A week later, the shocking cyberattack on Big Apple City's internet infrastructure had finally drawn to a close.
The spokesperson for the Beautiful Country classified it as a new form of terrorist attack in the information age.
The direct and indirect economic losses caused that day amounted to billions of dollars.
At the same time, the incident had already been ranked among the Top Ten Global Hacking Events.
...
Zhonghai, First International Airport.
An MU588 flight from Big Apple City, the Beautiful Country, to Zhonghai was circling in the sky, waiting for landing clearance.
"Cough... cough, cough..."
In the economy class cabin of MU588, a pale-faced, emaciated blond young man burst into another bout of violent coughing.
"Mr. Elijah, is there anything I can help you with?"
A young flight attendant approached with concern and asked in a gentle voice.
"A glass of water, please. Thank you."
Elijah—formerly known as Morris. The FBI had begun tracking his traces, but fortunately, he had hacked into the relevant departments first and forged a new identity.
Beads of sweat dotted Morris's forehead from the pain. He gritted his teeth and spoke with a suppressed breath.
He took the disposable cup from the flight attendant with one hand, while fishing painkillers from his pocket with the other.
No one knew how many he swallowed, but the pain finally subsided a little.
The plane received its signal and began to descend.
After landing,
Robert Tapan Morris, carrying a backpack containing a laptop, walked slowly off the plane...
He proceeded to complete immigration procedures.
Everything went smoothly. No unexpected incidents occurred.
Morris took out his phone and dialed a strange number.
Then, dragging his feet, he walked to a water dispenser, filled a cup, and sat on the ground, silently watching the flow of people around him...
This time, he had crossed thousands of miles, traversed continents and oceans, arriving in this foreign land.
Robert Tapan Morris came with the resolve to die. He could feel his life force draining rapidly—he might not survive even another week.
His phone rang, and Morris quickly answered.
It was his escort.
At the pickup area, he spotted a group of men in black suits. One of them held a sign that read: "Elijah."
Robert Tapan Morris approached them.
After a brief exchange, he followed the group out of the airport and entered a motorcade of black Mercedes-Benz vehicles.
The convoy sped toward the Guanghua University School of Medicine.
...
At the same time,
At the convoy's destination—an old building tucked in a corner of Guanghua University Medical School—
Lu Li sat in the sunlight near the training ground…
He quietly read the book in his hands, occasionally glancing up at the one-on-one military combat training session between Zhang Xiao and Peng Hao in the distance.
Lu Li had already invested a significant amount of extra time into Peng Hao.
By day, Peng Hao underwent military training.
By night, Lu Li granted him access to a "Time Acceleration ×100" state for secondary training.
In other words, eight hours of night became eight hundred hours in accelerated time—Peng Hao could train a single skill for an entire thirty days in one night!
Every other night, Peng Hao experienced an evolution in that skill akin to a complete transformation.
The retired special forces soldier Zhang Xiao noticed the abnormality the very next day—Peng Hao's progress was simply too fast!
One day equaled a month.
Twelve days equaled over a year for an ordinary soldier.
(Note: In Time Acceleration, Lu Li paid the cost in time, so Peng Hao's own lifespan was unaffected.)
Lu Li paused his reading, pen in hand, jotting down thoughts and insights.
"I need to begin the next round of time transactions soon."
He murmured to himself.
Whether it was the expenditure of time, spending of money, or progress in networking, everything urged Lu Li to initiate new trades.
At that moment—
A car convoy entered the campus and parked on the road outside the building.
Robert Tapan Morris followed the men in black suits up a stone path leading to the old building.
Through the two tall iron gates, he saw a spraying fountain, a garden, a building...
Lu Li heard the commotion, got up, and calmly walked to the gate to open it.
The Rong family's men bowed and left.
Lu Li fixed his gaze on the thin, frail blonde youth in front of him.
A smile appeared on his face.
A single thought activated: Time Acceleration ×100.
He looked at the boy and said in English, in a deep voice:
"Name: Robert Tapan Morris"
"Age: 19"
"Remaining Lifespan: 3 days, 21 minutes, and 18 seconds"
Even without the mask, Robert Tapan Morris instantly recognized the young man before him as the presence behind the screen a week ago.
He was about to speak when the sounds around him suddenly turned strange.
A fearful look spread across his face as he looked around...
Finally, Morris widened his eyes, staring at a large quartz clock on the wall of a distant school building.
That quartz clock… seemed frozen in time.
No!
It was slowed down by one hundred times!
One second on the clock only passed after a full hundred seconds!
Morris swallowed hard, a mix of terror and awe on his face as he looked at Lu Li.
He swore—he had met the only true God on this earth.
To hell with Jehovah!
You can't even save my life—what kind of God are you?
"Hello, I am a Time Merchant, and also the master of The Immortality Club."
Lu Li spoke gently and calmly.
The Immortality Club No.000002 employee, Robert Tapan Morris, reporting for duty.
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。