Chapter 376: Mail!

His technical assistant, Lanze Mirai, also wore a disappointed expression, although inwardly, he was sneering. He tried his best to hide the smile threatening to appear on his face before offering some consolation.

"It’s okay, Dr. Lee. Don’t be disappointed. We’ll succeed next time."

Dr. Jack Lee sighed and nodded, but the dullness in his eyes made it obvious that he no longer had much hope. After working on the project for so long without any significant breakthrough, even his confidence was beginning to waver.

Lanze Mirai then looked toward the other female assistant working under Dr. Jack Lee.

"Dr. Im Sol, please take Dr. Jack Lee to get some rest. He hasn’t slept for thirty hours straight, and that’s not good for his health."

Im Sol, a fair-skinned and beautiful young doctor, nodded and looked at Dr. Jack Lee with concern.

"Dr. Lee, please follow me. You really need to rest."

Dr. Jack Lee gave another tired sigh before allowing her to lead him away.

Lanze Mirai watched Im Sol’s retreating figure, and several inappropriate thoughts briefly surfaced in his mind. However, he quickly shook them away and returned to his workstation, where he sat down and began idly passing the time.

He had barely settled in when he noticed a new email appearing on the computer.

"Huh?"

Lanze Mirai casually opened it, but the moment he saw the data attached to the message, his expression changed completely.

This data...

His eyes widened as he quickly scanned through it.

Isn’t this related to the compatibility problem with the Neural Transceiver we’ve been researching?

The realization sent a jolt through him.

Someone had already achieved a breakthrough.

His gaze immediately fell upon the sender’s information.

Sender: Ming Lao.

Lanze Mirai’s pupils contracted slightly as several thoughts flashed through his mind, and the disappointment on his face was replaced by barely concealed greed.

If the sender had actually managed to solve the compatibility problem, then this information could be extremely valuable.

More importantly, if this Ming Lao possessed more complete research data, there was no reason for Lanze Mirai to simply let it fall into someone else’s hands.

His mind began working rapidly.

I need to meet him personally.

Whether he could obtain the complete research data through persuasion, compensation, or something less pleasant would depend on who this person was and how difficult he would be to deal with.

Either way, Lanze Mirai had no intention of letting himself lose out.

He quickly composed a reply and sent it to Ming Lao, arranging a meeting under the guise of discussing the research.

The moment the message was sent, he deleted the original email from the system.

After making sure there was no trace of it in the inbox, Lanze Mirai leaned back in his chair with a faint smile.

If this person really possessed the breakthrough they had been desperately searching for, then this could be an opportunity to make a fortune.

And whatever happened next, Lanze Mirai intended to be the one holding the advantage.

After deciding on the meeting place, Lanze Mirai contacted several thugs he could trust before leaving the company.

The moment Lanze made his move, Su Mo and Yang Qingxi, who had been keeping an eye on him since yesterday, received the information.

"He left without informing anyone. Could it be that he’s finally going to contact the new Protagonist?" Yang Qingxi asked.

"It must be," Su Mo replied with a faint smile. "Let’s go. Follow him."

The restaurant Lanze Mirai had chosen was nothing particularly special. It was an ordinary establishment on a relatively quiet street, far from the attention of the public.

Lanze arrived first, with five thugs following him from a distance.

As soon as he entered the restaurant, his eyes met those of the man standing behind the reception counter.

A knowing glint flashed between them. The man was the restaurant owner.

Lanze gave him a subtle signal, and the owner immediately understood. He walked toward the remaining customers with an apologetic smile.

"I’m sorry, everyone. There’s been a problem with the restaurant’s facilities, so we’ll have to close temporarily."

"What? We just ordered!"

"Then cancel our order. Why are you suddenly closing?"

Several customers immediately became irritated, but their complaints quickly died down when five muscular men quietly surrounded them.

The customers exchanged uneasy glances.

"Forget it. Let’s go."

"Yeah, I’m never coming to this place again."

"Neither am I. What a terrible restaurant."

Cursing under their breath, the customers hurried outside.

Once the last customer had left, the owner returned to the counter and looked at Lanze.

"You’d better compensate me for the business I’m losing today. Otherwise, don’t even think about leaving."

Lanze smirked.

"Don’t worry. I keep my promises."

"You’d better."

The owner turned around and returned to his position as if nothing had happened.

Lanze calmly chose a table and sat down, while the five thugs spread themselves around the restaurant, occupying different tables and pretending to be ordinary customers.

Everything was ready. Now they only had to wait for the fish to take the bait.

A little while later, the restaurant door opened. A handsome young man stepped inside.

"Welcome."

The owner looked up and asked politely, "Do you have a reservation?"

Anthony was momentarily taken aback. Even this small restaurant requires reservations? Still, he didn’t think much about it.

"Is there a reservation under the name Mr. Lanze?"

"There is."

The owner’s expression remained completely natural as he nodded.

"Please follow me. Mr. Lanze is waiting for you."

He led Anthony toward the back.

When Lanze saw Anthony’s young appearance, a trace of surprise flashed through his eyes. He had expected someone considerably older, but he quickly concealed his reaction and narrowed his eyes.

"Are you Mr. Ming Lao?"

Anthony shook his head.

"I’m Anthony. I’m the one who sent that email. I used my friend’s email address for some personal reasons."

Lanze didn’t care about the explanation. His attention was focused on something else.

"Can I see the research data?"