Chapter 126: Targeted by the Research Institute
Chapter 126: Targeted by the Research Institute
Chapter 126: Chapter 126: Targeted by the Research Institute
The appearance of Cryomollis Silk and Bamboo Kun Fiber alongside the shocking practical combat test at the Capital Central Square created an unprecedented craze.
However, the more colossal the profit pie, the easier it was to attract hungry wolves lunging out of the dark to contend for it.
And the first to stretch out a hand, exactly as Liam had contemptuously mentioned from his early days in Cygnus, was none other than the crowd in the Central Research Institute who always looked down at the world with their noses in the air!
In the eyes of ordinary citizens of the Lumina Galaxy, the Research Institute used to be the supreme scientific sanctuary, gathering humanity’s greatest brains.
Yet after too many scandals were exposed, that reputation on the streets had worn nearly thin. Although unsaid aloud, the impression of the Research Institute in everyone’s hearts had reduced to inner corruption and rot beneath a glamorous facade.
For hundreds of years, relying on the label of "holding humanity’s evolutionary destiny," the Research Institute’s Council of Directors granted themselves the right to stand above secular laws.
The twelve resident Academicians on the Council colluded into a closed monopoly, devouring hundreds of trillions of silver stars annually from the Empire’s budget while only grudgingly releasing a few half-baked improved technologies to maintain their standing.
Although Mrs. Hall held the title of Deputy Director, she was actually solely responsible for pure ecological plant research, while the supreme decision-making power regarding patent requisition and strategic resource allocation rested entirely in the hands of the incumbent Director, old Wagner Thorne, and the eight Academicians of the conservative faction.
These arrogant and conceited scholars had never cared about anyone else’s authority.
In their eyes, the Hall family heading the Ministry of Internal Affairs and mech manufacturing was merely a bunch of brawny mercenaries working for the Royal Family; the Umbra organization with underground networks spanning the black market didn’t dare openly offend the Empire’s scientific headquarters; while the Vance family heading pharmaceuticals and military medical equipment ranked only third or fourth on the public rankings of noble families, so how could they dare oppose a resolution by the entire Research Institute Council?
Just five days after the press conference of the Passing Shower brand, inside the supreme meeting room of the Central Research Institute on the Capital planet, an extraordinary meeting was convened.
"I object!"
Deputy Director Aurora Hall’s resolute table-slapping voice echoed throughout the semi-circular meeting room. She stood straight, her face ice-cold as she stared directly at Director Wagner Thorne and the eight Academicians seated on the high platform:
"Cryomollis Silk and the biological culturing technique to produce the silk are the entirely independent research achievements of Isabella Martinez and her family, without using a single coin of the budget or a single piece of equipment from the Research Institute! Furthermore, this project has signed a direct supply contract with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Vance Military Medical Group to serve the five great Legions. By what authority are you issuing an enforcement decree demanding the Martinez family hand over all breeding stock, silk-harvesting culturing processes, and transfer control of the textile mill to the Research Institute’s management?!"
Director Wagner Thorne, well over one hundred and eighty years old with sleeked-back snow-white hair, slowly lifted his teacup to take a sip before looking at Mrs. Hall with a condescending gaze:
"Deputy Director Aurora, have you forgotten the supreme rules of the Research Institute for some personal emotional attachment to that adopted child’s family? Any biological scientific discovery capable of interfering with S-grade and above mental seas falls under the special strategic resource category of all humanity!"
Another Academician in charge of Gene Biology seated nearby also scoffed, pushing the thick glasses on his nose upward with unconcealed arrogance:
"A twenty-two-year-old Beta woman alongside a few farming kids on that remote Polaris star system planet - what do they know about the molecular structure of Cryomollis? Entrusting a strategic material like this to a private textile mill opened for less than a year is like handing diamonds to a three-year-old to play with; it’s truly the greatest waste of Imperial science! Only by handing over all silk-spinning biological breeding stock, culture nutrients, and production lines to the direct control of the Research Institute can we optimize and distribute them most reasonably!"
"Most reasonably?" Mrs. Hall let out a cold laugh, her sharp gaze sweeping across every aged yet greedy face before her: "Is it distributing reasonably to frontline soldiers, or is it for you to rebrand it as your clan’s research achievement and jack up the sales price tenfold to fleece the budget just like the mental power inhibitor scandal ten years ago?!"
