As Hutton sat on the simple yet comfortable bed in his assigned room, he let out a long breath. The events of the past hours had been nothing short of chaotic. He had barely processed everything, but he knew that if there was one thing he could do now—it was protect those who mattered to him.
Without wasting any time, he pulled out his phone and dialed a familiar number.
"Boss?" Everlyn’s voice came through almost immediately, sounding surprised.
"Everlyn," Hutton kept his tone calm but firm. "For the time being, I need you to lay low. Put the Green Clover on temporary closure and ensure that nothing suspicious happens around it. No matter what, don’t ask questions—just follow this order."
There was a brief pause before Everlyn hesitantly responded, "Is something going on?"
"Nothing you need to worry about," Hutton said, his voice unwavering. "Just do as I say and keep things quiet."
After another short silence, Everlyn sighed. "Understood."
Once that call ended, Hutton immediately dialed another number.
"Hutton?" Kenneth’s voice was sharp, alert. "This is unexpected."
"Same instructions as Everlyn," Hutton said immediately. "Lay low. Keep Hidden Eye off the radar and don’t take any jobs for now. Make sure none of our agents do anything unnecessary."
Kenneth, being more perceptive than Everlyn, immediately sensed something was wrong. "What the hell is going on? Did something happen?"
"Kenneth," Hutton said in a firm but quiet voice. "Do not ask. Just listen."
Kenneth stayed silent for a moment before finally responding, "Fine. But when this is over, you owe me an explanation."
"I know."
With that, the call ended.
Hutton leaned back slightly, running a hand through his hair. ’They’ll be safe. At least, for now.’
But just as he was about to process his next move, a sudden knock on his door made him tense up.
’Someone’s here?’
In an instant, Hutton was on alert. He quickly stood up and walked over to the door. After a brief pause, he opened it.
Standing outside were Boma and Bob.
"You both look serious," Hutton noted, crossing his arms.
Bob didn’t waste any time. "We need answers, Hutton."
Boma nodded. "We didn’t ask during the fight, but now we want to know—why did Timothy and the Harbinger call you Taylor? This is the second time now."
Hutton stiffened at the question. He had been hoping to avoid this, but it seemed that Bob and Boma weren’t going to let it slide.
"It’s nothing—"
"Cut the crap," Bob interrupted, his eyes sharp. "Hutton, I’ve been with you for a while now. I know when you’re hiding something. And this? This is big."
Boma folded his arms. "We’re not stupid. If the Harbinger, of all people, knows another name for you, that means there’s something in your past you haven’t told us."
Hutton exhaled slowly. He had managed to keep this buried for so long, but now? It was catching up to him.
Seeing no way out, he finally muttered, "Fine. I’ll tell you."
Bob and Boma exchanged glances before stepping inside and shutting the door behind them.
Hutton took a seat, rubbing his temples. "But after I say this, you both better be ready. Because once you hear it, there’s no going back."
A heavy silence filled the room as Bob and Boma stared at Hutton, their eyes filled with a mix of shock, disbelief, and something else—something far deeper while Bob muttered. "Don’t worry, we can take it"
Hutton leaned back in his seat, exhaling as he finally spoke the truth he had kept hidden for so long.
"I wasn’t always Hutton Maxwell," he admitted, his voice carrying the weight of years of secrecy. "In my past life, my name was Taylor. I was a veteran military combatant during World War 3."
Bob and Boma didn’t say a word, their gazes locked on him.
Hutton continued, his tone calm but carrying an undercurrent of bitterness.
"During the war, I led a unit—one that fought on the frontlines, dealing with classified missions that most wouldn’t even dare to take on."****" He clenched his fists slightly. "But in the end, I was betrayed… by my own subordinate."
Bob’s expression twisted. "Wait… are you saying—"
Hutton’s eyes sharpened as he nodded.
"Yes. Timothy was the one who betrayed me. He was under my command back then. I trusted him. I trained him. And yet, when the time came… he stabbed me in the back."
A chilling silence followed.
Bob and Boma exchanged glances, their faces clouded with emotions they couldn’t quite put into words.
Boma was the first to break the silence, his voice filled with disbelief. "You’re telling me… you died? In the war?"
Hutton’s gaze darkened. "I died because of Timothy."
