151: Chapter 151 We Need to Keep a Low Profile

Lin Fang practiced with his Force Field as per his daily routine. A three-kilogram weight wrapped in the Force Field spun at high speeds in front of him until a wave of exhaustion hit his brain.

After putting the weight back in its box, Lin Fang pondered silently.

"Little Black, how many of those scientists are willing to join us?"

Although AI could handle most tasks, in research fields where inspiration and talent were crucial, the value of human scientists was irreplaceable. This was why Lin Fang had always been persistent about building his own team.

Currently, there weren't many usable hands in the company, and most were focused on biotechnology. Talents in other key fields like energy and materials were incredibly scarce.

With the base nearing completion, it was time to expand his team.

Naturally, Lin Fang turned his gaze toward the place where all kinds of talent were most concentrated: the PDA organization, established to resist the asteroid. These experts had been screened by nations, so their abilities were unquestionable.

Since the company's goals aligned with theirs, they were perfect candidates to be brought under his wing.

The Talent Hunting Plan was born. Little Black hacked into the PDA base and sent invitation letters to these researchers.

[Boss, out of 293 people, only 68 have expressed interest in joining us. The other 225 explicitly refused or thought we were scammers.]

Little Black's voice sounded a bit disappointed.

On the contrary, a hint of joy appeared on Lin Fang's face. "Little Black, you did well. This number has already exceeded my expectations."

These scientists were inherently stubborn. Even with technology beyond the modern era and extremely superior conditions as bait, it was no easy feat to sway them.

[But it's still far from what you need, Boss.]

"It's fine. It's enough for the initial research. For the remaining gap, we can post missions in the Bright Council and have those families recommend some people to us, or scout globally in the company's name..."

Lin Fang paused and added, "But that will have to wait a while. After this operation, we need to keep a low profile."

—

Late night in the Pacific Ocean was as black as an eternal kalpa without beginning or end. Heavy rain poured down violently at that moment, as if the God of Thunder was enraged, vowing to sink this small island completely with ten thousand rain arrows and return it to the surging ocean.

The Planetary Defense Alliance (PDA), established two years ago, was located on this island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.

In some ways, this kind of weather actually helped one sleep.

Thompson Davin, the Alliance Chairman who had been sleeping soundly, woke up with a start. This portly man's forehead was now covered in cold sweat; he had had a very bad dream.

Thompson dreamed he was standing on the edge of a steep cliff. Beneath his feet was no longer the smooth floor of the PDA headquarters, but a bottomless abyss where thick darkness churned, as if hiding a giant beast capable of devouring everything.

What terrified Thompson even more was that he wasn't alone. Behind him were all the elites of the PDA—top scientists and engineers from all over the world. They stood in a dense crowd, their eyes hollow, walking slowly one by one toward the cliff's edge like sleepwalkers, then falling without a struggle, silently swallowed by the darkness.

Thompson wanted to scream "Stop!" but his throat felt constricted, unable to make a sound. He could only watch helplessly as these people went to their deaths. When only Thompson was left, he found that he too had lost control...

Phew—

Thank goodness.

Luckily, it was just a dream. Thompson wiped away his cold sweat, got up, and picked up the whiskey by his bedside to pour himself a glass to calm his nerves.

The slightly chilled liquor cleared Thompson's mind. If life didn't have whiskey, it would surely be terrible.

He wondered if he'd still be able to drink it in a few decades.

Thompson thought of the PDA's responsibility. If not for that damned asteroid, what a wonderful world this would be.

He hoped those scientists would succeed. They were humanity's hope. Although he was the Chairman, he was there to serve them and fulfill all their requests.

After a few more glasses, Thompson got dressed.

Since he was already up, he planned to go out and take a look, hoping the guys on duty weren't slacking off.

Thompson decided that if he caught them, he would reprimand them severely to demonstrate his authority as Chairman.

Hehe, they definitely wouldn't expect him to suddenly appear.

After opening the door,

Thompson saw the situation outside. The gale whipped the rain against his face, but fortunately, the transparent tempered glass in front of him completely blocked out the violent storm.

"Damned weather!" Thompson cursed under his breath and continued walking, not paying it much mind.

The design of the residential buildings had considered the threat of the Pacific seismic zone from the start, employing the most advanced seismic isolation technology and ultra-strong steel structures. Theoretically, they could withstand a magnitude 11 earthquake.

After all, most of the people living here were national treasures from the five major powers; how could they not be prioritized?

It was now two in the morning. The corridor was pitch black; the night guidance lights and ceiling lights that should have been on were all extinguished.

"Why is the power out...?"

Halfway there, Thompson started to feel creeped out. The warmth from the whiskey was instantly scared away, and he could even smell the alcohol radiating from his own body.

Something was wrong. The PDA base had a sophisticated backup power system; how could it fail?

Waves of rain lashed against the glass with a pitter-patter. Thompson subconsciously turned his head and saw the light coming from his room; it had become the only light source in the darkness.

A feeling of oppressive unease rose in Thompson's heart. Just then, he suddenly heard a footstep behind him.

Da, da, da—

In this storm-tossed environment, the sound was still clear, making his scalp tingle.

Every ounce of fat on Thompson's body tensed up. He spun around abruptly, eyes wide, staring in the direction of the sound. He could see nothing in the darkness, only the sound of footsteps getting closer, each step feeling like it was treading on his heart.

"Who's there?" Thompson shouted, his voice trembling with false bravado. "Garnet, is that you?!"

The other party didn't speak, only walked faster.

The footsteps in the dark were like a death-knell drumbeat, pressing closer with an undeniable sense of oppression!

Thompson was scared out of his wits. His obese body erupted with unprecedented agility as he turned to run back to his room the moment he lifted his foot.

Shua—

A cold hand shot out from the darkness behind him like lightning, death-gripping his neck. The strength was astonishing, like an iron pincer.

Thompson struggled in terror like a writhing pig. At the same time, his left hand immediately pressed the alarm in his pocket, but the expected alarm siren didn't sound; there was still only the sound of wind and rain hitting the glass.

The island had been infiltrated. These weren't PDA security personnel at all!

Shadows moved like ghosts through the corridors and rooms. All the electronic door locks were useless before them.

In the innermost room on Floor C, Yan Wei-geng, staring at his computer screen, had a slight change in expression when he heard a knock on the door. Had that mysterious organization arrived? What kind of organization would have the guts to do this?

After a few seconds of silence, Yan Wei-geng opened the door.

Outside the door was a burly man in black combat gear, water droplets still falling from his tactical helmet.

"Professor Yan Wei-geng, welcome to our ranks."