From Wage Slave to Tycoon

"Hmm? What’s that?"

As soon as he walked into the manager’s office on the top floor, Su Chen spotted several people through the massive floor-to-ceiling windows. They were on the rooftops of the buildings behind, crouched on the open-air terraces and fiddling with something.

Su Chen could tell at a glance that they were the mysterious masked team Elder Xiao had brought with him.

"Huh? What are they doing here?" Xiao Chen, who was following Su Chen, saw them too and was also a little surprised.

Su Chen’s eyes shifted. He asked casually, "Brother Cheen, you know them? They came with Elder Xiao when he arrived."

Hearing this, Xiao Chen gave Su Chen a meaningful look. He understood the subtext perfectly—Su Chen was just curious about who they were.

"You kid... I suppose there’s no harm in telling you." Xiao Chen walked over to the lounge area and sat down before continuing, "They’re the newly formed specialized information warfare unit, nicknamed the Shadow Unit. They’re equipped with the most advanced weaponry and can conceal, jam, and spoof satellite signals to meet certain tactical objectives."

At this, Xiao Chen turned to look out the window again. "They must be setting up wide-area signal jammers. The entire park is going to be under lockdown for a while, and a lot more people will be coming."

"We need to take these preliminary precautions to avoid attracting unwanted attention."

Su Chen understood this point. There were countless spy satellites orbiting overhead. If a large number of people suddenly gathered on Zheng Island, certain countries would undoubtedly reposition their satellites for a look.

Even though Su Chen’s park was far from the city and sparsely populated, the sight of troop concentrations and an influx of personnel would inevitably draw attention.

𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

After all, people are most curious about the unknown. They’ll even stop and stare at two cats fighting on the side of the road.

Of course, the higher-ups weren’t fools. They would certainly take countermeasures, just like when Su Chen and the others returned by sneaking in late at night, unnoticed.

Su Chen wasn’t all that curious about the Shadow Unit. What really caught his attention was the lockdown. Did this mean he’d be stuck in the park, unable to leave?

The thought spurred him to ask. ’If I have to stay here for ten days to half a month, isn’t that just straight-up torture?!’

It was a given that the signals would be blocked. That meant no phone, no computer, and no going out. ’How boring would that be?’

"Er... I can’t make that call. You’ll have to ask Elder Xiao yourself when he wakes up."

Xiao Chen really didn’t dare make a promise. After all, controllable nuclear fusion was a matter of immense importance, and Su Chen was one of the few people who knew about it.

If it had been anyone else, they’d probably be in some "mysterious and secluded location" by now.

Then again, the Xiao family was riding Su Chen’s coattails on this one—and in a big way.

Elder Xiao had hinted to him before that after this was all over, he and others in their family would be in for a promotion, one way or another.

As for the reason... well, that went without saying.

Hearing he’d have to ask Elder Xiao, Su Chen sighed helplessly. He was already mentally preparing himself to be stuck in the park.

"By the way, are you hiding other secrets in your research base, you kid? I asked Chen Fei and Xiao Peng yesterday, and those two have learned to give me the runaround."

"I wanted to check out the other research institutes and factory areas, but they just flat-out stopped me. They said... ’No one is allowed to visit without an order from Su Chen.’"

"They also said the projects in those institutes are all top secret."

"Don’t tell me the other institutes are working on projects just as world-shaking as Professor Chen’s?"

As he said this, Xiao Chen’s gaze fixed on Su Chen’s face, trying to read his expression. But all he saw was an appreciative smile.

’Appreciative? What the heck?’

’Is he approving of what Chen Fei and Xiao Peng did?’

At this thought, Xiao Chen’s interest in Su Chen’s other research institutes was piqued. The controllable nuclear fusion project had been all-consuming, but now he was curious.

"Looks like I picked the right people. I can’t believe Chen Fei and Xiao Peng stopped even you. I’ll have to give them a good bonus," Su Chen said teasingly.

Instantly... Xiao Chen could feel his brow darken with exasperation.

He shot Su Chen a speechless look. "Don’t change the subject. Tell me about your other research institutes."

Su Chen didn’t intend to hide things about the other institutes any longer. Elder Xiao had already mentioned his own curiosity, and he would surely have Su Chen give him a tour after he woke up.

"Let’s wait for Elder Xiao to wake up. That way I won’t have to explain everything multiple times."

Xiao Chen heard this and knew Su Chen had a point, so he nodded in agreement.

The two made small talk for a while longer. As they chatted, a wave of drowsiness washed over Su Chen, and he flopped onto the sofa, falling asleep almost instantly.

Watching Su Chen, who was already fast asleep and snoring on the sofa, Xiao Chen could only shake his head helplessly.

He found a blanket and covered him with it, then leaned back against the sofa to get some sleep himself. He hadn’t slept all night either. If circumstances had allowed, he would have found a place to crash long ago.