Chapter 93 - 60: Conspiracy, Part 2

’So, our ideas just happened to line up?’

A faint smile touched Marcus Monroe’s lips as he shot Howard Everett a look.

Howard Everett let out a silent sigh of relief. "Uh... I’ll handle it." For a moment, he wasn’t sure if he should be happy that this girl was so clever. He and the Boss had worked together for so long that they had a tacit understanding; he could grasp the Boss’s plans without needing a detailed explanation. But she... she had not only come up with the same idea on her own, but had also seen right through the Boss’s intentions.

As soon as he said that, the others grew excited.

"Ah, as expected of Boss Vance! You can handle anything!"

"Yeah, that’s right! When Glimmerlake descends into chaos, Samuel Hughes will be too busy trying to calm things down. He definitely won’t be able to spare us a thought!"

...

Marcus Monroe let them discuss for a bit before concluding, "It’s a good idea, so that’s what we’ll do. Now, let’s discuss the specific arrangements for the operation..."

The assignments were quickly decided.

Howard Everett and Paige Summers were tasked with stirring up trouble, while the rest would follow Marcus Monroe to retrieve supplies. After assigning tasks to each member of the latter group, he swiftly sent them all to their rooms to rest up, leaving only Howard Everett and Paige Summers behind.

The room fell quiet as soon as they left.

Marcus Monroe mulled it over for a moment. "It’s going to be dangerous for the two of you to go after Samuel Hughes, but any more people would just make them suspicious... Vince, why don’t you start by telling me the plan?"

"Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Samuel Hughes has three usual nightly routines. The first is going home, which is a bit tricky. His house is heavily guarded because of his only son, so getting in and getting him out would require extreme caution. However, that’s unlikely, because I’ve heard today is his mistress’s birthday, so there’s a high probability he’ll stay at her place. Of course, we can’t rule out the third possibility: going to a club to unwind. That would be ideal. We’d just have to find his private room and get inside. Samuel Hughes has always believed he runs Glimmerlake Base exceptionally well, so he doesn’t like having a large entourage. Most importantly, he’s extremely confident in his own superpower—a Fifth Rank Gold-element Natural Superpower, which is certainly enough for him to look down on most Superpower Users."

"As for his exact whereabouts tonight, we can find out before we move. I’ve already made arrangements for that."

Paige Summers was surprised by Howard Everett’s competence, but she paused. ’A Gold Ability, huh...’ she thought. ’That’s a bit troublesome. All of my current weapons are made of metal. If I remember correctly, a Fifth Rank can already change the shape of metal objects. If he gets a chance to use his superpower, will I have to threaten him with my bare hands?’

’I need to prepare for that!’

"Young Master Monroe, do you happen to have any good wood?"

Her abrupt question stunned the other two. Only after she explained her reasoning did they understand: she was planning to make a wooden sword right now.

Howard Everett’s lip twitched. "Do you have to go to all that trouble? Can’t you just grab anything! Do you not have faith in your own speed, or do you not trust my Spiritual Control?"

Paige Summers said seriously, "It has nothing to do with any of that. A craftsman must first sharpen his tools to do his work well."

Howard Everett was rendered speechless.

Marcus Monroe, however, didn’t say anything. He rummaged around in his spatial storage and actually found a fine piece of lumber, which he handed to her.

Paige Summers’s eyes lit up.

She could tell it was high-quality just by looking at it, and she was even more impressed when she took it. Not only was it hard enough, but it was also surprisingly resilient!

"Thank you!"

Marcus Monroe shook his head. "We’ll move out at two in the morning. The entire operation is not to exceed forty-five minutes. You two can manage your own time, but you need to get Samuel Hughes to the broadcast station to make the announcement no later than three. After that, retreat to the warehouse in the outer city. We’ll rendezvous there and leave together."

Howard Everett immediately agreed, but Paige Summers only responded after a moment’s pause. "Right."

Marcus Monroe’s intuition told him something was not quite right with her, but when he reviewed the plan, he couldn’t find any flaws.

Just then, Paige Summers said, "Erin Quinn will come with me. She won’t get in the way."

Marcus Monroe silently pressed a hand to his forehead. ’Ah, so that’s what it was. I’d forgotten about the kid...’ He had been about to suggest she leave the girl at the base for now and come back for her when they had the chance. But Paige Summers’s gaze was so firm, it was clear she would never agree to that.

In the end, his expression turned serious. "Have you thought this through? If she becomes a liability, can you bear the consequences?"

Her clear eyes met his. "I guarantee she won’t be a liability."

In that instant, Marcus Monroe felt as if he’d been bewitched. He simply believed her and considered the matter settled!

Wordlessly, Howard Everett pressed a hand to his temple, trying to soothe the throbbing vein there.

’Is this what they call being hopelessly smitten?’

’I never thought I’d see the day!’

’Then again, whatever.’

’I’ll be there anyway,’ he thought. ’If the worst happens, I don’t mind playing the bad guy and eliminating the liability. Even if the Boss has developed some feelings for her, I trust that the mission will always come first!’

Just as the three of them finished their discussion and were about to part ways, Isaac Langley returned.

He didn’t hold back in front of the others, reporting directly to Marcus Monroe, "They’ve arrived. They just settled into the building next door."

"Excellent. Keep an eye on them. Two o’clock is go-time; they won’t move before then. If you notice anything unusual before that, report to me immediately."

"Understood!"

With all the arrangements settled, Paige Summers returned to her room.

Erin Quinn understood that she would still be going with Paige. She didn’t say anything, but her eyes shone with relief.

Paige Summers smiled and ruffled her hair.

She couldn’t bring herself to leave Erin in their hands, not even Marcus Monroe’s. Besides, she had promised the child she would do everything in her power to protect her. More importantly, she had faith in Erin’s superpower. It would be useful tonight.

Because what she had in mind went far beyond simply making Samuel Hughes announce the news of the Beast Tide!