Hitting a raw nerve, the Academicians’ expressions momentarily turned into pig-liver color. Director Wagner Thorne slammed his hand hard on the table and rebuked in a deep voice:
"Enough, Deputy Director Aurora! This is a decision passed by nine of the twelve Council members! Even if behind that textile mill stands Minister William Hall, the Vance Group, or even that Umbra organization, in front of the supreme scientific interests of the Research Institute, they must step aside!"
He waved his hand to signal the Council secretary:
"Pass the order down to the Biological Resource Control Committee! This very afternoon, dispatch the special enforcement squad of the Research Institute straight to the industrial planet in the Polaris star system and planet Cygnus, temporarily seal the Passing Shower textile mill, and retrieve all Cryomollis biological specimens along with their nutrient sources back to the Research Institute for national testing! If the Martinez family dares resist and refuses to hand over technical processes, immediately charge them with illegal possession of mutant organisms and blockade all their commercial operations!"
"You dare!" Mrs. Hall was so angry her chest heaved violently.
However, Director Wagner Thorne completely ignored her objection, directly stamping and passing the enforcement document with the absolute veto of the majority Council, and even temporarily locking Deputy Director Aurora’s data access privileges for forty-eight hours to prevent her from interfering with the enforcement squad!
That same afternoon, in the Polaris star system.
Twelve silver-white spaceships bearing the DNA double-helix emblem of the Central Research Institute blatantly forced their way into the orbit of the industrial planet housing Isabella’s textile mill.
The leader of the Research Institute enforcement squad was an A-grade Alpha named Victor - Director Wagner Thorne’s grandson. He stepped off the spaceship with his chin cocked high, followed by over fifty enforcement officers wearing protective armor carrying magnetic field sealing devices.
Right in front of the main gate of the thirty-five-hectare textile mill, Isabella, Benjamin, Daniel, and Sebastian - who had just received a secret tip-off from Mrs. Hall - led the elite Mason family bodyguard squad and the A-grade private soldier unit commanded by Gabriel to form a steel wall.
Upon seeing Isabella and Benjamin, Victor curled his lips in a sneer, pulling out the bright red stamped enforcement order of the Research Institute Council to wave before everyone:
"Who is in charge of the Passing Shower textile mill and the Martinez farm? According to Emergency Resolution No. 409 of the Central Research Institute Council, the Cryomollis biological silk you are producing has not undergone the highest-level gene safety appraisal process of the Institute.
Now I order you to immediately open the mill gates, hand over all breeding cocoons, culture feed leaves, and original technology files for us to take back to the Capital for takeover! While awaiting the Research Institute’s appraisal - estimated to take five to ten years - all production operations of the Passing Shower brand must be suspended unconditionally!"
Appraisal taking five to ten years, plus demanding the surrender of all breeding stock and original technology?!
Anyone with eyes could see this was fundamentally no safety appraisal, but a blatant robbery in broad daylight!
Daniel was so angry his face turned flushed red, stepping forward to point straight at Victor’s face and scold loudly:
"Are you out of your minds?! The practical combat test at the Capital Square was signed and recognized by both the Imperial Medical Appraisal Committee and the Ministry of Internal Affairs; now your Research Institute jumps out demanding retrieval of breeding stock and sealing the mill for five to ten years? Why don’t you guys wear masks and become space pirates instead!"
Victor’s expression didn’t shift at all; instead, he let out a deeply arrogant scoff:
"Young Master Mason, I advise you to weigh your words seven times before speaking to people from the Research Institute! The Medical Appraisal Committee is merely a subordinate organ, while the Ministry of Internal Affairs manages administration without the right to interfere in the deep academics of our Institute. Don’t think having the Hall family or the Vance Group backing you makes us afraid. In this Lumina Galaxy, as long as the Research Institute declares a product poses a biosafety risk, even Kings and Lords must obediently hand over the goods!"
He flicked his hand with a tone overflowing with condescending threats:
"I give you fifteen minutes to open the mill gates and take us to planet Cygnus to retrieve the worm-rearing farm! If after fifteen minutes you still dare obstruct law enforcement, I will directly order a forced gate-breaching!"
Benjamin and Sebastian were so angry their eyes turned blood-red, their hands resting on the mech summoning buttons bulging with green veins, while Gabriel and the A-grade private soldiers behind them also simultaneously disengaged the safety catches of their magnetic guns.
Just as the atmosphere outside the textile mill gates grew as tense as a taut bowstring, from the sky above the industrial planet and through the holographic connection channel across the courtyard, an icy, bone-chilling voice suddenly rang out:
"Oh? Kings and Lords must obediently hand over goods to you people as well? Today I finally learned that the Research Institute funded by our Vance family for the past three hundred years holds such grand prestige!"