**Chapter 318: Alien, Influence, Caution**
Twenty kilometers away from the Leon Military Base, a Dark Iron Blood spaceship remained hidden in the forest on the ground, remaining cloaked.
Human satellites in Outer Space Orbit had scanned this cloud layer multiple times but found nothing.
A Dark Iron Blood cautiously walked out of the spaceship cabin, holding a canister that resembled a metal shell. Through the canister's translucent wall, a dark, viscous liquid was faintly visible inside.
In the forest in front of the spaceship, dozens of unconscious humans were tied to trees as thick as a man's embrace.
The Dark Iron Blood pried open the mouths of these unconscious humans and, using an instrument with extreme care, poured the liquid from the canister into their bodies.
Shadow Storm's tall figure stood on the spaceship, his eyes under the Predator mask flashing with cold, ruthless, and sinister light. He quietly watched as his Hunter subordinates poured the Black Goo into the mouths of these hosts.
That's right, the metal canister contained the Black Goo that could produce Aliens, and Shadow Storm's plan was also obvious: to breed enough Aliens, use them to attack humanity's strongholds, and then seize the Target Gemstone while taking advantage of the chaos.
"Great Shadow Storm, if these Aliens spread across this planet, I fear we won't be able to control them!"
A Dark Iron Blood came up to Shadow Storm, looking from a distance at the humans who had been given the Black Goo and were becoming Alien hosts. He expressed his concerns to Shadow Storm.
Shadow Storm slowly turned his head and said coldly and ruthlessly, "Control? Why would we control them? The more chaos there is on this planet, the better we can take what we need!"
The mouthparts under the Dark Iron Blood's mask opened and closed, "The life density on this planet is too high. I worry that once the Aliens rapidly reproduce and evolve, it will affect your plan."
The Predator have hunted Aliens for many years and are well aware of the terror of these bio-weapons. Once Aliens reproduce on a large scale, even the Predator will have a headache.
The Dark Iron Blood looked at the distant humans whose stomachs were starting to swell, signaled the spaceship to take off, and his cold, ruthless voice faintly echoed in the ship cabin: "After we get the things, release the Plasma Bomb and blow up that Base along with these Aliens!"
In the Lake Heart Island Manor in Raccoon City, New York, the first thing Tang Song did after returning to the manor, having changed his loose Daoist Robe for a robe, was to summon several of his capable subordinates.
In the manor's living room, Tang Song, Lane, Kane, Frank, Ivan Vanko, Professor Connors, and others sat on the sofa.
Because Tang Song had been cultivating in seclusion in Great Luo Heaven, many of them, including Frank, hadn't seen Boss Tang for some time.
Frank looked at Tang Song's long, flowing hair and smacked his lips, "Boss, how long has it been since you got a haircut? Do you want me to find you an Image Designer!"
Tang Song threw him a bottle of red wine and motioned for him to shut up. Frank nimbly flicked the cork out of the red wine bottle with his finger, then grinned and first poured a glass of red wine for Boss Tang, before dividing the rest of the bottle among the others!
"How's it going at S.H.I.E.L.D.?"
After Frank sat down, Tang Song finally asked about his recent situation.
Frank leaned back on the sofa, pulling a long face, "Boss, please give me a different job. Being the Deputy Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn't really suit me. How about you give me a few territories, and I'll oversee them!"
*Clink clink!* Tang Song flicked the wine glass twice with his finger, "Doesn't suit you? That's perfect then. Hell is short on manpower. How about you go to Hell and be an overseer! That's a good job. I'll arrange a batch of succubi for you then, hmm?"
Hell? Frank waved his hands repeatedly, "Forget it, Boss. I'm doing quite well at S.H.I.E.L.D., and this position allows me to handle some business that the group finds inconvenient to handle!"
Tang Song glared at Frank, then turned his gaze to Kane.
Kane said in a low voice, "Boss, I took some men to the Beyond the Wormhole. Those Alien Giant Beasts are indeed artificial products, but as you instructed, I haven't moved against them yet!"
"The strength of those Alien Races isn't particularly strong. If needed, I can take men and act immediately!"
