Chapter 109: Suspicion
’No wonder! Even a woman with my level of self-control was tempted!’
Roman Rowe leaned over to Frost Shaw’s ear and whispered, "This guy is so full of it."
Frost Shaw was silent. Frost Shaw was heartbroken. Frost Shaw wondered when he should have a good cry.
"Sigh..." Lily Hart let out a breath. ’Why can’t everyone just band together and focus on survival?’
’Always stirring up this flashy, complicated nonsense. Though, she had to admit, she kind of enjoyed it...’
’But! This shouldn’t be happening. It absolutely, definitely shouldn’t be!’
"Are you a superpower user?" Lily Hart asked.
"Yes, a Second-rank Fire Ability User," Stan Sterling said as a small flame ignited in his palm.
’No wonder he looked like a fireball when he ran over. He was protecting himself.’
"Do you have any Crystal Cores on you? Go get a room over there and get some rest. As long as you stay inside, they won’t be able to hurt you." Lily Hart pointed toward the Dawn Hotel.
With all forty rooms occupied and cumulative earnings reaching one hundred thousand points, the Dawn Hotel had blossomed to a total of eighty rooms.
There were now forty single rooms, thirty double rooms, and a new room type had been added: ten triple rooms.
Stan Sterling glanced at the shining sign of the Dawn Hotel, then at the sack full of Crystal Cores in his dimensional space, and shook his head, looking troubled.
"N-no, I don’t have any. I left in such a hurry, I forgot to bring them..." Stan Sterling stammered, biting his lower lip until it turned slightly pale.
"Here, I’ll lend you a few for now. Make sure you pay me back~" Lily Hart said, taking out ten Crystal Cores.
Stan Sterling eagerly extended both hands. The Crystal Cores CLATTERED into his palms, but his gaze was fixed solely on Lily Hart.
"Thank you! I will pay you back!" Stan Sterling declared with stubborn resolve before turning to leave.
’So this is why domineering CEOs always fall for the sweet and innocent type,’ Lily Hart mused. ’He’s a classic damsel in distress, stubborn and all!’
’Who wouldn’t want to protect someone like that?’
She couldn’t help but sigh. Beside her, Frost Shaw finally broke his silence. "There’s something wrong with him."
Roman Rowe added, "A *huge* problem!"
Lily Hart shot them a glance. "You think I don’t know? Ever heard of playing the long game? Silly boys..."
As she spoke, she lightly tapped both of their foreheads.
Lily Hart wasn’t short by any means, standing over five-foot-seven, but Frost Shaw and Roman Rowe were both burly guys over six-foot-one.
She could easily reach their heads, so the gesture didn’t look out of place. It was her commanding presence that truly stood out.
The whole scene looked like an older sister lecturing her two clueless little brothers.
The two men nodded dumbly, then their eyes lit up. Gazing at Lily Hart with admiration, they praised in unison, "That’s our Boss Hart for you!"
Lily Hart chuckled. ’What a pair of dorks.’
Stan Sterling used the Crystal Cores from Lily Hart to get a single room at the Dawn Hotel. The moment he stepped inside, he wiped the tears from the corners of his eyes.
He looked around the room, unable to hide his astonishment, then checked every corner for cameras or other surveillance devices.
Even though guests had come and gone in waves, everyone at the Dawn Hotel had an unspoken agreement not to post overly detailed pictures online.
The photos Logan Holland had taken previously had only circulated among the top leadership at Central Command.
Stan Sterling took detailed videos and pictures, sending them to a contact on his Light Brain.
The reply came back quickly. "Proceed with caution. Do not blow your cover."
After receiving the reply, Stan Sterling deleted the message, along with the videos and pictures on his Light Brain, leaving no trace.
Lily Hart closed up shop and called everyone over for dinner. Since it was their first day at Fortune Base, Roman Rowe was clamoring for a celebration.
One glance was all it took for her to know what he was after—he just wanted an excuse to eat something delicious.
