TB

CHAPTER 35.2

Campbell watched Lieutenant McGill's pale face with pity as he headed towards the conference room.

Grace Riddle might as well be a black cat in human form. Everyone entangled with that cunning woman ends up unfortunate.

"Captain, did you call for me?"

The captain, who had been staring at the blackboard, turned towards her. In that moment, Lieutenant McGill, despite knowing not to, flinched and averted his gaze.

She was startled by the intense blue eyes that seemed to flash ominously from beneath the shadow of his cap.

The lingering image was haunting.

She joined this operation three months ago, hoping it would unblock her stalled promotion. The lieutenant had thought Captain Winston, with his refined appearance and dignified demeanor, couldn't be less suited to the military. However, he became as rigid as any soldier the moment the operation started.

And now, she feared he might transform into the Camden vampire, which she believed to be an exaggeration.

"Close the door."

The lieutenant stepped in and closed the door, she took a deep breath before turning back to find the captain now fully facing her. His gaze looked at her as if questioning her.

The conference room felt like an interrogation room.

When she first reported the situation, the captain had emitted a volatile aura but had not reprimanded the surveillance team. He instead focused on directing the adapted operation. Perhaps she had been summoned now for the delayed reprimand.

The pressure made it hard to breathe, and she felt sweat trickle down her spine.

"Lieutenant McGill."

"Yes, Captain."

"Report every detail of your conversation with the operation's target."

The lieutenant tried hard to recall every word and intonation from her conversation with the woman. At some point, the captain's brow furrowed. She vaguely realized that a mistake had been made.

Leon sighed wearily.

Using a nursing officer had been a gamble. Despite intensive training over the past three months, the lack of field experience led to mistakes in critical moments.

Leon had limited options.

Female soldiers were rare, and most of the capable personnel had been stationed as guards in the interrogation rooms. It meant that Grace might recognize their voices. Out of the few candidates, they chose one who appeared least likely to arouse suspicion based on age and demeanor and a nursing officer in case the woman's condition worsened.

Yet, he made a mistake.

"Didn't I make it clear? That woman is extremely perceptive. Be careful with what you say and do. What exactly did you hear?"

"I apologize."

"Continue your report."

"Then, I asked if it was her first child, and she said yes, mentioning she was both excited and scared..."

Leon couldn't help but let out a scoff.

Excited about having a baby, she claimed. She only pretended to give up, but the woman who still clearly resented the child had bothered to lie, playing the part of a harmless and ordinary woman.

That woman knew this was a trap. Since when? Was it the lieutenant's slip-up, or had she known even before that?

As soon as she fled the mansion, she went to Winsford's face. She got travel funds to go to her fiance. There, she was betrayed by her fiance and witnessed the vile true nature of the rebels. And he was supposed to reclaim a fully brainwashed woman and wipe out their base.

That was the outcome he most desired.

Still, she played her role as the operation's biggest variable exceptionally well. Leon looked back at the report of a private who had overheard the woman's conversation in a phone booth next to the post office.

Amid the urgency, she fought the self-interested rat from the safe house. From there, everything started to go wrong. Then, she fought with her fiance over the phone. She faced betrayal much earlier than Leon anticipated.

That was supposed to happen at their home base. Now, he could only hope her sense of betrayal would turn into a desire for revenge.

Nonetheless, the tight-lipped woman, after saying she'd go to her brother, actually boarded a train heading east to where Jonathan Riddle Jr. lived.

The base was in the north, in Brayton. That was an unexpected gain from her careless action.

Crawford 1499 in the Brayton area.

It was simple to extract the region name, telephone company, and number from the operator who had connected the woman's call.