The whole nation: You're put to survive on a desolate planet, you'll be running an alien b

The elevator doors slid open slowly to both sides, and a blast of cool air rushed in, instantly dispelling the lingering heat inside the car. The corridor in front of me was wide and bright, with the floor paved with a milky white composite material that was so smooth it reflected your image, and you could barely hear your footsteps.

"Mr. Li, welcome to Tianqi Bio's sanatorium."

A gentle, middle-aged male voice broke the silence.

Approaching us was a man in his forties, dressed in a well-tailored dark gray suit. His hair was neatly combed, and he wore an impeccable professional smile. He didn't look like the person in charge of a mysterious biotechnology park; he seemed more like the manager of a high-end golf club.

This person was none other than Director Wang.

Li Haotian remained calm, carrying the specially made alloy cage in one hand. The cage was covered with a black cloth, from which heavy breathing could be faintly heard. Su Wan followed two steps behind him, dressed as a shrewd and capable female secretary. She wore non-prescription glasses and held a folder in her hand, calmly observing her surroundings.

"I've heard so much about you, Director Wang." Li Haotian nodded slightly, his tone neither warm nor cold.

Director Wang strode forward, extended his hands, and grasped Li Haotian's right hand with both of his, his grip perfectly balanced—warm but not obsequious: "It's an honor for Tianqi to receive your call. President Chen mentioned you before, saying you have a unique vision and only make top-tier investments."

Li Haotian's lips curled into a half-smile as he subtly withdrew his hand: "President Chen, you flatter me. I'm just interested in some... cutting-edge technologies, especially those that can 'change destiny'."

"Change your destiny, well said." Director Wang's smile deepened, but his slender eyes did not focus on Li Haotian's face. Instead, they slid over the alloy cage in Li Haotian's hand like a slippery snake. "It seems that Mr. Li is also a person of faith."

During the pleasantries, Director Wang led the two through the corridor. Instead of the usual decorative paintings, the walls on both sides of the corridor were fitted with huge aquariums, in which some strangely shaped bioluminescent fish swam. The eerie blue light danced in the dim space, giving people a dreamlike yet unsettling feeling.

Upon entering the office, Director Wang did not rush to discuss business, but instead personally brewed tea for the two of them.

A purple clay teapot, spring water, and precise water temperature. The aroma of tea rises gently, masking the faint smell of disinfectant in the air.

"This is the 'Spiritual Purification' package we're preparing for our valued clients." Director Wang gently pushed a gold-embossed brochure in front of Li Haotian, crossed his hands on the table, leaned forward slightly, and lowered his voice, "Mr. Li, as someone who's been in this industry, you must know that sometimes when people have bad luck, it's not because of bad feng shui, but because their 'spirit' is clouded."

Li Haotian opened the booklet and glanced at it. It was filled with mysterious and esoteric concepts: quantum entanglement, spiritual enhancement, and magnetic field reshaping. The accompanying illustrations showed people sleeping in liquid-filled chambers, surrounded by strange halos of light.

"Mind purification?" Li Haotian closed the booklet, tapping his fingers lightly on the cover. "It sounds like some kind of psychological counseling."

"No, no, no," Director Wang shook his finger, a mysterious look on his face. "Psychological counseling treats the mind, but we treat the soul. Through immersion in a unique bioactive liquid, combined with brainwave guidance at a specific frequency, we can eliminate negative emotions and impurities from the body. People who have undergone this treatment not only feel refreshed, but their intuition in business decision-making will also be several times sharper. To put it bluntly, it's about changing your luck and destiny."

He spoke with great enthusiasm, as if he were holding not a brochure, but a key to heaven.

Li Haotian sneered inwardly. This explanation might fool desperate terminally ill patients or gamblers with nowhere else to turn, but to him, it was full of holes. This so-called "purification" was clearly a guise for mind control using some kind of hallucinogen or biological agent.

The little black cat in the cage seemed to sense the nauseating aura emanating from Director Wang and let out a low growl, like thunder rumbling from the depths of a wild beast's throat.

Director Wang's gaze instantly sharpened, piercing the cage under the black cloth like needles: "Mr. Li, this... little pet seems a bit restless?"

