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Chapter 148: Federal Bureau of Investigation

A few days later, Chen Chen arrived at Walvis Bay once again.

This time, besides him and Cheng Cao, they were also accompanied by the local Namibian police chief, Maddaloni, and the captain of the Symphony of the Seas.

Chen Chen and his group got off the car on the dock and walked toward the large, mountainous ship that was not far away.

Under the cloudless, clear sky, the huge cruise ship was still quietly moored by the dock. What was startling were the black burn marks from the explosions that were like scars on the body of the ship.

On the surface of the exquisite hull, they seemed exceptionally prominent.

"Mr. Chen Chen, this ship doesn't belong to me personally, but since the day she went out to sea, I've been her father. To me, she's just like my daughter."

The white-bearded captain pleaded earnestly. "The Symphony of the Seas is now covered in scars. I hope that when you rent it, you can do a little light maintenance on these scars. You don't need to spend too much time or money; a simple treatment is fine. For example, applying a little waterproof glue to the blemishes and..."

"No problem, Captain Bernard."

Chen Chen was so amused that he could only nod. "Believe me, I'll treat her well."

"Thank the heavens; you'll surely be a kind master." When the white-bearded captain heard this, he sighed in relief.

"Sorry, but this ship is sealed off."

However, just as they reached the entrance of the Symphony of the Seas, they were blocked by two European men dressed in black. One of them sized up the group, then said something indiscernible into his headset.

"These are the people from the European Federal Bureau of Investigation. Play nice as much as you can." The captain reminded Chen Chen in a low voice.

"I'm the chief of the Walvis Bay Police Station. We need to check out something on the ship. I hope that you can accommodate us."

The black man, who had remained silent all this while, now spoke in a dignified tone as he showed his identification.

"All of you are going into the ship?"

When he heard this was the police, the European man lightened up a little but still said, "There are too many of you. Only three can pass at most."

"Very well, in that case, I, Chief Maddaloni, and Captain Bernard will go." Chen Chen waved his hand and made the choice.

Seeing that they did not object, Chen Chen let Cheng Cao and the rest remain where they were while he moved on first.

On the ship, Chen Chen ignored the facilities on the main deck and immediately headed below. With Captain Bernard guiding the way, they reached the engine room.

"This machine that looks like a firing pin is the generator of the Symphony of the Seas."

Captain Bernard pointed to the colossal component, which was four to five meters high and dozens of meters long. "Although it looked different from diesel generators on land, there's absolutely no problem with its power output."

"I know. That's a Leroy-Somer LSA62 generator with a power of 20,000 kilowatts," Chen Chen replied without having to think.

"Huh, you've researched engines before?" Captain Bernard asked, astonished.

"It's because I just visited the Meyer Shipyard two days ago."

Chen Chen smiled as he explained, "My customized cruise ship will also use this generator in the future."

"I see..."

Captain Bernard gave a dry laugh and said nothing else.

The three of them did a quick tour around the bottom section. Chen Chen observed carefully and only nodded in satisfaction after he had walked around the entire generator room.

The three main generators and the two backup generators were all intact. The combined power of the five generators would reach a hundred thousand kilowatts.

One hundred thousand kilowatts of power meant that the power generated would be one hundred thousand kilowatts per hour. Even if these generators could not generate electricity at full power throughout the day, they could still generate at least ninety percent.

This level of power generation was one-tenth the efficiency of the power plant Chen Chen had used in Cape Town.

Although it was only one-tenth, Chen Chen only had five days to absorb the electricity from the power plant in Cape Town. That was far more restrictive compared to this ship, where he could absorb electricity whenever he liked.

Just when Chen Chen was about to disembark, his cell phone rang suddenly. Chen Chen turned it on to find that Little X had sent a message.

"Heh." When he saw the message from Little X, Chen Chen chuckled, then immediately dialed Cheng Cao's number.

"Ask everyone from the Black Security Service to gather at the dock."

After giving that order, he hung up.

"Mr. Chen Chen, what's going on?" On one side, Chief Maddaloni raised an eyebrow. He knew what sort of people were in the Black Security Service.

"Nothing much. Someone's just trying to trap me." Chen Chen shook his head.

"What, someone dares to trap you?"

When Chief Maddaloni heard this, he instantly said angrily, "I'll call my officers from the police station!"

"No need for that. I'll settle this myself." Chen Chen smiled peculiarly as he stopped Chief Maddaloni from making the call.

What Chen Chen did not say was that if Chief Maddaloni called his officers over, the officers would end up having to help the other party.

"Very well."

Seeing this, Chief Maddaloni said hotly, "If there's any way I can help, just let me know."

After making sure that the generators were working fine, Chen Chen and the rest made their way to the deck and strolled around. Chen Chen only suggested that they disembark from the ship after Cheng Cao called to inform him that those from the Black Security Service had arrived.

The three of them quickly left the Symphony of the Seas.

However, just as they got off the ship and reached the dock, Chen Chen immediately saw twelve white Caucasians dressed in suits approaching him aggressively.

"Are you Mr. Chen Chen?"

The man at their head wore a pair of dark sunglasses, looking like Agent Smith from The Matrix.

At this moment, he was walking to Chen Chen as he flashed his identification. "We're from the European branch of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. There's a case that requires your cooperation. Please come with us."

As he spoke, two large, imposing European men came up from behind, ready to lead Chen Chen away. One of them was even holding handcuffs.

"Hold on!"

Chief Maddaloni hurried forward and said in shock, "What are you doing? Mr. Chen Chen is our guest here in Namibia. You have no right to do this!"

"Sorry, but we're asking Mr. Chen Chen to cooperate with the investigation on behalf of the Federation. Those who aren't involved should stay out of this." The man in sunglasses pushed Chief Maddaloni aside with an icy expression. Chief Maddaloni only flushed red but dared not retaliate.

"Just a minute."

Chen Chen spoke breezily, but they did not seem about to stop. Just as the two men had moved to Chen Chen's side and were about to seize him, several firearms popped out from behind Chen Chen and promptly pointed at the group of federal agents.

It turned out that, at an unknown time, Brando had arrived with the thirty members of the Black Security Service.

"Click, click, click!"

Thirty Glock 17s were aimed at the twelve agents without any hesitation. The federal agents were stunned. In a conditioned reflex, they drew their pistols and faced off against Brando and the others.

All at once, the atmosphere at the dock turned into one of taut hostility.

Chapter 149: Resolve

At one end of the dock, two groups of people had suddenly drawn their firearms and were facing off. Behind them was the blue, glassy stretch of ocean where seagulls and flamingos were wheeling about close to the water.

When Chief Maddaloni was confronted with this sudden turn of events, he was rather dumbfounded, not knowing which side he should assist.

According to international law, of course, he should help the Federal Bureau of Investigation. After all, this department could be said to be the Federation's core law enforcement agency that possessed cross-continent authority in carrying out its duties.

Although some powerful regions had their own forces and did not give a f*ck about this agency, in a minor nation like Namibia, they did not have this capacity.

On the other hand, Chen Chen was a major bankroller for the authorities. If Chen Chen was apprehended in Namibia, Chief Maddaloni's career would naturally come to an end. From then on, they could forget about Chen Chen continuing to invest in Namibia.

Chief Maddaloni was momentarily caught in a dilemma.

"Mr. Chen Chen, are you planning to rebel against the Federation?"

The man in sunglasses was fearless as he stared down at the gun muzzles. Instead, he proclaimed, "We represent the Federal Bureau of Investigation. If you go against us, you're going against the entire Earth Federation. Please think carefully."

"I've always been a legitimate businessman and a law-abiding citizen. Why would I rebel against the Federation?"

Chen Chen smiled carelessly. "I'm just afraid that someone would impersonate the Federal Bureau of Investigation and try to kidnap me. After all, Officer, you must also know that I'm of considerable status. Many people have their eyes on me."

"Is that so?"

The man in sunglasses narrowed his eyes. He took out his identification and held it before Chen Chen. "Have you got a good look now?"

"Sorry, I'm shortsighted. I can't see it at such a distance."

Chen Chen spread his hands innocently. "Please hold it closer."

The man in sunglasses snorted coldly and walked closer, holding his identification right in front of Chen Chen's eyes. "Surely you can see..."

"Swoosh!"

Just as he had placed it right before Chen Chen's eyes, his vision went blurry for a split second. The identification he was holding was now in Chen Chen's hands!

"You!"

The man in sunglasses bellowed in rage.

"Shh —"

Chen Chen raised an index finger, making a silencing gesture. Following that, he slowly tore the entire document in half in front of the man while a sneer curled upon his lips. "This identification is fake!"

"How dare you!"

The man in sunglasses stepped forward, but Cheng Cao's gun was directly pressed into his face.

Chen Chen tore the document into fragments and raised one hand. Countless shreds of leather and paper fluttered through the sky. Meanwhile, Chen Chen walked forward at once without even glancing at the ashen expression of the man in sunglasses.

"Mister Officer, next time, remember to bring some authentic identification before you come."

"Chen Chen!" The man in sunglasses clenched his fist, yearning to arrest his target. Even so, with thirty guns trained on him, he dared not take a single step past the boundary.

Each of Chen Chen's bodyguards was bursting with a bloodthirsty aura. Were these still bodyguards? They were a group of savage mercenaries!

