Chapter 1953

Rhea glanced at Mike's hands and exclaimed coldly, "Get your hands off me!" Her smile vanished, replaced by a fierce expression. Mike loosened his grip, but didn't release her.

"Rhea, what's the experiment's final step? Haven't we completed it?" He glanced subconsciously at the computer screen. He couldn't decipher the data, but understood its general nature. "Doesn't the data indicate success? Why would you and Lily claim it worked if it didn't?"

Rhea followed his gaze to the screen, chuckling. "Do you think the experiment is about creating the product?"

"It's not?"

Mike noticed her cold stare at his hands and quickly released her, softening his tone. "I'd like to know exactly what you're talking about."

"Must I tell you? We're not exactly on good terms, are we?" Rhea asked.

Mike knew their relationship was strained, bordering on adversarial. Yet, he sensed no genuine animosity between them. Their fates, however, hung precariously in the balance given the experiment's progress. They had been with the organization a long time, yet had never met the true leaders and had no idea how to contact them. Their importance to the organization, and even their survival, remained uncertain.

"Rhea," Mike said thoughtfully, "Whatever Rick's reason for taking Lily, he didn't want us to know. We're insignificant to the organization. You're capable, and I know you're not afraid of dying, but if you die, you won't wow the world with your future experiments." He paused, looking at her. "You also won't be able to surpass Lily."

He knew Rhea well. While she didn't fear death, everyone cherished something. His son was his priority; for Rhea, it was her ambition to achieve world renown for her experiments. Therefore, the thought of dying a nobody would be devastating.

As Mike suspected, Rhea's expression darkened.

"Rhea, you might not be as naturally gifted as Lily, but you can outperform her through hard work. Besides, if she dies, surpassing her becomes even more attainable if you dedicate yourself to it," Mike continued, attempting to persuade her. "However, if the organization deems us expendable and kills us, you'd lose that chance, wouldn't you?"

Rhea stared ahead thoughtfully. "Rhea..." Mike tried to push her further, but she exploded.

"Enough! What's the point of provoking me?"

Mike chuckled, surprised. "I'm not. I'm simply reminding you of a fact. Unless, of course, you believe you'll never surpass Lily. As I said, hard work is no substitute for genuine talent."

"Bullshit!" Rhea snapped. "I'll prove hard work does matter! So what if Lily is gifted? I'm talented too, okay? She just got lucky. Besides, she'll become a vessel for the experiment soon!"

"A vessel?"