460: Chapter 460: Impossible, Absolutely Impossible (Long Chapter for Monthly Passes) 460: Chapter 460: Impossible, Absolutely Impossible (Long Chapter for Monthly Passes) 11:15 am.
He Ao’s taxi stopped at the entrance of a narrow alley not far from the Research Institute.
After bidding farewell to the taxi driver, He Ao entered the alleyway.
The alley was dark and the road sowhat dilapidated, but it was short, and after walking only a few steps, He Ao saw the light shining from the exit up ahead.
His body quickly rged into this light.
At the exit of the alley, a black sedan was parked.
He Ao opened the passenger-side door and sat down inside.
“Are we leaving now?”
The person in the driver’s seat threw He Ao a bag of clothes.
“Let’s go.”
He Ao leaned back in the passenger seat, squinting slightly.
The silent car gently humd, slowly moving deeper into the street.
—
The black sedan traveled along a narrow, worn-out path, which seed to have been long neglected, as the surface was visibly uneven.
The one-way tinted glass concealed the interior, but the unwavering speed of the car suggested that the driver did not care about the bumpy road.
Speeding along such uneven terrain, the car spent almost half the ti airborne, pitching up and down like a carousel.
After several close calls with the walls, the black sedan finally ca to a stop.
Two silhouettes got out of the car.
They appeared to be two n, with a slight difference in height, both wrapped in heavy coats, wearing knit caps that covered most of their heads, and thick sunglasses.
After exiting the vehicle, they looked around and quickly turned into a secluded alley nearby.
Shortly after they left, a young man in plain clothes slowly erged from a corner of the road.
He pressed the wireless earpiece in his ear and whispered, “C1 has spotted the suspects, heading north from Camphor Tree Street, taking the innermost alley.”
“D2 received, we have spotted the suspects and are tracking them.
It seems that they’re not heading towards the ‘Nest’.”
“C1 copies, maintain surveillance.”
—
Research Institute
Reid glanced at the clues reported by the ‘eyes’ on his wristband and smiled.
He looked at the officer beside him, “We’ve got a bite.”
“Director,” the officer’s face flushed with excitent, “shall I take a team there now?”
“No rush.”
However, Reid shook his head gently, “They are still taking a detour on the outer edges.
In fact, they are probing to see if we have arranged any surveillance nearby.
Now is not the ti to spook the ga.
Any movent from us, and they’ll imdiately react and run away,”
His tone was calm and slow, “Have you ever fished?
The clever fish always nibble at the bait tentatively.
You must not be impatient at this ti, but patient.
The one who waits until the end will be the victor.”
“Yes.”
The officer nodded quickly.
He seldom fished.
In the costly Fortress City, building a fishing site was extrely expensive; it was a recreational facility only accessible to the wealthy who had both money and ti.
While the two spoke, the doorbell suddenly rang.
“Co in.”
Reid said softly.
A young female secretary in a professional pencil skirt pushed open the door, “Director, Professor Kors is in the reception room.
He said he had an appointnt with you beforehand.”
“Kors…”
Reid frowned, then slowly got up, “I’ll go to the reception room straight away, ask him to wait a mont.”
“Director,”
The officer stood up quickly, ready to leave, but Reid gestured for him to stay.
“It’s okay, wait here for a bit.”
Reid signaled the officer to sit back down and then turned to the young secretary, “Let’s go.”
The officer watched the two leave the office and close the door.
Then he paused, his gaze slowly landing on the tablet lying on Reid’s desk.
That was Reid’s personal computer, filled with information and intelligence only Reid would know.
But soon, he diverted his eyes.
—
Reid watched this scene through the surveillance on his wristband, smiled, and turned off the device.
Subordinates without ambition are not good subordinates.
He quite enjoyed his subordinates having ambition and greed; that way, by throwing the right bone, he could drive them to work desperately for it.
It was only a short distance from Reid’s office to his private reception room, just a few tens of ters, and soon Reid was at the doorway of the eting room.
He signaled for the secretary to wait at the door and then straightened his hair slightly before pushing open the door of the reception room.
