Ch. 841..850

Chapter 841 Winston Disappeared

“Sir, did you really promise to release Ronin after the deed is done?” Flash somewhat could not believe what he heard, but he thought to himself, ” From Ronin’s reaction, it’s the case. If my boss hadn’t promised him, how could he have left with a happy expression?”

The more Flash thought about it, the more wrong he felt, which was why he risked his life to come to his boss to inquire about the situation.

The black-robed man looked down at Flash kneeling at his feet, and a flash of viciousness crossed his eyes.

The look in the black-robed man’s eyes made Flash panic, and Flash was so scared that he quickly apologized, “Sir, please forgive me for overstepping my bounds.”

“Since you know that you have overstepped your bounds, why don’t you get out yet?” The black-robed man’s stern voice carried a great majesty within it, scaring Flash into leaving.

Flash knew that if he dared to challenge the authority of his boss at this moment, his boss would immediately kill him the next moment.

Although he was curious, he dared not risk his own life.

Seeing Flash obediently leave, the murderous emotion in the black-robed man’s eyes eased a bit.

The black-robed man really didn’t expect Ronin to betray Catherine.

There was no way for Ronin to lie in front of him because he could see through Ronin’s lies with a single glance. He could conclude that what Ronin said just now was true.

The black-robed man thought to himself, “It seems Ronin doesn’t really take Catherine seriously. He betrayed Catherine for his own life.”

Flash wasn’t smart enough, but he was still right about one thing, which was that human nature could not withstand any test, and in this world, no one could believe except oneself.

Flash headed straight toward the holding cell after getting out of the black-robed man’s place.

He couldn’t get answers from his boss and had to come to Ronin.

Ronin, who had been sent back to solitary confinement, leaned back and sat in a corner seat with his eyes closed and a bland look on his face.

After what happened to Winston, Ronin was no longer in the same dashingly smug state as before. His face carried a grim aura.

Hearing a movement in front of him, he slowly opened his eyes to check.

When they met eye to eye, Ronin let out a cold laugh. “It’s getting dark. Is a new round of severe torture ready to begin again? Haha, but what do you want to ask this time? I’ve explained everything I know. What else do you want to know?”

Seeing Ronin’s misunderstanding, Flash whispered, “I’m not here to interrogate you this time. I have a few questions to ask you.”

Without waiting for Flash to speak, Ronin simply said to him, “Scram! Since you’re not here to interrogate me, why should I answer you?”

Ronin’s strong attitude made Flash very angry, and he deliberately sank his face to threaten Ronin. “Ronin, you are still a prisoner now. Do you believe that I will arrest you and beat you up right now?”

“Hahaha…” Ronin laughed out loud, looking at Flash with mockery inside his eyes.

Such an attitude made Flash very puzzled. He stared at Ronin and inquired in a cold voice, “What are you laughing at?”

Ronin slowly got up and stood right in front of Flash.

Ronin was slightly shorter than Flash. He tilted his head slightly and looked directly into Flash’s eyes.

Although Ronin couldn’t tell what the face under Flash’s mask actually looked like, it seemed from Flash’s eyes that Flash should be good-looking.

Ronin looked straight into Flash’s eyes, and mockery filled his grim voice, “Do you believe I’ll have your boss kill you after you have me arrested?”

The confident words silenced Flash, and the atmosphere in the room instantly became a little more awkward.

Seeing Flash’s silence, Ronin continued to say, “I know what your purpose is for coming to me. You just want to know what kind of deal I made with your boss. Since you want to know it so much, I’m not going to tell you. But I warn you, you’d better not put your hands on me, and don’t hurt Professor Warner. Your life and death are in my hands.”

Ronin stared at Flash’s mask and let out a cold laugh. “After all, you are nothing more than a dog with a more painful bite in the eyes of your boss, aren’t you? You can be replaced at any time as long as the benefits given are enough.”

Flash looked gloomy, his eyes were full of anger, but he had nowhere to vent it out. Ronin’s intelligence was far beyond his imagination.

Ronin was able to guess Flash’s mind, was able to utilize the conditions to negotiate with Flash’s boss and keep Flash from guessing the content of the negotiation.

This showed how powerful Ronin was.

Flash believed what Ronin said. As long as Ronin offered enticing conditions, Flash’s boss would not hesitate to kill him.

Flash was extremely angry and laughed. “You’re great. Let’s see how long you can still be arrogant.”

With that, Flash left.

After Flash left, Ronin went back to his original position and continued to sit in a daze.

In fact, at first, Ronin felt that Flash was also a pitiful person, and did not want to make things too difficult for him, nor did he want to kill him.

Ronin thought inwardly, “It’s just that Flash is too stubborn, so don’t blame me.”

Friday was two days away, and the experiment was coming to an end. Catherine was going to stay in the lab for the next few days and work through the night to finish the project.

Marshall stayed with her. While the two were taking a break for dinner, Marshall and Catherine chatted.

“I don’t know what’s going on with Winston. I haven’t heard from him in the past few days. I asked my wife to ask his wife about him. His wife said that he was fine. I’ll go check when Friday is over,” said Marshall.

He had been good friends with Winston for decades, and he knew Winston well.

He thought that if it weren’t for a serious illness that prevented Winston from getting up, he wouldn’t have disappeared for so many days at once.

As the experiment was nearing the end, Marshall couldn’t leave and had no way to visit, so he could only ask his wife to help him inquire about the situation.

Upon hearing this, Catherine stopped her hands from eating and said faintly, “Professor Warner will be fine. Don’t worry.”

Marshall only thought that she was trying to console himself, and he didn’t want to affect Catherine because of this matter, so he decided to stop the topic there. “Well, don’t think too much about it. Let’s concentrate on our research. As soon as the experiment is successful, I will tell Winston the good news. He’ll be happy and he will be cured.”

“Professor Hartley, Miss Swann, are you only eating now?” An abrupt voice interrupted the conversation between Catherine and Marshall.

They raised their heads together to look toward the direction of the speaker, only to see the president of Styre University, Ultan, appearing in the lab together with several people.

Standing beside Ultan, was none other than Rylan, who had been staring at Catherine from the moment he appeared and hadn’t moved away for a moment.

Although Marshall was a bit strange in his heart as to how Ultan could have suddenly brought someone there at this point, he didn’t express it directly on the surface and immediately stood up to greet Ultan. “Mr. Farrell, what brings you here?”

Ultan knew Marshall’s dissatisfaction by the stoicism in Marshall’s eyes, but he was very helpless.

He could only say awkwardly, “This is the president of Reelyne Technologies, Mr. Melton. He knows that you guys are busy doing experiments, and has been wanting to come visit the lab. He was worried about disturbing you, so he specially chose a break time to come.”

Marshall froze when he looked up at Rylan. He was surprised and asked in his mind secretly, “Isn’t he…”

Chapter 842 Rylan Was Their Sponsor

After realizing that Rylan was the president of Reelyne Technologies, the lingering doubts in Marshall’s heart were finally resolved.

He looked toward Catherine. Seeing Catherine’s calm and unaffected expression, he couldn’t help but laugh silently.

He thought in his heart, “Catherine is really calm. It’s so rare. She can even be so calm when the situation is like this right now. I’ve always thought that Rylan is not a simple person. I didn’t realize that he’s actually a big boss of a multinational corporation. He’s so young to be in such a position. His future is unlimited. Catherine is not only smart and capable but also very beautiful. No wonder these boys are crazy about her.”

Marshall originally wondered why Catherine, who wasn’t a wasteful person, would suddenly come up with the idea of replacing the equipment.

It turned out that Catherine knew from the beginning that Rylan was behind the sponsorship.

The reason why Rylan grabbed the sponsorship for their lab, perhaps it was not the experimental program of their lab that he was interested in, but someone in their lab.

Thinking about this, Marshall understood everything.

Reelyne Technologies was currently the biggest sponsor of the lab. Rylan sponsored them with so much money, so it was understandable that he wanted to come and have a visit.

If Ultan blocked Rylan, and if others knew that Styre University didn’t even welcome their sponsors, no one would dare to sponsor Styre University in the future.

