Chapter 153: Chapter 153
Kiri did not let the matter sit for long.
Soon, he was in the inner office with Kenji and Senju.
The door was closed.
Kenji stood near the table with a tense face. Senju sat with one file open in front of her, but she was no longer reading it. Kiri had already explained what Rian had asked near the machine room.
He had also told them how Rian had asked.
That part mattered more than the question itself.
A normal engineer might ask where a machine came from. Rian had asked after proving he knew the value of the machine. That made it feel less like simple curiosity and more like a hand feeling for a lock.
Senju’s expression became serious.
"This matter is dangerous," she said.
Kenji looked at Kiri.
"We should involve Wil."
Kiri did not answer at once.
He was still not fully sure. If Rian was only curious, then calling Wil too quickly might make them look weak. But if Rian was an asset from another company, then the danger was not small.
That was why Kiri could not relax.
Rian was exactly the kind of useful person they badly needed.
"He did not ask about salary again," Kiri said. "He did not ask when production would start either. He asked where the machine came from."
Kenji’s face tightened.
Kiri continued, "That is why I am not calling it simple curiosity."
Senju spoke again.
"We should inform him," she said. "Remember what happened last time."
Kenji understood what she meant.
The last time they had hidden pressure for too long, Wil had arrived angry. More than that, the problem had already become larger by the time he came.
Kenji took out his phone.
"Fine," he said. "I will call him."
A short while later, Adam arrived at Aster Core in Wil’s appearance.
He had been in college when Kenji’s message reached him. The message had not said everything, but the tone was enough, so Adam had found a way to leave and come back to the company.
When he entered the inner office, Kiri was already waiting with Kenji and Senju.
Adam sat down.
"Tell me."
Senju began first.
"The new person we found for the manufacturing unit," she said, "the one with chip manufacturing experience..."
Adam’s eyes became still.
He had expected some difficulty with the machines, but not this tone.
Senju continued, "We think he may be another company’s asset. He may be trying to collect information about us."
Kenji added, "He asked how we got the machine."
Kiri spoke after him.
"Not casually," he said. "He knew enough to understand that this machine should not be easy for us to have."
Adam did not speak for a few seconds. His hand moved near his mouth as he thought.
Something was wrong. If another company had sent someone, then Aster Core had already appeared large enough to attract that kind of move. But what would they actually steal?
Most of Adam’s real secrets did not exist in a way outsiders could touch.
So if an outside asset came close, the target had to be something visible.
Adam looked at Kiri.
"Did you show him the main office?"
Kiri shook his head.
"No. Only the manufacturing unit."
Adam spoke slowly.
"Then I don’t think he came for the main office. If they wanted that, they would already know where it is."
Kenji frowned.
Adam turned toward him.
"Tell me," Adam said. "In your eyes, what is the most secret thing we have? The thing another company would want to take or disturb?"
Kenji became quiet.
He tried to look at the company like an enemy would. Their office was small. Their product existed now, and a real machine existed too. If someone came to steal something, the machine was the first answer.
After a few moments, Kenji answered.
"The machines," he said. "Our most secret thing is the machine itself. If they know what machine we have, they might disturb our source."
Adam’s face did not change.
’That is not a problem,’ he thought.
There was no source they could disturb in the normal way. The machine existed because Adam had copied it and pasted it.
Of course, he could not say that.
To them, the machine looked like a miracle arranged somewhere outside. To Adam, it was painful, dangerous, but repeatable.
Adam asked again, "Anything else?"
The room became silent.
Kenji and Senju both looked toward Kiri.
Kiri did not answer either.
No one found another clear secret.
Adam leaned back slightly.
"I think I found it," he said.
Senju looked at him.
"What is it?" she asked. "And what is the solution?"
Adam looked at the three of them.
"You people are the secret."
The room went quiet again.
Kenji did not understand at first.
Senju’s brows tightened.
Kiri was the first one whose expression changed slightly, as if he had caught the meaning but did not like it.
Adam continued, "Even if someone finds out where the machine is, or how it works, it can still be handled. Even if they disturb the machine, I can get another one made."
Kenji’s eyes widened a little.
Adam did not explain further.
"But the real pillars of this company are you three," he said. "If another company’s asset is looking for our weakness, then sooner or later they will approach you."
He looked at Kenji first. Kenji was handling the day-to-day weight of the company.
Then his eyes moved to Senju. She was the one who could stop legal trouble from turning into a knife at their throat.
At last, he looked at Kiri. Kiri was the one who could make deals move when others hesitated.
"If one machine is damaged, I can arrange another way," Adam said. "If one place is exposed, we can move. But if someone buys you or threatens you, then Aster Core will break from inside."
Adam did not raise his voice.
That made the words feel heavier.
His voice became lower.
"That is what we need to protect against."
