Am I the CEO??

"So what you mean is, in the entire human world, there's only—"

"No, that was just a cover. I'm here to find someone."

Lin Xu cut off Skullhead's speech, which had been repeated dozens of times, and quickly stripped off his body armor.

Time was limited. He had to move fast.

He yanked off his helmet along with the night-vision goggles and stuffed them into Skullhead's arms before saying,

"The plan has changed. Security here is lax, so we may not need you to make a move for now."

"I'll go in and take a look first. If anything goes wrong, I'll signal you."

"If everything's fine, today's operation is canceled outright."

"Whatever."

Skullhead spread his hands.

"Anyway, since you hired us—"

"You get paid whether we do anything or not! I know."

Lin Xu opened the car door, but to his surprise, Skullhead got out as well.

"No, I need to go with you."

Skullhead swiftly removed his own gear, even putting the pistol on his waist back in the car.

He wore only a tactical vest, and he had taken off his skull mask as well.

"You're the client, after all. I'm responsible for keeping you safe."

"...That's not what you said last time."

Lin Xu muttered.

"Last time? What last time?"

Skullhead looked baffled.

Lin Xu waved a hand and gave Skullhead's face an interested glance.

"Nothing. I just saw your story during the background check... It's not important."

"But honestly, you're a little more handsome than I expected—nice beard."

Skullhead shuddered.

"Fuck, I'm not some bear! I'm warning you, I have a wife!"

"You... are you fucking stupid?"

Lin Xu rolled his eyes.

"If you're coming, then come. Follow me!"

"You're really just going to walk in?"

Skullhead followed Lin Xu suspiciously. Lin Xu ignored him and headed straight for security, scanning his iris without hesitation before leading Skullhead into the company campus.

Skullhead did not even need to register—given Lin Xu's access level at Skyvault Technology, he could bring anyone in and out as he pleased.

"I'm starting to doubt who you really are... A mole like you still needs to hire us?"

Skullhead clicked his tongue and shook his head. Lin Xu answered casually,

"I already told you. In my original plan, I was going to steal a spaceship."

"It's just that the plan changed, so it's been put on hold for now."

"You were really going to steal a spaceship?"

Skullhead was stunned.

"Then who hired you? That's way too bold, isn't it?"

"NASA? No, that can't be right. Even if NASA had fallen that far, they wouldn't need to steal spaceship technology from a private company, would they?"

"Don't ask questions you shouldn't ask."

Skullhead wisely shut up. The two hurried onward. This time, Lin Xu moved a little faster, entering the elevator beside the exhibition hall just before the man who knew him came down in the other elevator.

From the floor directory in the elevator, Lin Xu saw department names he recognized.

Flight Control Design Department, Fuel Research and Development Department, Engine Research and Development Department, Hull Development Department...

Twenty years later, Skyvault Technology's operations had become remarkably comprehensive.

Judging by its departmental structure, the company was already fully capable of building a space-grade spacecraft from scratch.

And it seemed that the company had taken precisely the "self-production, self-use" route he had once envisioned?

That was right. Only that way could the company cut costs as much as possible and improve its operating profits.

Beyond the hardware manufacturing and design departments, the cluster of platform support and operations departments on floors sixteen through twenty served the "space travel" business.

Those departments were the company's true money printers.

Lin Xu carefully examined the department list, wondering which department and office Jiang Xingye might be in.

If she had continued working in flight control, then she should be in the Flight Control Design Department?

The elevator reached the tenth floor, and Lin Xu led Skullhead inside at a run.

Every office door had an electronic display showing the occupant's title and name, but after searching the entire floor, Lin Xu could not find Jiang Xingye's name.

Had she been promoted?

Puzzled, he returned to the elevator and continued searching upward.

Not on the eleventh floor.

Not on the twelfth floor.

Even by the sixteenth floor, Lin Xu still had not found her name.

Lin Xu suddenly felt that something was off.

Not only could he not find Jiang Xingye's name, but his own name was nowhere to be seen either.

Logically speaking, with the authority he had at Skyvault Technology during this period, he should at least have been a mid-level executive.

But now, he had checked every office belonging to middle and upper management, and there was still nothing.

"No, what exactly are you looking for?"

"If you're looking for someone, shouldn't you have come at another time?"

Skullhead asked in confusion.

"I was looking for someone, but before I find them, I need to find my own office first."

"?? Your own office?? You don't even remember where your own office is??"

Skullhead was aghast.

"Did you lose your memory? Is this some ridiculous movie plot?"

"...Stop talking nonsense."

Lin Xu frowned deeply.

There were only thirty-five minutes left.

Don't tell me I got transferred to the operations department?

From the sixteenth floor to the twentieth, Lin Xu practically sprinted through them.

It was close to noon, and the office building was empty.

Nothing. Still nothing.

But how was that possible?

His authority within the company was extremely high. In his previous experience, he had been able to access nearly all of the company's confidential information without obstruction.

