Chapter 153
She was clad in a sleek experimental suit made of high–tech fabric, her eyes as brilliant as stars in the night sky. piercing and clear, immediately captivating many of those present with
just a glance.
And yet, her gaze carried an air of haughty disdain, as if she were a queen surveying her realm!
Ryker clenched his teeth, “I need to verify if the pass is authentic!”
Noella replied with scorn. “What kind of dimwit are you? To think someone with such a small brain made it into Phoenix Lab. Mr. Pollack must be really scraping the bottom of the barrel.
Mizar chimed in, adding fuel to the fire. “Yeah, boss, with all that security gear at the entrance. do you really think we could get in here with fake passes? Geez, that brain of yours would be better off in a chicken coop.”
Ryker nearly choked on his own rage! The nerve of this brat, comparing him to a farmyard chicken!
Elara’s gaze fell on the two young women who had just entered, her brows knitting together in confusion.
One of them was Mizar from Polaris Star Lab, whom she had met during a data exchange and knew possessed the special clearance to access all of Harmonia Country’s labs due to their exceptional contributions. She had been impressed by Mizar’s credentials and had eve considered poaching her!
After all, the researchers at Polaris Star Lab were all young, yet each one was a
one–in–a–million genius. The speed at which they reached conclusions with just a set of data was a mere three–quarters of Elara’s time!
And their accuracy was equally impressive, leaving Elara utterly astonished! She had always been hailed as a prodigy, but it was only when she saw the researchers at Polaris Star that she truly understood the meaning of the term!
The girl sitting in the chair, referred to by Mizar as “boss“, was most likely the head of Polaris Star Lab.
From her brief interactions, Elara knew just how proud these geniuses from Polaris Star could be and they had every right to their pride! The kind of person they would follow must be an extraordinary genius. What sort of individual could command such loyalty?
Elara, looking at the girl with the mask and cap, couldn’t contain the excitement in her voice, “Mr. Pollack is in a meeting today and will be back later.”
The head of the lab, Jacob Pollack, held vast amounts of scientific data and had made significant contributions to Harmonia Country’s research community. There were rumors about his powerful connections being the reason for his leadership position, but those were just whispers.
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Ryker and Zack, two of the lab’s management staff, were only making trouble because Jacob, who was fond of Elara’s abilities, was absent.
It was all about power – they wanted Elara to resign from Phoenix Lab of her own volition. They were going to such lengths merely out of fear that Jacob would make things difficult for them upon his return!
Noella watched Elara, who appeared calm and collected, but she knew how much struggle it took to maintain her ground in such an environment. And none of this she had ever mentioned to people from the Schnabel family!
Ryker frowned, looking at Noella, “This is an internal matter for our lab. You have no say here!”
Noella’s reply was icy. “Who is your collaboration with?”
Elara quickly raised her hand, “Me!”
As the lab’s lead, she had signed a short–term experimental agreement with Polaris Star.
Ryker smirked at Noella, “The experimental data is all ours. You can’t fake that! Ms. Schnabel, if you can’t produce the experimental data, how can you claim the experiments were your work?” Noella understood. The ones intercepting the experimental data midway were these two men before her.
Elara, indignant, shot back, “I personally conducted those experiments. You didn’t even participate. Where were you every time the experiment started?”
Zack’s eyes darted away! At their age, their ideals had long since vanished. The idea of relying purely on scientific research for a living was laughable to them.
Only someone naive and unworldly like Elara would actually put in the work. No matter how good the data looked, could it make them rich? Better to slack off and coast through work.
“Of course, we were conducting our own experiments in our lab. Just because you enjoy hiding out in your lab, does that mean no one else in the world is allowed to work hard?”
Elara almost laughed in frustration at such blatant distortion of truth! “Fine, let’s check the surveillance footage and see if you were really working.”
Ryker sneered, “Elara, you have no right to do that. Mr. Pollack isn’t here today, and you have no authority to access our office’s surveillance.”
These two were old foxes, slippery and evasive. They had been preparing for this day for who knew how long! It was all to push Elara out of Phoenix Lab!
Noella suddenly spoke up, “I happen to have something I’d like everyone to see. May I use the central screen?”
Elara nodded, “Of course.”
The central screen in the lab was impressively large, typically used for meetings, and rarely
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turned on otherwise.
Ryker watched Noella with a cold gaze, “Our lab’s central screen is not your average size. Think you can handle it?”
Noella surveyed the jumble of data cables before her. Phoenix Lab, being Harmonia Country’s leading facility, had a central control screen that fundamentally wasn’t much different from a regular LED display control panel.
It was all about receiving the serial port image display information from the computer. Finding the controller’s driver and the location of the sending card was all that was needed to activate
the screen.
Elara stepped forward, her voice soft. “Uh, Boss, do you need a hand?”
She didn’t know the name of Polaris Star’s boss, but she was sure this was a super–genius well worth clinging to for support!
Noella said coolly, “No need.”
Ryker glanced at Noella, convinced that she wouldn’t know how to operate the central screen, and let out a mocking laugh, “Heh, if you can’t do it, just say so. There’s no need to show off. These are our lab’s internal affairs; outsiders should just get lost!”
As soon as the voice trailed off, Noella effortlessly synced up with the lab’s central monitor.
The ease with which she managed this feat left everyone gobsmacked, considering that many of them struggled to even turn the thing on. And there she was, the boss of Polaris Star, flicking it on like it was nothing.
But what really blew their minds was what appeared on the screen! There, two middle–aged men with cigarettes dangling from their lips were lazily eyeing their fishing rods, the very picture of peace and contentment.
It was none other than Ryker and Zack, who were supposed to be in the lab!
Behind them, Mizar was grinning from ear to ear, pulling out her phone, “It’s 3 o’clock, Monday afternoon in Imperial City, prime working hours, folks. Wonder how the fishing’s going for these. two gentlemen.”
Ryker’s voice drifted from the video. “Damn, I can’t stand the sight of that Elara. What’s she got that she thinks she can lord it over us?”
“That brat thinks she’s all that; we need to find a way to boot her out!”
Ryker took the cigarette from his mouth and leered, “And she’s a looker too. Once we get her out, maybe I’ll have a little fun myself.”
Everyone was utterly gobsmacked!
Ryker and Zack were the lab’s ringleaders! It was one thing to sneak out for a fishing jaunt during work hours, but it was quite another to scheme against and assault Ms. Schnabel!
Elara, on the other hand, was the picture of composure. She’d risen to her position by facing down plenty of malice. This was nothing new to her.
The video rolled on, revealing that on nearly every workday afternoon, after clocking out, Zack and Ryker would head out to play cards, go fishing, or even hit up the town for some seedy salon massages, anything but being in the lab!
Seeing the video, Zack and Ryker completely lost their cool.
