**Thank you for reading my novel. If you enjoyed the story, please give it a like and leave a comment — your support really encourages me to keep writing and sharing more chapters.**82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTD3A5puBch
The shell of the plan had to be more attractive than the82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU2wPRWP0tR
truth.
This was not cynicism. It was marketing, which was cynicism82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY7H8kDqAFe
after it had been washed, perfumed, and invited to dinner.
Robin Shen required only three days to drop a very gentle82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQPzh58IH5J
bomb into Britain’s plutocratic medical circles.
Degenerative tissue clearance.
Metabolic burden restructuring.
Non-invasive rejuvenation therapy.
By 3911, the Second Tier no longer feared poverty, war, or82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlfODJsrZ3k
lower-tier rebellion with any real sincerity. Such inconveniences could be82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmdRZr1k7vq
outsourced, postponed, or explained away in language clean enough to survive a82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ92sBGYCtU3
parliamentary breakfast.
What they feared was ageing.
Energy quotas could be inherited. Power could be inherited.82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGZzcz97cSl
Names, estates, private air routes, medical foundations, silence, immunity —82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNEKoe4E2hL
all these things could be passed down with signatures and unpleasantly82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpKZDiNzdXJ
expensive lawyers.
But the body remained stubbornly democratic.
Even with cellular repair chambers, gene-stabilising82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuM0hKVQpf0
therapies, organ reconstruction, and private metabolic restoration, ageing82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ16HeiEQ5Fy
still persisted like a quiet crack beneath tightened skin. The powerful had82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw6fhSQp5yE
spent centuries teaching the world that decay was a moral failing of the poor.82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNMdaUhTWOS
It irritated them enormously to discover that their own flesh had not read the82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4mb9Ilu3gq
policy.
Robin understood them perfectly.
He did not approach government officials first.
That would have been vulgar.
Instead, he sent invitations through private medical82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzAwcqhpoIh
channels to several individuals who were extremely rich, extremely old,82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLEeSr4bm9D
extremely afraid of dying, and helpfully entangled with the British Royal82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM78mc7xzyE
Energy Authority.
The invitation contained only one question:
If the body could turn its own decline into the energy82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdIrCBBBG50
required for repair, how much would you pay?
Within seven hours, every reply had arrived.
The first volunteer was Lady Ilena Bask, mother-in-law to82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8TXvemHp5F
Deputy Director Holden.
She was ninety-two years old, born into a Second Tier82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDrGeAJQlto
plutocratic family, owner of three medical foundations, one private air-harbour82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPBXedrAy7w
route, and two senior sons-in-law inside the British energy establishment — an82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi7j8XgPed9
arrangement which proved that family planning, when properly funded, could82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0Dvzzpvawj
become a form of infrastructure.
Her body had endured fourteen organ renewals.
However, excessive longevity medication had left behind82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIjfOpjgo8R
metabolic toxin accumulation, swollen tissue, nerve pain, and a general82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmPj0tY6knm
impression that immortality, though desirable in principle, could be poorly82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyB3zcSzbb1
maintained in practice. Her private medical chambers had managed to suppress82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQzVYLbmPhi
the symptoms.
They had not managed to cure them.
When Lady Bask arrived at Tristan da Cunha, she brought82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe2X3Fs2VMQ
twenty-seven bodyguards, six private physicians, three lawyers, and a82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXuqZeuRooX
four-hundred-page liability waiver.
Zorina watched the procession disembark.
For the first time, she realised that even the fears of the82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwjNCnmgnAl
powerful travelled in bulk.
The temporary treatment chamber had been established inside82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS6kXECBYb5
a supply warehouse on the eastern side of the volcanic island. The real82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2jLJDmx9wU
biological energy device, of course, remained hidden. The Abbas Archive had82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdiJ5B5KjFF
generated a simplified interface, one with an appearance close enough to Earth82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd0ZPqOJLfW
medical equipment to soothe human arrogance.
Zorina had activated it herself.
The core pattern was sealed inside an unbreakable82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZFpcJRAdjM
transparent crystal nucleus. No external operator could disassemble it, scan82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4UhSnl89Xf
it, copy it, or understand it by pretending to perform safety checks — which82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8XJvXfYkmB
was unfortunate for several people present, since pretending to perform safety82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRSLaitQATL
checks was apparently half their professional training.
Before lying down, Lady Bask stared at Zorina.
“You are very young.”
“Compared with you,” Zorina said, “yes.”
One of the lawyers looked mildly strangled.
Lady Bask laughed. It was a dry sound, but not an empty one.
“I like rude people,” she said. “At least they have not yet82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqdmDnaQ95T
learned to tell lies as manners.”
She lifted one spotted hand.
“Let’s begin.”
When the device activated, every private physician leaned82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5kr3alWNVl
towards the monitors with the reverence of priests watching a more expensive82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡej1MilOR30
religion begin.
