From the Abyss of Stars

100. Beautiful Wishes (Part 1)

 

No matter how much Du Zexin denied it, reaching his position as a male undoubtedly made him a second-generation official.

 

His arrival surprised Doctor Anna, because unless it was something very important, relatives of these officials would not personally leave the political center of Twin Star City.

 

More importantly, he called her 'professor.'

 

She hadn't mentioned the professor's death, but Frost-Plated not only knew about it, but also specifically sent Du Zexin to convey their congratulations on her new position.

 

She speculated that this was Frost-Plated's way of sending a message:

 

We only need an Abyss Humanitarian that can continue the research; who leads Abyss Humanitarian is not important.

 

Her heart tightened and then relaxed.

 

The tension came from knowing that her accidental killing of the professor was known by Frost-Plated's rulers, indicating that Abyss Humanitarian was not private or secure, and someone might already be the president's eyes watching her.

 

But this wasn't worth fearing; the company and enterprises always had to follow the government's orders.

 

On the contrary, Frost-Plated's attitude indicated their recognition of Abyss Humanitarian. They didn't care about internal power struggles, as long as research results were provided, Frost-Plated would continue their support.

 

'Do you see, professor? This is the real world. You were immersed in the world of science for too long and forgot that people live in reality!'

 

Anna's thoughts churned:

 

'You took the wrong path, professor. Abyss Humanitarian can only continue in my hands. Since we've already used so many human lives for experiments, why can't we push the boundary a little further?'

 

'Although science is people-oriented, some sciences need capital more.'

 

'I will prove all of this. Without the Calamity theory, the commercialization path of Abyss Humanitarian will be smoother. Frost-Plated needs not humanity but Abyss Humanitarian.'

 

The goal the professor could never achieve in his lifetime—developing Abyss Humanitarian into a large-scale organization—would be easily achieved under her leadership.

 

Du Zexin handed Anna a list, then turned and walked into the armored train. Only then did Anna notice how terrifying this armored beast was.

 

Thick alloy panels protected the train tightly, each carriage had six autonomous cannons, and the front bore a red emblem of crossed hammer and wrench, symbolizing the Metro Brotherhood's reverence for technology and industry.

 

This was an armored beast marked with numerous traces of the old era, trailing a 480mm train gun, fierce and brutal, capable of evoking innate fear of war in any ordinary person.

 

Before Du Zexin boarded, a man and a woman descended from the train. They wore thick leather jackets and mechanical exoskeletons, their cold appearances and pale skin indicating their origin from the outer regions.

 

The man, the train driver, had a face like dark clouds, puffing a pipe, looked at Du Zexin coldly and said:

 

"Frost-Plated people, you have 20 minutes. Not a second more."

 

"Mr. Zhou Liefeng, didn't we agree on 50 minutes earlier?" Du Zexin frowned.

 

"50 minutes was for normal transport, not for Abyss Humanitarian." Zhou Liefeng sneered, "If it weren't for the Brotherhood's cooperation agreement with you, you wouldn't even be qualified to step on this train."

 

"Since that's the case, shouldn't you honor the contract spirit..." Du Zexin's face darkened. It was obvious they were deliberately making things difficult.

 

The materials brought by Law III were enormous; 20 minutes was far from enough to unload. To him, it seemed the Metro Brotherhood didn't want them to finish unloading at all.

 

"No, no, you're wrong, sir. The contract states we bring you here, but we have the right to decide if we should bring you back safely if we encounter danger."

 

The female member of the Metro Brotherhood said with a smile:

 

"I'm telling you now: there will be mutant beasts attacking the subway tracks later. For your safety, 20 minutes to unload is the limit."

 

"Serlia is right. This is for your safety." Zhou Liefeng squinted, adding mockingly.

 

Du Zexin was helpless.

 

If it were other organizations, with Frost-Plated's size, they would just crush through— but not with the Metro Brotherhood.

 

As the largest of the three major rogue organizations in the outer regions, with the most members and covering a vast area, their mobilization and transport capabilities were very impressive.

 

Frost-Plated, unlike Red Arrow and Zhengxu, had mediocre infrastructure. To quickly penetrate the outer regions, they had to rely on the Metro Brotherhood's transport capabilities.

