stonecrandall Page 73
Page 73
She abruptly pushed Su Hui away, and stood up from his lap with a slightly embarrassed air. She quickly straightened her somewhat disheveled silk dress, trying to cover up her embarrassment.
She tried her best to put on a stern face, attempting to regain her usual aloof and icy queen-like aura.
However, a hint of panic and shyness flickered across her icy blue eyes and pretty face.
"Well then, I'll be looking forward to Miss Emma's performance tomorrow."
Su Hui straightened his disheveled clothes, stood up, smiled at Emma, and turned to leave the room.
Watching the man's departing figure, Emma bit her lower lip, pressed her hand to her chest, and took deep breaths, her face flushed.
"What a dangerous man!"
P.S.: I wrote over 10,000 words today, could you please support me with a monthly vote?
49. Deterrence [4.4k]
The latest update from the book club (705U.com) is "Apocalypse America: Synthetic 3D Female Lead".
The next morning, the sunlight barely penetrated the thick, leaden-gray clouds above the encrypted network arena, casting a few pale rays of light.
Emma Grace stood in front of the mirror, carefully adjusting her pure white business suit.
The well-tailored top accentuated her stunning bust, while the tight-fitting pencil skirt perfectly showcased her full, pert hips and long, slender legs.
Her platinum blonde hair was neatly styled in a bun at the back of her head, revealing her smooth, full forehead and graceful swan neck.
Her icy blue eyes were now burning with a chilling flame, and her usual queenly arrogance was now tinged with an unassailable sharpness.
She took a deep breath; the air still seemed to retain the ambiguous fragrance of her time alone with Su Hui last night, as well as the intense scent emanating from the man that made her heart flutter.
The sensation of those large hands on her legs still made her cheeks feel slightly warm.
Shaking off the alluring thoughts from her mind, Emma's eyes regained their usual sharpness.
Today is the day that will determine the fate of Raytheon, and also her own.
Su Hui was already waiting outside the suite, his expression calm and composed, as if what he was about to face was not a life-or-death power struggle, but just an ordinary meeting.
Still wearing a simple windbreaker, it contrasted sharply with Emma's elaborate and domineering attire, yet it exuded a calm and composed demeanor.
The two walked side by side toward the core conference room at Raytheon's headquarters.
The corridor was dark and deep, the cold metal walls reflecting the pale light, and the air was filled with the smell of disinfectant and a faint smell of rust.
As Su Hui approached the conference room, he didn't pause in his steps or glance anywhere else.
His eyebrows twitched almost imperceptibly.
In the room next to the conference room, a powerful and distorted energy fluctuation clearly entered his senses.
That energy was filled with violence and chaos, carrying a nauseating stench of blood. It was the product of the Universal Group's "Pandora Project"—the "Alpha-level Aberrant"—that Morton had mentioned yesterday.
It seems this is the weapon they prepared to deal with Emma.
A knowing glint flashed in Su Hui's eyes as he silently memorized this important information, his face remaining calm and composed.
Emma reached out and pushed open the heavy metal door of the conference room.
"Squeak-"
A dull thud broke the silence of the corridor.
There weren't many people in the meeting room.
Beside the long conference table, Raytheon's three core directors—the fat, oily-faced Green, the sinister-looking Morton, and the bespectacled, smiling but sleazy Markton—had already taken their seats.
Green was impatiently tapping his fingers on the table, making a dull thud.
Morton, with his eyes half-closed, held an unlit cigar between his fingers, a faint, cold smile playing on his lips.
Markton remained as refined as ever, toying with a metal pen in his hand, but his gaze behind his glasses was as cold as a viper's.
What made Emma's eyes suddenly turn cold was that two uninvited guests were sitting on the other two sides of the conference table.
One of them was a middle-aged man in a suit and tie, with a warm smile and the emblem of the Huanyu Group on his chest.
The other was a burly, middle-aged man with a cold, hard face and sharp, eagle-like eyes; the insignia on his uniform indicated that he was a representative of Titan Industries.
They were talking quietly with Green and the others, their faces bearing meaningful smiles, and their gazes toward Emma were filled with undisguised scrutiny and amusement.
Representatives from these two giants actually appeared at Raytheon's internal board meeting.
"Director Green, Director Morton, Director Markton."
Emma's voice was as cold as frost, and her pretty face instantly turned frosty.
"Can someone explain to me why 'distinguished guests' from Universal Group and Titan Industries are present at our Thor Corporation's internal board meeting?"
Her sharp gaze swept over the two uninvited guests, and she said without any politeness:
"Outsiders are not welcome here. Please leave immediately."
Emma showed no mercy and immediately told them to leave.
As the heir to the group, Emma is also qualified to make this decision.
She realized that the other party was trying to use the two giants to put pressure on her, and Emma naturally couldn't agree to that.
The tough stance being displayed now is an attempt to control the meeting!
Unfortunately,
She was still too young; the three directors were far more shrewd than her.
A mocking smile appeared on Green's fat face. He was about to speak when Markton raised his hand to stop him.
Markton pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses, a signature gentle smile on his face, though it looked particularly fake at the moment, and he spoke with a condescending arrogance.
“Niece Emma, you can’t say that.”
“These two are important ‘allies’ of our Raytheon Corporation.”
“That’s right, allies.”
Morton chuckled sinisterly, his voice hoarse like sandpaper scraping.
"Before you returned, Raytheon had already reached cooperation agreements with Universal Group and Titan Industries."
