Chapter 653: Extra 4

Years later.
In the cloud-top office of Fanghuan Group, Su Hao stood with his hands behind his back, looking down through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows at the traffic rushing by like ants.
At this height, the city's clamor was inaudible, only the silence of power remained.
"Chairman, Young Master just submitted a resume to our Gaia base."
Su Hao's previously calm back stiffened slightly.
That moment of silence made his secretary hold her breath.
That kid Su Yun wants to go to Gaia?
To outsiders, it sounded like a fantasy. What kind of "crown prince" would give up trillions of dollars in inheritance, give up a top-floor office in the clouds, and instead run off to be a miserable researcher at that godforsaken desert base?
But for Su Yun, it was perfectly normal.
That little brat.
He actually played "stealth sniping" with his father, without even a word.
"Does he think his father's heart is too strong, and life too boring, so he needs some excitement?"
"Gaia's probably in an uproar by now, right?" Su Hao asked calmly.
"Yes, after all, that's not just some random passerby; that's your own son, the future heir of the Fanghuan Group."
The secretary wiped the cold sweat from her brow and answered cautiously.
Su Hao nodded, a hint of helplessness in his eyes.
He knew his son too well.
This surprise attack was simply an attempt to dispel any suspicion of "rising to the top through his father's connections."
What a stubborn and arrogant brat.
Born with a silver spoon in his mouth, he could have lived off trillions of dollars, yet he insisted on carving his own path in this malicious world.
This child has been exceptionally intelligent since childhood, and once he sets his mind on a goal, he's relentlessly determined, even if it means hitting a brick wall. His drive is outrageously strong.
"Time waits for no one..." Su Hao sighed softly, a hint of melancholy in his voice.
"In the blink of an eye, that little brat who used to cuddle on my lap is now graduating and looking for a job."
Although Su Yun was already an adult, in Su Hao's filtered memory, he was still that ten-year-old with clear eyes, talking about saving the world.
"No problem, young master is a dragon among men, destined for greatness. I'm sure you, Chairman, are very pleased."
The secretary offered a timely compliment.
Su Hao remained silent for a moment.
He was certainly pleased, but more than anything, he felt an indescribable guilt.
Had he instilled in him too much of the heavy burden of "saving the world" from a young age?
Had he burdened him with a weight he shouldn't have to bear?
But Su Hao couldn't forget that moment from years ago.
That intuition from the depths of his soul, like a divine decree, clearly pointed to this child's future.
"Chairman, about Gaia...should we go and say hello?" the secretary asked tentatively.
The gentle fatherly demeanor of Su Hao vanished instantly.
Replaced by the coldness and authority of a business tycoon:
"Say hello? Of course we should.
Tell them to subject Su Yun to the most rigorous 'training'!
No preferential treatment whatsoever; in fact, treat him even more rigorously and ruthlessly than anyone else!"
"You mean... to completely avoid suspicion, silence the gossip, and let him establish himself based on his true abilities?"
"That's right, it's for his own good." Su Hao looked out the window again, his tone calm yet resolute.
"After all, Gaia isn't a playground; it's humanity's last bastion.
If he just coasts along there, it's irresponsible to all of humanity!"
Although it sounds like a heartless stepfather, there's no other way.
Gaia Base is no child's play.
It's the jewel of the Fanghuan Empire, an arena for humanity's most brilliant minds, and the last line of defense protecting this blue planet.
It's less of a research institution and more of humanity's last Noah's Ark.
Even with his own son, Su Hao wouldn't show the slightest indulgence when it comes to the Fanghuan Group's core secrets and future plans.
***
Gaia Base.
"...Who? Who said they're coming?"
"Su Yun. That is... Chairman Su Hao's son."
Bang!
A deafening crash shook the heavy alloy desk.
"Nonsense! This is utter rubbish!"
Zhou Yi, the base's head, abruptly stood up, his face a picture of utter disbelief, as if he'd just swallowed a dead fly.
"Why would this crown prince give up his position to come and cause trouble here?"
Zhou Yi painfully closed his eyes, a nauseating feeling of "fate" washing over him.
Damn it, this is unbelievable!
Is history about to repeat itself?
Back then, Su Hao, right under his nose, parachuted into the Trading Department with the title of a royal relative, giving him a real run for his money.
Not because Su Hao was incompetent, but precisely because that guy was too powerful!
So powerful that Zhou Yi had to grit his teeth and break his principles to promote him, only to be branded a sycophant in the end!
He thought he'd outlasted the old man, but it seems karma has caught up with him; this young one is following in his footsteps, and now he's coming after him?
Zhou Yi's eyes snapped open, his gaze sharp as knives.
He had always stood tall and straight, hating backdoors and refusing to engage in sycophancy!
Besides, this wasn't a place to coast through seniority!
Gaia Base.
The name of Mother Earth carries humanity's ultimate ambition to revive the planet.
This was the grand vision Su Hao left behind when he founded this place—'This will be the fortress that shoulders the backbone of humanity's destiny!'
As the Fanghuan Group's most money-burning bottomless pit, this place has accumulated hundreds of billions of dollars in resources, possesses cutting-edge equipment that makes even the world's major powers envious, and a group of top elites with monstrous intelligence, enough to be called "non-human."
This is a true "collective of superhuman intelligence."
Their goal is singular: to defy fate and reshape the world!
Developing absolutely clean energy, repairing the broken Earth's ecosystem, reversing global warming…
Each project is an ultimate challenge concerning the survival of humanity.
"This temple, built with the wisdom to sustain humanity, cost Fang Huan Group hundreds of billions, and in the end, it was just to pave the way for his son?"
Zhou Yi's face was as black as the bottom of a pot, his brows furrowed into a deep frown, as if he had been deeply insulted.
"This is the pinnacle of human science, bearing the hope for Earth's future, not a daycare for rich kids to gain prestige! Not a rural retreat for experiencing everyday life!
No matter whose son he is, once he enters my door, he's my soldier!
If he only wants to gain seniority and prestige, even if it means offending the chairman, I'll make sure he packs his bags and gets out!
Here, I only recognize hard work and dedication, not family connections!"