The reception room was not large, filled with an array of classical sculptures and paintings Reid had placed there.
At this mont, Kors was standing in front of a bust, admiring it closely.
The sculpture was exquisitely detailed, capturing every muscle texture with lifelike precision, brimming with artistic beauty.
“They say this is the art style from before the Cataclysm.
I’m quite fond of this kind of art, with no machines, no industrial creations, just a pure display of human strength and beauty,” Reid said softly as he approached Kors.
Kors looked up at Reid, “Ah, you’ve arrived?”
“My dear Professor Kors,”
Reid smiled broadly, “I’m delighted you’ve returned.
That day’s incident was just a small mishap.
As you know, anything can happen in this world, but you don’t have to worry anymore.
I’ve smoothed things over, I assure you, such incidents will never happen again.”
Ever since He Ao caused an uproar at the Research Institute, Kors had not visited again and even showed signs of withdrawing from the project.
“You can guarantee that?”
Kors glanced at Reid and sat back down on the sofa.
“Of course, you are our best doctor and Lin City’s most professional dical expert.
The Research Institute respects those with talent,”
Reid also sat down smiling across from Kors on the sofa, “We’ve been friends for so many years, don’t you know by now?”
“I know you very well,” Kors’s voice was sowhat hoarse, “When I’m no longer valuable, I will be discarded by you without rcy.”
“Look at what you’re saying,” Reid’s smile remained unchanged on his face, as warm as a spring breeze, “With our friendship of over a decade, how could I ever do anything to harm a friend?”
Kors looked at his smiling face and let out a cold laugh, “Let’s cut to the chase, Reid, after all these years, we know each other, I can co back and continue with the project, but…”
He paused slightly, looking up at Reid, “I want to see the research data from these years.
I might not join the core project team, but I need to know what I have been working on all these years and what the results of my research are.”
“Old friend,”
Hearing his words, Reid’s face showed difficulty, “You know I don’t have the authority, I am just an executor.
Whether to absorb core mbers into the project, whether to grant access to the core project data, those are decisions only the group can make.”
“But you should have a way to let the group know your ‘suggestions’,” Kors’s expression was frosty, “You’ve fobbed off with that excuse for over a decade, how much longer do you plan to keep it up?”
Reid’s expression did not change at all; he smiled as he got up and went to the coffee machine, taking out a can of coffee beans, “Don’t be angry, old friend, how about so coffee?
I just got these natural coffee beans, they’re unlike any of those blended coffee powders or artificially hastened coffee beans.”
Kors watched Reid, knowing that this was a rejection, Reid always refused him in this way.
In this power struggle, he was more desperate than Reid, and he could not afford to give up on the project, so Reid could easily hold him in his grip.
He was silent for a mont, seemingly hesitant and conflicted; finally, he spoke in a calr voice, “I don’t trust your people, they’re too sloppy.
The incident last ti was most likely triggered by their lack of professionalism.
I want to use my own assistants.”
“You want to bring new people into the project?”
Reid looked at his old friend, knowing that he had realized the most crucial issue—Kors had no influence at all in the Research Institute; this made it impossible for Kors to do anything significant inside the Research Institute on his own.
Bringing people in was, in fact, a way to probe step by step, trying to cultivate his own followers.
Reid poured the coffee beans into the smart coffee maker, his smile unchanging, “That’s certainly possible, after all the significant contributions you’ve made to the project, but as you know, our project is very strict,”
The coffee machine churned loudly, “The review process for a new project mber might take a little long, you might need to wait a while.”
“You!”
Kors’s face flushed with anger, and he struck the sofa armrest fiercely, his face contorting.
He then trembled as he took a small white pill from a bottle in his pocket and swallowed it, calming himself down gradually.
Reid watched the entire process indifferently.
He grabbed a coffee cup, catching the blended coffee that flowed out of the smart coffee machine.
“Old friend, don’t rush,” he placed the coffee in front of Kors, “I didn’t refuse you, but there are rules, and after so many years working in the group, you should be well aware of them.”
