Consolidating the Foundation and the Beginnings of the "Continental Hotel"

Lin Xiao shut off the screen, and the room fell into darkness. The airflow in the ventilation ducts continued whispering through the silence like some ancient prophecy. He stood before the workstation, his fingers unconsciously tapping against the cold desktop. Outside—if that alloy wall could even be called a window—the simulated sunlight system had entered night mode. The light strips emitted a faint blue glow, barely outlining the room. Lin Xiao knew that from this moment on, the game had entered a new phase. The shadow of the Winter Soldier had fallen, and his team had to find a way to break the deadlock before that shadow covered the entire world. He turned and walked toward the door, pressing his palm against the control panel beside it. The airtight door slowly opened, and the corridor lights poured in. He stepped outside, his footsteps echoing through the empty hallway, each one firm and clear.

Three days later.

6:40 a.m., team office, second basement level.

The lights had already been switched to full brightness, while the simulated sunlight system cast a warm white glow close to natural daylight. The air circulation system gave off a low hum, pumping filtered fresh air into the room with a faint scent of ozone and metal. Lin Xiao stood before a whiteboard densely covered in writing—operation plans, resource allocations, schedules. He held a black marker, its tip hovering at the edge of the board, leaving behind a tiny dot of ink.

Seven people sat in the office.

Su Ying leaned against the wall by the door, her arms folded as her sharp gaze swept across the room. She wore black tactical gear, with two Glock pistols at her waist and traces of dirt on the soles of her combat boots—left over from last night's patrol around the base perimeter. Nightingale sat at a workstation, her fingers flying over the keyboard while three monitors displayed different streams of data. The dark circles beneath her eyes were deeper than they had been three days ago, but her gaze remained focused. Wolf and Grey Falcon sat side by side at the conference table, several paper maps spread out before them, marked with symbols in red and blue. Anna Koch sat opposite them, holding a cup of coffee that had already gone cold, her gaze somewhat unfocused. The three squad leaders—Black Bear, Hound, and Lynx—sat on a bench on the other side of the room, leaning forward with intent expressions.

"The problem we're facing is clear," Lin Xiao said, his voice especially distinct 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. Hydra's upper ranks have already begun paying attention to this base. Mr. White was only the first. He won't be the last."

He turned and drew a circle on the whiteboard with his marker.

"The external pressure is increasing. Our operations need to become more covert, and our foundation needs to become more solid. So starting today, we're going to do two things."

The marker tip tapped two points outside the circle.

"First, establish an independent, redundant security system. Second, begin building our own network."

Wolf raised his head. "What exactly do you mean?"

"Safe houses," Lin Xiao said. "Supply caches. Communications nodes. Training sites. All of it needs to be built outside the base, beyond the sight of Hydra and S.H.I.E.L.D."

Grey Falcon frowned. "That requires resources, manpower, and... authorization."

"I have the authorization." Lin Xiao set down the marker and walked to the conference table. "As deputy director of base security, I have the authority to deploy surveillance equipment and establish emergency supply points around the base and in the nearby mountains under the pretext of 'raising security levels and creating redundant backups.' It's written in the authority 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 through it. Wolf leaned over to look as well, his eyes gradually widening.

"This much?" Wolf said quietly. "Six surveillance outposts, four emergency supply depots, two communications relay points... Fletcher actually approved all of it?"

"He's been cooperative lately," Lin Xiao said evenly. "Maybe it's because of the pressure from Project Insight. Maybe he saw something else. It doesn't matter. What matters is that we now have a legitimate cover."

Su Ying walked over from the wall and picked up another document.

"The locations," she said, tracing a finger across the map, "were chosen carefully. They're all within five to ten kilometers of the base, but the terrain is complicated and the vegetation is dense. Some are even close to abandoned mining tunnels."

"Because we need concealment," Lin Xiao said. "On the surface, these locations are for base security. In reality, they're the beginnings of our future network."

He walked to the whiteboard, erased part of it, and wrote several new words.

"I gave this network a name," he said, turning to face everyone. "The Continental Hotel."

The room fell silent for several seconds.

"The Continental Hotel?" Nightingale looked up from her workstation and adjusted her glasses. "What is that?"

