CHAPTER 272: WHISPERS ABOVE THE CLOUDS

The steady hum of the rotor blades blended with the faint chime of glass as Arthur gently swirled the deep red wine in his glass.

The leather seat beneath him molded to his frame, but he barely noticed.

His gaze pierced through the helicopter window, where white clouds drifted lazily by like indifferent ghosts.

Below them stretched the Osborn Mega Industrial Park.

His reflection flickered faintly in the window, calm, sharp-eyed, unreadable. Yet behind that face, a storm of memories brewed.

The real tempest hadn’t started in the sky; it had begun just thirty minutes earlier in the sterile silence of a sealed laboratory room deep within Osborn Pharmaceutical & Biotech Group.

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FLASHBACK ...INSIDE THE PRIVATE RESEARCH ROOM.

The metallic door hissed shut behind them. Soft lighting cast long shadows across the polished floor, and an unspoken tension filled the air.

Old Henry stood stiffly beside Arthur, one eyebrow raised in curiosity and concern.

"Arthur, what is this about that you want to talk about?"

Arthur hesitated for a moment before lifting his right hand slightly; a holographic screen materialized before them.

[Loading File: PROJECT GENEBANE]

[Estimated Emergence: End of Current Year (Dec 31st)]**

[Global Threat Level: OMEGA CLASS]

The room dimmed as the holographic interface flared to life, casting an eerie glow over both men.

[Project GENEBANE Overview:]

[ Origin: Artificial, Lab-Grown ]

[ Method of Infection: Airborne via nanospore dissemination ]

[ Primary Target: Human genome, specifically variations in genetic immunity markers ]

[ Symptoms: Rapid cellular breakdown, neurological degradation, immune system collapse ]

[ Latency Period: 12 hours ]

[ Mortality Rate:94.6% within 48 hours of infection ]

[ Mutation Rate: Extremely High ]

[ Projected Global Impact: 12.3 - 24.5 Billion Fatalities within 3 months ]

As Old Henry absorbed this chilling information, his eyes widened in horror; his glasses nearly slipped from his nose as he regained composure.

"Arthur... What is this?" His voice trembled with shock.

Without answering verbally, Arthur reached into his pocket and produced a small cylindrical vial, its weight felt nonexistent yet bore catastrophic potential.

"Old Henry," he said gravely while gesturing toward the holographic screen, "what you see here is what’s going to happen by year’s end,a global catastrophe is on our doorstep."

Henry stood speechless for a moment before regaining some composure and eyeing the vial with trepidation. "And what in the name of gods is that?"

Arthur extended it toward him. "The death of our world... and possibly its salvation."

Old Henry took a step back, his eyes narrowing with suspicion. "Where did you get this?"

"I didn’t; my men brought it to me." Arthur’s voice remained steady, unyielding. "Information, the vial, and the projected fallout."

Henry stared at him,hard,not out of fear but something much deeper: concern, doubt, loyalty strained by disbelief.

"And what do you plan to do with it?" Henry asked sharply.

Arthur slowly reached into his coat and withdrew another vial.

This one glowed faintly blue,a soft, clean light that felt almost calming.

"A prototype vaccine," he said. "Based on preliminary modeling and synthesis done by Evolon."

Henry didn’t speak. His trembling fingers took the second vial as if it were a sacred relic.

"Arthur," he finally muttered, eyes darting between the virus and the cure, "tell me you’re not... tell me this isn’t something you cooked up to..."

"I’m not the one releasing it." Arthur’s reply was calm yet direct. "You know me better than that."

"I thought I did." Henry’s voice cracked as he stepped back again.

"You walk into my lab with the end of the world in one hand and a miracle in the other and you expect me not to question it?"

Arthur sighed deeply. "My people uncovered this while tracking during a mission. I have sources,informants,I can’t give you names, but I can provide proof."

He tapped a screen, and data projections exploded into view: intercepted communications, encrypted virus schematics, distribution models.

The gravity of their situation hit hard; this virus could wipe out tens of billions from existence.

Henry’s face went pale as he sank heavily into a nearby chair, still clutching the cure like a lifeline.

"How on earth did you even make this?" he asked faintly.

Arthur didn’t answer immediately; instead, he gestured toward a side wall where a hidden panel slid open.

A holographic chamber activated, revealing Evolon’s projected form,its expression unreadable yet eerily calm.

"Greetings, Professor Henry," Evolon said smoothly. "Allow me to demonstrate."

Data flooded the chamber: genetic code sequences, simulation speeds, host interaction predictions,all showing how Evolon sliced through biological limitations with precision that would take human minds decades to achieve.

"I engineered the cure in under twenty-six seconds," Evolon concluded matter-of-factly.

Henry leaned forward in silence; his mouth opened but no sound emerged.

"Who is this?" Old Henry looked at Arthur incredulously.

"This is Evolon,an advanced sentient AI and one of its kind," Arthur replied with an encouraging smile.

Stepping beside him confidently, Arthur continued: "Do you believe me now?"

Henry gave a small nod,dazed but convinced. "Yes... yes, I believe you."

Arthur placed a steady hand on his shoulder, his voice low but urgent. "Then help me. We need to keep this under wraps for now. Let’s prepare, manufacture discreetly. Choose a few trustworthy researchers from the lab to join you, and Evolon here will be an invaluable asset."

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PRESENT....IN THE HELICOPTER**

Arthur took a sip of his wine, the calmness on his face contrasting sharply with the storm brewing inside him.

The stars twinkled indifferently above, while below, the clouds lay like a tranquil sea.

But within him? Something was stirring,a sense of impending doom.

He leaned back in his chair, eyes glued to the window as he murmured softly, "Control."

His thoughts spiraled deeper into uncertainty.

Was he playing god? Here he was,a man who could engineer salvation yet also held the chilling data that foretold global extinction. The weight of it all pressed heavily on him.

The silence in the helicopter thickened around him like fog.

He recalled Old Henry’s fearful gaze,the trembling fingers and that dazed look after experiencing Evolon’s simulation.

With a deep breath, Arthur closed his eyes. An unsettling image floated through his mind: cities reduced to corpses, children’s cries echoing in despair, and the haunting silence of collapse surrounding it all.

And at the center of this chaos? A blue vial,his lifeline to hope or devastation depending on whether a cure could be crafted in time.

Opening his eyes slowly, he let out a heavy sigh and took another sip of wine, trying to drown out the gravity of what lay ahead.