Rules are rules, but so processes can be completed in a day or two, while the lifespan of other processes might be longer than Kors’s.
“Here’s what we’ll do,” seeing Kors on the verge of exploding, Reid said with a smile, “Aren’t you short-staffed?
I’ll find you so more professional assistants that can be used.”
Kors looked at Reid coldly, “I can’t trust the people you pick; their skills are too poor.
Even with the assistance of smart devices, they’re still terrible assistants.”
Reid’s smile stiffened briefly.
That was a challenge to his competence.
Just then, his wristband vibrated.
The ‘eye’ that was tailing them sent a ssage informing him that the two ‘suspicious targets’ were moving deeper towards Pete’s place.
His thoughts darkened, he had to make a quick decision, else those two might get away.
But now Kors was still here.
His brain whirred rapidly, he chuckled, “Of course, my expertise does not match yours, old friend.
How about this, you pick your own people?
You can check out the different operating rooms, choose anyone you find suitable.”
Kors was silent for a mont, seemingly pondering.
This option was a compromise for both parties; whoever he chose would still be Reid’s people, but it would indeed to so extent address his complaint about the ‘poor choice of personnel.’
During this process, he could also attempt to ‘spot’ so promising candidates.
anwhile, as Kors deliberated, Reid showed no sign of urgency, instead, taking his ti drinking the coffee.
Ultimately, Kors nodded slightly, “Yes.”
“Old friend, you really are the most thoughtful.”
Reid laughed heartily.
With this, he had ‘solved’ the problem of Kors, as the entire Research Institute was his domain; no matter whom Kors chose, it actually wouldn’t make much of a difference.
He quickly rose to his feet, “Old friend, you rest here for a while, I have so things to attend to and need to step out for a bit, or you can start selecting your assistant now if you like.”
After bidding farewell to Kors, he quickly left the office.
“Director?”
The female clerk was still standing at the door, quietly waiting for his orders.
“Find soone to keep a close watch on him.”
The smile on Reid’s face disappeared in an instant; he straightened his collar and spoke offhandedly.
“Understood.”
The clerk nodded promptly.
As she nodded, Reid had already returned to his office door, pushed it open, and walked in.
Almost at the sa mont, the door to the reception room was also pulled open; the aged face of Kors watched the office door being slowly closed, his gaze profound.
Then he turned back, his face impassive, “Take downstairs to the ‘surgery room’ to take a look.
Reid has allowed to choose my own assistant.”
“Alright.”
The clerk nodded gently; while bowing her head to send a ssage and inquire from Reid, she led Kors towards the depths of the Research Institute.
——
“How is the situation?”
As soon as Reid opened the door, he looked towards the military officer sitting inside the office.
The officer was also able to see the intelligence from those ‘eyes.’
The officer stood up instantly, respectfully saying, “The two targets are having lunch at a restaurant; it seems like they ca here specifically for lunch,”
Having said this, he posed a tentative question, “Director, could we have possibly followed the wrong people?”
Reid sat back down in his chair, propped his face, and thought briefly before shaking his head, “No, these two individuals are overly suspicious, most likely it’s Pete testing our reaction.”
He raised his wristband, glanced at the intelligence sent by the ‘eyes,’ and gestured to the officer to sit down with a wave, “No need to rush, they are still so distance from the ‘Nest,’ Let’s keep waiting; the fish will eventually bite.”
The so-called ‘Nest’ was a codena for Pete’s ho.
“Understood.”
The officer nodded and slowly sat back down.
At this mont, Reid casually replied to the ssage sent by the clerk, instructing her to follow Kors and choose soone.
He cald his mind and reviewed the decisions he had just made.
The proposal to let Kors select soone himself was made under pressing circumstances and without thorough thought, especially since he could not have anticipated Kors making such a request beforehand.
He carefully recollected, ensuring there were no significant flaws in his reasoning.
The entire Research Institute was under his control, and he was currently within the institute; what could Kors possibly stir up, even if he wanted to cause trouble?
Impossible, absolutely impossible.
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