"It's a bit shy around strangers, and it reacts quite strongly to some people or things." Li Haotian looked at Director Wang with a half-smile, his tone suggestive. "Director Wang, don't worry about it, it's just hungry."

Director Wang gave an awkward laugh, a fleeting glint of greed in his eyes. As a mid-level manager at Apocalypse Biotechnology, he possessed an almost instinctive sensitivity and craving for mutated creatures. Just a moment ago, he sensed an extremely strong fluctuation of bio-energy from the cage; it was definitely not an ordinary beast.

"Of course, of course." Director Wang withdrew his gaze, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and concealed his embarrassment. "Mr. Li, if you are interested, I can arrange a trial for you. However, our core treatment area is currently fully booked..."

"Since it's core business, of course I need to take a look." Li Haotian interrupted him, leaning back in his chair and looking directly at Director Wang. "I don't care about introductions; I only care about results. How can I know if this 'million-dollar' package is worth it if I haven't even seen the core treatment area?"

Li Haotian deliberately emphasized the words "several million," putting on the airs of a picky big spender.

Director Wang's fingers holding the teacup stiffened slightly, and the smile on his face visibly froze for a moment before quickly returning to normal, though a fine layer of sweat appeared on his forehead.

"Well... Mr. Li, it's really unfortunate." Director Wang looked embarrassed, his tone tinged with apology, but his eyes kept shifting. "The core treatment area is undergoing routine equipment maintenance and disinfection. It's full of chemicals and radiation. Going in now would cause irreversible damage to your body. This is company policy, and I can't make an exception."

"Maintenance?" Li Haotian narrowed his eyes, his gaze sweeping across Director Wang's face like a searchlight. "I remember not seeing any maintenance vehicles coming in downstairs just now. Such a large-scale maintenance operation must be quite noisy."

"It's...it's cleanroom maintenance." Director Wang wiped the sweat from his brow, explaining somewhat haltingly, "We've introduced cleanroom technology from Germany, eliminating the need for external vehicles; everything is handled internally. To provide our clients with the absolute safety of our environment, we must ensure absolute perfection."

lie.

A clumsy lie.

Li Haotian was almost certain that the so-called "core treatment area" definitely held the most crucial secret of Apocalypse Biotechnology—perhaps the truth about the mutation of those "believers," or perhaps clues to the "thing" he had been searching for. Director Wang's nervousness was genuine; the fear of the unknown mixed with obedience to orders made him look like a frightened quail.

Since the soft approach wasn't working, Li Haotian knew he couldn't rush things. This was the other side's territory; if they broke off relations now, they would not only alert the enemy, but he and Xiao Hei might also get surrounded.

"I see." Li Haotian suddenly put on a relieved expression and even nodded. "Director Wang was just thinking about the client. I was too impatient."

Director Wang let out a long sigh of relief, as if a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders, his back and waist relaxing: "Mr. Li, I'm so glad you understand. Please try this tea; it's a special supply for our internal use..."

Li Haotian stood up and pointed to a door in the corner of the office: "Excuse me, I drank too much tea earlier, I need to go to the restroom."

"No problem, it's over there." Director Wang quickly pointed out the way.

Li Haotian picked up the cage and headed towards the bathroom. As he passed Su Wan, he seemingly casually raised his hand to adjust his cuffs, flicking his fingers lightly twice on the inside of his cuffs.

This is an extremely subtle gesture.

This is a habit he developed during his time as a "hunter"—once the target is identified and a direct assault is not possible, he resorts to feints and infiltration.

Su Wan glanced down at the document in her hand, her lips twitched almost imperceptibly, and her fingers tapped rapidly on her phone screen. Then she quietly stood up, opened the bathroom door for Li Haotian, and her eyes revealed a sharpness that only Li Haotian could understand.

As soon as he closed the bathroom door, the fake smile on Li Haotian's face vanished, replaced by a cold indifference.

He turned on the tap, listened to the sound of the water flowing, and looked through the mirror at the closed door behind him.

"Since we can't get into the core area, then we'll have to ask you to open the door."

He lowered his head, looking at the pair of eyes in the cage that gleamed with an eerie green light in the darkness, and said in a low voice, "Little Black, it looks like tonight will be a tough battle."

The dark shadow in the cage gave a soft response, tinged with a bloodthirsty desire.