"Someone has wronged you, Mr. Corden!" Rick patted Mike's shoulder, then glanced meaningfully at his injury before sitting.

Mike sucked in a breath, clearly in pain. As he repositioned his leg, he retied the torn bandage. "Rick, what were you doing? Did you think my injury was faked?"

A cold smile touched Rick's lips. "Not exactly. I wanted to see what weapon was used."

His excuse was unconvincing. Mike snorted. "You could have asked me. And don't change the subject! We need to find the boss—urgently!"

He paused. "Do the higher-ups know about his disappearance?"

Until then, everyone had downplayed the situation. Mike's mention of the higher-ups froze Rhea; even Rick raised an eyebrow. Only Lily showed little reaction; she was unfamiliar with the "higher-ups" Mike referenced, though she suspected behind-the-scenes activity.

"W-We haven't informed them yet," Rhea stammered, glancing uncertainly at Rick. "It's recent, and so sudden."

Their reluctance was obvious. But the boss's disappearance couldn't remain hidden; he likely had his own channels of communication with the higher-ups, and regular contact was expected. Furthermore, he would have been reporting on the experiment's progress. The consequences of the higher-ups learning about this were unthinkable.

"We must find him before they find out!" Mike said anxiously, his face pale and beaded with sweat.

Rick looked intently at Mike, then turned to Lily, who had remained largely silent. "What do you think, Ms. Christian?"

Lily looked up. "I...have no opinion." She spread her hands helplessly.

Rhea slammed the table, leaning forward angrily. "Stop pretending! You're involved in the boss's disappearance! You came here with bad intentions!"

"I was in the lab," Lily replied calmly. "There's evidence." She glanced at Rick, the provider of this evidence.

"What evidence?! Anyone can falsify it! You're the prime suspect! You should be apprehended and interrogated!" Rhea seized her chance to have Lily detained, unwilling to let it slip.