Not to mention a simple military deployment permit or stationing authorization.
In fact, the local government forces would probably love for a giant like Pioneer Tech to set up troops here in large numbers. After all, they were the official representatives of Afghanistan, while Pioneer Tech represented a massive multinational corporation. At the very least, both sides had to keep up appearances.
And if terrorists or insurgents really came attacking later, would Pioneer Tech not help? Of course they would.
So in weak regions that were already drowning in war, those documents were about as useful as stiff paper in an outhouse. They barely meant anything.
And that was exactly what Killian had taken advantage of.
By registering arms companies here, maintaining armed forces, and having corporate assets spread across the neighboring countries, even if something really did happen, as long as it was not a matter of principle, what could those governments really say?
"All right, Mr. Killian, I don't think I have much room left to refuse."
"But I have one final condition."
"If anyone on our side agrees to the second option, then someone from our people must supervise the entire process. We need to make sure nothing like what happened to me ever happens again."
After hearing everything Killian had said, Jennifer was finally convinced, but she still raised one last demand.
"Of course. That's your right. I was originally planning to install live monitoring so you could supervise remotely, but if you'd prefer to be there in person, that works too."
"The only issue is the location..."
Killian agreed immediately, then continued.
After all, the woman standing before him had personally lived through that darkness. Even if their positions were reversed, he knew he would demand the same thing.
Besides, for him, he truly only wanted their biological samples. As for their powers, those could be replicated later through cloning.
For the Inhumans, awakening was practically the dividing line between two entirely different beings. As long as he got their post-awakening biological material, he could reproduce clones with identical abilities.
"As for the location, I'll need to discuss it with my people first. But I don't think it'll be a major issue. Sorry."
After hearing Killian's conditions, Jennifer smiled and explained.
"Oh, right. I have one more question. Would you mind answering it?"
As if remembering something, Jennifer looked at Killian and asked.
"Of course."
Killian gestured for her to continue.
"How exactly did you find this place? We've been here for decades. Several generations have lived here, and no outsider has ever found us."
"Not to mention this place is surrounded by hundreds of miles of uninhabited land. Just getting up here on foot would already be incredibly difficult."
Jennifer finally asked the question that had been buried deepest in her heart.
She truly could not understand how he had made it here.
And when she tried to pry the answer out of Daisy, no matter how subtly, the girl kept it tightly guarded.
In the end, Jennifer had no choice but to ask him directly.
Because if she let this question remain unanswered, it would always stay lodged in her heart like a thorn. Even if they moved later, it would still leave her deeply uneasy.
Killian laughed.
"It's simple. You've been focusing on what you can hide from the naked eye, but you forgot that as the times change, the view from above can often reveal everything much more clearly."
"Our company's satellites can observe anything happening on the ground. Of course, they aren't precise enough yet to capture every tiny detail, but for finding hideouts and settlements, they're more than enough."
"The United States, Russia, Britain, France, and other major powers are all already using the same approach. So as technology continues to advance, people will gradually lose more and more of what used to be called privacy."
"Jennifer, you grew up in China, so I'm sure you understand this better than I do."
"So let me leave you with one sentence. Isolation always leads to decline."
"But you've done well. You didn't completely shut yourselves off, and you still maintained channels for your people to interact with the outside world."
"That said, if you truly want your people to grow stronger, then you can't fear the power of the new era."
"You need to learn how to use it. How to control it."
Looking at Jennifer, Killian spoke with an almost earnest seriousness.
To be fair, Jennifer herself was not truly a bad person.
In the original course of things, before getting Daisy back, she had been able to set aside her blood feud, her daughter, and all her own personal pain in order to devote herself to managing and protecting the survival of her people.
So with Jennifer, Killian was willing to offer sincere advice.
If they continued on their current path, then the destruction of Afterlife and the eventual scattering and capture of its people across the world would only be a matter of time.
"...A satellite? I know what satellites are, but they've become that advanced now?"
After hearing Killian's explanation, Jennifer stared at him in shock.
She had lived in seclusion for a long time, but she had never stopped reading books from the outside world. She knew what phones were. She knew what satellites were. But in her understanding, phones were just advanced toys with useful functions, and satellites were only capable of taking blurry black-and-white images at best.
And now he was telling her that satellites could already observe everything on the ground from above?
She had seen satellite photos before. They were nothing more than vague black-and-white smudges, enough to make out villages and little else.
And that was exactly why she had kept Afterlife far smaller than it needed to be, matching its colors and layout to the surrounding environment as perfectly as possible.
She had thought she had already accounted for surveillance from above.
And once that was dealt with, the only way to expose this place would be through electronic signals.
That was why she had always forbidden her people from bringing electronic devices here. She had believed that if they kept this up, they could live peacefully for as long as they wanted.
Yet now Killian was telling her that the very thing she had never worried about, the satellite overhead, had been what found them.
"Believe me, now is not the time to marvel at how fast technology is advancing. If you keep going the way you are now, hiding here with your people and scraping by, then the next time it won't be me coming. It'll be real wolves."
