by <unknown>
At this moment, Chen Chen lowered his head and looked stoically at the brightly lit city under his feet.
Besides being the second-ranked city in Northern America, Los Angeles was famous for another reason — it was the place where Hollywood was located.
Since 1911, after the first film company was established in Los Angeles, the city had quickly become the world's center for film and television, and it had also become a cultural export center in Northern America. The name Hollywood had attracted the attention of billions of people and guided the general direction of movie entertainment globally.
This was Chen Chen's second time coming to this city.
The last time he came here, it was also for something film related. As he was sharp enough to notice that the movie Deadly Crisis: A Shocking Scheme had a strange causal connection with reality, he came to Hollywood specifically to investigate the director and crew who shot the film.
The investigation results naturally did not tell him much. This movie did not show any signs of being meddled in by mysterious forces.
Thus, Chen Chen came to a judgment at the time: some movies shot on the USB flash drive were likely to affect reality!
However, now that three years had passed, the original judgment had come true. Although the physical appearance of the characters in that movie was not the same as in reality, everything else was the same as the movie's plot, whether in terms of name or other details as if the story of the movie was being faithfully reproduced.
Even at this time, Chen Chen had received a report that the young man named Keith had created AD-001 in his research and was now being ordered by Professor Irwin to secretly deliver the medicine to the founder of Osmond Biotech.
Chen Chen had obtained AD-001 as early as three years ago. Although the drug had not been disclosed to the public so far, it was already well known in God's Forbidden Zone. More than a dozen family members of the Disciple Council who had been suffering from Alzheimer's disease had even been treated and were 100% cured.
Now that this drug had been "produced" by others who would claim it as their own, of course, Chen Chen would not agree to this.
Not only Chen Chen would not agree but even the other Disciples' families also would not agree.
At this time, Chen Chen had arrived at the headquarters of Osmond Biotech. This was a dilapidated office building with a history of at least 20 years. This building was also close to the suburbs and it was now nighttime, so the surroundings looked a little desolate.
Chen Chen landed in a free fall from a high altitude, but when he was about to reach the ground, his speed dropped suddenly. His entire body spun around, going from an upside-down position to an upright one. Then, he settled firmly on the rooftop of the office building.
All this time, no one saw this amazing scene.
A place like a rooftop was naturally deserted at usual times, not to mention that it was now late at night. Even so, Chen Chen saw that the bellows of several central air conditioners on the rooftop were still buzzing.
According to the positioning information given by Little X, Parker, the founder of Osmond, was now in his office.
Thus, Chen Chen walked directly to the stairwell on the roof and looked at the battered iron gate in front of him. Chen Chen sneered and pushed the door directly as he went in.
"Creak —!"
At once, the iron gate that had not been opened for a long time made a loud rubbing squeak as Chen Chen directly pushed it open.
When he walked down from the rooftop, Chen Chen saw that he was in a long and narrow corridor and there were offices on both sides of the corridor. Other than that, there was nothing worthy of attention.
In the row of offices on the right side of the corridor, the first one was what Chen Chen was looking for. He saw the words "Chairman and General Manager's Office" on the signboard of the office.
Yes, Parker was not only the founder of Osmond Biotech but also the chairman of the board of directors and the general manager of the company.
To be able to continuously raise funds for a small biotechnology company until it reached its current size — although this could not be compared to a behemoth like Blacklight Biotechnology, it was already impressive. Parker must be quite talented.
Thinking of this, Chen Chen walked to the door and directly opened the wooden door of the office.
"What's the matter, didn't I tell you? You can solve this kind of thing by yourself!"
As the door was completely opened, Chen Chen heard a male voice coming from inside and Chen Chen's eyes took in the scene in the office at the same time.
This office was not big although it seemed to have been formed by knocking down a wall and combining two offices into one. Still, the interior decoration was more tastefully chosen, composed of black and white. Whether it was the floor or the wall, the surfaces were all black and white, which created a unique sensation when one was standing in the space.
Opposite the door was a large mahogany writing desk. Opposite the writing desk was Parker whom Chen Chen was looking for. This was a middle-aged man with a special face. He seemed to be of part-Germanic lineage with a slim face, large bones, black hair, and brown eyes, with eyebrows parallel to his piercing eyes.
As Chen Chen opened the door and entered, the middle-aged man at the mahogany writing desk raised his head impatiently. He was just about to lose his temper, but he was taken aback when he saw Chen Chen.
"Who are you, where's Michelle?"
"Do you mean your secretary?"
Chen Chen walked into the office as if he was familiar with the place. He looked around and said casually, "I didn't see her at the door, maybe she's already got off work."
"Got off work?"
The middle-aged man became even more puzzled. He looked at Chen Chen suspiciously and asked again, "Then who are you and why are you here?"
"Me?"
Chen Chen could not help but grin. He pulled up a chair from the side and sat opposite the middle-aged man. At the same time, he smiled nastily. "I'm the boss of this company."
"What sort of joke is this?"
