Invasion of the United States

"Would you like a drink?" The waitress walked towards the mini bar, taking out a bottle of aged brandy and two crystal glasses.

"Of course, of course!" The professor nodded eagerly, grinning from ear to ear. As he took the glass, his fingers brushed against the waitress's hand, causing an indescribable satisfaction to rise in him.

However, after one drink, his vision began to blur, and his consciousness gradually faded.

Just before he completely passed out, he vaguely saw the sweet smile on the waitress's face disappear, replaced by cold mockery and an eagerness to wash her hands.

"Your target is under control," the waitress said into her walkie-talkie, "I guarantee he won't wake up before dawn."

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

These words were transmitted through the radio and came out of Zhou Qingfeng's walkie-talkie on his chest. But he said nothing, only glanced at the time on his watch.

Maurice murmured beside him, "There's at least ten hours until dawn, that should be enough time."

A male voice responded to the waitress through the walkie-talkie, "Got it, I'll head over to the first class cabin immediately."

Five minutes later, one of Zhou Qingfeng's bodyguards, Lux, a former CIA agent, disguised himself as a cleaner and appeared in the first class cabin.

The waitress, having completed her task, had already left. Professor Amir Khan was lying on the sofa in the living room, sleeping like a log.

Lux put on gloves and searched the professor from head to toe, quickly finding a delicate and special room card.

He examined the contact points on the card, took a card reader from his toolkit and inserted the card into the slot.

The card reader automatically recognized the chip and communication protocol in the card and copied its information.

Besides the room card, Lux also used the professor's fingerprint to unlock his phone, but was blocked by a system password when trying to access the phone's storage.

But who was he? A former CIA agent.

He made a call to Dias and, following his instructions, connected the phone to a special decoder—though Apple's encryption was thought to be unbreakable, they had to leave a backdoor for the Department of Homeland Security.

At this point, Professor Amir Khan's secrets were fully exposed, and all the data on his phone was copied.

But that wasn't enough… Lux also found the professor's suitcase. According to Maurice, it contained a large-capacity hard drive that he never parted with.

The hard drive held all the research data that the professor had amassed over the years, most of which was siphoned from military resources, including the core information of the X Project.

The hard drive was plugged in and connected to a computer, but it was encrypted.

Lux pressed the walkie-talkie and said, "Boss, I found the item, but it's hardware encrypted with limited input attempts, so brute force cracking won't work."

"However, we've also found the location of the secret lab, and the list of lab members and their contact information is in the target's phone."

Zhou Qingfeng glanced at Maurice next to him and patted his shoulder, "Your turn."

The latter, a bit trembling but trying to stay calm, took the walkie-talkie and replied, "This is Maurice, I'm on my way."

"Remember to change your disguise," Zhou Qingfeng reminded.

According to Maurice, Professor Amir Khan had always wanted to start his own biochem company and had been freeloading off Apocalypse Creatures and the US Military's resources.

If they were to investigate the X Project's data, finding the professor would be the surest way, as he would have all the research done secretly by his special teams.

Instead of taking huge risks to steal from Apocalypse Creatures, it was far easier and less risky to deal with the professor himself.

To Maurice, it was clear Zhou Qingfeng was targeting the highly promising X Project.

This project aimed to create super soldiers for the US Military; once its side effects were eliminated and it was commercialized, it would be immensely profitable.

Imagine a product that keeps people in their twenties' vigor at forty and makes sixty the new middle age, extending average lifespans to over one hundred twenty years.

Such a product could easily generate trillions of US Dollars annually. Who wouldn't be tempted?

Zhou Qingfeng couldn't do anything against the US Military, nor could he stop the X Project research or prevent the virus's leak and spread.

But the X Virus, like a double-edged sword, wasn't completely useless.

At this moment, a helicopter was on standby on the top deck of the yacht.

If the plan succeeded, Zhou Qingfeng would get the needed information from Professor Amir Khan and escape immediately via the helicopter.

