The command center was silent save for the quiet hum of high-end servers and the soft whisper of the ventilation system. Wei Heng stood before the panoramic window, his hands clasped behind his back, looking down at the sprawling metropolis of Fuzhou thirty floors below. The city was a glittering tapestry of light and life, a fragile ecosystem utterly oblivious to the cosmic horrors stirring just beyond the veil of reality.
Behind him, his three recruits stood awkwardly, a collection of broken souls he had salvaged from the wreckage of a timeline that no longer existed. It was the first time they had all been brought together.
Gao Qiang, the Titan, was a mountain of barely contained power. Dressed in simple, clean clothes that Wei Heng had provided, he looked out of place amidst the sleek, modern decor. His eyes were wide with a mixture of awe and nervous respect, his large hands clasped tightly in front of him. The million-yuan donation had transformed the orphanage, and the 'Unmoving Mountain Foundation Method' was transforming him. He could feel a power growing within him that was both exhilarating and terrifying, and his loyalty to the boy who had granted him this miracle was absolute.
Mei Ling, the Oracle, was a stark contrast. She was a still, quiet presence, her thin frame almost lost in the spacious room. The frantic paranoia that had once defined her was gone, replaced by a profound, focused calm. The 'Mind Palace Fortification Art' had not just given her silence; it had given her control. For the first time, the digital storm of the world was a library she could browse at her leisure, not a tsunami that threatened to drown her. She stood with her head slightly bowed, her devotion to Wei Heng radiating from her like a palpable force. He had not just saved her life; he had given her a new one.
Dr. Sun An, the Lifeweaver, stood with the posture of a professional. He was still grappling with the paradigm shift from hard science to the reality of supernatural abilities, but his analytical mind was processing it with a feverish intensity. The 'Wood Spirit Life-Balancing Art' was a revelation, a biological system more complex and elegant than anything he had ever studied. He could feel the life energy in the potted plant in the corner of the room, a concept that would have been laughable to him a week ago. He saw Wei Heng not as a savior, but as the purveyor of the ultimate scientific frontier, and he was determined to explore it.
"You have all accepted my terms," Wei Heng began, his voice breaking the silence without him turning around. "You have pledged your loyalty and your skills to my cause. Today, we give that cause a name."
He turned, his ancient eyes sweeping over them, each of them feeling as though he were peering directly into their souls.
"We are not a corporation seeking profit, nor are we adventurers seeking glory. We are a shield. A defense against a war that the world does not yet know it is fighting. From this day forward, our organization will be known as Aegis."
The name hung in the air, imbued with a weight and purpose that resonated with each of them. An Aegis. A shield. It was a perfect encapsulation of why they were there.
"Each of you has a role to play," Wei Heng continued, his tone shifting to that of a commander briefing his officers. "Gao Qiang."
"Sir!" Gao Qiang straightened instinctively.
"You will be the Captain of our future combat division. Your codename is Titan. Your sole focus for now is to master the cultivation technique I have given you. Build your foundation. Your strength will be the bedrock of our shield."
"Yes, sir!"
Wei Heng's gaze shifted to Mei Ling. "Mei Ling. Your codename is Oracle. You are the head of our intelligence and information division. Your mind is our greatest strategic asset. You will monitor all network traffic related to Gate emergences, track the movements of the Hunter's Association and the major guilds, and begin designing a completely secure, untraceable communication network for our organization."
Mei Ling gave a single, sharp nod, her eyes bright with purpose. "It will be done."
Finally, he looked at Sun An. "Dr. Sun. Your codename is Lifeweaver. You are the head of our Research and Development, and Medical division. The laboratory two floors below is yours. Your primary task is to analyze your own abilities. Quantify them. Understand the principles of life force exchange. The Gorgon-Crawler core I have provided is your first research specimen. I want you to dissect its properties. Your work will be the hand that mends our shield and, in time, will forge our swords."
Sun An pushed his glasses up his nose, a spark of intense curiosity in his eyes. "The implications are... staggering. I accept."
"Good," Wei Heng said. "Your individual training is paramount, but Aegis must also begin to move as one. Therefore, you have your first official mission."
He gestured to the central holographic table. Mei Ling, without a word, interfaced with it mentally. A map of Fuzhou's industrial outskirts appeared, highlighting a single, derelict property.
"This is the old Dongfeng Steel Mill," Wei Heng stated. "It has been abandoned for fifteen years, tied up in bankruptcy proceedings and legal disputes. It is, by all accounts, a worthless piece of real estate."
Gao Qiang frowned. "Sir, what are we doing with an old factory?"
"We are acquiring it," Wei Heng said. "Mei Ling, I want you to use your skills to navigate the web of shell corporations and legal entities that own the debt on this property. Find the controlling interest. Sun An, through the Veridian Bioscience corporation, you will make an offer to purchase the entire property and its outstanding debt. I want the deal finalized within one week. Use whatever funds are necessary."
Sun An and Gao Qiang exchanged a confused look, but Mei Ling's eyes were narrowed in concentration as she absorbed the data.
"Sir," Sun An began, "forgive me for questioning, but what is the strategic value of this location? It has no resources, no tactical importance..."
Wei Heng allowed a rare, thin smile to touch his lips. It was a cold, unsettling sight. "Its value is not in what it is, but in what it will be."
He looked at each of them, his gaze piercing. "In exactly seven months and twelve days, a stable, resource-rich S-Rank Gate will open in the primary smelting chamber of that factory. The resources within will be enough to fund our organization for the next decade and elevate our power to a national level. The Azure Dragon Guild and the Hunter's Association will fight wars over it. But by then, it will already belong to us. We are not buying a factory. We are buying a future."
The room fell silent once more, but this time it was a silence of profound, staggering revelation. Gao Qiang's simple awe had transformed into something akin to religious reverence. Sun An's scientific curiosity was now tinged with a deep, unsettling respect for the boy's impossible foresight. Mei Ling, who had already mapped the city's blind spots, now understood she was serving a mind that saw the entire world, past and future, as a map of its own.
They were not just following a powerful leader. They were following a true mastermind, a sovereign playing a game on a level they could barely comprehend.
"We understand, sir," Sun An said, speaking for all of them. "We will not fail."
"See that you don't," Wei Heng said, turning back to the window. "The first piece has been placed. The game has begun."
As his three pillars left to begin their tasks, Wei Heng's gaze drifted across the city, past the river, toward the distant, gleaming tower that served as the headquarters of the Azure Dragon Guild.
'Lin Xia,' he thought, his mind a calm sea of calculation. 'You are searching for a ghost in the shadows. Soon, you will realize you should have been preparing for a god.'