After waiting in the base for more than thirty hours, Fang Senyan and the others finally received internal news.

To be precise, it came from inside both the Civil Aviation Administration and the FBI.

The accuracy of this news was beyond doubt, and the source was exceptionally high-level. The reason the base was so well-informed stemmed from the scarcity of official Ark tickets. As the saying goes, only the dead can keep secrets, so rumors of the apocalypse began to spread, directly leading to the current high demand for bootleg tickets at the base.

Under the umbrella of shared self-interest, what did investigating the whereabouts of two individuals even matter?

The two individuals who leaked the information were naturally the buyers of those counterfeit tickets.

According to intelligence, Mr. Jackson Klust had just returned from a medical consultation with his daughter in Miami, while Dr. Adrian was returning from the South Pacific, gathering firsthand data aboard a nuclear submarine.

Dr. Adrian was a pivotal figure overseeing the project, so his safety was assured, comparable to the security afforded to the President. In a world populated by legends, such a level of protection was certainly not something mere contractors could easily breach.

Further detailed files revealed that Mr. Jackson Klust had encountered some accidents during his travels, yet he emerged unscathed, as if favored by the goddess of luck. Once, a thug fired a shotgun at him, but the weapon inexplicably burst; another time, an out-of-control truck hurtled toward him and his daughter, but an earthquake coincidentally struck, causing a fissure to block the truck, sending it crashing into a nearby gas station...

As soon as Fang Senyan heard this, he knew Jackson Klust must be imbued with protagonist's fortune, and the particularly potent kind. Since he was just an ordinary person, his only reliance must be unparalleled luck!

To make a move against such an individual would surely mean not only that his luck would peak, but also that the attacker's luck would likely plummet to its nadir!

Looking over Mr. Jackson Klust's file, a thought suddenly struck Fang Senyan; he seemed to grasp something crucial, yet couldn't articulate it immediately.

However, this was hardly the time for prolonged contemplation, as every second counted... If their group received the news, it meant others would soon acquire similar intelligence, perhaps even earlier than them.

Even if the goal was only to complete the minimum required progression for the mission, they had to race to save at least one person!

"Mr. Jackson Klust looks promising," Fang Senyan marked a check beside his name, just as the base's resident legend executed a timely diversionary attack, throwing the other factions into a momentary panic, forcing them to rapidly retreat and consolidate.

Thus, after passing through Professor X's mental barrier, they managed to board a helicopter bound for Manhattan Beach, California, with relative ease.

Mr. Jackson Klust’s primary profession was that of a bestselling author, though unfortunately, most of his books remained stacked in his home—evidently, they weren't selling well, with very few readers—or more accurately, very few readers of the legitimate copies: precisely 422.

This had once left him financially destitute and the butt of jokes among his peers. Then, just to make ends meet, he had to become the driver for a Russian super-rich man—in this respect, the author of this book seems significantly luckier than this protagonist. Heh.

He had a son and a daughter, but his wife had divorced him, remarried, and was preparing to use her new husband’s seed to carry on the lineage, though this ex-wife still maintained a lingering, emotional attachment to her former husband.

This was the summary of Mr. Jackson Klust’s first half of life and his interpersonal entanglements. It was clear his days hadn't been easy, or in the language familiar to them, he had been accumulating karma (reserving good fortune). Yet, he was a man who consistently maintained an optimistic, positive, and proactive attitude; his mindset was excellent.

And now, the time had finally come for his fortunes to turn.

On the plane, Fang Senyan tried calling Mr. Jackson Klust again. Previous attempts always resulted in the 'out of service area' message, surely blocked intentionally by the system space, but now... it finally connected.

"Mr. Jackson Klust?"

A deeply fatigued and irritated voice answered from the other end: "I apologize for saying this, sir, but right now I don't need any sales pitches for credit cards, refrigerators, washing machines, or cars. I just want to collapse into bed and get a good night's sleep. While being with my two children is wonderful, the resulting complications have drained every ounce of my energy like a sponge. Alright, that’s it. I won't mind if you call back in ten hours. Goodbye."

Listening to the dial tone buzzing in the receiver, Fang Senyan spread his hands in a shrug and tossed the phone to Zi: "How many people have you hired personally?"

Zi looked astonished: "Why are you asking that?"

