Chapter 285: Chapter 285: Justin Lewis’s Voice
The midday sun was already scorching. In this season, standing outside felt oppressively hot.
Yet for Justin Lewis and the few others emerging from the conference room, the sun’s rays felt like they could chase away a bit of the chill that clung to them.
Quentin Ford walked at the very front, with Justin Lewis behind him, along with several silent Betas.
Colonel Hanson and his group were seven or eight steps behind.
As they came out, they happened to look down and see Zoe Pierce’s group, who had just left Instructor Joyce’s office.
Dressed in Military training uniforms, they stood on the training grounds under the bright sun.
Zoe Pierce and Nathan Lockwood were the first to feel several gazes on them.
Following the direction of the gazes, they immediately saw Quentin Ford and his group standing on the walkway.
Her steps faltered, and she gave a slight bow and nod toward the group.
This was a gesture of respect for her elders, as well as for the leaders.
From that distance, she couldn’t make out their expressions.
But she saw someone next to Quentin Ford signal for them to stop.
So Zoe Pierce and her group stopped where they were. Three minutes later, Quentin Ford walked down to them.
It was only then that they realized this group included not just Quentin Ford, but also people from The Military.
"Long time no see, Pierce." Quentin Ford was as amicable as ever.
Zoe Pierce replied politely, "Councilor Ford, long time no see."
Quentin Ford glanced over the group. "I heard about you all being kidnapped by that Terrorist Organization. It’s good that you’re all right."
"You are the pride of The Federation. Protect yourselves, and don’t take unnecessary risks."
Justin Lewis glanced at the time and said in a low voice, "Sir, you have another meeting after this. We should leave soon."
Quentin Ford nodded, said his goodbyes to Zoe Pierce’s group, and then casually strolled to his Hovercar. He gave them another smile before leaving.
Colonel Hanson and a few other military officers stood behind them.
There was nothing excessive or inappropriate in what Quentin Ford had said.
After Quentin Ford was out of sight, Colonel Hanson also left.
Once all those people had left, it was Nathan Lockwood who noticed Zoe Pierce’s somewhat stunned expression and asked, "What’s wrong?"
Ever since Quentin Ford had left, Zoe Pierce’s expression had been a little strange.
It wasn’t obvious, though, or Colonel Hanson wouldn’t have left so readily.
Zoe Pierce’s mouth opened and closed before she gripped Nathan Lockwood’s arm.
"We’ll talk when we get back," she finally forced out with great difficulty.
Miles Sherman made an immediate decision. "To the Psionic Training Room."
At least that would be a safe enough place.
*
Outside the Hovercar, the scenery rushed backward.
Quentin Ford’s eyes remained fixed on the scenery outside the window, not moving even after they had left the military district.
Justin Lewis had already glanced at Quentin Ford several times.
"Sir... are we really going to let The Military investigate?"
Quentin Ford blinked as if waking from a dream, then slowly leaned back against the rear seat, rubbing the knuckles of one hand with the thumb and forefinger of the other.
"Yes," he said, lifting his face. "They’ll investigate whether we tell them to or not."
"We’ve already aroused their suspicion, Justin."
He sighed.
He hadn’t planned on bringing Justin Lewis to the Military base today. After all, he had tasked Justin with overseeing Zoe Pierce’s kidnapping.
But Justin Lewis was his long-time secretary and, outside of vacations, was rarely away from his side.
So he had brought him along on this trip after all.
However, he couldn’t help but recall Zoe Pierce’s micro-expression upon hearing Justin Lewis’s voice.
He had been watching her the entire time.
’That subtle, sudden dilation of her pupils, that abrupt blink...’
It made him entertain the absurd thought that Zoe Pierce already knew he was the mastermind behind it all.
But Zoe Pierce’s reaction had been directed at Justin Lewis.
He squeezed the knuckle of his middle finger. "Justin, did you personally contact those people last time?"
Justin Lewis froze for a second, then said in a low voice, "Yes. They asked me for the defense schematics."
Quentin Ford’s eyes were fixed intently on Justin Lewis, for so long that Justin began to wonder if he had done something wrong.
His expression changed slightly. "Sir, have we been exposed?"
Quentin Ford lowered his gaze. "It’s possible. Zoe Pierce might have remembered something."
"We would have had to make these preparations anyway," he said.
Justin Lewis found it somewhat hard to believe, but he trusted Quentin Ford’s judgment.
"Sir, if necessary, I can be..."
Quentin Ford raised a hand, cutting him off.
Quentin Ford’s expression grew profound. "Justin, at this point, our strategy is no longer about staying hidden."
"We’re completely exposed to the authorities now. Our hands are tied on many fronts."
"What’s the frequency of the Xenobeast Tides these past few days?"
Justin Lewis was a competent secretary; every morning, he would review these figures.
"It’s increased by another 1% compared to last month."
Quentin Ford hummed in acknowledgment. "If this trend continues, by the end of this year, the Xenobeast Tides will have increased by 25% year-on-year, maybe even more."
’If the trend continues, then yes, that would be the case.’
Justin Lewis didn’t understand what Quentin Ford was thinking.
"Do everything you can to drag things out until the end of the year. Halt all activities. Tell everyone to lay low and not make any moves."
After a moment of consideration, Quentin Ford made his decision.
Clearly, Justin Lewis now understood that the end of the year would be a critical time.
A deadline personally set by Quentin Ford was never a simple one.
"Do you have a plan, Sir?" Justin asked. It was truly impossible to guess what Quentin Ford was planning.
Quentin Ford had already considered many things by now, but to Justin Lewis, he only said, "Stay away from Zoe Pierce for a while. Have a doctor prescribe you some medication and say that you’ve lost your voice due to excessive stress recently."
"For the next three months, Justin, don’t speak at all."
Quentin Ford had just explained why, so Justin Lewis immediately agreed. "I’ll see a doctor as soon as I get back."
「Meanwhile.」
In the Psionic Training Room, Zoe Pierce had regained her composure.
"What was that all about just now?" Nathan Lockwood asked, his gaze probing Zoe Pierce.
Zoe Pierce cleared her throat. "I think Secretary Lewis’s voice sounds a lot like the one I heard on the spaceship."
Even though the official questioning was over, whenever she had a spare moment, Zoe Pierce would constantly replay the details of her kidnapping and the ship collision in her mind.
That’s why she was so sensitive to the similarity when she heard Justin Lewis’s voice today.
The voice would sound a bit different through an Intelligent Brain, but it was broadly similar.
At this, even Aaron Xavier fell silent and frowned.
"Are you sure?" Miles Sherman asked.
But Zoe Pierce shook her head. "I just think it sounds very similar. I can’t be certain."
So much time had passed since she’d heard those words.
Pacing around the Psionic Training Room, Zoe Pierce added, "Unless... we could get Secretary Lewis to say those same words again."
That would firmly reawaken the memory, which has already started to fade.
But the difficulty in getting Secretary Lewis to say those words was considerable, as it would be an open accusation.
