"What's wrong?"
"Then you know I went to the lab yesterday morning, right?"
"Mm."
Hawk nodded.
That had been before they went to the library yesterday.
He had originally assumed Gwen had gone to see Dr. Connors that morning to clear her absence.
But now?
"Did something go wrong with the experiment?"
"Nothing went wrong with the experiment, but I heard something happened to the investors. You know Dr. Connors's experiment is a joint venture between Osborn and the military, right?"
"You mentioned it last time."
"The military pulled its funding."
Lowering her voice, Gwen leaned forward. "And Dr. Connors's experiment has been going on for almost two years without producing results, so Osborn's upper management has started getting impatient with his work."
Capital was realistic.
They would sponsor the funding you needed because of the grand promises you made at the beginning. They might even provide facilities and fulfill your requirements.
But if you failed to deliver the results capital expected, it would abandon you without hesitation.
After all, cutting losses in time was a compulsory lesson for capital.
Dr. Connors's Regeneration Experiment was exactly like that.
Not to mention that the military had withdrawn its funding from Dr. Connors's lab last month due to budget reallocations.
Though the military claimed it was temporary and that it would invest again once funds became available, telling Osborn Bio-Industry to hold on.
But...
Osborn Bio-Industry itself was far from peaceful.
Rumors said that Norman Osborn, who had been recuperating at his family estate since last year due to a strange illness, was already at death's door.
The news was not baseless.
Harry Osborn, who had previously been studying in the United Kingdom, had returned to New York City that summer and begun getting involved in company affairs with the help of Norman Osborn's private secretary, Felicia Hardy. That was a very obvious sign.
Although the Osborn Family controlled a majority of Osborn Bio-Industry's shares.
In an era when the old king was dying and a new king was about to rise, there would always be people looking to profit from the changing of the guard.
And a new official always lit three fires upon taking office.
So at this critical juncture, someone proposed streamlining the labs and shutting down those that had failed to produce tangible returns for capital.
Dr. Connors's lab, whose investment had been suspended by the military over a funding gap, was the first to bear the brunt.
Although the military said it would resume investment once the Pentagon's next round of funding came through, who could guarantee that?
After all, the Federal Military's reputation spoke for itself.
Still, Osborn Bio-Industry had not made a final decision to withdraw funding from Dr. Connors. Though military funding had been cut off, some of the previous funds remained.
So...
"The lab staff was downsized."
"Five researchers were fired."
"Of course, I was supposed to be one of them."
"I only heard about it yesterday, but I'm on a work-study program, so I don't cost much."
"And I went to the lab yesterday. Dr. Connors didn't look as happy as you said he was, so I was a little surprised when you brought this up."
Gwen described the recent situation at Dr. Connors's lab.
Hawk did not really care whether Dr. Connors's experiment succeeded, so he only listened casually. When Gwen finished, he shrugged. "All right. Anyway, that's what Dr. Connors said over the phone. Who knows whether it'll actually work?"
Gwen nodded as well. "I hope Dr. Connors's experiment succeeds too."
The two of them chatted about it casually.
But once they were done, the matter passed. After Hawk finished the burger in his hand, they stood up, picked up their trays, and left.
That was the end of the topic concerning Dr. Connors's lab.
But...
They could move on, yet Dr. Connors, the person at the center of their conversation, could not simply declare the topic finished and switch to another one.
Because at that very moment, Dr. Connors was facing the prospect of being abandoned by capital.
Dr. Connors looked at the person standing in his office, who had brought the board's latest resolution.
"Doctor, have you made up your mind?"
"I don't understand."
"Doctor, you should understand."
The middle-aged white executive representing the board spoke with a gentle smile. "The military has withdrawn its funding. Though they call it temporary, we all know what that means. The board's original opinion was to suspend funding for the lab as well, but Doctor, your latest result successfully salvaged the lab's funding. Only salvaged it."
Dr. Connors's latest result—the regenerated white mouse—had allowed the board to see a glimmer of hope.
But only a glimmer.
Dr. Connors frowned.
"So what does the board want?"
"Human Experimentation!"
"What?"
Dr. Connors's eyes widened as he looked at the middle-aged man. "I only just extracted a potentially viable serum from that one mutated white mouse. I haven't even had time to verify it. Starting Human Experimentation now is far too reckless. And where would we find willing test subjects?"
The middle-aged man shrugged. "Military hospitals have plenty of test subjects. Just do it under the guise of a new vaccine."
He said it lightly.
After all, that was how everyone did things.
They had to pay the locals to conduct Human Experimentation in Ballarat, but if they used the underclass as test subjects at home, they would not even need to pay them.
One question.
Were people from the underclass even people?
No!
Capital pursued profit. While maximizing returns, it also sought to minimize costs.
But Dr. Connors found it hard to accept after hearing that.
"What? I don't agree."
"Time waits for no one, Doctor. You don't have much time left, and neither do we."
"...We?"
"You don't need to know that. You only need to know that the board is doing this for your own good. Someone specialized will handle it. If it fails, Doctor, you can pretend you never knew anything."
"I didn't come here to discuss this with you, Doctor."
"This is a notification."
After saying that, the middle-aged man turned and left Dr. Connors's lab.
The upper management was now spreading word that Norman Osborn did not have long to live, and Dr. Connors's regeneration lab had been established in the first place to research a cure for Norman Osborn's strange illness.
So...
The middle-aged man had not been wrong. By pushing Human Experimentation to happen as soon as possible, they were helping Dr. Connors while also helping themselves.
After all, a new ruler brought a new court.
Who knew what Harry Osborn would do if Norman Osborn truly died?
As everyone knew.
Capital liked stability too, because only stability allowed capital to make money steadily.
But Dr. Connors was not capital.
After the middle-aged man left, he sat in his office chair.
Without moving!
Before you continue