Chapter 68 Finding Clues About James

Chapter 68 Finding Clues About James
Marcus Pov

The underground base was unusually quiet. I leaned against the table, a cigarette resting between my lips while I dismantled the pistol in my hand. Piece by piece, I checked the bullet before sliding it back together with practiced ease.

Behind me, Nexus stood with a tablet. I could hear tapping sounds.

“The transport team returned an hour ago,” he reported. “We lost part of our weapon shipment.”

Click.

The magazine in my hand slid into place with a sharp click, but I still didn’t look at him and only focused on picking another pistol and testing it.

He continued, “The attack was strange, though. They attacked only after our convoy set out on the sea. But luckily, I sent more high-ranking Alphas this time, otherwise, we would have lost everything.”

My eyes narrowed as I turned the second pistol to check it one last time. My voice flowed out calmly.

“How about the energy supplement?”

Behind me, Nexus paused, then nodded. “They are safe. But I think that was their real target, and the weapons were only a distraction.”

This time, I put down the pistol and slowly wiped my fingers with a white handkerchief. Done, I threw it on the floor and finally turned around, a cold look settling in my eyes.

Weapons could always be bought again but energy supplements couldn’t. One missing shipment could cripple entire operations and cost countless lives.

Just then, Nexus’s expression darkened. His strained voice rang through the room.

“We also lost 8 men.”

The cigarette paused halfway to my lips. For the first time since the report began, I stopped moving.

Silence filled the room.

He continued, “We lost three SS+ Alphas and five S+ Alphas—Darn it!”

My eyes darkened. Smoke escaped my lips and covered the expression on my face.

Moments passed, then, “Take care of their families,” I said quietly. “Double the compensation.”

“Yes, Master.”

I nodded, and was about to speak when a knock interrupted me.

I looked up at the door, then watched as the heavy door opened and Amanda walked inside, dressed in her usual black suit. Her expression was just as cold as ever.

Next to me, Nexus glanced at her, he grinned, his eyes brimming with mischief.

“Yo… Amanda. Ever thought about smiling once in your life?”

Amanda didn’t even blink. Instead, she threw him a glance, then muttered one word.

“Idiot.”

Nexus didn’t mind at all. He laughed to himself.

I ignored their bickering. Well, this wasn’t the first time, and it also wouldn’t be the last.

Amanda soon stepped forward and bowed slightly.

“Master, Mayor Francis has delivered the information you requested.”

This finally got my attention. I looked at Amanda, then she immediately raised the tablet with both hands.

“I haven’t checked it, but it should also include the confidential files connected to Doctor Reese.”

My fingers holding the cigarette paused. Then I took it from her.

The room became so silent except for the tapping on the screen. My face remained cold as I swiped page after page.

The more I checked, the more my brow slowly pulled together.

I saw one familiar name appear, then another… and another.

Every swipe only made my expression darker. None of these people should have any reason to be in this city.

These were names I recognized. Ones that were enough to cause alarm in the country. 

Business leaders, pack rulers, scientists, and even military officials. How could people who rarely left their territories suddenly enter this city within the past two months?

My fingers tightened around the tablet.

There were too many. Just too many to ignore. There was no way a city would attract this kind of attention without a reason.

Suddenly, my brain clicked, and a memory rushed back into my head.

It was the day…

My phone had rung late in the night, disturbing my work. At first, I had been annoyed, but when I heard the soft voice…

“Master Marcus…”

It was James’s voice. His voice sounded rough and trembling. I had known James for years but never heard fear in his voice until that night.

He didn’t say a word, but I immediately guessed that things weren’t right.

“Where are you?” I demanded. “Send me your location, right now!”

James ignored my question. Instead, with a trembling voice, he said, “Please… I need you to do something.”

My jaw tightened, remembering his next words. My fist clenched.

“If I die… protect my daughter.”

His words sounded so strange. I knew that wasn’t the James I knew. I had tried to request that he tell me where he was, but he ignored me and instead kept on talking, his breathing growing heavier.

“Please, hide her,” he continued weakly. “If possible… erase her identity and make everyone believe she died with me.”

I hadn’t wanted to hear his nonsense anymore, so I ordered my men to trace his signal. But when we reached his private laboratory, the floor was already covered in blood.

James survived that night… or barely survived. But even lying on a hospital bed, pale and barely conscious, he still refused to tell me everything. Days after waking up, he refused to stay under my protection. Instead, he entrusted Elena to me before disappearing again.

The warmth of the tablet brought me back to my senses. My eyes became heavy as I returned to the report.

I opened another page… then another list. But suddenly, my eyes paused on the last name. My thumb stopped scrolling on its own.

Major General Henry Hart.

My grip tightened around the tablet until the edges dug into my palm

Without wasting time, I checked his arrival date, then his departure date.

My eyes narrowed slightly.

The pieces were there, but they refused to fit together. The feeling gnawed at the back of my mind making me even more irritated. 

I looked at the familiar name, then a slow tapping sound echoed through the room.

Tap.

Tap.

The air around me turned silent but dangerous as I tapped my finger on the table. No one dared to speak in the room. Even Amanda and Nexus didn’t dare interrupt me.

Again, I opened the report, then read through it again. It stated that James’s home had been searched and sealed by the military.

Suddenly, my finger stopped tapping.

I compared the dates again… then again, and finally, everything seemed to line up.

The day Henry left…

Wasn’t that the same day my men had reported to me that they lost James’s trail?!

The blood drained from my face as the last piece finally clicked into place. Suddenly, the cigarette between my fingers crumbled into ash. 

My jaw tightened as I straightened up.

No! This wasn’t a coincidence. I seemed to have overlooked something. A very important piece of information.

Just then—

I stood up from my chair so quickly that it scraped across the floor. There wasn’t another second to waste.

“Prepare the jet!” I paused, my voice lowering slightly. “Also gather some of our best men.”

Suddenly, the room seemed to grow colder. Nexus straightened up immediately and, without asking questions, began to make calls.

I picked up my robe and put it on. Then I began to walk toward the door.

“If my guess is right…” my voice fell into a dangerous whisper.

“…James is in trouble.”

(The plot is about to get started. I hope you're sitted and I really hope you aren't bored. ❤️)