âSure.â Winnie curled her lips in confidence while gazing at Harold. âI believe youâll be surprised when you see what I came up with, Mr. Horton.â Harold smiled faintly. âWeâll see about that, then. Take Ms.
Vivian into the lab, Seven.ââYes, Mr. Horton. Please come with me, Ms. Vivian.â The man referred to as Seven immediately escorted Winnie into the laboratory.The room was small with an experiment desk full of bottles and lab apparatus right in the center.Against the walls were racks filled with an array of chemical reagents and ingredients. There was also a surveillance camera on the east corner of the ceiling.Observing Winnieâs every move behind the camera was Harold.âDo you really trust this woman, Mr. Horton?â a bodyguard keeping his eye on the surveillance footage next to Harold asked.Harold narrowed his eyes as his lips played into a malicious smirk. âI would most prefer to, but if she dares try to fool me, Iâll make her life a living hell.âBack inside the laboratory, Winnie had already scanned everything she could lay her eyes on and matched them with the recipe ingredients she had in mind.Even while doing so carefully, she didnât forget where she was.The woman had noticed Seven leave as soon as he led her in here.Two other people inside the laboratory had also left right away, but there was still one more person remaining in a corner.Winnie didnât think this was a mistake on that personâs end. Rather, she believed that Harold had deliberately planned it.Heâs probably arranged for this guy to assist me or steal my recipe.Still, she played it cool, pretending to put all her attention on her task at hand.It was only when she proceeded to grab some methadone hydrochloride that she acted as though she had just spotted someone else inside the room, for the rack containing the chemical so happened to be right behind that man.âWho are you? What are you doing in here?â she yelled.âIâm here to assist you,â the person replied at once.âAssist me?â Both their voices came out sounding slightly distorted due to the gas masks they were wearing.Winnie had a difficult time discerning whether this person was of young or old age, nor could she confirm if he was, in fact, Professor Riley White.âWhen did I say I needed an assistant? Youâre a drug maker too! Do you think I donât know what youâre up to?
Donât take me for an idiot! Seriously, I canât believe youâre trying to steal my recipe!âThe woman pretended to be furious, even going as far as to remove the personâs gas mask.The latter clearly hadnât expected her to lash out directly like that and was caught off guard.As a result, his face now lay bare in front of Winnie, who recognized him instantly.Itâs him! This is the man Iâve been looking for, although he looks so different in person compared to the photos.Winnie had already scrutinized his pictures before setting out, but all the images she came across were from five years ago.The pictures portrayed Riley as a man who looked to be in his fifties despite actually being over sixty. Not only that, but his skin looked especially well-nourished, and there wasnât a single gray hair on his head.However, his face was now full of wrinkles, and all his hair had turned gray. He had also lost an ear, and his eyes looked bleak.Winnie couldnât help but frown when she saw the state Riley was currently in.What on earth could these guys have put a chemistry professor like him through for him to turn out this way?With a clench of her fists, Winnie turned and walked in the direction of the surveillance camera.She then looked up and removed her gas mask before making the rage in her voice known to Harold.âMr. Horton! Donât you think youâre being very unreasonable right now? We havenât even started working together, but youâre already getting someone to watch my every move? Are you going to have me killed once this guy figures out the recipe?ââI think youâve misunderstood my intentions, Ms. Vivian,â replied Harold. âI let my subordinate stay and assist you because both he and I figured that you may not be accustomed to a new environment like this. But if you really donât need any help, I can send him away. To be honest, I really enjoy working with someone like you, Ms. Vivian. Youâre the type who says exactly whatâs on your mind instead of keeping it to yourself. I understand your worries, so Iâll do my best to address anything you regard as a problem right away. Please have faith in my sincerity. Have I not brought you to my laboratory, after all?âWinnie scoffed in response, âYou sure are eloquent, Mr. Horton.ââThis has nothing to do with eloquence, Ms. Vivian. If you approach the other two, those brutes arenât going to be as easy to deal with as I am. Besides, donât you feel the safest when youâre here?âWinnie glared at the camera in brief silence. âYouâre a sly one, arenât you, Mr. Horton? But Iâll have you know that Iâm extremely pissed off right nowâso much that I have to do something to vent.ââOf course,â Harold said with a chuckle. âYou can do whatever you want as long as you give me the goods. You can even go outside and tear this building apart when youâre done.ââHa!â Winnie was amused. âOf course Iâm not capable of doing that, but you know my temper. I canât wait that long, so you wouldnât mind if I just punched him a couple of times, right?âShe stopped talking to Harold at once and walked straight toward Riley.The latter appeared slightly dumbfounded after hearing what she had said, but he had no intention of running away at all. With her back against the camera, Winnie furrowed her brows at Riley before throwing a punch at his stomach.There was quite some force involved, and the man immediately fell to the ground, writhing in pain.Then, Winnie pulled him back up from the floor and swiftly whispered something into his remaining ear.Rileyâs eyes gleamed as soon as he heard her words.He turned to her in disbelief.Winnie hastily stepped aside to block the camera from detecting the change in Rileyâs expression.âGet your ass home and look after your grandkids instead, you old geezer! What are you even still doing here inside a lab at this age?â she spat before hurling him toward the door.While sprawled out against the door, Riley couldnât help but glance at her.She had just mentioned his granddaughter, Yulissa, whom he had not seen for a long time.The only way he could obtain any news on Yulissa was through Harold, who would only feed him tiny snippets of information about her each time.After Riley left, Winnie poured all her attention back into work.As it was her first time, she stumbled a little as she couldnât properly grasp the right amount of catalyst during the reaction, so her first attempt was a failure.Still, she was confident in herself and quickly moved on to the second try.Meanwhile, Christopher could only remain on the ground floor since he was prohibited from entering the laboratory which was located in the basement.Despite that, he didnât waste his time idling around. Using a washroom break as an excuse, he explored the building layout as much as he could.Upon returning, the man coincidentally bumped into Riley emerging from the floor below and tugged along by two men.This was Christopherâs first time seeing Riley in the flesh after lurking here for such a long time, and emotion swirled within him. I swear Iâm going to bring him back home.A few hours later, Winnie finally removed her gas mask.She had long been drenched in sweat after wearing her protective gear for so long, and the high temperature certainly didnât help either. After making an OK sign at the camera, she slumped into a chair.Harold and a few others made their way into the laboratory in protective gear immediately after receiving her gesture.Winnie handed him a beaker before pounding on her own shoulder lightly. âThis is it. Itâs not a lot. Get someone experienced to give it a try.ââThank you for your hard work, Ms. Vivian.â Harold took the beaker and handed it to a subordinate before turning back to the woman. âIâll be sure to reward you highly when this is over.ââAs you should,â Winnie responded haughtily.Smiling, Harold said nothing more and turned around to watch his subordinate inspect the product.The latter had already taken a sip of it and immediately began to stagger backward.âSeven?â Seeing such a huge reaction from his subordinate caused a frown to replace Haroldâs smile.He turned back to Winnie, preparing to question what kind of concoction she had just made.Suddenly, the subordinate let out a boisterous laugh. âThis is it! This is some good stuff! I feel amazing!âHaroldâs mood took a turn for the better after he saw the man lose himself.âIncredible!â he exclaimed, spinning around and grabbing Winnie by the shoulders. âYouâre unbelievable, Ms. Vivian. You managed to create it at a purity level of ninety-four point seven percent!
