Lin Xiao turned off the screen, and the room plunged into darkness. The sound of airflow in the ventilation ducts continued to whisper in the silence, like some ancient prophecy. He stood at the workstation, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the cold desktop. Outside the window—if that alloy wall could be called a window—the simulated daylight system had entered night mode, and the light strips emitted a faint blue glow, barely outlining the contours of the room. Lin Xiao knew that from this moment on, the game had entered a new phase. The shadow of the Winter Soldier had been cast, and his team had to find a way to break the deadlock before that shadow engulfed the entire world. He turned and walked toward the door, pressing his palm against the control panel on the wall. The airtight door slowly opened, and the corridor lights poured in. He stepped out, his footsteps echoing in the empty corridor, each step firm and clear.
Three days later.
At six-forty in the morning, the Level B2 team office.
The lights were turned up to full brightness, and the simulated daylight system projected a warm white light close to natural sunlight. The air circulation system emitted a low hum, delivering filtered, fresh air into the room with a faint scent of ozone and metal. Lin Xiao stood in front of the whiteboard, which was densely covered with writing—action plans, resource allocations, and schedules. He held a black marker in his hand, the tip hovering at the edge of the whiteboard and leaving a tiny ink dot.
Seven people sat in the office.
Su Ying leaned against the wall by the door, her arms crossed as her sharp gaze swept across the room. She wore a black tactical uniform, with two Glocks tucked into her waist, and the soles of her combat boots were stained with a bit of mud—left over from patrolling the perimeter of the base last night. Nightingale sat at her workstation, her fingers typing rapidly on the keyboard while three monitors simultaneously displayed different data streams. Her dark circles were deeper than three days ago, but her gaze remained focused. Wolf and Grey Falcon sat side by side at the conference table, with several paper maps unfurled before them, various symbols marked on them in red and blue. Anna Koch sat opposite them, holding a cup of already cold coffee with a somewhat absent gaze. Black Bear, Hound, and Lynx, the three squad leaders, sat on a bench on the other side of the room, leaning forward with concentrated expressions.
"The problem we face is very clear," Lin Xiao began, his voice exceptionally clear in the quiet room. "The intelligence on the Winter Soldier let us see the threat in advance, but it also pushed us into the spotlight. The higher-ups of Hydra have already started paying attention to this base; Mr. White is only the first, not the last."
He turned around and drew a circle on the whiteboard with the marker.
"External pressure is increasing. Our operations must be more covert, and our foundation must be more solid. Therefore, starting today, we are going to do two things."
The tip of the pen tapped two dots outside the circle.
"First, establish an independent, redundant security system. Second, begin setting up our own network."
Wolf raised his head. "What specifically does that mean?"
"Safehouses," Lin Xiao said. "Material stockpiles. Communication nodes. Training grounds. All of these things must be built outside the base, out of sight of Hydra and S.H.I.E.L.D."
Grey Falcon frowned. "That requires resources, manpower, and... clearance."
"I have the clearance." Lin Xiao put down the marker and walked to the conference table. "As the deputy head of base security, I have the authority to deploy monitoring equipment in the outer perimeter and nearby mountains under the guise of 'improving security levels and establishing redundant backups,' as well as to set up emergency supply points. This is written in the operational manual."
He picked up a document from the table and handed it to Grey Falcon.
"This is the application report I submitted to Fletcher yesterday. He approved it."
Grey Falcon took the document and skimmed it quickly. Wolf leaned over to look, his eyes gradually widening.
"So many?" Wolf said in a low voice. "Six surveillance outposts, four emergency supply depots, two communication relay points... Fletcher actually approved all of them?"
"He has been very cooperative lately," Lin Xiao said, his tone calm. "Perhaps because of the pressure from Project Insight, or perhaps because he saw something else. It doesn't matter. What matters is that we have a legal cover."
Su Ying walked over from the wall and picked up another document.
"The selection of these locations," she said, her fingers tracing the map, "is very deliberate. They are all within five to ten kilometers of the base, but the terrain is complex, the vegetation is dense, and some are even close to abandoned mining tunnels."
"Because we need concealment," Lin Xiao said. "On the surface, these locations are for base security, but in reality, they are the prototype of our future network."
