I Have A Super USB Drive

by <unknown>

Watson advised when he saw the somber display, "Everybody dies eventually. Besides, don't you have two other sons? Now that they're here, things will get better…"

  "Maybe."

  Watson Jr. responded with a brief nod and made a move with the king chess piece.

  While the father and son were dueling, there were suddenly robust rounds of chatter coming from the entrance of the villa. It was immediately followed by hectic footsteps quickly drawing closer to where the two of them were. They heard the sound of knuckles tapping against the door to the study.

  "Come in!"

  Watson Jr. called out.

  Immediately, an old lady poked her head through the gap of the door. "There's a black man outside who wants to meet Watson."

  "He wants to meet my father?"

  Watson Jr. turned to the old lady and asked suspiciously.

  "Oh, I almost forgot."

  Watson suddenly perked up and checked the time. He tapped his head clumsily and chuckled. "It's been so long since I got into a working routine. Someone phoned me yesterday and told me that I'm supposed to start heading a project from today on."

  "Is that true? Congratulations, Dad."

  Watson Jr. was delighted to hear this. It had to be the decision of the upper management of Blacklight Biotechnology to have Watson lead a project. This was a sign that they were confident in Watson's abilities. Regardless of the politics behind it, this could only be a good thing for the Watson family.

  The two of them shared a warm embrace before Watson turned to the old lady waiting for further orders at the door. "Quickly escort him inside, tell them that I'll be right there after I change."

  After approximately ten minutes, Watson adjusted his bionic eyes properly before stepping out with Watson Jr. They immediately saw a man in a suit seated on a sofa in the living room.

  "Mr. James Watson, good to see you!"

  Upon meeting Watson, the black man immediately got up and shook Watson's hands enthusiastically. He proceeded to produce an identification card. "I'm Tom, the deputy director of Blackwatch Research Institute. It's a pleasure to meet you."

  "It's a pleasure to meet you as well."

  Watson accepted the handshake. "Are you here to formally induct me?"

  "Yes, I have a very special project to assign to you."

  Tom noted passionately. "It's a very, very, very cool project. Well… Strictly speaking, it's not me assigning this to you, it's the orders of the upper management. It's clear to me that they hold you in high esteem. We can discuss the particulars on our way there."

  "Alright."

  Watson turned to the others. "I won't be having lunch at home today." He then proceeded to leave the villa with this man named Tom.

  There was already a vehicle parked outside the villa waiting for the two of them. After they entered, Tom drove them to the city center.

  "Is there any more information? I'd like to know what this project assigned to me entails."

  Watson asked in an attempt to break the ice, "Especially considering that it has been several decades since I conducted any research, I'm not even confident if I can step up to this task."

  "I'm sure you'll regain your form very quickly."

  Tom answered, slightly distracted, "Actually, even I'm not sure what sector the research you're in charge of belongs to. I'm only tasked with bringing you to the place, I'm not informed of the other details."

  "Hm? What do you mean?"

  Watson was startled by this. "Aren't you the deputy director of the research center?"

  "That's just the title the company has given me."

  Tom shrugged nonchalantly. "My actual position is what you'd describe to be the 'inductor' of God Forbidden Zone's Research Institute. I'm in charge of bringing in newly recruited research members to the 'Spire' for their first time."

  Watson's confusion was slowly growing, he fixed his gaze on the driver, Tom. "What God's Forbidden Zone? What's this about a spire?"

  "Uh, there's a lot to go into and I don't usually go through the effort of explaining. You'll understand everything soon enough."

  Tom replied, "But since we have nothing better to do, let me give you a brief introduction.

  "God's Forbidden Zone is a private, confidential organization backed by dozens of financial groups.

  "This organization is hidden from the public view, its primary agenda is to extend the human lifespan. This comes in the form of technologies such as brain restoration technology and age-reversal treatment that you've gone through yourself. The recently launched cancer-targeted drugs is one of the many technologies developed by God's Forbidden Zone as well."

  "So, you're saying that the corporation Blacklight Biotechnology is essentially a cover for God's Forbidden Zone?"

  Watson was baffled to hear this.

  "No, it'd be more accurate to say that Blacklight Biotechnology is a corporation under the wing of God's Forbidden Zone."

  Tom laughed. "Stunning, isn't it? Does it feel like opening a window to a brand new world?"

  "If what you're saying is true, then that's indeed a shocking relegation."

  Watson noted solemnly. "In other words, would you say that it's even more prestigious than the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory that I was once a director of?"

  "How can Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory even compare anyway? How many projects do they have ongoing? How many funds are involved?"

  Tom curled his lips in disdain. "The 'Spire' you're about to head to is the rightful world-class laboratory. There are more than thirty ongoing projects, the capital ranges into tens of billions of dollars. There's not a single laboratory in this world that can match its scale…"

  "That many?"

  Watson could not believe what he was hearing. "How come I've never heard of a laboratory of such massive scale? If it's a secret laboratory, where does it obtain the necessary funding?"

