Clack, clack, clack.
The rhythmic sound of high heels echoed on the floor as Mobius walked in, head held high, hands in her pockets, exuding the image of a strong, independent woman. But her face was expressionless, exuding an aura of detachment that kept people at a distance. Even though some bystanders couldn't help but be drawn to her, they dared only to steal a glance before quickly turning away when they heard about her methods.
Klein sneaked a glance and lowered his voice, "Doctor, it's been a while since you've come to the surface."
"Hmm, that guy is out there having fun, so I figured it'd be nice to get some sun myself," Mobius replied, a faint smile curling at her lips.
Is it just me, or does it feel like you're retaliating against him?
Klein wasn't sure how to respond. He quickly forced an explanation, "Dr. Ryan hasn't been playing, and what you did earlier does relate to him."
The two of them had just attended Eden concert. According to Mobius, this was reconnaissance, a chance to observe what the generous donors who contributed to their project looked like.
Mentioning this made Mobius' long eyebrows furrow slightly.
"Even with my sharp eyes, that Eden is a perfect woman. Although what he writes isn't bad, does it really warrant that much money? Is there some hidden agenda?"
She wasn't an art expert, but she was logical and skilled at summarizing things. After taking a few losses, she decided to prepare herself in advance.
Klein could tell what she was thinking from her expression, so she cleared his throat, "Doctor, I think you need to be more assertive."
"I'm not assertive?" Mobius tilted her head, giving him a sharp look. "Are you talking about me?"
Of course, it's you! How could you not have some insight?!
Klein almost choked on her words. She looked at her increasingly sharp snake-like eyes, swallowing nervously. "I meant me, Doctor."
"Much better. From now on, focus more on research. Taking a break once in a while is fine, but not too often," Mobius finally turned her head, satisfied, and waited for the elevator while absentmindedly playing with her long hair.
She regretted her spontaneous decision earlier. The whole day had been wasted, and as for the outcome?
She didn't think those things were worth millions of euros, and she couldn't understand why people were so enthusiastic. It was just someone singing on stage.
Mobius yawned, realizing she'd been up for nearly three days straight for that person, and now she was tired. Not to mention, she hadn't even gotten a call, almost being cornered by that fat woman who complained she didn't know how to dress, only to rush over to Eden the moment she saw him.
Hmph, fickle and promiscuous.
And that debt had better be remembered. Yes, she'd remember it.
Ding—
The elevator doors opened just as she was thinking about it, and as her gaze swept over her thigh, Mobius' face turned icy, her eyes narrowing as she looked at the young man with blonde hair and a bandage across his forehead. His right hand was in a sling, looking rather disheveled.
As soon as their eyes met, the man looked shocked, then fearful, silently turning to face the interior of the elevator, while the other passengers quickly fled.
A bunch of idiots, why are they hiding from me?
Mobius snorted in annoyance before glancing at the retreating back of the man. As the chief surgeon, she certainly remembered who he was.
"Major Coleman, you're injured. Would you like to come to my operating room for treatment?"
"Uh, it's just a minor injury, no need to trouble you," Coleman said, looking up at the elevator ceiling. He knew that if Mobius was paying attention to him, it couldn't be a good thing.
Either he would wake up to find something missing, or face an astronomical bill. The intelligence department would vent all its anger on him.
When it came to finding excuses for reimbursements, she was far better at it than he was.
"You're afraid?"
"I'm just showing gentlemanly courtesy."
"Ha, your little secrets won't escape me. By the way, how did you get injured?"
"Probably from being beaten by your old friend's subordinates. What's with that clueless look on your face?" Coleman secretly complained to himself and forced a miserable smile. "I tripped and fell."
"Ha, as your chief surgeon, I must say I'm quite ashamed."
"Ashamed?"
"It's unacceptable to create defective products. How about you come to my operating room for a little adjustment? Don't worry, I'll fix you up," Mobius said, her words dripping with sarcasm.
That backhanded compliment was infuriating, and she really knew how to get under his skin.
Coleman wanted to tell her about what he saw at the summer festival, but when the words reached his lips, he swallowed them. The intuition of a fusion warrior told him that speaking out would result in a very painful death.
Just as he was trying to figure out how to refuse, the elevator door finally opened, and he let out a sigh of relief.
"Hey, are you sure you don't want to reconsider it?"
"No thanks, I'll close the elevator door myself," Coleman quickly pressed the close button, ignoring Mobius' shout, and hurriedly fled.
The elevator doors slowly closed, hiding his panicked back. Mobius glanced at the sign for the "administrative floor," and her smile disappeared immediately.
"Klein, tell Mei I need to see him."
