Day Fifty-Two…
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Nathan felt conflicted when he heard Phantomflake's revelation. He wasn't certain if this was her tactic to shaken him. He refused to believe her. He only knew one Shining Star and that was Monica.
'Why is she claiming that she's Shining Star? Is she trying to deceive me? She is also a hacker. She might have learned about SizzlingAugust and Shining Star when she did her background check for Monica.'
On the other hand, Jane stared at Nathan intently, assessing his reaction. She could tell that Nathan was doubtful. He won't believe her no matter what truth she would reveal to him. He considered her a nemesis so he wouldn't trust her words that easily.
"Is this another scheme of yours?" Nathan said in a cold voice. The anger could be seen in his eyes. He hated it. Phantomflake was using his weakness. Shining Star held an important place in his heart.
"Don't you dare use Shining Star's name." Nathan declared to her.
Jane thought of a way to convince him. "Why are you getting affected? Do you know Shining Star? Do you know me?" Jane feigned innocence, pretending she didn't know yet that Nathan was SizzlingAugust08.
"Or perhaps do you know… SizzlingAugust?" Jane gazed at him meaningfully. She was waiting whether Nathan would admit his identity or not.
Nathan remained silent. He didn't respond to her. He could no longer stand this kind of game. He glanced at Axel, giving him a signal to use the truth serum.
Phantomflake's words were unbelievable. He couldn't distinguish lies from truths. And he hated it.
With Nathan's order, Axel traced his steps toward Jane, holding the truth serum. He used the syringe to inject the serum into Jane's neck. This was the only way he could ensure that the next words she would say were only the truth.
Jane didn't struggle or resist. She also wanted to grab this opportunity. With the truth serum, Nathan would believe her words. He would think that she couldn't manipulate things while she was under the influence of the truth serum.
Nathan and Axel waited for the truth serum to take effect before they started interrogating Phantomflake. Jane began to feel dizzy. She already exlerienced this once. Nathan used this truth serum once when she was still Abigail. Nathan always had trust issues against strangers, how much more his enemies?
A few minutes later, the truth serum kicked in. Nathan and Axel already noticed the changes in Phantomflake's expression.
"Sir, I think you can start questioning her now." Axel notified Nathan.
Nathan just bobbed his head, a cold glint flashing through his eyes. He moved closer to Phantomflake and started questioning her.
"Who hired you to kill Monica?" Nathan glanced at her with an icy cold glare.
Jane gazed up, meeting his eyes. She smiled and replied, "The Raven. I received the order from them."
Nathan and Axel were taken aback for a moment. They looked at each other, surprised. Phantomflake already gave away this information a while ago. This only meant she was telling the truth.
"Someone from them… knew the real identity of the Supreme Leader," Jane added. She was referring to Nathan.
Nathan clenched his fists. "Why target her? Not me?" He asked her again through his gritted teeth.
"Because… they think she is your weakness. You would crumble once she disappeared. Someone wanted you to suffer emotionally… and a great loss."
Nathan folded his hands into tight fists, his knuckles turning white. He was hardly controlling his rage.
"Where can I find them?" His authoritative voice echoed inside the white room.
Jane shook her head. "I don't know. But I'm willing to help you trace them. I'll do anything for you."
Axel: "..."
Nathan was caught off guard by Jane's last remarks. He looked at Axel, his eyes asking him if the Truth Serum truly took effect or not. What made her decide to voluntarily help Nathan?
"Sir… her body is frail and her mental state is not stable after getting tortured. So, she can't maintain her presence of mind to fight the effect of the truth serum. She is still under the influence of the serum." Axel explained to Nathan, reassuring him.
Nathan could only frown deeply. This turn of events was so hard to believe. However, he had no choice but to continue to seek answers and find the truth from Phantomflake's confession.
"How about Shining Star? How do you know her? Why are you pretending to be her?" Nathan asked a very important question that he needed to hear the answer… the truth.
Jane let out a soft giggle after hearing Nathan's question. "Of course, I know… because Shining Star is me."
"I've become a hacker because of my good friend… my mentor… SizzlingAugust08."
"That bastard… who just disappeared like a bubble without even saying a proper goodbye to me." Jane started to vent out while staring at Nathan intently.
"Do you know what I hate the most? Losing against him! I worked hard to beat him in our online game. He kept beating me and I was so frustrated."
"I defeated him once but that dumb bastard left me alone… clueless of what happened to him, making me worried sick about him. I want to beat him!"
"I searched for him, using the skills he taught me, I did my best to track him. However, he left no trace. I even thought he died. But now I know… he is still alive."
Jane's words were like daggers hitting Nathan's heart. How could this be possible? She sounded like Abigail. What she said was coincidentally similar to the story shared with him by Abigail when they talked about Shining Star.
'No way… This can't be happening. Phantomflake… can't be Shining Star.' Nathan was in denial, refusing to believe this revelation.
If Phantomflake was Shining Star? How about Monica? To think about it, Monica and Nathan never talked about the past. But Phantomflake was talking about every bit of detail she felt when she bonded with Nathan as SizzlingAugust08.
Nathan was still in his deep stupor when the intercom resounded. Chantha's voice was heard.
"Supreme Leader! We have an emergency. Young Master Ethan is here together with your friends!"
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