15: Wolff is Dangerous

I often think genius people are actually stupid. In this case, Wolff proved it right.

"Anong sabi mo?!" gulat na tanong ko.

Bumangon siya sa kama, obviously much stronger than he was a while ago. He went to pull some napkins from the side, pricked his throat with his finger, and the pills that Sage made him drink a while ago made their way out.

Nakikita ko ang imaginary danger lights sa paligid ko. Wolff Bane is really dangerous that I began to question if being born in the same era with him is a blessing or a curse. He covered the pills with napkins and tossed them towards the bin.

"What are you doing?! Sage made sure you took them!" How could he dispose of Sage's effort just like that?!

"I know, and I appreciate it, but I am not sick, so I don't need any of those pills."

Not sick? Just a while ago, he looked like a soaked puppy, and now he's telling me he's not sick? He is really stupid!

"What—"

He cut me off. "Taking pills that you do not need has many side effects, so I'd rather not take them. Some drugs even have serious adverse reactions, especially if you don't have the condition for which those drugs are prescribed. Some may be benign, but some can have serious, dramatic effects such as drowsiness, dry mouth, fatigue, constipation, tremors, dizziness, organ complications, and even..." He paused. "...even erectile dysfunction."

I cannot possibly argue with him on this matter. Of course, this is his field.

"Pero kanina lamang—"

Muli niyang pinutol ang sasabihin ko. "It's an after-effect."

"After-effect of what?"

Binuksan niya ang drawer sa tabi ng kanyang kama. "You don't have to know the details of it." Inilabas niya ang envelope at inabot iyon sa akin. I opened the envelope with shaking hands at nagulat nang makita ang laman niyon. "His name is Mint Marave, and he's inside Zone Z."

Of course, I knew this man was inside Zone Z, but I didn't know that his name was Mint Marave.

I only knew him as Bean—the guy with the beanie hat who almost made it out of Zone Z with me.

Almost.

I felt a pang of guilt in my chest. In some way, niligtas ako ni Bean. He sacrificed himself so I could escape. Now, Wolff wants me to infiltrate Zone Z, and it has something to do with Bean.

And he named him Mint Marave.

Marave—a name only a few would dare to mention. They were executed a few years ago and labeled as terrorists. The case was closed, and no one ever talked about it. I remember picking up a newspaper back then which featured the case. It stated that the Marave Clan was planning a domination not only of the whole country but also of its neighboring nations.

Marave was once a name of glory and wealth. They were equally known as the Glass Family, and both were contenders for the title of Sanip's #1 Richest Family. Every industry one had, it was rivaled by the other.

Marave owned the electric company, Marave Grid Corporation, and was one of the largest electric utilities in the world. They dealt with electric grids and power transmission and were doing well until the Glass family started Glass Powers Corp., which directly competed with Marave Grid. Through negotiations, Glass took away Marave's international clients, leading to Marave's public offering of shares.

When Glass established Glass Royal Fuels, it became one of the world's biggest oil and gas industries, distributing its products worldwide. This went well until the Marave family established Marave Mobil, which, like Glass Royal Fuels, also distributed worldwide. They explored natural gas, petroleum, and other petrochemicals, making Glass Royal Fuels only second.

The Glass Group, which manufactured cars worldwide, also fell to its demise when the Marave family exposed the biggest scandal of the Glass Group. With evidence presented to the international court, it was determined that their products had cheated regarding the car's emissions, causing the company to suffer significant losses and a massive liability settlement to its customers.

Every single business each family had was directly rivaled by the other. The feud was rumored to have started a long time ago. Since both families were wealthy, they were not on good terms and aimed to outdo one another. The feud intensified when both daughters of the families fell in love with the same man, worsening the conflict between the families. The discord continued to escalate over time.

The competition was never-ending, as neither family wanted to lose. It only ended a few years ago when the Marave family was sentenced to death by the international court after being proven to be dangerous terrorists. According to the news, they built a nuclear power plant and produced numerous nuclear weapons without state approval and proper documentation. Evidence also emerged that they conspired with known terrorist organizations from other countries. Even in their business conglomerates, evidence was found, such as weapons, bombs, and other contraband. Witnesses also testified that they were coerced into recruitment by the Marave family.

Their execution happened the same year I was born, so I've only seen the rise of the Glass family while the Marave, once their rival, became nothing but history.

