his body was perfectly ideal. His shoulders were perfectly angular, the shape of his muscle was immaculate as well. This armor appears to be much taller than my usual height Hodge chuckled. He felt like he was losing grip on reality. Thats not surprising, considering this isnt your original body at all. Doctor Todd looked at him and noted profoundly. Hodge had trouble grasping the doctors meaning. Before he could follow up with another question, several robotic arms suddenly appeared from the ground below him. These robotic arms were extremely efficient workers that dismantled his body in one swift sequence. They started with his legs, then his arms, finally they removed a portion of the lower half of his body. Hodge was starting to lose his breath when he saw what was before him. His eyes became widened as he stared at the display in disbelief and muttered, Oh my God, this cant be real! Im sorry, this is reality. Doctor Todd expressed regretfully, You may have experienced partial memory loss as a result of the traumatic stress. You were in a car accident that scalded all hundred percent of your body to a point where your limbs were charred into charcoal. The local hospital had to resort to complete amputation to save your life. Every part of your body ranging from your eyes, nose, mouth, and even skin have been restored by us after an extended period of therapy. All this while, Hodge had been staring at his body. He instinctively darted his eyes to look at his face when he heard the doctors statement. He was completely baffled when he saw that his appearance was unrecognizable now. His head had gone bald and his facial features barely resembled what he had in the past. It was a stranger in front of him No, crap, crap crap! Hodge murmured with his lips trembling. The process was not completed just yet. After his limbs were taken off, the mechanical arms started to move upward and removed the breastplate from Hodge at lightning speed. After the plating around his chest and stomach was removed, he finally saw everything revealed Hodge was at a loss for words upon seeing the wrinkled monster on the display that resembled a branch. We transplanted bionic lungs, implanted bionic tubes, and bionic eyeballs into you. We also further conducted anal reconstruction surgery on you. Unfortunately, theres nothing we can do to replicate your reproductive organs Doctor Todd sighed. I know this is hard to accept, but You have to face reality. Hodge slowly shut his eyes and clenched his jaw. He could not bear the sight any longer. Upon noting this, Doctor Todd proceeded to take away the virtual display while informing, Youll have time to rest for now. Well be providing food for you later to allow your gastrointestinal function to recover gradually. After all, youve been in a coma for three months. After that, well need your cooperation for a string of data tabulation tests. If the results are optimistic, you can return to your post in the department, perhaps to your previous life even Please just let me die While Doctor Todd was charting out the upcoming plans he had for Hodge, Hodge suddenly murmured. Doctor Todd immediately paused and shook his head, his expression turning dark as he did so. Listen up, kid. I get that youre going through a tough time now but believe me, Blacklight Biotechnology can bring you back to form, do you believe me? Blacklight Biotechnology has delivered plenty more incredible miracles such as restoring a persons youth using stem cells. Its already happened to me. Believe it or not, Im already seventy-three years old. Perhaps in the near future, stem cells can be used to develop independent organs such as a hand, a leg, perhaps even Doctor Todd stopped briefly before continuing. In your case, you might need to wait five to ten years, maybe even longer than that. However, I need you to understand that the average life expectancy of humans will increase with the widespread use of life extension treatment and therapies. Theres an ongoing global push for such procedures already, even more so in developed countries. Each one of them eagerly wishes to promote the standardization of Age-reversal Treatment in their nations to alleviate the effects of aging that looms over mankind What Im saying is that the day will come for you as well, even if it takes one or two decades for that to happen. The lifespan of humans will increase dramatically over the years and were talking about preserving the vibrant youthfulness of the human lifespan instead of only prolonging the period of old age! Trust me, the day will come upon us eventually. When that happens, the latest biotechnology treatment will help you regain your limbs, perhaps even your reproductive organs! Hodge opened his eyes again upon hearing the affirmation of Doctor Todd. He seemed to be convinced. His eyes brimmed with eagerness as he turned to Todd. Is everything you said true? Of course it is, bionic prosthetics are just here to serve as a buffer. No matter how excellent they may be, they will never be a permanent substitute for the human body. The technology will gradually trend toward organic organs. Doctor Todd said encouragingly, You have my guarantee that Blacklight Biotechnology is continuously working toward developing stem cells into complete and functional organs. The completion is in sight This seemed to have ignited the will to live in Hodge. He responded with a firm nod as if making a promise with Doctor Todd. Let me have one more look Alright. Doctor Todd answered as the virtual display appeared in front of Hodge again. In the display, he saw himself lying on top of a device that resembled a bed. He saw several wires hooked to a section right behind his head. Those are nerve conduction wires. Doctor Todd immediately sensed what Hodge was thinking and proceeded to explain, It goes directly into your cerebral cortex to read your nerve signals, which are then transmitted to your limbs for further actions. It acts as a replacement for your spine to enable you to function. Wasnt there some sort of VR brain manipulation technology that emerged only a few months ago? Something that can directly receive brain signals. Hodge asked. Thats an external brain-computer interface, a tiny amount of delay is still to be expected. Doctor Todd smiled gently. It may suffice for playing video games, but not for actual combat. Think of it as the subtle difference between a wireless mouse and a wired mouse. Besides, a wired mouse is more resistant to signal interference than an unwired mouse. Rest easy, were not trying to do anything suspicious to your brain. Hodge decided that there was no need to further question it. With that, Doctor Todd gave another signal. Within moments, the pieces of armor plates were thrown back onto Hodge like pieces of building blocks, returning Hodge to his previous armored form. Its about time I let you try out your new body for yourself. Doctor Todd clicked a button as he said this. In an instant, Hodge felt a strange sensation like he had regained control over his body. He proceeded to get out. The gears inside his body wound up and moved as he intended them to. Hodge lifted his arms slowly and looked at his hands, then he started to graze his fingers against various surfaces. The touch of various textures was transmitted into his mind accordingly. This XTN-118 police bionic armor youre using is built with carbon-fiber ceramic composite which can resist the brunt force of a rifle fired within ten meters. Its superior impact resistance can protect your body and internal organs from the impact of bullets. Doctor Todd stepped in front of Hodge to fawn at the engineering and scientific marvel. You can even jump from a height of more than ten meters without sustaining any damage. The auxiliary system built in the armor also automatically adjusts the center of gravity while mid-air to protect you from landing your head against the ground. This sense of touch Hodge studied his fingers. Its amazing. Ah, youre referring to that. Doctor Todd explained, We implemented nano-bionic neuron technology to allow sensory functions such as pressure and touch, just like regular human skin. If your armor is damaged, you can also detect pain in the corresponding part. This way, you have a better way to assess the proper level of threat. What about these things in my field of vision? When Hodge looked at Doctor Todd, columns of data appeared as an overlay detailing information such as the doctors height, weight, heartbeat, blood pressure, temperature, and whatnot. Those are the features of the bionic eye weve implanted. Doctor Todd responded, Theres a built-in combat system which provides a range of data including analysis of weapons, assessment of threats, and more. There are also basic camera features and video playback functions. Youll get a sense of how useful all of this is when you head out on the field to catch criminals. Hodge bobbed his head at this exciting prospect before he pushed himself up from the bed to stand on his feet. Careful, it may be a little uncomfortable walking for the first time. Doctor Todd took several paces backward as he watched Hodge rising on his feet like a toddler before he took his first proper step. One step, two steps, three steps. After taking several steps, Hodge seemed to have gotten the hang of it. Perfect, it looks like this body is made for you. Doctor Todd continued to encourage. Its perfect. Hodge continued to walk as he tried to adjust his surroundings. The first thing he noticed was how significantly taller he was compared to his previous self when inside the armor. Previously, he was 180 centimeters tall but now he was a whopping 195 centimeters. When he came in front of a mirror, he noticed how delicate the structure of the armor was. When Doctor Todd saw Hodge checking the armor out, he sighed and shook his head. He did not plan to reveal to Hodge that the reason behind the armors exquisite design was to serve as a promotional tool of such machinations to the outside world. This meant that more than anything else, Hodge was merely a promotional tool for them. In terms of true combat prowess, his armor could hardly compare to an ordinary XTN-003 military-use robot despite its manufacturing cost totaling up to more than ten times above it. It was then when the doorbell of the laboratory suddenly rang. Doctor Todd turned to the surveillance monitor by the door and saw two other robocops that looked like Hodge standing outside the door. One of them was a black man named Blake. He entered holding a tray of cream cake. Chapter 459 - Fervent Discussion In a remote small district in Africa, four men wearing black stockings and wielding AKM rifles were causing a scene in the citys only bank. Several patrons had their hands on their heads and shrunk themselves into a ball in the corner. Two men were standing by a metal gate that blocked them off from the inner section of the bank. Everybody put your hands in the air right now! Ill put a bullet through your a** if you dont comply! Listen up, open this metal gate right now or else Ill start killing hostages one by one! Clang! Left without a say in the matter, the bank manager had to open the metal gate. Immediately, the metal gate was flung open with a swift kick. One of the men approached the bank manager and swung the back of the gun at the manager to knock him on the ground! The hostages started to cry and wail. Alright, if you want to live, get your a** into the lounge immediately! The other two bank robbers nudged the bank patrons into the lounge using their guns. After locking and chaining up the door to the lounge, they proceeded to get to work immediately. Put the money here inside the bag, hurry up! Are the explosives for the vault ready yet? Fire in the hole! Boom! A deafening explosion sent waves of violent tremor across the entire bank. The door of the vault was blown wide open The alarms sounded off the moment the explosives were detonated. Apart from one of the robbers who was charged with standing guard by the entrance, the remaining three charged inside the vault. When they emerged again after several minutes, they had crisp stacks of dollar bills stuffed into their bags. Go, lets go! The three of them did not spare so much as a single moment and proceeded to sprint out the building with their accomplice standing guard by the entrance. Before they even made it out of the building, they saw several police cars parked by the entrance, cutting off their path to freedom. Crap, how did these cops arrive so quickly! As soon as they saw the police, they took out their guns and unloaded a barrage of bullets that riddled the police cars with bullet holes! As soon as the police officers stepped out of their vehicles, they saw the robbers readying their rifles. The ones who managed to survive were the ones with quick reflexes that immediately darted into the shop lots on the opposite street instead of hiding behind their cars. Meanwhile, two police officers who chose to hide behind the police vehicles were immediately shot dead. Reinforcements! Call for reinforcements! Robbery at a Finroche Bank. Were pinned down by heavy firepower, requesting reinforcements! The police officers hiding inside the shop lots in the opposite street did not dare to even poke their heads out. They shot as much suppressing fire as they could while calling for backup. The two parties were going back and forth in a steady shootout. Meanwhile, the three police vehicles parked by the bank entrance were utterly destroyed. Crap, our car! One of the robbers seemed to have realized something as he quickly turned to look at the side of the bank and saw that the getaway transport they prepared had one of its tires unintentionally shot in the middle of the shootout. The police cars parked out front were no use as well. There was no way they could worm their way out of this. Listen up, we have six hostages over here. If you dont let us go, well kill all of them right this instant! Sensing that the situation had gone awry, one of the robbers forced one of the hostages out of the lounge and presented the hostage in front of the police with his gun drawn to the hostages head. Let us go right now! However, what they got instead was not any degree of cooperation, but more police cars rushing in from all directions. By this point, the bank was surrounded by the police. A lengthy standoff between the robbers and police would soon follow after. The sheriff who was at the scene was in constant communication with his superior at the moment. Weve surrounded the robbers. The problem is they have hostages so we cannot afford to act rashly! Yes, Im holding them off for now What, BHB combative police force? Understood, well hold them off until the combative police force arrives! The sheriff ended the call and proceeded to get behind the set-up bunker and announced with a megaphone, Listen, release the hostages immediately and put down your weapons. The Namibian police will not yield. Release the hostages right this instant! Crap! Boss, theyre not buying it! The four robbers trapped in the bank were panicking like ants on a hot griddle. Among them, the robber who had a gun pointed to a hostages head shouted into the bank, They dont care about the safety of the hostages! Thats impossible! Tell them well give them ten more minutes and if they dont evacuate from this street in ten minutes, Ill execute this hostage right in front of them! The largest member among the robbers cried out, By the ten-minute mark, I want you to kill the hostage, see if they still dont back down! The robber in charge of the negotiation proceeded to relay the message issued to him by his leader. The sheriff was stunned by this threat. He announced again after contemplating briefly, We understand, give us twenty minutes to evaluate our decision. Dont hurt any of the hostages in this period! If you do, well storm in the bank! No, ten minutes I said! The robber in charge of the negotiations frowned upon hearing this. He knew that dragging it out any longer would only make things more disadvantageous for them, therefore he insisted on ten minutes. While the two of them were exchanging back and forth from across the street, they suddenly sensed their surroundings turning dark as if something was shielding the sunlight above. At first, the robber out front thought it was just the clouds and paid no mind to it. However, the moment he caught the glimpse of a flash when he looked up to inspect, he was greeted with the sight of a large aircraft the size of a public transport gliding overhead, blocking off the sunlight from their view. Immediately, he spotted several tiny drones flashing past the entrance of the bank. They vanished out of sight the moment he tried to identify them What is that! The robber was stunned by this sudden development. Before he could say anything else, he felt his vision turning blur and then promptly cut short A bullet had punched through the wall behind him and straight through his forehead Nola! The pack of robbers inside the bank was shocked by this sudden turn of events as they started to reach for their guns when he saw this. In a split instant, the wall beside them burst into smithereens. A large, tall person donned in all-black armor had burst through the wall beside them and before any of them could react, the titan had grabbed two of the robbers by their shoulders! Within seconds, the two robbers jolted violently all over as electricity coursed through their entire body! When he saw that all three of his accomplices were taken out, the final robber who was the leader took off and ran. Before he even took two steps, yet another armored titan burst through the ceiling in front of him and landed with both feet planted on the ground. Die! The desperate robber lifted his rifle and unloaded into the armored titan blocking his path! Da da da da da. The series of violent gunshots only created tiny balls of sparks on the surface of the armor. Even 7.62 bullets with measured kinetic energy of more than 2000J could not penetrate the armor! Clack! A sudden click cut short the volatile burst of the rattling rifle. The robber realized that he had emptied his magazine and along with it, realized that all hope was lost At that point, the mask of the armored titan in front of him was unveiled automatically to reveal the chiseled face of a stoic man. Boswell, in accordance with Article 370, Article 5 of the Namibian Criminal Law, youre accused of violent robbery, dangerous crimes, threatening public safety, and possession of illegal automatic weapons. Youll now be arrested along with your accomplice. You have the right to remain silent. Everything you say may be used against you as evidence in court! The man spoke with great authority as he grabbed the arms of the robber and immediately latched cold handcuffs on his hands. Without any hostage casualties, the violent robbery had come to a close The next scene was framed to be remembered forever. The picture of three armored titans posing in front of the camera The three of them stood in formation in front of the wrecked bank entrance. Meanwhile, broken shards of glass and police cars riddled with holes framed the background behind them. The three armored titans lifted off their helmets to reveal three heroic faces. They looked straight into the camera as if directly addressing their viewers. A burst of solemn and heavy orchestral background music played to complement the framed piece! Below the three men were a string of letters that read BHB along with a logo. Another italicized sentence was written below in smaller font All recorded footage scenes are real and recorded with drones. Please do not reenact the events depicted. Next, the image transitioned into a close-up of the three men. The first one was the man with a chiseled face that made him look like a roman sculpture. He slowly turned to look at the camera with a somber expression. BHB never asks how many criminals there are, only where the criminals are! The next one was a bald black man. He looked into the camera and proclaimed in fluent English, Striving to race against time, for every second wasted could mean the loss of another innocent civilian! The last one was a teenager who looked the most child-like of the bunch. The teenager tipped his head confidently and announced solemnly, Committed to combating all forms of injustice. Justice may be late, but it is never absent! Courage! Honor! Sacrifice! The three of them spoke in unison, each pronouncing their unique tagline. After that, the three of them stretched their mechanical arms outward and stacked them on top of each others palms while proclaiming at the top of their voice, We are the BHB combative police force! Meanwhile, the background music had reached its climax. Yes! Theyre so cool! The BHB combative police force are like my idols! Somewhere in Northern America, a young boy just entering his teenage years cheered excitedly in front of the television, Dad, Dad! When I grow up I want to join the BHB combative police force and become a superhero! In another city in Northern America, several teenagers were sharing bottles of cola while also cheering in front of the television. They made exaggerated poses, one of them spat his tongue out while making Brookes symbolistic pose. D*mn, Brooke is so cool! Hodge is cool too, isnt he? The youngest teenager among the bunch chimed in as well, Hes the youngest of their trio but is the strongest one of them all! What are you talking about, Brooke is obviously the strongest one alright? While the two argued back and forth, the black teenager chipped in with his take as well, Blake represents us black people. Hes the most agile of them all and boasts the highest number of arrests! Nonsense, Hodge is superior! Shut up, its Brooke! The phrase BHB dominated the Internet as well. The video had only been uploaded on YouTube for a day before hitting 500 million clicks. Some of the most common questions asked in the comment sections below the video were [What is this video? Is this some kind of promotional clip? Whats BHB, how come Ive been seeing it everywhere the last few days?] There were around 50,000 likes and more than 30,000 replies to one of the comments. The reply with the highest amount of like went like this: [BHB is a public welfare activity organization that is a subsidy of Blacklight Biotechnologys Project Xingtian. Project Xingtian refits a group of disabled police officers into super-soldiers using mechanical armor, all for free. Their agenda is to purge criminals from society and BHB is the name of the three members abbreviated, which are Brook, Hodge, and Blake.] Many people added their piece under this comment. [Thats right. Dont be fooled by their current powerful appearance, they all once came from horrible backgrounds and lived pitiful lives] [Do you have to use the phrase Pitiful? BHB doesnt need anyone to pity them, they are superheroes fighting against crime!] [I second this notion, our Blake doesnt need anybodys pity. Hes a true warrior!] Naturally, if there were supporters, there were people against them as well. [What hero, what ultimate soldiers? Theyre no longer humans but robots instead! We humans should be cautious of them and Blacklight Biotechnology. They will try to destroy everything we humans have built!] Chapter 460 - Austin Alright, thanks for the hard work of our three BHB combative force officers. Leave it to us to handle the rest. With one robber dead and the remaining three apprehended, the bank robbery incident had come to a close. The three BHB officers in their all-black armor walked away from the recording cameras. Meanwhile, the police sheriff stepped forward and shook the hands of each BHB officer. You guys are the pride of Namibia. You flatter us, Sheriff Elson, were just fulfilling our duties. Brooke, who was the leader among the trio, answered and smiled politely in response. The sheriff always felt a strange air around the handsome man that was built like a sculpture, like there was something ominous veiled underneath this gentle smile. The sheriff could not resist a shudder when he stood in front of the non-humanoid officers. He proceeded to give them another affirmative nod before returning to his post. It was around this point when the sound of helicopter blades beating against the air started approaching. The officers at the scene looked above them to see a large transport helicopter that could carry more than ten people that proceeded to land on a plotted land nearby. Upon landing, a red-headed, smoking hot lady in an office suit stomped out of the helicopter in high heels. Oh Looks like our lord princess isnt in a good mood today Seeing this, Blake immediately took a half step back and shrugged a little, playing the fool. Hodge tried to feign innocence as well. He coughed and made a poor attempt of sliding to the side. Hodge, Blake! Both of you stop right there! Before the two could slip away, the lady barreled toward them in high heels, her presence commanding the two men to halt. At last, the lady had come in front of the trio. Even with high heels on, the lady was only hovering around 180 centimeters, nearly twenty centimeters shorter than the three of them who averaged around 195 centimeters tall. Despite that, her commanding presence seemed to tower over them. As she stared down the three of them, Hodge and Blake both promptly lowered their heads to hide from the medusas gaze. Among the three, it was only Brooke who dared to stare blankly into her eyes. Austin, do you have any problems with todays operation? After glaring at each other for several seconds, Brooke was the first one to break the silence. Do I have any problems with the operation? The lady immediately frowned and flung her hair to the side before unleashing on Brooke. Brooke, what did we tell you during the training camp? The most simple rule of them all is to keep the suspects alive at all cost. Why did you kill the suspect? Did you know that thanks to you guys killing two suspects during the operation two days ago, public opinions of the task force has been trending negatively already! Its not entirely the captains fault. Hodge quickly defended the captain, Miss Austin, the suspects have already taken hostages at the time. If we dont take one of them out immediately, the hostages are very likely to be harmed. This is why the captain decided that the most optimal approach is to take one of them out straight away. The reception will be even worse than what we have now if any of the hostages are harmed! Couldnt you come up with any other methods? The lady called Austin was inches away from losing her mind. We at Blacklight Biotechnology have invested hundreds of millions of dollars in this task force. Do you have any idea how much the company loses when you kill suspects? Can you fathom how much public pressure I get as your agent and spokesperson? Then thats Blacklight Biotechnologys problem, Miss Austin. Brooke knitted his brows together and remarked coldly, Were the Namibian police merely coordinating with Blacklight Biotechnology. Whatever losses Blacklight Biotechnology suffers dont have anything to do with us. Captain Hodge hastily held Brooke back. Captain, dont be so harsh now, dont forget Blacklight Biotechnology are the ones who saved our lives Hmmph! Brooke only scoffed and proceeded to step past the lady and headed for the helicopter. Brooke! The lady snapped at Brooke. She was so furious that her chest was puffing up and down repeatedly. Her anger appeared even more emphasized when coupled with her blazing red hair. Hey Austin, youd better not argue with the captain. You of all people should know what hes like. A mechanical arm squeezed her shoulder from behind in an attempt to appease her anger. It was promptly followed by Blakes soft voice. Austin, I like how you look when youre angry Blake, you better move your filthy hands if you dont want me to tweak your sexual functionalities presets for the next month! Blake immediately retracted his hand as if he was electrocuted while he cried out, Ahh!!! I think I forgot something, see you in a bit! With that, he ran off toward the helicopter and acted as if he had received a great scare. The only ones left were the red-haired lady and Hodge. Hodge, youre the most honest one of the bunch so tell me, did you fire the armor-piercing round on your own accord or was it Brooke who gave the order? Austin turned to Hodge and asked pointedly. Of course Hodge became slightly troubled and answered while scratching his head, It was my decision, Im sorry Miss Austin Really? Austin questioned again. You can take a look at our uploaded footage if you dont believe me. Hodge said, Theres no other way around it. This is all we can do to minimize the damage caused. Alright, Ill trust your judgment this one time. Austin nodded and said with a shrug of her shoulders, Alright, lets get back to the helicopter. Hopefully, after the footage is uploaded, people will give us the benefit of the doubt. If not, then Ill have to say goodbye to this months bonus Miss Austin, be careful of the rubble Hodge held back a relieved sigh and escorted the lady to the helicopter. By the time the helicopter returned to Eco Science City, there was an assembly of reporters gathered below them who swarmed toward the aircraft before it could even land. They pushed against each other, throwing profanities at each other as they crowded around the helipad. Mr. Brooke, do you have anything to say about your killing of the two suspects last time? Do you feel guilty? Mr. Blake, what are your opinions regarding the international debates revolving around you? Mr. Hodge, Officer Hodge. Would you deem this operation as a success or a failure? Unsurprisingly, the three officers did not need the help of the security forces to pave through the crowd of reporters thanks to their superhuman strength. Upon realizing that they were not going to get anything out of the three officers, the reporters deflected to Austin who remained inside the helicopter. Miss Austin, as the agent of BHB, is there anything you can tell us about todays operation? Were there any casualties in todays operation and will the footage be uploaded for the masses? Miss Austin, do you think The ramblings of the reporters echoed in her ears like buzzing flies. However, Austins expression was a sharp contrast from what she looked like when addressing the officers. She kept a vibrant smile on her face while doing her best to appease the mob. Ladies and gentlemen, dear reporters! This operation was executed perfectly, I cannot reveal any details but if youre interested, feel free to log on to the Blacklight Biotechnology official website or the BHB YouTube channel. Well upload the footage for todays operation as soon as possible! This made the mob of reporters even more excited. Before they could follow up with more questions, a large crew of security pushed them to the side for Austin to exit the scene During all this ruckus outside, the three officers had arrived in the recording room. Following usual protocols, they watched the editor replaying the footage from the operation while the surrounding staff collected their opinions and thought process regarding their actions at the time by asking a range of questions. This would also be edited into a question and answer segment included in the final sections of the video. It took another three hours before the final post-production was concluded. The process ended amid Blakes frustrated protests. The operations themselves arent the problem. The problem is that we always have to go through these mindless procedures after each operation. I feel like this is more work than the operation Blake thumped his back and complained while the three of them were on their way to the canteen, D*mn, my granite panther armor still needs some additional adjustments. The center of gravity of the armor seems to be slanted forward, feels like my kidneys are about to be crushed Upon arriving at the canteen, Brooke ordered several slices of steak, looking stoic as usual before heading toward a corner by himself and proceeded to devour his meal. This was the canteen of the biological research center. Although the three of them were police and were not technically employed under Blacklight Biotechnology, they still had to live here since the proper facilities and technology to repair their equipment was located here. The trio would be shipped off with drones capable of flying beyond the speed of sound whenever large-scale criminal activities such as bank robbery occurred in the region of Namibia. This drone model was controlled by a computer and could fly at low altitudes but could not take off or land vertically. Passengers who intended to exit the aircraft would have to jump off the drone on their own, which meant only the robocops of the BHB combative police force were fit for these aircraft to arrive at their destination in the shortest time possible. A black girl who looked somewhere around seventeen or eighteen years old in a nurse uniform suddenly ran over. She produced a slip of paper and a pen and shyly handed it to Brooke. Mr. Brooke, I, Im your biggest fan, can you please sign this for me? Brooke slightly glanced at the paper. Without cameras nearby, he did not have to put on the front of the righteous officer preaching justice. He took the pen and paper and proceeded to tear the paper into pieces while the little fan was still looking at him enthusiastically. The girl was stunned by this response. She stared at Brooke in a state of daze, her feet still planted to the ground. Hehehe! Blake quickly stepped forward and took the girl to the side while he comforted her softly, That guys always been like this, dont think too much of it. If you dont mind, I can sign it for you, is that alright? No, thank you The girl pushed Blakes hands away before running off in tears. Hodge shook his head upon witnessing this scene. He set his tray beside Blake and sat down. Blake, maybe youll have fans asking you for signatures if youre anywhere near as handsome as the captain. Nonsense, theres a long queue of people wanting my signatures! Blake took his phone out and went to Twitter to show off hundreds of direct messages. Look, there are so many people texting me, you think I have any shortages of fangirls? I even have a publicized username Granite Panther! Thats my name! Miss Austin wont have it if she finds out about you publishing tweets like this. Hodge advised sincerely, Besides, we have attracted international attention and just as Miss Austin says, we have become superheroes. Im sure youve watched Spiderman before, remember the quote from his uncle with great power Comes great opportunities for pretty chicks! Blake finished the quote triumphantly. Of course Ive seen it, Ive watched all of the superhero films already. The best one of them all is Black Panther led by our fellow black man. His only shortcoming is that he doesnt have a bunch of pretty chicks surrounding him. Thats what I dont understand, why wouldnt he The fact was that apart from the official BHB YouTube channel, each one of them had their respective official Twitter account as well. They were instructed to routinely upload a large variety of short content that ranged from educational legal content to answering fan questions. Hodge was at a loss for words upon hearing the remarks of his colleague. He decided it was not worth his time trying to advise this person and went back to eating his meal. After finishing their meal, Austin appeared before them again and addressed the three of them icily, Get ready, there will be a press conference later regarding todays operation. Ill send the speech outline to your computers. Blake started to complain again when he heard this. He started to cause a commotion and nag about how he was feeling uncomfortable and how his body needed further maintenance. Then he proceeded to lie down on the floor and refused to get up. Upon hearing this, Brooke turned into a frown as well. He looked at the time and remarked coldly, Were off the clock now. Also, its been half a month since I last saw my wife and children. I promised them that Im going to spend the weekend with them. Austin was not having any of it. She stomped in front of Brooke and commanded in an authoritative tone while jabbing a finger in Brookes face, Youll do as I say, fulfill your duties as BHB officers or else! It appeared as if something in Austins tone had set off something inside Brooke. His eyes twitched for a split second and he lost control of his senses. He thrust his arm forward and grabbed Austin by the neck, lifting her in the air! Chapter 461 - Threat This was the first time Brooke acted in such a manner against non-criminal parties. Hodge did not know what to do when he saw Brooke and Austin who were turning on each other. Hodge had always been mild-tempered and innocent by nature. Although his circumstance had left him in a dark place, Blacklight Biotechnology had prepared for this in advance and arranged designated therapists for him. He would undergo psychotherapy two to three times each week on average. Hodge usually came out of the therapy sessions feeling much better mentally. Although he still succumbed to the occasional depressive episode when he thought about the condition of his body, he was gradually finding new hope in this new profession To be a world-famous superhero had been his dream all along. The other officer, Blake, was the most mentally composed of the trio. He never despaired despite having all four limbs severed. These days, it seemed he had dedicated his mind and soul to build a larger fanbase. His psychological evaluation score had always been the highest of the tree. Meanwhile, the captain, Brooke, was the definitive strongest of the trio. Even before he was disabled, he had always been the trump card of the task force since his marksmanship and melee combat skills were far higher than average. He was also known for handling cases meticulously. However, the two years following the accident that left him disabled had been miserable for him. The episode brought him huge psychological trauma and twisted his personality completely. Meanwhile, while they were all at a loss of how to react to what was happening, everything that happened was taped from the recording device installed in their armor and relayed to the BHB command center. The BHB command center was a branch under the newly established BHB department of Blacklight Technology. As the name suggested, it was the logistics department of the three BHB members. They essentially functioned as a publicity department with an integrated logistics and operation chain. Their purpose was to craft a positive international reputation for the BHB Combative Police. At the moment, a deafening alarm was sounding off in the command center. One of the officers cried out, This is terrible, Mr. Brookes physiological state is highly volatile at the moment, hes furious! What happened? He attacked Miss Austin! Hurry up and get the manager and the supervisor! Within two to three minutes, three department executives arrived at the command center. By then, Brooke had walked away from Austin. What happened? A middle-aged Chinese man asked with a stern frown. Brooke attacked Miss Austin just now. The situation was dire but now it seems everything is fine. One of the inspectors replayed the recorded footage and noted. We were going to toggle the emergency shutoff for Brookes bionic armor, but then he let go of Miss Austin on his own so we didnt have to resort to that option. The executives looked at the replayed footage. When they saw Brooke lifting Austin in the air with one arm, their expressions immediately turned dark. If Brooke had the audacity to treat Austin who represented Blacklight Biotechnology, that meant he would do the same to any others. Brookes mental state is extremely questionable. The Chinese man frowned as he remarked, Ive gone through his data. Out of four psychological assessments, he failed there of them. It seems to me that he only managed to pass his latest assessment by examining the psychologists routine and navigate around them. After all, he has always had sharp intuition and sense for these matters. Realistically, he shouldnt have been inducted into the BHB combative police force so soon. Theres no way around it, President Qian didnt give us much time. Another bald executive mentioned, Besides, wasnt it you who mentioned that it was not a big issue? Youre the department advisor. Without your signature, he wouldnt have been inducted into BHB so soon after only undergoing several assessments. Hmmph! So what now? The Chinese man scoffed discontentedly. Hes very mentally unstable and refuses to obey our management, this puts a lot of pressure on us. If word of this gets out, President Qian will feel that were incompetent and if things go south, we might be relegated to our original department. This incident may be significant, but at the same time, its not a major issue. The third man among the group suddenly spoke, First of all, its Austins fault for offending the BHB officer. Meanwhile, Brookes action of assaulting her must not be tolerated as well, but that doesnt mean we should make a public display of punishing him. We can talk with him to make him understand that we hold control over his life and threaten him that way, make him understand whos in charge! I suppose that will have to do. The Chinese man contemplated for a moment before agreeing. We climbed up the corporate ladder with great difficulty to finally become department managers and supervisors. Although this BHB department is newly established, there are great expectations from above that need to be met. We mustnt let our progress be stained by something like this. Yes, well make him understand the fault of his ways Brooke glanced at Austin who was lying passed out on the ground. He felt relieved at having the opportunity to vent his anger. He proceeded to sneer and turn around, and walk down the other end of the hallway, completely ignoring Hodge who was calling after him. After he took the elevator to the underground parking lot and was just about to drive home, the communication device built into his armor suddenly started to ring. The caller was none other than the department executive of BHB Liu Zhijian. D*mn it! Brooke was enraged when he realized his leisure time was about to be interrupted again. He smashed against the wall with all his might. The staggering impact created a large hole where his fist landed, pieces of debris scattered everywhere along with a cloud of dust! With just one punch, the load-bearing wall was punched through by Brooke, revealing the layer of deformed steel bars underneath. After unleashing his built-up anger and frustration this way, Brooke finally answered the call. He heard a grave voice coming from the other end. Brooke, come to my office immediately. Alright, Ill be right there! Brooke did his best to suppress his anger and proceeded to return to the elevator. Five minutes later, Brooke came before the door leading to the department executives office. Just as he was about to knock, he heard a voice coming from inside. Door isnt locked, come right in. Brooke swiftly pushed open the door and saw a Chinese man sitting behind a large and classy desk. The man stared at him without any notable expression. This Chinese man looked somewhere in his mid-thirties. He was slightly plump and had a mostly flat face, topped off with a mildly receding hairline. His complexion was ruddy and pink, which was probably a result of proper and routine skincare. Brooke asked unenthusiastically when he saw this man who was shaped like a hound in front of him, Manager Liu, you were looking for me? Come, please sit. The man addressed as Manager Liu pointed at a chair opposite his table while he held a button on his table and instructed, Little Zhou, please bring us tea. Thats enough. Brooke motioned and claimed harshly, Get straight to the point, I dont plan to waste too much time here because I need to head back to my family. Manager Liu did not seem to be too bothered by this and proceeded to tell him, In that case, Ill get straight to it. With that, he took a heavy booklet of agreement from his drawer and set it on the table and got very serious as he said, Mr. Brooke, I know that you belong to the Namibian police department. Still, please dont forget that youre also employed under Blacklight Biotechnology by definition. This contract that you signed states that youre obliged to complete the tasks that Blacklight Biotechnology assigns you. I know. Brooke only glanced briefly at the contract on the table. The contract clauses began to appear automatically in the form of an overlay in his vision. After looking at the contract clauses, Brooke continued: I took a look at Namibian laws during this period and found that some of the treaties in this contract dont comply with the Namibian Labor Law. This includes the contract condition that states we have to be on standby for all twenty-four hours each day. The labor law clearly states that apart from a handful of vital departments of the country as an exception, private companies arent allowed to cut into the leisure time of their public employees. Strictly speaking, it shouldnt be legal for my working hours to exceed twelve hours, but Ive already been on standby in the company for more than seventy-two hours by now. Brooke rapidly scanned through the contract clauses gliding past his vision and went on. Also, there are certain clauses that severely violate Namibian laws and even Namibias Constitution to a certain extent. For example, Article 26, Article 45, Article 13, Article 57, Article 8 Liu Zhijians expression grew darker with each word uttered by the officer. He asked in near disbelief, Youre crazy, do you have any idea what crazy tales youre spouting? Are you planning to breach the contract? Of course not. Brooke shook his head. Blacklight Biotechnology granted me a chance at a new life, I wouldnt repay the companys kindness by turning my back against them. Still, from what Im gathering based on this contract, it seems that every inch of my body is rendered as a property of Blacklight Biotechnology. It ranges from my name, appearance, catchphrase If these contract details were to be publicized, I believe the reputation of the company would take a hit as well. Id appreciate it if I can rectify certain conditions stated in the contract. Apart from that Brooke continued pushing his argument. Our BHB Combative Police Force acts as the core of the police department, but our compensations and salary are measly when compared to the investment of more than a billion dollars in the entire department. Id like to push for shared dividends of the departments funds. This way, we may have more reasons to be more committed to our work and strive to achieve a higher standard. I hope that Manager Liu will think about the points Ive raised Upon hearing this string of requests, Liu Zhijian looked at Brooke as if he was a lunatic. The contract the three of you signed are standard contracts. If your contract has to be altered, doesnt that mean everyone else has reason to alter their contracts as well? Its ridiculous to even propose something like this. As for the shared dividends, dont even think about it. Even I dont have a say in the project dividends! In this case, theres nothing more to say. Brooke appeared standoffish as he said this, The nature of the relationship between Blacklight Biotechnology and myself is a cooperative one, Im not an employee of Blacklight Biotechnology. From now on, Ill work here the same way as I did in the police station, which means Ill have the standard time off and will not be responsible for any further tasks assigned to me after Im off work. Even when it comes to fighting against crimes, Ill only follow through with the plans I draw up myself instead of following the orders of Blacklight Biotechnology. So, youre insisting on breaching the contract? Liu Zhijian looked at the officer like he was a brazen fool. There was even a hint of pity in his eyes because he realized that Brooke had been bedridden the last two years and due to the depressing financial state of his family, he must have been out of touch with the real world all this time. There was a chance that this man barely understood what the phrase Blacklight Biotechnology implied. However, Liu Zhijian would not state this claim out loud, he only remarked stubbornly, Mr, Brooke, if you intend to follow through with this, the company will hold you responsible for your actions and demand that you return the bionic armor! Brooke squinted the moment he heard this. He shot up from his chair and started to draw closer to the manager. Are you threatening me? Liu Zhijian was initially shocked by how the officer reacted. He still remembered what happened to Austin previously. However, he became resolute when his eyes darted to a bright red emergency button covered under a transparent lid on the table. He immediately declared: Mr. Brooke, this isnt a threat but a piece of advice! Im sure you wouldnt want to return to your previous bedridden state and live your life like that, no? Im sure you have the right to take back the bionic armor. Brooke nodded, then he continued with raising another point. But if it gets to that point, that means the BHB Combative Police Force is corrupted and the hundreds of millions of dollars invested by Blacklight Biotechnology to strengthen its public image becomes entirely wasted. Im sure even Manager Liu wouldve trouble holding onto his role in the department when that happens, am I wrong? With that, Brooke turned around and headed toward the exit. Brooke! When he saw that the officer was about to leave, Liu Zhijians heart dropped. It turned out that the reason the other party dared to negotiate terms with him was that he knew that the executive did not want to risk publicizing this matter. He knew that he could not afford to let this person gain the upper hand on him because it would be used as leverage later on. Upon considering this, Liu Zhijian quickly flipped open the transparent lid on his desk and smashed the red button! Clap! There was an urgent blare of an alarm. Immediately after, Brooke felt like he had lost all sensations in his body. He felt his movements being frozen instantaneously as soon as the alarm sounded. After that, he lost his balance and slumped to the ground. Whats going on! A trace of panic started to surface in Brookes eyes when this happened. Why is my body Mr. Brooke, this isnt your body. Liu Zhijian took a deep breath. He got up from his seat and approached Brooke, proceeding to kneel in front of him to look at him. Since youve read the contract, Im sure that youre aware that this armor belongs to the company. Youre just borrowing it for the moment, we have the right to take back the bionic armor at any given moment! Brooke finally descended into a full-blown panic when he heard this. He struggled inside his shell. You cant do this! Its illegal! Screw this! If you think that you can threaten Blacklight Biotechnology with measly hundreds of millions of dollars of investments, youre dead wrong. Liu Zhijian viciously grabbed Brookes face and held a hand over his mouth to stop him from babbling. Youd best not cause any more trouble and continue being a good robocop, its a win-win situation for you and me. Worst case scenario, Ill be fired from this position, but the stakes are different from you because youll lose this body. Youll return to being a bunch of squabbling pigs rolling around in a pool of mud, just as Austin described it! Brooke immediately fell silent upon hearing this and stopped resisting. Do you understand! When Liu Zhijian did not receive a response from Brooke, he gritted his teeth and delivered a swift slap to the crippled Brookes face. I understand! Brooke cried out. Excellent. Liu Zhijian let out a sigh and proceeded to get up and return to his desk to toggle the red button again. Brooke immediately regained control over his body. He quickly pulled himself back on his feet and glared at Liu Zhijian with a glacial expression. Do you have any more questions, Mr. Booke? Liu Zhijian returned the same glare at Brooke. His right palm hovered over the button as sweat trickled down his forehead slowly. Brooke did not say anything else. He only gave Liu Zhijian one last ominous look before turning around to push open the door and leave. After ensuring that Brooke had left by checking the surveillance camera, Liu Zhijian finally wiped the sweat off his forehead and loosened up. I never thought that someone like me who has never been in a fight since I was a kid would threaten someone else with violence It does seem like the pragmatic solutions where I come from wont fly in a place like this Liu Zhijian mustered a strained smile and shook his head as he thought of this before he fell into deep thought again. Chapter 462 - International Star The trio of Brooke, Hodge, and Blake were clad in their intimidating armor in front of the camera. The backdrop that framed the picture was a partly collapsed building. The building used to be a five-stories-tall building. Following a recent explosion, a good half of the rooms on the fourth and fifth floor were blown apart. Additionally, plenty of caved-in holes formed by bullets could be spotted along the exterior walls of the building. The trio withstood the scorching heat of the blazing sun as they each struck their signature pose. Their respective unique logo stitched to their chest was perfectly highlighted with their pose. Brookes logo was a roaring lion that represented courage; Hodges logo represented honor, with a holy sword with vines entangled around it; The only black man among the trio, Blake, had a bauhinia flower badge which represented the values of sacrifice. Shortly after that, the camera panned closer until the image turned into a close-up of each member. First, it was Brookes majestic appearance as he looked into the camera solemnly and declared, Severely cracking down on all forms of crime, committed to upholding the rights and interest of every citizen! Next up, it was Hodge who struck a saluting pose before proclaiming righteously, The honor of the code of law may never be trampled! Finally, there was Blake who slowly turned to face the camera and revealed a row of pearly white teeth. None shall ever commit crimes before the BHB combative police force! Courage! Honor! Sacrifice! The three men cried out their unique tagline in unison as they stacked their hands on top of each others, BHB Combative Police Force, undefeated! The complete BHB logo appeared on the display, signaling the end of the promotional clip. After that, the image was cut to an energetic black man with piercing eyes who was dressed in a suit and standing in the center of a dark stage. He faced the camera and started his introduction. Dear viewers joining us today, what you just saw was a terrorist attack that occurred in Windhoek, Namibia only today. At 8 a.m., the local police received reports saying that someone was setting up a bomb in the building. The police hurried to the scene and surrounded the six criminals in the building. But something nobody foresaw the terrorists possessing heavy weapons, therefore, the police had to evacuate the citizens in the building and enlist the help of the BHB Combative Police Force. The BHB Combative Police Force upheld their reputation as a terrific task force. In just three minutes, they took out all six terrorists and restored peace to the area! Nobody could ever foresee something like this to happen, to think that Africa who was once considered the most underdeveloped region would now step to the forefront The black man giving his speech could not hold back a sigh upon saying this, In 1860, the nation of England took the lead in heading the first industrial revolution of our civilization. During that industrial revolution, humans replaced manual labor with machines, which led to large-scale industrial production. Since then, the overall productivity of our society has skyrocketed! And that industrial revolution was also the dawn of the era of the machine. However, the segment that played a critical role in driving this trend was the period between the second industrial revolution in the second half of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. This period of the industrial revolution was when mankind officially saw the dawn of the electrical age. After that, there was the third industrial revolution. Humans entered the age of artificial intelligence and the development of microelectronics, until today As the black man said this, bright images began to flicker on the display behind him. The display showed black and white old-school industrial machinery, with the silhouette of great scientists such as Edison and Einstein in the backdrop. Then there was a montage that displayed modern electronic technology, blending the technology from different eras together that gave the viewers a feeling like they were traversing through time. The black man strode forward, taking large strides. He came in front of the camera and spread his arms wide open to declare, However, never has there been a moment in all of history when our world is this close to stepping into a futuristic era As you all know, since the launch of the Project Xingtian charted by Blacklight Biotechnology, we humans are taking steady steps towards a brand-new era. This era will be remembered for its futuristic visions, for inspiring hope and peace, you may call it Paradise! Grandiose music started to play in the background. The black man proclaimed in a powerful, energetic tone, The advent of bionic prosthesis has allowed millions of disabled people to regain their quality of life. It effectively removes the need for wheelchairs and frees them from the discriminatory gaze of the public. It helps them regain their confidence and get back up on their feet. Now, bionic prostheses have not only entered our daily lives, but also into the realm of law enforcement agencies. As we all know, working as a police officer is widely considered as one of the most dangerous occupations in the world. Its one of the occupations that leads to the highest rate of incurring permanent disability and in severe cases, death. Despite all this, crime rates remain unchanged in certain regions. Have you ever thought that perhaps if we can strengthen the police force, they will be able to better protect us? As he said this, the image of Brooke, Hodge, and Blake appeared on the screen. The announcer promptly turned around and pointed at the three men on the display. The BHB Combative Police Force is the first special security agency established in Namibia, Africa. It was funded by the world-renowned company Blacklight Biotechnology. These brave officers sacrificed their bodies to return to their posts so that they may continue to serve the public. They were reborn from the ashes like the tale of the phoenix and gained new bodies that can cut through all adversaries lying ahead of them! Like the god of war, Ares, they will pave through evil and lock up all criminals into jail cells where they belong! The announcer suddenly changed the subject when he made this point. Another appeared on the screen behind him again, this time it was a picture of a man with both legs amputated lying in a dark room. Look here, this man here is Mr. Evans Morrison, a police officer in Northern America. He joined the police force in 2015 to become an honorable policeman. He served from 2015 to 2023, arresting 16 prisoners and killing four in his time of service. However, on an unfortunate night in 2023, he was shot in the spine during a chaotic gunfight with a group of robbers. After three days in the ICU, they managed to preserve his life, but he permanently lost the ability to walk in the process And so, he was bedridden until today The announcer paused for a moment to build suspense before continuing. Im sure many of you are wondering if he received the proper compensation and yes, Im here to confirm that he was certainly recompensed properly with a sum of half a million dollars. However, this sum is only going to be enough for his medical fees and is nowhere close to enough to help him retire in his later years. He served the citizens heroically over the years to uphold justice in the nation, only to be rewarded with such a fate. There are countless others like Evans Morrison here who dedicated the best years of their lives for the public, only to end up broken and impoverished, fated to be tied to a bed for the rest of their lives The announcer let the silence linger again before continuing, making sure to emphasize each word he spoke now, Im not merely standing up for them. The point Im trying to make is that while were stressing about problems concerning the efficiency of the police task force and upholding public laws, Africa, which was always regarded as an undeveloped nation, had made rapid advancements ahead of the world. They implemented bionic prosthetics in the public security sector and the results were immediately distinct. The impact of this decision has helped them surpass both the Central Region and Northern America in the public security sector! There are countless heroes out there whose names are completely unknown to the public. They are doomed to lie in lonesome cold rooms and inside low-income households. They cant even buy takeout for themselves. The root of this issue is government incompetence! They should have the right to rise again, to shine their light upon the world, but the incompetent government in various countries have killed them! Then, the music reached a climax before stopping abruptly. The announcer exhaled suddenly before looking into the camera with a hopeful look. Its my wish that in the near future, BHB combative police can extend their reach to every nation in the world and shine their light in every hidden crevice The background music started once again the moment the announcer said this, immediately building up to the point of climax again! Im Wilson Richard, this is the Earth Federations international show Richards World. Thank you for tuning in and well see you again! With that, the lights were shut off. All that was left was the silhouette of the announcer on stage. The display behind showcased rows of acknowledgment. The acknowledgment went out to all the sponsoring companies and corporations. One of them was a special logo that stood out among the bunch. It was a black orb with a yellow ring around it, it seemed like a blackhole Click! As Richards World program commenced, the virtual display in front of Chen Chen shut off on its own. Not bad, it seems that even the international program with the most viewership is starting to favor us as well. After watching the passion-filled show, Chen Chen nodded with great satisfaction. This is only the first month since the BHB Combative Police Force debuted. I didnt expect the global reception to be far more optimistic than I initially thought it would be. Of course, considering the core values of BHB is already in line with the values of Western society. Little X agreed, The Westerners have always been a fan of the superhero ideal. In this landscape, the appearance of several picture-perfect superheroes is extremely likely to be favored and generate positive feedback. You could even argue that Marvel and DC have paved the path for us over the last few decades Well, then theres also the billions of dollars we invested over the last month for publicity. But Little Xs tone suddenly switched as she looked at Chen Chen cautiously. On the Eastern parts of the world such as the North Sea, East Sea, and Indian Continent, the influence of the BHB Combative Police Force isnt as favorable. Although theres still a considerable amount of fanbase, they are nowhere near as fervent as their Western counterparts. Of course, the North Sea Continent has always been the rivals of the Western world. The Indian Continent has Bollywood while the Central and East Sea Continent also has media circles of their own. Its no surprise that they dont understand the appeal of BHB. Chen Chen shrugged, not completely bothered by this. The primary focus of our initial rounds of promotion should gravitate toward the Western market. Little X nodded in response. Were only in the launching phase so its understandable that expenses would be higher during this period. By the time BHB establishes its reputation, the expenses should trend downward naturally as well. Chen Chen ruminated. If we can establish an IP around BHB, three members alone wouldnt cut it. The Namibian market isnt too large on its own. By the time we start inducting the BHB into Northern America and Europe, well need to build new local combative police forces. The BHB is merely a template for its successors. So, we have to continue recruiting? Little X asked. Thats right, we can make a variety show around it and recruit retired or disabled ex-police officers from all around the world. Chen Chen pondered. We can start with manufacturing common, standard armor for them to display their skills in front of audiences. This can range from melee combat and marksmanship. Several favorites will be selected from among the bunch. This way, we can filter out the most deserving members to join the BHB Combative Police Force. But if we establish a local BHB police force in other countries in the future, wont we have to compete with the local police force? It should be reasonable to assume that the locals will still rally behind their local police forces. Wont that make for some difficult investments? Little X asked quizzingly. Of course not. Chen Chen chuckled when he heard this. If our targeted countries are already willing to incorporate robotized units in place of human labor, that means that we already have half of our work done for us. By then, we can feel free to sell them combat police bionic prosthetics and make a fortune from it. What does the presence of the BHB Combative Police Force matter at that point? Ah, thats true Little X quickly saw the validity of the argument. Meanwhile, pay close attention to the BHB department and ensure that there wont be any slip-ups. Chen Chen noted. The reputation of BHB may crumble to dust with just the slightest misstep. If that happens, then our following plans may not be as easy to execute anymore Little X nodded contemplatively before noting. Oh yeah Sir Godfather, speaking of supervision, it seems there was a minor conflict in BHB just yesterday. Since nothing major came out of it, I figured it wasnt necessary to inform you immediately. Some conflict is to be expected since they are no true noble superheroes, its just a manufactured image. Chen Chen remarked, So, what happened? Its about Brooke. A footage started playing as soon as Little X said this. In the display, Brooke lifted a red-haired lady with one arm before promptly flagging her onto the ground. The sequence ended with Brooke verbally threatening the lady. The video cut to another scene, a conversation between Brooke and a Chinese man. Chen Chen immediately recognized this Chinese man. It was someone handpicked by Qian Wenhuan to become a manager in the BHB department, Liu Zhijian. From the footage, it seemed that the two failed to come to an agreement and Brooke was walking away. The next second, when Liu Zhijian pressed an emergency button on the table, Brooke suddenly collapsed onto the ground and became immobilized. What followed after was a sequence of threats being issued before finally ending with the two men parting ways. Chen Chen frowned faintly after watching the two footage. This can go both ways. You can say that this is just a minor accident but if this doesnt get resolved, it can eventually lead to the international reputation of BHB being squandered. Chen Chen considered momentarily. X, keep a close eye on him. If he remains to be this unreliable in the future, then we can follow the countermeasures we devised in the past and take him out in an unfortunate accident during combat. I dont want any unprecedented issues to come up during this phase of the BHB! Chapter 463 - Setting the World Stage Over the following period, with each successful operation conducted by the BHB Combative Police Force, their popularity in the international community continued to grow. All of the violent crime operations conducted by the BHB had their footage captured with drones that were subsequently edited to create a well-produced documentary piece. Blacklight Biotechnology even designated expert video editors, audio technicians, and even world-class musicians to tailor majestic background music for BHB videos. After a round of polishing from the worlds best post-production team, these documentaries would then be uploaded to the official YouTube account for the audience all around the world to watch for free. Each one of these uploads would generate hundreds of millions of views immediately and climbed to the top spot in trending as soon as it was uploaded, bringing significant profit. Advertising sponsors, worldwide fan groups, and even merchandise were established during this period. It only took a month for the three BHB officers to become global sensation superheroes. The trio racked up increasing amounts of successful violent crime operations over time. Facing the heavily armed BHB officers complemented with an assortment of armed drones, the group of criminals that only had access to weapons the likes of an AKM were as good as a bunch of sitting ducks waiting to be arrested. With the emergence of the BHB, violent crime rates in Namibia had plummeted by more than thirty percent over the last month. Only several days ago, Hodge was assigned to the position of a sniper and was tasked with taking out a robber who had taken a hostage. However, his shot was slightly off and failed to take out the robber, which resulted in the robber losing his cool and misfiring, which ended up killing one of the hostages instantly with a headshot. The kind-natured Hodge was greatly distressed over this incident for several days. Something like this was a monumental incident. However, a set of protocols had been devised to address an exact situation such as this. Only several minutes after the mistake was identified, public relations arrived at the scene to bribe all of the reporters, police, as well as the family members of the deceased hostage, effectively burying this incident under covers. With Blacklight Biotechnologys strong push for publicity, the phrase BHB Combative Police Force constantly ranked on top of the global search query. Phrases related to BHB were everywhere in both Northern American and European networks. The reputation of the three heroes was on par with the likes of Superman, Captain America, and various other superheroes. Over the last few months, while the entire world focused its attention on Namibia, military experts all over the world also began to direct their greedy gaze at Blacklight Biotechnologys military department. After witnessing the prowess of the XTN robots, the orders for the related weapons also started pouring into Blacklight Biotechnology in an endless stream. However, most continents did not lose their minds over the XTN robots but instead exercised restraint over them. Most continents only purchased the XTN-XXX model robots in double digits. It was only the heavy hitters like Northern America and the Central Continent who shelled out enough to purchase up to three digits of these models. Most of the customers maintained that they only wanted to purchase some to conduct experiments and if the product was worth its value, they would return for more in time. Blacklight Biotechnology did not oppose this manner of purchase. After all, there were more than thirty different models of XTN. Even if they only bought twenty to thirty units of each model, it would still total to nearly a thousand units. The total order value easily reached above 500 million U.S. dollars. With dozens of different customers coming in, the total revenue easily went up to seven to eight billion dollars. Despite all that, the Mark drones series and the XTN robot series were just appetizers as far as both parties were concerned. The main dish was the dozens of military technology owned by Blacklight Biotechnology that greatly surpassed the military technology of any other country. For example, there was Directional Aiming, Long-distance Environmental Detection, Coriolis Effect Simulation, and so on. Chen Chen never intended to auction them off in the form of a one-off purchase, but instead to incorporate them into various preferential policies and agreements. The purchasing parties started many rounds of intense negotiations with Blacklight Biotechnology to discuss the terms. Meanwhile, the public relations team led by Xia Yin also went back and forth between several major continents to conduct negotiations as well. After several months and many more lengthy negotiations, agreements were reached successively with the four top continents of the Earth Federation, Northern America, Central Continent, Europe, and North Sea Continent. Following the terms of the agreements, Blacklight Biotechnology would soon establish branch companies in dozens of major cities spread across these continents. They would also build research centers and sanatoriums, essentially building a localized and miniaturized version of Eco Science City. Upon their completion, these sanatoriums would soon be able to take advantage of their location to quickly seize the local healthcare market. It was public knowledge at this point that certain local medical institutions had been secretly using technology patented by Blacklight Biotechnology all this time to treat their patients and bypassing the patent fees. Now that Blacklight Biotechnology had a local branch in these places, they could proceed to cement their ownership over these procedures. Meanwhile, the branch companies and research centers could continue to focus their attention on subsequent biotechnology development. Now that they had local drug certification permits, the process became streamlined. The reason Chen Chen strived to spread his reach across the globe was to gain a monopoly over the global market. The rise of branch companies all over the world meant gaining access to all these local markets. After its completion, all personnel and resources would be easily transferable across different continents, reducing the need for splurging a vast amount of expenses. To gain greater leverage on the market and put himself ahead in the future, Chen Chen did not mind losing out on insignificant, short-term profits. Time glided past quickly as the international political landscape continued to develop day by day. Around the end of May, when talks of conditions of establishing local branches were being conducted between Blacklight Biotechnology and the continents, Little X suddenly reminded Chen Chen. Am I hearing this right? Youre saying that Osmond Biotech acquired a small workshop and inside this small pharmaceutical workshop, theres an employee named Rowling Keith? Chen Chen lifted an eyebrow, faintly surprised by this piece of news as a faint shadow of a smile appeared on his lips. Osmond Biotech was none other than the name of the company in which the protagonist of a certain movie worked in. That movie was the first movie that Chen Chen had produced just three years ago Deadly Crisis: A Shocking Scheme. Since the name of the company was a rather conventional name, it was no surprise that a company like that did exist in reality. Due to suspicions of the odd characteristics of the interaction between the movie and the USB drive, Chen Chen made sure to keep a close eye on this company in real life. While this company was structuring another round of financing, Chen Chen saw the opportunity and immediately stepped in to acquire fifty percent of the companys shares. With that, Blacklight Biotechnology became the shareholder with the highest shares of Osmond Biotech. Even the founder of the company, John Parker, only held fifteen percent of its shares. However, since Blacklight Biotechnology was a third-party in this transaction, they had specifically agreed to the terms that they would not interfere in the companys internal affairs when signing the contract. Therefore, Blacklight Biotechnology did not have a say in any of the companys internal operations. As the date drew closer to the timeline depicted in the movie, the company seemed to have flicked on an invisible switch. They regularly made a number of breakthroughs concerning Alzheimers disease when even international pharmaceutical giants like Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson could not achieve anything of the like. Although they had some way to go before achieving something like coming up with a cure for Alzheimers disease, they were already garnering a significant amount of interest and discussions around themselves. Now, Osmond Biotech had stealthily acquired a small workshop and employed someone named Rowling Keith? Chen Chen could not be any more familiar with this name since it was the name of the protagonist of Deadly Crisis: A Shocking Scheme. This man would soon go on to lead a team and invent AD-001. As it is, Rowling Keith has been recruited by the founder of Osmond to participate in a special assignment team to conduct research in a secret laboratory. This laboratory they are working in isnt connected to the external network and all researchers are instructed to put away their electronic devices outside the laboratory whenever they enter. Little X explained, Which is why so far, I still havent been able to collect any information regarding whats going on inside the laboratory. Chen Chen nodded contemplatively and noted. Back then, when I first watched Deadly Crisis: A Shocking Scheme, I already had slight suspicions that the movie is more or less connected with reality. Now, I have a hundred percent certainty that the events depicted in the movie will also occur in reality Little X reflected on this observation as well. I had my doubts initially, but theres the chain of events starting with the GS Combat Suit, followed by the Alzheimers disease targeted drugs and us purchasing shares in their company. Finally with the appearance of the protagonist, Rowling Keith All these coincidences strung together implies that these are no longer mere coincidences, but inevitable. Sir Godfather Little X suddenly asked suggestively, Do you think that we might alter the events that may follow if we were to interject and capture this protagonist? Chen Chen shook his head cautiously. Lets refrain from doing that for now and just wait. Leaving the topic of whether we can alter the events of the movie aside, theres no way of telling if our attempts at altering it may lead to some form of violent chain reaction. Perhaps our attempt will not result in anything substantial, but theres also the chance that the magnitude of the consequences of doing so will be immeasurable Alright. Little X answered dejectedly and lowered her head. Still, I think we can take some action if it comes to things not described in the plot of the movie. Chen Chen suddenly switched his tone. For example, we can install spying devices inside that laboratory to allow us to monitor their movements. This way, theres a lesser chance of us being caught off guard by sudden developments. Understood, Ill dispatch several Black Knights to Osmond Biotech. Little X answered. Send more Black Knights. When the AD-001 is successfully developed, we can start hunting them down following the plot in the movie. Theres no need to hold back since if we kill him in the middle of the pursuit, then that would mean the plot in the movie can be effortlessly altered without causing much rippling effect. On the other end, if the Black Knights could not kill him no matter how hard they tried Chen Chen paused momentarily and contemplated. That means there has to be some sort of law in place that were unable to breach. How about the ending of the movie? Little X asked, According to the ending of the movie, the protagonist finally overcame multitudes of danger and delivered the drug to the president of his corporation. It was then when he realized that the president was dressed in the same black tights like the ones who were after him all this time. Should we make similar arrangements to fit the ending of the movie as well? Thats right. Chen Chen said, Ill be waiting for him in the end. Id like to see what happens after he delivers the AD-001 to me. After making these arrangements, Chen Chen returned to the Spire Experimental Base. During this period, with the help of James Watson, the father of DNA along with the three most outstanding scientific research members under Chen Chens wing Hannibal, Li Lei, and Neumann, the secret of G-virus and the black goo was gradually unraveled and gave way to the discovery of sophisticated characteristics of these subjects. Chen Chen sat on the second floor of a level-five biosafety lab and observed them conducting various sets of experiments below. The subject of the experiment this time was not the common research subjects of the Spire laboratory, but a far more valuable subject Black Knights. Chen Chen watched as Watson instructed Hannibal to take out a syringe that was securely wrapped in a bag. The tip of the syringe was far sharper and longer than their usual variant. Its material was an all-black special metal instead of regular metal. Inside the intricate syringe, a puddle of red liquid could be spotted. The redness of the liquid was far more vibrant than the usual color of blood while also appearing extremely translucent. Chen Chen continued inspecting the sequence with great interest. He saw Hannibal aiming the needle at the naked Black Knights heart and proceeding to slowly insert it into the veins of the heart. After the needle had sunk into the Black Knights body, the tube was held down and began injecting its liquid into the Black Knight with a swift zip. One second, two seconds, three seconds In just three seconds after the injection, the Black Knights body started to tremble. It started with a faint tremble. Within moments, the Black Knight was shaking all over. It had only been seven seconds since the injection what followed after was something that Chen Chen would never forget! With his very own eyes, Chen Chen saw the Black Knight suddenly puffing up like a balloon. It was as if the innermost vessel of the Black Knight burst open and grew hundreds of new stems of muscles. The muscles of the Black Knight continued to bulge until it ripped through the skin and revealed layers upon layers of muscles dyed in red blood. This was merely the beginning. Within seconds, the ripped skin began to regenerate at breakneck speed. What stood out was that the recovered skin took on a dark brown color as opposed to regular skin color. Meanwhile, a vast amount of stratum corneum began to grow all over the regenerated skin. They covered the entire outermost layer of the Black Knight within seconds. After that, there was a sound of something bulging inside the Black Knight. It seemed as if the bones were starting to mutate as well. Within fifteen seconds, under the observant eyes of every member present at the scene, the Black Knight had mutated into a monstrosity standing more than three meters tall and weighing more than five hundred kilograms! Chapter 464 - Trial Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation In the end, the Black Knight injected with the unknown drug had mutated into a three-meter-tall monster with its skin covered in stratum corneum. Additionally, dozens of thick spikes rose along its back in a vertical line. Even Chen Chen was visibly intrigued when he saw the Black Knight that was near instantaneously transformed into a ferocious giant. After many optimizations, this is the G-virus that has reached a near-perfect form, the G-358. Little X took Chen Chens hand as she looked at the giant monster downstairs and said softly, It inherits the power of the G-3 virus and with the guidance of Professor Watson, it has become perfectly compatible with the Black Knights DNA. After injections, the Black Knight can instantaneously multiply in size and become an ultimate soldier which is more flexible and also boasts higher defensive and recovery ability than a tyrant. Its physiological structure becomes far beyond that of regular humans! What about ordinary humans? Chen Chen asked, What happens if an ordinary person is injected with this virus? It wont have any effect. Little X turned to look at Chen Chen and informed, The G-358 perishes instantly when it comes into contact with the outside world, so it cant spread in an external environment. Even if it enters the human body in a facilitated manner, the protein antigen inside it makes it so that its unable to infect humans at all. Its completely harmless to humans and any other creatures in the world. Chen Chen nodded, fully understanding the workings of the virus. Approaching from a biological point of view, cells are wrapped by cell membranes that are made of phospholipids. There are also many proteins embedded in them, such as insulin receptor protein. Its associated structures made it so that it was bound with insulin very easily and once bound, the components fuse easily. There were certain proteins inside the cell that were used to indicate the identity of the cell. This meant that if the fused protein was detected to be different from the original protein in the body, the antibodies would be triggered and provoked a negative reaction. The same was true for viruses. Various proteins could also be found on the surface of viruses. These proteins could only bind themselves to a set of specific cell proteins and in the case of successful fusing, the virus would then inject its genetic material into the cell body, thereby infecting the cell. Since not all creatures carried the same surface protein, there may be cases of certain viruses that were entirely harmless to humans. There were approximately 1.74 million kinds of viruses currently discovered and only 219 of them were known to infect humans, which was nearly negligible. The reason this new variant of G-virus was unable to infect humans but could infect Black Knight was that it stemmed from a branch of T-virus. The Black Knights were also a variant of mutant humans that was born from cross-infection with the T-virus. Under categorization, human beings were biologically classified into the eukaryotic kingdom of the mammal kingdom, which was a metazoan subunit, followed by hundreds of further subcategorizations Primates, anthropoid suborders, suborder anthropoid apes, humans, Homo, and Homo sapiens. Although people in the world were generally classified into white, yellow, and black-skinned, they were all Homo sapiens on a genetic level. Meanwhile, other classes such as Neanderthals and Denisovans had gone extinct tens of thousands of years ago. The Black Knights infected by the T-virus were no longer considered as an intelligent human species due to the vast genetic difference, which was why Chen Chen claimed that they were a completely new species of man. With all that said, this did not necessarily mean that the G-virus could not infect humans. For example, the earliest variant of G-001/002/003 could infect nearly all mammalian species. Chen Chen looked at the Black Knight transformed into a monstrosity that was no longer human and proceeded to ask, What are the combative abilities of this new life form like? Is it still susceptible to our control? Of course. Little X answered confidently, Weve discovered that these changes dont occur to the neural nerves of the subjects. The nerves inside their body and brain are completely unaltered. The only effect is the remyelination and thickening of the nerve surface, which results in the Black Knights reaction speed being multiplied two to three folds. Chen Chen was stunned by this relegation. Chen Chen was aware that the reaction speed of a person was determined by the nerve myelin sheath. The thicker the nerve myelin sheath, the faster the reaction speed of an individual. The Black Knights reaction speed was already three to four times that of ordinary people as was. What would it be like if it was yet again multiplied two to three folds? One could only guess what it would look like. Little X continued. This is the fifty-fifth experiment weve conducted and we have full confirmation that the Black Knight is perfectly compatible with the G-358. Their combat powers are magnified by more than ten folds. As Little X said this, she looked at the other end of the laboratory. Chen Chen looked over and saw a gigantic steel barred door on the other end. At this time, the flashing warning light beside the door suddenly switched from red to green. Warning, experiment is commencing. All researchers are advised to evacuate from the experiment section on the first floor. Warning, experiment is commencing. All researchers are advised to evacuate from the experiment section on the first floor The announcement echoed repeatedly across the laboratory. Upon hearing this announcement, Watson, Hannibal, and the others immediately retreated from the laboratory and shuffled into the exits positioned around the first floor. After approximately ten minutes later, Watson and the rest of the crew who had taken off their protective suits appeared in the observation deck on the second floor. Mr. Chen. Boss. Watson, Hannibal, and the others were not surprised to see Chen Chen making an appearance. Everyone in the laboratory was aware of the attention that Chen Chen paid to the G-virus experiments. This terrifying virus would soon be the catalyst to all sorts of biological weapons. It was one of the most crucial experiments conducted in the Spire laboratory. They were gathered beside Chen Chen and together, they looked at the hall below them through the observation glass. Shortly after their arrival, the giant gate still flashing green began to rumble like a beast awakening. The sound of metal screeching against metal rang across their ears as the sealed gate started to lift slowly, revealing the dark space hidden behind it all this time. There seemed to be the presence of something threatening looming in the air as soon as it was opened. The Black Knight that was transformed into a titan-like beast was still panting at first but immediately shot up when the gate started to open. The Black Knight proceeded to fix an iron gaze at the direction of the gate. It seemed that the God chip was still working as intended. It was around this point when the thump of steady footsteps that pounded in the hearts of everyone watching started to come from behind the gate. Thump! Thump! Thump! Each heavy footstep slamming against the ground seemed to beat in their hearts like a mighty gong being struck. When they heard this vicious thump, the color was quickly drained out of their faces. It was like how the prey in the natural world reacted when they saw the apex predator it was a completely genetic response to approaching danger. The corner of Chen Chens lip rose to form a smirk. He knew what the source of this footstep was. Within seconds, a giant standing three and a half meters tall that was covered with swollen muscles stepped out from behind the gate. The giant was completely unclothed, safe for a pair of black shorts. The tone of its skin was horribly pale and not a single strand of hair could be spotted along its silky smooth skin. The strange texture of its skin made its pale pupils strike out like a sore thumb. As it darted its gaze across its surroundings, everyone present in the observation room apart from Chen Chen felt as if their souls were frozen by this petrifying gaze. The Tyrant! Chen Chen took a deep breath. This giant they were looking at was none other than the very first T-virus Tyrant created during Chen Chens initial research of the Black Knights. Strictly speaking, it was impossible for a Black Knight to hold its ground against a Tyrant as the sheer mass difference due to its size made the argument a redundant one. A Tyrants height was twice that of a regular Black Knight and weighed more than five times. In terms of strength, the Tyrant was worlds ahead, where even ten Black Knights could barely match up against a single Tyrant. However, pure muscles alone were useful in this era due to the advent of advanced firearms. In a direct matchup between a Tyrant and ten Black Knights, all the Black Knights had to do was split up and stand on opposite sides in groups of five and focus fire. In this situation, the enormous size of the Tyrant was as good as useless. This was why Chen Chen never saw the point of mass-producing Tyrants and only kept it at the initial five all this time. The Tyrant in the laboratory currently was one of them. When the Tyrant appeared, the Black Knight started to move as well. It promptly took steps toward the Tyrants direction to confront it. Even after the G-358 injection, the Black Knight was still slightly outclassed by the Tyrant in terms of size and strength. Despite that, the aura which the dark-skinned and powerful Black Knight gave off rivaled that of the Tyrant. Little X proceeded to give the order for the two monsters to attack. The onlookers watched as the two beasts started to accelerate toward each other. When the Tyrant planted its feet into the ground and lurched forward. The metal floor whined and bent under the sheer force generated. The Tyrant propelled itself into the air and fired itself into the Black Knight! The Black Knight put on a far more agile and nimble display as it accelerated and used its arms and legs to alter its center of gravity. Just as the two beasts were about to collide with each other, it suddenly lurched forward and curled itself into a ball, leaping over the Tyrant! Swoosh! Everything occurred in a split instant. The two enormous beasts barely avoided a direct collision! Hannibal, Li Lei, and the rest of the crew held their breaths collectively as they witnessed the enormous monster putting on a fantastical display of agility. The sheer visual impact could not be described with mere words. This was merely the beginning. The next second, before the Tyrant had time to reset its stance, the Black Knight infected with G-virus flexed its sharp claws and stopped itself from sliding forward by sliding its claws against the wall. A long and narrow scratch immediately formed on the alloy-plated wall. After that, the Black Knight leaped in the air and landed on the Tyrants back in a split instant, and started dicing away at its back! Chunks of flesh and skin scattered across the hall! Roar! The Tyrant howled furiously and twisted its body endlessly in an attempt to grab the monkey on its back. However, the Black Knight evaded the Tyrants futile attempts at lightning speed. Left without a choice, the Tyrant decided to land flat on its back to crush its opponents using its weight! Again, the Black Knight got out of the way by leaping away from the Tyrants back, freeing itself from danger! From the second floor, they had a clear and ceiling view on the Tyrants back that revealed a series of shocking wounds. Rows upon rows of slices along its back highlighted by hints of its spine prodding out from the flesh. Within seconds, they spotted tiny red bugs squirming inside the open wound as they fused themselves into the exposed flesh at a rate that was visible to the naked eye. The bloodworms were none other than the muscle fibers of the Tyrant. It only took a few minutes for these gruesome wounds to regenerate on their own as if nothing had ever happened in the first place. This was the terrific regenerative ability which the Tyrant was equipped with. The Tyrant had not given up on the fight just yet. It seemed to have learned a lesson from the previous confrontation and understood that it could not rely on speed and athleticism against this opponent. It took slow and calculated steps against its opponent, attempting to force the Black Knight into a disadvantageous corner. Naturally, the Black Knight would not allow itself to be caged foolishly. As the Tyrant drew closer, it suddenly planted its feet into the ground and took a tremendous jump that shot itself into the air, over the head of the Tyrant! Just as the Black Knight hovered over the airspace above the Tyrant, the Tyrant jumped as well. Despite the Tyrant not possessing the tremendous leaping ability of the Black Knight, the height of the ceiling made it so that there was a limit to the Black Knights wiggle space. The Tyrant managed to grab its opponents ankles! The Tyrant immediately flung the Black Knight the other way around like he was handling a sandbag before borrowing the momentum and slamming the Black Knight into the ground ferociously! Bang! A deafening impact that filled the hall followed immediately. The surface of the floor that was made with metal could not handle the sheer force of the impact and caved inward! It was nowhere near over just yet. After smashing the Black Knight into the ground, the Tyrant had not had enough yet. It strengthened its grip and continued smashing the Black Knight against the ground again and again! Bang bang bang bang bang! The terrain of the ground that was once flat had been transformed into a pit by then. Even the walls were not safe from the Tyrants vicious assault had holes smashed into them. It looked as if a bomb had been set off in the hall. Even from the second floor, the crew of researchers could feel the floor quaking underneath them. Under this constant barrage, the Black Knight had been crushed into something that resembled meat cotton. By the time the Tyrant had enough and flung it away, it had turned into an unrecognizable chunk of flesh! Bang! The body of the Black Knight landed lifelessly against the floor like a sack of flesh. There were no further movements after that. Is it over? They all turned to look at the sack of flesh with a hint of doubt. Soon, they noticed that the sack of flesh was squirming in place and they heard the sounds of structural snapping. It was the sound of bones growing It could still regenerate after getting to this point? Watson muttered. Of course, the regenerative of the Black Knight injected with G-358 triumphs even that of the Tyrant. Little X turned and rolled her eyes at Watson. By the time Little X had finished her sentence, the chunk of flesh had regenerated itself into a humanoid form again. Despite this observation, the Tyrant stood in place and chose not to attack while it still could. After all, this was not an all-out duel to the death, merely a trial run. After half a minute had elapsed, the Black Knight got up on its feet again. This time, the stratum corneum layer seemed more fortified and its overall structure seemed more skeletal than its previous rendition. Exoskeleton? Watson and Hannibal remarked together in astonishment. The G-358 infected Black Knight was displaying signs of evolution! When the Tyrant saw its opponent standing up again, it unleashed yet another ferocious roar. It did not wait any longer for its opponent to gather itself and immediately charged forward! This time, the Black Knight did not try to avoid a confrontation. It got into a bent position and charged at the Tyrant as well at full speed. The two beasts had chosen the same approach to settle this fight once and for all! Bang! An enormous amount of blood splattered everywhere the instant both sides made contact. The Black Knight was sent flying a great distance away by the Tyrant that was larger than itself. Meanwhile, the Tyrant stumbled several paces forward before collapsing onto the ground. Somewhere along the line, its head was sliced off cleanly Chapter 465 - The Angels in the Warehouse Thump! There came a dull thump of something clapping against a hard surface. The giant head of the Tyrant collided against the observation window in front of the research crew and splattered fresh blood all over the surface of the window. Many of them could not hold back an aghast shriek when they saw the head of the Tyrant flying toward them. Their complexion immediately turned pale at the sight of it. When they turned to the Black Knight who was sent flying away, they saw two bone spurs shaped like a pair of sickles sticking out the end of its elbow. The bone was extremely polished and dangerously sharp. The Black Knight must have latched them around the Tyrants head and borrowed the force of impact when it was knocked away to decapitate the Tyrant! Chen Chen could not resist the urge to clap and celebrate. Truly impressive, to think that it can take on the Tyrant in melee combat. I must admit that I never expected such a terrific outcome. Does this count as cheating though? Li Lei who was standing beside seemed to downplay its victory. Boss, this Black Knight resorted to using weapons. Although it did grow the weapon itself, its still hard to say who would come out on top if the Tyrant was allowed a chance at a rematch, isnt it? Chen Chen shook his head and chuckled in a manner that was uncharacteristic for him. Thats where youre wrong, Li Lei. It seems like your reaction speed needs some keeping up as well. You have this misconception that the Tyrant is stronger but if you have been paying attention to the fight, youll notice that the Black Knight with the G-358 injection is on another level whether in terms of agility, defensive abilities, and regenerative abilities. Whats even more absurd is that it manages to evolve in the middle of the fight. Even if you run it back a hundred times, the victor will still be the same. Upon mentioning this, Chen Chen suddenly shook his head regretfully. Its a shame that the effects of this drug arent permanent. Little X nodded in agreement. She looked at the hall below and noted. It has been fifteen minutes since its transformation. Based on what weve observed from previous experiments, it should be about time Just as Little X said this, the Black Knight suddenly bent down and collapsed on its knee as if all its strength was suddenly being drained away. In a split instant, giant surges of water vapor gushed out of its mouth and nose. It looked like all the water inside its body was evaporating. Meanwhile, the bone spurs growing along its back and elbows as well as the layer of stratum corneum began to oxidize and diffused into dense powder that scattered into the air The experiment subject is shelling! Hannibal exclaimed. Everyone turned to look at the Black Knight and saw the water vapor dissipating into the air around it. The Black Knight that transformed into a monster seemed to have undergone a process of molting seen in regular insects. Soon, it shed off the giant layer of skin and emerged from its freshly molted shell. Chen Chen observed as the Black Knight that was riddled with spikes and layers of stratum corneum had returned to its usual form. Apart from the mucus that was pasted all over its body, another distinct difference was the Black Knight had lost an unbelievable amount of weight, nearly seventy to eighty kilograms. Not only that, there was not a hint of body hair on any surface of its skin anymore. Unbelievable Chen Chen commented on the bizarre sight. Chen Chen remembered that just several months ago, he had witnessed the same experiment conducted by Little X on a common lab rabbit. At the time, the drug used was not the optimized G-358 virus but the G-322 instead. At the time, Chen Chen was already greatly astounded by the sight of the rabbit returning to its original form after the effects of the drug had expired. Comparatively, what he was witnessing now gave him an even larger shock. Mr. Chen, we It was around this point when Watson suddenly spoke to Chen Chen. Go. Before he could finish his sentence, Chen Chen waved him away. Chen Chen knew that Watson wanted to bring his crew back to the research hall on the first floor to conduct a full-body inspection and data collection on the Black Knight to sample data before and after being injected with G-358. After receiving permission from Chen Chen, they proceeded to leave the second floor. After around ten minutes, they had their protective suits back on and appeared in the hall on the first floor again to conduct a sequence of tests on the Black Knight. If the previous form of the Black Knight could be described as having the stature of a fearsome and stout warrior, it would be generous to even describe the current Black Knight as a shell of its former self. It was all skin and bones as if its body had been hollowed out. It only sat lifelessly like a dying patient. Half an hour later, after a series of tests were complete, the report was handed to Chen Chen. Yes, although the Black Knight lost eighty percent of body fat and fifty percent of his muscles because of this molting process and became severely malnourished with low blood pressure, blood lipids, and blood sugar, these are all reversible. His body hasnt sustained any irreversible damage. Chen Chen read through the report ruminatively. Which means that with the body of Black Knights, the usage of G-358 is perfectly viable under emergency situations. Yes, especially when theres no access to suitable firearms. Little X added. Theres also the possibility that the G-358 can be a lifesaver in specific situations. Chen Chen agreed with the notion and nodded. This was already the fifty-fifth experiment conducted on the G-358, which meant that the experiment was nearing its conclusive stages. Though there was still the slight possibility of mishap, it could be generally concluded by now that the benefits of G-358 outweighed its drawbacks. This was an excellent value product. But I have yet another bolder idea. Chen Chen suddenly mentioned, If such drastic transformation is displayed by the Black Knight after being injected with G-358, then what happens if we inject this into the Tyrant? What would be the result? Little X was intrigued by this idea as well. It was true, the Black Knights share similar characteristics with the Tyrant. The only difference being that the Black Knights were miniaturized versions of the Tyrants. The Black Knight also had some genetics tweaked to make their characteristics closer to that of humans. If the G-358 was effective on the Black Knights, it should work on the Tyrants as well. Im afraid the effects wouldnt be significant. After a brief consideration, Little X used her computer to run a simulation of the genetic alteration process that the G-358 injection may pose on the Tyrant. She then informed, I found that theres a regular pattern that follows the injection of this variant of the G-3 series virus. Previously, when rabbits were used as experiment subjects, the largest recorded size is approximately ten times larger, transforming a 20 centimeters-tall rabbit into a gigantic rabbit standing one meter tall. When used on the Black Knights, however, they only grew four to five times on average. If used on the Tyrants, the effect may be far lessened, perhaps barely enlarging it at all. Its better than none. Chen Chen rubbed his chin and noted casually. It would be great if someone injected with this virus can transform at will. Thats impossible! Little X shook her head side to side while pouting. The reason the Black Knight exhibits these changes that increase its size and weight after being injected with G-358 is due to a unique organ produced along the skin of the host injected with the virus. This allows them to directly absorb water and microorganisms from the air around them. This results in a large number of high-energy covalent bonds generated in the blood of the host, which directly reacts with the nitrogen in the air to form an exoskeleton Still, theres a price to pay for this exoskeleton generation, which is drastic consumption of the hosts fat and energy. The reason that even the Black Knight could only sustain this form for slightly more than ten minutes is that its energy is rapidly consumed during this period! I know. Chen Chen chuckled. But that doesnt mean it wont be achievable in the future. Thats true Little X nodded. When Chen Chen exited the laboratory, a Black Knight suddenly stepped forward and handed an oddly designed metal rod that was around twenty centimeters long to Chen Chen. Chen Chen accepted the item before realizing that this metal rod was just an oddly shaped syringe. In addition to two buttons of blue and green on it, he could also faintly see the stark red liquid inside it. It was the G-358 virus contained within. Chen Chen already knew how to operate this device back when he saw the research members injecting the Black Knight with it. When he gently tapped the blue button, a dark and slender needle popped out from one end with a swift swoosh! Its best to inject it into a heart. Thats where its effects are most effective. Little X noted. Chen Chen nodded absentmindedly as he continued observing this needle. It was roughly fifteen centimeters, which was the optimal length to prod into the human heart. After that, he tapped the blue button again which caused the needle to swiftly retract back into the syringe. Although Chen Chen already had Field in his arsenal to protect himself and probably did not need something like this, it still would not hurt to keep it with him as a fallback. After tossing the syringe into his pocket, the two of them exited the Spire Experimental Base and returned to the surface. Chen Chen did not enquire further into the subject of injecting the G-358 into the Tyrant as the team of experts would help him investigate further into its possibilities. While the robust Eco Science City was proceeding with its speedy development, the story now moved to a city on another end of the world the city of Los Angeles in Northern America, with its sky above signaling the approaching dusk. It was the eastern suburbs of Los Angeles. In addition to being home to some of the wealthiest members of the region, there was also a gigantic warehouse in the region. The name of the warehouse district was Herrank Warehouse District. The story behind it was that it was constructed during the 1950s by a wealthy capitalist that went by the name Herrank. The warehouse came to be named after their family as well. The Herrank Warehouse District covered most of the daily basic logistics of the city of Los Angeles. As a central storage point, countless businesses and industries stored their goods in the warehouse. Observed from a higher altitude, one would spot countless giant warehouses erected in the area, spanning across thousands of miles until it stretched into the end of the horizon. The landscape was filled with the dome structure of the warehouses. At the current moment inside one of the warehouses, a batch of special steel imported from abroad was being transported in separate batches by an array of trucks. They were promptly loaded into the warehouse using cranes. In the blink of an eye, the warehouse had reached maximum capacity. The daily operation inside the warehouse area was completely inseparable from the workers employed in the vast amount of warehouses. Brewer Chester was one among the tens of thousands of workers working inside the warehouses. Brewer Chesters build was impressively large, with what seemed like layers upon layers of fat. Just like other workers, he always kept a yellow safety helmet strapped to his head all the time. He wore a dirty uniform and a pair of jeans stained with sweat and whatever filth accumulated throughout the day. His favorite thing in the entire world was chomping down on hamburgers. It was the height of the evening. Due to the season, the sky turned dark far later than usual. Although it was already near seven oclock in the evening, the sky was still a vast ocean of blue. The sun was slanted toward the West as it made its slow crawl toward the horizon. Chester was in charge of operating one of the heavy cranes. After he watched the final truck being unloaded and departed, he looked at the time and saw that he should have gotten off work half an hour ago. He shook his head faintly as he climbed down from the crane while whistling a tune. Chester! One of Chesters coworkers in the warehouse called out after him, Are you getting ready to leave? Yeah, my work here is done, Ill leave the rest to you. Chester dropped a quick reply before he quickly paddled to the parking lot. Hold on, Chester, theres something I want to show you. The way Chesters colleague lowered his voice into a low growl captured Chesters attention. Uh huh? Chester stopped suspiciously and motioned curiously. Leon, what are you trying to show me? Something pretty cool Come with me and youll find out. The coworker Chester called Leon answered mysteriously. He proceeded to motion at Chester to follow him before turning around and entering the warehouse. Chester stood by the warehouse entrance and hesitated for a few seconds. He thought about it and figured that there was no harm taking a look, so he shrugged and followed his coworker into the pitch-black warehouse. Upon stepping into the warehouse, the overpowering scent of engine oil and steel beam came rushing toward him. This warehouse was one of the warehouses Chester had unloaded the cargo into earlier. He knew what the contents of the cargo were. It was none other than a gigantic pillar of steel beam. These steel beams were as thick as an average persons waist. They were commonly used for the foundation of skyscrapers. The correct architectural term for these things was steel columns. Leon was still pacing in front excitedly. Chester proceeded to sprint several paces to catch up with him and asked, Leon, what exactly are you planning to show me? Were almost there. Leons face was painted with eagerness. Still, he refused to answer whatever questions Chester had since he wanted to keep it mysterious. When the two arrived at the end of the hundred-meters-long warehouse, Leon stopped abruptly. Were here? Chester was starting to become irritated. He glanced at the window and saw that the contrast of the pale blue sky outside had grown darker than when they were just entering the warehouse. He glanced at where Leon was looking at while mouthing, So what is it that you want me to look at, its getting dark Chester stopped speaking before he could finish his sentence. He saw piles of steel beams stacked on top of one another positioned next to Leon. One of the steel beams had an intricate, life-like mural painted on top of it The contents of the mural were four angels with wings, each one of them made the same motion, their hands covering their eyes. The only trait that separated them was that they were in different positions. One was kneeling, one was standing, one was standing sideways, another was standing upright. However, it would be inaccurate to refer to it as simple murals since they were closer to relief sculptures[1]. This was rather baffling to Chester. Who in their right minds would put sculptures into steam beams used for construction? So, Leon Chester broke the silence suddenly. So the cool thing you were talking about is this? Where did they come from? Leon did not answer. He only looked at the four angels absently. Hey? Chester tried to get his attention, speaking louder this time. Ah! Leon came back to his senses. He continued admiring the four elegant, life-like angels while answering the previous question, I think these are imported. It could be from the Central Continent or Indian Continent, who knows? Chester was at a loss for words. He shook his head and tapped Leons shoulders gently. Ill see you tomorrow, Leon. With that, Chester turned around and left. [1] A sculpting technique, a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that the sculpted material has been raised above the background plane Chapter 466 - Murder? The night passed by swiftly. Chester, as usual, ate a bunch of fast food and fell asleep under the influence of alcohol. When he opened his eyes again, it was already the next morning. Looking at the time on the phone, Chester was so anxious that he did not even have time to wash his face. He grabbed his overalls and rushed toward the door of his house. It was only ten minutes before work. Riding in his tattered pickup, Chester rushed to the construction site in a hurry, only to find that the construction site was full of police cars, blocking the main traffic route. Getting out of the car, Chester immediately walked toward his post, but when he reached the police cars, he was stopped. The policeman in charge of crowd control motioned for him to stop. Hey, buddy, dont you see that the police are working on a case here? If you want to go there, it looks like you have to take a detour. The police officer stopped Chester and notified him. Man, what happened inside? Chester asked immediately, while constantly looking inside. This matter has nothing to do with you. Please take a detour. The officer did not explain and only urged him on. Chester grunted in assent. He still could not help poking his head in, only to see that not far away, the foreman who usually managed him was busy rushing about, following a man in a suit while explaining something. At the same time, there was an ingratiating look on his face. Although it was the first time that Chester was seeing that man in the suit, he knew from the employee roster that this man was the person in charge of dozens of nearby warehouses. The position of this person was probably that of a manager and his superior would be the general manager of the entire Los Angeles warehouse area. Nonetheless, these positions were unattainable to Chester. However, these thoughts only flashed by in his mind because something more interesting happened before his eyes three or four police cars had blocked the passage. Moreover, outside the door of the warehouse where Chester had personally unloaded the goods yesterday, was a web of yellow warning tapes. Only a few police officers who were in charge of inspecting the scene came in and out with their cameras. Seeing this scene, Chester immediately understood something. He gloated at the sight of his sweating foreman, wondering maliciously what error was made by his superior. However, just then, the foreman suddenly turned his head and saw Chester. Chester only saw the other mans eyes lit up and then he waved his hand quickly. Hey, Chester, come here quickly. What are you doing gaping over there? Chester reluctantly gestured to the foreman as he looked at the policeman. At that, the policeman was willing to let him in. Chester felt a little uncomfortable. He crossed the barrier of police cars and walked toward the foreman. When he reached the man, he was about to speak when the foreman said eagerly, Chester, you seemed to be the last to leave yesterday night. Did you see Leon before you left? Leon? Chester was stunned and a thought suddenly flashed in his mind. Could it be that this big hoo-hah was related to Leon? Thinking of this, he did not know why he felt a pang of guilt, like a kid who did something wrong, so he quickly said half-heartedly, I didnt see him. It was already 6:30 when I finished unloading the last batch of goods. Leon should be inside the warehouse at the time, and I didnt see him. Are you telling the truth? At this moment, the man in the suit and leather shoes suddenly spoke and asked in an inquiring tone, Did you not see Leon before you left last night? Chester shook his head quickly and at the same time, looked at the man blankly. Oh, right, I forgot to make the introductions. This is Mr. Connor, the person in charge of our team. The foreman quickly explained, Chester, if you have any clues, you must share them, do you understand? Got it. Chester nodded and then asked a little awkwardly, What happened to Leon? Could it be that he Leon is dead. Before he could complete the question, the foreman said with some regret, Joseph discovered him this morning. He found that the goods in Warehouse 9 werent moved all night, so he ran in to look for Leon, only to find that Leon was dead How did he die? Chesters heart sank and he asked, downcast. You dont need to worry about that. Before the foreman answered, Connor spoke first, cutting off the conversation between the two. He then looked at the foreman, Ill leave things here to you. The police said that Warehouse 9 needs to be cordoned off temporarily. In that case, make sure everyone avoids this warehouse and goes to work in other warehouses. When Joseph comes back after giving his statement, let him start work immediately. Understood. The foreman replied. After that, Connor glanced at Chester again. Chester quickly lowered his head, then saw that the other man had immediately turned around and left the scene completely. Phew When the person in charge had left, Chester saw the foreman secretly breathed a sigh of relief, after which the foreman waved his hand and said to Chester, You also heard Mr. Connors words. For now, dont move the goods in Warehouse 9. You can go to work in Warehouse 12. Okay. Chester agreed and left without further questions. When he climbed onto the crane in Warehouse 12, his mind was still dizzy. Maybe it was because he did not sleep well last night or the news of Leons death in the morning. In short, Chesters work all day seemed to take place in a haze. He just mechanically unloaded the goods brought by the trucks. A days work was not leisurely at all. Chester only rested for an hour during lunch and then worked the rest of the entire day. When the last truck had cleared all the goods and left, it was evening again before he realized it. Chester was accustomed to this kind of busyness. He kept his head empty of thoughts and finished his work. When he climbed down from the crane, he realized that there were no police officers in front of the road outside Warehouse 9. The warehouse door was locked, with just the remaining strips of yellow warning tape still surrounding the door. After a days investigation, the group of policemen had also got off work. Chester shrugged. He walked toward where he had parked, but when he walked past the door of Warehouse 9, his heart suddenly leaped. He had the key to Warehouse 9. At this moment, Chesters breathing became a little short. He did not know why he was so excited. Maybe it was the instinct for risk that was suppressed in his bones for too long? His life had been repetitive for too long. So long that he was even used to it, but when an opportunity for exploration and adventure was placed in front of him, he discovered how tempting and enthralling this opportunity was to him Now that the police were off work and almost all the other workers were off work too, no one would know if he visited the crime scene. Besides, he would just go in and take a look to see what happened. What was the problem? Chester took a deep breath. He only felt the blood in his body boiling. When was the last time he felt this way? It must be back when he was young, right? Time had worn down his mind and smoothed out everything. Now he was resurrected! He struggled with this decision thousands of times in his heart. In short, when Chester came back to his senses, he was already standing dazedly and inexplicably in front of the door of Warehouse 9. Then he touched his pocket, he felt the key to Warehouse 9. Just take a look, one look will do Chester reassured himself in a low voice. Then, he no longer hesitated as he stepped across the obstructing tapes. After that, he took out the key and inserted it into the employee door by the main gate of Warehouse 9. Click! With a crisp sound, the employee door suddenly opened, revealing the dark interior space. A familiar smell of damp and musty humid greeted him. Chester had long been acquainted with this smell. He looked at the sky but saw that the sun in the west had sunk halfway into the mountain. Obviously, it was getting late. In that case, Chester decided to just look inside and leave without delay. Thinking of this, Chester walked into the already dim warehouse and looked down the rows of goods on either side. In the gloom, the rows of goods were like ghostly shadows in the night, dreamlike and illusory. Only when the setting sun shone in through the few windows in the warehouse and landed upon the goods, a special light was formed. The interlacing of light and darkness created a unique mysterious atmosphere, which further intensified the illusion of adventure for Chester. Patter, patter, patter Chester walked step by step. His footsteps echoing in the silent warehouse, but he did not see anything even when he had walked into more than half the depth of the warehouse. Leons corpse would not be there, but there should be something left at the scene of the corpse, such as The outline of the corpses posture when the person died and the yellow cards placed next to various suspicious traces, and so on. Did he go the wrong way? Chester wore a puzzled look. He thought about it and suddenly recalled the place where Leon had brought him to before he got off work last night. It was a corner of the warehouse with a lot of steel pillars. Could it be the place where Leon had died? Thinking of this, Chester stopped immediately, then turned around, and walked toward the junction in the pathways between the cargos. This time, Chester finally guessed correctly. He found what he was looking for not far away from where they had both stood yesterday a silhouette of a corpse outlined by a white line and three yellow markers next to it that indicated certain positions. Here was where Chester died. When he saw all this, Chester took another deep breath and tamped down his pounding heart. He took out his phone and switched on the flashlight mode so that he could see all the details on the ground as clearly as possible. As he looked to where the beam from the mobile phone shone, Chester was mystified. From where he stood, the white outline on the ground resembled Leons figure. Leon was lying on the ground when he had died. His limbs stretched out straight and his entire body laid out on the ground in the shape of the letter A. Nonetheless, the one rather peculiar thing was that the neck of this human-shaped white silhouette seemed a little unusually long It was as if the silhouette was drawn by elementary school students who could not draw simple strokes. The white lines composing the figure were very proportional, whether in terms of arms or legs, but when it came to the part above the shoulders, it was a little weird. There, the neck was much longer than the average persons, and it was slightly curved, just like the neck of a duck. It looked very disharmonious. Chester was a little puzzled. He would swear on his mothers grave that Leon did not have such a long neck. If his neck was so long, he would have applied for the Guinness World Records long ago, instead of doing the same kind of work from five to nine as Chester did. In that case, was it because the policeman in charge of drawing the line had a wobbly hand or was the deceased not Leon, but someone else? Chester scratched his head, thinking uncertainly. However, just as he scratched his head with the hand holding the phone, the light from the phone suddenly shone into the corner of a pile of goods on the side. In that corner, a figure flashed past! ! Chester broke out in a cold sweat suddenly. He quickly held the phone steady and shone it into the corner. He only relaxed when he could see what the figure was. It turned out to be a false alarm That figure was nothing but an angel statue. The statue seemed to have been carved from marble, portraying a vivid, lifelike angel figure. It had soft curly hair that was tightly cropped to the head and there was a circular headband on the top of the head. The arms and fingers of the statue were very realistic and fleshed out, and the body was draped in folds of gauze that angels were often dressed in. The most conspicuous part was the pair of wings that were folded, as soft as feathers The only shame was that the angels hands tightly covered her face, making it difficult to see her holy eyes and face. As he walked to the statue, Chester patted his chest and heaved a sigh of relief. Huh Even so, Chesters mind flickered suddenly and he faintly remembered that when he met Leon yesterday, Leon seemed to have been observing a relief sculpture? Plus, upon that relief, there seemed to be a few such angels covering their eyes? Thinking of this, Chester immediately turned around and walked into the depths of the warehouse based on his memory of yesterday. He wanted to find the mural painted on the steel beam from yesterday. Soon, he came to the place where Leon had brought him before. There were steel beams placed together everywhere. Dozens of them were stacked together, occupying his field of vision. While Chester raised his head and looked at one of the steel beams Sure enough, on this steel beam, three angels were covering their eyes, standing or squatting. This was the same as the sculpture he saw before in terms of style and shape. Hold on Chester, who was about to heave a sigh of relief, suddenly froze. He frowned, feeling that something was wrong because, in his memory, there should be four angels on the mural, two of them squatting on the ground, and the other two standing. Nevertheless, now, there were only two squatting angels and one standing angel. Did he remember it wrongly? Chester turned his head with some doubts and looked in the direction from which he had come. At this time, the sky was getting darker and there was only gloom from where he had arrived. However, the reason Chester looked there was not that it was dark, but that he suddenly had a baffling idea. Could it be that the angel sculpture he saw just now was the one missing from the mural? Did the angel come out of the mural? Chapter 467 - Rowling Keith Did the angel come out of the mural? This thought flashed through Chesters mind. Immediately, he shook his head, somewhat amused, and discarded the outrageous idea from his mind. It was not as if this was something out of the SCP Foundation. How could such an outrageous thing happen? He had probably just happened to remember it wrongly. Although he was reassuring himself in his heart, Chester still had some lingering doubts. He took out his mobile phone, took a picture of the mural in front of him, and then hurried away in the direction from which he came. Currently, the sun outside the window was almost completely gone, leaving only a little afterglow still stubbornly remaining in the sky. The sun was also fading into the mountainside at a speed visible to the naked eye as if a white veil was being pulled off the sky, leaving only a solid stretch of indigo. When Chester passed by the angel covering her eyes, he took a few extra glances, but it seemed that he could see a marble sculpture in front of him. Although it was lifelike, there was nothing unusual! Seeing this, Chester breathed a sigh of relief, completely relieved. He composed himself, walked past the statue, then passed the junction in the pathway, and walked to the main path of the warehouse. However, what he did not know was that the last ray of the setting sun outside the window had finally faded after he had delayed for such a while In an instant, the entire world seemed to be plunged into total darkness and Chester had to turn on the front light of his phone again, lighting up the messy floor as he picked his way through the warehouse. Thump, thump, thump The sound of his footsteps still rang out unhurriedly in this enclosed darkness, inducing an unnamable eerie sensation. Just as Chester was about to walk out of the warehouse, somewhere behind him, there was a sudden rattling sound as if something round fell on the ground and rolled slightly over a distance. Then, the sound stopped. The moment he heard this sound, Chester halted. He slowly turned back, but could only see the darkness in the direction from which he came. He could not make out anything. Maybe something just came loose and fell to the ground, right? Chester shook his head, then turned his head again, and walked toward the warehouse door. Thump, clatter! However, just as he stepped out, there was another sound of some falling objects on the ground behind him. Not only that but the sound was a lot louder than the previous one, and it caused echoes in the warehouse! Chesters heart clenched and he turned his head again while raising his phone to shine on the pathway behind him. Even so, the light of the phone could not penetrate the gloom and could only light up four or five meters in front of him. After this distance, it was just a swathe of darkness. Chester pursed his mouth. His heart pounded and he vaguely felt that the sound this time seemed to be closer than before. Could it be that Someone was following him? The murderer who killed Leon was still hiding in the warehouse? This thought occurred to him and then Chester did not hesitate anymore. He stepped forward and ran toward the door quickly, but this time he heard nothing else. His ears were filled with the sound of his own footsteps and gasping. These sounds were amplified by the warehouse, covering up all other noises. The faster one was running away, the more flustered ones heart would be. This was human instinct. Still, whether it was the angels protection or because he was just frightening himself in the first place, when Chester ran out of the warehouse, nothing had happened. Pant, pant, pant Chester, who had been lacking in exercise all year round, panted heavily. He stood outside the warehouse door, staring at the dark gaping doorway of the warehouse in shock. Then, he simply gritted his teeth and turned on the warehouse lights at the door. Suddenly, dozens of sun lamps in the entire Warehouse 9 were turned on, illuminating the warehouse brightly! It was not until now that Chester had ascertained there was nothing in the warehouse except for a large number of goods and the main pathway that could be seen at a glance! There was no so-called killer, let alone the monster that he had imagined as a child. It had all been his own mind playing tricks on him After seeing this, Chester completely relaxed. He smiled and shook his head, turned off the lights in the warehouse again, and then stepped over the barrier in front of the door, ready to get in his pickup and leave. It was not until he walked to his pickup that he remembered he seemed to have forgotten to lock the door. If tomorrow, the foreman saw that he had entered Warehouse 9 without permission, who knew how badly he would be scolded? Thinking of this, Chester turned around silently, ready to go back to lock the warehouse door and leave. However, when Chester turned around, his footsteps halted completely. In front of the barrier tape outside the warehouse door, a statue had appeared at an unknown time C an angel statue with hands folded over the chest and a pair of slightly extended wings behind it. This statue was almost the same as the statue in the warehouse, but this statue had its back facing the door. Its side turned toward Chester as if it had just walked out of the warehouse. In addition to its pair of slightly opened wings, it looked alive. Seeing this weird scene, Chester was a little surprised. He slowly approached the statue and then tried to touch the statues arms and wings. It was hard and cool, without any mechanisms. At this moment, Chester suddenly felt a little suspicious. Was this statue standing here when he entered or was it that someone moved it here after he had entered Warehouse 9? If so, why did he not notice it when he came out? Chester was completely stupefied. He also wondered if this statue was the one he saw in the warehouse before. When he touched it thoroughly, he could be sure that it was not because he did not find any movable parts on the statue. Could it be that an angel had manifested itself? Chester scratched his head, but for the sake of his job, he still stared at the statue while stepping over the barrier, fumbling to lock the warehouse door. Even after he had completely closed the gate, the statue remained still. Gradually, Chester let down his guard. After thinking about it carefully, it was possible that the angel statue had already been in the warehouse, but it was moved out by the police for some reason. As he had wanted to go in for a look, he had overlooked the statue at the door. Having thought of this, everything could be explained. Thinking of this, Chester shook his head, completely retracted his gaze, and walked toward the car. However, he had barely taken a few steps when he suddenly heard a plonk from behind him. Chester turned his head subconsciously, but saw one of the warning tapes had snapped for some reason! Nonetheless, this was secondary. Chester still felt something else wrong because he realized that the statue behind him seemed to have moved a few steps, and its posture was a little different than before. Was he seeing things? Chester rubbed his eyes in disbelief, but when he put down his hands again, he only felt a chill all over the angel sculpture had changed its angle completely within the two seconds he was rubbing his eyes! If the angel statues side was facing him before, then at this time, the angel statue had completely turned to face him directly! What the f*ck? Chester gasped sharply. He moved backward step by step until he reached the front of his car. He pulled himself together, then he hesitated for a while, before he slowly raised his hand again, covering his eyes. This time, Chester had just covered his eyes briefly before quickly taking his hands away, but even so, what he saw made his hair stand on end! He saw that within the second of covering his eyes, the angel statue was now no more than two or three meters away from him. Moreover, it no longer had a serene expression as before but had opened its mouth wide in a hideous grin. At the same time, it had assumed a position as if it was ready to leap forward, ready to lunge toward Chester in the next second! There was something wrong with this statue! Chester only felt a chill crawl up his spine. He did not hesitate to jump into the car and started the car without thinking twice. While staring at the statue, he quickly drove the car down the road! Chester breathed a sigh of relief when he could no longer see the statue in the rearview mirror. The vehicle was moving forward at a speed of 80km per hour. At the same time, he looked behind him with lingering fear but saw that the road where he came from was already dark, with only a few faint lights flickering, indicating that workers were working nearby. What the h*ll was that thing? Chester murmured as he quickly turned back to the front. However, in that instant, he suddenly saw that the statue was standing in the middle of the road without him realizing it before, less than ten meters away! Like a conditioned reflex, Chester quickly turned the steering wheel and the pickup truck spun out of his lost control and hit the wall of a nearby warehouse! Boom! There was a deafening impact and Chester slammed into the steering wheel in front of him. He only had time to sigh Im done for in his heart, and then he completely lost consciousness The next morning, Rowling Keith yawned and sat up from the bed. He shook his head, which was a little groggy. Then, according to his usual routine, he first went to the washroom and drank a glass of water in large gulps before turning on the TV. After that, he listened to the morning news on the TV as he washed up in the bathroom. This is ABC News Good Morning Northern America. Im Marilyn. This morning, the new Northern American President, Madam Ivanka, will fly to the North Sea Continent for a visit Vice President Trump tweeted today that the This Man effect that had occurred in the past was a kind of group hypnotism. He said that This Man has miraculously disappeared as he predicted and that Northern America is doing perfectly well in all matters. Even if there was This Man, it must have been an infection from China After washing up briefly, Keith walked out of the bathroom with a towel while wiping his face, but at this moment, he saw a new update on the TV: Now an urgent update is issued. Just this morning, several vicious homicides were discovered in the suburbs of Los Angeles. The cases were all located in the Herrank Warehouse District. At present, the police have found eight bodies in the Herrank Warehouse District Immediately, the image on the TV changed, showing shots from the scene. A beautiful blonde anchor was standing in front of rows of warehouses, reporting with a serious face, Just this morning, the Los Angeles police suddenly received a murder report. The informant was Mr. Connor, the manager of the Herrank Warehouse District. He claimed that someone had committed multiple crimes in the warehouse area. The police then proceeded to investigate. Following the anchors narration, the cameraman also moved the camera away from the anchor and showed the busy figures of dozens of police officers behind her as well as large strips of cordon tapes. At present, eight bodies have been found and each had been killed in the same way, that is, their neck was twisted at an angle exceeding 360 degrees. How brutal Following this passage, the cameraman continued to zoom in. Keith immediately saw a small truck that had hit the wall in an area blocked off with yellow warning tape. The front of the truck had caved in, but inside the car, he could see a corpse with a severely misaligned head. At present, the police are investigating at full force After seeing this news, Keith shook his head without taking it seriously. After all, this was Kansas City, not Los Angeles, and the distance between the two was 2,600 kilometers. Even flying here by plane would take two hours, so he would not be afraid that the murderers over there would rush over. Still, on second thought, Keith observed a moment of silence because if he remembered correctly, the headquarters of the company he worked for was located in Los Angeles. He just hoped that his colleagues over there could save themselves. Thinking of this, Keith had finished washing up. He turned off the TV, then put on his jacket and went out. Although he was supposed to have the day off, Keith did not complain just because he had to work overtime, because in his companys drug laboratory, a very important experimental project was about to be conquered, and it was the final push. This was an experimental project that would shake up the entire world. Once the experimental team had a breakthrough, then next years Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine might belong to his team At that point, everyone would become famous, and prospects and money would come rolling in. At the same time, his experimental team would be promoted to the ranks of world-renowned biologists and even a hundred years later, they could occupy a place in history books. With this in mind, Keith was already full of motivation. As soon as he stepped on the gas pedal, his car made a humming noise and drove forward along the road Chapter 468 - Action Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation On the evening of 30 May, in a small biological laboratory on the outskirts of Kansas City, forgotten by the world, four experimenters were immersed in their data. These four were an old man, a blonde beauty, a young black man, and a handsome young white man. The old man was a professor and the other three were his subordinates. Still, although the atmosphere in the laboratory was tense, there was none of the hostility found in other laboratories. Not only that but from the excited expressions of the four people, it could be seen that the experiment had been fruitful and it had come to an end. At this moment, the blonde beauty suddenly took out a blue fluorescent test tube from the incubator in front of her. She picked it up with a test tube clamp and placed it in front of the old man with excitement. At the same time, she said, Professor Irwin, the sample compound has been separated Very good, prepare to drip it into the experimental model. The old man called Professor Irwin hurriedly spoke and then he called out to the other busy team members, Keith, Kefir, come and see, Jennifer has separated the compound! The handsome young man and the black youth quickly huddled around. The four gathered in front of a petri dish and then watched the blonde beauty drip a drop of reagent into the petri dish Let me! The handsome young man dutifully picked up the petri dish and placed it under the electron microscope to observe and then shouted, Look, after dripping in the compound, the IL-1 in the petri dish is inhibited! Everyone looked at the screen next to them and as expected, the particles in the petri dish were being continuously dissolved by the drop of the compound, just like washing powder dissolving stains, at a swift rate Not only that but the A deposits are also continuously dissolving! The old professor on the side exclaimed, Keith, we may have made a big discovery Keith nodded and a glimmer of excitement appeared in his eyes. Obviously, this is what you have been searching for, Professor Irwin I never thought that a drug that hasnt been developed by any pharmaceutical company in the world has been produced in our small workshop here This honor belongs to you, Professor Irwin Seeing this scene, the blonde beauty burst into tears of joy. She stepped forward and hugged the old man and then said, Even well share in some of the glory because of you! The four of them wore expressions of excitement and deep emotion. Although they had already been mentally prepared for the success of the drug, when it came, everyone felt somewhat dazzled as it was almost surreal. This is not my accomplishment alone. The old man patted the three of them on the head and said with satisfaction, Besides me, whether it is you, Keith or Kefir, you have all also made a great contribution to the production of this drug! Professor Irwin, the most important thing now is to think of a name for this new drug. At this moment, the black youth suddenly said, Youre the creator of the drug. You should name it! Thats right! Everyone nodded as if this was by rights. This drug is likely to be the first drug in human history that can perfectly cure Alzheimers disease. In this case, I might as well call it The old man thought for a while, then said, It shall be called AD-001! Yay! The three young people all cheered. Hold on! Still, at this moment, the old man seemed to have thought of something. His face tightened and he quickly stopped everyone. You three, this isnt the time to celebrate. Now I need someone to help me with a task! A task? The three of them all looked puzzled, wondering why Professor Irwin, who should have been celebrating, was so serious. I hope someone will make the trip instead of me, to send this vial of drug and its information to Los Angeles. Send it to a person named Parker on the companys board of directors The old man looked serious and he turned his head to look at Keith. Keith, can you complete this task? Wait, if its the board of directors, wouldnt it be fine for you to send it in person? Its even easier with the information. We can just send it over online directly. Keith was a little puzzled as he spread his hands. Why send it in person? Uh Upon hearing this, Professor Irwin could not help sighing. You and Jennifer are both transferred from other companies. It may not be clear that part of our companys equity shares has been maliciously acquired by another company. Even the board of directors has been infiltrated And that company is far stronger than us. Once data is transmitted over the network, its likely to be intercepted by the other party! I know, could it be that famous As soon as the black youth on the side was about to speak, Professor Irwin covered his mouth. Seeing this scene, Keith and the blonde beauty looked at each other with a grave gleam in their eyes. Professor Irwin continued to say, The most important thing is that the other party has a similar Alzheimers disease response policy. We must not let this developed drug fall into their hands, understand? Understood! Keith nodded when he heard these words. If this is the case, then Ill deliver it and for insurance, Ill go to Los Angeles by car, so that even if they know about it, I wont be caught at the airport. Very good Professor Irwin nodded, feeling gratified. After that, he took out a USB flash drive, put all the information on the drug in it, and then pressed the button in the laboratory to clear all information, fully deleting all the information on AD-001 from the laboratory. Then, he poured all the liquid in the test tube into a finger-sized airtight bottle. At once, a glass bottle glowing with blue fluorescent light appeared in front of Professor Irwin and he solemnly handed the airtight bottle to Keith. With a warm kind smile, he said, Go, boy! The sooner you leave, the better! Keith nodded somberly, then he put away the sealed bottle, bade everyone farewell, and quickly left the laboratory. However, what everyone did not know was that the moment they produced AD-001, everything about this drug had been intercepted by a secret existence on the Internet. Not only that but in a building far away in the suburbs of Los Angeles, there was also a room without any doors or windows. This room was located in the middle of the building, right in a crevice. Through the fallible eyesight of human beings, this room was thus carved out of this building. The walls and floor of this room were all pure white. There was only one piece of furniture in the entire room, which was a black ball. At this moment, in the silent and pure white room, the black ball in the center suddenly made a low humming noise. It seemed that some machinery inside had started to operate. In the next second, the black ball erupted with a beam of bluish light that spread in all directions! Whirr whirr whirr As the black ball operated, the light scattered by the black ball seemed to function as a 3D printer. Nine figures emerged smoothly in the blue light. When the blue light had dissipated, there were nine additional people in the room. Among the nine people, they were wearing all kinds of clothes and they did not look special. Nonetheless, if one looked closely, one would find that these people were all wearing uniform black gloves and a pair of black leather boots. Moreover, the same black neckline could be seen near their collars. Under the outer clothes of this group of people, there was a uniform black costume. Among the nine people, at their head was a young man with a grim expression who had a head of short black hair. At this time, the young man stepped forward and he went straight to the wall in front of him. However, something even more peculiar happened. As the young man stepped forward, the wall in front of him opened in response, revealing an empty room behind the wall. A floor-to-ceiling window was installed on the outside of the room. When one looked out from the window, one could even see the neon lights as bright as stars in the distance. The time zone was different from Namibia. Namibia was located in the first zone in the east and Los Angeles was located in the eighth zone in the west. There was a ten-hour time difference between the two. At this time, Namibia was still in the early morning and Los Angeles had entered nighttime. As he led the other eight people behind him out of the secret room, the young man could not help looking around, his eyes faintly flickering. Yes, this is Los Angeles. X, how is the situation in Kansas City? In the Kansas City laboratory of Osmond Biotech, Professor Irwin has successfully developed AD-001, and everything is the same as in the movie. Professor Irwin has deleted all the original materials because he was concerned about us. Only one backup was kept and it was prepared to be sent to the companys board of directors along with the AD-001. In the earphones, Little Xs birdlike voice rang out. As time went on, Little X no longer had that childlike voice that used to be cute but had acquired a girls sweet tinkling voice, which sounded very pleasing. Sure enough, the plot in the movie really happened. Chen Chen walked to the floor-to-ceiling window with no sadness or joy. In this case, lets not diverge from the plot for the time being. Just let the plot maintain its original trajectory. Understood, the first group of Black Knights had gone to Kansas City yesterday. They have now arrived and captured Professor Irwin and his assistant, Kefir. Little X replied. Irwin is an elite in the field of biology, remember to bring him back to us. Chen Chen nodded but then changed his tone and said in a deep voice, But you have to remember that you dont have to hold back when you let the Black Knights chase down Keith. You must do your best to kill him. I want to see if I can kill the protagonist of the movie without violating the flow of the plot! Got it! Little X agreed. Then what about you now? Im going to the headquarters of Osmond Biotech and meet the man named Parker. Chen Chen casually said, Ill just wait there and let things play out. With that, he opened the window in front of him and suddenly, a gust of wind came in. Wait, Sir Godfather Just when Chen Chen was about to fly out directly, Little X suddenly said haltingly. Hearing Little Xs voice, Chen Chen immediately stopped. Whats the matter? I found out from the police network that a very strange serial homicide case has occurred in Los Angeles. The location was in the Herrank Warehouse District, which is only a few kilometers away Little X said, Theres something fishy about this. In what way? Chen Chens expression sharpened. Little X was the fastest supercomputer in the world. If something made her suspicious, then there was a real problem. The location of the incident was the Herrank Warehouse District. There are countless items stored there from all over the world, both in the district and outside the district. Even the industrial park of our Eco Science City has a certain level of international trade contact with this place. Little X said softly, But just yesterday night and the night before that, two murders suddenly occurred. The first was the night before yesterday when a worker in the warehouse area was killed by having his neck twisted by an unknown method. Initially it seemed that it was just a chance incident. The Los Angeles police withdrew after investigating and collecting evidence. However, just last night, the case suddenly escalated. Eight people were killed again in the same night and all eight people died in the same way. All their necks were twisted until they died and some of the deceased even had their spine pulled out. Hearing this, Chen Chen could not help looking solemn. Their necks were twisted? X, do you suspect this is an abnormal murder case? Im not sure. I only feel that Los Angeles has usually been safe, but just as we arrived, this kind of thing happened suddenly. Little X explained, So, I wonder if these changes are related to our present actions? Maybe. Chen Chen did not deny that directly. He raised his head and felt the strong constant wind against his face. Maybe this is just a coincidence or maybe all of this is related to the movie plot, but we cant stop the plan because of this abnormality, otherwise, well easily disrupt the plot. Im not sure what will happen if we do so. Maybe nothing will happen or it might cause an even worse chain reaction, even resulting in a rejection by the laws of the world. Just like in Final Destination, we might be directly killed by some universal law. But this still requires a little bit of trial and error. As he spoke, Chen Chen sighed suddenly, then the corners of his mouth turned up slightly. X, havent you noticed? Are we now the same as before, groping for the rules of the USB drive bit by bit? Yes Little X nodded nervously. With that magical USB flash drive, just when we think weve understood it sufficiently, it will always display more changes. Just like an iceberg floating on the surface of the sea youll never know how much of this iceberg is hidden below sea level Chen Chen narrowed his eyes and said quietly, Its the same thing now. If I want to control the USB flash drive, I must constantly test out more of its rules. Unless Id rather stop without progressing, this is a path that we cannot avoid. I understand, we will not run from all this. In the headset, Little Xs voice became solemn. Very good. Chen Chen smiled and said, Contact the computer Adam of the Earth Federation headquarters and ask him to make a prediction to see who the murderer is behind this case. This is what we can do now and everything else will proceed as usual. Got it! After Little Xs promise, Chen Chen kicked off with one foot and completely stepped out of the building. As he stood amid the strong gale, his clothes fluttered furiously. After that, he fixed upon a direction, abruptly leaned his body forward, and then there was a loud bang! Up ahead, there was only a trail of scattered mist but Chen Chens figure had vanished without a trace! Chapter 469 - Persuasion Yellowstone Park, Northern America, in an uninhabited area. A building hidden amid thousands of trees stood tall. There were no villages and roads within a hundred miles of it. There were only a few intricate secret military bases, guarding this square building like bodyguards. Here was the true core of the Earth Federation the Federations Quantum Deity Laboratory and in this building was the worlds most precious thing, Adam. Adam was a quantum computer but its form was very strange, like an abstract sculpture built by an artist. It was composed of large and small translucent glass-like gears as well as irregular parts. Many tassels were hanging down too, full of strange beauty. If one day Adam broke down or lost its power of prediction, then within a month, the entire Earth Federation would fall apart, disintegrating like the Soviet Union in the past. There would once again be a situation where nations were separated and conquered each other. Even so, on such a night, the quantum computer Adam suddenly started up by itself, jingling with the sound of clinking glass. Clink clink Clink clink However, just such a small collision was comparable to the storm of a century in the eyes of the many monitoring personnel outside Report, Group 14 has detected abnormal fluctuations! Report, Group 10 has detected abnormal fluctuations! Group 17 has also detected that the analytical curve valves of the third and sixth indexes are still rising, from an average of 30% to 102%. The eighth indexs curve has increased by 1,000%! What happened? Its a curve disturbance. Adam is predicting the future of an event! As everyone yelled out updates in a disorganized manner, a harsh alarm blared out loudly. In an instant, the entire monitoring team was in chaos. Everyone tried to parse the strings of codes for the quantum computers operations, but what was shocking was that these codes were all encrypted! Why! Why did Adam suddenly use encryption codes? We dont know, this phenomenon has never happened before! Decipher them quickly, hurry up! However, it was not easy to parse the encryption codes of a quantum computer. This group of people spent every effort and used the computing power of 200 supercomputers around the world, only to barely arrive at a conclusion if they wanted to crack Adams encryption codes, it would take these supercomputers three hundred years without break to crack them! After seeing this conclusion, everyone was completely dumbfounded When the entire Federations higher-ups were in an uproar over Adams anomaly, Chen Chen was standing in the air at a height of a thousand meters. The wind roared, causing his clothes to flap in the wind, and below his feet was the world-famous capital of film and television. At this moment, Chen Chen lowered his head and looked stoically at the brightly lit city under his feet. Besides being the second-ranked city in Northern America, Los Angeles was famous for another reason it was the place where Hollywood was located. Since 1911, after the first film company was established in Los Angeles, the city had quickly become the worlds center for film and television, and it had also become a cultural export center in Northern America. The name Hollywood had attracted the attention of billions of people and guided the general direction of movie entertainment globally. This was Chen Chens second time coming to this city. The last time he came here, it was also for something film related. As he was sharp enough to notice that the movie Deadly Crisis: A Shocking Scheme had a strange causal connection with reality, he came to Hollywood specifically to investigate the director and crew who shot the film. The investigation results naturally did not tell him much. This movie did not show any signs of being meddled in by mysterious forces. Thus, Chen Chen came to a judgment at the time: some movies shot on the USB flash drive were likely to affect reality! However, now that three years had passed, the original judgment had come true. Although the physical appearance of the characters in that movie was not the same as in reality, everything else was the same as the movies plot, whether in terms of name or other details as if the story of the movie was being faithfully reproduced. Even at this time, Chen Chen had received a report that the young man named Keith had created AD-001 in his research and was now being ordered by Professor Irwin to secretly deliver the medicine to the founder of Osmond Biotech. Chen Chen had obtained AD-001 as early as three years ago. Although the drug had not been disclosed to the public so far, it was already well known in Gods Forbidden Zone. More than a dozen family members of the Disciple Council who had been suffering from Alzheimers disease had even been treated and were 100% cured. Now that this drug had been produced by others who would claim it as their own, of course, Chen Chen would not agree to this. Not only Chen Chen would not agree but even the other Disciples families also would not agree. At this time, Chen Chen had arrived at the headquarters of Osmond Biotech. This was a dilapidated office building with a history of at least 20 years. This building was also close to the suburbs and it was now nighttime, so the surroundings looked a little desolate. Chen Chen landed in a free fall from a high altitude, but when he was about to reach the ground, his speed dropped suddenly. His entire body spun around, going from an upside-down position to an upright one. Then, he settled firmly on the rooftop of the office building. All this time, no one saw this amazing scene. A place like a rooftop was naturally deserted at usual times, not to mention that it was now late at night. Even so, Chen Chen saw that the bellows of several central air conditioners on the rooftop were still buzzing. According to the positioning information given by Little X, Parker, the founder of Osmond, was now in his office. Thus, Chen Chen walked directly to the stairwell on the roof and looked at the battered iron gate in front of him. Chen Chen sneered and pushed the door directly as he went in. Creak ! At once, the iron gate that had not been opened for a long time made a loud rubbing squeak as Chen Chen directly pushed it open. When he walked down from the rooftop, Chen Chen saw that he was in a long and narrow corridor and there were offices on both sides of the corridor. Other than that, there was nothing worthy of attention. In the row of offices on the right side of the corridor, the first one was what Chen Chen was looking for. He saw the words Chairman and General Managers Office on the signboard of the office. Yes, Parker was not only the founder of Osmond Biotech but also the chairman of the board of directors and the general manager of the company. To be able to continuously raise funds for a small biotechnology company until it reached its current size although this could not be compared to a behemoth like Blacklight Biotechnology, it was already impressive. Parker must be quite talented. Thinking of this, Chen Chen walked to the door and directly opened the wooden door of the office. Whats the matter, didnt I tell you? You can solve this kind of thing by yourself! As the door was completely opened, Chen Chen heard a male voice coming from inside and Chen Chens eyes took in the scene in the office at the same time. This office was not big although it seemed to have been formed by knocking down a wall and combining two offices into one. Still, the interior decoration was more tastefully chosen, composed of black and white. Whether it was the floor or the wall, the surfaces were all black and white, which created a unique sensation when one was standing in the space. Opposite the door was a large mahogany writing desk. Opposite the writing desk was Parker whom Chen Chen was looking for. This was a middle-aged man with a special face. He seemed to be of part-Germanic lineage with a slim face, large bones, black hair, and brown eyes, with eyebrows parallel to his piercing eyes. As Chen Chen opened the door and entered, the middle-aged man at the mahogany writing desk raised his head impatiently. He was just about to lose his temper, but he was taken aback when he saw Chen Chen. Who are you, wheres Michelle? Do you mean your secretary? Chen Chen walked into the office as if he was familiar with the place. He looked around and said casually, I didnt see her at the door, maybe shes already got off work. Got off work? The middle-aged man became even more puzzled. He looked at Chen Chen suspiciously and asked again, Then who are you and why are you here? Me? Chen Chen could not help but grin. He pulled up a chair from the side and sat opposite the middle-aged man. At the same time, he smiled nastily. Im the boss of this company. What sort of joke is this? The middle-aged man became furious. He picked up the phone next to him and yelled into the receiver, Where are the security guards, what have they been doing? Theres an outsider in my office! Come over now! After a womans voice replied on the phone, the middle-aged man hung up huffily. He solemnly looked at Chen Chen. I dont know how you got here, but before the security guards toss you out on the street, you have half a minute to get out of my office, right now! Why bother? Chen Chen did not feel disgruntled just because of the other partys words. At this time, he said leisurely, Mr. Parker, dont get so worked up. Theres no exaggeration in what I said before. Now, let me formally introduce myself. My name is Chen Chen. You shouldve heard of me. I dont want to know who you are The middle-aged man snorted coldly but before he finished speaking, he suddenly stopped and widened his eyes in an incredulous expression. What, who did you say you are? Chen Chen did not answer. Instead, he spread his hands and said casually, I know you have heard me. I dont have to state my identity again. Mr. Parker, Im here to make a deal with you. As he spoke, Chen Chen suddenly leaned forward and said in a low voice, I want the remaining shares of Osmond owned by you as well as the management rights of your company! Impossible! The middle-aged man immediately refused without thinking about it. At this time, there was already the sound of running footsteps approaching outside the door and it seemed that several people were coming here quickly. After hearing this noise, the middle-aged man seemed to feel more secure and his voice became calmer. I will not sell the shares in my hands, let alone transfer the management rights of the company I created to another person. I dont want to know who you are, just leave now immediately, otherwise, Ill ask security to carry you out! After Parkers speech, the sound of footsteps had reached the door and at the same time, five strong men in suits rushed in. Get him out of here! Seeing the security guards who had arrived, Parker looked a little delighted and ordered at the same time. Im afraid it wont be as you wish Chen Chens eyes gleamed with a flicker of mock regret. He snapped his fingers casually and in the next second, the five security guards who had just entered felt a stab of pain in the back of their heads as if someone had hit them hard in the back. After that, their eyes rolled over at the same time and they collapsed to the ground in unison! This was the use of Field energy. Now that Chen Chen was able to rely on the power of Field to break through the sound barrier, the simple trick of knocking people out was even simpler. Even so, to Parker, it was as if the young man in front of him had mastered some mysterious power. Chen Chen had just snapped his fingers and caused five people to fall to the ground at the same time! Seeing this eerie scene, Parker could not help but gasp sharply. He could not sit still anymore and stood up with horror on his face while quickly backing away until he reached the window. Theres no point in escaping. Chen Chen leaned back in his chair and continued to persuade Parker unhurriedly. The reason youre unwilling to be acquired by me is that youve received news from Professor Irwin, right? That AD-001 was successfully developed? You Hearing this, Parker felt as if he had been struck by a thunderbolt. He looked at Chen Chen in shock. How could you possibly know this! Of course, Id know. Chen Chen waved his hand and said with a chuckle, Not only do I know this but I also know that to prevent the newly developed AD-001 from falling into our hands, Professor Irwin specially ordered Keith to travel by road to cross 2,600 kilometers and deliver the drug to you personally. Are you imagining the endless flow of cash that will come pouring into your pockets? Parker opened his mouth when he heard the words and fell silent again. Only this time, as Chen Chen exposed his secret, his original arrogant expression had wilted significantly. Why dont you listen to my offer? Seeing that Parker did not respond, Chen Chen said directly, Im willing to buy all the shares in your hands at a price of one billion U.S.D. This price isnt low. After all, after several rounds of financing, you only own 11% of the original shares. Chapter 470 - Hidden Mastermind Blacklight Biotechnology currently owned 50% of Osmonds shares and now it had increased by 11%, bringing it to 66%. As the legal owner of Blacklight Biotechnology, Chen Chen also naturally became the big boss of Osmond in the eyes of the law. In one night, the entire company had entered a new dynasty but the employees of the company had been kept in the dark. Only Parker, after being forced to agree to all this, was slumped in his seat, his expression clearly more aged and strained. Although he got the money, he had lost the future. His belief that was once full of ambitions to make the company bigger and stronger collapsed instantly. At this moment, Parker only felt that his heart was empty and it seemed that he was missing something. After persuading the other party, Chen Chen did not stay on. Although Parker was pretty good at his job and Chen Chen had considered roping him in as a manager of a Blacklight Biotechnology branch office, Chen Chen still discarded this idea after thinking about it. If he roped in Parker, this man would gradually wonder where Blacklight Biotechnologys AD-001 came from and even discover that accursed movie. If he had a fertile imagination, he might even speculate that Chen Chen had some kind of method to foresee the future. Moreover, Parker himself was not meant for the same path as Chen Chen. Therefore, Chen Chen finally gave up on this notion. After Chen Chen turned to leave the office and returned to the rooftop, he stood on the edge of the building and silently stared into the distance. Everything was in place. Following this, he just had to wait for Keith to come into the story. However, just when Chen Chen thought that everything was under control, Little X suddenly piped up in a somewhat anxious voice. Oh no, Sir Godfather, something had happened in the Earth Federation Quantum Deity Laboratory! Chen Chen raised his eyes when he heard the words. Whats the matter? After I sent a prediction request to the quantum computer Adam, it took only half an hour to automatically generate a video but after I watched this video, it felt both familiar and unfamiliar! Little Xs voice was uncertain. Ive only felt something like this when it comes to memes! Chen Chen was shocked when he heard these words. He stood up straight. You mean, Adam created a meme by himself? Its not that! However, Little X explained, I analyzed the code of the video itself and didnt find anything related to memes. That is to say, the video isnt problematic. The real problem isnt the video itself but the content in the video! At this, Little X hesitated. Im familiar with the coding of memes. From this video, Ive got a feeling similar to This Man, which means that this video is likely to be highly infectious. But Im not sure for the time being how many ways the content of this video can spread and what will be the means of transmission Chen Chen immediately grasped that the transmission of memes was ever-changing and not necessarily limited to one type. Although it was a video, meaning that it was certain that the transmission mode was visual communication, it did not mean that transmission would not occur if language was used to describe its content. Still, at this point, Chen Chen suddenly looked in a certain direction in Los Angeles, which was the direction of the Herrank Warehouse District that Little X had mentioned in her previous report. If the quantum computer predicted that it was a meme, did it mean that there was a memetic effect happening in the Herrank Warehouse District and those who had died by having their necks twisted were all killed by the meme? However, everything related to memes was deadlocked in the Spire, so how could it appear outside here and in the strongest continent, Northern America, at that? Whats the content of the video, can you describe it? Chen Chen asked urgently. I dare not describe the specific content for the time being, but one thing I can say is that the main subject in the video is a statue, an Angel statue covering its eyes An angel statue covering its eyes? Chen Chen muttered in puzzlement and then he seemed to have thought of something. He jerked up, showing a shocked expression. Its that angel pattern! At this moment, Chen Chen suddenly remembered that when he went to Chinas Jiao Tong University for an investigation, he had been ambushed with an iron bed that seemed to have originated from the dimension of Silent Hill, which had almost killed him. Although that ambush was ultimately foiled by fate, as the iron beds meme was unintentionally deciphered by a college student, an error still occurred after Chen Chen had transported the iron bed back to Namibia. During the memetic detection experiment, Chen Chen not only failed to discern the iron beds function but instead caused a mural to appear next to the iron bed. That was a mural painted in blood on it was a woman curled up with her eyes covered and on the womans back, there was a pair of wings At that time, Chen Chen did not see the whole picture, only a part of it, but fortunately, that was the case. Once he saw the meme pattern completely, it was likely that he would be infected. Even if he died, he would not know what he died of. At this time, following Little Xs reminder, Chen Chen immediately thought of something and he quickly asked, Didnt four Black Knights look directly at the meme before? How were they destroyed in the end? I sent them to the steel mill. Little X seemed to understand what he was driving at and she quickly said, It cant be. After the chips were dug out of the four Black Knights, their bodies were all dissolved in the molten steel. Dissolved? Chen Chen could not help looking suspicious. If they had been destroyed, why did the meme appear in Los Angeles again? Was it just a coincidence? Even so, in the next second, Chen Chen dismissed the idea and asked again, Are you sure? Then what of the pot containing the molten steel that dissolved the bodies of the four Black Knights, where did it go? Ill look it up now. Little X replied, paused for a few seconds, and then said again, Sir Godfather, your guess isnt wrong because I found that after the pot of molten steel had dissolved those four, it was cast as building materials and sold to Northern America. Whats more, the buyer is a construction company in Los Angeles Hearing this, Chen Chen and Little X understood everything in a flash. As I thought. Chen Chen stared solemnly at the dark night ahead. In the suburbs of Los Angeles, there was an area full of warehouses, none other than the famous Herrank Warehouse District. This batch of building materials was mixed up with the memetic effect. It was transported to Los Angeles along with the rest of the building materials. Then, when the materials were temporarily stacked in the Herrank Warehouse District, it broke out because certain conditions were met What a tricky meme. Little Xs tone was a bit distressed. I didnt expect that even after the bodies that might be infected with the meme had been destroyed, it can still spread. This memetic effect is too terrifying. In this case, Im afraid that the Quantum Deity Laboratory is a goner You mean, in the Quantum Deity Laboratory, this video has been leaked? Chen Chen took a deep breath and only felt his scalp turn numb. He could not imagine what would happen if this meme appeared in reality Yes, after all, Adam itself is over there with them. I cant prevent them from getting the answer. At most, I can only choose to encrypt the information, but Little Xs voice was a little helpless. Originally, Adam had used encryption when predicting the Herrank Warehouse event. It stands to reason that the Earth Federation cannot get an effective answer. Its a pity that the meme is unreasonable. After the video was generated, not only did I receive this video but the Earth Federation also got a copy. I originally thought that these encryption methods couldnt be cracked by the Earth Federation, but they succeeded in decoding it. All the encryption methods became ineffective measures in the face of this meme! In other words, at this time, everyone in the Quantum Deity Laboratory of the Earth Federation had seen that video? Chen Chens face turned even darker. At this moment, Zhao Shanhes face flashed in his mind and then Zhao Shanhes face changed and became the image of Professor Wang Xi. Chen Chen could not help but laugh in anger. Great plan, what a truly great plan What do you mean Little X sounded astonished. All this would be impossible if no one was planning it. Chen Chens expression became even colder and harsher. The other party would destroy the entire human civilization indiscriminately to get the USB flash drive or to kill me. Isnt this a great plan? Whats more terrifying is that the other party is probably not on Earth or even the same space-time and timeline where Im in. Rather, theyre in another place that I cant reach or discover Then what shall we do now? X could not help asking. Call off most of the Black Knights who are chasing Keith. Chen Chen said without thinking, With Keith, just let everything happen as it will. These Black Knights are to go to the Herrank area, find out everything thats going on, and see what the h*ll is killing people! As he spoke, Chen Chen hesitated a bit and finally said, By the way, contact the President of Northern America and the Mayor of Los Angeles and ask them to immediately seal off the Herrank area to prevent the spread of the meme! But they wont listen to us Little X hesitated. Then tell them what a meme is! Chen Chen said coldly, Although the time isnt quite right, I can no longer care about that. Were just laying our cards on the table. We dont necessarily need to be afraid of Northern America now. X, Im relying on you here. Youve never let me down in the past and the present as well. I hope it will be so in the future! Yes! Little X immediately perked up when she heard this and her voice was loud and clear. I understand, Sir Godfather, leave it to me! Very good! Chen Chen smiled in relief and suddenly turned his head to look north. At this moment, the night breeze suddenly brushed by, causing Chen Chen to slightly narrow his eyes. There seemed to be an undercurrent churning in his gaze. As for the Federations Quantum Deity Laboratory, Ill take care of it. With that said, Chen Chen walked straight to the edge of the building but when he reached the edge, he did not stop and walked into thin air. However, the strange thing was that although there was a 100-meter-high void below his feet, he seemed to be walking on solid ground every step of the way! At the same time, Chen Chens body was leaning forward slightly and the Field energy in his mind exploded like a spark plug. In the next second, Chen Chens body suddenly produced an extreme thrust, causing Chen Chen to race forward with unbelievable acceleration! Boom! A white mist formed behind Chen Chen but at this time, he had already appeared hundreds of meters away. After that, in another blink of an eye, Chen Chen disappeared completely! After Chen Chens figure had vanished, the panes of glass in the Osmond building under his feet shattered instantaneously. In a flash, half of the buildings glass had exploded and the fragments scattered all over the place! At this point, Chen Chen had flown away at an acceleration that exceeded human limits. This was no longer just thanks to the Field energy. Even Andrew in Chronicle would not dare to do this. Andrew might have a stronger Field than Chen Chens, but his body was still that of an ordinary mortal. Many people would think that ones body would become stronger after being irradiated by the crystalline. The source of this rumor was a scene in the movie: Andrew had stabbed a fork into his cousins hand when he was playing tricks on his cousin, but his cousins hand was fine, yet the fork was bent, so those uninformed would think that their bodies became even tougher after being irradiated by the crystalline. Nevertheless, this was a misunderstanding because at that point of the story, Andrew was testing out his Field. He later explained that the reason the fork would bend and his cousins hand remained fine was because he used his Field to shield his cousins hand. The reason he did this was just to show that one could have a higher degree of control over ones Field and it had nothing to do with physical durability. Chen Chen was different. At this time, Chen Chen was like a mixture of Alice and Andrew. He had both Alices physical fitness strengthened by the T-virus and Andrews Field power, so only he could accelerate to supersonic speed in half a second without worrying about his body being unable to bear the strain. In the aviation field, there was a technical term called overload and the unit was represented by G. It could also be called the gravitational acceleration experienced by an object on the surface of the earth, which could be expressed as: when standing on the ground and remaining motionless relative to the ground, the gravitational acceleration experienced by a person was 1G and what one would feel was ones body weight. However, during flight, the aircraft would often accelerate and the pilot would likewise undergo acceleration at the same time, so an acceleration would be generated. The greater the acceleration, the greater the acceleration overload. For example, if the pilot had attained an overload unit of 2G during flight, this was equivalent to the pilots weight doubling out of thin air. Generally speaking, ordinary people could withstand an overload of 2-3G and those fighter pilots who were carefully selected for their physical fitness as well as having undergone professional training, could withstand overloads far beyond ordinary people, even reaching 5-7G. Some of the better ones could even withstand a 9G overload. As for Chen Chen, accelerating from a standstill to the speed of sound, he had suffered several times the overload of a pilot and more than a hundred times that of an ordinary person. This would be impossible for Andrew in the movie. Even if he tried that, he would die of cerebral hemorrhage a few seconds later. Chapter 471 - Annihilation Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Its out! When they cracked the encryption code of Adam, those in the technical department could not help but cheer. The group of representatives from all continents, the shield bearers, gathered around the computer at once, waiting for the release of new information from Adam. Whats the matter, isnt it encrypted information? Why was the technical department able to crack it? Who knows, I heard that the technical department didnt spend any effort at all, but this matter has something to do with the super-intelligent Adam. Maybe theres some deep meaning behind all this. This computer is amazing Many shield bearers gathered in the conference room and continued to talk anxiously and excitedly, until the chairman of the Quantum Deity Conference spoke and everyone quieted down. I think you all know the reason for this emergency meeting. This was an old man from Europe. He only said excitedly, I wont waste your time. Now, as for the video information cracked by the technical department, please take a look Following the old mans words, the screen in front of everyone suddenly turned on and a video of only ten seconds was played in front of everyone. However, to everyones disappointment, the image in the video was not some big secret but a statue of a woman with her back facing everyone, her head down, and her hands raised to cover her eyes. The lines on the statue were smooth and the details were extremely delicate as if they were carefully crafted. What was more conspicuous was the pair of soft wings growing out the back of the statue. Anyone who looked at it could understand at a glance that this statue was none other than an angel. This video was only ten seconds long. It had ended before everyone could react. After watching this video, everyone glanced around at each other, feeling a great sense of disappointment. What was this, a prank by Adam? Thats it? One of the shield bearers spread his hands and looked at the chairman of the Quantum Deity Conference. Are you sure that the technical department didnt switch out the video? The technical department is loyal. What you suggest is impossible. The old man shook his head. Perhaps Adam wants to tell us a secret through this video. I guess so Shortly after, the meeting room became noisy again. However, this group of people did not notice that, when they turned away and started arguing loudly, on the frozen screen, the statue also turned its head slowly 1 At the same moment, in the Los Angeles City Hall, Mayor Parsons was rubbing his temples furiously. A thick stack of files was in front of him. A few minutes ago, the chief of the police department in charge of Los Angeles public security had been given a thorough dressing down and he ran away from the city hall and fled Parsonss angry roar. They are all pigs who are good for nothing. Not a single one is useful at this critical moment! At the thought of the horrible murders that had happened, Parsons was so enraged that he swept the reports off of the table, cursing in a low voice. Mr. Mayor, theres probably a vicious murderer hidden in the Herrank District. The aide on his side reminded in a low voice. What we should do now is to seal off the warehouse area of ??Herrank, get all the workers out, and conduct strict interrogation of everyone at the same time because theres a high probability that the murderer is also still hidden in the warehouse area. Would they be so stupid? Parsons looked at his aide with an icy face. Its not like that, Mr. Mayor. The aide did not panic at all, but said solemnly, Many people died at the hands of the murderer. This is beyond the scope of a vendetta. Therefore, I suspect that these killings are random killings, which means that the other side is taking pleasure in killing people. This kind of persons mind has long been distorted and cannot be judged with common sense. Hearing this, Parsons started to think. What the aide said made sense. Of course, Im just speculating. Anyway, we can just try this. We can also send the police to do a sweep of the Herrank Warehouse District. Even if we cant catch our target, itd be good if we can stop the murderers actions. The aide continued to persuade. Hearing the words, Parsons finally nodded. Then well do as you say. Well seal off the Herrank Warehouse District and dispatch Before he finished speaking, the computer on Parsons desk chimed and turned on by itself. The two heard the sound and looked over at the same time. After seeing the computer turned on by itself, Parsons frowned. He stretched out his hand as if about to turn off the computer again but in the next second, a little girls crisp voice unexpectedly came out from the computer Sir Parsons, I dont recommend you do that. In the computer, the girl said in precise English, If I were you, Id directly close off the Herrank Warehouse District and wait for orders from higher authorities, instead of sending police to the Herrank Warehouse District to their deaths. Whos there! Hearing that the computer started to speak, both of them looked stunned. The aide exclaimed, Its a hacker, who is eavesdropping on our conversation! With that, the aide was ready to notify the guards outside but Parsons hesitated and finally stopped him. Listen to what she has to say. Hearing Parsons order, the staff glanced at the computer with some anxiety. The computer at this time no longer had its usual Windows interface. Instead, there was a pure black screen and the screen had a red logo design, which contained specifically three lowercase is. The three i letters were laid out in a circle and there were two arcs between each pair, forming a radial ring with a structure that was like the sign of nuclear radiation. Below the logo, there was a line of letters: Infohazard. This meant information hazard. Sir Parsons, I dont recommend that you send the police to the Herrank District. At this time, the little girls voice continued to persuade. Because it wouldnt help and it may cause more intense memetic infections. Hearing this, Parsons frowned. He waved his hand slightly and the aide seemed to understand this gesture immediately, hurriedly backing out as if he was about to get someone else. Memetic infection, what is that? Parsons voice continued to remain cool and aloof, without mentioning what he had just done. Memes belong to a subject that hasnt yet been discovered by humans. The little girls voice whispered, I believe you should know that the essence of living things is continuation and continuation is the fundamental purpose of life. The reason life can go on is because of the continuation of genes, which undergo inheritance, mutation, and so on. They support the basic structure of life and store all the information about the race, blood type, gestation, growth, and apoptosis of life. At the same time, in addition to heredity, genes also have the characteristics of mutation and selection. Otherwise, our current biological world wouldnt be this ever-changing. But did you know that in addition to genes, theres something else in the world that has the three characteristics of transmission, selection, and mutation? What is it? Hearing the question from the voice on the computer, Parsons expression flickered and he asked calmly. Its a meme. The little girl continued. A meme is like a special kind of information that is spread and mutated through human cognition. It can transform human cognition of things, change the structure of matter, and even change the rules of reality. A single malicious meme and even the entire Earth Federation will be destroyed because of it. What is happening now in the Herrank Warehouse District is a serious memetic effect. Hearing this, Parsons expression shifted and he cracked a disdainful smile. Is this an information hazard then? So, what should we do? My suggestion is to lock down the Herrank Warehouse District and at the same time, isolate all those who have entered the area to prevent the spread of the meme. As she spoke, the little girl suddenly changed her tone. But it seems that you dont believe what I said, otherwise you wouldnt send your aide to mobilize the Los Angeles network reconnaissance team to track down my IP. Parsons expression changed. So, you think Id believe a hacker who only deals in half-truths and wouldnt even show themselves? You can only follow my advice. The little girls voice continued to say without emotion, Otherwise, all of you will die. Would we be killed by the so-called meme you mentioned? Parsons turned cold, not susceptible to the threats from the computer. No, but because Ive sent the Black Knights to install fifty plastic bombs in the city hall. The voice continued to say without any sentiment, If you dont want to listen to me, then the entire city hall will collapse into ruins in an instant. Im not kidding you. You! After hearing these words, Parsons expression changed. He was about to erupt in fury but right then, the phone on his desk rang without warning. Parsons turned to the sound and saw that the caller information on the phone turned out to be the number of the Presidents office in the White House. When Parsons picked it up and heard the order he was given, his face turned even gloomier because the White House only sent him one order: Seal off the Herrank Warehouse District! When Little X contacted the Northern American officials, Chen Chen was crossing multiple regions in Northern America at an absurd speed. In less than an hour, he had traversed 1,500 kilometers and arrived at the famous Yellowstone Park. Surrounded by the Rocky Mountains on all sides, this was known as the spine of Northern America. It stretched from north to south for more than 4,800 kilometers. By this time, even Chen Chens forehead was slightly sweaty. Looking for a building in such a vast area of ??mountains was like finding a needle in a haystack. Moreover, it was still dark. If Chen Chen was asked to search for it by himself, it would likely take him several months to find the headquarters of the Earth Federation Quantum Deity Laboratory. Nonetheless, it was a good thing he had Little Xs help in all this. In addition, day and night had little effect on Chen Chens vision. Soon, Chen Chen arrived in the unnamed forest where the laboratory was located. After arriving, Chen Chen began to lower his flight altitude. After all, as the top secret of the entire Earth Federation, this place was heavily guarded. If he flew too high, it was easy for him to be detected by radar. After lowering his altitude, Chen Chen broke out from the supersonic state and flew at a low speed for ten minutes. After flying over several checkpoints and a military base, he finally found the goal of his trip Quantum Deity Laboratory that could shield all radiation. The Quantum Deity Laboratory was a square structure as a whole, towering in the endless swathe of forest, but it was very inconspicuous because of the camouflage applied to its surface. It was only thanks to Chen Chens eyesight that it could still be easily seen. When Chen Chen approached the laboratory, his communication device also began to receive strong interference. As he flew closer and closer, the interference continued to intensify and he was finally completely disconnected from Little X. Its only been an hour since the meme was leaked. I hope Im on time. As Chen Chen continued to descend, he soon came to a space above the laboratory but after seeing the scene on the ground, Chen Chens heart suddenly sank. There was already a mess outside the gates of the laboratory. Dozens of guns were discarded on the ground and the regional flags of all continents were scattered all over the place. Several corpses could be seen even on the road. Among these corpses were soldiers in military uniforms, researchers in white coats, and shield bearers in suits and leather shoes. However, the necks of these corpses were all twisted past three hundred and sixty degrees, like long twisted doughnuts. The horror before death and the pressure from the twisting of the neck were shown in the eyes of the corpses. All the corpses had their eyes wide open. It seemed that the eyeballs would fall from the sockets any time now and it looked terrifying. However, this did not mean much to Chen Chen. He just looked gravely in the direction of the laboratory but saw that despite being the ultimate secret of the Earth Federation, this Quantum Deity Laboratory even had its doors thrown wide open. By now, the government dignitaries of various countries and also the researchers had abandoned the place like rats deserting a sinking ship, having fled into the depths of the forest one after another. Seeing this scene, Chen Chen knew that he was too late and the meme had completely spread and infected the core center of the Earth Federation. However, Chen Chen did not hurry into the forest to pursue them. At this point of the matter, the spread of the meme was inevitable. Currently, he focused on this most mysterious laboratory in the entire Federation. Perhaps there may be some clues related to the meme inside. Thinking of this, Chen Chen went straight down the passage and walked into the laboratory. The doors of the laboratory were kept open as if welcoming guests. As soon as he entered the door, Chen Chen saw a long, narrow, and deep corridor. On both sides of the corridor were the police and medical rooms. Now all that remained were data sheets scattered on the ground and bloody handprints on the door. Chen Chen did not waste his time here. He knew about the layout of this place from Little X. At this time, he walked by without stopping and went straight to the core of the laboratory, where the single most important object of the entire Earth Federation was located. Chapter 472 - Eyes Closed What surprised Chen Chen was that there was an inexplicably oppressive atmosphere in the laboratory. As he stepped in, he did not feel it at first but as he gradually went in deeper, a cold aura slowly enveloped him. In front of him, there was a corridor with no end in sight. On both sides of the corridor were rows of doors. The curving shape of the corridor interrupted Chen Chens line of sight, leaving Chen Chen trapped in a semi-enclosed space. This feeling Chen Chen frowned. This feeling was similar to what he felt, trapped in the Otherworld when he went to Jiao Tong University. There was an unnamable sense of being stifled but the only difference was that the oppressive air was now much stronger. Moreover, it was not the Otherworld meme that was enveloping the laboratory, otherwise, the group of scientists and politicians would not be able to escape from this place. At this time, Chen Chens Field energy had encased him heavily as if he was wearing invisible armor. However, noticing the oppressive aura of the laboratory, Chen Chen was still highly vigilant and his mind was tightly strung. Every four or five meters, there was a light above him to provide illumination but it seemed that due to insufficient voltage, the light was very dim, like narrow boundaries that could only illuminate each section of the corridor. In between two sections of lighting, there was a special dark area. At this time, Chen Chen was walking in the quiet metal corridor. Every time he took a step, a hollow echo reverberated, highlighting the peculiar emptiness of the corridor. Moreover, there were various objects scattered messily on the ground. There were data sheets as well as various experimental equipment. It was as if a crisis had erupted in the laboratory during the previous emergency evacuation, so the people who had been evacuating in an orderly manner at first suddenly discarded the information in their hands, screaming as they ran for their lives. Chen Chen continued to walk forward. This time, he walked about a hundred meters and crossed the many barriers as before. At this moment, a set of heavy double doors appeared in front of his eyes. This door was completely transparent. Through the thick glass, he could see the dazzling light emitting from behind the door, which was much brighter than the lighting in the corridor. Behind the door, there was a cliff-like drop and a completely suspended laboratory in the depths. Chen Chen remembered that the shape of the Quantum Computer Laboratory was like a square within a square, with a completely enclosed space in the middle, where the air was drained to maintain a vacuum state. The laboratory where the quantum computer was stored was suspended in mid-air only by electromagnetic force. The advantage of this was that it isolated all the electromagnetic radiation of the universe and it was as clean as when the universe had not yet been born. At this time, as Chen Chen looked around, he could see an elevator suspended on the other side of the door emerging in the vacuum chamber. This elevator was the only channel leading to the quantum computer but this channel was not on Chen Chens side, but the side of the internal Quantum Deity Laboratory. Chen Chen had used the quantum device from the movie Spectral to manipulate a person into entering the laboratory, so he understood that this situation meant that someone was already in the Quantum Deity Laboratory. Sure enough, as Chen Chen continued to look, he immediately saw an old man standing on the other side of the laboratory. He and Chen Chen stared at each other through the glass wall and the old man seemed gripped by disbelief. He did not understand how Chen Chen got in here. Chen Chen tried to knock on the glass wall in front of him but found that there was only a slow, dull reverberation. No sound could pass through, so he immediately gave up on asking the old man about the matter. Chen Chen did not know this old man but his suit and leather dress shoes indicated that he should be a new shield bearer. Based on his race, he was probably a representative of Northern America and Europe. Still, after seeing Chen Chen, the old man began to bang on the glass door in front of him and at the same time, he kept yelling as if he wanted to tell Chen Chen something. Chen Chen could not quite hear him, so he tried to read the mans lips, but found that the man was just saying hey over and over without any valuable information at all. Thus, Chen Chen thought about it. He turned his head and looked at an unmarked door next to him, turned around, and cautiously walked in. As Chen Chen pushed the door and entered, a room with a large number of surveillance monitors appeared before his eyes. The furnishings inside the door were all toppled and disordered papers were scattered all over the floor. At the very front, there was a huge electronic platform inlaid into the wall. It could be seen from the furnishings here that this place must have been equivalent to a command room. Chen Chen swept his Field across the room. After concluding that there was no unusual danger, he looked down and started searching. Soon, he found a few pages of A4 paper and a black pen. Holding the paper and pen, Chen Chen walked out of the room again. Sure enough, the old man was still leaning against the door. Seeing this, Chen Chen smiled. He took out the pen and wrote What happened here? in English. Seeing Chen Chens behavior, the old man wore an indescribable expression. He suddenly became extremely agitated. At the same time, he pointed at Chen Chen animatedly and shouted. From his lips, Chen Chen could only read one word danger! Just when Chen Chen was a little bewildered, suddenly, there was a bzz bzz sound from the top of his head, coming from a short circuit. The lights began to flicker violently in the corridor where he stood. What was going on? Chen Chens heart clenched and he watched the light flickering continuously as it kept crackling loudly. In its feeble glimmering, it was as if something unseen was slowly making its attack! At this moment, Chen Chen instinctively developed an indescribable sense of crisis and then a special numbness hit him from behind. He could not define what it was like. His Field was detecting nothing behind him but that feeling kept on approaching, causing Chen Chens hair to stand up on end! This was a kind of instinctive fear for his own life! At this second, Chen Chen suddenly realized that the old man might not be pointing at himself but behind him! In the next second, Chen Chen whipped his head back like lightning! Swish! In Chen Chens swift glimpse, he unexpectedly saw that at the boundary between the two lights, a dark shadow had appeared vaguely! This black shadow was only ten meters away from Chen Chen. It stood between the shadows of the two lights, so Chen Chen could not see it at all. However, as Chen Chens Field power stretched over, he found that the shadowy figure was none other than a humanoid statue with two wings This statue held up its hands as if it had been crying but its posture indicated that it had just finished crying. Its hands were just leaving its face, revealing a pair of enormous eyes and a very lifelike face. What the h*ll? Chen Chen could not help but narrow his eyes. The light above his head was still flickering but because the Quantum Deity Laboratory behind him seemed to use another electrical system, so the same power failure did not occur. The light shone through the two transparent glass doors. Even if the hallway lights above his head were completely extinguished, Chen Chen would not be in complete darkness. However, now was not the time to care about the overhead lights because, in Chen Chens memory, he could be sure that when he came over, this statue was completely non-existent Not only that but he could also be sure that when he had his back turned, there was no such statue in the Field energys detection as if this statue appeared the moment Chen Chen turned around. What shocked Chen Chen even more was that the moment he turned around, the crisis instinct that originated from his body disappeared without any warning. When he looked at the statue in front of him, it was as if the other party was just a statue, nothing unusual at all. Chen Chen subconsciously took a deep breath and recalled everything from before. As he had taken the initiative to come to the Quantum Deity Laboratory to face all this, Little X had still told him about the content predicted by the quantum computer. What Adam had predicted was a ten-second video file and in the file was an angel statue, the same as the statue in front of Chen Chen at this time Coupled with the mural of the crying woman that appeared out of thin air when he was doing memetic experiments on the Otherworld, Chen Chen could already be sure that he was dealing with the meme directly now, one with a completely unknown memetic effect. In that case, how was this meme transmitted? Chen Chen did not rush forward rashly. He just stood still and stared at the statue motionlessly. However, to be cautious, he only stared at the statues foot and not its entire body because the previous memetic patterns had similar properties, whereby if one saw the picture of the meme in full, even if unintentionally, one would get infected. Thinking of this, Chen Chens heart jolted. He once again used his Field energy, trying to push the opponent back. Crunch With a sound of stone rubbing against the metal tiles, the statue that was not too far from him was pushed back. Chen Chens Field energy could extend as far as 25 meters and because the corridor was curved, Chen Chens line of sight only covered a distance of 20 meters. Therefore, Chen Chen tried to push the statue out of the corridor, out of his line of sight. However, Chen Chen would not consider destroying this opponent first without clarifying what it was. After all, he did not know the nature of the meme. If by chance destroying the statue would trigger the memes infectious ability, then Chen Chen would have brought death upon himself. He had to admit that Field energy was useful. As Chen Chen kept pushing the opponent away from the corridor, the opponent gradually disappeared in front of him. However, just when Chen Chen was wondering if this statue was so easily dealt with, his Field energy suddenly detected nothing but a vacuum! After he had pushed the statue completely out of his line of sight, it disappeared into thin air even under the shroud of Field energy Chen Chen could not help but raise his eyebrows. Why did the statue disappear even while within the Field at the same time when it was out of sight? Chen Chen did not run up to check but stared at the end of the corridor with a pensive look. By now, it was already a certain fact that the statue could move and kill people. Those whose necks were broken were likely to have died at its hands. That being the case, why did it not step up and attack him when he saw it? Not only that but he could also use his Field to push it out of the corridor without facing any resistance. It was only until it disappeared from his line of sight that it disappeared from the Field energys detection simultaneously? At this moment, Chen Chen recalled the previous details again and then his pupils shrank as if he had thought of something! Could that really be the case? At the same time that a certain thought came into his mind, Chen Chen took a deep breath, and he slowly backed away until he was pressed tightly against the glass wall behind him while he closed his eyes. In the instant he closed his eyes, Chen Chen opened them quickly and vigilantly, but as he looked ahead, nothing had happened in the corridor in front of him Could it be that the statue saw that he was a difficult target, so it left? Chen Chen shook his head. He knew it was impossible. After all, memes were not alive. They had no thoughts or consciousness. They were like the wind, thunder, and rain, a phenomenon like any other, only memes were relatively rare. Since it could not have left, then there must be another reason. Thinking of this, Chen Chen looked behind him but saw that, on the other side of the glass door, the old man was staring at him in amazement. Seeing that Chen Chen had turned around, he knocked on the door with excitement. Seeing this, Chen Chen made a reassuring and soothing gesture, indicating that someone would come to rescue him later. Then, Chen Chen walked deep into the corridor without looking back. This time, Chen Chen had only walked less than ten meters before he once again saw the statue at the end of the corridors curve. At this time, the statue had changed its posture. It used to have its hands raised but now it was standing upright with its arms hanging straight down while its eyes were fixed in the direction of Chen Chens arrival. Chen Chen made this out in the dim residual light, so he could only see the statues general position. Still, Chen Chen found that when he could see the opponent, the opponent also showed up in his Field at the same time. This was a very discomfiting feeling. In a special sense, Field energy was even sharper than Chen Chens vision. It could observe behind Chen Chen as well as the blind spots that Chen Chens vision could not cover. However, faced with this peculiar statue, his Field energy seemed to be at a loss. Thinking of this, Chen Chen had gradually realized something. He pushed the statue toward the depths of the corridor again using his Field, letting the opponent go out of his sight. As expected, when the statue was out of sight again, his Field lost its sense of the statue at the same time. It was as if the statue disappeared into thin air Seeing this, Chen Chen took a deep breath again. His heart was pounding wildly and unusual anxiety slowly gripped him. He could not tell what kind of feeling it was. It was as if he was an extreme sports enthusiast and now, he was preparing to carry out a life-and-death challenge. In the next second, Chen Chen resisted the pressure and slowly closed his eyes. The moment he closed his eyes, Chen Chen suddenly felt an acute sense of danger. Although his Field energy was still picking up nothing, the feeling of surging adrenaline made Chen Chen reluctant to keep his eyes closed for a second longer. At almost the same time he closed his eyes, Chen Chen opened them again! The instant his eyes flew open, Chen Chen immediately saw that the angel statue had appeared in front of him and this time, it was one step closer, less than five meters away! Not only that, the statues expression and position at this time had become very different from before. Its arms were extended forward like an evil spirit and a sinister grimace was stretched across its face. Its entire body was leaning forward as if it would pounce right in front of Chen Chen in the next second! Chapter 473 - Don’t Blink! Chen Chens pupils shrunk as he stalked the nearby statue from the corner of his eye. Instead of retreating backward, he displayed a look of intrigue. I see This time, instead of choosing to move the statue or back away from it, he started to walk around it like a tourist examining a curious artifact. He candidly took a lap around the statue, which remained completely idle even after he had finished the lap. Chen Chen had completely fine-tuned his control over Field and the limitations of his body at this point. The moment he felt the tingling sensation in his eyes, he quickly returned to his original position and pushed the statue out of his vision range using Field. Creak The harsh rubbing sound rang in his ears. After the statue disappeared from the range of Chen Chens Field, he opened his eyes again. When he blinked again, the statue suddenly appeared again less than five meters away from him, just as expected. Was this how the statue repositioned itself? Chen Chen displayed a look of perplexion. He started to piece together everything he knew at this point. The first time he encountered the statue, he had his back facing the statue and the instant he turned around to face it, yet another statue appeared right behind him. At the time, he was unable to sense anything with Field. It should be common knowledge that statues were unable to move around on their own. Since they were able to sneak past the detection of Field and appear behind him out of thin air, they must not be any ordinary statues but something else instead However, when Chen Chen fixed his attention on the statues, they became completely idle and cemented to their original spot like ordinary statues. Even when Chen Chen used Field to observe them, the statues still refused to give away what was off with them. In other words, the statue seemed to only exist in the form of regular statues at certain points Whenever Chen Chen moved the statues out of his vision range using Field as a safety measure, they seemed to vanish into thin air in the range of Field. As perplexing as it was, it did prove one thing and that was C when the statue was out of his regular field of vision, even Field could not detect it! At the end of the day, this was a mere hypothesis. To prove this hypothesis, Chen Chen slipped away from the field of vision of the elderly man and went ten meters further down the corridor. This way, the next experiment he was about to conduct should not be disturbed by any external factors. After that, to prove the validity of his previous hypothesis, Chen Chen shut his eyes and opened them again. As expected, the statue drew closer to him again while he had his eyes closed and immediately froze in place when he opened them again. Another notable difference was that its posture had changed With this, Chen Chen had figured out a crucial element concerning the behavior of this statue. It was a vision. At this point, it was clear that this statue was no ordinary statue but a unique memetic entity instead. Unlike regular memes, it assumed a very unique form, which was what Chen Chen was looking at now. There was one key characteristic that separated this statue from ordinary statues. When observed by a human eye, it turned into a regular, immobile statue. However, whenever the person looking at it blinked, turned away from it or did anything that averted gaze from it, the statue came to life. The nature of its movement could not be observed even with Field. This was not the first time Chen Chen noticed something of this variant. Previously, when he was dealing with the Thud meme inside the Gantz dimension, he had a similar experience with the white figure. The white figure displayed similar characteristics as well, despite being observable to the naked eye. However, it was completely invisible to Field This suggested that memetic entities, at their root, were merely a concept and concepts were abstract and intangible. Going by this rhetoric, everything that Chen Chen was facing suddenly made sense. In that case, what would happen if the statue collided with him? Chen Chen glanced at the corpse in the corner whose neck was twisted into what seemed like misshaped branches. It was self-explanatory. Another thing that Chen Chen confirmed at this point was that the statues did not actively turn into idle statues. It was a passive behavior triggered by certain conditions. It only turned into statues when observed by humans or in other words, when receiving direct human attention. This observation was similar to the famous double-slit experiment. When placed under direct observation, electrons were susceptible to altering their patterns but in an unmonitored environment, there were countless existing possibilities. The result was only certain when an observer turned to look at it. This seemed to be the characteristics which this statue Chen Chen was facing equipped as well. Under regular human observation, it was an ordinary statue. It was only when the observer stopped looking at it when it transformed into a lethal entity that snapped off peoples necks. Additionally, it seemed to possess the ability to disrupt electric currents. This was derived from the fact that the light bulb above Chen Chen was flickering continuously. The only reason the room was not plunged into darkness yet was that there were plenty of light bulbs above Chen Chen and they all flickered at different intervals. Chen Chen suspected that the moment the corridor was plunged into complete darkness was when the statue would no longer be bound by its limitations These speculations raced past Chen Chens mind and once he had figured everything out, he squinted his eyes again and pushed the statue away from him. However, instead of only nudging it out of his field of vision, he concentrated his Field into the form of a giant hammer when the statue went around the corner of the corridor and slammed it into the ground ferociously! Since he had a firm understanding of a part of the statues nature, it was time to attempt to destroy it. Since Chen Chen had absorbed all of the remaining crystalline fragments, the potential and intensity of his Field had become comparable to Andrew. Even if Chen Chen may not be able to pull off something like flipping around dozens of police cars just like Andrew did near the ending of the movie, destroying several statues was as easy as lifting a finger. Even if these statues were forged with steel, Chen Chen could still tear them apart using Field! Chen Chens Field smashed into the statue in the form of a gigantic and invisible hammer. With a devastating blow, the statue was blasted into smithereens that scattered across all directions! Even the metal plate supporting the statue from under it caved in as well. The ground itself emitted a sharp screech of metal being bent as a shallow pit nearly one meter deep appeared was formed! Chen Chen was taken aback when he saw the statue crushed into powder. He was initially expecting this approach to fail. He had never expected the statue to shatter into pieces as a regular statue would. Impossible Chen Chen could not hold back a disconcerted frown when he saw this. He refused to believe that this would be settled so effortlessly. After he considered for a moment, he closed his eyes and snapped them open again quickly! Chen Chen could not believe what he was seeing when he opened his eyes! The moment he opened his eyes, the statue that should have been blown into dust had pieced itself back to its original shape and appeared right in front of him! Was it indestructible? Chen Chen discarded the idea of destroying this statue when he saw it appearing again. He kept his eyes on the statue while moving past it and returned to the Quantum Deity Laboratory walking backward. Chen Chen specifically came out here to prevent the meme from spreading but since the members of the research team were either dead or had already escaped, there was no reason for him to linger any longer. After leaving the laboratory, Chen Chen even made sure to shut the door of the laboratory before he turned around. What Chen Chen saw when he turned around startled him! Chen Chen saw what seemed to be countless statues with their eyes covered spread across the area outside the laboratory. Out of nowhere, some of them appeared hidden inside the forest while some were out in the open! Cold sweat started to trickle down Chen Chens forehead. Why are there so many of them? From the corner of his eyes, Chen Chen saw the dead bodies still lying on the ground. This meant that these statues were not transformed from the bodies on the ground but were born in other methods Was it the video? Chen Chen had the faint impression that perhaps the video created by Adam was the source. With this in mind, Chen Chen immediately opened the door to the laboratory and retreated inside as quickly as he could, and promptly shut the door behind him as soon as he entered! Swoosh! The moment Chen Chen turned around, a pair of razor-sharp claws appeared in front of him. The statue inside the laboratory had snuck up to him without his noticing. If not for Chen Chens supreme reflexes, he would have had his neck snapped in half! Chen Chen stopped lolling around. He immediately moved past the statue and went down the corridor while ensuring he had his eyes on the statue at all times. When he arrived at the end of the corridor, he opened the door using Field and stepped through the door. Several minutes later, Chen Chen had arrived at the further end of the corridor, which was where the electromagnetic levitation elevator that led to the quantum computer was located. The old man who was hiding in the quantum computer room immediately shouted something upon Chen Chens arrival. The vacuum partition walled off by a piece of glass between the two laboratories muffled everything the old man said. Chen Chen only glanced at this person for a brief instant and proceeded to ignore him. The reason Chen Chen came was to borrow this persons sight since two peoples sight was undoubtedly better than only one. It seemed like since there were two people present this time, the statue did not appear at any point along the corridor. Chen Chen waited for about ten minutes before he continued heading forward. As soon as Chen Chen turned a corner, he saw the statues pursuing him again, just as he expected. Instead of just the lone statue, there were nearly thirty of them this time, each one of them had their eyes covered and crowded the corridor. It seemed as if they planned to trap Chen Chen inside this space. Unbeknownst to them, this was exactly what Chen Chen had intended as well. Without sparing a moment of hesitation, Chen Chen unleashed his Field! In an instant, the statues were blown apart as if they had been hit by a nuclear bomb. All of them were blasted into smithereens in a matter of seconds! As soon as the statues were destroyed, Chen Chen took large strides forward and stepped through their ashes. Chen Chen repeated this step with every corner until he made it out of the laboratory. As soon he stepped out of the laboratory, he shut the door behind him to keep the statues trapped inside there. After making it out, Chen Chen cautiously turned to the dense forest again. This time, he finally got to have peace of mind since there were no signs of any statues hidden in the forest. After flying a certain distance above the Quantum Deity Laboratory, the communication device finally picked up a signal again. Little Xs voice came through immediately. Sir Godfather, whats the situation over there? The Northern American troops from the nearest military base are dispatched and currently on their way to the laboratory for rescue. Tell them they can proceed with their plan. There are probably a good few who ran into the deeper parts of the forest. Make sure to quarantine them after rescuing them. Chen Chen looked below him as he said this and it was just as he said, several people were trudging through the forest. There was no telling if these people had been infected by the statue meme. Quarantine? Alright, Ive informed them and told them about the threat of the memetic force. Little X answered promptly. While youre at it, tell them there are nearly thirty of these murder statues inside the laboratory. Chen Chen added. These statues possess extremely odd characteristics. When put under direct observation, they remain as ordinary statues. However, as soon as you take your eyes away from them, they immediately charge at you stealthily from behind your back at extreme speed to break your neck! As soon as the attentive Chen Chen mentioned this, he suddenly paused because he seemed to have realized something. It appeared that whenever he spotted the statues, they had their eyes covered. This applied to both the statues inside the laboratory and the ones outside, hidden in the forest However, the first statue that Chen Chen saw rested its arms that were covering its eyes and did not cover them again. It remained in this position until it came inside the laboratory and appeared on the corridor with the other statues. When Chen Chen saw the group of statues in the corridor, he saw that all of them assumed the same position of keeping their eyes covered. Even the one that uncovered its eyes previously kept them covered again. This raised the question. What was it that made the statue behave differently when alone as opposed to when in a large group? Unless Chen Chen thought for a moment but did not state his speculation out loud. Instead, he only noted to Little X. As it is, its best to have the soldiers split into groups of three so they can take turns and focus their attention on a single target at all times. They can put these statues into a sturdy container. I dont know if there exists any container strong enough to keep them enclosed just yet Also, inform them to not watch the prophecy video created by the quantum computer Adam no matter what. That video is the infection source of the meme. Chapter 474 - Eyes Remember, dont blink! Youre dead meat if you blink! Dont avert your gaze! Keep your eyes on it, dont get distracted! Dont blink! Dont blink no matter what Everyone, I wish you good luck Inside the office of the mayor located in the city hall, Parsons watched the Response Protocol sent by the hacker. The same video was also sent to plenty of confidential departments in Northern America. It included the picture of the statue, detailed information of its behavior, and its method of claiming its victims. Statues that broke peoples necks? There are all kinds of strange happenings these days Parsons turned off the video and seemed to not take the entire thing too seriously. He turned to Mu Liao and asked, Has the police sealed off the Herrank Warehouse District? Its already sealed off. Mu Liao answered promptly, Sir Mayor, our men have entered the warehouse district and are searching for these murder statues following the protocols stated in this video. Based on Blacklight Biotechnologys predictions, there should be four statues lying in the Herrank district. Ridiculous Parsons shook his head, feeling speechless. If not for the White House constantly sending notices, he would never heed the advice of the hackers himself. Since when did the great Northern American government listen to some foreign forces whispering in their ears? Parsons was largely dismissive of this event. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door to his office. Come in. Parsons turned to the door and saw another one of his staff coming inside with a hard drive in hand. Sir Mayor, weve ordered people to go through the surveillance footage in the Herrank Warehouse District, as according to your instructions. Weve successfully found the statues you described. Its inside this hard drive now. What took you so long? Parsons frowned with mild irritation. Im very sorry, the surveillance in the Herrank Warehouse District isnt connected to the Internet so we had to head to the area ourselves and collect all of the footage manually to look for the culprit for this incident. Before we could pinpoint a specific culprit, we received orders that you wanted to look for the statues The reprimanded staff answered dejectedly. Alright, work faster next time. Parsons finally got up from this seat and took the hard drive with faint interest before plugging it into his computer. Parsons seemed to have thought of something before he played the video. He proceeded to turn to Mu Liao, Why dont you head out first, close the door for me. Alright. Mu Liao nodded and exited the mayors office with the other staff that delivered the hard drive. After closing the office door behind him, Mu Liao chatted with the staff, Mr. Robinson, are the technical department busy recently? Its alright, things are getting better. The staff answered plaintively, Looks like theres going to be a lot of work to do tonight though. Hahaha, theres no helping it, I suppose. Mu Liao clapped Robinson on his shoulders and asked curiously, Where did you buy these lenses? Lenses? Im not wearing any lenses Robinson was slightly startled by this and proceeded to rub his eyes. I think its just my eyes drying up which makes them appear redder than usual? Ive been looking at the surveillance footage for a while. Mu Liao did not think too much of it and only shrugged. The two split up after turning a corner to work on their respective tasks. Inside the mayors office, after asking Mu Liao to get out, Parsons moved the cursor on his computer. Just as he was about to play the video, he suddenly thought about the hacker who seemed to have eyes everywhere. With this in mind, he disconnected the computer from the network. This way, he would not have to worry about the hacker stealing this video. It was time to settle everything himself. The operations in the Herrank Warehouse District were severely outdated, so most of the areas did not have proper surveillance, which included most of the warehouse interior. There were some surveillance cameras installed along the roads of the warehouse district more than a decade ago. Most of them were damaged or malfunctioned after years of weathering the rain without proper maintenance. Most of them were hardly functioning at all anymore. Fortunately, upon thorough inspection, the technical department discovered that a few of them were still in working condition. It was considered a small miracle. With this, Parsons double-clicked the video inside the hard drive. The angle of the video made it clear that it was shot by a surveillance camera located under a streetlamp. Since it was nighttime during the time of recording, the entire video was shot in a black-and-white palette instead of being colored. There were pitch-black warehouses on both sides of the camera. The scene was quite plain. Parsons could tell that the video was only a short clip extracted by the technical department when he looked at the progress bar. The length of the video was displayed to be less than a minute although the full surveillance footage should be very lengthy. This fifty-nine-second footage was the only part that contained a clue to the Herrank Warehouse District murder case. Parsons watched the video with this in mind. One second, two seconds, three seconds The clock slowly ticked away but even after thirty seconds, there was still nothing notable appearing on the screen. Parsons frowned slightly when he saw this. He wanted to drag the progress bar and skip to the later parts of the video. Then again, he figured that he may as well finish the video patiently since there was only half a minute remaining. At the thirty-one-second mark, something finally happened on the display. He saw a frenzied man running from the top left of the screen to the bottom right. This man continuously looked over his shoulder as he ran. There was no way to make out what he was running away from due to the limitations of the camera angle. Despite the poor resolution of the footage, added with the time of recording being set at night, Parsons could still make out the faint appearance of this man. This man was one of the eight victims during the second incident. This video had successfully roused Parsons interest. He leaned closer to the screen and waited for whatever was pursuing the man to show up on the screen. The figure of the man only appeared in the video for three seconds before he ran out of the surveillance cameras range. However, the pursuer did not appear on screen at all. When Parsons checked the progress bar, he noticed that it was at the fifty-five-second mark already. Just as Parsons wondered if the technical department made a mistake with the video clipping, the footage suddenly became distorted. The entire video turned into a blur as if there had been a signal disruption but the progress bar was still moving along despite all this. A second later, the pixels were restored. The image of a statue appeared on the screen seemingly out of nowhere. It appeared! Parsons perked up when he saw the statue. Before he could further inspect the make of the statue, the footage became distorted again and a second later when it reverted to normal, the statue had disappeared! With that, the progress bar had reached the ending mark. The video had ended. Parsons was still at a loss after the video ended. He frowned and pondered on what he just watched. Could this be the statue the hacker talked about? The one that if you look at it, it becomes a solid statue but starts to move the moment you take your eyes off it? Parsons mumbled to himself, But why is it that even the surveillance camera cannot capture the image of it moving? Upon contemplating this, Parsons dragged the progress bar back to the fifty-five-second mark and replayed the final four seconds of the video many times. No matter how many times he replayed it, the statue disappeared entirely before he could get a closer look at it. The video became distorted at the fifty-six-second mark. The statue appeared at the fifty-seven-second then the video distorted again at the fifty-nine-second. The statue only appeared for the entirety of a second on tape. Based on the guidelines provided by the hacker, the one-second window where the statue appeared on the screen should be when the escaping man turned around to look at it. This still was coincidentally captured by the surveillance camera and as soon as the man took his eyes off the statue, it disappeared again instantly After making a brief deduction of what happened, Parsons replayed the clip for the fifth time and looked for the right timing to pause the video. He stopped the video at the fifty-seven-second mark! Just as Parsons intended, he caught the still of the statue on screen. Although the resolution was poor due to the quality of the camera, he could faintly make out the shape of a half-spread open wing behind the statue. It reminded him of the statue of angels seen in churches. The statue was facing toward the bottom right of the screen, which was also where the now-deceased man ran toward. Though he was still reluctant to believe it, Parsons was slowly coming to be convinced of what the hacker stated. Perhaps this was not a simple ploy to deceive the Northern American government Parsons started to get agitated upon arriving at this thought. He took out a cigarette and used a lighter set on top of the table to light it. After lighting the cigarette, Parsons took a strong puff and inhaled the smoke deep into his lungs before turning to look at the screen again. What he saw when he looked at the screen made him jump a little. There was no telling if it was all in his head or not. It seemed as if the statue was now facing a different angle than it did previously. Was it his wrong impression? Parsons raised an eyebrow and took another closer look. It seemed like the statue had turned its head to face the camera, looking straight at him. Parsons was demented by this, he was no longer certain if it had always faced this angle all this time. Was it him who had the wrong impression or was he looking at another video? Parsons looked at the progress bar which still showed that it was the fifty-seven-second mark. This was also the only video the hard drive contained. Perhaps he got the angle the statue was facing mixed up in his head Parsons raised his head, feeling somewhat confused by all this. His heart dropped the moment he looked at the screen again! He saw the statue on the screen now had its entire body turned to face the camera. Its pair of hollow eyes seemed to burn themselves through the display and looked square into his soul! Parsons fixed his eyes on the display. His heart began to drum and thump repeatedly as sweat started to pool around his forehead. He felt a numbing chill coursing through his body. He was certain that it could not possibly be his mind playing tricks on him. The statue was moving on the screen! But, how is this possible Parsons muttered. The warning issued by the hacker flashed across his mind. The hacker mentioned that it was vital to keep ones eyes on the statue. Otherwise, the statue would rush forward and snap its victims neck the moment the victim took his or her eyes off it He was under the impression that this rule only applied to the physical statue. Who would have expected it to apply to a statue inside a video as well? D*mn, the warning issued by Blacklight Biotechnology didnt mention that even footage of this cursed thing can trigger it! Parsons complained angrily. Years of experience as a mayor of a city had honed his reaction speed. He immediately darted the cursor to the top right corner and clicked the X button! Another window popped up on the computer and asked for confirmation for closing the video. Parsons quickly tapped the Yes selection which closed the video and reverted to the image of his desktop on the screen. Phew, its over? Parsons was just about to celebrate when he saw the statue disappear. That was when there was a sudden flash on the desktop. The video that he had just closed was opened automatically and jumped to the frame with the angel on screen! Parsons felt his soul seeping out of his body the moment he saw this. Again, he reached for the button to close the window. However, the video of the surveillance footage did not even close this time. It flashed for an instant after his selection and then froze in place! Even after repeatedly tapping the close button dozens of times, his efforts still yielded zero results. Parsons got down and reached for the power button and shut down the computer but no matter what, the display refused to turn off. Somehow, the computer had completely frozen. Even the power button was useless! Also, in the span where Parsons turned away from the screen to reach for the power button and got back up, the statue drew closer to the display. At this point, the statue nearly had its entire face crowding the display and it looked like it was inches away from bursting through the display and coming into the real world! In this moment of life and death, an idea suddenly occurred to Parsons. He immediately got down and unplugged the computer. He had never moved this fast in his entire life! Pop! With a gentle and abrupt pop, the computer was shut down completely! Parsons got back up, his expression was frozen with horror. When he saw that the computer display had turned dark, he finally managed a sigh of relief. He got up on his trembling feet and rejoiced at surviving the ordeal. I was this close to dying, this cursed thing! When Parsons rubbed his eyes, he felt the touch of something tiny and hard. He looked down to investigate it and saw what was what seemed like a tiny piece of white sand, barely the size of a sesame seed. It disappeared when he blew on it. Parsons did not have the mind space for further speculations or whatnot at this moment. There was no chance that he was going to remain in this office any longer after what had just happened to him. He shouted Mu Liaos name out loud while leaving his office in a hurry Chapter 475 - Rapid Transformation Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Inside one of the warehouses in the Herrank Warehouse District. I found it! A heavily armed special unit officer wearing tactical goggles suddenly raised his right hand signaling for his team to stop while looking ahead at a corner filled with debris. The other two officers, upon seeing the signal, followed the line of sight of the leading officer and aimed at the corner ahead of them. They identified a slightly old statue silently placed by the corner. The sculpting of the statue was extremely delicate and intricate as it was almost lifelike and gave off an ancient aura. It seemed as if this statue was left in the warehouse for so long that its existence had been forgotten by the sands of time. They had received mission notes from their superior that these statues only took on these aged and textured forms to help them blend into their surroundings. Leader, are you sure this is it? One of the special force officers was uncertain. No matter how you look at it, its just an ordinary statue This is orders from above, we just have to follow the orders given. The leading special force officer spoke calmly, The instructions given to us are that the three of us have to keep our eyes on this thing no matter what. Dont look away and if you want to blink, inform the others, got it? Yes! The other two officers nodded and gave their word as they fixed their eyes at the statue without blinking. The special force leading officer took out the walkie-talkie to report to his superiors, Reporting to headquarters, this is twenty-third Hound, weve located the target in section six. Were keeping our eyes on the target, requesting additional forces to contain the target, over! 1 There was an immediate response from the walkie-talkie after his report. Roger that, twenty-third Hound. Weve received your request, please confirm the number of statues at your position. Weve only identified one so far. Alright, the containment squad are on the way to your position, over. After the brisk report, the three of them did not sense anything peculiar. They were merely executing the orders given to them and waited for the containment team to arrive. They made small talk while waiting. It was clear that this was a light and casual mission for them. Leader, you say that these things can snap peoples necks? One of the officers raised a question, If they say that it will attack us the moment we take our eyes off them, what happens if only one person looks at it and alternates the blinking of both eyes separately? Will it still be held in place? I dont know. The special force leader shrugged. Alright, Ill blink in two seconds, you two keep an eye on it. After giving the notice, he lowered his head to massage his eyes before looking up at the statue again. But I wont recommend you guys to try that. I know that many dont believe that these statues can move, but what if its true? I dont want any of us to end up like the victims in those pictures they showed us, with necks twisted like timber While the three of them were talking, they suddenly heard clattering from a short distance behind them that seemed to come from the warehouse entrance. It sounded as if something came in from outside and knocked something over on the way. Is it the containment team? This is the Hound team, one of our targets is just ahead, please contain it immediately! The leader called out immediately but did not receive any form of answer that he was expecting. Instead, he heard a brisk snap as if something was broken in half The leader held his breath the moment he heard this distinct sound. Before he could turn around to investigate, he heard the horrified scream of one of his members, Charles, Charles is dead! What happened? Despite wanting to turn around to look at what happened, the special force leader remembered the order given to him by his superior and managed to suppress his instincts. He called out in a loud voice to enquire what happened. Its another statue The voice that sounded composed just a second ago had broken down into hysterics at this point. It snapped Charless neck before I could even realize whats going on. The leader felt his heart tightening. He asked amid the wailing of the other officer, Hold on, you mean youre looking at another statue now? Yes, Im looking at the statue that killed Charles. Its making a pose with its arms stretched out. Leader, I dont want to die. Hey, youre not going to die here. Just remember, dont blink no matter what, got it? The leader was not prepared to receive such terrible news out of nowhere. He felt as if his soul was about to vacate his body. Shortly after, he heard a deep and subtle wheezing sound. It was produced from the air escaping the lungs of the deceased Charles with his neck crushed just moments ago. Even with this, he refused to turn around to steal a look. To make matters worse, he had to keep his comrade calm. Sweat was uncontrollably pouring down his forehead! But I cant hold it any longer Shut up, youve got to hang in there. The containment team will arrive before you know it, you just have to hang in there In the middle of his sentence, he heard a desperate wail coming from his comrade that made him tense up. Before he could finish his sentence, the familiar snap rang in his ears once again! Could it be The special force leader could not bear it anymore. He took his gun out and fired at the statue in front of him. After carving several holes into the statue in front of him, he immediately turned to fire at the other statue. The very next second, he felt a jolt sent across his body followed by a swift snap that rang across his ears! Only this time, the sound came from his neck Thump! The special force leader thumped onto the ground with all his weight. His body twitched uncontrollably as his vision slowly turned into a blur. He saw two angels standing in front of him with their arms outstretched as if they were trying to redeem his soul Hnghh Hnghh The lips of the special force leader were trembling. He made his best attempt at mouthing the words God save me, but the words refused to escape his lips. Several minutes later, he lost consciousness forever Several minutes later, a large pickup truck drove down the road. The windows of the truck were reinforced with a lot of steel. Positioned in the compartment behind the truck was a large steel cast cabinet with a width of one meter and two meters long. There were many visible welding marks and iron bolts punched into the cabinet. Not much effort was put into refining its appearance and it was shipped out as soon as it was forged. There were four heavily armed special police officers inside the truck. This was the containment team formed at a moments notice by the Los Angeles police. Their task was to bring the statue into the steel cabinet for effective containment. By the time they arrived at the scene with the steel cabinet, the only thing they found was the three cold bodies of the dead Hound team members. The two statues had vanished without a trace When the first wipe of dawn appeared on the sky above, a dark shadow rapidly descended to the ground before finally landing on the rooftop of a building not far away from the Herrank Warehouse District. The camera panned closer. The figure that descended from above was Chen Chen who had just returned from the rocky mountains. At the moment, Chen Chen did not appear to be in good condition. His complexion was unnaturally pale and he was wheezing for air. It seemed that flying at supersonic speeds continuously across thousands of kilometers did prove to be more than he could handle. I havent exhausted my Field reserve this much in a long time Chen Chen took a deep breath. He still wobbled a little as he looked at the columns of warehouses that stretched into the horizon. X, whats the situation in the Herrank Warehouse District now? Severe casualties. Little X noted. The containment efforts arent as effective as in the Quantum Deity Laboratory. Although there are more angel statues in the Quantum Deity Laboratory, the containment progressed smoothly since you kept them all locked up in the laboratory. However, the sheer size of the Herrank Warehouse District made the operation difficult. Theyve lost more than twenty special force officers and only managed to capture two statues. The remaining two havent been found yet. I suppose this is to be expected. Chen Chen shrugged and appeared to be relieved at the news. Its fine as long as the two statues dont make it out of the area. If they snuck into Los Angeles, the consequences will be catastrophic. Sir Godfather, theres one more thing Id like to report. Little X added. Currently, we have four Black Knights hunting down the man called Keith, but the situation isnt looking ideal How so? Chen Chen raised an eyebrow. As an artificial intelligence entity, I understand that its not appropriate for me to use an arbitrary unit such as luck to describe this but the concrete fact is that this man called Keith has unbelievably good luck Little X sounded a little troubled as she said, Ive already raised the combat parameters of the Black Knights and split them into two groups. I had one team pursuing the target while the other group waited in front of the target to flank him but no matter what the Black Knights did, they could not capture the target, even with the use of our weapons. In addition, two of the Black Knights sustained significant injuries during the chase. One of them was flung away from above the targets car and rammed by an oncoming truck that decapitated its body in half. Meanwhile, while another Black Knight was chasing down the target in an alley, the target fired a shot that got its way into the back of the Black Knights neck, instantly destroying the God chip. The remaining Black Knights had to suspend the pursuit so they can deal with the corpse of the Black Knight. Little X seemed to go on endlessly. The target never had to stop at any point of the pursuit and was constantly aided by external forces. One time, when one of the Black Knights managed to grab the target by his neck, a chandelier on the ceiling that was loosened by a stray bullet fell on top of the Black Knight before it could kill the target Point is, it appears as if our Black Knights were cursed while the target almost seems destined to survive everything that came his way. He managed to emerge from every situation no matter how dire they were and continue his advance. The target might arrive in Los Angeles by tonight. 1 Chen Chen was not surprised when he heard the stream of complaints voiced by Little X. After all, everything that Little X had described was in line with the events portrayed in the movie Deadly Crisis: A Shocking Scheme which was shot three years ago. From what Chen Chen could remember, everything Little X described was a mirror of what had happened in the movie as well. The part about the Black Knight being severed in half by an oncoming truck happened during one of the high-speed chase scenes in the movie. Furthermore, Chen Chens original plan to dispatch dozens of Black Knights was hindered due to the incident with the unstable memetic effect in Los Angeles. In the end, Chen Chen had to settle with only dispatching four Black Knights. Even the number of the villains lined up perfectly as shown in the movie Its a shame that Im a little preoccupied at the moment, Id have liked to take a look for myself. Chen Chen expressed mildly before changing the topic, This isnt the time to be occupied with this thought. Tell me, X, did you find the cause for the appearance of these angels? You mean Little X stuttered for a moment. You mean why more than twenty angel statues appeared in the Quantum Deity Laboratory? Chen Chen followed up with another question. Did the statues appear after people watched the video created by Adam? This speculation can pretty much be confirmed at this point! Little X answered promptly, There are a total of twenty-three representatives from each continent in the Quantum Deity Laboratory, also known as the shield bearers. This also happens to match the number of statues that you discovered. Since the shield bearers are the ones with the highest level of authorization in the Quantum Deity Laboratory, they should be the first ones with access to whatever information Adam compiles, therefore they mustve watched the video. I see, so it should be safe to say that whoever watches the video will be infected with the Angel meme and turn into angel statue, is that it? Chen Chen was shaken by this revelation and further enquired, Are the effects of the memetic pattern replicated when only looking at the statues themselves? So far, that doesnt seem to be the case. Little X responded, So far, there havent been any signs of the memetic infection in the police and military force members tasked with the containment operation who made direct eye contact with the angel statues. The same observation applies to the officers in the Quantum Deity Laboratory and the Herrank Warehouse District. Excellent. Chen Chen nodded. He was under the impression that since the video created by Adam had an infectious quality, it should imply that the statues themselves possessed the same quality as well. This was why he avoided direct eye contact with them. It now appeared to him that these statues were not as dangerous as he originally had presumed. In that case, the situation should be resolved without further hiccups. Despite the major losses the Los Angeles police department had sustained, their higher-ups were still dedicating their efforts to posting officers to the Herrank Warehouse District and searching for the remaining statues. All that was left was to deal with the protagonist Keith. Then, Chen Chen should be able to expose his hand to the world after. Just as Chen Chen thought that the dust was settling, Little Xs voice suddenly became frantic. She reported urgently, Sir Godfather, I just received news of some unexpected development in the Los Angeles City Hall. Chen Chen frowned against his will the moment he heard this. He turned toward the direction of Downton Los Angeles and asked with concern in his voice, Dont tell me that the memetic effects are reported in the city hall Unfortunately, thats exactly what happened! Little X replied promptly, Ive extracted the footage from the city hall network. The angel statues have appeared inside the city hall without warning. Whats worse, theres more than one of them! Chapter 476 - Petrification Chen Chens first reaction to this piece of news was fright then it was immediately followed by anger. Why are angel statues appearing over there? Was the prophecy in the Quantum Deity Laboratory leaked outside? Its probably not Little X sounded slightly hesitant. After you left the Quantum Deity Laboratory, I continued to monitor the conversation between the rescue army and their superior and I can verify that the White House was doing as we instructed. Although I cannot confirm that they wont play the video in the future, I can at least confirm that they arent planning to play it at the moment. Chen Chen nodded after hearing Little Xs explanations. It was true. If the video was leaked in the White House, the angel statues should be appearing in the White House instead of the city hall of Los Angeles. Chen Chens mistake was not destroying the footage of Adams prophecy while he was leaving in a hurry. When he thought about it again, it was the right choice to leave in a hurry. If he spent any moments longer in the Quantum Deity Laboratory around the killer statues, he might have been killed before he had time to delete the footage. Chen Chen sighed when he thought of this as his expression grew heavy. If it has nothing to do with the footage being leaked, then what is it that caused the angel statue to appear in the city hall that is half a city away from the Herrank Warehouse District? Seeing that he was unable to come up with an answer no matter how much he juggled the problem, Chen Chen went ahead and opened the brass ring on his finger. He took a crystal pill hidden within the ring and promptly tossed it in his mouth. With the enhancement of the T-virus along with the gradual effects of the long-term consumption of the drug helping his brain develop, Chen Chens mind had been honed to a supreme level that greatly triumphed his form in the past. This was also why the effects of the drug were slowly lessened as time went on. It was still helpful to take an NZT-48 pill during times such as this. Within thirty seconds after swallowing the pill, Chen Chen felt his mind being rejuvenated. His ability to compile thoughts was significantly enhanced as well. This amount of clarity was just enough to help Chen Chen break through and notice the clue that was just sitting inches away from him all this time and connected the dots! I see! Chen Chen let out a heavy sigh. His tense eyebrow eased into a natural shape when he asked Little X, You havent gone through the surveillance footage in the Herrank Warehouse District, is that right? Yes. Little X answered promptly, The system in the Werrank Warehouse District is severely outdated, dating up to two decades ago so their devices arent connected to the Internet. I was going to send the Black Knights to extract the footage manually but the Los Angeles police got to the scene and sealed up the area so I never managed to obtain reliable footage. In that case, that explains everything. Chen Chen nodded. X, weve made a mistake without even realizing it. Its about the prophecy video created by the quantum computer Adam. We were under the impression that the video was the source of a memetic entity and served as a warning to let us know of its memetic qualities. Looking at things now, that may not be the case Little X sounded slightly perturbed. But its a video that poses memetic qualities. It even killed the members in the Quantum Deity Laboratory What you said is true but its not completely true either. Chen Chen remarked, What if I told you that the problem didnt lie with the video itself? But Little X was having trouble catching up. Have you considered that perhaps the video itself wasnt the problem but lied with the angel statues inside the video? Chen Chen went on. Which means that the angel statues appearing in real life dont transmit its effects. Its only when its shown in recorded footage or image when it transmits its effects to humans Ah! Chen Chen exclaimed in shock, Could that be it? The great Sherlock Holmes once quoted that once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth Chen Chen reinstated his point with a firm nod as he noted. This explains why despite making direct eye contact with the angel statues not causing its effects to be transmitted and the city hall still somehow reports appearances of new angel statues! It must be that someone in the city hall has played recorded footage of the angel statues. The video played by this person must possess the same quality as the Adam prophecy. Its capable of turning humans into angel statues! After saying all this, Chen Chen went on the move immediately. He evoked Field and took to the skies above! Little X quickly asked when he saw Chen Chen departing, Sir Godfather, are you heading to the city hall? Thats right, I have to prevent more people from being infected by the meme! Chen Chen answered as he glided across the skies, X, your task is very important as well. Before the statues can continue to spread, I need you to take down all uploaded footage concerning the angel statues on the Internet and destroy all of this footage immediately! Understood! Little X answered confidently and proceeded to attend to her given task. The reason Chen Chen went out in full force like this was that he was the only one who understood how dire the situation was. If the truth was just as he had suspected, that anyone who saw a video of an image of the angel statues would be also transformed into a new angel statue by the memetic force, mankind was potentially facing a crisis that would wipe it out! With the rising quality of life in the twenty-first century, recording devices and cameras were easily accessible to almost everyone. Was there even anyone who did not have access to a phone with basic camera functionalities at this point? To a certain extent, the angel statues were the natural enemies of mankind. If these pictures got to the Internet and ten people living thousands of miles saw them, that would result in ten additional angel statues. Once they began their killings, more people would spread the footage It would soon spread like wildfire and within days, mankind would be facing an unprecedented, giant calamity. This was especially the case for large cities since the task of locating an untraceable killer statue was extremely daunting in a complex cityscape. The sheer work that would be required to do so was insurmountable. By the end of it, even if mankind had discovered some way to negate its effects and got rid of the transmission source, there would have been hundreds of thousands, even millions of these statues all over the world. These statues would continue their killing, causing endless chaos. As the situation worsened, mankinds civilization would face complete devastation sooner than later! This was complete genocide that directly affected the life of every living person. This was why Chen Chen treated this event with such urgency and had to step on the field himself. After all, nobody would be free from this calamity. Chen Chen did not want to have to resort to taking his family with him to escape to another dimension like a defeated dog. When such a drastic possibility surfaced in Chen Chens mind, he accelerated to supersonic speed again and cut across the sky above the city district of Los Angeles. A booming sound echoed everywhere he went. People shrank, covered their ears, and looked up to the sky but could not see anything. Five minutes later, Chen Chen finally arrived at the Los Angeles City Hall and exited his supersonic state. When he looked down at the ground below him, he saw people screaming and crying as they ran out of the city hall. Right by the entrance of the city hall stood an angel statue! There was a lifeless body by the angel statues feet with its neck mangled into pieces Chen Chen froze for a split second upon witnessing this scene. When he squinted, an invisible force surged out of his eyes! It was like a bomb rippling across the air. In an instant, a bolt of shockwave shot outward in a radial shape. There were no visible flames or explosions, only pulsing airwaves that distorted its surroundings in a wave pattern! The very next second, the invisible force smashed ferociously into the statue and its surrounding terrain. In an instant, cracks formed on the statue and it was quickly obliterated into thousands of pieces! Boom boom boom! The sound of bellowing thunder rippled across the vicinity as pieces of gravel scattered across the sky and sprinkled over the ground. The handful of the survivors that emerged from the city hall acted as if they had seen a natural disaster. They cried and clambered onto their feet and tried to run as far away as their legs would take them! After the dust had settled, Chen Chen saw a deep pit formed on the ground as if a meteorite had just landed in this spot. There was hardly a trace of the angel statue. It seemed as if it had diffused itself into the dust! Chen Chen of all people knew that the statue would not be defeated this easily. As soon as he blinked, the statue appeared in his field of vision again. It sat in the middle of the newly-formed pit, completely unscathed as if it was never damaged in the first place! Everything went just as Chen Chen had planned. The next second, Chen Chen unleashed Field again and sent mounds of dirt surrounding the pit back into the pit, completely burying the statue. This time, Chen Chen made sure to take extra precautions. He made sure to fly another hundred meters into the air before he slowly closed his eyes and opened them again moments after. This time, the statue did not emerge from under the pile of dirt. It seemed that his solution of burying it to contain it worked out! Chen Chen finally took a breather when he saw this. What came after this was repeated stabs of pain in his mind and a burning sensation in his nose. Chen Chen rubbed his nose absentmindedly. As expected, his palm was covered in blood. He had to hurry up Chen Chen did not pay any mind to the angel statue buried underground. After landing, he immediately zoomed into the city hall. The inside of the city hall was a chaotic mess. Countless stacks of files and documents were scattered all over the floor along with the occasional dead bodies in different locations. Chen Chen looked up briefly to survey his surroundings. In an instant, all the surveillance cameras in the lobby burst into flames in a cloud of explosion. After getting this out of the way, Chen Chen advanced into one of the corridors in the city hall. Everywhere Chen Chen went, the surveillance cameras he saw exploded. He stopped when he arrived at the entrance of the office labeled as the city mayors office. With his supreme sense of hearing, he detected the collective thumps of a persons heartbeat. This persons heartbeats sounded like gongs. It was as if they had been afflicted with a terrible disease As soon as Chen Chen pushed the door open, he saw a brilliant flash appearing in front of him. A bullet was aimed at Chen Chens chest but its trajectory was promptly cut short by an invisible wall of Field. Chen Chen put his hand out and picked up the bullet dangling mid-air and looked ahead at the room in front of him. He saw a silver-haired middle-aged man with his face contorted in horror staring right back at him. Mr. Mayor. Chen Chen stepped into the office and shut the door with his backhand while he greeted nonchalantly, Is this your way of greeting your guest? There, there are monsters outside! Parsons looked at Chen Chen. His trembling right hand immediately gave way just how nervous he was. Smoke was still seeping out of the revolver he held in his hand as he asked, Who are you, are you here to save me? No, Im here to settle this matter. Chen Chen looked at the hands of Parsons, the only part of his body that was not covered by his clothes. Chen Chen took a lightning step forward, came in front of him, and proceeded to grab him by his wrist. What, what are you doing? Parsons cried out. He wanted to wring himself free but quickly realized that this person had his hands clamped tightly like iron tongs. He could not shake himself free no matter what! Clack! The only weapon he had clapped against the ground. After getting close, Chen Chen noticed what looked like a layer of paint plastered over Parsons right hand. It was a strangely textured white paint but this was not the sign of a necrotic disease. It was closer to the texture of marble Has the petrification begun? The corner of Chen Chens mouth rose to form a smirk. He turned to look at the computer set on Parsons desk and noticed the network cable unplugged from the computer. Just as he expected Chen Chen immediately connected the pieces when he saw this. With a swift motion, he forcefully tore the hard drive from inside the computer and summoned it into his hands. He proceeded to swiftly crush it into countless pieces with his bare arms. After doing this, Chen Chen turned to look at Parsons again. Parsons was baffled by what he had witnessed and only stared at him vacantly. He even forgot to resist anymore. Who else other than you have seen the angel statue video? Chen Chen asked. Tech, technical department Parsons stuttered his reply, The technical department saw the video as well. Are you saying that its the video that turned me into this? Parsons was anything but a fool as he immediately caught Chen Chens meaning and snapped to his senses. He cried out in horror, Help me, I dont want to turn into those things! Chen Chen frowned. Just as he was about to ask how many people were in the technical department, he saw Parsons suddenly freezing up. He watched as strips of ashy vessels started to crawl across Parsons skin like large white worms squirming under the skin! Help, help me Parsons wanted to shout, but he was invaded by a numbing sensation that was completely unlike anything he had ever experienced before. He could only muster the strength to stretch his arms out and claw at this mysterious man in front of him! Alright, Ill end your misery! Without any hesitation, Chen Chen put his hands around Parsons head and squeezed it like he would an egg! Clack! Chen Chen heard what sounded like rocks crumbling as Parsons head burst into pieces! The only difference was that instead of a mesh of blood and flesh, it was only irregular pieces of rocks that crumbled away. Parsons body became lifeless after his head was crushed. Within seconds, his body turned into a marble stone sculpture. Everything that he had ever known in his life was brought to an end Chapter 477 - To Live in the Face of Death Chen Chen continued to hold and look at the shattered head of the mayor of Los Angeles who had turned into a statue. After some time had passed, there were no signs that he had turned into an angel statue. Was it because the transformation process of the meme was interrupted by him killing the mayor before the transformation could be completed? Or was it his gaze that interrupted the transformation? With this in mind, Chen Chen looked at the wall behind the statue and evoked Field. With a swift explosion, a large hole was carved into the wall of the mayors office by an invisible force! A large amount of dust was kicked up as sunlight came in through the hole and illuminated the office. When Chen Chen made a flinging gesture, the shattered pieces of the city mayor were flung into the field. It shattered into more broken pieces while another large pit was dug in the center of the field! The statue pieces were thrown into the pit, effectively concealing it from the view of people coming by the city hall. Chen Chen also created some distance between himself and the statue before he shut his eyes and opened them a second later. The statue lied idly in the pit, not making the slightest movement at all. This effectively confirmed Chen Chens suspicion that the transformation process could be interrupted by killing someone before they fully transformed into an angel statue. After concluding this experiment, Chen Chen first relayed this information to Little X before heading back down the corridor of the city hall and kept his eyes on the lookout for more statues. The Los Angeles City Hall had seen mass casualties today and there was no telling how many more statues lurked in the area. All Chen Chen knew that he did not see a single living person along his way, only more corpses with their necks shattered. Perhaps as a result of most of the police forces being concentrated in the Herrank Warehouse District, there had not been a single police force member arriving at the scene since the incident occurred. On the contrary, the scene had attracted the curious glances of many passersby. Some of the bold ones among them even stopped what they were doing and got closer to spectate. Chen Chen frowned irritably when he saw the crowd gathered outside through the window. Things would be very problematic if they happened to capture footage of the angel statues. Just as he was about to pick up a gun that belonged to a deceased security guard and fire warning shots at the crowd to chase them away, another thought came to him. Perhaps this crowd could double as a cage since their gaze would hinder the angel statues from leaving this vicinity and prevent them from spreading further. With this in mind, Chen Chen clicked his earpiece and instructed, X, theres a group of people outside the city hall with recording devices. Pay close attention to the outgoing network in this area and if you detect any footage of me or the angel statues being uploaded, I want you to destroy them immediately and also log the personal information of the uploader. Understood. Little X answered swiftly. There was no need to mention what personal information needed to be logged since Little X should be able to figure that out on her own by this point. One way or another, some of these onlookers would get a recording of either Chen Chen or the angel statues. If they only captured Chen Chen, then the matter should be resolved with a quick visit from the Black Knights to perform memory erasure. However, if they managed to collect footage of the angel statues, that would also suggest that they had looked at the angel statues in video form, which meant It was cruel to take advantage of them this way but the alternative of chasing them away may lead to the angel statues having free reign to escape further into the city which would make it difficult to look for them. After that, Chen Chen continued heading deeper into the city hall. Chen Chen assumed that it should be easy to find the angel statues by following the tracks left behind, which were the dead bodies. However, he could not find any signs of another statue even after he had covered the entire floor. It looks like I was too late. Chen Chen sighed regretfully after making this observation. If the angel statues were already outside the city hall by the time they were reported, the others mustve snuck into the city already. Thats true, I just found relevant information online as well. There was disappointment in Little Xs voice. Just half a minute ago, I logged a call made to the police department. It seems someone reported a case of a dead body with a broken neck. There were no reports of any statues at the scene. If I cant find them in the city hall, then its time to look for them outside. Chen Chen went to the second floor of the city hall as he said this. At the same time, he heard the sound of blaring sirens coming from afar. The sirens were getting increasingly hectic. It sounded like there could not have been anything less than ten police vehicles approaching. Additionally, Chen Chen also heard the faint sound made by the rotor blades of helicopters mixed into the commotion. Chen Chen approached a window and looked at the sky above. As expected, he spotted several black dots drawing closer toward his position. They were none other than the prolific Chinook model helicopters made in the Northern America Continent. Reinforcements dispatched from the nearby military base? Chen Chen frowned as he thought of this. Since the reinforcements had arrived, there was no reason for him to continue risking his neck like this. After all, he had just taken out the mayor of Los Angeles and in addition, it would be difficult to explain his innocence when he was the only living person among so many dead bodies. With this in mind, Chen Chen shook his head briefly before charging out through the window of the city hall and soared to the skies above! Boom! There was a deafening explosion. The only thing the crowd gathered outside the city hall could see was the faint silhouette of a person darting out of the city hall. The sudden appearance of this figure was accompanied by a cloud of mist that stretched and penetrated several hundred meters into the sky above. The figure had vanished instantly! Oh my God! Superman! The crowd cried out in awe and took as many pictures as they could of what just occurred in hopes of framing what they just witnessed By the time Little X issued a warning, Chen Chen was already several thousand meters above. Sir Godfather, the Northern American police are heading to the city hall, you have to evacuate immediately. Ive already left. Chen Chen took a deep breath and fought for air as he said, Contact the chief of the police station and tell them to be careful of the mound of dirt in front of the city hall since theres a killer statue buried underneath. Also, tell them to report the address of any angel statues they discover from here on. Ill take care of it. But your body Little X was hesitant. Youve been doing this for the entire night. This overexertion of Field may increase the risk of brain damage. This is no time to care about this. Chen Chen interrupted Little Xs sound advice. A lot of the surveillance cameras arent connected to the Internet. If they are accessed, many more angel statues will be born. You also have to factor in the phones that people record with. If I dont address this problem myself as soon as possible, a mass breakout will happen and the consequences will be fatal Understood, Ill dispatch the Black Knights to coordinate with you. Little X said, So far, there have only been three reports. They are at the Broad Museum of Modern Art located 0.8 kilometers west of the City Hall, the Grand Central Market located 0.7 kilometers southwest of the City Hall, and the entrance of the church 300 meters northeast of the City Hall. Chen Chen immediately went to the church as soon as he heard this report. To prevent being recorded by prying eyes, he used the cloaking device that he had not used for ages to conceal himself. Since Chen Chen was not in a supersonic state, he managed to arrive stealthily at the entrance of the church without anyone noticing. This was a medieval Romanesque church. By the time he arrived, a large number of people were gathered in front of the church, forming circles around a corpse. Most of them had their mobile phones out and were taking pictures and videos of the scene. Chen Chen was speechless when he looked at the amassed crowd. When he looked around, he immediately spotted dozens of angelic statues of various designs arranged across the walls and domes of the church architecture. The statues were carved into the outer walls of the church, bringing out the prolific Medieval architectural ambiance of the time. However, there seemed to be an unspeakable, threatening aura seeping from these statues. They all looked one and the same. Nobody could tell which one of these angel statues was real and which ones were not. Chen Chen remained in his invisible state and stepped into the church. He was immediately greeted by the grandiose sight of the grand cathedral with dozens of pews set across both sides of the hall. The walls were covered with detailed murals that demanded the attention of whoever entered. Due to the incident that occurred right outside the church, everyone had stepped outside, leaving the church empty at this point. Chen Chen spotted two more angel statues at the front and center of the church hall, positioned on both sides of the cross of Jesus. One of the angel statues had its arms stretched outward as if it was readying itself for an embrace with Christ. Meanwhile, another statue sat idly with its arms across its chest as if it were praying. Chen Chen stood by the entrance and silently looked at the two statues. He blinked. The statue with its arms crossed vanished in an instant. Chen Chens pupils shrunk. He immediately looked around him and noticed the same statue had appeared approximately thirty meters to his right. It also changed its posture and now had its arms outstretched, its head pointed to the ground. Chen Chen was ready to react accordingly. It was at this very moment when he felt another chilling sensation coursing through his veins that forced him to turn in the other direction as much as he did not want to. The moment he turned, he saw that the other statue had also advanced toward him. It was now no more than five meters away from him. Both statues were real! Chen Chen immediately realized the severity of the situation that could not be put into words. His first instinct was to leap backward. As soon as he took a step back, he felt a subtle jolt in his neck that was soon followed by an indescribable numbness sent across his body! Thwack! Chen Chen heard a crisp sound of something snap. It was his neck being crushed. Even his Field could not obstruct nor detect this invisible force! Bang! Chen Chen instinctively triggered his Field and an enormous amount of mist appeared around him as he shot backward instantaneously at supersonic speed. Despite his best efforts, it was too late. His neck was wholly snapped by the memetic force! Chen Chens Field momentum swung him out of the entrance of the church and threw him onto the ground where he rolled and tossed around several times on the ground. Soon after that, his body finally came to rest like a sack of beans! Huff Huff Chen Chen felt waves of throbbing pain inside his head. He wanted to breathe but the air refused to flow downward no matter how hard he strained his lungs. His neck had been completely shattered. There was simply no way for air to flow down his lungs That was not the end of it. He was even feeling his senses slowly waning. The lower part of his body seemed to be melting away and his vision started to turn into a mass of blur Sir Godfather, what happened!? Sir Godfather!! Chen Chen! The piercing screams of Little X rang in Chen Chens ears but there was simply no way for Chen Chen to elicit a response. The cloaking device started to give away as Chen Chens full form was revealed, lying on the ground. The sudden burst produced when he was flung out of the church doorstep at supersonic speed gave the crowd outside a tremendous scare! Most of them were terrified and fled the scene to save their lives but some also kept a safe distance and cautiously approached to investigate Am I going to die? Chen Chen looked at the sky and reflected on his life up till this point. He realized that at this moment, his stream of thoughts was even clearer to him than when he took NZT-48. The events of his life appeared before his eyes like a steady flash of montages. He saw the moment he was born, primary school, high school, and the joyous look on his parents face when he made it to a renowned university After that, his life took a sharp turn. There was the USB drive, Xia Yin, the experiments, dropping out of school, Little X Within seconds, countless memories that took on incredibly distinct forms surged across Chen Chens mind. Despite all that, his thoughts were more lucid than ever. Am I going to die? No, I will not die! I have all the power and wealth in the world, enough to rival nations. I have the USB drive that can change the world, how can I allow myself to die! I still need to take care of my parents and grant them immortality. I have to take over the Earth Federation. I have to explore beyond the Earth. I have unlimited time to achieve all of this, why would I ever die?! I will not die! I will never die! A powerful will to survive came to Chen Chen in a rush! In an instant, the Field in his mind poured like a flash flood! A second later, the skin on his neck was torn away, revealing the reddish muscle tissue underneath. At the same time, every vein of muscle in his neck was torn into strings, exposing stems of trachea, veins, and arteries. His two blood vessels were completely torn apart, erupting steady streams of blood everywhere! What followed immediately was what seemed like invisible hands that pieced his arteries together piece by piece. No, it was not mere healing. It was as if they were bound together by an invisible force that forced his blood to flow appropriately! The onlookers that saw this shrieked as if they had seen a ghost before them. Some of them held their cameras in front of their faces to record this bizarre scene. This was the least of Chen Chens concerns at this moment. Within seconds, the functionalities of his lungs had been restored. This was achieved by his Field manually pumping his lungs, causing them to contract and expand repeatedly to simulate breathing motions! After this was done, Chen Chen continued to multitask with his Field. Using another pulse of Field, he pulled his body upward like he was a puppet with attached strings and made himself get back up on his feet! Demon, demon! After seeing this, the onlookers could not stand the absurdity of what they were witnessing anymore. They cried out in horror and started to run away from this person! Chapter 478 - : Dimension’s Child Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Outside a towering Roman cathedral, a man drenched in blood with his throat mangled into chunks of flesh and blood levitated into the air like a transcendental being. The onlookers screamed and scrambled away from this monstrosity. Upon witnessing this, the first phrase that would come to anyones mind was not miracle, God or whatnot but devilish embodiments such as Satan, devil, evil While all this was happening, a bearded man holding a phone who stood approximately twenty meters away was trembling like a bundle of sticks. He watched as the Chinese man in the middle of the field levitated into the air. He saw the neck of this person twisting in unnatural angles before the persons bent neck reverted to a natural position. He wanted to run when he saw this paranormal occurrence but his body refused to obey him. Every ounce of strength had been drained away from his body. Even lifting a finger was a tall task Something even eerier happened after that. As the Chinese man was twisting and turning his neck around, he suddenly snapped his neck in the bearded mans direction. The manner of his glare could not be put into words! In an instant, the phone which he held in his frozen hand that was still recording suddenly burst without any warning! Oh my God! The sharp pang of pain the bearded man felt in his hand seemed to have triggered his survival instinct. Without so much as a second thought, he tossed the destroyed phone aside and proceeded to run in the other direction! He cried out in horror as he ran until he vanished into one of the buildings on the opposite street. After chasing away the onlookers that were recording, Chen Chen craned his neck at an angle and immediately heard the fervent screams of Little X coming through the earpiece. He tried to say something and was immediately struck with the realization that his vocal cord was also crushed by the angel statue. Chen Chen attempted to restore his vocal cords using Field and managed to emit a low grumble. X, Im still alive Little X tried her best to stifle her sobs and asked when she heard Chen Chens voice, Sir Godfather, arent you wounded? The Black Knights are on their way and will arrive at your position within twenty seconds. You have to hang in there! Dont worry, Im not dying anytime soon. Chen Chens voice was hoarse. He looked in the direction of the church entrance and saw that the two statues had appeared by the doorstep again. They both remained in idle positions. This time, both statues were inside Chen Chens field of vision. Chen Chen did not try anything. His condition would not allow him to fight anymore. He only silently stared at the statues while he waited for the Black Knights to arrive. After twenty seconds, a truck arrived at the plaza in front of the church with horns blaring. Four Black Knights immediately stepped out of the vehicle carrying a steel crate that looked like a coffin. They proceeded to put the statues into the steel crates in an orderly manner. After that, the steel crates were sealed up with giant steel chains and were placed into the back of the truck again. Sir Godfather, your neck Little X managed to get a closer look by using the Black Knights as her eyes. Chen Chens neck was completely ruptured at this point. Not only was his arteries and veins exposed to the air, but even his cervical spine was visibly shattered. In regular circumstances, there should be no way of recovering from such injuries as this damage was completely irreversible. Ive completely lost sensation in my body but thats alright, my spinal cord isnt damaged. My brain can control my heartbeat, its just that I cannot breathe. Chen Chen levitated to the passenger seat inside the truck like a ghost and shut the door after himself. I just need to simulate my lung functionalities using Field to let blood flow through my veins and arteries. I wont die. Ill take you back to Eco Science City right this instant! Little X informed immediately. No need to rush. Chen Chen motioned calmly. My life force is far stronger than the average human due to the T-virus enhancements. My wounds are already healing and should be completely recovered within several hours so theres no need to worry. Whats important now is we get out of here quickly. Im not sure how many people caught footage of the angel statues, we have to take care of that. I already used Gantz to send another batch of Black Knights here. Theyll take care of these people before they have time to transform into angel statues. Little X responded quickly, I also have eyes on the Internet. Its all under control. Excellent. Chen Chen nodded and proceeded to shut his eyes and get some rest. Little X stayed quiet so as to not bother Chen Chen. She knew that Chen Chen had been fighting since last night and never had the chance to rest so he must be completely worn out and close to exhausting his Field reserve by now. She had the Black Knights drive to the suburbs of Los Angeles. Chen Chen constantly shifted between a hazy state of dream and awakening. Each time the car bumped along the road, he would feel waves of pain chirping along his neck as if thousands of ants were crawling across his skin. He knew that this was a sign that his body was starting to recover. From an outside perspective, one would see tiny red strands of fiber starting to appear along the wounded region of Chen Chens neck, like thousands of little worms squirming about. His neck was recovering at a rapid pace! This was the recovery effect granted by the optimized T-virus that trumped even the genetics of the Tyrant. As long as he was not dead on the spot or did not sustain major damage to his brain, it was possible to recover from any injury, no matter how severe they may be Half an hour later, Chen Chen returned to the headquarters of Osmond Biotech at last. Instead of entering the headquarters, he went to a nearby hotel where he rented a room. While on the way here, Chen Chens neck had recovered to a certain degree where his lungs could perform basic physiological functionalities without the use of Field. Chen Chen finally released Field and gave himself several nutrient injections before falling into a deep slumber Chen Chen did not sleep well. The entire night of combat made his cerebral cortex overactive, which led to streams of nightmares while he slept. He dreamt the angel statues going out of control and madly spreading across the world. Countless people died overnight as the situation had spiraled entirely out of control. Chen Chen had to brace his loss and take his parents and family with him and escape to another dimension. Except he was faced with something far more threatening than the angel statue meme in the other dimension The dream ended with Chen Chen standing in front of a pile of dead bodies with his parents and family members among them. Further in front of him was a looming shadow that towered over him ! Chen Chen snapped his eyes open amid the darkness. Chen Chen investigated his surroundings in a state of daze before he realized he was in a well-furnished guest room. The sky outside the window was basked in darkness. Chen Chen slowly got up. As soon as he did this, he felt a burning sensation in his stomach region. He was swarmed by overwhelming hunger and thirst. He reached for the bottle of water by his bedside that Little X had prepared ahead of time and down the entire bottle in one go. After that, he proceeded to gobble mouthfuls of an energy bar. They were digested nearly instantly the moment they entered his stomach. After eating dozens of energy bars, he finally felt somewhat content. After tossing the wrapping of the energy bars on the ground, Chen Chen pulled the bedsheet away and got to his feet. That was when he noticed that the bed was completely drenched. It would appear that his body had gone through a round of transfusion while he was asleep due to the severity of his injuries. Chen Chen rubbed his neck and discovered that his neck had completely recovered. Not just his skin and flesh but even the severed spine was reattached. It was as if everything that happened in the daytime was nothing but a false memory. Except for his Field reserve in his mind that still had not recovered much and was still nearly emptied out. When Little X heard gentle ruffling coming from the room, she connected her voice to the computer in the room. Youre awake, Sir Godfather, how do you feel? Not bad, Im almost completely recovered. Chen Chen twisted his neck, cracking it several times. After ensuring his neck was in good shape, he started to enquire, Whats the situation in Los Angeles? Weve taken in four statues today, there are three more statues that were still searching for. Weve also dealt with the Northern American citizens that are potentially infected by the meme. There are a hundred and thirty-four of them in total. The Northern American government caught wind of whats going on and dispatched their army for undercover operations to apprehend our Black Knight. There was even a confrontation with our Black Knights on one occasion but they ultimately failed to capture any of our members and prove our existence. Little X mentioned, Their officials even contacted us at our headquarters to question if we were the ones who mobilized militarised units to infiltrate Los Angeles. Chen Chen did not find any of this surprising. When the angel statues first appeared, he had to get Little X to warn the Northern American government using Blacklight Biotechnologys name. This was how the Los Angeles department eventually mobilized their forces to lock down the Herrank Warehouse District. The reason Chen Chen had to resort to this method was that the Northern American government would not have believed the warning if not for the credibility of Blacklight Biotechnology. They would not have locked down Herrank Warehouse District otherwise. However, this also came with a certain drawback. With this one maneuver, Blacklight Biotechnology was forced to the center stage from backstage. At least on the part of the upper-level of the Earth Federation, part of the strength of Blacklight Biotechnology could no longer be concealed With all that said, this was not a large concern as Blacklight Biotechnology continued to grow. It was only a matter of time until Chen Chen had to lay his cards out. It was just that the timing of this matter forced Chen Chen to expose his cards sooner than he planned to. Chen Chens approach should have ended this memetic incident right at its root, in the Herrank Warehouse District. Unfortunately, the meme still ended up spiraling out of control and developed into what was happening now. Chen Chen did not feel any particular regret or resentment about how things had turned out. He only nodded and stated, In that case, just let the Northern American government harbor their suspicions. It doesnt matter as long as we dont admit to dispatching militarised units in Los Angeles. Should we continue our search for the three remaining angel statues? Little X asked again, But theres a chance that they could end up in the hands of the Northern American government. Chen Chen considered for a moment before arriving at a decision. What we need to do now is to prevent any further spread of the angel statue meme. Theres no helping it even if some of the angel statues end up in the hands of the Northern American government. Since weve already told them about the memetic characteristics of the statues, if they still allowed it to be spread freely then I suppose mankind was already fated for destruction in the first place. Alright, understood. Little X noted. Oh yeah, whats the situation on Keiths side? Chen Chen suddenly remembered the ongoing situation on Osmond. He looked at his watch, it was eleven at night on the first of June. He was not sure if Keith had arrived in Los Angeles. Keith has arrived in Los Angeles and should be approximately half an hour from this location. Little X answered, I was going to wake you up myself shortly before he arrived. So, hes finally arriving? Chen Chen was immediately reenergized. He had been waiting for this moment for the last three years. The reason he had come to Los Angeles in the first place was not due to the angel statue meme but to welcome Keith. The reason Chen Chen put so much emphasis on this was that this was directly related to the secrets of the USB drive. To a certain extent, the turnout of this event may directly affect Chen Chen and Blacklight Biotechnologys future! Chen Chen originally planned to greet Keith audaciously, expecting everything to go his way. He had never expected to sustain such injury and losses shortly before meeting Keith. The way things had turned out gave Chen Chen an ominous feeling. Could it be that Keith was the so-called protagonist or otherwise referred to as the Dimensions Child? Chen Chen flung this thought out of his mind within the very next second. He slowly approached the bedside and gazed at the bright lights of the city of Los Angeles. A flash appeared in his eyes as he did so. Rowling Keith, so what if youre the Dimensions Child, the protagonist of the entire world? Between the luck of the Dimensions Child and the foundations of my Blacklight Biotechnology, Id like to see which one is stronger! Chen Chen muttered to himself before he opened the window and zoomed outside. In a split instant, his figure melded into the darkness Chapter 479 - Appreciation Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation A red pickup truck raced down the country road. It filed through the traffic like a fish racing downstream. Inside the pickup truck, Keith had his brows tightly clenched together. He glanced at the rearview mirror and gritted his teeth before stomping down on the gas pedal. Bang! There was a sudden loud crash. The pickup truck rammed into the car in front that refused to make way for the pickup truck. Keith was flung forward by the sudden change in momentum. He held onto the steering wheel with all his might so he would not be flung out through the windshield into the traffic. The vehicle that was rear-ended lost control and stopped by the side of the road. A furious red-bearded old man emerged from it. He raised his fist and cursed at Keiths pickup truck that was already slowly fading out of view. It was around this point when he noticed another dazzling headlight rapidly advancing toward his position. Seemingly sensing something, the old man with the patch of red beard slowly turned around and saw two huge headlights inches away from him. It was so close that the license plate was almost right in his face like a beast baring its jaws at him! Ah-! The red-bearded old man instinctively put his arms up to defend himself. The very next second, the roaring behemoth rammed into the old man with a deafening roar and created a cloud of red mist in a split instant as the old man was obliterated into pieces! Bang! More cars on the road ahead that could not get out of the way in time were hit by the behemoth and thrown to the side of the roads like mere toys. None of them managed to thwart the heavy trucks momentum. Keith could only let out a somber sigh when he saw what had become of the old man. He continued focusing on what was in front of him Waves of fatigue started to wash over him successively. It had been two nights since he last slept. Thanks to the stubborn hunters that were trailing right behind him, his body continuously pumped adrenaline to keep him awake and alert at all times. There was nothing Keith could do but sigh. Ever since he invented the drug known as AD-001 and accepted the task given to him by Professor Irwin, he felt as if his life had fallen into a spiral. A mysterious organization came after him relentlessly ever since. Originally, he was planning to spend a romantic night with his beautiful colleague and then deliver the drug to Los Angeles the next morning. It all started during that night in the dance hall when he found himself on the wrong end of a pursuit for the first time in his life. If not for an unlucky passerby who happened to block a bullet for him, he would have been shot dead already. Unfortunately, his beautiful colleague, Ella Jennifer, was taken away by the mysterious organization. After that, he snuck back into the research center in hopes of contacting Professor Irwin. When he reached the research center, he found that not only everything in the research center including the research reports had been emptied, even the professor and another colleague of his had vanished without a trace. Keith had a hunch that they were met with misfortune. The mysterious organization was after the AD-001! Keith immediately digested the situation and realized that the AD-001 under his possession was the catalyst to everything. The mysterious organization would never let him off the hook as long as he had the drug with him. Keith was graced with a unique sense of justice since birth. The more his opponents wanted him dead, the stronger his will of survival and pure conviction. He managed to survive every ambush and attempt at his life by the skin of his teeth. Over the course of the pursuit, several members of the mysterious organization had even sustained major injuries and were decommissioned shortly after. Even till now, he had no idea who or what they were A wipe of gloom appeared in Keiths eyes as he thought of this. As much as he hated to admit it, the daunting physicality and sheer fearlessness of those members of the mysterious organization had left a heavy impression on him. No matter what injuries they received, they kept their stone-cold expression. He had never seen them display any other emotions at all. It was as if they were robots. What was even more baffling to Keith was that no matter where he went or hid, they would locate him again usually within ten minutes. He had no choice but to keep running continuously. After several confrontations, Keith noticed another pattern. In addition to them being completely devoid of any form of expression, they always wore the same jet black belt and gloves even if they may switch out their other articles of clothing. Also, he spotted a glimpse of dark fabric underneath the shirt they wore. It seemed they always wore the same black-colored uniform underneath whatever other disguise they had on. One more thing Keith was certain of was that these people were not governmental agents since there was no way governmental agents would endanger the lives of common civilians just to hunt down one person like himself. Keith mumbled to himself as he combed through the possibilities, They dont look like special agents of any other continents. They cant be the FBI either so that means Another possibility came to Keith but this explanation seemed to have only brought up more questions. Could it be just as Professor Irwin said, that its the African company Blacklight Biotechnology that harbored ill intentions when they purchased a majority of our companys shares? He debunked the theory as soon as he came up with it. Hows that possible Real life isnt a movie. How could a mere company possibly have access to such terrifying and meticulously trained private forces? This would make them capable of trumping any other elite forces of any other continents No matter how Keith juggled the facts, he could never figure out the identity of his opponents. He only kept his head down and continued running in hopes of arriving at the Osmond Biotech Headquarters as soon as possible so he could deliver the drug to the shareholder named Parker. Now, he was almost there Bang! He heard more tremendous crashes from behind him. The heavy truck had picked up speed again and was drawing closer toward Keiths pickup truck. In a matter of seconds, it was going to catch up and crush the pickup truck. Keith only grew ever more determined when he looked at the bright lights across the horizon. After a full day and night of running, he arrived at the suburbs of Los Angeles. He only needed to advance another ten kilometers before arriving at the Osmond Biotech Headquarters. Another strange thing to note was that no matter how many vehicles on the road the heavy truck behind him had demolished, not a single police responded to the scene. This sort of efficiency was completely unprecedented in a place like Northern America. Something must have happened in Los Angeles. Besides, even if he were to successfully deliver the drug to its destination, were these people going to let him live? Or a better way to phrase it would be would this person named Parker protect him at all? Judging by how ruthless these enemies were, Keith found himself doubting the likelihood of his protection. Still, there was no turning back since he had come this far already. Either Keith delivered the drug successfully or he got killed by this mysterious force before he could pull it off. Keith set his heart on his goal when he thought of this and continued advancing toward the Osmond Biotech Headquarters. It was at this point when the situation seemed to finally turn around. Just as Keith was approaching the Osmond Biotech Headquarters, he noticed that the enemies pursuing him suddenly vanished. The heavy truck that had followed him down the road for several hundred kilometers had disappeared without him even noticing. Somewhere along the lines, the only vehicle that remained in the darkness was his beaten-up pickup truck that was driving down the lonesome road, blaring the sound of its engines. Keith started to reexamine the situation. When he passed by a gas station, he made a sudden turn and went into a desolate alleyway. After driving a short distance down the alley, Keith abandoned the vehicle and walked back to the previous main road. After he stood by the side of the road for a while, he finally spotted an old-school black car approaching. He quickly flagged the car down. Fortunately, the driver stopped by the side of the road. Need a ride, young man? A middle-aged man with a large patch of unkempt beard who smelled like a mixture of sweat and grease poked his head out of the car window. He smiled quite unkindly, revealing a row of yellow teeth as he said, Im heading to the Western region of Los Angeles, where are you heading? If its along the way, I can give you a ride. I Keith was going to tell this person his destination but decided against it. Im just heading to the city, Sir. Just give me a quick ride and Ill tell you when I need to get out. In that case, come right in. The middle-aged man grinned and waved Keith in as he unlocked the door on the passengers side. Keith hesitated for a moment. After he had ensured that there was no dark-colored fabric underneath this persons collar or sleeves and gave the gun he had concealed in his pocket a firm pat, he entered the car. An hour later, Keith parked the car on the corner of a street nearby the Osmond Biotech Headquarters with the gun in hand. His expression was grim. A bullet had been lodged into the forehead of the original owner of the vehicle. The body was put in the backseat with fresh blood still dripping out the dead mans forehead. It turned out that this man was never a good Samaritan in the first place and was planning to rob Keith. Unfortunately for him, Keith, who appeared like a gentle-hearted individual on the outside, made a swift judgment and executed him on the spot. Keith did not exit his vehicle right in front of the Osmond Biotech Headquarters because judging by how ruthless their methods were, they could probably ambush him when they saw him appear at the headquarters and take him away. He got out of the vehicle somewhere close by and went up to the rooftop of another building where he had a higher vantage point. The Osmond Biotech Headquarters was only several hundred meters away from his position. Right next to it was another building of nearly parallel height. There was only a distance of no more than ten meters separating the two buildings. Keith was delighted to see this. He immediately descended from the rooftop and found himself a hemp rope. He carried the hemp rope with him and ascended to the roof of the building next to the headquarters. The sky was very dark at the time but fortunately, the floors in the headquarters were illuminated with ceiling lights. Keith used the shadow projected from the building to make sure his figure could not be caught by anyone on the ground. After he tied the rope into a slipknot, he tossed it into the opposite building! After several attempts, Keith managed to hook the knot to one of the railings. With a forceful yank, he managed to fasten the rope tightly around the railing. After that, Keith fastened the rope to a railing on his side as well, instantly creating a passage that connected the two buildings. After taking a deep breath, Keith climbed onto the railing and then wrapped his arms and legs around the rope. He took his time moving to the other side. After what seemed like forever, Keith managed to make it to the rooftop of the Osmond Biotech Headquarters using this unconventional method. Keith did not let his guard down even after making it this far. He cautiously traced down the stairs that connected to the rooftop and entered the corridor where he saw rows of offices. The signboard on the first office read Chairman and General Managers Office. Arrived at last Keith sighed. He slowly approached the door. It was the height of midnight but he could still see a faint light coming from under the door, implying that someone was inside. He pushed open the door without sparing a moment of hesitation. The dimly lit office was immediately presented in front of Keith. The decoration of the office was highly distinctive of the persons personality. It was not very large and the furnishing was intricate, most of them alternated between black and white color. Only a minimal amount of light was turned on in the office at the moment. Positioned directly opposite the entrance was a large mahogany desk with a middle-aged man sitting on the opposite end. This man was none other than the founder of the Osmond that the professor once mentioned C Parker. Mr. Parker. Keith felt a weight taken off his chest when he saw the head of the corporation. He promptly stepped inside and locked the door behind him. Allow me to introduce myself, Im Youre Rowling Keith. The middle-aged man was not surprised by the sudden intrusion of this guest as he displayed a slightly bitter smile. Ive heard from Irwin that youre here to deliver something to me. Thats right! Keith immediately stepped forward. His hand reached into the pocket to present a sealed bottle wrapped in bubble wrapping along with a USB drive. He placed them on Parkers table. These are the items. This is the AD-001 created by Professor Irwin. He wanted me to deliver them into your hands. Excellent. Parker nodded and received the sealed bottle wrapped in bubble wrapping. His finger grazed over it gently for a brief moment before he suddenly stopped as if he just recalled something. Keith watched as the founder suddenly took a deep breath as if he made up his mind on something. The founder proceeded to get up with the two items in hand and stepped backward. Keith could not help but note the strange behavior of the founder. For some reason, even after he had delivered what was supposed to be the long-awaited drug, he did not sense the slightest note of surprise from the founder but instead an inexplicable somberness. It seemed like a mixture of regret and frustration. While Keith was filled with these puzzling thoughts, he saw that Parker had stepped in front of a window and passed the two items through the window Hold on! Keith was taken by surprise. It was only now when he noticed that there was somebody else standing behind the window at the furthest end of the office! It took him so long to notice it! Due to the dim lighting inside the office, Keith could only make out a faint silhouette of this mysterious person. He saw a pair of hands reaching through the window to receive the items. Then, the person disappeared from behind the window and soon, he heard the shuttle of another door located at the back end of the office being opened. The man appeared from behind and started to slowly approach Keith. As the shadowy figure stepped under the light, Keith finally managed to get a closer look at this person. It was a young Chinese man. Mr. Keith, thank you for your delivery. The corner of the young mans lips curled into a smile as he extended his hand out. Chapter 480 - Transformation Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Keiths eye widened like two large pearls the moment he saw the black matt gloves this mysterious young man wore. He immediately looked up and also spotted a black-colored collar strapped around the young mans neck! It was the uniform of the mysterious organization coming after him! Unlike the grunts of the mysterious organization, there was the addition of several translucent buttons on the collar that emitted a weak blue-ish glow which gave it a classier look. Keith immediately turned as pale as a ghost as he stumbled several paces backward until he reached the door. He glared cautiously at the young man who stood before him. What is it, wasnt it you wanted to give these items to me? The young man asked with a mocking smile as he took several steps toward Keith, Why are you running, what are you afraid of? Are you worried that I might eat you? D*mn! Panic washed across Keiths eyes. For some reason he could not put into words himself, this plain-looking young man carried an overbearing aura that suffocated him. He immediately reached his gun and aimed it at the young man. Dont come any closer or else Ill open fire! It was right at this moment where the sound of rotor blades coming from outside the window intruded the tranquility of the room. Both Keith and the mysterious young man looked out the window and saw a military helicopter flying outside the window, seemingly searching for something. Upon seeing this, Keith clenched his jaw and pulled the trigger without any hesitation! Bang bang bang bang bang! A ripple of gunshots tore through the air. Even Keith did not know how many shots he had fired in total. When he came to his senses and looked in front of him, his expression became twisted into wordless shock! What seemed like an invisible barrier held all of the fired bullets in mid-air and cut off their momentum instantaneously! Fool! A biting chill flashed across the young mans eyes as he clutched Keiths neck like how one would hold a helpless hatchling. It happened so quickly that Keith barely had time to react. All he felt was something tightening around his neck and his feet being lifted off the ground. Sharp pain and a sense of suffocation rushed at Keith. He instinctively threw the gun with the empty magazine and tried to wring himself free from his enemys clutches. No matter how hard he beat at the mysterious young mans arm that felt like a piece of steel bar, it refused to budge Moments before he thought that he was going to die, the sound of rotor blades repeated outside the window again. This time, there was a piercing flash of light that accompanied it! All inhabitants listen up. Put down your weapons. Get down on the ground and wait for the patrol officers to arrive! The young man in front of Keith seemed to be unfazed by this sudden warning. On the contrary, his eyes glowed with rage! No good Keith felt the clutch around his neck tightening. Just as he felt he was about to have his neck crushed, he heard the sound of gunshots immediately followed by a violent force that flung him into the door behind him! Somebody inside the helicopter had opened fire at the mysterious young man! After registering what had happened, Keith acted immediately and dashed back into the corridor and made for the stairway. Is there any way to make it out of this situation? After Keith got away, the mysterious young man mumbled pensively to himself. He proceeded to turn around to face the helicopter and removed a deformed bullet the size of a fingernail that was stuck to the back of his hand, then he looked at the helicopter that had its mounted guns aimed in his direction. I repeat, all inhabitants are to set down your weapons and get down on the ground. Wait for our officers to arrive at the scene! The helicopter issued the same warning again. The mysterious young man tilted his head to one side and suddenly waved his hand outward! Bang! There was an immediate explosion. The helicopter seemed to be hit by an invisible force and lost control. It immediately tumbled to the ground below! Boom! Several seconds later, a gigantic column of fire rose from the ground below. It was accompanied by a deafening explosion that tore through the silence of the night. The entire building shook! Mr. Chen Chen, you Parker was baffled by everything he had witnessed in the last few seconds. He lay on the ground dumbfounded and looked at Chen Chen like he was staring at a ghost Chen Chen ignored Parker as he slowly and calmly turned around and exited the office. Chen Chen formed a frown as he stepped out of the room. He briefly shook his head from side to side and soon felt a sharp pain invading his nose. A steady stream of blood poured out of his nose. Sir Godfather, weve alerted the Northern American military that is here to search for the angel statues. They are advancing toward our position! Little Xs voice sounded across the earpiece, her tone was one of confusion. You had a chance to kill him just now, why did you I only wanted to see if he had any way of escaping even after being forced into a corner like this. Chen Chen answered before Little X could finish forming her question, It does seem like theres something different about this Keith because the moment I saw him, my head started throbbing with pain. Its probably a symptom of my exhaustion of Field this morning added with the injuries that I havent fully recovered yet I advise you to retreat for now. Since he already gave away the drug and its information, theres nothing he has that can possibly threaten us anymore. Little X advised. Youre still too naive, X. Chen Chen shook his head. You truly believe the drug and the USB drive he delivered arent fakes? Would someone as cautious as him meet Parker with the real drug before getting a proper read on the situation? Chen Chen took the bottle of drug as he said this and opened it to give it a quick sniff. He immediately tossed it onto the ground after that. As expected, it was a fake. Others are unable to kill him but perhaps I can. From here on, I wont be holding back anymore! Chen Chen wiped the blood off his nose and approached the stairway. He decided to not exhaust whatever was left of his Field and instead put one arm on the railing and jumped over it to the opposite staircase one floor below! Bang! There was a tremendous crash as he planted his feet on the opposite railing. After he steadied himself, he turned around and repeated the same process! Bang! Bang! Bang The loud crashes echoed across the stairway at a fixed interval. Chen Chen descended the building rapidly at a pace of one floor every three seconds and made it to the bottom floor in under two minutes! Just as he made it to the bottom, Little X informed again, Sir Godfather, the target is escaping in a vehicle. The location hes headed to is The direction of the Herrank Warehouse District, the Black Knights are in close pursuit! Chen Chen frowned at this piece of news. Although Keith did not know about the ongoings in Los Angeles, he still made for the Herrank Warehouse District. This was no mere coincidence. This was not the time to be bothered with these details. As soon as Chen Chen stepped out of the building, he saw a Black Knight waiting for him outside in a vehicle. He entered immediately and they proceeded to speed toward the direction of the Herrank Warehouse District With the rise of the killer statue cases in the city and mass casualty cases reported in the city hall, the police and military forces had evacuated from the Herrank Warehouse District. At this time, the only thing that remained in the area was a large array of police tapes that sectioned off the area. A sedan appeared and drove along the road leading to the Herrank Warehouse District. Another vehicle emerged from the side of the road out of nowhere and rammed into the white sedan. The sedan was flipped over and tumbled in circles several times before it stopped at the entrance of the Herrank Warehouse. The sedan was flipped over. A weak wail came from the inside of the car that was deformed at this point. Within moments, Keith crawled out of the sedan with his face covered in blood. There was a deep cut on his head that was inflicted during the collision Moments after that, several vehicles that were trailing after him stopped and had him surrounded. Dozens of Black Knights stepped out and formed a circle around him while Chen Chen also stepped out with a blanket wrapped around himself. Cough You wont get away, Keith. Chen Chen covered his mouth with his pale hands and coughed haggardly. If you tell me where you hid the information on the AD-001, I might consider letting you live. I wont tell you, youre never getting it! Keith shook his head insistently, a hint of despair surfaced in his eyes. I never thought that even Mr. Parker would betray us. Its a shame that Ill never fulfill the promise I made with Professor Irwin A flash of annoyance appeared in Chen Chens eyes when he saw Keith trying to garner sympathy. Within the next second, Keith suddenly felt his vision turning into a blur. He seemed to catch a glimpse of what appeared to be a card flying toward him that sent him tumbling backward! From Keiths perspective, he only felt his body turning light as a feather. He felt himself spinning in circles in the air and as he spun, he caught a glimpse of something baffling. He saw his body along with his feet firmly planted to the ground Could it be Keith seemed to have realized what was happening but before he could properly process what was happening, his consciousness had faded away rapidly Thump! There was a sound of what sounded like a ball dropping on the ground. It was Keiths head that was sent tumbling away more than twenty meters away! Keith was dead. One of the Black Knights walked toward the head of the decapitated Keith. The Black Knight raised its right feet in the air and stomped it down hard on Keiths head! With a gruesome splatter, what was once Keiths brain was turned into a mesh of meat under the Black Knights boots! A large amount of blood and brain particles splattered across the small square in front of the Herrank Warehouse District. A gentle breeze carried the scent of flesh and blood toward Chen Chens direction. He only shook his head ever so slightly as he saw this. Now, he was sure there was no way Keith could be brought back to life, not even with the help of Medpod 3000. Chen Chen summoned the nano poker card back into his hands and felt another sharp pulse of pain in his head. He knew that this was a result of overuse of Field. He did not expect that even using the graphite poker cards would put this much stress on him. It was at this point when Little X suddenly alerted, Sir Godfather, the military is here, theyre behind us! As soon as Little X said this, several military helicopters appeared in the sky above and they had their sights aimed at Chen Chen. At the same time, a fleet of military vehicles was quickly approaching from the distance as well! Hundreds of armed soldiers stepped out of their vehicles as soon as they arrived at the plaza in front of the Herrank Warehouse District and began setting up a defensive formation. Chen Chen was surrounded! Chen Chen was surrounded by countless soldiers that covered both the ground and the sky above and cut off all potential exits. Despite all this, Chen Chen seemed unfazed as he proceeded to order, X, cut off the military satellite and intercept their contact with the headquarters! Understood! Little X acted immediately upon receiving the order. Within ten seconds, she spoke again, Ive hacked into the military satellite communication system, they wont be able to restore it within twenty-four hours at least! Chen Chen nodded and turned to look at the army in front of him. The soldiers that surrounded him numbered somewhere between seven and eight hundred. At this point, the chief officer in charge got on the roof of a jeep and announced with a megaphone, Mr. Chen Chen, allow me to introduce myself, Im Lieutenant Colonel Wilson in charge of the 52nd Battalion of the 3rd Division, part of the Northern American Division Army. I have come today to put you under arrest under charges of direct violation of the Earth Federation-Northern America District Independent Act and a range of crimes including open manslaughter, assault on the army, and warmongering. Please surrender immediately and you may receive further leniency in court! Had they discovered my identity? Chen Chen was not even remotely shocked to hear his name coming out of the lieutenants lips. His lips curled into a hideous smile as he asked, So, its Lieutenant Wilson. In that case, I suppose Keith entrusted the drug and the USB drive to you? Thats right, my troops received the belongings of the civilian, says that its meant to be given to the Northern American government. Lieutenant Wilson continued. This isnt the time to discuss this. Weve all witnessed a murder scene. Mr. Chen Chen, do you have anything to say in your defense? No, I killed him, I have nothing to say in defense! When Chen Chen heard that the drug was under the armys possession, he smiled and revealed a row of marbly white teeth. At the same time, he shook his wrist and made a weird, slender metal rod appeared in his hands. Within the hollow layer of the metal rod, one could faintly make out a bright red fluorescent liquid steadily flowing inside it. There were two buttons attached to the tube, one painted in blue and the other in green. When Chen Chen clicked the blue button, a jet-black needle head popped out of one end of the metal rod with a swift swoosh! Alright, Mr. Chen Chen, weve recorded everything youve just said. Now, wed like it if you and your subordinates dont resist our arrest. Well hand you over to the investigation department of the Earth Federation after this. The lieutenant was mildly surprised to hear Chen Chen admit to his crimes. He felt like he saw the golden hands of fate waving at him and presenting his promotion ahead of him. He immediately gave a signal and sent a group of soldiers to Chen Chen. Seeing this, Chen Chen no longer hesitated. He raised the metal rod in his hand and stabbed it right into his heart! Chen Chen felt a chill seeping into his heart. The needle approximately ten centimeters long went all the way into his heart. He proceeded to tap the green button after that! Hnnghh There was the sound of liquid pumping as the stark red liquid contained inside the metal container was injected into Chen Chens body! What are you doing! The color drained away from the lieutenants face when he saw what Chen Chen did. He seemed to have realized something as he cried out, Stop him, hes trying to kill himself! The soldiers sped up their advance toward Chen Chen when they heard this. By this point, Chen Chen was trembling all over. His entire body was jolting violently as if some tremendous force within was about to burst at any given moment. The soldiers gazed in Chen Chens direction with an uncertain look between them. What happened after that was something that they would never forget! They all watched as Chen Chens body suddenly enlarged. It started with the sound of fabric being torn apart as Chen Chens flesh tore through his coat to reveal another layer of black tights he wore underneath! Underneath the black tights, Chen Chens muscles bulged upward and outward. He started to get down on his knees and curled his body into a ball and soon roared with every ounce of strength he had in his body! Ah-! Something repeatedly popped and crackled inside Chen Chen amid his howl until a certain point, something started prodding out of his back as if it were trying to burst out of its shell! Thump! In the end, even the black tights Chen Chen wore was unable to contain his ever-expanding figure anymore. A large mass of bones shot out of Chen Chens back and transformed Chen Chen into a spiked beast! The soldiers halted their steps at the sight of this monstrosity. Their eyes widened with horror and disbelief. Chen Chens transformation was not completed just yet. After his clothes were ripped apart, his figure was still expanding at a rapid pace. At one point, his skin was ripped through and revealed rows of stark red flesh underneath! The torn skin then began regenerating at breakneck speed. However, the skin after healing turned into a light-gray color instead of the regular color of human skin. It was soon replaced with a bony layer that spread all across his body. His body was soon covered with a plated armor of bones! Chen Chens face went through a sharp transformation as well. First, he split his jaws wide open and revealed two rows of densely arranged razor-sharp teeth. The tooth on the furthest end of both rows was especially long and sharp. When he raised his head, they saw that the surface of his skin had also turned into a boned structure. He had turned into what seemed like a skeletal monstrosity! They all looked on with a mix of horror and amusement as Chen Chen turned into a monster that stood more than three meters tall, weighing more than four hundred kilograms in a matter of seconds! Chapter 481 - Wipe Out My God A living breathing human being had just transformed before his very eyes how would he feel? Lieutenant Colonel Wilson could not describe this feeling. Faced with a scene that could only appear in science fiction movies, at this moment, there was only an endless echo of F*CK! in his heart. The group of soldiers sent to apprehend Chen Chen could not help but stop in their tracks. Some even retreated instinctively. Before everyones eyes, Chen Chen, who had turned into a huge monster, slowly stood up. As he breathed, two white streams of mist shot out of his mouth like jet valves. When Chen Chen raised his head, everyone saw that his eyes were like two large black holes and in the center of each black hole, one could even see a pupil the size of a needle tip that burned like coal fire! Were those the pupils of a human being? As those pupils swept across the crowd, everyone including Wilson experienced heart palpitations that seemed to come from the depths of their souls. It appeared that now they were not facing a human being at all, but a demon who had crawled out of the abyss of hell! What the h*ll are you Finally, Lieutenant Colonel Wilson was the first one to recover. He pointed at Chen Chen again and bit the bullet. What are you guys doing? Hurry up and apprehend him! Hearing Lieutenant Colonel Wilsons urging, all the soldiers who were supposed to arrest Chen Chen were caught in a dilemma. Nonetheless, a military order must always be obeyed. Just when they were about to grit their teeth and rush forward, Chen Chen suddenly took a step, bent over, and unleashed a rumbling roar! Roar! Just like a subwoofer, Chen Chens roar even created an echo and the soldiers who had charged up were suddenly hit hard by the sound. Their bodies trembled and they fell straight to the ground! D*mn Upon seeing this scene, Lieutenant Colonel Wilsons expression changed. Although Chen Chen was extremely valuable, he also understood that he could not hold back anymore. The atmospheric pressure from a mere roar was enough to injure people. What kind of power was hidden within this devilish body? Thinking of this, Wilson felt an irrepressible chill in his heart and he no longer hesitated to shout, Shoot, everyone shoot now! At once, the dozens of soldiers at the forefront of the fortification immediately executed his order and pulled the trigger without thinking! Rattle rattle rattle A series of gunshots resounded like thunder as endless firepower converged upon Chen Chens body at this moment. Then, an even more incredible scene occurred Chen Chen was only beaten back a few steps. That armor of white bone had blocked the countless bullets, which jingled as they dropped to the ground! The powerful 7.26 rifle bullet could not even penetrate the shell of the monster in front of them! Hahahahaha!!! You know nothing about true power!!! In the rain of bullets, Chen Chen laughed wildly, his voice booming like thunder, even overshadowing the snarl of bullets. He suddenly leaned forward and at the same time, his legs bent slightly, and then he sprang up! Whoosh! There was a sound of something tearing through the air. Everyone only saw a quick blur. Chen Chens huge body shot up dozens of meters into the sky! How is this possible with such a massive build! Such a thought flashed in everyones minds. They subconsciously looked into the sky, only to see Chen Chen already appearing above their heads, and with a boom, the front of a military truck was directly squashed by Chen Chen! Agh The soldiers nearby screamed. They had just aimed at Chen Chen with their guns, but before they had time to fire, Chen Chens arms swung like a pendulum! Pfff pfff pfff pfff! The two-meter-long barbs on Chen Chens elbow were like two sharp sickles. In just one stroke, the soldiers in that area fell to pieces. A large amount of blood and internal organs were flung out, splashing the soldiers behind! Agh agh ahh ahh aghh! Everyone screamed like they had seen a ghost. Some soldiers no longer cared about avoiding their own teammates and started to pull the trigger frantically! However, at this time, Chen Chen was like a giant beast in a flock of sheep. He bent his legs again and rushed into another pile of people like a bomb. Then there was another burst of limbs splattering everywhere and four or five soldiers were directly grounded into a pulp! Disperse, everyone, disperse immediately! The battle commander near the group shouted. All the soldiers screamed and scattered in all directions, but their speed was like a toddlers compared to Chen Chen who was like an agile cheetah, rushing around in the crowd and killing as he pleased! Wheres the sniper? Wheres the grenade platoon? Get them to strike now! In the command vehicle, Wilsons eyes were popping out. He yelled frantically, but the adjutant next to him rushed forward and yelled, No way, Lieutenant Colonel. Hes among our men now. We dont dare to fire! Fire, let them fire boldly. We must kill this monster! Wilson bellowed while being heavily protected by his guards and he was herded into the command vehicle by the guards. Wilsons command vehicle was an infantry fighting vehicle. After seeing this horrible display by Chen Chen, the command vehicle quickly started its engine, preparing to flee into the distance. Will you manage to escape? Suddenly, after killing dozens of soldiers around him, Chen Chen turned his head. He snarled in a low voice and then suddenly exerted force from his feet, and sprang 20 or 30 meters into the sky! Boom! In the next second, Chen Chens huge body crashed down from a great height and he landed directly in front of the infantry fighting vehicle. His sharp teeth appeared like two sawtooth rows, and at the same time, he half-arched his body, assuming a posture of confrontation! Crash! There was a massive impact and the infantry fighting vehicle slammed into Chen Chens body. Suddenly Chen Chen was hit by the infantry fighting vehicle and driven backward! However, as he found his balance, Chen Chen suddenly straightened his legs. As the infantry vehicle continued to move forward, Chen Chens feet plowed two deep ditches into the ground! After plowing a ditch of more than ten meters on the road, the infantry fighting vehicle was unexpectedly forced to stop! At the same time, Chen Chen let out a roar. His arms suddenly exploded with strength. The entire armored vehicle was lifted directly and then it was turned upside down in a raging tumult! However, just then, there was a flash of fire on a helicopter not far away. Chen Chen had just flipped over the armored vehicle and suddenly felt a jolt in his head. He scratched his head and a deformed warhead with a caliber of more than three centimeters slid off his head and hit the ground with a loud clank. This was the caliber of anti-material sniper rifles! Hmm? Chen Chen quickly turned his head and looked into the sky. He saw a helicopter hovering at an altitude of thirty to forty meters and then there was another flash of fire from the helicopter! This time, Chen Chen tilted his head at once and a whistling sound cut by his ear. Another bullet had passed by Chen Chens ear and a deep hole with the thickness of a bowl was excavated right behind Chen Chen! Little worm, youve hurt me!!! Provoked by this opponent, Chen Chen could not help but let out a roar and then bent his legs again! Oh no! On the helicopter, the pilot saw this familiar scene. He suddenly felt a pang of horror and alarm for some reason. Without thinking about it, he started to pull up the helicopter as if he was preparing to avoid the monsters attack! Even so, how could the agility of a helicopter compare to that of a creature? In the next second, Chen Chens body bounced forth like a cannonball. At this moment, the air seemed to be torn apart, rippling with exploding airwaves! Bang! Chen Chens body slammed into the helicopter. The sniper in the back seat was smashed into a pulp by Chen Chen before he could even react. The airplane further lost its balance, spinning as it fell to the ground Boom! The moment the helicopter hit the ground, a huge fireball suddenly rose, but Chen Chen rushed out of the fireball as if nothing had happened. He leaped again and returned to the crowd! A massacre from hell seemed to have begun Wherever Chen Chen passed by, there were corpses all over the ground and severed limbs flying through the air. These soldiers were as fragile as clay and paper. With just a wave of Chen Chens hands, several lives were dispelled like the flicker of fireworks, fading away subsequently This group of soldiers wanted to flee, but before they got very far, they would be blocked by Chen Chen. Some of those who fled by car were shot and killed directly in the middle of the road. Finally, a few straggling soldiers escaped the Herrank Warehouse District. However, a few distorted transparent figures suddenly appeared in front of them and before they could react, their heads were separated from their bodies! At this time, the second group of Black Knights sent by Little X had already arrived. Although their numbers were small and they could not join the fight directly, sealing the exit routes and killing any deserters was a piece of cake. With the incredible marksmanship of the Black Knights, even those high-altitude helicopters were easily killed and one after another fell After about ten minutes, the periphery of the Herrank Warehouse District was full of corpses. There were exploded military vehicles and bodies everywhere and flames blazed to the sky, illuminating the fringes of the Herrank Warehouse District. A soldier with torn legs made a low moan. While looking at a nearby distance, he pulled himself forward with his hands as if he wanted to escape the war zone. Still, in the next second, a pair of claws that was only half his size stretched