vncnus Page 60
Page 60
His face showed just the right amount of concern, but there was a subtle, almost imperceptible scrutiny in the depths of his eyes.
Sherry immediately remembered that this person was arranged by Yuuki Takada to assist her, but in reality, he was there to monitor her.
"I'm fine, just a little tired." Shirley gently pulled away from his support, her tone as calm as if nothing had happened.
But ten minutes later, when she dragged her tired steps back to her private lounge, a delicate meal was already laid out on the table.
The black lacquered wooden lunchbox is layered with grilled salmon, onsen egg, rice, and miso soup, and is accompanied by a small fruit salad, matcha panna cotta, and black coffee.
The food was at the perfect temperature, clearly having been served immediately after being prepared.
Next to the lunchbox was a plain white note with only one line of printed Song typeface: "Shirley, you need to eat well. Work is important, but you should also pay attention to balancing work and rest."
Shirley picked up the note, her fingertips slightly cold.
This approach to care is so typical—as typical as Hennessy's usual style.
Treat people as a quantifiable resource and maintain them in the most efficient way, just like maintaining a precision instrument.
She could almost picture Hennessy's cold expression when he gave the order.
But her stomach was indeed cramping and she needed food.
Shirley silently picked up her chopsticks and ate the carefully prepared meal bite by bite.
The taste was unexpectedly good, and it even contained several of her favorite ingredients, which made her wonder how the organization knew her taste preferences.
After eating, the comfort in her stomach made her feel a little more relaxed, but her unease grew stronger.
This meticulous surveillance was suffocating, as if a pair of eyes were watching her every move from the shadows.
Meanwhile, in Yuuki Takada's office, he watched as Sherry finished eating the last bite of her food on the monitor screen and breathed a slight sigh of relief.
He picked up his internal communicator: "Target has eaten. Withdraw B-team surveillance personnel."
"Understood, Mr. Hennessy," came the calm reply from the other end of the communicator.
Yuuki Takada leaned back in his chair and rubbed his temples.
When he received the news that Shirley had almost fainted, he ordered the meal to be prepared almost without thinking.
But then I thought that such overly personalized care would arouse suspicion, so I added that cold sticky note.
The organization does indeed regard each core member as an asset, but Shirley's value goes far beyond that.
She is not only a genius scientist, but also the key to unlocking that secret.
He himself, as Hennessy, the organization's third-in-command, was assigned to protect and monitor her, which was supposed to be just another routine task.
But why does he feel inexplicably heartbroken every time he sees Shirley looking exhausted? Why does he feel a different kind of emotion when she almost falls?
Yuki Takada shook his head, trying to shake off these distracting thoughts.
He pulled up Shirley's research progress report, and his brows gradually furrowed.
The experiment is progressing more slowly than expected, and pressure has begun to come from above.
He knew Shirley had done everything she could, but the organization's patience was limited.
The next morning, Yuuki Takada went to Sherry's dormitory as usual.
Her ankle has improved a lot and she can walk normally now.
"How are you feeling today?" he asked, his gaze unconsciously sweeping across her face, noticing the faint shadows under her eyes.
"Much better, thank you." Shirley said calmly, handing him a freshly brewed cup of coffee. "Thank you for yesterday's meal too."
Yuuki Takada paused as he took the coffee. "What's the meal?"
Shirley stared into his eyes, as if trying to find some clue: "Yesterday I had a bit of low blood sugar, and then someone brought me a meal to my lounge."
"The tone of the note was very much like an organized style, but I noticed that the meal included some of my favorite ingredients. Isn't that a bit of a curious coincidence?"
Yuuki Takada took a sip of coffee without changing his expression: "The organization's files contain detailed information on all core members, including their dietary preferences. It's just standard procedure."
"Really?" Shirley raised an eyebrow slightly. "You even know details like my preference for adding a pinch of sansho pepper to miso soup?"
Yuki Takada nearly choked on his coffee, but he forced himself to remain calm: "It's the result of big data analysis, you know how capable the organization is at gathering information."
Shirley didn't press the matter further, but the faint smile on her lips indicated that she didn't entirely believe the explanation.
……
One rainy night, Shirley worked overtime until very late.
Only she and Researcher Nakamura remained in the lab. Raindrops tapped against the window, creating an atmosphere of isolation.
“Dr. Sherry, there’s a set of data that I find a bit strange,” Nakamura suddenly said, pointing to the waveform on the screen.
Sherry went closer to take a look and indeed found an abnormal peak: "This is impossible. According to the theoretical model, this reaction should not produce such a high energy release."
“Unless…” Nakamura pondered, “unless this compound is more than just an analgesic.”
The two exchanged a glance, suddenly realizing the importance of their discovery. Sherry immediately began recalculating the data, while Nakamura assisted her in running the simulation program.
Several hours flew by, and when the final result appeared on the screen, both of them were speechless with shock.