  Upon noting his passenger's baffled expression, Tom's smile only grew wider as he relished in the situation. "You're about to find out…"

  Shortly after that, Tom brought them to the city center and parked at the largest commercial center in Eco Science City — Blacklight Plaza.

  "Alright, please come with me, Mr. Watson."

  Tom was the first to exit the vehicle. He then led Watson to the elevator.

  Watson followed after, still slightly suspicious.

  Upon entering the elevator, Tom ignored the row of buttons beside him. Instead, he looked up and stared into the surveillance camera.

  Soon after, there was a digitally generated voice of a female. "Identity verified — C1-grade administrative staff Tom Edward, mission confirmation — escorting James Watson into A001 Spire Experimental Base, commencing transportation."

  The elevator began to move with a rumble following the brief announcement.

  To Watson's surprise, the elevator started to move downward instead of upward!

  After what seemed like ten seconds, the elevator came to a stop again. The door opened to reveal a well-illuminated subway station.

  The subway station took up a fair amount of space. The reason Watson identified it as a subway station was because he saw two trams parked on the track with the Blacklight Biotechnology logo printed in the front. On the platform, he saw two men in black uniforms, holding a strange firearm that he could not recognize. They stood upright, unmoving.

  "This place is…"

  The bewilderment in Watson's eyes was growing wider. He looked at the large subway station and noted the piles of supplies stacked by the platform. He had a hard time describing what he was seeing.

  Again, it was Tom taking the lead. He opened the door to one of the trams and made an inviting gesture at Watson's direction. "Mr. Watson, don't stand there all day, we have work to do."

  Watson stuttered a little before stepping onto the tram.

  The interior of the tram was generously spacious. There were three rows of luxurious seating enough to fit ten passengers. There was no pilot cabin since it was an automat
ed tram.

  At the head of the tram was a giant LCD monitor. It started playing a video the moment the two of them entered.

  Watson stumbled into a random seat, still confused, while Tom beside him was extremely familiar with the procedures. He immediately went to the end of the tram and found two disposable cups beside a beverage machine before turning to ask, "Do you want Coke or Sprite or coffee, Fanta?"

  "A cup of hot coffee please, thank you."

  Watson replied. After that, he felt the tram jolt, signaling that it was starting to move.

  The tram proceeded to head into the pitch-black tunnel.

  The logo of Blacklight Biotechnology was printed on the disposable cup that Watson was holding. He immediately downed two large gulps and forced the steaming hot coffee down his throat to recover his composure. He glanced to his side and noticed there were no windows on the side of the tram. It was just the logo of Blacklight.

  The tram was completely enclosed.

  "There's nothing to be concerned about, buddy."

  Tom patted Watson on the shoulder like they were close acquaintances. "I know this is crazy but believe me, you're going to like what you see. Our goal is to construct the holy grounds of biological science in the first place."

  "Alright… I mean, understood…"

  Watson cracked a bitter smile. "Are we going to a national secret laboratory?"

  "No, it doesn't have anything to do with any nations. This is just a laboratory exclusively owned by God's Forbidden Zone."

  Tom laughed out loud as he said this. It was clear as day that he enjoyed watching the nervous and puzzled reactions of the people he led into the Spire.

  They continued along the tedious journey. Watson exited the tram and entered the elevator that brought him further underground. Then, he passed through the glass corridor and the three nuclear bunker gates at the end. At last, Tom had brought Watson into the Spire Experimental Base.

  The person that greeted them upon their entrance was someone that caught even Tom completely off guard.

  Tom's eyes were widened into two large orbs when he saw the raven-haired young man wielding a piercing expression. "I can't believe it's you, Sir Chen Chen!"

  Chen Chen nodded subtly and smiled. "Thank you for your work. Your job is done here, you can leave now."

  "Understood."

  Tom left it at that and quickly returned to where he came from.

  Watson was left by himself.

  "Mr. Watson, long time no see."

  After Tom's departure, Chen Chen turned to Watson who seemed to be at a loss for words. "You seem to have recovered quite well.

  "If my memory serves me correctly, this should be our first time meeting."

  Watson quizzed, "Unless I lost a portion of memory due to my brain trauma?"

  "No, this is certainly the first time you've met me, but it's not the first time I've met you."

  Chen Chen made a gracious gesture to usher Tom in. "Your reputation certainly precedes you. When you were in a coma, I visited several times as well. So… Allow me to bring you on a tour around here…"

  "I wouldn't dare, I'd hate to occupy your time."

  Watson declined Chen Chen's offer and remarked rigidly, "If I'm not mistaken, the name of the founder of Blackwatch should be Chen Chen. I wouldn't dare to cut into your schedule so let's just cut into the main topic. I'd like to know what sort of project you're planning to put me in charge of. I'm more interested in the work that I'll be conducting soon as opposed to touring the laboratory."

  "I wouldn't have it any other way."

  Chen Chen smiled as he pointed at a giant building shaped like a Mayan Pyramid further in front. "Then let's head straight for the Spire laboratory. You'll be spending the majority of your time here in that place."

  With that, the two men went to the Spire laboratory.