Marshall understood Ultan’s plight and felt much better in his heart.

He took the initiative to go forward and shake hands with Rylan. “Mr. Melton, I didn’t expect you to be so young and talented. Thank you for your donation to our lab.”

Rylan smiled lightly and courteously. ” Professor Hartley, you are welcome. I have brought some refreshments with me, and hope that you and Miss Swann will like them.”

The assistant carried out the exquisite box of food and handed it to Catherine.

Rylan had inquired clearly before he arrived. He knew Catherine hadn’t even eaten dinner yet, and he had come at this point specifically.

Branden’s men waited at the door while Rylan strutted after Ultan into the lab building to visit Catherine in person.

This made Rylan feel happy. He’d gotten all the anger he’d taken last time out of his system.

Marshall naturally understood what Rylan’s purpose was in sending the food at that moment. He didn’t dare to squeak and left it all to Catherine to deal with.

Catherine expressionlessly reached out to take the food box and faintly said, ” Thanks.”

After saying that, Catherine sat back down again. Seeing Catherine with such an attitude, the atmosphere around them became a bit awkward.

After all, Rylan was someone that even the president had to be careful with, but Catherine seemed to not show any respect to him.

Rylan glanced at the president, who immediately understood. “Mr. Melton, Catherine is the one leading this experiment. She is very specialized in this area. You can always talk to her if there is anything you want to know.”

After the president finished speaking, he turned his gaze to Marshall. ” Marshall, I have something to tell you. You come out with me for a moment.”

Marshall knew very well in his heart what the president had in mind.

However, he couldn’t pretend that he didn’t understand the hints from the president’s eyes and could only leave with the president.

Once the two left, the rest of the people also followed, leaving Catherine and Rylan alone in the lab.

Rylan was not angry when he saw that Catherine was still eating the dinner that Marshall had arranged for her and did not open the food box he had given her.

After all, he had no temper when he was in front of Catherine.

He took the initiative to walk up to Catherine and sit down, helping her open the food box. He took out the food inside and placed it in front of her. ” Give it a try. I specifically had people queue up to buy it.”

The food all looked exceptionally tasty and exquisitely arranged, and it was obvious at first glance that it was the result of careful consideration.

Catherine didn’t refuse the food Ryan offered her. Rylan’s food was so much better than the food Marshall had prepared.

It didn’t make sense for Catherine to follow through with refusing better food, did it?

Seeing that Catherine was willing to eat the food he offered, Rylan was very happy.

Catherine turned her head to look at him, her dazzling eyes carrying a hint of confusion. “You spent billions of dollars donating to the experimental building just to deliver food to me?”

She guaranteed that if Rylan nodded his head at that time, she wouldn’t hesitate to smash the food in her hand directly toward his head.

“Not really. Why not make a profit while being able to deliver food to you? Catherine, I’m a businessman, right? My company has just moved into Loxton, and this donation has already helped me make a name for myself and saved me public relations and promotional expenses. It’s a good deal.”

Catherine sneered. In her mind, she thought, “If this is really a good deal, you would have planned it from the beginning and not waited until now. All of this does seem profitable on the surface, but it’s all based on the success of my experiment. What if my experiment fails? Wouldn’t everything you’re paid for then be in vain?”

Catherine didn’t say this because she knew what Rylan was thinking. She finished the food in her hand and then stood up. “I’m going to continue my experiment.”

Rylan stayed where he was and looked at Catherine’s departing back with a faint smile.

He mentally thought to himself, “Like I said, there’s nothing I can’t get if it’s something I want.”

“Mr. Duncan, Rylan is really tricky,”

Paxton reported the news to Branden with unusual exasperation. He had arranged for someone to go to the lab today to deliver food to Catherine for Branden.

Catherine didn’t come out, they had someone waiting at the door.

But unexpectedly, it didn’t take long before they saw Rylan coming in a big way. Rylan’s men even carried the food box to provoke them, saying that Rylan would take good care of Catherine and threatening that they should just go back.

Paxton didn’t realize that Rylan was so despicable that he provoked Branden even when delivering food.

He asked in his heart, “Isn’t this openly against Branden? Can this be tolerated?

Paxton originally thought that Branden would be angry, but he was surprised to see that Brandon had no reaction at all, and there was still a faint smile on Branden’s face, which made Paxton very puzzled. “Mr. Duncan, are you not angry?”

“Why would I be angry?” Branden raised his eyes to him.

Branden thought inwardly, “Rylan spent so much money just to deliver a meal to my woman. Not only did he help Catherine improve her lab equipment for me, he incidentally helped me feed her. He’s such a nice guy. It’s not too much for me to thank him in person. Why should I be angry?”

Branden took a closer look at the surveillance video and commented on it, “The food at this restaurant is not bad. Catherine likes it.”

Hearing Branden’s comment, Paxton was truly shocked.

It seemed Branden really wasn’t angry at all.

Paxton calmed down and was relieved when he thought it over, “Miss Swann is not that kind of shallow woman. She is not the kind of woman that can be obtained with money, otherwise, Mr. Duncan wouldn’t have chased her so hard in the first place. Rylan did all this, except for taking care of Miss Swann a little bit more for Mr. Duncan, there is no other benefit. So it seems that Mr. Duncan really doesn’t need to be angry.”

Chapter 843 Catherine Was Angry

Rylan stayed in the lab for as long as Catherine stayed in the lab. It was already late at night and Catherine didn’t intend to spend the night inside the lab. After packing up her things, she walked out of the lab.

Just as she went out, she bumped into Rylan who was guarding the door.

Seeing her appear, Rylan immediately greeted her, a smile appearing on her face, “You have such a long day. You’ve exerted a lot of physical strength, right? How about let me take you to have a supper to replenish?”

His seemingly thoughtful suggestion was not taken up by Catherine.

Catherine glanced at him and walked around him to leave.

Rylan bowed his head in silence for a moment before catching up again. “It’s so late. Are you planning on going to your apartment or back to your dorm? I can give you a ride to your dorm. The management personnel of your dorm…

Without waiting for him to finish his words, Catherine stopped and turned back to glare at him, her cold eyes gleaming with ferocity.

Even a man like Rylan couldn’t help but palpitate after seeing Catherine’s eyes.

“Rylan, you’re meddling broadly enough. You want to meddle in my experiments, and now you even want to meddle in my dorm. Believe it or not, I’ll chop your hands off right now,” Catherine said angrily.

Rylan never dared to question what Catherine said, and he was well aware of Catherine’s ability. He knew she could definitely do anything she wanted to do.

Catherine was already an unbelievable terror when she was only a teenager, let alone now. Rylan held up his hands in surrender. ” Catherine, don’t get me wrong. I just want to care about you. I…”

“Shut up!” Catherine’s cold words immediately shut Rylan up.

Rylan obediently followed behind Catherine, not daring to question too much.

The two of them walked one behind the other. Rylan tried to walk side by side with Catherine, but as soon as he increased his speed, Catherine would always accelerate before him.

After Rylan tried to catch up with Catherine a few times, he realized that Catherine was intentionally avoiding him and could only give up his original idea. “Catherine, is your experiment almost finished?”

Hearing the query, Catherine turned back to look at him. Her seemingly smiling eyes looked frightening.

Her cold, mocking voice was more than enough for Rylan to sense her unhappiness. “What? Mr. Melton, do I need to give you a report on the progress of the experiment now?”

Rylan waved his hand in a hurry. ” Catherine, that’s not what I meant. You know me…”

“Enough. The experiment didn’t yield any results. It’s not successful yet, and you’re happy to hear that?” Catherine increased her volume like a child frantically venting her grievances.

The chagrin on her face was undisguised, and a strong hostile aura radiated around her.

Rylan guessed that Catherine was in a bad mood because the experiment had not been successful and it was close to • the point of time when she was going to be certified.

He dared not talk about the topic of experiments anymore, for fear of stimulating Catherine. “Catherine, since you don’t want to talk about the experiment, then we won’t talk about it. By the way, I’ve been here in Loxton for so long, how come I haven’t seen Ronin?”