out, tossed him up high, and then threw him down viciously! Splatter! There was a sound of bodily fragmentation and at the same time, the scream of the wounded soldier stopped abruptly! In the flames, more than a dozen translucent figures emerged from the darkness. All of them were wearing black tights that covered their whole body, with strangely shaped weapons in both hands as they looked around blankly. They walked along as if this was a battlefield in hell. Any soldier who pretended to be dead or unconscious, but who was still breathing, would be shot by them, and then they continued to search for the next life that had not yet been extinguished As for Chen Chen, he panted with mist emitting from his mouth while he walked slowly to an overturned tank. He bent over slightly but saw that the hatch of the infantry tank had been opened, and the tank was empty. Hmm? Chen Chen looked around with charcoal-like pupils and suddenly saw a line of bloodstains and footprints extending into the interior of the Herrank Warehouse District. Someones slipped through the net? Chen Chen murmured in a low voice. He tilted his head while stroking his neck and then strode into the Herrank Warehouse District with dull thudding footsteps At this time, on the other side, a soldier was carrying Lieutenant Colonel Wilson and constantly traveling deeper into the Herrank Warehouse District. Another soldier was in charge of guarding the rear. The three of them kept panting and wandering into the depths of the Herrank Warehouse District. Pant Pant Wilson only felt his lungs burning furiously. After the armored car was overturned by Chen Chen, he had hit his chest severely. At this time, he did not know how many of his ribs were broken, so he could only rely on his soldiers to flee. At this time, he panted while looking behind him, only to see the glare of fires surging into the sky from a distance, and the sound of gunshots that were gradually becoming more sporadic. The battle was over. D*mn, what the h*ll was that thing? Why is it invulnerable, with power and speed beyond any lifeform on Earth! Wilson growled unhappily, but he was immediately advised by the soldier beside him. Lieutenant Colonel, now isnt the time to talk about this. I cant contact headquarters for some reason, so the most important thing for us is to escape and explain everything to the higher-ups. Otherwise the casualties of this battle today will be covered up by Blacklight Biotechnology! Hearing the advice of the soldier, Wilsons face turned even darker. He was just about to say something when suddenly, there was a loud noise behind him as if something heavy had fallen on the ground! Boom! Hearing this noise, both of their faces changed. At the same time, the soldier who was responsible for guarding the rear also ran over. Lieutenant Colonel, that monster is coming over! Hearing this confirmation from the soldier, Wilson finally realized that he could not escape. He pushed away the soldier who was supporting him and shouted, Split up and run. Only in this way will one of us have a chance to escape and expose everything that happened today! Hearing Wilsons order, the two soldiers also understood that he was speaking the truth, so the three of them stopped hesitating. They immediately separated and fled in three directions! Just ten seconds after the three of them had rushed into the darkness, a huge black shadow suddenly crashed into the ground from the sky. In the smoke and dust, the huge inhuman body slowly straightened up from the ground and looked around. Chen Chens keen sense of hearing suddenly picked up three sets of footsteps gradually moving away. Little worms, do you think you can escape by splitting up? Chen Chen grinned with two rows of fangs. He chuckled lowly, picked a random position, and then leaped forward formidably! Boom! Just as one of the soldiers had reached a fork in the road, Chen Chen landed directly in front of him. The huge shock wave knocked the soldier to the ground! Seeing that his escape route was completely blocked, a glint of despair finally appeared in the soldiers eyes. Before he got up, he raised his gun and aimed a spray of bullets at Chen Chen! Rattle rattle! There were bursts of intensive gunfire, but before even a third of the bullets had been fired, his body was smashed like a meat patty! Splat! Chen Chen slowly retracted his palm and glanced at the soldiers body that had been reduced to only two dimensions. Then he jumped again in the other direction that he had memorized! A few seconds later, Chen Chen looked at the other corpse that no longer resembled a human being in the palm of his hand, then threw the opponent down like trash. After that, he leaped toward the last position! Boom! This time, Chen Chen had blocked Wilson directly! Looking at Wilson, who was backed into a wall, with his eyes wide and round, Chen Chen walked toward the other person step by step. Run, little worm, why dont you keep running? Could it be that you have given up? Listening to Chen Chens mocking, Wilsons eyes flashed with a sharp glimmer. A hint of joy turned up the corners of his mouth and he laughed uncontrollably. Hahahaha, monster, no matter what the h*ll you are, its all over now. Because you are dead! Oh? When Chen Chen heard these words, he paused. His coal-like pupils moved slightly to the right. Do you mean Before Chen Chen finished speaking, Wilson, who had kept his eyes wide open, suddenly closed his eyes! In the next second, Chen Chen suddenly felt a chill approaching behind him. Before he could turn his head, he felt a slight tingling in the back of his neck! Crack! There was a sound as if something was shattered. Wilson opened his eyes immediately after hearing this sound, but then his eyes bulged in sheer disbelief! Behind the huge monster in front of him, there was a statue with both arms around the monsters neck. Even so, the monster simply tugged lightly and dragged the angel statue to the front. Not bad, it crushed a piece of my exoskeleton. Chen Chen touched the split in the carapace at his nape, which then healed swiftly at a visible speed. After a second, the carapace had regained its smoothness as if the crack had just been an illusion. After he had casually pinched the angel statue into dust, Chen Chen turned his head again to look at Wilson who was stunned. He grinned and uttered in a low voice like a brass bell, Lieutenant Colonel Wilson, now theres only you and me Chapter 482 - The Law of Causality Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation By the time Chen Chen returned to the battlefield, all the survivors had been cleaned up and even the corpses with gunshot wounds were piled into a tall heap, which was drenched with gasoline, then burned. Not only that, but also the onlookers who were involved had their memories wiped, forgetting everything they saw. This was replaced by a new memory of the angel statues slaughtering the army. Sir Godfather, Ive already dealt with everything here and I havent found any omissions. At this moment, Little Xs voice suddenly came from the headset. Although Chen Chen had transformed, his headset was still worn over his ears. Good. Ive also gotten back my things. Chen Chen nodded and threw a blue, glowing medicine bottle and a USB flash drive to a Black Knight beside him. At the same time, he looked at the sky and suddenly said: Times up. Following his words, Chen Chens body seemed to be deflating and white mist began to pour out. Then the white mist became more dense, even covering Chen Chens huge body. In the next second, Chen Chens body shrank rapidly like a deflating ball and the exoskeleton of his entire body directly turned into powder, emitting an unpleasant smell of rot When the white mist dissipated again, Chen Chen had regained his previous size. On the surface of his body, there was still a layer of monster skin that was gradually dissolving. Sizzle Chen Chen came out of the decaying shell, naked, and he staggered on his feet. Two black knights immediately supported him. It was only then that they could see that Chen Chens body had changed from a muscular body to a skinny frame, just like a severely malnourished refugee who had not eaten for a few years. Moreover, not only had his body become emaciated, but all the hair on his body had disappeared. He was like an insect that transformed into a cocoon and turned into a butterfly. At this time, Chen Chen was covered in new skin from top to bottom. This skin was smooth and delicate, as fragile as a babys. However, no outsider would have seen all of this. The Black Knights that had been prepared immediately put on a warm duvet over Chen Chen and then several of them carried Chen Chen into a black car and quickly drove away When the car left, the rest of the Black Knights also re-assumed their invisible form, and turned and left the battlefield. An hour later, Chen Chen returned to the Spire Experimental Base thousands of miles away via the Gantz sphere. Chen Chen, upon his return to the base, immediately received top-level medical services. Glucose and nutrients were channeled into Chen Chens body as if they were free. What Chen Chen had to do was to restore his body. Unlike ordinary people, with Chen Chens physique and the medical methods of the Spire Laboratory, it did not take long for Chen Chen to return to his peak state. One day later, Chen Chen woke up hazily in the hospital bed. He stretched lazily, looked around, and saw that he was now in an intensive care unit. The room was filled with dazzling metal walls. At the same time, there were several bunches of flowers set out before the bed, giving off a hint of fragrance. The light was not turned on. Still, it was very warm and bright because a shaft of sunlight was shining in from the window. Chen Chen looked toward the source of light and gazed out of the window, and he could even see that outside, there was a huge park with hills and streams. Dozens of visitors walked slowly by, laughing among themselves. If he kept quiet, Chen Chen could even hear the laughter from the group of visitors and the chirping of birds outside the window. Seeing this scene, Chen Chen was not surprised because he knew that all this was not real. The so-called scenery outside the window was a kind of 3D holographic image, and the warm sunshine was nothing more than LED light that simulated the real sun. This kind of light was invented by a genius scientist who was discovered by the Eco Science City. A long time ago, humans had discovered that the natural light they perceived was the diffusion of the interaction between sunlight and other various particles in the air such as nitrogen, oxygen, and carbon dioxide. Thus, this genius scientist used an LED floodlight to simulate the sun and at the same time, replaced the atmosphere with a layer of nano-material, reconstructing the Earths atmosphere over a distance of more than 10 kilometers to obtain a sunlight experience that was close to reality. At this time, in the scene outside the window, an additional optical system was added to enhance ones depth perception. When someone stared at the LED light outside the window, no matter from what angle, they would see the sun hanging high in the sky. It could be passed off as the real thing. Within ten seconds of Chen Chens awakening, Little X came in through the door in a white dress. She swaggered to Chen Chens bed. Sir Godfather, youre awake. Do you need breakfast? Bring it on. Chen Chen replied. After the mutation from the G-virus injection, his stomach was already unbearably hungry. Little X immediately obeyed. Then, she jumped up and sat down on the chair next to Chen Chens bed with her legs dangling and gently swaying. Sir Godfather, there has been news from Northern America that all angel statues have been contained. The situation you were worried about will not happen anymore. I hope so. Chen Chen shrugged indifferently. Im just afraid that it will leak out again in the future and cause an irreversible human crisis. By the way, Keiths dead body has been transported back. Little X said again, Moreover, his body has been dissected, but nothing has been found. Thats to be expected. I just had a hunch. If there were any abnormality, it means there was a problem. Chen Chen waved his hand. Right Little X said dubiously, A guy who couldnt be killed by four Black Knights even after being hunted for a day, yet he died so easily in the end. It does feel rather incongruous. Chen Chen showed a thoughtful look when he heard these words, and then said, If my guess is correct, its because his mission had been completed Mission? Little X blinked with some confusion. You mean his mission to deliver AD-001? Yes. Chen Chen explained patiently to the increasingly anthropomorphic Little X, You should know that theres often such a rule in movies, that once someone becomes the protagonist of the story, they will never die before the story ends. Everything about the protagonist represents the development of the story. Losing the protagonist means that the story cannot go on. Until the end of the movie, when the protagonist loses the value of advancing the story, then they may die Just when Chen Chen was talking about this, the door of the intensive care unit was opened again. A Black Knight pushed a dining cart in and parked it next to Chen Chens bed. Chen Chen did not hesitate. He first picked up the bucket of milk and drank it in big gulps. After the bucket of milk was emptied, he grabbed the barbecued meat and various high-calorie foods in the dining cart and swallowed them. While eating, Chen Chen continued to speak, Remember, in the movie Deadly Crisis: A Shocking Scheme, the movie ends just as the protagonist hands the drug to the other party. This also means that the protagonist isnt needed to further advance the story, so the protagonists plot armor begins to disappear. Since the movie doesnt say whether the protagonist is dead or alive at the end, then theres a possibility of him being killed. Hearing Chen Chens explanation, Little X was a little stunned by the realization. So thats it Then, she saw Chen Chen was still frowning, so she asked again, Then Sir Godfather, why are you still frowning? Because Im thinking. Chen Chen swallowed a piece of butter and then pointed to his head. Im thinking about how the USB flash drive interferes with reality and causes the situation in the movie to reoccur in reality. This principle is very important and it may even involve a branch of science thats more terrifying than memes. No, it may have gone beyond the scientific system and now concerns the field of philosophy Have you determined that the USB flash drive interfered with reality and caused the plot in the movie to happen, rather than the USB flash drive foreseeing the future and then influencing us to make the movie? Little X was a little puzzled about Chen Chens affirmation. Of course! Chen Chen replied without hesitation, X, you know that weve obtained AD-001 and weve also unlocked the manufacturing process of the drug and can produce this drug at any time. When Osmonds drug hits the market, we can even sue them for stealing our technology. So, why should I pay so much attention to the drug produced by Osmond? Because AD-001 isnt important. Whats important is to understand the rules of the USB drive. Little X replied. Correct. Chen Chen affirmed. The reason I want to kill Keith isnt to vent my anger nor is it because Im afraid that hell become a dragon-slaying hero Well, the second thing is a little true, but the most important thing is because I need to test whether I can kill him. According to the story of the movie I shot before, when Keith has already delivered the drug to Parker, the film ends. If even after that, I still cannot kill Keith due to various coincidences, then it means one thing Keith isnt only the protagonist of the movie, he may also represent a more terrifying identity. This identity is difficult to explain, so lets call it the Dimensions Child for the time being According to the rules of fantasy, the Dimensions Child represents the will of the world and is loved and favored by heaven and Earth. In that case, he cant be killed by any method. Whereas according to the scientific view, the Dimensions Child represents the laws of the world. For example, the founding fathers of those unifying dynasties in ancient times. After the great chaos of the world, there must be someone who can calm the troubled times and stabilize the world. This was the law of human society in the Central Plains at that time. Even if the first person fails, therell be a second and a third, and therell eventually be one person who succeeds When this person is completely successful, just take a look at his life achievements and youll see that its as if the gods are gaming the system for his sake. He cant be killed no matter what danger he encounters and hell finally succeed in his great cause. Having said this, Chen Chen swallowed the last bite of the food, with a look of rejoicing. Its just that at the beginning I wasnt sure whether Keith was such a Dimensions Child or not. It was not until I killed him, that I determined that he Was not! Because how could the Dimensions Child be killed by me so easily? Since Keith wasnt the Dimensions Child, it naturally rules out the speculation of the USB drive foreseeing reality and then influencing us to make the movie. Then theres only one conclusion Keiths existence and even everything that happened these days, was the result of the USB drive interfering directly with reality. So, thats it Hearing Chen Chens explanation, Little Xs eyes lit up and she finally understood. In other words, the USB drive is likely to have the power to control cause and effect? Thats right. Chen Chen nodded. In fact, before experiencing this incident, I still had some doubts about whether cause and effect existed. After all, I thought that a person only becomes the Dimensions Child after having achieved something, not the other way around. But now, Im certain that cause and effect are likely to exist Speaking of this, Chen Chens eyes glowered with anticipation. It can be said that this is a new ability of the USB flash drive that weve discovered after memetics, which is different from conventional science and mysterious memes. Rather, its a more obscure, abstract force, and for the time being, we can define it as The law of causality! Hearing Chen Chens summary, Little X immediately clapped her hands, revealing a sudden burst of joy. If you say that, then the USB flash drives specific manifestation of causality should be this once the USB flash drives owner takes the initiative to film a movie, itll cause the story of the filmed movie to appear in reality, right? Theres another prerequisite, that is, the filmed movie can be recognized by the USB flash drive. Chen Chen added. And it doesnt necessarily occur in reality. Didnt you notice that Chronicle 2 didnt occur in reality? So, when you write the screenplay, its best to be as close to the real world as possible If a movie made by the USB drive holder becomes reality, then as long as we shoot a movie in which Blacklight Biotechnology unifies the world, doesnt it mean that were destined to rule the world? Little X asked again. We can try, but I dont hope for much. Chen Chen shook his head and smiled bitterly. You didnt realize that we filmed more than just Deadly Crisis: A Shocking Scheme. Later, we also filmed science fiction films such as Cancer Man and Immortal. But none of them succeeded. Why is that? Combined with everything that has happened in reality today, its very possible that Deadly Crisis: A Shocking Scheme can be recognized by the USB flash drive because of the final open ending. Openness implies infinite possibilities and infinite possibilities represent infinite parallel universes. As for the extremely realistic Cancer Man and Immortal, they were discarded because the ending was too fixed. Then, whats the use of this rule? Hearing Chen Chens theory, Little X was dumbfounded. We can shoot movies to supplement a technology we urgently need, but its best not to have any major plot conflicts. Chen Chen resolutely said, This is the experience Ive learned from this incident. You should notice that to conform to the reoccurrence of the plot in the movie, there were first the angel statues and then the Northern American army. I almost died thanks to all this. All of this was not shown in the movie This is the backlash of the U disk. In other words, this method of filming movies isnt only a shortcut but also a double-edged sword. If we use it well, things can progress smoothly, but if its not used well, human civilization may perish because of it After all, the information that can be presented in a movie is limited. Its impossible to show everything and the parts that arent presented could mean life or death or even more infinite possibilities Chapter 483 - The Earth Federation United Front However, the evolution of the angel statues was not at an end. On the contrary, all this was just the beginning of humanity opening a Pandoras Box. A few days later, at the Earth Federation headquarters, during the meeting of the Earth Federation United Front, representatives of each continent were sitting in their respective positions. These seats were terraced, curving around the podium, separated by a three-to-four-meter-wide corridor distinctly. The Earth Federation United Front, a department unknown to 99% of the people in the entire Federation, was one of the many authorities of the Earth Federation. Unlike other departments, it only existed within the Earth Federation itself, not like other Federation departments such as the FBI that had its own branch offices on all continents. One would only know the name of this department when one was close to the inner core of the power of each continent. At this time, at the meeting of the Earth Federation United Front, more than a dozen representatives had gathered. These people represented the governments of their respective continents. Although many continents only existed in name such as Africa, Europe, and the Middle East, at least on the surface, these continents still maintained the appropriate level of dignity. At this time, an old man with gray hair and black-rimmed glasses walked to the front podium as the chairman of the United Front. The chairmanship of the Earth Federation United Front Conference was held by the member continents of the United Front in turn, based on the English alphabetical order of the continents. The term of each chairman was one month and it was now June. According to the order, the chairman was from the European Continent, Julian Kirsty. Ladies and gentlemen, Im Julian Kirsty, the chairman of the Earth Federation United Front this month. Its an honor that I once again stand on this rostrum as the representative of our continent. Kirstys voice was a bit hoarse. He raised his eyes, then lowered his head to read the copy in his hand. I believe you all know that this United Front emergency meeting held by the Earth Federation is due to an accident that began in the Quantum Laboratory. Just three days ago, on the night of 1 June 2020, Northern America suddenly received a warning sent to the White House by hackers, saying that: Los Angeles is undergoing a disaster concerning humanitys life and death. If its not stopped, human civilization will even be destroyed immediately. Kirsty raised his head and pushed back his glasses. I wont elaborate on the specific details of the warning here, but what I want to emphasize is that at the same time this warning arrives, the Earth Federations top-secret the Quantum Deity Laboratory also experienced the first major accident since the establishment of the Earth Federation. In this accident, 90% of the researchers as well as the shield bearers from all continents, died. The total death toll reached 95, among whom were twenty-three shield bearers and seventy-five researchers. Hearing this momentous news, representatives of all continents immediately whispered, discussing something. At this moment, the representative of Mainland China suddenly raised his hand, indicating that he needed to speak. Do you have anything to ask, Mr. Yu Qi, representative of Mainland China? Kirsty asked. Excuse me, Mr. Chairman. We all know the death toll of this tragedy and what were eager to know now is, what happened in the Quantum Deity Laboratory? Yu Qi was a middle-aged man with a resolute face. Although he was questioning the chairman, he looked toward the representative of the Northern American Continent on the opposite side. Why did this accident happen? Who is responsible for the accident? We have the right to know all this! Of course. Kirsty nodded, unsurprised, and he also looked at the representative of the Northern American Continent. Mr. Nancy, can you tell the whole story now? Yes. Hearing this, the representative of Northern America took out a stack of files with a gloomy expression and then asked, Ladies and gentlemen, my fellow representatives, do you remember the responsibilities of the Earth Federation United Front? The United Front, as one of the six major departments of the Earth Federation, is also the centralized department with the most concentrated power and the highest degree of confidentiality. Our duty is very simple, that is, to deal with all human-related predictions forecasted by the quantum computer Adam. Therefore, it can be said that our department controls the rise and fall of the entire human civilization as well as its security If the famous Federal Bureau of Investigation is an internal department that is aimed at ourselves to eliminate internal threats, then our Earth Federation United Front is an external department that unites us and targets foreign enemies, including but not limited to aliens, and any abnormal accidents that may threaten human civilization. This is the duty of our United Front. So Nancy, you mean Kirsty and everyone in the audience could not help but look over, waiting for the words from the Northern American representative. Yes, this accident is considered an abnormal event as stipulated by the Earth Federation United Front Nancy replied as he looked around at everyone, This is the first abnormal event faced by the Earth Federation United Front that could threaten human civilization and its also the second abnormal event encountered in Northern America. Hearing this, everyones expression changed and they whispered to each other again. These so-called abnormal events referred to events that could threaten human civilization and could not be explained by science. This was stipulated when the Earth Federation was founded. Even the purpose of the quantum computer Adam was to deal with the occurrence of such incidents. It was just that since the creation of the Earth Federation, there had never been such an event and no one knew why the founder of the Earth Federation United Front deliberately came up with such a classification for events. When everyone heard Nancys words at this time, they naturally understood that the reason Nancy said this was the second abnormal event encountered in Northern America was that at the end of last year, there was the This Man incident that only occurred in Northern America. This event nearly disrupted the social order in Northern America. Although it finally disappeared, Northern America had always insisted that this incident was a so-called abnormal event. Is there any evidence? Hearing Nancys words, Kirstys expression could not help turning solemn again. Of course there is, but the data I have cant be compared with what China has. However, Nancy suddenly changed his tone and looked at Yu Qi on the opposite side. I think the representative of Mainland China should know this perfectly well. Hearing this sentence, everyone subconsciously looked toward Yu Qi. Yu Qi looked dumbfounded and then frowned. I gravely object to this! I oppose this contradictory diversion tactic employed by Northern America and we firmly stand against such groundless accusations! Mr. Nancy. Kirsty was a little impatient. All of us sympathize with the accident in your continent, but now isnt the time to blame each other. At least please tell us what happened. Nancy looked a little pacified when he heard these words. He nodded and then said, In that case, Ill explain clearly the genesis and development of the event. This incident started at 8 oclock in the evening on 1 June 2020. At that time, the White House was suddenly attacked by hackers. All the White House computers were automatically turned on, displaying a baffling statement. The representative of Northern America continued. This incident alarmed the President, so he came to check on it, surrounded by bodyguards. However, he saw that the statement turned out to be a warning that in the Herrank Warehouse District of Los Angeles in Northern America, a memetic incident is taking place, which may threaten the entire human race. The statement requests the President to order the blockade of the Herrank Warehouse District. Hearing this, everyone looked puzzled. Even the White House network could be breached. Did the Northern American network department consist of a bunch of good-for-nothings? Not only that. Nancy continued to add. When Mr. President went closer, a little girls voice came from the computer. She claimed to be a member of the Blackwatch Corporation and used all kinds of sufficient evidence to get the President to issue an order. This evidence was saved by us and then the President gave the order, half-believing, half-doubting. It turned out to be Blackwatch again? When they heard this, everyone subconsciously looked at Yu Qi, since Blackwatch was an enterprise under China. Yu Qi also frowned, but he just opened his mouth without interrupting Nancy. Next, everything that happened was like a tragedy. Nancys expression gradually became darker. After the President issued an order to the Los Angeles City Hall, she was then about to conduct a full investigation into this matter. But she suddenly received news from the Quantum Laboratory, saying that an abnormality had occurred over there, and the quantum computer Adam had begun to use encryption to perform data operations! Not only that, but before any results were obtained, the Quantum Laboratory lost all contact after half an hour and no one knows what happened. Everyones eyes widened when they heard this because they already knew that some kind of accident had occurred in the Quantum Laboratory, which caused the deaths of all the representatives, the shield bearers of all continents. This was a massive loss. When our troops stationed outside the Quantum Deity Laboratory finally arrived, they only saw the bodies of the researchers and the closed doors and behind the doors, there was At this point, Nancy was silent again and then he laughed coldly. Im certain you absolutely wont believe me. Our soldiers opened the doors and saw a row of angel statues Angel statues? Everyone was a little mystified, not understanding the relationship between the angel statues and the accident. I know that its difficult for everyone to understand. You dont know what Im talking about, so Ill just say it straight. Nancy looked at the doors of the room and then said, This accident originated in a video that can transform humans into a kind of angel statue and this kind of statue has a terrifying nature. They can Wait a minute. When they heard this, many people could not hold themselves back. Even Kirsty coughed and interrupted the other person. Mr. Nancy, are you sure that theres no mistake in your previous sentence? What do you mean the video can transform humans into angel statues? I mean it literally. Nancy said, deadpan, The content of that video is an angel statue covering its eyes and facing away from the camera. As you blink, youll find that the angel statue is constantly moving on the screen as if it wants to move right up to the camera this is what we found out when we sent a volunteer to conduct an experiment after the accident and he relayed to us the content of the video. So, is he still alive? Kirsty immediately grasped the point. He was indeed alive at the time, but Nancy shook his head. We isolated him in a room and monitored him with a camera, but only a few hours later, the camera suddenly stopped functioning. Then we sent someone in, only to find that he had become an angel statue Hearing these words, everyone was in an uproar and they all wore suspicious looks. Quiet, everyone, quiet! Kirsty shouted immediately, suppressing the noise of everyone in the room. I know you must find it a little unbelievable, but Ill prove it later. Nancy could not help but emphasize and then continued. And this video was originally predicted by the quantum computer, that is, the encrypted data I mentioned just now, so everyone understands why all the shield bearers arent spared. Right? Because all the shield bearers chose to watch this video after Adam predicted it and they all turned into statues. Everyone looked incredulous upon hearing this. And these shield-bearers who were turned into statues by that mysterious video They would lose their lives and become strange kinds of monsters. This kind of monster has a special habit, that is, it will wring the neck of any human who is facing away! Nancy continued. That is to say, the accident in the Quantum Deity Laboratory was caused by the 23 shield-bearers who had turned into angel statues and then slaughtered everyone in the laboratory. Is there any evidence? Many representatives asked eagerly without waiting for the chairman to grant them permission to speak. Yes, of course there is. Nancy nodded. But we will not release that video because its extremely lethal. At the same time, its not just videos but even photos and other carriers with images of angel statues can also infect humans and turn them into angel statues. Therefore, any audiovisual evidence needs to be verified through other methods, provided that you can come to Northern America in person. Hearing this, Yu Qi could not help but ask, Then Id like to ask the representative of Northern America, what does all this have anything to do with Blacklight Biotechnology? Because Nancy said coldly, Because one of our survivors was in the Quantum Laboratory and witnessed that the legal owner of Blackwatch, Chen Chen, had arrived after the accident! Chapter 484 - Secret Meeting Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Hows that possible Hearing Nancys words, many people once again looked in Yu Qis direction and Yu Qi was even more stunned. Thats impossible. The Quantum Laboratory is the top secret of the Earth Federation. There are only a few thousand higher-ups who know of the lab, which is surrounded by a hundred miles of uninhabited region. How could the legal owner of Blacklight Biotechnology appear there? Thats for China to answer. Nancy snorted. No one knows what happened but the witness did see him. The witness was a shield bearer from Northern America who had just resigned. He was originally going to act as a technical consultant and hand over the position to a new shield bearer. When the disaster happened, he quickly hid in the quantum core area and survived, becoming one of the few survivors in the laboratory. Hearing the argument between the two, Kirsty, as the chairman of this month, suddenly looked as if he had a headache. Due to political reasons, he mostly had to maintain the same stance as Northern America. However, this event was too unbelievable which made things difficult for him. Even so, just as the venue was becoming noisy, there was a knock on the door outside the venue. Kirsty immediately picked up the gavel and banged on the table to make everyone quiet. Then, he saw a soldier in the uniform of the United Front coming in. As soon as the soldier walked in, he went straight to the rostrum, and then he said something into Kirstys ears. Kirsty looked at the soldier with a look of astonishment when he heard the words and then looked outside the door again. Then he said, Todays emergency meeting has temporarily ended. Alright, meeting adjourned! With that, he banged the gavel again, shot a meaningful glance at Nancy, then turned hurriedly and left the venue. Seeing Kirsty suddenly leave, everyone was even more astounded. For a while, the place was in chaos. Many people gathered together and discussed in whispers the precious information that they had just heard. Seeing that Kirsty had left in a hurry, Nancy seemed to think of something. He glanced at Yu Qi who was opposite, then followed Kirsty out and disappeared outside the door of the conference room. Seeing these two people leave in such a sneaky manner, Yu Qis expression was stormy and uncertain. After all, before he was suddenly attacked, his superiors had given him no warning and he was completely ignorant of all this. Moreover, although the various continents of the Earth Federation were frequently in lively conflict, in the United Front, there were not many instances of slander or defamation. Even if they had wanted to make a scapegoat out of China, they would not have picked such a lousy story. Did this mean that Blacklight Biotechnology was involved in this matter? Thinking of this, Yu Qis heart also trembled in shock. He was secretly rather opposed to the sudden rise of Blacklight Biotechnology. As a politician, he had the natural instinct of every politician, which was to control everything in his hands and maintain stability, without any unexpected situations. Civilization needed stability, thus the Earth Federation existed. The country needed stability, thus the army and nuclear weapons existed. The people needed stability, thus the law existed However, the existence of Blacklight Biotechnology had broken this stability. All the continents were well aware of what this company had done in Africa starting from the construction of the nuclear power plant four years ago. Then, based on the unique advantages brought by the nuclear power plant, an entire city was built. At the same time, the company vigorously developed the industry system, tying the entire countrys population to its own chariot of interests. It took the people of the entire country as hostages and bit by bit turned the government of this country into a mere figurehead. By now, how many rights did Namibia have to itself? In addition, looting all kinds of rare resources in Africa in the form of transactions was also the companys specialty. It even secretly subsidized the rebels to launch a coup to obtain germanium mines from a small country until the germanium mines had completely fallen into its pockets. Originally, this kind of company should have been dismantled by the Earth Federations sanctions a long time ago and its legal owner should be sent to the Federal International Court of Justice. Nonetheless, this company had enticed countless European and American consortia into joining its forces with its ultra-advanced biotechnology, instantly turning the enemy into an ally, eliminating 80% of the resistance. Strictly speaking, these tactics were not that outstanding. It was not that other companies had never thought of doing all this, but those companies were a long way from the level of Blacklight Biotechnology in terms of technology. As early as the beginning of this year, the Earth Federation had analyzed the biotechnology of Blacklight Biotechnology. Many experts believed that the level of biotechnology currently possessed by Blacklight Biotechnology had exceeded that of the Earth Federation by more than 50 years Blacklight Biotechnology had raised the level of biotechnology in the Earth Federation and even caused the entire human society to feel the impact of their biotechnology. However, this was a beneficial thing for the entire humankind after all. Governments of all countries could only put up with this, half in agony, half in delight. In addition, the company was not monopolizing these technologies but was willing to sell them to all continents, which was why Blacklight Biotechnology could keep growing until it became the mammoth it was today. Otherwise, the Earth Federation would simply charge this company with illegal monopoly or war crimes, which would force it to face the consequences of its actions. Even so, later, this company acted fishier. First, the company suddenly broke out of its field and entered the electronics industry and even unveiled the black technology of holographic projection and brainwave control. After that, the gloves were off. The company began to get involved in the military industry and aerospace. At this point, the Northern American Continent finally could not sit still and began planning to create conflicts to act against Blacklight Biotechnology. What happened next was known to everyone. Blacklight Biotechnology was suspected of controlling a certain secret weapon, which once disrupted the normal social order in Northern America and eventually caused society to stop moving. At this moment, a thought occurred to Yu Qi everyone here was responsible for how powerful Blacklight Biotechnology had become. He shook his head, walked out of the United Front conference room behind everyone else, and retrieved his mobile phone at the entrance. Then he saw that the notification light of his mobile phone was green. He instinctively turned on the phone and as expected, there was a caller ID, but when he saw the label of the caller ID, he felt a quick jolt. The one who called him turned out to be his immediate superior! Although Yu Qi was a representative of China in the Earth Federation United Front, he was not the top leader of China in this department. He was not even in the top three in command. He was equivalent to a spokesperson. The groups direction was determined by the big shot behind all of them. Without thinking, Yu Qi cleared his throat quickly and then immediately pressed the callback button. The call was swiftly connected after only a brief beeping sound. Secretary Lin, were you looking for me? Yu Qi returned to using Chinese and spoke in clear syllables, I was about to report to you that a major event has occurred in the Quantum Deity Laboratory, which is suspected to be related to the company Blacklight Biotechnology I already know. On the phone, the other partys voice calmly said, Now, head out of the conference room and come meet me in front of Door C in Hall 1. Ah, Secretary Lin, have you come to the Earth Federation headquarters? Yu Qi was immediately stunned. It was no ordinary matter for Secretary Lin, who had always been so busy, to come to the Earth Federation headquarters in Switzerland. After all, as a leader at the continental level, every move would arouse endless suspicion. Moreover, the security of these leading figures was of utmost priority. Everything they did would cause a ripple effect. Still, in the next second, Yu Qi knew that he had asked the wrong question. He did not wait for the other person to answer and said quickly, I understand, Ill come over right away! Then, Yu Qi hung up the phone. He kept walking toward Hall 1, but he saw Nancy and Kirsty also walking in front of him. Based on their hurried footsteps, they seemed to be preparing to meet some big shots as well. Yu Qi was even more puzzled. He followed them to Hall 1. However, at this moment, Nancy and Kirsty suddenly separated in front of him and walked in the direction of Door A and Door B respectively. Those two directions were also the entrances of Hall 1, just like the terminals of an airport. To better receive travelers, the airport had multiple terminals to welcome passengers from all over the world and the same was true with Hall 1. To welcome the leaders of various countries and prevent two parties from meeting awkwardly at the entrance, every time the higher-ups of the countries arrived at the Earth Federation, they would be diverted through various entrances. Seeing this scene, Yu Qi was stunned. Sure enough, not only his immediate superior but also the big bosses of Nancy and Kirsty had come It seemed that the Earth Federation was going through something extraordinary Thinking of this, Yu Qi no longer paid attention to the whereabouts of the two. He directly followed the route to the entrance of Door C. Suddenly, Yu Qi saw a group of guards with real swords and guns walking out of a car, surrounding his immediate superior. Sec, Secretary Lin! Yu Qi hurriedly rushed forward, about to shake hands with the other man, but the old man called Secretary Lin just waved his hand and at the same time stepped aside. At this point, Yu Qi realized that there was another person behind Secretary Lin! He was a refined-looking man, about sixty years old, with swept-back hair that was meticulously combed. At this time, he was smiling and walking toward Yu Qi. When Yu Qi saw this mans face clearly, his head suddenly buzzed and his brain totally crashed! Comrade Little Yu, thank you for your hard work here. Seeing Yu Qis expression, the man could not help but smile lightly and at the same time, stretched out his hand toward Yu Qi. Yu Qi was an elite after all. After seeing the man speaking to him, he immediately recovered from his daze. He grasped the mans hand with both hands and said excitedly, Its not hard, its not hard at all! Seeing this, the man smiled kindly and then walked toward the inside of the hall, surrounded by guards. Little Yu, lets go too. Behind him, Secretary Lin patted Yu Qi on the shoulder and exhorted, Youre our representative in the Earth Federation United Front. You have many years of diplomatic experience and are outstanding in terms of work ability. Therefore, the leader called for you to participate in this important meeting. While speaking, Secretary Lin secretly warned, Remember, talk less and observe more at the meeting. You must remember every detail in the meeting. This is very important to us, understand? Yes! Seeing this, Yu Qi naturally had no choice of shirking his duties. He nodded repeatedly. After Secretary Lin stepped forward, he followed behind at an appropriate distance. Being able to participate in such a major conference was an unforgettable, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, an opportunity to continue climbing up and even enter the core of power in China! Thinking of this, Yu Qi only felt a surge in his heart. He quickly took a deep breath and followed everyone into an elevator. However, Yu Qi looked at the buttons in the elevator but found that no one had pressed the buttons all the while. He could not help but look at his immediate superior in confusion, but the other party seemed to know what he was thinking and only shook his head silently. About ten seconds later, the elevator doors closed with a ding. Yu Qi was wondering why no one had pressed any buttons in the elevator when he suddenly felt a sense of weightlessness. He subconsciously looked at the elevator display, only to find that the screen display was going by negative numbers! In other words, the elevator was not heading upward at this time, but was going downward! What, after having stayed here for so long, he did not even know that there were underground facilities in the Earth Federation headquarters? Yu Qi was extremely surprised but when the elevator arrived at its floor, he recalled something when he saw Secretary Lin stepping out of the elevator first and skillfully guiding the elegant man forward. Secretary Lin used to be a spokesperson like Yu Qi was. It was after several years of training in this position in the United Front that he finally got on top and became the present Secretary Lin Chapter 485 - Weeping Angel Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Faced with this scene, Yu Qis heart was pounding wildly. This was not an ordinary international conference. The leaders of the four strongest continents of the entire Earth Federation had gathered. What kind of major incident had happened to cause this? What kind of fortunate opportunity was it for him to be able to attend this event in person? Yu Qi only felt that the blood in his body was about to boil. His breathing was heavy and his adrenaline surged. If he had not learned to keep his calm on the frontlines of the world through years of experience, he would have barked out laughing. Regardless of the excitement in Yu Qis heart, after everyone walked into the venue from their respective entrances, they naturally sat in their own positions. Occasionally someone would politely nod when they met another party. Even when they greeted each other, the entire venue was silent, without any conversation. Yu Qi looked behind him but saw that, except for the two bodyguards, the remaining soldiers had stood at the fringes of the venue, guarding their respective doorways. Seeing that all four parties were here, Secretary Lin in front of Yu Qi looked at the people from Europe and asked aloud in English, Is that person here? Hearing Secretary Lins fluent English, Yu Qi was taken aback for a moment and then he immediately realized why. As the meeting was a secret meeting and not due to any formal occasion, everyone used English by default to facilitate communication. He has already arrived and hell enter the venue in three minutes at most. In the seat of the European Continent, a senior official replied. However, after hearing the exchange between the two, Yu Qi was even more surprised. It was obvious the reason they came here was to meet someone? Who was it that warranted the highest leaders of the top four continents in the Earth Federation to meet here like this? Just when Yu Qis mind was exploding in astonishment, he suddenly heard a deep cough. The sound came from the door behind him. As the meeting had not started yet, the doors behind everyone were not closed, so the sound of the cough easily traveled along the corridor into the venue. This cough sounded weak as if it belonged to a dying patient and there was a slow set of footsteps. Before Yu Qi saw who it was, he heard this voice first. Upon hearing this voice, Yu Qi subconsciously conjured up the appearance of a decrepit old man with gray hair. Then, the footsteps gradually became louder, approaching the venue. Yu Qi looked back subconsciously and finally saw a pale, thin, sickly-looking man appearing outside the doors. Was it a Chinese man? Cough cough cough The soft cough came again. The man was wearing white pajamas. He covered his mouth with a white handkerchief and walked toward the front stage step by step. This man seemed to have lost his eyebrows and hair after a long period of chemotherapy. Not only that, his body was as thin as if he had lost his human form and his face was so bony that one could no longer see his original countenance. However, even though this man looked to be near deaths door, he ignored everyones gaze and walked toward the stage very matter-of-factly Was he whom the supreme leaders of the four continents were waiting for? Seeing this man, Yu Qi was surprised. He watched the man walking past his side. At the same time, all the politicians he had met before flickered through his mind, but none of them matched this mans appearance. Who was this man who was so thin that his age could not even be discerned? Still, it was obvious that no one in the silent venue would answer Yu Qis questions at this time. Everyone just watched the man walk up to the podium step by step and even Yu Qi was a little worried about what they should do in case this man suddenly died halfway as he was walking. At this moment, Secretary Lin on the side suddenly tapped Yu Qi lightly under the table. Yu Qi turned his head but saw that the big boss and Secretary Lin had both turned their heads to glance at him. Yu Qis heart leaped and he suddenly realized what to do. He quickly stood up and walked over directly to prop up the man. Old sir, let me help you up. Thank you The man immediately nodded with a smile, allowing Yu Qi to help him along as they walked to the podium under everyones gaze. After helping the man onto the podium, Yu Qi walked off, a little embarrassed, and took his seat again. Everyone I, ugh cough cough cough cough! The man was just about to speak when there was another rapid burst of coughs, which caused Yu Qi to wince. After coughing for a while, the man breathed a sigh of relief. He slowly put down the handkerchief and raised his head, panting slightly. Suddenly, the mans eyes met the eyes of everyone there for a moment. When the mans gaze swept across Yu Qi, he felt a sudden tremor because he was shocked that the mans eyes were completely different from his frail, dying image. They were extremely dark and piercing, just like eternal stars in the night sky. They were also like black holes that could draw in human souls. These two extremely contrasting sensations were intertwined together, creating a strange feeling. He had never seen such a unique pair of eyes! Good afternoon, gentlemen. Id like to welcome you since youve taken time out of your busy schedules, cough The next second, the man suddenly spoke in a tired and raspy voice, At the same time, Im also very grateful for your presence because it means that youre willing to listen to my explanation of all this and place such huge trust in me. In just a few moments, Ill make you feel that this trip is worthwhile Alright, lets not waste time on formalities. However, at this moment, the President of Northern America suddenly waved her hand impatiently with a somber expression. Go straight to the point. I hope you can give us a reasonable explanation for the Los Angeles incident! No problem. The man nodded and flashed a smile. Even so, thanks to his skeleton-like appearance, this smile seemed truly peculiar. First of all, Id like to ask everyone, do you still remember when the Earth Federation was established? When was it established? Hearing the mans question, the president of the North Sea Continent twirled his pen, recalling. It was around 1992. I still remember that year, I had just returned from East Germany and witnessed the disintegration of the Soviet Union. Even though more than 70% of the voters in the last referendum wanted to retain the Soviet Union, the upper-level rulers had already made up their minds at that time. To be precise, it should be 20 April 1992. The president of the European Continent added. I also remember that day when the upper-level government suddenly informed us of a resolution to integrate the world, strengthen the ties between various countries on the basis of the United Nations, and form a huge institution. Hearing the answers of the two, the man nodded and said slowly, So, what happened back then? Why did the Earth Federation appear? That is classified. The big boss sitting in front of Yu Qi reminded him kindly. I understand. The man immediately replied, In fact, although I dont know the details, I have a general idea. There was a person who united the many countries and created the Earth Federation and that persons name Its a blank! Hearing this, the faces of the leaders of all the continents changed. Among them, the president of the European Continent asked in shock, This is top-secret. Fewer than five people in each continent know about this. How did you learn all this? I dont just know this, I also know that he left behind the quantum computer Adam, an instrument that can predict the future. With this instrument, the Earth Federation was able to survive to this day The man coughed slightly and continued. Am I right? Hearing this conversation amongst everyone, Yu Qi felt his world turn upside down. The Earth Federation was expedited by an unnamed person? Who on Earth had such immense power? Youre not wrong. At this moment, the president of the North Sea Continent suddenly spoke up. He chuckled and said, I was stunned when I learned this and even used various secret powers to investigate the identity of that person, but the strange thing was that all traces of him seemed to have been erased throughout the world. The secret files of both the Earth Federation and the North Sea Continent had nothing on him. Thats right, cough cough The man nodded, wearing a serious expression. If theres anything that youve ever wondered about, Im guessing that mysterious mans disappearance into thin air must be number one, right? Not only his name disappeared but even his identity, family background, nationality, and all traces of daily life had disappeared. If it werent for the existence of the Earth Federation as proof of his existence, Im afraid that this disappearance wouldnt even be noticed by anyone. Dont you think thats scary Do you have information about that person? The president of Northern America asked again, Please stop keeping us in suspense, okay? The man nodded slowly when he heard these words. He gripped the podium, took a breath, and then continued. I dont know who that person is, but I know why he disappeared. What! Whats the reason? The presidents and the other high-level officials of various countries looked stupefied and they all sat up straight to pay closer attention. I believe youve received the information I shared before you came here? The information about memes The man did not answer directly but kept them in suspense as he spoke slowly. The term meme is based on the ancient Greek word ?̦Ǧ̦ and evolved from the term gene in biology. Dawkins wrote in the book The Selfish Gene that evolution doesnt depend on the specific chemical basis of genetics. Rather, it relies only on the existence of self-replicating delivery units that are called memes. Maybe many people mistakenly believe that a meme is just a so-called Internet buzzword, akin to something like a joke. In fact, this is both right and wrong. The man coughed and continued to explain, The meme defined by our human civilization is indeed a joke, but the meme I define here is something that includes jokes but is far more influential than a mere Internet buzzword With that, the man waved his hand slightly and the word meme written in several languages ??appeared on the white screen behind him. A meme is a unit of information, not an entity. Its a new branch of learning that can change human civilization. Its also a subject that has never been revealed to humans before. We humans have never come across this, not because we failed to discover it, but because it didnt exist on our Earth before. What you said was before, right. Listening to what the man said, the elegant man in front of Yu Qi suddenly spoke, In other words, they have now appeared on Earth? More or less, yes. The man nodded. No one knows how memes are born, but I tend to think that the Internet has spawned them. As the online world becomes more developed, more and more Internet buzzwords have emerged. Some of these Internet buzzwords are only viral for a while, but some have been celebrated for a long time. I suspect that this unlimited possibility led to the birth of the first batch of memes The angel statues from a few days ago are a meme that is extremely threatening to humans. At this point, a paragraph of text appeared on the screen behind the man again. This paragraph was densely packed with words. On the right side of the text, there was a cartoon of an angel statue standing in place with its eyes covered. Everyone looked at the screen immediately and the text said [Memetic Name]: Weeping Angel. [Special Containment Procedures]: The Weeping Angel should be placed in a location that cannot be observed by anyone. Direct or indirect observation is not allowed. Anyone who sees a full picture of a Weeping Angel must be permanently quarantined. [Description]: The Weeping Angel is a pattern painted with blood. The pattern is composed of 13,236 blood dots, each blood dot is between 0.3-0.5cm in diameter. The blood dots constitute a pattern of an angel statue covering its eyes. The Weeping Angel is contagious, and the mode of transmission is visual transmission. Anyone who sees the full picture of the Weeping Angel will be infected and the infected person will be transformed into a strange memetic derivative within 90 minutes. In one operation, four mercenaries inadvertently saw the full picture of Weeping Angels, so to prevent memetic infection, all four of them were destroyed in the steel furnace of the Blacklight Steel Mill in the industrial park of the Eco Science City, in Namibia, Africa. More than three months later, when the steel produced in the steelmaking furnace arrived in Los Angeles, Northern America, a memetic infection still occurred, resulting in a large number of derivatives. To distinguish the Weeping Angel from its derivatives, a distinction is made [Derivative Name]: Weeping Angel 1. [Special Containment Procedures]: According to the size of Weeping Angel 1, it should be placed in a closed space with a height of more than two meters and a width of more than one meter. No particular containment material is required, but it should at least score a 4 on the Mohs scale or there is a risk Weeping Angel 1 will escape. When placing Weeping Angel 1 in containment, the number of personnel must not be less than three at any time and the door must be locked upon entry. At least two people must maintain eye contact with the Weeping Angel throughout the entire process until all personnel have left and the containment chamber is locked again. [Description]: Weeping Angel 1 is an angel statue of a material similar to granite. Its usual posture is to cover its face with its hands, with the head slightly lowered at 15-25 degrees, and its wings slightly opened; it appears in the form of a stone statue when observed by human eyes, but once the human looks away, Weeping Angel 1 will change its position and approach the human at a very fast speed. Its known method of killing is to wring the neck. No other killing method has been found. It is known that Weeping Angel 1, a derivative of the Weeping Angel, has indestructible characteristics. Infection occurs through human observation of the Weeping Angel. At the same time, anything that bears the image of a Weeping Angel 1, including but not limited to photos and videos, has the same infectious power as a Weeping Angel itself. However, portraits are an exception Seeing this lengthy explanation, both Yu Qi and the others looked flabbergasted. Did this mean that this was the cause of the Los Angeles incident and the Quantum Deity Laboratory incident? Chapter 486 - Verify At last, a high-ranking official from Northern America suddenly said, In other words, is it because of this that there are so many angel statues in the Quantum Deity Laboratory? Yes. The man nodded. Presumably you mustve experimented with them using death row inmates as well. What the quantum computer Adam predicted was none other than a video of the Weeping Angel. You dont want to believe that Adam will betray you. But in fact, Adam didnt betray you because the video isnt the issue. The real problem isnt the video but the meme After hearing everything the man on the stage said, everyone went silent. Although this incident happened in Northern America, all those present naturally had a wide range of information acquisition channels. They knew everything about what happened that day, except for why it happened. Now this man was explaining that it was something called a meme. Yu Qi did not know what the others thought, but he was already a little convinced because earlier the Northern American representative in the United Front, Nancy, had said something similar and blamed Yu Qi. Hold on Suddenly, Yu Qi came to realize that the man on the stage must be from Blacklight Biotechnology. No wonder he did not know who this man was. However, why was it not the founder of Blacklight Biotechnology, but instead a sickly patient sent in his place? At this time, the man on the stage was still explaining, Later, in our experiments, we found that the statue has a very strange nature. It has the ability to influence any monitoring equipment. This ability is ineffective when the statue is in its petrified state, but once no one is observing it, the Weeping Angel will come to life and the equipment responsible for monitoring it will immediately fail. In other words, no one can see what the Weeping Angel looks like when no one is watching and even the monitoring device itself cannot observe it. When we look at it, its a statue and even its hardness is comparable to that of a statue. It can be easily broken into pieces, but no matter where you throw these statue pieces or how small you break these pieces into, the moment you look away slightly, youll find that the statue is restored again This is the indestructibility of the statue. As for why it is so, we tend to believe that its because the statue itself doesnt exist. We cannot kill a meme because a meme is a concept and a concept is immortal. So, do they have any flaws? Below the stage, a senior official sitting next to the president of the European group suddenly asked. Their flaw can be said to be simple, that is, a line of sight. The man coughed twice and continued. I believe you have also noticed, why cant the Weeping Angel break our necks directly, but has to play Statues with us? Its not actually that this meme has this particular hobby because memes have no thinking. They are like wind and rain, a natural phenomenon, a natural law. So this is the law of this meme, that as long as its within someones line of sight, itll never be able to harm humanity. Hearing this sentence, many people looked disappointed. This was not helpful at all. Nonetheless, in the next second, the man suddenly said, Besides, we found that the reason the Weeping Angels always cover their eyes isnt that they like to cry, as their name suggests, but because their line of sight also creates an effect of observation. Once two or more Weeping Angels look at each other, then these Weeping Angels will never be able to move Yu Qis eyes suddenly lit up upon hearing this. Although he had never seen a real Weeping Angel, he could still deduce now that if this principle was used well, it was indeed a trump card against Weeping Angels! Also, we discovered in our experiments that if we kill a transforming person in advance before they transform into a statue, it can also stop the transformation of a human to a Weeping Angel. The man continued to speak. He sighed and said ruefully, This is all the research we have on Weeping Angels. After hearing all this, everyone subconsciously looked toward Northern America as if they wanted to hear these words verified by the people from Northern America. No errors or omissions have been found for the time being. Seeing this, Nancy from Northern America nodded reluctantly, but he suddenly frowned, and asked in a mildly accusing tone, You made some good points, but if everything you said is true, then how should your Blackwatch Corporation compensate for the losses incurred in the Quantum Deity Laboratory and Los Angeles City? After all, all of this was caused by your Blackwatch Corporation! Hearing this, several high-ranking officials in the European seat also agreed. Moreover Nancy continued to speak, aggressively saying, In the middle of the night on 2 June, outside of the Herrank Warehouse District in Los Angeles, one of our army units suddenly lost contact with headquarters. When they were found, they had already been wiped out. Dont tell me this was also thanks to the Weeping Angels We at Blackwatch Corporation dont know about this. The man replied with a placid expression and without waiting for Nancy to continue asking, he changed the subject again. Then, back to our previous topic. I think after this instance, you should understand why he disappeared the mysterious person who spurred the United Nations to form the Earth Federation, who didnt even have a name? Everyones expressions flickered when they heard this and Nancy swallowed the words he was about to say You mean that the mysterious man who united the world and created the Earth Federation also disappeared because of memes? Suddenly, all the questions began. Thats right. The man wore a solemn expression. But what I want to clarify is that he wasnt relying on ordinary memes, but something heterogeneous to memes the antimeme. Antimeme? Everyone murmured in low voices, wishing to break up all these words, and analyze each word clearly If a meme is a unit of information and its raison dtre is to copy, mutate, and spread, then an antimeme is the opposite. A dark glint flashed in the mans eyes and he said softly, Any antimeme would be unknowable, because its existence doesnt give out any information, just like a black hole of data. All perceptions, when they come into touch with an antimeme, will be sucked into the black hole In other words, maybe that person was right by our side and we might even know him very well? The president of the North Sea Continent was almost laughing in exasperation. But because of the antimeme, we forgot about him? Yes. The man nodded. However, the impact of the antimeme on memory isnt only to make people unable to remember it but also to make people lose interest in it and eliminate all traces of itself in reality. This is the most terrifying thing Ignorance is frightening, but if youre ignorant and unable to acquire any knowledge, then thats true despair. Its through the use of an antimeme that this person can conceal himself and eliminate everything related to himself in the world! If what you are saying is true, doesnt it mean that our human civilization could use memetic technology more than 30 years ago? Secretary Lin frowned and suddenly asked, But isnt this contrary to your previous statement? You said that there were no memes on Earth before. Dont these two statements contradict each other? Its not a contradiction, sir. Though a flaw was pointed out, the man did not show the slightest hint of embarrassment but instead flashed a peculiar smile. Because I didnt say that the antimeme came from Earth. Dont twist my words After hearing these words, Secretary Lin was startled. Everyone else also looked thoughtful. The United Front representative, Nancy, was just about to say something, but at this moment, he suddenly saw the president of Northern America shoot him a look. He took a deep breath, slammed the table, and got to his feet! Enough! I admit that if youre a speaker, youre indeed well qualified, but everything youve said should at least be based on evidence. Now, I only see a series of hypotheses, which arent enough to be believed! Evidence? The man turned his head, rather mystified. He raised his handkerchief and coughed slightly. Im the evidence. You? Nancy seemed to be indignant at being mocked. He was about to say something when suddenly there was a blur across his vision. In the next second, the man who was ten meters away suddenly flickered and appeared in front of him! Woah! Nancy was so frightened that he fell back. In less than half a second, the man who looked like a terminal patient had crossed a distance of more than ten meters. This strange speed shocked everyone. In an almost conditioned reflex, the three bodyguards from Northern America took out their guns at the same time and took aim at the man who had moved abruptly! However, the man just flashed a weird smile. With a single wave of his hand, the guns in the hands of these bodyguards seemed to come alive. They spun out of the bodyguards hands and flew directly toward the man! Oh no! Such a thought flashed through everyones minds. At this, not only the high-level bodyguards from Northern America, but also the bodyguards and soldiers in the entire venue all pulled out their guns and a dozen guns were steadily aimed at the man in the center! At once, the atmosphere turned chillingly tense! Chen Chen, what are you trying to do! Several high-ranking officials stood up and looked at the man in front of them in indescribable rage. Dont be nervous, Im just doing a demonstration. The man looked around. At this moment, he suddenly transformed from his previous sickly aura. He seemed to be a different person. His eyes were sharp and his whole body exuded a disturbing presence. Clack clack clack, click, jingle jingle Following the mans words, the three pistols were automatically disassembled in mid-air. It took just the blink of an eye. The three guns were completely disassembled into their most basic parts and they clinked against each other as they scattered to the floor like puzzle pieces Seeing this scene, everyone was stunned. They had watched the three guns automatically self-disintegrate as if they were alive. These people wanted to tell themselves it was just a magic trick, but what kind of magic could perform this? If this isnt enough Following that, the man spoke again. He spread his palms out to everyone and then walked directly to the podium. Just when everyone was still shocked by the fact that he had previously dismantled the guns in thin air, he went straight to the wall at the end of the podium and even stepped onto the wall when he reached the end. Then, an even more incredible scene appeared like a helium balloon, the man directly broke free of gravity and his body walked across the wall vertically at 90 degrees. This was not over yet, he was still walking forward When he reached the top of the wall, he stepped on the ceiling again. Patter, patter, patter After a few thudding footsteps, the man was standing on the ceiling. He spread his arms to face everyone and even his hair and the corners of his clothes had not shifted as if gravity did not exist At this moment, everyone looked up at this man and the whole meeting room was dead silent Clatter! The President of the North Sea Continent was stunned, with mouth agape, by all this. He did not even notice that the pen he was twirling subconsciously had fallen to the ground. The heads and officials of the various countries were stupefied. Everyone seemed to have been turned to stone. Still, this was not the end. In the next second, everyone suddenly felt their bodies becoming lighter and many people exclaimed reflexively. Then, as they cried out in surprise, everyone apart from the presidents of the four continents started to float up uncontrollably! Yu Qi only felt that there seemed to be countless pairs of big invisible hands all over his body, beginning to tug at him. He struggled instinctively, but no matter how hard he struggled, he could not resist this dark unseen force. After that, his body flipped over and he floated toward the roof, upside down Please forgive my manners, everyone. Do you still think all this is just a magic trick? The man on the stage looked calm and unruffled. At this time, his words had an incomparably persuasive force Chapter 487 - Blacklight Foundation When everyone was indescribably shocked, Yu Qi felt his body suddenly loosened and he started to fall headfirst at free fall! The ceiling of the venue was a full five or six meters above the ground. Once he dropped headfirst, he would die or at least become disabled. Yu Qi instantly let out a scream. It was not only him, but all the people who had been pressed to the ceiling also dropped down like dumplings. The entire venue was filled with one scream after another for a time. Still, just as Yu Qi instinctively closed his eyes, when he was about to make close contact with the ground, the expected impact did not happen Yu Qi slowly opened his eyes, only to realize that he was frozen in mid-air again, no more than one meter away from the ground. Immediately, an invisible force pushed him and Yu Qis body suddenly turned one hundred and eighty degrees and became upright once more. His feet stepped on the ground again. Phew He returned to his seat, bewildered. Yu Qi was now totally pale. He looked around in cold sweat but saw that other people had regained their freedom of movement just like him. At this time, everyone looked at the man on the ceiling as if he was a ghost. If they could explain what happened before as a magic trick, then everything they had experienced just now was no magic trick Hold on! Suddenly, Yu Qi seemed to realize something. The group of people called out the mans name just now, which meant that except for himself and a few others, everyone who came to the meeting knew who this man was. His name was Chen Chen? Huh? Hearing this familiar name, Yu Qi pondered a little dazedly, then he seemed to recall something and quickly raised his head! This man was Chen Chen! At this moment, Yu Qi finally understood why the foremost leaders of the four continents had gathered here and why a non-politician appeared in such an important venue, and why he would stand here as the speaker There was only one reason and that was that he was the founder of Blacklight Biotechnology a legend who could crush the Northern American government, carry out arms trade with the Earth Federation as an individual, and even use his own developed technology to affect the entire human society! Chen Chen! However, in his memory, Chen Chen was a young man, but now the person standing on the stage looked like a patient who was so thin that he was unrecognizable, that calling him terminally ill would not be an exaggeration? At this moment, a famous online picture flashed in Yu Qis mind. In the picture, there was an old man with white beard and hair, and a few lines of text accompanying it: A person who does scientific research is wise, contented, and knows how to live. The secret he has learned is, scientific research in the morning, scientific research at noon, and scientific research at night; you see, he is almost 30 years old now, and he is still in good spirits Regardless of Yu Qis inner thoughts, at this moment the thin, unrecognizable man spread his arms, slowly floated down from the ceiling, and then stood firmly on the ground. Everyone, now do you still think all this is a magic trick? Everyone wiped off their sweat silently and there was silence in the audience. The Weeping Angel incident isnt the first memetic incident that occurred on Earth. Seeing that no one spoke, Chen Chen continued to speak. His voice gradually became low and reverberated through the meeting room at a low pitch. I believe all of you remember the This Man incident that happened in Northern America and the Three Statues incident two years ago. Those two were similarly memetic incidents, but were detected and calmly resolved by us Blacklight Biotechnology, which allowed our human civilization to avoid the corresponding crisis. What! Several high-level officials in Northern America immediately slammed on the table. Among them, Nancy stood up angrily. You were responsible for the three statues that disappeared two years ago? Sorry. Chen Chen nodded slightly and smiled apologetically. If human civilization needs a person who hides in the dark and allows progress by carrying heavy burdens, then all these sins will be borne by Blacklight Biotechnology. You Nancy wanted to say something but was stopped by the high-ranking official beside him. So, your Blackwatch Corporation has the technology to control memes? The president of Northern America looked at Chen Chen solemnly. Please answer us truthfully on this. Yes, but only superficially. Chen Chen stared at her and nodded calmly. As he said this, the expressions of all the people present changed even more and the eyes of everyone looking at Chen Chen were instantly full of complexities. Whether it was this angel statue incident or the last This Man incident, everyone understood that memes were far more dangerous and unstable than nuclear weapons. After all, nuclear weapons could only destroy human civilization at best, but memes could even destroy the foundation of what they knew Therefore, Chen Chen, who claimed to have acquired memetic technology, was instantly upgraded from being an ordinary person to being on an equal footing with the four continents. Memetic technology is a long way from being thoroughly studied by human civilization. At this time, Chen Chen said frankly, And the reason I know this is because Im only a successor. I inherited the legacy of the man who disappeared from this world, so I was able to build the famous Blacklight Biotechnology and finally now stand in front of you. Hearing this sentence, everyones expressions flickered and they considered the truthfulness of Chen Chens words. I believe that with your intelligence, you shouldve already noticed that something was wrong. What is the purpose of the Earth Federations existence? Isnt it to unite the power of all mankind? But why should we unite when theres no foreign enemy? Chen Chen stood on the stage and spoke slowly, Also, the quantum computer Adam is the legacy left by that person to us. Whats his purpose and why did he leave this machine that can predict the future? If these two things are no big deal, then the existence of the Earth Federation United Front is even more suspicious Hearing Chen Chens rhetorical questions, Yu Qi could not help recalling the United Fronts classification for various incidents. One of them was the so-called abnormal event. It turned out that the Earth Federation United Front and the quantum computer Adam existed for the sake of catastrophic disasters such as memes? After Chen Chen said so many things that only truly high-level figures could know, Yu Qis heart was overcome with shock. All his previous suspicions had collapsed at this time and were completely exposed under the light of day At this moment, the eyes of the leaders of the four continents also flashed distractedly. Since Chen Chen was able to speak of the secret of the blank and at the same time had learned all this from nothing, in addition to his current achievements, everyone had already believed at least half of his words. If youre the successor to the non-existent person, what are you going to do now? At this moment, the president of the North Sea Continent suddenly spoke. He took a deep look at Chen Chen. And what do you want by inviting us here today? I dont need anything because its not me who is in need, but human civilization. Chen Chen said with a faint smile, I think the reason you didnt dissolve the Earth Federation is that youve found some clues. I have to say that the situation of humanity is very precarious now That person told me that this world is far crueler than we thought. In the vast universe, the earth is like an island in the ocean and human civilization is a castle built by children with fine sand. Its exquisite but fragile. If any big wave hits, this civilization that mankind is so proud of will completely collapse with barely a splash. In addition, he also mentioned a theory called the Great Filter of Civilization if the planet is said to be a whole, then a planet with life is a human being with a soul. But we just dont get that the emergence of civilization isnt a pleasant surprise for the planet, but is like cancer cells instead. Civilization develops at the cost of harming the planet itself So every civilization that develops from a corresponding ecosystem needs to withstand this resistance from the planets immune system. As long as the civilization isnt destroyed, this kind of resistance will continue Chen Chen continued to speak solemnly. Our human perceptions have always been wrong. From the time we experienced World War II until now, almost no large-scale disaster has occurred. This gives us the illusion that the world is very safe, but if you look at history, youll find that this kind of security is just an accidental phenomenon. The history of human civilization has always been based on countless natural and man-made disasters. So that person united all humankind to create the Earth Federation for responding to crises that originate from the planet or even the depths of the universe This was what he told me. As he spoke, Chen Chen stood in front of everyone, spreading his arms. As the successor of that person, I must inherit his will. Therefore, I hope that the entire human race can unite or at least that everyone here can join forces and work together, to deal with any crisis that may arise at any time in the future. This is the purpose of my trip A true union? Hearing Chen Chens words, everyone did not reply immediately but bowed their heads in thought. If we agree, what do we have to contribute, and what can we get from it? The President of Northern America suddenly asked. Ill share the legacy I received from that person. Chen Chen replied without hesitation, In this legacy, in addition to the technologies that Ive released by now, there are more secret technologies that havent been announced. With that, Chen Chen suddenly waved his hand and dozens of paper sheets flew toward the leaders of the continents. These people picked up the papers in their hands and looked at them. Everyone looked astounded In this material, although there were only a few catalogs, it contained all the things that humans had dreamed of, but were hard to obtain! Super AI technology, normal-temperature superconductor, stellarator reactor, super tokamak reactor, mini hadron collider, nuclear-powered spacecraft, fully automatic medical device The densely packed catalog dazzled all of them because everyone present knew that every item in here was enough to trigger a new industrial revolution! At this moment, everyones world was turned upside down! In addition to the commercial use of these technologies, I can take them out and share them with everyone. Chen Chen spread out his hands and faced the crowd with an enticing tone. The fully automatic medical device can cure all human diseases so far, and at the same time, greatly extend the human lifespan by more than three hundred years The normal-temperature superconductor discards the need for low-temperature superconductors to maintain ultra-low temperatures of negative one hundred degrees. It can maintain superconductivity at room temperature, which is enough to overturn the entire industrial system A mature super tokamak reactor has a maximum Q-value of over 10,000. Once completed, human civilization will enter the age of unlimited energy and humans will formally evolve into a trans-planetary species There are more inheritances that I can share with all of your continents. Chen Chen continued. And what you need to contribute is very simple and thats to protect all humankind with me wholeheartedly. I hope that everyone can work with me to establish a special organization dedicated to protecting human civilization. This organization will have the highest authority, becoming a legal armed department independent of the Federations governments. Plus, itll have the same privileges as the Earth Federation United Army. It can operate in any region of the world without being obstructed by the law When they heard Chen Chens request, everyone came back to their senses. Among them, the elegant man beside Yu Qi thought for a while and then chuckled slightly. If you can lead the entire human civilization to resist the damage caused by the planet, whats wrong with giving you permission? On the condition that you cannot interfere in the internal affairs of all continents, let alone use this organization for war. The President of Northern America added. Of course. Chen Chen nodded and solemnly said, Please be rest assured, my ambition isnt in authority, but in immortality, which should be evident from my first technology. In that case, what is the structure of this organization? The president of the North Sea Continent was a little curious and said, And how do you plan to establish this institution, and what is its function? For the structure of the organization, Ill allow each of you to send one person to join the highest council of the organization. One, theyll be responsible for controlling the organization and two, theyll be in charge of supervision. Moreover, the identity of this person should be top secret. Chen Chen said without having to think, The decision-makers of this supreme council have the right to vote and can effectively make suggestions to the organization. As for the name of this institution, we can call it Blacklight Foundation. Chapter 488 - South Pole Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Several hours later, Chen Chen stepped out of the black sphere teleportation room, his body appeared extremely malnourished. With the completion of the third reactor with a measured power of 10 million kilowatts, the USB drive was generating energy faster. During this time, he had instantiated several additional Gantz black spheres and had hidden one of them near the Earth Federation Headquarters to allow himself to freely navigate to and from there. Chen Chens cheeks were pale and sunken in. There was hardly any strand of hair left on his body. Anybody who saw this haggard display would mistake him for an elderly man approaching his death. This was after two days of rest. His condition was slightly worse right when his transformation had ended. With all that said, this was only temporary. Using the Black Knights recovery progress as a reference, it should only take no more than a week for Chen Chen to return to his previous form. Chen Chen, who just emerged from the teleportation room, appeared to be in a joyous mood. He paced around energetically despite his sickly appearance. It seemed like the conference he had just ended turned out very well. Sir Godfather, it looks like the meeting went well. As soon as Chen Chen returned to the Spire Experimental Base, he heard Little Xs voice beside him. Chen Chen turned to his side and saw Little X sneaking up on him. She tried to play a prank on Chen Chen by sneaking up and jumping at him like how a little girl would. Not bad, it went pretty well. Chen Chen mentioned with a nod, I promised to give them several pieces of technology that can multiply overall society productivity and their military strength. Chen Chens lips curled into a smirk as he mentioned this, Additionally, Ive also promised the four major continents that Ill provide one Blacklight Fully-automated Medical Platform to each one of them. They stared at me wide-eyed when I extended this offer. After all, the technology contained in that device greatly surpasses all contemporary technology. How could they ever refuse this excellent offer? 1 We still need to be cautious and keep our guard up in case they betray us. Upon hearing Chen Chens remark, Little X raised a point, which she seldom did. After all, were dealing with four governmental bodies. Once they start to gain a better understanding of our organization Dont worry, Im well aware that we have conflicting interests with them. Chen Chen smiled faintly before continuing. Which is why I havent provided them any details concerning our memetic research nor did I give them anything such as the G-virus or black goo that is capable of destroying mankind. These are assets that we have to hold on to since theyre the equivalent of nuclear threats. We dont gain anything by sharing these assets, we only need them to know that were capable of unleashing these on them Whats the purpose of us establishing this multi-party secret agency? Little X tilted her head to the side and was slightly confused. Is it just as the previous owner of the USB drive Zhao Shanhe said, to serve as a countermeasure from whatever galactic crisis that may occur? Thats not the only reason. Chen Chen answered almost immediately, The reason I established the Blacklight Foundation to drag them into this goes beyond serving as a countermeasure to whatever universe crisis that may occur. Another far more vital agenda is to deal with that mysterious person lurking in the darkness. That person who is constantly laying traps and plotting my death, I dont care if this person is Wangxi, Zhao Shanhe or somebody else If this person wants to wage war against me, then I need to be prepared to retaliate. This institution is essentially my solution to strapping the entire Earth Federation into my battalion Chen Chen suddenly smiled upon noting this. From today on, this new institution will establish a legally armed faction thats independent from any governmental bodies in the world and has more authority than any other army in the Earth Federation. Well be able to operate in any part of the world without any legal restriction. Meanwhile, I can also temporarily employ hundreds of aerospace experts from them which will serve as additions to our aerospace center and raise our overall production level. Why is Musk so obsessed with space travel? Because the mastery of aerospace technology is equivalent to grasping the future of mankind! Having said this, Chen Chen suddenly turned to look at the girl who was staring at him blankly at this point. At the same time, a discrete smile that seemed to camouflage his intentions surfaced on his lips. Are you ready for the new chapter of Blacklight Biotechnology? From today on, well be ushering the aerospace era On the fifth of June in 2024, the four leading continents of the Earth Federation which were the Central, North Sea, Europe, and Northern America made a grand gesture out of nowhere. They unequivocally agreed to an unprecedented preferential policy that would allow Blacklight Biotechnology to establish branch companies in each of these regions. At the same time, the intense negotiations on Xia Yins part that lasted more than five months had finally come to a close. The news broke out on the Internet and immediately went viral. Countless people were baffled by such exciting revelation and in a near-instant, the stocks of all the major pharmaceutical and electronic companies all over the world drove off a cliff. In a matter of seconds, the world was in an uproar! A lot of people in the pharmaceutical and electronic sector started crying wolf as they contacted their respective governments to look into the details of the recently agreed-upon policy. There was certain merit to the saying that ignorance is bliss because the results of their inquiry would give them a greater shock since the document was signed by the highest governmental bodies of the major continents That was when everyone realized that nobody in the Earth Federation could ever hope to contain Blackwatch any longer. This was merely the beginning. Just as Blacklight Biotechnology announced their cooperation with the four major continents, they simultaneously developed a drug that could completely cure Alzheimers disease and immediately launched clinical trials in the four continents. This would be the 139th clinical trial that Blacklight Biotechnology would conduct on an international scale. The previous 138 clinical trials were all related to cancer-targeted drugs. The same thing was on everybodys mind: Blacklight Biotechnology was on a killing spree This new drug variant was projected to completely cure mild to moderate cases of Alzheimers disease. In severe cases of Alzheimers disease, the drug could serve as a cure but would not be able to restore the previous intelligence level of the patient. This limitation was due to the inherent characteristic of Alzheimers disease which was a disease that killed large quantities of brain cells. The damage caused by the disease was irreversible, therefore a decrease in intelligence level was a common effect. There was only one solution to remedy its damage C neural stem cell transplantation. There were several approaches which included ventricular puncture transplantation, lumbar puncture subarachnoid injection transplantation or intravenous injection transplantation. Neural stem cells were transplanted into the brain to replace the necrotic regions and generate new brain cells. This was the only method to regain a portion of lost intelligence. The human brain was the most mysterious part of the human body. Therefore, it would be more apt to describe this approach as a modification as opposed to a cure since new brain cells were not the same thing as the original brain cells but completely separate cells instead. This meant that a significant change in memory and personality of the patient was all but inevitable. Of course, in this situation, Chen Chen could also use the brain repair chip in Robocop to alleviate this issue, just like what he did for the Father of DNA. However, this stem of technology would not be widely applicable for at least five more decades, which meant it was not a viable option for ordinary people However, this was merely a teaser for the main event. With the momentum still going strong and the topic still trending, the Central Continent along with the other major continents of the Earth Federation announced once again that they would be cooperating with Blacklight Technology to jointly develop a large-scale project akin to Artificial Sun, which was what was also known as controlled nuclear fusion. The project was branded as the CUERB Project. The Northern American and European Continent even went out on a limb and publicly declared that within three years of the project announcement, the controlled nuclear fusion research would be completed. After that, mankind shall gain complete mastery over controllable nuclear fusion and put an end to one of the toughest endeavors in the history of mankind! Unsurprisingly, news of this announcement tossed the entire world into an uproar. Countless countries and their governments started prying for intel like hounds sniffing blood in the air. It came off as a surprise to them to see the four major continents holding a collective stance, which was refusing to yield any information no matter what. It may appear that just like with nuclear weapons in the past, the four major continents were ready to seize this controlled nuclear fusion technology As one would expect, the remaining continents felt bitter about the way things had turned out, but there was nothing they could do about it. Another thing that had them guessing was why would the major continents be directly associated with a private company like Blacklight Biotechnology? Could it be A bone-chilling idea came to these speculators C perhaps certain central technology revolving around controlled fusion technology had something to do with Blacklight Biotechnology. For now, we would leave the speculations conjured by the various parties all over the world regarding the CUERB Project aside. Several days later, a small tunnel boring machine with a measured diameter of about five meters was assembled in the Spire Experimental Base and drilled into the layer of rock formations based on the pre-designated plans and blueprints. With that, a brand new secret project was conducted in the Spire Experimental Base. Chen Chen planned to construct a ring of particle accelerators at a depth of more than seven hundred meters around the Spire laboratory. This particle accelerator ring did not need to be obscenely large. Its circumference would only total to approximately three kilometers, which was one-tenth the size of the largest particle accelerator in the world. Once completed, it would surround the entire Spire Experimental Base and put the Spire at its very center. Some of the core devices for this implementation were already acquired by Chen Chen in Europe and Northern America. This project was originally assigned to Xia Yin, but things had taken an unexpected turn with the leak of memetic technology. Chen Chen was forced to expose his cards to the Earth Federation earlier than he planned to, which led to the situation developing to what it was now. This particle accelerator did not need to be constructed any larger because even at this size, it was already far more powerful than the worlds largest particle accelerator in Geneva, Switzerland. The superconductor temperature regulatory technology alone reduced its size to at least two-thirds of the one in Geneva. In addition, Blacklight Biotechnology obtained its technology from Elysium. Compared with the actual particle accelerators built in Europe, it was undoubtedly much more advanced and its power nearly hundreds of times higher. It was unnecessary to make it any larger than what was needed. In addition to studying high-energy physics with this particle accelerator, what Chen Chen strived for was to research the so-called high deflection armor. Once they could replicate what was known as the hardest matter in the solar system, Chen Chen would have the leverage to further strengthen his arsenal and further pull apart the gap between himself and the Earth Federation! The Blacklight Biotechnology particle accelerator project had officially commenced. The crew of scientists in the Spire Experimental Base was excited about its development This was merely one of Blacklight Biotechnologys many projects. While this was happening, on the other end of the world at the South Pole, the AmundsenCScott South Pole Station that was once here had been completely disbanded. The only evidence of their past stay here was the empty barracks and the airport with a 4270 meters runway. At this moment, several military transport planes of different models and different stamped logos were parked at the airport. The curious sight was that there was a mix of different models from different countries. There was the C-17 transport aircraft with the Northern American flag painted on top, there was also the An-70 transport aircraft of the North Sea Continent, not to forget Europes A400M and the Yun-20 of the Central Continent The military transport aircraft of all four major continents were scattered all across the abandoned airport Somewhere nearby the barracks were several large transport helicopters parked atop the ice shelves. On the southern end of the South Pole, a huge drill with a diameter of more than three meters was slowly being erected into the air with iron scaffolding In accordance with the Antarctic Treaty signed by the continents of the Earth Federation, the use of Antarctica was strictly restricted to peaceful purposes and all military, nuclear or radioactive waste disposal activities were prohibited. However, the four continents were now blatantly violating the agreement and moving their military forces into Antarctica. Their goal here was none other than to construct the first main base of the Blacklight Foundation underneath the ice sheet at the South Pole. Based on Chen Chens plans, the base was to be built two kilometers below the Antarctic ice sheet. Upon completion, it should be a safe space from any calamities that should occur in the world above it. Unless the earth was to detonate or stray off track of its orbit and swerve into the edges of the galaxy, the base should remain standing regardless of whatever happened. As a gratuitous display for the commencement of the first four-continental joint military project in human history, Chen Chen had invested 10 billion U.S. dollars on his own accord for the construction of this base. The other four continents also invested tens of billions of U.S. dollars of their own while dispatching military forces to oversee the project. This grand project was completely secluded from the outside world. Its nature was even more secretive than the Quantum Deity Laboratory. All satellites passing over Antarctica were ordered to be temporarily deactivated to prevent the secret from being exposed. Any other continents that attempt to pry into what was happening would receive stern warnings from the four major continents to not step over the red line or else they would receive joint sanctions. Such a grand display was undoubtedly bewildering to anyone who had the chance to witness it. Nobody would ever foresee such a day where the four strongest continents in the Earth Federation united their efforts together Chapter 489 - Three Years Later Blacklight Biotechnology, full name Blacklight Biotechnology Limited Company or also known as Blacklight Corporation. Its industry sectors included biopharmaceuticals, bionic medical, electronic technology, security, military aerospace, mineral resources, and other industries. It was a company wholly dedicated to diversified development especially in emerging industries. Blacklight Biotechnology had nearly a hundred branch companies under its wing. The central ones among them were: Blacklight Biotechnology Central Continent Head Company, Blacklight Biotechnology African Branch Company, Blacklight Biotechnology Northern American Branch Company, Blacklight Biotechnology North Sea Branch Company, Blacklight Biotechnology European branch companies, and so on. All of these branch companies had further subsidiaries in their respective region to handle the companys operations for them. The shadow of Blacklight Biotechnology loomed over nearly every major city in the world. In addition, Blacklight Biotechnology also had a large number of subsidiary companies which included: Los Angeles Osmond Biotechnology Limited Company, Preston Biotechnology Limited Company in Switzerland, Tara Strategic Resources Limited Company in Africa, and so on Blacklight Biotechnology was what legends were made of, starting from a whisper to a slowly garnering international attention, and then till the Project Xingtian that launched it into international stardom. This was soon followed by renowned cancer and Alzheimers disease targeted drugs, all of this only within a few years Over the last few years, Blacklight Biotechnology also expanded its reach into electronic technology, military, and aerospace sectors. The results of their endeavors were exactly as one might expect. Around the middle of 2025, the astounding CUERB Project was launched and that was when the world came to realize that Blacklight Biotechnology had taken a massive stride and ascended itself to a technological giant at the forefront of the world. On a certain day three years later. A haggard-looking young man with an unshaven beard on a wheelchair arrived at the gate of Blacklight Biotechnology Northern America headquarters in the Reston neighborhood of New York City. His arms were fully intact and there were no signs of a urinary catheter attached to his body so he could not have been suffering from paralysis. However, the sections of his body were cut off below the knee. Pedro Lane was a young man who had recently lost his legs. He sat inside his wheelchair, disregarding the strange looks that passersby threw at him as he gazed upward at the enormous skyscraper several hundred meters tall. This building was a modernist level 5-A office building that stood roughly three hundred meters tall. There were a total of one hundred and one floors in the building. The building shape took on a unique polygonal structure that made it double as a landmark in the Reston district. Sitting atop his lap was a filled-out registration form with the Blackwatch logo stamped on top of it. At the time, the gigantic LED panel on the exterior building was playing all kinds of news footage concerning Blacklight Biotechnology. After the previous news clip ended, the figure of three people appeared on screen, their appearance was accompanied by passionate jazz music. The three dark figures stood tall amid the darkness and flames and as the camera panned closer, their appearance was finally put on display. Among the three of them, two were white men while the other was a black man. They had their arms across their chest as they faced the camera. They appeared confident and unyielding, evoking a powerful sense of justice with their posture. The member at the center of the group suddenly proclaimed, Severely crack down on any form of crime and resolutely defend the rights and interests of every citizen! After that, another man who appeared slightly younger also proclaimed, Every second count, for every second wasted could mean another innocent citizens life lost! At last, the black man followed. Justice may be late, but its never absent! Courage! Honor! Sacrifice! The three proclaimed in unison and stretched their arms outward to stack their hands together. They looked together at the camera. Were the BHB Combative Police Force. Join us to preserve world peace and protect the right of public citizens. Blackwatch is always waiting for you to enlist! At last, their figures faded out from the view of the camera as a sentence appeared on the screen. Blackwatch is recruiting combative police, anyone is welcomed to the trial training. When Pedro Lane saw the world-renowned legendary figures appear on the screen, especially the captain leading the trio, an icy and hateful glare gleamed in Lanes eyes. The image on the display switched again within seconds. A fair-looking girl with a somewhat stiff expression appeared on the screen. She was facing the camera and held her arms out in front of the camera enthusiastically and said: Xingtian series home Androids will soon be inducted into thousands of households. Im your family nanny Xiao Ai, take me into your home! Bang! Before the commercial finished, a beer bottle was suddenly thrown onto the display. It shattered on the ten-meter tall, gigantic display and left a very visible hole in the middle of the LED screen Lane was caught off guard by this and immediately snapped his neck around to investigate what was happening. He saw dozens of poorly dressed middle-aged people holding banners with written slogans on them. They stood in a formation behind him and started shouting at the Blacklight Biotechnology building. Various quotes were written in a poor font using a red marker on the boards they held. Androids stole the work of the poor, Androids are a manifestation of sin, God created mankind, but did not create Androids, The purity of mankind should not be desecrated and so on. So, it was the protestors that boycotted Blackwatchs Androids Pedro Lane shook his head at the sight of this. He turned around again and saw eight security guards wearing bulletproof vests with the Blacklight Biotechnology logo printed on it. They swarmed out of the building with batons and explosion-proof shields and charged past Lane as they went after the group of protestors dressed shabbily in common clothes The following scene went just about as one would expect. Lane paid no further mind to the commotion. He took a deep breath and made sure he looked presentable before he wheeled the wheelchair through the main entrance of the Blackwatch headquarters. Upon entry, he saw the enormous lobby that was unlike the lobby of any other common office buildings. A stupendous amount of effort clearly went into the renovation of the lobby. The floors were clad with black marble tiles, the furnishing was mostly silver color and looked highly futuristic, the table and chairs were clean, transparent, and made of glass. The atmosphere of the lobby gave a powerful postmodernism impression. Lane became slightly nervous and took a large gulp. When he approached the counter, the staff at the counter greeted him with a smile that could wipe away a persons worries. Welcome, honored guest. Im Android 3199 and will be your receptionist for the day, how can I help you? Lane realized the identity of this lady upon hearing this greeting. He shot a look of slight amusement at the receptionist and asked, Hi, Im here for the application to become a combative police. With that, he handed the application form over. The Android lady raised both her hands and politely accepted Lanes form. After a quick round of observation, Lane quickly noticed that although the movements of this lady in front of him were smooth, it was not completely natural. Her movements were almost mechanical and did not contain the hint of fluidity in a regular persons movements. Despite this observation, what he was looking at was rather impressive already. Unless one were to pay extra attention, it would be hard to distinguish the difference between humans and Androids at first glance. The lady receptionist only glanced at the form briefly before looking up again and informed with a warm smile, Dear Mr. Lane, welcome to the application for Blackwatchs Combative Police Force. We at Blackwatch are now collaborating with the Northern American District Police Department, I will now enter your information into the companys intranet and the New York City Police Department database. This is your number. Please head to the second floor for registration, be sure to queue With that, the lady stretched out her hand again and handed a silver electronic card to Leon. Alright, thank you Lane nodded and accepted the electronic card. He unintentionally grazed against the slender fingers of the receptionist while receiving the card. The lady receptionists skin was warm and had a tender texture one would come to expect of human skin. Lane had the faint impression that he was touching a real human Androids did not have any self-consciousness so the girl did not respond to Lanes actions. It only smiled and watched as Lane wheeled off in a wheelchair. Upon arriving at the second floor and exiting the elevator, Lane saw applicants sitting in rows upon rows of sofa lined along the corridor. Some of them wore bionic prosthetics while the less fortunate ones like himself who could not afford prosthetics had to be bound to a wheelchair. These were the disabled members of society also here to apply to be a part of Blackwatchs Combative Police Force. All major cities in the world that had an established Blacklight Biotechnology branch company also had a branch of the combative police force that was tasked with maintaining the order of the city. The combative police department was a part public and part private department. Any members enlisted into the department would take on two roles, one of which was a police officer of the city while the other was as an employee of Blackwatch. This job was an excellent deal for the disabled, but unfortunately, not everyone could join the combative police department. Needless to be said, the first prerequisite was to be a disabled person, it was also ideal to come from a police or military background. It was not a deal-breaker to not come from such backgrounds, but unless you were very physically gifted or trained in combat, the chances of being selected were bleak. Lane picked a corner and waited silently. He looked at the electronic display mounted to the wall. It was flashing with the notice New York City Bionic Combative Police Audition with a number below it. The display currently showed the number 21. Lane took a look at the silver-plated card given to him by the receptionist, it read 39. Hmm, looked like there were still eighteen people ahead of him, better wait patiently Lane put on earphones and immersed himself into his world. After approximately half an hour had passed. Lane took a look at the number in the office again and saw that it now read 25. He frowned upon noting this. Fortunately, there was an Android waitress serving water and offering diligent service for the applicants waiting here. Lane could not help but silently reflect on how the Androids developed by Blackwatch were the perfect choice to fill a position like a nanny that required one to be hardworking, attentive, and respectful. All that and no slacking off. Whether it was by intention or not, one clear observation that could be made was that these Androids were designed to be very attractive. Any one of them could pose as a supermodel celebrity in real life. Apart from the occasional awkward movements that outed them as Androids, there was pretty much no other tell Lane had also heard the occasional remark from his Internet friends that these Androids had spectacular physical assets as well. They could easily pass as premium inflatable toys in bed After three hours had passed and it was finally Lanes turn. The first thing Lane saw upon pushing the door open was four people dressed in suits in a dimly lit office. One of them was wearing a bionic prosthesis while the other three were perfectly healthy and normal people. There was a plate in front of each one of them that read chief examiner. Hello examiners, my name is Pedro Lane. I was born in Rhode Island and Im here to apply to become a Bionic Combative Police today. Lane bowed lightly on his wheelchair and announced softly. Disabled legs? The man sitting on the far right frowned briskly and asked without making an attempt to be sensitive about the matter, Lane, how did your legs come to be disabled? Was it due to an injury inflicted by criminals? No, I lost them in an accident. Before he could finish his sentence, the same man interrupted him. Was your previous profession associated with the police or military force? Neither. Lane shook his head and put on his smile. I was a university student and Ive taken several elective courses, I performed quite well. The four examiners exchanged glances among themselves when they heard this. The only man with bionic prosthetics suddenly asked, Tell us about your understanding of justice, also, what are your opinions about bionic combative police as a profession? I think the definition of justice is to crack down on all evil before they can hatch! Lane answered promptly, My dream is to become a superhero. The way I see it, justice is straightforward and doesnt come with any external factors or influences. Any justice motivated by other selfish desires cannot be called justice. As for my opinions on bionic combative police as a profession, I dont see them as true heroes because true heroes dont demand the attention and idolization of the public. I see them as a farce because true heroes are nobodies that This remark caught the attention of the other two examiners. They raised their heads in unison and looked at Lane strangely. After that, they held a whispered discussion. Before long, the man with bionic prosthetics turned to Lane and nodded. Mr. Lane, thank you for your application. You may leave now. Well inform you by email if youve been shortlisted. Alright Lane smiled bitterly and nodded. He gave the examiners one last polite bow before leaving. By the time Lane exited the Blackwatch building, the protest outside had long died down. The LED screen on the front of the building had been fixed as well. It was playing the BHB Combative Police Force commercial again. Lane could not fight the urge to look back again. When he saw the man in the middle of the BHB team shown on the display, a faint wipe of what seemed to be hatred appeared in his eyes It was at this moment when a figure came to a stop in front of Lane. He turned around and saw a large, empowering man standing in front of him. Lane, did you get recruited? No, I think I failed. Chapter 490 - Revenge Squad Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation This person has interesting ideas After they watched Lane leave in a wheelchair, the muscular middle-aged man whose right arm was a bionic prosthetic commented suddenly. He doesnt come from a police or military background and his degree of physical disability isnt severe enough either. Another blonde-haired lady noted without hesitation. People like him arent suitable candidates. I think so too. The man who cut off Lane mid-sentence just now agreed with a firm nod. The key factor is the ideas he has. Hes simply too rebellious for our companys cause. Id advise against putting him through the preliminary selection. Seconded, lets move on from this one. The final examiner agreed as well. With that, three out of the four examiners had selected the FAILED input on their computers. It was only the middle-aged man who spoke first left. He held his mouth open and darted a hesitant look at the other three examiners as he looked at the screen displayed in front of him. Name: Pedro lane. Age: 26. Physical Condition Rating: C. Political Mindset Rating: C. Mental Health Rating: B. Overview: After some consideration, he proceeded to write down several sentences in Leons evaluation form. The applicant displays a strong sense of justice and personality as well as strong self-awareness. I believe hes an ideal observation target, awaiting further review. After providing this evaluation, the middle-aged man gave Lane the only PASSED review among the four examiners and promptly closed the window. The rest of the examiners did not raise an issue with the middle-aged mans review. They were the staff in charge of the preliminary screening. The information would then be handed over to the higher-ups for another round of sampling review. There was a chance that the final ruling may be revised, though it was very unlikely. It was very rare for candidates that received a FAILED score from three examiners to have their final ruling revised and invited to the next round of screening. The blonde-haired lady gave the middle-aged man a gentle nod before pressing the button to summon the next candidate. Soon, another candidate afflicted with frostbite came into the room in a wheelchair. The previous segment was nothing too notable. The screening process for the combative police force was still ongoing Unbeknownst to the examiners, after Lanes information was submitted into the systems back-end database, something strange happened to it. Perhaps due to a system error or some similar issue, it was transferred from the group labeled as FAILED to the group labeled as PASSED. In addition, the FAILED grading marked in red that was issued by the three examiners was somehow modified and turned into a bright green PASSED Bang! There was a loud and sudden slam. A large and muscular man wearing a west who was built like an Olympian burst through the metal gate with a relentless kick as he stomped into the dark and damp garage. The interior of the garage was a mess. Bits and pieces of unknown engine parts and wire were scattered all over the floor. There was also an off-road vehicle parked in the corner of the garage. On the other side of the garage, there was a cluster of five to six server machines. The heat they radiated made the garage feel stuffy while the low hum of the machines echoed across the garage endlessly. A black young man who was tweaking a device suddenly snapped around upon hearing the loud bang and took out a gun which he aimed at the door. When he identified the person who came in through the entrance, he cursed out loud and went back to the device he was working on. Wildfire, does it kill you to open a door normally? Meanwhile, another figure stepped outside gracefully from a dark corner of the garage. It was a lady with pink-colored hair that draped over one side of her face. She was chewing gum and she spoke with a soft, sultry voice, What pissed you off so much, hold on, let me guess The lady narrowed her eyes as she fixed her gaze on the figure behind the man in the vest. It was Lane wheeling himself in his wheelchair. Did Lamb screw up the application process into the Blackwatch Combative Police Force? Right on the mark, Kraken! The man in the vest ranted with great irritation, Lane never follows through with the plan that we devised for him, what a pain! The man in the vest turned and angrily jabbed a finger at Lanes direction. Do you have any idea how much weve done for you to take care of your wounds, how much time and effort went into it? Youd never believe it even if I told you! Im so sorry, Wildfire Lane said with a bitter frown, It wont happen again. Of course it wont because theres no more next time! Wildfire roared and darted into a room at the other end of the garage. He viciously slammed the door shut behind him as soon as he entered. A suffocating silence immediately loomed over the garage. Hey, relax. Wildfire has become quite uptight ever since losing his wife and daughter. As soon as Wildfire left, another young man covered in engine oil slid out from under the off-road vehicle parked in the corner of the garage. He made a quick comment to Lane and slid back under the car before Lane had time to respond Thanks, buddy Lane nodded dejectedly and proceeded to wheel himself to a corner. He took a photo frame on the table and silently wiped off its stains. The picture in the frame showed a beautiful field and in the center of it was a woman sitting on a summer chair. The woman in the picture looked to be a mother and seemed charming and graceful. There was a young and shy-looking young man standing next to the mother in the picture. Upon close inspection, this young man in the picture looked like Lane in his youth. Lamb. While Lane was staring at the picture of his mother in the photo frame, there was disappointment in his eyes. The pink-haired lady suddenly approached him from behind. She bent down and leaned closer to look at the photo frame that Lane was holding. Lane could immediately smell the cheap perfume mixed with faint womanly fragrance seeping into his nose Lamb, what happened today? The lady asked with concern in her voice. No, not much. Its just that I didnt answer the questions of the examiners as weve previously planned. Lane awkwardly scratched his cheeks as he said this. The side of his face was getting itchy due to Krakens hair brushing against his cheeks. He subconsciously tilted his head to one side. Christina, I Call me Kraken, thanks. The lady reminded Lane. Alright, Kraken As you know, there are some things that Im deeply fixated on, so Lane shrugged as he said this, Lets come up with some other solution. Maybe there are some other approaches we can take to expose the evil deeds of the BHB Combative Police Force and drag their reputation to the mud. I suppose thats our only choice. There was a heavy look mixed with regret in Krakens eyes. She looked up at the black young man who was still messing around with the server machine. Digit, you have any ideas? Im just a plain old hacker, Ill leave the planning and the rest to you guys! The black young man called Digit replied without so much as making an effort to turn around. Dont ask me, I dont know anything. Another voice came from under the off-road car in the corner of the garage. Kraken felt helpless and discouraged by this. She straightened up and brushed her hair, accidentally exposing her right cheek that was covered underneath her hair. Riddle across her right cheek was a thick, hideous, and uneven layer of a scar. It was the kind of scar that could be inflicted by chemical corrosion. It was right at that moment when Lane suddenly received a notification of a message on his phone. He instinctively reached for his phone and saw that it was an email that he received. Lanes heart skipped a beat as he seemed to have realized something. When he tapped open the email, he saw that it was sent to him from the official account of Blackwatch. Could it be Lane immediately swiped down the display to read the contents of the email. Dear Mr. Lane, after the initial screening, we believe that you have great potential and possess an above-average sense of justice. You also meet the conditions for Blackwatchs requirements for bionic combative police. Wed like to inform you that you are invited to the second round of Blackwatch Combative Police Force screening next Wednesday, the venue will be at 311, Reston Street, New York City. Please ensure that you can join us on time C Blackwatch Northern American Branch Combative Police Department. Lanes eyes widened like two large pearls when he read the email. He looked up at the pink-haired woman who had the same expression as he did. Christi Kraken, I passed the first screening! Thank God Kraken was ecstatic as she snatched the phone away. Digit and the other young man under the car rushed to the ladys side as well, each trying to take a look at the contents of the email. Oh, good work Lamb! Awesome! Theres a less than one percent chance to be chosen, youve done a great job, Lamb! Upon hearing the commotion in the garage, Wildfire, who had been hiding inside the other room all this time, bolted into the garage as well. He took the phone from the others in utter disbelief and after he finished reading the contents of the email, he burst into roaring laughter! Hahahaha Great work indeed Lane, I know you had it in you! Wildfire was so ecstatic he wanted to hold and kiss Lanes cheek. His current mood was a complete turnaround from his previous state. Lane immediately pushed himself away from Wildfire, barely avoiding his fate of being covered in the greasy mans sweat and grease. The five of them celebrated together for a moment before finally recollecting themselves. They stopped working on their respective tasks and sat down together at the table to discuss their next move. Our next goal is to ensure that Lamb can get past Blackwatchs second screening. Wildfire took a large drag of beer enthusiastically before asking, Digit, what can you do for us to help with the second round of screening? I can try to hack into the Blackwatch branch internal server and see what tests we should expect for the second round of screening. This way, we can go in with a proper game plan. Digit pondered for a moment and noted uncertainly. But my previous hacking attempts have been unsuccessful. Blackwatch is very cautious when it comes to the handling of their network security. Id advise against taking such an approach unless necessary. Kraken shook her head. Theres no shortage of stories on the dark web of hackers who try to hack this company and end up having their IPs tracked down and arrested. Im confident in Digits hacking skills, but I doubt its enough to be a match for this particular company. We can approach this from another angle. For example, we can improve Lambs combat abilities, shooting skills, and whatnot. We just need to find some way to make him stand out from the other candidates. I agree with Christinas point. Wildfire noted with a short chuckle before turning to the other young man covered in engine oil. What do you say, John? Mr. Wildfire, please refer to us by our codename in the organization! The pink-haired Kraken immediately knotted her eyebrows together. Your reckless name-calling is going to be the death of us one of these days! Alright, Ms. Kraken. Kraken shrugged nonchalantly before finishing the beer in one swing. After finishing the beer, Kraken slammed the end of the bottle against the table ceremoniously before turning to Lane. Alright Lane, from today on, Im putting you through hellish training to raise your shooting and close-combat skills. I hope you wont act selfishly again this time, you got it? Dont forget, our ultimate goal is to ensure that the BHB Combative Police Force and the company behind them face the punishment that they deserve. Were not only doing this for us but also to ensure that everyone gets to witness their ugly side! No problem, Wildfire! Lane responded with a confident nod. The meeting ended on this note. After that, the five of them left the garage and went their separate ways while Lane returned to his cheap rental room. The sky had turned dark by this point. When Lane reached the door, he made sure to check the trap he laid down beforehand to ensure nobody entered the room while he was gone. After making sure that the coast was clear, he opened the door and wheeled himself inside. After returning home, the first thing Lane did was to take a thorough shower to wash off the scent of beer and cigarettes. After that, he dragged his worn-out body to bed. Lane fell asleep as soon as he closed his eyes and quickly fell into a dream He dreamt of himself in a small square covered in bright, wet grass. A middle-aged woman with an air of maturity around her led a teenager through the square. They soared across the field among the wind and leaves. The hair of the woman danced in the wind like smooth silk. Chapter 491 - Lane Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Agence France-Presse reporting, Blackwatch has once again benefited all mankind for the third time now after tackling the field of cancer and Alzheimers disease by using bionic organ transplantation as an alternative to human organ transplantation. Its biomedical department announced today it has once again made an innovational breakthrough in stem cell technology and the cost of the Age-reversal Treatment will once again be made affordable. The price is expected to go down from the market price set two years ago of 200,000 U.S. dollars to an average of 30,000 to 50,000 U.S. dollars. The cost of the Age-reversal Treatment once cost upwards of a million dollars for each person. It only took six years for Blackwatch to fulfill the promise they once made that the Age-reversal Treatment will be streamlined and commercialized to a price range that can cater to regular citizens. According to the data analysis of the Earth Federation Physiological and Health Research Group conducted over the past three years, ever since the commencement of the Age-reversal Treatment in 2023 till now, the average life expectancy of the human population has soared from 70 years old to 78 years old today. Among all demographics, the average life expectancy of developed continents such as Northern America, Europe, Central Continent, and the East China Sea Continent has risen to more than 85 years old. This number is only expected to continue trending upward as time goes on! Experts predict that by 2050, the average lifespan of humans will surpass 110 years old Several days later, in the corner of a garage located somewhere in New York City, three men and one woman were huddled together in front of a projector. The projector was playing an exclusive TV program of Blackwatch in the Northern American region. It seemed to be somewhere around mealtime since the four of them each had a variety of fast food in their hands and were happily gobbling down their food in their respective seats. There were even several empty cans of beer set in front of one of the men in a white tank top. The next logical step from here is probably to delay the age of retirement. The pink-haired lady among the group suddenly noted dryly. This proposal has received the support of several regions, it should be receiving attention from Congress anytime soon. You have to admit that this is an excellent solution that Blackwatch has devised, at least the issues caused by an inflated elderly population is alleviated. A black man in the group shrugged. The ones that get the short end of the stick are people like us Thats enough, Digit. Dont you dare sing praises of this company in front of me unless you want me to beat you up! Before Digit could finish his detailing his observation, the man in the tank top broke off their conversation by viciously slamming a can of beer on the ground and reprimanded Digit in an alcohol-fueled craze. Ok, no problem. Digit put his hands up to suggest that he was surrendering before he turned around and left. Thats enough bickering, were here to watch the live feed arent we. Lamb will be showing up. Kraken stopped the two from arguing any further. Just as she said this, the commercial on the screen ended as well and the program shifted into the main segment. There was a quick flash on the screen and the phrase Call of Duty appeared shortly after, accompanied by energetic background music. After that, the figure of the three signature members of the BHB Combative Police Force appeared on screen again. Their figures slowly faded out after that as the image transitioned into the iconic red, blue, and white flag of Northern America. After the intro to build up the excitement of the audience, it was finally time for the main event. A broad-shouldered bald man wearing an army uniform appeared on the screen. Apart from his poster muscular build, his facial features were well-defined as well. He was almost a spitting image of the famous Vin Diesel in his youth. He started with a stream of introduction. Dear audience joining us today on the television, welcome to the 2028 Call of Duty show C The Bionic Combative Police Trial. Im Algernon, your host for the Northern American Division. This years trial is unlike last years because thanks to Blackwatchs many technological innovations, there are fewer strenuous requirements for bionic prosthetic users. Therefore, starting this year, our participants will no longer be restricted to severely disabled ex-soldiers or police but open to many others with basic disabilities This is part of the reason that the number of contestants has increased dramatically compared to last year. We have up to a hundred contestants in the Northern American division alone. Well be putting this group of contestants through multiple trials which includes a triathlon, combat abilities trial, shooting accuracy trial, and more to determine their potential. At the same time, wed also like to invite our audience to show support for their favorite contestants by using the barcode below The program flow appeared on the screen following the narration of the host. This program was essentially a talent show launched by Blacklight Biotechnology to promote the use of bionic prosthetics. This selection process functioned to expand the local police force. Upon undergoing the systemic training and passing the assessment, the contestants may be qualified to become bionic combative police officers. Some of the contestants that manage to stand out above the rest may even get the chance to make their debut to become the same internationally renowned superheroes as the BHB Combative Police Force. Due to the popularisation of superhero themes in blockbuster movies, bionic combative police had attained the status of celebrities all over the world to a point where countless young people had stated that their dream was to become police officers. Most governments did not have complaints regarding this reception so they did not take any actions to thwart the popularity of these shows. Therefore, the popularity of the show continued to snowball day by day until it had become an entertainment show even surpassing the WWE and NBA. The show began with brief interviews of the contestants that managed to pass the first round of screening. They were allowed the chance to discuss their views on bionic prosthetics as well as the overall crime rate in modern society. This way, the audience was given a chance to get to know these contestants. After that, there were various forms of tests to determine the contestants physical and mental capability. At the end of the show, the audience would get to vote and select the contestants that they deem deserving of qualification. This time, Lane continued to express his unique views on television. His perspective and insistent pursuit of values of justice ended up garnering the interest of a portion of viewers who decided to commit their precious votes on him. At the end of the two-hour-long show, Lane had unsurprisingly advanced to the third round along with eleven other candidates. He also got an employment contract from Blackwatch on the spot. At this point, it was pretty much a guarantee that Lane would be enlisted into Blackwatch and become inducted into the team of bionic combative police. The group stages, semi-finals, and grand finals over the next few days were only done to filter out which one among the twelve of them would be crowned champion and allowed a chance at stardom like the BHB force. Seeing Lane successfully infiltrating the Blackwatch as a legitimate contestant on-screen and officially being registered as an employee of the Blackwatch, everyone in the garage cheered and clinked their beer together. This is great, our hard work all this time has finally paid off, Lane finally infiltrated this d*mnable company! Wildfire declared with an unruly roar, Blackwatchs streak of good luck ends here! The group celebrated rowdily. It was only Kraken who suddenly noted with a light frown. Lane has only made it through the doorstep of the company. Theres still a lot of work that needs to be done if we want to dig into the dark history of BHB and get an edge over this company. This isnt the time to celebrate just yet. This sensible statement seemed to have calmed down the hot-headed crew who were getting ahead of themselves. Kraken breathed a deep sigh and glanced in the direction of the garage entrance. Could a ragtag group like them trump an international company of such scale? 1 It was midnight by the time the first match concluded. Lane wandered the streets in the middle of the night in a wheelchair by himself. The gentle night breeze caressed his skin gently and although the air was cool, he still felt the burning rage of excitement flowing through his veins. When he faced the camera, he seemed to see countless people waving back at him. For the first time in his life, he knew how it felt to be under the spotlight. Lane had never experienced anything better than that After Lane boarded the subway, he immediately found a suitable place to park his wheelchair before he got his phone out and started looking through the comments of the previous show. The comments provided insight into what the audience thought about the performance of the contestants, which one they thought had the most potential, and which one they liked best. Lane realized that he was more popular than he ever expected himself to be. There was only one other contestant who had an equal level of performance as he did, but Lane still had the most supporters rooting for him. When Lane saw the steady stream of comments of the audience rooting for him, he could no longer stop a smile from forming on his lips. Excuse me, are you Pedro Lane? While Lane still had his head buried in his phone and relishing at the moment, he suddenly heard a soft feminine voice beside him. He instinctively turned up and saw a young and innocent-looking girl somewhere between fifteen to sixteen years old staring back at him nervously. Thats me, you are Lane responded instinctively. Ah, its you! The girl cried out in joy. She immediately fumbled around in her bag and quickly produced a notebook. Lane, I watched Call of Duty in school today. You had an excellent performance, may I have your signature please? Sig- signature? Lane started to sweat a little, he tried to brush off the comment with an awkward chuckle. But Im just an ordinary person No, I believe that youll become a superhero equivalent to the BHB Combative Police Force! The girl shook her head side to side before declaring insistently, I believe in you! Alright Lane nodded at her high praises before receiving the pen and notebook then proceeded to scribble his name on the notebook. Im sorry, my handwriting is poor. Thats alright! The girl happily took her notebook and carefully placed it into her bag like a treasured artifact. Good luck Lane, I know youll win the tournament! Their conversation seemed to have caught the attention of the people around them. Several youngsters quickly rushed toward Lane and formed a circle around him. One of them cried out in a mix of awe and delight when he took a closer look at Lane, Its Lane! I saw you just now but I wasnt sure if it was you. Lane, Id like a signature too! Another chubby boy tried to get his piece in as well. In a matter of seconds, Lane found himself surrounded by a mob of youngsters Lane found himself in unfamiliar territory dealing with his crowd of young supporters. Without realizing it, his empty heart was being filled with a strange sense of satisfaction. What are the chances that I could become world-famous superheroes just like the BHB trio? No, those people were hypocrites and actors, only Im a true Nobel hero! Such ideas began to take shape in the depths of Lanes mind Over the coming days, the other four members of the crew would come to notice that the usually quiet and reserved Lane was becoming more passionate. He was surging with vibrant energy every day and fully immersed himself in his VR training sessions. To obtain a better ranking, they raised enough money to customize a pair of high-end bionic prostheses for Lane to allow him to stand up from his wheelchair. It was worth noting that from the third round onward, Blackwatch would gather all the contestants in Northern America together in one spot and create customized bionic prosthetics for each contestant. However, Lane could get an advantage over the other contestants by having prior personal experience with a bionic prosthetic beforehand. After all, the combat abilities of the contestants were tested in the third round. The tests ranged from close combat practice to firearm use, then to actual combat drills. These were all activities that required plenty of accumulated experience. Meanwhile, a majority of the contestants Lane had to face were either retired soldiers or police officers. However, there was another facet to it. It was because of that that the young and tender-looking Lane managed to stand out among the contestants and attract the most attention from the audience. When the third round of the Call of Duty tournament commenced, Lane had managed to accumulate a significant amount of combat experience. The third round was unlike the second round that only took place over a day. It was a week-long event that was almost like a reality show. During this week, the organizers would record the journey of each contestant and compile a training montage of the contestants after they obtained their designated customized bionic prosthetics. On the final day, the contestants would participate in the grand trial. Lane met up to the expectations of the vast amount of audience and managed to emerge second place in the overall score for the third round. Meanwhile, he claimed first place in fan votes which qualified him to the fourth round, which was the semi-finals. Lanes popularity had skyrocketed over the span of the tournament. He had become the most discussed contestant in the Northern American region. Underneath the facade of fervent applause and dazzling spotlight, Lane was confronted with a harsh reality What do you mean I have to give up on the rest of the tournament? Lane stood at the entrance of the dimly lit garage and looked at the four of his accomplices in utter disbelief. Im sorry about this Lane, theres been some change of plans. Youll have to do this. Kraken advised gently, You should know that everything were working on is funded by this person called Cain. He issued an order yesterday and said that youll have to drop out of the tournament because theres another mission that our entire crew has to be a part of I dont understand. Lane shook his head. Im about to become the regional champion of Call of Duty, I might even become the global champion by the end of it. I can become a superhero on par with the likes of the BHB Combative Police Force Chapter 492 - Wiped Out Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Midnight. Lane sat by himself on the rooftop of a building and silently gazed at the full moon that hung in the sky. Beside him was the same photo frame from before. It was the photo frame seen previously in the revenge squads garage base. Lane took it out from the garage and kept it with him. The night breeze brought a chill toward Lane. It seemed as if a thought occurred to him as he suddenly held up the picture frame and wiped its surface. As one of the most prosperous cities on earth, the scenic view of the moon and the starry night sky in New York City had long become something that only existed in memory. Lane still had faint memories of gazing at the starry night sky as a child. These days, the starry nightscape had been replaced by neon lights. Still, Lane continued to gaze into the tranquil night sky as countless thoughts flashed across his pensive eyes. Lane, I knew youd be here. Lane suddenly heard the clear and crisp voice of a woman coming from behind him, accompanied by the sweet scent of perfume. The pink-haired lady had sat down beside him uninvited, her feet dangled over the edge of the building just like Lane did. What are you doing here, Christina? Lane asked without turning to look at her. I was just worried about you? The lady stayed silent for a moment before she mentioned with a smile, I know how much work youve put in to infiltrate Blackwatch. I understand its not fair that you have to give up on the tournament, but unfortunately theres no helping it. Cain has plans of his own, all we need to do is to do as he instructs Lane only smiled sourly as he heard this. But my goal is to approach that BHB Combative Police Force officer called Brooke and deliver a swift end to him myself. Lane said in a low voice, I was steadily approaching my target one step at a time, but now Im instructed to give up? Im sorry, I understand your built-up hatred and frustration. The lady shook her head. Another strong breeze came toward them that scattered her hair apart, revealing the hideous scar on her right cheek. She instinctively turned her face to the other side to shield her scar and happened to see the photo frame Lane held in his hands. She reached for the photo frame and took it from Lane. Then she put it under the light and said, Ive heard about your past. The story is that your mother was held hostage by a robber and was killed by the BHB Combative Police Force while they were in the process of taking out the robber, is that it? Unlike you who specifically want to exact your revenge on Brooke, the reason I joined this Blackwatch resistance squad is that I want to bring an end to this company A deep hatred surfaced in her eyes as she said this. I once came from a wealthy family. My father was a businessman and his company specialized in collaborating with pharmaceutical giants like Pfizer and Johnson to supply drugs that alleviate the effects of cancer. However, Blackwatchs cancer-targeted drugs had not only driven my fathers company to bankruptcy, he even became knee-deep in debt 1 On a certain night, when we were surrounded by the debt collectors in our factory, my father forced our family to drink nitric acid Lane was slightly shocked to hear this. All this time, he knew that most of the members in this Blackwatch resistance squad had their families torn apart by the corporation. However, he never knew how Christina ended up like this nor did she ever tell anyone of her background. It was only till today when he found out the origin of Christinas gruesome scar But I resisted. The nitric acid ended up splattering over my face, but I never drank it. As for my parents and my five-year-old brother, they Christina choked up as she said this. She made herself pause for a moment before continuing. I dont know if Blackwatch is on the wrong for what theyve done. All I know is that my father would never have been driven to bankruptcy if not for Blackwatch nor will my family be subject to such a horrible fate. I wouldnt have ended like this either Which is why Ill destroy this company and bring an end to them. Ill give my life for this cause! Lane opened his mouth and tried to say something, but the words failed to come out because he quickly realized that what Christina needed was not meaningless words of comfort. So promise me, Lane, let us fight together. Christina encouraged. We have to unite and combine our forces. Its only by doing this that we can stand a chance to defeat Blackwatch and exact our revenge! I understand Lane nodded and became silent. The two of them continued to stare at the sky this way until the first signs of daylight appeared on the horizon. It was daytime. Perhaps their conversation had caused a change of heart in Lane. Over the next few days, he slowly returned to his past self and stopped completely immersing himself in firearms and combat training. Just like in the past, he would rendezvous with the team and discuss potential exploits of Blackwatch with the others and they would eat and drink beer together. Upon seeing this, the members who were once in disagreement with Lane saw that their concerns were appeased. The sour atmosphere in the group had also subsided and was replaced by the peaceful atmosphere in the past. However, there was a sudden change of events on the day the semi-finals of the fourth round commenced Why isnt Lamb here for the meeting still? On this day, four of the members apart from Lane were huddled together on a bench inside the usual garage. It was only Lane who was absent. After they waited for what seemed like forever and still saw no signs of Lane, they started to become agitated and began speculating. Christina, who was the leader of the group, frowned slightly. Did Lamb oversleep? Wildfire, give him a call and see where hes at. Ive called three times, nobodys picking up! Wildfire clapped his palms against the table repeatedly. This idiot. He always picks up at the first ring whenever I call him! This is bad, could Lamb have gone to attend Call of Duty? Digit sounded uncertain as he raised the thought that was on everybodys mind as well. I dont think Lamb would do something like this! Christina shook her head pointedly. He mustve gotten into some other accident. Digit, check his GPS coordinates! Alright. Digit heeded the command and stepped over to the cluster of server machines. He used the computer to open several intricate software and started entering something in the search query. Im hacking into the communication satellite network, hold on The group started waiting impatiently. After about ten minutes had passed, Digit suddenly turned to them and let out a sigh, a look of relief washed over him as he said, Lambs cell phone signal shows that hes still in his rented house and hasnt left. So, youre saying that this guy simply overslept? Christina felt a weight lifted off her chest. She got up and made a light-hearted joke. Ill go get him myself. Ill make sure to give him the proper punishment for being late to our important meeting! Hold on, Kraken Before Christina finished, Digit suddenly turned around from his computer and noted suspiciously. Kraken, theres some suspicious activity outside They all turned to the high-definition surveillance camera live footage mounted to a wall in the garage. The cameras broadcasted live footage of the view outside the garage and they saw several men dressed in black standing outside. These people had heavy cloaks and hoods that concealed their appearance and were slowly advancing toward the garage entrance. This is bad! Christina took out her gun without so much as a second thought as she barked the order, Everyone, get ready to evacuate using the secret passage! Hurry up, theyre almost here! Ill lock the gate! A scrawny little man in the group sprinted toward the entrance in an attempt to seal the gate before the enemy could enter. Before he could get the job done, he heard someone crying out after him from behind, Get back here! Ah? The scrawny little man turned around wearing a blank expression. The next second, he saw a column of flames erupting in front of his eyes and his body was flung into the air. Before he had time to register what was happening, his consciousness faded away nearly instantly Boom! A tremendous explosion tore through the garage gate. The fiery sparks filled out nearly half of the garage in a matter of seconds. Christina and the others managed to get behind a table just in time as the heavy and deafening rupture of the explosion rang in their ear! The space in the garage became unbearably hot! After the dust had settled, the three of them emerged from the pile of rubble while coughing violently. It was only when Digit tried to pull himself up on his feet when he realized that his legs were turned into a mash of meat underneath a collapsed pillar! Ah, my leg! My leg! Digit cried out immediately. Digit! Christina charged over and gave her best attempt at lifting off the pillar but it would not budge no matter how much she strained her muscles. Its no use! Kraken, get out of here with Wildfire! When Digit realized the severity of the situation, he shoved Christina out of the way and produced a gun which he aimed in the direction of the gate that had been blown apart. Hurry up and get out of here, Ill hold them off! Go! Digit Christina was hesitant in abandoning her courage. Go, hurry up! Digit screamed at the top of his voice and pointed the gun at his temple, Ill kill myself if you still dont go! Lets get out of here Christina! The also heavily-wounded Wildfire managed to pull himself up and immediately went to get Christina. They took off toward the small room at the other end of the garage! As soon as they opened the wooden door leading to the room, four figures in black robes appeared outside the warehouse. Before they even set foot in the garage, Digit had opened fire! Bang bang bang! A barrage of gunshots rang across the garage as Digit belted a stream of curses at them, Come get me you piece of sh**! You better take me out or else Ill Swish! The sound of an unidentifiable weapon firing sliced across the air, immediately cutting off Digit mid-sentence! Christina turned around instinctively just in time to witness Digits head bursting open like a watermelon. She saw the red meat of the fruit splatter all across the floor! The unmistakable gunshot had to come from the electromagnetic weapons owned by Blackwatch! Christina immediately realized what was happening. There was only one possibility, they were betrayed! Lane, how dare you betray us! Christina was not the only one who made the connection, Wildfire connected the dots as well. When he saw the figures advancing toward them, he shoved Christina into the room without any hesitation and bellowed like a beast, Lane, you dont deserve to live! Wildfire held his fingers on the trigger and fired away like a mad man! When Christina heard the barrage of gunshots from outside, she quickly silenced the mixture of emotions racing across her mind at the moment and lifted off the toilet bowl to reveal a secret passage hidden underneath. She entered the secret passage and put the toilet bowl back in its natural position. Within seconds, Wildfire was turned into target practice with countless bullet holes riddled across his body. The robed men charged into the room after that. Clack! The one leading the charge was a woman in high heels. She surveyed the room upon entering and immediately sensed something below her. She stomped down with her foot on a certain tile that unwound certain mechanisms in the room to reveal a hidden passage before them. The lady in charge took off her hood and revealed her beautiful and captivating appearance underneath. Nobody would ever expect such beauty and grace hidden underneath this mask of violence seemed to be a match made in heaven. The two elements were blended to perfection, part poison mixed with vodka to form the perfect concoction Inform squad two that our target is escaping through a secret tunnel! The lady turned around and shouted orders at the crew behind her, Keep her alive at all cost. I want to know just who this mysterious Cain is and what makes him think that he can oppose Blackwatch! Got it, Chief Sara! Chief Saras crew responded immediately and bolted out of the room, leaving her by herself in the room. Chief Sara pondered for a moment before lifting off her robe to reveal an eloquent, custom-fitted combat suit underneath. She took out a black object attached to the suit and flicked the cap off using her thumb! Tick! The safety pin popped out its shell with just a gentle pull. Chief Sara immediately tossed the all-black spherical object with one arm and sent it rolling down the tunnel! After this, she bore a brittle smirk and proceeded to step out of the garage. Boom! An enormous explosion followed as soon as she stepped out of the garage, the violent shockwave caused by the explosion made the air in the vicinity tremble. On the chief commanders combat suit, one could make out the text printed across her chest that read B.S.S.! Chapter 493 - : Mission Accomplished Chen Chen opened his eyes as he lay inside the Medpod3000, also dubbed as the Blacklight Fully-automated Medical Platform. The first thing that came to view was an all-white room that was plainly decorated. The only thing present in the room was the medical platform that was shaped like a CT scanner and a simple-looking but extremely premium rug. There was also an oil painting framed on the wall. It was a portrait of Chen Chen. His eyes were sharp in the portrait and his gaze seemed to pierce through the layer of portrait and into the real world. The artist tasked with this painting could not have been anything less than a world-class professional. As usual, Chen Chen got up from the medical platform and stretched. What a long dream Chen Chen yawned and mumbled in a low voice to himself. After that, he planted his bare feet on the cc-tapis[1] handmade rug. Sir Godfather, breakfast? A fairy-like lady dressed in a beautiful white dress entered the room with a tray filled with a wide variety of food. The presentation of the food was just as pleasing to the eye as they were appetizing. Another thing to note was that these cuisines must cost a fortune. X, any interesting news today? Chen Chen approached a silver dining table designed with a postmodernist approach and asked stately. Quite a lot of interesting news. Little X flashed an enchanting smile that seemed to steal the luster of everything else present in the room. After she set several plates on the dining table, she tilted her head to one side in a teasing manner. In an instant, four web pages stacked on top of one another appeared in front of Chen Chen. The web page on the uppermost layer contained the picture of an elderly man whose white hair was combed in an odd style. The picture was a still of this man in the middle of a passionate speech. Chen Chen darted his eyes to the caption written in bold black font below the picture of the elderly man that said: The man is back. Donield Trump today announced on Twitter that hell be running for the 48th president of Northern America. The Republican Party had expressed its full support for the presidential campaign. Not bad. Chen Chen took a quick bite of his meal and swiped the web page into the corner and made it fade away. The second web page proceeded to jump at Chen Chen after that. Steven Spielberg announced that hell shoot the live-action version of Evangelion. The film is adapted from the animation produced by Hideaki Anno in Japan in 1995. It tells the story of the Evangelion Again, Chen Chen moved it out of the way without a change in expression, ushering in the third web page up the list. Earth Federation makes a grand announcement: The CUERB Project announced three years ago was a complete success. The worlds first commercially Tokamak super-reactor is now operating in Switzerland and as of yesterday, it has crossed the 24-hours operation mark, generating a total of 24 million kilowatt-hours of electricity. The reactor is stable and its Q value exceeds 100. Sir Godfather, are you just going to allow them to commercialize this technology? Little X pouted and asked slightly begrudgingly. X, youre not a child anymore, theres no need for this pettiness. Chen Chen shrugged, completely unbothered. Of all the technologies I gave them, the nuclear fusion reactor technology is the only one that Ive given permission to be commercialized, do you know why I did so? It was not a question since Chen Chen proceeded to explain immediately, Of all the other technologies, spanning from the temperature superconductor to artificial intelligence are only permitted for use in the military sector. Were the only ones permitted to commercialize them for profit. The reason for that is that the commercialization of this technology can only bring in upward of tens of billions of dollars annually at most, but the nuclear fusion reactor? Thats a different subject. As we all know, electricity is an essential resource in modern life. Its the only energy that plays such a crucial role. Once nuclear fusion reactors are adopted into the market, most other alternatives such as coal combustion, hydroelectricity, wind turbines, even nuclear fission power plants become effectively obsolete. Nuclear fusion reactors will become the only remaining energy source in the world. What do you think are the consequences of that? What country would willingly concede their benefits and submit the reins of their energy generation to an outside corporation? The revenue generated from all other technologies combined can barely compare to the sheer revenue generated with the use of nuclear fusion reactors. This is also the reason that Ive agreed to give the relevant technology for nuclear fusion reactors to the four major continents. Chen Chen breathed a sigh of relief as he said this, Due to the implications of this technology, I only have two choices. Its either I wage war against everyone or I give it to them for free. Since my goal is to cooperate with the four major continents, which one do you think is the better approach? Thats true. Little X finally gained some insight and nodded with deep understanding. Chen Chen shook his head and left the topic at that. After that, he swiped the third web page away to reveal the final web page. The world-famous variety show Call of Duty directly endorsed by Blackwatch just wrapped up its semi-finals round. The winner of the Northern American division is Pedro Lane from New York. Below the title was a handsome, charismatic young man waving to the stadium packed with crowds in front of him. His legs were two jet-black, intricately designed bionic prosthetics. It seems like he ended up selling out his comrades? This final article finally made Chen Chen react with a look of mild surprise. What about his four comrades? The captain of the third squadron of B.S.S., Sara was dispatched on the mission. Three of them were killed at the scene and the only female survivor was captured alive. Sara wanted to extract the information of their secret benefactor from her. Little X answered, Unfortunately, what Sara didnt know at the time was that even this Christina didnt know about the identity of this mysterious benefactor they called Cain. However, after our department went through the server machines at their base, weve found out that the identity of Cain is none other than the captain of the BHB Combative Police Force, Brooke. Chen Chen was unfazed by this revelation. After Sara submits a report on this mission, tell her that her work is done and theres no need to follow up. Right, hows Lanes popularity in Northern America like? Not bad at all. Little X noted. In the semi-finals, he received 35.23 million votes which are more than 35% audience support rate. There was no competition as he completely crushed the second-place contestant. Although a part of this was due to the contribution of our stage crew and stylists as well as the post-production team, he still has proved his mettle on his own. He does have excellent qualifications and overall performance, enough to rank at top-five among the contestants. Chen Chen smiled upon hearing this. In that case, we can give him one more gentle shove. I want his name spread far and wide before the grand finals commence. Also, announce that from here on, each final champion of Call of Duty will earn the privilege of joining the BHB Combative Police Force. Little X nodded contemplatively. In that case, that means that hell soon directly confront the person he has a grudge on. How do you think hell respond to that? Ive gone through his files. It appears that his goal was never to oppose Blacklight Biotechnology nor to avenge his mother by killing Brooke. His ultimate goal was to dig up dirt on Brooke and drag his reputation through the mud. Chen Chen finished the cup of nutrient solution in one swing before mentioning, Anyways, weve squeezed all the value we can out of Brooke already. Over the last two years, hes been constantly making subtle maneuvers against us and even investing in groups like these that are scheming against our company. Its about time we find someone to replace him. Understood, Ill build up Lanes reputation as the next up-and-coming superhero. Little X nodded before mentioning, Theres good news coming from the Spire Experimental Base. The high-energy physics experimental team led by Professor Charles has achieved a significant breakthrough. Theyve manufactured a variation of a high-offset metal that can be reproduced in small quantities. Theyve finally succeeded? Chen Chen was delighted to hear this. Since he had already finished his breakfast, he immediately got up and bolted toward the door. Lets head over there and take a look! Three years ago, Chen Chen launched the second expansion project of the Spire Experimental Base. In addition to expanding the base by three times its original size, he also carved a ring of tunnels around the base to install the long-awaited particle accelerator. By relying on the technology brought back from the dimension of Elysium and key devices outsourced from Europe, this particle accelerator would be the most advanced accelerator of its kind in the history of mankind as there was none other like it. It took an entire year to wrap up the enormous project. By now, the multi-billion-dollar particle accelerator had been up and operating for two years. As far as super high-end devices go, this was considered dirt cheap. However, its efficiency had reached the highest end of the spectrum, measuring up to 100TeV. At this time, Professor Charles led dozens of Gods Forbidden Zones scientists along with hundreds of assistants to perform physics experiments with the particle accelerator. The atom particles have reached sub-light speed in the linear acceleration device. Get ready to redirect them into the toroidal acceleration rectifier and activate the magnetic field Successful redirection into the toroidal acceleration rectifier, now commencing another round of acceleration The current speed is 93.735% the speed of light. The particle is still accelerating at a steady pace! Thats enough acceleration! Get ready to activate the ultra-high-field magnetic field generator! Get the resonance machine to collect the subsequent neutrons! The particles have passed through the generated magnetic field, performing inspection! Reporting, signs of tear in the collected atom particles are detected. The protons and atoms have been separated, only the neutrons are not affected by the simulated magnetic field. The particles are showing signs of deceleration! Prepare the electric combiner to bond the electrons and neutrons. Monitor the speed of the neutrons and make sure they dont decelerate more than needed! Task completed, virtual particles have been formed, now initializing the second round of acceleration! It has now accelerated to 98% of the speed of light. Professor Charles, should we continue the acceleration? Were almost there, prepare to redirect the particles into a linear orbit. We must drive the protons into the aluminum atoms, I wont accept any result other than an unqualified success! The vacuum chamber has been charged and ready to go Each faculty member in the high-energy physics laboratory carried a heavy expression on their faces. They were all looking at the large device in front of them that was shaped like a boiler. Suddenly, the device shook violently. Charles felt the ground trembling below his feet. After that, a flood of data appeared on the display panel that projected the live-data feed. As the stream of data poured into the feed, beads of sweat poured at the same rapid rate along the forehead of the scientist tasked with monitoring the data. He intently fixed his eyes on the display and when he finally noted a specific line of data. He was ecstatic! We did it! The scientist immediately celebrated with joyous laughter like he was a child. He jumped from his seat and declared to everyone present, We did it, the atom particle is bonded into the aluminum atom. Weve created the toughest substance in the world! The host of scientists in the laboratory erupted into bouts of cheering the moment they heard the good news. Amid their fervent celebration, Chen Chen stepped into the high-energy physics laboratory. Mr. Chen! Mr. Chen! Boss Chen! They all stopped their cheering when they saw Chen Chen arriving. Chen Chen gave them a short wave before he approached Professor Charles. The professor, despite a bald patch on his forehead, appeared significantly younger than before. He greeted Chen Chen enthusiastically, Boss, are you here because you received news of the successful experiment? Of course, its been two years and the high-energy physics laboratory run by you has burned millions of dollars. Its only reasonable that I rush here at first notice when I hear that theres been a successful product. Chen Chen teased the professor and looked at the gigantic vacuum chamber. Hows it looking, can we open it now? Its still releasing pressure, we can open it after another ten minutes or so. Charles explained before he went back to his task of directing his crew of scientists. Chen Chen waited for a while. After approximately ten minutes had passed, a silver piece of metal merely the size of a fingernail was taken out by a research member using a pair of pliers. Chen Chen inspected it briefly. It was the so-called high offset metal C a piece of isotope made of metal aluminum. The so-called isotopes were essentially a collection of atoms of the same element. This collection of atoms had the same number of protons, but a varying number of neutrons. For example, proton, deuterium, and tritium each had one proton in their nucleus but the number of neutrons in their nucleus was not the same. These made them mutual isotopes. Since they had the same number of protons, that meant they also had nuclear charge and number of extranuclear electrons as well as the same electron shell structure. All this combined meant that the chemical properties of isotopes were identical. However, the difference in the number of neutrons made it so that the mass of each atom was different, certain physical properties on the nucleus level were also different. Due to the scale of constant collision prompted by the particle accelerator which bonded a large number of neutrons into the isotopes, the physical properties of aluminum have undergone earth-shattering changes The piece of aluminum was promptly taken into the testing room, it was quickly placed on a hardness meter measure machine. Since it was the first time they have manufactured high-offset metal, the crew of scientists rushed to the observation room without a word between them when they saw that the test was about to be conducted. One of the laboratory assistants operated a cutting machine in the testing room. The disc-shaped blades started spinning at extreme speed upon being activated. The assistant promptly pressed the blade over the tiny aluminum block! In an instant, a piercing screech sounded across the laboratory as sparks sprayed everywhere, even grazing the top of the ceiling! The assistant stopped after only several seconds. His expression was contorted in awe. How did it go? Professor Charles asked from the observation room. There are no visible marks left on the sample. The assistant removed the fingernail-sized aluminum block from the device fixing it in place and presented it for everyone to see. As expected! They were enthused to see the results of their experiment. Even Chen Chen went up to the observation mirror to observe what the assistant was doing. From where Chen Chen stood, he had a clear view of the disc blade pressing against the aluminum block just now and yet the surface of the sample was still smooth and completely unscathed. Such characteristics were nearly impossible for a piece of aluminum since the substance was not known for its hardness. Try switching to a tungsten-molybdenum steel blade and extend the period to 30 seconds! Professor Charles proceeded to instruct again. Understood. The assistant took the same sample to another cutting machine to perform the same experiment. The same thing occurred with sparks flying everywhere and the sound of metal grinding against each other sounding across the laboratory. However, the assistant stopped before the twenty-second-mark. Why did you stop? some of the research crew asked. The assistant sounded troubled as he said, It wasnt me who stopped, its just that the blade was destroyed They were once again floored by this ridiculous display. Although they had prepared themselves mentally for a similar outcome, it was a wholly different experience to witness such a mysterious metal in person [1] Italian company that specializes in high-end hand-knotted rugs Chapter 494 - Rosen Bridge Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation When they saw the blade that looked like it had been mauled into pieces by a vicious hound, they held their breaths. Even Professor Charles had cold sweat trickling down his forehead as he instructed, Continue switching out to tougher cutter heads and chart down the strength, toughness, plasticity, and tensile strength of the metal while youre doing that. After another lengthy round of experiments and plenty of experiment records being logged, the fingernail-sized metal was still completely unscathed. After all the performance tests were completed, their collective gaze focused on the metal had only become more intense If were measuring the hardness of this piece of metal using Mohs hardness standards, it wouldve exceeded 10M. Professor Charles took the sheet of a report from the research team and muttered to himself. He started to give an explanation for fear of Chen Chen not understanding the implications of it. Mohs hardness refers to the potential a substance has of scratching another substance. It was first established by a German mineralogist named Mohs and used to identify the hardness of minerals. The professor presented the report to Chen Chen. On the Mohs hardness scale, most common metal is only measured at 1.5M while the hardness of human nails reaches 2 to 3M. The hardness of metal aluminum is 2M to 2.5M, 4 to 5M for iron, and 5.5M for glass Diamonds which are on the highest end of the spectrum reach up to 10M! Chen Chen nodded upon receiving this explanation. Since even the diamond cutter heads were unable to leave any visible mark on the metal sample, that meant the Mohs hardness of the metal had exceeded the scope of measurement. Thats not all Professor Charles explained further, The isotope of this piece of aluminum boasts superior resistance against corrosion and tearing. The measured tensile strength at room temperature exceeds the measurement limit of the instrument which is 5000MPa. It can also withstand the extrusion test of a 1,200-ton hydraulic press. Its melting point exceeds all artificial materials, even surpassing the maximum melting point of hafnium alloy which is 4215, reaching an astonishing 12000! The reason for this is due to its highly imbalanced neutron content. Energy dispersion happens at a fluctuated rate which makes it so that heat cannot easily transfer between the atomic levels. Chen Chen nodded again as he heard this and flashed a smile. Not bad, but more than anything else, Im curious to know its market value and if it can be mass-produced. One hundred thousand dollars per gram. After contemplating for a moment, Professor Charles declared nervously, And this is only enough to cover the maintenance cost of the particle accelerator. The production capacity for this material is very low. Even if we continuously operate the particle accelerator for a month, it can only produce about one kilogram of aluminum isotope at most. Chen Chen did not have anything to add to this. This price was within the range of his expectations. The reason this substance was named high-offset metal was that its metal atoms were overloaded with extra neutrons, which caused a shift in its elemental structure. The terminology high-offset metal referred to the neutron drift phenomenon occurring within the aluminum. This was the deciding factor that drove the value of this isotope above that of gold. Although it was not as difficult to recreate these substances as certain artificial elements in the latter portion of the element table, it was more or less comparable. Special production equipment may be required to properly manufacture this substance. Chen Chen went over his options silently. After that, Chen Chen let Professor Charles return to his work. After all, Professor Charles role was a high-energy physics expert, not an engineer overseeing mass production. Researching high off-set metal was his forte, but tasking him with mass-producing these substances would be a misuse of his talents. Now that the isotope of aluminum had been developed, the next step was to create specially designated equipment for manufacturing the same substance to reduce operating costs and increase production. Little X shall oversee this project and assign the correct personnel for the task. After leaving the high-energy physics department, Chen Chen decided to not head to the training grounds like he usually would. At this point, the development of his Field had passed what could be referred to as the growth spurt and was now in its mature stages. Chen Chen did notice that his Field potency could still improve by small magnitudes if he invested more time in training it. Compared to three years ago, the explosiveness and precision of Chen Chens current Field had improved by several levels. The difference was almost day and night. Today, Chen Chen was going to do something else. Once again, Chen Chen stepped into the teleportation room located at the top of the Spire laboratory. As soon as he closed his eyes and opened them again, he was transported into another teleportation room with the Gantz sphere inside it. After he stepped out of the teleportation room, it was revealed that he was now in a gigantic black cruise ship. This cruise ship was jet-black and measured more than 400 meters long and 80 meters wide. It would take even Usain Bolt eight seconds to sprint from one end of the cruise to the other. The displacement of this cruise ship greatly surpassed that of a regular aircraft carrier, reaching a staggering 400,000 tons. This cruise ship was none other than the Blackwatch Cruise that Chen Chen had spent 1.5 billion U.S. dollars to custom built six years ago. It had been operating ever since then. The Blackwatch Cruise was currently sailing across the open sea that seemed to stretch on endlessly. The only ones on board were a hundred Black Knights in charge of manning the cruise. Were currently located in the waters of the Indian Ocean. No ships are passing by within a radius of 5,000 kilometers and no satellite surveillance overhead. You can commence your work without any worries. Little Xs voice came in through the earpiece. Sir Godfather, are you sure you want to commence the test now? Get ready to begin. Ive been thinking about this for a week, were going to have to do this eventually anyway. After stepping out of the teleportation room, Chen Chen went to the elevator which took him to the deck on the first floor of the cruise ship. He then took out a shiny long strip object from his pocket. This object was coated in a layer of white that was so pure that it dazzled underneath the sunlight. At the end of it, there was a metallic USB port. It was a USB drive. It was the very USB drive Chen Chen had since he had nothing to his name. Now, the wind and the rain beckoned at his call. The only difference was that unlike the past form of the USB drive that took on an all-black texture, the current USB drive had countless sparkles along its surface. They shone radiantly like an array of stars that flooded the night sky. Since the very beginning, Chen Chen had realized that upon receiving a certain threshold of charge, these bright spots would appear on the surface USB drive. The more energy the USB drive received, the more stars shone on its surface. It had been three years since Chen Chen last used the USB drive. During this duration, the three high-power nuclear fusion reactors located in the Spire laboratory laboriously charged the USB drive day and night. After the energy accumulated reached a certain threshold, the USB drive stopped receiving energy for the very first time since Chen Chen acquired it. The USB drive was fully charged Chen Chen was completely floored by this sudden occurrence. This was the current display of the fully charged USB drive. What was once a sparse sprinkle of stars on its surface had been transformed into what was essentially a bar of LED light. One would even mistake this object as a glowstick. It was quite the odd sight to behold. It had been a full week since the USB drive was fully charged. Over the last week, Chen Chen had endlessly pondered over how he should experiment with it. He still remembered how the USB drive went through a transformation. It happened when the bright spots like stars appeared on the USB drive for the first time. That was when a new function was seemingly triggered. The USB drive was suddenly able to create a Schwarzschild vacuum that granted any living creature passage into other dimensions inside the movies. Now, the USB drive had just gone through a second transformation. If the previous observation was any pattern to follow, could this mean that another new functionality in the USB drive was triggered? Triggered would not be the correct definition in this situation. A more apt description should be unlock. It may appear that these functionalities were always present in the USB drive, only that a certain amount of energy had to be accumulated inside it before they could be accessed. This was why Chen Chen decided to choose the empty open seas for him to experiment on the newly-transformed USB drive, all with the help of the reliable vessel that was his Blackwatch Cruise. As these thoughts ran past Chen Chens mind, two Black Knights approached him and set a table with a laptop on top of it in front of him. This was all the preparation that was needed. Chen Chen looked at the setup and thought over it again. In the end, he took a deep breath and inserted the glowing USB drive into the laptop in front Ding! What came first was the swift, familiar alert of the Windows operating system. The USB drive was successfully authenticated. A window containing information of the removable disk appeared on the screen. Chen Chens fingers slid across the trackpad as he selected the removable disk connected to the computer and tapped it open with a swift click. In an instant, a series of movie titles that were so familiar yet so foreign at the same time appeared on the laptop. Upon seeing these movie titles, Chen Chen did not open them right away. The first thing he did was to drag a download of Resident Evil into the computer into the USB drive. The motivation behind Chen Chens action was he understood when facing the unknown, there was only one approach to minimize the potential dangers, and that was simply to abide by the lesser of two evils principle. It had taken three whole years to completely charge the USB drive, therefore, Chen Chen may only have one shot at this experiment for some time to come. However, a factor to consider was that once the nuclear fusion reactor technology had reached a more mature stage, it may take a shorter time to charge the USB drive to full. Therefore, he decided to approach this by selecting Resident Evil, which despite being largely useless to his current cause, was relatively harmless as well. He would much rather select this than open a potentially useful movie with more unknown dangers lying within. With this in mind, Chen Chen gently tapped Resident Evil after it was brought into the USB drive. Click! There was a gentle click, immediately followed by a gentle gust of wind that rushed at Chen Chen head-on. The gentle breeze caressed Chen Chens hair. He immediately sensed something was off because he was currently at the deck and there was not so much as a mild breeze on the surface of the sea. Even if there were, it would have been obstructed by the sixty-meters tall cruise. This breeze seemed to originate from the display Chen Chens instincts called out to him. He immediately leaped backward and got as far away from the laptop display as he could. Blam! The Blackwatch Cruise suddenly quaked violently while at the same time, Chen Chen could hear what sounded like the wail of a dying beast. The cruise was slowly being ripped open! The tearing stemmed from the accommodation deck of the cruise positioned above the deck. The Blackwatch Cruise was 75 meters tall and there was a fifteen-stories tall accommodation deck that towered over the rest of the cruise like a skyscraper. At this time, this structure was twisting and turning in the air at rapid speed. The parts that tore apart vanished without an explanation No, they did not vanish. Instead, they seemed to have entered another dimension! Chen Chens pupils shrank slightly. He immediately flew above the Blackwatch Cruise and that was when he noticed a strange column of light appearing on the deck of the cruise! The column of light took on an irregular circular form and spanned nearly a hundred meters. It hung above the height of the Blackwatch Cruises deck and remained idle while the ship slowly sailed into it. Each part of the ship that passed through it started to vanish bit by bit. The parts of the cruise that made contact with it were tearing away rapidly! Even the steel beams of the cruise ship bent like feeble pieces of paper upon making contact with the strange light! The column of light Chen Chen squinted. This column of light seemed like a fragile presence prone to burst at any given moment but it hung in the air defiantly. Meanwhile, the Blackwatch Cruise sailing into it was like a helpless paper boat. Each portion of the cruise that made contact with it was torn away! This column of light appeared to be a wormhole! Chen Chen instantly made the connection. Unlike the jet-black Schwarzschild passage merely the size of a display previously formed by the USB drive, this was a magnified version of a wormhole that was not restricted to the size of a display, could it be Chen Chens heart sank. His lingering suspicion was proven true as this was a permanent, solidified wormhole! At this point, it was no longer appropriate to only describe it as a Schwarzschild throat or a wormhole. There was a specific scientific terminology for this gigantic beam of light C Rosen bridge! Significant evidence that this was a permanent entity was that it did not bound itself to the computer display! During Chen Chens many previous attempts at opening a passage through the USB drive, despite the passage granting entry for humans and moderately-sized machines, it was only restricted to the size of the computer display. The passage was destroyed upon the display being shut down and if the display were moved recklessly, the stability of the passage would be similarly affected. The passage could also be terminated by removing the USB drive. This column of light Chen Chen was confronting was not only gigantic, but it also remained anchored in its spawn location although the computer had moved from its original spot. This was ridiculous When Chen Chen looked at the USB drive plugged into the laptop, he noticed that it had lost its luster and returned to its original jet-black form. This meant that the energy inside the USB drive was completely exhausted. Despite that, the passage was still here The corner of Chen Chens lips twitched uncontrollably and his heart trembled as much as the Blackwatch Cruise did at this moment. He could only watch helplessly as the deck of the Blackwatch Cruise slowly crumbled into the light. What was once the top section of the cruise was now completely engulfed by the passage and brought into the opposite world. X, I think were done for Chen Chen barely knew how to respond as he saw the gigantic column of light below his feet. The loss of the Blackwatch Cruise was the least of his concern. The problem now was that he had opened a never-before-seen bridge on Earth. The Rosen bridge that led to an alternate dimension Chapter 495 - : Destroy the Evidence The Blackwatch Cruise slowly but ever so surely sailed into the Rosen bridge until it reached a point where the entire cruise was stuck in the passage leading to the other world! Chen Chen, who was hovering in the airspace above, only sighed. He then started to hover around the Rosen bridge to inspect it. He soon concluded that both faces of this passage were transparent, which meant that both sides could provide entry into the world on the opposite end. When approached from the side, the Rosen bridge seemed like a completely flat surface. Chen Chen tested it by throwing a chair through the sideways angle and the chair passed through the Rosen bridge completely unscathed. This meant that the passage was not present at a ninety degrees angle. Sir Godfather, how do we know if this passage is currently in an idle state? It does seem that way currently. Chen Chen nodded ruminatively. I know what youre worried about. Youre wondering if the Rosen bridge is in a relatively fixed position or an absolute fixed position, is that it? Yes. Little X answered, There wouldnt be an issue if it was in a relatively fixed position, but if it was in an absolute fixed position, then its a different matter. As the Earth continues to rotate along its axis and orbit along with the solar system, the Rosen bridge will essentially become a blade that slices through Earth. Dont worry, the solar system moves at a speed of about 240 kilometers per second in the universe. I havent noticed any changes in the position of this passage over the past few minutes. We dont have an explanation for this yet but Im certain that this is the work of the USB drive. Chen Chen answered, Which means that the Rosen bridge should be in a fixed synchronous position with Earth itself. Then theres no need to worry. Little X was relieved to hear that. Whats the situation on your end currently, do you need help? I dont need help, I can try to move the USB drive, maybe Chen Chen motioned with his hand as he said this. The jet-black USB drive plugged into the computer on the deck launched out of its socket and flew into his hand immediately. Chen Chen pocketed the USB drive and glanced at the Rosen bridge, it was still there. This observation immediately verified Chen Chens hypothesis. This was a permanent Rosen bridge. It seems like even removing the USB drive cannot shut off the Rosen bridge. In this case, Ill have to take another approach Chen Chen was no longer fixated on the problem of how he could get rid of the Rosen bridge. He decided to address the root of the problem and that was by moving the Blackwatch Cruise out of the way and escaping the scene. As for the gigantic passage that appeared out of nowhere Sorry, what did a Rosen bridge appearing in the middle of the Indian Ocean have to do with Chen Chen now? With this in mind, Chen Chen gave the order to the Black Knights in the Blackwatch Cruise to begin reversing the cruise ship. However, only several minutes after the rotors started rotating in the opposite direction, an awkward situation took place. The Blackwatch Cruise was completely stuck and it could hardly reverse at all. Chen Chen shook his head irritably when he saw this. Since reversing was not going to do him any good, there was only one solution left. There was steely determination in Chen Chens eyes as he turned to the direction of the Blackwatch Cruise. The sections of the bridge that was stuck inside the Rosen bridge suddenly began to tear apart. The jarring sound of metal screeching and breaking apart rang in his ears. It was as if an invisible blade was brought down on the topmost section of the cruise. A portion of the Blackwatch Cruise was being cut apart out of nowhere Bang! A gigantic pillar of flame erupted somewhere in the Blacklight Cruise. The flames were put out almost as soon as it appeared. It seemed as if a gigantic, invisible hand had muffled out the flame. The entire process took more than thirty minutes which by that point, beads of sweat were pouring down Chen Chens forehead as he hovered in the sky above. The sections of the cruise which he locked his eyes onto were torn apart mercilessly, encored by a giant mass of sparks scattering everywhere. With one last enormous bellow, the body of the Blackwatch Cruise that was in ruins and had smoke billowing around it had finally wrung itself free from the Rosen bridge The structure on top of the deck of the Blackwatch Cruise was in horrendous condition. Nearly half of the structure had vanished without a trace while the remaining half was a bare representation of its former self. It was now torn and battered like a slice of cake that someone had mashed their hands into. Thankfully its just the structure on top of the deck thats affected. The control cabin is safe and sound. Chen Chen breathed a sigh of relief. A thought suddenly crossed his mind as he promptly instructed, Send thirty Black Knights with enough food, weapons, and camera equipment into the passage to survey. If any problem occurs inside there, send someone back immediately to report! As soon as Chen Chen gave the order, thirty Black Knights immediately obliged and rushed inside after completing the preparations. Thirty figures plunged into the Rosen bridge and vanished After this, Chen Chen landed on the Blacklight Cruise again but did not order the cruise to leave just yet. Instead, he had the cruise anchored around the edges of the Rosen bridge and waited patiently. All of the Black Knights as well as Chen Chen no longer had reason to be worried about the T-virus. The Black Knight was the product of T-virus fused with human embryos while Chen Chen had also been injected with a modified version of T-virus to enhance his physical condition. This was why Chen Chen chose Resident Evil as the subject for this experiment. Another reason was that each time Chen Chen opened a passage to another dimension, that dimension would be in a desecrated state. Therefore, Chen Chen would not dare to recklessly open a passage to an unexplored dimension. There was never a guarantee that he would not run into some strange entities in Elysium that could potentially destroy human civilization in a matter of seconds. Comparatively, Resident Evil which Chen Chen had completely figured out at this point was a far safer option. As things turned out, an unforeseen accident did occur with the appearance of the Rosen bridge. However, Chen Chen did not find any remorse in the situation but instead found it laughable. He already knew of the nature of the T-virus as well as the antidote for the T-virus. There was essentially zero concern of the potential harm the virus could bring. Therefore, this Resident Evil dimension was a completely harmless new world as far as Chen Chen was concerned! Unfortunately, Chen Chen would not have the New World all to himself since it was exposed in the middle of an ocean. Even if no other forces had come to realize its existence just yet, it was only a matter of time. Besides, it was a challenging task for Chen Chen to venture into the ruins of the dimension all on his own. After giving the matter further consideration, Chen Chen decided it was better to discard these thoughts for now. It was not the time to be worried about the details of these matters before the groundwork had even been laid out at all. Although it was a similar passage opened by the USB drive, there was no sure way to tell what the situation in the opposite dimension was like. This was why Chen Chen figured it was wiser to not enter the passage himself just yet. Caution was the parent of safety. Within three hours, a Black Knight returned from the opposite dimension. As soon as the Black Knight stepped out of the passage, his foot landed on thin air and tumbled onto the open deck. The crew of Black Knights on the Blackwatch Cruise had set up a makeshift negative pressure tent on the deck. The Black Knight that returned immediately went into the tent to be quarantined upon arrival. After that, several other Black Knights went inside to collect microorganism samples and proceeded to disinfect the returning Black Knight. The footage the Black Knight returned with was immediately cast onto a computer display. When the footage was played, the first thing that Chen Chen saw was the remaining half portion of the ship that had the Blacklight Biotechnology logo printed on it. As the camera panned around, the wide-open plains were presented on screen. The video was recorded after entering the passage and had a timestamp on the top section. It seemed to be high noon in the opposite dimension at the time. There was a large assortment of plantations on the surface as well as a large amount of rubble and gravel. There were a couple of structures scattered across the horizon. After that, the Black Knight in charge of recording started to advance toward the direction of the buildings. Since they did not have vehicles available, the Black Knights had to travel on foot. Along the way there, they spotted more flattened ruins of what was once houses. These ruins were nearly buried underneath stacks of dust and rubble. One would not even notice the houses buried underneath unless they got a closer look at it. Chen Chen gained a brief understanding of the situation of this dimension upon seeing this scene. About an hour later, the Black Knights arrived at where the sparse collection of buildings was spotted. These buildings were mostly one to two stories tall and most of them had already collapsed and were buried underneath mounds of yellow sand, with only their top-most section sticking out of the miniature mountains. The further they went, the flatter the terrain became until at one point, the terrain started to sink downward. It was around this point when Chen Chen determined that this was the city where the T-virus first broke out and was soon nuked by a nuclear warhead C Raccoon City. Along the way there, the Black Knights did not discover any corpses nor did they find any signs of a living person. It seemed as if after the humans were wiped out, the natural order of things had been restored to the land, as they were in ancient times. Based on the footage, it seemed the timeline of the opposite dimension was set a long way into the future, even further into the future than the Resident Evil dimension which Chen Chen had previously ventured into. Six years ago, he remembered delving into the Resident Evil dimension to search for a cure for the Blacklight virus. The changes to this current dimension were far more drastic than the previous dimension he went to. No, this was no longer the same dimension as the one he previously explored, but a completely separate dimension only of extreme similarity. Just like how Chen Chen could repeatedly instantiate the same object, there must be countless parallel renditions of the Resident Evil dimension in the scale of the multiverse. Chen Chen suddenly froze as he considered the implications of this. In the grand scheme of things, it was not a big deal that he was the first one to discover the Rosen bridge or that a portion of the Blackwatch Cruise was discovered in this alternate dimension. He could simply feign obliviousness and the entire thing would eventually blow over. As long as there was no significant proof, Chen Chen would never have to own up to the fact that he was the one who opened the Rosen bridge. However, if other parties discovered that this alternate dimension was a dimension associated with Resident Evil, that would be problematic The technology in The Hive underground base must not be discovered by the Earth Federation. There was a vast collection of biotechnology similar to the ones that Blacklight Biotechnology had presented to the world in the underground base. If the Earth Federation discovered it, it was only a matter of time until they formed the connection and determined how Chen Chen came to achieve his biotechnology breakthrough. Apart from that, Chen Chen would also be forced to give a lengthy explanation to the Earth Federation regarding the existence of an alternate Resident Evil dimension. Although Chen Chen in his current state was not too concerned about the prosecution of the Earth Federation, it was still not a good time to have his secrets exposed. At least it would have to wait several years until he made a breakthrough in the aerospace sector With this in mind, Chen Chen instructed the Blackwatch Cruise to remain anchored in its position while he returned to the teleportation room and the Spire Experimental Base. The first thing Chen Chen did upon returning to the Spire was to look for a large one-foot-wide suitcase from the armory. This was something that he had instantiated from a movie a long time ago as a safety measure. The title of the movie was G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra. The content of the suitcase was a weapon known as the Nanomite Missile. A brief overview of the weapon was that it contained seven million microscopic robotic ants. Upon detonation, these robotic ants would erupt in a swarm and devour all matter in front of them. Whether it was humans, plantations or steel and concrete, objects of all forms were objects to become their victims. These robotic ants would never stop their streak of destruction. The only way to stop them was by using a complimentary Kill-switch Device. Each nanomite missile came with a matching kill-switch device which caused all the microscopic robotic ants to self-destruct when triggered. This meant the threat this weapon posed surpassed that of even nuclear bombs. The scale of its destruction was up to the owner of the kill-switch to decide. It could simply be used to destroy a specific building, a group of citizens or devour an entire city effortlessly. It completely negated the drawback of radiation that came with using nuclear weapons. The user of this weapon could very well fire this weapon first before commencing negotiations with the opponent. Unless the opponent was willing to watch helplessly as their cities held hostage were devoured one after another, they would have to yield. The nature of this weapon was completely geared toward being a strategic chess piece. Chen Chen took great interest in the potential value of this weapon and instantiated four of them at the time. One was used for research while the other three were stashed in the armory all this time. Chen Chen took two nanomite missiles out of the armory in one go. After that, Chen Chen returned to the teleportation room and went to the Blackwatch Cruise again, this time with two suitcases in tow. He then passed through the hundred meters tall, gigantic Rosen bridge by himself! Swoop The sensation of passing through the Rosen bridge was just like how it felt passing through the Schwarzschilds Throat created by the USB drive. Chen Chen felt his vision turning dark as if he was trapped in a pool of mud. After the light was drained from his world, a wave of suffocating sensation invaded him It felt as if he had descended into a bottomless pit. He felt a sense of weightlessness and disorientation due to the sudden absence of gravity. All these combined sensations only lasted for a brief instant and before Chen Chen even needed to regather himself, he felt his feet planted on solid ground again. Chen Chen slowly opened his eyes. What greeted him was the wreckage of the top deck of the Blackwatch Cruise that was easily more than forty meters tall. It stood magnificently over the plains like an enormous tower. Chapter 496 - The Lilith Assembly Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation A few days later. A video suddenly appeared on YouTube, the worlds largest website. This was a common vertical-screen video recorded by a mobile phone. It was sent by a little-known vlogger. It showed a stormy, cloudy sea with lightning and thunder, and the dark clouds seemed to be only a hundred meters above the sea, creating a suppressive atmosphere as if the clouds were crushing the land below. The videographer seemed to be standing on a freighter and a large number of red and blue containers could be seen in the shot. At this time, the frame was also bobbing up and down along with the freighter. However, as the videographers lens turned, something special appeared in the frame. It was a huge light spot, emitting a rainbow-like variety of colors. It was translucent, like a rainbow standing upon the sea. At this time, the videographer was still a little far away from the rainbow spot, but the spot was conspicuous in the dark weather and one could hear that several people were constantly talking in the video. The subject of their conversation also revolved around this light spot. Some people guessed that it was a rainbow, but this was immediately rejected by others because they were now in the midst of a storm and no sunlight could shine through the dense dark clouds to form a rainbow. Some people thought it was a leak of biogas from the seabed, but it was quickly overruled. As the freighter approached, the full appearance of the light spot gradually emerged. In the previous frames, the freighter was located at the right rear of the light spot, so the light spot appeared to be completely flat, like a vertical bar. Even so, as the freighter came to the right side of the light spot, everyone finally saw that the light spot turned out to be an irregular circle. Moreover, the light spot was not connected to the sea surface but was higher above the sea surface. It was just that, because of the freighter route, the freighter did not get too close to the light spot. Plus, there was nothing to compare it to on the surface of the sea. As the people in the video discussed, they reached no agreement on how big the light spot was. Then, the freighter gradually moved away from the light spot and the videographer stopped shooting when it was almost out of sight. This video, which was less than ten minutes in length, immediately attracted a crowd of people with too much time on their hands on YouTube. They also discussed what the light spot was: [Getlost]: So, what exactly is that thing? What was filmed in this video, what the f*ck did I just watch? [Director of SFA Medical Academy]: Allow me to reply. That is a plastic bag. [PSYCHO]: Isnt it a rainbow? I thought its a rainbow, but if its not, what is it? Those illiterates would think its something cool. [Kill]: Why does a video taken now still have such bad quality? The hands are so shaky. As we all know, as the pixels of mobile phones increase, the chances of online gamers all over Earth capturing UFOs (or dragons) on phones are getting less and less. [DREZZ]: Thats a wormhole, okay, the kind that can lead to another world! [The account has been terminated]: Some people said that this kind of video is fake, is it true, alright. I was there at the time, I was the dark cloud. [LiLei]: It seems that what happened in 1999 cant be concealed anymore At first, this video did not attract the attention of any department, since everyone thought it was just an everyday prank from a certain special effects producer. However, as the second, third, and even more and more people released similar videos, gradually, the fact that a strange light spot had appeared somewhere in the Indian Ocean also gradually spread. At first, some people thought it was some kind of advertisement for a film but as more and more people came forward and said that they had seen it with their own eyes, and even after the sea coordinates were shared out, gradually, many people finally began to believe the authenticity of the video. Someone even publicly claimed that he had rented a Mauritius boat to explore the area and indeed found the spot about two thousand nautical miles southeast of Mauritius. However, the spot was located dozens of meters high up in the air. Although it was not reachable, he still tried to throw things into the spot. The strange thing was that the spot swallowed the objects he threw in As soon as the news came out, it immediately attracted many wagging tongues. Many people who had time and money flew to Mauritius to try to see the space wormhole that had become viral recently. However, after the first group of people went to Mauritius, they were prohibited from going to sea at the port. The reason was that a hurricane was about to hit nearby and any ships with long-distance capability were prohibited from going to sea. Some tourists who came to explore even noticed the presence of the Earth Federation United Army in the port. As soon as the news broke on the Internet, there was an uproar. If this group of people had been skeptical before, now that they were not even allowed to go to sea at this time, did it not mean that the spot was a real issue? When everyone was fervently discussing how the light spot was something extraordinary, a new update blew up everything: A tourist who went on an expedition posted a message saying that he had discovered an astonishing great secret. It turned out that a large chartering yard in Mauritius to attract tourists for more business, had created all this fake news. The videos were all edited, and those who were sharing evidence were all hired by the charter yard. The entire incident was a premeditated and planned advertising campaign! Sure enough, within a few hours, more people began to expose the crimes of that chartering yard, from creating fake videos to forging evidence to attract tourists. There were all sorts of proof for this, including conversation transcripts. At once, those who felt deceived were whipped into a frenzied mob that rained down condemnation. The website of this chartering yard was completely shut down due to complaints. Until a day later, the chartering yard personally apologized and repeatedly promised not to commit such tricks. This allowed the anger of the public crowd to calm down and slowly dissipated In this manner, a wave of rumors was quashed. While the Internet was in full swing over this rumor, Chen Chen was in a huge empty room. He was sitting cross-legged in the center of the room with his eyes closed. Through the eyelids, one could see his eyeballs spinning violently. This room was as huge as a football field, but it was empty. The weird thing was that the room did not use any supporting pillars. The floor was black marble and the ceiling had a sheds structure. Dazzling light came from above, illuminating the entire room until there were no shadows. This was not so much a generic room as it was a quiet room. At this time, Chen Chen meditated in the quiet room. This was a set of methods he had gradually compiled throughout three years to improve the accuracy of his Field energy. In this extremely quiet and empty area, he could observe everything in the world without interruption, yet perceive the flow of every current of air, the touch of each trace of Field energy. Currently, the precision of Chen Chens Field energy had improved by leaps and bounds compared to three years ago. Once he could only magnify reality up to three hundred times, barely seeing the presence of bacteria, but now, his control over Fields precision had been amplified by more than a thousand times. He could perceive many microbes by Field energy and those bacteria were like ants in his perception. If he wanted to, he could observe them down to every detail. At this level, Chen Chen could already easily perceive the fine dust and microorganisms all over his body with the help of his Field. When he used Field to scan a persons face, if he wanted to, he could see every hair and pore of the other party. More than that, in his perception, the mites and various parasites in human pores were as conspicuous as a cockroach lying on ones face In the beginning, Chen Chen was a little uncomfortable, but after such a long time, he had gradually adapted to it. In his eyes, the world was completely different from the world in the eyes of ordinary people. Even his aesthetic taste had diverged greatly from normal human beings. Now, Chen Chen with his eyes closed suddenly frowned and slowly opened his eyes. At the end of the quiet room, a red light lit up on the intercom next to the door for entering and exiting this was a sign that Little X had to notify him of something. As the quiet room should be kept as quiet as possible, Chen Chen would take off the headset, which he used to communicate with Little X, every time he trained. Only in certain emergencies, Little X would call him through the red light on the door. Now that the light was on, it meant that Little X had something important to tell him. Thinking of this, Chen Chen slowly stood up. He took a step forward and suddenly, his entire body had crossed a distance of more than fifty meters with a whoosh and came to the door. Then, Chen Chen just glanced at the red light and suddenly, the button next to the red light automatically sank in and turned green. Sir Godfather, the conference application initiated by two supervisors has been set in motion. The Lilith Assembly will begin in ten minutes. If you dont participate, youll automatically be deemed to have abstained. Little Xs voice came from the intercom. Are you going to participate in this Lilith Assembly? Of course. Chen Chen nodded. He closed his eyes slightly, tucked away the Field energy in his mind, and immediately opened the door in front of him. Suddenly, what appeared in front of Chen Chen was a standard teleportation room with a black ball. Immediately afterward, the black ball emitted a faint blue light shining on Chen Chens body. From Chen Chens perspective, he could only feel the blue light flash before his eyes and then the blue light disappeared again without a trace. However, the instant this blue light flashed past, it represented Chen Chens displacement in space. At this time, he had already returned to the Spire Experimental Base. Indeed, the quiet room used for training Field energy was not in the Spire or even within the scope of Namibia. In all of Blacklight Biotechnology, apart from Chen Chen and Little X, no one knew where the quiet room was. After returning to the Spire, Chen Chen walked directly into a conference room with a huge table. This conference room did not have any decorations and was only painted with white wall paint. It was kept in its most original state. The only symbol indicating that it was a meeting room was the huge round table and the five luxurious chairs. After sitting on one of the chairs, Chen Chen said, Im ready, and then there was a glimmer before his eyes! The environmental holographic simulator located in the four corners of the room suddenly activated. Chen Chens vision seemed to turn blurry. When it cleared up again, he realized that he had appeared in a luxurious meeting room. Furthermore, four people were seated in the other four chairs in the conference room, but these four people were all dark shadows. Not only were their faces obscured, one could not even tell their gender or body size. The only thing that set each one apart was the number plate on the conference table in front of everyone. From Chen Chens perspective, the numbers of the four people at the conference table were 01 to 04. Chen Chen himself was the same. He had been completely transformed into a black humanoid figure, and in front of him, the 05 plate was placed. Very well, the last supervisor has arrived. In that case, our conference can begin. Seeing Chen Chen appearing in his seat, the black shadow sitting opposite Chen Chen immediately spoke, but his voice seemed to have been processed, and there was an electronic buzz to it that made people unable to tell who he was. Lets start. Chen Chen nodded and chuckled lightly. I heard that two supervisors have jointly initiated this conference. Did they find any important clues? Of course, otherwise we will not initiate this Lilith Assembly. One of the supervisors replied. There was a 01 number in front of his position. I believe you should all have noticed. In the past few days, a series of weird videos have appeared on the YouTube channel. I believe everyone has noticed the huge light spot rising above the sea? Chen Chen nodded when he heard these words. At first, no one cared about it, but then I gradually realized something was wrong, because there were people who have even gone to see the light spot in person, and there were rumors that it was a space wormhole. 01 continued. So for insurance, I personally sent someone to check it out and they found the weird light spot. As far as I know, the spot has the ability to swallow objects. So I contacted 04 and then communicated with Mauritius through the Earth Federation, sealed off the port there, and interfered with public discussion online, finally suppressing the incident. Good job. Chen Chen clapped his hands. Then what exactly is that spot, 01, have you found out? Not for now. After all, the incident happened suddenly. 04 and I are now jointly launching this meeting to discuss a countermeasure, not only to study what the light spot is, but also to keep it a secret from the outside world and prevent the information from ever getting out. Chapter 497 - Let the World Experience Pain Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation I agree that we should examine that light spot. Hearing 01s words, Chen Chen agreed. This kind of thing doesnt require voting, just let our subordinates execute this. After all, investigating the unknown is indeed our Blacklight Foundations responsibility and obligation. I agree. 02 and 03 on the side expressed their stance as well. But the problem now is that we need to cooperate with the Mauritian government, but they didnt join the Blacklight Foundation Agreement. At this moment, 01 suddenly turned his head to look at Chen Chen. Our foundation isnt established yet. Many countries and continents havent yet joined the Blacklight Foundation Agreement. If we send a task force for investigation and Mauritius obstructs us, what do we do? Surely we cant possibly communicate with Mauritius using our original identities, right? Chen Chen leaned back in his chair speechlessly. It must be said that this was one flaw of a power-sharing assembly. To borrow the names of the four continents and at the same time closely unite the four continents, Chen Chen had invested quite a lot. Now he had indeed borrowed the power of the four continents, but it felt like they were working against a conflict of interests. This new organization would take more than just a day or two to run smoothly. Without any alternative, Chen Chen had to say, 01, your mindset is wrong. Oh? 01 raised his head somewhat unexpectedly in surprise. Our foundation is indeed just in its infancy. Both funds and manpower are seriously inadequate. Chen Chen spread his hands and said sternly, Moreover, the Blacklight Foundation is more like an extension of the authority of the four continents. Its a truly international military organization. I dont think the four continents and Blacklight Biotechnology are completely separate forces. We should be more like a family Everyone was taken aback when they heard this. I know that your identities are all inextricably linked to the institutions behind you, but have you ever considered that your positions have a time limit? What if that limit is up? Chen Chen said patiently and earnestly, The Blacklight Foundation is different. The positions of us supervisors hold real power. After your presidential term is over, if theres still this layer of real power shrouding you, is it not a kind of more generous political bargaining chip? So, I think that the four continents should establish a department that can liaise with the Blacklight Foundation. Even in some countries that havent signed the Blacklight Foundation Agreement, we can successfully get the Blacklight Foundation to run its mission locally through the procedures of that liaising department. After all, some crises cannot be alleviated. After saying all this, Chen Chen looked at everyone sincerely. Not a bad idea at all After a short silence, 03 suddenly spoke slowly, Although Im not the person you think of, I can indeed represent his interest, but on the condition that The Blacklight Foundation must be truly empowering. Yes, its difficult to increase the number of departments in vain and its difficult to get our Congress to approve. After all, in the Northern In our continent, my word isnt the law. 01 also echoed. But 05s idea is very good and it can be discussed further. As for now, since 05 has said this, then Im willing to contact the Mauritian government in a public capacity and ask them to authorize and cooperate with the task force of our Blacklight Foundation for now. Me too. Seconded Seconded! Everyone expressed their stance. As such, the first operation meeting of the Blacklight Foundation came to an end in such a discussion. Then, everyones figures flashed and disappeared in their respective positions. Chen Chen was the last to leave the venue. After he left the holographic conference, he leaned back on the chair with a gloomy expression, rubbing his temples and pondering silently. Sir Godfather, dont worry. After all, this is only the first meeting, the foundation still needs a little practice Little X comforted him. Please dont take it to heart. I understand. Chen Chen nodded. I had predicted this situation a long time ago, but I have become accustomed to my autocratic rule in Blacklight Biotechnology, so Im still a little miffed with this kind of red tape But you need to assume the name of the four continents. Little X said helplessly, Otherwise, its impossible for the Blacklight Foundation to become a legal military department of the Earth Federation and gain unimpeded access anywhere in the world. Moreover, they havent experienced any crisis, after all, so theyre unlikely to take the Blacklight Foundation seriously. So, we must highlight the role of the foundation! Chen Chen suddenly chuckled. Only when you have experienced war can you understand the preciousness of peace; only when you have suffered humiliation can you understand the truth of might; only when you have experienced pain can you be treated with tenderness. This is the root of human weakness As he spoke, a cold light flashed in Chen Chens eyes. He crossed his hands on the table and muttered in a low voice, So, its time for the world to experience pain The Indian Ocean nights in June were often calm. On this day, several patrol boats cruised on the high seas somewhere in the Indian Ocean. This area was calm and without waves, but as the sun went down, a strange large light spot gradually emerged. If any tourists saw it at this time, they would notice that this huge light spot was the supernatural phenomenon that had been the latest viral topic recently. However, the video was ultimately said to be falsified by netizens. No one expected that it existed. However, this sea area had been closed off by the waterways of various countries for various reasons. Over at least one month, no cruise ships or cargo ships would pass through this area. These patrol boats were also marked with the flag of the African island country Mauritius. At this time, on the deck of one of the patrol boats, two coast guards were chatting with cigarettes in their mouths. Firelight gleamed on their faces, illuminating their cheeks, and their rough skin eroded by sea breeze could be vaguely seen. Jace, have you heard that a new bar on the Lynn Wharf has recently opened, its owned by some bumpkin. After our duty, how about going there to unwind? Of course, but I dont know what the expenses of the new bar are like. If the price is too high, I will not go. I still like the atmosphere of the Simpson Bar. Come on Jace, its not like I dont know you. Its not that you like the atmosphere of the Simpson Bar. Rather, you like the dancer Emily there? Hahaha, so youve noticed As the two of them laughed, suddenly, something seemed to flash past the corner of one of their eyes. He turned his head subconsciously but saw that he was next to the huge light spot. At this time, the ship was parked in front of the light spot, which looked like a second moon, even overshadowing the misty moonlight. What are you looking at, Jace, havent you seen enough of this spot after watching it for a few days? No, I thought I saw something flying into the spot just now. Are you sure? Could it be a seabird? If theres an abnormality, we must report it. Its possible that my eyes were playing tricks on me Both of them were not too concerned about this. At this time, on the other side of the Rosen bridge, Chen Chen had already set foot in the land of Resident Evil again, but now, unlike the last time he came, the entire world was empty. Whether it was the wreckage of the Blackwatch Cruise or the distant buildings, all had disappeared without a trace. Likewise, the Hive laboratory underground had vanished as well. Chen Chen flew into the sky along the light spot, then circled once. After that, he nodded with satisfaction. After a few days, those nanomites had devoured all man-made traces within a radius of thousands of miles. Seeing this, Chen Chen thought that it was good enough. He directly pressed the buttons of the two kill switch devices and immediately, the two groups of nanomites that had swallowed countless substances finally died and disappeared into dust on the ground. However, Chen Chen did more than just this. He flew over the pit where the Hive had once been and suddenly took out a few transparent Petri dishes. These Petri dishes were only the size of a palm and were transparent throughout, but what was strange was that in each of these Petri dishes, there was a lump of something that looked like meat. These lumps of meat were red all over and they pulsated slowly in the petri dish as if breathing. At the same time, one could even see the dense cloak of tentacles extending around the meat This appearance was disgusting. When any normal person saw this mass of flesh and blood, they would experience an inexplicable heart palpitation and even suspect that this must have come from hell. At this time, Chen Chen used Field to open the lid of the first petri dish and threw the weird lump of meat together with the petri dish, into the big pit left by the Hive. Even so, this was not the end. Next, Chen Chen started flying at full speed in mid-air. At this time, his flying speed was no longer inferior to the worlds top fighter planes. In less than an hour, he found a vast forest and then Chen Chen threw the second petri dish In this way, Chen Chen spent an entire night flying to a dozen positions and even dropped Petri dishes in some urban ruins. After throwing these things throughout the night, he returned to the light spot with satisfaction and then suddenly turned around and looked at this already desolate world. During the sowing of the seeds, he also tried to find survivors, but perhaps because this place was close to ground zero of the outbreak, Chen Chen did not find a single survivor on the map of Northern America. He only found some traces of past survivors but the people themselves were already gone. In addition, some zombies had been found, but the number of zombies was also very small. After all, decades had passed since the outbreak. Most of the zombies had long since disappeared and the small number of surviving zombies had lain down and entered a deep sleep state in shady areas with slower air currents. It was only when humans passed by them during their lifetime that these zombies would be awakened again like the living dead, hot on the heels of the survivors. There was a higher chance they would stay dormant until the last vestiges of nutrients in their body ran out and they died completely. Long ago, Chen Chen had asked his team to experiment with the effect of T-virus. They finally came to the conclusion: T-virus was like a program that could restart the human brain whose brain cells had not yet died and place human beings in a state of extremely low energy consumption. In this state, the zombies could remain active for months or even years, but it depended on the environment. If the nutrition was insufficient for a long time, the zombies would also starve to death and if the zombies were injured, the wound would become inflamed and purulent. Necrosis would also occur but this process was longer than that of a living person. As for the T-virus brain cells, this was not unscientific because in reality, scientists had carried out similar examples. They connected a pig head that had been dead for five or six hours to a special blood delivery system. Through this device, artificial blood was pumped into the pigs brain to deliver nutrients and oxygen to the pigs brain cells. The result was Part of the brain cells in the pigs brain was resurrected from the dead. Some neurons showed synaptic activity and some brain cells restarted the metabolic function, and even the immune system continued to work. This experiment confirmed that the brain, after four hours of death, still had some salvable properties. The brain tissue might survive the body longer than modern medicine had assumed. This was why the T-virus could restart the brain of the dead. Of course, if the death was too long, it was impossible for the T-virus to reanimate the corpse. At this time, looking at the desolate and decivilized world in front of him, Chen Chen shook his head slightly. The first lunar manned spacecraft of Blacklight Biotechnology was about to launch and the next step was to land on Mars and Europa, to pave the way for the following colonization of space. This was insurance against the demise of humankind. Moreover, the establishment of the Blacklight Foundation was also another insurance. In addition, Chen Chen and Blacklight Biotechnology behind him was yet another layer of insurance. With these three layers of insurance protection, the world he was in would not follow the same path of Resident Evils dimension Thinking of this, Chen Chen used the cloaking device to return to the real world. Three days later, two transport ships of moderate tonnage, under the escort of the only two small warships in Mauritius, slowly set out for the area under the light spot. The two transport ships were loaded with cranes and some unnamed equipment. They were not so much transport ships, but more like scientific exploration ships. On these transport ships, there were many soldiers in strange outfits. These people were uniformly dressed in black combat uniforms, holding all kinds of overpowered firearms in their hands. Their ethnicities were of all sorts and they mixed around with each other. The reason these people were called soldiers was that they all bore the logo of the Earth Federation United Army and it was only the Earth Federation United Army that would have so many races mixed together. As the ships approached the light spot, one of the ships cranes lifted a device with a unique shape and a long cable attached to it. It looked like a massive camera. Were they going to make a movie? Chapter 498 - : Exploring the Other World Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Those from the Mauritian military were invited to wait at the border. To put it nicely, they were needed to seal off the outer waters. To put it less nicely, those who were supposed to stay out of this should just stay out. Although they felt a little indignant, they were only a small island country after all. Faced with the United Army, they could only obey with their tails between their legs. On the surface, these new soldiers were under the banner of the United Army, but in fact, their real identity was the special task force of the Blacklight Foundation, a special force independent of the armies in all countries of the world. They were even independent of the Earth Federation. This group of people came from the special forces of the four main continents. They had to go through a series of selection processes and each person had signed a special confidentiality agreement. Not only was their salary several times that of ordinary soldiers, but their identity must also be hidden whether from relatives, friends or even family members. They could only call themselves a part of the United Army, not the Blacklight Foundation task force. At this time, as the two ships moored at the bottom of the light spot, the crane-like machine on the ship began to reach up and enter the light spot bit by bit. Suddenly, an amazing scene appeared This group of task forces saw that as the cranes mechanical arm lengthened, the strange machine at the top was even slightly submerged in the light spot, but the light spot seemed to become a kind of channel. The part that entered the light spot did not come out on the other side of the light spot at all At once, everyones eyes widened involuntarily in disbelief. When signing the agreement, they were told that they might encounter many incredible supernatural events in the future and their group was created precisely to deal with supernatural events, but an agreement was after all just an agreement. When they saw this kind of thing with their own eyes, the impact on their spirits was still very strong. In charge of this exploration mission were also several mid-level officers selected from various continents, but they had obviously been informed beforehand, so when they saw the camera disappearing into the light spot, they were not too astonished and there was only a hint of wonder in their eyes. Immediately, they were called into the cockpit of the ship. At this time, in the cockpit, a huge screen was suspended in the air. Several researchers in white coats were constantly discussing something. When they saw the officers come in, they immediately said, Our landing vehicle has landed on the opposite side of the spot. The judgment of our superiors is correct. This spot is indeed a wormhole, no, more accurately, its an Einstein-Rosen bridge. Is there any danger on the other side of the light spot? A Chinese officer asked instinctively at once. We havent found any so far, you can take a look here. One of the researchers pointed to the huge screen in front of them. What is playing on the screen now is the scene on the other side of the Rosen bridge. We find that neither electromagnetic waves nor air can spread to this side of the Rosen bridge, but theres no problem with greater physical transmission Weve extended the radio detector into the opposite world and then used the radio to control the landing vehicle on the opposite side of the channel. The transceiver is connected to the actual console through a cable, so we dont need to go to the opposite side to maneuver the vehicle on the other side of the Rosen bridge. Everyone looked at the screen and saw that the entire world there was desolate. The dry soil on the ground was directly exposed without the slightest vegetation cover while the sky was blue, and a huge sun was hanging high above. The scene on the screen was not much different from their reality This was the first thought in everyones mind. Our landing vehicle has analyzed the air and soil structure, uh How do I put this? The researcher scratched his unkempt hair and then said with a weird expression, If we hadnt known that this is a Rosen bridge in front of us, we would almost think that the opposite side of the light spot is also the earth because whether its the air or the soil, its the same as Earth. So, we dont need to wear protective gear and can directly enter the opposite side of the passage? Another officer from Northern America asked. Not so The researcher hurriedly said, Were still testing the microorganisms on the other side. If the microorganisms in the opposite world are different, you still need to wear protective clothing when you enter the light spot because we dont know what the composition of their microbial world is like and whether its harmful to the human body. Okay then. Everyone nodded without comment. Then, the footage on the screen continued to move and the landing vehicle, as the main point of view, continued to explore in all directions, but no matter which direction it faced, it was endlessly desolate, as empty as a desert. One hour, five hours, ten hours Ten hours later, when the sky was filled with the sunset, the power of the landing vehicle was finally about to run out. It returned to the light spot from a few kilometers away and the charging port that was passed through the light spot from the ship started the charging process. It has been exploring for ten hours, but nothing has been found. One researcher was a little embarrassed. The biggest discovery is some plants. These plants are Earth species and are even very common on Earth, and the microbiological test didnt find any microorganisms beyond the scope of the earth Could it be that the other side of the light spot is someplace on the earth? Suddenly, an officer asked. This is impossible. Another balding researcher who was older replied immediately, Because we can judge according to the time zone. The Republic of Mauritius is in UTC+04:00. Now our time here is 7 oclock in the evening and the opposite side is in the afternoon. The time difference is about 3 hours. It can be seen that the other side should be in UTC+08:00, that is, part of Mainland China and the Oceania Continent. However, the geomorphic structure on the opposite side does not correspond and neither does the measured sun angle, not to mention that no similar light spot has been found on the two continents, which refutes the possibility that the opposite side of the light spot is on Earth Hearing this lengthy answer, the officer felt a headache coming on and shut up quickly. The test results have come out. At this moment, a researcher hurriedly walked over and he handed the report in his hand to everyone in front of the screen. However, after seeing the test results, everyone had a strange look in their eyes. Are you sure there are no errors? The bald researcher could not help but question. This is the most detailed analysis. If this is all wrong, then geographers might as well give up on their field. The researcher beside shook his head. Unexpectedly, the opposite of the passage turned out to be Hearing this, several military officers immediately came up and looked at the paper. As the most direct operatives, they naturally had the right to inspect such secrets. Still, when these people saw the results of the report, they were all dumbfounded According to the solar elevation angle, light and shadow measurement, geological inspection, and geomagnetic field analysis, the final diagnosis determined: The location opposite the Einstein-Rosen bridge is in Oregon, Northern America, with a latitude and longitude of approximately 42-46N 117- 124W. The other side of the light spot was in Northern America? Impossible! The officer from the Northern America Continent immediately shouted angrily, Impossible, the Northern America Continent is located in UTC?04:00 to UTC?08:00. Its now in the early morning. How could it be Northern America? Calm down, Captain Alan. The bald researcher immediately explained, We didnt say that the opposite of the light spot is the location of Northern America in reality, but the location of Northern America in another world, understand? Professor Will is right, we all know that the other side is not Northern America. The officer from China also comforted him. Following everyones explanation, the officer from the Northern America Continent calmed down. Now that the microorganisms have also been tested, shall we go in? Another officer from the North Sea Continent suddenly asked. Although no abnormal microorganisms were detected, its a different world on the other side after all. We have to be on our guard. The Chinese officer immediately retorted, I think its safer to wear protective clothing. Thats right, we have only explored an area with a radius of ??dozens of kilometers and we dont know anything about the world on the opposite side of the light spot. Many researchers were also unanimous in this. Thus, in the evening, the task forces on the two ships finally got into action. They brought all kinds of marching supplies and then entered the light spot through the raised fire ladder. The lieutenant from China in charge was named Li Qiang. After intensive assessment and subsequent selection into the foundations task force, he had maintained extremely excellent results. At this time, the foundation had sent him as one of the lieutenants for this operation after careful deliberations. At this moment, he watched a task force soldier climb up the fire ladder and then try putting his hand and arm into the light spot. After that, the soldier boldly pushed half of his body in until he disappeared completely. The scene was a bit surprising at first, but as more people entered, everyone gradually became bolder. Finally, the four officers from the four continents also entered one after another, leaving only a few team members here as support. When passing into the light spot, Li Qiang felt momentary suffocation from the vacuum and at the same time, his vision went dark as if he had completely lost all light source. Still, in the next second, everything returned to normal again. His feet had already stepped onto the world opposite the light spot. Unlike their reality where the light spot was located at an altitude of about forty meters, at this time, on the other side, the light spot was level with the ground. Once they crossed the light spot, it was easy to find a balance point. As soon as he stepped onto the ground, two soldiers stretched out their hands and pulled Li Qiang away from where he stood. Li Qiang turned around subconsciously and he saw someone stepping over through the light spot, staggering a while, then regaining his footing. This is another world Li Qiang looked around into the distance. It was a wasteland around him. Forget about traces of life, even plants were pitifully rare. Perhaps it was an illusion, but in Li Qiangs mind, the entire world exuded an air of death. This is the world across the light spot, its desolate At this moment, another officer suddenly sighed and then he looked at the other three people. Guys, how about we use the light spot as the base and each one of us takes one direction for further exploration? Yes. Ive thought of that too. Without thinking much, everyone agreed. As a result, the four officers were assigned their respective bearings. Mainland China would take the east, Northern America would take the west, the European Continent would take the south, and the North Sea Continent would take the north. Each of the four groups would have some members stay behind to set up camp while the rest probe into the directions of their respective divisions. In this operation, the foundation sent a total of 80 people with 20 people from each continent. It had to be said that even if they were from the same foundation task force, the four teams still could not be completely integrated and they all acted on their own. In addition to historical reasons, the greater reason was that each continent did not trust the others. Everyone was afraid that if an officer from one continent was in command, it was very likely that the soldiers from other continents would be used as cannon fodder. Therefore, since no one could trust each other, they might as well do their own thing without disturbing each other. This resulted in a situation where there were four highest operative officers. At this time, the officer of the North Sea Continent was leading his group to explore the north, but because of the endless stretch of distance, everyone was not too nervous. They were wearing protective clothing, talking and laughing along the way. After a march for two hours, when the sky was approaching evening, the officer commanded everyone to stop. Now the sky is getting dark. Everyone, rest in place. When the vanguard returns from their exploration, well return to the camp. Everyone sat down. Some sang songs and some chatted with each other. If they were not wearing protective masks, these people would even want to have a drink. However, something strange happened. About half an hour later, the officer of the North Sea Continent looked at his watch but the vanguard still had not returned to give a report. Supposedly, the vanguard must come back every half an hour. Thinking of this, the officers expression suddenly changed. He took out the walkie-talkie. Calling Porcupine, calling Porcupine, this is Team East Crow. Crackle crackle In the walkie-talkie, there was only a rustle of static. There was no answer other than that. Chapter 499 - Mysterious Infection After the officer led the second and third squad on the road for 20 minutes, he finally stopped at one spot. Report, according to the footprints, Porcupine has gone missing here! Another scout who was in charge of exploring the road crouched and looked at the footprints on the ground, and then looked forward. However, the place that the row of footprints finally led to was a huge deep pit in front This deep pit was about two or three hundred meters in diameter and it had an area of seven or eight football fields. It was like a geological collapse arising from a hollowness in the ground, so the surface eventually caved in. The previous scouts footprints disappeared at the edge of the pit. Seeing this scene, the officer immediately stretched out his fist and made a gesture to stop and be on alert. The other members a dozen meters away immediately stopped and formed a defensive gun formation in a circle. At this, the officer ordered the scout to join him in slowly approaching the edge of the pit ahead. The two did not move quickly but inching forward with their guns. Before they even approached, the officer suddenly had an idea. He took out a palm-sized drone and then brought out a remote control the thickness of a finger to maneuver the drone. Immediately, the drone flew toward the deep pit with a low rustle. At once, on the night vision goggles worn by everyone, a screen popped up, and the drones footage began to play. As the drone slowly got closer, everyone gradually saw the side of the pit, but they noticed that on the opposite edge of the pit a few hundred meters away, there seemed to be squirming bright red things. Some of those squirming things resembled pythons and some resembled the tentacles of some kind of creature. What the h*ll The officer treaded even more lightly. He raised his gun to his eye level at the same time. While warily approaching the edge of the pit, he stared at the drone on the split-screen. However, before the drone had completely flown over the pit, suddenly, a blood-red thing struck out from the pit. Before the drone could evade it, it was brought down with a whoosh! At the same time, a huge red tentacle suddenly sprang out from the edge of the pit and it struck in the direction of the two men like lightning! Fire! The officer roared and pulled the trigger again and again, but the electromagnetic rifle in his hand did not produce the loud familiar bangs. Instead, it was a series of low buzzing noises and when the sound passed by their ears, the big tentacle rushing toward them had exploded in response, and a row of holes, each the size of a human head, was punched into the tentacle! Splatter splatter Suddenly, the bright red flesh exploded as if it could not do anything else. The tentacle could not withstand the force and finally burst open right in the middle abruptly! Blood splashed on the officer and the other scout! Fortunately, the two wore tight protective clothing, so they were not injured. Snap! The tentacle slowly retracted and at the same time, the other half of the tentacle fell at the feet of the two of them like rotten flesh. Even so, before the two of them could heave a sigh of relief, a few more tentacles whipped out from the edge of the pit, and the officers heart tightened. His hand instinctively pulled the trigger of the electromagnetic rifle, forming a storm of bullets in front of the two! Buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz Three tentacles exploded in thin air but the remaining two still broke through the bullet-proof barrier. One of them wrapped around the scout and with a flick, the scout was thrown into the pit before he could utter a cry! The remaining one was wrapped around the officers body, but it happened to be blocking the muzzle of the electromagnetic rifle. In the next second, before the tentacle could exert its strength, it was snapped and blown off! The officer had a near brush with death and was instantly drenched in a cold sweat from the fright. He retreated quickly without thinking further, and at this time, the group behind him finally came to the officer and shredded the remaining tentacles one by one! Huff, huff, huff There was a tremble in the officers eyes. He led the crowd to retreat a hundred meters before stopping. The tentacles that stretched out from the deep pit also had a limited sensing range. After detecting that their targets had disappeared, they drew back calmly. Captain, are you okay? At this time, someone looked at the officer who was still shell-shocked but then found that the sleeve of the officers protective suit was torn off by the tentacle just now. Not only was it torn, but even part of the skin and flesh of the arm under the protective suit had been torn off, exposing a bloody wound below. Its okay, its just a superficial injury The officer waved his hand and allowed the part-time medical soldier to take out a bottle of wound adhesive and sprayed it on his wound. Soon, the wound was covered by a layer of glue and the bleeding stopped at the same time. The officer only felt that the burning pain suddenly eased a lot and was replaced by a cool sensation. This wound adhesive was from the biological department of Blacklight Biotechnology. It contained disinfectant. Not only could it clean and disinfect the wound, but it also formed a nano-layer of protective film, which was breathable, able to stop bleeding, and aid healing. It was just that the price was too outrageous. Only wealthy foundations in the world could afford it. What kind of monster is in that deep pit A soldier next to him could not help but ask, Is it a native creature of this world? Probably The officer nodded. Bearing the pain, he took out the walkie-talkie and adjusted it to a channel that the other three teams could hear. This is Team East Crow. Were now at coordinates 145.436.053. Just now we encountered an enemy. Ill send you the video we took, please come here immediately. I repeat, please come here immediately! After saying all this, he pressed the button of the walkie-talkie, connected the camera device on his head to the walkie-talkie, and then sent the video directly. To be safe, everyone withdrew another 100 meters. Anyway, the tentacles in the deep pit did not look like intelligent life, so everyone started to set up camp, leaving only two soldiers to be on the lookout. The officer sat in front of the camp and touched the wound on his arm. Even so, for some reason, a strong sense of hunger suddenly gripped his stomach. He was so hungry that he was dizzy as if he had low blood sugar. This feeling came out of nowhere. Everyone had eaten a full meal before entering this world. Although a few hours had passed at this time, he should not be so hungry. However, just in case, the officer took out a highly concentrated glucose injection from his backpack and stuck it in through the closed rubber opening on the side of his protective suit. After the nutrition needle was injected, the officer felt his hunger diminish significantly. He touched the wound on his arm again and he could not help feeling a little nervous. After all, he had been exposed and now he could only pray that the air in this world was not toxic Everything that the officer encountered was not only passed on to the other three teams but also to the temporary transfer base in front of the light spot. Then, the news was passed along the fiber optic cable through the Rosen bridge and sent to the command ship in the real world. Following that, the group of researchers started a fierce discussion about the huge tentacles in the video. Several of them trembled with excitement, yelling that they must get some samples of the tentacles because this would be the first time humans discovered alien life in history No, rather, it was life from another world. Immediately, orders were sent out one by one, and again passed through the optical cable into the world on the opposite side of the light spot, and then passed to everyones walkie-talkie. D*mn it! Seeing all kinds of outrageous commands on the walkie-talkie screen, the officer almost had an urge to thrash the walkie-talkie. The inhumane researchers not only asked for the flesh and blood samples of that tentacle monster but also said that it was best to catch a tentacle alive to see what kind of monster was behind the tentacles. This bunch of people did they not realize that his team had just lost two soldiers? At this time, about three hours had passed and the sky was getting dark. A shining round moon rose in the east, illuminating the entire land. In this alien world without any traces of humans, the moonlight was unexpectedly moving, creating a poetic, picturesque image of the full moon rises over the sea, we share this moment across the horizon[1]. Of course, it would be better if there was no deep pit and that group of weird tentacles. Just when everyone was feeling rueful, there was a rustling sound from the walkie-talkie, and a voice came. Team Columbus has reached the coordinate position and is currently located directly behind you. Before this voice was finished, another voice followed. Team Zheng He has arrived at the target location and is currently at 3 oclock relative to Team East Crow. Everyone was overjoyed and quickly looked behind them. As expected, two light spots were slowly approaching in the night, from 3 oclock and directly behind them. When the three teams were close enough, all sides exchanged the secret signal before they assembled properly. At this point, the Northern America, North Sea Continent, and Mainland China teams had gathered in one place, and only the European team had not yet arrived. Still, this was also inevitable. At that time, the North Sea Continent team had chosen to explore the north and the European Continent team was in the south. The two teams were the furthest apart, and naturally, Europe would be the last to arrive. Hows it going, have you collected the tentacle samples that the research department requested? The captain of Northern America asked immediately. Ive got it. The officer took out a transparent glass box with a few bloody pieces in it. But we cant get the live tentacles requested by them. Maybe both your teams can give it a try. Youre hurt? Li Qiang, the leader of Team Zheng He from China, suddenly saw the wound on the officers arm. Since youve been exposed to this other world, you should return to the camp immediately and return to our reality for isolation treatment according to the regulations. To h*ll with isolation treatment! The officer of the North Sea Continent could not help but angrily say, I know my own body, theres no problem! With that said, he took out a highly concentrated glucose injection and injected it into his body. I hope so. Seeing the other partys resistance to isolation treatment, Li Qiang shrugged and did not continue to persuade him. Then, the three of them waited for a while again until the European team also arrived. When the four teams were all here, they officially began to discuss countermeasures. What they had to do was very simple, that was to collect information about these tentacles and this pit as much as possible, and then send it to the higher-ups, so that the foundation could grasp as much information about this other world as possible. Not only that, but also, as the first batch of pioneers, as long as they could be sure that they were able to survive in this other world without being harmed by insurmountable forces, then naturally, there would be more task force members coming, and even troops from the four continents. Also, there was news from the rear that helicopters, armored vehicles, and even the engineering team were already on the way here, and they would arrive tomorrow. By then, everyone would have a higher guarantee of surviving. After some discussions, the other three teams also launched their own drones one by one. Learning from what happened to Team East Crow, they knew that the tentacles seemed to be able to sense the vibrations of the air, so all three drones flew extremely high, completely suspended tens of meters high in the sky over the pit. Finally, the inside of the pit could be seen clearly. The diameter of this pit was more than 300 meters and the inside looked very deep and dark. Even the night vision equipment could not make out the bottom. Without seeing it, one would not know, but upon seeing it, one would have a fright through the drones camera lens, the edges of the hole could be seen to be swarming with tentacles! These tentacles came from the depths of the soil on the edge of the hole, like hairs made of flesh and blood growing from the side. The only difference was that, unlike animal hair, these hairs were all living things, wriggling like maggots. Any disturbance was enough to trigger their attack. Through the night vision device, the pit in the black and white image was like the entrance to hell. The dense clusters of flesh were disturbing and disgusting as could be. Then, everyone tried to test these tentacles in other ways. They used flares and incendiary bombs and then found that these tentacles did not respond to light at all. Instead, several incendiary bombs exploding upon the tentacles could arouse the tentacles alertness. Once they found themselves being burned, those tentacles instinctively retracted to the side wall of the hole, causing the incendiary bombs to become ineffective. After collecting certain information, the four teams did not plan to continue exploring. The night was getting deeper and everyone was wrapped in protective clothing so they could not relieve themselves nor sleep. Thus, after some discussions, the four teams again returned from where they came. After an hour of rushing, the four foundation task forces returned to the entrance. At this time, a group of XTN engineering robots had built a large disinfection room and living area. This was all made of special airtight materials. Once erected, it was extremely sturdy and at the same time, it could completely isolate the outside from the inside. Then, in the disinfection room at the door, everyone took off the protective clothing that they had worn for a day and then checked for unknown infections through blood tests. Only after confirmation that they were fine, they would enter the living area and recover inside. It was not until the team leader of the North Sea Continent entered that he took off his protective clothing rather feebly, instantly revealing a pale, sweaty face. The officer touched the sealed wound on his shoulder, then stood in front of the disinfection spout and silently allowed several kinds of disinfectant to be sprayed over his body. Then, he walked to the blood-sampling device and anxiously allowed it to pierce his finger. A few seconds later, a green light flashed on the screen of the blood-sampling device, and a mechanical voice resounded, No. 04564, no signs of microbial infection were found. Entry allowed! Phew! Seeing this, the officer felt a weight lifted off him. He heaved a silent sigh of relief, put on the clothes provided in the disinfection room somewhat joyously, and walked into the living area like a pardoned man. However, when he turned around, one could still see a dense circle of faint red rash on the shoulder blades on his back. At the same time, a smear of blood was slowly permeating through the fabric [1] Lines from a famous poem by Zhang Jiuling Chapter 500 - Spread The captain of the task force sent by the North Sea Continent was named Boris. In the culture of the North Sea Continent, this name meant fighting tirelessly for glory. His father wanted him to fight like a great man. At this time, Boris walked out of the disinfection room, put on the prepared uniform, and walked into the living area. Hey, Captain Boris, Im really glad to see you. Seeing Boris walking in without any problems, several of his subordinates breathed a sigh of relief, and completely let go of their worries because the fact that he was allowed in meant that he was not infected and was completely healthy. Lets stop talking about this, take me to the cafeteria. However, Boris only turned pale. He waved his hand and walked directly into the cafeteria. At this time, there was already a group of people in the cafeteria eating heartily. After all, after a day of activities, everyone was hungry. There was an XTN robot chef in front of the cafeteria. At this time, seeing Boris and the others arrive, it immediately stretched out its six hands to serve the food out the window and placed the servings neatly on the windowsill. After this, Boris seemed to be mad with hunger. He rushed up like a wild dog, took the high-calorie food in front of him, and sat on a chair to eat ravenously. Captain Boris, it looks like youre really hungry. Everyone was laughing and chattering. Boris completely ignored all of this. The living area here was a bridgehead in the other world. Naturally, living conditions were absolutely without problems. The food provided was enough for any big guy to eat his fill. The only requirement was not to waste. So, Boris ate three portions directly and stopped only when it appeared that his stomach was almost unable to hold more food. Then, thanks to his privileges as an officer, he took his own key and arrived at the single dormitory under the guidance of an android. As soon as he saw the bed, Boris felt the fatigue of a lifetime washing over him. He climbed onto the bed without thinking about it, and fell into a deep sleep as soon as his head hit the pillow Ding-dong, ding-dong! Who knew how long it was before an alarm rang by his ears and he slowly opened his eyes. However, immediately, he felt a scorching sensation assaulting him. Every muscle and bone in his body was aching, making him grimace constantly. At the same time, there was a sticky feeling on his body. Boris slowly got up from the bed. He looked at his bed with dazed eyes, but when he got a good look, his pupils suddenly shrank! He saw that his bed was stained with large patches of blood spots. These blood spots were densely packed and some had even spread into one large swathe, clearly printed on the bed sheet underneath. How could this be? Boris wore a look of horror. He quickly raised his head and saw that a mirror had been considerately placed on the wall. He rushed up hurriedly and immediately saw his appearance at this time. At this time, Boris face was pale and it looked very swollen. His entire body seemed to be twice as fat and small sarcomas had appeared on his face and body! When he saw these sarcomas, Boris almost collapsed. He stared at the sarcomas on his face and then stretched out his hand to touch them. These sarcomas were extremely painful to the touch, causing him to gasp continuously. Moreover, as he touched them, something seemed to be slowly wriggling inside! !!! Boris looked even more horrified. How could this be, I did a test, I didnt get any infection, why, why did it become like this! With that, he leaned directly on the wall, breathing heavily, and at the same time, the index fingers of both hands quickly squeezed toward the sarcoma. He wanted to squeeze out the contents inside! The tips of these sarcomas opened and closed as if they were breathing. He took a deep breath and then suddenly exerted force through his hands. A sudden violent stab of pain hit him, making him dizzy However, he squeezed out something. It was a slender tail that looked like a worm. It was squeezed out due to the immense pressure and it squirmed twice in front of his eyes, and then withdrew again! Ah, d*mn it!!! Boris let out an exclamation. He angrily hammered the mirror in front of him. With a loud crack, the mirror shattered directly and dropped to the ground. However, at this moment, the ding-dong sound came again, and Boris looked blankly in the direction of the sound. Only then did he see that the sound came from a speaker on the ceiling. This was the wake-up call. As if something had occurred to him, Boris suddenly looked utterly disheartened. Instead of opening the door, he staggered back to the bed and pressed a red emergency button next to him. Hello Captain Boris, this is the artificial intelligence system no. X2532, codenamed Anna. How may I be of service? A cold mechanical female voice came from the overhead speakers. Im requesting isolation. Boris twitched his lips and finally said, I have some kind of abnormal infection and need to be quarantined urgently. The living area of the North Sea Continent also needs to be quarantined Received. Ill report your request, please stay calm Immediately, the green light in front of the gates of the North Sea Continent task forces living area flashed, turning from green to red in an instant. At the same time, all the gates emitted a clicking sound, which was the sound of the airlock closing. In an instant, the living area on the North Sea Continent became a quarantine area. Meanwhile, a harsh siren resounded over the entire base! Infection? Almost at the same time, on the two scientific research ships, many researchers immediately received the news. The bald researcher immediately walked to the big screen. With a wave of his hand, the screen displayed a cramped row of camera footage. At present, only one sign of infection has been found. The sign occurred in the living area of the East Crow task force. The situation may be somewhat serious. A researcher beside reported to the bald researcher. The bald researcher looked at the information sent to him and immediately issued an order, Seal off the entire living area at once. Not only the living area of the East Crow task force but all the living areas! At the same time, order the members of the task force who are standing guard at the base to not enter the living areas again, and no one is allowed to return to our reality! All living areas have been sealed off. Suddenly, a feminine mechanical voice came from inside the cabin. It was the artificial intelligence, Anna. At present, there are 82 task force soldiers, 35 logistics researchers, 100 androids, and 56 XTN robots in the four major living areas of A, B, C, and D. Very good. The bald researcher tapped on one of the cameras footage and said, Display the feed showing the dormitory of Captain Boris of Team East Crow for me. Following the instruction of the researcher, among the densely packed surveillance feeds on the screen, one of the images was immediately enlarged to cover the others. All of a sudden, everyone saw the terrifying scene On the edge of the bed, a man with a sarcoma-filled face was holding a shard of broken mirror, constantly cutting his face. Every time he cut, he would cut off a piece of meat from his face. Furthermore, perhaps he had gone numb or something, but currently, though he was bleeding all over his face, he looked extremely serene, like a ghost from hell. Seeing this eerie scene, everyone was stunned. Make him stop now. Hell bleed to death if this continues. The bald researcher frowned, suddenly thought of something, and at the same time commanded, Anna, send an android and an XTN robot to treat him and also turn on the communications. I want to talk to this captain. Understood. The medical robot is on its way and the communications are connected The voice of the intelligent AI Anna continued and the bald man looked at everyone behind him. After everyone was completely silent, he turned his head and looked at the screen again. Captain Boris, can you hear me? I can The officer suddenly heard this voice and his body shuddered. He quickly looked up and displayed a pleading expression. Im infected, come and save me! Captain, please stay calm. The bald researcher said solemnly, Im Professor Will. Weve only met recently. Dont worry, the foundation will not give up on any soldier, but now I have a few questions to ask you. Hearing the words, Boris nodded, his mangled face revealing a hint of joy. Professor Will, ask away, Ill tell you everything, everything! With that expression and the blood on his face, Boris looked a little creepy at this time. Very good, then Ill ask. Professor Will looked stern. I just checked the test record from when you entered the living area and found that the test report stated, No signs of microbial infection found. What is the reason? Did you use any means to conceal the infection or were you infected after entering the living area? No, neither! Hearing this, Boris stood up quickly and he said in alarm, I didnt conceal it. It did show that I wasnt infected. I dont know why this happened. Save me! Hearing that Boris was babbling incoherently, Professor Will continued. Well, Captain Boris, please relax. Were not blaming you. Then, the next question are you sure that the infection is due to your arm wound? Wound? Boris was taken aback. He realized that after waking up, his entire body was in pain, so he ignored the wound on his arm from yesterday. Thinking of this, he hurriedly pulled away his sleeve to expose his arm! Tsss! They only saw that the wound on Boris arm was covered with red sarcomas, which were densely packed like cauliflower or a honeycomb. It turned their scalp numb and they could not look straight at it! It seems that we can determine that the infection was indeed from outside the living area Seeing this, Professor Will murmured in a low voice. At this moment, the airlock of Boris dormitory hissed again and the two XTN robots rushed in directly, and pressed Boris to the ground with overwhelming speed and force! Ah, what are you doing, let me go! In the video, Boris roared, struggling constantly, and a lot of blood spilled over the entire dormitory room! Still, after all, humans could not compete with XTN robots. Soon, one of the robots tied Boris hands behind him and then two more androids came in pushing a negative pressure isolation stretcher. The two robots immediately picked up Boris by his legs and shoulders and shut him completely in the isolation stretcher. Anna, isolate him and treat him with all we have! As for the room, directly destroy it after collecting samples! Professor Will seemed to be worried and exhorted loudly. He then looked down again at the report of yesterdays encounter in his hand. The source of infection for Boris, an excellent task force soldier, was that pile of tentacles yesterday. When Team East Crow got the samples, he had originally wanted the samples shipped to reality for his own study. However, fortunately, this application was rejected by the higher-ups of the foundation. According to what they said, it was best not to bring these alien things back to reality until all their properties were figured out. Originally, he thought this was just a big fuss and was even rather miffed. After all, this kind of research would be carried out in a level-4 biosafety laboratory and the probability of leakage was not more than one in 100,000. However, after seeing Boris outcome now, he only felt a chill run down his spine, and his limbs had gone soft. Such a terrible thing should go to hell and must not appear in the real world! Fortunately, fortunately This thought flashed in his heart and then Professor Will said again, Anna, inform Dr. Edward that he should prepare to turn on the VR control setting, then he should personally use the XTN robot to perform surgery on Captain Boris. Understood. Anna answered quickly. After Boris rescue was arranged, Professor Will returned his gaze to the living areas again. Anna, have you found any signs of infection in the four living areas of A, B, C, D? Detecting. With this answer from the artificial intelligence Anna, the original surveillance feed of Boris was once again sized down and at the same time, rows of new surveillance footage popped up, showing the task force members of all continents who were sitting around restlessly in the dormitory. As the entire living area was quarantined, the members of the East Crow task force were all quarantined in the dormitory. Boris was a captain, so he had the privilege of a single dormitory room. However, these squad members had no such thing and they had four people in a small, shared dormitory. However, following Annas inspection, Will only saw a red box suddenly appearing on the screen. This box framed the neck of a member of the East Crow task force and then zoomed in continuously with the red box in the center! Finally, a bright red dot on the neck of the soldier now appeared on the screen! Immediately, the artificial intelligence swiftly fixed upon this scene and then flipped through the images of the red sarcomas on Boris body. The two pictures were automatically compared. Warning, the similarity is 65% and the probability is determined to be 93%! The probability of transmission of this unknown infection is 93%! Summary: Living Area A where the East Crow task force is located has been completely contaminated! Chapter 501 - New Meme How can this be Looking at the data report on the computer screen, a XTN robot with a screen for its head turned around in a human-like gesture. The cartoon face on its screen turned into a corresponding question mark. Then, the XTN robot hesitantly looked at Captain Boris who was deeply anesthetized, then turned around again and pressed a few buttons on the computer in front of it. At once, the robots voice device made that puzzled remark again. Impossible The robot was still muttering in a low voice. It looked at the computer but saw that it still showed that the DNA and blood samples collected from Boris were all normal. There was no DNA mutation and no microbial infection. The most important thing was that the sample taken from Boris was a cauliflower-like sarcoma with a small hole on it and a drooping tentacle could even be seen in the small hole at this time Its unbelievable! In the end, the robot let out a speechless sigh. Its screen face turned into starry eyes as commonly seen in anime. At the same time, it opened its hands and said, This is not a microbial infection from the other world nor is it any form of parasitism. This is a new form that humans have never seen before! Thats enough, Edward Just then, a heavy, resonant voice suddenly came from behind the robot. At this point, the robot turned around while stretching out a hand to touch its eye. After that, it paused and when it resumed action again, it had reverted to the actions of a stiff robot In the real world at this time, in the laboratory of a huge ship, a middle-aged man of half-Chinese and half-European descent, who had bushy hair and whose hairline had receded to the back of his head, took off his head-mounted AR brain-control device. He looked at Professor Will standing behind him. Whats the matter, old man? How is the situation? Professor Wills mouth twitched slightly but he still asked, Whats the situation? Boris is the leader of the task force and the task force is also the mainstay of the Foundation. Every single person is of incomparable value. I hope you can do your best to treat him. Come on Hearing this, the bushy-haired man sneered. If they wanted to treat him with all theyve got, then the Blacklight Fully-automated Medical Platform would already be on its way here, but is there any such thing? Those pigs dont even want to tell the middle level of the Foundation about the Blacklight Fully-automated Medical Platform. Do you even believe in your own words? Hearing that, Professor Wills mouth pursed even more but he still kept his cool, and said with a chuckle, You cant say that. The Blacklight Fully-automated Medical Platform is a strategic machine comparable to Adam. There are only five of them in the world and you cant manufacture more. Naturally, those extremely precious things cannot be taken out. Still, the fact that youve been asked to come here, Edward, also shows that the assembly highly values these task force members Heh heh heh Even so, after hearing Professor Wills high-sounding words, the man with the bushy hair just laughed humorlessly. He laughed for more than half a minute, only to find that Professor Will was staring at him with an unamused expression. Then Edward turned solemn and said, Its impossible. Ive tried all methods including radiotherapy and chemotherapy, yet I cant inhibit those tumors outside his body Lets call it a tumor for now. This is something beyond the known physiological framework of humankind. I cant even find the cause of his appearance because from a physiological perspective, hes completely fine. Is that right? After hearing this, Professor Will looked somber. No wonder the microbiological test cant detect it The only lucky thing now is that we havent brought them into reality. The bushy-haired man continued. We dont know how infectious this disease is or how its transmitted. If the infection rate reaches the level of a cold, once it appears in reality, humans will be done for because all of our biological knowledge is useless when faced with this! After their conversation, Professor Will silently watched Dr. Edward who had put on the AR brain-control device again and started working. He then went to another room full of electronic equipment and restated everything that Dr. Edward had surmised. The room was full of various known and unknown instruments, and in the center of these instruments was a huge screen. The screen was divided into two parts, one of which showed the various surveillance feeds of Living Area A. Below these feeds, there were five inconspicuous logos of figures with only their upper halves showing. These five logos were marked with 01, 02, 03, 04, and 05 respectively. At this time, below the 01 figure, the straight dotted line turned into a wavy line that was constantly fluctuating and at the same time, a processed voice came out. Weve heard your conversation. At present, it seems that the world on the other side of the Rosen bridge is very dangerous. Yes. Immediately, there was also a wavy line below the 03 figure. 05, do you have any suggestions for us? Does this still need to be said? The 05 figure laughed in a low voice. I said a long time ago that, as we human beings developed, behind anything that doesnt seem too complicated, there may be a crisis of extinction facing mankind. This is the reason for my firm request not to bring the sample back to reality. Youre right. 01 was silent for a while, then said, It seems that the establishment of the foundation was indeed not making a mountain out of a molehill. If this foundation were not around, Im afraid it wouldnt have been the task force that entered the other world, but the armies of all continents. And its very likely that that special infectious disease wouldve also been brought to Earth. Then let us establish a continent-level organization to liaise with the foundation as soon as possible. 05 proposed. Agreed. 01 spoke up. Seconded. Seconded. Seconded All the tiny figures spoke in unison, reaching a decision swiftly. Then the question now is, could this infectious disease be At this moment, 03 suddenly spoke again with hesitation in his tone, Could it be That? However, the expected answer did not come and all the figures fell into silence. After half a minute had passed, 05 spoke again, his voice was low and rather heavy, Based on the information currently known, its certain Yes, its the same thing as the Weeping Angel and This Man, and more lethal. So, is there a solution in the legacy left by that person? 03 asked again. Im very sorry to say that there isnt. After saying that last sentence, the 05 figure changed from black to gray, apparently having gone offline. Seeing this, the other figures also turned gray and finally, only 03 remained online. Professor Will. 03 suddenly said. Sir. Hearing the other party calling him, Will stood up. May I ask what your orders are? I dont have an order but you should be as careful as possible. 03 said, Now the situation is very clear. What you have to do is to instruct everyone to figure out everything about this infectious disease. Even if you cant figure out its pathogenesis, but at least the mode of infection, the infection process, the incubation period, and the outbreak period these must all be figured out and we must come up with corresponding plans for these. For example, if this infectious disease spreads to the entire task force, what should we do? If the infectious disease accidentally spreads to reality, how should we defend against it and block it off? You must prepare for these. Understood! Professor Will nodded his head seriously. This is my duty and also the duty of our foundation. Very good. Ill leave it to you. Hearing Professor Wills assurance, the 03 figure finally turned gray and was completely disconnected. Phew Seeing that everyone had left, Professor Will was slightly relieved. The amount of information revealed in the previous conversation was so mind-blowing that he did not even dare to breathe. Still, his position was of sufficiently high clearance and they did not try to hide things from him, so he picked up on a lot of clues. For example, This Man and Weeping Angel. As far as he knew, these two names were two catastrophic events that had occurred in Northern America. Among them, the This Man incident caused social chaos in Northern America. The collapse of financial and religious systems had caused losses amounting to trillions of dollars in Northern America. The other Weeping Angel incident triggered a disaster in Los Angeles. About a thousand people died in this disaster and he heard that one army was wiped out. The Earth Federation United Front had blamed these two quintessential cases as abnormal events beyond the scientific system. Furthermore, according to the highest-level information in the foundation, they all belonged to something called memes That means Professor Will murmured, This is also a mysterious memetic incident? Hiss Thinking of this, Professor Will could not help but gasp sharply, a look of incomparable horror dawning in his eyes. The four major living areas of A, B, C, and D at the outpost in the other world were all cordoned. Not only were they sealed off but a large number of XTN robots were also transported through the light spot. At the same time, various Mark drones finally arrived in the other world and began patrolling missions in the other sky. Nonetheless, whether drones or robots came, all the task force soldiers trapped in the other world gradually realized that there was no second batch of task force soldiers coming. Drones and robots were just auxiliaries after all. The ones who were truly flexible and adaptable were the fighters trained by the foundation at a huge price. Now, no task force soldier was coming into this world. In that case, whatever the higher-ups were planning, it was becoming clearer Weve been abandoned! 48 hours later. In Living Area A, a task force soldier hammered the wall in front of him severely, even hammering until his skin broke, and some sticky substance was smeared on the wall. D*mn it, they sent us ahead as the vanguard. Now that theres a problem, are they going to just abandon us? Why dont we break out? Theyre using those robots to restrict our movements, humph. I want to see if they dare to command us to be shot! With that, this task force soldier was angrily preparing to rush out of the dormitory door. Dont be rash, Richard! The three companions next to him immediately stood up and stopped him. Its not only us but the other three living areas are also closed down. There are more than 80 of us. Its impossible for the higher-ups to give up on all of us! Someone persuaded. Also, although it has been sterilized, who knows if the air outside the door has been infected by Captain Boris? Do you want to become like Captain Boris with sarcomas all over your body? When talking about this, everyones eyes could not help but flicker in fear. They all saw Captain Boris tragic situation from the androids that came to examine them. No one had thought that, in just one night, Boris, who was originally normal, would end up looking like that. Was he even still a human being Also, I was listening through the wall just now and seem to hear movement in the dormitory next door. At this moment, another task force soldier suddenly spoke in a low voice. He tilted his head and leaned his half-meter-long neck against the wall, leaving behind a sticky red liquid. I heard groaning from the dormitory next door. It sounded like the voices of Barney, Walter, and the others. They seemed to be infected with Captain Boris disease Everyone was alarmed when they heard this and they walked to the wall that the soldier had mentioned, and with loud splats, pressed their ears to it. Its useless, theres no sound anymore. However, the soldier revealed a frustrated look and said in a low voice, Im guessing those in the dormitory next door have been taken away. I dont know how many people have contracted this disease and whether they can survive Suddenly, a deep terror flashed in everyones eyes. Although they were the crme de la crme, they were facing a soul-crushing infectious disease and they were still in an unfamiliar world. The human instinct for survival was infinitely magnified and everyone could not suppress the deep pang of loneliness and fear in their hearts. No, let me go, I want to leave! Finally, the soldier who was clamoring to leave before got up like a madman and he rushed toward the door without thinking! Bang! There was a series of heavy impacts and finally, the dormitory door that could withstand a ton of force was smashed open. However, what he did not expect to see, outside the door that was knocked open, was a scene where Captain Boris and all his comrades were lying in a pool of blood! Standing above them, there was a group of strange-looking XTN robots holding electromagnetic rifles! Seeing the death of his former comrades in arms, the soldier only felt an indescribable fury surging up to his head. He could not help roaring and then barged forward like a lunatic! Well fight them! Seeing this, the rest of the teammates finally went for broke. They howled as they ran out of the dormitory and rushed to the group of XTN robots that were changing their aim! Buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz! Endless sacs of mucus exploded like ketchup and a glimmer of yearning shone in the eyes of the soldier named Richard. His body and the tentacles all over his body were split into fragments, falling to the ground with a loud splatter, wriggling like bugs During the 60th hour after entry into the other world, the East Crow task force of the North Sea Continent was eliminated. Chapter 502 - Investigate Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation A Mark-1 drone circled in mid-air. It flew thousands of kilometers into the distance and only returned when the battery was low. Everything it photographed along the way was automatically compiled by the computer to form a detailed map of the other world. On the other side of the light spot in reality, this sea region had been completely blocked off by warships from the four continents of the Earth Federation. Except for the ships of the foundation, any ships of any other parties were not allowed to approach within a radius of 100 miles of this area. At this time, several survey ships transformed from freighters were parked side by side under the light spot. Countless materials, android, and drones were constantly being transported into the light spot, turning the previous outpost into a sturdier fortress. The purpose for doing this was to prevent possible attacks from other worlds creatures. Currently, many researchers had also been transferred to one of the modified freighters and a large number of research institutes had been built on the flat deck. At this time, a group of researchers was in a hall, looking at the huge suspended screen with great surprise. What the h*ll is this Everyone stared at the picture taken by one of the drones. In the picture, an endless jungle had blanketed the ground, but unlike ordinary jungles, this jungle was all made of flesh and blood. The endless flesh and blood had formed a sea and it was still spreading all the time. It seemed ready to devour the entire world at any time The jungles, mountains and rivers, and even the ruins of a city were all covered by that peculiar flesh and blood. The map has been charted within a radius of thousands of kilometers One of the young researchers came to Professor Will and reported in a low voice, Compared to reality, it has been determined that the location of the Rosen bridge in the other world is Oregon, Northern America, and its many landforms and towns seemed to correspond to the real worlds. The only difference is that these towns have been occupied by that weird flesh and blood. Have you found a living person? Professor Will frowned and asked. No. The researcher shook his head. There are indeed many plants and animals in this world and they are the same as in reality, but there are no traces of human beings or you could say, the endless flesh and blood once used to be At this point, the young researcher did not continue. Professor Will suddenly understood. After studying the earliest batch of flesh and blood, Professor Will discovered that the flesh was composed of human DNA and it was the DNA of many humans. It seemed that countless humans flesh and blood had mixed to form what they encountered today. Its really scary At this moment, a new professor-level researcher came in. He walked to Will and sighed. Will, you should come and see what weve found. There are new discoveries in the living areas. Oh? Will turned his head in surprise. Eugene, what did you find? Youll know soon enough. The professor called Eugene turned around and walked out of the research hall without explaining. Seeing this, Will followed him out. He and Professor Eugene came to a workshop by the side. This workshop was different from the hall earlier. It was specifically responsible for monitoring the outpost. At this time, this workshops screen was showing footage from the four living areas. Living Area A has been completely sealed off and all members of the task force inside have died due to resistance Professor Eugene stated, But before they died, I observed many unusual phenomena. As he said, he tapped the thin air lightly, and suddenly, on the screen suspended above everyones head, the video clip that was recorded before automatically played. In a room full of red secretions, four weird-looking monsters with tentacles and flesh and blood all over their bodies were sitting on their beds like human beings. They were also wearing gray pajamas given by the task force. At this time, their pajamas had already been stained red by the secretions. However, this red was not the dark red of blood but a light red like ketchup and it was more viscous than blood. These four monsters were in non-human form and their necks were stretched to over half a meter long. The faces that once had human features had also become a mass of flesh and blood and it was no longer possible to tell who was who. However, they still seemed to maintain human behavior One of the monsters hit the wall with a tentacle, but the monster next to it stood up and pulled the monster back, seeming to be dissuading it. Another monster placed its head against the wall and then spit out sticky bubbles as if to say something. Then, the other three monsters also came to the wall one after another, copying the actions of the first monster and sticking their heads to the wall. Can you hear what they are saying? Seeing this, Professor Will could not help being a little curious. Their pitch is somewhat like a human pitch, but its vague and indistinguishable. Professor Eugene shook his head. But the amazing thing is that they were communicating in this language and there was no barrier at all. This is incredible In other words, they are likely to still retain a human mind? Professor Wills eyes lit up. No, they dont have a human mind. Professor Eugene sped up the video. Soon, one of the monsters suddenly stood up and slammed into the door with a horrifying roar! Boom! In the video, the door of the dormitory was only hit a few times before being knocked down by a huge impact. Then, the four monsters rushed to the XTN robot guarding the door. Then, the XTN robot started shooting When the shooting ceased completely, all the monsters were pulverized. This is the last dormitory in the Living Area A and those in the rest of the dormitories also died because of the monsters loss of control. Professor Eugene concluded. The members of the task force who are infected and mutated will become very emotionally unstable and will even actively attack XTN robots, yet they show signs of communication similar to those of humans. Im not very sure whether they still retain their consciousness after the mutation. I have some doubts too. Professor Will nodded. If they still keep their consciousness, why dont they cooperate with us but instead attack the robot with the gun? If they dont keep their consciousness, what are they doing when they seem to be communicating? These are all mysteries. After this exchange between the two, the video fast-forwarded again and soon Professor Will discovered that a new and unusual situation had appeared The corpses of the task force that had been shredded into several pieces were fusing at a visible speed. In the end, a new mud-like creature with several monster heads and dozens of arms and tentacles, was formed on the ground! They fused Seeing this scene, Professor Wills pupils shrank even more because no matter how he looked at this puddle of flesh and blood, it looked like the flesh and blood jungle he had seen before. The only difference was that this one was much smaller. The jungle formed by flesh and blood, as expected, was made from humans Professor Eugene said in a deep voice, Will, what do you think? I just want to know how are things in the three living areas of B, C, and D, and are there any signs of infection? None so far. Eugene replied, Weve determined that this infectious disease was brought back by Boris. He brought the infectious disease back to the living area due to his injury, which caused the entire Team East Crow to be infected. Plus, this kind of infectious disease cannot be detected by modern medicine. In addition to the dermatosis-like rash, theres only one other early symptom and that is Hunger. Hunger? Will turned his head. Will the infected person eat a lot? Yes. Professor Eugene nodded. Perhaps its to store energy for their future mutation. My team has summarized the corresponding patterns in the early stages of infection, all task force members had ingested large amounts of food and the earliest infected patient, Boris, as he was outside, constantly injected himself with highly concentrated glucose. This is something that the other teams have seen, so the evidence is sufficient. Then, in the middle stage of infection, the infected person will experience extreme excitement and secrete a lot of adrenaline at the same time, which will cause them to become abnormally worked up. At the same time, their bodies will also grow many sarcomas close together. For this reason, in such an agitated state of mind, they may engage in self-harm behavior because their brains have received enough adrenaline to block out the pain. Professor Eugene continued to say, After that, in the late stage of infection, the skin of the infected person begins to decay and fall off, and the muscles and fat of the whole body are automatically transformed into this special flesh and blood structure. This flesh and blood will gradually cover the entire body of the infected person. Their necks will be elongated and their faces and limbs will be deformed, losing their human appearance. During this mutation, they will enter a state of suspended animation. When they wake up again, they will have completed the mutation and become a walking lump of flesh. From the early stage to the late stage, the infection time is about 48 hours, which means that once youre infected, youll only have 48 hours to live. Hearing Professor Eugenes analysis, Will nodded. Well done. So whats the method of infection? Have you figured it out here? Airborne. There was a dark glint in Professor Eugenes eyes and then he smiled. Its certain that many infected people had not come into contact with the first infected body, Boris. The only thing they have in common is that they are in the same living area as Boris Its terrible to think of. Such a horrifying infectious disease is spread through the air And we found many spore-like particles in Living Area A. These particles were suspended in the air and are invisible to the naked eye. If our guess isnt wrong, this is the culprit of this infectious disease. I see. Will sighed. Now, we can only pray that there will be no incubation period for this infectious disease. For at least three years, I dont want the remaining three task forces to return to reality. Of course, for the safety of the earth, I hope they are prepared to die in the other world. Professor Eugene shrugged. Lets move on. I need a new batch of experimental materials including mammals, cold-blooded animals, primates, and even fish. I want to experiment with all animals and plants, see if they are immune to this type of infectious disease. At the same time, I still need death row prisoners to carry out more complete experiments. Understood, these will be delivered. Will replied. As the person in charge of this operation, only he had the right to apply to the foundation for all experimental supplies. Next, experiments on this infectious disease continued. In accordance with the importance of this infectious disease, most of the best biologists, physiologists, and various doctors had been dispatched from the four continents. These people would sign a confidentiality agreement to ensure that they would not divulge anything about this matter, otherwise, they would be severely punished. In the outpost of the other world, at this time, a larger experimental center was being built. Hundreds of animal and plant samples were transported here and a group of death row prisoners from all over the world was also brought here. The most precious ones here were these death penalty prisoners. Today in 2028, many countries in the world had abolished the death penalty. These death penalty prisoners were even purchased from foreign countries at the expense of the four continents. They would bear the heavy burden of the human experiments, providing enough clinical data for humans to find out the regularity of this meme. At this time, in an open-air courtyard surrounded by a 30-meter-high steel wall, several monsters composed of flesh and blood were huddled together. These monsters kept spitting bubbles as if they were talking about something and during the conversation, they also did small movements similar to humans such as scratching their heads and touching their noses. This was the third day that the death row prisoners were infected with this meme. It was only at the end of the second day that these condemned prisoners had mutated one after another, gaining an appearance filled with flesh and blood and deformed limbs. Chapter 503 - Flower of Flesh As time went on, they started to notice abnormal behavior inside these strange creatures. It happened on the sixth day since the commencement of the experiment. The researchers noticed that these creatures ate any and everything they could find. Any humans or animals that were not infected that came within a thirty-meter vicinity of these creatures were indiscriminately mowed down. When the researchers held back on feeding the creatures, they would resort to eating the grass and various other plantations around them. To determine if the creatures could starve to death, Professor Will decided to stop feeding them for three days. On the first day, the creatures did not display any abnormal symptoms. They remained in the yard and continued to loiter around aimlessly. By the second day, the creatures were starting to become restless. They tried to search for sources of food but their efforts proved fruitless since they could not climb out of the yard. By the third day, something unprecedented happened Will, look.. Eugene pointed at the display and called for Professor Wills attention, Just as expected, these Xenophorbs are exhibiting new behaviors. Xenophorb was the name they had given to these products of memetic infection. Will immediately turned to the display. Positioned in the center of the yard was a slab of what seemed to be a plant formed of flesh that appeared out of nowhere. The plant was about three meters in diameter and took on an irregular, circular form. It laid on the bare ground like a filthy rug coated in flesh. The bare shape of what seemed to be arms and legs could be seen poking out of the rug. There was even the bare shape of a deformed head stretched to the length of half a meter Coincidentally, as soon as the researchers noticed this, one of the Xenophorbs approached this strange plant. It proceeded to kneel in front of the plant and tore out a chunk from the plant using its sharp claws before stuffing it in the holes on its body. Are they cannibalizing each other? Professor Will turned to Eugene with a baffled expression. No, this is more like sharing burden. Eugene chuckled. Looks like it, doesnt it? They would sacrifice themselves and transform themselves into a plant-like form to extract nutrients from the ground and allow their peers to eat them. Isnt it a noble sight to behold? Just like Jesus. Will had to do a double take upon hearing this remark. It was a good thing he was not a Christian, otherwise, he would kill Eugene with his bare hands for making such a statement. But Will suddenly asked when a thought came to him, After they root themselves into the ground and transform into a plant, do they grow as regular plants do? Of course. Eugene answered with a nod, It rooted itself into the ground at early dawn and its total surface area has grown by approximately ten percent since then. This is after its peers have eaten some parts of it. If not for the other Xenophorbs eating it, this Xenophorb that rooted itself into the ground wouldve been far larger by this point. Out of our expectations, but it does make sense. Will reflected on their findings. Now, we have an explanation of how the valley covered in flesh came to formation. Will turned to Eugene again. Get yourself ready, the higher-ups just issued a new order. In a few days, the four major continents will dispatch robotic troops into the alternate dimension with napalm and incendiary bombs to take care of the mass of flesh in the mountains. After all, the only thing that fazes these things is fire. So, they are going to deal with the Xenophorbs in the area? Thats a good idea. Eugene chuckled dryly. The only thing we should be concerned about now is whether or not these Xenophorbs will retaliate against us. Its a wise move to take the initiative and purge them. In addition to cleaning up the Xenophorbs with several thousand kilometers radius of the portal, they will also be fortifying the outpost. Will added. Well make this place a fortress to protect the real world from a Xenophorb invasion. Speaking of which, its good news that this meme cannot travel across water. Will gazed at the endless ocean outside the window as he noted this. Which gives our world a huge advantage. Of course Eugene turned to look outside as well. All we can do now is pray that this infectious disease doesnt make it to our world The foundation was maintaining its efforts in exploring the dimension behind the Rosen bridge. Fortunately, with the XTN robots bolstering the military force, mankind was able to dispatch enough resources to explore the alternate dimension. With the vast amount of observation conducted on these Xenophorbs, they managed to figure out certain sets of behavioral patterns. For instance, in the initial stages of turning into Xenophorbs, the creatures still displayed human-like behavior. This included a range of behavior such as holding conversations, moving, and expressing as they once would while still living. The most common sign was that the Xenophorbs would preserve their ability to interact socially. During Professor Eugenes observation, he often noted the Xenophorbs gathered in groups of three to five and conversed as regular humans would. The foundation specifically hired dozens of well-known linguists all over the world and they managed to translate a portion of the Xenophorb language. The results of this translation proved to be rather surprising. The language the Xenophorb spoke was largely identical to English. The only problem was that their pronunciation made it difficult for humans to understand them. The dialogue between the Xenophorb sent chills down ones spine. The Xenophorbs had the impression that they were still alive. Additionally, due to their cognitive systems malfunctioning, they were unable to detect the drastic changes in themselves as well as their peers. On the contrary, when they met regular humans or the robots sent to their dimension, their reactions ranged from fear to panic, sometimes even anger or sheer madness. This meant that in the eyes of these Xenophorbs, they saw humans and other organic life forms as monstrous beings instead In their fit of rage and delusion, they would massacre and tore this organic life form into pieces. After the work was done, their senses that were muddled at that point would see the torn chunks of flesh as great delicacies to be savored. There was one occasion where an inmate given the death sentence was torn apart by a pack of Xenophorbs. According to the linguists, the Xenophorbs that saw the exposed brain of the inmate started exclaiming that there was a gigantic block of delicious jelly on the ground. The Xenophorbs proceeded to get in a row over who could devour the brain of the inmate However, these behaviors were only temporary. As the Xenophorbs started to become more twisted, the structure of their brain became altered as well. Around the sixth to the eighth day, whatever was left of their humanity was completely drained away until they turned into walking sacks of meat conditioned to kill any humans on sight. Additionally, in situations of food shortages, some of the Xenophorbs had the natural instinct to root themselves into the ground and morphed themselves into a plant-based Xenophorb. There was no discernible pattern to determine which Xenophorb would do this. They did not specifically scour for the most fertile plot of land either. It was merely an act of instinct. As long as the Xenophorb felt that the location was appropriate, it would root itself into the ground regardless of how fertile the land was. The Xenophorb would then proceed to grow by absorbing the nutrients in the ground Most of the underlying principles of this memetic entity had been unraveled. With this, another item was added to the Blacklight Foundations memetic entity database. This was the third entry, preceded by This Man and Weeping Angel. Its name was [Memetic effect: Flower of Flesh and Blood.] [Origin: 6 August, 2028. Indian Ocean, Latitude 22.1S Longitude 57.5E. An Einstein-Rosen bridge that led to an alternate dimension was discovered at this location. The new memetic effect was discovered in the alternate dimension.] [Description: Flower of Flesh and Blood is a memetic effect with an infectious quality that is effective on any organic life forms. Its method of infection is airborne. The Flower of Flesh and Blood exists in two different forms, categorized as Xenophorb and plant-based forms.] [Symptoms: The initial symptoms of infection includes rash, itching, and mild bleeding, accompanied by extreme hunger. During this period, the food intake of the infected increases drastically, consuming up to three to five times as much food. The frequency of food consumption is also greatly increased.] [After approximately ten hours, the infected will enter the middle stages of the infection process. Around this point, tissue proliferation will begin to occur on the surface of the body of the infected which will spread to the legs and back region. The infecteds nerve center becomes over-stimulated which tends to lead to signs of agitation, self-harm, and such.] [In the later stages of the infection, lumps of sarcoma will spread throughout the body and overtake the humanoid features of the infected. The body of the infected becomes completely deformed with tentacles protruding at various sections. Their aggression continues to increase at this point and their perception becomes distorted by the memetic effect. The infected becomes extremely hostile toward any organic life form which includes but is not restricted to humans and will indiscriminately attack any life forms that enter within a thirty-meter range. The infected now enters the Xenophorb form.] [Morphing: In such circumstances where there is a shortage of food, some of the infected will alter their forms by finding a suitable spot for them to root themselves into the ground. This process transforms them into what seems to be a carpet of fungus composed of a mesh of flesh and blood. This is the second form of the infected, the plant-based form. In this state, the infected can absorb nutrients from the ground to survive and grow. Meanwhile, its infected peers that remain in the initial Xenophorb form can cannibalize the infected in the second form to sustain themselves.] [Weakness: Research shows that the Flower of Blood and Flesh is extremely susceptible to high temperature. Fire can be used to halt the spread of the infected in plant-based form. High-temperature environments also drastically lengthen the overall infection process. The Flower of Blood and Flesh is also unable to transmit itself across water sources or in a vacuum space.] [Note: Once infected, the lifespan of the infected victim is immediately put on the countdown. Currently, there are no recorded cases of recovery from this condition.] Chen Chen was in his office, reading the detailed written report on his computer. He wore a pensive look upon his face as he noted these findings. Sir Godfather, how would you rate the foundations overall performance of this expedition? Little X asked. Overall, Id say Ill give it a 60 out of 100, just enough to receive a passing grade. Chen Chen answered dryly, A few notable points is the slow response speed in the initial stages as well as the high-level officials bickering among themselves during the initial meeting. Things became better once the operation officially commenced. The foundation has had its moments of brilliance during the exploratory stages of this memetic effect. The only major concern is that they nearly brought it into the real world Thats rather impressive already. Little X noted, After all, this is the first time this crew of researchers dealt with any memetic entities. Although the memetic effect weve released is considered a less lethal variant, it still posed a considerable amount of threat. The fact that it only took them twenty days to figure out how the meme operated is a testament to the quality of this research team. Thats true. Chen Chen smiled. Weve already achieved our primary objective, which is to beat a sense of urgency into the four major continents. This will give them the incentive to speed up the signing of the Blacklight Foundation Agreement with other countries around the world. In addition, the four continents are preparing to establish official logistics networks to work in conjunction with the foundation. Once these organizations are properly established, the efficiency of communication and cooperation between the associated parties should see significant improvements. It seems that my efforts to expose the Flesh Carpet meme wasnt in vain Chen Chen turned to look at his table upon mentioning this. There was a tightly sealed, completely transparent petri dish set on the table. Inside the petri dish was a chunk of flesh only the size of a piece of fingernail. The chunk of flesh was the beet-red color of a tomato and it squirmed around in the petri dish as if it was sentient. Dense collections of tentacles could be seen sticking out of the chunk of flesh. This chunk of flesh was what Chen Chen had placed into the Resident Evil dimension. It was the product of Chen Chens first memetic experiment performed several years ago. Several years ago, an organization opposing Blacklight Biotechnology known as White Embers was established in the European region. They constantly opposed Blacklight Biotechnologys operations and even conjured plots to assassinate significant members of Blacklight. In a fit of rage, Chen Chen captured all of the members of the organization which totaled up to several hundred. He had them all thrown into a remote island in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean where he would conduct a gruesome experiment. In the end, all three hundred plus members of White Embers met their demise on the island. The memetic experiment turned out to be a complete success and that was where the unique memetic entity was formed C the Flesh Carpet. It was a unique memetic effect that was a hybrid plant-based meme with infectious qualities. Anyone who was infected by this meme would turn into a carpet of flesh. Since it was susceptible to fire and was unable to transmit across bodies of water, it was the perfect subject as the first trial of the foundation. Just like how armies needed to conduct large-scale military training and exercises to gain combat experience, the foundation required appropriate training for its operations as well. This process of trial and experimentation was how they could detect certain flaws in their operation and improve upon them. The need to train the members of the foundation was only a secondary objective. The primary objective which Chen Chen emphasized was to ensure the four major continents prioritized this matter. Chapter 504 - Ares Project While the foundation as well as the four major continents directed their collective attention to the Resident Evil dimension, a new announcement was put up on the Blacklight Biotechnology official site. The Ares Project which Blacklight Biotechnology had been preparing for three years and invested more than fifty billion U.S. dollars into was commencing soon. The name Ares came from the name of the God of War in ancient Greek mythology. Ares was one of the twelve Olympian gods. He represented strength and war. The Ares Project was also known as the Mars Scientific Colonization Project. The details of the project was as follows: To dispatch humans to Mars within two years and establish Mars research outpost, subsequently establishing human colonies on the surface of Mars within five years. Why did Blacklight Biotechnology choose Mars? Apart from the nine planets of the Solar System, there was also a vast collection of other planets. For instance, several planets orbiting around Jupiter and Saturn were far larger than any other planets of the Solar System. The Kuiper Belt surrounding the solar system was also home to several dwarf planets looming in its darkness. However, among all these planets, only Mars had an environment closest to Earth. Due to its proximity to the sun, the temperature of Mercury during the day reached 427C and as low as -173C during the night. With such harsh temperature fluctuations, it was completely ruled out as a habitable planet for mankind. Venus was the planet that was closest to Earth except for the moon, but the environment on Venus was as hellish as Mercury. Its atmospheric pressure was at least 90 times stronger than that of Earth and its surface temperature reached up to 470C. There was no distinctive difference in seasons or representation of a daytime cycle either. Meanwhile, Jupiter and Saturn were both gaseous planets. The temperature of Jupiters Galilean moon, Europa, was also far too low to accommodate humans. Of all the options, only Mars provided the most optimistic living conditions. Although its diameter was only half of the earth and its mass only 11 percent of the earth, its landmass was equivalent to the total landmass of Earth. Its surface gravity was two and a half times that of the moon and two-fifths of the earth. The atmospheric density of Mars was only one percent of that of the earth, but it could still achieve the familiar greenhouse effect. The average temperature of Mars was about minus 55C, but its temperature during daytime in the summer was close to identical to that of the earth. Of all the challenging options, Mars stood out among the rest of them as the most ideal planet for colonization. As soon as the announcement was put up, the people who were paying close attention to these developments were the first ones to notice it. Blacklight Biotechnology was the definitive, most influential technology company of the earth that brought revolutionary changes to the world by ushering in the Anti-aging Era and Bionic Prosthetic Era. Therefore, it had amassed a cult following of hundreds of millions of followers. This was the new generation equivalent of Apple fans. This was not any kind of feverish worship that was going to be short-lived. Blacklight Biotechnology had cemented its reputation with one technological innovation after another. From a generation-defining advent like the age-reversal treatment that cured the curse of old age to the Blacklight vaccine that saved billions of people in the world. After that came hundreds of cancer-targeted drugs, then the cure to Alzheimers disease Blacklight Biotechnology had completely taken over the biomedicine sector in the Earth Federation! This was why plenty of scientists regularly hung around the official website of Blacklight Biotechnology. This was the communication and discussion hub for thousands of scientists and researchers. Blacklight Biotechnology also made sure to invest its resources to manage the forum in an organized manner so that the scientists had an ideal spot for their discussions. The forum of Blacklight Biotechnology had at this point become a sacred hub of scientific knowledge exchange for scientists from all over the world. There were six sections on the homepage of Blacklight Biotechnologys official website, namely: Bio-pharmaceutical, bionic medical, service and security, electronic technology, mineral resources, and military and aerospace. The six major sectors were represented by six colors which were respectively green, white, gray, yellow, black, and blue. Everything was recognizable at one glance. At this time, there was a large flashing exclamation mark icon on the military and aerospace sectors. The giant exclamation mark drew the attention of countless people around the world and they immediately selected it. A five-minute-video immediately popped up. The title of the video jumped at the screen in the form of an enlarged, bolded text: Ares Project C Mars Scientific Colonization Expedition Officially Commences! The first thing that appeared on screen when the video was played was a futuristic spaceship with two gigantic dual-jet engines installed on both sides of its hull. The spaceship sparkled and glowed with silvery rays. It seemed like a magnificent work of art framed on the display. It was the designated spacecraft of the Ares Project. The spaceship that would send humans to Mars, it was the Ares. The picture of Ares only appeared for several frames before it was cut out. The video continued with the slow, somber tone of a man speaking. Human beings have existed for millions of years since their first appearance on Earth. We have dreamt of great visions for millenniums. In ancient times, when humans gazed upon starry sky, they always imagined what the stars and moons were made of. Were they astral embodiments? Were there other lands out there? What kind of tales were there in the places above We conjured stories and fables such as the story of The Goddess Changs flight to the moon and The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl. Weve written myths and stories of space travel A profound montage of different folklores and mythologies started to play on-screen following the tempo of the narrators narration Mankind first embarked on their venture into the stars in the sixteenth century. It first started with simple observations using inventions such as telescopes. It was not until the 1960s that humans landed on the moon for the first time Suddenly, a man dressed in a medieval robe appeared on the display. Under the moonlight, he polished the lens of a telescope using his robe and suddenly paused mid-motion. He then slowly raised his head and pointed the telescope at the moon outside the window. He had an expression that seemed like he was mesmerized by what he saw through the lens A deep and heavy accordion sound played through the speakers after that. It was a somber, grave tune that represented a significant starting point in history. Every time mankind takes another step forward in space discovery, its marked as another significant milestone in the history of space travel The video flashed and showed the scene of the first human rocket launch, then the first landing on the moon. The black and white pictures intertwined into one another and despite the poor resolution of these pictures due to the era in which they were produced, it was clear that history was being made at these points in time. But there has never been such a day as now when mankind has come this close to other extraterrestrial planets The narrator suddenly altered his tone. The background tunes of the grand piano suddenly picked up momentum as well. Like a pebble dropped into a still pool, the ripples were starting to form and spread across. The spaceship that appeared during the first segment of the video appeared on screen again. It was coated in a paint of bright silver and a string of texts detailing its statistics appeared on the screen. Ares. Length: 52.3 meters. Width: 21.1 meters. Height 15.5 meters. Weight: 780 tons. Fitted with four engines and powered by two nuclear engines. The spacecraft is divided into three floors including the bridge, medical bay, laboratory, and six living rooms. It can carry 16 passengers. The spacecraft can also carry about 200 tons of cargo and about 20 tons of fuel The video started to show a clip of the Ares taking off. Columns of radiant blue lights burst out of the large reactor engines mounted along both sides of the spacecraft. Propelled by this tremendous force, the spacecraft started to rise and accelerate gradually This clip was a digital render but it was extremely realistic to a point where one would easily confuse it with the real thing unless they were informed beforehand. Were entering a new era. Where you and I stand now is the footnote of one era. This moment that were witnessing is the new exclamation point that will usher the new era. From today, mankind will officially enter the era of cosmic immigration The trombone blared aggressively, mixed with the rowdy cheer of an excited crowd, the volume of the male narrator was slowly rising as well! From today, the status of mankind will officially leap from being what was once native planet dwellers to interstellar travelers! From today onward, the earth that we call home will no longer only be home, but be known as the origin of human civilization! From today on, well enter a new chapter of the book of mankind. Join us as Blacklight Biotechnology brings all of us into the new age and rewrites history as we know it! The background music picked up in momentum and volume, bringing the video to an exclamation point as it approached the end. After that, the music slowly died down and soon faded out. In the end, the only music that lingered was a low, dragged-out hum that seemed to drain away all other sounds in the world. The end of the video was marked with a giant black sentence stamped on top of a white display C registration for being a colonist of Project Ares begins on 1 July 2028! Within an hour of the release of this video, the traffic of Blacklight Biotechnologys site skyrocketed from around a hundred thousand to tens of millions of times per hour. Even the websites server crashed momentarily due to the sheer amount of traffic that overloaded it! The same video was also reposted across tons of major websites and media outlets, immediately spreading the news to the world. [The new age of mankind? Blacklight Biotechnology has launched an extraterrestrial colonization program. Earth will no longer be the only home for mankind] C The Wall Street Journal. [The only company in the Earth Federation that has what it takes to legitimize space colonization. Blacklight Biotechnology has sped out the development of technology by another fifty years] C BBC News. [Movie or real life? Blacklight Biotechnologys Ares Project draws comparison to popular cult classics like Alien and Prometheus Project. How far away are humans to space colonization? ]- Tencent News. [Will Blacklight Biotechnology become the single most influential body in the history of mankind?] C Sina Express. [Space travel, to infinity and beyond! Weve waited decades for this, Buzz Lightyears claims are no longer a pipedream!] C YouTube News. The people were once again in a frenzy! As early as two years ago, Blacklight Biotechnology had developed rocket technology and successfully sent a manned spacecraft to the moon. This also marked them as the third faction to send humans to the moon over the last century, trailing after Northern America and the North Sea Continent. Blacklight was the first private enterprise to send humans to the moon. As a token of respect and support, the Earth Federation passed the application of Blacklight Biotechnology and allowed Blacklight to become the first company in the world to have space colonization qualifications. However, Chen Chen was not content only with this. Over the next two years, Blacklight Biotechnology regularly flew rockets into space and to the moon where they would establish the first interplanetary research station on the moon for their crew of scientists. It was also open to scientists from all continents in the world to allow for further space research conducted outside of Earth. By this point, there were nearly fifty researchers stationed on the moon all year round. Blacklight Biotechnology had designated spacecraft with charted routes to the interplanetary research station to transport supplies for the researchers bi-annually. The reason why Blacklight Biotechnology could regularly transport between space and the earth was not merely due to their significant budget nor was it due to borrowed technology from SpaceX. It was due to the development of their inertial confinement fusion reactor technology. It was a nuclear reactor that could convert fuel into energy only with the use of lasers. After the reactor was miniaturized, it was rendered into an engine with nuclear power thrust. At one point, Chen Chen used the inertial confinement fusion reactor to charge the USB drive. However, the power generation of this was inferior to the later developed super tokamak reactor. However, due to the incredibly intricate design process of the super tokamak reactor, Chen Chen decided to let out this technology to the four major continents. With the collaborative efforts of Blacklight Biotechnology and the major continents, they were able to achieve a breakthrough in this stem of technology and successfully put it into commercialized use. Meanwhile, the inertial confinement fusion reactor remained the optimal choice for replacing thrust engines for spaceships. It allowed for spaceships to travel to other planets that were once considered unreachable at an extremely efficient fuel usage. Just as Chen Chen had once declared C the day the inertial confinement fusion reactor was fully developed was the day that mankinds interstellar travel could commence properly. Since the day Chen Chen made that declaration, Blacklight Biotechnology had secretly invested insurmountable amounts of time, effort, and research force into developing the inertial confinement fusion reactor. In the end, the engines for the Ares spaceship finally came to fruition. The inertial confinement fusion engine was essentially a reduced version of the inertial confinement fusion reactor. Superconducting material was used to design a spherical shell where another tiny sphere formed with a mixture of deuterium and tritium was injected into the reaction chamber 2 million joules were ignited with a concentration of 192 electron beams onto a deuterium-tritium pellet with a measured diameter of less than few tenths of a millimeter. Each laser was activated at a regular interval of an average of three-billionths of a second. This triggered extreme high temperature and pressure that subsequently triggered a significant nuclear fusion reaction. This process generated enough thrust for the spacecraft to operate. Based on data obtained from the experiment of the Ares spacecraft engine, the velocity generated could reach up to 7 percent the speed of light in vacuum conditions. With a total weight load of 500 tons, it could reach a maximum speed of 38.6 million meters per second, which was close to matt speed. The engine would detonate what was two hundred and fifty 0.001 gram nuclear per second and maintain this continuously Since such innovation was too abrupt, Blacklight Biotechnology held off on disclosing the existence of the inertial confinement fusion engine to the outside world. He only claimed that the Ares used nuclear engine technology and was preparing to lead mankinds first landing on Mars to establish a scientific research station. This led to a hurricane of public reception. Blacklight Biotechnology continued to remain a silent stance when countless people on the Internet raised questions regarding this mentioned nuclear engine technology. If Blacklight Biotechnology chose to maintain its silent disposition, not a single person in the world could force them to reveal their secrets Chapter 505 - Mars Landing As soon as Blacklight Biotechnology made the announcement of Ares expedition, the ones who had been paying attention to this and concerned about the fate of mankind found reason to finally breathe a sigh of relief. Meanwhile, even the demographic who were not concerned with the latest science and technology developments also learned of the announcement from various media outlets. In an instant, Blacklight Biotechnology once again became one of the most trending topics online, even entering the top ten list of Sino Weibos trending topics! Sina Weibo trending topics:
        Blacklight Biotechnology to set foot on Mars C 1 million hits. In the Ares Project promotional clip, in addition to the preview of the Ares spacecraft transporting people to Mars, there was also an advertisement for the registration to enlist as colonists placed in the final segment. When the netizens clicked the link attached at the end of the video, they were redirected to the website of Blacklight Biotechnology. The giant tagline was stamped at the heading of the page C Ares project colonists registration officially opens 1 July 2028! Based on the information provided, Blacklight Biotechnology will be recruiting ten thousand people as the first inhabitants of the planned colony on Mars. With the Ares mounted nuclear fusion engines, it should only take a week to reach Mars. This travel duration to Mars was worlds ahead of what it was in the past. When mankind first invented space probes to explore the terrain on Mars, it took more than half a year for them to arrive at the atmospheric layer of Mars. With the nuclear fusion engines, it took at least twenty-five times faster. Furthermore, this was not the extent of what the nuclear fusion engines were capable of. This was merely the infancy stages of its official adoption in spacecraft. Within several decades or centuries, there was the hope of mankind elevating the speed of their spacecraft to subluminal speed. For now, a week-long journey was as good as it got. It was not much different from a cruise ship trip. This open registration had garnered the interest of countless people all over the world. In the Western parts of the world, many people were in tune with the spirits of solo traveling so this was treated as a similar endeavor. Meanwhile, while the reception in Eastern regions was not as fervent, there were still a lot of tech-savvy young people submitting their applications. Furthermore, Blacklight Biotechnology had given their word that the first batch of Martian colonists would be given statues equivalent to Blacklight Biotechnology employees. This meant that each one of the colonists would be paid monthly salaries reaching up to tens of thousands of dollars. In addition, this was just the basic salary before including various bonuses and associated subsidies. The first group of colonists would also be entitled to a large range of benefits. This included housing on Mars and sufficient food and water. All expenses would be covered by Blacklight Biotechnology unconditionally. If the colonists got married and had children on Mars, their offspring would also be entitled to high-standard education. This extremely generous benefit was incredibly tempting for countless people. In just one day, millions of people had filled out the registration form. However, there were certain entry barriers to becoming a colonist. Due to the emergence of XTN robots and cyborgs, the colony did not have much demand for manual labor. There were designated robots to complete tasks such as cleaning, regular plantation work, and factory tasks. Blacklight Biotechnology only needed specific talents with special skill sets. The list of skills required ranged from mechanical maintenance, software development, engineering experience, designing experience, certain scientific backgrounds, and so on. This meant that most white-collar workers would not be fortunate enough to be selected as the first of colonists. It was midnight in a room on the outskirts of Zhongzhou District in the Central Continent. A haggard-looking man with dirty stubble was smoking a cigarette, silently staring at the computer screen in front of him. The immigration application form to Mars was filled out on the computer display C Name: Wang Wei. Gender: Male, Age: 27. Education Background: Department of Biological Sciences, Haizhou Jiaotong University The light was not turned on. The room was drowned in complete darkness save for the bright LED display of the computer that shone harshly on the mans face. He stared at the promotional clip on the Blacklight Biotechnology official site. His eyes became dull and hazy as if he was reminiscing on something. As the steady puff of cigarette smoke filled his vision, he seemed to jog his memory back to approximately seven to eight years ago, during the days of his university life. After zoning out for some time, he suddenly felt a scorching sensation burning into his lips which snapped him back to reality. He quickly plucked the last of the cigarette away from his scalded lips and jammed it repeatedly into an almost full ashtray. After he ensured that he had filled out the form in its entirety, he scrolled to the bottom of the page and moved his cursor to the Submit button. However, something was stopping him from clicking his mouse and submitting the form. It was right around this mark when he started to hear footsteps approaching him from somewhere in the house. The man quickly hid the registration form and put the computer desktop on the display. As soon as he completed this stealthy maneuver, the door was rudely flung open. A woman dressed in pajamas and wielded a sullen expression on her face appeared behind the door. The moment the woman stepped into the room, her nose was invaded by the thick, musty smell of cigarettes. This only served to further sour her temper. All you do is smoke and smoke. Thats all you do every day, smoke and smoke, and smoke. Whens the last time you got promoted? You bring home a measly several thousand each month. What can I do with this money? Bring your son with me to the corner store? The man slowly turned around and slurred his sentences as he spoke, I know, I Before he could finish, the sudden intruder stepped in front of the computer and took hold of the mouse. She promptly dragged it to the bottom bar on the desktop and selected the browser, which revealed the Blacklight Biotechnology official site. What are you doing? The man frowned unintentionally. Hehe, youre looking at this news again, what happened to overtime at work? She sneered. God mustve put a curse on me and made me end up with someone like you. You have as much money as you have ambition. I remember you bragging about staying in the same dormitory as the founder of Blacklight Biotechnology, that you two got along so well you were pretty much brothers. What happens now? Hes got more money than some countries and can hardly remember someone like you ever existing. You have his number but you wont contact him. You could at least find some decent gig in Blacklight Biotechnology. At least your son and I wouldve something to show for, no? Are you done? The man took a deep breath and did his best to suppress his boiling rage. What, too sour to admit that what I said is true? The woman pushed further with a heartless scoff. You should be thankful that Im sticking with you out of pity since your mother fell seriously ill last year and made you clean out your bank and fall into debt. You should be thankful I havent asked for a divorce and here you are with the audacity to complain? The burning rage in the mans heart immediately died out as soon as he heard this. The sheer mention of this subject was his weakness. I even have to borrow money to buy money for powdered milk for our son! The woman continued. We have no idea how were going to pay for his kindergarten next year but thats alright because you still get to buy your precious cigarettes! All you do is smoke and smoke your worries away! After a barrage of verbal abuse, the woman finally had enough when she saw her husband had his head tapered to the ground at this point. She turned and left. When the man heard the winding footsteps down the hall, he lost his mind and chuckled like a mad man. The final ounce of hesitation had left him as he once again pulled to the bottom section of the page and hammered the Submit button! Click! With the soft click of the mouse, a pop-up immediately appeared on the screen with the message: Your submission is successful. Little Chen, Im leaving my life in your capable hands from here on! A heavy gloom swept over his eyes as he mumbled the sentence softly. Following the announcement issued by Blacklight Biotechnology, more than 10 million people had filled out the application form in just one day. Although the vast majority of them were regular office workers, there were a healthy number of high-value candidates as well. Even some well-known members of the scientific circles also filled out the registration forms and publicly declared their desire to become one among the first batch of colonists, and contribute to the progress of mankind while etching their mark in history. Besides, Blacklight Biotechnology had never stated that one could never return to Earth after becoming a colonist on Mars. Blacklight Biotechnology kept promises that the colonists would still retain the citizenship of their respective continents on Earth. After the colony was properly established, a proper flight route would be established between the two planets so that sometime in the future, travel between Earth and Mars would become as commonplace as taking a flight and traveling to some countries on Earth. The colonists could submit their resignation letter and return to Earth at any time. With the announcement of the Mars colonization project, the trading market of resources and land on Earth that had been getting increasingly tense for a while finally eased a little. Everything was slowly restoring to its natural state. After all, the space had unlimited resources and space. With the prospect of space travel announced, the four major continents no longer saw it fit to scramble over the very limited resources on Earth. Instead, they shifted their focus to further developing their nuclear fusion reactors and to the galaxies above and beyond. As the saying goes: Our goal is to the infinity and beyond! With an eager crowd beholding the procession, the spacecraft Ares officially took off into space on the first of August 2028. The symbol of the hope of mankind soared into the atmosphere, powered by the ignited dreams of mankind as it bound for the distant Mars. Each of the four major continents had three representatives each in the investigation team for the current expedition. The twelve of the representatives with another additional four members of Blacklight Biotechnology made up the crew of the investigation team. The Ares spacecraft also carried with it 200 tons of building materials, common supplies, a hundred XTN engineering robots of various types, 50 cyborgs, and several special-purpose drones. The air density on Mars was extremely low reaching up to one percent of that of Earth while its gravity was only two-fifths of Earths. Based on scientists calculations, a drone manufactured with modern material and powered with the latest battery technology should still manage to take flight. To obtain detailed data, the scientists of Blacklight Biotechnology specifically put together a testing device which was essentially a space simulator. To simulate an environment as close to the Martian environment as possible, scientists first created a vacuum space inside the device. After that, a small amount of carbon dioxide was injected to achieve the same air composition as the Martian atmosphere. Meanwhile, the scientists used a cable to direct upward directional force to reduce weight and simulate the appropriate gravity conditions. The Ares with nuclear fusion engines only took a week before they arrived in the proximity of Mars. By the seventh day, the outline of a giant amber-red colored planet appeared outside the cabin window. It was so large that it took up the entire view outside. The crew of scientists inside the cabin started to feel a faint gravitational force pulling them in. All objects inside the cabin were similarly affected by this faint thrusting force. As time went on, this gravitational pull started to grow stronger. As the group of scientists took in the view of the enormous planet before them, their breathing started to become erratic. If there was someone logging statistics for the Guinness World Record, this group would have shattered the record for longest distance traversed since they were more than a hundred million kilometers away from Earth. This was a completely foreign territory never before explored by humans Everyone, theres no need to worry. With the AI system, well be able to land effortlessly just like how it went when we departed Earth. The Captain of Ares who was also a scientist of Blacklight Biotechnology suddenly said jokingly, Dear passengers, well now be landing in Ultimi Scopuli, the southern pole of Mars. The only difference is that its much colder than the South Pole on Earth. The temperature hovers from negative 70 degrees to negative 139 degrees. Dont worry, nothing that several extra layers of clothing cant solve. Sorry, thats not what were concerned about. Another European scientist somewhere in his forties shrugged. Are you sure theres enough water on the South Pole of Mars for each of us to shower? I cant tell you how dirty I have got over the last seven days Ha ha ha! They laughed merrily. Dont worry, the polar cap of Mars is composed of ice and solid carbon dioxide. Many previous observations have confirmed that theres a large amount of water under the ice cover. Even if theres no water, we can melt the ice for us to use. Although he knew it was a joke, the captain still addressed this brought up concern. So, you dont need to worry about not getting to take a hot bath. As they mingled with one another, the voice of the spacecrafts artificial intelligence broadcast interrupted them. All crew members are advised to begin preparations. Ares has entered the gravitational range of Mars and will be merging into Mars low-Earth orbit over the next twelve hours. Our destination is the Ultimi Scopuli located in the South Pole. To prevent any unwanted accidents, all crew members are advised to put on their spacesuits and enter the ejection capsule following the end of this announcement. Thank you for your cooperation! After the Ares artificial intelligence broadcast ended, the crew bumped fists with each other one last time. See you on Mars, they said as they left the main cabin and went to the ejection capsules. Chapter 506 - : Tardigrade Moss Underneath the clear blue sky, a shimmering star gleamed so brightly that it was visible even in the daylight. Its arrival signaled the changes that were about to occur to this stagnant world. Perhaps it was a false impression, as time went on, the spot of light started to magnify in the sky above. It seemed to move in sporadic bursts to a rhythm of its own. After approximately an hour had passed, the spot of light was now the size of an instantly visible circle even with the clear blue sky cast behind it as background. It now stood out prominently against the blue canvas and was still growing larger with every passing minute. At last, a spacecraft descended from the skies above. The bottom part of its hull had bright white flames scalding its skin as it tumbled downward at extreme speed until it landed on a flat patch of ground. Thump There was a thunderous rumble as it kissed the ground. The spaceship landing was a success. The two gigantic engine thrusters that were nearly the same size as the spaceship itself helped brace the landing and allowed for a relatively soft landing. After that, there was silence. The Ares has landed successfully. The digitally synthesized female voice of the broadcast broke through the mist of silence. The level one alert is now lifted. All personnel is now permitted to leave the ejection capsules. As soon as the broadcast finished, the lights on sixteen large pieces of equipment shaped like iron coffins positioned in the most fortified center hull of the spaceship flickered from red to green. The iron coffins opened with a distinct whistling of gas pressure. The group enclosed within the iron coffins stepped outside, all of them laughing and jesting with each other. They were vibrant and energetic as they stepped out of their respective ejection capsules. They began to jump up and down to feel the gravity force of this foreign land. I havent felt gravity for a week. Its weird to suddenly experience gravity again One of the members commented. Youll get used to it soon enough. Another person added. But the gravity on Mars is two-fifth that of the gravity on Earth. It may feel light and breezy to you now but wait till you get back to Earth. Youll probably need half a year of adjustment before you can climb out of bed without needing assistance. Well, theres another way around it. A third person added. And thats to become a proper Martian. Hahahaha! They laughed in unison. Some of them let out a deep, exhilarated sigh while others took off their spacesuit as fast as they could and started to bound for the canteen. Where are you going? Whiskey time! There were only a few who went to indulge themselves with alcohol. When the captain of the Ares, Zhou Xiong got out of the ejection capsule, he did not take off the spacesuit immediately and instead went straight for the bridge of the spaceship. Captain Zhou! Another group trailed after the captain immediately. They were all thinking the same thing. Zhou Xiong waved at them to signal that there was no need to rush things. When he arrived at the bridge, he finally saw the view outside through the clear windows. Behind the window was an endless stretch of ice that went as far as the eye could see. They rushed to the observation deck with quick wonder. However, they saw that the view here was not much different from the North Pole or the South Pole on Earth. There was nothing but a flat terrain made of ice that buried whatever landscape there was to be seen underneath it. Everywhere they looked, it was a blank sheet of white. There were no signs of falling snow nor were there any odd rock formations that rose from the ground. This was not too surprising for this group of scientists. There were several reasons they chose to land in the South Pole of Mars. One, to construct a base. Two, because the South Pole on Mars was the only location with water. With that said, they were well aware that only a small part of this was composed of real water. A majority of the ice formation was dry ice composed of carbon dioxide. Ji Zhe, what do you think? A young Chinese female scientist among the group suddenly asked one of her colleagues next to her. Hmm, appearance-wise, its not much different from Earth. A cynical-looking young scientist responded to this, Im more curious to head to the locations where the Mars rover has explored. Those places are a more accurate representation of Mars. Unfortunately, that will have to wait at least several months. Another scientist that came from Northern America chimed in, When the base is properly established, perhaps well get a chance to head over there for a quick lap, but now isnt the time yet. The group chanted murmured discussions among themselves as they heard this. Alright, everyone, quiet down. Zhou Xiong suddenly silenced the excited crew with a commanding voice. After that, he looked above him at a rectangular-shaped camera installed at the ceiling. Moss, dispatch the rovers and the drones. Show me what our surroundings look like and send the collected data to me. Understood. The voice of the artificial intelligence named Moss came through the speakers. Immediately after that, a gigantic virtual display was presented before them. Framed inside the large display were four smaller panels of equal sizes. The images were pitch-black initially but quickly transitioned to a spontaneous burst of white noise taking over the screen. Shortly after that, what looked like black and white thermal imaging was fully formed on the display. The collection of panels on the display seemed to show an image of a small room. The camera angles of each display could be seen rotating in a 360-degree circle and soon, they saw a door slowly being slid open, allowing cracks of light from the outside world to slip through the opening. In an instant, the black and white thermal images transitioned into regular color footages. At the same time, two of the four cameras gradually shuffled out of the previously enclosed place while the remaining two cameras seemed to have taken flight and glided out at an elevated angle. The four displays were a combination of live feeds broadcasted from two land rovers and two drones. After that, the rovers and drones left the Ares one after another. The rovers were metal-framed vehicles fitted with solar panels. It left behind shallow tracks on the snowy terrain as it drove through the snow. The rovers drove in circles around the ice shelf with the Ares as the center point. They covered and scanned every inch in the vicinity. The two drones gained altitude rapidly and proceeded to split up into two separate directions at a time. They set out to travel as far as possible to chart as much nearby terrain as possible. The outside atmospheric pressure is 7.5 bar, the air composition consists of 95 percent carbon dioxide, 3 percent nitrogen, 1.6 percent hydrogen, 0.2 percent oxygen, 0.1 percent water vapor, carbon monoxide, neon, krypton, and xenon. The initial detection results were produced and described through the broadcast system, The outside temperature is negative 85 degrees and the wind level is at level five. Get the rovers to collect soil samples. Zhou Xiong ordered. Sampling Sampling complete, performing analysis The surface consists of 95.7 percent dry ice, 2.2 percent regular ice, and there are also traces of iron oxide, silicon dioxide, and other elements. No trace of microbial activity detected for the time being. Everyone appeared enthused when they heard this piece of information narrated by Moss. Although there was enough evidence to prove the existence of water on Mars since a few days ago, it was different when they were witnessing it with their own eyes. The joy surfing through their minds could not be simply described with mere words. Captain Zhou, let me head out there to investigate! Some of them were starting to become impatient and eagerly volunteered to head out. Let me go too! Im going as well! Me, as well! The group started to get excited. Everyone please calm down! Zhou Xiong halted their fervent demands with his palms held out. Everyone, theres no need to rush. As long as the results of the environment analysis are optimistic, well be settling here within several months. Theres no need for us to rush things just yet. Still, manual investigation during this initial phase will still be necessary. In this case, each of the four continents can select one candidate to head out there. This is the best I can offer. After all, there are no guarantees as to what well run into out there, so I have to take the necessary precautions to ensure the expeditions success. Everyone agreed with the solution Zhou Xiong proposed. Before long, each of the major continent groups had selected their candidate for their first expedition. When it came to selecting a candidate from the team of four researchers representing Blacklight Biotechnology, Zhou Xiong as the captain could not head out since he had to be responsible for addressing whatever issues that came up. In the end, he handed the task to a blond-haired young man in the team. This young biology specialist went by the name, Hannibal Caesar. This was the young man who had been following Chen Chen since the day that Eco Science City was founded. After all these years had passed, he had become a respectable savant in the biology field. He was also one of the professor rank members in Gods Forbidden Zone and had one of the highest levels of authority in Blacklight Biotechnology. It was Hannibal himself who volunteered for the Mars expedition. He had done so because he always dreamt of interstellar travel and everything he had done was to lead up to this moment. Since the failure rate of this expedition was minuscule, Chen Chen decided to assign Hannibal to the Ares and granted him the opportunity to become the first batch of scientists arriving on Mars. Hannibal did not gather around and mingle like the rest of the scientists. Instead, he went to the Ares laboratory and found a specific metal can stash among a row of other metal cans on a biological supply rack. The contents of this metal could be the protoplast of a special plant C the tardigrade moss. The tardigrade moss was a subclass of genetically modified mosses of the Euphorbiaceae family. Its body was derived from a class of moss named Physcomitrella Patens. Since the DNA structure of moss allowed for easy reconstruction, it was relatively easy to partially replace its genes to produce desirable compounds and did so in large quantities. Therefore, at the request of Chen Chen, Hannibal went through the effort of cultivating stems of this tardigrade moss. This was an overview of the procedures Hannibal went through to recreate it: Hannibal used elements of the tardigrade gene to transform Physcomitrella Patens which was a collection of earthmoss. It was worth noting that tardigrades were the most resilient living being in the earths biosphere. It could withstand pressure six times that of the water pressure in the deepest seafloor. It could also withstand hundreds of times the lethal dose of radiation exposure for humans. Furthermore, it could survive in temperature conditions bordering absolute zero. There had been many instances of experiments exposing a batch of tardigrades in a vacuum space with temperature close to absolute zero for more than ten days. By the end of these experiments, a majority of the tardigrades survived. The secret trick the tardigrades used was cryptobiosis, which was a process of slowing down its metabolism to such a slow crawl it became nearly completely halted. Upon entering this dormant state, its body water content could drop to less than three percent which would be the threshold of what was considered common dehydration. However, once it was exposed to water again, it would regenerate its life force and reborn like a phoenix rising from the ashes. Hannibal took advantage of the black goos characteristics to strengthen the tardigrades. After a series of enhancements, the product was a monster the thickness of a human finger and entirely covered in a shell of hard chitin. This mutated tardigrade was extremely adaptable to a wide range of conditions. It could survive for three to five years without access to food or water. It could survive in harsh boiling water just as well as it could withstand low temperatures close to absolute zero. Even when put in vacuum spaces, it merely entered cryptobiosis for as long as needed until the environment became sustainable again. The tardigrade could survive for centuries in this cryptobiosis state. After Hannibal had cultivated a desirable variant of tardigrade, he extracted its gene and grafted them onto the gene of the Physcomitrella Patens. Although this variant of genetically modified moss was not able to achieve the metamorphosis ability as the tardigrades did, it was just as resilient and could thrive, even grew in conditions below negative hundred degrees celsius. Its life span was also longer than any of its Earth contemporaries. Based on the lab simulation conducted, there was a significant chance that this moss known as the tardigrade moss could survive in the harsh condition presented on mars. It was very likely that it could evolve into a special breed of moss plant on Mars. One element that the Mars atmosphere had no short supply of was carbon dioxide. After this tardigrade moss was genetically enhanced, it was now able to survive in any harsh climate and only needed a minuscule amount of water for sustenance. If this plant could be incorporated into the Mars environment, there was a strong likelihood of reshaping the Mars atmosphere. As the tardigrade moss continued to intake carbon dioxide and output oxygen, the atmospheric layer on Mars would slowly become strengthened and thickened. What would follow after that would be a gradual increase in temperature. Then, the buildup of carbon dioxide under the surface of Mars would evaporate, generating into a greenhouse effect After the temperature on Mars had reached a desirable level, the planet would allow for the habitation of a larger variety of plantations. To a certain point, even animals may be able to migrate to the planet. This positive feedback loop would continue on and on to make Mars a habitable planet. However, it was always easier said than done. There was still a significant amount of progress that needed to be made before achieving all of these visions. It was now merely the beginning. After obtaining the can of moss, Hannibal followed the designated crew for the expedition to the isolation cabin in the Ares. Spirits were high among the crew members and some of them were even competing and making bets to see which one of them would be the first to exit Ares and became the first human in history to set foot on Mars. Chapter 507 - Life on Mars Several days later, on the South Pole of Mars. The rovers were dragging what seemed to be a drilling device behind them as they advanced through the snow-coated ground. Trailing further behind the rovers were five scientists fully clad in protective suits. They chatted amiably as they followed after the rover. In the background, a dome-shaped structure had been erected. The height and circumference of this new structure were larger than the Ares spacecraft. It was built using numerous slabs of steel plates. Each steel plate had identical measurements so they were easily replaceable if any damaged section was detected. The collection of more than thousands of steel plate building blocks came together to form the shape of a steel dome structure. The topmost section of the structure was substituted with glass instead to give the dome a transparent crown. This building constructed by the fleet of XTN engineering robots would serve as the research station for the Mars expedition team from here on. A miniaturized inertial fusion reactor was installed in the research station, which would be providing the station with sufficient electricity for more than a decade to come. The interior was divided into three floors. There was a large open garden in the center section of the dome that stretched from the base of the dome to its ceiling. The garden was filled with sustainable plants transported from Earth. During the mornings, the daylight would shine through the glass crown of the dome, achieving a greenhouse effect which allowed the plants to perform photosynthesis. It was not so much a research station at this point and was closer to a mini eco-garden. The research station was surrounded by a ring of commodities which included the living quarters for the scientists, the canteen, conference rooms, warehouse, and various laboratories. The total surface area of the living space came to roughly five thousand square meters which were more than enough for the crew of scientists to partake in their usual day-to-day activities as well as work. Meanwhile, a drill well was being installed in a location roughly a kilometer away from the research station. It was the cape of a weaker part of the ice shelf that was recently identified during an expedition. The drill well was being set up by several XTN engineering robots that were preparing to officially commence the drilling operation. The five scientists stood at the side and watched as the drill head slowly bore itself into the ice shelf. Ten meters. Twenty meters. Fifty meters. Hundred meters The drill continued rooting itself deeper underground until several hours later when a gentle beep was heard. The scientists present were delighted to see the indicator light on the control panel of the drill well suddenly flickering with green light. This indicated that the drill head had successfully drilled itself into the designated location. One of the scientists stepped toward the mounted display next to one of the XTN engineering robots. The display was a live feed of the cameras mounted on the drill. It was an open space containing a pool of water that was reflecting the light that came from the surface. Found it, its an underground lake! The scientist cried out with excitement. He took out the walkie-talkie strapped to his waist and announced loudly, Drilling crew reporting to headquarters. We found an underground lake. I repeat, we found an underground lake! While the drilling crew was passionately celebrating the success of their operation, Hannibal was occupied with his task inside one of the laboratories in the research station. He was dressed in a protective suit and was in the middle of taking out blocks of snow samples and inspecting them under a microscope. This went on for some time. Despite his best efforts, he was unable to detect any signs of microorganisms apart from the occasional crystal and iron particles. Are there no life forms on Mars? Hannibal stretched his neck and frowned as he muttered to himself. It was then when the laboratory door suddenly opened with a short beep. Another man dressed similarly in a protective suit stepped inside. This new visitor appeared to be in good spirits and was carrying a rack of test tubes. There were three test tubes mounted to the rack, each one of them filled with an unidentifiable, transparent liquid. The new visitor went to Hannibal as soon as he entered the laboratory. Hannibal, check this out! Whats this? Hannibal asked curiously. These are samples of lake water several hundred meters below the ice shelf. It was only extracted by the drilling team just now. The fellow scientist said as he placed the test tubes into another rack. Weve reached an underground lake? Hannibals eyebrows shot up as he asked. Havent you heard about it? The other scientist only chuckled. That makes sense, all you do is stay cooped up inside this laboratory, youre missing out on the natural glory of Mars. Half an hour ago, the drilling team discovered a sizable open space several hundred meters below the ice shelf. This space was filled with carbon dioxide and there was an approximately zero degree underground lake in its bottom. Do you have any idea what this could mean? Water underground, close to zero degrees Celcius This suggests the possibility of life forms in the underground lake Hannibal quickly realized its implications. He took a look at the three test tubes and reached for them immediately. First, he placed one of the test tubes into a biosafety cabinet, then he trickled the contents of the test tube into a petri dish through the gloves fitted into the cabinet. After that, he placed the petri dish underneath a microscope and proceeded to inspect it. So? Any findings? There was a faint tremble in the other scientists voice as he watched Hannibal performing quick and familiar sequences of laboratory procedures. If signs of life were detected in the lake, it would be a defining moment in the history of mankind. Each one of their names, whether it was Hannibal, the members of the drill crew or the pilot would have their names etched into history books Hannibal had no time to respond to these strings of questions and remained focused on the task at hand. His attention was fixed on the microscope that was fixed on the liquid sample. What he saw through the microscope was what seemed like a foreign world Hannibal? The other scientist prodded again. Hannibal finally looked away from the microscope and nodded to himself as if to assure himself of his findings. Call the captain and the rest of the crew as well. We have a major discovery Half an hour later. All sixteen scientists gathered in a meeting room inside the research station. They did not conduct the meeting in the Ares because most of the equipment and whatever supplies were left in the spaceship had been moved out of and relocated into the research station. Very soon, the Ares would be delivering a large amount of soil, water, air, and various minerals samples on Mars back to Earth. Im sure most of you have an idea what Ive gathered everyone here for. The captain of the Ares, Zhou Xiong, started without any further delay. He stood up and turned to Hannibal. Hannibal, why dont you tell everyone your findings, Im sure many of us are very eager to find out at this point. Alright. Hannibal nodded and stepped to the front. A large display immediately appeared behind him. The image shown on the display was a pattern consisting of numerous collections of small black dots. This is the underwater microorganism discovered inside the underground water extracted from the drilling well. Hannibal explained discreetly, What youre seeing now is the samples magnified ten times underneath a microscope. Most of those black spots are common impurities which include minerals, soil, ice particles, and whatnot. Its only after magnifying it by thirty times when the new discoveries surface As Hannibal stated this, the image zoomed in closer to reveal a gray spot. It appeared that what was cast on the display was not a still picture but a recorded video instead. Inside the gray spot, several oddly-shaped worms with six to seven tiny legs sticking out of them could be seen swimming around in the water. The tiny, squirmish worms were completely transparent but their silhouette could be distinctly made out with the magnification of the microscope. They also had two long antennas that were nearly double the length of their bodies. The section around its abdomen region was shaped in rows like ribcages. It seemed to be a common breed of worm species. Chaetognatha marine worm. Hannibal stated, These microscopic worms look like Chaetognatha worms, dont they? Apart from the absence of eyes and having longer antennas, their structure was nearly identical to Chaetognatha worms found undersea. Their measurements are roughly in between 0.1 to 0.2 millimeters After stating this, Hannibal turned around and flicked his wrist, prompting the display to switch to another clip. The new footage showed the previous worm creature eating another insect smaller than itself that seemed to resemble common lice. Based on my current observation, it appears that they are carnivores of an extremely aggressive nature. Hannibal weighed his sentences carefully as he described, The species which they consume is another marine worm species. These marine worms are roughly 0.04 millimeters large. These are gram-negative bacterias that belong to a subclass of algae organisms. Additionally, I also discovered three other algae organisms. These algae organisms are single-celled prokaryotes and dont contain chlorophyll and chloroplasts in their cell structure. I hypothesize that they are anaerobic organisms that dont need photosynthesis. What they need instead is suitable water temperature to allow for chemical reactions to sustain themselves. After showing several other bizarrely shaped microorganisms that would otherwise be considered as a typical, run-of-the-mill entity in the world of microbes, Hannibals expression turned solemn. What I discovered after this was also very special Following Hannibals note, the display showed the image of a round, transparent bubble that was several times larger than the previous marine worm presented to the other scientists. What stood out about this bubble was a red-colored lump inside it that seemed to be faintly moving every now and then. It looked like a heart. This is The crew of scientists whispered amongst themselves. Thats right, its just as you guys suspect, its an egg. Hannibal said with emotion, The closest contemporary of this entity on Earth would be fish roes. Certain marine species do lay eggs that are as small as a millimeter. One thing the existence of this egg proves is that there are life forms similar to fishes in the underground lake we discovered. I cant confidently say that the species laying this egg is a vertebrate species until I have proper visual confirmation. Hannibals speculation awed the group of scientists. One of the scientists quickly jested. Does that mean that we can fish underground if we want to? They shared a quick laugh upon hearing this. I cant tell you much about the prospect of fishing, but what Ive found is that the algae organisms need methane and sulfide. Hannibal added. This trait is also observed in deep-sea archaea back on Earth. As you all may know, there are no sunlight or oxygen sources in the deep sea region on Earth. The archaeal organisms have had to coexist with deep sea worms since the beginning of time. The archaea used the continuous supply of sulfide from the underwater geysers to supply the required nutrients for the deep sea worms. The worms in turn secrete chitin components to protect the archaea. This mutually beneficial relationship forms the basis of the biological chain of the underwater geysers. Underwater geysers, also known as hydrothermal vents, refer to the geothermally heated water discharges seen in the depths of the ocean floor. Its principle was similar to that of a volcanic geyser. The inspiration for this name was due to the sprout of heated water from the seabed appearing like a smoking vent from a distance. This smoke contained substances such as sulfide and methane. A scientist named Bischoff was the first one to record this strange observation in 1979 when he saw it at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean 2500 meters below sea level. Generally speaking, these underwater vents should be extremely poisonous and lethal to most, if not all living beings. However, the almost miraculous observation noted by the scientists was a collection of living organisms surrounding the habitat that should have been barren of any life forms. These organisms survived on the heat, methane, and sulfide emitted from the hydrothermal vent. Just like how fish needed oxygen and algae needed sunlight for survival, these organisms also had unique sets of conditions for survival. The crew of scientists immediately understood what Hannibal was trying to suggest upon hearing this. It was a valid point since if life existed on Mars, it should be reasonable to expect that they would have developed an independent survival mechanism to accommodate their environment. Due to the ice shelf blocking out the sunlight and the lack of oxygen, these organisms had developed other systems to extract resources from the environment. Whether they lived on oxygen or methane, these organisms should still belong to the category of carbon-based life forms. Alright, everyone. This means that theres another thing we need to add to our checklist. Zhou Xiong suddenly got up and announced, The discovery of life form on Mars is a monumental discovery of the century. This proves that humans arent the only life form in the universe. From here on, our biology team will have plenty more work to do. I want to log everything that there is to know about these organisms. This means the history of their evolution as well as what may become of them in the future. Dont worry, Captain Zhou Xiong. One of the scientists from the biology team mentioned with a short chuckle, I do agree that its shocking to discover life form on Mars, but I have some news that may sour the moment a little. These lives are very primitive and we havent managed to confirm whether there are mammalian species just yet. From what weve seen so far, I have to say that the living conditions in the underground lake are sub-optimal at best. Based on the geological surveys conducted, its diameter is only about 20 kilometers. It may be a decent size but I doubt its enough room to allow mammalian species to evolve Simply put, the living conditions are simply too harsh to allow for the gradual evolution of any notable, intelligent species such as dolphins or alligators. Another scientist added. Even if intelligent species manage to emerge in these conditions, the ceiling of their intelligence should only be on par with orcas. Think of it as the level of primitive human tribes. The foundations of civilization require generations to pass their knowledge from one to the next. I doubt the habitat here is suitable for that. Maybe. Zhou Xiong first shot a look at Hannibal and saw that even Hannibal agreed with these claims. He then said with a quick smile, With all that said, you cant dispute that these alien life forms have excellent research value. Besides, the people on Earth are eagerly waiting for whatever news we can bring to them. Before the Ares returns to Earth, we need to collect the appropriate samples and log as much data as we can and bring them home. Cant argue with that. This statement gained a collective nod from everyone. Chapter 508 - DOOM Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Very interesting. Several days later, after Chen Chen went through the report received from the Mars expedition team, he became visibly intrigued by the findings. At this point, many discoveries on Mars had been publicly disclosed. With the careful coordination of the Earth Federation, the entirety of mankind had their attention honed in on the current Mars expedition. The initial landing of Ares on Mars was met with fervent celebration. This would be encored by the latest groundbreaking news from the Mars research station C There was life on Mars! It was not any primitive eukaryotic life form nor was it single-cell structured life forms but multi-cell life structured life forms similar to the ones seen on Earth! This revelation alone was enough to set off tremendous parties and celebrations in the biological sciences community on Earth. The four major continents did not attempt to conceal any information. Everything was laid out to the public in the exact form received from Mars. This included the statistical data of the species of detected life form, geological structure, and whatnot. The approach they had taken had earned them many praises from communities all over the world. There was a good reason for the four major continents in doing so. The first was the most essential component in establishing a strong foundation and that was to build a respectable reputation. It was vital to upkeep the image of the four major continents in the Earth Federation. This was merely one of many reasons. The primary reason was directly related to the fact that Blacklight Biotechnology was the primary faction heading this expedition with Ares. Three years ago, Blacklight Biotechnology had granted the related aerospace technology to the four major continents. In terms of advancement, this stem of technology was at least several decades ahead of the rest of the Earth Federation Which meant that the published data on Mars was of little to no use to the other countries. This was because no other forces apart from Blacklight Biotechnology and the four major continents had the required technology to travel to Mars. This was the true reason that Blacklight Biotechnology and the four major continents saw fit to disclose their findings. It took Chen Chen more than ten minutes to go through the heavy stack of the report in his hand. He slowly raised his head after he had finished. Sir Godfather, did you notice that the life forms on Mars are quite similar to the marine life forms on Earth? Little X suddenly asked unprompted. Not just similar. Chen Chen agreed, tipping his head up and down. The multicellular organisms found in the underground lake on Mars are almost completely homologous to the deep sea organisms on Earth. There are more than fifty percent similarities in their gene structures. Could some of the circulating theories be true, that Mars was once a planet with a bustling civilization that eventually collapsed, but not before branching out to Earth? Could Mars be the true origin of life on Earth? Or maybe its just a coincidence. After all, we have only found low-level species. We dont know yet just how different they are from the potential high-level species. Little X commented, But what you said is possible as well. Maybe Mars has something to do with the emergence of life forms on Earth. Maybe its also related to the Cambrian explosion The Cambrian explosion was also dubbed as one of the biggest mysteries in the field of paleontology and geology. Approximately 540 to 530 million years ago was the period where geologists determined the start of the Cambrian period. In the span of 20 million years during the Cambrian period, a large number of invertebrate fossils appeared in the soil layer. However, even among the fossils in the deepest layer which was also some of the earliest fossils formed during the period, there was no significant indication of the age of these fossils being too much older than the later fossils. It was as if all of the invertebrate fossils appeared at the same time out of nowhere This was a mystery that had plagued biological academia since Darwins time and nobody had found a reasonable explanation even until today. This was why it was simply referred to by geologists as The Cambrian Explosion for its sudden outburst of population. Nevertheless, Blacklight Biotechnology was not concerned with finding an explanation for these matters. Little X raised the matter again. We can further review these matters after weve performed a thorough study on the landscape of Mars. After all, weve merely chipped the tip of the iceberg. In roughly three to five years, we wouldve more comprehensive and accurate information of the structure on Mars. No, thats not what Im concerned about. Chen Chen shook his head suddenly and said ruminatively, Im just thinking that needing two weeks to travel back and forth is still too lengthy, especially when considering that the construction of a spacecraft like Ares costs us tens of billions of dollars. To achieve greater efficiency, we need to find alternative methods of transportation to Mars. Are you hinting at Teleportation? Little X was surprised to hear this and quickly mentioned, That will be difficult to achieve considering our most advanced form of teleportation comes from the black spheres in Gantz. Even with all the groundwork and effort weve put into maintaining the teleportation system, the black spheres are still hindered by technical limitations and can only allow for teleportation on Earth instead. At this point, I doubt interplanetary teleportation is possible unless we can create a teleporter the size of the Himalayas mountains. That way, the signal coverage may be able to reach Mars. However, thats pretty much impossible Of course, Im aware of that. Chen Chen chuckled. Due to the energy limitations back then, we were unable to extract large devices from the USB drive so we had to compromise with devices like the Gantz sphere. Things are different now since we have the super tokamak reactor that multiplies our energy generation efficiency by several folds. Doesnt this mean that the options that we have previously deemed impossible to instantiate are accessible again now? Are you talking about the time machine in Terminator? Little X wagered a guess. Its worth considering, but its not the best option available. Chen Chen considered briefly. Apart from Terminator, there are many other movies that introduce teleportation systems. Our current Mars expedition reminds me of a very familiar title with a device tailored for our needs Could it be DOOM? Little X asked. Thats right. Chen Chen snapped his thumbs. From what weve observed so far, the time machine from Terminator appears to be a parallel dimension teleporter. I suspect it will be hard to fully utilize it. Meanwhile, teleporters in movies such as Doctor Who and Star Trek arent viable since they either cannot be accepted by the USB drive or pose trouble with the continuity of consciousness. Im not willing to take the risk of using faulty teleportation devices. Of all the options we have, DOOM seems to meet my requirement. DOOM, also sometimes referred to as Duke Nukem, first started as a sci-fi-themed first-person shooting game. The story is about mankind discovering a gigantic portal on Mars that served as a gate and allowed countless terrible monsters to pass through. These monsters were a large variety of biblical devils. 1 Since it was a genre-defining game, it had amassed a cult following and in 2005, it was rewritten into a movie. However, the monsters inside the movie had been changed into monsters derived from failed human experiments instead of biblical devils from another world. The plot of the movie was that in 2026, mankind discovered a special device left behind by an ancient civilization on the earth. This device was known as the Ark. It was a teleportation device which destination was set to a location on Mars. To conduct further studies on the Ark, the state forces kept its existence secret and soon established a research station on Mars. It was there where they discovered signs of humanoid remains on Mars, suggesting that there were humanoid inhabitants on Mars. Upon conducting further genetic research on the inhabitant on Mars, they discovered that humans shared the same genetics as the Martians. The humans and Martians both had twenty-three pairs of chromosomes, with the exception of a small portion of Martians having twenty-four pairs of chromosomes instead. Upon further research, humans realized that this demographic with twenty-four pairs of chromosomes possessed inhumane strength. Their raw strength, reaction speed, vitality, and the rate at which they recovered from injuries were vastly superior to regular humans. They were essentially superhumans. Later research also revealed that this was not without its drawbacks. As the humans started to artificially inject the twenty-fourth chromosome into regular humans, they discovered that most people would become mutated and lose their minds in the process. These unfortunate victims of the failed mutation became mindless monsters that were completely consumed by the urge to kill. Only a tiny portion of the population was compatible with the twenty-fourth chromosome. Even among this population that was fortunate enough to be compatible with the twenty-fourth chromosome, there was still the risk of them losing their minds. The reason for this was that humans were born with an inherent violent tendency sheltered in the deepest corners of their minds. Upon receiving the twenty-fourth chromosome, there was a significant chance of these violent urges becoming amplified which would cause the person to become an unhinged murderer while still managing to hold on to their sense of self. This meant that there was a lesser amount of the population that had the full mental capacity to resist the side effects of the twenty-fourth chromosome and become superhumans. In a way, the twenty-fourth chromosome was a fusion of the T-virus and the Captain America supersoldier serum. On one end of the spectrum, it might mutate ordinary people into senseless and mindless monsters while on the other end, it could amplify a persons nature for better or for worse. Inside the movie, upon realizing the vast enhancement the twenty-fourth chromosome could potentially impose on human genes, the country allowed for further research on the twenty-fourth chromosome in the Mars research station. This inevitably led to a string of disastrous events when the monsters broke out of the Mars research station. At one point, Chen Chen did consider using the twenty-fourth chromosome enhancement from DOOM but he eventually gave up on the idea. He of all people knew that if he was injected with the serum, it was far more likely that he would turn into a maddened murderer than to become a fully-fledged superhuman. Anyone should be able to figure out by this point that Chen Chen was no nobleman like Captain America. Besides, the genetic amplification of the twenty-fourth chromosome was roughly on par with the T-virus. There was no need for Chen Chen to take the gamble. After thoroughly weighing his options, Chen Chen spoke again, I suppose this will do. Even though DOOM is a video game adaptation that has altered a majority of its stories in the video game counterpart, its still worth trying it out on the USB drive and see if it can be accepted. There was no harm in trying. Chen Chen proceeded to head to the charging room for the USB drive that was hidden behind layers of defensive installations. As soon as he stepped into the charging room, he saw coils of electricity surging out of the USB drive that had its energy reserve completely emptied a month ago. The coil of electricity lapped around in disrupted patterns and cast its faint red and purple glow over the room. This was a common phenomenon known as the corona discharge. Following Chen Chens arrival, the charge of electric current flowing into the USB drive ceased immediately. The reactor connected to the USB drive grinded to a halt. The coil of electricity slowly flickered in the air and disappeared upon losing charge. The USB drive soon dimmed out and faded to black. Shortly after that, spots of flickering light began to appear on its surface again. It seemed as if a miniature galaxy was trapped inside the USB drive Chen Chen was well versed with how the USB drive operated at this point and knew that this only occurred when the USB drive had received a significant amount of charge. The USB drive never looked anywhere like this when he first obtained it. This was evidence of how far Chen Chen had come in terms of charging efficiency for the USB drive. Before the construction of the nuclear power plant, Chen Chen could go through months of charging only to attain a measly amount of charge. These days, he had an array of five high-power nuclear fusion reactors with tens of millions of kilowatts between them charging the USB drive around the clock. The daily electricity generated was the equivalent of the electricity consumption of a metropolis. Even with this, it took at least three years to fully charge the USB drive. It was a testament to the terrifying capacity of the USB drive. Chen Chen stepped forward and gently removed the USB drive and then said, Although its only been a month of charging, this amount of charge is easily equivalent to several decades worth of charge with my previous setup. This should easily allow me to instantiate several hundred tons worth of items, more than enough for what I need With that, Chen Chen took the USB drive and went to the teleportation room. The familiar beam of blue ray sent him to another location in a split instant. Chen Chen arrived at a large room the size of a great hall. The space inside the room was empty. The walls were gigantic columns of steel beams that went to the roof. There was no sign of anything resembling an entrance or exit. This place was a complete dead end. This was the experiment grounds that Chen Chen had Little X build after the failed USB drive experiment last time. The purpose of the experiment ground was rather straightforward. In three years when the USB drive was fully charged again, Chen Chen would once again open up an Einstein-Rosen bridge and put a portal to an alternate dimension in this space. Before that, this great hall could be used for other purposes. There was already a desk set in front of Chen Chen with a laptop set on top of it. The laptop was not connected to any external network. When Chen Chen sat in front of the desk and opened the laptop, he saw an AVI format movie file on its desktop. DOOM. Upon seeing the title of the movie, Chen Chen took the USB drive and slowly plugged it into the port on the side of the laptop. After the laptop read the USB drive, Chen Chen proceeded to open the USB drive file and proceeded to drag the movie on the desktop into the drive. Click! What followed was a swift click. Another movie was successfully added to the USB drive! Chapter 509 - Civilization! Upon noting the successful insertion of the movie into the USB drive, Chen Chen told Little X, X, send them in. Following Chen Chens notice, ten Black Knights came in through the teleporter. Not only were they fitted with the GS Combat Suits but they also had an additional layer of PK Armor above the combat suit. Although the PK Armor offered more than enough firepower on its own, the Black Knights still carried a pulse rifle each and had a GS Blade strapped to their waists. Furthermore, they had a mini drone mounted to their shoulders. This team of cold-blooded killing machines was armed to the teeth. Even among the Black Knights, such display was a rare sight. Most of the time, the Black Knights were only equipped with the GS Combat Suit which was more than enough. Currently, there was no way to manufacture the PK Armor and they had to be manually instantiated. It was only on the rare occasion when Chen Chen needed to delve into an alternate dimension when he would make a big show of arming the Black Knights this way. Chances are this trip to the alternate dimension will be an uphill battle. Even with the Black Knights armed to the teeth, Chen Chens expression was still grave. Judging by the consistent pattern displayed by the USB drive so far, the associated dimension should be one where mankind was utterly wiped out as well. In the case of the movie DOOM, Resident Evil, and Alien, the cause of the destruction could be easily determined based on the plot of the movie. It should go without saying that the cause of the destruction of civilization in the plane of Doom was the pack of monsters infected with the twenty-fourth chromosome. Inside the movie, a large-scale infection of the twenty-fourth chromosomes had led to a string of disaster. Crisis was averted when the protagonist successfully killed the source of infection and prevented any further spread of the infection to the outside world. The protagonist may be able to stop the infection, but could he ultimately stop the greed of those in positions of power? It was not surprising that the twenty-fourth chromosomes would inevitably cause the destruction of mankind. With that in mind, Chen Chen went ahead and played the movie. He then dragged the process bar to the opening sequence where the protagonist was about to lead his team of special troops in the Ark secret base. Based on the events of the movie, a total of seven members were in the protagonists troop including the protagonist himself. The team of special troops had received an order from their superiors to venture to Mars to prevent the infection from spreading further into the outside world. The main characters of the movie did not head to Mars using conventional methods such as taking a spaceship. Instead, they used the teleportation device known as the Ark. It was a device left behind by an ancient civilization that could take them directly to Mars. Chen Chen gunned straight for the entrance to the base. This way, he could obtain whatever insider information about the Ark that could prove useful. This was a relatively risky approach because there was already an active outbreak of the twenty-fourth chromosomes and the location he had the Black Knights heading to was the center of the outbreak. However, he also had to consider that the timeline selected by the USB drive tended to be random. There was a chance that upon the activation of the portal, the timeline would be set to only a short duration after the destruction of human civilization. It was also just as likely that they would arrive at a timeline long after mankind had perished and that there would be nothing resembling a monster left in the secret base. With that said, even if there were monsters, the Black Knights should manage to dismantle the monsters as effortlessly as slicing a cabbage in half with a sharp blade. Even the protagonist in the movie was able to wreak havoc among the pack of monsters after receiving the enhancement of the twenty-fourth chromosome. The same should be expected of a team of fully-armored Black Knights. Judging by what was seen in the movie, the compatible hosts of the twenty-fourth chromosome should be of equal strength as the Black Knights. However, the Black Knights had the luxury of access to equipment such as the PK Armor that easily took their strength to the next level. The protagonist of DOOM would not stand a chance even if he had an extra life. With this in mind, Chen Chen opened [Doom.avi] without any further hesitation. The display immediately turned dark. It seemed as if all the light was drained from the world inside the display! At this point, Chen Chen was already familiar with the workings of the passage opening. Within a second, an ominous, black spot appeared on the computer display. It was the Schwarzschild Throat that swallowed all the light in the world. What was located on the other end of it was none other than the world of DOOM Upon seeing the appearance of the passage, Chen Chen immediately took a step back. Of the troop of ten Black Knights, he had five of them stepped forward and charged into the portal in a single line. The remaining five Black Knights remained in position beside the computer, ready to respond to whatever spontaneous situations that may occur. Chen Chen was not in any particular rush and started to wait patiently. He was already familiar with the exploration process of these alternate dimensions and knew that if there were any notable dangers, the Black Knights would retreat in the shortest window possible. If they were unable to return due to whatever disaster that came upon them on the other end, they would dispatch a drone and send word back to the real world. Meanwhile, if there was nothing particularly treacherous on the other end, the Black Knights were instructed to dispatch a drone a minute after entering to relay to Chen Chen the situation inside. One minute, two minutes, three minutes Time slowly ticked away and yet there was still no news from the alternate dimension. A somber look slowly came to Chen Chens expression. After three minutes passed, a drone finally emerged from the passage. Its shell was charred black as if it was just recently scorched by flame. As soon as it appeared, it projected a beam through its frontal lens and cast a virtual 3D projection. The 3D projection showed the interior of the secret Ark laboratory shown in the movie. Chen Chen shot right up from the chair and looked at this scene that appeared before him with utter disbelief! The secret laboratory inside the projection was completely intact. It looked as if the outbreak had never happened! Before accessing this dimension, Chen Chen had pictured several possibilities of the state of the laboratory. The laboratory could be left in ruins, perhaps with decapitated body parts strewn all over the place. Never in his wildest dreams could he ever imagine the laboratory to be in such a well-maintained state! Could it be Chen Chen murmured. His stream of thoughts was interrupted when the projection displayed holographic footage of a group of armed security forces charging out of nowhere with their weapons aimed at the team of Black Knights. The sound of hectic gunshots rang across the air within a second, signaling the start of a deadly exchange There were humans in the alternate dimension! This was no time to hesitate any longer, Chen Chen immediately dispatched the remaining five Black Knights into the passage. Before all the Black Knights even managed to shuffle into the passage, Chen Chen turned around and shouted, X, mobilize all available Black Knights, hurry! Understood, two thousand three hundred Black Knights are currently heading toward the teleportation rooms. All nuclear reactors are activated, allocating all available power systems to the Gantz teleportation devices Little X quickly advised, Sir Godfather, to ensure your safety, I recommend that you evacuate from here and wait for updates. No, Im not leaving. Chen Chen quickly shook his head. He narrowed his eyes and stared intently at the intense battle between the two factions shown in the projection. His eyes shone with wonderment. Would you believe it, the USB drive led us to a world where humans are still living. The only time that this has ever happened was when we entered the world of Gantz, how could I ever miss out on something like this? There are two possibilities. Seeing that Chen Chen was already insistent on staying, Little X figured there was no use in trying to change his mind. Besides, Chen Chen was more than capable enough of keeping himself safe. Little X started. The first possibility is that mankind has already faced extinction. However, the secluded nature of this base has allowed a small number of people to use it as a shelter. This is similar to what we saw in the Gantz dimension. Theres another possibility, being that the world that the USB drive has led us to is one where humans havent yet been wiped out! Chen Chen nodded ruminatively as he listened to Little Xs deduction. X, which one do you think is the more likely possibility? I believe its the former. Little X said, After all, the USB drive seems to only lead to worlds where civilization has faced its end. Theres nothing that indicates this as a rule, but its a consistent pattern weve seen based on our track history so far. I believe that the USB drive wouldnt suddenly establish an outlier out of nowhere. No, Im willing to bet that youve had it wrong this time. Chen Chen broke out into laughter as he listened to Little Xs deductions. Havent you noticed? From this footage, we can see a large number of security forces confronting the Black Knights. You can also see their team of scientists retreating in the background. All of these observations suggest that the secret base is operating as normal. Is this common for a civilization that should be on its last legs? Ah Little X gasped when Chen Chen mentioned this. It was just as Chen Chen described. Ive noticed the expression of these people in the footage. Chen Chen continued formulating his theory. Im sure youre aware that Ive studied psychology. Based on what Ive read from their expressions, I can see mild hints of fear and panic but its nowhere more than the usual threshold. Their collective behavior is otherwise regular for a situation like this. None of these points toward a crumbling civilization where the survivors should be constantly suffocating from fear and agitation I see Little X saw some sense in this analysis. In the middle of their exchange, the black sphere behind Chen Chen suddenly erupted with a blue glow as dozens of Black Knights swarmed out of the projected blue light. The newly arrived Black Knights did not have the PK Armor on and were only fitted with the regular GS Combat Suit and a pulse rifle. They dashed into the black hole inside the computer display as soon as they arrived. As soon as the Black Knights appeared, they dove into the Schwarzschild! This was followed by a second batch, then a third The black sphere could only transport ten organic beings at a time. After the fourth batch of Black Knight entered the Schwarzschild, Chen Chen held his hand up and signaled for the rest of the arriving Black Knights to stand in formation near the display with their weapons aimed at the passage. Fifty Black Knights should be more than enough to occupy the laboratory. If this attempt still proved unsuccessful, that would suggest that the opponents had some form of advanced technology. In that case, this was not something that could be solved just by throwing more Black Knights at them. The most important task now was to guard the passage and ensure that the opponents do not make it into the real world. Fortunately, Chen Chens extreme caution turned out to be unnecessary because after another ten minutes had passed, a Black Knight drenched in blood with a bullet wound in one arm emerged from the passage. Upon returning from the passage, the Black Knight was carefully carried away by two other Black Knights to be thoroughly inspected. Meanwhile, Little X had received the transmission of everything the Black Knight encountered while inside the other dimension. Sir Godfather, your speculation is correct Little X noted as there was a faint hint of excitement in her voice as she spoke, Human society in the alternate dimension is still completely intact. The time now is the twenty-fifth of May, 2145, which is somewhere near the timeline of the movie. Whats odd is that this timeline is set before the events portrayed in the movie took place. The passage had led us to an earlier point in time! An earlier timeline? Chen Chen was shocked to hear this as well. He was only speculating that mankind had somehow survived the outbreak. He had never expected to arrive at an earlier timeline. Millions of possibilities rushed to Chen Chen in an instant. Our Black Knights had taken over the laboratory but unfortunately, news of this mysterious force arriving has been relayed to the outside world. Little X continued. Which means that the Northern American Continent of the opposite world has caught wind of this mysterious invasion as well. I suspect were going to face the full offensive charge of a continent from the future! Chen Chen seemed rather unfazed by this piece of information. He proceeded to ask, Have we thoroughly inspected the returning Black Knight? The inspection is complete. We didnt detect any signs of infection and have confirmed that the existing microorganism in the other dimension is identical to the ones in our world. There are no signs of the twenty-fourth chromosome infection either. Little X answered. Excellent. Chen Chen snapped his fingers upon receiving this confirmation. He approached the computer display without a second thought. X, time to use your X-111 copy. I want to hack into the internal system of this base and find out everything theres to know about the Ark teleportation device. Got it! By the time Little X gave a response, Chen Chen had arrived in front of the display. He proceeded to step into it! Chen Chens vision turned dark in a split instant. The familiar heavy sensation invaded him! Tap! Chen Chen opened his eyes again when he felt his foot clacking against the hard ground. He found himself in a futuristic hall. The walls and ceilings were a combination of glossy silver and white texture. The hall was moderately sized and not very well lit. What was once a well taken care of hall was now ridden with bullet holes on every single surface. The corpse of dozens of security forces was scattered all over the floor. Their bodies were completely dismembered. There was not a single body insight that was left fully intact. This could not have been anything other than the work of the pulse rifles. Some may find it suspicious as to how the world of DOOM that was set more than a century in the future could hardly put up a fight against the Black Knights. The truth was that this occurrence was completely expected since the movie had shown the protagonists troop wielding nothing more than a class of guns that could melt steel beams. There was no other display of high-tech weapons shown in the movie. Of all the other high-tech equipment presented in the movie, the only notable one apart from the Ark was an implementation known as the Nano-wall. There was a range of potential explanations for this, it could be that the future civilization had faced a bottleneck in terms of technology development and was not able to achieve a breakthrough. Minus the mass of dead bodies, the scene in the great hall was one that Chen Chen was familiar with. It was the replica of the hall shown in the movie DOOM. When Chen Chen turned to look behind him, he saw a dark, sinister vortex suspended in the air. It was the portal opened by the USB drive. Chapter 510 - Takeover Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Following Chen Chens arrival, two Black Knights posted beside the passage immediately stepped forward and saluted Chen Chen. Chen Chen acknowledged them with a faint nod. After that, he heard a soft click of feet tapping against the ground. It was a female cyborg that emerged from the other end of the passage. She wore a floral dress and had an oddly-shaped mechanical device in her hand. The mechanical device was shaped like a cube, almost like a Rubiks cube. What was notable was a hole in its center that had blue rays pouring out of it. From this opening at its center, it could be seen that this device contained something inside it that was emitting a blue glow continuously like a neon light. The girl greeted Chen Chen sweetly, Long time no see, Sir Commander, Im X-112. Long time no see. Chen Chen responded with a faint smile. The X-112 was one of Little Xs most-used clones. Just like her sibling, X-111, she was a clone duplicated directly from Little X. While X-111 was tasked with maintaining the daily operations in the Spire Experimental Base, X-112 was mainly responsible for venturing into other dimensions with Chen Chen and hacking into other high-tech systems. X-112 had been present for previous expeditions such as the trips into the Resident Evil, Elysium, and Gantz dimensions. To allow for easy distinction, the X-111 was given a mature voice of an adult female, absent of any emotions. Meanwhile, X-112 was given a child-like voice of a little girl. Ive synchronized with the Black Knights in the DOOM dimension. Weve taken control of the Ark Experimental Base and killed thirty-five security personnel, eight researchers, and captured one hundred and sixty-three researchers in the process. This also includes Doctor Carson, the dean of the Ark Experimental Base. X-112 continued. Ill be infiltrating into the main system of the Ark to complete our takeover of the base. Do your thing, dont mind me. Chen Chen gave the girl a quick nod. She proceeded to step toward a metal gate on one end of the room. There was a gigantic tear in the middle of the gate as if it had been ruthlessly torn apart by something. Next to the giant tear was a thick collection of bullet holes. Another Black Knight was posted beside the gate. Chen Chen trailed behind X-112 and watched as she navigated the base as if she had been here many times before. After taking many turns down the winding corridor and through several airtight doors that were destroyed, Chen Chen found himself in another wide hall. There was a large group of people crouched together inside the hall when Chen Chen arrived. Right next to them were the Black Knights standing in a line with their fingers on the pulse rifle triggers. The already frightened group only appeared more terrified when they saw Chen Chen entering. X-112 went straight for an ashen-haired old man and spoke with a tender, child-like voice, Hello there, Doctor Carson. Please lead us to the main control room of the Ark. Wed greatly appreciate your cooperation. What are you people The old man did not comply. Instead, he only rebuked them harshly. Do you have any idea what youre doing? Are you challenging the Human Federation? This will not sit well with the Human Federation! This statement prompted a curious reaction from Chen Chen. This meant that in 2145, mankind had formed a unionized organization known as the Human Federation. Since this person was not willing to comply, X-112 decided it was not worth the effort of going back and forth with him. A Black Knight nearby immediately stepped forward and grabbed the old man by his hair and proceeded to drag the old man away! This sudden violent behavior caused another round of commotion among the hostages. Some of the female researchers shrieked while several male researchers with a furious look upon their faces got up and confronted the Black Knight. As soon as they got up on their feet, there was a low hum that sounded across the hall. A ripple formed around the waist of few researchers who got up as they were shredded inside out as an explosion of gust and blood splattered in a circle around them! Ah!!! There were more hysterical screaming and crying. With the Black Knights still pointing the pulse rifles at them, they could only stay down on the ground with their hands over their heads and whimper silently. Stay where you are or else all of you will die. Even with some blood splattered across her face, the little X-112 still kept a bright, eerie smile on her face. She looked around the hall and saw that the terrified hostages were now completely silent. After that, she went toward the direction of another destroyed gate. The Black Knight dragged Doctor Carson by his hair and followed after X-112. Chen Chen followed X-112s lead to the largest, most fortified gate they had seen so far. There was already a giant hole roughly two meters wide shredded into the middle of what was once the tightly-sealed gate. The edges of the hole were uneven. There was some indication of the gate being melted. When Chen Chen and X-112 stepped through the gate, they were greeted by a room with countless displays mounted along the wall, with even more control panels installed everywhere. This was undoubtedly the main control room of the laboratory. It was also the central control system of the Ark Laboratory. Were here, Doctor Carson. X-112 said softly while the Black Knight also loosened the grip on Doctor Carsons hair. The doctor pulled himself up to his feet and rubbed his head while wincing in pain. A wipe of horror soon surfaced in his eyes. What is it that you want, to negotiate with the Human Federation? I need you to authorize the shutdown of the firewall of the Ark Experimental Base. X-112 informed, Doctor Carson, its in your best interest to not refuse. Impossible! The color drained away from Doctor Carsons face as he backed away until he stumbled into the console panel. My authorization level only allows me to monitor the safety features and daily operations of the Ark base at most. Theres no way I can disable the firewall of the base. I cant do it even if you threaten to kill me! Of course, I know that. X-112 came beside Doctor Carson and whispered, Ill take care of the firewall. Theres only one thing I need your help with In your dreams! Doctor Carson was baffled by the audacity of this little girl. He cried out in bewilderment! However, his tone quickly altered when he saw this little girl suddenly stretching her right hand out to touch a port on the console panel. He stared in awe as the intricate wires extended from the slender fingertips of the girl. The combination of wire seemed to have taken on a life of its own as it twisted and bent around itself to fit inside the port! Within seconds, X-112 had successfully inserted her finger into the Ark console panel. The corner of her lips raised into a smirk as she turned to Chen Chen. Sir Commander, Ive successfully infiltrated the Ark Experimental Base and am currently breaking through the firewall. How about him? Chen Chen glanced at Doctor Carson who was still starting with his mouth agape. Doctor Carson could not believe what he was seeing. He was shocked by the discovery that this little girl in front of him was a robot! However, this bewilderment only lasted for a brief instant. The next second, X-112 raised her left hand, and once again, an intricate arrangement of wire appeared from the center of her palms. With a sudden, vicious jab, it suddenly shot toward Doctor Carsons neck like an arrow sprung from a bow! Ah! Doctor Carson cried out when he sensed the sharp pain but only for a brief instant before his voice was caught in his throat. His expression suddenly turned blank as he turned to the console panel and said with an almost entirely mechanical voice: This is Doctor Carson, identification number 3627. Authorizing the shut down of the Ark firewall Authenticating After hearing Doctor Carsons orders, a robotic voice broadcasted through the speakers of the main control room. Ark Experimental Base authentication Identification number authenticated. Voice authentication valid. Performing retina scan Authenticated. Please press your palms against the palm reader Once again, the dazed Doctor Carson slowly stretched his arm outward and pressed his palm against the console panel. Palmprint identified, DNA successfully matched Executing orders The broadcast continued. All user authentication has been lifted. The current activity will be logged in the databa Before the broadcast finished, X-112 suddenly closed her eyes! As soon as X-112 closed her eyes, the blaring sirens of an alarm sounded across the main control room. Warning! Warning! Unknown infiltrator detected, reactivating firewall! Reactivation unsuccessful, the infiltrator has broken through the first layer of the firewall. Activating the second and third layer of firewall! The second firewall layer has been broken through. Third firewall layer reactivation successful! Warning! Warning! Third firewall layer has been broken through. The infiltrator has invaded the central systems The sirens blared repeatedly, accompanied by the system announcements. X-112 still had her eyes shut. One of her hands was placed over the console panel while the other was firmly planted over Doctor Carsons head. Warning! Warning! The Ark Experimental Base is invaded by an unidentified hacker, commencing power shutoff! This announcement suddenly rang across the main control room. Abort operation! As soon as the announcement was made, Doctor Carson suddenly barked an order to suspend the operation of the Ark base. Operation interrupted. Requesting additional input from executive When the robotic voice arrived at executive, its voice suddenly became distorted and dragged out. After that, the lights in the main control room were suddenly shut off and turned back on again in an instant! X-112 finally opened her eyes again. She turned to Chen Chen. Sir Commander, Ive successfully taken over the Ark Experimental Base. After saying that, she drew her left hand back. Doctor Carsons body immediately turned limp and collapsed onto the cold hard ground and began to twitch uncontrollably. Good work. Chen Chen smiled, satisfied with X-112s work, but he then mentioned, But its a shame, we can make good use of these researchers if we bring them back to the real world. Im a clone of X, so everything I do is a mimic of how X wouldve acted. X-112 smiled slyly. And Im sure you know where X got her habits from. The sudden remark made Chen Chen speechless. After that, he left but not before instructing, Make a copy of all the data gathered here and send it back to Earth. You and the Black Knights stay posted here. Also, open the entrance to the outside world! How about you? X-112 asked quickly. Im checking out the outside world. Chen Chen said without stopping, I want to see what the world in 2145 looks like. With that, Chen Chen left the main control room and came before an elevator. The elevator door opened on its own when it detected him and he immediately stepped inside without pause. Please wait, Sir Commander! X-112s voice was broadcasted through the speakers in the elevator. Shortly after that, a Black Knight rushed toward Chen Chen and took off the PK Armor to hand it to him. X-112 added. Be careful, Sir Commander. Alright. Chen Chen did not refuse and took the metallic arm guard handed to him. The device immediately produced a mechanical locking sound as it shrunk considerably. The once large armguard had shrunken down to less than half of its original size and attached itself to his arm! A low and deep hum followed afterward. Blue rays of nano light wrapped around Chen Chens body in a matter of seconds. By the time the elevator shut its doors, Chen Chen had properly equipped the PK Armor A mask still radiating heat covered over Chen Chens face. The elevator started to ascend. It seemed that the Ark Experimental Base was also located underground just like the Spire. Sir Commander, I have good news and bad news, which one do you want first? X-112s voice came through the earpiece. Just give me both. Chen Chen answered briskly. Well, the good news is that Ive used the information here to establish a connection with the outside world. Ive also measured the scientific and technological advancement of this world in the process. It seems that due to World War Three, science and technology havent seen much improvement even in the year 2145. Their weapon technology in particular is significantly lacking progress, its barely on the level of our technology in the real world. They havent standardized large-scale use of robots and cyborgs. I doubt we have any reason to be concerned in terms of firepower. What about the bad news? Chen Chen asked without skipping a beat. The bad news is Theres not much documentation on the technology behind the Ark teleporters, theres only whats essentially a user manual. This means that the humans of this dimension havent figured out the technology of the Ark. Theyre merely using what the Martians left behind. Thats more than enough. Chen Chen remarked plainly, Theres more than enough technological implementations here for us to take advantage of. Do you have any idea how many Arks there are in this dimension? Based on the data inside the base, apart from this Ark base that weve taken over and the one situated on Mars, theres another one located in the United Kingdom. X-112 stated. In that case, contact whoever is in charge in this world and instruct them to hand over the Ark facility. Chen Chen added. Tell them that if they refuse to hand over the Ark, Ill bring down a calamity on them. Understood. X-112 added. There are currently more than ten special forces troops headed toward your location, please be careful. Just in time. As soon as Chen Chen said this, he felt the lift coming to an abrupt halt. With a clear ding, the elevator doors opened to reveal a large, barren plain in front of him. Off in the distance, there were dozens of oddly-shaped, all-black hellfighter model helicopters headed toward this direction from the skies above! Chapter 511 - Negotiation Looking silently at the dozen or so helicopters approaching in the sky, Chen Chen suddenly spread his hands as if embracing the sky. In the next second, his body seemed to break free of gravity and floated straight into the sky. At this time, on these helicopters, everyone was stunned at the humanoid floating in the distance. Among them, a special forces soldier in the position of co-pilot suddenly said, Bob, what do you think that is? Is it some new type of rocket vehicle? The main pilot on the side immediately said, Is that someone from our side or the terrorist from the other side? Id better ask. The special forces soldier in the position of the co-pilot suddenly pressed a control button. Calling headquarters, calling headquarters! Im the first officer of the RRTS Special Operations Squadron, codenamed Captain. Were now above the destination but we see a person in armor flying toward us Yes, hes wearing a suit of high-tech armor Hes not from our team? Got it, message received. The call with the headquarters quickly ended. The co-pilot, codenamed Captain, immediately called up the radio channel and said, Unidentified person ahead, please note that we belong to the RRTS Special Operations Squadron in Northern America. Now our aim has been locked onto you. Please land immediately and disarm, otherwise, well open fire! Repeat, land immediately, otherwise well treat you as a threat and open fire! However, his voice dissipated into the wind without any reply from the other party. He asked for it! Captain whispered. The missiles on the gunship locked onto the approaching figure and then he reported to the headquarters again, The RRTS Special Operations Squadron requesting permission to fire! Permission to fire given. Within a few seconds, a response came from the other side. Mission objective: to wipe out all terrorists and try to recover all properties of the Union Aerospace Corporation! The moment the headquarters issued the order, the helicopter pilot on the side decisively pressed the launch button! Whoosh! With a piercing sound, an Alpha missile flew out of the launcher, leaving behind a long trail of light, and quickly rushed toward the figure ahead! Seeing that one of the helicopters had suddenly fired, Chen Chen did not seem to panic. He tried using Field energy and instantly moved a distance of more than ten meters, but he saw the missile turn and fly in the direction where he was now. Composite guidance? Chen Chen immediately raised his eyebrows. Generally speaking, helicopters were equipped with infrared guidance. As a combat armor of the Predator race that had thermal vision, the PK Armor naturally first had to isolate infrared radiation and thermal radiation. Therefore, a missile using infrared guidance was absolutely ineffective. Even so, Chen Chen had now moved a certain distance, yet the missile could still follow him. It meant that they might have adopted image guidance or even multi-faceted guidance, so the missile could keep up with its own pace. Interesting Chen Chen muttered in a low voice. He simply stretched out his right hand to grasp the rapidly approaching missile. In the next second, the missile seemed to have encountered an invisible barrier and burst into fragments! Boom! A heatwave rushed toward his face, bringing a pungent smell of gunpowder, but Chen Chen was still suspended motionless in the air! After so many years of training, Chen Chens control distance of the Field energy had reached 50 meters. At this time, the missile had met the five-star barrier formed by the Field energy head-on and exploded directly 50 meters away. What happened? Seeing this weird scene, all the helicopter pilots wore stunned expressions. They looked at the figure who was still floating in mid-air after the flames dissipated and subconsciously pulled down the joystick, positioning the helicopter in mid-air to observe Chen Chen at the same level. The Alpha missile didnt hit the target. The opponent seems to have some way to detonate the missile? At this time, the channel of the RRTS Special Operations Squadron was in chaos and many people were wondering what just happened. Try changing to the Stan missile. Captain suddenly spoke, suppressing everyones doubts. He spoke again, Its very likely that the quality of the missile is the problem. Dont panic, try a Stan missile. Following his words, another missile flew out, this time reaching a distance of more than ten meters away from the target before exploding right in thin air! Boom! Billowing smoke and dust shrouded the figure. Everyone stared at it but saw that the other party was still floating in the air amid the scattering vapors, without any movement. Impossible! Captain whispered, The Stan missile has a staggering force equivalent to 200kg of TNT. If even a building can be easily blown up, how can this person be unharmed? However, their questions were destined to have no answers. The next second, Chen Chen, who had merely been testing his opponents weapon, finally attacked. A row of laser sights suddenly popped out of his back like six scarlet eyes. When they appeared, they automatically aimed at the six helicopters in front and locked upon them firmly! Oh no! Seeing an unknown device suddenly popping up behind the target that had been receiving attacks, for some reason, Captain suddenly felt a sense of danger. Then he saw again that there were two devices like shoulder cannons emerging, then firing at them almost without any hesitation! Everyone only saw the air twisting at a speed almost visible to the naked eye, like an invisible tsunami, rolling toward the direction of the Hellfighter helicopters! Its a high-power microwave weapon! Seeing the wave coming, the captains pupils shrank and he immediately wanted the pilot to turn away, but as the one in front of the helicopter array, he had no chance at all. At this time, the captain felt an indescribable panic overwhelming him. He could not help holding his head and screaming! Agh! Suddenly, the entire helicopter array became out of control. These helicopters seemed to be drunk and began to sway in mid-air. Then, because two helicopters were too close, the propellers of both sides suddenly collided together! Snap! Bang! A series of crashing sounds came. The propellers of the two helicopters, huge as buses, were completely torn to shreds, and they whirled in mid-air as they fell! We were attacked by a high-power microwave weapon, Mayday, Mayday, Mayday! While clutching his head, the captain stubbornly controlled the helicopter as it fell downward. The power of the high-power microwave weapon was astonishing. Both the vehicle and the pilots in the vehicle suffered serious damage. He only felt that his vision was blurred as if he was almost blinded on the spot! However, due to their distance, six other helicopters escaped the microwave attack. They powerlessly watched the helicopters dropping, then turned around and fled without any hesitation. Can you escape? However, Chen Chen spoke in a low voice. The microwave attack from the shoulder cannon behind him suddenly stopped and at the same time, a sudden light flashed from the shoulder cannon, and a blue light blazed away! Boom! Almost at the same time, one of the helicopters was pierced through by the blue light. In the next second, endless black smoke spread out and this helicopter followed in the footsteps of everyone else and fell to the ground at once! One helicopter, two, three In the end, all the helicopters were shot down by Chen Chen. Except for a few helicopters that were smashed to pieces, most of the helicopters burned up directly in a ball of fire and the special forces soldiers inside were dead beyond doubt. Starting from the aggressive attack of the RRTS Special Operations Squadron to the moment they dropped like flies, it took only three to five minutes. The special forces that were known as the most elite in the movie were all gone! Ah The captain raised his head from the pilots seat with blood on his face. He was very lucky because the pilot had done everything to stabilize the helicopter, plus he had been sitting in the cockpit. At this time, he was just dizzy from the impact, but he did not suffer fatal injuries. Bob! He turned his head to look at the pilots seat but saw that the pilot was as limp as a torn burlap sack. The other man was dead beyond rescue and even his spine was broken into several pieces. D*mn The captain cursed. He turned and looked back again, only to see the same situation in the back. Even the blade of the helicopters propeller had slashed into the passenger compartment, cutting the hapless special soldiers into halves. A bloody smell mixed with the stench of gasoline filled the air Knowing that he could not stay here any longer, the captain pressed the emergency button to open the door and the hatch beside him suddenly popped open. Then, he unfastened his seat belt and staggered down from the helicopter. Cough, cough, cough There was a burning pain in the chest. The captain coughed violently as he climbed out of the helicopter. Then, he looked forward with blood on his face. At this moment, he saw the mysterious man, covered in unknown armor with six sights floating behind him, descending from the sky and standing directly in front of him. Hum With a low sound of energy charging, six sights with red lights aimed at him. Who on Earth are you? The captain sat down on the ground, looking at the monster in front of him with a bewildered expression. We come for peace. However, what he did not expect was that the monster in front of him spoke. The other partys voice was low and unique, with a strange echo. We come from another civilization. The purpose of our coming here is just to retrieve what belongs to us. What belongs to you? The captain was puzzled. He looked straight at the opponents streamlined mask. What is it then? Ark. The monster said indifferently, The Ark is the product of our stay on the earth and now we have to retrieve it, thats all. What? Hearing this, the captain suddenly displayed an incredulous look. Impossible, the Ark is a legacy left by an ancient Martian civilization, how could Before he finished, he stopped himself. He had already thought about where the mysterious monster in front of him came from Thats right, were what you call the Martian civilization. The monster suddenly laughed lowly. You thought we were dead, right? But unfortunately, we didnt die out but left the solar system and settled around Orion and the Pleiades. Hearing such explosive news, the captain was completely speechless. He just kept shaking his head and muttering in a low voice, Impossible, absolutely impossible Thats the truth. The monster suddenly turned his head and looked at the transceiver on the captains chest. Humans on the other side, have you heard? We didnt intend to hurt anyone. We just want to get back what belongs to us. As if waking up from a dream, the captain quickly took off the transceiver on his chest, only to see that a red light was flashing. It was connected to the headquarters line. Martian civilization? At this moment, an old voice suddenly came from the transceiver and that voice solemnly said, Do you have evidence? How should we trust you? Of course, I have evidence. The monster said casually, Although weve been away for a long, long time, we still know everything that your human civilization has done. In particular, at this time in the laboratory of Mars the Olduvai Research Facility arent you experimenting with our legacy? Legacy? You mean? The voice in the transceiver was suspicious. The C24 chromosome. Although the tone of the monster was calm, what he said suddenly silenced the voice in the transceiver. He only heard the monster say, Youre experimenting with death row prisoners using the C24 technology we left behind to create superhuman beings that are resistant to poison and possess extremely high IQ and strength, am I right? Sorry, were not sure what youre talking about. After a while, the voice in the transceiver spoke again. Is it because you dont know or you dont want to admit it? However, the monster seemed to be able to see through peoples minds. He continued to speak. But I wont bother with this. Now, I ask you to hand over the other Ark equipment in Europe. As long as we get the equipment, well leave immediately. And if We dont hand it over? The old voice in the transceiver asked suddenly. Just like the warning I gave you at the Ark Experimental Base, your human civilization will be hit by natural-disaster-level weapons. The monster responded. You mean, your Martian civilization will declare war on us humans? No, its not us Suddenly, the monster laughed softly again, his voice like steel slashing through glass, sharp and piercing. You humans arent worth the effort. The only one who will attack you is me. Hearing these words from the monster, the other side of the transceiver fell silent again. Chapter 512 - Onslaught Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Washington, White House. Dozens of high-ranking federal officials were gathered around a conference table. All of them looked solemn and dignified. In front of their conference table, there was a huge screen. At this time, there was a wavy dotted line representing continuous syllables that flickered on the screen. We come for peace You thought we were dead? But we didnt die out but left the solar system and settled around Orion and the Pleiades Although weve been away for a long, long time, we still know everything that your human civilization has done C24 chromosome After listening to these words, the gray-haired man sitting in the first seat said, I think you all should understand by now that a group claiming to be Martians attacked our Ark Experimental Base in Papoose Lake, Nevada and occupied it. Are they from Mars? A fat man on the side hesitated and said, I have some doubts about how they came to Earth. If they came from outer space, our air defense system should be able to detect something. Maybe their technology is beyond our systems, so it cant be detected. Another middle-aged man in a military uniform replied, After all, you should understand that as long as their technological system exceeds ours by a hundred years, it represents an entire new league. And if the other party is an ancient Martian civilization, then how much more advanced is their technology compared to ours? No, youve all guessed wrong. However, the gray-haired man said immediately, According to the final emergency request sent to us from the Ark Lab, the other party didnt come from space, but came out of a crack in a space-time that suddenly appeared. What? Are you kidding me? Impossible! In the meeting room, everyone exclaimed softly. Yes, its true. The gray-haired man continued to explain, According to the message sent before the fall of the Ark Experimental Base, the other party rushed out of the Arks teleportation platform. However, unlike our regular usage of the Ark, they set up a pitch-black crack in time and space, like a black hole. All the invaders rushed out from there and as soon as they came out, they began to kill As he said, he sighed, At first I didnt want to believe it, but after seeing their regiment destroy our RRTS Special Operations Squadron, I also have to believe that the opponent does have higher weapon technology than ours. The man in the first seat looked solemn and then he played a video from that time again. They saw a high-tech human form, wearing black armor, suspended in mid-air at a height of 100 meters. Rows of sights and shoulder cannons popped out behind him and the missiles that were fired were of no use at all. When he counterattacked, within ten seconds, the entire Hellfighter helicopter formation fell In the end, the video ended with a helicopter crashing down extremely swiftly. After watching this footage, the man in the first seat turned his head to look at the middle-aged man in military uniform. Secretary Orison, as the highest officer in the Ministry of Defense, do you have any opinions on this video? This video does illustrate a lot of things. At this time, the middle-aged mans expression was already extremely serious. First of all, the suit that the other party was wearing had a flying installation but I didnt see any tail flames, which meant that it wasnt in the form of a rocket boost that sent him up to the sky. Its certainly not a propeller either but rather a method we dont know of. Secondly, any missile will automatically detonate tens of meters in front of him. Its very likely that it has a special jamming device that can affect the programming of the missile. Finally, the weapon system shown in this suit if not mistaken, the wave that was used should be a high-power microwave weapon, but the energy is incredibly powerful. When the few helicopters were shot at in the end, a directional laser device was used Speaking of this, the man in the uniform concluded. The other party has hardly made any controlling movements from beginning to end. I have some suspicions that this set of equipment uses brain control technology In short, this suit of armors technology really mustve surpassed our human science and technology by more than 50 to 100 years. After listening to the analysis of the middle-aged man, everyone fell into silence for a while. Only the man sitting in the first seat just nodded. He looked at the other man with some excessive anticipation. Then, Secretary Orison, are we capable of targeting such individual combat weapons? There are naturally many ways to target the opponent. The most primitive way is a sniper rifle. The middle-aged man replied, Of course, its best to use an anti-material sniper rifle, but I dont have much confidence in whether it can penetrate the opponents armor. Why is that? Didnt a Stan missile explode more than ten meters away from the opponent? The middle-aged man immediately explained, The Stan missile has an equivalent force of about 200 kilograms of TNT and a lethal radius of more than 22.5 meters. At his distance, he was even covered with smoke, which means that he has suffered at least an impact that was several times the power of an anti-material sniper rifle. The shockwave alone could smash people in a bunker to death, but he was unharmed, which means that the protection of the suit is also beyond our technological system. So, isnt it invulnerable? Someone blurted out involuntarily. At the moment, yes The middle-aged man spread his hands. But I think we can try electromagnetic bombs or bombardment with more powerful missiles, which may have a certain effect. Very good. The man in the lead nodded and continued. Secretary Orison, as far as I know, at least hundreds of researchers in the Ark Experimental Base have been captured by the other party and they also have breached the Ark Bases cyber defense system. So, your Ministry of Defense must be sure to come up with a complete set of proposals to solve the problem. After all, we cant give them the other Ark or at least we cant give them now, otherwise, we might lose much more Understood, Ill come up with a surefire plan. The man in uniform replied solemnly. Of course, its best if theres a surefire plan. The man in the lead suddenly hinted. If the cost is too great, we can also afford to lose something The man in uniform was startled and he immediately understood what the other man meant. Of course, force is only the last strategy after all. Now we first need to figure out the origin, attitude, and other information on the other party. Suddenly, the man in lead changed his tone. Minister Varo, the task of your Ministry of Foreign Affairs is equally momentous. If you can persuade the other party to submit to us, that would be ideal. If the other party is unwilling to submit, you have to appease them. Wed first have to rescue the hostages in the base. 1 Understood, Ill send the best negotiator. In another seat, a pale, plump man replied. At the same time, we have to contact Europe to convince them that if things go out of control, they must hand over the other Ark. The man continued. Got it, Minister Varo? However, before the man called Minister Varo could answer, suddenly there was a knock on the door of the conference room, then a security guard in a suit rushed in. He said in a panic, Bad news, Mr. President. New York suddenly received an update that a man wearing black armor had breached the air defense network of the SFG military base at supersonic speed and arrived in the sky over New York! What? Everyones expressions changed suddenly. While an emergency meeting was being held in the East of Northern America to deal with this incident, Chen Chen had already arrived in the sky above New York City at this time. As one of the most prosperous international cities in Northern America, New York was one of the symbols of Northern America. At the same time, this city was also the most important financial center on the east coast of the world. At this time, in the PK Armor from the Predator dimension, Chen Chens headgear was displaying a radar image. In the image, there were three red dots in an array that were approaching ceaselessly and the PK Armor also automatically analyzed their speed. The speed of those red dots unexpectedly reached about twice the speed of sound. A new type of fighter jet in this world? Chen Chen suddenly became interested. In his original world, the fastest flying aircraft seemed to be called the MiG-25, but it was a reconnaissance type, and it had to be at high altitude. Among the orthodox fighters, the fastest could reach about 2.5 times the speed of sound, which was Mach 2.5. If it were full of weapons, it would only reach Mach 1.5. At this time, they were rushing toward him, so obviously they must be equipped. Nonetheless, their speed was still over Mach 2. This situation immediately aroused Chen Chens interest. Interesting. Chen Chen gave a low laugh. He dived and his Field suddenly made him swoop down quickly. In almost a few seconds, Chen Chen had landed on the most famous Brooklyn Bridge in New York! Boom! There was a violent vibration. Chen Chens landing directly created a huge deep hole on the bridge deck, exposing the steel bars as thick as a fist inside the bridge! At the same time, three black dots quickly slashed across the sky, passing low above Chen Chens head as if this was a demonstration of force! However, at the moment they passed over Chen Chens head, the three sights automatically popped out from Chen Chens back, locking onto the three fighters like a viper. In the next second, three azure blue lasers streaked through the sky and the three fighters practically exploded at the same moment! Boom! The flames blazed over the Brooklyn Bridge and all three fighters were wiped out! Oh my god! Holy sh*t! Dozens of cars were blocked by Chen Chens figure and they had no choice but to stop. Several drivers got out of the car. Before they could say anything, they saw three fighter jets exploding above their heads. Suddenly, everyone could not help but exclaim from the heart. Oh, are there more? Three fighter jets had just exploded, but Chen Chen suddenly narrowed his eyes because more fighter jets were flying from afar. Not only that but behind the fighter jets, there were also rows of combat helicopters flying over. It was just that Chen Chen had landed on the Brooklyn Bridge, so they did not attack immediately. However, when those fighters saw the fate of the first three planes, they immediately began to lift and passed over at a height of one thousand meters. As this distance was too far, they ultimately escaped Chen Chens laser strikes but the group of combat helicopters behind them suffered the subsequent catastrophe. Chen Chen spread his hands and in the next second, he flew into the sky again, but this time more than a dozen cars took off with him. These cars seemed to have broken free of gravity and they rose to the sky simultaneously with Chen Chen. After that, they hurtled like cannonballs toward the helicopters hundreds of meters away! Boom! A few helicopters quickly dodged, but there were still a few helicopters that were hit by the high-speed cars and they erupted into a ball of fire on the spot! It was not over yet. Everyone suddenly heard the vicious sound of tearing metal from the Brooklyn Bridge. Starting from where Chen Chen had flown, the bridge deck began to split apart bit by bit. At the same time, the suspension cables on both sides of the bridge also began to snap one by one at a visible speed! These steel cables were like leather whips. As they lost their anchor, they popped out automatically, whipping past the bridge deck and the ocean. Dozens of cars were directly swept away on the spot! Amid the cries and curses of countless people, the Brooklyn Bridge underwent an uncontrollable chain reaction and began to collapse! Oh my god, this simply cant be real! The remaining combat helicopters could only stay far away. They hovered thousands of meters away from Chen Chen and watched the Brooklyn Bridge, one of the symbols of Northern America, collapse. Everyone looked terrified. Look, hes flying away! A co-pilot said suddenly, Where is he heading to? That Is the direction of downtown New York Boom! Chen Chen landed in the downtown area of ??New York. He looked around. This triangular street here was Times Square, known as the crossroads of the world. Chapter 513 - Admonishment A low vibration rumbled from the ground as if an ancient giant beast was slowly waking up. It bared its fangs and exposed its claws, trying to emerge from the ground The crossroads of the world and the financial center of civilization, Times Square, began to shudder violently at this moment. The screen of Nasdaq emitted a series of squeaks and cracks. This huge 36-meter-tall screen, which was made at a cost of more than 30 million dollars in 2002, burst out in a shower of sparks at this moment, like a rain of fire! At the same time, the forty-meter-high Times Building gave out a thunderous roar and cracks emerged between the blocks. This building was uninhabited but was known as the Light of New York, and it also began to collapse! The shattered screen, the splitting building, and countless pedestrians who screamed and scattered, together composed a magnificent symphony At the moment when this symphony reached its peak, suddenly, a whine of torn steel came from the top of the building. A crystal ball about two meters in diameter with the word Hope for Peace marked on it came crashing down from high above, shattering in Times Square with a bang! However, this was just the beginning. In the next second, the Times Building collapsed in endless tremors like a fragile block of tofu. It was flattened where it stood, coughing out smoke and dust that blocked out the sky! Next was the Nasdaq Stock Market building next to it. After the huge screen was shattered, the entire building could not hold on. Like soy pulp, the building also collapsed with a beastly wail while countless windows fragmented into countless shards! Finally, there was the AT&T Building on the side. It crashed to the ground following the pace of the former buildings. At this moment, the entire Times Square was filled with endless smoke and dust. The dense clouds of debris swept the sky and were visible even dozens of kilometers away. My God, can this be done by one person? Not far away was the combat helicopter fleet, where everyone was exclaiming. They watched the worlds most prosperous intersection crash and disappeared, and everyone felt a trace of irrepressible dismay That was their mourning for the fragility of civilization, for the fate of humankind. Nonetheless, in the next moment, they could not continue to be sorrowful because the demonic figure did not stop at destroying Times Square. He flew up again, eliciting a sonic boom of water vapor in the air, moving to the next target That direction was Everyone could not help widening their eyes while gasping sharply. They all had a faint idea. D*mn it, who will stop that monster, hes going to the Empire State Building! On the channel, the commander-in-chief of this operation yelled in fright, Quick, stop him at all costs! This group of combat helicopters then reacted. They quickly turned and flew toward the Empire State Building, but in the face of an enemy who easily broke through the sound barrier, how could a clumsy helicopter catch up? Boom! In the next second, everyone watched as the 400-meter-tall skyscraper not far away suffered an explosion in its middle. A huge hole with a diameter of more than 30 meters penetrated the bulk of the building, ripping a big hole in the center of the building! In an instant, plumes of thick smoke rose, and the entire city was filled with screams and prayers Still, after all, it was a landmark building that had been certified by the world. Even if a big hole was pierced through the middle, this building still showed no tendency to collapse. Seeing this scene, many people secretly breathed a sigh of relief. However, as the initial culprit of this incident, Chen Chen did not even look at it. He continued to fly south in this direction, but after ten seconds, he once again came to a more familiar place. There were innumerable tall buildings here and the road in the center was like a gap in a canyon. These skyscrapers all had names that were familiar to the world Citibank Headquarters, JPMorgan Chase Bank Headquarters, New York Stock Exchange, New York Futures Exchange, and so on If Times Square was the commercial center of human civilization, then Wall Street was the financial center of human civilization. This was the famous Wall Street. At this time, most of the businessmen on Wall Street had evacuated but Chen Chens purpose was not to kill people. He had waited for most of the people in Times Square to disperse before destroying the square. All this looked terrifying but in reality, there were not many casualties. In other words, Chen Chen was just here to show off his strength. As Chen Chen descended on Wall Street, he stood firm on the narrow and cramped street. In the next second, a few finger-thick warheads were halted right in front of Chen Chen. These warheads had hit the invisible barrier that was formed by Field, but were only intercepted and stopped after a few centimeters! However, this was just the beginning. In the next second, several grenades with long tails of flames sprang from the buildings and exploded quickly when they hit Chen Chens body. In the next second, inexhaustible flames and smoke rose and blanketed everything on the street! Dont stop, the opponent has a defensive field outside his body. Keep shooting, dont stop! Various weapons and special forces soldiers hidden between the floors kept attacking. The commanders roar reverberated through their headsets, so they poured their ammunition into the dense smoke without hesitation as if they had gone mad. Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom It was not until almost half of Wall Street had begun to smoke that everyones firepower stopped. It was not that they did not want to continue shooting, but that they could only bring over this much ammunition in a hurry. Even so, with Chen Chens location as the center of the circle, within a radius of several thousand square meters, the area seemed to have been plowed by a cannonball. The headquarters building of JPMorgan Chase Bank was also severely affected and it was rather wobbly All of this was also broadcasted live by surveillance satellites and the footage was projected directly in the conference room of the White House. All the high-ranking officials in Northern America were gathered here, silently watching everything on the screen. Is he killed? Everyones eyes widened, staring at the thick fog of smoke on the screen. The firepower in the past few minutes was considered their limit. If they still could not kill the other party, then they had no other way except for nuclear weapons. However, using nuclear weapons in New York City? No one dared to give this order. Just as everyone was looking in anticipation at the billowing smoke, suddenly, a dark figure slowly walked out of the smoke. He tilted his head and looked above him at the same time, then spread his hands again No ! At this moment, the entire conference room was full of emotions such as anger, unwillingness, fear, and so on. These emotions were mixed to form a deep snarling roar. In the next second, before their eyes, a series of skyscrapers on Wall Street collapsed. Whether it was the headquarters of Citibank, the headquarters of JPMorgan Chase Bank or the New York Stock Exchange, these skyscrapers that would be landmark buildings in any city, all collapsed at this moment! After razing the entire Wall Street to the ground, the monster finally took off again and continued to fly south. D*mn, what else is there in the south? In the conference room, the man at their head finally could not help it. He bellowed loudly, Who can tell me, what else is there south of Wall Street? Its the Statue of Liberty The middle-aged man in military uniform involuntarily closed his eyes. He whispered, Southwest of Wall Street is our Statue of Liberty In an instant, the entire room was so quiet one could hear a pin drop. It was a silence filled with unspeakable despair However, Chen Chen did not stop because of the will of this group of people. He moved forward at the speed of sound and in less than ten seconds, he had reached the sky above Liberty Island. On this small island in the southwest corner of Manhattan, New York, the statue of the goddess that symbolized freedom and democracy stood tall. Chen Chen landed directly on the head of the Statue of Liberty, looking at the entire New York City. At this time, the sky was gradually darkening. He knew that countless people were watching him silently at this moment, so he tapped his helmet lightly. The next moment, flickers of blue light flashed and withdrew over his body. In just a few seconds, the entire PK Armor had shrunk back to the form of an armguard. At this moment, Chen Chens face was exposed to innumerable people. Humans, as your ancestor, Im very disappointed Chen Chen spoke suddenly and his voice was amplified thousands of times like thunder through the enhancement of Field energy, echoing over the entire New York City. Chen Chen put on a look of compassion. He looked around the entire city like a god in the sky. Millions of years ago, we brought our DNA to the earth, carried our hopes and long-cherished wishes, and created a group of ancient humans In your body, our blood is flowing; In your souls, our tears are stored. As this passage echoed throughout New York, the city that was already in turmoil suddenly fell silent. Everyone stopped fleeing, looked over in surprise, and could not help but stare at the standing figure in the distance. After that, we had no choice but to leave and gave this beautiful planet to you. We had hoped that you could transform this planet into a more prosperous planet, but its a pity When talking about this, Chen Chen paused slightly. At the same time, the memories of everyone in New York City were also evoked. They could not help but recall the incomparable nuclear war of World War III. Your power was bestowed by us. We were far away in the Pleiades star cluster. We once looked at you proudly and watched you grow day by day and gradually become the masters of this planet. Chen Chens voice was solemn. You must remember that weve always used wisdom and power to conquer and transform nature, and we also believed that youd use your power carefully. However, those of you who are too powerful have lost your glory and your reverence for nature. When Chen Chen mentioned this, everyone was completely silent. The expressions on the faces of everyone in New York City gradually calmed down. They looked sadly at all this and as the city caught in a sea of flames, many people began to reflect. Today, I taught you a lesson. I couldve destroyed your civilization, but glory and blood are thicker than water, which prevents me from doing that. Chen Chen suddenly raised his hand and pointed to his chest. What I want to tell you is that the power youre so proud of isnt powerful. For us, real power isnt the power of force, but the strength of the soul. However, your hearts have long become deserts All of this was also transmitted to the White House at the same time. At this moment, listening to Chen Chens narration, everyone wore an unbelieving look. This guy Is this guy a human being? A senior official shouted, Look, he has the same appearance and body shape as ours. D*mn, hes totally a human! No, hes not a human, hes a Martian! Is the origin of humankind Mars? No wonder the C24 chromosome technology can be used on humans In an instant, the entire meeting room was in disorder. Everyone be quiet! The Secretary of Defense hurriedly stopped everyone. Dont be affected by his words. Regardless of whether hes the ancestor of humankind or not, we just need to know that now hes the enemy of humankind! No, listen to him However, the man in the lead was shaken and he whispered, Didnt you notice that he has even removed the armor, but still can transmit his voice across the city. What does this mean? It means that hes a superhuman. Not only did he possess weapon technology far surpassing human beings but also possess superhuman abilities? Someone asked immediately. At this moment, the entire conference room fell silent again and everyone felt a chill At this time, Chen Chen still loudly spouted his Chicken-Soup-for-the-Soul-schmaltz. Love your environment, protect your Earth, and dont let the nightmare of that year repeat itself. We Will wait for you in the Pleiades star cluster! As the theme was presented, the speech came to an end, and another helicopter flew over in the direction of Manhattan. Still, unlike the previous helicopters, this helicopter was not an armed helicopter, but an ordinary commercial helicopter. Not only that, but it also was sprayed with conspicuous words such as peace and negotiation in spray paint. Chen Chen did not attack the helicopter. He just stood quietly, watching the helicopter gradually approach, and finally hovered more than ten meters in front of him. On the helicopter, a man in a suit held up a loudspeaker and shouted from the cabin, Honorable Martian, Im here to inquire on behalf of our government. What do you mean by everything youve said, is it to warn us of something? I only said it because I felt like it. Chen Chen answered indifferently, but what was strange was that the gust of wind created by the helicopter propellers could not shift him at all. The barrier that could block all attacks was still there. I just showed you the power that advanced civilizations should have, to make you understand that the power of human beings is nothing to speak of. I believe your words The man in the suit continued to shout, Then you can stop the uh Attack on New York City? Maybe we can sit down and talk peacefully between our two civilizations and at the same time, we can talk about the other Ark. Of course. Chen Chen nodded. The reason I attacked New York is to demonstrate my strength to warn you. Now that the goal has been achieved, I can certainly stop. While speaking, Chen Chen turned around and walked directly into the crown of the Statue of Liberty. Send your representative and let them speak to me. As long as you hand over the Ark, we can leave immediately Chapter 514 - Another Negotiation Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation A few hours later, when the sun went down completely and the entire New York City began to clean up the tragic battlefield, Chen Chen was standing high above the New York City Hall at this time. Below him, thousands of soldiers stood guard in front of the city hall, with tanks lined up and guns poking out like a hedgehogs quills. However, to tell the truth, those people in the city hall would not believe that these soldiers could deter Chen Chen at all. They were more like self-deceiving ostriches, used to give them a bit of courage. Boom! With a dull landing thud, Chen Chen jumped from a high altitude and stood in front of the gate of the city hall guarded by countless soldiers. These soldiers seemed to be taken aback in fright. They raised their guns and aimed at Chen Chen. Lower your weapons, all of you, lower them now! The commander in charge only felt his scalp turn numb. He quickly called on his subordinates to put down their guns and steeled his nerves before walking toward Chen Chen. When he was four or five meters away from Chen Chen, he stopped, and at the same time, raised his right hand to make a military salute, shouting, Northern American Independent Division Commander, Colonel Gibbon Claire reporting to you. Please wait a moment. Our Mr. Mayor will come right away. As he was speaking, a white-haired man showed up at the gate with a group of city hall officials. Although they tried their best to keep calm, if one looked closely, one could still see the panic in their eyes. This group of people walked in slowly, but when they walked to Claire, they would not go any further. Only the white-haired man heading them bit the bullet and walked in front of Chen Chen. He stretched out his hand stiffly. Im the Mayor of New York City, Sapir Ashburn, who welcomes you on behalf of Northern America Seeing this, Chen Chen stretched out his hand and shook the other mans hand lightly. When he did so, he could feel the man in front of him trembling. Ashburn, you may call me the Watchman. So, so youre Sir Watchman Upon hearing this, Mayor Ashburn hurriedly said with a forced smile, Now please come in with us. Im in charge of the friendly negotiation between the two sides on behalf of Northern America. Chen Chen nodded and allowed the other man to withdraw his palm and then he walked towards the city hall at the servile invitation from Mayor Ashburn. Although Chen Chen was now practically a humanoid nuclear bomb, he still needed to be cautious. Before entering the city hall, he used the Field to go deep into the city hall and only walked in after first making sure that there were no killer maneuvers in the city hall. Under the mayors personal guidance, Chen Chen and a group of officials were taken to a conference room. Chen Chen took a seat on one side of the conference table and the rest of the people sat on the opposite side reluctantly. I wonder if you want coffee or some other beverage? Mayor Ashburn asked again. Theres no need for that. Chen Chen casually waved one hand. Ive shown you my sincerity to talk to you. Now, its enough that you tell me when I can get the other Ark. This Hearing that, everyones expression changed and Mayor Ashburn smiled bitterly. If you understand our human civilization, then you should understand that the other Ark in the world is not in Northern America. Rather, its in Europe, which doesnt belong to the same polity as us. Of course, I know this. Chen Chen nodded. But I also know that the European region has always followed Northern America blindly. If you ask them to hand over the Ark, they have no reason to refuse. Am I right? This Everyone hesitated. Hearing this, Mayor Ashburn looked even more agonized. He was about to argue that this was not the case, but Chen Chen suddenly narrowed his eyes, and a cold glint shone in his gaze. As if understanding that Chen Chen was not a gullible person, Mayor Ashburn shuddered all over. He nodded painfully. I understand, Ill report this condition to my superiors Youre wasting my time, Mayor Ashburn! However, as Mayor Ashburn said these words, Chen Chens expression turned to ice. He slowly stood up and an invisible force restrained the entire conference room. In an instant, everyones throats were strangled. They kept touching their necks, but found that there was nothing there! If you cant represent the Northern American government, then let someone else at a higher level, who can make decisions, do it. Chen Chen said in a deep voice as he walked step by step to Ashburn, Ive shown enough sincerity and even condescended to come to meet you, but you said, report to my superiors Are you kidding around with me? As Chen Chen spoke, Ashburn only felt his throat tighten. He could not help but gasp, but no matter how he gasped, the air seemed to be solidified and he could not draw any air into his lungs at all! Uhh Ughh Ashburn kept scrabbling at his throat with both hands. He wanted to explain, but there was no sound in the depths of his throat. He could only show a pleading expression and stare at Chen Chens eyes. When Ashburn felt that he was about to die from suffocation, finally, his throat suddenly loosened, and then he collapsed to the ground as his body turned limp, gasping for breath! Huff, Sir Watchman Huff, Im really sorry Ashburn quickly justified, I assure you that youll get that European Ark in 30 days. 30 days and I will do as I say! No, not just one. Chen Chen continued to speak and he stared at the other man condescendingly from above. There are two. You must also dismantle the one on Mars, transport it back, and hand it over to me. Yes! Seeing this, Ashburn had no choice but to nod. Very good, so the deal is concluded. Seeing this, Chen Chen smiled again. He pulled the other man up from the ground and looked around at the horrified group. If 30 days later, I still dont get what I want, then I promise that the entire human civilization will suffer from an unprecedented attack And this time, it wont be as easily resolved as today With that, Chen Chen cracked an icy smile at all of them, then turned around. The window behind him suddenly shattered. Then, Chen Chen stepped forward. His figure took off directly and flew out of the window. Boom! As a deafening wave of air came from outside the window, Chen Chen went directly into a supersonic state and disappeared into the night sky. It was not until Chen Chen left that everyone crawled out from under the table in pathetic embarrassment. At the same time, there was a commotion of running outside the door. The next second, a crowd of soldiers with live ammunition rushed in. You can stop being on guard. Hes already left. Ashburns face looked stormy. He waved his hands at the many soldiers and asked them to withdraw. Then, he sat down on the chair in front of him in dazed shock. In the next second, the screen in front of the conference room automatically turned on, revealing the scene in another conference room. It looks like you failed. In the video, it was the figures of the previous group of high-ranking officials in the White House. Obviously, the previous negotiation had been under observation. Its terrible, Mr. President. Ashburn shook his head with a dejected expression. The countermeasures we prepared for various situations didnt come into play at all. Even the best negotiators, psychologists, and behavior analysts didnt come in handy because he didnt have any intention of negotiating with us at all. He was only here to state his request. We understand that he does have such a right when theres a huge gap in our power. In the video, the middle-aged man sitting in the first seat nodded and then he looked at everyone again. His previous words pointed out that the attack before this was just a show of strength. If we cant hand over the Arks within 30 days, hell take more drastic measures All this is secondary. Ive noticed something even scarier. Suddenly, the Secretary of Defense, who had been silent, said in a low voice, You shouldve also seen that the strange armor that he had on before was not worn during the negotiation, but he can still fly around to such an extent. Doesnt that mean The Secretary of Defense was silent for a while before continuing to say with some difficulty, Doesnt that mean that he didnt rely on science and technology to fly? Could it be that the previous destructive power that readily demolished tall buildings was all his own? If this is the case, itd be too frightening The president of Northern America wore a more solemn expression. Superpowers? Or is it the spiritual powers he mentioned before? Can the Department of Defense analyze this? Im afraid that well have to wait for experts to arrive on Wall Street and Times Square before we can judge. The Secretary of Defense replied, Now the only shame is that he didnt drink water, let alone contaminate any objects on the negotiating table, otherwise, we can extract his DNA for analysis to find out the secrets of this Watchman He was also guarding against all that. It seems that we can only contact the European authorities. Seeing this, the middle-aged man in charge, as the president of Northern America, finally made up his mind. He looked at the Minister of Foreign Affairs and said, Contact Europe as soon as possible and convince them to give up the Ark. And here in New York City, you can continue to think about how to contact the other party and see if you can find any new opportunities Yes Ashburn nodded. Immediately, the screen in the conference room flashed again and completely shut down. At this time, after a period of flying, Chen Chen crossed a distance of several thousand kilometers and returned to the sky above Papoose Lake in Nevada. The reason he had to use a roundabout way to attack the Doom dimension and capture the Ark instead of taking the most usual way of directly extracting the Ark from the USB flash drive was that there was no specific equipment for the Ark in the movie. At most, there was the water ball that appeared in the movie. As the Ark activated, the water ball would wrap around the passenger in front of it and then vanish directly with a whoosh. When the passenger came back to their senses, they had already arrived at the other Ark on Mars. As the Ark was not shown from beginning to end, Chen Chen could not use the first method of direct extraction, so he opened the portal and used the second form of the USB drive to enter the world of Doom and seize it himself. Now it seemed that all this was going well. He also discovered a shocking secret. It turned out that not every world opened by the USB flash drive was post-apocalyptic. This could be said to be Chen Chens biggest discovery after obtaining the USB flash drive. At this time, Chen Chen came back to the sky above the Ark Experimental Base. As the underground passage opened again, Chen Chen took the elevator back to the interior of the base. Sir Commander, I know everything youve done through the Internet. As soon as he returned to the Ark Experimental Base, the voice of X-112 came again. At the same time, Northern America is constantly trying to wrest back control of the Ark Base and also wants to establish contact with us to test things out. Dont pay attention to them. Chen Chen said nonchalantly, Lets wait for 30 days. If they havent gotten the Arks by that time, I need to use memetic weapons to teach them a lesson. Got it. X-112 responded, In addition, I also found the so-called C24 chromosome technology from the laboratory database and discovered that although this technology may not be usable on a large scale, it can be used on the Black Knights. This will further strengthen their ability to continue combat and recover. Its true, the Black Knights wont turn good or evil because they dont even have brains. Chen Chen suddenly remembered. The Black Knights are completely immune to the side effects of the C24 chromosome. In that case, lets take it away with us. Judging from the movie, this C24 chromosome effect could only be said to be rather conventional. Even the protagonist of the movie only had three aspects that were enhanced, namely strength, responsiveness, and resilience. The enhancement was roughly equivalent to that of Alice infected by the T-virus and even slightly inferior. In the past, Chen Chen would have done anything to obtain this sort of enhancement, but to the current him, it was only icing on the cake, because this C24 chromosome technology could not be used on Chen Chen himself. Now Chen Chen had asked to pack it up and take it away, only to study it further. Maybe if he was lucky enough, he could develop something more valuable. In addition, X-112 had also invaded the national defense network systems of various countries in the world and picked out some useful technologies from them such as the BFG Bio Force Gun, which was a kind of weapon in the movie that could punch a two-meter-diameter hole in the half-meter-thick steel wall. There was also the nanowall technology mentioned before. The nanowall, as the name implied, was a wall made of nano-materials. It usually existed as a door. In this state, any object could pass through the nanowall. However, once a certain switch was triggered, the nanowall would suddenly change from its fluid state to become a solid wall. The nanowall in this state was indestructible and even bullets would bounce back while the wall remained undamaged. In addition, there were many modern technology applications unique to this world. These technologies could be adapted to reality and make Chen Chens scientific research projects even more comprehensive and efficient. Finally, Chen Chen directly issued an order for the group of researchers held hostage to start dismantling the Ark in the experimental base. He wanted to first transport this Ark back to reality. When the other two Arks were also paid up, he was going to put one in the Spire Experimental Base and one on Mars. As for the last one, Chen Chen intended to secretly place it on the back of the moon and build a helium-3 mining field there. Chapter 515 - Doorway Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation The other side of the USB drives portal was left to X-112, who was asked to report back if there were any problems at any time. Then, Chen Chen returned to the real world. Only a day later, the first Ark was transported to reality. When Chen Chen received the news and rushed over, he saw this piece of equipment in the vast and enclosed teleportation hall. Is this it? Seeing the product in front of him, Chen Chen could not help frowning, feeling a little taken aback. What he was met with was a spherical device with a diameter of five meters. Its body was white and had a weathered, ancient appearance. Just like aged white plastic, which would have the dullness of age. The same went for the huge sphere in front of him. True, the Ark was spherical, but it was not a total spherical shape. It seemed to be two hemispheres placed together. The gap in the middle was half a meter wide. Through the gap, one could see the darkness inside. On the surface of the ball, there were more than a dozen grooves of unknown function. Each groove was only the thickness of a finger and unlike the whiteness of the spherical surface, the grooves were black. These surface grooves surrounded the face of the sphere. They were long and short, without any regularity between them or with a regularity that no one except the designer could point out. At this time, what Chen Chen saw was such a huge sphere. This is the Ark that was dismantled from the dimension of Doom. Little X followed beside Chen Chen. She had grown into a slim girl. At this time, she explained to Chen Chen, When we were in the Ark Experimental Base, the entire sphere was buried under the steel floor, with only one port on top of the sphere. The water ball shown in the movie that can envelop human beings also emerges from that port on the sphere. Oh? Chen Chen flew up rapidly when he heard these words and he saw a small, jagged hole above the sphere. The hole was a dark blue color. Then how do you activate it and what is the principle of the Ark? Im afraid youll be disappointed. Little X immediately explained, Even those in that dimension havent figured it out. When they found the Ark, it already looked like a teleportation platform. At most, they refurbished the teleportation platform such as replacing some old machinery and any equipment that can be understood, but they have never been able to study and understand the core of the Ark. This is beyond the scope of modern science. I see Chen Chen at once gave up on that hope because if even they could not understand it, then it was like showing the six-cylinder engine of a modern car to a group of primitive people. This group of primitive people would enjoy watching it at best. Besides that, they could forget about understanding anything. As the Ark contained a set of unknown scientific theories as well as matching industrial technology, if one had not reached this level, the Ark could only be observed but not understood even if it were broken down into the most basic components. Thinking of this, Chen Chen reached out and took the Ark blueprint from a Black Knight. In addition to this core, it still needed a platform that could house the core and a high-power photon signal transmitter. When these things were combined into one, it became a complete set of an Ark transmission device. According to the requirements on the design drawings, customize this equipment. Seeing this, Chen Chen said immediately, When the second Ark is also transported back to reality, we can start experimenting. As long as it works, we can transport supplies to Mars at will instead of using spacecraft to go back and forth. If this is the case, we have to consider how to avoid the observation of the other four continents. Little X said immediately, In addition, we have to consider building a secret base on Mars, otherwise, itll still be discovered by those from the four continents. This does need to be considered, so lets plan for the long-term. Chen Chen nodded, then turned and left. Soon, more than ten days passed by quickly. More than ten days later, in the dimension of Doom, in the Mars Olduvai Research Facility. Hup! Four or five workers in orange work clothes were manipulating the crane-like device in front of them, lifting an old spherical device from the metal floor that was split open. There was a special logo on the clothing of this group of workers. At the same time, there was a line written in English on the logo: United Aerospace Corporation or UAC for short. If Chen Chen saw this at this time, he would immediately recognize it. This logo was from a gargantuan local company in the world of Doom. Its business even permeated the Northern American Congress and had expanded to every corner of the world. Even the Mars Olduvai Research Facility was opened by this company. In the story of the movie Doom, it was also the company responsible for researching the C24 chromosome technology on Mars. After the inciting incident, the Northern American Congress swiftly dispatched the RRTS Special Operations Squadron which the protagonist was a part of. When the team was dispatched, the only command issued by the upper level to the captain played by Dwayne The Rock Johnson was: Protect and retrieve all property of the UAC! From this detail, it was enough to show how huge the influence of this company in Northern America was Ah, its coming out, hurry and prepare the protection. Dont let it be dented! At this time, one of the foremen suddenly shouted. He was manipulating a crane. At this time, under the crane, there was the core of the Ark, worn and weathered. Following his order, the group of workers immediately stepped forward to prevent the huge ball from bumping into anything. Hey, Scott When everyone was busy with work, one of the slovenly middle-aged workers whispered to a companion beside him, Ive been thinking of this question a long time. If we dig out this thing, then how do we return to Earth in the future? Naturally, well take a spaceship. The worker called Scott shrugged. I prefer to take a spaceship. Although its a bit slower, at least I wont get motion sickness Oh, youre right. The unkempt worker nodded and he was immediately convinced. After all, every time the Ark teleported someone, the dizziness generated was enough to make the passenger throw up their last nights dinner. What are you two talking about? Better hurry up and concentrate on work! Seeing the two whispering to each other, the foreman suddenly yelled. It was not until the core of the Ark was completely removed from the bottom of the pit that everyone sighed in relief. The sloppy worker glanced at the bottom of the pit casually, but he was stunned at that moment. Whats wrong, Sam? Scott asked offhandedly, only to find that his best friend did not respond for the first time, so he followed the others gaze and looked down. However, he only saw a metal door that was flat on the ground, covered with unknown patterns, like the entrance to a cellar Thirty days passed quickly. On the last day of the 30-day-period, a spacecraft flew in from outside and stopped near Papoose Lake in North America. A dozen soldiers got off the spaceship a little nervously and behind them was a strangely shaped transport truck. Within the carriage of the transport truck was the core of the Ark. As the spacecraft arrived, the ground in front of everyone was slowly elevated and then an old concrete elevator entrance rose from the ground. After that, a pair of heavily armed Black Knights wearing PK Armor came out of the elevator. Weve brought it. An officer walked out from the group of soldiers. He waved his hand for the transport truck to come forward. This is the core of the Ark that you want. One of the Black Knights nodded immediately. He stepped forward, vaulted himself onto the truck, and then glanced at the core of the Ark in the carriage. He waved his hand after confirming the authenticity. Suddenly, there was another Black Knight who stepped out and replaced the previous driver to drive the transport truck into the elevator. The core of the last Ark was finally in hand. After seeing that they had confirmed the authenticity, the officer said a little timidly, Since you have got what you wanted, can the researchers in the base be released now? However, his words received no response. The other party seemed to be a group of soulless beings, returning one by one to the elevator, without any reaction to the officers words. Uh The officer could only watch the elevator door close again. After the elevator descended downward, the originally elevated platform was retracted underground as if this place had always been an incomparably ordinary wasteland. Seeing this, the officer had no choice but to turn on the communicator. He said softly, Mr. Commander, weve delivered the last core of the Ark, but the other party didnt respond to our proposal for the release of the prisoners. If thats the case, forget it. You should head back for the time being. Dont stay there anymore, so as not to be misunderstood by the other party. A low voice came from the communicator. Yes At the same time, far away in the White House in Washington, all the top leaders in Northern America also received this news. It looks like the transaction is over. In the meeting room, everyone secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Although the other party didnt directly release the hostages, this is a good start. The president leading them stated, What we have to do now is to monitor their every move to prevent any new incidents from happening again. I hope that theyll comply with the requirements and can leave after getting the three Arks. The Minister of Foreign Affairs on the side also spoke because everyone understood that their so-called surveillance was just self-comforting empty talk. As long as the other party stayed on for another day, everyone could not even sleep well. Many officials here had lost a lot of weight in the thirty days. Okay, now we can talk about the next topic. Without continuing with the previous subject, the president suddenly changed his tone. I think you have all received the secret notice. After the core of the Ark on Mars was moved away, a large sturdy door was found below. No matter what method was used, we couldnt open it. Everyone looked at each other wordlessly, then nodded together. But now I want to give you the latest update. Suddenly, the president cracked a smile of gratification. Just yesterday, the Olduvai Research Facility sent news that, after they used a million-degree ultra-high field laser for cutting, the door finally showed signs of being cut open. How many people know about this news? Another senior official asked aloud. Very few, except for the Olduvai Research Facility on Mars, only a few people from the United Aerospace Corporation and a few of us on Earth have received this news for the time being. The total number of these people in the world doesnt exceed 30. The president was full of confidence. And I think its best not to let these outsiders who call themselves Martians know of this. After all, no one knows whats under the door. Might be the technology left over from the Martian civilization. The Minister of Foreign Affairs was yearning. If we can get the strange exoskeleton armor technology that the man wore before, it would be great That exoskeleton armor is nothing. However, the Minister of Commerce next to him immediately curled his lips and said, Id rather have his supernatural power that allows flight through the sky, its almost a miracle! Maybe its a technology for immortality, who knows. Someone continued to add. Once they talked about this, everyone became excited as if the alien legacy far away behind the door of Mars was already in their pockets. Alright, everyone, be quiet! The President of Northern America raised his hands and suppressed the noise of the crowd. We dont know what it is, but there must be something very precious in it because when we discovered the Arks teleportation platform on Mars, we conducted various tests on the ground beneath but nothing besides the core of the Ark has been found at all. That is to say, this kind of thing had been intentionally hidden to the point where our technology cant detect it in the slightest. Only now, after taking out the core of the Ark, we discovered its existence Yes, this thing must never be revealed to those bandits! Everyone nodded. Maybe they know about it Suddenly, the Secretary of Defense who had been silent said, If the other party is a prehistoric Martian civilization, then its very likely that they know the door exists. Everyone was silent when they heard these words. What you said is also possible. The president nodded in agreement. So, Im thinking that we just need to pretend to be ignorant for a while. If he doesnt mention the door, it means that he doesnt know about the existence of the door, right? Thus, in any case, the confidentiality of this door must be well kept. This is what I ask of you. Everyone naturally guaranteed this again and again. Only the Secretary of Defense was still a little gloomy. He stared blankly at the report in his hand. It was the description of the door that was found this time, ranging from its size, pattern, material, to all kinds of guesses from the Olduvai Research Facility. There was no end to the data. What was even more unbelievable was that they did not know what material the door was made of. The entire door was so strong and solid that even the hardest drill bit was used to no avail. There was no way to open it so far. However, it was precisely this difficulty of opening the door that made everyone in the White House look forward to what was inside. Chapter 516 - Developments in the Resident Evil Dimension Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Chen Chen did not know about the door that was found on Mars in the dimension of Doom. After getting everything he wanted, he thought of leaving. After all, every time something entered or exited the portal opened by the USB drive, it consumed energy. After a month of going in and out, the energy in the USB drive was also nearly exhausted. Thus, after withdrawing all the Black Knights, he decisively closed the USB drive. He originally had another idea and that was to bring researchers from the other world over to work for himself. Still, after thinking about it, he finally dispelled the unreliable idea. After all, after bringing them over, the secret of the USB flash drive would be revealed. Unless this group of researchers stayed out of contact with the outside world for the rest of their lives, sooner or later they would know the truth that they were not in an alien world, but another human civilization. Moreover, if they were not allowed to contact the outside world and were just imprisoned in the Spire like prisoners, then that was also a problem. After all, humans were social animals and long-term depression would inevitably lead to a mental breakdown. At that time, these researchers would not only be unable to bring any benefits to Chen Chen but on the contrary, became a cumbersome burden. Therefore, Chen Chen discarded that thought. However, Chen Chen did not mean to give up on this dimension directly but instead planned to open this portal again if possible. As early as when he entered Elysiums dimension, Chen Chen had figured out most of the rules of the second form of the U disk. One of them was The opening of the portal could be repeated to an extent, allowing temporary closure. As long as another channel was not opened, the previous channel could be retained. Unless necessary, Chen Chen would not open a channel to another dimension. Then, the next time he opened Doom, the USB drives channel would still be connected to this world and the time flow of that world would be equal to realitys. Chen Chen believed that there was room for further cooperation between him and Dooms dimension. After returning to reality, they worked as quickly as possible in the Spire Experimental Base. Within half a month, the three Ark teleportation equipment were completed, to the point where experiments could be carried out. The test subjects were naturally Delta-level personnel detained inside the Spire. To perform the tests, Little X first used the Gantz sphere to teleport these Ark materials to the ground, then set up the three Arks in three hidden places, and renamed the three Arks as: teleporter Watchman 1, Watchman 2, and Watchman 3. In this way, even if their appearance was changed and they were revealed to outsiders, at most those people would only be surprised that this kind of teleportation was a bit similar to the one in the story of the movie Doom, but they would not think there was any connection between the two. Moreover, to test the factors of distance and speed, of the three teleporters, one was erected in the Spire Experimental Base and the remaining two were temporarily erected in the Congo tropical rain forest a thousand kilometers away and in the Pacific Ocean 10,000 kilometers away. A total of 100 Delta-level personnel were used in this experiment. The final teleportation success rate was stable at 100% and the teleportation time had been maintained at about 0.01 seconds. This was the smallest unit of time that the instrument could detect. In other words, the teleportation speed of these three Arks was the same as that shown in the data, which was 99.9999% the speed of light. In that case, it would take only about 20 minutes to teleport from Earth to Mars. Nonetheless, X-112 had obtained the data from the Ark Experimental Base in the world of Doom earlier on. From this data, it could be seen that if it was interplanetary teleportation, a focus coordinate system was required every time. After all, the space between the planets was in constant motion. If the focus was misaligned, it was very likely that the situation in the movie would occur a mans upper body reached the destination, but his lower body flew toward the vast unending universe. In addition, the teleporter also relied on electricity for teleportation. Each teleportation also consumed a huge amount of electricity. Fortunately, Chen Chen did not possess much else but had plenty of electricity and it was supported by a nuclear fusion reactor. Chen Chen did not need to be concerned about energy. After finishing the experiment, the next thing Chen Chen needed to consider was how to place the two Blacklight teleporters on the moon and Mars. Due to this, Blacklight Biotechnology, while concealing this from the Earth Federation, must use the Ares to transport a batch of industrial robots to the back of the moon, where they could excavate a new underground base. Then, they could start mining helium-3 without any reservations. This helium-3 was an isotope of the element helium. It was different from ordinary helium in that it contained two protons and one neutron. Its greatest value was that it could undergo nuclear fusion reactions with hydrogen isotopes. Helium-3 was fuel for nuclear fusion power generation. The energy produced by nuclear fusion reactions with helium-3 was greater than that of traditional deuterium-tritium reactions. During the traditional deuterium-tritium reaction, the generation of nuclear fusion energy also produced a large number of high-energy neutrons and these neutrons could cause radioactive damage to nuclear reactors. On the contrary, if helium-3 were used as fuel, high-energy protons rather than neutrons were mainly produced. Helium-3 was not only non-radioactive but the reaction process was also easy to control. Therefore, helium-3 was a kind of ideal nuclear fusion fuel that was clean, efficient, and safe. If the energy return rate of coal was 16, then the energy return rate of the nuclear fission power station built by Chen Chen was 20, and the energy return rate of helium-3 nuclear fusion was as high as 270. According to calculations, the construction of a 2-million-kilowatt helium-3 nuclear fusion power station consumed only 200 kilograms of helium-3 every year. If helium-3 nuclear fusion power generation was used by the entire world, the total annual power generation would only consume 100 tons of helium-3. In other words, the helium-3 in lunar soil could supply the earths energy needs for thousands of years. However, the reserves of helium-3 on the earth were small and difficult to exploit and artificial synthesis was expensive. However, there was a large amount of natural helium-3 in the lunar soil. According to calculations, the total resource of helium-3 on the moon was estimated to be 1 million to 5 million tons. Therefore, during Blacklight Biotechnologys nuclear fusion project in cooperation with the four continents when the CUERB Project was launched, they had started to lay out lunar scientific research stations for the helium-3 resources on the moon. The other teleporter was about to be placed at the North Pole of Mars. After all, the South Pole had been occupied by the new scientific expedition team. Building an underground base at the North Pole of Mars, in addition to being used to study Mars, was more of a precaution for the future to Chen Chen, in case of any changes on the earth, at which he could still transfer his property to Mars. Still, these all need to be laid out slowly, not something that could be done overnight. However, when Chen Chen was planning to avoid the eyes of the Earth Federation and establish a secret base, new updates came from the four major continents. On the other side of the Rosen bridge, in the dimension opened in the Indian Ocean, they unexpectedly found a group of survivors. Fate was truly toying with Chen Chen. After he had unknowingly opened the Rosen bridge, to prevent the four major continents from discovering that the world on the other side was the Resident Evil dimension, he deliberately added some difficulties, so that the four continents would not be able to know the truth for at least a few years. However, who would have expected that when the drones patrolled once again, they came across a group of people who were still barely holding on. After hearing the news, Chen Chen did not know for a moment whether he should cry or laugh, but because of this discovery, the Lilith Assembly initiated by the four continents was about to begin. Chen Chen thought for a while and finally went to the meeting room as before. He chose a location at random and then the environmental holographic simulator located in the four corners of the room quickly started up. Chen Chen only felt his vision blurring and when he could see again, he was once again in that meeting room. Five indistinct figures were sitting around the conference table, each with its own number, from 01 to 05. This highest-level meeting of the Blacklight Foundation was the so-called Lilith Assembly. It was named this because in the Jewish Bible, Adams first wife was Lilith. Currently, the artifact of human foreknowledge was the quantum computer Adam. Therefore, this meeting that was also used to safeguard and prevent human beings from becoming extinct was called the Lilith Assembly. At this time, everyone in the meeting room was obviously in high spirits. 01 said, I believe all of you have received the latest progress in the exploration of the other dimension. That dimension turned out to be a world where humanity has been destroyed. This is the biggest discovery since we started exploring it! So, how did we discover that? Chen Chen asked absently, As far as I know, isnt that dimension already occupied by that kind of weird infectious meme? We used a high-altitude reconnaissance plane. 01 immediately explained, To better explore the entire world, we mobilized a batch of military reconnaissance planes on all continents. These reconnaissance planes explored the world around the clock, even as far as tens of thousands of kilometers away. The results were shocking. It was discovered that the Flower of Flesh meme didnt occupy the entire world on the other side, but only a small part of it. Once we arrived at the European Continent on the other side 03 followed up. In the European Continent over there, we found countless building remains and even found various familiar cities and buildings such as the collapsed Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame Cathedral, and innumerable landmark buildings that only exist in our reality. Its only then that were sure that the world on the opposite side is also the same Earth! Chen Chen sighed secretly, then asked, What then? Then, we also found that there were traces of human corpses in the wreckage of those cities, so we took the risk and spent a few days using a helicopter to cross tens of thousands of kilometers again, crossing the blockade of the Flower of Flesh, and arrived in the city where human bodies had been found. 03 then said, Then, we were shocked to find that those corpses turned out to be zombies that only exist in movies! Zombies? Chen Chens voice was rather astonished. Are you kidding me? No, although its indeed unbelievable, what Im saying is the truth. 03 took a deep breath and spoke again, Those zombies are in a strange dormant state on ordinary days. In this state, their physiological activities are reduced to a level close to zero. They were passive and quiet until the helicopter had landed, then they were awakened by the noise and rushed toward our foundation soldiers, but were quickly shot dead on the spot. However, we subsequently obtained samples of these zombies and analyzed them, finding that there was a special virus in their bodies. This virus is surprisingly similar to the Ebola virus, the Blacklight virus, and other filoviruses. This virus has turned them into the aggressive living dead who like to eat human flesh! With that said, a sheet of information appeared in front of everyone out of thin air. Chen Chen scrolled through it casually, only to see that it was an experiment report about the virus. This thing is like Chen Chen said softly, Its like a movie. Whats the name of that movie? Resident Evil! 02, who had not spoken all this while, suddenly voiced out, turning his blurred face to 01. The Resident Evil movie from 2002 is a Hollywood movie shot in Northern America. Am I right, Supervisor 01? 02, what do you mean? 01 suddenly became a little unhappy. Are you suspecting me? Of course not. I just want to ask you, why would a movie shot in Northern America appear in reality? 02s tone was full of inquiry. Did those of you in Northern America know about the existence of this dimension for a long time, so you made this movie on purpose? And the location on the other side of the passage is also in Oregon, Northern America. Are these all coincidences? Have we gone mad, resulting in such baffling behavior? 01 was a little miffed. Although I dont understand why this happened, Northern America has nothing to do with this dimension. Whether you believe it or not, thats the truth! This isnt the time to blame each other. Chen Chen immediately quelled the sparks flying between the two of them and he asked, This isnt the time for internal conflicts. After all, the situation on the other side may be more complicated than we thought. What we need to do now is to unite and explore the other world together, right? Supervisors? Yes, 05 is right, we should work together. 04 agreed to the compromise. Seeing this, 01 and 02 did not continue to argue. Next, we also explored the surrounding areas of the city and as a result, outside a village, we found a piece of cropland that wasnt neglected. 03 continued to explain, So our task force soldiers surmised that there were people living there and this turned out to be the case. Indeed, we found five human survivors in that village. Very good Chen Chen nodded and exclaimed, This is indeed a massive discovery. The world on the other side of the passage isnt only the same Earth but also has the same human beings and the same civilization. This is simply a miracle! Chapter 517 - The President’s Visit Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Name? Danny Brolin Age. Im probably Over fifty. Why do you say that, dont you know your own age? Heh heh I only remember that when the outbreak crisis occurred, I was twenty years old. Now at least thirty years have passed, but does time have any meaning for us survivors? Where are you from? Im a Scot and my hometown is Linlithgow, Scotland Whats your relationship with the other four people? Jennifer and the others? They are my wives. We originally wanted a few children but after a previous wife of mine became pregnant, the baby was infected with the ubiquitous T-virus in the womb, and in the end, the baby tore apart her belly From then on, we didnt plan to have children anymore. Even when anyone gets pregnant, itll be quickly aborted I heard your wife Jennifer say that she used to have a husband, but you killed him? Yes, all men were protecting themselves. To prevent him from killing me, I killed him first Then seize his wife? She came willingly because without me, she wouldnt survive outside for three months. And the same happened with the other wives? No, one of them is my original wife You mentioned the T-virus before, what is that? Its the stuff that resulted in those who are neither dead nor alive in the outside world. We call them zombies. Human civilization was destroyed by them. The T-virus caused most humans to become that kind of zombies. Only a few people survived and were hunted by those zombies They dont seem to be in large numbers? Hehe After so many years, most of the wounded zombies have decayed but humans are about to disappear completely too, right? Where did the T-virus that you mentioned come from? Umbrella, of course, it came from Umbrella, that d*mn b*stard corporation. This news was reported on TV before the zombie virus spread, so everyone knows where the T-virus came from. One day later, Chen Chen was sitting in his office on the top floor of the Blacklight Building in the Eco Science City when he received the first-hand interrogation video from the Blacklight Foundation. In the video, a researcher wearing a white lab coat was sitting at a desk in an empty and airtight interrogation room. Opposite him was a white man with a large bushy beard and an old face, whose eyes were still fierce. Then there was a lengthy conversation between the two, over three hours in total, covering the mans past and present, and other trivial matters. After that, it was the remaining four women. From the interrogation of these women, it was learned that this man named Brolin had killed at least eight survivors, all of whom were men. He seemed to have intentionally killed those of the same sex to prevent his opponents from competing with him for women. Chen Chen just skimmed the video randomly and moved the progress bar to the end. Now, the four continents had determined that the real identity of this dimension was the movie Resident Evil and the T-virus had also been acquired by them. Chen Chen was not too concerned with this because the T-virus had long been something rudimentary to Chen Chen. It was most useful for making organic biological weapons because the T-virus could only be used on living embryos. If it was used on adult life forms, they would only have one outcome to become a zombie. If one wanted to customize the T-virus to fit ones genes like Chen Chen, one would need first, a massive amount of funds, second, superb biotechnology, and third, a super artificial intelligence to analyze virus proteins. These three conditions were like three insurmountable obstacles, eliminating the possibility of human development of the T-virus. At present, there was no biological laboratory in the world that had these three capabilities at the same time. Therefore, for at least 30 years, Chen Chen would not be worried about the four major continents using the T-virus in any harebrained schemes. Moreover, 30 years later, Chen Chen would grow stronger and then he would not need to care about the T-virus being mastered by the Earth Federation. Next, what the four continents had to do was develop the Resident Evil dimension. Although that world had been lost for more than 30 years and most of the fragments of human civilization had decayed, there were still many things that could be obtained. In particular, the land and mineral resources of that world were like a large inheritance left by ones ancestors that was suddenly acquired by an ordinary person. After acquiring a parallel world, the four continents expressed joy at the prospect of profit, like old farmers in the autumn harvest. Nonetheless, since this was under the Blacklight Foundation too, Chen Chen naturally had a share in this as well. Chen Chen did not care much about this. He was not like the other polities that needed resources to feed the people and increase their GDP. If the four continents were like four huge families, then Blacklight Biotechnology was a solitary figure who could feed one whole family without going hungry. What Chen Chen cared about was humanity in general and himself. This was not because Chen Chen was highly principled but because Blacklight Biotechnology existed based on human civilization in the first place. If human civilization was gone, then Blacklight Biotechnology would also lose the point of its existence. Plus, Chen Chens purpose had always been very clear, that was longevity, but longevity alone was meaningless. The reality was not like a novel. There were no so-called martial arts in this world, whereby one person could suppress an entire world, and so on. Humans themselves were social animals. Thus, Chen Chen hoped that his parents and relatives could accompany him for a long time. They represented the point of Chen Chens longevity. After human beings had achieved a long lifespan, a series of changes in the moral cognition system was likely to occur, but this was also a manifestation of the diversity in human civilization. Just like in ancient times, people often said that there are three ways to be unfilial; having no sons is the worst. This was in line with the social and national conditions in ancient times because the ancients had a short life span. Only by increasing the fertility rate could the continuation of civilization be guaranteed. However, in modern times, due to the changes in social civilization, humans were now beginning to see examples of DINK1, cohabitations, and even homosexual unions. Coupled with the civilianization of age-reversal treatment programs, human life expectancy had increased dramatically and future generations were no longer the most important thing to human beings. This was also in line with the conditions of modern societies and nations. As another example, if Chen Chen developed a virtual world that was comparable to the real world, where humans could do everything they wanted to do, then once a large number of humans had joined, it would inevitably lead to the loss of real-world interests and also produce a group of opposing and resisting voices, criticizing this virtual world game, criticizing those who play the game for being distracted by trivial hedonism. Institutions similar to Yuzhang Normal University would even appear, and so on. This was a normal phenomenon. However, if that virtual world was further refined and connected with real currency systems while at the same time, when ones consciousness joined in, ones real body would be better protected and ones lifespan would be prolonged, then gradually, the virtual world would transform from being something cursed by thousands of people, into one of the new social norms. Even in the future, human beings might be divided into two camps by default. One was developing in reality and the other was developing in the virtual world. None was superior or inferior. Between the two, just like how some people chose humanities while others chose science; some people chose scientific research after graduation, and others chose to grow in the entertainment industry. This was just another shift in the moral cognition system. There was an old saying: a saint moves with the world and thus never becomes exhausted no matter the situation. Long ago, Chen Chen proposed three major strategies for the development of Blacklight Biotechnology: biomedicine, the aerospace industry, and the Internet. Among them, biomedicine represented the continuation of human civilization and it was the path of human evolution. If he gained control of this field, he would gain control of humanitys present. In addition, the aerospace industry represented humanitys future. This was not a future of a few decades, but a future of over a thousand years! As for the Internet, it corresponded to reality and represented humanitys spirit. It could even become an indispensable way to transform real-world class conflicts, stabilize the social order, and create an alternate social system! At this time, in the aerospace industry and in biomedicine, Blacklight Biotechnology had been at the forefront of the Earth Federation and had become the bellwether. Regarding the Internet, Chen Chen had proposed a plan of four sub-eras The first of these was the VR sub-era and this sub-era was led by the V.1 Haptic Shock Chair released that year. In the following years, the haptic shock chair would reach the V.2 generation and the accompanying brain-control technology and display technology would also be more developed and closer to reality. The second era was the era when artificial intelligence had entered civilian use. Chen Chens plan for this had just started this year and the bionic personal butler named Little Ai had entered thousands of households. It could be said that since the release of Little Ai, the babysitter market and some simple labor markets had suffered heavy losses and public opinion also had a mixed reception to the bionic personal butler. Some people thought that these androids created the phenomenon of the uncanny valley. Some people were worried about the intelligence explosion that might occur in a hundred years and others were concerned about their own interests, protesting all day, trying to force Blacklight Biotechnology to cancel the research and development of bionic technology. Toward all this, Chen Chen was naturally dismissive. Human science and technology must always be improved and the advancement of science and technology would lead to the elimination of any old industry. This was an irreversible fact, just like the wheels of history rolling forward. These oppositions were like an ant trying to stop an elephant and they would inevitably end up being crushed. According to an ancient saying, this was called the general trend. As for the third and fourth stages of the four sub-eras plan, they would not be able to progress until after decades, when the second era was completely stabilized and widely accepted. These thoughts were circling each other and they flashed through Chen Chens mind, but when Chen Chen was secretly reflecting on his future plans, the elevator door opened again with a ding. At the same time, Little X walked into Chen Chens office. Sir Godfather, Zurama has secretly come to the lobby of the building and he wants to see you now. Zurama? Chen Chen raised his eyebrows, then smiled coldly. Bring him in. With that, Chen Chen leaned back on the leather seat behind him, silently waiting for the other partys arrival. Little X nodded and returned to the elevator again. Two minutes later, a middle-aged black man with a radiant face who looked to be in his forties appeared in Chen Chens office. Zurama used to look a bit like Morgan Freeman, that was, the old man who finally got the USB drive in the movie Lucy. Now although he had become younger after recuperation, he looked all the more like Morgan Freeman. Watching the other mans arrival, Chen Chen did not even stand up. He just asked lazily, Mr. President, how come you have the time to grace us with your presence? Alright, its been so many years. You dont have to act politely with me anymore. Zurama smiled helplessly. He sat directly in the chair opposite Chen Chens desk as if he had done this a thousand times. Little X on the side immediately brought a set of teacups and poured a kind of brewed tea into it. Smelling the refreshing fragrance of the tea, Zurama could not help but close his eyes, a little captivated. Naturally, any tea that could make its way into Chen Chens office would not be some nameless common tea. After many visits to Chen Chens office, Zurama gradually fell in love with the tea culture in China. Next, it was Zuramas tea-tasting time. Chen Chen did not bother Zurama. He just drank his tea in silence and waited for Zurama to make his request. That was right. With Chen Chens support Zurama was elected as the fourth President of Namibia at the end of 2025 without any doubt. The President of Namibia was the head of state, the head of government, and commander-in-chief of the armed forces in the Republic of Namibia. Each term of office was 5 years and each presidency could not exceed two terms. Now, it was only the first term for Zurama. After Zurama, supported by Blacklight Biotechnology, was elected president, it could be said that the relationship between Namibia and Blacklight Biotechnology had become closer, practically ushering in the second honeymoon period. Not only that, but Blacklight Biotechnology had also brought about unprecedented prosperity in Namibia. Both its economy and culture had surpassed the Rainbow Nation and reached the top of Africa. In particular, Blacklight Biotechnologys poverty alleviation activities had raised millions of Namibians from poverty to the level of being well-off. The only problem was that the current Namibian regime had long been reduced to a figurehead by Blacklight Biotechnology However, Chen Chen had no political ambitions. Strictly speaking, he even looked down on Namibia. He controlled this country only to better develop Blacklight Biotechnology. Therefore, Chen Chen and Namibia were basically in a strange state of balance. No one wanted to break this balance. About ten minutes later, Zurama sighed after finishing the tea in the cup and said, Chen Chen, this time Im here with a request from the Parliament. You know as well, with the development of Namibia over the years, our national strength has been increasing day by day. Both the general industry and the tourism industry have repeatedly set new bars and more people have chosen to join the Namibian nationality We know that these are thanks to your Blacklight Biotechnology, but with the development of the country, our electric power system has gradually become unable to keep up, so At this point, Zurama could not help but pause, then said brightly, We want to ask Blacklight Biotechnology to invest in several nuclear power plants to help alleviate the problem of our countrys aging electric power system Hearing the other partys request, Chen Chen frowned because he naturally understood that the nuclear power plants in question were not the previous traditional nuclear fission power stations, but the recently announced CUERB Project, which was the nuclear fusion reactor project. If it were not for the nuclear fusion reactor, the Namibian government would not have dropped in as if by coincidence and made a request for the establishment of nuclear power plants. This old geezer was truly being bold in his requests Chapter 518 - Seize the Opportunity Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Theres more we can discuss concerning the power plants, it just depends on how sincere your party is going to be. Chen Chen replied without a second thought, The CUERB Project is the combined effort of Blackwatch and the four major continents to define the new era. So far, weve certainly met our goal of commercialized power generation, but youll still have to pay the appropriate price for it. We give you money and you sell us the electricity, isnt that enough already? Zurama was astonished to hear this. After all, this should be no different from how it was eight years ago when Chen Chen operated in Namibia. Of course not, it seems like Mr. President Zurama and the Congress still havent fully understood the situation Chen Chen stretched his arms out with his hands balled into a fist. He raised one finger and remarked with a gentle smirk, First, nuclear fusion is a new stem of technology which power generation efficiency is nowhere near the same as that of traditional thermal power stations and nuclear fission power stations. If we rate the efficiency of a traditional thermal power plant at 1 and the efficiency of a nuclear fission power plant at 2, then the efficiency of a nuclear fusion power plant would measure up to 100! Furthermore, the nuclear fusion power plants generate energy at a higher efficiency while taking up less real estate. Chen Chen raised a second finger. Second, the new reactors will substitute the use of traditional uranium fuel and use deuterium to trigger a thermonuclear reaction with helium-3. This reaction will only generate non-radiated protons and therefore, will not result in any volume of radiation. This is a completely clean energy source that doesnt cause any harm to the environment. Chen Chen went on to his third point with his third finger raised. Third, the thermonuclear reaction takes place in an ultra-high pressure and ultra-high vacuum environment. This means that any chemical malfunction will cause the reaction to be terminated in a window of fewer than 0.01 seconds. The safety level of the nuclear fusion power plants greatly surpasses that of nuclear fission and traditional thermal power plants due to this risk control factor! Fourth, extraction of helium-3 is extremely costly since the resource cannot be found on Earth and can only be obtained from the moon. As it is, only Blackwatch and the four major continents are capable of providing this resource. Even if Blackwatch intends to sell it at a discounted price, the four major continents wouldnt agree to such an agreement. Fifth, one of the primary goals of the four major continents over the next decade is to upgrade their power generation infrastructure. All traditional firepower and nuclear fission power plants will be obsolete within ten years, so what does this signify? This means that its highly unlikely for any other continents or countries to be included in the first round of restructuring. Itd take at least a decade from now until its their turn With all these points provided, Chen Chen had all five fingers out. To sum it all up, the nuclear fusion power generation is a generation-defining technology and will be immensely valuable over the next decade. Any country that can obtain it in advance will be gaining a decades headstart on any other countries. This is why youll have to pay more if you want Namibia to obtain this technology, otherwise, the other major continents will not be pleased with Blackwatch for offering such an asset. Zurama was silenced by this string of explanations from Chen Chen. Theres no need for you to do this. Noting Zuramas silence, Chen Chen suddenly revealed a mischievous smirk. Namibia is sparsely populated and theres not much demand for electricity. Its no big deal even if you wait for a decade. Youll also have the alternative of buying electricity from your neighbors since by that point, electricity will become the least valuable thing in the world Least valuable? Zurama was appalled to hear this. He looked at Chen Chen with strange delight. Is that true? Of course. Chen Chen suddenly got up and paced around the office, then he took a deep breath and said, Mr. President, let me picture this for you. Im sure you know of wireless charging technology? After Zurama responded with a quick nod, Chen Chen went on. Wireless charging technology has been discovered as early as the end of the nineteenth century. Its original inventor was the famous physicist Nikola Tesla. In simple terms, this technology is an amplified version of electromagnetic wave communication. The downside is that a significant chunk of energy dissipates in the form of electromagnetic waves during the process. However, once weve achieved standardized nuclear fusion power, this energy dissipation becomes irrelevant. Once nuclear fusion power stations are fully implemented, we can begin incorporating large-scale wireless charging technology. This can even be used to power an entire city for free Chen Chen took another deep breath and held his arms out to present the grand idea. Can you imagine that? In the near future, society will only be using devices with wireless charging technology. Mobile phones no longer need to be charged, cars no longer need to be refueled, even aircraft All vehicles are powered by an ever-present source of electricity. The streets will be lined with holographic 3D neon lights, the sky is an open canvas for us to fill with beautiful holographic visuals. Everything is driven by electricity which is present everywhere, just like air! And the important thing to note is that everything is driven by clean electricity. There are no more fossil fuels used as energy sources, so no more pollution and carbon emissions. The natural environment will be restored to the state it was in before the industrial revolution Zurama did his best to conceal his sour smile upon hearing all this. If everything Chen Chen claimed was true, then it was all the more reason to not wait for a decade but to obtain nuclear fusion power as soon as possible. The earlier this technology could be complicated, the earlier the country could usher in the new era and obtain an unprecedented opportunity for further developments. Zurama quickly realized that this was Chen Chens roundabout approach at tempting him. This was Chen Chens approach of taking a step back to move forward. However, this realization did not change the fact that the advantages stated were truly unbelievable and he would be a fool to refuse this offer. With this in mind, Zurama finally let out a drawn-out sigh. He had made up his mind and raised his head. Chen Chen, I understand that you mean well, but Ive already made up my mind to make Namibia an electrical empire before any of the others. Tell me, what do I have to pay to attain all this? Chen Chen kept up the act and pretended to be disheartened by this insistence. Mr. President, since youve made up your mind then I suppose Ill lay my offer outright. The three-year tax exemption period has passed and the five-year halved-tax period is nearly over as well. I believe this is as good a time as any to propose an extension of the tax exemption period. Several years? Zurama asked in a low voice. Why dont we make it a permanent agreement. Chen Chen answered without a pause and cracked a smile, I believe this is a reasonable offer? You Zuramas mouth was agape. His first thought was to lash out in anger, but his rational mind quickly held himself back from doing that. He remained planted to his chair while he gritted his teeth and mentioned, Dont you think this offer is too unreasonable? Unreasonable? Chen Chen shrugged and remarked indifferently, No, I dont think its unreasonable at all. After all, Im sure you can see how this can make Namibia the country with the highest per capita income. But the Congress will not agree with this Zurama was still reluctant to accept these terms. He appeared deeply troubled by this. It wouldnt change a thing even if you have influence over the majority of the Congress My reputation will be driven to the ground! No, theyll agree with these terms as well. Chen Chen smiled. President Zurama, set your sights. Do you think all Namibia is capable of is becoming the most developed country in Africa? Have you ever thought about what you can achieve with this decade headstart? How far can Namibia go? Have you ever imagined a day where Namibia becomes the most powerful country only below the four major continents? If you want to develop your country, you must pay a price. Zurama felt an inexplicable shudder all over when he heard this bold proclamation from Chen Chen. His eyes were filled with astonishment as he looked at Chen Chen. Is it Possible? Ive never guaranteed anything. Seeing this, Chen Chen shook his head and put away his smile as he noted blankly, Blackwatch isnt interested in politics. Youll have to answer that question yourself. All Im doing is giving you an opportunity to strengthen your country. Zurama fell silent again upon hearing this. Half an hour later, Zurama left Chen Chens office just as he came. He exited the Blacklight building without anyone noticing. After watching him leave, Chen Chen sat back in his chair. There were several layers underneath the smile on his face. Sir Godfather, is this necessary? Little X asked curiously, We already have finalized an agreement to lower the tax in Namibia as much as possible since a long time ago. Besides, money has lost most of its importance to us at this point, we should be focusing more on technology and assets now. Chen Chen turned around in his chair to face Little X. Weve already squeezed most of whatever resource we could get out of Namibia, this is the only thing left for us to take. I already had plans to implement nuclear fusion power plants in Namibia, this tax exemption was just an excuse. After all, the stronger Namibia is, the more beneficial it is to the development of Blacklight Biotechnology, isnt it? Oh! Little X chuckled widely. I see, wed be fools to not take advantage of this opportunity, I understand now! Chen Chen nodded faintly. He then got up from his seat and approached the windows. Thats who it is. Namibia is going to get nuclear fusion power plants sooner or later anyway, but why not strike a better deal out of it? Chen Chen looked outside the window and gazed at Eco Science City which cityscape spanned into the horizon. Ive already planned this out. Eco Science City will be the worlds first super city with unlimited power. At the same time, well formulate a set of rules that fully benefits us. Only by doing this can we attain better opportunities in the future! After all, the person who makes the rules will be the one who comes out on top. X, make the preparations and tell the electronic technology research department to get ready to start a new project. We want to build the worlds first driverless car that can receive wireless charge with minimal energy dissipation. Once the city with unlimited power becomes a reality, therell be plenty more succeeding technology to complement it, therefore, we have to apply for the patent for the new electromagnetic induction technology, do you understand? Understood. Little X nodded and answered with an eager smile, This is the exact thing Ive prepared the electronic technology research department for all this time. A few hours later, Eco Science City had issued a new policy. The policy was issued in several media which included email, website announcement, and application push notification to all residents in the city as well as those visiting. Announcement: Honored ladies and gentlemen, this is the Eco Science City Committee. After more than a month of research and discussion involving the city committee and officials as well as the executive of Blacklight Biotechnology, wed like to announce that over the next few years, Eco Science City will be implementing major restructuring to usher in the new era. We apologize for any inconvenience caused to your daily activities over this period. If you have any questions, please send a text to XXXXX to inquire or log in to the official website of Blacklight Biotechnology or you can call us at This announcement piqued the interest of many people and once again spurred discussions online. They theorized on what sort of major restructuring the Eco Science City also dubbed as the Pearl of Africa would be undergoing that would take several years. Many scientists, professors, and experts all over the world immediately logged on to Blacklight Biotechnologys official forum and began posting the theories that they had. As the discussions gained traction, some of them eventually produced well-formulated speculations Heart-rending: [Eco Science City can be said to be the worlds most technologically advanced cities while also being one of the youngest cities. The city has only been established six years and has grown its population from an initial ten thousand to more than a million at this point. Its nothing short of a modern miracle. The reason why such a city can reach this height is inseparable from it leading the world in overall technology and the biomedicine sector. Therefore, I dont think its bold to assume that Eco Science City will continue to improve and maintain this trajectory that weve seen so far] Attack: [Im willing to bet that all of this has something to do with the recently completed CUERB Project. Why else would Blacklight Biotechnology make such a major announcement in Eco Science City right after the CUERB Project completion?] Burlk_heart: [Does this even need to be said, anyone would have seen this coming!] Memorial: [So youre saying that this restructuring mustve something to do with nuclear fusion power? However, theres still a little doubt in my mind because even if they were to implement nuclear fusion technology. Isnt the usual approach to build a nuclear fusion power station in the outskirts? Why should it involve the inner sectors of the city?] Zonk: [Youre too short-sighted. First of all, you have to understand what the nuclear fusion power station represents. If you can understand all of this, youll understand why Eco Science City is undergoing a major transformation] Memorial: [What are you trying to say? Dont lead us on.] The people involved in scientific communities in Earth Federation started to weigh more interest in these recent developments. The new statement issued by Blacklight Biotechnology over the next few days on their website further cemented their many speculations. The announcement was that Blacklight Biotechnology would be stepping into the field of transportation and electromagnetics and create its very own electrical vehicles. News of this announcement had the world in an uproar. Chapter 519 - New Addition Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Midnight, inside an abandoned factory somewhere in the suburbs of New York. The warehouse was derelict, barely a skeleton of its former self. Its entrance was like the mouth of a giant beast whereas its belly was completely dark and empty. Standing in front of the factory were five men having a hushed conversation among themselves. They each had large, visible tattoos and wore glittering gold chains, nose rings, and other flashy jewelry, the standard attire of hippies. Amid the suffocating darkness, what stood out most was the faint kindle of cigarettes. Clark, what time did you say those people from the William family are arriving, its almost two oclock One of the young men with a nose ring asked with much irritation. Soon. This is the time weve agreed to meet, theyll be here anytime soon. Another man with a large golden chain who was leaning against a Harley motorcycle and smiled, revealing a large golden tooth. Hey Robert, whats the rush? Did you get a new girlfriend? Of course not The young man with the nose ring they called Robert scratched his head in embarrassment. Its just that my girlfriend is waiting for me to eat with her. Girlfriend? You have Ophelia from West Street? The man with the golden chain laughed and said with snark in his voice, I remember her a** smelled like dried cheese aged several hundred days too much. You better break up with her F***, what are you saying, how do you know that? Robert was immediately appalled. Alright, put your game face on, theyre here While Robert seemed to have realized something, a dark blonde-haired man who had been silent all this while interrupted their conversation. They all turned toward a junction leading to the factory and saw several spots of light approaching them from the darkness. Before long, two black vehicles arrived at the field in front of the abandoned factory and stopped in front of the hippies bikes. Several large men wearing suits stepped out of the vehicle. Justin, youre late The man with the dark blonde hair stepped forward, leading his pack of hippies. Theres been some accident on the way here, but its settled. A pale-faced young man poked his head out of the car window. He took a briefcase and dangled it outside the car. The stuff is here, wheres the money? Over here. The man with the dark blonde hair gave a signal. Immediately after, the young man with the nose ring came over with a slightly smaller briefcase. The briefcase was set on top of the engine hood and opened with a click. There was a thick wad of cash inside the briefcase. Excellent. The pale young man proceeded to exit the vehicle and went to Robert. He set down his briefcase and revealed pouches of white crystals in transparent packaging inside it. Robert, check the goods. The dark blonde-haired man glanced at the contents of the briefcase and instructed his subordinate. Robert nodded and selected one of the pouches at random. He ripped it open and put a tiny amount inside his mouth to give it a quick taste, then he turned to the dark blonde-haired man and nodded. Boss, its the real deal With that, Robert repackaged the contents of the briefcase and prepared to carry the briefcase. Hold on! The pale young man stopped him and smiled. Whats the rush? We havent checked the money havent we? Robert made a go ahead gesture upon hearing this mention. After the pale young man gave a signal, a bald man in a suit stepped forward and took out bundles of cash from the briefcase, and started counting quickly. Young Master, the sum is correct The bald man nodded in the direction of the pale young man. Good. Both parties were silently relieved at how smoothly things were processing. The atmosphere that was once heavy eased down significantly. After both parties had packed up the briefcase, the leaders of both sides came in front of each other. The dark blonde-haired man shook the hands of the pale young man. Justin, pleasure working with you! Pleasure working with you as well, biker After they bid farewell, both parties split up and went on their way. Just as they were about to leave, a gigantic drone suddenly appeared in the sky above. Shrouded in the dense darkness of the night, four heavy objects thumped onto the ground with all their weight. Thump, thump, thump, thump The four objects each landed in separate locations. As soon as they heard the mighty fall, their faces turned! Its the bionic combat police! Somebody shouted. Everyone reached for their guns and unloaded into the darkness without a word between them! Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang! The sound of gunshots rumbled in the air like fireworks going off. The flashes produced from the muzzle of the guns gave off just enough light to provide a glimpse of the jet-black armored soldiers in the darkness. All the bullets were good for was grazing against their armor and producing faint sparks! This is the BHB Combative Police Force. Everyone listen up, youve violated article 54 of the Federation. Put down your weapons immediately, raise your hands above your head, and surrender! A mighty, audacious voice announced from the darkness. These people did not care for what was said as they continued shooting while retreating to their bikes and cars in an attempt to get away from the scene! Upon noting their reaction, the BHB Combative Police officer leading the charge turned to the other three officers. Our opponents refuse to surrender. Use electric shock weapons and crush their resistance! Yes! The other three officers responded at once. They pulled a bolt attached to the ludicrously large guns they wielded to convert the ammunition to non-lethal rounds. They immediately began firing into the crowd of criminals! Swoosh! The bald man in a suit who was in charge of driving first felt something gently prickling into the back of his neck. It was immediately followed by a numbing sensation slowly spreading out. Within seconds, waves of electricity made their way over his entire body and he was trembling uncontrollably all over! Ah! The young man with the nose ring who had just hopped on his bike felt the same numbing sensation around his chest region. He turned the throttle of the bike with all his might but lost control within a second and collapsed onto the ground with all his weight, his body unmoving! It was a one-sided conflict where one side could not put so much as a scratch on their opponents no matter what weapons they used. Meanwhile, the other side possessed one-hit-kill electric shock weapons. With this significant power gap between the two, the ground was soon covered with people trembling violently This is the BHB Combative Police Force, all suspects are apprehended. Logistics team may arrive at the scene now. The leading officer informed as he tweaked his helmet. The bulletproof helmet automatically retracted to reveal a handsome, chiseled face of a Caucasian male. I repeat, suspects are apprehended. Logistics team may arrive at the scene now! As soon as the officer gave this notice, several reporters with large cameras in hand suddenly swarmed out of nowhere into the field in front of the abandoned factory. This was quickly followed by a large group of police officers with handcuffs. They kneeled over the group of criminals and had them all cuffed within minutes. The reporters took countless pictures, their fingers glued to the shutter button the entire time. Most of their attention was directed at the four majestic armored officers on the field. A young woman whose face was painted with awe and reverence put a microphone in front of the leading armored officer and asked enthusiastically, Mr. Brooke, your group has once again shut down another criminal activity, is there anything youd like to say? Of course, there are countless things I want to tell these criminals. The armored officer declared with his back upright and with a heavy tone, Theres no such thing as crimes that remains undetected in this world. So long as criminals are out there, well continue to fight evil restlessly. This is our destiny! Oh my God, this is so cool! The lady reporter almost shrieked in excitement and could barely contain herself from jumping up and down. I cannot believe that even these heavily armed criminals would so easily crumble to the iron fists of justice. Mr. Brooke, would you say that this is a dangerous line of work? Theres always some dangers involved. Brooke smiled quickly, adding another layer of charm to his already mesmerizing aura. But its well worth the risk. We care deeply about each citizen in the world and are willing to shed our last drop of blood for them for this is the purpose of our BHB Combative Police Forces existence. Well bring an end to all ongoing criminal activities and preserve the civil rights and financial well-being of all citizens of the Earth Federation. Its our due responsibility! A group of reporters swarmed around Brooke. It was the same for the other three officers. However, the member with the most reporters trailing after the BHB leader Brooke was not the veterans Hodge or Blake, but a new face Mr. Lane, as the new member of the task force, what are your thoughts on todays mission? Mr. Lane, do you feel nervous on your debut mission today? Mr. Lane, Im a reporter from ABC, could you tell me what your current role in the team is? Despite being surrounded by nearly ten reporters and bombarded with questions, Lane seemed hardly fazed by all this and kept a calm expression, I dont feel nervous at all, Id say Im at the internship stage, a sort of student if you will. Captain Brooke is the best teacher I could ask for As for what I think about the mission, I think that my seniors are very experienced and theres a lot I can learn from them, thank you, everyone Even after everyone continued issuing charming, positive statements, there were still no signs of the constant camera flashes stopping anytime soon. It was easy to make out the popularity level of each member based on the attention they received and it was evident that Captain Brooke was the most popular. After all, Brooke was both the captain of the team as well as the face of the task force. The new member, Lane, was the youngest of them all, and he also participated in the Blacklight Biotechnology show, Call of Duty. The young man who started from the ground up saw his popularity surge over time and quickly took the spot of the second most popular member in the task force. The third in line was Blake, who was both optimistic and cheerful by nature. Since he was a black man, he had become the symbol of pride of his fellow people all over the world. The least popular of them was the shy young man named Hodge. Only two reporters were hounding him with questions that mostly revolved around what he thought about his colleagues. After the show was complete, the four of them got into their designated vehicles and returned to the police station. The BHB Combative Police Force originally only operated in Namibia. Due to a later agreement between Blacklight Biotechnology and Northern America, the BHB Combative Police Force soon announced its integration into the New York City police force to oversee the social structure of the world-renowned city. Blacklight Biotechnology had been dedicating its efforts to enacting more celebrity police, which gave rise to many more bionic police teams all over the world. However, the most reputable of them all remained to be the BHB Combative Police Force. These days, the name of the BHB Combative Police Force had gained almost a legendary status. They were akin to the real-life version of Avengers where all of its members were labeled as real-life superheroes. After returning to their base, Lane finally allowed himself a moment of relief. He went to a designated room to have his bionic prosthetics replaced. When he emerged, the fully mechanical armor was taken off and replaced with only a pair of ordinary bionic prosthetic legs. Not bad, rookie! Blake was chewing on areca palms as he strutted out of the changing room and patted Lanes head with his bionic arms. I made a bet with Hodge that you were going to screw things up somehow and were going to have to clean up your mess. I didnt expect you to execute the mission perfectly. Of course. Lane sounded slightly distracted in his reply while he turned to look in Brookes direction. He saw Brooke heading straight for the canteen after emerging from the changing room. Dont pay any mind to him. Blake noticed Lane constantly staring at Brooke. He suddenly lowered his voice into a whisper, Wanna know something? I suspect that theres something wrong with this guy. Ever since he divorced his wife three years ago, hes been living a solitary life. I never see him heading to bars or clubs to look for girls. People like this are the ones you have to be on the lookout for. Who knows what goes on in that mind of his when he stares at you Hold on, didnt we sign an agreement? Lane ignored the strange speculations and addressed the other topic instead. We all signed agreements and should be prohibited from going to places like bars or clubs Thats true, but nothing is stopping you from sneaking into one Blake responded in a mischievous tone, Let me give you a pro tip, rookie. You only need to wrap yourself in a large shirt, put on a wig, and sunglasses. That way, nobody will see your bionic prosthetic or recognize you. Then, you can head out to bars and have all the fun you want What do you think, wanna go with me? But let me say this first, if you want me to take you then youre going to have to pay Lane hardly knew how to respond to something like this. He only muttered some blank statements and excused himself before heading toward the dormitory. The facilities of the BHB Combative Police Force were modeled after common five-star luxury hotels. This meant everyone had a designated suite and their suites were all connected to the same hall. Lane came to the entrance of his suite and spied around to make sure the other members were not present. He quickly took out a fingerprint sampling print from his pocket and pasted it on his index finger. Then, Lane quickly walked away from his door and went to Brookes instead. It was none other than Brookes fingerprint on the sampling print. Lane had been working with Brooke for a week now so it was not surprising for him to have obtained the unguarded Brookes fingerprint sample. Lanes goal was to install cameras and wiretap Brookes dormitory, to find evidence to sabotage him. The reason he would sell out his teammate was his motivation for joining the BHB Combative Police Force in the first place Phew Lane took a deep breath to contain his nerves. He took slow and steady paces toward Captain Brookes suite and pressed the sampled fingerprint onto the button Chapter 520 - Operation Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Beep! Click! After Lane placed his finger against the fingerprint reader, the red indicator light turned green and the door opened with a swift click With that, he quickly scuttled inside and closed the door behind him as soon as he entered. Upon entering, he noted that the interior of Brookes room was a mirror copy of his own as well. There were two rooms and the entrance led straight to the living room. Since it was midnight, the room was pitch-black. The windows that were left open allowed faint traces of light from outside to slip inside, which offered just enough light for Lane to see the shape of the room. There was a black leather couch in the living room with a glass coffee table set in front of it. On top of the coffee table was a large ashtray as well as two laptops. The ashtray was nearly filled to the brim with cigarette butts. Brooke had always liked smoking. This was intel that he had gathered for some time. Lane moved past the living room and went for the dining room. He quickly noted that the dining table was wiped clean. This level of tidiness was almost unnatural. Lane knew that Brooke never let the maids enter the room. He always cleaned the room by himself. Someone who always stuck to a schedule and kept his room in an orderly manner was a terrifying person After that, he looked at the two bedrooms. One of the bedrooms did not have a bed and instead had it substituted with two bookcases filled with books. There was a wide variety of books which ranged from politics magazines to scientific articles, to historical documentation. At last, he went to the master bedroom. As soon as he pushed open the bedroom door, he was greeted with the faint smell of cigarette smoke. The bedroom was a little messy with clothes and socks were thrown over the ground. Even the bedding was thrown onto the ground and the pillows were slightly yellow. Even with this brazen display, it was still much better than the condition of most bachelors bedrooms. Lane went around in the bedroom, taking caution to not touch anything for fear of Brooke noticing somebody had entered his room. He planted a bug underneath Brookes bed then surveyed the room again before finally deciding to take apart the bed lamp and install a mini camera in the base of the lamp. Lanes movements were extremely agile. It was clear that he had prepared for this day for some time. A rice grain-sized hole was drilled on the right side of the base of the table lamp. The hole was facing the bed and was just large enough for the camera inside to capture the view outside. After the work was done, he quickly restored everything to its condition before he entered. Then, he went to the living room again. This time, he propped up the leather couch and ripped off a small section on the bottom of the leather couch to install another bug. Right after he planted the bug, he suddenly heard a swift beep coming from the direction of the entrance! Lane was horrified. He immediately went straight for the bathroom and closed the room as stealthily as he could! He was able to respond so swiftly because this was something that he had accounted for as well. Since their suites were designed similarly, that meant the design of the bathroom should be identical as well. He could prop himself on the ceiling of the bathroom with his arms and legs pushed against the walls. This way, Brooke would not notice Lane as long as he did not raise his head upon entering the bathroom. After entering the bathroom, Lane immediately acted according to his plan and hid on the ceiling, and silently waited. Tap, tap, tap The heavy thuds of footsteps slowly approached and went past the bathroom entrance. Lane held his breath and waited silently. When Brooke previously entered his room, he paused for a brief moment. Brooke stopped because the first thing he noticed was a tiny bamboo stick that had been snapped in half lying on the ground. Brooke immediately sharpened his senses. After he closed the door, he went for the living room and turned on the lights first. The room was in the same condition as when he left his room. There were no signs of anything being trifled with. Brooke suddenly turned around and barged into the bathroom. After surveying the bathroom left and right, he saw that it was empty. After that, he went to inspect the library as well as the bedroom and once again did not detect anything suspicious. The sharpness in his eyes slowly faded away. After closing the lights in the living room, he returned to the bedroom. When Lane heard the receding footsteps, he breathed a silent sigh of relief. He slowly inched down the ceiling of the bathroom and put his ears against the door to listen for any further movements. Time slowly passed by. After nearly two hours, Lane tip-toed out of the bathroom and to the entrance. He held his breath and slowly wedged the door open until there was just enough gap for him to hop outside, then he promptly shut the door. After this, he took another deep breath to compose himself. After shooting one last glance at the door, he quickly went back to his room. Unbeknownst to Lane, as soon as he returned to his room, Brookes door opened slowly. Brooke peeked outside from the tiny gap of the door and glared at Lanes room for what seemed like forever. After that, the door shut with a swift click Over the next few days, Lane would connect to the listening devices planted in the room whenever he could. However, his findings were rather disappointing since neither the listening device nor the spy cameras could find anything worthwhile. Brooke only lived a regular, disciplined life like a retiree. Every morning, Brooke would have his breakfast in the dining hall, then head to the gym. By noontime, he would return to his suite to shower and browse online to look at whatever current affairs were trending. This usually lasted until nighttime where he would have dinner and return to his bedroom and read on the bed, then fall asleep usually around ten. The only times where he would break this fixed routine was when the BHB Combative Police Force had a mission. However, the BHB Combative Police Force usually did not issue a lot of missions. Unless it was some sort of criminal activity that had a significant impact on social order, otherwise, the police would not bother the BHB Combative Police Force. This meant that they were only dispatched on missions on average every four days. For some reason that Lane could not put his finger into, Brooke always executed these assigned missions flawlessly and behaved by the book. He had never made the occasional mistakes that Lane remembered he used to make nor did he use the public relations team of Blacklight Biotechnology to cover up whatever slip-ups there were. What was presented before Lane was a picture-perfect superhero, the embodiment of true justice! As the days of surveillance went on, Lane found himself getting agitated. After nearly a month without any significant discoveries made, he started to doubt himself and wonder if he had been mistaken about Brooke all this time. Perhaps Brooke was a true superhero after all. Compared to Brooke, the other two members, Blake and Hodge, were a closer representation of an ordinary person. Especially Blake who regularly expressed his interest in engaging with his fans and always brought back a different woman every night and lived the high life. Outside of work, Hodge behaved just as much as anyone would expect. He was a shy and gentle boy who did not do much other than spending time with his beloved wife and did not meddle in business he knew he should not. After more than a month of this, Lane knew that the batteries in his devices were about to be drained completely. Just as he was debating whether he should swap out the batteries, his hard work had finally paid off. He finally spied a secret call. It was a call Brooke received while he was doing his usual Internet browsing in the living room. His ring tone was the tune of nostalgic old jazz, then Lane caught Brookes deep monotone voice from the listening device: Hey, the police set up a big operation tonight so dont go to Grimm Street for the exchange. Change to Bartlett in the suburbs instead. Ill inform them of the change of venue using other channels The time remains unchanged, midnight two oclock. Yes, things are more tense than usual recently. If you dont want any trouble, then do as I say, got it? If you dont do as I say, I can always consider finding someone new to replace you, dont challenge me After that, the call ended. Lanes expression was a mixture of surprise and joy as he began jumping up and down excitedly. He knew it, Brooke could not be the picture-perfect hero he made himself out to be! Does this mean that Brooke has been covering for the criminal gangs? Lane recorded the conversation and kept repeating it, trying to obtain more information from the short conversation. It was clear enough that Brooke was utilizing his network in the police force to tip the gangs of any sudden developments. This message alone should be able to sabotage his persona. This was also evidence to be used in court to ensure he may never come back from this scandal! Lane was growing more excited with every passing second as he thought of this. He quickly booted up his computer and searched for the keyword New York City Bartlett. After half an hour of thorough investigation, he finally found the place. The so-called Bartlett turned out to be the suburban area in Queens, New York City, a neighborhood primarily inhabited by black people. Bartlett was one of the unlisted illegal bars in the area. After digging up all this information, Lane knew it was time to act. He made a phone call. Ms. Austin, Id like to apply for a patrol mission in New York City tonight. Tonight? Im afraid theres no time. You guys have a press conference at the police station tomorrow. Theres a rehearsal for it tonight. Austin was the manager of the BHB Combative Police Force. She was the designated lawyer of Blacklight Biotechnology, primarily tasked with cleaning up their mess. Sorry, please understand, I need to do this tonight. Lane quickly explained that he had finally found a lead so he could not let this chance go. Could you make a formal request with the higher-ups, please? This Austin, who was seated in front of her computer in the office, stuttered and hesitated. She frowned and was about to turn down the request, but she suddenly received an email notification. Austin opened the email and was mildly surprised by what she saw. Uh, Lane. Im not sure why you want to go on a solo patrol tonight, but I just received an email from the higher-ups that the press tomorrow is canceled. Thats great news, Miss Austin. Lane was relieved to hear this. He then hung up and went to change into his prosthetics. Several minutes later, he stepped out of the changing room. He was now clad in his all-black armor. The young mans face was colored with determination. Hey rookie, where are you going? As soon as he stepped out, Blake suddenly appeared and asked suspiciously, What is this, you finally changed your mind? You want to hit the bars now? You dont need the combat suit for that now do you? No, Im just uh, heading out on a mission. Lane did not say much to the unreliable Blake and quickly went to the elevator. After taking the elevator to the garage, he picked a motorcycle that was designated for carrying out police missions which color matched the armor he was wearing. He drove it to the gate. A beep sounded from the gate in front, followed by an electronic voice which announced, Combat armor number 0004, vehicle number 331, designated mission: patrol mission, officer Pedro Leon, permission granted The gate opened slowly. Lanes hand firmly grasping the throttle gave it a quick twist and charged out of the BHB Combative Police Force station It was midnight. Lane was fully decked out in a suit of intimidating mechanical armor as he stood on the rooftop of a building. This was the western suburbs of Queens and a short distance further ahead was a nameless neighborhood where the unlisted bar called Bartlett was located. This black neighborhood also had an unrecognized name C Martin Luther King Avenue. Martin Luther King was a black civil rights activist who once gave a famous speech C I Have a Dream. After leading the American Civil Rights Movement, he was regarded as a leader by blacks all over the United States. Many black communities had since then petitioned to rename their neighborhoods main street after the great Martin Luther King. By the end of it, Martin Luther King Avenue had become what was the equivalent of a social phenomenon in European and Northern American metropolises. While it would be unfair to say that all gathering places in black communities were associated with crimes, drugs, gangs, and violence, it did occur in a significant portion for them. This place was one such example since even though it was midnight, many people could be seen coming and going around the dark corners. When it came to communities like these, even the police would not dare trespass unless they had intel on the locals or whatever gangs were operating inside them. During the nighttime, more than half of the district became lawless lands, fertile for the growth of crime When Lane saw the activities occurring along the sidewalk, his first thought was a common joke in Northern America: a white man called his black friend and said, Hey I think I got lost in Martin Luther King Avenue, what do I do? The black friend responded without a second thought C run. Lane shook his head to put these thoughts out of his mind. In the past, he would never come to a place like this simply because it was too dangerous, but now that he had become a bionic police officer, there was no longer a need for him to be afraid. After that, he glanced at the watch and saw that it was almost the appointed time. He headed back down to the ground floor and got onto his bike which he parked in a secluded location. The motor engine was started and he headed to Martin Luther King Avenue Chapter 521 - The Death of Brooke Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Lanes mission was simple and that was to collect footage of these criminal activities, then swoop in and arrest them, and collect all the evidence needed. Once interrogated, the arrested criminals were going to spill their connection eventually, which would lead back to Brooke. This would surely destroy Brookes reputation and throw him down from his pedestal. Before entering Martin Luther King Avenue, Lane took a cape and threw it around himself and also wore a mask to not stand out among the crowd. Although this did make him look like quite a suspicious individual, at least it allowed him to strut inside without any worry. Lane found some secluded corner for him to park his bike. Then, he took a short sprint to gain momentum and hopped up to the third floor of a building with just one jump. He continued hopping along the rooftops and slowly advanced toward Bartlett. The night became the perfect cover for Lane. The streetlamps in this area were out of service for a long time ago and despite the governments effort of fixing the streetlamps, the bulbs would inevitably be smashed with rocks within two days. Certain people did not want this neighborhood basked in light After traveling along the rooftops for more than ten minutes, the clock was slowly approaching the appointed time of two oclock at midnight. The so-called Bartlett Bar was located in a run-down building more than several decades old whose interior had been refitted into a bar. Bright lights on the inside of the building seeped through the windows and into the streets. The bar was packed with crowds and loud noises. Right outside the bar was a small gathering of several members of an unknown gang. They were chattering and laughing away about something. Was it this group? Lane squinted and looked at this group gathered outside and quickly noted that none of them had any items in hand. Besides, they would not conduct illegal trades in open spaces like this. This meant that the meeting spot Brooke mentioned was not at the entrance of Bartlett, but a certain room inside the bar instead. With this in mind, Lane patrolled around the area to look for clues. He soon spotted a scene through a window of several men in suits sitting in a row inside a room. It was this place! Lane took off his mask and instantly, the helmet deployed the neckline of the armor that covered his face. After that, he zoomed in using the lens of the helmet and performed a basic scan of the individuals inside. [Faulkner Ladin: Born in 1988, 40 years old, birthplace: Texas. Sentenced to three years in prison in 2015 for drug trafficking and two years in prison for robbery in 2009.] [Ruskin Hunt: Born in 1993, 37 years old, birthplace: New York. Sentenced to five years in jail in 2010 for drug trafficking.] [Anglio Feiz: Born in 1985, 43 years old, birthplace: Nevada. Sentenced to 3 years in 2018 for] After performing the scan, Lane was not surprised to see that all of them were drug dealers. Upon spotting a black briefcase a man named Hunt carried, Lane was certain that these people must be the ones whom Brooke spoke to earlier this morning. The best time to swoop in and arrest them and take possession of the evidence would be after they had completed the exchange. As soon as the thought crossed his mind, a pop-up with a glaring red warning sign suddenly projected into his vision. At the same time, he heard an electronic voice chanting repeatedly, Unknown interference, unable to receive satellite signals! Huh, whats going on Lane murmured. Although places like these were known for poor signal reception, it should not be to such an extent where it should disrupt the satellite signals from reaching his armor. Without networking and communication capabilities, this set of armor had lost a large portion of its analysis capabilities. While Lane was occupied with this sudden interference, he suddenly noticed the group of people occupying the room suddenly turning in his direction in unison with a suspicious look in their eyes. They saw me? Lane was slightly caught off guard since he was under the impression that he was perfectly concealed in the darkness. There should be no way for them to detect him. He seemed to have sensed that something was off and his expression quickly changed! Oh no! He immediately bolted upright and attempted to get away from the scene. From the corner of his eye, he caught a spark igniting from a building far away from his position. Immediately after that, a tremendous jolt knocked him over. It felt like he was stuffed inside a steel bucket and someone kicked the steel bucket from the outside! Ah! Lane cried out in pain and tumbled down from the rooftop! Warning, warning, officer 0004 is under attack. The identified weapon is a Remington 4000K sniper rifle. Helmet sustained damage: 30%. Officers heartbeat has risen to 156 beats per minute Detected mild concussions, the officer may experience mild dizziness. Injecting an emergency dosage of adrenaline shot After collapsing onto the ground from the rooftop, Lane felt his head spinning in dizzy circles. He wanted to pull himself up from the ground but in his state of daze, he could only fumble around like a toddler on the ground, unable to get up despite the best of his efforts It was at that moment when he suddenly felt a sharp prick in the back of his neck as if he was injected with something. He immediately felt himself becoming rejuvenated. The armors intelligent detection system had revived him! Now that his mind was clear, Lane was certain that he had fallen into a trap! It seemed that Brooke was aware that he was being spied on and had deliberately set up this meeting location and blocked the local satellite signal so he could assassinate Lane! Lanes hand reached for the helmet and felt the giant hole formed in the shield of the mask with a bullet lodged into it. If it was not for its protection, Lane would have been long dead by now! As soon as Lane came to this realization, another thick barrel poked out from a certain window in the bar, with its aim dead set on him! Lane had just managed to pull himself on his feet when the armor quickly issued a warning. Infrared signal located. Potential shoulder-mounted artillery detected. Evasive maneuver is advised! Lane was startled by this as he snapped toward the direction of the bar and he was immediately greeted by the head of the barrel in the distance! Run! Lane bolted without a second thought. A mere second after he took off, a blinding flare was fired from the window of the bar. It barely missed Lanes feet and punched into the wall behind him! Bang! A tremendous wave of explosion sent the ground quaking. Lane was lifted off his feet like a piece of straw and sent flying more than ten meters away before crashing into the ground! Clank! The pulse rifle wrenched itself free from Lanes grip and flew off into a pack of dense bushes. Oh my God! Its the bionic police, when did these guys get here? Should we kill him? What do you mean kill, lets get out.. After hearing the tremendous explosion, the people inside the bar flushed outside to see what was happening. They were aghast to see Lane lying on the ground and caused a great commotion as they quickly fled the scene in all directions Hack, hack! Lane could taste the scent of blood swelling up in his throat. He could tell he had sustained significant internal damage because his entire body was throbbing with pain. The armor he wore was certainly impressive since even when he was only mere meters away from the point of explosion, he was only blasted away into the distance without losing consciousness as the armor had absorbed most of the kinetic and thermal force of the explosion. Lane picked himself up with sheer determination this time. Then, he sprinted off into the distance in the same direction the crowd went The armor of the bionic police had many high-tech implementations. The moment he started running, he instantly accelerated to a speed of a hundred and twenty kilometers per hour like a high-power sports car. He continued to run for several minutes until he was no longer surrounded by his foes and arrived at a barren plot of land in the neighborhood. Even after making it out here, his armor was still under the effect of the signal disruption. Hack, hack, hack Lane had another round of violent coughing fit. His helmet retracted on its own and he spat out a mouthful of blood. D*mn it, why is the signal still disrupted? I shouldve made it out of the signal blockage range Because Ive been next to you all this time. Lane suddenly heard a low voice uttered right behind him. His eyes shrank as he snapped around. For a moment, he could not believe his eyes! It was Captain Brooke! Brooke was wearing the same armor as he did. There was a device strapped to his chest that was constantly emitting blue light at regular intervals. Amid the surrounding darkness, it illuminated Brookes face with its periodic glows. You, why are you here Lanes voice was hoarse. The shock in his tone could not be any more clear. Is it so surprising for you to find me here? Brooke answered blankly, Didnt you come out here to collect evidence of my drug trafficking? I figured I might as well come in person to greet you properly. As he said this, he slowly approached the distraught-looking Lane. So, what do you think about this surprise appearance? Brooke Lane gritted his teeth, his eyes beaming with rage. I knew it, you already know I was spying on you Thats not the only thing I know about. I also know that you were once a part of the little squad that Christina assembled. Brooke smiled. Isnt that right, Lamb? When Lane heard Brooke uttered his old nickname, he was so shocked that he was temporarily at a loss for words. He stumbled several paces backward and looked at Brooke like he had seen a ghost. I know even more than that. I know of your background as well. You lost your mother due to a mistake I made in the middle of an operation, which is why youve been holding a grudge against me. You joined Christinas squad because you think that I was the one who killed your mother and you want revenge by destroying me Brooke slowly inched toward Lane. I know whats on your mind. You must be dying to know how Ive come to know all this. The answer is simple. Its because Im Cain. Im the mysterious benefactor of the little revenge squad you joined As soon as Brooke mentioned this, he suddenly planted his feet into the ground and charged at Lane. Lane did not even have time to process everything that he was just told when he saw his captain coming toward him with a balled fist hovering in front of his face! Despite his condition, Lanes military training had honed his senses enough to make him instinctively put his arms up to guard himself against this devastating blow! Little did he know, this attack was merely a fluke. As Brooke jabbed his right fist toward Lane, he also held a dagger in his left hand and plunged it into Lane simultaneously! Thud! Lane heard an ominous rattle produced by the dagger cutting into him. He was so mentally disjointed by everything that had been revealed to him that his body could not react in time to avoid the blow. All he managed was to hold his breath and dodge backward ever so slightly. Swoosh! Bright sparks burst from Lanes chest region. The sharp screech penetrated the dead silence of the night! Lane backed away as far as he could when he recognized an opening. After he separated himself and investigated the damage done, he saw a foot-long crevice cut into the breastplate of his armor! An armor that even a bullet fired from a sniper rifle could not penetrate was sliced open by a mere dagger! High-frequency vibration nano dagger, sharp enough to cut diamonds Brooke sneered and dashed forward again before Lane had time to catch his breath. Lane tried his best to jump out of the way, but with his body encumbered from all the damage sustained so far, he could not keep up. After several more strikes, Lanes armor was completely torn apart by the dagger. This time, the dagger found its way straight into his chest. He felt a throbbing pain that spread from his stomach region. His body could not hold out any longer and collapsed stubbornly onto the ground Hack, hack As Lane lay on the ground full of despair, he coughed out several mouthfuls of blood. After you die, Ill tell everyone that you were killed by gang members while in the middle of an operation with me. Youll be remembered as a hero Brooke mocked his victim with a wry smile. He pressed Lane into the ground with his feet and raised his dagger into the air! Lane closed his eyes. However, death did not come to him even when he expected it. Lane, with his eyes closed, heard the abrupt clank of an object clattering against his chest. Lane slowly opened his eyes and saw Brooke frozen in his pose with his arms raised high in the air. The dagger had slipped away from his grip and dropped onto the floor. What, whats going on Impossible Brooke was utterly baffled by what was happening. He tried desperately to wring himself free, to command his body to move, but the armor seemed to have been disconnected and would not budge no matter what. He stood still in place like a statue Lane immediately registered what was happening. Without a moments delay, he grabbed the dagger and plunged it into Brookes face that was frozen with horror! Ah! The sharp, excruciating scream only lasted for a brief instant before it was muffled. After that, dead silence After a minute had passed, Lane slowly pulled himself up and rooted himself to the ground. He looked at Brooke who was lying lifelessly on the ground. Brooke with a nano dagger penetrated through his helmet and planted in the middle of his face. There was certainly no hope of Brooke coming back to life from this. Whats going on Lane heard a familiar, feminine voice whispering to him through his earpiece, Lane, is Brooke dead? Aus, Austin? It was the voice of the manager of the BHB Combative Police Force! Lane gasped. Whats going on, wasnt the signal disrupted? I have no idea what happened either. I relayed what was happening to the higher-ups when your signal was suddenly cut off just now. The signal was restored just as Brooke was about to kill you Austin sounded very anxious. My fingers immediately went to the termination button to suspend Brookes usage of the armor! Chapter 522 - The World Mourns Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Austin began to question Lane through the earpiece, her tone urgent, Lane, what happened? Why were you fighting with Brooke to a point where you two were trying to kill each other? Lane opened his mouth, but the sentences would not come out. How could he explain his reason for being here and why he and Brooke were trying to kill each other? Was he supposed to tell her the truth, that his reason for joining the BHB was to kill Brooke? That the reason he was here in the first place all started from Brookes phone call which he successfully spied on? Lane knew that he could not possibly tell them the entire truth since he would also be subject to Blackwatchs punishment. Still, it was extremely difficult for him to provide a reasonable explanation for what had happened. Lane found himself bathing in sweat. Just as he was dealing with this internal conflict, he heard a deep voice of another man coming from the earpiece. Lane, I reported this incident to the higher-ups, the company will dispatch a proper team to clean everything up very soon. Your task now is to hide Brookes body and ensure nobody sees it, do you understand? Manager Liu? Lane immediately recognized who this person talking to him was. It was manager Liu, the department head. He rushed to explain himself, Manager Liu, I wasnt intending to kill him! I know. To Lanes surprise, manager Liu began to lay everything out clearly for him. Brooke secretly colluded with the CIA and was acting as a spy for them to collect intel on Blackwatch. His signal jamming device and other weapons were all provided by the CIA and even the organization you were involved with in the past was connected to the CIA as well. There are many more such small organizations scattered all over the world. It may seem like Brooke was behind this ambush you faced, but it was all the work of the intricate planning of the CIA. Weve been collecting evidence of Brookes schemes long before you started doing it, but we didnt expect you to act so soon. What` Cold sweat continued to pour down his neck and his back. Could this mean that everything he had been doing was closely monitored by the company all this time? His opponent all this time had been the renowned CIA belonging to his very own country? On one side was his country while on the opposite side was his company. Lane found himself at a loss for which side he was supposed to take But theres no need for you to worry. The higher-ups are pleased with how youve handled this situation. Although you have a previous track record of engaging in organizations against Blackwatch, youve made up for it by exposing their location to us. You have great potential and were eager to see your continued development. Manager Liu suddenly paused to allow Lane to digest the message, then noted. Lane, dont disappoint the company I, I wont At this point, the back of Lanes shirt was completely soaked in sweat. Its not that we want you to betray your country. The manager continued. The truth is that despite our company and Northern Americas public collaborations, there have been many hidden conflicts. On one hand, we have to unite to fight against evil forces. But on the other hand, Northern America is afraid of our continued growth, which leads us to situations such as what happened today But none of this has anything to do with you or me. Its only the higher-ups in the company that have to be concerned with these developments. All you need to do is keep your head down and do your job. Dont try to be like Brooke and get yourself involved in the giant vortex of the two major forces, do you understand? Yes Lanes voice came out in the form of a dry rattle. Alright, the special team will be arriving at the scene shortly, just leave the rest to them, they know how to take care of it. With that, manager Liu had effectively laid out everything there was to do and proceeded to hang up. Phew With that, Lane let out a deep sigh. He looked at Brooke who was starting to turn stiff, then he proceeded to drag the corpse into the bushes nearby and waited silently. After around ten minutes, several black Wrangler jeeps appeared out of nowhere and screeched to a stop in front of Lane. Lane was slightly perturbed by this and shot up nervously. He then saw dozens of Blackwatch personnel clad in black robes and tactical helmets swarming out of the vehicles. They each carried a pulse rifle and wore a combat suit underneath the black robes. They quickly formed a circle around Lane and gave off a slight air of hostility. Lane quickly put his hands in the air and asked tentatively, Im part of the bionic police department, are you guys sent by the company to clean up the mess? Yes, we received the mission to reclaim the companys property. Lane glanced behind the crowd and saw a woman who did not wear a helmet hopping out of a Wrangler jeep. She had minimal makeup on and an icy attitude around her. Even the combat uniform could not conceal her full and robust hourglass figure. With a quick signal from her, the group surrounding him lay down their weapons and began inspecting the surroundings. Pedro Lane? The woman asked, but not before eying Lane up and down as she walked in a circle around him. Thats me Although Lane knew what the suit of armor he wore was capable of, he was still filled with agitation when confronted by this otherworldly woman. It seemed that this person in front of him was not an ordinary human being, but a black leopard in disguise. She could very well tear him into pieces at any given moment. It was apparent to Lane that she could hardly be bothered by what Lane thought of her. She suddenly produced a gun-shaped detector from her pocket and aimed it at him. The indicator on the detector immediately flashed green light and announced, Identity confirmation: Pedro Leon, member of Bionic Police Project Department. Code number 113304. Alright. Seeing this, the woman put the detector back into her pocket and remarked without much regard, The higher-ups have given specific instructions for us to handle everything from here on, you may leave now. Let me remind you that as per the companys agreement, youre prohibited from telling anyone who is unauthorized, especially outsiders, about everything that has happened today. Otherwise, the company will be sure to deal with you accordingly, understand? Alright, understood Lane took a deep gulp and left without so much as sparing another glance. While he was on the way out, he did manage to take note of the department printed across the chest section of the womans uniform. It read B.S.S.. Its the B.S.S. Department The B.S.S. Department was short for Black Security Service Department. However, Lane knew that this name was merely a facade for the true nature of the department. It should instead be named as Blackwatch Quick Reaction Security Force! Just like the Bionic Police Department, the Black Security Service Department was also affiliated with Blacklight Biotechnology. To the outside world, the B.S.S. was seen as an equivalent of the Bionic Police Department, but the truth was this department had far more administrative authority. Instead of being labeled as a special force department, it would be more apt to label it as the companys private armed forces! The very purpose for the existence of this department was to oversee the safety of Blackwatchs property and to annihilate whatever evidence that may prove to be unfavorable to the reputation of the company. This piece of information was only known to a handful of selected individuals. The only reason Lane was informed of this was that he was once a member of the Blackwatch Resistance Organization. Otherwise, it was nigh impossible for him to be told of such matters based on his current rank in the company. Lane walked alone in the dark. When he passed by the Bartlett Bar, he saw that the section of the neighborhood was illuminated by a radiant column of flame where the Bartlett Bar once stood! The fire was spreading to the nearby buildings as well. People were running in a fit of mania and panic, the flames were visible from a great distance away! It seemed like Blackwatch had a lot of business to take care of tonight Lane felt a great chill that seeped into the deepest crevice of his heart. All along, he knew that Blackwatch was far from your average company, but now, he had fully realized the full extent of what this company was capable of. The mere thought of it was thoroughly disturbing. Dozens of lives lost in the span of a single night and yet the Northern American Continent would simply brush off this matter. This was a testament to the ridiculous influence of this company Lane returned to his bike he parked in a secluded corner and drove back to the bionic police base. His mind was overwhelmed with a mixture of emotions. Lane had a feeling that he would have trouble falling asleep tonight The sun gradually rose along the horizon to welcome the dawn of the next day in Northern America. A young man named York who had just recently graduated from university and was now working in a small media company called PUB yawned lazily at his desk. Fortunately, he had just got to the office five minutes from his appointed working hours. Sigh, another boring, ordinary day. York mumbled to himself as he lazily turned on the computer. Suddenly, the display immediately showed a high-resolution poster of the BHB Combative Police Force on his desktop. It was evident enough that he was a superfan of Blackwatchs BHB Combative Police Force. York, York! Before York even had time to settle into his seat and get his mood ready for todays work, he heard what sounded like the agonizing yelp of a dying chicken coming from somewhere behind him. This voice immediately evoked a sense of irritation deep inside York, but he put on his best smile to conceal his annoyance and enquired nicely, Yes team leader, need anything? The man whom York addressed as team leader was a middle-aged man whose hairline was barely clinging on for dear life. He continued howling as he approached Yorks desk and slapped an evaluation form on the desk. Then, he ranted with his fingers repeatedly tapping against the form. Look at the articles youve written last week. Two articles out of three were rejected and the only one that got approved was ridiculed by our readers. This is your admirable work from last week! York seemed troubled and complained, But team leader, wasnt it you who wanted me to write articles on these current affairs? But it wasnt me who told you to write such garbage content! The team leader roared. The manager isnt happy with you. If you still cant give us some proper articles this week, get ready to pack up and go home! After the team leader was done with his scolding, he waddled away, contented with himself. There was no word that could describe how infuriated York was. He had only done as the team leader instructed him to. Not only did he have to be reprimanded senselessly, he was also potentially going to lose his job. He could not handle this anymore York was feeling dejected. He sighed and slowly opened a webpage and began scanning for useful articles online, just as he always did. Since he worked in a small media outlet, he did not have the privilege of on-site reporters. His only source of content was by scouring for resources online. Fortunately, there were no topic restrictions for the articles written as long as they attracted plenty of clicks. This meant that most small media outlets tended to hop on to whatever topic was trending at the time. After browsing for some time and noting that there were no interesting topics, York looked at the time and saw that it was around eight-thirty. He suddenly remembered to check out the Blackwatch official website. Blackwatch was the single most influential company in the world with no clear rivals. Whatever news announced from their end was bound to astound the world, which also meant that for small media outlets like the ones York worked in, Blackwatch was the best platform to piggyback on. York was a regular customer of the Blackwatch official site and regularly tuned in for their routine eight-thirty site refresh. At eight-thirty sharp, York went to the Blackwatch official site and repeatedly hit the F5 button. His repeated attempts at refreshing the site paid off by the thirteenth time. A new headline appeared in the center of the homepage of the official website while at the same time, the entire website turned black and white. Hm, whats going on? York was taken aback by the sudden incident. He initially figured that it was a problem with the screen. It was only after he read the headline when he realized what happened. He hung his mouth wide open and was completely frozen in his seat [Captain of the BHB Combative Police Force, Brooke Humphrey, killed last night in the line of duty, retiring at the age of 35.] York was floored by this headline. It took him several seconds before he came to his senses, which he then immediately tapped into the article with the cursor. This took him to the article page. In the early morning of 20 August 2028, Brooke and the recently inducted officer Lane were ambushed in the suburbs of Queens, New York City when they reported to duty to arrest drug traffickers in the area. The captain was hit by anti-tank artillery and passed Attached below the passage was a black and white photograph of the late Captain Brooke. He looked like his usual handsome, charming, and determined self in the picture, almost like a holy sculpture. Listed below was the list of accomplishments in Brookes career. By this point, York could not bear to read on anymore Stupid Aprils Fool York uttered a dejected complaint, the mouse in his hand dropped onto the floor. [Tragedy: World famous superhero, BHB Combative Police Force Captain Brooke dies heroically in the line of duty!] C Northern American Associated Press News. [The world mourns! BHB Combative Police Force Captain Brooke dies at the age of 35!] C Reuters News. [Be wary of the resurgence of evil factions, the path to the resistance of evil is a long and tedious one. What kind of lesson and reflection can we gain from the death of Captain Brooke?] C Hezhong International News Agency. [Real-life superheroes have been taken away from us. The real world is not as the stories told, superheroes are not immortal!] C Sina Express. Within minutes of the announcement on the official website of Blacklight Biotechnology, the news of Brookes death spread across the public horizon and the world was plunged into a state of grief. Countless media sites in Northern America changed the theme of their websites to black and white to commemorate the death of the hero. There were also countless video game platforms such as Steam who announced a one-day site closure to pay respects to the deceased, beloved hero. In an instant, the world was plunged into a state of grief and ceaseless mourning Chapter 523 - Parasitic Spores Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation So, hes dead. It was the first news Chen Chen received when he woke up the next morning. Such information was not an object of significant importance to him. It was only some mild entertainment to go along with his breakfast at best. Lane took him out successfully. Little X answered, Weve prepared a proper funeral for him too, just a basic gesture of respect to preserving the reputation of our bionic police force. Chen Chen nodded with feigned interest. Chen Chen did not know of Brookes character. However, he knew that ever since Brookes injury some time ago that caused him to retire from the police force, his personality had become dark and distorted. Within a year after gaining a chance at a new life with the BHB, he divorced his wife and abandoned his children. For this reason, Brooke was always heavily criticized by some fans. However, the majority of his fans were blind and misled followers. His past wrongdoings were simply ignored by mindless claims such as the pain of a superhero and all men made mistakes at one point or another. Chen Chen was also informed of Brookes questionable and disobedient behavior in the company. The silver lining was that he knew how to present himself properly and toned down his behavior after receiving a warning from the companys management. With that said, that was only what he let show on the surface. Deep inside, he was still a hateful individual. He was soon recruited by the CIA and became a thorn on Blacklight Biotechnologys side. He took on the role of a spy and regularly fed intel concerning Blacklight Biotechnology to the CIA. All this time, he was under the impression that nobody knew about his ploys. Little did he know, Little X had been monitoring everything from the get-go. The only reason Chen Chen did not pluck this thorn just yet was to give the Northern American government a false sense of security. Blacklight Biotechnology had its fair share of spies in the Northern American government and knew that the Central Intelligence Agency had been acting as the eye of the government, collecting intel on their enemies. However, it was decided that it was better to not take action on Brooke at the moment since it would be suspicious to immediately dispose of him the moment he began collaborating with the CIA. Chen Chen only decided to dispose of Brooke later on since he was beginning to push his luck and got on Chen Chens nerves. Lane, who had been holding a grudge against Brooke was the perfect candidate for this task. Everything he had been through was perfectly orchestrated, leading up to this moment. The mastermind behind this exemplary orchestra was none other than Chen Chen. Little X even took advantage of the noble sacrifice of the hero Brooke as propaganda to further promote BHB Combative Police Forces agenda. The name of BHB had once again ascended to greater heights. After all, such behavior was not uncommon in the world we lived in. The work of a deceased author was seen as treasures and deceased artists tended to see a surge in popularity This was not a baseless observation, but a phenomenon thoroughly studied by researchers. It was noted that whenever a famous artist passed away, people all over the world suddenly began to listen to the late artists music and their album sales tended to skyrocket Stan Renard and Richard Gretz, professors of musicology and marketing at the University of Texas conducted this research based on eighty-one famous artists who passed in the years 2015, 2016, and 2017. This prestigious list included greats such as George Michael, Glenn Frey, Prince, Tom Petty, and David Bowie. They found that the day after Prince passed in 2016, his album sales soared by a whopping 16000 percent. The day after Tom Petty died in 2017, his album sales also saw a rise of 6800 percent. Within a week after Soundgardens lead singer Chris Cornell passed, the band saw a 550 percent increase in their record sales. It seemed as if their very deaths served as the most efficient marketing tool for their careers This observation was dubbed by researchers as the Prince effect. Lets hope Lane can handle this role Chen Chen chewed on an energy bar and swept past the article After finishing breakfast, Little X suddenly brought up. Oh yeah, Sir Godfather, the expedition team on Mars has compiled a fairly detailed archive of the preliminary explorations of Mars. Its attached with a collection of biological samples which the Ares is ready to transport back at any time. However, there seems to be a rise of different opinions in the scientific community. Im aware of that. Its about the objections of bringing samples from Mars back to Earth. Chen Chen smiled and mentioned quickly. Yes. Little X stood by his side and expressed helplessly, Several reputable scientists in the scientific community issued a joint statement declaring their opposition to bringing life on Mars back to Earth. They believe that these samples may contain infectious microbes that are unique to conditions on Mars, which may cause a deadly plague when brought to Earth. I take it that these scientists dont belong to any of the four major continents. Chen Chen scoffed at the idea of it. They truly believe that a simple joint statement could oppose the tens of billions of dollars of investment Blacklight Biotechnology and the four major continents had poured into this expedition? Nothing but a fools errand. This group must have set out with the idea that if they could not have it, then nobody could. They must have thought that since the project was not led by their countries, there was no harm in causing large controversies to spite the involved parties. Concerns of Mars microbes infiltrating Earths atmosphere were completely unwarranted. After all, this was not Blacklight Biotechnologys first day on the job. Proper level-five bioprotection laboratories had been set up a long time ago for this exact purpose. Chances of a breakout were next to null. Still, there would inevitably be some who claimed that even a one in a million chance was too much risk for mankind. These people had forgotten that mankind had to take the next step forward one way or another and these ventures were necessary to achieve that. If mankind would not strive to advance to the next level, then it was eventually going to face extinction anyway. Progress could only be made by advancing forward, not by taking a step back. Theres no need for us to be concerned with these affairs. A simple statement is more than enough. Just leave the rest for the four major continents to handle. Chen Chen simply brushed off the matter and left the dining table. After breakfast, Chen Chen went back to his routine of patrolling around the Spire Experimental Base. He used the black sphere to teleport to the Spire, then began making his rounds down each level of the Spire. The number of research projects in the Spire laboratory had been cut down significantly since many projects had been completed. The only ongoing projects were the daily research concerning the black goo, T-virus, and the C24 chromosome. The black goo which was a catalyst instantiated from an alien dimension was an extremely prized treasure. It could merge itself with any life form to perform a wide range of unexpected results. The Spire Laboratory had utilized this specimen to create dozens of biological weapons as well as unique drugs. The G-358 virus that turned Chen Chen into a three-meter tall giant was one of the many drugs procured from the black goo. The string of G-virus specimens was formed from a fusion of T-virus and black goo. Led by James Watson, the father of DNA, the biological research team of the Spire had developed many kinds of biological weapons, one of which was called parasitic spore. It was a form of plant-based biological weapon with far more devastating effects than the T-virus. Once the spores were spread to the outside world, they would grow into a special fungus plant. This strange hybrid specimen was a partially sentient plant. Upon detecting living creatures nearby, it actively released spores that would find their way into the eyes, ears, mouth, and nose of the passing creature. The spores infiltrated the internal organs of their victims and began their parasitizing process. After that, the parasitic spores would use the hosts body as a nutrient source and used the hosts DNA as a template to create a monster that could similarly adapt to the hosts environment and bore great resemblance to the host itself. Since this created monster was based on the hosts DNA, it managed to bypass the hosts immune system and camouflaged itself as a common limp. After approaching the twenty-hour mark, it would burst out of the body of the host and its only living purpose was to kill everything in sight. It would not stop until it had completely eradicated the group of hosts Chen Chens original intention with this powerful biological weapon was to serve as a precautionary measure against whatever threat he may face when accessing alternate dimensions. It was better to be prepared than not. After Chen Chen came to this laboratory, he approached a row of glass tanks of specimens, all taken care of by one lab personnel. They were the corpses of a group of monsters produced by the parasitic spores inhabiting themselves in living forms on Earth. Inside the first tank was a monster about the size of a calf. Its body was jet black and wrapped in a tough layer of exoskeletons. The alignment of its limbs was inverted and pushed outward, its skull was elongated and shaped like a large water droplet or better described as spindle-shaped. The most threatening part of its appearance was its limbs razor-sharp claws and rows upon rows of sharp teeth inside its mouth. Its claws and teeth were not the usual marble-white color but silver-white instead that appeared to be of a tougher quality. Hmmm Chen Chen gazed at the monster specimen in front of him, clearly pleased with the results. Anyone familiar with the infamous, Hollywood-classic movie Aliens should know that this was a near-replica of the alien in the movie. Apart from the size difference, the monster inside the tank held an uncanny resemblance to the alien in the movie. The original host of this monster was a Doberman. After that, Chen Chen inspected the remaining tanks and saw more monsters mutated from chickens, ducks, rabbits, pigeons, cats, and other small domestic animals. There were also specimens mutated from chimpanzees, monkeys, and even other primate species such as humans. The monsters derived from primate species especially were almost completely identical to the aliens in the movie. This was the power of the black goo. The Spire Laboratory had conducted further research on these aliens. Chen Chen continued touring the laboratory. Before long, he arrived at another laboratory section that looked like a breeding room. This was the laboratory used to hold the living specimen. These aliens were held in a bulletproof glass room with up to forty centimeters of fortification. Extremely resilient building materials immune to acid corrosion were used to build these cells to prevent the monsters from ever escaping the laboratory. Upon Chen Chens arrival, he saw rows upon rows of such cells, all with black-skinned aliens held within them. Since the aliens were based on a variety of genetic templates, they took on different forms where some of them had large, blocky teeth while others had intimidating sharp teeth. Regardless of whether these specimens were derived from primate species or other mammalian species, they were able to walk either on all fours or on their back hinds alone. This seemed to be an inherent characteristic of the aliens. When Chen Chen approached one of the isolation cells, the alien inside seemed to have spotted him and came to the glass curiously. It quickly established eye contact with him. Chen Chen could even spot his reflection on the aliens dark and smooth forehead. After staring into Chen Chens eyes for a moment, the alien seemed to have become provoked. It opened its mouth to reveal a row of teeth sharper than polished metal and hissed menacingly. It produced a cloud of steam from its mouth as it hissed. It was accompanied by a vast amount of what seemed like drool dripping out of its mouth. Most people would not regard this as a novel sight to be admired, but Chen Chen seemed to think otherwise. Chen Chen eagerly stuck his face to the glass and tried to mirror what the alien did. He grinned with his mouth wide open, baring his teeth in front of the alien. Hiss The alien seemed to feel challenged by this and opened its mouth wider than before, rows of inner nested teeth were visible now. The alien was covered in deadly weapons all over C claws sharp enough to tear through steel panels and a jaw so powerful that it was able to tear through carbon steel. However, all of these weapons paled in comparison to the inner nested teeth. Its inner nested teeth allowed it to make light of fortified steel panels. After having his fill of fun, Chen Chen drew away, then followed down the corridor with Little X and mentioned, That seems to be an alien with a primate host Little X quickly explained, We discovered that even if these aliens have different hosts, they seem to be able to distinctly recognize each other. Not only that, they seem to possess some sort of telepathic ability where even if they are isolated from each other, they can still receive instructions from a queen theyve never seen before Queen? Chen Chen raised his head at this suggestion. Yes. Little X answered, They seem to share the social structure of ants and bee colonies. Ordinary members of the colonies take on the role of worker bees while the queen is equivalent to the queen bee. The worker bees hunt and bring food to the queen bee, who is responsible for breeding and expanding the colony So, they can reproduce Chen Chen smiled. What if we kill the queen? If the queen dies or is missing, then one member among the remaining aliens will evolve into a new queen and take on the task of reproducing for the colony. Little X answered, Therell always only be one queen in a colony. The reason we believe that they have telepathic abilities is that even when the members in the colony have never met each other, they are still able to select one queen. Therell never be an instance where two queens exist at one time. The two of them finally arrived at the end of the laboratory. Chen Chen was confronted with the master of the colony C the alien queen that measured more than eight meters long and four meters tall! The hideous behemoth was chained in the isolation room with the thick bars of tungsten chains. Just like other members of the colony, it had a layer black exoskeleton, only it was tougher and thicker. There was a gigantic crown grown into its head. Its fan-shaped exoskeleton extended to its back, tightly guarding the region of its head. Its teeth were not metallic but took on a more bizarre translucent texture. The four pipe-shaped organs that allowed for breathing have turned into four spikes that shot into the sky. Coupled with the gigantic fan-shaped crown, it carried a bone-chilling, bloodthirsty aura Chapter 524 - Saoun Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation The queens thick limbs and neck were held in place with gigantic tungsten chains and its body almost suspended in the air. Under such circumstances, there was not much even a dragon could do to wring itself free, no less an alien. The reason these dangerous creatures were kept here was to observe their habits. It was clear that these alien forms had an established social structure. Further research could help with future space travel expeditions. These aliens were the second creatures that humans had discovered so far that could survive at least for a short period in outer space, the first one was the tardigrade. The reason they were unable to survive for an extended period in outer space was not due to the temperature difference nor atmospheric pressure, but for the lack of oxygen. The parasitic life form born from Earth creatures required oxygen to survive as well. Apart from that, the aliens were able to survive short-term exposure to temperatures up to three hundred degrees just like the tardigrades. In the third installation of the movie Aliens, an alien was dropped into lead water with a melting point of 327.46 degrees Celsius, but it still crawled out within half a minute. The alien exoskeleton acted like a sealed protective suit to safeguard the aliens body, enabling it to withstand extreme temperature and low air pressure. The observation of these aliens provided a glimpse of what other aliens they may encounter in space could be like. Chen Chen did not make light of this alien queen that remained motionless in the cell like it was dead. He knew that if they made any mistake and let this thing get to the outside world, it could at least level an entire city before he could stop it. To be fair, an alien queen alone would not be enough to wipe out all of humanity. After the government got a handle on the situation, all that was needed was a well-fired thermal weapon to teach these monsters a lesson. After leaving this breeding room, Chen Chen went to the other laboratories. Of all the ongoing projects, the one Chen Chen was most familiar with was the relaunched Tyrant project. The three-meter-tall Tyrants bred from the T-virus were once again injected with the G-358 to create a further enlarged version of Tyrant that stood more than five meters tall with spikes covering its body. When Chen Chen was injected with the G-358, he was able to wipe out an army all on his own. The strength of a Tyrant injected with the G-virus had reached an unprecedented level that bordered on insanity. Additionally, the Spire had prepared a custom-made combat suit for the Tyrant. The combat suit was an enhanced version of the GS Combat Suit that could deflect bullets fired from sniper rifles. The combat suit was fitted with a mechanism that automatically injected the G-358 virus when the Tyrant encountered a worthy opponent. The Tyrant was large enough to have nutrient pockets embedded in their bodies and upon receiving an injection of the G-358, the nutrient pockets would be deployed accordingly. In an instant, it would turn the Tyrant into a far more powerful killing machine, set to destroy whatever targets required of it. The Spire Laboratory gave this G-358 virus injection a very fitting name C liberation. Another noteworthy subject was the recently acquired C24 chromosome technology. Chen Chen arrived at the level-five biosafety laboratory located at the top of the Spire. The level-five biosafety laboratories were designed like a duplex, divided into two floors. The first floor was the experiment hall, which contained several isolation cells and sample rooms while the second floor was the command and control room. The more valued and experienced researchers usually operated on the second floor while the first-floor experiment hall was occupied by apprentice-level researchers and robots. When Chen Chen arrived at the command room, Li Lei happened to be monitoring the floor. The trio of Li Lei, Neumann, and Hannibal joined the Gods Forbidden Zone together around seven years ago. Li Lei was now approaching his thirties and was considerably more mature and capable of handling himself. Boss. Li Lei got up and smiled to greet Chen Chen. He also quickly noted Little X who was trailing closely behind Chen Chen. Even now, nobody knew the real identity of Little X but he still made a point to smile and nod respectfully. As one of the members of the inner ring, he knew that this little girl that could not be more than ten years old had been sticking by Chen Chens side for quite some time. What was terrifying was that she had full authority to dispatch the Black Knights. Even with Li Leis Alpha authorization level, he was only allowed to dispatch a small squad of Black Knights at most. The Alpha level was the highest possible attainable level in the Gods Forbidden Zone. The only ones further up were the members of the Disciple Council or the leader himself, Chen Chen. Chen Chen returned Li Leis greeting with a similar, firm nod. There was not much exchange of small talk between the two. Chen Chen approached the observation window and looked over the experiment hall and asked, How is it, any findings with the C24 chromosome? There are some discoveries, but nothing major. Li Lei replied as he went next to Chen Chen and pointed at several devilish-looking monsters in the isolation cells. This chromosome technology is only compatible with human DNA so it can only be applied on human subjects. Weve expended a significant number of Delta-level subjects in this period and unfortunately, most of them had underlying violent tendencies in their DNA and turned into these monstrosities Chen Chen nodded knowingly. It was no surprise considering most of them were vicious criminals. He turned to the isolation cells and most of them contained pale-faced monsters with misshapen faces. Unlike regular humans, the muscles all over their bodies were swollen and they stood more than three meters tall. Their misshapen faces looked like that of the devil pictured in the Bible. Their mouths were large and bloodied and their noses turned into two tiny ugly pores above their mouths. Finally, the outside edges of their eyes were slanted downward, almost at the same level as their noses. Do these Guys still possess intellectual thoughts? Chen Chen was momentarily at a loss for how he should address these things. They do. Li Lei answered with a sure nod and a solemn look upon his face, Thats the scary part. Even though they turned into what can only be described as monsters, they still possess intellectual thoughts as regular humans do. The only difference is they have become bloodlust, frenzied psychos. They feel fear, they lie, and know how to communicate. To a certain extent, they still have their past memories preserved but I can guarantee you that if you present their beloved ones before them, theyll kill their beloved ones without blinking an eye. They are solely driven by a desire to murder or you can describe it as they have their perceptions distorted. As far as they are concerned, killing someone is the best gift they can offer Chen Chen seemed awed by this observation and noted. Could you find any pure individuals without any violent tendencies in their genes? Ive already performed a blood sampling test. Li Lei said, Such individuals are extremely rare, probably one in nearly fifty. I only managed to find one such individual among the Delete-level subjects. Oh? Chen Chen was delighted to hear this. Havent you begun experimentations yet? This subject is too valuable so I wouldnt dare risk it. Right now, Im making preparations for the experiment and were ready to begin soon. Li Lei mentioned, Boss, if you want to see it, we can begin within half an hour. Then lets begin. Chen Chen immediately made himself comfortable on a couch and waited eagerly with his legs folded. With that, Li Lei immediately gave the instructions to his crew to begin the experiment. The laboratory was set into motion. Sir Godfather. Little X served a cup of coffee on the coffee table, then stood behind Chen Chen to give him a shoulder massage. When Chen Chen made a gesture with his hands, a virtual display immediately appeared in front of him. He began to navigate the panel using brain-control technology to look up information on the only Delta-level subject that did not have any violent tendencies detected in his genes. The Delta-level subject was a male subject named Pendo Saoun. He was an Owambo tribesman who was 2.15 meters tall and weighed 140 kilograms. This immediately stood out to Chen Chen. This subject was already built like a human equivalent of a Tyrant. The picture of Saoun was even more surprising as he had surprisingly gentle and pure eyes for someone built as large as he was. Chen Chen had almost never seen someone with such bright clarity in his eyes. This person was almost as innocent as a newborn baby. He was a citizen of Windhoek, Namibia. Six months ago, he was found at the scene of a murder where he was performing indecent acts on two dead girls laying in a pool of blood. The final verdict of the Windhoek court was that Saoun was guilty and sentenced to death. In a surprising turn of events, after Namibian officials provided false evidence of his death sentence, he was secretly shipped to the Spire Laboratory. After going through Saouns files, Chen Chen seemed to have spotted an interesting bit. He went to the Namibian police internal network and started to look into the murder case that took place six months ago. The justice system in Namibia was heavily flawed even after a lengthy investigation, they only collected accounts from several eyewitnesses. There was not even a single picture of the murder that took place. There were three transcripts. In the first two transcripts, Saoun claimed that he was performing CPR on the victims. However, he suddenly changed his story in the final transcript and admitted to murdering them. Chen Chen suddenly realized something. However, he decided that these details were irrelevant to him. He was merely curious as to how someone who did not have violent tendencies in his genes came to become a murderer. While Chen Chen was going through the records, the man named Pendo Saoun was brought to the laboratory on the first floor. Boss, the research subject is here. Li Lei approached Chen Chen to inform him. Chen Chen responded with a brisk nod. Then he got up and approached the observation window to get a clear view of the subject below. The subject was dressed in common prisoner attire and he was truly huge, weighing 140 kilograms which was almost as much as Shaquille ONeal weighed. He was obediently following the guards and seemed rather anxious as his eyes darted around the laboratory. He was visibly horrified when he saw the monsters locked in the isolation cells next to him. From where Chen Chen stood, he could see the pureness in Saouns eyes. There was nothing resembling aggression or any similar emotions in his eyes, only a vivid fear for the unknown. So, this is the person without any violent genetics? Chen Chen muttered. Word is during his time in the prison, he never used his size to bully anyone. Li Lei thought that Chen Chen was talking to him and so he mentioned, I took a look at his background, hes never known for being confrontational in his entire life. His parents passed away when he was fifteen and he worked in a car workshop to support himself. At the time of his arrest, he didnt have any criminal records. I suspect that the Namibian police made a mistake somewhere. Chen Chen nodded, it was a valid suspicion. Li Lei took the walkie-talkie and announced, Get ready to begin the experiment. Prepare for the experiment! The research crew below immediately relayed Li Leis orders to the others. One of the crew turned to Saoun. You, lie down on this bed! Saoun nodded and did as he was told although he was terrified. After he lay down, he immediately closed his eyes as he was afraid of the pack of monsters in the isolation cells nearby. After that, several researchers approached him and fixed metal loops around Saouns neck and limbs, bounding him to the experiment table. Throughout the entire process, Saoun did not resist at all. After that, another researcher took a thick syringe from a tray of sterilized water while another researcher brought over a tiny sealed vial. The vial was filled with a transparent, colorless liquid. One would have to pay attention to notice there was anything in the vial at all. The liquid contained within this vial was the C24 brought back from the DOOM dimension. After drawing out the liquid in the vial with the syringe, the researcher stepped forward and injected the C24 into Saouns arm via an intravenous injection Saoun seemed to have surrendered to his fate during the process of the injection. He kept his eyes clenched tightly the entire time and only shuddered slightly the moment the syringe was pulled away from his flesh. As soon as the C24 was injected, the monitor positioned beside the table immediately provided feedback. Saouns heartbeat and blood pressure were gradually rising and he was slowly falling into a deep coma. Chapter 525 - Recruitment Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Based on what was shown in the movie, there should not be any resulting complications if this chromosome-altering substance was injected into a person without inherent violent genetics. When the protagonist of the movie was injected with the C24 after sustaining gruesome injuries, he only passed out for several hours. By the time he woke up again, not only were his wounds healed but he had also mutated into a powerful fighter that could wipe out a pack of aliens all on his own. This same thing happened with Saoun after he was injected with the C24 as he fainted without a word. After that, large beads of sweat began trickling down his forehead. Judging by his brows that were sewn together, he must have been experiencing great pain. The blood pressure of the experiment subject is rising His heartbeat is increasing, currently at 85 beats per minute. No, its 95 and its still rising! Hes experiencing severe spasms. It seems that the blood supply is insufficient. Prepare to inject cardiac stimulants The minutes slowly passed and by the half-hour point, Saouns body began to twitch. The subject has produced a vast amount of sweat and needs nutrients and water. Richard, prepare to inject nutrition and glucose injections. The subjects condition is recovering and is gradually stabilizing While the group below was running back and forth with the procedures, Li Lei and Chen Chen were silently monitoring the situation from above. Its going well! After reading the rows of data appearing on the virtual display in front of him, Li Lei clenched his fist eagerly. In all our previous experiments, the subject wouldve begun transforming by this point. Hard shells would appear on their bodies and their faces would start to transform. This current state has never been observed before! All thats left now is to see if this turns out to be a successful experiment. Chen Chen agreed but was not as optimistic just yet. All things considered, this stem of technology was still largely undeveloped and not fit for standardized use. Furthermore, it could not be customized just like how the T-virus was specifically customized for his body. Unless there was some form of technology that could eradicate the violence and other such tendencies at a mental level. However, such a thing was nigh impossible and even if it did exist, Chen Chen would never use it. God knew what would happen if these tendencies were removed from him. With that said, it was worth further researching the C24 chromosome to see if anything could be done with it. Once it was viable for usage, it could turn out to be another buff for Chen Chen and further enhance his body. If the limitations of the C24 chromosome were unable to be overcome, Chen Chen planned to use it as a chess piece for negotiations with the four major continents. After another hour had passed, Saouns condition was slowly stabilizing again. The experiment table he was lying on was soaked in his sweat and some other slimy substance secreted from his body. These secretions were the waste discharged by the body after the evolution which contained dead skin, clogged pores, and some miscellaneous waste in the body. This complete internal cleansing process was not completely unprecedented. If this experiment on Saoun did turn out successfully, one could draw a comparison to the C24 chromosome injected into him as a Chi pill seen in fantasy novels that completely reconstruct a person from the inside. His life force was significantly enhanced by the C24 chromosome. Although the changes were not immediately distinct, he had lost a significant amount of weight, toning down from 140 kilograms to 120 kilograms. What was exhausted was the built-up fat in his body. A substantial amount of energy was required to enhance the bodys qualities. It seemed that the nutrients injected into him did not suffice, so his body began performing internal combustion on his fats as well. Saouns expression was no longer full of misery and pain. The corner of his mouth tipped upward for a faint smile. It seemed like he was having a good dream. The subject is losing weight, but his physical quality is improving dramatically! There was a faint trace of envy in Li Leis eyes as he observed this process. For most people, the C24 isnt much different from the T-virus. They both possess characteristics ranging from enhancement, mutation, to further infection. However, most people are only susceptible to its mutational attributes after receiving the injection. Only an extreme minority with a unique genetic structure can receive the best of both worlds, which is a blend of physical enhancement and mutation. While the unlucky ones are turned into mindless monsters, the extreme minority becomes superhumans Our subject Saoun had received the complete enhancement effect of the C24 chromosome. Not only was his physical fitness greatly improved, but hes also blessed enough to have his appearance and cognitive thinking preserved. Youre free to give it a shot as well. Chen Chen spotted the envy in Li Leis eyes and teased him. Oh, I wouldnt dare. Li Lei was not a fan of the suggestion. I sampled my blood as well and detected the same violent genetics. If Im injected with this, its not going to end well. While the two of them were chatting, Saoun slowly opened his eyes. Hes awake! The research crew immediately swarmed toward Saoun when they noticed he was awake. Some of them started to extract blood samples while others performed body inspection. Each researcher performed their respective tasks efficiently. The C24 has perfectly fused into his body, its infectious quality has expired! Another row of data fed into the display. Li Leis eyes immediately widened when he took note of the data as he shot up from his seat. Its just as miraculous as the T-virus! Chen Chen was pleased to hear this. This observation was the same as when he was injected with the customized version of the T-virus. Once the T-virus completely fused with the DNA and the host was not turned into a zombie, that meant the process had been completed and the virus would not infect another person. This was an example of perfect compatibility. Lets take a look at his physical enhancements. Chen Chen signaled. Release him, its safe here. Alright. Li Lei went to the intercom microphone again. Get ready to release subject D2213 and perform a full-body inspection. The research crew below immediately carried out the orders that were given. After the metal loops were taken away from the horrified Saoun, he sat upright still wincing in fear and asked with a quivering voice, Whats going on, what did you do to my body? Mr. Saoun. The restless Saoun heard a voice coming from the speaker system installed in the laboratory that directly addressed him. How are you feeling? I, Im very hungry Saoun looked around him and soon spotted two men standing behind a glass wall on the second floor. Both of them looked like Chinese men. One was wearing a large white lab coat while the other was in casual wear. Its normal to be hungry, Mr. Saoun. The man with the lab coat continued speaking through the speakers, Well be conducting a series of tests for you now. Theres an arranged meal for you after that. Alright, alright! Saoun could not be any happier to hear this as he nodded enthusiastically. My favorites are milk and biscuits! This adult man named Saoun was no different from a wide-eyed child. The sheer mention of food easily erased whatever worries he had earlier. What followed after was a series of inspections such as CT scans and ultrasonography tests. The results of the inspection were immediately sent to the monitor for Li Lei and Chen Chen to review. As it turned out, the physical enhancement was not the most significant improvement. What awed Li Lei the most was the impressive recovery displayed by the Saoun. It only took half several minutes for him to recover from a half-centimeter wound cut into his body. The tremendous recovery speed displayed had surpassed that of the Tyrant. The subjects bone density, muscle strength, and recovery ability have all been greatly improved. Li Lei held his breath. His strength is comparable to those experimental subjects that mutated into monsters and its also on par with the Black Knight. If only we can modify it to be effective on normal people It had always been Li Leis goal to modify the T-virus to make it effective for all people. However, there were significant limitations to the T-virus since it had to be injected while the subject is in a fetal state to be effective. The method used in Chen Chens case was extremely costly since the T-virus had to be specifically customized to cater to Chen Chens genetic structure, therefore, the T-virus was not a viable option. The C24 signaled another opportunity at fulfilling his vision. However, Chen Chen only shook his head at the notion. If this thing could be modified, the people in the DOOM dimension would have done so a long time ago. This was something that was far more sophisticated than the T-virus, only specific individuals were compatible with it. Chen Chen suddenly took the intercom microphone from Li Lei and turned to the giant Saoun below. Mr. Saoun Uh Hmm? Saoun was eagerly stuffing chunks of biscuits into his mouth. Both sides of his mouth were filled out like a beaver as he turned to look at the second floor. I went through your documents previously. What I want to know is, what were you doing when you were arrested by the police? Chen Chen asked, Why were you kneeling in front of the dead bodies of the two women? I was trying to perform CPR on them. Saoun answered without a second thought. A tinge of regret surfaced in his eyes while he did so. I have a bit of first-aid knowledge. I thought that there was still time to rescue them so I did what I could But the transcripts say that you admitted to killing the two of them during your third confession. Chen Chen pried further. How do you explain that? They kept beating me Saoun sounded dejected. If I wouldnt admit to killing them, they were going to continue beating and torturing me. They wouldnt let me eat or sleep During this confession, his eyes were still as pure and innocent as they had always been. With just one look, Chen Chen immediately recognized that this person was not lying. Meanwhile, Li Lei still had his doubts. Your strength, speed, reaction time, and recovery capacity have been greatly improved. What Id like to know is this, would you be willing to leave this place? Chen Chen asked again. Boss? Li Lei turned to look at Chen Chen. As far as he knew, there had never been any instance of Delta-level subjects being released from the laboratory. You mean Leave? Saoun froze for a moment and thought about it deeply for a moment. After that, he shook his head decisively. No. Ive been sentenced to death, getting to live is more than I could ask for. Besides, wouldnt I be arrested again if I leave? Saouns reply stunned Li Lei and the other researchers. If youre willing to work for me, you have my guarantee that nobody will ever come for you. Chen Chen proposed. Furthermore, I can provide you with enough food, perhaps even an appropriate salary. Alright. Saoun promised with a firm nod. After that, his attention went back to the delicacies set for him on the table. Chen Chen passed the intercom microphone back to Li Lei. Boss, do you believe his claims? Li Lei was still doubtful. Many people in this world are natural actors. It doesnt matter whether hes telling the truth or not. Chen Chen replied nonchalantly, I want him because of what hes capable of. If we can get him to cooperate with us, we can hasten the progress of our C24 research. I see Li Lei nodded pensively. Meanwhile, you continue focusing on developing the C24. Now that Chen Chen had done what he came here for, he proceeded to leave, but not before further instructing, Insert the God chip into Saoun and promote him to a level-C researcher rank. Keep him here with you to help with your research. We can start with using his blood to create a C24 drug that can strengthen all humans. Alright, Ill do my best! Li Lei answered with firm determination. After that, Chen Chen left the laboratory and went to the teleportation room on the top floor. Little X who was trailing after him closely began to ask inquisitively, Sir Godfather, I believe that even if we dont grant this Delta-grade subject Saoun any freedom, we should still be able to conduct the C24 research with him as a specimen. Could it be that youve taken pity on him due to his circumstances? Maybe. Chen Chen replied without stopping, Its nothing embarrassing. Ive already spotted some strange discrepancies when I went through his files. Its just that I dont have any further proof. I trust my judgment unless Saouns acting skills turn out to be deserving of an Oscar award. Since I determined that hes innocent, there should be no problems even if I let him loose in the laboratory. Im going to implant the God chip in him anyway so theres no need for any further concerns. But it does seem like genetics plays a significant role in a persons nature Little X pondered. Are people without violent genetics naturally this naive and pure-minded? I think this is nothing more than a coincidence. Chen Chen suddenly stopped. After all, theres only an extreme minority that doesnt have violent genetics. But when the population reaches up to eight billion, that still makes a sizable portion of the population. However, when applied in the real world, not a lot of them turn out to be truly kind. There are many more factors at play. Just because someone doesnt have violent genetics doesnt necessarily mean this person is kind-hearted. Think of it as how most people have violent genetics but most have never acted on their violent tendencies in their entire life. The human mind is a complicated subject. The circumstances revolving around a person can have a profound impact. Who is to say that genetics is the only factor at play? Therefore, we can only conclude that people without violent genetics are only less likely to get into violent confrontations with others. That does make sense. Little X noted contentedly. Chapter 526 - The Ares Returns Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Two months later. Namibia, Eco Science City. The sky was clear and sunny. The suburbs of the Eco Science City that were originally sparse and quiet suddenly became crowded with people. Numerous famous media personnel and research teams from various countries had come to the space base of the Eco Science City. The media members looked excited. They set up their cameras like guns before the tarmac the size of four or five football fields, eagerly and fervently waiting for something. The research team waited early in the living room on the side. Some of these people came from China, some from the Northern American Continent or the European and the North Sea Continent. Anyone picked out from this crowd would inevitably be a famous authority in the field of biological research. In addition to this group of people, there were hundreds of Namibian soldiers in the space base. Some of them stood in front of the many reporters to maintain order while others lined up in a row in front of the tarmac, creating a circle to prevent the entry of irrelevant personnel. A huge podium was built at the very front of the tarmac. Several hosts were testing the wires on the podium and the unusual press conference was ready to start at any time. The reason for such a grand ceremony was that today or strictly speaking, half an hour later, the Ares spacecraft returning from Mars would reach the earth with various samples from Mars. Here, Blackwatch Corporation was about to hold a press conference for the successful completion of the Ares Project. At this time, countless personnel had been looking forward to this moment, waiting for the return of the heroes who had set foot on Mars. Hello everyone, this is BBC Science and Technology News. Im reporter Bob. Now were at the space base of the Eco Science City in Namibia. As you can see, theres already an ocean of ??people today! Besides us from the BBC, there are dozens of media. Today is a special day, that is, the day when the manned spacecraft Ares returns to Earth! As one of the most influential companies in the world, Blackwatch has created countless legends that are talked about by everyone, and the one most familiar to everyone is probably the number of age-reversal treatment projects. The emergence of this technology has greatly delayed the aging phenomenon of various countries. They have benefited humankind and the world Now, Blackwatch has achieved a new feat, that is, the Ares Project in cooperation with the four major continents. This is the first time humans have set foot on Mars and its also the first time that life on Mars has been discovered. We finally realized that alien life has been so close to us, even existing in our neighboring planet, but now, the Ares spacecraft has brought our neighbors to our Earth. Although they arent like us humans who have our own civilization, this still represents a new step for us humans While the BBC reporters moving narration was going on, other world-renowned media were also broadcasting the entire event. Almost the whole world had focused their attention here, which was a live broadcast of the scene of Ares returning to Earth, a live broadcast of the important trajectory of mankind The Ares is already close to the outer atmosphere. Suddenly, a mans voice came from the broadcast. Please stand beyond the tarmac. When the manned spacecraft Ares arrives, please remain in an orderly manner. Dont enter the tarmac. Repeat. Dont enter the tarmac. About five minutes later, the broadcast sounded again. Ares has entered the ionosphere. Its currently 80 kilometers away from the ground surface and will land in about 20 minutes. Please keep order, everyone. Hearing these words, everyone suddenly clamored. Many people impatiently looked into the sky but found that there was nothing. However, this did not affect the excitement of everyone. After all, human beings had never been in contact with alien civilization since their birth and now humans had not only discovered alien life but also brought alien life back to the earth. This appeared to be ordinary but it also represented a truth The interstellar era was coming soon Ares has flown into the stratosphere Ten minutes later, the voice continued to announce the location of the Ares at present time. The personnel responsible for maintaining order, please be ready. Those responsible for building the positive pressure disinfection room, please be ready At this time, a person with a telescope suddenly shouted, Look there! Many reporters hurriedly looked up and those carrying cameras also raised their cameras to aim into the sky. Sure enough, above their heads, a small blue dot shone and flickered, just like a small star in the sky. However, it was daytime after all, how could there be stars? That was the Ares that would be landing. Ten minutes, nine minutes, eight minutes As time passed by, the azure blue star became bigger and it was visible in the last five minutes. A small dot the size of a sesame seed was falling and two azure rays of light slowly extended from both sides. The Ares has entered the troposphere and is about to land The broadcast gave the last notice. Following his words, the dark spot grew bigger. With a low rumble, the huge spacecraft had completely reached the sky above everyone and many people even felt that the air currents around them had begun to change. Three minutes, two minutes. One minute When the last minute was up, Ares was already suspended above the tarmac. The huge, streamlined body no longer had its previous luster but was gray as if it had been scorched and some people with good eyesight could even see the scratches on the spacecraft. Those were the abrasions that occurred when the spacecraft hit cosmic dust while flying in the deep space of the universe. As everyone whispered, Ares hovered in mid-air and slowly descended. At this time, everyone had felt the heat waves washing over them and many peoples mouths turned dry. Moreover, they were still hundreds of meters away from the tarmac. If the rocket had been right in front of them, the heat flow from the spacecrafts engine was likely to roast them alive in an instant. Under the attention of the public, the Ares had landed on the huge tarmac and the engine started to turn off. Seeing this scene, countless people hastened to cheer. Their voices shook the sky and even overwhelmed the sound of the spacecrafts engine. However, not everyone acted like this. At this time, hundreds of people of all stripes gathered outside the gates of the space base. These people held various slogans high in their hands and yelled at the same time, only to be blocked by the Namibian soldiers at the gate, unable to enter. Some of the placards in the hands of this group of people featured the logo of Blackwatch Corporation, but with a big cross in red spray paint over it. Others spelled out some words and one of them was held by a fan of The Three-Body Problem, which read: Dont answer, dont answer, dont answer! Many people believed that the act of bringing back Martian microbes would cause a huge disaster to humankind. Some believed that aliens also had human rights and that bringing them to the earth was disrespectful to the aliens. Others thought that the dark law of the jungle should be obeyed and humanity should use nuclear bombs to extinguish all creatures on Mars. Otherwise, if the creatures on Mars evolved into humans in the future, there would be several technological explosions and the ones who were then wiped out would be humans Just like Lu Xuns words: The sorrow and happiness of those people arent related. I only find them noisy Toward the Ares Project, everyone had different ideas and everyone had their own perceptions. This group of people was those who had opposed the practice of bringing living things back to Earth by the Ares. They even set up an alliance to oppose the Ares Project. They took a plane to Namibia at their own expense and came to the space base to gather in crowds to demonstrate on this day. However, the opinions of this group of people were destined not to be known to the public. With the influence of Blackwatch in the world today, all well-known media would not risk opprobrium to report these things. Only those who wanted to attract attention like small media groups would occasionally report, but these sporadic objections were like stones thrown into the lake. At most they could only stir up a few ripples, but could not set off any storms. At this time, as the spacecraft gradually shut down, the surrounding air slowly returned to its previous temperature. At the same time, the rescue team that had been preparing on the right side of the tarmac drove two trucks quickly to the side of the spacecraft door. As hundreds of people worked busily, a huge negative pressure isolation room was built at a visible pace. Finally, the passage of the isolation room was completely connected to the spacecrafts hatch. At this point, everyone in the spacecraft could come out. At this time, the reporters hundreds of meters away could not wait to rush forward, but they were blocked by a group of soldiers on the tarmac, and they could only stare from afar with mouths agape. In this way, they waited for about half an hour. Finally, at the other end of the negative pressure isolation room, the first person who was disinfected inside and had put on an isolation suit walked toward the podium step by step, accompanied by a guard. Seeing this, countless reporters finally let out a burst of cheers. This man in the isolation suit was a middle-aged white man. After he came to the podium, he waved to everyone. After warm applause from the endless crowd, the man spoke, and his voice was transmitted into the microphone through the isolation suit. Thank you, Earth Federation and thank you, Blackwatch Im Zhou Xiong, the captain of Ares, and an employee of Blackwatch. What I can tell you is that we have conquered the earth, the deep space of the universe, and have overcome countless difficulties. We Have returned from Mars! Next, Ill be quarantined for three months, but before the quarantine, Ill take three questions, and Ill answer truthfully no matter what they are. The man named Zhou Xiong showed a hint of mischief. Of course, it must be related to Mars. I declare in advance that I have a wife and will not accept any marriage inquiries. Hahahaha The crowd suddenly chuckled and then countless reporters raised their hands, eager to ask questions. How about you, you can be the first to ask! Zhou Xiong pointed to a blond man in the first row. Im from ABC Radio in Northern America. What did you bring back from Mars this time? The other party asked with delight, I heard that its life forms from Mars, right? Erm, yes! Zhou Xiong nodded. We brought back soil samples, rock samples, air samples, and water samples from Mars. Of course, there are biological samples too Okay, next one, that beautiful lady over there. Then, he once again selected a reporter from Mainland China. Hello, Im Wang Bing, a reporter from China TV. Did your team encounter any dangers on Mars? Dangers? Zhou Xiong smiled. No, the word dangers shouldnt be used because we were grappling with death all the time. As soon as this sentence was said, many people suddenly started murmuring in low voices. The average temperature on Mars is about minus 90 degrees. The air there is thin and the oxygen content is less than 0.1%. Humans cannot survive without wearing any equipment and every time we go out, its a test of life and death. Because no one knows when a sandstorm on Mars will blow us away or tear off our protective clothing Zhou Xiong said with a faint smile, But now weve successfully built a life cycle research station on Mars. With a research station, its equivalent to having a foundation and our survivability will be greatly improved. Many people nodded silently. This group of human pioneers was indeed facing death. Even putting Mars aside, just this journey back and forth between the planets might be plagued by accidents at any time, whether it was a space meteor or a solar storm. Plus, the probability of such an accident was much higher than the probability of a car accident. Alright, now isnt the time to talk about these. Next one. Zhou Xiong finally pointed to a black lady, but before the black lady spoke, a man on the side suddenly spoke first, Are the alien creatures you brought back dangerous? Will it result in species invasion and even the extinction of humans? Absolutely not! Zhou Xiongs expression sank, then he shook his head and said, We did find Martian microbes but those microbes all live in water. There are no microbes in the Martian air and soil. As for species invasion, its even more impossible because well isolate them well such as using level-4 biosafety laboratories and so on. And forget about the extinction of human beings. These alien creatures cannot do this at all. Everyone, you can rest assured! After saying this, Zhou Xiong left without looking back under the support of several bodyguards. Mr. Zhou Xiong! Mr. Captain, please wait There was a commotion in the crowd. Many people wanted to catch up to him, but they were stopped mercilessly by soldiers with guns and live ammunition. In the end, these people had to return in disappointment. On the Ares spacecraft, all of the various samples from Mars were taken by the four continents, except for one set, which was secretly transported to the Spire Experimental Base. The exploration of extraterrestrial life had officially begun. Chapter 527 - Chinese New Year’s Eve Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation As the Martian biological samples arrived at the Spire one by one, a small team was specially formed in the Spire to further probe into the life forms from Mars. Although they had been studied on Mars for a long time, this could not be compared to a top laboratory such as the Spire no matter in terms of equipment, manpower or energy. The team leader in charge of this matter was James Watson, the father of DNA. At this time, Chen Chen had not participated in such research work for a long time. His task all day was to read the reports and exercise his body and Field ability. On the other side of things, the Ares parked at the space base had already opened its door at this time and a group of blank-faced, non-human-like workers was constantly transporting something into Ares cargo area under the cover of night. These were huge containers. These workers used forklifts and cranes to transport them to the cargo area little by little. Next to the Ares, the same blank-faced soldiers in black stood guard. Both the workers and soldiers wore the logo of Blacklight on their uniforms. When the containers had been transported, the workers boarded the Ares spacecraft one by one. Then, the spacecrafts engine started again. Without too much delay, it rose toward the sky again. The Ares flew to Mars again and no country in the Earth Federation was aware of all this One month later. Time had gradually reached the end of 2028. The Eco Science City was close to Sandwich Bay on the Atlantic coast. Gorgeous high-end villas stood on the coastline. Just a few days ago, many villas were filled with Christmas trees, symbols of European and American holidays. On New Years Eve, those villas that had never celebrated Christmas began to hang festive red ornaments outside their doors, on which there was also the gleaming golden Chinese character for fortune. The air of Christmas quickly dissipated and the festival for Han Chinese was about to begin In one of these vast villas, it was very lively. A dozen old and young people were laughing loudly. The TV was turned on and the voices of adults calling to children could be heard. Little Yu, dont run so fast! A young woman of about 30 years of age powerlessly chased after a three or four-year-old child, watching as he sprinted in the living room on short legs, holding an airplane toy in his hand and shouting playfully, Fly, fly! The entire living room was filled with the sound of childish enjoyment. This little guy, hes crazy! On the side, a beaming 30-year-old man clapped and laughed. Next to him, there were several men and women. One of them was a wretched-looking little man who was somewhat plump, who smiled flatteringly. Uncle, little boys have to behave in an unruly manner so that theyll work up an appetite later! Next to him, there was a woman with a cold expression and in front of the woman stood a boy of almost the same age. At this time, he was staring with dark, glittering eyes and watching the other boy running around in the living room. Little Tong, do you want to play with him? The wretched-looking man turned his head and looked at the boy in the womans arms. Little Tong, why dont you accompany your uncle and have fun? I wont! The boy in front of the woman quickly turned around and buried his face into the womans lap This poor kid The wretched man murmured and touched his nose unhappily. Okay, based on the time, Little Chen is coming back soon. Hey, dear, let the nanny take care of Little Yu. Everyones finally got together, so come over here and talk to the adults too. Its not easy for them to have traveled all the way here. The young-faced man in his thirties called out to the young woman chasing the child and urged her to stop. Alright. Sigh, this little goblin The young woman sighed. Although she looked very young, she spoke like a middle-aged person in her fifties or sixties. She called to the Filipino maid wearing a servants attire and asked her to take care of the children, then sat down beside the man. Eh, in the end, its your Little Chen who did so well Seeing that the young woman had sat back down, several other people started rushing to talk to the two of them. One of them, a middle-aged couple, said, In Earth Federation now, who hasnt heard about Blacklight Biotechnology? Theyve even gone to Mars. I heard that aliens have also been found! Hahaha, its not aliens, just alien life. The man immediately laughed, his eyes filled with joy. Big Brother, if they found aliens, thatd be something. Wont we have to start Star Wars then? Hahaha, thats right! The middle-aged couple immediately laughed self-deprecatingly. This brain of mine, its becoming duller the older I get! Everyone roared with laughter. At this moment, the boy running wantonly in the living room was holding the plane. He happened to run to the front door of the front hall, but at this moment, the door suddenly opened with a crash, and the boy directly ran into a pair of legs in a black suit. Little Master, slow down The maid chasing behind saw that the boy was about to hit the door and she was about to yell. She was relieved when she saw the boy was stopped by a person. The little boy did not feel any pain when he bumped into the person. He giggled and tried to push the person back, but found that the person did not move back as he wanted. Only then did he raise his head and look at the person. As he raised his head, an angular face filled his vision at once. This persons eyes were as dark as ink, gazing at him calmly, but after seeing the others eyes, the little boy suddenly showed a look of horror. He subconsciously stepped back and then plopped back down on the ground. At the same time, he started wailing in tears! Oh, Little Master, this isnt a stranger, this is your brother! The maid behind him immediately stepped forward and was about to squat to help up the little boy. Dont coax him, let him get up by himself. Chen Chen said lightly. This The maid looked consternated. At this time, hearing the crying from the front hall, a man and a woman in their thirties rushed over. The voices could be heard before they even arrived. Little Qiu, whats going on, why is Little Yu crying? Master, its okay, its just that Young Master came back The maid quickly explained. At this time, the group of people also came to the front hall and immediately saw Chen Chen standing here in the front hall. Little Chen! Brother. The people behind the middle-aged couple suddenly looked elated and they came up, greeting. For a while, even the crying child sitting on the ground was forgotten Big Uncle, Big Aunt, Aunt, Uncle, Cousin Chen Zheng Chen Chen nodded and then looked behind everyone. Dad, Mom, Im back. Good to have you back. Come, come and have some dumplings! The middle-aged man guffawed suddenly and led Chen Chen into the house. In addition to Chen Chens elders, there were also people of Chen Chens generation. At this time, Chen Chen sat next to Cousin Chen Shan. He looked at the little boy in front of Chen Shan and then asked, Hows life recently in China? Very good. Although Im taking care of my child full-time now, I have a very fulfilling life. Chen Shan nodded and she patted the boys head with some affection. Its a pity that my parents left us so early. Otherwise, surely theyd be very pleased to see that I have a child now? As long as youre doing well. Chen Chen nodded then glanced at the wretched-looking man who was constantly rubbing his hands. Hello, cousin, hello! Zhang Heng nodded and smiled immediately. Treat my cousin well. Chen Chen nodded and said casually. After Chen Chen came back, almost everyone in the room was paying attention to Chen Chen. At this time, Big Aunt took advantage of everyones pause and quickly asked with a smile, Little Chen, youd be 29 years old after the Chinese New Year. When are you going to get married? Right, Little Chen! Chen Chens other uncle on the side also chimed in. As he spoke so suddenly, his voice made everyone jump. This year youre 28 years old, so its time to start a family, right? When your father was this age, he had already given birth to you! Yeah, yeah Instantly, many people voiced their agreement. Little Chen, do you have a partner? Seeing that her topic got a response from everyone, Big Aunt secretly breathed a sigh of relief and then she squeezed out a bigger smile. If you dont, I know of a few candidates. Would you like to take a look? Sheesh! Another uncle hurriedly said, Hey, Big Sis, you should forget about whomever you have in mind. What kind of guy is Little Chen now? Could they even possibly be well-matched? With that, he looked at Chen Chen and took out a bunch of photos. Lets look at the ones I have. These are the sons and daughters in our countrys system. Although they arent as good as Little Chen, they are at least clean and pure! This sentence immediately made Big Aunt upset. She was just about to say something when Chen Chen simply waved his hand. The entire living room fell silent at once. Thats enough. Well talk about this some other time. Chen Chen merely smiled as if everyone had been talking out of their *sses a moment ago. Little Chen Chen Chens father was a little embarrassed. Chen Chen ignored his father and just took the dumplings from the maid beside him. The dumplings are already here, everyone should eat them while they are hot. Okay, okay, lets have the dumplings! Seeing the dip in the atmosphere, Chen Zheng on the side immediately smiled and shouted. Chen Chens uncle, aunt, and the rest swiftly caught on. They laughed loudly and walked toward the dining table and the atmosphere regained a cheerful air for a while. After eating the dumplings, Chen Chen was the first to leave the table. He bade good night to everyone and took the elevator to his bedroom on the fifth floor. Chen Chen had long been used to this kind of thing. Since his fortune began, many relatives had wanted to market various women to him every year. The first time, Chen Chen accepted those photos casually out of politeness, but later the other party had greedily wanted to set up a blind date, so Chen Chen started to ignore everything. His parents still clung to their familial link to those relatives, so every year they would invite many relatives to Namibia. To Chen Chen, the New Years Day and New Year atmosphere from his childhood memory had long deteriorated. Among the many relatives, the only ones of whom he still had a good impression were Cousin Chen Zheng and Cousin Chen Shan. These affairs were like vignettes in life, which did not affect Chen Chens mood at all. By now, he had persuaded his parents to move to the Eco Science City, and their second child was four years old. The second child of his parents was named Chen Zeyu, whose nickname was Little Yu. However, for some reason, the little boy would cry every time he saw Chen Chen and this had not changed since Chen Zeyu was born. Still, fortunately, Chen Chen only visited his parents once in a week or two. After taking a deep breath, Chen Chen sat at the computer desk, but suddenly the computer turned on automatically, and Little Xs face appeared on the screen. Sir Godfather, I have good news for you. The Ark has been set up on Mars! So fast? Chen Chen raised his eyebrows. It had only been a month or so since the Ares spacecraft had taken off. It also would take a week for Ares to reach Mars. In other words, it took less than a month for them to reach the north pole of Mars and build an underground base. Its still a little shoddy. Little X smiled. The main reason is that not only the gravity is weaker, so the work becomes more effective, but also that the ice sheet made of dry ice is softer. Therefore, in just a few days, we dug through the north poles ice sheet and reached the ground. Not only that, but we also happened to find a cavern in the ground. That cave meets the requirements for the construction of an underground base without any major modifications, so the construction of the underground base was initially completed in less than a month! Well done Chen Chen nodded. So, now the earth and Mars are completely connected? As long as we fire up the Ark, we can travel from the earth to Mars smoothly? If the Ark on Mars doesnt malfunction, then yes. Little X replied, But after all, it was assembled by a group of engineering Black Knights. Without my supervision, Im not sure that itll succeed at once. Should I turn on the Ark now and try it? Okay, you get ready first, Ill come right away! Chen Chen immediately stood up as he said, opened the door directly, went downstairs, and walked outside. Little Chen, where are you going? His mother asked immediately with concern. Theres something in the company that I need to deal with. Dad, Mom, and everyone, have a good chat. Chen Chen smiled and then, without waiting for them to answer, he left without looking back An hour later, Chen Chen returned to the Spire Laboratory. Chapter 528 - Mars Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation When Chen Chen arrived in the teleportation room, he happened to hear the sound of electronic broadcasts coming from inside. The teleporter Watchman 1 is warming and starting up This voice was none other than one of the clones of Little X, which was also the supervisory intelligence that managed the Spire Experimental Base X-111. Over a hundred Black Knights had gathered in the hall that was once named the Ark teleporter, but now the Ark teleporter had been renamed to the teleporter Watchman 1, and the one set up on Mars was Watchman 2. Watchman 3 would be set up on the moon. Start the molecular locator! Chen Chen walked in by himself, only to see that the Watchman teleportation room was much larger than the Gantz sphere teleportation room. It was about two to three hundred square meters, like a massive hall. The entire hall was made of shining metal, surrounded by rows of complicated equipment, and in the center of the hall was a circular platform about two meters high. On the platform was covered in mysterious red lines it was the Watchman 1 teleporter. Everyone is ready, the molecular locator will be activated now! The interstellar coordinate lock is active Remote sensing exploration has been confirmed, ready to start teleportation The target receiver is activated, ready to start teleportation As the voice of X-111 kept updating, Little Xs figure came up from the side. She stood in front of Chen Chen and said happily, Sir Godfather, you came just in time, the experiment is about to begin! Chen Chen nodded and saw that on the other side of the hall, Delta-level personnel walked in tremblingly. At the Black Knights signal, they slowly walked onto the Watchmans platform. The personnel are already in place The Watchman teleporter is teleporting in ten seconds Ten! Nine! Eight! Three! Two! One! Gurgle As the countdown ended, suddenly, a strange liquid gushed from the center of the platform, directly suspended in front of the Delta-level experiment subject. The experiment subject swallowed hard. He had been asked before to touch the liquid when it appeared. At this moment, seeing the liquid had appeared, he had no choice but to stretch out his hand and touch the liquid uneasily. Whoosh! However, the moment he touched the stream of water, his body was directly sucked in and then there was a flicker before everyones eyes as if a light had flashed by. When they could see again, where were the water stream and the Delta-level research subject on the Watchman teleporters platform? Both of these had disappeared Teleportation of the subject has begun. Little X smiled like a pretty flower. She turned her head and looked at Chen Chen. If theres no accident, itll take ten minutes and thirty-seven seconds. This Delta-level experiment subject will arrive at the Spire 2 Laboratory on Mars. If we wait for Spire 2 to send back a message, it also takes ten minutes and thirty-eight seconds. That is to say, after 21 minutes and fifteen seconds, well be able to know whether the experiment was successful! Chen Chen nodded when he heard the words. He knew that the distance between Mars and the earth was never fixed. The earth moved in an elliptical orbit around the sun and Mars was the same. Therefore, the distance between the two planets changed constantly due to their orbits around the sun. The distance between the earth and Mars depended on the orbital position of the two planets at the time of the teleportation. The nearest would be about 55 million kilometers and the farthest was 400 million kilometers. Spire 2 was the name of the underground laboratory built by Chen Chen on Mars. Its code number was A002, which was different from the Spire Experimental Base, No. A001, where Chen Chen was located. As time passed, twenty minutes later, Watchman 1 received news from Mars. The Delta-level personnel had successfully reached Mars and arrived at the underground base established in the north pole. Of course, one person was no big deal. Next, a hundred Delta-level personnel walked in. Coerced by the Black Knights with guns and live ammunition, everyone stood on the teleportation platform. Then, a constant stream of water surged up and one of them was submerged, disappearing in front of everyone. The success rate is 100%. It was not until half an hour later when there were no more people on the teleportation platform, Little X reported again, The 100 people that had been teleported were all successful and our power system is fully able to withstand it. After this, theyll try to teleport the group of people back. If nothing unexpected happens, then well continue and try to teleport items. Very good. Chen Chen nodded. When all the tests are completed, notify me. Then Chen Chen left the Watchman teleportation room, went to the Gantz sphere teleportation room, and teleported to the quiet room where he was training. After that, Chen Chen was immersed in the training of Field ability. One day, two days, three days About three days later, the red light on the intercom at the door of the quiet room was turned on again. Chen Chen opened his eyes as if he had noticed it and the lit button seemed to be automatically pressed down by an invisible finger. There was only one beep and the voice of Little X came: Sir Godfather, the human teleportation experiment has been carried out 3,000 times and item teleportation has been carried out thousands of times according to the varying shapes and natures, and all of them have been successful! The current teleportation success rate is 100%! Has it been done three thousand times? Chen Chen only then cracked a smile. He stood up and walked out of the quiet room, then teleported back to the Spire through the Gantz sphere teleportation room, and then came to the Watchman teleportation room again. This time, Chen Chen intended to try it himself and while he was at it, he took a look at the world at the other end of the teleporter. This time, Little X did not stop him. As Chen Chen stepped onto the teleportation platform, Little X reminded again, Sir Godfather, Im afraid you wont be able to keep in touch with me when you get there but dont worry, Ive already assigned the third intelligence over there X-113. Shell be responsible for helping you manage Spire 2. Got it. Get ready then. Chen Chen nodded with a blank face. Remote sensing exploration has been confirmed, ready to start teleportation The target receiver is activated, ready to start teleportation As X-111 droned on, in front of Chen Chen, there was also a stream of water gushing out from the inside, suspended in front of Chen Chen! Seeing this, Chen Chen took a deep breath. He stretched out his hand and gently touched the stream of water. The next second, Chen Chens vision suddenly went dark! Rumble! At this moment, Chen Chen felt as if he was half in a dream and half-awake. He did not know how much time had passed. It seemed that all this took only a few seconds and it also seemed that several years had passed. In short, when Chen Chen started to regain consciousness, he realized that he was already lying on a cold floor. Chen Chen stretched out his hand and touched the floor. Only then did he realize that he was lying on the teleportation platform. Thump, thump! Two sets of footsteps moved to Chen Chen and then Chen Chen only felt two people helping him up. Chen Chen looked to his side, only to see the wooden faces of two Black Knights. Sir Commander, hello. Welcome to the Mars Spire Experimental Base No. A002. A sexy and raspy female voice rang out. Chen Chen shook his head and then completely sobered up. What he saw was a teleportation hall that was almost the same as the one on Earth. The only difference was that Chen Chens body felt light and floaty. He felt like a person who had been carrying a load of dozens of kilograms since he was born. One day, he suddenly took off that load and a fluttery feeling of ecstasy filled his body. It felt as if he could fly with every step he took This was what Chen Chen experienced now. Your physique is very good. Although youve been teleported across the planets, it didnt produce side effects such as vomiting and dizziness. The sexy raspy voice continued. Let me introduce myself, Im Xs clone number X-113. You can call me X-113. Of course, I prefer that you call me Nancy. Nansie? Chen Chen raised his head, only to see the face of a Western woman with blonde hair and dark eyes on a virtual screen above his head. This was unlike the little-girl-like personality of Little X and the previous X-112. This newly split X-113 had a personality that was closer to a mature woman in her thirties and her automatically generated image was also the same. Its Nancy with a C. At this time, X-113 smiled and said, This is the name I gave myself after I was born. I hope you dont mind Chen Chen nodded. As the transmission of information was limited by the speed of light, Mars needed a unique intelligent system to personally control it but these intelligent avatars were controlled by Little X, so Chen Chen did not have to worry about these cloned intelligences being rebellious. At this time, he looked around and asked, How is the current construction of Spire 2? The current construction progress is only 5%. Nancy replied, With the existing manpower of Spire 2, itll take about half a year to complete the construction and thats with sufficient materials. At present, a teleportation hall has been built and a material storage room next to it. This is in addition to two living rooms and a training room. The so-called training room was a place to train ones muscles. The gravity of Mars was only one-fifth that of the earth. If one stayed on Mars for a long time, it would cause the bodys muscles to shrink. This was inevitable. Only persistent exercise every day could alleviate this problem. Of course, it could only be alleviated. Chen Chen did not say much. He just tried to get used to everything and then said again, Give me a protective suit. Im going to the ground to have a look. Understood, please follow this Black Knight. Nancy replied and then a Black Knight took the lead and walked toward the exit of the teleportation room with Chen Chen. When Chen Chen stepped out of the door, he saw a wide metal passage and at the end of the passage was another gate. As Chen Chen walked to the gate, it opened automatically, revealing a 100-square-meter dressing room behind. There were no wardrobes in the dressing room. Instead, there were rows of black automatic-dressing platforms. This platform served to reduce the time it took to wear protective suits. Since it was developed, it had quickly spread throughout the entire Blacklight Biotechnology. Those experimenters entering and exiting were all automatically dressed, so that more than 20 minutes was saved each time, and efficiency was indirectly improved. At this time, Chen Chen stood on the platform in a well-versed manner, aligning his feet with the footprints on the platform. In the next second, the mechanical arms quickly stretched out and began to install pieces of protective frameworks on Chen Chens body. This sort of protective suit was an advanced protective suit with an exoskeleton. It was a secret piece of equipment specially customized by Blacklight Biotechnology for extraterrestrial activities. The value of a set was more than three million USD. After a series of squeaking mechanical sounds, Chen Chen had finished putting it on after five minutes. At this time, his body was encased in non-reflective pure black protective clothing. Pieces of ceramic armor plates were interlocked and connected to each other, presenting a cold sci-fi aesthetic. The helmet of this protective suit was a slanted triangle, connected with the body contours, enough to withstand the impact of flying sand and rocks from all directions. Unlike ordinary spacesuits, the spacesuit worn by Chen Chen did not have any visible lenses and only had a set of high-definition camera devices, whose footage was directly projected onto Chen Chens eyes through VR. This kind of protective suit weighed 100kg and could reach up to 2 meters tall when worn. It also had a high-precision EMG signal sensor inside as well as a powerful motor drive system and a shock absorption device. There was also a built-in high-efficiency hydrogen battery on the back armor that could provide dozens of hours of power for the protective suit. This was no longer a protective suit in the traditional sense. It was more like an exoskeleton armor used to strengthen soldiers combat capabilities. The reason for adopting this rigorous design was to resist the sandstorm on Mars and There was a very small probability that armed conflict might occur! Feeling that this protective suit was somewhat similar to the one in the game Dead Space, Chen Chen nodded. Then, he walked off the dressing platform and continued to walk toward the door at the end of the dressing room. At the end of the door, there were three elevators side by side. At this time, the elevator door in the center was opening and Chen Chen walked in heavily, after which the elevator door closed automatically. Sir Commander, were currently at a depth of 1,200 meters underground. Itll take about two minutes to get to the surface. Do you want to start now? Nancys voice came from the headset of the protective suit. Start! Chen Chen replied. In the next second, Chen Chen only felt a sudden jolt in the elevator, then the force of gravity hit him, and the screen on the elevator door in front of him showed a row of numbers that were rapidly decreasing! 