Life Dungeon Game

His body quickly disappeared into the radiance.

At the exit of the alley, a black sedan was parked.

He opened the passenger door and got in.

"Shall we leave now?"

The person in the driver's seat tossed Heo a bag containing clothes.

"lets go."

He Ao leaned back in the passenger seat and squinted his eyes slightly.

The silent vehicle emitted a soft engine sound as it slowly drove into the depths of the street.

-

The black sedan drove along a narrow, dilapidated road that seemed to have been neglected for a long time, with the ground noticeably uneven.

The one-way tinted windows obscured the view inside the car, but judging from the car's undiminished speed, the driver seemed unconcerned about the bumpy road.

Traveling at high speed on such an uneven road meant that the entire vehicle was in the air for almost half the time, bouncing up and down like a carousel.

After nearly crashing into the wall several times, the black sedan finally came to a stop.

Two figures stepped out of the car.

These appear to be two men, slightly different in height, both wrapped in heavy coats, wearing woolen hats that cover most of their heads, and thick sunglasses.

After getting out of the car, the two looked around and quickly turned into a secluded alley.

Shortly after they left, a young man dressed in ordinary clothes slowly emerged from a corner of the road.

He pressed the wireless earpiece on his ear and said softly, "C1 has detected a suspected target. It went north from Xiangzhangshu Street and took the innermost alley."

"D2 received. We have spotted the suspected target and are tracking its route. It doesn't seem to be heading towards the 'nest'."

"C1 received, please keep an eye on it."

-

Research Institute

Reed glanced at the clues reported by the 'eyes' on his wristband, smiled, and looked at the officer beside him. "The fish has taken the bait."

"Chief," the officer said, somewhat excited, "then I'll take men there immediately?"

"Don't rush."

However, Reed gently shook his head. "They're still 'circling' around the outermost perimeter, actually testing whether we've placed anyone nearby. Now is not the time to alert them. If we make a move, they'll immediately react and flee."

His tone was slow and deliberate. "Have you ever fished? When a smart fish bites the bait, it always tests the waters little by little. You must not be impatient at this time. You must be patient. The one who stays until the end is the winner."

"Yes."

The officer nodded quickly.

He rarely fishes.

In a fortified city where land is incredibly valuable, building a fishing pond is extremely expensive, making it a recreational facility only the wealthy with money and time can afford.

...

While the two were talking, the doorbell suddenly rang.

stand up.

"Please come in."

"Reed said softly."

A young female clerk in a professional pencil skirt pushed open the door. "Director, Professor Coles is in the meeting room now. He said he had an appointment with you earlier."

"Cols..."

Reed frowned, then slowly stood up. "I'll go to the meeting room right away. Tell him to wait a moment."

"Director,"

The officer quickly stood up, preparing to take his leave, but Reed waved him off.

"It's alright, wait here for me for a moment."

Reed gestured for the officer to sit back down, then turned to the young female clerk and said, "Let's go."

The officer watched the two men leave the office and close the door.

Then he paused, his gaze slowly settling on the tablet computer that Reed had placed on the table.

That was Reed's personal computer, containing a wealth of information and intelligence that only Reed could access.

However, he quickly looked away.

-

Reed saw this through the monitor on his wristband, smiled, and turned off the wristband.

A subordinate without ambition is not a good subordinate.

He liked it when his men were ambitious and greedy, because as long as he threw them the right opportunity, he could motivate them to work themselves to the bone.

The distance from Reed's office to his private meeting room was not far, only a few dozen meters. Soon, Reed arrived at the meeting room door.

He gestured for the clerk to wait at the door, then tidied his hair a bit and pushed open the door to the meeting room.

The reception room was not large, and Reed had decorated it with many classical sculptures and oil paintings.

At this moment, Coles is standing in front of a bust sculpture, admiring it.

This sculpture is incredibly detailed, capturing every inch of muscle texture with exquisite precision, and is full of artistic beauty.

"This is said to be the art style before the Great Cataclysm. I really like this kind of art. There are no machines or industrial creations. It simply shows the power and beauty of humanity itself."

Reed slowly walked to Coles' side and chuckled softly.

Coles looked up at Reid. "You're here?"