Rylan stared carefully at Catherine’s expression to check. He found that when he mentioned Ronin, an unnatural look flashed across Catherine’s face.

Although she hid it quickly, Rylan still noticed it.

“Ronin has been assigned to do something by me and won’t be at school for a while. If you miss him, contact him yourself, but it’s hard to say if you can get in touch,” said Catherine.

“Is that so? Well then, I’d better wait for Ronin to come back. Nothing is going on anyway. It’s just that we haven’t seen each other for too long, and it just so happens that we’re both in the same city now, so it’s best if we can meet.”

Rylan noticed the expression on Catherine’s face intensify a bit when he mentioned Ronin again. He didn’t try to probe any further and continued to walk with Catherine on the green path of the campus.

Watching Catherine step out of the campus gate, Rylan, who was still calm, finally couldn’t help himself.

He directly reached out and stopped Catherine. “Are you planning to go back to Branden’s apartment again?”

“It’s none of your business,” Catherine said nonchalantly. She thought inwardly, “When is it his turn to meddle in my affairs?”

“Catherine, haven’t you heard the rumors that Branden is now working with the Breens? They are going to be the strongest strategic partners. If he is sincere with you, do you think he will work with your enemies?” Rylan had a bitter look on his face. If it weren’t for Catherine’s ability, he’d just go ahead, knock her out, and take her away right now.

“What about you?” Catherine asked suddenly, causing Rylan to freeze.

She stepped forward and stood in front of Rylan, staring into his eyes. “What about you?”

Catherine’s sudden question confused Rylan.

Rylan looked at Catherine in surprise, his eyes somewhat evasive, afraid to look directly at her. “Catherine, what do you mean by that?”

Catherine didn’t answer him and left in big strides without even looking back.

Rylan stood still, looking at Catherine’s departing back, with mixed emotions in his heart.

He wondered if Catherine had found out something. Maybe things were starting to get tricky.

Catherine returned to the apartment building and was about to go upstairs when she saw Branden waiting in place.

When Branden saw her appear, he walked straight toward her. He reached out and took the document she was holding. “Feeling tired?”

“Not really,” Catherine responded indifferently, and the two of them walked side by side toward the upstairs.

Just as they entered the apartment, Catherine smelled a faint scent of lavender.

Noticing the change in her expression, Branden immediately explained the situation. “The essential oil of lavender helps relieve fatigue, so I bought it and gave it a try.”

Catherine took a light sniff and gave her comment. “It’s not bad.”

Upon hearing this, Branden’s face immediately revealed a smile. “It’s good that you like it.”

After that, Catherine realized that there was still quite a lot of food on the table. “Have you not had dinner yet?”

Catherine looked sideways at Branden.

“Yes, I did. They are all for you. If you want to eat, we’ll have some together. If you’re tired and don’t want to eat, • we’ll rest.”

Catherine didn’t believe Branden would be unaware of Rylan bringing her meal, but since he didn’t mention it at all, she wouldn’t deliberately bring it up. “Let’s eat a little.”

“Okay,” Branden said and his gaze at her was full of indulgence. “You sit there and rest for a bit. I’ll heat them up.”

Catherine then realized that a massage chair had been placed inside the living room.

She hadn’t seen it when she left the apartment this morning, so it should be a new item Branden had just bought.

She walked straight to the massage chair and sat down. The moment she sat down, the chair began to work with just the right force to relieve her of the fatigue from standing all day.

A few minutes later, Branden brought hot food out of the kitchen. The moment he looked up was the moment his eyes filled with distress.

Catherine lay quietly in the massage chair, breathing evenly as she slept.

Branden didn’t dare to wake her up, nor did he dare to come forward and cover her with a blanket, afraid of disturbing her.

He could only turn up the temperature in the room to prevent her from getting cold.

Looking at her sleeping face, Branden’s expression gradually softened. He thought to himself, “Give me a little more time, and soon everything will be over.”

Chapter 844 A Shocking Reversal

“Are you sure you can produce the results of the experiment today?” Marshall asked cautiously, fearing to put pressure on Catherine.

But watching Catherine calmly enter and exit the lab every day, he was really curious.

The final key steps were all manipulated by Catherine. Although Marshall participated in the entire experiment, he did not know about the final progress of the experiment.

“The results of the phase one experiment are out. It’s not ideal, but it shouldn’t be too much of a problem to take it for certification,” Catherine replied.

Hearing this, Marshall’s face immediately showed a delighted expression. “That’s great. You’re right to think like that. Certify it first and then slowly experiment with the next step. Then I’ll take my leave first. I’ll let you focus.”

After getting the good news, Marshall left the lab and left Catherine to focus on the experiment.

Catherine stretched lazily and continued to busy herself with the work at hand. She sorted out all the information and inputted it into the computer for archiving.

Amelia walked in. She came to bring Catherine the information. “Super Catherine, I see Professor Hartley walk out with a smile on his face just now. Did the experiment succeed?”

Everyone saw Marshall enter the lab with a sad face, and then walk out with a smile on his face.

There was nothing other than Catherine’s experimental results that could make Marshall, who was always serious in speech and manner, so happy.

Amelia was genuinely happy for Catherine. Although she hadn’t spent much time with Catherine, she could see that Catherine had put a lot of time and effort into this experiment.

“Sort of,” Catherine responded to Amelia faintly.

Hearing her ambiguous answer, Amelia felt a bit strange. She rarely heard Catherine say something so uncertain.

Seeing her curiosity, Catherine gave her the answer. “There are still small problems. It can’t be considered a success at the moment, but it shouldn’t be a problem to take this result for certification.”

It was very normal for such a big experiment to have various small problems. For Catherine to make it this far was already something many people wouldn’t even dare to think about.

Seeing that Catherine didn’t seem to be happy, Amelia hastened to comfort her. “This is already impressive. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. Everything will have a solution, just take your time. You’re Super Catherine. You’ll definitely succeed, and the result will be absolutely perfect.”

Amelia’s expression was unusually serious, and the admiration in her eyes was undisguised.

Catherine was infected by her happiness, and a little more smile appeared on her face as well. “Thank you.”

Amelia didn’t dare to delay Catherine more for fear of disturbing her, so she left the lab.

Shortly after Amelia came out, everyone in the lab knew the progress of Catherine’s research.

Although everyone had already guessed the result from Marshall’s expression, but then after Amelia’s confirmation, they instantly affirmed the news.

Everyone knew the importance of the experiment though. Until Catherine herself made a public announcement, the news would be spread only in the lab and would not be disseminated externally.

After Flash received the information, his cold eyes immediately tinged with a smile.

He wasn’t worried about the experiment not succeeding, nor was he worried about Catherine not being able to complete the experiment. As long as he could get enough certified information, they would have the leverage to negotiate with Catherine.

Flash first found Ronin. He gave him an explanation of the situation and then brought him to Winston. “There’s a computer here. Can you two get started?

Winston looked at Ronin with a distressed face and said in a sad tone, Ronin, don’t have too much mental burden. I’ll bear everything.”

Hearing this, Flash sneered and looked at Ronin. “Ronin, I really envy you for having such a good teacher. You need to cherish it.”

The warning in his words was clear to Ronin. Ronin knew that Flash was giving him a precautionary warning and that Flash was worrying that he wouldn’t listen to him.

Ronin glared at him expressionlessly, then sat down in front of the computer. He was ready to get things started.” Professor Warner, let’s get started.”

Winston nodded with a helpless look on his face. “Okay.”

Ronin set up the program, and with his previous experience, he quickly hacked into Catherine’s computer.

After the first layer firewall was breached, the next was a defense system set by Winston himself.

Although the defense system was set up by Winston, it was set up on Catherine’s computer after all, and it would take a bit of a cracking process to get in through an external computer.

“How long will it take approximately?” Flash inquired anxiously.

Winston estimated and gave the time. ” If it’s fast, it’ll take an hour, but if it’s slow, it’s hard to say…”

Hearing this, Flash’s brows immediately furrowed. Thinking Winston was playing a trick, he reached out and yanked Winston to his feet with a fierce hand.

Winston was a veritable bookworm, the kind who was powerless. He was easily yanked up by Flash in an instant.

