Bay Area, Small Island, Experintal Zone.
The entire experintal zone on this island belonged to Armacham Technology Corporation, boasting top-tier security.
"Red, the stuff you brought is incredibly effective. I think we can create an unprecedented lifeform!" Harlan Wade, Armacham's chief scientist, stared fervently through the glass at the teenage girl lying on the operating table.
Standing beside him was our old friend Red, also known as Mr. R.
After being demoted by the Cabin, Mr. R had decisively defected, using his years of experience to smuggle out several valuable containnt items. These items were the key to his escape from the Cabin's pursuit.
"Harlan, is Armacham willing to shelter now?" Mr. R asked.
Harlan clapped a hand on Mr. R's shoulder. The two had known each other for a long ti.
Back then, Harlan was just an unaccomplished middle-aged scientist, and Mr. R was a regular young fisherman. They t by chance near Crystal Lake, before it beca a hub for all sorts of strange things, and before Mr. R's wife transford into a blonde banshee.
The two hit it off, exchanged contact info, and stayed in touch over the years. Twenty years later, Harlan had risen to beco Armacham's chief scientist, while Mr. R had beco a forr senior executive of the Cabin organization.
Fate sure was sothing.
"Of course, Armacham will definitely provide you with protection!" Harlan said warmly. "I know about the Cabin—just a bunch of fools backed by oil tycoons, thinking their money can buy immortality. Ha, what a joke! Red, you can stay in this experintal zone as long as you want. Make yourself at ho!"
Mr. R nodded calmly, as if he'd expected Harlan's response. "If there's nothing else, I'll head back to my room."
"Go ahead, Red," Harlan replied.
As Mr. R walked away, the smile on Harlan's face vanished, replaced by a dark scowl. "That guy's holding out on . He won't share the good stuff unless I leak info to the Cabin. If he did, the experint would've succeeded already!"
His bespectacled assistant glanced coldly at Mr. R's retreating figure. "Doctor, should we deal with him?"
"No!" Harlan snapped. "He's still got plenty of valuable stuff. It's not ti yet. You think defecting from the Cabin is that easy? We can milk his usefulness slowly."
The assistant nodded, then rembered sothing. "Doctor, those two from the dark web want to see you."
"Oh, bring them to the eting room," Harlan said.
Before leaving, he cast one last fervent glance at the naked girl behind the glass. "The artificial god is almost complete!" he muttered, rubbing his face and adjusting his appearance to look like a kindly old man.
In the eting room, Claire fidgeted nervously. She'd always lived under her father's protection, rarely exposed to the cutthroat realities of the world.
Henry, on the other hand, was the picture of composure. Dressed in a tailored suit, his sleeves and hair ticulously grood, he exuded the aura of a seasoned elite.
"Claire, stay calm," Henry advised. "The more we panic, the easier it is for that guy to manipulate us."
"But Dad…" Claire started, but stopped as the door opened.
Harlan Wade entered with a warm smile. Claire quickly shut her mouth.
"Henry, I heard you wanted to see . What's up?" Harlan asked.
Henry returned a smile. "Harlan, my daughter and I just wanted to say goodbye. We've been here almost a month—it's ti for us to leave. Is the ship to take us out of Arica ready?"
After the escape room incident, Henry and Claire had been on the run from the FEA, eventually seeking refuge with Harlan, an old dark web client. As Armacham's chief scientist, Harlan wielded significant influence. Armacham's subsidiary, Black Mountain Military, provided escort services for many West Coast shipping companies, making it easy to smuggle Henry and Claire out of the country.
Once they left Arican soil, the FEA would be powerless. Henry and Claire could start anew abroad with the money they'd brought.
But Henry hadn't anticipated that Harlan, despite his kindly facade, was a cunning and ruthless man. Harlan had deceived them, essentially holding them hostage and draining their funds.
"Why not stay a few more days? Are you unhappy with the accommodations?" Harlan asked, still smiling that disarming smile that made Claire want to punch him.
Henry's expression remained steady. "Harlan, I don't want to impose any longer. Besides, we've paid quite a bit for our stay. It's ti to wrap this up, don't you think?"
Harlan's smile faded, his eyes narrowing. "Must you leave?"
"We must," Henry replied firmly.
"That's a sha," Harlan said, his tone shifting. "If you don't like our current hospitality, I'll have to switch to a different approach."
Henry caught the threat—Harlan was moving from soft coercion to hard. "Harlan Wade, I've already given you billions of dollars over these past few months. Isn't that enough?"
"Not nearly enough!" Harlan retorted. "That money's just a drop in the bucket for my grand experint. Henry, I know you've got hundreds of billions more. Hand it over, and maybe you and your daughter will suffer less."
With a clap of his hands, a dozen Black Mountain rcenaries stord into the room, guns trained on Henry and Claire.
Claire, who'd never faced such a situation, cowered behind her father. Henry, however, remained calm, suddenly letting out a hearty laugh.
"Hahaha…"
Harlan looked at him, puzzled. "What's so funny?"
"I was just wondering if Genevieve Aristide knows about all the moves you've been making behind her back," Henry said.
"She doesn't, and she never will," Harlan replied confidently.
