Could Vill-V possibly still have some hidden trump card?
No, no, no. Being able to turn the Chicago Prison into a mobile battleship certainly proved Vill-V possessed extraordinary engineering talent. But within MOTH, even a dragon had to kneel before power and resources.
Take Dr. Mobius for example. Even as one of the era's top geniuses, did she not still have to bow and scrape before her investors?
As for Vill-V, Dr. Edison did in fact appreciate her talent and technical skill.
Once this wager concluded, he would not let her slip away so easily. Without Dr. Newton's support, she would never rise again under his suppression—unless she left MOTH like Dr. Tesla had done, or chose to work for him instead.
This was Dr. Edison's highest form of respect for a genius.
This was the cruel battlefield of the adult world. Not something that talent and dreams alone could overcome.
Young and naive prodigy... allow me, Edison, as one who has walked this road before you, to teach you this lesson—just as I did for Tesla.
Edison was extremely confident in his methods. After all, they had always worked. Even Tesla, a genius equal to himself, had fallen into his hands. This trickster who favored unconventional schemes would ultimately be no match for him and the greater tide standing behind him.
"Hmph. Tomorrow it is. I hope you can still smile then!"
...
The MOTH transport vessel docked at the isolated P-21 Island. Sunlight poured through the blue sky, casting a golden halo across the beach.
Just as on previous visits, the sand and coconut trees remained, their shadows gently swaying in the sea breeze, serene as ever.
And yet... there was a faint sense of discord.
A troop of monkeys frolicked in the grass, curiously watching the group disembark from the transport ship, as though expecting them to bring something novel again. Their eyes gleamed as their tiny hands fiddled with broken chips.
"I say, hurry it up! Conduct the inspection of The Deep End prison already. I still have to attend the ball Elysia is hosting this afternoon."
Vill-V stood with her hands on her hips, rising on her toes, urging the inspection personnel inside the transport ship with an impatient expression.
The inspectors paid her no mind. She was nothing more than a small-time researcher who had gotten in through Dr. Newton's backdoor connections—no, not even officially a researcher. What right did she have to order them around?
As engineering inspectors, they were all bona fide senior researchers at the level of laboratory section chiefs. In terms of authority, they even outranked most department heads, since they could audit and approve minister-level engineering projects.
"Yes, yes, we're already inspecting," one of them replied perfunctorily. If not for the two ministers watching nearby, these arrogant men might even have mocked Vill-V a little.
They had come to inspect a so-called world-class prison named [The Deep End]—yet there was absolutely nothing on this beach.
What exactly were they supposed to inspect?
Scan the air with a structural scanner?
Use computers to detect prison control systems that did not even exist?
Forget it. They would just treat this as a one-day vacation.
Dr. Mei had accompanied Dr. Newton here as well. It was her first time visiting this secret island concealed by MOTH.
She glanced around and said, "It doesn't seem particularly special. If there's anything unusual, it's just the absence of normal tourists. Dr. Newton, what do you think?"
Newton lifted her boots in both hands and spun lightly barefoot on the soft sand. The breeze brushed through her long hair, curiosity sparkling in her eyes. "Oh, I think this island is great. We can come here to gather seafood more often in the future. If there were a villa, the three of us could even vacation here."
Dr. Mei pressed a hand to her forehead and shook her head.
Dr. Newton truly was beyond saving...
Dr. Mei's question had not merely been about the island itself. What she was really referring to was the force behind the island. The so-called "absence of normal tourists" was directed at these very people.
Although the prison officially had nothing to do with upper management, because of the wager, this island had drawn considerable attention.
If the Engineering Department had actually sent personnel to build a prison here, this place would likely have become a battlefield—open conflict, espionage within espionage.
Fortunately, Vill-V had made no move whatsoever to build a prison here, leaving those eager schemers with no way to act.
With zero construction progress on the prison, how could they possibly gather intelligence or sabotage anything?
At most, they could admire the scenery and wildlife, plant a few mines, dig a few holes, or deploy some sabotage robots.
The earlier sense of discord within the jungle shadows stemmed from MOTH's landmines. The chips in the monkeys' hands were the wreckage of MOTH robots.
Aside from on-site sabotage, hidden factions within the MOTH base had also orchestrated numerous schemes.
To help Vill-V resolve these issues unrelated to actually constructing the prison, Dr. Mei had mobilized significant connections and resources from Dr. Newton's laboratory, in addition to the external assistance of Dr. Mobius, and managed to settle everything.
Yet Dr. Newton, the hands-off shopkeeper, seemed utterly unconcerned. This left Dr. Mei's back aching more and more. It seemed Dr. Newton intended to shirk responsibility to the very end.
And most importantly, Dr. Mei no longer even had time to spend with Kevin.
She needed to devise a plan to make Dr. Newton properly fulfill her duties as head of the Engineering Department!
This was precisely why Dr. Mobius had sensed that Dr. Mei was planning something big recently. She had mistaken it for an attempt to seize power and replace her mentor, Dr. Newton.
"Heave-ho—come help out! Set up the prefab container house!"
Vill-V waved her arms as she directed the Engineering Department's soldiers to haul a massive container onto the muddy ground.
These MOTH engineering soldiers were truly lazy. If no one urged them, they would not even move.
Dr. Newton had been far too lax in her management. Once they returned, Vill-V would whisper a few words in Newton's ear and have these soldiers assigned some overtime.
"What is this?" Dr. Edison looked at Vill-V with bewilderment as she assembled the container structure. It was clearly nothing more than a flimsy temporary shelter. A single kick might punch a hole straight through it.
Pointing at the container, Dr. Edison patted his belly and burst into laughter. "Hahaha, Vill-V! Don't tell me you're claiming this is the inescapable prison? Very much your style."
Vill-V patted an upright wooden board. "Of course not. It wouldn't be good if the prisoners caught a cold from the rain. This is just for them to take shelter."
Faced with such unconventional thinking, Edison grew impatient. "Enough, enough. Hurry up and present your so-called inescapable prison—[The Deep End]."
"Present it? It's right here," Vill-V replied, looking somewhat puzzled. "P-21 Island. And according to the wager, I'm inside the prison now as well."
Edison pulled out the agreement annex and pointed at several clauses. "Are you joking with me? You're saying this place is inescapable?"
"Where is the prison here? There's not even a single wall!"