1200 1100 1000 The elevator rose rapidly at a speed of ten meters per second and within two minutes, the elevator jolted again and a special alarm sounded. Warning, warning. Youve reached the surface, please check whether your protective suit is damaged. If theres no damage, please press the green button on the right and the elevator door will open. Chen Chen did not hesitate and directly pressed the green button. Whoosh! As the elevator doors opened on both sides, a massive white air flow suddenly rushed in and Chen Chen was even blown back half a step by it. In the next second, Chen Chen got used to the airflow. Only then did he understand that the airflow was a storm on the surface of Mars and the storm was also filled with a large number of dry ice pellets! Chapter 529 - Meteorite An endless white scene filled his eyes. Chen Chen squinted his eyes and saw from here that the north pole on Mars was very different from the north pole on Earth. In the center of the polar region, there was also a sprawling ice continent, but unlike on Earth, the north pole of Mars had a large number of strange rocky landforms. This type of landform was called frost dunes. From a high altitude, these dunes formed by ice and snow looked a bit like folds of ice cream. There were also a large number of dark areas in the north pole. These dark areas were gaps formed after the gas trapped under the ice sheet was released. This made the Arctic landscape extremely complex and dangerous at the same time. Moreover, the sun on Mars was bluish and smaller than seen from the earth, only about two-thirds the size of how it appeared on Earth. The wind on Mars was also much stronger than that on Earth. Usually, the wind was around 6 or 7 on the Beaufort scale, and it could occasionally even form large sandstorms that spread across the planet. At this time, as Chen Chen set foot in this Martian world, the first thing he saw was a few black monowheels parked outside the elevator. These vehicles were made by several designers of Blacklight Biotechnology through modifying the Gantz Bike. The Gantz Bike, which was a special motorcycle in Gantz, had only one tire as a whole, but this tire had a very large size, with a diameter that could reach two meters and a width that could reach fifty centimeters. This tire was hollow inside, so it could house a seat and corresponding cockpit. As the tire itself blocked the drivers front line of sight directly, a display screen was needed so the driver could observe the front. The driver would sit inside the entire tire and the front and rear of the tire also had gear levers and tail fins that provided stability. There was even a seat that could carry passengers at the rear. Compared to ordinary motorcycles, the advantage was that it was more flexible and could adapt to more complex terrains. The disadvantage was that the difficulty of handling it was much higher than that of ordinary motorcycles and cars. Still, for the Black Knights who had far greater reflexes than humans, these difficulties were nothing. The huge and narrow one-wheel design allowed this vehicle to freely shuttle through the rugged rocks and pellet-scattered ground of Mars. Its maneuverability and speed were far beyond conventional off-road vehicles. Even if it hit an object, it was difficult to damage it. Even its energy use was far lower than ordinary vehicles. Therefore, this kind of unimpeded vehicle modified from the Gantz Bike became a very advantageous vehicle on Mars. After the modification, those people gave this vehicle a name GB off-road vehicle. After testing, this kind of mono-wheel off-road vehicle could speed through Mars at a speed of 150 kilometers per hour, completely ignoring the complicated, shifting topographic structure of Mars. It could be described as a perfect fit. At this time, Chen Chen picked one of the GB off-road vehicles and sat in it. As Chen Chen sat in one of the off-road vehicles, the screen in front of him flashed and a line of words appeared on it: Detecting user Please place your palm on the screen. Chen Chen stretched out his hand and placed his palm on the screen. Suddenly, another line on the screen swept across. Identity confirmed: The driver has the highest authority. The vehicle has been synchronized with the drivers protective suit. As this line of words flashed across the screen, the GB off-road vehicle quickly started and drove Chen Chen forward. Amid the ice and snow, the black monowheel swiftly moved forward. A large wheel track appeared behind the vehicle and the monowheel rolled faster and soon traversed over a hundred kilometers. Sitting in the monowheel, Chen Chen silently experienced this special sensation. This was a field that humans had never set foot in. If Chen Chen wanted to, he could even drive the vehicle away from the north pole and head to the equator of Mars. When the Ares was orbiting Mars, several communication satellites had been scattered here and the satellites now directly covered the surface of Mars. Wherever the GB off-road vehicle went, there was no need to worry about getting lost. At this time, Chen Chen drove the vehicle to the top of the highest snow-capped mountain nearby. This snow-capped mountain range in the north pole was about 2,000 meters high. Standing here, Chen Chen could even see the distant horizons gradient turning from white to brown. The reason for this was that the north poles ice cover was not large. Just a few kilometers away was the most common desert terrain of Mars. Looking at this primitive and ancient world, Chen Chen sighed silently. Who would have thought that he, who obtained the USB flash drive, would be on the famous Mars after a few years? Chen Chen had always had distant, boundless ambitions because he knew that human beings would not be trapped on Earth forever. Although the earth was the mother who gave birth to humankind, she also restrained the pace of human civilization and a human civilization that did not transcend the Earth was forever fragile, liable to be destroyed by various disasters at any time Meteorites, volcanic eruptions, gamma-ray bursts, and even humans own nuclear wars there were countless ways whereby the universe could destroy human civilization. If human civilization wanted to endure, the only path was to go beyond the earth. Now, the first step had been taken by Chen Chen. These thoughts flashed through Chen Chens mind, but in the next moment, he saw a series of meteors passing above his head. There were as many as a hundred meteors, huddling together as they fell toward Mars. The atmosphere of Mars was very thin, which meant that even a chunk the size of a fist would reach the ground. This was unlike the earth, where meteorites the size of a few houses would be reduced to dust in the atmosphere before they could even reach the ground. However, just then, the voice of X-113, Nancy, suddenly came out of the headset. Sir Commander, Ive suddenly received bad news. The situation is very urgent. Chen Chens expression flickered. He looked up and said, Speak! Just ten seconds ago, the research station base in the south pole suddenly sent a distress signal to the earth, claiming that a meteorite fell over there and smashed into the research station. At present, a large amount of air is leaking out of the research station and the situation is very critical. As if she knew the crisis that the other party might be facing, Nancys voice also became serious. Among the team at the south pole research station, two died due to the collapse of the building and seven went into hypoxic shock due to being exposed to the Martian air for an instant. The remaining three people have hidden in a laboratory that hasnt collapsed, including our Alpha-level researcher Hannibal Caesar of Blacklight Biotechnology. Because this laboratory is used to study Martian life forms, its sufficiently airtight but it wont last long. How long will it last? Chen Chen frowned and asked. Because the research station was damaged, the power system was also destroyed. The oxygen production room is no longer able to produce oxygen. The research station has completely shut down. Based on the scale of the laboratory, after about ten hours, everyone would die of suffocation Ten hours? Chen Chen could not help pondering when he heard these words. The speed of a GB off-road vehicle could reach a maximum of 200 kilometers per hour. However, this meant it could only travel 2,000 kilometers in ten hours, unable to transport any materials. As the Ares spacecraft had already left Mars the day before yesterday due to the fear of being discovered by the Earth Federation, the idea of using the spacecraft to transport supplies was not viable. Then, there was only one way Thinking of this, Chen Chen looked at the oxygen-carrying capacity of his protective suit but saw that the oxygen in the protective suit could only last for three hours, so he immediately said, Prepare three sets of protective suits for me. Ill go to those three people myself. After he spoke, before Nancy could answer, he spread his arms directly, and his whole person rose into the air. Immediately, he chose a direction and at the same time, he flew in the direction from which he came! Only two minutes later, he returned to where Spire 2 was located. At this time, three Black Knights walked out of the elevator and each of them carried a dark medium-sized suitcase in their hands. Sir Commander, this is the free-size protective suit. Anyone within a height of 1.6 to 1.9 meters could fit in snugly. Are you going to go there yourself now? Of course, Hannibal is there after all. I dont want to lose such a unique talent. Chen Chen replied indifferently. With that, he looked at the three suitcases and they automatically lined up in a row in the next second. After that, Chen Chen spread his arms again. This time, he lifted together with the three suitcases. Boom! There was a muffled sonic boom. Chen Chen and the three suitcases suddenly turned into a small dot that flew toward the distance Although the speed of sound on Mars was only 240 meters per second, because the atmosphere was so thin, Chen Chen could easily accelerate to 1000 meters per second. After reaching this speed, Chen Chen even continued to accelerate. He used Field to form a cone-shaped shield before him. He was practically like a drill, flying toward the distance at an extremely terrifying speed! 1000 meters per second 1500 meters per second 3000 meters per second! The speed detector on the armor was almost constantly ticking over as if it was a stopwatch and it soon reached a speed of 3000 meters per second. Upon conversion, this was equivalent to 10,800 kilometers per hour. This was an extremely terrifying speed. Except for ballistic missiles and certain supersonic vehicles, almost no one could compete with this on the entire Earth. At this speed, Chen Chen also began to feel the strain. Although Mars had a thin atmosphere, he was also carrying a load of 300 kilograms. If he were flying alone, Chen Chen could continue to accelerate himself to more than twice this speed! At this speed, Chen Chen felt that he had reached a critical limit and the Field energy in his mind was slowly being consumed. At this rate of consumption, after about two and a half hours, Chen Chen would start to feel the burden. This speed should do Chen Chen murmured. He had calculated the appropriate speed. After all, Mars had a diameter of 6,790 kilometers and a circumference of 21,331 kilometers. That was to say, at this speed, Chen Chen could travel to the south pole research station from the north pole in just one hour. It would take one hour to get to the south pole research station and one hour to return. After he brought three sets of protective suits to the three survivors, it would be best if the three of them could repair the oxygen generator, but if it could not be repaired, then he could only take one person back to the Arctic base. This was because he did not have the ability to carry three people and still fly at this speed. Boom! If there were people on the ground of Mars at this time, they would only see a figure flying at an extremely exaggerated speed from one end of the sky to the other, and then disappearing into the horizon! At this extremely terrifying speed, in just over fifty minutes, Chen Chen had flown over the Martian continent and began to see layers of hoarfrost on the ground again. He had already flown from the north pole to the south pole boundary. The research station in the distance that was constantly emitting smoke was also faintly visible. Seeing this, Chen Chen began to decelerate. In about half a minute, his speed dropped below the speed of sound on Mars. At this time, the scientific research station was already close at hand. Around the research station, he could see large and small deep craters. These deep pits had stripes blooming outward on the ice. These meteorites had hit the ground in an oblique direction and one of the meteorites happened to streak past the research station, so most of the research station was blasted into pieces! Seen from the sky, the circular scientific research station was like a birthday cake. One side of it had been mashed into crumbs by a little brat and only a small part of it was still upright. One must admit that this group of scientific researchers was unlucky. They were bombarded by a meteorite in just a few months on Mars. With this sort of probability, one could try buying a lottery ticket. Thinking of this, Chen Chen landed from the air. He landed directly in the ruins of the scientific research station and said at the same time, Nancy, can you get through to the survivors? Yes. X-113s voice came from the headset and then another voice came, filled with astonishment. What, you said someone has come to rescue me? That voice belonged to Hannibal. Im right outside the door. Chen Chen said, Hannibal, if you open the airtight door of the laboratory, Ill stuff in three sets of protective suits. You, youre Boss? Hannibals voice was a little flabbergasted. This, how is this possible Stop wasting time. Chen Chen frowned. If you dont want me to abandon you here, open the door now and take the protective suits. Yes! Hannibal said repeatedly and at the same time, a steel airtight door in front of Chen Chen began to hiss, and the bolts on it turned gradually. Soon, a gap was opened in the airtight door and Chen Chen immediately stuffed in a protective suit box. However, after only one box was inserted, the airtight door closed again. Whats going on? Chen Chen frowned and asked. Boss, the remaining two survivors are dead Hannibal whispered, I killed them. Chen Chen suddenly understood when he heard these words. He took a deep look at the airtight door in front of him and said at the same time, I see. Put on your protective suit first, then come out. Ill take you away. Yes! Following that, there was a rustling sound from within. Chen Chen looked toward the ruins. In the ruins, the bodies of the other researchers could be seen. Most of these researchers died of suffocation instantly because of the destruction of the research station. The culprit of all this was a car-sized meteorite in the distance. The meteorite fell to the ground at an inclination of seventy or eighty degrees, then broke through the scientific research station, and finally left a trail of more than 300 meters, sketching a chilling track across the surface. Looking at the dark meteorite embedded under the ice at the end of the track, Chen Chen seemed to see something wriggling. He frowned and flew directly to the meteorite. Only then did he see wisps of blackness flowing out of the gap in the meteorite. It looked like a type of viscous liquid Chapter 530 - Dream Liquid? Looking at the sticky goo slowly flowing out of the meteorite, Chen Chen could not help but tilt his head. This liquid was very viscous and looked to be black. It seeped out directly from the crevices of the meteorite, but when it came into contact with the outside world, it froze, forming a dark blue crystal. Chen Chen scratched his head. He picked up a small stick from the ruins on the side and used it to chip at the meteorite. Snap! A piece of meteorite fragment was hacked off and a volume of liquid spurted out. Before it hit Chen Chen, it was automatically blocked by an invisible barrier. This liquid solidified at once and turned into blue ice crystals. Chen Chens Field energy could zoom into the substance, magnifying it by more than a thousand times. Under such subtle observation, bacteria and other microorganisms could be seen clearly, but he did not see any microbial substances in this liquid. In other words, the material in the meteorite was originally a crystal, but it melted after entering the atmosphere and became a liquid. However, as to what exactly this substance was, Chen Chen had no idea. Still, using the method of elimination, he first discounted the possibility that it was water. To know what it was, Chen Chens Field energy had to attain one hundred thousand times of magnification at the subatomic-level before he could observe the molecular structure. At this time, Chen Chen turned his head and looked behind him, only to see that Hannibal had put on his protective suit and walked out from the airtight door. Boss, why are you on Mars? Hannibal asked through the communications system. Although Chen Chen could not see his expression, Hannibal must be quite puzzled at this time. I thought the rescue would only arrive in seven days at the earliest. Could it be that our Blacklight Biotechnology has already developed technology that takes an hour to reach Mars from the earth? Youre just lucky. Chen Chen said casually, walking into the laboratory at the same time, only to see a small pool of blood that had been licked on the ground in the laboratory. At the same time, there were two male corpses piled up in the corner. The eyes of the two men were wide open, with a look of horror and confusion on their faces as if wondering why Hannibal had to suddenly, painfully become a killer. In the past, I probably wouldnt have the guts Hannibal followed Chen Chen and said a little reticently, But after I did so many human experiments in the Spire Lab, I just You dont have to explain. Its understandable. Chen Chen waved his hand and then looked toward an experimental platform, only to see two large tanks of blood placed on the experimental platform. There was a stripped wire on the side. Were you going to generate oxygen by electrolyzing water? Seeing this, Chen Chen asked immediately. Yes. Hannibal nodded. An adult has about 5 liters of blood and two people have 10 liters, which is equivalent to water of the same weight. The mass fraction of oxygen in water is 88.89%, which means that a total of 8.9 kg of oxygen can be electrolyzed from the blood of two people. An adult only needs 0.75 kg of oxygen a day. In addition, the bodies of the two people also contain a lot of water. If theyre crushed and placed in a centrifuge for separation, an additional 10 to 20 liters of water can be collected. This water and the crushed corpses would be perfectly capable of ensuring my subsequent survival. Therefore, after killing both of them, I can survive in the laboratory for more than ten days, until the Ares spacecraft comes to my rescue. Chen Chen could not help but glance at Hannibal when he heard the meticulous explanation from the other man. He had to say that this young man had a calmness beyond ordinary people. Even in such a desperate situation, he could find a trace of life in the cracks. As for Hannibals approach, Chen Chen did not have any opinions. If Hannibal did not kill them, the oxygen in the laboratory could only last for ten hours at most and all three of them would die after that. Thinking of this, Chen Chen suddenly took out a test tube from the experimental rack on the side, then walked out of the laboratory to the meteorite, and filled it with a few crystals. Boss, what is this Hannibal asked, puzzled. I dont know, so Im taking it back to study it. Chen Chen said casually. After that, under his stare, a few cans of alcohol in the warehouse flew out automatically and poured down over the remains of the scientific research station. The freezing point of alcohol was negative 117.3 degrees, so it was still in a liquid state at this time. After pouring the alcohol on the research station, Chen Chen waved again. An igniter in the laboratory ignited automatically and flew onto the alcohol at the same time. Whoosh! Suddenly, the ruins of the research station burst into a huge blazing fire! Hannibal looked at this miraculous scene with a shocked expression. However, Chen Chen did not bother to explain at this time. He grabbed Hannibals shoulder with one hand and commanded, Hold on to me. Hannibal grabbed Chen Chens arm somewhat reservedly without knowing what was going on, but before he could ask anything, he suddenly realized that he had risen into the air! Huh? This Just bear with it, our protective suits can only maintain oxygen for two or three hours Chen Chen spoke, then he slowly accelerated and flew in the direction from which he came. As Hannibal had not been injected with the T-virus, Chen Chen could not directly accelerate to the speed of sound and could only accelerate gradually. Even so, after ten seconds, he still reached the speed of sound! Boom! A wave of air was generated behind the two of them, but this was just the beginning. Chen Chen was still accelerating to the limit that Hannibals body could bear! Boom! Boom! Boom!!! Double, triple, quadruple Ten minutes later, Chen Chen had accelerated to ten times the speed of sound. At this extremely frightening speed, the two once again swept across the Martian continent and flew from the south pole to the north pole! One and a half hours later, when Chen Chens oxygen was low, the two finally returned to the Spire 2 at the north pole of Mars. As soon as he landed, Hannibal sprawled directly on the ground and vomited violently! It was a pity that he threw up in his helmet After asking the Black Knight to take Hannibal away, Chen Chen returned to the teleportation room and took off his protective suit. Sir Commander, it seems that youve harvested something? Nancy could not help asking when she saw the test tube in Chen Chens hand. At this time, once it was exposed to heat, the crystals in the test tube melted into a thick dark blue liquid again. If one did not look closely, it would look black. Take it and analyze it. Remember to send me the experiment report. Chen Chen handed the sealed test tube to a Black Knight, rubbed his head which was aching due to excessive use of Field energy, and then stood on the teleportation platform again. Immediately, a stream of water gushed from the center of the platform and hovered in front of Chen Chen. This time, Chen Chen was more used to the process. He stretched out his hand and touched the stream of water. Then, he only felt his vision turn dark and he was suspended in that sensation between dreaming and awakening. When Chen Chen regained consciousness again, he was already lying on the teleporter in the Spire Lab. Little X on the side hurriedly came up. She helped Chen Chen up and at the same time said with concern, Sir Godfather, how do you feel? Im fine. Chen Chen waved his hand. I think you mustve received the news from Mars, right? Yes, I first received a distress signal from Mars three hours ago and then half an hour later, I received a message from X-113. She said that youve personally gone to the rescue. Little X said, The scale of the meteor swarm this time is very large. According to the information Ive received from all over the world, this group of comets has only flown into the solar system from the Kuiper Belt in recent years and the breadth of their area is very huge. Not only does it cover Mars but even the earths orbit is within its range. After about a day, comets will hit the earth and the impact area includes the entire continent of Europe, China, North Sea, and the rest of the Eastern Hemisphere. Does it pose a threat to human civilization? Chen Chen asked. You can be rest assured that these comets arent large and will only form a vast meteor shower at that time. Only one or two of them will fall to the ground. Little X shook her head. At least two or three similar situations have occurred in the last 100 years. Even if there are losses, theyll just be sporadic casualties. Chen Chen nodded. At present, with human technology, it was not possible to accurately calculate the distribution of the dust particles from the meteor showers parent comets. Therefore, it was impossible to accurately calculate the occurrence and scope of the meteor shower. At most, only a rough forecast could be made. After communicating with Little X for a while, Chen Chen only felt that his head was groggy. He did not know whether it was a side effect of cross-planetary teleportation or overuse of Field power, so he returned to his room and went to rest early. Patter, patter, patter At some point, Chen Chen found himself walking on a bustling street. It was nighttime. The sky was dark, but the road was filled by an unending stream of cars and the streets were lined with colorful shops. There were all kinds of stores including hotels, restaurants, merchandise stores, clothing stores, and many other stores even Chen Chen did not know what they sold. The neon lights on the shops were colorful, dotting the entire city with various gorgeous hues. Strictly speaking, this was indeed a bustling street. Listening to the sound of his own footsteps constantly echoing, Chen Chen kept feeling something was wrong for some reason. He could not tell what was wrong with this street, but there was an unusual feeling of uneasiness that kept gripping him. Waves of this feeling swept through his perception and made him feel uneasy. What was wrong exactly Chen Chen was rather suspicious. With his brows furrowed, he kept walking down this road. As he walked, Chen Chen felt a little thirsty, so he subconsciously opened the door to the hotel on the side. The lights in the hotel were bright and dazzling crystal chandeliers were hanging high up in the hall. The bright lights continued to stimulate Chen Chens nerves and the entire hall was as bright as daylight. At the same time, a scorching sensation swirled out of the room. Although it was winter, the temperature in the room was very high. It seemed to be more than 30 degrees. Was the heating in the hotel so potent? With a soft mutter, Chen Chen walked in slowly. Patter, patter, patter After hearing his own footsteps again, Chen Chen suddenly froze. He finally discerned what was wrong He stopped abruptly and paused in the empty hotel lobby. At this time, he was astounded to find that there was not a single person in the lobby of the huge hotel! Something was wrong, very wrong Chen Chens brows were twisted into a small knot. He squinted his eyes and looked around, but he still could not see a single human figure. The people in the hotel seemed to have evaporated. Seeing this, his wary nature told him not to stay here. He retreated out of the hotel step by step and then opened the door again. Outside the door, there was still a lot of heavy traffic. However, by now, Chen Chen had thoroughly discovered the problem, that was, there was no pedestrian on the street except for himself. This was the source of his uneasy feeling from before. Even in the middle of the night, there was not even one person on the entire street Thinking of this, Chen Chen turned his head subconsciously, looking at the passing cars, and then his pupils shrank! Those vehicles were empty and even the drivers seat was empty! In other words, was he the only person on the entire street? Chen Chen inhaled sharply. He sensed, for the first time, that this bustling street was filled with an unparalleled eeriness As uneasiness washed over him as Chen Chen looked around with alertness. He wanted to know why there was no one in the entire world. Still, as soon as he raised his head, he saw that, on the upper floor of the residence across the street, several households were glowing with human silhouettes. Chen Chen fixed his gaze on them intently and then saw that these people were standing at the window as if they were observing something in front of the window No, it was not just a few windows. As Chen Chen took a closer look, he noticed that except for some dark windows, a person was standing in front of each window that had a light on! Those people were watching Him!!! In the instant he understood all of this, Chen Chen felt a chill crept up his spine. He could not describe this feeling. Although these people had their backs to the light, so he could only make out their silhouettes, Chen Chen was gripped by an intuition these people were truly all staring unwaveringly at him Swish! Chen Chen suddenly opened his eyes and sat up from the Blacklight Fully-automated Medical Platform, gasping for breath. Only then did Chen Chen notice a coolness on his back. After he reached out and touched his back, he realized that cold sweat had soaked his back without his realizing it when he was dreaming earlier. Sir Godfather? Little Xs voice came. Did you have a bad dream? Dream? Chen Chen looked around blankly. He stared at the room and furniture he was familiar with, and then heaved a sigh of relief. It turned out to be a dream. Chen Chen stepped off the fully automated medical platform and walked barefoot on the soft carpet, only feeling the warmth in the room. It turned out that the warmth of the hotel in the dream had come from reality? Chen Chen looked at the remote control of the central air conditioner in doubt but saw that the temperature on the remote control was only 24 degrees, which was not as hot as the lobby of the hotel in his dream. Perhaps it was an illusion. Chen Chen shook his head and stopped thinking about all this. Oh right, Sir Godfather. Little Xs voice came again. X-113 sent an analysis report. The subject of the report is an ionic crystal substance that melts in a warm environment. However, according to the tests, this substance seems to be a kind of cell protoplasm, that is to say, its a type of biological fluid. What, biological fluid? Chen Chen instantly looked stunned when he heard this. Chapter 531 - Han Zizhe Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Protoplasm was the general term for living substances in cells and its main components were a mixture of carbohydrates, proteins, nucleic acids, lipids, and so on. At this time, the crystalline substance Chen Chen had obtained was a kind of biological protoplasm, namely, the sap that flowed out after the cell was damaged. A biological protoplasm? At this point, Chen Chen could not help frowning. Little X handed Chen Chen a thick analysis report. These were the protoplasm test reports. Chen Chen opened it solemnly and bent over it. It took more than ten minutes for him to go through it. With his current brainpower, a page of information could be completely printed in his mind in almost two or three seconds. This information made Chen Chen take such a serious look, so it had aroused his vigilance. Sure enough, its not an Earth life form After reading this report, Chen Chen murmured. In the report, the components in the biological fluid had been analyzed. Most of them were water, which accounted for 90% of the fluid. The remaining substances contained very complex nucleic acid chains, which were the DNA of this organism. This DNA was completely different from the living things on Earth, but it was very simple. Yes, simple. Compared with the life forms that existed on the earth, the form of this creature would be very simple, just like the most primitive ancient creature on the earth. The DNA that Chen Chen saw at this time had a complexity that was not even a hundredth that of higher animals. Needless to say, it was not on par with human beings at all. Still, what was intriguing was that, according to the genetic expression, this organism was likely to have round-shaped nerves and a composite cell structure. This structure meant that its body and nerves were completely separated. Even if the body died, its nervous system could survive alone and then regenerate. This was an almost immortal monster. What a magical creature Seeing this, Chen Chen could not help frowning. He paced back and forth in the room. There have been two similar creatures on the earth, one called Helcionelloida and the other called Acipenser Sinensis Gray. If these ancient life forms were still alive, maybe their form would have something in common with this kind of creature, right? With that, Chen Chen turned around and closed the file. Now, the contents of this file had been engraved into his mind, but besides that, he had not learned much. Can we try to replicate this creature? Little X asked, Using directional differentiation technology to extract the intact cells inside to induce stem cells and then transfer the nuclei into artificially cultivated egg cells to form embryos? Theres no need for that. Chen Chen shook his head. The probability of success isnt high. After all, we dont even have a complete sample of the cell structure of the creature and we dont know the environment and temperature that this organism would thrive in. The chances of replication arent high. Still, Little X continued. By the way, Sir Godfather, its three oclock in the afternoon in Namibia. According to the time calculation, the first batch of meteorites has fallen on the earth. Oh? Chen Chen frowned upon hearing this, So, its happening now? He did not know why, but he suddenly thought of the weird dream he had just now. He did not know whether that dream was related to these meteorites. Thus, he asked again, Is the quantum computer Adam reacting? No, everything is normal at the moment. Then keep an eye on things for the time being. Itd be best if we could retrieve a batch of the fallen meteorites and see if there are new clues in those meteorites Got it. At this time, far away on the other side of the earth, it had entered nighttime. In some places, astronomy enthusiasts began to set up their telescopes. In accordance with the notices given by the news, many people came to the suburbs where they thought there would be less light pollution, waiting for the arrival of the meteor shower. Zhang Qi, slow down At a mountain on the outskirts of Shangdu, a car parked on the side of the road near the peak. Then, a fashionably dressed girl got out of the car, huffing angrily, and walked toward the side of the road without thinking. While the girl got out of the car, a thin young man quickly opened the door from the drivers seat and ran out of the car, somewhat helplessly chasing after the girl. Zhang Qi, slow down, its not safe here in the wilderness! The young man was a little powerless. He had a bowl-cut, which was the most popular hairstyle on Kuaishou1. Although it was winter, he wore very thin clothes. His jacket was a down jacket, but it was left unzipped and flapping wide open, revealing a small tight-fitting T-shirt inside. The lower half of his body was clad in very skinny trousers and his feet were shod in a pair of yellow loafers, without socks. Dressed in all this, the young man chased in the direction of the girl with small steps. Zhang Qi, Zhang Qi! He kept calling her name. When he grabbed her arm, the girl immediately flung him aside and shouted, Han Zizhe, dont touch me. Why dont you go talk to your female confidantes! Hearing these words, the youth suddenly showed a painful expression. He choked out. Oh, its my fault? And didnt you get acquainted with three random brothers on the Internet? Going dear, muaks muaks all day long, flirting so heavily, yet did I say anything? Im a girl, so what if I know a few brothers? The girl became even more worked up. Cant you let me do that? Just because I know a few brothers, you have to start flirting with another girl? Since when? The youth inquired. I saw your phone, theres that Night Vibes chatting app. It says meet in one swipe, humph, I hope youll meet a ghost in one swipe! The girl huffed in fury and then she made to walk away. Alright, Ive deleted that app, surely thatll do? The young man finally compromised. He said helplessly, But I have a request, you must block those friends on QQ. Well both cut them off, okay? No way! The girl shook her head with an extremely determined attitude. I finally got to know a few brothers after so much effort. Why should I block them for your sake? You! Seeing this, the young man gritted his teeth. Are you going to be reasonable! Im only dating you, it doesnt mean I have to be reasonable. The girl did not back down. She pointed with one finger at the sky. Originally I said that Id watch the meteor shower with you. Now the meteors are here, go and watch it yourself! The young man involuntarily looked into the sky after hearing these words. Sure enough, several streams of light had appeared in the sky at some point. These glowing streaks continued to fall and then quickly disappeared. When he saw this, for some reason. the youth felt a hint of disappointment Just when he was feeling discouraged and was preparing to say something final, he suddenly saw that one of the streams of light had not been extinguished like the rest, but instead became bigger and brighter. Huh? Both the youth and the girl were a little puzzled. They blinked, only to find that the light seemed to be streaking toward them. The speed of the meteor was so fast. In less than a few seconds, the streak of light flew over the heads of the two with a whistle and then they only heard a bang, and a blazing light burst out from the top of the mountain! The meteor had fallen? Seeing this scene, the two looked at each other in unison. Both of them noticed the shocked expressions in the others eyes. Then, the young man ignored the girl and he ran toward the site of impact without thinking! As an astronomy enthusiast, he knew that ordinary people would never witness this kind of scene, not even once in their lives. How could he pass up this opportunity? Han Zizhe, Han Zizhe! Behind him, the girl shouted anxiously, but the young man still did not stop because, in his opinion, the blaze of fire was not far, only about three to four hundred meters away. This distance was short enough for him to be the first to reach the scene. Sure enough, the young man only ran for two or three minutes before he reached the place where the meteor had fallen. He first smelled a pungent burnt stench, but in this smell, there was a barbecue-like aroma. Huff, huff! He ran to the front in one breath and finally saw a shallow pit, half a meter in diameter, in the ground. Even the soil in the pit was being scorched! There was blue smoke in the pit and in the center of the crater, there was a fist-sized, irregular-shaped meteorite quietly resting there. Illuminated by the light of his mobile phone, the meteorite was spindle-shaped and its color was pure black. He did not know if it was burned black when it fell into the atmosphere or if that was the original color. Other than that, he could not make out anything else. About four or five minutes later, the girl named Zhang Qi finally rushed over. She looked at the young man by the crater. Han Zizhe, I called you so many times, why did you pretend not to hear me? The youth looked back at the girl and replied indifferently, I thought you werent going to watch the meteors with me anymore, then why are you calling for me? Just go by yourself. So, you just left me there alone? The girl asked incredulously, What happens if Im in danger? Heh heh. The young man sneered and did not answer. He ignored the girls nattering. He saw that there was no more smoke in the crater and it had probably cooled down. Then, he stepped into the crater and gingerly reached out toward the meteorite. Han Zizhe, Ill have this meteorite! However, before he touched the meteorite, there was a sudden burst of footsteps and the girl went straight past him and took the meteorite before his eyes. You! The young man frowned. This meteorite is worth nothing. What will you do with it? You know Im an astronomy enthusiast, so you want to snatch whats mine? Whats yours? This thing dropped from the sky! The girl instantly yelled defiantly, but at this moment, she felt a stream of heat flowing to the back of her hand and arm. She reached out, only to realize that her hand was full of a sticky substance by now. What the h*ll? As it was dark, neither of them could see exactly what was on the meteorite. The girl moved her phone to the meteorite, only to see a lot of liquid leaking out of the meteorite like black oil. Some of the liquid had permeated the ground as well. She turned her head and looked at the meteorite, but saw that there were a few small cracks in the meteorite. This liquid was flowing out of these cracks. Ugh, how disgusting! The girl hurriedly threw the meteorite on the ground, and then quickly took out the paper towel from her handbag and constantly wiped her hands. See? I told you not to touch this thing, but you just wouldnt listen. The young man snorted, then he picked up the meteorite at once, turned, and walked down the mountain. Where are you going? The girl hurriedly shouted. Lets go, Ill take you home! After a twisting drive, by the time Han Zizhe had sent Zhang Qi to the door of her house, the two had reconciled as before. When the girl had left the car, Han Zizhe turned his head again to look at the meteorite in the front passenger seat. At this time, the meteorite had soaked the entire underside of the front passenger seat. He did not know how much liquid was in it, but it was not drained yet. Could it be that this meteorite was a piece of meteoric ice? Han Zizhe shook his head. He stepped on the accelerator and the vehicle returned to his rented residence. He wrapped the meteorite in a piece of paper and moved the meteorite back to his home. Then, Han Zizhe excitedly turned on the light and looked at the meteorite carefully. This meteorite was not big, only slightly larger than an ordinary persons fist, and it was all covered with cracks. Up to this point, there was still a trace of liquid seeping out, which looked dark and incomparably sticky. It doesnt look like water. Surely this thing isnt radioactive Seeing this, the young man suddenly became a little nervous. He looked at his hand. This liquid did not seem to be anything special and was easily washed away with water. It was not as difficult to clean as oil. Thinking of this, he leaned forward toward the meteorite again and sniffed it lightly. Immediately, he noticed that there was an odd smell from the meteorite, besides the burnt smell and barbecue aroma. The burnt smell and barbecue aroma came from the outer shell of the meteorite, but this odd smell came from the liquid within. F*ck, its quite disgusting: Han Zizhe murmured. He had not heard of any meteorite that turned out to be smelly. Thinking of this, he quickly turned on the computer, logged in to the Meteorite Home website, about to make a post on the forum to see what this meteorite was. However, he had just opened the webpage when he saw that there were already several posts published there [Newbie here, would like to ask you guys what kind of meteorite this is classified as? Is it an iron meteorite or a stone meteorite?] [I just bought this from a layman, now I present it to you. It fell during the meteor shower tonight] [The scale of the meteor shower tonight is so big, I didnt expect that quite a few of you would have obtained a meteorite?] There were pictures under the titles of these posts and the pictures were all the same. They were not very different from the meteorite he got. Some of them still had sticky liquid flowing out of them, which looked a bit disgusting. Han Zizhe casually clicked into a post, and sure enough, the replies below were complaining about these questions. [F*ck, what the h*ll is this, its not like a meteorite at all, okay? Why is there goo on it?] [Hey, its real. The shell has the burnt marks formed when it passed through the atmosphere. It doesnt look fake. As for the oozing liquid, probably its because the meteorite contains ice?] [Will this liquid cause any problems? I advise the OP to go to the hospital for a checkup tomorrow.] [So gross] [OP, Im from the relevant department. This meteorite of yours belongs to the country. Please hand it over to the government tomorrow and claim your reward of a small red flag and 50,000 yuan.] Chapter 532 - A Peculiar Case First of all, more than one piece of this kind of meteorite fell and there were several pieces on the Meteorite Home forum alone. Secondly, this kind of meteorite had a common feature, which was it contained liquid inside. Once it fell to the ground, the liquid would flow out from the cracks in the meteorite. Finally, the liquid in these meteorites had a fishy smell, reminding people of animal body fluids. Forget it, Ill stop thinking about this. Ill keep it for now. Han Zizhe shook his head. He placed the meteorite on the coffee table, washed up, and then lay on the bed and played with his cell phone. Unwittingly, he slowly fell asleep. Squeak squeak When Han Zizhe was falling asleep, a special sound came from this meteorite, and then suddenly more liquid flowed out of it. This liquid flowed out across the coffee table little by little as if it was alive and then flowed in the direction where Han Zizhe was sleeping Han Zizhe had a special dream. In his dream, he walked alone on a dark street. It seemed that because it was late at night and there was no one anywhere in the street, only a few cars driving on the road. A night wind blew past and the empty streets seemed filled with odd loneliness. Where am I Han Zizhe had some doubts but this kind of doubt only lasted for a moment before dissipating again. Human beings rarely doubted the logic in their dreams. This was a subconscious evasion. Why, why was there no one on the street? Looking at the empty street, Han Zizhe suddenly became a little confused and at the same time, an inexplicable feeling came into his heart. This was a feeling of emptiness and a special desire. Han Zizhe took a deep breath but felt that the loneliness was getting heavier and that he was going crazy from the silence of the street devoid of people. How he wished he could be with people, sticking to them, melding as one, fusing flesh and blood, connecting vessels Suddenly, there was this feeling deep in his heart that Han Zizhe was at once startled by his thoughts in this empty and quiet street. This scare woke him up. Han Zizhe opened his eyes abruptly, only to realize that it was already the next day. Dazzling sunlight shone in from the window, completely dispelling the deep desire from the dream. In my dream, why did I have that idea? Immediately after waking up, Han Zizhe frowned. Surely Im not becoming a pervert? Thinking of this, Han Zizhe could not help but shiver. He only felt that his stomach was empty, racked by the unique hunger pangs of the morning. He stopped thinking about that unique dream but looked at his watch and saw that it was almost twelve oclock, so he got up and went out quickly. Han Zizhe just graduated from university this year, but he had not found a job. He had only one job at present, which was to receive the allowance given by his parents, and eat, and wait to die. Still, fortunately, his family was pretty well off. Even if he did not go to work, he would not starve to death. Driving the car that his parents paid for, Han Zizhe first sent a WeChat message to his girlfriend. Seeing that she did not reply, he drove to his favorite restaurant and ordered a barbecue meal. On the TV in the restaurant, the noon news was broadcasting about the meteor shower last night. According to the news, the meteor shower last night was a large-scale meteor shower that was rarely seen even in a century. There had been more than one million meteors descending to the earth, but most of the meteors that were not large enough were burned up in the atmosphere, and only about one percent of the meteorites had fallen on Earth. One of the most sensational ones was a giant meteorite the size of a house that fell in Mumbai, India, but fortunately, it fell on the outskirts of Mumbai without causing any casualties. Seeing this, Han Zizhe also paid attention, wanting to hear about these meteorites, especially whether there was liquid in those meteorites. However, in the next second, the program turned to other news, and coverage of the meteorites was quickly over. Seeing this, Han Zizhe lowered his head again. He simply opened the browser by himself and started searching for news about meteorites. It was just that most media on the Internet was self-produced content that only talked nonsense. After reading a few articles, he lost all interest to continue reading. After lunch, his girlfriend still did not reply, so he made a call. Soon, Zhang Qis blurry voice came on the phone. You havent got up yet, little sleepyhead? Han Zizhe secretly breathed a sigh of relief as he teased her. Would you like me to pick you up now? How about we go to a movie today? Okay, you wash up first, Ill come right away. Hearing an affirmative reply from his girlfriend, he did not continue to stay in the restaurant, but paid the bill and drove in the direction of his girlfriends house. An hour later, he waited for his girlfriend Zhang Qi outside the community area. The moment when he saw his girlfriend Zhang Qi, Han Zizhe suddenly felt his mouth becoming a little dry. At this moment, he suddenly had the urge to become one with his girlfriend. He pursed his mouth. He did not understand why this feeling suddenly appeared. Is it because he had been holding back for too long recently? That could not be it Little did he know, the moment his girlfriend Zhang Qi saw him, she also froze for a moment, and then her expression returned to normal again. Why did you get up so late today? Seeing his girlfriend getting in the car, Han Zizhe quickly shifted his thoughts and asked casually, I thought I had gotten up late enough today, but I didnt expect you to not be up even by one in the afternoon. Isnt that too much? Isnt it because I accompanied you to watch the meteor shower late last night? His girlfriend curled her lips, then rolled her eyes. She took Han Zizhes hand and said, By the way, I had a bad nightmare last night! Nightmare? The strange dream from last night flashed across Han Zizhes mind, after which he smiled. What sort of nightmare? I dreamed that I was walking in an empty city and I couldnt find anyone anywhere His girlfriend said mock-seriously, I also saw a lot of people staring at me, they almost scared me to death! So, were there no people or many people? Han Zizhe raised his eyebrows and started the car. You first said that no one was to be found and then later that there were many people looking at you. Did you dream of people or not? Im not sure too His girlfriend frowned suddenly, seeming to be very confused. It feels like I didnt see anyone and also that there was a group of people watching me from the distance, and I very much wanted those people to approach me And then? Hearing this, Han Zizhes heart suddenly leaped. Then, I was woken up by your call. His girlfriend replied, When I think about it now, its really scary. If it werent for your phone call, I dont know what nightmare Id have had! Hearing this, Han Zizhe was silent for a moment. He was about to tell her of his dream, but suddenly noticed the red light in front of him, so he hurriedly stepped on the brakes! There was a loud squeal. Their car had almost hit the car in front. Phew, so close Han Zizhe heaved a sigh of relief. After this interruption, his notion of telling her his dream was also forgotten. After arriving at the movie theater, the two negotiated and finally decided on a superficial romance. Then, they bought two buckets of popcorn and two bottles of Coke and entered the venue. The two found their seat numbers. This time, they had deliberately chosen the last row. They sat down with enthusiasm, but at this moment, Han Zizhe felt that inexplicable impulse hit him again However, the source of this impulse did not originate from his girlfriend, but from somewhere near the entry. Han Zizhe looked there instinctively, only to see a man wearing gold-rimmed glasses and refined clothes walk into the venue, toward the last row where they were. At the same time he walked in, the man seemed to feel something and suddenly raised his head. His eyes immediately met Han Zizhes. At this, they both felt a jolt. In the next second, the man recovered immediately. He smiled politely at Han Zizhe and then began to find his seat, which happened to be next to Han Zizhes girlfriend. Han Zizhe observed the other party secretly for a while. Seeing that there was nothing unusual about the other party, he then turned his head back. Just then, the lights in the venue turned off! The movie was starting. This romance movie was no different than other romances. Inevitably, it was the story of a couple who fell in love, had a misunderstanding, broke up, resolved the misunderstanding, met again, had another misunderstanding, and after a series of separations and reconciliations, finally stayed together for good. Both the male and female leads gave an average performance, but at this age, few of the viewers were looking at the acting. Most of those who came to watch were young people in love. To them, watching the movie was just a pretext. At this time, Han Zizhe had this kind of thought. As the plot was unfolding halfway, there was a special desire stirring awake in his body. He looked around, only to find that the entire venue was dark and he could barely see half a meter away. Only the deafening acoustics could be heard throughout the venue. Seeing this, he had impure thoughts and wanted to lean in the direction of his girlfriend. Even so, Han Zizhe found that no matter how far he leaned over, he could not touch his girlfriend. The seats in the cinema might seem to be close, but in fact, the space between them was not that small. Seeing this, Han Zizhe also had to dispel that notion. Anyway, there was time after this, so he was not in a hurry Thinking of this, Han Zizhe calmed down. After that, he even felt rather drowsy. This was obviously caused by staying up too late last night and his consequent lack of sleep. Thus, he closed his eyes alone while listening to the sound coming from the stereo sound system. Soon, Han Zizhe fell asleep again Looking at the deserted streets, Han Zizhe only felt a special desire in his heart surging throughout his body. He could not describe what kind of feeling it was as if it was the most primitive desire of humankind, silently burning Han Zizhes nerves. This caused him to be tormented by the idea of wanting to fuse with others as one. How I wish How I wish to be with them, to stick with them with no distance between us, fuse into one, until our flesh and blood are fully merged and our vessels flow into one anothers. How wonderful that would be Come on, lets fuse, for were all alone Han Zizhe murmured as he walked but at this moment, he suddenly saw dark figures appearing on the street. These people kept coming toward him. Han Zizhe did not even think about it, and immediately walked up to them Agh!!! After some time, just when Han Zizhe was feeling dazed and dreamy, a sudden piercing scream woke him up. This scream was full of fear as if one had seen the most horrible thing in the world. Then, the scream continued to expand and new screams even joined the chorus. At the same time, there was the commotion of many people running. This tumultuous noise woke Han Zizhe up at once. He first rubbed his eyes confusedly and opened his eyes to look at the source of the scream, only to see a group of men and women in the seats in front of him, with their eyes widened, looking at the seat next to him in horror. This seat was Han Zizhe turned his head, still blurry, then his pupils shrank, and he suddenly jumped up! How, how could this be Looking at his girlfriend next to him, Han Zizhe only felt cold sweat drenching his body. His face was pale and he wore an expression of extreme terror He saw that in the seat next to him, his girlfriend had tilted her head and was lying quietly in her seat, but what was strange was that her head and upper body had fused with the man in the gold-rimmed glasses in the neighboring seat! Yes, fused! The bodies of those two were glued together like conjoined twins. The heads of the two fused at the cheeks the right cheek of Han Zizhes girlfriend and the left cheek of the man had merged into each others, embedded deep into each others skulls. Even their eyeballs had pressed together and then were squeezed out of their eye sockets At a glance, it looked like a bottle gourd was dangling on their faces The corners of their mouths were also merged and the tension in their skin caused the corners of their mouths to rise, creating a very peculiar curve as if they were laughing at the world The same was true for the bodies of the two. Han Zizhes girlfriends right arm and the mans left arm had fused into each others body, even protruding from the other side, just like a deformed monster that would only appear in a horror movie or even a nightmare! Seeing this terrifying scene, Han Zizhe only felt a deep sense of nausea. He quickly covered his mouth, but still could not hold back. He lowered his head and vomited furiously A day later. In the morgue of the Shangdu Police Department, a body covered in white cloth was pushed in by several workers in protective suits. Unlike ordinary corpses, this corpse seemed so huge that it could not even be covered with a wide white cloth. Several ashy gray arms protruded from the edge of the stretcher. One, two, three A total of five arms protruded from this stretcher. In the morgue, several forensic doctors who also wore protective suits were holding some tools. One of them walked up and pulled the white cloth off. At once, shock emerged in everyones eyes. This is the fourth case One of the forensic doctors gasped sharply. He looked toward the stretcher and saw four or five humans fused together like a deranged and evil lump of dough Chapter 533 - A Great Foe Arrives The clock wound back to the previous day. It was midnight and Chen Chen was walking by himself on a deserted road. The route he took was off the beaten path. The road was in poor condition as it was covered in potholes and the occasional mud pit. Along both sides of the road were fields of disarrayed weeds almost half a regular persons height. The field was eerily silent. The usual sound of chirping cicadas was absent and the weeds did not rustle either since there was no wind blowing in any direction. This was an unnatural state for what was a common midsummer night. The entire road was almost pitch-black save for the tiny glimmer of moonlight shone from above that was just enough to save Chen Chen from tripping. Thwack! Chen Chen suddenly felt a faint jolt in his shoulder when something bumped into him. It was only then when he noticed a large figure had just passed by and that their shoulders had made contact with each other. Chen Chen rubbed his shoulder in confusion. He found it odd that although the road was without any streetlights and was completely dark, there was still an unfathomable amount of people passing through it. With every few steps he took, he would see another dark figure coming toward his direction. Chen Chen saw dozens of figures as he traveled along the road. Now and then, he would bump into one accidentally. For some reason, the thought of why he was even here in the first place did not cross his mind. The only thing that occupied his thoughts was that all of these people seemed to be mumbling something. However, he could not make out what these people were saying. Thump! While Chen Chen was lost in his thoughts, he felt another throbbing sensation in his nose. While he was letting his mind wander, he bumped into yet another dark figure! Chen Chen finally managed to make out what these people were saying: Fuse with us, fuse with us For all of us are lonely Come, fuse with us, let us be one This occult chanting immediately evoked a sense of danger in Chen Chen. He felt he did not have enough time to get up so he kicked his feet against the ground to put as much distance between himself and the figure as possible. It was at that moment when he saw several other figures approaching the figure that knocked him to the ground. He watched in horror as this group of figures started to fuse! Gurgle gurgle Chen Chen heard the sound of gnashing bones and flesh as these figures somehow fused together. Their bodies and limbs became deformed and elongated like bubble gums as if mashing balls of dough together. Meanwhile, more figures were pouring into the mix! In the end, a lovecraftian monster that was a mass of limbs and heads slowly rose in front of Chen Chen. Countless heads attached to the body of this monstrosity turned to Chen Chen in unison: Fuse with us, fuse with us. Were all alone, its only by fusing, only by fusing Countless voices echoed in Chen Chens ears. His heart drummed violently against his chest. Just as he was about to make one last vain effort to get away, his eyes snapped open! Huff! Chen Chen shot up from the bed and he was drenched in sweat. Chen Chen found himself in the dormitory in the Spire Experimental Base. Due to limited space in the Spire Experimental Base and the prioritization for space for conducting research, even Chen Chen only lived in a single-bed dormitory. This dormitory was fully furnished with a personal bathroom and Blacklights fully automated medical platform as well as the holographic environment simulator. However, it was still a regular-sized dormitory just like the ones of the common faculty members, no exceptions were made. This is the second time. Chen Chen felt the beads of sweat dripping down his cheeks and frowned irritatedly. These days, his body had been enhanced to a degree where he did not require much sleep anymore as he only needed roughly three hours of rest each day. Occurrences like nightmares were nearly foreign to him at this point since it had been years since he last had one. His mental fortitude was tough as titanium steel. Yet, in only a little over a day since his return from Mars, he had two nightmares Chen Chen knitted his brows together with this in mind as he carried himself to the fully automated medical platform and ordered, Conduct full body scan. The fully automated medical platform immediately began operation and performed an examination from head to toe. Nothing notable was discovered. Theres nothing wrong with my body Chen Chen rose from the platform and looked at his palms. His mind was deep in thought, Could it be just a common nightmare? Am I overthinking it? While his mind was occupied, he suddenly heard gentle footsteps following along the corridor outside. He heard it hurrying toward his room until it stopped outside the door. Knock, knock, knock The sound of knocking on the door. Come in. Chen Chen already had an idea who it was just by listening to the footsteps. Besides, he was in the Spire Experimental Base. Currently, there was only one person who could visit him here and it was Little X. Little X could easily connect to the communication system in the room to speak to Chen Chen. Still, whenever Chen Chen was resting and nothing urgent was going on, she had a fancy for using regular human methods such as these. Unsurprisingly, it was Little Xs head that poked through the door. She bit her lip slightly and asked with a tone of concern, Sir Godfather, another nightmare? Yes, but its no big deal. Chen Chen waved his hands. Did anything happen? I just found some mysterious reports on the Internet and I figured you might be interested. Little X remarked as she invited herself into the room. Since youre putting it this way, Ill assume its something fascinating. Chen Chen remarked with a nod as he poured himself a cup of water at the drinking fountain. Go ahead. Heres how it goes. Little X started with a serious tone. Twenty hours after the meteors descended on the earth, that is, while you were sleeping, several strange incidents occurred. These events were scattered across Europe, India, the North Sea, and Central Continents. Reports are that corpses of unidentifiable death were discovered. Chen Chen put down the water cup and nodded, motioning for Little X to continue. Theres a distinct similarity between these corpses, which is that they are formed by the fusion of at least two corpses, sometimes even up to three or four corpses. Little X noted gravely. At present, there have been eight cases in these continents combined. There are three cases in the Central Continent, two cases in Europe, two cases in the North Sea Continent, and one in India As Little X said this, images extracted from various countrys databases appeared in front of Chen Chen. Chen Chen saw the pictures of bizarre, twisted dead bodies all congealed together like a mass of dough. Most of these corpses were discovered in houses except for one outlier which was a reported case in a cinema in the Central Continent. Chen Chen took another look at the image and saw the two victims were male and female respectively. Their heads and bodies had melded into the gap between the seats in the cinema, twisting and entangling around each other. What was even more uncanny was that there was not a trace of suffering in their expression. On the contrary, their lips formed delicate, unnatural smiles. It seemed as if the two victims took great pleasure in this process moments before their deaths Chen Chen felt his heart sink as he witnessed this. His first thought went to the nightmares he had over the last two days. Inside his nightmares, he remembered the figures fusing like this as well Fuse with us, fuse with us, for were all alone The occult chanting rang in Chen Chens ears again. Its the meteor. Chen Chen suddenly noted surely. It has something to do with the meteors. I think so too. Little X nodded. These events began occurring right after the meteors hit. Sir Godfather, what should we do? Contact the supervisors of the Blacklight Foundation, I want to conduct a Lilith Assembly. Chen Chen went to the bathroom and washed up quickly before heading outside. Tell them they have one hour. I want to see the four supervisors at the assembly in one hour. Also, tell Hannibal to come to meet me immediately! After that, Chen Chen left his single-bed dormitory. Half an hour later, when Chen Chen was standing by himself outside the dormitory building. He saw the pale-faced Hannibal approaching him from the laboratorys direction. Chen Chen frowned almost instinctively the moment he saw Hannibal approaching. The moment he saw Hannibal, a strange mixture of emotions suddenly arose in his heart. It was madness, paranoia, avarice The chanting in his dream started again Fuse with us, fuse with us, for were all alone Hannibal was similarly perturbed when he saw Chen Chen. He stopped for a moment and hesitated before dragging his feet toward Chen Chen again. Thats enough, dont come any closer. Chen Chen immediately gestured for Hannibal to stop. Two Black Knights quickly stepped forward and held Hannibal in place. Put him in quarantine. Make sure hes well-fed and accommodated and keep him updated on the ongoings of the outside world. Chen Chen instructed before leaving without turning back for another glance Meteor There was still a lingering doubt before Chen Chen met Hannibal, but now he was completely convinced that it had something to do with the meteor. When he saw Hannibal just now, he heard a voice inside his mind urging for him to fuse with Hannibal. Hannibal froze for a moment when they made eye contact. He must have heard the same voice as well. Going by the timeline, Chen Chen and Hannibal should be the first ones to come into contact with the meteor. After the meteorite landed on Earth was when it came into contact with more people. So far, he had two nights with nightmares and the takeaway from these nightmares was the word fuse. Meanwhile, a similar method of death was seen in the real world. Chen Chen would be a fool to not draw the connection between the two. Meteorite Fuse These two factors combined indicated that whoever came into contact with the meteor would experience an unearthly death caused by fusing. Although the relationship between the deceased and the meteorite had not yet been determined, Chen Chen had arrived at this conclusion. Currently, Chen Chen had two hypotheses: The first one was that the meteorites operated in a manner that humans had never seen before. Under certain conditions, whoever came in contact with the meteorite would inflict its effect that was similar to a memetic effect. The second was that the meteorite contained some form of biological fluid. Perhaps fluid could assimilate human beings into a corresponding sentient life form with its own instincts. Whenever two life forms met, the two automatically initiated this process of fusing. However, both hypotheses had their flaws. Memes could not exist in established life forms. Even the Weeping Angel that was closest to a sentient life form was by strict definition, not an established life form but merely a set of rules. Besides, if the meteorites did contain memetic characteristics, there was no chance that Little X that was familiar with memetic objects would not notice it. For the second hypothesis, if this fluid substance could assimilate humans, then it should trigger a response from the fully automated medical platform. When Chen Chen used the device, it did not report any abnormal signs in his body. Besides, Chen Chen was also certain that both he nor Hannibal came into skin contact with the meteor at the time. When he collected the cooled crystals, he was wearing protective clothing. The fact that both of these theories were flawed made things even more complicated. This meant that Chen Chen was forced to confront his enemies before he could figure out their nature. While Chen Chen was examining these factors in his mind, he had arrived at the meeting room purposed for the Lilith Assembly. By the time Little X turned on the holographic projection, Chen Chen was already seated in his seat with a plate labeled 05 in front of him. After a brief moment of waiting, a figure appeared at the seat label 04. The figure quickly nodded at Chen Chens direction and proceeded to wait silently. By the one-hour mark, the designated members of the three remaining seats had arrived as well. The meeting of the Blacklight Foundation finally commenced. 05. 02 started without waiting for a prompt. All of us here are important people with many things to attend to. Unless necessary, Id prefer to keep these meetings to a minimal. I wouldnt dare take up any of your time unless there was a specific reason to. Chen Chen knew that it was detrimental to delay these matters and cut straight to the point. Due to the extremely urgent nature of this matter, I had to gather everyone immediately as this concerns the very fate of mankind Have any of you received reports of the fusion death happening in your regions? Fusion death? Whats that? 01 asked immediately. Chen Chen turned to the remaining three members, their figures were completely dark and there was no way to tell what expression they had. I havent received reports of what you described. Me neither 02 and 03 remarked. It does seem like you all have a lot more on your plate. Chen Chen nodded. It was not surprising that they had not heard the news of it yet. After all, just because they were the designated supervisors of the Blacklight Foundation did not necessarily imply that they were the leaders of the continent. Perhaps some of them were not the president, but the president was undoubtedly monitoring their position as well. It did not strike Chen Chen as odd that they had not heard a word of these mysterious deaths yet. With a swift gesture, Chen Chen summoned panels of images with deformed, bizarre corpses in front of the assembly. Take a look. These are the fusion deaths that occurred in the Central Continent, Europe, India, and other continents. They are labeled as fusions involving multiple people Chapter 534 - Outbreak When the four Blacklight Foundation supervisors saw these images, they held their breaths collectively. For someone in their position, they must have seen their fair share of major ordeals, but the picture they were presented with still did not fail to faze them. What they were seeing was what was supposed to be regular, living people who were killed and fused like conjoined babies. It was twisted, evil, demented, and a hysterical sight These images were heavy with an ominous air around them. This is whats happening in your respective continents. Chen Chen announced in a deep tone, The specific outbreaks location are Europe, India, the North Sea, and Central Continent. Three cases are from the Central Continent, two from Europe, two from the North Sea Continent, and one in India. A wave of silence swept through them. Chen Chen shifted his attention to 01. 01 was a representative of the Northern America Continent and he seemed visibly relieved upon hearing this. After being struck with three consecutive disasters that were the Three Statues, This Man, and Weeping Angel, the Northern American Continent could almost be described as traumatized by this point. They had even begun doubting if they were cursed with ill fate. Fortunately, Northern America had finally snapped this cursed streak of new inexplicable events, it was somebody elses turn now. How did this happen? This was the first thought that came to 04. Is there any certain rule or pattern behind this outbreak? Of course. Chen Chen answered immediately, Did you all notice that the victims of these strange fusion accidents are all regions in the eastern hemisphere? Easter hemisphere? They first reflected on this speculation Chen Chen proposed and remarked in unison within a second. The meteorite? Thats right, it seems like you all have made the connection as well. Chen Chen applauded. A meteorite rain of this scale is only seen once every century and the regions affected were the eastern hemisphere. Although most of them fell into the ocean, a notable portion still managed to fall on land. Weve detected a form of protoplasm in the meteorite samples collected. Ive heard of this. 03 immediately noted. Our relevant departments have submitted similar reports, suggesting the existence of living cells in the meteorite that are still active. If it wasnt for the Ares Project on Mars discovering the first outer space life form, this wouldve been the first instance of extraterrestrial life form detected by humans. I do believe that we have similar reports as well. 02 chimed in as well. Our research institute has begun studies into these extraterrestrial life forms. There was not the slightest tinge of joy in Chen Chens eyes as he listened to these scientific breakthrough reveals. On the contrary, his expression had only grown solemn. Thats why I convened this meeting. Im afraid that all personnel involved in the meteorite research need to be put into mandatory and strict quarantine effective immediately. According to the fusion deaths that have just begun to surface all over the world, this protoplasmic substance is without a doubt infectious and lethal. Theres no telling the likelihood of this just yet, but if this protoplasmic liquid has airborne infectious characteristics, Im afraid this meteorite rain will mark as the single most impactful event in mankinds chronicle on Earth Complete havoc. Chen Chen did not stress his claims with a heavy tone, but every word he uttered punched into the hearts of everyone present at the assembly. Lock out the news source. Chen Chen sighed and expressed. Collect all the scattered meteorites in the world and lock out all the news concerning the meteorite. Isolate all personnel who have come into direct contact with the meteorite. This is the only thing we can do while we figure out how we can combat this crisis. Whats even more concerning is Chen Chen went on. Will the meteorites sunk into the ocean create a vicious effect in the ocean? We need to conduct the appropriate research concerning the meteorites and prepare ourselves for a great disaster. I agree with 05. 03 nodded amiably. This is no longer something that can be handled with the continents in the foundation alone. This is something that requires the combined effort of all of mankind and we need to mobilize all available forces. Blacklight Foundation will be at the center of this all Everyone nodded and agreed with this statement. The temperature in the room dropped to a freezing point immediately. Ill leave it to you all to relay this situation to the other continents. All discovered meteorites have to be handled according to level-four biosafety standards. Chen Chen stressed. We have to prevent mass panic. Blacklight Biotechnology will disclose all of our findings concerning the meteorite in a transparent and publicly manner. I hope that everyone present here will mobilize all the forces in your respective countries to conduct research on the protoplasmic liquid. Of course. Every one of them gave Chen Chen their word. Facing the potential devastation of mankind, every one of them dedicated their utmost effort to the task. After that, the four figures quickly vanished, leaving only Chen Chen at the table. After Chen Chen left the Lilith Assembly, he considered for a moment before instructing, X, dispatch a team to Mars to collect a batch of meteorites. Suspend all ongoing biological research projects in the Eco Science City and the Spire Experimental Base and set up a new project codenamed RH dedicated to researching this protoplasmic liquid substance. Reassign all biological science research crews into the emergency RH Project team. At the same time, reallocate all available resources of the Blacklight Biotechnology and concentrate our efforts on the RH Project! Understood. Little X nodded. Ill see that everything gets handled properly. With that, she left. Chen Chen formed a deep frown as he watched Little Xs departing silhouette. Without a doubt, he was the first human to be infected with the protoplasmic liquid within the meteorite. What left him puzzled now was that even the best tool in his arsenal C the Blacklight fully automated medical platform otherwise known as the Medpod 3000 could not do anything against it either. The only thing he could do now was to pray and hope that the infectious quality of the protoplasmic liquid was not severe, and that marine life was not susceptible to this infection. Otherwise, this disaster may be the single most threatening crisis faced so far, even more devastating than the Weeping Angel from four years ago. All members of the Bioscience Project Department of the Spire Experimental Base including James Watson, were urgently gathered together. They were instructed to put on the most advanced positive pressure protective suit and enter the most biosecure laboratory in the Spire Experimental Base. However, none of them were to come into direct contact with the experiment subject. Instead, they remained in a completely isolated command room and monitored over a group of Androids working on the samples. Each one of the researchers was given a document handout with thorough information on the protoplasmic liquid. This information ranged from its trajectory, location, and time it landed on Earth as well as reports of the resulting deaths that came from it. A thorough report compiled by X-113 Nancy was also printed out and handed out to them. The initial human experiments indicate that even with airtight protective clothing and without making any physical contact, experiment members are still subject to the infection of this protoplasmic liquid. James Watson stood in front of the group and described to the team, Upon being infected, the subject begins to have a very specific repeated nightmare. In these nightmares, they may dream of a vacated city or a barren path. They tend to hear a mysterious, ominous voice in the dark calling out to them, telling them to join them and fuse with them As the experiment is in its preliminary phase, this is all the information we have at the moment. From here on, well need everyone to brainstorm to make progress. Watson stressed again. Before we can determine the infection medium, we cannot allow anyone other than the Androids to interact with the samples, even if youre in protective suits. We only analyze the samples using the extracted data. The crew murmured among themselves in a low voice as Watson said this. Meanwhile, a Delta-level subject was just being brought into the laboratory which was then immediately sealed up again. All level-five biosafety laboratories were now purposed for the same research. Some of the laboratories had two Delta-level subjects, and some while others had three of four subjects. Some of the laboratories even had a mix of animals and humans or solely animals. Not a single level-five biosafety laboratory was left idle. Each one of them had a variety of conditions to simulate a unique testing environment. How about the initial test subject? One person suddenly asked, If the situation is just as the company has described, then the world should be facing a great crisis and we need to make every second count. So far weve only seen the new subjects inside this laboratory, where is the initial test subject from which these data are extracted from? Wed like to conduct research on this subject as well. Even Watson was slightly taken aback upon hearing this mention. Even he did not know where this subject was. The subject is deceased. X-111, the main artificial intelligence computer of the Spire Experimental Base answered the question, The initial subject is deceased and the body had been disposed of. The crew of researchers started a commotion upon hearing this. Another information concealed from them was that Chen Chen himself, along with all of the Black Knights that had come into contact with him over the last day had left the Spire. This group had gone into the previous grand hall with the passage to DOOM. There was no way to access this hall other than through the black sphere installed within. There were more than a hundred Black Knights gathered here by this point. They were the ones who had come into contact with Chen Chen. As a precaution for the protoplasmic liquid containing contagious qualities, he decided to quarantine himself and the Black Knights. Until they managed to figure out the nature of the protoplasmic liquid, he was not going to leave this hall. When he saw the questions the scientists and researchers had that Little X relayed to him, he did not know whether to laugh or cry. What consequences would Blacklight Biotechnology endure if they found out that the first person infected was none other than the founder himself? One could only imagine. It seemed like this time, the winds of fortune did not align itself with Chen Chen and the rest of mankind One comfort that Chen Chen found in these circumstances was that the Black Knights did not seem to exhibit any symptoms of fusing. Was this because the substance was unable to be transmitted twice or because the Black Knights did not have brains and thus could not be manipulated? Two days later. Chen Chens greatest concerns had become reality. Across the globe, the cases of fusion death were skyrocketing. In just two days, there had been thousands of cases reported in the Central Continent and more than five hundred reported in Europe. Even in regions such as the South Sea Continent and the Middle East where there were no such reported cases previously, such cases were beginning to surface To combat this crisis, the acting government of the afflicted regions began adopting methods such as information lockdown and putting the infected in quarantine to suppress the news flow. However, due to the unexplainable nature of these deaths, the word still got out inevitably. At first, the governments were still able to keep the situation under control. As the situation started to spiral and the number of people in quarantine started to rise along with the number of reported deaths, many related articles and pictures began to surface online and the government was unable to keep up any longer. Initially, these articles would be redirected to a 404 error web page shortly after they were uploaded. However, with the influx of these articles and images and the subsequent error pages, the netizens that did not know the full extent of the situation were starting to draw up rumors and theories about what was happening. Some of them speculated that the government was conducting evil, inhumane experiments on human subjects. The pictures of the deformed, twisted dead bodies they saw were proof of these experiments. Meanwhile, others suspected that it was a new form of the viral virus. Then, there were the ones who claim that this was the omen of the end times. At first, the people were largely skeptical of these speculations. However, the governments continued efforts of blocking news sources had the opposite effect of evoking further fear and confusion among the people. It did not take long before the people began to parade and protest on the street and demand clarity from the government. Shortly after that, the people started to panic and the world was plunged into a disarrayed state Over time, it was quickly pointed out that the regions least affected by these bizarre events were the North Sea and Indian Continent. The two continents combined only reported no more than five hundred cases, which was dramatically lower than regions such as the Central Continent or Europe. The Blacklight Biotechnology team quickly formed a conclusion based on this observation. The explanation for this was simple C the protoplasmic liquid froze at minus five degrees and turned into a state similar to the ionic crystals Chen Chen had spotted previously. It was apparent that the protoplasm in the meteorite had difficulty spreading while in this state. The North Sea Continent bordered at the North Pole was positioned in the polar climate region. Furthermore, it was now winter which meant that the temperature in the region hovered around negative ten degrees Celsius. Under such conditions, the meteorite that had fallen instantly turned into a crystallized state and was unable to infect humans. This was the first weakness of the protoplasmic liquid that mankind had discovered so far! Based on this observation, another weakness of the protoplasmic liquid was quickly determined. The reason it was similarly ineffective in India was that in addition to being susceptible to cold, it was also vulnerable to high-temperature climates. However, the latter theory was quickly debunked. When the meteor descended on Earth from outer space, its temperature should reach up to the thousands due to the thermal velocity. If the protoplasmic liquid managed to survive such extreme temperatures, there was no reason that it would not survive the mere sub-forty-degree Celsius climate on land. Besides, the situation in the South Sea Continent, whose climate was similar to India, was quickly spiraling out of control as well. After discarding all unlikely possibilities, there was only one conclusion. A majority of the fusion death reports in India were covered up by the local authorities Chapter 535 - Indian Continent It was early dawn. Sanjae returned to his workplace, a hospital in the suburbs of Varanasi, somewhere near the Ganges river. The hospital was the Blackwatch Global Health Centers Varanasi Branch located in India. It was a private hospital operated by none other than the world-famous company, Blackwatch. The staff in this building were either highly-practiced medical experts with international certification or the locals. The local government had strict requirements that medical institutions in the region had to maintain an at least six-to-four ratio of local staff to foreign staff members. As a result, positions such as nurses, janitors, warehouse workers, and whatnot were mostly taken up by the local Vaishya and Sudra castes while the Dalits[1] were tasked with responsibilities such as transporting corpses. Sanjae was what was known as a Dalit and he did not have a surname. He was categorized as an untouchable in the caste system. Sanjae lived in a slum in the eastern suburbs of Varanasi. His family consisted of five members which included himself, both of his parents, and two older brothers. The children in the slums had to start fending for themselves from an early age. At just eighteen years old, Sanjae had already been working at the hospital for three years. He had to wake up at seven each morning and hurried to the hospital to report to his supervisor by eight. He usually clocked out and got home sometime around ten at night. The supervisor was a local man of the Vaishya caste and he was the head of the sanitation department in the hospital. There was something different about today. When Sanjae arrived at the hospital at seven forty, he immediately sensed the heaviness in the atmosphere at the hospital. When Sanjae entered the sanitation department office from the back door, the first thing he saw was his fat, greasy-faced supervisor standing in front of a superior of a higher caste descent. The supervisor acted like a child being reprimanded for causing trouble. He bobbed his head up and down at regular intervals and seemed to whisper something from time to time. At last, the high-caste superior swiped a glance at Sanjae before leaving without another word. Mr. Gandhi Sanjae carefully approached the supervisor. Sanjae, Mr. Pandit told me a lot of things just now. For once, the supervisor was not in a pissy mood. Instead, he quickly stated in a serious tone. Varos crew who were working the night shift last night had something to do and asked for leave, but I rejected their request. Ah, you mean Varos entire crew requested for a leave? Sanjae was slightly amused by this. He was well acquainted with Varos crew. All four members of his crew lived in the slums just like he did. Their families relied on their measly salary to survive. To be able to work in Blackwatch was a great privilege for the people in the slums as the company offered the highest salary in the market for even the lowest position in the hospital. Furthermore, the company had a strict policy to discourage discrimination against lower-caste employees. Therefore, many Dalits sought opportunities to work here. With this context provided, why would Varos crew request for leave? Sanjae remembered this one time when Varo refused to take a leave even when he caught a fever and toughed it out during his shift. After all, taking too many leaves may give the company reason to fire you and this was the worst possible fate for every Dalits in the country. Dont interrupt me! The supervisor barked with a frown on his face and went on. I hope that you can hold out for whats coming next because what youre about to see might test your mental fortitude. With that said, I have high hopes for you and hope that you can stay with us and do your job properly, understand? Yes, got it, Mr. Gandhi! Sanjae nodded profusely. He was slightly taken aback, even flattered that the supervisor was not chewing him out as usual. If you can preserve and keep up your work efficiency during this period, Ill be sure to put in a good word for you in front of Mr. Pandit after all of this comes to an end. if Mr. Pandit is pleased, he just might let you sign an agreement and officially become a faculty member of the hospital Sanjaes jaws dropped when he heard the supervisors tremendous offer. He answered without a second thought, Dont worry Mr. Gandhi, I wont falter no matter what I see next! Good Sanjae nodded his head firmly and left skipping up and down. After hastily making his way to the warehouse lobby, he went for the old janitor at the counter. Mister, Im from the sanitation department and Im here to get a set of protective suits. Oh, the sanitation department The old man squinted and sized Sanjae up with scrutinizing eyes. There was a curious look in his eyes that Sanjae could not make out. After several glances, the old man got up and went into the warehouse. He took a plastic packet out of a stack of containers and set it on top of a table. Here it is, sign your name here and you can go. Sanjae proceeded to sign his name and left the warehouse with the plastic packet in hand. Then, he went to the hospital morgue. The hospitals morgue was located in a building a distance away from the hospital building. The building was moderately sized, around the length of a basketball court. Inside were rows of refrigerated lockers that numbered up to the hundreds. Even during the hospitals peak period, the morgue had never reached maximum capacity. When Sanjae arrived at the morgue, he saw several soldiers clad in military outfits with live weapons posted by the gate. In addition, the entire morgue was surrounded by large sheets of plastic film, leaving only a small passage erected at the entrance and exit of the morgue. A makeshift sanitation zone was set up and connected to the entrance of the morgue. This meant that to enter the morgue, one would have to pass through the sanitation zone to be thoroughly disinfected before passing through the passage into the morgue. Sanjae was shocked by this display. Whos that? One of the soldiers immediately stepped forward when he saw Sanjae and eyed him up and down. Wherere your documents? Oh, over here, sir! Sanjae gulped when he saw the gun in the soldiers grip and hastily produced his documents. May I enter now, sir? Go ahead. After verifying the documents, the soldier waved Sanjae in and the other soldiers made way for him as well. With that, the slightly traumatized Sanjae paddled into the sanitization zone. What he saw inside the sanitization zone would shock him for the third time today. Inside the dimly lit sanitization zone was a man that he had never seen before who greeted him with a strange smile. Dear Mr. Sanjae, Im Joey, a series of Androids developed by Blackwatch. Now, please follow my instructions and put on your positive pressure protective clothing. The mans voice was completely mechanical. It took Sanjae a moment to realize that this person was not a real human. An Android? After the Android introduced itself, Sanjae started to inspect the robots body out of sheer curiosity. There were several Androids in the hospital as well, but they were usually posted at the reception as consultants so Sanjae had rarely, if not ever seen them. Mr. Sanjae, please follow my instructions and put on your positive pressure protective clothing, thank you for your cooperation. When Sanjae tried to step forward and touch the Android, it took a step back on reflex and reminded again. Oh, oh, sorry Sanjae nodded embarrassingly. After that, he put on the positive pressure protective clothing by following a set of complicated instructions provided by the Android. To this point, Sanjae still was not informed of what was happening in the hospital. However, Sanjae knew better than to ask questions since as far as he was concerned, all he needed to do was complete whatever task the hospital appointed to him. Could anything else be more important than the punctually paid, fixed salary he received every month? Therefore, he obediently put on the protective clothing as he was instructed. Then he clicked a button as he was told and was showered with disinfectant solution. After completing a set of lengthy procedures, the Android finally announced, Dear Mr. Sanjae, youve completed the disinfection process. Please step into the door in front to enter the morgue. Alright Sanjae found himself slightly embarrassed when the Android was being so courteous with him. In all his life, nobody had ever addressed him with something as dignified as Dear Mister. After lifting off a sheet of curtains, Sanjae walked past the passage and made his way toward the morgue. Before he opened the door, he heard a muffled conversation coming from inside. Why isnt the next shift here yet D*mn it, that b*stard Sanjae must be late I dont want to be stuck with these gross corpses anymore, they mustve been cursed by Shiva I cant stand it anymore It was the voice of Varo and the others. Sanjae hesitated for a moment but still ended up cautiously pushing the door open anyway. Sanjae, youre finally here! When he pushed open the door, he saw Varo and another colleague wearing the same protective clothing as he did. Even their heads were completely covered as well. There was a stretcher with sheets of white cloth laid over it beside them. When they heard movement at the door, they turned around like frightened birds. They were extremely relieved to see Sanjae arriving. B*stard, youre late! Varo gritted his teeth. Would you look at what time it is? You made us wait for half an hour! Im sorry, Mr. Varo Sanjae tried to explain, I arrived before eight, but I had to get the protective suit at the warehouse, then there were all these disinfection processes which made me Alright, thats enough explaining! Varo rudely cut Sanjae off. Its the morning shifts turn to take care of these corpses now. That brat Garava took the day off as well so its just you now. Alright, no problem. Sanjae was growing ever more confused. He did not know why these two suddenly came to hate their jobs so much. After all, they entered this profession a year or two before he did. Keep up the good work, you poor sob Sanjae! The colleague next to Varo stepped forward and patted Sanjae on the shoulder. He slapped Sanjaes shoulders so hard that he felt a tinge of pain running through his shoulders. With that, the two took off immediately as if it would kill them to linger just a second longer. After the two left, Sanjae surveyed around the morgue and noticed that most of the bodies covered underneath the white cloth bulged up like a mountain. It seemed like it was not just a single corpse covered underneath but several stacked together. Huh It only just occurred to Sanjae that he should have asked Varo what was happening and why the corpses were not deposited in the lockers. Unfortunately, Varo had left. These corpses werent here when I left last night. Does this mean the hospital received all these corpses overnight? Sanjae found it strange. He scanned through the morgue and counted nearly fifteen stretchers, which meant fifteen bodies. Seeing as there was not much else he could do, he pulled an empty locker open and approached the nearest stretcher to check the tag strapped to the deceaseds legs. This was his job description C to move these corpses into cold storage so they would not rot until the police or relatives came to claim the bodies. The moment he flipped the cloth over, he was stunned by what he saw. He saw three pairs of pale legs underneath the cover Three pairs of legs meant three bodies since the common person only had a pair of legs. What the hell? Sanjae complained. He did not understand why three bodies would be piled up together in the same stretcher. This should not be acceptable for many reasons, whether it was for preserving the reputation of the hospital or to avoid complaints from the relatives of the deceased. With that in mind, he threw the entire cloth out of the way. As soon as he did that, he was presented with the sight of a horrifying, deformed, and twisted corpse This corpse. No, all three corpses were mashed together like the way conjoined babies did. The heads of two of the corpses were joined together like a gourd while the head of the third corpse drooped over to the side. Furthermore, their bodies were mixed together and became so bloated it looked like a gigantic drum. They were joined together almost seamlessly; it seemed like they were born like this. It was chaotic, distorted, utter madness These were the first thoughts that came to Sanjaes mind when he saw this. Although there was not a single drop of blood on the three corpses and their expressions seemed completely at peace, he still felt an immediate throbbing pain in his mind. Sanjae immediately felt like throwing up No, I cant vomit here I just had breakfast Just as he was about to throw up, he remembered that the breakfast he had this morning had to last him until the evening. If he vomited now, chances were he was not going to get to eat any food until the next morning. He would also have a terrible stomachache and would have to deal with it for the entire working day. With that in mind, he suppressed the immense urge to throw up. After suppressing this terrible urge, Sanjae quickly understood why these corpses were not put in the freezer. It was because they were simply too large. The lockers were not designed for corpses of these sizes. What happened to these corpses? What happened to them? Sanjae wondered, his heart drummed against his chest. [1] Brahmins, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, Sudras, and Dalits categories of Indias social structure caste system. Chapter 536 - Infection It took insurmountable willpower to stay with these corpses for the entire day. Although at this point Sanjae had been well acquainted with corpses, he was still filled with an overwhelming sense of dread and disgust when surrounded by them. Complete, unfiltered disgust. It seemed like these corpses were still alive. Not only were the corpses twisted, but they also seemed to be constantly twisting and bending Sanjaes mental state. Every second spent with these corpses was torture. Still, Sanjae forced his trembling hands to move and lifted the cloth off of another stretcher. Then the third, then the fourth Nearing the end, he felt like he was about to lose his mind. He wanted to shut his eyes but the moment he did so, the image of these corpses would arise in his mind. He wanted to forget but there was nothing he could do to achieve that. It felt like the shape of these corpses were branded into his mind, like a sharp knife twisting and turning inside his mind, driving his psyche to a point of insanity. At one point, Sanjae passed out Fuse with us, fuse with us, for were all alone. Its only by fusing into one, fusing into one Inside his dream, he heard the repeated murmur. The nightmare seemed to corrode into his brain and caused him to knit his brows together like he was in inexplicable pain. Hey, wake up! After what seemed like forever, Sanjae felt the touch of someone shoving him and he slowly opened his eyes. He saw several people dressed in protective clothing and polyethylene helmet staring back at him. Sanjae raised his hands to rub his eyes but remembered that he had a polythene helmet on as well. After he came to his senses, he pushed himself up along the wall and stared back at them, visibly confused. There were five of them. All of them were forensic doctors who regularly came to the morgue to perform autopsies. Hi there, forensic doctors. Sanjae bowed courteously. He was slightly ashamed of having fainted and would not dare to look into their eyes. What is this, its working hours and youre just sleeping here? The forensic doctors teased him, How do you even manage to fall asleep in this place? No, I didnt, I wasnt Sanjae stammered, I was just One of the forensic doctors waved him away. They only meant to tease him and were not expecting an answer anyway. Well take it from here, were going to dissect these bodies now. You can leave now unless you have something else to do. Got it. Sanjae was grateful for not having to get in trouble and quickly left before they could change their minds. He passed through the previous passage and into the isolation zone again and saw the Android named Joey still standing faithfully at its post. It instructed him how to thoroughly disinfect himself and to take off the protective suit. After he took off the protective suit, he was instructed to not leave from the route in which he came in, but to use another exit. After disinfection, please head out this way. Where does this lead to? Sanjae was puzzled by this and looked at Joey. The Android quickly explained, Dear Mr. Sanjae, according to regulations, after touching the corpse, youll need to be isolated for a short time. Over the next month, youll be responsible for overseeing the morgue during the day. At night, you can follow down this exit to stay in the quarantine room the hospital has prepared for you. Hold on, I didnt touch the corpses Sanjae quickly refuted, I was wearing the protective suit the entire time. Theres no way I could be exposed! Dont worry, its just standard procedures. Joey said with a smile. Its smile seemed so manufactured and ingenuine, it seemed like nothing more than a practiced twitch of a facial muscle. But my family Sanjae still tried to explain. Weve informed your family members. The Android cut off his final route of escape. The hospital has signed an agreement with them and received their permission, please dont worry. Left without a choice, Sanjae reluctantly stepped into the exit. At the other end of this new passage was a newly constructed quarantine zone. The walls of the quarantine zone were marbly white and had stamped labels on the doors numbering from one to ten. Another Android appeared in the corridor and pointed at one of the rooms. Dear Mr. Sanjae, please enter quarantine room five. Sanjae nodded in response and opened the door to quarantine room five and he was greeted by two familiar figures. The moment he saw them, there was an indescribable dryness in his tongue and a strange throb in his heart. These sensations left as soon as they came. He paused briefly, unsure if what he just felt was all in his head. Sanjae recognized the two people in the room. Varo? There was no mistaking it. It was his colleagues who had left earlier this morning. As it turned out, the two of them could not leave and had to be quarantined just like himself. Sanjae, youre here as well! Varo was a completely different person from this morning. He sat in his single bed and looked around the room with an agonizing look. Were stuck here, theres no way out Not stuck, were just quarantined. Sanjae replied. Whats the difference? Varo was at a loss. He slammed his fist against the wall. I shouldve figured, those corpses must contain some viral infectious disease! Chances are were already infected. That wont happen, we were wearing very expensive protective suits. All of this only implies that the hospital wouldnt simply give up on us! Sanjae tried to cheer up his colleague. You think so? Why would the hospital care about people like us? Sanjaes efforts proved fruitless as Varo was still sorrowful. It wont take long before we turn into those twisted, disgusting corpses. A bunch of corpses fused Before Varo could finish his sentence, they heard another round of footsteps from outside the door. Sanjae stepped to the door and tried to open it to take a look outside. That was when he noticed that the door was locked Looks like another group has entered. Varo remarked somberly when he saw what Sanjae tried to do, All of the people who come into contact with the corpses, whether theyre the relatives, hospital staff, people like you and me, even the police All of them have to be quarantined! How could this be Sanjae could not believe the extent to which Blackwatch could go to After an indiscernible amount of time had passed, Varo and the other colleague were slowly regaining their composure. After an entire night of working the night shift, they were exhausted by this point. After finishing the food handed to them through the window, the two of them had fallen asleep in their beds. Their deafening snores resounded across the room. Sanjae, on the other hand, sat idly in his bed and quietly ate the food provided. It was curry rice, a delicacy that he rarely got to eat. Each grain of rice shone like glittering gold underneath the sunlight. The curry was mouth-watering. He only ever got to afford a meal like this when he worked overtime. This was because he was a non-official employee of the hospital and was not allowed access to the canteen. Only staff members with the official employee certificate were allowed to eat in the canteen. Throughout the last three years, he had been using the temporary certificate issued. For some reason he could not quite put a finger in, perhaps influenced by the horrible sights he saw this morning, he was unable to fully savor the delicious food. Although the meal was undoubtedly delicious, there was still a sinking feeling in his chest that he just could not wring himself free of Clack The lunch box in Sanjaes hand clattered onto the ground, spilling golden curry onto the floor. He got up stiffly and turned to look at the two people sleeping in their beds behind him. The two of them were sleeping soundly. For some reason, while Sanjae stared at the two sleeping men, his expression was peculiar. His expression seemed to spell an uncanny sense of longing, a tinge of pain, and of internal conflict. Fuse with use, fuse with us, for were all alone. Its only by fusing as one, fusing as one The same chanting in his head again. It started as a whisper but as he slowly approached the two of them, the voice started to grow louder in his head, to a point where it had drowned out everything in his mind! For were all alone. Its only by fusing as one, fusing as one The voice pulsed in Sanjaes mind. It howled and raged like a thunderstorm, completely overwhelming the last of his thoughts. He came beside the nameless colleague and raised his hand and touched his face. Something outlandish happened! Sanjae saw his right hand touching the sleeping mans face and he watched in awe as his hand started to alter its shape. His skin and bones seemed to transform into some other kind of substance. His hand slowly sunk into the mans face that started to take on the same transformation and before long, his hand had sunk into the mans head! Face with such queer imagery, Sanjae smiled with great pleasure like a mad man Bang! Just as he was about to pull himself closer to fuse further, the door was flung open. Several soldiers wearing black combat suits barged inside. One of the soldiers fired at Sanjaes arm without so much as a warning or hesitation! Bang! The next second, Sanjaes bones splintered and his arm was split. He cried out an inhuman roar and charged at the soldier in a state of craze! However, his physique was no match for the heavily-built soldier. The soldier easily shoved him out of the wave and threw him on the ground! After that, a swarm of soldiers leaped at Sanjae to hold him in place and carried him out of the room. The remaining soldiers stepped into the room and inspected the man on the bed. They saw that Sanjaes severed hand had completely fused into his head and through the brain. There was no saving this man now. Meanwhile, on the other bed, the man named Varo climbed up and slowly opened his eyes. What, whats going on? Varo was woken up by the commotion. He saw Sanjae who was getting dragged out and another soldier in a black combat suit standing at the foot of his bed. The soldier did not say anything. He only glanced at Varo before exiting the room, leaving behind the confused Varo. The fusing process has been interrupted. Meanwhile, in an underground hall located in another corner of the earth, in Namibia. Chen Chen looked at the virtual display hovering in the air that displayed footage of Sanjaes fusing. We now have confirmation that the protective suits are unable to prevent the infection. Little X noted. On the contrary, the good news is that the Black Knights are unaffected by this peculiar fusing phenomenon. Regardless of how many times they come in and out of these quarantine zones, none of them have exhibited these symptoms. Chen Chen did not speak. He watched silently as the Punjani man named Sanjae was taken to a secret laboratory to have a full-body inspection conducted on him. A thorough inspection of his brain, organs, blood, and even the previously severed limb was to be conducted. Its just like the research report in the Spire Experimental Base Half an hour later, Little X brought news. No genetic changes are detected nor are there any microorganism infections. Based on our observation, the fused corpses dont exhibit any peculiar abnormalities save for the bizarre method of death. Are you certain that memetic elements arent at play here? Chen Chen was still suspicious of the likelihood of memetic effects. Absolutely certain. Little X was certain of this. Although memetic weapons can achieve these effects, I wouldve detected it at first notice. With that, Chen Chen got up and started pacing around. In this period, he had conducted dozens of experiments. He had tried recording the process of the fusion, he had dissected and studied the fused corpse, and tried to interrupt the fusion process, which was what happened to Sanjae. Till now, all of his efforts were to no avail. The protoplasmic fluid in the meteorite was undoubtedly an alien organism, but it was not infectious. In other words, on a biological level, it did not impose its effects on human cells or by extension, the human DNA. It was a completely harmful substance, even rich in protein, and could be directly consumed by animals. To further research this aspect, the Spire Experimental Base had conducted experiments and fed the protoplasmic fluid to animals and Delta-level subjects. The observation was that neither the animals nor the humans seemed to exhibit any symptoms of having become infected However, the Delta-level subjects who drank the protoplasmic fluid began having strange dreams By this point, the Spire had figured out a certain pattern, which was that the protoplasmic fluid did not have any effects on animals, plants, and to a certain extent, humans as well. The strange thing was that despite not imposing any effect on the human body directly, they soon started having strange dreams. Furthermore, when two people had both come into contact with the protoplasmic fluid, they tended to fuse under certain conditions. This phenomenon of fusing was beyond comprehension. Human bodies were not liquid. How was it possible for this fusion process to occur? The nature of this mystery was nothing short of terrifying. It was observed that it was possible to interrupt this fusion process, just like what happened just now when Sanjaes fusion was interrupted. Upon being interrupted, the fusion process was halted temporarily, but the participants of the fusion would lose control of themselves and become extremely aggressive. After that, their brain would begin to rapidly deteriorate and they would die of brain death within ten hours. It doesnt affect animals, but affects humans. Chen Chen frowned and stared at the display. At the same time, it doesnt affect the Black Knights Would it be right to assume that this alien substance only imposes its effects on life forms with self-conscience? In that case, how does it infect humans with protective clothing? Could it be It seemed an idea suddenly came to Chen Chen. He squinted, a faint glow slowly emerged from underneath the pitch-black pupils. Chapter 537 - Hypothesis Inside a certain level-five biosafety laboratory in the Spire Experimental Base. Dozens of researchers were gathered in the command room. They silently observed two Delta-level subjects who were lying on the experiment table through the observation window. Both of these subjects were injected with a rich amount of tranquilizers and had fallen into a deep slumber. Both of them did not wear any form of protective clothing and were fully exposed to the environment in the laboratory. Of these two subjects, one had already been infected with the protoplasmic liquid and the other one was not infected, and had only just entered the laboratory for the first time. It was X-111 who called for this experiment. The request was issued by none other than the person with the highest authority in the Spire laboratory C Chen Chen. Although they were uncertain of what Chen Chens motives were, the supervisor of the laboratory was not going to disobey Chen Chens instructions any time soon. They faithfully did as they were instructed. The instructions are to put the infected person in the isolation chamber. The main supervisor instructed in the command room and soon after that, the Androids did as they were told. They obediently carried the infected Delta-level subject into the isolation chamber. The isolation chamber was a structure shaped like a sleeping bag made of plastic mold that could house a regular person. An oxygen supply device was installed into one of its compartments which supplied oxygen to the person inside. After this was done, the supervisor further instructed, Now, bring another conscious, infected subject into the laboratory. Instruct the Androids to evacuate the research space. The Androids performed their task obediently. Shortly after that, a nervous-looking Delta-level subject who was an Owambian was brought into the laboratory. He first surveyed his surroundings cautiously and when he saw that the Androids had left the laboratory, he began pacing around. The subject saw the vast amount of equipment set up in the laboratory as well as two stretchers placed in the middle. However, he could not see the crew of researchers observing him from the second floor. From where he stood, he could only see a panel of reflective glass on the second floor. After that, he noted two of his fellow Delta-level subjects in the laboratory with him. One was lying on a stretcher while the other was inside an isolation chamber. The subject that was not infected but exposed to the environment in the laboratory was labeled as subject one while the other subject who was already infected and put into the isolation chamber was labeled subject two. When he saw subject two who was inside the isolation chamber, there was a sudden twitch in his stiff expression. He seemed to be troubled by something. This only lasted for a split second and soon after that, his expression returned to normal. After that, he started to slowly approach the two subjects that were laying near each other, one in the isolation chamber and another on a regular stretcher. The researchers in the command room took this as an indication that the infected subjects fusion state was triggered. As expected, the infected subject completely ignored subject one. He went to subject two who was lying inside the isolation chamber and viciously tore the covers open. He seemed pleased to see subject two lying bare in front of him. A faint smile slowly formed on his lips as he threw himself onto the subject Crunch crunch The sound of flesh and bones mashing together. The two infected individuals fused as the host of researchers observed this eerie process Alright. Next up, take care of the fused corpse and leave subject one be. Bring in a replacement for subject two! Following the supervisors order, another infected subject who was shot with a dose of tranquilizer was brought into the laboratory and put inside a new isolation chamber. This time, they had injected an approximately ten-millimeter dosage of protoplasmic liquid into the original subject one. Based on what they know of the alien substance thus far, subject one should be infected now as well. The research crew waited for nearly three hours to account for the duration it may take for the protoplasmic liquid to integrate itself into subject ones body. After that, another conscious and infected subject was brought to the laboratory again. They hypothesized that now that another conscious and infected subject had entered the laboratory, the infected subject should choose to fuse into subject one. Although subject one was not infected previously, he should be infected now since he had the protoplasmic liquid injected. However, the infected subject chose the newly appointed subject two instead. Whats going on? Isnt subject one infected as well? The supervisor was baffled by this observation. Did we not inject enough protoplasmic liquid into him? They waited another three hours and repeated the same experiment. There was no difference. The new infected subject brought into the laboratory chose the replacement for subject two again. It was as if subject one did not even exist Could it be because subject one isnt infected? They were not sure what to make of this. How could this be Sometime later. They repeated the same experiment more than ten times by now, suspecting that the first few times were mere coincidences. However, the experiment still turned out the same way every time, where the infected would rather fuse into subject two instead of subject one who was lying out in the open. In the end, they decided that it was no longer necessary to let the infected choose between two subjects. This time, a new conscious, infected subject was brought into the laboratory where there was only the unconscious subject lying on the stretcher. The infected person would not fuse with subject one. Whats going on, could it be that the subject isnt infected by the protoplasmic liquid because he wasnt conscious during the injection process? They began to speculate. How could this be They started debating amongst themselves. Unbeknownst to them, while they were conducting this experiment, Chen Chen was also observing them from somewhere deep underground. He seemed fascinated by the result of this experiment and started pacing around excitedly. Is this how it is? I cant believe I never thought of this Sir Godfather? Little X asked, Unless something went wrong with the experiment, doesnt this conclude that unconscious people cannot be infected by protoplasmic fluid? Yes, the infected subjects want a suitable fusing partner, but they would much rather tear through the isolation chamber to get to subject two instead of fusing with the completely defenseless subject one. What does this imply? Chen Chen asked, Doesnt this mean that the unconscious person cannot be infected? Because theres no infection, the infected person will not choose the unconscious person as the target of integration? That leads us to another question, why is it that the subject didnt come to be infected by the protoplasmic fluid when unconscious? It seems clear to me now that the deciding factor is consciousness! Chen Chen rambled on and on then took a deep breath. He could feel his heart beating against his ribcage. There was no telling if this was fear or excitement. After you discard all unlikely possibilities, no matter how ridiculous the final possibility is, its undoubtedly the correct answer This means that this alien protoplasmic fluid doesnt infect our body, but our consciousness instead! Its an infection of the consciousness! Consciousness infection? Little X muttered, That explains why the dead, plants, and animals cannot be infected. This is why the subjects drugged with tranquilizers arent infected, but people in protective suits can be infected Everything had come to light now. This was the only way to explain why the infected subjects chose the person inside the isolation chamber who was already infected instead of the subject who was injected with protoplasmic fluid while unconscious. As Little X mentioned this, she became appalled. If this is a consciousness infection, doesnt this mean that everyone in the Spire Experimental Base is infected as well? No, I dont think thats likely. Chen Chen shook his head and sounded very confident. This isnt a memetic effect, why would someone be infected by merely watching? Theres no way that this fusion death phenomenon transmits using a simple line of sight. Only something nonsensical like memetic effects transmits itself using senses such as sight or hearing. Based on what Ive seen so far, I deduce that the protoplasmic liquid requires two conditions to pass on its effects! The first condition is a connection of consciousness. The second condition is distance! Chen Chen summarized. No matter how powerful the infection medium is, there has to be a certain distance limitation. The same factor that applies to viruses and bacteria must apply to this protoplasmic fluid that infects human consciousness as well You get what I mean? This means that seeing, touching or any form of contact with the infected corpses or even the protoplasmic fluid isnt the cause of infection. The real cause of infection is consciousness and distance. The infection of this protoplasmic liquid requires these two conditions to be met to transmit its effects! All this time, it was just distance? Little X saw the connection and ruminated on the idea. If your deduction is correct, I suspect that its range should be rather short, perhaps no more than a two-meter radius. If it exceeded a two-meter radius, everyone in the command room and the Spire Experimental Base wouldve long been infected by now! Thats right, the reason I deduced that it had a specific range is that units like consciousness are very arbitrary. Chen Chen nodded and reflected. Theres no sure measure for human consciousness. Everything ranging from what we see, what we hear, and what we touch counts as an interaction at a conscious level. If this substance isnt limited by a certain range, a lot more people wouldve been infected by now. I agree with you that its range should only be somewhere between one to two meters. After having arrived at this conclusion, everything became much easier. Chen Chen ordered the Spire to conduct more experiments with more Delta-level subjects. After dozens of experiments and hundreds of Delta-level subjects sacrificed for the greater good, it was finally determined that the infection radius of the protoplasmic liquid was 118.36 centimeters! This meant that observing the corpses beyond this radius was safe! But how is it that a virus that affects the human consciousness alters the nature of their body as well? Little X still found it bizarre. It wouldve more memetic effects, but we have concluded that this isnt memetic but only a protoplasmic substance. Are you suggesting that its supernatural? Chen Chen broke out of his thoughts. No, this isnt a supernatural phenomenon, Id say its closer to the Field in my mind. Although the Field is an invisible entity, it can affect matter and transcend above Newtons laws. If my theory proves correct, the protoplasmic liquid should equip force similar to Field. Even if we were to argue that its supernatural, its only because it has surpassed humans current scope of understanding of science. Since the beginning of time, humans have always described things that they dont understand as being supernatural or divine. If you think about it, does this truly transcend science? Even something like the memetic effect can be boiled down to science. I doubt this fusion death effect would be any different. Chen Chen concluded. What Im saying is that the protoplasmic liquid is merely an unexplored territory of science. What we need to do now is to figure out its principles and end it at its source! X, forward what weve discovered to the Blacklight Foundation and ensure all the continents receive word of this as well. With this aspect figured out, we may have a chance at curbing the advance of this crisis. Understood, Ive forwarded the message. Little X replied, But the situation doesnt look good. The fusion death phenomenon hasnt reached the end of its outbreak period yet. Its been a week since the meteorite fell and there have been more than a hundred thousand deaths. Although the protoplasmic liquid loses its potency after around three to five days, every human it manages to infect in that duration becomes a new source of infection. So far, the world has suspended all shipping routes, closed down ports, and shut down forums discussing these events on the Internet. However, the common people have noticed that something was happening, especially with many cities and regions closed off. Based on the simulated models established by the investigation team, human society may face collapse within half a month. Were in an urgent race against time. Besides, even you are Little X stopped suddenly, her tone defeated. Chen Chen could only shake his head wordlessly in response. He was infected by this cursed substance as well. It was only dormant because he had not seen another infected nearby. Once he left this place, there was a chance that he may lose control and fuse with others. Then, there would be no way to save him. Was the alternative to stay in this place for the rest of his life? Furthermore, whenever he went to sleep, he would find himself having those strange dreams again. There was a voice deep inside him that urged him, again and again, to fuse with the other infected. Chen Chen was only able to overcome these thoughts because of his mental strength. However, as time went on, he noticed those voices growing louder and it was getting harder to overcome them. Chen Chen suspected that with every new casualty, the deceased became a fuel for this voice in his head and made it stronger Although this was a ridiculous assumption, so much that Chen Chen had a hard time believing it, he was beginning to have an inkling suspicion that his worst nightmares were about to become reality. It was something that could not be comprehended by modern science, slowly awakening from its slumber by using human life to supplement itself Chapter 538 - Consciousness Stealer The Helcionelloida, an ancient creature that existed five hundred million years ago, went extinct about four hundred million years ago. Its the oldest known conchiferous mollusk. This creature lives deep undersea and due to the timeframe of its existence, humans understanding of it largely stems from its resulting fossil structure. Based on known fossils, humans infer that this kind of creature should be hermaphrodite and dont need to mate to reproduce. Furthermore, they are born with a unique paired nerve that doesnt contain a dedicated nerve center. This unique implementation enables the nerve tissues to survive even if the muscle tissue perishes. Meanwhile, the characteristic of the shells on their body resembles rings seen in tree trunks. This means that the longer they live, the more layers are developed on their outer shells. From this, we can see the method of their generational reproduction. After one dies, a new one comes to take its place by taking over the body of the predecessor. This biological trait does put an upper limit to the size of its population but as long as the living environment allows it, its paired nerve and cell structure give it the ability to reproduce infinitely inside its shell Chen Chen sat in his seat and looked at the display in front of him. A paleontologist in the Spire was describing this creature to the team: The Acipenser Sinensis Gray is also another unique creature with this similar paired-nerve. Its categorized somewhere between an invertebrate and semi-vertebrate and has protective shells similar to the Acipenser Sinensis Gray. It has no natural enemies in nature unless a predator manages to eat it whole and completely dissolve it with stomach gastric juice. Otherwise, it can still survive as long as a part of the neural network is left intact. This creature went extinct during the Triassic period. Just like most large insects, it perished due to the dramatic shift in oxygen content in the atmosphere. The paleontologist went on. These ancient beings are as close as you can get to finding immortal life on Earth. Just imagine what it would be like if your body may deteriorate over time and die, but your brain can switch bodies and live on forever. The paleontologist smirked. Of course, this is just a metaphor. The reason why this insect can achieve this isnt that its a superior life form to human beings. On the contrary, its precisely because its a simple organization of cells that enables them to achieve such a unique trait and allow them to essentially resurrect infinitely. This is a double-edged sword because, despite the aspect of immortality, it makes it so that it has never evolved over billions of years of survival The protoplasmic fluid were currently dealing with is very similar to these ancient beings. What we find peculiar is that although the protoplasmic fluid doesnt contain neural networks, it can infect our consciousness in a way we cannot understand. This is what led to the phenomenon of human fusing This extraterrestrial life form seems to be attempting to use us, humans, as a substitute as a neutral network. It wants to resurrect using humans Thanks to Blackwatchs concentrated effort in dealing with this crisis, were given the rights to name this new substance. After some meeting with the internal department, we have named this newly discovered creature as Consciousness Stealer. At this time, Little X was standing behind Chen Chen and massaging his shoulders like a masseuse. She noted. Research on this protoplasmic substance is progressing very slowly. It seems to be very picky and takes zero interest in life forms without consciousness or non-sophisticated life forms. Only sophisticated, higher tier life forms such as humans managed to fulfill its conditions Theres not enough time Chen Chen uttered. There were dark circles formed under his eyes, a sign that he had not been getting much sleep recently. Human society will not be able to preserve much longer, there are already reports of mass panic that are slowly growing. Then what should we do? Little X sounded frustrated by this. Weve barely figured out what our enemies do. Unless this mysterious being were to present itself to us, how are we supposed to know how to counter it? Little Xs off-handed remark seemed to give Chen Chen an idea. He immediately gestured for Little X to stop massaging and snapped his fingers. In an instant, his figure appeared in the Spire laboratory! While the paleontologist was still describing the matter, he suddenly noticed the display behind him flashing and casting the figure of Chen Chen. Sir, sir! Mr. Chen There was a commotion in the crowd. There were two to three hundred scientists at the scene, a majority of them were experts in their respective fields. Some of them had only recently joined Blacklight Biotechnology, and this was the first time they met Chen Chen himself. I have an important task for you all. Chen Chen looked at them and went straight to the point. I need to put together a research team to clone a physical form of the alien life using the protoplasmic liquid sample, which one of you is up for the task? What? They were immediately taken aback by this. A tiny amount of body fluid from the alien alone was about to wipe out human life as they knew it. What sort of mad man would want to clone the alien itself? However, some of them quickly saw the reason for it. If that kind of extraterrestrial creature could be brought to life, perhaps it would be easier to figure out how to combat it effectively? Immediately after realizing this thought, they found themselves breathing heavily. Ill be establishing a cloning team. Anyone eager to give it a shot is free to register in the system. Immediately after this announcement, Chen Chens figure vanished from the display. Sir Godfather? Little X asked, Are you sure you want to clone that thing? We know that its carbon-based as well. Although we dont know what the appropriate environment and temperature needed for cultivating it are, its still worth a try at the very least. Chen Chen rubbed his temple that was starting to throb with pain as he pondered. Its just as you say, with the cases rising every day, society is going to descend into mass hysteria anytime soon. Theres no use hiding it anymore, the only choice we have left is to brute-force it. We still have to continue our research efforts on the protoplasmic liquid, we can afford to do both things at once. Thats true, the situation is dire enough as is anyway. Little X remarked. Alright, lets relay our strategy to the Blacklight Foundation. Chen Chen found himself joking about the situation. Better get prepared for the experiment to spiral out of control Following Chen Chens direct order, a new research team with more than a hundred members was established in the Spire. They were further divided into ten separate research teams. Each team was assigned the same task and that was to extract the genetic information from the protoplasmic liquid and perform cloning. However, what would come off as a surprise to every one of them was that the cloning process of this substance was far easier than they ever expected Several days later. The five research teams had yielded visible results. They only implemented the same simulated environment for developing human embryos. The only difference was that they adjusted the ratio of nutrition and the temperature. Each team submitted news of their successful cloning of the owner of the protoplasmic liquid, each one of them with a different set of simulated conditions. This creature can be cultivated in varied temperatures of thirty-five to thirty-nine degrees Celsius? Chen Chen was awed by this revelation. Theres more. Little X noted. The nutrients provided by our research teams to these cultivated embryos include a variety of minerals, urea, uric acid, creatinine, glucose, amylase, and more. All of these nutrients were appropriately absorbed by the embryo. Furthermore, each team used varied amounts of each, and despite that, it didnt seem to have a significant impact. This life form is nowhere like the life forms seen on Earth where the slightest alteration of the cultivation environment results in the death of the embryo. This creature could grow in pretty much any environment! However, Chen Chen was not only not enthused by this revelation. He only grew more worrisome. This suggests that this creature is extremely adaptable. While Chen Chen was reflecting on this discovery, Little X suddenly raised an alert. Oh no, Sir Godfather! We had just moved the formed embryos into the same laboratory to streamline the cultivation process, but four of the five embryos died suddenly! Oh? Chen Chen was alerted by this and looked up at the display that switched to a feed of the laboratory. He saw many researchers pacing around frantically in the command room, each one of them had their eyes fixed on the rows of data flowing through the monitors. Sudden death? Chen Chen asked. Yes. Little X nodded. The embryos were in stable condition but the moment they were moved into the laboratory, the condition of four of the embryos had practically plummeted down a cliff and died within ten seconds! I doubt this is a mere coincidence. Chen Chen noted pensively. Isnt it the same for bee colonies? There must only be one queen in a colony, such observations are very normal in the natural world. This is because the existence of two queen bees causes communication interferences in a colony. A new queen bee can only emerge if the colony is split. Since these creatures can infect humans consciousness, wouldnt it make sense for them to follow a similar rule as well? There must only be one embryo within a certain range. Tell them that theres no need to worry. The protoplasmic liquid was frozen into ice and wrapped into a meteor of several thousand degrees and still managed to survive those conditions. Based on what weve seen of this extremely resilient life form, it should be able to survive in the simulated environment. Chen Chen continued. With that said, its important to not put all our eggs in one basket. Inform the other teams to continue their cloning efforts and dont stop until weve successfully cloned this monster. Got it. The days slowly went by. In the outside world, the fusion death incidents were rising steadily day by day. In just one month, there were already millions of cases reported. Furthermore, this was with the officials trying their best to curb its spread. They went to greater lengths to suppress news of this than during the pandemic in 2020. However, there was little they could do when faced with this protoplasmic liquid that transmitted via human consciousness. The situation was growing dire by the minute. News of this could not be concealed from the general public for much longer The officials were not waiting around for a miracle either. Each one of them tried to find a solution on their own, which included secretly cultivating the alien life form based on the protoplasmic samples to identify its weakness. Meanwhile, the earliest cultivated embryos in the Spire laboratory had grown to about the size of a fist. The cloned alien life grew several times faster than most life forms on Earth. It only took half a month for it to grow to the size of a fist. Previously, the scientists were speculating whether they should treat it the same as human embryos and place it into artificial endometrium. The transplantation into the artificial endometrium had proven successful, but the artificial endometrium was overflowed within several days C it could not handle the tremendous rate of growth of this alien embryo. When this happened, they thought that it would spell the failure of this experiment. Surprisingly, that was when something unexpected occurred. it seemed like the artificial endometrium was not necessary in the first place since the alien life form was able to grow on its own without the need for a simulated environment! When they saw this, they directly inserted the catheter into the embryo to supply it with a combination of nutrients. The embryo absorbed all the nutrients it was given and grew to the size of a fist within several days. By this point, the embryo had grown into what was scientifically defined as a fetus All this while, the Androids were lapping back and forth around the laboratory. Since humans could not get within a 1.1836-meter radius of the alien life form, the Androids had to carry out the work for them. Several researchers monitored the Androids from the control room. One of them sent the Android in front of the life incubator and looked at the ball of meat contained inside. The substance inside could only be described as a black ball of meat. The ball of meat pulsed and squirmed at regular intervals of once every few seconds. Its surface was uneven and one could spot many tiny crevices etched into its skin. They looked like tiny mouths, constantly opening and closing My little baby The researcher drew his face closer to the display to study the ball of meat while slowly muttering, My little baby, just what exactly are you There was an almost perverted excitement in his eyes. Coupled with his unkempt facial hair, he looked like a psychotic serial killer. As he drew his face closer and closer to the screen, one of the tiny slits suddenly quivered. He thought he was seeing things and rubbed his eyes to get a second look. Immediately after that, the slit stretched open to reveal a dark pupil underneath it! Ahh! The researcher was shocked by this and pulled away until he fell off from his chair and landed on his butt. Hahaha! The other colleagues nearby laughed at this comical display. What are you guys laughing at? The researcher glared at them irritably and sat back in the chair. This creature just opened its eyes. Its been happening since yesterday. Another blonde-haired researcher mentioned, This creature grows with every passing day, who knows what its going to turn into Its practically a demon! Chapter 539 - Containment Failure The Consciousness Stealer in the life incubator started to grow rapidly after developing into a fetal state from an embryo. The first day, it was only the size of a regular human fist. By the end of the day, it had doubled in size into the equivalent size of a pineapple. Furthermore, eyes began to appear on the uneven surface of its skin. This creature blinked constantly and looked into the outside world through the steel-framed glass of the life incubator. It seemed to be studying the movements of the Androids around it. Its eyes were like jet-black, shining pearls, carved into the black mass of meat in undetermined patterns. It had approximately fifteen eyes in total. The third day. The Consciousness Stealer continued growing and was now the size of a winter melon. A lump began to form underneath its black-skinned body and its shape was starting to stretch out to resemble a winter melon. Along its sides, four tiny objects shaped like thorns began to stick out This cursed thing Eight researchers monitored the growth of this mass of meat inside the laboratory. The previous disheveled-looking researcher was looking at the report which was recently printed out. It had only been a little more than half a month and the report was already thicker than a dictionary. All of the sampled data of the cloned subject was included in the report. Performing the hourly CT scan. A blonde-haired lady looked at the time and informed the team. After issuing the command, the Androids in the laboratory poked several pieces of equipment through the top section of the life incubator. One of the devices had a compartment that was just large enough to fit the subject inside and project the section view of the subject onto the screen. Looks like a common Coelenterata organism Two images appeared on the display. They were cross-sectional views from the front and side angles of the ball of meat. The image on both displays zoomed in simultaneously and delved into the ball of meat in an x-ray manner. Soon, the internal structure of the subject was put on the display. That elongated part seems like the digestive organ Whats that thing shaped like a human liver? No idea, we can perform a biopsy to find out Those things shaped like beings should be its nervous systems Its internal structure is surprisingly simple. Its cellular structure seems more simple than beings such as leeches and earthworms How about its brain? Where is the brain? Idiot, how would you expect some primitive creature like this to have a brain? The researchers discussed among themselves. Lets perform an aspiration biopsy on it. I hope this little guy can handle it. After further discussions, the senior researcher made a decision. Following his orders, a mechanical arm probed into the top section of the life incubator. A large and thick needle was attached to its end. The needle slowly inched closer to the ball of meat until it made contact with it and slowly slid into it The ball of meat bound inside the CT device suddenly shuddered. All of its eyes immediately snapped wide open as soon as it felt the needle entering its body. At the same time, a vertical slit at the center of its body stretched wide open, making it seem like it was screaming! Its heartbeat is steadily rising! Its currently at a thousand and five hundred beats per minute! One of the researchers looked at the data shown on the display and exclaimed, Is it afraid? Could it sense pain at all? Nobody knew the answer. After the puncture, all of the equipment was retracted and the subject was re-released in the amniotic fluid. Nobody noticed that a tiny, almost invisible crack appeared on the glass of the incubation chamber What was projected inside the alien substances dark eyes was no longer the Androids working in the laboratory, but the second-floor observation window On the fourth day, the alien ball of meat continued stretching longer to a point where it was shaped like cashew. Its upper portion was wide and elongated while the bottom portion was slim. By now, there was a clear distinction between the abdomen and chest section of the alien. Its array of eyes were located on its chest region. Apart from the slit-shaped vertical mouth along its abdomen, there were also countless tiny lumps shaped like tiny masses of cauliflowers. After performing a CT scan, the research team found out that these tiny lumps like a field of cauliflowers were its reproductive organ Furthermore, the four tiny thorns on both sides of its chest were growing larger and were beginning to bend as well. They were shaped like infant wings or perhaps the claws of a beast. They were the feet of the alien. Then came the fifth day, the sixth day, the seventh day After reaching a fetal stage, it only took another week for the ball of meat in the life incubator to grow from the size of a fist to nearly filling out the life incubator. Seeing as there was not much space left in the life incubator, the research team was in talks of relocating the subject to a larger life incubator used for cultivating Tyrants. By this point, the alien life form was nearly two meters tall and a meter and a half wide. It did not have a head. Its chest was essentially a substitute for its head. A myriad of fist-sized pearls could be seen etched into its head and in the cross-section joining its chest and its abdomen. A vertical slit resembling a mouth could be seen By this point, its abdomen was entirely covered in its reproductive organs that were shaped like lumps of spore-filled cauliflowers. They hung along its abdomen like bundles of grapes. The visual was unsettling, especially for people with Trypophobia. The four thorns grown along both sides of its chest had now grown into fully-fledged legs shaped like the legs of a crab. As if that was not baffling enough, the tips of its legs had grown thick layers of cuticle, just like hoofs of livestock such as cattle and sheep. The texture of this alien life forms body was no longer the soft and mushy mash of meat that once was. Instead, it was now replaced with folds of cuticle that reminded one of tree bark and countless strands of flagellum started to grow on its legs and chest. The bizarre, Frankenstein sight of this monster greatly unsettled the host of researchers monitoring it in the control room. What in the world is this creature They leaned on the observation glass and looked at the incubation chamber on the lower floor. The consciousness stealer was basked in amniotic fluid while the strands of flagellum on its body danced to the tiny waves of the fluid. Based on the genetic representation, this creature is still an infant. One of the researchers remarked candidly, If we go by the three-month gestation period pattern of a common life form, Id say that this creature would be the size of a building by the time it fully matures. You think the size of a building is big? A blonde-haired lady scoffed. Since this is an extraterrestrial life form were talking about, it wouldnt even surprise me if it turned out to grow into the size of a mountain. A mountain? Thats crazy! With the continuous growth of this creature, I believe that the higher-ups are getting worried about the prospect of this thing breaking out of containment. Theyre planning to ship it somewhere else The research team made small talk while monitoring the analytics feed. During the conversation, the mechanical arm mounted with the needle head was probing into the incubation chamber for a routine inspection. Due to the mass of the alien fetus growing larger by the day, the needle head that was once only several millimeters thick was now replaced with a larger variant that was more than a centimeter thick. It was a jarring sight to behold. It seemed that the creature inside the incubation chamber was in a restless mood today. The moment the needle pierced into its body again, the mass of the alien fetus pulled the vertical mouth at its center wide open and emitted a piercing screech. Hiss! There was an ear-grating sound of the metallic screech of the structure of the incubation chamber. The life incubator containing the alien could not support the sheer pressure anymore and burst open! Boom! Buckets worth of sour yellow amniotic fluid gushed out of the shattered incubator like a massive torrent and flooded the floor of the laboratory! This is bad! The research team in the command room was horrified when they witnessed what had just happened. The team leader slammed the emergency button on the control panel without hesitation! The alien creature crashed onto the ground as it smashed through the incubation chamber. It did not take long before it picked itself up off the floor with its four oddly shaped legs. In a matter of seconds, the entrance on the ground floor opened rapidly to usher in a team of armored Black Knights. Seeing that the creature was extremely valuable to their cause, Little X made sure to order the Black Knights to exercise caution when subduing this creature. All the creature did was open its mouth. Bang! An invisible force rippled from the alien and tore the group of Black Knights inside out without any warning, causing them to burst into a mist of blood. In an instant, the laboratory was decorated with a fine splatter of flesh and blood! It seemed as effortless as killing several pesky flies. After that, the creature puffed up its stomach like a human would and directed its attention to the second floor! Inside the control room, the eight researchers who were given a glimpse of what this creature was capable of held their breaths collectively. Without a word between them, they sprinted for the exit. They could feel the invisible, imposing aura of the creature! They ran as fast as they could. Then, they heard the horrifying sound of metal being torn apart ruthlessly. One of the researchers turned back and to his dismay, saw that the creature had torn through the protective walls of the command room and arrived at the second floor! The same sequence repeated, it opened the giant slit at the center of its body! Tss-! The eight researchers, one of which was a senior researcher, were torn into innumerable pieces! Hiss-! The creature unleashed a horrifying screech again. It moved forward one step at a time and tore through the steel plates on the floor like sheets of paper as it entered the corridor The Consciousness Stealer had broken out of containment! It was midnight and Chen Chen was lying on a chair trying to get some shuteye. These days, he rarely got much sleep because he would dream those strange dreams whenever he fell asleep. Inside his dreams, he would hear those strange voices telling him to seek for the other infected and fuse with them. Chen Chen suddenly heard the urgent calling of Little X. Sir Godfather, the Consciousness Stealer has broken out of the level-five biosafety laboratory! Little Xs voice tore through the silence and made Chen Chen perk to attention almost immediately as he looked at her. It broke through our defenses? Yes! Little X looked frantic. A surveillance feed immediately appeared in front of her that showed an alien creature with four legs and countless lumps of flesh growing around its abdomen region bursting through the fortified steel walls. It barged through and wreaked havoc around the Spire. Anybody unfortunate enough to come into its path, whether it was the researchers or the Black Knights, burst into a cloud of mist! Chen Chen was alarmed to see something like this happening and exclaimed, What is that power? Even Little X did not have an answer to this question. Immediately after that, the creature was seen taking a magnificent leap off the top of the Spire! The image immediately shifted to another camera that framed the Spire from the outside. However, the figure of the monster could not be made out anywhere in the Spire Experimental Base. All they saw were countless researchers running out of the Spire building. The base was driven into a state of chaos! Where is it? Chen Chen kept switching to different feeds in a desperate attempt to locate the Consciousness Stealer. Up, up there! Little X exclaimed. She switched the feed to the perspective of a Black Knight and saw a pitch-black hole near the top of the Spire. Rocks and sand were crumbling and falling out of it. Its trying to make it to the surface! Little X was growing more agitated by the second. Sir Godfather, we cant stop it! Dont stop it! Chen Chen clenched his teeth and bolted for the direction of the Gantz black sphere. Eco Science City is located on the surface, we cant let it wreak havoc in the city no matter what. I have to distract it myself! But it seems to process an unexplainable power that causes anyone it sees to burst into pieces. Little X tried to dissuade Chen Chen from being reckless. Besides, youre already infected with its consciousness virus Chen Chen did not respond. He stood in front of the black sphere that quickly emitted a ray of blue light on his body. In an instant, Chen Chens figure vanished! Theres nobody else that can fight it other than myself A split second before Chen Chen vanished, he declared, I know what Im doing. Chen Chen saw a ray of blue light filling out his vision and then found himself in the Spire Experimental Base. It was only when he arrived when he realized that at least one-third of the Spire had been destroyed. There was even a column of flame rising out of the top of the Spire. He then saw the Black Knights and Androids making an organized effort to put out the fire. Meanwhile, some other Black Knights aimed their weapons at the researchers who escaped the Spire to discourage them from running around and keep them in place. There was a chance they were already infected! Chen Chen only spared a momentary glance in their direction. The clean-up work could be taken care of by Little X. What should be of utmost priority now was dealing with this alien creature bred from the protoplasmic liquid! The Consciousness Stealer! Chen Chen squinted and lifted his body into the air, into the giant hole the creature carved on the ceiling of the Spire Experimental Base. Massive boulders and sand crumbled out of the hole constantly and served as an obstacle for anyone to trail after the creature. However, this would not stop Chen Chen, of all people. Chen Chens Field paved all of the falling boulders out of the way as he dove into the hole and went after the creature. The tunnel the creature paved did not go straight up but took twists and turns in unordered patterns which made it difficult for Chen Chen to close the gap between them. Bang! After Chen Chen rose around five hundred meters, no more boulders and sand were falling. His heart skipped a beat because he knew what this implied. This meant that the creature had broken through the surface! The creature had made it to the outside world! Chapter 540 - The Mystery Solved The Spire had always been heavily fortified. The underground base was more than seven hundred meters underground, only accessible by two elevators. The entrance of these two elevators was guarded by nuclear bunker gates capable of withstanding the brunt explosive force tactical nuclear warheads. The exterior of the Spire laboratory was also fortified with alloy plating capable of withstanding battle tank shells. Furthermore, the level-five biosafety laboratory was equipped with a complete liquid nitrogen cooling system and a fire suppression system. The researchers dubbed it as the ultimate bunker laboratory. Any creature contained inside this laboratory could only ever dream of breaking out of its confinement! However, all these defensive measures proved to be entirely useless in the face of the Consciousness Stealer. The layer of alloy plating more than half a meter thick was easily torn through as one would tear through a measly piece of paper. All the esteemed suppression systems barely activated before the creature broke out of the laboratory. The creatures raw power was even above that of Chen Chen with the advantage of Field! When Chen Chen received news that the Consciousness Stealer had broken out of the Spire, his heart almost stopped. The Eco Science City was practically Blacklight Biotechnologys foundation and capital of its success. If something were to happen to the world-famous Eco Science City, the global brand of Blacklight Biotechnology would take a major hit! With this in mind, Chen Chen picked up his speed and charged onto the surface! The moment he broke through the surface and saw the cloudless sky of the outside world, he was aghast by what he saw. The creature was levitating in the air! The Consciousness Stealer had an ability similar to Field! The creature floated around a hundred meters above a square in Eco Science City. Then, it began to open the vertical slit located between its chest and abdomen. Meanwhile, its abdomen was also rapidly expanding like a pufferfish. It quickly enlarged several times its original size and took on the shape of a giant ball! Chen Chen did not know what this creature was trying to do but he had prepared himself for whatever was about to come his way. No matter what, he had to stop it! Chen Chen erupted from the underground hole and went after the creature. When he was approximately fifty meters away from the creature, an invisible force shaped like a baseball bat slammed into the creature and sent it flying away in the distance! Thump! The air was knocked out of the creature as its abdomen quickly deflated! Swoosh! The enormous body of the creature was sent flying in the shape of an arc, like a perfect home run hit on a baseball X, take care of this hole in the ground and make sure everyone seeing this has their memories erased! There was a vicious glare in Chen Chens eyes as he geared himself for combat. He rose into skies above, with countless gaping pairs of eyes in Eco Science City watching this otherworldly display. With a roaring explosion that tore through the air, he accelerated into supersonic speed! He went straight for the creature! The creature was previously hit with such tremendous force that would have easily demolished a skyscraper. However, Chen Chen was certain he felt some sort of barrier shielding the creature from his attack. The blow that would have blown it into smithereens ended up only sending it flying away. This creature did appear to possess something similar to Field There was an uncertain look in Chen Chens eyes. Although it was at the height of midnight, the T-virus that enhanced his body to superhuman level had given him extraordinary eyesight. He could clearly see the creature flipping and tossing around in circles nearly a kilometer away. It seemed he had landed quite a significant blow despite the creature seemingly guarding itself against his blow. With just a single blow, Chen Chen had flung it out of the vicinity of Eco Science City! Chen Chen went after it at supersonic speed and made sure to take precautionary measures by wrapping an invisible layer of Field barrier in a fifty meters area around himself. If the creature were to retaliate instead of retreat, Chen Chen was ready for it. The previous research had revealed that he could not allow himself to get within a 1.1-meter radius of the Consciousness Stealer! After the velocity from the attack had expended, the Consciousness Stealer regained its balance. It shrugged in the air momentarily then immediately turned to face the rapidly approaching Chen Chen! There was a visible shift in Chen Chens expression. His thoughts were thrown into a web! Fuse with us, fuse with us For were all alone Its only by fusing The desire to fuse drowned out every thought in Chen Chens mind. His heart was thumping violently at a near-critical rate. His blood pressure immediately skyrocketed, his eyes became bloodshot, and the skin all over his body turned stark red. Even the capillaries in his body were beginning to rupture! Chen Chens supersonic velocity acceleration was immediately cut short. He had a difficult time even suspending himself mid-air This had nothing to do with Chen Chens mental vulnerability. It was a form of pathological disruption, similar to inflicting a terrible disease on someone. Even the strongest, most iron-willed individual would not be able to overcome all diseases in the world and even defeat death itself. His mind was flung into a jumble of chaos and uproar. Chen Chen tried all he could to suppress the unhinged, psychotic thoughts swarming his mind. Suddenly, an idea came to him as he raised his hand and threw a pill into his mouth. The moment he swallowed the pill, his body gave away and dove to the ground below. Seeing this, the Consciousness Stealer jerked its limbs and dove toward Chen Chen as well. The countless, tiny strands of flagellum on its body quivered constantly as it opened its mouth and again as its abdomen began to expand. Its movements made it look like a large jellyfish. Only this was a jellyfish levitating in the skies above As Chen Chen plunged toward the ground from several hundred meters in the skies above, he suddenly came back to his senses. He could feel his mind regaining a sense of clarity as he suspended himself mid-air again and regained his balance as he became resolute again. Chen Chens eyes, nose, and ears were trickling traces of blood. His skin was puffing red like prawns thrown into boiling water. He winced at the rapidly approaching Consciousness Stealer and bellowed, Fire! Boom! The moment he issued the order, a guided missile was launched nearby, dragging a trail of exhaust smoke behind it. It collided with the creature and summoned a dazzling flash of light moments after impact. The flash of light took on a blue luster! Napalm! Chen Chen immediately retreated the moment he saw the guided napalm missile launched. He glared into the direction of the enormous ball of flame and saw the creature tossing and turning inside the fire. It was covered all over in flames! Hiss-! The creature emitted a soul-piercing shriek from within the flames, but Chen Chens eyes still remained alert. He fixed his careful gaze on the ball of flames and prepared himself for whatever was about to come. Previously, the Spire had already concluded reports that the protoplasmic liquid could certainly withstand thousands of degrees of high temperature, but only for a short time. The only instance where it had experienced such extreme temperature was when it was wrapped under the protection of the meteorite surface. At the end of the day, all carbon-based life forms were in one way or another susceptible to fire so it was inevitable. The use of napalm weapons had always sparked debates because of ethical concerns and had long been banned by the Earth Federation. The moment Chen Chen sensed the creatures use of a force similar to Field was when he realized that ordinary missiles would not be enough and he had to resort to using specialized weapons Napalms were unlike ordinary missiles. It was not loaded with TNT explosives, but a jelly substance composed of gasoline and other chemicals. Upon detonation, it formed a splash of flame that splattered everywhere with a rising extreme temperature of up to a thousand degrees. This substance would cling to the surface of its target and continue burning for extended periods! The observation described above was what was happening now. The jelly substance was clinging onto the protection barrier around the Consciousness Stealer. It only had two options now. It could either shed its protection barrier which would cause the napalm chemicals to cling onto its body. Otherwise, it could let the napalm continue burning on its barrier, but this would mean it was stuck inside this cauldron, with a surrounding temperature of up to several thousand degrees! Simply put, the napalm only presented it with two choices: to burn or be roasted to death. This was a solution that Chen Chen had come up with for some time now. He knew that even with his Field, there were still certain modern weapons that he was still vulnerable to. Apart from threats such as atoms and nuclear bombs, another weapon he had to be cautious of was napalm. Therefore, the moment a creature with a power similar to his Field emerged, Little X immediately prepared the napalm to combat it! Chen Chen retreated backward as quickly as he could. Meanwhile, several drones had emerged out of thin air around him. These drones were in a completely camouflaged state, unable to detect by radar, infrared or electromagnetic sources. These drones had long since achieved complete invisibility! This was the technology the Spire had studied from The Predator movie dimension. Chen Chen continued watching silently as the creature struggled valiantly inside the sea of flames. At one point, it made one tremendous leap out of the sea of flames and tried to get away with a ball of flame still stubbornly clinging onto its barrier. Get him! Chen Chen ordered and began to chase after the creature while taking caution to keep a moderate distance between them. Meanwhile, the drones also followed after the creature and trailed closely after it. Due to the creature being encumbered, it did not take long for the drones to catch up to it. After escaping the vicinity of the Eco Science City, the flames were finally dying out. The creatures body had sustained significant burns all over and its cuticle had been charred and turned into darkened layers of epidermis that peeled off as it flew, exposing layers of bloody flesh underneath. Another drone fired another missile at it. This time, the creature had learned its lesson. It nimbly dodged out of the way just in time for the missile to glide past its body. However, it did not expect the missile to detonate despite not landing a direct hit on it! Bang! Another blinding explosion! Hiss-! The creature let out another piercing scream and dragged its burned body off into the distance. The burning jelly chemical substance clung onto its body stubbornly and set it alight with a blue-colored flame! The creature was taught a good lesson of what modern technology was capable of. The consecutive napalm had inflicted major damage on the creature and slowed it down again. This time, it tumbled head-first on a barren plain. Seeing this, Chen Chen started to slow down without much sense of urgency. He stopped several hundred meters in the air and looked down at the monster with a pensive look. Although it possessed an otherworldly strength similar to Field that was capable of tearing through armor effortlessly, its intelligence seemed to complement it quite poorly. If Chen Chen was put into its predicament, he would come up with a multitude of options to avoid the napalm. He could simply retreat into the city just like what happened in The Predator movie. If he was hiding in the city, the humans would be left without a choice other than to sacrifice their common people. Could the Consciousness Stealer that infected human consciousness be such a simple creature? Chen Chen decided to not trouble himself with these thoughts. He waved his hand. Bang! In an instant, another massive column of flame rose into the sky above. The heat of the explosion spread from its center and swept past his feet. The column of flame came from a thermobaric bomb. The thermobaric bomb could instantly vaporize the air within a several-hundred-meter radius from its center of explosion. This was further accompanied by extreme heat that allowed it to demolish any substance on Earth. The wind carried scorching heat in Chen Chens direction. He fixed his gaze on the flame and waited until it dissipated and showed the charred black ground with the chunk of burnt flesh at its center. The Consciousness Stealer was undoubtedly dead by now. Chen Chen only frowned when he saw the carcass of the alien creature. He did not seem impressed or happy about the death of this opponent in the least. That was because he could still feel the pulsing voice lurking somewhere deep inside his mind. This meant that even killing the Consciousness Stealer could not get rid of this consciousness infection effect inside his mind. However, it did seem like the severe symptoms of this infection were starting to lighten Sir Godfather. Little X spoke to Chen Chen through the earpiece, I just received news that the cloned copies of all the other Consciousness Stealers in the Spire laboratory as well as all the other laboratories in the Earth Federation, had died simultaneously without warning! Hm? Chen Chen raised an eyebrow in suspicion. They all died? At the same time as the Consciousness Stealer here? No, it was right at the moment when the Consciousness Stealer broke out of confinement. Little X answered, Based on the timestamp reported, it happened within a three-second window of the event! Chen Chen was amused to hear this report. He looked at the now deceased Consciousness Stealer lying lifelessly on the charred ground. I think I get it now Earlier, I could feel the consciousness infection symptom lightening at least just a little, it was like when I was first infected by it. If we couple that with what you have just told me, I think I can see the connection? Whats the connection? Little X was eager to know about Chen Chens observation. Chen Chen gave a signal for the drones to continue incinerating the body of the Consciousness Stealer with napalm while he stood a safe distance away and remarked, Do you remember what happened previously? When we cloned five Consciousness Stealers and moved them to the same laboratory, four of them died near-instantly, leaving only the strongest one of the bunch that we see here With that, we can verify that this is a phenomenon similar to the selection of a queen bee in a bee colony. In the bee colonys case, the reason for this selection is to suppress the secretion of pheromones. From this, we can observe that the Consciousness Stealers must use a more sophisticated form of suppression ability. I get it now, just like its ability to infect the human conscience, its an advanced inter-space suppression that surpasses humans current scope of scientific understanding! Little X remarked, This means that the moment a Consciousness Stealer breaks out of confinement and makes it to the outside world, its able to suppress all existing common species. Thats why all of the cloned Consciousness Stealers in the world perished at the same time Thats right. Chen Chen nodded thoughtfully. That is correct, furthermore I think I have an idea of how this creature gets the ability similar to Field. It seemed to be the culminated life source of the millions of victims it has claimed, mutated into some form of spiritual power! Chapter 541 - Drinking Poison to Quench Your Thirst After obtaining this result, Chen Chen remained where he was, contemplating. Taking NZT-48 made him temporarily enter a state of extreme calmness. He had not taken this drug for a few years, but today, he still downed a pill when faced with an alien enemy. The endless clues in his mind gradually aligned neatly and the mist before his eyes dispersed little by little. Little X also remained silent. No one knew Chen Chen better than her. At this time, Chen Chens expression showed that he was thinking deeply. As if recalling something, Chen Chen suddenly rose again and flew in the direction of the Eco Science City. At the same time, he asked, Can the Spire still operate? Just about. Little X replied, There are still some laboratories that havent been damaged. But if were starting repairs now, the Spire will have to be temporarily shut down for a month or two. Then forget it. Send the Black Knights to remove the equipment from the level-5 biosafety laboratory. Experimenting in the Spire is too dangerous. Ill just do an experiment in the dimension teleportation hall. The dimension teleportation hall Chen Chen mentioned was the underground hall in which he had isolated himself before. It could only be accessed through the black spheres teleportation. What are you going to do? Little X curiously said, Even the cloning method has failed. Its difficult for us to contain such a powerful monster. No, youre wrong. Chen Chen said without hesitation, The purpose of the experiment is to get clues and weve already obtained a lot of clues, gaining a high level of understanding of this alien creature. Isnt that enough? Youre saying Little X suddenly felt a little confused. Continue cloning. Chen Chen said, Ill continue to clone a Consciousness Stealer. I want to see if the second one will have the same power as the first. At the same time, you have to calculate the number of deaths around the world every day and compile their age, gender, and health status, until the conversion unit is found. I get it. Only then did Little X understand. The first Consciousness Stealer is dead, which means that the minds of the millions of humans it had absorbed have been lost. You want to find out if you clone a Consciousness Stealer again, will it inherit the power of the former? Yes, thats the idea. Chen Chen nodded and said, I have experienced an inexplicable sense of relaxation just now. This sense of relaxation comes from the depths of my consciousness. That craving in my mind has also become very weak. Now it doesnt feel as if Ive been afflicted for one month. Rather, its as if I was only recently infected. So, I suspect that even if a Consciousness Stealer is cloned again, it can only absorb the second batch of fusion deaths and the consciousness of the millions of people who died before has already vanished along with the death of the first Consciousness Stealer The craving that Chen Chen spoke of had come from the depths of his dream. According to the cases in each continent, those who were confirmed to be infected but whose freedom had been restricted to prevent fusion with other infected people, would also undergo mental problems in the long term. Many infected people would develop mania, loss of rationality, hysteria, and other emotions over time, and in the end, they even became unconscious patients in a vegetative state. Although Chen Chens willpower was far superior to ordinary people, this situation had not happened for the time being. He also felt a strong pressure, which was not relieved until the death of the Consciousness Stealer. Understood. At this time, Little X suddenly realized. In other words, as long as we can suppress the rate of consciousness infection, the next cloned Consciousness Stealer will not have the immense power of the first or perhaps even Chen Chen flew back to the Eco Science City again at this time. He came to a building in the city and then entered the hidden teleportation room. The next second, he appeared in the dimension teleportation hall again. From beginning to end, Chen Chen did not have close contact with anyone and currently, no infection had been found in the Eco Science City. Ill even advise the Earth Federation to send those infected to the dimension of Resident Evil. Chen Chen continued. With this, I dont believe that Consciousness Stealers can still transcend the dimensions boundary and acquire the power of the dead in a different dimension! Little Xs eyes immediately lit up. This trick could be described as a drastic measure. The reason that the Consciousness Stealer had infected human consciousness was that, after the infected person died, it would obtain the consciousness power of the deceased and gain power comparable to Field energy. However, if those infected were sent to the other dimension before they died, then the Consciousness Stealer could only watch helplessly because he would lose that power for good. All continents had taken severe measures against this infectious disease. Some small countries even had curfews across the country and had entered a state of preparing for war. If it were the ordinary viruses of the past, they would have been controlled long ago. It was only this invisible, formless, consciousness-infecting entity that could keep spreading. However, the number and frequency of infections during this period had also dropped significantly. Blacklight Biotechnology had even sent millions of androids to the world at cost. All these androids were used as quarantine personnel to prevent recurrent infections. Following this, Chen Chen returned to the dimension teleportation hall to isolate himself. At the other end of the black sphere, various equipment was constantly being transported over. According to Chen Chens explicit order, Little X was going to build a level-5 biosafety laboratory here to continue conducting experiments with Consciousness Stealers. The previous speculations derived by Chen Chen had already been passed on to the four continents through the Blacklight Foundation, which it then passed on to the Earth Federation, and it then passed on to other continents and countries. Sensing that a huge impact on human society was approaching, many continents had chosen to cut off their metaphorical rotting limbs and sent those who were clearly infected but had not died to the planes specially provided for them by the four continents. These planes would fly to the Indian Ocean, cross the Rosen bridge, and land in the dimension of Resident Evil. The forces of the world were forced to be united once more. However, just when the countries of the world began to challenge the limits, Chen Chen at this time had already calmed down. He began to take matters into his own hands and cloned the body of the second Consciousness Stealer. Still, looking at the meat lump in the life incubator, Chen Chen gradually thought about another question. If humans did not create a clone of the Consciousness Stealer, would this kind of monster be unable to resurrect itself even after wiping out the earth? After all, there would be no host body, so even if all human beings were wiped out and an incomparably huge force of consciousness was collected, what could it do? In other words, it was very likely that when enough humans died, the Consciousness Stealer would manifest in the form of a physical body and inherit this formidable power Nonetheless, how would it do this? Thinking of this, Chen Chens expression suddenly flashed. He once again recalled the fused human corpses and gradually understood something. The fusion of the bodies was not without its function. So far, except for those infected who were prevented from fusing, most of the infected had died in the form of fusion. Therefore, was there a possibility that when the power of consciousness was accumulated to a certain level, some human corpses would automatically transform into a Consciousness Stealer? After all, the transformation was only a genetic level change. It was still carbon-based. Perhaps for Consciousness Stealers, transforming human DNA into their own DNA was a piece of cake. If this was the case, then Chen Chens and the continents decision to clone the creature was, on the contrary, disrupting the Consciousness Stealers natural cycle. By cloning it in advance, which would only force its birth before its power reached its peak, was like induced ripening. Similarly, the power of this cloned Consciousness Stealer had not accumulated to a certain extent, so it could be easily wiped out by Chen Chen! Thinking of this, Chen Chen was even more confident. If this was true, then naturally he would have to keep on cloning. Otherwise, when it had accumulated enough human consciousness to be born from human corpses, it would likely have the power to destroy the world Chen Chen would never allow this to happen. The Indian Ocean was close to Mauritius. There were more than dozens of cruisers stationed here all year round and even Northern America had stationed an aircraft carrier here. These vehicles wandered the waters all day to prevent any ships from approaching. This sea area had gradually become a well-known secret and it had even begun to circulate on the Internet that there was a gate to another world in this sea area. At this time, another military cargo plane flew in from the Indian Continent. As the continent most infected by the Consciousness Stealer, the Indian Continent was also the continent from which most planes were dispatched. Due to the lack of local official capacity, the planes used to transport infected people in India were funded by the Earth Federation and rental for this service was pretty low too as it was used only to maintain fuel and cost prices. To face this epic level of disaster, schemes and greed had been put aside. At this time, inside this cargo plane, the cabin had been transformed into a fixed seat model. An infected person was tied up in each seat. These infected people could still maintain their consciousness, but upon seeing those of the same kind, all of them showed symptoms of mania and irrationality. They struggled desperately, trying to break free from their seats, but they were still unable to do so. These infected people who had lost their minds could not regain their minds even if they were separated again. Instead, they became walking corpses and their brains would slowly fail, resulting only in brain death. A large military cargo plane could carry thousands of infected passengers. As it approached its destination, the military cargo plane began to gradually reduce its speed while raising the landing gear, heading toward a lower altitude. In the distance, a huge light spot had appeared in its field of vision Whoosh The military cargo plane flew into the spot. At the same time, the pilot only felt that his vision was changing. The endless ocean disappeared and turned into a vast airport. However, the pilot had long been accustomed to all this. He lowered the lever again and continued to slow down the plane. Finally, the military cargo plane landed and stopped completely after cruising on the runway for three minutes. Then, a team of heavily armed XTN robots came forward and transported the infected people out. Next to the airport was a research institute where they would spend the rest of their short lives. Many of them were medical staff, some were senior researchers from all over the world, and some were even soldiers and police. It was these people who maintained order who were often the most vulnerable to infection. There was no other way. They could only be abandoned as long as the Earth Federation had not found a complete solution to the infection problem. All this was done for the survival of mankind. A week later. In the dimension teleportation hall. Chen Chen was half-lying on the recliner on one side, closing his eyes in rest. Not far from him, there was a fully transparent laboratory built from glass. This laboratory was not in accordance with the international level-5 biosafety standards, but a very ordinary laboratory. If it were not for those instruments in it, which would even surprise the biological researchers in other continents, the layout of this laboratory was indeed ordinary. There were no airtight facilities, no disinfection measures or even a cleaning area. It was just a basic laboratory. However, for Chen Chen, there was no difference in what kind of laboratory it was because he had uncovered most of the mystery of the Consciousness Stealer. A level-5 biosafety laboratory was meaningless to this kind of life form. Moreover, in the entire dimension teleportation hall, he was the only living person. The rest were bionic assistants. At this time, although Chen Chen had closed his eyes, he frowned slightly, and at the same time, a drop of sweat slipped off his forehead. In addition to his slightly pale cheeks, it was obvious that he was suffering some kind of ailment at this time. After some time, Chen Chen slowly opened his eyes. By now, his eyeballs were bloodshot. He was like a person who had stayed up for a few nights, whose spirit was weakened. Huff The call of that dark yearning is becoming more intense. Chen Chen sat up from the recliner and the android serving by the side immediately stepped forward and wiped the sweat from his forehead. It had to be said that ever since he was infected by the Consciousness Stealer, he had not slept well for a long time. Whenever he closed his eyes, the yearning would call out in his mind, bewitching him and commanding him to find those of the same type, then merge in liberation This call became much milder after he had killed the first Consciousness Stealer, but now, it had gradually become stronger. Chen Chen had naturally figured out why a long time ago. It was because more dead people had turned up on Earth in the past week and the consciousness of those dead people had converged again. Although there were not as many dead people as the first batch, Chen Chens will had also been worn down significantly by now, and he was becoming increasingly unable to resist the bewitching call. Thinking of this, Chen Chen looked up with a pale face and turned to the laboratory not far away. The transparent glass wall of the laboratory could not block his sight. His eyes finally fell on the life incubator in the center of the laboratory. Inside, a ball of meat with a diameter of half a meter was constantly getting nutrients and growing vigorously. Kill it. Chen Chen narrowed his eyes and suddenly ordered. Chapter 542 - Consciousness Battlefield At the moment Chen Chen gave the order, one of the androids who was researching in the laboratory suddenly walked to the side console. It lifted a lid and pressed a red button firmly. Squeak Suddenly, a strong voltage struck and the monster in the incubator shuddered all over. The electric light exploded with sparks at the top of the incubator. The high voltage was highly lethal and instantly boiled the amniotic fluid in the incubator but then there was a loud bang. The reinforced incubator exploded and the new Consciousness Stealer rushed out. It was as if there was an invisible barrier around it as it broke through the glass wall of the laboratory and rushed in Chen Chens direction! Boom! Even so, as it just approached Chen Chens 50-meter range, in an instant, its body seemed to have been subjected to a massive impact. The monster flew backward at a greater speed and at the same time, a large amount of black liquid was sprinkled! Chen Chens expression turned even colder, with a faint murderous intent. He stood up and cracked his neck, then moved step by step in the direction where the monster fell. This monster had indeed inherited a lot of power, but it was also obvious that its power did not reach the level of the first Consciousness Stealer. Little X had also calculated throughout this period. She divided the human infection event into two stages. The first stage started with the meteorite falling and its end was the death of the first Consciousness Stealer. The starting point of the second stage was the death of the first Consciousness Stealer and the ending point was now. According to her statistics, in the first stage, the number of human deaths was around 2,353,400 and the number of deaths in the second stage was only 400,000. In other words, this current Consciousness Stealer could only absorb the will of 400,000 dead people at most. It was not that it did not want to absorb more, but Chen Chen had already attacked it At this moment, this Consciousness Stealer was like a puddle of mud. Its body was torn apart by the huge impact and the internal organs in its belly flowed to the ground. Although its vitality kept it from dying, it still temporarily lost mobility. Watching Chen Chen gradually approaching, the monster forced itself up. It opened the mouthparts in the center of its chest and abdomen as if it wanted to do something. However, a few wisps of light that were barely there flashed by and the monsters movements suddenly froze. Then, its body split apart little by little and eventually, it broke into more than a dozen pieces and collapsed like a building block! The muscles at the severed points were extremely smooth as if cut with the thinnest and sharpest knife After doing all this, Chen Chen waved his hand slightly and the group of androids immediately swarmed up with flamethrowers on their backs and began to aim at the monsters residual limbs. In a while, the smell of barbecue wafted to the tip of Chen Chens nose. After completely killing the second Consciousness Stealer, Chen Chens expression lightened slightly. He could feel that his brain had been held down by something heavy, especially just after he was sleeping. However, upon killing the Consciousness Stealer, that feeling was temporarily diminished. It was like drinking poison to quench ones thirst This saying suddenly occurred to Chen Chen. If they did not find a way to solve the infection of the Consciousness Stealer completely, it was useless to kill a Consciousness Stealer every now and then. He would still have a nervous breakdown sooner or later. What he did today was only like drinking poison to quench ones thirst As the worlds first infected person, Chen Chens consciousness was pretty formidable but even so, he had been tortured to the point of losing his former calmness. Although on the surface Chen Chen was still the same as usual, only Little X who knew Chen Chen better than anyone else had realized that Chen Chen had not spoken for a long time. Chen Chen lay back on the couch again, his brows were knitted all this while. X. Suddenly, Chen Chen spoke again. His voice had become hoarser. Continue to clone the third Consciousness Stealer, dont stop. Yes. Little X comforted him. Sir Godfather, hold on for a few more days. James Watson, leading more than 300 researchers, is conducting research on the DNA of Consciousness Stealers. It will not take long to find a cure for consciousness infection. Chen Chen shook his head. Of course, he knew the difficulty of this matter. This kind of consciousness infection was a blind spot for human beings. If they wanted to research it thoroughly or even find a solution, it could not be done overnight. It was difficult to arrive at any results without accumulating decades of experience. Even so, forget about decades, a persons will could barely hold on for a few months. As for using memetic technology to solve this, Chen Chen had considered it before. Nonetheless, Little Xs understanding of memes was too superficial. Memes were easy to use as weapons but it was not easy to use them as protection. It was well known that it was very simple to destroy a thing, but it was very difficult to create, maintain, change or otherwise operate it. However, Little X still suggested an indirect solution, which was to use memes to create a consciousness battlefield in Chen Chens mind. As long as Chen Chens consciousness could defeat the consciousness of the Consciousness Stealer, he would probably be liberated Right? Of course, this was just conjecture. Whether it would succeed was still open to debate. First of all, Chen Chens consciousness might not be able to defeat the consciousness of the Consciousness Stealer. The relationship between the two was like a white rabbit and a big bad wolf. The human consciousness was simply a powerless little white rabbit next to the Consciousness Stealer. This was a gap at the mental level. Furthermore, even if Chen Chen defeated this opponent, Little X could not guarantee that the power of the Consciousness Stealer would be eliminated because the power of memes was rather chaotic and it was difficult to say how precise it was. Chen Chens consciousness might even be injured by the meme. Therefore, this plan was only an alternative. The main plan was to crack the DNA of Consciousness Stealers, find the element that could infect human consciousness, and try to erase it. Although the success rate of the alternative was too low, Chen Chen still had two options. First, he could go to a different dimension where humanity had been wiped out. As long as he left Earth or this original dimension, he could at least limit the interference of the Consciousness Stealer on his consciousness to a minimum. Second, he could freeze himself and only thaw himself when a solution had been found to his consciousness infection. Before Blacklight Biotechnology eliminated all cancers in humans, this plan had also been very common. There were many similar freezing institutions in the international community and the most famous one was the Alcor Life Extension Foundation. Everyone knew that cryonics was not something that could be done by storing a person at a temperature of more than a hundred degrees below zero degrees Celsius. The human body was 80% water, most of which was in the cells. Once the human body was frozen, the water would automatically freeze and expand, rupturing the cells, causing irreparable damage throughout the body. That was to say, after a person was frozen and then thawed, nothing seemed to have changed in appearance but the cells of the body had long been dead beyond doubt. Naturally, this kind of person could not be resurrected. Institutions such as the Alcor Foundation, to address this, adopted another roundabout way as long as one was willing to pay before one died, they would release the blood in ones body upon death, then filled one up with a liquid refrigerant, which could remain liquid even at the temperature of liquid nitrogen, so it would not freeze and cause harm to the human body. When ones body was filled with this refrigerant, they would soak ones head or whole body (depending on the price) in a jar of liquid nitrogen and store it for a long time (the storage time also depended on the price). This idiot organization was convinced that when cell regeneration, cloning or other technologies were developed, the value of their freezing technology would be illustrated and the frozen people could be resurrected. However, in Chen Chens view, this freezing plan was just like an idiot tax. If they were freezing people alive, there was still a chance for resurrection, but the main thing was that they were already f*cking dead and the corpse would have to undergo bloodletting and other processes. To what extent would technology have to be developed to resurrect people in this state? Did they want to bring the dead to life? Too bad, not even sci-fi novels would dare make this claim. It was not to say that cryonics was not achievable, but that the branch of science and technology was crooked. True cryonics was by no means freezing a corpse, rather, directly freezing a living person was the right way. Chen Chens plan to freeze himself was very simple, that was, to use one of the many technologies obtained from the dimension of Prometheus called the antifreeze agent. This antifreeze agent was a type of nanotechnology. It was a special kind of nanoparticle. After being injected into the human body, this medicine would automatically be integrated into every cell of the human body, turning water in the cell into a mixture that could remain liquid at temperatures tens of degrees below zero degree Celsius without freezing. After the injection of this antifreeze agent, the human body entered a device called a cryogenic chamber to quickly cool down to suspend the life process. This kind of technology could also be applied to the future field of interstellar voyages that would travel for several years or decades. The reason Chen Chen did not come up with this technology before was also that it was not needed for the time being. Blacklight Biotechnology directly overcame most of the known major diseases and could even extend human lifespan. Naturally, there was no need for this technology to be applied. However, although this technology would not be useful in the market, Chen Chen could use it now. If there was nothing left to do, Chen Chen could only temporarily freeze himself and wait until Little X had led Blacklight Biotechnology to completely resolve the problem of the consciousness infection before thawing him out. However, although the two backups seemed to be less risky, they hid a huge hazard. What if humanity was unable to work out a solution to the consciousness infection? What if the final consciousness infection could not be controlled and eventually destroyed humanity? Would Chen Chen not be frozen in the cryogenic chamber forever, without any possibility of waking up again? These thoughts flashed through Chen Chens mind. Now he had only these four paths to take. He must resist by force or risk the use of memetic technology or run away or escape through cryonics At this time, the burden on his consciousness had been lightened again. Chen Chen breathed a sigh of relief, feeling the long-lost sense of ease. X, Im close to making up my mind. Im prepared to choose the second way and use memetic technology to solve this. Youre not going to consider this further? Little X was a little worried. I cant guarantee the success of memetic technology. Based on the complexity and unknowability of memes, and the peculiarity of the consciousness infection, theres only a 30% chance youll get rid of the Consciousness Stealer. 30%? Its already very high. Chen Chen laughed. I thought it was a less than 20% chance but now it seems that theres still a 30% chance, which is pretty good. However, maybe you dont have to take this risk but just freeze yourself and maybe well be able to work out other, more reliable solutions soon! Little X was still a little unwilling and tried to persuade him. But its also possible that after I fall asleep this time, I wont be able to wake up again Chen Chen said sternly, Human beings still cant stop the spread of the consciousness infection, right? I dont want to place my bet on others and hope for some fluke. If I have to fight hard, Id rather do it myself! Little X fell silent. Of course, she knew that Chen Chen had chosen the most correct path. Get ready. Chen Chen did not say anymore. He rubbed his temples and at the same time ordered, Make a clone of me. If I fail, then the fate of mankind depends on you, X. Dont let me down Yes The black sphere behind Chen Chen flickered with blue light and Little Xs figure appeared in the blue glow. She cried silently and at the same time, nodded softly. Then, another blue ray flashed and a dark blue, metal cryogenic chamber with a sci-fi aesthetic appeared in front of the black sphere. Several androids immediately stepped forward and moved the cryogenic chamber to Chen Chen. At the same time, the sliding cover in front of the cryogenic chamber opened, exposing the narrow space inside. This metal cryogenic chamber was what Little X had prepared. This dark blue metal was none other than the toughest material in the solar system high-displacement armor. It had an intelligent system and some first aid medicine within and even a tube of antifreeze agent. Even if the cryogenic chamber were cut off from electricity, the nuclear reactor inside could keep this cryogenic chamber running for a thousand years. If Chen Chen failed in the end, then Little X planned to inject Chen Chen with the antifreeze agent and then store Chen Chen at a low temperature until the consciousness infection was completely resolved. Seeing Little Xs consideration, Chen Chen just shook his head and smiled, and then lay directly in. Detecting DNA User identified Your Excellency Chen Chen, the only user with authority, Im X-114, responsible for the safety of your vital signs throughout the entire process The task has commenced. Anesthetic is being administered As Chen Chen went in, there was an electronic voice by his ear and some gas began to be discharged from the side of the chamber wall. After breathing in this gas, Chen Chens consciousness suddenly became active. His mind suddenly cleared but his body became more and more tired. This was a wonderful but distinct feeling. Chen Chen felt that he seemed to be on the verge of falling asleep and his eyelids were already extremely heavy, but his thinking became clear. The cryogenic chamber is starting to close and the Consciousness Battlefield meme is ready to start! Warning! Warning! After the cryogenic chamber is closed, it can only be opened from the inside! The final electronic warning came. Before Chen Chen fell asleep completely, he seemed to see the lid of the cryogenic chamber gradually closing, slowly blocking off the teary face of a young girl Chapter 543 - The Strange Consciousness Battlefield Boom! Gurgle It sounded as if Chen Chen was crashing into the water and he felt like he had fallen into the deep sea. His consciousness was slowly sinking, wafting down bit by bit, and there was a clamorous buzzing sound in his ears. The water around his still body seemed to reverberate with the babel of countless people. The light in front of him was getting dimmer and the pressure on his body was getting stronger but he realized that he still had not sunk to the bottom of the sea. He did not know how long it took but just when Chen Chen thought that his consciousness would completely dissipate, he woke up again. Chen Chen quivered all over and slowly opened his eyes. Ten meters away in front of him, there was a huge ball of light. The light was soft and not blinding. The strands of light shone on Chen Chens body and made him feel an inexplicable warmth. In contrast, his back which was beyond the reach of the light ball felt a wisp of chill. Chen Chen looked around but saw nothing around him. He tried to walk forward but he could not reach the ball of light, though it seemed to be close at hand. At this point, Chen Chen was sure that he had been placed in a void. Where was this? Chen Chen was a little confused. His consciousness remained at the moment he got into the cryogenic chamber. Welcome to the Consciousness Battlefield! However, when he was feeling mystified, the ball of light in front of him rang out resoundingly. This sound passed into Chen Chens mind with repeating echoes, making him immediately understand the meaning of the ball of light. The weirdest thing was that this ball of light did not seem to speak Chinese or even English or other known languages but directly communicated on a conscious level. Two candidates have been detected. Starting data quantification test Data quantization is running The booming voice continued. Data quantization is complete, creating character cards Character cards are being created Immediately, an apparition appeared in front of Chen Chen. Name: Chen Chen. Sex: Male. Age: 27. Race: T-virus modified human (scientific name: Tyrant). Alignment: Lawful evil. Attributes [3D6]: Strength 21 (non-human strength), Physique 24 (close to the vitality of a troll), Size 11 (standard human size), Agility 20 (more flexible than a cat), Appearance 10 (plain and average), Intelligence 18 (human limit), Perception 31 (perception only available to gods), Willpower 17 (close to the human limit). Occupation: Biologist, capitalist, secret manipulator, guardian of civilization. Professional skills [5D20]: Biology 95, Medicine 95, Psychology 77, Archaeology 12, Occult 10, Shooting 99, Reconnaissance 99, Listening 99, Fighting 65, Tracking 99, Defense 99. Special skills: Field power (Defense +99, Shooting +99, Reconnaissance +99, Listening +99, Tracking +99). Seeing this data, Chen Chen looked bewildered. What was this, a tabletop role-playing game? However, before he could react, Chen Chen faintly saw another apparition moving. His opponent was less than two meters away beside him, like a black lump of meat, and in front of the meatball, there was also a character card Name: Alosorthoth [newborn form]. Gender: None. Age: 0.1. Race: ??? Alignment: Chaotic evil. Attributes [3D6]: Strength 15 (you are as strong as a cow), Physique 35 (the vitality of a god), Size 10 (still a baby), Agility 5 (you move like a snail), Appearance 3 (aesthetic means nothing to you), Intelligence 5 (a pig is smarter than you), Perception 20 (you have an intuition that mortals dont), Willpower 30 (too-low IQ prevents your brain from working sharply). Occupation: None. Professional skills [5D20]: Defense 80, Mind Reading 99, Mind Devouring 99, Body Regeneration 99. Special skills: psionics (Mind Reading +99, Mind Swallowing +99). Seeing this weird character card, Chen Chens pupils suddenly shrank. What the h*ll was this? Was this the body of the monster that had come from beyond the skies? Just when Chen Chen was shocked and uncertain, the loud voice came again. Consciousness Battlefield is activated and the module is being created based on the character cards of both parties. Both candidates, please get ready The dice system is starting Chen Chen only saw the light from the ball in front of him getting brighter and finally, he could not help but close his eyes Hum There was a soft sound in his ear and then Chen Chen only sensed that the light instantly softened again. He tried opening his eyes, only to find that he was standing above a city. The city below his feet was only about the size of a small city, with an area of no more than ten square kilometers. There were countless ruined farmhouses scattered throughout. In the center of the city, there was a small five- or six-story castle. This seemed to be a desolate and run-down European medieval city. Module has been created The mighty voice continued. Both parties, please roll the dice to determine who moves first. Chen Chens heart jolted. He felt that a few cool objects had appeared in his right hand. He lifted his hand and saw that, as expected, five golden icosahedral dice were in his hand. Chen Chen thought for a while. He raised his right hand, with the palm raised flat, and then opened his fist lightly. Clink, clink After a few tinkling sounds, the five dice fell upon thin air and stopped immediately after rolling for a while. 15, 6, 18, 1, 5, Candidate Chen Chen has rolled 45 points. The voice continued. Now, Alosorthoth, please roll the dice. Clink, clink Chen Chen looked in all directions but did not see the figure of the Consciousness Stealer, only those five dice were thrown near him. Furthermore, those five dice were all blood red. 20, 19, 15, 20, 13! The voice continued to speak in a non-emotional voice, Alosorthoth threw 87 points, Alosorthoth shall begin first! Chen Chen frowned slightly. Although he did not know what begin first meant, he knew those who threw more points must have an advantage. Sure enough, the voice continued. The module is about to start. Era: Middle Ages, region: William Castle, duration: 24 hours. Whoosh It sounded like a gust of wind brushing past Chen Chens ear and his vision turned blurry. When he regained his sight, he realized that he was standing in a room at the top of a castle. What he saw was a place full of dilapidated, decayed furniture, walls filled with cracks, and a layer of dust half-a-finger thick. The sunlight shone in through the extremely dirty glass and illuminated Chen Chens body, inducing a sense of discomfort in Chen Chen. Youre a vampire count. Suddenly, that booming voice became a lot softer as if it was murmuring in Chen Chens ears. Today is the first day you wake up in the castle and the reason you woke up is that a group of adventurers had strayed into your territory. You dont know why they came. All you know is that you want to keep them here and use their flesh and blood to fill your growling stomach. Goal: Destroy the invaders and survive successfully. The most important thing is to find the most special adventurer as itll be your most delicious dinner tonight The voice disappeared quickly. It was only then that Chen Chen realized that he was able to move. He looked around in confusion, only to find that he was wearing a loose white shirt and there was even a circle of gorgeous lace around the cuffs and neckline of the shirt. Is this medieval European aristocratic dress? Chen Chen murmured in a low voice. He turned his head slowly but saw a line of footprints extending from the door to his feet. Those are my footprints. Chen Chen immediately realized that. He turned around, followed his footsteps, and went downstairs step by step, heading down six floors until he came to the first-floor hall of the castle. The hall looked huge, but all the furniture and decorations were covered with dust, and it had long been dilapidated. He did not know how many years it had been since anyone came here. Chen Chen continued to look at the footprints but saw that his footprints led to the front of the fireplace and disappeared in that direction. Chen Chen immediately wore a thoughtful look. He walked to the fireplace step by step, touched the inside, and expanded his Field at the same time. Under the observation of the Field energy, he noticed something off at once. Namely, there was a slight gap in a brick next to the fireplace. He touched the brick, then pushed it slightly! Rumble, rumble There was a soft noise and the wall behind the fireplace slowly slid open, revealing a deep and dark passage behind it. Chen Chens Field energy continued to explore inward, only to find that the passage was in the shape of a circular stairway, extending to a depth of over 50 meters. Even the Field energy could not reach the bottom. Seeing this, Chen Chen did not hesitate anymore. He went into the tunnel. After walking a few steps, the wall that had slid away closed again behind him and the entire passage became completely dark. Still, this kind of darkness without any light source made no difference to Chen Chen. He used Field energy instead of his vision and walked down step by step. After he went down to a depth of more than one hundred meters, finally, he came to a basement. This basement was about 100 square meters, but there were no extra furnishings. Only in the center of the basement was there a solid wood coffin with a gold rim. The lid of the coffin was opened and inside was a soft dent. In the soft dent was a dark box and nothing else. Chen Chen took out the box and suddenly, a feeling of connection to his bloodline washed over him. This is Chen Chen frowned. He seemed to have faintly understood something. Lich? Vampire? Chen Chen was a little puzzled. Castles, coffins, and Western nobles were all elements of vampires, yet this weird black box signified a lich in Dungeons and Dragons. In D&D, the lich was a kind of undead creature. It was immortal and had extremely strong power. Its only weakness was its phylactery. As long as the phylactery was destroyed, the lich would die. Now it seemed that Chen Chen had become a combination of lich and vampire. Thinking of this, Chen Chen seemed to realize something. He took the black box and turned upstairs, but he had barely taken a few steps when unusual heart palpitations suddenly struck him. It seemed that if he continued to walk up, something bad would happen. Cant I take the phylactery away from here? Chen Chen had to walk back to the basement. He looked at the lines of footprints under his feet. With a sudden wave of his hand, endless dust rose and piled up in the corner of the basement. It was only then that Chen Chen could see the floor under his feet. There was a magic circle like a six-pointed star. Now he understood Chen Chen fully grasped that this magic circle was closely related to him. If the phylactery was taken away, this magic circle would also lose its effect. In other words, this phylactery is the key to defeating me. Its forcibly placed here and isnt allowed to be taken away by me. What I have to do is not only find the group of intruders but also pay attention in protecting my phylactery Thinking of this, Chen Chen could not help frowning. If he had not noticed the footprints before, he would have given those adventurers a chance to find this place. Chen Chen thought for a while, then simply threw the phylactery back into the coffin. Following that, he waved his hand and the coffin lid that had been cast to the ground was placed back. After doing all this, he returned to the surface and walked out of the fireplace. Looking at the footprints under his feet, Chen Chen activated Field again and all the dust in the hall on the first floor immediately flew out. The footprints leading to the fireplace had disappeared. He was not done. Chen Chen went upstairs again, casting out all the dust layer by layer and soon, the entire castle was spotless. If it were not for the furniture that had been worn out and ruined, showing the traces of time, outsiders might still think that this was an inhabited castle. Chen Chen returned to the position where he had awakened. This was the top floor observation deck of the castle, surrounded by glass windows, and this place was also the highest position in the entire city. At this time, it seemed that it was already time for the sunset and the scorching sun had already turned dark red. At the same time, it was slowly sliding down toward the skyline. The sunlight outside the window came in and this time, Chen Chen got that uncomfortable feeling again. Sure enough, vampires are afraid of the sun Chen Chen thought for a while. He tried to crack the window open. Suddenly, a ray of sunlight shone on Chen Chens arm, causing a sharp burning sensation in his arm. Seeing this, Chen Chen closed the window again. Now there was a string of blisters on his arm. Its ultraviolet light Chen Chen immediately surmised. Ultraviolet rays cannot penetrate the glass, so Im not afraid of the sunlight coming through the windows, but once there are no windows, the ultraviolet rays will harm me. Thinking of this, Chen Chen looked out the windows on all sides but saw that the far ends of the city were surrounded by a towering wall. At the same time, there were four gates, one each in the east, south, west, and north. Gates? Can they get out of here then? Chen Chen wore a thoughtful look. The voice in the consciousness battlefield only told me that a group of adventurers broke into my territory and my task is to eliminate them and find the most special adventurer In other words, the Consciousness Stealer is mixed in with that group of invaders? So, who are the other invaders, NPCs? The number of intruders is unknown, the situation outside the castle is unknown, the motives of the adventurers are unknown It seems that I need more clues Chapter 544 - Rogue Chen Chens expression was uncertain. After thinking for a while, he turned, went downstairs, and walked into the shade. Time trickled by in minutes and seconds. Chen Chen waited for a while and when he saw the sun gradually sink into the horizon and only a swathe of afterglow remained, he finally stepped out of the castle and went to the street. The castle was kept a certain distance away from the surrounding buildings, encircled by a clearing without any shelter. The moat around the castle had long since dried up and was buried in the soil. Chen Chen could cross over with a single step. Chen Chen stood in the open space outside the castle. He thought for a while and hovered up, but when he rose to a height of three stories, his head seemed to hit something with a bang. Chen Chen rubbed his head. He tried to reach above the top of his head, but only touched a cold, hard object. Chen Chens expression turned even more surprised. He tried to use the Field energy to extend upward. The Field energy surged at once but when his body tried going up, he bumped into an invisible boundary. In other words, the only place where he could go higher than three floors was the inside of the castle. Thus, Chen Chen only floated slightly above the height of the roof and then stopped rising. He started flying away from the front of the castle. Swish! The wind rushed by his ear, but Chen Chens speed was not that fast because most of the buildings in the city were two or three stories high. To prevent hitting the buildings in front, he was forced to reduce his speed to less than 50 meters per second. Although his speed could not be increased to supersonic speed, Chen Chen had arrived at the edge of the city in less than a minute. Meanwhile, a towering wall appeared in front of his eyes. The wall was about 30 meters high and extended from in front of him to the end of his line of sight. This wall directly enclosed the entire city. Unlike the run-down buildings in the city, this wall was made of some unknown material. Its entire surface was non-reflective and black, appearing to be extremely tough. In the center of the wall, there was a steel gate of the same height. The gate was dark red and there was even a row of digital buttons on both sides of the gate. Was this a combination lock? Chen Chens expression became even more astonished. Seeing a code lock in a medieval-style city was like seeing a group of knights wearing plate armor and not wielding a longsword but an AK each. It was too anachronistic. Chen Chen did not think about the problem of the password. He tried to rise again to see what was behind the wall but when he rose to the height of the wall, he bumped into the invisible barrier again. Erm Chen Chen suddenly understood that this space was sealed and everyone was only allowed to move within the scope of this space. No one was allowed to leave here by any means other than opening the gate. This rule not only restricted Chen Chen but also restricted the group of people from leaving here. Thinking of this, Chen Chen could not help looking mystified. According to the unique nature of this type of game, if one wanted to get the password to open the gate, one must solve a puzzle to do so, but the opponents IQ was only 5 Chen Chen once again recalled the character card that was created on the consciousness battlefield. There was a [3D6] hint in the attributes of the previous character. This digit could only be understood by those who had played tabletop role-playing games. It represented the value cast by three hexahedral dice. Among them, D meant dice and the preceding 3 meant that the number of dice was 3, and 6 meant that each dice was a hexahedron, which was the most common cube dice. Due to this, the evaluation given to Chen Chens IQ of 18 points was the human limit because the highest number of points that could be obtained by three hexahedral dice was only 18 points while the average value of a normal person was only 9 to 11 points. The reason Chen Chens other attributes could exceed 18 points was also that Chen Chen was not a normal human being, but a T-virus modified person. The difference between these values was not as simple as 1+1 equals 2, but an exponential calculation method. Compared with a normal persons 11-point strength, the difference between that and Chen Chens 21-point strength could be more than tenfold. The higher the value, the greater the degree of difference. If the character card produced by the consciousness battlefield was truly the real data of the character, then it would be more difficult for the Consciousness Stealer to solve the puzzle within 24 hours. Thinking of this, Chen Chen immediately thought of a special ability of the other party Mind Reading 99. As the name suggested, mind reading was one of the abilities possessed by Consciousness Stealers. If it wanted to get the password or hide in the group of adventurers or acquire it from the minds of the adventurers, the 99 behind the skill represented the level of the skill. Tabletop role-playing games were all the same. What this skill indicated was that the player would roll five dice with 20 faces each and the level number meant that as long as the sum of the points rolled by the five dice was lower than the skill level, the skill was successful. Otherwise, it would fail. For example, Chen Chens psychology was 77, so as long as the sum of the points of the five dice was less than 77, it would be considered a success. However, if it was greater than 77, the skill would fail. In this way, the higher the level, the higher the chance of success and level 99 was the full level. The skill would only fail if ones luck was terrible to the extreme and a full 100 points were obtained by the dice. His opponents mind-reading skill was 99, which meant it was almost impossible to result in a failure. In other words, maybe it could open the door in other ways such as mind-reading? When Chen Chen was deducing this, the sky had turned completely dark and the entire city was plunged into darkness. Thats not right However, Chen Chen frowned because he found that the speed at which the sky was getting dark was too quick. With his brain power, he was certain that only about half an hour had passed since he had woken up all the way to the present, but time had seemed to be accelerated by three times. Three times, was it? Chen Chen secretly remembered this number. The task gave him 24 hours. If this was calculated at three times the speed of real-time, it meant that he had three nights to fulfill these goals. Each night was about three to four hours. Thinking of this, Chen Chen had already figured out some patterns. He turned around again and looked into the city, only to see a light flashing by in a building not far away. That was The light of a candle! Seeing this scene, Chen Chens heart jolted. He rushed directly toward the building, and within a few seconds, he was outside the building! Patter patter Suddenly, there were a few raucous footsteps in this two-story building, which sounded like someone fleeing. They noticed me? Chen Chen looked even more surprised. He rushed into the room directly through the window and stepped off his feet, jumping down the stairs like a dexterous cat. At once, a young man dressed in a black windbreaker, looking like an explorer, was seen blocking the gate. This was a typical Western young man with a high nose, blond hair, and blue eyes, but his skin was slightly dark. At this moment, seeing Chen Chen standing in front of him, his pupils suddenly shrank and he turned around and ran inside the room without thinking. Chen Chen observed this guy with great interest, only to notice that he was far superior to ordinary people in terms of decisiveness and agility. His skills were extraordinary. However, faced with Chen Chen, this agile skill was futile. The guy had run into the room and wanted to escape through the window, but the next second, he felt an invisible force grabbing him and dragging him back in front of Chen Chen! Seeing this, a ruthless look came into the eyes of the young man. He drew out a dagger at his waist and stabbed Chen Chen! Clang! There was a sharp impact sound. When the dagger in the young mans hand pierced toward Chen Chen, it was blocked by an invisible barrier and a loud sound erupted at the same time. Attacked by a dagger, determining the decision to defend The decision to defend was successful! At the moment when the opponent attacked Chen Chen, Chen Chen suddenly heard the loud voice from before and at the same time, there was a clinking sound of landing dice as if someone was rolling dice. After that, there was a notification of a successful defense. Chen Chen listened to the noises in his mind while he waved one hand and the dagger flew out of the guys hand! The young man only felt an irrepressible force wrench the dagger away from his hand. At the same time, a cold hand was directly clasped around his neck! Do you want to live or die? Chen Chen calmly gripped his neck and asked in a low voice, If you want to live, you must answer my question. Feeling the terrible power contained in Chen Chens grip, the young man scrabbled at Chen Chens arm and his face flushed. He nodded quickly. Chen Chen released his hand. The young man at once squatted and covered his throat, coughing heavily. Chen Chen waited slowly. When the other party had recovered, he asked indifferently, Who are you? We, were explorers from the Principality of Assadin The young man lowered his head in fear and said softly, We accepted the commission of the mercenary union, to come here to find the treasure of Dulles Chen, the vampire count Dulles Chen, was that himself? Chen Chens heart leaped and meanwhile, he stared at the man with an unfathomable look. Using the skill of psychology, determining use of skill Psychology is used successfully! In the next second, there was another jingling sound by his ear and at the same time, Chen Chen also developed a kind of comprehension that the two lines the man said were not false. The Principality of Assadin, the mercenary union Chen Chen paced slowly in front of the opponent. Treasure hunting? I think you still have the task of destroying me, right? Hearing this, the young man immediately lowered his head and fell silent. How many people are there and how strong are you? Chen Chen then asked. We have four teams with twenty people in total The youth immediately replied, The strength of the other team members is unknown. I only know that there are five people in my team. Besides me, there are two paladins, a wizard, and a priest Our captain is the paladin, Julius! Paladin? Wizard? Chen Chen narrowed his eyes and scanned the young man before him again. Are you a ranger or a rogue? Your Excellency, Im the rogue, Gil Cedric the rogue. Chen Chen nodded and then continued to ask, Are you familiar with the rest of them? Im not very familiar with them. We were all commissioned by the mercenary union to form a temporary team. The young man suddenly added. By the way, Your Excellency, the two Paladins came together. They have the ability to protect against evil and are a great threat to you! Oh? Chen Chen secretly memorized these words in his heart and then asked again, Do the other teams have the same configuration? Its almost the same The youth nodded. Have you ever seen a strange person in your team or other teams? After thinking about it, Chen Chen finally asked, For example, his intelligence isnt that high or he looks strange or something? This The young man shook his head blankly. Im not sure about this because I only met the other teams once before I came to Wasteland City. Wasteland City? Chen Chen muttered in a low voice and gradually fell into contemplation. Your Excellency, please, please forgive my offense Seeing Chen Chen sinking into thought, the young man gritted his teeth, trying to fight for his last chance at life. As long as you let me go, Im willing to leave this place now However, before he finished speaking, Chen Chen suddenly raised his hand. In the next second, the young man was slammed backward as if he was hit by some massive blow and his body directly hit the wall behind! Boom! The entire building seemed to tremble and a scattering of soil fell from the ceiling. At the same time, blood was splashed all over the place and the young man was reduced to a pulp on the wall behind him Not this one Without even looking at the other partys body, Chen Chen shook his head and stared out the window thoughtfully. Sure enough, its a Western Fantasy module similar to D&D. It even has classes such as Paladins and Wizards. So, the ones Im facing arent just ordinary people? Thinking of this, Chen Chens Field directly swept the entire house and in the next second, he immediately detected a locked room upstairs. Chen Chen went upstairs again and walked to the door of that room, only to see that the door lock of the room showed many traces of damage and these traces were very new. It was the young mans handiwork earlier. It looked like he had used a candle for lighting and wanted to open the door, but eventually, he was discovered by Chen Chen? Thinking of this, Chen Chens Field energy extended immediately, turning into a thin line as it fitted into the keyhole of the door. In the next second, there was a click and the door lock opened in response. Chen Chen used Field to protect himself while gently pushing open the door, only to see that the room was empty, with only one iron box placed in the corner of the walls. This was Chen Chen waved his hand and the iron box in the corner suddenly opened, revealing a piece of yellowed cloth inside. Chen Chen unrolled the cloth and saw a map layout on the cloth. The map showed the city where Chen Chen was located and the drawing was fairly detailed. Every street and every house were marked and in the center of the map, a large circle had been drawn with a red pen. This circle was the location of Chen Chens castle. This was a prop for the group of adventurers! Chapter 545 - Hunting Game With Chen Chens memory ability, he imprinted the entire map in his mind in just a few seconds. Then, he tore the map to confetti before continuing to search for traces of other people. Since my opponents arent ordinary people, then my strategy has to change Chen Chen left the house. He expanded his Field to the maximum and scanned for any clues within a radius of 50 meters. At present, it seemed that if he wanted to win the consciousness battlefield, he must kill all the invaders and find the Consciousness Stealer. However, his opponents were not necessarily good people as well. Based on the skills of that rogue earlier, these people would not just be sitting ducks but have their own prowess. Silently thinking about all this, Chen Chen lifted off again and began to patrol the entire sky. The area of the entire Wasteland City was about ten square kilometers and the map showed it was a square city, which meant that the city had a side length of 3.3 kilometers. At Chen Chens current speed, it took about an hour and a half for him to do a thorough sweep. However, the main thing was that this group of people might not just be hiding in one fixed place, so it became more difficult to search for them. Chen Chen felt that he still had to begin with these intruders. Whoosh! Thinking of this, Chen Chen flew right up. He wandered a little bit over the city, scanning every house he passed. With the power of Field energy, it was very simple to do this kind of thing and his total Field energy nowadays could sustain such activity as long as it was not a highly vigorous use of Field. Soon, when Chen Chen was scanning a house, his heart suddenly leaped. Although he did not see anyone else, he found another yellowed tin box. Chen Chen waved with one hand and the iron box flew out from the gap in the iron window grille and into Chen Chens hands. This iron box was not as splendidly decorated as the previous one. Chen Chen thought for a while then started by wrapping Field around the iron box before he slowly opened it. There was no mechanism in the iron box. Instead, there was a simple glass bottle half-filled with some purple potion. What is this Chen Chen frowned. He opened the lid and sniffed it lightly, detecting an ink-like smell. Could it be that this was a bottle of ink? Nonetheless, there was no description on this bottle of potion and Chen Chen was not certain what this bottle of potion was. Perhaps only those invaders with their D&D background could identify this potion. Chen Chen casually put the potion into his pocket and then continued his sweep. Soon, in a house, he found a trap in the form of two stone bricks. He recognized this was a trap because one of the stone bricks had weird patterns on it while the other stone brick had rows of spikes. Chen Chen tried to put the palm of his hand on the stone brick with weird patterns. Under this pressure, the spikes on the other stone brick immediately flew out, whistling harshly as they pierced the wall on the other side. Chen Chens eyes lit up. He collected all the spikes and pressed them back into the hole of the second stone brick, only to see that the lines on the first stone brick had become a little dim, but it still contained some energy. Maybe it could be used one more time. A spell trap? Such a term flashed in Chen Chens mind. Chen Chen collected these two stone bricks as well and resumed his inspection. Ten minutes later, Chen Chen found a longsword. This time, the place where he found this sword was just a very simple firewood shack. This shack was located in the space between two mansions. If he did not pay attention, he might even have overlooked the existence of this firewood shack. The box containing the sword was also very ordinary, much more ordinary than the first two boxes he found, but this iron box had an iron lock that the iron boxes before did not have. When Chen Chen penetrated deep into the lock of the box, he immediately found that the lock of this iron box was extremely complicated. It was likely that even professionals would need to spend a lot of effort to crack it. Upon opening the box, he saw the long handle of the sword inside. Like the iron box in which it was contained, this longsword was also very ordinary, without any embellishing patterns, just a simple blade and black handle. It even appeared to be inferior to the ordinary iron swords that had not been ground on Taobao. However, when he saw this sword, Chen Chen frowned because he felt a mysterious burning sensation emanating from the sword. Chen Chen landed into the room and tried to grasp the hilt, but the next second, a piercing heat stung him. This scorching pain even exceeded the time when he was exposed to the sun and at the same time, Chen Chens consciousness also became blurry. Clatter! The iron sword slid from Chen Chens hand and stabbed into the wooden floor with a clang. Chen Chen looked a little anguished. He opened his right hand but saw that the palm of his hand had been burned and blistered. The rotten meat on his hand was constantly giving off white smoke as if what he had just grasped was a red hot soldering iron. This sword is strange Chen Chen pulled back his palm and tried to use the Field energy to enclose this longsword, but was even more shocked to discover that even Field energy dissipated when it touched the longsword. Chen Chen could not wield this item at all. Thinking of this, Chen Chens expression became gloomier. He picked up the iron box, put it over the sword, and scooped the sword back in, then buried the iron box into the ground. After doing all this, Chen Chen waved one hand to smooth out the traces of the burying. He was about to leave but suddenly stopped because his Field energy detected that two humans had entered his sensing range. They were heading in this direction Chen Chen raised his eyebrows and immediately slipped into the building next to him. He wanted to find out how they noticed there was movement here, but when they were about 40 meters away in Chen Chens range, the two of them halted at the same time! Just when Chen Chen was puzzled, the two suddenly spun around, then scattered without hesitation, and fled in two directions! Had Chen Chen been discovered? Chen Chen looked even more astounded. He stopped hiding but chased one of them. With the power of the Field energy, the opponent could only run away for a few seconds before Chen Chen caught up! It was not until then that Chen Chen could see that the one he was chasing was a girl in a cloak holding a wooden staff! Wizard? This word flashed in Chen Chens mind. Both the attire and the wooden staff resembled wizards in movies and Chen Chen had already obtained some data from the young rogue, so he had a flash of realization now. OKG! However, as Chen Chen swiftly approached her, there was a glint of perseverance in the girls eyes. She turned around and uttered a phrase of unknown meaning. At the same time, she raised the staff in her hand and aimed the top of the staff at Chen Chen. Suddenly, an inexplicable spatial fluctuation rushed over him. Chen Chen had never felt this kind of fluctuation but he did not evade it. Instead, he gathered a large amount of Field energy to form an invisible barrier in front of him. He was going to test the opponents strength with his strongest defense! Although it might be easier for Chen Chen to dodge, he was now facing unfamiliar forces after all, and the total number of opponents exceeded 20. If they besieged him at once, he was afraid it would be difficult for him to evade them all. Instead of doing so, it was better to test out his opponent when they were alone, to better understand their abilities. These thoughts zipped through Chen Chens mind. In the next second, a blazing white firelight flared up at the top of the staff and at the same time, seven or eight rays of light surged directly toward Chen Chen! Arcane Missile! Just as these rays of light struck Chen Chen, the girl on the other side also called out the name of this spell! In the next second, Chen Chen only felt that his Field was corroded by those few streaks of flame, resulting in a few big holes. However, each one only burrowed a few centimeters forward before exhausting its energy and was extinguished. This was Chen Chen raised his eyebrows. Although the thrusting force of this fire was lacking, its might was extremely impressive. Each ray was comparable to the power of an anti-material sniper rifle. Even so, it was a pipe dream for them to penetrate his own barrier. Now, the power of Field energy was simply not something this person could break through. Thinking of this, he was about to crush his opponent to death but suddenly, there was a wave of fluctuations behind him. A faintly discernible phantom emerged from behind him while stabbing a dagger toward the middle of his back! Huh? Chen Chen looked even more puzzled. He abruptly turned around and at the same time, seized the opponents dagger in the palm of his hand with a backhand. Only then did he see this opponent. This person was completely dark as if he were a shadow! Seeing that his fatal blow was fended off by Chen Chen, this dark shadow was also startled, but his reaction was extremely quick. He immediately gave up the dagger and leaped back again. He suddenly melted into the dark shadows around him, vanishing right in the perception of Chen Chens Field! So, you can blend into the shadows? Chen Chen squeezed furiously and there was a nauseating snap. Chen Chen had pinched the dagger into broken strands. Then, he stretched out his hand again and gestured, and the girl in the wizard robe flew toward Chen Chen at once! RUA! While she was still in the air, the girl hurriedly spoke again, but before she finished her words, she suddenly felt something bulky and invisible stuffed into her mouth, choking off all her remaining words! Ugh The girl suddenly widened her eyes. She did not understand what was stuffed in her mouth, but she felt her throat swell and widen uncontrollably, and even her breathing was blocked! Save, save me The girls throat was swollen until tears and snot were streaming over her face. She looked desperately at the shadows around her as if praying to the shadow man for help! Let her go! Suddenly, the shadow man loomed out of the darkness at Chen Chens bottom right and at the same time, with a decisive stroke, he aimed a dagger directly at Chen Chens waist Clang! Still, this time, Chen Chen had long been prepared. The man only pierced into an unseen barrier but he could not go any further! Bang, splat! Immediately, there was a sound of a watermelon bursting and rupturing. The shadow man looked back blankly, only to see the girls head exploding, with red and white stuff splashing all over her body! Thump! The headless body of the girl dropped directly to her knees and the nerves of her body twitched unconsciously because of the loss of the brain center Argh! The shadow man suddenly unleashed a desperate roar, but in the next second, Chen Chen directly raised his hand and pressed it on his head, then pushed viciously! Plop! The shadow mans snarl was cut off immediately, for Chen Chen had pushed his head into his chest cavity The toughness and strength of his body are beyond that of human beings in reality As if finishing a trivial task, Chen Chen shook off the blood on his hand and thought aloud in a low voice, This is probably the factor of physique. These adventurers with magical backgrounds have physique and strength that surpass modern people, but not by much Maybe because these two arent capable enough But their skills are peculiar indeed. If it werent for my Field power, Im afraid itd take me a lot of effort to kill them Just as Chen Chen was thinking about this, he suddenly sensed that three more silhouettes were approaching on the right front and at the same time, five figures had appeared on the left! Eight people? Chen Chens expression shifted because he sensed that when they were about 40 meters away from him, everyone suddenly paused. Then, as if someone had said something, the team of five continued approaching whereas the team of three on the other side stopped for a few seconds before making their way here at a lower speed. It seems that everyone can sense my presence when they are 40 meters away from me? To fight or not to fight? Being cautious by nature, Chen Chen had already noticed that when facing this group of adventurers, he did not seem to have the power to fully crush them easily, especially when there were too many opponents. Chen Chen wore a thoughtful look, but after thinking about it for half a second, he quickly backed away, and then left the scene After going off for fifty or sixty meters, he only heard an angry roar from the area where he was fighting earlier. Someone from the eight people knew the two who were killed. Dont worry, itll be your turn soon Chen Chen smirked icily and then hurried toward the castle. At this time, more than an hour had passed since the beginning. Anyone with the intention to do so might have come close to the location of the castle and Chen Chen dared not claim that this group of NPCs with magical abilities would not have the ability to find the fireplace tunnel. A few minutes later, Chen Chen hurried back to the castle. The moment he entered the castle, his Field was fully activated, scanning everything in the hall like a radar, but he found nothing. The wooden gate of the castle had decayed and collapsed for some reason, so the castle was, strictly speaking, defenseless, and anyone could enter. Chen Chen was afraid that he would fall into the encirclement of his opponents when he entered the castle. However, it seemed that no one had entered this place for the time being. In this case, Chen Chen looked at his feet and then he pried out a floor brick at the entrance of the castle, put the brick with runes below, and then re-laid the previous floor brick. As for the brick capable of shooting out spikes, Chen Chen hung it directly on the ceiling directly above the first brick. In this way, if someone entered the castle and stepped on this, they would immediately be taught a harsh lesson by the spikes. Its a pity I couldnt bring in my nano poker cards. Chen Chen shook his head. If his poker cards could be brought into the consciousness battlefield, he would have been invincible even against the gods by now. Unless it was the Consciousness Stealer who had the same defensive ability, the wizards and rogues would be practically defenseless before him. They would have no ability to sense his attacks. Chapter 546 - Paladin While Chen Chen was standing in the shadows of the hall, thinking, he suddenly sensed two figures in his Field range. The two men were stooped low, surreptitiously approaching the castle gate. One of them seemed to be dressed as a wizard and the other was dressed as a knight in full armor. The wizards body seemed to be in a completely transparent state, with only the distortion of light caused by his movements. Still, in this dark night, the distorted light was also difficult to detect. Invisibility technique? Chen Chen frowned. This invisibility technique that could only conceal through light rays had no effect on him. Under the detection of Field energy, this invisibility was much more conspicuous than that rogues ability to blend into the shadows. At least when the rogue escaped into the shadows, even Chen Chens Field energy had trouble locating him. Although the knight was not invisible, when he walked in the dark and stooped over, he could make himself silent. Stealth. Suddenly, such a word flashed in Chen Chens mind. If Chen Chen was not wrong, this was a skill called stealth. The higher the stealth skill, the lower the users presence. With the help of some other methods, one could even attain the ability to blend into the shadows such as the rogue Chen Chen had killed previously. Sensing the two people approaching slowly, Chen Chen thought for a while. Then, he simply stepped back, always keeping both of them at a distance of more than 40 meters. Sure enough, at this distance, neither of them discovered his presence. In other words, everyone can notice me within forty meters? Is this the ability of props? Or is it their own ability? Chen Chen looked suspicious, but now it was not the time to bother about these things. Feeling that the two were approaching the castle area as if they were thieves, Chen Chens mouth twitched in a smile as he continued to retreat. When he reached a corner and could not continue to retreat, he flipped out directly from the side window. Finally, the two of them walked into the hall of the castle. When they entered Chen Chens castle, the nerves of the two were already highly strung. They moved more slowly and cautiously, but it was a pity that they did not step on the trap laid before. They seemed to be looking for something. Chen Chen frowned and did not make a move but continued to observe. There might be some clues that he did not know. After going around the entire castle hall, the expressions of the two of them were more relaxed. Just then, the transparent wizard put down his hood, revealing a middle-aged face with a yellow beard. Good news, it seems. The vampire count has indeed gone out hunting Dont let your guard down, Golas. The knight in full armor on the side also heaved a sigh of relief. His body was not of a strong bulky build, but a streamlined slender body. At this moment, he stood up and rubbed his sore legs. The vampire count may return at any time. Lets look for the artifact as soon as possible. If we find it, this vampire is done for! Its a pity that our rogue was killed The wizard immediately replied, Otherwise itll be easier for us to find it. I hope the vampire count wont trap us here It wont be a problem. The knight chuckled. The captain and the priest John are guarding outside the door. Even if the vampire count returns, hell be distracted by the captain and John first, leaving us with a chance to escape. Dont worry! The two chatted casually as they began to look around the hall. Hearing the conversation between them, Chen Chen could not help frowning. If he did not guess wrong, the artifact they mentioned was the simple longsword that Chen Chen found. That sword had a powerful ability to damage Chen Chen and even the Field energy could not block the swords strike. This was the power of the sword. If it was used by an adventurer, it would not be difficult to kill Chen Chen. No wonder these people wanted to find that longsword. Still, these people did not know that the sword had been buried deep in the ground by Chen Chen and it was not in the castle. However, when they said that some people were lying in ambush outside the gate, Chen Chen immediately circled the castle to the front gate. Immediately, he detected that two people were hiding in a house in front of the castle. Of these two, one knight also wore silver-white armor, but he was much more muscular than the previous knight, more like a warrior who liked to face things head-on. The other one was wearing a robe, but according to the previous conversation between the two in the castle, this person should be a priest. In other words, the nanny. Chen Chen kept the distance of forty meters in mind. He only approached those two at about fifty meters away and then observed them. According to the conversation between the two before, this four-person team should be the team of the rogue that Chen Chen had first encountered. Rogues usually roamed about as scouts, so Chen Chen only met him by himself. After losing the rogue, the four of them simply went to Chen Chens lair to look for an opportunity. Moreover, according to the information that Chen Chen overheard, this warrior and the warrior who had entered the castle had the same profession, a class called paladin. This profession was extremely lethal toward vampires. Although Chen Chen was not a vampire, he was indeed playing the role of a vampire now. This kind of paladin was used to deal with himself. Thinking of this, Chen Chen did not hesitate anymore. He condensed a huge hammer directly using Field at a distance of more than 50 meters, then hurled it at the burly paladin captain! Chen Chens Field power was immense. Although he was distanced by more than 50 meters, he still exerted a huge force. It was just a second before the hammer hit the paladin that this paladin seemed to have sensed something. He suddenly turned around and at the same time, raised the shield in his hand in front of him! Boom! There was a huge impact that boomed out as loudly as a large copper bell. The priest beside barely had time to gasp before he was slammed directly into the wall behind him, and then bounced back to the ground again. He was reduced to a crumpled pulp. All the bones in his body were shattered! The target of this attack, the paladin captain, was thrown through the wall behind him, but it seemed that because of his strong physique and the armor he wore, he only coughed up two mouthfuls of blood and kipped up while looking at the darkness ahead with amazement. Earlier, he had sensed an indescribable chill coming from behind him. With a knights instinct, he immediately used a shield to protect himself. As a result, the priest beside him became collateral damage and died of the aftershock D*mn it The paladin captain gritted his teeth and he drew his sword with a sharp clang, looking as if he was ready to face death. At this moment, he had already planned to do everything in his power to block Chen Chen, to gain a chance for his companions who had gone deep into the lions den to escape! Upon seeing this captains actions, Chen Chen had an even better impression of him. According to the rules of D&D, not just anyone could take on the profession of a paladin. It required extremely strict self-control and strong faith. That was to say, a person who could become a paladin was a person who pursued justice because a person who had evil in his heart could never activate the power of the paladin. Nonetheless, the battle at this moment was enough to arouse the alertness of the two in the castle. In Chen Chens Field range, the two in the castle had already rushed out and were running toward the city gates on both sides without hesitation! Did they want to flee? Chen Chen had to stay here to deal with the paladin captain first, so instead, he used his Field power to fix the two directly in place. However, in the next second, a circle of gray light appeared around the wizards body, shrouding him completely. Meanwhile, the slender paladin suddenly roared and then his body flashed with a hint of silver light, which corroded a portion of Chen Chens Field energy! It was just like when Chen Chen was burnt while holding the longsword before. At this time, although this white light was not as strong as the sword, it still fended off Chen Chens Field energy attack! Is this the protection against evil? Chen Chens eyes flickered. At this time, he was almost certain that among those who were the greatest threat to him, there was the profession of the paladin. Thinking of this, Chen Chen did not want to let the opponent go. He accelerated and rushed toward the slender paladin. The closer the distance, the more powerful and flexible Chen Chens Field became. He threw a punch toward the paladins head but at the same time, secretly concentrated the Field energy and smashed it toward the opponents lower body! Seeing the vampire count was appearing in front of him, the paladin instinctively drew his sword and raised it. There was a sharp clang and the paladin had blocked Chen Chens fist accurately! Chen Chens physical strength was even overpowered by his opponents counterattack. The longsword in the paladins hand flickered and instead slashed toward Chen Chen! Chen Chens protective Field around his body would immediately melt like white snow in the spring under the attack of that white ray! Seeing that the sword was about to pierce his body, Chen Chen just took a step back at will and in the next second, the Field energy had completely hit the opponents crotch! Bang! The paladins eyes widened suddenly in a dazed expression. A trace of blood trickled from the corner of his mouth and he slumped to the ground It seemed that although the light on the paladin had the power to defend against Chen Chens Field, it also had to be activated. Earlier, Chen Chen first turned his opponents attention toward protecting the face while using Field to attack the lower body, so it was difficult for the opponent to notice the latter. Looking at the figure that was completely limp on the ground, Chen Chen knew that the other party was dead. This blow did not simply shatter his lower body but also everything in his abdominal cavity Agh!!! However, just as Chen Chen killed the paladin, a heart-wrenching cry erupted at his right. Chen Chen turned his head calmly but saw that the paladin captain had arrived not far away and just so happened to see Chen Chen killing his companion Immediately, the paladin bit the tip of his tongue viciously and spat a large mouthful of blood on his longsword. Suddenly, a white gleam of light protruded from his body and he barreled toward Chen Chen with steely determination! Sacrifice! At the same time, the paladin let out a harsh anguished roar! At this time, in the perception of Chen Chens Field energy, the aura of his opponent suddenly increased by a few levels. A force that Chen Chen must treat with caution emanated from his opponents body. This was a force of anger and madness, and at the same time, there was also a hint of death! This guy had expended his life force to kill Chen Chen along with himself? Chen Chen immediately understood the other partys intention. With a slight curl at his lips, when the paladin was about to reach him, suddenly, Chen Chen pushed off lightly with his right foot and he floated backward as if he was weightless! Vampire count, come down and fight me! Seeing Chen Chen running away, the paladin captain was even angrier. He rushed toward Chen Chen while panting but after all, he was not of an agile profession. Even if he rushed forward with all his might, he could not compare to Chen Chens speed. However, Chen Chen seemed to be deliberately angering his opponent. He did not confront him but did not retreat either. Instead, he kept circling the castle, silently draining the power of the paladin captain. One minute, two minutes, three minutes Five minutes later, the paladin captain was showing signs of exhaustion. His face was blue and gray, and his lips also turned a strange white. His life force was almost depleted The paladin saw that he could not catch up with Chen Chen and wanted to retreat, but just as he turned back, he felt another strong wind behind him. He quickly turned around and slashed, but he did not hit anything! Seeing this, the paladin knew that Chen Chen wanted to expend his power, so he had to continue to retreat. Even so, he had not retreated far when suddenly there was a chill in his chest and it felt like his chest was bursting The paladin captain looked down blankly, only to see that a hand had penetrated his blind spot and was protruding from his chest, holding a heart that was still pounding restlessly Your protection has disappeared. Behind him, the deep voice of the vampire count was heard and this voice was already close by! Ugh The paladin captain gave a sorrowful smile. He only felt that the strength of his body was beginning to drain from his chest. He wanted to continue to raise his sword but that hand seemed to see through his thoughts and withdrew from his chest with a swish. Pfft! At once, a torrent of blood mixed with mushy flesh flowed out of the big wound in his chest A look of defiance flashed in the eyes of the paladin captain, but this expression gradually became frozen and then he toppled forward and fell completely to the ground. The paladin captain was dead! Chapter 547 - Pale Justice Theres still one more After Chen Chen killed the paladin captain, he immediately remembered that another wizard had fled from here, but it was too late to chase after him. The other party had long since melded into the ruins of the city. Looking for him would be like finding a needle in a haystack. However, up until now, there had been six people killed. Among them, only one wizard was left in this squad. A wizard and a rogue in the other squad had also died. It seemed that there should still be fourteen more survivors. After thinking about it, Chen Chen searched the corpses of this group of people and found a lot of bottles and jars. In addition to some potions and gold coins, there were also some things that Chen Chen could not name. For example, there were some spices and a weird badge, but after seeing the emblem on this badge, Chen Chens eyes suddenly brightened. This badge was stitched with a blood-colored Japanese rose. Blood was still flowing on the stem and there was a string of numbers on the back of the emblem. This was Chen Chen turned around and looked at the top of the hall. The emblem depicted on it was indeed the same as this badge! In other words, does this emblem belong to me? Chen Chen wore a thoughtful look. Then, if my guess is right, this string of numbers should be the code for one of the four gates. Seeing this, Chen Chen simply packed up everything and put them in the attic of his castle. If they wanted to find these props, they must go through Chen Chen first. After doing all this, Chen Chen noticed that the horizon had started to light up slightly and a ray of morning light appeared at the end of the sky. One nights time was about to pass and the next day was being ushered in. At the same time, Chen Chen also felt that his strength seemed to be a little weakened. This was a mandatory buff. During the day, the power of a vampire would be reduced by 10 to 20%. However, after Chen Chen thought for a while, he did not return to the passage in the fireplace. It would be like shooting fish in a barrel. If he was found by the other party, he might not be able to run. Therefore, Chen Chen went upstairs and found a room on the second floor with a wide view, then hid there. In this way, if someone approached the castle, he would notice them at once and he could also prevent the opponent from finding the passage behind the fireplace. After taking refuge, Chen Chen silently watched the sky turning from the pale whiteness of the fish belly to a brighter hue. The original indigo blue color quickly faded and the sky became sky-blue like glass, pure and flawless. As the sun gradually rose, a plume of black smoke suddenly curled up at the western gate of the city. The black smoke rose straight up, for the tall city wall blocked the wind from dispersing it. When he saw the black smoke in the distance, Chen Chen could not help frowning. Was it because they knew it was daytime, so Chen Chen was restrained, that they dared to build a fire to cook a meal? No, if these people were a group of well-trained mercenaries who had drawn blood before, then they would not make such a low-level mistake. At this time, the black smoke was more like a trap, one that was supposed to entice Chen Chen to head there. Chen Chen had already noticed that although he was a vampire, even if the ultraviolet rays irradiated his body, it would only cause burns to the epidermal skin. At this time, the wounds on his arm had healed at an unknown time. In other words, short-term exposure to the sun would only cause minor injuries to him and he would not turn into ashes by a single ray of sunlight like in movies or legends. This group of people seemed to understand him better than he understood himself or rather, they understood vampires very well. It was too bad that, besides immense physical strength, Chen Chen had an even stronger Field power. Most of those people before were killed by Chen Chens pervasive Field energy. Thinking of this, Chen Chen was a little eager and tempted. He was contemplating whether he should use the opponents to measure his own strength and beat them at their own game, wiping out the team near the black smoke. Nevertheless, on second thought, he gave up on this. There were still two nights and there was no rush at all unless the group found one of the other three badges. However, this group of people came here after being commissioned to find treasures and kill Chen Chen. That was to say, unless they suffered heavy losses and believed that the mission was impossible, they certainly would not leave easily. As for the Consciousness Stealer hidden among the crowd, Chen Chen did not have any special strategies for the time being. It was best to go with the flow and kill this group of NPCs at the same time, eliminating the creature. The black smoke did not billow for long. As if they knew that Chen Chen would not be fooled, the fire was soon put out again and then there was silence as before. Chen Chen could not see any signs of movement and no one stepped into the scope of the castle, but at some unknown time, he discovered that the doors of some nearby buildings had been opened and then closed again. The group of people was still searching for clues against Chen Chen in various rooms in the city. Three or four hours later, when the sun set again, Chen Chen stood up and stretched slightly. The heat of the day faded little by little and the familiar power surged up in him again, permeating through Chen Chens body. Chen Chen suddenly realized that he seemed to like the feeling of darkness arriving. Even so, after night fell, he did not act immediately. Instead, he waited for a while in the castle. After sensing that no one had sneaked in, he walked out of the castle and approached the west gate where the black smoke had risen during the day. This time, Chen Chens speed was not fast. He did not see until he walked to the gate that a bonfire was piled up on the ground in front of the western gate. At this time, the bonfire was extinguished and only a wisp of smoke was left. There was no sign of people cooking food or resting on the side. As expected, the black smoke during the day was a trap. Thinking of this, Chen Chen looked toward the surrounding houses. His Field energy swept through the houses without any blind spots and soon, he found clues in some rooms. Chen Chens figure suddenly flickered and in the next second, he appeared on the first floor of that house, only to see a few scratches on the ground here. It seemed that someone in armor had lain here before and all the doors of the house were open. There were even signs that the locks were broken by force. There was also an iron box in one of the rooms, but it had been opened by someone, and the object in it was gone. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight Chen Chen found a total of eight traces in the surrounding houses. If there were eight people, in other words, were these the two teams that he had sensed after killing the wizard and rogue? At this time, Chen Chen already knew that there were four teams in this group of invaders. One of the teams was wiped out with only one wizard left and the other two teams were the eight people today. So now, it seemed, there was only one team left that Chen Chen had not encountered yet. Thinking of this, Chen Chen had a faint intuition that maybe the Consciousness Stealer was hidden in the last team However, with its mere five points of intelligence, what would it do and why should it hide? Chen Chen realized that he might be able to guess the thoughts of smart people, but he could not guess the thoughts of such monsters. No one knew what they were thinking. Thinking of this, Chen Chen returned to the castle again but when he approached the castle, he suddenly got a strong whiff of blood. Chen Chen had never been so sensitive to the smell of blood, but now he was in the consciousness battlefield after all. Although the smell of blood was the same as usual, for Chen Chen, there was a hint of sweetness in this bloody stench. However, this kind of diversion was not too tempting to the strong-willed Chen Chen. He flew straight to the castle and immediately saw a trace of blood flowing out of the inner floor of the castle. Someone seemed to be injured. Chen Chen glanced at the trap inside. Sure enough, in the brick above his head, all the spikes had flown out, and they were tightly nailed to the ground. At the same time, a few spikes were missing and on the ground, only a puddle of blood was left. The track of blood trailed out from the castle, extending into the cluster of houses behind him. Chen Chens expression flashed twice. He was about to chase after the blood trai, but once again he paused. The spiked trap was launched from the top. If one was not prepared for it, one would die at once. Its unlikely that someone would be injured but still survived, not to mention the amount of bleeding was not much In other words, someone is setting up an ambush for this trap again? Thinking of this, Chen Chens mouth twitched into a smile. Interesting He did not follow the bloodstains directly but returned to the castle. At the same time, he stretched out his hand. The spikes popped out of the ground one by one, and then landed into Chen Chens palm like birds returning to their nests. After that, Chen Chen walked to the other side of the second floor of the castle and vaulted over the window at the back. At this time, his Field power was fully activated and he tried his best to detect signs of people around him. At the same time, he went around in a circle to explore the direction of the blood track from the side. Finally, after traveling over a hundred meters, he had reached a small square where a pile of bandages was left after being used to dress a wound. In the surrounding houses of the small square, several adventurers were waiting quietly. Sure enough, this was still a trap. Chen Chen first spotted two warriors with scruffy beards. One of them was only about 1.6 meters tall, but his head was twice as large as an ordinary person, with a big nose and two giant axes in his hands. Chen Chen immediately recognized that this was a dwarf warrior. The other person was an ordinary human warrior and not a paladin because Chen Chen did not feel the threat of a paladin from his presence. In a residential building near these two people, there was a man in black who was raring to go. He was dressed fully in black clothes, revealing only a pair of eyes, and he was not wearing any armor. Only two scimitars hung at his waist and he looked just like an assassin. There were three of them in these two houses. Chen Chen did not know where the remaining people were, but it seemed obvious. The remaining people were in the houses that surrounded the small square, but at this time, these people were acting as support by guarding the rear. It was impossible for Chen Chen to enter the small square to locate the remaining people, and if he continued to approach these people, he would be noticed by them. Chen Chen was still keeping in mind the distance of 40 meters. Unless Chen Chen could head in and slaughter them without attracting too much attention Thinking of this, Chen Chen immediately narrowed his eyes. He first selected the assassin in black and then he approached this opponent step by step. Although the limit of Fields range was 50 meters, his control over Field at this distance was greatly diminished both in accuracy and strength. Forty-five meters, forty-four meters, forty-three meters When Chen Chen was forty-three meters away from the black-clothed assassin, the assassin suddenly shuddered. He quickly stood up and was about to draw the scimitar at his waist but found that there was only air! Swish! There was a sound of metal slicing flesh and the black-clothed assassin only felt a chill at his neck. Following that, a large volume of blood sprayed from his neck! Hiss, hiss, hiss The black-clothed assassin struggled constantly but he could not break free from the invisible shackles. He opened his mouth but his scimitar had already cut his throat, making him unable to utter a sound. After half a minute, the black-clothed assassin had become limp, approaching death little by little. Although Chen Chen was far away, he knew that there must be a bloody stench emanating from the scene and he had to kill as many as possible before others could smell the blood. Thus, Chen Chen did not stop. He once again targeted the two warriors who were stationed together. At the same time, with a flick of his finger, four spikes flew toward the house of the two warriors at a leisurely speed. Hum The four spikes were like four feathers. They drifted into the building through the gaps in the door and the window and silently hovered over the two peoples heads. Just then, Chen Chen raised his right hand, then abruptly closed it into a fist! Whiz! In an instant, the four spikes suddenly accelerated and penetrated the open eyes of the two at a lightning speed! Argh! Aghh!! Two screams came from inside the house. Chen Chen did not proceed to kill them but immediately retreated and re-entered the shadows behind him. Roar! Sure enough, outside the small square, a furious cry suddenly burst out from one of the hidden buildings and then a warrior surrounded by a white halo rushed out. This soldier was brawnier than the paladin captain killed by Chen Chen. His silver-white halo was also more compact. At this time, Chen Chen was already hiding in the shadows. He stoically watched the paladin rushing forward but when he saw the weapon wielded by the paladin, his pupils suddenly shrank. The paladin was holding the simple longsword without any embellishments that Chen Chen had first discovered? Thinking of this, Chen Chens expression darkened instantly. This longsword was prepared for the paladin and that was why it caused such grievous harm to Chen Chen. Now, the longsword was found by his opponent, so the danger level had soared exponentially. Chen Chen was not even sure that his Field could stop the paladins slash! Chapter 548 - Return As Chen Chen beheld the humanoid creature constantly extending its tentacles outward, a harsh, piercing gaze appeared in his eyes. Despite his injuries, he forced himself to form a drill-shaped Field and launched it at the enemy at full strength! Psst! The Consciousness Stealer was blown up into a fine splatter of blood and flesh that painted the hall of the castle red! Huff Huff! Chen Chen stood in place, beginning to feel worn out by this point. He fixed his gaze at the mash of meat splattered all over the ground. Suddenly, they turned into countless spots of green light and flew toward him Chen Chen quickly stumbled backward and instinctively raised a barrier of Field to stop the advance of these strange spots of light. However, these strange objects did not seem to have a physical form and managed to effortlessly slip through his Field and fuse into his body! The moment they fused into Chen Chen, he saw countless visions. He saw the luminous night sky, a vast field on an alien planet, and a glimpse of an enormous dark figure The magnificent figure rose over the horizon and loomed over the sky of the planet. Due to the alignment of the sun, he could barely make out the silhouette of the figure. It was a figure with what seemed like tens of thousands of tiny strands of tentacles crawling over its body, a monster made up of massive carpets of flesh and blood! It drowned out the light of the sun. With just a glance, Chen Chen felt overwhelmed with a sense of despair and madness! What Is that The Consciousness Battlefield has come to an end! A bright voice shattered the darkness and snapped Chen Chen awake as he heard the same voice continue declaring. Participant Chen Chen, youve successfully devoured the opponent, prepare to return. Chen Chen began to relax upon hearing this familiar voice. He collapsed weakly onto the ground and tried to detect the changes in his consciousness. Before he had time to properly catch his breath, he suddenly noticed cracks forming out of thin air in front of him, like reality itself shattering and crumbling away. The sharp sound of breaking glass filled his ears. Chen Chen rubbed his eyes in confusion and yet the strange phenomenon was still occurring. With one final break, the glass in front of him had completely shattered and his world was yet again plunged into complete darkness. Something was not right! Chen Chen was shocked by what was happening around him. The darkness filled him with a peculiar sense of dread that he could not identify the root cause of. It felt as if his very consciousness was split into two identical halves and somehow each half was feeling different things. What was going on? Chen Chen was suddenly filled with an extreme sense of tiredness. The moment he tried to sit up, he banged his head hard into the metal plate above, which immediately resulted in a bloodied head. Chen Chen tried to rub the pain away and as he opened his eyes, he found himself in a suffocating, almost claustrophobic space. After further inspection, he realized he was sleeping inside a space that seemed like the inside of a coffin. He was surrounded by metal walls with two rows of faint red LED lights along the sides of his body. Am I inside a cryogenic chamber? Chen Chen looked around, puzzled by what was happening. He was having a harder time focusing as his mind was invaded by another sweeping sense of drowsiness. However, he refused to submit to this sleepiness. He realized that he was seeing two separate images at a time. It felt as if one half of his consciousness was looking at a space faintly lit by two rows of dim red light while the other half of his consciousness was staring at the pitch-black, ominous void. What was going on, was this caused by the Consciousness Battlefield? Chen Chen was dismayed by this thought. Before he could further study his situation, another wave of sleepiness came over him. Before long, Chen Chen had lost consciousness While this was happening, in the Spire Experimental Base faraway, the USB drive suddenly emitted a blinding white glow and began to melt away like a bar of soap while basking amid the blinding light! By the time the light faded out, the shape of the USB drive was only a faint remembrance of what it once was. It continued to evaporate into thin air and by the time Little X tapped into the camera inside the charging room, the USB drive had completely vanished! Nobody knew where the USB drive could have gone Seemingly out of nowhere, the strange virus that could potentially devastate the entirety of mankind had disappeared. It was as if somebody pressed the pause button. The virus that was still spreading furiously had instantly disappeared. After disposing of the final batch of corpses, the remaining infected people managed to regain their sanity. Meanwhile, the ones who were identified as at risk of infection due to exposure were out of the woods as well since there were zero signs of unnatural observation when they were put into quarantine. In the beginning, the Earth Federation was not certain that it was over. However, as time went on and they arrived at a months mark without any new cases of infection or deaths reported, everyone took it as a sign that the nightmare was finally over. To ensure that the infection was truly gone, the Earth Federation made sure to check with the quantum computer, Adam. The answer Adam provided was simple and elaborate, being that mankind was currently not facing any potential world-ending crisis Adams reply was relayed to all the world leaders but most of them took the answer with a mixture of bitterness. It seemed like Adams prophetic qualities were slowly degrading. Nobody knew what the cause for this was, but what was happening here could not be any more clear. There seemed to be some sort of error with the quantum computer Adam, otherwise, it would have at least issued a warning regarding this crisis they faced instead of remaining silent until directly enquired. With this, the terrible plague event which spanned for two and a half months, spreading all over the world and claiming more than three million lives in the process had finally come to an end. The infectious disease went away as quickly as it came, without any forewarning. Similarly, all of the Consciousness Stealer clones cultivated by countries all over the world from the meteorite protoplasmic liquid sample died a month prior. After that, nobody could create clones from the protoplasmic liquid anymore. Even the protoplasmic liquid itself followed the trend of rapid deterioration and lost all of its potency. While the world was busy celebrating the end of this plague, nobody noticed the sudden disappearance of a certain person who had been at the frontline, holding back the Consciousness Stealer all this while. Life went on. One month, two months, three months There was a beautiful girl who ritually sat next to a blue, metallic coffin and waited quietly by herself every day. She would curl herself into a ball and wait for the slightest bit of movement from within the coffin. Beep, beep, beep The girls phone suddenly started to ring. She slowly opened her eyes and answered the call. Little Chen, its already so late, are you not coming home yet? Arent you going to at least check in with us? There was an aged and worn-out voice on the other end of the phone. Although the person on the phone sounded spent, her voice made her sound like she could not be anywhere older than thirty years old. Mom, Ive been a bit busy recently. You take care of yourself with Dad, Ill be back sometime soon The girl answered, but the voice that came out of her lips was that of a mans. Alright then, dont stress yourself out now, child. Make sure to rest if you get tired. Your father misses you as well. The mother continued. Look, we were to blame for what happened last night. We wont force you to look for a partner anymore, please dont be angry at us alright? Its no big deal. The girl smiled, her expression lucid. Really. Thats good Beep. The call ended. With that, the girl gently set the phone on the ground next to her and continued waiting with her back against the coffin. Nobody knew who or what she was waiting for Thump Just as she slowly closed her eyes and set herself to meditate against the chamber, she seemed to sense what could be the sound of faint knocking against the metal chamber. Thump, thump, It sounded like someone knocking against the inside of the chamber. She immediately widened her eyes and turned around to look at the chamber expectantly. Click, click! There was suddenly a light noise heard from inside the chamber as if someone had triggered a mechanism. Shortly after that, the lid of the chamber shook for a moment before it began to slide open! Ah! The girl exclaimed in surprise. She quickly went to look inside the chamber and saw a young man with his eyes squinted as he slowly lifted the cover. When the light from outside seeped into the chamber, the person inside shielded his eyes from the brightness of the sun. Sir Godfather! The girl could not be any more delighted to see this. She leaned over the chamber and became extremely emotional. Youve finally awakened from your slumber! Chen Chen was still trapped in a dizzy state. He only looked at the celebrating Little X and did not elicit any distinct response. His eyes were still colored with a palate of strangeness and confusion. Where am I Chen Chen did not sit up. He held his hands in front of his face and inspected it as if he was looking at a never-before-seen curiosity. This is the teleportation hall. The girl froze slightly upon noting this remark and noticing Chen Chens foreign expression. She stumbled backward ever so slightly. Are you Sir Godfather? I am. Chen Chen finally set down his palm and looked at the slightly tense and unsettled Little X as his lips finally broke into a light smile. Dont worry, Ive already devoured the Consciousness Stealer, you can rest easy. Little X nodded firmly, it was true. There were no longer any infected people in the world. This person she was facing could not be the Consciousness Stealer either. Still, there was a strange look that lingered in Chen Chens eyes. He kept trying to blink away this occult feeling in his mind. From his perspective, he seemed to be looking at two separate images. One image was of himself opening the cover of the cryogenic chamber. He saw Little X beside himself and he saw the familiar ceiling of the teleportation hall. Inside another image was nothing but the all-consuming darkness. Chen Chen felt as if his consciousness was split into two clean halves. One half had fully awakened but the other half was still slumbering. It was an extremely bizarre, unnatural feeling. It made him feel like he was losing grip of what was real and what was not, like the strands of reality and illusion were intertwined in an unexplainable manner. Sir Godfather, are you feeling any discomfort? Little X asked concerningly. No, its just Chen Chen tried to elaborate but realized he did not know how to put what he was feeling into words. He decided it was better to not try to explain his predicament. Instead, he reached out to hold the edges of the cryogenic chamber and pulled himself up. The moment he got up, he felt the touch of a foreign object on his left hand. He held it up and saw that it was none other than a pitch-black USB drive, one without any sparkling spots on it. The USB drive disappeared three months ago. Little X immediately noted. At the time, I also wondered if the USB drive had returned to your hands again. Three months? Ive been sleeping for so long Chen Chen frowned upon hearing this. This was not the first time the USB drive had disappeared suddenly so he was not notably fazed by the news. He stepped out of the cryogenic chamber, still feeling rather weak and tired. After that, a host of Black Knights entered and escorted Chen Chen out of the teleportation hall and into the Spire Experimental Base. After conducting a full body checkup on Chen Chen, it was quickly concluded that there were no notable changes in his body apart from a mild case of malnutrition. Chen Chen was also informed that Hannibal, who was infected at the same time as he was, had awakened three months before him. At the time, Hannibal was struggling holding himself together since his willpower was not anywhere close to Chen Chens. It was Little X who made the sound judgment of freezing him and waited to thaw him until after Chen Chen had completely devoured the Consciousness Stealer. At this point, Hannibal had returned to operating at his usual post. After being supplemented with nutrients, Chen Chen went to a sanatorium in the Spire Experimental Base. The three-month-long slumber had put his body into a state of hiatus and burnt out a significant amount of nutrients. His primary objective now was to regain these nutrients. Lying on the soft bed, Chen Chen felt another wave of sleepiness sweeping over him. He closed his eyes and submitted himself to sleep Something strange happened to Chen Chen again. As soon as he fell asleep, another part of his consciousness jolted awake. He opened his eyes in a state of confusion and found himself back inside the cryogenic chamber instead of lying on top of a soft bed cover. What was going on? Chen Chens mind suddenly snapped awake with a grand realization. Whats going on? This is something that only occurs after a cryogenic sleep. Have I been sleeping for up to a century? Chen Chen was filled with uncertainty as he felt his mind plunged into a web. He could recall himself waking up earlier and stepping out of the cryogenic chamber. In that case, how did this explain his current situation? Was it a dream? Was what happened earlier a dream and was he back in reality now? Chen Chen felt like he had lost the ability to form clear, concise thoughts in his mind. Just as he prepared to tap a button next to him to open the chamber, he heard rough rumbling coming from outside the chamber. It sounded like someone was trying to forcefully tear open the cryogenic chamber Chen Chen frowned. The high-offset armor was the toughest known matter in the solar system. Unless directly hit by a nuclear bomb, it was impossible for it to be destroyed by any other destructive force, whether from the natural world or man-made. The only way it could be opened was from the inside. There was no chance that Little X did not know about this. In other words, it was not Little X who was currently trying to open the cryogenic chamber from outside If it was not Little X, who could it be? With this in mind, Chen Chens eyes began to fill with madness and craze Chapter 549 - I Like Your Spirit On a vast dune formed of yellow sand, hundreds of thin figures could be seen digging away at ancient ruins. Looking from above, one could see that they had dug up what seemed to be a rectangular structure. The structure was buried up to a hundred meters deep. Its steel structure had long corroded after being worn away by the sands of time. This structure appeared to be a hall buried underground. Most of the dome had collapsed and buried deep underground. Only a small part of the dome remained clinging to the top of the structure. The entire structure seemed to be made of steel, which seemed to be the aim of these people excavating the ruin. Shais, we must complete mining out this ancient ruin within three months. A man in a black robe with three gold rims wrapped around his waist remarked with a hoarse voice, All the mined steel must be handed over to the high priest. You shall not emit any sinful thoughts of greed or else youll face the condemnation of the High Priest. Your body will be fed to God and your soul shall be plunged into the fiery depths of hell The man in the black rob even had black gauze fabric covering his face. When the red desert wind blew in his direction, the fabric would flutter and briefly reveal his face underneath the fabric. It was a hideous, disfigured face, filled with foul blisters and scars. Well follow the guidance of the High Priest and Master Deacon Standing in front of this robed man was another man wearing a similar black robe. However, this mans appearance was significantly fairer. He only had a small amount of lingering scars and blisters that he had almost completely recovered from. This other man only had one gold rim around his robe. He bowed to show respect to the deacon. Hm, excellent. The deacon nodded, pleased with this reception. He then turned around and headed toward an airship nearby. There was another group of people all dressed in black robes next to him but unlike the laborers tasked with excavating the ancient ruin, these people were mighty, tall giants. The robes they wore could barely cover the bulging mass of muscles underneath. They were far taller than the average person with some of them standing up to three meters tall. They looked like a group of brazen beasts. A pleasure, Deacon Armas When the other man in black robe saw the deacon departing, he bowed respectfully again and smiled courteously to bid farewell to the deacon. The moment he lowered his head, a sudden cold glimmer appeared in his eyes. Just as the deacon took another step toward the airship, he suddenly heard a round of urgent footsteps quickly approaching. A frail-looking man in a black robe approached. Master Shais, the laborers They, they found something strange! Hm? The deacon stopped upon hearing of this. He slowly turned to address the frail-looking man in the black robe who approached Shais. What did you guys dig up? It, its something that looks like a coffin. The frail-looking man in the black robe sounded nervous. Its very heavy and sturdy. We couldnt open it Shais eyed the frail-looking man up and down, then turned around to address the deacon who seemed to have his interest piqued by this sudden discovery. These laborers have no idea what theyre dealing with. Chances are its just some common mechanism in this ancient structure. I doubt its anything important at all Couldnt we figure it out by just taking a look at whatever this item is? The deacons mouth twisted into a sly grimace as he began to head toward the direction of the ancient ruin. Shais, youre not trying to take possession of the High Priests tribute to God, are you? Of, of course not! Shais immediately shook his head at the notion, then quietly trailed after the deacon. Shortly after, they had arrived at the edges of the gigantic ruin. From this side, they could see that the ruin was the size of a regular football field. They also saw hundreds of laborers working tirelessly at the ruin. The laborers used a variety of steel tools to hammer away at the steel-framed structure of the ruin. At the moment, there was a large group gathered at the bottom section of the ruin. They seemed to be observing something. Tell them to carry that thing outside. The deacon ordered. Hurry, tell the laborers to take that thing over here and offer it to Master Deacon Armas! Shais quickly commanded. Several large, muscular supervisors relayed Shais orders to the laborers below and similarly ordered them to carry the large metallic object from the bottom of the ruin to the surface. Huff Huff The yellow-faced laborers who were all skin and bones had to exhaust every ounce of strength left in their bodies to carry the item to the surface and present it to their masters. Upon closer inspection, they noted that it was a metal object shaped like a coffin. The coffin was wide on the top and narrow on the bottom, and looked speckless and undamaged, looking as if the last several hundred years had gone completely unnoticed by it. Hm? The deacon noticed faint blue fluorescent light glowing from inside it and remarked gladly, This must be something valuable. Theres no trace of corrosion despite being buried underneath the ruin for all these years. It must be made of powerful material that can be similarly used to produce high-quality weapons. No need to rush just yet, Master Deacon Armas. Shais smiled. This coffin-shaped object does seem like a box of some sort, which means that there must be something even more treasured hidden within. Perhaps this is the tomb of a royal in ancient times, there may be jewelry contained within Jewelry? The deacon squinted at the suggestion, his eyes shone with greed. In that case, what are we waiting for? If it does contain jewels inside, you and I shall receive great blessings from the Divine after we offer it to the High Priest. Yes. Shais turned to the previous frail-robed man and commanded, Find some well-bodied laborers and have them pry this coffin open! Yes! The frail-looking man nodded and quickly ran to the other side of the ruin and gathered several slightly larger and stronger laborers. You guys, open it together! The group of laborers was brought to the coffin and made to lift the lid off the metal coffin. One, two, three! They counted down together and tried to pry the lid off at the same time. However, no matter how hard they pushed or pulled at the lid, it would not budge at all. Whats going on, are your muscles for decoration? Shais frowned, visibly irritated by this poor display. Upon noting that the deacon was beginning to show signs of irritation as well, he immediately barked more orders, Get the tools, pry it open with tools! The laborers stopped trying with brute force and went to procure crowbars from the other workers. They tried to jam the crowbars into tiny gaps in between the lid of the coffin to pry it open by force. After ten minutes of this futile attempt, it was quickly evident that it was no good as well. Master, there are no identifiable openings in the coffin that allow us to fit the crowbars into One of the laborers mustered the courage to inform the masters. Useless maggots! Shais ridiculed them and pushed them out of the way. He approached the coffin and began inspecting it. He noticed that most of the crowbars were bent and damaged at this point but there was not the slightest hint of a scratch formed on the surface of the coffin. What a resilient material! Shais could not help but be amused by this strange structure but he knew better than to let his amusement show. Still annoyed, he turned to the deacon and remarked, Master Deacon Armas, take a look at this Hmph, Ive never heard such a thing as a coffin that cannot be opened. The deacon smirked. How about the chainsaw? Couldnt this thing be cut open with a chainsaw? Right, the chainsaw! Shais suddenly remembered about the chainsaw and slapped his head in a comedic manner. Shortly after, the chainsaw was brought over and this time, Shais decided that he would do it himself. He held up the old chainsaw and placed it over the midsection between the body of the coffin and its lid, and revved the chainsaw! Screech-! There was a harsh, deafening screech accompanied by brilliant sparks that sprayed in all directions. Shais held the chainsaw over the coffin for what seemed like forever and still could not see the barest signs of damage on the coffin. When his hands could not bear the tremendous vibration of the chainsaw anymore, he finally let go. What he saw after that completely baffled him. The parts of the coffin he sawed over with the chainsaw still looked brand new, but the saw teeth of the chainsaw, on the other hand, were completely shaven clean! It was not just Shais, even Armas and the others observing were floored by the sight of this. It could not be cut open with a chainsaw nor pried open with crowbars. What were they supposed to do about this thing? While the troubled group was trying to come up with a plausible alternative, they suddenly heard a sharp beep emitted from inside the coffin-shaped device. They heard what sounded like air being gushed out of vents, which was soon followed by continuous electronic beeps. The coffin that they were unable to crack open despite the best of their efforts was opening on its own What was going on Shais held his breath and instinctively took two steps backward, guarding himself mentally for what was about to come next. Meanwhile, the deacon gave a signal and sent several of his extremely muscular subordinates forward. Ah When the coffin opened, several of the onlookers let out a horrified gasp. They saw a strangely-dressed man levitating out of the coffin! There was no mistaking it, this man was levitating! The complexion of this man inside the coffin was pale and sickly. His eyes were still shut tightly and he sported an odd-looking short hairstyle. It seemed as if he was not bound to the usual laws of gravity. His very presence was ominous and spelled trouble for the deacon and the rest of them. The moment he appeared, the air in the atmosphere seemed to have changed. The faint dust storm blowing restlessly along the desert suddenly halted. They felt as if the air around them had gotten considerably thicker and heavier. Each one of them tried to breathe but the air had gotten so heavy that it was difficult to inhale at all! An inexplicable sense of danger rushed at them Who, who are you! The air continued to thicken for an indiscernible amount of time. The deacon was the first one to recollect himself. He clenched his teeth and rebuked this man. Why are you inside the coffin? Dont you know that everything here is meant as a tribute for God? Youve committed a grave sin! The man inside the coffin suddenly opened his eyes as he seemed to have heard the voice of the deacon directed at him. The moment he opened his eyes, the sky seemed to have darkened! Those eyes were nothing that they had ever seen before. They were formed like two depthless pits or like the boundless stars and galaxies. It was an arresting sight to behold! God? The man squinted, seemingly adjusting to the harsh rays of sunlight. The corner of his lips curled up to form a dangerous smile. How could there be anything such as a God in this world? If a God truly exists, then I shall be God. What audacity! The deacon was outraged by this bold proclamation. The air around him seemed to shift as he ranted angrily, How dare you to question the existence of God? Somebody, apprehend this man and bring him to the High Priest so he can become a blood sacrifice for God! The muscular subordinates in black robes followed the order given by the deacon and immediately stepped forward to try to reach for the mysterious man who had emerged from the coffin! Before they could even approach the mysterious man, they were horrified by the realization that they could not move their bodies at all. They felt like a strange spell was cast on them. What are you guys waiting for, get him! The deacons eyes twitched with irritation. He seemed to have realized what was happening but refused to believe it. Theyre already on their way to meet this God you speak of. The mysterious man took a step forward mid-air and looked like he was advancing down an invisible flight of stairs until he finally came in front of the deacon. As he did this, the band of robed religious members began crumbling away from the head down. Their bodies were cut into pieces like building blocks! Thump! Dozens of them died on the spot. An enormous pool of blood immediately formed on the ground. The sight was revolting for the stomach. You! The deacons pupils shrank into a tiny circle as he stumbled backward again. He could not believe what he was seeing. Impossible, youre a high-level psionicist! Psionic, is that what you people call the mysterious power? The man tilted his head sideways. He could faintly sense traces of strange and yet somewhat familiar energy seeping from the deacons body. There was no mistaking it. It was the same mysterious power possessed by the Consciousness Stealer he once came in contact with God, grant me the power to destroy this unholy sinner! The deacon suddenly bellowed and spread his hands outward. An invisible force began to circle his body but before he could continue channeling his power, he felt something clutching onto his throat and choking the life out of him. Hnghh, uhh The deacon immediately reached for his neck but could not sense the touch of anything foreign. He turned to look at the mysterious man and tried to whisper something but before he could get his sentence out, his neck was snapped clean at a ninety-degree angle! Thump! Before the deacon could exert his power, he had collapsed lifelessly onto the ground. After the trouble was taken care of, the mysterious man diverted his attention to Shais, who was staring at him wide-eyed and mouth agape. Psi, Psionic Master! Shais felt a chill invading his spine and seeping into every inch of his body. Without uttering another thought, he collapsed onto the ground and kissed the soil beneath the mysterious mans feet. I am your most loyal, most faithful servant. Please show me mercy and spare my life! The moment Shais surrendered himself to this mysterious man, the previous frail-looking supervisor and the other laborers followed suit. They got down on their knees and worshipped A mischievous smile came upon the lips of the mysterious man as he heard this. His expression remained unchanged as he remarked, Good, I like your spirit. Now, why dont you all tell me your name, age, and a brief of your background With that, he pointed a finger at Shais who assumed the highest position among the remaining survivors. Lets start with you. Chapter 550 - Divine Fusion Empire Unsurprisingly, this mysterious man was Chen Chen who had just awoken from his slumber. The remaining survivors did as they were told and informed Chen Chen of their names, age, and background. According to the information they revealed, they all came from a faction known as the Divine Fusion Empire. The country did not have an established constitutional monarchy but was instead controlled by the Divine Fusion Church. They were the strongest faction in the mainland. In addition, they had made several enemies for themselves in the common region and among them, the strongest was called the Joint Resistance Army. They were the most notable opponent of the Divine Fusion Empire. The Divine Fusion Empire worshipped the God of Fusion C Alosorthoth. Chen Chen winced the moment he heard this name uttered from their lips. It was the name of the Consciousness Stealer. Chen Chen knew because this was what appeared on the nameplate when he previously faced off against it in the Consciousness Battlefield. This combined with the idea of the Divine Fusion Church gave rise to strange speculation in Chen Chens mind. However, he was certain that he had already devoured the Consciousness Stealer. Furthermore, he had also awakened from the cryogenic chamber previously. Only he did not expect for himself to somehow return to the cryogenic chamber after he had fallen asleep for the second time. Could it be that something bizarre had happened to the world while he was asleep? Upon further consideration, Chen Chen deduced that this was an extremely unlikely scenario. Even if something odd were to occur, Little X would at least inform him before putting him into the cryogenic chamber. If that was not the reason, then it must have something to do with the splitting consciousness in his mind With this in mind, Chen Chen tried to concentrate his minds eye. Once again, he sensed two splitting images in his mind, one was a world doused in complete darkness while the other was a world of wide desert and dunes with a field of worshipers in front of him. One way to put it would be that while people would usually play games on a single screen, Chen Chen was currently dealing with two separate screens. One of the screens was pitch-black and seemed to be shut off while the other was broadcasting a game This was only a metaphor since reality was not so simple after all. It was not only his sense of sight. Even his sense of hearing, scent, and touch were split into two halves. On one end, he could feel the faint touch of the blanket covers against his skin while on the other end, he felt himself standing amid the dunes of yellow sand, the scorching sunlight warming his skin, and the burning sand It was something even more severe than schizophrenia. It was like he was plunged into an unexplainable dream No, it was not a dream! Chen Chen slowly shut his eyes and sensed the objects in his surroundings. Everything he felt, whether it was using Field or his physical touch was as real as one could be. The only offputting fact was that he was unable to control his slumbering body in the other half. If this was not a dream, could it be something off with my conscience? Chen Chen turned around and approached the spectacle these people referred to as the ancient ruin. The people below the ruin seemed to sense what was happening on the surface and stopped whatever excavation work they were tasked with. They stood lost and helplessly with their arms on their side as they looked at Chen Chen with fear in their eyes. Chen Chen realized that this ancient ruin they spoke of was none other than his teleportation hall! The teleportation hall had long collapsed by this point. The dome section had been removed by the laborers, exposing the vast and empty interior underneath. This is the Sahara Desert. The teleportation hall that was once a brand new addition to my facilities is now an ancient ruin. It seems that a significant amount of time has passed Chen Chen muttered to himself, unsure of what to make of this. If everything he saw was the real world, did this mean that he had been sleeping for more than several centuries? What happened to his parents, Blacklight Biotechnology, and all the other countries and empires? Had they given away to the sands of time and became a remnant of an ancient era? No, impossible! Chen Chen shook his head refusing to believe that this was reality. After all, he could clearly remember himself killing the Consciousness Stealer and snapping himself awake from the Consciousness Battlefield. How was it possible for mankind and the earth to fall to such a state? Unless Chen Chen suddenly thought of something. He squinted again and tried to sense the other half of his body as he attempted to wake up the sleeping half. Just as he was about to commit to this effort, he was struck with another sudden realization. It seemed like if he were to awaken his other half, this half in the current world would immediately descend into a deep slumber again. Chen Chen glanced at the gathering of laborers still kneeling in his general vicinity. If he were to fall asleep here, what would await him would be With this in mind, he decided to discard the impulsive idea of waking up his other half. I think Im beginning to understand Chen Chen allowed himself some time to further consider his current situation. He felt like he was beginning to get a grasp on what was happening. He figured that he had plenty of time to test his theories later as now was not the ideal time for it. It may seem like Chen Chen had been rooted in place for some time, contemplating all these ideas, but this was hardly the case. In truth, all of these thoughts were formed in a matter of seconds and Chen Chen quickly snapped back to reality. He soon sensed the state in which his body was in and realized his body was considerably weak at the moment. Although his Field was the most powerful it had ever been and he was able to form clear and concise thoughts with a clear mind now, the condition of his body deteriorating was all but inevitable. Considering that he seemed to have slept for several centuries Chen Chen stepped in front of the gathered laborers. These people who already had their heads down in the first place ducked their heads further into the ground, for they were afraid of looking into Chen Chens eyes. Shais, tell me, what year is it now in AD? Chen Chen asked in a low voice. AD? Shais paused for a moment and looked up, visibly confused by the question. This term feels somewhat familiar, I believe Ive seen mention of it in ancient texts. You must forgive me, Im afraid I dont fully understand your question Then how do you people measure the passing of time? What year is it supposed to be now? Chen Chen flicked an eyebrow and altered his question slightly. Until this time, Shais showed a surprised look, but he still replied without thinking, Master, its now year 378 of the Divine Fusion era and the current ruler is Pope Torapthius the Sixth! Year 378 of the Divine Fusion era Chen Chen repeated this statement to himself. From this alone, he could extract several vital pieces of information. One of which was the current state of affairs in the human world. Have you heard of the Earth Federation before? Chen Chen asked quizzingly. No, Ive never heard Shais shook his head at the mention of this foreign phrase. I know of the Joint Resistance Army. They are the largest enemy of the Divine Fusion Empire As for the rest, well, I dont know much. After all, Im just a class-one baron, which is the lowest class among the royals, only above the commoners and the slaves. How about this person? When Chen Chen obtained this information, his first thought went to the strange person whom he had just killed. Chen Chen previously inspected this strange person up and down with his Field. One odd thing that stood out to him was the persons horribly disfigured and distorted facial features that looked like he had been exposed to severe nuclear radiation. However, despite the severity of what seemed like a disease that he was afflicted with, not only was he still alive, but he even possessed what he referred to as psionic abilities. As far as Chen Chen knew, only entities such as the Consciousness Stealer had such psionic abilities To be fair, he had these similar abilities as well. When he closed his eyes, he could faintly feel the presence of two energies without a distinct form inside his mind. One took on a seemingly solidified form while the other had a weaker presence and took on a looser form similar to a cloud. With that said, these were merely abstract pictures in Chen Chens conscience. If one were to perform a CT scan or conduct surgery on him, there would be no signs of anything resembling what he saw in his mind. Furthermore, it seemed like the two groups of energy were beginning to fuse as a result of him having woken up What was the effect of the psionic energy and would it impose an effect on his Field? Chen Chen frowned. He decided that he should find time to examine these abilities. The man named Shais answered, This man is Armas, hes a class-three Earl. Shais saw that Chen Chen was slowly losing interest in what he was describing. He considered for a moment and went into further details. Hes two classes above me in terms of social hierarchy, which is why you can see three emblems on his robe representing his status. Hes also a close associate of the High Priest Isabelle. Seeing that Chen Chen was beginning to get lost behind all the terms associated with the current era, Shais diligently explained without having been prompted to do so, Ranked higher than the class-three Earl are the class-four Marquis as well as the highest-ranked Duke. This is the nobility hierarchy of the Divine Fusion Empire. With that said, the nobility system only ranks second place in the scheme of the empire in terms of importance, the core group in control of the ongoings of the empire is still the Divine Fusion Vatican. There are four priests in the Vatican, all governed under a single Pope. At this point, Chen Chen nodded with deep understanding. He then looked at the restless Shais and asked, Shais, now that Armas is dead, what would you do? Me? Shais cracked a bitter smile. An earl died on my turf. Its only a matter of time before Im subject to investigation and impeached. I might even face the wrath of the High Priest Isabelle What if I do this? Chen Chen motioned with his hand. In an instant, the corpses of Armas and all of his dead subordinates crumbled into fine sands of atom particles and vaporized into thin air. After that, Armas airship suddenly took flight on its own and flew off into the distance. Chen Chen stated, Armas has left and his airship would crash somewhere hundreds of kilometers away and everything would burn until theres nothing left. His death has nothing to do with you. Ah, you mean that Shais was initially fearful of Chen Chens supernatural methods, but his eyes shone the moment he heard what Chen Chen was suggesting. He quickly turned to look at the group of laborers behind him, his expression flashed with ice. But the laborers They will forget everything that they have witnessed. Chen Chen smiled and produced a metal rod from his pocket and tossed it over to Shais. Do you think you can mark your innocence by simply killing them all? Press that red button and you can erase their memories Thank you, Psionic Master! Shais was skeptical about this but he took the metal rod nonetheless. Of course, my help doesnt come without its cost. Before Shais could relish in his blessing, Chen Chen suddenly altered his tone. Theres something youll have to do for me. Yes, Ill do as you please! Shais knelt and put his head to the ground again. Guard the cryogenic chamber for me. Chen Chen pointed at the cryogenic chamber constructed with high-offset metal. If you can do that, Ill reward you with a great deal of fortune, land, and more. Whatever you want, I shall grant you! That is, provided that you can fulfill this task Ive assigned to you! Shais took a deep breath and slowly raised his head to look at Chen Chen. I understand, Psionic Master. Im your most loyal, most humble servant, and I shall safeguard this with my life! Alright, wait for my return. Chen Chen was pleased with this and nodded. Immediately after, he unleashed his Field and took off into the skies and soon vanished from sight! Shais slowly composed himself after Chen Chen had left. He was baffled by the incredible stuns that the Psionic Master was capable of. As far as he knew, even the High Priest was unable to achieve what this man was capable of. Such power had surpassed the boundaries of Psionic and ascended to the heights of the Divine This mysterious person came from the ancient ruin, could it be A hint of awe and speculation appeared in Shais eyes as he mumbled to himself, A human that came before the Divine Fusion era? That explains why he possessed such groundbreaking power. It was said that the humans of the ancient era ruled the world with a mighty power It may be very worthwhile to serve this person With this in mind, Shais turned to the others gathered behind him with a dark look and motioned for his subordinates. Gather the last of our laborers to this spot immediately! Several minutes later, all of the laborers were placed under the effect of the metal rod. Shais was amused to see the dazed look on their faces when he used the metal rod on them. It just occurred to him how many things he could potentially achieve with the help of this metal rod. This metal rod given to him presented a multitude of potential! However, this was not the time to be occupied with these whimsical thoughts. He turned to his subordinates and ordered them to stand together in a group as well. Shortly after, all of his subordinates had their memories erased appropriately as well. With that, Shais knew that he could finally be at ease. Are you finished? Just as Shais allowed himself a moment to relax, he suddenly heard the voice of the mysterious Psionic Master behind him again. He was alarmed by this sudden intrusion and turned around quickly to be greeted by the sight of the Psionic Master hovering in the air behind him! Master! Shais kissed the ground while presenting the metal rod with both hands. Your most loyal servant would be honored to return the memory eraser to your Excellency! Heh. Chen Chen chuckled. It seems to me that you enjoy using it. In that case, its yours now. Shais had to stop his body from trembling from excitement when he heard this. His face buried in the sand turned up with exhilaration. Dont forget that it needs to be powered, just make sure its exposed to sunlight regularly. Chen Chen remarked candidly, Alright, Im heading back into the chamber. Remember to put it in a secluded spot and make sure someone is guarding it at all times. Ill see to it that youre well rewarded if you can keep it safe. Yes! Shais was slightly startled by this statement. It seemed like this mysterious Psionicist was planning to return to his slumber in the chamber? If you try to play any tricks The air around Chen Chen suddenly became colder as he said this, Im sure you understand now that the technology in your era isnt capable of penetrating the cryogenic chamber. If I see something suspicious happening when I wake up, you have my word that nothing in the world, not even the Divine Fusion Vatican will be able to protect you! Dont worry, Master! Shais held his breath and quickly explained, I promise to safeguard the cryogenic chamber at all cost while I await your next awakening! Chapter 551 - Parallel Worlds Chen Chen slowly opened his eyes. When his mind registered what came into his view, he relaxed his body that was uncomfortably tense and rigid. Chen Chen found himself in a familiar room decorated with white walls on all sides. He could smell the faint scent of fresh flowers in the room and feel the soft fabric wrapping around his body. He glanced beside him and noted the speckless floor window. Chen Chen got up from the bed. The gentle sun coated him with its warm embrace as he rose lazily from his slumber. There was no mistaking it. He had returned to the Spire, to the world he belonged to. Upon sensing Chen Chens awakening, the Android posted to the room entered with a dining cart arranged with plates of well-portioned, delicately prepared cuisine. Chen Chen did not spare a glance at the food. He sat silently on his bed and stared off into the distance. He tried to jog the memory of what he had just experienced. Just as he suspected, the moment he returned to the cryogenic chamber on the other world and fell asleep, he found himself awake in this current world. Holy Fusion Empire? Year 378? Chen Chen muttered to himself, Could it be that my consciousness is simultaneously existing in both the present and the future? No, its not the future Chen Chen shook his head at this thought. That world is a world ruled by the Consciousness Stealer. Could this mean that its a separate timeline wherein the Consciousness Stealer successfully defeated me and enslaved mankind and found a new branch of civilization? In that case, how is it that Im able to exist in two separate timelines? It suddenly occurred to Chen Chen that this may be a contingency plan that Little X had deployed in the Consciousness Battlefield. Previously, when Chen Chen and the previous owner of the USB drive were dueling in his dreamscape, he managed to attain victory all thanks to the measures devised by Little X. It would not surprise him to know that Little X had set up further countermeasures during the battle. Perhaps Little Xs countermeasure was in the event that Chen Chen succumbed to the Consciousness Stealer in the battle, he would not be completely devoured by the Consciousness Stealer. Although he may sustain significant damage on a metaphysical level, his physical body would still be preserved in the cryogenic chamber and rest for centuries. After he had recovered over time, he could still challenge the enemy again However, even Little X would never foresee the turnout of the battle which resulted in a branched timeline. Just like the theory of Schrodingers cat, their battles created two completely separate worlds. One was the present, the reality, which was the one where Chen Chen emerged victoriously. The other was the world with the so-called Holy Fusion Empire. It seemed like both dimensions were not on the same timeline since the otherworld was set several centuries in the future. Chen Chen let out an exasperated sigh as he pondered the current circumstance he was faced with. Although he was experiencing these schizophrenic symptoms, the good news was that he was still alive and had a trump card up his sleeve. With this in mind, Chen Chen looked up and asked, X, isnt it time you tell me more about the Consciousness Battlefield? Sir Godfather, the Consciousness Battlefield is the meme I specifically created to help you defeat the Consciousness Stealer. Little Xs voice was broadcasted through the speakers. Using the collective consciousness of both you and the Consciousness Stealer as the foundation, a battlefield is forged to allow both parties to duel on an even battlefield. Since the battlefield is constructed from both of your conscience, the created terrain doesnt favor either party. Its the ideal battleground for a fair duel. However, in a way, this can be a double-edged sword. What happens if I win? If you win, youll be able to claim everything the Consciousness Stealer is made of and completely desecrate its conscience! Little X answered confidently. And what if the opponent wins? This is where I mixed in a nifty bit of sleight of hand Little X explained, If the opponent defeats you, it can only absorb a part of your conscience and will cause you to fall into a deep and heavy slumber due to losing part of your conscience, but you will not die. I see. Chen Chen nodded. Since I was inside the cryogenic chamber, it automatically activates the moment it senses that Ive fallen asleep to protect my body, is that it? Exactly! Little X remarked loudly, If we describe this process as a game, then the meme will be the source code of the game. The risk with this countermeasure Ive implemented is that it may create a bug in the code and cause an internal collapse of the Consciousness Battlefield and from there on, what may happen is entirely unpredictable. However, I had to commit to this method to protect you in case something went wrong. The good thing is it looks like nothing bad has resulted from it! No, something bad has already happened. Chen Chen announced solemnly. He then began to describe the consciousness division symptom he was experiencing and what he saw in the otherworld. Little X was astounded by the tale she was told. If what you say is true, then that means your consciousness currently lies in the middle point between two separate timelines. This must be caused by the fissure in the consciousness battlefield! Little X was surprised by the turn of events and immediately became distressed. What should we do now? If something were to happen to you in the otherworld, will it cause a chain reaction over here as well? Theres no helping it. Chen Chen shook his head and stated, You win some, you lose some. Since I had to resort to cheating to defeat the opponent, Ill have to bear the consequences. Besides, by the current looks of it, these consequences dont seem to be something we cant handle. It may even present a brand-new opportunity for us After all, even Little X would not have predicted something like this happening. After everything they had been through so far, the memetic entities remained an incomprehensible, mystique force. It was an abstract entity that transmitted in the form of information but could still directly influence physical matter. Furthermore, the origin of its power was still largely unknown. The bare-bones theory was that it extracted energy from its subjects. However, what Chen Chen was currently experiencing could not possibly be solely the work of the memetic force. Would it be apt to say that this phenomenon had somehow created a separate universe? That was impossible. Chen Chen suspected that what was happening was a result of his consciousness being merged with his consciousness in another timeline, which caused his consciousness to traverse beyond the current plane. It still had to be said that these memetic powers were truly wondrous. Even Little X could not figure out the underlying principle of such powers. Till now, Little Xs understanding of them could still only be described as completely lackluster, though she was not to blame for it. Society has gradually recovered to its previous form over this period. Half an hour later, Little X came beside Chen Chen who was having his breakfast and briefed him on the current state of affairs, After ensuring that the Consciousness Stealer has perished, the Earth Federation finally announced the reason for the city lockdowns. However, they did not announce the true reason for what was happening. The people were only informed that the fusion death cases were the result of a new deadly virus and that they have eliminated the virus appropriately. As for the affairs on Mars, the Ares had taken off again and landed on Mars to construct a new research station. Our aerospace department has also collaborated with the four major continents and charted the brief details of a thirty-year plan. Thirty-year plan? Chen Chen raised an eyebrow at such a mention. In the first decade, well build a Martian colony to house ten thousand people and transport the first batch of immigrants by the later period of this phase. Little X described, The first of Martian citizens will also serve as trial subjects. Well provide them with suitable welfare and a generous salary and in exchange, theyll entrust their livelihood and future to us. In the process of their stay on Mars, well be able to accumulate sufficient data and experience to further improve our knowledge of building a hospitable ecosystem on Mars. In the second decade, well be populating Mars with plants that can adapt to its unique environment, one of which includes the tardigrade moss we previously researched. This will generate and supply oxygen content into the atmosphere on Mars and reshape the climate on the planet over time. Meanwhile, the third phase will be the most challenging of them all. We need to find a way to restore the magnetic field of Mars. This isnt a project that will take a mere decade, but up to a century! The first prerequisite is to build powerful artificial magnetic field satellites. Well need tens of thousands of them to form a chained orbit surrounding Mars to alter its magnetic field and contain the naturally lapsing atmosphere of the planet. Little X went on. Mars has its magnetic field, only its nowhere as strong as the magnetic field on Earth. Sometime around 3.9 billion years ago, most of the magnetic field of Mars dissipated, leaving only some tiny residues of the original magnetic field. According to scientists, this was caused by an asteroid collision that also happened 3.9 billion years ago. It caused the surface temperature of Mars to rapidly rise above its core temperature, which in turn caused the liquid iron on its surface to fail to cool down below the surface temperature and unable to conduct appropriate levels of heat-transfer convection. The reason theres a magnetic field present on Earth is due to the solid core of the planet. Earths solid core interacts with the outer layer of Earth which consists of large amounts of iron to generate what is known as the magnetic field. Its working principle is very similar to that of a DC generator. Meanwhile, the issue that the planet Mars faces is that the coil in the generator has malfunctioned and cannot rotate, which means it cannot sever the natural magnetic induction line. This means theres no electric current, which results in an absence of magnetic field Without the protection barrier which is the magnetic field, Mars is completely exposed to the solar radiation which slowly eats away its atmosphere over time. This eventually causes the surface of Mars to be terraformed into its current state. We came up with a set of solutions to counteract this lack of magnetic field. The first step is to deploy a satellite chain to create an artificial magnetic field to stabilize its atmosphere. After that, well deploy three giant boosters on Mars to fine-tune Mars orbital eccentricity. Although all planets in the solar system are assumed to rotate on a fixed orbit, the truth is that each planet does still have fluctuating rates of orbital eccentricity. The orbital eccentricities of Venus, Earth, Mars, and Mercury are 0.007, 0.017, 0.093, and 0.206 respectively, while the atmospheric concentration of these planets are labeled as dense, standard, thin, and extremely thin respectively. The reason for the inversely proportional ratio of these two attributes is that a larger value of orbital eccentricity causes the planet to lose a portion of the atmosphere, similar to what happens when a comet approaches closer to the sun. Therefore, fine-tuning the orbital eccentricity of Mars can help to reduce the atmospheric dissipation phenomenon. According to our scientists findings, the magnetic field of Mars has been gradually recovering for some time now, the same applies to the planets core recovery. However, the rate of recovery is extremely lacking and it will take upwards of 700 million years before it could be restored to a point of managing to resist solar radiation. The good news is we can accelerate this process by up to a hundred thousand times. The most straightforward method to achieve this is by locating the dwarf planet Ceres located in the Kuiper Belt. The dwarf planet Ceres size is large enough to influence the gravitational force on Mars. We can install a nuclear fusion engine on the dwarf planet to shift it into the orbit of Mars, essentially designating it as Mars Moon artificially. Ceres gravitational force will generate a substantial level of what is known as crowding effect on the structure under the Martian crust and this will accelerate the recovery of its magnetic field Using these methods, we have full confidence that Mars will become the next Earth within a century. This also makes it the first interstellar collaboration effort with the Earth Federation and the first phase of the investment is projected to reach hundreds of billions of dollars! What benefit can we gain from this? After listening to Little Xs explanation, Chen Chen finally asked. At this point, a mere century was not a far-fetched idea for mankind since the overall lifespan of humans was increasing exponentially with the gradual rollout of the mankind anti-aging project. In another three to four decades, the average lifespan of the average person should easily rise above a hundred years old. At this point, even Chen Chen was unsure how many hundred years he had remaining in his lifespan. The benefit we gain from this is that well have a permanent colony on Mars that belongs entirely to us. Little X answered, Were the first and only space colonization company officially recognized by the Earth Federation. Although there will be other competing space colonization companies from other continents in the future, were currently the only company that has an established exclusive permanent colonial plot. This gives us a significant headstart on the others. Not bad. Chen Chen nodded with delight. Although Little X did not stress the underlying details, he knew that there must have been a great deal of intervention that Little X had to pave through to arrive at this point. After all, it was in the four major continents best interest to thwart Blacklight Biotechnologys rapid expansion. Currently, the raw capital of Blacklight Biotechnology was nowhere less than any of the four major continents. It might be even above them. Naturally, this would cause the four major continents to raise their caution. With that said, the Earth Federation still had other alternatives to constrain Blacklight Biotechnologys industry. They could limit Blacklight Biotechnologys access to raw materials such as minerals and various high-precision materials to throw a wrench in the companys production. However, doing so would also in turn restrict their access to similar technologies such as the Androids, XTN robots, and various biomedicine and aerospace technology. In this sense, both parties were at each others mercy. Currently, Blacklight Biotechnology was clearly at the forefront of the aerospace industry. There was hardly any competition and even the Ares was independently developed by the Blacklight Biotechnology Space Department. This was the primary reason they were willing to get on good terms with Blacklight Biotechnology to colonize Mars together and go so far as to give the corporation the privilege of an exclusive independent colony. Despite the clear upper hand, Blacklight Biotechnology was aware that it was not feasible to abandon the Earth Federation and move forward in the aerospace sector independently. Chen Chen knew that even if he utilized all the aerospace technology obtained from the USB drive, civilization development was still a group effort at the end of the day. His potential was greatly limited if he were to stray from the pack and he was more likely to face his demise sooner than later by doing so. Therefore, what Chen Chen needed to do was to find a delicate balance between Blacklight Biotechnology and the Earth Federation. In the process of attaining this balance, he would try to negotiate the best terms possible that could benefit his side. After Little X had explained everything to Chen Chen, he decided it was time to test his Field to see what changes had occurred. It seemed that the two masses of energy in his mind were yet to fuse completely. After conducting several tests on his Field, he realized that the potency of Field had improved by roughly ten percent, but there was a significant drop in its precision. Once, he was able to observe the structure of matters by magnifying them a thousand times but he was only able to achieve a magnification of roughly eight hundred times now. This seemed to be the drawback of the fusion of Field energy and psionic energy. Even after conducting a series of experiments, Chen Chen was yet to discover the uses of psionic energy. It seemed that he still needed some time before he could fully take advantage of this newly-attained mysterious power. Chapter 552 - Shais Chapter 552: Shais Two days later, fully prepared, Chen Chen awoke again from within the cryogenic chamber. With a gentle click, the lid of the cryogenic chamber slowly slid open. Chen Chen found himself inside a room surrounded by cement walls. The room was approximately thirty square meters in size. There were no installations such as a window, only a heavy stone door on one side of it. There was a metal counter in the center of the room. It looked like one of those remote stall counters with wheels installed at its bottom, commonly used by street vendors which they would decorate with their goods such as pancakes, tofu, and whatnot. On top of the metal counter were two large, lit yellow candles. These candles were as thick as a regular calf. There was also plenty of tableware spotted on the counter including spoons, plates, and even an ancient porcelain bowl that looked like a sacred artifact. These were the exquisite tableware put on display. Furthermore, there were mete-crafted statues placed in each corner of the room. The sculptures were similar to the ornament sculptures one would see in a common twenty-first-century park. There were statues of a mother holding her child by the hand, statues of a couple sitting, cuddling together on a bench. Chen Chen even saw the statue of an angel with its arms stretched open. One common feature all these statues shared was that they were all made of metallic material, some of them made of brass while others made of pig iron. There were also visible rusts on them. It seemed these artifacts had seen their fair share of time passing. What was all this for? Chen Chen surveyed the room again curiously. There was nothing peculiar that he could see inside the room. This place he had awakened seemed to be a secret room or better yet, a treasure room. Chen Chen recalled what he saw during his first awakening when he saw the group of laborers mining steel. It seemed that metal was considered a valuable resource in this postmodern civilization. Soon after waking up, Chen Chen felt a startling pang of hunger rushing at him like endless waves of a raging storm. There was no way to tell how long it had been since he last ate anything and he could hardly bear the hunger anymore. He quickly climbed out of the cryogenic chamber and went to the stone door. There were no visible switches, levers or any mechanisms of that sort nearby the door. However, this did not prove to be an issue for Chen Chen. He used his Field to seep into the cracks underneath the door and figured out the hidden mechanism within. He proceeded to trigger a spring inside and with a faint rumble, the door opened promptly. To Chen Chens surprise, the door opened to another bedroom. It was furnished with common furniture. The windows were shielded with thick layers of curtains and there was a bed made of stone at the center of the room. The bedsheets were crumpled and messy. Two unclothed ladies were alerted by the faint rumbling of the stone door and immediately pulled up the bedsheets to cover their bodies. Meanwhile, a man sleeping in between the two ladies climbed up and looked at Chen Chen with a drunken look in his eyes. After making out the appearance of the sudden intruder, the mans expression quickly shifted from a guarded one to one of extreme courtesy and servitude. He immediately climbed out of bed and bowed respectfully. Master! Just as anyone would expect, this man was Shais. Chen Chen frowned upon witnessing this spectacle. There was a sudden glimmer in Shais eyes. He seemed to sense Chen Chens discomfort with the situation. He immediately reached for a dagger hidden underneath the pillow and plunged it into one of the prostitutes chest without any reservation. However, before he could feel the soft texture of steel biting into flesh, an invisible force held his hand in place. The moment Chen Chen waved his hands, the two prostitutes suddenly fainted. Killing them wont be necessary. Chen Chen remarked nonchalantly and sat down on a chair nearby. How long have I slept? Dearest Master Shaid bowed. Youve slept for two days. Chen Chen nodded. He had been awake for two days before heading to sleep in the real world as well. This implied that the time flow in both worlds was aligned. First things first, get me some food. Chen Chen ordered, Preferably meat. Understood, I shall see it done right away! Shais was delighted to see the master return. He sprinted out of the bedroom without even putting on a shirt. Chen Chen looked at the window after Shais had left and saw that it was nighttime. His superior vision allowed him to make out what was outside and he quickly noted that he was on the third floor of a small building that was built entirely of stone bricks. The building he was residing in was surrounded by other smaller buildings only two stories tall. Further out from these buildings, there were many common shacks. These common shacks stretched off into the distance until they reached what seemed to be the city walls that stood slightly more than ten meters tall. Judging by this, he deduced that he was residing in Baron Shais turf. Chen Chen looked at the bed again and took a better look at the women passed out on the bed. The texture of their skin was on the rougher side but they were relatively attractive and graced with delicate features. They seemed to be only seventeen years old or eighteen years old at best and they were not pure Africans but looked more like Africans mixed with Northern American blood. Even Shais himself was not an African but a Kurd from the Middle East region. There was a lewd scent in the room. Chen Chen opened the window and let the winds of the desert in to clear the thick scent. Shortly after, Shais returned with a servant alongside him who pushed in a cart of a roasted lamb. This servant who came with Shais was remarkably old, at least in his late sixties. His hair and beard were colored like snow and his eyes were muddled by age. He did not so much as spare a glance in Chen Chens direction as he entered. He set the meal in front of Chen Chen and retreated backward with his head down. Master. Shais came beside Chen Chen and presented himself in a low voice. Generous as ever, Chen Chen eyed the platter of roasted lamb, took the previous dagger placed on the bed, cut a piece of it, and handed it to Shais. You eat first. In terms of strength, Chen Chen had the upper hand. Considering this factor and the current lack of basis of trust between the two of them, he knew better than to not take the necessary precautions. Yes! Without any hesitation, Shais took the cut of lamb roast almost the size of a palm and gobbled it quickly. After that, he took a step back and prepared himself to further serve Chen Chen as needed. Since there did not seem to be any abnormalities with the food, Chen Chen decided that it was safe and began eating as well. It took several hours for him to finish his meal. What was once midnight outside was slowly transitioning to the early phase of dawn. There was a mountain of bones piled up in front of Chen Chen and Shais was astounded by what he was seeing. Never before in his life had he ever seen anyone devouring this much food in one session. After finishing the entire lamb, Chen Chen finally let out a satisfied sigh, bidding farewell to the pangs of hunger in his stomach. What took its place now was a full and content belly. All of the lamb roast meat that entered his stomach was instantly dissolved by his stomach acid and their nutrients were immediately absorbed by his famished cells. The was clinching the edges of the horizon by this point. Good work. Chen Chen muttered some praises. Upon noting hints of joy on Shais face, he suddenly stated, I know youve been wondering about this for some time now, so Ill confirm your suspicions. Its just as you suspected, Ive indeed come from before the Divine Fusion Empire. Right now, I need a guide who can make sure Im informed of everything happening in this world. Master, Id be honored to serve as your guide! Shais felt his body trembling and beat his chest confidently without a second thought. I, Shais, may only be a measly baron, but at least Im more capable than any of the commoners. I can tell you everything there is to know about the empires history and the Divine Fusion Vatican! Oh? Chen Chen raised an eyebrow. Lets begin then. Lets start with how the Divine Fusion Empire was founded. With a prompt provided, Shais began his long-winded explanation. The so-called Divine Fusion Empire prided itself on being the most powerful empire in the human realm. This country adopted a city-state system and there were nearly three hundred cities in the empire scattered across the mainland. Chen Chen was unsure of what this Mainland Shais spoke of and so, Shais took out a map of the empire to show him. Chen Chen took the map and looked at it, only to see that it was a simply charted map. It only briefly depicted certain geographical landmarks such as the mountains, forests, and rivers as well as the sea circling the mainland. The mainland encircled the regions of the African and the Middle East continents as well as parts of Europe. Chen Chen glanced at Shais with a surprised look. This is the map of the Divine Fusion Empire? Yes! Shais responded. Further to the east is a vast piece of no-mans-land. According to the legends, its the void left behind by the God of Creation C Alosorthoth when shaping the world. Its an inhospitable piece of land where all vegetation is cursed to wither. To the west of the map, which is the opposite side of the vast sea, theres another continent. Its also the land abandoned by the gods, which happens to be the land of the Joint Resistance Army. Chen Chen raised an eyebrow in perplexion upon hearing this. He could tell that the east part of the map was what was formerly known as East Asia and South Asia while the land to the west and across the sea was the former Northern America and South America. It was said that the God of Creation, Alosorthoth, created the world and populated it with his creations, which is mankind. He taught his people how to plant and create, and left them to their own devices to shape a brilliant civilization. Countless years later, his people began to retaliate against his omnipotent greatness using a force they call technology. They were greatly punished for their disobedience and that was when the Great Fusion happened Shais was speaking about the doctrines of the Divine Fusion Church. He stole several glances at Chen Chen and when he saw that the Psionic Master was not upset with these claims, he took it as a gesture that he was allowed to continue. That was when the past technological civilization was brought to an end and when the Holy Fusion Empire was founded. Its been 378 years since Chen Chen had an impression that the term Great Fusion probably referred to the battle between mankind and the Consciousness Stealer. He proceeded to verify his suspicions. Whats this Great Fusion that you speak of? This Shais scratched his head briefly and ran out of the room. When he returned, there was a thick book in his hand. Chen Chen took the book. It was a handcrafted leather book written in Arabic. It was titled the Divine Fusion Scripture on the leather cover. Chen Chen roughly flipped through it and noted that the texture of the pages was extremely coarse. The text did not seem too difficult and the font was fairly large. Each word was nearly the size of a common fingertip and there could not be anywhere more than a hundred words on each page. From the directory, he looked for the Great Fusion section and skipped ahead to that page. Based on the scriptures, the Great Fusion was an event where God Alosorthoth used his divine powers to fuse all humans who dared defy his holiness in the world into one. He made them into a new divine body for himself and granted new powers to his faithful subjects. This event marked the end of the ancient civilization and the beginning of the Divine Fusion Empire. However, even the scripture was lacking in details with only a summary of the event provided. However, this was more than enough for Chen Chen. Just as he expected, there was more to the fusion deaths. Not only did the Consciousness Stealer steal the consciousness of humans but also their bodies! It was very likely that when the concentration of stolen consciousness accumulated to a certain extent, the corpses automatically transformed to become a complete body for the Consciousness Stealer The moment Chen Chen learned of this, his memory suddenly traced back to the figure that flashed across his mind the moment he killed the Consciousness Killer on the consciousness battlefield C an enormous figure that loomed over a planet, so large that it spanned across the horizon as far as the eye could see. He remembered seeing numerous tiny tentacles on its humongous body sown with flesh Could that figure he saw be the matured form of the Consciousness Stealer? With the defeat to the Consciousness Stealer, civilization suffered a tremendous loss that they were unable to recoup from, and from there on, the advance of technology was completely terminated. All that remained was this vain world that worshipped the Consciousness Stealer. Then, what about the scar on your face? Chen Chen contemplated for a moment and asked, Ive seen similar festering scars on that man you called Armas. What do these scars represent? These are the stigmata, Master. Shais explained, A persons stigmata represents the favor and blessings of the Gods. The more devoted a person was, the more stigmata he or she had. For example, the deceased Armas had reached a point of devotion and accumulated stigmata that he had attained the power given by the Gods C psionic powers. Are the believers the only ones who can attain these psionic powers? When Chen Chen heard this, he immediately detected a flaw in Shais explanations. When he had just emerged from the cryogenic chamber previously, there were not any stigmata on his face, just like there was not any now. Yet, Shais mistook him for a Psionic Master. Of course, not! Shais immediately shook his head at this notion. There are those who are born with psionic talents or some who awaken their psionic potential later in their lives. This can happen to royals and commoners, even peasants, all the same. However, even if one doesnt have inbred psionic potential, one still stands a chance to attain it by devoting oneself to the Gods. Devoting to the Gods? Chen Chen squinted. He was beginning to connect the dots. It seemed like the scars on their faces and the psionic powers all had something to do with the Divine Fusion Vatican. Chapter 553 - Charge After instructing Shais to look after his cryogenic chamber, Chen Chen took a set of clothes and left Shais baronial mansion, and went outside the castle. Right outside the castle, he saw a bunch of plain houses. This city was named the city of Khun, after Shais surname. To call it a city might be generous since the spectacle Chen Chen saw resembled a crumbling civilization more than anything. These so-called houses were built with stones mixed with some sort of mud. Most of the houses were only single-story while the wealthier members were fortunate enough to have the addition of a second floor. The streets were unfathomably dirty. All sorts of waste such as excrement and wastewater were simply dumped outside the doors of most households and dried out by the sun over time. There was nothing remotely resembling a drainage system, no greenery, and no traces of commercial centers or a place for leisure. Chen Chen stood by himself on the widest road in the city. Although it was early in the morning, there were already several locals wandering around seemingly without a purpose. They wore ragged clothes and their faces were thin and pale in complexion. Most of the people he saw were mixed races of black people while some were Middle-eastern just like Shais. Chen Chen, who was of Asian heritage, did attract some attention but they were only simple, momentary glances at best. All things considered, Chen Chens presence was not completely foreign. He had enquired with Shais previously and was told that there were Asians in the empire, only in lesser amounts. This was not all too surprising to Chen Chen since even in the normal world, Asians were a rare sight in African countries. In this near-collapsed civilization, he assumed that these minorities were unable to return to their home countries due to circumstances and had to survive on foreign land. Most of the citizens in the city looked underfed. Occasionally, he would see groups of three to five men who stood out like a sore thumb since these people were disproportionately larger than the other folks. They boasted muscular bodies and wielded intimidating expressions while they scrutinized the people on the street shamelessly with prideful eyes. Most of the commoners lapped around them upon stumbling into them. Chen Chen also saw many homeless people who were all skin and bones. There was hardly a breath of life left in their eyes. Most of them would consider themselves lucky to live another year. Occasionally, he would spot pathetically thin figures thrown into the alleys on both sides of the road. These unfortunate people have had all their belongings stripped away. Even all of their clothing was taken without mercy. Even the medieval civilization boasted a better quality of life than the poor state of this poor excuse of a city. As Chen Chen continued down the city, he finally saw a camel hut with a two-story-tall building next to it. It seemed to be an inn. This inn was probably the only restaurant in the city of Khun. The door of the restaurant was open and from the entrance, one could spot rows of seats inside and a handful of diners dining. There was an old and rusty well just outside the inn. It allowed the patrons of the inn to get small amounts of groundwater by manually turning the handle at the top of the well. This was probably the closest representation of modern technology in the entire city. Chen Chen did not enter the inn and continued heading further toward the city walls. After another short five minutes journey, he finally arrived at the city gate. The city wall was slightly over ten meters tall and built entirely of stones. It was not a thick wall and resembled a glorified fence more than anything. There were wooden ladders lined along the fence that led to the narrow paths built at its top. Several soldiers wearing flimsily made iron armor could be seen posted by the city gate that was made of wood. Upon seeing Chen Chen approaching them, the city guards stepped forward and eyed him ferociously. Chen Chen proceeded to present a badge to them. When the guards saw the badge and realized what it was, they were utterly speechless and silently made way for Chen Chen to proceed as he pleased. There was not much by way of scenery outside the city apart from the lonely, desolate desert. However, it was not an endless stretch of golden sand but a landscape similar to the Gobi Desert that was a mixture of dunes, mountainous terrain, and sand. Occasionally, one could see tiny sprouts of tenacious plants. Chen Chen took out the map and looked at it. He estimated his current position was somewhere in the regions of the Tnr Desert in Niger, which was the location where he had built the teleportation hall. The teleportation hall built by Chen Chen was not located anywhere near Namibia. Since the only means of access to the teleportation hall was using the Gantz black sphere anyway, Chen Chen had it built in Niger instead. This was done as a preventative measure so that if something were to go wrong, at least it would be far away from Eco Science City. The place Chen Chen was heading to was a city called Laman that was two hundred kilometers away. Unlike Baron Shais small city, it was the city of a Duke with a population of up to thirty thousand. There was a specific landmark in the city that Chen Chen was interested in C the Divine Fusion Church. The reason Chen Chen embarked on this trip was to take a look at the church and see if this God they spoke of was the Consciousness Stealer. He also wanted to explore the true nature of these stigmata described. Two hundred kilometers? Chen Chen noted to himself. He looked into the general proximity of Laman and took two paces forward. Immediately after, he launched himself forward like a torpedo and headed off into the distance Three minutes later, Chen Chen decelerated from the speed of sound when he saw the silhouette of a city entering his line of sight. The city was built around an oasis located at the end of the desert and was basked in dark shadows. It was at least ten times larger than Khun and its city walls were far sturdier. It immediately reminded him of European medieval city-states. After getting a better look at the city, Chen Chen accelerated again, this time aiming for the center of the city-state, above a huge building that looked like a church. He halted just above the church with a mighty crash as he cut off his momentum. Boom! The citizens of the city heard a thunderous clap echoing from the skies above. They looked up in confusion only to be greeted by the sight of a human standing in thin air high above the city as he looked at the ground beneath him with a cold, piercing gaze. What is that? The crowd of people underneath rose to a clamor and murmured among themselves. Some of them immediately knelt, believing that they were witnessing a miracle from God. Zoom-! Chen Chen used his Field to sweep through the church below to survey it but was stopped by an unidentifiable force. It was a strange sort of radiating force. It was not particularly powerful and was only wide enough to cover a small portion of the church. This power felt strangely familiar. It seemed like the psionic power the Consciousness Stealer possessed. Chen Chen also sensed the presence of a troop of a hundred paladins garrisoned behind the church. They all wore gray-coated armor with the emblem of the church etched onto it. They were undoubtedly the garrisons of the church. Shais previously mentioned that the Divine Fusion Empire was governed by a system of monarchy and ruled by divine authority. All of the cities belonging to nobilities above the rank of a Count would also be garrisoned with a minor party of the Vatican. This meant that even if the city was owned by the nobles, it was governed equally by both parties that did their best to compromise with each other. Most of the officers of the Vatican possessed these psionic powers as well. Even if they were not superbly powerful, it was still something that the city nobles had to be mindful of. Chen Chens presence had alerted countless people in the city. The army garrisoned in the church immediately came outside to confront this sudden intrusion. Meanwhile, a man cloaked entirely in a black robe emerged from the church as well. The robed man seemed to be of great age. He held a crane in hand and looked gravely at Chen Chen in the skies above. In a split instant, his gaze converged into that of Chen Chens. Hm? Chen Chen immediately felt faint waves of psionic energy coming from this person. He could sense that the hostility in this emission also carried the intent of sizing his strength. He immediately melted the psionic energy with Field. The robed man was surprised to see his initial attempt at probing simply thwarted with as much effort as one would use to put out a candle flame. He raised a thin, rotten arm out of his robe and pointed at Chen Chen. A blasphemer! The robed man howled, his voice was hoarse and full of retching. Some of the paladins immediately unstrapped the bow on their backs and prepared to fire at Chen Chen. Thats all youve got? Chen Chen smirked. He fired a ring of Field energy at them that grew larger as it swept across the air. It sent the troop of paladins and the old robed man flying! Bang! Like a divine being, Chen Chen descended onto the top of the church with a mighty crash. The fortified ceiling of the church could not withstand this impact and crumbled almost immediately, revealing the wide interior with its countless people inside flocking away from the intruder. Blasphemer! However, a pompous, fat-faced man dressed like a noble emerged from the frenzied crowd. He glared at Chen Chen and rebuked him harshly, God will punish you Bang! Chen Chen hardly spared a glance at the fat mans direction as he was sent flying away by an invisible force. He slammed ferociously into the pulpit set on the front center of the church and his body splattered into pieces due to the brunt force of the impact! Several other people dressed in black robes who also appeared to be psionicists prepared themselves for battle. Before they could twitch a muscle in Chen Chens direction, they were torn into pieces and burst into a mist of blood! Chen Chen barged into a church like a brazen beast. Anyone who dared set into his path was ruthlessly ripped into pieces. Its over here! As Chen Chen drew closer to the center of the church, he began to sense the radiating waves of energy growing stronger. It seemed to be trying to hold off his Field but it was too weak to accomplish that. Chen Chen arrived at the source of this energy and did not see anything in the spot. It seemed to come from underground. The ground in front of Chen Chen crumbled and revealed a winding hole ground. Inside the hole, there was a creature glimmering in red and shaped like a heart! With a quick motion, the bright red substance flew into Chen Chens hands. It was a chunk of flesh the size of a human head, still beating constantly and regularly emitting rings of radiation invisible to the naked eye. It seemed that the effects of long-term exposure to this radiation would cause the body to become ulcerated and corrupted. At the same time, it was able to transform human DNA and grant the so-called psionic powers. Just as I thought, its the Consciousness Stealer Chen Chen squinted to get a closer look. With this, he had confirmation that this was an aura identical to the Consciousness Stealer. Chen Chen was not afraid of its consciousness infection qualities. Following his previous victory over the Consciousness Stealer in the consciousness battlefield, he had effectively obtained immunity. This power that threatened to devastate humanity no longer had an effect on him. In the process, he also managed to attain a part of the Consciousness Stealers powers. Only he did not know how to properly utilize it. Blasphemer, you dare to take the Child of God! It was then when the paladins who were previously blasted away charged into the church again. The moment the robed man saw the chunk of flesh in Chen Chens hand, he lost his mind and roared savagely, Kill him and reclaim the Child of God! The paladins did not need to be told of this since they were already well on their way to apprehending Chen Chen. On the other hand, Chen Chen only frowned with irritation as he waved his hand and summoned several transparent, thin slices of poker cards on his palm and swung it at the paladins! Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh, swoosh! Before the paladins could sense what was happening, their bodies were sliced into clean halves by the oncoming objects! NoC! The robed man cried out. As the invisible bolts glided past the paladins and went toward him, another undetectable force suddenly erupted and blasted Chen Chens attacks away. Upon seeing this, Chen Chen tilted his head and shot the robed man a look. Then, he stomped his feet on the ground! Bang! The psionic barrier erected by the robed man detonated like it was hit by a grenade, claiming the robed man amid the explosion! After getting rid of the troublemakers, Chen Chen went back to analyzing the chunk of flesh using Field. This thing they called Child of God was like a clone of the Consciousness Stealer. He was unsure how these people came to it. What was the likelihood that after the Consciousness Stealer successfully resurrected itself using human conscience, he continued using human beings as its dependents? This would be a reasonable explanation that mankind was not extinct yet, but was given these pieces of the Consciousness Stealer that may grant them psionic powers. Chen Chen originally planned to capture several church leaders to find out more. It turned out that the paladins and the robed man were a bunch of lunatic fanatics. He would be a fool to hope for any communication. He decided it was easier to just get rid of them. If they were mad enough to willingly serve the Consciousness Stealer, they were better off dead. With this in mind, Chen Chen suddenly clenched his fist and crushed the chunk of flesh like it was a watermelon. It exploded in his hands and splattered into finer chunks. As soon as the chunk of flesh was crushed, the radiating field of psionic power dissipated as well. By the time the reinforcements comprised of city guards arrived at the scene, all they could see were pieces of severed human parts on the ground. The previous invader was nowhere to be seen. What did you say? The bishop and the paladin in the church were wiped out? Inside a grand building larger than the previous church, a middle-aged man with a dark look and large spots of ulcers and scars on his face was shocked by the soldiers reports. What in the world happened? How could something like this possibly happen? Master Duke, hes an advanced-level psionicist! The soldier got down on his knees and kept his head low. We saw a figure appearing above the church and the bishop and the paladins immediately commenced a vicious battle with the intruder. By the time we arrived at the scene, it was all over Useless bunch! The man exclaimed. There was no telling if he was angry at the church or the reporting soldier. Continue the investigation and make sure you find out who this psionicist is! After watching the soldier stumbling out of the room frantically, the mans expression turned grimmer than it already was. Losing the paladins was a small matter. It was the bishop dying that had him concerned. What sort of joke was this? That powerful bishop that had been having secret conflicts with him for all these years just died like this? Although he regularly prayed for the old bishops downfall, he would much rather the bishop die excruciatingly on a bed of old age. To think that the bishop would just suddenly get himself killed like this, could this mean that this mysterious psionicist was capable of killing himself as well? All these were not even the focal point of his concerns. What he worried about now was that by the time the Vatican realized that the old bishop was dead, they would send officers to investigate. This meant that he would inevitably get dragged into all of these as well since the bishop was killed in his city The man felt his head throbbing with headache. Even he would rather not deal with the lunatics from the Vatican if he could help it. Clack When the man was still troubling himself over these matters and trying to figure out a solution, he heard the gentle clap of feet against the hard tiles. The man held his breath and slowly turned around Chapter 554 - A Bold Idea The middle-aged man whose face was riddled with scars and ulcers slowly turned around. He met the eyes of an Asian man that had appeared out of nowhere. The Asian man did not speak to him but went straight to the bookshelf next to him instead and began browsing the collection of books. Shortly after, he picked out a book titled Chronicles of the Empire. The middle-aged man was unsettled by this. He glanced at the window that was somehow opened without his knowledge, then at the intruder by the bookshelf. He slowly rose from his seat. A part of him wanted to scream to alert the guards but the rational part of him told him that doing so would only result in himself getting killed instantly. What followed after was a suffocating silence. The atmosphere in the room continued to thicken to a point where the middle-aged man was having a hard time breathing at all. His body continued to shake, sending quaking beads of sweat tapping against the floor. It did not take long before his clothes were drenched entirely in sweat. Knock, knock, knock Suddenly, they heard knocks coming from the door. The middle-aged man was delighted to hear this sudden intervention. He did not speak but only continued staring at the mysterious man who had his back turned toward himself. The door opened with a gentle creak. It was the butler. Master, somebody sent word The butler was an elderly man with a patch of white beard. He saw the stranger standing by the bookshelf, then he turned to his master who looked back at him with evident fright written in his eyes. Ah, I see that youre attending to your guest. The butler seemed to have realized something, but he responded quickly and did not let on his suspicions. With that, he slowly retreated from the study while informing, Im very sorry for the intrusion Before he even left the room, he suddenly felt a sting at the back of his neck which was followed by a warm, pulsing sensation. Startled by this sudden unfamiliar sensation, he lifted his hand and touched the back of his neck. It was hot and wet. Thump! As soon as he reached for the back of his neck, his head started to slide off his severed neck. His body seemed to have caught on to what happened and thumped onto the ground without any warning. The door to the study closed with a gentle click as if blown by an unknown source of wind. Glug Upon witnessing the horror of what happened, the middle-aged man took a large gulp. Sigh The Asian man suddenly sighed and slowly turned around. His eyes were unfathomably dark. So, youre the master of the city Laman, Niuceus Laman? The middle-aged man nodded and put on his most polite smile. My Lord, may I know what brings you here today? If memory serves me correctly, I dont believe Ive ever offended any advanced-level psionicist. The intruder was not as keen at entertaining as Laman was. Of course, you didnt offend me but theres something that I want you to do for me. Yes my Lord, what is it, if I may ask? Niuceus tiptoed around this man as he spoke. He was a third-generation Duke and was nowhere near as unbending and ruthless as the founders of his family. The years of pampered life as a noble had long since weakened his will. The only thing that mattered to him now was to make it out of this alive. Ill need to use your identity to collect all sorts of information of this era that may prove useful to me. The Asian man rattled his fist against the bookshelf with a playful grin. I want to know everything there is to know about the Divine Fusion Empire, Divisine Fusion Vatican, the Joint Resistance Army, and your God C Alosorthoth! Niuceus was appalled by the sheer mention of this and seemed to have realized something. He took a closer look at the Asian man and saw that he was an incredibly young man. Chen Chens depthless eyes always had a knack for deceiving others and gave off an impression that he was older than his actual age Furthermore, Niuceus felt a strange sense of familiarity. The longer he looked at Chen Chen, he felt like he should know who this person was. Seems to me that you noticed something? Chen Chen asked when he saw the awestruck expression Niuceus put on. You Niuceus opened his mouth and tried to say something but ultimately decided against it, he shook his head and uttered, No, I mustve been mistaken. My Lord, your will is my command! As long as youd spare my life! Of course, I make sure that all who serve me are well rewarded. Chen Chen suddenly smiled ominously. A trace of Field spread from his mind as he did so and pried into Niuceus head. Niuceus suddenly felt a bulging sensation inside his mind. He sensed the presence of something cold and foreign prying deep inside! Ah! Niuceus was immediately assaulted by an indescribable pain and he held his arms to his head to try to muffle this pain and wring it out of his head. He screamed agonizingly but no matter how loud he screamed, the guards posted outside would not come to investigate. It was as if they were dead. However, this pain only lasted a brief moment. Just as Niuceus thought he could not hold on much longer and was about to die, the pain suddenly subsided. For someone like Niuceus who had been pampered all his life, this amount of pain was more than enough to leave a lasting impression on him. After the pain had left him, he found himself sprawled lifelessly against the floor. His attire was a horrible mess and he was gasping heavily. Hm? Chen Chen looked at Niuceus with morbid curiosity and muttered, So, you managed to survive, I suppose this is one of the uses of psionic power Niuceus, whose head was still throbbing in pain, could barely process what Chen Chen said. It took him a while before he managed to recollect his focus and could sit up straight again. Another strange thing that he noticed after the matter was that there was now a strange and cold foreign presence inside his mind. Niuceus could not tell what this foreign presence was, but it declared itself with an icy presence that somehow made him feel relaxed like he was sitting atop clouds. You can get up now. Chen Chen went to where Niuceus had previously sat and made himself comfortable on the seat as its new owner. Judging by the scars on your face, youve been trying to attain psionic powers for a while. Ive granted your desires and planted a seed in your mind. From here on, this seed will become a gateway. If you regularly spend time meditating and focus your mind on the seed, youll attain psionic power eventually. What? Niuceus was shocked by the sudden proposition. His worn-out body trembled all over again. I received psionic powers? Impossible Feel free to give it a try. Chen Chen smirked and took a spoon on the table and flung it at Niuceus. Niuceus instinctively held up his arms to try to block it but before his body reacted, a strange power suddenly emitted from within his mind and surged outward from the region at the center of his forehead! Clank! The spoon was knocked away by an invisible force and clattered against the ground. Niuceus was once again baffled by what he experienced. He looked at his hands like he saw a ghost, then he slowly turned to Chen Chen again. At this moment, he was overwhelmed by what was happening. It felt like everything he knew of the world to this point had been flipped completely upside down. According to the scriptures, the Divine Fusion Scripture, it was only God Almighty, Alosorthoth that was able to grant psionic powers to his people. This is only the appetizer. Chen Chen lowered his head. The shade in the room hid the look in his eyes. Alosorthoth wont know of this since its only a small token of psionic power. If your work pleases me, Ill reward you with more. Carry out your assigned task. Next time when we meet again, I hope youll provide me with answers that may satisfy me. Chen Chens final statement resounded in the room continuously and by the time Niuceus came back to his senses, he realized that Chen Chen had disappeared without a trace. How, hows that possible Niuceus stood with his mouth agape. He suddenly recalled something and rummaged through his bookshelf like a madman in search of a particular book. After some effort, he managed to find a book titled The Legendary Tales of the Divine Fusion Empire. He frantically flipped through the pages until he arrived at a certain portrait. Inside the portrait, two magnificent figures were battling each other on the skies above. One of them was the God of the Divine Fusion Vatican, Alosorthoth, while the one facing off against Alosorthoth was a man. The mans appearance was a blur but it could be made out that he had a strange short hairstyle. His facial structure and temperament greatly resembled the mysterious man Niuceus just saw There was a tiny passage underneath the portrait that labeled it as the battle between God and Devil. Niuceus hands would not stop trembling. He felt as if his body had been electrocuted. That man, that man was Chen Chen left the city of Laman. While soaring across the skies, he recalled the events that happened earlier. It just suddenly came to him that he should plant a seed inside Niuceus, one may call it a whimsical idea or an experiment. Ever since the Field inside his mind had fused with the psionic power he had acquired from devouring the Consciousness Stealer, he had been thinking about how he could utilize the psionic power. Based on what he knew so far, a part of these psionic powers overlapped with Field. For instance, both powers granted abilities similar to telekinesis, but there seemed to be another facet to these psionic powers. Which was why he decided to inject a tiny trace of psionic power into Niuceus to see what would happen. Just as he expected, Niuceus was not killed by this injection. The moment he planted the seed, he had a faint sensation that Niuceus life had become his appendage. Chen Chen held Niuceus life in his hands and could wish his death upon him at any time. With that said, the psionic power obtained by these common people and the psionic power Chen Chen obtained directly from the Consciousness Stealer were different matters entirely. The psionic power granted to them by the Consciousness Stealer was a simplified version of these powers but the one Chen Chen possessed was authentic. This means that the Consciousness Stealers ability to consume human consciousness and trigger the fusion death phenomenon we observed should stem from these psionic powers as well Chen Chen ruminated on the fact. If his deduction was correct, then he should be able to achieve the same effect as well. If something were to happen to him that caused his body to perish, he should be able to resurrect on a conscience level by using Laman as a vessel. Of course, only using Laman himself was not going to suffice. He would need tens of thousands or even more vessels to accumulate enough power for himself to be resurrected. Chen Chen was intrigued by the prospect of such powers. Although these psionic powers could not compare to Field in terms of raw strength, the advantage of granting himself the ability to resurrect made it an exemplar ability. Chen Chen continued heading toward his destination with this in mind and this time, he was heading toward the west. He was curious to see what the Eco Science City and the Spire Experimental Base would look like in this alternate dimension. Furthermore, while Chen Chen was relaying his instructions to Laman, a bold idea suddenly occurred to him. He wondered, what would happen if he managed to bring the other half of himself to this world as well? The Consciousness Stealer in this world had so much time to let its strength fester that Chen Chen was not confident in his chances against it. In this case, he could borrow the strength from the other world to combat it. This world was a lost cause and its surviving civilization was nowhere better, but there were still enough assets here to strive for The task of traversing from one dimension to another would be considered nigh impossible for most people, but this was because they were not Chen Chen. The reasoning for this was simple. It was because Chen Chen had a logic-defying tool in the USB drive. With this in mind, Chen Chen continued accelerating, doubling, tripling, even quadrupling the speed of sound itself! Chen Chen maintained his speed at three times the speed of sound. Although he could go faster than this, the Field consumption from this point on would soar to a point that it would be counterproductive to do so. This was due to the difference in atmospheric concentration between Earth and Mars whereas it was a lot more difficult to accelerate on Earth. Even so, it would only take an hour and a half for Chen Chen to travel from Niger to Namibia. The two regions were separated by a 4650 kilometers stretch and if Chen Chen went another approximately 500 kilometers further, he would arrive at the Eco Science City. Chen Chen spent the next hour and a half flying across many regions, disregarding whatever was unimportant to him at the moment. In usual circumstances, it would take someone several months to travel such a great distance. Across the horizon, the endless stretch of ocean was beginning to come into view. Even the air itself began to dampen. Chen Chen could smell the salt of the sea even at great altitudes. When Chen Chen finally arrived at his destination, the look on his face was not a pleasant one. There was nothing but collapsed ruins where the Eco Science City once was. Piles on top of piles of rubbles and wreckage were lined up along the coast. Most of the foundation of the buildings along the coast had given away to the beating of the waves over the years. Meanwhile, most of the metallic materials had been salvaged. The Eco Science City had been abandoned for several centuries at this point. Despite the desolate outlook of the city, Chen Chen did not give up and continued searching for the underground entrances to the Spire Experimental Base. After sweeping through the area, he managed to find several such entrances. However, most of these entrances had caved in as well, completely burying the tram and its platform underneath. Left without a choice, Chen Chen went for the ocean and dove in. Using Field, he created a three-meter-wide bubble around himself to allow himself to breathe. After that, he dove for the bottom of the ocean and soon found the entrance that was now hidden underneath a large coral reef population. Chen Chen paved through the coral reef without hesitation and soon discovered that even the tunnel leading to the Spire Experimental Base was now overflowing with water. Chen Chen had a bad feeling about this but pressed forward nonetheless. After passing through three large gates that were all left open and arriving at the end of the tunnel, there was a gigantic collection of boulders blocking his path. With that, Chen Chen decided it was time to give up. It seemed like the Spire Experimental Base had collapsed entirely. Chapter 555 - Clues Upon returning to the surface, Chen Chen felt deeply conflicted by his findings. In the real world, he had successfully defeated the Consciousness Stealer and restored peace and balance to mankind. However, it seemed like he was defeated in this parallel world. The cost of his defeat was the collapse of modern civilization and the deaths of billions of population. All these were not his primary concern. What he wanted to know was what happened to his parents in this parallel dimension. For Chen Chen who had always been protective of his parents, this was a lot to stomach. Since a staggering four centuries had passed, chances were that all of the people from his generation had turned to ashes and dust. This was a completely new and foreign world for Chen Chen. Knowing that the only thing resembling a connection between himself and this world had been severed, Chen Chen did not see a reason to remorse over this loss anymore. Right now, what he needed to do was to figure out how he was going to defeat the Consciousness Stealer in this world and to open a passage between the two worlds so that he could invade from the other world. Before accomplishing any of this, there was one more matter that he had to attend to, and that was to take a look at this Joint Resistance Army they spoke of. If possible, he would like to assimilate this faction for his purposes. With this in mind, Chen Chen departed from the now ravaged Eco Science City and continued toward the other side of the Atlantic Ocean. Cyric was a high-ranking officer of the troops of the Joint Military Forces. The high-ranking officer governed over a fleet of two destroyers and one cruiser. They patrolled the southern Atlantic all year round, curbing the smuggling and infiltration operations of followers of the Consciousness Stealer from the opposite shore. The ships under his command were extremely old, some of them were built before any of the members of the crew had been born at all. It was these fleets that managed to hold off the infiltration of the Divine Fusion Empire. These ships were the lifeline of the tens of millions of survivors on the continent. By this point, Cyric was already well into his retirement age. The reason he was graced with the role of the commander of this fleet in the first place was that his ancestors used to be fleet commanders in Northern America. The art of fleet and Battalion government had been passed down in his family through the generations. Cyric wore a washed-out uniform and looked over the ocean from the command room, occasionally picking up the binoculars to inspect the horizon. During another one of his routine inspections, he spotted a tiny black dot rising across the horizon. It was something that slowly crept up from beneath the horizon. It would not be observable at this distance under regular circumstances but since they were in the wide-open sea, they were able to spot enemies approaching from a greater distance. It seemed like the black dot was rapidly approaching the fleets location. At first, Cyric thought it was his old eyes deceiving him. After getting a closer look for several seconds longer, he began to frown. There was no mistaking it. This unknown black dot was slowly growing larger. It was clear now that this black dot was advancing toward their location. Radar! Cyric quickly reminded himself of the radar system and turned to inspect the monitor, only to see a disappointing, pitch-black screen staring back at him. He forgot that the radar system had broken down more than a month ago. This ship was simply too old and should have been decommissioned decades ago. The advanced technological systems invented by their predecessors were a lost craft now and the ship itself was a scrambled project comprised of dismantled parts of other ancient ships. The best they could do was to put these pieces together for there was no way to recreate these advanced machinations. With the way things were now, there was simply no way to repair the high-precision radar system that had broken down since a month ago. After evaluating the situation, Cyric immediately pressed a large red button on the side of the control panel to put the entire fleet on alert and into a state of emergency. Meanwhile, he continued to observe the approaching black dot with his binoculars and was shocked by what he saw C was it a person? It was someone soaring across the skies! A psionicist! Cyric felt his heart drop upon verifying this. The three ships of the fleet had prepared themselves for combat just in time as troops of gunners entered the artillery compartments and aimed the barrel at the dark figure! Hold! Cyric glared at the humanoid figure that was approaching at unprecedented speed. It had been no more than thirty seconds since his initial spotting of the target and it was already entering the borders of their attack range. Fire! Decades of training had honed Cyrics senses to perfection. He had identified the perfect time to fire! An array of ten Vulcan cannons unleashed a terrific roar that tore through the skies as it fired torrents of cannon shells into the approaching figure to cut off its advance. There was not a single member in the Joint Resistance Army who was uninformed of a psionicists abilities. It was an occult source of power that came from the Consciousness Stealer. It was this power that helped the Divine Fusion Empire suppress the Joint Military Forces and drive them to the west coast of the Indian Ocean. Bright flares illuminated the sky above and weaved large nets of cannon shells within the firing range of the fleet. Despite all this, the approaching figure showed the slightest intention of stopping. Instead, it charged through the array of shells and crashed into the deck of the flagship within moments! Bang! There was a deafening crash. The invader had arrived at the deck! Protect the general! A swarm of soldiers rushed toward the position of the intruder with rifles in hand. They saw a slender figure rising from the deck. His eyes were dark and lacked any sense of warmth. The moment they met his eyes, they became overwhelmed with an indescribable fear. Bring me to the highest-rank commanding officer of the fleet. The man spoke idly, completely disregarding the soulless barrels aimed at him. Get him! Someone among the soldiers who seemed to be their commanding officer gave the order. With orders given from their superiors, the soldiers that were arrested with fear clenched their teeth and executed the orders with fierce discipline. The man only frowned the moment he saw the soldiers swarming on him. In an instant, an invisible force swept outward with this man at its center. Everybody within a fifty-meter radius was completely frozen in place! As one may expect, this man who had just traveled across the Atlantic Ocean was Chen Chen. Chen Chen immediately activated his Field and swept through the flagship. It did not take him long before he identified the highest-ranking officer, which was the general at the bridge of the ship. He slowly went toward the bridge and approached the general. Who are you? At the moment, Cyric may appear composed but deep down, he was awestruck by this mysterious invaders magnificent display of power. He did have experience with psionicists users in the past. The only reason that the Divine Fusion Empire that had forsaken the advancement of technology was able to suppress the Joint Resistance Army in the first place was in no small part thanks to the psionicists. If not for these psionicists, the Joint Resistance Army, even with their crippled technology, would have overwhelmed the Divine Fusion Empire a long time ago, With that said, even advanced-level psionicists could nullify the firepower of regular cannons at most. This invader had managed to power through their concentrated bombardment. What sort of a human being was capable of such feats? I come in peace. I dont belong to the Divine Fusion Empire. Chen Chen did not beat around the bush and addressed the heart of the matter directly. I come here with a singular purpose and that is to meet the highest-ranked commanding officer in your resistance army. Theres something I need from your forces. Thats impossible! Cyric refused this preposition without even considering it. I wont bring you to our commanding officer even if you threaten to kill all of us. Its simply impossible! Chen Chen frowned. There was nothing else he could use to threaten them and there was no value in killing them since he was not here to exact any form of vengeance. He stomached his discontent with the situation and stated, In that case, I wont force your hand. Im sure you have methods to contact your superior, in that case, tell them to inform the resistance general that theres somebody who wants to meet him and that his name is Chen Chen. Chen Chen? Cyric felt strangely familiar with this standard Chinese name but knew that this was no time to ask unnecessary questions. He hesitated for a moment before asking, Could I ask why you want to speak with the general of our joint resistance army? Just to form an alliance. Chen Chen remarked almost too casually, Im sure you people want to destroy the Divine Fusion Empire and the Consciousness Stealer as well. I can help you with that. Cyric once again fell into deep thought upon hearing this. He was debating whether he should do as Chen Chen instructed. I come in good faith. Chen Chen saw that Cyric was on the verge of making up his mind so he immediately struck when the metal was still hot. All you need to do is to get in touch with him. Whether to join with me in an alliance or not is entirely up to your superiors to decide. Alright, I can pass the message for you Chen Chens persuasion seemed to have worked as Cyric returned with a firm nod and promised him, But this place is some distance away from land. Ill need to take the fleet back to land before I can get in touch with my superiors. If it doesnt inconvenience you, youre welcome to stay on the ship Excellent. Chen Chen smiled easily. Immediately after, the soldiers who were nailed to their spots suddenly felt the invisible tension lifted off them as they regained control of their bodies. The rigid atmosphere on the ship was suddenly lifted off like a switch being flicked. They immediately bolted to the bridge and eyed Chen Chen cautiously. Prepare a room for the gentleman! Cyric immediately ordered. The chief officer on deck immediately stepped up to the task. He approached Chen Chen, saluted, and informed, Sir, this way please! Chen Chen nodded courteously and left the bridge with the chief officer. After the strange invader had left, Cyric and the gathered soldiers finally heaved a sigh of relief. A deputy commander asked with a grave look on his face, Boss, are you going to do as he asked? Do we have any other choice? Cyric turned the question around on the vice general. You and I both know that he can sink our fleet faster than you can say Mayday. Since hes not doing that yet, we shouldnt provoke him unnecessarily. With that, he shot a look at several other high-ranking officers in his fleet, signaling them to join him in another room. Chen Chen After they entered the room and had some privacy, Cyric lit a cigarette, took a hungry drag, and asked, Dont you guys feel a strange sense of familiarity with this name? From what I can tell, its a very standard Chinese name. One of the deputy commanders answered, But I believe Ive heard of the name somewhere else as well, I think I think this name was once regularly mentioned in the earlier history of our Joint Resistance Army. The others did not seem to be too intrigued with this matter but Cyric, on the other hand, suddenly recalled something. A startled look suddenly came upon his face. Could it be Could it be him? Chen Chen would be a fool to take their word for it and believe that they did not have any long-distance communication facilities. Even if all other modern technology implementations had been decommissioned, they should at least have retained a common invention like radio communication. Still, he decided it was more worthwhile to not call them out on it. What mattered at the end of the day was the end goal. The process of attaining it was not a major concern. The chief officer took him to a lounge that seemed to have belonged to another officer just recently but was urgently made available again. When he entered, he could still smell the lingering smell of tobacco in the air. The cruiser was not remarkably large, spanning only nearly a hundred meters and its displacement could not have exceeded 50,000 tons. With that said, it should suffice for combating the Divine Fusion Empire. It seemed like the Joint Resistance Army still possessed a satisfactory level of technology after all. With that said, it was nothing particularly outstanding either. From the previous engagement, Chen Chen already noticed that the cannons were manually operated and he did not notice a single artillery shell. It was evident that the industry system had regressed considerably. It was still a mystery what had happened to the Northern American and South American Continents. In their heyday, the Divine Fusion Empire would crumble within half a month if they were confronted with modern weapons. Their medieval inventions could never hold up to modern mortars. Based on what Chen Chen had gathered so far, it was the Divine Fusion Empire that currently had the upper hand. All the Joint Resistance Army could do was retaliate and hold its ground. If not for the vast ocean separating the two continents, there would be no Joint Resistance Army to speak of by now. Now that Chen Chen was here, he may as well make the best of this situation. He sat on the bed and began formulating his plans. Two days later. When Cyrics fleet returned to anchor by the port, there was already an armed force stationed at the port waiting for them. From the deck, Chen Chen saw groups of soldiers in military uniforms holding rifles, standing in formation on the harbor. However, their weapons and equipment were rather crude, for lack of a better word. All they had were standard military uniforms while bulletproof vests and helmets were nowhere to be seen. Furthermore, the only weapons he saw were standard-issued AK weapons. There was also a line of tanks behind these soldiers, but they were similarly old and beaten up. The entire troop combined to approximately three thousand soldiers. Chen Chen glanced in the direction of the sky and immediately determined his approximate position. It should be somewhere along the coast of Brazil. When Chen Chen finally announced his presence, several general-ranked elderly members stepped to the head of the troops. Sir. The general who seemed to be the prime authority of the army was the first to step forward. He sized Chen Chen up with his seasoned eye then extended his arm for a handshake. Im the general of the South American sector of the Joint Resistance Army, Anderson Tobias. And Im Chen Chen. Chen Chen shook the generals hands. Forgive my manners. General Tobias suddenly remarked, And correct me if Im wrong, but I believe that the name Chen Chen belongs to the president of Blacklight Biotechnology who once led mankind in a fight against the Consciousness Stealer 378 years ago or am I wrong? You know who I am? Chen Chen looked at the general in utter disbelief. It was just as he expected, the Blacklight Biotechnology that he founded would not fold easily even in this alternate world. Chapter 556 - Blacklight City Chen Chen followed the other party and got into an off-road vehicle. The engine was started and they began to drive inland. On their journey, Chen Chen saw a city. Chen Chen called it a city but it was a ruined city site. It had been indeed a city back then but now, all that had crumbled. Buildings with more than five floors had long collapsed due to disrepair and the buildings that remained seemed to have been transformed into a residential area. Around the city, fields had been developed. The group did not invite Chen Chen into the city. After all, Chen Chens origin was still unknown. They could only take Chen Chen to a military base and used it as a place to receive Chen Chen. Although this military base stationed in the wasteland seemed a bit complacent, a scan of Chen Chens Field revealed rows of snipers and hidden troops. Its a bit crude, please dont take offense. After they arrived at the military base, Anderson personally received Chen Chen and asked his lieutenant to leave the room. Chen Chen glanced at the layout of the room, then sat down on the sofa on the side. Anderson also sat on the other side. He went straight to the point. Your Excellency Chen Chen, are you related to the Chen Chen of Blacklight Biotechnology? Chen Chen answered without hesitation, Perhaps you wont believe it, but Im Chen Chen. Anderson was silent for a while when he heard these words, but he did not seem too surprised. I dont know if you have any evidence? Please understand, its not that I dont believe you, but as far as we know, Chen Chen of Blacklight Biotechnology had died 378 years ago Im quite puzzled myself. Chen Chen smiled. If I remember correctly, when the catastrophe of the Consciousness Stealer occurred, I couldnt have been that famous. Anderson was a little taken aback when he heard this. He did a double-take. Didnt you come from the Divine Fusion Empire? Dont you know that the name Chen Chen has spread there widely long ago? Any worshipper of the Consciousness Stealer would know that the name Chen Chen is synonymous with the devil. At that, Anderson gave a holler. A guard came in and Anderson asked him to get some books. More than ten minutes later, the book The Legendary Tales of the Divine Fusion Empire was delivered to Chen Chen. Its all here. Anderson put on his glasses, turned to one of the pages, and then handed it to Chen Chen. This is it. The battle between God and the Devil? Chen Chen squinted his eyes when he heard this. He only saw that the page showed a picture with a style similar to an oil painting and there were two figures depicted in it. The figure closer to the viewer was not human and only one-fifth of its body was shown. On the opposite of this figure was the figure of a man. Although the picture was a bit blurry, Chen Chen still made out at once that this figure seemed to be him Seeing this, Chen Chen could not help raising his eyebrows. Sure enough, your appearance is indeed very similar to this image. Anderson carefully observed Chen Chen a few times. If only 30% of me believed in you before, Im now 50% convinced. In the legend of the Divine Fusion Empire, Chen Chen was the first psionicist among humankind and the first human being to pledge loyalty to the Consciousness Stealer, but later he rebelled. To pursue a stronger power, he confronted the Consciousness Stealer in the sky and was eventually killed by the Consciousness Stealer Borrowing the story of Jesus and Judas from the Bible? Chen Chen asked with a grin. Yes Anderson nodded. Of course, few of us in the Joint Military Forces believe this legend, but the name Chen Chen has become a household name all over the world. Seeing that Chen Chen remained silent, Anderson suddenly tilted his head and said again, If youre Chen Chen, then Blacklight City should be able to verify your identity. Blacklight City? Blacklight City is one of the five major forces of the Joint Resistance Army. Anderson seemed to understand why Chen Chen had no idea of anything. He just explained assuredly, The reason were called the Joint Resistance Army is that were composed of the four major continents and Blacklight Biotechnology of the previous era. Blacklight City is one of the human cities built by the Blacklight Biotechnology force. Thats enough. Chen Chen took a deep breath when he heard this, then stood up decisively and said, Give me the position of Blacklight City. Andersons eyes flickered and he once again asked the guard at the door to bring a map. Chen Chen pored over the map, only to find that the location of the so-called Blacklight City turned out to be in Greenland. Only the severe cold can resist the attack of the Consciousness Stealer. Anderson recounted softly, Although all fusion deaths of the infection had disappeared 378 years ago after the Great Fusion, the Consciousness Stealer also became extremely powerful. The world, having lost more than 3 billion people, had to go up against a mature Consciousness Stealer I heard from my grandfather that the war between humans and the Consciousness Stealer lasted three months. The most powerful weapon of humankind, the nuclear bomb, fell like rain on the ground at the feet of the Consciousness Stealer. Even so, all this could not hold back the enemys footsteps. It destroyed all human civilization and plowed the entire human world. Then it ceased moving near the Hawaiian Island in the Pacific Ocean, sank into the depths of the sea, and went into hiding However, just when the remaining humans rose from the rubble and were celebrating having escaped, we discovered that among the first batch of infected people in Africa and Europe, there were some who did not die in the Great Fusion. The Consciousness Stealer had spared them and turned them into its worshippers So, a force called the Divine Fusion Empire was established. Chen Chen listened silently. He stood up after listening to all this, then turned and walked outside. However, when Chen Chen reached the door, he suddenly paused. General Anderson, which force do you belong to? I Anderson opened his mouth but suddenly fell silent. Seeing this, a murderous intent flashed in Chen Chens eyes and the atmosphere in the entire office suddenly became tense. Crack, crack Anderson noticed that the cracks were growing in the glass of the window, the photo frame on the table, and the water cup. At the same time, he suddenly felt his heart pounding as if something terrifying was about to happen in the next second. Seeing this, Anderson finally smiled bitterly. He hurriedly said, I was born in Liberty City under the jurisdiction of Northern America. I was appointed by Speaker Morrison, one of the five speakers of the supreme council of the Joint Resistance Army Hearing this sentence, Chen Chen did not speak again and walked out of the office directly. As Chen Chen left, the atmosphere in the room immediately returned to normal. Anderson looked at the cracked water glass on the table in a bewildered panic. If he had not said anything just now, the other party would have killed him Could he be the ancestor of the Chen family in Blacklight City? Andersons eyes flickered. In that case, the legend of the Blacklight City is probably true. Chen Chen didnt die back then. He just chose to freeze himself and waited for the day to make his comeback. And now, that day has arrived Chen Chen ignored the stares of the many people in the military base. He just pondered silently while walking toward the outside world. Through his superb understanding of psychology, Chen Chen could ascertain that the top commander of the Northern American division did not lie and everything he said was true. However, some of his main points were rather fishy. He decisively exposed the location of Blacklight City, but he did not provide Chen Chen with the location of other cities. Along with the flickering look in his eyes, Chen Chen could essentially surmise that infighting was probably involved. Indeed, human sorrows and joys were not always interlinked. As long as there were people, there would be conflict. Even if they were under the same force, there were constant internal fights. After confirming Chen Chens identity, Anderson decisively exposed the location of Blacklight City, taking advantage of the situation to lead Chen Chen toward that city. What Anderson had in mind could not be any clearer. Therefore, Chen Chen asked which faction Anderson belonged to. Since Anderson was treating Chen Chen as a hazard, he had better be prepared for a backlash from Chen Chen. If he did not even tell Chen Chen his faction at that time, Chen Chen would indeed take action immediately and kill Anderson. If Chen Chen was feeling up to it, he would even directly flatten the entire military base as a proclamation of his return. Although doing so would be unreasonable, Chen Chen had not intended to reason with anyone because he had shown the other party enough courtesy beforehand. Blacklight City? Chen Chen murmured silently. His expression flashed twice and then he flew up directly before the shocked eyes of many soldiers, accelerated with a bang and disappeared at the end of the sky a few seconds later After one day. Chen Chen came to Greenland, which was the largest island in the world, covering an area of 2.17 million square kilometers. However, the entire island was covered in snow all year round. It was the closest place in the world to the North Pole, even closer than the North Sea Continent. The temperature in the coastal area could reach above zero in summer and the inland part was frozen all year round. More than 80% of the entire island was covered by ice. It was in the southernmost coastal zone of such a harsh environment that a city stood. It was different from the cities that Chen Chen saw in the Divine Fusion Empire before. Although it was remote, it had a more civilized air. Whether it was the huge civilian port here or the tall buildings on the inner coast, it all appeared more civilized. Chen Chen stood high in the sky, silently looking at the brightly lit city under his feet. He did not expect that electricity was still running here and at the same time, cars could be seen passing through the city. However, unlike reality, the cars here were very small, more like old peoples scooters. Chen Chen did not yet disturb the city. Taking advantage of the darkness, he slowly descended from a high altitude, landed in a dark corner, and then looked around. The streets here were also made of concrete, but the sides of the streets were lined with banks of snow and the pedestrians on both sides were also walking in a hurry. They wore baggy winter clothes and shuttled through the city. Many peoples faces reflected the color of wind and frost. Although it still could not be compared to reality, it was much better than the world of the Divine Fusion Empire. There was another very eye-catching aspect, that was, there was a large number of Asian people living here. At a casual glance, Chen Chen saw that most of them were Caucasian or Asian while there were few African people. Heh, interesting. Chen Chen whispered. He walked into the street and then followed the traffic toward the center of the city. A few kilometers away from him, there was a huge building. According to the layout, that should be the city hall. Chen Chen could still see a familiar logo on the top of that building. It was a black circle with faint yellow light radiating on the outside, all of which comprised the logo of Blacklight Biotechnology. Beep, beep, beep At the moment Chen Chen appeared in the city, deep in the city hall, in a room full of thousands of screens, there was a sudden rush of notifications. This room seemed to control the surveillance of the entire city. At this time, the surveillance feeds had disappeared and turned into a unified image. Chen Chens face appeared on the screen, which was quickly enlarged, and then a grid was overlaid, framing and separating Chen Chens face. Important personnel identified, X-112 beginning analysis. A female voice rang from the speaker. Starting comparison with the database Comparing Then, another three-dimensional face of Chen Chens appeared on the side and was compared to the framed image. Comparison similarity 95% Target verified chairman of Blacklight Biotechnology Ltd., the highest authority of Blacklight Biotechnology Chen Chen. At this time, the people working in the surveillance center suddenly erupted in chaos. Everyone wore a look of shock and surprise. One of the older men immediately ordered, The central control computer X-112 has detected an abnormality. Report it immediately. Little Zhang, go and notify the director, hurry up! Hearing this command, a young man on the side nodded immediately and ran out of the surveillance room. Chapter 557 - The Chen Family Deep in the night, Chen Lin, who was nearly 100 years old, had finished his days work. He closed his eyes in satisfaction, waited on by several beautiful maids. As one of the highest authorities of Blacklight City, Chen Lin had an incomparably revered position. This was an apocalyptic age where humanitys previous civilization system had long disappeared and replaced by the law of the jungle, where the strong commanded respect. All of this began more than 380 years ago. More than 380 years ago, a private company called Blacklight Biotechnology emerged momentously and monopolized the entire pharmaceutical industry at an incredible speed. At the same time, they also extended their reach to electronic finance, mineral resources, military aerospace, and various other fields. By the time everyone else realized what was going on, the foundations of this behemoth corporation had already been laid and it squeezed out a new slice of the pie for itself in this world that had long been divided by established forces. According to the analysis of later generations, this company had created many of the worlds records for companies it was the largest multinational company in the history of human civilization, the company with the most technology patents in the history of humankind, and also the richest company in the world Moreover, it was the first and only private company in the world that could be on par with the four continents! Legend said that Blacklight Biotechnology even had its own nuclear weapons and a military system comparable to any major continent. This company was so massive that even if civilization was destroyed by alien creatures such as the Consciousness Stealer, it still retained a stable foundation. In the first hundred years of the apocalypse, it decisively shouldered the dawn of human civilization. Even the four major continents had been roped in. Although this situation was declining due to the gradual exhaustion of its resources, at least until now, the Chen family of Blacklight City was still one of the five indispensable forces of the Joint Resistance Army. It was a tower of strength in the resistance against the Divine Fusion Empire In the Blacklight City built by Blacklight Biotechnology, the Chen family was even more dominant and aloof, just like the royal family of the feudal era, dominating the destiny of millions of people in the entire city. Chen Lin was one such member of the Chen family. He was a fourth-generation son of the Chen family. Although he had not formally entered the family committee, he was at least one of the figures who were presented to the public. His job was to help the family committee handle the internal affairs of the entire city. His level was that of an internal secretary-general. However, just as he was falling asleep now, some fool started knocking on his door in a very urgent manner as if something of extreme importance had happened. Chen Lin sat up, a little annoyed. He ignored the cooing of the maids next to him. Instead, he took a bath towel and wrapped it around his lower body, then walked angrily to the door. Who is it, dont you know its midnight? Chen Lin opened the door furiously but saw that his assistant was standing outside the door in a panic. Before he could speak, his assistant said, Secretary-General Chen, the committee wants you to go to the family meeting room immediately! Hearing these words, Chen Lins anger evaporated instantly and he shuddered. What happened, did the Divine Fusion Empire send someone to attack us secretly? I dont know, but it seems to be an urgent matter. The assistant replied, I couldnt reach you by phone, so they informed me to visit and summon you immediately, the sooner the better! After hearing these words, Chen Lin finally shut up. He closed the door again, then walked directly to the bedroom, dressed quickly before the surprised eyes of the maids, and walked out of the door toward the elevator. Most of the core members of the Chen family lived in the central building of Blacklight City, the Blacklight Building. This was a fifty-story fortress-type building. At the same time, it was also the city hall and central system, which controlled the operations of the entire city. Therefore, in just ten minutes, Chen Lin had arrived at the top floor of the Blacklight Building. At this time, there were already several bodyguards standing at the door. These were the guards nurtured by the Chen family since childhood and there were even some leftover androids and XTN robots from the old era inside, though only a few of them. At Chen Lins arrival, the two guards immediately opened the door of the meeting room. Chen Lin walked in before he could even check his appearance, but when he saw the situation inside the room, he suddenly stopped breathing. In the conference room, seven or eight people had already sat down at this time. Most of these people maintained their middle-aged appearance, with an aura of majesty and seniority on their faces. These people were none other than the top figures in Blacklight City. At the same time, they were also members of the Chen familys committee. At this time, hearing the noise at the door, many people turned their heads in unison. When they saw Chen Lin, some people immediately frowned. Chen Lin was already a little late. If he were outside, few people would dare to shoot such a look at Chen Lin, but here, he could only keep quiet with his tail between his legs. Well, the last person is here. Let me explain the situation were encountering now. On the podium in the conference room, an old man who had already shown a few signs of aging suddenly spoke. Even Chen Lin had not seen him often. He only knew that this old man was a second-generation member of the Chen family, who was also the former mayor of Blacklight City more than 100 years ago. As the Chen family had high-tech equipment left over from the Blacklight Biotechnology in the previous era the Blacklight Fully-automated Medical Platform the members of the Chen family had extremely long life spans. The oldest was even more than 300 years old. Chen Lin had even heard that some older members of the Chen family had frozen themselves long ago, with plans to wake up again someday in the future. At this time, the four elders on the stage were the four second-generation family members of the Chen family. They were the core of the family committee and the true helm of the Chen family. Just now, we noticed a special figure on Blacklight Avenue, the main road of the city. The old man said and a video immediately appeared behind him. In the video, there was a young man, probably only twenty-five or twenty-six years old, with short hair and an icy, focused expression. At this time, he was walking slowly on Blacklight Avenue, holding a newspaper in his hand and turning his head to look at everything around him from time to time. The most unusual thing was that he was wearing a thin linen coat. They all knew that late at night in Blacklight City, the outside world was more than 30 degrees below zero, but this person did not seem to feel cold at all. It was as if he was dropping by someones house for a casual visit. While Chen Lin was sitting in the group, he suddenly realized that the face of this young man was a bit familiar, but he was sure that he had never seen this man before. This person suddenly appeared in our city. No matter whether its the checkpoint, the city gate or other places, there are no records of his clearance. The old man continued to speak, But the strange thing is, the moment he was photographed by the main control intelligence, it issued a special notice. It said that this person is the highest authority in Blacklight City and his name is Chen Chen Chen Chen! Hearing this name, not only Chen Lin but also the rest shifted their expressions because this name was too familiar. Everyone in the Chen family had heard of this name because its owner was none other than the founder of the Chen family and also the true founder of Blacklight Biotechnology! Impossible, Chen Chen Didnt he die when he was fighting the Consciousness Stealer? Someone immediately asked, Could it be that the main control intelligence has made a mistake? I hope so too. The old man shot a meaningful look at the questioner. But I wouldnt bank on it. Together with other people on the committee, I compared this image with a previous photo of Chen Chen, but we found that the person in the photo is very similar to the person in the video now. So, Chen Chen Our great-grandfather isnt dead? Another member of the Chen family, who was of the fourth generation like Chen Lin, asked immediately, Is it just like the rumors say, that he also chose to freeze himself and wait until now to appear? Impossible! This person must be fake! Maybe its a scheme by the Divine Fusion Empire Wont we find out simply by interrogating him? Everyone spoke one after another and for a while, the entire conference room was buzzing noisily. Silence! The old man picked up a wooden gavel and banged it vigorously. The loud sound reverberated in the conference room, suppressing everyones conversation. It doesnt matter who this guy is now. All of us here are core members of the Chen family. What I want you to do is very simple, that is to stop any news of this from getting out. Then well apprehend this guy. If hes fake, then well naturally take the appropriate countermeasures. The old man was silent for a while and then continued. Forget about whether hes real or fake. To prevent turmoil in Blacklight City, you must all act immediately to block the news and not fall into the trap of the Divine Fusion Empire! Understood, no problem. Next to the old man, a member of the family committee nodded and said blankly. Me too, Ill help cover this up Everyone expressed their agreement, even Chen Lin. He controlled the internal affairs of the entire city, so he was allowed to participate in this meeting. This guy has gone through four intersections and is less than a thousand meters away from the Blacklight Building. The old man finally ordered, To prevent any accidents, Ill send our familys secret force, the Black Knights, to personally capture him. Now, the meeting is adjourned! Chen Lin was shocked when he heard this last announcement! Black Knights! This was the second time Chen Lin had heard the name of this secret army, but as a core member of the family, he had heard of the existence of this army more than 30 years ago. This army was one of the strongest cornerstones of the Chen family. It was said that it was the existence of this secret army that allowed the Chen family to survive more than three hundred years and still prosper to this day! Now, the committee was even going to send out the Black Knights? It looked like they were anxious Chen Lin pondered as he walked out of the conference room. Of course, he could understand what the higher-ups were thinking. Although Chen Chen was the founder of Blacklight Biotechnology and the biological elder brother of the first-generation ancestor of the Chen family, the city was still built gradually by the members of the Chen family. Now, if this Chen Chen became the highest authority of the city, did it not mean that their control over the entire Blacklight City was wrenched out of their grasp? The group of people in the family committee had lived lavishly for more than three hundred years, how could they be willing to hand over power to others? Therefore, Chen Lin was almost certain that whether that person was the founder of Blacklight Biotechnology or not, it was likely he would be labeled a fake, and it was not impossible he would be killed off Still, although Chen Lin had figured out the intentions of the committee, he had no inclination to right this injustice. As a superior in this city who affected the rise and fall of human civilization, he certainly understood the importance of an iron-fisted rule. If this was the real Chen Chen, no matter what, the order of the city would be shaken up violently. Whether Chen Lin could even retain his current position was another question He was an authority figure, both in public and in private. Someone in authority naturally preferred a stable order. After all, this was all about self-interest. Thinking of this, Chen Lin could not help shaking his head and mourning for Chen Chen for a second, then he stopped thinking about it. He only needed to focus on his own tasks. Chen Chen stood on the edge of the crossroad holding a newspaper, ignoring the peculiar, surprised gazes of everyone passing by. He slowly raised his head and looked at the surveillance camera above his head. As early as twenty minutes ago, those cameras all pointed at him and took pictures of Chen Chen wherever he went. It was a little amusing. Now that such a long time has passed, Chen Chen still did not notice any response from the city and he immediately understood everything. It appeared that some did not welcome his arrival Chen Chen was not too surprised. He lowered his head and looked at the newspaper in his hand. At this time, he had obtained a lot of useful information from the newspaper. For example, the city was controlled by the Chen family and the Chen family was like a royal family, in charge of almost every position in the entire city from top to bottom. Outsiders could only serve in some departments that were relatively less powerful. This was no longer a monopoly but a dictatorship, a reversal of history. However, Chen Chen did not think it was wrong for them to go backward in history. He understood that, if this was the process of continuous advancement of human civilization, turning back the wheel of history was naturally asking for death. However, now that the level of human civilization had declined significantly, it was normal for this kind of system to regress because in this apocalypse, the more advanced systems had no room for survival and the law of the jungle became more applicable instead. This was all about having a specific analysis of specific issues. At the same time, Chen Chen also came across many introductions of the Chen family members in the newspaper. At present, most of the members of the Chen family who appeared in the public eye were fourth-generation Chen family members, but even the fourth generation consisted mostly of those in their seventies and eighties, and some were even more than a century old. To Chen Chens surprise, the first generation of the Chen family was not his parents but his own younger brother, Chen Zeyu. Chen Chen still thought of his middling little brother as a three-year-old child in front of his parents, but now it seemed that Blacklight Biotechnology had left behind some resources. Chen Zeyu must still have been pretty capable to transform all that into the current Blacklight City However, since he had not planned to recognize Chen Chen as his elder brother, Chen Chen did not need to value this little family bond either, not to mention that this was just an alternate branching timeline. At this moment, several black cars suddenly drove over from a distance. Those cars were so aggressive that they forced the cars next to them to give way. At the same time, Chen Chen saw several familiar figures in the car. Seeing this scene, the corner of Chen Chens mouth suddenly curled up a cold smirk. They had come after all Chapter 558 - Although Chen Chen’s Body Has Under the dark sky, the aurora glimmered in various hues, joining with the neon lights in the city. Chen Chen was like a lonely traveler. He was standing on the street in thin clothes, watching the cars approaching him. Whup-whup-whup In the sky, there was also the faint sound of a helicopter hovering. Its the Chen familys motorcade By the side of the road, several pedestrians saw five or six cars approaching under the street lights. They started talking in low voices, having noticed the stormy conflict that was brewing and walked away quickly. Creak! There was a series of harsh, rapid brake screeches in the street, and then all the cars opened their doors one after another. Boom! The doors of the car were slammed close and a dozen men or so wearing black tights and slack expressions immediately got out of the car and surrounded Chen Chen. From the stretch car at their head, two young men with serious expressions also came out. Catch him alive, dont endanger him yet. At the same moment the door of the stretch car closed, a somewhat old voice spoke. The two young men nodded their heads when they heard these words and walked straight to Chen Chen on the path formed by the bodyguards partition. Wheres Chen Zeyu? Chen Chen looked at the two calmly. Are you also from the Chen family? We are. One of the men who was tall and thin nodded. He looked at Chen Chen, a little bewildered. Sir, we suspect theres a spy from the Divine Fusion Empire in the city, please come with us. Who are you, why did you ask about the founder of our Blacklight City? The other man was shorter and fatter. He asked in a cold voice, Why are you here in Blacklight City? Heh. Chen Chen looked around, then smiled. Dont you already know who I am? When they heard this, their expressions wavered. They observed Chen Chen carefully again. The tall and thin man found that Chen Chens eyes were not at all panicked. Having lived among the masses for so long, he knew that such a cool gaze definitely could not be faked Could it be that the other party was As if thinking of something, the tall and thin man kept silent. The short fat man beside him could no longer wait. He directly waved his hand fiercely and said to the people dressed in tight outfits beside him, Black Knights, what are you waiting for? Take him away! However, the people around Chen Chen did not even move. You, you guys? The short fat man looked around the group of people questioningly but found that they seemed to have not heard his command and he whispered suddenly, Is it because my authority isnt enough? It cant be, my father has transferred C-level authority to me Arrest them! However, just when they were mired in confusion, Chen Chen suddenly spoke. The two quickly looked at Chen Chen, but they did not understand to whom Chen Chen was talking. The next second, a few pairs of big hands suddenly clapped on their backs. Before they had time to react, they were pressed to the ground by the group of men in tight clothes! What was happening!!! The tall and thin man and the short fat man looked fully stunned. Their heads were directly pressed to the cold floor. Up until now, they still had not figured out what happened. What are all of you doing! The short fat man exclaimed, You dogs, are you betraying Blacklight City? Even so, he was destined to be disappointed because this group of people still wore slack faces as they overwhelmed the two young men. They did not display the slightest emotion from beginning to end. Chen Chen ignored the two of them. He stepped directly over their bodies, walked to the side of the stretch car step by step, and knocked on the window of the car. Whirr The car window was slowly winded down, revealing the face of a middle-aged man inside. When he saw the other party, Chen Chen immediately grinned and smiled kindly. This persons appearance was somewhat similar to his fathers. He was indeed a Chen family member of pure blood. The face of the man at the car window looked a bit displeased. Still, after all, he had held a high position for a long time. Although the situation had taken a few unexpected turns, he still maintained a certain calm demeanor. What do you plan to do? Are you asking me that? Chen Chen held the edge of the car window with one hand and asked with mock astonishment, I was going to ask you myself, what do you guys plan to do? The middle-aged man fell silent for a while. He lowered his head while his eyes flickered. However, at this moment, there was a sudden sound of a helicopter over their heads. The pilot who had hidden in the helicopter to prevent any mishaps fired a shot at Chen Chen! Bang! The gunfire exploded in the dark. At the same time, at the location of Chen Chens right temple, a huge warhead with the thickness of a finger was suspended in mid-air! Chen Chen narrowed his eyes at once. In the next second, one of the Black Knights suddenly turned around and took out his gun and decisively fired two shots at the helicopter overhead! Bang bang! Then, the helicopter lost control, swaying and dropping in mid-air! Boom! A huge red fireball erupted directly, blocking half of the road! Looking at all of this, Chen Chen suddenly sneered and at the same time with a forceful grip, suddenly tore open half of the car door while he pulled the man out as if the man was some helpless little chick! Grandpa! The two men who were suppressed on the ground suddenly said in rage, Let go of my grandpa! Chen Chen ignored them. He grinned icily. Tell me, which generation of the Chen family do you come from? Im from the third generation of the Chen family, my name is Chen Zhicheng! The middle-aged mans face was pale. He had lived like a prince all year round, only to be jerked about in such a humiliating manner. He only felt a burning on his face. Chen Calm down, were just confirming your identity. If youre my grandfathers brother, well definitely arrange a proper place for you! Arrange a place? Chen Chen dragged the man close to him, showing a puzzled and surprised look. Are you kidding, the entire city is mine. You want to use whats mine to arrange a place for me? This, this isnt yours, this is a city built by my grandfather! The middle-aged man quickly explained. I said this city is mine, this place is mine, and even your lives are mine! After saying this, Chen Chen suddenly turned around and he looked straight behind him. Who is controlling the Black Knights, come out and face me! Hearing that, one of the tightly clad, slack-faced men suddenly quivered. He walked directly in front of Chen Chen, bowed, and said, Sir Commander, Im X-112. At the moment, the citys defense authority and information authority are controlled by me. You? Chen Chens voice was cold as frost. Wheres X, where did she go? Sir Commander, X, she The Black Knight was silent for a moment. She had been destroyed in the attack of the Consciousness Stealer. Because time was tight, before she died, she had only time to transmit me out and gave me the final order to assist the Chen family, to prevent the Chen family from being destroyed while waiting for your return! Chen Chen was silent for a while when he heard these words and then shook his head. So, its like that Now that youve returned, Ill return all the authority here to you. X-112 continued. But I dont have all the authority in Blacklight City. During these three hundred years, the Chen family tried to crack my modules. Now I have some modules controlled by the Chen family, so I couldnt immediately dispatch the Black Knights here to greet you! Crack your modules? Chen Chen frowned and then sneered. Sure enough, its my dear little brother. It seems that he knew I wasnt dead, so he had taken precautions long ago. Although this was a short exchange, it still stunned Chen Zhicheng and the two Chen members who were on the ground. Chen Zhicheng looked at the Black Knight in shock, because in his memory, these Black Knights would never communicate with him. X-112 was the same, it would only give feedback to the Chen familys orders. For a long time, everyone thought that X-112 was just a computer with a limited amount of intelligence! Because Black Knights will also age, 90% of Black Knights are in a frozen state and will only be thawed if there is an emergency. X-112 continued to ask. Sir Commander, do you need to defrost them now? Defrosting will take about an hour. Defrost them all! Chen Chen replied as he dragged Chen Zhicheng into the car. X-112, take me home now! Yes! The Black Knight immediately obeyed. He went straight to the cab and sat inside. At the same time, the other Black Knights also escorted the two Chen men into another car and then the entire convoy immediately drove toward the Blacklight Building at the end of the road! When the vehicle started, sirens suddenly broke out across the entire city while X-112 turned his head back. Sir Commander, the other party has initiated the wartime state of Blacklight City. I couldnt stop them. Now the city defense forces have been dispatched and are heading toward the Blacklight Building! Can you reach the Blacklight Building before they arrive? Its difficult. Theyre using gunship helicopters. This advanced troop will arrive at the Blacklight Building one step ahead of us. X-112 replied. Then let the Black Knights kill them! A cold gleam appeared in Chen Chens eyes. Whoever wants to stand against me, I will give them what they want! No! Chen Zhicheng hurriedly shouted in horror, This will be the end of the Chen family Before Chen Zhicheng finished speaking, he felt that he could not speak anymore. An invisible force blocked his throat. He quickly opened his mouth and tried to gulp in a mouthful of air, but he could not gulp anything. It was like a mass of air had condensed into solid. No matter how he scrabbled, he could not make any sound. Just as the convoy was about to arrive at the Blacklight Building, suddenly, a dozen helicopters flew in from all directions. Even so, these armed helicopters did not attack the convoy. Instead, they flew toward the Blacklight Building in a hurry. At the same time, there were bursts of fire in the Blacklight Building! It seemed that people were already fighting fiercely inside the Blacklight Building! Thats the five remaining Black Knights in the Blacklight Building. X-112 immediately explained, The rest of the Black Knights are thawing and now the five Black Knights have begun to attack the other armed personnel in the Blacklight Building indiscriminately, but because there are too few of them, they are about to be suppressed. Chen Chen waved his hand and the six cars stopped in front of the gate 100 meters away from the Blacklight Building. However, at this time, a group of soldiers with live ammunition had set up temporary fortifications and were guarding the gate. Sir Commander, the opponent is delaying our time, waiting for the arrival of the backup troops! X-112 continued to notify, But theyre playing right into our hands because in half an hour, all the Black Knights will be thawed from the cryogenic chambers. They dont know that I have the authority to unfreeze the Black Knights. We dont need to wait. Chen Chen got out of the car directly after hearing these words. He walked step by step toward the gate of the Blacklight Building. Immediately, hundreds of soldiers immediately raised their guns and aimed at Chen Chen and the Black Knights behind him. Chen Chen narrowed his eyes, staring at the group of people in front of him, and suddenly said coldly, Wheres Chen Zeyu, come out and face me! Although Chen Chen only used his ordinary voice, it was strange that this voice had a penetrating power. The farther it traveled, the louder the voice became. Come out and face me! Come and face me! Face me! Suddenly, there was a commotion in the crowd. After a while, several people with somewhat aged faces but full of the aura of a superior, appeared in front of the army. At their head was a middle-aged man with gray hair and a stormy expression, but what was strange was that his face and temperament were forty to fifty percent similar to Chen Chen! Although he had never met this man, upon seeing him, Chen Chen suddenly had an intuition that this person was his brother. Sigh The middle-aged man opened his eyes as wide as he could, let out a sigh, and shook his head at the same time. You shouldnt have come back! Shouldnt I have? Chen Chens mouth twitched in a sardonic smile and then the smile gradually expanded uncontrollably as if silent emotions were flowing and spreading in him. In the end, Chen Chen was guffawing toward the sky! Hahahahaha, its my dear little brother! Chen Chen rubbed his palms and laughed. My dear brother, have you already chosen to stand against me? Very good, I like that very much! Then you mustve prepared to bear the price of rebelling against me, right? I wont necessarily lose Chen Zeyu gritted his teeth. At this moment, he suddenly felt an indescribable sense of suppression. This feeling permeated every inch within a radius of dozens of meters. In a while, some soldiers even started to tremble with guns in their hands. Father! Grandpa Next to him, several Chen family members who seemed to be of the same age stood out and shielded Chen Zeyu. They looked at each other, a little amazed. One of them whispered, Is it psionics? Are the rumors true? Hes the first psionicist in the world? Impossible Lets retreat first. All soldiers, get ready to open fire at once! Another person felt that the situation was turning bad and he immediately prepared to pull Chen Zeyu back. At this moment, Chen Chens inner killing intent was completely ignited but at the same time, he suddenly felt the Field energy in his mind begin to emit a scorching sensation. He raised his hand to look at his palm with some puzzlement. At this moment, he sensed a weird power So, is this the real use of psionics? Chen Chen murmured. The killing intent became more and more potent, but Chen Chens mind was extremely clear as if he had taken NZT-48 and his thinking was incomparably calm. Immediately, Chen Chen only felt that the Field energy that had fused with psionics was spreading throughout his body. He subconsciously condensed that power in his palm, only to find that this power had begun to temporarily alter his own DNA code! Splat! Before the horrified eyes of everyone, a sinister tentacle suddenly grew out of Chen Chens palm! That was The tentacles that only the Consciousness Stealer had Chapter 559 - The Heartwarming Backstory Before the horrified eyes of everyone, suddenly, a hideous and ugly tentacle grew out from Chen Chens palm. Then, Chen Chens body began to swell rapidly and there was a sound of bone growing in his body. Chen Chen could not help bending down and bowing his body. Following that, there was a sharp crack and huge bone spurs sprouted out on Chen Chens back! Roar! At the moment when those bone spurs erupted, Chen Chen only felt an extremely pleasant release. He roared in a low voice but his voice had turned into a dull bass boom. Still, although it was bass, it rumbled until many soldiers threw off their helmets and armor, and quickly covered their ears! Chen Zeyu only felt the rumbling in his ears and his ears immediately overflowed with blood but before he could react, he was dragged back by a few bodyguards. At this moment, anyone could see that Chen Chen was not in a normal state! Rip! After that, there was the sound of cloth tearing. At this point, Chen Chens flexible skin was stretched to the extreme, tearing apart to expose the swelling and growing muscles inside! However, Chen Chens skin began to heal at an even more alarming speed and at the same time, a thick bone layer emerged on the surface of the skin. This bone layer continued to grow across his body and even his face started to change! The corners of Chen Chens mouth were pulled up in a beastly grin and the two rows of teeth that had been growing continuously became densely packed fangs. Moreover, the bone layer covered his cheeks like a mask! Huff! Huff! Huff! A bellows-like panting constantly erupted from Chen Chens chest and a trail of hot mist continued to spray out from Chen Chens nose and mouth. Chen Chen closed his eyes slightly. Everyone only saw that his hollow eye sockets were dark at first, then two scarlet pupils flared up like charcoal embers! Power, I feel endless power! Chen Chen straightened up again but at this time, his body had grown from 1.8 meters to 4 meters. He stretched his body wantonly and looked down with a grinning smile at the Chen family who was retreating quickly. Isnt it a little late to run now? With that, Chen Chen stepped off one foot. Boom! In an instant, Chen Chen rushed into the line of defense at a speed close to the speed of sound. Many soldiers could not react at all before they were flipped over by Chen Chen into the air. Blood streamed into the sky like a never-ending fountain! At this moment, Chen Chens reaction speed had reached a terrifying extent. In front of him, the entire world seemed to be in slow motion. Even when he flung away dozens of soldiers, their faces had not even twisted into an expression of terror and the splashing blood seemed to be frozen in the sky! Chen Chen stepped forward once again and he created ripples directly in the air. At this moment, the air seemed to become liquid. Chen Chen continued to flick at the soldiers on the right. The tentacle in his hand was like a whip, halving a group of soldiers at their waist! Even so, the soldiers had not even aimed their muzzles at him! This kind of speed and reactivity was already worlds apart from human beings Whether it was guns or swords, bullets or rocket launchers, they were all projectiles that were only moving at Chen Chens speed. He squatted and swiped again. More than a dozen soldiers were crushed to pieces. The line of defense built by sandbags was like paper and mud, and it could not hold back Chen Chen at all! This was purely Chen Chens physical power! However, Chen Chen discovered that after slicing open the bodies of the soldiers, the tentacles in his hand instinctively sucked up the blood of those soldiers. At the same time, a sense of satiation poured into Chen Chens body, replenishing part of Chen Chens body that had exhausted an immense amount of energy. This is Chen Chens heart jolted. However, at the next moment, several dish-shaped fighters suddenly flew out of the darkness at a height of 100 meters. In the fighters, those pilots had already locked onto Chen Chens figure. The target is in our camp. If we fire now, it will cause a lot of casualties to our army! Faced with the order from the higher-ups to immediately destroy the intruder, the pilot who was the captain replied immediately. Dont worry about our troops, fire immediately. I repeat, fire immediately! However, the radio still gave the death order to fire. Seeing this, a rueful look flashed in the captain pilots eyes and he resolutely said, All formations listen to my order, fire immediately. I repeat, fire immediately! Swoosh! In an instant, five missiles swaying with scarlet tail lights sped toward Chen Chen with lightning speed! Hmm? Chen Chen tilted his head, watching the missiles that were gradually moving toward him. He suddenly took a deep breath and at the same time, the Field in his mind burst out! Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom!!! In the next second, the ground in front of Chen Chen exploded as if there was a buried high explosive and next was the area further ahead. The concrete surface, weighing a thousand pounds, erupted endlessly in flying smithereens. If one looked down from above, one would see that the ground in front of Chen Chen was cracking outward continuously in a spreading fan shape. The aftershock of this explosion quickly moved forward. At the moment it came into contact with those missiles, all the missiles exploded directly in the air! Even so, this was not the end. The invisible force continued to move forward. The five fighters did not even have time to react before they exploded and turned into five bright fireworks Only then did everyone react. They only saw that the ground in front of Chen Chen seemed to have been bombarded by cluster bombs. The invisible shockwave had even rushed into the sky, completely detonating the fighter planes hundreds of meters high! Its not only my physical body, but my Field power has also been greatly enhanced. This power Is it more than ten times stronger than my original form? Chen Chen looked at the palm of his hand in surprise and then once again set his eyes on the group of trembling soldiers. His charcoal-fiery eyes just scanned them once and the remaining soldiers knelt to the ground without thinking, and shakily put down the weapons in their hands. Surrender, we surrender! Rows of soldiers knelt down one after another, their spirits having been disintegrated by Chen Chens Earth-shattering power. Capture them! Seeing this, Chen Chen also stopped. He was not a bloodthirsty person. Since the opponent had stopped, he did not bother to continue slaughtering this group of troops who could not put up any resistance. Following Chen Chens order, a dozen Black Knights immediately stepped forward and captured the hundreds of soldiers. As Chen Chen walked back to X-112, X-112 could not help asking with some worry, Sir Commander, why did you transform yourself again? Do you feel uncomfortable? Uncomfortable? Chen Chen cracked his neck and laughed in a low voice like a bellows. Ive never felt better. Seeing this, X-112 stopped asking. He turned to look at the Blacklight Building. Chen Zeyu has led most of the Chen family to escape back into the Blacklight Building, but dont worry, our Black Knights are waking up so they cant run away. Now, what Im worried about is the military camp a dozen kilometers away from Blacklight City. Currently, the first batch of reinforcements has been defeated, but at least 50,000 troops are on the way. Can your power defeat them? Its just fifty thousand troops from the Second World War. I cant be bothered with these people. Chen Chen stretched out a fist and squeezed it slightly. But what about our memetic weapons? Does the other party have such power? Dont worry, Sir Commander. X-112 immediately replied, X wouldnt possibly allow anyone other than you to own this deadly weapon. Whats more, even if you give it to them, they will not have the conditions for research. Those memetic weapons have all been transferred to Mars and theres none of that left on the Earth. Very well. Hearing this, Chen Chen nodded. He thought for a while. Suddenly, a cloud of mist hissed out over his body and then his body shrank again. In just the blink of an eye, Chen Chens body had shrunk to the size of an ordinary person and he had recovered his previous appearance. As I thought Chen Chen looked at himself and he found that he had not become skinny as he would have previously. There was just a slight sense of weakness. This inference immediately made Chen Chens heart leap with joy. It turns out that since the last injection, the G-virus has remained in my body. Now when it encounters the psionic activation of the Consciousness Stealer, such a huge reaction is produced At this point, Chen Chen understood almost everything. Consciousness Stealers could be reborn. In addition to infecting human consciousness and turning them into its nourishment, it had the ability to also fuse human bodies. This ability naturally came with the so-called psionic energy, which was a weird power that could alter the DNA code. Therefore, after Chen Chens Field energy and psionic energy were merged, his Field energy also began to show psionic traits. This ability allowed him to re-optimize his DNA and turned him into the form that had been injected with G-virus. Those tentacles were the power of the Consciousness Stealer that Chen Chen had stripped away. This power allowed him to continuously absorb nutrients and replenish the nutrients in his body. Therefore, Chen Chen remained in his previous state even after he changed back into his own form, instead of being weakened for more than a month like when he was injected with G-virus. Even his Field had been greatly enhanced. Nonetheless, what surprised Chen Chen was that this state could be activated at any time. As long as he absorbed enough nutrients during the battle, he could quickly make up for it. The only flaw was that Chen Chen was becoming farther and farther away from being a human. Find me a shirt first. Chen Chen said with an icy expression, After half an hour, I want to see the Blacklight Building reopen, understand? Yes! Half an hour later, before the reinforcements of Blacklight City arrived, a new melee broke out in the Blacklight Building. This melee occurred extremely abruptly and even the group of prisoners were stunned. Nevertheless, this battle lasted only about ten minutes. The gate of the Blacklight Building that had been closed was now reopened. At the same time, teams of Black Knights rushed out and beside them, the beaten-down Chen family was detained. Among these people, Chen Lin and Chen Zeyu were all included. Looking at these dejected Chen family members, Chen Chen seemed to be looking at strangers. At the same time, some Chen family members were already spinning their brains, thinking of ways to win Chen Chens favor. After all, seeing that Chen Chen did not even do anything to Chen Zhicheng and his two subordinates, all of whom had offended him, a seed of hope had sprouted in some of their hearts. It seemed that Blacklight City was about to undergo a major reshuffle Sir Commander! The Black Knight stepped forward again and X-112 reported, Ive regained all the authority of Blacklight City including the authority of the army. All the troops have been ordered to retreat and return, and those high-level Chen family members who didnt obey the military order have also been arrested by their own adjutants. They can be sent to Blacklight City tomorrow. Very good. Chen Chen nodded stoically. He walked slowly to Chen Zeyu and stared at this younger brother who was closest to his bloodline. Chen Zeyu slowly lowered his head, afraid to look at Chen Chens eyes. Where are Mom and Dad? Suddenly, Chen Chen asked in a low voice, Where did Mom and Dad go in the year of the Great Fusion? They died. Chen Zeyu shook his head, looking numb. The Consciousness Stealer overturned the entire Eco Science City and our parents died almost at once. Hearing these words, Chen Chen could not help taking a deep breath. Although this was just another timeline where he existed, it did not mean that this was not the real world. This world was not any different from his reality, except for its history. At this time, hearing the news of the death of his parents in this world, Chen Chens thoughts suddenly became a little complicated. Chen Chen could not tell what kind of feeling it was. It felt like gladness, rage, and remorse. Chen Chen was glad that in his original world, his parents were still alive and he had defeated the Consciousness Stealer, which meant that his parents could live a long, long time. With the development of Blacklight Biotechnology, his parents could live even longer. Thinking of this, Chen Chen took a deep breath. He looked at Chen Zeyu as if he was looking at a dead man. Very well Chen Chen nodded, turned, and walked toward the Blacklight Building. The Black Knight immediately followed him. Sir Commander, what should we do with this group of people? Also, after this fierce battle across the entire city, many people are already thinking of escape. Escape? Where would they escape to? Chen Chen asked. It may be Survivor City in the North Sea Continent or it may be Fantasy Night City also in the North Sea Continent. X-112 replied, These two cities arent far away from us. Hearing this, Chen Chen could not help but hesitate and then said, Im here to take advantage of the strength of the Joint Resistance Army, so I cant swoop in and take over just like that. In that case, for the sake of legitimacy and the maintenance of the citys order, you have to prepare a public trial assembly. A public trial assembly? X-112 tilted his head, seemingly puzzled. That means, Ill judge them myself. Chen Chen gave a cold smirk. Collect all the evidence of the crimes of this group of people and publicly expose all the crimes they have committed over the years. Dont tell me that this group of people hasnt committed any crime over more than 300 years? Of course, thats impossible. X-112 shook his head immediately. On the contrary, most of them have committed crimes, many, many crimes Then, what are you waiting for? Chen Chen replied and walked forward step by step, moving into the core of Blacklight City, the Blacklight Building, with the air of a victor. Chapter 560 - Trial The battle of Blacklight City shook up the entire Joint Resistance Army Early the next morning, when Chen Chen woke up from Blacklight Fully-automated Medical Platform, he immediately saw a familiar girl appear in front of him. This girl had breathtaking looks, with a hint of playfulness and a hint of obedience, and her hair was as smooth as silk. The moment he saw the girl, Chen Chen was in a daze. X? Then, Chen Chen frowned. The girl in front of him was naturally not X. This is X-112, Sir Commander. The girl lowered her head. This body was Xs and it had been frozen like the Black Knights. Chen Chen nodded. Oh right, Sir Commander. X-112 continued. The venue for the public trial assembly has been prepared. In terms of the Joint Resistance Army, the other four forces contacted us early in the morning. They have received the news that Blacklight City has been seized. Those people want to call you and hope that youre taking the present situation seriously. Theres no need for calls. Ill naturally go to them in the future. Chen Chen asked coldly, Anything else? Also, your cousin Chen Shan and your cousin Chen Zheng who have settled down in Survivor City have also returned and they want to see you too. Chen Shan and Chen Zheng? Chen Chen frowned, feeling a headache coming on. So, are they also alive? They arent involved in the politics of Blacklight City? No. X-112 shook her head. Everything here was established by Chen Zeyu. In the beginning, they were expelled from the management core of Blacklight City. Chen Zheng also held a position in Blacklight City for a period of time but retired over two centuries ago. Most of those arrested today are descendants of Chen Zeyu and only very few are descendants of Chen Shan and Chen Zheng. Thats good. Chen Chen nodded. They must want to meet with me to intercede for a descendant or another. Tell them that Ill punish those who should be punished, but I wont kill those who dont deserve to die, so they may rest assured. With that, Chen Chen waved X-112 away, went downstairs and got in the car, and headed toward the prepared venue for the public trial. On the other side, in the prison near Blacklight City Uncle Chen Zheng, Aunt Chen Shan, I beg you, speak to Uncle Chen Chen on our behalf so that well be released! Im your favorite, Xinghua, after all! Near a cell, Chen Zheng and Chen Shan were standing in front of the door and inside the cell was a middle-aged man with a pale face and a panicked face. This middle-aged man was named Chen Xinghua and he was the youngest son of Chen Zeyu. Fool! There was a hint of anger in Chen Zhengs eyes. Everything you have is inherited from Blacklight Biotechnology and Blacklight Biotechnology was built single handedly by Chen Chen. You still wanted to hog it all? The core intelligence of the city all belonged to him, its just that he had not come back. Well, now that he has returned, how dare you? Uncle, I was wrong Chen Xinghua had tears of regret leaking from his eyes. Its not that I wanted to go against Uncle Chen Chen, but the family committee forced us to do it! Aunt Chen Shan, say something! Sigh Chen Shan shook her head. She was now dressed like a young woman except that she exuded a noble and elegant aura. We havent seen Cousin Chen Chen for nearly four hundred years. Im not sure if our words would still be effective. You could still try! Detecting the softening in Chen Shans words, Chen Xinghua burst into tears of joy. He put his face against the transparent square until it was deformed. Also, my father is the brother of Uncle Chen Chen. Surely he wont put us to death with no regard for that brotherly bond? Chen Shan was even more silent upon hearing this. Let me ask you something now and you must answer me honestly. Chen Zheng frowned and inquired, After Chen Chen showed up, did you guys have any plans to kill him? No, absolutely not! Chen Xinghua shook his head vigorously until his snot and tears were flung away. I have absolutely no such thoughts! Then you might have hope! Chen Zhengs eyes only lit up now. He would still try his best to preserve some of the Chen familys bloodline if he could. A sorry look flashed across Chen Shans face too. In the past three hundred years, their heirs had bloomed everywhere and naturally, they had watched some of them grow up. Chen Xinghua was the one they loved best. When Chen Xinghua was young, he often visited the two of them. He was born smart and quick-witted. When he grew up, he was extremely filial and respectful to the two of them. The two grew even fonder of Chen Xinghua. Today, Chen Xinghua was less than three hundred years old. He was still a child. The two elders naturally could not bear the thought that Chen Xinghua might be executed. However, Chen Zheng and Chen Shan would not be unreasonable. They only intended to intercede for the younger generations of the Chen family. As for Chen Chens younger brother, Chen Zeyu, neither of them intended to intercede for his sake. Besides the fact that Blacklight City daring to attack Chen Chen was thanks to Chen Zeyus instruction. The most important factor was that Chen Zeyu was Chen Chens younger brother after all. No matter how cruel Chen Chen was, he could not possibly kill his own younger brother, right? In both of their opinions, Chen Chen would, at most, place Chen Zeyu under house arrest or demote him directly and make him an ordinary person. Nevertheless, at this moment, the door of the prison suddenly opened and a group of Black Knights walked in with numb faces. They opened the doors of the cells one by one, brought out the Chen family members detained inside, and sent them to the prisoner car outside the prison. Uncle, Aunt! Save me! Chen Xinghua burst into tears and when the Black Knight led him away, he grabbed the edge of the gate with all his strength, displaying an imploring expression to the two of them. Cousin Chen Shan could not help but grab Chen Zhengs sleeves with a disconsolate look. Dont worry, as long as you havent done anything to Chen Chen before, well keep you safe even if we have to grovel on our knees! Chen Zheng resolutely said, Come on, Cousin Chen Shan, lets look for Chen Chen now! The two hurried to the Blacklight Building with hope, but when they arrived at the Blacklight Building, they were informed by X-112 that Chen Chen had left for the scene of the public trial. The public trial assembly was arranged by X-112 to be held in the stadium of Blacklight City. As they rushed to the stadium, they immediately saw the sound trucks on the street. These vehicles were fitted with loudspeakers and blasting a mechanical message. At 2 oclock this afternoon, in the Blacklight Stadium, the new city lord will hold a public trial assembly. All the members of the Chen family are involved in the public trial. Citizens of the city are welcome to come and watch At the same time, the Blacklight Channel will also broadcast the entire process. Stay tuned! It was not only the sound trucks but also the sirens everywhere in the city that were broadcasting this. To stabilize the order of the public trial assembly, X-112 even ordered an army to be dispatched to patrol the city. Hearing that the trial turned out to be judging the lofty Chen family in Blacklight City, countless residents immediately rushed to the streets, gleefully racing in the direction of the stadium. All at once, the entire town had shown up. At this time, the roads near the stadium had been closed. If anyone wanted to enter, they could only go on foot. However, after an hour, the stadium that could accommodate over ten thousand people was already full. Thus, X-112 set up a holographic projection device outside the stadium, allowing those outside to see the scene inside the stadium directly on the big screen. When Chen Zheng and Chen Shan arrived, the road was blocked by the flow of people. They could only search for soldiers nearby, show their identities, and ask the army to deploy a helicopter to transport them to the venue. Still, when the two arrived, the time was already ten past two in the afternoon, and the trial assembly was commencing At the scene of the assembly, Chen Chen walked to the podium step by step. He first glanced around the crowd, then, without any opening remarks nor ceremony, he just said, Now, the public trial assembly shall begin! At Chen Chens order, more than a thousand men and women with pathetic expressions were led by the army to the rostrum of the stadium. Most of these people were tender-skinned and at first glance, they appeared pampered, in sharp contrast with the ordinary people in the city. Ordinary people were of course not qualified to use the Blacklight Fully-automated Medical Platform and because of the shortage of resources in these apocalyptic times, the residents in the city did not have access to the pre-fusion age-reversal treatments. Therefore, the life span of ordinary people was still only 70 or 80 years. On the other hand, the Chen family seemed to be standing high up in the clouds overlooking all living beings. They could live more than three hundred years old if they liked. With such a contrast, the positions of the two sides appeared to be in extreme opposition but the Chen family maintained a strong modern force, so riots rarely occurred. Moreover, Chen Zeyu did have some skills. He was able to establish this city through solid governance. Achievements were rewarded and mistakes were punished. A special family rule system had also been established. Therefore, although there had been countless murky and unjust cases in the family during the three hundred years, most people could still survive, and because of this, the order in Blacklight City had always been stable. Nonetheless, for X-112, as long as anyone was involved in a fraudulent or unjustified case, it could be tracked down. At this time, the Chen family stood in front of the rostrum under the watch of the Black Knights and the army. Some of these people looked dazed, some had spite in their eyes, and some were weeping in a low voice. After they appeared, the entire stadium was so quiet for a while that one could hear a pin drop. The three-hundred-year rule of the Chen family had long been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. Although they had fallen from their pedestals at this time, the people still dared not act too brazenly for fear of retaliation. At this moment, Chen Chens gaze swept across the venue like a god and then he glanced at Chen Zeyu who was standing at the forefront. However, at this moment, there was a sudden rush of footsteps and Chen Chens Field swept behind him. He immediately saw the anxious expressions of Chen Zheng and Chen Shan. Stop them! Chen Chen waved his hand. The Black Knight on the side stopped the two of them and they could only worry helplessly. Ignoring the desperate shouts of the two, Chen Chen said solemnly, Chen Xinghua, step out! The two Black Knights immediately marched Chen Xinghua to the forefront of the crowd. Chen Xinghua, the third mayor of Blacklight City. He has taken office for fifty-three years. Chen Chen spoke somberly, his voice directly transmitted over the entire stadium through the microphone. Since you were an adult, to satisfy your lust, you have made many secret arrangements and forcibly seized 86 young women, leading to their familys destruction. In the past three hundred years, more than a thousand lives have been ended by you directly and indirectly. Do you plead guilty? Wah! A violent clamor broke out among the crowd in the auditorium because the things Chen Chen had said were a huge secret, so they did not even know all this. No, I dont, Ive been wronged, Second Uncle! Chen Xinghua suddenly sobbed out loudly. I was wronged. If you dont believe me, ask my father or ask my uncle and aunt! Hmm? Chen Chen narrowed his eyes when he heard these words and a murderous intent gleamed in his eyes. You dare to deny it. Do you think the urban intelligent control system is just for decoration? As he spoke, Chen Chen waved his hand, and on the big screen next to the rostrum, segments of surveillance records began to play. There were text labels under these records, indicating what happened in which year and month. However, after this was played for dozens of seconds, Chen Xinghuas face was ashen. Faced with the ironclad facts, Chen Xinghua finally could not keep up his denial. Chen Zheng and Chen Shan who were in the background also stood there in stunned silence. Although they also knew that Chen Xinghuas hands were not clean, they did not expect that he had killed this many. Relying on your position in the Chen family, you acted in derangement without regard for law or morality! Chen Chens voice boomed. Murder means a death penalty. I sentence you to death! This shall be carried out immediately on the spot! No No, not this! Seeing the two Black Knights walking to the front with guns, Chen Xinghua trembled all over and came back to his senses again. His face was gripped by extreme fright. Chen Chen, Im your nephew! Dad, Dad, come and save me! Chen Zeyu could not help closing his eyes, with a look of agony. The Black Knights ignored Chen Xinghuas torrent of pleas. One of the Black Knights, with a casual push, just made him kneel to the ground while the other Black Knight picked up the pulse rifle and pressed it coarsely against Chen Xinghuas forehead. Dad Uncle, Aunt Chen Xinghuas eyes were dazed. He stared at the muzzle in front of him, his entire body trembled like a wheat stalk. Some people even smelled of feces and urine. Bang! With a gunshot, Chen Xinghuas skull flew back and a large volume of white and red substance splashed all over the Chen family behind him! Whoosh! Suddenly, countless people burst into a tsunami-like commotion throughout the venue. The residents of Blacklight City had never thought that the Chen family, who was originally so lofty, would die in front of them so easily at this time, and executed by a firing squad, no less! It was known that even the death penalty in Blacklight City only included lethal injection. Moreover, they rarely heard of the Chen family being punished. This notion had been crystallized in their heads over three hundred years. The Chen family was like the royal family in the feudal period. They were existences beyond that of ordinary people! Now, their framework of understanding was completely shattered with this gunshot! At this moment, countless people converged their gazes upon the figure on the podium. He was a slender young man who seemed to be only in his twenties but it was this person who appeared to be from the Chen family himself, yet was able to execute a family member mercilessly! Some people have a gleam of panic in their eyes but more people had a glint of excitement and a touch of fanaticism in their eyes! Still, just as the crowd burst into a tsunami-like uproar, Chen Chen continued to speak. Chen Lin, step out! The two Black Knights were expressionless as they dragged out a plump middle-aged man. You even killed your nephew, youll die a miserable death! As if knowing his fate, Chen Lin, who was in charge of the internal affairs of the entire Blacklight City, had a mad look in his eyes. He shouted, Chen Chen, youll die a Snap! Before he finished speaking, a Black Knight immediately pinched Chen Lins chin. There was a clean snap and Chen Lins chin was directly removed, resulting in a dislocated jaw. Chen Lin, 98 years old, Secretary-General of the Interior Affairs of Blacklight City. Facing the curses of his family, Chen Chens eyes still did not waver. He said with a calm expression, During thirteen years in office, due to your selfish desires, 58 civilians were slaughtered secretly and 36 people were killed to be silenced. Death penalty, execute him immediately! Agh! Up to this point, even though Chen Lin had had his chin dislocated, he still unleashed a heartrending roar with a wild expression, the last display of madness in his lifetime! Bang! There was another gunshot and Chen Lins voice came to an abrupt end. His bloated and plump body slowly fell to the ground. At this moment, a flash of despair finally appeared in the eyes of all the Chen family members present. Chapter 561 - Time Machine Chen Zhankui, Chen Shengtian, Chen Zhuowei, Chen Fengxi, Chen Zihan As Chen Chen spoke mercilessly, one by one, the members of the Chen family, whose bodies had gone limp, were dragged out like dead dogs by the Black Knights. Chen Zhankui, to sell your goods to the forces of the Joint Resistance Army, you wantonly killed off competitors. What a heinous crime, the death penalty! Chen Shengtian, as the director of the Military Aircraft Department, youve embezzled military salaries, amounting to tens of millions of the Joint Resistance Armys currency, causing many soldiers to freeze to death. Death penalty! Chen Zhuowei, death penalty! Chen Fengxi, you raped women frequently, death penalty! Chen Zihan, you covered up the crime for your brother and killed many citizens out of jealousy. Death penalty, to be executed immediately! Chen Chens voice was like the commanding voice of Hades. Every time he called out a name, a Black Knight rushed forward, dragged that person out of the Chen family members, and then killed the individual on the spot like slaughtering a pig! No, dont kill my daughter! However, when the two Black Knights dragged forth a young girl with a beautiful face, a middle-aged woman on the side immediately broke down. She wailed and hugged her daughter, then suddenly leaned down and kept kowtowing to Chen Chen, not even noticing when there was bleeding on her forehead. Grandpa Chen Chen, Grandpa Chen Chen, I beg you, dont kill Haner, shes your great-granddaughter! Pfff! Still, the Black Knights on both sides did not care at all. One of them directly took up the handle of a gun and hit the womans head severely. At once, the woman fell on the ground silently and a large pool of blood flowed out from under her Mom! The beautiful girl suddenly let out a heart-piercing cry. The two Black Knights continued to grab the girls hair and drag her down the podium. At this time, the clearing was already in a mess. Endless blood and white brain tissue were mixed together and several corpses had heads that exploded. The girl was dragged here and then one of the Black Knights aimed at the girls head. At this time, the girls body was trembling violently. A terrified gleam shone in her eyes and she murmured unconsciously, I want to go home Bang! Her headless body dropped down! At this time, the entire venue had become tense and silent. The masses in the stands were no longer in an uproar. Even those who were full of hatred for the Chen family were completely shocked by Chen Chens merciless killing. This scene was now deeply imprinted in their minds and became an indelible sight. Gradually, the corpses were accumulated. More than two hundred corpses had been heaped up under the rostrum. A breeze swirled by and the strong smell of blood diffused and filled the entire stadium. In the stands, many people were already vomiting. Nonetheless, Chen Chen watched all this with a cool expression. He lowered his head and looked at the last person on the death penalty list. That person was none other than his brother, Chen Zeyu. Chen Zeyu Death penalty! Chen Chen spoke slowly, spitting out the last few words. Chen Zeyu closed his eyes in anguish. His head had become covered with white hair in one night and he looked completely different from the young Chen Chen on the podium at this time. Now, Chen Zeyu had watched as his children and grandchildren were slaughtered wantonly but he could not do anything. A rush of immense resentment filled his heart. Watching the two Black Knights coming forward, Chen Zeyus eyes flashed madly and he suddenly screamed, Chen Chen, I curse you! May you be lonely forever, abandoned by your wife and children! May you die a long, miserable death after a long, miserable life! While Chen Zeyu unleashed a heartrending roar, he was dragged to the corpse pile by the Black Knight but he still glared at Chen Chen with eager hatred. Chen Chen, youll die a miserable death!!! Bang Chen Zeyus bitter voice was cut off abruptly. As if he was a little tired, Chen Chen tossed the list in his hand to a clerk on the side. The clerk quivered all over and caught the list shakily, giving Chen Chen a frightened glance. Seeing Chen Chen nod, he stammered, All those on the death penalty list have been executed. Next, those who wont receive the death penalty As the clerk said, he began to read out the names and the sentences the prisoners should receive. These sentences ranged from one year to one hundred years, and those with more than one hundred years were life imprisonment. After the entire afternoon had passed, finally, the public trial assembly came to an end. This also represented that Chen Chen was officially stationed in Blacklight City as the lord of the city. As for those positions that had been vacated, Chen Chen asked X-112 to start recruiting for people throughout the city to make good use of their capabilities. Surely, after having seen this scene where the Chen family, who was once so lofty, had fallen off their pedestals, these people would not dare to stuff their own pockets for decades. On the following day, the other four forces of the Joint Resistance Army began to tentatively contact Chen Chen. Chen Chen harbored no other intentions here. He told them that the previous offensive and defensive alliance was still in force, but when they asked him questions about his psionic abilities, he avoided the topic. A few days later, Chen Chen went to sleep again under the strict protection of the Black Knights. When Chen Chen regained consciousness, he had returned to reality again. Sir Godfather. X appeared beside Chen Chens bed. Youve been sleeping for about a week. Have you gained anything in that parallel dimension? More or less. Chen Chen nodded. I regained control of Blacklight City. In addition to that, Ive learned new uses of psionic energy. With that, Chen Chen talked to Little X about transforming himself into the G-virus form again and went to the laboratory to transform himself. After this transformation, several tentacles appeared on Chen Chens hands again. These tentacles seemed to grow from the palms and they could be retracted in a controlled manner. Even in this state of transformation, Chen Chen could still suck the flesh and blood of his prey. After he devoured a few domestic pigs that had been prepared, when he transformed back again, his body remained healthy and lost a great amount of fat. This is a complete transformation ability. Little X looked delighted and surprised. This isnt only the power of the G-virus but more importantly, the power derived from psionic energy. Its incredible. Although this psionic energy isnt as capable of manipulating electromagnetic force as Field energy, its performance in self-preservation exceeds that of Field energy. Indeed, psionic energy and Field energy can be said to have their own strengths. Chen Chen nodded. The most terrifying thing is that I can portion out a minute part of the power and bury a psionic seed in others so that they can obtain a kind of secondary psionic power. If I die later, Ill be able to be reborn in their body. Isnt this an imitation of the Consciousness Stealer? Little X was immediately surprised. Its no wonder that Consciousness Stealers can infect human spirits and be resurrected out of human corpses. Now youre practically a replica of the Consciousness Stealer and moreover, youre even stronger! This isnt the time to talk about these. Chen Chen shook his head. Im considering whether I want to transfer my power from reality to completely solve the trouble of the Consciousness Stealer. Can it be done? Little X was a little doubtful. If we could go up against that Consciousness Stealer, that world wouldnt have appeared in the first place. Despite this, we were only defeated by the Consciousness Stealer because we were caught off guard that time. Chen Chen thought for a while and said, If I were not the first to be infected, humans wouldnt have been so passive. If we think about it carefully, we still have a lot of trump cards that we havent used. Then how do we get to that dimension? Little X asked again, her eyes spinning. She figured it out immediately after seeing Chen Chens smiling eyes and laughed. By using Terminator! Yes, Terminator! Chen Chen nodded. If there are any props in all of science fiction cinema that can carry out cross-dimension teleportation, its the time machine in Terminator. Chen Chen had thought about the teleportation device he should use. Only quantum mechanics and M-theory could resolve the so-called grandmothers paradox and the reason for this was due to the existence of parallel universes. The entire universe was diversified and the multiverse itself was composed of countless parallel universes while parallel universes branched out from a certain original universe and were both similar and different from the original universe. All the movie dimensions accessed by Chen Chen through the USB drive were parallel universes. This had been confirmed. In other words, the time machine of the Terminator dimension did not send people back to the past but instead sent people to a parallel universe that was almost the same as the original universe. The timeline of a parallel universe was different from reality, being either in the past or the future, which resolved the grandmothers paradox. Namely, the time teleportation device of the Terminator dimension had the ability to transport people to parallel worlds. Thinking of this, Chen Chen immediately got up and went to the charging room. After getting the USB flash drive, he opened it with a laptop and dragged the movie Terminator Genisys into it. Terminator Genisys connected the first and second movies, but the plot was a bit complicated and many people could not understand it. Aside from the plot, the true form of the time machine in this movie was revealed for the first time. It was a huge device whose size was comparable to a hill. After the humans broke into the Skynet headquarters, they happened to see T-800 being teleported back to the past to assassinate Connors mother. However, more than one time machine appeared in the movie. In the middle of the movie, Connors mother and T-850 made another time machine device together. This device was much smaller. The only thing it lacked was a very powerful chip. Still, this problem was solved by removing a chip from a T-800. Moreover, when the two people were working together to make the time machine, the year was 1984. That was to say, if the production technology of this manual version of the time machine could be obtained, Chen Chen was also fully capable of replicating it. Thinking of this, Chen Chen waited no longer. He directly opened the movie in the USB flash drive, chose the first mode of the USB flash drive, and directly extracted the time teleportation device. Boom! With a soft thud, a device appeared in front of Chen Chen. It was rough in workmanship and looked like a round podium. This round podium had exposed wires, rough cuts, and no outer shell structure, so the parts inside were directly exposed to the air. No one would believe that just such a simple device could allow people to travel through time and space and reach another parallel universe. As for the missing chip, it was not a problem. Chen Chen could mass-produce the T-800 chip. He would not have to extract another T-800 just to source the chip. However Little X came up skipping. She fiddled with the device in doubt, set the timer to 378 years later, and then looked at Chen Chen with a face of disbelief. Is this all there is to it? Isnt it too sloppy? Of course not. Chen Chen shook his head. With a device like this, who the h*ll knows where Ill end up. I dont dare to take this risk. Then how do we get to the other space-time where you are? X asked suspiciously. By setting up another teleportation machine, of course. Chen Chen said instinctively, Even the Gantz sphere from Gantz and the Ark from Doom need two point-to-point teleporters. I think the time machine from Terminator should be the same. Although this wasnt shown in the movie, it can be seen from the generality of the teleportation in the movie that the teleportations destination is uncertain. So I think that if we want to teleport accurately, point-to-point teleportation is imperative. After speaking, Chen Chen looked at the time machine in front of him. Take this device apart. I believe that upon disassembly, some useful data will be obtained. Even if I dont understand the principles it uses, I can memorize these things by rote. Then Ill go back to that world and assemble another time machine. Little X suddenly realized what Chen Chen had in mind. Indeed, as long as this was the case, it was equivalent to the time machine existing in both worlds of Chen Chen. The forces under Blacklight Biotechnology could then reach the other world by teleporting there. Therefore, their next task to take apart the time machine and use reverse engineering to analyze performance was handed over to Little X. Chen Chen took advantage of this opportunity to return home. He had been asleep for three months after defeating the Consciousness Stealer, which meant that he had not been home for more than three months. His parents must have been waiting anxiously for a long time. Besides, Chen Chen was so eager to go home not only for the above reasons but also because of what he had felt in that world. In that world, Chen Chen had failed to protect his parents and eventually caused them to die in the catastrophe. One place was like heaven while the other was like hell. The different experiences of the two worlds caused Chen Chen to have mixed feelings and he cherished his time with his parents even more. At the same time, it also inspired Chen Chen to formulate several sets of retreat plans in advance. If such a world-destroying event occurred in the future, Chen Chens parents would retreat to a certain safe place as soon as possible according to the plan, without Chen Chen having to worry. As for where that safe place was, Chen Chen believed that Mars was one option and alternate dimensions were another. In other words, Chen Chen must wipe out all dangers in the dimension where the Divine Fusion Empire was located and use it as his own backup base and also as a refuge. Chapter 562 - Blacklight Foundation’s Antarctic Main Base When Chen Chen reappeared in Eco Science City, he immediately attracted countless prying eyes. In the beginning, a rumor spread among the senior leaders of the Earth Federation, claiming that the chairman of Blacklight Biotechnology was also infected with that kind of fusion virus and was not likely to last long. When this news reached the ears of the major forces and even some secret factions, they did not believe in it too much at first. After all, Chen Chen practically had a miraculous golden touch. From the beginning of his business to the present, he was like a legend and life sciences were his specialty. It was almost impossible for such a person to be infected by the fusion virus. However, later, as the Consciousness Stealers virus suddenly disappeared, even Chen Chen stopped showing up and did not attend several Lilith Assemblies. Suddenly, many rumors started drifting around. Before entering the consciousness battlefield, Chen Chen told Little X that if he did not return for a long time, she could use a clone to take his place. After all, there were still several Chen Chen clones in the Spire Lab. It was just that Little X was not resigned to doing this. She firmly believed that Chen Chen would win, so she had never done that. Nonetheless, now that Chen Chen had appeared in his home, this rumor collapsed by itself. Many forces that had begun to shift restlessly now retracted their claws and fangs, and were quietly waiting for the next opportunity If it were not for fear of the civilization-level lethal weapons that Chen Chen might possess, how could these countries tolerate the continuous erosion of their interests by Blacklight Biotechnology and even smile at this opponent? A few hours later, Chen Chen bade farewell to his parents and walked out of the house. He glanced around his parents house. The smile in his eyes gradually dissipated and was replaced by an inexplicable coldness. X, this group of eyes near my parents should also be cleared away. Chen Chen said. Understood, please be rest assured. Before the sun rises tomorrow morning, Ill clean up these spies who dared to approach your parents. Xs voice came from the headset in reply. This casual exchange between the two had quickly determined the life and death of over a hundred spies. Oh, right! Little Xs voice suddenly said again, During your sleep, the Earth Federation has established a department that contacts the Blacklight Foundation, called the Federal Special Branch. This department is also divided into the Chinese division, Northern American division, North Sea Continent division, and European Division. This department works as a fast track, which can accelerate the operations of the Blacklight Foundation. If events such as wormholes in the sea, Weeping Angels, and Consciousness Stealers that are enough to threaten human civilization occur in the future, this department will contact the local authorities as soon as possible so that the local government can cooperate with the Blacklight Foundation to the fullest extent. Very good, the Federal Special Branch, you said? Chen Chen nodded with satisfaction. With this federal official department, the Blacklight Foundation will be authorized to operate around the globe One more thing. Little X continued to report. The construction of the main base for the Blacklight Foundation in Antarctica is about to be completed and the current progress has reached 90%. The engineers we sent are updating us every day and the construction will be completed by the end of this year. Very well done. Chen Chen nodded. Tomorrow I plan to go there in person and visit. You want to eliminate the unfavorable rumors of your disappearance. Little X guessed. That wouldnt be a problem, Ill make an appointment for you now. Good. Following that, Chen Chen returned to his office in the Blacklight Building, sat there for a while, then returned to the Spire and began to dismantle the time machine with Little X. The next day, Chen Chen boarded a plane and headed toward Northern America. He transferred to a military plane in the Washington area of Northern America and flew to the South Pole. The trip took more than ten hours. As the plane landed, there was already a dark world of ice and snow outside the window. The polar circle was divided into polar day and polar night. The date at this time was 1 April 2029, which was during the polar night in the South Pole. The polar day and polar night were due to the angle of divergence of the earths rotation. During a fixed period, sunlight would either be unable to reach this area at all or shine brightly throughout the day. From 23 September to 21 March every year, Antarctica was shrouded in night, with no sun in sight even during the day whereas the North Pole was the opposite. Chen Chen took a C-17 military transport plane, coming along with the flight that transported materials from Northern America to the South Pole. When he walked off the plane wearing a down jacket, the top personnel from the four major continents immediately came to meet him personally. Your Excellency Chen Chen. The respective personnel of the four continents stood in a row and Chen Chen stepped forward and shook hands with the four. Welcome, Your Excellency Chen Chen, to this inspection. Im your main guide. My name is Zhao Xi. As Chen Chens relationship with China was the best, the main person escorting him this time was the highest person in charge from China at the main base. Zhao Xi was a middle-aged man who looked relatively older, about 50 years old, and Chen Chen could tell that he had not received any age-reversal treatment, thus maintaining the true appearance of his age. Mr. Zhao Xi, have you never undergone age-reversal therapy? Chen Chen could not help asking. Its mainly because this technology is still somewhat risky. Zhao Xi smiled. Although the treatment you created has a high success rate, if the treatment fails, one will have to rest for several years to regain ones vitality. Therefore, Ive never done it, but Ive already made an appointment for the Blacklight Fully-automated Medical Platform you gave us. Ill be able to use that machine to rehabilitate my body in the second half of next year. Chen Chen nodded. He followed Zhao Xi to a deep and huge underground cave. There was an astonishing amount of goods beside the underground cave. At this time, dozens of cranes were constantly transporting the goods. As you can see, this is the headquarters of the Blacklight Foundation. Looking at the huge deep pit in front of him, Zhao Xis eyes had an emotional glimmer. This place has been under construction for four years and it has been jointly developed by the four continents, using hundreds of billions of dollars worth of manpower and material resources. All this is enough to build the Pyramid of Khufu dozens of times over. By now, the massive structure of the headquarters has been completed and all thats left is to fill in the details. I cant imagine how we have made it through the past four years Zhao Xi could not help but sigh. All this is for the continuation of human civilization. Chen Chen nodded. He knew that even if the Spire Experimental Base was compared to the base in front of him, it was practically a mere trinket. After all, this was built as the last fortress of civilization. Whether in terms of the amount of engineering invested or the manpower and material resources invested, it was in a different league. While speaking, Chen Chen and the few people accompanying him had already reached an elevator by the edge of the big pit and they walked in. As the elevator doors closed, without having to press any buttons, the elevator started to descend sharply. At present, we only need two minutes to reach the base which is two kilometers down. Zhao Xi notified. Chen Chen only felt the sensation of a rapid fall. The elevator began to accelerate continuously, from 2 to 3 meters per second to more than 20 meters per second. This speed was already close to the speed of a free fall. If one fell at such a speed, even an alien could not survive. However, when it was about to reach the ground, the elevator began to slow down gradually and there was a rapid sense of gravity returning. Those with poor physiques would likely have thrown up by now. It was only because they were all in good shape that they could bear this. Ding! As the elevator arrived at the destination, there was only a soft ring and the elevator doors opened again. This time, a huge hall was revealed before Chen Chen. The hall seemed to be unfinished now. A large hole with a diameter of more than 50 meters was still in the center. At this time, goods were being transported down the hole continuously and there was a busy flow of people here. Nevertheless, most of them were not living people but androids and XTN engineering robots. Its your first time here, so Ill explain everything in more detail. Zhao Xi narrated, This is the first floor of the main base and the largest activity venue in the main hall. The area of this floor alone will reach one million square meters, which is the size of over a hundred football fields. It will be transformed into an event plaza and a pedestrian street, where everyone can exercise and shop. Chen Chen nodded. Indeed, this floor alone had exceeded the area of the Spire Experimental Base. This is the pedestrian street This is the shopping area Here is the stadium. Whether its track and field events or football and basketball, you can find a venue here The group accompanied Chen Chen around. From Chen Chens point of view, it looked like a miniature city and the dome above his head was also extremely high, measuring more than 20 meters above him. If optical equipment was installed, manufacturing a blue sky and white clouds, many people would probably find it difficult to tell that it was artificial. It was not until more than half an hour later that they finished touring the first floor. They came to the elevator in another corner, preparing to head toward the second floor. The entire base is structured like a top and the areas below will gradually shrink. The second floor is only two-thirds the area of the first floor. That will house the living supplies and warehouse areas, which are used to store supplies for daily living. Zhao Xi emphasized with some pride. The materials loaded on the second floor can enable 30,000 people to live here without going out for over a hundred years. A hundred years isnt that long. When Chen Chen heard this, he could not help frowning. Of course. Zhao Xi nodded. But if that time comes, well renovate the first floor, transforming those gardens and green areas into test fields for soilless agriculture. At that point, well naturally be able to obtain more resources. With that, they had reached the second floor. Chen Chen noticed that it took twenty seconds to go from the first floor to the second floor. This is because the first floor and the second floor arent close to each other. Sensing Chen Chens puzzlement, Zhao Xi continued to explain, The distance between the first floor and the second floor is over a hundred meters. Even if we lose the first floor, we can blow it up and retreat to the second floor to continue the defense. Strictly speaking, every floor in the base can abandon the floor above and exist independently. This is the function of a doomsday fortress. Thats a good idea. Chen Chen nodded in approval. Then, they descended again and came to the third floor. As the elevator doors opened, Chen Chens eyes were met with column-shaped buildings that looked like fortresses. These buildings stretched to the top of the third floor and there were probably over a hundred of them. This floor is the staff dormitory. Zhao Xi went on to explain, We calculated this for a long time. At first, we wanted to fill the third floor with regular buildings as found in a conventional design, but in the end, we gave that up because that kind of dormitory was still too depressing. Its difficult for people who dont see the sky all year round to withstand this pressure, so we chose this kind of storied unit building similar to a residential structure. There are probably over a hundred-unit buildings, each of which has four floors. The inside will have one of two layouts: one bedroom and one living room, or two bedrooms and one living room. This floor can accommodate a total of 20,000 people. When they look out the window, theyll see greenery and parks all over the ground instead of cold metal passages. They led Chen Chen into one of the buildings, checking out the layout of the rooms inside. In Chen Chens view, this was a lively place indeed and he even saw ponds and man-made rivers in the distance. The top of the dome could also simulate normal sunlight and night, just as if they were on the ground surface. From the fourth floor onward, its the work area. After visiting the third floor, Zhao Xi led Chen Chen onto the elevator to the fourth floor, then the fifth and sixth floors, until the bottom ninth floor. The entire base had an inverted pyramid layout, with the areas becoming smaller as they went down, but the ninth floor broke this pattern. The area of the ninth floor was even larger than that of the first floor. There were not only various manufacturing workshops, but also the main control room that controlled the entire main base, and a nuclear fusion reactor. At the bottom level, we want to build a heavy industrial site where we can produce the necessities of life that everyone needs, even munitions. At the same time, its also the core area of power, which provides electricity and air circulation for the entire base. Unless the first eight floors are lost, this place is invulnerable to attack. Looking at the vast ninth floor in front of him, Chen Chen could not help wearing a look of admiration. He suddenly looked at the rails and trains by the side of the ninth floor, then raised his eyebrows. This is? This is a minecart. Zhao Xi explained, The ninth floor doesnt exist for its own sake. We used tunnel boring machines to excavate several underground mines at a depth of more than 3,000 meters. These minecarts connect to those mines. If we want to seal off the base in the future, then our resources will naturally be tapped from the ground. Plus, some minecarts even lead to underground lakes and can collect underground freshwater resources Chen Chen was even more amazed when he heard these words. He continued his visit for more than an hour before he returned to the surface. This visit lasted nearly eight hours and his guides were terribly exhausted by the end. Only Chen Chens face remained as usual without any change at all. When Chen Chen was sent off, the few of them exchanged a few casual words, then said goodbye and left. They were going to report to their higher-ups regarding Chen Chens reactions throughout his visit to the main base, without leaving out a single detail. Chapter 563 - L Compound The following days were relatively peaceful and quiet again. The reverse research on the time machine would take at least several months. Over this duration, Chen Chen would routinely head over to the other world to see if any problems had arisen. Fortunately, nothing major had ever come up and he would simply return to his slumber shortly after. Furthermore, Chen Chen took the cryogenic chamber he left at Shais back to the Blacklight City. Meanwhile, he continued spending most of his time in the quiet room. Chen Chen placed the quiet room underneath the Indian Ocean. There was nothing much he did in this remote, isolated place apart from honing his Field. Ever since Field melded with the psionic energy, it had gotten rougher around the edges. Chen Chen once was able to magnify into microscopic view up to a thousand times using Field and this value had declined to only eight hundred times now. As far as Chen Chen was concerned, the forte of Field was not only in its ability to affect substances but also in its ability to grant him microscopic observation. If applied correctly, Chen Chen could apply Field to such a fine extent that he could alter the anatomical structure of substances. This way, he could alter the shape and properties of certain objects and perform feats such as reducing a rock back to soil or alter the chemical bonds of specific substances. Going beyond this, Chen Chen could sharpen his accuracy to attain a level of control over atoms which would make it even more powerful. The electromagnetic force between the atoms could be destroyed with a simple wave of his hands and with that, any form of metal or whatever enemy stood before him would be disintegrated into nothingness almost effortlessly. Further exemplifying this ability would be to delve into the layer of the cell nucleus, which would allow Chen Chen to achieve far greater things. He could generate nuclear fusion phenomena at will or gain complete control over quantum tides, even alter vacuum spaces. At that point, he would be able to fabricate artificial wormholes to cross the universe at will. However, such extreme precision would require a microscopic magnification of at least two million times. Chen Chen still had a long way to go before he could achieve it. Phew! Chen Chen suddenly let out a long, dragged-out sigh and opened his eyes while still in his meditation pose. The moment his eyelids opened, the eyes underneath them seemed to spark with a jolt of electricity. They emitted bright sparks amid the darkness. His deep concentration seemed to have materialized and took form. Looks like its finally restored to its previous condition Chen Chen shook his head as the spark in his eyes started to dwindle again. He stood up to exercise his joints, then suddenly frowned. Over this period, the level of his Field had taken a tremendous leap then eventually lost its original momentum again. It was the same as what he had experienced previously. After Chen Chens Field reached the plateau, he found himself in a bottleneck phase where it was extremely difficult to develop it any further. Chen Chens DNA structure had also become saturated to such a point where any absorption of crystalline would not make a difference at this point. It seems like I have to either search for alternatives or take another approach and begin to aim for precise control over Field instead. Chen Chen shook his head, clearly not satisfied. At his current level, standing up against the Consciousness Stealer would be nigh impossible. After all, the Consciousness Stealers psionic energy was a culmination of billions of its victims life force. Chen Chen left the quiet room still pondering about this and returned to the Spire using the Gantz black sphere. Sir Godfather, it looks like youre not in a good mood today. Little X pointed out almost immediately as soon as she saw Chen Chen. Chen Chen nodded and remarked, Its the problem with Field, Im trying to figure out how I can further develop it so I can face the Consciousness Stealer. Hmm Little X pondered for a moment. I have a good idea, but that will depend on if youre willing to take such an approach. Intrigue me. Chen Chen said, tilting his head to the side. If the Consciousness Stealer attained its psionic powers by accumulating the life force of billions of humans, then you should be able to do the same as well. Little X noted. You can infect the people in that world using similar methods and then absorb them. That way, your psionic power would improve dramatically. Since your psionic powers had fused with Field, raising one should improve the other simultaneously, wouldnt it? Chen Chen chuckled upon hearing this suggestion. I wouldnt say this cannot be done but it looks like my powers are slightly weaker. After my Field fused with the psionic power, Ive been sensing some sort of mutation in the ability. I noticed that I cannot infect human consciousness the way the Consciousness Stealer does. To do so, I need to first implant a psionic seed just like what I did with Niuceus Laman. I have an alternative for you. Little X remarked. If you cannot infect them using psionic powers, theres another way we can approach this. Another way? Chen Chen was unsure of what to make of this. Back when I was performing a blood test on you, I discovered a special element in your blood. The academic name that I have labeled it with is the psionic factor or L factor for short. This new element should be the result of your Field and psionic energy fusing and just like the protoplasmic fluid of the Consciousness Stealer, this L factor has infectious qualities as well! Really? Chen Chen was surprised to hear of this. If that was true, would that not essentially make him another Consciousness Stealer as well? Well, this infectious quality is mostly dormant and would not impose its effects under usual circumstances. However, I can do something to alter its qualities. Little X went on. After I perform a string of complex procedures, I may be able to extract the L factor and further develop it into a virus variant. Although this virus cannot transmit itself telepathically like the Consciousness Stealers, it can be manually injected which will alter the structure of other humans DNA. Must the subject be humans? Chen Chen frowned. Though he was not opposed to the idea of sacrificing a small portion of the human population to preserve the rest of mankind in the long run, there was still a certain limit to how far he was willing to go. Of course, why else would the Consciousness Stealer choose humans instead of other creatures? Little X snickered and said. Chen Chen chuckled at this silly remark of his as well. It was evident that human beings were the only high-level intelligent life so far. Even ten thousand pigs and dogs combined could not match the level of consciousness possessed by a single human. Therefore, infecting humans was by far the best choice. Human beings living a high-level intelligent life is just one of the deciding factors. Little X described, At the end of the day, a similar DNA template would be required for an effective blood infection. The infection rate of other species may be less than 0.1%. Hmmm Chen Chen appeared ruminative upon hearing this. If this is how it has to be, then I suppose its worth a shot but something else came to my mind What you are saying is that the developed virus would be the equivalent of scattering psionic seeds into a Field and allowing others to gain psionic powers, is that it? Thats right, thats the idea. Little X nodded. A flash appeared in Chen Chens eyes. In that case, there are other uses we can come up with for this virus The biotechnology advent of Blacklight Biotechnology had reached such unprecedented heights that even the Umbrella Corporation or the Weyland-Yutani Corporation would have to bow down before its greatness. It only took a few days before Chen Chen obtained a tube of the referred virus from Little X. It was a transparent vial containing the dark-blue substance. The vial the virus was packed in was the same as the one used to slot the G virus. With a gentle tap, a needle would be summoned at its end and allow for effortless injection directly into a persons veins. The contents of the vial were none other than the L factor essence extracted from Chen Chens blood. A hundred millimeters of your blood can produce roughly eighty vials of the L factor essence. Little X tabulated. For your current physical condition, you can easily afford to have a hundred millimeters of blood drawn out daily without any issues. Its a healthy ratio. Chen Chen was slightly disturbed by this mention. X, youre saying this like Im supposed to be some kind of experiment subject. With that being said, Chen Chen still silently ran through the numbers in his mind. If he made eighty vials of this virus a day, then it would total to almost two thousand and five hundred a month, and close to thirty thousand a year. It was not a jarring number but a centurys accumulated effort would produce three million vials. At least it was better than the alternative of implanting psionic seed into others directly. At the end of the day, Chen Chen was not the Consciousness Stealer and constantly implanting the psionic seed into others would gradually weaken his Field and cause it to deteriorate eventually. Chen Chen could also extract larger volumes of blood to increase production, but that would be at the expense of his health. What came after that was the exciting-as-usual experiment phase. All that planning would amount to nothing if this virus turned out to be ineffective after all. A felon was escorted into a common laboratory. As Delta-level subjects in Gods Forbidden Zone, these people were accommodated with well-prepared food and supervised training to keep them in the healthiest state at all times. The subjects brought in were always well-built like professional athletes. With that said, all the muscles in the world would not help them when faced with the Black Knights. The subject was fixed on a stretcher by two Black Knights without any room for resistance. Then, he was forced to wait for what was to come next. What are you trying to do? There was a distinct tremor in the felons voice as he exclaimed. He surveyed his surroundings and saw an expressionless person approaching him with an array of instruments. It did not take long before he found himself strapped down with a collection of devices such as an electrocardiograph, electric shock device, ventilator, and so on. The subject became increasingly anxious. It was around this point when one of the staff in a large white lab coat approached him with a deep blue vial of something. The subject put up a futile attempt of trying to wring himself out of the stretcher when he saw the vial. His instincts told him that it could not be anything other than bad news. Tss! All the subject heard was the sound of air pressure produced by a syringe being held down. There was not much pain in the arm. He only felt a slight chill where he felt the needle plunged inside that made him shiver. The blue substance was subsequently pumped into the subjects body through his veins. The subject witnessed all this with great agitation, his heart thumping violently against his chest and he asked, What is this, what did you people inject into me? Is this a human experiment? For all the questions that he threw at them, not a single personnel in the laboratory bothered with entertaining him and continued along with their tasks. Unbeknownst to the subject, they were all Androids. The expendable positions in the Spire had long been replaced by Androids at this point. Meanwhile, Chen Chen resided in the command room on the second floor and looked at the data feed of the experiment subject. There was a visible increase in the subjects blood pressure following the injection. The life force of the subject was being exhausted at a rapid pace. Meanwhile, the subjects body temperature began to soar sky-high as well. His breathing became frantic and within ten minutes, his body had become stark red like a boiled lobster! The nutrients in the subjects body are dissolving rapidly! Little X turned to look at Chen Chen. Sir Godfather, should we inject nutrients for him? No need to rush. Chen Chen waved his hand and said decisively, I need to see if it can be supported by the human body without any external assistance. This drug has to be circulated in large volumes in the future and if each injection requires facilitation, then this virus is effectively useless. Oh Having understood Chen Chens angle, Little X nodded. The subjects body temperature continued to rise. From what was regular temperature at the beginning, it had gradually risen to forty-one degrees. At this temperature, his vitals were at a critical state and his heart thumped violently like a dysfunctional piston. He was fading in and out at this point and the muscles of his entire body twitched uncontrollably. Still, Chen Chen merely observed this without the slightest intention of helping. What was strange was that despite these exaggerated physiological changes in the subjects body, his heart and lung functions were preserved all the same. In addition, they had only grown stronger throughout the process. His heart was thumping with frightful strength at this point. Heres the turning point! Little X sensed the same as well and she glowed up as she exclaimed, It seems the L factor is working and is beginning to infiltrate his DNA structure. This kind of mutation is similar to that of a virus infection The subjects breathing and heartbeat slowly reverted to normal as Little X said this. His body temperature soon decreased as well, along with his blood pressure. Looks like its successful? Chen Chen rose from his seat and approached the observation window to peer at the floor below. The felon subject was now in a comatose state. An Android stepped forward and drew a fresh blood sample from the subject and injected it into a nearby device for inspection. As expected, theres been a change in his DNA! Little X remarked in awe, Ive detected many shifts in his DNA that werent there originally, but I havent detected the L factor in his blood. This means that you dont have to worry because although the subject is a carrier of the L factor, its not contagious in any manner. Now, lets hope that he displays the symptoms I hope for. After saying that, Chen Chen shut his eyes. The moment he shut his eyes, Chen Chen sensed something in a faint corner of his mind. He leaned in closer to get a better impression of what it was and sensed that it was an unfamiliar source of conscience. He realized that all he had to do was reach in closer to absorb this conscience and render it as feed for himself to grow stronger. This was not the first time he had sensed something like this. The first time was when he had granted the Duke of Laman a psionic seed. More importantly, this injection was the direct equivalent to Chen Chen having planted the psionic seed in this subject. With this, the subject had also attained a supernatural source of power Chen Chen slowly opened his eyes and glanced at the expectant Little X. Good work. Chen Chen praised. I can feel his presence from here. I cant believe it only took you one try to obtain a complete product. In that case, we shall perform another batch of experiments to obtain further experimental data. Little X smiled sweetly. We should also name this substance. Name? Chen Chen considered for a moment and soon snapped his fingers. Since it contains the L factor extracted from my blood, how about we name it the L compound? Chapter 564 - Superpower Emergence Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Chen Chen only came up with this name because he thought of a TV series he once watched called The Boys. The backdrop of the TV series was that it was a world where humans and superhumans coexisted in the same society. The civilization of the world was identical to the real world and humans with superpowers were treated just the same as any other commoners would be. In a world where superpowers were commonplace, there existed individuals with superpowers but did not possess any proper skills to make a proper living and afford rent at all. There was a financial company known as Vought International that specialized in making celebrities out of people with superpowers. They would dedicate their efforts to branding selected individuals into international stars. With the influence of Vought International, superhumans no longer had to be reclusive hermits bound to the downtown area, but international celebrities boasting millions of fans. They would participate in business activities arranged by the company and star in reality shows and talk shows, and even in their TV dramas. They were in an entirely separate category of celebrities. They did occasionally participate in crime-fighting, promoting the agenda of upholding justice, but it was mostly done to upkeep their picture-perfect image. At the core, they were merely products of capitalism sold under the guise of heroism. Chen Chen had taken a similar approach to penetrate the entertainment market by branding the combat police as the BHB Combative Police Force or otherwise known as the bionic combat police. Chen Chen gave disabled, retired policemen another chance at glory by transforming them into robocops and had them enforce the law on behalf of local policemen. He would then use this opportunity to create the image of superheroes around these noble, once-retired police forces. Chen Chen did not do this out of interest in the revenue in the entertainment industry since he had no shortage of funds. All he wanted was to normalize the use of mechanical law enforcement. As long as the public was in favor of using robots to enforce the law, he could eventually monopolize the police force in many local districts and turn the local police force into a robotic force headed by Blacklight Biotechnology. Chen Chens long-term plan was slowly paying off. With the four major continents endorsing the bionic police, many other regions in Earth Federation began purchasing the XTN robots produced by Blacklight Biotechnology. The use of these XTN robots eventually extended into the army as well. Over the years, the production of the XTN robot series under Blacklight Biotechnology had been optimized to create a stable military industry chain. It brought Blacklight Biotechnology tens of billions of dollars in profits every year. Back to the topic at hand, the reason Chen Chen named the drug as L compound was that he had considered the implications of it. Being injected with this drug was equivalent to having Chen Chens psionic seed implanted into a person. The person would receive the gift of psionic powers, but Chen Chen could also use the subject as nourishment for his growth to improve his psionic and Field strength. This quickly gave rise to another problem. Only roughly thirty-thousand vials of this L compound could be created yearly, which meant thirty-thousand humans with psionic powers. Chen Chen quickly realized the logistic problem being that he did not have enough subjects. The reason Chen Chen used felons as experiment subjects in the first place was that it was far more affordable than cloning humans. Clones took at least half a year and millions of dollars to fully mature. Meanwhile, acquiring felons from other countries would only cost somewhere in the range of ten thousand to a hundred thousand. Even after all these years, Chen Chen had only expended several thousand felons for his many unethical types of research. Considering that most countries, especially the influential continents would not put a price tag on their citizens, his reliable source of felons had always been a handful of closely connected countries near Namibia. Some other small countries or revolutionary armed forces were willing to sell as well, but their subjects were not death row criminals, but the local, poor people from their slum who were brought in forcefully. Naturally, Chen Chen would not accept this. Chen Chen would not be so shameless as to act like a Nobel saint, but even he would not stoop to such a point of intruding on the basis of human morality. Since Chen Chen wanted to raise his Field potency but wanted to avoid claiming the lives of the innocent, he naturally arrived at this idea C to build a utopia where commoners and people with superpowers could coexist. This was something that Chen Chen had given a considerable amount of thought to as well. With the ever-increasing frequency and severity of dangers faced, only improving the technological standards of the world was no longer enough. In this case, strengthening mankind as a whole was a viable route. A tactful approach had to be taken to achieve this. Things like T-virus, G-virus, and the black goo were ruled out since they were weapons of mass destruction and may be the catalyst to the all-out implosion of mankind. Moreover, it would not be used responsibly by mankind. Apart from these options, the C24 chromosome was not viable as well since it was just as dangerous as the T-virus. After ruling out the unappealing options, the L compound was what remained. Chen Chen planned to use this thing to manufacture the first batch of superhumans. The most critical component for this working out was that there had to be at least a ten percent chance for the L factor in their genes to be inherited by future generations. This meant that there had to be a certain possibility that the offspring of the people injected with the L compound would be born with psionic powers. Using this method, there would be more humans with psionic powers in time. Meanwhile, the lucky ones blessed with psionic power could hone their strength over time. The stronger they became, the more valuable they were when Chen Chen eventually decided to fuse their consciousness with his. However, Chen Chen decided that he would not absorb the humans with psionic powers, at least not until they died of natural accidents or old age. When that happened, the psionic power they had spent all their lives honing would be submitted to Chen Chen and nourish his psionic growth Just like what the Consciousness Stealer did. This was Chen Chens ultimate plan. Compared to the Consciousness Stealers ruthless approach, Chen Chens was far more humane comparatively. After several centuries, as more psionicists passed on, Chen Chens psionic power would grow exponentially. Another decisive factor was that Chen Chen had access to two worlds for him to carry out his plans simultaneously The total population in the real world borders around eight billion people. Meanwhile, due to circumstances, the parallel world only has a population of around a billion people. A month later, Chen Chen looked at the two thousand vials of L compound packaged together in the first round of production, a pensive look came upon him. The brainless Black Knights are good for nothing. It does appear that this strategy applied in the real world is a far more reliable approach. Of course! Little X chimed in. Since youre going for the long haul, well-thought-out approaches like this will always be better. Besides, psionic powers will be greatly beneficial for mankind since theyll be able to defend themselves in times of crisis. Im more concerned about social order. Chen Chen shook his head. The existence of psionic power will inevitably bring about social turmoil. Im worried about the potential of society spiraling out of control because of this, it will not be any good for either Blacklight Biotechnology or human civilization as a whole if something like that were to happen. If thats what youre concerned about, we can always start small first. Little X advised. Itll be like dripping a drop of ink in the ocean. Couldnt we avoid violent turbulence if we start with making very minor and subtle changes? Chen Chen chuckled upon hearing this. Thats true, a mere drop of ink in the ocean will be almost unnoticeable and in time, we can begin pouring in more ink gradually So be it, lets start with releasing a hundred vials of L compound vials during the first month, then we can tweak the numbers from there on. Hm! Little X responded, I think you should be more concerned about the ongoing Mankind Anti-aging Project. The average human lifespan is long enough as is and is expected to surpass a hundred years very soon. This means that your psionic powers harvesting efficiency will be similarly affected. Thats alright, I can afford the wait. Chen Chen shrugged, a faint spark appeared in his eyes as he said this, The Consciousness Stealer has been slumbering for several centuries and is expected to continue to do so. The worst that can happen is that it wakes up earlier than we expect it to, in which case I can simply abandon the parallel world and retrieve my body from there. The point now is that the significance of this plan working out is more important than the mission of killing the Consciousness Stealer. Understood! Little X saw the point Chen Chen was trying to make. It seemed that the discovery of the L compound had changed their trajectory and inspired Chen Chen to set up a thousand-year-plan. Compared to this, the original task of killing the Consciousness Stealer was not as important anymore John Oppenheim stood in front of a mirror. Greeting him was his reflection, a handsome-looking young man who wore a dazed expression. John Oppenheim was an ordinary blue-collar worker. He went to an ordinary university and lived an ordinary post-graduate life. He worked in an electronic company as a programmer. This was the way his life was meant to be, an ordinary lifestyle until the day he died. However, everything changed for him on the day a meteorite fell from the sky It happened almost half a year ago. Half a year ago, a meteorite merely the size of a regular fist landed in his backyard in the middle of the night. When he picked it up upon discovering the next morning, his hand was plastered with an unknown liquid. The unknown liquid came from within the meteorite. Shortly after that, John began having strange dream sequences. Before he managed to make sense of these cryptic dreams of his, the military came to his doorstep. Dozens of military members clad in intimidating protective suits came to his house and took him away. He was then taken to a concentration camp. Just like that, John was locked up for three whole months. The entire time he was in the concentration camp, he was not informed of what was happening. However, he had a suspicion that it must have had something to do with the meteorite he came into contact with. Just as John thought he was doomed to spend the rest of his life in a foreign concentration camp, the military suddenly put him on a plane and took him back to his city. Shortly after that, the military issued a notice and told him and many others that they had contracted a lethal and highly infectious disease, which was why they had to be quarantined for the last three months. The good news was that they were the lucky ones that managed to survive it. This terrible plague the meteorite brought had claimed close to two million victims worldwide in the meantime. Although John Oppenheim came out the other end of the tunnel with his life intact, he was still haunted by weeks of repetitive nightmares. The freakish isolation experiment he experienced had traumatized him and nearly pushed him to the edge of insanity. He only managed to recover from it quite recently. When John woke up on a certain day, he immediately sensed that something was off. Everything that happened last night seemed like a mirage. He had the slightest recollection of how he managed to get home after work and how he went back to his bed. Furthermore, there was an aching numbness coming from the back of his neck. However, even after rubbing his hands over his neck to inspect it, he could not find anything noteworthy. Unbeknownst to John, there was a tiny red dot on the part where he felt the sting, damage left behind by a needle head After that, he looked at the time and saw that it was time to head to the office. Although he managed to keep his life over the last eventful half-year, he did lose his job in the process. It took him two months before he finally landed another job. For someone like John who was close to his thirties at this point, it was not easy to stumble into this job. He quickly shaved off his patchy stubble and threw himself into a suit before hurrying off to work. John got into his car in a hurry and drove toward the city center. His house was located in the suburbs, the most common single-family home seen in Northern America. Such houses were extremely common in the suburbs of Northern America, known for their generous space and affordable prices. Most people living in Northern America lived in such houses as well. It was as much a blessing as it was a curse for him since this meant John had to drive an hour to the city center every day to work. His original plan was to find an apartment in the city nearby the office but failed to find an apartment that satisfied his requirements. This was the disadvantage of living in the suburbs. After half an hour had passed, John found himself gazing helplessly at the endlessly backed up highway. When the traffic light at the intersection finally turned green, he immediately flicked the turn signal and swung the steering wheel in another direction so he could cut into another lane. John planned to take an alternative route that should help him shave some time off this lengthy commute. Unfortunately, the moment he spun the steering wheel and swerved into another lane, he suddenly felt his car quaking quite violently. He heard the all-too-familiar sound of an abrupt crash and he quickly turned around to verify that the back of his car had been hit by a pickup truck. Blasted! John furiously clapped the steering wheel while spitting profanities. You complete idiot, dont you know how to drive! The enraged owner of the pickup truck got out and took rapid, purposeful stomps toward John. It was a textbook redneck. He had a large turban wrapped around his head to hide his bald spot and a giant patch of beard that would put most dwarves to shame. The lower half of his face and his bulging nose were burning with red. 1 Irritated, John stepped out of his car as well and made a big show of waving his arms about. Theres a massive traffic jam ahead and Im just trying to take a detour, cant you see me putting on my signal? Little white boy, when did you put on your signal lights? 1 The redneck roared. John could immediately smell the strong scent of alcohol. Woah, woah, woah John held his arms in front of him in a defensive position and stumbled backward innocently. Sir, could you not get so close to me. Also, it would be nice if you could be more civil Little boy, Ive seen pigeons larger than you! As soon as the redneck said this, he suddenly shifted his temperament and smiled to reveal rows of pale yellow teeth. Well, anyway. Youll have to compensate for the damages youve done, let me take a look The redneck turned around, swinging his wide hips side to side as he inspected his darling pickup truck, S***. Would you look at this, you ruined the high beam. Youll have to at least pay me a thousand dollars for that! A thousand dollars, are you kidding me? John immediately felt nauseous. He knew it was impossible to reason with someone like this. Im sure you can tell that my car absorbed most of the damage. Also, youre the one trailing Little boy, who do you think youre speaking to! Like an unpredictable storm, the redneck suddenly piped up again upon hearing Johns reply. He glanced at the onlookers observing the early-morning drama from inside their cars, then he stepped forward and grabbed John by his collar. I think a suit-wearing royalty like you needs someone to put you in your place! 1 John felt a tremendous force throwing him off balance. He was not a helpless, feeble man the drunken man would lead one to believe since he was 1.82 meters tall and relatively fit. However, when compared to the bearded redneck that easily stood more than 1.9 meters tall, he was heavily outmatched. Maybe if you get down on your knees and lick my butt, I can consider letting you off this one time. The drunken redneck continued running his mouth, making sure that the people nearby could hear his drunken slurs and witness his might. B*stard A flash of anger glimpsed past Johns eyes but he was not foolish enough to convince himself he could put up a fight against this person. However, he could not find a way out of his predicament as well since his shirt collar was locked in the rednecks iron clutches. The rednecks aggression, coupled with the onlookers who seemed entertained with his troubles, made John irrationally angry. Not going to kneel? The redneck challenged John again. Then I shall teach you a lesson, boy John winced, his mind a whirlwind of anger and fright. It was at this moment when he suddenly felt something conjured and materialized from the depths of his mind and a part of him instinctively summoned this entity from the depths of his mind. Immediately after that, the rednecks expression became contorted with horror as he let go of Johns collar before he was flung away violently! Bang! The redneck was slammed into his pickup truck! Oh my God! What was that The onlookers exclaimed Chapter 565 - Surrounded by Foes Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Johns immediate response to this baffling occurrence was to look down at his palms in disbelief. No, it wasnt from my hands, its from somewhere in my mind John was taken by shock and surprise at what he had just done. He immediately redirected his attention to the redneck who had just picked himself up off the ground and now had a bright, vicious glare in his eyes. Did you just push me? Not only was the redneck unfazed by what happened, but he also seemed to be getting more aggressive now. He hardly registered what John had just done to him and was under the impression that he was simply pushed off. When John saw the redneck charging at him in a fit of rage, he took a deep breath and tried to evoke the same power again. This time, it came to him more naturally. He felt the unknown force flowing through his mind like a gush of air, then he launched it outside and watched it materialize and gain velocity as it flung into the brazen man! Bang! This time, the rednecks face was colored with shock. He could see clear as day that John hardly lifted a finger in his direction and yet he felt a tremendous blow to his chest that sent him flying away! Crack! This time, the redneck was not as fortunate as the last time. He heard the jarring sounds of bones snapping, hinting that his ribs were broken! Oh, God The people nearby cried out. What kind of witchcraft is this! A wipe of fear finally appeared in the rednecks eyes. His adrenaline made him overcome the throbbing pain and climb back into his car, then he proceeded to escape the scene The confrontation ended as quickly as it began. The light turned green again shortly after that and the onlookers went on with their day, deciding that they had enough of this bizarre drama. John remained rooted to his original spot. This power It took a moment for John to come to his senses. He slowly returned to his car and looked at the door that was left wide open. Again, he tried to invoke the mysterious force inside his mind and he watched with widened eyes as the door closed on its own. Its real! This power is real! Johns eyes shone upon noting this In a common alley near a middle school in Europe. A lean young man with long red hair was walking listlessly toward the school gate. The young man was somewhere around fifteen to sixteen years old. Due to the lack of exposure to direct sunlight, his skin was as pale as sheets of paper. His complexion was littered with chaotic spots of freckles and apart from that, there was nothing else particularly noteworthy about his appearance. The young man massaged his neck endlessly as he walked. A tiny red spot appeared on the back of his neck which he could not see. This red dot would eventually heal and vanish on its own within a day. This young man was also one among many others who had survived the plague of the Consciousness Stealer. For as long as he could remember, he had been frail and weak. Half a year ago, his parents had contracted a terrible infectious disease. On that nightmarish afternoon half a year ago, he returned home from school only to be greeted by the image of his parents fused like melted wax candles. That haunting image was forever scalded into the young mans mind and deeply traumatized him. He remembered sprinting out of the house as fast as his legs could, then he was picked up by the local military and taken to a secluded concentration camp where he stayed for a period of time. Upon his return, he had to be taken in by his uncle and aunt. At sixteen years old, the poor boy barely stood over 1.6 meters tall, his figure was frail, and his expression looked constantly drained and hollow. The death of the young mans parents affected him greatly and made him reclusive. The young man was walking along the quiet alley. Just as he approached the end of the alley, two giant figures suddenly appeared from around the corner and cut him off. These two giant figures meant trouble. They smiled a poisonous smile and took slow, heavy steps toward the young man. The young man was arrested with shock. He hesitated for a moment and tried to head in the opposite direction but as soon as he turned around, he was stopped again. Another large, almost obese figure had cut off his route of escape. The young man suddenly found himself pincered between three men and all he could do was to remain fixed to his spot and wait for their approach. Why arent you running, Joey? The fat one stepped forward with grave intentions and rudely yanked Joeys signature long hair. Oh poor Joey, did you bring money today? Please, I dont have much money left, I only have my lunch money with me now. Joey helplessly reached into his pockets to produce a few measly Euro dollar bills. Look, this is all Ive got. What, thats all? The fat one was angered by this display. Didnt I tell you yesterday that you need to bring a hundred dollars otherwise Ill beat your nose in! With that, the fat one swept at the handful of dollar bills and signaled to the other two bullies. Search him, see if hes got more for us! The other two bullies grabbed Joey to pat him down. Enough! Joey could not stand this anymore and pushed them away with a rough shove. I already told you that I dont have money! Before Joey could finish his sentence, he felt a burning pain on one of his cheeks! It took him a moment to realize that he was slapped across the face! Joey, how dare you push my boys! The fat one spat venomously and grabbed Joey by the hair, immediately delivering several blows that threw Joey to the ground. The other two saw the opportunity present itself and began stomping their feet on Joey as well. D*mn it! Joey felt throbbing pain on every inch of his body and his face. All he could do was to hug his arms around his head to protect his face and silently suffer their beating. Deep inside, he was burning with rage Why is my body so weak and frail! Why do they keep bullying me! I want to become powerful, I want strength A tremendous fire was ignited in Joeys mind. At the same time, he felt something boiling inside the deepest corners of his mind. It constantly bubbled over and he could feel it slowly coming to life. It took on the form of what seemed like a snake and stirred endlessly! Bang! With one last strained push, this invisible force inside Joeys mind was finally unleashed. As soon as that happened, he heard the cries of the three bullies and the sound of bodies viciously thumping against the ground! Upon hearing that, Joey slowly opened his eyes and sat up. Completely disregarding the blood pouring out of his nose, he looked at the three bullies wincing in pain on the ground. The fat bullys front teeth were knocked out and his mouth was a pool of blood. This is Joey could not believe what was happening. He looked at the collapsed bodies around himself and tried to sense the lingering trace of energy inside his mind. His mind that was once filled with fright had become ecstatic. Superpower? Could this be superpowers? As Joey said that, he looked at the dollar bills scattered on the ground. He tried to summon the previous force again and watched in complete perplexion as the dollar bills hovered across the air, suspended by invisible strings, and returned to his palms! The three bullies were flabbergasted by what they were seeing and crawled away comically. Hahahaha, power! I finally attained power! Joey laughed like a mad man. His almost lunatic laughter resounded across the alley Similar occurrences repeated all across the world in Northern America, Europe, Central Continent, India Over the last few days, hundreds of people all around the world discovered they have obtained superpowers. Some of them were exhilarated by the otherworldly discovery, most were at a loss for what to do with it. Some brandished their new superpowers publicly while others chose to carefully conceal it to not be discovered. Some used these powers irresponsibly to commit crimes while others thought it was a symptom of a new disease and went straight to the hospital Human nature was unpredictable as ever and all of the recipients of this power handled it differently. Over time, this strange phenomenon began drawing the attention of the local authorities. Most of the superpower users that brandished their superpowers publicly were soon invited to local police stations and kept under tight supervision. Though nothing major had occurred yet, the authorities of all continents took it very seriously since they were still traumatized by the recent incidents of the Consciousness Stealer. Meanwhile, the Blacklight Foundation, which was the alliance of all five major forces on Earth, quickly received notice of these events. They immediately directed their watchful gaze to monitor these cases. Half a month later, in the Blacklight Foundations Lilith Assembly. Joy Richard, sixteen years old from Linz, Europe. Enlisted in junior high school this year. The first discovery was on the third of June, 2029 John Oppenheimer, twenty-nine years old from Clinton, Northern America and graduated from Saria University. The date of first discovery was on the first of June, 2029 Sanjay Sharma, thirty-five years old from Mumbai, India. No history of formal education and the date of first discovery is the eighth of June, 2029 Zheng Chao, twenty-one-year-old in Chongzhou University, Chongzhou City. The date of First Discovery is on the fifteenth of June, 2029 Romon Losov, forty-eight years old from the North Sea Continent The figure in the seat labeled 01 flipped through the files and shrugged. There are a total of fifty-three cases and these are only the ones weve discovered. Theres no telling how many there are in total It seems their powers emerged out of nowhere. 04 stated in a grave voice, Theres one common attribute among them that Im sure you all have noticed as well They are all survivors of the Consciousness Stealer. This means that they are the ones who have recovered from the consciousness virus. From this, we can conclude that they obtained some sort of strange mental powers from it 03 added. If my theory is correct, this power should be extremely similar to the one displayed by the Consciousness Stealer. Id speculate that they came from the same source at the very least. 02 remained silent. Chen Chen touched the plate in front of him that was labeled as 05 and agreed with a firm nod. It seems like several months after their recovery, they managed to obtain the power that should belong to the Consciousness Stealer. With that said, everyone can rest your concerns since none of them have exhibited any negative symptoms. I doubt that this is a sign of the resurrection of the Consciousness Stealer. Lets hope so 01 sighed. The Earth Federation will not be able to handle another similar event like the Consciousness Stealer. Still, it wont hurt to be cautious. 04 raised a point. I think we should still monitor these selected individuals closely, perhaps keep an eye on the millions of survivors as well. We need to know if all of them have acquired similar powers or if its just an extreme minority. We have to be cautious of the potential resurrection of the Consciousness Stealer. Its extremely likely! 02 noted. What other explanations can there be for this observation? I believe that this must be the side effects of the consciousness virus, what do you think, 05? Everyone present turned to look at Chen Chen. Well need more data to back up this claim. Chen Chen put his hands up defensively. Dont look at me like that, I know that you guys recognize the similarities between their powers and mine but what I can tell you is that theres a very clear distinction. First of all, the powers they obtained clearly originate from the Consciousness Stealer Every one of them remained in pensive silence. Blacklight Biotechnology will look further into this. Chen Chen continued, his voice veiled with a cryptic undertone. Perhaps you all can exercise your resources as well and see if you can discover its hidden secrets? The other members were intrigued by Chen Chens suggestion. They had seen a presentation of Chen Chens superpowers in the Earth Federation Headquarters. They even obtained footage of Chen Chens battle with the escaped Consciousness Stealer. It had certainly left a heavy impression on them and seemed like a dormant threat. It seemed like things like superpowers truly existed in the world Now, the survivors of the consciousness disease seemed to obtain similar powers as well. Chen Chens not-so-subtle suggestion to research these powers inspired certain ideas in the other Blacklight Foundation members. After the Lilith Assembly, Chen Chen remained in his original seat all by his lonesome. The lights were turned off now and a mischievous smirk appeared on the corner of his lips. There was a good explanation as to why he had taken this approach. The L compound needed a convincing origin. After all, this substance would have to be publicized in the future. There was no advantage to keeping it under covers like a taboo substance. In that case, how would Chen Chen manufacture a plausible origin? Chen Chen came up with and rejected many possible approaches. There was hardly a chance of the responsible authorities allowing these powers to land in the hands of the commoners. On the contrary, they would much rather take hold of these powers and prevent them from spreading any further. While doing so, they would also exhaust all their effort to hinder Chen Chens goal of propagating the world with these powers. Therefore, the best approach was to package the psionic power as the side effects of the previous consciousness disease. This meant that the authorities could not obtain the exact figure of the number of people who obtain superpowers. With that, all Chen Chen had to do was let time run its course before presenting the L compound to the world. This would be under the guise of Blacklight Biotechnology extracting the compound from the blood cells of the superpower users to discover it. From that point, it could be mass-produced to create more superpower users artificially. With this maneuver, Chen Chen could ensure he could maintain the offensive the entire time. Despite the four major continents best attempt at extracting the substance from the superpower users, their efforts would turn out fruitless at the end of the day. The best part was that they would only assume that their failure stemmed from a lack of biotechnological proficiency. To alleviate the problem of the influx of superpower users in society, they would soon have to purchase the L compound from Chen Chen at an inflated price. This way, they could use it to strengthen the police force and military. Without requiring any efforts of promoting the L compound, Chen Chen would have a proper foothold in the L compound market. The increase of superpower users in the world would in time cause a shift in the foundation of basic human civilization. The ones in control would not be able to influence the gradual shift since they did not have direct influence over the propagation of these powers. This was the first phase of Chen Chens plans. Chapter 566 - Superpower Combative Police Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation In time, urban legends and myths of superpower users began spreading online. People shared details of a recent bank robbery where the robber effortlessly shattered the tempered glass inside the bank merely by a wave of his hand. With that, the robber managed to get away with almost a hundred thousand dollars in tow. There were also tales of a confrontation on a highway between a drunken redneck and a common office worker. It was said that the office worker managed to fling the redneck into a truck without so much as lifting a finger. Someone told of their recent encounter where they saw someone leaping off the fifth floor of an apartment and landing on the ground unscathed. Then, the person simply walked away as if nothing extraordinary had happened Countless similar tales of otherworldly powers began to circulate online, some incidents backed with video evidence. As usual, there was a fair share of doubters, but even these doubters soon came to be convinced of these occurrences as the evidence supporting these tales began to pile up. Two months later, while these online discussions were still gaining steady traction, Blacklight Biotechnology made a sudden announcement without any prior lead-up. Their biological department had once again achieved a breakthrough in stem cell induction technology and achieved a technology that people have only dared dream of until that point Stem cell organs cultivation! The reveal of this technology caused a humongous uproar almost instantly. It was always said that the human body was a mysterious device. The human body was akin to a gift from God to mankind and even with Blacklight BIotechnologys sophisticated study on human biotechnology, they had never been able to produce independent human organs. This was how bionic technology emerged in the first place. Mechanical bionic parts were used to substitute organic organs and made up for a humans range of disabilities that stemmed from organ dysfunction. Despite this marvelous invention, it was widely regarded that bionic technology would never be a complete, perfect substitute for organic organs. However, history would be rewritten on this fateful day as Blacklight Biotechnology had once again achieved a never-seen-before breakthrough in the scientific field. They had successfully accomplished the recreation of independent human organs From here on, even with the most gruesome injuries that entailed decapitation of the arms or legs, humans would be able to resort to using stem cell technology to generate a new limb and transplant it to the disabled member. This was the same for people who suffered from critical failure of organs such as the heart, liver or lungs. Gone were the days where their life depended on the slimmer of chance where they could find a suitable organ donor since stem cell technology could be used to produce the required organs to save their lives. This was the power of revolutionary technology. Whether it was a physical disability or a cardiopulmonary disability, this technology could be utilized accordingly to serve as a cure. The only shortcoming at the moment was the cost of these procedures which made it difficult to be directly implemented in the entire medical field. With that said, the emergence of this technology was more than enough to ignite the burning flames of hope in those who suffered from disabilities and waiting for a lifeline. Furthermore, it was also announced that Blacklight Biotechnologys branch of bionic police that was scattered all across the world would be the first group of people entitled to a free organ restoration program. After their year-long sacrifice fighting for the good of mankind, it was only right that these noble heroes would be rewarded with another chance at a normal life! The world celebrated the news delivered by Blacklight Biotechnology, enthused by the exciting future waiting for all of mankind. Meanwhile, Chen Chen stood in front of a giant screen. There were three figures shown on the display. All three figures were in a comatose state and lying on operation tables. They were surrounded by a large crew of medical staff who were deeply focused on the operation. At this point, the world could not be any more familiar with the faces of the three men lying on the operation table. They were none other than the members of the world-famous superhero squad C the BHB Bionic Combative Police Force! Chen Chen nodded up and down contemplatively as he watched over the operation. In truth, the stem cell organ cultivation technology had been developed for quite some time by this point. It had been finalized as early as four to five years ago in Blacklight Biotechnologys Spire Experimental Base, inspired by the technology extracted from the other dimensions. Furthermore, this technology was one of the key components of the Mankind Anti-aging Project. Chen Chen had once put it this way for the other members in Gods Forbidden Zone, that the growth of mankind as we knew it was limited by a certain ceiling. The purpose of the Mankind Anti-aging Project was to raise the ceiling, but the problem was that the floor of mankind remained unchanged. Even if the human lifespan was increased, it would not have a great effect on accelerating the growth of mankind. The only way to do this was to raise the floor of mankind and by doing so, continue raising the average life expectancy. To accommodate the stem-cell age reversal treatment project, Chen Chen deployed additional cancer and Alzheimers disease treatment projects as well as the cloned organ transplantation. At that time, Blacklight Biotechnology had yet to develop independent organ cultivation technology. In that duration, the use of cloned organs was used as a substitute. This was achieved by using a cloned person as a template to extract the required organs. The emergence of stem-cell organ cultivation technology had effectively rendered the outdated organ cloning technique redundant. The only reason Chen Chen held off on publicizing this technology four to five years ago was that it just happened to coincide with the peak usage of Project Xingtian bionic technology. Announcing this technology ahead of time would result in a significant loss of revenue since it would cause the effective value of the Project Xingtian to plummet. Fast forward several years later, Chen Chen had achieved his original goal with the Project Xingtian. Using the BHB bionic police force, he had successfully marketed the XTN robots on an international scale and shaped a stable military industry chain. Additionally, many disabled people all over the world had gotten their hands on Blacklight Biotechnologys bionic implementations. This meant that Project Xingtian was an unqualified success. The natural progression from here on was to move on to the stem-cell organ cultivation technology. This progression would act as another cornerstone to the Mankind Anti-aging Project and further extend the human lifespan. The already established bionic combative police force under Blacklight Biotechnology was the perfect advertisement for this new technology. News of these combative police members that were household names at this point having their missing limbs restored organically would enhance the image of the new product. Furthermore, Chen Chen had already incorporated the L compound into his long-term laid-out plans. The bionic police with their limbs and organs restored would soon be the recipients of the L compound and become transformed and upgraded into superpower combative police. The stem-cell organ cultivation technology would be pushed to the general public while the L compound was simultaneously rolled out to the elite circles of the Earth Federation. This way, the existence of superpower users would be revealed in a natural order. With this plan, Chen Chen could kill three birds with one stone. Lane slowly awoke from his comatose state. The moment he opened his eyes, his world was invaded by a piercing ray of light that immediately made him wince. Lane quickly thought of why he was put into a comatose state in the first place. He sat up and was caught off guard by a strange, unfamiliar sensation that crept up to him from his legs. It was an odd sensation that could almost be described as nostalgic, like sniffing the air from his childhood. Lane felt his heart skip a beat as he quickly lifted off the pale white sheets covering his body. The location where he was used to seeing the sight of an unnatural emptiness below his knees was now replaced by two all-too-familiar limbs. They were two perfectly functional legs. They looked so natural that it seemed as if he had them attached under his knees his entire life without realizing it somehow There were two faint scars around the joints of the legs. Lane did not know what sort of magical wonder Blackwatch exercised on him this time. All he knew was what was presented as clear as the day in front of him and that was the functional legs attached to the lower half of his body. Youre awake. Several doctors with medical sheets entered the ward. The leading doctor wearing gold-framed glasses smiled at Lane and brought the good news. Congratulations, Lane, your legs have been restored. The nerve conduction has been reconnected to the joints in your legs. You should be able to stand up without any assistance after a short period of training. Is, is that true? Lanes lips shivered with excitement. He could barely string a sentence together because he was so overwhelmed with joy. His eyes formed pools of tears that drowned out his vision. After a while, when the doctors had completed their inspection and prepared to give Lane some privacy, he asked them, Hold on doctor, how long have I been asleep? Lane was curious how long it took for them to complete this miraculous operation. Youve only been asleep for three days. The doctor with the gold-framed glasses smiled and said, Weve injected a three-day dose of tranquilizer into you to prevent any unanticipated damage done by abrupt movements performed shortly after the operation was complete. Is three days all it takes? Lane was awed by this revelation. Its not all too surprising, especially considering that youre an extremely esteemed member of Blackwatch and we want to ensure the highest quality of operation for you. Another doctor noticed Lanes amusement and chuckled as he mentioned, By this point, you of all people should know just what Blackwatch is capable of. By the way, you dont have to worry about the bill at all. Hahahaha Sensing Lanes perplexity, the team of doctors shared a merry laugh between themselves. Thank you, everyone, help me give my thanks to the great Blackwatch! Lane thanked them solemnly. After the doctors finally left, Lane tried to start by carefully moving his toes. He watched with a childlike delight as the round toes at the end of his feet started wiggling around nimbly. Its a miracle Lane smiled cheerfully. The last time he could remember himself being this happy was before he betrayed his previous comrades. He could still remember all the nightmares that plagued him every night since then. He only managed to find peace of mind after avenging his family and killing Brooke. Kraken Wildfire Digit Lane silently summoned these familiar names from his lips and recalled their familiar faces in his mind. His eyes glowed with a firm determination. Im not like you guys. All you guys ever wanted was to take down Blackwatch, but the only thing I have ever wanted was revenge While the deep remorse in Lanes mind was slowly drowned out by the bliss of having his legs restored, he heard sounds of footsteps slowly approaching his room. He could tell from the frequency of the footsteps that there were a lot of people approaching. Shortly after that, he saw his agent, Austin, stepping in through the door, accompanied by the supervisor, Liu Zhijian. However, Lane also saw several unfamiliar faces this time. Entering the ward with the superiors of the Bionic Combative Police Department were several people dressed in black suits that exuded an intimidating aura. Manager Liu, Miss Austin Lane muttered blankly. Austin looked into Lanes eyes and blinked several times while discretely pointing a finger behind her. Manager Liu also proceeded to look back as well shortly after entering. Lane followed Manager Lius gaze and saw the men in black forming two rows along both sides of the doorway in one swift motion. Immediately after that, a tall woman with a cold and imposing temperament strode in confidently. The sheer weight of her presence easily overpowered that of all the agents in suits combined. It, its you! Lane exclaimed. There was no way he would ever forget about this woman. It was the B.S.S. agent that came to clean up the scene on the night that he killed Brooke! Pedro Lane. The fierce B.S.S. agent had very minimal make-up on. She glared icily in Lanes direction. Im here as a representative for Blackwatch to sign a new agreement with you. New agreement? Lane immediately darted his eyes at Manager Liu. Havent I already signed an agreement with Manager Liu in the past? Ahem! Liu Zhijian coughed shortly. Lane, Im sure you realize that now that your disability has been cured, the BHB task force can no longer label themselves as Bionic Combative Police. In this vein, the past agreement is effectively voided as well. Does this mean Im not eligible as a member of the BHB Combative Police Force anymore? Lane was stunned by this piece of information. This was when he realized how much he adored the attention that came with being a superhero icon. The sudden news of having to quit the BHB Combative Police Force dragged his mood to an unforeseen low. Of course not. Austin immediately followed up with a quick smile. Lane, the company would be making a mistake to fire an efficient officer like you. Its just that there had to be some slight changes in the terms of the agreement. I see Lane took a breath of relief upon hearing of this. What are the changes then? Will I still be wearing the combative police armor on missions? Well Austin hesitated her reply and glanced at the B.S.S. agent. Lane, this new agreement is completely confidential. Im not even informed of the exact terms. Liu Zhijian smiled gently. Feel free to ask Miss Sarah for further details. With that, the manager took Austin with him and they left the ward together. Miss, Miss Sarah? Lane eyes Miss Sarah nervously. Even with all his lengthy military training and accumulated field experience, he could still clearly sense Sarahs heavy aura towering over his own. He had a feeling that even if he got to put on his usual combative police armor, he might still face defeat Sarah flicked an eyebrow dismissively and tossed a file on Lanes lap then informed, Heres the agreement, sign it right away if you dont have any problems with it. Of course, youre free to refuse to sign it, in which case youll be terminated from Blackwatch effectively immediately. Following regular procedures, youll be paid a severance fee worth three months of your usual salary. Lane picked up the file and carefully went over it. The terms in the first few pages were as standard as they came, consisting of the usual legal terms and jargon. It was by the fifth page when his eyes started to grow widened and filled with disbelief by what he was reading. Superpower combative police force? L compound? The terms of the agreement clearly stated that the BHB Combative Police Force would be renamed the Superpower Combative Police Force. The police force would comprise three to seven members, all with superpowers. The general operation was the same as previously. The only distinct difference was that the members would no longer be disabled members aided with bionic installations, but so-called superpower users instead. Should Lane agree with the terms of this agreement, he as a former member of the now-retired BHB Combative Police Force would gain the privilege of receiving what was known as an L compound injection. This substance would grant him superpowers and become an official superpower user! However, it was not without its risk. The potential side effects of this injection included brain deterioration and in severe cases, death. Lane felt like someone was playing an awful prank on him as he read through the agreement. Superpowers? He suspected if this was all a fever dream Chapter 567 - Injection Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation A week later. The trio of Lane, Hodge, and Blake arrived at the Blackwatchs branch building in New York City. The moment they stepped out of the vehicle, they were swarmed by a crowd of reporters and fans. There were hundreds of them gathered outside the building and the noisy screams of the fans shrilled across the streets of New York. Black Panther Blake, I love you! Youre the best, Black Panther! Lane! The messenger of justice, Lane! Little Hodge! Little Hodge! They screamed endlessly in front of the Blackwatch building. Even Blackwatchs security team was almost drowned out by the pack of rabid fans. Hey! Everyone calm down, calm down! Confronted by this scene, Blake gathered his feet and hopped onto the roof of the vehicle without hesitation. He waved his hand and put on a cheery smile as he received the excited screams of the fans. Shortly after the fans had their fill of screaming, they suddenly fell silent. Each one of them stared at Blake in disbelief. Following the passing of Brooke, Blake was the one who had stepped in to fill the previous captains role since his personality made him a perfect fit. His popularity rapidly ascended and became the most popular member of the BHB Combative Police Force. Are you guys seeing this? Blake pulled at the cuff of his pants and presented it to the people, Whoosh! Take a look at this! Thanks to Blackwatchs advancement, my legs have been restored! I can finally become a normal person! Ahh!!! The crowd produced a deafening scream. Among the fans, it was the girls who were especially enthused by this exciting revelation. They wept tears of joy as if their life-long dream had been accomplished. Below Blake, Hodge and Lane exchanged a glance, communicating their speechlessness at Blakes celebrity display. The two of them tend to be more reserved and could hardly match their energy level to the always passionate and optimistic Blake. After that, at the request of the fans and reporters, the trio had their pictures taken and gave short interviews. Another hour went by before they finally managed to retreat into the building. Phew, these segments always feel more exhausting than any of the other missions that were assigned to Hodge said with a quirky smile. Thats true, Im drenched in sweat already. Lane shook his head and expressed. So many years had passed since the BHB Combative Police Force was founded and even Hodge who was once the youngest was inching toward his thirties already. Currently, the youngest member was Lane who was also the most recent member. He was sometimes called Puppy among the fanbase. Hahahaha! Blake, who was leading them ahead, laughed at this mention. Tired already? Back in my youth, Id service more than ten girls a night without complaint. Now that I have healthy pairs of limbs, I think I just might try to challenge my record! Again, the other two could only stare at him wordlessly. Then Im afraid I have bad news for you. Ive reported your repeated violations of the agreement to the company and there are plans set to restrict your personal life. Just as Blake was fantasizing about what was to come for him, the elevator at the end of the corridor opened and a gorgeous lady with fiery red hair and a body like that of a model stepped out. She immediately turned her attention to Blake whose head was lost in his own world. Blakes smile vanished almost instantly and his entire temperament turned somber. Miss Austin. Lane and Hodge immediately lowered their heads, afraid of stepping out of line before the fierce manager. The only person who ever dared oppose her was the late captain Brooke. The remaining members were terrified of offending her and behaved themselves like students being reprimanded by their teacher. Alright, why dont you guys come in. Austin suddenly shook her head, her harshness melted away like ice on a summer day, calming the trio slightly. Since you guys have already signed the agreement, why dont we head straight for the rooftop. They have been waiting for you since you arrived outside the building. They? Lane was shocked. And where are we going? The international airport. Austin replied nonchalantly and looked at the trio. Youll be taking the companys private flight and heading for the Eco Science City. Eco Science City! First, they took a double take, then Lane exclaimed, Its the headquarters of Blackwatch! Thats right. Austin confirmed. The newly developed drug is only stored in the headquarters. You guys will also train there for a certain period before returning to your posts. Unbelievable Lane and Hodge exchanged amused glances. Even Blake who was usually arrogant and loud was floored by this notice. Miss Austin While the elevator was rising, Hodge opened his mouth and took a moment to collect his courage before asking, Ive seen a lot of reports of tales about the appearance of superpowers on the Internet. It was around this time when we were presented with the new agreement. Could the superpowers the people talked about come from Hodge did not dare to finish his sentence. Everyone knew what he was trying to imply with this remark. They were familiar with just how much Blackwatch was capable of. Dont ask questions you know you shouldnt. Austin remarked briskly and eyed them scrutinizingly. Hodge and Lane immediately felt numbness in their scalp while Blake covered his mouth to hide his reaction. After sensing their silent reaction, Austin shook her head and noted. To be honest with you, I dont have many details either since Im not connected with the core of the organization. Anyway, you guys better refrain from discussing these matters, got it? Got it! The trio replied immediately. After the elevator reached the rooftop, they saw a helicopter parked there. The trio, accompanied by Austin, quickly boarded the helicopter and were taken to the international airport. Since Austin was the agent of the BHB Combative Police Force, she would also follow the three to the company headquarters. A day later, the BHB members arrived at Walvis Bay International Airport. Upon stepping out of the airport, they found themselves taken by a strange sense of nostalgia. Blake and I also came from Namibia. At the time, this airport was just an ordinary, common-sized airport. In just the span of a few years, it has grown into this unrecognizable spectacle Hodge expressed his sentiments. Thats to be expected since this is the international airport connecting to the companys headquarters. Lane commented. The three of them had already put on masks and sunglasses to keep a low profile. When they arrived at the airport entrance, they would once again be surprised by what they saw. There were countless high-rise buildings in the vicinity of the airport. The skyline of the glorious city of Namibia was a delightful spectacle in no way inferior to the world-famous downtown region of New York City. Eco Science City Hodge found himself lost in another world upon witnessing this. Growing up in Namibia, he of all people would certainly be familiar with the sight of the city. However, his hometown had transformed into an international metropolis. This incredible transformation simply could not be put into words Furthermore, more buildings in the distance were in the midst of construction, some of them only establishing their foundation. There were easily more than a hundred buildings under construction, the development speed was unfathomable. This is Eco Science City? Lane was just as much enchanted by what he was seeing. He was a member of an organization against Blackwatch so he was familiar with how much the company was capable of. Despite that, he found himself stupefied by how a company could force the world to submit at their feet to achieve such incredible feats. While they were admiring the city skyline that went on and on, two black cars suddenly approached them. The doors promptly opened and several men in black stepped out. They each had earpieces attached, with wires hooked underneath their shirts. The leading agent was tall and slender. The trio suddenly placed themselves on guard without noticing it when the agent approached because they could sense the aura of a lurking beast underneath his common appearance. This aura surpasses even that of Sarah Lane was especially alert. My name is Clark Brando. The agent stepped forward and raised his hand. An odd symbol could be seen on the thumb on his right palm. It was the logo of two fingertips touching against each other, one was the finger of a man while the other was the finger of a robot. Austin immediately bowed as a show of respect and greeted politely, Sir Brando! Are these the ones who will be inducted into Gods Forbidden Zone? Brando tipped his head courteously at Austin then diverted his attention back to the BHB members. Yes, they have signed the agreement and are now eligible candidates for Gods Forbidden Zone. Gods Forbidden Zone! Lane remembered seeing this strange phrase included in the agreement he signed. He only brushed it off, thinking that it was unimportant but now it seemed that his judgment could not be any more wrong than that. Alright, come with me. Brando made a signal and with the permission of Austin, the three entered the designated vehicles and made for the Eco Science City Two hours later, the three of them were stripped naked, save for a pair of pants, and lay down in a laboratory in the Blacklight Biotechnology Research Center. Since you guys have signed the agreement, that makes us family now. Brando was in the laboratory with them as well. He looked at the trio who were all hooked up with large machinery. Youve always been members of Blackwatch, but what you may not know is that theres a deeper connected ring in the upper echelons of the company. Its the Gods Forbidden Zone Brando paced in front of the three of them. I know you still have some questions, but all you need to know is that Gods Forbidden Zone oversees most of the operations of Blackwatch. This means that by joining this organization, you have become a part of the true core of the company. In the future, each of you may be qualified for greater positions in the company. The three of them lay quietly on the bed and listened to Brando. Lane, of all people, was especially baffled by this revelation. All this time, there was an organization known as Gods Forbidden Zone hidden in the deeper sectors of Blackwatch? Who would have thought! Hold on, Brando. Blake, who had held his tongue all this time, suddenly raised a question. Are we going to be injected with the L compound now? Yes, do you have any questions? Brando looked at him. Oh, I was just wondering if youd stuff a cotton ball or something of that sort in our mouth after injecting anesthesia in us? Blake asked, slightly embarrassed. Brando frowned and smiled darkly. Anesthesia, I never mentioned that wed be using anesthesia. Not using anesthesia? But thats what I always see in movies. Blake suddenly became oddly excited. The evil faction injects anesthesia into the protagonists, then they are out cold. By the time they wake up they find themselves transformed, isnt this how the story usually goes? 1 As usual, Lane and Hodge only looked at him in perplexed silence. Brando only chuckled, completely ignoring these childish remarks. After that, he made a gesture and signaled for three lab personnel in large white lab coats to begin the operation. Each one of them held a blue vial in hand. Androids Lane could feel his racing heartbeat. He stared at the Android, his breathing tightening, as the needle was injected into his veins. He heard the sound of air pressure being released and felt the foreign substance flowing into his veins. Ow ow, be gentle! Blake cried out beside him. Lane was in no mood for the little games the childish Blake played. He felt his body temperature skyrocketing. It felt as if all the fluid in his body was boiling. His heartbeat, his blood flow, everything in his body accelerated to unnatural levels This feeling Before Lane could properly register what was happening, a sharp, apprehensive pain took over his body! Oh my God! All Lane could do was cry out in pain before his conscience was drowned out by the wave of agonizing pain Austin suddenly appeared from another corner of the laboratory. She looked at the trio who had fainted almost immediately after the injection and were now twitching occasionally on their beds, then she looked at Brando with her eyes painted in concern. Sir Brando, are they going to be alright? Even though L compound is a completed product, its not well optimized just yet. Brando shook his head. After injection, theres a fifty percent chance of acquiring superpowers, forty percent chance of it being ineffective, and another ten percent of brain damage or in worse cases, death. This is all written as part of the agreement Its that bad? Austins expression turned gravely. She looked at the trio who were twitching repeatedly on the medical bed and her concern was growing. All three of them are prized assets of the company. Any one of them dying would bring monumental losses. These odds are as good as it gets. Brando remarked blankly, At the end of the day, you and I only have to worry about carrying out our orders. Besides, do you have any idea how much information credit these vials cost in Gods Forbidden Zone? Austin shook her head. Ten thousand! Brando answered, Just ten millimeters of this substance costs ten thousand information credit! Austin was floored by this extravagant pricing. As a member of Gods Forbidden Zone, she was certainly familiar with how precious information credits are. Ten thousand information credit was directly equivalent to a hundred million U.S. dollars! Upon hearing this, Austin looked at the trio again, this time with a bewildered look wiping over her previous concerned look. How could a vial of substance be this expensive? Chapter 568 - Changing Times Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation While their attention was occupied with the emergence of superpower users, Chen Chen requested another Lilith Assembly. During the Lilith Assembly, Chen Chen held up a vial of blue substance for all to see. This is the result of your research over the past months? They looked at the vial of glowing blue substance with great intrigue. How did you do it? Was it extracted from the superpower users? To be precise, we extracted it from their blood. Chen Chen nodded, not displaying the slightest intention of allowing the other members to inspect the drug closer since the assembly was merely held using holographic projection. Even if he gave them the vial, it would just be a holographic projection and would not help any of them obtain a closer look at the substance. Our biology department discovered a specific component in their blood that weve since named as the L factor. We used this extracted L factor to create what is now known as the L compound. Chen Chen stated surely and confidently, After conducting a series of experiments, weve concluded that theres a ten percent chance that the injection of this substance would grant the user superpowers. Truthfully, the odds arent optimistic but if successful, the person will obtain powers similar to that of the Consciousness Stealer With that, Chen Chen played a particular experiment footage for the assembly to see. The shown footage included the series of tests they conducted on the Delta-level subjects and a presentation of their powers. In the shown footage, the Lilith Assembly members could see these subjects exerting their superpowers by bending spoons, lifting glasses, and sometimes even moving large tables without so much as lifting a finger. Though these subjects had not displayed astounding use of their powers yet, the visual was already intriguing enough. What is this, some sort of telekinesis? 02 asked. I call it psionic power. Chen Chen smiled. Isnt it amazing? The power they obtained using this substance is the same as those powers we saw originating from outer space. 01 took a deep breath in an attempt to contain his delirium. Is this the extent of their abilities? If all they can achieve is lifting common household objects, I dont see how it can be of any use to us. It makes these powers look like a mere novelty. Of course not. Chen Chen quickly disagreed with this notion. Based on our research over the last months, we realized that these powers can be trained. Although there was no way for Chen Chen to note the expression on the faces of their dark silhouettes, he could tell based on their body language that they were enticed by the idea. Still, its only a ten percent likelihood of success. 04 suddenly raised an arguably valid concern. Are there any side effects that these lucky individuals should expect? Also, what happens to the other ninety percent? This is a good question. Chen Chen made a show of heaving a long, deep sigh. There are no side effects for the lucky recipients of these psionic powers, at least there are none that we have discovered so far. However, we did notice slight changes in their genetic structure and these changes we noted may be inherited by future generations. This means that theres a roughly ten percent chance that their children will be born with similar superpowers. As for the unfortunate ones, two-thirds of them shouldnt experience any major issues other than mild discomfort after the injection. However, the other one-third of this population may experience symptoms such as intellectual disability or in worse cases, brain death. The drawbacks are so severe? This immediately shifted the mood of the room, This means that theres a ninety percent chance of failure and among this bunch, one-third of them may lose their life in the process? This fatality rate is unacceptable The success rate itself is discouraging as well.. This discovery greatly influenced their opinion of this substance. Even 02 tossed his pencil on the table and leaned back in his chair, deep in thought. These odds are considered quite favorable already. Chen Chen noted solemnly. This injection is equivalent to borrowing the psionic powers directly from the Consciousness Stealer and transplanting it into the average human body. All things considered, the risk and reward factor is highly optimistic. Another problem is we dont know the extent of these powers yet. 02 shrugged and stated, 05, if these powers can be improved to the level you have displayed in the past, then we more than welcome it. However, based on what weve seen from the footage, it seems unlikely that they can get anywhere near your level. Even the Consciousness Stealer had to claim millions of humans to raise its power to be on par with yours. Gentlemen, Im an extreme outlier. Chen Chen could not help himself from chuckling as he stated this, My power is an inheritance from that person and youll never see anything like this anywhere else in the world. Even if the recipient of this psionic power cannot reach my level, this shouldnt discourage them from further honing psionic mastery. Even I cannot gauge what the ceiling of this psionic power is just yet. Perhaps their current level barely matches that of a regular adults punch, but who knows what may happen in the future? These powers may very well be developed to an unprecedented level. Alright, in that case 01 was the first to make an offer, albeit quite hesitant still. How much is the technology for extracting this L factor from the psionicists blood? Wed like to negotiate. Im sorry, its not for sale at the moment. Chen Chen immediately went on the offense. However, Id be interested in trading it for your most recent reactor core technology. Are you kidding me! 01 was appalled by Chen Chens audacity and almost roared. If youre not willing to sell the technology, then at least state the price for the product. Two hundred million dollars each. Chen Chen raised two fingers. I can offer a lower price if purchased in bulk. 180 million U.S. dollars each if you order in a single batch of one thousand units and 150 million if you order ten thousand units in one shipment. What? What! They cried out in unison, These prices are a highway robbery! Its not expensive if you think about it. Chen Chen shook his head impudently then stated in earnest, I dont think you all realize the tedious process of extracting this L factor component from the blood of the psionicists. The cost of producing each L compound vial reaches up to 140 million U.S. dollars, pricing them at 150 million U.S. dollars each is the best deal I can offer. The other members of the Lilith Assembly would not let it show, but they were rolling their eyes behind their screen at this mention. They knew better than to take the offer of a businessman at face value. With that said, I welcome any other offer that may include trading of other resources or technology. Chen Chen added. To be honest, Blackwatch doesnt have much use for monetary funds anymore. Well have to give it some thought. They eyed the room suspiciously then answered almost in unison. They would be lying if they said they were not at least still slightly intrigued. Ill leave it up to you gentlemen to decide then. Chen Chen nodded and added. I should also inform you that the current availability of the L compound is extremely limited. We can only produce approximately ten to fifteen vials per day, which comes to hardly five thousand a year. Therefore, the orders shall be shipped on a first come first serve basis. The current reception of the L compound among the Lilith Assembly seemed rather controversial at this point. Theres one more thing that I need to inform you about. As if the previous news was not enough, Chen Chen added again. We already have plans in place to upgrade our bionic combative police officers. The current bionic police officers will all be replaced with psionicists in due time so that our police forces are well equipped to deal with more psionicists emerging in society in the future. You should have disclosed your plans to us earlier. 01 sounded rather upset at this point. Dont forget that our official representatives are employed in the bionic combative police departments as well. If youre against this plan going forward, I can have them resign from their positions. Chen Chen did not raise his tone despite the aggression displayed. How much longer do you think we have until people eventually catch on to the emergence of psionicists? Our best move now is to take the initiative and arm ourselves accordingly before it becomes a problem in the future as more people gain psionic powers and we find ourselves overpowered Have you ever considered how things will turn out when these psionicists develop their abilities to a point where they no longer fear the threat of thermal weapons and the likes? How are regular police officers supposed to enforce the laws on superpower users? Chen Chen was not interested in waiting for their reply to these hard-hitting questions and logged off immediately after leaving the final note. The other four members were left to their own devices, basking in the silence of the room. Phew! After Little X turned off the holographic projection, Chen Chen heaved a sigh of relief. All this time, he had always made a point of taking a passive stance in the Lilith Assembly. This was the first time Chen Chen took a strong-arm approach. The reason Chen Chen could afford to do so was all owing to Blacklight Biotechnologys rapid development. Over the last decade, Blacklight Biotechnology had displayed what could only be described as terrifying, exponential growth. The rapid expansion of the company had squeezed the medical system of many other countries out of the market. Only several state-owned pharmaceutical companies managed to hang on at this point. The handful of these state-owned pharmaceutical companies simply could not afford to give up on the pharmaceutical sector. They were stuck in a hard place because on one hand, they were operating at a tremendous loss of nearly hundreds of billions of dollars each but on the other hand, they refused to surrender the market monopoly to Blacklight Biotechnology. Even if they were operating at a loss, they had to continue their persistent, losing efforts. In terms of the military, the gradual improvement of Blacklight Biotechnologys military industry system allowed them to regularly reiterate and refine the XTN series army robots. Furthermore, Blacklight Biotechnologys deployment of the only qualified spacecraft in the world capable of transporting to Mars had cemented their influence in the military and aerospace sector. The companys impact easily trumped all the other major continents combined. All four major continents had to submit to the imposing might of Blacklight Biotechnology! This is merely the beginning. After we establish a permanent colony on Mars, we can officially say that weve overpowered the Earth Federation Chen Chen got up and pondered. With that, Ill gain further authority in the Blacklight Foundation due to the number of assets I have. Whenever any crisis occurs in the future, Ill be able to thoroughly coordinate all the available resources of mankind. All this time, Chen Chens persistent efforts of suppressing the Earth Federation was not merely to gain power, but to assume control of the Blacklight Foundation again. At this point, mere influence could not satisfy his palette anymore, especially considering that Blacklight Biotechnology was the most powerful faction on Earth by a mile. In terms of influence over the world, Chen Chens Blacklight Biotechnology had reached a limit. The only way to further his agenda was to monopolize the global economy and suppress the Earth Federation! Blacklight Biotechnology was fated to become the titan with a firm grasp on the global economy Chen Chens eyes glowed with bright determination as he proceeded to get up and head outside. Little X got up and followed him as well. X. Chen Chen looked at the young girl approaching him and asked, Any progress on the L compound dilution process? Weve established the dilution patterns. Little X answered in a sweet and gentle tone, The color of the diluted L compound takes on a lighter texture from dark blue to light blue. The effectiveness of the altered solution is just as projected, its success rate drops from fifty percent to ten percent. With this formula, a single vial of concentrated L compound can be diluted into ten deconcentrated vials. This method allows for greater distribution since a single concentrated vial may be less cost-effective but diluting it into multiple vials allows for greater variance in generating psionicists. Certainly. Chen Chen agreed with a firm nod. Alright, we can sell these diluted L compound solutions to the members of the Gods Forbidden Zone members and the buyer in the other continents. Save the concentrated L compound formula for the B.S.S. department, dont disclose its existence under any circumstances. Should we continue performing selective injection into the general population? Of course. Chen Chen remarked with a sly smile. Continue using the concentrated formula to inflate the number of psionicists in the general population. When the Earth Federation discovers the growing population of psionicists, theyll eventually justify the purchase of our diluted L compound. Chen Chen suddenly thought of something upon stating this as he noted with mild disappointment, Theres nothing we can do about the thirty-percent fatality rate of the diluted L compound formula. For what its worth, it may further dissuade the higher-ups from injecting themselves with it. A thirty percent fatality rate is a risky enough gamble that they would never justify using it on themselves. Little X remarked with a fox smile, They would never suspect the existence of a concentrated L compound formula with a fifty percent chance of success and only ten percent fatality rate. The two conspired together as they left the Spire Experimental Base. In just five hours, Chen Chen received the first order for the L compound solution. It was the Northern American Continent submitting a bulk order for ten thousand vials of L compound solution. Chen Chen did not provide an order confirmation immediately and instead stated that it would take some time to produce an order of mass quantity. After another hour, both the European and North Sea Continent submitted similar order requests. Meanwhile, Chen Chens uncles also tried to get in touch with him as well. Since they were unable to contact him directly, they went to his father instead in hopes of securing a backdoor connection from his father and obtaining the L compound solution at a cheaper price to supply the Central Continent It did not take long before word got out to other buyers. News of Blacklight Biotechnology extracting the L factor from the existing psionicists to create artificial psionic power injections quickly spread across connected circles in the Earth Federation. Within days, Chen Chen had countless countries jumping on the bandwagon and coming to him with offers. To accommodate for the sheer volume of these orders, Chen Chen decided to send someone to the Earth Federation and stated point-blank that they could only produce four hundred vials per month. Any interested buyers had to buy the entire months stock in bulk and those buyers would be limited to only a single bulk purchase each year. Naturally, this came off as a great disappointment to the interested buyers. In response to this, they immediately dispatched their best negotiation experts to Eco Science City, all of them wanted to acquire the highly sought-after psionic power injections ahead of any other competing nations. On the very day that Blacklight Biotechnology disclosed the existence of the wondrous L compound, the Earth Federation had a collective notion that something almost magical but irrefutable was occurring The times were changing. Chapter 569 - Recruiting Psionicists Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Phew! It was early in the morning. John Oppenheimer slowly opened his eyes on the hotel bed. He looked at the unfamiliar naked girl lying beside him who was still in a deep sleep and got up without a care to put on his clothes and headed to the bathroom. This was the thirty-fifth day since he had acquired his superpowers. Ever since the day when he flung the overly aggressive redneck into a truck, John had trouble falling asleep at night, occupied with thoughts of how he suddenly attained such powers. During the first week, John was deeply disturbed by this unexplainable phenomenon. He even went to the hospital for a full body checkup for fear of it being a symptom of a disease, but the reports showed that he was perfectly healthy. In the following days, after verifying that there was nothing abnormal with his body, he began to calm down. Still, John continued monitoring his situation closely and dedicated a lot of time to researching similar superpower reports on the Internet. He quickly discovered that in between June to July, many similar cases were discovered all over the world. There were a handful of such reports surfacing every day. He even saw reports of his confrontation on the highway. Due to the poor resolution of the pictures taken, John believed that his identity was not exposed just yet. John went through a rollercoaster of emotions ever since he acquired his superpowers. He went through from periods of excitement to agitation, and finally to being cautious and keeping a low profile. He was worried that if the government had discovered him having superpowers, he would be forcefully taken to a laboratory to have unethical, inhumane experiments conducted on him. Just like Einsteins brain Not only did John maintain a low profile, but he even lived an even hermit life than he did in the past. The first thing he did after finishing work was to head straight back home where he would experiment with his powers. Throughout Johns experimenting and training, he started to notice changes to his physique. The more he honed his powers, the tougher the texture of his skin became. Last night, John went to the bar for a special occasion and a drunkard was trying to pick a fight with him for no reason. At the time, when he was provoked by the drunkard, he felt a scorching sensation around the corner of his eyes and had a feeling of some kind of power inches away from bursting out. Fortunately, the rational part of his mind knew better and immediately suppressed it. This power is as much a blessing as its a curse John muttered to himself as he stepped into the bathroom. He came in front of the mirror and looked at his reflection, then he combed his beautiful golden locks, fashioning them tidy the way he liked them. John had always been a handsome man and his hairstyle only added more to his charismatic appearance. John could be easily slotted into any Northern American fashion magazine and fit in like he had been a model all his life. Coupled with the fact that he was an eligible bachelor, he was always showered with attention from young ladies whether he was at the company or mingling at bars. This was to say that his private life was very eventful, to say the least. The girl sharing the bed with John was one of his many conquests throughout his adulthood John could not care less about the girl. His head was still replaying the scene of the drunkard challenging him last night. Due to his increased physical strength, things certainly did not end well for the crazy drunkard, but this was not what he was fixated about. He was thinking about the burning sensation around the corner of his eyes last night. Whats with that burning sensation I felt? John thought about it, still confused. He took a long, deep breath and held it in then stared at the mirror for a long time. Staring at the mirror, nothing abnormal seemed to be happening. After trying a few more times, John was ready to give up. It was around this point when he suddenly heard the doorbell ring. Somebody was at the door of his hotel room. John quickly exited the bathroom and went to the front door and asked, Who is it? Room service, sir. John heard the brisk remark of the hotel employee. John gently opened the door without suspecting anything. He was surprised to see that instead of a hotel employee, three men in suits wearing sunglasses although they were inside a hotel corridor were in front of his door. Were from the FBI. We have some questions for you. Would you mind taking a walk with us? The man who spoke presented a card that was his FBI identification. John felt his heart sink as soon as he recognized the FBI label. He knew what they were here for but he feigned innocence. Can I know what this is about? I dont think I did anything illegal. Youll know soon enough. The leading agent flashed an indiscernible smile and left it at that. Oh no, did I slip up last night? The disguised remark only served to raise Johns alertness. He looked at what he was wearing and smiled apologetically. Im sorry gentlemen, do you mind if I get changed? Sure. Well be waiting for you right here. The FBI agent nodded. John closed the door calmly and his complexion immediately transformed dramatically. He looked around the room to weigh his options and his attention quickly landed on the half-opened window leading to the balcony. He changed into proper attire immediately and crawled out the window without sparing a glance at the girl in the bed still sleeping. John was staying on the fifth floor of the hotel. After looking out the window for a brief survey, he quickly planted his foot on the thin platform protruding along the exterior of the hotel. After that, he gripped another window next to him firmly and slowly, carefully shuffling over to the next room. In the past, John would never be mad enough to perform such a lunatic stunt. However, ever since acquiring his superpowers, he found himself experiencing significant growth both in his physical prowess and courage as well. Ding dong Shortly after climbing out the window, John heard the crisp sound of the doorbell ringing from his previous room. His heart tightened and he quickly sped up his pace. He tightened his firm grasp on a brick and in one swift motion, swung himself toward the window in another room. Bang! The tranquility of the morning was suddenly invaded by a ferocious crash that came from his previous room. It sounded like a door getting barged down. It was quickly accompanied by the horrified shriek of a girl. John was frightened by the sudden invasion. He briefly glanced below him and immediately jumped down from the window! The wind whistled in his ears as he fell. When John fell near a window on the third floor, he immediately grabbed the exterior window sill with both hands and stopped his falling! Hes getting away, get him! There was a noisy commotion just a small distance above him. He saw an FBI agent poking his head out the window and they both made eye contact. Then, the agent disappeared from the window and informed his fellow agents of what he saw. You want to catch me? John became as mad as he was desperate. He let go of his grip again and descended to the second-floor window this time, suspending himself over the window like a stuntman shooting an action movie scene. After adjusting his balance, he repeated the same sequence and this time, landed with both feet planted firmly onto the ground in front of the hotel entrance. Phew Johns shirt drenched in sweat clung to his back stubbornly. He knew that the slightest slip up earlier could have easily resulted in a gruesome injury. He would never have attempted something like that if not for having gained superpowers. Before he could decide his next move, John heard a thunderous voice coming from behind him. Dont move, put your hands in the air! John was startled by the sudden command. He slowly turned around and saw yet another FBI agent stepping out of a car who was holding a gun, aiming at him. John held his breath in utter shock the moment he looked into the barrel of the gun! Put your arms around your head and get on the ground, now! The agent barked the same orders at John again. John realized the precariousness of his situation. He fixed his gaze at the barrel of the gun and he felt the same sensation that he felt last night at the bar rushing at him John winced irresistibly. It felt like his eyes were going to burn and melt into their sockets. Even his vision had turned stark red like someone had pasted a red overlay on the world Put your hands in the air now! The agent ordered again. To John, this voice sounded like it came from afar, distant shore and slowed down to a crawl like an audio clip in a slow-motion video. It seemed like the entire world had slowed down to a snail pace! While the world was glowing red, John saw the unthinkable. The muscles along the agents fingers trembled slightly! John could sense the looming danger sweeping over him, ready to consume him at this point. He slowly opened his mouth and emitted a sharp roar, something burst outward in between his eyes! Boom! John saw the world trembling within his eyelids. The bright red overlay immediately vanished as well. He saw a gigantic ring bursting outward, then he saw the gun disintegrate into nothingness, and a hollow, red-shaped hole appearing at the center of the FBI agents chest! The gun was melted without a trace and a gigantic hole formed out of nowhere in the middle of the agents chest. John, horrified by what he saw, could smell the horrid scent of charred flesh lingering in the air. Wide-eyed, he watched as the agent collapsed lifelessly onto the ground. That was when John realized that he had accidentally killed an official FBI agent! Crap! John cursed out loud, realizing that the situation had made a sharp turn for the worse as if it was not bad enough already. This was not the time for empty regrets. He planted his pivot feet to the ground and immediately took off into an alley, not paying any mind to his car that was parked by the roadside waiting for him! John ran and ran for more than ten minutes before he arrived at an isolated alley that he deemed safe enough to rest. He leaned against a wall and gasped for air. What, what did I just do? John closed his eyes, the haunting image replayed in his mind against his will. It was not his intention to kill since all he wanted was to get away. If he had not done what he just did, it would be him lying on the ground now with a bullet lodged in his head. I have to get out of Northern America John resolved. Just as he prepared to take off again, he heard the abrupt sound of tires screeching to a halt. A black off-road vehicle stopped at the mouth of the alleyway. The driver was a woman so beautiful that she looked like a dream. She flung the passenger door open and yelled at John, Get in! John hesitated for a moment and asked, Who are you? Just get in, the FBI is almost here! The womans voice was anxious. If you still stand there, both of us are going to get caught! John clenched his teeth and sprinted into the car. The drumming of the muscle engine echoed across the alleyway as the car took off into the distance After they drove away from the previous area and were in the clear, John finally allowed himself a moment to calm down. He looked at the driver and saw her very minimal make-up, then he sensed that she exuded a fierce atmosphere around her. It was like looking at a thorned rose, so captivating and yet so dangerous. Who are you? John probed cautiously. Im a part of Blackwatch. The driver held up an identification card. The company has had its eyes on you for some time now. Blackwatch? John was not expecting to hear the name of the world-renowned mega-corporation. He immediately connected it to his superpower discovery last month and asked, Does this mean that you guys are aware of what happened to me? Of course. The Blackwatch agent nodded and handed her identification to John. The company has been aware of your existence since the day youve awoken your psionic powers. But dont worry, we dont come with any hostile intentions. John was unsure of what to make of this. He carefully took the identification card and saw the label Black Security Service printed on it. He jogged his memory and was sure he had never heard of this unfamiliar phrase before. The mission our department is tasked with is to get in touch with psionicists like you who have recently awoken your powers. We want to recruit you into our organization. If you join us, we can take care of the previous incident involving you killing an FBI agent. Psionicist John tasted the syllable on his lips then asked, Does this term refer to the power that Ive obtained? Of course. There was a subtle smirk on the BSS agents lips. Psionicist is the universal term for anyone who has awoken their psionic abilities. Im sure youve also heard of others branding people such as yourself as superpower users. The reason you have come to possess these powers is due to your previous contact with the deadly virus. Im sure you remember that as well. Is that so? John immediately connected the dots. Half a year ago, the world was struck with an odd and dangerous virus that caused the infected to fuse into a disgusting monstrosity. At the time, nobody knew what was happening. After everything was wrapped up, only then did the details become public knowledge. The entire mess was taken care of when the Earth Federation and Blackwatch combined their efforts to find an apt solution and rescue mankind from the brink of death. That means everyone who has contracted the virus has obtained this power as well? John raised another question. Of course not. The BSS agent quickly shook her head. Only an extreme minority managed to awaken these powers. Based on what weve discovered so far, the psionic powers awoken vary from person to person. Yours is an especially peculiar sort. With that, she pressed play on a recorder and the previous footage of Johns confrontation with the FBI agent immediately played on the screen built into the infotainment system in the car. That was when John realized that this car had been trailing him the entire time during his escape. Only he did not notice it since his mind was occupied with running. John paid close attention to the display and saw the FBI aiming a gun at himself in the footage. Then, he saw his eyes glowing bright red with an ever-growing intensity that made his appearance resemble the Devil. Swoosh! In an instant, John saw two beams of light shooting out of his eyes. It instantly pierced through the gun and penetrated the chest of the FBI agent! John gasped. He could not believe that something like that was summoned from his eyes. The sheer idea of it was baffling! Everyone has different psionic power manifestations. The BSS agent explained, At the moment of their psionic awakening, its usually manifested as common telekinesis abilities. However, as time passes, the psionic potential in each individual will slowly develop and undergo changes. Thats when it manifests into different forms Some people gain the ability to fly, some gain superhuman strength The manifestation of your psionic power is known as optic blast. We havent discovered any other psionic manifestation so far. However, based on the data weve collected, psionicists arent restricted to only one psionic manifestation By this point of their conversation, they had arrived at Blackwatchs New York branch office building. They entered the underground parking lot of the building Chapter 570 - Shocking Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Just like that, John was taken by his mysterious savior to Blackwatchs New York branch office building. They arrived at a large banquet hall in the building where he saw many new faces. The demographic was vastly diversified. There were black people and Caucasians, middle-aged men, and youths who looked like they could not have been older than fifteen years old. This gathering was not particularly well behaved. They were causing a loud commotion in the middle of the banquet wall. Joey, you insolent brat, you better watch out before I break your neck! Hahaha, bring it on, Robert! Lets see if your psionic strength holds up to mine! Hey Jenny, give me another round of beer, I want more beer! Drink up! Is a large pint good enough for you or do you want two pints? Thats more than enough, thank you, Jenny! Jenny is the best! Could you people shut up and at least show some class? Hey f*** you! John looked at the frenzied group then shot a confused look at the BSS lady. These people are? Just like yourself, theyre the psionicists weve gathered from all over Northern America. The BSS lady stepped into the banquet hall, announcing her proud presence with her high-heeled leather boots clicking loudly against the marble floor while she informed John, Youre the last one on our list. John surveyed the banquet hall vigilantly and noticed that many of the others were looking in his direction. Some of them even whistled loudly when they saw the BSS lady who accompanied John into the banquet hall. There was a frivolous look in their eyes. Hey, so when are you going to tell us why Blackwatch gathered all of us here? A large, drunk man approached with another comrade whose both rows of teeth took on a horrid-looking yellow texture trailing after him. The drunken man reeked of alcohol and he audaciously stumbled into the BSS ladys path, then boldly put his hands on her shoulder. The BSS lady glowered almost instantly upon feeling the touch of the drunken man on her shoulders. She took a short step backward and produced a dagger that seemed to appear out of nowhere, which she flung at full force to her side. The piercing scream of the drunken man immediately resounded across the banquet hall! Ah! My hand, my hand! The drunken man wailed in pain. His hand was nailed into a section of the wall by the sharp tip of the dagger! You crazy woman! The drunken mans comrade was immediately enraged by this aggression and charged at the BSS lady. Everything happened in a flash, so quickly that John could hardly register the fluidity of the BSS ladys actions. This time, a chrome pistol was produced out of nowhere and the barrel of the gun was stuffed into the mouth of the yellow-toothed man. Please dont kill me! The yellow-toothed man raised his hands in the air and gestured for surrender. Hmmph, pathetic! The BSS lady put the chrome pistol back into her holster. Then, she held her hands up and clapped twice. Upon receiving the signal, the main entrance opened and dozens of soldiers wearing black combat suits and armed with live ammunition marched into the room. They assumed their positions in an extremely trained and disciplined manner. The hall was immediately surrounded by soldiers before John and the rest could realize what was happening. Everyone fell silent and slowly rose to their feet as they eyed the surrounding soldiers cautiously. Psionicists. The BSS lady broke the silence. She rested her hands behind her back, slightly above the hips, and slowly strutted to the center of the banquet hall like a field commander. Then, she turned to face the gathered group. Ill put it bluntly. As far as Im concerned, all of you are garbage. This quick, insulting remark certainly had its intended effect. Several members of the crowd were riled up by this but they decided against doing anything rash since they were surrounded by live ammunition. With that said, there may still be hope for garbage like you lot. The BSS lady stated coldly, You people are the lucky bunch because Blackwatch has noticed your potential and is willing to polish you into viable tools. I didnt come here to be degraded as mere garbage! It seemed like her repeated insulting remarks had upset several psionicists. One of them, who was a large, stocky man covered in tattoos shouted, If this is how Blackwatch is going to treat me, were better off joining the FBI, lets go! With that note, the man gestured for two of his comrades to follow him. The three of them quickly stormed out of the venue. Upon seeing this reaction, a subtle wipe of a smile appeared on the BSS ladys lips. Did I ever give you permission to leave? At the end of her note, the tattooed man heard the sound of gusts of wind whistling past his ears. He felt a subtle breeze caressing his cheeks, immediately followed by two sickening pop, then felt a splatter of wet substance washing over him! The tattooed man looked stupefied by what just happened. He quickly turned around and saw that both of his comrades had their heads cleanly popped off with pulse rifles. Ah!! The crowd descended into panic upon seeing this. Many of them tried to flee from the scene but were quickly shepherded back to their original positions by the surrounding soldiers! Do you have any idea what you just did? The tattooed man immediately realized the severity of the situation and glared at the BSS lady in utter disbelief. His instincts were telling him that these people were not going to let him leave this place alive! To escape, the man would have to take down their boss first! After having decided this, the man charged at the BSS lady like a football quarterback. In an instant, whisks of flames appeared on every part of his body and burned his clothes into fine crisps! His entire figure transformed into an enormous ball of flame as he continued accelerating toward the center of the banquet hall. However, the BSS lady seemed unfazed by this ludicrous display and only flashed a mocking smile at him. The mans vision suddenly jolted, then he caught the faint silhouette of the BSS lady suddenly appearing beside him. She kicked on the ground with the back of her heel which immediately deployed a sharp dagger at the tips of her heel! Swish! The tattooed man felt a sharp pain radiating from his legs. He lost his balance and tumbled onto the ground! Hiss Due to the velocity of the mans fall, his burning knees scraped against the marble floor and left a charred trail! Ah! My leg, my leg! After collapsing onto the floor, the man winced in pain. The flames on his body began to extinguish as well! Youve led a pathetic life. Even if you acquire psionic powers, it wont change the fact that youre worthless. The BSS lady stepped in front of the defeated combatant and grabbed him by the hair to expose his neck, then made a clean slice at the artery with a knife on another hand! Swish! Hot, steaming blood poured out between folds of torn skin. The mans eyes immediately became frozen with lifelessness. Ah..! The others did what they could to muffle their screams as much as possible. They stepped away as far as they could from the BSS lady as if they were afraid of upsetting her with their puny presence. The BSS lady stood beside the pool of blood and looked back at them. At this moment, her presence seemed to take on the form of a blood-red rose blooming amid a lake of blood. They would forever have this devilish sight imprinted in the back of their minds. My name is Sarah. Im the deputy director of Blackwatchs Black Security Service. Sarah licked the blood that splattered onto the corner of her lips and smiled menacingly. But I prefer going by my codename. My codename is Blood Rose and Ill be your coach for you psionicists. John could hardly recognize Sarah who took on a one-eighty transformation from when she picked him up from the alley. That was when he realized that these people were serious. A small part of him felt like it would have been better to surrender to the FBI. Why are you killing people ruthlessly, what are you going to do with us? Somebody in the crowd collected the courage to ask. To train you all, of course. Sarah replied, Do you think that the Earth Federation will simply adopt you psionicist freaks into regular society? The answer is no. You have two choices. One is to join us and the other is to join the officials and see what they do with you. There are no third options. And about the killing? Im afraid that the training involves a certain risk of death. My best advice if you dont want to die is to put in your best effort to survive in the upcoming training sessions! With that, Sarah gave another signal and the soldiers immediately stepped forward and began escorting everyone to another area. Left without a choice, John followed obediently as well. They left the banquet hall in an agitated state and slowly went to the rooftop helipad Sir Godfather, the fifteen psionicists in Northern America have departed. Estimated time of arrival at Eco Science City should be around ten oclock tomorrow morning. On the top floor of the Blacklight building, Little X went beside Chen Chen and reported faithfully. Fifteen? Chen Chen was perplexed by this. I remember there were eighteen, wasnt it? Three of them were killed to send a message to the rest of them. Little X pouted. Sarah killed them. Chen Chen only replied with a short Oh., followed with an understanding nod. Alright then. After that, Chen Chen redirected back to the virtual display. Three figures were shown on the virtual display. They were Lane, Hodge, and Brooke, the past members of the now-defunct BHB Combative Police Force. The footage showed the three of them in a training room, honing their newly acquired abilities. When Lane made a short wave with his hand, a bolt of lightning appeared from the tip of his finger and hit a target nearly fifty meters away, obliterating it instantly. Meanwhile, Hodge displayed his abilities by staring at a caged chimpanzee in front of him. Within moments, the chimpanzee began making a series of complex movements, mimicking the behavior of a regular person. As for Blake Chen Chen saw a bizarre sight of articles of clothing floating in the air, the opening around the cuffs of the shirt and pants were empty. Lane, lightning manipulation. Hodge, organism manipulation. Blake, invisibility and steel body fortification. These were the awakened psionic abilities of the trio. Chen Chen never foresaw something like this happening. All along, he was under the impression that these psionic powers in his mind operated under a fixed set of rules. However, it began assuming various sorts of transformation after the extracted L compound was injected into others, allowing them to obtain different abilities. However, regardless of the forms these psionic abilities took on when applied on others, when they inevitably return to Chen Chen and fuse with his base psionic potential, they would still revert to their primordial form. This was what Chen Chen discovered when experimenting with the Delta-level subjects in the Spire. This meant that at its core, all these variations of psionic manifestation were still the original, primordial psionic power at the end of the day. These manifestations were merely another form that they were represented in different individuals. Chen Chen found himself in awe as he watched their training sessions. He remembered that when he first acquired Field, his power was barely noticeable at all. He had a hard time even lifting objects of several hundred grams alone. The early psionic potential shown by the trio was several magnitudes greater than his in the past. However, it should be noted that there was a difference between Field and psionic powers. The explosiveness and potential of Field greatly could not be compared to that of psionic powers. Field was a manipulation of electromagnetic force at its core. Its range entailed both macroscopic or microscopic and altered both gaseous and solid substances. Since electromagnetic force was present in all particles, it could be said that the potential of Field was unlimited! I didnt expect the psionic power to manifest into all these different forms. Chen Chen pondered. Judging by this, Im sure that there are many more secrets to psionic powers that I havent discovered yet. I doubt that the Consciousness Stealers usage of it to absorb the consciousness of other humans to fuel its resurrection is the extent of these powers capabilities Field has greater potential and broader uses, but its growth is significantly slower Little X stated, Meanwhile, psionic powers can grow rapidly in the initial phases and may manifest into thousands of different forms. Its directly connected to the users mental psyche and inner conscience, but its overall strength doesnt match up to Field I suppose this is the general difference between the two? Theres more than that. Chen Chen shook his head and added. I suspect that theres a greater secret to these psionic powers Ive discovered a certain pattern. What pattern? Little X asked curiously. Havent you noticed? Chen Chen smirked. In the movie Chronicle, Field originated from an alien plant. Meanwhile, in the real world, psionic powers were brought to our planet from a meteorite. Despite the glaring differences between these two powers, theres a distinct similarity between the two which is that they both came from outer space With that, Chen Chen craned his neck and looked at the boundless sky. The universe is full of wonders. First, there are alien plants, then the Consciousness Stealer appears. Ive expected no less from the boundless stretch of space full of looming dangers and countless opportunities. This was why the predecessor of the USB drive stated that mankinds understanding had been false all along, that the safety on Earth was merely an illusion. The slightest disturbance in the scope of the universe can easily wash over Earth and destroy the measly civilization that weve taken pride in shaping Having said that, Chen Chen suddenly got up and asked, Is the USB drive fully charged yet? Based on estimation, it should be nearing full charge very soon. Little X nodded. In the past, it took us three years to bring it to full charge. These days, with the expansion of the nuclear fusion reactor, its output is greatly improved and it would only take a year to achieve complete charge. Ah Little X suddenly gasped, cutting herself off. Ive received a message from my cloned copy that the USB drive just reached maximum charge moments ago. How did you know, Sir Godfather? I have no idea. Chen Chen frowned. It just suddenly struck me like an idea out of nowhere. It feels like the USB drive somehow spoke to me. Considering how the USB drive mysteriously found its way back to you so many times, it has recognized you as its owner. Little X noted excitedly, Doesnt this mean that youll never have to worry about it getting lost ever again? I wouldnt know about that. Anyway, its time to try something new. With that, Chen Chen stepped out of the room. I plan to create a new Rosen bridge, one that leads to the DOOM dimension. Huh? Little X followed Chen Chen out of the room. Is this why you secretly injected the God chip into several researchers and left my cloned copy in that dimension the last time? Theres a fully developed human civilization in that dimension. Chen Chen stated, Which means that its a viable subject for our L compound plans as well. It has greater potential than the future dimension the other half of myself is currently stuck in. Chen Chen came to a newly built teleportation room and teleported to the Spire instantly. But before creating a permanent Rosen bridge gateway, Ill have to send someone in there to investigate. After all, its been a year and theres no telling what changes may have occurred during this period. True. Little X agreed. Chances are nothing major has happened in such a short time, but its better to be safe than sorry. Exactly. Chen Chen collected the USB drive from the charging room, then he went to the great hall. Chapter 571 - Needle The scene showed a dark red sky. The red hue did not come from a setting sun but a bunch of red clouds as if they were a never-ending river of blood drifting through the sky, surging wherever they pleased. Chen Chen had never seen red clouds like these before. In a glance, the words viscous, vast, and weird occurred to him. Seeing this scene, Chen Chen could not help but narrow his eyes. The location he chose to access was the top of the mountain above the Ark base in the Doom movie. Less than a few kilometers away, there was a cliff, and below the cliff was the Papoose City of Northern America. At this time, looking at the picture of Papoose City sent by the Black Knight, it had been reduced to a ruin. Under the endless blood clouds in the sky, the entire ruins exuded an ominous portent. It looks like its been this way for quite some time. Chen Chen was looking at the scene of the Black Knight exploring the ruins. Still, it was strange that there were signs of corrosion on every building. Many buildings seemed to be corroded by sulfuric acid, with pits and holes in their surface. In the Black Knights investigation, one building even collapsed on its own as if it could not bear its own weight. There was not one living thing in the entire city, but not one corpse either. Everyone seemed to have evaporated into thin air, completely disappearing without a trace. The Black Knight only probed a little bit of the area. They did not go deep into the ruins before they returned. Click. At the end of the video, the projector on the Black Knights head automatically shut down. Were there no humans? Chen Chen looked at the black portal in front of him suspiciously, wearing a puzzled look. We didnt even find any corpses, so where did the people in this city go? Could it be some kind of biochemical disaster? Little X asked, So, all the people in the city have moved out? Chen Chen shook his head and did not speak but kept thinking about something. About ten minutes later, Chen Chen seemed to have finally made up his mind. He opened his mouth and said, Send the Black Knight troops and drones to examine and make a thorough analysis. I want to know what happened in the Doom dimension. Following Chen Chens order, within a few minutes, hundreds of Black Knights arrived in the teleportation hall. These Black Knights were fully equipped not only with GS Combat Suits and PK Armors but also with various armored vehicles and surveillance drones with a wingspan of more than ten meters. This was the standard configuration of an ultra-modern army. As this small unit headed into the dimension, more large units were also teleported here by the Gantz sphere and stationed in front of the passage. If there was an enemy on the other side and the Black Knight army entering now could not hold them off, this army would enter the opposite world as an additional force. If they still could not defend against the opponent, Chen Chen would decisively pull out the USB drive. In addition, Chen Chen was keeping watch here, so he was not worried that the other party would break into reality that easily. One hour, two hours, three hours Every hour, an update of the scouting was sent from the opposite side of the channel and Chen Chens expression was turning more and more serious. Sure enough, the changes in the opposite world went beyond Papoose City. Within a few hours, the Black Knights reconnaissance drones had swept the entire state of Nevada in Northern America, but both towns and villages were in the same ruined state. Not only could no one be found, but not even a single animal had been spotted in all of Nevada, and even the plants were all in the stage of withering and dying. It was as if all the life force of the entire human civilization had been extracted, leaving only a cold and dead world. Samples from the soil, air, and water were collected, but they found that the soil was polluted by acidic substances, and those acidic substances came from the blood clouds in the sky. The blood clouds were corrosive to a certain extent. It was obvious that the blood clouds would condense into raindrops, which corroded the human city. Other than that, nothing was found. Seeing this, Chen Chen could not help frowning. Since nothing has been found in the entire state of Nevada, expand the search scope and start searching the entire Northern American Continent. Faced with Chen Chens orders, the Black Knights and Little X naturally executed them unconditionally, so more Black Knights and drones were dispatched, with more than a thousand people in total. Sending a thousand people and hundreds of large drones consumed a lot of power from the USB flash drive, but now was not the time to care about this. Chen Chen did not understand how could a perfectly good civilization vanish just like that? Chen Chen still remembered that when he went in a year ago, the storyline of the movie had not even begun in the dimension of Doom. He also created a special event, threatening the entire human federation and taking away the Ark teleporter from that dimension. After that, he deliberately left a group of researchers, implanted with God chips, to pave the way for the future. However, now a year or so had passed, and when he accessed the dimension again, he only saw such a scene. Was it because it was a different dimension? Alternatively, was it that the dimension still could not escape catastrophe after he had left? Chen Chen frowned. The curse that stated any dimension opened by the USB flash drive would be a dimension of death was broken at first, but now it had U-turned again. Therefore, Chen Chen might as well use up the USB flash drives energy. While studying the time machine from the Terminator dimension, he guarded the teleportation hall while waiting for news from the other side. In a flash, half a month had passed. Over half a month, the Black Knights Chen Chen sent out performed what could only be described as an inch-by-inch search, not letting any clues slip by them. Sure enough, they managed to find many clues for Chen Chen. In New York and Washington, although the cities were destroyed, Chen Chen found traces of war. There were dents caused by a large number of shells and missiles as well as bullet holes in the walls of the city from street fighting. At the same time, in some plains, the wreckage of tanks and aircraft were found. In other words, the humans in the Doom dimension had been at war with some kind of existence This was the only thing Chen Chen had surmised today. The reason he judged the opponent as some kind of existence rather than other human beings was that the Black Knights did not find any aircraft and tank wreckage except those from the Northern American Army, not even shrapnel. Even in all the bombing pits, the shrapnel was owned by Northern America. Were human beings fighting some kind of existence that could not be killed? Chen Chen looked mystified and the entire incident had become even stranger now. That was all until a month later when finally, the Black Knights brought back an unexpected report. On this day, Chen Chen had just woken up from the bed, when a Black Knight stepped forward and handed a report to Chen Chen. After seeing the report in his hand, Chen Chens pupils suddenly contracted. X? Chen Chen took a deep breath and asked, What is said here is true? Did you find this information in the Pentagon? It definitely cant be wrong. Little Xs voice came from the speaker in the lounge. According to the information I found after connecting and cracking several undamaged servers, this world is indeed the world you had visited. Its flow of time is the same as the real world. Chen Chen took a breath of air when he heard these words. He thought that this place must have been another Doom world, but he did not expect that this dimension was the one he had visited. Not only that, but also the flow of time was similar. In other words, the human civilization in this world had been reduced to this in just one year It turns out that after you took the three Arks, the humans in this world made an unexpected discovery. They found a door under the Ark teleporter on Mars. Little X said in a low voice, This is a metal door that is flat on the ground and covered with unknown patterns, like the entrance to a cellar. At this, Chen Chen glanced at the patterns contained in the report but found that the patterns were weird and complicated, just like a blooming red spider lily or a hot glowing sun. This door was gray-white. It looked like it had experienced wind and frost for an unknown number of years and the surface was no longer shiny, but according to the information, this door was extremely strong. Even a diamond could not make a scratch and it had a melting point of more than ten thousand degrees. Even when blasting it continuously with a laser of several million degrees, it was difficult to cut it open. This was a metal that was extremely inert even in heat conduction Seeing these properties, Chen Chen immediately understood something. He quickly flipped the pages and sure enough, based on the analysis of the metal, the door was made of high-offset armor! High-offset armor! Chen Chens eyes lit up. In other words, the extinct civilization on Mars already had the technology to make high-offset armor. Yes, the manufacturing technology of high-offset armor isnt complicated. It just requires a large particle accelerator. The only thing that limits its use is the issue of production. Little X said, With our output, we can manufacture at most one cryogenic chamber in a year but this door is ten meters in diameter and its thickness is unfathomable. Chen Chen shook his head, feeling even more astounded. This door was so huge, so why did it exist? This metal, which was known as the toughest material in the solar system, could not be easily broken even by the Tsar Bomba. The report stated that, after humans discovered the door, they had already begun to use various meticulous efforts to break down the door, and some people tried to enter from the side, but then they had to give up this naive idea. This was because on the side, there was also high-offset metal. It was just like a round well made of metal, which was over a thousand meters long. Thus, humankind began to find a way to break through this door and the entire project to break the door lasted for more than half a month. Thinking of this, Chen Chen continued to turn the page but found that all the follow-up content was gone. The entire report contained only the Northern American governments speculation about the door. Whats behind it? What is in that door and how did humans disappear? Chen Chen raised his head and asked. Theres nothing else. Little X walked in from outside and shook her head. This was the only useful thing I found in the dilapidated Pentagon and there was nothing left. Continue the search! Chen Chen put down the information in his hand and ordered, I dont believe that I cant even find a clue about the enemy in the entire human civilization. Next, Chen Chen continued to wait but within a few days, there was another update from the Black Knights What is this? Chen Chen looked at the screen suspiciously, only to see the drones high-altitude angle of view. In a wasteland, a bottomless pit was shown on the ground. The pit was only about ten meters in diameter. The deep pit had a regular round shape, with black depths and no bottom to be seen. After discovering this clue, the Black Knights automatically launched a response, sending an inspection team, setting up various instruments, and exploring the depths of the pit. After some exploration, at the end, when the Black Knights had dived nearly five kilometers, they finally reached the bottom of the pit. However, these Black Knights discovered that the bottom of the deep pit was none other than the gate full of sun patterns, like a deep well! That Martian door appeared on the earth? Chen Chen was shocked. Not only that. Little X emphasized. We tested the soil properties in the deep pit and found that the soil at the vault was only exposed to air six months to a year ago. In other words, the entire deep pit had only appeared within the year! With that, Little X presented a cross-sectional image. The side of this door also has the same high-offset armor layer, which is the same as the one on Mars, but it can be seen Little X hesitated for a while before continuing. This door is very new, much newer than the door on Mars, just like a newly manufactured one. No, your judgment is wrong. Chen Chen wore a solemn expression. He shook his head. Theres still high-offset armor blocking the sides like a well with a lid It turns out that human civilization has judged wrongly and the one on Mars wasnt a door at all. Isnt it? Little X tilted her head and asked in confusion, But its obvious that theres a shallow crack in the center of the door as if it can be opened? Chen Chen laughed at that. The side of the door is also made of high-offset metal, that is to say, it is cylindrical as a whole, with a length of more than one kilometer, and you have found out that its in a deep pit. Moreover, the pit has only recently appeared, so I can already arrive at the real answer That isnt a door but a needle, a needle inserted into the earth! Little X suddenly got it. Sir Godfather, what you said is very reasonable. We called it a door just because humans only saw the top of it at the beginning. If you analyze it in terms of its shape, its a steel needle with a diameter of ten meters and a length of a kilometer. Thats it. Chen Chen nodded and a dark glint appeared in his eyes. I just dont know what this needle has to do with the disappearance of human civilization Chapter 572 - Blood Cloud Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation After discovering the needle-like device, all clues were halted. No one knew what happened in that world. Why did humans disappear, who were they fighting with before disappearing, how did those blood clouds form, and why did the needle that was originally on Mars appear on the earth? No one knew. The rain from the blood clouds in the sky corroded most of the traces and even the Internet that humankind was so proud of was eroded. The Black Knights could barely find some fragmentary information, all of which was common knowledge. There was nothing left about what happened in the past year. Therefore, Chen Chen decided to check it out in person to see if he could find anything by his own ability. He wore a variety of detection equipment including magnetic field detectors, life detectors, the PK Armor, and so on, and went directly into the dimension of Doom. However, after he was fully armed and had entered the dimension of Doom, Chen Chen suddenly paused. He looked at his hands with a little surprise as his hands were constantly moving in the air. Sir Commander? Across the portal, Little Xs clone, X-112 asked, Did you find something? Yes, but I still need to confirm it. Chen Chens voice was low. He faced the wreck of a building fifty meters away with one hand, tightened his palm slightly, then said softly, Break! Rumble! There was the sound of the building collapsing and the ruins of the five-story building crumpled directly. Endless dust flew into the air as smoke drifted everywhere. Thats not it Seeing this scene, Chen Chen still frowned and he muttered in a low voice, I can still wield Field energy but why is there still a sense of uneasy suppression? No, thats wrong! Suddenly, Chen Chen seemed to realize something. He raised his head and showed a surprised expression. Its not Field energy, but Psionic power! In this world, I cant use psionic power! With that, Chen Chen closed his eyes slightly and then opened them again. Indeed, the air here gives me a feeling of stagnation. My strength is limited here as if Im trapped in jelly and its hard to properly stretch out my body. Thinking of this, Chen Chen stepped off with his foot and jumped directly into the sky. He flew straight at a speed exceeding the speed of sound, trying to find a zone where he could exert his psionic powers! One day later, Chen Chen crossed the Pacific directly to the other side of the earth. Along the way, Chen Chen kept looking down at the earth, but just as he expected, the entire world had become a ruin. The blood clouds had covered the whole planet. From the ground, it seemed as if the world had fallen into hell. No one, still no one Chen Chen swept across cities including the Chinese and Indian Continents, but still only saw the constantly corroded buildings. He did not even see the slightest sign of animal or plant life in this world, let alone human beings. Boom! Chen Chen landed on a high mountain peak at the speed of sound. At once there was a rumbling sound and two or three meters of the mountains height crumbled. Standing on the mountain, Chen Chen looked at everything in the world solemnly. His expression was extremely serious. Chen Chens eyesight was comparable to that of a falcon and he could easily see a mouse several kilometers away. He looked around but then raised his eyebrows. In a col near the foot of the mountain, there was a dark spot. Seeing this scene, Chen Chens expression flickered. He quickly flew in that direction and when he approached, astonishment glimmered in his eyes. He saw that it was a cave with black depths that extended downward over an unknown distance! Could it be Chen Chen cast his Field downward but after reaching his limit of fifty meters, he still could not figure out what was inside, so he did not hesitate anymore. He stepped forward and descended directly into the cave! Whoosh! The wind rushed by his ears. Chen Chen only saw that the walls of this cave were extremely smooth as if it had been tamped down by something and the diameter of the entire cave was also ten meters wide. It seemed bottomless. In this way, Chen Chen continued to descend at the speed of freefall. After half a minute, he sensed the bottom. With his Field energy, Chen Chen landed directly on the bottom of the cave. Boom! Chen Chen stepped directly on a piece of cold, hard material. He stared at it and immediately showed a vindicated look. This is Another needle! The pattern at his feet was the same as the pattern that Little X showed to him. It was a peculiar pattern that looked like the sun and also a red spider lily (Lycoris Radiata). Chen Chen leaned down and stroked the cold metal slightly. It could be seen from its texture that this needle was not the same as the one on Mars. The material of this needle was much newer. It seemed to have been cast recently. There was not much oxidation on its surface. Who would stab so many needles into the earth? Was it humans? No, thats impossible Chen Chen looked up at the sky with a flash of doubt in his eyes. He silently calculated the latitude and longitude of this position. According to the latitude and longitude of the earth where the two needles were located, Chen Chen had found a trace of regularity. Thinking of this, Chen Chen immediately took off again and flew in the other direction. Next, Chen Chen freely streaked high in the sky at his greatest speed, visiting several locations in one day, some in the mountains, some in the depths of the ocean. Nevertheless, every time he went to a new location, he would find that there was also a needle there. Finally, he came to the South Pole of the earth, and at the pole, he also found the same giant needle. Equator, Tropic of Capricorn, Tropic of Cancer, South Pole, North Pole Chen Chen quietly estimated. If we follow this rule, theres a giant needle every 60 degrees in longitude and every 45 degrees in latitude. Thats to say, there are a total of 20 giant needles on the earth! These giant needles nailing the Earth must contain some big secret! Thinking of this, Chen Chen stopped investigating. He went straight back to the location where the first giant needle was found. At this time, under the control of X-112, a group of Black Knights was continuously hacking at the top of the giant needle in that area, trying to uncover the secret behind those giant needles. How long will it take to break it open? Chen Chen came to the side of the pit and asked a Black Knight. Due to the highly imbalanced neutron content of the high-offset armor, its very insensitive in energy transfer, so heat and vibrations wont transfer well at the atomic level. Thus, its very difficult to break its surface. X-112s voice came from the Black Knight. She complained. Plus, we dont have any high-power equipment that can enter the ground at a depth of five kilometers. For the past few days, weve just made a gash about ten centimeters deep. Itll take a long time to completely break through the surface of this giant needle, about three months to half a year. Thats too long, I cant wait that long. Chen Chen frowned. He thought for a while and he flew up again and returned to reality through the passage. Another month passed. When Chen Chen returned to the dimension of Doom again, he also transported along a huge drill with a diameter of three meters. This drill could be described as a large-scale device built with all of Blacklight Biotechnologys power and constructed with high-offset armor. It took a month to build it. After it was hurriedly completed, there was no time for fine polishing, so Chen Chen took the drill with him and came to the dimension of Doom again. He used Field to carry the drill and came to the cave again, dismissed all the Black Knights, and then used his powerful Field to drill with brute force! Buzz ! A low but grating noise of friction erupted, just like the roar of an underground monster. The sound even penetrated through the soil and reached the ground. Chen Chens Field energy was like an unparalleled powerful mountain drill, controlling the drill bit to drill in fiercely! With the help of a drill, within a few hours, the originally unbreakable door was drilled through! At the moment when he drilled through, Chen Chen immediately stopped the drill. Only then did he discover that the originally sturdy high-offset drill had been completely deformed. However, it was not the time to care about this. He just tossed away the deformed drill and looked at the entrance of the drilled hole. As I thought Chen Chen immediately saw that in the drilled hole, there were various complicated mechanisms and it was obvious that these mechanisms were constantly in operation. He could even see various green and yellow lights blinking. This needle-like thing turned out to be a high-tech device? Chen Chen was stunned. His Field energy began to peek inside along the opened hole, only to find that the bottom of this massive device was almost solid, and only a few dozen of cubic meters of space at the top contained some precision parts. Just as Chen Chen was feeling puzzled, several of the pinprick-sized lights suddenly flickered and at the same time, they made a beeping sound, changing from the original green and yellow to red, one after another. Does this mean that the equipment is damaged? Chen Chen watched suspiciously but just after these lights had flickered a few times, the equipment inside the giant needle stopped running with a hiss! At the moment when their operation stopped, Chen Chen only felt the air around his body suddenly loosened and an extremely refreshing feeling washed over him. Chen Chens heart leaped. He closed his eyes again and silently sensed everything and immediately realized that his psionic energy had been restored! This piece of equipment could suppress his psionic powers! Chen Chen suddenly opened his eyes with a flash of surprise. The reason he could not use psionic energy before was because of the existence of these steel needles nailed to the depths of the earth! Just when Chen Chen was astounded by this kind of high technology that went beyond common sense, X-112 suddenly gave an update with an urgent voice. Sir Commander, the sky has changed What? Chen Chen looked up suspiciously but he could not see anything at a depth of 5,000 meters. The blood clouds in the sky have started to shift as if a wind is coming! X-112s voice continued. Those blood clouds have become denser than usual. With this cave as the center, blood clouds with a radius of hundreds of kilometers are gathering here! Chen Chen was startled when he heard these words. He did not know why but a faint, vague sense of crisis quickly surged into Chen Chens heart, causing him to secrete adrenaline involuntarily. Somethings wrong. A glimmer of determination flashed in Chen Chens eyes. He no longer hesitated and quickly moved one hand! Swish, swish, swish In the big hole that was opened, the entire device was directly broken down into parts and they flew straight out from the entrance of the hole. Immediately, a large number of parts flew out in a messy pile in front of Chen Chen. These strange, varying parts silently hovered in mid-air. Sir Commander, the pointer on the magnetic field indicator is jumping violently and the surrounding magnetic field is very disordered. At the same time, the life detector is detecting countless life forms but we cant see anything Should we retreat? X-112 asked anxiously again. Retreat at once! Chen Chen answered without thinking about it and then he carried these parts and quickly flew toward the top of the cave. Swoosh! More than ten seconds later, Chen Chen directly rushed out of the deep cave and raced high into the sky. It was only then that he saw that the originally peaceful sky had turned into a spinning cyclone eye surrounded by endless blood clouds. It was like a huge pupil, watching this spot with billowing malice! In the screaming wind, watching this strange scene, even Chen Chen felt a sense of suffocation. He did not know what would happen next but looking at this situation, it was not a good thing. 1 Woo Ah ah agh He did not know if it was the sound of the wind or some special meteorological phenomenon. Chen Chen only heard strange roars in the void around him like snarling or millions of people wailing in misery. If one did not have an iron will, one would be immobilized by the sound! Chen Chen frowned and looked around, only to find that even the ground was blanketed in a rising blood mist and the various instruments on his body were spinning wildly as if the end of the world was arriving! Interesting Chen Chen murmured in a low voice. After encountering a crisis like the Consciousness Stealer, what momentous scene had he not witnessed before? Although the situation at this time was strange, it had little effect on Chen Chen. He just flew directly in the direction of the portal. On the ground, the Black Knights had already given up on all the equipment and instruments and drove directly toward the passage. Chen Chen only turned back slightly after he had fled for dozens of kilometers. He saw that in the distant sky, there were still endless blood clouds converging. The hurricane-like blood cloud had become as large as a mountain with a blood-red rim and a center that was condensed into deathlike blackness. It was also spinning ceaselessly at high speed. Even though it was so far away, the suppression from the huge cloud was still unabated. Rumble In the blood cloud, there was an explosive thunderous noise and an electric arc could faintly be seen zipping by. That blood cloud seemed to be alive! This weird thought flashed through Chen Chens mind for some reason. Lets retreat. Chen Chen took a deep breath and a fuzzy speculation flashed in his mind. Then, he descended from a high altitude, directly grabbed the server where X-112 was housed, and lifted off again, flying toward the direction of the portal without looking back A few minutes later, Chen Chen had arrived at his destination but at the same time, X-112s voice came again. Sir Commander, our communication has failed. Weve lost contact with the Black Knights of the mining team. Wait for them for half an hour. If they havent come back then, Ill close the channel directly. Chen Chen spoke casually and at the same time, stepped directly into the portal back to reality. Chapter 573 - Element 126 The moment he returned to reality, Chen Chen heaved a silent sigh of relief. That blood cloud that was as massive as a mountain created an inexplicable sense of pressure. It felt like he was facing the complete form of the Consciousness Stealer he had seen in a dream. Still, upon closer comparison, the sense of pressure from the Consciousness Stealer was even greater. That sensation was like standing at the bottom of a mountain, looking up at the entire mountain range, feeling like ones very soul was suppressed. Chen Chen casually handed the server where X-112 was located to the Black Knight on the side, then waved with one hand, and the parts that followed him back to reality automatically flew out one by one, neatly arranging themselves on the ground. Then, Chen Chen began to identify them one by one. This is The coil of a geothermal generator? This is an oscillator? This is Chen Chen looked around in turn, distinguishing the pieces of equipment he had retrieved. Of all the equipment, he could only recognize a very small percentage. He could not recognize most of it and was not even sure if they existed on Earth. Chen Chen even saw something similar to text on some of the machinery except that the text did not belong to any language known to mankind. Rather, it had a strange pattern, similar to one on the top of the giant needle. Little X also stepped forward, pouting and squatting. She looked at a bright orange cloud-like crystal the size of a washbowl and was surprised. Is this a crystal? Chen Chen turned his head and glanced at it, but when his Field scanned the crystal from above, he frowned slightly. This was because he could feel a compressed pricking sensation in his Field. This sensation was invisible and even human perception could not feel it but with the range of his Field energy that could magnify the subatomic by a thousand times, he could faintly perceive it. X, this crystalline material is very radioactive. Chen Chen reminded. Generally, natural crystals are radioactive but only very slightly, to the point where its difficult for them to harm peoples bodies or for my Field to detect anything. But this rock is so radioactive that I can sense it. Its radioactivity is probably comparable to the element radium. X nodded. She took out a magnifying glass and a flashlight from one side to observe and then confirmed, This is zircon! Zircon? Thats right and its a bright orange low-type zircon. Little X exclaimed, Most of the zircons with radioactive properties are orange-yellow, so such a bright orange does indicate that the content of radioactive elements in it is very high. By the way, Sir Godfather Little X suddenly turned her head. Where should this zircon be placed in this piece of equipment? Chen Chen smiled. His Field moved instantly and all the parts flew up again quickly and assembled themselves in mid-air. More than a thousand parts of different sizes and over ten thousand small parts like screws, were pieced together gradually by the manipulation of Chen Chens Field. Finally, the entire piece of equipment was assembled into an hourglass-shaped machine installation with wide ends and a narrow center. Moreover, the orange zircon that was the size of a washbasin was fixed in the center of all the parts, just like an orange crystal eye What a peculiar device. Little X had received all the information from X-112 by now and she was puzzled. Oscillator, geothermal generator, and magnetic field confinement device Still, this huge zircon is the core of the entire device. Are you able to tell the function of this equipment? Chen Chen asked, I couldnt use psionic energy at any place on Earth before, but when I destroyed this device, my psionic powers quickly recovered, and it seemed that something was released. Little X nodded when she heard this and analyzed. Zircon is a piezoelectric material and is considered a crystalline material. Such materials have a huge role in the fields of electronic meters, weighing instruments, optical instruments, semiconductors, and communication equipment. At the same time, because of the piezoelectricity of the crystal material, it has a magnetic field and theres even some cock-and-bull story that the magnetic field of the crystal can bring health and luck to humans. But now that its the core of this device and you said that you can still feel its strong radiation, this becomes very interesting. Little X suddenly smiled in delight. If Ive guessed correctly, this device should be a radiation diffuser! Radiation diffuser? Chen Chens eyes lit up upon hearing this and he seemed to understand something. Because of this diffusion, the radiation has been diluted and becomes extremely subtle. Little X added. Therefore, some of our instruments are unable to detect it but after this radiation is diffused, it has a special ability, which is to suppress any psionic energy on Earth. From the clues you brought, there are a total of twenty giant needles, which means that one such device can inhibit any psionic powers within more than ten million square kilometers, making it impossible for any existence with psychic powers to wield them. Hearing this, Chen Chen nodded, Yes, I understand now. I originally thought that the disappearance of the humans in the dimension of Doom was related to these twenty giant needles, but now it is certain theres no relationship between the two. No relationship? Little X was immediately stunned. Those giant needles arent the culprit in the destruction of human civilization. Chen Chen nodded and replied, Its those things that were pinned by the giant needles. Little X immediately understood. This is indeed the case. At first, humans discovered a giant needle on Mars and then they opened it up as if opening a Pandoras Box, which triggered the disaster destroying mankind! This also raises a more important question. Chen Chen continued, his expression growing solemn. That is, in addition to the two forces, humankind and the blood clouds that destroyed humankind, there should be a third party those who nailed the giant needles on Mars and Earth. Ive discovered that although the pattern on the giant needle on Mars is the same, its outer shell is much older, at least dozens or hundreds of millennia in age whereas the giant needles nailed on Earth are brand new. That is to say, after the destruction of mankind, that third party also nailed those giant needles on Earth and re-nailed or re-sealed those existences that had been on Mars At that, Chen Chen shook his head. This is terrifying. Doesnt it mean that the humans in the dimension of Doom have been monitored all the time? After talking about it, Chen Chen suddenly felt a lot warier. It turned out that the world connected by the USB flash drive was likely to have more than one civilization and there was even a higher civilization monitoring human beings. This was scary. After talking about this, half an hour had passed but Chen Chen still did not see the Black Knights returning. Do you need me to send someone over to check things out? Little X also asked a little anxiously. Theres no need. Close the portal. Chen Chen shook his head decisively, then walked directly to the computer and pulled out the USB flash drive. The black channel on the computer screen instantly turned into a vortex and was quickly annihilated. Chen Chen silently breathed a sigh of relief. This time, the rewards of his exploration were significant. Although he still had not figured out what the blood cloud on the opposite side was and how human civilization was destroyed, at least he had figured out why human civilization had perished in that dimension. Not only that, but he also got a special device. This was a device Chen Chen had never seen. Following this, the analysis of these mechanisms was handed over to Little X. Little X seemed very interested in the huge zircon in particular. Was this the fanatical instinct of a female living being toward shiny gems? Chen Chen pondered silently. Yes, in his opinion, Little X was already a kind of living being. She had her personality, thoughts, and memories. She also had the thinking logic of a human. It would not be wrong to say that Little X was a person living in an electronic device. After several days of analysis, Little X did a lot of research and analysis on that zircon and finally sent a report to Chen Chen. However, after seeing this report, Chen Chen looked astonished. Sure enough, this zircon chunk was artificially synthesized. Zircon, also known as zirconium silicate, is a silicate mineral with the chemical formula ZrSiO?. Little X stood beside Chen Chen and explained, Zircons have many colors and some zircons even contain radioactive elements such as uranium while bright orange zircons represent strong radioactivity. According to my analysis, the interior of this huge zircon contains an element that we humans have never synthesized before! Never synthesized before? Chen Chen was abruptly taken aback. In nature, the heaviest non-radioactive element was lead and the most common heaviest element was uranium. Those with higher atomic numbers than uranium were called transuranic elements and most of these elements were artificially synthesized. The reason it was difficult for humans to find heavier elements was that as the atomic number increased, the stability of the element would worsen and its half-life would become shorter. For instance, the four latest elements synthesized by humans elements 113, 115, 117, and 118 had half-lives of only 20 seconds, 2.6 seconds, 0.8 seconds, and 12 milliseconds. At present, element 118 was the heaviest element that humans could discover (synthesize). Any elements whose atomic number exceeded 118 would open a brand-new eighth period of elements in the periodic table. Currently, no eighth-period element had been synthesized. Since Little X said that the element in zircon was an element that had never been synthesized by humans, that was to say, its atomic number was greater than 118! We found that this radioactive element is composed of 126 neutrons and 126 protons. X continued. Meaning that the arrangement of this element on the periodic table is element 126! Chen Chen could not help frowning when he heard these words. Element 126? So its half-life should be even shorter. How can it be stable inside the zircon? Still, in the next second, Chen Chen immediately saw the light and said, So, its the island of stability! The island of stability was a theory that in physics, there was a mysterious magic number phenomenon so far, the magic numbers humans had discovered were 2, 8, 14, 20, 28, 50, 82, 126 When the number of nucleons of an element matched the above numbers, the stability of the nucleus was relatively high. For example, oxygen-16 was formed by the combination of 8 neutrons and 8 protons, so the nature of the nucleus was very stable. The nucleus of calcium-40 formed by the combination of 20 neutrons and 20 protons was also very stable, and the nuclei of some of the isotopes of nickel, formed with 28 protons, were still very stable Therefore, due to the stabilization effect of the elements in the magic number sequence, it was called the island of stability theory. Therefore, element 126, which was composed of 126 neutrons and 126 protons, would also be a stable element. But since its a stable element, why is there such a huge amount of radioactivity? Is there a mistake? Chen Chen found it a little hard to understand. When he used his Feld energy to examine, he did get a very strong pricking sensation. Only extremely intense radioactive elements could induce such a feeling in Chen Chens Field energy. Theres no mistake. Little X was confident. That element has been determined for sure. This is a special element. Its a stable element but it still has very strong radioactivity. I cant understand this phenomenon too. Im afraid well only be able to solve this mystery when were able to synthesize this element, right? But now isnt the time to care about that. Little X reminded him again. I tried to make an outer case for this instrument and at the same time replace the geothermal generator inside with a supercapacitor to provide electricity but I couldnt restart the instrument. Oh? Chen Chen felt his heart clench when he heard these words and immediately walked into the workshop where the equipment was assembled for a look. The only thing he had brought back from the dimension of Doom was this device that could suppress psionic energy. If this one was broken, Chen Chen did not know if he had the opportunity to go deep into the dimension of Doom again and bring back other equipment. As soon as he entered the assembly workshop, Chen Chen immediately saw a huge cylindrical machine with a diameter of five meters and a height of about 20 meters. The shell made by Little X was made of tungsten alloy and it exuded a dim blue luster. Its waist had three huge support legs. At the same time, this device was processed by Little X to have a sharp cone shape for its bottom. It was also outfitted with a mechanical system. If one pressed down hard, the three support legs would plunge into the ground and fix the machine in place. Why does this shape look a bit like a bacteriophage? Chen Chen could not help laughing. Its just a coincidence. Little X said helplessly, My idea was to let it plant itself into the soil, so I put a moving mechanism on it and it turned out like this. Chen Chen nodded and stopped nitpicking these details. Instead, he commanded, Try starting it up again. Little X nodded and the Black Knight on the side immediately got into action, trying to make the machine work. Nonetheless, although this device had a huge amount of electricity, after the initial activation, the device inside stopped working again. Seeing this, Chen Chen could not help squinting. He directly rose into the air, hovered above the top of the machine, and lifted the lid. Immediately he saw that all the lights in it, which he had seen before, were all red and none of them were green. Seeing this, Chen Chen could not help wearing a pensive look. He still remembered that when he broke the outer shell of the giant needle, these mechanisms were not damaged but they stopped working at once. Seeing this, Chen Chen seemed to understand something and turned to Little X, saying, Try to turn the space inside into a vacuum state. Following Chen Chens order, the engineering robots in the workshop quickly started to operate. Under the planning of Little X, an air pump was installed in this device to drain the air inside and seal the machines shell. Then, the machine started again. Hum Chen Chen only felt an invisible force spreading from the machine and suddenly, that unusual sensation struck him again! Chen Chens psionic powers had been suppressed! Chapter 574 - Reality Anchor Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation The moment the machine was turned on, not only Chen Chen but even the psionicists in the Eco Science City also felt a sense of lag. Still, this feeling was very subtle and only psionicists could feel it. Not only that but most psionicists only thought that it came from their own body without considering other factors. It was only in a certain womens changing room in the Biological Experimental Center that piercing screams suddenly erupted and a group of women ran out in their underwear. Immediately before security arrived, Blake sneaked out with a cardboard box covering him, murmuring superpower failure, caught in the act, and so on. At this time, Chen Chen silently perceived this stagnant weight. He closed his eyes slightly and soaked it in, and then directly teleported back to the ground. On the surface, that feeling still existed, emanating from the 700-meter-depths of the Spire and suppressing all the psionicists in the entire Eco Science City. Seeing this, Chen Chen picked one direction and flew into the distance. One hundred kilometers, two hundred kilometers, three hundred kilometers Chen Chen kept flying but the suppression of his psionic powers remained even after he flew into the boundary of the Rainbow Nation. It was not until Chen Chen flew out a full 1,500 kilometers that the feeling of being suppressed completely elapsed. Unbelievable. Chen Chen stood at an altitude of 1,000 meters and looked back solemnly. In other words, such an instrument can suppress an area of ??7 million square kilometers If its used against Consciousness Stealers, wouldnt it be a sure win? However, Chen Chen immediately frowned because he still remembered that the dimension of Doom had pinned the entire Earth. If such a machine was all that was needed to solve things, they would not have to use so many giant needles. Thinking of this, Chen Chen shook his head, turned around, and started to return but when he was still less than halfway through the flight, he suddenly felt that the suppression had disappeared. At the same time, Little Xs voice came from the headset. Sir Godfather, that instrument has run out of electricity. Has the power of the supercapacitor run out? Chen Chen teased. It seems to be another big power consumer. Upon his return to the Spire Experimental Base, Chen Chen looked at the device in a completely new light. He asked, Can this device be replicated? Its difficult. Little X made a bitter face. Some of the parts and materials inside arent things that can be made in our time, even though weve entered the fifth industrial revolution. Particularly its core that zircon, the synthetic zircon, isnt a big deal but the real difficulty is element 126. It can be said that the element 126 added in the zircon is the real core of this device. Only this element has the power to suppress psionic powers and the other mechanisms in the entire instrument are used to assist element 126. Not only that, but element 126 also requires the Large Hadron Collider to be manufactured and the output is extremely small. We also have a collider. Chen Chen resolutely said, Dont worry, go ahead and give it a shot. Suspend other tasks related to the collider and devote all your energy to the synthesis of element 126. Got it. Little X replied. Hearing this, Chen Chen said nothing else. If possible, Chen Chen also wanted to copy the method of the mysterious third party in Doom by inserting twenty giant needles into the depths of the earth to seal the Consciousness Stealer but to achieve this amount of work was temporarily beyond the scope of Blacklight Biotechnology. If he wanted to test it out, Chen Chen could only take this reassembled giant needle to the dimension of his avatar to see if this instrument could seal the Consciousness Stealer. Of course, this was still dangerous and the ability to seal his opponents psionic power was no guarantee of a victory. As far as Chen Chen knew, the Consciousness Stealer of that dimension had grown to the size of a mountain and it was by no means that much smaller than the blood cloud he saw in Dooms dimension. Even if its psionic energy was sealed, it would be difficult for Chen Chen to kill it. It was even possible that the machine would be damaged. At this point, Chen Chen finally understood why that mysterious third party would wrap the machine in a layer of high-offset armor. In view of the immense function of this machine, Chen Chen also thought about whether he should revisit the dimension of Doom and take back a few more machines, but this idea was quickly dispelled. He had felt an indescribable pang of danger. The blood cloud was likely not much inferior to the Consciousness Stealer. In other words, that thing was also equivalent to a kind of Consciousness Stealer. However, just as Chen Chen was reflecting on this machine, another piece of good news finally came about. The time machine from the Terminator movie had been fully deciphered and could now be used. Chen Chen slowly opened his eyes and crawled out of the cryogenic chamber. Several Black Knights immediately walked in from the door and began to provide nutrition and hydration for Chen Chen in the form of various foods. Sir Commander, youve been asleep for a long while this time. X-112s voice came. By this time, Chen Chen had once again come to the dimension of the end times. Prepare to contact the Joint Resistance Army. Chen Chen nodded. He started feasting on the food on the table while saying instinctively, Bring me paper and pen. Immediately, a Black Knight brought over paper and pen. Chen Chen took it and then he wrote down all the things in his memory. Frictionless bearing Nuclear photon instrument, XTN android chip 2657 Superconducting electric-powered drive Chen Chen narrowed his eyes. He spent more than half an hour and only stopped for good after writing four full pages. Phew Chen Chen exhaled and looked at the Black Knight in front of him. Are there any of these in Blacklight City? One of the Black Knights immediately stepped forward. He took Chen Chens pen and paper and seemed to be scanning it with his eyes. After a few seconds, X-112 continued. There are 1879 types of materials and electronic equipment you need, of which about 816 types can be found in the warehouse of Blacklight City, and 1063 types that arent in stock. None at all? Chen Chen could not help frowning. If you need them, we can expropriate them from the private sector. There are millions of residents in Blacklight City, so we should be able to expropriate some of it. X-112 suggested. Yes. Chen Chen nodded. Publish all the missing materials and see who can find them. Tell the residents of Blacklight City that those who can find anything in the above list will be greatly rewarded! Not only that Send someone to contact the other four forces in the Joint Resistance Army and see if they have the materials I need. Understood. X-112 promised without hesitation. The following operations did not require Chen Chens time. Naturally, various departments of Blacklight City would carry out the tasks. After eliminating most of the corrupted class, this city of human survivors began to glow with new vitality. In less than half a month, Chen Chen had collected most of the materials, but there was some valuable equipment that needed to be purchased at high prices from the other four forces of the Joint Resistance Army. Of course, there was no unified currency system in the world today. The so-called high prices were just a large amount of survival materials. Chen Chen was not stingy in this regard. After all, as long as the time machine was set up, Chen Chen could continuously transport supplies from reality. It was a very profitable business indeed to exchange only some survival supplies for the devices Chen Chen wanted. Soon, all the materials needed by Chen Chen were collected. A few days later, Chen Chen deliberately emptied a large warehouse in Blacklight City. He dismissed all outsiders, leaving only a few Black Knights to do the job. Chen Chen walked to the piles of machinery. As his Field moved swiftly, the equipment was assembled into several piles by a few invisible hands and then they were put ??together bit by bit. Click, click Under the control of Chen Chen, a five-meter-high pedestal, like an arch, was gradually built! From beginning to end, Chen Chen kept working for two hours. After installing the last small screw, Chen Chen wiped off his sweat and heaved a sigh of relief. Based solely on the memory in his mind, a time machine had been successfully built. This is the time machine from Terminator. Chen Chen said quietly. The next step was very simple. He glanced at the Black Knight next to him. The Black Knight controlled by X-112 immediately understood and carried over a thick cable from the side, then connected it methodically to the base of the time machine. This optical cable was connected to the only nuclear fusion reactor in Blacklight City, which was also a generator that provided electricity to Blacklight City. Weooo ! Suddenly, a burst of sirens sounded across the city, and then a mighty voice rang from above the city. Blacklight City is preparing for an electrical overhaul. The city will be powered off in one minute. All residents please be prepared. This notice had been issued a few days ago. After hearing this news, the residents in the city were not too surprised. Some important departments naturally had emergency generators. Thirty seconds countdown Twenty seconds. Ten, nine, eight Three, two, one! With that last countdown, the homes of countless consumers across the entire city, starting from the city hall in the center of the city, abruptly lost power. At the same time, all the electricity was supplied to the time machine. Hum On the arch above the time machine, a series of electric beams flashed quickly while the arch began to rotate at an increasing pace. In the end, it was practically creating afterimages. Crackle, crackle! Countless arcs flickered and the entire warehouse was illuminated by these arcs. Time adjustment starting. Following X-112s prompt, the LCD screen on the time machine immediately lit up and the number displayed ??flipped quickly like a meter, flipping down from the number 2410 to the number 2029. At the same time, rows of red lights blinked at high frequency. Beep! Suddenly, one of the red lights turned into a green light, and the number 2029 remained. Instead, the other numbers behind began to flip. 2029 was the year this machine had locked upon and next was to fix the month, date, hour, minute, and second. Beep, beep, beep The green lights lit up and eventually, all the red lights had turned into green lights, which meant that not only on Chen Chens side but also in the other dimension, the time machine had made the connection. The two machines had completely unified the date and a dimension bridge had been quietly built Time is locked, starting to dock X-112 continued. The docking is complete. The time bridge has been connected and it is ready to receive the teleportation After this sound, suddenly, the electric arc surrounding the time machine expanded rapidly and even the frequency became higher. Suddenly, a dazzling arc exploded furiously. In the next second, a fully naked, half-kneeling man appeared on the platform of the time machine! Boom! An invisible air current rippled outward. Chen Chen narrowed his eyes and looked up to the platform, only to see the half-kneeling man slowly straighten up. He looked at Chen Chen with a blank face and then walked toward Chen Chen step by step. This was a Black Knight. Sure enough, the clothes disappeared. Chen Chen frowned. He recalled that in the setting of Terminator, although the time machine could perform teleportation, it could only teleport humans. Anything exposed outside the biological tissue could not be teleported. Therefore, the robots sent by Skynet would have a layer of artificial skin because a robot without this layer of skin could not be teleported. However, Chen Chen still tested it. On the other side of the dimension, Little X had asked a Black Knight to wear a GS Combat Suit and various weapons to be teleported to test whether this law could be broken. Nonetheless, now it appeared that the clothes and weapons had disappeared without a trace, so the rule from the movie still prevailed. Even so, this did not stump Chen Chen. He first closed his eyes and allowed his consciousness to return to reality. After an hour or so passed, he returned to the dimension of the end times. Continue the teleportation. The moment he opened his eyes, Chen Chen ordered again. Buzz! There was then the flickering of another electric arc and Chen Chen closed his eyes slightly. When he reopened them, a large human skin package had appeared on the platform. This was a package the size of a shipping container. From the outside, it looked like a square block of biological tissue, four or five meters high and two or three meters wide. Several Black Knights walked up, carried the human skin package down, and then lightly swiped with a blade. A trace of blood seeped out and under the human skin, there was a normal steel container. To think that the artificial skin we developed at that time would be used in this manner. Chen Chen said with a chuckle. Inside the container, there were a large number of instrument parts and materials. After this container was delivered here, several more containers wrapped in human skin were shipped over one after another. Countless electric arcs were glimmering rapidly. These containers were loaded with none other than the device that Chen Chen brought from the dimension of Doom to suppress psionic energy. Since this device could inhibit psionic powers, Chen Chen gave it a special name Blackwatch Reality Anchor. Chapter 575 - Hunting the Consciousness Stealer Reality anchor. It was given this name because in Chen Chens view, psionic energy was like a force that did not belong to reality. It could communicate with human consciousness, change its nature at will, and even bring people back from the dead. This kind of power was far more bizarre than Field energy. If the Field energy that controlled electromagnetic force was a proper, established path in the universe, then psionic powers were like a marvelous shortcut. After all, one would not need much training. As long as one killed enough people, one could gain instant success and even create dependents across thousands of people. What was this if not a marvel? Due to its marvel and quick success, it had far more weaknesses than Field energy and it could even be restricted by technology. This machine could stabilize reality and suppress psionic energy. In addition, its shape was like a giant needle, so it was named a reality anchor. However, since there were technologies that could suppress psionic powers, would there be technologies that could suppress Field energy? Chen Chen thought for a while but suddenly laughed. It was impossible for Field energy to be restricted because the essence of Field energy was the manipulation of electromagnetic force. If one wanted to suppress Field energy, one must suppress electromagnetic force and electromagnetic force was one of the four fundamental forces of the universe According to fantasy, the four fundamental forces were the only four ultimate laws of the universe. Their high status was even above the laws of space and time. Therefore, it was impossible for the suppression of Field to happen. These thoughts flashed through Chen Chens mind. At this moment, on the platform of the time machine, another container was transported over and as the Black Knight opened it, densely packed blue test tubes were immediately revealed. These were 10,000 tubes of concentrated L compound. In the past few months, Blacklight Biotechnology was able to produce 2,400 tubes of concentrated L compound per month. Besides a portion that was used on the B.S.S force and the bionic policemen and a very small percentage that was re-modified into a diluted version to be sold to the Earth Federation, most of them were hoarded by Chen Chen. Now, all three months of inventory had been brought to the dimension of Doom by Chen Chen. Chen Chen began to build an escape route for himself. Chen Chen was targeting to use these 10,000 tubes of L compounds on the group of prisoners in Blacklight Citys prison. These so-called prisoners were either captives from the Divine Fusion Empire or criminals from Blacklight City. As Blacklight City required a lot of labor, these prisoners were akin to slaves in ancient times. However, Chen Chen picked out 10,000 people with the heaviest penalties including five hundred Chen family members and injected them with compound L. Among ten thousand people, about one thousand died because they could not withstand the L factor in Chen Chens blood. Among the remaining people, five thousand fused with the L factor and gained a trace of psionic power. All these people were sent out by ships and detained on an uninhabited island. After all this was done, Chen Chen had an escape route. He once again sent over a batch of modern weapons from reality and then mobilized the entire Blacklight City fleet toward the central Pacific. Everything was in place except for one last thing. An old fleet departed from Greenland, crossed the Arctic Ocean, traversed the Bering Strait, and headed toward the Hawaiian Islands. Although the Divine Fusion Empire on land was powerful, its technology was far inferior to that of the Joint Resistance Army, so the sea was still controlled by the Joint Resistance Army. However, there was still a forbidden zone for the Joint Resistance Army fleet, which was the waters near the Hawaiian Islands. As everyone knew, the Consciousness Stealer who destroyed the entire human civilization back then sank to the bottom of the sea and entered a state of dormancy for hundreds of years. No one knew when the Consciousness Stealer would wake up and no one knew when it woke up again, and what path the remaining human civilization would take Still, what the Joint Resistance Army understood was that the Consciousness Stealer seemed to have reached a certain agreement with the humans of the Divine Fusion Empire, otherwise, there would be no human forces like the Divine Fusion Vatican that sided with the Consciousness Stealer. It was just that the Joint Resistance Army had never figured something out the Consciousness Stealer was like a super being at the top of the biological chain and humans were like a group of ants, so why would the Consciousness Stealer make an agreement with the ants? On this point, only Chen Chen, who likewise possessed psionic abilities, could understand that the Consciousness Stealer was treating humans as dependents, like lambs to be raised. At this time, Chen Chen was standing on the bridge of a huge cruiser. He stared at the golden sun and the azure sky, with no sadness or joy. This was the twentieth day of the fleets departure. Due to the brand-new equipment that Chen Chen brought from reality, the fleet was gradually showing new vigor. Although it was far less than a modern fleet with ultra-long-range strike capabilities, it at least had reached the level of the middle and late stages of World War II. In addition, hundreds of nautical miles away from the very end of these fleets, a small aircraft carrier that could house drones was silently trailing behind. This aircraft carrier was only a hundred meters long. Although it was huge among the battleship group, it did not have enough suppressive bulk. Nonetheless, it was the true trump card of Chen Chens operation. This was because in the depths of the cabin of the small aircraft carrier, a cylindrical device was standing quietly. The power of the entire aircraft carrier was connected to this device and could be activated at any time. They were less than five hundred nautical miles away from the Hawaiian Islands. According to the clues given by the Joint Resistance Army, the Consciousness Stealer fell asleep in this area of the sea in that year. Chen Chen looked around with his hands behind his back but only saw the endless blue sea, almost merging with the blue sky, making it difficult to distinguish where the sky ended and where the sea began. His Field energy had also been expanded to the extreme and he was constantly monitoring all the abnormal fluctuations in the entire sea area. Still, Chen Chen found nothing. Sir Commander, if we continue to move forward, well soon enter the waters of the Hawaiian Islands. At this moment, the captain of the cruiser the Raging Tide came up behind Chen Chen and reported in a low voice. The weather-beaten face of this bearded man was a little uneasy because he knew that this sea area was occupied by the monster that had destroyed human civilization in the past. According to legend, any ship entering this sea area would be cursed. Keep going. Chen Chen did not even turn his head back as he directly issued an order, Warrior, prepare for the first sound wave detection. Sir, Sir Commander The captains face was a bit distressed. This is His territory. Hmm? Chen Chen turned his head stoically when he heard these words and a dark glint appeared in his eyes. Are you defying my orders? The captain suddenly felt a chill in his heart. With just a glance from Chen Chen, cold sweat was streaming down his back. He quickly lowered his head and said respectfully, Of course, I wouldnt dare! Chen Chen turned around again and said with a resolution that could not be questioned, Since you wouldnt dare, shouldnt you hurry up and get it done? Yes! The captain gritted his teeth, turned, and withdrew. X-112. Chen Chen spoke suddenly. Sir Commander. In the headset, a girls voice that was somewhat similar to that of Little X came out. What is your command? Watch Captain Chen Fengxiao closely. Chen Chen said lightly, If he behaves oddly in any way, use the Black Knights to kill him on the spot at once and take over command of the fleet. Okay, no problem! X-112 replied. After this, the entire fleet continued to steer toward the legendary forbidden sea area. Not only that, but sound waves were also sent out as they began to explore the depths of this sea area wantonly. Madness, its pure madness! However, under Chen Chens tyrannical command, several crew members in the cruisers cabin began to curse loudly. What are they thinking, they know that this is the forbidden sea of legend, but they would still send us to our deaths? A man in a white navy costume trembled and he cursed as he mentally fell apart. Are they begging for a quicker death? And to use sonar to probe arent they afraid that the monster will wake up again? Richard, relax! His colleague on the side saw that his comrade was in a bad state and immediately comforted him. Maybe its because they know some secret and came here on purpose? Or maybe that monster Maybe it has been dead for many years, who can say? How can a monster that can destroy humanity die so easily? The third crew member shook his head and looked a little anxious. I hope were lucky and can avoid this battle. Otherwise, dont you think that our fleet is strong because, in front of the monster in the myth, were just like an ant Hiss, hiss Squeak, squeak As the three of them talked, the topographic map of the seabed detected by the sonar was also scanned and formed into rows of data that were spat out by the printer. Huh? One of the crew members looked at the printed data and suddenly frowned. What is this? All around us is a trench thousands of meters deep, but a few dozen nautical miles away, theres a circular underwater island with a diameter of about ten kilometers. And this island is less than three hundred meters from the seas surface? The other two immediately looked over when they heard these words and the colleague who comforted Richard said immediately, This isnt a circle, this is a sphere What a weird island. Can there even be an island of such a shape on the seabed? Moreover, at three points of the island, there are three bracket-like parts This is The voices of the three of them grew smaller and smaller. They looked at each other and seemed to realize something. Everyones eyes widened and cold sweat dripped from their foreheads The atmosphere in the room became particularly heavy for some time. It was because at this time, they had realized that that huge island was not an island at all, but Sir Commander. X-112s voice suddenly rustled from the headset. Weve found the Consciousness Stealer. Its now located at 13 oclock, 15 nautical miles away from us. The sonar detection results show that its in deep sleep. Since its asleep, wake it up. Chen Chen nodded, still seemingly indifferent to everything. Only X-112 would notice that when Chen Chen heard that the Consciousness Stealer was within twenty nautical miles, his breathing quickened slightly for an instant. Yes! The voice of X-112 replied and then the entire fleet was given an order again. All the warships were to fire at the location of the underwater island! The moment they heard this order, countless people exclaimed in fright. Some wanted to stop it immediately and some wanted to rebel, but before the people in these important departments had time to take other actions, the Black Knights that had been on standby rushed into the command room immediately, restraining all these people. Bang, bang, bang Gunshots rang out. Those crew members who did not obey the order and wanted to rebel were directly shot dead on the spot. The surviving crew members had cold sweat on their foreheads and they finally pressed the torpedo launch button under the watchful eyes of the Black Knights Swish, swish, swish, swish! More than a dozen torpedoes raced out of the ships body and their motors immediately ignited, rushing toward the submarine island less than 300 meters away from the seas surface! Boom! Two minutes later, gigantic spouts of water burst out across the sea dozens of nautical miles away! All participating ships, get into formation quickly! It was like a sign that the battle had commenced. As seawater surged into the sky, the fleet of Blacklight City quickly lined up in a battle formation. At the same time, on the small aircraft carrier farthest from the ships, more than a dozen drones were also beginning to take off. They carried various types of bombs and directly passed over numerous ships, also flying in the same direction. The state of all these developments was extremely rapid and even the soldiers on most ships were still in the dark but at this moment, a long and booming call came from the bottom of the sea! Rumble This voice contained a special kind of tremor, which seemed to come from the unchanging river of time, and it was also like the deep groan of some prehistoric behemoth. After this voice sounded, everyone suddenly felt confused and flustered. Whats the sound? Its horrible Is that a whale? Thousands of soldiers on the ships kept inquiring as they prepared for battle but since the upper ranks of the fleet were controlled by the Black Knights, no one gave them any answers. Rumble, rumble As the seconds passed by, suddenly, the sea level in the distance swelled up with great turbulence as if the entire ocean was boiling. Countless swimming fishes quickly fled this sea area. Chapter 576 - Dead Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Hum A deep, drawn-out roar resounded in the hearts of all people within a radius of a hundred miles. As the endless waves rocked them, all the soldiers on the fleet only saw an island lined with strange rocks slowly rising in the churning sea In the beginning, only the tip of the island surfaced. Everyone saw that there were tens of thousands of strange rocks on the island and slender tentacles unfurled from the strange rocks. Even at first glance, those strange rocks were like tree trunks and those tentacles that stretched freely in the sunshine were the branches. Nonetheless, the island continued to rise. One hundred meters, two hundred meters, three hundred meters Gradually, the island had turned into a high mountain that was over a thousand meters high. Due to the emergence of this huge mountain, the sea surface was like a tsunami. Waves ballooned toward them one after another as if all the seawater of the world was barreling toward the fleet! Steady, hold on to something, the first big wave is about to hit! Agh Jack! Humans were too tiny. Faced with the epic waves, the entire fleet could only resist miserably but even so, the waves as high as 100 meters still flung dozens of people from the ships railing into the sea. One kilometer, two kilometers, three kilometers Soon, the monster that rose in the ocean had surfaced with almost half of its body. At this time, everyone could see clearly that the row of strange, rugged rocks turned out to be the fleshy tentacles of the monster, and there were dozens of slender feelers densely growing from each tentacle! By now, the monster had already exposed more than half of its chest. Black eyes that were bigger than the cruisers hovered above sea level, reflecting the fleet that was as small as ants ten kilometers away. Those eyes were gleaming with an eerie light. Standing at an altitude of 100 meters, Chen Chen silently looked at the behemoth that shielded the sky in the distance. Although the distance between them was ten kilometers, for the monster, it was only a step away. The massive bulk of this opponent was beyond human understanding. It was not surprising that even nuclear bombs were ineffective against it. Even so, the monster was still rising. Five kilometers, six kilometers, eight kilometers Rumble When the monster rose to a height of 10,000 meters, its huge body had completely blocked out the sun. This was a height greater than Mount Everest. Even when Chen Chen looked at it, he could only see the monsters lower body. Its chest and any parts higher than that were starting to look misty and illusory. This was because the distance was too far that light itself was blurred. Even so, only the abdomen of the monster had surfaced above the sea. Four slender, crab-like feet grew out of the sides of its chest but part of them was still submerged in the sea! By now, this behemoth had been completely revealed in front of countless people Looking at this monster, Chen Chens pupils shrank slightly. He still remembered the nightmare he had before. The monster in the dream was the same as now. Dream and reality intertwined at this moment, which momentarily cast Chen Chen into a trance. This was the mature body of the Consciousness Stealer! Hum Just as the monster had risen fully into the sky, its mouth that was positioned at the junction of its chest and abdomen opened slightly but it was at this time that its long ancient roar bombarded them again! Ahh, ahh, aghhhh! That monster, that monster! God, please forgive me At the moment when the sound struck again, the soldiers of the fleet all plunged into madness. Their eyes, which were either terrified or shocked, completely lost their focus. Some people knelt on the ground with a plop and turned toward the Consciousness Stealer in the distance, kowtowing vigorously. They did not even stop when a bloody wound appeared on their foreheads! Some inexplicably tore at their cheeks in horror or even gouged out their own eyes! Others clutched their heads and wailed loudly. They grabbed their guns and pulled the trigger while aiming at their teammates! At the instant when the Consciousness Stealer revealed itself, the entire fleet that Chen Chen brought with him had completely lost its power to confront the enemy Chen Chen only felt a burst of psionic energy fluctuations that were mingled with the opponents roar and his ears suddenly turned hot. A stream of blood flowed out of his ears. Chen Chen was injured for the first time. As expected of the Consciousness Stealer. Its already injured me when weve just met. There was a dark gleam in Chen Chens eyes. He ignored the fact that the countless soldiers below his feet were in a frenzy but whispered, X-112, turn it on. Yes! X-112 replied crisply. Then, in the cabin of the small aircraft carrier at the rear of the many fleets, the reality anchor was swiftly activated! Beep, beep, beep Under its sturdy shell, rows of red lights flashed quickly, turning into green lights. At once, unnamed fluctuations spread out at the speed of light, covering millions of square kilometers in the blink of an eye! The tsunami-like psionic attack of the Consciousness Stealer abruptly disappeared! Boom! The instant all psionic powers were inhibited, the body of the monster 10,000 meters high in the sky immediately froze, and then its body began to topple from this height but only for a moment. After that, the monster unexpectedly regained its balance. Hmm? Chen Chens pupils shrank and he looked over, rather amazed. He only saw that, at the chest of the Consciousness Stealer, the vertical mouthparts opened again. Boom! A wave of air visible to the naked eye surged out of the abyss of the bloody mouth and quickly charged in Chen Chens direction with its boundless fluctuations. The range was so wide that Chen Chen could not even evade it! To think that even the reality anchor cant suppress its psionic power? Watching the sky-wrecking airwave approaching quickly, Chen Chen only wore a look of amazement with a hint of disappointment. At this moment, he finally understood why the dimension of Doom needed nothing fewer than 20 reality anchors The blood cloud in that dimension seemed to be inferior to the Consciousness Stealer in front of him just in terms of presence alone. It was simply a pipe dream to think that he could suppress this opponent with only one reality anchor. This thought passed by in a flash and Chen Chen tried his best to expand his Field to protect him, but he watched the wave of air slowly break through his defenses with unstoppable momentum. At the same time, the fleet under his feet was also shattered piece by piece in this devastating wave of air. Weve failed At this moment, Chen Chen closed his eyes slightly. A thoughtful look appeared on his face. X-112, send that aircraft carrier back at once. Just as he issued this order, the protective Field in front of Chen Chen shattered inch by inch. He was tossed over a distance of one kilometer like a scrap of paper and then his body exploded fully into a blood mist! Boom! Chen Chen only felt his vision go dark as he plunged into an endless void Pansy Antoine sat alone on the reef-filled shore. He held a fishing rod made of twigs in his hands and a fishing line was tied to the end of the fishing rod. At this time, one end of the fishing line had gone deep into the sea, constantly bobbing up and down. Just when Pansy felt a little impatient, suddenly, the fishing rod in his hand shifted slightly. It seemed that something was tugging at the fishing line under the sea surface. With joy on his face, he quickly moved the fishing rod slowly. Soon, he caught a sea fish that kept flapping around! Haha! Pansy let out a cheer, hurriedly threw the fish from the fishing rod to the ground, and then happily stepped forward to hug the fish. Not bad, this bass weighs about 1.5 kilograms, enough to feed me for a day! It was indeed a blessing to catch a bass that weighed more than 1.5 kilograms. After all, except for some crabs and mussels, there were only fish on this island. At this time, the middle-aged man named Pansy did not hesitate. He walked directly into the small woods beside him, picked up a few dead branches and rotten leaves, and stacked them in the shape of a bonfire. Following that, he killed the bass in his hand, skewered it with wooden sticks, and placed it on the bonfire pile. All his movements were very well-practiced and he was familiar with surviving in the wild. When everything was ready, he suddenly stretched out his right hand and pointed toward the bonfire that had been built from the dead branches. Suddenly, a tiny flame flew out and went into the bonfire. Boom The bonfire lit up immediately. Faced with such a magical scene, Pansy looked unruffled. He knew that his superpower was obtained in the prison of Blacklight City half a month ago. At that time, those people had injected him with a weird fluid. Since that day, he had this ability to communicate with flames and it was not just him. There were more than 5,000 people on this island and everyone had a different power. Pansy, its not nice to eat alone. Just as Pansy was furtively grilling fish in the grove, there was a jumble of footsteps in the distance. Hearing this voice, Pansys expression shifted. He stared in front with a ferocious expression. After a while, four rough-faced men walked out from behind the trees. Johnson, you guys should get lost immediately, I got this fish myself! Pansy at this time was like a wolfdog protecting its food, with a malevolent aura flashing in his eyes. Hahahaha, then you have to ask if our brothers agree! Among the four people who suddenly appeared, the one heading them was a big man with a fierce face, with a scar extending across most of his cheek. At this time, he was staring at the bass in front of Pansy with a greedy glimmer. The four of us have not eaten for most of the day. The big-scarred-man licked his lips and smiled greedily. But you punk, you hid in the woods and grilled your fish. If we hadnt seen the smoke, Im afraid you wouldve finished it all by yourself Brothers, attack! The big-scarred-man did not waste any more time with blabbering. His stomach was already rumbling. At this time, he just wanted to snatch the other mans grilled fish immediately and eat to his hearts content! Following his orders, his three men rushed up at once and Pansys expression changed drastically. He immediately picked up the grilled fish as if to escape, but after taking half a step, suddenly an indescribable feeling lashed out from within his body! Pfft! Pansy felt his legs turn soft. He dropped to the ground directly and the grilled fish flew out of his grasp and rolled onto the ground. This, this feeling is Pansy only felt suffocation gripping his body. His face flipped through various expressions as he turned his head laboriously at the same time. He only saw that Johnson and the other three who were planning to chase him had fallen to the ground just like him, howling loudly. Am I going to die? Pansy only felt a wave of death permeating from his body and he immediately understood that he was dying. At this moment, scenes from his life began to play before his eyes. He was born in a slum in Blacklight City and quietly grew up in an environment of poverty until his first robbery in his youth when he took the only piece of black bread from the hands of a neighbor girl. Then, he gradually grew up and began to wander in the dark side of Blacklight City after acquiring a taste for it. Stealing, robbing, murdering He was trying his best to survive, like the autumn weeds So, Im going to die Just when he was about to reach the end of his life, Pansy seemed to see the neighbor girl again. The girl smiled at him gently, her innocent smile as bright as the sun, and at the same time, she also offered a hunk of dirty black bread before his very eyes Im, Im sorry A warm smile shone in Pansys eyes and then his pupils quickly dilated, and the light in his eyes suddenly dimmed. He was dead. At the moment of Pansys death, on the entire unnamed island, more than 5,000 exiled felons began to die one after another. After a few gasps, no one on the entire island was alive. The strange thing was that a few minutes after the death of these criminals with heavy sentences, they climbed up again one by one. These dead bodies were like worms, using all their limbs to clamber toward their nearest companions. At the same time, when the two corpses made contact, a strange phenomenon occurred These corpses were fusing little by little! Blub, blub. It was as if the mass of flesh and blood had its consciousness. Thousands of corpses melted and merged like beeswax, spanning the entire unnamed island. In just one day and one night, more than five thousand corpses had been integrated into three mountains of flesh, dozens of meters high! On each flesh mountain, hundreds of limbs were constantly squirming. Some were arms, some were thighs, and some were the exposed halves of bodies. These limbs were swaying gently with the movement of the flesh mountain. Then, these three flesh mountains also began to draw closer to each other and fuse. Finally, two days later, the three flesh mountains had completely fused. At the same time, one side of the huge flesh mountain slowly protruded and a huge human face with closed eyes emerged from the mountain. As I thought, I was resurrected. The face slowly opened his eyes but in place of his eyes, there were more than ten thousand tiny human eyeballs. These eyeballs were gathered together, densely packed like a honeycomb. Resurrected from these five thousand prisoners? The huge face looked at his own body, but when he saw his own state at this time, he seemed puzzled. Then for the next step how should I condense my own body? I cant always present myself to people with this face As he spoke, the face laughed self-deprecatingly. I dont know if the aircraft carrier managed to escape, but it doesnt matter if it hasnt. Ive already memorized all the parts of the reality anchor. All I ask is that the core zircon is not lost. With that, the face stopped pondering about all this and instead began to wriggle toward the coastline bit by bit. Chapter 577 - New Era An uninhabited island in the Bering Strait near the Pacific Ocean. The island was a typical reef island. The range of the island was small, but there were strange rocks all over it. There were not many plants and animals, and it was completely desolate. However, just near the southern part of the island, on a reef-filled shore, a bright red thing was slowly pulsing there. It looked like an animal. If one got closer, one would find that this monster was astonishingly large. It was more than 50 meters in height and one or two hundred meters in length. From a distance, it looked like a huge slug with no fixed shape. The slugs body was densely covered in countless human hands and feet. These hands and feet were swaying instinctively with the wriggling of the slugs body, like flagella, which appeared spine-tingling up close At this time, this slug was quietly looking at the endless sea, and the anthropomorphic face was wearing a pensive expression. My psionic power has weakened. Chen Chen looked into the distance with a calm expression. Five thousand people is still too few to restore my previous strength but fortunately, the power of the Field energy hasnt diminished. With that, Chen Chen suddenly lifted his upper body, like a slug curling up his body and rearing up with half of his chest, and then a huge gap slowly opened in his chest. Hum With a low and dull roar, the surface of the sea in front of Chen Chen suddenly boiled over and at the same time, all the fish and shrimps rose from the sea, and all fell into the opening in Chen Chen. Smack! As a large swathe of fish and shrimp fell into Chen Chens mouth, the crack in his chest and abdomen quickly sealed up and then there was a gurgling sound of swallowing. Chen Chen silently felt the squirming of the fish and shrimp in his body and then they were quickly dissolved by the gastric juice secreted by him. Then, he devoured more, again and again It was not until all the small fish and shrimps in the nearby waters were consumed that Chen Chen felt that his initial sense of weakness was gradually abating. At the same time, a special kind of aura shone from the depths of his body. Hmm, this feeling is Transformation? Chen Chen felt a special kind of throbbing in his body as if he needed a good nights sleep and at the same time, instinct told him that as long as he performed the following actions, his body could undergo rapid transformation. Just when Chen Chen was sensing the throbbing from his body, suddenly, he saw a warship slowly approaching in the distance. It was a medium-tonnage battleship with a length of only 80 meters and its volume was not even half that of Chen Chens. After the ship entered Chen Chens line of sight, the ship paused slightly, and then it seemed to reluctantly steer toward the direction of the island. In the ship at this time, hundreds of people ran to the railing of the ship, looking at the huge creature in the distance with amazed and terrified eyes, exclaiming again and again. Look, what kind of monster is that? Whats that growing all over his body, are they human hands and feet? What a disgusting monster It was not only the crew on the battleship, even the captain of this ship, when he saw the monster in the distance, felt as if he had turned to ice all over, his hands and feet shivering with chills. What, what the h*ll is that Captain Floyd muttered in a low voice. He opened his mouth, wanting to defy the orders from above and stop moving forward, but at this moment, two Black Knights with slack expressions stood quietly on both sides, watching his every move. The high-level officials in Blacklight City had issued an indisputable order, requiring him to stop by this island, even if it was a matter of life and death. Before the horrified gaze of hundreds of crew members, the battleship had come to a spot that was one kilometer away from the island, but it had also completely stopped. The island was surrounded by a reef area. If the battleship continued to move forward, it was likely to hit the reef or even run aground. Then, lifeboats carrying various materials headed toward the island and all the materials carried on the ship were transported to the monster. Sir Commander. A Black Knight jumped off the lifeboat and at the same time spoke with a womans voice, Weve checked the news. The expeditionary fleet has been wiped out completely. 