Chapter 634 The Organization
Catherine set down her utensils and casually remarked, âThereâs no need for you to do that if you merely want to give us space.â
Drake was stunned for a while. Zobber beside him rudely kicked his chair. â Kid, stay put. Next time, if you want to make an excuse, make it believable.â
Drake sat down slowly with a faint smirk playing on his lips. He was clearly in good spirits.
Though he tried to control it, his ears betrayed him by turning red.
He genuinely didnât smoke. He thought Catherine wanted to discuss something privately with Zobber, so he found an excuse to leave.
For a professional esports player like him, smoking could be detrimental because it could lead to a range of health issues, with the most severe potentially affecting reaction time.
Therefore, smoking and drinking were prohibited for professional esports players.
Since Catherine let Drake stay, Zobber knew Catherineâs intention. As such, she reported the situation to Catherine without hesitation before Drake.
She said, âCatherine, we have cracked the files and handed them to the higher authorities. Moreover, we have uncovered two Rexinheimâs contact stations in Loxton, all of which have been shut down.â
The reason Zobber and Withal took so long on this mission was primarily because they took on another task right after accepting one, which caused a delay in their progress.
Though their organization wasnât tied to any specific nation, its members were all Eskana citizens.
Whenever Eskana needed help, theyâd offer resources without hesitation.
When Catherine instructed them to proceed, Zobber and Withal were made aware that the mission came with risks and no reward. However, they accepted it without conditions.
Even Drake stumbled upon this task online and volunteered after knowing they needed help.
Certain things could lead to a diplomatic incident if Eskana were to intervene directly.
However, if it were them, any issues would be attributed to a personal mission by a mysterious organization and would create a lesser impact.
After listening to the conversation, Drake gazed earnestly at Catherine. â
Can I join your organization? I want to contribute my skills.â
Neither the Spencers nor the Facers would allow him to have a military or political career. His future lay in the business sector.
He had no goals or direction, and his life seemed predetermined. Itâs the same with the gaming team. He had a pact with his father to return to a conventional path in three years.
He longed to do something meaningful, and joining Catherineâs organization might be a new start.
Upon hearing Drakeâs request, Catherineâs, Zobberâs, and Withalâs reactions were the same. They narrowed their eyes and assessed Drake.
âWant to join us?â Catherine asked.
She was confident of Drakeâs abilities based on the recent mission. But joining their organization wasnât a walk in the park.
Drake nodded firmly. âYes. I wish to join and Iâm ready for any test!â
âGood,â Catherine replied. Then she turned to Withal and said, âYou handle this.â
Withal smirked and glanced at Drake. He nodded with a meaningful look. â Catherine, Iâll make sure he learns the ropes.â
The look Drake received sent a chill down his spine, making his pores stand on end.
Despite knowing the road ahead wouldnât be easy, he had no intention of giving up. If joining the organization meant doing more meaningful things and enhancing his lifeâs value, he was all in.
While they continued to discuss Drakeâs potential membership, Catherineâs phone on the table rang. When she glanced at the phone, Catherine realized it was a call from Marshall. She reached out and answered it.
âCatherine, where are you? Iâll pick you up.â
The urgency in Marshallâs voice prompted Catherine to inquire, Professor Hartley, whatâs wrong?â
âI ran into an issue while brainstorming with Patrick. Weâre stuck in a loop. I think you might have a fresh perspective on it. Would you be able to come over?â Marshall explained.
Having interacted with Catherine for a while, Marshall found her increasingly impressive.
Catherine often provided novel insights in many research areas.
Catherine couldnât help but chuckle. She had expected a major incident to have happened, not just a hiccup in Marshallâs brainstorming session.
However, since it was Marshall, it made sense as well.
He was a natural scholar, one who was willing to sacrifice everything for his research.
In his eyes, nothing was more valuable than his projects.
He was uninterested in power or wealth. Despite being a top research professor at Styre University, he remained humble and learned from others when faced with someone more knowledgeable.
That was the quality and demeanor befitting of a research expert.
Catherine hung up and stood up. She was prepared to leave.
Seeing that, Branden instinctively grabbed her hand.
Before he could speak, Catherine said, â Thereâs a situation in the lab, and I need to go back. Can you drop me off?â
Branden draped his coat over her shoulders as he stood up. âWill you be back tonight?â
Catherine couldnât provide an answer to the situation at hand. She wasnât sure which stage of the research was causing the problem.
Once experiments start, it could potentially run for the entire day.
âItâs hard to say. If itâs resolved, Iâll give you a call. You can pick me up then, â she said plainly.
That simple request brought a flicker of joy to Branden, and he instinctively smiled. âOkay. Iâll pick you up when youâre done.â
After saying goodbye to Zobber and the others, Catherine left.
As soon as they were gone, Zobber let out a loud sigh. Then she said, âI envy Catherine. She has incredible abilities and was with a top-quality guy.â
Branden was outstanding, be it his family background, looks, or capabilities. He was a top-tier man, and to top it off, he had a penchant for doting on his girlfriend.
Upon hearing Zobberâs sigh, Withal casually responded. âThere are always some folks who are so conceited and would groan at the slightest matter.â
Zobber flew into a rage at Withalâs words. With anger, she tried to attack him.
Withal skillfully dodged, and the two engaged in a lively chase.
Drake rested his chin in his hand and casually ate his dishes. He was amused by the spectacle happening before him.
He was startled by their fight at first but soon realized that they were in a love-hate relationship. Brawling was their version of fun. It was not serious.
Drake enjoyed this atmosphere. It was free-spirited without many rules.
Thinking about it strengthened his resolve to join the organization.
No matter how tough it gets, he was going to give it a shot.