Tang Song smiled and shook his head, "These Giant Beasts and their creators behind them are merely Thanos's pawns. For now, they still have use value!"
"Right, Lane, how is the plan going with The Church?"
"Boss, The Church has already revised the Bible, blurring the concepts of the Eastern Haotian Jinque Supreme Natural Wonderful Miluo True Jade Emperor and the Western God!"
Lane reported to Tang Song, "Currently, the angels you created have helped Italy and the coastal countries of Europe defend their coastlines. Now, the entire Europe has a high degree of acceptance for The Church's New Bible!"
"However, Boss, can this really steal the power of faith from the gods?"
Tang Song held the red wine in his hand and pinched Gu Zi Yun's face, who was causing trouble beside him.
Skye and the others were cultivating in seclusion in the newly built Jade Pool Palace in Great Luo Heaven. After Tang Song refined the Phoenix Force he had collected, he refined it into several medicinal pills to enhance their strength.
This Little Girl, however, insisted on coming back with him.
Gu Zi Yun grabbed Tang Song's hand and immediately started nibbling.
"The power of faith is a very mysterious thing, just like Guanyin in Eastern myths and legends. When everyone perceives Guanyin as having a female form, she will transform into her. Incense and Fire Deities are not determined by themselves but by the will of humans."
"Haotian God in Eastern mythology represents the supreme Heavenly Dao. During the Song Dynasty in the East, specifically the Northern Song period, the emperor at the time forcibly changed his title to Jade Emperor."
"He even assigned him a surname, Zhang, and a given name, Bainin."
"This was also an idiot. What kind of Son of Heaven wouldn't share a surname with the Heavenly Emperor?"
"There was another very famous emperor in Chinese history, Emperor Gaozu of Han (Liu Bang), who once asked a Daoist priest: 'Does Heaven have a surname?'"
"The Daoist priest replied: 'Yes, the surname is Liu!'"
"Do you understand now?"
Lane was silent for a moment, then nodded with understanding, "Boss means you plan to make this God's surname Tang!"
Tang Song suddenly revealed his shiny teeth and laughed, "For me, the power of faith is just a tool used to cultivate Dao Soldiers. It's like the cash we earn in our territories. On an Alien Planet, it's just a piece of paper."
"However, for me, this piece of paper can buy good commodities. I told you before that incense offerings are poisonous, but now I have a way to spend this money!"
Lane nodded, "Boss, don't worry, I'll keep an eye on The Church. Nothing will go wrong!"
Saying that, he glanced at Kane, "Even if something goes wrong, with our current strength, give me ten minutes, and our military force is enough to raze the entire Earth!"
Kane nodded towards Tang Song, "Boss, you can leave the action to me. Heimdall's Great Tang Ship won't even need ten minutes. Give it to me, three minutes!"
Tang Song laughed and shook his head, "Raze the Earth, hmm, that's an idea, but we haven't reached that point yet. Don't make us look like big villains. We are legitimate businessmen!"
Tang Song clinked wine glasses with the others and took a sip before continuing, "Hmm, how's our business doing recently?"
Everyone turned their gaze towards Lane, as he was currently the nominal President/CEO of Tang Group.
Lane shrugged and reported to Tang Song, "Currently on Earth, our group ranks first in the world in the energy source, military industry, and mining industry sectors, at least in the Federation and Europe!"
"In terms of energy source, we hold a 17% market share in the Federation, 28% in France, and the highest share is in the United Kingdom. Not long ago, we brought down a real estate company in Hong Kong and acquired shares in a British electric company from them. Now, with just a word from you, the entire United Kingdom can be plunged into darkness! As for the Alien Planet operations, the expenditure is mainly in arms procurement and mineral procurement. Also, Elder Mandel sent back information asking if we can hire a batch of Alien mercenaries!"
Tang Song put his arm around Gu Zi Yun, listening with satisfaction to the report on his commercial empire. When he heard Lane report on the expenditure.
Tang Song frowned. He thought of the purpose of his return to Earth from Great Luo Heaven.
