Li Chengzhi's expression was extremely grim. He hadn't expected such a serious issue to arise. According to the information provided by Chen Mo and Wu Bing, there had been no problems with the backup agent, but the fact that the administered drug was fake meant the agent had been swapped.
This was a major incident—one that pointed to internal problems within the R&D team.
The four of them sat in the office. Only Chen Mo remained calm, seated on the sofa. Wu Bing, Ding Jianwen, and Li Chengzhi all wore dark expressions.
After a while, a burly man entered and whispered something into Li Chengzhi's ear. His face grew even darker.
"Instructor Li, what happened?" Ding Jianwen asked, anxiety creeping into his voice.
"The team has been gathered in the conference room. Shen Chongxin has fled," Li Chengzhi said grimly. "The security department has been notified. A manhunt is already underway."
"Shen Chongxin fled?"
The news left Ding Jianwen trembling, his vision going dim for a moment.
The moment the agent's tampering was discovered, it was clear that an internal investigation would follow. But to flee before anything was even announced—this was a tacit confession of guilt.
"No wonder..." Wu Bing muttered, seething with anger.
"What do you mean?" Li Chengzhi asked.
"I saw him earlier. He looked different—significantly so. It might be a reaction from using the potential agent," Wu Bing said, recalling the volunteer's symptoms and comparing them to Shen Chongxin's recent changes.
"So what now?" Ding Jianwen asked, trying to regain composure.
"For now, don't inform the rest of the team. We can't be sure whether Shen Chongxin acted alone or had accomplices. Just tell them he's been transferred to another project," Li Chengzhi instructed.
"Understood," Ding Jianwen said after taking a deep breath.
Wu Bing also nodded in agreement. Revealing the truth now would shake the team's morale to its core.
"I'll go to the team and announce his transfer," Ding Jianwen said, leaving the office with Wu Bing.
Li Chengzhi went to handle the secure transfer of the remaining pharmaceutical stock, while Chen Mo quietly returned to his apartment.
Very few people within the R&D team had known about the backup agent. Other than a select few, everyone else had been kept in the dark. This wasn't something that could be publicly discussed—it was a scandal.
Soon after, the security department found the remaining doses of the potential-enhancing drug in Shen Chongxin's apartment. The discovery triggered a top-priority manhunt.
In a city like the capital, once a suspect's identity is confirmed, there's nowhere to hide. Within three hours, Shen Chongxin was captured on the expressway to Tianjin.
Chen Mo, meanwhile, was at home, working on holographic technology using his custom-made superconducting laptop—currently the fastest personal notebook in the world. Its performance surpassed several engineering-grade systems, thanks to its superconducting circuitry.
Just as he finished organizing the holographic files, the doorbell rang.
Li Chengzhi entered, his face a mix of calm and severity.
"Got him?" Chen Mo asked, handing him a cup of tea.
"Yeah. It's confirmed. He swapped the syringes during the test—right under everyone's noses. We found the remaining doses in his apartment. He even injected himself. There are needle marks, and a physical examination showed signs of potential enhancement. I'll admit, he was gutsy. If it weren't for you, we might have been completely fooled this time," Li Chengzhi said.
If not for the backup sample being preserved, the incident would've likely been chalked up to a technical failure, and the truth buried. Worse still, the leak of such sensitive technology could've had dire consequences.
"Right under our noses... He was bold. But what made him go that far?" Chen Mo asked, frowning.
"Well... it's got something to do with you," Li Chengzhi said, his tone turning strange. "He was secretly in love with Wu Bing."
"Huh?" Chen Mo's face twitched. "And that's got to do with me? He's in his thirties and still playing high school crush games? Come on."
Li Chengzhi sighed. "No, really. He had a crush on her. But you and Wu Bing are a bit too close. And it seems she might have feelings for you, which pushed him over the edge. He convinced himself that your intelligence came from using the drug, so he decided to steal it to get ahead. Even trained himself in sleight-of-hand techniques to pull it off."
Chen Mo rubbed his temples, unsure whether to laugh or cry. Wu Bing has feelings for me? I must be more charming than I thought...
Li Chengzhi continued, "He planned to keep the extra doses and eventually sell them to foreign pharmaceutical companies for profit. If this incident hadn't come to light, we'd all still be in the dark."
"I just wanted the tech to be fairly evaluated. I'm not about to accept being wrongly blamed for a failed trial," Chen Mo said.
"Don't worry. With Shen Chongxin confirmed as the culprit, there won't be an investigation into you," Li Chengzhi reassured.
"Good. Then I'm heading back to Binhai tomorrow. I've got other research that needs my attention," Chen Mo said.
"So soon? You're not staying for the rest of the testing?"
"There's no need. The test already confirmed my agent works. Running it again will yield the same result. I don't have time to sit around here. If anything comes up, you can contact me."
Li Chengzhi thought for a moment and nodded. "Fair enough. Your time really is more valuable than most. What time are you leaving tomorrow? I'll book your flight."
"Got a private jet for me?" Chen Mo joked.
Li Chengzhi rolled his eyes. "You think private jets grow on trees? Normal people go their whole lives without getting on one. You were lucky last time."
Chen Mo chuckled. The last time he flew in on a private plane had been because of the sensitive nature of the tech he was carrying—security had to be airtight.
"Oh, by the way," Chen Mo said, "I'd like to use the drug on Wang Hai, Black Hawk, White Pearl, and Anan."
Li Chengzhi's face turned serious. The drug was classified, and normally couldn't be distributed without layers of approval. But since Chen Mo had developed it himself, he had the right to decide how to use it.
"I don't see a problem with that," Li Chengzhi said slowly. "Let's wait until testing is officially completed. Once it's confirmed safe, I'll arrange for them to receive it. But this stays between us."
"Of course," Chen Mo nodded.
Wang Hai and the others were his and Zhao Min's personal bodyguards. Enhancing their capabilities would only benefit their protection detail.
"Anything else?" Li Chengzhi asked.
"Yeah." Chen Mo grinned. "I want to buy some souvenirs before I leave. You coming with?"