"Jerry! Are you done yet?"
"Almost, almost—ah! This damn machine!"
Bang! Bang!
Amid the sound of fists pounding against it, the previously pitch-black screen first flickered with static before gradually displaying the recorded footage.
Facing the camera was a female reporter wearing a work badge, a gray suit jacket, and a black pencil skirt. Her long golden wavy hair perfectly embodied sex appeal.
To the reporter's right stood a buzz-cut man in sunglasses, a black suit, and a red tie. Red metal "Λ" buttons adorned his shirt collar and cuffs.
Behind them was a fairly spacious street which, judging by the traffic lights and buildings, appeared to have been built in the 1960s or 1970s.
Farther away stood a highly modern industrial park basking in the noon sunlight, starkly out of place among the surrounding buildings and obviously newly constructed.
At that moment, cameraman Jerry's left hand appeared on the left side of the screen. He gave a thumbs-up and said,
"Okay, okay, we can start filming!"
"Oh? It's working so quickly this time?" Prompted by him, the female reporter adjusted her clothes and hair again, then raised the microphone clenched in her right hand before her and said,
"Ahem, testing, testing."
"No problem. Start recording. Five, four, three..." The cameraman withdrew his left hand without finishing the countdown with two and one.
"Hello, dear viewers~!" Yet the female reporter had already silently finished counting down in her head. With a professional smile, she began her report.
"I'm your old friend, the field host of Seattle Noon News, Robin Mead!"
As she spoke, Robin Mead turned slightly to survey her surroundings and introduced the location. "Today, we've come to Accra, the capital of Ghana, known as the land of cocoa. As for why we're here..."
Robin turned her gaze back toward the camera. "It's because of an issue that has caused quite a stir in Seattle: Atlas, the multinational corporate giant Seattle is so proud of, announced three months ago, on June 12, that it would invest in Accra and construct a large-scale industrial park.
"I'm sure all of you viewers know what happened afterward. During the construction of Accra Park, it actually created a great many jobs for Seattle and once again stimulated the entire city's economy.
"However, everyone, including myself and our regular cameraman Jerry, has been deeply puzzled as to why Atlas chose to build a park that ranks among the best in every field in a West African country.
"Although Ghana is known as the land of cocoa, and Accra is one of the few modern cities in Africa, we still don't understand why this park wasn't built in Atlas's hometown of Seattle. Wouldn't that have created even more jobs for the local residents?
"Therefore, we've invited the manager of Accra Park, Xie'en Wang, to clear up everyone's questions!"
At that, Robin moved the microphone toward the suited man beside her and asked, "Mr. Wang, was Atlas's original intention in building an industrial park in Accra to invest in Ghana, or...?"
"The reason is simple: natural resources." Unlike the reporter, Wang Xie'en wore no smile, though he still explained in a relatively friendly tone. "We understand the public's confusion, and we also understand that Africa has many problems.
"But industrial manufacturing requires a large amount of natural resources, and Ghana possesses minerals such as gold, bauxite, manganese, and iron, all with reserves ranking among the world's best.
"Therefore, after numerous on-site inspections, we decided to establish a park in Accra to manufacture our company's products and conduct certain heavy-industry operations.
"And we have never forgotten Seattle. Otherwise, we would not have successively recruited nearly ten thousand Seattle locals and nearby residents to cross the ocean and work at this park.
"More importantly, Atlas not only provides these employees with the most comfortable living conditions, but also a monthly salary four times higher than Seattle's local average.
"Higher wages will stimulate consumption and revitalize Seattle's market, while indirectly increasing the incomes of local Seattle residents. So this can be considered a virtuous cycle.
"As for security in Ghana, it is relatively stable compared to Africa as a whole. Even if armed conflicts break out, Atlas's security team is capable of protecting the park and the employees working within it without needing the local military."
"Yes, that does make sense." Robin nodded thoughtfully, then continued with the interview process. "Then, Mr. Wang, could we take a brief tour of the park?"
"Of course. Please follow me."
Next.
The filming crew followed Wang Xie'en to the park's main entrance, where they saw two armed security guards equipped with rifles, body armor, and helmets.
One stood guard outside, while the other remained inside the security booth.
Although they knew Wang Xie'en's appearance and identity, the armed guards still followed procedure. They first checked their identification and reported to their superiors. Only after receiving approval did they allow the group to enter the park for a tour.
Naturally, the areas the filming crew visited were all legal and compliant facilities such as factories, cafeterias, and dormitories. They would never be allowed into the true core area—
The arms factory.
That was right. As the female reporter had mentioned in her opening, Accra Park had publicly announced the start of construction on June 12 and was fully completed ten days ago, on September 9.
From project approval to official operation, it had taken only a little over three months.
Atlas's true purpose in constructing the park was to manufacture and test technologies obtained through the first Space Gate, such as mechanical exoskeletons capable of drastically improving an individual soldier's combat ability, along with the batteries that powered them.
The reason they had not concealed the park was that, given Atlas's scale, it was bound to attract the attention of industry peers and competitors. Trying to hide it would have been no different from broadcasting their guilt; it was better to make it public normally.
At the same time, the park could serve as cover for the Relic Base deep within the rainforest.
Once the buzz died down, they could spend some money on the media to shift public attention elsewhere, then strictly enforce confidentiality measures. There was almost no need to worry about exposure.
As for recruiting people from Seattle and the U.S. West Coast to work here, the pleasant explanation was that it provided jobs and stimulated the market economy. The less pleasant explanation was that Atlas and Sui Yang harbored doubts about Ghanaian and African local workers.
Not all of them, certainly, but the ingrained impressions of laziness, ignorance, violence, lechery, and dishonesty were difficult to erase.
By contrast, the specially selected newcomers and veteran employees with greater authority were not only drawn by Atlas's high salaries and generous benefits. They also felt goodwill and loyalty toward a company from their hometown, and after signing nondisclosure agreements, they feared the "death" that could result from leaking secrets.
At this moment.
At the core of Accra Park stood a three-story building roughly the size of a school building.
And inside one of the offices in that building...
"Boss, my team and I conducted seven full tests as you requested. Every single one showed that the DNA similarity between you two exceeded 99.999%. The results support a parent-child relationship between you. There's no need to keep dwelling on it. Face reality."
(End of Chapter)
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