Hollywood Immortal

[Chapter 354: The Insane Human Experimentation Lab]

Deputy Director Anthony Lock of the FBI was extremely efficient.

He quickly compiled a detailed list of victims from the explosion. Besides 11 high-profile women, the rest were research staff from the lab, along with some aides of the VIPs and the estate's security guards.

They also uncovered that the real purpose of the bombed estate was a secret X Lab. Since everything in the lab was obliterated, they could not yet determine the research focus. However, from the surviving security guards' testimonies, it seemed to be a medical or biological research facility.

The preliminary investigation from the surviving guards established that the explosives were planted by Security Chief Campos the night before. He was likely the trigger man, but he perished in the blast.

Based on this, Anthony divided the investigation into four directions:

1. The connection between the 11 high-profile women and the lab, and why they gathered there all at once.

2. Identifying research members, the subject of research, materials used, and any achievements.

3. Campos's true identity, motive for destroying the lab and the VIPs, and which faction backed him.

4. The source of the explosives.

He then deployed four elite teams to investigate each direction and mobilized the entire FBI and Los Angeles police for full cooperation.

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When the U.S. law enforcement mobilized fully, the momentum was astonishing.

Within 24 hours, many reports reached Anthony.

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Regarding the first direction, investigation of the 11 high-profile women and their connections through aides, families, and financial transactions concluded that they jointly invested last August to secretly set up the X Lab. No one knew the exact project, but it was confirmed the lab recently made major breakthroughs, which explained the simultaneous visit to review results and add investments.

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For the second direction, since the lab and researchers were completely destroyed, direct leads were impossible. Yet investigation of estate security personnel revealed a shocking discovery.

Since last August, under Campos's instructions, they had brought in over 60 homeless people into the lab as test subjects, according to surviving guards. Others were killed in the explosion and could not speak.

These homeless included African Americans, Mexicans, Asians, and even Caucasians. They also bought numerous unclaimed bodies from Los Angeles hospitals and sent these into the lab.

This was not an ordinary lab -- it was a blatantly illegal human experimentation facility banned worldwide. Even worse, live humans including Caucasians were used as subjects.

Anthony realized that if exposed, the lab and its investors would be utterly disgraced, at worst reviled nationwide. They deserved death for these atrocities. Though the U.S. didn't have the death penalty, they faced centuries in prison.

The factions behind it would also suffer severe backlash, and since this involved several U.S. political officials, revelation would damage government credibility badly.

Anthony ordered a strict gag on investigators and urgently reported to Director Lawrence.

He recommended the headquarters contact the powerful backers of the 11 victims, warning them about the situation and encouraging silence and no interference.

Director Lawrence was shocked. "Fuck, these people really are lawless. Time to crack down hard."

On the bright side, silencing these 11 influential backers eased pressure on the FBI, allowing more freedom in the investigation.

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Another lead involved the researchers. Despite the lab being destroyed, payroll and bank records identified all 10 research staff, medical and biology experts.

Eight had disappeared, likely killed in the blast.

But two doctors, Cornell and Sandra Field, were brutally murdered at home the night of the explosion.

This pointed to a powerful faction trying to eliminate all witnesses.

Anthony took over the case from LAPD, assigning top agents to track down the killers and intensify investigation on the other eight researchers for survivors.

He believed uncovering surviving researchers would reveal the whole truth.

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The third investigation direction stalled. Campos's background was plain -- born in Los Angeles, average school and military record.

After the army, he became a security guard at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, bought a house, married, with two kids.

Five years ago, when Caroline became director, she promoted him to chief of security, and he became her trusted aide.

Last year, he was also appointed security chief for the newly established X Lab.

Campos's family life and finances were healthy, with no suspicious contacts or money flows. Only the day before the explosion, he withdrew $50,000 cash, likely to buy explosives himself.

No signs indicated he acted on another's payment. No useful leads were found.

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The fourth direction looked into the explosives. It traced back to a Mexican gang known as the Horsehead Gang, who sold the explosives in an illegal arms deal at 7 p.m. the night before the blast.

The buyer was arrested, but it appeared to be a routine black market arms sale without deeper ties.

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