This businessman from Mainland China had nurtured his own private army!

Cheng Cao took the lead in putting his gun away only when Chen Chen got into the car. Then he made a gesture, and everyone put away their firearms, turned, and walked away.

This display of extreme obedience caused the man in sunglasses to narrow his eyes.

He watched steadily as Chen Chen got into the car, then tore off his sunglasses and flung them onto the ground. At the same time, he glared at the black police chief beside him. "Chief Maddaloni, where are your officers? Even for a case under our Federal Bureau of Investigation, your local officers won't cooperate at all."

"I..."

Chief Maddaloni opened his mouth with a blank expression.

"Sir, we..."

The deputy on the side was about to ask the man in sunglasses a question.

"Enough. We'll just report this to the higher-ups. Those who resist the Federal Bureau of Investigation will get what they deserve!"

With that, the man who wore sunglasses dusted off his hands and stalked off in the other direction.

Chen Chen sat in the car, silently watching the departing federal agents with a grave expression.

While he was on the Symphony of the Seas, Little X sent a message, saying that a group of agents sent by the Federal Bureau of Investigation had reached Walvis Bay. Moreover, they had completed the extradition procedures and were ready to transfer him to the North American continent while he was caught off guard.

In truth, if the Federal Bureau of Investigation had just come to question him, there would be no issue at all.

However, the crucial thing was that the Symphony of the Seas was a cruise liner owned by Royal International Cruise Line, which was a European company, just like how the man in sunglasses and his team belonged to the European branch of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Therefore, even if Chen Chen was extradited, he should be extradited to Europe, not North America.

Something fishy was certainly going on.

Indeed, Little X has now sent another message.

Through targeted investigations, Little X eliminated endless information on the Internet and finally came up with some useful data.

It turned out that several financial groups in North America had formed an organization called the "Als Mutual Aid Association.". Through certain channels, this organization learned about the technologies Chen Chen possessed and started to get its own ideas.

The plutocrats in this mutual aid association came from families that were not inferior to financial oligarchs such as the Edwards and the Rodriguezes. Naturally, they were not afraid of the eleven financial groups backing Chen Chen.

"Sure enough, some things can't be hidden forever."

Chen Chen narrowed his eyes. Although God's Forbidden Zone had never shown itself at formal events, no secret could be kept forever. Furthermore, so many members of the families had regained their youth. Once something like this was exposed, it would instantly spread like wildfire among the upper classes.

Presumably, many plutocrats have learned of all this by now.

At first, they were merely onlookers, but now that Chen Chen was involved in a case, of course, those who were eager would take advantage of this, using certain methods to test Chen Chen.

With the lure of technologies that could restore one's youth, even the upper echelons of the Federation would be highly tempted, to say nothing of those plutocratic families.

If Chen Chen could not even handle this first wave of challenges, naturally, he would be seen as a weak target to be bullied. In that case, more forces would surround and assault him.

It was akin to a pack of wolves that smelled blood, gradually entrapping a sheep in their midst.

"Since that's the case, you can't blame me."

A fiery light flashed in Chen Chen's eyes as he mumbled softly.

Although he could rely on the power of the eleven great families to resolve this crisis, surely that would be going too easy on his opponents? Since they had extended their claws toward Chen Chen, they should leave their claws with him.

Even if they were to end up sitting down and talking it out, Chen Chen would have to rip off their claws first before doing so.

Otherwise, would people not think that they could sh*t on his head in the future?

With this in mind, Chen Chen opened Little X's app on the phone and said in a low tone, "X, hack into the airline's network and book two tickets for me and Cheng Cao under fabricated identities. You know the destination."

Chapter 150: Kidnapping

In that same afternoon, Chen Chen and Cheng Cao both boarded a plane to New York.

After only five hours, when it was evening, two of them stepped into a narrow but busy street in Manhattan, New York City.

This street was only five hundred meters in length and a pitiful eleven meters in width. There were various sorts of towering buildings on both sides. Even on a sunny day, there was no sunlight here to speak of.

Nonetheless, this haphazardly planned street was well known throughout the entire Federation.

In one glance, Chen Chen could see the headquarters of Citibank, JPMorgan Chase, the New York Stock Exchange, and other buildings.

This location represented the financial hub of the entire North American Continent. It was Chen Chen's current destination — the Blanc Company's headquarters, owned by Paul Blanc, the president of the Als Mutual Aid Association.

Paul Blanc was the founder of the Blanc Financial Group. Compared to other long-established groups, they were a relatively young financial group, first set up by Harlan Blanc in 1922.

The group started as the "National Bank.". In World War II, Harlan Blanc and several other consortia of the new generation took control of the oldest aluminum company in North America and joined the ranks of financial oligarchs.

Through these channels, the Blanc Financial Group controlled the banking and industrial capital of the Pittsburgh area. In the following decades, his son Paul Blanc gained control of Gulf Oil, and the family became a top consortium in one leap.

This company had also become the most important industrial pillar of the Blanc Financial Group.

Through these years of development, the Blanc Financial Group finally broke into Wall Street and became a major puppet master of North American finance and the economy.

Chen Chen's current opponent was a colossal figure like this.

"In other words, the one who tried to trap me this time was Paul Blanc, the president of the Als Mutual Aid Association and leader of the Blanc Financial Group."

Chen Chen was in a black car. As he read the information sent by Little X, he displayed a pensive look.

He read on in the car, then looked out the window again. On a building by the street, a massive B-shaped logo was ostentatiously displayed, resonating with the logos of other financial groups.

This building was the headquarters of the Blanc Company.

"Cheng Cao, this is the man you're looking for."

Chen Chen took out his phone and sent Cheng Cao a photo of a middle-aged Caucasian man who had swept-back hair and a steely expression. "Sloane Blanc. He's in the general manager's office. Just knock him out and bring him out. Remember not to alert anyone else."

"Got it."

Cheng Cao glanced at the photo, nodded with a grimace, got off the car, and walked directly toward the main doors of the Blanc Financial Group headquarters.

Soon, Cheng Cao pushed past the heavy glass doors and said something to the front desk. Then he moved out of Chen Chen's field of vision.

At the same time, all surveillance devices in the building suddenly became ineffective as they fell into a mode of playing videos on loop. The security guards in the building did not notice this at all.

As remote surveillance was often needed, most foreign surveillance systems were connected to an external network. Due to this, Little X was able to interfere with the building's surveillance.

With help from Little X, in addition to Cheng Cao's GS protective suit and cloaking device, every defensive measure would be futile against Cheng Cao, unless the other party had already prepared and were lying in wait.

Indeed, in a little over ten minutes, the glass doors of the Blanc Financial Group headquarters suddenly swung open by themselves as if there were a strong wind. Those at the front desk merely glanced up in bafflement, then stopped paying attention.

However, if one looked closely, one would notice a mass of distortion in the air walking out from the doors and making a beeline for the car in which Chen Chen was waiting.

"Yawn!"

Chen Chen yawned and opened the trunk of the car, which was facing the Blanc Financial Group headquarters. Instantly, the mass of distorted light moved into the back of the car.

At this point, the cloaking function was halted.

Chen Chen looked down. A middle-aged Caucasian man was lying in the back seat. It was the man in the photo sent by Little X.

This was Sloane Blanc, the son of the Blanc family's leader, Paul Blanc. Paul Blanc was on the verge of retiring, and Sloane Blanc had assumed control over ninety percent of the family business. He was long recognized as the heir of the Blanc family.

Chen Chen glanced at this important, famous heir of the Blanc family, then stopped paying further attention. Cheng Cao had turned around and got into the car, driving it toward the suburbs of New York.

It was not until Cheng Cao had driven past the suburbs of New York that the employees in the Blanc building gradually realized their own general manager had seemed to vanish...

The entire building descended into an instant state of panic.

A few hours later, with Cheng Cao driving, large private estates slowly loomed up on both sides of the road.

They had entered the northern suburbs of New York City, which was where the rich lived.

In New York City, the rich usually lived near Manhattan Island. There were all kinds of modern duplex mansions and high-rise buildings everywhere. It was a sharp departure from the lifestyles of ordinary people.

Nonetheless, to some of the wealthy older generation, this dense, bustling area was not suited to them. Therefore, suburbs for the wealthy came into existence.

These residences in the suburbs of New York were all manors. In truth, this was where the truly wealthy gathered and lived in New York. Only the richest could stay here.

Chen Chen felt that this location was about right, so he asked Cheng Cao to stop. After that, he looked back at Sloane Blanc, who was still knocked out, and took out a surgical box from the car's refrigerator, from which he withdrew a large number of drugs.

Following that, Cheng Cao cloaked himself and picked up Sloane Blanc. Meanwhile, Chen Chen got out of the car, put on a duckbill cap and a mask, and walked toward the only five-star hotel nearby.

Chen Chen opened the doors to the hotel and walked straight to the counter. "My name is Stephen Chow. I've booked Presidential Suite No. 3."

"Please hold on."

The gorgeous female receptionist behind the counter shot Chen Chen a weird look before lowering her head to check. Then she confirmed. "Yes, Mr. Chow, you've booked it this morning. Do you need someone to take you to the room?"

