Chapter 410

"Mr. Winston, your kindness is too much for me to accept."

Ethan Winston stood to take his leave.

Benjamin Aldridge escorted him all the way to the elevator. The obsequious smile on his face vanished the moment the doors closed.

He hurried back to his office and immediately called the academic affairs office. "Check the recent usage records of the CPRT Analyzers."

A hesitant voice replied, "One is being used by Professor Merouin's team. The other...was just approved for Victor Dimucci last week."

"Victor Dimucci? Isn't he Beatrice Merouin's subordinate?"

"Exactly. It's strange—they already have one. Three of Professor Roland's graduate students also applied, but they were too late..."

"Eleanor Roland's people applied too?"

"Yes, almost at the same time."

Benjamin suddenly understood.

No wonder Ethan came personally.

"Clear out that lab immediately! Victor is being completely unreasonable!"

He carefully avoided mentioning Beatrice Merouin's involvement.

"Understood."

The moment he hung up, his office door swung open again.

Benjamin's forehead was still damp with sweat as he forced another smile. "Professor Klein! What brings you here? Please, have a seat."

Adrian Klein skipped the pleasantries and cut straight to the point.

"University regulations explicitly prohibit the malicious hoarding of shared resources. You know this better than I do, Director Aldridge."

Benjamin's heart skipped a beat.

Again?!

......

The two janitors worked efficiently, leaving the lab spotless in under an hour.

"Thank you."

"Of course, of course!"

They gathered their supplies and left.

Some equipment had been temporarily moved to the hallway for cleaning. There wasn’t much—three people could easily carry it all back.

"Well, if it isn’t Professor Roland’s star students?"

A mocking voice rang out.

The trio turned to see Shane Evlanch and Audrey Escent standing nearby. One wore a sneer, the other a cold stare.

"So this is the lab you applied for? Tsk. Not a single decent piece of equipment. What a waste of space."

Audrey scoffed. "Shane, are you blind? The best equipment is with our team. What could they possibly have?"

Shane nodded. "Exactly. Top-tier gear should go to top-tier teams. Some people should just quit while they’re ahead."

Evelyn Langley smiled. "If you enjoy being livestock, don’t drag others into the mud."

Hannah Flores added, "Right? Choosing to be a horse instead of a human—someone’s got water in their brain..."

"You—" Shane’s face turned livid.

Audrey snorted. "What’s the point of talking big? Show us what you’ve got! Shane, let’s go."

Shane couldn’t resist a final jab. "Want to use the CPRT? Keep dreaming! Why don’t you buy your own?"

Liam Kalmien: "Good idea."

Evelyn agreed: "Worth considering."

Hannah finished: "Delivery tomorrow. Come take a look."

Shane stared at them like they were insane. "You’re crazy!"

Buy a CPRT?

That’s a million-dollar precision instrument!

Yet the next day, when a brand-new CPRT Analyzer was escorted into the lab by a professional team, the blood drained from Shane and Audrey’s faces as they watched from the crowd...