"… n... t … isten… t… me."
Someone suddenly slapped his shoulder causing Nicholas to almost drop his phone.
"The boss is speaking to you." The guard behind him spoke.
Nicholas sighed before putting his phone in his pocket. He raised his head up and glanced at the guy speaking to him.
His 'boss', Chen Wei was a monument to unremarkable looking wealthy man. Mid-thirties, mid-height, with a face that seemed designed by a committee attempting to create the most forgettable man alive.
The moment his eyes made contact with Chen Wei's face that was soft around the jaw. He tried to move his gaze somewhere else, but his eyes fell on the thinning hair combed with expensive product that couldn't quite hide the truth.
Nicholas really tried to hold back his laughter. He really did.
Unfortunately, he failed.
*HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHHAAHAHAHAHAH*
Chen Wei's face immediately fell and his face turned red, "You… You really think you are better than m… us?"
"I mean if you have to ask…" Nicholas chuckled as he shrugged.
Chen Wei was going to keep going when he suddenly stopped controlling himself.
"Mr. Blackheart," Chen Wei smiled as his voice which was just as average as his face continued, "Due to ongoing budget realignment and a shortfall in departmental funding, we regret to inform you that your position has been eliminated effectively immediately."
Chen Wei paused trying to get a reaction from Nicholas but nothing.
Nicholas could have tried to pretend that he didn't expect it, but who would he be kidding.
Perhaps Chen Wei would fall for it for a few minutes, but he would soon realise the truth.
"Nothing?" Chen Wei asked after what felt like hours without any reaction from Nicholas.
"Pleeeaase… If I couldn't tell this was going to happen since the beginning of the week then I am just as dumb as you." Nicholas said nonchalantly.
"You fucking Ni…" Chen Wei opened his mouth to swear at Nicholas… thankfully his assistant cut him of just in time.
"Mr. Blackheart, Your final paycheck will include severance as outlined in your contract." She said before her boss could say any other thing. "As per company policy, all assets, intellectual property, code, documentation and any work product – complete or in progress – remain the sole property of the company… You will retain no rights, copies or derivatives."
"Come-on Miss Lin Jing… you know me well, don't you?" Nicholas winked causing her to blush slightly before she immediately returned back to her business face.
But Chen Wei caught it… of course he did. He was about to charge at Nicholas when the radio he was holding suddenly beeped.
"WHAT!!!" Chen Wei screamed into the radio.
The line stayed quiet for a few seconds before someone spoke, "Boss… there is nothing important in his lab."
Chen Wei's eyes widened as he realised the implications. His plan was to take every one of Nicholas's research before kicking him to the curb.
"Wait what about the recording of all experiments?" Chen Wei asked desperately.
"Sir... nothing." The voice answered.
Chen Wei's eyes turned blank as he realised the implications.
*HAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH*
Nicholas laughed, "Like I said Wei boy, if I hadn't seen it coming since, I would be as dumb as you."
"I guess the people you promised my research would be pissed… I doubt that will end very well for you given the type of people they are."
"What did you do?" Chen Wei asked shaking.
"I destroyed all my research in every shape and form." Nicholas didn't mind spending his precious time explaining to him, "I even killed and destroyed corpse of the test subjects."
"YOU!!!"
"Yes, me motherfucker." Nicholas laughed.
"Nicholas please tell me that you at least have a copy somewhere." Lin Jing begged.
"Oh, I do have a copy."
A sign of relieve speared on everyone's face.
"It just up here… at least whatever I can accurately remember," Nicholas said as he tapped his temple causing the relieve to vanish from everyone's face.
"You after everything we have done for you over these years this is how you repay us."
"Oh, please what did you do for me?" Nicholas asked seriously this time, "Is it the 100 thousand dollars you gave me to do my research?"
"Yes… Yes… Yes."
"Oh please, I was granted almost ten million dollars to fund my research, but I only got hundred thousand dollars… you call that helping."
"But… but you still managed to succeed." One of the other scientists standing around wanting to witness his downfall said in a shaky voice
"Exactly that just proves how much better I am than all of you." Nicholas nodded in agreement.
Nobody could argue with that, according to what they heard, this man spent the first few weeks gambling the money given to him for his research.
If the information was to be believed, he multiplied his money enough times to upgrade the entire floor where his basic lab was to a state-of-the-art lab.
The entire floor.
That would be at least a billion dollars… not to mention the annual operational costs for the last ten years.
Yes, It took him ten years to get a successful result in genetic splicing.
Last week, 10 children with special traits from different animals were revealed at the Genetic Expo.
Given all these evidences, they all shut their mouth... He was indeed better than them.
"I don't think you really destroyed your life work." Chen Wei said before raising his radio to his mouth. "Check for the subjects, we will find out enough from experimenting on them."
"Don't waste your time… just tell them to check the massive red vat… you will find their bones." Nicholas said, "Oh and be sure not to dip your hands into it, it Is very corrosive."
"Check! Check!! Check!!!" Chen Wei screamed into the radio.
He was visibly shaking as he waited for the news.
It was bad.
"Yes sir… there are several skeletons' fragments floating in the vat… I doubt they will be of any value." The voice answered
"They wouldn't be… the DNA strands will be so damaged that you will be chasing your tails for years to come." Nicholas laughed even louder. "You all might as well continue your own research instead of trying to piggyback of mine."
"You fucking bastard… you destroyed everything."
Before anyone could stop him, Chen Wei charged at Nicholas trying to tackle him.
But Nicholas expected this.
He sidestepped smoothly allowing Chen Wei's momentum to carry him forward, arms outstretched with fingers clutching at nothing.
But Nicholas did not just let him fly by.
He grabbed him by his collar and pulled him back with his left hand. His right hand reached into his back pocket and drew a scalpel.
It was a No. 10 blade – curved and sharp enough to cut a single strand of DNA let alone flesh.
His fingers were curled around the handle in the perfect form with his thumb resting on the handle with the blade angled downward.
Chen Wei started to turn, his mouth opening perhaps to shout, perhaps to curse again.
But before he could, Nicholas brought the scalpel down in a short, surgical arc.
The blade found the gap between C5 and C6 in Chen Wei's spine without resistance.
He knew it by touch – the subtle dip in the midline just above the clavicles, where the spinous processes parted like curtains.
The scalpel slid through skin, through the supraspinous ligament, then the ligamentum flavum gave way with a faint pop that transmitted up the handle.
The dura mater was next – a thin, pearlescent membrane that parted like wet silk.
Then the spinal cord.
Nicholas did not hesitate. He swept the blade laterally in a single, practiced motion from left to right completing the transection in less than a second.
He felt the cord separate… a clean cut that made sure there was no chance for regeneration or recovery with the current level of technology.
He withdrew the scalpel in the same motion, and he calmly took one step back.