"It's fine. Just tell me which floor." Chen Chen turned down her suggestion.

When she heard this, the receptionist handed a gold-inlaid card to Chen Chen. "Your room is on the 7th floor."

"Thank you."

Chen Chen took the card and headed toward the elevator.

As she watched this guest, who had concealed his appearance, turn to leave, the female receptionist shook her head speechlessly. Although Chen Chen's getup was not a common sight in hotels, it could still be explained.

He must be a certain celebrity or a wealthy man who was cheating on his wife, or a celebrity who was cheating on his wife...

She had worked here for over three years and had seen many of these sorts of affairs.

However, when she was lowering her head absentmindedly, she suddenly felt that something was wrong. Why did there seem to be a distortion in the air behind the guy?

The receptionist quickly looked up, only to see that Chen Chen had gotten into the elevator. Noticing her gaze, he even nodded back at her.

She swiftly looked back down. When she glanced up again after a while, the doors of the elevator had closed.

Were her own eyes just playing tricks on her?

The female receptionist could not help but feel unsettled.

Chapter 151: Kidney Operation

After reaching the presidential suite in the hotel, Chen Chen first checked the entire room.

After making sure that there were no cameras installed here, Cheng Cao showed himself and placed the unconscious Sloane Banc into the bathtub in the bathroom.

As this was a five-star hotel, the entire room was luxuriously decorated. Even the bathtub was Duravit and was large enough to hold two people.

The bathroom walls were made out of translucent glass, situated in the center of the bedroom. One could vaguely see into the bathroom no matter where one stood.

Seeing this design, Chen Chen could not help reflecting that it was truly appropriate for this dandy they had on their hands. Following that, he called the front desk. In a short while, a hotel attendant brought about a dozen ice trays.

After thanking and tipping the attendant, Chen Chen locked the door and handed the ice trays to Cheng Cao.

While Cheng Cao was making the ice cubes, Chen Chen returned to the bathroom and took out a pair of rubber gloves and a mask from the surgical box with a stoic expression.

After putting on the mask, Chen Chen took off Sloane's shirt and quickly disinfected his patient with iodophor. After all, their medical resources were limited here. This was the best Chen Chen could do.

After the disinfection, Chen Chen used his fingers to measure the width of two fingers below the man's lower left ribs. Then, taking note of that point, Chen Chen retrieved a medical marker from the medical box and, starting from the spot, drew a line over the left iliac fossa, all the way to the lower abdomen.

The iliac fossa was the bone that held up one's belt. At this time, Chen Chen drew a line about twenty centimeters long on the left.

After he was done with the left side, Chen Chen drew a line on the right in a symmetrical manner.

The incision had to be this big so that the operation would be safer. After all, the patient's safety must be ensured. As the medical conditions of the hotel were lacking, Chen Chen could not use minimally invasive methods.

After this, Chen Chen took note of the time and injected a second anesthetic into the comatose middle-aged man, preventing the patient from waking up in the middle of the operation.

After injecting the anesthetic, Chen Chen took out a towel provided by the hotel, bolstered Sloane Blanc's waist, and immediately took out a No. 10 scalpel, gently cutting it along the line drawn on the left...

Instantly, dark red blood flowed soundlessly from the wound. It looked particularly garish against the clean, white tub.

Still, this was just blood from the capillaries, which was like a drop in the ocean compared to the entire body. Chen Chen took out some surgical cotton and wiped the wound.

After confirming that the epidermis had been fully incised, Chen Chen put down the No. 10 scalpel and instead picked up a sharper No. 11 scalpel. He began to cut the subcutaneous tissue.

After several layers of skin had been completely cut, Chen Chen took out the hemostatic forceps and fastened them to the wound. Then he used scissors to cut the oblique aponeurosis. At this point, the organs of his patient's abdomen were completely exposed.

Chen Chen took out some tools and started to clean the wound. With his hands, he moved Sloane's colon out of the way. Only then was an object encased in yellow fat revealed to him.

That was a kidney.

Chen Chen felt around the kidney to ascertain the position of the renal artery, the renal vein, and the ureter. After that, he cleaned off the fat on the kidney until the three tubes were fully exposed.

Generally speaking, a longer section of the kidney pedicle should be preserved during kidney transplantation to facilitate the transplantation, but Chen Chen did not intend to let his dear patient proceed with a transplantation.

Therefore, Chen Chen first clamped the artery and vein of the kidney with the hemostatic forceps, then cut off the ducts with a diagonal stroke of a scalpel. All at once, a live kidney had been extracted.

Chen Chen put the left kidney aside in the surgical tray, picked up the suture thread from the surgical box, and began to suture the patient's wound.

Chen Chen sutured with great concentration. First, he stopped the bleeding of the severed vein and artery to an adequate extent, then sutured the vascular stump. After that, he returned the intestines to their initial position and performed the final wound suture.

When he sutured, Chen Chen used the internal figure-of-eight suturing method, employing absorbable biological thread to close the wound from inside. In this way, the thread would not be visible externally.

This method of suturing could also minimize the formation of scars.

Forty minutes later, Chen Chen finally straightened up. Before him, Sloane Blanc, this strong European Adonis, looked just as he did before. If a difference must be pointed out, it would be that his face was paler, like someone who had just recovered from a serious illness.

In addition, there was a twenty-centimeter-long wound on Sloane's left waist.

However, this was not over. Chen Chen picked up the No. 10 scalpel he had used just now and cut along the line on the right side.

After another forty minutes, when Chen Chen finally straightened up, there were two kidneys in the surgical tray in front of him.

He just did not know whether this dandy could continue fooling around now that his two kidneys were gone.

Chen Chen shook his head. It was not that he was cruel, but this man had provoked him first. Although Paul Blanc was the one who decided to capture Chen Chen, it was the heir of the Blanc family who made the proposal.

If Chen Chen was captured, it was obvious that a set of extremely cruel punishments would await Chen Chen until he disappeared from the face of the earth.

Now, Chen Chen was not even after this man's life, only his two kidneys. Chen Chen was already being kind.

After finishing with this, Chen Chen turned and exited the bathroom. In a short while, there was a clinking noise from the refrigerator in the living room. Cheng Cao carried a bucket of solid ice cubes and poured them directly onto Sloane.

"Alright, we can leave now."

Chen Chen looked at the time and started cleaning up the medical waste in the bathroom. He even intentionally placed a phone on the sink so that Sloane could call for help as soon as he woke up. At the same time, Chen Chen took out the medical marker and wrote "Happy Birthday" on the wall.

If the information supplied by Little X was correct, today was indeed the birthday of the young master, Sloane Blanc.

According to Chen Chen's calculations, the anesthetic would only wear off in about an hour. After that, this playboy heir would wake up from his induced stupor. At that time, he would naturally know what to do, so Chen Chen did not need to worry.

By the time they left the hotel, it was already late at night.

Chen Chen wrapped up the two kidneys. He did not get into the car but headed directly to a private estate nearby.

This private manor was the residence of the Blanc family.

In other words, Chen Chen had removed Sloane Blanc's two kidneys right under the nose of the Blanc family.

As Chen Chen approached the manor, he could sense the obvious tension in the air. News of Sloane Blanc's disappearance had reached this place. Currently, the security on this estate is much tighter.

Nevertheless, this meant nothing to Chen Chen. He immediately took out a small silver-white ball from his pocket and tapped it lightly.

There was an abrupt electromagnetic crackle. Chen Chen's figure faded from solidity to transparency until he finally melded into the night.

This was the cloaking device from The Predator.

The principle behind this device was not complicated. It formed a magnetic field around the user, rendering the effect of invisibility by distorting the light waves around the user.

It was because of this that this distortion would become apparent if the user encountered the flow of water, thus temporarily losing the invisibility effect.

It was late at night, and Chen Chen did not have to worry about being spotted. He walked to the wall of the private manor, did a quick run-up, and kicked off the wall with both feet.

Instantly, he flew up over two meters high. His arms pushed off the top of the wall, and his entire body flipped over the wall as if he were climbing over a railing.

"Thud..."

There was a soft noise as Chen Chen landed lightly on the lawn on both feet.

When he stood up, Chen Chen noticed that there was a sprawling garden before him. It was bursting with colorful blossoms, creating breathtaking scenery.

A hundred meters away, there was a lavish, large manor, like the castle of a villa, that towered over a kingdom of flowers.

This was where the Blanc family stayed.

Chapter 152: Getting Acquainted

"He's not found yet?

"Okay, please look carefully. No matter what tactics they use to abduct Sloane, he can't be brought too far away. I think that it's even more likely that Sloane is still in the building; only he's hidden away."

In a dim study room, a white-haired old man slowly hung up the phone with a grave expression.

The old man was in his late years. When one became old, one disliked harsh light. Therefore, there were no lights in the study room, only the faint glimmer of the glowering fire in the fireplace.

Like many elderly people, this old man was not particularly fond of installations like floor heating and air conditioning. Instead, he preferred a fireplace. This furnishing allowed him to recall the memories of his youth.

Currently, there was a brand new file in front of the old man.

There was a photo attached to the file, showing a young man with ordinary features. On this file, the name of this young man was stated to be Chen Chen.

"Could it be him?"

The old man mumbled softly.

