Chapter 410: Connor Hayes Stood to Take His Leave

"Mr. Hayes, your kindness is too much for me to accept."

Connor Hayes stood to take his leave.

Dean Archer escorted him all the way to the elevator. The obsequious smile on his face vanished the moment the doors closed.

He hurried back to his office and immediately called the academic affairs office. "Check the recent usage records of the CPRT Analyzers."

A hesitant voice replied, "One is being used by Professor Voss's team. The other...was just approved for Derek Romano last week."

"Derek Romano? Isn't he Lenora Voss's subordinate?"

"Exactly. It's strange—they already have one. Three of Professor Caldwell's graduate students also applied, but they were too late..."

"Miriam Caldwell's people applied too?"

"Yes, almost at the same time."

Dean suddenly understood.

No wonder Connor came personally.

"Clear out that lab immediately! Derek is being completely unreasonable!"

He carefully avoided mentioning Lenora Voss's involvement.

"Understood."

The moment he hung up, his office door swung open again.

Dean's forehead was still damp with sweat as he forced another smile. "Professor Mercer! What brings you here? Please, have a seat."

Elias Mercer skipped the pleasantries and cut straight to the point.

"University regulations explicitly prohibit the malicious hoarding of shared resources. You know this better than I do, Director Archer."

Dean's heart skipped a beat.

Again?!

* * *

The two janitors worked efficiently, leaving the lab spotless in under an hour.

"Thank you."

"Of course, of course!"

They gathered their supplies and left.

Some equipment had been temporarily moved to the hallway for cleaning. There wasn’t much—three people could easily carry it all back.

"Well, if it isn’t Professor Caldwell’s star students?"

A mocking voice rang out.

The trio turned to see Reid Everett and Avery Quinn standing nearby. One wore a sneer, the other a cold stare.

"So this is the lab you applied for? Tsk. Not a single decent piece of equipment. What a waste of space."

Avery scoffed. "Reid, are you blind? The best equipment is with our team. What could they possibly have?"

Reid nodded. "Exactly. Top-tier gear should go to top-tier teams. Some people should just quit while they’re ahead."

Clara Whitmore smiled. "If you enjoy being livestock, don’t drag others into the mud."

Maya Torres added, "Right? Choosing to be a horse instead of a human—someone’s got water in their brain..."

"You—" Reid’s face turned livid.

Avery snorted. "What’s the point of talking big? Show us what you’ve got! Reid, let’s go."

Reid couldn’t resist a final jab. "Want to use the CPRT? Keep dreaming! Why don’t you buy your own?"

Noah Kessler: "Good idea."

Clara agreed: "Worth considering."

Maya finished: "Delivery tomorrow. Come take a look."

Reid stared at them like they were insane. "You’re crazy!"

Buy a CPRT?

That’s a million-dollar precision instrument!

Yet the next day, when a brand-new CPRT Analyzer was escorted into the lab by a professional team, the blood drained from Reid and Avery’s faces as they watched from the crowd...