Chapter 208: Liuliu

Facing the gun barrel, the young brown-haired woman froze, instinctively raising her hands, her eyes flicking toward the baby on the bed.

Li Cheng asked calmly, "Your name."

"Caroline Bergin."

The brown-haired woman answered softly, her peripheral vision sweeping toward the door. The door showed no signs of forced entry; the security chain hung neatly on the latch.

"Occupation."

"Researcher in the Pharmaceutical R&D Department of Vanguard Pharmaceuticals."

Caroline carefully observed Li Cheng's expression and whispered, "You—you're not from the company?"

"I never said I was. Explain why you're here with a baby."

The Information Synthesis Glasses showed the woman was not lying; Li Cheng casually shifted the gun's muzzle, gesturing for Caroline to sit on the chair, then opened the woman's bag discarded on the bed.

Inside Caroline's bag were several stacks of U. S. cash, high-quality counterfeit passports, bank cards, a driver's license, three keypad-based disposable phones, a self-defense pistol, and some baby supplies.

The disposable phones were preloaded with credit and could connect to the internet immediately; Li Cheng swiftly searched for information.

Vanguard Pharmaceuticals was a pharmaceutical company that rose rapidly over the past two decades, publicly engaged in developing drugs, vaccines, health supplements, and medical devices.

At first glance, nothing seemed amiss—but aside from branches in a few major countries,

all its other divisions were located in the most dangerous, chaotic, even war-torn nations, making them highly suspicious.

Caroline spoke quickly: "Vanguard Pharmaceuticals is essentially a monopoly enterprise, monopolizing the field of superpowers."

Since the 1950s, frequent nuclear tests worldwide have released vast amounts of radioactive dust into the ecosystem, and since then, genetically mutated superhumans have begun to appear.

Superhuman abilities include immense strength, enhanced senses, telekinesis, spatial teleportation.

Superhumans are ranked from Level One to Level Four; regardless of level, they are all destined to live no longer than thirty-five years—frequent metabolism shortens their lifespan.

Vanguard Pharmaceuticals uses the pharmaceutical industry as a cover to conceal its true mission: developing and selling gene-stabilizing agents, recruiting and controlling a portion of these superhumans.

Then, using these superhumans, they sign contracts with the Department of Defense to carry out dirty work—assassinations, regime overthrows.

Under Caroline's description, Vanguard Pharmaceuticals was a superpower version of the 【Umbrella Corporation】, with vast influence and a cadre of elite assassins.

As for this baby,

"The company has long sought to create a Level Five superhuman beyond Level Four, and two years ago launched the Icarus Project."

Caroline said bitterly, "They perform in vitro fertilization artificially, then expose early-stage embryos to minute radiation and gene-mutating agents,

before transplanting them into surrogate mothers' wombs.

Infants born this way are mostly born with severe congenital deformities and cannot survive; only a tiny fraction are born as superhumans."

This evil-corporate trope wasn't unusual; what intrigued Li Cheng was another point: "Where did you find so many surrogate mothers?"

The baby Angelica's serial number was already 7094; the entire project's scale likely exceeded ten thousand.

Caroline spoke with difficulty: "First, hire local women in war zones. Second, control surrogacy agencies in the U. S. Third, lure illegal immigrants across the U. S. -Mexico border."

"So it doesn't matter whether they're foreigners or citizens, right?"

Li Cheng sneered. Over the past few decades, the U. S. has had millions of legal and illegal immigrants annually, yet its total population hasn't grown much—where did all those new people go?

Along the U. S. -Mexico border, the U. S. has built countless public and private immigration detention facilities, filled with sexual violence, prolonged incarceration, and human rights abuses.

In 2020, an illegal immigration detention center was exposed for arbitrarily removing the uteruses of female illegal immigrants—under the pretext of "eugenics."

Meanwhile, the U. S. government's immigration agency collaborates with civilians to hand over detained immigrant children to "sponsors" in society, effectively becoming accomplices in human trafficking and modern slavery.

In Alabama, a twelve-year-old immigrant girl was forced to work overnight in an auto parts stamping plant; in Florida, a twelve-year-old immigrant boy was assigned to roof construction; in Michigan, a thirteen-year-old boy worked twelve hours daily, six days a week, in a chicken farm.

The child labor of Victorian England—climbing chimneys, polishing shoes—finds its modern counterpart in America's child laborers tightening bolts and roofing houses.

In this narrative world, Li Cheng had no doubt that Vanguard Pharmaceuticals, to expand its experiments, would pay, lure, or even kidnap illegal immigrants to serve as surrogates.

After all, no mainstream media cared when these people died silently.

Caroline's face twisted in anguish: "In the Icarus Project, countless infants are born with congenital deformities and cannot survive.

Those who survive are destroyed outright if they're found to lack superhuman potential—or if their abilities fall below standard."

I joined Vanguard Pharmaceuticals believing I was helping to heal and save lives; after witnessing all this, I could no longer lie to my conscience.

One—just one, even if I could save only one."

Li Cheng raised an eyebrow. "You mean you stole an experimental subject from an institution with heavy security and full of superhumans?"

Caroline's fugitive state clearly wasn't due to a business trip.

"I couldn't do it alone—but she can."

Caroline picked up the baby on the bed and kissed her forehead.

The baby giggled, her eyes glowing with faint blue light; where she had been lying, a translucent, moving infant shadow slowly appeared.

"She's a natural-born superhuman—she can generate illusions."

Before she finished speaking, Caroline gripped the baby's arm and pointed sharply at Li Cheng, then stepped forward, attempting to snatch the silenced pistol from his hand.

Click.

The pistol remained utterly still in Li Cheng's grip. He lowered his head, gazing at Caroline's stunned face, and asked, "What are you doing?"

"Y-you're not affected?!"

Caroline couldn't believe it—Angelica's illusion冲击 was enough to knock down several adults, rendering them unconscious.

"If you're fine, eat Liuliu plums. I eat Liuliu plums all the time, so I'm fine."

Li Cheng smirked. Long ago, he had acquired the temporary skill Death咒 Torrent; to boost his resistance to illusions, he occasionally bathed in the black water it produced.

He pulled a pack of Liuliu plums from his 3D storage and casually tossed one into his mouth. "Relax—I'm here to help you."

【Quest Objective: Escort Angelica safely across the border to Angel City】

【Quest Reward 1: 1000 Experience Points】

【Quest Reward 2: 1400 Game Coins】

【Quest Reward 3: Randomly seize the highest-quality item or skill from an enemy player's inventory】

【Reward 4: Upgrade one Universal Item of Perfect Quality to Electric Shock Device*1, which can elevate one Fine item to Perfect Quality】

【Task Time Limit: 48 hours】

【Task Failure Penalty: Next task becomes a Punishment Task】

【Task Briefing Has Been Sent】

【This task format is a one-on-one duel; another player has also descended into this world, and their goal is to prevent you from completing the task】

【Achieving the task objective or killing the enemy player counts as task completion】

(End of Chapter)