Just last month, the Als Mutual Aid Association sent a message that the members of the Alexander family, the Edwards family, and the Rodriguez family, who were all based on Wall Street, had simultaneously regained their youth over the past months.

However, this did not attract everyone's attention at first.

After all, there was such a thing as plastic surgery in this world. As long as one was willing to spend some money, it was not difficult to make a sixty-seven-year-old fogey look like he was forty or fifty years old. It was just that most people thought this was unnecessary.

Even if they looked younger after plastic surgery, they would still be the age that they had always been. Their bodies could not possibly become young just because their appearance did.

Even so, as everyone received successive news updates, they could no longer sit still.

They discovered that the members of these families had not only become younger in appearance, but their physical fitness had also improved significantly!

No, more accurately, those members of the families now looked younger because the youth of their bodies had been comprehensively restored.

In other words, those people had come across a technology that could turn them young again!

Once this conclusion was drawn, Paul Blanc could not sit still at all.

By now, Paul, who was over eighty, had long been in his sunset years. Nonetheless, he had always maintained an optimistic outlook. He still firmly believed that, as technology evolved day by day, life-extending technologies would emerge sooner or later.

Due to this, he had invested in more than ten types of technologies that might extend one's lifespan over a decade ago.

Even so, what followed next was an encounter with cruel reality.

Three of the technologies he had invested in quickly announced failure, while another four ended up the same halfway through the research. As for the remaining three, the researchers took his money, moved abroad, and changed their names, never to show themselves again...

As these technologies failed one after another, Paul's heart gradually fell to the bottom of the pit.

Finally, he even started to suspect that perhaps the world would never allow the existence of life-extending technologies.

However, it was not until he saw the message from the Als Mutual Aid Association that hope slowly blossomed in his heart.

According to the data, the reason this group of people had regained their youth was not plastic surgery. Rather, it was because they had gone to Namibia and met with a company named Blackwatch.

This company seemed to own a safe and effective life-extending technology.

Therefore, after investigating Chen Chen's family background, a feeling known as greed started to swell in him.

In the end, he agreed to the mutual aid association's suggestion that they kidnapped Chen Chen for interrogation. After all, as an ordinary citizen with no influence in society, the mentality of having his life in the hands of others must have been ingrained in Chen Chen's heart, even if he was not aware of this.

However, for some reason, after Paul gave the command, the Bureau of Investigation failed in their mission.

Not only that, but before the news of this failure had spread around, his son, Sloane Blanc, went missing in broad daylight.

The first thing Blanc thought of was that this was his opponent's revenge.

Paul's eyes flickered with a touch of regret. Before this, he had only considered the possibility of extending his own life. All this was too tempting for him, who would see the inside of a coffin soon. Therefore, he had resorted to extreme methods without thinking twice.

He had thought that it would be a cinch, never imagining that, not only did he fail in kidnapping his target, but he also managed to gain a deadly foe.

As he thought of this, Paul picked up the phone and dialed a number in the directory.

"It's me."

"Please investigate; I need all the information you can get on Blackwatch Corporation. I suspect they have something to do with Sloane's disappearance.

"Thank you."

After hanging up, Paul started to flip through the information, which had been flipped to tatters by now. However, just then, there was a sharp burst of applause from behind him.

This sound came from behind Paul, but he could swear that, ever since he had sat down here in the afternoon, not a single living soul had come into this study room...

If this sound did not come from his bodyguards or servants, could it be...

Paul's heart sank at once. He took a deep breath and slowly turned around. Instantly, he thought that he saw a figure standing in the corner of the room.

No, someone was standing there indeed!

The sound seemed mocking, but no matter how the old man stared, with his fading, blurry vision, he could only make out a figure and nothing else.

"Clap, clap, clap, clap."

The applause kept ringing out from that corner, following which a slightly raspy voice spoke, "Your Excellency Paul, have you already thought of the reason so soon?"

"Who are you?"

When he heard this voice, Paul Blanc said quietly, "What are you doing in my manor? If it's money you want, I promise you that you can pick any item you like and leave without trouble."

"No, no, no, I'm not interested in material items. I'm not here for money either."

The voice was soft and raspy, with a taunting lilt. "I came here with a gift for you, Your Excellency."

"A gift?"

Upon hearing that this person was not a thief, Paul was not surprised. In any case, if this man was a thief—rregardless of whether he was able to sneak in through the strictly guarded periphery of the manor—iif he made it in, he would stay as hidden as possible. Why would he reveal himself?

"It's a simple gift."

The voice continued. "But I think you'll like it."

With that, Paul saw a plastic bag flying through the dark air toward him.

Paul did not hesitate and immediately swiped the air with one hand, grabbing the plastic bag.

There was a cold, squishy texture within the plastic bag, like two slippery pieces of meat. Paul frowned and slowly opened the bag. A pungent stench leaped out at him.

Paul's sense of uneasy premonition grew heavier.

"Who are you, and what is this?"

"A pair of kidneys. Can't you even recognize them?"

The dark figure laughed softly. "I picked it up nearby your house and thought that someone from your family must've dropped it. So, I'm sending it back to you. As for my identity...

"Weren't you just looking at it?"

As the figure spoke, he slowly moved out of the darkness to an area illuminated by the firelight. A face identical to the young man on the file was revealed.

There was a hint of a smile on the young man's lips and a malicious glint in his eyes. These eyes were now staring coldly at Paul.

Confronted with this familiar face, Paul's jaw slowly slackened as disbelief crept over his features.

"How could this be, It's actually... You."

Chapter 153: Submission

Paul, whose eyesight was poor due to old age, finally got a good look at the visitor's face.

However, this face was incomparably familiar to him.

As if in disbelief, Paul lowered his head and looked at the file on the desk, only to see that the photo on the file looked the same as the youth before him...

"You're Chen Chen..."

Paul gradually raised his head and muttered, "You were clearly still in Namibia this morning. How can you suddenly show up here? How is it possible?"

"It's not impossible, Mr. Paul."

Chen Chen slowly walked to the swivel chair opposite Paul and sat down nonchalantly. "Weren't you the one who wanted me here? Here I am. And I even brought you a gift."

At the mention of the gift, Paul's face darkened. He drew in a breath and asked in a low voice, "What did you do to my son, Sloane?"

"Be rest assured, I didn't kill him."

Chen Chen turned his palms up and looked at the Rolex on his wrist. "In just about half an hour, you'll hear about him.

"Still, I wanted to give your son a piece of advice—iin the future, he shouldn't fool around so much. You know, doing all that isn't good for your kidneys."

When Paul heard these words, he stared at the object within the plastic bag in his hand, and his heart sank completely.

At the same time, with his other hand that was under the desk, he gingerly opened a drawer, revealing an intricate, polished pistol.

"Your pupils are dilating."

Just as Paul was about to take the gun, Chen Chen suddenly spoke again: "Not only that, but your breathing has become heavier than before. My, you're truly tensed up. Let me guess—you're thinking of taking the pistol in the drawer?"

On the other side of the desk, Paul froze. Cold sweat trickled down his forehead.

Although the room was pleasantly warm because of the fireplace, Paul only felt a chill all over his body. The young man opposite him was not doing anything, yet for some reason, he had the impression that he was faced with an extremely ruthless beast.

It was as if this person might erupt at any second and tear him to pieces.

"Everyone must take responsibility for their own actions. Isn't that so?"

Chen Chen tapped his head and chuckled lightly. "Since the Als Mutual Aid Association tried to cause me trouble, of course, I had to return the favor. If you want to shoot me, then naturally, you'd have to bear the corresponding consequences—ttwo people tried the same thing once, and they both ended up dead."

Paul's heart descended into the pit of his stomach.

This young man had the ability to appear in his study room without a warning. Would a pistol save him now?

Not even Paul himself believed that.

"So, what do you want?"

As Paul observed the young man sitting opposite him, he fought down the anxiety rising in him. "I can make up for it. How does one billion USD sound?"

"Do you think you're trying to send away a beggar, Mr. Paul?"

Chen Chen leaned forward and gazed unwaveringly at the white-haired old man across the desk. "Let me suggest an alternative. I want you to be my dog, serving me unconditionally for thirty years."

"What did you say?"

Paul's face turned white, with a trace of fury in his voice. "That's impossible..."

"Nothing is impossible!"

Chen Chen resolutely cut off Paul. "Paul, you know very well that your body might not last even three years. In that case, if you follow me, I can grant you a long life."

Chen Chen's voice suddenly softened enticingly. "Just like the Alexander and Edwards families, who've attained young bodies and gained decades of life. Isn't that what you've always wanted?"

"..."

Paul suddenly hesitated when he heard these words, appearing to be a little swayed. Even so, he whispered, "I will not betray my family, even if that means death."

"No one's asking you to betray your family," Chen Chen said breezily. "Not only that, but your family can also rise further in my hands, even reaching the level of the top ten financial groups in the North American Continent."

Paul fell silent.

"And all you have to do is be under my restraints. I'll install a chip in you. After that, I'll control your every aspect, including your life."

After Chen Chen finished his speech, he showed no signs of impatience. He simply sat in the opposite chair, serene and composed, while his right hand lightly tapped the desk.

"Thump!"

"Thump!"

"Thump..."

