Dr. Newton revealed an expression that was unexpected yet somehow reasonable—like something incredibly impressive had just happened, though she had no idea exactly what made it so impressive. But it had to be impressive.
Dr. Mei, on the other hand, quietly watched everything unfold. She neither intervened nor offered any meaningful suggestions. After all, speaking up might disrupt Vill-V's arrangement. When one cannot see through the situation, silence is the wisest choice.
Once Dr. Edison finally realized the other side had taken the bait, his eyes widened in delight. Holding the agreement, he applauded. "Good! Hahaha! Ah, Miss Vill-V truly is a straightforward person! As expected of the greatest prison escapee of this century!—"
He did not get to finish his praise before Vill-V cut him off and seized the initiative.
"Enough nonsense. Hand it over already. Let's sign and get off work."
Vill-V was so impatient she was practically demanding the agreement from Edison. The eagerness in her manner resembled a child begging for candy, showing not the slightest concern that the two documents were overwhelmingly unfair contracts against her side.
"Hm. Of course." Dr. Edison revealed a smile of triumph and handed over the documents. He was not worried that Vill-V would tear them up. They were not paper, but flexible screens.
Both agreements were electronic documents stored online. Even if Vill-V ripped apart the flexible displays, the data had backups. On the contrary, she would simply be fined for damaging public property.
Through her drowsy eyes, Vill-V skimmed the content. It was indeed exactly what Edison had described—except that the clause originally stating "lock Dr. Mei in prison" had been revised to "lock Vill-V in prison."
Because the documents were stored online, their revision history was accessible, allowing Vill-V to see the earlier versions. The very first proposal had astonishingly read: "lock Dr. Newton in prison."...
Sending the Minister of Engineering of MOTH to prison—Vill-V had to admire the upper echelons for even conceiving such an idea. Presumably, after calming down from their initial fury, they realized how outrageous it was and settled for Dr. Mei instead.
After all, it was common knowledge that Dr. Mei and Dr. Newton were close. Newton would never ignore Mei's predicament.
Damn it. Why does Dr. Newton get to be close to so many people? I want to snuggle up to Dr. Mei and Dr. Mobius too!
After the Conductor confirmed that there were no hidden traps within the wager agreement, she passed it to Newton. Newton did not even bother reading it. She decisively pressed her handprint onto the screen without hesitation, utterly unconcerned about whether Vill-V's words were true.
Vill-V would never screw her over—there was no need to worry. At worst, she would simply relinquish her position as Minister of Engineering and return home in glory to farm the fields. Hehe.
Dr. Mobius watched as Dr. Newton, who had looked so troubled just moments ago, now cheerfully signed what was practically a contract of indenture. Her lips twitched slightly. She could not help but regret staying late to support Newton—she might as well have gone back to play with Klein instead.
Still, this was Newton's laboratory's affair. There was no need for an outsider like her to overthink it.
Dr. Mobius draped her white coat over her arm. As she brushed past Vill-V, she leaned close and murmured a few quiet reminders before leaving the conference room.
Yes—though Dr. Mobius claimed not to be concerned, she still spoke up in the end... Vill-V was touched.
"Excellent!"
The moment Dr. Newton lifted her stylus, Edison impatiently snatched the agreement from her hands, leaving no opportunity for second thoughts.
He clutched the document bearing the handprints tightly to his chest. The light gleaming in his eyes made his excitement obvious to anyone.
Dr. Mei looked at the master and disciple giggling after signing the agreement, unable to fully comprehend their confidence. Even by her reasoning, she could not see how Vill-V could break the deadlock of this wager.
The only possible loophole lay in the fact that Vill-V was not a prisoner. Yet regardless of whether she was officially classified as one, once locked up, she would be treated the same. In truth, that was no loophole at all.
Vill-V yawned again sleepily. "Let's get off work already. Look at the time. It's eleven. Even the Abyss settlement time has passed."
For this Vill-V who had "helped" him, Edison's tone became much more courteous. "Of course. As you wish."
"Yes, yes, off work! Off work!" Dr. Newton was equally delighted. When it came to leaving work, both sides were in rare agreement.
Dr. Mei could not quite decide how to feel about the casual attitudes of the two she followed. She could only hope that Vill-V truly had a plan, rather than simply rushing to clock out and handling matters perfunctorily...
...
After signing the "wager agreement," Edison naturally began his obstruction.
Do not think that just because the wager seemed flawless, Dr. Edison would relax his guard.
Only if Vill-V failed to build a prison capable of confining herself would he truly achieve his objective—reclaiming Dr. Newton's ministerial seat.
And as Minister of the Energy Department, Edison possessed plenty of means to hinder them.
The Energy Department did not merely oversee energy systems. Many engineering materials related to energy were also under its control—such as anti-erosion materials and secondary-grade soulium used in constructing Honkai reactors, as well as conductive and insulating materials required for building power grids.
Naturally, Edison would not allocate any reserve resources to Vill-V.
Want engineering materials? Go beg for them from society yourself.
Without those materials, relying solely on the Engineering Department's own reserves would at best produce an ancient-style prison devoid of electrical facilities. Without an energy supply, there would be no power grids, no surveillance, no mechanisms—nothing.
Without anti-erosion materials, the prison would simply become a paradise for zombies.
The Engineering Department did have the capability to manufacture materials independently. However, getting factories to immediately produce sufficient quantities for prison construction would likely take at least two months.
And complete it within a year? The Deep Blue Vortex undersea prison had taken three full years to build. What kind of shoddy construction would a rushed one-year project become?
Thus, Dr. Edison was brimming with confidence. From every angle, Newton's side appeared locked in a dead game. All he had to do was wait for the triumphant conclusion a year later.
Sitting smugly in his office, Edison received a notification from his assistant on his computer:
"Dr. Edison, Miss Vill-V has applied for funding to conduct an inspection visit to the Chicago City Prison in North America. She says she wishes to 'walk through the long night and ignite a glimmer of light for the newborn dawn.'"
What? The project's chief designer Vill-V wanted to go inspect a prison in Chicago?
That was good news!
Edison nodded in satisfaction. Truly a pig teammate on Newton's side.
"No problem. Whatever she requires in Chicago—approve it as long as it's under ten billion. Better yet, if she ends up like Dr. Tesla and refuses to leave Chicago, that would be even better! Hahaha."