He walked to the whiteboard, erased a portion of the content, and rewrote a few words.
"I've given this network a name," he said, turning to face everyone. "The Continental Hotel."
The room fell silent for a few seconds.
"The Continental Hotel?" Nightingale raised her head from her workstation and adjusted her glasses. "What is that?"
"A concept," Lin Xiao said. "A concept of neutral sanctuary and underground order. In the future, the Continental Hotel should be an intelligence, action, and resource network independent of Hydra and S.H.I.E.L.D. It has its own rules, its own channels, its own allies and enemies. It is not loyal to any country or organization, only to one goal—protection."
He paused, his gaze sweeping across everyone's face.
"Of course, that is still a long way off. The 'Continental Hotel' of today is just a prototype."
He walked to the whiteboard and began explaining in detail.
"Nightingale, you are responsible for maintaining the encrypted communication channels. I want a communication system completely independent of the base network, using our own encryption protocols capable of peer-to-peer secure communication. The channel code name is Front Desk."
Nightingale nodded, her fingers already beginning to fly across the keyboard.
"Wolf, Grey Falcon, you are responsible for managing the secret safehouses." Lin Xiao pointed to several marked points on the map. "These four supply depots appear to be emergency reserves on the surface, but in reality, they need to be converted into safehouses. Inside, there must be weapons, medicine, communication equipment, and backup identity documents. The other two communication relay points must ensure signal coverage over the entire area. The safehouse code name is Room."
Wolf and Grey Falcon exchanged a glance and nodded simultaneously.
"Su Ying, you are responsible for training the Rapid Response Team." Lin Xiao looked at the three squad leaders. "Black Bear, Hound, Lynx, each of you will select five of the most loyal and reliable members to form three squads. Su Ying will provide you with specialized training—stealth operations, rapid deployment, and emergency evacuation. The squad code name is Bellhop."
The corners of Su Ying's mouth curved up slightly. "I like that code name."
"Anna," Lin Xiao turned to the female scientist. "You will continue researching technology related to the Winter Soldier, but at the same time, I need you to start building a medical reserve system. The safehouses must have sufficient medical supplies, as well as basic surgical equipment and medicine. Also..."
He paused.
"How is the analysis of the residue from those blue reagents coming along?"
Anna put down her coffee cup and pulled a report out of the folder she carried with her.
"Preliminary analysis is complete," she said. "But some of the results are... unusual. I was planning to wait for more detailed testing before reporting."
"Tell me now," Lin Xiao said.
Anna took a deep breath and opened the report.
"The main components of the reagent are consistent with our previous assessment—an unstable biocatalyst capable of forcibly activating cellular potential, at the cost of tissue collapse. This is indeed the style of A.I.M.: radical, dangerous, and reckless of consequences."
She turned to the next page.
"However, in the spectral analysis and mass spectrometry testing, I found some abnormal signals. Very faint, accounting for only about three parts in a million of the total. At first I thought it was instrument error or sample contamination, but after repeating the test three times, the results were identical."
She looked up, her eyes carrying obvious confusion and worry.
"It's a kind of... exogenous catalytic substance. The molecular structure is extremely complex, the carbon chain arrangement does not conform to any known organic chemistry rules, and the hydrogen bond combination angle is also abnormal. Simply put, its chemical characteristics do not belong to Earth."
Silence filled the room.
The hum of the ventilation system suddenly seemed exceptionally loud.
"Doesn't belong to Earth?" Grey Falcon repeated, his voice somewhat dry.
"At least it doesn't belong to any known Earth organisms or chemical products," Anna said. "I compared all public databases, including some non-classified documents from S.H.I.E.L.D., and there are no matches. This substance... it's like a catalyst among catalysts, playing a kind of 'guiding' role in the reagent, making the originally unstable reaction much more... controllable, or rather, more directional."
She closed the report and looked at Lin Xiao.
"This doesn't look like A.I.M.'s handiwork. Although their technology is radical, it is still a branch on Earth's technological tree. And this thing..." She shook her head. "It feels more like something more 'alien' got mixed into it."
Lin Xiao didn't speak.