The middle-aged man became furious. He picked up the phone next to him and yelled into the receiver, "Where are the security guards, what have they been doing? There's an outsider in my office! Come over now!"
After a woman's voice replied on the phone, the middle-aged man hung up huffily. He solemnly looked at Chen Chen. "I don't know how you got here, but before the security guards toss you out on the street, you have half a minute to get out of my office, right now!"
"Why bother?"
Chen Chen did not feel disgruntled just because of the other party's words. At this time, he said leisurely, "Mr. Parker, don't get so worked up. There's no exaggeration in what I said before. Now, let me formally introduce myself. My name is Chen Chen. You should've heard of me."
"I don't want to know who you are…"
The middle-aged man snorted coldly but before he finished speaking, he suddenly stopped and widened his eyes in an incredulous expression. "What, who did you say you are?"
Chen Chen did not answer. Instead, he spread his hands and said casually, "I know you have heard me. I don't have to state my identity again. Mr. Parker, I'm here to make a deal with you."
As he spoke, Chen Chen suddenly leaned forward and said in a low voice, "I want the remaining shares of Osmond owned by you as well as the management rights of your company!"
"Impossible!"
The middle-aged man immediately refused without thinking about it. At this time, there was already the sound of running footsteps approaching outside the door and it seemed that several people were coming here quickly.
After hearing this noise, the middle-aged man seemed to feel more secure and his voice became calmer. "I will not sell the shares in my hands, let alone transfer the management rights of the company I created to another person. I don't want to know who you are, just leave now immediately, otherwise, I'll ask security to carry you out!"
>
After Parker's speech, the sound of footsteps had reached the door and at the same time, five strong men in suits rushed in.
"Get him out of here!"
Seeing the security guards who had arrived, Parker looked a little delighted and ordered at the same time.
"I'm afraid it won't be as you wish…"
Chen Chen's eyes gleamed with a flicker of mock regret. He snapped his fingers casually and in the next second, the five security guards who had just entered felt a stab of pain in the back of their heads as if someone had hit them hard in the back. After that, their eyes rolled over at the same time and they collapsed to the ground in unison!
This was the use of Field energy. Now that Chen Chen was able to rely on the power of Field to break through the sound barrier, the simple trick of knocking people out was even simpler.
Even so, to Parker, it was as if the young man in front of him had mastered some mysterious power. Chen Chen had just snapped his fingers and caused five people to fall to the ground at the same time!
Seeing this eerie scene, Parker could not help but gasp sharply. He could not sit still anymore and stood up with horror on his face while quickly backing away until he reached the window.
"There's no point in escaping."
Chen Chen leaned back in his chair and continued to persuade Parker unhurriedly. "The reason you're unwilling to be acquired by me is that you've received news from Professor Irwin, right? That AD-001 was successfully developed?"
"You…" Hearing this, Parker felt as if he had been struck by a thunderbolt. He looked at Chen Chen in shock. "How could you possibly know this!"
"Of course, I'd know."
Chen Chen waved his hand and said with a chuckle, "Not only do I know this but I also know that to prevent the newly developed AD-001 from falling into our hands, Professor Irwin specially ordered Keith to travel by road to cross 2,600 kilometers and deliver the drug to you personally. Are you imagining the endless flow of cash that will come pouring into your pockets?"
Parker opened his mouth when he heard the words and fell silent again.
Only this time, as Chen Chen exposed his secret, his original arrogant expression had wilted significantly.
"Why don't you listen to my offer?"
Seeing that Parker did not respond, Chen Chen said directly, "I'm willing to buy all the shares in your hands at a price of one billion U.S.D. This price isn't low. After all, after several rounds of financing, you only own 11% of the original shares."
Chapter 470: Hidden Mastermind |
Blacklight Biotechnology currently owned 50% of Osmond's shares and now it had increased by 11%, bringing it to 66%. As the legal owner of Blacklight Biotechnology, Chen Chen also naturally became the big boss of Osmond in the eyes of the law.
In one night, the entire company had entered a new dynasty but the employees of the company had been kept in the dark. Only Parker, after being forced to agree to all this, was slumped in his seat, his expression clearly more aged and strained.
Although he got the money, he had lost the future. His belief that was once full of ambitions to make the company bigger and stronger collapsed instantly. At this moment, Parker only felt that his heart was empty and it seemed that he was missing something.
After persuading the other party, Chen Chen did not stay on. Although Parker was pretty good at his job and Chen Chen had considered roping him in as a manager of a Blacklight Biotechnology branch office, Chen Chen still discarded this idea after thinking about it.
If he roped in Parker, this man would gradually wonder where Blacklight Biotechnology's AD-001 came from and even discover that accursed movie. If he had a fertile imagination, he might even speculate that Chen Chen had some kind of method to foresee the future.
Moreover, Parker himself was not meant for the same path as Chen Chen.
Therefore, Chen Chen finally gave up on this notion.
After Chen Chen turned to leave the office and returned to the rooftop, he stood on the edge of the building and silently stared into the distance.
