After searching for a short while, Shalltear quickly spotted a wizard in formal attire through a lit window. This man had a goatee, looked to be around fifty or sixty years old, and appeared to be in good spirits. He was currently seated at an office desk, with an empty meal tray beside him, engrossed in some documents.
Shalltear's luck was exceptionally good. Perhaps because of the strict defenses around the breeding base, the people inside were not as vigilant as they might have been. Not only were there no protective magic spells set up inside the rooms, but the window of this particular room was left open. This allowed Shalltear to openly eavesdrop. She knew the person was an important figure at the breeding base, so she was sure to gain more information from him.
Without much hesitation, she released the last monitoring spider she had, carefully controlling it to move through the window into the room. She found a hidden corner with a clear view and deployed it there. Just as she finished all of this, a knock sounded at the office door.
"Come in!" an authoritative yet gentle voice came from Milan Claremont, who was seated at the desk.
"Mr. Clement, I apologize for disturbing you so late." Jason, who had gently opened the door, held the doorknob with one hand and respectfully placed the other on his chest, greeting him with a hesitant voice. Due to his apprehension, he did not immediately step into the room.
"Ah, Jason, it's you. Come in and sit down. I apologize, I just finished dinner, so the room is a bit messy." Clement recognized Jason at a glance and greeted him warmly.
"Thank you, Mr. Clement." Jason evidently relaxed after hearing Clement's greeting, then walked into the room with quick, short steps.
"Sit down, sit down. You're an old employee of the park, don't always be so reserved." Clement smiled and gestured to the chair in front of him, then got up and walked to the wine cabinet beside the desk, turning to face Jason. "Whiskey?"
"Uh, yes, Mr. Clement." Jason nodded reservedly after sitting down. It seemed Mr. Clement was in a good mood, and he wondered if he would grant his request.
"What's wrong, Jason? You don't look so good right now. Are you troubled by something? I remember you've always been diligent and hardworking since you came to the park. For you to specifically come to me today, I imagine it must be something special." After handing the glass to Jason, Clement spoke in a gentle voice. He was sensitive to human affairs and immediately saw Jason's predicament; clearly, he had something embarrassing he wanted to say.
Did he want a salary advance? Or did he want to ask for leave? Could it be that someone in the team had a dispute and he came to complain? Clement quickly ran through a few possible scenarios in his mind, then looked at Jason with composure. He was always generous to diligent, conscientious subordinates like him.
"Ah, indeed. Today, our Maintenance Team's Second Squad encountered an accident while dealing with an enraged Ukrainian Ironbelly." Jason sighed sadly. "Jimmy and another member of our team were seriously injured because of it and are still in the hospital."
"Is that so?" Clement immediately put on a worried expression. "How are they doing now? Are their lives in danger?"
"Jimmy's upper body was burned by the Ukrainian Ironbelly, and others suffered scratches to varying degrees. The bloodstains on me are theirs," Jason sighed wistfully.
"Oh my, I hadn't had a chance to read today's briefing. I didn't expect something like this to happen." Clement also showed a sad expression. "If needed, I can arrange a unified vacation for your squad so you can spend that time with your team members."
Jason immediately shook his head. "Thank you for your generosity, Mr. Clement, but what I want to talk to you about is not this. The remaining members of our team are still in good condition and can continue to work."
"Oh? In that case, what exactly do you want to see me about?" Clement raised an eyebrow curiously, then reassured him. "If you're worried about their condition, I can assure you they will receive the best care, and the park will cover the treatment costs."
"I don't doubt that. After all, it's not our first time getting injured, and the doctors in the park always manage to get us back on our feet." Jason shook his head again, then looked at Clement seriously. "Mr. Clement, what I want to suggest is... could we equip the members of our Maintenance Team with some protective gear? After all, you've seen how dangerous it is to deal with these magical creatures; it's no less dangerous than patrolling outside."
Jason suggested this hesitantly. He had initially promised the team members that he would talk to Clement in the morning, but it was more of a perfunctory gesture. He was an honest, law-abiding wizard and didn't dare to face a big shot like Clement. But after an accident occurred later during the maintenance of the Ironbelly's enclosure—where the dragon went completely mad and almost burst out of Shed 36—Jason realized how close they were to danger.
"You mean those Tactical Vests?" Clement immediately realized what Jason was referring to.
"Exactly. That equipment would allow everyone to work in a safer environment." Seeing Clement understand so quickly, Jason immediately nodded with a smile.
"Is this your personal opinion? Or is it a collective idea?" Clement did not immediately give an answer, merely asking with a calm expression.
"This... everyone thinks so, Mr. Clement. Compared to the Patrol Team, we, the Maintenance Team, face danger more frequently." Jason saw that Clement did not directly refuse, and feeling that there might be a chance, he spoke sincerely.
"I see." Clement nodded but still did not give a direct answer. Instead, he pressed on. "Regarding these Tactical Vests, I should have told you during our meeting to keep them secret from your subordinates. How would your team members know about the function of this item?"
Upon hearing Clement's question, Jason immediately distanced himself. "Mr. Clement, I wouldn't dare disobey your orders. The reason my team members know about the Tactical Vests is... because of Matthew. He's the one who told everyone."
Jason did not hesitate when faced with Clement's questioning, directly selling out Matthew.
"Matthew?" Clement frowned. It was that kid again. Hearing that his nephew was causing trouble for him again, he was immediately furious. He didn't doubt that Jason would lie to him; this squad leader was known as an honest man. However, those Tactical Vests were not easy to acquire. The last time the adults from the club distributed them, he had to go through a great deal of effort, snatching one extra set from between the teeth of the other two parks. There weren't that many to distribute.
"So, those lower-level employees already know about the Tactical Vests now?" Clement felt somewhat annoyed. Tactical Vests were good things; they could directly strengthen the park's capabilities but could also cause unnecessary conflicts. He had repeatedly warned these middle managers to keep it a secret, but who knew the problem would come from that idiot Matthew? Clement was already regretting promising his sister he would take care of her son.
At this moment, Jason, seeing Clement constantly asking questions, honestly replied, "I think so, but this morning only a few of my team members knew. I've already told them to keep their mouths shut and not spread rumors, but I can't be sure about Matthew."
"Alright, I understand." Clement knew from his words how futile keeping their mouths shut was. By now, the news might have already spread throughout the entire park. Thinking of this, Clement frowned with worry, then immediately softened his expression and looked at Jason. "Jason, I fully understand your thoughts, and I am very pleased that you care for your teammates so much and personally came to speak for them. However..."
Clement paused, his expression becoming sincere. "I hope you can understand my difficulties. Although the park is developing well now, to put it plainly, we are just working for those big companies, helping them raise magical creatures. The funds are limited after all, and those Tactical Vests cannot be bought on the market. This is a benefit provided to us by our superior organization out of consideration, and the current quantity is not much, so..."
Clement expressed his predicament subtly. Meanwhile, Shalltear, who was eavesdropping outside the window, raised an eyebrow upon hearing this.
*Raising magical creatures for big companies? So that's how these guys fool those employees?* Shalltear's intuition told her that this information might be crucial for dealing with these ordinary wizards, but she couldn't quite figure out the key details at the moment.
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