"A concept," Lin Xiao said. "A concept about neutral shelter and underground order. In the future, the Continental Hotel should be an intelligence, operations, and resource network independent of Hydra and S.H.I.E.L.D. It will have its own rules, its own channels, its own allies and enemies. It won't serve any nation or organization. It will serve only one goal—protection."

He paused, his gaze moving across every face in the room.

"Of course, that's still far away. Right now, the Continental Hotel is only a prototype."

He walked to the whiteboard and began explaining in detail.

"Nightingale, you'll maintain the encrypted communications channels. I want a communications system completely independent of the base network, using our own encryption protocols and capable of secure point-to-point communications. The channel codename will be 'Front Desk.'"

Nightingale nodded, her fingers already moving across the keyboard.

"Wolf, Grey Falcon, you'll manage the secret sites." Lin Xiao pointed to several marked locations on the map. "These four supply depots are emergency reserves on the surface, but they'll actually be converted into safe houses. They need weapons, medicine, communications equipment, and backup identity documents. As for the other two communications relay points, make sure the signal covers the entire area. The sites' codename will be 'Rooms.'"

Wolf and Grey Falcon exchanged a glance, then nodded at the same time.

"Su Ying, you'll train the rapid response teams." Lin Xiao looked toward the three squad leaders. "Black Bear, Hound, Lynx, each of you will select five of your most loyal and reliable members to form three squads. Su Ying will provide specialized training—covert operations, rapid deployment, emergency evacuation. The squads' codename will be 'Bellhops.'"

The corner of Su Ying's lips curled up. "I like that codename."

"Anna," Lin Xiao said, turning to the scientist, "continue researching technology related to the Winter Soldier, but at the same time, I need you to begin establishing a medical reserve system. The safe houses need sufficient medical supplies, as well as basic surgical equipment and medicine. Also..."

He paused.

"How is the analysis of the blue reagent residue going?"

Anna set down her coffee and pulled a report from the folder she carried with her.

"The preliminary analysis is complete," she said. "But some of the results... are unusual. I had planned to wait until the more detailed tests came back before reporting."

"Tell me now," Lin Xiao said.

Anna took a deep breath and opened the report.

"The reagent's primary components match our earlier assessment—a volatile biological catalyst capable of forcibly activating cellular potential, but at the cost of tissue collapse. That's definitely A.I.M.'s style: radical, dangerous, and unconcerned with consequences."

She turned to the next page.

"But during spectral analysis and mass spectrometry, I found some anomalous signals. They were extremely faint, making up only about three parts per million of the total. At first, I thought it was instrument error or sample contamination, but I repeated the test three times. The results were identical every time."

She looked up, obvious confusion and concern in her eyes.

"It was an... exogenous catalytic substance. Its molecular structure is extraordinarily complex. The arrangement of its carbon chains doesn't conform to any known rules of organic chemistry, and its hydrogen-bonding angles are abnormal as well. Simply put, its chemical characteristics don't belong to Earth."

The room fell silent.

The hum of the ventilation system suddenly seemed especially loud.

"Doesn't belong to Earth?" Grey Falcon repeated, his voice dry.

"At least, not to any Earthly organism or chemical product known to us," Anna said. "I compared it against every public database, including some of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s unclassified materials. There were no matches. This substance... it's like a catalyst within a catalyst. It plays some kind of 'guiding' role in the reagent, making what should be an unstable reaction more... controllable. Or rather, more directed."

She closed the report and looked at Lin Xiao.

"This doesn't seem like A.I.M.'s work. Their technology may be radical, but it's still a branch of Earth's technological tree. But this..." She shook her head. "It feels more like something more... alien got mixed into it."

Lin Xiao said nothing.

He walked to the window—or rather, the simulated window—and looked at the virtual forest displayed on it. Sunlight filtered through gaps in the leaves, scattering patches of light, while birdsong came from hidden speakers. Everything was fake. Just like the world they lived in now: calm on the surface, with undercurrents churning beneath.

Hydra. S.H.I.E.L.D. The Winter Soldier. And now, alien matter.

"How much of the sample is left?" he asked without turning around.

"Very little," Anna said. "Enough for only two more analyses. If we need more, we'll have to find a new leak site, or..."

