I accidentally joined a group of charlatans, so I immediately called the police and handed it over t

Langley, Virginia, CIA headquarters.

Seven floors underground, in a conference room without any windows, surrounded by electromagnetic shielding and layers of heavy lead plates, the smoke was so thick it resembled hell.

The head of the Asia region, a man with thinning hair and deep-set eyes, codenamed Vulture, was staring intently at the huge holographic sand table in front of him.

On the sand table, countless data chains representing logistics, capital flow, and personnel movement, like rushing rivers, eventually converge into a glaring red coordinate point located in the heart of inland China.

A blond, blue-eyed intelligence analyst reported in a dry voice, with an absurdity that even he himself could not believe.

"Recently, China has used its national strategic reserves to buy up more than 90% of a medicinal herb called Hericium erinaceus from the global market."

"Their purchasing behavior is crude, direct, and disregards cost, as if this thing will disappear from the earth tomorrow."

Another analyst chimed in, his face equally grim.

"At the same time, more than 30 internationally renowned Chinese biologists disappeared within a week."

"Some of them were leading Nobel Prize-winning projects, while others were enjoying long vacations, but at the same time, they all interrupted everything for various reasons, and the final destination all pointed to the same area."

"This is the most crucial point!"

He pointed to the red coordinate point in the center of the sand table, his tone filled with fear.

"Our keyhole satellite detected that a biopharmaceutical plant, comparable in size to a small city, suddenly appeared out of nowhere at that coordinate point."

"Its instantaneous energy consumption even exceeds the peak energy consumption of one of their aircraft carrier bases when it sets sail! This doesn't make any sense of any known energy usage logic; it's practically creating energy out of thin air!"

The vulture flicked the ash off his cigar with his fingers.

His movements were slow, but his cloudy eyes gleamed with the sharpness of a hawk spotting its prey.

"Then, they announced to the world that they had conquered cancer."

He exhaled a thick smoke ring, his voice hoarse as if sandpaper was being rubbed.

"Gentlemen, don't you think all of this is too coincidental, too perfect?"

The meeting room was filled with a suffocating silence.

Those present were the CIA's most senior intelligence officers; they could smell the slightest hint of gunpowder in the peaceful atmosphere.

"I suspect that the so-called Life No. 1 drug is just a smokescreen, a decoy pushed to the forefront."

The vulture stood up, braced his hands on the table, and leaned forward, like a wolf about to pounce on its prey, bringing a tremendous sense of oppression to everyone present.

"They are undertaking a secret project that is far more terrifying and disruptive than conquering cancer."

"That's something that can fundamentally change the fate of a nation, and even alter the course of human civilization!"

His voice sent chills down everyone's spine.

"This isn't a new weapon, it's a generational leap! It's a scepter cast by God! We can no longer use conventional thinking to speculate about them!"

"This is more threatening than any electromagnetic railgun or hypersonic missile they have previously announced."

"We absolutely cannot stand idly by."

"I request to initiate the Panda Eye Infiltration Project."

"I need the highest level of authorization."

In the conference room, after a brief exchange of glances, everyone nodded silently, their faces filled with solemnity.

"approve."

Having received authorization, a cruel smile appeared on the vulture's face.

He pressed a red button on the table.

A holographic communication was established, and the screen displayed the image of an Asian man, shirtless, undergoing extreme physical training.

Every muscle on his body seemed to be sculpted from granite, and sweat slid down the chiseled lines, but his eyes were cold and devoid of any human emotion.

"ghost."

The vulture slowly opened its mouth.

"We have a mission."

The man codenamed Ghost stopped what he was doing and simply stared at the screen calmly, as if what he had just said had nothing to do with him.

"Target: Huaxia Panlong Biopharmaceutical Base."

"Mission: Find out what they're up to at all costs."

"Bring back samples if necessary, whether alive or dead."

The ghost didn't speak, it simply cut off the communication.

His name is Michael Chen, the CIA's sharpest blade, a near-legendary ace agent.

He is fluent in eighteen languages, possesses top-notch camouflage and infiltration skills, and has hand-to-hand combat abilities sufficient to take on a small special forces unit.

He once infiltrated the Kremlin alone, without any inside help, and left a commemorative coin bearing the CIA emblem on Putin's desk before escaping unscathed.

He was hailed as "the Grim Reaper who walks in the shadows".

A week later.

In Sichuan Province, China, there is a remote town called Qingshi.

A luxury SUV with foreign license plates slowly drove into the only relatively clean hotel in town.

A well-dressed man wearing gold-rimmed glasses stepped out of the car.

He appeared gentle and polite, and introduced himself as an overseas Chinese businessman who had returned from abroad to invest in a botanical cultivation base in his hometown.

He was none other than Michael Chen in disguise.

He naturally blended in with the local townspeople, offering them drinks and giving candy to the children, winning everyone's favor within a few days.

No one knew that this seemingly harmless businessman had a backpack full of the most advanced spy equipment on the planet.

It was late at night.

Michael Chen stood on the rooftop of the hotel and set up a high-powered thermal imaging telescope.

His target was a huge factory ten kilometers away, guarded like a military restricted area by towering electric fences and dense patrols.

That was his destination: Panlong Biopharmaceutical Base.

He looked at the brightly lit, heavily guarded base in the distance, then at the simple map in his hand, provided by an inside source, which marked patrol routes and defensive vulnerabilities.

The flaws on the map were almost too obvious, but he just smiled dismissively, attributing it to his opponent's amateurishness.

A highly confident smile appeared on his face.

He believed that there was no place in the world he couldn't infiltrate.