“My dear Professor Coles,”

Reed smiled broadly. "I'm so glad you're back. What happened that day was just a little accident. You know, anything can happen in this world. But you don't have to worry about it now. I've taken care of it. I promise you, nothing like this will ever happen again."

Since Heo's outburst at the research institute, Coles has never returned and even shows signs of withdrawing from the project.

"Can you guarantee that?"

Coles glanced at Reid and sat back down on the sofa.

"Of course, you are our best doctor and the most professional medical expert in Limen City. The research institute highly respects talented people."

Reed chuckled and sat down on the sofa opposite Coles. "After all these years of friendship, don't you know me?"

“I know you very well,” Coles said in a slightly hoarse voice. “When I’m no longer of any value, you will ruthlessly abandon me.”

“What are you saying?” Reed’s smile remained unchanged, as warm as a spring breeze. “We’ve known each other for over a decade, how could I do something to betray my friend?”

...

Coles looked at his smiling face and sneered, "Let's get straight to the point, Reed. We've known each other for so many years, we understand each other well. I can come back to continue participating in the project, but..."

He paused slightly, looked up at Reed, and said, "I need to see the research data from these years. I don't have to join the core project team, but I need to know what I've been researching all these years and what my research results are."

"Old friend,"

Upon hearing this, Reid looked troubled. "You know, I don't have the authority to make decisions. I'm just an executor. Whether to recruit core members of the project or to unlock the project's core data is a decision that only the group can make."

“But you should have a way to let the group know about your ‘suggestion’,” Coles said coldly. “You’ve been using this excuse to swindle me for over a decade. How much longer are you going to swindle me?”

Reed's expression remained unchanged. He smiled, got up, walked to the coffee machine, and took out a can of coffee beans. "Old friend, don't be angry. Want some coffee? These are pure, natural coffee beans that I just got my hands on. They're not comparable to those powdered or artificially grown coffee beans."

Coles looked at Reed and knew this was a rejection; Reed rejected him like this every time.

In this game, he was more eager and less willing to give up the project than Reed, so Reed could easily have him completely under his control.

He paused for a moment, seemingly hesitant and conflicted, before finally saying slowly, "I don't trust your people. They're too careless. The last incident was most likely caused by their unprofessionalism. I want to use my own assistants."

"You want to bring new people into the project?"

Reed looked at his old friend and knew that his old friend had realized the most critical problem—Coles had no influence in the research institute, which made it difficult for Coles to do anything he wanted to do.

Bringing people in is actually a way of testing the waters and trying to cultivate your own people.

Reed poured coffee beans into the smart coffee machine, his smile unchanged. "Of course, given your significant contribution to the project, but as you know, our project is very rigorous."

The coffee machine was making a loud commotion. "The review process for a new project member can take a little longer than usual, so you may need to wait a bit."

"you!"

Coles blushed, angrily slammed his hand on the sofa armrest, his face contorted in anger. Then, trembling, he took out a medicine bottle from his pocket, poured out a small white pill, and swallowed it. Only then did his emotions gradually calm down.

Throughout the entire process, Reed watched indifferently.

He took out his coffee cup and accepted the blended coffee that flowed from the smart coffee machine.

“Old friend, don’t rush,” he placed the coffee in front of Coles. “I’m not refusing you, but rules are rules. You’ve worked in the group for so many years, you should know that.”

Rules are rules, but some procedures can be completed in a day or two, while others may take longer than Coles.

“Look,” Reed said with a smile, seeing that Coles was about to explode, “aren’t you short of people? I’ll find you a few more professional assistants, they can be used.”

...

Coles stared coldly at Reid. "I don't trust the people you picked. Their skills are too poor. Even with the assistance of intelligent devices, they are still terrible assistants."

Reed's smile froze for a moment.

This raises questions about his abilities.

Just then, his bracelet vibrated.

The 'eyes' keeping watch informed him that the two 'suspicious targets' were heading deeper into the direction of Pete's house.

His mind sank; he had to make a decision quickly, or those two might run away.

But Coles is still here.

His mind raced, and he chuckled, “Of course, I’m not as good as you, my old friend. How about this, you pick the person yourself? You can go to the various operating rooms and see who’s suitable, then you can choose.”

Coles was silent for a moment, seemingly deep in thought.