"Or find the source." Lin Xiao turned around. "Keep this confidential. Retain only a paper copy of the report and delete the electronic version completely. Nightingale, check the access records for Anna's workstation and make sure no residual data remains."

"Understood," Nightingale said, her fingers already flying over the keyboard.

"Continue the analysis," Lin Xiao told Anna. "Determine this substance's mechanism of action as thoroughly as possible. But its priority is lower than the Winter Soldier Program."

Anna nodded and carefully returned the report to her folder.

The meeting continued.

Over the next two hours, Lin Xiao laid out the detailed construction plan for the Continental Hotel prototype. The specific locations of every site, construction standards, supply lists, and personnel rotation systems. The schedule for establishing encrypted communications channels, the number of protocol layers, and contingency plans. The rapid response squads' training subjects, assessment standards, and equipment configurations.

Every detail was scrutinized repeatedly, and every risk was assessed one by one.

At nine in the morning, the meeting ended.

Everyone gradually left the office and went to carry out their tasks. Wolf and Grey Falcon took the maps to the logistics department to requisition supplies under the pretext of "security inspections." The three squad leaders went to find Su Ying and began drafting training plans. Nightingale remained at her workstation, continuing to optimize the communications protocols.

Anna was the last to leave.

When she reached the door, she stopped and looked back at Lin Xiao.

"That substance," she said softly, "reminded me of some... legends."

Lin Xiao looked up. "What legends?"

"There are records in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s archives concerning 'alien relics,'" Anna said. "Most are classified at the highest level. I only saw the index. But one entry mentioned a kind of 'blue crystal' capable of 'catalyzing the evolution of life forms,' while also causing 'uncontrollable mutation.'"

She paused.

"That happened in the 1950s. Later, all related records were sealed."

Lin Xiao fell silent for several seconds.

"Write down the index entry," he said. "If we get the chance, we may need to look into those sealed files."

Anna nodded, turned, and left.

The airtight door closed.

Only Lin Xiao remained in the room.

He walked to the workstation and pulled up a satellite map of the area around the base. The image spread across the screen, showing the outlines of mountains, forests, and rivers. He marked six points on the map with the mouse—the six future "surveillance outposts."

In truth, three of them would be safe houses, two would be communications nodes, and one would be a training site.

He zoomed in on one of the points. It was an abandoned ranger station halfway up the mountain, surrounded by dense pine woods. A narrow path, nearly covered by vegetation, led to it. The building was made of wood and stone and had been deserted for more than a decade. Part of the roof had collapsed, but the main structure remained relatively intact.

Perfect.

Lin Xiao saved the map and shut off the screen.

He needed to inspect these places personally.

Two in the afternoon, in the mountains outside the base.

Lin Xiao drove a military jeep slowly along a bumpy mountain road. Su Ying sat in the passenger seat, observing the terrain through the window. Measuring instruments and several boxes of "emergency supplies"—which actually contained weapons, communications equipment, and basic necessities—were piled in the back seat.

The jeep rolled over loose gravel with a creaking rattle. Sunlight filtered through gaps in the leaves, throwing shifting patches of light across the interior. The air was filled with the scent of pine needles and soil, and occasional birdsong drifted from the woods.

"The first site is three hundred meters ahead," Su Ying said, checking the GPS device in her hand. "An abandoned ranger station."

Lin Xiao nodded and turned the wheel.

The jeep rounded a bend, and the ranger station came into view.

It was a two-story wood-and-stone building. The exterior planks had faded black, with moss growing over some parts. The roof tiles were incomplete, and most of the window glass had shattered, leaving only empty frames. An open patch of land surrounded the building, overgrown with waist-high weeds. Several pine trees leaned out from the side of the structure, their branches nearly touching the walls.

Lin Xiao stopped the vehicle and killed the engine.

The two got out, their boots sinking into the soft earth. Lin Xiao took a toolbox from the back seat, while Su Ying picked up an assault rifle and scanned their surroundings vigilantly.

"Clear," she said quietly, her finger resting on the trigger guard.

Lin Xiao walked to the building and pushed open the half-closed wooden door.