Whew, I've finally escaped.
Coleman glanced back at the descending elevator and patted his chest, still a bit scared. After a moment, he started to admire Ryan.
Having such a terrifying woman by his side, and still daring to fool around outside—what a man. Doesn't he fear death?
I'm better off, just doing business, not getting involved in love.
Coleman suddenly grew smug. He straightened his clothes and entered the heavily guarded floor.
Like the research area, this was also a standard underground town, complete with gardens, entertainment facilities, and supermarkets. The only difference was that there were no white coats—only countless elite soldiers.
Each one was clad in full extermination gear, and Coleman couldn't even tell how many fusion warriors were inside. Every one of them was armed to the teeth.
'Seems like they're not idiots up there.'
Coleman passed through several layers of defense before arriving at a massive hollow, which had been dug out in the underground facility. In the center of the hollow, a ten-story building had been constructed. The scale of the operation was massive.
'No wonder there's a funding shortage lately, they've been putting all the money into building this thing. It's no surprise.'
After a few more checks, Coleman finally entered the internal elevator, which took him to the top floor and into the innermost lounge.
"Major, please wait a moment. Would you like something to drink?"
"Black tea, with half a tank, thank you."
Coleman feigned elegance as he took the tea and waited for the attendant to leave. Feeling bored, he lost his composure and began eyeing the female soldiers who passed by.
The area was still under construction. The short skirts and long black stockings caught his attention as he ogled the women, thinking to himself how corrupt the higher-ups were, and how much he envied their life. He wished he could sit behind a desk at headquarters from now on.
He spent a while in this idle state until the door to the lounge suddenly opened. Two people entered, causing him to hurriedly stand, ready to salute, only to realize his arm was still in a sling.
"No need to be so tense. As a precious high-ranking fusion warrior, there's no need for formalities," Carius smiled and waved his hand, looking very kind.
"Yes, Sir." Coleman wasn't one to be shy, seeing the dignified Carius sit opposite him, with the graceful smiling Carius standing behind him.
It was the standard procedure for meeting a superior. Carius highly praised Coleman's work, hinting that he should continue his efforts and that he might take over the long-vacant position of the intelligence department director. Coleman took it as a joke, stifling numerous yawns in his mind.
After sitting through half an hour of this, when Carius finally opened a file folder, they finally got to the main issue.
"I've read your summary report, and it's very detailed, but we asked you to come because Chief Carius has questions he wants to consult with you about."
"I'm not worthy," Coleman quickly sat up straight and glanced at the unfathomable golden-haired man. "Please, Chief Carius, go ahead."
"No need to be formal, I'm just asking some questions." Carius nodded before slowly asking, "First question, that black shadow—its combat strength is impressive, capable of suppressing both long-range combat and close combat. Where do you think its greatest strength lies?"
Coleman had already prepared an answer on the way here. He immediately replied, "Speed, skill, and the ability to foresee the future. If it weren't for the lack of a prominent feature, I'd suspect it's a lawmaker."
"Can you pinpoint the most outstanding strength?"
"That would be the ability to foresee. It seems like it can sense my abilities and always manages to catch me."
Isn't that a leak of intel?
Carius frowned slightly, but just the intel wasn't enough to catch this major. It could be true foresight or some kind of detection.
"I see. Then, the second question, who do you think it is?"
"I'm not sure, it seems to have appeared out of nowhere, but there are many unknown strong individuals like it. There was that one from the southern desert who escaped, killed a lot of fusion warriors." Coleman, ever the smooth talker, saw Carius' increasingly cold gaze and quickly added, "Whoever it is, it's definitely connected to Dr. Ryan. Otherwise, it would be too much of a coincidence."
"Why's that?"
Coleman didn't mention Ryan ambiguous attitude when he left, just shook his head, "No reason. It's just the intuition of an intelligence officer. Dr. Ryan didn't leave any evidence. Intuition isn't enough to convict him."
A great intuition that can't be used for a conviction.
Carius smiled bitterly and shook his head, saying, "Yeah, someone like him, to bring him to trial, there must be irrefutable evidence. Even though the Far East branch cried to me, they couldn't do anything about him."
He flipped the report in his hand, sighing, "How could we question Ryan based on a lightning strike? If we did, everyone who gets struck by lightning would be a murderer."
Even the charge of collusion with the rebels wouldn't work. A simple line of 'no one told me she was a rebel' would perfectly shift the blame. The Far East branch had no choice but to observe from a distance.
Coleman looked around, and for some reason, he suddenly felt a sense of satisfaction.
Even these high-ranking people can eat a bitter fruit, huh?