Seeing this, Ronin was instantly enraged. “Brat, you put him down!”

He directly rushed up and wrestled with Flash.

Flash flung Winston away to deal with Ronin at full strength. The two immediately got into a fight.

It didn’t take long for Flash’s men to arrive. But before they could do anything, Flash had already overpowered Ronin and pressed him to the floor.

If Flash didn’t have absolute confidence in his ability to subdue Ronin, he wouldn’t have been alone with Ronin and Winston.

Although Ronin was pressed to the floor, he did not stop struggling. He frantically twisted his body to break free from the grip of Flash.

The men who rushed in used the electric baton to directly electrocute Ronin to the floor, making him unable to struggle.

Seeing the situation in front of him, Winston became anxious. “What are you doing? Stop it. Don’t hurt Ronin.”

Ronin struggled to raise his head. He stared angrily at Flash and shouted fiercely, “If you have the guts, you can kill me.”

Flash yanked Ronin up by his hair and scowled at him with cold eyes. “I won’t kill you, but believe it or not, I have a hundred ways to make your life worse than death.”

Ronin was fearless in the face of the threat. Although he was restricted from moving, his attitude was still strong. Fine, you do it. I’d like to see who will die before me.” 11

Tomorrow would be the time for certification. If Flash and his men still couldn’t get the information today, his boss would definitely not let him off.

Flash’s gloomy face became unusually gloomy. He gritted his teeth and pulled Ronin angrily. “What exactly do you want?”

Ronin looked at him without showing any weakness. “As I said, if you want me to cooperate with you, be polite to me and don’t hurt my teacher.

Otherwise, I guarantee that you will die before me, and all of your men will be killed at the same time as you are killed.

Ronin’s words shocked everyone present.

They were able to get Ronin killed easily, but once something happened to Ronin, they wouldn’t end up any better.

To get Ronin to cooperate, Flash could only take the lead and bow his head.

He reached out to help Ronin up and personally patted the dust off of him. And then he signaled with his eyes for Ronin to ask him to go back and continue.

Ronin sneered. “Huh, that’s it?”

Chapter 845 Flash’s Mutiny

Flash looked at Ronin with a cold smile on his face, and the killing intent in his heart gradually rose.

He stared coldly at Ronin, his gaze as fierce as it could be. “What else do you want?”

His eyes were cold, and Ronin’s eyes were even colder. “Flash, you can do anything you want to me. Don’t put your hands on my teacher. Apologize to him or all bets are off.”

Ronin’s attitude was very resolute. As long as Flash didn’t give Winston an apology, there was no way this was going to work.

His reaction left Flash a little stunned.

Flash didn’t realize that Ronin cared so much about Winston.

Despite his reluctance, Flash agreed to Ronin’s terms so as not to jeopardize the big picture.

He turned his gaze to Winston and said sincerely to him, “Winston, I was the one who took offense just now. I’m sorry.”

Winston did not want Ronin to get into another conflict with Flash, so he took the initiative to go up and persuade Ronin. “Ronin, he apologized. I think he was just too anxious. He didn’t mean it. Let’s just forget about it.’

“Professor Warner, I’ll listen to you.” Ronin took it in stride and had no intention of continuing the trouble.

The two sat back down in front of the computer and proceeded to start cracking the firewall set up within Catherine’s computer.

After all this mess, Flash didn’t dare to give Winston a hard time.

Worried that he might attract Ronin’s resentment, and fearful that Ronin might resist, Flash didn’t even watch him as closely as he had before.

Winston could still interact with Ronin during the opportunity for communication. After the two of them exchanged glances, a cold smile flashed across Ronin’s face and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly with pride.

“What’s going on? Why did my computer suddenly blackout?” An abrupt voice startled the people inside the lab.

“My computer isn’t working either.”

“Mine’s blacked out too.”

Various discussions ensued, and Marshall happened to be in his office. After hearing the sound, he walked out to check. “What’s going on? What’s all the noise about?”

Someone immediately reported the situation to him, “Professor Hartley, all of our computers blacked out. I don’t know what’s going on. It’s like they’ve been hacked collectively by someone.”

Although Marshall’s students were not in the field of computer science, they were all talented and very impressive in all aspects.

They could solve some common small troubles on their own.

Hearing this, Marshall’s expression immediately tightened.

He pointed at his students and said solemnly, “Hurry up and notify Winston of the computer science department. Ask him to come over to take a look personally.”

“Professor Hartley, Professor Warner took sick leave and hasn’t come for a few days. Have you forgotten about it?”

Marshall slapped his head and reacted. “Oh, right. You guys contact someone from the computer science department. I’ll check elsewhere.”

With that, Marshall rushed to the experimental room where Catherine was as soon as possible. He knocked on the door of the experimental room, and Catherine immediately walked out.

“Catherine, have you uploaded the experiment data to the computer yet?” Marshall asked.

“Yes.” Catherine had been working on it all morning and it was now taken care of.

Seeing Marshall look anxious made Catherine feel weird. “Professor Hartley, what’s going on?”

“All the computers in the lab aren’t working. I suspect they’ve been hacked. I’m worried that there’s something wrong with your computer too. You should be careful.” Marshall always had the feeling that things weren’t that simple.

He asked in his heart, “How is it such a coincidence that all the computers in the lab were hacked shortly after Catherine just uploaded the data?”

This batch of computers was all newly replaced, so it was impossible that they all broke down at the same time.

The only possibility was that someone was attempting to attack their computers to achieve an ulterior purpose.

This happened suddenly at this time, and Marshall was worried that the other party was aiming at Catherine’s experiment.

Hearing this, Catherine’s attitude remained calm, and she even turned around to comfort Marshall. “Professor Hartley, you don’t need to worry too much. The computer in my lab is not networked with the outside, and the firewall was just recently upgraded by Winston. I also encrypted it myself. There won’t be a problem.”

Marshall’s worried expression gradually dissipated, and a hint of a smile appeared between his eyebrows and eyes. “Okay, that’s great. How did I forget about this? While Winston isn’t much of a chess player, he’s really good at computers. It’s all right then. You go back and continue. I’m going to take a look outside. I’m afraid it’s a mess out there.”

“Okay.” Catherine watched Marshall leave. Marshall didn’t notice the gloomy viciousness that flashed in Catherine’s eyes.

Half an hour later, everyone’s computers gradually recovered. After the technical department’s investigation, no foreign IP intrusion was found.

Everyone in the lab had checked their own computers and no files were found to be lost or broken.

Since there was no damage caused, they treated the incident as an accident and left it at that. Ronin’s fingers were trembling the moment he hit the enter key.

As soon as his movements stopped, Flash’s urging came from behind him. ” How’s it going? Have you received the information?”

Ronin didn’t respond. He sat quietly, his eyes fixed on the screen.

Seeing that he didn’t respond, Flash rushed forward. He pushed Ronin away and sat in his seat.

Winston, who was sitting on the side, stood up and patted Ronin’s shoulder. He signaled Ronin not to be impulsive.

Ronin nodded calmly and glanced at Flash with a strange expression in his eyes. There was no unnecessary expression in his eyes.

Flash became excited when he saw the information on the computer.

With this information, he could make a condition to his boss to quit the organization and leave this place to live a stable life.

Flash took advantage of everyone’s lack of attention and secretly inserted a memory card into the computer, preparing to transfer the information away through the memory card.

But when he was about to do it, the back of his head was pressed against a hard object. Years of experience allowed him to instantly judge how deadly the object against the back of his head was.

“Don’t move. Turn your head with your hands up.” The familiar voice made Flash’s body stiffen.

Knowing that his resistance was useless, Flash decided to obey the person behind him and turned his head to look with his hands up.

Flash still could not believe his eyes when he saw that the person behind him holding a gun against him was his most trusted brother. He didn’t expect his most valued brother to betray him. ” Finn, you …”

Flash looked at Finn puzzled, with a murderous expression in his eyes.

Finn said, “Flash, have you forgotten that we have to be loyal to our boss forever?”

