Chapter 30: Leo's Proposal
Amidst the entire Rockhill Valley searching for Alex, there was one person sneaking around, avoiding the rebels. That person was Maggie.
With a scarf covering her hair, Maggie checked to make sure no one was following her before heading into a narrow river valley. She knew that the only place Alex might have gone was the Moonlight Garden at the end of the valley, a place only she and Alex knew about.
Sure enough, when Maggie reached the Moonlight Garden, she found Alex passed out. She immediately rushed over to check his wounds and saw that his left shoulder was badly injured and bleeding.
"Idiot! You big fool... why would you cause such trouble just for a girl who doesn't even like you?"
As she bandaged Alex's wound, Maggie scolded him through her tears, conflicted with her feelings. She couldn’t help but wish Anna Rain had never shown up. Maybe things wouldn’t have turned out this way, and perhaps she and Alex could have been together by now...
After a night of rest, Alex finally woke up, subconsciously touching his injury, only to realize it had already been bandaged. He looked around warily, and when he lifted his head, he saw Maggie getting water from the river next to the garden.
Relieved to see it was Maggie, he thought to himself that it made sense, since this place was known only to the two of them.
After getting the clean water from the river, Maggie gently fed it to Alex. After a short break, they sat by the river, and Maggie asked:
"Now, what do we do? You caused all this trouble over a woman... what should we do now?"
At this point, Maggie no longer wanted to be angry with him, she simply sighed as she looked at Alex.
Alex stared at the flowing river, his mind replaying the actions he had taken before to save Anna, and how he had been slapped by her twice. He couldn't help but laugh at himself for being so foolish.
"What should we do?... Well, of course, I’ll just go all out and let it all burn down..."
Alex stood up with a look of indifference and said:
"Anyway, things have gone this far... They want to catch me for the scientist's legacy, so I'll show them the power they’re after!"
Maggie didn’t understand what Alex was talking about.
"What... are you saying?"
Alex smiled faintly and raised his left hand, speaking to his smartwatch. This surprised Maggie.
"Ray, I still have one more chance to amplify my power, right?"
The smartwatch, Ray, took a long time to respond, as though it didn’t want to reveal the truth.
"...You shouldn’t have shared the secret of your power... This isn’t Dr. Kayan's intention."
Alex was not happy with this response and snapped:
"Stop with the excuses, just answer me!"
Reluctantly, Ray replied:
"Yes, you still have one more chance to amplify your power..."
Alex's face lit up with determination as he prepared to take action, turning to leave.
"No! You can’t do this!"
Maggie stepped in front of him, her arms outstretched, trying to stop him from going any further.
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"Don’t stop me! I’m doing this!"
At this point, Alex was consumed by thoughts of revenge, and he ignored Maggie's pleas. He walked away, leaving Maggie behind. She stood there, tears falling, softly muttering to herself:
"Is Anna the only one you care about?... What about me?"
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In Butte, Montana, the area has become a mess due to the base established by Nest #7.
Dr. Kayang, bound and repeatedly tortured by the AI brain, Ares, from Nest #7, has endured for days. He’s just a man, and eventually, he started to break down.
In his unconscious state, Dr. Kayang had a dream. In it, Alex stood before him, utterly frustrated, shouting:
"Doctor, you never told me your theory had flaws! I can’t break through!"
Dr. Kayang sighed and replied:
"I’m sorry... but I believe my theory is correct. If you truly set your mind to it, you’ll be able to break through..."
Dr. Kayang pleaded with him, but the Alex in his dream wasn’t listening. He violently pushed Dr. Kayang away.
"I don’t want this! What kind of training is this? It’s too painful... I’m sorry, I can’t be a superhero! I’m done..."
The dream version of Alex angrily turned his back and walked away. Dr. Kayang shouted, but Alex didn’t turn around. This made Dr. Kayang begin to doubt his theory. Was it really possible to transform energy into a useful power to save humanity?
This doubt opened a crack in his mind, allowing Ares to breach his mental defenses. The AI brain, Ares, effortlessly accessed Dr. Kayang’s past memories and finally obtained the information it was after.
"Alex..."
Ares repeated the name, its meaning heavy and foreboding, as if a terrible omen.
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Alex was hiding in the shadows, carefully observing the streets of Rockhill Valley, where numerous resistance forces, from both the local area and Terra Fortress, were searching for him. Everyone was out to capture him.
Alex watched them, deep in thought.
"I need to find a way to gather them all together... then take them down in one go..."
Just then, a voice came from behind him.
"You want to take them down... I can help."
Alex didn’t know who it was. Instinctively, he turned and used his air manipulation to wrap the stranger in an invisible grip.
"...You? Leo... What do you want?"
When Alex saw that it was Leo, he immediately questioned Leo’s intentions. Leo, for the first time, seemed amazed at what Alex had done with his powers.
"So this is the secret to your power... incredible... If I could do that..."
Alex wasn’t interested in hearing more. He showed his irritation, and Leo, noticing this, finally spoke up.
"You want to teach that Leonardo a lesson, and I do too... Why not cooperate? What do you say?"
Leo gave Alex a confident look, certain that they could accomplish something big together. Alex smiled knowingly in response...
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"So that's how it is... I never thought that after sending so many people to find that scientist, the young heir of the Hawke family would be the one to find him... Fate really plays its tricks..."
The news about Alex had reached Commander Rayen’s ears. Rayen sat pale on his hospital bed, listening as Leonardo and Deputy Commander Caitlin reported the situation. He sighed deeply.
However, Anna, standing beside him, seemed distracted.
Since being slapped by Maggie, Anna had been lost in thought, questioning whether she had been too harsh on Alex. Should she have been so cold-hearted?
"What are you thinking? Are you thinking about that Hawke family heir?" her father Rayen asked.
Anna coldly responded, but Rayen could tell something was on her mind.
"Rayen, this guy Alex is hiding important technology from the scientist and even using it against our resistance... He’s become a problem... He can’t be left alive."
Caitlin urgently advised Rayen this way, putting him in a tough spot, since the Hawke family’s factories were vital to the survival of their refuge.
"That might not be a good idea... If we do that, how will the Hawke family react? Maybe we could convince him to hand over the scientist’s technology instead..." Rayen suggested in a softer tone.
But Leonardo couldn’t stand it anymore. He stood up and said, unpleased:
"I don’t think this guy can be left alive. First, he possesses special abilities. Second, he seems to have some connection with Anna. I don’t want to risk anything."
Hearing this, Anna could no longer stay silent. She glared at Leonardo and turned to her father Rayen, saying:
"Father, do you really think someone so narrow-minded is fit to be your successor? Let alone someone I should marry?"
Under the pressure from the three of them, Rayen slammed his hand on the table, despite his weakened state.
"Enough!"
With that, Anna, Leonardo, and Caitlin all fell silent, creating an awkward atmosphere.
At that moment, a nervous resistance soldier rushed into the medical room, panting and urgently reporting:
"That person is back...!!"
The four of them were confused. Rayen asked:
"Who?"
The soldier widened his eyes and said:
"It’s Leo...!"