Everything was in place. Following this, he just had to wait for Keith to come into the story.
However, just when Chen Chen thought that everything was under control, Little X suddenly piped up in a somewhat anxious voice. "Oh no, Sir Godfather, something had happened in the Earth Federation Quantum Deity Laboratory!"
Chen Chen raised his eyes when he heard the words. "What's the matter?"
"After I sent a prediction request to the quantum computer 'Adam', it took only half an hour to automatically generate a video but after I watched this video, it felt both familiar and unfamiliar!"
Little X's voice was uncertain. "I've only felt something like this when it comes to memes!"
Chen Chen was shocked when he heard these words. He stood up straight. "You mean, 'Adam' created a meme by himself?"
"It's not that!"
However, Little X explained, "I analyzed the code of the video itself and didn't find anything related to memes. That is to say, the video isn't problematic. The real problem isn't the video itself but the content in the video!"
At this, Little X hesitated. "I'm familiar with the coding of memes. From this video, I've got a feeling similar to 'This Man', which means that this video is likely to be highly infectious. But I'm not sure for the time being how many ways the content of this video can spread and what will be the means of transmission…"
Chen Chen immediately grasped that the transmission of memes was ever-changing and not necessarily limited to one type. Although it was a video, meaning that it was certain that the transmission mode was visual communication, it did not mean that transmission would not occur if language was used to describe its content.
Still, at this point, Chen Chen suddenly looked in a certain direction in Los Angeles, which was the direction of the Herrank Warehouse District that Little X had mentioned in her previous report.
If the quantum computer predicted that it was a meme, did it mean that there was a memetic effect happening in the Herrank Warehouse District and those who had died by having their necks twisted were all killed by the meme?
However, everything related to memes was deadlocked in the Spire, so how could it appear outside here and in the strongest continent, Northern America, at that?
"What's the content of the video, can you describe it?"
Chen Chen asked urgently.
"I dare not describe the specific content for the time being, but one thing I can say is that the main subject in the video is a statue, an… Angel statue covering its eyes…"
"An angel statue covering its eyes?"
Chen Chen muttered in puzzlement and then he seemed to have thought of something. He jerked up, showing a shocked expression. "It's that angel pattern!"
At this moment, Chen Chen suddenly remembered that when he went to China's Jiao Tong University for an investigation, he had been ambushed with an iron bed that seemed to have originated from the dimension of Silent Hill, which had almost killed him.
Although that ambush was ultimately foiled by fate, as the iron bed's meme was unintentionally deciphered by a college student, an error still occurred after Chen Chen had transported the iron bed back to Namibia.
During the memetic detection experiment, Chen Chen not only failed to discern the iron bed's function but instead caused a mural to appear next to the iron bed.
That was a mural painted in blood — on it was a woman curled up with her eyes covered and on the woman's back, there was a pair of wings…
At that time, Chen Chen did not see the whole picture, only a part of it, but fortunately, that was the case. Once he saw the meme pattern completely, it was likely that he would be infected. Even if he died, he would not know what he died of.
At this time, following Little X's reminder, Chen Chen immediately thought of something and he quickly asked, "Didn't four Black Knights look directly at the meme before? How were they destroyed in the end?"
"I sent them to the
steel mill."
Little X seemed to understand what he was driving at and she quickly said, "It can't be. After the chips were dug out of the four Black Knights, their bodies were all dissolved in the molten steel."
"Dissolved?"
Chen Chen could not help looking suspicious. If they had been destroyed, why did the meme appear in Los Angeles again? Was it just a coincidence?
Even so, in the next second, Chen Chen dismissed the idea and asked again, "Are you sure? Then what of the pot containing the molten steel that dissolved the bodies of the four Black Knights, where did it go?"
"I'll look it up now."
Little X replied, paused for a few seconds, and then said again, "Sir Godfather, your guess isn't wrong because I found that after the pot of molten steel had dissolved those four, it was cast as building materials and sold to Northern America. What's more, the buyer is a construction company in Los Angeles…"
Hearing this, Chen Chen and Little X understood everything in a flash.
"As I thought."
Chen Chen stared solemnly at the dark night ahead. In the suburbs of Los Angeles, there was an area full of warehouses, none other than the famous Herrank Warehouse District. "This batch of building materials was mixed up with the memetic effect. It was transported to Los Angeles along with the rest of the building materials. Then, when the materials were temporarily stacked in the Herrank Warehouse District, it broke out because certain conditions were met…"
"What a tricky meme."
Little X's tone was a bit distressed. "I didn't expect that even after the bodies that might be infected with the meme had been destroyed, it can still spread. This memetic effect is too terrifying. In this case, I'm afraid that the Quantum Deity Laboratory is a goner…"
"You mean, in the Quantum Deity Laboratory, this video has been leaked?"
Chen Chen took a deep breath and only felt his scalp turn numb. He could not imagine what would happen if this meme appeared in reality…
"Yes, after all, 'Adam' itself is over there with them. I can't prevent them from getting the answer. At most, I can only choose to encrypt the information, but…"
