"Thank you for sharing that story, Dr.Hon. "
"It's nothing much," he dismissed with a wave of his hand as he sipped his coffee.
"By the way, Doctor Hon, can I ask you to examine a particular rock for me?" I inquired, handing him the box that contained the pendant.
"Of course," he replied, taking the box and opening it to inspect the rock.
He gazed at it for a few seconds, his eyes studying it. He opened his desk and retrieved a handheld magnifying glass, the kind typically used for inspecting gems, to get a closer look.
"This is strange," he muttered to himself.
"Do you know what type of rock it is?" I quickly asked.
"Based on its outer appearance, this looks like a moon rock. But, this should be a replica. Moon rocks deteriorate fast in our atmosphere, after all,"
"Are you sure it's just a replica?" I asked again. I doubt this thing was replica considering it was able to disable my power.
"Well, I'm certain it's not a moon rock. As I mentioned, moon rocks would exhibit signs of deterioration if exposed to our atmosphere. However, I don't see any such deterioration in this rock at all," he explained.
"Is there a way to preserve moon rocks to prevent them from deteriorating?" I inquired.
"I don't think so. Even NASA's moon rocks are meticulously sealed in vacuum space to preserve them. Moon rocks are super rare, something you wouldn't come across even if you spent a lifetime searching. Apart from NASA's rocks, moon rocks can only be obtained from meteorites, and the odds of finding those are still very slim," he elaborated.
'Shit, I'm at a dead end,' I cursed inwardly. The story was one thing, but now I couldn't even figure out if what I had was really a moon rock.
"Can you study it for me?" I asked.
"Well, I can, but it would come at a cost," he replied after returning the rock to its box.
"Yeah, that's me,"
"This is your package, sir," he said as he handed me a box.
"Alright,"
***
***
The campus at night had a different atmosphere. The pathways were lit with soft, gentle lights, and the surroundings were quiet and calm. The buildings had warm, glowing windows, standing out in the darkness. The trees rustled in the breeze, and the night sky was filled with stars, creating a peaceful and tranquil setting for those on campus at this late hour.
But despite the peaceful atmosphere, a woman was currently walking towards Dr. Hon's laboratory with a different plan in mind.
Dr Hon had already left the building, and I was currently controlling his female assistant. My plan was to place bugs throughout the area to monitor him. I wasn't dumb enough to trust someone I had just met today.
Since I couldn't use my suggestion ability on him, I opted for a more conventional method to keep an eye on him.
To ensure there were no surveillance measures previously in place, I used my rats to thoroughly investigate the entire area. I spent hours doing this and found out that there was indeed some CCTV, but I was able to disable them pretty easily .
CREAK.
The door to his laboratory creaked open, and I quickly opened the box, setting up hidden cameras in inconspicuous locations. I also installed a bug beneath the table, capable of recording his voice. This way, I could keep tabs on his discoveries without raising any suspicion.
With his assistant's access to all the keys, I quickly completed bugging the entire area. Next, I made my way to Dr. Hon's office, which was smaller and more straightforward to bug. I focused on his table and telephone, where he'd likely spend most of his time.
After setting up the surveillance equipment, I concealed the SSID of all the cameras and connected them to the Wi-Fi network
"Mission complete," I chuckled to myself, playing the role of a spy movie agent as I watched the CCTV footage on my phone.