"Hey, Louis, look—this map just refreshed something… Antarctic Quantum Technology Company? There's nothing wrong with your map, right?"
"Why would there be anything wrong with it? And why don't you call me cousin? It makes me sad when you don't. Of course, if you're asking why there's a specially marked Antarctic Quantum Technology Company on my map, I won't tell you! Because my best bro Scott Lang works there, and he told me not to tell anyone! Curious about what kind of company it is? That's right—it's the newest branch of Antarctic Enterprises. Guess where this amazing branch is located? You'll be shocked when you hear it—it's built on a small island in the Pacific Ocean!"
The cousin stared at Louis, speechless.
He silently vowed never to tell this big-mouthed cousin anything important ever again.
With a mouth like that, who could trust him to keep secrets?
He'd even exposed his own brother without hesitation.
That said, they were very familiar with Antarctic Enterprises and its many subsidiaries. Their products could be seen everywhere.
But this Antarctic Quantum Technology Company had appeared like a ghost, with no public information at all.
"Did your brother Scott tell you what he does there?" the cousin asked.
"Cousin, if you're trying to trick me into spilling secrets again, forget it. Scott told me specifically that I absolutely cannot tell anyone about his job, because it would make him feel embarrassed. That time we went to the café downstairs for tea, the waiter rejected our unreasonable request and kicked us out. After that, he told me about his current job. It's really hard for someone with a criminal record to find work—especially work that pays well. But he's different. A big shot hired him to test clothes. Yes, my brother is now a model!"
If Scott Lang had been there, he would have breathed a huge sigh of relief.
Fortunately, he had lied from the beginning. He had planned to reveal the truth only after becoming famous.
Otherwise, Louis's big mouth would have exposed everything already.
The cousin listened silently, nodding, and looked at the words "Antarctic Quantum Technology Company" on the map.
"So it's a clothing company…" he muttered. "But would Antarctic Enterprises really enter the clothing industry? With their strength, they could monopolize it instantly. No—I need to tell Seventh Aunt and Eighth Aunt to stop selling clothes and change careers immediately!"
Somehow, the rumor that Antarctic Quantum Technology was a clothing company began to spread.
It immediately sent shockwaves through the clothing industry.
After all, there was a saying everyone understood:
Any industry Antarctic Enterprises entered would be dominated.
This wasn't because Antarctic Enterprises brought bad luck.
It was because they were too successful.
Consumers flocked to their products, leaving competitors no room to survive.
Soon, however, people online began debunking the rumor.
"The company's name is Quantum Technology. It's obviously working in quantum science. How could it possibly be in clothing? Who made up such brainless fake news?"
"What? You don't know quantum technology? That's a scientific theory proposed over a hundred years ago!"
Many scientists also joined the discussion.
While quantum theory had been proposed more than a century ago, the quantum realm remained a microscopic world full of unknowns.
Could Antarctic Enterprises really uncover its secrets?
Or was this just a marketing gimmick?
If even Antarctic Enterprises resorted to empty publicity stunts, what hope was there for scientific integrity?
—
Antarctic Enterprises had never bothered responding to idle speculation from self-proclaimed experts.
At Antarctic Quantum Technology Company, Dr. Pym had already returned from the Quantum Realm.
And he had brought his wife, Janet, back with him.
He had aged.
She still retained her elegance.
Pym's excitement was beyond words. Ever since Xu Dan told him Janet was still alive, he had held onto hope—and today, he had finally rescued her from that world.
Decades of suffering.
Who could truly understand that pain?
All those years of longing turned into tears the moment they saw each other again.
"Let's go meet that man," Janet suddenly said.
"That man?" Hope asked, puzzled.
Old Pym slowly explained.
"I searched for your mother for decades, but found nothing. I even believed she had truly… died. Until one day, a young man came to me and told me your mother was waiting for me in the Quantum Realm. That gave me the confidence to continue searching in the right direction—and today, I brought her back. That person… is Xu Dan."
"Xu Dan? Oh my God!"
Hope's voice was filled with excitement—not romantic excitement, but pure admiration.
"I always wondered why my father, who never bows to anyone, would bow to Xu Dan. I knew it couldn't be about money. So this was the reason! When he first came to see me, I thought he was a fraud!"
Hope was different from Pym.
She had long accepted her mother's death.
Bringing the dead back to life sounded like a lie.
Because of this, she had always felt conflicted toward Xu Dan—admiration on one hand, skepticism on the other.
But now, with Janet standing before her in the flesh, it all felt like a dream.
Stepping outside Antarctic Quantum Technology, a breathtaking ocean view unfolded before them.
The facility was built on an island in the Pacific Ocean.
"Shouldn't we be going to the rooftop to catch a plane?" Hope asked, confused. "Why are we heading downstairs instead?"
She had only arrived today after receiving her father's urgent request for assistance.
Old Pym smiled mysteriously.
"Come with me, silly girl. I'll show you the world's first underwater city. At least, for now."
"Underwater city?" Hope was even more confused.
Had her father's trip to the Quantum Realm damaged his mind?
Underwater cities belonged in fairy tales.
The immense pressure of the ocean made such construction impossible.
Yet despite her doubts, she followed him to an open space on the island.
Then—
The ground beneath their feet began to descend slowly.