"Lane, later, prepare an aircraft for me. I need to go to Leon Base!"
Lane asked with some doubt, "Leon Base? Is there something there that requires you to go personally?"
"Hmm, it's nothing major. Just some idiots who are eyeing the Space Gem!" Tang Song said in a calm and collected manner.
Hearing Tang Song's words, Lane jumped up from the sofa as if his ass was on fire. As the Head Butler of Tang Group.
No one understood the effect of the Space Gem on Tang Group better than him. The energy crystal stones produced by the Space Gem were money in the universe.
Now someone dared to touch their printing press. Lane abandoned his usual refined demeanor and anxiously said to Tang Song, "Boss, the Cosmic Cube cannot be lost. I said long ago that we should keep the Cosmic Cube ourselves."
"Our current Alien Forces are sustained by the energy crystal stones produced by the Cosmic Cube."
"Otherwise, should we deploy a Great Tang Fleet from Heimdall? Is it not safe enough? Professor Connors, how many 'Golden Warriors' are currently in the Armory at Hive Base?"
"Mobilize ten thousand Dragon Wing Golden Warriors for me, Boss! Do you want to mobilize a batch of forces from Hell as well!"
Kane also opened his mouth excitedly, "Boss, leave those Intruders to me. I guarantee they will never return!"
Looking at the excited group, Tang Song pulled back his hand, which was covered in Gu Zi Yun's saliva, and patted his forehead, "Uh, it's not that serious, not that serious. It's just a few Predators. But taking back the Cosmic Cube is indeed something to consider!"
"Lane, notify Leon Military Base and tell them I'm coming!"
"Yes! Boss!" Lane nodded. Then, adding worriedly, "Boss, should we bring a batch of Skeleton Demons? There's a batch of Skeleton Demons in Hell that have all evolved into White Bone Demonic Gods! Not many, just three thousand!"
"Alright! I'll have someone notify Leon Base right away!" Lane looked at Tang Song's expressionless gaze staring at him, stood up, and walked out of the living room.
....
Utopia, a bat-shaped black shuttle hovered above Leon Military Base.
Beep Beep Beep Beep Beep—
After the base's radar system quickly identified the shuttle's signal, the staff inside the base immediately made contact with the shuttle.
After passing the identification verification, the base's Defense System moved the Anti-aircraft Firepower Gun Ports aimed at the black shuttle away.
The black shuttle slowly descended from high altitude, spewing light blue plasma flames. The aircraft was still dozens of meters from the ground, but the high-temperature plasma flame had already baked the withered and damp grass dry. Wisps of black smoke rose from the grass, and large patches of grass were utterly destroyed.
Before the hatch even opened, a girl wearing a South Korean sailor uniform and chewing on a lollipop leaped directly down from dozens of meters in the air, landing easily on the ground.
On the ground square, over a dozen military officers wearing general and colonel uniforms from various countries stood in front of the square, welcoming the visiting Tang Group aircraft.
When they saw the bouncing girl land, "Didn't they say the person coming was the Boss of Tang Group?"
Inside the base, several High-level Staff members looked at each other, exchanging glances.
The reason this group was lined up waiting here was because they had received notification that Mr. Tang Song of Tang Group would be visiting Leon Base to inspect the existing equipment within the base and consider donating several Giant Spirit God Mechs for guard duty.
Due to special reasons at Leon Base, the lowest military rank of the main officers in charge of the base was Major General from various countries around the world.
Logically speaking, they didn't need to show respect to Tang Group just because he was the Boss of a group company, or rather, the former President/CEO. However, they couldn't withstand the current scale and size of Tang Group, which was a true giant.
To put it simply, Tang Group in a Parallel Universe would be equivalent to Umbrella in Resident Evil.
However, compared to Umbrella's high-profile nature, Tang Group was like an iceberg hidden below the sea level. What was exposed outside, what people saw, was always just the tip of the iceberg.
But even just this tip of the iceberg was a giant creature capable of sinking the Titanic.
Under the Western money-based system, Tang Group's wealth and influence could even affect the political elections of countries like the Federation, France, and the United Kingdom.