The tapping on the desk, to Paul, sounded like the thumping of his own heart.

A few minutes later, the phone on Paul's desk suddenly rang.

"Ring ring..."

The abrupt phone call made Paul jump in fright. He glanced at Chen Chen reflexively and was about to cut the call when Chen Chen gestured, "Go ahead.".

After a pause, Paul slowly picked up the phone.

"Master, we've found Young Master Sloane!"

The moment he accepted the call, Butler's flustered voice burst through the receiver. "Young Master Sloane is in the Hilton Hotel near the manor. We've found him!"

"What is he doing there?"

Paul shot a look at Chen Chen across the desk. "Is Sloane injured?"

"Young Master Sloane is..."

The voice hesitated. "Someone had operated on him. We've just located him and are about to send him to the hospital for an examination."

"Got it..."

Paul gently closed his eyes when he heard this, then hung up.

"Have you decided?"

Chen Chen said, "If you want to protect your family with your own life, it's pointless. Don't forget, I can remove Sloane Blanc from the company building and bring him here, then appear before you whenever I like. In the same manner, I can visit your heir."

As Chen Chen spoke, he took out a document and tossed it onto the desk. "And what if I say that there's still hope for Sloane?"

When Paul heard this, he looked down skeptically, only to see that the document was an explanation of various technologies.

There was the anti-aging treatment that he had dreamed of, the taboo technology of human cloning that was banned across the entire Federation, even the drug technology for treating Alzheimer's...

The more he read, the more astounded Paul became.

By the end, Paul inhaled deeply and slowly looked up. "What price must I pay to access these technologies?"

"As long as you submit to me."

Chen Chen stood up and spread his hands softly. "Your Excellency Paul Blanc, I admire your talents. It took you and your father a lifetime to turn an ordinary company into a financial behemoth. Although you disrespected me once, I'm still willing to give you a chance. As long as you submit to me, you and your family will thrive and prosper.

"Of course, you may refuse as well!"

Chen Chen has changed his tone now. "After you refuse me, I'll slaughter the entire Blanc family, erasing your family completely from the history of North America. No matter how much glory you've achieved before, I'll wipe out everything."

As Chen Chen spoke, the corners of Paul's eyes twitched involuntarily.

"What are you waiting for? You've worked so diligently your whole life—ffor what? For money?

Chen Chen started with his questions. "It's alright, your money still belongs to you!

"For your family? Your family can become stronger than ever.

"For status?

"You'll remain the master of the Blanc family. Not only that, but you'll also gain higher authority and even command the entirety of North America! And all you have to do is submit to me!"

After Chen Chen spoke, Paul suddenly inhaled sharply and slowly closed his eyes.

A long time passed. When he opened his eyes again, there was no flicker of doubt. He merely stood up, walked toward Chen Chen, and then...

He kneeled and bowed down.

Chapter 154: Chen Chen's Oath

Paul Blanc disappeared.

Nobody knew where he went; he vanished just like his child, Sloane Blanc, did previously.

Just as the entire Blanc family began mobilizing their forces in full to search for traces of Paul, he suddenly appeared again at the gate of their manor.

Nobody knew where he went in the time he went missing. Paul did not intend to bring it up either.

Shortly after that, the bedridden Sloane Paul was suddenly flown out to Namibia. There was an institute known as Blackwatch Research Center that could cure Sloane of his illness.

This was a subject of interest for countless people.

Most of the general public could not make out the connection between Blackwatch and the Blanc Financial Group. However, what were the chances of the top business circles on the North American continent not knowing about the Als Mutual Aid Association's previous attempt at targeting Blackwatch?

As it turned out, not only did Sloane Blanc have his kidneys taken away as an act of vengeance, but even the head of the Blanc family went missing for two days. Furthermore, he did not comment about Sloane's incident upon reappearing again.

Even without having the specific details, it was quite apparent that Blanc Financial Group's maneuvers proved to be completely ineffective against the new Blackwatch Corporation. Apart from that, they seemed to be forced to make a compromise due to the opposing party getting an edge on them.

Countless observers found themselves awed by how things had turned out. The general opinion of the newly formed Blackwatch Corporation was starting to take on a more mysterious shape...

Blackwatch engineered the world's highest-grade life preservation laboratory in Namibia while, at the same time, inviting the ten financial titans of North America and Europe and successfully establishing a mutual association with them.

These accomplishments were the result of their sharp and precise execution.

It had to be noted that Blackwatch's success was partially attributed to its being based in Africa, thus allowing it to leverage its advantage longer. If it were established in North America, the vast arsenal of astounding technology would sooner or later attract the attention of many predators and be feasted on.

Now, the corporation had proved its mettle by effortlessly subduing the Blanc family and even the Als Mutual Aid Association. It would seem that many financial groups that were gearing up to make a move would have to think twice now.

On the other side of things, Chen Chen had returned to Namibia after installing the God chip in Paul. By applying an effective and straightforward technique, he was able to address the root of the problem without having to enlist the help of the eleven financial titans.

Of course, it was not a big deal, even if Paul refused to cooperate. Chen Chen could simply take him out along with the rest of the Blanc family members.

Resorting to this decision may cause outrage among the ranks of the European and American consortiums. However, being labeled as a target of public outcry was not particularly helpful for the next stages of Chen Chen's plans.

After that, at Chen Chen's request, Sloane was sent to the Blacklight Biotechnology Research Center.

The first reason for this decision was in part due to the technological advantage at the research center. The second reason being that Sloane essentially played the role of a hostage as seen in ancient wartimes; with the chip installed in Paul to boot, he served as double insurance.

From here on, the research center would cultivate a clone for Sloane. After a year, when the clone had matured, a new pair of kidneys could be implanted into Sloane to help his body recover anew.

Chen Chen's removal of Sloane's kidneys was not a wasted effort. It was about sending a message to the financial corporations on the North American continent.

The promise of curing Sloane also further persuaded Paul to submit to Chen Chen.

Either risking the complete destruction of the Blanc family or regaining his youth was also ensuring the recovery of his son.

With these options provided, not many people would be willing to go the route of mutual destruction just for the sake of it.

This incident should deter whatever plans are hatched on the North American continent for a while.

Surely, without exceeding Chen Chen's expectations, many families and financial groups began contacting Chen Chen via the eleven disciples. Some of them came directly to Namibia to contact the research center. These people had one common goal: they were all seeking the technology to restore them to their youth.

"In this case, it's about time we publicize the 'Age-Reversal Treatment'..."

Chen Chen mumbled to himself when he looked at the stream of new updates from Little X.

Back then, Chen Chen still had his qualms about publicizing this technology since he only had two cards up his sleeves at the time: "age-reversal treatment" and "clooned organ transplantation.".

With the recent advent of AD-001, which was able to effectively cure Alzheimer's disease, he had another card up his sleeve.

With these three aces, there was no reason not to play one of them to alleviate the surrounding pressure.

Chen Chen only had to make sure to clarify things properly with the eleven disciple families.

After all, these families had each paid a billion- dollars for entry. What was the point of their major investment if Chen Chen was simply going to publicize all these technologies?

If everyone could receive the same treatment, what were they paying so much for?

What Chen Chen needed to do now was get across the point that there was a good reason for their billion-dollar entry fee.

Of course, even if it had to be publicized, it must be publicized in the form of Chen Chen's announcement. With the first phase of the Eco Science City construction nearing completion, the announcement of the "age-reversal treatment" along with the official opening of the Eco Science City was sure to attract an endless stream of clients.

This was the advantage of having someone to back him. Compared to his previous situation, where he did not have any supporting pillars, an announcement of this scale was a suicidal move.

With the help of the eleven financial groups acting as his mediators, Chen Chen only had to pay a small price to ensure a constant stream of revenue generated from the Eco Science City.

It was the same principle for a child with a pocket full of cash. If Chen Chen only had the technology without the capital to back it up, it would be an invitation for others to snatch it away from him. If he was on equal footing with any interested parties, the other party would naturally treat him as an equal and attempt to obtain his technology by way of trade.

This was the answer Chen Chen had for these financial groups: In half a year, after the Eco Science City opened, everyone could come and enjoy the prospects of this technology.

As a result, the major financial groups did their best to contain their greed and patiently waited for the grand opening of the Eco Science City.

Over the next few months, Chen Chen wholly rented the Symphony of the Seas, anchored by Walvis Bay. After a round of modifications, Chen Chen transformed the main power distribution room on the main deck into a tightly guarded secret room and promptly moved in there himself.

To keep up his disguise, he did not fire any of the crewmates. Instead, he had the Symphony of the Seas leave the harbor and camp in certain sections of the open seas. The cruise would stay there and only return upon nearly exhausting the diesel supply.

Again, the Symphony of the Seas would restock itself with sufficient diesel and various other resources at the port before setting sail again to the high seas.

Just like that, four months had passed and given way to the new year.

On this day, the cruise received a message from Hollywood using satellite signals. The three movies Chen Chen had invested in previously were all completed.

Subsequently, Chen Chen received the original, unedited versions of the three movies.

The three movies were Immortal, Cancer Man, and Chronicle 2: Darkness Rises.

Sitting in the cabin, Chen Chen began watching the three movies that had not officially premiered just yet. For the first time, he began looking forward to what was coming next.