He walked over to the window—that simulated window—and looked at the virtual forest scenery displayed on it. Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting patches of light, and bird calls came from hidden speakers. Everything was fake. Just like the world they currently inhabited: calm on the surface, but with undercurrents surging deep below.
Hydra. S.H.I.E.L.D. The Winter Soldier. And now, alien substances added to the mix.
"How much sample is left?" he asked without turning back.
"Very little," Anna said. "Just enough to do two more analyses. If we need more, we'll have to find a new leak point, or..."
"Or find the source." Lin Xiao turned around. "Keep this matter confidential. Keep only a paper copy of the report, and thoroughly delete the electronic version. Nightingale, check the access logs of Anna's workstation to ensure no residual data remains."
"Understood," Nightingale said, her fingers already flying across the keyboard.
"Continue the analysis," Lin Xiao told Anna. "Figure out the mechanism of action of this substance as much as possible. But its priority is lower than the Winter Soldier Program."
Anna nodded and carefully put the report back into her folder.
The meeting continued.
Over the next two hours, Lin Xiao detailed the construction plan for the prototype of the "Continental Hotel." The specific location of each safehouse, construction standards, material lists, and personnel rotation systems. The establishment schedule, protocol layers, and backup plans for the encrypted communication channels. The training subjects, assessment standards, and equipment configurations for the Rapid Response Team.
Every detail was scrutinized repeatedly, and every risk was evaluated one by one.
At nine in the morning, the meeting ended.
The group left the office one after another, each going to execute their tasks. Wolf and Grey Falcon took the maps to the logistics department to requisition supplies under the guise of a "security check." The three squad leaders—Black Bear, Hound, and Lynx—went to find Su Ying to begin formulating a training plan. Nightingale stayed at her workstation to continue optimizing the communication protocols.
Anna was the last to leave.
When she reached the door, she paused and looked back at Lin Xiao.
"That substance," she said softly, "reminds me of some... legends."
Lin Xiao raised his head. "What legends?"
"In S.H.I.E.L.D.'s archives, there are some records concerning 'alien relics,'" Anna said. "Most of them are classified as top secret, and I've only seen the table of contents. But one of them mentioned a kind of 'blue crystal' capable of 'catalyzing the evolution of life forms,' but it also caused 'uncontrollable mutation.'"
She paused.
"That incident happened in the fifties. Afterward, all related records were sealed."
Lin Xiao was silent for a few seconds.
"Write down the catalog entry," he said. "If we get the chance, we might need to check those sealed archives."
Anna nodded and turned to leave.
The airtight door closed.
Only Lin Xiao was left in the room.
He walked to the workstation and brought up the satellite map of the base's surroundings. The image unfolded on the screen, showing the contours of mountains, forests, and rivers. With his mouse, he marked six points on the map—those six upcoming "surveillance outposts."
In reality, three of them would be safehouses, two would be communication nodes, and one would be a training ground.
He zoomed in on one of the points. It was an abandoned forestry station located halfway up a mountain, surrounded by a dense pine forest, with a path almost overgrown by vegetation leading to it. The building was of wood and stone construction, having been abandoned for over a decade; part of the roof had collapsed, but the main structure was still relatively intact.
Perfect.
Lin Xiao saved the map and turned off the screen.
He needed to go see these locations in person.
At two in the afternoon, in the mountains on the perimeter of the base.
Lin Xiao drove a military jeep, traveling slowly along the bumpy mountain road. Su Ying sat in the passenger seat, observing the surrounding terrain through the window. Piled in the back seat were measuring instruments and a few crates of "emergency supplies"—which actually contained weapons, communication equipment, and some basic daily necessities.
The jeep crushed gravel, making a creaking sound. Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, casting moving patches of light inside the vehicle. The air was filled with the scent of pine needles and earth, with bird calls occasionally drifting from the forest.
"The first location is three hundred meters ahead," Su Ying said, looking at the GPS device in her hand. "The abandoned forestry station."
Lin Xiao nodded and turned the steering wheel.
The jeep rounded a bend, and the forestry station came into view.
