Chapter 188: Chapter 163: Lin Qi Really Did It

Liu Weicai hurriedly explained the benefits of the Pharmaceutical Department, as well as its upcoming expansion plans.

"Rest assured, the Pharmaceutical Department has always been the absolute core of United Pharmaceutical. Chairman Liu has already approved a considerable budget, and we’ll be recruiting talent from other cities."

"We’ll be hiring at least three A-level Researchers. Chairman Liu is even doing everything she can to collect literature on S-Class Pharmacy, but that will take time."

Lin Qi understood Liu Weicai’s intention: he wanted him to feel secure and stay in the Pharmaceutical Department.

"Don’t worry, Supervisor Liu. I won’t give up on Pharmacy."

Lin Qi extended his right hand and patted his chest.

Unexpectedly, Liu Weicai’s gaze instantly locked onto Lin Qi’s outstretched right hand.

Incredibly alert!

A brand-new Prosthetic Body!

And it was A-Class!

Yesterday wasn’t a company holiday!

In other words, Lin Qi had actually used a single evening after work to go out of his way to upgrade his Prosthetic Body!

Lin Qi’s love for Prosthetic Bodies was clearly the real deal.

As a corporate employee—not a gang member, and certainly not some mercenary who lived by the blade—Lin Qi theoretically had no pressing need for a Prosthetic Body.

And yet, Lin Qi was still willing to constantly upgrade his Prosthetic Body. This was more than enough to prove he would never abandon this passion.

’This is not good.’

Unfortunately, Liu Weicai had no way to change Lin Qi’s mind. He could only take things as they came.

He waved a helpless hand, letting Lin Qi leave the office. Liu Weicai was privately dismayed.

After a long moment, Liu Weicai actually called Chairman Liu Xuan. "Chairman, I think the Pharmaceutical Department’s benefits need to be increased further!"

...

Lin Qi didn’t use his Spiritual Vision to watch Liu Weicai. Instead, as he walked toward his lab, he used his Intelligent Brain to scroll through his contacts.

Since joining the company, Lin Qi’s contact list had grown by many names.

Even if Lin Qi wasn’t one for socializing, the corporate environment forced every employee into necessary professional interactions.

As he scrolled, Lin Qi recalled everyone who had been in the conference room on his first day at United Pharmaceutical.

Soon, Lin Qi locked onto his target.

Wei Wutao: formerly of the Red Fruit Weapon Research Institute, Minister of the A-Class Projects Department, senior manager.

If he remembered correctly, this Minister Wei was also the father of his former direct supervisor, Wei Wei.

That practically made them uncle and nephew.

Completely ignoring the promise he’d made to Liu Weicai, Lin Qi called Wei Wutao directly.

The call connected quickly. "Uncle Wei! Remember me? It’s Xiaolin, Wei Wei’s friend!"

’Xiaolin?’

Wei Wutao froze for a second, then glanced at the notes on his screen.

Lin Qi. Priority development candidate.

Whoa!

What a coincidence!

Wei Wutao had just been worrying about his lack of researchers and was thinking about contacting Lin Qi.

In Wei Wutao’s eyes, Lin Qi was an absolute genius of a Prosthetic Engineering researcher.

An L-Class at nineteen. You would be hard-pressed to find an L-Class Prosthetic Engineering researcher that young in the entire Asian Administrative Region.

This was a hard science, after all; there was no faking it.

It required the sweat of hard work, innate Talent, and the kind of experience that only comes with time.

Someone with Lin Qi’s talent would have been on the radar back at the Weapon Research Institute.

"Xiaolin, of course, I remember! Wei Wei’s good friend! Wei Wei talks about you at home all the time. He says you’re a genius, the rookie in the last ten years with the best shot at becoming an S-level Researcher."

"So what made you suddenly decide to call Uncle Wei? Are you running into trouble at United Pharmaceutical?"

"Don’t tell me that well-connected fellow, Liu, is giving you a hard time? Don’t you worry, Uncle Wei will back you up!"

Wei Wutao didn’t mention poaching him. Instead, he took the initiative to ask what Lin Qi needed.

As a company veteran, Wei Wutao knew very well that the keys to winning people’s loyalty were relationships and benefits.

Lin Qi smiled, not bothering to hide his intentions. He got straight to the point. "I hear your department has a new project, Uncle Wei. A collaboration with another major corporation?"

"My Prosthetic Engineering knowledge has been sitting at the L-Class level for a long time. I want to get involved with some new projects, broaden my horizons a bit."

Lin Qi didn’t mention Ninghang Technology by name, framing it instead as a desire for personal growth.

This fit the persona Lin Qi had consistently projected at the company—he was always exceptionally interested in new types of Prosthetic Bodies.

After all, Lin Qi’s strategy had always been to use his Prosthetic Body to hide his identity as a Wizard, while simultaneously developing his own prosthetics to increase his combat effectiveness.

Wei Wutao was surprised. "You want to come back to the Prosthetic Engineering Department? Xiaolin, are you sure you’ve thought this through? With your current A-Class compensation package, if you came over to my department, the benefits would be significantly lower."

This compensation issue was the very reason Wei Wutao hadn’t reached out to Lin Qi yet.

Unlike Liu Weicai, he didn’t have a powerful enough backer to break the rules and offer Lin Qi a package that exceeded his official qualifications.

Besides, Wei Wutao had no idea that Lin Qi’s current status as an A-Class Pharmaceutical Researcher was inflated.

In Wei Wutao’s mind, Lin Qi’s Talent for Pharmacy might even surpass his Talent for Prosthetic Engineering.

’Perhaps this is just the world of a genius,’ he thought.

Lin Qi already had his response prepared. "The A-Class project I’m working on is almost complete," he said. "Once it’s done, I can apply for an inter-departmental joint research initiative."

"We’re a pharmaceutical company, after all. It only makes sense for the Prosthetic Engineering Department and the Pharmaceutical Department to collaborate, right?"

"I’m hoping that when I submit the application, you can give it the green light, Uncle Wei. And maybe arrange for me to be assigned to the new project and participate in the research."