And Jiang Xingye was even more obvious. The fact that she could mobilize company resources to send him an apocalypse warning already indirectly proved her status within the company.

How could two people like them not even have an office in the company?

For a moment, Lin Xu felt as though he had entered a dream without logic.

Many things seemed perfectly natural at first glance, but once examined closely, they were utterly unreasonable.

"Only the last floor remains."

Skullhead seemed to have decided this was an effortless job where he would get paid for nothing.

"The executive floor. Twenty-first floor."

"You're not going to tell me you're actually Skyvault Technology's CEO, are you?"

"If you really were the CEO, would you need to steal a spaceship? You could just fly one away yourself."

That was true.

The elevator continued upward, and Lin Xu grew increasingly uneasy.

So was it possible that either he or Jiang Xingye had really become CEO?

But that did not make sense either...

He felt his deductions had once again reached a dead end.

The few clues he had were now cut off as well.

The elevator doors opened, and Lin Xu stepped out.

Beyond the enormous reception and waiting lounge stood the doors to the actual CEO's office.

The electronic display on the doors showed a title and name in accordance with the company's standard format.

[Skyvault Technology Chairman and Chief Executive Officer: Xu Rushan]

Beneath the name was a carefully shot animated photograph. Lin Xu stared at it for several seconds, confirming that he absolutely did not know the man in front of him.

More importantly, this man did not even share the surname of Skyvault Technology's owner from twenty years ago!

The original owner was named Ren Jian. As far as Lin Xu knew, the man's private life had been decent, and there had been no rumors of an illegitimate child.

An outsider brought in from above?

Lin Xu walked toward the empty CEO's office and cautiously leaned his eye toward the iris scanner.

He had not actually expected to be able to open the CEO's office door.

After all, the name on it was not his.

No matter how high his access level was, there was no way he could casually open the highest-level, most critical secure entrance in a company.

And yet, the very next second...

The security lock disengaged, and the doors to the CEO's office swung open.

Skullhead was dumbfounded.

"No, brother, you really are the CEO??"

"That's not right! The photo outside isn't you either!"

"The former CEO??"

"Holy shit, corporate warfare drama!"

"You're the predecessor? They haven't had time to update the access control yet??"

"That's possible."

Lin Xu walked into the office. At this point, he had only eight minutes left.

The computer on the desk was on. He sat down in front of it and tried to unlock it with his password.

But this time, he failed.

This was a personal work computer, not a public system.

The account and password that belonged to him—the ones he had previously discovered through repeated trial and error—could not access this computer at all.

"Taking it with us?"

Skullhead asked.

"I have some technical people. Maybe they can crack it for you."

"But it'll cost extra!"

"No need."

Lin Xu shook his head.

"All critical information is stored in the cloud. Taking this thing would be pointless."

"Time's almost up. We..."

Before he could finish, Lin Xu's gaze suddenly stopped at a corner of the CEO's office.

There was something familiar there.

Jiang Xingye's water cup.

The cup was clearly already old.

Lin Xu rushed over and picked it up, immediately feeling the marks left by time on its outer surface.

This thing...

Wasn't this the cup Jiang Xingye had left at his place?

Wait, not just this cup.

Lin Xu swept his gaze over the room and noticed more details.

Most of the books on the shelves were ones he had read.

There was codonopsis root and goji berries in the tea area, still waiting to be brewed.

Every furnishing and arrangement felt comfortable to him at a glance.

This office had been decorated entirely according to his preferences.

This is my fucking office!

But why had it changed owners now?

Was it really corporate warfare?

Skullhead was still cheerfully looking around the office. He probably thought he would not have to do anything at all—just follow the former CEO into an office and collect his payment.

That was far easier than fighting wars as a mercenary.

But Lin Xu raised his hand and looked at the watch on his wrist.

One minute.

There was no time.

Lin Xu sighed and lifted the chair behind the desk.

"Give me a hand. Help me smash open the floor-to-ceiling window."

"The floor-to-ceiling window?"

Skullhead asked in astonishment:

"What for?"

"Don't worry about it. Once it's smashed, run. No one will hold you accountable."

"All right..."

Skullhead stepped forward to steady the chair, then swung it viciously at the floor-to-ceiling window alongside Lin Xu.

Crash!

The window shattered all over the floor.

"What now?"

Lin Xu clapped his hands and walked toward the window.

"Fuck! Don't move!"

Skullhead rushed toward Lin Xu in panic, but Lin Xu had already taken a step out.

The instant he jumped, he saw the disbelief on Skullhead's face, as though he had witnessed something absurd beyond all reason.

"You went through all that trouble just to die here-here-here-here—"

Skullhead's voice came from above.

Lin Xu raised his head slightly.

At that moment, lights suddenly came on in a building several hundred meters away.

Then images appeared across the building's outer wall.

"Run!"

"Lin Xu! Run!"

Lin Xu stared, dumbfounded.

This wasn't what he had expected.

It wasn't just Skyvault Technology.

At that moment.

Jiang Xingye was using the entire city to send him a signal of the apocalypse!