Chapter 123: Eliminating the Tails
The matching banquet was still going on, but the crowd had thinned. After all, those who had successfully matched had already left.
Cillian Forrest and Sophie Wexler were no exception.
Even after settling into the escorted flying vehicle for the ride back, Sophie Wexler still felt a sense of unreality.
The man beside her had such a strong presence she couldn’t possibly ignore him.
Now that they had successfully matched and were to become partners, their seats were placed very close together, with no barrier between them.
If Sophie Wexler moved even slightly, she would brush against his shoulder.
Cillian Forrest glanced down at Sophie Wexler, who was sitting stiffly beside him, a hint of a smile in his eyes. "What’s wrong? Too crowded?"
There was actually some space on his other side, but a certain someone insisted on sitting right up against Sophie Wexler.
Sophie Wexler immediately shook her head. "No!"
After she spoke, a low chuckle came from beside her. "Then I won’t move."
Sophie Wexler: "..."
’This man is definitely doing this on purpose.’
Cillian Forrest was, in fact, doing it on purpose.
Previously, his Light Brain hadn’t pushed any candidates to him, and he had thought that would be the end of it. It was for the best. Keeping a clear boundary with Sophie Wexler was better for everyone.
His actions had always been restrained. More than once, he had warned himself not to cross the line.
That was why he hadn’t replied to the messages Sophie Wexler had sent him, nor had he answered her offer to help soothe him. He knew there would be no "later."
But now, things were different.
A smile played in Cillian Forrest’s eyes. At the very last moment, his Light Brain had pushed her as a candidate.
She had accepted his match request.
He and she... no, it should be "they" now.
They had successfully matched and would become partners.
So now, that boundary he had so carefully maintained was completely unnecessary.
He wanted more than just for his own boundary to disappear; he wanted hers to vanish as well.
’Break it, blur it, and finally, merge the two of us completely!’
Cillian Forrest’s gaze was fixed firmly on Sophie Wexler, the smile on his lips never wavering.
If Sophie Wexler had so much as glanced up at him, she would have seen his eyes filled with aggression and a look of absolute certainty.
Sophie Wexler was completely oblivious. She just felt that something between them had changed after the matching banquet. It made her afraid to look Cillian Forrest directly in the eye, a subtle, indescribable feeling.
There was a special channel for successfully matched Healer-class individuals and their partners to leave, designed to ensure the Healers’ safety.
But now, Cillian Forrest detected a subtle shift in the spiritual power in the air, and his eyes instantly hardened.
He looked outside. The night was utterly silent.
Cillian Forrest’s expression grew tense. He took out his communicator, his long, slender fingers moving swiftly.
「Meanwhile, with Ethan Cross.」
He was still reeling from the message he had just received, even suspecting there was something wrong with his eyes.
Otherwise, how could he be seeing a message from the Marshal saying he had matched with Miss Wexler?
But he read it over and over again, word by word.
Finally, he confirmed it: the Marshal had sent a message saying that Miss Wexler’s match was him.
An intense emotion erupted in Ethan Cross’s eyes. He was beyond thrilled!
’I knew it! How could the Marshal not match with Miss Wexler?’
He couldn’t tell anyone else. The only person he could share this with was Leo Fane, so he immediately bombarded him with messages.
He had to tell him the exciting news.
[The Marshal matched!]
[The Marshal matched with Miss Wexler!]
[Leo Fane: I know.]
Ethan Cross: [???]
’Wait, how does he know?’ Even he had only just found out from the Marshal, who was probably annoyed by his own men’s messages.
But how did Leo Fane know?
[Leo Fane: ...Have you forgotten what I’m doing?]
[Ethan Cross: You’re protecting Miss Wexler.]
[Leo Fane: ....]
[Leo Fane: I saw them come out together.]
At the matching banquet, what other possibility could there be for two people emerging together from the successful match channel?
Ethan Cross instantly understood. ’Oh, right.’
But in the next second, a message from Cillian Forrest popped up: [Take care of the tail behind us.]
Ethan Cross’s expression immediately tightened. [Yes, sir!]
The instant after Cillian Forrest sent the message, Ethan Cross relayed the command.
In the darkness of the night, miniature military spacecraft that had been stationed along the various departure routes from the matching banquet began to converge rapidly in one direction.
These had originally been deployed to ensure Miss Wexler’s safe departure in case she didn’t match with anyone.
It seemed they were useful even now that she had successfully matched.
’Why are there always people so eager to die?’
Leo Fane was in charge of Sophie Wexler’s covert security, meaning his team needed to stay close to her. The tails following them could be left to Ethan Cross to handle.
In the night, spacecraft took off one after another, miniature Energy Cannons flashing as spiritual power spread out in waves.
No one knew about these events unfolding in silence.
Tonight was destined to be a turbulent night. With Sophie Wexler’s successful match, those who didn’t know the identity of her partner were bound to investigate.
It went beyond mere investigation. The moment Shane Thorne learned that Sophie Wexler had successfully matched, he immediately gave an order.
"Go. Send men to intercept that Healer-class’s departing spacecraft," Shane Thorne said, his eyes cold. "And eliminate her new partner!"
’They’ve only just matched; they haven’t even formed a bond yet. If her partner dies now...’
’...wouldn’t she have to match all over again?’
A cold smile appeared on his lips at the thought.
’A 3S Healer-class can only be mine.’
To ensure there were no mistakes, he had dispatched his elite forces. If all went smoothly, the Healer-class would probably be brought back to him within half an hour.
With that thought, Shane sat in a chair, leisurely swirling a glass of wine in his hand.
The crowd at the banquet was gradually thinning. Shane Thorne stood up after finishing the last of his wine.
"My men should be back soon."
Just as he said it, his communicator rang. A smile touched Shane Thorne’s lips. "Here they come."
He picked up the communicator, full of confidence. In the next second, the smile froze on his face. His fingers clenched the device, his eyes wide with fury.
There on the communicator screen lay a quiet message: [Your men aren’t skilled enough.]
Attached was a photo. The men he had sent out had been completely wiped out.
They had even lost their communicators to the enemy, who had then used one to send him this deeply provocative message.
Shane Thorne ground his back teeth. He had sent out his elites, yet they had been annihilated so effortlessly.
’There aren’t many in the Empire with that kind of power. Who could it be?!’
On the other side, Cillian Forrest also received a message from Ethan Cross: [Marshal, all clear.]
Cillian Forrest glanced at it and said nothing more. Just then, Sophie Wexler’s voice came from beside him. "Where are we going?"