Chapter 7
Diana's eyes lit up instantly. She rushed over and grabbed Reginald's arm, her voice barely containing her excitement. "Reginald! You're finally here!"
Reginald lowered his gaze to her face, his brow furrowing almost imperceptibly.
He didn't speak. He simply withdrew his arm and looked past her to the sealed airtight door.
Through the glass, the scene inside the central chamber was clearly visible.
A woman stood at the control console, her back to everyone, fingers dancing across the keyboard. Dwight crouched beside the malfunctioning centrifuge, head bent in inspection.
Diana immediately spoke. "Reginald, it's her! Some wild nobody who came out of nowhere barged in! And Mr. Mitchell—I don't know what spell she cast on him, but he's actually following her orders! Quick, have someone open the door and get my father out!"
Reginald's gaze settled on that cool figure through the glass. His eyes darkened.
He said nothing. He lifted his foot and walked toward the airtight door, his overcoat hem swaying with his stride, his entire presence radiating an oppressive force no one dared meet directly.
The corridor fell instantly silent. Elowen stood before the door, face deathly pale, but still gritting her teeth to block the way.
Reginald's gaze fell on her face. One look, and Elowen's legs went weak.
She'd never seen such eyes. Just a casual glance, yet it made her feel like an ant that could be crushed at any moment.
She instinctively stepped back. Nothing blocked the airtight door now.
Reginald raised his hand, about to press the open button, when a voice came from behind. "Wait."
He turned to see a middle-aged man in a dark gray suit striding forward quickly, eyes behind his glasses fixed intently on the scene through the glass, his face betraying barely concealed shock.
Someone recognized him.
Paxton Brooks, Reginald's chief technology officer. A top expert in the Lancaster Group's medical division.
At this moment, he looked like he'd discovered something extraordinary. He rushed to the glass window, face nearly pressed against it, voice trembling. "That technique... look at that technique!"
Everyone turned to the glass window simultaneously.
Inside the central chamber, Lucinda's fingers continued dancing across the keyboard, strings of commands inputting rapidly on screen, the mechanical arm moving with precision.
Reginald's gaze fell on those hands. Beautiful. Under the lights, they gleamed like porcelain. Slender, elegant fingers moving at a startling speed, each keystroke landing with precision as if calculated countless times.
A faint light flickered in his eyes.
He'd navigated the business world for years and met countless geniuses. But no one like this—maintaining such composure at a life-or-death moment, amid everyone's panicked screaming, executing operations like these.
"She's remotely debugging the equipment's control system!"
Paxton's voice rose. "Look at this code! She's reconstructing the entire control logic! This is impossible. Absolutely impossible!"
Everyone froze.
That equipment was the Lancaster Group's medical flagship product. The control system had taken their team three years to develop, with absurd complexity. When problems arose, they'd spent two months troubleshooting and found nothing.
Now, this woman, while treating a patient, had reconstructed their system?
Paxton pointed at the screen, his finger trembling. "Every step is terrifyingly precise! Mr. Lancaster, the problem that's plagued us for half a year—she's solved it!"
The corridor fell silent enough to hear a pin drop.
Diana's mouth opened and closed. No words came out.
Reginald's gaze remained fixed on that silhouette, his eyes growing darker and darker.
Just then, the operations in the central chamber stopped.
Lucinda straightened and walked to the isolation chamber. She picked up the freshly prepared inhibitor and injected it into Barney.
Clean, efficient movements. Seamless.
Ten seconds later, Barney's heart rate on screen began falling. Blood oxygen began climbing.
Inside the isolation chamber, Barney's eyelids fluttered. He opened his eyes, gaze somewhat unfocused, but quickly centering on the young woman standing before him. "You saved me?"
Lucinda's lips curved slightly. "Rest for two days. You'll be good as new."
Barney's eyes reddened. He nodded firmly.
Outside the central chamber, everyone stared at the scene in stunned silence.