When this compound binds to a specific enzyme, it produces an unprecedented biological effect—it can drastically slow down nerve conduction speed, and theoretically could even kill human cognitive abilities and reaction speed.
“This is far more than just a painkiller…” Shirley murmured. “I’m sorry, although I don’t know what the organization is researching this for, the advent of this drug is the greatest discovery of all…”
Nakamura's expression turned serious: "This discovery must be reported to Mr. Hennessy immediately."
Yuki Takada received the message at 3 a.m. and arrived at the lab entrance fifteen minutes later. He carefully examined all the data, his expression growing increasingly serious.
"Does anyone else know about this discovery?" he asked, his voice carrying a sense of urgency that Shirley had never heard before.
“It’s just the two of us,” Nakamura replied.
Yuuki Takada nodded and immediately ordered, "From now on, the security level of this project will be raised to the highest level."
“All relevant data will be transmitted in encrypted form, and biometric locks will be installed on the experimental samples.” He turned to Shirley, “You can no longer act alone; I will send more security personnel.”
Shirley frowned: "Is this necessary? This is only a preliminary finding; a lot of verification is still needed."
“You don’t understand,” Yuki Takada’s voice was low, “If this drug’s effect is real, then it is priceless.”
“The organization’s competitors will stop at nothing to steal this research. And you—” He looked directly into Shirley’s eyes, “will become their number one target.”
Just then, Yuki Takada's phone rang.
He glanced at the caller ID, his expression changed slightly, and he walked to a corner to answer the call.
Shirley noticed that he stood up straighter and spoke more formally when he answered the phone—indicating that the caller held a higher position in the organization than he did.
The call was short, and when Yuki Takada returned afterward, his expression was even more serious.
“The higher-ups already know,” he said simply. “A special team will arrive tomorrow to directly oversee the follow-up research.”
Shirley felt a sense of unease: "What does this mean? Is my project going to be taken over?"
“No, you are still the chief researcher,” Yuki Takada said, but his eyes were somewhat evasive. “It’s just that… security measures will be further strengthened.”
Over the next few days, Shirley clearly sensed a change in the atmosphere of the laboratory.
The newly added security personnel are almost everywhere, all data is encrypted multiple times, and even her entry and exit from the laboratory requires stricter identity verification.
What made her even more uneasy was that Yuuki Takada seemed to be consciously keeping his distance from her.
He still visits her every day, but the conversations are limited to work reports and security matters, and the relaxed chatter of the past is gone.
Shirley found herself inexplicably missing the days when he massaged her feet, the warmth of his fingertips and the casual touch.
Yuki Takada has now reverted to being the organization's number three figure—Hennessy—calm, efficient, and impenetrable.
A week later, Sherry unexpectedly ran into Researcher Nakamura outside the lab. He was packing his personal belongings in a cardboard box.
"Are you being transferred?" Shirley asked in surprise.
Nakamura nodded, his expression somewhat unnatural: "I've been transferred to another project team by orders from my superiors."
"But our research is at a critical stage! This doesn't make sense."
“This is Mr. Hennessy’s direct order.” Nakamura avoided her gaze. “Take care, Dr. Shirley.”
Watching Nakamura's departing figure, Sherry felt a chill.
Why did Yuki Takada transfer Nakamura away?
Was it because they made the discovery together that night? Does he distrust Nakamura? Or... does he distrust her?
She decided to go directly to Yuuki Takada and get to the bottom of it.
Outside Yuki Takada's office, Sherry was stopped by his assistant.
"I'm sorry, Dr. Sherry, Mr. Hennessy is having a confidential meeting with headquarters and cannot be disturbed."
“Then I’ll wait,” Shirley said firmly.
Chapter 86 reveals clues
While waiting, Sherry noticed that the door to Yuuki Takada's office was not completely closed, and she could vaguely hear snippets of conversation inside.
Most of the content was vague, but a few words clearly emerged: "...progressing too fast...risk control...taking extreme measures if necessary..."
Extreme measures?
Shirley's heart sank.
In the organization's dictionary, this word rarely has a positive connotation.
Finally, the office door opened, and Yuuki Takada saw out a middle-aged man in a black suit. The man glanced coldly at Sherry, then left without a word.
Yuuki Takada looked surprised for a moment when he saw Sherry, but quickly regained his composure: "Come in."
Shirley cut to the chase: "Why was Nakamura transferred? We need him."
“This is for security reasons.” Yuki Takada stood by the window, his back to her. “He knows too much, and…” He paused, “the higher-ups believe he may have contact with other organizations.”
"What does this mean? Is Nakamura a spy?"
“The possibility cannot be ruled out.” Yuki Takada turned around, his face bearing the cold mask that Sherry was familiar with. “We must be extremely cautious in this project.”
Shirley looked him straight in the eye: "And what about you, Mr. Hennessy? Can I trust you?"
Yuki Takada's gaze wavered slightly, and for a moment Sherry almost thought he was about to drop his pretense and say something from the heart.