"Out with it," Lily Hart said, already knowing the answer. ’It’s always either barbecue or hot pot with him. The boy isn’t very creative.’
Sensing his chance, Roman Rowe exclaimed excitedly, "Hot pot! Hot pot!" To him, a group of people eating hot pot together felt like family.
"Alright, alright, you got it," Lily Hart said, her hands already busy ordering enough hot pot ingredients for twelve.
’When you have the resources, you should do your best to satisfy a handsome man’s requests. Seeing him smile makes me smile, too.’
The group of nine fell into a familiar routine. Some added ingredients to the pot, some waited for them to cook, and others chatted amongst themselves. The atmosphere was perfectly harmonious.
Stan Sterling’s room was on the third floor, with a balcony that directly faced the RV. He didn’t dare go outside, only watch from behind the safety of his sliding glass door.
Seeing them all gathered around a single table, their faces alight with satisfied, easygoing smiles, he couldn’t help but clench his fists.
’It was unfair, yet he was also consumed by envy. Why? On what grounds did they get to live so well?’
And the ingredients... they covered the long table, which was laden with plates of crisp, fresh vegetables and an unbelievable amount of meat.
There was barely an empty spot on the table. The sight made his mouth water—it had been so long since he’d eaten his fill. But even more than the food, he envied their easy laughter and conversation.
He grabbed his keycard, left the hotel, and walked past the RV on his way to the convenience store.
Although Frost Shaw and Easton were both eating, a few customers were inside picking out items, all of them behaving themselves.
Not that they had much of a choice. Points were automatically deducted the moment you walked out the door, after all.
The purchasing rules were now written on the wall by the store’s entrance, stating that customers must first ensure they had points before entering to shop.
If you were short, you could just feed the system a few more Crystal Cores. Anyway, the points were now universal across the lottery shop, convenience store, and hotel.
After selecting your items, you could simply walk out, and the cost would be automatically deducted. Trying to shoplift was impossible, as Frost Shaw almost never left the store.
Stan Sterling bought some instant ramen and crackers, intending to eat back at the hotel. As he passed the RV again, he stared at it with longing eyes.
He walked exceptionally slowly, as if utterly captivated by the sight and smell of the steaming hot pot.
Lily Hart looked up, just in time to meet Stan Sterling’s yearning gaze. And, right on cue, he happened to swallow audibly.
His gaunt figure looked so pitiful, as if he hadn’t had a decent meal in ages.
Everything was just a little too perfect.
Lily Hart wasn’t surprised by his reaction in the slightest. After all, even High-level Superpower Users like Frost Shaw and Leo Colby were stunned and drooling the first time they saw this much food.
It was perfectly normal for him to have that expression. But Lily Hart wasn’t some saint who felt compelled to give a handout to every pitiable soul she met.
She said nothing, simply retracting her gaze and looking down to eat the slice of fatty beef Frost Shaw had put in her bowl.
No matter how slowly Stan Sterling walked, the distance was too short to prolong the journey. A few minutes later, he was back in his room.
He closed the door and let out a heavy sigh, feeling deep down that Lily Hart would be an extremely difficult target to win over.
Meanwhile, Lily Hart was discussing Stan Sterling with Frost Shaw and the others. "So, what problems do you guys see with him?"
’From the first moment I saw Stan Sterling, I knew something was off with him,’ she thought. ’His behavior is a little too deliberate, and it just highlights his inexperience.’
’If, as he claims, he was trained by Auspice Base to be a male consort for pleasing powerful figures, his act would be plausible enough.’
’His story about escaping today while en route to Central Command also sounds reasonable—as long as you assume his escorts were all blind, of course.’
’Then there’s the fact that he seemed to run straight here, instead of seeking help from the base proper.’
’And that whole act—oozing with a ’tragically broken’ vibe, like he’s been horribly wronged. Honestly, who does he think he’s trying to seduce?’
All of these things made Lily Hart suspicious.