Flash didn’t explain. He had no way of explaining it. On their first day joining the organization, they knew that they had only one choice if they wanted to survive, which was to always be loyal to the organization and follow the orders of their superiors.

But Flash didn’t want to be controlled as a puppet for his whole life, as he could lose his life at any moment due to a small matter.

Having had enough of these days, he wanted to change and escape from there.

But he didn’t expect his plan to fail so quickly.

It turned out that Finn was a spy that his boss had placed beside him, and it seemed that his boss had never trusted him.

At that moment, Flash was defeated. Ronin stood on the side and coldly watched the show of villains killing each other without any inner turmoil.

He didn’t know how many times he had seen such a scene.

Chapter 846 Marshall Was Nervous

Inside the dark, damp confinement chamber, a body covered in bruises was curled up in a nearby corner, covered in blood.

“Jangle…” The eerie sound came from the rusty old iron door.

The person lying on the floor remained motionless. He was seemingly unaffected by external disturbances until someone said, “It’s time for dinner.”

The familiar voice caused Flash, who was originally lying on the floor, to instantly turn over and get up.

The stimulation of the voice made him forget the serious injuries on his body. He turned over and got up too quickly, instantly pulling on his wounds and causing him to sit back in embarrassment.

“What? Has the previously majestic Flash captain lost the ability to even stand up now?” Ronin’s sarcastic words made Flash’s wounds painful even more.

Since Flash was discovered wanting to steal information, he had been imprisoned in the confinement chamber.

To prevent him from escaping, his former group of henchmen had tortured him.

What was even more ironic was that all those means of torture that Flash had suffered were means that he had invented specifically to use against those prisoners he once captured.

He originally thought that the person coming was one of his men or his boss who came to punish him, but he never expected that it to be Ronin.

Flash looked up at Ronin with difficulty, and Ronin was also looking at him, with a strong sense of mockery in his cold eyes. It seemed that Ronin was mocking him for his incompetence.

Seeing Flash looking at him with a puzzled face, Ronin simply squatted down. He used his hand to pull up Flash’s collar, closing the distance between them. “Flash, I told you to be careful and not to fall into my hands. Why don’t you take my words seriously?

Ronin then patted Flash’s cheek provocatively.

If it was before, Flash would have already taught Ronin a lesson.

But now, his and Ronin’s identities had completely swapped. He was now the captive. Ronin’s unrestricted arrival there had enabled Flash to guess the truth of the matter. He inquired in a cold voice, “So, I’m the bargaining chip you’re trading with my boss?”

“That’s right.” Ronin admitted generously. “I promised your boss to cooperate with him to make sure that he can get the information he wants from Catherine without any problems. But my condition is that I want you to become a plaything in my hands when it’s done.”

Flash was still struggling. He didn’t want to believe what he heard. “No way. My boss…”

“You’re trying to say he can’t agree to my terms, right?” Before Flash could finish his words, Ronin interrupted him. “If I say that he never believed you at all, that he arranged spies to monitor you from the very beginning, and that he knew all the things you did in private, do you believe it?”

Ronin’s words silenced Flash.

Although he didn’t want to accept this fact, he knew that what Ronin said might be true. Because the fact that Ronin could stand there was the best proof.

After the silence, Flash became angry.

He didn’t want to see Ronin being this arrogant. He raised his head and stared angrily at Ronin. “Do you think that you can be liberated now that I have become a captive? Will you be able to survive? Ronin, you have overestimated yourself. Believe it or not, you will die before I do.”

Flash knew his boss too well. There was no way his boss would let Ronin go and Ronin would die for sure.

Hearing his words, Ronin laughed coldly. His voice was both sarcastic and cold.

“What are you laughing at?” Flash asked.

“You think I would be as stupid as you? You think the person taking over your position is your man Finn?” said Ronin, scowling at Flash with a smirk.

Such gaze scared Flash. Perhaps he had thought about Ronin too simply from the beginning.

Ronin was able to follow Catherine for so many years and was nurtured by her from a young age, his ability was absolutely top-notch.

“My boss asked you to take over my position?” Flash looked at Ronin in shock, with a look of disbelief in his eyes.

“That’s right.” Ronin patted Flash’s cheek with a smile on his face. “You and I both know that he’s only using us as pawns. And if I want to survive, I must make myself valuable. Who do you think is a little more valuable, me or you?”

Flash thought to himself, “Ronin is the closest person to Catherine, and my boss’s goal is Catherine, so naturally, Ronin is more valuable than I am.”

Flash asked, “Ronin, wouldn’t your conscience prick if you betrayed Catherine like this?”

“Hahaha…” Ronin arrogantly laughed out loud. “Conscience? You actually mention conscience to me. You are really funny. Conscience is something important? Besides, so what if my conscience prick? Don’t forget, it was Catherine who abandoned me first. With her ability, rescuing me is an easy task. But she only cares about her experiment. She has no intention of rescuing me at all. And she even got Zobber and Withal hurt a few times. I don’t want a boss like that.”

Flash saw a strong hatred in Ronin’s eyes. It looked like Ronin really hated Catherine.

Under such dark imprisonment, Ronin had changed.

He had expected Catherine to save him, but Catherine was so focused on her experiments that she didn’t care about his life at all.

Ronin had changed. He hated Catherine, hated her for not caring about him.

Looking at such Ronin, Flash was silent. Originally, this was the result he wanted, but he never expected that when Ronin really became what he expected, he was the first one to be retaliated against.

Flash had nothing to say, with despair in its eyes.

Ronin slowly stood up and looked at him with cold eyes. “Don’t worry. I’m going to keep you alive. In the future, I’ll give you back ten times what you did to me before.”

After Ronin finished speaking, he left Flash imprisoned there.

Flash leaned against the wall, enduring the excruciating pain all over, struggling to survive.

Catherine finished organizing the data and came out from the lab.

Marshall was waiting at the door. When he saw her appear, he immediately greeted her, “Catherine, is everything ready?”

“Professor Hartley, are you nervous?” Catherine looked at him with a calm expression:

“Who… Who’s nervous? How could I be nervous? I’ve experienced many things. How could I be nervous?” Marshall tried his best to defend himself and keep himself calm. He didn’t want to embarrass himself in front of his students, especially not in front of Catherine.

Catherine was really too calm. Marshall felt as if nothing could make her frown.

“If you’re not nervous, why did your hands get so red from rubbing?” Catherine set her gaze on Marshall’s hands.

Marshall looked down. His wrists were more than red, they were bruised from rubbing.

He hastily hid his hands behind his back and smiled awkwardly. “I’m not nervous and you don’t need to be nervous either, okay?”

Catherine didn’t want to expose him. She pulled out a small porcelain bottle from her pocket and handed it to him. ” Take one when you get back at night and one tomorrow morning.”

“What’s this?” Marshall asked.

Catherine had already walked forward. Upon hearing Marshall’s question, she replied without looking back, “Calming pills.”

Marshall’s face instantly darkened and he shook his head as he whispered, ” What?”

Chapter 847 The Crystal Spherical House

“Catherine!” Catherine had just stepped out of the lab building when she heard someone call out to her.

Just by the sound of the voice, she knew who it was that was calling out to her. She looked back and saw Rylan standing below the lamppost not far away.

The light fell on top of his head, pulling his shadow long.

Seeing her stop and turn back, Rylan walked in her direction. “Catherine, tomorrow is the time for the certification of your experiment. Judging from your expression, the experiment should have been successful, right? Why don’t we celebrate together?”

Catherine looked at him with cold eyes and said softly, “You know quite a lot about my experiment.”

These words caused Rylan’s expression to freeze for a moment. He then reacted and immediately explained, ”

Catherine, you know me. The reason I asked Mr. Farrell about you was purely because I wanted to learn more about you.”

“Mr. Farrell?” asked Catherine, raising her eyebrows, with a eerie smile at the end of her eyes as she surveyed Rylan.

“What’s wrong?” Rylan forced himself to compose and looked at Catherine to meet her gaze.

“Nothing,” Catherine responded calmly. She didn’t tell Rylan that the president had no idea of the progress of her experiment.