Green finally found an opportunity to interject, eagerly boasting, "We plan to join forces with all three parties to establish a new large-scale safe zone in the 'Torance' region!"
"This is a matter of life and death for us!"
Markton picked up the conversation, his smile growing even more gentle, but the malice in his words spread like poison.
"Therefore, Mr. Vlad of Universal Group and Mr. Saron of Titan Industries naturally have the right to know about the 'latest developments' of our Raytheon Company."
"Especially about the research team you brought back, and that crucial 'key result'."
Markton clapped lightly, as if praising Emma's achievement.
“Niece Emma, you’ve really done a great job this time.”
Green offered a fake compliment, his fat face creased with wrinkles.
"The technological achievements you brought back, along with those researchers, are extremely important for our upcoming joint construction plan for the safe zone!"
"We believe that this technology should be developed jointly by the three companies, with resources shared, in order to maximize its value."
Morton spoke up, his tone leaving no room for refusal.
Vlad, the representative from the Universal Group, maintained a polite smile throughout and nodded in agreement upon hearing this.
“We have long heard of Miss Emma’s capabilities. This achievement will surely lay a solid foundation for our three-way cooperation.”
The representative from Titan Industries, Saron, succinctly stated: "We are looking forward to it."
Emma's anger was already raging like a volcano, but her expression grew colder and colder.
This technology, which they call a "key achievement," is the revolutionary new formula for "foamed ceramics" that Emma brought back after a perilous journey.
Under the eerie influence of the omnipresent dimensional energy of the apocalypse, the research team accidentally discovered a completely new trace element.
Adding an extremely small amount to traditional ceramic materials can trigger a miraculous chain reaction.
This new type of "foamed ceramic" not only perfectly solves the pollution problems that may occur during the production process of traditional building materials, but more importantly, it can be molded at an astonishing speed.
Its strength, toughness, and even its ability to block the ubiquitous radiation in a post-apocalyptic environment have been comprehensively and revolutionaryly enhanced.
Shelter facilities built with this material are not only extremely fast but also incredibly sturdy, effectively resisting attacks from dimensional monsters and the harsh effects of the apocalyptic environment.
This is the core that the three major directors, and even Universal Group and Titan Industries, truly covet!
It's also one of Emma Grace's most important trump cards!
If she were to hand over the technology, she would completely lose any chance of controlling the company.
Emma's anger was already raging like a volcano, but her expression grew colder and colder.
She took a deep breath, suppressing her turbulent emotions, and her sharp, razor-sharp gaze swept over the repulsive faces of Markton, Green, and Morton before she spoke coldly.
"Our new foamed ceramic technology is a top secret at Raytheon. At this stage, it is absolutely impossible for us to share it with anyone!"
Emma's voice wasn't loud, but it was firm and unwavering.
"in addition,"
She abruptly changed the subject, her tone turning icy as she questioned, "I'd like to know more: this operation to bring back the research team was conducted in secrecy, with only a few people able to contact us. Who... leaked the specific route of my trip and detailed information about the research team?"
"As a result, my escort team encountered several targeted ambushes on the way back, and was almost wiped out!"
"Shouldn't you give me an explanation for this first?"
With this remark,
The atmosphere in the meeting room instantly plummeted to freezing point.
The smiles on the faces of Markton, Green, and Morton froze slightly, and then they all simultaneously put on expressions of deep regret.
"Niece Emma, what are you saying?"
Green was the first to jump out, patting his chest with his fat hand, looking as if he had been greatly wronged.
“When your father, old Grace, died, he entrusted you and the company to us uncles, so naturally we support you wholeheartedly.”
"Yes! Would we ever harm you? We've watched you grow up."
"Not to mention the apocalypse. If Raytheon wants to develop in the long term, it needs allies and cooperation. The technology you brought back is certainly important, but if you refuse all cooperation because of it, that would be too arbitrary."
Morton's face darkened, his tone carrying a barely perceptible threat, "But that could put the company in danger."
"We are of course very concerned and extremely angry about the leak of your travel itinerary!"
Markton, adopting the demeanor of an elder, looked at Emma gently, a caring smile returning to his face. "The company is also investigating internally; we absolutely will not tolerate such a traitor who betrays the company!"
"We attach great importance to this matter and will never tolerate wrongdoing!"
He patted the armrest, his tone filled with undeniable certainty.
"However, don't worry about the leak, niece Emma. We've found the mole who leaked your whereabouts!"
A refined cruelty curled at the corner of Markton's lips as he clapped his hands again.
"Slap! Slap!" Mei has me, I don't have time, Lin is here, are you...?
Crisp applause echoed in the quiet conference room.
The small door on one side of the conference room was suddenly pushed open.
"Squeak-"
A strong stench of blood and a suffocating sense of oppression instantly surged out from behind the door.
A monstrous figure, so large it was deformed, slowly walked in.
It stands nearly three meters tall, its muscles bulging and taut, as hard as granite.
The skin had an eerie dark purple color and was covered with twisted blood vessels and lumps.
His eyes gleamed with an inhuman crimson light, filled with a tyrannical and bloodthirsty desire.
Around its neck was a metal control collar that flashed a faint blue indicator light, which appeared to be some kind of restraint device.
Those arms, thick as elephant legs, had sharp, black nails, like the claws of a wild beast.
now,
Its giant hand was gripping a person's head tightly, dragging him into the conference room like a dead dog.