Chapter 59

The next day.

Jack had just finished washing up.

His phone rang.

It was an unknown number.

This was Jack's personal phone.

Not many people knew this number.

Jack frowned slightly but still answered the call. "Hello."

His voice was flat, without a trace of emotion.

"Hello, is this Jack?" A pleasant female voice came through, sounding a bit nervous with a hint of anticipation.

Jack's expression tensed, but he still replied, "Yes, this is Jack. And you are?"

"It's Allison Morris, Jack. I sat behind you in tenth grade, remember?"

The voice on the other end carried a note of probing expectation, as if certain he would remember right away.

Jack's fingers holding the phone paused slightly, and a bright, attractive face instantly flashed through his mind.

Allison—that name along with her appearance, like a faded old photograph being recolored, emerged clearly before his eyes.

Yes, it was her.

Back in the day, Allison was a genuine star at their school—not only recognized as the prettiest girl but also captain of the basketball team's cheerleading squad.

Back then, she was always surrounded by a group of boys like the moon among stars, her smile as dazzling as summer sunshine.

However, high school was very brief for Jack.

He only studied there for one year before dropping out.

The reason was simple—he received an acceptance letter from Clayton Military Academy.

After entering Clayton Military Academy, Jack threw himself into rigorous military training and later an even more brutal career as an agent.

In his memory, he and she didn't have much interaction—at most borrowing notes a few times, or polite nods when passing each other in the hallway.

Jack frowned slightly, a barely noticeable wariness flashing in his eyes.

This private number of his was extremely confidential. Aside from a very small core circle of people, no one knew it. Over the years he'd always been cautious, with all his communication channels encrypted and disguised through multiple layers.

A high school classmate he'd lost touch with for years—how exactly did she get his phone number?

"Allison." Jack repeated the name without showing any emotion, his tone still flat as water, revealing none of the joy of a long-awaited reunion. "Long time no see. But I'm curious—how did you get this number?"

"Well..."

Allison's voice carried a light cheerfulness. "I got it from Sophia."

"Sophia?" Jack frowned slightly.

"Yes, a few days ago our company had business to discuss with Sophia's school, and I happened to be in charge. I ran into her and specifically asked about you, and got your phone number from her."

Hearing Sophia's name, the icy wariness in Jack's eyes melted slightly.

If that was the case, it made sense.

Before Jack could ask more questions, Allison smoothly moved to the main point. "By the way Jack, there's a high school class reunion tonight. Everyone wants to get together during the holidays. You didn't come to any of the previous reunions, and everyone was really disappointed. So I wanted to ask—can you come tonight?"

Jack almost didn't hesitate, instinctively about to refuse.

To him, those old friends from high school had long become complete strangers.

His current identity, the blood and fire he'd experienced—all of it meant he couldn't sit at the same table drinking and chatting with people living ordinary lives.

However, Allison seemed to have anticipated his reaction.

Before he could utter that "no," she quickly added, "Wait! Don't rush to refuse. I know you're usually very busy and might think this kind of gathering is pointless. But... this time, our teacher Delbert Loomis will be there too. He... has cancer. This might be his last reunion."

Jack's finger, ready to hang up, suddenly froze in mid-air.

Allison's voice continued through the receiver, carrying just the right touch of sadness. "Delbert's health has been really bad lately. I heard he's been hospitalized several times. He specifically asked me to find out if you could come. He said when you suddenly dropped out back then, you didn't even say a proper goodbye, and he's always felt regretful about it. He wants to see you one more time."

The room fell into a brief silence.

Jack held the phone, his gaze falling on the gloomy sky outside the window, his mind conjuring up that old man who always wore thick-bottomed glasses and lectured passionately at the podium.

Back then, Jack had a rather solitary personality and wasn't popular in class—he was even often bullied.

Delbert had looked after him quite a bit.

This was indeed a reason he couldn't refuse.

After a long moment, Jack let out a soft breath, the tense line of his jaw relaxing slightly, and said into the phone, "Send me the time and location. I'll be there."

"That's great! I knew you wouldn't refuse." Allison's voice instantly became cheerful. "See you tonight, Jack!"

After hanging up, Jack looked at the reunion address that popped up on his screen and shook his head helplessly.

Just as he was about to put his phone back in his pocket.

The phone rang urgently again.

Jack frowned slightly. Why were so many people looking for him today?

However, after seeing the caller ID.

A cold glint appeared in Jack's eyes.

"Hello."

Jack answered the call.

The coldness in his voice made Lucia on the other end involuntarily shrink back.

"Mr. Carter."

Lucia said in a low voice, with a hint of unease.

"What is it? Do you have something on what I asked you to investigate?" Jack asked calmly.

On the other end of the line.

Lucia was wearing shorts, curled up in a chair. She nodded gently.

Looking at the top-secret information on the computer in front of her, "I'll send it to you."

"Okay."

Jack nodded and hung up.

"Ding."

The next moment.

His phone's email notification sounded.

A new email had arrived.

Jack opened the email and reviewed its contents. The more he read, the more serious his expression became.

"Anti-aging drug?"

In the email.

Was Phalita Corporation's latest research project.

And judging by the contents, Phalita had already invested billions of dollars into this project.

Not only that.

It also contained various project data and details.

These things were clearly top secret.

From this, it seemed.

This Lucia was definitely a hacking genius.

To be able to get such detailed information.

No wonder she could hack into the Department of Defense.

Looking at the email contents, Jack had a gut feeling that William's death was most likely related to this project.