 

This was a long-term project, and Frost-Plated wouldn't fall out with the Metro Brotherhood over this small matter.

 

"I'll report this truthfully." He could only say this.

 

"19 minutes," Zhou Liefeng said leisurely.

 

"You're going too far."

 

"18 minutes," Serlia laughed, "What did you just say?"

 

Du Zexin turned and started directing people to move the materials.

 

Anna watched this scene.

 

'It seems this Frost-Plated second-generation official is nothing special.' Anna thought, 'He looks too young, inexperienced in dealing with people, can be drawn in.'

 

Abyss Humanitarian, under her leadership, was to move towards commercialization. Therefore, having some connections in the capital was beneficial. Any slight disturbance, and she could be informed in time.

 

Having made up her mind, Anna approached Du Zexin, unconsciously showing a smile identical to the professor's:

 

"Is this your first time in the outer regions?"

 

Du Zexin didn't respond to her.

 

Anna wasn't annoyed, glanced at the list and tablet, and casually brought up:

 

"Abyss Humanitarian doesn't have a good reputation among the outer regions' people. They have many misunderstandings about our work."

 

Du Zexin glanced at her, his eyes momentarily filled with a 'are you serious?' look. If it weren't for his training, he would have laughed out loud.

 

Saying the outer regions' people misunderstood Abyss Humanitarian's 'work' was like a capitalist crying poverty, a bit self-deceiving.

 

"You can fool us, but don't fool yourself."

 

Du Zexin said casually:

 

"Your existence here is because Frost-Plated recognizes Abyss Humanitarian. Don't waste taxpayers' hard-earned money."

 

"Rest assured." Anna smiled, "The professor focused most of his efforts on the Calamity Virus theory, which added a burden to Frost-Plated's people. I can assure you and the Frost-Plated Republic behind you: Abyss Humanitarian's experiments will enhance Frost-Plated people's sense of security. And the greatest security comes from strength."

 

"I hope so." Du Zexin said flatly.

 

Anna's words suddenly sparked his interest.

 

Although Frost-Plated knew Abyss Humanitarian conducted some unspeakable experiments, as it was under the guise of humanitarianism, they could only apply military-grade Calamity Armaments and psionic communication in practice.

 

What else?

 

Du Zexin's curiosity was understandable—after all, the materials and manpower he transported, just the various drugs alone weighed five tons, enough to support a local warlord.

 

Anyone who had been to a research institution knew that projects could easily become a way for academics to embezzle funds and enrich themselves.

 

But Abyss Humanitarian was different.

 

Professor Anna only wanted materials, firearms, drugs, equipment, and manpower, without mentioning money at all.

 

Even in Frost-Plated, such sincere research institutions were rare.

 

If it were only these two secret weapons, the women in high places in Frost-Plated wouldn't be so determined to pay such a high price to support a research institution.

 

'Is this woman hiding some research projects? Or do the bigwigs value Abyss Humanitarian for other reasons?'

 

Du Zexin was a political novice, but he had indeed worked his way up from the grassroots, quickly sensing something unusual about Abyss Humanitarian.

 

While Anna was still figuring out how to build a relationship, Du Zexin suddenly said:

 

"Time is tight. I want to take a brief tour of Abyss Humanitarian's environment. Is that convenient?"

 

"Well..."

 

Anna glanced at the tablet. In the surveillance footage, Li Aozi and his team had already reached the third underground level, starting to search for the entrance to the subway station.

 

That woman, Zexi, was really useless—Anna thought with a tsk, also puzzled—how was Li Aozi so powerful?

 

Just as Du Zexin asked, Anna's mind shifted, deliberately asking:

 

"May I ask—what tier are you?"

 

Du Zexin glanced at her, his gaze cold.

 

"Abyss Humanitarian is lacking in combat power," Anna explained, "If you suddenly release your aura without warning, I'm afraid you might scare the nurses. It's best to give a heads-up..."

 

Anna had a point. Superhumans usually didn't hide their strength, but hiding it would cause more trouble.

 

Generally, Alpha tier (α, the first Greek letter) and above superhumans would notify when interacting with ordinary people.

 

"I'm a Beta tier 【Mechanic】 (β, the second Greek letter)." Du Zexin said flatly, "Is that sufficient?"