Invasion of the United States

In the late-night office, the desk lamp emitted a bright light.

Xiao Jinlang massaged his sore temples, the blue light from the computer screen casting shadows on his tired face.

The strong tea on the table had long turned cold, yet he remained oblivious, fully engrossed in the latest intelligence reports sent by frontline comrades.

'Troublemaker'—this was the nickname he gave the young man. Clicking on the file, a vibrant face jumped out at him.

A nineteen-year-old, with delicate features and a sunny smile, anyone would think he was just an ordinary student.

First, naturally, he checked the background—nothing much to say, came from an orphanage, with no attachments, seemingly harmless.

From semi-public information, he had won a prize worth billions of US Dollars and had ties with several American powers.

The people around him were very complex, practically like a shelter, with all sorts of backgrounds.

The former town sheriff's family, the chairman of a Miami investment bank's family, ex-CIA and ex-Special Service Bureau employees, and that was just on the surface.

What was hidden beneath, no one knew.

As for the Chris Clan case and the 'Caribbean' cruise ship terrorist attack, both government websites and media reports were extensive.

Currently, what gave Xiao Jinlang the biggest headache was 'Apocalypse Creatures'—to keep secrets, the university team that received the materials had to halt their own projects.

The renowned academic leading the team cursed while leading the team to work overtime, reading through the dozens of TB of data Zhou Qingfeng had sent back.

Fortunately, most of this data was video of the experimental process—in the past, experiments were recorded in writing, now everything was recorded with cameras.

After a few days of going through the data, the academic personally wrote a preliminary report, a copy of which was now on Xiao Jinlang's desk.

"...based on the existing data analysis, the X Virus has a very strong mutability, medium transmission speed, and a very high fatality rate among the elderly and infirm...It is recommended to start emergency measures immediately."

This proved the X project by the US Military was real. From the experimental data, they were not far from success, maybe they had already succeeded.

Pandora's box had been opened...

But the academics only had data, without the X Virus itself, they couldn't replicate the experiments. The experimental team had decided to start verification from scratch, but their progress would definitely lag behind the US Military.

Unless they could obtain the pathogen.

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A frontline comrade was undercover as security close to 'Troublemaker', able to observe this mysterious young man at close range every day.

The baffling thing was, after casually throwing out intelligence that could shake the upper echelons, the kid focused all his efforts on his 'Electric Flight' business.

Xiao Jinlang also conducted an in-depth investigation into 'Electric Flight'.

It was a key start-up at the city level, buying media articles, boasting itself as a 'star of tomorrow.' But after two or three years of operation, there was no sign of the 'low-altitude economy' taking off.

Just last month, the company's account funds were barely enough to pay employees' wages, and suppliers' payments had been delayed for several months, the founding team so anxious their mouths were full of blisters.

It wasn't that the company's technology was lacking, but the market was the problem. However, a turnaround came unexpectedly...

'Holy Light', controlled by 'Troublemaker', suddenly injected funds as a foreign investor, not only clearing all debts but also bringing a steady stream of orders.

Bank managers were all smiles. Suppliers were overjoyed, the debts that were about to become bad debts were all cleared overnight, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

In just half a month, 'Electric Flight's employee size doubled, the research and development team working around the clock.

But Xiao Jinlang keenly noticed that the company's technical strength was not outstanding.

The so-called 'unique points' were just minor innovations in the eyes of industry experts. Brought to you by the folks at MV|LEMPYR.

What was truly intriguing was the operating model after 'Holy Light' took over—lavish on manpower costs, but extremely frugal on research and manufacturing to the point of being almost stingy.

What made Xiao Jinlang laugh and cry was the new model of aircraft personally guided by 'Troublemaker'.

When he first saw the design drawings, he almost thought he was looking at props from some sci-fi movie.

That aircraft was codenamed 'Warthog', and its appearance truly looked like a pig with wings, with a blocky fuselage and short, stubby wings, uniquely ugly.

While other models pursued streamlined looks, it went the opposite way—so ugly it had a kind of silly charm.

Troublemaker did not focus on the domestic market, nor did he bet on the European and American markets. After simplifying the design, he turned his focus to the needs of underdeveloped regions in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

According to frontline comrades' reports, many South American clients had visited the test farm on the outskirts of Miami.

Since the clients seemed to have dubious origins, the farm had strengthened security but did not reject their visits.

The farm's laborers were also hired as ground staff and pilots, joining the test flights, essentially nurturing 'backup forces.'

Additionally, Troublemaker had reached out to South American Chinese expatriates—overseas Chinese expatriates had their chamber of commerce, and most were very united, knowing one meant knowing a whole group.

'Electric Flight's flight demonstration in Miami was very successful, but local public opinion was not optimistic about its development prospects.

Some 'friendly competitors' were secretly pushing the narrative that 'Electric Flight' posed a threat to the US's national security, demanding a forced acquisition.

Troublemaker started to shift his focus, with his second batch of fifty test team members ready to depart for Miami.