It was a two-story wood and stone building; the wooden boards on the exterior walls had faded and turned black, and moss grew in some places. The roof tiles were incomplete, and most of the window glass was shattered, leaving only empty window frames. The building was surrounded by an open space overgrown with waist-high weeds, and a few pine trees slanted out from the side of the building, their branches almost touching the wall.
Lin Xiao stopped the car and cut the engine.
The two of them got out, stepping onto the soft soil. Lin Xiao took a tool belt from the back seat, while Su Ying picked up an assault rifle, vigilantly scanning her surroundings.
"Secure," she said softly, her finger resting on the trigger guard.
Lin Xiao walked up to the building and pushed open the ajar wooden door.
The hinges let out a harsh creak, and dust fell in showers from the door frame. Sunlight shone in through the hole in the roof, casting several shafts of light into the interior. The air was thick with the smell of mold and animal droppings, and small animal tracks marked the floor.
The first floor was a large room that might have once served as a living room and office. The corner was piled with the rotting remains of furniture, and a few blurred maps hung on the walls. The fireplace was piled with ashes and withered leaves.
Lin Xiao walked to the center of the room, squatted down, and tapped the floor with his hand.
The sound was dull and solid.
He stood up, walked over to the fireplace, and carefully observed the interior of the hearth. Then he reached inside, feeling along the side wall. A few seconds later, his fingers touched a protrusion.
He pressed it.
A faint mechanical sound came from behind the fireplace, and a floorboard slowly sank, revealing a downward stairwell entrance.
Su Ying raised an eyebrow. "A secret room?"
"Built during World War II," Lin Xiao said, taking a flashlight from his tool kit. "The forestry station is just a facade; in reality, this was a secret stronghold for some resistance organization. Fletcher's file on it mentioned that."
He turned on the flashlight, the beam illuminating the descending stairs.
The two of them walked down one after the other.
The stairs were made of stone, numbering about twenty steps, leading to an underground space. The flashlight beam swept across, illuminating the walls and floor. The space wasn't large, about ten square meters, with a height of around two meters. The walls were poured concrete and very sturdy. A few wooden crates were piled in the corner, covered in a thick layer of dust.
Lin Xiao walked up to a wooden crate and pried open the lid with a crowbar.
Inside were rusted rifles that could no longer be used. Another crate contained moldy documents with handwriting that was almost illegible. The third crate was empty.
"There's enough space," Lin Xiao said, the flashlight beam sweeping the surroundings. "Clean it up, reinforce the walls and ceiling, and install a ventilation system. It can be converted into a standard safehouse."
Su Ying walked to the center of the room and tested the floor with her foot.
"Is there another layer below this?" she asked.
"Possibly," Lin Xiao said. "But the entrance might be buried. We'll do a detailed scan once Wolf and the others bring the equipment."
The two stayed in the basement for fifteen minutes, measuring dimensions, checking the structure, and recording what needed to be modified. Then they returned to the surface, and Lin Xiao re-sealed the secret room entrance.
"The second location is five kilometers to the southeast," Su Ying said, looking at the GPS. "An abandoned mine entrance."
"Let's go," Lin Xiao said.
They got back into the jeep and hit the road again.
Over the next four hours, they surveyed the four scheduled locations: the abandoned mine, a small cabin beside a mountain stream, a hunter's camp deep in the forest, and a natural cave halfway up a mountain. Each location had its advantages and flaws, but all met the requirement for concealment.
The mine entrance was overgrown with vegetation and the interior space was large, but it required reinforcement of the support structure. The cabin was in better condition, but it was close to a hiking trail and needed camouflage. The hunter's camp was the most concealed, but too small. The natural cave was the sturdiest, but ventilation was an issue.
Lin Xiao made detailed notes at each location, took photographs, and marked points that required special attention.
As the setting sun dipped below the horizon, they arrived at the final location—the spot designated as the training ground.
It was a forest clearing about the size of two football fields, with relatively flat ground surrounded by dense woods. In the center of the clearing was a dried-up small pond filled with fallen leaves. In the distance, the outlines of the mountains were visible, casting deep purple silhouettes in the glow of the setting sun.
Lin Xiao stopped the car and walked with Su Ying to the center of the clearing.
