Watching the successful-looking old man enter the cinema, George's hanging heart finally eased a little.
"Mike, please keep a close eye on Shelly later. I'll wait for you in the car…" George eventually agreed to his younger son's request to watch the science documentary. However, judging by his expression, he hadn't completely relaxed yet.
This was normal; anyone arriving at such a strange place in the middle of the night wouldn't feel comfortable letting their child wander alone.
Thankfully, Mike was accompanying him this time.
"OK, I'll take good care of Sheldon." Mike understood the other party's concern and offered his assurance.
Although he didn't know the situation inside the cinema, with Mike's current physique, he was confident he could handle any unexpected incidents.
Moreover, Dr. Ronald had provided the movie tickets, so it shouldn't be a major problem.
After having their tickets re-verified, Mike and the other person successfully entered the cinema.
The screening room wasn't very large, and the number of attendees wasn't high, only about twenty people.
Perhaps because everyone was unfamiliar with each other, no one was chatting in the screening room, making it very quiet.
Sheldon didn't seem to mind much; he led Mike to the very front row, in the middle, and sat down.
"Hey, buddy. Why did you bring a kid?" Not long after Mike sat down, a young man in a black hoodie next to him leaned over and asked.
Seeing Mike's gaze, the young man smiled, showing his goodwill, then whispered, "My name is Colin, and I'm a freelancer."
"Mike, currently a high school student," Mike introduced himself simply.
Through observing his expression, Mike noticed a momentary look of surprise on the young man's face after he introduced himself.
"Is there a problem with my identity?" Mike immediately asked.
"There's no problem with your identity; it's just that you're too young," Colin organized his words and said, "Most of the people invited here are successful individuals in various fields. For example, that old man over there is a double PhD. in physics and biology from Harvard…"
Following the direction indicated by the other party, Mike saw the old man who had entered before them.
Moreover, as Mike observed, he noticed that most of the twenty-odd people present were over thirty years old and dressed meticulously.
Clearly, their identities were not simple.
And this Colin, in his twenties, wearing a hoodie, and with a somewhat otaku-like demeanor, probably wasn't as simple as he appeared either.
"Can you tell me about the situation here?" Mike withdrew his gaze and asked.
"Didn't you do any research before coming?" This time, Colin's surprised expression was very obvious. Then, he looked between Mike and Sheldon several times and continued to ask, "Where did you get your tickets?"
"They were given to me by someone else," Mike replied.
"No wonder you brought a child to this kind of gathering…" Colin had a look of understanding.
Those who could enter this private cinema were invited directly by the owner with movie tickets, targeting specific successful individuals.
People like Mike and Sheldon, who looked very young and seemingly had no achievements, would generally not receive an invitation.
However, after hearing Mike's explanation, Colin understood that Mike and the other person's presence at this gathering might be an accident.
After pondering for a while, Colin also briefly explained what he knew about the situation.
It turned out that small gatherings like this, initiated with movie tickets, had happened before. And according to online information, such gatherings were very mysterious.
Outsiders found it difficult to understand the true nature of the gatherings.
Colin's other identity was that of a computer hacker. He was very curious after learning about such gatherings online.
He was quite excited for a while after receiving this invitation.
Moreover, his purpose for coming this time was likely to uncover a secret.
Just as Mike was about to learn more about the situation, a middle-aged man in a white lab coat walked to the front.
"I am Francis, a researcher from NASA. It is an honor to invite all of you…" Francis stated his identity.
Mike also noticed that the white lab coat the other party was wearing was indeed the work uniform of a NASA researcher.
However, the [Acting +10] light cluster Mike had captured couldn't help but make him realize that things might not be so simple.
Yes, this light cluster had fallen from Francis on the stage.
After Francis briefly introduced himself on stage, he smiled and continued, "Humanity may not be alone… What you are about to see should subvert your perception. Please look forward to it—"
As he finished speaking, the lights in the screening room dimmed. Then, a projection appeared on the screen at the front.
"Mars is one of the eight planets in the solar system, the fourth planet from the sun, and a terrestrial planet… Its orange-red crust indicates an abundance of hematite on its surface…"
Along with the popular science narration, a robotic explorer's perspective showed the landscape of Mars to everyone.
"Is it just a normal science documentary…?" Colin watched the video playback, clearly not very satisfied with the situation.
He had come this time to create a big news story.
Meanwhile, Sheldon next to him watched very intently.
Just when Mike thought he was being overly suspicious, the screen suddenly became shaky, and then a giant tentacle suddenly swept across the camera.
"Oh, oh—"
This sudden development caused a gasp of surprise in the screening room.
"This isn't computer-generated…" Colin stared intently at the screen, seemingly wanting to discern something more from it.
And Sheldon, beside him, showed a look of surprise.
Then the view shifted, revealing the full appearance of the tentacle's owner: an enormous octopus monster.
This octopus monster seemed to possess considerable intelligence; when it discovered the robot filming it, it extended another tentacle and smashed the robot into pieces.
The screen finally froze on the octopus monster's ferocious large head.
"This is truly incredible; octopus aliens really exist…" Sheldon murmured, lost in thought.
"It truly is incredible—" Colin also exclaimed.
From his professional perspective, the images on the screen were real. This meant that aliens truly existed.
This was indeed a scene that subverted one's cognition.
Although the octopus monster's appearance was brief, it still gave a considerable shock to everyone in the screening room.
The murmuring gradually grew louder.
"Quiet—"
Just as everyone was discussing heatedly, the lights in the screening room suddenly came on. Francis walked onto the stage, looked at the expressions of the audience, and seemed very satisfied.
Then, he said, "As you can all see, we are not alone. Aliens truly exist, and they don't just exist in outer space. To my knowledge, many aliens also live on Earth; they possess advanced camouflage technology and are lurking among humans…"
If Francis had said this from the beginning, he might have been considered crazy.
But with the visual evidence, his words gained significant persuasive power.