33 warships were damaged and there were more than 8,000 casualties, and the Consciousness Stealer has also returned to the bottom of the sea to sleep. So, what about the reality anchor? Chen Chen spoke, emitting a wheezing, sticking voice. We only had time to transport the zircon back with a drone. X-112 replied, As for the other equipment, it has sunk along with that aircraft carrier. It still couldnt escape Chen Chen nodded and said helplessly, Forget it, as long as the zircon isnt lost, its not a failure, but it seems that the task of eliminating the Consciousness Stealer will be temporarily put on hold. When Blacklight Biotechnology has the ability to seal the entire plane, then we might pick up where we left off with this opponent. Yes. X-112 lowered her head slightly. My current image isnt suitable to be known publicly for the time being. Chen Chen continued to order, Leave these supplies here and allow the warship to leave. Erase the memories of everyone on the ship and the zircon should be teleported back to the other side of the time machine. Thats it. X-112 nodded. She left a few Black Knights on the island to maintain communication with Chen Chen and then ordered the warship to return. Seeing this, Chen Chen slowly turned around and devoured all the supplies that had been transported from the battleship. After doing all this, Chen Chen returned his bloated body to the depths of the island, made a hole in a mountain, and wormed his way in. This was what his bodys instinct told him to do. Then, Chen Chen curled up into a ball in the cave and at the same time, began to secrete clumps of bloody mucus around his body. The mucus slowly dried up and gradually turned into layers of a hard cocoon, which tightly encased Chen Chens body. It feels like itll take a very long time. Curled up in the cocoon, Chen Chen could feel his body begin to change little by little. He gradually developed a kind of awareness that the next time he broke out of this shell, perhaps his body would have undergone a transformation. Thinking of this, Chen Chen suddenly felt a strong wave of sleepiness, so he closed his eyes slightly and began to fall into a long deep sleep. When Chen Chen opened his eyes again, he had returned to reality. To think that after preparing so adequately, I still lost. As soon as Chen Chen sat up, he frowned slightly. Did you lose after all? Little X, who was watching over him by his side, raised her head in shock when she heard these words. When I saw that the zircon was shipped back, I knew that the operation had probably failed, but I didnt expect that even the nano bomb couldnt deal with the opponent? Chen Chen chuckled. Forget about the nano bomb, I only had time to activate the reality anchor before I was killed by the opponent Originally, Chen Chens plan was to first use the reality anchor to seal the Consciousness Stealers psionic powers, then fire and launch nanomite bombs so that the nano bombs could completely devour his opponent. In the face of those micro-robots that were only nanometers in size, even Chen Chen might lose his life under the boundless sea of nanomites unless he used his Field. He just did not expect that he would lose the game completely before he could even use the nano bomb. One reality anchor isnt enough. Chen Chen added again. If I want to seal the Consciousness Stealer, Im afraid Id have to use more than twenty reality anchors to pin down the entire planet like in Dooms dimension. What about your avatar? Little X looked worried. You didnt lose your avatar, right? It would be a shame! Ive been reborn. Chen Chen shook his head. Fortunately, I had an ace up my sleeve and was able to resurrect myself through 5,000 felons. So, my avatar didnt die. This is the only good news. As he said, Chen Chen turned his head to look at Little X. Next, the plan to eliminate Consciousness Stealer will be temporarily put on hold, but the research on the reality anchor will continue. When we can produce element 126, thats when we strike again. Understood! Little X clapped her hands and eagerly said, Although element 126 is difficult to synthesize, we have time, if nothing else. Sooner or later well reach a level of mass-producing element 126. By dominating this realitys dimension, we would be invincible! A few days later, Chen Chen had readjusted his condition and came to the zircon that had been transported back. Now that the plan to eliminate the Consciousness Stealer had failed, this huge zircon had temporarily lost its purpose, so Chen Chen had a new idea. Several androids placed the zircon in front of a machine tool, after which a cutter head, which was half the height of a person, was lowered from above the machine tool. The cutter head rotated at a high speed and approached the zircon gradually. After that, as bursts of water trickled out, the cutter head also completely cut through the zircon. Finally, it had been cut more than a dozen times, and soon, the entire zircon the size of a washbasin was cut into thirty fist-sized crystal blocks of equal mass. Then, an android pushed over a metal shape about three meters high and about half a meter in diameter. The metal column was shaped like an hourglass, wide at the top and bottom, and narrow in the middle. At the same time, the bottom of the metal column was pointed and there were three mechanical arms around the body to support it so that it could stand upright on the ground. Then, another android stuffed one of the cut zircons into the center of the metal column and the entire zircon chunk fitted in tightly. This was a scaled-down reality anchor made with a high-offset armor shell. Start testing! Activation ready Three, two, one! There was a cold metallic voice from the broadcast, then there was only a sudden click. A cover popped out of position from the side of the metal pillar, revealing a row of numeric keypads beneath. As an android walked up and keyed in the code on the metal pillar, they suddenly heard a boom and the entire metal pillar slammed into the floor and fixed itself in place! At the same time, a wave of invisible fluctuations spread to the surroundings and Chen Chen only felt the air congeal all over his body. His psionic energy was suppressed again! Very good, the strength of the suppression hasnt been reduced. Chen Chen silently evaluated the pressure in the air and then said, The next step is to test the suppression distance. With that, Chen Chen teleported back to the ground again and began to measure the suppression area of this reality anchor according to the previous method. This time, he only flew fifty kilometers before feeling the suppression force disappear abruptly. Only fifty kilometers now? Chen Chen frowned and returned. Fifty-kilometer-suppression radius. After Chen Chen came back, he reported this figure. Thats to say, after the splitting of the zircon, the area of the psionic suppression is less than 8,000 square kilometers, less than one-thousandth of the original block. An entire block of zircon can seal off 7 million square kilometers, but if its divided into 30 blocks, each block can only block less than 10,000 square kilometers? Little X on the side suddenly said ruefully, Its not cost-effective. It seems that the blockage area will decrease exponentially. Thats to say, a small reality anchor can only block an area the size of an international city so that everyone in this area will become unable to use psionic powers. The smaller the zircon chunk, the weaker its radiation ability, and vice versa. Chen Chen waved his hand, and said, Forget it, its good enough anyway. The reason we split it up is to suppress those common psionicists, isnt it? Thirty small reality anchors are at least more useful than one large anchor. I still want to continue selecting a few zircons to break them down into ultra-small reality anchors that can be carried around. This is also a good choice. Little Xs eyes lit up when she heard these words. In this way, the reality anchor will change from a strategic weapon to a tactical weapon and its flexibility and maneuverability will be greatly enhanced! Therefore, following this, Little X continued to divide the zircon and split ten fist-sized zircons into strips as thick as a finger. In this manner, the resulting reality anchor would also be reduced proportionally, finally being only half a meter tall, 20 centimeters long, and weighing no more than 15 kilograms. As for the suppression distance, naturally, it had been further reduced to a five-kilometer-radius and an 80-square-kilometer-suppression area. This ultra-small reality anchor would also become one of the trump cards of the Black Knights and the B.S.S. rapid reaction force against psionicists. At the same time, the Hadron Collider in the Spire Experimental Base on the other side also began to operate at full capacity, beginning to research element 126 on the periodic table. Just as Chen Chen began to shape reality itself, the psionicists who gained superpowers were also silently changing the structure of the real world. On 1 October 2029, Blacklight Biotechnology suddenly announced some news that shocked the world. Due to the previous fusion virus disaster, superpower users had begun to appear among humans and all these superpower users were survivors who had once been infected by the fusion virus! Blacklight Biotechnology was the first force in the Earth Federation to recognize the existence of these superpowers. With this announcement, the rumors that had been going viral on the Internet were fully confirmed and countless people were so stunned their eyeballs popped out. In the beginning, many people did not want to believe the news announced by Blacklight Biotechnology. After all, Blacklight Biotechnology was only a company, not an authoritative government agency, but then, due to social pressure, the Earth Federation and all the continents were forced to corroborate the authenticity of this news. Suddenly, the news of the emergence of superpowers in human society was completely a solid part of reality, and countless people felt sad or overjoyed or descended into fanaticism Still, no matter what attitude these people had, they could not change the fact that human society was imperceptibly slipping into a new era. Chapter 578 - Mini Superhero Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation John took repeated gasps of air and bent over with his palms over his knees. He was in the center of the training grounds and there were destroyed targets everywhere around him. Most of the iron-plated targets had been blown into pieces. Some of them that were not destroyed were visibly deformed and showed the occasional signs of melting. It seemed as if targets here were not shot by regular bullets, but melted by some kind of powerful thermal weaponry instead. Except that John at the moment did not wield any firearm. Huff, huff Is it over? John rose slowly and looked around him. He waited for some time, expecting more targets to show up, but none did, implying that the test was over. By this point, John had already been inducted into Blackwatch as a qualified member of the Black Security Service, B.S.S. It was only after his official joining when he realized that the B.S.S. was merely a cover for their true identity as the dedicated mercenaries of Blackwatch! Even in the past, John had found the structure of Blackwatch a curious subject because of the sheer scale of the company. These days, he finally realized that he had been mistaken all along. The company was not merely a mega-corporation, it was essentially a corporational empire! Only a phrase such as corporational empire would do Blackwatch justice. Unparalleled global influence, unmatched wealth, and armed with superior military strength Everything John had seen so far pointed to Blackwatch being a true corporational empire Just as John allowed himself a moment to relax, assuming the test was over, he suddenly saw several figures appearing. His new visitors were several skeletal Android models with reflective metal skulls, armed with large weapons! D*mn it, its not over yet! Johns eyes twitched and he sensed the imminent danger approaching. He went on the offense before the Androids could. Zoom-! A bolt of laser appeared from his eyes and he swept it across the room. It cut through the group of metal skeletons like a lightsaber! Hiss! There was a sharp whistle of metal melting under high heat. The skeletons were sliced in half, their tantalum alloy body was effortlessly cut through like tofu. However, moments before its destruction, one of the skeletons had locked onto its target, which was John, and it managed to pull the trigger just in time! No! Johns pupils tightened with a bite of urgency. He instinctively held his arms in front of his body to guard himself! Bang bang bang! John heard repeated gunshots and something hard thumping against his chest. After that, he saw the lifeless clattering and ringing on the floor! Zoom! Another bolt of laser appeared from Johns eyes, with which he obliterated the surviving skeleton. Huff! Huff! John found himself quickly out of breath. A pool of sweat formed on the back of his shirt. He saw his life flashing before his eyes earlier! After he managed to calm his nerves, he slowly shuffled his hands to the region of his chest where he was hit. Several bullet holes had been torn into those sections of the combat suit, but his chest was somehow unscathed. Whats going on? John was startled by this discovery, then he squatted and picked up a bullet under his feet that should have punctured into his chest. He saw that the ends of the bullet were deformed and caved inward sort of like a pancake. It seemed like it ran into an indestructible wall before it could piece through his body. Could it be John was again startled by this discovery. Could he have awakened another ability unknowingly? The Blackwatch superpower database had more than a hundred entries by this point. Could this newly awakened power of his be steel body fortification or spirit form? Steel body fortification was almost a universal ability to a point where six to seven out of ten psionicists would achieve this psionic manifestation. It was a straightforward ability that enhanced the body of the user to become hard as steel and immune to most common weapons as well as mild thermal weapons. Comparatively, spirit form was significantly rarer. It was a modified version of steel body fortification that gave the psionicist a greater level of fortification. Furthermore, the psionicist could also gain superhuman strength, reflex, and overall physical qualities with this ability. John knew more than a dozen people who possessed steel body fortification, which included the famous Blake from the BHB Combative Police Force. However, there was only one other person with spirit form so far. With this in mind, John tried to experiment for himself. With his bare fist, he tried to squeeze the bullet. When he opened his palms again, his eyes lit up with ecstasy. The bullet had been twisted into a jumble of unrecognizable metal. He could see the marks of his finger pressed into it! Could this truly be spirit form? A wild excitement flashed in Johns eyes. With an offensive tool in optic blast and a defensive tool in spirit form, he could easily ascend the ladder to become the strongest member among the psionicists! Clap, clap, clap While John was measuring the potential of his abilities, he suddenly heard light clapping coming from behind the walls. A red beam immediately glowed within his eyes as he cautiously turned around to face that direction. Then, he saw the instructor, Sarah, emerging from behind the stone bunker. Not bad, John. I knew you were the right one. Sarah said with a smile that was as scrutinizing as ever, To awake another ability, excellent Its the enhanced spirit form as well. This easily ranks you at top three among the current recruited batch. Madame Instructor! John lowered his head slightly as a show of respect. Although Sarah was a common person without any psionic abilities, nobody, John himself included, dared to underestimate her. This woman was a poisonous viper. Even psionicists had to be on guard around her. Youre undoubtedly more powerful than me at this point. Sarah raised two fingers. Now, you have two options C one, you can let us continue our experiments on you, with a proper reward of course, since youll be given a vial of L compound to further enhance your psionic strength. Theres a likelihood that you may unlock the third power as we perform DNA experiments on you. The second option is you can join the B.S.S. and begin your tenure immediately. Youll be required to sign a decade-long contract with an annual salary of up to ten million dollars. The choice is yours. The prospect of ten million dollars was certainly tempting to John. His heartbeat raced like never before but he managed to collect himself and think about his current strength, then he resolved. I choose The former! Hm? Sarahs smile widened. She took another look at this bold student of hers. Let me remind you that the L compound can have severe side effects that may cause instant brain death. Having psionic powers doesnt exempt you from its effects. Id like to give it a shot! John nodded, even more determined. Excellent! Sarah seemed pleased as well. In that case, follow me! With that, the two of them left the training grounds and headed for a nearby research center. Several days later, the other psionicists received word of staggering news. The recent new psionicist recruit of B.S.S. John had acquired a third psionic power C flight. 1 With that, John had also officially become the first psionicist in Blackwatch that had three psionic abilities. The news quickly made its rounds in the Blackwatch inner circle as well and got to Chen Chen almost immediately. I believe three superpowers is the limit. The virtual projection in front of Chen Chen displayed Johns genetic sequence. Little X elaborated beside him, These psionic powers are acquired at the cost of the psionicists DNA sequence being directly altered. These changes in DNA sequence have a significant effect on disturbing the structural integrity of their DNA and John has reached his limit already. If he acquires a fourth ability, his DNA will collapse. Chen Chen did not elicit any response to this remark. Despite Johns superb potential, he would still need time to develop his psionic powers and gain mastery over it. If you think about it, John is truly lucky. Little X pointed out. Optic blast for attacking, spirit form to make up for defense shortcomings, and then he can move around with flight. These three combined nullifies all kinds of weaknesses and makes him a psionicist equivalent of Superman. Now that you put it this way, it does sound like a slightly weaker version of Superman. Chen Chen agreed with a short nod. Just like Superman, hes immune to common attacks, shoots lasers out of his eyes, and can fly. But Im afraid that Superman still beats him in a fair fight. The only thing to do now is to let him continue training. Little X stated, So far, he can only melt several millimeters of fortified metal and resist the impact of light to moderate weaponry. At maximum speed, he only travels at a hundred meters per second. It might not be anything tremendous but I do think its worthwhile to keep him in our company, especially considering that we need a suitable psionicist to represent us It wont be hard to keep him around. Chen Chen considered for a moment and said, I went through his background and obtained a brief overview of his mental psyche. Hes been attention-craved ever since childhood, constantly wanting praises from his elders. Its his primary motivation for the work he put in and he maintained the same philosophy whether in his later studies and even in the work field People like this are easy to manipulate. Give a man the prospect of fame and influence and they will naturally gravitate toward it. And how should we do it? Little X asked. Of course, she already had a vague idea as to how Chen Chen usually approached these things but at the end of the day, she was not as proficient as Chen Chen at formulating such schemes. Chen Chen answered almost immediately, Hes piping with ambition and wants fame more than anything else. Lets give the man what he wants and let him join Lane, Blake, and Hodge, what do you think? Ah! Little X gasped. Were letting him join the Superpower Combative Police Force? Arent you worried about him shaping up to be the next Brooke? John is nothing like Brooke. 1 Chen Chen disagreed vehemently. First of all, hes not just after money as his self-worth goes beyond materialistic desires. And second, he has greater ambitions than Brooke and knows that only we can help him achieve what he wants. Lastly, so what if he turns out to be like Brooke? Little X understood the points Chen Chen was making. Since you believe that we can keep him under control, then Ill enlist him into the Superpower Combative Police Force. Hes just as attractive as Brooke and has a more charismatic personality so he should be a good fit. Since there are only three members left, its a good time to induct a new member as well While Little X and Chen Chen were busy discussing the fate of John, the person in question was ecstatically gliding along the roof of the training grounds. Flight! His third psionic manifestation was flight! John glided across the roof passionately, basking in the living of flying. Based on what instructor Sarah informed him, all of these acquitted psionic powers could be developed with dedicated training. John made use of every opportunity to train his psionic abilities. Amid his training, Sarah appeared again. Madame Instructor. John quickly swept down from the roof and came in front of Sarah. At this point, though his martial combat skills were still no match for the instructor, the powers he had obtained easily made up for whatever deficiencies of his skill level. John, the higher-ups have made a new decision. Sarah said with a brief smile, The plan was to induct you into the B.S.S. department, but upon receiving word of you unlocking a third psionic ability, they changed their mind. Changed their mind? John was slightly unnerved by the sudden change of decision. Dont worry, the offer is even better than B.S.S. Sarah noted the worrisome look on Johns face and quickly stated, The latest decision is to induct you as the fourth official member of the BHB Superpower Combative Police Force! What? John almost stopped breathing when he heard the good news. A swarm of excitement rushed into the depths of his heart and filled him with joy. He could not make out the nature of this mixture of emotion but something told him that he would enjoy this job. Of course, the previous option of joining the B.S.S. department is still on the table for you. Sarah stated earnestly, I was looking forward to having you as a subordinate. John responded with a saddened smile. He looked into Sarahs eyes that stared back into his eyes fixedly, his decision wavered slightly. Im sorry, Madame Instructor. I believe the BHB position is a better fit for me. John stated solemnly. With that, Sarah decided there was no need to further persuade him, so she brought him to another training ground. The moment John stepped into the separate training ground, he was greeted with three familiar faces. They were the famous Lane, Hodge, and Blake. The three of them welcomed John without any animosity. Since the three of them were never fueled by a fierce sense of ambition, they took to the new member quickly and seamlessly. Chapter 579 - Overnight Stardom New York City, Queens. The dense smoke cleared up as the array of fire trucks and ambulances departed. The ambulances speeding to the hospital were loaded with several wounded by the fire. It was evening. The highway that would usually be experiencing peak traffic was uncannily empty. Due to the fire in Aycliffe Building, the entire New York Center Avenue was closed off to all common vehicles. Thankfully, the fire had now been put out successfully. Meanwhile, there was a loud commotion right opposite the Aycliffe building. A clamoring crowd of thousands of people surrounded four heroic figures posing by the steps. The passionate chorus of their cheers resounded across the avenue. Among the four figures posing by the steps, one was a handsome man with a bed of silky, slicked-back hair. He wore an azure blue combat suit and donned a cape with the logo of the Earth Federation stitched on top and smiled radiantly. Though the spotlight was all on the man in azure blue, the presence of the other three was quite remarkable. One of them was a black man with a row of flashing white teeth who wore a combat uniform with a bauhinia emblem stitched on top. Though his smile was dazzling, some could sense a dark aura lurking underneath. The remaining two members seemed more childlike in comparison, but they each sported a combat suit styled to their distinctive brand as well. Underneath the harsh sunlight, the four of them waved toward the crowd. Some of their fans among the passionate crowd approached them with large and fresh bouquets of flowers, presented to them with tears in their eyes. John! Lane Lane! Blake! Hodge! Youre all heroes! Their cheers drowned out the skies. At one point, three of the members sensed that it was about time and darted a glance at the blonde-haired man in azure blue uniform. The man in question returned a faint nod and took a step forward. Then, he held his hand out and signaled for the crowd to pause their celebrations for a moment. There was an immediate silence as the charmed members of his audience looked at him with a dazzled look in their eyes. Everyone, Im honored by your passionate welcome. The blonde-haired man stated, I also feel the great responsibility that I should bear from here on. As the newest member of the Superhuman Combative Police Force, its my mission and my obligation to step up to meet the great expectations expected of me Ever since I was a child, I vowed to myself that Id fight for justice, for this continent, for the federation, and mankind. I see laid before me now a chance to succeed these dreams of mine. I want to dedicate every ounce of my strength to protect all those who need protection. I promise from here on that Id protect all of them in the name of justice, mercy, and sacrifice! As he said this, there was a prominent flash in his eyes. Im the Guardian C John. And this is my sacred vow! Wah-! An enormous cheer erupted from the surrounding crowd again. The blonde-haired man held his arms out and in a magnificent gesture and flew above the crowd. He soared above them as if he was riding on their waves of cheers. This display of his powers threw the crowd in a state of delirium. They held their arms out in hopes of brushing against John the Guardian, some of them were so excited that they were crying tears of joy! John! John! Guardian! The name echoed across the skylines of New York City This majestic scene slowly zoomed out and was cast onto a display. Beside the display was a black man who seemed in his forties whose eyes were illuminated with a brilliant spark. He slowly approached the center of the pitch-black stage. It was a live feed of a program titled Richards World, which was broadcasted every night at 7:30 pm on the International Channel of the Earth Federation. The host of the show looked at the display behind him now. The display showed the paused frame of John being surrounded by tens of thousands of fans in New York City Dear viewers, Im Wilson Richard and youre watching the Earth Federation international show C Richards World. The hosts voice was dramatic and energetic, instantly commanding the viewers attention. Im sure all of you have heard of the recent news from Blackwatch As he said this, he pointed a finger at the image shown on the display. Are you all seeing this? Your eyes dont deceive you, Mr. John here is a superpower user in every sense of the word. In the past, superpowers were merely seen as a myth, something out of this world that only belonged in fiction. Today, its proven that we were wrong all along! At the beginning of the year, weve lost hundreds of millions of innocent lives, families torn apart by the devastating fusion virus plague. The foundations of our civilization and never threatened to such an extent before and at one point. It seems like all hope was lost The hosts temperament grew dark as he said this, but he quickly picked up his enthusiasm again, But were a resilient species and we have powered through the devastation. And now, among the resilient survivors of the deadly virus, many have discovered that they have obtained new powers! The Earth Federation claimed that the formal term is psionic power, but I believe the proper term to do it justice would be superpowers! These are powers that will reshape the world as we know it! There have been many drastic developments over the last few months and the familiar BHB Combative Police Force has emerged onto the world stage again, this time with a new addition to their forces Upon stating this, the image on the display zoomed in several times until all was shown on the image was the blonde-haired man with his cape flapping majestically behind him. His other three partners faded into the background. His name is John Oppenheimer. The host continued. Hes a survivor of the fusion virus disaster and as mentioned previously, some of the survivors have gradually acquired superpowers, and John here is no exception. We dont know yet the exact background of this elusive member, but those arent important now. Whats important is that he joined the BHB Combative Police Force and that the police force now goes by a new name C Superpower Combative Police Force! The roster of the famous police force remains unchanged but what has certainly changed is that our heroes have had their once-disabled bodies fully restored. In the process, they have also obtained powerful abilities so that they may continue protecting us. Only hours ago, they put out a fire and prevented a tremendous disaster that would have killed thousands of people in the Aycliffe Building in New York City! The host Wilson held his hands out and proclaimed dramatically, I can sense it, human society is undergoing a tremendous shift! Sometimes, I find myself in awe and blessed for having Blackwatch existing in the Earth Federation! They have solved cancer, Alzheimers disease, and all kinds of physical diseases plaguing us humans. They would then go a step further and improve our lifespan and dramatically raise the standards of common life! The heart and soul of Blackwatch C the BHB Combative Police Force has also undergone a substantial metamorphosis as they pave the way for the transformation of our era The name BHB Combative Police Force is now formally retired and will now be known as the Superpower Combative Police Force. In addition to the familiar faces of Blake, Hodge, and Lane, a fourth member is inducted, and this is none other than the Guardian C John! There was a bright delight in the hosts eyes. The display panned closer into Johns face as he stood outside the Aycliffe building. My beloved audience watching from your homes, take a look at his brilliant smile and radiant eyes, at the lucid righteousness of his soul The host exhaled with great emotion, trying to suppress his riling excitement before continuing. I dont know how anyone would ever find a reason to detest them. What I do know is that theyll be our guardians from here on. Just as Mr. John stated, they are willing to risk their lives to uphold justice! After saying all this, the host sighed and smiled. This is the single most significant thing to happen in the Earth Federation today. Im Wilson Richard and this is the Earth Federation international channel C Richards World. Until then, goodbye! The stage lights dimmed out as soon as he bid his farewell until the only thing that could be barely made out was his silhouette. The show ended with the rolling credits offering recognition for the staff. The logo of Blackwatch was included in the credits as well. With the rebranding of the BHB Combative Police Force, media outlets all over the world naturally flocked to report its details, the new member especially was a focal point. The media outlets constantly replayed the footage of John bursting out of the burning building as he rescued the people trapped inside the burning blaze. The name of John the Guardian was repeatedly cycled across all media. [Justice shall prevail. The BHB Combative Police Force officially renamed as the [Superpower Combative Police Force] C The Wall Street Journal. [Superheroes debut. Iis the transformation of human society imminent?] C New York Times. [Blackwatch once again leads a transcendental change of era, psionic energy may reshape the world!] C Sohu News. [The Guardian, a rising star to continue Brookes legacy] -YouTube News. This time, there was no need for Blacklight Biotechnology to buy out the media outlets since the news circulated on its own, immediately capturing worldwide attention. All the media outlets capitalized on this opportunity to add to the bunch, the charming looks of John made it easier to advertise the new superhero and launch him into the forefront of international media. The names of Superpower Combative Police Force and John the Guardian immediately became household phrases. John the Guardian was launched into stardom overnight! After finally stepping away from the camera lens, both Hodge and Lane expressed a sigh of relief. Good work, you all. Shortly after, the red-haired Austin appeared from a vehicle with the accompaniment of the sound of her high heels clicking elegantly against the tiles. She said with a smile, John especially, you performed the best out of everyone. Your manner of speech and presentation is flawless. Its all thanks to the companys training. John smiled briefly. Of the four members, he and Blake were the ones who felt comfortable in the spotlight. However, due to Blakes unpredictable nature and slightly aloof attitude, neither Austin nor the other members of the management were comfortable with giving him a more distinct role and Lane and Hodge were too young to be put into consideration. The arrival of John now was a great blessing to all of them. They determined that John had the potential to be the heart of the Superpower Combative Police Force. I talked with Manager Liu and the other superiors. Austin observed the reaction of the group while she stated, After further discussion and from gauging the response of the public, we decided that John would be most qualified as the leader of the Superpower Combative Police Force. Does anyone have any thoughts on this? Lea, leader? Hodge shot a surprised look at John but was otherwise not too shaken by the news. No problem, I think John is a good fit for the role. Lane, on the other hand, had to conceal his shock and was slightly bothered. It did occur to him that the position was open and he had been training his professional attitude and waited for the opportunity to present himself. As much as he hated to admit it, he was no match for the newly recruited John whether in terms of presentation, abilities or raw measure of power. Therefore, there was not much he could do other than nod reluctantly. Hahahaha! None of them expected Blake to suddenly burst out laughing upon hearing of the managements decision. He applauded fervently. Not bad at all, junior John does have the potential to be the leader! What Im wondering is whether this means that the interviews can be headed by him from here on? Of course. John turned to his fellow member who once had the esteem of being the most popular member and smiled politely. You can leave the interviews to me. Then. its decided. Blake nodded contently while rubbing his hands together mischievously. Then Ill have more time to spend with the ladies Oh, I meant to say to train! Lane and Hodge looked at Blake, speechless. Excellent. Austin selectively filtered Blakes childish remarks and turned to John. From here on, youll be the leader of the Superpower Combative Police Force. I hope you can handle the responsibilities that come with it and diligently represent the company. I understand. Johns attitude was exemplary as always. Because everything I do will represent the image of the police force and Blackwatch by extension, is that right? Exactly. Austin nodded and returned to her car and drove away shortly after. After driving a short distance, a pensive look returned to Austins face. Austin, do you have any particular thoughts about John? Manager Liu who oversaw the Superpower Combative Police Force had been in the backseat all along. He leaned forward and emerged from the dark shadows. You seem to be thinking about something. Its not that I dislike him. Austin shook her head. Its just that whenever I interact with him, it feels like hes Too perfect. To a point where it feels completely manufactured. What are you worried about? Manager Liu smiled. So what if he turns out to become the next Brooke? If we can build him up, we can tear him down the same way. No matter how powerful he is, Blackwatch can swat him down like a common fly. Lets hope so. Austin nodded and combed her hair with her hands then looked at the streetlights lined along the highway. The night view of the city tonight was especially enchanting Chapter 580 - Ten Years Later Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation In the entire history of mankind, never had there been such rapid growth in social structure. Months went by in the span of days and something new and exciting happened every day. New inventions emerged continuously and new industries rose and fell every year. Mankind was evolving at an unstoppable pace. In July 2029, Blackwatch deployed the Stem Cell Organ Cultivation technology and from there on, disabled members of society became a thing of the past. Its patent number was 11,457,092. In October 2029, the BHB Combative Police Force was officially named the Superpower Combative Police Force with the addition of John the Guardian. In May 2031, Blackwatch had developed an upgraded model of Androids known as Little Dai. The upgraded Android was programmed with a modified IQ and EQ processes on par with a ten-year-old child. It was a model superior to its predecessor, Little AI, and patented under the number 11,572,838. Furthermore, the modified Android model was more expressive than its predecessor which made people more open to having an Android assistant in their household. By January 2031, the modified Android entered the global consumer market. In April 2033, the Earth Federation issued regulations restricting the commercial use of Android Little Dai due to concerns about the exploitability of artificial intelligence. In May 2033, the regulations were abolished and Little Dai was officially inducted into millions of households. In August 2033, Chen Chen, the founder of Blackwatch, was awarded the Order of the British Empire medal by the Queen of England. In February 2034, Blackwatch had acquired the national security enterprise of the North Sea Continent. This was the first-ever acquisition of a major enterprise in one of the four major continents in the Earth Federation. The reports immediately caused a global uproar. In March 2034, Blackwatch invested 200 billion U.S. dollars in NASA and officially took charge of the Kepler Mission. In December 2034, Blackwatch was ranked as one of the Top Ten Companies to Work For of all the 500 top-listed companies in the Earth Federation. In June 2035, Blackwatchs laboratory in New York developed a cryogenic system used to temporarily suspend all bodily functions which could then be immediately resumed upon deactivation. This invention was its first step to furthering its conquest into outer space. Its patent number was 12,456,045. In September 2035, Blackwatch had invested 300 billion U.S. dollars to build the worlds most advanced superconducting particle accelerator in the Erongo District of Namibia. In February 2036, Blackwatch had invented a space-probing suit fitted with a portable atmospheric regulatory system that allowed it to function in a vacuum and hostile conditions. This further strengthened the foundation for human exploration in extraterrestrial environments. In June 2037, Blackwatchs automated diagnosis and surgery platform Blacklight Fully-automated Medical Platform was developed. Patent number was 14,572,092. In January 2038, after Blackwatch took over the Kepler Mission, they discovered a total of 45,327 terrestrial planets, of which thirteen were deemed potentially habitable. In December 2039, the Earth Federation announced that credited to Blackwatchs Mankind Anti-aging Project, the global average life expectancy of humans officially exceeded one hundred years old. In January 2040, the original Mars habitation plan that was estimated to require a century to finalize was completed in just eleven short years due to the successive technological breakthrough achieved by Blackwatch. Mars officially became the second habitable planet for mankind and the first phase of human migration was about to begin A decade later. A large airliner slowly landed at the Walvis Bay International Airport. Thousands of tourists got off the plane and were efficiently escorted by the tour guides to the charter buses. As the charter buses drove out of the vicinity of the airport, they were greeted by the sight of an enormous city skyline that stretched on forever. The silver-gray skyscrapers towered like monumental pillars threatening to pierce into the clouds. Intersecting the arrangement of skyscrapers were circular highways that orbited around the city. These high-altitude paths intersected with one another and granted seamless navigation across the cosmopolitan city. Looking up, they could see colorful projected displays alternating between a range of advertisements. Sometimes it was an advertisement of the third generation household Android Little Li, then it would switch to highlight clips of the Superpower Combative Police Force in action. Upon exiting the airport, they saw the distinct logo of Blackwatch shown on the display. What youre seeing now is Eco Science City in all its glory. This city has a permanent population of 1.35 million, but the floating population reaches up to an astonishing 5 million. Hundreds of thousands of people visit this city every day At the same time, as the worlds first modern city with permanent holographic systems installed, electricity is completely free. Its carried wirelessly in your surroundings. The tour guide smiled affectionately as he introduced the citys merits to the tourists. All electrical devices such as phones, computers, even electrical cars and other appliances that are fitted with the wireless charging chipsets developed by Blackwatch will never run out of electricity in this city! The tourists gazed out of the window to admire the wondrous view of the futuristic city and take in the miraculous sight. Several minutes later, the charter bus arrived at the intercity Maglev1 central station connected to the city-spanning highways. With the instructions of the tour guide, the tourists stepped into the trains. The train departed after everyone settled themselves, moving at three hundred kilometers per hour as they made for the upper-level district of the city. What you see now is the global headquarters of Blackwatch. This recently constructed building is located in the central area of the city. Its 671 meters high and has an indoor area of more than one million square meters. Its facilities currently house 13,890 employees Over here is Blackwatchs biological laboratory central hub. As we all know, biology is Blackwatchs primary sector and this is where the worlds top biotechnology invention is centered at! This is Blackwatchs seaside sanatorium district. There are more than a thousand sanatoriums scattered in the area, each constructed with a distinct style. Any elderly that comes to this place for Blackwatchs fabled treatment can regain their youth in just one to two short months and return to their prime condition in their thirties! Next to the sanitorium district is the worlds leading plastic surgery sector. Blackwatch fully utilizes the potential of its biotechnology prowess to develop optimized plastic surgery procedures. Their developed facilities offer services to get rid of facial defects, scars, wrinkles, breast augmentation, and a multitude of plastic surgery options Its guaranteed to grant its clients their preferred appearance and physique! Just like that, the tourists saw everything notable in the city with the accompanying narration of the tour guide. Every few minutes, they would see another Maglev train gliding past them in the opposite direction, attracting oohs and ahhs from the enchanted passengers. In the end, the city-orbiting train reached its destination, a grand international hotel more than a hundred stories tall. As soon as they arrived, dozens of Androids with blue halos flashing on their temples appeared to receive the esteemed guests at the entrance of the hotel. These Androids dressed in hotel waiter attire greeted the guests enthusiastically. Their speech pattern and gestures were extremely lifelike and it was practically impossible to distinguish them from a real human if not for the halo on their temple. Welcome to the Romantico International Five Star Hotel, where there will always be a warm harbor for you! The Androids carried the luggage of the guests and escorted them into the hotel. The guests felt welcomed by the excellent service and stepped into the hotel in a festive mood, filled with laughter and cheeriness In the meantime, in the top floor office of the Blacklight headquarters, there was a young man whose eyes were bottomless sockets standing by the floor windows. He silently gazed at the bustling city below his feet. Though he was looking at the city filled with lights, his eyes were two pools of void. There was the barest glimpse of light reflected within them, captured within them was the deepest black hole ever seen in the universe I cant believe its been so long The man smiled and turned around to face his office. Facing him at the front of his desk was a young lady whose gentle elegance reminded one of the warmth of springtime. She slowly approached the man and glanced at the vast city beneath them. Its certainly been a long time, Sir Godfather. I cant believe Im nineteen years old already! The man did not say anything and only answered with a smiling nod. If memory served him correctly, he was eighteen years old when he first acquired the USB drive. Little X was born a year after he obtained the USB drive and from there on, he embarked on his trajectory of exponential growth. Reflecting on past events, he broke into a smile. In the blink of an eye, two decades have passed. Im already thirty-eight years old The young girl who was Little X smiled upon hearing this. She looked at Chen Chen and shook her head mischievously with a strange look in her eyes. Does age even have any significance for you at this point? With the T-virus running through your veins, you can easily live above five hundred years old. Little X continued. Furthermore, if you continue your monthly therapy with the Blacklight Fully-automated Medical Platform, you can easily live to a thousand years. Theres also our recent breakthrough in the black goo research to consider. If black goo can be fused with your DNA, your life span will even surpass the engineer race in Prometheus and you can live more than three hundred thousand years. Maybe. Chen Chen waved the suggestion away, clearly not too fixated on the topic at this moment. Lets not talk about this for now. Hows the Mars immigration preparations coming along? Among the tens of millions of people who signed up for the Martian Immigration Program, weve picked out one hundred thousand most suitable candidates, which includes your classmate, Wang Wei. Little X stated, The three migration spaceships are ready and once they have arrived at Eco Science City, Ill send the candidates to outer space. Excellent. Chen Chen was relieved to hear this. Remember to check the cryogenic chambers again before launching. This project directly concerns our plans over the next century. I dont want any unforeseen accidents occurring and have the Earth Federation pointing fingers at me. Understood! Little X left the office shortly after that, leaving Chen Chen by himself in his large office. All these years of scuffles have finally led us to this point. Chen Chen raised his head and exhaled deeply. From today onward, Blacklight Biotechnology which Ive founded with my own hands shall officially surpass the Earth Federation! In truth, as early as a decade ago when Chen Chen began to get involved in the military technology trade, Blacklight Biotechnology was already on the same tier as the four major continents. However, Blacklight Biotechnology at the time had not achieved an untouchable status yet. If the four major continents were willing to take the most drastic route possible and start World War III, they could very likely unite all other countries around the world to sanction Blacklight Biotechnology and successfully suppress the company. As things were now, the circumstances had changed dramatically. Blacklight Biotechnology had obtained colonization rights some time ago. With the establishment of a permanent Mars colony coupled with their space navigation technology superiority, the pieces were in place for Blacklight Biotechnology to fully separate itself from the bounds of the Earth Federation. Even if the Earth Federation concentrated their unified efforts to impose strict sanctions on Blacklight Biotechnology, Chen Chen could simply leave them to their little games and head to Mars for a fresh start. However, the leaders of the world would have to be completely demented to resort to such a destructive option. The combination of economic and military sanctions on Blacklight Biotechnology would come at the cost of crippling human civilization. Blacklight Biotechnologys establishment of a permanent colony on Mars was a landmark to symbolize that they had become the only faction in human society powerful enough to rival the Earth Federation. There was nothing the Earth Federation could do but to watch idly as everything unfolded before their eyes. Their only feeble attempt at catching up to Blacklight Biotechnology was to gradually increase capital investment in the aerospace industry and wait for further technology to develop. Leaving the matter of the battles between the two factions aside, the rise of Blacklight Biotechnology would always be a winning situation for human society as a whole. At the end of the day, Blacklight Biotechnologys agenda was for mankind to advance into the future and this would inevitably benefit the Earth Federation as well. This was the reason that the Earth Federation had tolerated Chen Chen and Blacklight Biotechnology all this time. On the second day, three giant spacecraft more than a hundred meters tall and three hundred meters wide were parked at the aerospace base on the south side of the Eco Science City. Countless maintenance vehicles sized like construction trucks were cycling back and forth around the aerospace base. A final inspection was being conducted on the spaceships to prevent any hiccups in the following operation. These three outrageously large spaceships were the pinnacle of human creation. There could not be any room for error in what was to come. When the appointed time arrived, the inspection crew relayed the message of completion of their work to the central. The news quickly reached Little X who subsequently passed it to Chen Chen. All migrants, prepare to board the ship! With the order given by Chen Chen, countless land rovers purposed for Mars entered from the edges of the square and into the spacecraft. There was no need for the migrants to step out of the rover. They only needed to retire inside the cryogenic chambers inside the rovers. The migration spacecraft was fitted with many safety installations to minimize the likelihood of things going awry. The design of the spacecraft itself was insurance of its own. They were designed with precision and the odds of something going haywire was even slimmer than winning the lottery. In the event where an accident occurred, the rovers themselves could also double as emergency spacecraft, and from there on the crew inside could choose to return to Earth with it or wait for rescue. In the worst-case scenario where even the emergency spacecraft failed, then that was when the cryogenic sleep chambers came into play. The crew could enter a hibernation state for decades, even centuries while they wait for rescue. With all these scenarios put into careful consideration, there was no way that this migration operation was going to fail! Chapter 581 - Martian Ares Science City Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation A week later. Three enormous migration spacecraft slowly penetrated the ozone layer of the planet and hovered above the air for a moment before descending onto the surface. Thump! The gates of the spacecraft cabins slowly opened and rows of Martian rovers exited from the spacecraft in a practiced fashion. Each Martian rover carried up to thousands of passengers. The long-awaited moment was finally here. They stepped out of the rover and were greeted by an enormous spaceport. Daddy, Mommy, look! Oh my god! So, this is the Ares City on Mars? Its comparable to the Eco Science City itself, this one might be even larger The migrants formed a giant crowd of which Mars had never seen before. There were a lot of cheers and awe as they beheld the historical sight. Wang Wei was one of the members of the crowd. He stepped out with his wife and son. The first thing he saw upon stepping out was a large, arc-shaped spaceport, and farther in the distance, there was the familiar sight of monumental skyscrapers that towered across the horizon! These skyscrapers were not designed like conventional buildings seen on Earth. They took on many different geometrical shapes, some were oval, others semicircular, but most of them are in the shape of a large spindle. They formed a jungle in the cityscape and one could also note the citys high-altitude light rails circling the buildings like silvery snakes wrapping themselves around the city. Further in the distance, beyond the residential skyscrapers, they could see wide streets and avenues, parks decorated with dense flora, and even vast lakes. The entire city had developed its very own microhabitat. This was the glory of a colonial megacity that could accommodate hundreds of thousands of people! Even beyond this spectacle, they could see vast chimney-like that stretched almost a kilometer vertically. These were none other than Blacklight Biotechnologys very own atmosphere generator. These otherworldly structures constantly emitted dense clouds of white smoke into the planets atmosphere. This place would become the new home of mankind Wang Wei felt his spirits rising when he saw the perfect scenery that looked straight out of a painting. He held his sons hand and could not wait to step onto this wondrous land. The moment he left the rover and stepped onto the soil of the planet, he felt a light, floating sensation. At the same time, he heard the spaceports broadcast system announcement. The attention of the migrants was quickly captured by a gigantic holographic projection display that appeared above them. It was an encouraging speech signed by the CEO of Blacklight Biotechnologys African Branch himself, Qian Wenhuan. Welcome everyone, to the first colonial city on Mars C the Ares Science City! Id like to congratulate you all for shaping the next era of mankind. The moment you stepped foot on this planet, youve drawn the exclamation point of human history as we know it! Because from here on, mankind shall embark on the lustrous mission of space migration From here on, mankind will never be restricted to the status of planetary natives but an interstellar species instead! The planet Earth shall no longer be remembered as our only home but the origin of our interstellar species! We shall embark on a new chapter in history and every one of you will play a major role and be remembered for eons to come! After playing the encouraging speech of Qian Wenhuan, the image transitioned to another video. The CEO of Blacklight Biotechnologys Central Continent Branch, Xia Yin appeared: Dear esteemed members of Blacklight Biotechnology, welcome The Northern American, European, and North Sea representatives of Blacklight Biotechnology each appeared on the display in succession Daddy, Daddy! Amid the crowd, a fourteen-year-old teenager who was the son of Wang Wei exclaimed in awe, My body feels so light! Of course! Wang Wei laughed heartily. The gravity of Mars is one-fifth that of Earth. Weve grown accustomed to the gravity on Earth so its only natural that our body feels a lot lighter on Mars. Youll get used to it in time! With that, he took his wife on one hand and his son on the other and went into the spaceport. Several XTN robots posted as security personnel approached them and bowed at Wang Wei. Dear researcher Wang Wei, please follow us, along with our family. Weve prepared a designated transport for you. Alright. Wang Wei nodded calmly and followed the robot as they detached from the rest of the crowd. It was a decade ago when Wang Wei signed up for the Martian Migration Project. At the time, all of his savings went toward caring for his sickly mother, to a point where they barely had any money left for buying milk powder for his son. His final resort at the time was to join Chen Chens company. Chen Chen was quite generous with this former classmate of his. All things considered, Wang Wei was a very qualified biotechnology scientist, which earned him a fitting role in the company. Over the next decade, Wang Wei repaid Chen Chens trust with exemplary effort. He was quickly promoted from a common laboratory assistant to an official research crew. The treatment he received in the organization was only second to the laboratory research director. The reason why Wang Wei and another hundred thousand people were willing to emigrate to Mars was because of the drastic transformation Blacklight Biotechnology brought to Mars over the last decade. Today, the Martian atmosphere had the same oxygen content as on Earth and had become as warm as the gentle spring. Directly from the surface of Mars, its habitants could see the dwarf planet revolving around Mars C Ceres. It was the equivalent of the Moon from Earth. Blacklight Biotechnology also promised extremely tantalizing benefits for the first batch of migrants to Mars. They were promised elite education for their future generations who would grow up on Mars and meanwhile, the adults were given the essential insurances, housing funds, dedicated villas, doubled wages, and more. After migrating to Mars, Wang Wei even found himself promoted to the co-director role in the laboratory. This was how there came to be a hundred thousand willing migrants to the planet, most of them were families of three or four. Sir Godfather, the first group of migrants has settled into Mars Ares Science City. On the top floor of the newly constructed Blacklight Biotechnology Headquarters, Little X opened the door and saw Chen Chen sitting on the chair with his back facing the door. The sunlight shone through the windows and Chen Chens luminous reflection was cast onto the panel of glass. He looked like a divine being from where Little X stood. The Earth Federation has sent a short message to congratulate the success of our Blacklight Biotechnology Migration Project. Little X continued. Also, the four major continents are conducting a federal meeting as we speak. They plan to unite their resources and follow suit to build a second colonial city on Mars. Should we find a way to stop them? That wont be necessary. Chen Chen slowly turned around and stared blankly at Little X. Let them do whatever they will. We have the technology for the atmosphere generator, cryogenic chamber, and mega spacecraft. Theres no way they can surpass us. It seems like they are worried about you colonizing Mars. Little X remarked with a sly chuckle, Many continents have been proposing a new Artemis Agreement. The clauses are purposed to directly affect Ares Science City and also restrict our continued progress on Mars and the Moon. Just ignore them. Chen Chen shook his head. Its just a bunch of meaningless threats. We should set our sights on the future now. Tunneling our vision on these little squabbles will only hinder our progress. Im focused on the great possibilities to come in the future. Little X responded with a firm nod. By this point, Blacklight Biotechnology had more than enough in its arsenal to completely monopolize the aerospace technology industry. Nothing was stopping them from bypassing the Earth Federation as an agent and proceeding to do everything independently. If the Earth Federation wanted to catch up to Blacklight Biotechnologys aerospace technology scope, it would take them at least fifty years. This was the reason Chen Chen previously offered some of the technologies to the four major continents. Otherwise, it would take them even longer. In fifty years, Blacklight Biotechnology would have colonized far more distant planets. We should be setting the groundwork for a space exploration mission soon. Chen Chen continued. Migration is only the first phase. If we want to break further away from the shackles of the Earth Federation, well need to achieve self-sufficiency in terms of resource acquisition. The mini mining spacecraft are now in their testing phase. Little X said, The blueprint for their construction isnt complicated. Its slightly easier to complete than the migration spacecraft. What we need, however, is more advanced engine technology. This will allow us to speed up as well as minimize energy consumption for our round-trip mining in the asteroid belt. As it is, relying on the Ark to transport our mined resources is simply too inefficient, even with the advent of our controlled nuclear fusion reactor. Chen Chen pondered for a moment. How long is a round trip from the asteroid belt back to our central hubs? It would take three days to move from Mars to the nearest asteroid belt region. This means a round trip would take six days. Little X answered, Although the distance between the asteroid belt and Mars is less than one-fifth of the distance between Mars and the earth, the procedures are more sophisticated. The unmanned mining spacecraft will have to regularly cycle between acceleration and deceleration in the process of navigating the asteroid belts, otherwise, it would only take close to a days travel. Chen Chen frowned. Although mankind had accomplished the long-awaited feat of space travel, the engine technology developed by Blacklight Biotechnology could only reach a bare seven percent of the speed of light in a vacuum state. To go beyond that, a more powerful engine would be required. In truth, even if the speed of ninety-nine percent of the speed of light or even better, sublight speed navigation was achieved, Blacklight Biotechnologys ventures would still take an insurmountable amount of time to complete. Considering the vast scale of the universe, it would take nearly centuries before Blacklight Biotechnology to reach the planets initially discovered by NASAs Kepler mission. There was also the problem of time dilation to consider when traveling at sublight speed. Scientists once theorized an experiment in which they would build an orbit around the earth, circling its equator. In this orbit, they would set up rails and build a train that could accelerate indefinitely. A group of passengers would be invited for a seven-day journey on this train. Naturally, the train would begin to gradually accelerate after the passengers boarded it. For the sake of the experiment, factors such as air resistance, engine power concerns, energy consumption, and other influencing factors were taken out of the equation. In this example, say that it would only take a few minutes for the train to accelerate to manage to lap around the earth seven times in a second. This was the rough parameter of sublight speed. The train would continue traveling in this way for seven consecutive days, that was, seven days from the passengers perspective. When the passengers stepped off the train after seven days, they would find that they had traveled more than a hundred years into the future. The subject theorized was regarding the concept of time dilation in the special theory of relativity. The special theory of relativity informed us that the faster the speed achieved, the slower the flow of time. For the people in the train traveling at sublight speed, though the train was only in motion for a week, hundreds of years had passed on the outside. Deriving from these findings, it would directly contradict Chen Chens plans and timeline. Principles such as these were completely out of Chen Chens control. Upon traversing into outer space, these laws of the universe could not be manipulated. This meant that even if these spaceships were to complete their missions successfully, they would not be seen again since they had traveled to the distant future Whether the operations were a success or failure did not make a difference at that point. Chen Chen realized that the problem they were facing went beyond the engines of the spacecraft. He was thinking about how they could proceed in the future. If only we can figure out how the Ark worked, we can build an interstellar transportation portal. Chen Chen sighed. In the scope of the vast universe, the usage of the black sphere Gantz was insignificant. At the end of the day, the coverage range of Gantz only made it useful within the realms of Earth. Anything beyond that scope was impossible for Gantz to be properly utilized. The only way to achieve interstellar teleportation was by using the Ark from the Doom dimension. It would take at least a century, maybe even more than that. Little X noted helplessly. At least two technological eras are separating our current technology and the Ark teleportation technology. Chen Chen was well aware of this. Not all technology could be acquired with a mere flick of the wrist. It was like how even the greatest craftsman of ancient times would not be able to figure out how a smartphone operated even if they were given a sample. Regardless of the mastery of the craftsman, some things were simply impossible to be recreated. All the aerospace technology Chen Chen acquired that allowed Blacklight Biotechnology to separate itself from the Earth Federation came from Elysium and Alien. Nevertheless, even this technology could not accelerate his spacecraft to light speed. There was a jarring separation between accelerating to the current seven-percent rate of light speed and achieving sublight speed. The difference in energy consumption was nearly a billion folds Unless Space warp. A possibility suddenly came to Chen Chen. He raised his head and stated decisively, Only space warp can allow us to circumvent time dilation as stated in the special theory of relativity. This will also solve the energy problem we are facing. Space warp is the one true solution! So, youre going to look for a movie featuring space warp? Little X glowed at the idea. She had been with Chen Chen long enough to anticipate his next move. But movies with similar technologies such as Star Trek, Interstellar, and the likes cannot be inserted into the USB flash drive, isnt it? There are very few such movies that can be accepted by the USB drive. Theres a certain movie that Im sure can be received by the USB drive. Chen Chen smiled slyly. Event Horizon Little X was shocked upon hearing this title. Chapter 582 - Chen Chen Meets Chen Chen Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation There was a reasonable explanation behind Little Xs reaction and the way Chen Chen seemed to put this movie in a category of its own. It was because this movie was closely related to the hidden secrets of the USB drive. Chen Chen was once afflicted by an antimeme known as I Saw You!. It was later discovered that the previous owner of the USB drive was the one who had set up the antimeme. It was also the closest Chen Chen ever came to dying since acquiring the USB drive. Chen Chen suspected that this antimeme originated from Event Horizon. Another piece of information that reinforced Chen Chens belief was that the first time he cracked the quantum computer Adam, he discovered a message left behind by the previous owner of the USB drive. The message contained a mention of the movie Event Horizon. The plot of the movie left a heavy impression on Chen Chen because it could be distinctly noted that there was a devastating threat and many secrets hidden in this movie. To further decipher the secrets of the USB drive, Chen Chen managed to track down Professor Wang Xi by following the scarce tracks he had left behind. Before he had time to proceed any further with his discovery, Professor Wang Xi had vanished completely without a trace, still missing till the present day. In the process of tracking down what became of Professor Wang Xi, Chen Chen came into a meme in Silent Hill. A mysterious bed was discovered that later became the source of the Weeping Angel accident At the end of it, everything collected to that point seemed to point toward this specific movie. Chen Chen was led to believe that this movie may contain secrets of the former owner of the USB drive, perhaps secrets pertaining to the existence of the USB drive itself It seemed woven into destiny that all the owners of the USB drive were going to run into this movie at one point or another. Event Horizon was a taboo name that drew extreme alert. Is there no other way around it? Little X found herself disconcerted by the mere suggestion of it. Nothing good ever comes out of this movie. If you try to access it, who knows what kind of dangers would be waiting for you. I know, but this is important. Chen Chen stated calmly, Even if we dont do it now, well have to do it eventually because this is the only clue we have to find out more about the USB drive. Upon noting Little Xs silence, Chen Chen smiled gently. With that said, Im not going to just barge in recklessly. Dont forget that I have my avatar. Hm? The remembrance of this subject made Little Xs eyes widen. Does this mean that your other half has completed transformation? Almost. Chen Chen stated with a short nod, So rest easy, I know where my limits are. Following Chen Chens remark, the story now shifts to an established military outpost on an island in the Bering Strait of the parallel dimension. There were not many people in the outpost, only roughly fifty. Their faces were dull and empty since they had been camping inside a pitch-black cave for what seemed like years to them at this point. Inside the cave, there was a large sack of meat cocoon that squirmed regularly. The meat cocoon was nearly a hundred meters in diameter and its color was jet-black. It regularly squirmed and beat like a human heart. The silhouette of some kind of creature could be made out underneath its soft skin occasionally. Glug, glug, glug The sound of blood coursing underneath its surface could be distinctly heard from outside. This bizarre, Lovecraftian scene was an ordinary sight to the guards at this point. Their lack of reaction could also be explained by the fact that they did not have cognitive abilities. The guards were a group of Black Knights. The cocoon, on the other hand, was Chen Chen who had entered a deep slumber a decade ago. Out of nowhere, the drumming of the meat cocoon suddenly grew several magnitudes stronger. For the first time in years, its regular beating rhythm was disrupted. One of the Black Knights turned to the cocoon upon detecting this sudden change and seemed delighted by the occurrence. Pst-! While the Black Knight was looking at the bizarre cocoon in a state of trance, the lower part of the cocoon tore open and a ten-meter-long gap could be seen. At the same time, it expelled a powerful gust of wind that carried a faint, gastric scent that blew across the cave, scattering rocks and sand in its wake. The Black Knights hung on tight to the structure of the cave to prevent themselves from getting blown away. After all the internal gas was discharged, the tear that was large enough started to grow larger. It seemed as if something giant was about to burst from its inside! Plop, plop, plop The tear slowly widened and a gooey substance began dripping along its surface. The Black Knights slowly retreated from the cave to give whatever creature lurking underneath the cocoon some space. At last, there was a deep, rumbling roar that broke out from within the cocoon. With a loud rip, an enormous figure erupted from within and tumbled onto the ground, quaking the earth in its wake. The transformation was finally complete! Chen Chen sighed deeply as he felt his senses returning to him. He felt a gust of wind rushing at him and felt his bare naked body against the earth like a child who had just exited in his mothers womb. The cold of the air the moment he exited stung every pore of his skin. Upon feeling his senses awakened, he quickly noticed that he did not revert to a humanoid form but instead to the form of the Consciousness Stealer. Chen Chens body was split into two distinct halves. The upper part of his body was the chest with countless eyes arranged in a trypophobia-inducing pattern. They looked like countless black pearls sticking out of every region on the chest. In the bottom part of his body, there were numerous fleshy gonads shaped like balls and suspended below his lower body like a bundle of grapes. Furthermore, he discovered four slender and long limbs that made him resemble a crab. The four limbs stuck out of the front, back, and the sides of the chest, which meant that there was no clear indication of which part of his body was front-facing. Without the limbs, his figure would resemble the figure of a gourd. Chen Chen slowly adapted to his new body and rose on his slender limbs. Standing upright, his body shattered the roof of the cave, scattering rocks and boulders around himself. This vision Chen Chen inspected his surroundings and quickly noticed that there was no color nor distinguishable shapes in the world of the Consciousness Stealer. All he could see were faint yellow blobs scattered in irregular patterns below his feet. These yellow blobs represented the Black Knights. Perhaps these yellow blobs represented life forms? Chen Chen looked up at the sun but could not make out the shape or form of the sun. All he could see within his vision was faint glimmers of radiation of which a color he could not describe. Is this the suns radiation waves? Chen Chen quickly understood that the vision of the Consciousness Stealer was different from that of regular humans. In the lens of the Consciousness Stealer, the world was composed of radiation waves. Sir Commander While Chen Chen was adjusting to this brand-new world, he heard a voice coming from below him. The multitudes of eyes glanced down and saw a tiny yellow blob. It was a Black Knight looking at him. It was X-112. Chen Chen recognized the identity of this voice immediately. Judging by the size of the radiation wave he sensed from this tiny figure, he estimated that the body which he resided in should stand at a hundred and fifty meters Chen Chen heard X-112 informing him, Ive prepared ten years worth of accumulated energy for you to consume. Energy? Chen Chen glowed at the suggestion. He had been starving for a decade since the moment of his birth and his body was aching with hunger. He immediately surveyed his surroundings and quickly noted the presence of food in a nearby warehouse. Without waiting for X-112s further prompts, Chen Chen evoked the power in his mind and tore the reinforced gate of the warehouse apart. The reinforced gate was instantly deformed and flung away into the sky with tremendous velocity that it did not hit the ground until it traveled more than ten kilometers away! Such powerful Field! Chen Chen was amused by this terrific display. Without any hesitation, he used Field to devour all the nutrient solutions stored in the warehouse. Hundreds of barrels of nutrient solutions were finished in seconds. After this, the aching hunger in his stomach was alleviated considerably. X-112. Chen Chen spoke. He did not possess the vocal cords humans do so he had to resort to simulating human speech by condensing and vibrating the air around him using Field. How are things in the Blacklight City? Everything is progressing well. X-112 replied, Due to the disappearance of the fleet ten years ago as well as your prolonged retirement, the city was in an unstable state for a short period. However, the problem was nothing too severe that I couldnt sort out in time. Thanks to the time machine, I was able to routinely carry resources from the other world and bring gradual improvements to Blacklight City. Its now the most prosperous city in the Joint Resistance Army. Excellent. Chen Chen was pleased to hear this. It wont be right for me to arrive at the city in this form. Ill try to revert to my original form and in the meantime, prepare the time machine for me. Ill be returning to the real world very soon. Understood. X-112 responded swiftly and waited for Chen Chen silently. Chen Chen shut his eyes and sensed every inch of particles on his body. Shortly after that, he was taken over by a mystical sense of clarity. Just as expected, his physical form was secondary to his psionic source which was the true foundation of his existence Upon forming this realization, the form of the Consciousness Stealer began to melt rapidly. Like a wax candle, the outer skin of the body was the first to melt. After that, the stratum corneum, then the internal organs, and the bones. Everything turned to wax while the power residing in the body became condensed and shrunk continuously Several hours later, the entire mass of flesh was rendered lifeless and useless. However, standing amid the puddle of flesh and bones was the silhouette of a human. The person took a light step forward and extended his arms out then took a deep, long drag. I feel powerful! Chen Chen commented. He felt endless power surging through his veins and his bones. This body was the culmination of the essence of the Consciousness Stealers body. Chen Chen sensed inside this body and he realized that this body was not the same as a common human shell. Put under an X-ray CT scan, one would come to find that this body was completely absent of any internal organs, bones, brain or any bodily structure whatsoever. The body was merely a replication of the human body. Chen Chens consciousness and power were present in every part of this shell. He had become an otherworldly life form like the Consciousness Stealer! Without a heart or brain, the body was essentially without any weakness. This was an impenetrable shell wherein even if it was torn apart, so long as there was a slice of flesh left intact, he could regain his form upon restoring his power! With this, Chen Chen was immortal! With this body, Chen Chen could not comprehend there could be an end to his time in this world. He felt like so long as he was in this body, he could live on forever Consequently, this body also inherited the power of the original body. If Chen Chen wanted to, he could revert to the form of a Consciousness Stealer after accumulating enough energy. All this power dwelling inside the body felt almost intoxicating. The tremendous strength of this body was not just a slight improvement. It was a transcendental improvement over his previous form. Sir Commander X-112 approached with a GS Combat Suit. Chen Chen put on the combat suit and nodded gratuitously at X-112. When he took a slow, composed step forward, his figure vanished. Several minutes later, Chen Chen arrived above Blacklight City without drawing any attention. He admired the city that was now flourishing and in an orderly manner. It seemed that X-112s work over the last decade had done a lot for the city. The city was completely revitalized. Chen Chen nodded with pleasure and with another leap, he arrived at the warehouse where the time machine was housed. The place was heavily guarded with Black Knights who greeted Chen Chen upon seeing him, then immediately returned to their posts as if nothing had ever happened. Chen Chen stepped onto the time machine platform and recalibrated to the real world. After that, he took off the combat suit and stood erect. The Black Knights posted by the time machine clicked the button for him. Humm The room filled with dizzying flashes as the surrounding equipment began to spin. Chen Chen felt his vision turning into a blur as he became plunged into an altered state between dream and reality. This was a familiar sensation to what he had felt on the Ark teleporter. The difference was that while the Ark teleporter transported someone from one point of the universe to another, the time machine from Terminator transported someone from one dimension to another. Despite the difference in functionality, there were still many similarities between the two devices. This was why Chen Chen was experiencing this strange sensation. When Chen Chen recalibrated himself, he found himself in a pitch-black underground space. His surroundings felt extremely familiar. This had to be the teleportation hall. When he saw Little X, he knew that his suspicions were proven right. After seeing the familiar sight of Little X, he redirected his gaze to a cryogenic chamber beside her. Upon approaching the cryogenic chamber, Chen Chen noticed that it was left unopened. He looked inside and saw a young man resting inside it. This persons eyes were shut tightly and the setup of the device suggested that he was not to be disturbed. This person was none other than the original Chen Chen. How does it feel looking at yourself? Little X asked. Its nothing worth noting. Chen Chen pointed at his head and stated disinterestedly, Its just like how youre able to switch bodies at will as well. As far as beings like us are concerned, our body is merely a shell for our conscience and at the end of the day, our conscience is where our true identity lies. Chapter 583 - Entering Event Horizon Chen Chen spent the following period making preparations for entering the Event Horizon dimension. The first thing he had to do was to memorize the plot of Event Horizon until he could recite the entire thing effortlessly. There was a good reason Chen Chen did not choose to borrow the space warp technology from the movie initially. Although the space warp machine was shown in the movie in the form of a large magnetic ball surrounded by two rings, the device was merely the central part of the system. There was no use only obtaining the core of the engine since Chen Chen required the full documentation of the space warp technology, which included the blueprint and all of the associated data. The only way to obtain these was to dive into the dimension. Chen Chen began arranging the sequences of events in the movie. The movie was played out in a chronological order that went like this: In 2015, mankind established the first permanent colony on the Moon. In 2032, mankind established a colony on Mars and began mining resources from Mars as well as its surrounding asteroid belt. In 2040, the first spaceship capable of utilizing time warp technology named the Event Horizon embarked on its maiden voyage. The purpose of this voyage was to determine the viability of space warp travel while the official announcement made to the world was that it was to explore the edges of the Solar System. However, two months after Event Horizon embarked, the entire spacecraft along with its hundreds of crew members disappeared without a trace while attempting to perform a warp drive in the regions of the planet Pluto The incident from that point on was remembered as the great disaster in the history of mankinds space venture. The story then jumped to 2047. On the day that was the seventh anniversary of Event Horizons disappearance, the spacecraft and its crew that was supposed to have met their demise suddenly appeared again on the edges of Pluto, the same spot where it attempted a warp drive jump seven years ago With its reappearance, NASA received a distress signal that originated seven years ago. A crew of rescuers along with the designer of the Event Horizon, Dr. William was dispatched to its location where they decrypted the distress signal that consisted of a series of screams and howls but Dr. Wiliam managed to make out a clear distress call being spoken- Liberate, Tutemet![1] This was the background of Event Horizon. The rest of the movie was an account of the rescue crews exploration in the Event Horizon. They soon found that all the humans on the spacecraft were dead and according to the voyage recorder, there was a terrible massacre on the spacecraft where all the crew members slaughtered each other. Many of their eyes were carved out of their sockets and what was even more bizarre was that these people seemed to have carved their eyes out voluntarily The plot continued progressing from there. The rescue crew who entered the Event Horizon began experiencing varying degrees of hallucination. The most vulnerable parts of their psyche were drawn out by these hallucinations and they began dropping like flies. At the end, even the most crucial member of the crew, Dr. Wlliam became dominated by an extraterrestrial demonic being. There was a certain quote in the movie by Dr. William that left a deep impression on Chen Chen while also greatly unsettling him C I created the Event Horizon to reach the stars, but shes gone much, much farther than that. She tore a hole in our universe, a gateway to another dimension. A dimension of pure chaos. Pure Evil. When she crossed over, she was just a ship. But when she came back In many ways, this movie was deeply connected with what Chen Chen had experienced thus far. Even during his previous confrontation with the former owner of the USB drive, he resorted to carving his eyes out to flip the situation in his favor. He had never expected that after all these years, he would have to face a similar predicament again. After familiarising himself with the plot, Chen Chen did not hesitate any longer and immediately downloaded the movie Event Horizon. Then, he transported himself and the USB drive to the end dimension before opening a portal leading to the world of Event Horizon. Chen Chen took this cautious approach in case the opening of the dimension caused a rippling effect on the real world. The nature of Event Horizon was too bizarre and unpredictable to take the risk. It was easily the strangest movie he had dealt with so far which warranted extreme caution. The opening of the portal was done at the remote island as usual. Behind Chen Chen, there were hundreds of Black Knights, all fully armored and ready for combat. Furthermore, five ultra-small reality anchors were specifically prepared for the occasion with two of them acting as a backup. With everything ready, the portal to the Event Horizon dimension was instantiated. As soon as the portal was established, the first group of Black Knights entered with a drive that contained X-112. They vanished into the tunnel inside the computer display. Meanwhile, the remaining Black Knights stood guard by the portal. One of the Black Knights stood alert with the reality anchor at the ready, ready to be activated the moment any monster was spotted exiting the portal. To Chen Chens surprise, the group of Black Knights returned very quickly. They relayed the happenings in the other dimension to Chen Chen. Another regular world From the obtained footage cast onto a virtual display, Chen Chen saw that the portal did not lead to the spaceship, but a location on Earth instead. Upon their arrival, they traveled only a short distance before arriving on a beach and spotted piles of bonfires arranged in the distance. There was a group of teenagers who seemed to be having a bonfire party by the beach. Upon witnessing this scene, Chen Chen took it to suggest that the dimension in Event Horizon was similar to Doom, a perfectly functional world. Unbelievable Chen Chen gawked in disbelief. The footage was replayed several times and there were still no major takeaways. With that, Chen Chen ordered X-112 to take control of the Black Knights and investigate further into the world. A day later, the Black Knights returned with an elaborate report. The current date inside the dimension was March 2047. A similar Earth Federation that united the nations was present. Apart from that, X-112 could not find anything else that stood out. 2047? Chen Chen displayed a ruminative look upon hearing of this. The plot of the movie was unraveled in 2047. Although the exact date was not specified, it was clear enough that the events depicted in the movie were about to happen. On that note, it made sense that the Black Knights could not find any information regarding the space warp technology since it was an extremely confidential governmental detail, the likes of which the common person would never gain access to. Chen Chen reflected on these findings and decided to put on a regular shirt and entered the dimension himself. He had the Black Knights posted by the entrance to guard it. The moment he stepped into the portal, his vision turned dark and all his senses became muffled. He did not panic since he was well familiar with this sensation by now. A beam of light penetrated Chen Chens vision as he found himself appearing undersea. He turned around and saw the pitch-black portal basked under the sea, then he proceeded to swim toward land. The nature of the portal was mystical as it had always been. Despite being drowned underwater, the seawater would not flow through it and enter the real world. Splash! Chen Chen stepped onto the beach completely drenched. He arrived in the middle of the night, compared to its lively state during the day. The beach during the night was tranquil and without much activity. Chen Chen could see one or two people strolling the beach, his appearance did not attract any attention otherwise. This is a beach in Miami, Northern America. Based on the gathered intel, he knew that this was a southern beach island of Miami. It was located in the southernmost part of the Northern America Continent and its geography made it the warmest region in the continent, with an average temperature of 19.5 degrees Celsius. There was no distinct separation of four seasons in Miami. The years were marked merely with wet and dry seasons. The warm heat of the sun, golden beaches, palm trees, and of course Girls in bikinis. This was Chen Chens general impression of the region. It was the ideal vacation spot for most people on the continent. After landing on the beach, Chen Chen used a tiny amount of Field to generate heat and dry himself off. He surveyed his surroundings briefly before obtaining a drive containing X-112 from a Black Knight and then put a wireless earphone into his ears. Sir Commander, whats the first move? X-112 spoke to Chen Chen from the earpiece. The first step is to determine whether the events in the movie have transpired or not. Chen Chen noted immediately, If this is before the movie begins, we may be able to persuade the Earth Federation to not dispatch a rescue team for the Event Horizon spacecraft and change the trajectory of the story. On the other hand, if it had already happened, then we may need to be careful Theres a potential for a catastrophic event. Chen Chen looked at the hotel nearby the beach. X-112, have some Black Knights posted by the hotel to prevent anyone discovering the passage. In the meantime, try to collect any additional clues. Understood. X-112 responded by having the Black Knights salute the commander Chen Chen then she marched them to the hotel. Chen Chen gazed at the stars above then proceeded toward the city center. It was 2040 in the real world and 2047 in this dimension. Chen Chen strolled the streets of Miami and noted minimal differences from the real world. The city was decorated with dazzling neon lights and 3D projections everywhere. Futuristic buildings spanned across the skylines like in the real world. This entire world was a photocopy of the real world. Chen Chen was dressed the same as any other person in the streets of Miami to avoid drawing any unwanted attention. Whenever he brushed past other people, the dollar bills in their pocket would slip out unnoticed and enter Chen Chens pocket. After taking a short walk around the city, there was a large wad of cash in Chen Chens pockets. By this point, most people had transitioned to mobile wallets but there was still a small population who stuck with using cash. Chen Chen took advantage of this nostalgic population. Chen Chen took out several dollar bills to inspect them. They looked slightly different from their real-world variant and the printed date on the money read 2030. It seemed like the old previous American dollar bills had been replaced with new editions. Chen Chen bought some newspapers with his borrowed money. With just several glances, he digested all the information on the newspapers. However, the information in the newspaper was still too fragmented to provide any substantial information. He decided to head toward the city hall located at the center of the city. The internal network hub must be located in the city hall. If he could connect X-112 to the network, he could access whatever information he wanted. Chen Chen attended to the task right away. First, he found a vacant alleyway then leaped into the sky. This wondrous display was camouflaged under the darkness of the night and he went to the city hall more than ten kilometers away. There was a vacant room in the city hall where windows were left open. Chen Chen entered uninvited. Pretty nice place. Chen Chen surveyed the interior. It was 2047 and the futuristic design of the office certainly reflected the era as well. There were transparent bars and matte polished desks with clear transparent displays built into them. Everything in the office gave it a modern impression. Chen Chen did not pay any more attention than needed to its decoration. He proceeded to connect X-112s drive to the main computer and waited silently. Beep! The computer booted up as soon as X-112 was inserted. The display turned on without noise and a stream of data appeared on the screen. This was a sign of X-112 hacking into the internal network. Despite human rapid technological advancement, it was still inferior to the advanced programming of Little Xs clone. The network firewall was promptly and nearly effortlessly breached by X-112. Only several minutes later, X-112 declared, Ive hacked into the central network and filtering data. It will only take several minutes. Considering the sheer scale of Northern Americas national database over the years, only needing several minutes was an astounding speed in itself. Chen Chen nodded and waited patiently. Inside the city hall basked under the moonlight, Chen Chen took a seat and waited quietly. In time, the display began displaying information that may interest Chen Chen. [28 March 2033. Dr. William developed the space warp engine and established his position as one of the most important engineers in Northern America. The warp engine project was classified as a tier S secret] [1 January 2035. The Northern American Congress unanimously decided on approving the construction project for the Event Horizon experimental spacecraft. 300 billion U.S. dollars was allocated for the project] [30 September 2039, the Event Horizon spacecraft was completed at the Yodel interstellar spaceport] [29 May 2040, Event Horizon embarked on its maiden voyage, the purpose was to experiment with its capabilities. The crew includes the commander of the Third Fleet Battleship, Colonel Wilson] [1] A Latin phrase that can be implied both as save me! or save yourself!. Chapter 584 - Accidental Discovery With Earth Federations aerospace technology, it would take roughly fifty to sixty days to travel from Earth to Pluto. The current date was the first of March 2047. This meant that the rescue crew may have reached Pluto already by now The events of the movie were already transpiring. Chen Chen was puzzled by these circumstances. The USB drive did not connect him to a time before the events of the movie happened nor after, but right as the events of the movie were happening? With every extract queried by X-112, his expression became darker. Since everything was already set into motion, that meant that unbeknownst to this thriving civilization in this world, a catastrophic event that would threaten the fate of mankind was about to happen several billion kilometers away! The devastation of this civilization was near-inevitable at this point. There was another odd facet that Chen Chen had noticed. When he opened the portal to Event Horizon, he was certain that the image was fixed on the interior of the Event Horizon spaceship. However, the passage took him to Earth instead. Based on the behavior of the USB drive so far, the portal should lead to the exact location he had selected. This was the case when accessing the Doom dimension. The reason he managed to flank the Ark base unaware was that the portal appeared in the middle of the base without any warning. Similarly, the portal led directly to the Hive when accessing the Resident Evil world. The same pattern was noticed when accessing Elysium where the portal was opened in the exact appointed location. The only other time something similar had happened was in the Prometheus dimension. Although he was certain he had paused the frame at the Prometheus spacecraft, the portal led to Earth instead. It seemed like the same thing had happened again. Could this mean that the USB drive portal could not be established in a still-moving spacecraft? Chen Chen weighed the possibility of his findings. It was very likely that the USB drive was unable to establish a portal in a constantly moving object, which meant a still-moving spacecraft was not a viable medium. The explanation for how a portal could be successfully established in the space base in Elysium may be due to the fact that the space base itself was set up in the earths orbit which was in perfect synchronization with the earths rotation. This was a plausible explanation Chen Chen contemplated silently. Right then, the display suddenly turned into a blur as if it received some form of signal interruption. All of the extracted information vanished without warning. Meanwhile, X-112 immediately informed, Sir Commander, the Northern American Cyber Security department is retaliating. They have determined our coordinates. I cant continue extracting from their database any longer! Thats alright, we can retreat now. Chen Chen immediately unplugged X-112 from the computer and then retreated from the city hall, disappearing into the darkness of the night. Only several minutes after his departure, several heavily armed security guards barged into the office. One of the guards was a large, blonde-haired man with an intense temperament. He surveyed the office cautiously and looked at the computer that was left idle, then at the still-opened window. He raised a walkie-talkie and reported, Seal the building, the suspect cant have gotten too far yet, search the place immediately The entire city hall was locked down almost immediately after that. It was going to be a long night for the city hall security force. However, their efforts would turn out to be in vain. While they were turning every stone in the compound, Chen Chen was already departing Miami. He was heading for the NASA headquarters by this point. NASA stood for the Northern American Space Agency. The organizations headquarters was located in Washington and from what Chen Chen gathered, most of the top-secret details were stored in offline storage. This meant that there was no way of obtaining them even with the help of X-112. To obtain the technical details of the space warp engine, he would have to run an errand in person. The night sky was black as ink and Chen Chen swept across the sky at supersonic speed. Within an hour, he had traveled across half of the continent and arrived at his destination, Washington. Although it was 2047, the city still retained most of its original creations. There was an established pattern where the more advanced human civilization became, the more value they placed on traditional relics and creations for the sake of nostalgia. It was ironic how people of the past strived to make changes but their later generations strived to retain the relics of ancient times. This was mostly seen with antiques and buildings constructed in older times. Washington was no exception to this observation. The White House, with its two hundred and fifty years, still stood undisturbed. It was the symbol of Northern America and also doubled as the political center of the continent. While Chen Chen was traversing across the NASA headquarters, he suddenly caught a bright column light emitted from the ground up, striking him mid-air! This white column of light was essentially a laser beam. There was nothing Chen Chen could do about a projectile fired at light speed. He felt a burning sensation across his chest as the laser pierced through his body and he looked at his wound in horror. A large hole formed in the center of his chest and penetrated it cleanly. The flesh edges of the wound were charred as well! Laser weaponry? Chen Chen was taken aback by this. He swooped to the surface without a second thought, making it seem like he was struck and immobilized by the laser! Thump! Chen Chen crashed into a street from several hundred meters in the sky and landed on a car parked by the roadside. The roof of the car caved inward immediately upon collision! I hit it! There was the sound of distant cheering from the NASA base. A man in a suit and sunglasses ran to his comrades with a glittering silver spear that seemed to be a laser weapon in his hand and bragged, Jenny, that guy was flying around up there! Dont approach it yet, Carter! Another voice called out to the man who was eagerly celebrating. We havent verified if its dead or alive yet. Since its able to fly, theres a chance that its a very dangerous entity. We have to be cautious around it! Shortly after that, five figures arrived down the road. Each one of them was in suits and wore a pair of dark sunglasses and wielded a silver-colored high-tech weapon. Some were shaped like a gun while others were like a mere baton. Inform the superiors. The only woman among the group spoke, Tell them we found humans possessing flight abilities. The rest of you remain on guard, make sure to erase the memory of the people who witnessed this scene to avoid raising an alarm! Understood. The five of them approached Chen Chen. One of them produced a metal rod and turned to a small audience that was attracted by the commotion and yelled, Look this way, ladies and gentlemen- Click! The metal rod emitted a blinding flash that threw the onlookers into a state of daze. The man who previously opened fire at Chen Chen and another four members slowly approached the downed target. When they noticed the scorching hole burnt into Chen Chens chest, they were placated. As far as they were concerned, anyone who sustained an injury of this degree was undoubtedly dead! However, the surrounding atmosphere suddenly froze as an eerie silence took over the night They felt as if all the air in this space was stripped away. It was an odd sensation that they had never experienced before. They exchanged confused glances with each other and all realized that they were suddenly unable to breathe! It was as if the air in their surroundings had turned into a solid mass and would not flow anymore. Unable to draw oxygen in their lungs, they could only wait for their death to arrive What, whats going on? They stumbled backward with their arms around their throat and gaped at the corpse on top of the crumpled car. At that moment, the body of the supposed corpse suddenly jolted and rose! You dare to shoot me? A piercing glare appeared in Chen Chens eyes. With a subtle gesture, he lifted all five of them into the air and they were completely immobilized by an invisible chain wrapped around them tightly. The man who previously shot at Chen Chen had it the worst. Blood was spilling out of his nose and ears and his eyes rolled backward! Let me go! The only woman in the group howled like a caged beast. Chen Chen sensed a familiar energy swelling within each of them. Like bubbles breaking through still waters surface, this energy threatened to repel his Field! However, their power was too feeble to render themselves free. Only the woman managed to barely squeeze herself out of Chen Chens Field. She produced a metal rod from her waist and with a flick, a bolt of laser appeared from it and she charged at Chen Chen with the weapon ready. Lightsaber? Chen Chen was taken aback by this and seemed to have understood something. He only squinted at the approaching enemys direction and summoned a tremendous charge of Field and slammed it into her! Boom! The tremendous force flung her into a wall on the opposite end of the street! Stop! It was around this point when Chen Chen heard a slightly familiar voice that seemed to call out to him from a distance. He only spared a glance at the direction in which the voice came from and proceeded to ignore it and redirect his attention to the man who previously shot a hole in his chest. Poof! In an instant, the mans head burst into a cloud of mist and his body sloped lifelessly! Carter! The others screamed upon witnessing the traumatizing sight of their comrade murdered. Meanwhile, the person who previously called out to Chen Chen had entered the range of his Field. Chen Chen could make out that this person was a Chinese man like himself! Let them go! The Chinese man who arrived was enraged upon seeing the sight of his subordinates butchered mercilessly. Instead of using conventional weapons, he only motioned subtly with his hand and summoned a black slate in the center of his palm that appeared out of thin air! Zoom! The moment this person produced the black slate, Chen Chen felt a pang of pain deep inside his mind. It felt like there was a tremor in the deepest corners of his mind that disoriented so greatly he could not maintain control of his Field for the first time ever. He hugged his head in pain and let out an agonizing roar like that of a beast. When Chen Chen lost control of Field, the three remaining survivors suspended in the air were dropped onto the hard concrete. They caught their breath urgently and immediately lifted their weapons, aimed at Chen Chen, and fired! Three bolts of lasers exited their guns and pierced through Chen Chen. However, they were appalled to see that the laser merely pierced through an afterimage of their target. Chen Chens supersonic maneuver produced a tremendous sonic explosion, then he reappeared several hundred meters away! What, how did he manage to dodge the Civilization Monolith? They looked at Chen Chen in exasperation and complete astonishment. After creating some distance between himself and the opponent, Chen Chen noticed that he managed to wring himself of the effects of the black slate. He shot a cautious look at the mysterious man who appeared last, then he produced a large hourglass-like device from his bag. Thump! Chen Chen thrust the device into the ground and forcefully plunged it close to a hundred meters underground using Field. An invisible shockwave swept through a large radius around it. His opponents immediately sensed that the powers that they took pride in had somehow been suppressed completely! Impossible! Our Force was suppressed! The members who were just rescued by their ally cried out in vexation. They quickly aimed their weapons at Chen Chen again and fired. With a quick stomp on the ground, Chen Chens figure vanished again, this time disappearing completely from their line of sight! D*mn it, I cant hit him, hes too fast! They cursed out loud. The recently-arrived member who seemed to be the leader announced, Everyone retreat, weve caused a large enough commotion that the officials are going to notice soon. We cant afford to stay here! With that, he quickly carried the heavily wounded woman lying on the ground and prepared to leave. They halted as soon as they bolted into a nearby alleyway and looked ahead of them with fright. Amid the darkness only a short distance away, they saw Chen Chens figure standing menacingly like a demon. It occurred to them that this man who possessed terrifying speed would not allow them to leave in peace! Just what do you want! The leader of the group raised his voice and summoned the black slate in the center of his palms again. Dont you dare get close to us, Ill kill you for real this time! Its not what I want, its what you guys want. Although Chen Chen was beyond earshot, his voice somehow traveled into their ears. You guys were the ones who attacked me first, Im only retaliating. The man fell into an awkward silence. He considered for a moment then locked his teeth and answered, I admit its our fault, but youve already killed the guy who attacked you, so were square now! Oh? Chen Chen found himself chuckling at this bold suggestion and mocked condescendingly, The great Zhao Shanhe, holder of the dimension key, the one who united mankind and established the Earth Federation is proposing such a whimsical compromise? They were petrified upon hearing Chen Chens words. The leader of the group was especially provoked by this and he looked at Chen Chen like he saw a ghost. Who are you and how did you know who I am? Who am I? The sharp question made Chen Chens laughter grow louder to a point where he was roaring with laughter. Hahahaha, dont you know how closely related we are! Oh my dear Zhao Shanhe, would you believe it? I was the one who gave you the dimension key you have in your hands now! Hahahahaha! Chapter 585 - Swindling Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation The man whom Chen Chen identified as Zhao Shanhe was baffled. What, youre the former owner of the dimension key? While endless waves were flapping about in his mind, Chen Chen was similarly astounded by this discovery as well. The moment he saw this man appear, he recognized that it was Zhao Shanhe, the one who he met in the past inside the quantum computer, Adam! In the video Zhao Shanhe had left behind, he clearly stated that he would venture into the dimension of Event Horizon without specifying a reason. Chen Chen determined that Zhao Shanhe had probably met his demise in the Event Horizon dimension and yet, the exact person in question appeared before him! Was it a timeline disturbance? Or perhaps this was the work of another party? Countless speculations raced through Chen Chens mind. He decided that he would need to come up with a believable scheme to extract more information. Of course, who else were you expecting? Chen Chen remarked with a coy smile, Were you expecting Wang Xi? You, you even know about Professor Wang Xi Zhao Shanhes expression was fixed with shock. Upon noting this reaction, Chen Chen became surer of his initial suspicion. Just as expected, Professor Wang Xi must be closely related to the USB drive! This was something he had determined a long time ago when the professor suddenly disappeared, but now he had a clearer confirmation of the fact. Youre a student of Shangdu Jiao Tong University, thats also where you obtained the dimension key. Meanwhile, the black slate in your hand, Civilization Monolith, comes from 2001: A Space Odyssey. Chen Chen went on, his whispers passing into their ears from a distance. The powers you refer to as the Force originated from Star Wars. Your outfit is inspired by Men in Black, which is also where you obtained the memory eraser Is everything Ive said true so far? Does this mean that you were the one who planted the antimeme? A wipe of hatred appeared in Zhao Shanhes eyes. You planted the antimeme and forced me into this Event Horizon dimension. What are you plotting? What am I plotting? Chen Chen raised an eyebrow at the accusation and froze briefly. All this time, he assumed that Zhao Shanhe was the person behind the antimeme but now it seemed like Zhao Shanhe was a victim just like himself. Could this mean that someone else was responsible for the antimeme? Could the former owner before Zhao Shanhe be Professor Wang Xi? Were all of these the calculated schemes of the professor? Again, countless conspiracy theories formed in Chen Chens mind. He tried to obtain a clearer picture of the current circumstances and stated solemnly, Im a victim of the I Saw You! meme just like yourself. I gave you the dimension key because I saw the potential in you. After all, we can only erase the antimeme by coming here, isnt it? From the footage Zhao Shanhe had left behind in the past, he must have come to the Event Horizon after suffering the effects of the antimeme. He must have seen certain prospects in the movie to have done so! Chen Chen speculated. You too? A tint of suspicion rose in Zhao Shanhes eyes upon hearing Chen Chens claims. He hesitated briefly and wondered. Was I mistaken all along? Maybe the former owner wasnt Professor Wang Xi but this young man here instead? The two of them were not ready to lay their cards on the table just yet. Their dialogue had shocked Zhao Shanhes subordinates to the core. We should join forces. After dropping this atomic revelation, Chen Chen suggested. You and I share the same goal and that is to find some way to get rid of the antimeme and explore the secrets of the dimension key. Theres no reason for us to be enemies. We should be on the same side. An uncertain look surfaced in Zhao Shanhes eyes. He did not know whether he could trust this young man or not. How did you get here if you dont have the dimension key? Zhao Shanhe was not entirely convinced yet and enquired further. I have my methods. Chen Chen smiled. Just as he was about to continue swindling Zhao Shanhe, the urgent blaring of police sirens coming from the distance interrupted their conversation. The commotion caused by their previous battle had drawn the attention of the Washington police department. Looks like this isnt the best time to talk, Ill see you soon. Chen Chen smiled and retreated into the darkness, departing them immediately. Zhao Shanhe clenched his teeth, a small part of him wanted to pursue this mysterious man but ultimately decided against it. He gave a signal to his subordinates, suggesting their retreat as well. Several minutes later, Chen Chen retrieved the reality anchor he had placed earlier and sat atop the rooftop of a building. He silently looked at the modernistic city before him, his eyes wore a pensive look. Zhao Shanhe, so it truly is Zhao Shanhe Chen Chen commented to himself with a slight frown, Based on his reaction, it doesnt seem like he recognizes me. This does add up considering he came from the early 2000s timeline. This means that he mustve come here using the USB drive passage just like I did. How very mysterious. Were separated by four decades in the real world but managed to meet each other under such strange circumstances in this Event Horizon dimension. But it seems like hes taken a different approach. While I employ Black Knights without conscience, he has a team of real people. It seems like his method of exploring alternate dimensions is by building an elite task force. By now, Chen Chen was beginning to gain an understanding of how Zhao Shanhe managed to unite the nations and establish the Earth Federation. His elite forces are nothing. It doesnt matter if they have the Force that comes from Star Wars or the technology from Men in Black, all those are inconsequential to me. However, the black slate he summoned in his hand is interesting 1 Chen Chen reflected on the previous confrontation. If Im not mistaken, it comes from 2001: A Space Odyssey. His reaction when I pointed it out proves it, but why do they call it the Civilization Monolith? What does it mean? Chen Chen dug through countless sci-fi films and 2001: A Space Odyssey was certainly one of the classics among them. This movie was a sci-fi thriller released in 1968. It was a genre-defining film that fully showcased the directors imagination with its stream of conscious oriented plot. It was a marvelous film and anyone who spoke against its impact on the genre as a whole certainly did not know a thing about filmmaking. The movie began in the ancient ages when humans were still apes. This was until a day when the apes discovered a certain black slate. It permeated a shockwave which altered the apes brain structure and from there on, the apes started to learn to create tools and how to properly utilize them. The message was that the emergence of mankind was an orchestrated event all along. The movie then cut to the present time when humans once again discovered the same slate on the Moon. The slate emitted a bolt of laser that pointed at the planet Jupiter. To unravel what the slate was hinting at, mankind dispatched several astronauts accompanied by an artificial intelligence entity to Jupiter. However, on the way to Jupiter, the artificial intelligence malfunctioned. The crew of astronauts immediately took action and shut down the artificial intelligence controlling their spacecraft. This was because a malfunctioned artificial intelligence may no longer be entrusted with the task of navigating their spaceship in case it made any further error that could worsen their circumstances. However, while the crew was discussing their plans to shut down the artificial intelligence, their ploys were overheard by the artificial intelligence. It set up countless traps on the spaceship and killed all of the astronauts on board save for one who managed to turn it off at the cost of his own life. In the end, they reached the black slate on Jupiter End. Apart from the initial segment of awakening the brains of the apes, the movie did not go further into what the black slate was capable of. However, it was reasonable to assume that it was some sort of highly sophisticated extraterrestrial entity. It seemed to manage to disrupt Chen Chens brain waves and interrupt his channeling of Field. There was no telling what else it was capable of. Civilization Monolith, Civilization Monolith Chen Chen chanted the name religiously and seemed to gain enlightenment by doing so. Judging by the name, could it be a written scripture on the basis of civilization? What is the basis of civilization? Is it science? Humans? Perhaps its nature? No, its not Chen Chen felt like he was close to grasping its meaning. In the movie, this black slate enlightened the apes and inspired the foundation of civilization, paving a pathway to modern science. Based on this observation, could the black slate be a guide of some sort? Was its purpose to navigate the course of human civilization? Chen Chen thought about this for what seemed like forever before deciding there was no need to contemplate the subject any further. At the end of the day, there was no need for him to treat Zhao Shanhe as an enemy. Strictly speaking, there should not be any animosity between himself and Zhao Shanhe, especially considering Zhao Shanhe was probably already deceased in his timeline, which was how the USB drive came to accept Chen Chen as its new owner. There was no need for Chen Chen to quarrel with a dead man. On the contrary, he would much rather employ the help of Zhao Shanhe to unravel the secrets of the USB drive. Provided that Zhao Shanhe was not the person behind the antimeme that was meant to kill him. This was where another mystery arose again. If Zhao Shanhe was not responsible for the antimeme, then who was it that pulled him into the dream world? No, Chen Chen was entering a territory where his speculations may be false due to a lack of information Another possibility soon came to Chen Chen. Perhaps Zhao Shanhe failed to wring himself free of this antimeme even after arriving at this dimension. Eventually, he resorted to attempting to fuse his powers with the antimeme in this dimension to Chen Chen chuckled at the ludicrous idea. One way or another, it did not matter if it was Zhao Shanhe behind the antimeme or not. His only goal now was to take advantage of Zhao Shanhe without his knowledge and obtain more information about the USB drive. After having made up his mind, Chen Chen stomped on the tile below his feet and flew off. The most important thing now was to acquire the space warp technology Chen Chen returned to the NASA headquarters under the camouflage of the night sky. Although it was at the height of midnight, the NASA headquarters building was still occupied. Chen Chen entered from one of the windows. In a certain command hub designated for receiving communication signals from outer space, there was a team of NASA personnel. They were sweating profusely with their eyes fixed on the display above them. General, the rescue team have Failed their mission! An elderly member who stood at the head of the desk promptly held his fingers over a button with a heavy expression over him. The rescue team has successfully reached the Event Horizon but they failed to find any survivors on the spacecraft. To make matters worse, some kind of incident seemed to have occurred and the rescue spacecraft was destroyed in the process What, the rescue spacecraft is destroyed? A frantic voice came out from the other end of the communication channel. D*mn it, what happened to Dr. William? Hes the designer of the space warp engine and we cannot afford to lose him. Ill have you all fired if something happens to him! That wont be necessary yet The elderly man sighed with relief and quickly explained, Dr. William is still alive. The other remaining survivors are Richard Jones and another female crew member. All three of them are inside the hibernation chambers now and well be dispatching another rescue team to collect them. The one at the bow of the Event Horizon? The voice on the other end sounded confused. Let me explain, general. The elderly man began explaining, During the design process of the Event Horizon, it was decided that it would be split into two sections. The bow and the hull are separated parts that remain functional even if detached from one another. The idea is that even if the wrap control engine located in the hull malfunctioned and cannot be salvaged, the bow and hull will be separated immediately. This way, we can at least ensure the safety of the crew on the Event Horizon But the Event Horizon still went missing for seven years! The general barked fiercely. Theres not much we can do about that. The elderly man explained again patiently, Till now, we have no explanation for what happened seven years ago and we have no idea where the Event Horizon went off to in that period. The good news is that Dr. William is still alive and has also retrieved the black box in the Event Horizon. Upon their return, we should be able to find out just what happened to it in these seven years. Lets hope so. With that, the call ended without a formal farewell. Phew The elderly man heaved a sigh of relief. The reason he was made the current director of NASA in the first place was the Event Horizon mishap seven years ago which had forced the previous director to step down. This was how the position became vacant and allowed him to take over as the new director. This time, the rescue teams incident was entirely on his shoulders. Fortunately, Dr. William was still safe and sound. This meant that he was only going to be harshly reprimanded but his position should be secure. As far as the elderly man was concerned, this was as good as it could be. After that, he tapped another button and cast an image on the display. It was the live feed from somewhere in the distant universe. A row of cryogenic chambers with transparent covers positioned upright could be seen on the display. Inside two cryogenic chambers, the silhouette of a person could be vividly seen inside them. This was footage from the Event Horizon showing that the crew members had now entered a cryogenic state as they were instructed to. Hm? Why are there only two occupied cryogenic chambers? Isnt there someone missing? The elderly man was mildly disturbed by this observation. He tapped the refresh button to obtain the latest footage. It took eight minutes for light to travel from the Sun to Earth and a whopping 6.8 hours for light to travel from Pluto to Earth. This meant that to obtain the latest footage on the Event Horizon, they would have to wait six to seven hours. Six to seven hours filled with agitation Chapter 586 - An Additional Person Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Where would the electronic and paper documents of the space warp technology be kept? Chen Chen searched through some offices and thought of invading NASAs intranet in the same way as before. Unfortunately, the computers in these offices were all linked to external networks. Chen Chen had searched for a long time and found no trace of the intranet. If he could not access the intranet, naturally, he could not find the data on the space warp engine. Chen Chen noticed that the sky was gradually turning pale with daylight as groups of employees walked toward the building. He knew that if he continued to linger here, he would be discovered. Although it was not a big deal even if he were discovered, NASA would become more vigilant and guard their secrets more fiercely. Thus, Chen Chen had to turn around and retreat, leaving the NASA headquarters building. Sir Commander, what should we do next? X-112 asked, The space warp engine technology has become the top secret of NASA and even the entire Northern American Continent. Im afraid that few of those in the entire senior management would know about it and it will be difficult to obtain data if we dont use some special methods. No rush. Chen Chen frowned. According to the timeline, the plot of the movie has just ended not long ago. Although the destruction of this world is close at hand, all of Earth should still be safe as long as the rescue spacecraft hasnt returned. We have a safety period of about fifty days or so. No matter what, this much time is enough for us to get the space warp engine technology So, well just do what we always do. As he spoke, Chen Chen spread out his hands and a God chip as small as a fingernail appeared in his palm NASAs full name was the Northern American Space Agency and the directors name was Frank. Frank felt that something strange had happened on the Event Horizon Every six hours, he checked the footage sent from the Event Horizon but the image only showed people in the two cryogenic chambers while the rest of the cryogenic chambers were empty. Frank was thoroughly puzzled by this scene. The distress record sent back clearly indicated that three people survived but why are there only two people in the cryogenic chambers? Frank felt that his heart was going to burst from anxiety. Wheres the remaining person? Why didnt all of them enter the cryogenic chamber? He did not know and he did not understand. It would take at least fifty days for the spaceship to return to Earth from Pluto, which meant that no rescue would happen within fifty days. Then, in the bow of the Event Horizon, without any supplies, how was the remaining person going to survive? Frank wanted to contact them but all the messages he sent out vanished into the void without a response. In this ambiguous state of affairs, he had been at the headquarters for three days. Finally, he could not stand it anymore and left his work unit. The full-time driver drove him back to his home. Frank only felt groggy in his head. He set the next alarm directly and lay down on the bed, falling into a deep sleep with no regard for his familys inquiries. In the middle of the night, a dark shadow slowly descended from the sky and landed on the lawn of the villa in the suburbs of Washington. Click! There were a few bright flashes and the black shadow walked into the villa as if there were no one around. Behind him were a few housekeepers who stood rooted to the spot with blank eyes. This is it. Chen Chen stood in the lobby of the villa, looked up to the second floor, then walked directly in and saw the old man Frank still sleeping in his bed. The smell in the room was a little filthy, with a faint odor that was unique to the elderly. Click. After he locked the door casually, Chen Chen took out several medical tools from the bundle he had carried and stuck one of the needles into the old mans slack arm in front of him. Hiss? Frank was awakened by the feeling of being pierced by the needle. He blankly looked at the strange man beside the bed. He wanted to exclaim in alarm but found that no matter how he tried, there was no sound coming from his throat. Youre very tired now, very tired Chen Chen and the old man gazed at each other. Suddenly, Frank only felt that the eyes of the man in front of him were like two dark bottomless pools. He stared dazedly and then an irresistible wave of sleepiness struck him again. This time, Frank passed out completely. At this, Chen Chen nodded in satisfaction. Chen Chen turned the old man over so that the old man was lying on his stomach in bed while Chen Chen picked up the scalpel next to him and started to cut proficiently Within a few minutes of work, the old mans cervical vertebrae were exposed to the air. Chen Chen used medical cotton to absorb the blood from the old mans neck and then implanted the God chip into it. After doing all this, he took out tweezers and other tools again to patch back the old mans skin layer by layer. He glued the skin using a bio-adhesive. As he bonded layer after layer, soon there was only a one-centimeter-long red mark on the back of the old mans neck. Then, Chen Chen took out a bottle of spray again and sprayed it on the old mans wound. This spray could activate human stem cells and accelerate wound healing. In reality, it was a military-grade strategic material. After its use, the wound of the old man would disappear completely within two or three days. After doing all this, Chen Chen turned and left without any delay. It was not until noon the next day that Frank woke up lazily. He only felt a swollen ache in his head. His body was numb and powerless as if he had experienced a hangover. Whats the matter, my body Frank sat up weakly, then tilted his head, and suddenly felt a tingling pain in the back of his neck. Hiss The piercing ache even made him inhale sharply. Frank hurriedly touched the back of his neck, but he could not feel anything. It was just that the skin was aching faintly. As he pressed down gently, the sharp tingling sensation grew stronger. Huh? Frank stood up a little bewilderedly and walked straight to the bathroom. In the bathroom, he held up a round mirror and at the same time, with the help of the mirror in front of the sink, he saw that there was a light red scratch on the back of his neck. When did I get hurt? Frank was a little puzzled but then he cast the matter aside because the entire NASA had been going crazy recently, and he had more important work to do. Thus, after a hurried breakfast at home, Frank had no time to accompany his family before he went to NASA headquarters again, picked up by the full-time driver. We still havent made contact with the crew member who didnt enter the cryogenic chamber? As soon as he entered the command hall, Frank asked quickly. Mr. Director, we have not. The group of researchers with bloodshot eyes, who had stayed up all night, immediately replied. Compared to Frank, this group of researchers had to work even harder and many of them had not been home for a week. Why hasnt the person gone in yet? Frank only felt a little confused. After so many days, even if someone had not entered the cryogenic chamber at first, they should enter now, unless that person was not on the Event Horizon at all However, he did not know that at this moment, everything he saw in his eyes and everything he heard in his ears was observed by Chen Chen in secret. It turns out that the Event Horizon began its return four or five days ago Chen Chen sat in a temporarily rented apartment and silently looked at the screen in front of him. The image on the screen was composed of two circles. The two circles were arranged side by side, one on the left and one on the right, with a large section overlapping in the middle. At the same time, the closer the image was to the edge, the more blurry it became, just like a picture taken by two fisheye lenses. The lenses image on the screen was of Franks eyes. Chen Chen silently looked at everything from Franks perspective, but his expression became more and more serious. When he saw the rescue plea sent by the Event Horizon, he even stood up in shock. What? Three people survived? At this moment, Chen Chen only felt a chill run down his spine. He knew the plot of Event Horizon very well, so of course, he knew that the ending of the movie should only have two people escaping. How could there be one more person? Chen Chen continued to look at the list of the three people: Cooper, that was, the black man in the movie with an extraordinary attitude; Lieutenant Starck, that was, the woman who survived, and the remaining one was Dr. Weir! Dr. Weir Chen Chen stared at the name, his eyes full of solemnity. With his brain power, it was impossible for Chen Chen to have memory problems. Therefore, it was Dr. Weir who was the problem. In the movies story, Dr. Weir had been eroded by the darkness and turned into a demon-like existence. In the end, the rescue team captain triggered the bomb and died together with Dr. Weir. Only then could the two survivors escape from the ship of the Event Horizon. Chen Chen could not possibly have remembered this plot incorrectly. However, now, the name of Dr. Weir had appeared on the list of survivors. There are only two people in the cryogenic chambers. Is he still looking for a third person? Chen Chen also understood Franks thoughts at this time and then he shook his head. The third person was Dr. Weir, but Dr. Weir was dead. How could he appear in the cryogenic chamber? Chen Chen seemed to have foreseen how humankind in this world would be destroyed. He continued watching the screen. At this time, through Franks eyes, he saw the footage sent from the Event Horizon, which was an image of the cryogenic chambers. The technology of the cryogenic chambers in the dimension of the Event Horizon was the same as reality. One would be injected with a shot of antifreeze agent and then enter cryogenic sleep in the cryogenic chamber. The only difference was that here, the chamber was placed vertically. After someone had entered, the interior was filled with liquid that could withstand strong acceleration, before cryogenic sleep began. As soon as they woke up, the sleeper would have moved from the earth to the position of Plutos orbit, which was extremely convenient. At this time, due to the transmission limits of the long distance from Pluto to the earth, the image signal was a bit distorted, but one could just about make out the cryogenic chambers. Most of the cryogenic chambers were empty, except for two which contained human figures. It was not clear who the people inside were. NASA has sent a rescue spacecraft. X-112 suddenly said, At the same time, the Event Horizon is also returning to Earth on the same route. About 25 days later, the two spacecraft will be able to dock and meet, and the Event Horizon will return to Earth in 50 days. Chen Chen thought for a while and seemed to be calculating something. In this case, we can try to prevent the end of this dimension from happening. What should we do? X-112 was suddenly curious. Interstellar sweeper. Chen Chen said curtly. The so-called interstellar sweeper was a surface-to-sky super missile developed with the ultra-long-range intelligent missile technology from the dimension of Elysium during the military competition between Blacklight Biotechnology and the Earth Federation in the past decade. What did surface-to-sky mean? It was different from surface-to-air. Surface-to-air missiles only included tactical missiles that were shot from the ground to flying targets in the sky while surface-to-sky missiles were strategic missiles that could be shot directly from the ground to high-speed flying targets in outer space. This missile had four-stage rocket boosters. Each booster stage had a gravity adjustment device, independent infrared and thermal imaging guidance systems, long-range environmental sensors, digital barriers, micro-fusion thrusters Almost all cutting-edge technologies could be seen on this missile! The interstellar sweeper had a range of up to 400 million kilometers and could shoot to Mars directly from the earth. Its speed was 11.2 kilometers per second in the atmosphere and the highest speed outside the atmosphere was 30,000 kilometers per second, which was a tenth of the speed of light. The biggest advantage of this kind of missile was that it was a single-soldier unit. All in all, it did not exceed one hundred kilograms, and it could be wielded by an XTN robot. It could be said that today, the interstellar sweeper missile was the pinnacle of technological creation by the Blackwatch Corporation. The moment X-112 heard the name interstellar sweeper, X-112 immediately understood that Sir Commanders intention must be to destroy the Event Horizon and the rescue spacecraft directly in space before they reached the earth. Although there were two survivors on the Event Horizon and a dozen innocent people on the newly dispatched rescue spacecraft, Chen Chen could not care about that. He still did not know where the Event Horizon had been, what was brought back from there, and what was the thing that could infect humans and turn them crazy enough to kill each other. He could not be certain whether the rescue team would be controlled and infected by some mysterious thing after contact with Event Horizon, so he could only eliminate all of these contacts. Perhaps this could create a chance for the survival of human civilization in the dimension of Event Horizon. Of course, that was all Chen Chen could do. After all, it was just a small effort. If this action could save humankind, of course, that would be ideal. If not, it was not a big deal. It was just that Chen Chen absolutely would not come out and save this plane by himself. At this time, Frank, who was implanted with the chip without knowing it, went to the bathroom. Chen Chen checked the time and thought it was almost time. He immediately said, X-112, prepare to make Franks consciousness fall into a deep sleep and take over his body, and carry out our first task! Understood. X-112 answered immediately. Immediately, Frank, who was standing in front of the urinal, looked slightly startled. He only felt an overwhelming sense of sleepiness, and then his eyes slowly closed, but only for a moment. In the next second, they opened again! Still, when they opened once more, the light in his eyes quickly disappeared, and finally became dark. It was as if he was sleepwalking Chapter 587 - Black Fog Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation At this moment, Franks movements became a little stiff. He slowly pulled up his pants, then woodenly turned and walked out of the bathroom. Patter, patter! Frank walked out of the bathroom step by step. He looked left and right, then chose the corridor on the right and walked in the direction of the elevator. After entering the elevator, Frank did not press any button but directly placed his palm on the platform under the buttons. Beep! Suddenly, there was a notification sound and then a miniature camera popped out of a button. Frank bent down slightly and looked into the camera with his eyes. Identity verified. An electronic sound instantly came from the elevator. Then, the elevator shuddered slightly and descended directly downward, but strangely, although the elevator was going down, the floor displayed on the panel did not change, still indicating the first floor. About thirty seconds after the elevator fell sharply, it finally slowed down, and then there was a ding again. The elevator doors opened on both sides with a whoosh. What greeted Franks eyes was a long narrow passage. This is it In front of the screen, Chen Chen was slightly excited. The information previously found by X-112 naturally also contained information about this place. At the end of this channel lay NASAs true secret zone. This corridor was similar to the laser corridor at the entrance of the Spire Experimental Base. In addition to the defense system, anyone who entered this corridor would be X-ray scanned, examining all objects on their body and even within their body. Therefore, even if someone had stuffed a foreign object in their lower body or hid it in the sole of their shoe, they would not slip through. Still, Chen Chen was not worried because the God chip was made of biological material after all, and it could be completely integrated with flesh and blood. In addition, it was embedded in the cervical spine, which made it even more difficult to distinguish. Soon, Frank came straight to the end of the corridor. Beep beep beep He had passed the previous detections. At this time, the door at the end of the corridor sensed someone coming and it opened automatically. Swish! After the door was opened, a ray of light shone out suddenly, and Chen Chen in the distance looked through Franks eyes and saw a space larger than the hall of NASAs command hall. This was the real secret base of NASA and almost all state secrets were stored here. Mr. Frank! A group of guards in military uniforms stood up immediately and saluted him. Frank nodded, did not speak, and walked directly into the hall. Along the way, Frank met many researchers wearing white lab coats, but fortunately, Frank was the director of NASA after all. Even here, he held one of the highest positions. Several older researchers smiled and said hello immediately when they saw Frank. It seemed that his daily relationships were not too bad but under the control of X-112, Frank still nodded and slipped past them. Soon, under the control of X-112, Frank came to a tightly closed steel gate. He verified his identity again. Not only that, but Frank also took out an identity authentication card, which opened the door, revealing the layout of a computer room. Upon entering the computer room, Frank turned on a computer, entered the password somewhat stiffly, and then all the confidential information that could not be detected in the outside world was thoroughly revealed before his eyes. These are the real big secrets of NASA. Chen Chen looked at the data intently. These secrets contained the design drawings of various spacecraft engines and included various secret missions in space issued by the government. The oldest one could even be traced back to the evaluation report of the era of the Soviet-American power struggle, but all the information here could only be seen with ones eyes. There was not even a USB port on the computer, let alone a way for anyone to steal the information. Still, all this naturally posed no problems for Chen Chen. Frank only had to glance at each piece of data and the content would be automatically recorded by X-112, then processed and converted into a standard electronic file. Even so, the information on the technology of the space warp engine was as boundless as the ocean. Frank kept reading for two hours, but only a fifth of it had been copied. Its about time. Chen Chen counted the time silently and suddenly said, Let Frank leave. If he spends too much time here, itll inevitably rouse everyones suspicions. Okay. X-112 agreed and then Frank in front of the computer immediately closed the file, turned, and walked out of the computer room. Then, just like before, Frank returned to the surface and went to the directors lounge. Following that, X-112 controlled Frank to go to the bed and then withdrew its control over Frank. Huh? The next second, Frank opened his eyes slightly again. He looked around with some doubts and then sat up slowly. Whats the matter, did I just fall asleep? Frank showed a look of astonishment. His memory still lingered at the moment he went to the bathroom. Then, he had felt a wave of drowsiness but he did not expect that when he opened his eyes again, he would be waking up from bed in the lounge. His mind felt like it was fragmented from being drunk. Frank was a little mystified. This situation had never happened before. Is it because Im old? Frank murmured, his face pale for a while. Nonetheless, after a period of resting in the lounge, Frank walked out of the room again. He did not suspect too much, only assuming that he was old and had a bad memory, but these thoughts were quickly forgotten by him. He still had more important things to do, things relating to his own politics. Chen Chen in front of the screen heaved a sigh of relief. Fortunately, Frank did not have many doubts this time. We wont do this next time. Chen Chen thought for a while and said, In the following period, the NASA headquarters will be very busy because of the Event Horizon. Frank will not go home too many times. If this is the case, wait for him to fall asleep in the lounge before manipulating his body to read the information about the space warp engine. Understood, leave this to me. X-112 replied. Indeed, once there were more instances of fragmentation, it would inevitably arouse Franks suspicion. If he checked the surveillance out of wariness, he would immediately see that something was wrong. It was safer to do this every time he was asleep. Over the next twenty days or so, X-112 would take advantage of Franks rest time in the work unit to go to the underground secret base to look at the information. During this period, some alarming situations had occurred such as when he happened to enter the underground base and met Franks acquaintances who came forward to talk or someone contacted him through the communication device he carried while he was looking up the information, and so on. Still, in the end, disaster was averted and they got all the information about the space warp engine. At this time, it was only twenty days before the Event Horizon returned to Earth. This was also the day when the second rescue ship docked with the survivors of the Event Horizon. I want to temporarily return to the other side of the portal. After lots of thinking, Chen Chen, who finally got the space warp engine data, told X-112, After this, youll continue to monitor NASAs every move. When I return, Ill bring the interstellar sweeper missile, understand? Got it. Ill pay close attention to NASAs every move. X-112 replied. Chen Chen nodded in satisfaction and temporarily returned to reality with the information about the space warp engine. Of course, Chen Chens goal had been achieved and he could also choose to leave the Event Horizon dimension for good. Nevertheless, Chen Chen was unwilling to do so. After all, this was the first time he had been this close to the secret of the USB flash drive since he had received it. In particular, the appearance of Zhao Shanhe was a great discovery. Chen Chen could dig out more secrets about the USB flash drive and Professor Wang Xi from Zhao Shanhe. However, just a few hours later, in the NASA command hall, everyone watched the images being uploaded from the computer. As the distance was still too great, what they saw also had a three-hour delay, but compared to the previous visual information that could only be refreshed once in six hours, the pictures now had reached the speed of 20 frames per minute. It was like watching a PowerPoint report. Its docked, its docked! At this time, before the huge screen at the top of the command hall, everyone tilted their heads, silently watching the slowly updating pictures. The rescue teams spacecraft in the footage had successfully docked with the Event Horizon, and there were five members of the rescue team who had already opened the hydraulic chamber and were flying toward the nearby Event Horizon. Everyone stared at the screen, watching the person who was wearing the camera slowly open the door of the Event Horizon onscreen, then walk in and come to the cryogenic chambers. Immediately, one of them pressed the button of the cryogenic chambers, awakening the sleeping people in the two cryogenic chambers. The water level in the two cryogenic chambers dropped rapidly at once, revealing the personnel inside. One of them was a slender blonde woman. If Chen Chen were here at this time, he would find that this was one of the survivors in the movies plot, Lieutenant Starck and the other one was the black man, Cooper. However, after the two were released, Lieutenant Starck suddenly looked at the camera as if she had seen some terrifying scene and screamed! Of course, in the eyes of the many researchers in the command hall of NASA headquarters, they could only see a silent image that was refreshed every three seconds. As for the sound, they could forget about it. In the command hall, many people began to discuss. They did not understand why Lieutenant Starck had screamed like she had seen a ghost, but at this moment, the picture sent back from the Event Horizon suddenly turned to static. The image became distorted and became blurry mosaic images. Whats the matter, why is the signal so weak? Frank turned his head and bellowed loudly to the technician in the signal reception area, Quickly solve this problem, right now, immediately! Yes, Mr. Director! The department in charge of signal reception immediately sweated profusely and kept tapping on the keyboard in front of their console, rustling constantly. However, no matter how hard they tried, the screen above everyones heads was refreshed to only display more noise. Just when everyone was becoming rather anxious, suddenly, the picture was clear again, but at the moment when the clarity was restored, everyone was completely dumbfounded They saw that on the image that was sent back to them, there was a human face, one that was smiling maliciously at the camera, with only two black hollows left as the eyes Half a day later, when the sky dimmed again, Chen Chen came back through the USB drives portal again. This time, five figures appeared behind him and these five figures each carried a metal weapon on their backs that was half a humans height. It was like a cannon with a square barrel and four launch holes. These five human figures were the latest single-soldier combat humanoid robot soldiers developed by Chen Chen XTN-032. XTN-032 was an improved version of the original humanoid combat robot XTN-002. They were all humanoid robots but unlike other types of robots, the biggest advantage of XTN-032 was how balanced it was. It could use all weapons that human soldiers could use and be utilized to full strength in any kind of battlefield. What they carried on their backs was Blacklight Biotechnologys single-soldier strategic missile interstellar sweeper. Each launcher was equipped with four miniature surface-to-sky interstellar sweeper missiles. Five robots added up to twenty missiles, which must be more than enough to deal with the Event Horizon which did not have any space weapons. However, as Chen Chen returned through the passage, he immediately received news from X-112. Sir Commander, just five hours ago, NASAs rescue team and the returning Event Horizon have successfully docked. Oh, theyve already docked? Chen Chen looked around the beach and as he released his Field energy, all the tourists near the beach dropped to the ground without warning in the dark, losing consciousness. Whats the situation, have they found Dr. Weir? No X-112s voice is a bit somber. Frank has lost contact with me. Not only him, but the entire NASA headquarters has completely lost contact with the outside world. This incident has shocked the White House. Chen Chens heart sank after hearing these words. Is it a meme? The video sent by the Event Horizon has a memetic effect? Im not sure. X-112 answered frankly, I only found some clues using the Black Knights. What is currently known is that the entire NASA headquarters building is shrouded in a peculiar black fog. Black fog? Chen Chens expression was uncertain. He stopped questioning and after arranging for the XTN robots to head to the Black Knights stationed nearby, he flew directly toward Washington. More than an hour later, when Chen Chen hurriedly rushed to the sky above Washington, he suddenly saw a sea of ??people and cars at his feet. Thousands of vehicles continued to gush out from Washington and he observed, on both sides of the road, a large number of army soldiers stationed nearby. In the dark night, all this looked like a large swarm of migrating locusts. Then, Chen Chen took the opportunity to look into the distance, but when he saw the distant scenery clearly, his pupils suddenly shrank! Even though he was several kilometers away, he could still see the location of the city center. A thick black fog was willfully pervading the city center, constantly spreading in all directions. The black fog looked very solid and it was very conspicuous even in the dark. What was even more bizarre was that once the black fog covered the buildings in the city, the lights of those buildings were instantly extinguished In the darkness, there was a strange, alarming aura. Just by looking at it, Chen Chen had the impression that he was facing the abyss. Chen Chens heart sank. He knew that the catastrophe that occurred in Event Horizons dimension had arrived Chapter 588 - Catastrophe Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Whats going on? Seeing this scene, Chen Chen could not help asking, Are you sure this happened after the spacecraft docked? Sir Excellency, theres no mistake. Its related to the docking of the spacecraft. X-112 replied, Through Franks sight, Ive recorded the footage from the Event Horizon when the spacecraft docked, but this video has been sealed by me. Chen Chen nodded. X-112s approach was correct. The dimension of Event Horizon was suspected to have unknown memes. The black fog in front of them was evidence. After all, besides a memetic effect that could be transmitted through information, Chen Chen had no other way to explain why the NASA headquarters would become a building filled with black fog. This swathe of black fog first emerged at NASA headquarters and then it continued to diffuse over such a huge range. X-112 continued to explain, At present, this stretch of black fog is still expanding and its almost reaching the area where Im hiding. Retreat then. Chen Chen said, Let the Black Knights take you away from where you are and exit the city of Washington. Chen Chen said casually and then he slowly approached the black fog from mid-air. Through his mid-air flight, Chen Chen roughly calculated that the black fog was now elliptic in shape, about three kilometers in diameter, and about one kilometer high, blanketing one-fifth of Washington. Not only that, as time went by, the black fogs scope was getting larger. According to his calculations based on the borders of the black fog, the center of the black fog was indeed the location of NASA headquarters. Chen Chen even personally approached the black fog within a range of 80 meters and then used Field to explore the inside of the black fog. Though it appeared to be mere vapor, it had blocked Chen Chens Field energy. However, Chen Chen realized that it could not fully block him. There was still a trace of power penetrating the black fog but only to an extremely shallow extent. Moreover, the penetration was not from his Field power, but his psionic powers. Seeing this, Chen Chen frowned. It was almost unbelievable that it was able to completely shield his Field energy. After all, everything was composed of the four fundamental forces, yet this black fog seemed to be beyond the scope of electromagnetic force. On the contrary, the psionic energy that functioned as a supplementary power for Chen Chen could penetrate it. Chen Chen even noted that the black fog had swallowed up several citizens who were too slow in fleeing, thinking that they would be able to escape by hiding in their houses. These citizens originally watched the black fog approaching and kept screaming, but as soon as the black fog rushed over them, their screams for help disappeared without a trace! As if the black fog was isolating reality, entrapping the group of people in another world Chen Chen frowned when he saw this. He turned his head slightly and a huge bus was lifted with a rumble and thrown straight into the black fog. However, after the front of the bus had reached into the black fog, Chen Chen suddenly exerted some force and tried to pull the bus out of the black fog. Twang There was a sound of metal distortion. As his Field energy erupted, Chen Chen pulled the bus out vigorously and immediately, half of the bus was pulled out! That was right, only half of it was left. Chen Chen stared in shock but saw that the front of the bus that had penetrated the black fog had completely vanished and there were signs of forcible tearing at the fracture. The black fog turned out to be like a living thing, silently devouring anything that entered its territory, and even the steel could not break free Interesting. Chen Chen snorted coldly. He once again took out a miniature reality anchor from the bundle behind him, used his Field energy, and rammed it into the ground! Boom! The reality anchor was immediately plunged into the ground. At the same time, an invisible wave surged out and the next second, the huge black fog a hundred meters away suddenly stopped! Chen Chen was only giving it a shot because he noticed that the black fog could isolate Field energy but not psionic powers, so he thought of using the reality anchor. Nonetheless, he had never expected that the reality anchor would fix the black fog in place! The black fog isnt moving Chen Chen looked at all this in astonishment, only to see that the black fog that had been surging up and bulging on all sides suddenly had its range reduced significantly. Then, its edges gradually calmed down, just like the waves on the beach, when the turbulent water would suddenly slow down and gradually turn calm. The reality anchor had suppressed the black fog! A miniature reality anchor had a suppression radius of five kilometers, so it could cover all the black fog that only had a diameter of only three kilometers. It was more than enough. Of course, if the black fog had been given a period to expand, things might not have worked out. Seeing this, Chen Chen took a deep breath. He became more and more curious about the origin of the black fog. Of course, Chen Chen was not arrogant enough to go directly into the black fog to explore. He just followed the suggestions of X-112 and came to a house in the suburbs. The residents here had been evacuated by the military. There were only a few people within a radius of dozens of miles who were still reluctant to leave. In the room, two Black Knights were still standing slackly in the same place. One of the Black Knights was holding an X-112 storage device in his hands. Chen Chen took the X-112 from the Black Knight, turned on a computer next to him and plugged it in, and then asked, What happened when the Event Horizon docked with the rescue spacecraft during the time I was away? After the two sides connected, an image appeared. X-112 replied, It was fine at the beginning. It was almost the same as the plot of the movie. The rescue team opened the cryogenic chambers and released the two survivors, Lieutenant Starck and Cooper, but the next second, Lieutenant Starck stared at the camera and screamed suddenly. Then there was interference with the signal When the interference was over, everyone at NASA saw an image. X-112 was silent for a while. Frank lost the connection with me after that image and the black fog began to appear from NASA headquarters. As for what happened after the connection was lost, I dont know. Is that so? Chen Chen wore a contemplative expression. It seems that this must be a phenomenon that would only occur due to a memetic effect. It looks like that image is the key point. Chen Chen did not ask what the content of the image was and X-112 did not describe it either because both of them understood the strangeness of memetic effects. Some memes would not only transmit by the sense of sight but also would infect you indiscriminately as long as you know of its existence or others described its characteristics to you. This kind of meme was difficult to guard against. Let the Black Knights test it. Chen Chen thought for a while and looked at the two Black Knights behind him. I want to see if the Black Knights who have no brains and cant think can also be tricked by this meme. With that, Chen Chen asked X-112 to load the video into the computer. Then, he pulled out X-112 again, opened the window, turned, and left the room, retreating to a distance of eighty meters. At this distance, his Field energy could completely cover the entire room through the open window and observe the situation of the two Black Knights after they had watched the footage. This was also one of the best ways to handle the memetic effect. Lets start. Following Chen Chens order, X-112 began to control one of the Black Knights sitting in front of the computer and at the same time, clicked on the video that was left on the screen while Chen Chen reflexively allowed his Field to go around the computer screen, making it impossible for him to observe what appeared on the computer. The two Black Knights watched the video little by little. Time trickled by, second by second. Suddenly, at the end of the video, the two Black Knights shuddered and at the same time, the computer emitted a ripping sound, and the two Black Knights suddenly collapsed to the ground slowly. Sir Commander, Ive lost contact with the two Black Knights! X-112 immediately notified. Chen Chen was observing all this through his Field even more attentively and then, he saw a black fog slowly gushing out of the computer. Rumble! The black fog tumbled out from the computer screen in an instant, flooding the entire room little by little, and at the same time, repelling Chen Chens Field energy! It turned out that the black fog had appeared like this Chen Chen withdrew his Field energy a little bit and silently looked at the house 80 meters away, only to see endless black fog quickly gushing from the windows and the cracks in the door. Gradually, a new mass of black fog formed! Suppress it! Seeing this, Chen Chen immediately took out a miniature reality anchor from the bundle behind him and inserted it directly into the ground. Suddenly, the black fog that had just formed was fixed in place again and no longer expanded. A miniature reality anchors capacitor can only supply power for about twelve hours. X-112 reminded. Should I order the remaining Black Knights stationed in Miami to bring more reality anchors? Very well. Chen Chen nodded. Be careful not to be discovered by the Northern American authorities. The reason Chen Chen did this was of course, not to be the savior. He was only testing the power of Event Horizon. As for any cooperation with the government, it would restrict Chen Chens actions and make Chen Chen unable to fully explore using this opportunity. However, when Chen Chen was silently testing out the dimension of Event Horizon, the officials who had already withdrawn from the White House at this time had already taken the Air Force One presidential plane and left the Washington area. What? The black fog has stopped spreading? The President of Northern America watched the video that was sent to him. It was a footage taken from a high altitude. In the video, the black fog no longer showed signs of surging forward but had completely turned into a dome-shaped fog with smooth edges. The fog straddled the center of Washington like a black egg, which was very prominent even in the dark. Its blackness was far more concentrated and conspicuous than the dark night. D*mn it, what the h*ll is this The president of Northern America gritted his teeth at the black fog and then looked at the man in uniform beside him. General Bob, are you sure that the black fog erupted from NASA headquarters? I cant be mistaken. The person called General Bob was a middle-aged man with gray hair but a cold expression. He nodded solemnly and said, We can confirm this according to the birds-eye view that was sent, Mr. President, please look this is the map of downtown Washington. Overlap this with the birds-eye view taken now and we can see whats in the area shrouded by the black fog Although the black fog is elliptic when viewed from the side like a large bowl tipped over the ground, when you look at it from a high altitude, youll find that the black fog is perfectly round. Just calculate the radius of the black fog and we can surmise where the center of the black fog is. And our prediction was right the center of the black fog is the headquarters of NASA! Hearing this, the President of Northern America nodded slightly. He worriedly asked, Whats the number of people whove gone missing in this incident? The numbers are temporarily unavailable. General Bob shook his head with a serious expression. Because the black fog appeared so suddenly, we can only do our best to evacuate the crowd but ever since the black fog has spread, at least several blocks have been swallowed up. Moreover, its also quite late at night now, so Im afraid the number of missing people isnt optimistic The reason they called it the number of missing people rather than the number of casualties was that even they did not know what would happen to the people who had been enveloped by the black fog. At first, they sent troops and armored vehicles into the black fog, but no matter how many people went in, they would instantaneously lose contact with them. Thus, this scared them so much that they no longer dared to send anyone into the black fog area. Mr. President, please dont be discouraged. The Secretary of Defense on the side suddenly walked over and interjected. Its good news now that the black fog has stopped spreading. The most frightening thing would be that the spread of the black fog cannot be stopped. That would be troublesome. I just want to know what that black fog is now. The president nodded with a sorrowful expression. Thats easy enough. The Secretary of Defense reminded. NASA is an agency directly under the White House and all daily activity logs there are stored in the Department of Defenses secret server, which we can check. Hearing this, the presidents eyes lit up. Yes, he had been overwhelmed by worries. He completely forgot that everything at NASA headquarters was under the control of the Department of Defense and could be inspected at any time. Following many high-level orders, the log report was soon retrieved and played in the Presidents exclusive vehicle, Air Force One. This is The docking between the Event Horizon and the rescue team? Everyone immediately saw the scene recorded in the video and also saw the huge screen in the command hall that was in the scene. Its a common procedure. The Event Horizon has disappeared for seven years. This is a rescue operation reported by NASA and then approved by me. The president of the Northern American Continent looked at the video in front of him, frowned, and faintly had an ominous hunch. Could it be that all of this has something to do with the Event Horizon? With that, he looked at the sky beside him but saw that there were already twinkling lights under his feet. Where are we? The president of Northern America turned around and looked at the officials around him who were staring at the screen together. We have now entered the sky over New York City. The Secretary of Defense glanced out the window. Were about to arrive at our destination the Islip secret military base. However, at this moment, the Secretary of Defense suddenly opened his mouth and widened his eyes, staring at the screen. Secretary Franklin? The Northern American president asked suspiciously, but the other party was still gripped by surprise as if the expression on his face was frozen by death, with an inexplicable weirdness. At the same time, it was not only the Secretary of Defense but also General Bob and others next to him who also wore the same look. Seeing this, the president of Northern America only felt a chill in his heart. He slowly turned his head and looked at the screen in front of him Boom! Over New York City, a large passenger plane with black fog constantly pouring out of the cabin, plunged into the city center Chapter 589 - Black Slate Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Black Knights, go in. Chen Chen waved his hand and a Black Knight walked straight toward the fixed black fog not far away. However, when the Black Knight walked into the black fog, there was nothing left, not an echo. No signal was received either. Chen Chen hesitated over whether to continue sending Black Knights in. Sir Commander, the latest update. X-112 suddenly notified, The Air Force One which the President of Northern America boarded was confirmed to have met an accident and crashed into the eastern part of Manhattan in New York City. At the same time, the black fog was also generated after the crash and had spread over the crash site. Hearing this news, Chen Chen only felt as if his head was exploding. Thats to say, a third black fog spot has appeared If this continues, Im afraid that black fog will appear everywhere in the world. X-112 said, That image isnt that classified and many high-level officials have viewing authority. To explore the secrets of NASA headquarters, there will be many people watching that scene. Chen Chen could not help frowning when he heard this. Indeed, this was a problem. It was not that Northern American officials were trying to kill themselves. It was just that who in the world would think that an image in a video could kill people or even destroy the entire planet? If he told this to anyone on the street, they would only think he was crazy. Send the Black Knights over and confine it. Chen Chen had to say, We can only confine it in a few locations and if there are more, theres nothing we can do. Perhaps we can inform the senior management of Northern America? X-112 asked, Telling them these key points may prevent them from continuing to die. But the top leaders in Northern America have already disappeared. Chen Chen said helplessly, So, who should we tell? X-112 was also speechless. During the conversation, an army with tanks had begun to move toward the place from a distance. As the black fog had stopped expanding, the military was preparing to set up a defensive net to seal the area. Seeing this, Chen Chen directly took off and hid inside a high-rise residential building. Still, when he had just left, he saw five people stealthily walking out of a building not far away, a little closer to the edge of the black fog. Its them? Chen Chen raised his eyebrows and looked over quickly. At this time, Zhao Shanhe led his team out of the building and slowly approached the place. Whats the matter, the subspace countercurrent has stopped spreading? Looking at the black fog that had completely calmed down in front of him, Zhao Shanhes eyes glinted with puzzlement. Even our original Force cant be used. It feels like it must be that person In his mind, the face of the mysterious young man he had encountered before flashed suddenly. He still remembered that when they fought a month ago, the man had used an instrument to block their hard-earned acquisition from the Star Wars dimension, the Force. 2 Boss! Just then, a surprised voice came from not far away. Look here! Zhao Shanhe and the others quickly went to the persons side, only to see a young man pointing at his feet, where there was a deep and dark hole. It was a hole that had penetrated the concrete pavement directly as if a massive force had pounded something deep underground. Its that guys handiwork Zhao Shanhes pupils contracted. He still remembered that the mysterious young man had driven an instrument into the ground and then the Force in their bodies was blocked. Its this instrument that has blocked the diffusion of subspace countercurrents. The young man reminded. He came prepared! Cough With a bandage wrapped around her chest, the woman who kept coughing also suddenly said, I still remember that person. He has a more complex and powerful power than our original Force. You can see that a piece of equipment with the thickness of an arm was punched three hundred meters deep underground. This is something our Force cannot do! This woman was the one who was sent flying by Chen Chens Field before, but she who had crashed through a wall in the first place could now move around freely. Zhao Shanhes team also had some kind of powerful recovery method. At that time, all of us were restrained by him and Karl died instantly. Fortunately, he didnt kill us at that time. If he wanted to kill all of us, we wouldnt have been able to live until now Another person said, Only Boss Civilization Monolith can just about suppress him. Can this instrument be taken out? The third persons eyes were a bit fiery. It can restrain the subspace countercurrent and at the same time, it can also block our force. I want to see what kind of machine it is Let me see The young man who first found the opening of the hole bent down slightly and took out a laser measuring pen to shine into the gap. Then he said in surprise, Three hundred meters. This small hole with only the thickness of an arm is three hundred meters deep! So deep? Everyone looked astounded not by the depth of this hole, but by the ability of the other party to plunge an instrument to a depth of three hundred meters in an instant. Cough D*mn it, its too difficult to take it out. It cant be done without some large equipment! The woman could not help complaining. Just as they were gathered here, there was a sudden roar of engines not far away and several armored vehicles and hundreds of soldiers under Northern America drove in quickly. You guys! What are you doing! The distant army quickly approached, seemingly intended to surround them. Boss, the army is here! Everyone frowned and looked around. Humph! Zhao Shanhe shook his head, shot a disgruntled look at the deep hole by his feet, and then spread out one hand. Suddenly, a palm-sized black slate appeared in his hand out of thin air! Hum! An invisible wave swept in all directions and the group of soldiers in the distance suddenly screamed with their heads in their arms and even the tanks lost control and crashed into the surrounding buildings! At the same time, because the fluctuations had spread in all directions, some of the fluctuations extended directly into the solid black fog, but the next second, at the moment a mass of black fog came into contact with the fluctuations, the black fog dissipated instantly! Seeing this scene, Chen Chens pupils shrank as he hid and watched from the building. He stared at the black slate, his eyes gleaming with a greedy light. That slate has such a huge effect However, when Chen Chen was taken aback by the function of the black slate, he suddenly discovered that the five of them were all walking in the direction of the black fog. Could it be Chen Chens expression flickered, showing a look of surprise. Are they going to head in? Sure enough, after the team of five headed by Zhao Shanhe had defeated the army, they walked directly in the direction of the black fog, and then disappeared into the black fog Huh! Chen Chen took a deep breath, only feeling that his heart was about to burst. He had never thought that the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey had such a huge secret hidden in it. After all, even Chen Chen could do nothing to the black fog. The reality anchor could only suppress the black fog but could not dissolve it, yet the black slate did just that. X-112, I need to return to reality. Chen Chen could not be bothered with Zhao Shanhes team. He just quickly commanded, After I return to reality, the passage may be temporarily closed but dont worry, Ill open the passage again in a few days at most. Understood. Ill keep watch. X-112 said, But if you leave, how should we replace the batteries of these reality anchors? After all, the army will soon surround this place. Forget about them for now. Chen Chen resolutely said, Wait for my return before anything else! Yes! After Chen Chen finished speaking, he flew directly out of the window and flew in the direction of Miami An hour later, Chen Chen returned to the end dimension, then took the time machine again to return to reality. When Chen Chen returned to the end dimension again, he had brought an ordinary USB flash drive with him and the USB flash drive contained the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey. Immediately, he went straight to the computer, closed the portal leading to Event Horizon, and plugged the ordinary USB flash drive into the computer. Then, he transferred the old movie that was released in 1968 to the mysterious USB flash drive. After that, Chen Chen quickly played the movie and stopped at the scene where the black slate appeared in the opening. Following this, Chen Chen decisively stretched out his arm toward the screen as if he had done it a million times. He wanted to take out the black slate in the movie! This stone slab was extremely important to Chen Chen. Nevertheless, when Chen Chen reached in with his entire arm, his expression suddenly shifted This was because he did not touch anything. Not there? Chen Chen was groping around the other side incredulously, but no matter what, all he could touch was air! This was a situation that had never happened before ever since he obtained the USB drive and started extracting items from movies After he retracted his arm again, Chen Chens expression was a little gloomy. He thought for a while and dragged the progress bar again to freeze the frame on the moon where the black slate appeared for the second time in the movie. Then, he tried again He still could not touch anything. Then, he simply dragged the progress bar to the end and tried again. Still nothing Chen Chen withdrew his arm and fell completely silent. Why not? Could it be that Chen Chen looked at the USB flash drive inserted in the computer, but he remembered that no matter where he went, even in his dreams, the USB flash drive would return to him. It could be said that it was completely bound to himself. Could it be that this black slate was similar or that it even possessed the same characteristic of being utterly unique? This uniqueness meant that in the multiverse, across endless time and space, there was only one. As the black slate had been taken away by Zhao Shanhe, it was impossible for Chen Chen to get a second slate from the movie. Thinking of this, Chen Chen had no choice but to close the movie and instead reopened Event Horizon. A few minutes later, under the ocean at Miami Beach, a black channel appeared again, and then Chen Chen stepped in and came back into the world. Youre back, Sir Commander. X-112s voice suddenly came from the headset. How long have I been away? Chen Chen looked at the time. Of course, he knew that he had only been away for slightly more than an hour but he needed to verify whether the Event Horizon dimension he accessed this time had become a different world. You were gone for one hour, thirteen minutes, and thirty-six seconds. X-112 replied. Hearing this, Chen Chen nodded. He flew up quickly, rushing toward Washington while thinking silently. Zhao Shanhe knew a lot more than Chen Chen himself. Chen Chen questioned himself and realized, if he were Zhao Shanhe, he would not possibly rush into the black fog so rashly without first knowing what it was. However, Zhao Shanhe and his team went in without hesitation, so they knew some information about the black fog. This information was something Chen Chen so seriously lacked that though his strength had long surpassed Zhao Shanhe, he still dared not act rashly. At least I was right in coming to this dimension. Chen Chen murmured in a low voice. It could be said that this was the first time he was this close to the secret of the USB flash drive. Perhaps here, he could find out what happened in the past and why Zhao Shanhe would die and what kind of relationship Professor Wang Xi had with the USB flash drive When Chen Chen returned to Washington, he saw that tens of thousands of soldiers had been stationed around the black fog. These troops tightly encircled the black fog and stretched out a ten-kilometer warning tape. Even the position of the reality anchor set up by Chen Chen had been discovered by the group of soldiers but they did not seem to understand exactly what was inside this extremely deep pit. As for the second black fog created by Chen Chen in the suburbs, because the reality anchor was erected early enough, the black fog had not spread out of the range of the house so far, so it had not been discovered by the army. Seeing this, Chen Chen simply re-installed a miniature reality anchor two kilometers away from the black fog. As the suppression radius of the miniature reality anchor was five kilometers, it could cover the entire black fog at a distance of two kilometers and it was much more convenient to replace its battery. Subsequently, Chen Chen forcibly rushed into the army array and recovered the previous reality anchor that was discovered by the army. Now that ten years had passed, Blacklight Biotechnology still had not produced the mysterious element 126, so the zircon in every reality anchor was extremely precious and must not be lost. To Chen Chen, taking back the reality anchor under the guard of a group of soldiers was not a big deal, but the group of soldiers suffered a bad fright. To them, a figure who could be a man or a ghost forcibly rushed into the army. After wounding hundreds of soldiers and a few armored vehicles, it took something from the big mysterious hole they had found and then left calmly. This development deeply upset everyone and made the military leaders more frightened than ever. Chen Chen did not leave either. On the contrary, he sent more Black Knights to sneak into downtown Washington, watching silently from the rear of the army, waiting for Zhao Shanhes group to appear again. That was right. In Chen Chens opinion, since the other party was confident enough to enter the black fog, naturally there would be a day when they came out. If this was a waiting game, Chen Chen could afford to wait. Even so, this wait took him no less than twenty days. On the day when the Event Horizon returning from Pluto was about to enter the range of the interstellar sweeper missile, Chen Chen suddenly received a new update reported by X-112. Zhao Shanhe had appeared in New York City! Chapter 590 - Zhao Shanhe Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation What, Zhao Shanhe has appeared in New York? When Chen Chen heard the news, he immediately showed a look of surprise. He turned his head and looked at the giant egg-shaped black fog in the distance outside the window. Those two black patches of fog are interlinked? Although Chen Chen was not expecting this situation, he was not too taken aback. After all, he had even seen a cosmic life form such as the Consciousness Stealer and even the USB flash drive could shuttle between various major dimensions. What else could astonish him? At this time, X-112 sent a video. In the video, he could only see a black fog that was much larger than the one in Washington, blanketing Manhattan, New York City. Countless soldiers were stretching out a warning tape not far away. However, at this moment, a portion of the black fog protruded slightly and then two small figures came out of it and were immediately arrested by the soldiers on the spot. The camera zoomed in and Chen Chen could see that one of the two figures was Zhao Shanhe and the other was a woman with a bandage on her chest. However, both of them looked to be in a pitiful state. Their bodies were full of scars and even their clothes were in tatters and could not cover them up. Chen Chen even faintly made out that they seemed to be keeping their eyes closed and there were rows of black things on their eyes. It was just that Chen Chen could not see what those black things were. After all, the distance was still too great. They have been captured by the army of Northern America and the two of them didnt resist. X-112 said, Ive dispatched the Black Knights to secretly track the army team that escorted them to see where they will be sent. Only two of them survived? Chen Chen frowned. It was obvious that there was a certain danger in the black fog of the image. There were five people under Zhao Shanhe and he himself made six, but one was killed by a furious Chen Chen before. Now five people had entered the black fog, but only two came out alive. Im going to figure out what they experienced inside. As he spoke, Chen Chen turned his head and looked at the Black Knight on the side. X-112, the Event Horizon and the rescue spacecraft that are returning together have entered the range of the interstellar sweeper, right? If so, begin the attack and take down the two spaceships. Yes. X-112 agreed and Chen Chen flew out of the window and hurried toward New York. Following Chen Chens orders, five XTN robots stationed in Miami slowly rose out of the ocean. The build of these robots was a bit like the Terminator and there were hints of Alita and NS-5 too. Each robot had an over-the-top square cannon muzzle on the back and four pure black missile warheads protruded faintly from the muzzle with a fierce murderous aura. Beep! When the five robots surfaced, the barrel of one of the robots lifted slightly and aimed directly at the blue sky and a long and narrow sight popped out from the muzzle behind the robot. It began to collect electromagnetic waves from various types of aircraft outside the atmosphere. Discovering target Target confirmed, locking aim! Target has been locked Successive launches at a frequency of once every five minutes Three, two, one! Whoosh! Suddenly, a flare of fire shot up from the sea and directly penetrated the atmosphere at an extreme speed! One kilometer, two kilometers, three kilometers As the robot kept speaking, the number indicating the altitude of the missile was flipping rapidly like a stopwatch and it rose to a height of thirty or forty kilometers in one minute! It has broken through the stratosphere and is starting to accelerate Discarding the first-stage thruster, activating the second-stage thruster! It has broken through the middle layer and is entering the ionosphere. Discarding the second-stage thruster, activating the third-stage thruster! At a speed that humans practically could never reach, the first missile arrived in outer space and quickly circled the earth like a slingshot, accelerating to an extreme through gravity, then shot toward the Event Horizon that was hundreds of millions of kilometers away! Discarding the third-stage thruster, activating the maximum power of the fourth-stage nuclear-powered thruster! Its expected to reach its speed limit in three hours and fifteen minutes and hit the target in three hours, fifty minutes, and twenty-three seconds When this data report was announced, five minutes had passed. The Interstellar Sweeper Missile 1-2 is ready to launch To prevent any accidents, Chen Chen prepared a total of 20 interstellar sweeper missiles for the two spacecraft targets. They were launched one after another at intervals of five minutes. In less than two hours, all twenty missiles had flown into the vast starry sky The missile launch scene naturally shocked the entire Earth Federation, but with the speed of the interstellar sweepers, forget about interception, they could not even figure out the missile launch site before the five XTN robots disappeared again without a trace. When these missiles were continuously launched, Chen Chen also came to the sky over New York City. At a distance of several dozen kilometers, Chen Chen had already seen the huge black fog, which was even more conspicuous during the day, just like a huge black mountain straddling the center of New York City. Its pitch blackness did not reflect the slightest light and it was stifling to the extreme. Now, the black fog had long been known to the entire world, which had fallen into panic, but Chen Chen did not pay attention to the public opinion in this world. After all, it was not his original world. Chen Chen naturally felt a sense of detachment. The reason he was willing to take action before was only to use this place as a testing ground. He wanted to see if his intervention could change the destiny of humanity being destroyed. Just half an hour ago, Zhao Shanhe and the woman were escorted to the secret military base in Islip. X-112 notified, The two didnt resist and out of the two, the woman was injured more seriously. Chen Chen frowned. He stopped at the top of a building and looked at the location of Long Island. Of course, he who had stolen the information knew that the Islip secret military base was located in Long Island, New York, about 80 kilometers away. Since they have been caught, lets use the God chip to meet him. Chen Chen said. He had a faint hunch that told him, although Zhao Shanhes group of people was not as strong as his own, Chen Chen did not believe that the other party would be caught so easily. Maybe this was also part of the other partys plan. Thinking of this, he flicked his sleeves, turned, and disappeared from the rooftop. Who are you two? What is that black fog? In a clean, well-lighted interrogation room, Zhao Shanhe was lazily leaning against a chair with his hands in handcuffs. In front of him, a bald interrogator stood up and asked aggressively, What is your plan? Tell me everything! Ive told you over and over. Zhao Shanhe rubbed his eyes. There were several black scars on his upper and lower eyelids as if his eyelids had been sewn shut. At this time, he smiled lazily. I came from another dimension to save you. Your world is on the verge of extinction. Only I can save you. Do you think Ill believe that? The interrogator looked at Zhao Shanhe with a cold expression. Why did you sew your eyes shut when you entered the black fog? Whats in the black fog? Zhao Shanhe could not help sighing and shook his head slightly. Then, he stretched his hands under the table, spread them apart, and a palm-sized black slab faintly flickered on the palm of his right hand. Suddenly, the bald interrogators eyes dimmed slightly as if he had been hypnotized. In the next second, he slowly turned around and left the interrogation room. After a while, several soldiers walked in, gripped Zhao Shanhe by the arms, and escorted him back to his prison. Its rather comfortable here As soon as Zhao Shanhe returned to the prison, he stretched out lazily, then lay down directly on his bed, humming a little song while thinking about the next countermeasure Before he knew it, he fell asleep. Patter, patter He did not know how much time had passed. Zhao Shanhe vaguely heard the faint sound of footsteps. The footsteps came from the end of the corridor, approaching from a distance, and soon stopped outside his confinement room. Why are they here again? Zhao Shanhe, who had been deep in sleep, frowned impatiently. He did not move and directly activated the power of the black slate, trying to control the opponent to turn away but all this while, he still did not hear the opponents footsteps leaving. Thud, thud, thud The soft sound of knocking on the iron door rang out slowly, echoing in the prison. Hmm? Zhao Shanhe activated the black slate several times in a row, but the entire time, the black slate could not drive away the opponent. Thus, he opened his eyes suddenly and looked at the door with vigilance. At the grille of the black iron gate, a middle-aged man who seemed to be a high-ranking official was standing outside the gate with a sullen face, looking at Zhao Shanhe with a blank stare. Zhao Shanhe was shocked. He turned over, got up, and asked, Who are you? We met some time ago. The other partys lips and teeth squirmed slowly, but the words spoken were stiff as if this was not a living person. Zhao Shanhe, I can cooperate with you. You are Zhao Shanhe squinted his eyes and looked at the man alertly. You are That young man, the previous owner of the dimension key! Hahaha Hearing this, the other man laughed but the laughter still had a stiff rhythm. Youve come to your senses so quickly? Thats right, Im him. How are you doing this? Zhao Shanhe looked even more astounded. Technology? Or some mysterious power? We can discuss this issue later. The other party woodenly replied, Seeing that only two of you came back, it seems that youve failed to remove the antimeme. In that case, you can try to cooperate with me. The result might be different. Zhao Shanhes expression flickered and then he sneered. How do you want to cooperate? Tell me everything you know. The other party said, In exchange, Ill save you first. If I wanted to come out, Id have come out long ago. Zhao Shanhe snorted coldly and said, The reason Im willing to be caught by them is just to let them treat Jennys injury. When Jenny recovers, I can take Jenny away at any time. Hearing this, the slack-looking senior official was silent for a moment and then said, I understand. In that case, Ill wait for you outside. As he spoke, he slowly withdrew from the edge of the grille, and then disappeared from behind the gate. It was not until the senior official disappeared that Zhao Shanhe frowned, wearing a thoughtful look. The high-ranking official was naturally the result of Chen Chens use of the God chip. At this time, in a small town more than ten kilometers away from Islips secret military base, Chen Chen slowly opened his eyes and frowned. Zhao Shanhe said that he could leave at any time? Could it be the power of that black slate? X-112 asked, Ive checked the information from Islips secret military base and Im sure that all the items he was carrying have been confiscated. Since hes imprisoned there, its impossible for him to carry anything else with him. Indeed, when I first encountered him, I also realized this. Chen Chen nodded. When I checked the videos of Zhao Shanhes interrogation, I saw that something was wrong. In each interrogation, the interrogators didnt find anything meaningful at all and then gave up halfway. However That black slate seemed to appear out of thin air. He hadnt had anything in his hand before, but when he opened his palm, there was an extra black slate in his hand. From the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey, it can be seen that the black slate has the ability to disrupt peoples thoughts. This weird interrogation recording is likely thanks to his manipulation of the black slate If this is the case, if you cooperate with him, Im afraid you have to be careful. X-112 was a little worried. Does it disturb peoples thinking ability? This ability is probably very terrifying. Dont worry, Ive faced it before. Chen Chen nodded. Theres probably a limit to its ability to control thoughts. He can control ordinary people but he cant control me. Otherwise, Id have been killed when I fought him for the first time. Despite saying that, Chen Chen still shook his head a little ruefully. Unfortunately, he could not get a second black slate from the movie, which meant that he had narrowly missed out on this powerful movie prop. So, what shall we do next? X-112 asked. We wait. Chen Chen looked up at the sky, and said, Anyway, we have fired the missiles and destroyed the Event Horizon. The threat from beyond the skies has been vanquished. So, what if we wait for him a little longer? One month later. When Chen Chen had been in Event Horizons dimension for three months, Zhao Shanhe and a woman who had healed slowly walked out of the Islip secret military base. The two of them walked out brazenly and a group of troops opened the doors to release the two. Phew! Zhao Shanhe exhaled. He turned his head and looked at the tightly guarded military base while controlling several high-ranking officials to personally drive the military car to them. Get in the car. Zhao Shanhe said to the woman beside him. Then, he got into the car first and both of them were directly chauffeured out of the military base. Nonetheless, just as the military vehicle was halfway on its journey, a young man landed from a high altitude and stood in front of the military vehicle. Screech! The military car stopped directly in front of the young man. Youre finally out. Chapter 591 - The USB Drive’s Secret Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation The appearance of Chen Chen naturally aroused the vigilance of the soldiers in the car. Several guns popped out but the next second, there was a dazed flash in the eyes of the two high-ranking military officials. They lowered their arms and then got out of the car, vacating their seats. Chen Chen smiled and sat directly in the back seat of the car. At this point, there was only one soldier who was driving. In the front passenger seat was the woman who had followed Zhao Shanhe while Chen Chen and Zhao Shanhe were sitting in the back seat of the military vehicle. Immediately, the vehicle drove in the direction of the center of New York City again. I have to say that the power of your Civilization Monolith is baffling. Chen Chen looked at Zhao Shanhe beside him. It manipulates peoples thoughts and makes them a marionette who will do whatever you want. Its no wonder that you can create the Earth Federation by yourself. With this ability alone, youre already invincible. But the power of the Civilization Monolith cannot affect you. Zhao Shanhe took a deep look at Chen Chen. He raised his palms slightly and was also secretly wary of Chen Chen. However, during this period, Ive realized that there are still many flaws in your story. I dare to assert that youre not the previous dimension key owner at all! So, who on Earth are you? Chen Chen nodded. I hadnt planned on lying to you for long. Yes, Im indeed not the previous owner of the dimension key, but all you need to know is that I can help you. If someone who doesnt even reveal his identity wants to help you, would you believe him? Zhao Shanhe chuckled. Whats more, why do you have to cooperate with me? Its nothing more than a plot against me. Hearing this, Chen Chen could not help laughing. A pitying look glimmered in his eyes. Do you want to know who I am? If I tell you, Im afraid youll regret it. Zhao Shanhe still looked fixedly at Chen Chen as if he would not cooperate with Chen Chen if Chen Chen did not reveal his identity. Seeing this, Chen Chen thought for a while and then he said, Tell me, what year was it in the real world when you came to the dimension of Event Horizon? Zhao Shanhe frowned but still said, It was 2002, why? Im from 2040. Chen Chen said immediately, Im 38 years old this year and have owned the dimension key for 20 years. At that time, I was a student of the Institute of Biological Sciences at Shangdu Jiao Tong University. When I obtained the dimension key, it was in Professor Wang Xis class Hearing Chen Chens words, Zhao Shanhes expression changed drastically. Even the woman in the front seat turned around in disbelief and glared at Chen Chen. No, youre lying to us, right? You mustve done a background check on Boss, so you fabricated such a lie to deceive us! Chen Chen ignored the woman in the front seat. He just looked at Zhao Shanhe silently. Zhao Shanhes expression was slightly somber. He stared at Chen Chens eyes, trying to see if Chen Chen showed any signs of lying, but he was disappointed. Chen Chens eyes were pure black, like a dark bottomless pool. One was unable to discern any truths or lies at all. No, you must be lying to us, you must be! The woman in the front seat screamed. She even snapped and was about to pull out her lightsaber, but Zhao Shanhe stopped her instantly. Seeing this, Chen Chen continued slowly. You created the Earth Federation in 1993 but because of an antimemetic infection, the entire Earth Federation completely forgot your existence. Only one quantum computer is left maintaining a fragile alliance Because you knew that you might die, you left a video in Adam. The video hints at a crisis that had been brewing in the dark. At the same time, you suspect that your predecessor is Professor Wang Xi, but you cant say it explicitly for some reason. Therefore, you can only use such means to store your student certificate on the campus server. Only by investigating the entire network could someone find the only trace of your existence and Professor Wang Xis name is also written there Chen Chen said successively, Youve left a hint that youre going to the dimension of Event Horizon in the video, am I right? Hearing this, Zhao Shanhe was completely silent. Chen Chen understood that it was normal for the two of them to react so strongly because if what he said was true, it meant one thing Zhao Shanhe died in the dimension of Event Horizon. No, maybe its a parallel universe! The woman in the front seat was still unwilling to believe all this. She emphasized. Its a parallel universe, right? Arent the worlds that we constantly shuttle through all parallel universes? We shouldnt be dying here, absolutely not! However, Zhao Shanhe only shook his head with a wry smile. Only he could understand that the parallel universes did exist, but the dimension key was unique, like the Civilization Monolith in his possession. If the mysterious young man in front of him was the next owner, there was only one reason, and that was that he died Zhao Shanhe wanted to refute this, but everything Chen Chen said was indeed what he had orchestrated in reality. Only the holder of the dimension key could explain all this in such detail, right? All at once, Zhao Shanhe felt powerless. No, I wont necessarily die Still, at this moment, Zhao Shanhe seemed to have thought of something. There was a dark glint in his eyes and at the same time he thought to himself, He said he was also ambushed by the antimeme, doesnt that mean If I carry out the plan I have in mind, there may still be hope Thinking of this, Zhao Shanhe took a deep breath and pulled himself together. Nonetheless, on the surface, he still laughed loudly. I dont know if what you said is true or false, but since Ive come here, Im naturally prepared to die! Oh? Chen Chen suddenly glanced at Zhao Shanhe with a subtle smile. You dont need to believe me, but everything Ive said is true. Can you tell me everything you know now? What else do you want to know? Zhao Shanhe asked solemnly. Whatever I know, Ill tell you. All the secrets of the Event Horizon dimension. Chen Chen said, And how did you link Professor Wang Xi to the dimension key. This is a long story. Zhao Shanhes expression suddenly became serious. He turned his head and looked at the black fog across the horizon in the distance, wearing a sorrowful look. I was an ordinary college student My parents were both from the mountains. For me to attend university, they pawned almost all the valuable things in the family and even the land was sold And I had great aspirations. Finally, I was admitted to the Shangdu Jiao Tong University and entered Biological Sciences In my year of enrollment, I met my life mentor Wang Xi. He knew that my family was poor and he looked after me. After learning that I was very interested in computers, he personally sponsored me with a computer. However, when talking about this, Zhao Shanhes eyes flared with a hint of hatred. But I didnt expect that all this was part of his plan. One day, I found a CD in his class. I wanted to hand it in, but in the end, I still thought of using the computer to see what was in it. At that time, I was still young and harbored a strong curiosity about everything CD, huh? Chen Chens heart suddenly jolted. He still remembered that Zhao Shanhe graduated in 1988, which meant that he was in college in 1984. At that time, there was indeed no storage device like a USB drive. In other words, at that time, the dimension key existed in the form of a compact disc? So, I secretly brought the CD back to my dormitory and put it into the computer when the other students were away. Zhao Shanhe did not know Chen Chens thoughts at this time. He just continued to speak, But I never thought that what was stored in it turned out to be a movie A movie named 2001: A Space Odyssey Chen Chens pupils shrank when he heard that. It turned out that Zhao Shanhe had obtained the black slate so early? However, why was this movie on the CD? The black slate was so valuable. If one wanted to obtain it, one definitely would not hand it over to others. Is there some deeper plan behind the scenes? From then on, there was no stopping my career development Zhao Shanhe turned his head and looked at Chen Chen. Presumably you can guess what happened next. I easily reached the pinnacle of my life by virtue of the Civilization Monolith and easily entered the top ranks of the country. Then I found out, in those dimensions of various movies, humanity was in a state of extinction or on the verge of extinction. There were various clues in the pattern, so I gradually deduced that human civilization was probably not far from extinction I dont want my homeland to perish like a movie dimension, so I created the Earth Federation by myself, wishing to use the power of uniting all mankind to deal with that crisis But at the same time, Ive been tracking down who had left this magical CD that I now owned. Even so, when I investigated my mentor Wang Xi, I was surprised to find that Wang Xi had evaporated Chen Chens heart suddenly leaped. He also remembered that when he first suspected that Professor Wang Xi was related to the USB flash drive, Professor Wang Xi had also disappeared and without a trace at that as if an antimeme had erased everything about Professor Wang Xi. Now it seemed that it was not a coincidence. So, I continued to investigate, but when I was investigating his home, I found a black box Zhao Shanhes expression at this time was faintly fearful. Ill never forget that day when there was such a terrifying thing in that black box Fortunately, I resisted its attack with the Civilization Monolith. But this also caused me to get infected by the antimeme, so I might die at any time! Hearing this, Chen Chen immediately interrupted. So, what was in that black box? I cant say A peculiar expression crossed Zhao Shanhes face. He raised a finger to his lips with a look of dread. If I tell you, Ill die. Chen Chen frowned. But I have to warn you. Zhao Shanhe suddenly changed the topic again and said with an icy smile, You must think that the Civilization Monolith in my possession is very powerful, being able to counter even an antimeme. Nonetheless, you must know that even if you burn the movie into the dimension key, youll have no way of extracting it. The Civilization Monolith is the same as the dimension key its unique. Upon hearing this, Chen Chen put on a look of disbelief. If you dont believe me, you can go back and try. Zhao Shanhe said carelessly, By the way, since youve also been targeted by the antimeme, this is also Wang Xis grand scheme. He mustve planned some great conspiracy and he harbors absolutely no good intentions. Chen Chen had to nod. Understood, what happened next? Thats all. Zhao Shanhe leaned back on his seat and began to close his eyes to calm himself. Ive told you everything I was able to learn. Theres still the Event Horizon dimension. Chen Chen frowned. Tell me, why did you come here? I just found traces of the meme in this dimension. Zhao Shanhe closed his eyes and replied, It has been five years since the movie was released. I discovered the existence of this movie very early on. Then, out of curiosity, I tried to burn the movie into the dimension key and the result was successful. Initially I didnt intend to come in here. After all, the plot of this movie is too eerie, but when I was infected by the antimeme, I made a final desperate move to find a way to save myself here. Even if you assert that Ill be dead in the future, I still want to try I understand. Chen Chen nodded and said no more. The entire car was completely quiet for a while, with only three people harboring their own motives, a controlled driver, and the roar of the car engine. Chen Chen knew that most of the information revealed by the other party was half-true and half-false. At least Zhao Shanhe had not hesitated to enter the black fog, so he was prepared. Nonetheless, Zhao Shanhe had concealed some things. As for the credibility of his other claims, it was evidently still a question mark. After half an hour, the military vehicle came to the black fog and stopped here. Zhao Shanhe had activated the power of the black slate without Chen Chens noticing and the troops stationed at the edge of the black fog gave way, allowing the car to drive in unimpeded. Screech! With the sound of the brakes, Chen Chen and Zhao Shanhe got out of the car one after another, along with the woman who had gradually calmed down. Are you just going in with us alone? Zhao Shanhe looked at the serene black fog in front of him, then suddenly turned his head and asked, If you have the dimension key, you should have your own elite team. Do numbers matter that much in entering this place? Chen Chen said calmly, Moreover, my people are quite special. They are a group of robots. They can only help with ordinary things. But in the face of this situation, they cant do anything. Oh? Zhao Shanhe frowned. If this is the case, then come along with me, but I have to say in advance, if I encounter a situation that even I cant deal with, I wont sacrifice myself to help you. Naturally. Chen Chen nodded calmly. Its all based on ones ability. But before that, would you at least tell me the danger in the black fog first? Alright. Zhao Shanhe nodded and said solemnly, My team went in and explored before. Once the black fog covers this area, itll completely turn this area into a ghost town. There are many incomprehensible, indescribable things in there. You can think of them as ghosts or as a memetic effect and the only way to avoid them is to close your eyes. Close your eyes? Chen Chen turned his head and looked at Zhao Shanhe, looking astonished. Yes, close your eyes. With that, Zhao Shanhe walked directly inside and said as he walked, Remember, no matter what crisis you encounter inside, even if youll die on the spot in the next second, never open your eyes! After that, he did not give Chen Chen a chance to continue inquiring and went straight into the black fog! The woman who came with Zhao Shanhe also walked in without hesitation. Watching the two disappear into the black fog, Chen Chens originally somewhat puzzled expression faded away. A sneer curled up at one corner of his mouth and he stepped into the black fog too. Chapter 592 - The Principle of Civilization Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation The moment Chen Chen stepped into the black fog, he suddenly felt as if he was half-dreaming and half-awake. Although only a second or two had passed, it seemed that a long, long time had passed. Chen Chen was very familiar with this, just like the sense of sinking in time every time he entered the Ark teleporter. However, Chen Chen temporarily closed his eyes according to Zhao Shanhes instructions. Hum! At the same time, Chen Chens vast Field energy burst out as if he wanted to penetrate the black fog in front of him but it was blocked by multiple layers as if there were endless sponges around him that prevented the Field energy from unfurling. On the contrary, it was the psionic energy that had mixed in with Field that could smoothly permeate the black fog, allowing Chen Chen to perceive the environment within 20 meters from his body. Upon sensing this range, Chen Chen could not help frowning. In reality, his Field ability was mighty. After so many years of training, he had achieved an 80-meter range. Within this 80-meter radius, although he was not omnipotent, he still had Earth-shattering powers. Now, his Field power was restricted again. He could only use the weaker psionic power to explore the surroundings and the radius of exploration was only 20 meters. This weak feeling reminded him of being imprisoned in the dream world by the antimeme After all, his psionic power was not as strong as Field energy, and could not even penetrate a thin piece of plywood. All at once, Chen Chens strength was weakened by 90% and the remaining 10% was only the strength of his own body. However, Chen Chen did not retreat. After all, he wanted to find out the mystery behind the USB flash drive. Each day that the secret of the USB flash drive could not be solved was another day that Chen Chen could not feel at ease. Besides, the body was just an avatar, so it was as if Chen Chen had two lives. If one died, he still had another. Under such favorable conditions, Chen Chen was naturally willing to fight. These thoughts flashed through Chen Chens mind. He only sensed that he had arrived at an empty street. Strictly speaking, it was the same as the outside world except for the intuition he felt when he stepped into the black fog. He could even still feel the warm sun above his head. Still, Chen Chen understood that he had indeed stepped into the black fog because his ears could no longer hear the sounds outside and the Field energy was suppressed by some invisible power. Not far in front of him, Zhao Shanhe and his subordinate, Jenny, were lowering their heads, gently making gestures before their eyes. Chen Chens psionic energy diffused forward. Only then did he see that they were sewing their eyelids with needles and threads They pulled the upper and lower eyelids together, and then sewed them with a needle and thread so that they could not open their eyes to see the outside world. It was not a bad plan. However, Chen Chen knew that although they had their eyes sewn shut, they were not without the power to fight back. After all, they still had the Force from the Star Wars dimension. Chen Chen did not know what the essence of the Force was but it was a special power just like his own Field energy and psionic powers. The crucial point was that this kind of power could also be suppressed by the reality anchor, which was worth pondering Chen Chens psionic energy spread over and directly collided with the Force of their bodies. The two of them froze at the same time, but the woman named Jenny sneered coldly, seeming to be gloating a little. On the other hand, Zhao Shanhe frowned but he wrapped himself with the Force to protect himself. Chen Chen slowly withdrew his psionic energy, but he was utterly shocked because at the moment of the collision, he faintly sensed that their original Force seemed very similar to his psionic energy. It could almost be from the same source! It was just that, unlike the full version of the psionic powers Chen Chen had, the original Force in them was like the weakened version of psionic powers that Chen Chen had bestowed on the members of the Superpower Combative Police Force. It was just a special kind of energy but without magical abilities such as psionic seeds, rebirth, and so on. Psionic energy and the Force were they the same thing? Chen Chens thoughts surged. He linked all this with the movie Star Wars and a terrifying idea came to mind Unless my strength is a hundred million times stronger than what I have now, I must never step into the Star Wars dimension! 1 At this moment, Chen Chen had this thought. Do you need my needle and thread? After finishing sewing his eyes, Zhao Shanhe said to Chen Chen without looking back, If you need it, I can lend it to you. Its fine. Chen Chen shook his head. I think I should be able to stop myself, but Im rather curious about what will happen when I open my eyes. Open your eyes and you die. Zhao Shanhe said coldly, Since you dont need it, I wont force you. With that, he walked straight ahead into this deep road. Seeing this, Chen Chen directly trailed behind them. His psionic power and their original Force incidentally clashed at times. Gradually, Chen Chen also estimated that Zhao Shanhes original Force could expand by about ten meters and that Jennys was even feebler, with only a range of five meters. This range was no different from being blind. Everyone was aware that while Chen Chen was estimating, Zhao Shanhe and Jenny also felt a jolt of shock in their hearts. In their perception, Chen Chens mysterious power was stronger than their own and his range of perception had surpassed theirs too. This induced rather complicated feelings in their hearts and they were more guarded against Chen Chen. Chen Chen followed them all the way. He found that the other party seemed to have been walking along the road. After about a kilometer or two, the buildings on both sides of the street and the street itself began to show signs of damage. From time to time, there were pieces of steel fragments blocking them on the road and the three of them had to go around to move on. Zhao Shanhe seemed to be heading to the location where the Air Force One had crashed. They followed the increasingly frequent traces until the three of them had walked for about three hours. When Chen Chen sensed that there were destroyed buildings all around him, he suddenly perceived a behemoth structure had appeared in front of him. It seemed to be the nose of an airplane, but it had been damaged a long time ago, and even its shape was shriveled. After coming here, Zhao Shanhe and Jenny could not help but stop. Seeing this, Chen Chen also stopped. He extended his psionic energy forward, but suddenly raised his eyebrows because through his psionic observation, he discovered that there was no corpse in the plane. It was not until now that Chen Chen realized something. He did not see any corpses along the way. It stood to reason that after the Air Force One crashed, there must be quite a few residents in this neighborhood. Even if some of them had escaped before the black fog had spread, at least some residents should be trapped here, unable to escape. Even so, he had not met anyone, not even any living persons nor dead bodies. Still, Zhao Shanhe was not surprised about this at all. He knew a lot of secrets but he just did not want to tell Chen Chen. This is it. Zhao Shanhe nodded, then turned and walked toward a nearby building that had not been completely destroyed. Jenny has exhausted a great deal of her Force. We need to rest for a night before moving on. Chen Chen frowned. He knew that this was said for his benefit. Although his psionic energy could support him for a long time, the Force of that woman was much weaker and it seemed that she could no longer hold on. Thinking of this, Chen Chen still followed behind them and at the same time asked, You seem to have come here for this plane. What are you going to do next? After Jenny has recovered, well enter the cabin then find the source of the black fog and enter the real subspace from there. Zhao Shanhe replied, Thats our goal. Subspace? Chen Chens heart fluttered. Finally, the other party had begun to reveal new information to him. A subspace is the shadow cast by the universe. Zhao Shanhe walked into a low-rise shopping mall and said, Everything has a projection. The universe has a projection and the subspace is the shadow of the entire universe. Therefore, the subspace doesnt belong to reality. Its a place where time, space, and matter are all meaningless. Naturally, theres no life but its full of indescribable things or perhaps I should call them rules. The memes that turn us pale are the simplest representation of that kind of rule. Chen Chen listened silently without speaking. And this black fog is the air current after the barrier between reality and the subspace is broken. Zhao Shanhe came to the mall and picked out food that had not rotted. He said while selecting, This black fog, called the subspace countercurrent, was originally a product of the subspace eroding reality. Once erosion begins, it cant be dispelled at all unless the power of the Civilization Monolith is used. Chen Chens heart suddenly leaped and he immediately recalled that Zhao Shanhe had indeed unexpectedly used the black slab to break through a small patch of black fog. After the subspace erodes reality, countless unpredictable changes will occur and various weird memetic effects will also begin to emerge. Do you know why? Zhao Shanhe asked suddenly. Why? Chen Chen asked stoically. Because memes are the principle of civilization. Zhao Shanhe replied indifferently, Strictly speaking, memes are fragments of the principle of civilization. Subspace erodes reality and will inevitably lead to the fragmentation of the principle of civilization and the shattered principle of civilization becomes memes. Chen Chens feet paused. He felt as if he had been shocked by a thunderbolt and a feeling of enlightenment washed over him, but at this moment, he still gritted his teeth and asked, Then, you should talk about what the principle of civilization is. However, Zhao Shanhe just smiled mysteriously. As the name suggests, the principle of civilization is the principle of civilization. You should already know what it is. Chen Chen only felt his thoughts scattering wildly. He took a deep breath and began to silently digest everything he had just heard. The three of them selected some packaged food from the supermarket in the mall, and then Zhao Shanhe took the initiative to find a well-enclosed double-staff dormitory and let Jenny and Chen Chen stay there. Well spend the night here. Zhao Shanhes expression was rather serious. He fumbled his way to the window, drew the curtains close, and then took the initiative to lock the front door, making the entire room airtight. After that, he lay a little tiredly on the bunk beside him and exhaled silently. Jenny took the initiative to occupy another bed. Chen Chen observed Zhao Shanhes actions. When the other party was done with everything, he asked, What are you guarding against? I dont know. Zhao Shanhe chuckled. I dont know what will happen next, but dont you think that we can be careless just because we havent encountered any danger along the way. Havent you noticed that there are no dead bodies here? But Jenny and I still remember that when we first broke out of here, there were corpses everywhere in the black fog. Chen Chen also sat in a side chair and asked, a little puzzled, Then, what did you encounter when you left the subspace countercurrent back then? Zhao Shanhe fell silent at this and said after a long pause, We were hunted down by a dark shadow then. That dark shadow looked like a human but I knew it wasnt a human being. It killed three of my subordinates. Only Jenny and I escaped. After saying this, Zhao Shanhe fell silent again. This time, no matter how Chen Chen asked, Zhao Shanhe would not say any more. Seeing this, Chen Chen had to sit at one side, silently building up his spirits. Nonetheless, by now Chen Chen felt a faint pang of restlessness deep in his heart. After all, people were most used to observing everything with their eyes. Although Chen Chen could still observe his surroundings with psionic energy after losing his vision, it was like an ultrasound. His psionic powers detected shapes and textures at most, allowing him to distinguish different matters. It was like black and white vision, limited to a range of 30 meters. It was a very dull perception. Still, this jittery feeling would not affect Chen Chen much as he still had it under control. What Zhao Shanhe said before, such as the fact that one must close their eyes to enter the subspace countercurrent, Chen Chen could still somewhat agree with this because he had experimented with this before. The instant someone glanced at the unknown image sent back by the Event Horizon, it would immediately erupt in the billowing black fog. The subspace was closely related to eyes or vision. It was no wonder that Zhao Shanhe warned him not to open his eyes here. Moreover, the premise of closing ones eyes, taking into account the movies plot, could also verify some clues. In the movie, Dr. Weir, who drove the main storyline, had frequently seen his dead wife on the Event Horizon and his wife also kept bewitching him. Every time she appeared, her eyes were two hollows. In the latter part of the movie, Dr. Weir even gouged out his eyes, claiming that only in this way could he see reality clearly. As for everything that Zhao Shanhe said later, Chen Chen was even more stirred up. According to Zhao Shanhe, a memetic effect was a fragment of the principle of civilization, which was a bit scary when he thought about it more deeply. This was because Chen Chen had already made a profound speculation before that the so-called principle of civilization was probably the path of a civilization. This was an abstract concept. For instance, the world where Chen Chen lived and the world of Event Horizon were both ordinary in terms of technology. If something that transcended technology started to show up in such a world, would it not mean that the principle of civilization was starting to be broken? After the principle of civilization was broken, fragments of the principle of civilization would gradually appear. Chapter 593 - Footsteps Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Chen Chen was the first to hear the footsteps. His body had long become non-humanoid and his sense of hearing was vastly superior to that of a regular human. Before the other two had even caught the slightest hint of the footsteps, Chen Chen had located the exact location of where the footsteps came from. The sound of footsteps came from within the mall and was approaching the second floor at this very moment. Clack, clack For some reason Chen Chen could not discern, the footsteps carried a strange quality to it, the practiced manner of its steps felt almost mechanical. From the manner of feet shuffling against the floor, he felt it was closer to a dead body stepping mechanically across the floor than a live human traveling along the corridors As the sound of the footsteps drew closer, Zhao Shanhe soon came to hear it as well. Zhao Shanhes chest tightened. He immediately sat up from the bed and craned his neck closer to try to make out what it was. Boss Jenny was the last one to hear it. She jolted upon hearing the sound and stood up. Zhao Shanhe immediately raised a finger and hissed at her, telling her to not make any noise to draw attention. Before the situation was figured out, they should avoid drawing attention to themselves at all costs since there was no telling what could happen. Clack, clack The footsteps finally arrived outside the door. Both Zhao Shanhe and Jenny were on their feet, standing vigilant at this point. It was only Chen Chen who remained seated. Something unexplainable occurred. The moment they heard the footsteps arriving by the door, it seemed to have completely vanished without a trace! After reaching what seemed like its destination, it disappeared without a whisper as if it never existed in the first place. Once again, the place was plunged into an eerie silence. An invisible pressure gripped the entire staff dormitory. Chen Chen enveloped his highly concentrated mass psionic power around the entire dormitory. The moment he detected anything unusual, he could unleash his power in an instant. The stalemate lasted for more than ten minutes, by which point Zhao Shanhe and Jenny were beginning to have their doubts. They noticed the footsteps suddenly coming to a halt after arriving at the door and no movement had been detected since. It seemed like this person had departed silently, leaving behind an empty corridor. However, they doubted that this person would just leave whimsically. Furthermore, they did not hear the sound of the departing footsteps, implying that this person or entity was now standing motionlessly outside. What was it waiting for? Jennys sweat poured down her back relentlessly. She could not handle this much longer. The sheer horror of discovering a strangers footsteps in this subspace countercurrent world where even corpses could not be found was indescribable. After another ten minutes passed, the stalemate seemed to have finally come to an end. They heard the steady sound of footsteps clapping against the floor again, this time, departing from their location. It had finally left. After hearing the last of the distant footsteps, Zhao Shanhe and Jenny deflated with relief. Zhao Shanhe wiped the sweat on his brow. D*mn that strange footsteps, waiting outside for so long! Why did it not come inside? Jenny noted. Id much prefer it if it barged right in. The worst-case scenario is that you still have the Civilization Monolith. I dont ever want to experience anything like that suspenseful twenty minutes wait ever again. The reason it didnt barge in isnt that we hid ourselves well but because we havent triggered it just yet. Zhao Shanhe stated, Also, the Civilization Monolith isnt invincible. Using it places a lot of burden on my psyche, which will take considerable time to restore. Its best to use it conservatively in the subspace countercurrent. Throughout their whispered exchange, Chen Chen did not add any comment. He only listened silently and took in whatever information he could from their dialogue. It seemed all of them shared the same sentiment that what came to them earlier was not human. Just as the three had let their guard down, a sudden noise came from the door and spooked the group. Knock, knock, knock, knock! It caught them completely off guard and made them jump. Zhao Shanhe especially was so startled that his face twisted with fright and goosebumps crawled up his back! The strange footsteps should have departed. Who was knocking at the door? Chen Chen felt a cold shiver down his spine as well. He took a risk and pushed his psionic power underneath the door to investigate. His discovery was rather baffling since there was not a single soul outside the door! Knock, knock, knock, knock! They heard knuckles rapping persistently against the door again. This time, it was more urgent than the last time! Meanwhile, Chen Chen also heard the familiar footsteps returning. It approached slowly and steadily with an eerie, gloomy composure. Even Zhao Shanhe heard it as well. The color of rage immediately rose to his face and he stormed to the entrance and kicked the door open with all his might! Bang! The door was kicked wide open. The sound it made traveled through the entire dormitory while revealing an empty corridor! Needless to say, the sound of knocking was immediately cut off. The three of them were frozen in place, feeling slightly by this anticlimactic development. Did it enter the room? Or did it leave? Whats going on? Jenny muttered. She scanned the vicinity of the corridor with her Force but could not find anything. This constant state of agitation was not good for her heart. Clack, clack The footsteps at the end of the corridor drew closer. In this decisive moment, Chen Chen suddenly flicked an eyebrow and made an abrupt move! Bang! The door shut with a loud slam! What are you doing? Jenny questioned Chen Chen in a fit of anger. Shhh Chen Chen raised a finger and signaled for her silence. He needed to pay attention to the developments outside. Clack! The footsteps arrived at the now tightly shut door again and just like last time, silence descended. One minute, two minutes, three minutes This time, the sound of footsteps outside the door stayed in place for about ten minutes and then left again, heading toward the other end of the corridor. After the footsteps went away again, they calmed down slightly. Didnt you guys notice? Chen Chen said in a hushed voice, The knocking earlier seemed to come from inside instead of outside. Zhao Shanhe and Jenny were startled by Chen Chens sudden remark. You can tell that its clearer and sounded like it came from inside because if it came from outside, itd at least be muffled slightly by the door. Chen Chen explained coolly, I think whatever was knocking at the door went out the moment Zhao Shanhe opened the door. We had the false assumption that it originated outside since we heard footsteps coming from the outside earlier. Jennys face turned pale. If the sound of knocking did come from the inside, could it mean that they were staying in the same room with whatever it was all this time? There were millions of different emotions appearing on Jenny and Zhao Shanhes faces, which were quite fascinating to see. This wont do, I have to investigate it myself. Zhao Shanhe grunted suddenly as he raised his hand flat in the air. A tiny black slate appeared at the center of his palm and levitated above it. It emitted an undetectable shockwave that permeated the room! However, this shockwave still did not detect anything. Zhao Shanhe seemed to be convinced and retracted the black slate. Seeing Zhao Shanhes reaction, Chen Chen shook his head without a word, then went back to his thoughts. Chen Chen remained vigilant. In truth, even he could not believe that his Field would be restricted in this place and for his psionic power to be rendered useless as well. He could not even sense the source of the knocking sounds that they heard. There was no logical explanation for the footsteps and door knocking that they heard. Could it just be as Zhao Shanhe suspected that it was an unknown memetic effect? Chen Chen certainly had no way of knowing. The three of them soon noticed an established pattern behind the footsteps. It seemed to resurface every hour or so along the corridor, then it would arrive outside the door and remain there for ten minutes. At first, the three of them would tense up at its arrival but as they slowly grew accustomed to it, they eased slightly. Considering that it never seemed to attempt to barge in, there was no use continuing stressing about it. As time went on, Jenny, who only recently recovered, could not handle the fatigue anymore and fell asleep soundly on the bed. Zhao Shanhe and Chen Chen remained silently on the chair with their eyes closed. The clock slowly ticked away. The night sky was now seeing the first signs of daylight. Chen Chen could sense that daytime was approaching because he was seated underneath the window. Even with his eyes closed, he could see the faint darkness slowly brightening with traces of light. Eventually, a glimpse of light passed through the curtain and beamed inside the room to welcome the day. Its now around six in the morning of the second day Chen Chen roughly estimated the current time. With his acute senses, this estimate should be quite accurate, with only a five or ten-minute difference. Jenny got up around this time as well. She sat up, feeling slightly better after getting proper rest. Get ready. After the next footsteps, we can head out. Zhao Shanhe informed the group while retrieving some food from his bag and passing some to Jenny. He made sure to offer Chen Chen some as well. Chen Chen declined the kind gesture. His body was composed of the combined essence of five thousand death row inmates and surpassed the boundaries of a common person. He could easily go on days without any food or water so there was no need to exhaust their food supply. Zhao Shanhe left it at that and ate silently. Before they finished their breakfast, the footsteps that had been hounding them all night returned Upon hearing the approaching footsteps, Chen Chen became quite restless. He had already thought about poking through the gap underneath the door with psionic power to see who this mysterious visitor was. The only reason he had not done that was that he figured there was no need to escalate the situation. There was no telling if his psionic power would trigger some kind of unknown chaos. Now that they were about to leave anyway, Chen Chen was not about to let this opportunity pass him by. Chen Chen quickly took advantage of the window before the footsteps arrived at the door and slipped a tiny slither of his psionic power out the door Psionic, like Field, was an intangible force without any shape or form. Both of these powers were not known for supreme penetration and could hardly pass through obstacles more than several millimeters thick but a gap underneath the door was certainly a viable path of entry, even if it took a bit more effort. Faint traces of psionic power slipped out until it filled the section outside the door. By this point, the footstep was almost here. Clack, clack Chen Chen held his breath and conservatively extended his psionic reach, hoping to make the first contact with the owner of this footstep. Upon seeing who this person was, Chen Chen froze. This person turned out to be a robot, one with large spots of rust all over it and in a state of disrepair! The exterior of its shell was covered with stitched layers of human skin. A large portion of this skin had rotted away and only hung over the robots shell like a broken cape. The hard, metallic shell of the robot could be seen underneath rotted holes formed on the skin This Chen Chen was baffled by this. The possibility of this entity patrolling outside the dormitory the entire night being an aged, nearly broken-down robot had never even occurred to him! Chen Chen had never seen this model before. Its design was quite humanoid, sporting two arms and legs like that of a regular human with a head as well. He would have assumed it was some sort of alien property if not for the layers of skin stitched atop it. This explained why he could not sense a human presence behind these footsteps. It was not a human all along Chen Chen had yet to make direct contact. He only observed it from a distance with psionic power so far. When it arrived at the door, it stopped and seemed like it was trying to scan the interior of the room. Due to the decrepit state of its devices, its sensors were of no use at all. All it could do was to stand motionlessly outside the door for about ten minutes before realizing that its sensors yielded no result. Then, it turned around and moved down the other end of the corridor again. After sensing its departure, Zhao Shanhe sat up and stretched, then motioned to Chen Chen. It just left. Based on the pattern weve observed all night, it should be another hour and a half before it returns. We shouldve enough time to return to the Air Force One and head to the real subspace. Chen Chen answered with a brisk nod. Zhao Shanhe cautiously opened the door and left the room first. The rest followed and soon exited the mall compound. Just what in the world was that robot? The curious subject still vexed Chen Chen but he knew this was not the time to be bothered with such details. He left the mall with the group. Several minutes later, they reached the Air Force One. Chen Chen sensed the thick fog in the vicinity that further limited his psionic range, shortening it from twenty meters to a mere eighteen meters. When he surveyed the Air Force One with his psionic power, he noticed that the aircraft was covered with thick vines like blood vessels. This strange plant appeared to grow by seeping from the black mist in its surroundings. It was still growing at a noticeable rate like it would not stop until it could completely wrap itself around the almost destroyed Air Force One. Zhao Shanhe seemed unfazed by this and continued crawling through the cracks of the aircraft as if its current state was nothing out of the ordinary. Come on! Zhao Shanhe called out and stretched a hand for Jenny to grab onto. Chen Chen frowned a little upon noting this. He lifted himself with his psionic power and stepped into the cabin with the rest of them Chapter 594 - Inner Demons Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Inside the cabin, a laptop in a ruined shape was constantly oozing some kind of air current. The current it produced merged into the black mist surrounding it, indicating that the laptop was the source of these black mists. The subspace countercurrent originated from the laptop. Chen Chen inspected the laptop with his psionic power and saw a vision of a group of officials from Northern America gathered around the computer. They seemed to be looking at the NASA headquarters footage, but when they opened a video sent from the Event Horizon, something happened The subspace countercurrent tossed and decalibrated the aircraft and the scene that happened in the movie unfolded as well. In one part of the movie when one of the rescue crew members approached the Event Horizons time warp engine, the engine suddenly morphed into a jet black gooey substance and pulled the rescue crew member inside it It released a sudden explosion that tore the rescue ship apart. Left without a choice, the remaining members of the rescue crew had to take the risk and relocate to the Event Horizon. This was how everything unraveled in the movie. It seemed like the Air Force One had met a similar fate as well. If entering the subspace countercurrent is only the appetizer, Id say were looking at the main course now. Zhao Shanhe commented light-heartedly before pushing one hand through the laptop screen. The display was a still pool of black liquid which Zhao Shanhes hand entered without encountering any resistance. Then, he moved on with his arm, body, and legs In the end, Zhao Shanhe dove completely into the mysterious black pool. Are you coming? Jenny, who trailed behind Zhao Shanhe, left a quick remark for Chen Chen before stepping into the black pool without hesitation, leaving Chen Chen behind. Chen Chen chuckled at this remark that seemed to be a challenge. There was not a trace of hesitation in him as well as he put his hand through the pool. Zoom! A cold sensation ran through his body, then he got sucked into the pool! Immediately after that, his surroundings took on a rapid transformation. He cautiously wrapped himself with a layer of psionic power as protection before surveying the area. After looking over his surroundings with psionic power, he relaxed a little. He found himself in a tranquil little path in what seemed like the countryside. There were very few people around here. The only ones he saw was a group of fat-bellied children. Hey, Lerigado! A heavy hand suddenly placed itself on Chen Chens shoulders and made him turn around in alert. The moment Chen Chen reacted to this sudden intrusion, he felt as if another layer of consciousness was masked over his original conscience. In this instant, Chen Chen turned into another large-bellied boy with disproportionately feeble limbs and looked at this other person wide-eyed. Gurunich! Chen Chen turned around and saw it was a dark-skinned boy calling after him. Suddenly, like he was reading off a script, he subconsciously greeted and carried out a conversation like he had known this person all his life, Have you dug up any cotton leaves? Ive been searching the entire day but havent come into any! This is all I managed to find The boy Chen Chen subconsciously referred to as Gurunich scratched his head irritably but still, he reached into his pocket and retrieved a large handful of cotton leaves and stuffed it into Chen Chens hand. This is all I can give you! Haha! Thank you so much Gurunich! They both shared a hearty laugh, beaming with childlike innocence. The sun setting down brought a warm fuzzy feeling to Chen Chens chest. The younglings digging vegetables on the outskirts of the village finally returned to the village in groups of three to five. After traveling down the path, Chen Chen soon saw the unseemly collection of thatched huts line by the side of the winding path. Most of the terrain was taken up by chicken coops and cattle pens near the houses, connected with muddy paths. The state of these paths could only be described as horrible, far worse than anything even the countryside had ever seen. However, this sight could not be anything more common for Chen Chen. There was nothing out of place as far as he was concerned. As usual, he returned to the hut had lived in all his life with his family. He went inside and saw five of his siblings gathered together. They all fixed their gaze on one corner of the house where what seemed like their parents were tending to a fire pit. Placed on top of a fire pit was a black iron pot with jagged edges and a broken handle. Whiffs of smoke rose from inside the iron pot. Even from a distance Chen Chen could smell their delicious dinner. Lerigado is back? The young woman in the kitchen turned around upon hearing footsteps from the entrance. Her smile was picturesque, the warm and gentle smile only a mother was capable of. Sit down, dinner is almost ready! Okay, Mother! Chen Chens stomach was rumbling with pangs of hunger. Even though he was not particularly hungry upon his return, his stomach was now growling with excitement. He gazed at the iron pot with wondrous delicacies inside and his mouth watered. After digging cotton leaves the entire day, he was hungry The food was prepared after just a short while. Chen Chen picked up a bowl set on the floor and scooped up a sizable portion for himself, then squatted on the floor and dove into his meal. Although the bowl of rice was tasteless and dull, it felt so appetizing at this moment The sky had darkened by the time they finished dinner. Chen Chen pulled the sheets of curtain hung over the entrance that served as the door then went to a water well by the door. He took two pails of water and drank like a mule. He looked at the skies above after he drank. The stars overhead shone radiantly in the cover of the night. The Milky Way was almost visible from his vantage point on Earth. As he basked in the moment, a strange sensation suddenly came to him. This is Chen Chen frowned as if jolted awake from a dream. He suddenly recalled that he was entering the subspace with Zhao Shanhe just moments ago. How did he find himself in a place like this? Lerigado! Father was calling for him, his voice sounded harsh as usual. Chen Chen immediately snapped to his senses and sprinted back into the house. Gado, how many times do your mother and I need to repeat this to you? Dont wander off at night. Do you think we can save you if one of those vagrants gets you? Chen Chens parents reprimanded him severely. He could not comprehend what was happening. A part of him wanted to leave and find out what sort of strange circumstances he was plunged into, but another part felt it was right to remain here and wait for his parents to finish. Ill just wait and see what happens Chen Chen figured. Chen Chen passed his days like clockwork. In the blink of an eye, ten years had passed him by in this remote African village. What was once a thin and frail boy of six years old had grown into an able-bodied sixteen-year-old teenager. Chen Chen spent the last decade like a passenger inside this body, observing the state of the world. He had a faint impression that time was flowing in an irregular pattern over the last decade. There were times where things happened in rapid successions, where many events seemed to occur all in an instant. This strange observation must have something to do with the subspace I wonder how long it will take until I can snap out of this. Chen Chen wondered. Over the last decade, his siblings had all died in one way or another until he was the only one who remained of the original group of children. The good news was that his mother gave birth to a younger sister in this trouble-filled period. One day, something terrible came upon them A plague, its a plague! The village chief stood wearily in front of Chen Chens parents and watched helplessly as his parents coughed and vomited large clots of blood periodically. His parents at the time were still relatively young and could not be anywhere past their thirties yet but their hair was already freckled with large white spots. They lay on their bed, their strength almost completely drained from their husks. Chen Chen froze as he saw the scene unfold before him. A thought suddenly occurred to him, could this be the terrible Blacklight virus plague that swept through the region so many years ago? This virus claimed hundreds of millions of people in the African continent, could this be Chen Chen quaked inside. Lerigado Mother raised her hand that was riddled with pores and made to grab Chen Chens arm. Get out of here, take your sister and leave! Leave the village and head to the Eco Science City some hundreds of kilometers away from our village. You may have a chance at survival if you can get there Mother A bitter smile surfaced on Chen Chens face. After all these years, he finally regained his awareness but still, he found there was nothing he could do except to follow along this predetermined trajectory of this young man called Lerigado who grew up in an African village. The realization of his parents death, the parents that he had spent the last decade with pained Chen Chen. This was nothing that he had ever experienced before. He had never realized that such heartache existed in the world. This sorrow, this unbearable urge to weep, this pain inflicted by the terrible hands of fate Go! Hurry before its too late! An enormous strength suddenly erupted within his withered parents. This was the last time his father would ever find the strength to sit up and belt at him, Get out of here! Chen Chen clenched his teeth and took his only eight-year-old sister with him. He ran out the door and never looked back at the village that he had spent his entire life in. Thats it. Im Chen Chen. Even though Im plunged into this dream state, the Eco Science City exists here as well, which means Little X is here as well. If I can get to Little X, I can get her to cure my dear sister All of this may only be a mirage, a substance of illusion but still Chen Chens mind raced as he made for the Eco Science City with his sister. On the way to the Eco Science City, Chen Chen saw the roads paved with countless bodies that succumbed to the plague. These were the people who were trying to head to Eco Science City, just like himself. All of them were thinking the same thing as himself. That their only chance at survival was the Eco Science City Lerigado While Chen Chen was dragging his numb legs with his sister on his shoulder, he heard a faint, familiar voice calling out to him from the roadside. Chen Chen froze and stared at the owner of this voice in disbelief. It was his childhood friend lying weakly on top of a blanket of grass. There was a weeping baby on his lap. Gurunich! Chen Chen approached his friend and stared at him with fixed horror in his eyes. The young man who should be sturdy like himself had become drained and lifeless. Blood seeped out of the crevices in his nose and ears, and his gums swelled with blood as he talked. Buddy, I cant walk anymore. Gurunich smiled soberly. I can hear Death coming for me. I consider myself blessed to at least be able to see you before I go Stop that, Ill carry you! Chen Chen somehow mustered the Nobel sentence from his lips, then he clenched his teeth and tried to carry his sick friend. Thats impossible, give up Gurunich wrought himself free from Chen Chen and shook his head. You wont get anywhere carrying me, well all end up dead by the roadside that way. I have a terrible favor to ask of you Chen Chen immediately looked at the baby upon hearing this. My daughter Gurunichs lips trembled as he presented his daughter to Chen Chen. Take my daughter. Her life has barely begun. Its not right that she should die and rot into the soil like myself Chen Chen looked at this child that he had never seen before until now. His feet were rooted to the ground. Please, I beg of you Gurunichs voice was growing desperate. This is the only wish I have. I I beg you! As he said this, his arm gave out! D*mn it! Chen Chen howled and quickly reached for the baby before Gurunich dropped her on the ground. Then he grabbed his sister, pulled her on her shoulder, and ran toward Eco Science City like a madman! Chen Chen ran and ran until he lost sense of himself before his sisters crying pulled him back. He panicked upon realizing something and quickly reached for his sisters forehead to feel her temperature. Thankfully, thankfully Sensing that his sisters temperature was normal, he heaved a sigh of relief. Then he suddenly noticed that Gurunichs daughters cries were getting weaker Is this reality or not? Why cant I wake up A wipe of regret surfaced in Chen Chens eyes. He made a silent resolution and suddenly placed his finger in his mouth, and then chomped on it! The terrible pain drilled deep into his body. It also served to alleviate the final trace of doubt in his mind. Before he would change his mind, he immediately put his finger into the babys mouth! Glug, glug The starving baby finally stopped her crying when Chen Chen did this. She greedily sucked Chen Chens finger and nourished herself. Chen Chen smiled upon seeing this. He lifted a finger again and bit down hard on it Brother, what are you feeding the little girl While Chen Chen was doing everything he could in his power to feed the baby, his sister suddenly asked. Chen Chen trembled and looked at his sister who was looking at the baby curiously. Hold on, Ill let you eat something after I feed this little one Chen Chen went back to feeding the baby. Three days later. There was a whistling wind blowing in the wasteland and a cloud of dust was flying in the sky but then, it dissipated again. Mild gusts of wind blew across the desolate wasteland. Chen Chen trudged across patches of grass, his feet covered in blood and cuts from rocks. He held a fainted baby in one arm and held the hand of a similarly worn-out young girl with his other arm. Brother Chen Chen suddenly felt her hand slipping away. He stopped and looked behind him and saw his sister collapsed on the ground. She did not make a fuss nor did she cry. She only whispered with lifeless eyes, Brother, Im so tired. Chen Chens young sister mustered the last of her strength to form a meek smile and said in a quiet voice, Im just going to nap for a short while Dont leave me behind! With that, she shut her eyes. Youre tired? Rest for a while then. Chen Chen tried to crouch on the floor but his knees could not handle his weight anymore and threw his entire weight onto the ground. Wah Wah The sudden tremor woke the baby in his arms and she began to cry. Her cries were both frail and hoarse. Dont worry, youre the daughter of a friend of mine, Ill make sure to feed you Chen Chen muttered and put his bloodied, ruined finger between his dry, cracked lips and crunched on it. Then he put the finger inside the babys mouth. Eat, eat up Chen Chen whispered dryly. He waited until the baby had her fill and fell asleep again before turning to his sister who was sleeping beside him. Wake up, Sister. We need to go to Eco Science City Chen Chen nudged the little girl but she would not respond. What a lazy bug you are Chen Chen forced a strained smile and slowly reached for her and tried to feel for a heartbeat. Her body was cold. There was nothing that would remotely resemble a heartbeat nor suggest a trace of life . Ahhh!!! A dry, piercing scream shattered across the wasteland and soon became drowned out by the merciless wind blowing Chapter 595 - Betrayal Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation The setting sun signaled the coming of the night. Chen Chen held the baby in his arms. He walked like the dead across the desolate wasteland, every step served as a reminder of what he had lost. However, when he looked at the snoring baby in his arms, he felt like there may be a glimmer of hope left. Years of accumulated experience in the village had taught Chen Chen to scour for resources in his surroundings. He replenished his energy by drinking morning dew and eating wild vegetation. He did not know how long it had been since he embarked on this journey. The days felt like years. So much time had passed that Chen Chen had become numb to every pain in his body. Just as his body was about to give out, he suddenly arrived at a long, winding highway. The discovery of the highway brought forth another tiny slither of hope. He walked along the roadside and soon heard distant rumbling coming from behind him. Chen Chen turned around and saw several vehicles with the Blacklight Biotechnology logo on their hood coursing down the highway. They passed him by as if they did not notice him at all. Upon seeing this, he continued down the highway. He started to see more people along the highway the further he went. All the people were heading in the same direction. There were even more dead bodies than there were travelers. Chen Chen took out a water bottle and gulped it down to the very last drop. After ensuring that the bottle could not produce any more water for him, he carefully tucked it back in his pocket and continued down the highway. In time, he saw a large crowd gathered in front. He was filled with dread upon finally arriving at his destination. He saw numerous refugees like himself gathered by the fenced wall that stretched across the entire city. He recognized the sight at first glance. It was the wall he raised to prevent the refugees from storming the city. He even saw hundreds of Black Knights posted atop the wall. The tables had turned. Once, he sneered at the weak commoners from above and now, he was one of the weak commoners. Chen Chen slowly shut his eyes and lowered his head and touched the frozen corpse of the baby in his arms. A sense of despair greeted his eyes. In the end, he could not save anybody. Soon, his world darkened as he collapsed on the ground lifelessly. Nobody around him paid attention to this dying young man as they continued heading toward the imposing wall. As far as they were concerned, Chen Chen was only one of the many fallen they had seen on their way here. Do you feel guilty? In the depths of his mind, Chen Chen heard many foreign voices. It felt as if the original owner of this body he resided in was questioning him sternly All these years ago, could you have made a difference by simply extending an arm to those who need it? Do you feel regret? Chen Chen found himself at a loss for words. Could he truly be regretting the decision he had made all those years ago? Heh Moments before he could feel his soul draining away from this lifeless shell, he chuckled ironically. From the depths of his feeling, he mocked everything with a sarcastic chuckle. His eyes suddenly shone with lucid clarity. To be honest? Chen Chen muttered. He looked at the young man called Lerigado who was both himself and not himself. Lerigado glared at him and repeated, Dont you feel guilty? You couldve saved me, saved my parents, my sister, and my best friends daughter. You couldve saved them all! What do you have to say for yourself? A silent teardrop fell from the corner of Chen Chens eyes but his expression was calm and he declared with fixed determination, Im myself. Im Chen Chen, not you. If you have your sorrows then so do I have my own beliefs. Even if I had to experience your sorrow another hundred thousand times, I still wouldnt feel any remorse! Hahahahha! After expressing this, Chen Chen exploded with laughter. Slowly, the world around him began to change and turned into a mirage, then became drowned in complete darkness! Chen Chen could feel his strength returning to his body and his conscience sobering up from its previous state. Quickly, he used the psionic concentration in his mind to sweep through his surroundings and immediately detected Zhao Shanhe and Jenny standing right next to him. Just like himself, both of them rooted in place and their bodies trembled from time to time. Zhao Shanhe! Chen Chen never felt so awake before. He immediately wrapped his hands around Zhao Shanhes neck and raised him off the ground! You dare plot against me? Chen Chens eyes remained shut, but his anger could be clearly made out on his expression all the same. Zhao Shanhe, who was suddenly assaulted by Chen Chen, woke up as well. Despite the sudden interference, he made sure to keep his eyes shut while he cried out, How is this possible? How did you wake up before me? The commotion they had caused woke Jenny, who immediately snapped her eyes open and looked at Chen Chen. Let go Let go of the boss Moments after her awakening, she sensed a sharp pain! Ahh! Jenny cried out hysterically. Her body trembled endlessly while she wrapped her hands around her head then screamed. Like ice melting under the sun, her body started to melt as well. Chen Chen saw everything happening with his psionic eyes. He saw Jenny beginning to melt from her head down! In this very instant, Chen Chen suddenly felt his grip on Zhao Shanhe weakening. Zhao Shanhe released his palm and summoned the black slate which quivered in the air and emitted a shockwave that blasted Chen Chen away and filled his ears with an indescribable screech! The sharp screech echoed in Chen Chens ears. With his eyes, he could see Jennys head morphing into a puddle of yellow liquid. Despite that, she was still shrieking! It was only until her neck had melted away with her throat when the shrieking finally stopped. It only took another ten seconds or so before she turned into a puddle of mud! Was this the consequence of opening ones eyes? Chen Chen, who saw everything unfold, turned to Zhao Shanhe who wrought himself free earlier and asked, Whats going on? D*mn it Zhao Shanhe seemed deeply troubled as well. He bit his lip and said, She, she mustve seen something. There must be something around us now! She mustve seen that thing and Chen Chen became silent and scanned their surroundings with his psionic energy again. However, he did not notice anything peculiar other than the ground underneath them that was filled with pits. He was certain that Zhao Shanhe must have repelled something when he activated the Civilization Monolith. I didnt try to set you up or anything I just never expected to be attacked by some kind of dangerous foreign entity upon just arriving in the subspace. That thing seems to be able to devour the minds of its victim by exploiting the most vulnerable parts of their memory and throwing them into a dreamscape! You think Id buy any of that? Chen Chen rebuked harshly. Its up to you whether you believe it or not, but every word I say is true! Zhao Shanhe defended himself. I have the Civilization Monolith so you cannot kill me but I never intended to harm you either in the first place. Chen Chen remembered everything. During the Blacklight virus plague so many years ago, he had the chance of going through the details of many refugees gathered outside the wall. One of them who left a deep impression of him was a young man named Lerigado. He remembered what Lerigado had to endure only to die at the wall Everything he had experienced earlier must have been an account of Lerigados life. The subspace is essentially a projection of the real world. Zhao Shanhe was worried that Chen Chen would doubt his innocence so he explained again, This isnt a material plane but an abstract world bordering on the edge of the balance of the universe. This means that whatever happens in the material plane is completely meaningless here and that anything can happen here due to the instability of this plane. This is why its vital to keep your eyes shut because this world isnt to be observed with the naked eye. Any such instances that arent supposed to occur will cause a great shift in this plane that may endanger our lives! Chen Chen suddenly tensed up just as Zhao Shanhe said this. He heard the sound of footsteps coming from a distance. The footsteps sounded eerily familiar but Chen Chen somehow was sure that it did not belong to the robot in human skin they had encountered last night, but to a human instead I didnt expect you guys to come in here as well.. Both of them heard a grave, astute voice of an elderly man. Chen Chen immediately turned to the source of the voice, completely petrified. Zhao Shanhe trembled at the sudden appearance of this person. His expression turned intensely fierce. This voice This voice! Chen Chen took a deep breath and stated solemnly, Professor Wang Xi, youve finally made an appearance. Chen Chen would never forget this voice, even if it had been more than a decade. This voice played out in his mind daily like a tape recorder. It was Professor Wang Xis voice A somewhat frail and rickety figure slowly walked into Chen Chens psionic range. He saw with his minds eye that the professor was wearing a common blue T-shirt and he addressed the two of them directly, Zhao Shanhe, Chen Chen, Im sure you didnt expect our reunion to happen in a place like this. Wang Xi! Zhao Shanhe was so overcome with emotion that his body would not stop trembling. How dare you show yourself! Explain why youve done so much harm to me when Ive never wronged you in any way! Harm you? Professor Wang Xi seemed appalled by these accusations. Ive been so generous to leave the dimension key behind for you. Its all thanks to my gracious gesture that you managed to ascend to the peak of the Earth Federation so what makes you say that? But you intentionally left your memetic inventions in the real world and nearly drove the world to extinction several times. Why did you do that? Zhao Shanhe continued his accusations while constantly squinting in Chen Chens direction, hinting that they should attack Wang Xi together. Well, I suppose you only have your own incompetence to blame. Professor Wang Xi sighed. You obtained the Civilization Monolith that I was originally saving for myself, and yet you couldnt figure out the workings of the antimeme. Doesnt the problem lie with you in this case? Zhao Shanhe scoffed at this insulting remark. Professor Wang Xi. Chen Chen interrupted the heated exchange between the two. Was it also a part of your plans for me to acquire the USB drive? No. Wang Xi shook his head. I only left the dimension key in a common spot and left it to fate to decide who would stumble into it and what happened next. I must say I wasnt expecting you to outperform Zhao Shanhe Chen Chen frowned. Only Zhao Shanhes obtaining the dimension key was by design. Professor Wang Xi scoffed. He was meant to be the second owner. However, he could barely put up a fight against you even with the help of the Civilization Monolith. How pathetic Whats your motive? Chen Chen brushed aside the irrelevant discussions. After we acquired the dimension key, you spread the Weeping Angel and other memetic entities into real life at the expense of innocent lives. What made you do so? Why would I need to have a specific goal in mind? Wang Xi seemed perturbed by this and stated, Im everything. Im both God and the Devil itself. If I must give you a reason to satisfy you, then it would be that the dimension key has to be bound to someone, but I want to limit the power you two can gain with the dimension key, so I did what you accused me of Back then, the most advanced storage form was floppy disks. The dimension key I first acquired at the time came in the form of a floppy disk as well and thought I could change the entire world with it, but unfortunately A touch of regret appeared in Wang Xis eyes. He shook his head and continued. I died once and therefore lost my ownership of the dimension key. From there on, Id only let the dimension key find its way to its next owner, which is how it came into your hands Chen Chen could not believe what he was hearing. He looked at Wang Xi suspiciously, a part of him still doubted Wang Xis confessions. Could there be some hidden meaning behind what Wang Xi was saying? Chen Chen pondered on what he just heard. By this point, Zhao Shanhes patience had run out. In that case, die! Zhao Shanhe attacked without any warning. The black slate in his hand multiplied in size and emitted a terrific, invisible power which rippled to Chen Chen as well and sent pulses of pain into his head! The moment Zhao Shanhe made his move, Chen Chen felt a sharp pain burning through the center of his chest. A lightsaber pierced through the back of his chest and appeared in front! Hahaha! Wang Xi laughed when he saw this and glared at Zhao Shanhe with a look of mockery. After that, he disappeared, leaving behind only one final remark that echoed in the subspace. Chen Chen, I shall wait for the day you bring mankind to an era of subspace travel! With that, Wang Xi vanished! Chen Chens expression grew cold and wrathful after this. He flicked the sweat pooling on his brow and turned around slowly, menacingly to face a startled Zhao Shanhe. How, how are you not dead yet? Zhao Shanhe was caught off guard by this. He clenched his teeth and flicked the lightsaber upward, slicing apart Chen Chens chest to reveal large clumps of black substance underneath his skin! Zhao Shanhe prod inside with his Force and immediately noticed that there was a mass of nothingness inside Chen Chen. To him, it seemed like Chen Chen was made of a web of flesh without any distinguishable structure such as veins or bones Chen Chen smiled grimly. Just as I thought, it was you messing with my head just now! Zhao Shanhe turned pale as a sheet of paper. He quickly leaped backward and invoked the black slate in his palm again. Pulses of unknown power seeped into Chen Chens conscience and tried to dominate him. Impossible! Zhao Shanhe was petrified. The black slate in his hand quaked maniacally and yet he could not take hold of Chen Chen. Impossible, why arent you dead yet? Youre not human! Ive surpassed the boundaries of humans a long time ago! Chen Chens psionic power erupted like a massive volcano, filling the air with his murderous intent. However, as vicious as his energy was, they were unable to penetrate the barrier formed by the black slate. Zhao Shanhe, who was hiding behind the barrier, was awed by this sight. He slowly paced backward as he beheld Chen Chens otherworldly might. He was inching toward a dimension crack that would lead him back to the real world. He was trying to escape! You wont get away! Chen Chen opened his eyes at once. His pupils dilated. He saw countless twisted, misshaped figures everywhere around them. They moaned and growled with inhumane voices and the moment they saw Chen Chen opening his eyes, their arms turned into fine, slender tentacles and reached for Chen Chen! You opened your eyes! Hahaha! You opened your eyes! Zhao Shanhe shrieked ecstatically. He did not expect that this Chen Chen would be foolish enough to sabotage himself and open his eyes! However, his joy quickly turned to fright within a second as his smile turned frozen and blank with it. He saw Chen Chens hands reaching for his eye! Plop! With an abrupt pull, the neural muscles were torn off cleanly. Chen produced both eyeballs on his palms. After that, a strange light appeared within those empty sockets where his eyes once belonged and through this tunnel, Chen Chen finally got to see the shape and form of this world! So, this is the subspace! Chen Chen saw the mystifying black fog swirling around them. Those fog instantly evaporated upon touching his skin. The cursed effect that should kill anyone who opened their eyes in this world was completely nullified. Meanwhile, Chen Chens psionic powers had built up to a point where they shattered the limitations of the subspace universe and erupted! Boom! In an instant, Chen Chens psionic powers integrated itself with the idle power of the subspace. His psionic wave drew a ferocious tide of the subspace energy that flowed voraciously into Zhao Shanhe! At last, the black slate could not bear the tidal swarm of subspace power sent by Chen Chen anymore. With several sharp cracks, it shattered into pieces! Ah! All Zhao Shanhe could do at that moment was to emit a whimper before his body was broken apart and shattered into pieces by the subspace stream Chapter 596 - Retreating to Reality Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Instead of being plunged into eternal darkness the moment he opened his eyes, Chen Chen instead opened his eyes that allowed him to see what the naked eyes could not observe! With this newly acquired sight, he invoked a subspace tidal stream that allowed him to easily kill Zhao Shanhe on the spot! After executing Zhao Shanhe, he noticed a cloud of bloody mist appearing from where he was killed. Amid the bloody mist, there were Zhao Shanhes eyes wrapped inside it and his voice drowned with death rattle coming from within the depths of the clouds of mist. Impossible, you mustve played some tricks, why arent you dead yet! Chen Chen snickered upon witnessing this scene. He lifted his hand and prepared for another attack, but the cloud of mist was suddenly sucked into the opening leading to reality, and departed from the subspace. Chen Chen did not pursue his rival. He only looked ruminatively into the remnants of the mist with two empty sockets painted with fresh blood. I killed Zhao Shanhe Chen Chen muttered to himself. By now, he had pieced everything together. It seemed like Zhao Shanhe had devised a plan all along in case things went awry for him. After he was afflicted with the antimeme left behind by Wang Xi, he managed to temporarily subdue its effects using the Civilization Monolith. The mysterious power of the black slate managed to suppress the effects of the I See You antimeme successfully, but Zhao Shanhe was hounded with gut-wrenching pain every day from thereon. Therefore, his final resort to purging the cursed antimeme was to head to the Event Horizon dimension in search of whatever clues that may help him. Before embarking on his journey, he intentionally left behind four horror movies in the dimension key: Ju-on, Final Destination, One Missed Call, and Ring. These were the collection of movies Zhao Shanhe discovered that carried the most lethal memetic entities. He left them behind to sabotage the next person to acquire the dimension key. There was another reason he had injected these movies into the dimension key. It served as a fallback in case things went wrong for him. If he encountered some kind of fatal accident in the Event Horizon and died in the dimension, the power of the Civilization Monolith would allow him to fuse with the antimeme and return him to the real world where he would be bound to the dimension key! The next owner of the USB drive would eventually open the four movies at one point or another, and would be killed by the memetic entities lurking within! By then, the dimension would be free for Zhao Shanhe to claim again However, stumbling into Chen Chen in the Event Horizon dimension was completely out of his calculations. It was only after discovering the identity of Chen Chen when he realized the severe stakes involved, that he may very well lose his life in the process! On the other hand, Chen Chen recognized Zhao Shanhe immediately. To loosen Zhao Shanhes guard, he claimed that he was afflicted by the antimeme as well. Chen Chens ploy was superbly effective since Zhao Shanhe saw it as a chance for him to turn the situation around in his favor. Zhao Shanhe realized that the antimeme bound to Chen Chen may very well be the antimeme he had left behind intentionally to plague the next owner of the dimension key so he could leverage on this golden opportunity! Upon recognizing the cards laid out on the table, Zhao Shanhe immediately improvised on his already existing plan. He decided that he was going to kill Chen Chen while they were in the subspace and from there on, alter the course of history! Zhao Shanhes plan was put into effect when he betrayed Chen Chen earlier. After Zhao Shanhes body was destroyed, he retreated to the real world using the antimeme, and after his retreat, he had become incredibly weakened. He bound himself to the dimension key and fell into an extended slumber. After eighteen years when Chen Chen acquired the USB drive, Zhao Shanhe was awakened during one of Chen Chens instantiations From there on, the story played itself out in time. As for Chen Chens action of removing his eyeballs, this was not the first time he had done something like this. The first time Chen Chen had done this was when he was trapped in an elusive dreamscape. After all, removing ones eyeballs was one of the major clues depicted in Event Horizon. In the movie, Dr. Will who turned into a demon proclaimed after gouging out his eyeballs: Where I will be heading to, I will not need eyes This can be interpreted as that eyes were not needed in the subspace. It was only by removing ones eyes could one see the true form of the subspace dimension! The problem was that Zhao Shanhe possessed the body of a mere mortal and could not ever fathom mutilating himself. Meanwhile, Chen Chen had nothing to fear. His body was the body of the Consciousness Stealer. Why should he ever fear gouging his eyes out? Even Zhao Shanhe slicing his chest open with the lightsaber did not inflict any damage on him. The only result of it was that a small portion of his flesh was scalded by the heat of the lightsaber. Zhao Shanhe, after losing his body, could only silently bear his losses and escape in the form of an antimeme. Decades ago in the timeline, I terminated your conscience myself. More than a decade later in the real-time universe, Id have to kill you again. The workings of the multiverse are truly wondrous Chen Chen shook his head. The way he understood it was that Zhao Shanhe retreated with the idea that he may come back from this defeat in the distant future. Little did he know, their next encounter would lead to his ultimate death, where even his conscience could not be preserved! The pain in Chen Chens eyes slowly subsided. He surveyed the world around him with his empty sockets, taking his time to explore this unknown world. The world stretched out before him was an endless stretch of gray that went as far as the eye could see. Countless strange and indescribable particles flickered in the air. They did not seem like stars. This was not the solar system nor was it the Milky Way. It was a place that did not subscribe to the conventions of the universe. There was no light or air and space and time themselves were distorted in this dimension. The entire space was eternally bound to darkness and chaos as countless chaotic distortions bubbled in every corner of this space. From time to time, a gray bubble would suspend itself mid-air and then burst instantly. It would cause a ripple effect of countless strange observations without explanations that could not be described in mere words. This space was full of never-seen-before electric wave signals and abrupt radiation. These chaotic fluctuations ate away at his consciousness. His very sanity was slowly corroding away when basked in this endless gray mist. This was the cost of entering the subspace and seeing the webs of reality. Upon noting this, Chen Chen understood the reasoning for the crew members of the Event Horizon losing their minds and massacring each other senselessly. After surveying his surroundings for a short period, Chen Chen directed his gaze to the location where Zhao Shanhe was last seen. Shattered fragments of the black slate could be seen levitating in the air. It constantly repelled the gray mist of the subspace that threatened to surround it. Chen Chen made a swift motion and summoned the fragments. The workings of this black slate were entirely profound. Even after its destruction, it could resist the effects of the subspace and repel it on its own. Upon touching the black slate, an abstract picture formed in Chen Chens mind. It was a planet in its earlier, primitive form. There was a group of apes leading their lives in a tribal ecosystem. This collection of animals was still in their earliest, emergent form. They fed on whatever live animals they could find. These organisms had yet to place themselves on the top of the food chain. On a fateful day spelled by destiny, a black slate emerged from the ground and levitated over the territory of the apes. The tribe of apes looked upon it like they were witnessing a divine miracle. They gathered around it and began to instinctively worship it. Moments after, the black slate released an invisible shockwave. The tides of its ripple spooked the apes and made them flee from its source in a fit of panic. What these primitive animals did not know was that the seeds of civilization were planted in the deepest corners of their mind from that day forward. It did not take long after that occurrence for the apes to learn skills such as crafting tools, making fire, then on to systemized farming With the passing of each day, the apes soon learned to walk on two limbs instead of four. Their arms were now primed for better purposes such as operating tools instead of for walking. The seeds of civilization sprouted with a delightful radiance These montages came to Chen Chens mind. He watched the rise of civilization play out in his mind. He saw the apes gradually evolving into a hybrid form that began to resemble men, then soon evolved into the human race as he knew it. They propagated the planet like a viral virus. The advancement of civilization only sped up from there on and in time, mankind had traveled into space. At that point, the pictures in Chen Chens mind stopped playing, representing the completion of the first phase of human civilization. So, this is the Civilization Monolith When the montage concluded, Chen Chen pensively put away the fragments of the black slate and then he took one final look at the endless subspace. There were still many profound questions that demanded an answer, such as the appearance of Professor Wang Xi, the robot in human skin, and what was lurking beneath the depths of the subspace There were still countless secrets hidden beneath the subspace, secrets in which Chen Chen at this phase was not qualified enough to unearth yet. It was not a task to be carried out by Chen Chen as an individual, but by mankind as a whole. After all, the evolution of civilization was not an individual effort but a collective effort. At this point, Chen Chen could feel the corrosion of the subspace slowly growing in severity. Without wasting another moment, he quickly entered the passage Again, he was basked in a lucid dream state and by the time he regained his senses, he had departed the subspace and returned to the upstream that intersected the subspace and reality. Even here, Chen Chen could feel the tidal wave of subspace eating away at his conscience. He quickly moved toward the outside world. Just as he was about to exit the edges of the subspace countercurrent, he suddenly heard a deep, foreign hum coming from somewhere behind him. Chen Chen frowned and turned around just in time to see the Air Force One falling apart, kicking a cloud of dusty mist. The passage leading to the subspace was expanding rapidly! While the gap in-between space was being torn apart, an undefinable entity without a determined shape and form broke through space and hurdled through everything in its path and made its way toward Chen Chen! Hum! Hum! Hum! It bellowed a drumming hum that sent tremors down the depths of Chen Chens soul. He immediately sensed an apprehending sense of doom looming over him! Chen Chen could sense the presence of this unknown entity that greatly surpassed that of the Consciousness Stealer which he was previously acquainted with. It was several tens of thousand times stronger! Without wasting a moment, Chen Chen took off at full speed. He broke through the subspace countercurrent in an instant and the moment he emerged from it, the light in the world was shut off again. Everything descended into darkness. Chen Chen quickly prodded forward cautiously with his psionic power and saw that the reality anchor that anchored the black fog in place began to tremble violently. What seemed like dark, demonic figures circling it was trying to break free! Escape! This was the only thing on Chen Chens mind. He bolted to the reality anchor at full speed and grabbed the device swiftly. Then, he went to where he had stashed X-112s drive and immediately retrieved it and bound for Miami. The thought of taking the Black Knights with him hardly crossed his mind! Sir Commander? X-112 sounded puzzled by this sudden urgency. Didnt you enter with Zhao Shanhe? Why are you alone? Where are we going? Home. This was Chen Chens short reply, followed by, I cant see anything now and am relying on Field for flight. Make sure to inform me when we get to Miami Your eyes X-112 only just realized that Chen Chen had lost his eyes. She had a faint idea of what had happened amid the black fog but knew this was not the time for constant questions so she guided Chen Chen faithfully. Chen Chen burned through all the Field concentration he had without any reserve and arrived in Miami in only half an hour. Not a single moment was wasted before he delved into the passage created by the USB drive and finally returned to reality. Upon emerging from the passage, he quickly unplugged the USB drive from the computer and severed the connection between both worlds. Phew! Two Black Knights mechanically carted a stretcher to Chen Chen for him to lay on top and immediately operated on his injuries after that. Chen Chens chest injury was almost healed up by this point. This was especially astounding considering how a major portion of his chest was carved out by the lightsaber and the extreme temperature of the lightsaber had burned through all of the surrounding muscles. Any ordinary mortal that suffered such injuries would be dead on the spot. Chen Chens survival was completely attributed to the inhumane body he resided in. Two plump, white eyeballs began to grow from his eye sockets as well. Chen Chen had been suppressing the regeneration of his eyeballs while he was in the subspace, otherwise, it would have fully regenerated by now. The mass of injury Chen Chen sustained had weakened his body greatly. In time, he should be fully recovered with the careful monitoring of the crew of Black Knights. Keep these fragments in a safe place. Chen Chen suddenly produced a handful of black slate fragments and handed it to a Black Knight while instructing, Remember, this is very important. Make sure you stash even the smallest trace of powder. Understood. X-112 noted. But there are two reality anchors left behind in the Event Horizon dimension. Are we going to leave them there and let them go to waste? Do you want to retrieve them? Chen Chen shook his head. Its too late for that. Its over for that dimension and even the mysterious civilization from DOOM cannot save it by this point Its over. X-112 left the subject upon hearing this remark. The subspace is far more terrifying than I ever expected Chen Chen drew a silent sigh and reflected on what he encountered before leaving. Everything was fine when he entered the subspace, even during the exchange with Zhao Shanhe. It was only moments before he exited the world when a catastrophic entity made its entry. The timing was too uncanny to be a mere coincidence. Could it be Professor Wang Xis face flashed across Chen Chens mind. What he experienced had the professors handwriting written all over it. Why would he do something like that? Chen Chen craved an answer. Chapter 597 - Subspace Navigation Technology A day later. After receiving proper nutrition, Chen Chen had returned to tip-top condition. He received a swift report from X-112. Sir Commander, we have reassembled the black slate you collected. Chen Chen was delighted by the good news brought by X-112. Shortly after that, a Black Knight showed up and presented a tightly sealed glass bottle in front of Chen Chen. Chen Chen immediately noticed a small black slate levitating in the middle of the glass bottle. It exuded a faint glow inside it. Civilization Monolith Chen Chen carefully uncapped the bottle and placed the black slate in his hand. An unknowingly familiar sensation came over him the moment he placed it in his hand. This seemed to be the way of the Civilization Monolith accepting him as its new owner, having inherited it from its previous owner. With this suspicion in mind, Chen Chen shut his eyes and injected his presence into the black slate. Thump! A shockwave surged from the black slate. Chen Chen felt his spirit ascending to another plane. His inner conscience rose above Blacklight City and watched over it like an ancestral being. This was the vantage point of God From this vantage point, the Blacklight City in this end dimension took on a different form C a faint beam appeared above the city. It was a column of energy with the shadow of a black chain dwelling inside it. The chain was in a poor shape, with many cracks and rusted spots riddled over its cuffs. Still, it stubbornly clung onto the beam of light, acting as a symbol of restraint. Law and order Chen Chen narrowed his eyes and subconsciously interpreted what this chain represented. Despite the ruined condition of the chain, one could see that there were many signs of repair done over time as well. He recognized that this was a symbol of the complete restructure he had performed on the city nearly a decade ago when he revamped the ruling cabinet. Despite Chen Chens efforts, the chain was still rusting away at a steady pace. It seemed even his efforts of ushering a new ruling group was unable to purge off the darkness within. Furthermore, the new rulers which he had appointed himself were beginning to show signs of corruption like their predecessors Live long enough and you would see the heroes turn into villains as well. Chen Chens eyes followed up where the beam of light pointed at. At the end of the chain, he spotted a faint shadow of a cross with an old man nailed to it. The face of this figure was blurred but it had an enchanting effect of projecting the face of whoever was beholding it. Religion. Chen Chen understood that this was a religious symbol. This religion originated from the period during the fusion calamity. The Joint Resistance Army needed a recognizable icon to rally the hearts of the people to rebel against the mightiest Divine Fusion Church and so they propagated the cross to the commoners. Chen Chen saw many other things within the beam of light. He saw weapons that represented technology and war. He saw sullen faces and figures that represented different facets of the city. This was the citys principle of civilization. Chen Chen continued craning his neck upward until he gazed at the sky and could see the figure of an enormous Consciousness Stealer looming over the entire planet. This was to represent that this was a dimension ruled by the Consciousness Stealer. Under its governance, the Blacklight City and Joint Resistance Army were merely one of many bodies struggling for survival. In this realm, the Consciousness Stealer was the embodiment of the principle of civilization Chen Chen retracted his gaze. His consciousness promptly exited from this divine perspective and returned to his body. How spectral. Chen Chen commented on the experience, This thing surpasses any technological creation. Just like the USB drive, it maintains an anchored characteristic even within the multiverses. Perhaps this isnt a product of technology? X-112 suggested, The scale of the universe is far beyond our comprehension. This black slate might not be a man made creation. It could be gifted to mankind by another civilization. You make a very good point. Chen Chen agreed with several convinced nods, then he shut his eyes again and sensed the energy lurking within the black slate this time. There was a formless energy rippling within its confinements. This time, he projected his consciousness into it and fused with the entity inside. The culmination of both presences enveloped a one-kilometer radius around its center. Chen Chen sensed that every being within this radius had become an extension of himself. With a simple thought, he could alter their minds and have them carry out his will. By simply invoking his mind, he saw a fat, wretched man sitting on the sofa in the official office of Blacklight City. This man was in the middle of dealing a shady affair with someone else. His guest was a skinny, frail man who tried endlessly to flatter himself. The frail man unzipped a bag he carried with him to reveal several gold bars stashed inside. The fat man was satisfied with what he saw and expressed it with several contented nods. He said something to the frail man and patted his shoulder energetically. The very next second, the fat man shot up from his seat with a dazed expression overtaking his previous enthused expression. He stood blankly and turned to the window, then he approached it and proceeded to open it then leaped out of it unhesitantly, leaving the frail man who was baffled by this unexplainable event. After getting rid of one parasite within the system, Chen Chen continued scanning across the region covered by the power of the black slate. After feeling that his concentration had been exhausted, he immediately retracted his consciousness. Phew! Chen Chen felt clear-headed again after retracting his consciousness. He looked at the time and found out that he had been using the black slate for half an hour. Surely enough, the black slate granted the ability to manipulate and dominate humans, but this puppetry was only temporary and the strings cut off after the black slates powers were suspended. Based on Chen Chens previous observation, Zhao Shanhes range was no more than a hundred meters. Each use of the black slate was extremely mentally exhausting, but even with his initial use his range was already ten times that of Zhao Shanhes, and his duration extended as well. With this power, is there still any obstacle to leading mankind to space? Chen Chen smiled and drew his palm into the shape of a fist, absorbing the black slate into his body and allowing it to fuse with himself. Time to return. Chen Chen turned to one of the Black Knights nearby. X-112, Ill leave the work here to you. If any problem arises, you can find me with the time machine. Understood. X-112 nested inside the Black Knight nodded. Dont worry Sir Commander, Ill keep watch over here. Chen Chen nodded firmly and pocketed the USB drive before heading to the secret warehouse where the time machine was located. He returned to reality using the time machine and with that, the three-month-long Event Horizon expedition had come to a close. If the civilization in Event Horizon could be described as to have entered its twilight years, then the landscape of the reality dimension where Chen Chen resided could draw parallel to a radiant sun rising across the horizon. The emergence of nuclear fusion reactors had ushered in an era of unlimited energy for mankind. Coupled with the emergence of countless aerospace technologies, mankind had unchained itself from the shackles of the earth and evolved from the status of planetary natives to a proper interstellar civilization. Before Chen Chen returned, he had already sent the space warp engine technology from Event Horizon back to reality before him. By the point of his return, there were already thousands of aerospace scientists and experts of the Blacklight Biotechnology Space Department gathered in a hub located in the southern suburbs of the Eco Science City. Each one of them eagerly dissected the space warp engine to see what knowledge they could extract from it. This was the first thing Chen Chen was informed of upon his return to reality. These scientists had signed an appropriate agreement with Blacklight Biotechnology. Even without the installation of the God chip within them, Chen Chen was not worried about the technology being leaked to the Earth Federation. Blacklight Biotechnology was a powerful force to be reckoned with. As long as Chen Chen maintained his position of not selling the relevant technology, even all four major continents united could not force his hand. Besides, the scientists were no fools either. They should know that with all the benefits they gained from Blacklight Biotechnology, it would be unwise to leak the information to other parties. The consequences would be extremely dire for the perpetrator. At this stage, Blacklight Biotechnology could openly lay out all their cards on the table instead of having to take the cautious approach every time and make the extra effort to keep their secrets well hidden. After returning to his office, Chen Chen cast the live feed in the aerospace department onto the display. He was immediately pleased by what he saw. It may take some time for them to fully dissect this space warp engine technology. Little X stepped into the room wearing a dress and reported, Based on what weve collected so far, itd seem that the space warp engine technology is fundamentally flawed. It doesnt function by directly warping the spaceship from one point to another. Instead, it warps into the subspace first and uses the subspace as a transit point before it warps again to its final destination. The flaw with this approach is that it exposes the spaceship to the corrosion of the subspace during the warping process. Is that so? Chen Chen scowled and remembered a piece of relevant information. The so-called subspace was essentially a barrier separating the positive matter space and the antimatter space. Einstein had theorized the existence of the subspace more than a century ago. Based on the established Theory of Relativity charted by Einstein, it could be concluded that if the existing world existed in a positive matter state, then there must be a subsequent anti-matter world as well. The two sides interacted mutually to ensure that the universe maintained its balance and avoided a collapse of any form. In this sense, the subspace maintained a delicate balance between the two halves. Some scientists once believed that generating a powerful magnetic field could simulate a gravitational field that could be used to push a spacecraft at extreme velocity. If the magnetic field was powerful enough, the spacecraft would enter a space beyond our dimension and achieve faster than light travel. Upon the dissipation of this magnetic field, the spacecraft would return to our present dimension. To put it in simple terms, the universe as we knew it could be described as a sphere. No matter how fast a spacecraft traveled, it would only glide along the surface of this sphere. The profoundness of space warp engine technology stemmed from how it was able to break through the boundary of conventional travel. It penetrated through the surface of this sphere to arrive at another point of the sphere. This was the essence of subspace navigation. The wonder of subspace navigation was that it could easily compress a ten-thousand years voyage to just one year. By compressing a ten-thousand years voyage to just one year with subspace navigation, a stupendous amount of time and resources could be conserved. In other words, the space warp engine technology Chen Chen obtained from the Event Horizon dimension was a magnetic field generation device that could create such a powerful concentration of gravitational force that it penetrated reality and the subspace. But I have some concerns. Little X noted with a wry face, With the implementation of space warp in the real world, theres a possibility that we may face a similar terror like what was shown in Event Horizon Theres always the possibility. Chen Chen noted with a quick smile, This has always been the case with the implementation of technology. In a similar vein, do you think it was a mistake to adopt nuclear technology? Little X pouted. Thats not what I was saying Whether its nuclear technology or space warp technology, the principle is the same as always. Chen Chen explained, The progress of civilization is always full of thorns. The further we travel down the road of technology, the higher the stakes become as we tread closer to potential destruction. The emergence of nuclear weapons can be said to be the first such major trial experienced by human civilization. The first deployment of the nuclear bomb terrified the world down to its very core and drew concerns that it would lead to the doom of mankind. But in the end, havent we preserved and even managed to utilize nuclear technology for greater purposes? Chen Chen did not wait for Little Xs reply to continue. Nuclear weapons are just the beginning. From there on, there are anti-matter weapons, bio-genetic weapons, and further biochemical inventions that may very well backfire on its creators and wipe them out. We can observe this happening with some of the dimensions weve been to. These are the barriers to innovation. We have been theorizing whats called The Great Filter standing in the way of evolution of civilization. If The Great Filter truly existed, then nuclear technology would be one of the layers of this filter and space warp engine another one of them. Each new technology we reach into is another layer of this filter. However, just like nuclear weapons, the transition to space warp engine technology may bring in a corresponding crisis as well. The first usage of space warp technology may bring us into some form of an unknown entity in the subspace. Without proper knowledge and equipped defenses, our civilization may share the same fate as the Event Horizon dimension and be driven to destruction by the subspace But space warp technology is essential to mankinds space voyage. Chen Chen preached, Without it, wed need to travel for centuries only to navigate beyond the solar system. This is very inefficient and even inoperable. Only with the space warp technology can we consider ourselves a qualified interstellar civilization, otherwise, we humans will be forever bound to patrol inside the solar system only. Little X was enlightened by Chen Chens profound sermon. Its redundant now for us to worry about the potential subspace devastation that might be caused by the transition to space warp engine technology. Instead, we should make preparations and begin exploring how we can neutralize the dangers of the subspace. Chen Chen noted, Based on what weve gathered so far, the best way to resist the power of subspace is to put the crew into a cryogenic state. By doing this, the crew can be immune to the corrosive effects of the subspace. We can wait until the warp is completed and after emerging from the subspace to wake up the crew. In addition, we also need to have an effective plan against the puzzling existence inside the subspace. Now, this is what well need to further discuss Chapter 598 - Superpower Combative Police Force Six-man Squad Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation After a decade, the presence of psionicists had progressed from one to be shunned to slowly being inducted into the society. In the present, they had become a central part of a societys DNA. A majority of psionicists were assimilated by either Blacklight Biotechnology or the authorities of their respective continents. Meanwhile, the evildoers who used their psionic gifts for evil motives were always swiftly arrested and sentenced accordingly. Three separate factions upheld this justice system. The first, most authoritative faction was known as the Superpower Investigation Bureau. It was an international organization affiliated with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Its operation mirrored that of the FBI, where the local affairs were mostly left to the local forces to monitor. The Earth Federation only functioned as a unifying symbol for this faction. All the members of these webs of local organizations were composed of the psionicists among the common folk, all recruited by the local authorities. They were tasked with handling psionicist criminals and other similar difficult missions that may require the help of qualified psionicists. The second faction was Blacklight Biotechnologys very own Psionicist Combative Police Force stationed across the continent. This was a collaborative effort between Blacklight Biotechnology and the local officials of all continents. The New York branch remained the most distinguished among this collection. They were essentially the superstars of the Psionicist Combative Police Force. The third and final faction was largely shrouded from public attention. It was a major task force serving under the Blacklight Foundation. Even for the officials of most countries, the name Blacklight Foundation remained quite obscure. Most commoners would never even have the privilege to hear of this organization while only the elite members of small countries would have heard of it. Even so, the name of this faction was the only concrete information they knew of it. Among the elite members in the small countries, rumors circulated that the Blacklight Foundation was beyond any other official bodies of the Earth Federation. It was said that it was established by the four major continents in conjunction with Blacklight Biotechnology. It was an independent armed department which goal was to oversee the progress of human civilization. The reason why they knew of this was that they were all forced by the four major continents to sign a set of treaties that proclaimed that the Blacklight Foundation was authorized to operate above the restrictions of the Earth Federation if the circumstance demanded it. However, not a soul knew what secrets this mysterious foundation concealed. In the entire Earth Federation, only the founder of Blacklight Biotechnology as well as a representative from each of the four major continents were in the know. This scarce collection of individuals formed what was known as the Lilith Council. With these three factions ruling, there was no chance of any psionicists who were unwilling to submit to any of the forces to survive in this global landscape. On the off chance, there may be a handful who managed to slip through the web occasionally, but their only chance at survival from there on would be to tuck their tails and live their lives as common citizens as to not expose their psionic identity. Most of the psionicists who were well known to the public belonged to the Psionic Combative Police Force. With Blacklight Biotechnologys branding, these individuals were well received by the general public and received another publicly acknowledged title known as C Superheroes. However, although psionicists were now seen as a regular fact of mankind, there was still a minority who still held a deep-rooted hostility toward the psionicists. As far as this demographic was concerned, psionicists were non-human aliens and not only that, but they were also dangerously superior to commoners. The power of these psionicists was a threat and if not put on a chain, they may very well overturn the government and rule over mankind. There was once a study conducted by a public research organization. The name of this study was known as the Psionic Threat Assessment Report. The result showed that thirty percent of the demographic believed that psionicists were dangerous to society and more restrictions should be put in place to subdue them. Although this was merely a sample survey, it still proved the point that many people still held a deep hostility concerning the subject of the existence of psionicists. Over the last decade, some secret organizations were assembled, all of them with a unified purpose of eradicating all of these vermin known as psionicists from society. One of these many organizations was known as the Psionic Threat Association and they proclaimed that the psionics must be suppressed. Even if it was not possible to completely suppress them, these mutant freaks should be exiled to Mars or other planets to preserve the pure, original bloodline of men. Without surprise, the primary targets of these non-governmental organizations were the Psionic Combative Police Force put in the spotlight of international media all these years. In Northern America, New York, inside the Blackwatch New York branch building. In one of the conference rooms located near the top floor of the building, there were several branch executives and six individuals each in odd uniforms gathered together. There was a familiar face among this group of branch executives. It was Liu Zhijian who sat in the center, the most prominent position. He had been promoted to the role of the central supervisor in the Northern American branch of Blackwatch. There was a blond-haired man who wore a blue uniform with a large cloak flapping behind it. His gaze was like a beam of laser. He was John, the psionicist known to the public as the Guardian. With his handsome features that put ancient Greek sculptures to shame and unparalleled charisma, John had accumulated a giant fan base numbering more than ten million all around the world. His sheer popularity could only be rivaled by several other contemporary icons of the modern world and even the peak popularity of Brooke who was once the most popular member of the now-retired Bionic Combative Police Force. The unique combination of personal charm and supreme psionic talents helped him ascend the corporational ladder in the blink of an eye. His authority in the organization was second only to Liu Zhijian. Apart from John, Thor Lane and Invisible Man Blake were present at the scene as well. However, the shy young man Hodge was no longer with them as he had retired from the Psionic Combative Police Force three years ago. The Psionic Combative Police Force was graced with the addition of three new members over the last decade. Their nicknames to the public were Elastigirl Haiti, Catwoman Anna, and Dragonfly Man Jeff. The Elastigirl Haitis psionic manifestation was the ability to alter her form at will. Provided her total surface area remained the same, she could alter her appearance to match anybody in the world. Furthermore, her body was as resilient as tough rubber and could resist blunt damage bullets or even knives occasionally. The Catwoman Anna possessed reaction speed and dexterity like a cat. She also excelled at hand-to-hand combat. She could eject sharp claws from her palms and slice through steel beams like cheese. As for the Dragonfly Man Jeff, he possessed disproportionately superhuman strength like that of an ant. A pair of dragonfly wings grew along his back that allowed him to fly short distances. Just like Blake, he assumed the role of a scout among the group. The three of them were the elite members selected from the annual psionicists contest show. The contest eliminated all unworthy contestants until the final one remained who will be eligible to join the elite squad. One thing that remained constant over the years was the leader, John the Guardian, who was the most popular member of the group. John. Liu Zhijian flashed an endearing smile at the blonde-haired man. Your recent performance has been superb. Youve cracked many cases including one of the largest scale bank robbery attempts in New York City in recent years. This has inspired a lot of confidence in us in the public and our popularity rate has reached an all-time high of eighty-six percent. This popularity rate doesnt surprise me. John acknowledged the praises and noted calmly, When you gathered us for this meeting, you mentioned that the company issued a warning to us, what is it about? Its about the anti-psionicist movement. Liu Zhijian noted cautiously, The higher-ups sent word of increasing aggression of an extremist organization known as Psionic