Chapter 39

After entering the room, Jack placed the pizza on the table.

Then he looked at Lucia and said, "Mind if I eat with you? I went through quite a bit of trouble to deliver this order to you."

Could Lucia refuse? Obviously not.

Jack didn't wait for her response. He sat down on his own, and as he opened the pizza box, a delicious aroma immediately wafted out.

It was the rich smell of cheese mixed with bacon and sausage. For Lucia, who had been playing games all afternoon and was already starving, this was an irresistible temptation.

Her stomach let out an embarrassing growl of protest.

Lucia's face instantly turned bright red. The cool hacker image she had been trying to maintain completely collapsed in that moment.

"Even if I die, I'll die with a full stomach."

Lucia sat down across from him without hesitation, grabbed a slice of pizza, and took a big bite.

"...Delicious."

With her mouth full of stretchy cheese, Lucia squinted her eyes, looking like a cat that had just eaten some dried fish. The fear and tension from earlier were instantly half-healed by the good food.

Jack watched her eating without any guard up, and the smile on his lips deepened.

He picked up a slice of pizza and started eating it too.

Soon, the two of them had finished the entire pizza.

Lucia opened her drink and took a sip. Then she boldly wiped her mouth.

She looked at Jack with resignation, "Alright, go ahead and do it."

Jack looked at her, stunned, "What do you mean?"

Lucia looked up, "I stole your information. You're here to kill me and silence me, aren't you?"

"Since you found me, I have no complaints, it's just..." Lucia said, her tone becoming a bit pitiful.

"Make it quick. I'm afraid... of pain."

As she spoke, Lucia squeezed her eyes shut, her long lashes trembling anxiously, like a little quail waiting for judgment.

The room fell into a brief silence.

One second. Two seconds.

The expected pain didn't come. Instead, she heard a low chuckle.

"Kill you?"

Jack's voice carried a hint of amusement, "If I wanted to kill you, you would have been a corpse at the door already."

"Besides, do you think you're worth me coming to kill you personally?"

Lucia cautiously opened one eye.

She saw Jack leaning back in his chair, his fingers lightly tapping on the armrest, his eyes calm and unhurried, with no intention of making a move.

"Then you..."

Lucia was slightly stunned, looking at Jack, "Then why did you disguise yourself as a delivery guy? What do you really want?"

"Nothing much, just came to ask you some things."

Jack looked at Lucia and said calmly, "Who told you to investigate me?"

"I can't say that."

Lucia looked troubled, "In our line of work, we need to keep client confidentiality..."

Before Lucia could finish her sentence, Jack stood up.

He grabbed her chin directly, forcing Lucia to raise her head and look directly into his eyes.

Jack's gaze was calm, elegant like still water, unfathomably deep.

It gave off a profound yet dangerous feeling.

"You should know how serious the crime is for hacking into the defense system and stealing information about a three-star general."

"You should also know that with my authority, even if I killed you, nothing would happen."

"So..."

"Don't test my patience."

Jack's fingers tightened slightly, his fingertips brushing against Lucia's delicate skin. That subtle sense of pressure made Lucia's breathing become rapid.

She looked at Jack, who was so close, those deep eyes seeming able to see through all her disguises and secrets.

"I... I'll talk!"

After taking a deep breath, Lucia's body suddenly relaxed, giving up all resistance.

She had seen Jack's files. So. She knew better than anyone how terrifying Jack was.

Honestly, if she hadn't hacked into the defense system, she wouldn't have believed that there could be such a terrifying man in this world.

Just thinking about Jack's track record made Lucia's scalp tingle.

In just a few years, from a soldier with nothing, he became a legendary three-star general.

Anyone would think such a thing was impossible. But Jack had done it.

In fact, after reading through his records, Lucia even felt he deserved a more glorious medal than a general.

Although Jack looked very young, his prestige in the military had reached an unprecedented level. With one call, all three services could be commanded by him.

This point was absolutely unique in Marigoldia's history.

His voice now carried even more weight than those guys at the Pentagon.

So Lucia was very clear that in front of Jack, all her arguments would be futile.

"It's Isabella," after taking a deep breath, Lucia said directly.

"She's the one who asked me to investigate you."

Hearing this, a hint of disappointment flashed in Jack's eyes. He had thought it would be someone behind Isabella, which was why he came to see Lucia personally, wanting to know who was behind Isabella. Now it seemed he had made a wasted trip.

"Did you tell her?" Jack looked at Lucia and asked.

"No."

Lucia's body trembled, and she shook her head like a bobblehead.

"I swear, I didn't send her your identity information."

Jack nodded. "The pizza was good."

With that, he stood up from the chair and walked toward the door.

Seeing him leave, Lucia was stunned, then overjoyed.

But when Jack reached the door, he suddenly stopped.

Behind him, the smile on Lucia's face froze, and her heart, which had just relaxed, became anxious again.

Jack turned around. The smile frozen on Lucia's face was clearly visible.

The corners of Jack's mouth curved up slightly as he looked at Lucia and said, "Can I ask you to do me a favor?"

The smile on Lucia's face instantly froze, and the corner of her mouth twitched uncontrollably.

"...A favor? What was Jack's status - a three-star general. What couldn't someone like that accomplish? And he was actually asking her for a favor?"

"...What favor?" Lucia swallowed, her body involuntarily shrinking back, her hands gripping the armrests tightly, looking at Jack warily.

"My adoptive father used to be a shareholder of Fidelity Tower Technologies. I suspect his death is related to this company."

"Your hacking skills are pretty good."

"So, I'd like to ask you to help me investigate this company."

Jack looked at Lucia and said calmly.

Lucia's act of hacking into the Department of Defense had already violated national security. By rights, Jack should arrest her. However, her skills were indeed excellent. Just one person, able to hack into the Defense Department's system without anyone noticing. Such talent was rare. If possible, Jack actually wanted to recruit her.