On the other side of the private airfield, Philip trailed behind the enigmatic man until they entered a nondescript room adorned
with an array of masks. One, in particular, was familiar; it was often worn by the higher-ups, confirming Philip's suspicions. This
man was either a member of the elite or one of their operatives.
If Maja had been there, she'd have recognized him as the man who, back in Cania, had tried to whisk her away under the guise of
lan. That attempt had been foiled by a timely call from lan himself. Although her luggage was taken, she hadn't mentioned the
incident to lan.
Now, the room's dim lighting made the man before him look even more like lan. While there were only faint resemblances between
lan and Patric, this man was almost an exact replica.
Philip watched as he approached a machine, inputting a complex code. A distorted voice emerged from the device.
"Did you find them?"
"Yes, I'll bring them over tonight."
"What about Summer?"
"Summer's legs are broken, utterly defeated. Useless to us, so | took care of her."
The man spoke with chilling nonchalance, not bothering to shield Philip from the conversation.
After a brief silence, the voice inquired, "And Patric? He and Cynthia are the prsubjects; they must be retrieved together."
"Patric has vanished. No leads so far."
"Then focus on bringing Philip back."
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇt"Understood."
The man's fingertips danced across the machine for a moment before it powered down, its self-destruct mechanism ready to
detonate upon detecting an intruder's touch, taking a life with it.
He turned to Philip, a crooked smile formed on his lips.
"You're more valuable than Summer. Let's go, board the plane to where we're meant to be."
Without questioning further, Philip followed.
As for Phil, he'd always been one to tag along.
After a lengthy flight, the familiarity of the city below furrowed Philip's brow. He'd left many traces here under the alias Phelps. But
now, returning as Philip, it was a first.
One of the research facility's top brass was in Greenfield.
Who in Greenfield could it be?
If it was someone from the upper echelons of Greenfield, things would get interesting. Windhelm had long declared its intent to
destroy the facility. If this scandal broke out, it would cause quite the stir.
Upon landing, Philip was ushered into a car.
The vehicle cto a halt outside a suburban mansion, and Philip's heart skipped a beat. They had entered a secret Windhelm
base. The area housed important figures, guarded around the clock by armed personnel ready to shoot on sight.
A security check ensued; a glance over them, an inspection of the car's undercarriage and trunk, and they were cleared.
As the car resumed its journey, Philip overheard someone speaking to the man.
"lan hasn't been here in ages."
The car's dim interior light accentuated the tense silence.
Philip's lips formed a thin line. If he recalled correctly, the gatekeeper used to be under Holden's tutelage, which explained the
swift clearance for lan's people.
This man was brazenly impersonating lan!
"You've been making quite a nfor yourself lately. The old men have all been singing your praises."
The man's lips curled into a smile that echoed lan's demeanor. "It's what | ought to do."
As the window rolled up, his smile vanished, and he leaned back in his seat.
Philip snorted. "All this pretense. Aren't you afraid they'll contact lan?"
One slip-up during a conversation could unravel everything.
"Since lan left the military, he's cut ties with this side completely, never reaching out to anyone here."
"Ha, | recall he was quite fond of keeping in touch with Bernard."
The man raised an eyebrow with a light chuckle.
Upon understanding, Philip's expression shifted, a hint of intrigue sparking within him.
How interesting. After all, it was Bernard who had once allowed lan to free Patric. And now, they wanted Patric back?
Seeming to read his thoughts, the man explained.
"Back then, Patric hadn't remembered his true identity. He thought he was an independent personality when, in fact, he was just a
part of lan's implanted memories. As long as he remained unaware, the subject was worthless. Keeping him near lan might trigger
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmhis awakening. And it turns out, he did awaken, didn't he?"
Indeed, quite the cunning plan.
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