"What's wrong?"
"You know I went to the lab yesterday morning, right?"
"Yeah."
Hawke nodded.
That happened before he went to the library yesterday.
He originally thought Gwen had gone to see Dr. Connors to report back from work that morning.
Now?
"Is there a problem with the experiment?"
"The experiment itself isn't the problem, but I heard the investors are having issues.
You know Dr. Connors's experiment is a collaboration between Osborn and the military, right?"
"You mentioned that last time."
"The military withdrew their funding."
Gwen lowered her voice, leaning forward, and said, "And Dr. Connors's experiment has been going on for almost two years with no results, so the higher-ups at Osborn are starting to get impatient with it."
Capital is pragmatic.
They'll sponsor the funds you need, even provide you with space, and meet your demands because of the promises they make at the beginning.
But if you don't deliver the results they expect, they'll abandon you without hesitation.
Because cutting your losses is a mandatory lesson for capital.
Dr. Connors' regenerative experiments are a case in point.
Not to mention, the military withdrew funding from Dr. Connors' lab last month due to budget constraints.
Although the military said it was temporary and they would reinvest when funds became available, allowing Osborn Bioindustry to stay afloat, things aren't peaceful within Osborn Bioindustry itself.
Rumors circulate that Norman Osborn, who has been recuperating at his estate since last year due to a mysterious illness, is terminally ill and nearing his end.
This news isn't entirely unfounded.
Harry Osborn, who had been studying in England, returned to New York City this summer and, with the help of Norman Osborn's private secretary, Felicia Hardy, began to engage in company affairs—a clear signal of this.
Although the Osborn family controls a majority stake in Osborn Bioindustry, in this era of transition, some are always looking to capitalize on the change of power for their own benefit.
And new officials are known for their bold moves.
So, at this critical juncture, some people proposed streamlining the labs and closing down those that hadn't yet yielded any financial results.
Dr. Connors' lab, whose investment had been suspended by the military due to a funding shortfall, was the first to be affected.
Although the military said they would resume investment once the next batch of Pentagon funding arrived, who could guarantee that? After all, the federal military's credibility was questionable.
However, Osborn Bio-Industry hadn't decided to withdraw funding from Dr. Connors either; although the military's funding had been interrupted, some of the previous funds were still available.
So…
"The doctor's lab staff has been reduced." "Five researchers were laid off."
"Of course, mine was supposed to be too."
"I only heard about it yesterday, but since I was working part-time, the cost wasn't high."
"And I went to the lab yesterday; Dr. Connors wasn't as happy as you described, so I was a little surprised when you mentioned it."
Gwen recounted the recent situation at Dr. Connors' lab.
Hawke wasn't really concerned about whether Dr. Connors' experiment would succeed, so he just listened casually.
After Gwen finished speaking, he shrugged, "Well, that's what Dr. Connors said on the phone.
Who knows if it will actually succeed?" Gwen nodded, "I also hope Dr. Connors' experiment will succeed."
They chatted casually like that.
But the conversation ended there. After Hawke finished his hamburger, the two got up and left with their trays.
The topic of Dr. Connors' lab was thus concluded.
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But they could end the conversation, but Dr. Connors, the person at the heart of their discussion, couldn't simply say the topic was over and move on to something else.
Because Dr. Connors was currently facing the prospect of being abandoned by capital.
Dr. Connors looked at the person standing in his office who had brought the latest board resolution.
"Doctor, have you thought it through?"
"I don't understand."
"Doctor, you should understand."
The middle-aged, elite white man representing the board said with a warm smile, "The military has withdrawn its funding.
Although they said temporarily, we all know what that means.
Originally, the board's opinion was to suspend funding for the laboratory as well, but Doctor, your latest achievement successfully helped your laboratory recover its funding, but only recovered."
Because Dr. Connors' latest achievement, the regenerated white mouse, gave the board a glimmer of hope.
But only a glimmer.
Dr. Connors frowned.
"So what's the board's opinion?"
"Human trials!"
"What?"
Dr. Connors' eyes widened as he looked at the middle-aged man.
"I've only just extracted a potentially viable serum from the only mutated mouse, and I haven't even had a chance to verify it.
To start human trials now is too hasty. Besides, where are we going to find volunteer subjects?"
The middle-aged man shrugged.
"Military hospitals have plenty of subjects. We can use the name of the latest vaccine."
He said it casually.
After all, everyone did it this way.
Going to Bharat to conduct human trials required paying the locals, but if you conduct experiments on the lower classes locally, you don't even need to pay.
In short.
Are the lower classes human?
No!
Capital is profit-driven, aiming to maximize profits while minimizing costs.
But Dr. Connors found this hard to accept.
"What? I disagree."
"Time waits for no one, Doctor. Your time is running out, and so is ours."
"…We?"
"You don't need to know that. You just need to know that the board is doing this for your own good. Someone will handle this. If it fails, Doctor, you can pretend you know nothing."
"I'm not here to discuss this with you, Doctor."
"This is a notification."
After saying this, the middle-aged man turned and left Dr. Connors's laboratory.
Rumors were circulating that Norman Osborn was nearing the end, and the reason Dr. Connors's regeneration laboratory was established was actually to research a cure for Norman Osborn's strange illness.
So the middle-aged man wasn't wrong. They were pushing for the human trials to begin as quickly as possible, helping Dr. Connors while also helping them.
After all, a new emperor brings a new court.
Who knows what Harry Osborn would do if Norman Osborn really died?
It's common knowledge that capital also prefers stability, because only with stability can capital reliably earn money.
But Dr. Connors is not capital. After the middle-aged man left, he sat motionless in his office chair. ...
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