Chapter 316 - 315: Is Isaac Sullivan Really the President of Stellaris Group?

Chapter 316: Chapter 315: Is Isaac Sullivan Really the President of Stellaris Group?

"My dad... is Victor Quinn," Gigi whispered.

I froze, looking at her in shock and disbelief. "That’s impossible... Victor only has one daughter... His daughter is..."

Wasn’t Victor’s daughter the autistic girl? The one who had a crush on Asher. She was the child Victor had with the orphanage director’s daughter. I had heard that Victor’s eldest daughter was born with a rare congenital disease and had passed away at a very young age.

"I’m... a cloned, gene-edited entity," Gigi murmured.

I drew in a sharp breath. Victor, that madman, had really "resurrected" his eldest daughter. He had used the child’s genes to clone embryos, then utilized gene-editing technology to ensure she was born healthy. This was the true reason Victor had joined the Genetics Organization. He must have initially joined with the sole intention of bringing his eldest daughter back. But if that was the case, why did he end up joining the Resistance?

"My dad passed away. Before he died, he told me to bring you here to see the truth about this ship, because I... was also born in the experimental pods of this cruise ship," Gigi said, curling up in a corner.

This explained why she was so intimately familiar with the cruise ship’s layout. Just how many morally repugnant atrocities had been committed on that vessel?

"Since your dad obtained benefits through the Genetics Organization and got you back, why did he still side with the Resistance?" I asked softly, crouching down beside her. I couldn’t quite wrap my head around it.

Gigi looked at me and remained silent for a long time before finally speaking. "Because Dad discovered that they didn’t just clone one ’me.’ There were many other defective versions of me that were disposed of, destroyed, sold off, and abused..."

A chill ran down my spine. This was absolute lunacy. Humans cloned through genetic engineering were being born on a cruise ship, out in the open ocean where no laws could govern or punish them. They were truly, terrifyingly malicious.

It was just like Adrian and Stella. Survival of the fittest, natural selection. Out of all the children in those experimental pods, only the two of them had survived.

"Sister, do you believe me? I have no intention of harming you. I just..." Gigi lowered her head. "To hide my identity, Dad had my aunt adopt me. He raised me under her name and told everyone I was her daughter.

"After something happened to Dad, the Genetics Organization tracked me down. They said my dad was the leader of the Resistance and that they were going to terminate me. It was Mr. Owen Foster from the Resistance who saved me. He found an opportunity for me to perform on the ship so I could stay aboard and wait for you."

Owen hadn’t wanted too many innocent people to be sacrificed, nor did he want Asher to die. His only goal was to expose the atrocities of the Genetics Organization. This incident proved that Owen still retained at least some semblance of humanity. But that masked man was utterly devoid of it—a terrifying monster addicted to slaughter.

"Your dad wanted you to live a safe and happy life, which is why he put you in your aunt’s care. He hoped you wouldn’t be affected by those people anymore..." I murmured.

We all knew that as long as the Genetics Organization existed, it posed a deadly threat to every child who had walked out of those labs. Consequently, my ultimate goal now perfectly aligned with Victor’s. We both wanted to protect the people we loved and cared about the most.

The moment Adrian and Stella appeared, I realized that my own happiness with Asher didn’t mean much anymore. If the sacrifices of our generation could buy a simple, ordinary life of happiness for the children, then it was all worth it.

When the ship finally docked, those of us who were injured were sent to a local hospital.

Asher and I were carried in on stretchers side by side, both with our legs propped up. Fortunately, no one in our small team had died, and our injuries weren’t too severe. Lucas Grant had sustained minor flesh wounds, Felix Foster was completely unscathed, and Zeke Shaw only had superficial injuries. Madeline Quinn’s condition had also improved significantly, thanks to the emergency treatment she had received from the top-tier doctors on the ship.

As for Asher’s hand, the local doctors said the surgery had been incredibly successful and the technique exceptionally skilled. That cruise ship had gathered the world’s top doctors and scientists, but they hadn’t used their expertise to benefit humanity. Instead, they had used it to conduct experiments that defied nature and human ethics.

"Has Isaac Sullivan been found? Is there any news yet?" I asked when Zeke entered the ward.

"The Resistance took Isaac. The ones most desperate to find him are the Genetics Organization. I’m guessing there will be an outcome soon," Zeke speculated, certain that the Genetics Organization would do everything in their power to rescue him.

Sure enough, it wasn’t long before Lucas arrived with an update. He reported that the wreckage of a lifeboat had been discovered near the Rubrum Sea. Isaac had been rescued by a local armed group, and arrangements were already being coordinated to bring him back to the country.

"The Resistance just abandoned Isaac that easily? After going to such great lengths..." I voiced my suspicions.

I couldn’t shake the feeling that the whole ordeal had concluded far too easily. It felt entirely anti-climactic. They had gone through an astronomical amount of trouble, involving thousands of people in a grand, twisted survival game on a cruise ship, all just to abduct one person: Isaac Sullivan.

The president of Astraeus Group.

Why did I get the nagging feeling that the opposing side had deliberately let the Genetics Organization rescue Isaac? By doing so, the Genetics Organization would completely place their trust in Isaac as the president of Astraeus Group. Subsequently, Isaac would gain the qualifications to directly interact with the highest-ranking leaders of the Genetics Organization.

I startled myself with my own thoughts and instinctively looked over at Asher.

Asher was sitting on the bed, playing Gobang with the two children. The two little ones had remarkably high IQs, but even teaming up, they could only barely fight their father to a draw. It was a protracted battle, and the outcome was still up in the air.

"The three of you playing Gobang together is a blatant disrespect to the game," Madeline remarked helplessly as she munched on an apple.

I remained silent, keeping my eyes fixed on Asher. Was Isaac Sullivan really the president of Astraeus Group? Regardless, with the probable exception of myself, it seemed everyone else firmly believed that Isaac was indeed the head of Astraeus Group. That included the people from the Genetics Organization. After all, even someone as arrogant as Killian Lancaster had bought into it.

"I never would have imagined it. To think that someone with autistic tendencies like Isaac could propel Astraeus Group to the absolute pinnacle of Meridia’s corporate pyramid in just a few years. Sure enough... there really is a gap between geniuses and us ordinary folks," Zeke sighed, lying exhaustedly on the sofa. "If I were a genius, I can’t even imagine how many cases I’d solve in a day."

"If over twenty percent of the global population were geniuses, the world would become a terrifying place," I said, looking up at him.

If the Genetics Organization were allowed to continue expanding, a literal caste system would eventually dominate the globe. Humanity would be divided into rigid social tiers, and equality before the law would cease to exist. All privileges, including education and healthcare, would be prioritized exclusively for geniuses. The leadership positions in high society would be entirely monopolized by them. They would rapidly spread and occupy every upper echelon of the social hierarchy. Meanwhile, the people at the bottom would be condemned to live out their entire lives at the very bottom...