After hanging up the phone, Mirabe didn''t give it much thought and strolled over to the cafeteria for a bite to eat. Once she''d finished her meal, she was nning to hit the library for some reading. But on the way, a message from Wade popped up on Messenger, asking her to swing by his office.


    Changing her ns, Mirabe made her way to Wade''s office. As she stepped in, she noticed a stranger sitting there with Wade.


    "You wanted to see me, Professor?" Mirabe gave Wade a quick nce and nodded slightly.


    Wade acknowledged her with a nod and gestured towards the stranger. "This is Mr. Belcher from our department. I don''t think you''ve met him yet, have you?"


    People like Mr. Belcher, who are department schrs or well-known professors, rarely teach, so many students might graduate without ever meeting them face-to- face.


    Mirabe turned to Mr. Belcher and offered a polite greeting.


    Mr. Belcher waved a hand, his usual stern expression softening a bit as he looked at her. "The system yourputer science department has developed is pretty impressive."


    Mirabe replied modestly, "It''s all thanks to Mr. Zane''s excellent guidance."


    "Zane, huh." Mr. Belcher nodded thoughtfully. "He''s got an eye for talent."


    Mirabe smiled but didn''t say more.


    "The folks at the Institute of Technology are really impressed with your system. Hank personally called to give hispliments and encouraged you to keep at it, aiming toplete the full system soon," Mr. Belcher mentioned, setting down his coffee cup.


    Wade, sitting nearby, turned to Mr. Belcher. "Is the Institute in a hurry?"


    "Maybe," Mr. Belcher mused, then directed his question to Mirabe. "How many people are on your team now?"


    Mirabe barely furrowed her brow at the question but answered Mr. Belcher anyway.


    "Only six people, including the professof? That''s a bit sparse," Mr. Belcher shook his head, no wonder the progress is slow, "Let''s bring in a few more folks from other departments to join your team."


    swnovel


    "That might not be ideal; they haven''t studiedputer science," Wade said,


    surprised by Mr. Belcher''s sudden suggestion.


    "So, the technical side will still be led


    by theputer science folks, while others handle integrating the biological data. With everyone pitching in, the whole system will be


    moreplete, and the project can wrap up sooner," Mr. Belcher


    exined calmly.  swnovel


    "I don''t think that''s necessary, considering the database..." Wade began, but Mr.


    Belcher cut him off.


    "Securing this project from the


    Institute wasn''t easy, and we need to give it our all. Adding a few more people won''t change anything," Mr. Belche insisted with a firm tone that left no room for debate. It was clear he''d already thought this through.  swnovel


    Wade frowned.


    "I''ve got a meeting with Mr. Hammond, so I''ll be off," Mr. Belcher stood up, not waiting for Wade''s reply, and left without another nce at Mirabe.


    Once the door clicked shut, Wade''s frown deepened. He realized Mr. Belcher had called Mirabe over to push for more team members.


    Wade rubbed his temples and asked Mirabe to take a seat. After a moment''s thought, he reassured her, "Mirabe, don''t worry. I''ll talk to Mr. Belcher. No one new will be joining your team."


    Mirabe looked at him, trusting he could handle it, so she wasn''t worried. "Thank you, Professor."


    Wade shook his head with a smile, "This is your department''s hard-earned sess, after all."