Chapter 73: A Warm Welcome

Pandora is a planet brimming with fantasy and enchantment. Within the human base, several spacecraft were taking off, heading for outer space to seek out the Entrepreneur, retrieving vast supplies. At the same time, another spacecraft was en route from the Entrepreneur to this location.

The speeding vessel arrived at the human base within mere minutes, descending slowly as its hatch opened. Ma Jun emerged from a designated exit, wearing an oxygen mask. Stepping down, he looked around curiously.

Everywhere, double-rotor fighter jets were parked, and construction vehicles roamed restlessly, painting a scene of bustling activity.

“Mr. Ma Jun, hello! It’s a pleasure to finally meet you!” Several staff members emerged from fortress-like buildings. “Mr. Parker has been waiting for you. We’ve prepared a sumptuous lunch in your honor!”

“Is that so? That’s wonderful!” Ma Jun smiled, shaking hands before following the group inside.

Behind Ma Jun, a man in a wheelchair was also observing the surroundings with curiosity.

Inside the fortress, the personnel were dense and tightly organized, each engaged in their own tasks, creating an atmosphere of intense busyness. Ma Jun handed his oxygen mask to a nearby staff member and took a deep breath. Even though the air was artificially produced, it was much fresher than Earth’s.

The conference room was not large, yet it was filled to capacity. When Ma Jun entered, everyone rose to greet him.

“Hello, Mr. Ma Jun, we’ve long admired your reputation!” The head of the Pandora Project, the company’s leading employee here, Parker Seyfridge, extended his hand. “We’ve heard all about your achievements on Earth, and I must say, they were outstanding!”

“That’s why I’ve come here—to do even better!” Ma Jun replied.

“Exactly!” Parker said. “Let me introduce you to some friends. This is Colonel Miles Quaritch, our chief security officer.”

Miles was an exceptional soldier, passionate and valorous—a quality viewed as exemplary by human standards.

Ma Jun shook hands warmly, then was introduced to several other department leads.

“Oh, apologies. The head of the Avatar Project, Dr. Grace Augustine, is currently linked to her Avatar. She’s a workaholic,” Parker explained, his tone betraying some dissatisfaction with Grace. “You’ll meet her later. She’ll cooperate with your research efforts. The Avatar Project doesn’t seem to be yielding great results.”

“I appreciate her dedication to her work,” Ma Jun nodded. “But clearly, she’s not a qualified diplomat. I hope my arrival will help solve some of your problems.”

“That would be excellent!” Parker laughed. “Oh, you must be hungry. Let’s eat first!”

After a lavish lunch, Parker and Ma Jun began their formal discussions.

Earth had already sent its orders, so before Ma Jun’s arrival, Pandora had constructed additional housing and equipment for his team’s exclusive use.

The thousand mercenaries Ma Jun brought, along with their armaments, would not fall under Colonel Miles’ command. Thus, Pandora now operated with two parallel systems: one led by Parker, responsible for mining, and the other by Ma Jun, heading the research team.

They would cooperate on certain matters, but would generally operate independently, without interference.

Grace’s Avatar Project had hit a low point. Each day, she led her team of human-controlled Na’vi around Pandora, collecting plant specimens. The connection with the Na’vi tribes had been lost. Thus, the Avatar Project personnel would now fall under Ma Jun’s leadership, as both teams shared a research focus.

At last, Ma Jun arrived at his own territory.

Several hundred staff had already eaten lunch and were hard at work; here, there were no fixed working hours. These people were responsible for base maintenance and data analysis.

Leaving the work zone, Ma Jun entered the mercenary camp, where soldiers were tidying their beds.

“Hello, Mr. Ma Jun!” Major Carls, their leader, saluted Ma Jun.

He regarded Ma Jun as his commanding officer, and his respect was genuine. During their training on Earth, Ma Jun had fought Carls in hand-to-hand combat. Carls, as tall and strong as Ma Jun, was in his early forties and at first had not been overly impressed by Ma Jun’s build. But when Ma Jun suggested a fight, Carls was astonished.

The battle was over in seconds—a near-instant victory for Ma Jun. The mercenaries present, and Carls himself, were stunned. From that day forward, Ma Jun earned their sincere respect.

“Let the men rest for a day. Starting tomorrow, I want you to secure the perimeter around us,” Ma Jun instructed Carls. “And keep an eye on the Avatar Project staff. If they do anything suspicious, you have my permission to arrest them immediately.”

“Yes, sir!” An excellent soldier needs only to answer “yes” when a superior gives an order—no needless questions.

Ma Jun had brought a thousand mercenaries, all expertly equipped with the best gear supplied by Jaster. If they acted without warning, they could easily disarm Miles’ forces.

A team absolutely loyal to Ma Jun—this would greatly aid his future endeavors.

The research workspace for the Avatar Project was connected to Ma Jun’s territory. In fact, the company had officially authorized Ma Jun to assume nominal leadership over the entire Avatar Project staff.

Why? Because the Avatar Project had yet to deliver any results; it had only worsened relations between the Na’vi and humans. Since their work was scientific research, it made sense to transfer responsibility to Ma Jun in exchange for some benefits, and to collaborate closely to expedite development of the Genesis.

Ma Jun entered the laboratory and was greeted with enthusiasm. As a renowned scientist, he was revered by his peers.

Everyone crowded around, asking questions about the Divine Remedy; many inquiries were highly technical. Ma Jun, in truth, didn’t fully understand all these issues, so he quickly made excuses to escape.

Dr. Dilip, a bearded scientist, caught up with him. “Hello, Mr. Ma Jun, your Avatar has been delivered and is undergoing final checks. Tomorrow, you’ll be able to link. Would you like to see it?”

“Oh, really? That’s wonderful!” Ma Jun replied with a smile. “But first, I’d like to meet Grace. Has she disconnected from her Avatar?”

“Of course, please follow me!”