Even though Ultan was the president of Styre University, he never interfered with the lab and gave all the power of the lab to Marshall.

“Come on. Let’s celebrate together,” Rylan suggested again.

“No.” Catherine refused outright. “I’m tired. I’m going back to rest.”

After Catherine said that, she walked straight toward the dorm.

Seeing that she entered the dorm building and didn’t go back to the apartment, Rylan reluctantly left.

Catherine went up the stairs to the dorm entrance. Just as she stood in front of the dorm door, she saw a sticky note stuck on the door.

She reached out and tore it off. The writing was lively and vigorous, and she could tell at a glance who wrote it.

Catherine raised her eyebrows and a hint of playfulness appeared in her eyes. She followed the instructions on the note and followed the clues step by step.

When she walked out of the school gate, she saw Carlo instead of the man she was expecting.

Seeing her appear, Carlo bent respectfully. “Miss Swann, please.”

Catherine bent down and got into the car without thinking too much about it. Carlo got in as well.

The car started slowly. Catherine leaned back in the back seat.

Seeing this, Carlo said cautiously, ” Miss Swann, there is still some distance to our destination. If you are tired, you can rest first. I will wake you up when we arrive.”

“Okay,” Catherine responded lightly and then closed her eyes to rest.

After organizing the information for the whole day, she was tired.

After an unknown amount of time, in a daze, Catherine felt a fragrant aroma hitting her face.

She slowly opened her eyes and saw Branden guarding beside her. Glancing around, she realized that the car had stopped long ago.

She turned her head to look at Branden again. “Why didn’t you wake me up?”

Branden looked at her with a smile. ” We’re not in a hurry. You can still go on if you want to sleep more.”

“No.” Catherine rejected his proposal.

“Then let’s get out of the car. I’ll show you what I’ve got for you. Let’s see if you like it.” Branden hung his hand in mid-air, making an invitation gesture.

Catherine placed her hand over his and slowly got out of the car.

As soon as she got out of the car, she was attracted by a flower field in front of her.

No wonder she felt awakened by an aroma just now. It turned out to be the aroma from this field of tulips in front of her.

Although it was night, the surroundings of the flower field were covered with light strips, making the entire flower field dreamy and beautiful.

Even someone as calm as Catherine was shocked by the image in front of her.

“You prepared this?” Catherine turned her head to Branden and asked.

Branden didn’t deny it and then nodded. “Do you like it?”

Catherine took a closer look at the field of flowers in front of her, feeling an indescribable joy in her heart. “Nice.”

Observing the sparkle in her eyes, Branden was very happy. He thought that everything was worth it as long as it could make her happy.

“Don’t be in a hurry. There’s more.” Branden led Catherine slowly through the flower field.

A burst of fragrance hit Catherine’s face, refreshing her heart.

Catherine followed him quietly. After crossing out of the field of flowers, she saw a giant spherical object ahead of her.

Due to the dim vision at night, she didn’t see exactly what the thing in front of her was for the time being. She only felt it was like a small spherical house.

“Snap.” Branden snapped his fingers, and with that, a flash instantly lit up inside the spherical object.

Within the dim surroundings, it existed ahead like the moon.

“Come on. Let’s go inside,” Branden said.

Catherine approached and realized that it was actually a small house in the shape of a crystal ball. There was also a dining table inside, with enough space for two people to move around.

The table was filled with all kinds of dishes, and the aroma of the food hit her, enticing her.

Catherine didn’t feel hungry at first, but after seeing such delicious food, she couldn’t help but want to taste it.

Branden led her to a seat, then came around and sat opposite her. He picked up the glass and gestured for her. “Miss Swann, congratulations on your successful experiment.”

Catherine picked up the glass and gently clinked it with Branden’s glass. The collision of the crystal glasses made a pleasantly clear sound, which was heartwarming.

Catherine was just about to put down the glass in her hand, but suddenly…

“Bang!”

A loud sound pierced the sky, and Catherine subconsciously looked up. She saw brilliant fireworks blooming in the sky, illuminating the originally dark sky.

“Beautiful!” Catherine rarely took the initiative to give a review. It turned out that she liked the fragrant tulips, liked the beautiful crystal ball house, and also liked the bright fireworks in the sky.

At this moment, her face was less cold and indifferent than usual, and her eyes were full of smiles.

Branden specially put off a day’s work and personally arranged everything for the evening to surprise Catherine and celebrate the successful completion of her experiment.

Catherine’s elbows were propped up on the table, her palms cupping her delicate face as she enjoyed everything in front of her.

The dazzling fireworks reflected on her bright eyes, like beautiful flowers, so beautiful that they could captivate others’ hearts and souls.

Seeing her like this, Branden could no longer control the impulse in his heart. He wrapped his arms around her slender waist and kissed her seductive lips.

Catherine hadn’t expected Branden to celebrate her success. Everything about tonight had surprised her.

He made the originally calm and uneventful evening romantic and surprisingly heartwarming.

She responded generously to Branden’s kisses, sinking into the romance he had personally created.

The man who had originally disdained all of this, even loathed it with extreme disgust was willing to change all of his perceptions for her, taking the initiative to set it all up with his own hands. Wasn’t this the best gift?

Compared to glamorous diamonds and expensive jewelry, she valued his concern for her more.

Chapter 848 Questioning from the Authorities

The morning sunshine shone gently in the room. The beauty sleeping on the bed was awakened by the sunlight.

Catherine slowly opened her eyes. Looking at the familiar decorations, she realized that she was now sleeping on the bed in Branden’s apartment.

She remembered that last night she and Branden had indulged in a night of indulgence within the crystal spherical house until she finally ran out of energy and fell asleep.

She didn’t remember how Branden brought her back to the apartment from outside and made her sleep peacefully in bed.

“Are you awake?” Branden’s gentle voice came. Catherine looked up and saw Branden standing at the door wearing an apron.

Standing against the light, he seemed to be covered in a layer of golden light, shining brightly. “Get up and have some breakfast. I’ll take you to school later. Marshall should be up early and waiting for you in the lab. Today is certification day.”

“Okay.” At the mention of Marshall, Catherine smiled a little helplessly.

Marshall was really funny.

After changing into the clothes Branden had prepared, Catherine finished washing up and walked out of the bedroom.

The table in the dining room was set with light dishes, but they were all the perfect foods for breakfast.

“Do you need me to accompany you today?” Branden took the initiative to propose.

Catherine refused without even thinking about it. “It’s just a certification. I’ll just go by myself.”

She had always been independent. Having someone accompany her would make her uncomfortable instead.

Branden respected her choice. After having breakfast, she was sent to school.

It was Paxton who drove. After Catherine left, Paxton didn’t immediately start the car and leave. ” Mr. Duncan, we checked. Rylan didn’t show up.”

After hearing the news, Branden sneered and a sharp cold light appeared in his eyes. “Hmph, there’s no rush. Keep watching the show.”

His sneer made Paxton shiver. Paxton thought to himself, “What’s wrong with Rylan? Is he an idiot? How could anyone be stupid enough to mess with Mr. Duncan? Isn’t he seeking death?”

“Mr. Duncan, shall we return to the office?” Paxton asked as he finished his thought.

“Okay,” Branden grunted, and Paxton immediately started the car and drove in the direction of the Duncan Corporation.

Marshall waited for a long time, sticking his neck out in anticipation. He finally saw Catherine’s figure appear.

After seeing Catherine appear, he immediately greeted her, “Catherine, you came quite early today.”

Catherine pursed her lips and smiled lightly. “You came earlier than me.”

Marshall’s face stiffened as he awkwardly thought to himself, ” Catherine is laughing at me again.”

After much consideration last night when he returned, he finally took out the calming pills given by Catherine and took one.

The pill was effective. Not only did it relieve his nervousness, but it also allowed him to sleep comfortably.

“Catherine, I have everything ready on my end. Mr. Farrell personally arranged for the car. He’ll go with us. It’s still early. Do you want to check the information again?” Marshall asked.

Checking was not a habit Catherine had. Her preparations were foolproof every time, and there was no need to check at all.

“No need,” Catherine responded arrogantly.

