Chapter 353: Reporting for Duty
"Take a seat," commanded the 50-year-old MILF with an air of authority. Despite the passing years, her skin retained an enviable flawlessness, untouched by the telltale signs of unnatural interventions like Botox.
She radiated a youthful glow, deceiving the observer into thinking she was merely in her 30s. Without the aid of my Mind Eye, I would have never discerned her true age, for her outward appearance defied the marks of aging.
Observing more closely, her black eyes appeared more angular, slanting downward and relatively large, unlike Korean eyes that are almond-shaped, slightly slanted, and much smaller.
Her name was Hou Xia, a woman of mixed heritage, half South Korean and half Chinese. Initially stationed at the China Branch, she choose to be relocated here due to a lack of opportunities for promotion in her previous branch.
'This must be a perk of being a high-ranking official in Cerebrum,' I chuckled to myself. There seemed to be no other explanation for her perpetual youth, except some external potion or ointment that kept her looking so young.
According to the information I extracted from Joon, high-ranking officials has the chance to access some kind of therapy capable of extending one's lifespan up to 100 years.
In fact, some of the most influential individuals in Cerebrum have managed to stretch their lives to an impressive 200+ years.
This revelation sheds light on the intense desire of many, including so-called billionaires, to curry favor with these organization, driven by the hope of securing this life-extending treatment for themselves.
However, even those billionaires had to pay a hefty price for such a privilege. First, they had to fake their own deaths and donate all their money on what they so called "Foundation" .
Next, they were compelled to reside in a community built by Cerebrum on an isolated island, ensuring that no one would discover the secret of their prolonged lives.
Essentially, they were concealing not only the technology capable of extending life but also the ability to cure almost all diseases worldwide. What a group of greedy fuckers.
"Aren't you going to take a seat?" she asked again, seeing me just standing.
Noticing the piercing scrutiny in her eyes, I settled into the chair before her.
In front of me, a futuristic table came to life, projecting images, the Cerebrum logo outlined in striking blue against the darkness of the backdrop.
"Is that all the Varium?" she inquired, her gaze fixed on the briefcase in my hand.
"Yes," I replied in a firm tone. There was no need to adopt a casual demeanor in the presence of such a woman. I had heard from the real Joon that she had quite the reputation for being overbearing ,and had been through three divorces already.
I couldn't help but offer silent congratulations to those ex-husbands for successfully escaping with their lives. I bet that the most recent guy probably had no inkling that he was marrying an old hag with a bitchy attitude.
"Good, just put the case there," she ordered with an authoritative voice. Stay connected with empire
Like a dutiful office worker, I promptly obeyed her command and placed the case where she indicated, silently awaiting further instructions.
Unlike the Seoul branch, I hadn't yet infiltrated the servers of this location. Stealing her card at this point would trigger alarms. For the time being, I had to maintain the facade of a loyal subordinate, suppressing any hint of my ulterior motives.
"How about your main mission? Did you retrieve the data from them?" She raised her eyebrows, spotting any irregularities on the Seoul Branch was Joon's primary mission.
"I have the data," I replied, pulling out a USB device from my pocket.
This was no ordinary USB; it boasted a speed at least 50 times faster than the current fastest one available in the market, and the data stored on it couldn't be tampered with easily.
But while it posed a challenge for others, I could effortlessly bypass those restrictions and manipulate some important information, thanks to my abilities.
"Put the USB there ," She ordered, then a USB hole , not the standard rectangle but circular one open up in the table .
I inserted the drive, and the glass table sprang to life, interpreting the massive data. Despite its sheer volume, the table efficiently processed and extracted information within a mere 30 seconds.
'Wow, I'm pretty sure this thing would make a fantastic installation directory for StarPeld; that game is filled with loading screens," I chuckled to myself, reminiscing about the game I was engrossed in before being busy with life.
Oh, how I longed for the simpler days when I could just sit at my PC and lose myself in playing games all day.
Reflecting on it, perhaps playing that game on a supercomputer wouldn't be a bad idea. Just envision the luxury of playing any game I desire with a 1000+ Hz monitor. While ordinary humans might not appreciate it, given my heightened senses, even if it's 2000 frames, I could still discern the difference.
[Reading Complete]
A female mechanical voice resonated, it was the AI responsible for safeguarding the servers in this place. Unlike Seoul, this AI exhibited a hint of consciousness.
"Give me the rundown," she commanded.
[Received data from Seoul Branch exhibits no errors. Operating System integrity remains uncompromised, with good transmission and reception metrics. All data parameters align within expected parameters, ensuring a secure and stable transfer process.]
"Then what caused the irregularities a few days ago?" she mused aloud .
"Did anyone tamper with this data?" she asked.
[Negative: The data did not show any signs of tampering. It was all raw data from the Seoul Mainframe.]
"Alright," she said, then she pressed something on the table. The AI and the table shut down, going back to the regular Cerebrum logo.
After obtaining the necessary information, she leaned back in her chair and began contemplating about something.
As for me, I remained silent, patiently waiting for her. In the current situation, she held a superior position, and I needed to adhere to the hierarchy.
"Joon, what are your thoughts on being sent to Shanghai ?" She asked.