The professor would wake up groggily the next morning, thinking he'd been conned, losing his money, and wouldn't immediately realize he'd been compromised.

Whether he reported it or not, it would be hard to trace back to Zhou Qingfeng, allowing him to get away scot-free.

Although the plan was slightly off track, it was still within expectations.

Maurice was a professional biochemical researcher with extensive 'clinical' experience. Worst case, they could use a 'Truth Serum' and have the professor reveal the hard drive's password himself.

Even if everything went wrong, they could let the professor die of 'sudden coronary' on the yacht or throw him into the sea, if necessary.

But just as Zhou Qingfeng thought his plan had high tolerance for error... Professor Amir Khan's phone rang.

Lux glanced at the caller ID and immediately realized things had gone very wrong.

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In the adjacent first class cabin, Florida Governor Weston's assistant had dialed the phone for the third time.

The phone's ringing continued, but there was no answer.

The assistant frowned, moving the phone away from his ear and staring at the flashing "Calling..." on the screen.

Governor Weston was sitting in the suite's reception area, his bulky body embedded in a deep red leather sofa, his dark expression adding weight to the atmosphere.

An internal staff member was organizing the documents on the coffee table, the rustling of paper unusually clear in the quiet room.

Two dark-suited security personnel stood guard at the suite entrance, their eyes vigilantly scanning the corridor outside the first class cabin. For a smoother reading experience, visit MV&LEMPYR.

"Still no answer?" Weston set down his whiskey glass, visibly annoyed, "What's wrong with that Indian? He always makes people wait."

The assistant hurried over, bending slightly, "Governor, Professor Amir Khan's phone has gone unanswered.

However, according to the boarding records, he is indeed on the ship, staying in a second class cabin as usual."

Weston tugged at his tie, his tone severe, "Then go find him, don't waste time here. I'm very busy and can't afford this delay."

The assistant nodded understandingly. He knew the governor and the Indian were discussing how to split gains from Apocalypse Creatures.

The progress of the X Project had attracted a lot of attention from the 'Carnivores'. Sensitive topics like this were always discussed face-to-face, leaving no communication records or written files whenever possible.

Ten minutes later, the security personnel sent to find the professor returned empty-handed.

"The professor is not in his cabin," reported the head of security, "There are casinos, theaters, and other entertainment venues on the yacht. I've contacted the ship authorities to send someone to retrieve the surveillance footage."

In the yacht's surveillance room, dozens of screens flickered simultaneously, recording the movements of thousands of passengers on the giant vessel.

The staff efficiently pulled up footage from the second class cabin area, locating the Indian professor and tracking his movements.

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Zhou Qingfeng began to get anxious.

Lux reported through the walkie-talkie, "Boss, a number marked 'Governor's Assistant' has called the Indian several times.

They've also sent texts asking where he is and urging him to come to first class immediately, saying Governor Weston is very upset with his delay.

When I arrived in first class, I saw several State Police SWAT officers in the corridor. So, Governor Weston is likely next door, making things more complicated than we thought."

The governor wants to meet Professor Amir Khan on the yacht? And it looks like it's a private, secret meeting.

Zhou Qingfeng was also caught off guard by this information, his first reaction being 'quick retreat', but he quickly realized the situation was entirely different from what he had anticipated.

The yacht was covered in surveillance cameras, especially in the first class corridor.

Thus, in planning the operation, besides the newly recruited waitress making a real appearance, Lux and the others were to be disguised and have their facial features altered.

This trick worked well to deceive Professor Amir Khan, but facing the governor was a different story.

The governor was a true local despot, wielding police and military forces, practically a regional emperor.

If he wanted to investigate, he could turn the whole yacht upside down, with endless personnel and technical resources at his disposal.

"Lux, take Maurice and leave immediately."

"But we haven't got the password to the encrypted hard drive."

"Take it with you."

"And the professor?"

"Take him out."