The base was outwardly relaxed but inwardly strict; it appeared ordinary from the outside, but its internal defenses were exceptionally tight, with no less than thirteen security doors.
Beyond the security corridor was a narrow detection passage where body, blood type, fingerprints, voice, pupils, and more all needed to be scanned until it was confirmed that you were indeed you, not an impostor, before the alloy gate would slowly open.
It was already 11 PM, and there were still many staff members in the laboratory. Jack Harvey, the director of the FBI and also the head of the base, was greeted with salutes from everyone upon his arrival, after which their gazes turned to Luke.
A boy of seventeen or eighteen?
Could he be the director's relative?
Everyone was suspicious but didn't ask further. The two continued walking, passing through the laboratory and living quarters, until they reached the innermost storage room.
As the hatch opened, they were met with a large array of uniquely designed special equipment. These were alien artifacts that the FBI had collected from around the world, including scientific research facilities and weapons.
Luke casually glanced around, then walked to the right corner, pointing at the silver metal scraps in front of him and saying,
"These things are mine."
Jack Harvey didn't say anything. The silver metal was Prometheus metal, which had excellent toughness and could absorb and generate energy. Its downside was that it was difficult to control and could explode if one wasn't careful. Many people at the base had been injured or killed because of it.
The storage room also had a secret door. Passing through it and four layers of security, the two arrived at a small, secluded room.
Inside the secret room were three items: a weapon that looked very much like a gun, a spherical object emitting purple light waves, and a black metallic cube.
A Mother Box!
Luke's heart trembled. He walked up to the cube, and at the same time, Ava, hidden in his watch, activated and began to scan the cube's properties.
Mysterious Cube
Material: Unknown
Density: Unknown
Volume: 43cm outer width, 38cm inner width.
Other information: Unable to obtain.
Luke took out an alloy dagger and struck it hard against the cube.
Bang!
The blade snapped, but the cube showed no dent whatsoever.
"It really is it."
Luke's expression was ecstatic, barely concealing his excitement.
A Mother Box!
The energy crystal of Apokolips, representing the highest technology of the DC Universe.
Its abilities were truly numerous: besides the most basic Boom Tube, it could also alter the gravitational constant of an area, sense danger, create life, generate force fields, rearrange matter structures, absorb energy, create impacts, build electronic networks, telepathy, super AI, control mechanical life, and so on.
Back when Steppenwolf invaded Earth with his Parademon army, he was defeated by the combined forces of the three major races, and the Mother Box was one of the spoils of war.
There were three Mother Boxes in total: one on Themyscira, guarded by the Amazons; one in the deep sea, belonging to Atlantis; and the last one circulated among various human nations, captured by Nazi Germany in the early 20th century. After World War II, for some unknown reason, it became a collectible of the FBI.
"From this moment on, you are mine."
Luke mused to himself, recalling the process of obtaining it, and couldn't help but sigh: politics is truly a wonderful thing; in its presence, no matter how powerful an item, it is merely a small bargaining chip.
"Director Harvey, please pack this and the pile of metal outside. I'm taking them with me."
The old man's face was grim, staring intently at Luke. After a long moment, he waved his hand, and two guards stepped forward to carefully place the Mother Box into a box.
"Kid, don't forget what you promised me."
"Don't worry, once I leave the base, an email will appear in your inbox. It will contain information about the aliens' origin, background, personality, superpowers, and so on. With this, you can make targeted deployments. With the FBI's power, catching him won't be difficult. As for the cult..."
Luke deliberately paused, then slowly said under the old man's displeased expression,
"Three days from now, at eight in the morning, in Green Lamb Town, have your people wait for me at the town bar."
"Why three days?"
"I need some time to prepare, don't I?"
Luke shrugged, took the box from the guard, and stood up to leave.
The Prometheus metal scraps were loaded into wooden crates and transported out together. The group left the laboratory in a grand procession. Once outside the base gate, Luke stuffed everything into the Humvee.
"Director, you don't mind if I borrow your Humvee, do you?"
Jack Harvey's face was dark. For some reason, he suddenly felt a pang of regret. The box must be even more important than he imagined, otherwise, given Luke Shaw's stingy and cunning personality, he would never be so generous as to not only provide alien information but also humble himself to venture into the primeval forest.
No, I can't let him get off so easily.
Just as Jack was about to speak, Luke stepped on the accelerator. The Humvee roared, sped out of the intersection, and quickly disappeared into the night.
The deputy, sensing the old man's hesitation, whispered,
"Should we stop him?"
Jack silently shook his head. "The email?"
"It's already been sent. It's very detailed."
The old man beckoned, calling a soldier to his side, and whispered,
"Send two cars to follow him, and monitor him closely. Remember, don't let yourselves be discovered."
The soldier nodded. "Understood."
Two Hummers departed from the base and vanished into the night. A short while later, they returned.
Jack Harvey's face was grim. "What happened? Didn't I tell you to follow him?"
The soldier explained, "There's no one in the car. The boy and the items are all gone. We only found this on the seat."
The soldier stepped forward, holding out a signal tracker wrapped in silver metal.
"Bastard!"
The old man took the tracker and threw it forcefully to the ground. The tracker was a trap he had set just in case, and it had been discovered before it was even activated.
Damn that Asian, how many secrets are you hiding?
The people around looked at each other, equally puzzled. Only a few minutes had passed, and the boy, along with the items in the car, had completely vanished. They had searched everywhere but found no trace of him. Could he fly or burrow into the ground?
The deputy suggested, "How about... we arrest him?"
Jack waved his hand. If they could arrest him, they would have done so long ago. Why wait until now? That kid had too many trump cards, and the Hongmen as backup. If they went head-to-head, it was very likely they would lose their lives.
He was only sixty-five and had plenty of time to enjoy himself; he didn't want to go into a coffin so soon.
"Notify the Anomalous Investigation Department to activate Project Green Forest. Remember, this time, Emily will lead the team."
The deputy nodded.
"I'll arrange it now."
With the speed of the Ghost Armor, it didn't take much time to get from Arizona to Coast City. Luke returned to Base Two before the midnight bells chimed.
He tossed the metal scraps aside and carried the box straight to the research lab.
Lights flickered on, illuminating the research lab, which was filled with various scientific equipment. Luke took out the Mother Box and carefully placed it on the testing device. Blue energy currents swirled around, lifting the Mother Box slowly into the air.
"Ava!"
"I'm here, young master."
"Activate the dialysis device. Start from the outermost layer. I want its elemental spectrum and energy architecture."
"The cube's exterior has a solid energy barrier, making it difficult to penetrate."
"That's okay."
Luke crossed his arms, his face filled with eager anticipation. "I have time. I can wait."
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