Facing Jiao Shensan

"Go back to your work."

"I'd like some time alone here."

Jiao Shensan slowly turned around. Though elderly, he had a dignified, upright face.

He looked at everyone present. "Please, do not disturb me for the next half hour."

"Yes, sir."

The young scientific assistants bowed slightly.

The elderly scientists of the Research Society also nodded slowly.

Jiao Shensan commanded immense respect throughout the International Scientific Community. His lifetime of research had yielded some of the most brilliant achievements in China's scientific history, enough to earn the heartfelt admiration of any school of thought and any scientist.

As everyone left,

the vast conference room, spanning a full 1,500 square meters, grew empty.

Outside the windows, the sun over the Experimental Zone was beginning to sink in the west.

Jiao Shensan stood with his back to the floor-to-ceiling windows, his elongated shadow faintly visible on the floor.

Then,

he tapped the floating interface, and more than a dozen security doors outside the conference room closed simultaneously.

Crack!

Crack!

The faint sound of snapping metal came from the ceiling.

The ventilation grille's four retaining bolts were torn off from inside.

The boy poked his head out, followed by his shoulders, then somersaulted down and landed steadily.

His shoulders cracked as the bones slipped back into place. His chest expanded fully, and he moved his arms, lightly clenched his fists, and calmly regarded the old man before him.

The boy had appeared out of nowhere.

And his body had undergone a bizarre transformation.

Yet Jiao Shensan's expression barely changed. He remained calm.

The boy said, "A Research Society aircraft this advanced obviously wouldn't be like something out of those brainless movies. Even the ventilation ducts have countless motion detectors."

"But strangely enough, all those detectors were switched off, just like the security systems along the way."

"Clearly, only a handful of people have that kind of clearance."

"It's even possible that you're the only person who could do all this, Doctor Jiao Shensan."

The boy met the old man's gaze. "You seemed to know I was coming. You even knew exactly how I'd get here."

At that moment,

Jiao Shensan remained just as calm, with even a trace of a smile on his face.

The boy hesitated for a moment as countless thoughts flashed through his mind. "You look like you've just met an old friend. Do I know you?"

Jiao Shensan remained perfectly composed, showing no sign of wanting to trigger an alarm or escape.

He smiled. "My name is Jiao Shensan, and I'm sixty-eight years old. As things stand, you don't know me yet, but I've known you for many years."

The boy's eyes shifted slightly. "Are you a friend of my adoptive parents?"

Jiao Shensan shook his head. "No."

The boy's brow furrowed further. "When I was little, did you... observe me at the orphanage?"

Jiao Shensan shook his head again. "No."

The boy could no longer make sense of the situation before him. He merely shifted his feet slightly, adopting a defensive stance.

Jiao Shensan gazed at the boy and actually smiled. "To be precise, just three hours ago, I still knew nothing about you. In my eyes, you were simply a user surrounded by all sorts of mysterious phenomena. I had only one thought: to find you and study the mysterious phenomena occurring in your body."

"But now,"

"I have gained a profound understanding of you."

"And of myself."

As he spoke, Jiao Shensan tilted his head up slightly. A complicated emotion surfaced on his face, with a faint but perceptible tinge of desolation.

"In that instant, when all those thoughts converged within me,"

"I learned what my mission was."

"And I learned that I would die today."

At those words, the boy narrowed his eyes.

At that very moment,

the aircraft carrying Jiu Zhengxuan and his two companions finally landed at the Research Society's Space Fortress.

Led by a Research Society member, they headed straight for the conference room.

Beep, beep, beep!

Insufficient clearance. Access denied.

The security system flashed red and sounded a warning.

The Research Society member looked puzzled. "What's going on? This is only the S1 Zone. My clearance should be more than enough. Why am I being denied entry?"

Standing behind him, Jiu Zhengxuan frowned slightly.

"Captain Zheng Xuan, please don't worry. There may be a problem with the system. I'll request S3 Clearance right away!"

Forty seconds later,

the security system issued another warning.

Insufficient clearance. Access denied to all clearance levels below S7.

The Research Society member froze. "S7? How is that possible? Doctor Jiao is the only person in the entire base with S7 clearance!"

Jiu Zhengxuan's expression immediately tightened. "Doctor Jiao would never lock himself in. Something must have gone wrong! The killer might have used more advanced technology to breach the base's systems!"

Just then,

the mechanical box on the back of Wei Hu, a member of the Justice Order Squad, rattled. Miniature robotic arms extended from it, carrying various modules, and in an instant encased his arm in a powerful exoskeleton.

Wei Hu's expression was grim. "Captain Zheng Xuan, please step back. I'm going to force the door open!"

"No need."

Jiu Zhengxuan stepped forward with a frown and grabbed the alloy lock. His fingers abruptly clenched, crushing it to pieces.

Then he exerted force with both arms and pulled the heavy metal door sideways, forcing it open.

Everyone else stood momentarily stunned.

Even Wei Hu's mouth twitched in alarm.

By the time they came to their senses, Jiu Zhengxuan was already shooting toward the next security door like an arrow!