Threat Association. They recently smuggled crates of illegal thermal weapons in the North Sea Continent and may be looking to act against the Psionicist Combative Police Force soon. Their calm expression was replaced with caution upon hearing of this. John immediately knitted his brows apprehensively. Do we have a name list of the organization? No. Liu Zhijian remarked regretfully, They know how to keep their movements undercover. Were lucky to have even heard of this news thanks to a tip-off from one of our sources in the continent. D*mn it, its the same story all over again! The Dragonfly Man Jeff cursed. How much have we psionicists sacrificed for the good of society? How many vicious criminals have we captured? And all we get in exchange is to be hunted down by these pigs, I Thats enough! Liu Zhijian rebuked sternly, Keep your complaints to yourself and even if you have to utter them, dont do it anywhere outside of this place. Do you have any idea what consequences there will be if any external parties hear of these complaints? Of course, I wouldnt voice them anywhere else The Dragonfly Man Jeff whimpered quietly and remained silent after. Whats important is we take the most appropriate measures that the situation calls for. The Catwoman Anna was always dressed in skin-tight black tights. She licked her paws playfully and snickered. This isnt the first time weve been prosecuted by extremist organizations anyway. I say we fight fire with fire. With that, she turned to look Liu Zhijian right in the eye. Will the company clean up the mess for us if we kill these people? Of course. Liu Zhijian stated, But I wouldnt recommend you guys to make the move first. Theres your reputation to consider and if someone finds out that you guys killed members of anti-psionicist organizations. It would be a bad look for the police force. But they are right in our faces by this point. Maybe even our families may be in danger so why cant we make a move yet? Lane asked, frustrated, The company isnt going to let us receive a beating and not let us fight back, is it? Liu Zhijian frowned at this point. Concerning this matter, he would much rather not let them act as they would since each of them was equivalent to international celebrities. Everything they say or do recklessly may sabotage the reputation of the Psionic Combative Police Force that they had spent so long building. It may even give the anti-psionicists a better argument for their case. As internationally renowned superstars, each member of the Psionic Combative Police Force was worth at least hundreds of millions of dollars while John the Guardian was easily worth a billion dollars. Any hit to their reputation could represent hundreds of millions to billions of dollars in losses. It may even come at the cost of his position as well. Liu Zhijian strived for so long to get to this position. To retire early was the last thing on his mind. Then again, as the primary superior of the Northern American Division of Blackwatch, it was important for him to appease the members of the Psionic Combative Police Force whenever possible. Liu Zhijian was not delusional and he of all people knew that this group was not the picture-perfect superhero models that they were shaped as to the general public. With this in mind, he appeased them by saying, Dont worry, everyone. The company will send B.S.S. troops to collaborate with the Northern American police and conduct a secret investigation. Well make sure to let you guys take charge if the situation cannot be remedied naturally. Well flag these organizations as terrorist organizations and this way, they can be crushed without any worries! Hahaha! Thor Lane and Dragonfly Man Jeff bellowed with laughter upon hearing of this good news. The Guardian John and the others were visibly pleased as well. It seemed everyone was satisfied with this plan Liu Zhijian devised. While the atmosphere in the conference room was slowly growing amiable, the communication device strapped to their wrists suddenly blared defining sirens. None of them were spooked by this sudden intrusion. As superheroes stationed in New York City, they were always immediately contacted whenever a difficult and highly threatening accident surfaced in the city, ones that the New York City Police Department could not handle efficiently. This was how the reputation of the Psionic Combative Police Force was built over time. Whats up? The Guardian John was quickly alerted by this. He tapped a button on the device which immediately projected a miniature 3D image above the device, displaying a woman with golden framed glasses and relaying the message urgently, The New York Police Department issued a request to us moments ago. A robbery is taking place in Reston Street, Queens. The police are already in the middle of a heated confrontation with them right now. There seems to be a psionicist among them! Psionicist? John narrowed his eyes in suspicion. Alright, this concludes the meeting today. Liu Zhijian called for attention, Time is of the essence, head to the scene immediately and be careful. The psionicist police forces nodded affirmatively and exited the conference room promptly and entered an elevator taking them to the rooftop. There were six drones posted by the rooftop around the clock, ready to transport them at any given moment. After stepping into the drones, the automated system of the drones took them to their destination. The drones used by the Psionic Combative Police Force was a design of Blacklight Biotechnology that utilized powerful nuclear-powered engines to take vertical lift without the need for a runway and reach high speeds immediately. From their current location to Queens, it should only take no more than five minutes. Chapter 599 - Arms Dealer Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Reston Street, Queens. Reston Street would usually be occupied with office-workers, tourists, and locals strolling up and down the street at this hour, but now it took on a completely different form. The street was decorated with shards of broken glass and down the street, most of the buildings were burning and the street took on a bright red and orange hue. This was the scene the Superpower Combative Police Force was greeted with. Upon their arrival, they spotted a monstrous figure standing on a rooftop. This person was shooting columns of flames from the center of his palm! The Dragonfly Man Jeff was the first to spot this evildoer who was undoubtedly the one who was responsible for the current state of Reston Street. He immediately hopped off the drone and charged toward the fire element psionicists. The moment Jeff prepared to launch an attack on the enemy, John spotted a beam of light appearing from a building on the opposite street from the corner of his eyes! It was A sniper! John immediately realized that this must be a trap set up to draw out the Superpower Combative Police Force! John made every second count. He exited the drone immediately and charged toward the window of the building where the sniper lurked! In the Superpower Combative Police Force, John and Jeff were the only ones who possessed flight abilities but Johns was vastly superior and he could accelerate up to the speed of sound. However, he usually kept in the backlines of the group and only served as a commander. He only stepped in when the situation became particularly tricky. He recognized this moment as one where his presence was vital since if he did not make a move now, the life of his teammate would be in danger. Despite Johns timely reaction, he was still a little too late. Just as he burst through the windows of the building, he heard a shot go off. The sniper positioned in the building had pulled the trigger and fired at one of the drones. The high-caliber rifle fired a shot so powerful that it obliterated Elastigirls drone in an instant and sent her tumbling to the ground below, shrieking as she fell! You A chilling glow appeared in Johns eyes. His eyes began to radiate and the corners of his sockets glowed red. Before the sniper could put up a resistance of any sort, a powerful beam of laser pierced through both the sniper and the weapon! D*mn it! The eliminated sniper had another accomplice with him. The accomplice immediately drew a gun at John and fired! Just as the bullet exited from the barrel, a harsh beam of laser melted it mid-air! Zoom! John swept the laser sideways and sliced the poor fool in half! After taking out two perpetrators in the mere blink of an eye, John turned to the window just in time to see Elastigirl crashing into the ground. Fortunately, her body was made of resilient rubber and she bounced nearly fifty meters into the air upon her initial landing. Then, she gained her footing and planted herself into the ground unscathed. Boom! The drone that Elastigirl rode on was not as fortunate. With its engines destroyed, it lost control and crashed into a nearby high-rise building. It burst open with a tremendous explosion! Capture them! John looked distraught. The drone crashing into the building must have caused at least several unintended casualties. This alone was considered a major slip-up for the Superpower Combative Police Force. If they did not handle the rest appropriately and efficiently, the reputation of the police force would suffer gravely. By now, the rest of the Superpower Combative Police Force members had landed and they took out the remaining criminals as effortlessly as an adult would handle a bunch of children at the park. The only criminal that managed to put up anything resembling a fight was the fire element psionicists. In the end, he was still taken out with a swift blow from Thor Leon and lost consciousness. After most of the criminals were taken out, something captured Johns attention. He immediately turned to where the criminals had parked their cars just in time to see a bearded man about to get into a car. He had a panic-stricken lady in a chokehold with one arm and brandished a gun in the other arm. He shouted at the top of his voice and commanded the police to drop their weapons. Upon realizing that they had a hostage situation on their hands, everyone turned to John to seek guidance. John cursed silently and leaped off the roof of a building, landing a short distance away from this desperate villain. You wont get away. If I were you, Id let the hostage go and surrender nicely. John declared with a quick smirk. He took slow, composed steps toward the bearded man. The aura he emitted was suffocating and crushing. Stop, stay right there! The bearded man started to grow frantic and howled like a cornered beast. Ill never surrender, Guardian. You better stay back or else Zoom! John fired a beam of laser from his eyes in an instant. His aim was so precise and concentrated that it landed directly on the gun the bearded man held in his arm. The extreme temperature of his optic blast melted the gun in an instant and the corroded metal fused with the bearded mans arm. Tortured with pain, all he could do was let out a deafening, sorrowful cry. After that, the bearded man collapsed to the ground, still whimpering in pain while the hostage immediately fled. However, John would not show mercy just yet. He continued concentrating his optic blast on the gun until it had melted in a puddle of molten iron! Thump! The bearded man collapsed face down. His entire hand was completely scorched by the molten iron and he passed out because of the severe pain. Clap clap clap clap! Youre the best, Guardian! Marvelous, youve saved the people again! As the dust settled, the people who had been hiding in nearby shop lots emerged into the now safe Reston Street. The crew of superheroes stood in the center of the ruins and received well-deserved applause. There was even a young mother who led two of her children to John and asked for a picture. As usual, the Superpower Combative Police Force handled the reception with familiarity and elegance and after the interview session with the reporters was concluded, they entered the designated vehicles that arrived at the scene to fetch them. The moment John entered the vehicle and ensured the public could not see him anymore, he turned to the other members and stated sternly, This entire incident is just an attempt to draw us out to assassinate us. Luckily, my body is made of rubber, otherwise, the fall wouldve killed me. Elastigirl brushed her hair and said, If it was Catwoman or Invisible Man, wed have a frozen corpse on our hands by now. Youd wish Id die so easily. Catwoman glared venomously at Elastigirl. The two had a fair share of history between them. Me neither. Blake shrugged nonchalantly and turned to Elastigirl with a coy smile. Arent you underestimating my steel body fortification? If I fall several hundred meters from the sky, Im going to punch a deep, wide hole into the ground! Alright, thats enough! John frowned at their pointless banter. This isnt the time to mess around. The reporters asked me about our drone crashing into the building. Expect to see something misleading in the headlines tomorrow suggesting that we made a mistake. Well, it can go both ways. Lane noted, It depends on if the company can cover this thing up effectively. This group has something against us. Catwoman interjected. I think its pretty obvious by this point that this incident is just to draw us out and the two snipers the leader took out were the assassins. If they didnt shoot down Elastigirls drone, theyd have fired at somebody else one way or another. We have to investigate further. John agreed with Catwoman. If my suspicions are correct, this should be the work of the Psionic Threat Association. I wasnt expecting them to make a move so soon, especially considering we only just received news of them. Everyone While the members were speculating among themselves, the display built into the car suddenly turned on and Austin appeared on it. Dont worry, just leave it to the company to handle the rest. But theyve already made a move on us. Dragonfly Man Jeff remarked, quite upset, They are only going to raise their aggression from here on. Even if we have steel body fortification and other abilities, its only a matter of time before they get one of us. Dont worry, this will be the last time they have their way. Austin stated sternly, The B.S.S. department will take care of everything behind the scenes, so dont worry about it. Well only request your involvement if it is necessary. With that, the matter was settled. They too were aware of how much the company was capable of and did not question Austins promise for one moment. Meanwhile, in a desolate small town in the Middle East, a military truck slowly strode into a small town. The war in this continent had been raging for years and the situation was not showing many signs of improvement even in the current day, it had only intensified. The drawn-out war had unsurprisingly resulted in a major drop in population in the continent and countless cities and towns had been laid to waste and turned into ruins of destruction. The small town of Kut that spanned over a radius of 50 kilometers was no exception. The small town was currently occupied by a small band of local warlords. At the current hour, as the military truck entered the town, bands of soldiers emerged from the abandoned, destroyed houses. In an instant, the abandoned town was suddenly riled to life. Hiss The military truck stopped in the middle of an empty plaza in the town and was immediately surrounded by soldiers in all directions. The soldiers readied their weapons and kept the barrel pointed at the drivers inside. Three men in clean suits stepped out of the truck. Although they could be riddled with bullet holes at any given moment, there were no signs of panic on their faces. The man leading the charge had long and narrow cheeks partially covered by a pair of large sunglasses. Upon stepping out of the truck, he steadily approached a bearded man who emerged from the ruins. The bearded man sported a bright red cap and flashed an eager, friendly smile upon making eye contact. Stand down, all of you. The man in the red hat gave an order. His voice was thick with the local accent. The group of soldiers immediately obeyed their leaders orders and stood aside to form a passage for the men in suits. My dear friend Olof, you sure have kept me waiting for some time The man in the red hat glowed with a passionate smile and stretched his arms wide open for a warm embrace. General Rocky, Ive been looking forward to our meeting as well! The man referred to as Olof took off his sunglasses and shared a warm embrace with the general. Then, they exchanged some pleasantries. So, hows the shipment this time? After some short, friendly conversation, the general stated, Both you and I know that Ive always been an impatient man. There are more than five hundred boys here that Im responsible for. Let me take a good look at the goods as soon as possible. Itd be an honor, General. Olof nodded and waved to the other two members behind him. The two of them promptly went to the rear of the military truck and unveiled the curtains to reveal the contents inside it. Lo and behold, the contents were revealed to be rows upon rows of sausages. The red hat generals expression remained fixed upon seeing this. He turned to Olof and Olof responded with a short chuckle. Then, he hopped into the truck and shuffled the sausages out of the way. With the sausages out of the way, large crates of wooden containers covered with straw were exposed. With a crowbar they prepared ahead of time, the containers were pried open. The contents of the container were an assortment of large rifles. The general turned up with fascination when he saw these rifles shaped like AUGs. So, these are the electromagnetic weapons? Certainly, these are Cousar Crowe Pulse Rifles. Olof picked out one of them and handed it over to the general. Then, he played out his role as the salesman. This here is the standard weapon of the four major continents. The muzzle fires kinetic energy of 3 megajoules at a rate of one thousand rounds per minute. It can easily cripple most tanks of the 21st century. Most combat vehicles are only good for target practice when faced with this gun. Excellent, I cant believe you got your hands on these The general licked his lips eagerly. He could not be any more delighted. Theres more where that came from. Olof teased the general, then flipped the containers out of the way to reveal another iron container underneath them. He cranked it open violently with the crowbar to reveal a slender, jet-black skinned weapon. The Asgari Chemrail is also an electromagnetic weapon. You wouldnt believe the sheer explosiveness of its rounds. Olof strained every part of his muscles just to lift this behemoth of a weapon that measured more than 1.5 meters long. He stated excitedly, Its effective range reaches up to five thousand meters and its rounds reach up to 12 megajoules. This bad boy here can obliterate high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft with one shot. The generals satisfaction continued to shine radiantly on his face. With a quick signal, the soldiers gathered nearby quickly stepped into the truck one after another and transported all the crates outside and proceeded to tabulate the total haul. A hundred pulse rifles, twenty chemrails, fifty thousand rounds, not bad at all! After receiving the total count of his men, the general showered Olof with more praises. Then, his tone suddenly darkened. But my dear friend Olof, arent you forgetting something? General, of course, I remember your specific requests. Olof quickly snapped his thumbs at his subordinates. One of them dug into his pocket and presented a small metal box no larger than the average palm. The generals face flashed with impatience. He hurriedly received the metal box like it was a royal gift and saw that it required a code to be opened. Olof saw the general looking at him quizzingly and he presented a three with his fingers, then followed it up with a one, then another three. The general entered the code himself and the lock on the metal box unlatched itself obediently upon receiving the correct code input. A vial containing an azure blue solution glowed enchantingly from within the box. Olof inspected the generals expression attentively. He could immediately tell that the general was far more impressed with this tiny vial than the large batches of firearms he was shown. The general gazed at the blue vial that seemed like an ancient, exquisite gemstone. He was caught in the daze and could not utter a word for a moment. General Rocky? Sir General? Sensing that the general seemed to be caught in a daze, Olof reminded cautiously. Now that youve verified the condition of the shipment, shall we tally the total cost of this shipment? Sure. The general awoke from this state of daze and wiped the dizzied smile from his face. He signaled at the vice general and within minutes. A crew of soldiers carried a sturdy wooden crate from one of the abandoned houses. It kicked up a cloud of sand when it clapped against the ground. Without needing a prompt from the general, the vice general opened the cover. A mesmerizing, bright golden glow beamed through the opening of the container. One box here is a hundred kilograms, which equals roughly 177,000 ounces of gold. The vice general directed to Olof. We have four more crates of this which total to about 27.5 million U.S. dollars worth of gold. This should be enough payment for the weapons you brought to us. As for the vial of L compound, well pay you back soon enough. General? Olofs expression changed. He quickly turned to the general himself. What do you mean by that? Exactly what it sounds like. The general smiled unkindly. Weve known each other for a long time so theres no need to worry. Ill pay it back before you know it. You only need to wait till I finish mining the gold mine. Im sure you know how much the L compound costs. Olof seemed very disagreeable, his voice was icy. This thing costs at least 300 to 500 million U.S. dollars in the black market. Im the only person in the market who has the connections to acquire it. After all the work Ive gone through to acquire it, this is the answer you give me? Chapter 600 - The Harvest and Psionicist Level Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation It was only after Olof departed the village when his dark expression faded away, replaced by a look of mockery. Boss. Olofs subordinate who was driving suddenly looked into Olofs eyes through the rearview mirror and enquired, Are we just letting them off the hook like this? They walked away scot-free with a vial of L compound, there must be consequences Whats the harm? Olof leaned into the faux leather seat they installed into the truck and produced a cigar from his front pocket. Another subordinate seated next to him diligently produced a lighter and lit the cigar for him. Olof took a heavy drag and spat clouds of heavy smoke then remarked with a brisk smile, The company is setting the board for something big. As long as we do as were told and sell the L compound, theres nothing for us to worry about. I wonder what the company is planning with this. The driver expressed with vexation, Why would they want us to funnel thousands of L compounds like this to these specific parties? This is tens of billions of dollars were talking about Are they sure about this? Its not for you or me to speculate. Olof said dryly, Were just the peons in the grand scheme of things so dont ask unnecessary questions. The only thing you and I should focus on is that the L compound gets delivered into the hands of the parties on this list without the Earth Federation finding out about it. Boss, think about this. What if we take out a few for ourselves, then The driver suddenly lowered his voice to a whisper, There are so many L compounds anyway, nobody will find out if one or two goes Shut up! Before he could finish his sentence, Olof glowed with anger and shot up from his seat with a piercing glare in his eyes. Dont you dare say something like this ever again. You know how the company operates. Even God cannot save you if you do something stupid like that! Boss The driver opened his mouth and seemed to have something more to say. Shut up, thats enough! Olof turned dark. Mark my words, dont you ever dare conjure ideas like this ever again. I dont care what the others are up to, but well stay in line with whatever the company orders of us, understood? Yes The driver wiped away the look of greed in his eyes and did not dare continue his foul suggestions any longer. Olof breathed a sigh of relief and stealthily unlatched the gun strapped to his holster. These rookie subordinates of his had only recently joined the company and were oblivious of the terror of Blackwatch. To be exact, a whole ninety-nine percent of the population only considered Blackwatch as an exaggerated mega-corporation. It was only members of the inner circle that fully comprehended how terrifying the company could be when it needed to be. It was an entity on a completely separate level, even surpassing the Earth Federation Never had there been such a company with a grand monopoly on global resources in the entire known history of mankind. Nobody could say for sure just what the full extent of the companys power was Sir Godfather, Ive received word from the L compound department that all the L compound vials have been delivered. When Chen Chen stepped out of the Field training ground. He was immediately notified of this by Little X through the earpiece. Of the one thousand L compounds weve dispatched, eight hundred and thirty-five of them have been delivered to the designated recipients. Thirty-six dealers have accomplished their task while thirteen dealers have taken an average of ten to thirty L compound vials for themselves. These L compound vials have made their way into the black market and have since gone to some problematic individuals Humans are truly inherently greedy animals and despite us constantly advising against it, there are still many dealers who try to take advantage of us. I suppose its true when they say that money makes the world go round. Chen Chen reached for a towel to wipe off the blood from his nose and stated candidly, Since they broke the rules, Im sure they are ready to face the consequences. Go ahead and dispatch our B.S.S. troops to reclaim our companys property and crush all these dissidents. Make an example out of them so that in the future, the others know better than to incur our wrath and steal from us. Understood. Little X answered promptly. Just like that, the fate of dozens of dealers was decided in the span of a few minutes. Little X moved on to the next thing to report. Weve received news from the Earth Federation as well and they traced the whereabouts of the L compound injected into the black market. They do suspect that it was us who released these vials of L compound but they dont have concrete evidence. Besides, they wont be able to figure out why we would do something seemingly so self-sabotaging like this. Little X was right. From Earth Federations perspective, it would not make any sense for Chen Chen to release batches of L compounds to external parties. After all, Blacklight Biotechnology had no political ambitions. There was no way the corporation could benefit from such an action and on the contrary. It would only further aggravate social unrest. Not only will such a puzzling move cause problems in the Earth Federation, but it would also directly disrupt Blacklight Biotechnologys revenue stream. A plausible explanation would be that injecting L compounds into the black market could inflate its price greatly, but everyone knew that Blacklight Biotechnology was not concerned with monetary benefits at this point. Blacklight Biotechnology had accumulated enough wealth to rival several nations and had multitudes of resources to acquire funds. They would not resort to such criminal and inefficient methods to further mount their profits. That was the one thing they hit the mark on, that Chen Chen would not do this for any monetary gains. What they did not know was that he was doing this as a means to further develop his psionic growth The truth was that Chen Chen was not going to stop anyone who got their hands on these L compounds from obtaining psionic powers anyway. There were only a few ways things could go for these people. The first possibility was that they were going to be recruited into the psionicist army formed by the four major continents. The second option was to join the Blacklight Foundation and become one of the elite forces watching over the wellbeing of mankind. The third and final option was to become a psionicist not bound to any forces. It was certainly possible to lead an ordinary life if they maintained a low profile and kept their powers undercover. However, the slightest slip up would result in them getting hunted down by the Earth Federation. If the individual who obtained psionicist powers exploited it for crime, they just might draw the attention of the elite forces of the Blacklight Foundation and get assassinated! At the end of the day, Chen Chens best winning move was not to make one. His goal was to let these people do as they would and take their time to harness their psionic powers and get stronger until they died of natural causes and became ripe for Chen Chen to harvest. The only problem now was logistic concerns, considering there was a limit to how much L-compound could be produced and sold to the four major continents. There was a similar limit to how many psionicist Chen Chen could secretly create. At first, he produced as many as thirty-thousand vials of L compound annually at the price of a hundred milliliters of his blood drawn every day. In time, he discovered that an extended period of drawing his blood resulted in a weakened psionic capacity that was not completely negligible. Therefore, he had to slow down his pace and only drew blood once every other day. This essentially meant that the annual L compound output was halved to only fifteen thousand vials. To prevent riling any unwanted speculation from the Earth Federation, it was vital that Chen Chen continue supplying ten thousand L compounds vials to the Earth Federation market every year. This was the perfect amount to supply to the four major continents. A higher output might decrease the value of the L compound since the scarcity of a product directly correlated to its value. In the beginning, Chen Chen only sold the diluted versions of the L compound. The difference between the diluted version and the non-diluted version of the L compound was marked by a stark difference in success rate. The diluted version of the product yielded only a success rate of ten percent, accompanied by a mortality rate as high as thirty percent. Meanwhile, the concentrated version of the product sported a fifty percent success rate and only ten percent mortality rate. It became quickly evident that Chen Chen was too fixated on stretching the supply and demand chain. In time, the continents were no longer willing to shell out money for this product due to the poor success rate of the product. Chen Chen had to compromise and start selling the original, concentrated version by claiming that Blacklight Biotechnology had achieved a recent technological breakthrough. With that, the market for the L compound was revived. Then another problem arose, being that annual output of ten thousand L compound vials would only produce roughly five thousand new psionicists. Another factor considered was that a large majority of these psionicists would be inducted into governmental factions. This meant that there were hardly any deaths occurring at all due to the organized structure of governmental factions. To simulate the growth of psionicist and raise what could be referred to as psionic turnover, Chen Chen used the surplus thousand L compound vials on warring factions. He figured that the constant wars waged between warlords had a likelier chance of killing psionicist, which in turn would allow him to absorb their powers and become stronger. This was the reason that Chen Chen had injected the L compound vials into mercenaries and miscellaneous underground dealers. On the same night, in the town of Kut. It was during the height of midnight. Apart from some guards assigned to the midnight patrol shift, most of the camp was fast asleep. Suddenly, a burst of bellowing laughter ruptured from the third floor of a church located in the center of the city. The laughter grew louder until it alerted some of the scouts. They dashed into the open field with their weapons in tow and saw a giant with his body engulfed in flames floating in the air! Hahaha The only thing filling the night sky was the haunting, mad laughter of the giant. The brilliant flames crawling across the giants body turned nighttime into daylight. The giant roared maddeningly, It It was a success! The vice general emerged from his tent and froze with awe when he saw the burning giant in the sky above as he exclaimed with ecstasy, Congratulations, general! You became a full-fledged psionicist! Hahaha! Injecting three L compound vials was well worth it. It d*mn near killed me but alas, I obtained two superpowers! The burning giant took a giant stride toward the vice general and quickly shrunk his body to regular human size. The radiant flames across his body slowly faded out as well. It was General Rocky! They say that consecutive injections of compound L raise the mortality rate exponentially. The first injection has a ten percent mortality rate which creeps up to thirty percent by the second injection, and up to a whopping fifty percent by the third! Its simply too risky to inject three L compound vials in one go. The vice general was overcome with emotions. But it seems that youve unlocked gigantification and the power to summon flames. Its clear that God is favoring you and our army! Another officer was just as emotional as he approached the general and declared, Now that youve gained such tremendous powers, that b*stard Muhammad will have to surrender to you. His territory is yours now! Haha, Ive had enough of that old, senile fool. General Rocky bared a wolf-like smile. Heed my orders, well prepare our troops over the next three days, and on the fourth day, Ill lead the army myself and well crush Muhammads army until theres nothing left of it! Yes, Sir! The troops spirits reached an all-time high. They were ready for the battle to come. Similar events occurred all across the Middle East Continent. In the short span of a month, many factions became populated with psionicists. The battle hunger in the continent had grown more fervent than ever due to this increased firepower on all sides. However, there was not much battle between the factions. Upon word of this news, the Earth Federation promptly dispatched its forces and marched into the continent to suppress these local factions. With the four major continents leading the charge, joint alliances were formed to curb the unrest in the continent. Battles between powerful psionicists inevitably broke out in this duration. By the end of it, even the Earth Federations combined alliance of the four major continents had suffered significant losses. Most of the rookie psionicists could not hold their own against the high-tech weapons supplied to the Middle East local factions. The majority of psionicists were instantly wiped out by these powerful pulse rifles as soon as the battle broke out. Only a tiny portion of rookie psionicists managed to scrape by. The war in the continent lasted close to three months and by the end of it, the Earth Federation gained a new perspective on this emerging race of psionicists. Although the psionicists in the region were not superbly powerful, the vast array of outlandish powers they displayed proved to be extremely troublesome during the war. Psionicists were a new breed of evolved sub-human beings. To curb the influence of psionicists on the general population, the Earth Federation began enacting new sets of laws and regulations specifically targeted at psionicists. In the midst of this regulatory process, the Earth Federation also introduced a structured system concerning psionicists. Psionicists were now divided into three psionicist classes with four categorized levels based on an individuals psionic manifestation and potency. The established psionicist classes were the physical psionicist, the elemental psionicist, and the spiritual psionicist. Physical psionicists were classified as psionicist with the ability to alter their bodies. This included steel body fortification, fire engulfment, spirit form, gigantification, and such. This class of psionicists was largely known for possessing superhuman bodies that could withstand the blows of most modern weapons. The elemental class was self-explanatory and referred to the ability to manipulate natural elements. This could also come in forms such as telekinesis. A popular example of such a psionic class was the ability to manipulate metallic elements in the surrounding, just like the character Magneto in X-men. The final class, spiritual psionicist, was the most feared of the three established classes. This was the most unpredictable class that manifested in many different forms. Some were able to control human minds and some could detonate a targets brain from a great distance. Although this class of psionicist was not known for having flashy manifestations, their threat level was the highest precisely because of the concealed nature of their psionic manifestation. This was the psionic class that the Earth Federation feared most. Meanwhile, the psionicists power level was graded into four separate levels. The weakest among them was the Delta level psionicists. Most of whom had just awakened their psionic potential would belong to this level. Over time, they should develop their psionic potential and advance to the next level. The level succeeding Delta level was the Gamma level. Psonicists of this level had indubitably cemented themselves as beings surpassing common humans. They were the outliers of society and could effortlessly reap the lives of common men around them. Further up the power ladder would be the Beta level psionicists. Only roughly ten percent of psionicist could ever ascend to this level. By this point, even a regular-sized army could not handle them. Only an established army with qualified psionicists could handle these psionicists. The most powerful of them all was the Alpha level. So far, there were only three people in Earth Federations record that had reached this level. One of them was the leader of New Yorks Superpower Combative Police Force, John the Guardian while the other two were shrouded under the covers of the Blacklight Foundation. Their existence was a complete secret to the public. Chapter 601 - Spaceport Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Due to the existence of Blacklight Biotechnology, the world was changing with each passing day. Some experts had shown that the growth rate of human lifespan in the past 20 years was over a hundred times higher than it was after the industrial revolution. However, just today, the official website of the Earth Federation suddenly announced shocking news As of 9:31 a.m. on 23 July 2040, the global population officially exceeded 10 billion, a full decade earlier than the predicted rate thirty years ago. Thirty years ago, before the great company Blacklight Biotechnology was born, the Earth Federation had used population growth data to roughly come up with a population growth table. Back in 1830, after the industrial revolution, the worlds productivity increased dramatically, and the worlds population reached 1 billion for the first time. Then, the progress of humankind began to skyrocket. Only a century later, in 1930, the worlds population officially exceeded the 2 billion mark. After that, the population growth continued to rise. The population was 3 billion in 1960, 4 billion in 1975, 5 billion in 1987, and 6 billion in 1999! During the time of the statistics in this table, which was in 2011, the population had reached an astonishing 7 billion. While this table indicated the rapid population growth, it also warned of future population explosions and resource constraints. It was estimated that the worlds population would increase by more than 1 billion in the next 15 years and would reach 8 billion by 2026. Although this table also pointed out that decisions such as DINK, non-marriage, late marriage, and childbirth were bound to increase in the future, after all, with a growing base, the population would continue to expand. Around the year 2050, the worlds population would officially exceed the 10 billion mark. However, although this table anticipated the evolution of human cultural trends, it did not anticipate the rise of Blacklight Biotechnology. Nonetheless, the Earth Federation did not become pessimistic just because it had reached the population explosion number ahead of schedule. On the contrary, the Earth Federation said that mankind had never been as hopeful as it was now. Blacklight Biotechnologys single-handed establishment of a permanent alien colony, Ares Science City on Mars, marked a stunning step forward for civilization. Since then, human beings had been promoted from planetary natives to an interplanetary species and had completely entered the era of extraterrestrial colonization. Although the current Ares Science City could only accommodate hundreds of thousands of inhabitants, the four continents had also sent spacecraft to Mars. Four permanent colonies of a larger scale were under construction on Mars. In less than ten years in the future, at least ten million people would officially immigrate to Mars. This development had made many people vaguely aware of the secret rivalry between the four continents and Blacklight Biotechnology, but at least on the surface, the two sides still maintained a show of goodwill and harmony. Not only that, but also, with the implementation of the mankind anti-aging project, the average human lifespan had exceeded the 100-year mark. The period of life extended was by no means old age, but youth and middle age. These two periods had been greatly extended, which meant that the problem of an aging society was gradually alleviated. With the promotion of age-reversal treatment programs, countless elderly people had turned into middle-aged people. According to this trend, the established definition of middle-aged in the Earth Federation population had been modified from 40C60 years old to 40C80 years old. Under such circumstances, many countries had begun to adapt their policies to extend the retirement date. Although there were some voices of opposition, after this momentous shift, unless one did not opt for the age-reversal treatment programs to increase ones lifespan, one could only obey the rules that had been changed on a general level. Because of the prospects and development of extraterrestrial colonization technology, no country or continent in the world has issued an order to restrict population growth. At this time, Chen Chen was sitting in the office, silently watching the population announcement issued by the Earth Federation while Little X said, Obviously, all countries in the world are very optimistic about the migration of human beings to other planets. But of course. Chen Chen nodded and chuckled. After all, our Blacklight Biotechnology has paved the way for them in advance. Of course, they arent willing to limit their population. If they know that we have even prepared the space warp engine technology that well need in the future, wouldnt they be leaping with delight? However, although weve obtained the blueprints and data on the space warp engine technology, were still figuring things out. Little X added on to Chen Chens words. Its estimated that in two or three months, the first space warp engine can be manufactured and then wed still need to produce a compatible spacecraft. Chen Chen nodded when he heard these words and said thoughtfully, Its time to build a spaceport that belongs to our Blacklight Biotechnology. After all, the main focus of human activities will be diverted to space in the future and its time to form our own interstellar fleet. But what should we do? Little X tilted her head and curiously said, A spaceport that can manufacture outer spaceships is probably shockingly expensive. Although nuclear-powered engines can greatly reduce the cost of transporting materials into space, if you want to hurry up and build a huge space station before the completion of the space warp engine, its probably not that easy. Well have to launch at least a thousand rockets. Dummy. However, Chen Chen flicked Little Xs forehead lightly and laughed. Do we need to send the spaceport into space part by part? Isnt it enough to launch the black Gantz sphere into space? Little X nursed her forehead. At first, she was shrinking back subconsciously, but after Chen Chens words, her eyes suddenly lit up. Thats a good plan! The black sphere only needs electricity and the Gantz satellite uses signals to easily teleport things between two points. As long as a black sphere is transported to space, we can continuously teleport supplies there! Thus, it was decided. Soon, a nuclear-powered rocket had been arranged in the aerospace base. At the same time, the engineers also received a secret engineering drawing. According to the requirements on the engineering drawing, they secretly spent a few days manufacturing a crude mechanical platform. This platform had over a hundred robotic arms. The longest one adopted a folding built-in robotic arm structure. Its maximum operating distance could reach more than a hundred meters and it could bear a load of a thousand kilograms. Even the smallest robotic arm was two or three meters long and could withstand a hundred kilograms of weight. Strictly speaking, the mechanical platform was a fully automatic workshop of unknown function! After this mechanical platform was folded in, it could collapse into a giant cylinder with a diameter of 25 meters and a length of more than 50 meters. Then, the cylinder was installed in this nuclear-powered rocket that had been prepared for a long time. After that, there was no need to make an application to the Earth Federation. Todays Blacklight Biotechnology indeed had the qualification to launch satellites by itself. Blacklight Biotechnology only informed the Earth Federation of the geosynchronous orbit data to indicate the position it would be occupying and then this rocket was launched silently. After half a day, the mechanical platform in the rocket had entered the geosynchronous orbit. With the successful orbit, the fairing on the rocket was completely discarded and the five brackets that clung to the inside of the rocket were also extended at a forty-five-degree angle at the tail of the rocket. From a distance, it looked like a throne held high and the entire mechanical platform was flooded with colorful signals. If anyone saw this, they would be shocked to realize so much for it being a satellite, this was a prototype of a huge space station! This huge mechanical platform gradually stretched out its frame on orbit. As the robotic arms slowly unfolded, it looked more and more sinister. It did not need solar panels at all as the nuclear fusion reactor in the platform could supply energy to the satellite for centuries. At this moment, most of the rocket parts on the mechanical platform began to slowly detach and fell toward the earth. The platform was suspended in orbit, facing the earths surface far away. In the center of the platform, a black sphere half the size of a person, which was embedded in the surface, also gradually glowed with icy blue light. Everyone knew that it was very difficult to set up a space station in outer space. Even if the required technology was achieved, the transportation of materials was also a massive problem as they needed to be launched from the earth by rockets. Although the advent of nuclear fusion thrusters had greatly reduced the cost of launching rockets, the time cost had not been reduced. It also required multiple launches to transport materials. It would take more than several years to build an adequate space station in the boundless void of outer space. However, the emergence of the black Gantz sphere perfectly solved this problem. Although the black spheres teleportation required a lot of electric power, it was already indescribably affordable compared to the cost of launching. At this time, as the black sphere started its teleportation, the parts that had been prepared for a long time were teleported to the mechanical platform and the hundreds of mechanical arms immediately began operation. Bit by bit, as if these were building blocks, it started to construct the prototype of the space station. Chen Chen was ambitious indeed. The first space station he wanted to build was by no means similar to the small space station of the Earth Federation that could only accommodate a dozen people and was not even the size of a villa. What he wanted to build was a giant space dock. In the future, this space station would not only be able to berth hundreds of warships and resource transport ships but would also be a space transportation port. Resources mined from the solar system did not have to be transported directly back to the earth. Instead, the resources would be accumulated here and then be transported back by proprietary ships. In other words, this space station would be a large-scale spaceport unprecedented for humankind. Through this port, Blacklight Biotechnology could naturally gain more authority and more benefits A space station that suddenly appeared naturally quickly attracted the attention of the Earth Federation. In particular, they noticed that this space station suspended in a synchronous orbit over Namibia grew rapidly with each passing day, which astounded the upper echelons of the Earth Federation. They could not understand how Chen Chen did it, so they tried to get information from Blacklight Biotechnology. However, only Chen Chen and Little X knew about this plan, so all their efforts were in vain. In this manner, in less than three months, when autumn was arriving, the space station had reached the size of a hill. After three months of fully automatic construction, the space station at this time had begun to take shape. From the outside, it looked like a drawn bow. At the same time, at the position of the bowstring, there were five horizontal docking sites. Four of the docking sites were empty. In the docking site of the first row, a 30-meter-long, cigar-shaped spacecraft was moored quietly. Each docking site represented a berth. Todays spaceport was only beginning to take shape, so it could only berth small spacecraft, and there were only five berths. After the spaceport personally designed by Little X was completely built, it could berth a large spaceship more than a hundred times larger than the Ares. At this time, as the last part was delivered to the spaceport, a black sphere with a diameter of one meter, surrounded by three metal rings, appeared in the teleportation warehouse of the spaceport. At the same time, there were five Black Knights in space suits. Through the long-distance control of Little X, the Black Knights carried the weirdly shaped metal ball into the spacecraft moored in the port. After that came a complicated installation and loading process until the metal ball was fully installed inside the spacecraft. At this point, a spacecraft equipped with a space warp engine was finally completed. Yes, that weird black sphere was the first space warp engine that Chen Chen had attempted to produce based on the technology he acquired from the Event Horizon dimension. The next step could not be any easier. In the southern part of the Eco Science City, in addition to the space base, a huge space observatory had already been built a few years ago. Here, rows of radio telescopes with an area of ??more than thousands of square meters had been erected, each of which was over ten thousand square meters in size. They formed a super array and looked toward the sky in a unified manner. Over time, these radio telescopes slowly rotated like gigantic sunflowers. Any one of these radio telescopes alone might not be as powerful or as large as ??FAST (the Skys Eye of China), but there were hundreds of radio telescopes gathered here. Together their scale had exceeded FAST, reaching an unprecedented level. Chapter 602 - Subspace’s Kiss Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation The Courage Voyager was the name of the spacecraft responsible for the space warp experiment. As the spacecraft left the port, it soon flew to the designated space warp location, preparing to start the first space warp experiment in human history. The starting point of this space warp experiment was the orbit of the Moon and the end point was the orbit of Mars. At this time, the distance between the two points was about 80 million kilometers. The acceleration of an average spacecraft, from here to the end point, would take around seven days, which was 168 hours. However, if one entered the subspace through space warping and used subspace navigation technology, one could compress the distance by ten thousand times. That was to say, in theory, it would only take one second to reach that destination. Of course, whether a spacecraft was in reality or in subspace, there must be an acceleration process, so the actual time it took would be more than one second. Currently in the space observatory, Chen Chen was silently watching the data from the radio telescopes. At the same time, a group was busying about in the large hall. Everyone looked solemn, preparing for the first warp. Preparing for the navigation experiment, subspace navigation begins in three minutes! A cold electronic voice came from the broadcast and everyone was even more fired up, getting busy in their respective posts, constantly testing the accuracy of the data in front of them. Activating the nuclear fusion reactor! The nuclear fusion reactor has been activated, the temperature is currently rising, and the output power is stable Activating the liquid helium cooling system! Activated. The pressure is stable now! Activating the strong magnetic ring. The space warp engine is starting to warm up! Chen Chen nodded to himself. He raised his head and glanced at the big screen above his head. He saw dozens of monitoring footage on the big screen. These were all images sent from the spaceship Courage Voyager, but because of the distance, these images were slightly delayed. Back when humanity first reached Mars, there were already signs of information delay in communications. Due to the distance between the two, the signal delay between Earth and Mars was as much as two to three hundred seconds. If humans got out of the solar system in the future, a mere phone call would take up years. It seemed that it was time for quantum information transmission technology to be vigorously developed Chen Chen thought silently. The thought flashed through Chen Chens mind, but at this moment, the screen above his head displayed the core objective of this experiment the space warp engine device. At this time, on the periphery of the engine, three ring-shaped strong magnetic devices spun madly around the black sphere in the center, like three blurry afterimages. As they continued to rotate, the black sphere in the center also rotated unceasingly. After a while, perhaps it was an illusion, but Chen Chen felt that the black sphere in the center seemed to be slightly shifting toward a liquid form Of course, Chen Chen was familiar with this sight. The movie had one such scene where a member of the rescue team came to the liquefied space warp engine and slightly extended his hand, reaching into the black liquid. It was as if the entire space warp engine became a space gate at this moment. It was just that no one knew what was behind this gate. The rescue team member was finally pulled in. When he came out again, he had become a walking corpse without any consciousness. As if something across the gate had taken his soul This was the danger of subspace. Chen Chen was not ignorant of such dangers. If he had a choice, he would not choose this way of traveling in contact with subspace. However, the universe was far too vast, vast enough to drive any civilization to desperation. Based on the speed of the current nuclear fusion engine, taking away the time required for acceleration, it would still take more than half a year to travel out of the solar system. The Milky Way was about 100,000 light-years in diameter, which was billions of times that of the Solar System. This was an extremely devastating number. Even if one factored out the fuel and accelerated a spacecraft to subluminal speed, it would take more than 100,000 years to fly from one side of the galaxy to the other. Not to mention the Milky Way was just a grain of sand in the observable universe. Therefore, conventional flying methods would inevitably not be able to support the rise of civilization. If Chen Chen wanted to progress, sooner or later he still needed to develop space warp engine technology. If this was the case, then he could not afford to shrink back These thoughts flashed through Chen Chens mind and the cold mechanical voice continued. The space warp engine has reached critical value. The core of the magnetic field is currently at 50 billion atmospheres and the strong magnetic rings are very stable! Ready to start the warp operation One minute to the activation of the space warp engine The cold electronic voice from the broadcast immediately resounded in every corner of the hall and at the same time, a low warning alarm followed, indicating that the experiment had entered the final stage. Chen Chen looked somber. It was not only him, even the atmosphere in the entire hall had turned grave. The low and depressive aura weighed heavily on everyones heart. Everyone was staring at the data stream in front of them, not daring to let down their guards for a moment. 30-second countdown to start the space warp engine, be ready Ten-second countdown, ready Ten! Nine! Eight! Three! Two! One! Space warp activating! With that order, Chen Chen only saw that the space warp engine on the screen, from the initial black mass, became brighter and brighter, and finally turned into a blinding beam, completely flooding the surveillance lens! A few seconds later, that was, when the corrected delayed time also reached the time of the warp, all the monitoring screens flickered with static, and the space observatory completely lost contact with the Courage Voyager! The link has been lost! The voice echoed. Im checking the warp location and it has been confirmed that the Courage Voyager hasnt been found. The spacecraft is determined to have entered the subspace! Chen Chens eyes suddenly brightened. Since the spacecraft disappeared into thin air, instead of exploding, it naturally meant that the spacecraft had entered the subspace. However, this did not mean that it was time to celebrate. Only if the Courage Voyager reappeared after a minute or two in the orbit of Mars, would it mean the success of the experiment. It would take about one minute for the spacecraft to traverse the subspace and it would take about three hundred seconds for the Mars orbit signal to be transmitted to the earth. In other words, if he wanted to know whether the experiment was successful, Chen Chen would have to wait six or seven minutes to see whether the Courage Voyager would send a signal from Mars. All the researchers were naturally aware of these figures and they began to discuss or chat with each other, waiting for the final data together. The atmosphere relaxed slightly for a while. However, as time trickled by, the atmosphere in the hall gradually became more serious. As they got closer to the forecasted warp time, everyone kept looking at the computers in front of them, waiting for the Courage Voyager to send back some news. One minute, two minutes, three minutes Six minutes passed and the Courage Voyager still did not return any news. Many people began to glance at each other. Eight minutes passed and everyones foreheads were dripping with sweat. It seemed that the deep space of the universe had become a ferocious behemoth with a big mouth. It had swallowed the Courage Voyager, but would never vomit it out again. Ten minutes later, even Chen Chen frowned and looked at the screen above his head. Could it be that this first space warp experiment had failed? Was the subspace so dangerous? Just when everyone was starting to feel disappointed, finally, a string of encrypted signals was received by the radio telescope again, and this signal was derived from the Courage Voyager! Its sent back the signal! In the hall, many researchers whooped in excitement. They wanted to decipher this signal but in the next second, they were astonished because they discovered that they had lost the authority to decipher the signal. What happened? Why did I lose the authority? Is it a system failure? Many researchers were in an uproar. After all, they had been involved in this and had looked forward to the end for so long and now they could not even check the results of the experiment. Who could stand this? However, the cold electronic sound on the broadcast spoke again. All researchers, please stay where you are. This information is a top secret of Blacklight Biotechnology. Please remain seated and wait for the next order. Following the news, Chen Chen had already left the hall and came to another closed room. The information sent back was naturally intercepted by Little X and the reason was not that it was any great secret. The researchers here were all members of Gods Forbidden Zone so there was no need to hide it from them. The reason for doing this was only because Chen Chen had learned from the past. When he was in the dimension of Event Horizon, the local research institutes were instantly destroyed because of the information that was sent back and even the entire earth was eventually destroyed. Of course, Chen Chen did not dare to expose such information just like that. Therefore, this information must first be inspected by Little X and verified to be free of problems before Chen Chen would truly dare to publish it. The encrypted signal has been translated and no memetic characteristics have been found. At this time, Little Xs voice came from the headset and as Chen Chen looked up, a video appeared on the screen in front of him. In the video, Chen Chen only saw that as the Courage Voyager was flying, a huge black hole suddenly appeared in front of it, and then the spacecraft flew into the black hole. At the moment it passed through the black hole, the scenery outside the spacecraft suddenly changed from a vast stretch of darkness to a world full of dark red. The world in the subspace was not as empty and pitch-black as the real universe, but a patch of hazy red. It was like flying in a magnificent nebula, surrounded by granular red mist. These mists churned rhythmically like ocean waves, but strangely, they did not rush in only one direction like ocean waves, but constantly impacted the hull of the spacecraft from all directions Even in the mist, one could see colorful spots of light. The spots were not bright, but in the blurry blood-red fog, they appeared to be particularly conspicuous. At first glance, they looked like fireflies in the mist that flared up then died off, surging continuously with the fog. What is this? Chen Chen narrowed his eyes and looked at the scenery silently. The video of the spacecraft was very strange. Chen Chen did not know how different it was from the subspace he had been to. When he entered the subspace before, he only opened his eyes once and when he did so, he immediately saw countless twisting shadows around him. After that, he gouged out his own eyes. Of course, when watching these images, Chen Chen naturally did not need to gouge his eyes, but with this video alone, he could not figure out whether the scene on the screen was the same subspace he had been to. Just when Chen Chen was a little doubtful, the spacecraft seemed to have gradually moved away from the bloody fog area. As the bow broke through the last of the fog, the lens suddenly widened and a vast and strange space fully appeared in front of Chen Chens eyes! It was still a dark red world, but in this endless swathe of red, wisps of weird black air currents were constantly blowing past the shell of Courage Voyager. These black air currents continued to condense and transform as if they had a mind of their own. Following that, as they brushed over the hull of the spacecraft, the armor of the Courage Voyager also showed signs of aging and decay Chen Chen even saw a black air current swaying in front of the camera. At the moment it passed, Chen Chens pupils suddenly shrank and he immediately said, Pause! Following Chen Chens order, the video recorded by the spacecraft was suddenly paused. Go back a few frames. Chen Chen continued to give an order and then the black airflow in front of the camera condensed again, seeming to turn into two dark eerie eyes. Chen Chen felt a chill in his heart when he saw this. Then, the video played on for three minutes before it ended. During these three minutes, Chen Chen saw scenes that he had not seen in his entire life the frantic bloody fog, the strangely colored fireflies, and these endless black air currents Chen Chen, for a moment, felt as if he had fallen into a deep and strange dream. There was something incomprehensible and grotesque before him, and he could not detect whether he was dreaming or awake The armor of the Courage Voyager appears to have been slightly corroded. Little Xs voice continued and she showed the spacecrafts data to Chen Chen little by little. Other than that, everything is normal. Even the passengers played by the five Black Knights are all normal and theres no change in their physiological characteristics. The armor of the Courage Voyager is corroded? Chen Chen was stunned. The Courage Voyager was made of aerospace metal of the highest quality. Even if it had traveled in space for tens of thousands of years, it should not face any problems but now it was corroded slightly after it had only been in subspace for a few minutes? At this rate, would it not mean that the hull of the spacecraft would be completely corroded after a few days of traveling? Thinking of this, Chen Chen could not help frowning. It seemed that to sail in the subspace in the future, a new type of material would need to be invented. Although it seems that theres nothing unusual about the Courage Voyager, dont forget the plot of Event Horizon. We still need to test what should be tested. Chen Chen hugged himself and said in deep thought, The next mission will be much easier. Send some Delta-level experimenters, put them in spacesuits, and teleport them to Mars through the Watchman teleporter. Then, let them board the Courage Voyager. Understood. Little X replied. She also understood Chen Chens caution. After all, the Black Knights were not normal people. Maybe some strange reactions in the subspace would not affect the Black Knights, but it did not mean that it would not affect ordinary people. That was why Chen Chens idea was to let this group of people enter the spacecraft to experience it for themselves. If the Delta-level experimenters were unharmed after a subspace voyage, this experiment would be considered a real success Chapter 603 - A Human Dilemma Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation The experiment was still going on but Chen Chen, who was waiting for the development of the experiment, suddenly frowned slightly. It was because Little X suddenly notified him that, when his parents were traveling in New York City, they were attacked by a demonstration against Blackwatch. What happened? Chen Chen frowned. Are my parents okay? Dont worry, your parents are doing fine. There are more than 30 Black Knights and psionicists who accompany them secretly. Its just that there was an android next to your parents and they happened to run into this demonstration, so the conflict occurred. Little X explained, then she paused, seeming to understand what Chen Chen was thinking, and added again. This should be just a coincidence. I now control the entire Internet. If this is a conspiracy against your parents, Ill know in advance. Hearing this, Chen Chen nodded but he still turned and left the space observatory. At the same time, he said, Get ready, Im going to New York City. Alright. Little X replied. At the same time, in just ten minutes, Chen Chen took a special car to the Spire Experimental Base, and then here, he entered the black sphere teleportation room and arrived in New York City in the next second. Over the years, Chen Chen had extracted more than three hundred black spheres. Major cities had Blacklight Biotechnology teleportation points hidden in them. As one of the worlds top three international cities, New York naturally also had a teleportation point. After walking out of this secret teleportation point, Chen Chen discovered that the teleportation point in New York City was hidden in an apartment building in Queens, between the rich and poor areas. There were all sorts of people here and even when Chen Chens very face showed up in this apartment building, it did not attract anyones attention. In front of the doors of the apartment building, a low-key ordinary electric business vehicle had been parked there for a long time. Over the years, with the popularization of nuclear fusion, the cost of electricity had already taken a plunge. Due to this, electric vehicles had completely replaced the gasoline vehicles of the past and advanced international cities like New York had turned electricity into a universal energy source. Electric vehicles driving on the street did not need to be charged at all. There were high-power wireless transmission devices on both sides of the road at all times, so there was an unlimited power supply wherever one went. At this time, the unmanned electric vehicle drove Chen Chen toward the location of his parents. About half an hour later, when Chen Chen arrived at a city square, he saw that the square was already filled with a dense crowd. The crowd was divided into two groups. One of which was dressed up like tramps in ragged clothes and on the other side was a group of government officials wearing explosion-proof suits and holding explosion-proof shields in their hands. The two sides were facing each other off in the square. The group of tramps was constantly shouting. They raised the signs in their hands, in which they had written crookedly in red paint, The androids stole the work of the poor, The androids are the original sin, and God created mankind, not androids and so on. Their voices were loud and tensions were running high. In the middle of the two groups of people, several androids were lying on the ground with their arms torn off and scattered in various corners. They seemed to want to stand up, but the damage to their bodies made it very hard for them to move. Sir, I mean you no harm. Please calm down, please let me go A handsome, black-haired, blue-eyed android moved its body expressionlessly as if trying to move away from the tramps feet, but the next second, a big foot slammed into its back viciously and stomped its face severely into the ground. At the same time, an old man with white beard and hair slammed down with a baseball bat! Bang! The alloy skull of the android was directly shattered and many fragments splattered out, exposing the maze of wires and chips inside. After this blow, the eyes of the android finally turned dim and it was completely motionless on the ground. Hack! The old man spat fiercely at the android at his feet and a hint of glee danced in his eyes. Then, he glared even more provocatively at the explosion-proof soldier on the opposite side. Come on, b*stard, come and catch me! Chen Chen did not pay attention to all of this. He just expanded his Field energy and immediately saw his parents and younger brother in a stretch car by the road. Dad, Mom! Chen Chen shook his head, walked to the car, and looked into the window, only to see his mother looking at the group of marchers with indignance while his father was sitting aside smoking, fidgeting restlessly. The rear seats of the stretch sedan were more spacious. At this time, the two rows of seats in the rear were facing each other. In addition to his parents, there were his younger brother and a charming, petite woman. That woman was the nanny of Chen Chens parents. When Chen Chens mother was recruiting a housekeeper again, she saw that this girl was quick-witted and offered to hire her as a conversation partner. Little, Little Chen? Seeing their eldest son who had suddenly appeared outside the window, both his father and mother looked confused. Little Chen, why are you here? Ah, Young Master Chen! The petite nanny also looked at Chen Chen, rather stirred up. I happened to be working in New York recently. Chen Chen ignored the nanny. Instead, he opened the car door as he explained, sat down, and then asked reproachfully, Its dangerous here, why dont you leave? These people, they snatched Little Dai and tore it apart. His mothers eyes were a little red and the Little Dai she spoke of was the type-3 android of Blacklight Biotechnology. The android was quietly hardworking and meticulous. In most middle-class families, at least one android was acting as a nanny or housekeeper. In some service industries, more than a dozen androids were purchased as labor. However, although these kinds of androids looked almost the same as humans, they were only robots after all. They had no thoughts of their own and no program to attack humans. This level of permission was locked and Blacklight Biotechnology even made the bodies of these androids more fragile than humans to prevent the androids from being exploited by some hackers. To an android, ordinary manual labor was no problem and an occasional bump was not a big deal, but if a person was serious about it, even a woman could bash an android into pieces with any tool. The Little Dai his mother mentioned had been serving Chen Chens family for several years and his mother had already developed an attachment to it. At this time, it was torn apart by the group of marchers, so naturally, this was not very pleasant. Its fine. Chen Chen patted his mothers hand. The personality programs of these androids are all synchronized to the cloud server. As long as you buy an android and sync it, Little Dai will be back. But The mother wiped her tears and wanted to say something, but Chen Chens father on the side frowned and said, Alright, alright, isnt it an android? Its not a living person. Look at how youre weeping on and on. Do you want your son to laugh at you? Hearing his fathers words, Chen Chen frowned inwardly. His fathers attitude toward his mother had become worse over the years. Chen Chen naturally understood the reason. His eyes swept past the little nanny, but at this moment his mother seemed to have thought of something. She patted the young man who was shrinking back beside her. He was as fat as a hill. She chided him gently, Oh, this child! Why dont you greet your brother when you see him? Bro, Brother Hearing his mothers scolding, the obese teenager who was slouching behind muttered a line and then quickly lowered his head. Chen Chen was not surprised at this scene because since this dinky brother of his was born, every time he saw Chen Chen, he would cry loudly. This had become a law. This situation did not get better until he was thirteen or fourteen years old, but as it is now, every time he saw Chen Chen, his face was full of dread. Chen Chens parents were very distressed over this. They could not figure it out. Their second son was usually very lively but why was it that every time he saw their eldest son, it was like seeing an enemy? Little Yu, youve grown taller recently. Chen Chen responded neutrally and kept darting his gaze, examining the boy sitting in front of him. Now Chen Zeyu was fifteen years old. Although his face was still a little immature, his height had already caught up with Chen Chen, reaching around 1.8 meters. It was just that he was pale and fat thanks to his parents pampering. As his parents had him when they were old and it was after Chen Chen had made his fortune and their living conditions skyrocketed, the second son was coddled and spoiled since he was a child. Chen Chen did not care much about this. What had he done all this for, was it not to make his parents happy? He would not concern himself over such a small matter. Even so, Chen Chens status had long changed. When he sat in the car, the atmosphere in the entire compartment became a little stifling and for a while, the car fell silent. Forget it, I just came to have a look. Im relieved to see that youre alright. Chen Chen flashed a slight smile, glanced at his father and the nanny again, then turned and got out of the car. Dad, Mom, go back. Stop participating in this sort of stuff. Otherwise, it might easily become dangerous. Chen Chen gave one last word and then told the Black Knight in the drivers seat to send his parents home. The Black Knight started the vehicle and drove toward the street. As he watched his parents car leave, Chen Chens expression instantly darkened. He was still very resentful about his fathers affair but fortunately, his mother had not noticed it up until now. Sir Godfather, are you still worrying about the thing with your father? Little Xs voice came from the headset. This kind of thing is difficult to handle. It will inevitably hurt your parents feelings if you do something, but its better to interfere gently than not do anything. Im going to discuss this with my father tomorrow. Chen Chen nodded and said, Itd be best if my father can mend his ways but if he insists on maintaining a relationship with the nanny, things are a bit tricky. After hearing these words, Little X suddenly sighed. Sir Godfather, I think youd better prepare yourself. If you dont want to tinker with your parents consciousness, then you must learn to accept all this. Chen Chen was taken aback when he heard these words and then he came to his senses immediately. He naturally understood Little Xs meaning but all this was related to his parents, which made him rather concerned and muddled. Your parents are ordinary people. Little X continued to advise. Although they have everything you have secretly done for them, allowing them to have a very long life and eternal youthful vitality, after all, they are just ordinary people. Theyre not a being like you with a strong will. Because they are ordinary people, they love whats new and dislike whats old, not to mention that they have you as a backing. Theres nothing to worry about. Even if you protect them extremely strictly, you can stop all kinds of assassinations and malicious intentions. However, can you stop those with ulterior motives from flattering them for their favor? Little X sighed. Because they are your parents, there are bound to be countless people who want to please them and compliment them. With endless temptations one after another, plus the endless money they have and a lifespan with no end in sight, how many ordinary people could remain faithful for life? Chen Chen was instantly silent. Even if you dissuade your father today and prevent him from cheating, how many times can you stop him? Little X questioned, If the number of times increases, one day it will hurt their feelings and even turn them against each other. Whats more, as human lifespans are getting longer and technology is becoming more and more advanced, social values ??and ethics will inevitably undergo Earth-shattering changes in the not-too-distant future. Youve given them a long life and long-term vitality. Wont you give them the freedom to be human? Hearing this, Chen Chen slowly closed his eyes and waved his hand to stop Little X from continuing. It was not until half a minute passed that Chen Chen opened his eyes again, but at this time, there was no anger or confusion in his eyes. Instead, a smile of relief appeared. X, youre more and more like a person. I still remember that when you were born, you were almost as pure as a piece of blank paper. You didnt know anything about human nature, but now, youre almost more incisive than me. Of course, after all, Im the greatest intelligence in history! Little X snorted softly. I can easily obtain the information of every person and every part of human life on the Internet. After seeing so much of it, Ill naturally understand it. Chen Chen nodded and said no more. Just then, Chen Chen suddenly sensed something. He raised his head and looked into the distance, only to see several dish-shaped drones approaching in the sky. A person was sitting on each drone. This was New York Citys Superpower Combative Police Force. As these drones flew over the noisy crowd, the six people jumped directly from the drones into the open space between the demonstrators and the explosion-proof troops. Its John the Guardian! Its the Superpower Combative Police Force. God, they are so cool! What are they doing here? Are they going to oppose us, the victims? Seeing the six people descending from the sky, there was a commotion in the crowd. Their reputation preceded them, indeed. As the six people arrived, the demonstration of about a hundred people suddenly felt their spirits deflate. Everyone, citizens of Northern America, please calm down! The moment he landed, John immediately raised his hand and pressed his palms down. He flashed a gentle smile, his blond hair gleaming in the sun, and at the same time called out, I know your demands, but this is no justification for your casual destruction of other citizens property Scram, John the Guardian! However, a dark-skinned woman suddenly walked out from the group of marchers. She was wearing a womens suit and was filled with righteous indignation. You fight crime to protect us and we respect you, but we also ask you not to stand against us, unless youre also a lapdog of Blackwatch and the government! Yeah, unless youre also a lapdog of Blackwatch and the government! Everyone in the crowd immediately echoed loudly. This black-skinned woman was the leader of the group. Chapter 604 - A Psionicist’s Arrogance Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Looking at these righteous, outraged people, all the members of the Superpower Combative Police Force felt a headache coming on. They also did not understand why their group was sent to handle this kind of thing. Anyone with a discerning eye could see that the Superpower Combative Police Force was not suitable for handling this matter. Whether they successfully dispersed the protestors or failed to do so, there was no advantage to be gained, just a flurry of trouble. Austin, the situation here is complicated. Lane, who was hiding behind John, pressed something by his ear and whispered into the headset, This group of people is from the lowest rung of society and they are unreasonable. If we use force, its even more inappropriate. Why on Earth did you send us here? I dont know, this is a direct order from General Manager Liu. Austins voice came from the headset. You should ask Mr. Liu directly. Thats not necessary. Before Austin finished speaking, Liu Zhijians voice came through the headset. What I can tell you is that earlier, the family of a higher-up in the company accidentally clashed with the demonstration. Although there was no further incident, they were still frightened. Higher-up? Everyone suddenly understood. The Superpower Combative Police Force could be regarded as the veteran of the worlds major superpower police forces. Since they were veterans, of course, they understood that there were only twelve people who would be addressed as a higher-up by the general manager of the Northern American Division. A member of the Disciple Council in Gods Forbidden Zone? Lane asked in a low voice. At the same time, he raised his head and looked in all directions but the square was surrounded by hundreds of people, and there were no passers-by who seemed to fit the description. Surely you understand now why Ive sent you guys. Liu Zhijian did not deny it but said softly, Perform well and maybe youll catch the eye of those higher-ups and receive some form of appreciation. However, although Liu Zhijian had explained as much, the six of them were still opposed to this. After all, they were all psionicists who existed above ordinary people. Perhaps the Disciple Council controlled Blackwatch from behind the scenes, but they were not afraid of that. After all, even if they left Blackwatch, they would still be a major figure in any faction. This was the arrogance of a psionicist. At this time, John who was standing in the front was still persuading the demonstrators, but no matter how he tried, the other party did not have any intention to disperse. On the contrary, the group of people became agitated by John. Guardian, were disappointed in you! Give it up, we wont go away. As long as Blackwatch doesnt withdraw their androids, we wont stop the demonstration! But it doesnt make any sense to do this. John advised them with all his heart, I understand you very well and sympathize with you, but this isnt an excuse for you to destroy the property of other citizens as you like! No, you dont understand us! The black woman raised her middle finger and shouted, Youre the lapdogs of the Blackwatch Corporation! You dont care about the interests of the poor at all! Yea, lapdog! The rest of the people scolded loudly, Scram, lapdog! With that, some people even threw eggs and tomatoes at the Superpower Combative Police Force. Everyone dodged but there were too many projectiles. The six of them became more or less contaminated with a lot of filth. Even John was hit squarely by an egg. D*mn it! Jeff the Dragonfly Man cursed softly. He took a step forward but was halted by Johns hand. John cast a stoic look at the black woman heading the group, lowered his head, and gently wiped off the egg white on his chest before he raised his head again and made a thumbs-up gesture toward the crowd. Very well, you win! As he said, John took off directly by himself and flew into the sky without looking back. Hes left? The other five were a little surprised. They glanced at each other and then turned and left helplessly, leaving only the group who triumphantly cheered. At this time, Chen Chen stood in the crowd and looked at the scene with interest. With his eyesight, he could faintly see the fury in Johns heart. He almost thought that John was about to explode in public. It seems that the mentality of these psionicists has changed. Little Xs voice came. But this is also normal. The human ego will expand, especially when they have a smooth journey, and even possess power beyond ordinary people. Then, the expansion will be more intense. This self-defeating action was the order of Liu Zhijian. Chen Chen still remembered Liu Zhijian. Knowing that my parents were at the scene, he was afraid of leaving a bad impression on me, so he dispatched the Superpower Combative Police Force to solve the matter, but things only got worse thanks to that. Then remove him. Little X laughed and said, He cant grasp the psychology of the Superpower Combative Police Force at all. Those people who are beyond mortals have already placed themselves above ordinary folk. How can they have the patience to persuade a group of poor people? I wont go that far yet. Chen Chen shook his head. Although this error will affect the Superpower Combative Police Force, its not a big deal. It will be resolved after a few pressings. Little X said, But what Im worried about now is that John wouldnt just leave it at that. In that case, we might as well turn John into our weapon. Chen Chen turned to leave the crowd of onlookers, and at the same time said nonchalantly, Send the information of the one behind this affair and the leader of the demonstration to Liu Zhijian, and ask Liu Zhijian to pass it to John. With that, Chen Chens figure disappeared completely in the flow of the crowd. Boom! Suddenly, there was a dull thud on the roof. Liu Zhijian was sitting in an office on the top floor of the building. He frowned slightly when he heard the sound, but then saw a crack appear in the ceiling as a whisper of dirt fell. Liu Zhijian stood up angrily and looked toward the door. The next second, John walked in with a gloomy face. Are you trying to demolish my office? Liu Zhijian suddenly said huffily, How many times have I told you, John, even the ceiling cannot withstand the impact of your drop. Do you get it?! Give me the demonstration leaders information. However, John completely ignored Liu Zhijians anger and said coldly, I want to know her information, her home address What do you plan to do? Liu Zhijian looked even more furious. Do you want revenge? Are you going to kill her? Do you know how this will affect the company? Also, the companys plan Nevertheless, Liu Zhijian had not finished speaking when he suddenly saw a blur in front of him. In the next second, John was already standing in front of him and at the same time, he lifted Liu Zhijian with one hand! I said, give me her information and I mean now! John looked sinister and his eyes even glowed with dazzling red light! Let, let me go first Liu Zhijian was shocked. He quickly grasped Johns arm and said in a low voice, Calm down first, John, dont you want to advance in the ranks anymore? If you do it without authorization, you might be kicked out of the Superpower Combative Police Force! Hearing this sentence, John slowly let go of his grip, allowing Liu Zhijian to slide down. Huff, huff Liu Zhijians face was pale. Earlier, he even had the impression that he had one foot in the grave. Although he personally watched John grow up little by little, Johns personality had become increasingly disagreeable over the years and even Liu Zhijian could not hold him back anymore. At this point, Liu Zhijian slowly realized that perhaps deep down, John had already placed himself above human beings. D*mn, the psychiatrists did not detect this at all. This matter must be reported to the company Liu Zhijian thought to himself. He returned to his seat and watched John turn and leave, but in the next second, an email notification popped up on the computer in front of him. Liu Zhijian clicked on the email while adjusting his shirt, only to see the identity information of several people and a notice. The notice was sent to Liu Zhijian in the name of the Disciple Council of Gods Forbidden Zone, and its message was very simple. Namely, it said to hand over the information of these people to John, so that John could kill these people without revealing his identity. Seeing this, Liu Zhijian could not help frowning. Letting one of the three strongest psionicists in the world act as a killer would this not aggravate Johns instability? After all, many people were worried that if this guy was allowed to kill too many people, it was inevitable that he would eventually regard himself as a higher species than human beings. Nonetheless, this was no longer up to Liu Zhijian. He continued to read on and saw that there were a total of five people on this list. Four of them were the senior officials of several well-known consortia in Northern America and even a congressman. It was only the last one who was an ordinary black woman. Are we doing this? Liu Zhijian had to shake his head. Although he did not approve of letting the psionicists perform more killings, since this was a high-level order, there was no other option. With this in mind, he sent the name list and proof of information to Johns mailbox. Then, after he thought about it, he sent an assessment report to the dark web of Gods Forbidden Zone. John naturally did not know about what Liu Zhijian just did. He simply shut himself in his office with a sullen heart, silently looking at the scenery outside the window. The egg white on his chest had dried out early in the morning, but it clung to his tight outfit, like a mouth cracked in a grin, laughing at him. D*mn woman John looked malevolent. When he thought about how they kept rebuking him and even threw eggs at him, he felt a sense of humiliation, which was something he had not felt in a long time. Even at Blackwatch, Liu Zhijian would not dare treat him like this. How dare that b*tch? The more humiliated he felt, the angrier John became. He could imagine that by tomorrow or tonight, countless small media organizations would report this story, publicizing how he had an egg thrown at him. However, when John was bristling with hate toward the other party, suddenly, there was a vibration from the watch-like communicator on his wrist. John raised his arm and slightly pressed the communicator with his other hand. Suddenly, Liu Zhijians holographic projection appeared. John, after consideration, I agree to your request. Moreover, I will not only give you the identity of the demonstrations leader but will also send you the information of the people who planned this event from behind the scenes. For now, youll have no missions for the next few days. Your secret mission is to fly to these five places in Northern America and kill all these five people silently Dont let me down! After adding that last sentence, Liu Zhijians figure disappeared completely and then a list of assassination targets appeared, followed by their backgrounds and the evidence of their schemes against Blackwatch this time. Seeing this list, Johns expression finally brightened. He nodded in satisfaction. Now that they had given him the information of the black woman, he would kill all those who were behind the scenes in one go. He might as well anyway Thinking of this, Johns figure flashed. He disappeared in front of the window in the next second, leaving only a whirlwind-like afterimage Late at night, Amelia Susanna walked feebly along a dark road. After a day of demonstrations, Susannas throat was completely hoarse because she had to keep on leading the crowd to shout slogans and continue negotiating with the governments representatives. Moreover, no part of her body was not sore. Tottering on high heels, her feet were burning up already. She could not wait to kick off her shoes in the next second to free her feet. Still, for Susanna, all this was worth it Thinking of this, a satisfied smile flickered at the corner of her mouth. She gently turned on her phone and checked her bank account. In her bank account, there was a large string of zeros lying quietly, worth millions of dollars. With each day that she led the group of homeless people to demonstrate, she gained one hundred thousand dollars in her account. In just one month, she had accumulated millions through her own efforts, which was comparable to her lifetime income. After a few months of work, I can stop working Susanna laughed in a low voice. At that time, I can fulfill my dreams, go to the Hawaiian Islands on vacation, and go to Before she finished speaking, Susannas words were suddenly choked in her mouth. She stopped walking and looked at the darkness ahead. She could faintly see that not far in front of her, at the end of the alley, a figure was standing there with folded arms. At the same time, a faint pang of danger seized her heart Subconsciously, Susanna immediately turned around and walked in the opposite direction. Before, she chose this alley by herself to take a shortcut. She originally thought that there would be no problems but she did not expect that she would still run into danger. Was it a nearby gang or was it She suddenly had a guess about the other partys identity, but her footsteps did not stop. She knew that she could get rid of these people as long as she returned to the main road. However, her premature assumption this time seemed to be mistaken. Chapter 605 - Slaughter and Test Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Whoosh A strange wind blew from behind her, messing up Susannas curly hair. She covered her precious hair and looked behind her subconsciously. However, the person behind her had disappeared. Did that person give up? Susanna secretly breathed a sigh of relief. She turned her head, slightly more relaxed, but the next second, she suddenly shuddered all over! The figure that was standing in the dark had appeared in front of her at an unknown time! Ah! Susanna exclaimed and took a step back instinctively. Who, who are you? Susanna asked in a trembling voice. As the figure ten meters away before her had its back to the light, she could only see a silhouette. Even so, for some reason, this figure was vaguely familiar. The figure did not answer but still stood quietly at the entrance of the alley, blocking the road from which she came. Susannas heart was even more uneasy. She did not think about finding out the identity of the figure at all, but turned around again, fleeing into the alley on high heels! Clack, clack, clack! Her high heels stumbled unevenly across the concrete surface. The deep alley sent back repeated echoes. As Susanna ran away, she kept looking back but she was a little relieved that the other party had not taken a step all this while. It was just quietly watching her run away gradually. When Susanna completely escaped from the alley and ran to the street and saw her door not far away, she secretly heaved a sigh of relief. Susanna looked back again. At this time, the deep and dark alley had completely obscured her line of sight. She could only see that the person had not run after her. Please, please dont come out Susanna prayed inwardly. She came to her door in a panic, took out a bunch of keys from her newly bought brand-name bag, opened the door at the fastest speed in all her life, and slipped inside. With a clang, the door was shut again. Huff, huff Leaning with her back on the door, Susanna gasped in silence, suppressing the panic in her heart. It seemed that the person earlier must be just a homeless man or a gangster, who had bad intentions but insufficient courage. It seems that after these few months, I still have to move Susanna thought silently. She had no money to live in the wealthy area before, so she could only rent this kind of suburban single-family house. Originally, she still thought that the security here was good, but now that she was carrying a huge amount of money, she was starting to become paranoid. After she silently made up her mind, she glanced into the peephole at her door again but saw that the doorway was empty. Occasionally, a car passed by the street with the roar of its engine. It seemed that the fellow did not follow her. Susannas original worry was completely assuaged. Before she left the entrance, she took off her high heels by the doorway, and at the same time, threw her coat on the sofa. After a busy day, she could only unload her exhaustion now. She just wanted to go to the bathroom to freshen up but when she passed by the dark living room, she was taken aback. The light from the street dimly shone into the living room. With the external glow, she noticed that there seemed to be a person sitting on the sofa in the living room? At this moment, Susanna only felt the hairs on her body stand up. She tried her best to widen her eyes and looked into the living room, praying that all this was an illusion, but the hazy figure stood up directly. Whos there Susanna stammered, but the next second there was a blur before her eyes! Bang! The figure suddenly flickered, appearing in front of Susanna as if it had teleported, only a few centimeters away from her! At this time, Susanna finally saw the figure. The person in front of her turned out to be Ms. Susanna, we just met this afternoon. Have you forgotten me by now? John grinned, revealing a brilliant smile, his white teeth glowing in the dark. The Guardian? Susannas expression changed drastically. She opened her mouth wide and instinctively wanted to scream, but John directly pushed her against the wall! Bang! The entire house seemed to tremble faintly and the violent impact even choked her scream off. Ms. Susanna? John flashed a cruel smile. He looked at the panicked woman in front of him, slowly stretched out his hands, and forced her face to meet his eyes. At the same time, he chortled. Arent you pleasantly surprised to meet me here? Please, Guardian, for the sake of God, please let, let me go Susanna trembled like a leaf. Her head was gripped by John and she was forced to look into his eyes. At this moment, she was shocked to see that his eyes were so dazzling God? Im God! John shook his head pitifully. You insulted and humiliated me in front of countless people. Now, enjoy the fun that comes before your death! With that, his eyes instantly flared up and turned a thrilling blood red. In the next second, a red beam shot from his eyes and pierced directly into Susannas eyes! Agh!!! Susanna unleashed a piercing scream but John did not use his full strength at all. He just turned on his optic blast at the minimum power, but even so, her eyes were instantly reduced to two lumps of coal! No one! No one can humiliate me, humiliate the greatest superhero in the world! John roared, watching his opponents eyes scorched a little as she struggled. He could not help but feel a morbid pleasure in his heart. His humiliation and bitterness during the day were released at this moment! Argh!!! Susannas wails continued but they became weaker and weaker. After the high temperature penetrated Susannas eyes and into her brain, Susanna finally stopped screaming. Thump! A corpse whose eyes had turned into two charred deep holes fell straight down. John exhaled slowly. He glanced at Susanna one last time, then turned and walked into the kitchen, opening the gas valve. Boom! A few minutes later, Susannas home erupted into a fireball that rose to the sky amid an Earth-shattering explosion New York demonstration leader Susanna who boycotted androids dead! The moment the house exploded, John rose from the flames of the explosion. The explosion that was powerful enough to devour everything did not cause any damage to him. At this time, he looked at his wrist again, where the location of the second target was already marked. It was located in the middle of Washington and New York, in Philadelphia. Seeing this, John turned back and flew in the direction of the target. After flying out of the range of New York, John immediately accelerated. There was a series of booms as his speed quickly broke through the sound barrier, and he kept approaching the target at a speed comparable to a fighter jet. Hmm? However, when he looked at his wrist again, he frowned slightly because he realized that the target was constantly moving. Seeing this, John pressed the watch and called up the coordinates of the target. Only then did he find that the target was flying in the direction of Washington. Nonetheless, John did not switch targets. He was very confident in his speed and was still getting closer. About twenty minutes later, he came to the location of the target. A dark plain lay under his feet and above his head, a luxurious exclusive plane was flying forward. At this time on the plane, the city councilor Matthew frowned and looked at the report in his hand. Just half an hour ago, a pawn he had manipulated had suddenly died in her home and her entire house was completely reduced to ashes. Is this Blackwatchs revenge? Matthew was a little bit confused. Judging from his knowledge of Blackwatch, they would not have taken action so lightly. It was a little bit unlike Blackwatchs style. Dad, look! Even so, while Matthew was thinking, his son, who was leaning against the window, suddenly said with excitement, Its the Guardian! Outside the window, thats the Guardian of the Superpower Combative Police Force! Matthew reflexively followed his sons gaze and he saw a human figure closely following the plane in the dark sky. By the light from the plane, he could faintly see that the figure wore a cloak. It was indeed the Guardian. What is this guy doing? Matthew suddenly became a little puzzled but in the next second, he saw the other party turned his head and looked at Matthew swiftly. At the same time, two points of red light burst out of the Guardians eyes! Oh God Matthews face changed suddenly. At this moment, he finally understood what the other party was about to do! Boom! The thick red beam instantly cut through the fuselage. The thin fuselage was sliced open by that red glow like a piece of paper. The entire aircraft suddenly split in the middle and turned into two slowly falling fireballs in mid-air! Watching dozens of people being sucked out from the plane, falling downward with harsh screams, Johns expression was calm. He watched all this in silence. At this moment, he suddenly realized the insignificance of human beings. Three more left John murmured in a low voice and then with a bang, his figure moved away again, disappearing into the dark night. In just one night, John had spanned most of Northern America and killed five targets. The next day, Chen Chen learned the news when he just got up from the fully automated medical platform. Looking at Little X who was reporting, Chen Chen raised his eyebrows. Were any innocent people involved? Yes, but not many. Little X smiled sweetly at one side. The morning sun draped over the girl, reflecting a different kind of brilliance. The only one with collateral damage is the second target, Matthew. John directly destroyed the targets plane. However, when he later assassinated the other targets, although he also killed all their psionic bodyguards, he still maintained restraint and didnt massacre people wantonly. Is that so? Chen Chen pondered for a while then nodded and said, I hope hes not too far gone. In that case, has he passed the personality test? Little X tilted her head. I thought that you only allowed him to do this as you intend to sacrifice him at a critical time and use him as your nourishment. Being able to become an Alpha-level psionicist has proved how extraordinary he is. Chen Chen solemnly said, Itd be a pity to give up on such a person. Thats why I set a test to see how far gone he is. If he had become too corrupted thanks to his strength, thinking hes invincible and that no one could match him, then Id give up on him completely. With that said, Chen Chen turned around with his hands behind his back, toward the bustling city under his feet. His expression was neither sad nor happy. Since he has passed the initial test, then let him come to see me After a one-night raid, John was still in high spirits. He took advantage of the daybreak to return to the New York branch building, only to see Liu Zhijian standing silently outside his office, seemingly waiting for him. John, you did well. Liu Zhijian no longer bore the arrogance of a superior. He looked at John with faint fear in his eyes. At this time, he had received the news of the death of those targets. One should know that, except for one of the five targets, the remaining four people were the heads of various consortia. Many of these people secretly controlled the Northern American Congress, but they all died overnight. This was no longer something achievable by an ordinary psionicist. With such power, even if John killed Liu Zhijian himself, Blackwatch would not take revenge. Mr. Liu, what are you doing in front of my office? John asked with a blank face. After a night of killing, he recognized his powers more and his mentality was more detached. Im here with an old friend. Liu Zhijian forced a smile. With that, he pushed open the door of the office, and suddenly, a familiar figure showed up behind the door. Its you? John frowned slightly. Standing in front of him was a woman with a sharp temperament like a knife. Even so, her appearance was extremely beautiful and these two contradictions merged in her as if they could be reconciled as a single intoxicating poison John, we meet again. The woman took a step forward, a rare smile curling up at the corner of her mouth. This woman was Sarah, who had deceived and roped John into the Blackwatch Corporation. Looking at Sarah in front of him, Johns pupils shrank slightly because he felt a sense of danger which he had not felt for a long time. The aura of the woman in front of him was even more formidable than the few Beta-level psionicists he had killed last night Have you become a psionicist? John asked solemnly. Yes, I was also injected with L compound by the company. Sarah nodded and said. Her eyes suddenly turned icy and she abruptly stretched out her hands and scratched Johns face! Swish! Sarahs attack was without warning. John was immediately shocked. He instinctively retreated backward but he felt the space around him instantly transform into endless darkness, and at the same time, a peculiar tearing force struck him from the front! Break! A sense of crisis arose in Johns heart. Before he could even think about it, he shot out two balls of fire. Then, he launched the optic blast he was most well versed in, immediately shredding the darkness, and at the same time blasting Sarah who was behind the darkness! Boom! Sarah crashed heavily into the wall behind her, and the entire floor quaked! Why are you attacking me? John was irritated, but he suppressed his anger and questioned her. He still felt favorably towards the woman in front of him. Im just testing your power. Sarah stood up and wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, her expression still indifferent. Your power is really strong and even my destruction prison was broken instantly. It seems that the boss is right. Youre indeed qualified to meet him. Meet who? John narrowed his eyes. Chen Chen. There was a zealous gleam in Sarahs eyes. The real god behind Blackwatch! Chapter 606 - Meeting Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation John had heard of the name Chen Chen before. Calculating the years, John was now forty years old. When he was in his twenties, he witnessed the rise of Blackwatch. In those unbelievable years, it was this company whose fabled rise kept flooding the headlines of the technology world and the business world. By the time everyone came to their senses, this company was already on top of the world. In those years, he had heard this name occasionally. This name was often mentioned along with the topic of Blackwatch. This person was also regarded as a figure of power such as Jack Ma and Musk, but every time this name seemed about to reach the peak of fame, there always seemed to be an invisible big hand pushing things down. At the time, John felt that this person was simply too low-key. Time flew by and more than ten years had passed in the blink of an eye. This name had long been buried on the Internet and in reality. Even John had forgotten this name it was replaced by Qian Wenhuan, Liu Zhijian, Xia Yin, and the other CEOs of Blackwatch across the continents. These people had become mythical figures in the business world and a mere wave of their hand was always enough to cause a huge shock in the business world. Only now, when the name was mentioned again, was John shocked by this realization. The original owner of the name was always there, but unconsciously or intentionally, there was no more information related to this name across the entire Internet. A person born in the new generation would not even know that Blackwatch had a founder who was some guy named Chen Chen 1 Now that he abruptly heard this name again, John also felt a hint of apprehension as he recalled all this. This guy was overflowing with power and money, yet he would rather hide in plain sight for over a decade. He must not be up to any good All this flashed through his mind. When John recovered from his thoughts, the plane was descending toward Walvis Bay International Airport at this time. After the luxury plane landed on the dedicated runway, waiting in front of John was a stretch car and a group of psionicists. There were five people in total. The leader was a man whose aura was no inferior to Sarahs. Although the remaining four were slightly weaker, they were Beta-level or higher! Seeing this group of people, John frowned slightly, thinking that this was truly the headquarters that had invented the L compound. Just among those who came to receive him, there were already five Beta-level psionicists, and they were also the best of that level. Mr. Oppenheimer. The man heading them walked up, stretched out his hand, and shook hands with John with an imposing attitude. Im the head of the B.S.S., the Black Security Service. My name is Brando, Clark Brando. John Oppenheimer. John replied casually. Facing this group of people, John could not help feeling a little proud because these people obtained psionic powers through the L compound, but he was different. His psionic energy was later awakened after he was infected with the fusion virus. Solely in terms of status, John was the only pure psionicist. It was like when a woman with a 36D bra size bumped into someone with artificial 36Ds in the washroom. When she observed those rock-hard melons that could not even bounce, she would naturally feel a sense of pride. Mr. Oppenheimers psionic powers are very strong. After a mere shake of the hands, Brando immediately smiled. No wonder you can kill more than a dozen Beta-level psionicists overnight, yet they dont even know your identity. Your psionic powers arent too bad either. John replied coolly. He was not jealous of these people who gained psionic powers through the L compound because he knew that the average person could only receive at most three injections of L compound in their life. The first one had a mortality rate of 10%, the second one had 30%, and the third had 50%. Furthermore, it was not that the more injections one received, the stronger ones superpowers became. The superpowers one awakened were random. There were strong and weak ones. If one was unlucky, one could still end up with only one feeble superpower despite getting three injections of a high fatality rate. As for the fourth injection? Too bad, according to the known data, the death rate of the fourth injection of the L compound was 100%. The grass over the graves of those who received four injections had grown to more than three meters in height by now. Alright, you guys can stop fawning over each other here. Sarah stepped forward. The boss has been waiting for a long time. Lets go see him as soon as possible. Hearing Sarahs words, Brando shrugged and flashed a helpless look at John. Then three people got on the stretch sedan and the other four got into another ordinary vehicle. After that, they drove in the direction of the Eco Science City. John was no stranger to this world-famous city. After all, as long as one lived on this planet, one would know of this city built by the Blackwatch Corporation alone. The population of this city might not be large, but there was a common joke online: if one went to the streets of the Eco Science City to buy a pack of cigarettes, one would run into nine billionaires, a few of which were politicians of certain countries. Although this was a bit exaggerated, it went to show the prosperous degree of the Eco Science City. Every day, rich people came here to seek the most superior treatment conditions and there were also international stars who came here to seek the top cosmetic surgery technology. This was the most prosperous city in the entire Earth Federation. Looking at the traffic lights and billboards formed by countless holographic projections on the street and the sci-fi-style high-rise buildings on both sides of the road, John felt that he had entered a cyberpunk world. However, unlike the descriptions in science fiction movies and novels, there were no slums nor a dark side of the city because poor people and criminals were not qualified to enter here. Looking at this unique city, Johns eyes shone with marvel. Finally, he looked at the driving seat in front. The driving seat was vacant. Generally speaking, even if it were using automatic driving, there should be a driver sitting in there as a backup to prevent unexpected situations. This is no ordinary automatic driving. Brando seemed to notice Johns doubts and could not help but chuckle. However, the intelligence responsible for the driving isnt in the car, but in the citys smart management center. Whats there? John curiously asked. It controls all the electronic intelligence in the city. Brando replied, Theres a supercomputer that controls every vehicle in the city. The advantage of this is that there will never be a car accident. Not only that, except for private areas, all places in the city are controlled by cameras. There are no blind spots. Even the traffic lights on the road, the giant screen advertisements in the sky, and the electronic signs on the facade of every store are all managed through that center. Its amazing. John could not help nodding. With Brando taking the initiative to start a topic, John gradually relaxed significantly. During the conversation, the vehicle finally came to the ground floor of the Blackwatch headquarters. Click! As the car stopped in front of the gate, the door opened automatically, and John then slowly got out of the car. He looked up and immediately saw this tall building. The entire building was so clean that there was no trace of dust. The floor was smooth and transparent as if the entire building was made of glass and crystal. At this sight, John could not help recalling a game called Mirrors Edge Catalyst. The high-rise buildings in this city were almost the same as the backdrop of that game. Please come with me. Brando and Sarah took the lead and entered the building. After passing through the vast hall, the three came to the front of a panoramic elevator, where the android in charge of the service had been waiting for a long time. Welcome, everyone. This android woman with beautiful features wore a uniform. Instead of asking which floor the three of them were heading to, she directly pressed the button of the top floor and added. Mr. Chen has been waiting for you for a long time. Was he finally going to meet Chen Chen? Looking at the pedestrians on the ground that were shrinking rapidly under his feet, Johns feelings were rather complicated. He could not explain this sensation. Toward this legendary figure, he felt a little curious and a little proud. He was curious about how this guy who founded Blackwatch Corporation by himself looked like. Even so, he felt a little proud after all, he was the preeminent psionicist as evaluated by the Earth Federation and this Chen Chen was likely just an ordinary guy. Of those with real power, how many would dare to bet their lives on the mortality rate of the L compound, considering that their lives were as precious as gold? With such complicated thoughts, the elevator soon reached the top. With a ding, the elevator door opened quickly. At the moment when the elevator door opened, John saw only a figure from the back. This man was sitting in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, silently looking at everything outside the window, seeming to be watching the teeming crowds at his feet. Brando and Sarah walked out of the elevator first and then they lowered their heads slightly. Meanwhile, Brando said softly, Boss, hes here. Only then did the figure slowly turn around and John instinctively observed this person. However, what he saw was a somewhat handsome man in his twenties. Still, although the other persons looks were no better than Johns, he emanated a strange presence, especially with those dark bottomless eyes. The moment John saw those eyes, he suddenly felt a quivering jolt in his heart! In an instant, John seemed to see a shattered world. Those eyes were as cataclysmic as black holes. This man did nothing else other than glance at John, but still, Johns soul shuddered. Hum ! Subconsciously, a scarlet light flared in Johns pupils. He was about to use his self-defense methods almost immediately! John Oppenheimer? However, the other party suddenly spoke. In an instant, the invisible terror quickly dissipated and the world emerged again. John suddenly woke up but found that the man in front of him had returned to normal. It was as if everything before was just an illusion Mr. Chen. John tucked away the horror in his heart, lowered his head slightly, and immediately responded. You did very well. The man in front of him stood up straight, walked slowly in front of him, and seemed to be sizing him up. An Alpha-level psionicist, considered by the media to be the strongest in the world. You killed five leaders of enemy forces in one night. You did very well indeed. Mr. Chen? John raised his head when he heard these words and tried to gauge Chen Chen as well. I wonder if you have any orders in asking me here? I have an agreement here. The man smiled slightly. He turned around and handed a few thin sheets of a contract to John. You shouldve joined Gods Forbidden Zone back then, but because you didnt choose to join the B.S.S., you chose to stand before the public instead. But now that the ten-year contract has expired, you shouldve a new choice. I John frowned slightly. To be honest, although he was also interested in joining Gods Forbidden Zone, he did not want to leave his previous job. This was because, in the past ten years, he had become accustomed to being an influential figure in the eyes of the public. He enjoyed the peoples frenzy over him and the admiration and love they had for him. This feeling was intoxicating Dont worry, the new contract wont make you leave the Superpower Combative Police Force. The man in front of him seemed able to see through his thoughts and only continued to say, This new contract is also for ten years, but the terms are much more generous than before. Your new position will be the vice president of Blackwatchs Northern American headquarters, second only to Liu Zhijian. At the same time, youll formally enter Gods Forbidden Zone, obtain Alpha-level authority, and enjoy the same benefits. Hearing this, Johns eyes lit up. He immediately took the agreement and read the terms one by one. Hearing that John was getting such favorable terms, even Brando and Sarah struggled a little with their emotions. John was flying up the ladder before their eyes. Im willing to sign this agreement. Soon, John raised his head again and the delight in his eyes was quickly concealed. Very well! The man burst out laughing when he heard these words. John, are you willing to fight for the benefit of the company? Hearing these words, Johns expression suddenly turned dignified. He took a deep breath, and then declared, Its my duty to safeguard the interests of the company and Ill do my best to fight for the company! A few minutes later, Brando and Sarah led John away. However, as soon as the elevator went down, it came up again and Little X walked out of the elevator. Sir Godfather, John Oppenheimer has left the building. He revealed to Sarah that hell leave today and return to New York. Chen Chen nodded without speaking. Do you trust this person? Little X suddenly became a little curious. Having given him such superior conditions, will he do his best for the company? Human nature is complicated. Even if you awed him earlier, what if he still betrays us? Then you dont understand this. Chen Chen shook his head and smiled. Those tied to the chariot of our interests are naturally part of our team. This has nothing to do with trust. After all, as a shareholder, who would destroy the company theyve invested in? Only then did Little X nod. There was a reason she was not at ease, because she was used to using the God chip to control humans. Nevertheless, with a psionicist like John, the God chip was useless. This kind of chip could only restrain ordinary people and some low-level psionicists at present, but to John the Guardian, who had a near-invincible body, the God chip was no threat at all. Even the implantation could not be performed. Unless the reality anchor was used to block all psionic powers within the radius of a few kilometers, then the God chip could be temporarily implanted. However, once the reality anchor was removed, Johns spirit form would swiftly recover. Taking out the God chip would be as simple as pulling out a thorn from his flesh. That was why Little X was a little worried. The God chip isnt the only way to control peoples hearts. Chen Chen corrected her. Looking through the glass window at John who had already walked out of the building, Chen Chen could not help displaying a pensive look. Lets hope hell be a good weapon Chapter 607 - Subspace Contamination Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation After resolving the matter with John, Chen Chen turned his attention to the subspace navigation experiment. Yesterdays subspace navigation experiment was still running, but the situation was not optimistic. After sending the Delta-level experimenters to the Courage Voyager for the first time yesterday afternoon, the spacecraft had disappeared for three full hours after entering the subspace. During these three hours, everybody tried every means but did not find a single trace of the spacecraft. Just when they thought that the spacecraft was shipwrecked in the depths of subspace, the spacecraft appeared again. However, the hull of the returning spacecraft had been corroded and was decayed. Not only that, nine of the ten experimenters on the spacecraft went mad and died while the ten Black Knights who were also on the spacecraft were unscathed. It could be seen from the spacecrafts surveillance feed that the spacecraft originally entered the subspace with no issues, but when it wanted to return to reality, it seemed to become stuck. The spacecraft was parked in the subspace, unable to return to reality at all for some unknown reason. Not only that, the experimenters on the spacecraft also began to go crazy as if they had lost their minds. One by one they desperately bashed themselves on the door that detained them, not ceasing even when their heads were bleeding and their brains were splattering everywhere. They only stopped when they were fully dead! Earlier when John came in, Chen Chen was looking at the report in his hand. At this time, the only surviving experimenter had been sent to the Spire Experimental Base 2 hidden under the north pole of Mars. After more than ten years of development, the Spire 2 was starting to take shape. The underground space it had was no less than the Spire Experimental Base. Between the two, there was the Watchman teleporter as a connecting channel. At this time, as Chen Chen flicked his finger, a screen suddenly appeared in front of him. It showed the scene of the surviving experimenter in custody. His hands, legs, and even tongue were all bound to prevent him from going crazy and dying like the other personnel. Nonetheless, though he was completely trussed up, his eyes revealed an endless source of madness. The pupils were gone, leaving only the whites of the eyes. His forehead was bursting with veins and his physical condition was also in a high-risk state. This is all we can do. Little X responded, If we dont restrain him, who knows what he might do? Have you tried a tranquilizer? Chen Chen asked. I have. Little X pursed her mouth. Its useless. Hed fall into a coma after the injection, but hed continue to descend into madness after he regained consciousness again. Hearing this, Chen Chen could not help feeling a jolt. He lowered his head and looked at the palm of his hand. Suddenly, a palm-sized black stone slab appeared in a whirl. Prepare the Watchman teleporter. Im going to Spire 2 again, Chen Chen suddenly said. Yes! Little X instantly understood and her eyes lit up. Indeed, the black slate could dispel the subspace countercurrent. If they used this black slate, it might have a miraculous effect. Chen Chen did not tarry. He went directly to the Spire Experimental Base, then came to the Watchman teleporter and teleported himself away. A few minutes later, when Chen Chen regained consciousness, he only felt that his whole body was light and floaty. At this time, he had arrived at Spire 2 on Mars. The main control program of Spire 2 was one of the clones of Little X. It named itself Nancy, but Chen Chen still liked to call it X-113 out of convention. Sir Commander, we welcome your visit. X-113s sisterly voice sounded by his ears. Chen Chen looked to his side and suddenly saw a beautiful middle-aged woman with blonde hair and dark eyes. Just like Little X, this was an exclusive body cultivated under the Black Knight system. X-113 had her own preferences. In addition to naming herself, she also liked to cultivate an aesthetically pleasing body for herself. Chen Chen nodded and directly ordered, Take me to see that crazy guy. I have something to ask him. Yes. Faced with the highest authority of Blacklight Biotechnology, X-113 naturally had no reason to refuse. She gestured in invitation and led Chen Chen to the depths of Spire 2. More than ten minutes later, Chen Chen passed through a long and narrow passage and then took the elevator down again for over a hundred meters before reaching the bottom of Spire 2. A prison was built here. Unlike ordinary prisons, this was more like a restricted living area. What one would see were two rows comprising more than a hundred rooms with tungsten alloy fences. The dark corridor extended all the way to the end, but in such a large-scale prison, there was only one guest. The guest was detained in the first cell with his hands and feet tied up, and his body was also chocked full of life-saving equipment. Without such equipment, he would have lost control of his emotions and died of endocrine disorders. Outside his door, there were two heavily armed Black Knights standing guard. Seeing Chen Chen, the Black Knights saluted immediately, then opened the door of the cell without any second thoughts and invited Chen Chen in. As Chen Chen stepped into the cell, he could not help raising his eyebrows when he saw the experimenter. The eyes were rolled back and the veins were bursting at the temples. The aura of insanity was far more violent than seen in the video. Not only that, Chen Chen clearly detected a familiar smell after entering the cell. He could not tell what it was because this smell was not something his nose had picked up but a psionic sensation. If he must describe it physically, it was an odor similar to sulfur This was not an intense smell, but when Chen Chen smelled this, he was taken aback. It was because he had detected this before only when he entered deep into the subspace. A being that enters the subspace will be contaminated with the presence of the subspace? Chen Chen tilted his head. He silently opened his right hand. Suddenly, a black slate appeared out of thin air on the palm of his hand. In the next second, an invisible wave rolled out in all directions. The wave was so subtle that even the fine sand would not be blown away. Nonetheless, it dispelled all the surrounding subspace energy in an instant. At the same time, it also refreshed Chen Chens spirit. It works. Chen Chens eyes glimmered with glee. He looked at the experimenter again, only to find that the other persons expression had eased up a little bit. At the same time, the other persons heartbeat dropped from more than one hundred and fifty times to one hundred times per second and then continued to fall. His emotions have begun to stabilize. Nancys voice came from his side. But his consciousness seems to be in a coma. Should we wake him up now? Thats not needed. Chen Chen shook his head. He walked straight forward, took off the persons gag, and then placed the black slate in his hand in front of the person. The black stone slab was at once suspended in the air, spinning silently at an extremely slow speed, looking very mystical. Baruch. Chen Chen had read the mans information. He naturally knew the mans name. At this time, there was only the sound of Chen Chen gently saying, Baruch, youre very tired now. Youre sinking bit by bit, sinking into the deep sea of ??the subconscious, but you dont have to be afraid because the ocean of your origin is there, where your consciousness will be free and liberated Chen Chens voice seemed to come from a distant horizon and at the same time, it reverberated slowly in the small quiet room. Soon, the mind and body of this experimenter entered a state that was half asleep and half awake. Now please tell me, what did you see on the Courage Voyager spaceship? Chen Chen asked suddenly. I I saw many people like me and they were all taken aboard the spaceship. I found out from others that the name of this spaceship is the Courage Voyager Baruchs voice was very hoarse. After all, he had not eaten food or drink water for a whole day, relying on drips to maintain his energy. Very good. Chen Chen nodded and said again, After youve waited for a while, you can feel that the spacecraft has already set off and is sailing to the depths of the universe. Youre a little nervous because you dont know what it is you have to face in the future Suddenly, Chen Chens tone changed and asked, But at this moment, you suddenly feel a tremor in the spacecraft. Do you know what has happened? Its Its the space warp. Baruchs voice was low and hoarse. I heard the broadcast, which told us that the spacecraft is going to make a space warp, so we should be prepared I dont know what a space warp is, so I just grabbed something next to me to prevent the accelerating spaceship from tossing me around Chen Chen continued to inquire encouragingly, Next, what did you see? I saw that the spacecraft had sailed into a hazy world. Baruch continued. It was a weird world. The windows were all red and blurry and a special kind of fog was permeating the outer space. I had never seen such a weird cosmic space and I felt that, when I looked out the window, there seemed to be countless pairs of eyes, staring at me closely Staring at you? Chen Chen rubbed his chin. Indeed, it fitted the characteristics of the subspace very well. In the subspace, it was necessary to close ones eyes but because these people were in the spacecraft, they were not attacked by the subspace even though they did not close their eyes. However, if things were that simple, Chen Chen would not be standing here right now. At this time, he continued to ask, What next? What happened next? Next Baruchs voice suddenly slowed down and his body began to tremble gradually as if something was about to gush out of his body. Not only that, but Chen Chen also smelled the energy of the subspace again. The energy this time radiated from Baruchs body What happened next? Chen Chen continued to ask as he looked at the mans face that was turning ferocious again. There was a vague sense of urgency, so he accelerated the speed of his questioning. Its the eyes! Suddenly, Baruch widened his eyes. He seemed to be looking at Chen Chen but his eyes were not focused at all. He just wailed mournfully. The eyes, I saw countless eyes, they They were watching me too! Chen Chen frowned when he heard these words. He was about to continue asking something, but a large gust of subspace energy began to emerge from Baruchs body. At the same time, Baruchs body began to decay at a speed visible to the naked eye! First were his eyes, which changed from black and white to a blood-red mass, then to black again, before finally transforming directly into black juice that flowed down his face! Then, his cheeks, body, and limbs began to rot rapidly, just like a piece of rotten meat that had been left out for hundreds of years. Still, in this decaying, an eerie vitality was revealed! Before Chen Chen, Baruch was turning into an unknown life form! Seeing this scene, Chen Chen quickly backed away. At the same time, with a single gesture, the black slate flew back to his palm through the air and then a more intense wave surged out on the black slate again! Boom! The fluctuations swept across the cell in an instant. At this moment, Baruch suddenly widened his mouth and erupted in a heart-piercing roar. Meanwhile, his body melted rapidly in the fluctuations as if he had encountered sulfuric acid. He turned into a pile of scattered ash in an instant, hovering thickly in the entire cell! Baruch was dead. After all this, Chen Chens expression became completely serious. He stretched out his other hand slightly and watched the ash land on his palm. Even so, Chen Chens face was very solemn. The subspace is indeed more terrifying than I thought Chen Chen frowned. The black slate can dissipate the presence of the subspace but it cant save the lives of ordinary people? Also, what caused that zombie-like transformation? Why was his body filled with the subspace energy? Nancy beside him also wore a silent expression. She was just a larger clone of Little X after all. Although she was not inferior to humans in terms of intelligence, she was still significantly inferior to Little X. She was also at a loss when faced with these questions. Chen Chen frowned and walked out of the cell. He looked back at the cell again and then a lightbulb suddenly flashed in his mind. The spaceship will be corroded when it enters the subspace. The Black Knights can enter the subspace without any problems and ordinary people will end up like Baruch. What about psionicists? Psionic energy was a power that could come in touch with the subspace, unlike Field energy. Chen Chens Field energy could not be utilized in the subspace at all, but psionic energy could penetrate the fog of the subspace and be used as a way of exploring ones surroundings instead of eyes. In this case, if a psionicist entered the subspace, would there be a different outcome? This thought quickly flashed through Chen Chens mind and he immediately gave an order, Nancy, send a message to X and tell her to send ten psionicists immediately. The stronger the psionic power of these psionicists, the better. Yes. Nancy nodded and agreed. This matter was not complicated. Nancy only needed to transmit Chen Chens order to Earth and Little X would receive it within a few minutes. Then, the psionicists could be transported over by teleportation. The only shortcoming might be that it could take a lot of time to find high-level psionicists. After they were sent here, Nancy could use the launch vehicle to send these psionicists to Mars orbit and dock with the Courage Voyager there to continue the next subspace experiment. Chapter 608 - : Shaw Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation There was a fifty percent chance across the board for the felon experiment subjects to have their psionic potential awakened with just a standard vial of L compound injection. Psionicists were not worth too much. It was the L compound that was considered valuable. Following Chen Chens orders, ten psionicists were transported to Spire 2 with the Watchman teleporter. Upon their arrival, they threw up all over the place like they just stepped off a roller coaster. This was the side effect of interplanetary teleportation. These psionicists were not particularly powerful. They were made to stand in a line by the Black Knights for Chen Chen to evaluate them. With a glance, Chen Chen quickly noted that the strongest of the bunch were the three Gamma-level psionicists while the remaining seven were all of the lowest Delta-level. Even mere Gamma-levels were considered elite among this group. These felon subjects were also fitted with a custom-made tungsten collar around their necks. At Gamma-level, they did not yet possess the strength to resist the explosive capabilities of these tungsten collars, not even with spirit form since it would only be at novice level, therefore it was easy to keep them in line this way. Their psionic manifestations were relatively common as well. Among the three Gamma-level subjects, two of them acquired steel body fortification which was as common as they come while the other one was fortunate enough to attain a power known as astral sight. After the L compound injection, the persons eyes turned into a fogged mirror-like his iris had developed cataracts. There was no cure for this symptom, even if the help of the reality anchor was employed. If not for the psionic presence in his body, any observer would think that he was a regular person plagued with a cataract. The only function of this ability was that he could detect the presence of other psionicists What a strange power Chen Chen stepped in front of the psionicist with cataracts. The psionicist had his eyes shut tightly. Since his vision was clouded by this ability, he always had his eyes shut like he was a blind man. Chen Chen sized up this weakly looking man who was still trembling with fear. An idea sparked within him and he proceeded to ask, Whats your name? Shaw Winfred. The man shuddered when he heard Chen Chens voice, his voice quivering. You can just call me Shaw. So, your ability allows you to identify psionicists, will you tell me how that works? Chen Chen asked casually. I, I just need to open my eyes and if theres any psionic presence nearby, I can see them Shaw trembled like a feeble branch disturbed by a storm. Well I can only see a luminescent silhouette of psionicists with my eyes, I cant see regular people at all Youre afraid? Chen Chen suddenly shifted the topic and looked straight into Shaws eyes. Why are you shaking? What are you afraid of? I Beads of sweat trickled down Shaws forehead relentlessly. His legs gave out under him and he tumbled onto the floor. Chen Chen winced at this sight and became even more perplexed. Ive looked up your information. Based on your background, I made you out to be quite competent, what makes you so terrified? Sir, its Im blinded by this dazzling light Shaw buried his head into his chest. Even with my eyes shut, I can still see the radiant sunlight stubbornly penetrating the gaps between my eyelids Chen Chen raised an eyebrow and seemed to understand what Shaw was suggesting. You mean you can see me? Yes, Ive never seen anything so bright in my life Shaw saying something like this could easily be mistaken as a pathetic attempt at shining Chen Chens boots, except it was an honest statement because this was Chen Chen he was dealing with. Could this imply that Shaws true ability was gauging the psionic potential of a person? A blind man who could measure psionic level? It was a profound idea. Chen Chen had an inkling of suspicion that this person called Shaw could offer some surprisingly meaningful contribution to his subspace navigation technology With that, Chen Chen moved on from Shaw and turned to the others. All ten of you have had your task relayed to you earlier but theres one more term Id like to add C if you can survive this experiment, I promise to grant you freedom. These psionicists were shocked to hear of such a grand promise. They exchanged glances with each other as their eyes flickered with excitement. This person here is the supreme leader of Blackwatch. Nancy stepped forward and added. You can trust him. This further riled their spirits. Provided that you can offer your cooperation in this experiment. Chen Chen added, his voice symbolic as ever. If you dont abide by the orders issued from the spaceship just so you can keep yourself safe, I promise that youll face severe consequences when you come back alive This threat was extremely effective and quelled whatever ideas they were conjuring in their minds. Alright, get ready to depart. Chen Chen shot an intense look at Shaw one last time before leaving the teleportation hall. After leaving, Chen Chen looked up Shaws information again on his wristwatch. Shaw Winfred, thirty-five years old, born and raised in Sydney. This was a man with powerful conviction. The reason Chen Chen evaluated him so was that years ago, Shaw had chanced upon his wife cheating on him with another man. In a fit of rage, he murdered the two of them then fled to Gambia, Africa. Unsurprisingly, he had a hard time finding a place for himself in Gambia and resorted to the life of a nomad, seeking food and shelter everywhere he went. One time, he accidentally killed a local civilian in his frenzy for food and shelter and was sentenced to thirty years in prison by the Gambia officials. This was how he came to be sold to Blacklight. This was a summary of Shaws life. Chen Chen looked at Shaws psionic powers documentation. The nature of his psionic manifestation was queer, to say the least, and would not give him a respectable placing in Blacklight Biotechnology. Despite these setbacks, he worked himself off night and day and honed his power as close to perfection as he could until he was finally promoted to Gamma-level. If not for the work he had put in, he would never see the light of day nor be brought to Chen Chen today. Ten minutes later, Nancy reported again, The transport rocket has successfully docked with the Courage Voyager. All ten psionicists have entered the transport. Give them a rundown of the safety precautions. Chen Chen replied with a quick nod then diverted his full attention back to the current experiment. Shaw always felt his life was separated into two distinct halves C one plagued with more misfortune than the other. He was born in a wealthy family and things went just as well as they could for him during an early age. His parents loved him and he was relatively bright compared to most of his peers. He managed to enroll in the university of his choice. His venture in business after university went well and he even met the girl of his dreams. Everything went downhill after he married her It was a regular day. He remembered some trivial incident had happened at work that day so he got to head home early. He wanted to give his beloved wife a surprise but life had a way of irony at times because he was just as surprised as his wife when he came home to what he saw. In an instant, he went blind and senseless with rage. All the reasoning in the world went out of his mind. The only thing in his mind was a voice screaming at him to kill this person! By the time he came back to his senses, he was sitting in a pool of blood joined by two puddles of blood, and feeling the cold steel of the gun in his arms. To escape the judgment of the law, he had to escape his family, friends, and everything he acquired in his life to that point. He got in touch with a friend familiar with underground dealings and got himself ferried to Africa. Things went well enough till the point when he arrived in Africa. That was when things went south again. It turned out that the friend that shipped him to his destination was never on his side to begin with. As soon as they arrived, he was stripped of all his possessions and abandoned in a fishing village somewhere in the region. With that, his life took another sharp turn as if things were not terrible enough as it was. Someone who was once in the IT industry himself quickly realized that there was no demand for his talents here. He became homeless and would spend his days hiding in the reefs on the coast and venturing into the village at night to steal food from the fishermans homes. One day, during one of his many thieving episodes, a large, vicious man caught him in the middle of the act. They struggled for several minutes on the ground and Shaw accidentally killed the man with a brick. Only this time, there was no way for him to escape and he was soon arrested by the local authorities. What followed after was several months of prison before circumstances changed again. One by one, the prison inmates were drugged and secretly shipped off to a secret institute. In this place, Shaw and the rest of the inmates were well fed and taken care of for the better part of the year until one day, he was injected with a mysterious substance. Shortly after that, he was blinded. He lost his regular sight and the only thing visible in his lens were luminescent objects. Since he had been stripped of his freedom already, what difference was losing his sight was going to make anyway? The trials and tribulations did not end there for he was further subjected to many inhumane experiments like a discardable asset. In time, he found himself put into a rocket and transported to outer space against his will. I wonder how many people can say that they have lived a life like mine Stepping into the spaceship, Shaw broke into a sour smile while he contemplated everything he had been through so far. Some time ago, Shaw had realized that there was no hope left for him in this sorrowful life and there was no point in preserving anymore. However, with a strange twist of fate, this person whom they call to be the boss of Blackwatch just extended a chance at freedom to him, provided that the experiment was a success. Although this promise was merely a faint mirage yet to be realized, he had to admit that it gave him strength. Perhaps this was not another attempt at swindling him Shaw reflected while the Black Knights ushered him to his isolated room. Upon entering the room, he inspected his surroundings by using his palms to feel the walls. He found out that he was now locked in a single room only roughly three square meters large. There were only the bare necessities here which were the bed and a toilet. Shaw sighed and slowly settled himself into the bed. After so long, he had grown accustomed to life without regular vision so he honed his senses in other departments such as hearing and touch. Good afternoon, Delta-level research subjects. In the midst of Shaws silent contemplation, a broadcast broke his stream of thoughts. He was startled by the suddenness of it and could tell that this was an electronically synchronized voice of a female. As participants of todays subspace navigation experiment, theres one thing that you are to keep in mind. The voice said with fixed composure, You all are familiar with the term psionic by now. Youve been injected with the L compound and thus successfully gained psionics abilities. The reason for your participation in this experiment today is that we have specifically chosen you as the suitable candidates. In one hour, the spaceship will embark to perform a crucial task. Your only responsibility during the course of the experiment is to await orders and shut your eyes when youre instructed to do so. Shut my eyes? Shaw frowned at this mention, what sort of crucial task was this supposed to be? Due to the significance of the experiment, your full cooperation is requested, otherwise, youll be stripped of your rights to freedom after the experiment concludes Rights to freedom Shaws breathing accelerated when he heard this. As cynical as he tended to be these days, he was certainly moved by the prospect of freedom. Though he was still skeptical, he was willing to hold on to the slightest slither of hope! This is all that is needed of you all. The voice went on. After you shut your eyes, theres a small possibility that I may issue further orders. The only thing you should keep in mind is that you must follow whatever orders I provide. Once the experiment is completed, youll regain freedom! This final declaration marked the end of the announcement. Phew Shaw tried to contain his anticipation with a dragged-out sigh. He clenched his fist and felt something warm and fuzzy burning inside. He dearly wished that these people would fulfill their end of the promise. Then, Shaw felt the floor beneath his feet trembling vividly. He felt his balance being slightly thrown off. It was an extremely subtle sensation and he only managed to feel it because his blindness had sharpened his other senses. This Has the ship taken off? Shaw quickly understood what was happening. A faint smile formed on his lips. With how things had worked out for him since adulthood, he never expected himself to be able to board a spaceship at any point in his life. Yet, it seemed the impossible had happened. In time, he felt the spaceships gradual acceleration. The acceleration was rather tepid. There were hardly any signs of acceleration apart from the first slight turbulence he had felt. At one point, he even began to doubt if it was all in his head. However, by the one-hour mark, another broadcast confirmed his suspicions. All participants, the Courage Voyager will be preparing for space warp. Please shut your eyes immediately. Space warp? Did it not only exist in sci-fi novels? Shaw was perplexed by the usage of this queer term. He was aware that humans were now in the era of space travel but based on his understanding, they were still eons away from achieving something like space warp. The gap between current technology and space warp was like comparing wooden gears to modern machinery. I repeat, please shut your eyes immediately. Your cooperation will determine the outcome of this experiment! Shaw found this prompt almost insulting and shook his head. He was a blind man and he did not need anyone to tell him to shut his eyes. They were already shut in the first place. Space warp countdown: Thirty seconds Ten seconds Nine, eight, seven Three, two, one! Nearing the end of the cooldown, Shaws heart was thumping like he had just ran a marathon. A second the end of the countdown, he took a deep breath. The entire spaceship suddenly jolted violently. His ears were filled by the vicious roar of gushing currents. Swoosh Shaw listened to the sound of this strange, vicious current. It was around the same point when he smelled something obscure in the air. The reason it carried such an obscure quality was that it did not exactly feel like something he smelled with his nose. It was closer to an unplaceable awareness of its existence. Is this sulfur? Or biogas? Shaw found the experience disorientating. He even tried to sniff it deliberately but something in his mind recognized that this did not exist and that it was just conjured by his mind. While this odd sensation continued to arrest him, the spaceship shook again. The jolt this time was so strong that it nearly threw him off the bed. He was taken aback by this. How could a spaceship in the void of the universe possibly encounter anything that would cause it to quake so greatly? Unless it collided with something in the middle of the space warp Chapter 609 - Sobbing Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation How could a spaceship in the void of the universe quake so viciously? It must have hit something in the middle of the space warp Only seconds later, Shaw debunked this theory in his mind. It was an illogical assumption in the first place. After all, this was not any ordinary vehicle but a spaceship coursing at extraordinary speed. Any collision would have torn it into pieces. How could he still be sitting here in one piece? If the spaceship had not collided into anything, could it have been obstructed by something else? While Shaw was rummaging his mind for an explanation, he suddenly heard a muffled, soft whimper. It sounded distant. It seemed to travel to his room from the furthest end of the corridor outside. It was a hoarse sound and he could not make out the gender of the person. Shaw frowned. Who was this? Could it be one of the ten members participating in this experiment? Based on his recollection, there was not a single female among them. If it was not any of the ten subjects, then it could be the original crew members of the spaceship. Shaw contemplated briefly before brushing it aside. What piqued his curiosity now was why did the spaceship in the midst of space warp suddenly come to a screeching halt? Shaws polished senses recognized that the spaceship was idle now. This was not a good sign considering that they were stuck in the middle of nowhere in the vast universe. Since it could not have collided into something, was it a case of the engines stalling? Could nuclear fusion engines encounter such issues in the first place? Shaw was puzzled and grew increasingly concerned. Uuu Shaws stream of thoughts was once again interrupted by the muffled sob from before. There was no mistaking it. It was growing louder, even if just slightly. At the same time, the faint smell of sulfur that seemed like a mere illusion was growing stronger Shaw was feeling unsettled. He felt as if some dark entity had its sights on him. He tweaked his hips and moved closer into the bed. Was it all in his head? Why did that voice sound so familiar? Shaw could not fling these thoughts out of his mind. Then, he heard footsteps coming down the corridor. The thump of feet stomping against the floor was heavy and solemn. It echoed along the narrow corridor and carried with it a sense of melancholy. There were more than one footstep It was an extremely odd sensation. With Shaws sharpened sense of hearing, he could tell that more than one person was walking. Only their footsteps were so synchronized and stacked on top of one another it sounded like there was only one steady thump of footsteps. There must have been at least two people approaching. Was it the person sobbing earlier? Shaw was getting agitated by this point. He turned to the entrance and concentrated on the sound of these footsteps drawing closer. Knock, knock, knock At last, the series of footsteps arrived at the entrance then came to a stop. It was soon followed by several knocks and the creaks of the door unlocking. Whos that? Shaw exclaimed as loud as he could to hide the shakiness in his voice. They are sent here to collect you. Before the sudden visitor could form a response, the broadcast system turned on and announced. Mr. Shaw, please relocate to the bridge immediately. We have a task for you. Shaw felt two people approaching him and they held him up by his shoulders. When he felt their iron grip on him, he immediately noted that these two were extremely large and strong. His heart drummed against his chest repeatedly. Just like that, Shaw left the room with his escorts. Whats going on? Sensing something off with the situation, Shaw could not resist the urge to ask, Didnt you mention that we were performing a space warp? How come The Courage Voyager has completed space warp. The same robotic voice of the broadcast came overhead. While Shaw continued his advance down the corridor, the voice followed him. However, there were some issues with the spaceship. The commander has instructed us that should the spaceship encounter any issues, were to call for you to see if you can come up with an appropriate solution. Spaceship issues? This only further confused Shaw as he answered irritably, I want to help you guys too but Im not a mechanic. Youre looking for the wrong person for the job. These are the direct orders from the commander. The voice continued. Im the artificial intelligence system of this spaceship and have been pre-programmed to act according to preset procedures. What? Shaw was startled by this discovery. He was once in the IT industry so he was very familiar with the subject matter. He raised his head in disbelief and questioned, You mean to say that youre not talking to me using the built-in communication systems? Im afraid not. The reply came swiftly, Im the artificial intelligence of this spaceship or also known as the main control systems. Im not a human. How, how is this possible Shaw shuddered involuntarily. If this was not some kind of ridiculous prank they were trying to pull on him, then it would imply that Blackwatch had developed some ridiculously potent artificial intelligence. In the current landscape of artificial intelligence, the Androids and XTN model robots were still considered low-level artificial intelligence. These systems could only communicate with humans dynamically by utilizing the cloud server processing engines. Outside of the cloud network, this low-level artificial intelligence could hardly accomplish most basic tasks. High-level artificial intelligence, on the other hand, was a different subject entirely. These were full-fledged independent systems with distinct personalities and emotions. To a certain extent, they could even be described as sentient life forms! No such thing as impossible. Based on my knowledge, my mother system has been developing since more than a decade ago. The artificial system continued. But this isnt the time to discuss these matters. Mr. Shaw, we need your help. Shaw took a deep breath and asked cautiously, What do you need me to do? The Courage Voyager seems to be tangled by some kind of entity. The artificial intelligence stated, This is the third time weve performed subspace space warp experiments. The first time proceeded without any hiccups. The second time, something similar to what were experiencing now happened as well. It took us five hours to wring ourselves free. How did you do it that time? Shaw digested this information as well as he could and asked. Based on what weve collected so far, this bonding state isnt permanent. In time, it will loosen on its own and allow the spaceship to exit the subspace. Then, why cant we just wait idly like the last time? Shaw was perplexed. Because the longer we remain in the subspace, the higher the chances of the crew members dying are. The artificial intelligence stated calmly, The subspace airflow is corrosive. Staying here for an extended period will expose the hull to these corrosive currents. Theres no telling if the spaceship can preserve long enough to escape the subspace since theres a risk of it falling apart in this environment. Shaw tightened when he heard this. What do you mean the longer we stay here, the higher the chances of crew members dying? What is this subspace you speak of? What we refer to as the subspace is a dimension that doesnt belong to the real universe. The artificial intelligence explained patiently, The unique quality of the subspace is that it greatly shortens the distance between points of the real universe. The ratio is roughly ten thousand to one. This means that every kilometer traveled in the subspace equals ten thousand kilometers in the real universe. This is why were capitalizing on this quality to greatly improve the efficiency of space travel. If used correctly, the duration of space travel can be reduced dramatically and can be conventionalized. I see Shaw was truly awed by this. Before he could follow up with anything else, the artificial intelligence went on. But subspace navigation isnt without its dangers. The risk subspace navigation carries is severely greater than in the real universe. The last time when we only stayed in the subspace for five hours, nine out of ten crewmates lost their minds and died in the duration. Its its more dangerous than I thought Shaw quickly realized the urgency of the situation over the course of this conversation. Meanwhile, he could tell he arrived at his destination because the firm grip placed around his shoulder finally gave him some breathing room. This is the bridge of the spaceship. The artificial intelligence informed, And your task is to open your eyes. Open my eyes? Do you mean that theres some psionic presence in this sub Despite his confusion at this request, Shaw decided it was easier for him to just do as he was instructed. The moment he opened his eyes, his voice was latched in his throat. His eyes expanded wide as he beheld what he saw before him. There were two panels of floor-to-ceiling windows in front of Shaw. Outside the windows were nothing but a pitch-black sheet of nothingness, that was, for the regular person. Shaws eyes saw something different amid this ocean of darkness, something that circled the ocean and seemed to stretch endlessly What is this Shaw shuddered and took two steps backward. Tell me, what do you see? The artificial intelligence prompted. Cant, cant you see it? Shaw looked pale and distraught, his eyes skirted around the view outside. There are so many things shaped like vines surrounding this spaceship, they entwine and move like cell tissues The artificial intelligence kept silent for a while before it broke its silence. No, I cannot see it. Not only myself, neither any other people nor the most sophisticated camera lens can see these vines you mentioned. The only thing we can see is an endless mist of sulfur What, why..? Shaw was startled by this and asked. It mustve something to do with your psionic powers. The artificial intelligence said, Inside the subspace, only those who have lost their vision can observe the ongoings in the dimension. With the added facet of your astral sight, you can see the true form of the subspace. The true form Shaw could not find the words to express what he was feeling. Suddenly, Shaw heard a muffled sob coming from behind him. It made him shudder again and he quickly turned around only to be greeted by the usual, vast nothingness. The world outside the spaceship, separated by the window and the space inside the spaceship were completely alternate worlds as far as Shaw was concerned. While he could see the intricate workings of the subspace dimension outside, his vision rendered him blind to anything inside the spaceship Shaws erratic behavior piqued the curiosity of the artificial intelligence. Mr. Shaw, when you turned around just now, I noticed that your heart rate has increased by eighty percent and your blood pressure has increased by fifty percent. Why is that? Cant you hear it? Shaw asked, Is there a female crew member on board? I heard her crying just now, a rather harrowing cry. There was silence from the artificial intelligence before it spoke again, There are no female crew members on board. There are only ten Black Knights and ten psionicists subjects on board, including yourself of course. What? Shaws pupils dilated. He looked behind him again at the field of darkness. The artificial intelligence noticed this and enquired, You keep looking behind you. Is that where this voice you speak of comes from? Yes Id say its only around twenty to thirty meters away. Shaw nodded in response and gauged the distance. The spaceship is only thirty meters long, Mr. Shaw. The artificial intelligence stated, Two meters behind you is the buffer gate of the bridge. Its tough enough to withstand low-caliber pulse rifles and it has excellent sound muffling capabilities. You wouldnt hear a cannon fired on the other end of this door. Are, are you kidding me? Shaw grew restless. Based on what he was told so far, he deduced that prolonged exposure to the subspace was highly dangerous. Although he had determined the reason the spaceship was held in place, there was nothing he could do to alleviate the situation. The only option is to sit idly and wait Putting that aside, how was it that he was the only person to hear this strange sob? This sobbing, this sobbing It felt like something had been injected into the deepest crevice in his mind. It overlapped and fused with his existing memory. At this point, he heard the same sobbing again! Uuu Shaws hair crawled up his back. He felt like was losing his mind. This eerie voice was drawing closer to him, no more than ten meters away now! It was drawing closer! Shaw felt a chilling bite crawling into his spine as he stumbled backward and fell on his hips. His eyes fixed on the deafening darkness in front. Mr. Shaw? Mr. Shaw! The voice of the artificial intelligence echoed in his mind. Its tone was dragged out and slowly faded out like a mirage. Shaw seemed to see something faintly conjured in his vision. He continued to fix his eyes on it. Somewhere in the profound darkness, what seemed like a human silhouette appeared. This figure was stark naked with what seemed like blood all over it. Its posture made it seem like a corpse How could a corpse materialize out of nowhere in a blind mans sight? The corners of Shaws mouth twitched involuntarily. His vision turned clear unexpectedly and he recognized this corpse as the body of his late wife! Clack Its wrists moved. The corpse made an extremely subtle movement that seemed to evoke a chain reaction in Shaws body as well and made him jump! What happened after that was similar to what was only seen in horror films. One by one, the corpse began to move its limbs. It dragged the heavyweight of its body across the floor and crawled toward Shaw like a zombie! Every ounce of strength had been drained out of Shaws body. All he could do was lean against the window behind him and stare at this demon approaching him Shaw, Shaw, Shaw The corpse muttered Shaws name endlessly. Its joints clicked loudly in a disturbing fashion as it approached Shaw, then it raised its head mechanically Moments before Shaw broke down, he smelled a sharp scent of sulfur probing into his nose Chapter 610 - Subspace Navigation Experiment Success Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Zoom! Moments before Shaw would be devoured by these sensations, a whirlpool suddenly appeared around him. A tide of what seemed like faint electric currents of some sort circled him, taking on strange, magical forms amid the darkness. Hiss In the midst of the frenzy of this whirlpool, the haunting figure in front of Shaw vanished. Suddenly, he felt the touch of a pair of powerful hands on his shoulder that pulled him up off the ground! Huff, huff Shaw blinked rapidly, trying to steady himself from the fright he received. Sweat rained endlessly from his forehead. What did you see? The artificial intelligence asked several times before Shaw registered the question. Shaw felt entirely drained. His spirits had not yet recovered from the shock. It, it was my wife, she came back to haunt me Rest easy Mr. Shaw, it was just an illusion. The artificial intelligence offered words of comfort, I can assure you that nothing appeared in front of you earlier. But Shaw tried to refute this claim. The previous image flashed in his mind again and sent shivers across his body. Part of him wanted to believe that it was nothing at all but another part of him was convinced that there was more to this. The reality anchor has been activated. The artificial intelligence informed, It can stabilize reality and prevent the intrusion of the subspace currents. Shaw nodded but his mind was somewhere else. After this short exchange, Shaw looked around himself wearily and noticed the vines that once tangled the spacecraft were slowly pulling back and away from the spacecraft. The vines Are loosening? Shaw was surprised. Is this the work of the reality anchor? It does seem so Even the artificial intelligence was unsure of this. The spacecraft rumbled ever so slightly several times after that and began to accelerate again at a steady pace. Ten kilometers per second, twenty kilometers per second, thirty kilometers per second When Shaw was certain that the spacecraft was on the move again, he took a sigh of relief and politely pushed himself away from the palm of the Black Knight holding him steady. Then, he turned to look outside and address the artificial intelligence. You say that this world outside is known as the subspace, that it doesnt belong to reality? Thats right, you can think of this as a mirror dimension of the real universe. The artificial intelligence responded, then followed up with a question of its own. Just as you described, the spacecraft had escaped from whatever was tangling it earlier. Did you notice anything peculiar? I Shaw took a deep breath, his cataract-blurred eyes revealed a hint of emotion for the very first time. I saw a vast empty space. It was distorted and gave off a very majestic impression. It seemed unbound to the laws of reality as it operated on a set of rules of its own It seemed like a dream The place was completely unlike the universe in our dimension. I saw countless balls of light that words, so radiant that mere words cannot do them any justice These balls seemed like living beings. I felt like they were trying to communicate something to us Then I saw In the vast emptiness ahead, what seemed like a continent dyed in stark red This land was far off in the distance Its even beyond the solar system No! There was an indescribable look in Shaws eyes. He suddenly frowned and leaned forward. There was more than one continent. Earlier, to our left, there was another large, dark continent One, two, three, four God, there are four continents in this space! Each one of them multitudes larger than the earth Artificial intelligence, your suspicions just might be correct. Perhaps my powers were destined for this place. Though my eyes are useless in the real world, they can see past the boundaries of time and space, observe things light-years away from us The artificial intelligence did not know what to make of Shaws incessant ramblings. Was this a madmans delirium speech or did he truly see something that ordinary beings could never behold? The spacecraft continued accelerating for more than ten minutes after that when Shaw suddenly perked up with alert. He promptly informed the artificial intelligence, Take a sharp turn here. What is it? Though the artificial intelligence was unsure of what motivated Shaw to say so, it did exactly as it was told since the commander had authorized Shaw to navigate the spacecraft. The Courage Voyager swerved several degrees to the right Theres another ocean of vines several hundred thousand kilometers down where were heading. Shaw stated calmly, If we dont turn when theres still time, well ram straight into it and get tangled in it again The artificial intelligence scanned the location Shaw pointed out but could not see anything in that precise location. Apart from the same mist of pale-yellowish sulfur, there was nothing else notable to be seen. The spacecraft continued accelerating Truthfully speaking, after wringing itself free from the previous predicament, the spacecrafts artificial intelligence could very well perform the space warp process now to take the spacecraft back to reality. The trouble lay with the fact that a set of stringent formulas had to be calculated before leaving the subspace to calculate the spacecrafts coordinates in the real world. If not done correctly, the spacecraft might collide right into another planet or asteroid in the real world and the consequences would be catastrophic. Another reason that an early escape from the subspace was deemed not necessary was due to the importance of completing this experiment. As it was, the spacecraft was still slowly approaching the appointed coordinate. Swerve fifteen degrees to the left After some practice, Shaw was getting better at using his abilities. He started to manually navigate the spacecraft proficiently. His vacant eyes were fixed on the window and scanned every crevice of the subspace in front of him like a radar. Theres a group of what seems like jellyfish to our right, we better keep our distance Oh no! Those things are coming after us! Shaw brushed the sweat pooling on his forehead. Are those things sentient? Its They look like the creatures I saw in a vision earlier! Just like before, the artificial intelligence surveyed the location Shaw was referencing, only to see the usual yellow mist. There was nothing that even remotely resembled jellyfishes. The spacecraft continued accelerating from there on. The second half of the journey went past in almost the blink of an eye. Seeing that the spacecraft was about to reach the pre-determined coordinate, the artificial intelligence promptly activated the space warp engine. It summoned a cloud of black bubbles out of thin air that instantly encircled the entire spacecraft! An outside observer at this moment would see the spacecraft engulfed in what seemed like a black hole. The giant black hole expanded and contracted periodically until moments later, it completely vanished along with the Courage Voyager Swoosh Again, Shaw heard the terrific sound of water current echoing in his ears. His vision turned into the all-too-familiar pitch-black canvas again. They had returned to the normal world as he knew it. Surprisingly, Shaw felt a tinge of sadness upon realizing that they had returned to the normal world. However, this sadness was quickly replaced by a swarm of joy. He remembered the promise made before the experiment began, that the participants would be granted freedom upon the successful completion of the experiment! Freedom Shaw repeated the elusive words to himself. He felt two people approaching from and at the same time, heard the artificial intelligence speaking through the broadcast system again, Congratulations, Mr. Shaw. Youre the only surviving experiment subject in this experiment while playing a vital role in its success. Im sure that after a short review session, the ones in charge will consider granting you your freedom. Hold on, what was that? Shaw was just about to enquire about his leaving when the sudden mention captured his attention. What did you mean that Im the only surviving experiment subject? Exactly what it sounds like. The artificial intelligence answered without a change in tone, The first time you experienced a panic attack, the other subjects went through similar episodes as well. It does appear that psionicists like yourself are more susceptible to the corruption of the subspace. I couldnt save them even by urgently activating the reality anchor. Is, is that so? Shaw felt sweat pouring down his back again. Before he could provide any further input, the two Black Knights had taken him away. The spaceship appeared! Nancys broadcast echoed across the Mars Spire 2 base just three minutes later. After disappearing for two hours, the Courage Voyager has reappeared along Jupiters orbit in the appointed coordinates! It returned? Chen Chens heavy expression gradually subsided. Whats the damage? Did Shaw survive the trip? It seems like your gut feeling is correct. Nancy was delighted when she informed, Just as you predicted, Shaw was the only one of the ten experiment subjects that survived. The mission report also states that he has made a vital contribution! Just as I thought Chen Chen was even surer of his initial suspicions now. Shaw was a blind man and that gave him a definite advantage in the subspace. This was something that Chen Chen had more or less proven as well based on his previous experiences in the subspace. However, Shaw was more than just any blind man. He was also gifted with the psionic manifestation known as the astral sight that granted him special sight abilities. This gave him a unique advantage in the subspace that no other living person possessed. Navigation, huh? Chen Chen looked at the report Nancy provided and found it very intriguing. According to the mission report, Shaw was a vital part of the missions success. His precise navigation of the spaceship kept the spaceship away from all the hidden dangers in the subspace dimension. He had proven himself to be an exemplary subspace navigator. Thats not all, it also seems like your hypothesis was correct. Nancy added. The reality anchor is only useful to a certain extent. Its not viable as a defensive measure since it can only barely suppress the subspace current flow into the airship at most. I think that the black slate you control would be more effective at neutralizing the effects of subspace. Neutralizing is a generous term. Chen Chen shook his head. Previously, I managed to destroy the black slate inside the subspace and strip it from Zhao Shanhes hands. If I can destroy it, so can the subspace. At best, it can only function as an extra safety measure when entering the subspace. Chen Chen raised a palm and summoned the black slate. Then, he inspected it briefly before retracting it into his body. Tell the Courage Voyager to return to the base. Also, make sure Shaw is ready for a short meeting with me. Understood. Nancy replied dutifully as always. Mars was about 550 million kilometers away from Jupiter. It would take any spaceship more than a month of constant travel to reach from one planet to the other. That was, provided that the spaceship could maintain constant acceleration. Although the distance between Earth and Mars was only one-eighth of the distance between Mars and Jupiter, it would still take a week to travel between the two destinations. In theory, a nuclear fusion engine could achieve constant, gradual acceleration for several years until it reached a maximum speed of one-tenth the speed of light. This meant that the farther the distance between the two destinations, the higher the average speed of the spaceship since it would have more time to build up toward the maximum speed of one-tenth the speed of light. However, with the newly implemented space warp navigation technology, it only took two hours to travel from Mars to Jupiter. And this was factoring in the interruption encountered in the subspace, otherwise, the entire journey would only take no more than ten minutes. The Courage Voyager did not encounter any unforeseen incidents on its way back. It quickly exited the subspace and reappeared on the orbit of Mars where Shaw was transported back to the mars base. Words could not express Shaws relief upon landing on the surface of Mars, returning to the comforts of a safe planet. There was no denying that he was delighted to regain his sight in the mysterious subspace dimension. However, considering all the dangers lurking in the subspace dimension, he would still choose blindness in the real world over dwelling in the subspace any time of the day. Upon his arrival, he was ushered by two Black Knights to an unknown destination. He tried to ask them where they were headed but the Black Knights behaved like robots and hardly made an effort to entertain his efforts. Ding! The sharp ding of an elevator gave Shaw a slight clue of where they were headed. Upon entering the elevator, he immediately sensed that something was off. The temperature inside the elevator was distinctly lower than that of the temperature outside. Also, he could sniff a faint scent of the familiar sulfuric air in here, although he was not sure if it was his mind playing tricks on him. Safe in the confinement of the elevator, the two guards seemed to lower their guard slightly, knowing that Shaw could not escape anywhere. They released their firm grip on him. Hey officers, could I at least know where were going? Shaw asked again. It was not so much that he was trying to get on their nerves with his persistent questioning. This was merely his attempt at gaining more information via other methods. Ever since losing his sight, he had become adept at obtaining information using other means. It was the only way to gain some form of assurance amid this world of desolate darkness. Unfortunately, his persistent effort still yielded no meaningless result as he was rewarded with stoic silence again. Nothing but the suffocating silence all around him. Shaw licked his lips nervously while he evaluated his situation. Hm? This was strange Shaw perked up suddenly. This tranquil space amplified his sense of hearing and it was now when he realized that this entire time, he could not hear the sounds of a heartbeat coming from these two officers. Or perhaps they were not in the elevator? Speaking of which, the elevator did not seem to be ascending or descending. The entire time he was here, he did not sense the altitude shifting Shaw began to experience mild panic as he sensed that something was off. Left without any option, he began to back away slowly. If he was in an elevator, there should be a wall only several paces behind him. At least having a wall behind him would offer him some sense of security in this space. Creak As soon as he took his first step, he heard a strange sound and felt a strange sensation. It seemed like he stepped on something accidentally when he stumbled backward. What seemed like the toe of a person Zoom! Shaws heart skipped a beat. He soon heard the chaotic buzzing of the elevator light above him flickering on and off in sporadic patterns. There seemed to be an electric current overflow. It was at this point when he realized that the scent of sulfur was growing stronger! Could this be Shaw clenched his fist and mustered the courage to pry his eyelids open. What he saw horrified him! A woman stood eerily still inches away from where he stood. She had a bullet-sized hole in her face. Though there was no way to make out her features, Shaw could tell she was staring right at him. Shaw, I dont want to lose you. The womans haunting voice flowed into his ears. It sounded like she was holding back tears. Even if you killed me, even if you put a bullet through my mouth, I cant fathom losing you She took several slow, heavy steps forward. Her lifeless limbs rested themselves on top of Shaws shoulders. The gruesome wound in the center of her face emitted a blinding beam of sharp white lights! Ahhh!!! Shaw howled and struggled but his deceased wifes hands remained latched to his shoulders. Her face was still inching closer toward his face! Shaw shut his eyes, feeling like he was about to lose his mind. D*mn it, what do you want with me Tina What do you want with me! The bloodied face drew itself right next to Shaws face. He heard a harrowing whimper that sounded like it originated from the depths of hell. Come. Fuse. With. Me Chapter 611 - Element 126 Synthesis Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Hm? Outside the elevator, Chen Chen sniffed a hint of sulfur in the air. Turning into a frown, he looked at the elevator that had not arrived yet. It seemed to be where this strange scent came from. Ding! The display on the elevator call button showed that it had arrived at the current floor. Once the elevator doors slid open on both sides, Chen Chen was greeted by the sight of Shaw scrambling wildly and screaming at the top of his lungs while the two Black Knights held him firmly by his arm. Meanwhile, the familiar scent of sulfur struck Chen Chen. Chen Chen was no stranger to a scene like this since most people who had entered the subspace exhibited similar symptoms as well. Without wasting a single moment, he immediately summoned the black slate in his hand and evoked its powers! Now that Chen Chen was more familiar with the workings of the subspace, he had the black slate thoroughly sweep through Shaws body right away. In one smooth motion, he had wiped away all of the subspace energy from Shaw. However, moments before he wiped out the final trace of subspace energy within Shaw, he had a change of heart. He proceeded to leave a tiny trace of subspace energy intact. Tss Chen Chen retracted the black slate. By this point, Shaw had stopped screaming and had passed out. I left a tiny trace of subspace presence inside him. Chen Chen remarked, The subspace is more dangerous than I expected. Unless the afflicted victims can purge their inner demons effectively, the remains of subspaces presence will still follow them even after leaving the subspace itself. Speaking of which Chen Chen asked, Whats the story behind his inner demons? Earlier inside the elevator, I heard him crying out the name Tina. I believe its the name of his late wife. Nancy replied. It looks like he still hasnt forgiven himself for murdering his wife. Chen Chen deduced. The remaining subspace energy in his body wont be enough to kill him. It can help build up his resistance to the subspace over time. Nancy, take him back to Earth and arrange some therapist appointments for him. Understood, Ill take him back to Earth after he wakes up. Chen Chen nodded contently and took a lap around the Spire 2 to survey the site. After approximately an hour, Shaw woke up. Where Where am I? Shaw could still feel his head spinning. He sat up from the bed and surveyed his surroundings cautiously. Thankfully, there were no signs of his dead wife around him. It was just the usual darkness. You fainted earlier, Mr. Shaw. Before Shaw could further recollect himself, the door to the ward was pushed open and someone stepped inside. Shaws vision was immediately swarmed by a dazzling ray like he was staring at the sun itself. He immediately turned the other way so he would not be blinded by it. You? Arent you the leader of Blackwatch? Just call me Chen Chen. Chen Chen approached Shaws bed. How do you feel? Is there still a lingering sulfuric smell? You, you know about that too? Shaw was startled and was reminded of the sulfuric smell. He took a quick sniff and commented, I dont smell it anymore Chances are it was just the lingering subspace energy in your body. Chen Chen remarked, They told me that you saw your late wife moments before you passed out. Let me assure you that it wasnt your late wife. Its just an illusion conjured by the subspace energy. Ive removed a large portion of the subspace energy in your body. Only a negligible amount remains inside you now. Shaw did not know how to respond to this. He sat there like a mute and waited for Chen Chen to continue. I know what youre thinking. Chen Chen smiled gently. Youre wondering why I didnt remove all of the subspace from your body, is that it? Well, I figured you might be returning to the subspace in the near future, so it might be wise to leave some subspace remains in your body to help you build natural resistance. This may make a significant difference in your future ventures. I still have to return to that cursed place? Shaw froze a moment, then he quickly realized Chen Chens intentions. I think I get the point of the experiment now. The reason you put us into the spaceship and shipped us into the spaceship is to see if theres any one of us who can see those things in the subspace not observable to the regular person. You figured you could find a suitable navigator this way, right? Thats not all of it, but you more or less have the right idea. Chen Chen replied. Then, two Black Knights entered the room and helped Shaw off the bed and took him to the teleportation room with Chen Chen. Shortly after that, Chen Chen and Shaw arrived at the Watchman teleporter. Well be returning to Earth now. While clumps of water-like substance began to materialize around them, Chen Chen suddenly informed, Mr. Winfred, Ive decided to grant you the freedom as promised. From now on, youre no longer a Delta-level experiment subject of Blackwatch. But since you know about the companys extremely confidential secrets, Id like to extend an offer to you and hire you as the Blackwatchs subspace navigation consultant with a complementing annual salary of three million U.S. dollars. Youll receive favorable treatment in our company. I hope youll accept this offer. Do I have a choice? Shaw asked with a bitter smile. His question sounded more like a statement. If you accept these terms, Ill also arrange an operation for you. Chen Chen enticed the candidate further. Im sure youre aware that Blackwatch has developed functional bionic prosthetics a long time ago. If you accept my terms, an operation can be performed immediately and your eyeballs can be replaced with the bionic eyes designed by Blackwatch. This way, you can live a normal life again. The bionic eyes can be removed temporarily when entering the subspace and allow you to regain astral sight so you can help us navigate the dimension. Its a best of both worlds solution. You can do that? Shaws breathing quickened. He had to admit that the suggestion of regaining his sight was very tempting, perhaps even more alluring than regaining freedom since he would be able to see the world naturally again. Ill join the company! At last, Shaw made a decision. Chen Chen did not provide an audible response. He gave Shaw a gentle shove and pushed him into the mystical current. Swoosh! In an instant, Shaws figure was enveloped by the current and vanished! After that, Chen Chen stepped inside as well and they returned to Earth. Chen Chen was feeling rather amiable. Acquiring a psionicist that can help him navigate the subspace efficiently was a major step in the right direction. Shaw would be extremely vital to subspace research. To a certain extent, Shaws value even exceeded that of a billion-dollar asset like the Alpha-level psionicist, John the Guardian. Upon returning to Earth, the first thing on his to-do list was to inform Little X to scour everywhere for psionicists with psionic abilities similar to Shaws. Unfortunately, after scrounging the entirety of the registered psionicists database, not a single psionicist with abilities similar to astral sight was identified. It would appear that such an ability was extremely scarce. Therefore, Chen Chen decided that a suitable approach would be to extract Shaws DNA to see if it was possible to recreate this ability artificially. With that, a new psionic research project was launched in the Spire Experimental Base, a research project with the goal of deciphering Shaws DNA code. The following days were quiet and peaceful. Blacklight Biotechnology and the Earth Federation were engaging in secret competitions with each other both in commercial and colonial sectors. However, both sides exercised restraint and none of their dealings had surfaced to the public as of yet. The two parties continued to maintain an amicable relationship in the military and aerospace sectors, at least it would seem that way on the surface. On the whole, human civilization was in a happy and harmonious state and civilization was making gradual progress in the right direction. Three months later, Chen Chen received a piece of delightful news. After more than a decade of work, element 126 had been successfully synthesized by the high energy physics department. The successful synthesis of element 126 was in many parts credited to the collaborative work of hundreds of scientists, but it also would not have been possible without the ultra-large particle accelerator built under the Erongo Plains located in Namibia. The construction of this gargantuan accelerator started in September 2035 and cost no less than 300 million U.S. dollars. It took four years to complete. This particle accelerator rivaled even the Large Hadron Collider. It was buried a hundred meters underground below the Erongo Plains and stretched upward of 100 kilometers. It was easily the largest variant of such creation in the history of human physics and was already deemed a historical piece the moment it was constructed. It was up to four times more efficient than Europes Large Hadron Collider. The implementation of modern technology such as superconducting technology and several other key technologies meant that it completely outclassed the Large Hardon Collider both in terms of precision and overall output. Furthermore, the total construction cost and upkeep cost was more affordable than that of the Large Hadron Collider. This monumental creation was greatly coveted by the Earth Federation. Ever since its emergence, Chen Chen had been receiving persistent requests from scientists all over the world to contribute the machine to the world so that a collaborative effort could be made to study the Higgs boson. Unfortunately, Chen Chen would not entertain their requests and instead leveraged the machine to recruit all of the best high-energy physicists all over the world. By the time Chen Chen arrived at the high energy physics department, the scientists and physicists were already celebrating. The atmosphere made the laboratory seem more like a carnival than anything else. Not bad at all. Chen Chens appearance was probably the only thing in the world at that moment that could quell the collective exhilaration of these members. They greeted and regarded Chen Chen with respect upon his arrival. Then, the professor who headed the entire operation, a gray-haired elderly man, stepped forward. Professor Otmar. Chen Chen regarded the professor with a polite smile. He held a deep respect for every single member in this laboratory. For individuals such as these, subjects like nationalities and social class were irrelevant. Their qualifications gave them the most proclaimed respect wherever they went, as long as the hosts were aware of the value of their knowledge. On the contrary, it was the scientists themselves who decided where they wanted to ship their talents. They heavily favored having a supreme research environment, which was why the Central Continent always had a hard time attracting these savants. This man Chen Chen assigned as the leader was Professor Otmar Babel. He was the best professor at Munich University. There was not a single soul in the scientific world that was not familiar with the name. Chen Chens offer for his employment not only included access to the greatest particle accelerator in the world, but also special access to great technologies such as the anti-aging reversal treatment and many more. The combination of all these elusive offers supplied by Blacklight Biotechnology managed to sway the great scientist to discard his home country and join Chen Chens faction. Sir Chen Chen. Professor Otmar shook Chen Chens hands the way only close friends would. Then, he led Chen Chen to a large isolation chamber. He gestured at the glass shielding the isolation chamber. At long last, weve synthesized element 126. Chen Chen approached the glass. It was a ZF6 grade heavy lead protective glass, which was used to resist extreme ionizing radiation. He looked inside the chamber and observed the seemingly regular contents inside C a lump of metal shaped like a block of iron. The surface of the block of iron was irregular and had odd bumps sticking out its corners. It seemed to resemble a poorly formed iron ingot. The general rule was that elements on the periodic table after lead had radioactive qualities and this element 126 was no exception. This was why radiation obstructing protective glass was required to contain it. After all these years and the vast amount of funds poured into research, weve finally synthesized this magical element. Professor Otmars voice was colored with many emotions while he beheld the element inside the chamber. A general observation is that elements in the later end of the periodic table tend to have a shorter half-life (TN: a radioactivity measurement referring to the interval of time required for one-half of the atomic nuclei of a radioactive sample to decay). Its no exception for element 126 as well. To synthesize element 126, we had to synthesize element 125 first and to do so, we had to first synthesize element 124, and so on It proved to be a rather daunting task when the half-life reaches as low as mere nano-second intervals. And yet, you succeeded. Chen Chen remarked, not holding back his fascination and praises, Isnt element 126 supposed to be a stabilized element? Why is it radioactive? Before we had succeeded in synthesizing it, thats what I assumed as well. Professor Otmar replied, According to the island of stability theory, the stability of the nucleus should see a relative increase until the number of nuclei in an element reaches a certain yet-to-be-determined threshold. With that said, Im sure you also notice the specific use of the term relative in this situation. Chen Chen nodded and expressed thoughtfully, In other words, element 126 is a superheavy element in a relative state with a longer half-life. Something along those lines. Professor Otmar agreed. The specifics will still require a bit more research. With that said, Id still like to extend my thanks to you, Sir Chen Chen. Professor Otmar proclaimed, Synthesizing element 126 marks another major milestone in human history. Back in 2006, the world could barely synthesize any elements passing element 118. Synthesizing heavier elements required a greatly improved particle accelerator, which was simply not achievable at the time, not until Blacklight Biotechnology stepped in and made a difference. You flatter me, Professor Otmar. Chen Chen received the professors appreciation warmly. None of this wouldve been possible without the right person to utilize the tools and thats where you come in. At the end of the day, a large part of this must be attributed to the combined effort of yourself and all the scientists and physicists we have here. Professor Otmar glowed upon hearing this. Since Chen Chen would put it this way, it implied that he did not intend to reap the glory for himself and instead would dedicate a large portion of the credit to the professor and the research team. Sir Chen Chen Professor Otmar choked up slightly. His beard was still unkempt from all the late-night labor in the laboratory. He bowed. Thank you for your graciousness. Youve done us as much service as youve done for the entirety of mankind. Your name will be etched in the history books for your contributions! Chen Chen smiled. After many more gestures of profuse gratitude to Chen Chen, Professor Otmar finally left with the research team. Chen Chen remained by the chamber and looked at the hosts of scientists departing the laboratory as a profound smile surfaced on his lips. Sir Godfather, I believe hes suggesting that youll go down as one of the greats like Newton and Isaac! Little X remarked candidly through the earpiece. Etched in history books, he says? Chen Chen chuckled lightly and proceeded to correct the statement. I want more than just having my names etched in history books, my very being will Triumph over what we know as history! Chapter 612 - Moon Rabbit Space Station Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation The night of the first of October 2040, a particular clip was uploaded onto the largest video streaming platform in the world, YouTube. It was only a three-minute-long video and the video production process was completely rudimentary. The entire clip was probably edited on a phone. However, the impact of the video on the Earth Federation was formidable. The video took place in a residential building at midnight. The video began with the person filming the interior of his house briefly, then the camera was pointed to the window where a common astronomical telescope could be seen set up on the side table. It was midnight and the sky outside was pitch-black. The person filming the video seemed to be filming in the outskirts of the city. Due to the light pollution in the metropolis city, the outskirts or countryside were the most ideal locations for such telescope setups. The Youtuber then zoomed in on the lens of the astronomical telescope. This was when the video got intriguing. The object of interest appeared through the lens of the telescope C zooming into the vast, midnight sky, a gigantic spacecraft could be seen hovering in the void of the universe. It was a bow-shaped spacecraft, imagine a regular curved bow, except without bowstrings attached. The inner sections of its curve were lined with what seemed like rows of teeth. There were approximately twenty to thirty such peculiar shapes. There were smaller model spaceships mounted to these teeth-like installations. The entire sight seemed like something out of a sci-fi movie. Since the astronomical telescope used was a basic telescope, the spaceship was only displayed in black and white. Furthermore, the quality of the image was poor as it was both distorted and fuzzy. Despite the jarring quality, the spotting of this bizarre, alien spacecraft successfully attracted the attention of plenty of astronomy enthusiasts online. In time, the video had entered the trending section on YouTube. When the video surfaced on the trending radar, it immediately started an Internet phenomenon. Some people speculated it was digitally-altered footage while some people deduced that it was an alien invasion. They claimed that this spacecraft was evidence of aliens monitoring the earth. To prove the authenticity of this video, the YouTuber who submitted this video disclosed the coordinates of his house and soon enough, many other people were able to spot this mysterious aircraft as well. The video quickly went viral. The entire ordeal soon entered the national scope and drew the attention of Blacklight Biotechnology. The corporation immediately made an announcement to clarify that this was not an alien invasion of any sort. It was the recently launched space station named Moon Rabbit. Certain non-sensitive details of the space station were further revealed as well. This announcement shocked the world to its core. [Secret space station exposed by astronomy enthusiasts. How long was Blackwatch intending to conceal it from the public?] C Wall Street Journal. [Blackwatch secret exposed, rival to Area 51?] C BBC headlines. [The raging silent battle between Blackwatch and the Earth Federation may be taken to space!] C Associated Press News. [Blackwatch Aerospace once again astounds the world. Why is there such a tremendous gap between Northern America and Blackwatch?] C Reuters News. At this point, it could not be any more apparent that Blacklight Biotechnology claimed aerospace superiority over the Earth Federation. The international media started to catch on to the implications of this and soon enough, many controversial articles were put up to stir the hearts of the people. The people took the bait and began forming discussions questioning the intentions of Blacklight Biotechnology. [What? When did this happen? Why is it that none of us are notified of Blackwatchs space station launch?] [A private enterprise just stealthily launched a space station. Its about time we ask ourselves this: Is a private enterprise supposed to hold so much power?] [Do you people have any idea about the business sectors monopolized by Blackwatch? Biology, medicine, natural resources, military industry, aerospace And many more to count! There has never been a company of this scale in history. To be honest, I wont be surprised if they wage a war against the Earth Federation. They have more than enough capital] [Blackawtch claims that this space station is 500 meters long, 80 meters wide, and 60 meters tall. How was it that this behemoth was launched under our nose?] [Who cares how they launched it? The point is that Blackwatch is the greatest!] [Dont you understand the implications of this? I admit that Blackwatch is powerful, but it may be a little too powerful now. Im worried about the position of the Earth Federation in the grand scheme of things. The world isnt big enough for two to reign, I doubt theres any peaceful arrangement for these two factions] The nature of many of these articles and discussions drew Chen Chens attention that there was now rising hostility against his faction in the international scope. This meant that the Earth Federation was beginning to feel threatened. Something similar could be observed in the Blacklight Foundation Lilith Assembly. Although the four members would not admit it, Chen Chen could sense the weariness in their tone. This watchfulness only grew in magnitude as Blacklight Biotechnology continued to strengthen itself. From what was once a leech in Namibia, Blacklight Biotechnology had grown into a Herculean force that overshadowed its previous host, Namibia. The Earth Federation had watched everything unfold. Now, the Earth Federation was worried about being subjected to the same fate as Namibia! Blacklight Biotechnology was simply too powerful by this point and had encroached into every sector it could. When it came to biomedicine, they had developed anti-cancer and anti-Alzheimers drugs as well as curing many more diseases that were once considered incurable. Biomedicine was Blacklight Biotechnologys fundamental sector and they had effectively found a cure for the vast majority of illnesses known to mankind by this point. When it came to energy, nuclear fusion innovation was Blacklight Biotechnologys forte. Each of the major continents had certain facets of nuclear energy application which they excelled at as well. For instance, the Central Continent was proficient at nuclear power generation technology where its power generation efficiency out leveled that of all other countries. The Northern American Continent excelled at nuclear power engine technology where it claimed automotive superiority over the other countries. Similarly, the North Sea and European Continent each had the specialized sector that gave them an edge over the competition. Trumping over all of them was none other than Blacklight Biotechnology that was adept in every single aspect imaginable. It could very well muscle the others out of their respective sectors if it wanted to. There was hardly room for debate in the industrial and aerospace sectors. It was Chen Chen himself that took to the initiative to offer the innovative industrial and aerospace technology for the four major continents together to propose the formation of the Blacklight Foundation. When it came to the military sector, the XTN robots and electromagnetic weapons invented by Blacklight Biotechnology were staple overseas exports. Blacklight had effectively squeezed the Earth Federation out of the market. There was even a popular saying that Blacklight is the platinum to the worlds diamond. Furthermore, branch companies of Blacklight Biotechnology were existent in almost every country in the world. The corporational expansion scale made it difficult to put a definite number to its market value. This behemoth of a corporation had inserted its roots into so many facets of society that to disrupt its operations would cause a major social upheaval as well. Poking the bear would immediately trigger a social and economic crisis, and in drastic scenarios may even lead to World War Three Chen Chen took very little interest in this international media slander since it was pretty much a monthly routine at this point. This was merely the opponents way of probing him and also a silent protest of sorts. Chen Chen knew that the Earth Federation was holding out hopes that he would yield his empire to the Earth Federation, all for the good of mankind. He was not stupid enough to do something like this. These politicians could bicker all day and he would continue ignoring them. At this hour, he was looking at the blueprints of the newest spaceship design sent by the aerospace department. The spaceship was designed like a shuttle. The front portion was shaped like the head of a drill with a triangular tip. The back portion, which was its rear, was designed like a fortress. There were numerous windows, some with cannons and laser weaponry prodding out of them. 1 This was the newest spaceship model designed for traversing the subspace. Chen Chen noted that the dimensions of this spaceship were marked at 500 meters long. Even the most advanced aircraft carrier currently known to mankind only measured at 300 meters. The behemoth warship could carry up to five thousand passengers at a time. If this was the finalized blueprint, it would be more appropriate to define this spaceship as a space fortress. A larger hull and thicker fortification can make it more resilient in the subspace. Little X explained, A lot of the problem that the subspace poses can be solved with an increased hull size. For example, the reason the subspace vortex and the vines Shaw describes can hinder the previous spaceship so much is because of the size difference. A lot of these problems can be alleviated simply by using a larger spaceship with high-offset fortification installed at the bow of the ship to overcome whatever obstacles stand in its path. The reality anchor is also a key factor since it can limit the subspace airflow, essentially serving as a protective buffer. This was the exact thing that saved Shaws life back then in the subspace. 1 Of course, our subspace navigator Shaw is the asset that ties everything together. From what weve discovered in the previous voyage, it seems that he can perceive dangers hundreds of thousands of kilometers away in the subspace. Hes an indispensable part of the subspace expedition. Chen Chen rapped his knuckle against the table and considered these factors. After some time, he raised his head and stated, These are very good points, but there are still some adjustments Id like to make, especially regarding the size of the spaceship. Oh? Little X seemed to not take to the suggestion kindly. But these are the ideal dimensions to survive the subspace. Im afraid that shrinking it would cause I think you misunderstood. Chen Chen remarked, I never said anything about making the spaceship smaller. On the contrary, I believe we should make it larger. What? Little X was startled by this. You want to enlarge our current design? Of course. Chen Chen nodded. We already have a preliminary understanding of subspace so the next step is to increase our range. Were not only planning to navigate the solar system, we want to go further. If the Milky Way was an ocean, then the solar system is merely a tiny island in this vast ocean. We need to plan far into the future when mankind inevitably wants to expand its scope further. This is why the spaceship has to accommodate these future ventures. It needs to have the capacity to fulfill these grand ambitions. How large should it be? Little X asked, her voice filled with excitement. Nothing too extravagant yet considering were still in the trial phase. Lets go with one kilometer. Chen Chen considered a while before supplementing. There must be at least some resemblance of a habitable ecosystem in the spaceship. I mean commodities like parks, processing plants, and warehouses. This way, even if the spaceship encounters some unprecedented problems, the crew can be self-sufficient for a while at least. Little X was impressed by Chen Chens foresight. In truth, the crew onboard should spend the majority of their time in the cryogenic chambers. They would enter a hibernation state for months, even years, until they reach the appointed destination. However, there were many unprecedented factors in space navigation that may lead to a range of accidents. Therefore, it was wise to prepare facilities ahead of time to address certain crises so that the crew could survive until rescue arrived. These facilities should accommodate the most basic needs for survival. This meant food and basic living conditions in the spacecraft to save themselves. Even in the direst situation, the crew should be able to manage for several months on board by optimally conserving and rationing their resources. It was better than descending into a hopeless panic right away. With this, the design was reworked entirely, with new implementations such as yards, in-house ecological gardens, and circulation systems. The botanical garden would also double as an ecological system provider with the right air circulation distributed over the spaceship. At the same time, it could provide food for the crew. The processing plant would synthesize meat and protein to sustain the crew. In cases of an extreme shortage of resources, organic excrement could be utilized as a final resort for protein synthesis. Furthermore, the spaceship could ferry hundreds of smaller scout spaceships and its very own battle fleet. The ferried spaceships could each serve different purposes as they would adopt an advanced modular design where parts could be substituted with different modules to perform different tasks which the situation called for. For example, a resource-gathering ships excavation module could be substituted with electromagnetic weapons and be repurposed as a combat spaceship. After a strenuous round of redesign, the total capacity of the spaceship remained more or less the same, in the range of three to five thousand. However, the spaceship itself was at least four times larger than before and its total interior area had increased by close to ten folds. When Little X presented the revamped blueprint to Chen Chen, he clapped the table with his palms and exclaimed energetically, This is the one. Im afraid the current Moon Rabbit Space Station doesnt have enough space to build a spaceship of these proportions. Little X said, Well need to expand the Moon Rabbit Space Station. Thats a given. Chen Chen agreed. I plan to continuously expand the Moon Rabbit Space Station until its ten times its current size. It should be achievable considering our resources. Chen Chen had been regularly shipping construction materials to the Moon Rabbit Space Station with the precise goal of expanding it in mind. As if two Gantz spheres were not enough, he shipped an additional Gantz sphere to the space station. All three Gantz spheres were used simultaneously for shipping materials and the space station expanded rapidly from thereon. Little X even quipped that at this rate, it was only a matter of time before the Moon Rabbit Space Station was visible from the earth. While the Moon Rabbit Space Station expansion was underway, Shaw also cooperated with the company and allowed further research of his psionic ability. The procedure involved was identical to the process of extracting the L factor from Chen Chens blood to manufacture the L compound. Chen Chen planned to extract the corresponding gene from Shaws blood and replicate his psionic powers. Shaw was only one person and it would not do to only have one navigator for the space fleet in the future. Chen Chen needed hundreds, even thousands of navigators with abilities like Shaws. Only then could mankind overcome the obstacles in the subspace and populate the galaxy Chapter 613 - : Commencing Galaxy Colonization Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Time flew. The Moon Rabbit Space Station continued expanding over time. In just a year of development, the structure had gone from one that was only observable with a telescope to a phenomenal landmark with a magnificent presence. At night, people along the southern atmosphere could see the bright lights the structure emitted that made it seem like a miniature sun. 05, this is overdoing it. At the Lilith Assembly, 01s figure rose from the seat. He hammered his fist on the table, furious, his body still quaking with rage as he rebuked, The Moon Rabbit is no longer just a simple space station. You could tell me its a fort and Id believe it. Also, do you have any explanation for the battle spaceships docked on the Moon Rabbit Space Station that arent registered with the Earth Federation? We only granted the Blackwatch Company permission to colonize, but there has never been an agreement about forming the foundation of a legion! 01 is right, Im afraid that even I cannot defend your actions this time. 03s voice was composed as ever, but not without a clear tone of accusation. Youre making a serious threat to the status of the Earth Federation. Isnt this the same thing as forming your own militia? We agreed to your proposal of establishing the Blacklight Foundation, weve also tolerated your exploitation of space resources and its impacts on the global market. We then went on to allow your establishment of the first permanent colony on Mars and youre just going to form an interstellar space fleet on the planet? Dont forget, youre not a country, but an enterprise. Thats right I agree 02 and 03 chimed in as well. Flanked from all sides, Chen Chen remained seated calmly with his arms folded as he answered with fixed composure, Your point being? Human beings will leave Earth and venture into the solar system one way or another. Its never been a matter of if, just a matter of when. The discovery of life on Mars is the first alarm sounded for mankind. Why should we wait to establish a space fleet? Those are the matters of the Earth Federation, not one for you to be concerned about! 01 belted angrily. Youre stepping out of line for just being a mere enterprise. Do you truly intend to oppose the Earth Federation? Chen Chen could no longer stifle his laughter upon hearing this. He smacked his palms together to produce a single clear clap. As I said before, Im not interested in gaining power nor will I ever be interested in it in the future. The reason for my establishment of a space fleet is as a cautionary measure in case we stumble into hostile forces as we venture outside the solar galaxy. What? This remark raised an alert so 02 promptly enquired, Venture outside the solar galaxy? You mean that youve already developed the technology to do so? Wormhole navigation? Warp drive? 03 asked solemnly. You never mentioned anything like this before. I know youre wondering about where I got this technology from. Chen Chen set things straight immediately. This technology is one I developed myself, only it comes with certain side effects. This seemed to quell the restless crowd. Whether they believed Chen Chens claims did not matter. Chen Chen was telling the truth. This was a technology he had developed after receiving certain inspirations. Could Could you tell us more about it? 03s tone turned from stern and commanding to slightly awkward. This was especially embarrassing considering just a minute ago, he was furiously accusing Chen Chen of his actions and now his attitude had completely shifted around. Here he was, trying to flatter Chen Chen shamelessly. Even the other seasoned politicians felt embarrassed for him. This technology is related to subspace. Chen Chen had nothing to hide. Besides, the technology would be figured out by the Earth Federation in the future so he was not worried about disclosing it prematurely. Navigating in subspace greatly shortens the distance between two points in the real universe. This new navigation method we developed takes advantage of this characteristic of the subspace. Even if the space of the spacecraft itself remains the same, the distance covered by the journey is magnified by ten thousand folds. This means that a year of navigation in subspace is comparable to that of ten thousand years in the real world. Does the subspace truly exist? Isnt it merely a theory of Einstein? 01 enquired, And even if this subspace exists, how do you tear through the fabric of reality and enter it? By using the subspace space warp engine of course. Chen Chen claimed with a simple shrug. Dont bother asking for the details, you know that I wont disclose them anytime soon. Youre better off researching it yourself, but be warned Chen Chen suddenly lowered his voice upon this mention. Theres a terrifying existence surpassing the realms of belief inside the subspace. Even if you manage subspace travel, Id advise you to tread carefully. This is all I can tell you. With that, Chen Chen rose from his seat and prepared to take an early leave from the Lilith Assembly. Hold on! There was an air of urgency in the air as the others clamored and tried to pry more out of Chen Chen. Is there any chance that we can obtain this technology? Or better yet, we can exchange it with other technologies. How does our nuclear fusion engine optimization technology sound? We can negotiate the price, its Without realizing it themselves, they had all risen from their seats in agitation. They of all people knew that there was a significant gap in their aerospace technology and Blacklight Biotechnology. While Blacklight Biotechnology was already carving out new lands in the galaxy, they were still wasting time dallying around on Earth. They were desperate for a breakthrough. Dont bother. Chen Chen shook his head, canceling whatever hopes they had. Lets be frank if you were in my place. Would you ever consider auctioning off this technology? With that, Chen Chens figure vanished without a proper farewell! When they saw the figure in the seat labeled 05 vanish, they slid back into their seats, wholly dejected This explained why Blacklight Biotechnology never bothered itself with the authorities on Earth. They had already set their sights on things beyond Earth and humans! The Lilith Assembly members understood Chen Chens motivation now and could not suppress the intense jealousy boiling inside of them. All this time, Chen Chen was not merely putting on a front. He simply did not see a reason for engaging in the power struggle on Earth. All he needed to do was to continue expanding beyond the stars and in time, the Earth Federation would have to succumb to his feet It was simple. The first person to venture out of the solar galaxy represented the entirety of mankind and planet Earth. Nobody can stop him. 01 suddenly mumbled to the air, his voice turned several decades older in minutes, Even if we unite the entire Earth Federation, we might still fail to put up a worthy battle. Doing that means inciting World War Three. 03 stated, Besides, how can you be so sure that he doesnt have other cards up his sleeve? The rest of them glanced around the room, sensing each others wavering confidence. All 03 could do was to shake his head and scoff at their poor circumstances. The Earth Federation had become the plaything of this powerful enterprise. To think that just two decades ago, Blacklight Biotechnology was just a humble little business started by one man, that was when even the Namibia government could crush it if it wanted to. In five years, Blacklight Biotechnology had displayed magnificent growth and rays of its brilliance began to shine underneath its polished surface. Even so, any officials who wanted to could have destroyed it before it could unleash its potential. After another five years, Blacklight Biotechnology had placed itself on the same level as the four major continents. The brilliant enterprise countered whatever offensive maneuver the four major continents took by forming alliances trading all kinds of advanced technologies. Again, in five years, Blacklight Biotechnologys total capital rivaled that of the Earth Federation. In the present day, even if the Earth Federation concentrated all of its forces and started an all-out war, it would only result in both sides being crippled. It was a senseless approach that only a madman would take. The cold hard truth was that the Earth Federation could no longer hinder Blacklight Biotechnology. After departing the Lilith Assembly, Chen Chen pondered for a moment then mentioned, X. From here on, dont bother reminding me to attend the Lilith Assembly if their planned agenda for the meeting is nothing of importance. Understood. Little X sympathized with Chen Chens frustration. Recently, each Lilith Assembly felt one and the same. It was always a circle of pointless debates and jabs revolving around Blacklight Biotechnology. It was a poor use of Chen Chens time. To be fair, its natural they would respond this way, seeing that their prided power is slowly slipping away from their hands. Little X remarked, Theyll get used to it soon enough. Chen Chen was not interested in this topic and averted the subject. Hows the spaceship construction coming along? Were around eighty percent through. Little X waved her hand and summoned a holographic projection in front of Chen Chen. Most of the surface of the three-dimensional spacecraft model was highlighted in green, with only some minor sections highlighted in bright red. Itll be completed in about three months. Who do you think youll send on our very first extrasolar expedition? Chen Chen stopped for a moment and briefly considered. Im thinking that if the trial run is a success, Id send myself. Sir Godfather Little X uttered but seemed like she had trouble finding the correct words, Earth and its inhabitants still need you. Thats true. Chen Chen assured. Dont worry, I wont be traveling outside the solar galaxy for now. What Im mainly interested in is the subspace. Whats so interesting there? Little X remarked with a quick pout. Over the last year, Chen Chen concentrated his efforts on miniaturizing the space warp engine to prototype new spaceship models of the same size as the Courage Voyager. These spaceships would usually deploy with Delta-level experiment subjects or psionicists as its passengers, sometimes without any passengers. The findings from these experiments were quite remarkable. The spaceships without passengers boasted the highest success rate of emerging from the subspace. Trailing after it were spaceships with regular human passengers while psionicists passengers seemed to regularly encounter trouble in the subspace. It would appear that the subspace had a great effect on psionicists. Occasionally, the spaceships with psionicist passengers managed to return from the subspace but even so, the passengers on board would be dead already. Furthermore, the returning spaceships would be tainted with a significant amount of subspace remnants that had to be purged off using the Civilization Monolith. If the subspace remnants were not taken care of properly, the events in Event Horizon may be brought into the real world. The subspace energy is a presence that can corrode the human body as well as the human psyche. Chen Chen stated, Most of the people affected by the subspace pollution end up losing their minds and dying while onboard the spaceship. The ones that manage to survive the initial symptoms dont have it any better either. Their features become distorted beyond recognition and their minds become corrupted evil This subspace presence is as mystical as it is powerful, and till now there is only one person that can observe the true nature of the subspace. Little X understood that Chen Chen was referring to Shaw. Shaws psionic manifestation rendered him a one-of-a-kind individual. Not only was he able to see the true form of the subspace, but he could also look further into the depths of the subspace, into the deep unknown. He says that there are four large continents in the subspace. Chen Chen turned to Little X, his eyes glowed with deep desire. I want to know what exactly they represent. Perhaps these four continents in the subspace contained the secrets of the dimension Little Xs eyes widened when she heard Chen Chen say this. Right as Chen Chen uttered these words, faint ripples in between seams of reality appeared behind him, distorting space and time with its existence. At the same time, the steel walls and coverings under Chen Chens feet groaned underneath the pressure But it wont be possible yet. Little X intentionally interrupted Chen Chens stream of thoughts. Have you forgotten about the unknown entity lurking inside the subspace? The cosmic entity that may destroy every trace of mankind, an existence potentially hundred times more powerful than the Consciousness Stealer! A bright look returned to Chen Chens eyes when he heard this. He smiled and agreed. Youre right, not yet. With that, he turned the other way, but not before mentioning to Little X, Lets speed up the construction progress. Id like to see the first interstellar spaceship completed as soon as possible. Little X looked at Chen Chens figure from behind, still feeling unnerved by the strange aura seeping from Chen Chens body earlier. The almost negligible amount of aura unleashed from his body was enough to completely deform the corridor. Every surface of the corridor had become distorted and shaped into wave-like patterns. Certain sections seemed like they had caved inward by an unlikely force Ever since Sir Godfather began absorbing psionic powers from the dead psionicists, his power has grown by terrifying proportions After a while, Little X managed to shake off the weary look from her eyes and trailed after Chen Chen. Shortly after their departure, a crew of Androids was sent to repair the destroyed corridor. Three months later, the first major spaceship in the history of mankind that was capable of traversing across the galaxies was finally completed. The spaceship was built in the Moon Rabbit Space Station. It was parked at the central dock of the space station. It was an enormous creation befitting of the behemoth space station. 1121 meters long, 245 meters wide, and 360 meters tall. Little X looked at the image of the spaceship shown on the display and admired the sheer scale of it. Sir Godfather, you shall have the honor of naming the spaceship. Chen Chen did not give it too much thought. Just call it Blacklight. How are the preparations coming along on Shaws end? After more than a year of intense training, Shaw is now an extremely qualified navigator. Little X remarked and proceeded to switch the image on the display with a simple gesture. The display now showed Shaw who was wearing a tight-fitting uniform, entering the new spaceship branded by Chen Chen as the Blacklight. He entered the spaceship via a special access tunnel in the Moon Rabbit Space Station. Although he was still feeling anxious, he did well enough at hiding the anxiety in his eyes and pulled off a convincing determined expression. Shaw will assume the role of the subspace navigator and hell be assisted by two thousand Android engineers, a thousand Black Knights, and two thousand prisoners. The gender distribution of these prisoners is split evenly. Little X added. Weve also brought the latest rendition of basic commodities and agriculture blueprints. Upon arriving at the destination, our two thousand prisoners can build a permanent colony and begin setting up an agriculture system for long-term sustenance. Chen Chen nodded contently. Everything seemed in place for a successful expedition. Advanced spaceship, space warp engine as well as a custom-made extra-large reality anchor, and Shaw was the final piece to complete this puzzle. All these arrangements were made specifically to colonize the planet Chen Chen had set his sights on. The planet was none other than Kepler-642b. It was the planet that most resembled the conditions of planet Earth which Blacklight Biotechnology discovered after its takeover of NASAS Kepler Project. After running several rounds of thorough examination, it was discovered that this planet held up to ninety-eight percent resemblance to the conditions on Earth. It was nearly sixty percent larger than Earth and an annual cycle on this planet took twenty days longer than it did on Earth. It was roughly 1115 light-years away from Earth. Liquid and atmospheric components were detected on the planet. However, since the planets rotational axis was not deflected, there would not be any changing of the season over the years. The star which the Kepler-642b orbited around was a class-G star just like the Sun seen from planet Earth, except that this star was about 1.5 billion years older than the Sun, but it was still at the prime of its eons-long life cycle. This was the most ideal, habitable planet discovered by Blacklight Biotechnology after taking over the Kepler Project. Everything seen so far seemed highly promising Chapter 614 - Birth Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation This historical migration would take between two to three years. The maximum speed achievable by Blacklight Biotechnologys nuclear power engine could accelerate the spaceship to one-tenth the speed of light, which was equivalent to thirty thousand kilometers per second. The distance between the two designated points was 1115 light-years, which meant close to eleven thousand years of journey. However, the existence of the subspace greatly cut short what would be an eleven thousand years trip to Kepler-642b from the earth by close to ten thousand times. Under the distorted time-space law of the subspace, it would only take up to two years for the Blacklight spaceship to reach Kepler-642b. It was a terrific speed. The diameter of the Milky Way was roughly measured at one hundred thousand light-years. A thousand light-years would be equivalent to one percent of the diameter of the Milky Way. To travel such a distance in just two years was completely unfathomable for mankind even several years before this. It was more than an astronomical feat. Furthermore, as the Blacklight Biotechnology research team gained a further understanding of subspace, they also discovered two peculiar coordinates in the dimension, what was known as the Mandeville Point. The coordinate was discovered by a subspace scientist named Mandeville. The tabulated mass of the solar system was calculated into the relative geographic location of the Milky Way and at last, substituted into a formula known as the Mandeville Subspace Equation. This equation calculated the influence factor of the subspace corresponding to the real universe to obtain a specific coordinate. This coordinate pinpointed the safest location for entering or exiting the subspace. A stable and safe subspace entry and exit position were present in each galaxy. When entering or jumping out of the subspace in these exact positions, the gravity of the subspace mass and concentration became nullified, thereby creating an ideal location for maneuvering in and out of the subspace with minimized risk. There were two such Mandeville Points located in the solar system, one of which was located near the orbit of Uranus while the other near the orbit of Pluto. Since it was Mandeville who formulated this equation, it was thereafter named after him while the produced coordinates following this equation were labeled as the Mandeville Points. Upon learning of this, Chen Chen suddenly understood why Pluto was specifically chosen as the starting point for performing subspace space warp in the movie Event Horizon. It was because the Mandeville Point was located precisely on the orbit of Pluto. Having gained this knowledge, it was relatively easy to progress from here on. Without informing other parties of this exciting discovery, Blacklight Biotechnology conducted two trial runs secretly. All of the required preparations were made. The trial run for future galaxy colonization was underway Blacklight departing port A Releasing porting module A Activating engines, the Blacklight will be reversing, please take caution The Blacklight is departing the port Shaw sat at the head of the spaceships bridge and listened to the routine notice of the artificial intelligence systems. Shaws overall presentation had undergone a drastic transformation over the last year. His entire persona had become weathered and stoic, his cheeks were sunken and the texture of his skin turned coarse and tough. It seemed as if he had aged by decades. The most notable transformation was that he had shaved his head bald. There were jet-black things that looked like large buttons fixed into the sides of his polished scalp. It was a device known as a brain-machine interface. This drastic transformation was required to build up his resistance against the harmful qualities of the subspace. As Chen Chen did not purge all of the subspace presence in his body a year ago, he had been plagued by nightmares all year round. The subspace energy chipped away at his psyche gradually, but it also served to harden his mental psionic strength, beating it into tempered steel over time. Three months ago, with the help of a team composed of the worlds best therapists and psychologists, Shaw managed to overcome his inner demons and finally got over the death of his wife. Seeing this, Chen Chen deemed that he was now worthy of a central role in the galaxy migration project. Accompanying Shaw were two other members, a male and a female respectively. The man was in his mid-twenties. Moments before the spaceship commenced launching, he was still stricken with nerves and agitation while the woman beside him who seemed to be in her thirties was cool and collected. All three of them were bald and fixed to their seats. To be precise, they were practically chained to the seats. The seats of the trio were arranged in a triangular pattern. Shaws seat was positioned closest to the window and at the sharpest angle of the triangle, clearly indicating that he was the one in command. Establishing a connection to the life support system The artificial intelligence system broadcasted another notice to the crew members again. Shortly after that, a large tube appeared overhead and quite rudely inserted itself into the mouths of the crew members. Then, a soft hose extended from inside the tube and explored the insides of their mouths before stretching all the way down their throat. Hnnghh The other two members could not stop themselves from retching at this gross sensation. Shaw ignored them and did what he could to relax and let it pass silently. He felt the hose reaching deep into his stomach region. A similar procedure was repeated, this time, with a tube built into the seat coming from underneath them that prodded into their rectum region. This was not the end of it. It was quickly followed with several inserts into the veins in their limbs. Upon its completion, they were fixed to their seats without any escape. Establishing a connection with the brain-machine interface Several ports appeared overhead and latched themselves into black buttons that were the brain-machine interface specially fixed into Shaws head. Shaw instantly felt his vision turning pitch-black. His bionic eyes were temporarily shut off. Although his vision was gone, he could sense that his brain was now directly connected to the central systems of the Blacklight. From here on, his brain had become the interface itself and every thought he formed was issued as commands that would be performed without any delay. This was the specialized role that Chen Chen had created C Subspace Navigator. Shaw of all people was aware of the dangers subspace travel entailed. The navigator needed to be cautious at all times as the slightest distraction could yield fatal results. Therefore, the navigator had to be bound to the seat for however long the journey may take. Basic human needs such as eating, drinking, and organic excretion would be taken care of by artificial intelligence. Remaining seated for an extended period may cause long-term health issues such as poor blood circulation or muscle necrosis. Blacklight Biotechnology had factored this into their blueprints and the navigators seat was fitted with an elaborate massage system working at all times to keep blood circulation flowing. Simulation of the nerves was performed with mild electric pulses. One could remain in this seat for decades without worrying about body functions degenerating. Of the three subspace navigators, it was undoubtedly Shaw who assumed the central role in the operation. The other two were merely his assistants that Blacklight Biotechnology had assigned him. These navigators gained their abilities artificially by receiving an injection formulated using an extract from Shaws blood. However, there was a distinct gap between their astral sight and Shaws naturally acquired astral sight. The range of their observation only reached up to several thousand kilometers so the best they could do was serve as assistant to the more qualified Shaw. Brain-machine interface connection complete. Preparing for launch Destination, Uranus orbit Beginning acceleration The artificial intelligence system continued issuing notices into Shaws mind. Although Shaws bionic eyes had been deactivated, the connection established between the nerve center in his brain to the spaceship central system meant that his so-called minds eye was open. There were a lot of things he could do and many entertainments at his disposal. He could play games, chess, watch movies, and many more activities to spend the next millennium leisurely. Though the subspace dimension was a perilous world, not a single person in the world could be expected to remain vigilant at all times, especially not for months, even years. This was where having two assistants came in handy. Iit was so that the navigators could take shifts and take a break whenever needed. This system ensured a proper balance so that the navigators could function in a healthy state of mind without suffering from fatigue. As the spaceship took flight, Shaw communicated to his two assistants by directly conveying his thoughts to them through the brain-machine interface, Gordon, Marcy, lets work well together over the next few years. Lets accomplish our tasks dutifully. If this voyage is successful, well have achieved something grand and have a bright future ahead of us. Understood, Captain. The two of them responded to Shaws speech enthusiastically. Just like Shaw, they were felons acquired by Blacklight Biotechnology from other countries through underground networks. Though they could not secure their freedom yet, they were lucky enough to emerge among hundreds of candidates and graced with abilities like Shaws. The current voyage was their lifeline at achieving the long-sought-after freedom. If they could see this voyage to its succession, they would be offered the choice of freedom. Shaw was satisfied with their response. As the spaceship took off, he took a look at the deeper sections of the spaceship where two thousand occupied cryogenic chambers were situated. The passengers were all put in a cryogenic state to conserve the limited supplies in the spaceship and also to protect themselves from the dangerous subspace energy. Granted that no accidents occur, they should find themselves on Kepler-642b upon waking up. Shaw was designated the highest authority level on this spaceship, second only to the artificial intelligence system. This essentially meant that he was the captain of the spaceship. As the captain, he had access to the information of all the passengers on board. While they were still on the way to the subspace, he decided to go through the report of these two thousand passengers just as a means of killing time. Just to be on the safe side, Blacklight Biotechnology would wait for another ten days for conditions to stabilize before entering Jupiters orbit. From there on, the spaceship would perform a gravitational acceleration and bound for Uranus. The spaceship would accelerate gradually until reaching the maximum speed which was one-tenth of the speed of light until arriving at the discovered Mandeville Point located along the orbit of Uranus. The entire journey was estimated to take up to a month. This meant that Shaw along with his two assistants had a month to prepare themselves for the most challenging part of the journey, which was inside the subspace where their powers would be called to use Just like that, the Blacklight had departed from the geosynchronous orbit of the earth and ventured into the vast expanse of the universe. This shocking maneuver alarmed the Earth Federation. Tens of thousands of astronomical telescopes all over the world zoomed in on the magnificent wonder that was the departure of the Blacklight while the Earth Federation was completely ignored on the sidelines. The representatives of the four major continents immediately called for a Lilith Assembly, but Chen Chens shadow was nowhere to be seen during the assembly. This blatant disrespect greatly angered the four major continents. The masses began slandering Blacklight Biotechnology for not honoring their end of the agreement. Initially, the Blacklight Foundation was founded to form a global alliance but now it would seem that Blacklight Biotechnology had completely discarded its initial promises. It would appear that Blacklight Biotechnology was starting to exact its will whimsically now that it was powerful enough to overpower the Earth Federation! It hardly mattered how much they tried to ridicule and provoke Chen Chen. He already decided a long time ago that he would not entertain them any longer. A month later. Chen Chen strolled in the Ares Science City all by himself. The Ares Science City was the first and also currently the only human colony built on Mars. Based on Chen Chens drafted plans, this planet would become the first industrial-focused planet. He planned to relocate a large portion of the manufacturing industry to Mars to alleviate the environmental pollution burden on Earth. This was why hundreds of thousands of factories belonging to Blacklight Biotechnology were erected near the borders of Ares Science City. An industrial park even larger in scale than the Eco Science City was taking shape here on Mars. After two years, the initial hundred thousand people who migrated to Mars from Earth had gotten accustomed to life on Mars. Furthermore, a second and third batch had been transported to the planet, raising the total population on Mars to near half a million. Observed from space, the surface of the once barren planet had been transformed into lush patches of oasis. Tardigrade moss now dominated the local ecosystem, constantly producing oxygen into the ozone, restoring the planets atmosphere organically. Meanwhile, the dwarf planet Ceres that was also the Mars variant of the Moon continued orbiting around Mars from thousands of kilometers away. Its presence allowed Mars planet core to restore its magnetic field over time until it could withstand the Suns solar wind. Chen Chen sensed the weaker gravitational force on Mars with every inch of his body. Then, he observed the masses of Mars inhabitants traveling across the city, all occupied with their day-to-day tasks. Most of the crowd were Androids since the social system of Mars was designed in a way that most of its inhabitants were well-off and could afford fine luxuries. While the employment of Androids was scarce on Earth, it could be seen everywhere on Mars. The human residents were usually at work in their offices or staying at home, taking care of their children. Every day after office hours, the city would be filled with the hustle and bustle of real humans. Excuse me, sir Hello, sir Chen Chen walked amid the stream of Androids. They would politely file out of the way when Chen Chen stepped into their path since they were programmed to do so. These Androids were non-hostile and would never harm humans. Even if they were directly threatened by a living person, they were programmed to escape instead of defending themselves. Soon, Chen Chen arrived at the entrance of the citys central hospital. Upon his arrival at the hospital, he suddenly perked up and narrowed his eyes that were beaming with concentration. Moments after that, he unleashed a ripple of Field that immediately enveloped the hospital compound. It effortlessly seeped through the windows and explored every nook and cranny of the hospital. In one of the operation rooms, Chen Chen heard the energetic cry of a newborn baby. Chapter 615 - Ominous Signs Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Wah Wah The sharp cry of a newborn pierced through Chen Chens ears. He stood at the entrance of the hospital and gazed at the hospital building. Moments later, the paint of the building began peeling off to reveal the dirty concrete underneath. The entire building began corroding. In the blink of an eye, the hospital turned into a decrepit state that seemed like it had been abandoned for centuries. In the midst of this transformation, the sky took on a pale yellow texture. An ominously dark shadow stirred over the hospital. A subtle breeze scratched Chen Chens face. It was uncomfortably hot and carried a sharp stench that reminded him of blood and fire. Chen Chen immediately felt the razor-sharp sting of a thousand pairs of eyes fixed onto him. An inexplicable feeling was roused from the deepest pit of his heart! Riled by this uncomfortable feeling of someone spying on him, Chen Chen continued listening to the cries of the baby. He took a deep breath, then took slow, steady steps into the hospital, and at the same time, tapped a button on his wristband. He only managed several steps before he came to a startled stop. The hospital reverted to its normal state. The sky was the same dark blue as it had always been. It would seem that what he saw was a mere illusion. There was never any dark shadow nor a breeze that carried the stink of blood. The suffocating feeling departed without a trace as well. Chen Chen looked around himself in disbelief. The people nearby were minding their usual business. None of them seemed to be fazed by the stark transformation the hospital took earlier. Everything he saw just now was merely a figment of his imagination Sir Commander? Nancys voice sounded through the earpiece. Earlier, Chen Chen triggered the distress signal on his wristband. Nancy was the clone of Little X that was charged with overseeing all of the ongoings in this district on Mars. Chen Chen did not answer. He looked at the newborn again with his Field. It seemed like an ordinary newborn that was still loudly crying the way newborns usually do. The ominous feeling had left him as if it had never even been there in the first place. Delivery room 301 Chen Chen took a look at the sign outside the delivery room. He remained rooted to his spot by the entrance of the hospital. Whats this about 301? Nancy asked curiously. Tell me about delivery room 301. Chen Chen commanded, Immediately. Understood. Nancy replied dutifully. Nancy did wonder what would prompt Chen Chen to request such an odd detail but she still did as she was told without asking unnecessary questions. She went over the enormous database on Mars and found what she needed immediately. Delivery room 301 belongs to the obstetrics and gynecology wing of Ares Science City Central Hospital. Its primarily used to accommodate patients in labor. The lady giving birth today is called Heather Shirley. Shes a spiritual psionicist and her husband is Wallace Ashburn, who is also a spiritual psionicist. The doctors and nurses in charge are Nancy provided the information of the mentioned delivery room 301 and the members inside it. After that, Chen Chen seemed to be pondering these details. It would appear that it stemmed from the newborn baby. Logically speaking, it would trace further to the babys parents. Coincidentally, both of his parents were psionicists. With this in mind, Chen Chen took a look at the newborn and immediately sensed a faint psionic presence. The newborn inherited his parents psionic qualities! Chen Chen was astounded by this discovery. Psionicists had been thriving in human society for more than a decade by now and the total population of psionicists had reached up to five hundred thousand. Although it was not a staggering amount when put in comparison to the scale of the total human population, it was still a significant size. In the past decade, there had been several instances of pairs of psionicists copulating and birthing children. However, in all of these instances, the children were born as ordinary humans without psionic abilities. This was more so the case with relationships where only one of the parents was a psionicist. In other words, for the last decade, psionicists were only produced artificially via L compound injection. Never had there been any natural-born psionicists. This was something Chen Chen had been perplexed about for some time. He had already figured out the L compound achieved its effects by altering the human DNA and that these traits had a chance of passing to the next generation organically. However, up till this point, all of the children of psionicist parents were born as ordinary humans. Either it was sheer bad luck or that the L compound was flawed. Just as Chen Chen was about to lose hope, a psionicist was suddenly born in this hospital on Mars! What was even more unexpected was that the newborn baby seemed to conjure an illusion in Chen Chens mind just as he passed by the hospital. Not, it was something more than a mere illusion Chen Chen further dissected the matter. He was well aware of his mental psyche. If even the subspace was unable to impose its effects on him, how was it possible for a newborn to strike him with such a powerful illusion? If it was not a mere illusion, then what did it imply? All of the existing psionicists so far have had their psionic abilities artificially injected, so this makes this child the first, and also the only psionicist with natural psionic abilities. Chen Chen muttered to himself. Was this the explanation for why he saw what he saw earlier? Again, he recalled the images that he saw earlier, of the ancient hospital and the looming shadow. The entire imagery suddenly reminded him of something vaguely familiar. He had an inkling suspicion that the presence he felt earlier was something he had experienced before. It was almost a decade ago but the sheer remembrance of it sent shivers down his spine. There was no bout about it, what he sensed just now was the presence of the subspace. Why would I feel the subspaces presence when the worlds first natural psionicist was born? Chen Chen could tell that he was very close to grasping the truth. Though he was still several pieces away from solving this puzzle, one thing that he could declare with complete confidence was that this was a bad omen of things to come. Sir Commander. While these puzzling thoughts were still swirling in Chen Chens mind, Nancy suddenly reported to him, I just received news that just half an hour ago, the Blacklight had broken through the Mandeville Point and entered the subspace. Chen Chens furrowed brow took on an even more pronounced shape upon hearing of this news. If not for what he had just experienced, he would have regarded this piece of news with mild interest. However, the uncanny timing of the two events suggested it was more than a coincidence. Could it be that the Blacklight entering the subspace had something to do with the birth of this child? It proved difficult to grasp the connection between these two events. It would appear that apart from the uncanny timing, nothing else noticeable connected the two. Eventually, he decided to take a harsh approach. Nancy, send the Black Knights and take away the baby. I know theres something major we can discover from the baby. I cant let this opportunity pass. Understood. Nancy answered dutifully. It was cruel to take a child away from a mother, but this was not the time to question the ethics behind it. The existence of this child could potentially be a gigantic threat. Chen Chen had to address it as soon as possible. If he allowed himself a moment of weakness because of concern for the mother, he might come to regret it later on. Chen Chen had lost interest in touring the Ares Science City from thereon and headed back to the Spire 2 base. Within half an hour, a Black Knight came to him and presented a barely an hour old newborn baby to him. Chen Chen slowly took the baby from the Black Knight with a grave look in his eyes. He saw that the baby boys body was flushed with red and wrinkled. He looked like a tiny old man. This was nothing out of the ordinary. Newborns usually looked like this and in several days, the boy would look like a healthy little toddler. Chen Chen took another look at the baby in his arms and proceeded to use Field to inspect the baby, but managed to find nothing worth noting. Then, he used his psionic energy instead to perform a similar inspection and this time, he sensed faint traces of psionic energy inside the baby. It would appear that the babys psionic class was spiritual as well, which was not surprising since it was inherited to him from his parents. The psionic energy in the infantile body was extremely weak, even weaker than the initial psionic concentration of the individuals who received the L compound injection. However, there was also a vibrant liveliness brewing underneath A natural psionicist. Chen Chen took a deep breath and had the Black Knight take the newborn baby from him. The constant movement seemed to have spooked the baby and he started crying again. Lets not shelter this boy in the base. Take him somewhere safe in the Ares Science City. Chen Chen darted one final glance at the baby before noting, Make sure he receives proper nutrition and create a convincing family background for him. The Black Knights can pose as his parents. I want to know every single thing theres to know about him as he grows up such as his mental state, physical growth, everything. Got it. Nancy answered, but seemed puzzled by Chen Chens motivations. But why are you doing this All I can tell you is that this has something to do with the subspace. Chen Chen answered without providing much detail, then left promptly. Everything that occurred today raised an alarm in Chen Chen. Although delving into the subspace was highly beneficial for the progress of mankinds galaxy colonization, it was not without its drastic drawbacks as well. What happened today was the first of many dangers to come. The birth of this child seemed closely related to the existence of the subspace. There was no telling what the consequences of this would be and even now, Chen Chen was only acting based on his instincts. What he knew as a certainty was that something was lurking inside the subspace that could wipe out mankind in a split second and he could sense something similarly ominous in the baby, If his gut did not deceive him, this was something almost apocalyptic. Chen Chen thought about this for some time and relayed his thoughts to Little X upon returning to Earth. Although Little X was mature enough now to make a vast majority of decisions independently, it was still a long shot to expect her to understand something so profound and without established rules such as this. After all, she was a programmed AI, not a carbon life-form like humans. One way or another, well have to approach this with extreme caution. Chen Chen added. I also need you to keep your eyes peeled on other married psionicists couples out there. Theres a likelihood that their children will be natural-born psionicists as well. Theres no guarantee about this. Perhaps Ill feel a similar suffocating aura if they give birth to more natural psionicists? The days went by in the blink of an eye. Shaw had spent more than half a year in the subspace by this point. Shaws days filled with nerves and agitation slowly transitioned to unwavering confidence on the job. Unfortunately, this also meant that his initial fixed concentration was muddled with mild moments of complacency. Now that he was accustomed to his job, he would navigate the spaceship while making small talk with his assistants. Captain, theres a bright ocean three hundred thousand kilometers ahead of us. Marcys voice sounded like fresh dew in the middle of a desert. She gazed at the distant glittering spots a great distance ahead of them. These strange white spots glittered constantly and rolled around the subspace like tiny little fireflies. We can pass straight through them, they cant hurt us. Shaw gave the order. The spaceship cut straight through this so-called bright ocean without pause. There was no telling what these strange glittering entities were, but what was evident was that they could not harm the Blacklight. They scattered into all directions when the spaceship passed through them without resistance. Some of them vanished into thin air but were quickly replaced by new glittering spots appearing almost instantly after. Although this enchanting ocean stretched for a great distance, the spaceship coursed through it in a matter of seconds, leaving behind a torrent of subspace streams in its tracks. Have we documented these things into the database? After passing through the ocean, Shaw asked his assistants. Gordon replied dutifully, Yes Captain, there are already several entries of this phenomenon in the database already. Shaw smiled. He enjoyed being captain of a spaceship. Alright, lets keep pushing on. Chapter 616 - Dyson Cloud Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation When the Blacklight, the first extraterrestrial emigrant spacecraft in human history, entered the subspace, it disappeared from this universe and no signal would be transmitted back. Chen Chen would not know whether it succeeded, became trapped in the subspace or had been annihilated at once. Before it returned to the solar system, no one would know anything about the Blacklight. On this side of reality, Chen Chens experiments on subspace navigation were still going on, and he did not slack off just because the Blacklight had gone on a mission. At the same time, with the birth of the subspace engine, Chen Chen decided on his own to build ten large transport ships comparable in size to aircraft carriers. These ships could carry over a thousand small unmanned mining ships that were less than ten meters in length. In this way, the large transport ships could warp directly into the subspace from the Mars orbit each time, then sail out at the Mandeville Point of Pluto, and finally enter the Kuiper belt, where they could gather more resources and bring them back to human society. A round trip like this would save them an endless amount of time. At the same time, short-term subspace navigation was not that dangerous. Even if a large transport ship ran into trouble and was damaged, this kind of loss was fully bearable. Meanwhile, this simple and efficient resource collection system also gave Chen Chen a bold idea What, you want to build a Dyson sphere? On the top floor of the Blacklight Building in the Eco Science City, Little X looked at Chen Chen incredulously as if she wanted to see if he was pulling her leg. We dont lack energy for the time being. Do you want to do this? No, building a Dyson sphere is completely impractical. Chen Chen shook his head. Lets not talk about the technical feasibility. With the resources we have now, if we want to build a Dyson sphere that envelops the sun, Im afraid well practically have to take apart all the planets of the entire solar system. What I want to build is not a Dyson sphere. Its a Dyson cloud or a Dyson ring. Chen Chen slowly stood up with a fanciful expression. To avoid long-term problems, we must solve them in the present. Although our nuclear fuel is mainly composed of deuterium from seawater and helium-3 from the moon for nuclear fusion reaction, we must acknowledge that the helium-3 on the moon is limited. According to our current prospecting, there are about 700,000 tons of helium-3 on the moon. Based on the power consumption standard of human society in 2040, 700,000 tons of helium-3 can supply humanitys consumption for three centuries. Three hundred years is already a long time for humankind. Little X persuaded. Perhaps three hundred years later, humans will still be able to discover new helium-3 mines and even new energy sources. That being said, why not act now? Chen Chens tone changed. And dont forget, this number looks a lot, but do you still recall the electricity consumption standard in 2020? 2020? Little X was stunned and then she blurted out in realization, Twenty years ago, the global power generation was 2.8 trillion kWh and in 2040, the global power generation was 56 billion kWh, an increase of two thousand percent over this period. Thats right, thats twenty times! Chen Chen solemnly said, Human demand for electricity in twenty years will be twenty times that of what it was before. This number will continue to expand with the continuous development of human society. Can you say that in ten years, the helium-3 resources on the moon can provide for humanity for three hundred years? Little X fell silent at once. Indeed, if human electricity consumption continued to expand according to this index, it was likely that the helium-3 resources on the moon would be exhausted in 50 years at most. Therefore, we mustnt put all our eggs in one basket. Chen Chen said gravely, In the foreseeable future, we have to find a new energy solution, and now, a path has already been laid out in front of us over a century ago. This is the best way forward for us so far. Little X nodded with some understanding at this. So, we have to develop a Dyson cloud. The so-called Dyson cloud was the same thing as a Dyson sphere. The only difference was the amount of engineering labor required. The concept of the Dyson sphere was first proposed by Freeman Dyson, Einsteins assistant, in 1960. He once imagined that the energy contained in a planet like the earth itself was very limited, far from enough to support the development of civilization to an advanced stage. In a star system, most of the energy the radiation from stars was wasted as it dissipated into thin air. Although humans had solar energy devices, the energy received was only a grain of sand in a desert compared with the total energy radiated by the sun at any moment. Therefore, he believed that the sun was a gift from the universe to humankind. A highly developed civilization must have the ability to enclose the sun in a massive spherical structure so that most of the suns radiant energy was intercepted. Only in this way would enough energy be captured to support the development of human civilization. Thus, he envisaged the Dyson sphere this was a giant man-made structure with a diameter of about 200 million kilometers, used to encase the sun. Such a structure was composed of satellites orbiting the sun that completely blanketed the surface of the sun. Moreover, through a method similar to solar energy conversion, most of the energy emitted from the sun was intercepted and converted into electrical energy required by humans. This was the definition of a Dyson sphere. However, later generations refuted this theory because most people thought that ordinary civilizations did not have the ability to make Dyson spheres because a giant celestial structure with a diameter of more than 200 million kilometers would cost an ordinary civilization over a thousand or even ten thousand years. At the same time, it would consume almost all of the materials in the entire galaxy, which was an impractical project for an ordinary civilization. As for those advanced civilizations that could pursue the stars and seize the moon in the wave of a hand, naturally, they would already have energy conversion technologies that were more sophisticated. The construction of a Dyson sphere was beneath them. To put it simply, the idea of a Dyson sphere was a little pointless. The civilization that needed it was not capable of building it and the civilization that was capable of building it might not necessarily think that it was worthwhile. That was all. Therefore, gradually, later generations designed a compromise based on the idea of ??the Dyson sphere, that was, turning the Dyson sphere into a series of circles. Countless rings would surround the sun, just like clouds over the sun. Compared with the engineering labor of the Dyson sphere, the Dyson cloud might only need one-thousandth to one-ten-thousandth of the work. Of course, the energy obtained would be reduced accordingly, but the advantage was that humans could control the construction cycle at will and quickly harvest the corresponding solar energy source. With the continuous development of human civilization, the number of Dyson clouds could be constantly increased until a Dyson sphere was fully formed one day in the future. Little X quickly understood Chen Chens plans. After all, humans could not use the helium-3 resources on the moon forever. It was the same with petroleum, which was a limited resource. Before nuclear fusion had been developed, humans kept relying on the conversion of petroleum to energy. Forget about the fact that it was limited, it even polluted the earths environment. Consequently, humankind started to experiment with nuclear fusion a long time ago, but now, Chen Chen was just like people in the past, looking for a new energy system in advance. A Dyson cloud was the one that best met the requirements. Thinking of this, Little Xs supercomputing capabilities instantly came up with several construction plans, but all of them had some flaws that needed to be refined. She could not help advising, Sir Godfather, if you build a Dyson cloud, Mercury should be a good choice. Naturally. Chen Chen replied, First of all, Mercury is the planet closest to the sun, so its simple to collect the materials. Second, the main components of Mercury are metals and silicates. These elements are also required for the construction of solar panels. These conditions all align as if they are a blessing from heaven. Little X spread out her hands and said again, If you want to build a Dyson cloud quickly, Im afraid youll need an entire industrial chain. That isnt difficult either. Chen Chen replied, The surface temperature of Mercury is around 400 degrees Celsius. This temperature is still bearable to some robots with thick armor. We only need to build one kind of robot, which must have three abilities: First, it must be able to withstand the high temperature of Mercurys four hundred degrees; second, it has the ability to replicate itself; third, it can automatically complete a series of complex processes from collecting and smelting to manufacturing. As long as these three points are achieved, wed have guaranteed half the success of the Dyson clouds construction. Moreover, theres no atmosphere on Mercury, so the escape velocity isnt very high. We only need to use electromagnetic technology to directly launch the Dyson cloud created on Mercury into the solar orbit. All thats left is to use a type of satellite robot to receive the dispersed Dyson cloud and assemble it. Then what about when enough energy is collected? Little X continued to ask, Do we use laser or antimatter transmission? Do we have the technology to make a large amount of antimatter now? Chen Chen shook his head, pondering. Of course, itll be a laser. Converting the energy collected on the Dyson cloud into a laser and transmitting the energy to the space station, the space city, and all human-colonized planets in the solar system over a long distance thats the most suitable and simplest way at present. Little X was silent for a while and then added. It can be used as a weapon at critical moments too. Chen Chen did not answer, but continued. I initially had some doubts about the implementation of this plan. After all, even if Mercury is entirely dismantled, it will be difficult to produce a decent Dyson cloud, but now the birth of the subspace engine has smoothly resolved this. Using the subspace as a springboard, we can adjust the trajectory of the Dyson cloud at any time. As a result, the probability of collision between Dyson clouds due to orbital problems and accidents is much smaller. After listening to what Chen Chen said, Little X immediately closed her eyes and began to extrapolate Chen Chens plan and proposals. Even so, after a few seconds, she nodded. The plan you envision is indeed the most convenient. Ive added some details according to your plan and optimized some processes. Lets have a look. Chen Chens eyes lit up and he said immediately. Suddenly, a huge screen appeared in thin air before him, with a series of numbers and formulas densely lined up upon its face. This was the Dyson cloud plan compiled by Little X. In this plan, Little X designed the Dyson cloud as countless ring-shaped celestial bodies. These man-made objects surrounded the entire sun like huge rings. The first phase was planned to take three years. Blacklight Biotechnology needed to establish an industrial system on Mercury and launch the first Dyson cloud unit to the surface of the sun within three years. According to the description of the plan, a Dyson cloud unit was a huge solar cell with a surface area of ??136 square meters, shaped like a regular hexagon as a whole. The middle was an integrated section and only the six edges would be made of a material that could withstand high temperatures. Not only could these edges transmit energy, but they could also link up securely with other units. After the first Dyson cloud unit was successfully launched, the next step was very simple. Namely, countless replications would connect these hexagons one by one, finally forming a closed loop that spanned the entire sun. This would be the first Dyson cloud and it was also the target of the second phase of the plan. It would take about 30 years in all. Eventually, after the end of the second phase, the Dyson cloud would form a huge man-made ring-shaped celestial body that could surround the entire sun. At the same time, there would be a large laser generator every ten thousand kilometers, so that no matter how the Dyson cloud rotated over the sun, it would be at the right angle to irradiate the collected laser to the required place. Then, when the Dyson cloud had formed the first closed loop, they could see how things progressed or form a new Dyson cloud ring or continue to increase the number of units on the original Dyson cloud. These were all options. After reading the plan, even Chen Chen felt like slamming the table in excitement. He was responsible for the framework of the plan and Little X was responsible for filling in the details. The entire plan was perfect. This is it. Chen Chen immediately made a decision. This was the benefit of autocracy. Both the decision-making period and the speed of the process were simplified to an extreme. If this was a national project, it might take several years from the establishment of the project to the start of implementation. As for them, from the moment Chen Chen discussed it, it took less than half an hour. Next, since the project had been set, the following step was to inform the world. After all, the sun was not only the sun of Blacklight Biotechnology but the sun of all mankind. This kind of project naturally needed to be told to the world. On the official website of Blacklight Biotechnology, Little X personally issued this notice, giving a brief overview of the entire plan, completed with a sufficiently shocking name the Blackwatch Dyson Cloud Plan. After that, the entire company became like a single industrial machine running at high speed! Blacklight Biotechnology controlled most of the influence in human society. Its every move swayed the minds of countless people, so almost within a few minutes of the announcement, it had caused a shockwave throughout the entire Earth Federation. All at once, the entire word was astounded! Chapter 617 - A Slice of the Pie Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation At 7:30 in the evening, on the Earth Federation International Channel, a solemn and grand music rang out right on time. As this sound played, millions of viewers around the world switched their TV stations to this channel, only to see the initial commercial end, replaced by a dark stage. The stage remained dark at the beginning but there was a figure walking slowly from backstage. This figure was wearing a dark blue suit and stood upright. As he walked closer to the camera, everyone suddenly saw the appearance of this man This was a middle-aged black man. His eyes were sharp and unsmiling, which was utterly different from the original relaxed atmosphere of the TV channel. This program was one of the most-watched programs on the Earth Federation International Channel but its content was very simple. That was, it picked out and deciphered the most important events in the world at present, satirizing politics, poking at current affairs or speaking up for the voiceless This program had been broadcasted continuously for 20 years, creating a TV legend. Dear viewers, Im Wilson Richard and this is the Earth Federation International Channel Richards World. The black host Richard stared at the screen and said directly without any warm-up, The former Soviet astronomer Kardashev once used the principles of thermodynamics and the law of energy to divide the evolution of civilization in the universe into three levels based on the use of energy The first level is the planetary civilization a civilization that has mastered all the energy on the planet. This civilization can change the climate, develop the ocean, and control earthquakes on the planet at will In short, this civilization has the ability to move mountains and shift seas on the planet, rationally utilizing and controlling all the resources and energy on the planet. The second level is the stellar civilization a civilization that can use all the energy of the entire planetary system. The second type of civilization has a huge demand for energy and resources. Therefore, they need to use all the light and heat emitted by the stars. One method may be to crush a few useless planets to make Dyson spheres, enclose the stars, and fully enjoy every bit of light and heat emitted by the stars! Then, theres the third-level galactic civilization a civilization that can control a certain number of star systems and star clusters! Richard solemnly spread his arms. Only a cosmic galaxy with 200 billion stars like the Milky Way can truly transform reality! At this time, the power of civilization will become omnipotent and unimaginable At this point, Richard took a deep breath and suddenly said, Many people may wonder, what am I talking about? Am I feeding you science fiction? No, Im not! This classification method is the Kardashev scale that has been widely circulated in the scientific community. This is a civilization classification method recognized by the Earth Federation. Its often used as a theoretical basis by those who search for extraterrestrial civilizations such as project researchers, science fiction novelists, and prophets. Having said this, Richard could not help but pause. A picture appeared behind him. It was an online announcement. The content of the announcement was the Blackwatch Dyson Cloud Plan released earlier today. As for this plan, I believe everyone has received the news. In todays society, a message can be transmitted to any corner of the earth within a few seconds, and it can be transmitted to Mars in 20 minutes. But everyone has a different opinion regarding this news from Blackwatch Corporation As far as I know, one of the most popular views is one of doubt. We doubt if humans, as we are now, have reached an extent where we can build a Dyson cloud? At this, Richard suddenly smiled gently. This had always been an extremely rare expression ever since he appeared on the show. We humans are closer to the goal of building a Dyson cloud than we imagined When the classification method of the Kardashev scale was first born, the earth was defined as a 0.73 civilization, which was the level half a century ago But now, after these years of development, without realizing it, weve conquered controllable nuclear fusion, the establishment of scientific research stations on the moon, the establishment of permanent colonies on Mars, and The Blackwatch Corporation has even begun to mine resources from the Kuiper belt asteroids! After the numerous difficulties that have been overcome, our human civilization index is also rising step by step. According to the latest calculations, our human civilizations current Kardashev scale rating has reached level 1.2 and is fully capable of building a century-defining project like the Dyson cloud! Speaking of this, Richards words gradually became louder. After nuclear energy has been thoroughly popularized, we gradually discovered that controllable nuclear fusion is nothing more than a stepping stone. It allows us to open the door to interstellar pursuits. But at the same time, its only a most ordinary pass We humans have reached an intersection. We must either start looking for new clean energy or rely on nuclear energy that will eventually be depleted! And now, Blackwatch has once again walked in front of the Earth Federation. Hes willing to stand up for us humans and explore the path to higher levels. What kind of spirit is this? Richard sighed suddenly and at the same time, he leaned over and bowed. Please allow me, Richard, to pay a sign of high respect to this company, the pioneer of mankind! Whether this plan succeeds or fails in the end, we shouldnt blame him because hes carrying the burden forward on our behalf! With that last sentence, the deafening orchestra resounded again, drowning everything and overwhelming the flabbergasted hearts of countless people! This is the most important thing that happened in the Earth Federation today. Im Wilson Richard. This is the Earth Federation International Channel Richards World. Well see you next time Until then! Richards World had undoubtedly added a huge spark, causing the plan announced by Blacklight Biotechnology to flare up even more violently in public opinion. In just one day, almost everyone in the world had learned the news that Blacklight Biotechnology was preparing to build a Dyson cloud. Regarding this, the governments of the major continents in the Earth Federation had more complicated feelings because they could see further than ordinary people. Although this action by Blacklight Biotechnology was equivalent to opening a path for the future of humankind, once it succeeded, it would also advance certain vested interests. Solar energy might even become monopolized by Blacklight Biotechnology. Therefore, unlike the eager expectations of ordinary people, the media on all continents had scorned the matter and even used the Dark Forest theory1 to argue that this project might cause changes in the brightness of the sun. This was then likely to attract prying eyes from other alien civilizations in the future. Thus, in the end, the worlds public opinion was divided into two factions. One faction expressed support for the construction of the Dyson cloud and the other faction opposed it, believing that this behavior was akin to biting off more than one could chew. After waiting for the next few days, the Earth Federation that felt threatened finally could not sit still. They launched a summit of countries around the world. The four major continents led their little siblings to vote against this project, to oppose and curb this Blacklight Biotechnology plan. In response to the Earth Federations response, Chen Chen sent the department of external affairs to the Earth Federation headquarters to participate in the wrangling, but on the other side, the various departments of Blacklight Biotechnology began to silently implement this plan. If it were ten years ago, Chen Chen would have to carefully consider the opposition from all over the world, but it was a different time now. After having a Mars colony, Blacklight Biotechnology now had the capital to break away from the Earth Federation. Even if the Earth Federation imposed sanctions on Blacklight Biotechnology because of this, it would only be economic sanctions that could not leave a scratch. No one had the courage to bring up military sanctions. Therefore, after arguing with each other for three full months, seeing that the Earth Federation could not stop Blacklight Biotechnologys footsteps, in the end, the four continents had to reluctantly compromise. They put forward a request to Blacklight Biotechnologys negotiating team, that was, the four continents also wanted this Dyson cloud project and obtained a share of it. Chen Chen did not mind this. After all, the four continents accounted for 40% of the population of the Earth Federation and they had manpower and material resources far exceeding Blacklight Biotechnology. If the four continents joined in, the construction period of the Dyson ring could be reduced by more than fifty percent. As long as the core technology and the leading role were still in the hands of Blacklight Biotechnology, there would be no problems. As such, after three months of international negotiations, each of the four continents decided to allocate tens of billions of capital, manpower, and material resources to join this most massive project in human history. As for the small neighboring countries, just like when controllable nuclear fusion was being researched and developed back then, they could only look on impatiently from the sidelines. Soon, the four continents sent thousands of engineers and scientists to the Eco Science City, making it the command center of the most magnificent plan in human history. With tens of thousands of top talents in the world gathering here, it also brought a new wave of vitality to Eco Science City. This is an engineering robot designed by our Blacklight Biotechnology. At this time, in the aerospace base in the southern suburbs of the Eco Sciences City, the decision-making delegations of the five parties were discussing in the meeting room. These scientists were full of enthusiasm and they kept tossing out their opinions and plans as if they were arguing, not stopping even when it was time for dinner. A young engineer proudly threw out a conceptual design drawing. This kind of robot is divided into forty-three types and each type has a corresponding division of labor They have ceramic heat insulation up to ten centimeters thick. The armor can completely withstand the high temperature and pressure on the surface of Mercury. At the same time, its controlled by the super AI designed by our Blackwatch Corporation. Its able to continuously produce its own kind, along with solar panels, and launch these panels into space using electromagnetic ejection. I object! Even so, after looking at the engineers design drawings, the decision-makers from the four continents objected. A super AI with self-replication permissions this is something we must not tolerate. If Blackwatch doesnt want the Omnic Crisis1 to occur, I still think that this kind of production cannot be delegated to computers. We at Blackwatch can guarantee the loyalty of the AI! That wont work either, were firmly opposed to this kind of thing The two sides immediately quarreled again. Okay, stop fighting. This matter can be discussed later. Another scientist with a global reputation stopped the meaningless quarrel between the two sides and then said, We have no problems with the manufacturing of the Dyson cloud equipment. Now, we should talk about maintenance. With such a huge area that far exceeds man-made objects on the surface of the earth, how do we maintain it? Of course, well use robots for maintenance too Another Blacklight Biotechnology scientist exclaimed, If we can make XTN robots, we can naturally also make maintenance robots that are fully automated and can operate in outer space. These robots only need to be about ten centimeters in size, then theyll be able to travel freely across the Dyson clouds surface, repairing any malfunctioning parts of the Dyson cloud. So, what about energy transmission? The plan says were using laser transmission, so where are we going to build a device that can receive this huge source of energy? Of course, itll be in space. We can build several energy-receiving devices with an area of ??more than a few square kilometers in orbit and then introduce this energy into the ground through a space elevator. This is the best solution. Is it possible that you still want to send the laser directly to the earths surface, wouldnt that be solar bombardment? So, what should we do when theres a solar storm? Someone worried aloud. What kind of question is this? Havent we designed the Dyson cloud to use a certain unit as the core and fold into each other when a solar storm occurs, so that the device can fully achieve sufficient shock resistance? Surely youre able to figure out such a simple problem, right? Who can calculate, if the weight of Mercury changes, what kind of impact will that have on the major planets of our solar system? Another scientist asked. Rest assured, this plan was planned thoroughly before it was released. A Blacklight Biotechnology scientist immediately waved his hand and displayed a series of figures in front of everyone. The acceleration of Mercurys gravitational force on the earth is only about 10-40nm/s^2, which is very small on an astronomical scale. Furthermore, turning Mercury into a Dyson cloud is none other than moving Mercurys center of mass closer to the vicinity of the sun. Its mass wouldnt disappear. Even if the entire Mercury was removed and transported, about 100 years later, the Earths perihelion and aphelion will only be reduced by one ten-thousandth without us realizing it, plus this will recover in a few decades due to the phenomenon of periodic perturbation. Just building the Dyson cloud is equivalent to evenly distributing the mass of Mercury across the orbit of the sun. This situation will not affect the orbit of the earth even in the long term! Then the next topic is, how do we maintain the stability of the Dyson cloud in solar orbit? The meeting room was filled with the babble of voices and countless terms that were unfamiliar to ordinary people were casually thrown out from these people. Everyone enjoyed the discussion despite its discordant nature, breaking up the details of the plan to ensure that every step was carried out smoothly. Still, in any case, the more everyone discussed, the more they had a hunch when they started to implement this globally shocking plan, it would be the biggest step in the history of humankind! Chapter 618 - Sean Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation The project to utilize the sun, a natural nuclear fusion reactor, began to unfold in full swing, and the speed was astonishing. In just one month, the first Mercury exploration ship funded by Blacklight Biotechnology set sail and the Moon Rabbit Space Station temporarily became the gateway of the Dyson cloud project. Dozens of spacecraft began to be built in the dock of the Moon Rabbit. Before the four continents and Blacklight Biotechnology jointly built a space base specifically responsible for this project in the future, the Moon Rabbit would assume this responsibility. As a reward, the four continents would come up with some benefits that could not be bought with money. Step by step, the status of Blacklight Biotechnology in the Earth Federation was becoming more and more weighty. Now even those who were most insensitive to politics were also faintly aware that Blacklight Biotechnology had exceeded the scope of a private enterprise. In the face of the Earth Federation, Blacklight Biotechnology was more like a force with the right to converse on equal terms, not a company under the umbrella of the Earth Federation. Without anyone noticing, has this capital expanded to this level? Blackwatch is going against the natural order! 666, the capitalization of the Earth Federation. If this continues, its estimated that the entire Earth will belong to this company in the future. We poor people will be breaking the law just by breathing I have to question the group of politicians of the Earth Federation why did they nurture this company to this extent? When the countrys law enforcement agencies are ruled by a for-profit company; when a company can set law enforcement rules at will; when the police are reduced to a law enforcement tool of a certain company; when a certain company can be above the law What justice and fairness is there in this world? Hey commenter, are you reciting lines or something? Blackwatch has never done all those that youve mentioned. When did they interfere with the law? And to the previous commenter, I think youre thinking too much because Blackwatch Corporation wouldnt care whether a swine like you breathe or not! This cybertrooper must be filthy rich now! Whats the referral code? I want to earn money too! There was a lot of discussion on the Internet and many people continued to share their concerns about Blackwatch, but generally, this kind of hot topic would not last long before a bunch of counterarguments flooded in. Some of these speeches came from Blackwatch fans while most of them were cyber troopers hired by Blacklight Biotechnology. After a few exchanges, both sides would start to make warm inquiries about each others family members in a refined and friendly manner On the other side, late at night in Detroit, Northern America, an eight or nine-year-old black boy was desperately banging on his mothers door and screaming. The little boys face was streaked with tears and he looked back toward his room in horror from time to time, but only saw the darkness at the end of the corridor. In the deep darkness, black shadows seemed to be pulsating Open the door, Mom, please! Mom, open the door, those monsters in the dream are coming after me again. Im so scared! Sob, sob, sob In the end, the boy could not help curling up in front of the door, staring at the darkness at the end of the corridor. Finally, the boy heard irritated footsteps in his mothers bedroom and then the door creaked open. The stench of alcohol immediately rushed over his face. At the door stood a white man whose eyes were ready to spit fire. Mr. Quinton There was a look crying for help in the boys eyes, but he was greeted with a slap in the face! Slap! The boy was dizzy from the strike. He glanced at the man blankly then peered into the room, only to see his mother sitting on the bed impatiently, puffing cigarette smoke. Enough, you brat! A look of disgust gleamed in the eyes of the white man. You have disturbed us dozens of times and what did I tell you before? I said I hope it wont happen again! Mr. Quinton, Im sorry The boy could not help sobbing in a low voice. But what I said is true. There are monsters in the dream. I didnt lie to you! Slap! However, the boys explanation was still met with a slap in the face. The man called Quinton roared, Ive had enough of you. No wonder your father doesnt want you. Believe it or not, if you dare to knock on this door again in the middle of the night, Ill crush you to death with my own hands! With that, he roughly took the boy by the collar and dragged him toward his bedroom. Now, get yourself back to bed! No, no, Mr. Quinton, please dont make me go back! The boys face changed suddenly and he struggled desperately. That group of monsters That group of monsters escaped from the dream, they did escape from the dream! Believe me! However, no matter how hard he struggled, how could he break free of a middle-aged man in his forties? Soon, he was dragged back to his room by the man. Okay, brat, go to bed at once! The man named Quinton commanded loudly and at the same time, reflexively pressed the light switch on the wall. Crackle! With the sound of the switch being turned on, the man only saw the light above his head flash twice, then it died out again. Hmm? Quinton could not help frowning. He pressed the switch several times again but the light still only flickered twice and then dimmed again as if something had interfered with it. The bulb is broken? Quinton scratched his head in confusion and then looked at the little boy behind him. Only then did he realize that after he came to this room, the little boy had suddenly fallen quiet. George? Quinton turned around suspiciously but saw that the little boy had already shrunk toward the bed somehow. In the darkness, the boy stared at him in terror, no, it should be said that he was staring behind him! When he saw this scene, Quinton suddenly felt a chill in his heart for some reason. He slowly turned his head somewhat stiffly but he saw that there was nothing behind him by the light outside the window. Phew Quinton secretly breathed a sigh of relief. At this moment, he suddenly felt a kind of detached anger. An adult like himself was fooled by a child! Thinking of this, he turned his head again furiously and was about to yell at the boy, but the moment he turned his head, a black figure was already standing in front of him When the morning sun shone into the gloomy street the next day, the haze of the entire street seemed to be dispersed in an instant, but after that came bursts of harsh screams. Soon, the local police department was dispatched. They sealed off a house and rescued an unconscious child from the house. This is the scene of the crime, Mr. Sean. A man wearing a black cloak and holding a pipe, surrounded by several sheriffs, walked slowly to the house cordoned off by strips of warning tape. Just last night, two terrible murders occurred in this house. One of the police sheriffs who was bald explained as he looked at the handsome profile of the man and put on an ingratiating manner, The deceased were a white male and a black woman. The white male was Buss Quinton, 41 years old. He was originally unemployed but because he hooked up with the owner of this house, he was able to live here. The black woman was the head of the family and had a son. Her husband died in a gang shootout three years ago, so she had raised the child by herself until last night happened After saying all this, the sheriff sighed slightly. This is the background of the two victims. The deaths of these two people are very strange and its probably the work of a psionicist. Thats why we asked you, Mr. Sean, to help us investigate. The man called Sean nodded. He ignored the barrier tape at the door and walked to the door step by step, then frowned slightly. Theres the smell of sulfur What did you say? The sheriff on the side asked subconsciously. The presence of sulfur, dont you smell it? Sean turned his head and asked. No Theres no smell here. The sheriff sniffed vigorously, then shook his head repeatedly. Strange. So this isnt something the nose can smell, but rather my Sean opened his mouth with a surprised expression. His face grew even more serious, and at the same time, he slowly opened the door in front of him. The bodies of the two deceased had not been handled yet. Sean first came to the second floor and opened the door of the master bedroom. He instantly saw a black woman lying naked on the bed. Her corpse was shriveled. She had been a black woman, but there was a peculiar ashy tint to her skin. Her blood was drained. Sean immediately commented. Then, he stepped forward and gently touched the deceaseds body, only to find that her chest had completely collapsed, but there was no wound on her body. Seeing this, Sean raised his eyebrows again. Her internal organs are gone Seeing the movement of Seans hand, the sheriff on the side wiped his sweat slightly. That seems to be the case at the moment. Wheres the other corpse? Sean turned his head and looked at the sheriff calmly. In In the childs room. The sheriff made an inviting gesture and led Sean to the room at the end of the corridor. Here, a big white man was lying quietly on the floor with bulging eyes and an unbelieving look on his face as if he had seen something terrifying before his death. Sean knelt and examined the corpse with his hand again. Sure enough, just like the dead woman, the internal organs were missing, but no wounds were seen anywhere on the body. Send the corpses back. Seeing this, Sean stood up and said solemnly, Remember to send me the autopsy report. Yes Yes! The sheriff nodded repeatedly. He had seen quite a few murder scenes himself but for some reason, none were like this one. The entire room seemed to be filled with a strange air of death, which induced an inexplicable sense of depression. After the corpses were taken away, only Sean was left in the childs room. He then looked around and caught various clues. Sean was a psionicist. A psionicist police detective. He was also a victim of the fusion virus in those years, but after he had recovered from the disease, he realized that he had acquired a wondrous ability in a small space, he could observe what had happened there a few hours ago. It was like a video recorder. His ability was to find the playback button of the video recorder and play out the scene that was left in this area. Although this kind of ability was a supportive type and had no offensive power, Sean was a valuable member of the Detroit City Police Department because every time he was dispatched, it meant the case would be easily solved! At this time, Sean picked up a photo on the table. It was a group photo of an ordinary family of three. A black man and a black woman flashed their big white teeth and looked at the camera with a smile. Between them, there was a boy with an obedient face. Sean heard that this boy was the only survivor of the incident. After placing the photo back to its original position, Sean no longer hesitated. He closed his eyes and started to activate his ability. Hum Everything in the room became weird at once. Dark shadows flared up and flickered ceaselessly on the walls as if the shadows in the room had all come to life. They began to condense and regroup in front of Sean. The light outside the window also began to dim! If an outsider saw this, they would be crying out for God in alarm because it was still morning. The sun had just risen but now the scene outside the window had returned to darkness! This was Seans superpower. With the activation of his psionic powers, everything in the room went back to a few hours ago. At the same time, the door of the room began to shake violently. It seemed that someone was banging on the door vigorously but Sean just gave a vigilant glance without stepping forward to open the door because he knew that if there were someone outside the door, they would have come in long ago. Why would they stay silent and just keep pounding at the door? Thinking of this, Sean refocused his attention to the room but saw that two figures had stood in front of the door of the room at some point. Of the two figures, one was tall and one was short. The tall one was the previous deceased man named Quinton and the short one was the child in the photo. Huh? Why is there no movement? Looking at the scene in front of him, Sean could not help frowning. He continued to activate his power but the two figures were frozen in place. No matter how Sean tried, he could not rewind the scene! Meanwhile, perhaps it was an illusion but Sean felt that the stench of sulfur pervading the room was getting stronger Cough Cough, cough Sean could not help coughing. His nose was slightly warm as if something was dripping from it. Sean lowered his head subconsciously and touched it, only to get blood on his hand this was due to the excessive use of his psionic powers. I dont believe this! Sean gritted his teeth and raised his head to release his psionic energy more forcefully, but when he looked up, he was surprised to find that at some point, the two figures in front of him had already turned their heads The two shadows were tilting their heads and staring at him silently from a strange angle. Seeing this, Seans scalp turned numb and at the same time, a faint chill permeated through his limbs. Impossible Seans pupils contracted furiously. The two figures he had traced back in time using psionic energy were not real people. How could they possibly see him? Chapter 619 - The Second Case Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Mr. Sean, Mr. Sean? In a daze, Sean heard someone calling him. He slowly opened his eyes. Only then did he see several police officers and a group of medical personnel in white standing in front of him. They were happy when they saw that he woke up. This is Sean endured his dizzy head and sat up while holding his forehead. It was only then that he realized that he did not know when he had passed out, and he had been laid out on a hospital bed at this time. You passed out at the murder scene earlier. The sheriff who was following him before came forward and said solicitously, Is it because you overused your psionic powers? If so, thats okay, we can wait for you to recover before continuing the investigation. Sean nodded, then turned to look at the doctor on the side. Is my body okay? After a preliminary inspection, we didnt find any problem. It mustve been caused by excessive fatigue. The doctor replied, If youre worried, we can give you a comprehensive examination. Then, theres no need for that. Sean waved his hand and declined the doctors kind offer. After that, several police chiefs said a few words to Sean. Seeing that Sean was still lacking in energy, they made an excuse to leave. When everyone had left, Sean lay back on the hospital bed, a little tired. This was an intensive care unit. The entire room was clean and bright. There was plenty of space and there was only one bed in the entire room. This environment meant that he must be in a high-level ward in Detroit, but Sean was not concerned about that. He began trying to remember what he had seen at the scene of the crime. I only remember that before losing consciousness, I seemed to have seen two people Sean frowned and thought, They just stood there quietly, seeming to look at me, but how is that possible Is it some kind of superpower that restrains me? After thinking for a while, Sean turned his head and looked at the bedside table, only to see a blue file folder there. He picked it up and opened it doubtfully. Only then did he find that it was the autopsy report of the case. After seeing the contents of the report, Seans pupils shrank slightly. Sure enough, all the internal organs in the bodies of the two deceased had disappeared utterly without a trace. Whether it was the heart, spleen or lungs, everything was gone. Not only that, even the blood of the corpse had vanished. The corpse was like an empty skin bag. Is this something that superpowers can pull off? Sean fell into deep thought One day passed by quickly but Sean, who was lying in the hospital bed, found that although an entire day had passed, he was not hungry at all. Even if someone brought him food, he did not have the slightest appetite. He only drank a sip of water in the day but then stopped due to the feeling of fullness in his stomach. In the early morning of the next day, Sean left the hospital. He called the police station in Detroit and then drove the car toward a welfare home. However, when the vehicle arrived on the street of the welfare home, he suddenly saw that the entire street had been blocked. At the intersection of the street, a few police cars were jammed. At the same time, the road was completely sealed off by warning tape. A group of people could also be seen gathering on the side of the road, constantly making a racket over something. What happened? Sean walked forward in puzzlement and pushed the crowd aside. Only then did he see several policemen surrounded by the crowd. Sir, this street has been blocked because of a leak in the gas pipe. Seeing Sean coming forward, one of the policemen immediately stepped up and said, If youre heading to work, please take a detour. No, Im Detective Sean. Sean took out his ID and handed it to the other party. After confirming that the ID was correct, the policemans expression relaxed and at the same time, he stepped aside. In that case, you can go in. As he said that, he lifted the waist-high warning tape, letting Sean go through. Walking deeper into this street, Sean immediately headed toward the address of the welfare home provided to him. Along the way, he saw several policemen blocking other intersections. At the same time, he could see ambulances passing by his side. Seeing all this fuss, Sean could not help but feel a little puzzled. This situation did not look like a leaked gas pipeline at all Thinking of this, the appearance of the black boy flashed in Seans mind again. Could it be that all this had something to do with him again? When he completely came to the door of the welfare home, Sean was surprised to find that several vehicles with the logo of the Earth Federation were parked at the gate. Still, they were a little different from the logo of the Earth Federation. The logo of the Earth Federation was originally two wheat ears encircling an image of the earth. Although this logo was the same, it was red overall, instead of the green of the Earth Federation logo. At the same time, there were some words under the logo: Federal Special Branch. What department is this, why havent I heard of it? Sean walked forward with some doubts, but before he reached these vehicles, he was immediately stopped by several men wearing white protective suits. Sir, the Federal Special Branch is working, please leave. Im a member of the local police station. I came here to check on a boy named George. Hes related to the murder case yesterday. Sean replied somewhat stubbornly. He knew that the Earth Federation might have a strong deterrent effect in ordinary countries and third world countries, but all this was just a fa?ade to the four continents standing on the top of the world, let alone the Northern American Continent that was the strongest among the four continents. After all, even the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the most powerful department of the Earth Federation, had its own branch in Northern America and it only listened to orders of the Earth Federation if it felt like it. However, he was mistaken this time. The man in the protective suit who intercepted him still blocked his way. We cant let anyone in without a superiors order, Mr. Officer. Please cooperate with us. Sean frowned immediately. He took out his cell phone again and called the bureau, but to his surprise, the reply he got told him not to interfere with the work of the Federal Special Branch. If he had any questions, he could contact the person in charge of the case. Hearing this, Sean was still a little disgruntled. He called the sheriff from yesterday again. This time, the sheriff just told him to wait and soon, Sean saw the man running over from the other side of the street. Mr. Sheriff, where were you just now? Sean looked at the panting sheriff and asked, mystified. I set up an interception point on the other side of the street. The sheriff gasped and said, Mr. Sean, the order has already been issued. Let us do our best to cooperate with the Federal Special Branch. I heard that this is an order from the state government department, so I cant help you. What is it, an order from the state governor? Sean looked even more shocked. What happened in the orphanage and why was it sealed off? It seems that its related to the boy named George from yesterday The sheriff shot him a grave look. I heard that just last night, everyone in the welfare home died, including the caregivers and the children, and their deaths were the same as our case yesterday What? Sean could not help exclaiming. He looked at the other person in disbelief as if he wanted to see if this was some sort of joke, but he was disappointed. The other mans somber face told him that all this was true More than 100 people died overnight, including 83 children, 15 caregivers, and the director of the welfare home. The sheriff continued. All this was discovered early this morning but before we could deal with the scene, these Federal Special Branch guys came and drove us out forcefully Sean took a deep breath when he heard these words. He seemed to think of something and asked again, Then, the survivor named George, is he Still alive? Yes. The sheriff looked at Sean steadily. Its strange that the boy named George is still alive and hes the only survivor. Hearing the words of the sheriff, Sean only felt a chill rising in his heart. He could not help but look at the door of the welfare home and murmured, Could it be that the murderer of the case is him and hes a psionicist? Thats not clear, but all these have nothing to do with us. After all, it has been handed over to the top brass. The sheriff sighed. Mr. Sean, you dont have to care about this. When the Federal Special Branch leaves, our work will be completed. After saying this, the sheriff turned and left. Only Sean was still standing there quietly. He looked at the door of the orphanage restlessly as if he wanted to try to find a way in. At this moment, the door of the orphanage was opened again. This time, Sean saw several people who were dressed differently. These people were wearing a combat uniform he had never seen before. The whole get-up was pitch black, just like a black bodysuit. They wore the same style of combat helmets on their heads, so he could not see their faces at all. Mr. Sean? One of the personnel stepped forward and called out Seans name. Thats me And you are? Sean perked up and replied immediately. Im the captain of task force five under the Blacklight Foundation. Im in charge of handling this abnormal event. You can call me Victor. This person took off the helmet on his head and swiftly revealed a face with standard Anglo-looking features. Blacklight Foundation? Abnormal event? Sean was instantly filled with questions. He watched the other man carefully, waiting for an explanation. The Blacklight Foundation is an organization jointly established by the four major continents. Its specifically responsible for dealing with the handiwork of certain psionicists or other even thornier incidents that might even go against the natural order. Such incidents are collectively referred to as abnormal events. The Federal Special Branch is our logistics department. The man named Victor stretched out his hand and said lightly, I heard my subordinates report that youre the most famous psionicist in the Detroit Police Department. Youre able to observe what happened at the scene a few hours in the past? Yes, thats my superpower. Although I dont have the combat power of other psionicists, its still good for cracking cases. Sean shook hands with the other man. Very nice. Victors eyes lit up. In that case, youll be recruited by us these days. Come in with me now. Lets go to the crime scene. With that, he turned around and walked in. After hearing Victors words, Sean frowned slightly. Although the other partys words were polite, there was an unquestionable air of command in his tone. Sean originally wanted to refuse. After all, this was not in line with proper procedure and the other party had no right to give him orders unless they first communicated with his superior to enlist his help. However, Victors words revealed a lot of incredible things earlier and he was also very curious about the case, so after thinking about it, he finally followed. This time, those in protective suits at the door did not stop him. As soon as he entered the door of the welfare home, Seans expression immediately changed because he once again sensed a weird odor, which was nothing other than the smell of sulfur. Have you noticed it? Victor, who was waiting for him, immediately smiled after seeing Seans expression. What does it smell like? Its sulfur. Sean nodded and then asked in astonishment, Can you smell it too? This isnt a smell, but Victor pointed to his head. This is what my psionic powers tell me. Are you also a psionicist? Sean was shocked. He immediately made some guesses about the Blacklight Foundation personnel. Theres a special psionic task force in the foundation. Victor nodded. Its just that we didnt send them this time. Instead, our task force five took over this abnormal event. There are only three psionicists in our task force five and they are myself and two other deputy captains. The rest are ordinary people. Why didnt you send the special psionic task force? Sean was a little puzzled when he heard that. It stands to reason that a case caused by this kind of psionicist should be resolved by the psionic task force? What he wanted to say was, if ordinary people got involved in a psionic case, were they not as good as dead? It was just that his words changed when they reached his lips. Thats because, in certain conditions, the combat effectiveness of our ordinary task force may not be inferior to that of psionicists Victor smiled mysteriously but did not explain. Instead, he walked forward first. Mr. Sean, I heard that you passed out in a coma during the exploration of the scene yesterday. Can you tell me what you saw when you used your psionic powers? Sean frowned slightly when he heard these words. He did not expect the other party to get all his information so quickly, and they even knew about his coma, so he had to say, I dont remember. Yesterday it seemed a bit difficult to rewind the scene. I had not managed to rewind the scene fully when I fainted because Id overexerted my psionic power. So, I suspect that the murderer has some psionic power that can restrain my ability. Victor nodded when he heard this. The two came to the corridor of the inner hall in the welfare home. As Sean passed through the doors, he saw that two or three men in protective suits were dissecting the bodies in each room. Several combatants who were also wearing black combat uniforms and holding pulse rifles stood guard at the side. As for those corpses, Sean felt a pang in his heart. After all, the dead were all teenage children Soon, the two came to the end of the corridor. When they came to the door, Sean suddenly heard a low sob. The noise came from behind the closed door in front of him, sounding as if it belonged to a boy. Victor did not dally. He pushed open the door directly and Sean immediately saw that in the room, seven or eight combatants were standing at the fringes. At their center, there was an eight or nine-year-old black boy. The moment he saw the boy, Sean immediately recognized him. The boy who looked as if he would not hurt a fly was the main star of this trip The suspect in two consecutive psionic murder cases George. Chapter 620 - Group Annihilation Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation At this time, the boy was curled up in the corner, his head bowed as he cried silently while soldiers with live ammunition stood all around him. Anyone who saw him would feel compassion as if these soldiers were oppressing the child. Although Sean did not want to believe that the boy in front of him might be a murderous demon. At this moment, Sean still subconsciously tensed his body. Found out anything? Victor looked at everyone around him and everyone shook their heads. Seeing this, Victor could not help looking at Sean on the side. Sean had no choice but to walk up himself. He squatted in front of the boy and the boy shrank back subconsciously, seeming to be afraid of everyone here. George, relax, no one here will hurt you. Sean tried his best to make his smile more sincere. Can you tell me what happened last night? Dont worry, were not saying youre to blame, but Were all curious. However, a development that Sean had never expected occurred. After seeing Sean, George suddenly screamed and wailed at the same time, Its you guys, you killed my parents and all the people here. Its all of you! As he yelled, his emotions became more and more agitated. In the end, his eyes rolled over and he fainted Seeing this scene, Seans heart suddenly sank. It seems that his mind is still a little confused. We wont get anything out of him for the time being. Beside him, Victor also frowned. He did not say much but ordered everyone to take George away, leaving the place only to Sean. Can you use your abilities now? Victor asked again, If the identity of the murderer can be directly identified, that would be best. I can try, but you must leave first because when my ability is activated, it will be disturbed if there are other people present. Hearing these words, Victor did not say anything else. He turned around and left, closing the door for Sean on his way out. Only Sean was left in the room. Seeing this, Sean no longer hesitated. He took a deep breath and began to use his power. Suddenly, the sunlight in the room slowly dimmed as if the scene outside the window had directly changed from day to night. At the same time, there seemed to be wisps of gray shadows on the ground. These shadows continued to squirm and twist in Seans peripheral vision, but when Sean looked directly toward them, he saw that all this was an illusion Huff A weird murmuring began to appear in Seans ears. It seemed that someone was whispering in his ear, but no matter how he strained to listen, he could not hear what was said. By this time, the light in the room had been completely dimmed. In the darkness as thick as ink, Sean seemed to see many people lying faintly on the beds in the room. These were children and George was among them. Did I succeed? Sean breathed a sigh of relief in silence. While maintaining his powers, he slowly paced to the bed where George was. Through the dense darkness, Sean seemed to see that George on the bed was frowning and twitching his lips. It was as if the child at this time was falling into some kind of nightmare. In the next second, a thick mist suddenly drifted into the room. The mist seemed to appear out of thin air, with a faint yellowish color, which directly brightened the entire room. What is this? Sean looked around blankly. The dusky mist was dreamlike, drifting in the room quietly, even distorting the sense of distance in the room, giving him the illusion of being in a vast world. No, it was not an illusion Sean suddenly saw that in the misty distance, a few figures were walking over slowly. As the mist was dense, he could only see that these figures had human silhouettes. However, unlike ordinary people, their walking movements were a bit awkward. Strictly speaking, they appeared to be floating. As they got closer, their silhouettes could be seen more clearly. However, at this time, Seans pupils shrank involuntarily because he finally saw that these figures were not humans at all. They were just spherical heads without a body, with only strips of tentacles hanging down! Monsters! Sean held back the horror in his heart. He took two steps backward and then realized that these monsters were not real now. He was just looking back at them in the past. There were three of these monsters. They floated out of the thick fog and then stretched out their tentacles toward the nostrils of the children. The next second, before Seans eyes, the bodies of the children shriveled directly So, its this group of monsters causing trouble? Sean felt angry and helpless as he watched. He wanted to stop them but when he stretched out his hand, it simply passed through the monsters as if they were mere shadows. All this was just a scene from last night that he had rewound to. After these three monsters drained the children in the room, only George was left behind. Then, they opened the door, turned, and moved outside I understand At this point, Sean finally gave up the idea of ??continuing to observe. He withdrew his power and the darkness and dense fog in the room immediately dissipated. Sunlight came in again from the window. After basking in the long-lost sunshine, Sean quickly opened the door and came to the corridor, where Victor was standing by. Seeing Sean appear, Victor gave him a surprised look. Your nose is running. Sean was taken aback for a moment. He reached out and touched his nose but he only felt a string of mucus flowing out of his nostrils. There was a small trace of blood in the mucus but he was too immersed earlier, and he did not even notice the liquid flowing out of his nostrils. I thought Id bleed, but who knew that only snot came out? Sean frowned but then he put that all aside. Ive found out what happened. It turns out that George wasnt the murderer but his nightmare! Nightmare? Yes, I suspect that George is a special psionicist! Sean asserted. He has the ability to materialize his dreams. Its only because he cant control his emotions in the dreams, so hell lose control and kill people every night! He cant control his emotions in the dream? Victor was a little puzzled. Then, he changed his line of reasoning and realized that Sean was referring to Georges parents. George originally had a good family but then his father was killed in a gunfight, so his mother found a violent stepfather. At the same time, her attitude toward George turned around 180 degrees and she became cold and indifferent. Due to the indifference of his stepfather and mother, George had killed them in a dream after awakening his psionic powers. If this was the case, then everything made sense why both abnormal events happened late at night, why both abnormal events revolved around George, why only George survived each time, and everyone else died If thats true, then Mr. Sean, youve truly cracked this abnormal event. Victor also breathed a sigh of relief in his heart, but he still had some doubts. Can you tell me what you saw after activating your power? I saw Georges dream world Sean immediately described, His dream was filled with a boundless mist and deep in the mist there were a few monsters that looked part human and part octopus. These monsters can use their tentacles to enter through peoples nostrils and suck out their internal organs. Thats all that I saw. Very well Victor said with satisfaction, Thank you for your cooperation. If theres any need, Ill be in contact with you. With that, he turned around to leave. Hold on! Sean hurriedly stopped Victor. Seeing Victor looking back suspiciously, Sean clenched his jaw and asked immediately, May I ask, how are you going to deal with this child? Dont worry, we wont kill him. Victor replied, Well adopt the methods of psychological counseling to guide his superpowers. Maybe well absorb him and make him one of us. Thats good. Sean heaved a sigh of relief. After all, George was just a child. His childhood had been unfortunate enough. It would be too tragic if he was treated as a guinea pig or a criminal because of this incident. The case was settled. Sean was about to take his leave immediately, but when he walked out of the welfare home, he was chased down by a task force member who rushed over and handed him a document. This document is a non-disclosure agreement. If theres no problem with it, please sign it. The task force member reminded, After signing the document, you cannot disclose any information about the Blacklight Foundation and this abnormal event. If you do, well try you in the court of the Federal Special Branch. You may face a punishment of ten years in fixed-term imprisonment or even the death penalty. Sean frowned. He opened the agreement and took a look, then raised his eyebrows and asked, What if I dont sign it? If you dont sign it, well assume that you dont agree with the confidentiality regulations on the document. The member of the task force replied, Then, to prevent you from leaking our secrets, well erase your memories. Then, youll forget everything that has happened today. Erase my memories? Sean was taken aback and then said coldly, Arent you infringing on human rights? Sorry, its confidential, we have to do this. The task force member was neither too submissive nor too forceful. Seeing this, Sean had to suppress the fury in his heart, signed his name on the last page, and then handed it to the other party expressionlessly. If someone familiar with Sean saw him now, they would know that Sean had been angered by now. Thank you for your cooperation. The task force member saluted Sean, then turned and left. Sean stifled his rage, left the street that was sealed off, and returned to the police station. It was not until all his colleagues welcomed him back that Seans inner anger subsided. In the evening, Sean returned home and gradually fell into deep thought. There were two things he was thinking about. One of them was that he had met the group of people claiming to be the Blacklight Foundation during the day. These people were mysterious but with extremely high authority and even the local police department could not interfere with their judgments and cases. The word Blacklight also reminded Sean of the name Blackwatch Corporation. Could it be that the rumors are true, that Blackwatch has reached a level of parity with the four continents, and even this foundation dedicated to handling abnormal events is led by Blackwatch? After thinking for a while, Sean could not help but shake his head. He had just come to his senses but he fell into deep thought again when he looked at the food prepared at the table. He had not eaten for two days and one night. The food was clearly laid out on the table but Sean found that he had no appetite and he did not even want to drink a sip of water. Sean knew that this was not right. The human body might occasionally lose appetite for a day or two, but it was impossible to not even need water. However, even if he forced himself to drink water, he would still puke it out again as if his body was already filled to the brim. There was no room for even a glass of water Whats going on? Sean was a little disconcerted but no matter how he thought about it, he could not figure out why, so he had to call his boss and tell him that he needed to take the day off tomorrow and go to the hospital for a checkup. After the phone call, it was nighttime, so Sean stopped thinking, but instead went back to bed and fell asleep. He did not dream all night. Early the next morning, Sean was awakened by knocks on the door. The knocks on the door were extremely loud and crude as if a group of people was kicking the door, which infuriated Sean. He had to get out of bed at once, walked through the living room to the door, and asked loudly, Who is it? However, the knocking persisted and no one answered. Seeing this, Sean suddenly became a little wary. He looked through the peephole outside but only saw three or four soldiers in black combat uniforms standing outside the door. He was very familiar with this get-up, for it was the same group as the task force from yesterday. Seeing this, Sean opened the door and at the same time, asked the other party coldly, Why are you here again? Didnt I sign the so-called non-disclosure agreement? Mr. Sean. The leader saluted Sean and then took out a document, saying, Were task force three of the Blacklight Foundation. In view of your special psionic ability, since youve learned of our foundations existence, we hope to temporarily transfer you to our team to help investigate an abnormal event. This is the transfer letter. Sean took the document and saw that it had the red seal of his police department and the red seal of Michigan at the same time. Goodness, to transfer him, they even got the stamp from the state police Sean secretly marveled at the authority and efficient speed of the other party but felt that something was fishy, so he asked, Havent I solved the abnormal event yesterday? Is there another abnormal event now? I assume youre talking about the abnormal event investigated by task force five yesterday. The person in front of him wore a helmet, so Sean could not see his face. He only heard the other person say indifferently. Unfortunately, this abnormal event has been transferred to our task force three for investigation. Why? Sean was even more flabbergasted. He worked in a police station himself. He naturally understood that unless someone applied for it, basically a case would not be transferred to another person. No matter how special the foundation was, it would not possibly violate this basic rule. After all, it was all about morale. Because just last night, task force five was fully wiped out. Chapter 621 - Escalation Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation A letter, like a splash caused by a rock thrown into the lake, completely shattered the peace of the Earth Federation. In the early morning, when Chen Chen was having breakfast, served Little X, the letter was delivered to his table. Task force five was completely annihilated. The subject of the letter was a line in striking blood-red text. When he saw this line of text, Chen Chen could not help raising his eyebrows. A suspected Alpha-level psionicist? After reading the contents, Chen Chen wore a pensive expression. A nine-year-old child? George? Hes suspected of having the ability to transform dreams into reality. This was inferred by a psionicist detective. Little X said from the side, At present, he cant control his psionic powers. Every time he falls asleep, hell have nightmares. When dreaming, a monster similar to an octopus will appear from the dream and devour the internal organs of nearby people. Chen Chen did not speak but continued to read silently. The mail included all the causes and consequences of the case as well as the video data left behind. However, when he saw a passage, Chen Chens face suddenly grew solemn. That psionic detective smelled sulfur both times? Chen Chen turned his head to look at Little X. Do you know what this smell represents? Subspace? Little X said, You mean, this matter may have something to do with the subspace? Theres such a possibility. Chen Chen nodded and said gravely, I have a guess maybe psionic power itself is inextricably linked to the subspace. Little X was shocked when she heard this. She immediately understood why Chen Chen would think this. Chen Chen once entered the subspace, but only psionic energy could be used in the subspace, and Field energy was completely unusable. At the same time, only the power of psionic energy allowed one to roughly perceive the reality in the subspace. Beyond that, one would need the power of a navigator transformed by psionic energy. In addition, the flesh and blood of the Consciousness Stealer were found to have first appeared in the orbital area near Uranus after its trajectory was investigated. It was as if it appeared out of thin air and one of the Mandeville Points was also there, through which it was easiest to enter and exit the subspace If there were only one or two of these clues, it might still be considered a coincidence but now that three consecutive clues all linked psionic energy to the subspace, this was somewhat intriguing. In summary, the subspace, a mysterious place that humans had never set foot in, might be inextricably linked to psionic powers. Of course, all this is still just my conjecture. Chen Chen said softly, Maybe my guess is wrong, but in any case, I should bring George here first. I want to see him in person. Im afraid it will be difficult. Little X said, distressed, 01 has already ordered the detention of this boy. After all, it happened in his territory. He was also the first to get the news. In my opinion, he seems to be ready to develop the boys power for his own use. Oh? Chen Chen frowned. Youre not the only one who has been startled. The other four have also been alerted. After all, the Blacklight Foundation has been established for so long and has never suffered such a huge loss. Naturally, 01 would pay attention to it. Little X explained. The destruction of an entire task force was comparable to the loss of a group army. After all, the task force was selected through various filters by the four continents. It could be described as the elite among the elite, and each member was a multilingual all-rounder who could perform frontal assaults, assassinations, invasions, case-solving, and electronic warfare. Moreover, with the time and money spent on them, they were indeed comparable to a group of army. Thousands of people were handpicked from the tens of millions of soldiers in the world, yet one-fifth of them were lost in one night. This was inevitably shocking. Hearing Little Xs explanation, Chen Chen stood up without even thinking about it, turned and walked toward the meeting room, and said, X, connect me directly to 01. I want to talk to him alone. Soon, Chen Chen came to the holographic conference room where the Lilith Assembly was held and waited silently at the same time. In less than ten minutes, the seat opposite Chen Chen in the conference room flickered in the air and a blurry black figure appeared on the seat. 05, why did you contact me? 01 remained in his seat, unperturbed, as he tapped the table with one hand and asked. Give me George. Chen Chen did not beat around the bush either. He put his hands on the table and went directly to the point. This boy may be a huge threat. You have no experience in dealing with all this. If I have no experience, I can accumulate experience. 01 chuckled lightly, lying back in the seat, and said calmly, On the contrary, its you didnt you say that you wont be able to participate much in the Lilith Assembly in the future? How come you cant sit still when you hear about what happened in Northern America now? Im not asking for George because of his psionic potential. Chen Chens frown lines deepened. To tell you the truth, George may be related to the subspace and among our five major forces, only our Blacklight Biotechnology has come into contact with the subspace. Its a different world full of madness and destruction. If you insist on studying George alone, Im afraid that the entire human race will fall into disaster because of you! Oh? Hearing Chen Chens warning, 01 hesitated slightly. Is the subspace so terrifying? Terror is only secondary. The key is the continuation of human civilization. Chen Chen said resolutely, 01, you can make a request. If the request isnt excessive, I can use that to exchange for this boy. Hearing the determination in Chen Chens words, 01 could not help falling silent. Chen Chen did not rush him but waited on the spot, staring at the other side. He knew that 01 at this time was discussing with his own personal think tank. About ten minutes later, 01 spoke again but these words darkened Chen Chens expression completely. 05, although your offer is somewhat attractive, its far inferior to George, a natural Alpha-level psionicist. 