"Welcome aboard, Dr. Samuel Sterns. Believe me, you absolutely won't regret the choice you made today."
After hearing Samuel agree, Killian extended his right hand, shook his, and spoke with a smile.
"So, Boss, when do I report in?"
After the handshake, Samuel immediately asked impatiently.
He was already dying to see what this thing was that Killian claimed could rival or even surpass the Super Soldier Serum.
He was even already imagining some future day when he, Samuel Sterns, after creating a human even stronger than Captain America, would be looked upon with worship by future generations in the field of biology.
"As soon as possible. I've already arranged the lab on this end for you. Everything is just waiting for you to come and start the project."
After hearing Samuel's question, Killian replied at once.
On the way here, he had already told Lisa to lock down that island laboratory in Miami.
And now, if everything went smoothly, by the time he returned tonight, the handover for that lab would already be complete.
To take over as quickly as possible, he had even spent a huge sum to buy every piece of equipment inside the laboratory.
Since it was originally a biological lab, a lot of the equipment was universal, and this also saved a great deal of time that would otherwise have been wasted on procurement later.
And that was not all.
Killian had also arranged for construction to begin on an underground laboratory in the open area beside the existing one.
He intended to turn this island into a truly large underground laboratory, something like a real Hive.
"Then I think I can leave with you right now, Boss."
"My position at the school is basically just nominal anyway. I can come and go as I please. I have no ties holding me here, and right now I'm already itching to throw myself into the work immediately."
After hearing Killian's answer, Samuel's eyes widened with excitement as he spoke in an agitated tone.
"Alright, then let's head to the airport now."
Hearing that Samuel could leave immediately, the two of them hit it off instantly. They did not even bring anything with them before heading straight for the airport.
...
That evening, as night fell, Killian and Samuel landed once again and were driven in a company vehicle to the laboratory on the island.
Because the purchase had already been completed, everyone from the original laboratory had long since withdrawn. Now, aside from the company staff Lisa had arranged to do initial cleanup and organization, there was no one else left.
After the newly hired security guards opened the main doors for them, the two entered the laboratory.
And at that moment, as Samuel looked at the laboratory before him, worth hundreds of millions of dollars,
its sheer luxury and the number of high-precision instruments made even someone as experienced as Samuel feel stunned.
Because many of the devices here cost at least tens of millions of dollars each.
Forget seeing them in person, he had only ever read about some of them in newspapers.
At this moment, as he touched those instruments, Samuel looked as though he were holding a woman's delicate hand, careful, gentle, and utterly fascinated.
Killian, seeing Samuel lose composure like this, did not interrupt him.
After all, Killian counted as half a scientist himself.
If their positions were reversed, he figured he would probably look exactly the same.
After all, he had not hesitated to spend a fortune buying all this equipment.
Because these instruments really were worth every cent.
As the two went deeper inside, they soon arrived at the laboratory on the third underground level of the building.
And along the way, seeing how spotless and almost brand-new every room looked, it was easy to tell that the previous owner had definitely had secrets here, which was why everything had been cleaned so thoroughly before leaving.
In fact, Killian became even more certain of that after seeing the isolation glass along the way, not even a single strand of hair had been left behind.
Of course, anyone who chose to build a laboratory on a remote island like this was probably conducting experiments they did not want others to know about.
Finally, after reaching the innermost laboratory, Killian placed the low-temperature case in his hand down, and then he and Samuel, who had caught up beside him, both put on their specially made protective suits.
It was worth mentioning that this type of protective suit not only prevented toxic gas leaks, but also guarded against cuts, to prevent accidental infection if the suit was damaged during virus research.
So those scenes in movies where researchers constantly get infected because their protective suits tear during lab work were basically nonsense.
In fact, even if you really were infected, there was no way you would be able to leave the lab.
A biolab like this had layers upon layers of security and sterilization. Just for Killian and Samuel to enter, they had already passed through three protective doors and three decontamination chambers.
Not to mention that real facilities of this kind would also have personnel guarding them.
After putting on the protective suits and going through one final full sterilization, the two finally opened the last isolation door, which was several dozen centimeters thick.
At that point, Killian carefully and slowly carried the case in his hand and placed it inside the protective glass operation chamber not far away.
Then, after sealing it shut, the machine automatically locked, and the case inside opened on its own.
And only then did Samuel finally see what exactly had been inside the case that Killian had been carrying so carefully the entire way.
Inside lay a flower unlike anything on Earth, looking astonishingly similar to a starfish.
At that moment, Samuel was certain that this flower had absolutely never been discovered by the world before.
And within that flower, there was definitely extraordinary potential.
By now, Samuel already understood that the reason Killian had recruited him was precisely because of this unknown flower before them.
"As you can see, this is a plant called the Stairway of the Sun, which I obtained by chance from an extremely remote tribe."
"In that place, if the locals want to become the chief of the tribe, they must eat the flower in front of us."
"Because the flower itself is highly poisonous, they usually first choose many candidates and then hold a ceremony to elect the chief. During the ceremony, each candidate eats one in turn, and whoever survives after consuming the flower becomes the new chief of the tribe."
"Of course, the most miraculous part is that after surviving this baptism between life and death, every tribal chief gains power close to that of a god."
"They gain a far longer lifespan, tremendous strength beyond human reach, a body impervious to blades and bullets, and a fearless, resolute will."
(End of Chapter)
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