Free Web NovelChapter 259: Chapter 262: Host, Don’t Lie to Me
"Well..."
Renee Sinclair’s expression stiffened a little.
"Which what?" Evan Yates stared intently at her, his gaze full of suspicion.
"Um..." Renee Sinclair scratched her head, hemming and hawing for a long time without being able to get a single word of explanation out.
"What is it?" Felix Preston raised an eyebrow. The eyes behind his glasses were so piercingly clear that Renee Sinclair didn’t dare meet his gaze.
"..." Renee Sinclair bit her lip as her left and right brain went to war. After a few rounds, the ’just make something up’ side won.
"Oh, just leave it alone!" she snapped, deliberately putting on an impatient look. "I have my own sources. You just need to wait for the information. As long as it’s not fake, you don’t need to worry about where it came from!"
"But I’m kind of curious..." Evan Yates tilted his head to look at her, his expression sincere. "Your information always arrives so fast. Your sources must be incredible, right?"
"Miss Sinclair, how about you introduce me to your source?"
"No way!" Renee Sinclair refused without a second thought. "My source is a secret passed down from woman to woman, not to men. I can’t introduce you!"
"...Huh?!" Evan Yates was dumbfounded. "What century are we in? There are still things passed down only to women? You’re making that up, aren’t you?"
"I am not making it up." Renee Sinclair turned her face away, avoiding his gaze. "It just is. It’s passed from woman to woman, and none of you men will ever know!"
"Hurry up and read the file so we can figure out our next move."
"..." Felix Preston said nothing, simply lowering his eyes to continue reading the documents in his hands.
The man from the blind date was named Jude Quinn. He worked in foreign trade, and his hometown was in Veridia. He had a wide social circle with dozens of friends. Renee Sinclair had already listed all the friends who fit their criteria. Felix Preston counted them carefully—thirteen in total.
The number was a bit overwhelming; Felix Preston didn’t have time to investigate them one by one.
He flipped through the documents to Jude Quinn’s recent whereabouts, then took out his phone, snapped a picture, and forwarded it to Evan Yates.
"Evan, I’ve sent you Jude Quinn’s movements. Have your friends pick the soonest opportunity to make their move."
Evan Yates: "Got it!"
He took out his phone, glanced at the photo Felix Preston had sent, and immediately forwarded it to his contacts.
"BZZT BZZT—"
His phone started buzzing just two minutes later.
"My friends have received the photo. They’ll start preparing tonight."
"Good." Felix Preston adjusted his glasses. "Tell them to be extremely careful. They can’t leave any loose ends."
Evan Yates nodded. "I know. Don’t worry, Preston."
Renee Sinclair chimed in, "Felix, do you need me to run a background check on these thirteen people beforehand?"
"Yes." Felix Preston placed the file on the coffee table. "Just check if they have any property in Kyloria. If they do, send all of the real estate information to me."
"If I have to, I’ll search every single property. As long as Charlotte is in Kyloria, I will find her!"
"But the fear is, by the time you get there, Willow Quincy will have already moved Charlotte out of Kyloria." It was a cruel thing to say, but Renee Sinclair had to pour cold water on his hopes.
Felix Preston stared at her, his eyes filled with a deep, repressed sorrow.
Renee Sinclair couldn’t bear to see him like this, but she forced herself to continue. "I just got a new piece of intelligence. An executive from the Quincy Group let it slip that Willow Quincy is currently developing overseas markets."
"Felix, you understand what I’m implying, don’t you?"
"...I understand." Felix Preston’s voice was suddenly hoarse. "But I’m sure Willow Quincy can’t escape. The special task force is watching his every move. He won’t be able to leave Veridia until Charlotte is found."
Renee Sinclair pressed, "But we have to prepare for the worst-case scenario! Felix, we can’t afford to waste a single second."
"...Right." Felix Preston nodded.
The next second, a familiar, mechanical female voice echoed in Renee Sinclair’s mind.
[Congratulations, Host. You have successfully earned ten Favorability Points. Your current balance is negative twenty-two. Punishment intensity has been reduced by twenty percent.]
’Punishment intensity reduced by twenty percent?!’ Renee Sinclair screamed internally. ’For real? It’s really going to be twenty percent less severe?’
[Correct.]
The mechanical female voice seemed to hold a faint hint of a smile. [Although the Host’s Favorability Point balance is still negative, you have successfully crossed a critical threshold. As per the rules, the Host’s punishment intensity will be reduced by a corresponding twenty percent.]
[From this day forward, the Host’s punishments will no longer be as unbearable as they once were.]
’This is great!’ Renee Sinclair clenched her fist. ’This damn system is finally doing something decent for once!’
[Heh heh.] The mechanical female voice let out a strange chuckle.
[Host, I have a question for you.]
They had finished discussing everything that needed to be discussed. Renee Sinclair was gathering her things, getting ready to leave.
’Wait a second,’ she told the system mentally. ’Ask me after I’ve left the Shaw residence.’
[Very well.]
It watched Renee Sinclair’s movements, waiting until she had walked out of the Shaw residence and settled into her car before speaking up immediately.
[Host, are your actions truly just a matter of expediency?]
"...What do you mean by that?" A flicker of guilt crossed Renee Sinclair’s eyes, but it was gone in an instant.
The mechanical female voice sounded more suspicious now. [Host, the information you’re providing to Felix Preston is far too crucial. As long as he isn’t a complete idiot, he’s bound to find Charlotte Shaw with these leads. And once Charlotte is found, your mission will be hopeless.]
[Haven’t you considered that?]
"Of course I have," Renee Sinclair said as she pulled the seatbelt across her body and buckled it, making no move to start the car.
"This information might be crucial, but it’s also extremely chaotic. One small misstep and it’s easy to get led further and further astray. It will be very difficult for Felix to get it right on his first attempt."
[But you promised you would help him.]
Renee Sinclair argued, dead serious, "That wasn’t a promise, it was a placating gesture. See? I placated him and earned ten Favorability Points. Pretty effective, wouldn’t you say?"
[And just how long do you plan on placating him?] the system asked, its tone dripping with sarcasm.
Renee Sinclair’s expression darkened as she feigned frustration. "We’ll see. Felix hasn’t given up hope yet. Once he fails to find Charlotte and completely loses heart, I’ll switch my approach."
[But I feel that if the Host continues to help him like this, it’ll be difficult for him *not* to find Charlotte Shaw.]
"...Is that so?" Renee Sinclair asked, feigning ignorance. "I’m not so sure. Felix doesn’t seem that clever."
[Hmph...] The mechanical voice laughed again, a sound that gave Renee Sinclair goosebumps.
Feeling a lack of confidence, Renee Sinclair didn’t want to talk to it anymore and just looked for an excuse to brush it off.
"Look, stop worrying so much. I have my own pace and my own plans! You just need to sit back and tally the Favorability Points!"
[...]
The mechanical voice fell silent for a moment. When it spoke again, its tone had taken on a sinister chill.
[Host. Don’t lie to me.]