The soil underfoot was soft, making almost no sound when stepped upon. The evening chill floated in the air, mixed with the scent of pine resin and damp soil. A few crows flew up from the treetops, the sound of their flapping wings exceptionally clear in the silence.
"This is nice," Su Ying said, looking around. "Big enough, concealed enough, and the terrain is complex. We can set up an obstacle course, a shooting range, and a close-combat training area."
Lin Xiao nodded and pulled a small drone from his pocket.
He started the drone, watching it ascend and hover above the clearing. The drone's camera transmitted real-time footage back to the controller screen in his hand. Viewed from the air, the clearing was completely surrounded by woods, making it difficult to spot from any direction.
"Right here," Lin Xiao said, piloting the drone to land.
He put away the drone and retrieved a metal case from the back seat of the jeep. Opening the case, inside were six small sensors. He and Su Ying buried the sensors in six locations around the clearing—these sensors would monitor surrounding movements and send an alert to the base if anyone approached.
By the time the last sensor was buried, it was completely dark.
Lin Xiao turned on his flashlight, its beam carving a bright pillar through the darkness. He walked over to the jeep, took two bottles of water and some compressed rations from the trunk, and the two of them sat at the tail of the vehicle, eating a simple dinner by the light of the flashlight.
The compressed rations tasted terrible, like hard cardboard mixed with salt. The water was lukewarm, tasting faintly of plastic bottles.
Yet neither of them complained.
"The Continental Hotel," Su Ying suddenly said, her voice sounding very light in the darkness. "Where did you hear that name?"
Lin Xiao was silent for a few seconds.
"A story," he said. "About a place where there are rules, order, and sanctuary. As long as you follow the rules, you get protection."
"Sounds like the mob."
"Not entirely," Lin Xiao said. "More like a kind of... underground social contract. Problems that can't be solved in the normal world can find solutions there. Sanctuary that can't be obtained in the normal world can be found there."
He took a sip of water and continued.
"Our world is getting more and more complex. Hydra, S.H.I.E.L.D., superheroes, alien threats... ordinary people are utterly powerless in the face of these forces. We need a place, a system, that can operate in the shadows and protect those who cannot be protected by the existing system."
Su Ying looked at him, the flashlight beam casting alternating shadows of light and dark across her face.
"You want to be the builder of that system," she said, not as a question, but as a statement.
"I want to be the founder of that system," Lin Xiao corrected. "Once the system is established, it should have its own life, its own rules, and no longer depend on any single individual."
"Including you?"
"Especially me."
Su Ying didn't speak. She took a bite of her compressed ration and chewed slowly. In the distance, an owl hooted, long and low. The night wind swept through the forest, rustling the leaves.
"That alien substance," she said suddenly, "what do you think it's related to?"
Lin Xiao set down the water bottle.
"I don't know," he said. "It could be a probe by some cosmic power, an accidental leak of some kind, or perhaps... a setup laid much earlier."
"Earlier?"
"The history of this world is far longer than most people realize." Lin Xiao looked toward the forest shrouded in darkness. "Aliens have come to Earth more than once. Some left traces behind. Others left trouble."
He recalled memories from his previous life—the Chitauri, the Dark Elves, the Kree, the Skrulls... Earth had never been an island. It had always been under the watch of cosmic powers; most people simply did not know it.
And now, some kind of alien substance had appeared in A.I.M.'s reagent.
That was no coincidence.
"We need more information," Su Ying said.
"Yes." Lin Xiao rose to his feet and brushed the dirt from his pants. "That's why the Continental Hotel needs to be established as soon as possible. We need our own intelligence network, our own analytical capabilities, our own operational force."
He switched off the flashlight, and darkness instantly swallowed everything.
Only starlight filtered through gaps in the leaves, scattering faint specks of light.
"Let's go back," he said. "There's still a lot to do tomorrow."
The two got into the vehicle. The jeep started, its headlights cutting through the darkness as it slowly drove back the way they had come.
Three days later, the second underground level of the base.
At Nightingale's workstation, three monitors lit up at once. The left screen displayed the architecture of an encrypted communications channel. The middle screen monitored real-time data streams. The right screen showed a simple chat interface—its background dark red, with a line of golden stylized lettering at the top: "Continental Hotel · Front Desk."
