Hal and Tom were also in the crowd. Seeing Carol, they quickly walked over.
"What's going on? Did they really fire the professor?"
Carol nodded helplessly.
At this, both of them were stunned, not knowing what to say. Professor Cooper was a top expert in the engine industry. The chairman had gone to great lengths to recruit him from MIT to lead the research center. And now, before any results were even produced, he was fired.
Tom hesitated, "Carol, I know you like Luke Shaw, but you can't do this. How can a gang leader, a gangster, possibly understand engine principles?"
"This is too childish."
Hal Jordan said in a deep voice, "I have some connections with Professor Cooper. I'll go invite him back."
"No need."
Carol waved her hand, her eyes very serious. "Trust Luke. He'll handle it."
With that, she walked to the door and, in a firm tone, ordered the employees to leave and not discuss what happened today. Even so, it couldn't extinguish the burning flames of gossip.
As the only daughter of Carl Ferris, the heiress of Ferris Aircraft, and a super-rich second-generation with billions in assets, if she were just an ordinary pretty face, that would be one thing. But this favored daughter, who possessed both beauty and sex appeal, also happened to have extremely high intelligence and management talent. At twenty-one, she became an executive director, and in just one year, she boosted the company's performance by 50%. Although auditing played a role, her inherent powerful abilities cannot be denied.
Such a perfect girl is exceedingly rare. Marrying her isn't just a matter of avoiding ten years of struggle; it's a lifetime of happy and carefree living.
From the moment the old chairman brought her into the company, Carol's other half became the focus of everyone's discussions. The male employees in the department directly listed her as a crucial life goal to achieve, using all sorts of methods to probe Carol's interests and hobbies, hoping for an unexpected sweet encounter.
It wasn't until one day that a photo of Carol holding hands with an unknown man while shopping circulated, and only then did the vast majority of male colleagues have to put away their little schemes, all the while envying and cursing the lucky bastard who was about to be cuckolded.
During this time, it wasn't that no one tried to do a human search for the "mystery boyfriend," but no matter how they searched, they couldn't find any information about that person, as if he didn't exist at all.
Until today, the mystery boyfriend finally appeared, becoming the focus of everyone's attention in a way no one could have imagined.
In the laboratory, Carol and a group of researchers waited anxiously. Half an hour had passed, and the test was still not over.
Carol was a bit restless, not because she doubted Luke's ability, but because she was afraid he would demand too much and fire everyone in the lab. In that case, she really wouldn't know how to explain it to her father.
Another ten minutes passed, and the door finally opened. A sweating Angus Neil walked out, leaning against the wall. It was unclear what he had encountered, but his face carried an undeniable look of dejection.
Carol quickly went up to him, "Are you alright? Should I call a doctor?"
Angus waved his hand and said to the female researcher on his right,
"Phila, he called your name. Go in!"
The old professor's state made Phila, who had only graduated with her doctorate a few years ago, feel a surge of unease.
"What's the situation inside...?"
Angus just sighed,
He found a chair with a backrest, lay down, covered his head with his lab coat, and didn't want to say a word.
Seeing him like this, everyone's hearts jumped into their throats. Even the knowledgeable Professor Neil was questioned to this extent, let alone them... Knowledge is graded. According to the Kryptonian nine-level education system, the researchers in the lab were at most at the third level, while Luke was between the sixth and seventh levels. The difference in numbers between them was not a simple unit of measurement, but hundreds or thousands of years of technological development.
If Luke was a doctor, these highly educated researchers would at most be like elementary school students who had just graduated from kindergarten; the gap was too vast.
To avoid making things too ugly, Luke had already tried his best to lower the difficulty, but after a series of tests, three-quarters of the people still failed.
This was very awkward.
In Donnie Cooper's seat, Luke rested his left hand on his head, holding a ballpoint pen in his right, tapping the desk lightly. In front of him, pale-faced researchers formed a fan shape, standing there awkwardly and at a loss.
A small test shattered their arrogant mindset of becoming post-doctoral fellows, crushing their proudest part into the most humble corner.
Carol couldn't bear to watch any longer. She nudged Luke, telling him to take it easy and not be so harsh. He was also exhausted. Originally, it was agreed that if they weren't good enough, they'd be out. Who would have thought that out of twenty-two researchers, only five barely passed the test, and the rest all failed.
If Luke were in charge, he would definitely fire them all. These wastes were useless except for wasting food. But it was Carol's family company, so he couldn't completely disregard her feelings.
After a moment of hesitation, he said, "What should I say about you all? I..."
Cough cough!!
Carol interjected, "Luke and I both hope you will stay and continue your work as researchers. As for the test just now, it was just a little prank, don't take it seriously."
After speaking, she placed her fingers on his back shoulder and twisted hard, making his muscles knot up, and his handsome face twisted along with them.
The pain was simply exhilarating!
Luke was completely speechless and could only laugh heartily,
"It was indeed a prank, don't take it seriously, don't take it seriously."
"It's getting late, everyone go home."
"Also, tomorrow morning at nine, gather in the lab. I will announce the new work plan."
One played the good cop, the other the bad cop. Their act was full of holes, and everyone listening felt uncomfortable.
Resign! It was humiliating, but also a bit reluctant. Luke's demonstrated knowledge far exceeded their imagination. If they could follow him and learn a thing or two, they might even win a Nobel Prize someday.
But if they stayed, their pride would be completely shattered.
Everyone cares about their reputation. So, they could only use silence to cover their inner shame, packing up their things and heading home from work.
As soon as they left, Luke immediately picked up Carol and rushed into the lounge.
"What are you doing? Let go of me."
"Dream on."
Carol pleaded, "Can we go somewhere else? There are cameras in the room."
"Don't worry, they're already off."
"When did you turn them off?"
"When you pinched me."
...Hal Jordan had been keeping an eye on the lab's situation. When he learned that Luke had effortlessly dealt with all the researchers, a huge sense of loss welled up in him.
Comparing people only leads to frustration. There's really no comparison!
In despair, Hal chose to go to a strip club with his buddy Tom to have some fun. After several hours of aimless revelry, it was one in the morning when they came out.
The two urinated into the sea, then, arm in arm, they cursed Luke Shaw, that bastard, while singing songs that ordinary people couldn't understand.
Suddenly, a green light fell from the sky.
Boom!
The ground shook, and the resulting impact directly blew the two of them away.
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