Chapter 122
Josephine poured herself a glass of water. Just as she was about to drink, she looked at Emma upon hearing this. "Resolved?"
"Yes." Emma rested her chin on her hand, sharing the latest news. "When I came to the company this morning, all those messy posts online were gone. Even the keywords were blocked. Such swift and decisive action—I wonder who did it."
Josephine frowned slightly.
Seemed like Gideon's handiwork.
Not that it mattered much. As long as it was resolved, that was good. She didn't want her affairs publicly discussed online anyway.
There were more important matters at hand.
That strategic partnership agreement—she still hadn't given Cedric an answer. Thinking of this, Josephine irritably ruffled her hair.
"Josephine, you look terrible. Do you need to go home and rest?" Emma asked with concern.
"I'm fine, just didn't sleep well last night." Josephine waved dismissively. "Today we're testing the NGRAS prototype. I can't take leave."
NGRAS was undergoing its first complete test today. This was the first major project she was independently responsible for. Nothing could go wrong.
At two PM, Josephine entered the lab wearing a white lab coat and safety goggles.
She stood before the control panel, the screen displaying complex parameters as her fingers flew rapidly across the keyboard.
"Temperature normal, voltage stable." Kenneth stood beside her, focused intently on the monitoring screen. "Josephine, can we begin?"
"Check the safety system one more time."
Kenneth nodded. Josephine was always cautious, and he understood how to work with her.
He began checking each safety measure one by one.
Ten minutes later, everything was ready.
"Let's start." Josephine took a deep breath.
The lab fell quiet, only the soft hum of machinery running. On screen, various data points began jumping, graphs slowly unfurling.
The first ten minutes proceeded normally.
"Output voltage stable within predetermined range," Kenneth reported.
Josephine nodded. Just as she was about to breathe a sigh of relief, a piercing alarm blared through the lab.
"What's happening?" Josephine's head snapped up.
The voltage curve on screen began fluctuating violently, values skyrocketing wildly.
"Josephine, voltage out of control!" Kenneth frowned. "Cut the power."
Josephine's finger was already on the emergency cutoff button, but in that instant, she caught sight of data in the screen's corner.
NGRAS's core algorithm—once power was cut, all unsaved data would be lost.
That algorithm had taken her countless sleepless nights to perfect.
"The data!" she shouted.
That one second of hesitation—it was too late.
A loud bang.
The circuit board on the control panel's left side erupted in sparks. Other lab personnel screamed and retreated, but only Josephine remained in place.
"Watch out!" Kenneth's face changed drastically. Instinctively, he lunged to push her away.
But Josephine reacted faster.
She shoved aside a nearby colleague and positioned herself before the control panel, reaching to disconnect the data storage device.
The instant she touched the cable, electric current shot through her fingertips. The intense pain made her groan. Simultaneously, exploding circuit board fragments splashed onto her arm, burning red marks across her skin.
"Josephine!"
"Quick, call an ambulance!"
The lab descended into chaos.
Josephine clutched her injured arm, face pale, but her voice remained steady. "Kenneth, the data... did the data save?"
Kenneth was so anxious his eyes reddened. "Who cares about data at a time like this! Your hand..."
"I'm fine." Josephine gritted through the pain. "Check the data first."
Kenneth glanced at her injured arm, knowing she'd never rest easy until the data backup was confirmed intact.
"I'll go check the data backup right now. If the primary storage is damaged, I'll retrieve the backup storage. You go to the hospital first to treat your wound."
With his assurance, Josephine finally relaxed. After all, his expertise was no less than hers.
Emma immediately called for an ambulance.
The ambulance arrived quickly.
Emma accompanied her into the vehicle. In the ambulance, Josephine continued giving instructions. "Seal off the lab temporarily. Wait for me to return before proceeding. Also, don't tell Mr. Getty about this yet..."
"Someone already notified him," Emma said.
Josephine froze. "Who?"
"Lab employees. When they saw you injured, they panicked and called Mr. Getty immediately. I was busy dialing emergency services—couldn't stop them."
Josephine wanted to say something, but the continuous burning pain in her arm made her irritable.
The nurse treating her wound glared. "Your arm is seriously injured. Stop thinking about work for now. Let me treat your wound first."
Josephine fell silent.
The ambulance raced to the hospital. Emma accompanied Josephine into the emergency room.
After examination, the doctor said, "Second-degree burn on the arm. Requires debridement and bandaging. Additionally, mild electrical injury to the hand. Need to observe for nerve damage. Recommend a comprehensive examination."
Generally, electric current shock passes through the skin's surface layer into the bloodstream, potentially affecting the heart. Only after testing could they be reassured.
Emma paced anxiously nearby. "Doctor, will it scar? She..."
"Emma, I'm fine." Josephine wasn't as panicked and didn't particularly mind scarring. "Go help me with the paperwork."
"Alright, call me if you need anything."
Emma left.
After Josephine's examination, she was sent to a ward. Just as she was settled in, the door burst open.
Cedric strode in, his expression tighter than she'd ever seen. He walked to the bedside, staring at Josephine's gauze-wrapped arm. "How serious is the injury?"
"It's nothing, just a lab accident." Josephine tried to downplay it. "Minor issue. I'll be fine in a few days."
In truth, she genuinely didn't think it was serious. Doing experiments—who hadn't had accidents? This injury could be considered quite minor. Just that the burning pain persisted continuously. Even after applying medicine, the effect was minimal, which was somewhat annoying.
"Minor issue?" Cedric's voice turned frighteningly cold. "Second-degree burn, electrical injury—you call this minor?"
Josephine was somewhat surprised. "How do you know so clearly?"
"I asked the doctor." Cedric sat beside her bed, his gaze landing on her pale face, asking again, "Does it hurt?"
"A little." This time, Josephine admitted candidly.
Cedric said nothing, reaching to press the call button.
A nurse quickly entered. "Mr. Getty, what do you need?"
"Painkillers." Cedric said. "She's in pain."
The nurse glanced at Josephine, nodded, and left.
Kenneth hurriedly finished handling everything in the lab before rushing to the hospital. Reaching the ward door, he saw this scene.
Cedric sat beside Josephine's bed, head lowered, looking at her with a focus Kenneth had never witnessed before.
Josephine kept her head down, not noticing, or perhaps she was so accustomed to this dynamic that she felt no discomfort whatsoever.
Kenneth's footsteps paused at the doorway.
"Why are you standing here? Not going in?" Emma walked over. Her words immediately exposed Kenneth's presence.