"Oh, really? I think she'll find out soon enough," Henry countered.
Harlan's eyes narrowed, sensing sothing. "You're planning to leak this to her?"
Henry nodded. "My daughter's an excellent hacker. She breached your firewall and downloaded so things, which she passed to Mr. R. He's already set up a tid email in his room. If you don't let all three of us go, that email will reach Genevieve Aristide's private inbox in 48 hours."
Harlan's pupils constricted. Though his expression stayed neutral, his mind was racing. "You're working together!"
Henry smiled. "We're all in the sa boat, so naturally, we stick together. Harlan, you know how ruthless Genevieve Aristide can be, don't you?"
Harlan did. He knew from Bartholow's "suicide" in prison just how brutal she could be. If Genevieve found out about his secret dealings, his fate wouldn't be any better.
His face darkened. "What do you want?"
"Harlan, get the three of us out of Arica, and this is over. We'll cancel the email. You've already gotten plenty out of us—ti to call it even, no?"
Harlan's face alternated between pale and flushed. He was clearly furious, but with his leverage in their hands, he had no choice but to comply.
"How do I know you won't send the email to Genevieve after you leave Arica?" he demanded.
"You'd better trust us, Harlan, because you don't have a choice," Henry replied. "Think about your experint. It's almost done, isn't it? Can you afford to let it fail?"
Henry's words hit hard. For Harlan, the experint was everything. Lately, it hadn't been going smoothly, and Genevieve was considering pulling the plug. That's why Harlan had been so desperate for money and resources to finish it.
"Henry, you win," Harlan conceded. "I'll get you out of Arica tonight. But you'd better keep your promise, or I won't let you off!"
Henry finally gave a genuine smile. "Harlan, my daughter and I just want to live quietly abroad. Red wants a fresh start. None of us want more trouble. You can rest easy."
"Hmph! You'd better an it!" Harlan stord out, clearly seething at Henry, Claire, and Mr. R.
In truth, the three had suffered major losses at Harlan's hands. Mr. R had lost several containnt items from the Cabin, and Henry had parted with a fortune. But now, they could finally breathe a sigh of relief. If they could board the ship tonight, they'd be free.
But would it really be that simple?
Back in his office, Harlan grew angrier the more he thought about it, with no outlet for his frustration. Then, his trusted assistant made a suggestion.
"Doctor, rember that person who ca to you earlier?"
"You an that mysterious nun?" Harlan asked.
The assistant nodded. "She seems to want to take down Genevieve Aristide. If we can bring Genevieve down, Henry and Red's threats beco aningless."
Harlan's expression shifted as he considered the idea. "But if Genevieve falls and the new chairman doesn't support my experint, what then?"
"It can't get worse than it is now, can it?" the assistant replied.
Harlan closed his eyes, weighing the pros and cons. Genevieve's support for him had been waning, especially with the FEA's new projects (like UFOs) and Paxton Fettel's rampage. Fettel's actions had hit Armacham hard, causing the FEA and military to distance themselves and support rival tech companies.
This was a deathblow for Armacham, so Genevieve had been lobbying Congress to turn things around. anwhile, Iris was working against Armacham, aiming to purge its influence within the FEA. She'd approached Harlan before, asking for evidence to incriminate Genevieve and put her behind bars.
If Genevieve went to prison, a new chairman would cause so chaos at Armacham, but as chief scientist, Harlan's position would likely remain secure in the short term. Ti was what he needed most—the experint was so close to completion.
Opening his eyes, Harlan's face lit up with fervor. "Let's do it! I'll finish this experint, and no one's going to stop !"
With that, he left his office to contact Iris.
He didn't notice the cold smile on his assistant's face. "Didn't expect it'd be this easy to push him," the assistant muttered.
The assistant returned to their own room and knelt in a dark corner. "Master, I've successfully goaded Harlan Wade. He should be too distracted to notice us now."
A seductive voice ca from the shadows. "Fettel, you've done well. Now, take to see this so-called artificial god."
"Yes, my master," the assistant replied.
That's right—the assistant was under Paxton Fettel's control. Fettel's ntal powers were imnse, even allowing him to manipulate others' bodies remotely.
After her last plan failed, Adra had gone into hiding in the Bay Area, using Fettel's connections to start a new sche. The succubus's target was none other than Harlan's prized experintal subject.
Fettel, controlling the assistant's body, led the invisible Adra into the laboratory. Using the assistant's clearance, they entered the observation room.
Adra stood beside the teenage girl on the operating table, her expression turning curious. "This is the so-called artificial god? Doesn't look like much."
"Human technology could never compare to your power, Master," Fettel said.
"Tch, tch, tch! I rember this girl is your mother. She looks so young," Adra remarked.
"Yes, her appearance was fixed long ago and hasn't changed. Even after my brother and I were born, she stayed the sa."
Adra nodded. "Interesting. Let's give her a little help, then."
She touched the girl's forehead, channeling divine power inherited from her mother, Asmodeus. Pink energy seeped into the girl's body, forming intricate pink patterns on her skin, resembling a magical array. The patterns converged on her abdon.
The next mont, the girl's eyes snapped open, and alarms blared through the laboratory.
(Adapted from F.E.A.R. Origin Project)
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