Going Deeper

Chicago, Kairi Technology Creative Company.

Jay flew to Chicago at around nine in the morning. Finding the company's headquarters had not been particularly difficult, because it was truly conspicuous in this city. The 108-story modern skyscraper rose from the ground, its exterior glass a deep brown that made it stand out like a crane among chickens compared to the surrounding buildings. Ignoring it was no easy task.

He entered the first-floor lobby and saw the company's electronic logo assembling itself in 3D on a floating screen in the center of the hall. Above him, a clear and pleasant synthesized female voice rang out, gently recounting the company's glory and history. A poised-looking receptionist sat at the front desk, and every employee entering the company had to clock in at the machine before her.

Jay looked around, and his gaze settled on a fat man sitting on one of the lobby sofas with his legs crossed. He wore a fairly respectable suit, though it seemed on the verge of bursting apart from his round belly. Yet he had not given up striving in that direction; even now, he was stuffing fried chicken that seemed to have come from the fast-food restaurant across the street into his mouth.

What caught Jay's attention, however, was not the man's eye-catching physique, but the ID badge clipped to his waist. The fat man had hung it from a belt that looked ready to snap, with the lower half dragging across the seat. Jay casually wandered over near him, glanced around to make sure no one was watching, then in less than half a second flashed to the man's side at super-speed, swiped the badge with one hand, and returned to where he had been, whistling as though nothing had happened. The fat man continued dealing with his breakfast, completely unaware.

Jay lowered his head and blended in with several other employees as he swiped the card and entered. Apparently, he was lucky enough not to run into anyone who knew the fat man. When he took the escalator to the second floor, he saw from afar that the fat man had finished breakfast and walked to the front desk, only to pat his backside and discover in surprise that his ID badge had vanished.

Sorry, buddy. It's an emergency. You'll just have to suffer through taking a day off for once.

Mr. Reynolds had specifically marked Kairi Technology Creative Company's "Quantum Research Department" in his notes. He had not explained why, but Jay felt that it might be a good entry point for his investigation. He had paid special attention to the directory in the lobby. This so-called Quantum Research Department appeared to be on the fortieth floor, so he took the elevator straight there.

The elevator stopped on the fortieth floor with a ding, and the doors slowly slid open. The scene before him was somewhat different from what he had expected. Outside the elevator was only a straight corridor, with metal doors embedded along both sides, each equipped with an electronic lock that looked like high-end technology. But the strangest part was probably the lighting on this floor—long blue light strips were neatly set into the hallway ceiling, and dim, eerie blue light blanketed the entire corridor, inevitably bringing to mind the atmospheric shots from old horror movies.

Jay stepped out of the elevator and tried scanning both sides with X-Sight, only to discover that the walls had been filled with lead. His suspicions immediately deepened. Other than Lex Luthor, was there really anyone else who would do something like this in their own company?

He was hesitating over whether to use a more forceful method to break into one of the rooms and see what was inside when the elevator brought another person up to this floor.

A black man wearing round glasses and a researcher's white coat appeared beyond the doors as the elevator chimed. He froze when he saw Jay, then frowned and asked, "Who are you?"

"Uh, a new intern? I guess I just got lost."

"Unless there are special circumstances, no one else is allowed into this department." The man studied him suspiciously for a moment. "Let me see your work ID."

Showing him the work ID was obviously not one of Jay's available options. Jay knew perfectly well how different he looked from the fat man in the photo on the card. He hesitated for half a second over whether to just knock the man out, but quickly dismissed the idea. There should be surveillance cameras here, and he did not want to make too much of a commotion just yet.

"All right, actually, I... uh... I'm a reporter." Jay rummaged through his jacket pocket, pulled out the temporary press ID Perry had given him, and handed it over, though a second later he felt that this excuse was rather stupid too.

The black man took the card and examined it for a moment. "The Daily Planet? From Metropolis? You really did come a long way."

"I've long heard of your company's reputation, and I've always hoped to get a chance to visit, so I made a special trip here during my summer internship." Jay paused, then changed the subject. "Is this your Quantum Research Department? I've heard you're industry leaders in this field, and it's the part I'm most interested in."

The black man returned his ID and flashed a kind, friendly smile. "That's right. I'm the head of this department. Kevin Morgan. You can call me Kevin. You want to interview the Quantum Research Department? Then you've come to exactly the right person."

"Hmm, then I guess I'm very lucky."

"Extremely lucky." He warmly put an arm around Jay's shoulders and pulled him into the elevator. "You must be wondering why our department's floor looks so strange, but that's because we normally don't work here. The lobby directory only says that this floor belongs to us. Since we get along so well, I can make an exception and show you where we really work."

Jay noticed that he had pressed a button at the very bottom of the panel, two levels lower than the button for the first floor. Even to someone as inexperienced as him, the situation was clearly getting very strange. This self-proclaimed department head had practically dragged him into the elevator by force, and his enthusiasm was a little too much.

Jay remained outwardly calm for the moment. He had a feeling that he might already be nearing the most crucial part. Perhaps this black man meant him harm, but no matter what awaited him below, there was nothing to fear.

The elevator descended all the way underground, and a crisp ding announced that they had arrived. Kevin enthusiastically linked arms with him and led him out. An extravagantly huge laboratory immediately came into view. Countless researchers bustled about, and all sorts of high-tech equipment Jay could not name filled the room. Compared to aboveground, it was practically an entirely different dimension.

That was not to say Kairi Technology Creative Company itself lacked a sense of technological advancement. In fact, since the Doomsday Crisis incident, the company had risen like a rocket, nearly soaring to the heavens within six years. The entire building was steeped in the atmosphere of futuristic technology. Yet compared to the laboratory hidden underground, it was utterly outclassed. Jay felt as though he had walked into a big-budget sci-fi blockbuster, because these toys did not look like anything that could exist in reality.

Yet among all the impressive devices, the arched metal structure in the center of the room stood out the most. It resembled an arched doorway, with purple currents flickering and dancing at its center. Every pulse seemed to shake space itself, leaving faint cracks in the air.

Kevin Morgan grinned, revealing a mouthful of neat white teeth. "You wanted to see the Quantum Research Department? You're already here."

Without warning, two researchers in white coats sprang out from behind them, one on each side. With practiced speed, each grabbed a syringe and stabbed it toward Jay's neck. The sharp needles touched the skin of his neck, then snapped in two with two sharp cracks.

The two researchers who had launched the sneak attack froze, and Kevin froze as well.

Jay rubbed his neck and gave them an apologetic smile. "Sorry for breaking your syringes, but I don't think they were too expensive. You won't mind, right?"

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