Chapter 186: Time Will Give You the Answer

Gabriel and Jon's conversation, along with Jon's self-assessment, was unknown to Carter.

Carter was simply puzzled as to why Gabriel, who usually left work on time, had suddenly started working overtime. During this period, HT Company had multiple projects demanding Carter's attention, including factory and cold storage construction, building a logistics fleet, applying for cash transport qualifications, and promoting credit cards. These tasks required Carter to keep track of progress and resolve any issues that arose, providing necessary authorizations. Additionally, with his senior year of high school approaching, he had to prepare for AP courses and reinforce his existing knowledge. This period had been the busiest since Carter's time travel.

Since mid-March, Carter had been acting as the bank's head, usually not leaving until after 7:30 PM. Lately, Gabriel, the new addition to the "heads of the bank," had been working late as well.

"Hey, Gabriel, it's time to go home! What have you been working on so late recently? Is there a problem with the system?"

In the empty hall of the bank's first floor, the only light came from Gabriel's workstation, casting an orange glow over his silhouette, making him appear both desolate and somewhat eerie.

"No, no, the system is fine. I was just playing around with some personal projects after work. Is that okay?"

Personal hobbies? That made sense!

Recalling what Paul had mentioned before, Carter understood.

"Of course, it's fine, but make sure you get enough rest. Save your work and finish the rest tomorrow."

"Okay, but I..."

Gabriel stood up immediately upon hearing Carter was ready to leave. He seemed to want to say something but eventually swallowed his words.

Seeing that Gabriel seemed to have something on his mind, Carter didn't press further. He patted Gabriel's shoulder, and they left together. Carter figured that Gabriel would speak up when he was ready.

However, Carter couldn't have anticipated how quickly that time would come.

The next afternoon, just as Carter stepped into the bank, Goodman approached him with urgent news:

"Carter, an FBI agent from the Atlanta field office is here to see you. I've arranged for him to wait in the reception room. He's here for Gabriel."

"Gabriel? Did he commit a crime?!"

Startled, Carter immediately thought Gabriel's hesitation the previous night might have been about some trouble he'd gotten into.

"No, he ran away from home to take this job without telling his parents. When he didn't come home for the weekend, his parents reported him missing. The local police found that some money was missing from his home, and he had bought a ticket to Atlanta with it. They concluded he ran away, and the case was transferred to the FBI. Agent Allison is here to take him back."

"That's all? Alright, I understand."

Hearing Goodman's explanation, Carter felt relieved. Despite the jokes about "FBI, open up!" he knew that real involvement with the FBI was no small matter. If the FBI was looking into you, it usually meant serious trouble. But if they were just here to find Gabriel, who was already 17 and legally able to work full-time, and since he came on his own, there were no issues of kidnapping or child labor.

Considering that only one agent had been sent, it was clear the FBI didn't see this as a significant case. With this in mind, Carter confidently walked into the reception room, extending the usual courtesies, and the atmosphere was warm and friendly. Agent Allison, in his late forties, was all smiles, far from the stereotypical stern law enforcer.

The only one not sharing in the good spirits was Gabriel, who stood silently, looking both uneasy and relieved as he listened to Carter and Agent Allison's casual conversation.

American social habits of mutual flattery were on full display. Carter praised Agent Allison for his dedication, coming all this way for a runaway teenager, while Agent Allison commended Carter for being a conscientious employer. In this exchange of pleasantries, no one paid much attention to Gabriel's feelings. Normally, Gabriel would have sought attention, but now he just quietly waited for the conversation to end and followed Agent Allison out after saying goodbye to Carter.

"Look at this mess. Worked half a month, and we lost over a thousand. Kids these days are really troublesome!" Goodman complained, feeling the sting of the lost wages and the ticket refund.

"Ha, young people are like that. It's normal. Consider it making a connection. Did you see how efficient the computers are? They've doubled our bank's work efficiency. In the future, when computers can network, we might not even need checks or cash."

"When all transactions are processed electronically, we'll need computer experts to secure our digital vaults."

Carter knew losing a thousand dollars in half a month was an economic loss, but as a time traveler, he understood the future's trends and the importance of these seemingly insignificant tech geeks. If Alipay hadn't had top-tier programmers like Wu Hanqing building an impenetrable firewall, it wouldn't have achieved its dominant status in the payment industry.

From an investment perspective, Carter felt at ease. Spending a thousand dollars now might seem like a loss, but if Gabriel remembered this favor in the future, the potential help he could provide would far exceed that amount.

The longer Carter worked at the bank, the more he understood the essence of investment. Stripped of all technical jargon and strategies, it boiled down to betting on something you believed had future value at the right time and then patiently waiting.

Time would give the answer.