The hinges let out a harsh creak, and dust sifted down from the doorframe. Sunlight shone through holes in the roof, casting several shafts of light inside. The air was thick with the smell of mildew and animal droppings, while small animal tracks covered the floor.

The first floor was one large room, likely once used as both a living area and office. Rotting remains of furniture were piled in one corner, and several blurred maps hung on the walls. The fireplace was filled with ash and dead leaves.

Lin Xiao walked to the middle of the room, crouched down, and rapped his knuckles against the floor.

The sound was dull and solid.

He rose and walked over to the fireplace, studying the inside of the hearth carefully. Then he reached in and felt along the side wall. Several seconds later, his fingers touched a protrusion.

He pressed it.

A faint mechanical sound came from behind the fireplace. A section of floor slowly sank, revealing a stairway leading underground.

Su Ying raised an eyebrow. "A hidden room?"

"Built during World War II," Lin Xiao said, taking a flashlight from the toolbox. "The ranger station was only a cover. This was actually a secret outpost for some resistance group. Fletcher's files mentioned it."

He switched on the flashlight, its beam illuminating the descending stairs.

The two went down one after the other.

The stairs were made of stone, around twenty steps in all, and led to an underground space. The flashlight beam swept across the walls and floor. The room was small, about ten square meters, with a ceiling roughly two meters high. The walls were poured concrete and extremely sturdy. Several wooden crates sat in a corner beneath a thick layer of dust.

Lin Xiao walked to one crate and pried open the lid with a crowbar.

Inside were rusted rifles, no longer usable. Another crate contained moldy documents, their writing nearly illegible. The third crate was empty.

"There's enough space," Lin Xiao said, sweeping the flashlight around the room. "Clean it out, reinforce the walls and ceiling, install a ventilation system. It can be converted into a standard safe house."

Su Ying walked to the middle of the room and stomped lightly on the floor.

"Is there another level below?" she asked.

"Possibly," Lin Xiao said. "But the entrance may have been buried. Once Wolf and the others bring over the equipment, we'll conduct a detailed survey."

They remained in the underground room for fifteen minutes, measuring its dimensions, checking its structure, and recording what needed to be modified. Then they returned to the surface, and Lin Xiao closed the hidden entrance again.

"The second site is five kilometers southeast," Su Ying said, checking the GPS. "An abandoned mine entrance."

"Let's go," Lin Xiao said.

They got back into the jeep and continued onward.

Over the next four hours, they inspected four planned sites: an abandoned mine, a small cabin beside a mountain stream valley, a hunter's camp deep in the forest, and a natural cave halfway up the mountain. Each had its own advantages and flaws, but all met the requirements for concealment.

The mine entrance was covered by vegetation and had plenty of interior space, but its supporting structure needed reinforcement. The cabin was in better condition, but it was near 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 would be a problem.

Lin Xiao made detailed records at every site, took photographs, and marked the issues requiring special attention.

As the sun set, they arrived at the final location—the site designated as the training ground.

It was a clearing in the woods, roughly the size of two football fields. The ground was relatively flat, surrounded by dense forest. At the center of the clearing was a small dried-up pond, its bottom covered with fallen leaves. In the distance, the outline of mountains could be seen, deep purple silhouettes beneath the dying light.

Lin Xiao parked the jeep and walked with Su Ying to the center of the clearing.

The soil beneath their feet was soft and made almost no sound when stepped on. The evening chill drifted through the air, mixed with the smells of pine resin and damp earth. Several crows took flight from the treetops, the beating of their wings startlingly clear in the silence.

"This place is good," Su Ying said, looking around. "It's large enough, hidden enough, and the terrain is complicated. We can set up an obstacle course, a shooting range, and a close-quarters combat area."

Lin Xiao nodded and took a small drone from his pocket.

He activated it and watched it rise into the air, circling above the clearing. Its camera transmitted live footage back to the screen of the controller in his hand. From above, the clearing was completely surrounded by trees and difficult to spot from any direction.

"This is the place," Lin Xiao said, guiding the drone back down.

He put away the drone and took a metal case from the jeep's back seat. Inside were six small sensors. Together, he and Su Ying buried the sensors at six points around the clearing—devices that would monitor nearby movement and send an alert to the base if anyone approached.

By the time they buried the last sensor, it was completely dark.

