Alfred didn’t look at David Carter; he kept his eyes straight ahead, but his peripheral vision constantly swept over the car’s rearview mirror, his field of view extending beyond the road conditions. He answered calmly, “Ha, you don’t need to flatter me. We’re equals, both just employees. There’s no hierarchy between us. Besides, once you finish your training, who knows if we’ll still be working together? Maybe I’ll need your help then.”

David Carter listened to this and felt quite pleased inside. He put away his ingratiating smile and tentatively asked, “It seems… your actions just now made me feel like I was watching a spy movie. It’s as if you’re always worried someone will notice our contact?”

Alfred replied expressionlessly, “It’s not me who’s worried—it should be you. There’s a Western proverb: the devil is in the details. Success comes from attention to detail. If you don’t want people to dig into your background in the future, you need to start paying attention to every detail now… You don’t understand? That’s fine, you’ll realize how wise I am later. Remember: being cautious and meticulous is never wrong.”

Countless thoughts tangled in David Carter’s mind, none reaching a conclusion, but he felt a vague sense of longing, a bit of anticipation, and a bit… of anxiety. At this moment, Alfred had already pulled the car over and quickly named a hotel: “I’m staying at this hotel now. Don’t contact me directly. I suggest you immediately go rent a separate apartment and buy a car that looks inconspicuous but is of decent quality… Once you’ve done all that, leave a message for me at the hotel front desk, and I’ll come find you.”

David Carter felt a bit uneasy—information determines judgment. He still didn’t know what Alfred was doing or how far along the mission was, but judging by the other’s caution, it seemed… this mission wasn’t simple, and might be very risky.

But did David Carter have any other choice?

Alfred turned to leave, but after a few steps, he stopped again, his back to David Carter, and said, “I forgot, there are surveillance cameras in front of every ATM. The credit card we gave you… fine, I’ll give you some cash first. Use this cash to rent a place and buy a car. Don’t use the money on the card yet.”

Alfred was so… cautious, cautious to the point that David Carter felt waves of fear, but that terror was only fleeting. To struggle a lifetime between illness and poverty, or to cure his illness, be treated as a talent, and earn enough to support his family—these two choices were self-evident.

To escape the former, even if it meant paying a price—maybe this was what an extraordinary life was?

Just as Alfred said, he had already reached a dead end. To let his mother stop worrying, to live like a person of worth, he felt he was destined to bear more than others.

Since the rest of his life was nothing but suffering, suffering worse than death, then maybe a slow suicide was a better choice.

Isn’t the life of a poor loser just this passive? Isn’t it just this lacking in options?

……

According to Alfred’s instructions, David Carter hurried to Soren Company the next day, pretending to handle the aftermath for Soren Capital’s equipment.

Speaking of which, back then Julie was too embarrassed to take back the access card David Carter had thrown out. Later, since David Carter went to Soren Capital for service, Julie simply reassigned the access card to Soren Capital. As for whether this card could still open her own company’s doors… Julie no longer cared. Because of Miss Jenkins’s job change, their company had gone through a major upheaval, everyone was on edge, and no one had time to worry about David Carter’s access card.

David Carter still chose a time close to the end of the workday, blending in with the flow of people entering and exiting Xinlong Building. Under the cover of the crowd, he arrived at the door of Soren Capital, paused briefly, and when he saw a group of people leaving work pass by, the cameras were drawn to them and turned away. David Carter quietly held his hand behind his back, swiped the access card, and walked backward into Soren Capital.

By now, most of the offices were empty, but there was still movement inside Soren Capital. Sure enough, the diligent Miss Jenkins was still hard at work… Of course, maybe she was just waiting for the crowd across the hall to leave before heading out herself… Whatever the reason, Miss Jenkins was still in the office.

Chapter 11: Stepping Up to a New Level

Looking around, David Carter realized this “white bone demon” was truly capable—in just one day, the office was already set up. The desks, partitions, and filing cabinets were all in place, renovation debris piled under the desks, and the office was bright and clean. The efficient Manager Jenkins was sitting at the huge boss’s desk making a phone call, with two partitioned workstations beside her. When she saw David Carter come in, Miss Jenkins wasn’t surprised; she continued speaking in a foreign language on the phone while pointing to the two desks in the partition.

David Carter smiled and nodded, sat down at his own desk, and picked up the nameplate on the table. It read: Director of Equipment Operations Department David Carter.

David Carter smiled silently, then reached under the desk—the empty computer boxes were still there, and one of them was heavy. As agreed, that box contained the cash stored by Alfred.