Biglang sumagi sa isipan ko ang pag-uusap namin ni Bean noong nagtangka kaming tumakas sa Zone Z at tinanong ko ang dahilan kung bakit naroon siya.

Bad genes, ayon sa kanya. So that's what he means when he says bad genes? Because he is a Marave?

Napatingin ako nang diretso kay Wolff. "What are you planning to do?"

Pinili niyang huwag sagutin ang tanong ko. "That envelope also contains the instructions on how you can enter Zone Z."

"Pero--" napatigil ako nang bumukas ang pinto at sumungaw ang ulo ni Sage. He had removed the cloth on his forehead and he's wearing his thick specs again. Bahagya siyang nagulat nang makitang nakatayo na si Wolff.

"W-wolff, you should r-rest," nag-aalalang sabi niya.

I held the envelope tight, still undecided if I should take Wolff's words seriously. Paano kung trap pala iyon? What if he planned to make me rot in Zone Z? Pero anong mapapala niya kapag ginawa niya iyon?

But then, anong mapapala niya kung mapapalabas niya ng Zone Z si Bean?

Ah this is so much thinking to do. If he's Seven, then it's easier to make Bean escape since that escape plan I took was devised by Seven.

Sandali, so he's not really Seven?

Argh, mababaliw na ako sa kaiisip!

The chances of getting Bean out using me are 0.01%!

Kung si Wolff at si Seven ay iisa, then the chances of getting Bean out by using Seven are 99.99%!

Then why me?!

"W-wolff, you really should rest," sabi sa kanya ni Sage.

He stretched some muscles to show he's fine. "Ayos na ako, Sage. You know I'll be better if I can work instead of just lying down. How's the lab, by the way?"

Ops, hindi pa pala nasasabi ni Sage ang tungkol sa ninakaw na kemikal. I took that moment to leave, ngunit nagsalita si Wolff.

"You can stay, Dani," sabi niya. "After all, you're Sage's secretary, so you have to know what's going on. That's part of your job, isn't it?"

I mentally frowned. He's using that cocky Wolff tone. Whatever.

Huminga nang malalim si Sage. Sinalakay naman ako ng kaba para sa kanya. If Wolff would reprimand and scold him as if Sage didn't try his best, I swear I'll stab him with a pen. Again.

"There's one s-stolen chemical," nakayukong sabi ni Sage. "It's the one w-without our proper label."

Wolff looked so serious. "The one in the special bio vault?"

Nakayukong tumango pa rin si Sage.

Nanginginig naman ang tuhod ko sa kaiisip kung anong posibleng mangyari. Will he get mad? Will he slap Sage and tell him he's a disappointment? Will he curse and fire him?

Wait, if he fires Sage, that means I'll also be fired. Kung wala si Sage, wala rin akong gagawin dahil sekretarya niya ako.

Ugh, I am really overthinking this.

I heard Wolff sigh. "Just as I expected," sabi niya sa kalmadong boses. He tapped Sage's shoulder at nagtatakang napatingin naman sa kanya ang huli. "I've predicted that would happen. A few days before the incident, I noticed something out of the ordinary in the security system. Some lines weren't working well, so naisip ko there must be someone hacking the system to mess with the power supply or anything inside the lab. Anong mapapala ng sinuman sa laboratory? Aside from formulas, they will also steal specially developed chemicals which can either be used as a breakthrough drug or a bio weapon. I took preemptive measures and replaced the one in the special bio vault with a solution of our cough syrup."

Then... it means the real chemical that they spent years developing wasn't stolen?

Ilang beses na napakurap si Sage. "Then t-the chemical..."

"Is safe," dugtong ni Wolff. "It's just like I predicted. The defector would go for the special bio vault, so it means the defector stole cough syrup, not the one we're still working on."

Nakahinga kami nang maluwag ni Sage.

It was amazing how Wolff predicted it that way by just noticing something in the security system of the lab. Wolff is definitely more than what intelligence suggests. He took such caution and prevented something from being stolen. How did he even think of such a strategy without assurance that there would be a defector? Paano kung simpleng glitch o bug lang iyon sa system nila?

Wolff never wavered in making his decisions about things and how he predicted it. Such is commendable but scary.

"H-how did you even think of that solution?" biglang tanong ko.

Wolff smirked. "Because if I were to breach a lab, I would also go for the special vault."

Makes sense.

Now I have it proven again.

Wolff is dangerous.

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