If other students were to say such words, Marshall would have already knocked them on the heads, but he wouldn’t do that to Catherine.

Because he trusted Catherine’s ability. He knew that since she said it, she would make it.

“Then you…” Without waiting for Marshall to finish, Catherine stated her arrangement. “I’ll go to my lab.”

Marshall nodded in satisfaction. That was what he liked about Catherine. He never had to worry about Catherine and she would arrange everything reasonably.

In the blink of an eye, it was 10 o’clock in the morning. Marshall went to the lab door and notified Catherine to depart.

Catherine walked out the door, casually took a hat, and put it on. She followed Marshall to Ultan, who was waiting downstairs.

Seeing Catherine appear, Ultan frowned slightly and questioned Marshall in a whisper, “You didn’t tell Catherine what kind of occasion we’re going to today?”

Marshall nonchalantly rolled his eyes at Ultan. “You think she doesn’t know?”

“But she’s dressed like this…” It was clear that Ultan wasn’t very satisfied with Catherine’s outfit today.

Catherine was wearing a casual outfit today. Although it made her very comfortable, it was not suitable for formal occasions.

Ultan and Marshall were both dressed in suits and ties, looking very formal, and Catherine did look a little out of place standing next to them.

Fortunately, Marshall didn’t care about this. After hearing Ultan’s words, he said nonchalantly, “What’s wrong with dressing like that? She has talent.”

He thought it was a virtue that his students liked to keep a low profile.

Seeing Marshall’s arrogant appearance, Ultan knew that he couldn’t persuade him, so he simply gave up. “Okay, fine. You have a point. Get in the car. Let’s go.”

After saying that, the three got into the car together and set off for the certification organization.

The lab had sent out its application a month ago. This time, the certification would be held at the most famous certification organization in Eskana.

Because of the special nature of the experimental project, the certification organization also invited several well- known organizations with international authority to participate together.

This was done for fairness and also for the sake of being able to get international certification in the future, which was a necessary process.

The reason why Catherine rushed to certify on this day was that it was not easy to invite the authoritative experts of these certification organizations to Eskana together.

If she missed this time, the next time might be a long way off.

After arriving at their destination, Ultan took Catherine and Marshall to the certification hall.

They needed to submit all of Catherine’s reports, and then submit them to the international lab’s formula set of tests after the site confirmed and gave a preliminary certification.

“Ready?” Marshall asked Catherine.

Catherine nodded slightly. Marshall’s fingers trembled slightly as he gently patted Catherine’s shoulder. “Go if you’re ready.”

Before Catherine left, she advised, ” Professor Hartley, take another one of those pills I gave you.”

Marshall frowned and was about to refute Catherine. Seeing her resolute expression, he could only follow her advice and took out a pill from the small porcelain bottle to take. “Well, don’t worry. I’m not nervous.”

“Okay.” Catherine wasn’t afraid that Marshall would be nervous. She was worried that Marshall wouldn’t be able to accept the next scene.

Catherine stood on the stage. There were thirty certifiers arranged from each of the world’s top ten organizations sitting below. Even though most of them were foreigners, Catherine stood without fear, a faint domineering aura lingering around her.

She made the information public, but this information was not the core part.

However, when she displayed the information, there was a commotion in the originally quiet venue.

Whispers and various voices came. But they weren’t voices of amazement, they were voices of questioning.

Both Ultan and Marshall realized that something was wrong, and the two of them glanced at each other. Ultan gestured for Marshall to calm down, and he immediately went to inquire about the situation.

Just then, the president of the certification organization looked at Catherine with a microphone.

His expression was very serious and his voice was unusually sharp. “Miss Swann, are you sure this is your experimental certification information?

Chapter 849 Being Preempted

The scene was a mess. At the certification table, after the president stood up, the judges followed suit.

Ultan hastily stopped them as soon as he could and asked them about the situation. “What’s going on here?”

The president of the certification organization was on good terms with Ultan, the president of Styre University, so he spoke out in front of everyone about what he shouldn’t have said. “Mr. Farrell, instead of coming to ask me what’s going on, why don’t you ask your student what she did?”

Hearing this, Ultan’s face was unusually gloomy. He looked at the president of the certification organization with a serious expression and said bluntly, “You might as well be straightforward if something is wrong and save us from guessing. If it’s really our problem, I will definitely admit our fault.”

Since the president of the top-tier academy had spoken like this, the president of the certification organization had to tell the truth. “Mr. Farrell, actually, we don’t want to hide anything from you. We held an emergency certification meeting yesterday and certified a document that is exactly the same as yours. You should be clear about what I mean by saying this.”

This meant that one party must have plagiarized, but this was not something that the certification organization needed to investigate.

They only cared about the time. Whoever delivered the information to them first would be recognized as the first to authenticate it.

As for who plagiarized, it was not the scope of their responsibility.

As soon as this statement was made, the way those present looked at the members of Styre University all changed.

Ultan looked shocked and extremely incredulous. Marshall looked at Catherine behind him, covering his chest in shock.

If he hadn’t taken the pills beforehand as Catherine had arranged, everyone would probably be in chaos at this moment and arranging an ambulance to take him to the hospital.

He absolutely trusted Catherine. He knew that Catherine would never do anything to betray the lab.

It was just that the situation now made him didn’t know what had gone wrong in the middle.

Everyone focused their attention on Catherine and waited for her to give a response.

Catherine didn’t look well, but her expression remained calm.

After a few seconds of silence, she looked at the crowd with a microphone in her hand. Her body was shrouded in a domineering aura that made people unable to ignore her existence. “I don’t know why you are assuming that our experiment is the same as someone else’s after reading two pages of information. As certification specialists from the top ten certification organizations in the world, don’t you even have the patience to read an experimental report?”

Catherine’s resounding and powerful voice made the certification specialists present look unpleasant.

Everyone looked at each other in disbelief.

They were usually authorities sought after by others, but now they were pointed at and scolded by a witless young girl, which was the greatest disrespect to them.

The atmosphere of the scene immediately became awkward, but no one stood out to speak out. The crowd shifted all their eyes to the certification president again, waiting for his instructions.

The certification president’s sharp eyes looked Catherine up and down. He then nodded and said with incomparable seriousness, “You’re right. I was too anxious.”

With that, he returned to his seat.

Facing Catherine as an equal, he said, Miss Swann, what I want to tell you is that we have read more than two pages, but ten pages. These ten pages of information are exactly the same as what we certified yesterday, without even a single punctuation change. If you want us to continue reading it, please make a reasonable explanation.”

The certification president’s words made many people feel agreeable, and the scene was once again abuzz with chatter.

“That’s right. You have to make a reasonable explanation.”

“That’s right. Otherwise, who wants to waste time with her?”

Catherine held the microphone. Faced with the questioning gaze of the crowd, she showed no fear. “I can assure you that our experiment was not plagiarized, but quite a few labs are conducting this experiment. The fact that everyone is going in the same direction can easily result in some of the same experimental data or experimental equipment. This could also be a similarity in the experimental report.”

Catherine’s words instantly furrowed the brow of the certification president. “You mean, you are just the similar, but not the same one?”

“Yes. I suggest you read it all before you speak.” Catherine’s arrogant attitude displeased many people in the venue.

Some of them even raised their voices in question, but Catherine’s attitude remained firm. She was betting.

The scene was in disarray, and the current situation was chaotic.

The certification president took the initiative to maintain order on site. “I personally decide that I and everyone present need to thoroughly read this experimental report and complete all the procedures before we can proceed. After all, this is our job, and only when we conscientiously complete our own work can we be qualified to deny others ‘achievements.”

After mediation by the certification president, everyone ultimately decided to continue the certification.

The certification needed to take some time and Catherine and the group were placed in a small lounge within the venue to wait.

At the first moment of the incident, Ultan approached Marshall to understand the situation. Marshall didn’t even think about it and directly guaranteed that Catherine wouldn’t betray their lab.

The three of them sat quietly in the lounge. Unlike Ultan and Marshall, who were both anxious, Catherine seemed like an outsider. She was still able to lean back on the chair and rest.

Marshall was covering his chest. He didn’t look well.

