?Chapter 903:


    Elena could see why these researchers were given special privileges.


    Once inside, Kason and Elena rode the elevator up to the eighth floor. Kason opened a door to reveal a wide office. Elena looked in and saw six people at desks andputer stations.


    All six turned toward the sound of the door opening.


    A man in square-framed sses and a red id shirt rose from his chair. “Major General Garrett? Didn’t expect to see you today.”


    This was Webster Sampson. He wasn’t just part of the team—he led it. The top expert in the entire institute.


    Kason’s tall frame filled the doorway,pletely blocking Elena from view. To Webster, it looked like Kason hade alone.


    Kason shifted to the side and gestured at Elena. “This is Elena,” he said. “She’s the new specialist. She’ll be working with you from now on.”


    A flicker of doubt crossed Webster’s face. His eyes narrowed as he gave Elena a slow, deliberate once-over. Someone this young? And she was supposed to be a specialist? How much could she possibly bring to the table? Did she even know where to start with high-level trajectory algorithms or tracking disruption protocols? Yes, she looked polished. But in his mind, she probably knew more about contour kits than control systems.


    The skepticism written across Webster’s face couldn’t have been more apparent. Adjusting his sses with an air of superiority, he said, “Major General Garrett, this team deals with the most cutting-edge tech in the entire base. She’s not exactly what we need right now. We’re mmed as it is, and none of us has the time to hold her hand.”


    His voice carried a weight that wasn’t just dismissive—it was demeaning. He didn’t want to waste resources. And if their progress hit a snag because of Elena, the fallout wouldnd squarely on him. This wasn’t some open-doorb where anyone could stroll in and learn on the job.


    Around the room, the other team members exchanged looks. They wrote Elena off without a second thought, their eyes full of quiet disdain.


    “Major General Garrett, I’ve got mountains of data to sort through. If you’re expecting me to babysit her, that’s not going to happen.”


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    “I’ve got experiments running around the clock. Every moment matters. We don’t have the luxury of dragging dead weight.”


    “This isn’t a ssroom. We’re specialists, not tutors.”


    Webster’s lips curled into a smile, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “You can tell, Major General Garrett—there’s no room on this team for a novice. She’d be better off elsewhere.”


    Kason’s jaw tightened. The casual ease in his stance vanished, reced by a controlled intensity that nketed the room like a storm rolling in.


    People like Webster were used to being handled with care. Soldiers typically treated researchers like rare artifacts—useful and untouchable.


    But this wasn’t deference. This was dominance. For the first time, Webster felt the shift in power, and his posture stiffened. Silence wrapped around them, thick and unrelenting.


    That was when Elena broke it. Her voice was steady, her words slow and deliberate, “Who said I needed anyone to teach me anything?”


    She hadn’t said a word, and they’d already filed her under “ipetent.” Too wary to lock horns with Kason, Webster redirected his scorn to what he assumed was the easiest target in the room—Elena. With a smug grin and eyes full of disdain, he said, “We handle the mostplex programming in weapons development—it’s basically the brain of the system. I’m guessing you’ve never even heard of half the stuff we do. What exactly do you think you can bring to the table?”


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