A few days later, on Adele's way to work.
Federal police vehicles were lined up on Main Street and Galileo Galilei Street, where the Whitehead Institute was located, and federal agents in blue trench coats with "FBI" written in bold yellow were bustling around in the lobby.
Adele, showing her access card, hurried toward the laboratory, her face filled with tension.
Upon arriving at the lab, Adele approached her close friend and MIT classmate, Carol.
"Carol, what happened? Why are there so many police?" Adele asked quietly.
Carol paused for a moment before whispering in Adele's ear, "A serious incident related to our project has occurred, and the FBI has started an investigation." "I don't know the details, but it seems to be a serious situation."
With a worried expression, Adele made a call to someone. The phone rang several times, but Dr. Campbell, the head of the institute, did not answer.
Shortly after, federal agents stormed into the laboratory. One agent, wearing a white shirt and a black bulletproof vest, spoke in an authoritative tone. "From this moment, the research institute is under temporary closure. Please gather your personal belongings and comply with the security check."
After the security check, Adele and the lab staff were taken to the Boston branch of the Federal Bureau of Investigation located in Chelsea.
---
Adele sat in the interrogation room, looking around with a tense expression. Under the cold white lights, the black door firmly fixed to the plain block wall seemed to say that she could not leave freely.
In one corner of the interrogation room, a surveillance camera was watching her, and the occasional flashing red light heightened her anxiety.
Adele instinctively realized that everything related to her research was in danger.
After a while, an FBI agent entered and took a seat. "Hello. I am Agent Johnson from the National Security Branch (NSB) of the FBI. I will be asking you a few questions now," the agent said in a calm yet authoritative voice.
Agent Johnson explained the legal rights of the witness and handed over a stack of documents to confirm basic personal information before starting the questions. "Could you explain the project currently underway at the institute? Specifically, please tell me about the experiment you are conducting, Dr. Adele."
Adele took a deep breath and tried to respond calmly. "The experiment I am working on is a gene editing project designed to create a complete set of superior genes and enhance intelligence and physical strength using Telomere and NR2B technology. Security is strictly managed, and all data is encrypted."
The agent took notes and asked again, "Were you aware that this research is a secret government project that has not received congressional approval?"
Adele was taken aback and replied with a trembling voice, "Oh... no, that can't be true!" "We were trained at the Pentagon and even signed a non-disclosure agreement!"
Ignoring Adele's response with a blank expression, the agent continued to ask questions. "When was the last time you saw Dr. Campbell? Have you been in contact with him recently?"
Adele, looking confused, said, "I haven't seen him this week, and I called him this morning, but he didn't answer." "Has something bad happened to Dr. Campbell?"
The agent rose from his seat, closing the documents without providing any answers. "Thank you for your cooperation, Dr. Adele. We will contact you again if necessary."
As Adele left the interrogation room, she let out a deep sigh. A foreboding feeling passed through her mind, suggesting that she would soon have to make a difficult choice.