Chapter 367: The Last Resort

“I can’t sleep,” the masked man said, his voice weary. “After a full day of reviewing surveillance footage, we didn’t find anything. The only lead we got was your school’s doctor.”

“Mr. Macaluso? What about him?”

“Come over here.”

The masked man played the surveillance footage for Raylee. In the video, Raylee was taking cover from the terrorist attack. As she crouched down, her t-shirt rode up, revealing her midriff. At that time, it was just a few minutes before Mindy arrived with her long sword. Zachary, who was just a meter away, was staring intently at Raylee’s lower back. That gaze of his couldn’t be any more intense.

Raylee frowned, saying, “Could Mr. Macaluso be looking at something else? It only seems he was staring at me from our angle.”

“This look, it’s the kind a man gives when he’s utterly captivated by a beautiful woman,” the masked man analyzed. “However, under such pressing circumstances, how could he be in the mood to ogle? Clearly, he couldn’t. So, his mind is concocting other plans, like taking you away.”

“What? Mr. Macaluso wants to take me away?” Summer exclaimed in surprise. “Where is he planning to take me? Could it be that you’re overthinking this? Maybe my WC mark was too conspicuous, and that’s what caught his attention.”

“I have evidence.” The masked man continued to play the next surveillance footage. “Zachary approached from behind, intending to grab your arm. Just as he was about to do so, Mindy appeared. That was when he instinctively used his body to shield you from the sword.”

Upon closer inspection, Raylee found that the scene was somewhat consistent with the masked man’s speculation. So, is Zachary actually a terrorist? Could he even be Marimus? Or perhaps the masked man has gotten carried away with his interpretation?

Observing the serious expression on Raylee’s face, the man behind the mask comforted her, saying, “I’m going to dig up Zachary’s past again. Something about him is definitely off. Even though I don’t have any evidence, my intuition has always been spot on. If he really is Maximus…”

He clenched his fists tightly. A thought had formed in Raylee’s mind. After a moment of hesitation, she finally decided to express it.

“Leonardo, you mentioned that every member of the WC organization has a mark on their lower back, and they need to regularly take medication. Without it, the toxin from the mark will spread throughout the body, killing its bearer. I’ve had this mark for nearly two years now. If Maximus still remembers me, he would surely have moved heaven and earth to find me and take me away. The issue now is, does he still remember me, the one who slipped through his fingers?”

The masked man gave a slight nod. “I’ve pondered over this too. Just how important are you to him? Did he just happen to save you when he was seeking refuge in District Nine Prison, and don’t remember you at all? Or could it be that he values you highly! After all, the terrorist organization, WC, has very strict control over its members. As a member of the management, Maximus is well aware that it isn’t possible to randomly bestow the mark to an ordinary individual.”

“So, you’re saying that Maximus still remembers me and values me?” Raylee nodded in understanding.

“I have a plan that could lure Maximus out swiftly. Are you interested in hearing it?”

9:07 AM

Chapter 367: The Last Resort

“I could deliberately show the mark to a terrorist, then let him go. He’d surely rush off to inform Maximus. When the time comes, make sure you’ve set up a tracking device on that terrorist. Who knows, he might just lead us to Maximus. Basically, you’ll be using me as bait.”

“No way!” the masked man rejected the idea without a second thought. “It’s too risky. I won’t agree to put you in any danger.”

“Why? What’s the risk in just revealing the mark?” Raylee asked, puzzled.

The masked man patiently explained, “You’re overlooking one issue. Your appearance has changed drastically from when you were in District Nine Prison. You’re practically unrecognizable. If Maximus didn’t recognize you and you went ahead and exposed yourself, wouldn’t that be like playing with fire? In any case, until we apprehend Maximus, there are plenty of unknown possibilities and dangers still. I would never risk exposing you to danger just to catch a dangerous villain.”

“But, don’t you want to catch him as soon as possible, retrieve the experimental data, and avenge your mother?” Raylee added with a sigh. “I believe this is the most effective solution.”

“Your solution will be our last resort. I won’t do it unless we have no choice,” the masked man said. However, before he could finish, his phone started to ring. He answered the call, “Angela, what’s up?”