On the other side of Sapphire City, the Heliopolis Life Sciences Pharmaceutical branch building stood like a black sword, silently towering over the industrial park on the city's edge.
Unlike the surrounding factory areas that were reawakening from their slumber, the gates of Heliopolis were open 24/7. Yet, despite vehicles occasionally entering and exiting, and the bright lights, it exuded a cold aura that kept strangers at bay.
Natasha—or rather, the person currently using the identity and appearance of "Natasha Cioara"—walked into the lobby with a calm stride.
She had changed into a dark professional outfit that outlined her capable figure, and on her face was the signature rimless glasses she often wore at Heliopolis.
Her eyes were calm and waveless, as if she had just finished a short field mission, not just withdrawn from another identity and another conflict.
This disguise was not unique to her now. After joining Heliopolis with her brother, she had established a false identity there, although this was the first time she had switched...
"Good evening, Dr. Cioara," the security guard at the front desk clearly recognized her and immediately stood up, his tone carrying a hint of imperceptible respect.
This doctor was parachuted in from headquarters. Although there was no prior warning, as a front desk security guard, he knew some inside information.
This Dr. Cioara was a core member of Heliopolis headquarters. Her file was top secret. How could she, like others, have notices sent everywhere she went?
What if it attracted those underground assassins? The Devil, the Ural Silver Wolf, the Rose Maid, the Raven...
He was just a small security guard, earning only a few tens of thousands a month. He didn't want to fight those monsters so early.
Natasha nodded slightly, her voice steady, mimicking the coldness of the "Natasha" she remembered from her past. "Yes. I need to use the 'Hub' to access ARC City's resource library immediately."
"Understood. Authorization verified. The 'Hub' laboratory is open for you at any time, Doctor."
No extra questions, unobstructed passage.
This was exactly what she needed—the mysterious status and high authority her identity held within Heliopolis.
No one knew what project "Dr. Cioara" was specifically responsible for, only that her instructions often went directly to the core of headquarters and were unquestionable.
She walked to the exclusive elevator. In front of the security guard, she directly stretched out her hand, opened the first lock with her fingerprint, and then activated her highest authority with her iris, completely dispelling the last trace of doubt in the security guard's mind.
Then, she took this exclusive elevator and, in a rather ostentatious manner, arrived at the underground floor deep within the building.
The metal door slid open, revealing a control center filled with futuristic technology. Dozens of light screens floated in the air, displaying complex data streams.
This place was called the "Hub," one of the nodes used by Heliopolis's global branches to connect to the headquarters' quantum cluster computer for information and resource dispatch.
Several staff members in white technical suits saw her and immediately stopped their work, casting questioning gazes.
"Initiate the 'Styx' protocol, access ARC City's seventh warehouse," Natasha walked straight to the main console, her tone brooking no argument. Her fingers flew across the virtual keyboard, bringing up a complex authorization interface. "Authorization code: N-C9-ξ-774."
The "Styx" protocol... A flash of astonishment crossed the staff's eyes.
That was a high-risk resource dispatch protocol that required joint authorization from the regional director and above to activate.
"Doctor, the 'Styx' protocol requires a secondary authorization from Director Zhao..." a technician responsible for authorization verification cautiously reminded her.
Natasha raised her eyes, her gaze behind the lenses as calm as a scalpel. "Director Zhao is participating in an emergency online meeting with headquarters. The authorization has been sent through the internal security channel, with a delay of no more than thirty seconds.
"...Or do you need me to personally contact him and have him interrupt his meeting with headquarters to confirm for you?"
Her tone was flat, but it carried an invisible pressure.
The technician felt a pang of guilt under her gaze, especially after hearing sensitive words like "headquarters emergency meeting," and dared not be negligent.
Heliopolis had a strict hierarchy, and Dr. Cioara herself was the highest-level person parachuted in from the entire company. He couldn't afford the consequences of delaying a big shot with an unknown background like "Dr. Cioara."
He was already over fifty this year, and his daughter at home had just gotten pregnant...
"No, I wouldn't dare. Verifying authorization... authorization code is valid, protocol sequence initiating," the technician lowered his head and quickly began to operate.
Natasha's heart was silent.
The so-called "internal security channel" and "delay" were of course her fabrications, but the authorization code was real. Although she had been in a "recuperation period" since joining Heliopolis, she already had the highest authority over the company's armaments.
This was originally provided to facilitate her actions after she fully recovered. Because her false identity was not suitable for reporting upwards and requesting downwards, she had the highest-level authorization code and could mobilize these resources without any obstacles.
Mobilization was not a problem. The problem was the review and questioning from those high-level officials who were not afraid of her after this authorization code was used.
On the light screen, the progress bar began to move slowly.
The list of equipment from ARC City was listed one by one, undergoing the final logic check for cross-city dispatch.
As long as it passed, a batch of special equipment, far exceeding conventional standards and enough to arm a small squad, would be transported to Sapphire City through Heliopolis's secret channels within a few hours.
Just then, the door to the control center slid open again.
A slightly overweight middle-aged man in a high-level executive uniform, with his hair meticulously combed, walked in. He had a formulaic smile on his face, but his eyes were as sharp as an eagle's.
Director Zhao.
"Natasha, my good colleague, what brings you to the 'Hub' so late? And you've even initiated the 'Styx' protocol?"
Director Zhao's voice was familiar, but his footsteps stopped precisely at a safe distance from the main console. His gaze swept over the dispatch list on the screen, his pupils contracting imperceptibly.
"Such a large-scale equipment dispatch, and the target is Sapphire City... as the regional security director, it seems I have a need to know."
The real battle of wits had just begun.
Natasha turned around, no surprise on her face. Instead, she showed a hint of appropriate impatience. "Zhao, a direct order from headquarters, highest priority.
"Details will be in a report after the mission is completed. What you need to do now is to ensure the dispatch process is smooth and unobstructed." She emphasized "headquarters" and "priority" slightly, and for Director Zhao, she was so stingy that she was only willing to call him by his surname.
"Of course, I respect headquarters' orders," Zhao's smile remained unchanged. He took a step forward, his finger seemingly casually pointing at a few high-powered, restricted weapons on the list.
"But rules are rules. For a large-scale cross-regional armed dispatch, there must be a biometric confirmation from two A-level authorization holders simultaneously.
"This is the iron law written in the first article of the security manual. I think even headquarters wouldn't allow us to violate it, right?" He seemed to be talking about rules, but he was actually testing the authenticity of Natasha's mission and whether she was abusing her authority.