Chapter 155: Pick One Out of Three

Immortal.

Cancer Man.

Chronicle 2: Darkness Rises.

Chen Chen did not try to insert the three originals sent from Hollywood right away. He issued an order to the captain to take the Symphony of the Seas back to port.

It took four hours for the Symphony of the Seas to return to Walvis Bay from the open seas, enough time for Chen Chen to quickly finish the three movies.

Chen Chen took an NZT-48 before watching the first movie, Cancer Man. He quickly finished viewing the movie at a fast-forward speed.

The movie was filmed from the perspective of a mad scientist. The genius scientist had developed a targeted drug known as "CAN-05" that could cure all forms of cancer. This led to the scientist eventually losing a basic sense of respect for life and beginning to lose his sense of self.

After that, with his astounding brilliance and talent, he managed to develop "CAN-09," a drug that was able to transform all human body cells into controllable cancer cells. Once again, he began conducting subsequent clinical trials.

However, the clinical trials proved unsuccessful. He was also arrested by the police for breaking international regulations.

Before being captured, he injected CAN-09 into himself as a final act of desperation.

After an hour had passed, Chen Chen nodded contently at the ending credits displayed on the screen.

Excellent, a captivating opening, sensible plot development, all capped off with the ending of the protagonist taking a self-destructive approach. The movie perfectly encapsulated the nature and moral choices of mankind.

It could be said that this was a standard, streamlined commercial blockbuster.

Especially in the ending of the movie, where the mad scientist undergoes an endless loop of division and proliferation, ultimately turning into an indescribable, huge lump of sarcoma. To the average audience, it would be an extremely shocking scene.

The director seemed to be using the movie as a cautionary tale to warn some scientists not to challenge the nature of mankind, lest they end up suffering from the consequences of their choices, as seen in the movie.

This movie was going to sell like hotcakes!

Before even premiering, Chen Chen projected the movie's global box office to reach at least 500 million U.S. dollars.

What was more important was that all aspects of the movie, whether it was the plot logic or scientific principles, matched the conventions of reality. Similar to the previous movie Deadly Crisis: A Shocking Scheme, which Chen Chen had invested in, it was extremely likely to be able to be contained in the USB drive.

Chen Chen started the second movie on the computer, Immortal.

Compared to the previous movie, this one was a lot tamer since it was a literary movie. Still, Chen Chen patiently finished it at double speed.

Alright, still not much to see...

After that, Chen Chen turned to the final movie.

Since there was an appropriate amount of funding, Chronicle 2 did not adopt a mockumentary style but instead used a lot of long-distance filmography methods to convey a more realistic effect.

The plot was, as Chen Chen described, set in ten years after the first movie. Cousin Matt traveled the world before ultimately returning to the small town he grew up in. He ended up discovering that the government had transformed the cave into an underground base.

Inside the underground base, the alien plantations inside the crystalline had long since perished and no longer produced new radiation. The giant sea urchin crystal was dissected into thousands of pieces by the government.

Each one of the several thousand pieces of crystals contained a portion of the power of the alien plantation. This was used to produce several hundred superpower users.

The powers of these users were nearly identical to that of the protagonist, where they were able to move objects using telekinesis.

However, since they had only absorbed a meager number of pieces of crystal, the strength and potential of the power were nowhere close to those of the three protagonists in the first movie. The most they could do was manipulate small objects like coins or insects.

Cousin Matt also found out that Andrew had apparently survived. Only he was left in a vegetative state for the government to conduct secret research.

With Matt's arrival, the telepathic connection between the two was triggered. Andrew finally awoke from his decade-long slumber.

The movie ended with a battle between the two characters again. Compared to the previous battle, their powers had seen tremendous growth, to the point where they were almost a mini-Superman on their own.

A decade ago, Andrew could only stop a regular bullet. After a decade had passed, the two of them could effortlessly stop a Tomahawk missile.

In the end, Matt finally got through to Andrew with a message of affection. The two of them decided to leave the country for good to start a brand new life.

The conclusion could be described as a very heartwarming ending.

The two protagonists of the movie were the two original cast members of the first movie. Having the movie set a decade after the first also explained the maturity of the two protagonists, since a decade had passed in canonical time as well.

After finishing the three movies, Chen Chen shut his eyes and made a mental review of the movies.

Upon ensuring there were no issues, Chen Chen went to the bathroom to wash his hands. He then returned to the computer and inserted the USB drive.

Over the last four months, the USB drive practically never left the charging port of the cruise ship. Taking the power generation rate of the five Leroy-somer LSA62 generators multiplied by an 85% power factor, the final tabulation was 100,000 (KW.h) x 24 (h) x 120 days x 0.85 (cosΦ).

This meant that over the last four months, the USB drive had been charged with approximately 250 million kilowatt-hours of electricity.

Based on Chen Chen's previous calculations, extracting an object of one gram from the USB drive required 1,224 kW of electricity. Which meant that at this moment, the USB drive had enough electricity to extract objects weighing up to 200 kilograms.

This amount of power still proved to be quite lacking.

Chen Chen shook his head. Previously, at Dlamini's side, he was able to obtain 120 million kilowatts of electricity in five days. Yet he only managed to yield double that amount of power, with more than twenty timesthat amount expended for the previous period.

Chen Chen exhausted nearly a combined 200 million U.S. dollars for the rental cost, crew salary, and fuel over the last four months for the sake of powering the USB drive. After conversion, the cost per kilowatt-hour is equivalent to more than 0.8 US dollars.

Uhmmm...

Constructing the nuclear power plant remained a more reliable approach. Powering the USB drive on the cruise ship alone was going to burn up all his money.

Chen Chen silently pondered the matter.

The good news was that this was the largest amount of power Chen Chen had in the USB drive so far. Chen Chen felt like one of those housewives ready to go on a spending spree on Taobao during the 11.11 promotion season, as he was filled with excitement.

Chen Chen took a deep breath before silently turning on the laptop and tapping on the USB drive logo.

There were a total of eight movies on the USB drive.

Apart from the four horror films that came with the USB drive, the other three films were inserted as an experiment back when he had just acquired the USB drive.

Apart from that, the last one was the first Chronicle movie he inserted before extracting the GS Combat Suit.

The eight movies sat idly on the USB drive, remaining the same as they had ever been.

Chen Chen paid no mind to the eight movies. He selected the [Cancer Man.mp4] folder and familiarly tapped [ctrl + c] before switching tabs to the USB drive window and clicking [ctrl + v].

"Ding!"

The long-awaited notification alert. Chen Chen raised an eyebrow.

Cancer Man: Failure.

Chen Chen, who was under the effects of the drug, did not feel too dejected. He promptly held the [ctrl] button, highlighted the two remaining films, and pasted them on the USB drive together.

"Ding!"

Once again, there was a system error alert, but there was a shine in Chen Chen's eyes.

He noticed that there was only one error window from the system error!

Chen Chen fixed his eyes and saw that it was Immortal that prompted the system error output. Chronicle 2, on the other hand, went through...

Chapter 156: Come out, Crystalline!

Chronicle 2: Darkness Rises, approved by the USB drive!

A shadow of a smirk appeared in the corner of Chen Chen's lips.

Even though two out of the three movies were rejected, just having one of them go through was enough for Chen Chen to consider the investment a worthwhile one.

Conversely, it was an extremely lucrative business venture!

Chen Chen quickly checked the USB drive window but could not find the newly inserted movie.

Slightly taken aback, Chen Chen thought for a moment before placing the cursor on the Chronicle folder.

The computer quickly displayed the size of the folder.

.4G.

As far as Chen Chen could remember, the movie he had downloaded previously was 2.3G. Chronicle 2 was 13.1G, which meant that the two movies combined on their own inside the USB drive.

Was there a function like this?

Chen Chen felt slightly at a loss for words.

Chen Chen remembered that back then, when he downloaded the Limitless TV series, there was no such occurrence. Otherwise, he would have long been aware of it instead of just finding out now.

Leaving this topic aside, what was more worth addressing was why Cancer Man and Immortal were rejected.

Even though Cancer Man was set in a parallel universe, other movies he had successfully extracted items from, such as Men in Black and Limitless, were set in a parallel universe as well. Thus, we conclude that this was not the deciding factor that caused the USB drive to reject it.

The other movie, Immortal, was set three hundred years into the future of the present. Since it worked with Deadly Crisis: A Shocking Scheme, the first movie he had filmed, there was no reason that it should not work for Immortal.

What was the exact cause of their failure?

Countless speculations and suspicions flowed through Chen Chen's mind. The only way to obtain the answer was to perform more experiments.

Chen Chen took a deep breath. The Symphony of the Seas had docked and arrived at Walvis Bay.

Chen Chen paused his experiment temporarily. He took the computer, quickly got down from the cruise ship, and approached his designated vehicle.

"Boss?"

Qian Wenhuan emerged from the passenger seat and quickly held the door open for Chen Chen.

"Is the quarantine room of the underground laboratory ready?" Chen Chen asked the moment he entered the car.

"Yes. It's ready for use at any time."

Qian Wenhuan nodded. "Boss, are we heading back to the research center first or..."

"To the underground research lab."

Chen Chen tapped on the headrest.