As for military strength, aside from a few select countries, Tang Group's Private Military, combined with armament more advanced than the Federation's active military, was enough to easily subvert any country in the world except for those few rogue ones.
Therefore, in terms of the welcome ceremony, the High-level Staff at Leon Military Base welcomed Boss Tang with the attitude reserved for a Head of State.
But why was the person who got off the aircraft a woman?
Just as the crowd inside the base was secretly speculating, the black shuttle finally landed on the ground.
A handsome man wearing a white suit and holding a silver cane slowly walked out of the cabin.
Although Boss Tang had kept a low profile in recent years, there were still many acquaintances at the base who recognized him.
The highest-ranking defense officer at the base, former Federal Department of Defense Minister General Ross, had dealt with Tang Song before and recognized at a glance that the person who had arrived was the controller of Tang Group, former Federal Congressman Tang Song.
Four Black-clothed Bodyguards carrying silver briefcases walked steadily out of the cabin. They followed closely behind Tang Song and walked towards the crowd with large strides.
From a distance, General Ross extended his hand towards Tang Song:
"Mr. Tang, long time no see. I didn't expect you to look even younger after just two years!"
Taking a deep look at Ross, Tang Song politely extended his hand, "Secretary Ross, long time no see. I remember the last time we met was at The Pentagon!"
A trace of awkwardness flashed across Ross's face, but he quickly covered it up.
As the saying goes, a new emperor brings new officials. This was true throughout history, regardless of East or West. Ross had become Minister of Defense thanks to Francis's appreciation.
But after Francis stepped down, no matter how outstanding Ross's ability was, the current president would remove him and replace him with his own team.
This was a political game.
Didn't Francis assassinate the president back then precisely because that president violated the promise he made before taking office and gave the position of Secretary of State he had promised him to someone else?
People who violate the rules of the game will inevitably suffer backlash.
Before Barack Obama was elected president, the small group around him each had their own division of labor, and Barack Obama also made promises to his team.
However, Ross's ability was indeed good. Even after being removed from the position of Minister of Defense, he wasn't sidelined but was sent to Leon Base to preside over the situation here for the Federation.
"Mr. Tang, let me introduce you. This is Wang Zhihua from China!"
As Tang Song's "acquaintance" and half a host at the base, Ross naturally began introducing the row of soldiers to Tang Song!
"Hello, Mr. Tang! I..."
Wang Zhihua, wearing a Chinese Army uniform, had a slightly round face and was in his fifties or sixties. He was smiling cheerfully and very enthusiastically shook Tang Song's hand, greeting him warmly in Chinese.
Tang Song smiled and replied in Chinese, "Very happy to meet you, Chief Wang!"
Ross stood behind Tang Song and, after Tang Song finished greeting Wang Zhihua, extended his hand again to introduce the next person, "Mr. Tang, this is Lieutenant General Pushkin from Russia!"
The big-bearded Russian Lieutenant General also extended both hands, getting ahead of Ross, and gripped Tang Song's hand tightly with both hands, "Very happy to meet you, Davarish!"
Hearing this appellation, Tang Song raised his eyebrow in surprise, but his face still held a gentle smile, "Very happy to meet you too, General Pushkin!"
It must be said that compared to the treatment the former Pope of the Vatican received, the treatment Boss Tang received upon arriving at this Military Base was much grander.
By the time Tang Song finished shaking hands with the personnel who came to receive them one by one, Gu Zi Yun, who was beside him, was already boredly kicking the stones by her feet.
"Mr. Tang, the base has prepared a welcome banquet for you. It's getting late, how about we go over now!"
A row of black protocol vehicles was parked not far away. Gu Zi Yun held Tang Song's arm while curiously looking around at the dense firing ports around the base.
Since Leon Base was attacked last time, the base's Defense System had been further strengthened. Many of the original gunpowder weapons had been directly replaced by energy emission ports.
The thick gun ports faintly flashed with cold light. Inside the gun barrel, blue energy flow guide pipelines could be clearly seen.
(end of chapter)