Closer to Revealing My True Self-Chapter 823 - 529: Cleaning up the Filth

The Schroeder Pharmaceuticals building, with its strange "eye" icon, felt uncomfortable to look at during the day and added an extra layer of eeriness at night.

There were no entertainment venues in the area; it was neither a bustling commercial district nor a residential one.

The density of buildings was low, with large gaps separating factories and companies from one another.

Ground parking spaces and green belts isolated Schroeder Pharmaceuticals from the surrounding buildings.

Normally, there would be a few security personnel patrolling, and a portion of the rooms would be lit. But today, claiming maintenance, they had sent the guards away, and most of the lights were out, making it exceptionally quiet. Only the wind rustling through the leaves and the noise of other hanging objects or decorations could be heard.

Inside the building.

Schroeder hid in his office.

After failing to reach the security guards, he turned on his computer and used his administrative privileges to access the surveillance system.

But he discovered that all surveillance had failed!

It didn’t seem like a hacker attack, but rather like direct sabotage! There was a problem with the surveillance room!

For tonight’s operation, he had disabled some of the surveillance in certain areas, but to maintain control over the real-time dynamics of the entire evacuation, he kept some cameras operational.

However, now all surveillance was useless!

Still, from his admin interface, he could view the footage just before the surveillance went down; these images had not been erased.

He quickly pulled up the surveillance footage.

Schroeder stared at his computer screen.

In the footage, at the door of his office, two security guards stood, one of them smoking a cigarette but still alert.

Everything seemed normal.

Until the surveillance suddenly cut out.

Nothing could be discerned, nothing known.

Schroeder didn’t stay in his office; he retreated further, back into the hidden chamber.

The office door was too flimsy; the door to the hidden chamber was much sturdier.

After closing the door to the hidden chamber, Schroeder tried to calm himself down.

Who could it be?

Who would strike at me now?!

The two missing were his personal bodyguards, whom he trusted. They wouldn’t turn on him without warning at this moment.

The people in the lab?

No, he had just given out bonuses in the lab, and he had counted and verified that everyone was there, not a single one missing.

Before losing consciousness, those in the lab might have been immersed in joy. In such a short time, it would be impossible to verify if there were any issues with their IDs and bank accounts.

Of course, his money wouldn’t be spent on those he had written off!

Eliminating the security guards and the lab workers, who else remained?

Could it be one of his hidden investors?

Schroeder had no shortage of backers, each with their own agendas. As the investigative team got closer, there were those who wished for Schroeder to disappear from this world.

But upon closer thought, those who could come here at this time had already chosen to help him block the investigative team, buying time.

Moreover, even if the investigators did trace things back, it would be difficult to connect them with those investors from Schroeder.

Given the investors’ shrewdness, they wouldn’t leave behind any threatening evidence.

Schroeder also held some data in his hands, but he wouldn’t keep it at the company, and certainly not on his person. Those seeking to incriminate him wouldn’t threaten him in this manner.

Therefore, the likelihood that tonight’s mysterious assailant was one of the investors was also slim.

Then, could it be those "maintenance workers"?

Schroeder took out his phone and made a call.

The other side picked up promptly.

"Mr. Schroeder?" The voice on the other end was familiar to him and showed no sign of abnormality.

Schroeder’s tension eased slightly, and after catching his breath, he spoke in a calm tone;

"Barks, are you still inside the building?"

"Yes, we’re waiting at the freight corridor door now. When will you come? We need a code to open the door." Barks, who was disguised as a maintenance worker, urged.

"I’ve encountered some problems on my end. Send a few people over to escort me," he paused, "send several, and be armed!"

Barks sensed the implication.

"It’s not a major issue, but, this is different from what we discussed earlier, Mr. Schroeder."

"Double the payment!"

"Happy to oblige!"

After ending the call, Schroeder hid in the hidden chamber, anxiously waiting, but no one came.

He tried calling again.

The same scenario repeated.

Barks’s phone was answered, but no one responded.

Oddly, Schroeder felt that on the other end of the phone there was someone... or something else.

"Who are you?!" Schroeder bellowed.

But, there was no reply; the call was just disconnected.

Listening to the dial tone, Schroeder’s unease grew.

Who is playing games with me?

Or...

Was it the "unknown entity" he had always feared?

Schroeder wanted to hide in this chamber indefinitely, but earlier he had initiated the countdown to the purge, and soon the place would explode. He couldn’t stay here forever!

There were two sets of purge devices: one electrically driven central management system with smart program control, and another non-electrically driven.

Even if there was no one here, even if it was completely de-electrified, when the time came, it would activate.

Schroeder picked up his phone and scrolled for Councilman Eli’s number, with whom he had allied.

As expected, it didn’t go through.

To establish contact again, he would have to wait until this crisis had passed.

Schroeder dialed a few more numbers, only to be stunned to find that his phone had no signal.

Not only that, the lit lights instantly went out.

The power system seemed to have failed too.

Once the power cut off, some air vents would close while others opened.

In this moment, within the chamber, one could feel a breeze blowing in from outside, heavy with moisture.