In the next moment, as Jennifer's gaze lowered, she no longer cared how the robot had appeared there at all. Her eyes turned bloodshot as she stared at the man bound on the floor with the hatred of someone looking at her parents' killer.
It was him.
The man she had never once dared forget.
In countless nights, it had been this man who had dissected her inch by inch. For years. Entire years. Day and night, without pause, he had cut into her skin over and over again.
She had even fallen into despair because of her own regenerative ability. In the end, he killed her, took everything from her body, and left behind nothing but a skin bag, tossing her away like garbage. Only then had she felt a kind of release.
After suffering through those hellish years, she had dreamed every waking second of chewing his flesh, peeling his skin, burning him alive, and venting every ounce of pain he had forced on her.
She was certain of one thing. Even the hell described in legends could never be more terrifying than those years of darkness she had personally endured.
And now, seeing him again, Jennifer forcibly restrained the hand that had already moved toward her pistol. She fought down the urge to shoot him dead on the spot.
It was not because she feared killing him.
It was because she feared that if she acted on impulse, this worthless monster would die far too easily.
She intended to return every bit of suffering she had endured, a thousand times over.
"Since you brought him here, I'm assuming you know about the grudge between us."
"I can agree to give you my biological samples, Gordon's, and even Daisy's in the future. If you want, you can take any organ from my body that catches your interest."
"I can't make the decision for the others, but this piece of trash, you have to give him to me."
As she struggled to control the rise and fall of her chest, Jennifer looked at Killian with red, bloodshot eyes and spoke in a voice that trembled with fury.
"All right. You don't have to make the decision for them. But you do have to persuade them. At the very least, you can't stand in our way. And believe me, there will be even greater benefits waiting for you later."
"As long as you agree, then he's yours."
Watching Jennifer, Killian smiled and stated his condition.
Although getting Jennifer's and Gordon's biological samples had already been the main goal of this trip, who would ever complain about getting more?
"Fine."
After staring at Killian for a long moment, Jennifer finally forced out that single word.
Although what Killian wanted was, in a way, not so different from what that man had once done, mere biological samples meant nothing to her people.
To them, it was hardly anything.
In fact, they had never really paid much attention to such things before. If he wanted them, then fine. It did not matter.
"Then please."
Seeing that Jennifer had agreed, Killian smiled and spread his hands with a courteous gesture.
"Wait here."
Once Killian agreed, Jennifer turned and dragged Whitehall away like a dead dog, despite his violent struggles. She hauled him into a hidden room.
From Killian's angle, he could clearly see the panic in Whitehall's eyes. Compared to when he had been tied down in Killian's own lab and subjected to blood draws and tissue extractions, the terror on his face now was several times worse.
It was as if one place had been heaven, while the other was true hell.
Because as the person involved, Whitehall knew better than anyone what he had done to this woman.
And now that he had fallen into her hands, even if she only returned a hundredth of it, he knew he would never survive it.
At that moment, he only wanted one thing. He wanted his frantic struggling to irritate Jennifer enough that she would put a bullet in his head.
Yes, shoot him. Shoot him and end it.
So Whitehall's resistance became more violent. But to Jennifer, that desperate thrashing only brought a twisted sense of satisfaction. With a gaze like a predator closing in on prey, she dragged him into the room and shut the door behind them.
As the light disappeared, Whitehall felt like he had truly entered hell.
After an unknown amount of time, even the tea kettle on the table had gone cold. Outside, the attendants had begun growing impatient from the long wait.
Then the hidden door finally opened again.
Jennifer stepped out, neatly dressed and composed, as if nothing had happened.
But from the crack of the doorway alone, Killian could already see the room inside was drenched in blood.
He did not care. Thanks to the organs Jennifer had once lost and Whitehall had stolen, the man was effectively immortal to a degree now.
Unless someone destroyed his heart or crushed his brain outright, he would not die easily.
"Well? I assume that was satisfying?"
Seeing Jennifer emerge and once again become the poised, elegant Eastern beauty she had been before, Killian smiled and asked.
"Thank you. This has been the happiest day of my life."
"My daughter is back. My revenge is fulfilled. It feels like my life has finally become whole again. Everything I lost has been filled."
After venting everything, Jennifer had returned to her composed state. She closed her eyes and savored the present, speaking with complete satisfaction.
Honestly, if someone had claimed she was high out of her mind right then, most people would have believed it.
Still, as she spoke, Killian could see bits of flesh caught between her teeth.
By the time she finished speaking, even that had disappeared.
Killian was not surprised.
Frankly, even if she had done something far more brutal, he still would not have been surprised.
A woman abducted and imprisoned for years in a dark laboratory, cut open daily like a living specimen, was bound to become something else entirely.
It was no different from the immortals in those stories who, because they could not die, were dissected over and over for years without end. Because they regenerated each time, they could never even dull the pain through repetition. Each recovery restored them to full awareness, full sensation, full suffering.
To survive that and still remain sane was already a miracle.
So when Jennifer came out like this, Killian had nothing to say.
"All right, then. Can we talk about our cooperation now?"
Looking at Jennifer, Killian continued calmly.
"Of course. But let me make one thing clear. At most, I'll stand to the side and tell my people what terms you're offering. If you expect me to persuade them for you or to recruit them on your behalf, then don't."
"You're Daisy's and my benefactor. I don't want to make things awkward between us later."
Jennifer smiled faintly and spoke in a measured tone.
"Of course. Then let me explain my conditions."
"First, anyone willing to provide biological samples will receive a minimum of one hundred thousand dollars, no conditions attached."
"And that amount is just the base. The higher the ability's potential, the higher the value. For someone like you, for example, I'd be willing to offer a hundred million."