Cheng Cao stepped on the pedal upon receiving the instruction, and the vehicle drove into the distance quickly.

Half an hour later.

The Wrangler entered the construction site of the Eco Science City. After four months of construction, the project was nearing its final stages. Safety nets were being removed from the high-rise buildings, and the low-rise buildings had been completed some time ago and were now in the renovation stages.

The Eco Science City would be open to the public within two to three months.

The scenery outside the window reminded Chen Chen of being back on the mainland. He began feeling a little nostalgic.

Even he, of all people, would never have expected to build a modern civilizational city in the poor and barren land of Africa.

Barring any accidents, this place would eventually become his main camp. Perhaps even becoming the technological center of the Federation in the distant future...

The Wrangler coasted across the streets of Eco Science City, quickly arriving at the entrance of the Sun District in Eco Science City.

The district was still being isolated by the staff of the B.S.S. After passing through, Cheng Chao, who was no stranger to the area, drove into the underground garage and entered the huge cavern leading to the underground base.

The foreman, Hai Sanchuan, from the last meeting came to greet them. After exchanging some small talk with Chen Chen, he led them into the underground section.

Unlike the last time they were here, the underground base was well illuminated by bright lights. Apart from that, the surrounding boulder-riddled walls were covered with concrete and steel beams, and the underground hole was transformed into a large square formation.

The pyramid-shaped laboratory made of tungsten-gold stood majestically in the center of the cavern like a magnificent fortress.

"Boss, the laboratory foundation of the Spire is completed. We are now working on the living quarters and military areas, which are built in accordance with the specifications of military refugee bases."

Qian Wenhuan explained in a low voice, "Even if a global nuclear war were to break out in the future, all we need to do is relocate our families here. Should be able to live a self-sufficient life for several decades."

Spire was the name of the laboratory.

The top section of the laboratory was a platform built to support the structure of the building and the roof of the cave. It was somewhat similar to the Mayan pyramid architecture.

Chen Chen shook his head upon hearing Qian Wenhuan's remark.

There was no telling what was going on in that head of his; was it so difficult to just think of something optimistic for once? Why must it be either nuclear warfare or a Resident Evil scenario?

The group entered from the main entrance into the laboratory of the spire.

Upon entering the laboratory, the first thing that came into view was a gigantic front hall. Since operations had yet to officially commence, it was still in an empty and barren state.

After that, Hai Sanchuan took them to a metal gate in the laboratory section and began explaining:

"Following President Qian's instructions, I've set up a quarantine zone built entirely of lead plates in the Spire laboratory. On top of that, I also installed a layer of ZF6-grade heavy lead glass protective window in the front section of the quarantine zone."

Sensing the arrival of the crowd, the door of the laboratory automatically opened. This was done to ease the entry and exit of the staff. When the Spire laboratory commenced operation, the setting would be reversed.

Chen Chen took the lead and stepped into the laboratory. He immediately noticed the giant quarantine zone in front of the laboratory.

According to Hai Sanchuan, the quarantine zone was constructed of lead plates. The viewing glass should be the ZF6-grade heavy lead glass protective window.

This kind of glass was commonly used for the observation windows in a nuclear power plant reactor.

The entire laboratory gave an impression of the X-ray operating room seen in hospitals.

Chen also noticed two sets of fully enclosed radiation protection suits sitting in the corner. This was also ordered by Qian Wenhuan as per Chen Chen's instructions.

All facilities were readily available in the laboratory, including safety measures, surveillance systems, fire safety facilities, and various other implementations.

The laboratory of the most heralded standards had cost Chen Chen an extraordinary amount of money. Still, it would appear that the investment was well worth it.

"Cao, Wenhuan, you guys head back to the research center and bring me several healthy mice."

After surveying the scene, Chen Chen turned to the two of them. "Make it fast."

"Understand." The silent Cheng Cao nodded and headed out without a word.

Qian Wenhuan first did a double-take before bringing Hai Sanchuan to leave the laboratory with him.

"Eh, what is it? I can stay here and chat with Boss Chen."

Hai Sanchuan quickly mentioned.

"It's alright, Boss Hai. Why don't you head out with Wenhuan in case he gets lost?"

Chen Chen smiled.

Hai Sanchuan was then dragged away by Qian Wenhuan in confusion.

After waiting for everyone to leave the laboratory, Chen Chen turned to the camera. "Little X, can you hear me?"

"Yes!"

Little X's tender voice came out of the speakers. "Ever since being connected yesterday, I have already managed to gain full control over the Spire laboratory. All of the operations in the laboratory are handled by me now."

"Good job. Lock the door of the laboratory for now until Qian Wenhuan and Cheng Cao get back."

"Got it!"

Following Chen Chen's orders, the electric lock indicator beside the gate turned from green to red. "The radiation laboratory is locked down."

"Excellent."

Chen Chen remarked before he started to put on the fully enclosed radiation protection suit.

After putting on the fully enclosed radiation protection suit, Chen Chen turned on the laptop he had brought along and entered the innermost quarantine zone of the laboratory. He put on the Chronicle movie in the quarantine zone.

The movie immediately started playing from the first part. According to the runtime label, the movie length was 218 minutes.

There was no mistaking it. The two movies had merged automatically.

Based on this observation, Chen Chen received confirmation of his speculation. Without any hesitation, he moved the progress bar to the segment of the second movie until a piece of cut crystal the size of a fist appeared on the screen. He then tapped the spacebar button to stop the movie.

Chen Chen then extended his hands, wrapped in the radiation protection suit and reached into the screen.

Then, he gently pulled it out.

"Dong!'

With an instantly recognizable voice, a crystal shimmering with blue light with a surface like that of a diamond...

Appeared in Chen Chen's hand!

Chapter 157: Experiment

Chen Chen gently lifted the blue glowing crystal in his hand. The volume of this crystal was about 0.001 cubic meters, which was 1000 cubic centimeters, but the weight was in the vicinity of 4.5 kilograms.

Something was off...

Chen Chen frowned. There was no way this was the relative density of a crystal. The main component of a crystal was silicon dioxide, whose chemical formula is SiO2. Its mass was about 2.66 g/cm3.

Following that logic, if the main component of this piece of crystalline material in his hand was silicon dioxide, it should not weigh above 2.7 kilograms.

According to the movie setting, the crystalline was a protective layer of shell formed by a reaction caused by the alien plantation secretion reacting with underground soil. It should not be composed of foreign matter.

It should only contain the residual biological energy field of the alien plantation at most. Energy fields had no weight behind them.

In other words, the matter composition of this crystal was closer to that of a spinel.

Just like a crystal, the spinel was a variation of a gemstone. It was superior to the crystal, whether in terms of Mohs hardness, quality, or even price. The chemical formula of spinel was MgAl2O4. It weighed 4.5 g/cm3, with Mohs hardness reaching up to grade 8.

Things were getting interesting...

Chen Chen continued dissecting the subject.

After all, he had personally read the setting written by the scriptwriter. The crystal was simply referred to as a crystal in the movie setting. There was no mention of its base component, which made sense since the screenwriter was not a chemist. As far as Chen Chen and the rest of the audience were concerned, it was a crystal, which was silicon dioxide.

As it turned out, upon extracting the crystalline, he discovered that the crystalline was not silicon dioxide but aluminum-magnesium tetroxide instead.

In that case, did that make the universe to which the USB drive connected to reality or an abstract universe?

If it were an abstract universe, how was it able to overturn the crystalline component logic as portrayed in the script and yield an unexpected result instead?

What was the explanation behind its appearance if it was reality?

Chen Chen looked down at the crystal in his palm. Was it screenwriter Max Landis who devised an instance of a real universe in the USB drive, or did the universe come before Max Landis and in turn inspire Max Landis' work?

Also, how was it that the sequel, which he had instigated, managed to synchronize itself accordingly with the built universe?

"It would be great if there was a way to explore the opposite universe."

An idea suddenly struck Chen Chen's mind like a zip of lightning. It was an unprecedented, revolutionary idea. Chen Chen's pupils shrank faintly as he seemed to have thought of a possibility.

Could that be the truth?

No, it was impossible!

In that case, what was the explanation behind his being able to constantly instantiate the same item from a movie?

Hundreds of billions of neurons in Chen Chen's mind began operating at maximum efficiency. Countless thoughts and ideas bounced off of each other in Chen Chen's mind. In that very instant, numerous possibilities raced through Chen Chen's mind.

Phew!

Chen shook his head and buried these ideas in the depths of his mind. It was not yet the moment to verify his hypothesis, as it would have to wait until the completion of the nuclear power plant.

Chen Chen picked up a radiation detector and tested the crystal with it. He discovered that the radiation field of the crystal was very small.

It would appear that, just like in the movie, the force field of the crystal would not be triggered unless it sensed the surrounding biological force field.

This was the exact reason Chen Chen wore the nuclear radiation quarantine suit.

At this point, Chen Chen had already long confirmed that the attributes of items extracted from a movie were the same as their variations inside the movie. Any item that was harmless in a movie was harmless in real life as well. The same logic applied to drugs like NZT-48 and AD-001.

Still, it was better to be safe than to be sorry, especially since Chen Chen was going to directly use it on himself. He decided to conduct an animal experiment.