"Testing communications," Nightingale said into the microphone.
A clear reply came through her headset. "Received. Signal is clear."
The voice belonged to Wolf, who was currently at the first safe house thirty kilometers away—the abandoned ranger station. After three days of emergency renovations, the basement had been cleared out, the walls reinforced, and an independent power system installed—solar panels with a diesel generator backup—along with a ventilation system and a basic water purification unit. Weapons, medicine, communications equipment, and backup identity documents were all in place.
"Testing video link." Nightingale tapped on the keyboard.
A video window popped up on the right screen, showing Wolf's face. The background was the basement's concrete walls. The lighting was somewhat dim, but the image was stable and free of lag.
"Video is clear," Wolf said. "How's Grey Falcon's side?"
Another video window appeared, displaying Grey Falcon's face. He was at the second safe house—the abandoned mine. The image showed the mine's rock walls and the temporary lighting equipment that had been set up.
"Everything's normal," Grey Falcon said. "The ventilation system has been calibrated, and the humidity is within acceptable limits. The inventory list has been uploaded to the server."
Nightingale nodded and entered a command on the keyboard.
The data stream on the middle screen began to change, showing the real-time status of the two safe houses—temperature, humidity, power reserves, and network connection status. All data was encrypted and transmitted through an independent satellite link.
"The Front Desk system is online," Nightingale said, a hint of accomplishment in her voice. "The Continental Hotel is now open for business."
At the same time, the training grounds on the third level of the base.
Su Ying stood at the edge of the field, watching the Rapid Response Team train in the middle of it.
Black Bear, Hound, and Lynx each led five team members through high-intensity combat drills. The members wore all-black combat uniforms, their faces painted in camouflage, moving swiftly through an obstacle course designed to simulate an urban environment. Gunfire from blank rounds rose and fell. Smoke grenades released thick clouds of smoke. Footsteps, shouts, and the clash of metal intertwined.
Su Ying held a stopwatch, her sharp gaze sweeping over every team member's movements.
"Too slow!" she suddenly shouted. "Black Bear, there's a blind spot in your left-side cover! Hound, your assault rhythm is a mess! Lynx, your command orders aren't clear!"
Training came to a halt.
The team members panted heavily, sweat sliding down their foreheads and leaving streaks through the camouflage paint. The smoke in the training ground gradually dispersed, revealing their exhausted but focused faces.
"Five-minute break," Su Ying said. "Then we start again. This time, I want to see improvement."
The team members dispersed and went to the side to drink water. Black Bear walked over to Su Ying, removed his helmet, and wiped the sweat from his face with his sleeve.
"Is the training intensity too high?" he asked, his voice slightly hoarse. "Some of them have already been working for eighteen straight hours."
"The Winter Soldier won't wait until you're well rested before appearing," Su Ying said evenly. "And Siberia's winter won't turn warm just because you're tired. Keep training."
Black Bear nodded without arguing.
He knew Su Ying was right. If they truly had to go to Siberia in the future and face that legendary killing machine, their current training intensity was nowhere near enough.
Five minutes later, training resumed.
This time, the team members moved more smoothly and coordinated more seamlessly. Black Bear's team handled the frontal assault, Hound's team flanked from the sides, and Lynx's team provided long-range support and gathered intelligence. Smoke grenades went off again, and gunfire rang out again, but this time the rhythm was tighter and their efficiency had clearly improved.
Su Ying watched, the corner of her lips lifting slightly.
Good.
The Continental Hotel's "Bellhops" were growing quickly.
One week later, Lin Xiao's office.
Anna Koch stood before the desk, holding a thick report. Her eyes were bloodshot; she had clearly stayed up all night again. But her expression was solemn, even somewhat... uneasy.
"This is the final analysis report," she said, placing it on the desk. "Regarding that exogenous catalytic substance."
Lin Xiao picked up the report and opened it.
The first few pages contained detailed spectrograms, mass spectrometry data, and molecular structure simulations. Technical terms filled the pages, and the charts were complex. He quickly flipped to the conclusion.
