However, at that moment, the short figure seemed to realize this and quickly turned around. "How was it this time?" His voice was sharp and piercing.

His sudden turn made the shadow stop, its hand hanging mid-air. After a pause, the shadow replied, "It has improved from the last time."

"Hmph!" The short man snorted twice, then laughed. "You say that every time, but I haven't seen an improvement until today. Sometimes, I wonder if my illness is too hard to cure, or if you're just too stupid!" The dark shadow didn't attempt to defend itself against such rudeness, merely lowering its head.

Glancing coldly at the shadow, the man turned and shrugged off his cloth, exposing one arm. "There!"

He snorted as the black shadow stepped forward, disinfecting his arm before inserting the needle. As the liquid was injected, he maintained a calm, slightly frowning expression. A second later, the syringe was withdrawn.

"Huff..." He sighed with relief, stood up, and calmly replaced his sleeve.

Seeing the black shadow turn to pack its things, the man sat back, curling his lips. "Lily will be coming tomorrow morning to join us in the department! Are you afraid?"

The black shadow paused momentarily before resuming its work. Its voice was filled with indifference and disdain. "Although I don't understand why the organization is so desperate to acquire her, I still respect the organization's decision."

"Are you displeased?" The man raised his eyebrows, smirking. "But you didn't showcase your skill to prove your superiority."

"I thought the finished product I contributed was sufficient to demonstrate my ability. Boss, you know I'm more loyal to this organization than anyone else." The shadow turned, revealing half its body in the light.

"Loyalty is useless without skills! Loyalty is intangible and the least valuable asset!" He shook his head, disapproving. "The most important thing is one's strength and ability! You should know that!"

"I do, but I simply don't believe Lily is more capable than I am!" The shadow raised its chin slightly, refusing to concede defeat.

"She isn't as capable as you?" The man smiled, gently rubbing his chin. "But she found the counter to the viruses you've been creating. I heard the plague in Burnwken didn't spread to Hyderland due to the antidote she developed."

"The reason it didn't spread in Hyderland is that it was contained. The news spread quickly, minimizing panic. To attribute all this to Lily is to overestimate her." The shadow hummed, disdainfully.

"Indeed, it's not entirely her, but she did find a way to counter the virus you've been developing for years in just over a month. Isn't that right?" The man leaned back, resting his hands on the armrests. He sighed. "The organization did consider keeping you, but your performance has been too disappointing. The integration isn't good enough, and the latest version is still unsuccessful. Up until now, I've been taking the bullets for you. You even faked your death to escape. Tell me, why should the organization keep you? How will you convince me that you're better than Lily?"

After a pause, his eyes flickered, settling on her gloomy face. "Isn't that right, Rhea?"

In the halo of yellow light, Rhea looked sinister and strange.