Looking at the gray-haired man before him, Meadows trembled all over, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets.
As the man who had helped various Western celebrities and politicians sexually assault underage girls on a massive scale, Epstein had already been "suicided" in prison.
His death was inextricably linked to the current President, several former presidents, and a large number of top celebrities.
After all, even Hawking had once boarded Epstein’s yacht in his wheelchair. The sheer breadth and depth of the man’s connections were jaw-dropping.
Even Prince Andrew of the British Royal Family had visited Epstein’s Loli Island and received some pleasant services.
This was also why he was quickly "suicided" after the public uproar.
And now, this "person" before him looked exactly like Epstein. Even his clothes and voice were identical. It was as if Epstein had crawled out from the Hell where he’d been strangled to death!
’What... what kind of technology is this? A Liquid Metal robot?’ The movie *Terminator*, which he had seen in his youth, flashed through Meadows’s mind. The terrifying Liquid Metal robot in the film was practically identical to the being before him.
"No, my dear Private Meadows, you need to let your imagination run a little wilder." The "Epstein" before him instantly changed back into the form of the intern Lewinsky, placing a finger on Meadows’s lips as she smiled faintly and shook her head.
In the next instant, her face melted like a candle again, then quickly reformed into another face.
The moment he saw this new face, Meadows’s pupils dilated, and he almost screamed.
The face that appeared before him was his own!
The entity had turned into him!
It was a perfect, identical match, right down to the fine hairs on his face, which had been copied with perfect clarity.
Meadows could now clearly see that during the transformation, the entity’s face was composed of countless microscopic particles, like the finest sand or metallic dust.
"This is... Nanomechanical Cluster technology... God, the Commander... he actually possesses such astounding technology! This is at least fifty years beyond current human Science!" Meadows stammered, his voice trembling.
As the White Palace Chief of Staff, he knew full well that the Pentagon was also researching nanomechanical technology. However, their progress was extremely slow. After all, humanity’s chip lithography had only just broken through to the micrometer level, and it was still entirely confined to the laboratory stage.
Creating a nano- or even micro-sized robot with various functions was no easy task.
"Not bad. Worthy of the Chief of Staff," the "Meadows" in front of him grinned, picking up the fountain pen from the desk. "For the Commander and the Salvation Army, the Nanomechanical Cluster Gray Tide Technology is but one of many cutting-edge scientific technologies. The others, including Space Wormhole Technology, rapid Cloning Technology, Quantum Force Field Technology, and so on, would each be enough to blow your mind. If the Commander wished, he could become a God in this world at any time. He simply doesn’t care." He added, "Soon, you will achieve a new great deed."
Hearing the words of this "self" before him, Meadows was deeply shaken.
He had originally thought that although the Commander was powerful, he still relied on existing technologies and was ultimately just an ordinary person, or perhaps the leader of some mysterious and powerful organization.
Something like the historical Mount Hsuan Hermitage or Freemasonry.
But now, after hearing the words of his own replica, Meadows truly understood the Commander’s power and terror.
The power and technology he possessed were enough to overthrow any country or regime in the world, even to subvert all of human civilization!
As for whether the entity might be lying, the thought never even crossed Meadows’s mind.
He knew in his heart that what it described was likely only a fraction of the power the Commander wielded. The reality was probably far more formidable.
At this moment, he finally began to feel a pang of regret. ’Was my previous choice a mistake?’
’In this great tide of integrating human civilization, is the conservative, Eagle-Country-first policy I’ve held to really correct?’
’Is making an enemy of an existence so powerful he’s practically a god simply courting my own destruction?’
"I..." Meadows began, his expression hesitant.
But before he could finish his sentence, the replica struck like lightning, instantly plunging the silver-gray pen into his eye socket!
The force of the thrust was so great that it shattered Meadows’s eyeball and pierced his brain, causing him to lose consciousness before he could even scream!
His body fell backward, slumping directly into the chair.
Not a single drop of blood flowed from the wound. The silver-gray pen that had pierced his eye socket melted and transformed as if it were alive, disappearing into Meadows’s eye socket and entering his body.
Soon, his body began to turn silver-gray, bit by bit, as if infected by the color.
All of his flesh and bone were rapidly devoured. The process was slow at first but then accelerated dramatically. After just a few minutes, Meadows’s entire body had turned completely silver-gray.
Then, the silver-gray body’s eyes snapped open. Its skin began to shift back to a normal color, with even wrinkles being perfectly restored. Soft, fine hairs also reappeared on the skin’s surface.
After a moment, the "Meadows" sitting in the chair showed no signs of being metallic; he looked completely like a real human being.
The two Meadows looked at each other and smiled. The original replica had now reverted to Lewinsky’s appearance.
"Mr. Meadows, thank you for your hard work. Here is today’s speech draft, please take a look," Lewinsky said to Meadows with a smile.
It was as if nothing had happened.
"Oh, my dear Miss Lewinsky, thank you for your diligent work. I think a document this important needs to be reported directly to the President," Meadows said with a smile and a nod. He picked up the folder from the desk and walked briskly out of his office, heading toward the Oval Office in the West Wing of the White Palace.
Soon, he arrived at the door of the Oval Office and saw the Special Service Bureau agent named John still standing guard.
Meadows nodded to the agent, then stepped forward and knocked politely on the door. After receiving permission, he pushed the door open and went inside.
In the presence of a big shot like the Chief of Staff, Special Service Bureau Agent John stared straight ahead, not daring to relax for even a moment.
He really didn’t want to lose this job over some minor detail.
After all, in this day and age, finding a stable, high-paying job was incredibly difficult.
Many of his friends had already lost their incomes, been driven to bankruptcy by bills, and gone from middle-class to homeless. A few had even died from illness.
Per the President’s request, there were no other agents stationed inside the Oval Office. However, at dozens of key points throughout the White Palace, elite agents and AI defense machines stood guard twenty-four hours a day. The smart security system within the White Palace, in particular, was the best in the world, making the place practically a fortress.
Suddenly, a burst of static crackled in John’s earpiece. He frowned and tapped his earphone.
This was the first time he had ever encountered such instability.
At the same time, there seemed to be the "THUD" of a heavy object falling to the floor in the office behind him.
He was instantly on alert, turning to knock on the door and ask:
"Mr. President! Are you all right?"
"COUGH COUGH... HISS..." A strange sound came from within, as if someone was being strangled, followed immediately by the President’s voice. "I’m fine! Don’t worry, my dear John."
’Something’s wrong!’ John’s eyes widened, and he abruptly shoved the office door open.
A horrifying scene appeared before his eyes.
He saw the President’s body enveloped by something like a gray tide, being rapidly devoured!
And that Gray Tide was emanating from Meadows, who stood before the President!
Meadows’s entire upper body had transformed into a bizarre Gray Tide, extending out to envelop the President!
All the various heart rate monitors, environmental sensors, and other systems installed in the room were now useless, as if nothing was happening at all!
John instantly went to draw his gun, but a sharp, paralyzing tingle spread through his palm. A certain region in his brain suddenly froze, and his entire body seized up as if he were paralyzed, leaving him standing there, unable to move an inch!
Then, his vision went dark, and he seemed to lose consciousness...