Fang Senyan insisted: "Answer me first."

Zi thought for a moment: "The only people I interviewed and hired personally were the President of the China division and the HR Director for the European division."

Fang Senyan smiled slightly: "Then call Mr. Jackson Klust back. Tell him you read his magnum opus, that you resonate deeply with many of his concepts, and want to discuss a new job opportunity. This is important, because only you can generate the most convincing effect; we cannot underestimate Mr. Jackson Klust's intelligence."

Zi rolled her eyes at Fang Senyan, then dialed the number. With little effort, she managed to persuade Mr. Jackson Klust, showcasing the full capability of a powerful career woman. The conversation went something like this: "Hello, Mr. Jackson Klust, I wonder if you might be interested in a position with an annual salary of seven hundred thousand dollars and a signing bonus of two hundred thousand... Madam, are you sure this isn't April Fool's Day?" "If you accept, you can provide your credit card account details, and you will immediately receive a $100,000 advance on the signing bonus to prove this isn't a scam. In fact, my boss is one of your readers, deeply appreciates some of the viewpoints in your book, and is currently short-staffed under the new President." "This... This... Madam, though I hate to be rude, I am an adult, and I prefer to be convinced by figures and facts. So, my credit card account number is..." "You can check your balance in ten minutes."

With that, Zi abruptly hung up the phone and said to Fang Senyan: "Transfer the funds, and handle the rest yourself."

Fang Senyan sighed: "Indeed, money remains the most persuasive thing."

However, just as Fang Senyan thought the matter was resolved so smoothly, the Nightmare Mark suddenly transmitted a warning: "Warning, Warning! One of the two key protection targets, Dr. Adrian, has died!" "Warning: If the author Jackson Klust dies, your main quest will fail!" "Please locate and protect the author Jackson Klust immediately!"

"So fast!!" The shock in the hearts of Fang Senyan and his crew was undeniable. If it were them, unless they utilized Freddy hidden inside Old Charlie, achieving a brazen murder this quickly would be impossible. Furthermore, plot-critical figures like these were likely immune to Freddy’s mental attacks.

With this realization, Fang Senyan immediately transferred the funds to Jackson Klust and dialed the number again; this time, he certainly didn't receive the cold shoulder.

After confirming Jackson Klust's address over the phone, Fang Senyan suddenly heard the sound of shattering glass on the other end, and his heart instantly tightened! He urgently questioned Jackson Klust about what had just happened.

The writer yawned casually: "Seems like a pizza delivery guy went to the wrong door."

Fang Senyan's pupils contracted instantly. Before he could speak, a deafening explosion ripped through the receiver!

"Damn it! How could it be this fast?!?"

The tension on the string held by the Ace team was now stretched to its absolute limit, terrified they might hear the mission failure prompt. Thankfully, the agonizing notification never came. Fang Senyan and his group had already disembarked the plane and were speeding over in cars. They didn't need road signs; the thick plume of black smoke rising in the distance served as their perfect directional marker.

Amidst the screeching brakes, Fang Senyan didn't wait for the car to fully stop before he lunged out like a wild tiger. After rolling once, he planted a hand on the ground, maintaining a low crouch, his entire body coiled with explosive potential, ready to strike at any moment.

Seeing his posture, the Ace team, whose nerves were already taut like drawn bowstrings, immediately snapped into combat readiness. The hand Fang Senyan pressed against the concrete road silently sank into the surface, as if the hard pavement were soft sand or mud. A crack appeared where his palm rested on the concrete, silently snaking forward like a venomous viper.

Blocking Fang Senyan's path stood a hulking figure whose every movement exuded an air of contemptuous superiority. Behind him, the dissolving light of three Contractor corpses faded away. The man’s chest was half-open, revealing a distinct, crescent-shaped, blood-red scar that vanished deep beneath his clothing.

Two objects near the giant were most striking: prostrate at his feet lay the crucial plot character, Jackson Klust, completely motionless, either near death or unconscious.

The other item was a long, rod-shaped object strapped to the man’s back! From this object emanated an absolute majesty that instilled a compulsion to kneel and worship. Even in the sunlight, a faint, ethereal white light could be seen, thinly diffused, occasionally condensing into the phantom image of a cross, and other times, a bolt of lightning! (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please cast your recommendation votes and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)RQ