Copy & Paste Power in Modern World

Adam returned to Aster Core’s office.

He had left only a short while ago, so when he came back again, the people inside were surprised.

Kenji looked up first. Senju also turned from the table. Kiri was standing near the inner office door, and even he looked confused for a moment.

Wil had already given his orders. They had expected him to move on the private pressure outside.

They had not expected him to return so quickly. The front room became quiet again.

Kenji straightened at once. Senju also became serious. Kiri looked from Wil to the inner office.

None of them asked anything there. Adam did not explain anything in the front room. He walked straight toward the inner office.

"Come inside," he said.

Kenji followed at once. Senju and Kiri came behind him.

The moment they entered, Adam closed the door. He took a paper from his pocket and placed it on the table.

"I forgot to tell you one more thing," he said. "This is another job for you."

Kenji became ready at once.

After what had happened earlier, he did not want to disappoint Wil again.

"Tell me," Kenji said. "We will handle it."

His voice came out faster than usual.

He did not even ask what kind of work it was first. He wanted Wil to see that this time he was ready.

Earlier, he had taken the blame for delaying the report. Wil had not shouted. Even then, that anger had been enough. Kenji did not want to be the reason Wil looked at them that way again.

Adam pushed the paper toward him.

"This is the address of your manufacturing unit."

Kenji looked down at the paper. Senju’s eyes also moved to it. Kiri leaned closer.

Adam continued, "I have placed the manufacturing machine there. You need to go and check it."

Kenji looked up at once.

"Manufacturing machine?" he asked.

Adam nodded.

For a moment, Kenji did not know what to say.

Then he asked, "Is this the place from where our manufacturing supply was moving until now?"

Adam looked at him.

One thought came to him at once.

’If I say yes, I will have to explain how the machine was already running there,’ Adam thought.

’It was not running there before. I only installed it recently.’

Adam decided not to open that side.

"No," he said. "I only got the machines installed there just now."

Senju’s eyes changed slightly.

Adam’s foreign trip came to her mind at once.

’So that trip was for this machine.’ Senju thought.

That only made the matter stranger.

Installing a chip manufacturing unit like this could not be simple. It also did not sound fully legal.

’He must have done it through an illegal route.’ Senju thought.

That part did not shock her as much as it should have.

What shocked her was the speed.

’How did he set it up this quickly?’ Senju thought. ’Were the machines already there? Were only some parts missing?’

’If the machines are real, then some preparation should have happened before this.’ Senju thought. ’It is not a small office table or a few boxes of chips.’

Still, Adam had come back after the foreign trip and spoken as if the work was already done.

Questions kept moving in her mind. She did not ask them.

Adam was already speaking again.

"The machines are there," he said. "Now you have to hire people."

Kenji looked at him carefully.

Adam continued, "Chip manufacturing and transport will be in your hands from now on."

The words made the room go quiet.

Kenji held the paper more tightly.

Kenji felt the weight of that change at once.

’This is no longer only about convincing buyers,’ Kenji thought. ’If we control the unit, every mistake will also land on us.’

Adam took out another paper and wrote a number on it.

"This is Sayash’s number," he said. "I have already arranged him. You can use him for transport when needed."

Kiri took the paper this time.

He read the name once, then looked back at Adam.

Even Kiri looked surprised now.

Kenji finally spoke.

"Are you giving us the manufacturing unit?" he asked. "Does that mean we will be fully responsible for it?"

Adam nodded.

"Yes."

For a second, Kenji could not hide his shock.

Until now, Aster Core had been growing because Wil kept supplying what they needed from the dark. They had never fully controlled the source.

Now Wil was placing that source in their hands.

Senju looked at Adam.

"But you told us to stop everything for a few days," she said.

Adam turned toward her.

"I said a few days," he replied. "In those days, hire people for the manufacturing unit."

Senju listened quietly.

Adam continued, "For now, keep most of your focus on the government agencies. Find out what they want. If you can slow them down, then slow them down."

He looked at all three of them.

"If you feel they have already decided to destroy you, then that becomes my responsibility."

No one spoke for a moment.

Adam picked up the papers and pushed them fully toward Kenji.

"Go there and check the unit. Start preparing."

After saying that, he turned and left.

The door closed behind him.

Kenji remained standing with the address in his hand.

The pressure on his shoulders had become even heavier.

Government agencies were already on them. Companies were stepping back. Now a manufacturing unit had also been placed in their hands.

Kenji looked at the paper again.

His fingers tightened around it.

He had already made one mistake by hiding the problem from Wil for too long.

He would not make another mistake with this unit.

He would check the place himself if he had to.

The pressure felt heavy. It also gave him a clear purpose. Wil was not pulling the source away from them. He was trusting them with it.

’I will not disappoint him again.’ Kenji thought. ’I will not disappoint Wil.’