Bella pulled out all her savings, sold the film rights to The Da Vinci Code, did another Chanel perfume commercial, and used her Koenigsegg shares as loan collateral. Scraping together bits and pieces, she barely managed to hold on for three months.
006 had no money-making channels at all, relying entirely on his savings. Now he was also broke.
They desperately needed some wealthy marks to fill their depleted wallets.
006 traveled worldwide, contacting over thirty wealthy individuals. Seventeen had now arrived on site.
An elderly Arab in white robes and a headscarf was helped down from a helicopter.
He carefully examined this Clone Island that had suddenly emerged in elite circles recently.
His first impression was grandeur.
Towering buildings over three hundred feet high stood in neat rows, full of modern technological and artistic sensibility. The surrounding mist added mysterious and elusive qualities to the island. Looking down from the landing pad, he could see the structural layout below sea level. Ten underground levels? Or twenty? This project far exceeded the elder's expectations. He gained some confidence in this unknown Weyland Corporation.
"Alec, your company's scale far exceeds my imagination. Tell me honestly—how long has Weyland Corporation been operating on this island?"
The elder was familiar enough with 006 to address him by name, asking without reservation.
How long have we been operating? If I said it's only been two months total, would you believe me? 006's expression stiffened as he smiled awkwardly.
"Indeed, it's been quite a long time. I was still young back then..." His answer was deliberately vague.
Two months couldn't possibly produce what everyone saw before them. Even the world's largest construction company couldn't do it. Undoubtedly, ninety-nine percent of what the elder saw was fake... All created by a special effects artist named Quentin Beck whom Bella had found in Hollywood...
Surrounded by clouds and mist, as if standing atop a mountain peak, everywhere they looked carried a mysterious, hazy quality.
Magic had nothing to do with this—it was all modern technology, the kind previously used in movies, now repurposed to deceive people.
Regarding Bella's concept, 006 was sweating bullets. This upright Cossack man had never felt so guilty before.
The landing pad beneath their feet was real. The conference room, exhibition room, and some activity areas were real. But the rest? The rest was all fake...
Looking at those massive buildings soaring into the clouds, at the unfathomably deep underground areas, those colorful corridors and enormous gear wheels like titan pillars—all special effects.
Forget outsiders—even 006 himself, an insider, found it spectacular looking from the landing pad.
That two-story building from before really couldn't compare to the current scene's gravitas.
006 sighed inwardly. Honest people like him were really struggling to survive.
Why couldn't everyone just be honest? Was there any trust left between people?
Two curvaceous women with dignified bearing, saying nothing, led the guests inside on high heels.
These were wild models hired from South America. They barely spoke English, only Portuguese. But their figures were absolutely explosive. 006 didn't require them to speak—just maintain the appearance of high-class elegance. Fifty dollars per person per day.
There were seventeen clients total. With their families and bodyguards, over fifty people were present.
006 led them to tour the living quarters.
"Good morning. Today is July 14, 2019. Saint Island is humanity's last pure land. Health is humanity's greatest wealth..." An eight-meter-high, fifteen-meter-long LCD screen scrolled through promotional text.
The woman on screen had a noble bearing and sincere expression, showing no signs she was lying through her teeth.
The activity area had elevators, a spacious swimming pool, sports fields, and what appeared to be cutting-edge technological detection devices.
Within view, crowds of men and women moved about. Some exercised, others played sports. They wore uniform white outfits, completely unaware that above them, a group observed them like zoo animals.
"Are those all...?" a middle-aged woman asked with authority.
006 nodded with sincere expression. "Of course, madam. What you see before you are all... However, I cannot let you approach them closely. Their cognition is very easily confused..."
The guests found nothing amiss—a reasonable request. They could only crane their necks, observing from six hundred feet away.
They quickly discovered familiar "faces" among the crowd.
"That one looks like Congressman George?"
"That one looks like the basketball star, right?"
006 smiled and shook his head. "We would never acknowledge that, nor would they in the real world. You're all mistaken."
The guests exchanged knowing smiles, feeling they'd gained insight while their confidence in Weyland grew stronger.
Originally worried this company lacked substance, now seeing so many clones—what did that represent? They all nodded inwardly.
006 had discussed this with Bella beforehand. They didn't do human cloning due to Bella's moral standards, but when promoting, they could use human clones in advertising.
No choice—those wealthy people, officials, and celebrities had knowledge structures that dictated they only understood human cloning followed by organ harvesting. Tell them about directly cloning organs on plants, and they wouldn't understand or believe it.
"What do '2019' and 'Saint Island' mean? Why give them a fictional story? What's the reasoning?" The Arab elder had the highest status and was most familiar with 006. He'd already guessed the truth but still asked with a smile.
006 spoke cryptically: "First, let me remind you—it's 'them,' not 'those people.' They need some activity space to maintain bodily vitality, which naturally requires some background setting. This is still under preliminary construction, requiring more refined modular design."
Actually design what? What everyone saw didn't exist at all—no LCD screens, no luxurious facilities, no crowds. Just an empty lot! Nothing there.
Worried some hothead might go check closely, 006 used insufficient preliminary preparation as an excuse to lead everyone deeper inside.
"Don't worry, Mr. Alec. Even if they discover the truth, I have ways to handle it."
Bella's voice came through his earpiece.
Today's business was too important. She'd also come to Clone Island to oversee things, worried about mishaps.
Can I not worry? This is all fake!
As an elite agent with his own designation, 006 was no moral gentleman. He'd done plenty of deception, but starting with just a construction site and making up everything else? This was definitely a first!