The call connected quickly, and Williams' voice came through with a type of warmth shared between adults who have a tacit understanding.
"Hey, Sarah, it's Williams. Regarding that Umbrella Corporation product, my wife used the sample I brought back. Just now, she locked that bottle of hand cream in the safe like it was a treasure."
"She wants to know if you have any higher-end products, maybe something for the face? You know, next Saturday is her charity gala in Long Island. That's her social battlefield, and she wants to appear in her best possible state."
"Tell him yes," Alice mouthed.
Sarah took a deep breath. "Doctor, actually, the hand cream is just a basic trial version. Our lab has an internal test-grade facial cell regeneration serum, codenamed 'Time Reversal.' It's twice as effective as the hand cream, but production is extremely low and it's not currently for public sale."
"I knew it!" Williams' voice immediately rose an octave. "Sarah, listen, if you can get me a set of this serum, I can look the other way regarding the little issue of you selling things in the hospital. I can even recommend your brand to my wife. You know the circles over in Long Island; if they like your stuff, you'll never need to set up a stall in a locker room again."
Sarah glanced at Alice, and after receiving an affirming nod, she said, "No problem, Doctor. We will prepare a Supreme Gift Box for you."
Hanging up the phone, Sarah slumped into her chair, both nervous and excited.
"Long Island, a charity gala... My god, Alice, are we going to a place like that? I only have two sets of Nurse uniforms and a few T-shirts I bought from Walmart."
"Since raw materials are limited, we'll only take money from the wealthiest group of people. Aunt Sarah, if you don't have clothes, then go buy some. Buy the best Chanel suits, get your hair done, and rent a decent-looking car."
Alice stood up, walked to the pile of cash, casually grabbed two large bundles of bills, and tossed them into Sarah's lap.
"Remember, Aunt Sarah, from today on, you are no longer just a hardworking single Nurse. You are the co-founder of Umbrella Biotech, the agent who holds the secrets of youth. We're going to Long Island to give those wealthy ladies a lesson in science."
...
In preparation for the upcoming Long Island campaign, Factory No. 1 of Umbrella Biotech was brightly lit.
It was no longer the empty space it once was.
Noisy machine roars and human voices came from Sector One.
The newly hired production supervisor, Old Miller, was wearing a dust cap and loudly directing six or seven Mexican temporary workers.
"Move faster! Pour the aloe vera gel into the hopper, watch the liquid level line!"
Two second-hand semi-automatic production lines were running at full capacity, continuously churning out first-generation hand cream without the T-1 enzyme.
These workers didn't need to know the core secrets; they just mechanically performed the actions of stirring, filling, and packaging.
Although the profit margin for this part of the business was thin, it was enough to keep the factory running like a real factory.
The true core of the factory was in Sector Three.
Alice passed through the changing area, went through the air shower system, and entered the silent Sector Three—the core clean zone.
There were no workers here, only her and the fully automatic flexible production line she had personally modified.
She sat at the console, her fingers flying across the keyboard.
"Adjusting production line parameters. Switching mode: Micro-precision filling."
"Adjusting raw material ratio: Use Squalane base, dilute active enzyme concentration to 0.05%."
As the enter key was pressed, the fully automatic production line emitted the faint sound of servo motors running.
The robotic arm flexibly changed to a thinner filling needle, and the conveyor belt speed automatically slowed down.
Watching the exquisite cobalt blue bottles being precisely filled and automatically labeled, Sarah couldn't help but ask, "Alice, are we just leaving these valuable things here?"
"Don't worry, the workers outside can't get in here. This place has an independent access control system. Besides, I've already set up a military-grade security system connected to my phone."
Alice pointed to the newly installed surveillance camera at the door and an infrared sensor in the corner.
"Furthermore, through a dark web intermediary, I've hired two retired Rangers from a private security company. They'll be on duty tomorrow morning, responsible for factory security and cargo escort."
"Additionally, I've contacted a law firm online that specializes in serving tech startups. Our patent applications and disclaimer clauses will be handled by a lawyer next week."
"You need to go to work, and I need to go to school. Neither of us has the time to watch this place. So, we must establish a system that can run safely even when we're not here."
Sarah's mouth hung open in surprise. "When did you do all this? We're just selling skincare products; is it necessary to be this exaggerated?"
"It is."
After handling the production line, Alice stood up and walked to an even more hidden small workshop in the corner of the core zone.
This area was partitioned off by heavy black engineering plastic sheets, with yellow biohazard warning labels stuck on them.
She opened the electronic lock and signaled Sarah to look inside.
Inside was a temperature and humidity-controlled biochemical culture area.
In a large glass petri dish, the biological tissue of that dead super spider was submerged.
Alice had extracted its stem cells and, using crude but effective cloning techniques, was attempting to culture these gland cells that produced the special biological enzyme in vitro.
After all, if she wanted to mass-produce, she couldn't rely forever on the residual fluids in the spider's corpse.
She needed a sustainable source.
On the microscope's display screen, those cells were greedily devouring the nutrient solution, their division speed so fast it was heart-palpitating.
The activity of this thing was too strong.
If this enzyme were at high concentration, it could even accelerate cell metabolism to a point where it might induce dangerous mutations.
Therefore, she had to strictly control the concentration.
Diluted ten thousand times, it was an anti-aging holy grail for noble ladies.
If not diluted, it was the prototype of some kind of biochemical weapon.
"Truly worthy of the name Umbrella Corporation," Alice mocked herself with a smile as she injected a new culture medium into the vessel. "Always oscillating between saving the World and destroying it."
After finishing the demonstration, she locked the door, walked back to the assembly line, picked up a bottle of T-Virus Anti-Aging Serum that had just come off the line, and handed it to Sarah.
The pale golden liquid refracted a charming light within the cobalt blue bottle.
"This is our admission ticket, Aunt Sarah. Go change your clothes; the Long Island gala is waiting for us."
------------------------
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