Pale-blue filaments emerged from the crystal petals and82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPLVz8VmzYL
settled slowly over Lady Bask’s skin. At first, she tightened her jaw, as82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzA7FrGtsac
though preparing to scream. A few seconds later, her expression changed.
“The pain,” she murmured. “It is reducing.”
The monitors answered before anyone else could.
Inflammation markers dropped.
Blood toxins separated.
Necrotic cell residue was isolated.
Excess fat tissue began to break down at an extraordinarily82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtd5M40FIz3
slow and controlled rate, without trauma. Viral remnants were dismantled into82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIutcHUT1rh
convertible micro-energy states. The swelling in her fingers receded. Her82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyKEIlidphp
breathing deepened. A little blood-colour returned to her skin, not youth82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU0oMkFeg7s
exactly, but the memory of circulation.
Thirty minutes later, Lady Bask sat up.
She did not look like a girl.
Zorina had no interest in that sort of cheap miracle. Cheap82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyIPCOzzUp1
miracles were for advertisements, cults, and political campaigns, all three82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbWCAcUozdU
being closely related species.
She remembered what Robin had said:
“Benefits must be released slowly. That is how one extracts82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKKroSn6Inc
the maximum profit from impatience.”
Lady Bask merely looked alive again.
Properly alive.
Not preserved.
Not polished.
Restored.
Her private physicians stood in complete silence.
At the base of the device, three pale-blue energy crystals82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0YdjoFNdn6
had condensed.
Far larger than the tiny first crystal Zorina had produced82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoru0V2MiP2
from her own injured body.
Behind the observation glass, Robin Shen lowered his voice.
“One ninety-two-year-old plutocrat. Thirty minutes. Three82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYVwRILKvWN
crystals. Three hundred thousand pounds.”
“Still low power,” Zorina said.
“If the Second Tier queues?”
“Enough to activate a second device.”
“If the First Tier fails to resist?”
“Enough to build the first energy centre.”
Robin looked at her.
“You truly intend to sell this to them?”
“The service,” Zorina said. “Not the core.”
“They will try to seize it.”
“That is why Britain must first be made to sit at the82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjabqRwUR5I
table.” Her eyes remained on the three crystals. “Their greed can protect me82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4mCTz0l2in
before their fear decides to kill me.”
Robin’s smile faded slightly.
“Zori,” he said, “you are beginning to sound like a82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCRqbwaO48v
founder.”
She looked at the energy crystals lying beneath the device.
“I only want the Fifth Tier to have water.”
Twelve hours after Lady Bask’s trial, the British Royal82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡimENlp1nHp
Energy Authority requested a closed negotiation.
It was faster than even Robin had expected.
The invitation was elegant.
The content was naked.
Britain was prepared to recognise Zorina’s temporary82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzRsfIuCL9P
scientific autonomy on Tristan da Cunha for the purposes of biological82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoplpbkacsl
repair energy research. In exchange, she would provide Britain with82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRw7CbdDgMz
technical explanation, commercial priority, medical application quotas, and82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡup1QhtF50B
facility monitoring rights on the island.
Robin read the document once and laughed.
“They want the entire cake.”
Zorina pushed the document back towards him.
“Not surprising. Let them choke on it.”
“How do you want to amend it?”
She began listing the terms.
“First. Scientific autonomy on the island is not temporary.82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6gmTn59Cdr
It is ninety-nine years.”
Robin’s eyebrows rose.
“Second. All subterranean facilities are excluded from82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn82ClCchua
external monitoring on grounds of safety and unknown geological risk.”
“Beautiful.”
“Third. Britain receives priority agency rights for82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHeqXozQPf3
first-stage commercial medical products. It receives no core technology82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ00G5PlonAs
transfer.”
“Less beautiful, from their perspective.”
“Fourth. Britain formally recognises that all technical82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIdTrvfWPrk
equipment requires my authorisation to activate.”
“They will hate that.”
“Fifth. Britain recognises the island as a Special Energy82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvPVfXgQ9MZ
Development Zone. Internal administration, personnel admission, infrastructure82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡONJiSoo9Ti
planning, and emergency policy are to be led by us. We hold high autonomy.”
Robin gave a soft whistle.
“New Hong Kong, is it? You are one sentence away from82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2lEeXCRa4S
declaring independence.”
Zorina lifted her eyes.
“Not yet.”
Outside the window, the South Atlantic moved under a grey82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlOcoNqXmnE
sky.
Beyond the sea, the world remained dark.
But on that volcanic island, the first crystals formed from82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNSGy6NBTHO
the elegant decay of the privileged were glowing quietly.
The old world had paid for vanity.
Zorina intended to spend it on dawn.
**Thank you for reading my novel. If you enjoyed the story, please give it a like and leave a comment — your support really encourages me to keep writing and sharing more chapters.**82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM8bInBeTgU
82Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3ZxftOOD1e
and then Add to home screen.