Satan? Vampire?

Half an hour later...

Mechanical Exoskeleton?

Portable Hydrogen Battery?

MA5B blueprints?

Where had all this cutting-edge technology come from?

Wang Zhaofeng and the five young researchers watching nearby were all consumed by the same questions.

Although the various research institutes didn't share data, everyone had some idea of what the others were working on. So when Sui Bian showed them the Mechanical Exoskeleton and the MA5B, the researchers were utterly stunned.

At that moment.

With a bead of cold sweat on his forehead, Wang Zhaofeng once again raised a hand to adjust his glasses. He looked at the information displayed on the screen and said to Sui Bian,

"With these... Umbrella will secure its position as the number one arms manufacturer once and for all... Mr. Sui, may I ask again... which research institute did this come from? Or... who was the person in charge? I'd like to meet him."

"I'm sorry, Doctor." Sui Bian shook his head again. "I can't tell you where this information came from. Besides, I need you to reverse-engineer the core technologies."

"I... Ah... All right." Wang Zhaofeng looked crestfallen.

As a genius, Wang Zhaofeng naturally wanted to meet the person—or people—who had designed this cutting-edge technology. It was the mutual admiration geniuses felt for one another.

But...

The Mechanical Exoskeleton, the Hydrogen Battery that powered it, and the MA5B blueprints had all been exchanged by Sui Bian through the system.

So the genius Wang Zhaofeng wanted to meet was, in fact, the system.

After a moment, Sui Bian continued, "Doctor, with the Hive's existing equipment and machine tools, can you manufacture the Mechanical Exoskeleton and MA5B on your own?"

"Absolutely," Wang Zhaofeng replied without hesitation. "But we'll need sufficient funding and resources. We'll also need time at first to experiment and adapt. We should be able to start manufacturing in the second half of this month.

"However, Mr. Sui, production of the Hydrogen Battery will be very low, since it's beyond our current level of technology. As for the Mechanical Exoskeleton and MA5B, there shouldn't be any major problems."

"The second half of June... I see..." Sui Bian furrowed his brow.

It'll take longer than I expected. Oh well. He sighed inwardly, then relaxed his brow and said,

"All right. By the way, Doctor, do you think this Hydrogen Battery could be used in the Power Armor you designed, or in an electromagnetic cannon?"

"Not for now." This time it was Wang Zhaofeng's turn to shake his head. He explained, "The Power Armor and electromagnetic cannon I designed consume enormous amounts of energy. The Mechanical Exoskeleton isn't even in the same league.

"But the Hydrogen Battery and Mechanical Exoskeleton have given me a lot of new ideas. I'll scrap all my previous progress and start over on a new suit of armor for elite soldiers.

"As for a portable electromagnetic cannon...

"Unless we make a breakthrough in miniaturized nuclear fission or fusion technology, it simply won't be possible. But I'll do my best to master Hydrogen Battery technology and find a new way forward."

"Sorry for the trouble, Doctor," Sui Bian said sincerely.

"It's only right. Umbrella was the one that helped me escape America's control. But there's something I'd like to discuss with you privately, Mr. Sui. Would you spare me a moment?" Wang Zhaofeng said with a faint smile.

"Of course."

The two then left the workshop and went to a corner at the end of the corridor.

Wang Zhaofeng's expression was grave as he said, "Mr. Sui, once these groundbreaking weapons reach the market, they'll upend the balance of power around the world.

"As Einstein once said, 'I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones.'

"The company has deep ties with America. Once that rogue nation gets its hands on high-tech weapons, it'll turn the whole world into a mess.

"So, Mr. Sui, as the company's only Chinese board member, I hope you can delay the company's decision to sell weapons to America for as long as possible."

?

After a pause, Sui Bian said to Wang Zhaofeng with great solemnity, "There's one thing you can rest assured of, Doctor. The technology you just saw doesn't belong to Umbrella. In a sense, it belongs only to me.

"In other words, as long as you put these weapons into mass production, the Hive will be the only place capable of manufacturing these cutting-edge individual weapons."

?!

Wang Zhaofeng froze, as though Sui Bian's answer had gone far beyond anything he'd expected.

Before Wang Zhaofeng could voice his confusion, Sui Bian continued, "Doctor, my ultimate goal in developing these weapons and technologies is to ensure humanity's survival. The threats in this world are far beyond what you or I can imagine, so we need to prepare in advance."

"Threats beyond our imagination? What could they be?" Wang Zhaofeng asked, utterly baffled.

In the doctor's view, the greatest threat to humanity was humanity itself.

Greed, desire, violence, and other human failings weren't limited to individuals. They could manifest at the national level, too—as they did in America.

"Heh." Sui Bian chuckled. "Who knows? It could be Vampires. It could even be Satan. I'm not sure myself."

??

Satan?

Vampires?

"How is that possible?!" Wang Zhaofeng immediately objected. He was a staunch atheist.

"Let's just say I was joking." Sui Bian shrugged indifferently, then grew serious once more.

"Doctor, once the USS gets the latest individual weapons, Umbrella will no longer be what it was before. It'll be a company focused on humanity's future."

"Hmm... Given who you are, Mr. Sui, you don't have any reason to lie to me. All right... I'll work quickly to get the Mechanical Exoskeleton and MA5B Rifle into mass production." Wang Zhaofeng nodded.

"Thank you for trusting me, Doctor. I'll also have my assistant, White Queen, provide your department with ample funding. Let me know whatever you need."