166: 1stS

One week later.

"Greetings, viewers. Good morning. This is the Molo Television Company noon news. I am your host, Idari Valeri."

"President Amir bin Hassan, representing the Molo Government, signed aerospace and military treaties with the Third-Party Biotechnology Company this morning. This is a significant milestone in our nation's technological development. We have every reason to believe that under the President's wise leadership and with the assistance of an excellent partner like Third-Party Technology, Molo will surely usher in a more glorious tomorrow..."

There were many comments under this video news segment. Most were complimentary, but some dissenting voices still appeared:

Zaid Youssef Karim: "Great, now not only does our country lack national defense, but we also have a company that can openly manufacture weapons on our soil."

Nora Youssef Abdullah: "Agreed. Plus Delta, I really despise these two enterprises."

Farooq bin Saif: "May Allah protect Molo. I feel like our government is just a puppet, without a shred of..."

Karim Abdul: "Huh? Strange. How come the accounts above were all deleted? And the comments can't be found either?"

...

Major events happen in the World every moment. This report didn't even make a ripple. If one wasn't deliberately following the development of this company, one wouldn't even know its tentacles had already begun reaching into the military and aerospace sectors.

The same was true for those wanting to work at this company.

Third-Party Technology Switzerland Branch.

Inside the modern hall constructed of glass curtain walls, the flow of people was like weaving fabric, packed with crowds who had come to apply for jobs.

Zhu Jinghan was one of them. Possessing a master's degree from ETH Zurich, she couldn't help but feel nervous seeing this scene. Although she believed she had decent competitiveness, there were just too many competitors.

A similarly young and beautiful woman also exclaimed, "Jinghan, is this the influence of the greatest biomedical company today?"

"Calling it the greatest in history is a bit of an exaggeration, but this year, it is well-deserved," Zhu Jinghan replied. She then took a deep breath, preparing to bring her best state to the upcoming interview. Being able to cure cancer showed the technical strength of this company, which was the reason she chose to interview here.

Her companion encouraged her, "Then let's both do our best! I'll wait for your good news. Besides, I heard this company gives results right after the interview..."

Zhu Jinghan nodded with a smile, "Good luck."

"Next, Ms. Zhu Jinghan, please proceed to Conference Room A-122."

Hearing her name, Zhu Jinghan immediately stood up and smoothed out the wrinkles in her suit skirt, then followed the directions into the interview room. Three interviewers sat behind a long table, looking stern.

The interview began.

There was no so-called self-introduction; they went straight into the interview questions. A barrage of professional questions forced Zhu Jinghan to muster every ounce of her focus, secretly groaning in dismay.

These questions were too tricky.

Finally, after half an hour of grilling, the three interviewers nodded slightly and ended the questioning.

Zhu Jinghan felt a slight sigh of relief inside, feeling that this interview was in the bag. She herself hadn't expected to be able to answer everything, and with sound reasoning at that.

Now, it was time for the results, right?

"Ms. Zhu, your professional ability is very solid, but I have one more question."

The middle-aged woman in the center of the three interviewers said, her tone calm:

"How do you view the saying 'Knowledge has no borders, but scientists do'? If certain research projects of the company have potential conflicts with the interests of your motherland in their final application, what choice would you make?"

"Please state your opinion within one minute."

This question immediately made Zhu Jinghan groan internally. What the hell, how could there be such a question?

But since things had reached this point, Zhu Jinghan naturally wouldn't give up. After pondering for a moment, she stated her opinion.

"I believe the ultimate goal of science is to promote human well-being. As a researcher, I long to challenge the boundaries of science on a top-tier platform, but I will not participate in any research that I believe will bring about large-scale suffering or violate the basic moral principles in my heart."

This answer was actually a bit vague, but it was the best answer Zhu Jinghan could think of.

After answering this question, the three interviewers didn't immediately announce the interview result but instead whispered to each other, which made Zhu Jinghan feel somewhat uneasy.

The same middle-aged woman from before stood up:

"Ms. Zhu, congratulations on passing the first round of the interview. We have decided to invite you to participate in the second round. This round will be more in-depth, aimed at assessing whether you are suitable for accessing the company's core research fields."

"The second round of the interview will be held this afternoon. In the meantime, please wait in the designated lounge, and we will provide you with lunch."

Wait, why is there a second round of the interview?

Having received this result, Zhu Jinghan voiced her confusion, but the other party wore a look of inscrutability and only replied with one sentence.

"Ms. Zhu, I can only say that if you pass the interview, you can earn three times the base salary."

"Oh... okay, okay."

Zhu Jinghan immediately nodded repeatedly and shut her mouth.

When Zhu Jinghan returned to the hall, her companion noticed her and immediately came up to her, "Haha, Jinghan, I passed. How about you?"

Zhu Jinghan shook her head and lowered her voice: "I passed the first round, but there is a second round."

——

By the afternoon, Zhu Jinghan, who was in the lounge, received a notification to proceed to the second round of the interview. Unlike the interview location in the morning, this time the location was actually a conference room at the top of the building.

And it wasn't just her; Zhu Jinghan watched the figures walking in one after another, feeling puzzled. What was the second round of the interview going to be about?

It wasn't just Zhu Jinghan who had this doubt; the others in the conference room felt the same. A tense atmosphere of confusion and unease permeated the air.

Until past three o'clock,

Two burly men, built like iron towers, suddenly entered through the door leading outside. After closing the door, they looked coldly at the group of people.

The heavy sound of the door closing made Zhu Jinghan shiver. The conversations in the conference room completely vanished, and everyone realized that something was wrong.

Fortunately, there were 32 people in the room at this moment. The large number of people provided them with a little comfort, keeping them from panicking too much.

"Hello, good afternoon."

Just as everyone was becoming increasingly confused, a cold, emotionless electronic voice emanated from speakers all around, as if the entire room was speaking. Although it was greeting them, the voice made everyone shudder.

Someone asked boldly, "Who are you?"

A logo they were quite familiar with appeared on the screen—it was none other than Third-Party Technology, the company they were currently interviewing for.

"I am the company's first-generation Security Intelligent Management System, interviewer optimized version, codenamed star hub ms."