Chapter 295: Research Institute

Chapter 295: Chapter 295: Research Institute

She turned to Roman Rowe and Seth, who were still stunned. They both nodded. "Absolutely outrageous!"

Lily Hart, satisfied with their response, looked at their two distinctly handsome faces and finally calmed down. ’That Owen Warren is just asking for it every single day!’

She had just sat down to rest when a message arrived from Elder Shaw. "I’ve met with him. He’s a reliable kid. By the way, all the suspicious individuals on the list have been cleaned out."

Lily Hart knew that "cleaned out" in this context didn’t mean they were killed. It meant they were removed from their posts or sent far away from Central Command and The Mysterious Clan.

For them, it was actually a good thing.

With the small fry taken care of, it was time for the bigger fish: the managers.

After this series of events, the managers clearly felt that getting things done had become much more difficult.

Before, they could issue an order and it would be carried out quickly. Now, a task would be stuck in some procedural bottleneck for a day or more. When they went to demand an explanation in person, all they got was a chirpy, "You’ll have to wait for the process to run its course~"

It didn’t matter if you were a manager or who you had backing you. You had to wait for the process like everyone else.

...

「The White Family.」

Chad Yates knelt in a pitch-black room. It was a place without windows or light, so dark you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face. He reflected on his recent actions, his heart pounding with anxiety.

After what felt like an eternity, the door opened. A figure stood silhouetted in the doorway. "You’re not to go to Central Command anymore."

Chad Yates panicked. He scrambled around on his knees, shuffling forward as if they were his feet, and desperately clutched the man’s leg. "No! Let me see the Great Elder! I can explain to him!"

"Get lost! Do you think the Great Elder is someone you can see just by asking?" The man kicked him away, spat a few curses, then turned and left, slamming the door shut with a loud BANG.

An infinite panic seized Chad Yates. He pounded on the door with all his might, but his legs remained firmly planted on the floor, still kneeling. He didn’t dare to stand up.

"Great Elder! It’s Chad Yates! Great Elder! I know I was wrong! I’ll never do it again! Please, I’m begging you, let me go back!"

Chad Yates kept shouting, his voice laced with terror, but the sounds were swallowed by the sealed room. He yelled until he was exhausted.

He rested against the wall, clinging to the belief that he would be given another chance. ’I’m a manager! How could they abandon me so easily?’

’Impossible!’

Chad Yates didn’t show up for the 3 p.m. routine meeting. Though people were curious, no one asked why.

Brian Booker, sitting in the second seat from the right, glanced around at the attendees and was shocked to realize that most of them were unfamiliar faces.

The realization sent a jolt of unease through her. Before, a routine meeting like this would have thirty people, and twenty of them would be from The Mysterious Clan.

But now... she could count the members of The Mysterious Clan on one hand.

’When did things change so quickly?’ Brian Booker didn’t understand.

Just then, it was the new director of the research institute’s turn to speak. He wore a white lab coat, and his hair was slightly disheveled.

There were green stains on his sleeves, like sap from some plant. He had clearly rushed over straight from his lab.

"The research institute has recently discovered a substance within mutant Laurel that can harm other mutant plants."

He then presented some experimental data and played a video.

The large, high-definition screen showed a completely sealed room with silver-gray walls.

Inside, three figures in protective suits and gas masks held their guns with military precision.

Ten meters in front of them stood a mutant plant, its every tendril seeming to possess a life of its own.

A closer look revealed centimeter-long thorns covering the tendrils.

With extreme flexibility and reach, they snaked forward, attempting to strike the three humans.

Before the tendrils could reach them, the three operators pulled their triggers in unison. Three projectiles shot out at incredible speed, aimed at the plant’s root system.

Upon contact with the roots, the projectiles burst, atomizing into a fine spray of liquid.

A second later, the mutant plant began to wither. The tendrils that had been straining forward abruptly turned gray and started to collapse.

Two seconds later, the mutant plant was dead.

The video plunged the conference room into silence. It was the first time anyone had developed something that could directly harm mutant plants.

In the past, they had to rely on superpower users to deal with mutant plants, but superpower users were rare.

Central Command had always wanted to form an army of regular humans, but no amount of training could make them a match for superpower users.

Let alone send them on missions to eradicate mutant plants.

They could only serve as The Guardian Corps inside the base. If this type of projectile could be mass-produced...

Everyone could already picture mutant plants being swiftly eliminated.

Someone asked, "What rank was that mutant plant in the video?"

The director replied, "Second Rank. At most, it can handle Second Rank threats. We’re still conducting research for anything stronger."

Everyone nodded in understanding. It was a process, and being able to handle Second Rank threats was already a huge improvement.

This news lifted everyone’s spirits considerably. They also began to adopt a more neutral stance on the recent major shake-up at the base.

That was a fight between giants; what business did they have getting involved?

Afterward, Elder Shaw singled out the research institute, telling them to focus on their R&D and not to hesitate to ask for anything they needed. He assured them their requests would be fulfilled to the best of the base’s ability.

The director was, of course, delighted to agree. He had been worried his work wouldn’t be taken seriously.

After the meeting, Elder Shaw took the director aside and spoke with him for a long time, offering words of encouragement and praise.

He told them to keep their minds on research and not to get involved in the messy affairs outside.

The director nodded in agreement. He had been an expert in botany back in the era of civilization.

It was just that the previous director had suppressed him and taken credit for most of his achievements, which was why he had remained obscure.

He resented it, but he wasn’t good at office politics, so he could only bury himself in his experiments.

Elder Shaw clapped him on the shoulder, gratified. "Go on back," he said gently. "And make sure you get some rest."

The director’s name was Elliot Chapman. He bowed deeply to Elder Shaw, his eyes stinging with emotion. Then he turned and headed back to the research institute.

Elder Shaw wished everyone could be like that—dedicated to the greater good, without any ulterior motives. Yes, he was thinking specifically of The Mysterious Clan.

The meeting had ended, but the four managers—everyone but Elder Shaw—stayed behind. Brian Booker spoke first. "Did you all see it?"

Steven Gibbs was confused. "See what? You mean the research institute’s video?"

Brian Booker mentally rolled her eyes. ’What a moron,’ she thought, before explaining, "The people at the meeting just now... how many of them did you recognize?"

Her words made the others pause and think. A long moment passed before they looked up, expressions of shock dawning on their faces.

Lena Corbin spoke calmly. "I noticed it too. It must be because of the recent shake-up..."

She paused. Since Chad Yates wasn’t present, she continued, "I thought this was The White Family’s doing—making a move to install their own people in key posts. But today... Chad Yates didn’t show."

Normally, Chad Yates would have been here, gloating about it.

Why wasn’t he here today? Had he gone back to The White Family to receive praise? That was obviously impossible.

The group fell into pensive silence, mulling over recent events. First, there was Elder Shaw’s frequent "talks" with various personnel.