There was no need for a complex experiment. Chen Chen only had to make sure that the irradiation process did not harm the body in any way before conducting the irradiation on himself without cause for worry.

Qian Wenhuan and Cheng Cao quickly returned to the Spire laboratory.

Upon being notified by Little X, Chen Chen placed the crystalline in the quarantine zone before exiting and unlocking the exterior door for the two men.

"Uh, boss, you..."

Qian Wenhuan and Cheng Cao were slightly startled when the sliding metal door revealed Chen Chen, who was tightly wrapped in a heavy suit of protective gear and standing on the opposite side.

"Where are the mice?"

Chen Chen asked.

"Oh, yes. It's here!"

Qian Wenhuan quickly took out two mouse cages from behind him.

Each of the cages contained four white mice with a bed of pure white fur and stark red eyes.

Chen Chen nodded as he took them with one hand while he further instructed, "If there's nothing else going on, Cao can take a look around the area. It's going to be some time before I come back out, so Wenhuan can head back first."

"Okay." After receiving Chen Chen's instructions, Qian Wenhuan took his leave hesitantly.

After all this time, he was starting to figure out Chen Chen's style. Chen Chen was a standard efficiency-oriented leader; there was no need for any flattery or curry favoring with Chen Chen. All he needed to do was do his part and complete whatever further instructions were given to him.

After sealing up the laboratory again, Chen Chen first placed one of the cages on a bench outside the quarantine zone. He then took the other cage into the quarantine zone with him.

Upon stepping into the quarantine zone, Chen Chen suddenly heard a low but piercing hum. This noise originated from the crystal with its faint blue glow.

Did it sense the surrounding biological force field?

Chen Chen glanced at the cage he held in his hand. He decided to just open the lid of the cage and place the fist-sized crystal inside the cage right away!

One of the mice seemed to be taken by curiosity. It stared at the clear, transparent crystal before crawling up to it without any reservation and giving it a sniff.

Upon the mice making the first contact with the crystal, the humming of the crystal suddenly began to grow louder. Its blue body was slowly morphing into a red tint as well!

Chen Chen was fascinated. He quickly picked up the radiation detector by his side to check its reading. The radiation at this moment had spiked to up to 30 millisieverts.

It was rather clear that the radiation inside the crystal was completely released following the mice's touch!

"Is there something decaying in the crystal?"

Chen Chen considered it silently. He was going to have to run a proper test after this experiment concluded. He needed to see if this crystal was truly a spinel and if some substance within it triggered a decaying process upon contact.

The substance in the crystal decayed rapidly. Within a little over ten seconds, the glowing red light it had emitted slowly faded out and soon vanished without a trace.

The crystal regained its original blue luster as well.

The mice seemed to be affected by the crystalline activity. When the crystal was releasing its radiation, the four mice became visibly irritated and were running around inside the cage. Two of the mice had fresh blood spilling out of their eyes and the tips of their noses.

All of the mice regained their composure after the crystal had completely released its radiation.

Chapter 158: Accepting Irradiation

Chen Chen waited for a moment after the crystal regained its blue luster.

After ten minutes, Chen Chen tested the radiation detector again and noticed that the radiation level had reverted to normal levels.

Upon noting this, Chen Chen took the cage out of the quarantine zone. He collected blood samples from the four mice and also chipped off a small piece of the crystal and had it sealed.

Chen Chen then took out a marker to label the irradiated mice. They were labeled A1, A2, A3, and A4, respectively. The cage was labeled Cage A.

The other cage was labeled as Cage B afterward. Three mice were taken out of Cage B and settled into Cage A. The final mouse in Cage B was taken into the quarantine zone.

Chen Chen repeated the same set of procedures as before, extracting the same piece of crystal from the computer and placing it into the cage.

The crystal released its radiation again, and the lone mouse was thus irradiated.

Fortunately, the lone mouse, which was exposed to the radiation all by itself, did not display any signs of vital instability.

Following this, Chen Chen left the room again and moved the healthy mice previously moved to the other cage back to their original cage. He also labeled the lone mouse that had been irradiated as B1 and collected blood samples.

Chen Chen left the laboratory with the collected blood samples and the remnants of the crystal.

The devices from Switzerland were not imported into the underground base yet, so the blood tests would still have to be conducted in the research center for now.

Chen Chen took off the protective suit and returned to the research center with the blood samples and both the A and B cages in tow.

Chen Chen was worried about the off chance that these irradiated mice would somehow manage to escape while he was gone. Despite the small chance of it happening, it was better to be cautious since they were mice exposed to crystalline radiation.

When Chen Chen returned to the research center, he passed the blood samples to the relevant department to have them produce a report on the complete blood count and microRNA of the mice as soon as possible.

Next, Chen Chen found a vacant small laboratory where he locked the door and began to observe the state of the mice in the cages.

The first thing he did was place the mice in the two cages into two larger steel cages. Next, he placed several melon seeds in both cages A and B to get them to fight for them.

Throughout the entire sequence, there were no signs that may resemble the usage of superpowers.

Chen Chen thought about it and decided to get two scoops of melon seeds and place them outside both cages A and B, respectively. This way, the mice could see them but could not access them.

As expected, the group of mice was starting to get anxious. Two of them constantly tried to poke their heads through the gap in the steel cage. However, due to the compact netting of the steel cage, they only managed to stick out the tips of their noses.

Chen Chen observed silently with an experiment recorder set up to film the experiment.

After two to three hours, the pile of melon seeds remained outside the cage, completely untouched.

At the same time, the results for the complete blood count were out. Chen Chen looked at the blood count reading and noticed that the irradiated mice seemed to display signs of leukopenia, albeit not very severe.

Of course, these were just the initial symptoms.

Even for regular people exposed to radiation, the potentially harmful effects may only surface after several weeks or months.

It was the same for mice. Experiments had been performed by testing two groups of mice, one exposed to a lethal amount of radiation and the other to a non-lethal amount. It took three to four weeks before any vivid observations could be noted.

This meant that the microRNA tests should be essential.

A microRNA is a small, non-coding RNA molecule involved in post-transcriptional gene expression regulation found in plants and animals. There were speculations that RNA regulated one-third of human gene expression.

After yet another hour, the microRNA results were released. In group A, 13% to 15% of the microRNA in all four mice was exposed to radiation changes. This reading increased to 19% for group B.

Chen Chen allowed himself a sigh of relief upon noting these results; all his worries were gone.

Due to time concerns, there was no way to investigate the later effects for now. Still, he was at least able to confirm that this radiation did not cause any life-threatening issues.

There was no longer any need for concern at this point.

Upon returning to the cages, Chen Chen raised his eyebrows in wonder when he saw what was on the table.

While he was looking at the laboratory report, the irradiated mouse in Cage B was gnawing away at a large melon seed.

The pile of melon seeds outside the cage seemed to have been moved as well. It was as if an invisible hand had nudged them toward the direction of the cage.

The mouse labeled B1 had undoubtedly begun practicing the use of its superpowers.

Upon noting this fact, Chen Chen waited for it to finish the seed before capturing it from the cage. With his right hand holding its head, he pulled its tail with his left hand!

"Crack!"

The little mouse, which had just learned to use its superpower and had a bright future ahead of it, left the world without so much as a whimper.

After that, Chen Chen executed all of the mice in the two cages one by one. He found a bottle of concentrated sulfuric acid, poured it into a large beaker, and then threw the carcasses of all the mice in it.

It did occur to Chen Chen to keep these mice alive for long-term observation, but he ultimately gave up on the idea.

After all, the items instantiated from the USB drive were still more reliable. The same logic applied from the earliest NZT-48 to the immunity shot, even to the more recent AD-001. Keeping this group of mice alive may cause him problems in the future.

Next, Chen Chen returned to the underground laboratory. This time, he did not put on a protective suit. Instead, he entered the quarantine zone, turned on the computer to make a copy of Chronicle 2: Darkness Rises, and inserted it into the USB drive.

Chen Chen, who was well familiar with the routine, straight away dragged the movie to the part with the cut crystal.

Chen Chen took a deep breath before reaching into the computer screen.

When he pulled his hand back out, the crystal with its faint blue glow appeared in his palm.

The moment it came out, the crystal sensed the biological force field and immediately emitted a piercing screech. The blue glow was slowly replaced with a red tint!

It was releasing radiation.

Chen Chen remained holding the crystal this way. He felt the crystal slowly heating up before subsequently cooling down.

Five minutes later, the crystal had reverted to its original form.

That was it?

Chen Chen put down the crystal and tried to feel some changes in his body, but to no avail.

Next, he turned to the marker pen beside him and began to imagine the pen being lifted by an invisible hand. No matter how hard he tried to visualize it, nothing came out of it.

Was it because the dosage was too small?

Chen Chen shook his head. There was a scene in the movie that mentioned that a lot of users who had been exposed to the crystalline radiation hoped to get more crystalline. This meant that the radiation effect was additive.

Arriving at this thought, Chen Chen instantiated yet another crystal and absorbed it as he had previously.

This time, Chen Chen felt something in his head that he could not put into words.

Chen Chen frowned. There was a hot sensation in his nose, which made him rub his nose instinctively.

A small puddle of blood appeared before him.

Was this an indication of the beginning stages of acquiring the superpower?

Chen Chen wondered silently.