Chapter 308:

Rylie tilted her head slightly. What he said wasn’t a lie. So far, only the Wilde family, Black Tiger, and the deputy mayor had come up. They were all tangled together, and hard proof was still out of reach.

Just when things started to heat up, the sharp, synchronized steps of soldiers marching echoed from outside the medical bay. A unit of fully armed soldiers entered. Leading them was none other than Defense Minister Carter Norris. Everyone rose instinctively and saluted. A few senior officers who had taken Ronan’s side exchanged uneasy looks, dread creeping over them like a slow tide.

Inside the military camp, word had always gone around that the Defense Minister favored Brad. The story was that Brad had once saved his life during a tense diplomatic standoff. He’d been badly injured, and Carter had never forgotten it.

“It looks like I made it just in time,” said Carter, his sharp eyes sweeping across the room before resting on the Commander-in-Chief of the Army, Rowell Nixon. “Commander Nixon, I have already approved the report and upgrade details of this medical equipment. Why did you bypass the Defense Ministry and decide to handle military equipment on your own?”

Rowell stood with measured calm. “Minister Norris, I did not realize that Brad had gone beyond—”

Carter cut him off without hesitation. He turned to the technical team beside him. “Conduct a full inspection of this equipment.”

A state-affiliated medical team moved forward, setting to work on the machines.

After thirty minutes of thorough testing, the technicians huddled together, their expressions shifting as they exchanged quiet remarks. At last, one of them stepped forward to report to Carter. “Our analysis confirms that the results match General Morgan’s submitted report. The diagnostic accuracy is 99.9%. The other equipment only reaches 80%. We also detected multiple flaws that can be repaired.”

Candice clenched her teeth as the color drained from her face. It was as if the report had called her negligence into the open, showing that even her basic documentation was lacking.

Rowell placed a hand on his daughter’s back. His anger toward Brad simmered to its peak.

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Carter faced Ronan. “Since your medical equipment was first installed on the ships, you have demanded extra fees for annual upgrades. Almost ten years have gone by, yet the accuracy has only reached 80%. How high was the misdiagnosis rate before? How many soldiers suffered delays in treatment because of this flawed equipment? Given these facts, I cannot dismiss the suspicion that your medical equipment has been embezzling state funds.”

Those words struck like a heavy blow, leaving Ronan’s face pale as ash. Cold sweat gathered again on his forehead, dampening the skin he had only just wiped dry.

“How can you accuse me of that? Every single upgrade to my equipment is the fruit of my team’s hard work. As for this so-called upgraded version that suddenly appeared, it relies fundamentally on our core technology! Even if you insist on using this ‘upgraded version’, it must be bought from my medical company!” Ronan snapped as his jaw tightened.

“That’s the peak of arrogance,” Brock muttered under his breath.

Rylie’s voice stayed steady. “I indeed used one of your programs, but if you give me time, I can replace it.”

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