Chapter 461
Dr. Preston Quincy frowned deeply, his fingers resting lightly on William Lowell's shoulder.
"Don't panic. The data can be reorganized. It'll take three weeks at most to recover everything."
His words sounded reassuring, but everyone present knew better.
The mysterious disappearance of research materials at this critical juncture was no accident.
In scientific research, the first-mover advantage is everything.
If someone else published first, even perfect replication would diminish their breakthrough's impact.
Dr. Quincy turned to Richard Lowell with a nod.
"Mr. Lowell, I'll go assess the situation."
He hurried after William with his assistant.
Richard immediately stood up, following closely.
Mrs. Lowell looked distraught, abandoning all press conference arrangements to join them.
Everyone understood - if Dr. Quincy's research was truly compromised, the Lowell family would fall from grace.
The press conference venue buzzed with activity.
Though scheduled for 10 AM, reporters had arrived by 7 AM to secure prime spots.
Medical experts from across the country came a day early to witness this historic moment.
All anticipated today would mark a breakthrough in medical robotics.
As time ticked by, anticipation grew.
At 10 AM sharp, spotlights illuminated the empty stage.
The crowd waited patiently.
By 10:30, the stage remained silent.
Reporters began questioning staff.
But the staff were equally confused.
The Lowell men had left without informing anyone.
William's assistant only discovered their absence upon opening the green room.
Unanswered phone calls left no choice but to address the crowd.
Meanwhile, at Lowell Group's laboratory...
William's voice trembled. "Dr. Quincy, could there be some mistake? The data was definitely here."
Dr. Quincy's fingers flew across the keyboard.
With each keystroke, his expression darkened further.
William held his breath, clinging to fading hope.
Finally, Dr. Quincy stopped typing.
"Mr. Lowell, the files are indeed gone from this system."
He booted up a backup computer.
"The duplicates have vanished too."
This confirmation shattered William's last shred of hope.
"How? Our lab has top-tier security! We have cybersecurity experts! How could data just disappear?"
Suddenly grasping at straws, he insisted:
"Dr. Quincy, call the tech team! We must recover this data! The press conference cannot be canceled!"