Ultan was worried about him. Ultan couldn’t help but ask him how he was. ” Marshall, are you okay? Should I take you to the hospital?”

“I’m fine.” Marshall waved his hand.

Seeing Ultan’s uneasiness, he could only explain seriously, “Last night, Catherine was afraid that I would be nervous, so she gave me a bottle of calming pills. I thought the pills worked well, so I took one before coming. I’m fine. Don’t worry. Nothing will happen to me.”

Ultan carefully examined and found that Marshall’s condition was indeed quite good. He finally felt relieved and took the initiative to reach out to Marshall. “Why don’t you give me one too? I’m afraid I won’t be able to hold out much longer.”

Marshall quickly took out the pill and handed Ultan a bottle of water along with it.

Ultan recovered after resting for a few minutes. He finally had the strength to question Catherine. “Catherine, are you sure your information hasn’t been leaked?”

Marshall strongly defended Catherine, and Ultan also believed in her.

Ultan had read the two experimental reports and they were indeed strikingly similar.

Since there was no plagiarism, the only possibility was leakage.

Without waiting for Catherine’s response, Marshall eagerly defended her. “What’s the point of asking her? The information is all on the lab’s computer. There are two layers of encryption. Not only does she set the security password herself, but there’s also an anti-theft link that Winston designed. Do you doubt Winston?”

Winston, like Marshall, had been at the school for decades, and he had a great reputation. Nonetheless, Ultan was still uneasy. He took his cell phone and walked out the door.

A few minutes later, he returned, his face unusually grave.

Seeing this, Marshall couldn’t sit still and stood up directly to question him. ” Mr. Farrell, why do you have such a grave face? What the hell is going on? Tell us!”

Chapter 850 We May Not Necessarily Lose

Ultan sighed silently and said in a low voice, “I originally thought that Winston was sick. His wife personally asked me for leave for him, but I only realized that something had happened to Winston when I arranged for someone to check. His wife is the only one left in the house.”

Hearing this, Marshall couldn’t sit still. He immediately stood up and stared at Ultan with wide eyes. “Are you saying something happened to Winston?”

Ultan nodded silently. “Something should have happened to him. His wife wouldn’t say anything. We’ve been friends for so many years, and I dare not force her, I’ve arranged for someone to check it out. I hope nothing serious happens.”

Ultan’s face was grave, and the atmosphere of the scene tensed up. Winston’s sudden accident must have something to do with the lab.

After thinking about these things, Marshall focused his attention on Catherine. “Catherine, what should we do now? Yesterday, when the computers in the lab went black for half an hour for no reason, I felt something was wrong. But I didn’t think much after I thought we had you and Winston as double insurance. I was really not expecting anything to happen to Winston.”

Now he was not only worried about the certification in front of him, and the leakage of the experimental data, but also the safety of his best friend, Winston.

Catherine didn’t show too much surprise when she heard the news of Winston’s accident, and the look on her face didn’t change too much.

Ultan and Marshall had long since gotten used to her calmness and had seen how calm she was when faced with severe tests, so they didn’t think there was any problem.

Catherine said, “Professor Hartley, don’t worry too much. Although the lab information was leaked, we may not necessarily lose.”

“We may not necessarily lose?” Marshall was very puzzled after hearing this. He looked Catherine up and down, trying to see something from her expression. “Catherine, what do you mean by that?”

Before Catherine could answer, there was a knock at the door.

Ultan went to open the door. The comer was a staff member of the certification organization, who came to notify them. “Mr. Farrell, I’m here to inform you that it’s time to go to the venue.”

Upon hearing that, Catherine stood up. “Professor Hartley, let’s go to the venue first.”

It looked like the result was coming out. Marshall realized that it was useless to talk more at this time, so he decided to go to the venue to wait for the result.

Except for Catherine whose expression remained the same, the other two showed great frustration, not as spirited as when they came.

After they walked into the main venue, they found that the atmosphere there was very solemn.

The certification president took the lab report submitted by Catherine and explained the basic situation, “Miss Swann, we have now finished examining the experiment report you provided. While there is nothing wrong with the report, it is too similar to the last report we received for us to endorse this report of yours.”

“What about the core part?” Catherine asked.

“While the core is indeed different, we discussed it and there is still no way we can certify your report. However, we discussed and decided to give your experimental group some more time. Because the experimental projects are the same, there are indeed similarities in the experimental reports. If you can give a new report that overlaps with this report by less than thirty percent within three days, we can give you the certified results.”

“Okay,” Catherine replied without hesitation as if she had already known that this would be the result.

Ultan and Marshall took a while to react.

They had originally thought that today was doomed to failure, but they never thought that there would actually be such a reversal.

Coming out of the venue, the two still didn’t react.

After they got on the bus arranged by the school, Ultan couldn’t help but ask Catherine, “What the hell is going on? Wasn’t our information leaked? Could it be that what the other party took wasn’t our lab’s information?”

Marshall wasn’t sure. This answer was only known to Catherine.

Facing their concerned eyes, Catherine responded calmly, “The leakage of information is true. It’s just I realized that there was an issue with the data and made some minor changes before I submitted it.”

Catherine’s exquisitely beautiful face exuded a faint smile. She was like the most eye-catching weapon in the world, sparkling and captivating.

Marshall and Ultan now looked at Catherine as if they were seeing light in the dark.

The minor changes Catherine made not only saved the lab but more importantly, preserved the century-old reputation of Styre University.

If they were accused of plagiarism, the reputation of Styre University would be over.

Although the suspicion of plagiarism was gone, Marshall was still not happy.

His face was full of frustration, and his voice was low. “It’s just a fantasy to reduce the overlap rate of experimental reports to below 30% within three days. 11

He wasn’t afraid if the experiment failed, and he wasn’t afraid if the experiment didn’t succeed. He just felt so frustrated, and at the same time, he felt sorry for Catherine.

He saw how hard Catherine worked.

Ultan patted Marshall’s shoulder and comforted him. “Marshall, although we have suffered a big setback this time, at least we haven’t reached the worst result at the moment. Don’t worry too much. Don’t put pressure on Catherine, We’ll just take our time and try harder.”

Ultan’s words woke Marshall up and he didn’t dare to say more for fear of Catherine’s worry.

Silence had been restored inside the bus, and Catherine leaned wearily to rest. Marshall and Ultan tacitly refrained from further discussion, creating a quiet environment for Catherine to rest.

The black-robed man sat in front of the screen, and it was the surveillance video from the certification organization that was being broadcast on the screen.

He didn’t expect that the original situation where Catherine was bound to lose would be reversed back by her in the end.

Finn, who was standing beside him, reacted instantly. He jumped down the steps and rushed to Ronin, holding a sharp object against Ronin’s neck.

He was about to kill Ronin. “Did you play any tricks?”

Facing the questioning, Ronin was very calm. He just laughed coldly and lightly without any extra expression on his face.

Such an attitude enraged Finn, who angrily roared, “Bastard, how dare you laugh? Believe it or not, I’ll kill you right now?”

“Haha, come on. Do it.” Ronin was not nervous at all, with a disdainful expression and a very arrogant attitude.

Such an attitude attracted the black- robed man’s attention. “Ronin, are you really not at all afraid that Finn will kill you?”

Hearing the black-robed man’s words, Ronin’s attitude changed a bit. “Sir, it’s not that I’m not afraid of death. It’s just that I didn’t do anything to betray you, so why would I be killed?”

“You didn’t do it?” Finn was instantly displeased and directly jumped out to angrily confront Ronin. “If it weren’t for you, Catherine would have lost long ago. How could the core information have been changed? It must have been you who secretly changed the contents when you took the information to us.”

Finn’s questioning made Ronin furious. “Are you brainless, or are you crazy? Do you think that was some random experiment that was set up easily for fun? You think I can freely modify the data and ensure that the experimental data is correct? You think it is easy to ensure the smooth completion of the experiment after modifying the data? Do you think I’m a genius? You know what kind of person Catherine is?”

Ronin’s roar made Finn very angry. He felt insulted by Ronin and intended to kill him directly. He wanted Ronin to die.