There were only three lines, but every word landed on his heart like a sledgehammer.
"Source of substance: non-terrestrial (carbon-based biochemistry, but an evolutionary pathway entirely different from Earth life)"
"Functional hypothesis: targeted guidance of gene expression/evolutionary catalysis accelerator"
"Risk level: extremely high (may trigger unpredictable cross-species genetic contamination)"
Lin Xiao closed the report and looked at Anna.
"Explain," he said.
Anna took a deep breath.
"This substance isn't a simple catalyst. It's more like... an 'instruction.' Once it enters a living organism, it binds with DNA, but instead of destroying it, it 'edits' it. It activates certain dormant genetic fragments and suppresses certain active ones, causing the organism to evolve in a specific direction."
She paused, her voice lowering further.
"And that direction isn't the result of natural selection. It was... designed."
The office fell silent.
Lin Xiao's fingers unconsciously tapped the desk. Once, twice, three times. The sound was especially clear in the silence.
"Designed," he repeated. "By whom?"
"I don't know," Anna said. "But the civilization capable of creating something like this possesses technology... far beyond ours. Far beyond A.I.M., far beyond S.H.I.E.L.D., perhaps even far beyond any Earthly or extraterrestrial power we know of."
She stepped to the desk and pointed at a molecular structure diagram in the report.
"Look here—the helical angle of the carbon chain. Earth life's DNA is a right-handed helix. That's a fundamental rule of biochemistry. But the structure induced by this substance... is left-handed."
Lin Xiao stared at the diagram.
A left-handed helix.
Biologically speaking, that was nearly impossible. Left-handed amino acids and left-handed sugars were extremely rare in Earth's life systems, and most could not be metabolized normally. If an organism's primary structures became left-handed, then its relationship with Earth's ecosystem would not merely be "different." It would be "incompatible."
"What does that mean?" he asked.
"It means that if this substance spreads on a large scale," Anna said, her voice trembling slightly, "it may not kill organisms directly, but it will change them. Turn them into... something else. No longer part of Earth's ecosystem, but some kind of... invasive species. And an invasive species designed for a specific purpose."
Lin Xiao set down the report and walked to the window.
The simulated window displayed a virtual forest scene. Sunshine, birdsong, blooming flowers. Everything was so peaceful, so beautiful.
Yet beneath that beautiful surface, something that did not belong to this world had already quietly seeped in.
Blue reagent. A.I.M. Alien substance.
Who, exactly, was pulling the strings behind all this?
"Destroy the report," Lin Xiao said without turning around. "Erase all data completely. Keep only the smallest possible amount of the sample, and seal it under the highest security classification."
"Understood," Anna said.
"And," Lin Xiao said, turning around, "don't tell anyone else about this for now. Including Su Ying."
Anna froze for a moment. "Why?"
"Because she'll want to act immediately," Lin Xiao said. "But we don't have enough information or enough preparation yet. Acting rashly will only alert the enemy."
He walked to the desk, picked up the report, and went to the shredder. The machine started, cutting the paper into tiny scraps that drifted into the collection bin like snowflakes.
"Continue researching the Winter Soldier Program," he said. "That is our most urgent threat at the moment. The alien substance... will be classified as a long-term monitoring project for now."
Anna nodded and turned to leave.
The airtight door closed.
Lin Xiao stood beside the shredder, watching the last scrap of paper fall.
Memories from his previous life surfaced in his mind—the Battle of New York, the Chitauri invasion. Those alien soldiers, those colossal Leviathans. And later, the Dark Elves, the Kree, Thanos...
Earth had never been safe.
But now, the threat seemed to have come earlier, more covertly.
Not an army at the gates, not an open invasion.
But a drop of blue reagent, a trace amount of alien substance, silently seeping into the veins of this world.
Lin Xiao walked to the workstation and brought up the Continental Hotel's network architecture diagram.
Encrypted communication channels, secret strongholds, Rapid Response Teams.
All of it was still only in its infancy. It was still far from enough.
He needed to build faster, expand faster, and accumulate strength faster.
Because the storm would not wait for him to be ready.
The storm was already on its way.
Before you continue