"Smart." A trace of appreciation flickered in Rogue's eyes as he lit a cigarette and leaned against the sofa back.
"Why didn't you take this job?" Mercer pressed on.
Rogue calmly replied, "Because I thought this assignment would definitely be troublesome—perhaps I was wrong? Maybe you'd like to elaborate?"
"...Looks like Military Science is doomed this time."
Mercer suddenly figured some things out.
No wonder the biotechnology department only sent one Behemoth to transport the drugs, even though the vehicle had already had an accident. The nighttime security for the building was only slightly tightened.
And there was a deputy director so coincidentally present in the office... Ah, Joanna, this woman is really something!
At this moment, after being pointed out by Rogue, Mercer roughly guessed the truth of the matter.
Joanna first used the news of developing an immune agent to propose cooperation with Military Science, and Mercer speculated that the collaboration was already close to being finalized at this point.
In order to ensure that they were not deceived in this collaboration, Military Science sought out someone seemingly unrelated to them to steal data related to the agent from the Biotechnology Building.
Military Science wanted to verify the efficacy of the immune agent claimed by Joanna through the stolen information!
Joanna might even have an informant in Military Science who told her of their plans in advance. That's why she made such a show of using the conspicuous Behemoth Armored Vehicle to transport drugs, moving at the same time and route every week.
She deliberately let Military Science seize the items!
Mercer's thoughtful expression led Rogue to guess, "Is there a trap behind this job?"
"According to the technical director I offed, the viruses they're testing drugs on this time are ones they're very confident in resolving, and the experiments have been very successful. This means that, though the data for the immune agent is currently all true,
I suspect that the subsequent development of this agent's immune effects against other viruses is a big unknown.
Nevertheless, as long as Military Science sees the current data, and as long as Joanna's presentation is good, they'll probably still think this project has great potential."
Unless there is someone trustworthy enough to stand up and tell Military Science that this is a trap...
Mercer trailed off into silence, lapsing into thought. Once he grasped the key point, he immediately sent a message to Diana.
[?: Dr. Kuno, I suspect that this theft at the Biotechnology Building, including your being in the office that night, could all be Joanna's doing.
She might be trying to eliminate you, her competitor, with one fell swoop—I advise you to be more cautious in your actions.]
[Diana: What do you mean? Are you saying... damn, how could she do this? She used to be my student!
I understand; I'll handle this carefully. Your message is timely; otherwise, if I found out something was wrong during an internal meeting, it could cause trouble.
Can you hold off on releasing the dirt? I mean, including things like poisoning the town.
I need to find some reliable people to release the dirt at the right time, and pin her to this case, to have a chance to bring her down.
Also, I must find a way to replace her in contacting Military Science. I'm the main developer of the immune agent. Even if it's just for the further development of the agent, the people at Military Science will help me take care of her.
Mysterious sir, please, I will apply to headquarters for the things you want as soon as possible, but all of this is predicated on my staying in position. If Joanna brings me down, there's nothing to discuss.]
[?: I want to know if your immune agent is reliable at all. Is the further development a scam or a real possibility?]
[Diana: The development of the agent itself is a matter of luck and skill...]
[?: Honestly, if I find out you're deceiving me, I'd rather the one who deceives me be the first to die.]
[Diana: Okay, looking at the current data, the immune agent actually seems more like a vaccine for certain special viruses. To achieve what we call 'invulnerability to all poisons' currently, we haven't found a direction yet.]
[?: So you're using vaccine development methods to create a product disguised as a panacea, duping Military Science into funding it?]
[Diana: It's not exactly like that. The essence of drug development is chemical 'alchemy'. Who knows, maybe someday it will just work out.]
[?: Hmm, like breakthroughs in materials science, relying entirely on trial and error, waiting for luck to arrive?]
[Diana: Um... Anyway, can you help me?]
[?: I'll keep it a secret for now, but you must inform me before you release Joanna's dirt.]
[Diana: No problem!]
Mercer ended the communication and casually downloaded the conversation record.
Only then did Rogue slowly exhale a cloud of smoke: "Seems like I helped you out a little again?"
"Sort of. Without your reminder about Military Science, I probably wouldn't have figured out the key point so quickly."
Mercer nodded.
Rogue looked at him meaningfully: "Who were you messaging, someone from the company?"
"Diana Kuno, the deputy director of biotechnology at the same level as Joanna, also the unlucky person working overtime in the office when I was stealing data.
I bet Joanna is sipping champagne, waiting for news of Diana's downfall. Unfortunately for her, she underestimated Diana's capabilities.