Bob leaned forward, his face grim. "And then what? You just… woke up in this body? As Hutton Maxwell?"
Hutton nodded again. "I don’t know how or why, but I was reincarnated into this body. When I first woke up, I still had my memories of my past life, but I was in the body of someone completely different. That’s when I realized… my second chance had begun."
Bob and Boma were utterly stunned.
Boma, usually the more composed one, let out a sharp breath. "That’s… insane. This kind of thing isn’t normal. Reincarnation? I mean, we’re cultivators, sure, but this…" He shook his head. "This is something else entirely."
Bob, on the other hand, was more focused on one thing.
This chapt𝙚r is updated by freeωebnovēl.c૦m.
"And Timothy…?" He gritted his teeth. "Does he know? Does he remember?"
Hutton’s jaw clenched. "I don’t know. But from the way he reacted when the Harbinger called me Taylor… he suspects something. Whether he fully remembers or not, I can’t say for sure."
Bob exhaled, rubbing his forehead. "Damn it… this changes everything."
Boma crossed his arms, his expression unreadable. "You went through all of this… and you never told us?"
Hutton’s gaze softened slightly. "Would you have believed me if I did?"
Another silence fell over the room.
The truth was, no, they wouldn’t have believed him—not until tonight, when everything started falling into place.
A heavy silence followed Boma’s question as Hutton furrowed his brows.
"How did the Harbinger know?" Boma repeated, crossing his arms. "He called you Taylor without hesitation, as if he was sure he wasn’t talking to the original Hutton Maxwell."
Hutton shook his head slowly. "I don’t know," he admitted, his voice edged with frustration. "That’s what bothers me. If Timothy doesn’t fully remember, then how the hell did the Harbinger figure it out so easily?"
Bob frowned. "Could it be something related to the God crystals?"
Hutton exhaled sharply. "Possibly. But without more information, we’re just guessing."
Before they could dwell on the matter any further, a knock suddenly echoed from the door.
The three of them instantly tensed.
Hutton exchanged a wary glance with Bob and Boma before carefully approaching the door. His hand hovered over the handle for a second before he swung it open.
Julian stood there, his face unusually grim.
"Julian?" Boma’s eyes narrowed. "What happened? You look like you’ve seen a ghost."
Julian didn’t speak right away. Instead, he pulled out his phone, turned the screen towards them, and muttered under his breath—
"We’re national fugitives."
Hutton’s gaze snapped to the phone screen.
Bob and Boma crowded in closer.
And then, they saw it.
Their faces.
All of them.
Plastered across news sites, government bulletins, and social media, labeled as wanted criminals under a national manhunt.
Boma’s expression darkened. "This… this is insane."
Bob clenched his fists. "I don’t even need to ask. This has to be the World-class families’ doing."
Hutton’s grip tightened around the phone as his jaw clenched. "They’re not just after the God crystals," he muttered grimly. "They want to erase us completely."
"What do we do now?" Hutton asked, his voice sharp with urgency as he handed Julian’s phone back to him.
Julian sighed and crossed his arms. "For starters, there are only two World-class families in the U.S.—the Washington family and the Lincoln family. Both are based in the capital."
Bob exhaled sharply. "That means staying anywhere near D.C. is suicide."
Julian nodded. "Exactly. We need to move further away from the capital. The more distance we put between ourselves and them, the better."
Hutton, Bob, and Boma quickly exchanged looks before nodding in agreement.
"That makes sense," Boma said. "The sooner we leave, the better."
Just as they were about to discuss where to go next, Hutton’s phone suddenly buzzed.
And then it buzzed again.
And again.
A constant stream of messages flooded his screen from multiple people, but the most frequent one is Vivian.
A moment later, her name flashed across the screen in an incoming call.
Hutton stared at it, his brows furrowing.
Bob glanced at him. "You gonna pick that up?"
"No." Hutton clicked the power button, silencing the call. "Not right now."
Boma raised a brow. "You sure? She might have important info."
"Maybe," Hutton admitted. "But right now, our priority is finding a way out of here. Besides, those behemoths might get to us if I pick it up." He then turned his attention back to Julian. "Where exactly do you plan on taking us?"
A slight smile crept onto Julian’s face.
"I have a place in mind."