"Second, anyone willing to cooperate with follow-up research will receive one hundred thousand dollars per month in compensation. That includes nutritional supplements, mental distress compensation, lost wages, transportation, and anything else that falls under that category."
"On top of that, once the research concludes, Pioneer Tech will provide each volunteer with a house in the country and city of their choice."
"The value will never be less than one million dollars."
"And after reaching that second level of cooperation, regardless of the country, city, or place, as long as they aren't the ones breaking the law, they will be under Pioneer Tech's protection."
"And even if there is a legal issue, as long as it isn't their fault or it isn't a violent criminal matter, Pioneer Tech will provide professional legal representation and coordinate directly with the local authorities."
"Believe me, don't underestimate our company's influence. If they agree to these terms, what they gain will be far more than what they give."
"And this place, Afterlife, will also fall under our protection. As long as you want it, no country or organization will be able to harass you."
As he spoke, Killian handed over a contract that had long since been prepared.
Jennifer looked down at it.
The more she read, the more stunned she became.
"You've gone out of your way for this. But I already said it. My own samples, Gordon's, and Daisy's in the future are yours. If I said I would give them, then I meant it. There's no need to say more about that."
"But I still want to ask. Are you serious?"
"If all of my people agreed, you'd be paying out tens of billions of dollars in total."
After finishing the contract, Jennifer raised her head and looked at Killian.
"Heh. You don't need to worry about that. To me, money is just a string of numbers. I barely touch it anymore."
"The happiest days of my life were honestly back when I was a student. That kind of happiness was real. It came from the heart. Not like now, when everything is surrounded by the stench of money."
Hearing Jennifer's question, Killian replied with a look of confidence and weary amusement.
For the first time in a long while, Jennifer had to fight the urge to roll her eyes.
Money is just numbers. I don't touch it anymore. My happiest days were when I was a student.
Why stop there? She might as well tell him infancy was even better. Back then all he had to do was eat and sleep.
Of course, she was never actually going to say that.
"Fine. Let's set the money aside for the moment. Then what about the last point? Pioneer Tech's protection? Your company is still, at its core, only a very large multinational corporation, isn't it?"
"And one that depends heavily on the United States. Even Stark Industries, with all of its military ties, wouldn't dare promise something like this. So what gives you the right to say it?"
"I'm sorry if that sounds too blunt. But I have to be responsible for my people."
Jennifer looked at him steadily.
If Killian had only said he could do that within the United States, she probably would not have reacted so strongly. After all, given Pioneer Tech's technological influence, as long as the people in charge of the country weren't brain-dead, they would naturally protect such a company.
But Killian had spoken about the entire world. Any country, any city, any location. He claimed Pioneer Tech could protect them everywhere and coordinate with governments if necessary.
To Jennifer, that sounded absurd.
Even the United States, the self-proclaimed world police, would not dare boast like that.
And now this man was saying it as if it were obvious. For the first time, Jennifer seriously began wondering whether this young CEO was simply too arrogant for his own good.
"Baymax, did you finish?"
Instead of responding to Jennifer's skepticism directly, Killian tapped his earpiece and spoke.
"Authorization completed."
Baymax's response came instantly.
Killian then pulled out a holographic cube from his pocket and placed it on the table.
In the next second, layers of holographic documents unfolded in midair.
Government authorization papers. Deployment approvals. Military control permits.
And within the projection, Jennifer could clearly see rows of Pioneer Tech robots already beginning construction at the foot of the mountain below.
Even now, huge engineering machines were working at full speed. Some were already setting up anti-air missile systems.
In other words, down at the base of their mountain, a military installation was already taking shape.
"How is that possible?"
Jennifer stared at the projection in disbelief.
Heavy robots. Military hardware. Anti-air missiles.
How could the local government possibly allow any of that?
And if Pioneer Tech had brought it in illegally, did they really not care about creating an international incident?
"You chose this location well. Right on the edge of multiple borders. Hard to find, and even if someone did find you, you could flee into another nation's territory at any moment."
"But conveniently, I already donated ten billion dollars and a large quantity of supplies to the local government before coming here. In exchange, I obtained full authorization in the relevant territory."
"Of course, I also secured related permits in Nepal, Pakistan, India, and China. The level of freedom I have there varies, but the approvals exist."
"But believe me, everything I said isn't just empty talk."
"In fact, once you truly understand me, and once you truly understand Pioneer Tech, you'll find that the things I say are actually far tamer than the reality."
As he spoke, Killian continued projecting one authorization after another, each from a different government.
At that moment, Jennifer finally understood the true meaning of a multinational giant.
To achieve what Killian had achieved here, if she had tried to do it herself, it would have taken her years, perhaps even decades.
And yet this man had done it in a matter of hours, with a few orders and a little money.
It was absurd.
"What about the other countries? Did you bribe them too?"
"That can't be it."
Jennifer finally regained enough composure to ask.
"Of course not. Money opens the door, but it doesn't solve everything. We're different. T-series priority access. Controlled fusion cooperation. Communications infrastructure partnerships. Reusable rocket launch facilities. Medical robot licensing. Strategic robotics cooperation. There are too many things that can persuade them."
"And what I wanted in return was simple. Legal armed security rights within the territory and the ability to protect my own interests."
"To them, that's a tiny price to pay."
"As for China, no, I can't get the same military authorizations there. But once you set foot on that land, you'll already be safer than almost anywhere else on the planet, especially if you're inside Pioneer Tech's territory."
"Believe me, if a dispute ever arose there, the authorities would protect you before I even had to ask."
Looking at Jennifer, Killian answered without the slightest hesitation.
At the current stage, Pioneer Tech obviously could not garrison troops around the world.
But in places like Afghanistan, where governments were fractured and war was a daily reality, money and supplies could buy almost anything.
Killian understood that better than anyone.
(End of Chapter)
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