Lin Xiao turned on his flashlight, its beam cutting a bright column through the darkness. He walked to the jeep and took out two bottles of water and some compressed rations from the trunk. The two sat at the back of the vehicle and ate a simple dinner by flashlight.

The compressed rations tasted awful, like cardboard mixed with salt. The water was warm and carried the taste of plastic.

But neither of them complained.

"The Continental Hotel," Su Ying suddenly said, her voice soft in the darkness. "Where did you hear that name?"

Lin Xiao was silent for several seconds.

"A story," he said. "About a place with rules, order, and shelter. As long as you followed the rules, you could receive protection."

"Sounds like the mafia."

"Not exactly," Lin Xiao said. "It's more like a... contract for an underground society. Problems that can't be solved in the normal world can find solutions there. Shelter that can't be found in the normal world can be found there."

He took a sip of water and continued.

"Our world is becoming more and more complicated. Hydra, S.H.I.E.L.D., superheroes, alien threats... ordinary people have no ability to fight back against forces like those. We need a place, a system, that can operate in the shadows and protect those whom the existing system cannot protect."

Su Ying looked at him, the flashlight casting shifting shadows across her face.

"You want to be the founder of that system," she said. It was not a question, but a statement.

"I want to lay the foundation for that system," Lin Xiao corrected. "Once the system is established, it should have a life of its own, its own rules. It should no longer depend on any individual."

"Even you?"

"Especially me."

Su Ying said nothing. She took a bite of compressed ration and chewed slowly. An owl called in the distance, long and low. The night wind passed through the trees, carrying a rustling sound.

"That alien substance," she suddenly said. "What do you think it's connected 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, or perhaps... groundwork laid much earlier."

"Earlier?"

"This world's history is far longer than most people realize," Lin Xiao said, his gaze turning toward the forest shrouded in darkness. "Aliens have come to Earth more than once. Some left traces behind. Some left trouble."

He recalled memories from his previous life—the Chitauri, the Dark Elves, the Kree, the Skrulls... Earth had never been an isolated island. It had always been under the watch of cosmic powers; most people simply did not know it.

And now, some kind of extraterrestrial substance had appeared in A.I.M.'s reagent.

This 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, and our own operational force."

He switched off the flashlight, and darkness instantly swallowed everything.

Only starlight filtered through the gaps in the leaves, scattering faint specks of light.

"Let's head back," he said. "There's still a lot to do tomorrow."

The two got into the Jeep. Its engine started, and its headlights tore through the darkness as it slowly followed the road back.

Three days later, on 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, and the right screen showed a simple chat interface—its background was dark red, with a line of ornate golden lettering at the top: "Continental Hotel · Front Desk."

"Testing communications," Nightingale said into the microphone.

A clear reply came through her headphones. "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, its basement had been cleared out, the walls reinforced, and an independent power system installed—solar panels with diesel generator backup—along with a ventilation system and a simple water purification unit. Weapons, medicine, communications equipment, and backup identity documents were all in place.

"Testing video connection." Nightingale tapped on the keyboard.

A video window popped up on the right screen, showing Wolf's face. Behind him was the basement's concrete wall. The lighting was somewhat dim, but the image was stable and lag-free.

"Video is clear," Wolf said. "How's Grey Falcon's side?"

Another video window appeared, showing 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.

"Everything's normal," Grey Falcon said. "The ventilation system has been calibrated, and the humidity is within acceptable limits. The supply inventory 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, displaying the real-time status of both safe houses—temperature, humidity, power reserves, and network connection status. All data was encrypted and transmitted through independent satellite links.

"The Front Desk system is online," Nightingale said, a hint of accomplishment in her voice. "The Continental Hotel is open for business."

Meanwhile, at the training ground on the base's third level.

Su Ying stood at the edge of the field, watching the rapid response squads training in the center.

Black Bear, Hound, and Lynx each led five team members through high-intensity combat drills. The members wore all-black tactical 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, and footsteps, shouts, and clashing metal intertwined.

Su Ying held a stopwatch in her hand, 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 calls aren't clear!"

The training halted.

The team members panted heavily. Sweat slid down their foreheads, leaving streaks in their camouflage paint. The smoke in the training ground gradually dispersed, revealing their exhausted but focused faces.

