Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
With someone like Bernhard, who held a high-level position in academia, Chen Chen would first evaluate the chances that they would join. If the person’s family and career were both stable, naturally, Chen Chen would not set himself up just to be rejected.
Only when it was someone like Bernhard who had no family and was having trouble in their career, Chen Chen would send out an invitation. He also sent Cheng Cao and the rest to where the person was staying.
If the person agreed, that would be ideal. Nevertheless, if the person still refused even after seeing the data on the age-reversal treatment, there was no choice but to erase their memory.
The five people in Cheng Cao’s team had gone through a period of testing and were also implanted with the God chip, thus becoming a member of God’s Forbidden Zone. Not only that, but Chen Chen had also exchanged the USB drive’s remaining energy for four sets of GS Combat Suits.
The GS Combat Suit was shorthand for Gantz Suit, the essential battle suit in Gantz. Even when ordinary people wore it, they could instantly become a superhuman who had more endurance than long-distance runners, more strength than strongmen, and more speed than Usain Bolt.
At this point, Chen Chen had six combat suits in possession. Cheng Cao and the other five could each escort one target back. In less than half a month, Blacklight Biotechnology Research Institute had ushered in eighteen individuals who had attained the rank of professor in the field of biology.
These eighteen people were carefully selected by Little X. Although they had immense potential, they had always gone unrecognized, not having enough clout in academia. Therefore, their departure did not attract the authorities’ attention.
Of those young talents with potential, half of them came to Namibia being tempted by a high salary. Chen Chen covered for their return tickets, promising that they could go back anytime if they were unsatisfied.
In a short while, the newly built Blacklight Biotechnology Research Center had transformed from an empty space to a lively hub.
“This is the license from the Namibian Ministry of Health.”
On the third floor of the laboratory building in the research center, Chen Chen sat in the first seat of the conference table and handed a gold-stamped certificate to Bernhard. “With this clinical license, we can carry out the clinical trials of the ‘stem cell age-reversal’ project.”
Bernhard glanced at the certificate in his hand with a strange expression, then passed it to another professor beside him.
No one spoke for a while.
“What does everyone think?” Chen Chen asked bluntly.
“It’s amazing.”
A middle-aged man named Evans took the certificate and considered it out loud. “Uh… If you put aside the import costs of various resources, this is truly a paradise for experimenting.”
“That’s true.” Someone else interrupted. “No medical quality inspection, no ethical review, no experimental supervision. What else do we have to worry about?”
“I doubt if the Ministry of Health in this country can even understand the experiment material that we submitted?” someone asked, which prompted a burst of laughter around the conference room.
“Still, we’d better be careful.” Chen Chen cut off their laughter and reminded them. “Don’t spread this around for the time being, to prevent causing any international debate. After all, what we’ll be doing are experiments on embryo cloning.”
Everyone nodded.
“Alright. Let’s talk about the projects in the research center.”
Chen Chen once again urged them. “Except for Professor Bernhard, everyone else has no projects. In this case, everyone can recruit their favorite assistants in the research center.
“I’m sure everyone has noticed that most of the young people I’ve invited are graduates from well-known universities. Even for those who aren’t, they have relatively outstanding achievements and are filled with potential. If you manage to persuade them to stay on, they’ll be your assistant.”
Everyone nodded at this. The research center was giving them a great deal of authority.
“If you have any good projects in mind, you may apply to the research center too. Now that the research center has just opened, our resources are still more available. When everything’s fully allocated, I’m afraid there wouldn’t be such favorable odds anymore.”
Everyone nodded as if they had expected this.
Just as the atmosphere was becoming livelier, there was a sudden commotion outside the window.
Chen Chen frowned and was about to close the window when his phone rang as well. Chen Chen looked at the call, nodded apologetically at everyone, then picked up the call.
“Boss, this isn’t good. The villagers nearby are coming in and causing trouble in the research center!”
Qian Wenhuan’s panicked voice came from the phone. “They’re trying to rush in at the gate. We can’t quite hold them back!”
“I’ll be there soon.” When Chen Chen heard this, he stood up and looked out the window.
Outside the gates of the research institute, hundreds of people had gathered to form a dense, moving crowd. About a dozen local security guards had surrounded the crowd in a perfunctory manner, without any intention of stopping them.
“Boss, is there a problem outside the research institute?” The one who spoke was the American biology professor, Evans. “Should we call the police?”
“That’s not necessary. You’re all dismissed.” Chen Chen turned and walked to the door of the conference room. “Let me handle this.”
With that, he exited the room first.
It was not until he had walked out of the laboratory building that Chen Chen saw that the troublemakers were led by four or five individuals. These individuals were in jackets, yelling in some unknown dialect. Qian Wenhuan stood on the platform and kept trying to explain something to the crowd.
Cheng Cao and the other five bodyguards had replaced the security guards in blocking the crowd, preventing them from barging into the experimental center.
Some employees stood watching from the back while others had moved forward to help. It was utter chaos.
“Boss?”
“Boss!”
When Chen Chen arrived, the eagle-eyed Wang Liang swiftly moved to him. “Boss, what do we do now?”
“Who are these people? What’s going on?” Chen Chen stared at the agitated crowd outside the gate and frowned.
“These are villagers from several villages near the research institute, the largest of which is called Gorob Village. It has hundreds of households.”
Wang Liang wiped the sweat from his forehead as he hastened to explain, “This group of people said that we’ve hired too few locals and so many foreigners came in suddenly, leaving an even smaller quota for the locals. They said that, according to local rules, we need to hire at least a hundred of them.”
Chen Chen frowned at this. He had already recruited fifteen local security guards and ten front-desk employees, the reason being, the less trouble, the better. Otherwise, based on their lazy, gluttonous behavior, Chen Chen would rather not hire a single one.
“Plus, they’ve heard about the professors’ salaries from somewhere and are claiming that we’re being unfair. They want us to increase the salary of the locals.” Another employee chimed in.
Chen Chen nearly laughed when he heard this. “I see. Go and get Qian Wenhuan.”
The person nodded and hurried away. In a short while, Qian Wenhuan ran over with a tense brow, with Cheng Cao following behind.
“Boss, why are you here?” Qian Wenhuan said hurriedly, “it’s too dangerous. This crowd might easily get out of control.”
Cheng Cao reminded softly. “Many of these villagers are HIV-positive, so be careful not to get injured.”
Chen Chen waved his hand. “It’s alright. Wenhuan, tell them that they can get work if that’s what they want. From tomorrow onward, I’ll recruit fifty volunteers to participate in a clinical trial. As long as they sign the contract, I’ll pay each of them a hundred thousand Namibian dollars.”
“A hundred thousand?” Qian Wenhuan and Cheng Cao exchanged a glance. “Understood. I’ll tell them now.”
“Hold on.” Chen Chen stopped Qian Wenhuan. “I have one condition — I’ll only recruit those over fifty years old.”
“Got it!” Qian Wenhuan nodded. Cheng Cao wanted to follow Qian Wenhuan but was stopped. “I can handle it myself. You look after Boss!”
With that, Qian Wenhuan squeezed into the crowd.
Soon, after Qian Wenhuan had relayed the news, the initially clamorous crowd was gradually pacified.
Following that, a few local security guards put on a big show of standing up to deliver a long, loud proclamation. Only then did the villagers dispersed with disgruntled looks.
When Chen Chen saw this scene, he secretly memorized the faces of those security guards, then turned and walked back to the laboratory building.