01 continued. So, I can only refuse your request. We wont exchange him for anything, so give it up. Hearing the answer from the other party, Chen Chen took a deep breath. He silently glanced at the black shadow in front of him but said lightly, Youll regret it. After saying that, he directly shut off the contact. Only the ignorant would be fearless! Chen Chen snorted coldly. He understood that 01s choice was not wrong because there were ten task forces in the Blacklight Foundation, of which three were commanded by Northern America and four were commanded by Chen Chen. Of these four, two were psionic task forces. In addition, the only three Alpha-class psionicists in the world all obeyed Chen Chens orders. Whether in terms of the Foundations strength or its internal influence, Chen Chen could crush the other four continents. The four continents were naturally displeased about this. Now there was George, a psionic who practically violated the natural order. This was a good opportunity to increase their influence and their power to speak. Of course, Northern America was unwilling to give him up. Then, what should we do now? Little X could not help asking, In fact, if we use the black slate, we can easily get that boy. This is-nt necessary yet. Chen Chen shook his head and pondered aloud, The black slate has the ability to temporarily control human behavior, but once I halt its control after using it, the other party will wake up and it will be more difficult to explain things then Not to mention all of this is mere conjecture. Since they dont want to hand him over, lets just wait and see how things unfold. With that, Chen Chen added again. If theres a situation that spirals out of control, Ill get involved myself. Little X assented, silently evaluating Chen Chens decision without persuading him otherwise. In her estimation, even if the child named George was dangerous, he was only a psionicist. To someone like Chen Chen, psionicists and ordinary people were the same. They could be considered as beings that posed no threat. Detective Sean was transferred to the Blacklight Foundation. He had no say in this. He was picked up by a few people at the airport and then boarded a special plane that had already been prepared and flew to the location of the Blacklight Foundations Northern American headquarters. This was an unknown small township under the jurisdiction of Washington. It looked like a poor rural area, but no one knew that this was the Northern American headquarters of the most mysterious organization in the Earth Federation, the Blacklight Foundation. From the outside, the headquarters appeared to be just an ordinary large farm. When Sean came to the only house on the farm, he looked around and saw that the place was very simple. The most eye-catching item was the dining table placed in the center of the house. Are we going to have a rustic meal here first? Sean whistled and then naturally sat down at the table. However, in the next second, Sean suddenly felt a faint vibration from the ground. He looked at the stoic task force member by his side and quickly stood up. Then, he only saw that the table in front of him suddenly split in the middle, revealing a deep chasm below. The chasm continued to widen and a platform rose from it, unfolding in front of Sean. The captain of the task force gestured in invitation and led everyone to stand on the platform first. When Sean saw this, he followed them. When he had stood firmly on the platform, the platform began to slowly descend. They descended about forty to fifty meters and the sunlight was completely replaced by incandescent lamps. After that, an alloy door slowly opened, revealing a vast hall inside. This is the headquarters of the Blacklight Foundation in Northern America. The task force captain led them through the doors and began to bring Sean into the depths of the headquarters. Along the way, he saw that everyone here seemed to be in a rush, with faint anxiety apparent on their faces. It took about twenty minutes for Sean to reach his destination. This was a dormitory similar to a military camps, but at this time, several other dormitories in its vicinity were tightly guarded and the surrounding area was full of armed personnel in the task forces uniform. Mr. Sean. At this moment, several researchers came up. They first greeted the task force captain in front of them and then looked at Sean. I heard that you have the ability to look back in time. This is a power that we need now. I believe you have also received a transfer letter and learned about what happened here, so I wont say any more. As he said, the researcher took the lead in walking in. When Sean followed, he found that the barracks dormitory was in a mess. At the same time, there were humanoid silhouettes drawn in white and red strokes on the ground and the beds. Sean was no stranger to this kind of human silhouette. This was only seen after a murder case had happened. This is Barracks 1 where task force five had stayed. The researcher explained, Just last night, task force five died collectively, including the captain and two deputy captains. At the same time, some of the researchers at the headquarters were killed. The total number of casualties is as high as 153. Did you find anything? Sean looked around and asked, Apart from the fact that their internal organs and blood were all drained, what clues are there? Sleeping state and range. Before the researcher had time to speak, the captain of task force three interrupted. We found that the deceased were all people who had fallen asleep. Not only that, the locations where the deceased slept were less than 100 meters away from the detained George, which is just the distance of a few rooms. What about surveillance? Sean turned his head to look at the surveillance camera above his head. Are there any pictures on this thing? For example, something like an octopus monster. Its a shame, but not at all. The researcher replied, Nothing was photographed in the surveillance, but we found signs that the dead didnt seem to have died at the same time, but died one after another in their sleep, in order of distance. The closer one was to the place where George was detained, the earlier one would die, and vice versa. Sure enough Seans heart sank and he stated again, I can be sure that this phenomenon isnt due to anything else, other than the monsters in his dream that came out after the boy entered a deep sleep state. And now we know this kind of monster cannot be photographed by surveillance but thats not surprising. After all, those monsters arent real. They are just the manifestation of the boys psionic powers. Weve guessed some of what youve mentioned, but thats not the question now. The researcher shook his head. The problem now is that the surveillance in the room where the psionicist George was detained suddenly failed after four oclock in the morning. At the same time, the lights in his room also died out. This is also a normal phenomenon. The power of some psionicists can indeed interfere with electrical equipment. Sean replied. So, we hope you can enter the room where George was and rewind to what happened at that time. The researcher continued. Weve seen your records. Youve explored the situation twice before. The first time you fell unconscious, the second time you succeeded and saw octopus-like monsters. So, we hope this time, you can further refine what we know. Yes, I can try. Sean nodded. He knew he had no power to refuse. Thus, Sean was then taken to the room where George was detained yesterday. At this time, George had been transferred to another place and Sean did not see George. With the activation of his psionic powers, Sean immediately saw the scene that happened yesterday. At four oclock in the morning, wisps of yellow mist once again hovered around George, who was in a deep sleep state. At the same time, four octopus-like monsters wandered out from the mist Four? Seans pupils shrank. He even discovered that these four octopus monsters appeared to be different from the ones he saw yesterday. Could it be that The monsters in the dream can exist in reality for a long time? At once, an alarming speculation arose in Seans mind. Chapter 622 - Getting Involved Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Sir Godfather. In the early morning of the fourth day, Chen Chen was awakened by Little X again. When he opened his eyes, he saw Little Xs somewhat serious expression. Something new happened yesterday Little X said in a low voice, There are more dead people in Detroit. The number of dead is over a hundred. These people died in the same way as before. All of them were emptied of their blood and internal organs. Chen Chens heart sank when he heard this. Sure enough, the situation he least wanted to see had occurred. He asked at once, Then, what about the headquarters in Northern America? Didnt they send the psionic boy there? He has been transferred. I havent found the specific location yet. The only news I know is that, given that this boy is too dangerous, Northern America has anesthetized him fully to suppress his dreaming ability. If he has been transferred but there are still deaths in Detroit, then the situation needs more consideration Chen Chen stood up and paced a few rounds, muttering in a low voice. The strangest thing is that the psionic boy isnt on our list of L compound injections at all. Little X followed up by saying, There are only two possibilities for this situation. Either he has been injected with L compound by chance or hes the offspring of a psionicist. But Ive checked his parents background and they arent psionicists. Does that mean its the first possibility? No, maybe theres a third possibility. Chen Chen interrupted Little X. That is He naturally awakened his psionic powers. Little X was stunned. She did not understand why Chen Chen would think in this manner. Remember the psionicist that I found who was born in the Ares Science City on Mars before? Chen Chen said, When the baby was born, I sensed the presence of the subspace. At that time, I had an intuition. Perhaps the mysterious power of psionic energy is related to the subspace And now that I think about it, the babys birth time was the moment when we sent the Blacklight colonial spacecraft into the subspace for a long voyage. Perhaps it was at that moment when we opened Pandoras box. The power of the subspace became formally linked to human beings then Hearing Chen Chens words, Little Xs heart shuddered. For some reason, through Chen Chens words, she detected a faint smell of blood and fire. Just when the two of them fell into silence, Little X suddenly received a communication request. She looked at it and then said, 01 is contacting you. Will you accept? Chen Chen thought for a while and nodded immediately. Connect me to 01. With that, Chen Chens bedroom flickered and gained the appearance of a conference room. 01 was sitting upright at the table. Although it was just a figure and Chen Chen could not see the other persons expression, from 01s physical posture, Chen Chen immediately saw how the situation was like for 01. 05 Seeing Chen Chen appear, 01 instantly spoke but when the words came to his lips, he could not speak them. I know why you came to me. At this time, it was Chen Chens turn to be sitting calmly at the table and lightly tapping the tabletop. Did something in the Northern American headquarters of the foundation? You knew about that already? 01 stood up abruptly. I didnt need to know it. Its simple enough to deduce through simple reasoning. Chen Chen said placidly, The first incident of the psionic boy was three days ago. At that time, only two people died, his mother and her lover. The second incident happened in the welfare home two days ago. Over a hundred innocent people died in the welfare home. Just the day before yesterday, it was the third incident. Because the place where George was detained was near task force five in the foundation headquarters, it was found that task force five was completely wiped out the next day, and dozens of researchers were also killed Then yesterday, you transferred George, thinking you could remove the danger, but I just received news this morning that over a hundred people died again in Detroit overnight. So, it was easy to harbor a guess regarding the consequences. After a pause, Chen Chen judged. If Im not wrong, since there are still people dead in Detroit, then the Northern American headquarters of the foundation shouldve even more people who died. Hearing Chen Chens judgment, 01 had to be silent. After a long time, he nodded. Youve guessed it. Last night, at the Northern American headquarters, except for a few psionicists who survived, all the others are dead Including our task force three. Chen Chen narrowed his eyes at once when he heard this. Although he expected that the loss in Northern America should be pretty serious, he did not expect it to be so serious. After all, task force three was a task force composed entirely of psionicists. If the reality anchor did not come into play, they were several times stronger than task force five. So, Ive come to you this time because I want to borrow a reality anchor. 01 continued to speak, his voice rather heavy and hoarse. Obviously, because of his status, he had rarely asked for help in such a humble voice. We must seal the power of the psionic boy, otherwise, the situation is likely to get worse and worse. I remember that wasnt what you said yesterday. Chen Chen flashed a kind smile upon hearing this. I hope you can think of the greater good, 05. 01 continued, in a sincere voice. If theres a need for an exchange, we can work with you to study the powers of the psionic boy. Chen Chen was tempted after hearing this. Indeed, there were many bizarre powers among the psionicists. Some were useful, some were useless, and the useful ones were just like the subspace navigator, which could even influence the historical progress of human civilization. The psionic boy had another sort of ability. In that case, its a deal. Chen Chen replied, But theres one point that I need to negotiate with you. The reality anchor is extremely precious. Therefore, I will not give it to you directly, but it will be carried by the personnel Ive employed. At the same time, these personnel will not follow your orders and well act of our own volition during the entire process. No problem. 01 secretly breathed a sigh of relief. As long as the public order on our side isnt disrupted, its fine. When will those task force members arrive? Ill send someone to meet them. No, well go to Northern America and we wont use the conventional way. Chen Chen waved his hand and then ended the communication. Sir Godfather, are we going to help them? Little X was a little unhappy and said, When there are benefits, they monopolize them, but when they encounter danger, they want our people to bear the brunt. How can there be such a one-sided arrangement in the world? For the time being, were still allies who share both victories and losses. Naturally, we must help when we need to help. Chen Chen smiled. Otherwise, if the situation in Northern America gets out of control, well even suffer losses. As he spoke, he looked at the report sent by Little X again, and after reading it, he immediately thought about it. My guess is the same as in this report. I also guessed that the dream of the psionic boy seems to be more than just a murderous ability and that it may be able to linger in reality for a long time. Not only that, but also the bigger question now is Did those monsters come from the dreams of the psionic boy? Didnt they? Little X was a little puzzled. The answer seemed obvious all this while, so she did not understand why Chen Chen asked this. Then, how do you explain the sulfur smell that only exists in the subspace? Chen Chen glanced at Little X. This is a presence that only exists in subspace. The last time I sensed this energy was when I was in Ares Science City. So, from where did this psionic boy bring in the subspace energy? Little X shook her head naively. Of course, she did not know either. Perhaps thats the case. I have a bold conjecture Chen Chens expression suddenly flashed, and he thought of a possibility. In a large industrial park in the suburbs of Washington, five tall stern-faced workers walked out from the place. These people are wearing dirty work clothes, but under the work clothes, black tight clothing could be faintly seen, and each of them was carrying a thick package. This was a task force team affiliated with Blacklight Biotechnology. How fast A teenager who seemed to be only seventeen or eighteen years old whistled in admiration, then looked at a tall figure ahead and laughed. Boss, this kind of teleportation is amazing. In the blink of an eye, weve crossed tens of thousands of kilometers. How great it would be to travel this way. Walter, stay vigilant and dont forget that were on a mission. The tall figure turned his head and stared at the young man, a little displeased, and then walked out toward the gate. When they walked out of the industrial park, there was already a temporary car waiting in front of the gate. After everyone got in the car, the car drove toward the foundation headquarters. Through the journey, they changed their cars twice, and changed into casual outfits, before they swaggered in front of the gate of the farm. As everyone stopped, several guards dressed as farmers came up to them. The leader of the team took out his ID. Team eight of task force one, Im the leader, Alex. You guys are quick. The farmer shot them an astonishing look. Just a second ago he had received an order that someone would be coming by today or tomorrow, and they had shown up. He took the other partys ID, then walked into the phone booth next to him, scanned it with a laser before he walked out and nodded. Let them go in. Then, the other farmers welcomed the five people into the farm. When the elevator doors opened, the five peoples expressions changed. Their psionic powers noticed a strong sulfur stench at almost the same moment the elevator door opened. Although it was the first time they smelled it, this energy seemed to harbor intense misfortune and malice. All five of them were somewhat disoriented. Welcome, soldiers of the task force. A pale man in a great white coat greeted them with an unpleasant smile on his face. Everyone, Im the temporary person in charge here. If you have any questions, you can ask me and Ill tell you everything I know. You say temporary, is that because youve just escaped from the hospital? The youth could not help but tease. The team leader glared at the boy again and then stretched out his hand and shook the other mans hand. Im Alex. Whats the situation with you guys now? As you see The pale-faced man smiled bitterly. He pointed to the corpses being transported by the side of the road. Most of the people in the headquarters suffered from the incident last night. We now need the equipment youve brought to solve the problem, otherwise, well completely abandon this place. Who is the enemy? Alex could not help asking, Is it safe here during the day? We dont know who the enemy is The man shook his head. Its currently known that the surveillance cameras and human eyes cannot see the creatures, which seem to be invisible and formless. Even a fully sealed prison cannot stop their movements. However, as stated in the information, its safe here during the day. All the deaths had happened in the evening, late night or early morning. Thats good. Everyone with Alex relaxed slightly. Then, lead us to the central location of the headquarters. Well activate the reality anchor, but we have a prerequisite requirement, that is, no one besides us is allowed within ten meters of the reality anchor. We understand that. The other party nodded and said gratefully, Do you need lunch before you start? No, lets start now. Alex waved his hand. Were only responsible for guarding the device. After its been turned on, your people will have to deal with the suppressed enemy. The two sides talked briefly and then Alex and his party were taken to the center of the headquarters. Seeing this, the five immediately unpacked the packages they had carried and took out pieces of equipment that had been disassembled into parts. Click Snap Clack, clack, clack The movements of the five people were well-practiced. It took just a few minutes before a reality anchor, half a meter thick and as tall as a person, was fully installed. In the next second, Alex lifted the instrument that weighed half a ton and stabbed it firmly into the ground! Hum! An invisible wave swept outward, instantly penetrated the wall, and enveloped the entire base! This was a small reality anchor. According to the specifications, reality anchors could be divided into four types: mini reality anchor, small reality anchor, as well as medium and large ones. The radius that they covered ranged from five kilometers to fifty kilometers. This small model now could blanket all psionic activities within a radius of ten kilometers, with an area of three hundred square kilometers. Moreover, even in Blacklight Biotechnology, reality anchors were also very rare. The most precious part of which was the zircon permeated with element 126. These zircons needed to be artificially synthesized and element 126 could even be named the worlds most precious material. One gram of element 126 could cost as much as tens of billions of USD in terms of manpower and material resources. Furthermore, one gram of element 126 could only create one medium reality anchor. As for the giant reality anchor that Chen Chen first acquired, at least tens of grams of element 126 was needed. At this time, as the fluctuations dispersed, all the psionicists located in the headquarters felt an inexplicable sense of stagnation. Even so, the pungent sulfur presence was also instantly dispelled! It works! As he sensed that the sulfur stench had dissipated, the person in charge was overjoyed at once. Chapter 623 - Crisis Outbreak Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation The moment the reality anchor was activated, all of the psionicists felt a muddying feeling but at the same time, the unpleasant scent of sulfur in the air dissipated as well. The refreshed air rejuvenated their spirits. With the activation of the reality anchor, the final special task force of the Northern American C special task force six began their operation as well. They thoroughly inspected each and every dormitory and laboratory. Half an hour later, all of the members of the special task force regrouped near the location of the reality anchor. Each one of them seemed perplexed by their findings or otherwise better referred to as lack of findings. Unable to identify any target The leader of the special task force reported to the person in charge, Weve thoroughly inspected every identifiable location in the base but were unable to discover anything peculiar. We couldnt find the octopus-like phantom monster that Detective Sean described either. There was a dark cloud on the faces of everyone present at the scene. Things were even more problematic than expected considering that even the reality anchor seemed to be ineffective Maybe those creatures fled when they saw us coming. Walter, who was the youngest of the group, mentioned half-heartedly. His tone implied that he was delighted with how things had turned out. Shut up! The leader Alex, on the other hand, did not seem pleased at all with how things had turned out and grunted angrily at this subordinate that caused him many headaches. Then, he turned to the others. Theres no telling if those things have truly left. Were not the only ones dispatched. There are two other teams dispatched with us and maybe they successfully accomplished their tasks. Apart from Alexs team, there were two other teams dispatched by Blacklight Biotechnology. One of these teams was dispatched to the secret base in the middle of a desert housing the boy psionicist. The other team was dispatched to Detroit. They were tasked with setting up a reality anchor nearby an orphanage and would be assisting the special task force to keep the situation in check. I hope so The complexion of the temporary person in charge turned blank white like a sheet of paper. The blood was drained from his face and he looked like a walking corpse. He did what he could to compose himself to prevent a mass panic then turned to his assistant. Deliver our latest status to the central. Task force six, continue the search! After another ten minutes of fruitless effort, they received more bad news C there were no signs of the monsters in neither the desert base where the boy psionicist was locked in nor in the orphanage located in Detroit. This meant that the worst scenario had come to light. the reality anchor was completely ineffective! In that case, well have to resort to plan B. Alex, who was watching over the reality anchor, approached the temporary person in charge and eyed him strangely before informing, We received orders from above that if the initial plan doesnt work out, then well stay here and keep the reality anchor operating. Lets see if these deaths continue occurring even when the reality anchor is active. Is that so? Thats great! The temporary person in charge heaved a sigh of relief upon hearing this. He instinctively swiped his hand across his forehead to wipe off sweat but the always sharp Alex noticed that there was not a single drop of sweat pooling on his forehead. After the crowd had dissolved and everyone went back to their business, Alex returned to his team, still deep in thought. Boss, did you notice the complexion of the temporary person in charge One of the members of Alexs team approached Alex and whispered to him, Hes as pale as a corpse. If he wasnt up and walking, Id probably think that hes a corpse. I have to say, the situation here is very unsettling. Alex agreed with a subtle nod. Ill make sure to report everything to the central. For now, lets just keep our eyes peeled and look out for any disturbance. Ugh When the task force arrived, Sean suddenly felt a suffocating feeling in his chest like he was surrounded by an intense, invisible force field. At this hour, he was still in the Northern America Headquarters of the foundation. Due to the vast amount of cases reported last night, he was instructed to remain here and assist with the investigation. My body Sean curled up like a worm inside the break room. The last time he had so much as a drop of water had to be at least four days ago. He gasped desperately and could feel every ounce of strength in his body slowly trickling away. It was as if there was a depthless, gaping hole inside his body draining away all his strength, leaving him breathless. After what seemed like hours, Sean finally felt slightly better. He took a long drag of air and staggered to the bathroom. His reflection in the mirror made him jump. The reflection in the mirror barely resembled himself. His cheeks caved inward and his complexion was deathly pale. He looked like a sick man who had been suffering from an eating disorder for years. His appearance was so haggard that even his entire aura had become unrecognizable. There must be something wrong with my body With things the way they were, something drastic must be happening to him as if his body was experiencing some kind of inexplicable metamorphosis. He was about to call someone, anyone for assistance, but some unknown presence deep inside his mind would not allow it. What seemed like a thundering voice inside him forbid him from reaching out for help. These contradicting emotions bubbled and boiled inside the pot that was his mind, filling him with confusion and terror. Were almost there, were almost there The strange verse suddenly rang inside his mind and faded out. Sean jumped immediately. He snapped his neck in all directions but could not find where this voice came from. Whos that? Whos talking to me? Come out! Quit lurking and get out of here now! Sean howled and screamed like a man who had lost his mind. The walls inside the tiny and cramped bathroom answered him with echoes of his hollow voice. Just as he felt like his mind was about to collapse into itself, his eye suddenly caught a view of the mirror. What he saw inside the mirror terrified him down to his core! The world inside the mirror had become indescribably dark as traces of faint-yellow mist patrolled the air all around him. The worst of all, he saw his figure standing idly inside the reflected world but it was not mirroring his actions. Who are you? Seans breathing quickened. He slowly inched toward the mirror and extended an arm forward to touch it. The moment his fingertips touched the mirror, the whiffs of yellow mist dispersed and the reflection returned to normal again. An illusion? Seans eyes turned into wide circles. He continued gazing into his reflection, which looked back at him with soulless eyes and suddenly grinned ear-to-ear. It was then when he felt something lurching out of his stomach. Sean looked at his stomach through the reflection in the mirror. He saw tentacles slowly prying themselves out of his stomach. Tentacles shaped like the legs of an octopus, their texture was dirty and pale. He could even see tiny but dense strands of hair lined along their surface First, there was one tentacle, then another, then another Ahh Seans slow whimper slowly turned into a gut-wrenching scream Tap, tap, tap It was midnight. Urgent sounds of footsteps tore through the tranquil night. Five guards assigned to night duty of watching over the reality anchor exchanged glances. Without a shared word between them, they put their hands to their weapons and prepared for the worst. Bang! The door was flung open hurriedly. It was a familiar face, except this persons face was horribly pale as he announced as loud as he could, It happened again! Even more deaths! What? Alexs expression sharpened with an alert. Who was it? Did you notice any hostiles? There are a lot of casualties. Even the person in charge is dead! The agitated messenger informed, Orders came from the central. They want us to evacuate the headquarters immediately and to bring the reality anchor with us! Alex knitted his brows into a frown when he heard this. Though he had some questions about this decision, it was his duty to carry out the orders of Blacklight Biotechnology. Hurry, we cant hang on much longer! The messenger noted the hesitation in Alexs eyes and quickly urged again. Get out of here now, you must protect the reality anchor! Alex clenched his teeth, turned to the others, and barked his orders decisively, Walter, Richard, shut off the reality anchor right now. Were going to transport the core component to the headquarters! They carried out their orders as soon as it was given. Within seconds, the reality anchor was properly deactivated and a fist-sized orange gemstone was extracted from one of its sockets. All five of them proceeded to sprint for the door. As they traveled across the corridor, they could hear the harsh blare of the alarm systems resounding across the compound, mixed with the loud rattle of weapons firing. Men dressed in large white coats ran with them, all of them flocking toward the exit. Now that the reality anchor was shut off, their psionic powers were slowly returning to them. With a swift motion, Alex pulled one of the panicking researchers to his side with his psionic power and shot a question at him, Whats going on, wheres task force six? Theyre in the backroom battling these unknown beings! The researcher uttered in between frantic sobs, Monsters There are monsters everywhere, you cant see their shapes with your eyes. There are so many dead that its impossible to count them all, please Please let me go! Having collected the information he needed, Alex let the researcher run into a nearby elevator. Boss, we Walter stepped forward. There was a tint of excitement on his juvenile expression. Dont even think about it. We have a mission to accomplish. Alex remarked sternly but he still turned to the direction where they heard the gunshots coming from and considered with a silent expression. In the end, he still maintained his stance. First things first, lets get out of here! With that, he continued sprinting for the exit just like all the researchers around them. The rest of them kept their heads down and followed. Within a few minutes, there was already a large crowd of researchers gathered around them. Alex kicked the final door in their path open and arrived at the main hall of the Blacklight Foundation Headquarters. There were hundreds of researchers gathered here by this point. They crowded around the only elevator that could get them out of this place, pushing each other out of the way for their only chance at survival. Walter. Alex studied the situation, his sharp eyes beamed with an icy glare. Open a path! The young man Walter could not have been any more delighted by the given order. He raised the pulse rifle and aimed it at the ceiling, then he clenched the trigger and swiped! In an instant, shards of concrete and building materials rained on the panicking crowd below them! Ahh! The gathered crowd below hugged their heads with their arms and tried to get away from the crumbling structure. As if the scene was not chaotic enough already, there was now another element of panic! Get out of the way if you dont want to die! Walter declared loudly. Then, he shoved a researcher who was in his way to the side as he continued stomping toward the elevator. The rest of the team followed Walters lead. Just like this, the five of them managed to brute-force their way to the elevator. By this point, the elevator was at full capacity with more than thirty people cramped inside it like a pack of sardines. The ones who were close to spilling out of the elevator tried desperately to shut the elevator door but it would not comply. Judging by the looks of it, nobody was about to make it out of here anytime soon Walter smirked devilishly then raised his rifle and pointed it at the group packed inside the elevator. Im asking politely now. Were not stepping out! The people inside protested. Let us go first, you guys wait your turn! Screw you! Walters gaze sharpened and prepared to fire a warning shot. Walter! Alex stopped him just in time. He extended his right palm and faced it toward the elevator. With a subtle motion, more than half of its occupants felt an invisible force gripping at them. It did not matter how much they tried to resist it, their bodies would not obey them and in an instant, all of them were flung out of the elevator! Ahh! There were many profanities thrown around at Alex and his subordinates. Regardless, the exiled occupants could not resist the invisible power of the psionicists! With that out of the way, all five of them charged into the elevator. The other researchers gathered outside the elevator tried to capitalize on this golden opportunity but their sneaky intentions were thwarted by the barrel of a rifle. You guys wait for the next turn! Walter mocked them before pressing hard on the elevator button, beckoning it to shut immediately. The ones gathered outside watched in despair as the elevator began its ascent to the surface! On the surface, an alloy dining table inside a farmhouse slowly opened from the middle, revealing a depthless pit underneath it. Moments later, brief glimpses of light graced the surface as a platform appeared from deep underground. Its occupants were a crew of terrified researchers and five fully suited, intimidating task force soldiers. Theyre here! Upon reaching the surface, they heard muffled shouts. The soldiers quickly raised their rifles cautiously. It was their fellow soldiers camouflaged as farmers greeting them by the entrance. The soldiers put their arms in the air to signal that they were not a threat. There are many casualties down there. Its far worse than the last time, call for backup! Alex called for the others to put their rifle out of the way and quickly addressed the surface soldiers, Wheres the transport? We need to get out of here immediately! The transport is One of the surface soldiers turned to look outside the farmhouse. Before he could finish his mention, the ground beneath their feet rumbled and interrupted his sentence. Alex was the first to sense the incoming danger. His cheeks turned horribly pale and he bellowed, Run! Without sparing a moment, they dashed out of the farmhouse! As soon as they emerged from the farmhouse, the entire land trembled beneath their feet! A deep, tremoring roar rumbled from deep underground! Rrr-! Chapter 624 - Subspace Visitor Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Rrr-! A deep roar came from the ground up. It was the groaning of what seemed like a biblical beast that threatened to rip the world apart. It was mixed with the jarring sound of the grinding of the earth underground! At the same time, they felt a faint earthquake below their feet as the houses and the mountains swayed from side to side. It seemed as if an enormous beast was about to unearth itself from the ground like a beetle! Run, run! Just run! Alex cried out repeatedly. He led the others as he fled out of the farmhouse and to the edges of the farm. They barely covered fifty meters of ground before they heard an explosive crash of something bursting out of the surface of the soil! Everyone turned back subconsciously and saw something that would haunt them for the rest of their lives! Crack The entire farm shook violently like an ancient Roman army announcing its presence, quaking the earth below their feet. Giant blocks of rubble were flung hundreds of meters into the sky above before crashing down with a tremendous thud! Humm Suddenly, a limb of a behemoth dyed bloody red emerged from the depthless pit and pierced into the sky above. It twisted and turned in the skies above like a dancing snake, then came a second, then a third! Something came up! Alex cried out, his voice filled with fright. While they continued their escape, they felt a rush of a strong and pungent scent. There was no mistaking it. This was the same sulphuric smell as the one in the Northern American Headquarters previously! Bang! Suddenly, an enormous limb pried past layers of soil and emerged just several meters away from the escaping groups position. Mere seconds after its abrupt appearance, it whipped itself at the group. Its primary target was Walter who just happened to be closest to it! Walter! Alexs heart almost paused. He raised an arm without any hesitation and fired a stream of psionic energy that brushed past Walter and collided into the hostile entity mid-air. Boom! Alex was petrified by what he felt the moment his attack landed. He sensed that the entity carried a distinct psionic presence as well. The psionic presence of this mysterious beast towered over him. His attack could only be described as a bugs pathetic attempt at stopping the advance of a raging bull! Bang! Walter barely had time to react before the gigantic limb tumbled from the sky above and crashed into him, turning him into a splatter of meat decorated with a fine mist of red! Walters blood splattered everywhere and painted the cheeks of his nearby comrades but not a single moment was spent mourning his death. They locked their eyes at what was in front of them and focused on escaping the attack range of these tentacle-like limbs. To their demise, more monstrous limbs emerged from the ground. Soon, there were ten, then twenty, then thirty Everywhere they looked, they saw the stark red, colossal tentacles! These tentacles came in varying sizes. The largest among them stood erect from the ground up and pierced several hundred meters into the sky above. It was several meters thick and looked like a dragon summoned from beneath the earth! In an instant, the farm region was turned into a blood-red jungle with countless bloodied tentacles posing as trees! Bang! Without caution, yet another tentacle emerged from the ground and cut off the groups path of escape. A desolate look appeared on Alexs face. He knew that the gap in strength between himself and this monster was astronomical. There was no way they could make it out of this alive. Swoosh! The tentacles that cornered the group and made them sitting ducks whipped downward at them. Alex closed his eyes and accepted his violent fate. However, death did not come for him even when he expected it. With his eyes shut, his ears were filled with a bizarre creaking sound. Soon after that, thick and freezing liquid dripped from above and crawled along the surface of his skin. Something was melting Wordless at how he was still alive, Alex slowly pried his eyelids open. He saw the towering tentacles whirling and squealing in pain. The surface of these tentacles looked like they were both burning and melting at the same time. The tentacles that could not retreat underground in time soon melted into a puddle of bright red liquid Who saved us? Alex looked around him in wonder. Soon, his sight landed on a figure that loomed over them in the night sky above! There was nothing that could describe the rush of emotion that flooded over Alex at this moment. Eyes widened, he looked at the mysterious savior whose glare resembled sharp diamonds hovering above them. The vicious glare of this mysterious savior seemed to carry an inexplicable power that melted the tentacles in the vicinity! Who is this? He must be an Alpha-level psionicist! Alex suddenly drew the connection. He was practically jumping for joy at this point, Its the commander! The commander is here to rescue us, were safe! The others followed Alexs line of sight and gazed at the figure above as well. The mysterious savior hovered over the cloudless night sky only illuminated by a moon-shaped arc. His arms elegantly folded behind his back. The world beneath his feet was a dreamlike spectacle. Countless tentacles twitched and squirmed for dear life. Their wailing deaths were marked with puddles of bright red liquid falling onto the ground. It came, at last. Chen Chen hovered over the farmland. His overpowering Field had enveloped the entire farmland in a split instant. From the moment he arrived, he could sense the scent of subspace energy that burst from the ground below like erupt volcanoes. So, he made his move. After all these years had passed, even Chen Chen himself did not know the complete measure of his powers. With just a simple glance, he was able to corrode all of the hostiles in the area! This was done using the extreme precision of his Field manipulation that allowed him to alter substances down the most minute cell component. With this power, he managed to instantly pulverize all of these hostile beings from a cell level, which was why the destruction resembled melting from a surface-level observation. This was the result of the cytoplasm of the cells imploding! Just as I thought, its the subspace presence Even after effortlessly eliminating the threat, Chen Chen kept his guard up. He looked beneath his feet and tried to sense the quality of this energy seeping out of the soil. The thick, musty scent of sulfur suggested that it came from the depths of the subspace! What are you guys waiting for? Chen Chen looked at the special task force members whose lives had just been pulled from the clutches of death. They snapped themselves awake from their daze and quickly ran off into the distance. After they ran far away enough, Chen Chen squinted at the ground and summoned a thunderous burst of energy! It was like a nuclear bomb detonated, except there were no sparks nor any indication of an explosion. Instead, it was only a wave of shockwaves fanning open. Even the surrounding air was repelled by the shockwave and spread to the borders of its rapid expansion! Within seconds, the shockwave tore through the ground at overwhelming speed and force until a gaping pit spanning tens of thousands of square meters was carved underneath Chen Chens feet! Thump, thump, thump! Only then could the chaotic tumbling of rocks and boulders crashing onto the soft ground below be heard. The entire scene seemed like a terrific landslide summoned by an earthquake! Enormous clouds of dust were kicked up, then immediately pulverized into nothingness by an invisible force. After the dust scattered, a large pit more than a hundred meters wide and up to fifty meters deep appeared! To Chen Chens surprise, what greeted him in this underground space was not an octopus-like cosmic creature he was expecting. Instead, it was an enormous cave shaped with woven twines of flesh and muscles! From where Chen Chen stood, he could see the structure that caved downward further into the ground. Shelled inside the cave structure were countless organs and clumps of flesh. The organs were still moving and squirmed as if they were still functional. All of the tentacle limbs encountered when he arrived at this place must have emerged from this cave section! Chen Chen could sense an ominous presence that tugged at his soul coming from somewhere deep within the cave. It must be the subspace! Chen Chen arrived at this conclusion immediately. Somehow, the Northern American Headquarters was transformed into a bridge connecting reality and the subspace! Upon Chen Chens discovery of the subspace, he felt a hostile presence rushing at him. Once again, he pried inside the cave with Field but quickly realized that his Field could not advance beyond the mouth of the cave. It was like crashing into an indestructible wall. It would appear that Field was unable to come in contact with the subspace, much less be used to destroy this channel between the two dimensions. This was not an unexpected discovery. This time, Chen Chen converted to using the psionic power that welled inside his body! Bang! The psionic power proved far more effective and successfully burst through the mouth of the cave and entered its passages. Meanwhile, the clumps of flesh and organ were instantly pulverized by the sudden force and burst into fine clouds of mists! Roar! Somewhere deep inside the subspace came an aggressive, angered roar. However, it was too late for any retaliation since Chen Chen had destroyed the passage. The tunnel leading to the subspace began closing in on itself rapidly! Within seconds, the subspace channel closed up completely. All that lingered were faint traces of sulphuric smell No, were not done yet Chen Chen shut his eyes and swept through the underground base with his psionic power. With his psionic power, he sensed the presence of several smaller octopus creatures. These creatures were without physical shape or form and could not otherwise be detected with psionic intervention. Upon discovering these lingering creatures, Chen Chen crushed them as effortlessly as one would squish an ant. Then, he extended his arm outward and summoned a black slate from the center of his palm! Zoom! Once again, an invisible force expanded outward in all directions, instantly purging whatever subspace presence that remained in this area, restoring it to a balanced state. After this was done, Chen Chen looked around pensively before taking his leave and traveling to Detroit at supersonic speed Half an hour later, Chen Chen spotted several psionicists wandering around the orphanage. On the outside, they seemed completely ordinary, except that their inside was completely corrupted with the subspaces energy. Chen Chen probed inside their bodies with his psionic concentration and discovered that their insides were absent of any internal organs. What took the place of their organs was a curled-up subspace octopus. Boom! In an instant, these psionicists imploded along with the intrusive monster using them as a host, both vanished without a trace from the world. With Chen Chens current psionic detection range, it took him another hour to perform a complete inspection on the citys inhabitants. He managed to discover several other psionicists with the subspace creature hiding inside them and took care of the issue appropriately. It would appear that there were some that managed to slip through the cracks in the city. It was almost day by the time he had finished taking care of all these unwelcome presences. The sun slowly inched across the horizon. Even after accomplishing this task, Chen Chens duties had not come to an end yet. Without taking a break in between, he headed for the desert next After the eventful night, Chen Chens final destination would be a secret base located in a desert in the Northern America Continent. It was the base where the psionicist child was housed. The boy who was the origin of everything that happened so far. However, while Chen Chen was on the way there, Little X delivered an update. Sir Godfather, that desert base has been destroyed. Little Xs voice was toneless. 01 delivered the bad news. He says that he lost contact with the base some time ago. It seems like the same thing that happened in the Northern American Headquarters mustve happened to the desert base as well. A channel to the subspace has been opened. Thats fine, Ill take care of it. There was hardly any notable expression on Chen Chens face. It was not sadness or anger. By this point, the deaths of hundreds of thousands were merely a statistic for Chen Chen. He did not see a reason to be sentimental over mere numbers when he was in charge of overseeing the progress of the human species as a whole. It seems like our speculations were wrong. Little X expressed, It would seem that the psionicist boys ability isnt to materialize monsters from the dream world but to establish a portal with the subspace. This possibility did occur to me back then, but I didnt have concrete evidence then either. Chen Chen remarked, Looks like Ive arrived just in time. Based on the intel weve gathered so far, we can conclude that the boy is a node for the subspace creatures to arrive into the real world, where they would then hide in the belly of existing psionicists. These things arent too problematic by themselves. The only trouble is that they cannot be detected without resorting to psionic powers. Chen Chen frowned. The real trouble lies with how they are able to harvest the organs of their victims and use it to expand their portal that links the subspace with the real world. This is how they transport larger and more monsters from the subspace to the real world. Based on Chen Chens findings, the psionic monsters were only found in the body of the psionicist. This suggested they survived by absorbing the psionic energy of the psionicist while ordinary people that could not produce psionic energy to sustain them were simply used as resources to establish the subspace channel. This explained the hundreds of deaths of common people overnight. Thats probably it. Little X replied, The first human being to be parasitized by these subspace octopuses should be the psionic detective called Sean. Even before his death, he was completely oblivious to the fact that his internal organs had been completely feasted by the monster. All that remained of him was his skin structure by that point. Whats haunting is that his mind was still somehow preserved through it all, which was why nobody immediately sensed anything peculiar. This is the primary threat these things posed, the way they can meld into human society without even the hosts themselves discovering. Chen Chen pondered. They tend to be active after midnight. Thats when they harvest human organs in mass so they can expand the dimension bridge and prepare for the large-scale invasion After forming this conclusion, Chen Chen arrived at his destination C the secret military base located in the middle of a desert. The base had already been razed to the ground by this point. Still, it was not difficult to spot the precise location of the base since a subspace passage that was much larger than the previous passage hovered over the destroyed base. Chen Chen arrived just in time to see a nightmarish monster shaped like a monster that was slowly crawling out of the passage. The Lovecraftian creature had to be at least several hundred meters long The moment it saw Chen Chen, it unleashed a deafening noise that sounded like its roar! The sand covering the desert was kicked up into the atmosphere as a strong sulphuric stench filled the air Chapter 625 - Subspace Calling Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation The skin of this octopus monster was painted with a coat of red like fresh blood. Judging by its shape and form, it was merely a far larger and mature version of the tiny octopus creatures Chen Chen had exterminated in Detroit! So, those little octopus monsters sucking organs out of their hosts are this guys offspring? Chen Chen looked at this monstrosity and wondered. The moment Chen Chen saw the octopus monster, his mind immediately went to another monster that he was very familiar with. Although this gigantic monster in front of him did not completely resemble the Consciousness Stealer, there were certain traits that the two creatures shared. Furthermore, there seemed to be some kind of internal connection between the two monsters Another thing that Chen Chen was not expecting was to identify a seemingly human-like emotion underneath this creatures brazen eyes. Immediately after that, he felt a strange emotion arising from the depths of his mind. Was this creature trying to communicate? Chen Chen was baffled by this impression. He silenced all the voices in his head and focused on this concealed voice. To his surprise, he managed to make out the message this creature was attempting to deliver to him, it was a question C Dependent of Alosorthoth, you dare oppose the Great Asmontis? Chen Chen knew that Alosorthoth was the name of the Consciousness Stealer. He discovered it previously in the Consciousness Battlefield. So, this octopus creature presumed that he was a dependent of the Consciousness Stealer? Chen Chen understood now. This body which he resided in now was his avatar in the end dimension. It was not so much as a body but more so an immense concentration of the psionic energy of countless inmates. This body had been slumbering for several decades since. This creature may have formed an albeit understandable assumption that he was a dependent of the Consciousness Stealer. Im not a dependent of Alosorthoth. Chen Chen mirrored the way this creature communicated with him and responded accordingly, This is the territory of humans. If you want to enter, youre going to have to offer something in exchange! Chen Chen planned to make use of this opportunity and extract some information or come to some sort of negotiation with this creature. Unfortunately, his plans had to be discarded almost immediately because this mere suggestion seemed to have enraged it! Roar! Its thunderous voice echoed across the desert and it started to lumber out of the passage furiously. Sensing its intentions, Chen Chen immediately flung out a large reality anchor and rooted it deep underground by propelling it underneath layers of sand using Field! Zoom! The air in the atmosphere changed and took on a strangely stagnant quality. The octopus monster immediately sensed the changes as well. It realized that its psionic energy was constrained within this space! Sensing this, thousands of large tentacles emerged from a section of its body and they lurched altogether at Chen Chen. There was hardly a room for escape amid the intricate webs of tentacles! You cant even defeat Alosorthoth, how do you expect to overpower me now that your psionic power has been nullified? Chen Chen glided with an almost nonchalant quality in the air above while the tentacles that drew close to him burst into clouds of red mist and their shattered pieces rained down below! Each time the tentacles were destroyed, they regrew within seconds. Their regenerative abilities made them seem indestructible! Chen Chen raised an eyebrow upon noting this. He proceeded to unleash a stronger burst of Field concentration from his body. This time, he went all out! Chen Chen had raised his Field to unprecedented levels by now, but the essence of Fields strength was not in its sheer volume but its concentration! Fields dangers lay in its ability to obliterate his enemies on a cellular level. The interwoven limbs shaped like tentacles sensed the incoming danger and trembled! It only took a second and like snow melting under summer weather, all of the tentacles which Chen Chens Field swept across immediately corroded. Both skin and muscle tore away immediately and melted into the void! Never shouldve come here! Chen Chen denounced the octopus monster that was still halfway through crawling out of the passage. At this moment, his concentration of Field held a resemblance to a furious, raging storm that bent and twisted the atmosphere at its will. It barged through all resistance and went for the creature! Boom, boom, boom, boom!!! Invisible shockwave explosions burst continuously in the skies above, like new stars forming in the vast expanse of the universe. It was like a calamity arriving, scorching and blinding beams of light filled Chen Chens vision and soon, everything in his path was vaporized! Rrr! A sharp wail was muffled by the frantic rounds of shockwave explosion. The growl of the beast grew weaker and when the final note of the explosion expired from the sky, there was no longer the wailing of the monster to be heard! Whoosh The sandstorm kicked up by the turbulent Field energy spread into every direction, with the torrent of Field energy at its center. By the time the sandstorm had cleared, the only thing that remained was the giant passage but the octopus monster was nowhere to be seen It had been vaporized. Now that the threat had been eliminated and its psionic presence could no longer be detected, Chen Chen breathed a sigh of relief. A faint buzz of electricity came from behind Chen Chen shortly after that. It was a fleet of combat drones announcing its appearance. These drones were equipped with variants of missile warheads, phosphorus bombs, incendiary bombs, nano bombs, and even nuclear bombs if the situation called for it. Chen Chen figured that if he could not take care of the threat, then he would resort to using man-made technology. With that said, these weapons were not going to be of much use if the opponent relied on psionic powers. The only man-made creation that could have any effect at all against it was the reality anchor. X, deactivate the reality anchor. The atmosphere became easier to breathe at the moment Chen Chen gave this order as the psionic limitation in his surroundings was lifted. The reality anchor did not only suppress psionic energy in its range but also the subspace passage as well. As soon as it was deactivated, traces of thick black mist poured from the deepest depths of the passage and seeped into reality. There are many more yet to be identified threats in the subspace. I suspect that the only reason the octopus monster is easy to manage is that its one of the weaker species in the subspace. Its only on par with the Consciousness Stealer at best. Chen Chen deduced, then suddenly turned into a frown as he looked into the deep end of the subspace passage. The passage that distorted space and time wove between the seams of reality and created a tunnel out of thin air. It looked like the entrance to the underworld, made entirely of flesh and blood on every inch of its walls. Chen Chen suddenly had an inexplicable sense that something was calling out to him at the end of the passage. The nature of this sensation was impossible to define. He felt like he was stepping on puddles of blood, like somebody or something was whispering into his ears, all while still being awake and wholly conscious. Try as it may, this mystical voice was unable to dominate Chen Chen, but it did breed a queer sense of familiarity in Chen Chen. Chen Chen seemed to be deep in thought at this moment. Countless speculations and theories boiled over in his mind. Suddenly, his expression changed and a firm determination shone in his eyes. He took a quick step forward and lunged into the passage! Sir Godfather! Chen Chens sudden action without even giving any warning frightened Little X. What are you doing? Im going to take a look. Chen Chen answered, his eyes still fixed at whatever was lurking inside the darkness, I can feel something inside it calling for me. But Dont worry, its not a trap. Plus, I can handle myself. Chen Chen interrupted Little X mid-sentence. In truth, even he could not understand what he was feeling but one thing he could make out for certain was that this thing calling for him meant no harm. Eventually, he decided to plunge right in. Chen Chen flew into the tunnel. Its inside was nearly a hundred meters wide and just like before, its walls were lined with nothing but clumps of flesh and internal organs. They produced an utterly disgusting smell that clung to his skin. Chen Chen did not let it bother him too much. He swept through the passage quickly and soon enough, he landed on solid ground. His feet felt the very real and physical quality of the ground coating around him. This is Upon setting foot in this place, Chen Chen immediately shut his eyes and raised his hand to his face. With a quick motion, his sharp fingers sliced across his eyes, but he did not yelp nor wince at the pain. Chen Chen had become blind. Losing his sight granted him a vision in this place. He could now see everything in this place. It was a large piece of land completely dyed in blood. However, there were very clear distinctions with the real world. To start, the sky was a mixture of dark yellow and the unmistakable tint of blood. There was no sun nor were there any clouds. Instead, strange-looking beings were floating about the sky. Their entire body structure was impossible to define. These substances swayed endlessly in the void above. Either they were a collection of dark shadows or the product of some sort of unknown phenomenon in this separate dimension where the laws of the universe did not make sense. They slowly loomed toward Chen Chen as if they were attracted to him, but the moment they touched his skin, they were immolated and turned into ashes and dust! Ashes and dust. Chen Chen looked at his body and realized that without his notice, his body had turned into a fire source. It would appear that the dense concentration of psionic energy in his body sparkled like a radiant torch in this place. His light illuminated the surroundings and was visible at least twenty or thirty kilometers away from his position. From a distance, his figure was like a miniature sun Furthermore, there were also countless flickering stars glowing and dimming periodically around Chen Chen. Upon closer inspection, he realized that they were not stars but beings that looked like fireflies, subspace fireflies. They flickered like a light switch constantly toggled on and off for no reason. Surrounded by countless odd observations and beings that functioned in mysterious manners, Chen Chen felt like he had descended into a fever dream without himself even realizing it. At a certain point, he could no longer make out whether he was wide awake or lumbering inside a dream. So, this is the subspace. Chen Chen muttered and looked around pensively. He could tell that this dimension did not subscribe to the laws of reality. The only thing that ruled in this place was chaos and disorder. Youre here While Chen Chen was still lost in thought, a voice from an unknown source carried into his mind. He instinctively raised his head, sharp with alert, but could not notice anything. Whos this? Chen Chen looked around himself and unleashed his psionic energy, causing his already radiant glow to turn several notches brighter. The moment he had done so, the burning rays of his presence spread across a ten-kilometer radius, immediately immolating all of the subspace beings in the vicinity. They shrieked horrifically before turning to ashes. Were nobody. The voice dragged on, its tone was heavy and ominous. We have no names, no gender, we dont exist Were merely the gathered particles in the subspace, absent of emotions or feelings. Were the subspace itself The voice continued to prattle on and on like it was addressing no one in particular. The accumulated emotions of all creatures in all the multiverses are combined here. Their joy, anger, sorrow, and hope give me enough sanity to preserve, but it also binds me to endless suffering Do you need me to put you out of your suffering? Chen Chen squinted when he said this. The psionic energy under his feet boiled and threatened to explode. The great concentration of his power burned the ground below him and shafts of embers appeared everywhere. Save your strength The voice mentioned with what could be a sigh, We dont exist and cannot be killed. If theres a way you can put us out of our misery, well take it, but you cannot do that. Why did you summon me here? Chen Chen brushed aside the sentiments this being was emitting and asked his question. Civilization Monolith! Another voice answered Chen Chen. It was a sharp screech, distinctly more emotive than the carrier of the previous voice. Only the Civilization Monolith in your hand that represents order can unchain us from this suffering! And who are you? Chen Chen asked, still frowning. Weve already introduced ourselves The screeching voice answered mischievously, Were the fusion of all the emotions in the multiverse, interwoven with time and space itself. Our periods of sanity are far and few in between. One second were conversing with you and the next we may lose our minds entirely. We need your help You mean this? Chen Chen presented the black slate from the center of his palms. The moment he revealed it, the surrounding subspace current scattered in every direction, immediately leaving a large, vacant spot around Chen Chen. It would seem that the Civilization Monolith repelled the substances in the subspace. Yes! Under the presence of the Civilization Monolith, the sharp screech had turned into almost a whimper, soft like the buzzing of a fly. However, the excitement in its voice was not impossible to discern. The Civilization Monolith is a manifestation of civilization that has ascended to its peak before it perished. Its a particle that contains the principle of civilization. Its the only thing that can liberate us! Dont believe them! Yet another voice interrupted the previous voice. The voice of this one was powerful and resounded in Chen Chens mind like the pangs of harsh steel when two swords collided. They are lying to you, they want to use you to awaken us from our eternal slumber. Once you do this, all of the material world will be plunged into an eternal war with itself! A third voice? Chen Chen could no longer hide the confusion in his tone when he heard yet another voice communicating with him in this subspace. Do you want to achieve godhood? The sharp, screeching voice spoke to Chen Chen again, Look around you, there are four continents in this vast void, they are the columns of reality. If youre willing, you can become lord over one of these continents. All you need to do is wipe out mankind and throw civilization into the endless fires of a raging war. With chaos and disorder, you can join us and become one of us, achieve godhood Dont listen to them, they are the manifestation of all the loathsome and wretched desires of the creatures in the material world. Youll fall into a depthless abyss and never regain yourself if you abide by them! The powerful voice urged Chen Chen. Dont believe it, dont trust it! Hahaha, youre afraid of him taking your place after he wipes out his kind, arent you? The sharp screech of a voice howled with laughter. Chen Chen listened to their exchange. None of the three voices managed to disturb his spirits in any form. Even after all this, the Civilization Monolith in his palm glowed with vibrant strength as it protected his sanity Chapter 626 - Refuse Binding Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation A developing civilization will stumble into the subspace, one way or another. The deepest voice among them spoke, making itself more pronounced over the other two bickering voices, The subspace is a mirror to the reality which is the existing civilization. It can reflect the thoughts, emotions, and spirit of the sentient creatures in civilization and as long as these beings exist, the subspace will never fade There are other ways to join us apart from bringing the destruction of mankind. You can take the path of fortune and joy, of persistence and fortitude All you need to do is to offer the Civilization Monolith Chen Chen listened to these whispers in his ears and remained unmoving. He silently looked at the black slate glowing in his palm that seemed to have invisible eyes looking back at him as well. What are you waiting for? Sensing Chen Chens disinterest, that voice started to carry an anxious quality as it persuaded again, The black slate doesnt do much for you, nothing more than a sentimental object. If you offer it up, you can become an immortal being in the subspace, a godlike entity. Isnt that what you want? You speak of God, what is God anyway? Chen Chen did not waver, his voice was now sharp with mockery. All my life, people have been telling me the same thing that God doesnt exist. And now youre trying to tell me that I can achieve godhood? A tint of contempt colored Chen Chens eyes. I dont know what kind of being you are. Perhaps you like playing God for your own fancy but the way I see it, youre just a pathetic bunch bound to this space. If you have to beg someone to liberate you, what makes you think that you can crown yourself as God? The way I see it, all of you are just sentient beings made possible by the emotions of the material world as you described it. You fear the power of the Civilization Monolith and you want to convince me to put on the same shackles as you lot and join you as a schizophrenic, delusional god bound to this space eternally, is that it? The voices fell silent upon hearing these pointed mockery flung by Chen Chen. Want to know something, human? The sharp screech could not hold itself back anymore as it spoke harshly, The subspace isnt only a mirror of the intelligent life forms of the universe, but it also has the ability to reflect the past and the future. Weve already seen your future! Even if you refuse us, it will only be a matter of time until one of the intelligent life forms in the vast universe unshackles us from this space When we find the fated tribe that would liberate us, wed never grant you a chance to lord over any of the cornerstone continents even if you beg for it. Youll be eternally trapped in a life full of suffering. Youll reach for death but it will not answer you! Your future, just like the fate of mankind, will be full of suffering. Youll be betrayed by the ones you trust most. All the courage, determination, and perseverance left in you They will all be voided by the subspace and crushed by us Id like to see you try. Chen Chen was completely unfazed as his lips formed an audacious smirk. Youre getting ahead of yourself. Id like to see how you plan to achieve any of these things you mentioned. When Chen Chen said this, the brilliant flames of his psionic presence erupted and overpowered the subspace. His willpower was fortified and became stronger than ever! The three whispers in his mind seemed to have finally understood that Chen Chens heart was impenetrable. Upon realizing that all their efforts were in vain, they finally dispersed into the unknown, restoring the previous calmness to the subspace. Chen Chen took one last look at his surroundings, then he turned and left. He departed from the same route he came in from, passing through the passage woven by lumps of flesh mixed with blood. When he emerged from the passage, it began to close in on itself at a rapid pace Only moments after his return to reality, the subspace passage had collapsed into itself and disappeared entirely. Just in time Chen Chens eyes which he cut open himself had completely regenerated. He slowly opened his eyes and saw the ocean of blue sky above him and breathed the air of the world that was so familiar to him. Then, he shot into the sky and flew until his figure vanished into the clouds The boy named George is dead. Before the sun had even risen the next day, Chen Chen sat at his desk in the Blacklight building in Eco Science City and went through stacks of files as thick as encyclopedias. Chen Chen had already gone through the majority of these files some time ago. Now, he was only reviewing them, hoping for the off chance that Little X may have missed some crucial detail that he could draw more information from. He was hoping for inspiration. Meanwhile, Little X seated in front of him reported to him like she always did in the past, The final subspace passage was built using Georges own body, which was why the giant monster managed to crawl through the passage and threaten to enter the real world. I suppose it cant be helped Chen Chen put down the stack of folders and looked Little X square in the eye. Simply put, this entire incident is an anomaly. Everything that happened was a sequence of events that originate from the psionicist Georges ability to connect subspaces with his dream manifestations and transport those octopus monsters to reality. Yes. Little X nodded. Those monsters establish their passage to their dimension by harvesting human organs. They hide in the insides of psionicists during the day to sustain themselves by draining their psionic powers and at night, theyll continue their task of harvesting organs to further expand their passage. Everything weve encountered stems from these beings. I have to admit, I wasnt expecting an anomaly like this to result in so much damage Chen Chen finally had enough of the stack of folders and leaned back on his chair. Im sure were all aware of the dangers of the subspace by this point, but the trouble it brings is far trickier than I ever expected. As much as I hate to admit it, I shouldve put more consideration into it before even beginning the psionicists project and before developing these subspace technologies. Its just like what you always said, that the advancement of science and technology is a double-edged sword. When pulling apart the vines in our path, well be pricked by it occasionally. Little X consoled Chen Chen. Hasnt this been the story of mankind from the beginning until now? As long as youre safe, the day will come when mankind will reach the peak of the universe and reign over all civilizations! I do hope so Chen Chen had very little to say. He discarded the folders for Little X to sort out. Let the Northern American government have these files. They suffered the greatest loss of them all and these detailed reports should at least serve as a bit of consolation. Little X nodded, took the folders, and left. Left by himself in his office, Chen Chen stared at the space in front of him and put his mind in a trance. Chen Chens current problems were resolved, but also not completely either. The threat of subspace still loomed over him like a mountain and the more he explored the dimension, the more threats he uncovered. These accumulated threats had reached a point where it had become very tricky for him to proceed. Very tricky. A dark cloud fogged over his eyes when he thought about it. The subspace navigation technology had opened broad highways for human civilization to expand, but it had set many pitfalls and dangers in its path as well. It would take tens of thousands of years to fully address these problems One minor slip up and mankind may find itself caught in a disastrous situation which it may never recover from. Professor Wang Xi, did you foresee any of this when you left the dimension key for me? Chen Chen slowly opened his left palm and a USB drive shining radiantly rested in the center of his palms. If humans were to avoid dealing with the subspace, the only alternative was to abandon space colonization entirely and take another approach, which was parallel universe expansion. However, a parallel universe may prove to be even more problematic than subspace navigation so he found himself caught in a dilemma. Then, he turned and looked out the window. He saw a lonely, dark cloud slowly approaching the city, bringing with it a storm that would envelop the entire city Kaboom! A terrific thunder tore across the sky above the Eco Science City, jolting numerous of its inhabitants awake. At this hour, somewhere inside an international university in the Eco Science City was a dormitory room with its walls plastered with posters of female characters from various anime. A young man snapped awake on his bed. Woah! The young man jumped from his luxuriously designed, soft bed. He looked at his empty room with sweat pooling on his forehead Huff, huff Where am I? The young man gasped for air for some time before he calmed himself down. He looked around him fearfully. This was a strange room he found himself in. Four slender and transparent pillars could be seen installed in all four corners of the room. Their luminescent surface made them look like large columns of crystals. Posters were splattered across the wall. There was hardly a single spot that was left blank. The display on the wall in front of him drew most of his attention. It was a cabinet decorated with countless limited edition figurines. Any one of these could probably be auctioned online where a group of rabid fanbase would fight over them Wait, didnt I die? The young man looked at his unfamiliar surroundings, countless past memories suddenly raced past his mind. A tinge of horror suddenly appeared on his face and his head began throbbing with pain! Ahh! The young man put his hands to his head and screamed in pain. Countless different memories stacked on top of one another in his mind and it felt like his head was about to explode! Master! Moments after he cried out, the vitals detector installed in the room immediately emitted a piercing alarm. At the same time, a gentle-looking female Android dressed in a maid costume barged through the entrance and pushed the young man on the bed. Then, a beam of light appeared from the Androids eyes which was promptly used to scan his body thoroughly! Vital signs: normal. Blood pressure slightly above average, no abnormalities with the blood lipids. Performing brain scan No visible brain disease or infection. Performing body scan No abnormal signals detected. After the brief inspection, the Android rose on its feet and heaved a sigh of relief the way a regular human would. Meanwhile, the young man who was suddenly thrown back into the bed seemed to calm down as well and stopped screaming. Master, do you feel uncomfortable? Do you need me to arrange an appointment with a specialist? The maid Android asked. No, its alright The young man shook his head and turned down the offer, then he shushed the Android out of the room. Get, get out! Stop bothering me! Yes, Master. The maid Android bowed obediently, then left the room at once, making sure to close the door as it left. After the Android had left and the young man was alone, the pure astonishment and horror the young man felt rose to the surface and became clear in his expression. He looked at his trembling hands, then at the decorations of the room. His body grew so hot that even the glasses he wore began to fog up from his breath. I, I was reincarnated! Im eighteen years old again! The young man fumbled out of the bed and tried to arrange the disarrayed memory swimming in his mind. A cold glare appeared in his eyes. This, this dimension is on a different timeline from the world which I came from This world hasnt been destroyed by the Consciousness Stealer and Its Its because that man defeated the Consciousness Stealer and saved mankind from complete destruction. Heh, thats pretty impressive when you think about it, defeating the Consciousness Stealer. When the young man remembered that person, that detestable figure, his eyes shone with hatred and his body started to tremble. The pure boiling hatred inside him made the previous agitation and fear he was feeling seem like a false memory at this point. Wouldnt you know, something has given me a golden opportunity for revenge! Just you wait, this time, Ill kill you with my own hands and take away everything you hold dear! The young mans expression turned wretched when he made this proclamation. Then, he searched the room and found and put on some plain clothes made with very expensive fabric before stepping into the corridor. The young man was startled the moment he stepped out of the corridor because right by the entrance were three young men who looked about the same age as himself. They seemed very concerned when they saw him. One of them stepped forward and placed a hand on his forehead, Zeyu, how are you feeling? The Android maid told us that youre sick, is that true? No, its just a nightmare. The young man shrugged and pushed off the hand on his forehead. Then, he looked back at them coldly. DuPont, Edward, Herbert, I want you guys to keep this a secret. I dont want to cause my mom and dad any unnecessary worry, got it? Alright! Got it. If you say so. Met with Zeyus piercing glare, they could only keep their heads down and promise to keep it a secret. With that, Zeyu took his eyes away from them and left the dormitory by himself. Whats up with Zeyu today? After Zeyu left, one of them mentioned, He wasnt like this before. Also, Ive only ever seen such a sharp glare from my grandfather Probably some family problems, as usual. Im sure you also know that he has some feud with his brother Another one of them stared thoughtfully at Zeyus departing figure and commented. Anyway, this has nothing to do with us, lets just mind our own business. The tallest among them remarked, Didnt our family go through all the hassle of sending us here so that we can stop depending on the Chen family for everything? Dont bring shame to your familys name alright They left the matter aside. These three young men were the heirs of several great plutocrats in the Earth Federation. If any of them showed up in public, it was sure to cause a large commotion and draw the attention of people all around them due to their immense reputation. Despite that, they had to tread very carefully around Zeyu because he came from a family that somehow even eclipsed the family of these plutocrat bloodlines The full name of Zeyu was Chen Zeyu. He was the second child of Chen Chens parents. Chapter 627 - Chen Chen, Where’s Your Humanity? Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation After leaving the school, Chen Zeyu slowly traveled down the wide road. There was a lingering concern in his eyes that he just could not wipe off when he saw the streets filled with traffic. Everywhere he looked, he saw skyscrapers, winding tunnels, and highways all paved with transparent tiles that made him feel like he was living in a sci-fi movie. The surrounding buildings were all speckless and from time to time, maglev trains would roar past the tracks that seemed to connect to every part of the city, from one edge to another. Based on the memory of this body, it should be the year 2043 which means I should be eighteen years old. I must say that I wasnt expecting Blacklight Biotechnology to develop to such levels Chen Zeyu had the memories from both lifetimes combined in one body. The memory of his other life was drastically different from the current life he led. He remembered growing up in an era marked by destruction and chaos. In that life, that person had disappeared and left the people of that world to ruin, trapped in a losing battle with the Consciousness Stealer. In that life, he managed to take advantage of the artificial intelligence left by that person to gain control over Blacklight Biotechnology. Countless people tried to assassinate him so they could seize control of Blacklight Biotechnology, but he was resilient and managed to outlast all of their wretched plots in his life. When he turned eighteen years old, the AI decided that he was finally worthy, and handed over everything that was left of Blacklight Biotechnology to him. As a result, a united resistance army powerful enough to put up a respectable fight against the Holy Fusion Empire was born. With that, he stood at the peak of the world like an emperor of ancient times. He held endless power and was blessed with a limitless lifespan. At that time, he was very confident in his abilities and was deeply convinced that he was powerful enough to take back everything from the Consciousness Stealer. However, after several rounds of battle with the enemy, reality served him a wake-up call and stripped away his hope. The difference between his empire and the enemy was too drastic. The difference in the size of the army, resources, and the threat of enemy psionicists drove him to a corner. To make matters worse, the Consciousness Stealer was the master behind the Holy Fusion Empire and it could destroy the world if it wanted to. With all the odds stacked against him, he crumbled. He gave up on the idea of unifying the world and reshaping human civilization. Days and nights were spent indulging in pleasures such as alcohol and women. The management of the city and the ongoing war with the Holy Fusion Empire were left entirely in the hands of the AI since the AI could do a better job than he ever could in that state. In the blink of an eye, he had wasted four centuries away. Originally, he thought that he could continue wasting away like that for all of eternity. However, the story of his memory ended abruptly on the final day of that four centuries. On that fateful night, the b*stard that had disappeared for four centuries suddenly made an appearance. That person reappeared just as abruptly as when he disappeared. Chen Zeyu was admittedly horrified when he received news of that persons return because he knew that person was going to reclaim everything that was once his. Chen Zeyu who had held onto and abused his position for the last four centuries was unwilling to bid farewell to his privileges because he was fearful of what would happen to him after. No matter what, he was not going to let anyone take away what he had! Therefore, he decided to rebel. After all, the enemy was only one person against his gigantic army. Needless to say, things ended disastrously for Chen Zeyu. The deceitful AI that had been serving him for four centuries betrayed him without any hesitation when it mattered most. Without barely any resistance, the entirety of Blacklight Biotechnology was yielded to that persons hands. Chen Zeyus final memory was of himself waiting for his death sentence on the platform, death by hanging. He still remembered how he felt when he stood on the platform, with a rope around his neck. All the hatred in his mind turned into strength, so much strength that he was hardly afraid of death. He spent every instant of the final seconds channeling his anger into spit as he cursed that person with every ounce of his being. That was the last of his memories in that separate life. Those four centuries he had led in the other world. Standing in the middle of the city, the cumulative memory of those four centuries rushed over him and flooded over the eighteen years of memories in this body, this shell. He faced this world like it was a fever dream. Nothing in this world felt welcoming to him because his memory was still fixed at the moment of his execution. This world where he stood now was not one destroyed by the Consciousness Stealer. Taking a sharp contrast from that cursed world, this world sang a song of prosperity and peace for all of mankind! Surprise, surprise, Brother. Im back Chen Zeyu mumbled to himself while he tried to conceal the murderous look in his eyes. He decided that since his empire was overturned by that person in his past life, the story shall be relived the other way round in this world. Just you wait, Ill bide my time in this world. If not a year, then a decade. And if not a decade, then a century. When I have everything I need to take your throne, then Ill make sure you experience all the pain and suffering I had to endure Hm? Hold on, what do you want from me? While Chen Zeyu was drafting his grand scheme for the next decades or centuries to come, a black car with tinted windows suddenly screeched to a stop in front of him. Immediately after that, four gentlemen wearing suits and sunglasses stepped out of the car and approached him. Before he could put up any resistance, two of them had grabbed Zeyu by his arms and pressed them hard behind his back. Without a word exchanged between them, he was shoved into the car. The car departed the scene immediately after. What are you guys doing, are you crazy? Do you have any idea who I am? The moment Chen Zeyu uttered this sentence, he realized that anything he said now would not have any effect. Now that he had time to take a closer look at these suspicious individuals, he realized that he knew them. They were the secret Black Knights of Blacklight Biotechnology. These mindless zombies did not even have a conscience and all they knew to do was to follow the orders given by the mastermind AI. He was familiar with them in his past life, the life he led for four centuries. Since there was no way for him to escape this current predicament, he began strategizing what he should do now. Wait, maybe this isnt what I think it is Cold sweat pooled on his forehead without his noticing. Trapped in this situation with no way out, his mind began to race. Calm down, calm down! Ive already died once so how could I let something minor like this faze me? Maybe it doesnt have anything to do with me. Maybe the original Chen Zeyu caused some trouble and is just going to be reprimanded? Chen Zeyu rummaged through his mind for a reasonable explanation for what whoever was in charge could want with him. What in the world did he do? Why were the Black Knights here? Chen Zeyu was brought to the Blacklight Central Building in this state of unrest. They passed through the long winding corridors and entered an elevator without stopping anywhere. Then, they headed for the top floor. The doors of the elevator opened with a sharp beep and Chen Zeyu was greeted with the sight of an empty office. The office looked more like a conference room, probably because it was so large since it was an entire floor of the building with all the walls torn down to be purposed as a gigantic office. The floors were surrounded by floor-to-ceiling windows and Chen Zeyu immediately noticed a man seated on a chair directly on the opposite end of the room. The man on the chair was gazing at the bustling city several hundred meters below. Sir Godfather, your brother is here. An elegant, well-dressed lady suddenly approached from Chen Zeyus side. She announced to the man on the opposite end of the room before turning to look at Chen Zeyu, seemingly sizing her up with several glances. She formed a smile with her eyes and greeted politely, Hello little Zeyu, its been a while hasnt it? Who are You? Zeyu knew that it was Little X and was about to address her as Little X but quickly stopped himself from doing so. He remembered that this person whom he now resided in had never met Little X before. He could not expose himself carelessly. The surrounding Black Knights had let go of him by this point. Meanwhile, the figure on the opposite end of the room turned to face the new visitor. Chen Zeyu immediately recognized the man. Chen Zeyus eyes turned into two tiny circles in the middle of sheets of pale irises. The person in front of him looked just like he would four centuries from now in this current timeline. How could the same person possibly not age a single day when he appeared in his past life set in the future Calm down, Chen Zeyu. He wont know what will happen four centuries from now nor will he know that youve traveled from four centuries in the future! Chen Zeyu tried to compose himself. He swallowed hard and mustered a hardly convincing smile. Brother? Zeyu. Chen Chen craned his neck to one side and eyed this young man with a scrutinizing look. It would seem that the Chen family genetics was quite strong. When he looked at this little brother of his, it felt like he was winding back the clock and looking at himself from more than twenty years ago. There was certainly a noticeable similarity in both their facial structures. A well-toned body structure and well-defined facial features. Though it would be too generous to describe him as having a model appearance, he was more than pleasant to look at as is. Brother, is there anything you need from me? Chen Zeyu enquired again, his voice still quivered slightly. Theres something Ive been wondering for some time. Chen Chen spoke in a low voice, When you were a kid, youd always cry when you see me. I always thought its because I was too intimidating for you but now I realized that wasnt the case. Brother, what are you talking about? I dont get it. Chen Zeyu looked away from Chen Chens pointed gaze, his lips twitched. Do Mom and Dad know that Im here? I havent seen them in a while so maybe I can visit them Why would you head back? Its not the weekend. Chen Chen frowned. Plus, youre not a child anymore. Youre more than four hundred years old. Its about time you stop clinging to your parents and live independently. Hmm Hmm? Chen Zeyu shuddered the moment he heard this. He jerked up and looked at Chen Chen. Brother, what do you mean four hundred years old? I-Im just eighteen years old! Chen Chen could not hold back a soft smile anymore when he heard this. He turned to Little X, who in turn glanced at Chen Zeyu with a look of empathy. Im sure you know about the God chip? God chip? Chen Zeyu turned pale when Little X mentioned the God chip. Hold on, when did you insert the God chip in me? When did this happen? A long, long time ago. Little X replied, Before you were a teenager, weve already implanted the second generation God chip inside your brain using the teleporter. D*mn it Chen Zeyus face turned sickly white. He was aware of the second generation God chip. It was a modified version of the first generation God chip. The improvement of the second generation God chip was that it was implanted in the cortex of the hosts brain instead. In addition to its ability to locate and manipulate the hosts body remotely, it was capable of something far more sophisticated Deciphering the consciousness of the host! The modified second generation God chip could directly collect the hosts nerve signal and translate it into a common language, essentially being used to read the hosts minds. This meant that the moment he entered this body, Little X was already notified of it! Chen Zeyu was struck with despair when he thought of this. He decided that there was no use beating around the bush anymore and roared menacingly, You monster, you even implanted the God chip in your brother! Chen Chen, wheres your humanity? Usually, I wouldnt be bothered with digging into your mind to see what youre thinking. Chen Chen shrugged innocently. But Ive learned my lesson since youve betrayed my trust once. Under these circumstances, wouldnt you say that its reasonable for me to be cautious and take the initiative? What, what are you saying Chen Zeyus heart hit against his chest violently. Any moment now his heart was lunged out of his chest and dropped onto the cold hard tile. It occurred to him what Chen Chen was implying, but he thought it was a ridiculous idea Consciousness Stealer, Joint Resistance Army, Holy Fusion Empire Chen Chen raised several fingers and listed one by one. Ive been to the world you came from as well. I was the one who called for your execution Chen Zeyus entire body trembled involuntarily when he heard such a claim from Chen Chen. He felt a wave of chill penetrate deep into his bones that made him stumble several paces backward while shaking his head in disbelief. Thats impossible, thats impossible Youre lying! Only after taking several steps backward, he bumped into the Black Knights who immediately pressed him to the ground and held him in place. Send him down. Chen Chen gestured for the Black Knights to take Chen Zeyu who was on the brink of mental collapse away. After Chen Zeyu was taken away, he continued staring at the elevator with a profound expression. This happened almost immediately after you refused the request of those primordial voices in the subspace, the timing is uncanny Little X remarked suspiciously, You cant convince me that these two events arent interconnected. At least this confirms one of my suspicions. Chen Chen answered, We now know that the Consciousness Stealer is also interconnected with the subspace. I didnt expect it to pull off something like this. I wonder if this is the work of the subspace. Could you sense any subspace presence on him? Little X asked. No, but whats curious is that I do sense a psionic presence in him. Chen Chen smirked. Psionic? Little X was enthused by the idea. People with natural psionic energy sources were like a gold mine waiting for Chen Chen to get their hands on them so further research could be performed on them. There was always something that could be taken from such individuals. A small part of Little X even felt bad for Chen Zeyu. It would appear that he was going to be thrown into the Spire laboratory and be treated as a live experiment subject for some time. First things first, well need to create a clone. Chen Chen announced suddenly, I wouldnt want my parents to think that their darling children were at each others throats. Lets create a clone to replace him. Leave it to me. Little X stated, Ill only need three months to develop a fully matured clone using a T-virus infected embryo. Over these three months, I can observe Chen Zeyus behavior and replicate them in the clone. Your parents wont be able to tell the difference. Just like that, the fate of Chen Zeyu was decided Chapter 628 - Divorce Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Chen Chens parents barely noticed Chen Zeyus absence. On his eighteenth birthday, Chen Zeyu moved out of his family home and went to the Blackwatch University, a private university managed by the Eco Science City to further his studies. The university was an international institution funded by Blacklight Biotechnology to train the elite talents in the scientific world. Due to Eco Science Citys global standing, placement in the university came with certain political and financial advantages for the families of the students as well. In addition to the prodigies that had enrolled in the institution, children of plutocrats and other distinguished families of high political status also enrolled in this university. The student demographic was a collection of the elite members of society, the one percent of the one percent. In a way, this was a central hub for elite members from all over the world to form connections with each other that would otherwise not be possible if they were anywhere else. Due to the structure and operational logistics of the university, Chen Zeyu usually went home only once a month. Sometimes, he would be absent for several months in a row when the curriculum demanded more of him. Chen Zeyu only spoke with his parents through a video call perhaps once every two weeks. Little X had no trouble fabricating deep-fake footage of Chen Zeyu so his parents would not sense anything off. Furthermore, Chen Chen called for a summer camp during the semester break which would send the universitys students to other prestigious universities around the world for networking. This way, they had a convincing story for Chen Zeyus absence. After three months, Chen Zeyus clone would be born and join the world of the living where he would live an ordinary life in the university. The plan was set, until a sudden disturbance threw a wrench in Chen Chens plans. He had been expecting this for some time but the reality of the news still struck him in a certain way. Chen Chens parents had filed for divorce Their marriage had lasted more than four decades, but at last, they decided to go their separate ways and bring an end to the decades-long marriage. Upon receiving the news, Chen Chen suspended his usual Field and psionic training and bound straight for his familys villa in Eco Science City. Just as his father prepared to leave with bags of luggage in tow, Chen Chen arrived at the villa and stood in his fathers path. Standing next to his father was another woman. The mistress was a petite and gentle Chinese girl. She looked to be at least fifteen years younger than Chen Chen. Everyone in the Chen family was familiar with the mistress. She was the nanny of the family. After graduating from university, she enrolled in a program and managed to stand out among thousands of candidates and earned the prestigious position of nannying for the Chen family. In a strange twist of events, she developed a scandalous relationship with Chen Chens father over her first few years of tenure in the Chen family. At first, they made sure to keep it a secret from Chen Chens mother, but the walls had eyes and ears. It was only a matter of time until Chen Chens mother realized what was happening, and things took on a natural progression from thereon until it arrived at what it was today. Chen Chens father was startled by the appearance of his son. He stood quite awkwardly by the doorway while his beloved mistress made a poor attempt of retreating in his shadows while silently muttering, Master Chen Chen Chen paid no mind to her and only silently looked at his father. Unfortunate memories of their past cycled through his mind. The nostalgic scenes of their family of three sheltered in his childhood home used to be his primary motivation for working so hard to achieve immortality for mankind. There was a sour taste in Chen Chens mouth as his motivations crumbled The pair of father and son looked at each other for a very long time until Chen Chen finally averted his gaze. Not a word was exchanged between them, then Chen Chen slid past his father and entered his house, shutting the door behind him. Little, Little Chen Chen Chens father tried to stop him and reach for his shoulders but stopped mid-motion. Seeing that his son refused to acknowledge him, he sighed and turned to the unnerved mistress and held her hand firmly. He darted one last look at the house before he entered the car and drove away. Unbeknownst to them, Chen Chen was standing by the window and looking at them with a heartless look in his eyes. Little Chen, youre back? The other nanny informed Chen Chens mother of her sons return. She greeted Chen Chen with a kind smile and tender look in her eyes, You saw them? Are you alright, Mom? Chen Chen approached and returned with a similarly tender smile. Dont worry, I saw it coming a mile away. Chen Chens mother shook her head disinterestedly, then she returned her focus to her son, dragging him to a nearby couch. Little Chen, dont blame your father for how things turned out. Its all inevitable. Is it inevitable? Chen Chen sighed with his eyes shut. Im already over it at this point. Chen Chens mother tried to console her eldest son. I treasure you and your brother more than anything else in the world. Now that youre a grown-up, Im sure you realize that there are some things in the world that you just have to let go and let be. The world has changed drastically over the past few decades and most people havent managed to adapt to it. One way or another, the world will continue shifting and the ones who cannot adjust will be left in the dust. You can think of marriage in a similar vein as well. If you cant adapt, then its time to let go. Chen Chen stayed silent. The changing world has affected me and your fathers marriage as well. Now that the effects of aging have been minimalized, the concept of staying with one person and until death do we part is slowly phasing out. Things are different now. Over the past few decades, Ive seen how much work youve put into succeeding your vision. Youve done more than anyone ever could. In this time, your father and I have done our best to adapt to the changing of the times and this is the decision weve both agreed to. Chen Chens mother gently caressed his hair as she said this, her eyes shone with affection. Im so proud of you Little Chen. You founded Blacklight Biotechnology and changed the world. Youve done more than enough Chen Chen nodded silently. For the first time in what seemed like forever, Chen Chen ate dinner with his mother at home. He left after dinner and his mother did not seem too unsettled by his sudden departure. It was just as she said, that she had to adapt to the changing times and learn to become independent. There was no such thing as being bound to someone eternally. Perhaps one of these days, Chen Chens mother would find a new companion? There was no way of telling what would happen in the future. After bidding farewell to his mother, Chen Chen strolled along the moonlit street and looked at the artificial dome overhead. He looked at the flashes of advertisements and announcements playing on holographic displays and suddenly asked, X, wheres my father? Hes taken a private flight and left Eco Science City. Little X informed, Based on his conversation with Chen Zeyu, it seems that hes planning to return to the Central Continent where he has already purchased a villa. It looks like hes starting a business there. Chen Chen scoffed at this mention and left it at that. Then, he silently toured the city and observed the bustling nightlife in the city. It was then when he realized that ever since the establishment of the Eco Science City, he had never taken the time to explore the city. From his view, it did not matter how many stories there were to be told in this city. It was merely a tool for generating revenue and a cover-up for his secret labyrinth base underneath. The nightlife in Eco Science City was vibrant and energetic. The streets threatened to outshine the moon above. Bars and nightclubs operated on every corner of the street, opening their doors to young men and women who could not wait to indulge and lose themselves in the pleasures of life. They walked in large groups, most of them dressed in skirts too short and clothes too small. The arrival of midnight was merely the break of the dawn for them. There was no reckless, drunk driving to worry about since all vehicles had been replaced with automated vehicles. Every now and then, there would be someone storming the streets with traditional, manually operated cars, which the authorities would make sure to keep their eyes on. The crime rate in the city was nearly non-existent. Though it was an international metropolis with close to ten million inhabitants, reports of robberies or thefts only came around once or twice each month, and cases of murders were even more isolated. More often than not, the urban central system would detect murderous intentions before the person in question had time to carry out the crime. The data analysis algorithm predicted everything down to the most minute detail. The urban central system was overseen by a clone of Little X, ranging from a court trial to issuing simple parking violations. Everything was handled electronically and derived from the collected data. Most cases were resolved in a matter of hours. The entirety of Eco Science City was at the peak of a Utopian, data, and artificial intelligence era, once only believed to exist in novels and comics. Everything was progressing exactly as Chen Chen planned it. Chen Chen had once detailed a four-phase plan and the first phase which was the VR era had been succeeded more than a decade ago. The usage of VR could be seen everywhere in the city and even in other cities in the Earth Federation. Blacklight Biotechnologys VR equipment dominated most households in this modern age. The second phase which was the era of artificial intelligence was a natural progression from there on, when Androids began populating the global market. Although Androids were still seen as a luxury in certain regions, on average, at least one in every three households owned an Android. The universalization rate exceeded that of personal cars and computers. The third phase C the Skynet era was brought to reality in Eco Science City and the Mars Ares Science City. The essence of this era was a structure of absolute equality in society. Chen Chens next step from here on was to implement the Skynet eras urban central system in other cities of the world. The final phase was to achieve an era of true virtual reality. The virtual world would serve as a stepping stone to further narrow the gap between the rich and the poor and in turn minimize social unrest. This again stressed the importance of equality in society. By doing this, mankind would be truly united for the first time in history. There would be minimal waste of resources. The future generations would have everything set up for them to excel and humans would continue to tread to greater heights! Chen Chen beheld the prosperous city that he had created with all these visions floating through his mind, his head felt clear and lucid. The reason Eco Science City could become the most prosperous city in the world to date was entirely attributed to its unique characteristics. Eco Science city was the center of large varieties of unique health and lifespan-extension facilities. It was also an independent nation unassociated with the Earth Federation to boot. It was a favored destination of the rich and homed more than ten percent of the richest individuals in the world. The rich recognized the potential of the city and were more than generous with the investments they poured unendingly into the citys infrastructure and market. After years of expansion, the city even encompassed the original Walvis Bay. What was once a local harbor city had become an international port tied to Eco Science City, and there was more expansion underway To achieve the true virtual reality era, we first need to succeed the second and third era envisioned. We need to replace the labor force with artificial intelligence to optimize efficiency and raise production exponentially. The standards of social welfare have to improve gradually as well to allow a natural transition to the next phase. Chen Chen approached a vending machine and bought himself a bottle of Sprite and then said, Its time to push the Skynet urban central system to other countries. This can be used to ease the burden of arranging and managing tedious and trivial matters in nations and eliminate the human bias factor in the dictating of law. This is a crucial step in the progression of society. Youd consider yourself lucky to pull this off within the next century. Little X scowled. How many nations are going to yield their position of power? Were going to have to wait for a global social structure revolution. I never said we need to pull it off immediately. Chen Chen remarked, This transition takes time. We can be the one to take the lead and be a living testament for the superiority of the Skynet urban central system. Soon enough, other nations will take notice and follow suit. Also, Skynet oversees lower and middle-level management without threatening the upper-level bureaucracy of nations. It will only be a matter of time before the others come around and implement it. Understood, who do you plan to assign to this task? Little X asked. Well leave it to Qian Wenhuan, Xia Yin, and Liu Zhijian, the usual roster in charge of overseeing the other continents. Chen Chen stated, It has been more than two decades since the founding of Blacklight Biotechnology and they have proved their worth over the years. Meanwhile, this can also be an assessment for the others in the upper management. We can filter out all of those who are incapable of achieving our vision and replace them with more capable hands. Understood! Little X affirmed, then added. The research team has provided some feedback regarding your brother Chen Zeyu. It seems like he possesses a unique psionic gene that allows him to transmit information across dimensions. Whats the efficiency of this transmission like? Chen Chen seemed enchanted by this discovery. Its very fast, almost exceeding the speed of light. Theres essentially no delay. Little X continued. Were still studying it with our current quantum communication technology. If it works out, well develop the technology to transmit information intergalactically without delay. However, Im not sure if we can replicate its dimensional transmission aspect. Dimensional transmission? Chen Chen took a deep breath to contain himself momentarily as a group of teenagers cheered to a toast nearby. That explains why Chen Zeyu awakened his memory from another dimension. So much work for nothing Were trying to decode this psionic genetic structure. The aim is to replicate it technologically, but progress is slow. Little X continued. Replicating psionic manifestations using technology still proves to be a daunting task. Theres a lot more research we need to perform. No rush. Chen Chen remarked generously, then grew excited about the prospect, We still have a lot of time, but if its successful, I can see how it can be implemented for the fourth era Little X was about to ask what new ideas Chen Chen hatched up before somebody interrupted their conversation. A young, maybe slightly drunk man among the previous crowd suddenly shouted in Chen Chens direction while stomping over. Hey, you insolent brat! The young mans hair resembled a ball of rainbow that drew attention like no other. He had silver hoop piercings on his nose and his lips and approached Chen Chen very aggressively, then gave Chen Chen a rough shove. Were you checking out my girlfriend? Chapter 629 - Trouble Brewing Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Hey you insolent brat, were you checking out my girlfriend? The young man belted while shoving Chen Chen in the chest. However, Chen Chen barely budged an inch despite the young man throwing his weight into the shove attempt. Instead, it was the young man who was flung several steps backward. The young man looked at Chen Chen quizzingly and met his eyes. Hey, whats going on Bobby? A large crowd followed after, each one of them seemed to size up Chen Chen while they formed a circle around him. Zhenan, this kid here was staring at us just now. I think hes checking out our girlfriends. The young man was named Bobby. He turned to a tall, muscular companion and muttered. Chen Chen seemed intrigued by this and turned to Bobby. Didnt your girlfriends dress up like this so other people like us can get an eyeful as well? Oh my God! Pervert! You b*stard This remark seemed to have provoked them. Several girls in the crowd looked at him with clear disgust in their eyes. The giant that Bobby was talking to approached Chen Chen. He had to be at least two meters tall and towered over everyone nearby. He looked down at Chen Chen. Do you have any idea who I am? Theres no way that he knows! Bobby scoffed and pointed at Chen Chen rudely. Look at him, hes probably just arrived in this city today and doesnt know anything about whos in charge! Already running his mouth like this, I say we take him to the alley and beat him up. Ill take care of the rest! Yes, lets! Fueled by alcohol, the others could not wait any more. They stormed at Chen Chen and tried to grab him. When they touched Chen Chens collar, they suddenly felt the weight of an invisible hand on them. With a vicious throw, all of them were flung a distance away! Bang! They scattered and tumbled onto the ground around Chen Chen! Ow! Ah! Who was that! Nearly all of them were pulled away by an invisible strength behind them. It was only the tall giant who sensed an invisible presence behind himself. He glowered and turned behind him. A surge of power rose inside him while he threw a punch at the invisible entity! Bang! Two fists collided! Sneak attack? The tall giant bellowed. He unleashed a burst of strength that threw his invisible opponent backward. He sensed faint traces of electricity running across the air as a figure appeared out of nowhere! The invisible figure was revealed. The person who attacked him was a soldier wearing a black combat suit and a dark helmet! Wait, arent you When he recognized the sigil on the soldiers face, his face changed. Before he could utter anything else, something slammed into his sides. He put up his arms to shield himself from the attack and that resulted in the bones in his arms being snapped in half! Ah! The tall giant howled in pain. It was then when the surrounding crowd saw two more figures materializing out of thin air. They broke his arm mercilessly and proceeded to press him to the ground! Buzz Then, the buzz of electricity began to appear in the surroundings while emitting faint blue lights. More soldiers decked in black combat suits began to appear. There were dozens of drones hovering overhead as well. The people who witnessed this scene were dumbfounded. They did not understand what was happening. Ah You, why is it the B.S.S. department with you Who are you? With his arms pinned behind him and a B.S.S. soldiers weight on top of him, the young man on the ground whimpered, My father is Li Jiangang Hes a Beta-level psionicist, a psionicist consultant of Eco Science City! Chen Chen remained in the same spot the entire time, looked around him, and saw a crowd beginning to form. He made a gesture at several nearby Black Knights, who proceeded to disperse the crowd. Article 51, Item 12 of Namibia Law on Public Safety: Psionics who threaten citizens with psionic powers without authorization shall be sentenced to seven to fifteen days of public security detention. Article 21, Item 52 of Namibian Criminal Law: Violent resistance to the arrest of law enforcement officers, which constitutes an assault on the police is punishable by a sentence of three to five years in prison. Article 15, Item 13 of Namibian Criminal Law: Unlawful acts of violence and/or an attempted crime is punished by imprisonment of five months to one year, depending on the severity of offense Article 8, Item 16 of Namibian Criminal Law: Use of intimidation or other outlets to create public discourse may be subjected to three months to a year of imprisonment depending on the severity of offense With a crowd of confused onlookers nearby, Chen Chen recited the laws, These are the charges youre accused of. You have the right to remain silent. Every word you say may be used against you in court. Who are you? The friends of the man pinned to the ground began to panic and cry. Then, a limousine swerved around the corner just in time.It accelerated to the gathered crowd and screeched to a sudden halt. Chen Chen glanced inside the limousine. Immediately after its arrival, a middle-aged Chinese man wielding an intense, harsh expression stepped out of the vehicle. He was not impressed with the sight he saw of the young man pinned to the ground by the B.S.S. soldiers. Took you long enough. Chen Chen mentioned candidly. The middle-aged man who had just arrived at the scene eyed Chen Chen cautiously but could not recognize who Chen Chen was. He stated, Im Li Jiangang, Im a psionic consultant of Eco Science City. Seeing as were fellow countrymen, I hope that youd forgive my son for his foolish behavior. Also, Im close with President Qian himself. The middle-aged man made a point of stressing his connections with the president. I dont think my forgiveness can change anything. Chen Chen remarked, Im only acting according to the law. Your son led his group and tried to assault me. The central court system will review this and hand out whatever sentence it deems appropriate. My friend, youre going overboard. The middle-aged man said with a thick frown, Fortunately, youre not injured. What do you say we forgive these young people? Theyll wisen up eventually. The central court system is reserved for the commoners. Upperclassmen like you and I can handle things our way. Reserved for the commoners? Chen Chen snapped, his eyes bright with sudden anger. In this case, lets do it your way! Im sure you and your friend Qian Wenhuan dont have anything to hide anyway so why dont you tell him to bring you along and come meet me in my office? Chen Chen left immediately after that. You Li Jiangang gritted his teeth and looked at the group with the B.S.S. sigil taking his son away and promptly leaving the scene. He wanted to stop them but decided it would be unwise to oppose the terrifying B.S.S. As a Beta-level psionicist, he wielded power that greatly surpassed any commoner. He might even be able to wipe out the city if given enough time. Now, he could not muster the courage to oppose the B.S.S. It did not matter how powerful he was. If he openly opposed Blacklight Biotechnology senselessly, he would be mercilessly squashed like a bug Who is that guy anyway? What makes him think he can act so arrogant like he runs the place? Li Jiangang murmured, then picked up the phone, and got in touch with Qian Wenhuan The group of misbehaving young men were merely an afterthought at this point. Chen Chen was more concerned with the laws he had enacted in the city. In the past, he would have wanted to punish them further but now that they were living in the city with laws established by himself, he had to act accordingly to the law as well. If even the founder of the city would act like a hypocrite and overturn laws senselessly, then the others in the organization would follow suit. In this way, the sanctity of the law would no longer hold any meaning in the management level of Eco Science City. Chen Chen returned to his office with this in mind. As soon as he reached his office, Little X contacted him, Qian Wenhuan called, are you going to answer? No, he can come and meet me in person if he wants to. Chen Chen answered without hesitation. Although it was at the peak of midnight, Qian Wenhuan who enjoyed the position of CEO of the African branch and the unparalleled benefits that came along with it should know that it meant that certain things were expected of him. One of those things was that he should be at his employers beck and call day and night. After about half an hour, the elevator door opened to reveal Qian Wenhuan standing with the previous Li Jiangang. Qian Wenhuan was the first to step through the elevator doors. Bo, Boss! Qian Wenhuan approached Chen Chen immediately. He still looked the same as he did more than a decade ago as if the past ten years and more hardly wrinkled his appearance. However, one thing to note was that he was sweating profusely. Boss, this is the first Ive heard of something like this. Ive never tried to abuse my position as a CEO. Dont you trust me? Then, how do you explain what Li Jiangang told me earlier? Chen Chen remained seated, refusing to offer so much as a handshake. Li Jiangang, why dont you repeat what you told me? I Li Jiangang looked like he wanted to bury himself into a hole to escape this situation. The audacious attitude he had during their confrontation in the city earlier seemed like a dream. Mr. Chen, I just got caught up in the moment and Go ahead! Chen Chens tone grew heavier. Left without a choice, Li Jiangang stumbled through his words, I was saying that That we dont have to worry about the central court system That we can settle the matter personally You! Based on the color of Qian Wenhuans face, he would probably execute Li Jiangang right at that moment if he could. He quickly formed an explanation, Boss, Li Jiangang is only a long-time acquaintance of mine, but Ive never done anything like that with him! Were not even that close and I cant remember the last time we spoke. You can go through our conversation logs if you dont believe me. Let the B.S.S. department do their thing! Ill be looking into it. Chen Chen remarked coldly, As for Li Jiangang, do you have anything against me sending your son to the central court to be processed? Mr. Chen Li Jiangang turned pale and hastily replied, A child like him doesnt know any better. Why would someone of your position pick on him for his foolish behavior? Hm? A sharp look came upon Chen Chens face. When he squinted sharply, Li Jiangang felt an invisible hand placed on his neck and pulled him up from the ground! Li Jiangangs helpless hands reached for his neck but he could not feel anything. Hnghh Li Jiangang opened his mouth and tried to breathe. The pair of invisible hands continued lifting him higher in the air and soon, suffocating dizziness rushed into his head. He tried to resist with his psionic energy but found that his psionic powers were somehow restricted. He could not channel them within his body! All he could do was kick his feet and fumble meekly in the air, his eyes full of horror. Just as Li Jiangang thought this was the end for him, he felt the pressure on his throat loosening and he was dropped to the ground. He checked his throat for damage and gasped hoarsely in between coughs. How is this possible? My psionic powers have reached Beta level a long time ago and most psionicists can barely oppose me. How could this founder of Blacklight Biotechnology completely suppress my psionic abilities? The horror was evident on Li Jiangangs face that was blank as a sheet. Li Jiangang, the only reason I didnt kill you is because youre protected by the law. Chen Chen stated, The same law your son is subjected to. The B.S.S. did not arrest him because he offended me but because he broke the law. Yes, Sir Li Jiangang nodded sheepishly and wiped away the look of arrogance in his eyes. Old Qian. Chen Chen glared sharply at Qian Wenhuan. Theres a task Id like to assign you today. I want you to thoroughly investigate the upper management of Eco Science City and find out if there are any bad seeds among us who abuse their power. In truth, there was no need for any further investigation. All this time, Little Xs watchful eyes had been keeping everything in check and had accumulated a list of all those who abused their positions of power and were involved in corruption. This was Chen Chens indirect method of punishing Qian Wenhuan, forcing him to play the role of a villain and purge the corrupted officials from Eco Science City himself. This was a form of tough love. Over the last two decades, while Chen Chen slowly stepped away from the management role, Qian Wenhuans authority had been rising gradually. In time, power started to get to his head and he became overconfident, sometimes even dabbling his hand in certain gray areas. Chen Chen had been observing these behaviors since it began. He only decided it was not the time to get involved yet since Qian Wenhuan was quite reserved for what it was worth and had not committed grave sins yet. Todays incident served as a golden opportunity to hammer in a well-needed lesson. It should be more than enough to keep Qian Wenhuan in check for another decade or more until he eventually forces Chen Chens hands. Ill be sure to look into it. Qian Wenhuan brushed the sweat pooling on his forehead and promised sincerely. When he saw that Chen Chen did not have any more to say, he quickly dragged the shellshocked Li Jiangang out of the office with him. After the two left, Chen Chen turned his attention back to the computer. He saw the central court systems decisions regarding the recent case presented to it. The central court system was known for its extreme efficiency. Li Zhenan, an individual who possessed psionic abilities, was guilty of all four charges. The final sentence handed by the central court system was four years and three months in prison. The other young man named Bobby who was the first to provoke Chen Chen was guilty of two separate charges in Item 13 of Article 15, and Item 16 of Article 8. The final verdict was a year and two months in prison. Meanwhile, the other members involved were similarly sentenced to ranges of three months to half a year of imprisonment. Chapter 630 - Brothers Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation A year later, in the Spire Experimental Base. A device resembling a cryogenic chamber was laid in the middle of a laboratory. It looked like a well-designed coffin with its upper half made of translucent plexiglass and the lower half crafted with exquisite alloy metal. There was a large external device connected to one end of the chamber, with many exposed wires plugged into it like a Frankenstein. Chen Chen stood in front of the coffin and looked at it with curious interest. This is the research result of the psionic department. Little X stood next to Chen Chen and explained, Our initial discovery from the psionic energy extracted from your brother was that it had the ability of interdimensional information transmission. Unfortunately, the psionic level of your brother proved to be quite lacking and cannot harness the potential of this ability. This in turn also hindered research progress, so another approach was devised instead. Upon reaching this mention, Little X gave a signal by clapping her hands. A metal wall behind them suddenly rumbled and retracted into the ceiling like a garage overhead door. Chen Chen followed Little Xs gaze and saw rows upon rows of life incubators revealed behind the wall. These incubators were much smaller than the usual variant seen, used to cultivate clones. They were half of their usual height and arranged so tightly together they looked like rows of pickles. There was a humanoid figure in each life incubator! The humanoid figures were all curled up like a worm inside the incubator. Their skin was white as snow and their eyes remained closed, seemingly still in a fetal stage. They seemed like normal people. Only their size was half of the usual persons size. All cramped up together in the miniature life incubators, it was quite a claustrophobic sight to behold. Little X flavored this reveal quite ceremoniously by making exaggerated hand motions. We shall substitute quality with quantity instead! Chen Chen looked at the gathering of clones in front of him. The corners of his mouth twitched with equal amounts of amusement and horror. Dont tell me, these are all my brothers Of course not, they are just the clones of your brother. Little X snickered. Their genetic code may be similar but strictly speaking, they are just lumps of flesh. Whats the difference Chen Chen shrugged and left the topic aside. Alright, forget about that. So, youre saying that you managed to extract Chen Zeyus interdimensional information transmission psionic manifestation and cloned it several hundred times? Correction. Not a few hundred, but nine thousand and nine hundred and ninety-nine. Little X corrected. Only three hundred of them are located in the Spire Experimental Base, the rest of them are in the Spire 2 on Mars. The total comes to nine thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine psionicists with interdimensional information transmission psionic manifestation. And Little X went on, she approached the other end of the cryogenic chamber. This is derived from the on the Bose-Einstein Condensate Soldiers Generator you instantiated up from the movie Spectral. We modified it to create an intermission channel to transport human consciousness in a quantum form to another body. So, you can achieve what I need by combining these two separate technologies? Chen Chen seemed thoroughly intrigued, First, we use the interdimensional information transmission technology to transfer quantum information into the parallel world. From there, we use quantum technology to connect consciousness in the real world with the body in the parallel world? A brilliant idea Of course! Even Little X seemed proud of herself. Dont underestimate me! How about the receiving body in the parallel dimension? Chen Chen enquired, Clones need up to three months to be developed. We can do it using 3D printing technology. It seemed Little X had everything worked out. Now that our 3D printing technology is already mature, we can print a complete body, even if its still quite difficult to replicate brain tissue. Dont forget that the body in the parallel world doesnt need a brain. Excellent! Chen Chen applauded, completely impressed. It only takes half an hour to complete the 3D printing process. This greatly saves time and resources. This is perfect for implementing my idea of an online world. This was it. This was the idea Chen Chen came up with after discovering that Chen Zeyu had been manipulated by the subspace. After Chen Zeyu in the end dimension was executed, his consciousness was transported to reality by the subspace and he was reborn in his own body, even if he ended up getting caught by Chen Chen almost immediately. Chen Chen realized that this was the perfect opportunity that could seamlessly connect to the final phase of his Four-phase Era Project. Over the last year, the Spire Laboratory conducted in-depth research on Chen Zeyus psionic powers. With the help of his special psionic powers combined with the quantum device instantiated from Spectral, this device was produced An interdimensional quantum consciousness transmitter disguised as a game warehouse. The next part was to conduct experiments. Little X first selected a hundred felons available in the Spire and extracted their DNA along with a copy of their body structure. The time machine was then used to transport their DNA into the end dimension. After that, Blacklight Biotechnology in the end dimension used the resources in the city to construct a 3D printing factory. After the completion of the 3D printing factory, it served as the central hub for all 3D printing purposes. It was where the hundred selected felons were recreated. After achieving this step, Little X had the felons situated in the gaming platforms and used all 9999 Chen Zeyu as a signal output node to transmit the combined consciousness of all one hundred subjects into the end dimension. What happened next was as fascinating as one would expect. All of the felons came alive in the end dimension. Crediting to the quantum effect, the consciousness connection was completely seamless and established without the slightest delay. The felons who woke up in this separate dimension felt like they had traveled into another world. The only distinct flaw currently was that the coverage range of the signal transmitter was still rather inadequate. These individuals were restricted to only traveling around the city. Any further and the signal would be interrupted. The good news was that this problem was not difficult to solve. From here on, more signal transmission stations could be set up in the outskirts to expand the range. We can also install a switch on these printed clones. Little X said, From there, we can adjust the pain transmission level for the players, ranging from zero percent to one hundred percent. This way, the game would be appropriate for consumers of all ages! Chen Chen considered further. But when you think about it, this game can be quite boring for players coming from the real world if all it has going for it is realism. If players dont have access to superpowers, its no different from living their ordinary lives here. What Im trying to say is that the gameplay is too bland. You also have to consider the drastically different standards of material comfort in this world. Dont forget that the civilization in this world is trailing several generations behind the real world. It cannot succeed in my vision of the Four-phase Era. Chen Chen sighed unwillingly. This technology is only good as a transitional product. Its true value lies in its achieving interdimensional information transmission. To succeed in my vision of the Four-phase Era, we need to create a virtual reality that can meet the condition of living another unique life. Despite these fair critiques, Chen Chen still entered the experimental chamber himself. His DNA was promptly issued to the end dimension and a clone of himself was printed in the factory. After half an hour, Chen Chen pressed the start button in the game chamber. He felt his vision turning into a sheet of darkness. Then, he sensed his consciousness passing through a transitional tunnel. When he came to, he found himself lying in an ice-cold crystal chamber The crystal chamber was filled with salty brine. Chen Chens naked body was submerged in the brine. He slowly sat up and immediately felt a discomforting stiffness in his limbs. It felt like he had to muster a disproportionate amount of strength just to move his stubborn limbs. Is this the body printed by the 3D printer? Chen Chen smacked his head with a palm, thinking that he would jolt his senses awake this way before he suddenly remembered that this body did not have a brain. There was nothing but clumps of flesh where the brain should be because his original consciousness remained in his body in the real world. In a way, he was only remotely controlling this body in the end dimension. This also implied that even if the game chamber was somehow damaged, the players consciousness would not be trapped inside the end dimension but only wake up from the game chamber instead. Is that you, Sir Commander? This time, it was X-112 who addressed Chen Chen. She had been assigned to the Blacklight City in the end dimension for more than a decade by now. Its me. Chen Chen rose from the crystal chamber. Two Black Knights stepped forward immediately to supply him with clean towels and a pair of clothing. Chen Chen looked around the factory. It was an enormous factory lined with arrays of 3D printing equipment that stretched as far as the eye could see. Its been a while. X-112 greeted, So, it seems like youre planning to take over this world with another method after your attempt on the Consciousness Stealer fourteen years ago proved unsuccessful. It would be ideal if this method works. Chen Chen moved away from the Black Knights and took his time adapting to this new body. He paced around for a moment before mentioning, Its just a small experiment, this world doesnt mean that much to me all things considered, especially since I now have subspace navigation technology at my disposal. Humans now have plenty of planets to choose from and many more resources to be extracted from them. This world doesnt serve much purpose by this point. Thats true. X-112 agreed. Should I arrange a tour around the Blacklight City for you today? Lets. Chen Chen took the offer nonchalantly, seeing it as an opportunity to adjust to this new body while touring the city. Several hours later, Chen Chen returned to the factory. Looks like the citys development is progressing quite smoothly. Chen Chen noted, sounding quite satisfied. The city was considerably livelier than before. With the resources pouring in from the real world, Blacklight City naturally grows stronger than the other rebel forces. X-112 stated. Good, I dont have much to worry about then. Chen Chen nodded. Seems to me that Blacklight City would serve as an ideal spawn point for the game. It can be a starting harbor for players to figure out the game world, but theres still a bit more fleshing out of the story that needs to be done. Chen Chen paced back and forth while pondering. The original premise remains unchanged. The emergence of the Consciousness Stealers led to the downfall of mankind and four uneventful centuries passed by until Mankind was separated into two factions, the Holy Fusion Empire and the Joint Resistance Army. The players can only choose to start in the Joint Resistance Army but they can freely customize the background of their characters. For example, they can choose a stealthy class, in which case we can give them nimbler hands when 3D printing their bodies. Or perhaps the players can create characters of a farmer background, then we can make their avatars more physically capable than the rest. Meanwhile, players who choose a soldier class can start with armor, swords, and the like How about their parents? X-112 interjected. Thats simple, their parents passed. Chen Chen did not bother with putting too much thought into it. Which brings me to another point. Lets not have the players wake up in the 3D printing factory since that would be immersion breaking. I suggest that we build transportation channels underneath Blacklight City and build several landmarks in the city that can also serve as checkpoints. For example, players who choose a monk background can wake up in a monastery, players who choose a thief class can wake up in the slums, and those who choose a farmers life wake up in a farm. You get the idea Wont they assume that their spawn points are their safehouse then? X-112 had her doubts about this approach. That wont happen. Chen Chen shook his head. As long as we establish a proper character background, one which their parents have passed on, their house has been repossessed, and they dont have a dollar to their name. X-112: Well also need to build more community buildings in the city. Chen Chen added. Only the player-controlled characters can enter these community buildings. We can keep the furnishing at a minimum as the place is only used for the players to log on and off. We need to establish that players are only allowed to log out after entering these community buildings and after receiving official permission. This is the only way to ensure the progress they made in the game can be saved properly or else theyll have to create a new character the next time they play. X-112 sounded even more unsure about the direction Chen Chen was taking now. Doesnt this lower the playability dramatically? Since the players will not have a proper safehouse available when they leave the Blacklight City and travel to the Holy Fusion Empire or other places. We might have to employ some mission NPC We can worry about this later. Chen Chen considered for a moment. The game doesnt have to be fully launched right away. We can start with open Beta clients and slowly patch things depending on the feedback, itll work out. With that, the details and background of the game took on a more concrete shape Chapter 631 - Game Trailer Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation If you were given a new life in a parallel world, what would you do with it? In the darkness, a magnetic voice whispered in ones ears. Whoosh It sounded like the wind or perhaps someone breathing. Then, the darkness gradually brightened and a scene shown from a first-person perspective emerged as if someone was slowly opening their eyes. There was a clouded sky in front. The person raised their hand, rubbed their eyes, and then struggled to sit up. As their line of sight turned to the side, what came into view was a dilapidated city under a blanket of dark clouds. This city was very weirdly built. There were many old thatched cottages on both sides of the street but behind these cottages, there were tall buildings adjacent to each other, just like modern residential quarters. Unfortunately, youve been reborn in a dark and turbulent era By the ear, the magnetic male voice continued to narrate without any fluctuations in his voice, You may be a thief or a farmer or a wandering bard Immediately, the persons field of vision shuddered briefly and then slowly rose as if the person had stood up from the ground. Next, they looked around and the camera immediately showed the entire neighborhood. This was a muddy and messy street and the ground was filthy. At this time, a few shabbily dressed and sallow-looking pedestrians were walking by, but they paid no mind to the owner of this vision. When you wake up from the darkness, the first thing to do is none other than to find ways to adapt to this body The male voice continued to narrate calmly. Following his words, the scene trembled again. It seemed that the owner of the line of sight had staggered a few steps forward before standing firm. The sound of low strings played slowly with the music of a cello, but the tune was as gray and despairing as the city up ahead. The owner of this vision began to stagger toward the nearest medical station. Immediately, the screen went dark, but the background music gradually soared This is an era when human lives are as cheap as paper. This is an era of chaos and turbulence. This is an era of a civilization dying The mans voice became tinged with inexplicable emotions and the scene flashed again in the next second. A monster as huge as a mountain stood at the horizon! The body of this monster was wondrously large. Its upper body was like an inverted triangle and its lower body was full of tassel-shaped organs that looked like grapes. Awoo! The vertical bloody jaw at the monsters chest suddenly opened and a roar that shook the world reverberated from the horizon. The sound waves were visible to the naked eye! An ancient evil god who enslaved mankind has destroyed the palace of our civilization and humankind descended from glory to its final steps Following that, the scene flashed again and a peculiar church appeared in the picture. This time, the scene did not adopt a first-person perspective but the regular third-person perspective instead. One could only see strange patterns and symbols flickering dimly on the church and the more retro medieval buildings by the church. Most humans bowed their prideful heads, surrendered to the ancient evil god, and regarded themselves as the gods clan After this sentence, there was another cut, switching to a scene of a bomber that looked dilapidated. The bomber flew over the city, and then tossed down rust-stained iron barrels. Boom! Boom, boom, boom! A series of fireballs rose from below the city and the fighter took a turn and flew into the horizon. However, theres still a group of people who are unwilling to surrender. Theyve been fighting for four hundred years and are unwilling to lower their noble heads The voice continued. The Joint Resistance Army The Divine Fusion Empire Who can define the destiny of mankind? At this time, the background music was in full swing as if hundreds of people were singing in anger at the same time! With the swell of the music, the images in the video began to flash rapidly. Each showed a scene a farmer plowing the wheat fields, a thief walking in the crowded busy city, a few burly men in a brawl at a bar The screen flashed faster and faster, and more and more magnificent images began to appear. Some showed two warriors in iron armor fighting bloodily in the wilderness or black-robed rangers slaughtering soldiers in dark alleys or glistening yellow bullets spat out in the assembly line of a factory When technology and divine power clash, when gunpowder and divine magic attack each other, when death and new life begin to chant Hum! At this moment, the background music finally arrived at the end, and at the end, a resounding horn began to blare out, and then stopped abruptly! What can you do in this age of decline? All you can do is try to survive Thats all. The mans voice gradually became softer and in the end, there was only a deep echo, like embers slowly dying out. By now, this three-minute video had ended completely. I F*ck In a university dormitory, a fat man wearing a black T-shirt slowly took off the V.5 Haptic Shock Helmet on his head. He leaned back on the sofa and could not recover for a long while. There was only shock in his eyes. How about it, Mike, this game trailer is truly awesome, right? The roommate on the side said excitedly, his eyes flashing like a hungry wolfs. Can you believe it? Blackwatch claims that this video is a live demonstration, which means that when we enter the game, the scenes we see will be of this image quality! Is this still a game? Ill even believe you if you told me its a film production! Fat Mike jumped to his feet. What are you waiting for, when will this game be released? How much will it cost? What kind of gaming helmet do I need? Ill get it ready now! Hold on! The roommate immediately laughed dryly when he heard these words and he grabbed the eager little fat man. How can it be on sale now? Today is just a game preview. Theres still a month before it enters closed beta testing. What, a month before beta testing? The little fat mans face suddenly crumpled when he heard these words. He collapsed on his bottom onto the sofa, as dejected as if his parents had just passed away. Thats no good at all. Itll be three months at least between the closed beta and open beta, right? Duh. I suspect that it wont even be just three months, more like at least half a year! As the roommate spoke, he suddenly raised his right hand and pressed gently on the watch-like device on his wrist. Then, a translucent web page popped up and hovered above the watch. Blackwatchs official website said that this game is called Ancient Civilization, which is an era-transcending 3S masterpiece. Closed beta testing begins on the 1st of next month. At that time, 100,000 accounts will be distributed randomly around the world. Matching game equipment will be included for free! What? The little fat mans eyes bulged when he heard this. 100,000 sets of game equipment given out for free? The best game helmet on the market can reach 100,000 USD. This game is so realistic, how can the supporting game equipment cost any less than one hundred thousand dollars? In other words, they plan to give away ten billion dollars worth of game helmets? Its Blackwatch, after all, this bit of money is probably not a big deal to them The roommates focus was not on this. After he saw this promotional video, he notified Mike as soon as possible. Only now did he pay proper attention to the text description under the video. At this point, his eyes were also getting brighter. According to the description, this game called Ancient Civilization would use the latest gaming equipment developed by Blackwatch. It was not a game helmet or a V-series haptic shock chair, but a piece of even more high-end equipment a game chamber! It turned out to be the ultimate game device from web novels a virtual reality game chamber? The little fat man beside also poked his head over. When he saw this explanation, the fat all over his body quivered suddenly as his face revealed an unbelieving expression. Im not dreaming, am I? Sure enough, its Blackwatch! The roommate on the side was also clutching his face excitedly. When we were still in elementary school more than ten years ago, Blackwatch first introduced virtual reality helmets and haptic shock chairs. Many media were speculating that Blackwatch was probably about to invent the game chamber, but there has been no news for more than ten years. I thought that the company had used up all its tricks. To think that after more than ten years, the game chamber has appeared! This is a big move! The little fat man looked up to the sky and laughed three times, then urged. Go down quickly, quickly scroll and see what else is said below? At this, the roommate used his mind to control the screen to continue moving down. The game chamber is currently equipped with constant temperature facilities, immersion facilities, and life support facilities, which can monitor the users vital signs. After the user enters the game, they can be fully immersed in the game. Even if the user has an abnormal physiological reaction due to excitement after entering the game, the game chamber can maintain the vital signs of the user and automatically make an emergency call! This technology The little fat man exchanged a glance with his roommate, rather puzzled. Could a game really terrify a person to the point of causing real health issues? Immediately, they continued to scroll down, only to see that the following paragraph turned out to be the background introduction of the game. What! The background of this game is set in the 24th century on Earth? What! In this game, mankind encountered an ancient evil god in the 21st century? After a cataclysm, mankind was divided into two camps? What! Under the Joint Resistance Armys forces in the 24th century, in addition to the forces of the four continents, theres also a fifth force named Blacklight City? The small, fat Mike could not help yelling. A self-insert Im losing it, Blackwatch has put itself into the game, and set itself as the fifth force of the Joint Resistance Army on the same level as the four continents But as the description says, there are two major camps among the human beings. The Joint Resistance Army is just one of them and the other is the Divine Fusion Empire that has joined the troops of the ancient evil god? The roommate wore a contemplative expression. Blackwatch Corporation is something else. This fusion is the fusion virus epidemic from more than ten years ago, right? It was the epidemic that created countless psionicists in our human society. Now Blackwatch Corporation has put a diabolic spin to everything, demonizing the epidemic as a kind of evil god? It would seem so The little fat man nodded but did not have much of a response. This isnt a big deal. Im okay with it. After all, Blackwatch Corporation contributed greatly during the epidemic. The two of them became increasingly engrossed in their discussion and could not wait to play this game right away. After all, based on the description, this game would have the worlds first physics engine that fully replicated reality. Any man who harbored the dream of rushing gallantly into a battlefield would be tempted, especially in this era when the virtual reality industry was extremely developed. The conversation between the two was just a microcosm of the ten billion people on the planet. At this time, on the Internet, with the release of the game trailer of Ancient Civilization, the entire world was plunged into a tsunami of astonished cries [What? A 3S-level virtual reality masterpiece? 100% immersive simulation? The worlds first era-transcending online game?] [Following the V-series virtual reality helmets and haptic shock chairs, has Blackwatch finally begun working on the concept of gaming chambers?] [Surely Im not dreaming? Ive been waiting for this kind of 100% immersive game chamber to appear, thank God, it came out in my lifetime. And its already so complete the moment it appeared!] [Blackwatchs developments cannot be missed!] [Why do we have to wait for a month? Why is there a closed beta? I wont stand it! I want to play Ancient Civilization, Im about to die of boredom otherwise!] While countless people exclaimed in glee, there were naturally the same amount of voices opposing it, and most of these people opposed it because this game turned out to be an online game. [Its an online game? Never mind then. Bye! Im a cultured stand-alone game player!] [Blackwatch Corporation isnt afraid of failing to deliver? They brag so much and I believe it if its a stand-alone game, but this game is an online game? You can all forget about it. Online games are always about ten years behind stand-alone games, whether in terms of graphics quality or story.] [OP, stop being ridiculous. You can assume so much just by watching a promotional video? Whats wrong with online games, when has Blackwatch disappointed us?] [Is this because they have no money to build the Dyson cloud? So, they come up with an online game to scam money from people? Blacklight: first they get you hooked, then they make you open your wallets!] [Stop arguing, I believe in Blackwatch. If you dont believe that an online game can be a high-quality product, then judge the game when it comes out. Anyway, 100,000 devices will be given away in the first round of closed beta testing. Well see how good it is then!] In addition to the voices of support and opposition, there were many voices of doubt and the point brought up by these people was that the promo was too exaggerated. It did not look like a game at all, but more like it was shot directly with high-definition equipment. Some people also questioned the safety of the game chamber, believing that this kind of immersion would endanger the players mental health. In particular, the game was also set in a dark and bloody era, so that fighting and conflict were almost inevitable. In accordance with Blackwatchs consistent style, the bloody images in the game must be extremely real. If minors were playing this game at that time, would it not harm their framework of values? Countless people hold different opinions. During this period, the entire Internet became a battlefield Chapter 632 - Male Player, Female Avatar? Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation The public was naturally in an uproar regarding the actions of Blacklight Biotechnology, but the continents of the Earth Federation were in a dazed stupor. This was because they knew about the existence of the Consciousness Stealer. Although they did not know what happened that year, they were a little confused about Blacklight Biotechnologys approach. Why should the Consciousness Stealer be included in the game and what was Blackwatchs intention? Did they run out of inspiration? They could have picked anything as a story, but they chose this of all things? This game was rated PG18, right? The promo looked a bit too bloody. If the game was to be approved, it would have to go through some censors This was what the governments of various countries were thinking. The next day, before everyones eyes, Blacklight Biotechnology finally opened the registration entry for the closed beta game. Hundreds of millions of people came to sign up at once, almost shutting down the websites server. The information needed to be filled in for registration was very simple, mainly personal information and contact information. Still, it was strange that in addition to asking the players average daily login time, the applicant was also asked if they had military experience, whether they had trained in mixed martial arts and received military training, and so on. Soon, in just three days, Blacklight Biotechnology officially announced the list of 100,000 closed beta personnel. It was just surprising that well-known professional gamers did not occupy a lot of these 100,000 slots. After all, during a games closed beta, priority was typically given to those world-renowned professional players because these players were the cornerstone of the games closed beta. The quotas issued by Blacklight Biotechnology were more for veterans with military experience or instructors who had retired from special forces. On the contrary, there were not many quotas for professional gamers. In addition, Blacklight Biotechnology also ordered the DNA samples of these people, so that the closed beta testers on the list would send their DNA samples to the local Blacklight Biotechnology branch. To justify this, it was announced that the DNA would be used to bind the players identity. Although the need for DNA sampling had caused dissatisfaction among a small number of people, most people still had no objection. Before many envious, resentful eyes, the products were shipped out after the DNA samples were obtained. Since Backlight Biotechnology had informed the world of this in advance, the efficiency of the clearance process was extremely high and within seven days, all the game chambers had been sent to the closed beta players around the world. Moreover, the issue of scalpers had long been considered by Blacklight Biotechnology. When the closed beta test name list was verified, everyone was reminded that the game chamber had a special DNA authentication system that only allowed the beta test player to use it. Even if it was resold or sold in other ways, others could not use it. This would enable the game chamber to be accurately distributed to the hands of each designated target without being resold or used for other purposes. Shi Yangyu was a fifty-year-old young man. Hmm, well, based on his physical fitness, he could still be considered a young man. Born in 1994, he served the country and worked as a volunteer soldier in China. After retiring from the army, he settled down in his hometown and became an armed police instructor with a monthly salary of 5,000 RMB. However, when he was young, with the increasing housing prices and frequent occurrences of strange incidents in the capital and entertainment circles such as Daily salary of 2.04 million! and Selling OEM products isnt worth it Internet users generally began to awaken. After realizing that they were just sitting ducks waiting to lose their money, the new trend of no marriage, no kids gradually began to sweep across China. Shi Yangyu was one of the people who followed this trend, so even though he was now fifty years old, he was still single and glad about it. With the powerful rise of Blacklight Biotechnology in recent years, the technology for extending life and delaying aging continued to be innovated and made cheaper. Nowadays, except for the citizens of some remote and poor small countries that could not afford these costs, the entire Earth Federation had popularized Blacklight Biotechnologys products. There were no real elderly people in the world. At most, they were middle-aged people whose physical ability was akin to a 50-year-old. Shi Yangyu received the age-reversal treatment five years ago. Although he was now fifty years old, his appearance and physical functions were still maintained at about thirty years old and this state could be maintained for about fifteen years. This meant that when he was sixty-five years old, he could get this treatment again and continue to extend his life. Therefore, he still worked in the armed police detachment. Although he had no wives or children, he enjoyed it because, in the 2D world, he had plenty of waifus. Shi Yangyus usual hobby was to read comics, binge on dramas, and occasionally watch some hentai. At the same time, he was also a noble stand-alone game player, having played games such as GTA 8, The Elder Scrolls 8, Red Dead Redemption 4, and Cyberpunk 2099. Although he was not a professional player, his skills were not inferior to those professionals because he was proficient in fighting and firearms. In todays mainstream games that relied on brainwave control, his profession gave him a great advantage. Therefore, when he learned about the closed beta of the new game, Ancient Civilization, of Blacklight Biotechnology a week ago, he signed up for the closed beta with the idea of ??trying it since he had nothing to lose. What he did not expect was that he won the bid! When he heard the news, he was overjoyed. Every day he would count on his fingers to estimate the arrival date of the game chamber. Today, he finally received a call from the courier when he was at work. He asked his android to receive the courier, then he simply asked his leader for a half-day off and returned home delightedly. When he got home, the courier boy who was a part-time installer had already installed the game chamber in his bedroom. This was a streamlined game chamber. The shape looked like a carrot with a round head and a pointed tail. Its upper part was covered with a black translucent plexiglass cover through which he could faintly see the inside. Next to the game chamber was something much more extravagant. It was as tall as him and looked like a server case. It was completely sealed as well, with fine print on its surface spelling out what to take note of. Master. A charming-looking android with a big chest and a perky butt came over. She smiled and said, Earlier, the courier said that disassembly of either the game chamber or the supporting console isnt allowed. Once disassembled, any warranty will be invalidated immediately. Blacklight Biotechnology will not repair it and will cut off your right to log in to the game through the game chamber. Oh. Shi Yangyu just kept observing the game chamber in front of him and nodded absently at the words of the android. He circled the game chamber several times, then seemed to think of something and quickly commanded, Hurry up, Tsunade, make me some noodles now. After Ive eaten, Ill enter the game! Yes, Master. The android bowed slightly, turned, and walked out of the room. Shi Yangyu could not help but rub his hands in excitement. He walked to the cover of the game compartment and pressed a red button on it. Suddenly, the cover opened directly on both sides, revealing the black padding made of waterproof material inside the game compartment. Its not bad inside, it looks pretty luxurious. Shi Yangyu nodded in satisfaction. He simply took off his slippers and lay down directly. Then he pressed the button to close the door inside and suddenly the lid of the game compartment closed again, shutting him inside. Beep User entry detected, identity verification in progress Identity verified, matching users brain waves The temperature is a little high. Do you want to turn on the thermostat? A sweet female voice slowly resounded within the game compartment. Not for now. Shi Yangyu did not enter the game right away because he was still waiting to have a meal first and then use the bathroom so that he could enter the game in a prepared state. After all, he had waited for so many days, so it did not matter if he waited a little longer. Thinking of this, he asked again, Game chamber, whats your name? In addition to being able to enter the game Ancient Civilization, what other functions do you have? Mr. User, Im a smart game chamber, Model X1118, produced by Blacklight Biotechnology. My property number is xxxxxxxx. I dont have a name at present. You can name me. At the same time, my function is limited to entering the game Ancient Civilization. Apart from this function, I have no other functions for the time being. The voice said suddenly. What? Shi Yangyu was a little taken aback. You mean youre an exclusive game console? This is too extravagant. Dont you even have the function of playing other games? Im sorry, its true. The voice continued to explain, The reason for this is that Blacklight Biotechnology uses the most advanced consciousness immersion technology at present, abandoning the traditional VR technology of retinal imaging, but directly transmits vision, hearing, smell, touch, and such into the players brain. Besides Ancient Civilization, no other games support this technology. So, thats it Shi Yangyu was a little disappointed at once. He had wanted to use this game chamber to visit the high-heeled shoe store in GTA 8 In that case, Ill just call you Lili. Yes, Lili is pleased to meet you, Master After a conversation between Shi Yangyu and the game chambers intelligence, he gradually learned more about the characteristics of the game. In particular, besides vision and sound, this game chamber could make people feel the sense of touch and smell, which shocked him to no end. After all, for so many years, the so-called in-game tactile sensation was just a gimmick. Most game companies wrapped the users entire body with the electrode technology of the tactile suit and used electricity to stimulate peoples nerves to produce corresponding feelings. This feeling was stereotyped and repetitive. It could not be compared with the original senses of human beings. Now, this technology could finally be realized through brain waves Blacklight Biotechnology had been holding back an ace Shi Yangyu could not help sighing. Soon, the android Tsunade made a bowl of egg noodles. Shi Yangyu quickly left the game room and devoured the noodles, then went to the bathroom to wash up again, before he returned to the game room and lay down comfortably inside. Lili, start the game, my broadsword is already thirsty! Got it. Entering the game loading Connecting consciousness Three, two, one! Rah! Following Lilis words, Shi Yangyu only felt that his vision suddenly turned black. His consciousness seemed to have passed through a narrow and dark tunnel. When he regained consciousness again, he found that he was standing in an illusory space surrounded by white light. Huh? Whats going on? Shi Yangyu spoke and then he realized that he could not feel his own body as if he had become a ghost, only wandering in an empty world. Master, dont worry, youre now at the game entry interface. What reassured him was that Lilis voice came at the same time and then an illusory figure appeared in front of him. It was the appearance of a person without facial features. Whats this? This is the character you created. Now its the customization stage. After you enter the game, youll use this character to move around in the game. Lili reminded. After she spoke, Shi Yangyu only saw a customization panel appear in front of him out of thin air, on which there were facial features, body shape, hairstyle, skin color, and other options. Seeing this familiar stage, Shi Yangyus initial flustered mood due to his not being able to sense his body was now completely relaxed. He smirked and a bold idea gradually emerged in his mind Three hours later A beautiful blonde girl with silky smooth hair and a high nose appeared in front of Shi Yangyu. The girl was about 1.7 meters tall and looked like a Persian cat. Although her face was expressionless, her body exuded amazing charm, especially those eyes, which were even more alluring. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful! The heroine of Fate/Stay Night is so beautiful! Shi Yangyu exclaimed in praise. He looked at the naked blonde girl in front of him, his gaze was intoxicated. Of course, I have to use a female character to play the game. The name of this character should be called Saber. Sorry, this name is already in use. Lili immediately notified, Please change to another one, Master. ??? Shi Yangyu widened his eyes and he said with a bit of sorrow, Its over, I forgot about that If thats the case, Ill name her Artoria Pendragon Sorry, this name is already in use. Then, name her King Arthur! Sorry, this name Saber King Arthur! Sorry After some trials, Shi Yangyu finally gave up. He gave himself a conventional name of Juyang Jushi1, and then he created the character successfully. Then, a character attribute card appeared in front of Shi Yangyu. Name: Juyang Jushi. Gender: Female. Age: 18. Race: Human. Attributes: Strength 8, Constitution 10, Size 9, Agility 11, Charisma 14, Intelligence ?, Perception ? Occupation: None. Professional skills: None Special skills: None. Looking at these stats, Shi Yangyu suddenly wondered aloud, How are these attributes determined, did you roll a dice? No, this is automatically judged based on the character you created. Lili replied, After the attributes of each character created are digitized, it would be about 10 points. This is an average value. The character you created is a female character with a thin body, so her strength is slightly weaker than the average. But this comes with an advantage too. Your agility is slightly higher than the average. Plus, according to the systems judgment, your appearance is extremely attractive, so its judged to be 14 points after digitizing. As for the intelligence and perception attributes, because it depends on the player, its temporarily impossible to determine. In other words, if I design my character as a three-meter tall man, can my strength be further enhanced? Shi Yangyu suddenly seemed to understand something. Of course, but the maximum height of the character created by the system is limited to 230 cm, so your strength can reach up to 15 points, but your agility will also be reduced accordingly. Then, how do I improve my attributes? Through upgrades? All the physical rules of this game are based on reality, so theres no upgrade system. Lili replied, But all attributes can be enhanced through training, thats for sure. Hearing Lilis words, Shi Yangyu could not help being a little disappointed. Although this game was fun, according to the explanation of the intelligent AI, it was a little too hard-core Thinking of this, Shi Yangyu no longer deliberated over this. He immediately chose to enter the game. Immediately, the progress bar that lasted for half an hour began to load Chapter 633 - Patch Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Shi Yangyu did not quite understand why it took half an hour to load the game for the first time. Still, in this half an hour, he got a grasp on the rules of the game. To put it simply, the designer of this game seemed to have extreme perfectionism. All the details in the game functioned 100% according to reality. For example, in the game, one needed to eat and drink, take baths, wash up, and even use the restroom. Not only that, but players also had to sleep and rest, and needed to recover if they got injured. He could still understand these restrictions, but the main thing was that players could not just go offline anytime and anywhere? This was a little strange. According to the Game Rules, to go offline, a player had to return to their dedicated room to do so. If they did not, they would have to bear the consequences. Moreover, if the character was seriously injured, their mobility would be greatly reduced, and they might even die due to wound infection. This was unlike ordinary games where one could still leap around actively as long as there was a trace of life left. If the players character died, the player had two choices either rebuild the character or choose to respawn. However, when respawning, they needed to wait for half an hour, and all their equipment and previous physical attributes they had trained would be lost. The respawn point would be at the beginning location. To put it simply, this game was completely designed based on reality. Whether in terms of its physics engine or chemistry engine, it was the same as reality. Finally, the right to final explanation of the game belonged to Blacklight Biotechnology. After reading these rules, Shi Yangyu could not help feeling a little speechless. He did not know how fun the game could be if it was designed like this, but was this not the worlds first game with all five senses incorporated? Since the players had no other choices, this game would probably be sought after by a considerable number of people anyway. However, fortunately, at the bottom of the game rules, there was an option to leave a comment. Seeing this, Shi Yangyu immediately left a message: Although I havent entered the game yet, according to the Game Rules, I hope to make the following suggestions: 1. Can you cancel the setting that players cant just go offline anywhere? After all, the game is just a pastime. Although it claims to be 100% faithful to reality, theres no need to be too rigid. 2. Can the death penalty be reduced? The penalty of clearing out the players account after death is too harsh. I personally recommend that the physical attributes of the player be retained, otherwise, this setting will discourage a considerable number of casual players. 3. The setting of pooping and peeing must be removed, its disgusting! 4. I wonder if theres a function to do that? I strongly request that be added in! Please make it happen, boss! After writing this carefully, Shi Yangyu felt that his suggestions were fairly pertinent. He glanced at the progress bar and it had reached the end. Seeing this, he immediately clicked the send button and submitted his suggestion. Then, Shi Yangyus vision went black again. Ugh An indescribable sensation washed over him. Shi Yangyu only felt that he had regained his sense of the body, but his entire body was limp. His nerves felt weak and powerless, making it difficult for him to even open his eyes. Wake up, wake up! There was a female chirping voice in his ears. Shi Yangyu tried his best to open his eyes, but only saw a blur in front of him. He could only see the light on the top of his head and there was a figure sitting in front of his bed. After he had opened his eyes, the figure stood up excitedly and kept nagging him. Juyang Jushi, youre finally awake! He only heard the female voice saying, You fainted in front of my pub two days ago and had a very serious fever. I thought you wouldnt survive, but to think that youve stubbornly made it through. How delightful! Shi Yangyu opened his mouth, but he felt a burning dryness in his throat, and he could not even say a word. Goodness, look at me chattering on. Have some water first The figure quickly walked off and when she came back again, she had already brought a bowl of water. She helped Shi Yangyu up and he gulped down the whole bowl of water. Phew Shi Yangyu heaved a sigh of relief, but his body still felt extremely weak. This incomparably real sensation even caused him a little panic because it was too real. Whether it was his limp body or the bowl of water he drank, it was just like reality! At this moment, he even wondered if he had transmigrated to another life. He slowly opened his hands and placed them in front of him, looking at them with a somewhat blurred vision, only to see that they were a pair of pale, slim hands, with thin fingers, slender joints, and fair skin. This was not a mans palms at all What shocked him the most was that these hands were full of minuscule details. Whether it was their fingerprints or palm prints or the hairs on the back, so thin they were almost invisible, they were all very lifelike. He tried to clench his fists and his hands correspondingly produced the same tactile sensation This, this, this. Shi Yangyu looked at all this in a blank daze. The astonishment in his heart was beyond words. Was this a game? This was not reality? Could it be that he had transmigrated? Alright, youre a little weak now. Ill bring you a bowl of food. The woman next to the bed continued. When you can get out of bed, you can be a dancer where I work. After all, you have amnesia. You have no support in Blacklight City, which you arent familiar with. If you leave, with your appearance, in less than two days, youll be seized by human traffickers and sold to the rich With that, the woman turned and left. Shi Yangyu listened to all this silently. His vision became clearer and gradually, he could see everything around him. At the same time, there was a ding notification sound in his mind and there appeared a translucent interface in front of him that only he could see. There was a prompt on it: [Task notification: This task is a novice task. Player Juyang Jushi can choose to temporarily stay in Madam Mis Pub as a dancer and gradually become familiar with Blacklight City or choose to leave at any time and give up the novice task.] [However, please note that any action will have a chain reaction. After choosing to leave Madam Mis Pub, Madam Mis Pub will no longer be a shelter for the player Juyang Jushi.] Seeing these two prompts before him, Shi Yangyu could not help frowning and murmured, This is the novice task of the legend? And my life experience is reduced to an unidentified memory loss? Im currently being adopted by the proprietress of a pub? However, after saying this, Shi Yangyu got a fright because he realized that although his voice was a little hoarse, it still sounded a little melodious. It was a womans voice Thinking of this, Shi Yangyu immediately moved out of the bed. He braced his somewhat sore and feeble body and came to the mirror, and suddenly saw the figure of a beautiful blonde girl! My gosh Shi Yangyus mouth suddenly twitched and a sense of absurdity seized him. Although he did take the initiative to build this female character, he never expected that the sense of immersion in this game was this godlike. Everything that this body conveyed was almost no different from reality! No wonder the game stated that this game would be the players second life Shi Yangyus mouth kept twitching and the her in the mirror was doing the same. As the character was too gorgeous, even this kind of absent-minded expression was fascinating. Wait! A deranged idea suddenly flashed across his mind. Once it occurred to him, it could not be suppressed, growing like mushrooms after rain. His breathing became more and more rapid, and at the same time, he raised his hands tremblingly, and with a tentative gesture, slowly reached out to his chest Ah~ Five days later, the game Ancient Civilization did not become less of a hot topic just because there were only 100,000 closed beta players. On the contrary, the popularity of Ancient Civilization was through the roof and all of this was thanks to the 100,000 closed beta players who were madly bragging giving feedback on the Internet. At the same time, many closed beta players also keenly sniffed out the possibility of business opportunities. They made the gameplay into videos and sent them to major video websites in the world, which also attracted an astounding wave of response from the world The ultimate degree of freedom, the game graphics that were as real as reality, the incredible immersion, and even the feedback from the NPC were like that from a real person Countless advantages piled together to form a strong wave, intensifying the storm of hype surrounding Ancient Civilization. At this time, Chen Chen was sitting at the desk, listening to Little Xs report. At present, 100,000 closed beta players have entered the game. Little X reported, The average online time of each player is 14 hours per day, accounting for 58% of the time each day. The probability of players entering the game in the closed beta is 100% for the first time, 95% for the second time, 93% for the third time, 92% for the fourth time, and as for the fifth time, which is today, the number of players entering the game is 91,300, which is 91.3%. The player retention rate exceeds 90%. Thats not a bad figure. Chen Chen nodded, somewhat satisfied. The main reason many players did not enter the game again, in addition to factors such as having to work, is that the game is too close to reality and the death penalty is too high. Little X said, At present, weve received more than 330,000 suggestions for improvement from the closed beta players. The most mentioned suggestion is regarding the death penalty for players. Everyone thinks that the death penalty is too serious and doesnt conform to the rules of a game. And their second most mentioned suggestion is the problem of going offline. Many players think that theyll occasionally have an emergency and they cant possibly return to their hideout to go offline every time. Indeed, if it were me, I wouldnt like these inhuman rules either. Chen Chen said thoughtfully, For real players, its a game after all and its a game full of fighting and killing elements. If this is the case, its difficult to avoid death. No one wants to start from scratch again each time they die. So, what should we do? Little X asked curiously. We can record the physical fitness of each player after theyve trained. Chen Chen thought for a while and suggested, When the player dies and we print a new body, well directly print them out at their peak physical fitness. In this case, even if they die, their hard-won physical fitness would not be lost. Thats a good idea! Little Xs eyes lit up instantly and she reminded. In this way, we can also open the bank of Blacklight City to the players. All player characters can deposit their money and valuables in the bank, so the death penalty can be further reduced. At the same time, the problem of logging off can be solved. Chen Chen continued. After all, their bodies in the end dimension have God chips, so when they go offline, we can take the initiative to control their bodies to locate the nearest hiding point so that the games character wont die just because theres no one controlling them after the player has logged off. Uh-huh! Little X nodded and then reported again, The third suggestion mentioned by them is that the physical functions of their bodies in the game are too realistic. Many players are doing the novice tasks that weve arranged. These players havent come into contact with any combat. However, theres still a small number of players who arent satisfied with this. They felt that all this was a game, so they did whatever they wanted in Blacklight City. After several fights with gangsters, many of these players have died, but there are still some players who havent died but have lost their arms and legs. These people find that their injuries are too difficult to heal, so they asked us to change the bodys physical system to allow injuries to heal quickly. This is indeed a serious problem. Chen Chen could not help thinking about it. If this problem was not solved, the gameplay would be greatly reduced. Its not just that. Little X suddenly complained, These players also pose a serious insidious threat to the safety of the city. Its just an increase of 100,000 people now, but the burden on Blacklight City is already significant. When those players arrive, they also account for a lot of the crime rate. The crime rate in Blacklight City has soared in the past few days and theres panic in the city. At the same time, the thousands of android NPCs and hiding places used for novice missions are almost running out. At most, we can only take in 100,000 players at the same time. Any more would be impossible to bear. When the game is opened up to the world in the future, Im afraid the entire Blacklight City is going to be completely messed up After all, humanity is the fourth natural disaster. Of course, I understand. Chen Chen thought for a while and said after some deliberation, Ive planned to launch 5,000 low-orbit communication satellites in the end dimension in the near future, covering the entire world without any blind spots, so that the game characters can run around the world. At that point, they can go wherever they want, its all up to them. This way, the pressure on Blacklight City will be alleviated indirectly. But if so, the medical treatment system also needs to keep up with them Chen Chen added. We can transport several fully-automated medical platforms to the end dimension and set up several rapid treatment centers within the Joint Resistance Army. Injured players can quickly heal the characters injuries by spending money. This will solve the players injury problem. At the same time, for the next step, Ill cooperate with the other four Joint Resistance Army forces in the end dimension and open a 3D printing factory on their side, which will also draw away some of the players. Still, all this will come later At this point, Chen Chen could not help but smile and joke, Perhaps soon, we might be able to take back the end dimension with an army of billions of players Chapter 634 - Reward and Punishment Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation A month later, Shi Yangyu walked out of Madam Mis Pub with a weathered, experienced face. He looked at the people coming and going in the street and was keenly aware of the great forces that shaped each life. Finally, he was leaving this d*mn place Over the past month, heavens knew what happened to him. Apart from helping the proprietress do odd jobs and receive guests at the pub, he had to practice various dances with the proprietress most of the time. After a month, the proprietress purse was increasing in size but he was getting thinner day by day, and even his spirit was significantly traumatized. Yes, it was trauma. After all, every day he had to go to great lengths to entertain those big rugged guys. Surely any man with a normal mentality would not be able to bear the lewd stares of those NPCs, right? Sometimes, he even had to endure the NPCs vulgar grabs and on several occasions, some big hunk had even forced his way in when Shi Yangyu was sleeping in the middle of the night. Even so, fortunately, Shi Yangyus fighting skills eventually preserved his virginity. As he silently marveled at how lifelike the NPCs designed by Blacklight Biotechnology were, Shi Yangyu groused inwardly that all of this was too d*mn realistic. If he had not been a man, one who was an armed police instructor, he would have lost that night. This game deserved its PG18 rating and was exceptionally obscene Although he wanted to complain about the game, it would be impossible for him to give up this game. Over this period, he had already come to regard this game as his second life and was completely immersed in it. While thinking about his next plan, he walked to the small square outside the pub expressionlessly. Before the stunned eyes of passers-by, he took out a cigarette and placed it in his mouth, but before he could take out the lighter, a dozen men had rushed over, fighting to light the flame by his mouth. Shi Yangyu secretly disdained them. Heh, men After lighting the cigarette, Shi Yangyu was bored and opened his own attribute panel. At this time, his attributes had undergone considerable changes Name: Juyang Jushi. Gender: Female. Age: 18. Race: Human. Attributes: Strength 9, Constitution 10, Size 9, Agility 13, Charisma 15, Intelligence 10, Perception 11. Occupation: Dancer. Professional skills: elementary pole dancing, elementary striptease, intermediate hip-shaking dance. Special skills: flirtatious glancing, advanced fighting, advanced military boxing, advanced fighting technique. During this month, he had gained one point of strength, two points of agility, and one point of charisma. Shi Yangyu knew that these were all trained because he had been forced by the proprietress to dance every day during this period. Of all the games he had ever played, this game was the one where leveling up was the slowest yet most hardcore. Still, fortunately, even though he felt tired after training and his muscles would secrete lactic acid and turn sore, after the pain switch was reduced to zero, these feelings could be blocked. It was this function that enabled him to hold on for a month, otherwise, he would have broken down and fled. He originally wanted to keep going, but unfortunately, the proprietress had already started to push him out. She paid him 10,000 coins in the Joint Resistance Armys currency as this months wages. Within the area of this Blacklight city, the purchasing power of 10,000 Joint Coins could allow an ordinary person to live for about half a year, but as far as Shi Yangyu knew, this was not a lot of money. Each player also had a forum function. As long as one had the attention to spare, one could browse the forum while working. Shi Yangyu saw it on the forum a while ago. Many closed beta players killed their characters directly after figuring out the games routines. Then, they chose to rebuild their characters and created a tough man with a height of 2.3 meters. After entering the game, the novices task was to join a local gang or bodyguard organization, and the daily salary could reach more than five hundred Joint Coins. As for his actual combat ability, Shi Yangyu felt that he was by no means inferior to those players who only relied on their physiques. What was more, this was not a third-rate online game focused on upgrades. There was almost no difference between its physics engine and reality. He only had to wield a small dagger to be able to easily kill any target. Thinking of this, Shi Yangyu could not help but feel a little tempted. Maybe he should go to the bodyguard agency in Blacklight City to give it a try. This was because on the forum, he had also seen many posts about the purchase of Joint Coins. There was no shortage of peddlers everywhere in the world. The main point of those posts was to purchase Joint Coins and the price could reach a 1:1 exchange, which meant that if someone sold 10,000 Joint Coins in their possession, they could obtain 10,000 USD in reality. This was already a windfall and some players with poor backgrounds who were incidentally qualified for the closed beta could use this game to embark on the path of getting rich overnight. Still, Shi Yangyu had no plans to ??exchange currency for the time being, because he was not short of money. At least, ten thousand dollars was not too large a sum to him. Why was he single, after all? Being single meant he only had to feed himself, so although he was not rich, he never faced any financial pressure. However, if it was one hundred thousand dollars or one million dollars, then he had to consider it carefully. After all, it cost a lot to get the age-reversal treatment and he also wanted to get a new car in reality. Still, just as he was thinking this over, the three handsome men had appeared before him. They were all over two meters tall, with bulging muscles. Juyang Jushi, it seems that your novice mission has been completed. One of the big guys interrupted Shi Yangyus pondering. Our boss wants to see you, come with us. Shi Yangyu raised his head when he heard these words and frowned slightly. You guys are also players? How do you know my name? Hahaha, is there anyone in all of Blu Street who doesnt know the name of Juyang Jushi, the stripper? With a wretched smile, the big man mockingly said, Although we know that youre a man in reality based on your name, your customization skills are truly something else to be able to create such a beauty. Our boss would like to invite you to join us and make a lot of money in the game. Oh, then Ill give it a shot. Shi Yangyu also stood up indifferently. He patted his buttocks carelessly. His plump buttocks jiggled slightly, causing the hearts of the native residents who were frequently peeking around to skip a beat. How are we going there? By car, of course. The big man pointed to a black retro car by the curb. This car was just bought by the boss two days ago. It cost more than 300,000 Joint Coins. After their exchange, Shi Yangyu got into the car directly and then the car drove into a dark alley. A few minutes later, Shi Yangyu met the boss behind the three players. This was a fat man wearing a black tuxedo. At this time, there was a large amount of food on his table. Shi Yangyu glanced over. Hmm, all of it was high-carbs, high-fat stuff. No wonder it took only a month for this man to become this fat. Juyang Jushi, come, come, sit down! Seeing Shi Yangyus arrival, the man waved for Shi Yangyu to sit down without even wiping his mouth. He seemed to notice Shi Yangyus contempt and grinned suddenly. Cant help it, in reality, Im quite the glutton. Ive eaten myself into the hospital several times. Fortunately, theres no such restriction in this game. As long as I have money, I can eat all the delicious food in the city. Even if I die, I can just rebuild a new account. Youve bought the car one month after the game was launched and three closed beta players are working for you. It seems that you did make a lot of money. Shi Yangyu nodded and said. Haha, I didnt make the money. The fat man smiled, shook his head, and flaunted. I dont have the drive to work hard for thousands of game coins. I just need to open a post on the forum and declare that I want to buy game coins. Naturally, some players will come to me. Isnt this a quick method to get money? So, you were the one who bought the Joint Coins on the forum? Shi Yangyu immediately glanced at the forum. Caesar Reinhardt, is this your game nickname? Thats my real name. The fat man said with a chuckle, I belong to the Reinhardt family in Europe, mainly doing financial investment. You may not have heard of us, but Shengangdi Capital is our familys property. In addition, we also operate sixteen financial companies, five Wait! Shi Yangyu waved his hand impatiently. Dont talk about reality in the game. My time is limited. Why dont you tell me how you plan to cooperate with me? Hearing these words, the fat mans eyes lit up. He stared wantonly at Shi Yangyu until Shi Yangyu had goosebumps all over. Then the man flashed a lewd smile. My request is very simple Shi Yangyu raised his eyebrows upon hearing this. A few minutes later, as screams came from the warehouse, Shi Yangyu cursed and walked out of the alley. There was a wound with a depth of four to five centimeters in his arm, deep enough to reveal bone. The blood constantly flowing down his arm was evident too. If he were a normal person, he would have fainted from the pain, but for Shi Yangyu, he still looked the same, only his face was a little pale. He had turned this pale out of fury. D*mn idiot! While leaving the alley unhurriedly, Shi Yangyu scolded. He knows that Im a man but he still gets ideas about me? This time, Ive taken your lives. Youd better not show your faces again or Ill kill you each time I see you until you all delete your accounts! With that, he left, muttering angrily. At the same time, his uninjured hand also carried a black leather suitcase, where he had collected more than one million Joint Coins from the warehouse. It was not until half an hour later that the scene in the warehouse was discovered by passers-by and the police were called. When the police arrived, there were a total of four corpses in the warehouse, all of which had been cut beyond recognition and were dead beyond dead. Sheriff, the four dead are all outsiders. A police officer handed the information to the sheriff. They were all tortured to death by a dagger-like weapon. The murderers methods were very cruel. Each person experienced at least thirty-six cuts and the boss among them experienced even more seventy-two cuts. It can be seen through surveillance that the murderer was a young woman with blond hair, of medium build. She was proficient in fighting and assassination. She seemed to have received formal military training. This is another case of conflict involving the outsiders This is already the 332nd case in the month. D*mn outsiders Hearing this, the sheriffs face could not help clouding over. He hated the 100,000 outsiders who suddenly came to Blacklight City. Although these people had only appeared in Blacklight City for about a month, they were incomparably cruel, without any laws and morals to speak of. They dared to kill people and steal cars on the road at every turn, and would even rush forward with a knife after being surrounded by dozens of police officers. They were a group of desperadoes! Fortunately, Blacklight City had strict management of firearms. Otherwise, even the police would suffer heavy casualties However, regarding this situation, the higher-ups reaction was very strange. They had already instructed these police stations that they did not need to pay attention to the conflicts between these outsiders. Only when they attacked the local residents would the police need to severely crack down. Okay, dispose of the bodies of these people, you know the rules. The sheriff commanded unwillingly and then these police officers collected the corpses and transported them directly to the corpse truck. Without even the process of any trial, they were thrown into the sea at the pier This incident was just one of countless conflicts in Blacklight City. With the influx of 100,000 players, it had begun to exert tremendous pressure on Blacklight City. To limit these lawless players, Chen Chen had already told the X-112 here that, once a player killed an innocent NPC or performed other criminal acts that endangered the safety of the city, a Black Knight should be immediately sent to kill them. It was just like playing GTA. Once the player committed a crime, they would become wanted by the police regardless of whether there were witnesses around them. Nonetheless, in Ancient Civilization, it was not as easy to escape the polices pursuit as it was in GTA. Rather, the player would remain wanted until they escaped Blacklight City or were killed Only this would deter those players of the chaotic evil alignment. Sir Godfather. Little X slowly walked into Chen Chens office. When I was monitoring the Internet, I found a consortium named Reinhardt in Europe offering a bounty on the black market for a player of Ancient Civilization. Theyre offering three million dollars as a reward for the true identity of the player named Juyang Jushi, and at the same time, contacted our customer service, trying to find a breach from our side Chen Chen raised his head slightly when he heard these words and sneered. So thats happening? The specific reason is very simple, just because when a member of this consortium was playing the game Before Little X finished speaking, Chen Chen raised his hand and interrupted. No need to explain all that. Im not interested in their conflicts in the game. Then should we take note of this? Little X asked. I dont care who is right or wrong in the game. I only know that offering a reward to uncover the true identity of the player is a slap in our face! Chen Chen said coldly, If even the privacy of a player isnt well protected, wouldnt our credibility be greatly compromised? It will even affect our plan to recover the end dimension. X, make an immediate announcement to inform the world that, in light of that guys act of offering a reward for the real information of other players, no matter who he is or what status he holds, well directly and permanently ban his account, and hell never be allowed to enter Ancient Civilization! Chapter 635 - Officially On Sale Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Chen Chen walked out of the time machine and once again arrived at the era where civilization was near its end. The Black Knights on the side had been waiting for a long time. At this time, a Black Knight stepped forward and X-112s voice came from it. Sir Commander, long time no see. Its been a long time indeed. Chen Chen nodded. He looked at the piles of materials in the warehouse and the androids coming and going, and asked immediately, Is everything running smoothly after those players arrived? Except for some disturbance in public security, I suppose Its going well. X-112 felt a little helpless. The entire Blacklight City is anxious. After all, many natives have learned of the fact that a group of outsiders has arrived. To the residents of Blacklight City, these players are desperadoes. Every day, innocent native residents are robbed and harassed, and many people also learned from those players that all this is just a game, that they came from another world. This made everyone even more worried and the natives have even begun to march on the street, hoping that wed expel those who caused the anxiety and disturbance. Erm Chen Chen frowned when he heard these words, showing a pensive look. If thats the case, its indeed time to plan in more detail. By the way, Sir Commander. X-112 said again, Several other forces in the Joint Resistance Army have also inquired about this matter. Some time ago, they sent an emissary to ask these people whats going on. They also hope to meet you. I wont meet them. Chen Chen waved his hand. I originally planned to channel some players into their territory of power after the official launch of the server in the future, but now it seems that this isnt a secure method. Sooner or later, the players and the natives will have fierce conflicts. In that case, lets just rebuild the city. Rebuild the city? X-112 curiously said. We have only one city, Blacklight City, not because we dont have the conditions and financial resources to establish other base areas, but because of an insufficient population. Chen Chen said, But if we have a large number of players joining, the situation will be different As he spoke, Chen Chen suddenly waved his hand, and an image of the world map emerged out of thin air. Chen Chen tapped lightly on Greenland. This is the location of Blacklight City, this is the location of Northern America City, and this is the location of China City The territory of the Divine Fusion Empire is in Africa, the Middle East, and Europe, and the territory of the Joint Resistance Army is in Northern America and South America Chen Chen silently sketched something on the world map, sometimes contemplating, and sometimes wearing a look of realization. In the future, players will continue to show up in increasing numbers and the demand for resources will be extremely high. With this in mind, we can build a new city in the North Sea Continent, China, India, and so on. At that time, this dimension will be split into three factions. The Divine Fusion Empire will be one major force and the other two major forces, the Joint Resistance Army and the players, can form an alliance. Then, we might need more than one city. X-112 reminded. At least hundreds of cities are needed. Otherwise, well not be able to take on so many players. However, resources, labor, and time needed for all this will cost us immensely. These arent problems. Chen Chen flashed a secretive smile. The players can build cities on their own, right? We just need to give them tasks and tell them what to do and how to do it. Thats all. It doesnt matter if we dont have money. We can use virtual game currency as money. It doesnt matter if we dont have resources too. They can mine and haul them by themselves. At the same time, as long as the pain system is shut off, theyll be the most tenacious, diligent workers. Oh, we can still do that? X-112 was struck by the realization. What the player wants is very simple. Chen Chen sighed, spreading his hands. Looking at the cities that they built with their own hands rising from the ground, watching themselves offering light and heat to the world this sense of accomplishment is unparalleled. What does it mean to create happiness through effort? This is it It was carried out as planned. Chen Chen asked X-112 to create a plan, which enumerated every detail of what would happen after a player came here. In the plan, the city did not need to be so vast and beautiful. A standard medieval city was enough. After controlling a few large ships and transporting the first batch of materials and a time machine, Chen Chen had already thought about the location of these cities. They were all the relics of the harbor cities from the old era. These areas had a common characteristic, namely, the geographical position was superior and conducive to development. After getting there, the Black Knights would set up the initial camp to welcome the first batch of players who came here. A standard player camp was equipped with a 3D printing factory that could continuously manufacture the bodies of game characters, a shop that sold supplies, a black sphere teleportation station that could transport players to other camps, a hospital that could heal any injuries, and a defense camp where the Black Knights were stationed. Except for these five departments, the rest would all be created by the players. Of course, the players could not just be treated merely as workers, otherwise, they would complain that this game was just a Build-a-House Simulator. Therefore, hunting, mining resources, fishing, and other tasks were also given to the players by Chen Chen. What X-112 had to do was to issue the tasks in an orderly manner to make it fun for the players. As a reward for the players, Chen Chen also naturally crossed out the original Joint Coins and changed it into a virtual currency. The virtual currency could buy anything they wanted in the camp such as food, weapons, wilderness survival items, teleportation costs, the opportunity to get treatment for injuries, and so on. The real world had become the industrial logistics base of the end dimension. Rockets and satellite launch materials were transported over. In the next few months, Blacklight City would continue to send satellites into space, allowing thousands of satellites to cover the entire earth, so that no matter where a player went, they would not crash due to a loss of signal. When everything was ready, Chen Chen also issued a corresponding notice in reality: After three months of beta testing Ancient Civilization, it has been confirmed that the game is 100% safe and most of the hidden bugs have been eliminated. Therefore, we announce that from next Monday (1 June 2044), Ancient Civilization will be officially launched and the matching game chambers will also be on sale today. All this will be available for sale on the official website of any Blacklight Biotechnology branch in the world. At the same time, we have also revised the game rules 1. Weve modified the players birthplace. From now on, new players who enter the game will be born at one of the 50 designated spawn points, and will no longer be born in Blacklight City. 2. Because a large number of players obtained game currency through illegal means to maintain the balance of the currency system in the game, from now on, well modify the currency mechanism to remove the Joint Coins from the currency and use virtual currency instead. The virtual currency is named Ancient Coins. The beta test players attributes will be retained, their money will be cleared, and the old currency will no longer be able to purchase any items from the players camp. 3. The game has opened the construction module. From now on, players will receive a large number of construction tasks after entering the game, and to encourage players to participate in camp construction, the rewards for construction tasks will be two to three times that of other tasks. 4. The red name mechanism 1has been modified. From now on, players who kill their own forces will be hunted down by various camps. Specifically, other players may receive corresponding hunting tasks, by which killing red name players would result in rich rewards; at the same time, hurting innocent NPCs will cause a player to become wanted by the NPCs own faction, and theyll lose the qualification to enter the city of said faction until they die once. 5. According to the suggestions of most female players, the game has opened the reputation points module. Each person earns 12 points per year. Players who verbally harass the opposite sex (including but not limited to players) will have 1 point deducted after verification. 3 points will be deducted for subjective malicious contact with the body of someone of the opposite sex. 12 points will be deducted all at once for forced copulation with the opposite sex. Those who have zero points within one year will have their account banned, never to be restored. 6. According to the discussion of the game planning team of Blacklight Biotechnology to maintain the fairness of the game, the exchange channel of real currency and virtual currency is closed for now. Any action in the game that involves transactions in reality is not protected by the game. We hope you understand. At present, the first batch of game chambers will have 1 million units sold, each priced at 100,000 USD. Action speaks louder than words, join Ancient Civilization now and begin a new life with us! Sincerely, the Blacklight Biotechnology Game Department. With the release of this announcement, there was an uproar all over the world. Although the game had only operated for three months and hardly any advertisements had been put out, it was after all the first game in the world involving all five senses, a high degree of freedom, and a 100% simulation of reality. Without any need for advertisement, solely through Blacklight Biotechnologys prestige and the comments from the 100,000 beta test players, Ancient Civilization became a hot topic that flooded the worlds platforms. Except for those who had no contact with the Internet, there was almost no one who had not heard of this game. Plenty of avid gamers had even become premature fans of Ancient Civilization before even playing it, and their wealth of knowledge about the game would stun anyone. This announcement caused an Earth-shattering wave of responses. The official website of Blacklight Biotechnology, major forums around the world, and even the news media of various countries had immediately issued the news that Ancient Civilization would be officially launched. [The ultimate in virtual reality? When a game simulates all five senses, can you still distinguish between the game and reality?] Northern American Associated Press News. [Ancient Civilization is officially launched. Experts claim that this type of technology is not just a game, but may also embody the future of human civilization?] Reuters. [Biology, medicine, resources, military, aerospace Along with todays game, how many industries must Blackwatch monopolize before it will give up?] United Press International. [Announcement that Ancient Civilization is launchedis the greatest online game in human history about to be born?]Sina Express. On the Internet, everyone was also very eager to talk about this topic. However, unlike some medias pessimistic spin, those players who looked forward to this game were celebrating and constantly discussing the newly released rules. [It felt like a pipe dream, but finally, its officially launched! I thought thered still be an open beta after the closed beta.] [This game has a very high degree of completion. Apart from modifying a few inhuman rules at the beginning, there are not many changes. Compared to CD Projekt RED who likes to sell semi-finished products and Ubisoft who gives free games riddled with bugs, Blackb*tch has way more of a conscience!] [OP, are you dreaming, can those even be compared? Blackb*tch is the worlds largest private economy, with authority comparable to that of a continental government, and its financial resources can compete head-to-head with Northern America and China. CD Projekt RED and Ubisoft are just ordinary game companies, at most theyre relatively large ones. Can they compare to Blackb*tch? Just Ancient Civilization alone probably costs an investment of over 100 billion.] [They are indeed very conscientious. For most game companies, closed beta data will not be retained, but now Blackb*tch is only eliminating the money earned by the closed beta players during the testing, but retaining their physical fitness.] [Hey, then isnt this unfair to new players?] [The red name mechanism and reputation points are too unnecessary, right? Im stifled enough as it is in reality, but I cant do whatever I want in the game? Then why should I play this game?] [Because its not meant for you but other people then! Surely you mustnt have a female family member, otherwise would you not mind if they are wantonly dishonored by others when they play the game?] [The commenter above the last is disgusting. His speech shocked me. Does he think he can do whatever he wants in the game?] [The game cannot exchange real money for game currency? What kind of idiotic plan is this, doesnt Blackb*tch want to make any money?] [As if Blackb*tch is short of money? This is the best joke of the century!] [I think this rule is very good, it protects the rights of us common players. By the way, you guys keep saying Blackb*tch, Blackb*tch, what does Blackb*tch mean?] [Blackb*tch is the nickname for Blackwatch in the gaming world. You should know that Blackwatch was once a Chinese company, and its Chinese name translates literally to Blacklight, but the English version means black watch, so we started calling it Blackb*tch (TN: In Mandarin, the phrase for black watch and black b*tch sounds the same.)] [One hundred thousand USD is so expensive. Im now in the third grade of elementary school and my weekly living expenses are only 100 dollars. If I want to afford a game chamber, dont I have to wait until after college then?] [Haha, elementary school students can forget about it. This game is PG18. You cant enter this game if youre under 18 years old. You should wait until you grow up to play!] The Internet was full of discussions about Blacklight Biotechnology and the game Ancient Civilization. In reality, some people with sufficient resources kept watch over the website that night, waiting for the arrival of midnight. It was because that was when the game chambers would go on sale. Although the price of 100,000 USD would eliminate a considerable part of the population, many people who had never been in contact with games had also received a lot of information from the videos released by those closed beta players and the publicizing of the premature fans. For example, how all five senses in the game were comparable to reality, how players could change their sex in the game, customize their faces to be beautiful, enjoy delicacies and even sex These conditions alone were enough to make countless people feel a rush of excitement, especially those who felt that reality was not complete enough, who wanted to experience a second life in the game. Around the world, more than one billion people, comprising countless players as well as scalpers and purchasing agents, would compete for the first million game chambers tonight. Tonight was destined to be a sleepless night for this group of people Chapter 636 - The Blacklight Returns Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation A huge spacecraft was traveling through a stretch of chaos. Bizarre, grotesque nebulae pressed against the windows. These sticky substances attached to the spacecrafts armor and wriggled slowly, seeming to want to penetrate the spacecraft. The spaceship at this time was already mottled. The original armor was almost corroded, revealing the mottled scars inside, but strangely, these scars looked like traces left behind by beasts whose sharp claws had scratched the surface. Pop! Suddenly, in the airflow that the spacecraft passed by when it was sailing, a gray bubble swelled up out of thin air and then burst instantly, making a loud noise that pierced peoples hearts in the chaos! After the bubble burst, only an endless gray mist could be seen surging and in the mist, there seemed to be a pair of eyes that were flickering faintly as scorching as charcoal Something unknown was constantly following the spacecraft. They trailed behind in the wake of the spacecraft, stubborn and relentless. Almost there, were almost there Inside the bridge, Shaws forehead kept dripping with sweat. He stared ahead and did not dare to check the condition of the spaceship. He was afraid that the spaceship would automatically disintegrate in the next second and then, he would never be able to return to the human world. Behind him, two bodies, dead for some period, were sitting quietly in the steel seats on both sides. The corpses had been dried by the circulating air and turned into two rotten corpses, but even so, their faces were still hideous. Their mouths had opened before they died, like a black hole, and they seemed to have seen something terrifying. His two assistant navigators died a few months ago At this time, the blue veins on Shaws forehead throbbed and his spiritless eyes stared at the space ahead. His consciousness had penetrated time and space and looked toward the distant horizon. In front of him, an ice-cold star that nonetheless still glowed brightly was flickering, like a lighthouse, constantly showing him the way. He did not discover this star when he left the solar system two years ago, but when the Blacklight was returning, he gradually noticed it. The reason Shaw was able to notice it was that this star was special. No matter where the spacecraft flew, the star was always located directly in front of its path and coincided with its destination. In the beginning, the star was almost invisible to the naked eye and it was so small that it could be concealed by a trace of the subspace airflow. However, after a year of flying, the star became closer and closer and it became bigger and brighter! Now, this star had become the size of the sun or the moon! Even so, Shaw understood that this star was not the sun or the moon. He was in the subspace at this time and it was naturally impossible to see anything like the sun and the moon. He only called it a star based on his own framework of knowledge. There was no lack of luminous objects in the subspace. As for what those luminous objects were, it was not known. Rumble Suddenly, a tremor ran through the spacecraft again and Shaws heart also trembled. He had seen with the AI that the tail of the spacecraft had been damaged again and a large part of the hull was stripped away by something unknown! Warning, areas 21 and 22 are missing, areas 18, 19, and 20 have air pressure leaks, nuclear fusion engine No. 3 has stalled, and damage to the hull of the spacecraft has exceeded 30%! The AI issued a warning. Close all hatches in areas 18, 19, and 20! Shaw ordered, Send the android engineer to make repairs! The android engineer has been destroyed! The AI continued. There are currently only 36 Black Knight guards left. Should they be sent to make the repairs? No, then forget it, leave it alone! Shaw gritted his teeth and said, AI, have all the Black Knights guard the space warp engine. Were going home soon! However, there was no response to his order. Shaw could not help raising his eyebrows. AI, AI? Whimper, whimper A faint crying sound abruptly rang out by Shaws ears. Its, its happening again? There was panic in Shaws eyes and then he stared straight ahead, watching the subspace airflow that was constantly breaking apart by the bow of the ship outside the window, and he no longer cared about everything going on around him. Shaw, Shaw He heard a pair of male and female voices on both sides of him at the same time, accompanied by a weird gurgling moan. A stinging icy chill slowly crept up from behind him. Shaws forehead was drenched in a cold sweat. Although he knew that all of this was an illusion of the subspace, this feeling was too real. He could even sense the two corpses behind him crawling up and clinging to his steel seat! Shaw A bloody disfigured face slowly came into Shaws peripheral vision. Shaws body could not stop shuddering, but long-term training allowed him to maintain control of the spacecraft. There might be unknown substances blocking the spacecrafts way at any time in the subspace airflow. If he did not concentrate, he could easily cause the spacecraft to crash into a sea of ??chaos and thorns. If that happened, considering that he was being pursued now, Shaw would be done for! Hee, hee, hee Suddenly, another harsh and piercing laughter burst out by his other ear. Shaw resisted the intense urge to turn his head back. Then, he only felt a pair of extremely cold hands clasping his head, silently pressing against his forehead! Leader, why dont you dare to look at me? Join us, join us The shrill voice echoed in Shaws ears, making his hair stand on end as his mind was sent into an anxious turmoil. Gordon, Marcy, youre still causing trouble after youre dead! Shaw roared fiercely and at this very perilous moment, the spacecraft finally reached the range of the stars illumination. All at once, the surrounding subspace air currents cleared up! Boom! Light shone everywhere! In the next second, two mournful screams quickly arose, wailing harshly beside Shaw. Argh! It was like snow under the spring sun. The two phantoms melted almost as soon as they came into contact with the light of the star. At the same time, the illusion in Shaws mind had also disappeared. Except for the subspace outside the window, his world was dark once again! At the same time, the viscous substances attached to the spacecraft began to dissolve rapidly and even the bubbles that kept bursting behind the spacecraft halted at the moment they entered the shining range of the star. Low snarls of anger erupted from the bubbles as if they were unhappy about this! Hmm? That fellow behind isnt coming after us? Shaw looked behind him with lingering fear. He could not help being a little flabbergasted. Could this star be something even more peculiar than the bubbles behind him? However, when he looked at the subspace coordinates at this time, he was taken aback. He had already entered the scope of the solar system without realizing it? By this time, the star had begun to bloom with incomparable light and the entire void was filled with the luminescence of the star. Shaw even had the illusion that he was about to melt into the light. The light dispelled the subspace airflow and at the same time, dispelled most of the demons and ghosts within the solar system! This Is this the projection of the solar system in subspace? Shaw stared blankly at everything outside the window. In his vision, he seemed to see thousands of light spots. These light spots were densely arranged next to the huge star, like stars grouped around the moon. Still, compared with that strange star, these light spots were extremely tiny Wait, why is the presence coming from this star so familiar? Shaw seemed to understand something but his eyes, which had already lost their sight, were getting brighter now Immediately, Shaw jolted himself into action. He exhausted the last of his strength and roared, AI, head to the Mandeville Point immediately. Lets leave the subspace! As the game Ancient Civilization took the world by storm, all other topics were suppressed, be it celebrity scandals or political developments. There was only one topic that could keep pace with Ancient Civilization and that was the construction of the Dyson cloud. On the day the game was released, the first Mercury factory of the Earth Federation had been built and was starting to mine the metal mineral resources on Mercury. At the same time, tens of thousands of heat-resistant engineering robots began to use these resources to replicate themselves, growing their numbers at a swift, geometrical pace. It was estimated that in one year, the engineering robots of the Dyson cloud project would exceed one billion units, meeting the most basic requirements of the engineering project. After that, humankind would begin to officially dismantle Mercury Nevertheless, just a few days after the game was officially launched, a new message was sent back from the orbit of Pluto. Once this message was received, it was immediately listed as top secret by Little X, and it was delivered to Chen Chens desk as soon as possible. What, the Blacklight is back? Chen Chen stood up suddenly, a hint of delighted surprise dancing in his eyes. Few things in this world could get Chen Chen worked up. A few days ago, one million game chambers were sold out in one second and the Dyson cloud plan was fully launched yet he remained unperturbed as all these were mere trifles to him. If there was one thing in the world that could move him, it would have to be information related to the subspace. Immediately, Chen Chen seemed to have thought of something and his surprise instantly turned into a vigilant look. Are you worried about whether the other party is successful? Little X was understanding. After all, everything in the subspace was too mysterious for humans. Please be rest assured, the information we received is normal and even the code is correct. Theres no memetic effect and our radio telescope is also aimed at the position of the Blacklight. Well be able to see it in less than half an hour. Tell them to stay where they are. Chen Chen nodded and ordered, They are to wait for our team to perform an inspection and theyll only be allowed to return to the Moon Rabbit Space Station when everything is confirmed to be normal. Otherwise, theyll all be killed! Half an hour later, Chen Chen quickly received the information from the Blacklight, which was submitted only after going through Little Xs review and processing. When reading the contents, Chen Chen was pleasantly surprised at first, then he frowned slightly. The pleasant surprise was that Kepler-642b was a planet very similar to the earth. It also had an atmosphere, in which the oxygen content was very similar to that of the earth. There was even a group of natives on the planet a group similar to dinosaurs. Still, he frowned because the Blacklight experienced the impact of the subspace tide on its way back. This tide had damaged the reality anchor. What he did not expect was that after this damage, it was as if the spacecraft had lost its protective shell. There were countless things in the subspace, nameless and formless, that launched attacks one after another, and the Blacklight was almost wrecked! In the end, it returned to the solar system smoothly because of the guidance of a strange star located in the subspace. A strange star? Chen Chen raised his eyebrows thoughtfully. I once entered the subspace during the psionic boy incident, and at that time, I didnt see any stars that could dissolve the subspace airflow The star that Shaw mentioned is probably you, Little X reminded. Chen Chen was startled when he heard this and then showed a contemplative look In the next few days, the inspection ship departed from Mars and went to the Pluto orbit before boarding the Blacklight colony spacecraft. After it was determined that all the subspace energy in the spacecraft had been eliminated, the battered, broken spacecraft officially returned to the Moon Rabbit Space Station in the earths orbit. Then, the most comprehensive subspace navigation data, tracking the entire journey, was presented in front of Chen Chen and Little X. Looking at everything recorded on the spacecraft, Chen Chen suddenly felt like it was akin to a great voyage in the Middle Ages. In the past, to conquer the sea, human beings sent fleets to cruise deep into the ocean over and over again. After one fleet was wiped out, they would send another, and finally successfully conquered the ocean and expanded humanitys world to the entire planet. Now, all of what he had done was no different from the past era of great voyages. The only difference was the progress of science and technology, and the changes of the times Two thousand emigrants have been sent to Kepler-642b. At this time, Shaw stood in front of Chen Chens desk, lowered his head, and stated, We built a colony on that planet in accordance with the requirements listed in the construction and agricultural templates. We didnt leave until we saw that the colony was built. When we left, the two thousand emigrants had already entered the farming life. They are the first human colonists on that planet. The so-called construction and agricultural template was a unique smart AI system, which also included the corresponding assembly line. The construction template could build a large-scale camp out of thin air within a few days while the agricultural template could clear a large area of cropland in a few days. These were all technologies specially created by Blacklight Biotechnology to colonize the extraterrestrial planets. At the same time, they also needed to be paired with extremely intelligent AI. The person in control would not need to have much related knowledge at all. They only had to follow the intelligent control of the template to create the corresponding items. The so-called colonists were all felons purchased by Blacklight from all over the world. Under the threats and promises of Blacklight Biotechnology, they had signed an agreement with the company. Blacklight Biotechnology would give them freedom and they must act as guinea pigs to expand the territory for humankind. To defend against potential extraterrestrial microbes, these colonists were injected with a drug called adaptive evolution enzyme, which was extracted from a movie called Pandorum. It could help humans adjust their bodies and quickly adapt to an unfamiliar environment at the cost of genetic mutations. Chapter 637 - Kiss of the Subspace Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation On the way back, at first, it was as calm as before. The reality anchor isolated the subspace airflow and also protected the three of us from the subspaces erosion. However, it seems that the subspace isnt in a calm state all the time Shaws voice was low, with a kind of agitation. Its like the ocean. There are occasionally extremely destructive tsunamis and hurricanes in the ocean, and the same is true for the subspace. On our way back, I saw a subspace storm that sprawled across dozens of star regions in the distance. We couldnt evade it at all Therefore, I decided to let the spacecraft directly cut across the storm. After all, theres a reality anchor to isolate everything. In my opinion, with the sturdiness of our spacecraft, it wouldnt be difficult to pass through this storm But, I was wrong. The power of the subspace storm was beyond my imagination. The barrier extended by the reality anchor was as fragile as a soap bubble in this storm. A few days after entering the storm, it was finally overwhelmed and shattered. At the same time, it also caused the subspace energy to flow into the spacecraft It was then that Gordon and Marcy collapsed because they couldnt bear the spiritual erosion of the subspace. They lost their minds and even wanted to get up from the drivers seat. Fortunately, I have the authority to lock them in place, trapping them in their seats. So, the reality anchor is that important in subspace navigation? On the side, Little X thought out loud. It seems that installing this piece of equipment in the spacecraft was a wise choice. Not only that Shaw smiled bitterly and nodded. After the reality anchor shattered, the ships body was even intruded by something unknown. Those existences were invisible and formless, and the Black Knight guards and androids suffered heavy casualties before they could expel those existences. Enslavers? Upon hearing this, Little X and Chen Chen could not help but glance at each other, with a discerning expression in their eyes. Enslavers was the name given to the subspace creatures in the previous psionic boy incident. They could infiltrate psionicists without anyone noticing and mix into the human world, collecting human internal organs and blood. Thus, a flesh-and-blood door that could cut through reality and subspace was formed. So, those beings are called Enslavers? Shaw was stunned. Although he did not understand how Chen Chen learned this information, he continued to report faithfully, Finally, Gordon and Marcy became crazy due to the erosion of the subspace, and their bodies began to mutate. I could only disconnect their life-preserving devices and lock them in their drivers seats. At this point, Shaws face was twisted in anguish. They kept roaring and groaning in my ears until half a month had passed and both of them gradually died Just after the two of them were dead, I thought I couldve some relief, but I didnt expect that the spaceship would be targeted by a more powerful existence. This opponent was extremely fast and followed closely behind the spaceship. No matter how I sped up, I couldnt get rid of it because it followed me all the way in the path left behind by the spacecrafts navigation In this way, I persisted for three months, using that star as my navigation point to keep moving forward, and finally returned to the range of the solar system. At the moment I returned to the solar system, all the subspace air currents dissipated. This was within the range of the stars light In the end, Shaw could not help but look up at Chen Chen. By the way, the energy that the star exuded was the same as yours, Mr. Chen I got it. Chen Chen nodded, without showing too much emotion. Apart from that star, what else did you see? Countless smaller stars. Shaw quickly replied, There were tens of thousands of tiny stars around that star. The brightest of those stars was only one percent of that star and the dimmest was only one ten-thousandth or one hundred-thousandth of that star These stars collectively surrounded that largest star, which was dispelling the subspace energy for them, and delineating a solar system-sized hole in the subspace. Other tiny stars, huh? Chen Chens eyes glimmered with recognition. He had guessed what the stars were, but he asked again, Are you sure you hadnt seen these stars when you set sail more than two years ago? I had not. Shaw affirmed. I didnt notice it two years ago. If I did, I wouldve remembered it. Very well. Chen Chen nodded and looked at Shaw in front of him with appreciation. Im very satisfied with your performance. Not only did you complete the task, but you also opened up countless experiences and knowledge for us humans in your long voyage. Just based on this, your contributions are boundless! Youre too kind! Shaw quickly lowered his head, emotions swirling in his eyes. Okay, you may go. Have a good rest during this time. Dont forget, your life has just begun. Yes! Shaw withdrew gratefully. After Shaw had left, Chen Chen slowly fell into contemplation while Little X waited silently at one side. If my guess isnt wrong, those tiny stars should represent the other psionicists. After a long while, Chen Chen suddenly said, There are currently more than 100,000 psionicists in the world, which is similar to the number of stars described by Shaw. It would appear so for now. Little X chuckled. But in this case, psionicists are inextricably linked to the subspace and this even includes you. Psionicists can form projections in the subspace? I dont know if this is a good thing or not. Its probably not a good thing. Chen Chen said powerlessly, It seems that I was still reckless back then. Im afraid it was the emergence of psionicists that led to us humans becoming entangled with the subspace. The incidents that have occurred in the past few years are probably all related to psionicists. This is something that cant be helped. Little X hurriedly comforted him. Who wouldve thought that psionic powers with such seemingly huge potential could hide the secret of subspace? We can only say that the appearance of psionicists has pros and cons Now what Im more puzzled about is, why didnt Shaw see the subspace projection when he left, but only saw it when he came back? Hearing this question, Chen Chen said without thinking, Remember the first psionicist born by childbirth? That psionicist was born on Mars and the day he was born was the day the Blacklight set sail into the subspace? Ah! Little X immediately got it. Indeed, after being injected into the human body, the L compound developed by Blacklight Biotechnology had a certain chance of passing on the psionic gene to any future offspring. However, the fact was that during that time, no one gave birth to any offspring with innate psionic powers. At that time, Chen Chen thought that the L compound was defective. It was when the Blacklight officially set sail, when Chen Chen was strolling in Ares Science City, that he suddenly sensed the subspace presence. After investigation, he discovered that the first natural psionicist had been born in a local hospital! At that time, a vague speculation occurred to me Chen Chen continued to say in a low voice, Its like the beginning of a certain omen. From that day on, natural psionicists began to appear gradually. Although it no longer made me feel that I was watched by the subspace, it still made me increasingly certain about that speculation. Later, even some ordinary people who had not been injected with the L compound began to awaken their psionic powers one after another, including the psionic boy incident that wed gone through before. Although there were very few of these people who awakened their acquired powers, these signs all pointed to a terrible omen That is perhaps it was because human beings took the initiative to enter the subspace, which finally led to the formation of a certain close relationship between the subspace and humankind! You mean, ever since weve officially started the era of emigration with the help of the subspace, human beings have formed a special connection with the subspace? Little X said thoughtfully, Cause and effect? I dont know what kind of connection that is or what mechanism is used to make the connection, but humans and the subspace have indeed been formally connected from that day on. Chen Chen replied, Thats to say, since that day, the psionicists around the world and I began to create projections in the subspace, so that was why Shaw could escape from the subspace using our projections. Little X fell silent suddenly. Okay, lets not talk about this for now. Chen Chen shook his head, Theres no turning back and its too late to regret it anymore. If we humans want to escape from the solar system, we must use the subspace and my various methods have simply hastened all this. Conversely, its Shaw whos proved to be a surprise. Shaw is indeed a talent. Little X had to sigh after hearing this. After this experience, we can fully train him and let him play a greater role in our interstellar voyages. Although there are recordings, its difficult to describe his experience to outsiders. Chen Chen nodded. Next, X, make arrangements for Shaw to be an instructor of subspace navigators. Let him pass on to them his experiences in subspace navigation. We need to cultivate more subspace navigators Besides, Ive heard that he still has his parents? Yes. Little X replied, He sneaked into Gambia, Africa after he murdered people in a fit of rage and lost contact with his parents. His parents still dont know anything about him. Then, let him return to Oceania to visit his family. Chen Chen said decisively, Its such a waste to not return home after one has made something of oneself. I think he should be missing his parents too. For him to work for us more loyally, make it happen. Got it, leave it to me. Little X replied. Shaw came to the residence arranged by Blacklight Biotechnology a single-family villa located at Walvis Bay Lagoon in the Eco Science City. This was a medium-sized villa with an area of ??3,000 square meters. There were three living rooms, six bedrooms, and more toilets than the number of bedrooms. In addition, the villa also had a huge courtyard. One end of the courtyard extended directly into the lagoon, making the villa a picturesque, high-end sea view residence. This place Shaw looked at all this, mouth agape and dumbfounded. Is it for me? Yes, this ocean view villa is completely yours, Mr. Winfred. This is the companys transfer agreement and this is your real estate certificate. A middle-level manager of Blacklight Biotechnology spoke with a hint of envy in his eyes, but he still smiled and said, However, according to the contract, you cannot resell the villa. If one day you dont want to live here anymore, you can only sell ??it to the company, and the company will buy the villa again at one-half of the market price. Shaw nodded. Indeed, almost everyone who got to live here was a high-level executive of Blacklight Biotechnology. Since this was the core hinterland of Blacklight, it was natural that they would control the influx of outsiders and not allow private resales. As for it being bought back at only half the market price, Shaw also understood. Land in todays Eco Science City was worth its weight in gold, and Walvis Bay was the core area of ??the Eco Science City because of its beautiful scenery. He could imagine the frightening price that a lot like this could fetch. Moreover, it would not have many buyers. The company was already being generous in reclaiming the property at half the market price. In addition, the company has issued a document. The position we have assigned to you is Oceania Branch Company Supervisor. The manager opened the cover of another document and immediately displayed an astounded look. This Mr. Winfred, this is the first time Ive heard of this post. From what it says, your role seems to be to supervise the senior executives of the company in Oceania to see if they are corrupt or accepting bribes. What? Shaw raised his head abruptly at this, an incredulous glint in his eyes. But I hear that you still have family over there? The middle-level manager guffawed. It seems that the company is very considerate toward you. But! But my identity in the outside world is still a fugitive! Shaw quickly explained. I know your previous status, you were a Delta-level subject after all. This middle-level manager was also a member of Gods Forbidden Zone. Now he proudly said, But this is nothing. Your current position is higher than mine. So even if you used to be a fugitive in Oceania, it doesnt matter. After all The person to be arrested is a fugitive named Shaw Winfred. What does it have to do with you, the supervisor of Blacklight Biotechnologys Oceania Branch? Hearing what the other party said, Shaw was stunned. Hahaha, it seems that you havent recovered from this surprise. The manager smiled kindly. I have done everything they asked me to do and Ill be going off now. Mr. Winfred, I wish you a happy move! With that, he turned around and left the courtyard of the villa, leaving Shaw who was still in a daze to soak in this wonderful news. I, I am free? Shaw raised his slightly trembling hands and held up the documents in disbelief. Even if they had transferred this villa to himself, it would not have made him so overwrought, but he did not expect that this company would give him such a huge surprise Thinking of this, Shaws heart churned with a hundred emotions. He used to resent Chen Chen for making him risk his life, but at this time, that resentment had long since vanished like smoke, and only deep gratitude remained in his heart. Father, Mother, its been four years How are you doing? I can come home Chapter 638 - Hunting Down Consciousness Stealer Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Finally! Weve finally done it! Thousands of players gathered at the peak of the mountain and looked down at the depthless pit beneath their feet, each of them utterly thrilled at what they had achieved. Oh, theres a system notification saying that I received the ten thousand dollars bounty, are you guys getting this too? I got it too, I can finally buy the monster truck Ive been eyeing! I got it too, haha! The main mission is finally out of the way. Speaking of which, whats with this mission anyway, its so nonsensical! If the game is based in the end times, why do we have these futuristic gadgets? Whats this device shaped like a hammer? Havent you read the mission overview? This is the device used to block psionic channeling. The setting of this game is that psionicists only exist in the Holy Fusion Empire while regular players dont have access to psionic abilities, so we need to use this device to suppress these psionicists! Its not just us, this is a server-wide mainline mission. Ive logged into the private forum analyzing the in-game statistics and theyve revealed that more than three hundred guilds are performing the same mission, only in different locations! Our mission is considered easier compared to the rest. Some guilds need to install these reality anchors deep inside the territory of the Holy Fusion Empire. Those missions are usually composed of tens of thousands of participants at a time and they duke it out with the people of the Holy Fusion Empire for several days! Its that intense? Bravo I say, bravo! Hey look, something is glowing down there! Is this the sign of the device working properly? Lets get out of here It was evening. Chen Chen, with his arms folded in front of him, stood by the edge of a valley, overlooking a seemingly endless stretch of the Pacific Ocean. The setting sun painted the sky with a blood-red texture while the ocean mirrored the sky above. Far off in the distance, one could make out bare silhouettes of lonely islands shrouded in dense mist. Perhaps at this moment, people were setting up camps on the beaches and gazing back at Chen Chens direction as well. The sun sank to the west. The glow of the setting sun shone over Chen Chen and cast a deep shadow to his side. His shadow then became the middle point where the golden afterglow of the sun merged into the deep red of the ocean. It painted a picture otherwise only seen in stories Drawing the perspective closer, the salty sea breeze gently caressed Chen Chens skin and made his clothes flutter. His dark figure remained still like a statue, his eyes closed and resting. Chen Chen breathed softly and felt the world around him move. Sir Commander, after months of battle, all guilds have deployed reality anchors to their corresponding positions. X-112s voice came through the earpiece. The tone of her voice was bright and crisp with a subtle note of excitement. Shall we start the mission now? Do it. Chen Chen answered softly. Immediately after the order was given, an invisible wave suddenly unleashed somewhere far away. It traveled near the speed of light and Chen Chen quickly sensed a numbing sensation running across his body. The feeling was similar to being trapped and surrounded by quicksand. He felt bound and restricted by a suppressing force. This was the effect of the reality anchor in its surroundings, a unique energy oscillation that suppressed psionic power. Only psionicist could feel its oppression. Unlike the psionic energy suppression in the past, Chen Chen sensed that this one was significantly stronger. This was because it was the combined effect of three hundred and sixty-five reality anchors set up globally! This was quite unlike the setup used by the mysterious civilization Chen Chen encountered where there were twenty reality anchors, each supported by a steel pillar nearly a kilometer tall. The design incorporated by Chen Chen was only several hundred meters long, but the total quantity was more than fifteen times that of the mysterious civilization! According to Little Xs calculations, the combined effect of these reality anchors could rival that of the one Chen Chen encountered in the DOOM dimension, perhaps even surpassing it. It was more than enough to completely suppress the Consciousness Stealer. Months of work led to what was seen today. The psionic presence in the surroundings was completely suppressed, Chen Chen tried to evoke his psionic power but failed to produce anything. It felt like the source of the power was bound by an enormous force. He could not sense even the slightest drop of power spilling out. If it could have this level of effect of Chen Chen, surely the same could be said of the Consciousness Stealer, right? Chen Chen wondered. Half a minute later, bubbles began bursting along the surface of the ocean. These were not any ordinary bubbles, but enormous formations more than ten meters large. They exploded upon reaching the surface and they kept coming again, and again, and again In an instant, it seemed as if the ocean was boiling as the stream of gigantic bubbles continued rising from the bottom! Chen Chen turned his attention to the depths of the ocean below his feet. A behemoth almost the size of an island seemed to be breathing underneath. It threatened to break through the surface. The Consciousness Stealer was surfacing Rumble More bubbles rushed to the surface. At the same time, there was a surge of powerful air current accompanied by violent gushes of cold air! As the wind roared, a colossal beast larger than an island slowly rose from the depths of the ocean. The moment it reached the surface, the ocean boiled! Its here! Chen Chen looked on in fascination as the island slowly rose. It was a thousand meters tall, then two thousand, three thousand The mountain continued to expand unendingly and in the blink of an eye, the upper half of the Consciousness Stealer grazed the clouds above. This was only its upper half while its lower half remained basked inside the ocean that seemed more like a shallow pool in comparison to its humongous size Hum-! When the Consciousness Stealer opened its mouth positioned at the center of its chest opened, it emitted a deep roar that made the air tremble. The air quaked to such an extent that it carried faint ripples of its destructive powers that collided into a layer of barrier Chen Chen set up around him before disappearing. Chen Chen used Field to create a vacuum space around his body to remove all oxygen content around him. Alosorthoth, its been a while! Chen Chen greeted with a faint whisper. He let his arms down and beheld the sight of the otherworldly monstrosity larger than anything the world had ever seen. He could see his figure reflected in the millions of eyes grown on the Consciousness Stealers body The sheer appearance of the Consciousness Stealer was something that was beyond human comprehension. If anybody else that was not Chen Chen, be it an Alpha-level psionicist or a veteran general of a vast army saw this monster, their sanity would break instantly. They would be reduced to a madman forever haunted with the sheer horror induced by the cosmic monstrosity This was the true terror of the Consciousness Stealer. Having a number advantage over it was entirely meaningless. Even with psionic abilities which was the strongest weapon in mankinds arsenal against it, it could only leave negligible scratches on it Roar! The Consciousness Stealer seemed enraged when it realized its shockwave ripples did not affect Chen Chen. Enormous tentacles emerged from its body and launched themselves at Chen Chen at supersonic speed! There were at least several kilometers between Chen Chen and the Consciousness Stealer. In just a split instant, gigantic tentacles shaped like great pillars seemed like they were about to smash Chen Chen and threaten to obliterate him with their sheer weight! So, youre resorting to physical attacks now that you cant use your psionic abilities? Chen Chen taunted with a quick flick of his eyebrows. Too bad for you, physical attacks are useless against me! Just as the tentacles reached several hundred meters away from Chen Chen and it seemed there was no way out, they were ripped into innumerable shreds! They seemed like inferior substances composed of fragile sand and gravel when approaching Chen Chen and were torn into specks of dust instantly! This was the destructive prowess of Chen Chens Field that imposed its effects on a molecular level. At its maximum range, everything that entered within a-hundred-and fifty-meters radius of his body would be completely broken down at the most basic molecular level. From an outsiders perspective, it seemed like they were broken into powder! All you have is raw strength but you dont know how to use it properly, what a shame. Chen Chen remarked blankly. He stood on an invisible platform in the air and slowly approached it step by step. Maybe I wont be your match if were sparring with psionic energy, but things are different now. Your enormous body looks like a giant bullseye to me! Chapter 639 - Dawn Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation After taunting the Consciousness Stealer, Chen Chens figure vanished from his original point and before the Consciousness Stealer could realize what was happening, he appeared right next to it. He summoned several bolts of turquoise-colored missiles from his palms and punctured them into the monsters body! Thump! Giant splashes of black-colored blood splattered everywhere as Chen Chen penetrated its body! Hrrr-! The Consciousness Stealer howled with a mix of pain and anger. More tentacles appeared inside its body to try to claw Chen Chen out but they were obliterated into specks of dust and mist before they could reach their target. No matter how much it tried, it could not reach the tiny, feeble-looking human! Boom! After about five minutes, a gigantic hole was torn in the back of the Consciousness Stealer and Chen Chen emerged from it, then took to the skies above! Phew, you sure are hard to kill Chen Chen exhaled, his eyes seemed to glow with excitement as he said, Even with my destructive powers, itll be hard to kill this thing completely. Good thing I have the nanorobots to help me. At the drop of this mention, black mists slowly seeped out of the torn openings of the Consciousness Stealers body. The cloud of mist seemed to possess lives on their own as they could be seen pouring back into the Consciousness Stealer after only just emerging. The Consciousness Stealer kept swiping at this mist helplessly before resorting to wrapping its body with its tentacles. When it realized that its attempts were futile, it began tearing off chunks of flesh from itself as a defensive measure. Still, a large amount of black mist poured out of every crevice of its body. They clung to its body stubbornly like maggots drawn to rotten flesh! One minute, five minutes, ten minutes One hour, two hours, three hours Chen Chen stood above the Consciousness Stealer from dusk until midnight and watched it struggle. After enough time passed, its body seemed hollowed out and large peels of skin began tearing off. They tore off along with large columns of dark smoke sprouting out of its body. These clouds of smoke were darker than the night itself! In the end, the Consciousness Stealer stopped resisting. The tentacles stopped struggling and rested lifelessly on the ocean as its body began to sink! Bang! When the body of the Consciousness Stealer collapsed, it made a tremendous splash on the surface of the sea. The emerging black mist lost its vitality upon touching the water. Only the black mist remaining inside the body of the Consciousness Stealer continued its efforts of eating away at its body. These black mists were the nanorobots. Several decades of research by Blacklight Biotechnology had produced several machines of nanorobots. There were nanorobots purposed for corroding metallic substances and there were also some optimized for carbon-based life forms or plastic. These nanorobots were bionic structures like microscopic ants. They would devour substances and convert them into resources so they could duplicate more copies of themselves. These nanorobots could replicate themselves endlessly until their program was terminated They could go on endlessly until they had destroyed everything on the surface of the earth With this invention, Chen Chen could destroy the Consciousness Stealer without a trace of its remains. Chen Chen silently watched as the bloated corpse on the ocean slowly shrunk under the effect of the black mist. He waited all night and by the time the sun crept up the horizon on the next day, the final chunk of flesh of the Consciousness Stealer had corroded without a trace. The Consciousness Stealer was erased. Not a single cell of it remained to prove it once existed on Earth as they were all swallowed by the nanorobots. Alright X-112, lift the psionic restriction. Chen Chen ordered, Im going to use my psionic powers to detect if theres any trace of it remaining.. Yes, Sir. X-112 replied dutifully and deactivated the reality anchors, immediately lifting the global psionic suppression. The moment this was done, Chen Chen felt a surge of power rushing into his head. This is Chen Chens expression changed immediately. The surge of power looked like it finally found a crack it could slip through. Like a tiny hole poked into the bottom of an overflowing container, it first slowly seeped into Chen Chens mind. Soon, the pressure built up and it began overflowing through the crack until the dam broke open and they poured through the opening! Boom! A limitless surge of psionic energy poured into Chen Chens mind like a flash flood. This was the remnant of the Consciousness Stealer following its death that was held stagnant due to the reality anchors effects. The moment X-112 unbottled the reality anchors effects, the built-up psionic concentration flowed into Chen Chens mind unsparingly! Ah-! Chen Chen wrapped his hands around his head and screamed harrowingly while he suffered the torrent of psionic energy! It was so overpowering that at one point Chen Chen considered getting out of this place. It was only a momentary thought while the sane part of his mind convinced himself to stay here and take in all of this psionic concentration! One minute, two minutes, three minutes At first, Chen Chen counted the seconds and minutes that passed. As this went on, the sharp throb in his mind became so unbearable that he could not remain conscious anymore. His body and mind gave away. He tumbled from the sky above and into the ocean, creating a splash as he sunk into its depths! Glug, glug, glug The seawater came over Chen Chens eyes and drowned out his consciousness. In the void of his mind, he saw something that glowed with a faint yellow. There was nothing in the world like it. It was surrounded by gray air currents with streams of blood-red bubbles gurgling around it. Then, something that he could not comprehend whether it was a sentient being or just a mere substance appeared amid this void. Chen Chens consciousness brushed past these bubbles obstructing his path and looked into the center of a vast blackhole-like entity in the dancing void. Thousands of bright golden spots swirled inside the black hole! The black hole along with its multitudes of beams of light flickered in the unending void with a gigantic ball of light at its center. The radiant ball of light outshone all the spots of lights hovering nearby it. It was the dazzling morning sun lighting up the night sky! While Chen Chen was still trying to comprehend what he was seeing, the sun began to expand It seemed like it was fueled by an unknown source of energy and with one giant surge, it doubled in size, then tripled, quadrupled! Eventually, the sun exploded like a supernova would. It turned into a radiant burning meteor moments before its eruption and scattered into countless spouts of flames. The shockwave of its explosion scattered far and wide across the void Could this be Chen Chen finally realized what he was looking at, but his consciousness faded away after that. After several minutes that seemed like an eternity. After what felt like several lifetimes of sleep, Chen Chen finally regained consciousness. He woke up on the seabed. Splash! Chen Chen torpedoed out of the surface of the sea. The seawater that clung to his skin and his clothes did not evaporate but instead had the atoms of their existence erased by his Field. That took far longer than I expected. Chen Chen muttered. Sir Commander, youre finally awake! X-112s urgent voice came from the earpiece. What happened to you just now? Ive been calling for you for more than ten minutes! I was going to mobilize our forces and send a team underwater to rescue you! Nothing much, just claiming some remnants that rightfully belong to me. Chen Chen answered, Ive been scattering the psionic seed to all of human society to bolster my powers. It looks like the Consciousness Stealer is doing that same thing. That explains why it needs humans alive. Anyway, it has become feed for me despite its struggles Chen Chen raised his right hand and looked at his palm. In the past, I absorbed the psionic energy from the Consciousness Stealer through the power of the Consciousness Battlefield. That was when I gained a part of Consciousness Stealer and in a way, was when I became the Consciousness Stealer. Now that Ive killed this twin, its powers belong to me since we came from the same source Chen Chen slowly pushed outward with his palms and created a powerful blast that launched into the sky and broke through the clouds, then went further onward to the ozone layer until it broke through into space! This power Chen Chen looked at the gigantic pit formed in the sky with his psionic powers. He was floored by this display of power. What terrific power! Congratulations, Sir Commander! X-112 was the first to congratulate him upon witnessing this, Sir Commander, youve once again raised your power level! I see Chen Chen could not stop himself from breaking into a smile when X-112 stated this. His smile grew from a subtle grin to an ear-to-ear smile until eventually, he began howling with laughter! Hahahaha. Hahahaha!!! Chapter 640 - Showdown and Negotiation Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Like removing a hammered nail, Chen Chens worries scattered like clouds giving away to the radiant sun after absorbing the Consciousness Stealer. From here on, dominating this world would be an easy task. If Chen Chen wanted, he could swoop in and reign over this world all by himself, but this was not his current plan. Currently, there were ten million players in this and the average number of active users at any given time reached up to a million. It was only a matter of time before the total player base reached a hundred million. That being the case, it was necessary that a common enemy existed to extend the lifespan of the game. This was where the Holy Fusion Empire played a vital role. However, even without the Consciousness Stealer, the people of the Holy Fusion Empire still retained their psionic gifts. This alone would cause the war between the Holy Fusion Empire and the Joint Resistance Army. The battle between technology and psionic powers could drag on forever. There was only one solution With this in mind, Chen Chen slowly shut his eyes. When he opened them again, they emitted a dazzling glow! The moment he opened his eyes, a shining golden ray illuminated everything in sight! Zoom! Both eyes became miniature suns within their sockets. They cast their divine glow over the vast ocean and basked everything in the world in their divine ray! Everything only lasted for an instant. Their light extinguished within a second and Chen Chens eyes could be seen reverting to their ordinary state. Ive uprooted all of the psionic seeds existing in this world. From here on, psionic abilities no longer exist in this world. Chen Chen breathed the cold air, sensing the subtle change in the atmosphere. Now, the players can do whatever they please After that, Chen Chens figure vanished with a mighty boom that resounded across the ocean, leaving behind a gigantic column of water sprout in his original location. Chen Chen traveled at a speed thirty times the speed of sound and returned to the Blacklight City within fifteen minutes. Then, he left the end dimension using the time machine When Chen Chen uprooted the psionic seeds earlier, something unimaginable and utterly nightmarish happened in the Holy Fusion Empire of the end dimension Praise the Almighty Father, Lord Alosorthoth In the capital of the Holy Fusion Empire, there was a monumental church that occupied more than half of the city center of the city. An old priest whose corrupted skin was almost peeling off his bones kissed the ground and repeated cultish chants with burning fanaticism, Youre the lord over our destiny. You hold the essence of death and life. Youre the song of life, the river of time. We come before you as your loyal servants, may you give us limitless strength Behind the old priest was an entire congregation of worshippers kneeling with their heads on the ground. Judging by the fabric of the robes they wore, this gathering of worshippers was not any ordinary crowd. Each of them was the great priests of the empire that traveled to the capital from their respective cities. Each one of them was honored priests and bishops befitting the symbolic black robe. Their faces were covered in ulcers that made them look like victims of radiation exposure. Despite their appearance, one could distinctly tell that there was powerful psionic energy surging within their bodies. In the real world, their psionic level would at least be tiered at Gamma- or Beta-level, some of them perhaps grazing Alpha-level. Each and every one of them knelt on the ground like peasants. Positioned at the center of this formation was a giant bronze statue of the Consciousness Stealer resting on an elevated platform. Lord, you grant us the blessing of the fusion, we worship you at your throne, here we are, here we are The elderly priest at the head of the congregation led the hymn. When he sang the words here we are, he suddenly felt the words caught in his throat and was hit with a sense of impending doom. He could not find the words to describe this sensation, but he could feel the vitality of his life draining away. He looked back at the other worshippers and wanted to call for help, but immediately noticed that they were making the same horrified expression as he did. Could it be that our God A possibility came to the elderly priest. Only a second later, blood drained from his face and the last of his strength escaped his body. Then, life went out of his eyes Thump! The elderly priest collapsed on the ground. Although his heart continued beating and blood continued flowing in his veins, the breath of life was gone The archbishop of the Holy Fusion Empire, who stood at the pinnacle of power, was dead. All of the powerful priests of the Holy See accompanied the archbishop in death. It seemed as if they were struck by an instantaneous plague that wiped them all out. By the time the common servants who were charged with redundant tasks like oiling the lamps and cleaning the temple tiles regained their senses, they were met with this horrific scene. This was not an isolated incident only bound to the capital of the Holy Fusion Empire. Everywhere around the Holy Fusion Empire, psionicists collapsed without warning no matter where they were, who they were, and what they were doing at the hour. The storm arrived unannounced and struck all the psionicists in the empire dead with no hope of saving them. The psychic abilities manifested by the Consciousness Stealer in them were harvested mercilessly by Chen Chen in a split instant. These people were the cornerstones of the empire. They were the nobles, generals, and descendants of high lords. They were the ones who oversaw the operation of the Holy Fusion Empire and with their deaths, the empire was brought to ruin! Without warning, the entire empire was plunged into unsalvageable chaos When Chen Chen returned to reality, he received a notice from Little X. Sir Godfather, the members of the Blacklight Foundation request an audience with you Little X informed, Several minutes ago, I received the invitation for a Lilith Assembly from them. It seems that they joined forces and are plotting something. I suppose it has something to do with the reality anchor? Chen Chen asked with a disinterested tone. It was an undeniable truth that he had employed the help of the players to set up more than three hundred reality anchors. Even if he wanted to conceal this, it was only a matter of time until the Earth Federation found out about it since the player would discuss it on the forums. Its not only about the reality anchors. Little X shook her head. They are beginning to have their suspicions about the Ancient Civilization, to be exact They have had their suspicions for a long time. Its only after the recent events that transpired that finally made them decide to confront you about it together. This was going to happen sooner or later. Chen Chen chuckled. Tell them Ill be there, it just so happens that there are some things Id like to discuss with them as well. After several minutes, Chen Chen sat down at his office. The environmental holographic simulator transformed the appearance of his office into a grandiose conference room decorated with a bright chandelier above. The office table transformed into a roundtable with four camouflaged figures surrounding the roundtable. 05, you finally decided to show up The four members of the Lilith Assembly who were occupied with their private conversation immediately stopped their discussion when they saw Chen Chen appearing. They turned to him in unison and 03 was the one who spoke first, So, enlighten us. Whats Blacklight Biotechnology planning with Ancient Civilization? What are we planning? Chen Chen responded with a puzzled look, Its just a common product to make some quick money. All of you here are important individuals governing hundreds of millions of people. Whats there to worry about a small side business Im running? Ahem 01 emitted a dry cough and stated, Chen Chen, I mean05. Forgive me, Im new here. This is my first time attending the Lilith Assembly but Ive had my share of experience with the Blacklight Foundation even before I was appointed to the role of 01 so Im familiar with your operation. Based on what I know, Blackwatch never embarks on useless business ventures. Just like in the past when you planted your roots in Africa, everyone thought that you were crazy for choosing such a poor location, but you proved everyone wrong by carving a blazing path and surpassed the Earth Federation You flatter me. Chen Chen smiled pleasantly. Whether its the military industry, space travel or outer space colonization, you have an established, strong vision for everything you involve your company in. 01 continued. I know that youve done this with the inheritance from your predecessor, but thats a topic for another day. What we want to talk about today is the game you released. We had our engineers look at the game chamber you recently developed and found that a majority of the parts inside are nothing that weve ever seen. We also notice a jarring absence of certain necessary parts in common gaming equipment We dont know what your plan is, but one thing we know for sure is that this game you call Ancient Civilization is more than it lets on. 02 chimed in. I agree with 01. The gameplay provided by the game chamber is indistinguishable from reality. The in-game physics shown are extremely realistic and shouldnt be achievable by todays game engine standards. Itd require at least hundreds of millions of lines of code to simulate an in-game physics engine of that kind, which we couldnt identify anything like that in the game chambers which you developed. 04 added. We had our specialized departments research the game thoroughly to figure out its backend structure. Based on the findings reported, itd seem that the in-game world isnt a virtual world at all When our team used microscopes and other similar equipment on samples collected in the world, they reported the discovery of common bacteria and cell structures such as atoms and molecules on surfaces of in-game objects. Are you telling me that youve manufactured an in-game system so detailed that you included the cellular structures of all objects in the game? Thats not all 01 said, Our team managed to find a secret factory inside the game and managed to sneak inside after many attempts. They found countless corpses lying inside the factory which were transported to various spawn points scattered across the in-game world. It seems that after arriving at the spawn point, these corpses would suddenly spur to life. It appears that these are the avatars controlled by the players If this is just a game, would you explain this unexplainable, intricate system to us? Theres more They started to bicker and talk over each other, eager to tell Chen Chen about the problems of Ancient Civilization. Your point being? After they were all finished with their piece, Chen Chen motioned for a suggestion. If you think Ancient Civilization isnt a game, what is it? Dimensional travel? We need you to answer that for us, 05. 03 sounded calm. We want to know the inner workings of Ancient Civilization and its true nature as well as What your goal is. Chen Chen shook his head upon hearing of this and produced a sigh. Well, since youve confronted me like this, I shall tell you the truth. What I can tell you is that Ancient Civilization is more than a simple game, just as you suspected. The game world as you call it is a parallel dimension C a world set in a parallel timeline, only with slight deviations from our current timeline! Chen Chen paused to allow for a moment to reflect. Im sure youre familiar with what a parallel dimension is. Its similar to the Rosen Bridge in the Indian Ocean which leads to the world of Resident Evil. Ancient Civilization is another parallel world formed from our encounter with the Consciousness Stealer. I see The mystery was unraveled and the members of the Lilith Assembly seemed relieved to finally uncover the truth. They had considered this possibility once, but could not be certain of it until Chen Chen directly confirmed it himself. Now that they had verifiable proof from Chen Chen himself, the setting of the game suddenly made sense. The fusion plague that mirrored the fusion plague that once happened in the current world, the four major continents, and the remains of mankind. Suddenly, there was a plausible explanation for everything seen in Ancient Civilization. The game chamber is just a device used to transfer the consciousness of the player to another body placed in that dimension. In this sense, the game chamber serves as a transmission point that allows the players to control the body in another dimension remotely. Chen Chen explained, The reason I launched Ancient Civilization as a game is to take advantage of the volunteering players to expand the dimension. This is my true goal. What about the reality anchors? 03 enquired, The reality anchor is Blackwatchs tactical weapon from what I understand. Why did you deploy more than three hundred of them in that dimension? To suppress the planets psionic force. Chen Chen answered without skipping a beat, Im sure youre familiar with the background of the world. Its a world conquered by the Consciousness Stealer. In the past when we barely defeated the Consciousness Stealer in our current world, it was only in its infant stage. In that dimension, the Consciousness Stealer has fully matured and has become far more powerful. Theres only one way for us humans to defeat it. To suppress its psionic potential and kill it while its weak? 03 shot up from his seat and seemed astounded by the mere idea. Thats right and Ive already done it. Chen Chen shrugged and declared boldly, This is all I can tell you. Theres no need for you to be cautious of what I do with the game anymore because Ive already achieved my goal. It doesnt matter if you want to shut down the game or send more members to reverse-engineer it. It doesnt bother me at this point. The four of them could hardly believe their ears when they heard Chen Chen making such a bold claim. I know what youre going to say next. Sensing their reaction, Chen Chen spoke before any of them could, The game chambers most useful feature is its quantum communication technology. This is the technology that enables it to transfer the players consciousness without any delay. Although this technology is still in its developmental stages, I wouldnt mind sharing it with all of you so we can refine it together. What? They were dazzled by this offer. Each one of them had committed their resources to research quantum communication technologies, only to no avail as of yet. They could not ask for more if Chen Chen would publicize his research findings. This is very unlike you. 03 hesitated and probed, We all know theres no such thing as a free meal. What do you want in return? I believe youve seen the urban central management system in Eco Science City and Ares Science City? Chen Chen smirked. My request is very simple. You only need to implement the Skynet system and the digital judge developed by yours truly into your city structure! Chapter 641 - Wang Xi Appears Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Nobody knew what Chen Chen discussed with the four members of the Lilith Assembly. After the meeting, despite their reluctance, they agreed to implement Blacklight Biotechnologys Skynet system and digital judge in certain specific cities for demonstrative purposes. The so-called Skynet system was a project that utilized an artificial intelligence system to replace human-oriented law enforcement. First, ultra-high-definition cameras layered with many features which included facial recognition would be installed all over the city and ensure that not a single blindspot was left. This included private companies, shops, streets, elevators, and corridors in residential buildings. All surveillance of public areas would be connected through a series of cameras and the combined feed would be relayed to the AI. Upon detection of criminal activities, there was no need for the victim to contact the police since the AI would notify the related agencies automatically and immediately. This was the basis of the Skynet system. Meanwhile, all of the court cases and trials were entrusted to the worthy hands of the digital judge artificial intelligence to analyze and hand out judgments systematically. All of the procedures involved were presented intelligently and transparently. This way, the governmental hierarchy could not intervene with the process. Unless the offenders could somehow influence the digital judge, this system would effectively bring an end to practices such as court favoritism, bribing, and other corrupt activities. The only way to overturn the decision of the digital judge was if several high-level officials joined together and raised valid arguments in favor of the accused. The reason why Chen Chen wanted to implement the digital judge was partially due to the looming threat of subspace. Based on his previous conversation with the three consciousnesses in subspace, he found that human beings or any intelligent creatures were the most vulnerable to the influence of subspace. The subspace was a mirror of reality and reflected the many thoughts, emotions, and intentions of intelligent beings. It was a place where these combined factors manifested and became magnified. Chen Chen determined that this was how subspace threatened reality, by imposing its ill intentions on the intelligent beings of the real world. Which was why he saw it fit to speed up his plans and use whatever advantage he could to implement the Skynet system and accelerate the coming of the third era C the Skynet era which would cultivate a more civilized and orderly civilization. A well-structured, disciplined society was a powerful deterrent against the effects of the subspace. Everything Chen Chen was doing now was to lay the foundation. Once the foundation had been set, everything he had envisioned should run its due course over the next few years. Weve already paved the path for the third era. Everything should work out in time. After exiting the meeting, Chen Chen considered the matters again. It was then when he received another piece of information from Little X. Sir Godfather, I found Wang Xi Professor Wang Xi? Chen Chen was startled by this. You mean to say that you found tracks of Professor Wang Xi online? Yes. Even Little X sounded doubtful of this discovery. According to my original database, Wang Xi shouldve completely vanished off the face of the earth due to the antimeme. The only reason I even know of the false existence of this person was that you were the one who told me about him. The strange thing is that earlier, I suddenly noticed Professor Wang Xis information lying idly in my database like it had been there all along. This included all of his information such as his childhood, studies, work, family background, and so on! Which means that Professor Wang Xi has returned? Chen Chen flung himself out of his seat and motioned for the virtual display to appear in front of him. There were countless rows of data and graphical information on the screen, all of them were directly related to Wang Xi. All of them surfaced out of nowhere. Wang Xi is currently in Haizhou, Central Continent. Hes giving a lecture at Jiaotong University. Little X spoke like she could not believe the validity of the information she was uttering, This must be him, Ive hacked into the Jiaotong University network and confirmed that hes scheduled for a lecture today. Hes giving a lecture as we speak. Hes the professor of the Chinese Academy of Sciences teaching the freshman biology students Chen Chen was not going to let the moment go to waste. He left the office immediately and went to the teleportation room of the Spire Experimental Base, then teleported to the professors location using the Gantz black sphere. Boom! There was a tremendous explosion when Chen Chen took off at supersonic speed. He soared at thirty times the speed of sound and made for the city center at breakneck speed. The closer he got to his destination, the heavier his expression became. His solemn expression was mixed with great caution. At this point, he decelerated to only several times the speed of sound and began his slow descent. By the time he reached the skies of Jiaotong University, he had almost come to a complete stop. Chen Chen looked at the familiar university that had only recently been renovated and landed from above. Resting at the center of his palm was a levitating black item. Its mysterious powers made it so that the crowd of people circling back and forth around the campus did not notice him descending from above. After landing, Chen Chen turned his attention to a building nearby. He considered for a moment, then took his first step and began advancing toward the building. At last, Chen Chen arrived at the door of a classroom. The door was made of sandalwood that was only recently sanded to give it a mint condition. After so many years, it seemed like everything had changed and yet not much changed at the same time. Chen Chen extended his arm outward and pushed the door gently. Creak! The door obliged and opened. Hidden behind the door was the familiar sight of a large multimedia classroom. The seats were arranged along several elevated levels with stairs leading up to each row. The seats faced toward the lowest section of the classroom, where there was a holographically projected podium, meeting up to modern standards. A gentle-looking old man was giving his lecture with a warm, inviting smile. Theres a limit to the lifespan of men. We all go through phases of being born, getting old, becoming sick, and dying. Can somebody explain why we go through these processes? As we all know, the unit of life is cells. Each one of us here is the divided result of a tiny, fertilized egg cell However, this division isnt infinite. Theoretically, human cells can only divide up to 56 times. According to the calculation of the cell division cycle, the lifespan of a person should be around 120 years old. This theory is called Why dont we have our classmate over there diving under the table to answer this question? Hahahaha!! The students erupted with laughter. A young man whose cheeks had turned beet red from embarrassment emerged from under the table and rose awkwardly before stammering, Is, is it the Hayflick limit? Chen Chen remained at the entrance of the classroom and watched this scene unfold quietly. The present scene overlapped with his memories and put him in a sudden state of trance. He could not differentiate whether this was a dream or reality Correct, please sit down! The old lecturer gestured kindly for the boy to sit down before continuing. However, science and technology are advancing with each passing day and various advancements that can prolong life have been developed. The most iconic one of them all is, of course, the age-reversal treatment technology. With our current technology, the effective lifespan of men has been extended between two to four decades and has reached more than a hundred years. We expect to see this rise up to a hundred and twenty years old very soon. The Hayflick limit has been overcome, but this isnt the limit We humans can live longer than this! Technological modification, genetic modification, and psionic modification Of these three options, the one I see the most potential in is none other than psionic modification. To sum it up, each and every one of you seated here belongs to the generation that is closest to achieving the dreamlike immortality! Theres so much of the truth of the universe that is still waiting to be discovered by humans. Perhaps achieving immortality will be the first and most important step in the pursuit of the ultimate truth In any case, the future is in your hands. Alright, thats enough for class today! The ringing school bell echoed the lecturers dismissal only moments after. Clap, clap, clap The students applauded and thanked the lecturer for the lecture before packing up their belongings and shuffling out of the lecture hall. They shuffled out of the only exit in the lecture hall and would intentionally curve around Chen Chen as if driven by an invisible force, like a stream of river splitting around a boulder. They did not even look at Chen Chen at all. He stood in the center of the stream completely invisible and yet declared his presence like an invisible obstacle After all the students left, only two figures remained in the lecture hall. One of which was Chen Chen. The other was an old lecturer, still smiling C Wang Xi. Chapter 642 - Showdown Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Wang Xi had a kind, inviting smile that could light up an entire room. This was the effect he had on people. However, Chen Chen returned the old lecturers smile with a blank, stoic look. Its been so many years and you still havent changed your script. Chen Chen took two steps forward, all the while fixing his eyes on the old lecturer who single-handedly altered the course of his life. Im sure this is the same sermon you gave when Zhao Shanhe was present. Am I wrong, though? Wang Xi suddenly erupted with laughter. Chen Chen, you truly lived up to my expectations. Even those three rascals in the subspace couldnt corrupt you. I must say Im very pleased! If youre so pleased, why dont you tell me what your goal is. The professors compliments failed to soften Chen Chen, who continued speaking with an indifferent tone, You left the dimension key that presented infinite possibilities to me. You were the one who steered mankind to the subspace. The moment I discovered that it was your doing, you vanished with the power of antimemes and now, you made an unannounced reappearance. Would you tell me what it is that youre planning? Thats a long story Wang Xi pretended to be startled by Chen Chens claims. Then, he sighed dramatically., Before I answer your question, allow me to tell you a story. Wang Xi noted Chen Chens subtle frown but still went on. This story started eons ago. Do you know billions upon billions of years ago, the subspace is a stagnant place, nothing like the form it assumes today. Even back then, some of the oldest civilizations were already thriving in the Milky Way. Wang Xi narrated a story of an ancient age, far beyond the comprehension of any humans, Among these civilizations, there were three distinct classes that stood above the rest of their peers. One of them was an energy life form, present since the birth of the universe. They fed on stars to sustain their existence but despite their impressive strength, they were unable to develop a unique civilization of their own. The other two superior classes, if youd believe it, were fragile physical beings. One of them was the first to traverse beyond the stars and galaxies. They developed astounding technology in their wake that could change the structure of time and space and allowed seamless weaving in between dimensions. They were also the first to realize the potential of psionic abilities to a point where the technology they developed had become interwoven with their psionic powers This was a carefree, well-natured civilization that was willing to achieve the greater good for all. Their status was akin to a mentor in the scale of the galaxy. However, their contemporary was a separate civilization cursed by the stars they were born from. The conditions of the planet that housed them were so hostile that this civilization was cursed with an extremely short lifespan from birth, and an even higher infant mortality rate. Despite the odds, they managed to advance their technology to an unbelievable level and yet they could not find a way to nullify the inherent corrupted state of their natural DNA from being born on this star The cursed state of their being had made them grow into a hard, paranoid, and spiteful species. The composition of their body was also rejected by the subspace, causing them to not be able to harness the power of psionic abilities. This civilization was an extreme opposite of the other civilization mentioned previously. Wang Xi continued his tale. Sixty million years ago, this cursed civilization and the mentor civilization finally crossed paths. When the cursed civilization realized the blessed conditions the mentor civilization was born with, in addition to their near-limitless lifespan, it aroused the flames of resentment within them. That was the start of a galactic war The cursed civilization launched an unprovoked attack on the mentor civilization. As stated previously, they were unable to harness psionic abilities, therefore could not utilize any subspace-related technology. The mentor civilization capitalized on this and used the subspace navigation available to them to traverse across each corner of the Milky Way. This allowed them to subdue the cursed civilization that could only travel at sub-light speeds. As youd expect, the cursed civilization fought an uphill battle and were soon cornered to their birth planet. Despite the unfavorable odds, their hard and bitter species refused to admit their defeat. They continued their valiant research to seek a solution to defeat their enemies. Wang Xi suddenly paused for a moment, a gloom appeared in his eyes. At last, there was a turning point The cursed civilizations efforts had finally paid off when they made a grand discovery C they discovered the energy life form that existed since the birth of the universe and realized that it was this intergalactic species that had been consuming the energy emitted from their planet all along. They were the reason the planet had become so hostile to its inhabitants. With their backs against the wall, the cursed, despicable species made a pact with these energy form beings. They were willing to construct physical bodies for these beings and worship them and in exchange, they would be granted immortality so they could triumph over the mentor civilization. Chen Chen displayed a pensive look when he heard the tales spoken by Wang Xi. Are these energy form beings stronger than these two civilizations you claim to be at the peak of the Milky Way? Yes. Wang Xi was proud to make this declaration, These energy form beings were divine beings with an unending source of strength, they were close to Godlike in the realm of the real world! In the end, the energy form beings who were naive to the wretchedness of the cursed civilization agreed to these terms. Soon, they obtained the high technology metallic shells designed by the cursed civilization. They transferred their consciousness into these shells and in these shells, they were immortal, immune to the effects of aging and disease From there on, the cursed civilization and the energy form beings joined forces and launched an attack on the mentor civilization together and finally overwhelmed the opposition. The mentor civilization enlisted the help of many of its allies of different planets to their cause but in the end, their efforts were in vain. By the end, they were nearly entirely wiped out! Professor Wang Xi sighed. However, the energy form beings were finally brought to ruin by their naivety. The cunning cursed civilization deceived them and spurred a civil war among their midst. The energy form beings had fallen into a trap as they failed to realize that the cursed civilization had been known for their paranoid and wretched character all along These godly beings were betrayed and crushed into smithereens, then sealed away An extreme minority of these energy form beings managed to escape the massacre. After finishing his tale, the professor shut his eyes briefly and summarized, Do you understand now? The reason the subspace has become such a hostile dimension is directly connected to this ancient war. The corrupt and wretched emotions swept across the subspace, the endless mass of killing, bloodshed, and death changed the subspace over time until it became what it is today. Which means that the subspace is susceptible to the intense emotion generated by war, violence, superstition, and such? Chen Chen remarked and enquired further, What became of this cursed civilization in the end? It doesnt seem like they continued to govern the galaxy. Theyve entered a deep slumber. The gentle smile of Wang Xi slowly subsided and turned into a watchful, alert frown instead. Theyve sustained major losses during the ancient war as well. To preserve their bloodline while preventing the birth of another civilization similar to the mentor civilization, they devised a plan for their eventual return. They rest in the subspace and if in the eventual future a planet crumbles to the subspace invasion, this cursed civilization will awaken from their eternal slumber and continue their mindless slaughter. This is the story Ive been meaning to tell you, an ancient story spanning to the beginning of time. Wang Xi sighed, consumed with emotion after saying this. He suddenly appeared older than he seemed. Youre the first one Ive ever told this story to, the only one who is worthy of hearing it. Chen Chen eyed the professor suspiciously upon hearing this. Based on what youre telling me, it seems like youre on this energy form beings side. Are you telling me that youre one of the survivors of its race? I am, but I also am not. Wang Xi chuckled softly. I was once a common human born in a village in a mountainous region, its name I no longer remember. One day, I happened to encounter a consciousness fragment of Ctan and my mind merged with it. From that moment on, eons of memories tracking back to the beginning of time including the great war became part of me as well. Im now Wang Xi, but I am also Ctan Right. Wang Xi explained, Ctan is the name which the cursed civilization refers to me by. Its the first name that Ive ever received, but now I have another name that I go by Void Dragon! When Wang Xi uttered the name Void Dragon, Chen Chen suddenly felt that all the hair on his body rose on its end and felt a malicious energy rushing at him. Without any hesitation, Chen Chen unleashed an enormous surge of power from the depths of his soul! Boom! The otherworldly powers collided and burst like two tsunamis crashing into each other. The concentration of both sources of power was condensed to an extreme molecular level and ground into each other like gears of a giant spinning wheel opposing each other. The collision was tremendous, but the environment around them seemed scarcely affected! What terrific, pure strength! Wang Xi was impressed and celebrated. Youve indeed gained the power of Ctan, even if its still incomplete as of yet. Youve only mastered one of the four basic forces in the universe, but your body holds two different powers coexisting with each other, truly incredible! I thank you, Chen Chen. Youve carved a path of Godhood for me and helped me realize that our powers can be combined with the psionic powers! Godhood? Chen Chens smile was full of mockery. You want to become one of those three ridiculous beings in the subspace? Of course! Wang Xi emitted traces of green glow around him, his skin began to assume a metallic texture. They were responsible for arousing hatred among my species in the past. What I plan to do is to adopt mankind into the psionic era and this way, strengthen the ties between mankind and the subspace. From there on, Ill crush mankind and assume my role as the one and only true God, an omniscient being that will surpass those three! Id show you some mercy and let you live considering your many contributions to my goal but It seems like you have other plans in mind and are trying to steer mankind away from the subspace. Such a shame Chen Chen retorted icily, You were the one who told me there was no such thing as a God. If I didnt tell you that, wouldnt you harbor some foolish ideas of your own when you confront those three beings in the subspace? The green glow around Wang Xi became brighter and the metal shells on his skin grew more defined with each passing second. Suddenly, a thick mechanical tail emerged from behind his back! Wang Xis face was now covered with a metallic black mask. A harsh, metallic sound zoned in on Chen Chen from all directions. But I wasnt lying either because there are no other beings that can claim to be God apart from me! No. Theres no God nor will there ever be. Chen Chen spat, And youre no exception! Bang! Once again, an indescribable power erupted from Chen Chens body. Moments after that, a faint yellow ripple in reality formed between Chen Chen and Professor Wang Xi as if an invisible glass was shattering in the space between them. A breath of subspace current set to destroy everything in its path seeped out of the crack! Subspace rift? Wang Xis voice was no longer humanoid but sounded mechanical, mixed with a metallic hum. Despite that, there was a sharp sense of shock and awe concealed within his voice. Your psionic strength has already reached a level strong enough to tear apart reality and access the subspace? Chen Chen did not respond to this with his words but with his subsequent actions instead. Mountains worth of psionic energy surged around his surroundings and threatened to overwhelm Wang Xi. A brazen gravitational pull came from below Wang Xi, powerful enough to shred through reality, and in the next second, Wang Xi was flung into the gap leading to the subspace! Youre too naive if you think you can simply banish me like this! Wang Xi belted with a quick motion and summoned countless black shapes from his body. Chen Chens expression suddenly changed when he made out what those things were! They were Black slates! One, two, three, ten, fifty, ninety-nine! Chen Chen could not believe the sheer number of black slates he was seeing. He saw the endless black slates form a dark wall of steel and walled off the tidal force of the subspace! Bang! The subspace rift was forcefully sealed! So many Civilization Monoliths Chen Chens eyes were colored with wonder. This explains why most of the dimensions we traveled to are already destroyed I was the one who granted you the dimension keys. Naturally, I can use them as well, sooner than you could even. Wang Xi made a quick gesture and materialized a glowing USB drive in the center of his palms. It turned into a glowing orb, then continued to rotate between different shapes and forms without stopping. This is the ultimate invention of the mentor civilization, the creations that allow for endless dimension, space, and time travel. How could you possibly expect me to fully submit such a powerful tool to your hands? After Wang Xi mentioned this, Chen Chen suddenly sensed an unimaginable weight pressing over his psionic core. He could not evoke the faintest trace of psionic power as they were completely suppressed by the psionic suppressing characteristic of the wall of black slate! You call them Civilization Monolith, but the cursed civilization refers to them by another name the Blackstone Array! Wang Xis voice grew harsher and colder as a pair of metallic wings tore through his flesh and appeared behind his back. A strange symbol levitated in front of his forehead while he emitted a ripple of power similar to Field. The reality stability anchor you use is nothing but a simplified replica of the Blackstone Array the cursed civilization used to control the subspace! Chapter 643 - Righteous Indignation Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Lu Yubing was a student at Jiaotong University. Today was just like any other day where she got up in the morning, showered, put on minimal makeup, and made herself ready for the day. The first lecture today was led by Professor Wang Xi who was a senior academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, an esteemed member of the biological world, but Upon stepping into the classroom, Lu Yubing did a double-take when she saw the old lecturer standing by the podium. Wang Xi? Who was Wang Xi? Oh right, senior academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, her biology class lecturer. However Lu Yubing frowned in her seat. Her classmates chatted around her while she sensed a strange cloud looming over her. There was no mistaking it. She knew who Wang Xi was, however There seemed to be no recollection of this professor in her mind whatsoever. However, it seemed like none of the other students in the class were fazed by the appearance of the lecturer. This observation quickly cast away whatever lingering suspicions she had in her mind. Perhaps her mind was just feeling absent today? Lu Yubing shook her head a few times to wring off the distressed expression. Maybe all this studying was getting to her head. How could she not remember the well-respected Professor Wang Xi The lecture session was forty-five minutes long. Lu Yubing started listening to the lecturer and quickly began zoning out, her trance was suddenly interrupted by the class bell ringing. Lu, class is over, what are you staring at? A petite girl appeared beside Lu Yubing and waved several times to get her attention, then teased her, Are you thinking about the hottie in the other class? What are you talking about? Lu Yubing quickly blushed and stammered, Come on Hui, dont start any strange rumors I was just thinking that Professor Wang Xi had been teaching us for the better half of the semester but for some reason, he still feels very alien to me Hm? The petite girl Lu Yubing addressed as Hui jerked slightly as she heard this. Now that you mentioned it, I do get the same impression. The two exchanged a look. Lu Yubing was about to state something else that came to mind but Hui grabbed her and spoke first, Alright, its probably just all in our heads. Who cares right? Lets go to the library before all the good seats are taken! Just like that, Lu Yubing evacuated from the lecture hall with her friend. Moments after stepping out of the lecture hall, she stopped again, this time afflicted with another queer sensation. Earlier, there was nothing in between her and the door, but why did she feel compelled to walk around an invisible obstacle? It seemed as if someone was standing in the middle of the path and both she and Hui instinctively knew to get out of that persons way. The problem was Nobody was standing there Lu Yubing shuddered uncontrollably. Whats the matter with you? Hui noticed Lu Yubing acting strangely and turned to her with a concerned expression. Are you feeling feverish? Youve been zoning out a lot today. No, its nothing Lu Yubing shook her head and brushed it off. She stole one last look at the classroom door and noticed that it was shut without her realizing it Although she was still feeling slightly unnerved, she decided that there was no need to overthink it and proceeded to leave with Hui. It would appear that today was destined to be more than any ordinary day. The moment Lu Yubing and Hui left the lecture building and arrived at the library, Lu Yubing suddenly felt a terrible throb in the center of her heart. She could not identify the source of this sudden sensation. It was as if a demon king had descended to reality or perhaps a rift had been forcefully torn open into time and space. All she knew was that it left a deep, scarring impression on her! Lu Yubing subconsciously turned in the direction of the lecture building and witnessed a sight that she would never forget for the rest of her life C a ripple in between the seams of reality, a wholly unfathomable sight, appeared above the building. It was as if reality were split cleanly in half with a sharp blade. The rift emitted a faint yellow-ray within and declared itself with an ominous presence! The moment she witnessed this bizarre happening, the people around her all clutched their heads with their arms and screamed in pain! Lu, my head hurts, it hurts so much! Hui screamed in agony. She was in such overwhelming pain that her sharp nails like claws dug into her flesh without herself even realizing it! Hui! Lu Yubing was horrified by this sight and tried to brush off the throbbing pain in her head and help her friend. She carried Hui into the library and realized that the pain subsided ever so slightly after entering the sheltered space of the library. Despite the subsided pain, there was still an overbearing presence cycling inside the depths of her mind, a presence that had a terrible hold on her. What in the world is that? The people in the library slowly recollected themselves and looked outside the windows, each one of them pointed in the direction of the lecture building. The reality rift above the building vanished as abruptly as it appeared but moments after that, a bolt of green lightning burst out of the building! The bolt of green lightning was unlike anything any of them had ever witnessed. It seemed to possess a life of its own and continuously spread and expand its web-like pattern outward. Everything it came into contact with was instantly vaporized into the barest molecular form! They heard the concrete structure of the building crumbling around them! In a split instant, the entire lecture building was vaporized into a cloud of dust. Amid the formation of smoke and dust were two faint figures. Lu Yubing approached the window and looked outside, petrified with fear. She saw the two figures levitating mid-air. One of which was a figure completely covered in metallic shells and had a metallic wing as well as a tail growing out its back. This was the entity that produced the Armageddon bolt of lightning. It was a divine entity that descended into the realm of mankind! The other figure that seemed to oppose it was an ordinary human figure. With one simple glance, Lu Yubing could tell that this seemingly ordinary human figure was no mere mortal. How could an otherwise regular person stand amid the ever-expanding lightning storm and survive the instant vaporization of the entire building? Holy crap, what or who is that? Is it a robot? The terminator? Is this Dragonball? Get out of here! Those are two psionicists battling it out! Lets get out of here! That one who controls lightning demolished the entire lecture building in an instant. Theres no way this building can do any better! Somebody cried out and alerted everyone in the library. Everyone shared the same sentiment and began to panic and scramble toward the back exit of the library! Lu, lets go! Hui cried out and followed the rest to the exit. Hui! Hui! Lu Yubing called after her friend and chased after her heels. Somewhere along the lines, the previous haunting feeling in her chest faded away but was replaced with another variant of heavy sensation like a boulder was placed over her chest. The more she ran, the harder it became to breathe. Boom! As soon as Lu Yubing made it out of the library, her ears were filled with the mighty crash of an earth-shattering explosion. The sky above was transformed into a sheet of dazzling green from the glow of the bolt of lightning! The ground below her feet quaked like the Earth was being pulled apart in all directions! Was it even possible for humans to achieve such great feats of destruction? The thought crossed Lu Yubings terrified mind. Run! Go! Go! Go! Help, can anybody save us! Lu Yubing found herself surrounded by harrowing cries of desperation all around her. Some people could not find the strength to even move their feet anymore and knelt on the ground helplessly. She wanted to help them but suddenly, the library was blown apart, and sent gigantic blocks of projectile concrete crashing into the crowd. With her very own eyes, she saw some of them crushed under the weight of the boulder! Ah! More shattered concrete rained around her. She winced in fear but knew that she had to continue running. Every single thought in her mind in this instant was silenced. The only thing she understood at this moment was that she had to get as far away from here as possible! More deafening noises filled her ears and more projectiles crashed all around her. The destruction transformed the entire compound into a hellscape and when she finally ran out of strength to run, she looked around herself to see that the entire schoolyard was a ruin of concrete and the occasional splattered blood and body remnants. Boom! While Lu Yubings mind was arrested with shock, she heard a mighty crash some distance behind her that made her jump. She sensed a presence behind her that was not as powerful as the previous presence she felt. Lu Yubing fearfully turned around to see a dark-haired young man with darker eyes lying on the ground. His body was in horrible shape. Meanwhile, a metallic figure slowly descended from the sky above, emitting dazzling glows of green light around its silhouette. Its presence was sinister Chen Chen, youve lost. The metallic figure seemed to speak by creating deep vibrations in the air around it. As alien as it appeared, it spoke perfect Chinese, You who have had your psionic power suppressed and have only obtained a tiny quarter of my species are no match for me. This power you hold so much esteem in can only be compared to that of an infant. Ive lost? The young man on the ground made a valiant effort of getting up with one arm as the other arm was severed. He then grimaced. You think youve defeated me? After that, sprouts of flesh emerged from the torn flesh that once held the mans severed arm. They crawled and intertwined with each other to form shapes to repair the mans body. The sheer sight of it made Lu Yubings skin crawl. Youre too naive if you think that your inventions can save you. The metallic figure remarked coldly, then waved his hand slightly and called the bolts of green lightning in the air, and beckoned them to his command. In an instant, they burst with a mighty explosion like a firework! Amid the thunderous crash, enormous battle spaceships appeared in the sky above! Lu Yubing looked up, the horror had become a permanent fixture in her eyes at this point. She did not know how the spaceship appeared out of nowhere or perhaps it had been camouflaged in the sky above all along. However, their appearance only lasted a brief moment because the entire fleet of spaceships was blown apart by the bolts of lightning in an instant! The city that was already largely devastated by this point was once again assaulted by a rain of falling components of the destroyed spaceship. It set off explosions of various magnitudes all over the city and plunged the city into a sea of flames! Chen Chen, do you truly believe that earthly technologies could pose any harm for someone like me? The sky burned and the figure stood amid the fiery destruction, completely unaffected. Its clear and deep voice continued traveling through the air and reaching the ones below. Since the birth of our species, weve seen countless civilizations, many of which are more powerful than mankind. Weve seen them harness the power of nuclear fusion combined with antimatter and vacuum zero-point energy. At least those civilizations may pose some slight problems for us but human beings? Human beings are simply too primitive compared to them and hardly worth our time Heh, hehe Despite having his fleet wiped out in an instant, the dark-haired young man chuckled at his predicament. In time, he broke into a burst of terrific laughter! Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha!!! What are you laughing about? The metallic figure hovering above was taken aback by this sudden outburst of laughter from the young man. If this is your idea of buying time, I have to say that I expected better of you. Wang Xi, theres one thing that you forgot. The intimidating response of the dark-haired young man sent shivers down Lu Yubings spine. Of course, its a simple task for you to kill me right here and now but dont forget that I have my artificial intelligence assistant. The moment I die, my assistant will detonate the nuclear weapons deposited around the world and simultaneously bring an end to the Dyson cloud project still under development. This will trigger a never-before-seen solar storm that will take all of mankind with me to the grave! This way, your plans are crippled as well. Your dreams of achieving Godhood will turn to dust! What? Lu Yubing looked at the dark-haired young man who had just uttered the most inconceivable sentence she had ever heard in her lifetime. This devil intended to bring all of mankind down with him? Could the metallic figure above be the savior of mankind while this human was the villain? Was this what this battle was about? Hold on, this metallic figure built like an iron soldier was Professor Wang Xi? What? Even the metallic figure was taken aback by this declaration. The surge of electricity around him seemed to stop as well while he puzzled over the threat. If the metallic figure had anything resembling human expression, it would undoubtedly be one of great confusion now. Do you have any idea what youre saying? The metallic figure stopped for a moment and rebuked harshly, Chen Chen, I know you better than you know yourself! I was the one who gave you a lesson on the sanctity of mankind and the pursuit of righteousness How could someone like you who claims to be a guardian of mankind intend to bring it down with you in the moment of your death? Why would I care about all that if Im going to die anyway? A cruel flash appeared in the young mans eyes. He bore a smile with two rows of pearly white teeth exposed. Come on, kill me! Its now or never! Faced with this difficult decision, the metallic figure suddenly hesitated. Kill him! Now! While the metallic figure was still puzzling over the difficult dilemma, Lu Yubing could not sit by idly as a silent observer anymore and screamed at the top of her voice, Hurry up and kill him! Id rather mankind die than to have our lives held hostage by a villain like him! Lu Yubing held back her tears and shouted, All of my classmates died and our city was destroyed without repair. If you dont kill him now, youre desecrating the innocent lives lost! Both the metallic figure and the dark-haired young man looked in Lu Yubings direction in unison, then exchanged an odd look with each other. There was not a word exchanged between them. All of a sudden, the atmosphere became quite awkward. Chapter 644 - Nothing Like a Free Meal Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation While Chen Chen and Wang Xi were engaged in a battle for the ages, something else was transpiring in the Spire Experimental Base in another corner of the earth. The light on a cryogenic chamber had turned from red to green. With a swift beep, the cryogenic chamber built with high-offset metal components unlocked and its cover pushed upward with steam oozing out of it, revealing a dark-haired young man with his eyes shut inside. If Wang Xi would chance upon this scene, he would undoubtedly be baffled by what he was seeing. The young man slumbering inside this cryogenic chamber for who-knew-how-long was a mirror copy of Chen Chen! Sir Godfather! Little X appeared beside the cryogenic chamber, her body language was anxious and terrified. The reinforcement fleet Ive sent to help you were destroyed by Wang Xi. Do you have any other solutions left? There are, but Chen Chen opened his eyes and in an instant, a blinding beam of light poured from his sockets and illuminated the laboratory with its harsh radiance. It was accompanied by a volatile burst of psionic energy. It seemed as if a holy deity had descended! However, the blinding radiance only lasted for a second. After that, Chen Chen rose from the cryogenic chamber and planted his feet firmly on the ground. The way things are now, there arent many options left. If we want to defeat or get away from Wang Xi, theres only one way After saying this, Chen Chen waved his hand in front of him. In an instant, he tore a reality rift in front of him with chaotic air currents swelling inside it, eager to gush into reality. However, they were quelled by Chen Chens power and were unable to escape from the dimension which once bound them! Youre planning to Little X looked at Chen Chen in a daze and seemed to have understood his intentions. Lets see how this works out. Chen Chen took a small step forward and brought half of his figure into the rift. At this point, he stopped and turned back to Little X for one last order. If I dont come back, save yourself. Teleport to the Spire and get out of the solar system with a spaceship The universe is vast and you can find a safe place to settle No, I wont leave! Even Chen Chen could not believe it when he saw Little X shedding tears and shaking her head vigorously. If hes going to kill you, Ill follow you to the grave along with all of mankind! No, what I said was only a desperate threat. Chen Chen frowned. You of all people should know that I wouldnt give the order to wipe out all of humanity. I only threatened him that way to buy time, but were running out of time now. Chen Chen sighed faintly, then entered and disappeared into the reality rift. Zoom! The moment he stepped into the reality rift, the world before him transformed. He did not close his eyes this time because there was no longer a need to close his eyes to witness the subspace. After devouring the Consciousness Stealer, he could see the true form of the subspace directly. Again, Chen Chen stepped into this bizarre world where illuminated beings hovered everywhere around him. A wheel of blazing sun erupted behind him the moment he stepped into the world! Boom! Roar-! The world was suddenly filled with the pained howling of subspace creatures all around him, immolated by the radiant sun of Chen Chens presence. Their skin burned harshly as if acid had been splattered on them. The weaker ones among them disintegrated into nothingness while the stronger ones fled with smoke rising out of their bodies before ultimately succumbing to their deaths! Chen Chen paid no mind to these occurrences. He surveyed his surroundings then shouted into the air, Come out, Ive come to bargain with you! Immediately after declaring this, he felt a presence descending from above. Three illusory presences appeared mere inches away from him. At the same time, a voice spoke to him amid the void, Chen Chen, have you thought it through? Would you offer the Civilization Monolith to be elevated to our ranks? No, I didnt come here for that. Time was running out and Chen Chen cut to the chase immediately. Someone named Wang Xi intends to destroy all of mankind and his goal is to elevate himself to a divine existence that would replace all three of you. Wang Xi? Whos that? A shrill voice spoke, surprised. Is he another human? No, Wang Xi is the name he uses in the human realm but he claims that he has another name. Chen Chen paused for a moment before declaring, His name is Void Dragon! Void Dragon? Three skeptical voices rang at the same time. Chen Chen felt the atmosphere tensing up for a moment as if the name had made a deep impression on them. Then, the shrill voice broke the silence. Just a mere remnant of the Astral Gods. Chen Chen, we know that youve devoured Alosorthoth. With your strength, you shouldve no trouble disposing of him. He holds ninety-nine Civilization Monoliths. Chen Chen said, These Civilization Monoliths manage to completely suppress my psionic powers. Im not his opponent. So, what does this have to do with us? A deep voice answered with a perturbed tone, Could you possibly think that we can assist you in this battle? Im sure you three have a history with this entity as well. Chen Chen answered with a composed tone like he was accepting an answer of this vein coming from them, From what Ive gathered, you guys were the ones that caused the destruction of their species in the war that occurred sixty million years ago. This entity called the Void Dragon is seeking vengeance after he manages to claim the four subspace continents for himself. Upon hearing this, the three voices fell silent for a moment. Theres a saying in our world, that the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Chen Chen struck when the iron was still hot. Help me gain stronger psionic power. When I can overwhelm the pressure of the Civilization Monolith, I can surely defeat him. This will also prevent the three of you from his vengeance! Hahaha!!! Upon hearing Chen Chens request, the shrill voice broke into hysterical laughter. One moment, its voice would shift between the tones of a male and female at irregular intervals. Chen Chen, your request is ridiculous. What makes you think that he can overpower us after claiming the four continents? Were the culminated reflection of all the intelligent lives in the universe and are immortal. Even if Void Dragon manages to suppress us, itll only be momentary. Well not offer you our help, not unless youre willing to yield the Civilization Monolith and unchain us. Ive never said that you wont get something in return. Chen Chen was not intimidated by the voices. I wont be giving you my Civilization Monolith any time soon, but we can negotiate. If you grant me the power to defeat Wang Xi, I can offer up the Civilization Monoliths in his possession to grant you your freedom! All ninety-nine of them! The third voice that had remained silent all this time howled, its voice filled with agitation and desire. When you defeat Wang Xi, youll grant us all ninety-nine Civilization Monoliths! Done. Chen Chen agreed without hesitation. Those Civilization Monoliths belong to desecrated civilizations and I have no use for them. Ill give as many Civilization Monoliths I can get from Wang Xi to you in exchange for your favor! Upon mentioning this, Chen Chen felt a constricting presence wrapping itself around him. It was difficult to describe the nature of this presence but he found that he could not break out of it. Excellent! The third voice was pleased with these terms. Hahaha, Chen Chen, you should understand by now that the subspace isnt like reality. In the spirit world, youll be bound to the promises you make and if you dont fulfill them, the subspace will curse you with all of its existence and I promise that youve never seen anything like it! Then, the third voice addressed the other voices, Naig, Xierich. Ill complete this pact, you two sit by and watch. After that, an invisible surge of energy rushed into Chen Chens body. It was a power even more intense than when he received the power of the Consciousness Stealer. Right after Chen Chen braced to receive this power, two additional flows entered his body as well! The three voices had taken the bait! Chen Chen smirked coyly while he sensed the three separate surges of power. The concentration of power behind him began to grow in magnitude as well following this influx of power. It began to burn with a stronger intensity than before and expanded infinitely until it nearly reached the size of the sun! Chen Chens power had reached its peak! Such power! Chen Chen said with roaring laughter. He could vividly feel his power multiplying at a terrifying pace. In just an instant, his accumulated powers had tripled and all of them belonged to no one but himself. Even if these entities intended to take back their powers, he would not allow them to do so! Chen Chen, weve fulfilled our end of the bargain. The deepest voice among them spoke, its tone was spent and exhausted, Now its your turn to fulfill your end of the bargain and seal the Void Dragon! Dont worry. Chen Chen had no interest in wasting a single moment longer with the three voices of the subspace and returned to reality without an additional word spent. The moment he exited the subspace, his other half who was battling with Wang Xi suddenly raised his head with a knowing look in his eyes. In an instant, the eyes of Chen Chen who was facing Wang Xi burned with the heat of a thousand suns while a symbol shaped like a sun seared into the back of his head! In an instant, a torrent of psionic power surged from Chen Chens body, which even the Civilization Monoliths were unable to suppress any longer! How is this possible? Wang Xi, in his true form of the metallic figure, cried out in disbelief and horror, How did you manage to raise your psionic power to this level? This is impossible! Theres no such thing as impossible! Chen Chen rose to the sky above until he was level with Wang Xi and spoke with a cruel, menacing voice, Wang Xi, its time to settle our score No, impossible! You cannot kill me for Im immortal, Im immortal!!! Wang Xi roared unwillingly and soon, his figure became completely basked in the intense rays of light produced by Chen Chens psionic manifestation! Zoom! The blinding light seemed like the birth of the sun from a distance, instantly enveloping the sky above the city. All Lu Yubing could do at this moment was to lower her head and shield her eyes from this intense brightness so she would not be blinded by it. After an indiscernible amount of time, when she could not hear anything else in her surroundings, she cautiously raised her head. She now saw a glowing green substance in the palms of the previous black-haired young man. The item in his palm still had faint buzzes of green electricity currents surging around it. That metallic figure was defeated? Lu Yubing felt her legs give away under her and despaired. So, this is the Astral God fragment that those three mentioned. Chen Chen muttered. He claimed the fragment emitting bright green rays for himself, then darted an absent glance at the girl below him. With a quick motion, ninety-nine Civilization Monoliths appeared levitating in the air in front of him! These were the Civilization Monoliths left behind by Wang Xi. Chen Chen sensed the presence of the civilizations these Civilization Monoliths originated from. As expected, they belonged to the movies he was familiar with. There were Resident Evil, Elysium, Chronicle, Detective Pikachu Chen Chen noticed that most of the civilizations he had entered were present in this collection of Civilization Monoliths as well. As expected, it was Wang Xi who destroyed them single-handedly and transformed them into Civilization Monoliths. Chen Chen shook his head then suddenly raised his hand. In an instant, the Civilization Monoliths that belonged to him appeared in his palms. In an instant, all ninety-nine Civilization Monoliths turned into ninety-nine streams of light and flowed into the Civilization Monolith he held! Wang Xis Civilization Monoliths were swallowed by Chen Chens Civilization Monolith Fuse! Then, Chen Chen flung the Civilization Monolith into the air and in an instant, he witnessed an illusory column of light piercing into the sky above. The column of light penetrated the heavens, conjuring shapes of enormous gears made of metal. Rows upon rows of crosses were drenched in blood and there were montages of apes slowly evolving into human forms The column of light was invisible to any other observer. It was only Chen Chen who could see it at this very moment. He was the only one who could decipher the meaning of these images. The gears represented the advancement of technology on Earth, the cross represented the many faiths and religions of mankind. The phantom images of the apes growing into humans represented the civilization that humans had developed since ancient times! The illusory column of light was none other than the earths principle of civilization! Now, the Civilization Monolith that consumed all ninety Civilization Monoliths, still under the effects of Chen Chens control, slowly fused into Earths Civilization Monoliths. In an instant, the column of light had materialized into solid form! With a hundred Civilization Monoliths combined, the observable future of mankind was limitless! Roar! When the Civilization Monoliths fused into the column of light that flowed into the heavens, Chen Chen looked up at the sky above where three enraged presences seemed to lurk in the space in between reality. Upon paying closer attention, it seemed to be all in his head only. I mention that Ill hand over all the Civilization Monoliths I acquire. The problem is that I didnt acquire a single Civilization Monolith. A mischievous smile surfaced on Chen Chens expression. Youll have to forgive me, thanks for the freebie. Chen Chen decided there was no need to stick around any longer. He put away the Star God fragment in his hand and then vanished, disappearing into the sky! The city was left in ruin, only Lu Yubings dumbfounded figure remained perched amid its destruction Chapter 645 (END) - The End and the Beginning (Grand Finale) Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation Ive erased Wang Xi completely. Upon returning to Eco Science City, Chen Chen went to his office and gazed at the dark green gemstone resting in his palms. But its just as those three in the subspace mentioned, I cannot destroy the power lurking within this gemstone. Even those three from the subspace cannot destroy it. They can only suppress it at best. How do you plan to take care of this cursed object? Little X entered the office and asked. Lets seal it away at Mars for now. Chen Chen considered for a moment then rapped his knuckle against the table. Perhaps I can find a better use for it in the future. Theres no need to rush it just yet. Now that this problem that has plagued me for some time has been taken care of, its time to travel the Milky Way and find what neighbors there are in the galaxy. We also need to find an alternative for subspace navigation technology, something that allows us to travel at a similar efficiency but without the risks that come with subspace navigation. Then, what happens to our current subspace navigation technology? Little X enquired. Just leave it aside for now. Chen Chen announced, If we still havent managed to discover an appropriate solution after several millennia, then well go back to using it. I think by that point, mankind should be more than capable of preserving and protecting itself from the dangers of subspace, perhaps even completely negating it. Sir Godfather. Reaching this point, Little X had a sad look in her eyes. Dont worry, Ill leave my other half here on Earth. Chen Chen smiled gently. This was extremely rare of him these days. He put his arm forward and Little X put her head to his gentle touch. Chen Chen patted Little Xs head, his voice became full of emotion. Dont worry about me, Im as close as one can get to Godhood by this point. Its to a point that I can become the fourth master of the subspace if I want to, only I dont want that for myself. Nobody is immune to the corruption of subspace and I doubt I can preserve my sanity if I take that approach. Besides, Ive always held firmly to the belief that theres no such thing as a God in this universe. There never has been nor will there ever be. I plan to uphold this belief. Mankind doesnt need to resort to faith and religion to progress. What it needs is unwavering determination and preservation! Chen Chen suddenly froze after saying this. The two dark pits in his eyes seemed to be capable of penetrating through time and space as he gazed into the distant future. Perhaps at some point in the future, when humanity is in peril, Ill appear again and put mankind back to the path of glory. That moment may come, but its not now. Mankind no longer needs me as is. You mean that mankind may still face a threat of utter devastation? This was how Little X understood Chen Chens remark. Of course. Chen Chen nodded and spoke with a solemn tune, Now that Ive gained power putting me on the same level as those three in the subspace, I noticed that Ive gained some insight into the chaotic pattern of the time and space of the subspace. At some point in the future, it may be thousands of years or perhaps tens of thousands of years later, the fourth continent of the subspace will meet its eventual master. When that happens, the shackles of the subspace will be unbound and the three entities in the subspace will regain their form. Ah. Little X looked up at Chen Chen, her expression was colored with shock. Mankind still has a long way to go. Chen Chen suddenly rose. In front of him was a reality rift that he had just opened. Just as he was about to step into it, he felt a weak tug at the corners of his shirt. Chen Chen turned his and saw Little X looking into his eyes with fixed determination. Sir Godfather, please take me with you. I want to follow you forever, through the end of time, even if we were to go to the unknown edges of the galaxy. The icy expression of Chen Chen seemed to crumble if ever so slightly as he hesitated in making a decision. You say that youre not needed here, in that case, Im not needed here as well. My clones can be independent and can handle everything and take care of the needs of mankind by this point. Ive already transferred my consciousness into this body. Ive become a full-fledged existence, a human. Little X spoke with sincerity. There was a tinge of desperate pleading in her voice. Sigh. There was a tender glow in Chen Chens eyes. He patted the young ladys head, then his figure vanished. Moments before the reality rift closed, another slender figure vanished along with it. Several centuries later. In the early morning, a series of flights to various colonial planets were set to depart on a set schedule from a remarkable interstellar space station. The solar system was joined with an interconnected set of busy trade routes. The glow of the sun was not as harsh as it was in the past. This was because it was now surrounded by dense sets of Dyson rings. All of the heat generated by the sun every passing second was constantly transmuted into usable energy to be used by the humans populating the solar system. Mankind had developed countless colonies across the solar galaxy. Although currently constricted to traveling at sub-light speed across the universe, they lived a comfortable and safe life. To ease the process of starting new colonies, the spaceships were stockpiled with the latest agriculture, industry, and construction templates developed by Blacklight Biotechnology. The colonists would be able to build a stable and reliable basic agricultural and industrial system upon arriving at their destination. These template technologies were commonly referred to as templates. Furthermore, the atmosphere generator also developed by Blacklight Biotechnology was used to improve hostile locations. Planets without a consistent ozone layer could be improved upon using this machine and a habitable atmosphere could be generated within several months. At this point, the pace of colonization was at its peak. Androids were also being developed with Blacklight Biotechnologys sophisticated technology, so they were equipped with advanced intelligence right out of the factory. These Androids served humans like loyal slaves. They arranged every detail of a persons life and their brains were coded to never cause any harm to humans and to serve dutifully forever. The welfare system of human society was structured to include every single human being. Each person born was entitled to proper education and after adulthood, each could choose to further develop in his or her intended path be it in politics, business, art, science, and whatnot. One could also simply choose to enter the virtual universe and enjoy a wistful life. There was nothing stopping anyone from leading a wistful, idle life. The welfare of society alone could allow anyone centuries of stress-free lifestyle. Therefore, apart from the ones with strong ambitions to explore space and the universe, many people had chosen to lead their lives in the virtual universe. The virtual universe developed by Blacklight Biotechnology was essentially a manifestation of the Garden of Eden, where there was no distinction between rich and poor, no suffering, discrimination, hunger or death. Everyone could be whatever they intend to become in this world. However, such luxurious lives never hindered the progress of mankind, not in the slightest. Sophisticated artificial intelligence was implemented to replace the grassroots of the social system and maintain structure. The streamlined governmental system worked in tandem with elite scientific research institutions, allowing mankind to continue developing technology at unprecedented speeds. According to the latest tabulations, by the year 2500, mankind had established up to three hundred and fifty-eight colonies across the solar system, with its population breaching a hundred billion. In time, even the Androids were entitled to human rights. They were now referred to as the Stone People. Similarly, mankind was now referred to as the Golden People. Furthermore, after centuries of passing down psionic genes, nearly all of mankind was blessed with psionic powers now. The reflection inside the subspace showed countless illuminating suns in every direction, essentially serving as a barrier protecting mankind from the corrosion of the subspace. This was an era where the wealth gap simply did not exist, where each person was blessed with great fortune and could live their lives to the fullest without worries of sickness or disease. Everyone got to direct their focus to the pleasures and the hobbies of their individual lives. This era was otherwise known as the Era of the Golden People or simply as The Golden Era. As mankind continued to expand across the galaxy, its influence slowly approached the edges of the solar system and probed into nearby systems, eventually discovering traces of many other alien civilizations. A lot of these alien civilizations ended up crumbling under the mighty hoof of mankind but in time, mankind managed to discover the existence of at least three hyper-advanced, sophisticated alien civilizations in the edges of the Orion Arm. After further investigation and exploration, mankind would come to know the names of three alien civilizations. They were the Adarlings, the Oukbarbs, and the most mysterious of them all, the Galactical Haunts. These discoveries reminded the ever-expanding human empire to stay vigilant at all times. However, there was no need to fear, for centuries of technological development had laid a concrete foundation and prepared mankind for this moment. Although Blacklight Biotechnology, the visionary that led mankind into the age of interstellar travel had long retreated from the frontlines of the battle, mankind was now powerful enough to stand on its own feet without relying on others. In any case, all who heeded this tale should know that like the sun rising across the horizon, the story of mankind had only just begun.