Youâre a godsend. You must be tired now. Come, letâs go outside and have Chris give you a shoulder rub, and then weâll have a hearty meal for lunch. How about that?âWinnie raised her hand to hit her shoulder again. âI do feel a little sore. Thatâs a pretty good suggestion, Mr. Horton. Itâs true that I need to get some fresh air. Letâs go.ââYes, letâs.â While speaking, the man even helped her up personally.Winnie shot him a profound glance. âYouâre quite the flexible one, Mr. Horton. You used to be so wary of me, but now youâre actually trying to butter me up.âHaroldâs lips remained curved. âButter you up? Not at all. Helping you up is nothing more than a polite gesture.âWinnie merely smiled and said nothing. Had she not known about this manâs history, she might have ended up getting charmed by his good looks and dashing smile.It was past one in the afternoon by the time they returned to the ground floor and saw the light.Both Winnie and Harold were hungry by now, so they headed straight for lunch.Knowing what to do now, the man immediately had Christopher pour Winnie a cup of coffee.As the latter two were constantly under Haroldâs watch, they only communicated when it was part of the act.Halfway through lunch, Harold suddenly requested Winnie to make another batch of goods at a much larger volume.âNo,â the woman said without a second thought. âThatâs impossible.âHaroldâs expression clouded over in an instant. âWhy not? Didnât it turn out well just now?âWinnie sliced a piece of meat and put it into her mouth, not glancing at the man even once.âI could do it because I wanted to show you that I was able to, Mr. Horton. But now that Iâve already proven my abilities and worth, why should I do it again? To be frank, we havenât discussed the terms and conditions either. I canât do anything until weâve negotiated whatâs in it for me. I hope you understand.âHarold paused briefly before breaking into a smile. âSo thatâs what you mean. I thought there was a problem with the formula. Sure.
Name your terms.ââOkay.â Winnie put down her fork and knife before turning to Harold. âI want half of the proceeds from every subsequent trade.âHarold frowned. âDid I hear you wrongly, Ms. Vivian? You want half of the proceeds?ââYou heard me loud and clear, Mr. Horton. Iâll provide the goods, and I donât care about anything else. But I want half the proceeds, so itâs fifty-fifty between you and me.âThe crease between Haroldâs brows deepened. âLetâs get this straight, Ms. Vivian. Iâm providing you with the place and all the ingredients. Iâm also in charge of sourcing our clients while at the same time having to bear all the costs of any injury or death that occurs during the trading process. How can I look after my men if I have to give you half the proceeds?ââBut Iâm the only one who can provide such quality goods,â
Winnie insisted while beaming and rising to her feet. âI have to use the restroom. Give it some thought, Mr. Horton.âSomeone placed a gun against her head the moment she stood up.Winnie took a deep breath. âI hate it when someone points their gun at me. It dirties my hair.âWhile speaking, she stepped back and grabbed the gun.âShoot me in my hand instead of my head. I wonât be able to make the goods if my fingers are gone.ââWhat the hell are you doing? Put the gun down!â Harold ordered, refusing to let anything happen to this woman whom he now regarded as highly important. âDidnât you hear Ms. Vivian say she has to use the restroom? Hurry up and take her there.âWinnie smiled at the subordinate. âLetâs go.âIn truth, she was just trying to stall time. The formulaâs wrong, and the goods will react to each other and fail if made in large quantities. But the weightâs calculated in kilograms.She was aiding and abetting evil with every batch she made.That was why she had cited such drastic terms.
She knew that he would never agree; if he didnât, they could continue their negotiations, and she could then use the opportunity to draw more useful information from him.Haroldâs gaze darkened as soon as Winnie left.âWhat do you think of this woman?â he asked Christopher while continuing to peer at her back with narrowed eyes.Christopher frowned furiously. âSheâs nothing but a pompous ingrate! She wouldâve long been dead if she werenât actually of use.âHarold gritted his teeth and scoffed, âItâs always the capable ones who have such fiery tempers, but since she likes you, do your best to please her. Itâll be even better if you manage to get your hands on the recipe. Hang in there, and follow her closely when we get back. Iâm leaving her to you.â