Success. Real success!
Diana stood frozen, her expression spectacular.
Shock, disbelief, unwillingness—all finally melting into blank emptiness.
"Open the door." Reginald's gaze remained on that cool silhouette, the amazement in his eyes already hidden, replaced by deeper scrutiny.
The airtight door opened. Lucinda walked out, Dwight following behind, face showing barely suppressed excitement. "Boss, that reconstruction approach you just used—if we wrote it up as a paper, it would definitely make a top journal!"
Lucinda didn't break stride. "Go organize today's operations into a report. Submit it to me tomorrow."
Dwight's smile froze instantly on his face. "Tomorrow? Boss, today's case was so complex—organizing it will take at least an all-nighter!"
Lucinda glanced at him. "Problem?"
Dwight immediately shook his head. "No problem! I guarantee it'll be submitted on time tomorrow!"
The crowd swarmed into the central chamber.
The screen still displayed the final operational data. One researcher stared at it, voice trembling. "I've never seen this formula ratio before, but the data... it actually works!"
Paxton crouched by the repaired centrifuge and checked it several times. Finally he stood and looked at Reginald, voice betraying undisguised excitement. "Mr. Lancaster, it's completely fixed. More than fixed—she optimized the control system. Operating efficiency is improved by at least thirty percent over the original."
Reginald's gaze fell on the figure already at the doorway.
Paxton lowered his voice. "That woman... if we could invite her to our research facility, those projects that have been stuck for half a year might..."
He didn't finish, but his meaning was clear.
Reginald lifted his foot and walked out.
In the corridor, Lucinda was about to leave when a low voice came from behind. "Please wait."
She stopped and turned around.
The man stood before her, tall and imposing, his entire presence radiating the aura of long-held authority.
"Reginald Lancaster."
He introduced himself first.
Lucinda looked at him.
Earlier in the central chamber, she'd been focused on operations and hadn't looked carefully.
Now, standing face to face, she could see his features clearly.
Deep-set eyes, a prominent nose, features handsome as if meticulously sculpted.
Very handsome.
She reached that conclusion internally.
"Thank you for today." Reginald's voice was low. "You saved my uncle's life."
Lucinda didn't respond. She simply watched him.
"Also, regarding that equipment problem—our team spent two months investigating and couldn't find the cause." He paused. "Your repair was tremendously helpful."
Lucinda's lips curved slightly. "Just something I did in passing."
A faint smile flickered in Reginald's eyes. "Our group has a research facility in the west district. Several projects are currently stuck at technical bottlenecks. If you're available, I'd like to invite you to take a look. Name your salary."
Lucinda raised her eyes and met his gaze.
"No."
One word. Clean and decisive.
Diana had just emerged from the central chamber and caught that response. Her eyes widened instantly. "You won't go?"
She rushed over, voice shrill. "Do you know who he is? Head of the Lancaster Group. The world's richest man! He's inviting you because he thinks highly of you. What's with your attitude?"
Lucinda didn't look at her. Her gaze remained fixed on Reginald's face.
Reginald raised his hand, stopping Diana.
"Go check on your father." His voice was even.
Diana opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but ultimately just glared viciously at Lucinda before turning and entering the central chamber.
The corridor grew quiet.
Reginald looked at the young woman before him. His eyes flickered slightly.
"Earlier, I was inconsiderate."
His tone remained even, but somehow carried more seriousness than before. "You work here. There's certainly no need to go there. However—"
He pulled a business card from his pocket and held it out. "I have some technical questions I'd like to consult you about. Would it be convenient to exchange contact information?"
Lucinda lowered her gaze to the card.
Pure black surface. Just a name and a string of numbers. No title, no company logo.
She sensed his gaze resting on her—not heavy, not light, but impossible to shake.
She raised her eyes and met his gaze. He didn't dodge or deflect.
Three seconds later, she took the card.
"Sure."
Reginald's lips curved in the faintest smile.