Invasion of the United States

Zhou Qingfeng was straightforward, "Amir Khan's encrypted hard drive is in my hands. But the FBI arrived too quickly, and Lux sent him back with a drone, so I didn't have time to ask for the password."

Monica waved her hand, interrupting, "That Indian guy has no backing now. I've already asked for you. The password for the hard drive is eight '8s'. But..."

She changed her tone with a hint of warning, "I have to remind you, don't think about making money from biochemical pharmaceuticals.

That thing won't have any results without an investment of hundreds of billions of US dollars. You'd better save your little money, lest you won't even make a splash."

Zhou Qingfeng was well aware of this. He never intended to get rich through biochemical pharmaceuticals; he just wanted to acquire 'Apocalypse Creatures' to prevent the end of the world.

However, as things developed, he realized the apocalypse was unavoidable. So he turned to seize the chance to gain some enhancement benefits for himself.

As for whether the contents of the hard drive were useful, they still needed to be evaluated by professionals.

-----------------

After dinner was completely over, everyone left one after another, and the apartment returned to its quiet state.

Zhou Qingfeng returned to the bedroom alone, closed the door, and laid down wearily on the spacious bed. Dealing with those cunning people was really exhausting.

He took out the custom-made phone from 'Gray Shark'. The black body looked particularly heavy, with no brand markings on the surface and some fine scratches.

Zhou Qingfeng stared at the phone screen, his mind racing. Monica's arrogance made his sense of crisis even stronger.

He clearly realized that, in the eyes of those in power, he was just an insignificant small fry.

To survive this game, he needed to have multiple backup plans.

"'Gray Shark' should be reliable." He muttered to himself, lightly swiping his finger on the phone screen to activate the device.

'Gray Shark's phone was designed to be extremely complex; starting it required multiple verifications—fingerprint, iris, voiceprint, and password, all indispensable.

What made it even more troubling was that there were no hints in the verification process. Even if a mistake was made, the phone would still turn on but with functions locked.

If there were multiple errors, the phone would even directly format, erasing all data.

Carefully completing the verification, the phone finally unlocked. He opened the messaging interface and sent a message to 'Gray Shark': "Porter, can you do me a favor?"

A few seconds later, 'Gray Shark's response was brief and direct: "Speak."

Zhou Qingfeng's fingers quickly tapped on the screen: "I'll give you some money, about thirty to fifty million US dollars. Help me think about constructing a few hidden bases for survival in the apocalypse."

At that moment, 'Gray Shark' was sitting in the basement of his new home, surrounded by scattered electronic equipment, not yet fully organized.

Seeing Zhou Qingfeng's message, his eyes suddenly widened, and he exclaimed, "God! Is the apocalypse coming? Quickly admit you are from the future!"

Zhou Qingfeng saw this reply and couldn't help but roll his eyes, feeling irritated. He quickly replied:

"Yes, yes, yes, I admit it. I'm the Terminator T-800, and you're the leader of the resistance, John Connor. Satisfied?"

'Gray Shark' instead became excited, replying cheerfully: "No, I think I can't be the leader of the resistance. I should be Dr. Miles Dyson who created the Celestial Net."

Zhou Qingfeng was amused by his naivety, thinking, "I was just bluffing, do you actually believe it?" So he mercilessly burst his bubble...

"Stop dreaming, idiot. If the apocalypse really comes, someone like you, who can't even take care of yourself, with a mother over sixty, will be the first to die."

'Gray Shark' was stunned. He stared at the screen, his fingers trembling slightly, and the smile on his face gradually faded.

Since childhood, he had lived on the fringes of society due to his disability, almost dependent solely on his mother for over ten years.

Despite his high intelligence and technical talent, he always wanted to break free from his fate and become a true hero deep down.

His mother always encouraged 'Gray Shark', never diminishing his confidence. Zhou Qingfeng's words, however, felt like a sharp knife, shattering his fantasies. Love this story? Show support at MV2LEMPYR.

He lowered his head, looking at his atrophied legs, feeling a surge of bitterness in his heart.

Rationality told him Zhou Qingfeng was right—if the apocalypse really came, for someone like him, it would indeed be hard to survive with just brains.

After a long while, 'Gray Shark' slowly replied with one sentence, "You're right. I am indeed a failure. If it weren't for my mother's care, I would have died long ago."

Zhou Qingfeng didn't expect 'Gray Shark' to accept reality so quickly and calmly. He replied: "You are not a failure. At least you have a smart mind.

With enough resources and time, you can handle most problems in this world. But remember, the people we can trust are few, so be more thoughtful in this aspect.

Now, I need you to help me prepare a backup plan, which is also for you."

Resources? Time? 'Gray Shark' took a deep breath, regaining some energy, "Okay, I'll try. Give me a timeline first."

Zhou Qingfeng looked at the message, his tense nerves relaxing a bit, and replied: "Half a year, you have half a year."

-----------------

'Gray Shark' was only dejected for less than three minutes, then excitedly found his mother, Auntie Nasa, and mysteriously said:

"Mom, my friend really is from the future. He just admitted it."

Auntie Nasa, who had worked hard all her life, was chatting with the visiting 'Hourly Worker' at this moment.

She dismissed her son's excitement: "Yes, yes, yes, you are John Connor, then who am I?"