"And when that happens, how much use do you think your powers will be against modern firepower?"
"Even Japan, stubborn as they were, lost their nerve after one Little Boy."
"So put aside your sense of superiority. Cooperating with us is the best option for both sides."
Seeing Jennifer thoroughly shaken, Killian smiled and pressed his point.
"All right. Don't worry. I'm only shocked by how quickly technology has advanced."
"Since we've already agreed to cooperate, then we'll cooperate."
"Mr. Killian, you don't need to worry that I'll collapse from something like this."
Jennifer steadied herself, then looked at Killian seriously.
"That's even better."
"Sorry if I've been a little too direct."
"But in that case, let me say this in advance. Here's to a pleasant cooperation."
Killian stood, smiling, and extended his hand.
"Pleasant cooperation."
After the handshake, the two walked out together.
That same day, Jennifer arranged a small celebration for Daisy and for Killian's arrival.
The gathering was not large, but even so, Killian could feel the warmth and enthusiasm of people from many different countries and backgrounds.
While Killian was outside enjoying the welcome of the local Inhumans, inside the meeting hall of Afterlife, the several dozen people who currently held the most influence had all gathered together.
"So, regarding the terms Pioneer Tech offered, what are your thoughts?"
After explaining all the conditions Killian had promised, Jennifer looked at the group and asked.
She might be the leader of Afterlife, but when a real decision had to be made, she still had to hear their opinions.
The people seated here basically represented everyone in Afterlife. If they had no objections, then that was that.
"I object."
"We came here for a reason. We wanted a place of our own. Except for you and Gordon, none of us even know where this place is. And that's exactly why we've always felt safe here."
"But now what? Not only have we been found, but they're asking us to hand over biological samples. It sounds nice, but who knows if they just want to drag us into labs and use us for human experimentation?"
"Isn't that exactly what the United States loves doing?"
After Jennifer spoke, a rough-looking man stood up immediately, glaring at her in dissatisfaction.
If she had not been the leader, and if he had not still given her some degree of respect, he might have directly accused her of helping outsiders find them.
"Exactly."
"Who doesn't know how hidden this place is?"
"And if Gordon is the only one who can travel in and out, then who else could have exposed us?"
"I think the first thing we should discuss is moving the base. They're already building a military installation at our doorstep. If we don't run now, what are we waiting for? Death?"
Several others who were close to him echoed him right away.
"Norbert, calm down."
"I'm one of you. In fact, I hate those institutions and governments at least as much as anyone here. Why would I betray my own people? What would I possibly gain from that?"
Jennifer looked at the troublemaker and forced herself to remain patient.
"Oh, what would you gain?"
"Maybe the return of your daughter?"
"And who knows what kind of deal you struck when you met him alone in that room for so long."
Norbert responded with the shameless confidence of someone who did not care.
"Enough."
At that point Gordon finally stepped in coldly.
"I'm the only one here besides the leader who can actually interact with the outside world. Everything in and out goes through me. So are you saying I'm the traitor?"
If Jennifer was the one who kept Afterlife united, then Gordon was the one who kept it functional. Without him, they would never have lasted this long.
"Yes."
"This location is as hidden as it gets."
"And Gordon, aside from the leader, has the highest status and seniority among all of us. Even if you said another teleporter had appeared, it still wouldn't compare to him. Gordon would never do something like this."
"So instead of arguing over some imaginary traitor, why don't we discuss what to do next?"
A middle-aged man stepped in to calm both sides.
Everyone knew Gordon's role too well.
If anyone still believed Gordon was secretly selling them out after all these years, then they might as well accuse themselves of having a split personality.
"But there's another issue."
"What if our information gets leaked after we agree? A company like theirs is definitely going to record everything."
A younger man wearing glasses raised a practical concern.
"That's right. If we agree, they need to sign a contract guaranteeing our information won't be leaked. Otherwise, there needs to be massive compensation."
Another voice chimed in.
The room, which had only just started to calm down, immediately fell tense again.
"Let me say what I think."
An older man stood up at that moment.
"To be honest, I actually think this isn't a bad deal."
"Everyone here should ask themselves honestly. Even after awakening, do you dare use your powers freely in normal life?"
"No, right? So in the end, we still have to live like ordinary people."
"And if we live like ordinary people, then earning money, finding housing, and handling everyday needs are all still difficult."
"I don't know about the rest of you, but I know several people whose families are struggling badly."
"Some are barely getting by. And over the years, more than a few have been forced to use their powers because of financial pressure. That's not exactly rare, is it?"
"Now we have a company offering us money for some blood, some hair, and some tissue samples. They're not dragging us into a lab and carving us open like some black-site government program."
"If it were me, I'd agree."
After he finished, several people in the room fell silent.
He had a point.
For many of them, the hardest part of life had never been their powers.
It had been surviving in the ordinary world with those powers while pretending to be normal.
And in that sense, Pioneer Tech's offer really was tempting.
(End of Chapter)
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