"Five-minute break," Su Ying said. "Then start over. This time, I want to see improvement."

The team members scattered to the sidelines for water. Black Bear walked over to Su Ying, removed his helmet, and wiped the sweat from his face with his sleeve.

"Isn't the training intensity too high?" he asked, his voice somewhat hoarse. "Some of them have already been working for eighteen straight hours."

"The Winter Soldier won't wait until you're rested before showing up," Su Ying said calmly. "And Siberia's winter won't grow warmer 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 level of training was nowhere near enough.

Five minutes later, training began again.

This time, the team members moved more smoothly and worked together with greater coordination. Black Bear's squad handled the frontal assault, Hound's squad flanked from the sides, and Lynx's squad 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 the efficiency clearly improved.

Su Ying watched, the corners of her mouth lifting slightly.

Good.

The Continental Hotel's "Bellhops" were growing quickly.

One week later, in Lin Xiao's office.

Anna Koch stood before the desk, holding a thick report. Her eyes were bloodshot; she had clearly stayed up late again. But her expression was grave, 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 struck like a heavy hammer against his heart.

"Substance origin: non-Earth-based (carbon-based biochemistry, but an evolutionary path completely different from Earth life)."

"Estimated function: targeted gene expression guidance/evolutionary catalysis accelerator."

"Risk level: extremely high (may cause unpredictable cross-species genetic contamination)."

Lin Xiao closed the report and looked at Anna.

"Explain," he said.

Anna took a deep breath.

"This substance doesn't seem like a simple catalyst. It's more like... an 'instruction.' Once it enters a living organism, it binds with DNA, but it doesn't destroy it. It 'edits' it. It activates certain dormant gene fragments, suppresses certain active gene fragments, and makes the organism evolve in a particular direction."

She paused, her voice dropping lower.

"And that direction isn't the result of natural selection. It was... designed."

The office fell silent.

Lin Xiao's fingers tapped unconsciously against 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... its technological level is far beyond ours. Far beyond A.I.M., far beyond S.H.I.E.L.D., perhaps even beyond any Earthly or extraterrestrial power we know of."

She walked up to the desk and pointed at a molecular structure diagram in the report.

"Look here, at the spiral angle of the carbon chain. Earth life's DNA is a right-handed helix. That's a fundamental rule of biochemistry. But the structure guided by this substance... is left-handed."

Lin Xiao stared at the image.

A left-handed helix.

Biologically, that was almost impossible. Left-handed amino acids and left-handed sugars were exceedingly rare in Earth's life systems, and most could not be metabolized normally. If an organism's primary structure became left-handed, then its relationship with Earth's ecosystem would no longer 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 living things directly, but it will change them. Turn them into... something else. No longer part of Earth's ecosystem, but some kind of... alien species. And an alien species that has been deliberately designed."

Lin Xiao put down the report and walked to the window.

The simulated window displayed a virtual forest landscape, bright with sunlight, birdsong, and flowers. Everything was so peaceful, so beautiful.

But beneath that beautiful surface, something that did not belong to this world had already quietly seeped in.

Blue reagent. A.I.M. Extraterrestrial matter.

Who, exactly, was manipulating everything behind this?

"Destroy the report," Lin Xiao said without turning around. "Completely erase all data. As for the samples... retain only the minimum amount and seal them 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 up, slicing the paper into tiny fragments that drifted into the collection bin like snowflakes.

"Continue researching the Winter Soldier Program," he said. "That is our most urgent threat right now. The extraterrestrial substance... list it as a long-term monitoring project for the time being."

Anna nodded and turned to leave.

The airtight door closed.

Lin Xiao stood beside the shredder, watching the final 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 monstrous Leviathans. Then the Dark Elves, the Kree, Thanos...

Earth had never been safe.

But now, the threat seemed to have arrived earlier, and more covertly.

Not an army at the gates, not an open invasion.

But a drop of blue reagent, a trace amount of extraterrestrial matter, silently seeping into this world's veins.

Lin Xiao walked to the workstation and pulled up the Continental Hotel's network architecture diagram.

Encrypted communications channels, secret strongholds, rapid response squads.

All of it was still only in its infancy. It was 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.