Chapter 322 Shocked Everyone
As they approached, a five-story building came into view.
It looked brand new, as if recently constructed, yet surrounded by nothing but vacant lots and construction sites.
Calliope scoffed, "What kind of laboratory would be built out here? I've got to hand it to Camilla for finding such a convincing spot for her charade."
Otis, already unconcerned, felt even more vindicated.
"Just another amateur stunt," he thought. "Do they really believe this will get the administration's attention? How naive!"
"Let's go," Calliope said. "Nothing worth seeing here. Complete waste of time."
Just as the group turned to leave, a voice called out.
"Otis?" An elderly man waved cheerfully from a short distance away.
Otis squinted, then his eyes widened in shock. "Mr. Gibson! What on earth are you doing here?!"
Tony Gibson was a heavyweight in Harmony College's Computer Science Department who had retired years ago. Twenty years earlier, Otis had taken his undergraduate course, and later, when Otis joined the faculty, they became colleagues with a solid relationship. Just last week, Otis had called to check in on him.
"I thought you were wintering in another city?" Otis asked, bewildered.
Tony smiled warmly. "Couldn't settle in. After spending a lifetime in Imperial City, everywhere else feels... lacking somehow."
"But why are you here?" Otis pressed.
"Felix invited me to witness the excitement. So here I am, joining everyone for the occasion," Tony replied.
"Excitement? What excitement?"
"The laboratory inauguration, of course."
Otis felt his heart sink. "It's just students playing games. I can't believe they bothered you with this. These kids really don't know their boundaries."
He assumed Tony had been invited by Camilla. Perhaps he had underestimated her influence after all.
"They've blown this way out of proportion without considering the aftermath. In the end, it'll be us faculty members cleaning up their mess," Otis said, shaking his head while surveying the desolate surroundings again.
It was indeed remote, with no one else in sight.
Tony's brow furrowed in confusion. "Playing games? This is the country's first student-led fully automated intelligent biological laboratory. In Harmony College's entire history, this is unprecedented—and likely won't be replicated. How could you call that 'playing games'?"
"This barren patch of land? You call this an intelligent biological laboratory?" Otis scoffed.
"Barren land? Are you seeing what I'm seeing?" Tony wondered if Otis had forgotten his glasses. He pointed at the building behind him. "Five full floors, each with meticulously designed functional zones, superior experimental environments, and equipment so comprehensive it's almost excessive—nearly all imported."
By the end of his description, Tony himself sounded envious. He'd never worked in such a well-equipped laboratory.
Otis stared at the building rising before him as if seeing a ghost. "You're saying Camilla built this laboratory?!"
"Of course! The surroundings look a bit desolate because we're at the back. If you want to see the real action, follow this path around to the front."
Tony's curiosity about the laboratory was insatiable. After touring the inside, he'd snuck around back hoping to discover additional surprises, which was when he encountered Otis and his entourage.
Otis numbly made his way to the front, immediately encountering a buzz of conversation punctuated by phrases like "congratulations" and "remarkable achievement."
Calliope stood equally stunned, her mouth slightly agape, everything before her seeming unreal.
She blinked hard several times, but the scene remained. It was real!
Camilla and her team had actually built not just a lab, but an entire building!
How was this possible?
Noe was dumbfounded as well.
He'd tagged along today specifically to mock Camilla and her friends. He'd prepared his cutting remarks, but no one had told him there would actually be a laboratory!
"How did they pull this off?" Noe asked blankly. Usually articulate, he now found himself speechless, staring at the building that seemed to have materialized from nowhere.
Clara's expression mirrored his shock.
Wide-eyed and astonished, she suddenly recalled Camilla's earlier words: "Life has its ups and downs. Everyone experiences bad luck sometimes. My present circumstances might well be your future reality."
Bronte, emerging from her shock, instinctively grabbed Calliope's sleeve. "Aunt, she actually built a laboratory! What do we do? Mr. Owens knows now. Will our actions be..."
In her panic, she forgot to maintain their professional distance.
"Shut up!" Calliope shot her a venomous glare. "What actions? We haven't done anything! Watch what you say!"
Only Irvin and Ignatius were carefully examining the building, their eyes growing brighter with each detail they noticed.
"Ignatius, five floors—imagine how spacious it must be," Irvin marveled.
Ignatius crossed his arms, his eyes reflecting admiration rather than surprise.
This was exactly like Camilla—all or nothing. When she committed to something, she aimed for excellence.
"We'll see for ourselves soon enough," he replied.
Irvin's eyes lit up. "Can we? We didn't receive invitations."
Their presence was only possible because they'd accompanied Otis, who had one.
Ignatius smirked. "Who says we don't?"
Irvin looked confused. Surely not what he was thinking?
Ignatius unzipped his jacket slightly, discreetly revealing the red corner of paper in his inner pocket.
Irvin was stunned.
"Ignatius, you..."
"Keep it down."
Irvin immediately contained his excitement, though his heart raced.
He lowered his voice to ask, "Did Camilla give it to you?"
"Yes."
"Are you two close?"
Ignatius considered this seriously. "Not particularly."
"Then why would she invite you?" Irvin was completely baffled.
"Perhaps she wanted us to witness the show?"
Just then, Aurora approached with a smile. "Otis, you made it! What an unexpected pleasure!"
Otis forced a smile in return. "You're too kind. Among so many distinguished guests, I hardly qualify as special."
He hadn't realized until now just how many academic heavyweights Aurora had invited.
In this company, Otis barely warranted the role of water boy, let alone an honored guest. Claiming otherwise would be delusional.
Aurora smiled, seemingly oblivious to his discomfort. "Funny, I don't recall sending Mr. Jenkins an invitation. Camilla, come here!"
Camilla stepped forward. "What is it?"
"Look, Mr. Jenkins has brought Calliope and her students to congratulate you. But I don't remember inviting him. Did you?"
"No, I didn't," Camilla confirmed. "Though when we sent one to Mr. Owens, we also sent one to Dean Cecil Marshall. Perhaps Mr. Marshall didn't want to attend and passed his invitation to Mr. Jenkins?"
"Well, that explains it," Aurora nodded. "I was concerned Mr. Jenkins had come uninvited with all these people to... well, to mock the occasion."
Their back-and-forth left Otis sweating profusely.
He could only smile apologetically, repeatedly murmuring, "I wouldn't dare."
The contrast between Otis's previous arrogance and current servility couldn't have been starker.
After dismissing him with a casual "make yourself at home," Aurora led Camilla away to attend to other professors.
Otis was thoroughly ignored.
As for Calliope, she didn't even warrant that much attention.
Suddenly, something occurred to Otis. His expression changed dramatically as he frantically pulled out his phone.
"Hello! Tell the Campus News reporters not to come! Call them back immediately! They absolutely cannot show up!" Otis said.
The person on the other end sounded alarmed. "What happened?!"
"Just do as I say!"
"But it's too late!"
Otis panicked.
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