  "The reason I selected you to head this project is that you're one of the most elite biological researchers in the Earth Federation. I can't imagine anybody else that can step up to this task other than you."

  Chen Chen said as he led Watson to a tightly enclosed gate on the top floor of the Spire Experimental Base. There were countless warning labels printed on the gate, one of the labels was especially intriguing to Watson.

  "Level-5 Biosafety?"

  Watson was taken aback by this and asked, "Isn't the highest graded bio protection laboratory in the Earth Federation set at level four? Why does this read level five?"

  "That's because what's housed here are all the deadliest filoviruses in existence. There are several mutations of them, some of them are capable of destroying the world in a matter of months while some revolutionize mankind's understanding. This shall be the project that you'll be commanding over.

  "The name of this virus is… G-virus."

  Chapter 430: Mutual Cessation of Sanctions Agreement |

  Watson did not know anything about the G-virus. All he knew was that this laboratory was completely sectioned off. It was divided into sections including a changing section, filtration section, buffer section, disinfection section, central section, and such. One had to go through ten different gates before entering the innermost central section.

  By the time the two entered the central area wearing positive pressure protective suits, half an hour had passed. Such advanced security protocol was something that even the well-experienced Watson was impressed by.

  The two of them arrived at the second floor of the central section. The second floor was essentially the main control room. There were dozens of buttons on the panels and even more semi-transparent monitors lined along the walls. The walls were floor-length glass panels that provided unobstructed vision into the laboratory section right below.

  At this moment, there were already several research members charting statistics in front of various machines. These researchers were talented individuals Chen Chen had employed at a steep price from all over the world. He had filtered through a lot of potential recruits before inducting this group into God's Forbidden Zone and bringing them here.

  Although they saw Chen Chen arriving, none of them made a point of welcoming him ceremoniously but instead continued focusing on their respective tasks.

  Watson approached the observation deck and looked over the main hall that was the laboratory. One of the first things he immediately noticed were several armed soldiers also dressed in protective suits stationed at the corners.

  Apart from that, he saw dozens of busy researchers.

  Watson silently bemused at the sheer size of this laboratory. He soon found his attention grabbed by a row of isolation rooms on the first floor.

  These isolation rooms were arranged like prison cells, lined along the walls on the opposite end of where he stood. Through the viewing glass, he could see strange, undistinguishable creatures trapped inside them.

  What in the world were they…

  Watson immediately became perplexed. He rubbed his eyes to check if his eyes were deceiving him. In the first isolation room, he saw a creature that resembled a chimpanzee. Unlike regular chimpanzees, this particular chimpanzee had tentacles-like arms and spikes lined along its spine. The only feature that was reminiscent of a chimpanzee was its head.

  The monstrosity was leaned against the window of the isolation room, continuously squirming up and down, pasting its sticky goo all over the window.

  Inside the next quarantine room was an even stranger creature that was a mass of slime, like a real-life rendition of the slime monster. What stood out was the countless round substances of various sizes all over its body. They would sink and float along its slimy surfaces, vanishing and appearing at irregular intervals while occasionally moving.

  Upon closer inspection, Watson noticed that these round objects all over its body were eyeballs. They were the many eyes of this slime monster!

  Inside the third and fourth isolation rooms were monsters of comparable aesthetic. One still had some bare resemblance of a chimpanzee while the other was imp
ossible to identify.

  Upon seeing this, Watson quickly turned to Chen Chen and broke the question that had been brewing in his mind. "What are these creatures? Are they products of genetic synthesis or alien life?"

  "Would you believe me if I told you that they are the product of G-virus infection?"

  Instead of answering, Chen Chen asked.

  Watson immediately became silent. He had a hard time deciding whether he could believe that or not.

  Naturally, this person would not go through all this effort just to deceive him. However, the biological knowledge that he had accumulated over his lifetime told him that something like this should not be possible.

  It was true that viruses could alter the DNA structure of living beings but these changes should be subtle and almost unnoticeable. It would take years on top of years before substantial changes could be noticed. What he was looking at here could only be described as abominations that came from the underworld.

  "That's the truth."

  Chen Chen smiled and waved his hand to summon a semi-transparent display right beside him. With a gentle swipe, the wall of text on the display scrolled on its own.

  "This is…"

  Watson was astounded by this. He quickly registered that this wondrous display must be the reveled HP3D holographic device.

  Upon making this connection, he turned to the array of semi-transparent displays lined along the walls and realized that they were holographic displays as well. He originally thought they were some sort of modern monitors.

  His mind quickly shifted away from these irrelevant details as the wall of text on the display called for his attention.

  "This is…"

  Watson found himself enchanted by what he was seeing. After he had finished the current page, he instinctively lifted a finger and swiped. The display started to scroll on its own to the next page like he was reading an ebook.

  They were the documented details of the past and present rendition of the G-virus, which included the genetic sequences and various experiment reports.

  According to the presented data, the so-called G-virus was a mutated variant of the Ebola virus and Blacklight virus. It was catalyzed using a special polymer compound to produce a super virus.