"I wonder, why can't we see Freed? Is he late?"
Imanla had just entered the research lab when she heard a familiar colleague say this.
"Freed didn't come?"
Hearing the colleague's words, Imanla moved closer.
Although Imanla wasn't exactly a social butterfly in the lab, she was quite articulate.
Soon, someone nodded in response.
"Yeah, he should have been here by now, probably reading at his desk."
"Did he stay up too late reading yesterday?"
"Impossible. Even if he did nothing all day, he could just keep reading."
The surrounding colleagues began discussing among themselves.
Though no one knew the true background of this masked young man, his persona as a book lover was already deeply ingrained.
Absolutely no one thought he had overslept or anything of the sort. After all, besides reading and conducting experiments, they had never seen him do anything else.
Hearing this, Imanla's lips twitched slightly.
But soon, her gaze swept over Fred's desk and she noticed something unusual.
The desk looked somewhat messy.
This might be common for others, but for Fred, who always tidied up perfectly before leaving, it was absolutely impossible.
Ambushed here?
As a spy, Imanla quickly considered the worst-case scenario.
However, she soon dismissed the idea.
If someone could be ambushed here without anyone noticing, then all Coordinators might as well just slit their own throats.
"Speaking of which, Director Lenore is also missing. She must be giving him extra tutoring."
Soon, someone chimed in.
Hearing this, Imanla's ears perked up slightly, quickly recalling what Fred had said when bidding her farewell yesterday.
He said he was going to the Experimental Field.
"Really pulling an all-nighter for experiments?"
Once again, Imanla felt astonished.
After all, this Fred was even more of a Coordinator than any Coordinator she knew.
Like an iron-willed superhuman.
Every day, he was either working hard or working harder, and now he was pulling all-nighters.
If this were ancient times, she would genuinely fear he might work himself to death from overwork—though he'd probably be beaten to death as a scab before that.
"However, this behavior pattern is indeed somewhat abnormal. Why?"
Generally, someone like Fred should be extremely regular.
This experiment wasn't important enough to warrant this.
Soon, Imanla's confusion was resolved not long after work began, with Lenore's return.
Although Lenore appeared no different from usual, Imanla, as a senior Double Agent, could still detect her excitement from the slight lift of her eyebrows.
After all, ordinary happiness wouldn't make these composed Elite Coordinators raise their eyebrows.
Just as Imanla was pondering this, she heard Lenore speak in her usual gentle voice.
"I have an announcement: the Microbial Colony experiment has made significant progress. I will share the latest specific updates in the group chat."
As Lenore finished speaking, the surrounding crowd couldn't help but grow somewhat noisy.
Lenore's announcement was rather sudden.
Yesterday's reports still indicated the experimental situation was grim, with a high probability of failure.
Today they've made progress?
Did they time travel or did Lenore time travel?
Amid everyone's muttered complaints, Imanla—who had watched Lenore leave—swiftly opened her computer.
Just as the other had mentioned, corresponding files were already there.
When Imanla opened them, she fell silent like everyone else.
The office was left in complete stillness.
...
"So, you believe this experimental progress was Fred's work?"
Siegel looked at his seemingly unreliable spy and asked.
"Yes! Very likely!"
"Think about it—he was missing all night, and the next day there's progress."
"Although people around me see no issue, it can't escape the sharp eyes of this Double Agent!"
Listening to Imanla's words, Siegel desperately wanted to retort.
Double Agent? He might not even qualify as a spy.
After all, it was all within their own operations; he was just testing the other.
But never mind.
He needed to maintain his authority, so he forcibly suppressed the urge to criticize.
"Is it credible?"
After all, Patrick might not necessarily share such information with him.
The previous Engine incident was proof of that.
If he didn't ask, Patrick would likely brush it off again.
"I find it quite credible."
"Look, he has no hobbies left, acting completely detached. What could make him stay out all night? It must be work!"
"...I understand."
Sighing, Siegel no longer wished to speak with this Double Agent.
"Hold your position for now."
"Mission assured!"
"...Alright"
Fine, if that's what he prefers.
These Coordinators probably all have their quirks; he ought to be more understanding.
Making excuses for his subordinate in his mind, Siegel stood up.
He needed to make his own arrangements.
And given the current research progress, they likely still lacked the necessary strength.
...
While everyone at the research institute celebrated the new research breakthrough, weeks quietly passed.
Fred's role in it remained undisclosed.
He continued with his tasks, maintaining his progress as usual.
Of course, what was no longer ordinary was their research pace—with Fred's director-level abilities and Golden Finger assistance, progress advanced by leaps and bounds.
Not only were costs reduced, but requirements like colony synthesis conditions were continuously lowered.
It seemed the future of space colonization Fred envisioned was drawing closer.
The thought of potentially succeeding in a true colonization mission to Mars someday filled Fred with excitement.
It drove him to work even harder.
Not for the Coordinators' sake, but for the dawn of an era—the great age of space exploration.
Against this backdrop, Fred once again reported the recent progress in Lenore's office.
"You've been a great help during this period."
After hearing about the new synthesis formulas, Lenore sighed with deep emotion.
If the previous years had been spent testing her disciple, recently she had truly begun interacting with him as a friend.
Fred seemed different from the others, yet his eyes held a clear sense of purpose, and he conducted himself with integrity.
She was quite satisfied with him.
If Athrun were a girl, she would probably feel at ease letting him date her daughter.
Of course, that wasn't the case.
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